3 Mar

RI PT IO N BS C SU THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

40 PAGES

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010

RABI ALAWAL 17, 1431 AH

NO: 14656

Award-winning filmmaker Panahi arrested in Tehran raid

Under blockade, coastal Gaza now a fish importer

BBC unveils shake-up plans amid row over future

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in the news Afasi abolishes KDU KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Mohsen Al-Afasi revoked yesterday a decision on the formation of the Kuwaiti Doctors Union (KDU).

A press statement issued by the ministry pointed out that the first article of the ministerial decree (30-A) of 2010 provides for abolishing the decision of forming the KDU, while its second article provides for the decree to take effect starting from its date of issue.

KOTC to get tankers early KUWAIT: State-owned Kuwait Oil Tanker Co (KOTC) will receive its first tanker this year from South Korea’s Daewoo Engineering & Construction earlier than planned, the Kuwait state news agency reported yesterday. The first of a fleet of four 318,000-tonne tankers will be delivered in October, earlier than the 2011 due date after a fall in demand for tankers on the back of the global financial crisis, KUNA said. In Aug 2008, KOTC signed a deal worth over $700 million with Daewoo for the four tankers. “The new addition is part of the second phase of our fleet renewal plan involving the construction of four Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and three oil product carriers,” KUNA reported. The cost of each tanker, which was initially set at $177 million, will be cut

by Daewoo due to the decline in demand, KUNA said. It did not state the new cost of the tankers.

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First ambassador in two decades • FM: Gulf title a ‘done deal’

By Khaled Abdullah

SHARJAH: An Asian man crosses a flooded street in this Gulf emirate during a rainstorm yesterday. — AFP

UAE rains cause commuter woes DUBAI: Heavy rains in the Gulf desert state of the United Arab Emirates caused flooding, traffic jams, car accidents and school closures yesterday, after four weatherrelated deaths at the weekend.

Some residents of the emirate of Sharjah were trapped in their homes by high waters, an AFP pho-

tographer reported. Cars were almost completely submerged on some roads. Sharjah residents waded through the water with rolled-up pants, while trucks looked like barges as they ploughed through the flooded streets.

Gulf News reported on its website that a major thoroughfare, the

Dubai-Sharjah sector of the Emirates Road bypass, was closed due to the flooding. Traffic on Dubai’s main Sheikh Zayed Road slowed to a crawl, with several accidents sighted. Many secondary roads in the city were flooded due to lack of drainage facilities. Dubai’s Continued on Page 14

Hi-tech fair goes 3D But, as ever, the CeBIT is not all work and no play. A host of futuristic devices were on display, from mobile phones that can open your front door to “silent sound” devices that measure the movements of your lips and transform them into sound.

And hot on the heels of the stunning success of James Cameron’s 3D film adventure “Avatar,” this year’s CeBIT was definitely best viewed in

HANOVER: A man watches a 3D TV set using special goggles at the CeBit 2010, the world’s biggest high-tech fair, in this northern German city yesterday. — AFP

three dimensions.

From screens that transform two-dimensional images into three by monitoring a viewer’s eye patterns to 3D Internet that allows shoppers to “try on” the latest fashions, 3D is the show buzzword. This year, however, the CeBIT takes place against a tricky backdrop for the hightech sector, as the industry recovers gingerly from a crisis 2009 and cautiously eyes better days ahead.

According to German IT industry lobby, BITKOM, turnover in the sector will be flat this year, before growing by around 1.6 percent in 2011 to €142 billion ($193 billion).

After a catastrophic 2009, where turnover shrank 4.3 percent, “demand is taking off significantly, especially in the IT sector,” said BITKOM President August-Wilhelm Scheer. The CeBIT fair itself has also seen better days.

This year, fewer than 4,200 companies are at the event, in Hanover, northern Germany.

This is around half the number attending in the halcyon days of the dotcom boom.

But opening the fair, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero both stressed the importance of the sector for Europe.

“The future of Europe is digital,” said Zapatero, whose country is the partner country for this year’s CeBIT. Surrounded by around 200 journalists and officials, Zapatero and Merkel visited Continued on Page 14

KUWAIT: Kuwait yesterday welcomed the Iraqi move to name the first envoy in the country in two decades, and said that the title of the Gulf is not a disputed issue with Iran. Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said that Iraq named its new ambassador to Kuwait yesterday, making Mohammad Hussein Mohammad Bahrululoom the first Iraqi Ambassador to Kuwait since the fall of the former Iraqi Baathist regime. Mohammad Al-Haj Mahmoud, Iraqi Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, earlier told the press that the Iraqi government had named Bahrululoom as Iraq’s ambassador to Kuwait.

Bahrululoom is the brother of former Iraqi Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahrululoom.

Iraqi-Kuwaiti relations have been developing since the fall of the Saddam regime with both nations expressing desires to develop bilateral relations. “This is a good step forward,” Kuwait’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah told reporters. Kuwait appointed a former army chief of staff, Ali AlMomen, as ambassador to Iraq in Oct 2008.

As for the Iranian position towards the title of the Gulf, Sheikh Mohammad said, “I believe this is a done deal for a long time”. “For us it’s Arabian Gulf and for the Iranians it’s Persian Gulf... This matter should not be made into a dispute. We (Arabs) call it the Arabian Gulf from the Arab side, and from the Iranian side they call it the Persian Gulf,” the minister reiterated. (Material from KUNA used in this report)

KUWAIT: Communications Minister Mohammad Al-Busairi speaks during an Assembly session yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Panel to probe KAC violations Info minister grilling postponed

By B Izzak KUWAIT: Communications Minister Mohammad AlBusairi said he has formed an independent committee to probe wide-ranging corruption charges against Kuwait Airways Corp (KAC), which is planned to be privatized very soon. The minis-

ter said that he gave the committee two months to complete the investigation and to give him specific names of those responsible for the violations. Busairi vowed that he will refer all the names to the public prosecution and promised that no one will escape punishment.

Continued on Page 14

Saudi wins prize for palace satire LONDON: Saudi novelist Abdo Khal won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction yesterday for “Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles”, about the seductive yet destructive allure of the world of the palace. The award, worth $10,000 to each of the six nominees and

another $50,000 to the winner, honours works of prose fiction in Arabic, and the exposure it brings can mean publishing deals in English and other languages.

“The winning novel is a brilliant exploration of the relationship between the Continued on Page 14

Jerusalem plan seeks to raze Palestinian homes

Google launches charm offensive HANOVER, Germany: The world’s biggest high-tech fair opened yesterday with IT giants aiming to bounce back strongly from a terrible 2009 by wooing consumers with trendy gadgets. “Connected Worlds” is the theme of this year’s CeBIT fair, with companies showcasing energy and labour-saving devices that use wireless technology to communicate with each other and with users far away.

England on top as World Cup scramble begins

Baghdad names envoy to Kuwait

Yemen blast kills 19 SANAA: A suspected dynamite blast in the basement of a residential building in Yemen killed up to 19 people as they slept yesterday and levelled their apartment block, an official said. “We think it was dynamite,” an official in the southern city of Taiz told Reuters. He said the dynamite was thought to have belonged to a Yemeni contractor who used explosives in roadbuilding works to flatten hills and who may have stored it in the building. The official said the explosion before dawn caused the collapse of a three-storey building with six residential apartments, and partly destroyed two adjacent homes. At least nine bodies were pulled from the rubble and rescue workers were looking for 10 more believed buried and feared dead. Taiz province governor, Hammoud Al-Sufi, put the death toll lower at 10 and said he did not believe more victims were trapped under the rubble. Some 15 people also were injured in the blast.

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Blocks are seen preserving the snake Sanajeh indicus in association with a partial clutch of three sauropod eggs and a sauropod hatchling. — AP

Fossils found of dino-eating snake BANGKOK: The fossilized remains of a 67 million-yearold snake found coiled around a dinosaur egg offer rare insight into the ancient reptile’s dining habits and evolution, scientists said yesterday.

The findings, which appeared in yesterday’s issue of the PLoS Biology journal, provide the first evidence that the 3.5m-long snake fed on eggs and hatchlings of saurapod dinosaurs, meaning it was one of the few predators to prey on the long-necked herbivores. They also suggest that, as early as 100 million years ago, snakes were developing mobile jaws similar to those of today’s large-mouthed snakes, including vipers and boas.

“This is an early, well preserved snake, and it is doing something. We are capturing it’s behavior,” said University of Michigan paleontologist Jeff Wilson, who is credited with recognizing the snake bones amid the crushed dinosaur eggs and bones of hatchlings.

“We have information about what this early snake did for living,” he said. “It also helps us understand the early evolution of snakes both anatomically and ecologically.”

Dhananjay Mohabey of India’s Geological Survey discovered the fossilized remains in 1987, but he was only able to make out the dinosaur eggshells and limb bones.

Continued on Page 14

JERUSALEM: Jerusalem’s mayor unveiled a plan yesterday to demolish dozens of Palestinian homes to make room for a tourist center in one of the disputed city’s most volatile neighborhoods, drawing criticism from Palestinians and the United Nations. Mayor Nir Barkat agreed to a last-minute request from Israel’s prime minister to consult Palestinian residents before breaking ground. That could delay the plan for an unknown period of time, but the move threatened to raise tensions in the holy city just as the Obama administration makes a push to renew Mideast peace talks.

“There is no way the Palestinians can accept the demolishing of houses in Jerusalem and the continuation of building settlements for the Jewish settlers, while the United States is trying to bring the parties together,” Palestinian Cabinet minister Mohammed Ishtayeh told AP. “We fully and totally condemn all these Israeli measures.”

At a news conference, Barkat presented his plan as a much needed upgrade of Jerusalem’s decaying AlBustan neighborhood, which Israeli officials have begun calling Gan Hamelech, or the King’s Garden, linking it to the site where the biblical King David is said to have written his psalms. The city wants to build shops, restaurants, art galleries and a large community center replete with day care facilities and

gyms. Barkat said the area’s Palestinian residents, subject to decades of neglect, will benefit, and that most of those who would lose their homes would be eligible for alternative housing, though it was unclear who would pay for it.

“The conditions in which these residents live are intolerable. The goal of the plan is to find solutions,” said Barkat,

a hawkish, secular politician who became mayor af ter amassing a fortune in hi-tech.

But few Israeli moves in east Jerusalem are benign in Palestinian eyes.

The Palestinians hope to make that part of the city - captured

by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war - the capital of a future state.

Continued on Page 14

JERUSALEM: Israeli leftwing activists from the Pe a c e N o w m o v e m e n t p ro t e s t a g a i n s t Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat outside the city council yesterday. — AFP

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NATIONAL

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

League chief slams Israel

Kuwait urges better inter-Arab ties CAIRO: Visiting Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi stressed here yesterday the necessity of further strengthening inter-Arab relations so as to ably and resolutely defend national issues and interests. Addressing the 16th session of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU), which kick-started here earlier in the day, Al-Khorafi said: “(Arab) relations should be further reinforced and consolidated with a view to notching up our national end. But, this poses a considerable challenge to all of us as Arab countries.” He regretted that Arab disunity is mainly to blame for failure to promote the Arab positions on the international arena.

KFA ‘compelled’ to sell local produce KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Farmers Association (KFA) is now compelled to sell local produce or risk shutting down operations of their designated market place, said Head of the Municipal Council following a meeting with members of the Association.

Zaid Al-Azmi further indicated that the Council would work toward making a deci-

sion to relocate Al-Riqqa vegetable market from its current location due to its conflicting plans over a location to build a power transformation plant.

The Association owns affiliated markets in Al-Jahra and Al-Andalus (Farwaniya governorate) and seeks to reinstate the market of Al-Ahmadi governorate, announced its

Chairman Saud Al-Aradah. He said that there are plans to open outlets in Mubarak Al-Kabeer, Hawally and the Capital governorate so that citizens from all governorates can gain access to local products.

During the meeting, Al-Aradah also brought up the need to allocate service locations along Abdali road.

Kuwait to hold cultural week in Damascus next week

ABU DHABI: Members of the International Publishers Association (IPA) participate in the 7th IPA Copyright Symposium in Abu Dhabi this week. — KUNA

More protests at checkpoint KUWAIT: A few days after industrial action by Nuwaiseeb customs officials on the ‘C’ shift, ten of their colleagues on the ‘A’ shift followed their example in protest at conditions and working hours.

The striking workers said that their work rotas had been poorly organized, claiming that they were working solid two-day shifts while being denied the same breaks given to staff working other shifts.

Among those worst affected by the customs

officials’ recent industrial action have been Gulf Oil Company workers who use the checkpoint on a daily basis, reported Al-Watan. A number of these workers are understood to have submitted complaints about the strikes, urging officials to appoint staff from other shifts to cover for their striking colleagues. Meanwhile, the ‘C’ shift employees are expected to meet shortly with either the Assistant Undersecretary of Ports Affairs or the Director General of Land Ports to discuss their problems.

DAMASCUS: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Syria Abdulaziz Ibrahim AlDaihani announced here yesterday that the embassy will cooperate with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information to organize a Kuwaiti cultural week starting on Sunday.

Al-Daihani said that organizing this Kuwaiti cultural week coincides with the celebrations of the 49th National and the 19th Liberation Days.

Kuwait’s cultural history is an honor and many Arab countries take pride in it, Al-Daihani said, as most countries are interested in the latest developments in this sector, he added.

The Kuwaiti Ambassador hailed the support lent by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information for organizing such cultural week here in order to highlight the Kuwaiti culture and its ongoing activities in what was highly welcomed by the Syrian side, especially Syrian Minister of Culture Dr. Riyadh Na’san.

Al-Daihani expressed his joy over holding such cultural event under the patronage of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in what promotes the brotherly ties between the two countries.

— KUNA

The fact that the Arab region is always the scene of standoffs and crises makes Arab countries liable to foreign interference and regional and international conflicts, he argued.

Therefore, inter-Arab ties need to be further cemented and beefed up in order to find an effective way to grapple with Arab disputes and to buttress Arab action, Al-Khorafi urged.

He hoped that the Arab parliamentary gathering would be an effective framework for achieving such an end through constructive dialogue based on fresh bases and rules and proceeds from a frank and unequivocal discussion of inter-Arab differences.

In this context, he hailed His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah for his initiative during the Kuwait Summit in January 2009 aiming to achieve inter-Arab reconciliation.

He wished the coming Arab summit in Libya late this month would be an additional push to the inter-Arab reconciliation march.

On the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Kuwaiti parliament speaker said it is a key risk to Middle Eastern and Arab security and stability, calling for resolving it on the basis of international legitimacy, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and peace deals.

But, he called on Palestinian leaders to live up to responsibility by settling their divisions and enter into national reconciliation at once.

Al-Khorafi also condemned Israel’s recent violations in Jerusalem and Hebron and attempts to incorporate Palestinian historical sites to its alleged heritage list.

Also speaking on the sidelines of the 16th session of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU), Al-Khorafi vowed that Kuwaiti backing for the defenseless Palestinian people would continue nonstop until they restore their legitimate rights.

But, he urged Palestinian factions and forces to bury the hatchet and set aside their splits and divisions which he said would only scuttle and impede Arab and international peace efforts.

He called on them to adopt the voice of mind and wisdom in order to put an end to their disputes.

In this context, the top Kuwaiti lawmaker commended Egyptian efforts to achieve inter-Palestinian reconciliation for the good of the Palestinian cause.

Concerning the three-day meeting held at the Egyptian parliament - attended by Arab

CAIRO: The Kuwaiti delegation taking part in the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting yesterday. — Photos by KUNA parliament speakers, he said they had discussed a spectrum of Arab issues and subjects, mainly the Palestinian issue.

He hoped that the gathering would come up with moves and recommendations that could lead to an end to Arab disagreements.

In his opening address at the conference, Amr Moussa, the Arab League’s Secretary General, said that this year’s meeting is overshadowed by the daunting challenges facing the Arab homeland and its peoples concerning their credibility and existence.

Moussa said that the Arab world faces many challenges and risks, including a lack of overall reform and the escalation of tensions and political violence in many parts of the Arab region.

The Arab League chief called

on Arabs to take a serious stance, review their options and pay attention to the interests of their societies, pointing out that the most serious challenges are related to the policies adopted to prepare Arab societies for confronting a new century and achieve greater progress and a brighter future for their peoples.

Moussa also asserted that the current situation in the Arab region is suffering from a confidence crisis that has reached its climax, pushing inter-Arab relations to a critical situation.

The Arab League head went on to say that, in the deluge of such inter-Arab conflicts and disagreements, Israel is continuing with its schemes to undermine the chances of a balanced peace by persisting in judaizing Jerusalem, settling Israelis in the Occupied Palestinian

Territories and placing more restrictions upon Al-Aqsa mosque, not to mention desecrating it.

Moussa also drew attention to a statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the effect that he plans to bring one million Jews to live in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, pointing out that this creates further suspicions about the Israeli calls to return to the negotiating table.

The idea of negotiation is being used by Israel as a cover for maintaining its expansionist settler policy by devouring the territory upon which any wouldbe Palestinian state would be established, leading to a collapse in the possibility of the two-state solution, supported internationally as a route to peace, warned Moussa.— KUNA

‘Sewage still dumped in sea’ KUWAIT: At least, 150,00 square meters of sewage water is still being dumped on a daily basis into the sea, a report released by the Supreme Council of Environment has stated. It has warned against the effects of persisting environmental problems that

have afflicted the country. Furthermore, the report noted that the situation in Shuaiba has turned grave, after a significant increase in the percentage of gas pollutants were detected in the area’s atmosphere, reported Al-Qabas.

The report also included procedures to be followed to reduce marine pollution, including treating sewage waters, scanning for marine biology in the country’s waters, checking drainage outlets, and cleaning the country’s beaches.

MoI campaign for GCC Traffic Week KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior’s (MoI) Security Media Department has prepared an intensive campaign for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Traffic Week, which is being hosted by Kuwait from March 1420 under the motto, ‘Be Careful of Others’ Mistakes.’

The interior ministry announced its campaign strategy in a statement released yesterday, explaining that through adopting this policy it aims to strengthen the campaign’s educational role and intensify efforts to ensure that the Traffic Week activities are effective.

To this end, it will be publishing a variety of brochures, posters and fliers and distributing them to citizens and residents as part of the campaign.

The educational campaign seeks to raise security and traffic awareness among Kuwaitis and expatriates through arranging a number of lectures, forums and

seminars during Traffic Week, where specialists and the heads of the delegations from other GCC nations attending the associated

events here will be among those addressing the public and the mass media on various aspects of the campaign. — KUNA

NATIONAL

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

3 Rationalization campaign to continue

No programmed power cuts this year in Kuwait

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: This year citizens and residents will experience freedom from programmed power cuts. “Our situation is comfortable. We have enough reserves, but the Ministry will continue with the rationalization campaign even if we had enough reserves. We have not planned any programmed power cuts this year, but it may be the last solution. If people come across announcements about programmed power cuts, it will be caused by maintenance work performed on some generators,” said Iyad Al-Falah, Assistant Undersecretary for Technical Services at the Ministry of Electricity and Water. He was speaking during the opening of the Kuwait Electricity Conference and Exhibition (Kuwait Electrics 2010) held at the Radisson SAS Hotel yesterday.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah receiving the Ambassador of United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Frank Baker at Seif Palace yesterday. — KUNA

Boubyan Port to be ready by 2023 KUWAIT: The Boubyan Port project is expected to be completed by the year 2023, after the construction of 60 docks there, said the leader of the project’s work team on Monday.

Team manager Srour Al-Otaibi said that work was scheduled to start on the port at the end of 2014, beginning with

the construction of four docks, each 1.6 kilometers long and 16 meters deep, with the preliminary cost of the project expected to reach KD 800 million.

Al-Otaibi explained that a number of international companies will be helping local firms in the construction process due to the Kuwaiti firms’ limited experi-

ence in projects of this size, reported AlQabas.

Sixty percent of Boubyan Island has been set aside as a protected wildlife area as it forms the only home of a number of rare bird species, which will also see it become a focus of international interest, the project head explained.

‘Clean’ mabarrahs to collect donations KUWAIT: Charity ‘mabarrahs’ that have a clean track record will be soon allowed to collect donations along the lines of charity organizations. The new move comes as part of a decision to be made by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi, to award bodies that have adhered to regulations. A ‘mabarrah’ is a type of organization that carries out charitable activities mainly aimed toward providing assistance to orphans and communities in need, unlike charity organizations that carry out broad activities,

reported Al-Qabas. In order for a ‘mabarrah’ to be allowed to collect charity, it has to commit to five conditions that have been set by the ministry which are: Provide a financial and administrative report to the ministry, provide the ministry with balance sheets, submit documents that prove that they have foreign projects authorized by the Foreign Ministry, provide evidence that they did not interact with local or foreign banks, and prove that they do not carry out any projects that violate regulations.

KUWAIT: Ali Al-Eidan celebrates after climbing the Liberation Tower on Friday.

Al-Eidan commemorates Liberation day, climbs tower

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Sports expert Ali Al-Eidan climbed the Liberation Tower last Friday, Feb 26, at 10:30 am to commemorate the late Amir Sheikh Saad AlAbdullah Al-Sabah. The event was held under the auspices of Sheikha Fadiya Saad Al-Abdullah.

Al-Eidan climbed the Liberation Tower, which is the tenth highest tower in the world and the

highest in the Middle East. It is 372 meters above sea level and has 150 floors. “I’ve done this annually during Liberation Day since 2004,” he told Kuwait Times. “By doing this I hope to encourage people to participate in sports and fight against obesity. This will encourage a healthier society.”

He climbed the Liberation Tower in seven minutes and 15 seconds, a new record for this tower.

Cameramen’s workshop in Beirut BEIRUT: The Kuwait News Agency is among the bodies taking part in a five-day workshop for cameramen currently being held by the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA), which began here yesterday.

Cameramen from the official news agencies of Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sudan and Morocco are also taking part in the workshop.

Supervised by Jamal Al-Saidi, the head of

Reuters’ Beirut bureau’s photography division, the workshop mainly aims to develop and enhance Arab photographers’ skills and capabilities, explained Sheikha Khaja, who is representing Kuwait’s official news agency at the event.

The FANA regularly holds training courses for Arab editors and photographers at its Beirut headquarters, which was opened in October 2009. — KUNA

in the news Travel bans online KUWAIT: The Ministries of Justice and of Interior are working together on a joint project to facilitate travel bans electronically in order to expedite the issuing and enforcement of such bans. The strategy would do away with the need to issue travel ban documents, explained Ali AlDhubaibi, the head of the Ministry of Justice’s policy implementation department.

Al-Dhubaibi also denied reports that there were any plans to change the travel ban procedures for debtors owing less than KD 10,000, reported Al-Qabas. The highest number of travel bans to date have been issued for residents of Farwaniya governorate, followed by (in descending order) Hawally, Ahmadi, Jahra, the Capital and Mubarak AlKabeer.

Journalists support KUWAIT: Faisal Al-Qinae, the Secretary General of the Kuwait Journalists Association (KJA), said yesterday that the association would support expatriate Egyptian journalists’ wish to join their country’s Syndicate of Egyptian Journalists. A statement by KJA said that Al-Qinae had expressed this support on behalf of the association during his meeting with officials from the Arab Press Federation.

Makram Mohammad Ahmad, the Secretary General of the regional federation, promised Al-Qinae that he would look into the matter.

Iraq resolutions KUWAIT: An Iraqi MP has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to cancel all the resolutions issued against Iraq as long as the Iraqis are committed to maintaining good relations with Kuwait and renounce any form of threat against the neighboring country.

“Relations between the two countries are heading in the right direction,” said MP Tania Tal’at, a member of the Iraqi parliamentary foreign affairs committee. She also indicated that the UN has been sponsoring bilateral talks between the two nations for the past few months, reported Al-Watan, as well as noting that Iraq had returned the remains of around 300 Kuwaitis who had been missing since the former Iraqi regime’s 1990-91 invasion and occupation of Kuwait.

MoE catering company KUWAIT: The Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr Moudhi AlHmoud, has approved a committee to manage Tender Number 49 for the year 20092010. The tender regards the cost of serving meals to elementary school students for that school year, reported AlAnba. The committee will be led by Dr Khalid Al-Hindi and is expected to identify companies that meet the conditions and requirements of the ministry’s needs of the tender. The committee will also be assigned with studying those offers in order to recommend the best candidate.

The power sector in Kuwait faces various challenges. “The greatest challenge is the increasing demand of power supply as a result of the expansion of development projects that have been growing rapidly during the past few years. This caused the need to build new stations and renew existing ones to match with this rise according to the best international standards. This increase in new stations will also fulfill with the state’s need of power according to the development plan approved by the government that includes many mega projects, which will be realized soon,” added Al-Falah.

The Ministry of Electricity is keen to follow modern researches and studies made in the power sector. “We aim to benefit from the experience of pioneers in other countries in this field. So we hope that this conference will be an important source of knowledge for those who work in this field; to increase their skills and experiences and encourage them for more improvement,” he pointed out.

International companies are participating in Kuwait Electrics 2010. “This is the first exhibition for electronic goods such as generators and others. Apart from local companies and producers, many regional participants will take part.

This conference will be held repeatedly. I hope that all Kuwaiti engineers will attend it and benefit from it. Many foreign companies are showcasing modern technological innovations that we haven’t seen before,” Al-Falah concluded.

“Many local factories in the field of power work according

KUWAIT: Iyad Al-Falah, cutting the ribbon.

KUWAIT: Al-Falah at the exhibition. — Photo by Joseph Shagra to international standards and they have achieved international certification from ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 29001. We are proud that these

factories even export products to other GCC countries and Iraq, and this caused the drop in prices of generators or place it on the same level,

although the prices of some material such as aluminum have hiked,” noted Abduljaleel Boland, Deputy Chairman of the Al-Ahleia Switchgear Co.

TOKYO: Miyoki Hatoyama, the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, attended a cultural event here yesterday which was organized by Jamila Al-Otaibi, the wife of the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Japan, along with the wives of other Arab diplomats in Tokyo. Al-Otaibi welcomed the dignitary during a luncheon held in her honor to mark the event and lauded the bilateral relations between Kuwait and Japan, voicing hope that relations would be bolstered in the future. — KUNA

ISESCO condemns new Israeli decision on heritage sites

By Abdullah Al-Qattan KUWAIT: The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) condemned Israeli’s decision to add Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi in Al-Khalil and Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque in Bait Lahm to a list of Israeli heritage sites. ISESCO determined that such acts are a violation of international law because Al-Khalil and Bait Lahm are within Palestinian territories, according to the 1967 treaty.

Following their announcement, ISESCO asked the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to take action against the injustice of Israeli leaders in the Bait Lahm district.

Islamic MP, Mohammed Hayef, said that such attempts are made by Zionists because they think that the Arab community is weak. He added that

the word ‘negotiation’ is missing from the vocabulary of Zionists and that their only interest is to escalate the conflict. “The attempt to turn our holy land into a tourist site will not be overlooked,” he asserted. He said that the more Zionists abuse their authority the more necessary it is for a proper reaction from the Islamic community.

Islamist Mahdi Serdar, a former activist at Kuwait University, added his disapproval of the idea of Israeli heritage sites. He said that Israel isn’t the only country undermining Arabs and Muslims. The reason behind Palestine’s weakness is the drifting of their Islamic thought toward an infidel’s way of thinking, he said. Serdar added that if Muslims want to be taken seriously they should hold on to their Quran, the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and Al-Bait while embracing their beliefs.

NATIONAL

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Accident near Sabah Hospital roundabout

Kuwaiti youngster dies in high speed road crash

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A young Kuw aiti man died of multiple injuries after he lost control of his car, w hich smashed into a lamppost near the Sabah Hospital roundabout at high speed. The impact of the crash w as so great that it uprooted

the lamppost, dragging it along w ith the vehicle for 15 meters before the car came to a stop. Firemen had to use specialist equipment to cut the young driver free of the w reckage, but although he w as immediately rushed to hospital, he died shortly after arrival. An investigation has been launched into the crash.

Peeping tom An Egyptian peeping tom caught by a group of female wedding guests while spying on the women’s wedding reception celebrations through a hole he made in the wall of the venue was first beaten by all the women present before being handed over to the police.

KUWAIT: The Police Officers Club (POC) recently celebrated Kuwait’s National and Liberation Day anniversaries at its headquarters in Abol Hasaniya beach.

The ceremony was attended by the Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Special Security Affairs and POC’s Board Chairman Maj. General Sulaimna Al-Fahad. The ceremony included cartoon figures, competitions, laser shows, folk singing, face coloring and a skit titled ‘Kuwait My Home Land.’ —KUNA

Al-Roumi issues report on ‘mistakes’ in new labor law KUWAIT: Deputy National Assembly Speaker MP Abdullah Al-Roumi has presented his report on the recently introduced public labor legislation following allegations that some of the clauses were illegally amended after the law was passed.

In his report, Al-Roumi said that he found all of the legislative clauses to have been left intact in the finished draft, but two of them, numbers 16 and 68, had been corrected. He explained that mistakes had been included in these two clauses for several reasons, none of which were connected to any wish to change them. They had probably been included due to the fact that there were a total of 150 clauses in the legislation, all of which had been agreed after lengthy discussion carried out over several parliamentary sessions, with discussion of some of them overlapping, leading to a degree of confusion.

Clause 68 pertains to the regulations for deciding official holidays, he said, with the error in the wording of the bill taking place in the final text which stated that only two days - Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha - would be allocated as official holidays, since this conflicted with the agreement adopted by the parliament which gave a three-day holiday for each of these major festivals.

On the error in the text of Clause 18 of the legislation, Al-Roumi explained that this clause is related to the regulations controlling professional training, with an erroneous statement being included exempting training periods of less than three months in length from being affected by the legislation. This has been corrected by removing the statement in question, which was not included in the original draft law endorsed by parliament, he added.

Meanwhile, in other parliamentary news, the parliamentary interior and defense committees are preparing to respond to statements made by MP Walid Al-Tabtabae who accused both committees of being “a graveyard for

draft laws in which the parliament dumps any draft laws which it doesn’t wish to see passed.”

On a separate issue, MP Falah Al-Sawagh has condemned the Ministry of Education (MoE) for its plan to privatize public schools, saying that the education ministry should instead address the new challenges it faces in terms of rising student numbers.

Also on an education-related note, MP Dr. Yousef AlZalzalah has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Higher Education that American universities in Qatar should be included on the list of international universities suitable for female Kuwaiti scholarship students, “due to the prestigious and highly qualified academic levels that these universities have proved themselves to have attained.”

Meanwhile, on the subject of the interpellation motion against the information minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, MP Khalid Al-Sultan said that the fact that 22 parliamentarians have already voiced their support for the grilling motion proves its strength. He added, however, that an interpellation does not indicate that a no-confidence motion is on the cards, reported AlQabas. On the same subject, MP Saadoun Al-Hamad said, “The interpellation has become essential in order for the minister to be held accountable for failing to implement the audiovisual legislation, allowing corrupt media to use this flaw to damage national unity.”

On another issue, health minister Dr. Helal Al-Sayer responded to a question from MP Mohammed Hayef on safety levels in Kuwait’s hospitals, explaining that a joint committee had been formed between the health ministry and the Kuwait Fire Services Directorate (KFSD) to check on the safety procedures in place at all Kuwait’s hospitals, including regular field tours during which maintenance work is carried out on safety devices and equipment.

Horrible shock Three Egyptian expatriates got a horrible shock on returning to their flat from work to find that their apartment had been broken into, with the burglars stealing KD 1,000 in cash, along with KD 450 worth of gold jewelry. A case has been filed and an investigation is underway into the theft.

Sexual harassment A secretary working for a local branch manager of an Arab satellite TV channel in Kuwait has filed a sexual harassment case against her boss. The man has been summoned for questioning over the allegations.

Driver attacked A bus driver told police that two men wearing Kuwaiti national costume had taken advantage of the fact he was on his own with no other passengers on the bus to attack him and steal KD 180 in cash collected in fares, along with his own money and wallet, from his possession. An investigation has been launched.

Sex pest An Asian housemaid told police that a compatriot had pestered her on the phone for sex and tried to persuade her to have an affair with him for over a year, refusing to desist when she asked him to. An investigation is underway.

Fugitive recaptured A Kuwaiti fugitive who went on the run after being sentenced to three years’ imprisonment was recaptured while driving through a routine checkpoint.

He has been taken back into custody.

Khaitan fire Firemen from Farwaniya and Ardiya worked together to put out a fire that broke out in a fifth floor apartment opposite the Khaitan Sports Club, quickly evacuating the building and bringing the blaze under control. No casualties were reported, although one fireman was treated for mild smoke inhalation at the scene.

KUWAIT: The car accident near the Sabah Hospital roundabout. — Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Kuwaiti youth injured in murder attempt KUWAIT: A 13-year-old citizen was badly injured after being stabbed four times by his own brother in Doha. His brother, whose psychological condition has been described as ‘in very bad shape’ was recently released from jail after being convicted for murder. His criminal record also included several cases of drug abuse charges. The youth was assaulted after his brother forced him out of the house and attacked him with a knife for unknown reasons. Police arrested him after he was found hiding in Fintas. Meanwhile, the teenager was admitted to the ICU of the Al-Sabah Hospital in critical condition.

Car accidents A Kuwaiti teenager was killed after his car turned over and caught fire near Jalaiah.

Firefighters, paramedics and police worked to extinguish the flames and soon learned that the victim succumbed to his injuries. A case was opened to investigate the accident further at the Al-Zoor police station.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian man was killed after he was struck by a car in front of Kuwait University while trying to cross a street in Shuwaikh. Paramedics responded to the emergency but found him already dead. The driver who hit him, a citizen, was taken into custody.

Also, a young man was killed when his motorcycle collided with another vehicle on Maseelah road. The driver of the other vehicle was placed under arrest for further investigations.

In a another incident, a car accident occurred on King Fahad Highway, when a driver lost control over his vehicle while speeding. The resulting collision ripped his car apart and he sustained severe spinal injuries. The passenger in the vehicle was also critically injured. They were admitted to the intensive care unit of the Mubarak AlKabeer hospital in critical condition.

Thief nabbed Investigators at the Sulaibikhat police station arrested a Syrian man on charges of committing 17 thefts. The arrest was made after investigators traced a stolen phone and arrested the person using it. When questioned, he said that he bought it from an acquaintance, and informed police about him. Police arrested the man, who confessed of stealing the phone. He also admitted to carrying out 17 other thefts. Both men were sent to the proper authorities for further questioning.

proper authorities.

Unfortunate incident An Egyptian construction worker in his 30’s died after falling off a scaffold near a mosque in Hawally. Police and paramedics responded to the emergency call and pronounced the man dead after arriving to the scene.

Stable fire A large fire occurred in one of the stables near the Farwaniya equestrian club when an illegally built carpentry workshop caught fire.

Firefighters responded to the emergency and extinguished the flames before the fire could cause injury to people or animals. One Asian worker at the carpentry shop sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

Freak accident A vehicle was severely damaged after a strong wind toppled a wall that the vehicle was parked next to in Khaitan. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Abduction fails A Sri Lankan woman escaped two kidnappers who tried to force her into their vehicle in Salmiya. They abandoned their plans when her screams caught the attention of pedestrians nearby. Police were provided with the license plate number of the kidnappers’ vehicle and a search for the assailants is ongoing.

Fugitive in custody An Iranian woman, sentenced to life in prison for drug related charges, was apprehended by authorities inside her home in Abu Hliafa. An amount of homemade alcohol was found in her possession. She was taken to the

Addiction pills stolen A thief broke into the pharmacy of a rehabilitation clinic in the Al-Sabah Medical Area, and stole medication for abuse purposes.

Authorities investigated the scene of the crime and are searching for the thief.

in the news Team to set economic priorities KUWAIT: The Cabinet made a decision to assign a work team the task of prioritizing the country’s economic needs. The group will be led by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and State Minister for Development and Housing Affairs, reported Al-Qabas. The team will also include the membership of the Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali, the Commerce and Industry Minister Ahmad Al-Haroun, the Communications Minister Dr Mohammad AlBudairi, the Minister of Public Works Dr Fadhel Safar, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi, the General Secretariat of the Cabinet and four representatives from the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The team will prioritize issues regarding the economic development project, economic regulations and coordinating the private and public sectors in order to increase the competency and level of competition of the national economy. The team was also given the authority to invite specialists to their meetings in order to make use of their expertise.

Engineers society to hold meeting KUWAIT: The Kuwait Engineers Society (KES) has completed preparations ahead of an annual general assembly meeting scheduled to be held on March 10 at its premises in Bneid Al-Gar. It has said that invitations and an annual report have been sent to all members of the general assembly who comply with the conditions for the meeting, reported Al-Anba. Treasurer Saud Al-Otaiby said that after receiving necessary approval, the general assembly announced that a meeting would be held today evening. The agenda will be to review the board of directors report and the financial report, and to approve the final accounts for the past year, and choose a new auditor. He added that the meeting will be considered lawful if only more than 50 percent of the members attend the meeting.

KUWAIT: A group photo (left) and Ahmed Baki, Regional Director of Sales and Marketing Middle East (right). — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Starwood hosts annual Roadshow in Kuwait

By Rawan Khalid KUWAIT: The Starwood Hotels and Resorts hosted the annual Middle East Roadshow at the Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait on Monday. The annual Middle East Roadshow has been held in six different locations across the Middle East in places such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The event began on Feb 27, will continue until March 4 and features a series of industry workshops.

The Middle East region continues to show great potential for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. “We remain committed to our long-term strategy; building strong brands and growing our global footprint,” said Guido De Wilde, Vice President and Regional Director for Starwood Hotels & Resort in the Middle East.

“Once all the hotels we currently have under construction open, the Middle East will become the second region in

the world to have Starwood’s complete portfolio of nine brands represented. Amongst our latest developments, is the opening of the W Doha and the Aloft Abu Dhabi, marking the entrance of these two distinguished brands in the region.

This Middle East expo is all about doing the right thing, meeting with our customers.”

“The Middle East region has evidently positioned itself on the world map,” added Ahmed Baki, Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for Starwood Hotels and Resorts in the Middle East. “It’s an important outbound market. During our tour in the six cities our delegates, who represent more than 30 hotels in 20 countries and 4 continents from around the world, will have the chance to update over 2,000 customers invited to these events on their products and offers for 2010.”

The Roadshow will end with a raffle draw and a dinner at the Sheraton hotel.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

NATIONAL

5 Big increase in population

Ministries plan to address rising public demands KUWAIT: The population increase in Kuwait has resulted in increased power consumption rates, more pressure on medical facilities, and more pressure on public schools. This requires that prompt steps be taken in order to match with the demands of population growth. The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) He further noted that the project to connect power networks between Gulf nations will help support and stabilize the country’s network, reported Al-Watan.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (MoH) plans to launch a project according to which a polyclinic will be built in each new residential area, said Head of the Medical Care Central Department Dr Layla Al- Dousari.

He added that there are 88 such polyclinics currently located across the country, equipped with 49 laboratories; each one serving an approximate 39,000 people.

On the other hand, AlDousari noted that 560,000 public employees were granted sick leaves in 2008; 90 percent of which were granted to citizens.

Moving to the Ministry of Education(MoE), a plan has

has indicated that there is an annual 10 percentage increase in power consumption due to population growth. The government body has launched programs to improve power networks and establish new power plants, said Assistant Undersecretary for Planning and Training Dr Meshaan Al-Otaibi.

been charted out to build 151 new schools for different educational stages within seven years, at a total cost of KD 350 million.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) has contacted the Central Tenders Committee (CTC) to officially announce the tender for the construction of the northern Zour power plant. The new plant, which will have the capacity

to provide an additional 3,000 megawatts of power, along with 100 million imperial gallons of fresh water daily, is one of the projects listed in the cabinet’s new development plan.

The preliminary meeting for discussion of the tender has been set for April 18, with May 3 set as the deadline for six local and international companies to present their bids. The new plant, which

will operate using dual-purpose gas turbine technology, will be built in five phases: the first two of these will provide 3,000 megawatts of power, the third will provide 800 megawatts, and the fourth will provide a further 1,000 megawatts, while the fifth phase will be concerned with the construction of water desalination facilities providing approximately 100 million imperial gallons daily.

Hadas: Act fast to stop Israeli aggressions against history

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti National and Liberation Day anniversary celebrations in Uzbekistan (top), Ukraine (middle) and India (above) — Photos by KUNA

Kuwaiti diplomatic missions mark national anniversaries KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Embassy in Ukraine marked Kuwait’s 49th and 19th anniversaries of the National Day and Liberation Day respectively. The ceremony was attended by officials of several Ukrainian ministries and all Arab ambassadors as well as many foreign ambassadors in Ukraine.

Representatives of religious and international organizations, civil society institutions and businessmen were also present in the meeting.

The Kuwaiti embassy in Uzbekistan and Kuwaiti consulate in Mumbai in India were joined by several Uzbek and Indian officials and diplomats in their celebration of Kuwait’s national festivals. Kuwaiti Ambassador in Uzbekistan Adel Hayat said in a news release yesterday that high-level Uzbek officials attended the embassy’s ceremony, hailing distinguished relations between Kuwait and Uzbekistan. The fact that Uzbek political,

economic, social, cultural and media figures, mainly the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade Elyor Ganiyev, reflects Uzbekistan’s great appreciation for the State of Kuwait, the ambassador said.

The historic visit paid by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Tashkent in 2008 played a great role in the reinforcement and promotion of cooperative ties between both nations, he reminded.

He stressed the significance of the cooperative agreements which were hammered out between Kuwait and Uzbekistan in the development of bilateral cooperation.

In Mumbai, the Kuwaiti Consulate celebrated the country’s national festivals by holding a ceremony that was attended by a large number of city officials and diplomats. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Islamic Constitutional Movement (Hadas) has urged the international community and representative organizations, including UNESCO, to take serious steps to protect historical Arab and Islamic sites in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and “stop the Zionist occupation from taking control of these sites.”

Hadas made the call in an official statement issued on Monday following recent developments at the ‘Ibrahimi’ sanctuary in the city of Hebron, which Israel has added to a controversial list of Israeli national heritage sites, reported Al-Watan.

The Kuwaiti party described this move as “one of the most dangerous cases of the erasure of Arab Islamic history,” accusing Israel of “continuing its attempts to eliminate the Arab and Islamic heritage from holy sites in Palestine and persisting with its violations that expose the true, malicious approach of the Zionist regime.”

Hadas strongly condemned the lack of action on the part of Arab authorities concerning “these violations of international legitimacy” and Western collusion in this, calling for steps to be taken “to protect the holy sites from deceitfulness and assault through continuous raids by Jewish extremists.”

The political bloc did, however, applaud the official Kuwaiti stance on this issue, which it said had been demonstrated through the statements of condemnation issued by foreign minister Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah during a recent visit to Luxembourg, calling on the government to continue its support for the Palestinian people and their cause.

Safar to sign airport expansion agreement KUWAIT: Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs, Dr Fadhil Safar will sign an agreement on Thursday to expand Kuwait International Airport (KIA).

The Ministry of Public Works (MPW) announced on Monday that the signing ceremony will be attended by the Deputy Premier for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Development Affairs and for Housing Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and the Minister of Communication and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Dr Mohammad Al-Baseeri.

The new building will be designed to handle 13 million travelers per year, with the current building having reached its maximum capacity of seven million passengers per year. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The airport expansion project blueprint. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The GCC higher military committee meeting in Kuwait. — KUNA

GCC chiefs of staff meet in Kuwait KUWAIT: The GCC higher military committee convened its third consultative meeting here yesterday under the chairmanship of Kuwaiti Army Chief of Staff Sheikh Ahmad AlKhaled Al-Sabah. The meeting was attended by the army chiefs of

the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, as well as the commander of the GCC AlJazeera Shield Force.

The meeting is part of efforts aiming to further promote and reinforce cooperation among the GCC mem-

Will foam be banned at Kuwait celebrations?

KUWAIT: Usually at this time of the year, following national day celebrations, people reminisce the disadvantages of the reckless ways of conducting celebrations.

This is mainly due to the indiscriminate use of foam(or silly string) that is usually sprayed at people, causing health problems in the form of eye injuries due to exposure to chemical substances, and social problems that result in public fights.

While this phenomenon continues to increase every year, no concrete actions have been taken to contain the problem.

Despite the fact, that the Ministries of Commerce and Health had warned against health threats that could arise, leading to permanent blindness, the government failed to take plausible actions like placing a ban on the substances, reported Al-Watan.

The Commerce Ministry has been taking follow up action on this matter, said Head of the Commercial Monitoring Department Rashid Al-Hajri.

He added that they cannot take any action unless the Ministry of Health(MoH) issues an official report which explains the hazards that the substance poses to people’s health.

That being said, the Commerce Ministry will take samples from the foam following the holidays, and send them to be tested at health ministry’s laboratories.

ber states and to embody the spirit of common integration within the framework of the GCC. It also comes at the behest of the GCC leaders who have instructed that interGCC military capabilities be boosted.

During the meet-

ing, they mainly mulled over a Bahraini vision for developing defensive and security cooperation among the GCC member states.

The conferees seized the opportunity to congratulate His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-

Sabah and other Kuwaiti leaders as well as the Kuwaiti people on the country’s national festivals.

They also thanked the Kuwaiti army for the warm welcome and hospitability as well as for holding this successful military meeting. — KUNA

6

NATIONAL

Kuwaiti ambassador discusses labor issues with Indonesian minister KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait’s Ambassador in Jakarta Nasser Al-Enizi met yesterday with Indonesia’s Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Dr Muhaimin Iskandar to discuss labor issues and bilateral relations.

Al-Enizi said the two sides discussed matters of mutual concern and cooperation in the labor sector. He added that the Indonesian labor force in Kuwait was the main topic of discussion, saying that the Indonesian minister underscored the need to resolve this “thorny issue” through signing a memorandum of understanding that guaranteed the rights of both the laborers and their employees.

He also quoted the minister as saying that his country was keen on finding a swift solution that was acceptable to the two sides, through

official visit exchanges.

The Indonesian minister expressed, during the meeting, his appreciation for the recent visit of a delegation from the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department and those working on domestic labor issues at the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry, saying that this was a step towards resolving the matter.

Moreover, Al-Enizi said that Iskandar expressed his desire to visit Kuwait to meet with his counterparts, in order to discuss means to remove obstacles and challenges in this area.

Kuwait is keen on ending this matter in an agreeable manner, and to guarantee decent living conditions for Indonesian workers in Kuwait, the ambassador concluded. — KUNA

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Made threats previously

American hoax bomb caller faked own death in child custody bid KUWAIT: More information has emerged in the case of US citizen Orlando Turner, the man who has claimed responsibility for the recent spate of hoax bomb calls in Kuwait. The US citizen, who has now returned home to Texas, claimed to have made the calls in a bizarre attempt to persuade the Kuwaiti government to expedite the court hearTurner reportedly left a job in Qatar to follow his former wife to Kuwait, with their relationship deteriorating after he lost his position with the US Army here.

A local court subsequently gave custody of their infant daughter to the mother, at which point Turner asked his attorney to bring a new case requesting access to his daughter,

reportedly being so dispirited at not seeing the child that he threatened to kill himself if he could not spend time with her.

In that case, the judge ruled that Turner could spend two hours per week with the child, which Turner rejected as too little, going so far as to attempt to assault his ex-wife’s lawyer.

After Turner returned to the US, Al-Banwan

ing in his custody fight for his infant daughter, who is still in Kuwait with her Filipina mother. Turner, who retained Kuwaiti attorney Abdulaziz AlBanwan to represent him in his custody fight for the child, has apparently gone so far as to fake his own suicide in a desperate bid to be reunited with the infant.

received an e-mail from a person claiming to be Turner’s mother, informing him that “her son had died as a result of an accident and asking for his former wife to come to the US with his daughter to claim $30,000 from the insurance company,” reported AlWatan.

A few days later, however, the lawyer received a phone call from Turner him-

hoax bomb calls to facilities in Kuwait and to harm himself.

A number of lawyers have suggested that Turner should be tried in absentia in Kuwaiti court on charges of disrupting national security, as well as recommending that local security services should coordinate with Interpol to secure his arrest so that he can stand trial in the country.

self, who confessed to having come up with the idea of faking his own death as a way of luring his ex-wife to the US with their child, saying that his plan had proved fruitless when his wife did not fall for the ruse.

Turner regularly contacted the attorney thereafter, vowing that he wouldn’t give up in his attempts to be reunited with his daughter and threatening to make

Girls Forum starts in Dubai KUWAIT: Prof Nizar Hamzeh, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (left) presenting the 3 Palms award to Dr Mohsen Bagnied, Head of the Division of Business and Economics of the Official Selection at a faculty meeting AUK’s Campus.

AUK Business Division earns Eduniversal recognition KUWAIT: The Division of Business and Economics at the American University of Kuwait has been awarded a coveted third Palm from Eduniversal for being an “excellent business school, nationally strong with continental links.”

Eduniversal is the first international organization to offer a truly universal perspective on higher education.

Eduniversal offers a unique service providing students,

professionals, HR executives and academic officers with a global panorama of the best educational opportunities.

Eduniversal spent a tremendous amount of time researching and compiling a comprehensive study of over 4000 websites to select the best 1000 business schools and then to award a selection of those universities with a 3 Palms Award.

Eduniversal’s International

Scientific Committee is responsible for the official selection of business schools and is composed of 12 members. It has established a global mapping system meeting the criteria of universality and the international reputation of each academic institution. Each country and each continent is represented according to a quota method. The number per country is weighted by quantitative and qualitative criteria.

DUBAI: Sheikha Rawdha bint Ahmad bin Juma Al-Maktoum, wife of Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Finance Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashed, inaugurated yesterday the Second Girls Forum, with huge attendance from Kuwait. The forum inaugurated by Sheikha Rawdha, and under the inauguration of Sheikh Hessa bint Hamdan bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, continues until March 7 and is aimed this year at the youth.

Sheikha Rawdha in a statement commended the forum’s role in support of youth initiatives from both genders, due to their innovative ambitious nature, calling on bodies in the region to make use of their potential. Sheikha Rawdha took a tour of a painting exhibition which accompanies the forum.

The forum is being attended by experts and lecturers in the field of education and economics, from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Tunisia. — KUNA

Ali Al-Mawla Kuwaiti folklore band.

A Kuwaiti family takes part in the event.

Nassir Al-Foudari

The Syrian folklore band.

The Egyptian folklore band.

National Day celebrations at Green Island KUWAIT: The Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC) held celebrations to mark national holidays at the Green Island Resort over the weekend. The program featured participation from Kuwaiti, Egyptian, Syrian and Lebanese folklore bands.

The program also featured activities for children, said supervisor of the Green Island, Nassir Al-Foudari. He added that the folklore bands performed several shows that demonstrated their cultural heritage during national holiday celebrations. A number of musical shows were staged.

Also, several competitions were held for visitors in which winners were awarded prizes. Among the competitions held, a boat race (remote controlled) was held at the Island’s lake. The event was sponsored by Zain.

Ahmad Srour and his family.

The Lebanese folklore band.

Celebrators wave Kuwaiti flags.

INTERNATIONAL

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Rivals see Iraq election as way to claim Kirkuk Arabs, Turkomen, Kurds try to prove a point KIRKUK: Young men hurtle down dusty streets in cars, waving flags and blaring campaign slogans in a fervor that highlights this city’s dangerous ethnic divisions. Arabs, Turkomen and Kurds each see Iraq’s parliamentary elections as a chance to prove one thing: Kirkuk is ours. The claims over this oil-rich city are so contentious that they forced a delay in the national elections for two months as politicians debated how to apportion its votes.

The balloting, now scheduled for Sunday, will be the first of any kind in the city for five years and a measure of which group has the political clout to reinforce its claim. The results could have far-reaching implications not only for this city but for the whole of Iraq. Kirkuk is ground zero for potentially the most explosive conflict in Iraq in the era following the US withdrawal over the next year - the struggle between Arabs and Kurds over a large swath of the country’s north.

That competition is likely to sharpen regardless of which group emerges on top.

The losers will probably accuse the winner of unfairly manipulating the results. “The politics and the fate of Iraq hang on the fate of Kirkuk,” said Jala Nefitchi, a Turkomen candidate. “There are several ethnic groups in Kirkuk, and each one wants to show that the identity of Kirkuk belongs to them.” Since the US invasion in 2003, Kurds have flooded into Kirkuk in what they say is a correction to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s policy of removing Kurds and bringing in Arabs to solidify his control of the city and its nearby oil fields.

Kurds see Kirkuk as their “Jerusalem” and demand it be brought into their autonomous zone in the north, a zone many Kurds want one day to break away from Iraq. Kirkuk’s Arabs and their Turkomen allies, however, point to the constant construction in city suburbs as proof that the Kurds are coming back in even greater numbers than in the past in a bid to take control and have an edge if and when a referendum is held on Kirkuk’s future, as is called for in the constitution.

Many fear that a referendum or even a serious

push to hold one - could spark violence. And what happens in Kirkuk could have an impact on a swath of territory claimed by the Kurds, stretching across Iraq from the Syrian to the Iranian border. Even a recent program by the US military aimed at fostering interethnic cooperation has raised suspicions. A few weeks ago, joint patrols teaming Kurdish, Iraqi and US troops began operating in the city. The Kurds have generally supported the patrols, but Arab and Turkomen officials complain the Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, are being allowed to infiltrate territory which is not theirs.

“I have reservations about the idea, and I have reservations on this US Gen Odierno,” said Sheik Abdul-Rahman Minshid al-Assi, a prominent Sunni Arab political figure in Kirkuk, referring to the top military commander in Iraq, who lobbied for the patrols. Kirkuk residents were left out of provincial elections last year because lawmakers could not decide how to carry out the voting. A similar debate last fall also threatened the parliament election.

Now that the election is coming, the excitement is palpable. Campaign posters plaster just about every available surface, many showing candidates posing next to one of the city’s modern symbols, the “eternal flame” of the oil wells surrounding the city. From the windows of cars racing through the streets, young men wave flags of their political parties or of the Kurdish autonomous region.

Parties are mainly ethnic-based so the flags waving from rooftops and buildings are a sure sign of whether any given neighborhood is mainly Arab, Turkomen or Kurdish. Early in the campaign, the Kirkuk governor met with all the political parties, as well as the US military, and urged them to tone down fiery rhetoric and put an end to the high-speed political car rallies, which sometimes saw rivals trying to run each other off the road.

Many Arab and Turkomen candidates complain about harassment and what they call “provocative acts” by the Kurds, particularly the

waving of the Kurdish flag.

One Turkomen candidate said Kurdish police forces came to his house last week, briefly held his brother hostage and flew a Kurdish flag from his roof to intimidate him. His account could not be independently verified. The tension is not strictly between Kurds and Arabs. If anything, it’s even more intense among the Kurds. Kurdish politics have long been dominated by two main parties - the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

But a newcomer party called “Gorran” or “Change” in Kurdish is making waves in Kirkuk after faring surprisingly well in last summer’s elections for the Kurdish autonomous zone’s parliament. Gorran supporters say their Kurdish opponents are pushing back. One Gorran campaign worker, Hama Rasheed Mohammed, meets guests at his home with an AK-47, which he said he keeps with him at all times following telephone death threats.

“The two main Kurdish parties have done nothing for the poor people,” he said. Officials from the PUK and KDP deny harassing anyone.

“When there is an election in Iraq, before the election, each group prepares claims and every other day they will present a portion of these claims. It’s a tradition,” said Rifat Abdulla, a PUK official. The election, which determines the city’s 12 seats in the 325-member parliament, could also open the door to further disputes.

Under the compromise that finally allowed Baghdad to pass an election law, Kirkuk’s Arabs and Turkomen can challenge the results if they show an abnormally high amount of growth in the number of voters - possibly the result of Kurds moving in. The election’s significance could be in measuring the mood in Kirkuk, said Marina Ottoway, of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for Peace.

“If the seats in Kirkuk go overwhelmingly to Kurdish parties, then that sends a clear signal. If the vote is more divided then it’s going to be much more difficult for the Kurds to argue that they can annex Kirkuk,” Ottoway said. — AP

Iraqi candidate locked in a limbo over Baath row HILLA: Sitting in his living room, Iskander Witwit opens a dossier with documents he says exonerate him of the charges against him: that he is a supporter of Saddam Hussein’s banned Baath Party. With just days to go before Iraqis cast their ballots in the March 7 parliamentary poll, the 64-year-old deputy governor of Babil province is still not certain he will be allowed to run. He feels persecuted and insists he is the victim of a conspiracy. “I am in pain-this is a conspiracy against Iraq’s patriots,” he says while sipping from a glass of tea and smoking a cigarette in his house in Hilla, capital of Babil about 95 kilometres (60 miles) south of Baghdad. “If I am a Baathist, then everyone is a Baathist.”

Witwit’s case-he was originally barred from running for election for alleged links to the Baath, was later reinstated, and may be barred again-highlights the country’s highly controversial “deBaathification” program. He was one of 511 election candidates barred from running for office by the Justice and Accountability Committee (JAC), a much-criticized body led by Ahmed Chalabi, who is himself running for parliament on a rival slate to Witwit’s Iraqiya list. Witwit was reinstated-he holds up a document to prove it-but the JAC says it has new information about him that could lead to him being barred once again.

According to Witwit, he rose to the rank of staff brigadier when he was forced to retire in 1991 after joining in a failed uprising against Saddam in the wake of that year’s Gulf War. He was never more than a “naseer”, or low-level supporter, in the Baath Party, he says although the fact he rose to the rank of staff brigadier is cited by his opponents as indication that he supported the Baath party. Witwit, a secular Shiite, adds that Saddam’s regime accused him of smuggling people into neighboring Iran and of training some of his relatives to assassinate senior Baathists.

A panel of judges had previously said barred candidates could stand on the condition that their cases be examined after the election, with the possibility remaining that they could be eliminated if they were found to be Baathists. This ruling, however, was later reversed. After the US-led invasion of 2003 to oust the dictator, Witwit became Babil’s governor,

but was forced out amid protests from religious figures over his secularism and military background.

He left in January 2004 to become one of the US Coalition Provisional Authority’s security advisers.

He also rejoined the army after the invasion, eventually retiring in 2007 as a brigadier general. In January 2009, he ran in provincial government elections and was voted in as Babil’s deputy governor.

His relationship with the current Babil governor is acrimonious, though: Salman Zasser Taha alZargani insists he never joined the Baath party, despite himself having risen to director-level posts in north Iraq, and labels Witwit “unprofessional.”

Asked whether he thought Witwit was a Baathist, Zargani, a member of Prime Minister Nuri alMaliki’s State of Law alliance, replies: “As a private citizen, I am sure he is a Baathist. But as a governor, I must deal with official documents.

“We are starting to build a state-it is like if land is distributed by lottery,” he says, dismissing Witwit’s concerns about the JAC. “The people granted land will say the process is good, the people who do not get land will say it is bad.” The election, the second parliamentary ballot since Saddam was toppled, is seen as a key test of reconciliation between Iraq’s Sunni minority and the Shiite majority now represented by Maliki’s government.

The UN envoy to Baghdad said on Monday that the polls will mark the most “decisive” moment for the country since the invasion. Washington, meanwhile, has been alarmed over the de-Baathification row, ahead of a withdrawal of US combat troopsalmost half the 96,000 soldiers currently stationed in Iraq by the end of August. Sunni voters feel their community has been unfairly targeted in the bans, though JAC executive director Ali Al-Lami says two-thirds of the candidates barred are Shiite. A boycott was once threatened but quickly ruled out.

Witwit warns that a continuation of the deBaathification process could reverse Iraqi security gains and spark a repeat of the sectarian bloodshed that left tens of thousands dead in 2006 and 2007.

“Iraq will become a lake of blood if this goes on,” he says. “There will definitely be violence.” For Zargani, however, reconciliation with Baathists is a non-starter. — AFP

Apple transfer starts in rare Golan-Syria crossing Israeli PM vows to keep Jordan Valley GENEVA: Up to 10,000 tons of apples are to be sent from Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to Syria, after long-time foes Israel and Syria approved the transfer, the international Red Cross said yesterday. “The transfer of apples across the demarcation line is one of the very few crossings that take place from the Golan into Syria proper,” said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in a statement. “The sale of fruit is the main source of income for the Syrian farmers of the Golan,” added the relief agency.

The transfer, which started yesterday, is expected to last around eight weeks. It will be the fifth such operation since 2005 as no transfer was made in 2008 due to a poor harvest. “The transfer of this year’s harvest will be the largest in a series of such operations which began in 2005,” said Marianne Gasser, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Syria. “We hope it will help raise awareness of other humanitarian concerns-for example the fact that family members separated by the demarcation line cannot cross the gates to maintain family ties,” she added.

Israel occupied the Golan in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981 in a move never rec-

ognized by the international community. More than 18,000 Syrians, mostly Druze, an offshoot of Islam, are left from the Golan’s original population of 150,000. The vast majority of the Druze have refused to take Israeli citizenship. The plateau which overlooks much of northern Israel is also home to nearly 20,000 Jewish settlers. Despite a 1949 armistice agreement, the two neighbors remain technically in a state of war.

Meanwhile, Israel’s prime minister says he won’t pull out of a key part of the West Bank even if there’s a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Benjamin Netanyahu was referring to the Jordan River Valley along the eastern border of the West Bank. Palestinians claim all of the West Bank as part of their future state. Netanyahu’s pronouncement comes as the US is pushing hard to restart peace talks. Palestinians hesitate to negotiate because of Netanyahu’s hardline attitudes and Israeli settlement construction. Netanyahu told a parliamentary committee Tuesday that the Jordan Valley’s strategic importance makes it impossible for Israel to withdraw, according to a meeting participant who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed. — Agencies

US firm sues Boeing over Beirut crash BEIRUT: Relatives of passengers killed in an Ethiopian Airlines crash in Lebanon last January have filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit in a US court against plane-maker Boeing, their attorney said yesterday. “We have filed a lawsuit in Chicago, Illinois, against the Boeing company,” Manuel von Ribbeck, of the US firm Ribbeck law said.

The cause of the crash, in which 83 passengers and seven crew aboard the Boeing 737-800 were killed when the Beirut-Addis Ababa flight went down minutes after taking off in bad weather, has not been announced. Ribbeck claimed that initial analysis of data gathered so far showed that a severe mechanical failure was probably behind the tragedy.

But Lebanese Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi has said that data recovered from the black box showed that all instruments were working well until the plane crashed into the Mediterranean in a fierce storm. “Our aviation expert believes that simple pilot error could not have brought down the plane,” Ribbeck said. “It had to be a severe mechanical failure which could be caused by a design or manufacturing defect or a maintenance problem,” he added. Lebanese officials have ruled out pilot error or sabotage as the likely cause of the crash, but Ethiopian Airlines has said it is looking into all possibilities, including foul play.

Ribbeck and two other attorneys from his firm as well as an aviation expert are currently in Beirut meeting with victims’ families. Ribbeck said his firm had met with at least 30 families in Beirut and would be representing many of them. Another team of attorneys from the firm was also meeting with families in Ethiopia, he added. He slammed as insufficient the reported 20,000 dollars in compensation per passenger currently being offered by the airline’s insurance companies and said he would be seeking upwards of a million dollars for each victim represented by his firm.

“There is no reason why the same insurance companies pay 10 times more elsewhere than what they are offering in Lebanon,” he said. “There is no reason why a Lebanese is worth less.” He said the legal case would likely settle quickly if families are given proper compensation but could drag on for at least two years if a trial is held. — AFP

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INTERNATIONAL

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Serbs were targets of state terror: Karadzic THE HAGUE: Wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic told war crimes judges yesterday that Serb gunfire and shelling during the siege of Sarajevo was restricted to legitimate targets, but accused his enemies of setting up command posts and sniper positions in schools, hospitals and the city museum.

Karadzic’s description of the 44month siege and the escalation toward the outbreak of Bosnia’s civil war in 1992 give a uniquely Serb view of events. He depicted Bosnia’s

Serbs as victims of “state-sponsored terrorism” by Muslim authorities who rushed toward independence from Yugoslavia and who sought to draw international forces into the conflict.

On the second day of his defense statement, Karadzic addressed issues at the heart of his indictment, denying Serb culpability and claiming that key events in the 1992-95 war the siege of the capital and the mass murder of 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica - were stage managed or

fabricated to vilify the Serb community. Prosecutors say Karadzic was the “supreme commander” of a campaign to kill or expel Muslims and Croats from eastern Bosnia and create an ethnically pure Serbian state.

He is charged with two counts of genocide and nine other counts of murder, extermination, persecution, forced deportation and the seizing of 200 UN hostages. He faces possible life imprisonment if convicted.

Karadzic, referring frequently to maps and speeches flashed onto the

courtroom’s computer screens, spoke of an inexorable breakdown of trust between Bosnian Muslim and Serb leaders, the division of the country into ethnic entities and the march toward war.

He cited provocative attacks on Serbs in early 1992: the shooting of a wedding party and the bombing of a church. “The shocks didn’t come every day - they came every hour,” he said. Serb leaders tried to “protect the Serb people from their own state, from their own police, from the

state-sponsored terror of their own country.” The start of the Bosnian war is generally marked by the beginning of the bombardment of Sarajevo on April 5, 1992, from the surrounding hillsides.

Karadzic asserted that Sarajevo was “not a city under siege.” Instead it was “a divided city, like Beirut.”

Serb forces also were surrounded, both inside and outside the city, he said. Karadzic rose twice from his chair at the defense table to walk over to a large map of Sarajevo.

BBC unveils shake-up amid row over future BBC to cut radio, web spending; redirect cash LONDON: The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is to slash spending on its online services and close two radio stations in a shake-up which follows criticism of its market dominance, it announced yesterday. Digital radio stations BBC Asian Network and BBC 6 Music will close from next year as part of a strategic review of the BBC’s strategy designed to boost program funding, said director general Mark Thompson. The review comes amid political sparring over the publicly-funded BBC’s future with general elections looming, with the ruling Labor party warning that opposition Conservatives are “viscerally hostile” to the broadcaster.

Spending on its sprawling online services-which commercial competitors complain stifle competition-will be cut by 25 percent by 2013, with half the websites closing, Thompson said in a widely-anticipated presentation. The shake-up will free up an extra 600 million pounds ($890 million dollars) to be spent on program-making, he told staff at the BBC’s headquarters in London. Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, the minister responsible for media, hailed the review, saying: “I

LONDON: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) director general Mark Thompson speaks to the media outside the BBC’s Television Centre in White City, west London yesterday. — AFP

welcome the BBC is thinking hard about what it does and where it should focus in future.”

Thompson said that Asian Network, targeted at Britain’s South Asian communities, and alternative music station 6 Music will close in 2011 at the earliest. The plans will now be considered by the BBC Trust, a body which oversees the broadcaster’s activities, and be put out for public consultation. The BBC, funded by the license fee levied on all those in Britain who own a television, regularly comes under fire from rivals and other critics for its alleged unfair dominance.

The review comes as all media struggle to adapt to rapidly changing technology and markets, and some-notably Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp-are pledging to end the era of news online for free. In a report entitled “Putting Quality First,” the BBC said its online serviceswhich critics say are so comprehensive that commercial rivals cannot compete-will need a new “harder” focus. “All online content should feel justified and purposeful: not extraneous or encyclopaedic, but within a distinct editorial purpose,” said the report, adding that some websites will be closed, and others consolidated.

Unions said the BBC move will cost hundreds of jobs.

“These cuts are totally unnecessary and are purely politically motivated,” said Gerry Morrissey of broadcasting workers’ union Bectu. “It is obvious that the BBC is being bounced by its competitors and by the political climate... It is not acceptable for the BBC to be offering up services and jobs as some kind of sacrifice ahead of the general election,” he said.

Politically the BBC review has been seen as an attempt to show a possible future Conservative government that the corporation does not need outside intervention to solve its problems.

The Conservative Party, traditionally more hostile towards the BBC than the current Labor administration, is expected to freeze the license fee if it wins power in a general election due

by June. Bradshaw said the BBC’s future would be safer under the ruling Labor Party of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is widely expected to call general elections on May 6.

“The BBC is a great British asset and should not approach the future assuming the Conservatives, who are viscerally hostile to the BBC, will win the election,” the culture minister said. — AFP

Crisis-hit Russian city fears total shutdown Clinton steps REVDA: The decrepit buildings on Victory Street are mostly all shuttered-up, the mine that is the main employer is on the brink of collapse and the railway stopped running last year. This is Revda-a collection of grey Soviet apartment blocks that rise out of nowhere in the snowy wastes of Russia’s Far North - and a city whose existence hangs by a thread. The atmosphere of depression amid the economic crisis is shared by dozens of other industrial cities in Russia but Revda’s residents have been dealing with a unique fear-that their city could face a death sentence. Russian daily Vedomosti reported before the New Year that the government planned to close the city and resettle all of its 9,000 inhabitants.

Officials have denied the report but the fear remains.

“It’s worse than Chechnya here! This is a lost town. Everything is falling apart,” muttered Lyudmila Dobrinskaya, 61, comparing the emptiness and crumbling plaster to the country’s war-torn southern region.

“Everyone who could, has left. There’s no work and at the mine they pay worse than anywhere else,” she said of the main employer, the Lovozersky Mine and Processing Plant, where her 66-year-old husband still works.

One of hundreds of one-company towns

that are home to 12 percent of Russia’s 142 million people, experts say Revda should have vanished from the map long ago when it became apparent its mines would not survive in a market economy. “We are in shock.

Anything can happen if the mine closes,” 32-year-old resident Larisa Yagnish said.

Now even the tracks of the closed railroad are gone-torn up by people selling the scrap metal desperate for extra money.

When this industrial outpost was built in 1950, some 170 kilometers from the Arctic city of Murmansk, workers who moved here from all over the USSR were paid premium wages. Now for residents of such isolated factory towns, dreams of moving back to urban centers are almost impossible.

Their welfare is tied to the Lovozersky mine, the city’s lifeblood. Vedemosti cited unnamed government officials as saying federal funds in Revda would likely go to shut the city. “I won’t say it was wrong. It might have been discussed but we are not considering such an option,” Viktor Gorbunov, the regional deputy minister for economic development said.

‘What’s the point of trying to save it?’

The mayor, Alovsat Mamedov, said Revda has been listed by the government among 27 cities most in need of anti-crisis aid. “They thought the company on which

the city depends might not survive. God forbid that it suddenly closes; 950 employees plus their families-that is about 2,700 people-will be without a livelihood,” he said.

More than a third of Revda’s residents have already left. “People who had some place better to go left in the 1990s; those left don’t have anywhere to go,” Mamedov said.

The Lovozersky mine has never been profitable. It went bankrupt three times since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 when links with buyers in Estonia were abruptly severed. One client now dictates prices for its hard-to-extract product, loparite, a rare greyish-black ore, used in limited quantities to make metal alloys. The bigger of two mines was flooded a year ago, costing some 2,500 jobs. Work in the remaining mine is unsafe due to disrepair and ageing tools. Last year, two miners were killed in accidents.

“The only work here is at the police station, the fire department and the prison.

That’s it. There’s nothing else. I’m sure they will close the city soon,” said Dmitry Dashenko, 28, who quit working at the mine when the crisis hit. Russia has so far set aside 20 billion rubles ($664 million) to save its failing one-industry towns and invest in projects to diversify the local economy. — AFP

REVDA: A man walks past the boarded-up windows of an apartment building in Revda. The decrepit buildings on Victory Street are mostly all shuttered-up, the mine that is the main employer is on the brink of collapse and the railway stopped running last year. — AFP

up call for Falklands talks BUENOS AIRES: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reaffirmed Washington’s call Monday for dialogue over Argentina’s increasingly strident calls for negotiations with Britain over the status of the Falkland Islands.

“What we want to do is facilitate them talking to each other,” Clinton said during a stop in Argentina, when asked about the long-simmering Falklands dispute. Clinton’s comments come a week after a State Department spokesman said the two countries should hold “good-faith dialogue” to overcome their differences.

Those comments came despite Britain’s refusal to respond to Argentina’s new diplomatic campaign seeking dialogue on the sovereignty of the disputed South Atlantic archipelago after Britain began oil drilling operations last month. Clinton, who was in the Argentine capital to meet President Cristina Kirchner, said that Washington had “no real role in determining what (the two countries) decide” on the Falklands.

But Clinton added that “we want them talking and we want them trying to resolve the outstanding issues between them. We recognize that there are contentious matters that have to be resolved and we hope that they do so.” Britain, which claims its sovereignty of the islands is clear under international law, has ignored the call for talks, which has the backing of Argentina’s regional allies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Argentina has claimed the islands for more than a century, and wants Britain to discuss a Hong Kong-style departure plan. London has argued that Falkland Islanders, who have British citizenship, should have the right of self-determination. The Falklands archipelago lies 450 kilometers off the South American Atlantic coast. Britain has held the windswept South Atlantic Ocean archipelago since 1833 in the face of claims by Argentina, which calls them the Malvinas. Argentina invaded the islands in 1982, prompting a short but bloody war with Britain in which 649 Argentine troops and 255 British military personnel died. Latin American countries were shocked and irate when the United States sided with Britain in the 1982 conflict. — AFP

“This is my city. I spent 50 years of my life living in it,” he said, pointing to the front lines that ran through neighborhoods he knew well.

He accused Muslim and Croat forces of “the abuse of hospitals, schools, kindergartens turned into military facilities.” On his computerized map he pointed to sniper positions, rooftop bunkers and firing points from the museum.

When Serb troops responded to fire, he said, “we were accused of firing indiscriminately at Sarajevo.”

The Yugoslav tribunal already has delved into the siege in detail and convicted two commanders of the Bosnian Serb army for relentlessly raining shellfire on the city, in a horror that was played out in front of international television cameras.

Gen Stanislav Galic who commanded the 18,000-man Romanija Corps that encircled and bombarded the city, was sentenced to life imprisonment and his successor Gen Dragomir Milosevic was sentenced to 33 years. — AP

in the news TV presenter found dead LONDON: BBC television presenter Kristian Digby has been found dead in “unexplained” circumstances at his east London flat, police and the corporation said yesterday. The 32-year-old, who fronted a string of property shows, including BBC 1’s “To Buy or Not to Buy”, was found at his Newham address early on Monday. Digby, who was also a budding film director, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Metropolitan Police said they were treating his death as “unexplained”.

“Kristian was a much-loved and talented presenter for BBC Daytime. He brought a real sense of energy and warmth to all the shows he presented for us and will be sorely missed,” the BBC said in a statement. During his career he presented ITV’s Nightlife, That Gay Show and The Holiday Show on BBC as well as being series director on The Million Pound Property Experiment. His agent Jo Wander said: “I am devastated by the loss. He was a lovely guy and a very talented presenter and director.

Paisley to step down BELFAST: Former Northern Ireland leader Ian Paisley announced yesterday he will not seek reelection as a British lawmaker, winding down a career as a key figure in the long-troubled province’s road to peace. Veteran firebrand Paisley, 83, will not defend his North Antrim constituency seat in the British parliament in elections due by June, he told his local newspaper. He has held the seat since 1970. Paisley helped bring stability to Northern Ireland, dogged by three decades of civil unrest known as “the Troubles” until the 1990s, by finally agreeing to share power in the province with one-time arch-enemies Sinn Fein. Paisley said he had “no regrets” over leading the Democratic Unions (DUP) — Protestant conservatives who want Northern Ireland to stay part of the United Kingdom-into partnership with Catholic socialist republicans Sinn Fein.

Zuma in UK for state visit LONDON: South African President Jacob Zuma flew into London yesterday for his first state visit to Britain, which will mix pomp and ceremony with sporting events and talks on Zimbabwe.

Zuma arrived at London Heathrow Airport a day ahead of the official start of the visit when he will be formally received by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Zuma is escaping a damaging scandal at home over his lovechild born to the daughter of an official organizing this year’s World Cup in South Africa. Britain will lay on lav-

ish banquets and state occasions before getting down to talks about Zimbabwe, climate change and other pressing issues between the two Commonweath countries. The queen usually hosts one or two visiting heads of state each year, when British pomp and ceremony goes on full display. Traditionally visiting heads of state receive a ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade in central London where Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip formally greet their guests.

Three reporters seized JOHANNESBURG: A South African sports journalist and two Nigerian colleagues have been kidnapped in Nigeria’s restive oil-producing Niger Delta region, South African media reported yesterday. The reports said the three, from the SuperSport satellite channel, were kidnapped near Warri, an oil industry hub, as they headed for the airport on Monday. “Police were reportedly trying to establish their whereabouts yesterday, but declined to comment on the matter,” said South Africa’s Eye Witness News. Foreigners, usually working for oil firms, have frequently been kidnapped for ransom in the Niger Delta.

Wealthy Nigerians are also targets for the kidnappers. Thousands of gunmen put down their weapons last year as part of a presidential amnesty aimed at oil militants, but critics say common criminals were among those pardoned and that crime will rise as former rebels seek other sources of income.

US extends Zimbabwe sanctions WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama announced Monday he was extending US sanctions on Robert Mugabe’s regime for another year, saying Zimbabwe’s deep political crisis remained unresolved. Both the European Union and the United States maintain a travel ban and asset freeze on Mugabe, his wife and inner circle in protest at disputed elections and alleged human rights abuses by his government. “I am continuing for one year the national emergency with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions,” Obama said in a statement. In July 2008, the US Treasury Department tightened the screws on sanctions against the Mugabe regime one last time under former president George W Bush, slapping punitive measures against 17 companies or entities and an Omani national for their links to the government.

PARIS: French Prime Minister Francois Fillon (right) welcomes Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Hotel Matignon, Prime Minister’s official residence yesterday. — AFP

Moscow to accept ‘smart’ sanctions against Tehran Russia, France ink trade deals, discuss Iran PARIS: Russia will consider imposing “smart” sanctions against Iran if it refuses to relent over its nuclear program, President Dmitry Medvedev said after negotiating a range of trade deals in Paris on Monday. Medvedev was speaking after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy that culminated in a gas pipeline deal between France’s GDF Suez and Russia’s Gazprom, as well as closer negotiations over French helicopter carriers.

While France is pushing hard for new measures to punish Tehran for its nuclear ambitions, Russiawhich does significant trade with Iran-has warned the West against such sanctions. “We are optimists and we are not losing the feeling that we may achieve success. Nonetheless, if it doesn’t work out ... Russia is ready to consider with our other partners the question of introducing sanctions,” Medvedev said. “The sanctions must be smart and not aimed at civilians.”

China has also been reluctant to support further punitive measures, but analysts say Beijing may vote for new sanctions if Moscow decides to do so. Sarkozy said Russia and France had “extremely close” positions on Iran. He linked Moscow’s cooperation on global security issues to the possible sale to Russia of Mistral-class carriers, which has alarmed Washington and some of

France’s east European allies. Russia has said that if it had had the Mistral during its 2008 war with Georgia, it would have achieved its military goal in 40 minutes instead of 26 hours.

SHIPS AND GAS DEALS However, Sarkozy, who brokered a ceasefire deal that ended the war with Georgia, has been keen to improve ties with Moscow, with an eye on lucrative energy and arms deals. “How can we say to the Russians, ‘We need you to resolve a certain number of problems, notably the Iranian crisis, which is a very important crisis but we don’t trust you, we can’t work with you on the Mistral ships’?” Sarkozy told reporters. “We want to turn the page on the Cold War,” he added, confirming that France had entered talks with Russia for the sale of four carriers. Two of the carriers would probably be built in France and the other two in Russia, Sarkozy said. Each carrier, costing some 400 to 500 million euros, can carry troops, tanks and armored vehicles as well as helicopters.

Military experts have said much depends on the technology that comes with the ship-an element France has been trying to play down to reassure worried eastern Europeans. The Russians, on the other hand, are unlikely to be interested in a ship stripped of the technology. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

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Tsunami sweeps away fleeing bus full of retirees PELLUHUE: The 40 retirees enjoying summer vacation at a seaside campground nestled under pine trees knew they had to move fast after Chile’s powerful earthquake struck.

They didn’t make it. The tsunami came in three waves, surging 200 meters into this Pacific Ocean resort town and dragging away the bus they’d piled into, hoping to get to high ground. Most of those inside were tourists, and only five of their bodies had been found by Monday, firefighters and witnesses said.

Pelluhue’s horror underscored the destruction wrought by Saturday’s pre-dawn 8.8-magnitude quake and the tsunami that ravaged communities along Chile’s southcentral coast - those closest to the quake’s epicenter. Chile’s death toll reached 723, and most died in the wine-growing Maule region that includes Pelluhue. Survivors here found about 20 bodies, and an estimated 300 homes were destroyed.

Most residents were aware of the tsunami threat; street signs pointed to the nearest tsunami evacuation route. The ruins of homes, television sets, clothes, dishwaters and dead fish cover the town’s black sand beaches.

“We ran through the highest part of town, yelling, ‘Get out of your homes!”’ said Claudio Escalona, 43, who fled his home near the campground with his wife and daughters, ages 4 and 6. “About 20 minutes later

came three waves, two of them huge, about 6 meters each, and a third even bigger. That one went into everything.” “You could hear the screams of children, women, everyone,” Escalona said. “There were the screams, and then a tremendous silence.” Destruction is widespread and food scarce all along the coast - in towns like Talca and Cauquenes, Curico and San Javier.

In Curanipe, the local church served as a morgue. In Cauquenes, people quickly buried their dead because the funeral home had no electricity. President Michelle Bachelet said authorities were flying hundreds of tons of food, water and other basics into the region. After the quake rocked the gritty port town of Talcahuano, Marioli Gatica and her extended family huddled in a circle on the floor of their seaside wooden home, listening to the radio by a lantern’s light.

They heard firefighters urging citizens to stay calm and stay inside.

They heard nothing about a tsunami until it slammed into their house with an unearthly roar. Gatica’s house exploded with water. The family was swept below the surface, swirling amid loose ship containers and other heavy debris that smashed buildings into oblivion all around them. “We were sitting there one moment and the next I looked up into the water and saw cables and furniture floating,” Gatica said.

CONSTITUCION: A man stands next to a damaged car in Constitucion, Chile. An 8.8magnitude earthquake struck central Chile early Saturday, triggering tidal waves that hit coastal communities. — AP Two of the giant containers crushed Gatica’s home. A third grounded between the ocean and where she floated, keeping the retreating tsunami from dragging her and other relatives out to sea. Her 11-year-old daughter, Ninoska

Elgueta, clung to a tree as the wave retreated. All the family survived except Gatica’s 76-year-old mother, Nery Valdebenito, Gatica said. “I think my mother is trapped beneath” the house. Firefighters with search dogs examined the ruins of her

home. The group leader drew his finger across his neck: No one alive there.

Close to 80 percent of Talcahuano’s 180,000 people are homeless, with 10,000 homes uninhabitable and hundreds more

destroyed, Mayor Gaston Saavedra said. “The port is destroyed. The streets, collapsed. City buildings, destroyed,” Saavedra said.

In Concepcion, the biggest city near the epicenter, rescuers who had paused in a search for survivors resumed their hunt yesterday at a toppled 70unit apartment building. Firefighters had pulled 25 survivors and nine bodies from the structure.

Chile’s defense minister has said the navy made a mistake by not immediately activating a tsunami warning. He said port captains who did call warnings in several coastal towns saved hundreds of lives. In the village of Dichato, teenagers drinking on the beach were the first to shout the warning when they saw a horseshoe-shaped bay empty about an hour after the quake.

They ran through the streets, screaming. Police joined them, using megaphones. The water rose steadily, surging above the second floors of homes and lifting them off their foundations. Cars were stacked three high in the streets.

Miles inland along a river valley, cows munched next to marooned boats, refrigerators, sofas and other debris. “The maritime radio said there wouldn’t be a tsunami,” said Rogilio Reyes, who was warned off by the teenagers. Dichato Mayor Eduardo Aguilera said 49 people were missing and 800 homes were destroyed. Some people fled to high

ground, only to return too early and get caught by the tsunami, he said.

The World Health Organization said it expected the death toll to rise as communications improve. For survivors, it said access to health services will be a major challenge.

In Geneva, UN humanitarian spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said Chile was seeking temporary bridges, field hospitals, satellite phones, electric generators, damage assessment teams, water purification systems, field kitchens and dialysis centers.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she was bringing 20 satellite phones yesterday as a first piece of a much larger US aid package. Argentina was sending six aircraft carrying a field hospital, 55 doctors and water treatment plants all of which should arrive by today night. Brazil was rushing in a field hospital and rescue teams.

Security remained a concern.

Most markets in Concepcion were ransacked by looters and people desperate for food, water, toilet paper, gasoline and other essentials Sunday, prompting authorities to send troops and impose an overnight curfew. The interior ministry extended the city curfew to run from 8 pm Monday to noon yesterday. When a small convoy of armored vehicles drove along a downtown street, bystanders applauded, shouting: “Finally!Finally!” — AP

Obama weighs future of vast US nuclear arsenal WASHINGTON: The United States maintains a vast nuclear arsenal that officials say President Barack Obama plans to scale back in a bid to promote arms control and prevent the spread of atomic weapons.

Here is a brief summary of the country’s array of nuclear weapons built up during the Cold War, based on independent estimates from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a group founded in 1945 by experts who created the first US atomic bomb and sought to counter military secrecy.

WARHEADS The United States has about 2,200 “operational” nuclear warheads and an additional 2,500 warheads in reserve that can be activated if necessary. It also has 500 short-range “non-strategic” warheads, some of which are deployed at NATO bases in European countries. With nuclear weapons based on land, long-range bombers and submarines, just about any target on the planet is within reach of the US arsenal.

ICBMs The US military has 450 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, which have a range of 3,500 miles. These missiles-based on land and on submarines-are armed with separate nuclear warheads, or multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), enabling a single missile to strike multiple

targets. Scenarios for all-out nuclear war assume ICBMs as the primary weapon.

SLBMs Submarine-launched ballistic missiles were developed to hide nuclear weapons from the Soviets, guaranteeing that any attack on the United States would result in massive retaliation. A US fleet of 14 Ohioclass submarines carry an estimated 288 ballistic missiles or 1,152 warheads-about 43 percent of the US “operational” arsenal. The nuclear-powered subs are equipped with the more recent Trident II D5 missiles, which have three types of warheads ranging from 100kilotons to 455-kilotons.

BOMBERS The US Air Force has about 500 nuclear weapons that can be launched with long-range bombers, the B2A Spirit and B-52H Stratofortress aircraft. Analysts estimate that about 60 of the 113 long-range bombers are assigned to the nuclear mission. The planes can be armed with a B61-7 “strategic bomb” and a B83-1 high-yield bomb.

SHORTER-RANGE WEAPONS During the Cold War, both the Americans and Soviets developed shorter-range or “non-strategic” weapons, which carry less explosive power than the massive ICBMs. — AFP

Report: Anti-drug drive a challenge for Mexico Trafficking through Central America on the rise WASHINGTON: Anti-drug efforts in Mexico led to thousands of arrests last year but marijuana cultivation increased and traffickers began shifting their routes-and their violence-to Central America, said a US State Department report released on Monday. The annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report found that major producers Colombia and Afghanistan slashed their area of land under cultivation for illegal drugs in 2009, but marijuana growth in Mexico rose despite President Felipe Calderon’s crackdown on the drug trade. US Assistant Secretary of State David Johnson said the Obama administration would continue to support Calderon’s efforts against Mexican drug traffickers, who are involved in a conflict that has killed 18,000 people since 2006.

“We see a broad commitment to building the institutions of an effective policing system ... in Mexico, and a reform of its judicial institutions,” Johnson told a briefing. “And I think that that has very broad support, certainly in our government and we think in Mexico as well.” Calderon’s campaign against Mexican drug cartels led to the arrest last year of 36,332 people, including 10 high-profile cartel members, said the congressionally mandated report. But the crackdown prompted drug traffickers to shift some of their routes to countries like Panama and Guatemala.

“With increased counternarcotics efforts in Mexico, drug traffickers are increasing drug transshipment routes through Central America,” the report said. Money laundering is a key challenge for Mexico and the United States.

The report said traffickers send $8 billion to $25 billion from the United States to Mexico annually.

“We still have work that we can do and must do on this,” Johnson said.

“We are dealing with ... millions on

CONCEPCION: Police detain a man on suspicion of looting in Concepcion. — AP

Hungry Chileans go on looting rampage a problem that is best expressed with billions.” The report said cannabis cultivation in Mexico grew by 35 percent in 2009 to nearly 30,000 acres.

ERADICATION AND INTERDICTION By comparison, Colombia, the largest producer of coca, reduced its land under cultivation by about 28 percent to about 295,000 acres, and Afghanistan, the largest producer of poppies, reduced land under cultivation by 22 percent to 300,000 acres. Coca leaf is used to make cocaine, and poppies are processed into heroin. The annual report, which reviews foreign governments’ efforts to deal with drug trafficking, said Colombia was making “significant progress” in its fight against illicit drugs.

Colombia made “major gains in disrupting the drug trafficking structure,” the report said. A

growing amount of Colombia’s cocaine goes to Europe instead of the United States, it said.

Venezuela has become a preferred route for illicit drugs being shipped out of Colombia, increasing “the level of corruption, crime and violence in Venezuela,” the report said. While Venezuela has cooperated with the United States on some fronts-trying to curb shipment of illegal drugs by sea, for example-it has been less willing to work together to crack down on exports by air from the Colombian border region.

“I haven’t seen any effort-certainly any significant efforts-to stop that traffic,” Johnson said.

While Colombia’s success in curbing cultivation of coca has been through eradication programs, Afghanistan, the largest grower of heroin poppies, is abandoning that tactic. — Reuters

CONCEPCION: Looters raided more stores in this ravaged city on Monday as thousands of Chilean troops struggled to restore order after a huge earthquake and tsunamis killed more than 700 people. Parts of Chile’s second-largest city of Concepcion resembled a battle zone as looting and robbery spread and military armored personnel carriers patrolled the streets. One supermarket stormed by looters later caught fire. Looters also raided a fire station looking for water and gasoline as shortages of basic goods continued more than two days after a 8.8-magnitude quake devastated towns across central Chile and sent tsunamis barreling into coastal communities.

“The looters are more organized,” said Concepcion’s mayor, Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe, who asked the central government to reinforce Concepcion with more troops.

Some shop owners and residents organized small groups and armed themselves with sticks to fend off looters.

President Michelle Bachelet, who condemned the “pillage and criminality”, has dispatched 7,000 soldiers and imposed curfews to restore order, and said her government was sending emergency food

Looting spreads in Concepcion, despite troops and medicine supplies to those hardest hit.

The devastating quake struck as Latin America’s most stable economy was trying to recover from a recession brought on by the global financial crisis. The total economic damage from the quake could exceed $15 billion, the catastrophe risk firm AIR Worldwide said on Monday.

The death toll stands at 723 and is expected to rise, but both the human and economic cost could have been a lot worse given the size of the quake, one of the world’s biggest in the past century. It was many times more powerful than the one that hit Haiti in January, killing well over 200,000 people.

Chile is the world’s leading copper producer and global prices moved sharply higher amid supply fears on Monday, but most of the country’s major mines were unaffected and others that at first suspended output have steadily resumed operations. Power cuts and mangled roads as well as looting have slowed relief operations and could undermine efforts to get the economy moving again.

The central bank said it would keep interest rates at record

lows to help stimulate the economy. Looting first broke out over the weekend, and Bachelet’s government has responded by imposing a curfew in Concepcion and the nearby region of Maule.

DEVASTATION Surging waves triggered by the quake smashed houses and cars in fishing villages on the country’s long Pacific coast. In the town of Constitucion alone, 350 people are believed to have died and a public gym was turned into a makeshift morgue.

In a rare piece of good news, rescuers found signs of life on Monday in a collapsed apartment block in Concepcion, the nearest major city to the epicenter of the quake.

Workers heard knocking and other sounds beneath the ruins of the 14-storey building and were drilling into the rubble to try to reach the possible survivors. About 60 people were thought to have been killed when the block crumbled. “We have good news, there are signs of people still alive inside,” said firefighter commander Juan Carlos Subercaseaux.

Still, many people were missing in the worst-hit regions, and a small plane

bringing aid to Concepcion crashed on Monday, killing all six people on board, Chilean media reported.

In many coastal towns, houses were torn from their foundations, cars tossed around and the ground was covered in shattered wood and wet mud.

“More than 75 percent of the village is destroyed,” said David Merino, a community leader in the town of Dichato. “After the earthquake, there were three waves.

The first two were big and didn’t do much damage, but the last one almost wiped the village off the map.” Dazed residents wandered around the picturesque tourist town, trying to salvage possessions from ruined homes. “We don’t have anything. We lived by fishing and lost everything. How are we going to live?” said 50-yearold fisherman Jose Castillo, holding his fishing knife and a bag as he scoured the ruins of the town for food and water.

Throughout the region, families struggled to get basic supplies and protect themselves.

“There are mothers without diapers or milk for their infants, and we don’t have any water or electricity,” said Paz Sanchez,

18, as she filled buckets with water from a tanker truck in the town of Talca.

ECONOMIC TREMORS Chile’s blue-chip stock index fell 1.18 percent, but the peso currency recovered from an early 1.5 percent decline and posted a slight gain. Copper prices jumped more than 5 percent early on Monday on concerns about possible supply disruptions from Chile, although they later trimmed gains and ended about 3 percent higher.

Most of Chile’s biggest copper mines affected by the quake slowly resumed operations, and the country’s ports were also running, but analysts said limited power supplies could curtail exports and further lift copper prices.

Two oil refineries remained closed, buoying the gas oil market. Some economists predicted a deep impact on Chile’s economy after the quake damaged industrial and agricultural sectors in the worst-hit regions, but said the country’s solid fiscal position would help reconstruction efforts.

“Chile has ample resources abroad to help finance the cost of its rebuilding efforts,” Credit Suisse said. “Alternatively, it should be in a comfortable position to tap external and/or local debt markets.” — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

10

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Rocks, tear gas fly outside Indonesian parliament

JAKARTA: An Indonesian protester throws a rock at riot police during an anti-government protest outside the parliament where a parliamentary committee investigating alleged irregularities in a bank bailout is holding a meeting yesterday. —AP

US envoy visits China on fence-mending mission Steinberg seeks to put Sino-US ties back on track BEIJING: A senior US diplomat arrived in China yesterday for talks try to persuade Beijing to back new sanctions against Iran over its atomaimed at putting Sino-US relations back on track, with tensions high over ic drive. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Beijing and US arms sales to Taiwan and a White House visit by the Dalai Lama. US Washington needed to put aside their differences-over everything from Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg will also focus on efforts to Taiwan and Tibet to Internet freedom and the value of the yuan - to move bring North Korea back to stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations, and forward. might be an example of that,” “We’ve gone through a bit of he added, noting that both suba bumpy path here and I think jects were on Steinberg’s agenthere’s an interest, both within da in Beijing. the United States and China, to The six-party talks on endget back to business as usual as ing North Korea’s nuclear quickly as possible,” Crowley weapons drive, hosted by told reporters on Monday.

China, have faltered since Crowley said the visit offered Pyongyang stormed out in April an opportunity to “refocus on last year, a month before stagthe future” of relations between ing a second nuclear test. the United States and China, Pyongyang says it cannot the world’s largest and thirdreturn until UN sanctions are largest economies.

But lifted and it receives a US comSteinberg faced a tough task, as mitment to discuss a formal Chinese foreign ministry peace pact, replacing the spokesman Qin Gang yesterday armistice which ended the reiterated Beijing’s longstand1950-1953 war on the Korean ing position that Washington peninsula. US special envoy was to blame for the array of Stephen Bosworth-who visited problems in the trans-Pacific China, South Korea and Japan partnership. last week in a bid to kickstart “The responsibility for the the negotiations-said Saturday current difficulty in China-US he hoped the talks would relations goes completely to the resume “fairly soon”.

US side,” Qin told reporters.

On Iran, the United States “We hope the US side takes the and China are divided, with Chinese position seriously.”

Steinberg, who is accompanied SEOUL: US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg talks at the south Korean Washington pushing for tough new sanctions against Tehran

by Jeffrey Bader, US President over its disputed nuclear proBarack Obama’s top Asia advis- Defense Ministry during a visit in Seoul. —AFP er on the National Security ship and in July he said their ties siders Taiwan, which split from over cyberattacks and govern- gram, but Beijing insistingCouncil, will head to Tokyo on would “shape the 21st century”. the mainland at the end of a civil ment web censorship, and a again yesterday-that more talks Thursday for talks with The US president made his war in 1949, part of its territory variety of trade and currency are the answer. “We believe Japanese officials before head- maiden official visit to China awaiting reunification. China issues. “We have a very broad, there is still room for diplomating home. The US embassy in with much fanfare in November. vilifies the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s deep, complex relationship with ic efforts,” said Qin, the foreign Beijing confirmed their arrival But since then ties have fal- exiled spiritual leader who fled China. There are many areas ministry spokesman. Chinese in China yesterday, without tered, with Beijing angry over his homeland in 1959, as a sepa- where we have achieved a con- Premier Wen Jiabao said providing further details on the January approval of a 6.4-bil- ratist. sensus view. North Korea Saturday that he hoped 2010 their schedule.

Sino-US ties have also been would be a great example of would not be “an un-peaceful lion-dollar arms package to When he took office in Taiwan and Obama’s meeting affected by Internet giant that,” Crowley said. “There are year” for trade and economic January 2009, Obama promised last month at the White House Google’s threats to pull out of some areas where we do not yet relations with the United to broaden the Sino-US relation- with the Dalai Lama. China con- the emerging Asian market have a convergent view. Iran States. —AFP

N Korea presses direct nuclear talks with US GENEVA: North Korea said yesterday the standoff over its nuclear program should be settled through direct talks with the United States, but first Washington must drop what it called its hostile policies. In a speech to the United Nations-backed Conference on Disarmament, North Korean diplomat Jon Yong Ryong rejected South Korea’s appeal for it to resume sixparty talks. “The nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula should be settled between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States from every aspect as it is a

product of the hostile policy of the US toward the DPRK,” Jon told the Geneva forum.

“It is a pipedream to expect that the DPRK will dismantle its nuclear program without the US dropping its hostile policy toward the DPRK,” he added. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last Friday she was encouraged by signs North Korea may be preparing to return to stalled talks on its nuclear program. The United States would keep working to pull North Korea back into the negotiations it abandoned a year ago, which

increased uncertainty across the region, she said.

Two senior US envoys on the North Korea issue wrapped up a tour to the region for talks with South Korea, Japan and China, which along with the United States are pushing to resume dialogue with Pyongyang. Jon, first secretary at North Korea’s diplomatic mission to the UN in Geneva, said North Korea was boosting its nuclear deterrent. This had helped preserve peace and stability in the divided Korean peninsula and in northeast Asia. —Reuters

Rare reform call from Chinese state media BEIJING: More than a dozen Chinese newspapers took a rare stand this week against a Mao Zedongera system blamed for the wide gap between the country’s rich and poor. Within hours, their jointly signed editorial had largely disappeared online.

Monday’s editorial published in 13 newspapers across the country gave a glimpse of the tensions that exist behind the scenes ahead of China’s largest political event, the National People’s Congress, which begins Friday.

The annual meeting tends to project a glossy surface of unity, but it’s also a chance to lobby for change. “China has been tasting the bitterness of the household registration system for a long time!”

Monday’s editorial began. “Freedom of movement is a human right,” it added. It were “signed” with the logos of the 13 newspapers. Household registration, or hukou, essentially identifies each Chinese citizen as urban or rural. It dates back to the time when the Chinese revolutionary Mao wanted to control migration to cities. —AP

into the bank bailout, after the main audit agency alleged irregularities.

The inquiry, launched in November 2009, examined the role played by Yudhoyono’s political party and government leaders.

The committee had differing opinions, offering up two potential conclusions.

Some members thought the bailout was warranted, others that it amounted to abuse of power by authorities. Lawmakers will vote on the two options, but were split over whether to vote yesterday or today. The parliamentary speaker Marzuki Alie angered many by ruling that the vote would be held today, prompting lawmakers to surge toward him and scuffle among themselves.

The vote will be largely symbolic, since the final decision on any charges lies with the police and an independent anti-corruption commission. Yudhoyono, Vice President Boediono, and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati have all denied wrongdoing. Before the rally, police spokesman Amar warned that protesters should show respect for others, including public officials, by not using insulting images or banners.

Those who break the rules would be removed from the rally, he said.

Violators can also face prison under Indonesia’s tough defamation laws. Free speech advocate Andreas Harsono said the police crackdown on insults was a clear attempt by the government to stifle free expression. Since Indonesia’s last dictator Suharto was ousted in 1998, democracy had been suppressed by additional defamation laws designed to protect the powerful and corrupt from criticism, said Harsono, a consultant for New York-based Human Rights Watch. “You can’t have democracy without free speech and while Indonesia has an electoral democracy, we don’t have civil liberties yet,” Harsono said. —AP

JAKARTA: Anti-government protesters hurled rocks yesterday at police who returned fire with tear gas and water cannons outside the national parliament where lawmakers argued and shoved each other over a controversial bank bailout.

The violent scenes erupted as almost 1,000 people rallied outside the building to protest the government’s $715 million bailout of Indonesia’s Bank Century in 2008, which has hurt the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was re-elected in July 2009 on an anti-graft platform.

Demonstrators hung a banner across the front gates of the parliament compound that read: “Replace the regime, replace the system without SBY,” referring to Yudhoyono.

Police used riot shields to protect themselves from rocks that rained down and cordoned off parliament with rolls of razor wire.

Police detained two protest organizers on suspicion of defaming government officials and of allowing their supporters to throw rocks, Jakarta police spokesman Col. Boy Rafli Amar said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Police did not specify who had allegedly been defamed or how, but the charge carries a potential maximum penalty of four years in prison. It is not clear what penalty could arise from the rock throwing.

Police had earlier warned protesters against using insulting banners and language, drawing sharp criticism from free speech advocates.

The warning follows a ban last month on the presence of animals at rallies, enacted after protesters tried to parade a water buffalo with Yudhoyono’s name spray-painted on it through the city’s main traffic circle. The protests came as a parliamentary committee inside the building delivered a report on its inquiry

in the news 3 die as fighter jets crash SEOUL: Two South Korean fighter jets crashed into a mountain yesterday during a routine training mission, killing three airmen on board, the military said. The F-5 jets hit a mountain in Pyeongchang, about 110 miles east of Seoul, shortly after they took off from a nearby air base, an air force official said on condition of anonymity citing department policy. Three airmen were aboard the jets, and rescuers later found body parts, uniforms and shoes at the crash site, the official said. “We believe they all died on the job,” he said. The cause of the accident was not immediately known. Yonhap news agency reported that at the time of the crash snow and strong winds were pounding the mountain, which was shrouded in heavy fog. “There was a thundering noise and acrid smoke near the mountain’s summit,” Yonhap quoted witness Yoon Heung-joon as saying.

Debtor kills self BEIJING: A gambler unable to pay his debts set off a bomb in a minibus in a mountainous area of southwest China, killing himself and injuring 11 others, the Xinhua news agency said yesterday. Bus bombs occur occasionally in China, where authorities fear unemployment, a widening income gap, or land and debt problems could lead to violence and instability.

Yang Yongshou, 42, a former drug dealer and explosives expert, detonated the bomb under his seat on the mini-bus on Saturday in Luxi county, in Yunnan

Province near the Vietnamese border, an area known for its steep rice terraces. “Yang was unable to pay 100,000 yuan ($14,650) in gambling debts and appeared emotionally abnormal,” Xinhua said, quoting a police statement.

China wealth gap widens BEIJING: China’s rural-urban wealth gap was the widest last year since the nation launched its economic transformation three decades ago, state media said yesterday, amid concerns the disparity could spark unrest. Urban per capita income stood at 17,175 yuan ($2,500) in 2009, compared to 5,153 yuan in the countryside, a ratio of 3.33 to 1, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. The agency did not compare that to previous years, but the China Daily newspaper said it was the widest gap since Beijing launched reforms in 1978 that set it on a capitalist path. The disparity, arising from rapid economic development in coastal areas and cities, while the vast interior has lagged behind, has become a key concern of China’s leaders as they seek to maintain social stability and prevent unrest. The government has announced several new policies recently aimed at addressing the problem by spurring economic development in rural areas which are home to about 900 million people and stitching up holes in social safety nets.

Palm oil: Curse or a blessing?

NUSA DUA: It is blamed for everything from deforestation to threatening the extinction of the orangutan, but palm oil is a vital source of income for many developing countries, the crop’s producers say. In Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil producer, where the plant provides work for three million people, the government is keen to promote the benefits of the crop.

Gatot Irianto, research director at Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, pleaded with producers, scientists and NGOs meeting on the holiday island of Bali last week to reconsider the plant’s reputation. “Stop demonizing palm oil,” he urged.

Irianto says palm oil should be considered a “gift from nature” that provides a significant economic boon for the country, where it is “helping to eradicate poverty”. But in many parts of the Western world, and in Europe in particular, palm oil is a byword for ecological disaster; a crop that requires the slashing and burning of vast areas of forest and is a major contributor to global warming.

Nazir Foead, head of WWF Indonesia, said the crop’s reputation is deserved because of the way the industry has behaved in recent years. He says millions of hectares (acres) of tropical rainforest have been razed in Indonesia and neighboring Malaysia to make way for the palm plantations that make up 80 percent of the world’s total. “But things are changing,” he accepts. “Some players have understood that their activity could be linked to deforesta-

CENTRAL KALIMANTAN: A worker pours out freshly harvested oil palm fruits at a plantation in Pangkalan Bun in Central Kalimantan. In Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil producer, where the plant provides work for three million people, the government is keen to promote the benefits of the crop. —AFP tion.” Financial pressure has forced at least one big producer to review its business practices after a key partner walked away.

Smart, a leading Indonesian palm-based company, involved

in marketing and exporting products such as cooking oil, was dropped by Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever after a Greenpeace report accused it of tropical deforestation. —AFP

INTERNATIONAL

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

11

Indian newspaper sparks Muslim riots; two killed BANGALORE: A curfew was imposed on a southern Indian town yesterday after two people were killed when Muslims rioted to protest against a newspaper article they said offended Islam, police said. One of those killed was shot by police, who opened fire as they tried to stop hundreds of Muslims attacking shops and vehicles in Shimoga town, its police chief S Murugan said. The town is about 250 km from Bangalore, the nerve centre of India’s $60 billion outsourcing industry that runs

services from software coding to managing computer networks and call centers.

Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka state, ruled by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, and if the violence spreads in reprisal attacks it could disrupt business. Hundreds of Muslims took to the streets on Monday after a local newspaper published what it said was an article by controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin challenging the traditional Muslim veil as curbing women’s freedom. They

vandalized shops and damaged vehicles.

Protests also spread to Hassan town.

Police said Hindus had retaliated at some places.

Nasrin denied writing the article and said she suspected a deliberate attempt to malign her. “The incident that occurred in Karnataka on Monday shocked me,” she said in an email. “I learned that it was provoked by an article written by me that appeared in a Karnataka Newspaper. But I have never written any article for any

in the news Media mogul shot dead KATHMANDU: The owner of a well-known regional newspaper and radio station has been shot dead in southern Nepal, a home ministry official said yesterday. Arun Singhaniya died on Monday after he was shot in the head by an unknown assailant as he celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi near his home in the southern Nepalese town of Janakpur. His death came just weeks after another media tycoon, Jamim Shah, was killed in central Kathmandu, although the two murders are not thought to be connected.

Police have arrested 10 people on suspicion of involvement in Singhaniya’s killing and have tightened security in Janakpur, a spokesman for the home ministry said. “The home minister has ordered that everything possible be done to track down and arrest the murderers,” said Ek Mani Nepal. Media freedom campaigners say journalists in Nepal are frequently targeted, particularly in the lawless southern plains known as the Terai, where Janakpur is located.

India’s PM meets rebels NEW DELHI: India’s prime minister yesterday met with Naga rebels in an attempt to end one of India’s longest-running insurgencies in the remote northeast, a rebel spokesman said. India is offering wide autonomy to Naga people as it already has rejected the rebels’ demand for an independent homeland in northeastern India bordering Myanmar, where most of the 2 million Nagas live.

The Naga rebels began fighting for their demand more than 50 years ago, although a cease-fire has held since it was signed in 1997. The rebels’ meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lasted 40 minutes, said Imcha Longkumer, a spokesman for the National Socialist Council of Nagaland. He declined to give details. There was no immediate official comment yesterday’s meeting. The fivemember delegation of rebels was led by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland General Secretary, Thuingaleng Muivah.

Lanka extends emergency rule COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s president has used his executive powers to extend a state of emergency that gives sweeping authority to police and troops ahead of next month’s parliamentary polls, an official said yesterday. The president on Monday night signed a proclamation extending the tough laws by a further month, an official who declined to be named said. The move also leads to the automatic re-instatement of the parliament which was dissolved last month to clear the way for elections just two months ahead of schedule. “The parliament now stands re-convened until the elections are conducted on April 8 and the new assembly holds its first sittings on April 22,” the official said.

The president can extend the emergency for a period of one month at a time, but it must be ratified by parliament within 10 days.

Indian Air ‘hijacker’ nabbed DHAKA: Bangladeshi security forces have arrested a man allegedly involved in the deadly hijacking by Islamist militants of an Indian Airlines jet in 1999 that led to the release of several prisoners held in Indian jails. Investigators were questioning the Bangladeshi man yesterday after he was picked up last weekend in the capital Dhaka’s commercial district, said Col Matiur Rahman, a spokesman for Bangladesh’s elite Rapid Action Battalion. Five Muslim militants - armed with pistols, grenades and knives hijacked the Indian Airlines aircraft as it flew from Kathmandu, Nepal, to New Delhi in December 1999. They demanded the release of Kashmiri militants held in India and flew the aircraft to the Afghan city of Kandahar, stopping off en route in Lahore, Pakistan, and Dubai. One hostage was killed and the hijacking ended after an eight-day standoff when India released three prisoners in exchange for 155 hostages.

Pakistan troops seize key Taleban, Al-Qaeda base Pakistan lays out terror charges for 5 Americans DAMADOLA: Pakistan’s army said yesterday it had captured a key Taleban and Al-Qaeda complex dug into rocky mountains close to the Afghan border after killing 75 local and foreign militants.

Commanders gave journalists a guided tour of the bastion, which one general said numbered 156 caves developed over five to seven years, and carved into sheer rock within clear view of the snow-capped peaks in eastern Afghanistan. The visit follows Pakistan’s latest offensive against Islamist militants in its semi-autonomous tribal badlands, launched under US pressure to eliminate Taleban and Al-Qaeda-linked groups who attack Western troops in Afghanistan.

Major General Tariq Khan accompanied journalists to the warren of caves in the area of Damadola that he said served as a key militant headquarters until troops overran the complex in an offensive launched in January. “There were Egyptians, Uzbeks, Chechens and Afghans killed in the operation,” he told reporters. Journalists saw bedding such as pillows and mattresses, which suggested inhabitants had camped out for significant periods.

“The first Pakistan army uniformed soldiers have arrived in Damadola after a recent operation and the Pakistan flag has been raised for the first time since (independence in) 1947,” said Khan.

Damadola, in the Bajaur tribal region, was the scene of a 2006 US drone strike that targeted AlQaeda number two Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who managed to escape. A highly secretive US drone war targeting top-tier Al-Qaeda and Taleban leaders in the tribal belt has killed more than 800 people since August 2008, a key weapon in the US-led war to defeat Al-Qaeda and win the war in Afghanistan.

Under US pressure, Pakistan has significantly increased operations against militants in the last

year in its northwest and tribal belt, which Washington has branded an Al-Qaeda headquarters and most dangerous region on Earth. Khan described Damadola as strategically important, linked to Afghanistan, Pakistan’s northern district of Chitral, the main highway to China and to northwestern valley Swat, which has been troubled by Taleban insurgency.

“Al-Qaeda was there. They had occupied the ridges. There were 156 caves designed as a defensive complex,” Khan told reporters. The commander likened the area in 2008 to an independent state run by an Afghan warrior he identified as Qazi Ziaur Rehman, who was in charge of administration and collected tithes from local people. Maulavi Faqir Mohammad, who headed Pakistan’s umbrella Tehreek-e-Taleban faction in Bajaur, received help from neighboring Afghan province Kunar but was now on the run, the military said.

“We will deal with him,” Khan said. “We have now cleared this area till the Afghan border, military operation is in its final stages and policing has been started,” he added. The army first mounted an operation in Bajaur in August 2008 and claimed victory in February last year, only for violence to return when their focus switched to Pakistani Taleban fighters in Swat and South Waziristan. “Then this surrendered valley again turned into militant safe haven, we then came back and cleared the area,” said Khan. Damadola covers four to six square kilometers and lies 20 kilometers from the Afghan border, Colonel Noman Saeed said.

In another development, prosecutors seeking to indict five Americans on terrorist charges submitted their case to a Pakistani judge yesterday, accusing the men of waging war against Pakistan and plotting to attack the country. — Agencies

DAMADOLA: Pakistani tribal militia chant pro-army slogans in Damadola in the Bajaur tribal region yesterday. Pakistan’s army said it had captured a key Taleban and Al-Qaeda complex dug into Rocky Mountains close to the Afghan border after killing 75 local and foreign militants. — AFP

Karnataka newspaper in my life. The appearance of the article is atrocious.” She added: “In any of my writings I have never mentioned that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was against burkha (Muslim veil).” Nasrin’s work has sparked trouble in India in the past.

She fled Bangladesh for the first time in 1994 when a court said she had “deliberately and maliciously” hurt Muslims’ religious feelings with her Bengali-language novel “Lajja”, or “Shame”, which is about

riots between Muslims and Hindus. At the time, thousands of radical Muslims protested against her, demanding that she be killed for blasphemy, and some have continued to threaten her life ever since.

She spent about a decade in Western Europe and the United States before arriving in India in 2004 on a temporary residential permit.

Periodic protests by Indian Muslim hardliners have erupted against the doctor-turned-writer, who describes herself

as a secular humanist, and criticizes religion as an oppressive force. In 2004, a Muslim cleric in India offered a $440 reward to anyone who was able to successfully humiliate her by blackening her face with shoe polish or ink or by garlanding her with shoes. Several of her books have been banned in India and Bangladesh because they upset hardline Muslims. The European Parliament awarded her the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought in 1994. — Reuters

Afghan government bans live coverage of Taleban attacks Move sparks criticism of censorship KABUL: The Afghan government has banned live coverage of militant attacks in a bid to prevent the Taleban from exploiting television news to their advantage, sparking swift criticism of censorship yesterday. The ban An official at the government’s media unit confirmed the ban. A spokesman said live television coverage of attackssuch as that in Kabul last Friday which killed 16 people-could alert militant organizations to police actions against their operatives on the ground.

“While journalists are going to the scene of ongoing attacks, they endanger themselves and also they help inform the enemy with their live broadcasts or reporting of the progress of (police) operations,” Hakim Ashir, the head of the Government Media and Information Centre said.

The National Directorate for Security (NDS) refused to comment when contacted by AFP. A spokesman said only that media organizations would be “invited in small groups to meetings and the new rule will explained to them”. Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency said some organizations-including the BBC and Al-Jazeera-had already been informed. It reflects an earlier attempt to ban coverage of Taleban attacks during elections in August, under threat of expulsion for international reporters and confiscation of equipment for Afghans.

Afghan media groups slammed the latest move as censorship, saying it contravened the constitution. “We see this as direct censorship. This is prevention of reporting and contravenes the constitution which says access to information is the right of everyone,” said Rahimullah Samandar, head of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists’ Association. A reporter with a network told about the restrictions said live coverage probably helped save lives as people who watched telecasts “know to stay home and stay safe”.

A major achievement since the Islamist regime of the Taleban was overthrown in 2001 was the growth of a thriving media industry, he said, with more than 20 private television

appears to apply to domestic and international news organizations, although the country’s intelligence agency refused to provide details. Afghanistan’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech and media.

HELMAND: US marines work on trenches during a visit by unseen Afghan and NATO officials in Marjah city of Helmand province. — AFP

DAMADOLA: Pakistani soldiers stand guard outside a cave complex, a key militant headquarters in Damadola, in the Bajaur tribal region yesterday. — AFP

Political storm brews over India price hikes NEW DELHI: The Indian government faces strong political opposition over a hike in fuel prices announced in last week’s budget. Here are some of the issues behind the storm.

WHY DOES THE GOVERNMENT WANT TO RAISE FUEL PRICES? The government raised petrol prices about 6 percent and diesel by 7.75 percent in last week’s budget to help increase revenues and cut a budget deficit at a 16-year high. India sets retail prices for fuel below market rates to protect citizens from higher prices and manage inflation, a subsidy that adds to New Delhi’s fiscal burden. A recent government panel report urged freeing controls over automotive fuels, although the government has not taken any action on this politically charged, wider issue. State oil marketing firms, partially compensated for selling fuel at subsidized rates, said prices had to be increased for them to protect their profits. Cooking gas and kerosene prices-far more politically sensitive than motor fuel-were not raised in Friday’s budget. The government says the hikes will boost inflation by around 0.4 percent.

Inflation is already at nearly nine percent, the highest in more than a year.

WHO OPPOSES THE RISE? The main opposition has come from the government’s two most important coalition allies, the Trinamool Congress and DMK parties. Their leaders say the rises will hurt the poor most. Both parties are due to face state elections next year. The ruling Congress party depends on the two groups, both regional parties, to help it reach a parliamentary majority of 272 seats. The Congress party has 208 seats.

Trinamool has 19 and the DMK 18. The main opposition group, the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, opposes the hike. There have also been protests in some Indian states. Several key Congress members are also reported to be pressing for a roll back, worried about losing support among poor voters.

WHO SUPPORTS THE RISE? Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, one of the architects of the pro-market reforms of the 1990s, has said he will not roll back the hikes. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee

supports him.

WHAT WILL LIKELY HAPPEN? The government will likely hold on to power despite the controversy. Both Trinamool and DMK benefit too much from being government allies.

Both control powerful ministries they would like to keep.

The controversy is a test of how far the government can push reforms to liberalize state-regulated sectors like fuel. Stronger and growing opposition to the move could make the government more cautious in moving ahead with further reforms, such as price liberalization in other areas.

Key to the outcome may be what Sonia Gandhi, head of Congress and India’s most powerful politician, thinks. She has a history of supporting pro-populist policies aimed at benefiting the poor, the base of support for the Congress party.

While Singh and Gandhi are close, they do sometimes have opposing political views.

Gandhi is focused on winning elections. Singh, 77, is more concerned with securing his legacy in India and probably will not run in the next general election. It is unlikely Singh will give in. — Reuters

channels and hundreds of newspapers and radio stations. The NDS’s Ashir said: “The government of Afghanistan supports freedom of speech and media, but live reporting of ongoing incidents has created some problems recently. “The government of Afghanistan does not want... the enemy to benefit from such reporting.” A government spokesman denied media restrictions had been introduced and said there was no intention to restrict media at attack scenes.

“There are two things-number one, the protection of the lives of the journalists,” said Waheed Omar. “Number two, a mechanism which will ensure the enemy does not use live broadcasts to plan or to get instructions to their people on the scene which makes not only the security forces vulnerable

but also civilians and also journalists,” he reporters. He said “nothing has been discussed or conveyed to the media called restrictions” and had no comment on why news organizations were being told by the intelligence agency that their movements would be restricted.

Last Friday’s assault in Kabul was launched by heavilyarmed militants, some wearing explosives-packed suicide vests and police uniforms. In one of the deadliest attacks on foreigners in the capital, nine Indians, a Frenchman, an Italian man and three Afghan policemen were among the dead. Analysts said regular attacks in Kabul serve to show how vulnerable the city remains despite tight security, as the Taleban insurgency rages into a ninth year and foreign troop numbers are set to rise to 150,000 by August. — AFP

India moves on nuke deal with a new law NEW DELHI: India’s parliament will debate over the next month a new law to limit nuclear firms’ liability in the case of industrial accidents, a move crucial for US firms to tap into India’s estimated $150 billion nuclear market. Though the bill faces some political obstacles, particularly from the communists, Indian officials and analysts say it will be endorsed because the government had approached the top opposition party and been assured of its support. “The political managers of the government have reached out to the opposition and discussed the importance of this bill, especially in the context of a possible visit by (US) President (Barack) Obama to India this summer,” said Robinder Sachdev, president of Imagindia Institute, a New Delhibased independent think tank.

India’s government has offered to tender construction of two nuclear power plants, a business opportunity worth $10 billion, to US-based firms such as General Electric Co and Westinghouse Electric Co, a subsidiary of Japan’s Toshiba Corp. But the liability issue has delayed things, putting US firms at a competitive disadvantage over Russian and French companies whose accident liability is underwritten by their governments. The Russian and French have already been awarded contracts.

The 2008 US deal ended the nuclear isolation India had experienced since its 1974 atomic test and gave it access to US technology and fuel, while also opening up the global nuclear market to India.

Two Indian ministers said permission had been sought from the speaker of parliament’s lower house to introduce the nuclear bill in the budget session now underway, which runs through May 7. “The bill will be ratified I think,” a minister who asked to remain anonymous told Reuters.

While the government has a majority in the powerful lower house, it needs the support of the opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to ratify the bill in the upper. The bill has been cleared by the cabinet. Other smaller procedural hurdles remain, such as New Delhi and Washington agreeing a fuel reprocessing pact, after which India will have to sign up to a global convention on nuclear liability. The issue is sensitive in a country where a gas leak in a Union Carbide factory killed about 3,800 people in 1984, one of the world’s worst industrial disasters. The bill will cap the accident liability of foreign contractors and supplier companies, including those from the United States. The liability of a nuclear reactor operator is likely to be pegged at about $650 million. — Reuters

OPINION

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Turkey rift deepens with military arrests

By Alexandra Hudson

T

urkey’s crackdown on military officers accused of conspiring to topple a government they see fostering Islamist ambitions brings the country to a historic juncture and raises the prospect of deep social division. The inroad into military power reached a new level at the weekend when two senior retired generals, both highly revered in the high command, were charged with plotting a coup. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan calls the dozens of arrests and indictments a painful, necessary process promoting democracy in the European Union membership candidate.

The army, traditionally guardian of secular democracy in the face of a flawed and corrupt political culture, can no longer exist beyond judicial and government control, officials argue. Trials now loom for more than 30 officers charged last week over a supposed 2003 plot to create chaos, undermine the government and trigger a military intervention. “We are really going through a historic period,” said Cengiz Aktar, a leading Turkish columnist and author. “The authority of the army has never before been challenged in this way in this country. The Armed Forces were non-accountable for what they said, what they did.

For the first time they are being held to account.”

Concerns have risen however that Turkey’s secularist establishment, the higher judiciary and armed forces, will not countenance any further loss of power to a new political class of conservative Muslims, epitomised by Erdogan’s AK party. Most Turks today believe the generals would not dare directly challenge the AK party, which has a huge parliamentary majority, and destroy newfound confidence in democracy. But there are also those deeply suspicious of the AK Party, fearing it has an Islamist agenda which it will be allowed to push through unopposed if the army and judiciary are weakened.

The Chief of General Staff General Ilker Basbug has called coups a thing of the past but has also warned that “military patience has its limits”.

In 1997 the generals spearheaded a campaign of political pressure that forced Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, a mentor of Erdogan, to step down - an operation dubbed the “post-modern coup”, distinguishing it from armed overthrows of the past. In 2007, the army intervened in presidential elections with a statement on its website criticising the government, the “ecoup”; but the AK leadership gave notice then of a tougher line on the military by responding with its own rebuttal.

The judiciary, or elements of it, has formed a second focus of resistance to AK, elected in 2002 with a landslide majority furnished by the collapse of established secular parties tainted by accusations of corruption and misrule.

There is speculation of a new bid by prosecutors to ban the party, which narrowly survived a 2008 case to close it for anti-secular activities.

Turkey’s army, in no small measure, mirrors the country.

National service is compulsory, army bases are highly visible in the centre of cities, not least Ankara and Istanbul, and nearly all Turkish men will at some point don a uniform.

Any traumatic change in the role and status of the military arguably has ramifications for the entire social structure.

“There has been an ongoing struggle between both sides which has been in the open since 2007 although it was going on behind the scenes before then,” said Hugh Pope of the International Crisis Group think-tank. “The current wave of detentions has taken in some of the most highly-educated officers.. and some who until recently had very high-profile jobs.”

The two charged on Friday night were retired First Army chief general Cetin Dogan, associated with the 1997 “post-modern coup”, and lieutenant-general Engin Alan, former special forces commander involved in the 1999 operation to capture Kurdish rebel Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya and bring him back to Turkey. The bolder the authorities’ actions in detaining high-level suspects, including a related investigation into an alleged ultranationalist group accused of plotting a coup, the louder the cries by opponents that the probe is politically motivated.

Certainly, some of the arrests have been heavy handed and colourful detail of the allegations has been in no short supply. Analysts see questions in the public mind, also reflected in some newspapers, about the grounding of the accusations. More than 200 people including military officers, lawyers and politicians have been arrested in the investigation of the “Ergenekon” group, accused of conspiring to sow chaos and panic so that citizens would cry out to the army to restore order. “The government has a responsibility to step in and reduce the polarisation.

Families are being split by it, every social group is now turning into a pro- and anticamp,” said Pope.

Last Thursday the prime minister, president and armed forces chief met to try to defuse the crisis, but a day later a second wave of detentions followed. Erdogan, who denies any Islamist ambitions, and General Basbug met again on Sunday. Some analysts say the fact lines of communication are still open between the two is a sign relations will never again deteriorate to the lows of past decades. The military has overthrown four governments in Turkey in the past 50 years. But its 2007 “ecoup” backfired, fueling an increase in support for the AK Party. So far the effect of the political turmoil on markets has been measured. The stock market fell some 7 percent during the week and the lira lost 2.6 percent to the dollar. —Reuters

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Niger junta’s hunger alarm is break with past

By David Lewis

A

n acknowledgement by Niger’s new military leader that millions face hunger is a policy volte-face for the West African state that may help it avert famine and even worse instability. Major Salou Djibo, who ousted President Mamadou Tandja in a coup on Feb 18, has said that all means would be available to deal with a crisis that aid workers warn will leave millions hungry and over 200,000 children with severe acute malnutrition.

The alarm contrasted with Tandja’s handling of previous crises. In 2005 he denied people were hungry until media attention made the position untenable.

Aid workers say Niger is now better prepared but they still complain of facing obstacles in trying to tackle the situation in the desert state, one of the world’s poorest despite winning billions of dollars of investment in its uranium and oil wealth. “It could be a strategy to show that there has been change,” Severine Courtiol Eguiluz, a senior programme manager for Save the Children in Niger, said after Djibo’s statement on Sunday. “This could make it easier (for us) to work,” she added. “It was complicated before to speak about the food situation ... It limited our capacity to lobby. This was a handicap because we need to be able to speak about it.”

Aid workers in the country ranked by the United Nations as the world’s least developed say they faced delays as the government under Tandja did not always accept the data underpinning the support plans they presented.

Since the coup, the military rulers have accepted UN estimates that at least 200,000 children face severe acute malnutrition, a status that requires hospitalisation. Previous government figures stood at 36,000.

The US-funded Famine Early

Warning Systems Network warned that 2.7 million people this year would be “extremely food insecure”, a term covering stages from missing meals to malnutrition and famine - after rains failed in many regions. Another 5.1 million of Niger’s estimated population of 14 million would have under two months of food supplies after the lowest per capita cereal production for 20 years, it added.

The international community wants Djibo, who appointed a 20-member transitional government on Monday, to concentrate on holding elections for a democratic government. But that goal could be threatened if food insecurity is not addressed. “It is in everybody’s interest to manage the food situation because the success of the transition may hinge on it,” said Moussa Tchangare, coordinator for Nigerien civil society group the Consortium for the Right to Food in the Sahel. “The whole transition process could collapse if the food security aspect is neglected ... Millions of people risk not having food and if that is not well managed all other things would become second priority,” he said.

Few aid workers have used the term famine and most also say it is too early to make a clear judgement on the new leaders. But there is optimism that they will be supportive of aid plans.

“We have started to advocate for a better response plan and it seems to have been heard,” said Anne Boher, a spokeswoman for UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund. Humanitarian aid was not cut when donors froze development help after Tandja changed the constitution to clear his way to stay in power after his second elected term ran out in December.

Aid workers also say this year’s crisis may be comparable in size to 2005, but the government has added more hospitals and feeding centres, and

trained more staff since then. Yet citing the harsh environment, climate change and demographic trends - Niger has one of the highest fertility rates in the

world with over seven children per mother - aid workers stress Niger’s is a long-term problem. “We need to react immediately but unless we do some-

thing in the long-term it will happen again...we’ll be in this situation in three years again,” Save the Children’s Eguiluz said. — Reuters

Partnership for Mideast peace in US

By Ziad Asali

W

ith the turbulence surrounding diplomacy and the Middle East peace process, it is more urgent than ever for civil society to unite around the obvious reality that a conflict-ending solution can only be attained through the creation of a Palestinian state living side-byside with Israel in peace and security.

The two-state solution became official US policy under US President George W Bush, and it is today seen as a national security priority under US President Barack Obama. It has been adopted internationally by the Middle East Quartet (comprised of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations), the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the Arab League and by successive Israeli governments.

This solution has also now come to define all mainstream American thinking about this issue, including the positions of the majority of both Arab and Jewish American organisations. In the region, this policy is only opposed by the Iranian government, Hamas and Hezbollah, and by ideological extremists on the Israeli far right. In the West, opposition is restricted to activists on the extreme left and right political fringes.

However, too much of our politics has not yet come into harmony with this policy consensus. On the positive side, recent months have witnessed an unprecedented consensus between the Obama Administration and US Congress.

Longstanding supporters of Israel in Congress have clearly stated that the two-state solution serves American and Israeli strategic interests, and have accordingly supported the Administration’s early efforts to lay the foundations for renewed peace talks and to build the institutions of a Palestinian state.

On the other hand, the old zero-sum attitudes - in which a gain for one side is seen as an inevitable loss for the other, and more energy is spent on scoring debating points than on reaching solutions - continue to dominate the relationship between the Palestinian and Israeli governments, and also

between Arab and Jewish communities and organisations in America. This dissonance between stated goals and actual behaviour is at the heart of the difficulties facing the Administration’s effort to resolve this conflict, and it must be overcome.

While professing a common objective, America’s Arab and Jewish communities have thus far avoided creating a cooperative dynamic. Cross-community cooperation has only been established among a fraction of organisations, while the centre of gravity remains largely adversarial. The language of de-legitimisation and the constant search for “proof” of the other’s bad faith still define most rhetoric about the Arab-Israeli conflict, to the detriment of accomplishing what both communities say they want.

This might be an understandable (albeit profoundly destructive) dynamic between two foreign parties that are struggling to find a way out of a painful, active conflict. But it has no place in the American domestic political scene, in which the national interest in resolving this conflict must be paramount. As the Obama Administration forges ahead with building an international coalition for peace, a domestic coalition for a two-state solution needs to be created in this country.

Its core purpose must be to communicate to political leaders, especially in Congress, the breadth of the coalition in favour of peace based on two states and the depth of commitment that it embodies. Members of Congress and other public figures need to be provided with sufficient support to truly embrace this approach, and to be confident that it comes at a political benefit and not a cost.

Such a coalition needs to crystallise around a nucleus of Arab and Jewish organisations. These two communities have the highest emotional and political stakes in the resolution of this conflict and the most detailed knowledge of the Middle East. Other Americans naturally look to them for leadership.

NOTE: Ziad Asali is President of the American Task Force on Palestine — CGNews

Hamas and pro-Qaeda cells set for more conflict

By Nidal Al-Mughrabi

H

amas Islamists ruling the Gaza Strip face a growing security challenge from Al-Qaeda-inspired Palestinian groups in the religiously conservative enclave.

Fundamentalist Muslims, or Salafis, whose agenda of global jihad, or holy war, against the West is against Hamas’s nationalist goals, have stepped up bombing attacks in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, targeting Hamas security men and offices.

Analysts say those groups, which identify with Al-Qaeda but have no clear hierarchical connection to it, do not pose an immediate threat to Hamas’s rule over the Gaza Strip, but will remain a thorn in the movement’s side in the foreseeable future.

“Hamas is capable of besieging and weakening them but that would be costly on political, security and moral levels because the conflict would be among groups that hold the same religious ideology,” said political analyst Talal Okal. He described the radical Islamist groups as a security concern for Hamas, a movement the Salafis believe broke with Islam by taking part in a US-backed 2006 Palestinian election, a vote it won. A year later, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from Palestinian President Mahmoud

Abbas’ secular Fatah party.

Both groups have failed to seal a unity deal despite lengthy Egyptian mediation. Okal said Hamas-Fatah reconciliation could help to weaken the Salafis by strengthening democratic values and pluralism in the Gaza Strip. Sources close to Salafi groups said fundamentalists set off three bombs in the Beach refugee camp last week near the heavily guarded home of Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya.

The sources described the blasts - a departure from previous attacks that targeted Internet cafes and Christian churches - as a message to Haniya to order a stop to an arrest campaign against their members. No one was hurt.

Salafi groups in Gaza range in strength from Jund Ansar Allah (Warriors of God) and Jaysh alIslam (Army of Islam), both believed to have several hundred members, to smaller

groups with a few dozen people in their ranks. Some are former allies of Hamas, or include former members of the Islamist group who later turned against it.

Ehab Al-Ghsain, spokesman for the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, played down the attacks, saying the bombs were home-made stun grenades and that security forces detained a man who made them. He said the suspect had no factional con-

Palestinian security forces from Hamas demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony at a training area in Gaza City Monday. – AP

nections. Salafi sources said the people who placed the bombs were sympathisers among Haniya’s guards in his compound. In fresh violence, unknown assailants detonated a bomb on Monday underneath the car of a top Hamas police officer in Gaza, a Palestinian human rights organisation said.

No one was hurt and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

In January, a bomb destroyed a senior security official’s jeep in Gaza. There were no casualties. Last month, a senior Hamas commander in the southern Gaza town of Rafah escaped injury in a bomb blast.

Sources close to Salafi factions said the two officers were involved in “killing and torturing” Islamist fighters. In the most serious violence between Hamas and the Salafis, Hamas forces attacked a mosque in Rafah last August after the leader of a group calling itself Jund Ansar Allah declared Islamic rule in the town on the border with Egypt. Up to 28 people, including the leader, were killed.

Since then, Salafi groups have accused Hamas of trying to block them from firing rockets into Israel, which carried out a punishing Gaza offensive last year in a declared bid to curtail such cross-border attacks. “If (Hamas) implemented Islamic

law and the rule of God then we would be its soldiers, until then we see it as a secular government that obstructed the rule of God,” said a Salafi member who identified himself only as Abu Abdallah.

Using tougher rhetoric against Hamas, other members of the Salafi groups told Reuters they considered Hamas legislators to be apostates, but they had no orders to act against them. “So far our orders have been to spread the word of God and to fight only the Jews.

Should our sheikhs (clerics) order us to target those who hurt us, we will hurt them badly,” said Abu Abdallah.

Abu Abdallah and another Salafi member said Salafi groups avoided forming their own unified coalition in order to make it harder for Hamas to target them, but maintained direct contacts and coordinated their moves. They have no factional ties with Al-Qaeda but consult with and follow instructions from well-known Al-Qaeda advocates like Jordan’s Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, a former mentor of Abu Musab AlZarqawi, a Qaeda commander killed by US forces in Iraq in 2006. Salafi activists voice their respect and loyalty to Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden and his second in command Ayman AlZawahiri. — Reuters

ANALYSIS

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

13

Iraq election brings regional rivalry into focus

By Alistair Lyon

O

utside powers, especially Iran and its US foe, have huge stakes in Sunday’s Iraqi election and the messy, maybe violent, political wrangling it may herald. With US troops to leave by end-2011, Iran seems well-set to expand the influence it has built up in Iraq since the 2003 invasion - from which it emerged arguably the main winner.

But Tehran will have to navigate a powerful counter-current of Iraqi nationalism that complicates its quest for a friendly, Shiite-led and preferably US-hostile government in Baghdad.

Conversely, President Barack Obama hopes the election will lead to a more secular, broad-based government that can keep Iraq stable enough to allow for a smooth US troop withdrawal. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Syria are also pursuing their own cross-cutting interests in a neighbour whose ethnic, sectarian and political strife renders it vulnerable to external meddling.

“The state remains so weak, its sovereignty so permeable and its political class so divided that it almost invites foreign interference,” the International Crisis Group (ICG) said. “Iran’s influence is palpable, extending throughout the country and political elite, even across the sectarian divide.” In a preelection report, the ICG argued that Tehran had wielded the “soft power” of diplomacy, trade, gas deals, reconstruction aid and religious donations far more effectively than Arab countries also trying to keep a finger in the pie.

Election campaign posters for many candidates are seen along a street in Baghdad Monday. Iraq’s national election is set for March 7. – AP Neighbouring states all favour a territorially whole, stable Iraq. They have cause to fear any implosion liable to suck them into direct intervention that could ignite a regional conflict. But they do not want an Iraq strong enough to threaten them. Iraqis readily believe assertions that one or other country is backing Iraqi parties, sponsoring militias, sending fighters across the border or even orchestrating bombings.

When a Shiite-controlled commission in January barred 500 or so candidates from running in the March 7 parliamentary poll, for alleged links to Saddam

Hussein’s outlawed Baath party, US officials and some Iraqis accused Iran of being behind the move. Two leading Sunni politicians were among the casualties, raising fears that the election might be discredited in the eyes of Iraq’s Sunni minority, which had boycotted the 2005 election, and damaging prospects for sectarian reconciliation.

Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and other Shiite leaders endorsed the ban, talking of unspecified Baathist plots. A few of the barred candidates appealed successfully, and Sunnis do not plan to boycott the vote, but the episode risked

reviving sectarian tensions that Maliki had sought to bury. “It was an Iranian attempt to embarrass Maliki,” said Beirut-based Iraqi sociologist Faleh Abdul-Jabbar.

Ahmed Chalabi, who chairs the Accountability and Justice Commission, denied in a recent interview with Reuters that Iran had inspired the ban, or that it targeted Sunnis. “It’s easy to say it was cooked in Tehran, but do they have the recipe? Why isn’t it true that the return of the Baathists is cooked in Washington? It’s easy to say that too.”

Chalabi, once a US favourite and now friendly with Iran, acknowledged that foreign powers were meddling, but said it was up to Iraqis to build strong institutions to prevent this. Iraqi suspicions of foreign interference were also fuelled when former prime minister Iyad Allawi, a Shiite who leads a secular election list that includes influential Sunni politicians, flew to Riyadh nine days ago and met Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and his intelligence chief. Some Saudi clerics have backed Iraq’s Sunni insurgency and rich Saudis are suspected of funding militants. King Abdullah refuses to meet Maliki or open a Saudi embassy in Baghdad. Allawi dismissed the “sick minds” who wanted to divorce Iraq from its Arab neighbours, denying his trip was election-related.

Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as the bastion of Sunni Islam, is alarmed at rising Iranian influence and the postwar dominance of Iraq’s previously disempowered Shiite majority. But Mustafa Alani, a Dubai-based Iraqi analyst famil-

iar with Saudi thinking, said Riyadh had avoided interfering in Iraq. “It’s just next door, but they didn’t support the Sunnis there, even though they were under huge pressure to do so. The Saudis argued that they couldn’t interfere because it would only bring more trouble without any reward,” he said.

Turkey and Syria are also keeping a low profile. Turkey’s sensitivity to Kurdish nationalist aspirations and its support for the Turkoman minority in Kurdish-ruled northern Iraq have not stopped it from doing thriving business there. But with oil and gas supplies at stake, Ankara does not want to alienate the central government in Baghdad. And, while happy to engage with Iran, it is also wary of Tehran’s nuclear work.

Syria shares Turkish and Iranian misgivings about the Kurds, stressing Iraq’s “Arab identity”. It denies US and Iraqi charges that it lets insurgents cross its territory into Iraq. In charting relations with Iraq, Damascus must balance its longstanding alliance with Iran, its tentative rapprochement with Washington, its ties with diverse Iraqi groups and its own preference for secular, Arab nationalist leadership in Baghdad.

“Syria cannot tolerate a wild and chaotic Iraq,” said Sami Moubayed, editor of Syria’s English-language Forward magazine. “It is not in Syria’s interest to have armed men lawlessly roaming the streets of Baghdad, preaching a radical brand of political Islam.” He said Damascus had promoted reconciliation in Iraq and encouraged Sunnis to join the political process. — Reuters

Cracks in unity undermine EU’s ability to act

By Timothy Heritage

G

reece’s fiscal woes have opened cracks in the unity of the European Union that undermine its ability to manage this and future crises, despite signs that diplomatic moves could secure a deal to help Athens. Greece’s problems have led to bickering among the 16 countries that use the euro currency, revived old grievances between Greece and Germany and provoked Athens to accuse the EU of lacking leadership.

The sniping is all the more destabilising because EU unity has been threatened by turf battles since the EU’s Lisbon reform treaty came into force on Dec. 1 and by increasing criticism of foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Some economic and political analysts say the crisis is so serious that the fundamental principles on which the 27country EU is built are in danger of unravelling and the Union’s ability to act on the world stage has been damaged.

“There is no unity,” said Daniel Gros, an analyst at the Centre for European Policy Studies think-tank, painting a particularly gloomy picture for the euro area. “The club of finance ministers in the Eurogroup need to trust one another but that trust has been destroyed by Greece. For the euro zone it looks very bleak.” Such disharmony augurs badly for the handling of any future crises and the stakes are high for the European Union, which represents more than 500 million people but is struggling to respond to the rise of emerging powers such as China.

“The risk for Europe now is that if the EU does not move forward politically in response to the Greek crisis, it will move backwards - and the long process of European integration could start to unravel,” Financial Times commentator Gideon Rachman wrote. Market expectations are growing of a trade-off between new deficit-cutting steps by

heavily indebted Greece and EU support for Greek borrowing. German and French media suggest governments in the euro zone could offer aid worth Ä20 to Ä25 billion ($27 billion to $34 billion) to Athens.

But efforts to reach a deal still depend on political considerations, such as the German government’s willingness to ignore public opinion by aiding Greece, and the ability of at least an inner core of states to agree on how to help Athens. Some politicians and analysts say the euro area should swallow its pride by allowing the International Monetary Fund to rescue Greece, and demand reforms to introduce a mechanism for bailing out states that sink into trouble.

They are concerned the euro zone will come up with an ineffective shortterm measure to help Greece - just to avoid turning to the IMF, which some might see as a sign of weakness.

“Europe does not have the institutions or mechanisms to deal with such a crisis. A decision to bail out Greece is not in the hands of the EU as a whole but in the hands of individual states,” said Zsolt Darvas of the Bruegel think-tank.

“If the Europeans help Greece it will be in a very ad hoc way, an ad hoc solution which may not deliver lasting results and could create moral hazard in the future,” he said, expressing concern that such assistance could create an incentive for Greece to flout EU budget rules in future.

Short-term aid not tied sufficiently to performance could dissuade Greece from carrying out tough measures needed to solve its problems, and discourage other heavily indebted countries from taking preventive steps. “I hope in the long-term this crisis will induce some institutional changes in the governance of the euro area, but this will not be done overnight because a lot of discussions and compromise will be needed to design a mechanism that can manage

this kind of situation,” Darvas said.

There are signs that the euro area and the European Union as a whole will move towards closer policy coordination. Such a philosophy is at the heart of the EU 2020 strategy, a 10-year EU plan to improve growth and create jobs, and

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel underlined the need for better policy coordination last month.

The backing of Germany and France, the EU’s traditional motor, is vital for better economic governance but other

states are wary of giving them an even stronger role in shaping policy.

They fear decisions could be determined more than ever by an inner core of big states, reducing the influence of smaller countries and leading to a twotier Europe. — Reuters

Reps setting filibuster record

By Steven R Hurst

T

he filibuster - tool of obstruction in the US Senate is alternately blamed and praised for wilting President Barack Obama’s ambitious agenda. Some even say it’s made the nation ungovernable. Maybe, maybe not. Obama’s term still has three years to run. More certain, however: Opposition Republicans are using the delaying tactic at a record-setting pace. “The numbers are astonishing in this Congress,” says Jim Riddlesperger, political science professor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. The filibuster, using seemingly endless debate to block legislative action, has become entrenched like a dandelion tap root in the midst of the shrill partisanship gripping Washington.

But the filibuster is nothing new. Its use dates to the mists of Senate history, but until the civil rights era, it was rarely used. A tactic unique to the Senate, the filibuster means a simple majority guarantees nothing when it comes to passing laws. “The rules of the Senate are designed to give muscle to the minority,” said Senate historian Donald Ritchie. With the Senate now made up of 100 members, two for each of the 50 states, an opposition filibuster can only be broken with 60 votes - a three-fifths majority. As a matter of political philosophy, the concept of the filibuster arises from a deep-seated, historic concern among Americans that the minority not be steamrolled by the majority.

It is a brake and protective device rooted in the same US political sensibility that gave each state two senators regardless of population. The same impulse gave Americans the Electoral College in presidential contests - a structure from earliest US history designed to give smaller population states greater influence in choosing the nation’s leader. Given recent use of the filibuster by minority Republicans and the party’s success in snarling the legislative process in this Congress, Democrats say the minority

has gone way beyond just protecting its interests.

The frequency of filibusters - plus threats to use them are measured by the number of times the upper chamber votes on cloture. Such votes test the majority’s ability to hold together 60 members to break a filibuster. Last year, the first of the 111th Congress, there were a record 112 cloture votes. In the first two months of 2010, the number already exceeds 40. That means, with 10 months left to run in the 111th Congress, Republicans have turned to the filibuster or threatened its use at a pace that will more than triple the old record. The 104th Congress in 1995-96 - when Republicans held a 53-47 majority - required 50 cloture votes. During most of Obama’s first year in office and for a few weeks this year, 58 Democratic senators and two Independents who normally vote with them held a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate. That vanished last month when Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown captured the seat of the late SenTed Kennedy, who died last summer. Most notably, Brown’s victory has stymied Obama’s push to overhaul healthcare just as the bill was approaching the finish line. Before Brown’s election, both the Senate and the House of Representatives had passed separate versions of the reform legislation.

Brown broke the Democratic 60-seat majority before the two chambers could meld differences in their bills for a final vote in both houses. However, one of Brown’s first votes after taking office saw him joining four other Republicans to help Democrats break a threatened filibuster by his party’s leaders against a job bill. The measure, $13 billion in tax incentives for businesses to hire unemployed workers, was quickly passed the next day with 12 Republicans joining Brown and 55 Democrats in favor of it.

Filibusters to make the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress look inept are one thing. Quite another is a vote against creating jobs in an economy with nearly 10 percent unemployment and midterm elections nine months away. — AP

Tories may tone down austerity message

By Adrian Croft

B

ritain’s opposition Conservatives may tone down their tough message on the need to rein in the gaping budget deficit after a poll showed they could lose an election due by June. The slump in the Conservatives’ ratings, after months in which they looked certain to return to power, could also lead party rightwingers to press leader David Cameron to change his centrist campaign strategy, although he is likely to resist.

“The Conservatives should be concerned about it because, given the unpopularity of (Prime Minister) Gordon Brown, the Conservatives should be comfortably ahead. That suggests something is going wrong for them,” said Neil Carter, politics professor at York University. The Conservative lead over Labour, in the double digits until recently, fell to just two points in a Sunday Times/YouGov poll, reviving Labour’s hopes of extending their 13-year rule in an election that Brown must call by June 3.

Under Britain’s first-past-the-post, constituency system, that result would give neither party a majority in parliament but Labour would have more seats and be in pole position to form the next government, either as a minority or in a coalition. The poll came as a shock to the Conservative Party faithful, gathered for their last conference before the election in the south coast resort of Brighton, but party leaders said it was just one poll and they

The leader of the opposition Conservative Party David Cameron delivers a keynote speech on Feb 28, 2010 during the Conservative Party Spring Conference in Brighton, Sussex. – AFP remained confident of winning.

“We are in good shape at the moment. If the election was held today we would win it with a majority in parliament,” the party’s foreign affairs spokesman William Hague told Reuters in an interview. Other recent polls have also pointed to a “hung parliament”,

albeit with a Conservative win short of an absolute majority. “It’s a concern to all of us and I find it extraordinary that people still don’t see the culpability of successive Labour governments in the mess we are in,” said Georgina Butler, who is seeking to become a Conservative candidate in the election.

The prospect of a hung parliament frightens financial markets, which fear a minority or coalition government would shy away from tough action on the deficit, set to exceed 12 percent of GDP this year, a level similar to that of crisis-hit Greece. Labour plans to halve the deficit in four years with cuts starting next year, but says turning off economic stimulus taps now could derail a tentative recovery from a deep recession. The Conservatives say this is too little, too late. They pledge to make an “early start” on deficit cutting if they win power, saying delay could cause a crisis of investor confidence and push up interest rates, but have not given any figures.

The Conservatives’ uncompromising message on the need for belt-tightening may have turned off some voters, who fear public spending cuts could lead to job losses and poorer services.

“The ‘age of austerity’ is a sound bite too far,” said Tim Bale, senior lecturer in politics at Sussex University and author of a recent book on the Conservatives. The Conservatives had been trying to tone down the austerity message, “but that gets them into accusations of double-talk”, he said.

The polls may reflect a series of recent blunders by the Conservatives, while Labour may be getting some reward for the economy emerging from recession towards the end of 2009. The tighter polls could bring increased pressure on Cameron from the right wing of his party to go back to emphasising traditional Conservative themes

such as immigration, tax-cutting and opposition to closer European integration. The youthful Cameron, who gave a polished speech to the conference without notes, has dragged the Conservatives towards the political centre since becoming leader in late 2005, hoping to make the party once dubbed the “nasty” party electable again. His policy of protecting the state-run National Health Service and helping the poor has not gone down well with traditionalists wedded to free-market, shrink-the-state views.

“You’ve begun to see signs of ‘Can’t we bring immigration back again? Isn’t it time to talk more about corporation tax cuts?’ You will almost certainly see pressure on Cameron, but he maintains he is not going to give in to that kind of pressure,” Bale said.

A senior party official said the Conservatives would not start changing their message because of the tightening polls. The party would keep pushing the message that the election is a choice between five more years of Labour and change under the Conservatives, he said.

The Conservatives will cut company taxes for big firms to 25 percent from 28 percent if elected, a party source said on Saturday. “Being seen to be the toughest on tackling the deficit hasn’t helped recently, so I suspect this latest message (company tax cuts) is designed to help the Tories’ (Conservatives’) softer side. I think they are trying to balance the message,” said Alan Clarke, UK economist at BNP Paribas. — Reuters

focus

Thaksin verdict no magic pill for rifts

By Claire Truscott

A

Thai court verdict on deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s wealth is a compromise that could ease immediate tensions but will not heal the country’s deep social rifts on its own, analysts say. The Supreme Court seized 60 percent of Thaksin’s frozen $2.3-billion fortune on Friday for abuse of power - a lower-than-expected figure amid fears of unrest after what the local media had dubbed “judgement day”. Thaksin reacted with predictable anger, but analysts said that returning a chunk of his cash was a clear bid to mollify the fugitive tycoon’s supporters, who plan to hold mass rallies in Bangkok next month.

“It adds some breathing space to what could have been a volcanic eruption,” Paul Chambers, a senior research fellow in Thai politics at Germany’s Heidelberg University, told AFP. The verdict could be taken as a partial victory by either side in the bitter political feud that has divided the country since Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006, Chambers said. “Neither side in Thailand’s conflict can be said to have totally lost and the game thus continues,” said Chambers.

Supporters of Thaksin known as “Red Shirts” for the colour they wear - first rallied in reaction to a rival campaign by royalist “Yellow Shirts” that targeted his allies then in government in 2008. Earlier protests by the yellow-clad group against Thaksin’s alleged graft precipitated the coup and, according to the Red Shirts, ended the last period of real democracy in Thailand. With Friday’s verdict essentially justifying the putsch as necessary to oust a corrupt leader, Thaksin’s supporters are even more convinced of a conspiracy between the military, bureaucratic and palace elites.

“The verdict may boost the Reds,” said Arnaud Leveau, a Thailand expert at the Bangkok-

based Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia.

“What they hear in the verdict is that you can be above the law, organise a coup and then ask the court to say that the coup was legal.” The Red Shirts say they will gather in Bangkok from March 12 and remain until the government falls, echoing statements made last April when they shut down an Asian summit and rioted in Bangkok.

The current prime minister, Oxford-educated Abhisit Vejjajiva, now heads a fragile six-party coalition government that only stays in power with the army’s backing, deepening the Reds’ sense of disenfranchisement.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, said the verdict must be followed by concessions from Thailand’s elite in order to end the political turmoil. “Not taking everything (from Thaksin) is a step in the direction towards a way out of this mess,” said Thitinan. “Will it be enough for the Red Shirts?

No, because they are not just focused on Thaksin, they’re focused on the double standards,” he said. “It’s a condition that can be built and broadened into a reconciliation process, but it will require concessions and accommodation from both sides, especially from the establishment.”

Analysts said Thaksin would be waiting in the wings for a comeback, with Thailand’s political stage still turbulent and the revered king, a stabilising force during six decades on the throne, in hospital for the last five months. Thaksin has been inciting his fans from his base in Dubai, where he is living to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption at home. “This ruling in no sense means that Thaksin is licked,” said Chambers. “With an enormous mass following, sufficient funds, no political competitors able to match his charisma and the current reign winding down, Thaksin remains in a perfect position to vie for power - but he must wait.” — AFP

A weakened ETA still plan violence

By Jason Webb

A

pair of shackles found when the leader of Basque rebels ETA was captured has dimmed the prospect of his arrest bringing peace closer in the troubled Spanish region. Sunday’s arrest in Normandy of Ibon Gogeaskoetxea, the fifth of ETA’s military leaders to be caught in less than two years, was a body blow to a group facing calls from its own supporters to end its half-century long war for Basque independence.

But the pistols, explosives and a pair of shackles found with Gogeaskoetxea and two accomplices did not indicate any sudden conversion to the cause of non-violence by ETA, which has killed more than 850 people since it was founded during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. “It’s not usual to find shackles with ETA commandos,” said Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba on Monday. “One of our hypotheses .... is that they are planning to kidnap someone,” Rubalcaba said.

A total of 32 ETA suspects have been arrested this year alone, the government says, and the rebels have not claimed a fatal victim since July, when a bomb killed two police officers on the island of Majorca.

Analysts believe the group’s failure to extract concessions from the government is combining with weariness of violence to demoralise its supporters, who want the mountainous, traditionally Basque lands of northern Spain and southwestern France to become independent.

The Basque Country already enjoys considerable political autonomy from Madrid and one of the leading members of ETA’s banned political wing

Batasuna, Rufino Etxeberria, said earlier this month that the rebels had to stop killing.

Etxeberria and other members of Batasuna want to reenter legal politics in time for municipal elections in 2011. They are worried that separatism is losing ground in the Basque Country, where moderate nationalists lost control of the local government last year for the first time in decades.

“If today some of the members of Batasuna are daring to question ETA’s slogans, this is because police action has weakened the image of the band’s leaders,” wrote Florencio Dominguez, one of the leading experts on ETA, in newspaper La Vanguardia.

But the extent of Batasuna’s sway over ETA is uncertain.

The political wing was unable to prevent the failure of attempted peace talks with the Spanish government in 2006, which collapsed after the rebels killed two people with a car bomb at Madrid airport.

“Will ETA’s political wing be strong enough to win over those in favour of violence or will they continue to be dominated by ETA? That’s the great question,” Carlos Barrera, a politics professor at the University of Navarre, told Reuters, adding that he was cautiously optimistic. Perhaps 15 percent of Basques sympathise with Batasuna, and almost 40 percent support the moderate Basque Nationalist Party. But the Spanish government says it will not talk to ETA’s political supporters until they definitively break with violence. “They have only two options if they want to enter into democratic politics: either they convince ETA to abandon violence or they totally break with them,” said Rubalcaba. — Reuters

NEWS

14

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Automakers brush off crisis in Geneva GENEVA: Global car makers brushed off a crisis year with a glitzy array of new models at the Geneva Motor Show yesterday, pinning their hopes on compact, clean and economical luxury to woo an uncertain market. Newcomers included the Audi A1, the German luxury car maker’s venture into small car territory, while Mini, Nissan and Renault’s Dacia sought to shrink the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) with the Countryman, Juke and Duster. Japan’s Nissan also rolled out a redesign of its small Micra, while scandal-hit Toyota brought its clean hybrid technology closer to the mainstream market by fitting it to the Auris hatchback.

Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn said the previously eurocentric Micra was targeting sales of one million a year by 2013, with production shifting to emerging, and cheaper, India, China, Thailand and Mexico. “This new platform changes everything. Now we will be able to compete... and at the highest level,” Ghosn said. Volkswagen and Opel unveiled spacious new people carriers at opposite ends of the size scale, with the Sharan setting out to win over big families and Opel’s Meriva aiming at more compact groups.

French auto maker Renault revealed its coupe-cabriolet Wing, a fun variation on its small Twingo, while South Korean Hyundai and Peugeot showed off concept cars with edgy shapes, hinting at future saloon cars.

“We want to create some provocative designs,” said Oh Suk-geun, chief designer of Hyundai, better known for its big selling cheap and practical vehicles.

But the traditional sports car makers toyed with the more sober mood in the wake of the economic crisis, as pressure over carbon emissions gradually translates into taxation and city driving restrictions in some countries. Porsche showcased a 911 GT3 with a hybrid petrol-electric engine, while Ferrari presented a prototype of a hybrid versions of its 599. German giant Daimler, maker of Mercedes and Smart,

announced that it was teaming up with China’s BYD (Build Your Dreams) to develop and mass produce an electric car for the fast growing Chinese market and its huge cities. “This is a cooperation between the most senior automaker and the youngest... between the country with the best auto industry and the country with the biggest auto market,” BYD Auto General Manager Henry Li said in the Swiss city.

Industry analyst Frank Schwope of German NordLB bank said it was good way of bringing some cheer to recent “bad results” for Daimler. “The opening of a show is conducive to such good news,” he added. Nonetheless, hints abounded of the gloom that depressed sales in the United States and Europe, two of the world’s biggest markets, and brought some companies to their knees over the past year.

Toyota was still apologising and trying to reassure customers about the quality of its cars following massive recalls.

Toyota Vice Chairman Kasuo Okamoto acknowledged that the Japanese firm might have lost sight of its customers in recent years during its swift ascent to become the world’s biggest car producer. “We’re determined we should really be going more frequently to our customers to get the information we should be getting,” said Okamoto, outlining measures to keep tabs on production quality. “If we do that the problem will not be repeated,” he added.

Meanwhile General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said the government supported US giant was no longer intent on wresting the title of world’s biggest producer from its Japanese rival. “It’s not a priority and, when you think about it, it’s a completely stupid thing to want to be,” Lutz told journalists. “I think any time a company goes for being the world’s biggest as the goal they almost inevitably get themselves into serious difficulty because you’re starting to focus on the wrong things,” he said in Geneva.

Yesterday it emerged that General

Motors will recall 1.3 million cars in North America over a potentially faulty power steering motor. Some 250 exhibitors representing 700 brands from 30 countries are on show in Geneva. Up to 700,000 people are expect to travel to the Motor Show when it opens to the public from 4 to 14 March, according to the organisers.

More and more automakers also rolled out their newest hybrids, or announced plans to do so, at the Geneva Auto Show yesterday, begging the question: Is the future now, or is this just attention-grabbing while the real powerhouse of the automotive world remains king combustion?

For right now, most automakers are hedging their bets. Porsche kicked off the show with its new Cayenne S sports utility vehicle. French group PSA Peugeot Citroen SA is launching hybrids in 2012. And Toyota aims to have a hybrid across every model range by 2020.

Executives cite consumer demand for gasoline-electric powered cars and the drive to stay competitive as fuel efficiency standards get more and more strict. But while hybrid pioneer Toyota, the world’s largest car company, can point to the third generation of its successful Prius range for its green credentials, most manufacturers have bet the firm on improving their gaspowered vehicles for the foreseeable future. Some appeared content to offer hybrids as little more than a moral fig leaf for consumers who feel guilty about their carbon footprint. “Hybrid sales are not booming any part of the world,” said Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson. “One reason being of course is it is a very expensive proposition and today’s gasoline and diesel applications are getting more and more efficient.”

“Many people are asking themselves, for another two miles per gallon or whatever it might be, is it really worthwhile paying $5,000 or $6,000 for a hybrid solution?” he asked. “I think the hybrids need to be a little more cost efficient until we see a volume.” — Agencies

Panel to probe KAC violations Continued from Page 1 The minister said that several reports on KAC have alleged wide-ranging violations. These include a report in 2007 by a parliamentary probe committee and reports by the Audit Bureau, the latest of which was issued just a few months ago.

“I pledge before the Assembly that once I receive the report of the investigation and the names of those responsible, I will refer them to the public prosecution and no one will escape accountability,” Busairi said.

Head of the Budget Committee MP Adnan Abdulsamad said that “horrible violations” have been committed by KAC, especially in the past two years, and called on the minister to take a decisive decision regarding allegations on aircraft maintenance. MP Saifi Al-Saifi said that what is happening in KAC is an “organized theft so it that will be sold for a cheap price. KAC has become an example of corruption. Kuwaitis fly on Qatar and UAE (airlines) because they are afraid for their life”. Saifi called for sacking the chairman and board of directors of KAC. But MPs Khaled Al-Sultan and Hussein Al-Huraiti blamed most of the violations in KAC over illegal interference in its affairs by the government and National Assembly and called for an investigation. Busairi acknowledged wideranging administrative corruption and financial wrongdoing in KAC, but assured the public that maintenance of KAC air-

craft are being done to the highest standard, adding that people can fly Kuwait Airways planes assured of safety conditions.

Under the privatisation law, KAC will be transformed into a private company with a 35-percent stake to be sold at auction to foreign or local investors and 40 percent to be sold to Kuwaiti citizens in an initial public offering. Twenty percent will be reserved for state-run institutions and the remaining five percent will be distributed for free to the Kuwaiti employees. The law stipulates that the privatisation process must be completed within a period of two years which ends later this month. Two foreign consultancy firms have evaluated the assets of the airline and its subsidiaries. The airline, which has incurred almost $2.5 billion in losses during the past 19 years, has repeatedly come under fire from MPs who have accused it of squandering public funds.

The airline has a fleet of 15 Airbus and two Boeing aircraft which it bought in the early 1990s.

Meanwhile, the Assembly yesterday agreed in its shortened session to debate the grilling of the information and oil minister until March 16 when the minister invoked a constitutional clause. Under Kuwaiti law, the debate of a grilling against a minister can take place only eight days after it is filed unless the minister decides he is ready for the debate in the next regular session. The minister has the right to request a two-week delay

and if he seeks a longer delay, it must be approved by the assembly in a vote.

The grilling was filed last Tuesday by MP Ali Al-Deqbasi and accordingly it has not passed the eight-day period. When the grilling item came up during the session, Information and Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah told the house that as the government wants the delay, “I request for the two-week delay”, and acting speaker Abdullah Al-Roumi immediately said the debate will take place on March 16.

The grilling accuses the minister of failing to apply media laws to stop serious violations by a number of private TV stations that broadcast material deemed as a threat to national unity. Over the weekend, 22 MPs issued a statement insisting their total support for the grilling, while a number of other MPs also said they will support it during the debate. The grilling could lead to a motion for a vote of noconfidence signed by 10 lawmakers. If passed by a simple majority of elected members of the Assembly, it would mean an automatic dismissal of the minister.

Sheikh Ahmad was grilled as health minister in 2007 and 10 MPs signed a no-confidence motion, but before the vote could take place, the Cabinet resigned and Sheikh Ahmad was not retained.

The Assembly session, the first in a month because of mid-term and national holidays, was cut short due to a lack of quorum to debate a bill to increase the salaries of justice ministry experts.

education ministry issued a statement calling for schools to close yesterday and today because of flooding fears, said a Dubai school director. Some, but not all, schools in Sharjah were closed.

There was no immediate report of

fresh casualties, after three people were killed on Saturday in Sharjah from being electrocuted while standing in storm water. A woman also died on Saturday and 13 other people were injured in the collapse of the entrance to the “Global Village” annual shopping fair as heavy wind and rains lashed Dubai. The latest

rain in Dubai stopped by mid-day, although the official news agency WAM forecast new downpours in Sharjah later yesterday. WAM also reported flooding in Fujairah, in the east of the seven-member oil-rich UAE federation, where “wadis, (valleys), farmlands and low lands were inundated due to rain water.” — AFP

launched yesterday a charm offensive for its “Street View” navigation service, aiming to soothe the privacy doubts of a sceptical German public. Attending the CeBIT fair for the first time, Google showcased three of their “Street View” cars - sleek, black Opels with eight mounted cameras to take pictures of streets, buildings and cities. The software, based on photographs which create 3-D imagery, allows surfers to “walk” through the streets of cities such as New York, Paris or Hong Kong.

Launched in the United States in 2007, it is already available in several European countries, including France and Britain, but it has come under attack from privacy campaigners, concerned about being snapped without their consent. Germany, where Google intends to launch the technology this year, is especially sensitive to the issue after abuses of privacy by the Nazis and the Stasi secret police of the old East German communist regime.

“We strongly believe that Google Street View is completely legal in Germany,” Kay Oberbeck, a spokesman for the firm’s local unit, told a packed news conference. The “Street View” program already automatically blurs faces and car registration plates. However, as a concession to privacy concerns in Germany, the company will also allow unhappy

users to delete a disputed photo.

Michael Jones, the firm’s “chief technology advocate”, said the software should be viewed as an educational and fun tool. “You see the world as you would see it if you were really there.” “Google is not an invader of countries. It’s not some super spy camera. It’s just a camera mounted on a car. It’s not super high quality photography,” added Jones.

Nevertheless, he stressed: “Now we’ve heard a bit about the concerns, we’re going to change things. “We don’t think like we’re in a battle with the privacy people. We don’t agree with everything they say, but we’re learning.”

Lena Wagner, another Google spokeswoman, said that the firm had been slow to win people over. “We should have communicated earlier on Google ‘Street View’, I admit. We started taking photos in Germany in 2008 and we should have explained things more clearly to people,” she said. “The idea of ‘Street View’ is not to take private pictures. We take photos like any other tourist would,” added Wagner. However, the service has already raised some concerns outside Germany. Police in Raahe, northern Finland, last month began an investigation at the request of a man whose picture could been seen online on “Street View”. — AFP

Hi-tech fair goes 3D Continued from Page 1 some of the more high profile stands, such as IBM, Microsoft and Telefonica, during a traditional opening day “walkabout”.

Despite the crisis, the digital sector in Germany still enjoys a captive audience. A survey published yesterday in the Die Welt daily showed that 93 percent of Germans aged 20-24 are members of social networking sites like Facebook “what’s wrong with the other seven percent. Are they living in a wood?” the paper commented. A BITKOM poll showed that nearly one in four Germans would be prepared to have a microchip implanted into their body if they thought they would derive concrete benefits from it.

But not everyone is convinced, however, by the relentless march of technology.

“Machines were invented primarily to make life easier. Since that time, they have overtaken our everyday lives more than we should be happy with,” wrote the Berliner Zeitung in an editorial. “The time that we save by checking on our smartphones when the next bus leaves is wasted by double and triple-checking the Facebook status of people we have met maybe twice.” The CeBIT wraps up March 6.

Meanwhile, US Internet giant Google

Under blockade, coastal Gaza now a fish importer GAZA CITY: Under a sea blockade, the coastal Gaza Strip has now become a seafood importer. Its desperate fishermen - cut off from plentiful fishing grounds by Israeli patrol boats - have turned to sneaking into Egyptian waters in tiny motorboats to buy their catch and bring it home. Others bring in fish by land, in ice-packed plastic foam boxes pulled through smuggling tunnels from Egypt. And even though the Mediterranean is right on Gaza’s doorstep, locals are creating fish ponds to provide Gaza’s 1.5 million people their key source of protein.

“People are searching for any solution,” said fisherman Adnan Abu Rialeh, 50, who sailed toward Egypt’s Port Said three times in the past month to buy sardines. “If we could only go and fish in our sea, I could make some money and put it in my pocket,” he said.

Gaza’s 3,600 fishermen are not allowed to go out further than 3 nautical miles (5.5 km). If they cross the line, they risk coming under fire from Israeli gunboats. Five fishermen have been killed, more than 20 wounded and dozens arrested in attacks on boats, said the Israeli human rights group Gisha.

The permitted zone is overfished and can’t sustain the fishermen, said Nizar Ayyash, head of the fishermen’s union. “It’s not a sea for fishing, it’s a pool for fishing,” he said. The sea blockade is part of the closure of Gaza by Israel and Egypt. Access to Gaza was severely restricted after the capture of an Israeli soldier in 2006, and the blockade was further tightened after the Islamic militant Hamas seized Gaza in 2007.

Israel says the blockade helps keeps weapons and militants out of Gaza. Most of the weapons come through hundreds of smuggling tunnels, but Israel says it has also intercepted seaborne shipments.

Last month, several explosives-filled barrels were sent into the Mediterranean from Gaza and washed up on Israel’s shores. The barrels were detected, causing no injury. In April, a fishing boat rigged with explosives was detonated close to a navy boat. “The sea is still a prominent factor in the terror arena,” said Lt Col Avital Leibovich, an army spokeswoman.

The fishermen say they’re not engaged in politics, and that Israel is destroying a way of life that once provided 5,000 jobs and made up 4 percent of Gaza’s economy. At dawn on a recent morning, men in waterproof overalls silently unloaded boxes of Egyptian sardines from a boat in Gaza City’s small harbor. At the nearby fish market, most of the sardines on offer were Egyptian imports, said Mohammed Al-Hissi, an activist in the fishermen’s union. He said 30 Gaza boats returned from Egypt that morning, carrying several tons of sardines compared to a local catch of just 200 kg of shrimp, 300 kg of crabs and 500 kg of assorted fish.

Abu Rialeh, a fisherman since childhood, said the trips to Egypt began about a month ago, with just a few taking the risk. Now, dozens make the dangerous journey every day in small motorboats hugging the coast to avoid Israeli patrols. The journey can take six to 12 hours in each direction, and so far

the Egyptian authorities have looked the other way. But even the door to Egypt is closing.

Abu Rialeh said he won’t be making another trip into Egyptian waters because the fuel costs are eating up his profits.

The Egyptian fish are also reaching Gaza in other ways. On a recent evening, Palestinian workers hauled four plastic foam boxes with sardines packed in ice through one of the smuggling tunnels running under the border with Egypt. The boxes were hoisted by a homemade pulley, then loaded into a truck for the drive to Gaza City, 45 minutes away.

Perhaps the only low-risk way of supplying fish these days is to grow it. Several fish farms have popped up in Gaza in the past two years to fill the shortage created by the blockade. One of the farms is run on the lands of a former Israeli settlement. The farm is part of a 300-acre complex Gaza’s rulers hope will one day become a fullfledged movie studio. However, filmmaking is expensive, and the fish farm - along with citrus plantations and a recreation area - is covering the costs.

The farm sells 60 kg to 300 kg of fish a day, said Abedelsalam Nasser, the head of the future media city. He said the farm is turning a profit, and more pools are under construction. While fish farms may be the way of the future, the fishermen yearn for their ancient trade. “The best time for us was when the sea was open to us,” said Abu Rialeh, hanging around the fish market. “If the sea was open, you wouldn’t see me here.” — AP

Saudi wins prize for palace satire Continued from Page 1 individual and the state,” said Kuwaiti writer Taleb Alrefai who chaired the judging panel. “Through the eyes of its twodimensional protagonist, the book gives the reader a taste of the horrifying reality of the excessive world of the palace.”

The other shortlisted writers were Rabai Al-Madhoun (“The Lady from Tel Aviv”, Mansoura Ez Eldin (“Beyond Paradise”), Rabee Jaber (“America”), Mohamed Mansi Qandil (“A Cloudy Day on the West Side”) and Jamal Naji (“When the Wolves Grow Old”). Dubbed the “Arab Booker” because it is supported by

Britain’s Booker Prize Foundation, the award is in its third year. Last year’s winner was Egyptian writer and scholar Youssef Ziedan, whose bestselling novel “Azazeel” (Beelzebub) had angered the Egyptian Coptic Church.

Spewing Sparks, published by Al-Jamal Publications, casts a satirical eye on power and limitless wealth. Set in Saudi Arabia, the narrative follows Tarek, a young man who leaves his family in a poor community in Jeddah to work for a rich businessman living in a palace. Tarek is lured by the corrupt and affluent lifestyle, and in his role as servant carries out his master’s wishes which include punishing his enemies by

tortuous means.

Khal was born in 1962 in Al-Majanah, Saudi Arabia, and is based in Jeddah. He is known locally and in the wider Arab world for a number of novels including “Cities Eating Grass”, “Immorality”, “The Mud” and “Death Passes from Here”. According to the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature website, Khal left the village where he was born at an early age with his family in search of a better life. “Like their maker, Khal’s heroes come from marginal groups and struggle for salvation,” it said.

The award was announced at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on the first day of the 2010 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. — Reuters

Jerusalem plan seeks to raze Palestinian homes

UAE rains cause commuter woes Continued from Page 1

RAFAH: A Palestinian smuggler displays fish smuggled through a tunnel from Egypt to the Gaza Strip under the border Feb 25, 2010. — AP

Continued from Page 1 They see Barkat’s plan as another way for Israel to cement its control there.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem immediately after capturing it, but no other country recognized the move.

Moussa Owdeh, a 58-year-old Palestinian whose home is one of 88 slated for demolition, accused Barkat of fomenting “extremism and bloodshed”.

“This is our land and home,” he said, holding up a document he said was the title to the property. “Our house is a symbol of our dignity.” Apparently fearing stiff criticism from the US, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Barkat to hold the plan up for consultations with the affected Palestinians.

Barkat agreed.

Israel has faced sharp criticism for demolishing Palestinian homes it says were built illegally in east Jerusalem.

Much of the unapproved construction takes place because Palestinians have a hard time obtaining building permits, and

a new report yesterday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said only 13 percent of east Jerusalem has been zoned for Palestinian construction.

Al-Bustan, a section of a larger Jerusalem neighborhood known as Silwan, is located across from the walls of the Old City, with its sacred shrines holy to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The neighborhood is home to some 50,000 Palestinians and around 70 Jewish families. Just to the west of Al-Bustan is a newly constructed archaeological park called the City of David, run by Jewish settlers.

Settlers have illegally erected an apartment building elsewhere in Silwan, and on Monday a security guard was shot and wounded there. On a recent morning, residents of the building showed reporters black marks caused by Molotov cocktails thrown at the front door. Silwan has become a nexus of tension between Palestinians fearful of eviction and Jews determined to ensure the holy city

remains Israel’s undivided capital. It’s also become a flashpoint of potential friction between Israel’s right-leaning government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an international community seeking to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We’re trying to reduce tensions at the current time, not exacerbate them,” said Richard Miron, spokesman for the UN’s Mideast envoy. “Whatever the intentions behind such a project, Israel needs to understand that demolishing Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem demolishes confidence among Palestinians and frankly, also internationally.” Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down more than a year ago, when Israel launched a bruising offensive against the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers. Barkat’s announcement came as the US is pushing hard to restart the talks. Vice President Joe Biden is due to arrive in the region next week, and US envoy George Mitchell has been shuttling between the sides in recent months to try to resume negotiations. — AP

Fossils found of dino-eating snake Continued from Page 1 Wilson examined the fossils in 2001 and was “astonished” to find a predator in the midst of the sauropod’s nest. “I saw the characteristic vertebral locking mechanism of snakes alongside dinosaur eggshell and larger bones, and I knew it was an extraordinary specimen,” Wilson said.

Mohabey theorized that the snake dubbed Sanajeh indicus, which means “ancient gaped one” in Sanskrit - had just arrived at the nest and was in the process of gobbling a hatchling emerging from its

egg. But the entire scene was “frozen in time” when it was hit by a storm or some other disaster and buried under layers of sediment. “We think the hatchlings had just exited its egg, and the activity attracted the snake,” Mohabey said, adding that the site in Western state of Gujarat has revealed about 30 sauropod nests and at least two other snake specimens.

Michael Benton of the University of Bristol, also writing in the PLoS Biology, said it can be difficult to determine the behavior of ancient organisms. But he said that it was “most likely, as the authors argue, that this snake was waiting and

snatching juveniles as they hatched”. “Of course, we cannot be entirely sure unless further specimens come to light showing the bones of juvenile dinosaurs in the stomach region of the snake,” Benton said.

Ashok Sahni, a senior scientist at the Indian National Science Academy who was also not involved in the dig, described the find as “truly remarkable” because it is rare for fossil bones to be preserved at the site of fossilized eggs. “The scientific significance of the find is that it actually demonstrates behavior in early evolved snakes and the size of chosen prey,” he said in an email. — AP

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

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Vancouver atmosphere will be tough to match VANCOUVER: Amid the tragedy, the medals race and the hockey frenzy, the Vancouver Olympics will be remembered above all for the fervor and ebullience of its Canadian hosts.

For future Olympic host cities London, Sochi and Rio de Janeiro, matching Vancouver’s festive atmosphere will be a tough act to follow.

“The way Vancouver embraced these games was extraordinary,” International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said. “I’ve never seen anything on this scale before. This is really something unique.”

Rogge and other IOC officials were unanimous in their verdict that Vancouver delivered the greatest ambiance and public enthusiasm of any Winter Games since the magical 1994 Games in tiny Lillehammer, Norway. Vancouver’s joyous mood also has been compared with the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.

“Future organizers know that there is really a need to create this kind of big embrace,” Rogge said. “It’s something you can’t create on a piece of paper.” Despite the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili in a training trash on the day of the opening ceremony and a rash of glitches and weather problems in the first few days, Vancouver lifted the Winter Games to a whole new level.

The streets were filled with partying spectators, the venues were packed with cheering fans and the entire country seem united for two weeks behind a single cause. “For the first time, the Winter Olympic Games are on equal footing with a Summer Olympic Games,” said Kevan Gosper, a senior IOC member from Australia.

“When we look back, we can say Vancouver is where we could start comparing Winter Games with Summer Games and not just winter with winter and summer with summer.” The Winter Olympics, which debuted in 1924, were given their own identity when the IOC changed the cycle to put the Summer and Winter Games in different years starting in 1994.

Next up is London, which will host the 2012 Summer Games, becoming the first city to stage the Olympics for a third time. London also held the Olympics in 1908 and 1948. London’s project is based on renovating a downtrodden part of east London into a showpiece Olympic park.

London’s West End and other areas should be a magnet for nightlife and party atmosphere. As in Vancouver, live sites will be set up around the city for fans to watch events on big screens and enjoy musical entertainment.

Sebastian Coe, leader of the London organizing committee, was particularly impressed with the full venues and public spirit in Vancouver.

“Not since Sydney have I seen a city embrace the games the way they’ve been embraced here,” Coe said. “My gut instinct is that is what these games will be remembered for. I haven’t been anywhere where there’s been an empty seat in the house. And the people look like they want to be there.” In 2012, Coe said he expects around 250,000 fans to flock into the Olympic Park every day, and at least an additional 1 million people to come to the city for the games. London is the next Summer Games after the spectacular Olympics in Beijing, but Coe and others prefer

not to make any comparisons.

“We will never see a games like Beijing again,” Coe said. “That’s not typical of the way games are going to be delivered. You take from Beijing the extraordinary obsession with detail and eye for delivery. You take from

Sydney the party atmosphere and here the party atmosphere and engagement.

These are all things you need to bring together for a games.” Gosper said Vancouver is more of a benchmark for London than Beijing.

“Beijing was a spike, with huge amounts of money thrown at the games,” he said. “It was a bit of an aberration. Vancouver has brought us back to the norm and provided a more realistic backdrop for London than Beijing.” Sochi, a Black Sea resort, is hosting Russia’s first Winter Games in 2014.

Organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Sochi will do its best to match Vancouver.

“The Canadian atmosphere here is electric,” Chernyshenko said. “That is exactly what we want to reach in Russia.

We will do it with a Russian touch, a Russian look without the stereotypes.”

Another priority for Sochi is recruiting volunteers.

Vancouver organizers brought in about 25,000 volunteers, who won rave reviews for their smiling hospitality. Russia doesn’t have a tradition of volunteerism, but is recruiting volunteers from all over the country. Another crucial factor for future host cities: the success of the home team.

Having never won a gold medal at two previous Olympics on home soil (Montreal 1976 and Calgary 1988), Canada piled up 14 gold in Vancouver — an all-time Winter Games record.

Most fitting of all was the way the Canadians got the record — beating the United States in the men’s hockey final 3-2 with a sudden-death overtime goal by Sidney Crosby on Sunday in the final event of the games in the sport Canadians love most.

“The games started out with a nightmare and ended up with a golden dream,” Gosper said. “The interest in the home country performance here was remarkable.” Britain finished fourth in the medals table in Beijing and will hope for at least the same result at home in 2012.

“I can understand why a country would want to deliver the best-trained athletes at a games,” Coe said. “It’s not just important for domestic fortunes, it also sets the tone and style for the games and the excitement in those venues. “Do we want to get great big British moments and a good haul of medals in London? Yes we do.”

By contrast, Sochi organizers are counting on a much better showing from Russian athletes. They had only three golds among 15 medals in Vancouver and finished sixth in the standings _ the only time they have been out of the top five since the Soviet Union first competed in the Winter Games in 1956.

“I wouldn’t underestimate the Russians,” Gosper said. “Somehow or the other, I believe Sochi will rise to the occasion. But Vancouver has raised the bar very high.”— AP

VANCOUVER: Canadian singer Alanis Morissette performs during the closing ceremony at the BC Place in Vancouver, on the last day of the 2010 Winter Olympics. — AFP

Kim leads jubilant S Koreans home from Olympics SEOUL: There’s always room for improvement, even for Olympic gold medalist Kim Yu-na. Coach Brian Orser says there’s one jump the reigning queen of ice has yet to tackle in competition: the triple axel.

Asked about Orser’s secret plan to introduce the challenging jump championed by Japanese rival Mao Asada, Kim raised her eyebrows in surprise at a news conference yesterday after arriving at Seoul’s Incheon airport.

“This is news to me — are you

sure?” the 19-year-old said, turning around to look at her coach. Orser, seated a few rows behind her, tried to set the record straight.

“Let me clarify,” he said, explaining that Vancouver reporters had asked if there was anything more Kim — who shattered another world record en route to winning the Olympic gold in figure skating — could do to improve.

“I said that the only way that she could be technically better is to work on the triple axel.” “Oh, OK,” Kim said,

deftly sidestepping the question. “The technical level that I presented at the Olympics was my best. It’s the first time I’ve finished a program without any mistakes, and I hope to do the same for the upcoming world championships.”

Kim led the South Korean team’s triumphant return home after the country’s most successful Winter Games: 14 medals, six of them gold.

Hundreds jammed the arrivals hall, many staking out a spot hours earlier and holding banners, South Korean flags and

flowers. “We’re proud of you, Team Korea, for cementing Korea’s status in the world. Welcome back!” read one banner.

The parents of speedskater Mo Taebum, who won a gold and a silver, carried a colorful banner featuring photos of their son standing on the Olympic podium. “I was so thrilled when he won the gold medal that I almost fainted,” father Mo Young-yul told reporters.

“Our family made this banner. I want to tell Tae-bum that I am really proud of

him.” Schoolgirls broke out into shrieks as Kim came through the security doors bearing a South Korean flag and still dressed in her white national uniform.

After celebrating together at the national training center, the athletes are to have lunch Wednesday with President Lee Myung-bak, who called the Olympic team “a source of pride” for all South Koreans. Then, it’s back to training for Kim Yu-na, who returns to Toronto later that day to prepare for next month’s World Championships in

China tees up for golf explosion

Thongchai eyes third Malaysian Open title KUALA LUMPUR: Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee is hoping his rich vein of form will carry him to a record-equaling third Maybank Malaysian Open title starting tomorrow.

The Asian Tour’s number one is relishing a return to the twomillion-dollar tournament which shot him to fame with victories in 2004 and 2005.

He will chase his third victory against defending champion Anthony Kang of the United States, Asian Tour honorary member K.J. Choi of Korea, India’s Arjun Atwal, Australian Andrew Dodt and former Ryder Cup star Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC).

Thongchai is enjoying a stellar start to his season in which he currently ranks 44th in the world courtesy of a third-place finish in Dubai and a superb quarter-final appearance at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship.

The 12-time winner knows victory at the tournament sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour is within his reach, after finishing runner-up in the 2006 edition when KLGCC hosted the event.

Thongchai labelled the newly refurbished course as the best in Malaysia. “They moved the tee box back on many holes but the condition is perfect... They put more bunkers in and they are in play on almost every hole,” he said.

The field includes 19-year-old Danny Lee of New Zealand, who won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic as an amateur and is hoping to turn the corner after making only one cut in the last six weeks.

“I went back to see my old coach back in New Zealand because I was changing my swing a lot and I was struggling... But after seeing my coach, I started to hit it really straight so I’m looking forward to playing well this week.”

Clarke, who has played the Malaysian Open since the mid1990s, hopes to continue an impressive start to the season in which he recorded top 10 finishes in India and Africa. However, he is not taking the strong line-up lightly.

“I think the standard of Asian players has improved dramatically... as have the courses. When you come to a golf course like this one this week you realise how much the standards have risen in Asia.”— AFP

Hamilton to replace father as manager LONDON: Lewis Hamilton is looking for a new manager after he and his father Anthony decided to call time on one of the closest partnerships in Formula One. McLaren’s 2008 world champion, whose career has been guided by his father since he started out in karting at eight years old, told reporters yesterday that both felt the moment had come for the relationship to change. “We’ve been discussing it for a while and it’s only just come out now that we are going to be making some changes,” the 25-year-old driver said in a telephone conference call.

“There’s no need to rush, but at some stage I will find a new manager.” Hamilton, who will be partnered at McLaren by compatriot and champion Jenson Button when the season starts in Bahrain on March 14, said the decision was more due to his father’s increasing business interests than any desire to strike out as his own man.

“He’s building his sports management business, it’s growing really fast right now,” he said. “I feel he should focus his full attention on that.” Hamilton senior’s interests include managing Force India reserve driver Paul di Resta and teenage Dutch go-karter Nyck de Vries. He also has some work in football and is setting up an academy to give aspiring youngsters a taste of Formula One cars. “For me, he’s done his job. —Reuters

Turin, Italy.

“There’s always a letdown after the Olympics, so this is going to be a real test for her to get back up again for the World Championships,” Orser said.

Kim said she hopes her win _ South Korea’s first medal in figure skating _ will inspire a generation of younger skaters.

“I hope they’ll be able to overcome their obstacles and that they never give up,” she said. “There are always hard times and problems along the way.”— AP

KUALA LUMPUR: This handout image provided by the Asian Tour shows Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand hitting a drive during the Pro-Am a day ahead of the 2010 Maybank Malaysian Open golf tournament. —AFP

BEIJING: Golf participation in China is set to explode despite a development ban on new courses and the extortionate cost of green fees, according to the China Golf Association (CGA).

China’s first golf course was built in 1984 and although around 500 more have sprung up since, a sixyear-old government ban on new development has slowed growth.

The United States, by contrast, has around 18,000 courses, while Europe has an estimated 6,000, leading some to question whether the facilities exist to support a boom in Chinese golf.

“The existing 500 courses are enough for the basic development of golf,” CGA vice president Wang Liwei told Reuters.

“No matter how many course there are — 500, 1,000 or 10,000 — it is a sport of players. We are also taking alternate measures, such as building driving ranges in public green spaces.”

Last year’s decision to add golf to the Olympic programme from 2014 has helped rekindle interest in developing the sport, its inclusion seen as a key factor in the allocation of resources by the state-run sport system. “Entering the Olympics will greatly push forward the development of golf in China,” Wang added.

“The good news is that golf has already become a sport in the (quadrennial) National Games, which means it will draw greater attention and support from provincial sports authorities.

“A platform will be built through them, to popularise the sport among the youth, and to improve professional golf and marketing development. “Golf in China will enjoy explosive growth after that.”

China banned the building of new courses in 2004 because of concerns over the illegal procurement of vast tracts of farmland by some developers. “We resolutely abide by the government policy of saving farmland,” said Wang, who is also a government official. “However, there is still some wasteland or barren land that could be used to build golf courses.”

Developers have always found ways around the ban by, for example, requesting permission to build a hotel with huge surrounding grounds-which subsequently prove large enough to accommodate 18 holes.

Playing is still, however, prohibitively expensive for all but the richest Chinese-joining a club cost an average of $53,000 in 2008, according to a KPMG report.

That makes the CGA’s struggle to popularise the game among China’s 1.3 billion people an uphill task, and their youth development strategy all the more important.

The CGA has not been slow to enlist the support of the wealthy clubs, foreign golf tours and sponsors who have flocked to China in recent years, including Europe’s biggest bank HSBC, whose $7 million Champions tournament is the richest in Asia.

“The CGA launched a joint youth development project with HSBC in 2008,” Wang said. “It has benefited 20,000 children in three years. Over 2,000 have attended the golf camps. We also have a national youth tour. “At the provincial level, there will be more free opportunities for children to participate in golf. Clubs are also offering their spare resources for the popularisation and youth development.”— Reuters

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Pakistani woman races from rags to riches KARACHI: It took Pakistani athlete Naseem Hamid just 11.81 seconds to change her life and become the fastest woman in South Asia.

She ran to victory in the 100 metres in the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in Bangladesh, becoming Pakistan’s first woman to sprint to gold in the championship’s 26-year history and shooting from rags to riches.

“It still hasn’t sunk in,” said 23-yearold Naseem, who received a rapturous welcome home. Cash prizes worth millions of rupees poured in from President Asif Ali Zardari and businessmen, and parliament promised her a bigger house.

“It definitely is a fairytale success and

will take some time to digest.”

Brought up in humble surroundings, Naseem comes from a one-room house in the Korangi slum area of Karachi. She was never discouraged by her impoverished background, but nor did she like it mentioned.

It only came to light when television channels rushed to find her house when she rose from nowhere to success in Dhaka.

“I asked my coach Maqsood Ahmed to pinch me so I realise it’s not a dream,” she reminisced after the February 7 race.

“For the first 30 minutes it felt like a dream and what followed is also a dream.” Growing up, Naseem knew little

of fairytales.

She watched her father Hameed Ahmed struggle to make ends meet on daily wages as a laborer. At times, the family had little to live on.

Undaunted, Naseem forgot her problems once she entered the world of sport, where only the best, and not the rich, excel.

She started an athletics career and soon became the driving force in the family, earning 9,000 rupees (104 dollars) a month after being recruited into the Pakistan army’s sports section three years ago.

“I used to forget all the problems when I ran on the track,” said Naseem. “I

used to train very hard and there were times when I came back home with my legs aching and fell asleep before my parents woke me up for dinner.”

The family could not afford proper running shoes, so Naseem ran bare foot.

But she had the sprint to succeed and was talent spotted by physical education teacher Abida Ahmed at her Korangi college.

“I knew Naseem was destined for bigger successes,” said Abida. “Besides 100 and 200 metre races, Naseem also competed in the high jump and made us champions at inter-college level in 2005 and 2006.” Her sister Quratul Ain is a member of the women’s football squad in

southern province Sindh, while her only brother took up table tennis.

Mother Nasreen has taken pride in her daughter’s nerves of steel since she recovered from typhoid in childhood.

“Naseem has always been very brave.

She is like a son to me and overcame lots of trouble but never lost heart, even when she couldn’t win races,” her mother recalled.

“Our relatives were against her going into sport but it was her will power that helped her stick to the game and attain such success,” said Nasreen, whose home was mobbed by crowds of relatives after her daughter’s win.

Part of Pakistan’s bronze medallist

4x100m relay team in the 10th South Asian Games in Colombo in 2006, injury meant that four years ago Naseem had to watch her colleagues run the 100-metre race from the sidelines.

“Failures have always given me heart to perform,” said Naseem, who beat two Sri Lankans and an Indian for the title of South Asia’s fastest woman.

But the sky holds no limits for Naseem. “I know the standard at the Asian and Commonwealth levels is very high, but I will try my level best to win more laurels for my country,” said Naseem. “I know you can beat all odds through your determination, and I have done that in Dhaka.” — AFP

Red Wings soar over Avalanche

DENVER: Detroit Red Wings center Darren Helm (back) loses his stick after checking Colorado Avalanche left winger Chris Durno in the first period of an NHL hockey game. —AP

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Monday: Detroit 3, Colorado 2.

New Jersey Pittsburgh Philadelphia NY Rangers NY Islanders Ottawa Buffalo Boston Montreal Toronto Washington Tampa Bay Atlanta Florida Carolina

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF 37 21 3 162 36 22 4 195 32 25 3 179 28 27 7 161 25 29 8 159 Northeast Division 36 23 4 178 33 18 9 166 27 22 11 149 29 28 6 164 19 31 11 162 Southeast Division 41 13 8 247 26 24 11 160 26 24 10 182 24 27 10 155 24 30 7 168

GA 144 179 160 169 194

PTS 77 76 67 63 58

179 152 154 176 208

76 75 65 64 49

177 182 194 177 194

90 63 62 58 55

Western Conference Central Division Chicago 41 15 5 199 146 87 Nashville 33 23 5 170 173 71 Detroit 29 21 12 162 166 70 St. Louis 28 25 9 163 172 65 Columbus 25 28 10 166 203 60 Northwest Division Vancouver 37 22 2 194 152 76 Colorado 35 21 6 180 161 76 Calgary 30 23 9 156 156 69 Minnesota 30 27 4 171 178 64 Edmonton 19 36 6 153 211 44 Pacific Division San Jose 40 13 9 204 153 89 Phoenix 37 21 5 167 158 79 Los Angeles 37 20 4 185 166 78 Dallas 28 21 12 75 186 68 Anaheim 30 25 7 177 189 67 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

Al Qubaisi joins team Abu Dhabi for Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup ABU DHABI: Emirati Khaled Al Qubaisi has joined Team Abu Dhabi’s three driver line-up in a formidable challenge for the 2010 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

The 35-year-old UAE national will join Briton Sean Edwards and 31-year-old German Sascha Maassen in a competitive team setup chosen for blend of experience, international profile and ambition.

“We are fully behind Khaled in his motorsport ambitions,” said Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which is backing the outfit as its newest initiative in championing the UAE’s motorsport growth.

“Having been supported and trained by tolimit Motorsport since the middle of the 2009 season, we believe he is ready and deserving of the opportunity to compete on the international stage.” Sporting UAE colors, Al Qubaisi made his Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup debut during last November’s inaugural race at Abu Dhabi’s stunning Yas Marina Circuit, and recently competed in two rounds of the Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup Middle East on home soil. His first full season in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup series will see him compete for honours in nine races in Bahrain,

Spain, Monaco, United Kingdom, Germany, Hungary, Belgium and Italy. “Although I had only ever driven fast street cars until the middle of last year, I have been able to learn a lot with the support of tolimit. It is important that I gain even more experience,” said Khaled. “If I pass the 107 percent hurdle in the qualifying round and then win a point in some of the races, I will be a very happy man.” Team Abu Dhabi leader Michael Seifert is confident of all three drivers delivering the goods in the forthcoming season .

“We will have a say in the battle for the podium places in the 2010 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. Sean is a true one-make cup specialist, Sascha has a wealth of experience and Khaled has developed in leaps and bounds over the past six months. I am looking forward to an exciting season,” he said.

Sean Edwards was the 2006 champion at the FIA GT3 European Championship while in 2007, he completed his first 24hour race in Spa, earning him third place on the podium. Sascha Maassen provides the team with huge experience returning to tolimit and the Porsche one-make cup following many successes in international GT and prototype sports.

Al Qubaisi — driving for tolimit’s Team Abu Dhabi 2010 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup bid.

DENVER: Nicklas Lidstrom scored a power-play goal with 9:03 left in the third period to lift the Detroit Red Wings past the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in the NHL on Monday.

Tomas Holmstrom had a goal and two assists, Pavel Datsyuk had two assists and Jimmy Howard made 22 saves for Detroit. It was the first NHL game since Feb. 14 when the NHL took a two-week break for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Chris Stewart had a goal and assist, TJ Galiardi also scored and Craig Anderson had 27 saves for the Avalanche.

Meanwhile, their amazing Vancouver Olympic showdown complete, National Hockey League superstars returned to work for their clubs with no assurance their skills will be seen in 2014 at Sochi or beyond.

Canada beat the United States 3-2 in Sunday’s emotional gold medal final but the league has made no promises about returning to the Olympics. Most players want it. Many owners do not because it means a two-week NHL shutdown in February.

“Any other business does this, they would win the award for imbecility,” US Olympic team general manager Brian Burke said. “From a business perspective, it doesn’t make sense. There are really compelling reasons to not go.”

The issue will be a bargaining chip in NHL labour talks on a new deal ahead of one expiring in September 2011, although NHL scoring leader Alex Ovechkin of Washington has said he will play for Russia in 2014 no matter what.

“The NHL belongs in the Olympics,” US goaltender Ryan Miller of the NHL Buffalo Sabres said. “We’re the best at what we do. We should be there.”

Thirty NHL club owners worry about risking the health of their players for two weeks and have seen great benefits from Olympics staged in North America but little boost from those staged in Europe and Asia. “People say look at the magic created here,” Burke said. “This doesn’t happen every time.”

The fact it happens at all is enough for some, and with one of every four NHL players from outside North America, others want their chance to bask in the Olympic glow by playing for gold at home.

“It has been great for the game and great for the NHL,” Canada team general manager Steve Yzerman said. “It would be a mistake for us to not to be involved, regardless of the inconvenience.”

The NHL season resumes Monday with Detroit at Colorado and 12 more games on Tuesday. Six weeks remain before 16 of 30 teams start the two-month playoffs for the Stanley Cup, not a lot of time to capitalize upon the Olympic stage.

“We do not operate in a vacuum. This costs us money,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “This disrupts our season. We don’t make any money off it. We’re here because it’s good for the game.

“The value of the contracts of the NHL players that are participating in this tournament is 2.1 billion dollars. We have turned over, for two weeks, control of the most important asset of our game.

That’s our players.”

Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals lead the league, just ahead of the San Jose Sharks, who had the most Olympians of any NHL team and five players on the ice in Sunday’s final.

Many will see how they play in the coming weeks to see what impact the Olympics have on the quality of their NHL performance. —Agencies

MUMBAI: Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar holds a bat during an event in Mumbai, India yesterday. Tendulkar recently scored the first ever double century in one-day international cricket in a match against South Africa. —AP

Australia’s triumphant season masks games ills SYDNEY: The Australian team’s unconquered march through their home international season raised more questions than provided answers for cricket amid dwindling crowds and television ratings. Ricky Ponting’s team swept aside lowlyranked Pakistan and West Indies in Test, One-Day and Twenty20 matches for Australia’s first unbeaten domestic summer since the Steve Waugh-led side of 2000/01.

The lopsided contests left plenty of cricket fans feeling empty, many staying away from matches and tuning out of televised cricket. One dismayed fan derisively labeled the vanquished: ‘Panicstan’ and the ‘Worst Indies’. While Ponting, rehabilitating his captaincy after leading a second failed Ashes series in England last year, was proud of Australia’s unbeaten achievement and upbeat about the unearthing of fresh young talent, there is an unease about the state of the game.

Fans stayed away from the one-day internationals in droves, preferring the pyrotechnics of the abbreviated T20 form of the game. The massive Melbourne Cricket Ground took on a funereal feel when just 15,538 fans watched the fifth ODI against the West Indies, just 15 percent of its 100,000 capacity. Adelaide Oval’s smallest-ever crowd of 8,378 for an international one-dayer watched the second match of the series and Brisbane’s Gabba ground was half-full with 20,088 fans for the fourth game.

Worrying still was the fall-off in television ratings for cricket this summer with the audience of long-term broadcaster, the Nine Network, plummeting 40 percent for the ODIs on the previous year’s figures. Media analyst Steve Allen of Fusion Strategy said that cricket television ratings were down across the board, with Tests the most affected and the game suffering something of a “disconnect” with the public. “The result was a bit of a shocker,” he said. “They were off 40 percent.

That’s a big drop, about the most severe we’ve seen.”

Nine Network chief executive David Gyngell said he was prepared to wait until the tour here later this year of traditional rivals England to gauge the actual health of the Australian game.

“We have a very dominant Australian side, which is good news against weak opposition (Pakistan and the West Indies) this year, but we won’t really get an understanding until we see the Ashes summer,” he said. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland sees nothing to be alarmed about. “Australian cricket operates in four-year cycles, with some ups and downs depending on who we are playing and when,” he said.

“The trend line for public interest, as measured by attendance, TV and radio ratings and research, has being going up consistently for many years.

“The strong Australian program for the next few years, starting with the Ashes next summer, will see this continue.” Despite the apparent loss of public appetite for the ODIs, Cricket Australia has scheduled seven 50-over games for England’s tour here later this year despite some misgivings from Ponting.

“I have said for quite a while now that those seven-match series are pretty hard to be a part of, but you understand the reasons behind it,” he said.

“One-day cricket brings in a lot of money to the game ... but it’s just important for one-day cricket’s sake that you don’t get to a stage where you are just playing meaningless games.” Lynton Taylor, Kerry Packer’s consultant in the days of World Series Cricket of the 1970s, warns against cricket overkill. “I think there has been too much cricket this summer and taking it deeply into February was a mistake,” he said.

While ODIs and Tests have tailored off, T20 has attracted a large and in most instances, a younger audience to their games in line with overseas events. The Boxing Day Test at the MCG draws traditionally the biggest crowd on Australia’s cricketing calendar. This season the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan attracted 59,206 fans. Just over a month later the T20 game between the same two teams at the same arena drew 60,054, the biggest crowd of the season. — AFP

Khan named Pakistan cricket chief selector ISLAMABAD: Former test batsman Mohsin Khan was appointed as chief selector by the Pakistan Cricket Board yesterday. He’s the fourth chief selector in the last eight months. Khan replaced Iqbal Qasim, who resigned after Australia whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 in the test series and 5-0 in the one-dayers last month. Mohammad Ilyas, Salim Jaffer and Azhar Khan will continue as regular members of the selection panel while Asif Baloch and Farrukh Zaman will be co-opted members of the committee, the PCB said in a statement.

Khan, 54, played 48 tests from 1978-86 and scored 2,709 runs at an average of 37.10. Together with Mudassar Nazar, he formed one of Pakistan’s most dependable opening pair. He also featured in 75 oneday internationals and made 1,877 runs (26.81). Last June, former test legspinner Abdul Qadir resigned over differences with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt during the World Twenty20. Wasim Bari, who was later named as PCB chief operating officer, served as interim chief selector before Qasim took over. Qasim resigned af ter Pakistan’s disastrous tour of Australia, where it also lost the only Twenty20 international. — AP

SPORTS

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

17

Wealthy fans plan Man Utd bid, owners won’t sell MANCHESTER: A group of wealthy supporters is looking into a possible bid for English Premier League champions Manchester United, though the club’s billionaire US owners say it is not for sale.

The ‘Red Knights’, a collection of individuals including former Football League chairman Keith Harris, said yesterday they were looking at the feasibility of putting together a bid for the world’s third richest soccer club.

However, they said discussions were at an early stage and they had not made contact with club owners, the Glazer family.

The Glazers, who also own the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers American NFL team, bought United in 2005 for about 790 million pounds ($1.2 billion) against a wave of opposition from fans who feared they were loading it up with too much debt.

“Manchester United Football Club is not for sale,” a spokesman for the Glazer family told Reuters yesterday. Wyn Grant, professor of football economics at Warwick University, said any offer was likely to have to exceed 1.2 billion pounds to tempt the Glazers.

“If you offer them 1 billion pounds they (the Glazers) are just getting a 25 percent return over five

years which is not terribly good,” he said in response to newspaper reports the Red Knights were considering a bid at around that level.

“Clearly the people they have got in the consortium are very experienced and knowledgeable people, but it would take significantly more than 1.2 billion pounds in my opinion (to win over the Glazers),” he said.

United are the world’s third wealthiest soccer club behind Spain’s Real Madrid and Barcelona, but their debts have swelled to about 716.5 million pounds to the consternation of many fans.

A growing number have been

protesting by shunning the side’s red and white colours and sporting green and gold, worn when the team was known as Newton Heath in its early days.

“Any new ownership model would aim not only to put the club on a sound financial footing but would also aim to put the supporters at the heart of everything the club does,” the Red Knights said in a statement.

The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) said in a separate statement it was working with the Red Knights.

Duncan Drasdo, MUST’s chief executive, told reporters the group

had been in discussions with the Red Knights for some time.

“The Red Knights group coming out is exceptionally positive for supporters who want to see a change of ownership,” said Drasdo said.

“All Manchester United supporters should now seize this opportunity with both hands and say they want a change of ownership.

“It’s not boycotts or protests, I would call this a movement for change and rather than being unsettling I think the green and gold campaign has been tremendously positive in terms of the attitude in the stands.”

MUST’s membership has more than doubled in recent months from 27,000 to 55,000 registered members and they have set an initial target of 100,000 members in their fight for change.

As well as Keith Harris, who is executive chairman of stockbrokers Seymour Pierce, the Red Knights include Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill; Mark Rawlinson, a partner at law firm Freshfields; and Paul Marshall, co-founder of hedge fund Marshall Wace, a person familiar with the matter said.

The individuals were not immediately available for comment and the

Red Knights declined further comment. Meanwhile, the club reported on Tuesday an improved financial performance in the first half of its fiscal year to Dec. 31, boosted by an increase in television revenues from the Champions League.

Revenue increased by 19 percent to 144.7 million pounds with media revenue up 33 percent and matchday revenue rising 10 percent, benefiting from two extra Premier League games in the period.

The club cut its pretax loss to 1.9 million pounds during the half year, compared with 23.9 million the year before. —Reuters

Wataniya Telecom sponsors Kuwait National soccer team against Oman KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom the leading mobile and internet services provider in Kuwait and the region has announced its sponsorship for the National Soccer Team in the game joining them with Oman Soccer Team today.

Abdul Aziz Al-Balool PR Manager at Wataniya Abdul Aziz Al-Balool Telecom has expressed that its sponsorship of the game comes from its cautious endeavors to support the Kuwaiti athletic field in its mission to achieve higher success.

Al Balool also praised the Kuwaiti National Team, brilliant skills pointing out that it has proved itself through different occasions and championships in which it had led in elevating Kuwait’s athletic reputation.

In addition to the previously mentioned, Al Balool has also noted that Wataniya’s initiative is in parallel with its corporate social responsibility pillars which always aim to support the Kuwaiti athletic youth and provide them with all the necessary tools to succeed Wataniya sponsorship has also included awarding the National Soccer Team with KD 10,000 as well as giving gifts to the cheerful and excited audience during the game.

Worthy to mention, Wataniya has left its footprints in its sponsorships of soccer activities in Kuwait and the following are of few to mention: Al Qadsiya and Al Arabi clubs sponsorships and its sponsorship of the Super Cup in which all proceeds were given to Bait Abdulla.

Al Balool concluded by assuring that Wataniya will continue its journey in providing all the necessary support for athleticism in Kuwait as it is the right path to build promising generations in the future. He also wished the National Team triumph and its qualification to the second round at the next Asian Championship to add to its achievements.

From his end, Sheikh Ahmad Al Yousef Al Sabah the president of the Transitional Committee for National Soccer Team honored Wataniya’s continuous support to the National Team which has started with the Gulf Cup Championship in Oman as well as many other occasions.

Wataniya Airways to fly Kuwaiti football fans to Oman NEW YORK: Venus Williams holds the the Billie Jean King Cup after beating Kim Clijsters 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the final of the tennis exhibition at Madison Square Garden. —AP

Venus grabs Billie Jean King Cup NEW YORK: Serena Williams’ injured leg kept her from a chance to avenge her US Open loss to Kim Clijsters, so sister Venus took care of the job on Monday. Venus Williams defeated Clijsters 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 at Madison Square Garden to win the Billie Jean King Cup in the BNP Paribas Showdown. Serena Williams withdrew a week ago because of her leg, ending what would have been the first meeting between her and Clijsters since the US Open semifinals in September when the American unleashed a tirade against a line judge after she was called for a foot fault near the end of the match. Clijsters went on to win the

championship.

The 26-year-old Belgian struggled early against the elder Williams before finding a groove in front of a very Venus-friendly crowd of 11,702 in the second set. “In the beginning it took some time to find an aggressive game,” Clijsters said. “If you’re not feeling the ball 100 percent, it’s very hard. I kind of just had to look for my game a little bit, really look for my position on court.

I got better as my match went on.” Williams broke Clijsters in the first game and then held each of her serves to win the first set.

In the second set, Williams again won the first two games but got sloppy, volleying one

break point wide and hitting another past the baseline. Clijsters held her serve for the rest of the set to win.

Williams was down 3-4 in the final set but broke back when Clijsters hit a volley into the net on break point. The pair held their serve the rest of the way until Clijsters, down 15-40, hit the break point long to hand Williams the win and $400,000 of the $1.2 million prize money. “I always feel really confident on match point, so I love getting to that match point,” Williams said. “At quadruple match point I felt nice.”

King did not attend the exhibition because she is recovering from a recent double-knee

replacement.

Earlier, Clijsters beat Ana Ivanovic 7-6 in the first of the one-set semifinals, outscoring the 22-year-old Serb and 2008 French Open champion 7-2 in the tiebreaker. Down 5-4, Clijsters came from 0-30 to hold serve and won the next two games. Ivanovic won the 12th game to force the tiebreaker. “Our games in some ways are similar,” Ivanovic said. “It was a tough match. I was actually very nervous, but it makes it an important match. I just wanted to do so well.” Williams beat third-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2009 French Open winner, in the second semifinal 6-4. Kuznetsova took a 2-0 lead but

struggled with her serve.

Down 15-40 in the final game, the 24year-old Russian double-faulted on her serve to hand Williams the match. “You would like for it to last a little bit longer because one set is very difficult to play,” Kuznetsova said. “It was fun. The match was close, and I enjoyed the experience.” Before the final, the International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Gigi Fernandez, Owen Davidson and Brad Parks were introduced on court. They are part of the 2010 class announced Monday that includes doubles specialists Todd Woodbridge, Mark Woodforde and Natasha Zvereva. —AP

Second Knights NRL player on drug charges SYDNEY: A second Newcastle Knights player has been charged with drug dealing, throwing the Australian National Rugby League club into upheaval on Monday.

The Knights said they had stood down forward Chris Houston indefinitely after he was charged with four counts of supplying prohibited drugs.

The club said Houston was due to appear in court on April 13.

Houston’s charges follow the terminating of teammate Danny Wicks’s 200,000 dollar-(180,000 US)-a-year club contract with three years to run

after he was charged with supplying drugs on December 16 last year.

Wicks is due next to appear in court on March 31. Houston was stood down indefinitely by the Knights once reports of the charges emerged before his lawyers released a statement confirming them.

“Today Chris was charged with four counts of supplying prohibited drugs and is due to appear at Newcastle Local Court on 13th April,” the statement read.

“In order that the team can remain focused on the competition

ahead of them, Chris has indicated a willingness to stand down from the Knights while the charges are before the court.

“In accordance with Knights policy, Chris has been stood down pending the hearing of these charges.” Houston is contracted at the Knights until the end of the 2012 season.

Police said a 25-year-old man would face three charges of supplying ecstasy and one of supplying cocaine. The new NRL season is to kick off on March 12. —AFP

INDIANAPOLIS: Vanderbilt’s Myron Lewis runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis yesterday. —AP

KUWAIT: Wataniya Airways, Kuwait’s premium service airline, announced its support for Kuwait’s National Football team by providing an aircraft for the team’s enthusiastic fans to fly to Muscat, Oman to support Kuwait in its match against Oman in the Asian Cup qualifying round.

Jassim Al Qames, Wataniya Airways Public Relations Manager said: “This initiative has been welcomed by the Kuwaiti Football Association and Wataniya Airways, as a way of providing an exciting opportunity for the team’s loyal fans to go and watch the match between Kuwait and Oman live and support our national team.”

“Wataniya Airways continues to further support national initiatives. This comes in line with the country’s recently celebrated Liberation day and National day holidays. We hope that the Kuwaiti team succeeds in the much anticipated match and wish them all the best”.

The aircraft that has been specifically allocated for this event is one of Wataniya Airways’ fleet of four planes, which accommodates 122 passengers flying on both the First Class as well as Premium Economy.

It is important to note that Wataniya Airways does not operate a regular schedule to Oman, but will provide the aircraft as an exception to support the fans of the national football team.

Moreover, the Kuwaiti Football Association will manage the registration process. The Wataniya aircraft will depart Sheikh Saad Terminal at 3:00 pm, and will arrive back to Kuwait at 12:00 midnight.

“The Wataniya Airways team expresses its sincere apology for only being able to fly a limited number of fans, and hopes to provide more flights in the coming tournaments,” added Al Qames.

Wataniya Airways’ network of routes includes destinations across the Middle East that include Amman, Bahrain, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Dubai, Sharm El Sheikh and Jeddah.

18

SPORTS

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

FIFA says, S Africa ready for World Cup, 100 days away

PORT ELIZABETH: This picture taken on February 9, 2010 shows the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium in Port Elizabeth. Nelson Mandela stadium is one of the 10 stadiums in South Africa that will host the FIFA 2010 World Cup. — AFP

DURBAN: This picture taken yesterday shows the field of the Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban. Moses Mabhida stadium is one of the10 stadiums in South Africa that will host the FIFA 2010 World Cup. — AFP

Despite efforts, WCup will be more grey than green JOHANNESBURG: South Africa is trying to “green” the World Cup, but local efforts are struggling to balance out the enormous carbon emissions caused by holding the tournament at the tip of the continent. Natural ventilation, rain water capture, energy efficiency: the new stadiums built for Africa’s first World Cup incorporate top-notch environmental standards.

The cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban have also planted thousands of trees to capture the carbon dioxide blamed for global warming.

Durban is the most ambitious of the nine host cities, planning to compensate for local carbon emissions by producing electricity from hydraulic turbines or biogas emitted by landfills. Under the system of “carbon credits”, these projects will take two and a half years to offset the emissions caused by hosting the tournament in Durban, said Nicci Diederichs, head of the city’s green programs.

Despite these efforts, the environmental cost of the World Cup will be heavy. The “carbon footprint” is estimated at the equivalent of 2.75 million tons of carbon dioxide, nine times higher than the World Cup in Germany in 2006 and more than twice as high as the

Beijing Olympics. Simple geography is the main reason: foreign visitors will travel a total of 7.1 million kilometers to cheer their teams at the southern tip of Africa, their planes emitting tons of carbon.

Even without the international travel, South Africa will emit 900,000 tons domestically, partly because fans will have to fly between the far-flung host cities, and also because the country relies on coal for most of its electricity.

For efforts to offset the emissions, government has largely left the job to local players. “The other host cities, and even at national level, they are not getting to grips with carbon issues and climate impact issues. It is so disappointing to see that no one else has really been able to tackle it,” Diederichs said.

The government in November called for proposals for projects that would generate carbon credits. “At this point of time, they short-listed four projects.

None of them are actually feasible at this stage,” Diederichs said. Greenpeace climate campaigner Nkopane Maphiri said despite the publicity campaigns about the greening of 2010, not much has actually come to fruition. “South Africa and the local organizing committee have done a massive campaign about the

greening of 2010, but we have yet to see something tangible,” he said.

“With 2010 already only 100 days away and not many things happening, we are worried.” The environment ministry said that it was “in a process of developing a system that will contribute toward the reduction and/or offset of green house gases”, but couldn’t identify a program already underway. Anton Cartwright, coordinator of Promoting Access to Carbon Equity (PACE), which encourages voluntary efforts against emissions, said government should have begun looking at environmental efforts far earlier.

“It was a very naive tender,” he said of the government call for proposals.

“You can’t do this and expect people to come with a solution within four months. They should have been looking at this maybe two years ago.” But he said that hosting the World Cup has prompted some soul-searching about environmental policies that has created a new awareness in South Africa. “My sense, in the last year, we have seen a lot of changes and the World Cup is part of that,” he said. “When you get international people just asking the question ‘What is the footprint of the World Cup?’ - it brings a new awareness.” — AFP

DURBAN: FIFA yesterday brushed aside lingering doubts about South Africa’s readiness for the World Cup, as cities across the nation staged street parties to launch the 100-day countdown.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter insisted the nation was ready, and said he was bothered by naysayers who worry South Africa won’t pull off the June 11 to July 11 tournament.

“It’s not so much that there’s pessimism, but that it’s always being thrown into doubt. It’s bad, because when there’s doubt, there’s no confidence. For me and FIFA, that bothers us sometimes,” Blatter told a news conference in Durban’s new stadium.

“There is no doubt, no doubt,” he said.

“Let’s go now, let’s have this World Cup, and then we will discuss end of July.”

He spoke after a tour of South Africa’s 10 stadiums that will host the month-long tournament. Construction is complete at all the stadiums, and only two have yet to host games to try out the new facilities.

“As South Africans we have encountered a lot of skepticism but today, as we celebrate this milestone, we can confidently say to the World that we will be ready,” said Danny Jordaan, head of the local organising committee.

The 100-day countdown dominated South African media Tuesday, but only a few hundred revellers joined the celebrations that were mostly held in downtown districts, far from the townships where most football fans live.

Ella Matlhare, a 65-year-old from Sebokeng township 65 kilometres (40 miles) south of Johannesburg, said she took two mini-buses on a two-hour journey to join about 300 people at a street party in the posh Sandton business district.

“I was supposed to be doing my washing, but I will do it some other time. My mind is on soccer,” she said. “I am so excited, everyone has been talking about the World Cup, now it is here. There is no turning back.”

In Cape Town, a helicopter carrying the South African flag flew past the landmark Table Mountain, while schoolchildren prepared for lessons in the “diski”-a dance inspired by football movements.

In Durban, about 1,000 people blew vuvuzela trumpets-mandatory accessories for South African fans-and danced to drumbeats outside City Hall.

Amid the cheering, some fans said they were disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to attend World Cup matches, even with heavily discounted tickets for locals.

“It’s a dream come true for South Africa, but I can’t afford a ticket,” said Pretty Soni, an mother of two who like millions of South Africans has no job in a country where unemployment is officially at 24.3 percent but believed much higher.

South Africa has poured 33 billion rand (3.9 billion dollars, 3.2 billion euros) into preparations for the tournament. In addition to the stadiums, major upgrades to airports in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Bloemfontein are complete, while Durban’s new airport is set to open on May 1.

FIFA says that 2.2 of the 2.9 million tickets have already been sold, even though fewer foreign fans are expected to attend.

South Africa is banking on 450,000 foreign visitors, though the actual number could be lower, with many fans overseas still recovering from the shock of the global recession.

The country is seizing the publicity around the 100-day to try to reassure foreigners about visiting South Africa, which has one of the highest crime rates in the world, averaging 50 murders each day.

South Africa has spent more than 2.4 billion rand on security, recruiting 41,000 additional police and buying hi-tech equipment for the competition. Overall, South Africans are increasingly optimistic about the World Cup. A survey out on Monday found that 85 percent believe the nation will ready for the games.

The public was less rosy about the hotand-cold fortunes of Bafana Bafana - only 55 percent said they thought the national team was ready to compete. — AFP

SPAIN: Real Madrid’s players celebrate in this file photo. — AFP

Real Madrid, Barcelona top football money list LONDON: Real Madrid and Barcelona are again the biggest moneymakers in world football. The Spanish rivals took first and second place in Deloitte’s annual study of the sport’s finances, with English champion Manchester United slipping a place to third because of the weakness of the British pound rather than its 716.5 million euros ($1.07 billion) debt.

Madrid generated 401.4 million euros ($567.3 million) in the 12 months ending June 30, according to the report released Tuesday

by British accountancy firm Deloitte.

European champion Barcelona was ranked second in the list of 20 biggest clubs according to revenue with 365.9 million euros ($517.2 million), moving up a place to return to the position it occupied two years ago.

Although the economic downturn meant that nine clubs showed a decrease in revenue in local currency, the combined income of the top 20 clubs was up about 26 million euros ($36.7 million) from the previous year at 3.9 billion euros ($5.5 billion). “We continue to assert that the game’s top clubs are wellplaced to meet the challenges presented by the difficult economic environment,” said Dan Jones of Deloitte’s sports business group.

“Their large and loyal supporter bases, ability to drive broadcast audiences and continuing attraction to corporate partners provide a strong base to underpin revenues.”

Despite a disappointing season in which it finished runner-up in Spain to Barcelona and again failed to progress beyond the second round round of the Champions League,

Madrid kept first place in Deloitte’s list for a fifth straight year. Madrid’s contract with Mediapro helped push up income from broadcast 18 percent to 160.8 million euros ($227.3 million). Manchester United generated 43.7 million euros ($61.8 million) less from broadcasting than Madrid despite receiving 18.1 million euros ($25.6 million) more from Champions League distributions.

“The ability of Spanish clubs to sell their broadcast rights on an individual basis gives the country’s larger clubs a substantial competitive advantage compared with their English, French, German and, from 2010-11, Italian peers,” Deloitte said. Manchester United generated 327 million euros ($462.2 million), including 127.7 million euros ($180.5 million) in match-day revenue. The club’s success in retaining the Premier League title and again reaching the Champions League final meant it would have stayed in second place had the pound’s value against the euro not dropped by 7 percent over the year.

“It is still likely to be Real Madrid and FC Barcelona that contest the top two positions in the Money League for the immediate future, particularly if English clubs continue to suffer from a weak exchange rate,” Jones said. Even so, England was the most strongly represented club in the list with seven clubs. Boosted by income from a property development on the site of its former stadium, Arsenal moved up a spot to fifth behind Bayern Munich and swapped positions with Chelsea. — AP

Halilhodzic axe overshadows Ivory Coast friendly LONDON: The Ivory Coast’s World Cup preparations took an unusual twist over the weekend when coach Vahid Halilhodzic was sacked live on television. As a result they go into today’s London friendly against South Korea with speculation surrounding his successor.

Halilhodzic’s demise was confirmed by the head of the Ivory Coast FA, president Jacques Anoma.

The Bosnian’s days had been numbered ever since the Ivory Coast failed to rise to the occasion in the African Cup of Nations in January, having arrived in Angola as favorites before a quarter-final loss to Algeria. Former Netherlands and Russia coach Guus Hiddink is being mooted as a short-term replacement during the World Cup finals in South Africa, before the Dutchman takes charge of Turkey in August. Anoma claimed the Elephants had “a major problem” with Halilhodzic in charge and that he had failed in his task of winning the bi-annual tournament.

Halilhodzic refused to go quietly, however. “It’s terrible, I’m disgusted,” he said. “I lose

one game in 24 matches and now I have been sacrificed.

It’s purely political.” Eric Gerets, the Belgian in charge of Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, has also been linked with the vacancy but with Didier Drogba having put forward Hiddink’s case - the pair worked together at Chelsea last season - it would be no surprise if the Ivory Coast’s most famous and powerful player in the squad got his wish.

“The interest from Ivory Coast is real, but first I have to analyze the situation,” said Hiddink, who guided South Korea to the semi-finals in 2002 as well as Holland in the 1998 edition. “I need to solve some matters before making my decision. Drogba asked me in the name of the players to accept the invitation. The Ivorian Federation is also very interested.” South Korea arrived in London for the friendly, which will take place at Loftus Road, the west London home of second division Queens Park Rangers, with no such worries.

The position of coach Huh Jung-moo is not in jeopardy although places in his squad

for South Africa appear to be very much up for grabs. And one man who is keen to claim one is Ahn Jung-hwan, his nation’s hero of the 2002 and 2006 finals. After an absence of almost two years, the Dalian Shide attacker has been summoned to see if he can repeat past glories. “I am very happy to return to the national team,” he said. “I want to prove my worth to the team and show what I can do. I want to help the team and will do my best to show my ability.

“At the moment, I am at about 80 percent of my peak condition but that is expected as the Chinese Super League has not yet started. “My role is to change the flow of the game. Even if I am on the pitch for a short time, I will try my best.” Ahn may join up in attack with Lee Dong-gook and he wants to work with the man nicknamed ‘The Lion King’ to down their fellow World Cup qualifiers. “It is not about competing with Lee Dong-gook, we should help each other,” he said. “If we play together against Ivory Coast, I will do my best to help Dong-gook score rather than score myself.” — AFP

Durban’s street vendors tackle new languages for WCup fans DURBAN: South African street vendor Zama Shinga’s face tightens in concentration, carefully repeating the words spoken by her French teacher, who is asking for a discount on her wares. “Estce qu’il y a une réduction? Une ré-duction?” she says, struggling to wrap her mouth around the “u”, the sentence reverberating in the prefab classroom set up at a Durban police station.

Durban, home to Africa’s busiest port, will host seven World Cup matches and expects 100,000 visitors during the month-long tournament that kicks off on June 11. To welcome the guests, the city has begun teaching street vendors foreign languages. Over six weeks, a young woman who recently finished her French degree gives three classes a week to 20 vendors who ply their wares along Durban’s beachfront, home to most of the city’s top hotels. If the pilot project goes well, the city wants to teach 500 vendors in downtown Durban.

“Informal traders are a key tourism attraction,” said Vumi Mchunu, the city’s coastal areas manager. “It is

important for them to know other languages in order to interact with their customers clearly during the World Cup,” she said. Their efforts could also pay off over the long term. “A lot of African people who come here understand French,” said Nelsiwe Mehunu, who sells candy. “They want to ask prices, what is this and that. We don’t understand. But if we understand them, I believe we can make some money. I think we can be rich too - because we understand their language!” she said.

So far, she has mastered colors, sizes and ice cream flavors in French. With her eyes fixed on her notes, she can also get through social niceties and negotiate a price. Beyond their practical value, the classes have a symbolic importance in a country where most of the population was denied a decent education under the white-minority apartheid regime. Some of the students have little formal education and battle to express themselves in English, which is one of 11 official languages in South Africa.

“I have been to school until I was 12

years old, and I am in school again to learn French now. I am very happy,” said 60-year-old Mankinto Ngcobo, who sells souvenirs from under her colorful Zulu hat. The vendors take to the class enthusiastically, hoping it will help them turn the page on a weak year for tourism that saw their sales drop. “Maybe I get 10 rands ($1.30) a day. I never get even the bus fare, the bread,” said Thembile Camile, who sells local crafts which she says haven’t been selling well. “Still the stuff is from last year. It has not moved,” she said.

The city is trying to ensure that vendors benefit from the influx of visitors for the World Cup, which is expected to bring 400,000 foreigners to South Africa. Three new markets are being built to house 500 stalls along the beachfront. Food vendors will also receive training in hygiene. But the vendors will not be allowed in areas managed by football governing body FIFA, including the stadiums, where only official World Cup partners are allowed to sell their products. — AFP

SOWETO: A vendor on her way to work as the African sun rises over the Soweto soccer stadium that will host the opening and the last match of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa from June 11 to July 11. — AFP

SPORTS

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

19

Ronaldo returns for Portugal Asian test

MUNICH: Germany’s players jog during a training session in the southern German city of Munich on the eve of the friendly football match Germany vs Argentina. —AFP

Maradona’s Argentina lock horns with Germany BERLIN: Two World Cup favorites lock horns in Munich today night as Diego Maradona’s struggling Argentinean all-stars take on solid three-times champions Germany. Ninety-nine days before the World Cup starts in South Africa, the clash finds the flamboyant “El Diez” under pressure after the 1978 and 1986 winners came within a whisker of not qualifying for the first time in 40 years. The Albiceleste eventually made it though thanks to a goal in the dying minutes against Uruguay in Montevideo, and Argentina’s greatest-ever footballer has found that coaching the national side is not as easy as playing for it.

Since taking over in late 2008 the team has been woefully inconsistent, while his suggestion to journalists in October to “suck it and keep sucking it” earned him a two-month ban from FIFA, football’s governing body. Argentina, drawn against Nigeria, South Korea and Greece in the World Cup, has won its last two friendlies,

beating Costa Rica 3-2 and Jamaica 2-1, but Maradona has offered few clues on the makeup of the final team. He has used around 100 different players, and with only the Germany game and two possible fixtures against Canada and Israel in May before the World Cup, time is running short.

His 20-man squad to face Germany includes 17 foreign-based players including Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, Fifa’s world player of the year 2009, Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez and Newcastle midfielder Jonas Gutierrez. Inter Milan trio Nicolas Burdisso, Walter Samuel and Diego Milito, Palermo forward Javier Pastore and Olympiakos midfielder Jesus Datolo were meanwhile recalled. “All the players are being tested,” Maradona said. “The ones who are not in this list have the same opportunities. I already phoned the 50 per cent of the players who will play the World Cup.” Germany, by contrast, in Group D with Ghana, Serbia and Australia, have been the

model of cool efficiency, finishing top of their qualifying group unbeaten, with eight wins out of 10 including two over a fancied Russian side. Coach Joachim Loew has brought just two new players into his 26man squad, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen midfielders Thomas Mueller and Toni Kroos, in what will be Germany’s final match before the final choice is made.

With worries about firepower up front, Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez being out of sorts of late, Loew may turn to Brazilianborn Cacau, who has scored seven goals in his last three matches. In midfield Loew has Chelsea’s Michael Ballack, Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lazio’s Thomas Hitzlsperger and Hamburg’s Piotr Trochowski all fit and raring to go. “We are looking forward to it. We are definitely well prepared ... It is an important test for us and we want to win,” defender Philipp Lahm said on Monday. “Although it’s a friendly there’s a lot at stake.” —AFP

Domenech worried over injuries CLAIREFONTAINE: Following an unconvincing qualifying campaign for the World Cup, injuryplagued France has few hopes of victory before taking on European champion Spain in a friendly at Stade de France today. With seven regular players out with injuries, France coach Raymond Domenech doesn’t expect his team to shine less than four months before the finals in South Africa. “We know that Spain is one of the World Cup favorites along with Brazil,” Domenech said.

“This match is offering us the chance to see where we stand.”

Without the likes of Arsenal defender William Gallas and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, Domenech fears to see his team overwhelmed by a Spain side which is expected to field a firstchoice lineup. Spain has not lost since a 2-0 defeat against the United States last June and is on an eight-game winning run. “It will be difficult to find the good balance with all the injured play-

ers and the new faces I selected,” admitted Domenech.

Panathinaikos striker Djibril Cisse, who scored 25 goals in all competitions this season, and Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa have earned recalls to France while midfielder Benoit Cheyrou and defender Mickael Ciani have received their maiden calls. Loathed by the fans who systematically boo his name at Stade de France, Domenech will step back after the World Cup. Criticism will again fall upon him if the players underachieve against Spain, but the former Lyon coach tried to downplay the importance of the outcome.

“In 2006, we played against Slovakia at home in March and we lost 2-1,” Domenech said.

“It had no consequence on our preparations for the World Cup.” France, the 1998 World Cup winner, was an unexpected runner-up to Italy in 2006 after wins over Spain, Brazil and Portugal that followed a very poor first round. French federa-

tion president Jean-Pierre Escalettes, a strong Domenech supporter who helped him to stay in charge after the Euro 2008 debacle, said a loss to Spain won’t change his decision to stick behind the coach through the World Cup. “Whatever happens, we are not going to bring this up again three months from the finals,” Escalettes said. “A defeat against Spain won’t change anything. Domenech has a goal.”

France, which has claimed only 11 wins in 29 meetings with Spain but has the better record in big matches, will play its first game since a controversial playoff win over Ireland last year.

France went through 2-1 on aggregate after drawing 1-1 at Stade de France thanks to Thierry Henry’s handball in the buildup to Gallas’ equalizer.

Henry, France’s all-time leading scorer with 51 goals in 117 internationals, is likely to play despite losing his regular starting spot at Barcelona this

season. Henry has started only once for the Spanish club in the past six weeks, a position that has raised fears about his ability to perform at the World Cup. “It’s not like if I hadn’t played the whole season,” Henry told L’Equipe newspaper. “And even if I don’t play the last games (of the season), it won’t be the end of the world.

The problem is when you are out of order at the beginning of a competition, which was my case in 2002 and 2006.” Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has been able to recall striker Fernando Torres, who scored for Liverpool last week after one month out with a knee injury.

“We really want to play them, especially since they knocked us out of the last World Cup,” Torres said. “We are always very motivated when we play them.” France won the 1984 European Championship final against the Spaniards and beat them at both Euro 2000 and the 2006 World Cup. —AP

LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo returns for Portugal in today’s friendly game against China after an ankle injury kept him out of his country’s last three matches. The Real Madrid forward sees the game as a valuable test against Asian tactics ahead of a World Cup encounter with North Korea.

“China plays in a similar way to North Korea so it’ll be good for us to have a look at them,” Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo last appeared for Portugal four months ago in a World Cup qualifier against Hungary.

He missed playoffs against Bosnia-Herzegovina which sent Portugal into the tournament in South Africa after a faltering campaign that included a four-game winless streak.

Portugal, currently ranked fifth in the world, was a semifinalist at the 2006 World Cup in Germany but Ronaldo’s failure to find the net during qualifying contributed to Portuguese difficulties. “We want to advance deep into the World Cup and, if we can, do better than we did four years ago,” Ronaldo said.

“We have a great team and we’re able to win any match we play in.” Portugal is in World Cup Group G along with Brazil and Ivory Coast as well as North Korea.

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz still has some key positions to fill before his May 9 squad announcement.

The former Manchester United assistant coach has so far favored Braga’s Eduardo in goal despite a strong claim by in-form Benfica ‘keeper Quim.

Chelsea’s Hilario is also hopeful of making the trip to South Africa though he has yet to make his debut.

The left-back position has long been up for grabs.

Queiroz has kept faith with Malaga’s Duda, though Benfica’s impressive leftsided midfielder Fabio Coentrao can also play there.

In the forward line, Portugal is looking for someone to deputize for Brazilianborn Liedson.

Werder Bremen striker Hugo Almeida has been dogged by injury but could feature against the Chinese. Queiroz has handed FC Porto striker Silvestre Varela his first call-up.

Ronaldo may be deployed further forward and in the middle, leaving his former Manchester United teammate Nani to occupy the right flank. Ronaldo has scored 22 goals in 68 international appearances. The match in Coimbra, in central Portugal, will be the second meeting between the two teams.

The Portuguese beat China 2-0 in a 2002 friendly. —AP

PORTUGAL: Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo controls the ball during their training session at Sergio Conceicao Stadium prior to their friendly match against China in preparation for the WC2010. —AFP

Japan face Bahrain for the top spot TOKYO: Japan and Bahrain today will slug it out for top spot in their group in the last game of the final qualifying round for the Asian Cup. Both sides have already qualified for the competition in January next year in Qatar, but Japan, who are at full strength for the clash, currently head Group A with a marginally superior goal difference.

“We want to finish top of the group, which will help us in the draw for the Asian Cup,” said Bahrain’s Czech coach Milan Macala ahead of the showdown at the Toyota Stadium in central Japan.

While the home side made the World Cup in South Africa in June,

tinued his goal-scoring hot streak with the winner in Sunday’s League Cup final against Aston Villa.

It was Rooney’s 28th goal of the season and provided further reward for his wise decision to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible and enjoy the quiet life with his family. Rooney knows better than most just how difficult it can be to grow up in public after a series of youthful indisrections were splashed over the front pages. Now married and with a new baby to look after, Rooney is content to live life in the slow lane and his football has reached new heights.

Without naming names, Rooney admitted it is an approach that would benefit some of his team-mates.

“It’s difficult as a footballer. People look up to you. You are a role model whether you like it or not. You need to try to be aware of that and do your best on the pitch and do things well for the kids that see you,” he said. “I think when I first joined Manchester United I used to go out to nightclubs and stuff but I very rarely go out to a nightclub now. That is something that has changed with age.

“I made the decision myself. I got into a few things I shouldn’t have and tried to change. Obviously I am settled at home now. It’s good. “As I said before I am enjoying my life with my family. I spend a lot of time at home with them. That is helping me because when you are at home you are getting a lot more rest.” If Rooney’s relaxed attitude to the Terry scandal is anything to go by, Capello should quickly be reassured that his presence in the squad won’t prove a divisive issue.

“John Terry is a great captain and a great leader and I’m sure whether he has got the armband or not he will still be a leader from now until the World Cup,” Rooney said. “Of course we are cool with him. —AFP

The coach has been criticized for relying too heavily on stars Shunsuke Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo, but Okada said he was unconcerned about Nakamura’s failure to get playing time with the Spanish club Espanyol. He will return to his former side Yokohama Marinos in the J-League for the season starting in March.

“Although he has not been playing, he said he has no problem for the game,” Okada said of the 31-yearold midfield schemer.

Other overseas players lining up for the home side include highly rated forward Takayuki Morimoto, who plays for Catania in Italy. —AFP

Scotland out to give Levein winning start

Capello ready to deal with damage from chaotic period LONDON: Fabio Capello will get a clear indication of how much damage has been done to his World Cup plans during a tumultuous month off the pitch when England face Egypt in today’s friendly at Wembley.

Capello has spent the last 48 hours at England’s training base assessing his squad’s morale following a series of scandals and injuries that threaten to derail his meticulous preparations for the finals in South Africa. Since England were last in action against Brazil in November, Capello has had to axe John Terry as captain following the Chelsea defender’s alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former partner of international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Terry could be in for a rough ride against the Africa Cup of Nations winners at Wembley if England fans feel the centre-back has let his country down. As if that wasn’t enough to give Capello sleepless nights, he also had to watch first-choice left-back Ashley Cole, already sidelined for three months due to an ankle injury, split from his popstar wife Cheryl after a series of tawdry tabloid stories linking him to affairs with a string of women. But his problems didn’t end there as Bridge opted to consign himself to international exile rather than face the unpalatable prospect of playing alongside Terry.

Throw in injuries to Rio Ferdinand, the man Capello had planned to name as his new captain, and right-back Glen Johnson, as well the poor form of Theo Walcott and Joe Cole, and all the Italian’s carefully laid plans suddenly look in danger of crumbling with England’s World Cup opener against the United States less than 100 days away. The one shining light for Capello in the gloom enveloping his team is the form and attitude of Wayne Rooney. The Manchester United forward is enjoying the best moment of his life and con-

Bahrain narrowly missed out to New Zealand in a play-off.

Japan coach Takeshi Okada said: “Basically, I must think about winning this game and prepare for the World Cup at the same time, but I want my players to concentrate on winning this game.” Japan have a 7-3 win-loss record against Bahrain, but the pressure is on Okada after his side failed to win the East Asian Championship last month on home soil, where China took the honors.

“We couldn’t play a good game in the East Asian Championship. I hope to build up the team to play a good game this time,” said Okada.

GLASGOW: Scotland perennial underachievers in qualifying for major finals since the 1998 World Cup finals will be looking to translate the new positive outlook under new manager Craig Levein into victory over the Czech Republic here today in their friendly. Their last qualifying campaign for this year’s World Cup finals was riven with internal unrest, dissatisfaction with Levein’s predecessor George Burley and several key players either taking premature retirement from

the national side or being barred for unauthorized drinking sessions.

Now Levein will attempt to launch his tenure with a win which would be Scotland’s first in a friendly in 14 years.

One of those players who took early retirement from international football was Kris Boyd, who said he would not play for his country again while Burley was in charge after being left on the bench during a goalless draw with Norway in 2008. —AFP

Matches on TV (local timings) Asian Cup qualifiers Japan v Bahrain Al Jazeera Sport 2 Iran v Thailand Al Jazeera Sport +5 Hong Kong v Yemen Al Jazeera Sport 1 Syria v Lebanon Al Jazeera Sport 2 Jordan v Singapore Al Jazeera Sport 2 Oman v Kuwait Al Jazeera Sport 1

LONDON: England footballer Steven Gerrard answers questions during a press conference on the eve of their International friendly match against Egypt. —AFP

Friendlies Slovakia v Norway Al Jazeera Sport +9 Austria v Denmark Al Jazeera Sport +6

Italy v Cameroon Al Jazeera Sport +1

22:45

13:00

Netherlands v US Al Jazeera Sport +7

22:45

14:30 15:00

Belgium v Croatia Al Jazeera Sport +2

22:45

16:00

Germany v Argentina Al Jazeera Sport +9

22:45

18:00

Slovenia v Qatar Al Jazeera Sport 1

22:45

18:30

France v Spain Al Jazeera Sport +4

23:00

England v Egypt Al Jazeera Sport 2 Al Jazeera Sport +3

23:00

Portugal v China Al Jazeera Sport +5

23:15

19:00 22:30

www.kuwaittimes.net

England wins SA thriller

NEW DELHI: Spanish hockey player Xavi Lleonart (left) vies for the ball with Pakistani hockey player Sohail Abbas during their World Cup 2010 match at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium. —AFP

World Cup results/standings NEW DELHI: Collated results from the third New Delhi yesterday: Group B England 6 (Richard Mantell 15, 58, Rob Moore 23, Ashley Jackson 43, Nick Catlin 50, Iain Mackay 51) South Africa 4 (Marvin Harper 10, 53, Lloyd Norris-Jones 25, Thornton McDade 67) H-t: 2-2

day of the men’s field hockey World Cup in Pakistan 2 (Abdul Haseem 30, 68) Spain 1 (David Alegre 65) H-t: 1-0 Au s t r a l i a 5 ( L i a m d e Yo u n g 2 , G l e n n Turner 10, 43, Desmond Abbott 26, Luke Doerner 42) India 2 (Vikram Pillay 35, Rajpal Singh 53) H-t: 3-1

League table after the third day of the men’s field hockey won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Group B Group A England Netherlands 1 1 0 0 3 0 3 Australia New Zealand 1 1 0 0 3 2 3 Spain Germany 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 India South Korea 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 Pakistan Canada 1 0 0 1 2 3 0 South Africa Argentina 1 0 0 1 0 3 0

World Cup yesterday (played,

2 2 2 2 2 2

2 1 1 1 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 1 1 1 2

9 7 5 6 3 6

6 5 4 6 5 10

6 3 3 3 3 0

Morgan fires England to series-clinching victory DHAKA: Irishman Eoin Morgan hammered a gutsy century under pressure to power England to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second oneday international yesterday.

Man-of-the-match Morgan hit a 104-ball 110 not out for his second one-day hundred as England surpassed Bangladesh’s 260-6 with seven balls to spare in the daynight match for an unbeaten 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The 23-year-old also became the first batsman in one-day cricket to score centuries for two countries, his first hundred coming for Ireland against Canada in Nairobi in 2007.

“It got a bit close for our liking, but Eoin came in with a fantastic knock. He was calm under pressure,” said England captain Alastair Cook. “We came here to win and have won the series. We have to try to win the series 3-0.”

Left-arm spinners Shakib Al Hasan (3-32) and Abdur Razzak (3-52) raised hopes of a Bangladeshi maiden oneday win over England before left-handed Morgan steered

his team home in a close finish.

England were struggling at 108-4 and then 229-8, but Morgan kept his cool to finish the match with his second six, off seamer Shafiul Islam.

He also hit eight fours.

“When they lost eight wickets we thought it was our best chance to pick up a win, but Morgan stood tall,” said Bangladesh skipper Shakib.

“I thought we batted well, but Morgan played really well and according to his plan. Full credit to him.” Morgan put on 90 for the fifth wicket with wicket-keeper Matt Prior (42) before Shakib removed Luke Wright and Graeme Swann.

He eased the pressure with his brisk knock, pulling Shafiul for the first six and reverse-sweeping the spinners for fours on a few occasions.

Bangladesh posted their highest one-day total against England after being put in to bat, thanks to impressive halfcenturies from wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim (76) and opener Imrul Kayes (63).

England’s troubles began when spin was introduced after seven overs on a slow pitch, with Razzak trapping

Kevin Pietersen (18) and Paul Collingwood (seven) legbefore.

The tourists suffered another setback when Cook (60) was caught by wicketkeeper Rahim on the second attempt off Shakib.

Cook looked in good touch, hitting three successive fours off Shafiul early in his knock before going on to complete his second successive halfcentury.

The England skipper then hit off-spinner Mahmudullah for his lone six in a 61-ball knock before falling in the next over.

Bangladesh earlier lost opener Tamim Iqbal (30) and Af tab Ahmed (four) in the opening 11 overs before being propped up by Kayes and Rahim, who added 90 for the third wicket.

Paceman Tim Bresnan (351) and off-spinner Swann (252) were the main wicket-takers for England. Rahim, dropped on 24 by Stuart Broad at deep square-leg off Collingwood, went on to complete his sixth half-century before falling in a bid to step up the run-rate, caught by Wright at mid-wicket off Bresnan. —AFP

NEW DELHI: England recorded their second successive win in the men’s field hockey World Cup yesterday as Australia and Pakistan joined the race for semifinal berths from group B. England defeated South Africa 6-4 in a high-scoring thriller, while Australia and Pakistan bagged their first points in the tournament after losing their opening matches.

Abdul Haseem scored once in each half as Pakistan, stung by the 1-4 defeat to arch-rivals India on Sunday, recovered to beat Olympic silver-medallists Spain 2-1.

Pre-tournament favourites Australia brushed aside the 2-3 loss to England as they swept aside India 5-2 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,000 at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

The Kookaburras, watched from the stands by visiting Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith, ran up a 3-0 lead by the 26th minute and pumped in two more goals despite Jamie Dwyer missing a penalty stroke.

England emerged group B leaders with six points from two matches, while Australia, India, Pakistan and Spain were lying in second spot with three points each.

Two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.

European champions England edged past the South Africans in a game where both sides suffered defensive lapses.

Richard Mantell scored two penalty corners, while Rob Moore, Ashley Jackson, Nick Catlin and Iain Mackay chipped in with a goal each for England.

Marvin Harper scored twice for South Africa, and Lloyd Norris-Jones and Thornton McDade netted one each. It was the first time in World Cup history that England pumped in six goals in a single match. They had scored five against Pakistan in 1998, but still lost the match as their rivals netted seven.

“Scoring six goals means a lot and I am happy with the win, but we were not consistent enough,” said England captain Barry Middleton.

“We should have played well throughout the 70 minutes, but we did not do that. Our defence was not up to the mark. “We have a tough game against Pakistan on Thursday and really need to work on our game,” he added.

Pakistan led 1-0 at half-time through a goal by Haseem, before David Alegre drew level for Spain in the 65th minute after the goal was referred to the video umpire.

Pakistan earned their first penalty corner two minutes before the final whistle and veteran Sohail Abbas’ shot was deflected into the goal by Haseem for the winner.

“The World Cup started for us today,” said Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan. “I hope this is going to be the turning point for us in this tournament.

“We played to a plan and it worked.” Australia’s Dwyer said beating India was “a relief” after losing to England.

“It was good to play the way we normally play,” the striker said. “I think we played brilliant hockey in the first 20 minutes.

It was important to score early goals.” India’s Spanish coach Jose Brasa admitted Australia deserved to win.

“They were in a different league as far as fitness and speed were concerned,” said Brasa. “We also conceded at least two goals due to stupid faults. “The team needs to learn from its mistakes and play aggressive hockey in future games.”

The group’s next matches will be played tomorrow when Australia meet South Africa, Pakistan take on England and India clash with Spain. —AFP

MEMPHIS: Portland Trail Blazers’ Andre Miller (left) is hit on the head with the ball while battling Memphis Grizzlies’ Mike Conley (right) during the second half of an NBA basketball game. —AP

Suns scorch Nuggets as Hawks overpower Bulls PHOENIX: The Phoenix Suns bench players keyed a second-quar ter comeback from a double-digit deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 101-85 in the NBA on Monday.

Goran Dragic scored 10 first-half points off the bench and the reserves scored 24 of 33 second-quarter points.

Amare Stoudemire had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who won their fifth straight at home and their sixth in seven games overall.

Phoenix has won 10 straight at home against the Nuggets dating to 2003-04.

Hawks 116, Bulls 92 In Chicago, Atlanta pulled away after being challenged in the four th quar ter and comfortably beat Chicago.

Jamal Crawford scored 21 points and Josh Smith added 17 points and a season-high 18 rebounds for the Hawks, whose 18-point, second-quarter lead was cut to five early in the fourth.

Der rick Rose led the Bulls with 24 points despite missing most of the first quar ter af ter hur ting his right knee.

Mavericks 89, Bobcats 84 In Charlotte, Nor th Carolina, surging Dallas spoiled Charlotte’s first game since Michael Jordan agree to buy the team. Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points and Jason Terry had several key late baskets for the Mavericks, who notched an eighth straight win despite trailing by 12 points in the third quarter.

Stephen Jackson scored 20 points, but also had six of Charlotte’s 20 tur novers.

The Bobcats dropped to 0-12 against the Mavericks, the only team they’ve never beaten.

Cavaliers 124, Knicks 93 In Cleveland, the hosts used a 74-point first half to hammer New York in the Cavaliers’ first game since learning Shaquille O’Neal will miss the rest of the regular season. The Cavs didn’t miss the 15-time AllStar, who had surgery on his injured right thumb Monday and is expected to miss two months.

The team is hopeful he will return for at least part o f t h e p l a y o f f s . L e B ro n

T’ Blazers 103, Grizzlies 93 In Memphis, Tennessee, Portland erased a 14-point first-half deficit with a s t ro n g t h i rd q u a r t e r a n d defeated Memphis. Brandon Roy scored 25 points and Nicolas Batum added 21 as t h e Tr a i l B l a z e r s e n d e d t h e i r f i v e - g a m e ro a d t r i p with four victories.

They also solidified their h o l d o n t h e We s t e r n Conference’s eighth playoff spot. The win was the seventh straight road win for Portland over the Grizzlies.

Meanwhile, Memphis’ home losing streak reached seven.

Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies with 22 points.

Magic 126, 76ers 105 In Philadelphia, Jameer Nelson had 22 points and 10 assists as Orlando downed Philadelphia.

All five starters scored at least 14 points for the Magic. They reached the 100-point mark late in the third quarter and kept the pressure on in the fourth to match their highest point total of the season.

Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis each scored 19 points.

The Sixers played without Elton Brand and Allen Iverson.

NBA results and standings on Monday: Dallas 89, Charlotte 84; Cleveland 124, NY Knicks 93; Orlando 126, Philadelphia 105; Atlanta 116, Chicago 92; Portland 103, Memphis 93; San Antonio 106, New Orleans 92; Houston 116, Toronto 92; Phoenix 101, Denver 85; La Clippers 108, Utah 104.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L Boston 36 21 Toronto 31 28 Philadelphia 22 37 NY Knicks 20 39 New Jersey 6 53 Central Division Cleveland 47 14 Chicago 31 29 Milwaukee 30 29 Detroit 21 38 Indiana 20 39 Southeast Division Orlando 41 20 Atlanta 38 21 Miami 29 31 Charlotte 28 30 Washington 21 36

PCT .632 .525 .373 .339 .102

GB 6 15 17 31

.770 .517 .508 .356 .339

15.5 16 25 26

.672 .644 .483 .483 .368

2 11.5 11.5 18

Western Conference Northwest Division Denver 39 21 .650 Utah 38 22 .633 Oklahoma City 35 23 .603 Portland 36 27 .571 Minnesota 14 47 .230 Pacific Division LA Lakers 45 15 .750 Phoenix 38 24 .613 LA Clippers 25 35 .417 Sacramento 20 39 .339 Golden State 17 41 .293 Southwest Division Dallas 40 21 .656 San Antonio 34 24 .586 Houston 30 29 .508 New Orleans 31 30 .508 Memphis 30 30 .500

1 3 4.5 25.5 8 20 24.5 27 4.5 9 9 9.5

Clipper 108, Jazz 104 In L os Angeles, L os Angeles nearly blew a 17point lead in the final 61/2 minutes before beating Utah.

Eric Gordon scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and ever y Clippers starter reached double figures before the third quarter ended. Drew Gooden had 19 points and 11 rebounds, helping Los Angeles end a sixgame losing streak against the Jazz. Carlos Boozer scored 20 points for the Jazz.

Rockets 116, Raptors 92 In Houston, Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks scored 28 points each in three quarters as Houston rolled to a win over struggling Toronto. The Rockets led by 32 after three and both teams played mostly reserves the rest of the way.

The Raptors dropped their fourth in a row in their sixth straight game without injured All-Star Chris Bosh. Marcus Banks led Toronto with 15 points. —AP

Sarwan, Bravo to miss first two ODIs against Zimbabwe

DHAKA: Complete scoreboard of the second one-day international between Bangladesh and England yesterday: England: A. Cook c Rahim b Shakib 60 C. Kieswetter c Kayes b Shafiul 4 K. Pietersen lbw b Razzak 18 P. Collingwood lbw b Razzak 7 E. Morgan not out 110 M. Prior lbw b Razzak 42 L. Wright b Shakib 7 T. Bresnan lbw b Mahmudullah 0 G. Swann b Shakib 2 J. Tredwell not out 2 Extras (b4, lb3, w2) 9 Total (for eight wickets; 48.5 overs) 261 Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Kieswetter), 2-52 (Pietersen), 3-68 (Collingwood), 4-108 (Cook), 5-198 (Prior), 6223 (Wright), 7-224 (Bresnan), 8-229 (Swann).

Bowling: Shaiful 6.5-0-55-1, Rubel 6-0-30-0, Razzak 10-0-52-3 (w1), Naeem 6-0-41-0, Shakib 10-2-32-3, Mahmudullah 7-0-30-1 (w1), Shuvo 3-0-14-0.

Result: England win by two wickets

Spurs 106, Hornets 92 In New Orleans, George Hill scored 23 points to lead San Antonio over New Orleans. Tim Duncan added 22 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs, who shot 51 percent and led by 20 in the third quarter before holding on without much drama.

Hor nets rookie Marcus Thornton was 6 of 7 from 3point range, setting a career high for 3s in a game, and scored 30 points.

NBA results/standings

Scoreboard

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal c Cook b Broad 30 Imrul Kayes c Collingwood b Swann 63 Aftab Ahmed b Bresnan 4 Mushfiqur Rahim c Wright b Bresnan 76 Shakib Al Hasan c and b Swann 14 Mohammad Mahmudullah b Bresnan 27 Naeem Islam not out 18 Suhrawadi Shuvo not out 14 Extras (b4, lb3, w7) 14 Total (for six wickets; 50 overs) 260 Fall of wickets: 1-46 (Iqbal), 2-56 (Ahmed), 3-146 (Kayes), 4-166 (Shakib), 5-211 (Rahim), 6-235 (Mahmudullah).

Bowling: Bresnan 10-0-51-3 (w5), Broad 6-0-34-1 (w1), Swann 10-0-52-2, Wright 9-0-38-0 (w1), Tredwell 10-0-52-0, Collingwood 5-0-26-0.

James had 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland, which notched its biggest winning margin of the season.

The Cavaliers equaled a season high with its 74point first half as well as o u t re b o u n d i n g N e w Yo r k 60-31 and leading by as much as 49. They have won eight straight against New York. Reserve Bill Walker s c o re d 2 1 p o i n t s f o r t h e Knicks.

DHAKA: Bangladeshi cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim (left) plays a stroke as England wicketkeeper Matt Prior (right) looks on during the second one day international (ODI) match. —AFP

GEORGETOWN: Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo will remain on the sidelines for the first two One-day Internationals against Zimbabwe, the West Indies Cricket Board announced late Monday.

Media reports indicated that Sarwan and Bravo were excluded from a 14-member West Indies squad because the team management wants the two players to prove their fitness before clearing them for action.

This follows a slew of injuries over the last three months that has gnawed away at the fabric of the side, and has been advanced as a contributing factor to their drab

performance in Australia, where they were swept in four of five ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals.

Sarwan has been out of commission for the last three months with a back injury that he sustained on the Test tour of Australia last December.

But he made a hundred for his native Guyana against Windward Islands in a domestic first-class match over the weekend that appeared to show he had regained some degree of form and fitness.

Bravo has been sidelined with a thumb injury he picked up during the Twenty20 Big Bash in Australia which forced him to miss the recent ODIs and T20Is there. —AFP

Islamic fund managers to discuss industry challenges

Insurance sector outlook in region strong: DIFC

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Greece to wait for new steps before bond issue

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

www.kuwaittimes.net

Wataniya Telecom posts KD108.3m net profit for 2009 Maintaining positive shareholder returns KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom (National Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC) announced the financial results of the year 2009. The company has posted a consolidated net profit of KD 108.3 million ($380.6 million) for the year ending 2009, an increase on the KD 82.4 million ($289.7 million) for the same period in 2008.

This equates to a consolidated earnings per share of 216 fils (61 cents), an increase on the 164 fils (47 cents) per share earned for the same period last year. EBITDA for the year ended 2009 stood at KD 190.2 million ($668.4 million) compared with an EBITDA of KD 201.3 million ($707.3 million) for the same period in 2008.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, Chairman of Wataniya Telecom commented: “2009 was a successful year for Wataniya Telecom. We were able to effectively

deal with continued competitive pressures in our home market of Kuwait while also delivering continuing positive results in our other properties.

With the successful launch of our operations in Palestine, we look forward to 2010 and the opportunities to further develop as a group and expand our customer base which today stands at over 15.2 million.”

Wataniya Telecom Group Highlights: ● Total customer base increased to 15.2 million at the close of 2009, versus 10.9 million at the close of 2008: growth of 38.8%. ● Returns to shareholders increased with consolidated earnings per share for the year 2009 of 216 fils (61 cents), compared with 164 fils (47 cents) per share for the same period in 2008. ● Revenues in 2009 totalled KD 475.5 million ($1.67 billion), com-

pared with revenues for the same period in 2008 of KD 476.0 million ($1.68 billion). ● EBITDA for 2009 was KD 190.2 million ($668.4 million), compared with EBITDA of KD 201.3 million ($707.3 million) for the same period in 2008.

Kuwait: Wataniya Kuwait’s customer base increased to 1.54 million customers at the end of Q4 2009, an increase of 17% on Q4 2008.

Revenues for the year 2009 were KD 200.9 million ($705.9 million) compared with revenues for the same period in 2008 of KD 226.6 million ($796.4 million). EBITDA for the year 2009 was KD 95.7 million ($336.5 million) compared with EBITDA for the same period in 2008 of KD 120.5 million ($423.4 million).

Net profit for year 2009 grew to KD 108.8 million ($382.5 million), compared with net profit for the same

KGLPI raises capital by 150 million shares

By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: KGL Ports International Warehousing and Transport Company KSCC, (KGLPI) announced a capital increase by offering 150 million new shares yesterday during a press conference at the KGLPI Head Office in Shuwaikh. The increase will be used to fund the completion of the Damietta Port project in Egypt, expected to begin in September 2011. The funds will also be used to restructure some of the company’s existing debts. KGLPI chairman, Fahad Al Baghli, said that this increase will allow the company to capitalize on opportunities to create sustainable future earnings and growth.

The proposed KD 15 million will expand the company’s equity capital base from KD 12 million to KD 27 million,” explained Al-Baghli.

He said that they expect a substantial increase in sea port traffic in the forthcoming quarters. He said that they expect a boost in infrastructure development and trade activities as global and regional markets transition towards a period of economic revival.

KGLPI solicits participation in the subscription of 150 million new shares at 100 Kuwaiti fils per share from its existing shareholders through a rights issue offering. Unsubscribed shares will be offered, after the specified period of placement, to the existing strategic investors at 105 Kuwaiti fils per share.

Included is a five Kuwaiti fils per share placement fee for a period between March 2 to March 16, 2010.

Al-Baghli said that the private placement offering will allow shareholders to participate and benefit from KGLPI’s objective to further augment its presence

period last year of KD 84.3 million ($296.3 million). In June a pending legal case with the Ministry of Communication was decided in favor of the company which resulted in an exceptional gain in net profit of KD 49.8 million.

Tunisia: The Tunisiana customer base at the end of Q4 2009 stood at 5.21 million customers: an increase of 22.4% on Q4 2008.

Revenues for the year 2009 were KD 102.3 million ($359.6 million), similar to revenues for the same period in 2008 of KD 99.2 million ($348.6 million).

Algeria: The Nedjma customer base at the end of Q4 2009 was 8.0 million customers: an increase of 57.1% on Q4 2008. Nedjma posted year on year revenue growth with revenues for the year 2009 standing at KD 141.4 million ($497.1 million) compared with revenues of KD

130.5 million ($ 458.7 million) for the same period in 2008.

Saudi Arabia: Bravo’s customer base reached 0.19 million at the end of Q4 2009, an increase of 24% from Q4 2008. Revenues in the year 2009 increased to KD 20.1 million ($ 70.6 million) from KD 14.1 million ($49.4 million) for the same period in 2008.

Maldives: Total customers at the end of Q4 2009 were 0.10 million. Revenues were KD 7.7 million ($27.0 million) for the year 2009 compared with KD 5.6 million ($19.6 million) for the same period in the year 2008.

Palestine: In November 2009 Wataniya Telecom commenced operations in Palestine. Total customers at the end of 2009 was 0.11 million.

Revenues were KD 0.6 million ($2.1 million) for the year 2009. The net loss for the year 2009 was KD 4.2 million ($14.7 million).

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, Chairman of Wataniya Telecom

New Islamic megabank may fuel Gulf mergers Al-Baraka Group’s plan regains momentum

KUWAIT: Al-Baghli speaking during the conference —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat as a premier and specialized company in the field of port operation and management in the Middle East and North Africa region. They will be able to offer premium services in the port management industry, allowing them to engender a substantial amount of return of investment for its patrons.

Al-Baghli explained that investing in the company is an opportunity to invest in one of the vital operational defensive sectors in the region. KGLPI is a company with a solid track record and over 40 years of experience.

“The investors are expected to achieve essential returns on a medium term basis, especially after operations commenced in Damietta, Egypt,” he stated.

Among the most remarkable activities carried out by

the company is the operation and management of the container terminal at Shuaiba Port in Kuwait.

Also, the company is responsible for the design, construction, operation and management of the container terminal at Saqer Port in the Emirate of Ras AlKhaimah. In Egypt, KGLPI, in partnership with reputable international shipping lines and the Damietta Port Authority (DPA), is in the final stages of constructing a major container terminal in Damietta, Egypt.

As for the company’s future plans, KGLPI is aiming for a future listing on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) or on the Dubai International Financial Exchange (DIFX) subject to fulfilling all listing requirements.

Dow Chemical sells Styron to Bain for $1.63 billion NEW YORK: Dow Chemical sold its Styron plastics division to Bain Capital for $1.63 billion, the company said yesterday, ending months of circling by Bain and other private equity firms. For Dow, the deal is a further unloading of debt after a turbulent year and for the markets as a whole, it may signify the start of an uptick in big mergers and acquisitions, which had cooled with the recession. Other private equity firms such as TPG and Apollo Management were rumored to be in the hunt for Styron, a business with annual sales estimated around $3.5 billion and 40 facilities worldwide.

Dow put the company up for sale in July at a time when it was aggressively trying to cut costs following a contentious $16.5 billion buyout of

specialty chemicals manufacturer Rohm & Haas.

Based in Midland, Michigan, Dow has also moved rapidly to reshape itself and focus on specialty chemicals. Dow CEO Andrew Liveris wants to distance the company from the volatility that comes with traditional chemicals sold in massive quantities.

“This transaction is yet another step in our disciplined approach to portfolio management,” Liveris said. “We are committed to further focusing our portfolio by shedding non-strategic assets that can no longer compete for growth resources inside the company.” Dow said yesterday it has an option to receive up to 15 percent of the equity of Styron as part of the sale consideration. —AP

DUBAI: An Islamic megabank slated to open this year is expected to spur bank mergers in the Gulf Arab region, where lenders are struggling to compete with large financial institutions.

Ernst & Young partner Sameer Abdi told the Reuters Islamic Finance Summit last month the firm expected to see an Islamic megabank launched within the next six to 12 months.

The megabank, which is being promoted by Sheikh Saleh Abdulla Kamel, chairman of Al-Baraka Banking Group, has been in the works for years but has been delayed by the economic crisis. The launch of a megabank would put pressure on the smaller banks in the region and increase the prospects of consolidation in the market, analysts said.

Despite Islamic finance being a $1 trillion industry, the market is fragmented into mostly small players. These banks, with an average capitalization of about $200 million, are finding it more and more difficult to compete with the Islamic divisions of larger conventional banks.

“The Islamic finance industry is in initial phases of its development and there hasn’t been a pressing need for well thought out sophisticated strategies,” said Jarmo Kotilaine, chief economist at NCB Capital.

Kotilaine said the industry needed to pursue other business models and strategies to grow. Consolidation would be one option to pool strengths and overcome weaknesses.

“Consolidation is one of the things we’ve been expecting in the (Gulf) or broader Islamic finance for some time,” he said. “But it is like waiting for Godot. It hasn’t happened yet.”

Hatim Tahir, director of Deloitte & Touche’s Islamic Finance Knowledge Center, consolidation was certainly on the cards but it was unlikely another megabank would be launched in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region any time soon.

“The one we have in hand has taken four years so I don’t see another big bank coming,” Tahir said. “But I think the megabank in itself is a step towards consolidation as small banks will be forced to either merge with other banks or with banks from other different countries.”

Tahir said the fact that many Islamic banks in the region were owned by large families or groups of investors could slow down consolidations. He said, in the meantime, he expected more joint ventures between banks in the region and established Islamic finance markets. —Reuters

GENEVA: Journalists and photographers gather in the main hall during the press day at the 80th Geneva International Motor Show yesterday in Geneva. The Motor Show will open its gates to public from March 4 to 14, presenting over 1,000 brands with more than 100 World and European firsts in the sector saloon. —AP (See Page 25)

Abu Dhabi readies roadshow for debt DUBAI: Abu Dhabi is preparing a series of investor presentations for the Gulf emirate’s upcoming issues of sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt though no timetable has been set yet, IFR Markets said.

A figure of $20 billion is being mentioned as a potential pipeline amount, IFR, a unit of Thomson Reuters, said. Abu Dhabi, a key oil-producing member of the United Arab Emirates, is seen tapping debt markets this year to finance a range of infrastructure projects as well as ease issuance for government-linked firms in light of Dubai’s debt woes.

Citibank, JP Morgan and Standard Chartered are working with Abu Dhabi’s debt management office on the presentations but no dates or venues for the meetings have been confirmed, IFR said.

Abu Dhabi’s debt management office was not immediately available for comment. JP Morgan and Standard Chartered declined to comment. Abu Dhabi, which helped Dubai to stave off default on billions of dollars of debt at one of its property units, is not under pressure to sell debt due to its vast oil wealth.

The emirate last tapped markets in April 2009, selling $3 billion worth of debt. Its entities issued another $7 billion worth of debt in 2009, according to IFR data.

The Gulf, the world’s top oil exporting region, saw a series of debt issues last year as governments boosted spending to help economies recover and risk appetite improved following the 2008 global financial crisis. But Dubai’s unexpected demand for a repayment freeze on a $26 billion debt pile at state-owned conglomerate Dubai World soured investor sentiment.

Dubai’s jitters have held the costs of insuring Abu Dhabi’s debt at a premium to Qatar although investors see them as comparably strong on a standalone basis.

The cost of insuring five-year Abu Dhabi debt against default stood at 142 basis points yesterday above Qatar’s 104 points, but well below Dubai’s 580. Dubai World is in talks with banks on a debt payment delay about $22 billion-but it has yet to present a formal proposal. It is unlikely to pay off developer Nakheel’s $980 million Islamic bond due in May, a source said last week. —Reuters

Saudi oil output to remain down Aramco to step up gas drilling work KHOBAR: Saudi Arabia’s oil production is still down this year compared to 2008 levels, Saudi Aramco’s chief executive was reported as saying yesterday. Crude oil production fell in 2009 and was still lower this year when compared to the 2008 output level, Khalid AlFalih was quoted as saying in the Asharq al-awsar newspaper.

“Oil drilling activities for production declined unlike exploration activities that are rising,” Falih said.

Overall drilling for oil this year is expected to remain the same as last year but Aramco would increase gas drilling activities, industry sources said this week. The top oil exporter pumped in February 8.22 million barrels per day (bpd), a Reuters survey showed. Saudi Arabia announced last week a new gas find in the Jalamid area, which it said could be commercially exploited. Tests showed the Jalamid-3 discovery well in Al-Sannara reservoir flowed at 12.1 million cubic feet per day (cfd).

The new gas find in the northern area is very promising

and will double exploration activities there, Falih said. “The Jalamid field will be an important indication on how much gas can be produced from the northern area...the field will boost prospects of gas production,” Falih added. Saudi Arabia has been stepping up its search for gas to cater for a demand that is growing 7 percent annually after an oil price rally between 2002 and 2008 fuelled the creation of more power and industrial projects.

“The company is evaluating production economics in these areas,” Falih said, adding that Aramco ws weighing a partnership with Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Maaden) to better exploit the field in supporting facilities in the Jalamid area.

Maaden in a joint venture with Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) is doubling capacity at its Saudi fertilizer plant to 6 million tonnes per year. The project will use phosphate from a deposit at Al-Jalamid and local gas and sulphur supplies to manufacture the fertiliser diammonium phosphate (DAP). —Reuters

BUSINESS

22

Wednesday, March 3

Dubai to hosts annual Islamic funds industry symposium

Islamic fund managers to discuss industry challenges DUBAI: The $35 billion interna tiona l Isla mic funds industry is being urged to offer more innova tive a rea s of investment a nd to expa nd into hitherto unta pped geogra phica l ma rk ets by w orld-renow ned Sha ria schola r Dr Moha mmed Da ud Ba k a r. Dr Ba k a r, Ma na ging Director of Ama nie Isla mic Fina nce Consulta ncy a nd Educa tion in Duba i, w a s spea k ing a s Ama nie

Mark Smyth, Managing Director of Failaka Advisors.

yesterda y a nnounced a pa rtnership w ith Fa ila k a Advisors, to jointly orga nise the one-da y symposium a nd the a nnua l Fa ila k a Isla mic Fund Aw a rds. Investment compa nies a nd ba nk s receive the highest a ccola des in fund ma na gement a t the a w a rds, w hich recognise the w orld’s best performing Sha ria -complia nt funds.

Dr Mohammed Daud Bakar, Managing Director of Amanie Islamic Finance Consultancy and Education in Dubai.

Bayt.com launches Bayt Classifieds KUWAIT: The Middle East’s number one job site, Bayt.com, announced yesterday that is has launched a full-fledged ‘Classifieds’ section on its website under the zeDeal marketplace platform, expanding the array of lifestyle features available to the largest and fastest-growing professional community in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and providing the region with its first pan-regional multitier aggregated online marketplace for goods and services.

With the convenient and easy-to-use Classifieds platform, the Bayt.com community - which already includes over four million registered professionals from across the MENA region - can enjoy a leading lifestyle service by selling or buying goods online in a high-traffic marketplace. Users benefit from an array of advantages, including pan-regional reach for goods and services among a professional community, efficiency of pricing dynamics in a transparent online marketplace, state-of-the-art instant search tools and unique options for positioning products and services for purchase or sale. The efficiencies of the Bayt Classifieds marketplace are further enhanced by virtue of its unique standing as a broad marketplace aggregator engineered to address the needs of both wholesalers and retailers across the region.

The demographics and psychographics of the Bayt.com community of registered professionals and visitors lend themselves extremely well to the Classifieds platform as they are largely internet savvy, upwardly mobile professionals with healthy propensities to turn over goods and services and a strong desire to enjoy highly efficient marketplace dynamics.

To access the new platform, on the main Bayt.com site, visitors can presently simply click on the Classifieds tab, which will take them to a dedicated Classifieds page. On the Classifieds homepage, sellers can click on the ‘Post a Classified’ tab which guides users through posting their own classified advert and enables them to mark their properties on the local map. Keyword search option allows buyers to quickly find what they’re looking for, or browse for products via a variety of specific product categories

which include property for rent, items for sale and services. In addition, users can conduct the more advanced filtered search. The search engine uses Bayt.com’s state-of-the-art award-winning search and filtering tools, so users don’t need to waste time sifting through irrelevant matches. Visitors can add the classifieds that are of direct interest to them to ‘My Favorites,’ and also have the option to save their searches, which can easily be accessed again on their next visit to the site.

“Sifting through classifieds can often be a highly time-consuming activity, so in launching Bayt.com Classifieds, we wanted to provide an easy-to-view and use, uncluttered space where the region’s professionals and other visitors can easily and efficiently buy and sell goods and even services online,” said Omar Tahboub, Vice President of Engineering at Bayt.com. “Bayt.com has built its stellar reputation over the years by maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Middle East recruitment marketplace by moving it to the online universe and we hope to do the same to a regional aggregated marketplace of goods and services outside of the recruitment industry. Bayt.com’s phenomenal traffic, technologies, brand equity and market share to date naturally lend themselves extremely well to this new lifestyle platform that our professional community has repeatedly requested. Moreover, as the largest recruitment services platform in the Middle East, we have also been pressed to augment our recruitment offering with a platform for freelance talent and other contractual services which the new Classifieds platform very effectively provides.”

The Bayt.com Classifieds service benefits immensely from Bayt.com’s international registered user base, meaning that users are not only limited to buying or even selling goods and services to others in their own city or country - instead Bayt.com users from across the globe can utilize the service. This is crucial for maximizing efficiency and also for the vast segment of the region’s professionals who are geographically mobile and who would like to build loyalty to just one multi-tier online marketplace and use it to buy and sell all essential goods and services at either end of their relocation.

Amanie Dubai was established in 2008 at the Dubai International Financial Centre and focuses on Sharia product development, Sharia advisory and endorsement, product and business conversion, Sharia compliance and IT system review, Islamic risk management, prudential standards and structuring new Islamic financial products. Amanie also offers a range of training and education programs in Islamic finance.

According to Thomson Reuters data, Islamic assets under management currently amount to almost $35 billion across 555 worldwide funds.

But most funds are dedicated to equities and “everybody’s doing that,” said Dr Bakar.

Dr Bakar is a Shariah board member of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), the International Islamic Financial Market, the Securities Commission of Malaysia, Morgan Stanley and Bank of London and Middle East, among others.

He believes Islamic fund managers should look at commodities such as gold and silver, metals and agriculture as well as relatively untouched markets for Islamic funds like Australia, Thailand and Vietnam, not to mention Africa and Latin America.

“They would provide interesting propositions for investors while other industries like shipping, technology and aviation could be fruitful areas for innovators to look at in the creation of new funds,” Dr Bakar said.

The Amanie international Sharia supervisory board also includes: Dr Mohamed Ali Elgari, Professor of Islamic Economics and the former Director of the Centre for Research in Islamic Economics at King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia; Dr Muhammad Amin Ali Qattan, Director of the Islamic Economics Unit, Centre of Excellence in Management, at Kuwait University; and Dr Osama Al

Dereai, of Qatar, a Sharia board member of the First Leasing Company, Barwa Bank, and First Investment Company, among others.

The Amanie-Failaka Symposium will focus on the issues confronting the Sharia-compliant funds industry, specifically the challenges of finding productive distribution strategies.

The forum will also explore obstacles to winning institutional investment. “The symposium is dedicated to Islamic finance stakeholders and will discuss the current state-of-affairs in the Islamic investment field, across asset classes and geographical locations with an aim to understanding the best practices and better sales strategies,” said Mark Smyth, Managing Director of Failaka Advisors.

The Failaka Islamic Funds Awards, which will take place on 12 April 2010 in Dubai, set the benchmark for the performance of the Sharia-compliant funds industry. “Though recent years have proved challenging for the sector, the awards highlight the achievements of top-performing managers and individual funds,” he added.

“Even in these challenging times, we remain confident about the future growth of Islamic finance and the funds sector. The range of asset classes continues to expand and investors are able to construct Sharia-compliant portfolios from the available funds,” said Smyth.

According to Lipper, a Thomson Reuters company, Saudi Arabia has147 Islamic funds managing more than $18 billion. Malaysia, with 194 funds, manages more than $8.6 billion. The United States is the domicile of just four funds but between them they manage more than $2.5 billion. A total of 36 funds in Kuwait manage $2.1 billion.

South Africa with eight funds domiciled manages $644 million. Twenty funds in Bahrain manage $394 million; three in the UAE manage $78 million; and Qatar manages $16 million with one fund.

Oman Air goes live with Internet, Mobile OnAir Oman Air makes aviation history MUSCAT: Marking a pioneering milestone in the history of aviation, Oman Air became the first airline in the world to offer both mobile and broadband internet on board its flights. Offering in-flight connectivity is part of Oman Air’s ongoing drive to continuously enhance their customer travel experience and offer them innovative services commensurate with the latest technological developments.

Incorporating a cutting-edge most advanced technology that gives the instant convenience of connecting to the internet and mobile phone from the comfort of their seat, passengers travelling now onboard Oman Air’s A 330 flights will never be out of touch with the world even as they fly.

Barring the takeoff and landing time, passengers can use their mobile phones. As soon as the ‘no Mobile’ sign is off, the On-Air name will appear on the mobile screen as the network connection is obtained. The passengers can then receive and make calls, check their voice mail, send and receive text and multimedia messages, and access emails and websites, thus staying in touch during their flight as they would normally do on

the ground.

When using their mobile phones on board, the services will be of a roaming nature, as on a foreign network. Users must then dial the full international numbers. Onboard communications will be charged by the home mobile service provider at international roaming rates, as is the case when one uses their mobile phone abroad.

With the Wi-Fi network access, logging onto the internet is like going online from any public Wi-Fi hotspot. The services that passengers can avail in this context are internet access, webmail to retrieve and send emails from a web-based email account, webchat to exchange instant messages.

The rates for the mobile and Internet connectivity are fixed as follows: Passenger price plan for Internet on laptops (Wi-Fi), would be (pilot pricing) $29.95 for 26 MB per flight.

Additional usage would be at $ 0.006 per KB, for the webmail (only body copy) would be at $ 9.95 and for the attachments it would be $.006 (per flight). For the Webchat the rate would be $ 4.95 for unlimited.

IATA: Jan demand shows further improvement GENEVA: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) yesterday announced that January 2010 demand for international scheduled air traffic showed continuing improvement. Compared to the previous year, January passenger demand was up 6.4%. Against this improving demand, a 1.2% increase in passenger capacity in January pushed load factors to 75.9% (up from the 72.2% recorded for January 2009).

International cargo demand showed a 28.3% improvement with only a 3.7% increase in capacity. This pushed the cargo load factor to 49.6% which is a significant change from the 40.1% recorded in January 2009.

The large increases in year-on-year comparisons reflect a steady improvement from the precipitous fall in demand that characterized the early part of 2009 rather than a dramatic improvement in January. Compared to December 2009, and adjusting for seasonal variations, passenger demand grew by 0.5% while air freight volumes increased by 3.0%.

“Airlines have lost 2-3 years of growth. Demand is moving in the right direction. The 3.0% increase in freight volumes from December to January is particularly encouraging. We can start to see the future with some cautious optimism, but better volumes do not necessarily mean better profits. Passenger yields are still 15%

below peak. And we expect 2010 losses to be $5.6 billion,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. There are large geographical differences in the improvements. The strongest upturns have been seen in markets where economic recovery from the recession has been strongest-Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Compared to the low point in the cycle (February 2009) international passenger traffic is up 8.6%. The market has not yet recovered from the losses of 2008 and early 2009. Demand must improve by a further 2% to return to the peak levels of early 2008.

• Asia-Pacific carriers experienced a 6.5% increase in demand compared to the previous year. Of the improvement in demand seen since the early 2009 low point, 31% has been realized by carriers in the region which is leading the global economic recovery.

• Carriers in North America and Europe saw demand increase by 2.1% and 3.1%, respectively.

Although both regions have gained 6% from the early 2009 lows, they remain 4-6% below the early 2008 peak levels. This reflects the jobless recovery from the recession in which consumers are focused on paying down debt.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals

.2830000 .4280000 .3880000 .2640000 .2740000 .2570000 .0045000 .0020000 .0782480 .7623490 .4020000 .0750000 .7473510 .0045000 .0500000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2882500 .4301330 .3900140 .2664730 .2763870 .0524020 .0400640 .2591490 .0371200 .2049760 .0032250 .0062660 .0025280 .0034110 .0042230 .0785180 .7649710 .4076620 .0769050 .7490710 .0063000 TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2903500 .4331700 .2683600 .0773950

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.270 6.290

.2930000 .4390000 .3960000 .2740000 .2820000 .2640000 .0075000 .0035000 .0790350 .7700110 .4180000 .0790000 .7548620 .0072000 .0580000 .2903500 .4331700 .3927680 .2683600 .2783450 .0527730 .0403470 .2609790 .0373830 .2064280 .0032480 .0063100 .0025460 .0034350 .0042530 .0790180 .7698480 .4015480 .0773950 .7538470 .0063440

Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.398 2.521 3.933 206.500 37.292 4.178 6.271 8.783 0.301 0.292 GCC COUNTRIES Saudi Riyal 77.201 Qatari Riyal 79.540 Omani Riyal 752.100 Bahraini Dinar 768.830 UAE Dirham 78.842 ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 56.250 Egyptian Pound 52.734 Yemen Riyal 1.365 Tunisian Dinar 209.400 Jordanian Dinar 408.800 Lebanese Lira 194.200 Syrian Lier 6.321 Morocco Dirham 35.722 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 289.350 Euro 396.410 Sterling Pound 441.600 Canadian dollar 277.700 Turkish lire 186.700 Swiss Franc 271.700 Australian dollar 259.600 US Dollar Buying 287.000 GOLD 20 Gram 218.000 10 Gram 113.500 5 Gram 58.000

Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

SELL CASH 263.800 769.840 4.420 281.300 568.500 15.800 53.500 167.800 56.370

394.500 37.810 6.285

409.200 0.195 87.610 3.950 204.300 751.810 3.415 6.280 79.630 77.290 207.300 40.370 2.523 435.700 270.200 8.010 78.990 289.500

GOLD 1,214.730

10 Tola

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound

396.000 37.960 6.580 0.035 0.296 0.261 3.340 410.930 0.196 87.610 47.500 4.270 205.800 2.183 49.800 751.990 3.450 6.430 80.060 77.290 207.300 40.370 2.780 437.700 41.500 271.700 6.400 9.100 217.900 78.990 289.900 1.390

SELL DRAFT 262.300 769.840 4.180 279.800

207.300 52.795

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Cyprus Pound Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees

Selling Rate 289.050 278.515 443.415 400.625 268.420 708.480 766.505 78.675 79.305 77.110 407.980 52.725 6.260 3.405

Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees

2.520 4.180 6.270 3.240 8.770 5.568 3.922

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Candaian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 289.550 3.415 6.295 2.535 4.185 6.310 78.865 77.385 769.300 52.775 437.800 0.0000314 3.930 1.550 411.050 5.750 397.400 284.800

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 288.300 Euro 394.350 Pound Sterling 435.550 Canadian Dollar 279.700 Japanese Yen 3.255 Indian Rupee 6.290 Egyptian Pound 52.755 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.523 Bangladesh Taka 4.185 Philippines Peso 6.285 Pakistan Rupee 3.405 Bahraini Dinar 769.650 UAE Dirham 78.675 Saudi Riyal 77.100 *Rates are subject to change

BUSINESS

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

23

SriLankan Airlines promises its passengers COLOMBO: SriLankan Airlines has embarked on an exciting new journey that would give their passengers a richer Taste of the Paradise, they already know and love.

The Airline is introducing a whole new experience on ground and in the air, that promises its passengers a total “Change in the way You fly !”

Beginning the journey with its iconic logo the monara or the peacock, the airline’s front line staff from cabin to ground crew will sport a brand new look and a warmer smile.

But the charm, elegance and grace of the peacock will be preserved as the hundreds of beautiful stewardesses at SriLankan Airlines undergo this transformation. Their iconic Kandyan Saree uniform still retains its oriental charm but yet have a distinctive modern appeal and contemporary look. The new color palette plays with the soft hues of sea blue splashed with the delicate multi-hued motifs of the peacock feather with its shimmering iridescent bursts of electric orange mottled with dark, light blue and white.

While the women and men who take care of every little detail of a passengers’ comfort on ground and in flight, will offer a vastly improved level of service, decked in their new uniforms, the airline’s onboard kitchen has turned an entirely new chapter in their in flight meal service and offers its passengers a tempting array of mouth watering sig-

‘We are changing the way we fly’ nature dishes and cocktails never served on board before. And passengers have the added choice of ordering from a new A la carte menu and having their meals literally cooked on board!

While new menus, served by a cabin team with a brand new look is guaranteed to tempt the most discerning passengers’ taste buds, a whole new experience in, in flight entertainment also awaits movie buffs.

SriLankan Airlines will continue this journey of new discovery with more comfortable seats on board with more leg space and flat bed seats in the business class.

Trimmings and trappings on board, like the seat covers will also change to give a completely new look and feel to the experience of traveling with SriLankan Airlines, which aims to be one of the best in Asia.

Passengers who fly SriLankan Airlines may wonder if they are really airborne or at a gourmet restaurant in one of the world’s top gastronomic capitals. The airline’s flight kitchen led by a team of chefs from the Hot and Cold Kitchens; Bakery; and Confectionery headed by Production Manager Sudhish Kumar Pande and Executive Chef Anthony Gibson has

designed menus to pamper the palate and titillate the taste buds beyond imagination.

Passengers will have an entirely new experience of an intimate, personalised service as the in flight staff wheels a five-star meal to your seat whenever you wish to dine. All boundaries of space and time have been stretched enabling passengers to enjoy a multi-gastronomic experience at their will.

The new menus reflect a truly global feel and flavor. Complementing the wide international array on offer, Sri Lankan dishes have been re-defined and re-invented to encompass a sensational range of aromas and tastes to seduce our thousands of passengers.

The “Preserved Ginger and Cardamom Smoothie”, followed by the perennial Sri Lankan favourite - “Suduru Samba braised in Aromatic Mutton and Spice Stock accompanied with Aubergine and Plantain Pahi, dark roasted Chicken Curry and spicy Seeni Sambal’ are some the team of chefs’ specialties.

The humble ‘Pol Roti’ has been redefined and given a new lease of life at 36,000 kms above sea level. It comes in a modern garb..... wrap-filled with seeni sambal or

devilled chicken (much like an European sausage roll). It is also served Italian style and topped with devilled vegetables, or Curry Pincha Masala Roll. The desserts are absolutely sinful and yet blissfully divine.

Exotic homemade chocolates are centered with kithul treacle, chilli, wood apple and pink Gorka. There’s even “Jackfruit Cheese Cake” and “Beetroot and Orange Mousse wrapped in Chocolate”.

Complementing the gastronomic excellence of the newly enhanced in-flight menu, Sri Lankan Airlines enriches the experience with the introduction of a delightful range of wines and designer cocktails for passengers both in Business and Economy Class.

The sheer craftsmanship and ingenuity of our in-flight crew has ‘Sri-Lankanised’ the cocktail experience with the now acclaimed ‘Coconut Passion Cocktail’ - a shot of fresh coconut arrack plunged into passion juice and shaken with coconut water.

Changing the way you fly and in keeping with the Sri Lankan identity, the airline also proudly presents the best of local cinematic creations to diverse audiences around the world. Prasanna Vithanage’s internationally award winning movie ‘Akasa Kusum’

(Flowers of the Sky) is currently being screened on board and has already attracted favorable comments from an international clientele. This has sparked a very positive interest in local cinema among our passengers and exposed our Sri Lanka’s directors, actors and actresses to audiences worldwide.

Says SriLankan Airlines CEO Manoj Gunawardena, “We’ve struggled to stay airborne during the past two years. In the process we didn’t deliberately set out to do anything new and revolutionary. In fact we were often thought to have lost focus of our customers. With these wide ranging and sweeping changes we now reassure our thousands of customers that they certainly ARE our focus. We are changing their travel experience in a multi-dimensional manner and stretching the boundaries of hospitality”.

“We’re striving to reach the next level of customer service by voluntarily asking the globally reputed airline rating organisation Skytrax to conduct a full audit of our customer experience. The audit is in progress and will run for several months, as the Skytrax team travels on board SriLankan flights in all regions, and evaluates every aspect of customer service and our product.

I’m proud to say that refurbishment and refleeting are on the cards in the near future

thus reflecting our vision to achieve a fivestar status not in terms of size but quality onboard service”, he added.

The gala launch tonight showcases our very own talent from SriLankan Airlines.

The scintillating dance performance to the melodious Bhathiya and Santhush, remix of “Sri Lanka You are my Shangrila” is done by our very own SriLankan Dance Troupe and choreographed by Channa Wijewardene. The famous singing duo who are icons of modernity and change but yet use aspects of our culture and aesthetics to move forward epitomise the changes SriLankan is in the process of making, to give their passengers a genuine and authentic change in the way they fly.

Young men and women from our very own in-flight crew proudly parade the catwalk, dazzling in their new uniforms to the haunting Nimal Mendis master-composition “Blue Waters Shining Eyes Sri Lanka Paradise”, rekindling the nostalgia of a bygone era where the airline flew under Air Lanka vying with top carriers of the region for the best airline in Asia. All these elements and more, combine to evoke SriLankan Airlines’ time-tested values and re-kindle the messages of warmth and hospitality yet portraying a vibrant airline with a strong modern identity. Indeed ... we are changing the way You fly !

Structural changes drive long-term growth

Insurance sector outlook in region strong: DIFC head DUBAI: Deep structural changes and changing attitudes toward risk are driving long-term growth in the insurance sector within the Middle East and North Africa region, said Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, Governor of the Dubai International

PHNOM PENH: Cambodians riding on a ‘norry’ at Tbeng Khpos train station in Kompong Chhnang province, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh. Cambodia’s rail network should be restored by 2013 with the help of millions of dollars in international aid, the country’s finance minister said yesterday. — AFP

Arabtec posts Q4 loss; 2009 provisions weigh $80bn lost over bad debts DUBAI: Dubai contractor Arabtec Holding posted its first ever quarterly loss after a charge of about $80 million for bad debts, missing analysts’ forecasts.

In a regulatory filing yesterday, Arabtec said net profit for the year fell 50 percent to 494.9 million dirhams ($135 million) from 958.05 million in the year-earlier period.

“The 2009 result is arrived at after charging 294 million dirhams as allowances for bad debts ... in view of the uncertainties affecting certain of the group’s contracting receivables,” it said. The UAE’s largest contractor by market value made a loss of 16.8 million dirhams in the quarter, compared with a profit of 184.81 million in the yearearlier period, according to Reuters calculations based on previous financial statements.

Arabtec did not give a breakdown of its fourth quarter. It made 511.7 million dirhams ($139.4 million) in the first nine months of 2009.

Analysts polled by Reuters had on average forecast a fourth-quarter profit of 172.43 million dirhams. “Results are below expectations after the company took larger than anticipated provisions and turned Q4 into a loss,” said Roy Cherry, SHUAA Capital vice-president for research.

“But this was a conscious decision by management and should be seen as a positive because it reduces uncertainty for the year ahead.” Arabtec stopped work on one of troubled

Dubai developer Nakheel’s largest housing projects because it had not been paid by the Dubai World-owned firm, its chief executive said on Feb 25. Riad Kamal said no payments had come through from the developer since December’s $10 billion cash injection from Abu Dhabi.

Revenues for the year fell 21 percent to 7.67 billion dirhams, while contract receivables - representing the amount due from customers for construction work rendered by the group - stood at 2.56 billion dirhams at the end of 2009, its financial statements showed. Arabtec has been aggressively expanding internationally over the last few months to diversify its portfolio away from Dubai, where property prices have fallen some 50 percent from their peaks and billions of dollars worth of projects have been cancelled or put on hold. Arabtec shares closed 2.3 percent down on Tuesday before the results were released. London-based MEED reported on Tuesday Arabtec is bidding for a major property development in Azerbaijan.]

MEED said in an unsourced report on its website Arabtec was vying for the contract to build a residential and hotel complex on the shores of the Caspian Sea. It is already working on a $2.7 billion contract to build a 400-metre tower for Russia’s Gazprom Neft , the world’s biggest gas producer. Arabtec this week extended the due diligence to sell a 70 percent stake to Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments to April 16. — Reuters

Oil lifts OECD inflation rate PARIS: Dearer oil raised inflation rates throughout the developed world in January, when British consumer price growth of 3.5 percent far outstripped rises in the United States and other rich countries, the OECD said yesterday. A 10.6 percent rise in energy prices lifted the year-on-year rate of inflation to 2.1 percent from 1.9 percent in December in the 31 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development as a whole, the OECD said in a statement.

The annual inflation rate rose slightly to 1.0 percent from 0.9 percent in the euro zone, where Germany’s rate dipped to 0.8 percent from 0.9 but France’s rose to 1.1 percent from 0.9 and Italy’s to 1.3 percent from 1.0 in December.

Britain’s notable increase partly reflected the return to a higher 17.5 percent rate of value-added sales tax after an earlier recession-fighting cut to 15 percent, said the OECD, whose members are mostly industrialized economies. —Reuters

MUNICH: Planes of German airline Lufthansa stand on the airfield at the airport in Munich, southern Germany. German airline group Deutsche Lufthansa AG said yesterday it lost 112 million euro ($152 million) in 2009 as the industry struggled with low demand and weaker premium traffic sales through the downturn. — AP

“The region’s huge program of infrastructure spending on energy, water, transportation and petrochemicals is creating mega projects that require insurance and reinsurance services.”

Furthermore, the privatization of state assets has created a vast array of previously uninsured assets that now require insurance cover. The introduction of compulsory insurance for certain non-life risks by the region’s governments and their efforts to encourage individuals to save for retirement have also given a strong boost to insurance sector growth, the DIFC Governor added.

Being held in Dubai from 1 to 3 March 2010, the World Space Risk Forum, organized in association with DIFC, brings together professionals in the space business to exchange ideas on space risk management and insurance.

Over 280 delegates including CEOs and CFOs of satellite manufacturers, satellite operators and launch service providers, in addition to all the major global insurance brokers and underwriter companies are attending the event.

Speaking about the prospects for the space risk sector, Ahmed Humaid AlTayer said: “Space insurance is one of the very few financial sectors that have weathered the storm of the global economic crisis and have continued to be strong and healthy. Future prospects for the space industry are strong. Demand for satellite communication capacity continues to grow as new TV, radio, Internet and mobile telephone services are launched and new earth surveys for pollution, resources and disaster monitoring are implemented.”

The space insurance sector plays a very important role in the success of space projects and in supporting innovation and new technological developments, he pointed out. “By allowing risks to be shared and managed more efficiently, insurance helps to secure the financial stability of businesses. For the same reason, the insurance sector plays a vital role in economic development.

This is why, the Dubai International Financial Centre has made insurance one of our key focus sectors,” he said.

DIFC is supporting the growth of the insurance sector by serving as an attractive domicile for firms. The financial district’s offerings include a well established legal framework, onshore jurisdiction, zero tax rated platform and high quality support services that offer a secure and productive base for the establishment of insurance, reinsurance and captive insurance companies, the DIFC Governor said.

“We seek to create a vibrant community of financial service providers that can enhance synergies and knowledge exchange in the industry. We have over 850 companies, which include many of the insurance industry’s leading players like Zurich, AIG, Alliance Re, Marsh, and RFIB,” he added.

The World Space Risk Forum features a number of key note addresses from the likes of Will Whitehorn, President of Virgin Galactic; Jean-Yves Le Gall, CEO of Arianespace; David Williams, Chief Executive of Avanti Communications; Padraig McCarthy, CFO of SES Astra; Faraj Elamari, CEO of Rascom; and Dr. Ramin Khadem, Chairman of Odyssey Moon.

Financial Centre (DIFC). Speaking at a reception hosted by DIFC yesterday for delegates of the inaugural World Space Risk Forum, a bi-annual conference that brings together professionals in the space business, the DIFC Governor said:

Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Lebanon 2010 growth could reach 8%: FM BEIRUT: Lebanon could raise its economic growth forecast for 2010 to as high as 8 percent if structural reforms and long-stalled privatisation plans are implemented, Finance Minister Raya al-Hassan said yesterday.

“We believe the potential could be upwards to 7 or 8 percent,” Hassan told Reuters Insider Television.

“However this is contingent on ... addressing the deepseated structural deficiencies in the economy and this could happen through implementation of structural reforms and through privatization.”

Hassan said the government had forecast only 4.5 percent growth in this year’s budget because it wanted to be conservative.

She said the government would go ahead with plans to privatize the electricity and telecoms sector, which have been delayed as some powerful politicians have long opposed plans to liberalize the two sectors.The sale-which will help Beirut tackle massive public debt which stands at 148 percent of GDP-would take place late this year at the earliest, she said.

The government should also have a “final settlement” early next week on the refinancing of $1 billion worth of Eurobonds maturing in March, she said.

“We’re going to go ahead with privatization, including the telecoms sector for broadband and for cellular,” Hassan said. “I’m reluctant to tell you that for sure it’s going to be this year. I can tell you for sure that it will be soon — maybe towards the end of 2010, or beginning of 2011,” she said.

However, Hassan said a former telecoms’ minister’s estimate in 2007 that the sale of the two state mobile firms would generate up to $7 billion was “on the high side”. Saddled with massive public debt of $51 billion, Lebanon is one of the most highly indebted countries in the world.

Hassan said the government should have a “final settlement” early next week on the refinancing of $1 billion worth of Eurobonds maturing in March. Blom Bank, Fransa Invest Bank and BNP Paribas have been mandated to lead manage the issue.

“We have been witnessing strong interest in our sovereign paper and therefore we expect that to go very well as was evident in the last Eurobond issuance that we issued in early 2010,” Hassan said.

When the next Eurobond maturity is due in November, Hassan said either an exchange would be considered before then or refinancing at the time of maturity. — Reuters

GFH refinances $100 million loan MANAMA: Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House said yesterday it would repay part and refinance the rest of a $100 million loan, half of which matures this month, replacing it with a new two-year facility.

It said it would repay $20 million of the original loan at maturity and that it had signed a new $80 million loan that it will pay down in four installments of $20 million each six months over the coming two years. Half of the original $100 million original facility, for which Bahrain-based Liquidity Management Centre (LMC) acted as lead arranger, matured

this month, with the second half maturing in March 2011.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has said the first tranche of the facility was due today. Like other Bahraini investment houses, GFH has been hard hit by the end to a regional property boom that swept away the sector’s business model of arranging property projects and private equity deals.

It staved off default on a $300 million loan maturing last month by rolling over a third of it by six months and is planning to sell down assets to improve its funding position. — Reuters

Icesave referendum casts cloud of uncertainty over Iceland REYKJAVIK: Iceland’s economic and political future hangs in the balance as it heads towards a referendum on how to compensate Britain and the Netherlands for money lost in the collapse of an Icelandic bank.

Still shaken from the crumbling of its once-booming financial sector in 2008 that left its economy in tatters, Iceland is bracing for a plebiscite Saturday that observers say could easily increase its isolation, complicate its road to economic recovery and block its entry into the European Union. “A ‘no’ vote in the referendum may prevent access to significant external liquidity” and thus could cause “a weaker economic recovery and potentially, political instability,” rating agency Moody’s cautioned late last week.

Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson has refused to sign legislation approved by parliament that would pay Britain and the Netherlands 3.8 billion euros (5.2 billion dollars) to cover their reimbursements to 320,000 savers hit by the collapse of the online Icesave bank in October 2008. Grimsson instead referred the issue to a referendum, citing public opposition, and opinion polls predict the legislation will be widely rejected. According to the latest poll, 58 percent of voters intend to vote down the repayment law.

In an attempt to ward off chaos, the government in Reykjavik has been scrambling for weeks to negotiate a new accord with Britain and the Netherlands that would avert the popular vote. So far however, all attempts have failed. “Overall, Moody’s believes that Iceland’s path out of the crisis now appears more difficult,” the agency said after the latest round of talks collapsed on Thursday. — AFP

24

BUSINESS GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT

Blue-chips buoy KSE stocks KUWAIT: The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended the first trading session of March in the green backed by gains witnessed in the blue-chip stocks. Global General Index (GGI) added 2.31 points (+ 1.13 percent) during yesterday’s session to reach 207.36 points. Furthermore, the KSE Price Index increased by 27.40 points (+ 0.37 percent) yesterday and closed at 7,406.20 points. Market capitalization was up KD377.45mn to reach KD33.89bn.

Market breadth During the session, 133 companies were traded.

Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 63 equities gained versus 42 that retreated. A total of 102 stocks remained unchanged during yesterday’s trading session.

Trading activities ended on a positive note yesterday as volume of shares traded on the exchange increased by 44.11 percent to reach 387.35mn shares. In addition, value of shares traded gained by 49.48 percent to stand at KD72.61mn. The Investment Sector was the volume leader, with 38.08 percent of total traded volume. While the Services Sector was the value leader with 28.50 percent of total traded value. Kuwait Real Estate Company saw 56.32mn shares changing hands, making it the volume leader. Zain, on the other hand, was the value leader, with a total traded value of KD10.78mn.

In terms of top gainers, Sanam Real Estate Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 9.09 percent and

closed at KD0.120 On the other hand, Kuwait & Gulf Link Transport Company shed 9.09 percent and closed at KD0.250, making it the biggest decliner in the market yesterday.

Regarding Global sectoral indices, they ended on a mixed note with Global Services Index being the top gainer. The index ended the day up 1.73 percent backed by heavyweights Agility and Zain which ended the day up 3.23 percent and 3.13 percent, respectively.

Global Investment Index added 1.60 percent yesterday, making it the second biggest gainer. Contributing

to the index’s gain was National Investment Company ending the day up 4.76 percent and closed at KD0.440.

Furthermore, Global Investment House also ended in the green yesterday, registering a 5.88 percent gain and closed at KD0.108.

In terms of decliners, Global Food Index took the top spot with a 0.87 percent loss backed by heavyweight Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) ending in the red. The scrip ended the day down 1.25 percent to close at KD1.580.

Global’s special indices ended in the green yesterday

except for Global High Yield Index which was the only decliner. The index ended the day down 0.57 percent backed by Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana).

Global Large Cap Index was the top gainer, up 1.91 percent backed by Zain and Kuwait Finance House.

Oil news The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $75.76 a barrel on Monday 1/3/2010, compared with $74.60 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

Combined Group Contracting Co reported submitting the lowest bid for

Tender No. 230/T/KS launched by the Ministry of Public Works at a total value of KD1.23mn. The tender is related to conducting urgent maintenance of roads in Farwaniyah Governorate over 24 months.

National Mobile Telecommunications Co board recommended a dividend payout at 50% of the stock’s par value, or 50 fils a share for FY ended on 31/12/2009, to shareholders of record on their general meeting date. The recommendation is pending the approval of shareholder meeting and competent authorities.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Zain lifts Kuwait stocks, regional markets flat MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Zain extended gains yesterday ahead of a planned $9 billion asset sale, helping Kuwait’s index outperform Middle East markets. Other telecoms stocks were also in demand ahead of dividend payouts and as a defensive play against the dominant property, banking and petrochemicals sectors.

Kuwait and Egypt each rose 0.4 percent to be the largest regional gainers. Dubai and Bahrain were the only ones to fall. “Markets remain range-bound, but there are good opportunities for longterm investors to accumulate,” said Shakeel Sarwar, Sico investment bank head of asset management. “In three to six months time there will be huge potential for a catchup with emerging and global markets.”

Zain climbed 3.1 percent, taking its gains to 22 percent since saying it had entered talks with India’s Bharti Telecom to sell some African assets.

“There are two issues with Zain - Bharti must raise the money to fund a deal, while the due diligence deadline is March 25,” said Naser alNafisi, general manager for AlJoman Center for Economic Consultancy in Kuwait.

Wataniya (Wataniya), majority-owned by Qatar Telecom (QTel), fell 1.2 percent after reporting a 22.5 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit, missing analysts’ forecasts. Qtel rose 0.3 percent.

Regional rival Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) rose 1.7 percent to 46.80 riyals after Riyad Capital upgraded the stock to

“strong buy”, setting a price target of 55 riyals.

“Mobily is positioned to offer voice and data bundles to win greater wallet share of retail and business customers,” Riyad Capital wrote.

“Simultaneously, the pressure to win subscribers from competitors will ease.”

Dubai’s index fell 0.5 percent, its first decline in four sessions after failing to hold above 1,600 points, with traders looking to technical analysis in the absence of news.

“People are waiting for Dubai World’s announcement,” said Ahmed Hamdi, senior relationship manager at Prime Emirates. “People need to know how Dubai’s issues will be resolved before putting money in stocks, especially if it is investment, rather than speculation-most of the activity over past six months has been pure speculation.

Investors are really uncertain about the future.”

Dubai World is restructuring multi-billion dollar debts, with an announcement expected in March.

“Investors tell us they now have a problem pricing in risk for UAE markets - one day an announcement could come out like Dubai World’s (November debt standstill request) and the market could fall 10 percent, so there’s no general trend for investors to follow,” added Hamdi.

E m i r a t e s Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) rose 0.8 percent. It is up 7.6 percent since Feb. 14 as investors buy ahead of its proposed half-year 60 percent

cash dividend.

Oman Telecommunications Co (Omantel) rose 0.6 percent, with its likely 100 percent cash payout well received. “The market went up on anticipated dividends,” said Shailendra Singh, investment manager at Al-Shurooq Securities. “The market is trading in a narrow band because it has already had a good run up - there won’t be a big correction.”

The index ended almost flat and is down 1.6 percent since hitting a 15-month closing high on Feb. 21.

HIGHLIGHTS KUWAIT The measure rose 0.4 percent to 7,406 points.

QATAR The measure rose 0.1 percent to 6,848 points.

DUBAI The index fell 0.6 percent to 1,588 points.

SAUDI ARABIA The index rose 0.3 percent to 6,445 points.

ABU DHABI The benchmark inched up 0.01 percent to 2,725 points.

EGYPT The index rose 0.4 percent to 6,676 points.

OMAN The index rose 0.1 percent to 6,690 points.

BAHRAIN The index fell 0.6 percent to 1,504 points. — Reuters

BUSINESS

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

GENEVA: Popstar Justin Timberlake presents the new Audi A1 at the Geneva Motor Show in Geneva yesterday. About 250 exhibitors from 30 countries are showing 100 car premieres at the Auto Show until March 14.— AP

GENEVA: Volvo CEO Stephen Odell (right) and chief designer Peter Horbury present the brand new Volvo S 60 at the Geneva Motor Show.— AP

25

GENEVA: Porsche CEO Michael Macht and Wolfgang Porsche (from right) present the Spyder 918 at the Geneva Motor Show in Geneva.— AP

China’s BYD, Daimler team up on electric vehicle GENEVA: Chinese automaker BYD (Build Your Dreams) and German giant Daimler have signed a preliminary agreement to mass produce an electric car together, executives said at the Geneva motor show yesterday.

Under the memorandum of understanding, the world’s oldest automaker and one of the youngest aim to market the vehicle under a new jointly owned brand, merging their technological knowhow for China’s fast expanding urban market.

“Under the agreement Daimler and BYD intend to develop a new electric vehicle specially for the requirements of the Chinese market,” said BYD general manager Henry Li in Geneva, calling it a milestone for the fledgling company.

“This is a cooperation between the most senior automaker and the youngest... between the country with the best auto industry and the country with the biggest auto market,” he told journalists.

Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche said the company was taking a foothold in the electric vehicle sector in China, now the world’s biggest and fast growing car market with about 16 million sales a year.

“Daimler’s knowhow in electric vehicle architecture and BYD’s excellence in battery technology and e-drive systems are a perfect match,” Zetsche said in a state-

GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

GENEVA: BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer presents the new BMW 5 sedan at the Geneva Motor Show in Geneva.— AP ment. In Geneva, Zetsche said he hoped for an agreement “pretty soon” and signalled that the two had an “ambitious schedule.”

“It’s certainly supposed to be an electric vehicle for the broader market,” he added.

Launched just seven years ago, BYD

Auto now claims to be the sixth biggest car maker in China and its future plans are focused on electric or hybrid vehicles, building on the experience of its battery making parent group.

Li said the company’s sales grew about 150 percent last year.

The Chinese firm unveiled its electric powered E6 people carrier in Europe for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show, which opened its doors to industry watchers on Tuesday ahead of the public opening tomorrow. It aims to sell the car in Europe in 2011. Daimler, which made one of the first cars in the world in the 19th century, is the parent company of brands Mercedes and Smart. The German carmaker recently started testing electric vehicle technology on the road in Berlin with a local power company, and also took a stake in US electric sports car specialist Tesla last May. BYD and Daimler regard China as potentially being one of the world’s largest markets for zero emissions vehicles.

However, analysts are sceptical about the short term prospects for drivers, because of the current technical limits on the range of purely battery powered vehicles, their cost, and the lack of a networks of roadside power points. “There will be serious numbers in 2020,” said Frank Schwope of Nord LB bank. — AFP

Saab: Left with just 500 cars on sale in US GENEVA: Saab’s near-death experience has left it with just 500 cars for sale in showrooms across the United States, a figure the company wants to boost in coming years, CEO Jan Acker said yesterday.

“That number should probably be 5,000,” Acker said at the Geneva Auto Show, where he appeared with the CEO of the Dutch automaker Spyker which in December took over Saab and gave it a new lease on life.

General Motors Corp. sold Saab Automobile AB to Spyker Cars NV for $74 million in cash plus $326 million worth of preferred shares in Saab. The deal was completed last month.

Saab sold just 39,000 cars globally last year, down from 94,000 a year earlier as the loss-making company decided to take nearly 20,000 units out of worldwide inventory last year, Acker said. The automaker plans to produce 50,000 to 60,000 units this year, about two-thirds of those the Saab 9-3 compact executive car, and aims to reach levels of 120,000 by 2012, when it rolls out the new 93. Acker said Saab would soon restart produc-

tion and expected to ship the first units to the United States “in a couple of weeks.” Saab is taking over its dealers from GM, so its distribution channels remain “intact,” he said.

Acker said Saab doesn’t have the marketing budget for big full-page newspaper ads to win back customers and to get out the word that Saab is revving back up. Instead, it is counting on reaching out to its loyal consumers through the Internet. “I think it is important to remember we have a fantastic customer base, a customer base that is so loyal, with such an enormous attachment to the brand. That is unique in the auto industry,” Acker said.

Spyker CEO Victor Muller dismissed criticism that the Dutch specialty automaker had bought a problem that no one wanted to take on. He said bigger automakers couldn’t afford to buy production in another country at a time they were laying off workers at home and that the new models in the development pipeline would cost another 1 billion euros ($1.35 billion) in investment.

“We were very fortunate to get the company,” for such a price, he said. — AP

Taxi drivers walk off job

Greece to wait for new steps before bond issue TOKYO: A poor Japanese man pushes a cart in downtown Tokyo yesterday.

Japan’s jobless rate slipped back below five percent in January, data showed yesterday, but the government voiced concern that Toyota’s recall crisis and deflation could threaten the export-led recovery.— AFP

Japan’s jobless rate down, but Toyota woes a threat Deflation could threaten recovery TOKYO: Japan’s jobless rate slipped back below five percent in January, data showed yesterday, but the government voiced concern that Toyota’s recall crisis and deflation could threaten the export-led recovery.

The world’s number two economy last year emerged from its worst post-war recession, growing in the second and third quarters due to rebounding exports, much of it to China, and government stimulus measures. However, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Masayuki Naoshima expressed concern that the global recall crisis by Toyota, the country’s biggest company and one of its most iconic brands, could dent the rebound.

“Toyota is already suffering declines in sales volume,” Naoshima told reporters, following the carmaker’s recall of more than eight million vehicles for accelerator and brake system defects.

“The Japanese economy may be impacted, and so we have to closely watch the situation.”

Unemployment fell to a better-than-expected 4.9 percent from a revised 5.2 percent the previous month, Tokyo said, while a separate report said there were 46 job offers for every 100 job seekers, up from 43 in December.

Daiwa Securities economist Hiroshi Watanabe said the unemployment data was good news but also said Toyota’s woes could spread.

“The latest data is a positive surprise, and it shows that the labor market is beginning to

improve half a year after exports and production began to pick up,” he said.

“It’s unclear at this point to what extent Toyota’s problems will affect the Japanese economy ... but it is a factor to watch as the auto sector has links to a wide range of industries that could be affected,” said Watanabe. The stock market was lifted by the news, with the benchmark Nikkei-225 index gaining 0.49 percent, or 49.78 points, to end at 10,221.84.

As Japan’s economy has gradually recovered, it has been threatened by continued deflation and damp consumer demand in the ageing nation of 128 million. Average household spending rose 1.7 percent in January from a year earlier but that was down from 2.1 percent in December, while the average monthly income of salaried households fell 0.5 percent in real terms.

And last week data showed core consumer prices fell 1.3 percent in January year on year, marking the 11th straight month of decline.

Finance Minister Naoto Kan said that, while the new jobless data “shows a positive trend”, he hoped “that prices will start to rise within this year”.

“I expect the Bank of Japan to take appropriate measures,” said Kan, who has repeatedly urged the central bank to take additional stimulative steps after dropping its key lending rates to nearzero in the face of the global slump. — AFP

ATHENS: Greece will wait to see how markets react to tougher austerity measures demanded by the European Union before deciding on when to issue new state bonds, a government official said yesterday. EU Finance Commissioner Olli Rehn on Monday said the country must impose more painful, permanent spending cuts in coming days if it is to emerge from an unprecedented debt crisis that has shaken the EU’s common currency. The measures will be discussed and decided on during a Cabinet meeting today afternoon, and the government will wait to see how markets react to whatever decision is announced afterwards before issuing any bonds, government spokesman Giorgos Petalotis told the AP. “We are waiting a bit to finish with the announcement of the measures ... and to judge the reaction of the markets,” Petalotis said. He said no decision had been taken as to when the bonds would be issued, how much Greece will be seeking to raise in the sale or whether it will aim to sell five or 10-year bonds.

In January, Greece sold 8 billion euros ($11 billion) worth of government bonds in its first issue of the year, which was heavily oversubscribed despite concerns over the debt crisis. It had initially aimed to raise 3-5 billion euros , and attracted a total of 25 billion euros in offers. Greece plans to borrow some 54 billion euros through sovereign debt issues this year, and has so far raised around 13 billion euros, including treasury bill sales. Some 20 billion euros ($27 billion) worth of government bonds mature in April and May.

ATHENS: Greek taxi drivers block the Athens’ Syntagma square during a 48-hour strike to protest against the debt-burdened government’s fiscal reforms, in Athens yesterday. — AFP Socialist Prime Minister George Papandreou’s government has already announced a series of austerity measures, including higher fuel taxes, salary freezes and bonus cuts for the public sector, and an increase in the average retirement age, to deal with the debt crisis.

New measures could include more tax hikes and cuts in state workers’ so-called 14th salary - part of annual pay held back as a holiday bonus. Unions, which have already held a series of strikes, have said curbing the 14th salary would be taken as “an act of

war.” Greece’s civil servants’ umbrella union, ADEDY, announced another 24-hour strike for March 16, adding it might hold further walkouts along with the private sector umbrella union. Taxi drivers were already on strike, walking off the job yesterday for 48-hours.

During a visit to Athens Monday, Rehn said markets “should be convinced that Greece will be able to meet its targets of deficit reduction when the EU Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund can endorse

such a plan.” Market backing would reduce Greece’s extremely high borrowing costs — about twice those of Germany — and give the government breathing space to focus on structural reforms.

The demand for new measures come amid reports that officials in fellow European countries are preparing a financial rescue for Greece, to be finalized this week. Greek officials have refused to confirm the reports. However, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle rebuffed talk about imminent financial aid, saying Greece should first implement its austerity program. “Before discussions about aid, we expect Greece to complete its homework on consolidation policy,” Westerwelle, who is also Germany’s vice chancellor, told reporters in Berlin Tuesday.

He said the need to implement the austerity program to restore market confidence will also be discussed during a meeting with Papandreou in Berlin Friday.

Greece’s decision to wait for market reactions to its latest budget cuts reflects a growing exasperation by government officials with financial speculators and their role in the debt crisis.

France’s minister for European affairs, Pierre Lellouche, lashed out yesterday against speculative traders who listen to “every word, every comma” uttered by government officials so they can bet on currencies. He insisted the 16-member eurozone, to which Greece belongs, “is big enough and powerful enough” to manage its “monetary destiny.”— AP

Deutsche Boerse to change Frankfurt floor trading FRANKFURT: Deutsche Boerse AG is changing the way it operates floor trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, introducing specialist traders and the Xetra electronic trading system by March 2012.

The moves should increase the German stock exchange’s competitiveness and allow access to European customers who want to buy and sell shares there. It will also probably result in fewer brokerage companies dealing on the exchange — there are 20 now — but Deutsche Boerse couldn’t say how many would remain. “We saw that if we didn’t change the market model, we’d lose

more volume,” Frank Herkenhoff, a Deutsche Boerse spokesman said yesterday. “This decision brings the brokerled trader model to an end in two years.

The Xetra is a pan-European system with banks across Europe; a much broader base of investors will be able to channel orders to Frankfurt.” The Xetra system will replace the current electronic trading system called Xontro.

Herkenhoff said the moves are partly a result of government deregulation of the trading market in 2007. Currently, only around 120 German banks place orders on the exchange. Previously, out-

side orders had to go through German banks. With the new arrangement, about 240 banks from across Europe will be able to execute orders on the Frankfurt floor. The new floor specialists will be employees of the brokerage companies that operate at the exchange and will be required on the trading floor of the downtown Frankfurt exchange. The specialists will have tasks such as ensuring trades are backed by sufficient liquidity. The system is already used at other exchange sites that use the Xetra system.

Deutsche Boerse said the decision was made to address the exchange’s compet-

itive environment, which has seen floor trading volumes decline in recent years, and as national and international trading pressure has increased. Deutsche Boerse also said the measures are intended to ensure international investors have access to all tradable securities.

The changes could be made sooner than March 2012 if “a smooth transition to the specialist model has been ensured,” Deutsche Boerse said. Shares of Deutsche Boerse were up 1.2 percent at §51.97 ($70.20) in Frankfurt afternoon trading. — AP

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BUSINESS

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Toyota repairing leaky oil hoses in US, Japan TOKYO: Toyota is repairing more than 1.6 million vehicles around the world, including the US and Japan, for potentially leaky oil hoses — the latest in a spate of quality problems battering the world’s biggest automaker. The fix affects 1.3 million vehicles in North America, including repairs that have yet to be officially announced on 100,000 Highlander crossovers and 215,000 Sienna minivans, Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said yesterday.

Repairs on 45,000 vehicles in Japan have already been rolled out since October. The problem affects an additional 230,000 vehicles in 90 other

nations, Takeuchi said. The models involved in Japan are the Harrier luxury model, Estima minivan, Blade hatchback, Mark X Zio sedan and Vanguard crossover.

Toyota does not consider the latest repair a recall because the problem doesn’t endanger safety, and categorizes it as a “service campaign,” with owners receiving notices through dealers about the needed repair. “This is a routine measure,” said Takeuchi. “We are not hiding anything.” The automaker earlier yesterday said some 1 million vehicles were affected after the repair for the oil-supply engine hose was expanded overnight in the US to

include 2007 and 2009 RAV4 sport utility vehicles and some Avalon sedan models, totaling 217,800 vehicles.

It was unclear when US owners would receive notices on the Highlander and Sienna repairs, but Toyota was making preparations now, Takeuchi said.

Toyota’s quality standards have come under intense scrutiny following global recalls of some 8.5 million vehicles for gas pedal, floor mat and braking problems, mostly in the US. In Europe, the global recalls affects 1.7 million vehicles for the gas-pedal problems, and nearly 53,000 Prius hybrids for the antilock braking glitch,

according to an updated tally.

In the latest defect, faulty hoses can cause engine noise and light up the oil pressure light on vehicle dashboards, according to Toyota. In the US, the problem also affects the best-selling Camry and two Lexus models. Toyota President Akio Toyoda returned to Japan yesterday after apologizing the day before in Beijing, seeking to placate growing consumer worries.

In Beijing, Toyoda made a formal Japanese-style deep bow of contrition — the first time since the recall fiasco surfaced — that immediately followed his words of apology. He had apologized earlier in Japan and the US, but

did not offer a bow of apology.

“I learned a lot,” Toyoda told reporters at the company’s Nagoya office. “We will really do what we can from now to transform to the kind of company that will have people saying they can trust in our transparency and our customer focus.” Toyoda was encouraged by the response he got from American lawmakers, who expect Toyota to learn from its mistakes to become a great company, not just a good company, he said. But he did not respond when asked about the leaky oil hoses, and it was still undecided whether he would go to Europe, where he has yet to offer a personal apology,

according to Toyota.

Yasuaki Iwamoto, auto analyst with Okasan Securities Co in Tokyo, said US consumers were unlikely to be forgiving, and Toyota must continue to show how it has improved quality checks, not just make promises.

“Brand recovery in the US will take time, and there are no shortcuts,” he said.

China was another important growth market for Toyota, but the backlash there may be easier to contain, Iwamoto said, because of the smaller numbers of recalls. Some 75,000 RAV4 vehicles are being fixed in China for sticky gas pedals. Toyoda

has said the automaker grew too fast in recent years and failed to listen as closely as it should have to consumer complaints about its vehicles. Toyoda was grilled by US lawmakers at a congressional hearing last week. Three other Toyota executives are scheduled to appear at the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation later in the day. Toyota will announce that former US.Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater will lead the panel that will review the company’s quality control systems, according to remarks planned for delivery by Toyota executive Yoshi Inaba. — AP

GM triples Opel financing, slashes state aid request Germany, Spain say still considering state aid issue FRANKFURT: General Motors has tripled its funding of European arm Opel and cut its request for state aid in a bid to win over European governments and labor. The U.S. carmaker said it will provide 1.9 billion euros ($2.57 billion) in equity and loans-up from the 600 million euros first earmarked-which Opel said yesterday would provide enough cash to

operate through the end of this year. Opel had previously said it had enough liquidity to last well into the second quarter. GM last year drew the anger of European governments and workers when it scrapped plans to sell Opel and asked them to contribute to the cost of returning the carmaker to profit.

Germany-asked to provide the lion’s share of aidhad been cool to the idea of funneling taxpayer funds into Opel after GM abandoned a deal with Canada’s Magna that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had helped broker.

Labour representatives have baulked at GM’s plans to shut an Opel factory in Belgium and rescinded their promise to contribute 265 million euros in annual cost concessions.

GM’s plan for Opel envisages 8,300 job cuts factories across Europe, shuttering the Antwerp plant, 20 percent capacity cuts and a return to profit by 2012.

Opel has about 50,000 workers, half of which are based in its four German factories.

Opel labour chief Klaus Franz, who had demanded that GM invest at least 1 billion euros to restructure Opel, said GM’s promise to provide more funding would help the company’s chances of getting approval for aid.

“That will create trust among governments throughout Europe I am sure of that,” he told Reuters.

“We hope that our strong YONKERS: GM cars on sale at a dealership in Yonkers, New York. General Motors has announced it will recall commitment will be well as a major mile1.3 million cars yesterday in North America over a potentially faulty power steering motor following a federal received stone in our ongoing discusprobe into the problem in January. —AFP sions about government guarantees to cover the remaining gap,” Opel Chief Executive Nick Reilly said in a statement on Tuesday.

“It is of vital importance for GM to demonstrate our commitment for our European operations,” GM Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre added.

SOFIA: The Nabucco gas pipeline GM had originally asked remains a priority for the European countries with European Union but the bloc Opel plants including could also back Russia’s South Germany, Belgium, Britain, Stream project, EU Energy Austria, Poland and Spain-to Commissioner Gunther contribute 2.7 billion euros Oettinger said yesterday. of aid.

“The European Union’s priorOpel said yesterday that ity is clear. We want to develop the US carmaker has cut its the southern corridor. The request and is now asking European Union wants a direct the governments for less connection to the Caspian and the than 2 billion euros. It has Middle East region,” Oettinger also increased the total told an energy forum in Sofia. restructuring budget at the The key component in the southern corridor plan is the request of the governments.

Nabucco pipeline to bring Caspian Germany’s government is gas to Europe, thereby reducing still considering GM’s appliEuropean dependence on cation for state aid, a spokesRussian gas supplies via Ukraine. woman for the economy minBut Oettinger added that the EU istry said, adding that GM’s was also ready to support pipeline decision to provide more projects. funds for Opel showed that He specifically mentioned the the company has the means White Stream project to link to help its European arm SOFIA: Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov (left) and European Georgia and the EU, the ITGI itself. pipeline to bring Azeri gas to Italy Commissioner for energy Gunther Oettinger attend the Black Sea Energy and In Madrid, an industry via Turkey and Greece and the Economic Forum Roundtable in Sofia yesterday. —AFP ministry spokesman said: Trans Adriatic Pipeline from “We’re still waiting to see ment to boost energy security.

Greece to Italy.

GM’s industrial plan for “South Stream will increase Oettinger in addition said yesOpel, which we will support terday: “We will not ... stand in the capacity for gas imports (to Europe) and set up a new infraif it guarantees the compathe way of South Stream.”

The South Stream project is structure supply network,” ny’s future viability and wins planned to maintain Russia’s posi- Oettinger said. But he then hurunion support.” tion as Europe’s dominant gas ried to highlight Nabucco’s advanGM last year briefly LAGOS: Nigeria’s pension industry is expected to triple its supplier by pumping gas to tages: “Nabucco will not only slipped into US bankruptcy assets over the next five years to $30 billion as more people boost supply capacity but it will Europe under the Black Sea. protection as consumers in Africa’s most populous nation contribute to schemes, its “South Stream could be also bring new suppliers to tightened their belts amid main regulator said yesterday. backed by the European Europe, increase diversification National Pension Commission director general Muhammad the global economic crisis, Commission on condition that it and independence.”

Ahmad said the forecast increase was largely due to a stepping causing the worst downturn Oettinger said the EU wanted meets the technical requirements up of efforts to get Nigerians to sign up to pension plans. The in auto sales in decades. for security,” Oettinger said in to have a firm decision on increase should help resolve the chronic liquidity problems Backed by over $50 bilremarks to journalists on the Nabucco this year, which will take that have dogged sub-Saharan Africa’s second-biggest stock lion in US government aid, it sidelines of the forum. The com- into consideration the interests of market after South Africa since the financial crisis of late 2008. has slashed costs, cut 34,000 missioner pinpointed the insuffi- suppliers, transit countries and Ahmad said pension assets had grown to about $10 billion in jobs last year, eliminated $78 the last six years from 4 million retirement savings accounts. cient capacity of the existing net- consumers. billion of debt and built up a That latter figure should easily double in the next five years, “Nabucco will be implementwork to cover European gas he said. —Reuters cash hoard of almost $43 bildemands over the medium and ed in a situation that is winning lion. —Reuters long term and the need for invest- for all (parties),” he added. —AFP

NAGOYA: Toyota Motor Corp President Akio Toyoda takes questions from reporters during a briefing in Nagoya, central Japan yesterday. Toyota is repairing nearly 1 million vehicles in the US and Japan for potentially leaky oil hoses, the latest in a spate of quality problems battering the world’s biggest automaker. —AP

Euro-zone inflation drops to 0.9% in Feb LONDON: Inflation in the 16 countries that use the euro fell in February, official figures showed yesterday, in a further sign that price pressures remain subdued in the wake of the recession.

Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, said that euro-zone prices are estimated to have risen by 0.9 percent last month from the year before. That rate is down from the 11-month high of 1 percent recorded in January. The decline was unexpected — the consensus in the markets was for inflation to hold steady at 1 percent. No further details were provided, but more information will come when Eurostat publishes its full release on March 16.

Nevertheless, the figures give further evidence that inflationary pressures remain constrained by a near 10 percent unemployment rate and subdued money growth. This view was further underlined by another release from Eurostat showing that prices at the factory gate fell by 1

percent in January from the year before. The figures are also likely to reinforce market expectations that the European Central Bank will not be raising its benchmark interest rate from the current record low of 1 percent anytime soon. The bank is tasked with keeping inflation at or just below 2 percent. “In all, then, we still expect headline inflation to ease back towards zero over the remainder of the year, suggesting that it will be a long while yet before the ECB begins thinking about raising interest rates,” said Ben May, European economist at Capital Economics.

Though an interest rate increase is not thought to be imminent, the central bank’s president JeanClaude Trichet is expected to announce on Thursday, at the conclusion of the latest monetary policy meeting, that special liquidity measures introduced to prop up the banking system during the financial crisis and the recession will continue to be wound down. —AP

EU could back South Stream gas project: Commissioner

Nigeria pensions to triple assets in next five years

ILLINOIS: A shopper browses the aisle looking for office equipment at the Staples Office Supply store in Springfield, Illinois. Sales at Staples Inc climbed for the second straight quarter, but the largest office supply company in the US reported a decline in fourth-quarter profit yesterday. —AP

Malaysia mulls joining Asia-Pacific trade talks KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia may join negotiations for an Asia-Pacific trade agreement to boost ties with the United States amid pessimism over the fate of global trade talks, a top official said yesterday. Malaysia is mulling whether to participate in the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership supported

by Washington, Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed said. In determining whether to do so, Mohamed said there was “no hope” key negotiations aimed at world trade liberalization will conclude by end of the year. Meanwhile, the US has said it would prefer to engage in talks on a regional basis rather than bilaterally. “The US bilateral (free-trade) talk is not on, so we have to explore other alternatives. It is for that reason we are keen to come on board (the TPP) subject to local consultations,” he told reporters.

The global trade talks, dubbed the Doha round after the Qatari capital where they launched in 2001, were designed to add billions of dollars to the world

economy and lift millions of people worldwide out of poverty, but have been mired in disagreement. The negotiation is already six years behind schedule.

President Barack Obama recently said the US would participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership joining Chile, New Zealand, Singapore and Brunei.

Australia, Peru and Vietnam have also expressed interest; negotiators will meet March 15 in Melbourne, Australia.

The longer-term goal is to expand the TPP to an agreement encompassing all Pacific Rim members from US to Russia, but analysts said it is premature for progress on a broader pact.

Despite calls for free trade, the US Congress has balked at passing trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama negotiated under former President George W Bush. Mustapa said Malaysia plans to pursue new bilateral free trade agreements with the European Union, Gulf countries and Turkey. —AP

TECHNOLOGY

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

27

EU seeks R&D funds in green tech race vs Japan, China, US BRUSSELS: Europe’s plan to lead the green technology race has a gaping financial hole for the next four years, handing the advantage to rivals China, Japan and the United States.

Even after 2014, when the European Union budget should have been thoroughly overhauled, there is no guarantee that green tech will have triumphed in a battle for funds versus the powerful farming lobby.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso lays out his vision for the next decade today, and he is expected to champion green growth as a means of protecting the climate and boosting jobs.

“The market for green technologies is forecast to triple by 2030,” says a leaked draft of Barroso’s strategy, seen by

Reuters. “The EU was largely a first mover in green solutions, but its advantage is being challenged by strong growth in other markets, notably China and North America.”

Industry experts say the EU currently has a pot of around 7.5 billion euros ($10.2 billion) available for green tech research.

The number may look big, but it is less than 1 percent of the total current EU budget, which weighs in at 862 billion.

The European Commission estimates 80 billion euros must be raised over the next decade to stay ahead in the green tech race.

Easier said than done While China’s authoritarian government has little trouble mobilising research funding, and the United States and Japan have a strong track record, the 27-nation European

Union has a convoluted funding process to navigate.

Industry says it cannot-and will notmake the necessary investments on its own. “A low carbon economy does not come cheap,” says Giles Dickson, an EU affairs expert at French engineer Alstom.

“There’s a huge commercial and technology risk for companies that spend money on demonstrating technologies that are not yet commercially viable,” he added.

“Industry will pay most of this bill, but we cannot pick up this bill on our own.”

A one-off injection of 400 billion euros will also be needed to roll out that technology on a pan-European scale, he adds.

Many politicians had hoped that the EU’s Emissions Trading System, which forces companies to buy pollution permits,

would have made traditional fossil fuels so expensive that firms would steadily shift to greener sources.

That change is not happening fast, with the price of permits to emit carbon dioxide hovering at a paltry 13 euros per tonne, and most decision-makers have accepted the need to speed the shift by subsidising green technology.

Funding from national coffers is not seen as a realistic option as the EU’s 27 countries emerge from the deepest economic crisis since the 1930s.

Furthermore, if European countries were to fund their own research programmes they would run the risk of wasteful duplication. The answer is funding at a pan-European level, and in the long term that means tapping the EU budget.

“The best thing that could happen is to transfer some of the funds that are locked into agricultural support,” said Anders Wijkman, a member of the European Parliament until last year.

Agriculture takes up 40 percent of the EU budget, with French farmers accounting for about a fifth of that. But with a new budget looming in 2014, Britain, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands are pushing for change.

The battle is not expected to be easy French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged colleagues to embark on an “offensive strategy” to control the debate, and support is expected from Poland, Italy, Spain and Greece.

In Brussels, Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos from Romania and Budgetary

Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski from Poland are seen as likely allies.

Ahead of that fight, money is also scarce The European Commission launched its flagship “Strategic Energy Technology” funding plan last October with a vision of spending 8 billion euros a year on green tech research — 5 billion more than current levels.

“There’re instruments that can provide around 2.5 billion euros a year, but what they’re looking for is 5 billion a year for strategic energy technologies, so there’s still a gap,” says Jesse Scott of environment think tank E3G. “When it comes to putting its money where its mouth is, the EU is failing miserably.” — Reuters

The ups and downs of Chatroulette

Chatting with strangers NEW YORK: A new Web sensation called Chatroulette feels like a throwback to the early 1990s, when online chat rooms brimmed with lonely strangers looking for meaningful connections, meaningless sex, or something in between. But this time, there’s a twist: Everyone on the site has a webcam.

Chatroulette randomly links users with strangers who could be anywhere in

HANOVER: A fair hostess presents the Android Smartphone Acer Liquid A1 at the world’s biggest high-tech fair, the CeBIT yesterday in the northern German city of Hanover. Some 4,157 companies from 68 countries are displaying their latest gadgets at the fair taking place from March 2 to 6, 2010. — AFP

The sound of silence: End to noisy communications HANOVER: It has happened to almost everyone.

You are sitting on a train or a bus and someone right next to you is annoyingly shouting into his or her mobile phone.

But those days could soon be past with “silent sounds”, a new technology unveiled at the CeBIT fair yesterday that transforms lip movements into a computer-generated voice for the listener at the other end of the phone.

The device, developed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), uses electromyography, monitoring tiny muscular movements that occur when we speak and converting them into electrical pulses that can then be turned into speech, without a sound uttered.

“We currently use electrodes which are glued to the skin. In the future, such electrodes might for example by incorporated into cellphones,” said Michael Wand, from the KIT. The technology opens up a host of applications, from helping people who have lost their voice due to illness or accident to telling a trusted friend your PIN number over the phone without anyone eavesdropping-assuming no lip-readers are around. The technology can also turn you into an

instant polyglot. Because the electrical pulses are universal, they can be immediately transformed into the language of the user’s choice.

“Native speakers can silently utter a sentence in their language, and the receivers hear the translated sentence in their language. It appears as if the native speaker produced speech in a foreign language,” said Wand.

The translation technology works for languages like English, French and Gernan, but for languages like Chinese, where different tones can hold many different meanings, poses a problem, he added.

Noisy people in your office? Not any more.

“We are also working on technology to be used in an office environment,” the KIT scientist told AFP. The engineers have got the device working to 99 percent efficiency, so the mechanical voice at the other end of the phone gets one word in 100 wrong, explained Wand.

“But we’re working to overcome the remaining technical difficulties. In five, maybe ten years, this will be useable, everyday technology,” he said.— AFP

Audi A8 Hybrid and A1 e-tron revealed in Geneva GENEVA: Alongside the new Audi RS 5 and A1, German premium car manufacturer Audi presents not one but two innovative vehicle concepts at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show: a 245 hp A8 full hybrid that can drive on electric power alone as well as the A1 e-tron mega city vehicle with zero emissions.

The two engines of the Audi A8 hybrid - a 2.0 TFSI and an electric power unit - develop a combined total of 180 kW (245 hp) and deliver 480 Nm of torque, enabling them to provide the confident driving performance of a large six-cylinder engine. And combined with the advantages of electric power, the consistent downsizing also pays substantial benefits in fuel economy - with an average consumption of just 6.2 liters per 100 km, corresponding to a CO2 value of 144 grams per km.

The Audi A8 hybrid utilizes a parallel hybrid system - a highly efficient principle that avoids any unnecessary friction and power losses. Interposed between the four-cylinder gasoline engine, which delivers 155 kW (211 hp), and the eight-speed tiptronic is a powerful electric motor. It develops 33 kW (45 hp) of power and a very ample 211 Nm of torque.

The two power units together develop a system power of 180 kW (245 hp) and 480 Nm. This enables the Audi A8 hybrid to accelerate in 7.6 seconds from zero to 100 km/h and to achieve a top speed of 235 km/h.

The A8 concept car is a full hybrid. This means that it can be

propelled by either the gasoline engine or the electric motor alone - or by the combined power of both. During coasting or braking, the electric motor acts as a generator that converts kinetic into electric energy and recharges the battery. The hybrid drive can propel the car on electric power alone at up to 65 km/h with a range of over two kilometers - enough for urban stop-and-go traffic.

With the A1 e-tron Audi is expanding its new e-tron model family step by step. The A1 etron, which Audi is showing at the Geneva Motor Show, is an innovative Mega City Vehicle (MCV). Like its sports car brothers, it has an electric drive system. The A1 e-tron has a range of more than 50 kilometers in city traffic, and its peak output of 75 kW (102 hp) also makes it very fun to drive. A compact internal combustion engine recharges the battery when its energy is depleted.

The powerful front-mounted,

transverse electric motor thrusts the A1 e-tron forward with authority. The car sprints from a standing stop to 100 km/h in only 10.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of more than 130 km/h.

The compact MCV is a zeroemissions vehicle for the first 50 kilometers that it is underway, such as in city traffic. The battery comprises a package of lithiumion modules mounted in the floor assembly in front of the rear axle.

A small, single-rotor Wankel engine is used in this near-series concept vehicle to increase the range in exceptional circumstances. This “range extender” powers a generator that produces 15 kW of charging power. If the range extender is used to recharge the battery, the A1 etron can cover an additional 200 kilometers of range. According to a draft standard for the computation of fuel consumption for range extender vehicles, this represents a fuel consumption of 1.9 l/100 km - a CO2 equivalent of only 45 g/km.

“Chatroulette is stark because it feels like television.

It’s like sitting in front of the TV flipping channels, except the people are real,” says Hal Niedzviecki, author of “The Peep Diaries: How We’re Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors.” A quick spin the other night yielded a pair of rejections — swift and brutal — from two male users, their faces popping up briefly before they moved on. Next up was a blur of fleshcolored mass. A blanket? A person? It didn’t seem worth it to stick around and find out. To be clear, Chatroulette bans “obscene, offending, pornographic material” and says it will block users who violate these rules, though that does not seem to trouble some people.

Then, a young woman wearing headphones popped up on the screen. Would she hit “Next,” like the others before her? She didn’t — she typed “Hi.” She said she was from China, studying computer engineering. The conversation went something like speed-dating, a little choppy at first but kind of intriguing. She was eating a bag of potato chips.

Chatroulette’s setup is simple: Two boxes on the left side of the page are for the webcam videos — one marked “Partner” and the other “You.” A larger box to the right is where you type messages to the stranger staring back at you. To start, click “Play,” and the site connects you to a random

the world. If you don’t like the person who pops up on the screen, just click “Next.” Repeat. The result can be unpredictable and raw, like a slap in the face, but also refreshing, a peek into someone else’s life. It’s far from the sanitized worlds we create for ourselves on sites such as Facebook, where we mainly connect with friends, family and people with common interests.

A young man is seen chatting with a young woman over the Interenet. person until you, or the other person, hit “Next.” You can also enable audio. Some folks have used it to play music to their chat partners in hopes of getting them to dance.

People don’t need to register to use Chatroulette, though the site asks they be at least 16 years old. It’s free to use and has just one understated, text-only advertisement on the bottom of the screen.

The creator of Chatroulette did not respond to messages from The Associated Press. The New York Times identified the creator as a 17-year-old Russian teenager named Andrey Ternovskiy.

The site is no more than a few months old — its domain name was registered in November — yet it drew nearly 1 million unique visitors in January, more

than 100,000 of them from the United States, according to comScore. At any given time, tens of thousands of people may be logged on, taking their chances on a finding a meaningful connection, just like a game of roulette. As Chatroulette takes off, so are copycats and Web sites that collect screen shots showing the best, worst and grossest pairings of people. Some people record video of their sessions and post them on YouTube. A recent search yielded more than 1,200 “Chatroulette” results.

Niedzviecki says Chatroulette is yet another iteration of how we are slowly replacing scripted material with other people’s lives as entertainment. YouTube, Twitter and even reality TV let us cruise through a real person’s world instead of watching “anointed celebrities entertain-

ing us through their ‘talents.”‘ But when we do, some troubling questions arise. Chatroulette, after all, is not TV. One widely circulated black-and-white image from the site shows what looks like a man who hanged himself.

In some cases, people set up their computers to show prerecorded video rather than a live webcam feed, possibly to witness a stranger’s reaction to, say, a man slapping a woman so hard she falls out of her chair.

“When you come across someone with a noose around their neck, and it looks like they are dead, you don’t have the protection that this is a story, fiction filtered through a board room,” Niedzviecki says.

“On Chatroulette, that person waving a swastika flag may really be a Nazi trying to recruit you.” The concept of Chatroulette is not

entirely new. Sites such as Omegle.com and gettingrandom.com connect strangers for one-on-chats, but without cameras. Justin.tv, meanwhile, lets users broadcast their own live video channels to anyone over the Internet. And so the troubles that come up aren’t new either. Justin.tv came into the spotlight in 2008 when a college student committed suicide with people watching and egging him on. While some viewers called police, it was too late to save the 19-year-old.

Chatroulette, like so much else on the Internet, is not for kids. Sit in front of it long enough and you probably will see a naked person. For people who don’t normally seek explicit content on the Internet, this may even be one of the site’s appeals, says Robert Thompson, pop culture professor at Syracuse University.

“It’s like getting a ‘Joker’s Wild,’ getting a ‘Bankrupt’ on ‘Wheel of Fortune,”‘ he says.

As for meaningful connections? Chatroulette is kind of like striking up a conversation with a person next to you on the bus or in a bar. You’ll probably never see him or her again, but that doesn’t mean the talk was worthless.

“There is a great short story to be written about that,” Thompson says. “Someone meets the person they were meant to be with ... and they accidentally hit ‘Next,’ never to find them again.” — AP

Singapore tech prodigy rides mobile apps boom SINGAPORE: As 10-year-old Lim Ding Wei blasts alien space ships on a computer screen in his living room, his father Lim Thye Chean looks over his shoulder proudly.

“This is way beyond me already, because I do not know how to do 3D programming. I can’t teach him any more,” he said proudly as his son zips around in outer space fully rendered in 3D. From being the teacher, Thye Chean, 40, a chief technology officer at a local firm, has now become the student of his son, whom local media reports fete as Singapore’s youngest programmer of mobile applications.

The game is the latest in Ding Wei’s repertoire of mobile applications, which include the hit Invader Wars 1 as well as art scrawler Doodle Kids that has registered more than half a million downloads since it was posted on the iPhone App Store last year.

Fifth-grader Ding Wei is just one of a growing number of local programme developers jumping on the bandwagon as analysts predict a boom in global mobile applications, or ‘mobile apps’, industry this year.

“I plan to be a software programmer,” said the boy, whose favourite subject in school is mathematics.

Mobile applications come with mobile phones and other hand-held devices, allowing users to access a wide array of Internet services while on the go, including finding one’s way

SINGAPORE: This photo taken on January 16, 2010 shows 10-year-old Lim Ding Wei sitting in front of his computer talking at his home in Singapore. Thye Chean, the boy’s father, 40, a chief technology officer at a local firm, has now become the student of his son, whom local media reports fete as Singapore’s youngest programmer of mobile applications. — AFP in a shopping mall or playing games online.

Information technology research firm Gartner forecasts that revenue from mobile phone applications worldwide will hit 6.8 billion US dollars in 2010, up 60 percent over last year. Downloads from the massively-popular Apple App Store also accounted for at least 99.4 percent of the 2.516 billion downloads of the mini-programs last year, Gartner said.

The recently-released iPad tablet computer, which has

already stoked interest among tech aficionados, can also run iPhone applications from the App Store, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has said.

In addition to the upbeat figures, local developers have been heartened by local telecom firms Starhub and Mobile One breaking incumbent Singtel’s stranglehold on iPhone sales.

“With the other two telcos coming in, there is definitely a boom in the number of (iPhone) handsets going out,” said Sunny Koh, president of

local game developer Personae Studios.

There is “huge potential” for the mobile application market to grow this year, he added.

“Singapore’s market is growing and it is a good time for us to emerge as a publisher,” Koh said. Aside from games and quirky localised programmes like cash machine locators and mall directories, developers are also creating applications for schools to aid students in subjects like creative writing and chemistry.

Education application developer Elchemi Education said demand was growing as more students and teachers got hold of the latest smartphone and gained access to mobile application platforms.

“A lot of teachers are exploring mobile devices and a lot of students have iPods and iPhones... so with the kids having these existing devices, the school would also want to tap on using them,” said director Joanne Chia.

The developer has rolled out applications in collaboration with schools and students.

One programme called S!Plot consists of virtual wheels which can be spun to generate random scenarios for students to practise their creative writing skills.

“A lot of kids like the graphic interface, so we use the iPhone or iPod Touch to wow them,” Chia said.

In addition, the company has set up a club in conjunction with five secondary schools specialising in creating iPhone applications for their primarylevel counterparts.

“The students can take their creativity and skills, like photo-editing, creating websites and all. Now they use those skills in iPhone (applications) development,” said Chia. But 10-year-old Ding Wei is looking at home, rather than school, for his next project: an open-ended simulation game centred around the management of a condominium, and modelled after his favourite game series, The Sims. —AFP

HEALTH & SCIENCE

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Youthful Brazil faces challenge of rapid ageing RIO DE JANEIRO: For Lieda Sobrosa, retirement from her Brazilian government job 23 years ago was just the beginning.

An accomplished pianist who is writing her seventh book since becoming a pensioner, the 73-yearold has not lacked the time or money for a productive second act to her life. The slightly built author retired from the federal civil service at the age of 50, way back in 1987, and has been banking her full monthly salary of about 6,000 reais ($3,260) ever since.

“I didn’t deserve to retire,” she admits, sipping a pineapple juice on a Rio de Janeiro street corner.

“Really I believe that everyone should work while they have the health and the energy.”

For her long and prosperous retirement, Sobrosa can thank one of the world’s most generous pension systems-at least for some-a behemoth that sucks up a third of government spending and stunts Brazil’s economic potential even though it is still a young country in demographic terms.

Without politically difficult reforms, the growing burden threatens to sour the success Brazil’s economy has enjoyed under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will step down after the presidential election in October.

That is because Brazil, a country long associated with youthful beauty, is entering a period of rapid

aging that will change its face. The number of Brazilians over 60 will jump by more than half over the next 15 years to around 32 million.

By 2050, government forecasts show the number will have tripled even as Brazil’s overall population contracts after hitting a peak of around 210 million in 2030, from 190 million now.

The regular pension system alone-which doesn’t include public employees-is on course to swallow up 17 percent of GDP by 2040, from 7 percent in 2007, according to a report last year by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The demographic shock in Brazil and in other Latin American countries is comparable to a rapid aging of populations in Asia.

The changes are a result of plunging birth rates and rising life spans that have come amid economic and social progress in a single generation. But rises in Latin American living standards have lagged those in Asia, meaning the region risks hitting old age before its economies mature.

By 2050, there will be an estimated 3.1 workingage adults in Latin America for each elderly person, shrinking from 8.7 in 2005, nearly tripling the burden on each worker.

Brazilians’ life expectancy has shot up to near Western European levels from just 43 in the 1940s,

while the number of births per woman has tumbled to 1.8 from near 6 in 1970.

Sobrosa, for example, has nine brothers and sisters, all of them still alive, but herself only gave birth once.

“Effectively, this situation is explosive,” said Istvan Kasznar, a professor who studies pension issues at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio. Nowhere is the change more visible than in Rio’s Copacabana beach area, whose picture-postcard image of bikini-wearing young women and youths playing beach soccer belies its status as Brazil’s elderly capital. About one in three of its residents are over 60, a higher ratio than in Japan.

“You don’t see babies in Copacabana anymore-it’s a completely different place to when I was a child,” said Alexandre Kalache, a 64-year-old Brazilian who was head of the World Health Organization’s Ageing and Life Course Program for more than a decade until 2008. Underscoring the transformation, the Copacabana maternity hospital where Kalache was born in 1945 is now a geriatric clinic. Like many Brazilians, Kalache has stories of friends and relatives who retired in their 40s on a comfortable pension, usually from the civil service or the military.

“That is what is destroying the country,” he said.

“If we don’t have reform, if these inequalities don’t

stop benefiting the elite, we are going to lose this opportunity forever. We have just a few years to get our house in order and I’m scared.”

Brazil’s around one million retired civil servants make up less than 5 percent of all Brazil’s pensioners, but get about 40 percent of the benefit payments, government figures show.

That gives the public sector a disproportionately heavy role in Brazil’s growing pension deficit, which last year totaled about 86 billion reais ($47 billion) or just under 3 percent of the economy.

The regular pension system, where benefits are tied to a national minimum wage that has doubled in a decade, is also generous. Women, for example, can retire at 60 after paying only 15 years of contributions. Full “survivor” benefits mean that spouses inherit a pension regardless of the length of marriage.

That appears to have encouraged a growing trend dubbed by Brazilian media as “Viagra weddings”elderly men remarrying much younger women. It can work the other way, too-Sobrosa, the pensioner in Rio, recently married a man 20 years her junior who stands to inherit her benefits.

“The pensions system is not generous for all Brazilians, not at all. It is very generous for some kinds of Brazilians,” said Kasznar, who noted that fewer than a third of Brazil’s 94 million potential

workers are in the system.

An aggressive reform of the system could free up government spending for areas where Brazil lags other countries and which limit its long-term potential, such as infrastructure investment and education.

The wildly popular Lula, who has largely steered clear of deep-seated reforms, managed to pass a partial pension reform in 2003 that raised retirement ages and should bring public pension benefits in line with private ones within 50 years.

That warded off an immediate deficit crisis and enabled Lula to spend on social projects while keeping financial markets happy, but it was not enough to defuse the demographic time-bomb.

Powerful political forces oppose reform of a system that is a remnant of the young nation’s attempts to build a strong and loyal civil service in the early 20th century.

Both of the main candidates in October’s electionLula’s chief of staff Dilma Rousseff and Sao Paulo Gov. Jose Serra of the opposition-are expected to make pension reform a priority but will struggle to get more than piecemeal changes through Congress.

“It’s very difficult to see a permanent solution. It’s not a problem the politicians want to deal with-no one wins,” said Joao Pedro Ribeiro, a political analyst at the Tendencias consultancy in Sao Paulo. — Reuters

Poor nations should consider overall health picture

Scientists urge rethink on ‘narrow’ health goals LONDON: Families in some poor nations are trapped in cycles of illness and poverty as authorities fail to tackle chronic health problems or meet goals on child health and tuberculosis, scientists said yesterday. British and American Lesotho, for example, has seen a 25 percent rise in infant death rates over the past few decades and has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world, they wrote.

In 2000, world leaders from 189 countries signed up to the Millennium Development Goals to reduce child mortality by two-thirds and to halt and reverse the spread of tuberculosis, malaria and HIV by 2015.

But the researchers said tackling both chronic problems like heart disease and infectious diseases like tuberculosis at the same time could be far more effective than pursuing a narrow focus against a few diseases named in globally-agreed targets.

Reducing HIV-the virus that causes AIDS-by 1 percent, or chronic diseases by 10 percent could help boost progress towards child health and tuberculosis targets by the equivalent of more than a decade of economic

researchers found countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe with the highest rates of HIV and chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease are also failing to meet goals on reducing child death rates and the spread of tuberculosis.

development, they said.

“It is important to look at the entire health experience of individuals and families and not focus on just one or a few diseases,” said Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who worked on the study with colleagues from the universities of Oxford and California San Francisco.

“Success in global health means tackling the daily, interconnected risks people living in poor countries face, whether those risks are chronic or infectious.”

Tackling joint epidemics of chronic and infectious diseases could especially help countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the researchers said, where progress towards goals had been slowest.

They also said Eastern Europe was far behind on tuberculosis goals, a failure they said was “partly

because of an explosive and uncontained chronic disease epidemic in the 1990s.”

The study found it was not simply lack of money or infrastructure that hampered health progress, but that long-term diseases like HIV, heart disease and diabetes could trap households in “vicious cycles of illness and poverty”.

“Traditional reasons for slow progress, such as economic development or health spending, are only a small part of the story about why poorer countries are falling behind,” David Suckler of Oxford University wrote in the study in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) Medicine journal.

“Future progress will crucially depend on finding a way to break the cycle of illness and poverty caused by HIV and chronic illnesses.” — Reuters

Industry crackdown on salt could save US billions

DENVER: Registered nurse Susan Eager treats a patient suffering from obesity-related illnesses while performing a home health care visit in Denver, Colorado. Eager works for the Dominican Sisters Home Health Agency, a non-profit organisation that performs some 25,000 home visits each year in the Denver area. It provides free home nursing care to patients with chronic diseases, helps them to better manage their disabling illnesses and provides custodial services with the aim of keeping patients in their homes and out of more expensive nursing home care. — AFP

Snacks mean US kids moving toward ‘constant eating’ Findings fuel Obama’s child obesity initiative WASHINGTON: US children eat an average three snacks a day on top of three regular meals, a finding that could explain why the childhood obesity rate has risen to more than 16 percent, researchers said yesterday.

Children snack so often that they are “moving toward constant eating,” Carmen Piernas and Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina reported.

More than 27 percent of calories that American kids take in come from snacks, Piernas and Popkin reported in the journal Health Affairs. The researchers defined snacks as food eaten outside regular meals.

The studies will help fuel President Barack Obama’s initiative to fight obesity in childhood, something Obama’s wife, first lady Michelle Obama, notes could drive up already soaring US healthcare costs.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote a commentary calling for taxes on sugary drinks and junk food, zoning restrictions on fast-food outlets around schools and bans on advertising unhealthy food to children.

“Government at national, state, and local levels, spearheaded by public health agencies, must take action,” he wrote.

Piernas and Popkin looked at data on 31,337 children aged 2 to 18 from four different federal surveys on food and eating.

“Childhood snacking trends are moving toward three snacks per day, and more than 27 percent of children’s daily calories are coming from snacks. The largest increases have been in salty snacks and candy. Desserts and sweetened beverages remain the major sources of calories from snacks,” they wrote.

“Children increased their caloric intake by 113 calories per day from 1977 to 2006,” they added.

“This raises the question of whether the physiological basis for eating is becoming dysregulated, as our children are moving toward constant eating.”

In a second study in the journal, Christina Bethell of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and colleagues analyzed data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health to find the rate of obesity for children 10 to 17 rose from 14.8 percent in 2003 to 16.4 percent in 2007.

The percentage of children who are overweight stayed at around 15 percent, they found.

“While combined overweight and obesity rates appear to be leveling off, our findings suggest a possible increase in the severity of the national childhood obesity epidemic,” Bethell said in a statement.

Parents, educators and policymakers all hold responsibility for this, Michelle Obama told the School Nutrition Association conference in Washington on Monday.

“Our kids didn’t do this to themselves,” Obama said.

“From fast food, to vending machines packed with chips and candy, to a la carte lines, we tempt our kids with all kinds of unhealthy choices every day.”

Other studies have shown that obese children are more likely to stay obese as adults, and they develop chronic conditions at younger ages, burdening the healthcare system. “You see kids who are at higher risk of conditions like diabetes, and cancer, and heart disease-conditions that cost billions of dollars a year to treat,” Michelle Obama said. — Reuters

CHICAGO: Working with the food industry to cut salt intake by nearly 10 percent could prevent hundreds of thousands of heart attacks and strokes over several decades and save the US government $32 billion in healthcare costs, U.S. researchers said Monday.

Eating too much salt is a major cause of high blood pressure, which the Institute of Medicine, one of the National Academies of Sciences, last week declared a “neglected disease” that costs the US health system $73 billion a year.

Several governments including the United States are looking for solutions to curb salt intake as a way to head off future heart attacks and strokes that help drain healthcare systems.

The study by a team at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System in California used a computer model to measure the impact of two different scenarios for reducing salt intake on a population level-a voluntary collaboration with the U.S. food industry and a national tax on salt.

They found the voluntary program, based on a similar salt-reduction campaign in Britain, to be the most effective.

The team estimated that a governmentindustry effort could cut Americans’ salt intake by 9.5 percent.

“In our analysis, we found these small decreases in blood pressure would be effective in reducing deaths due to cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler of the VA, whose study appears in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The salt reduction campaign would prevent 513,885 fatal strokes and 480,358 heart attacks over the lifetimes of U.S. adults who are aged 40 to 85 today. That would save $32.1 billion in health costs during the lifetime of this group, including $14 billion in hospitalizations for strokes and heart attacks.

“The numbers of affected people are huge, so even a small decrease is significant if you have large numbers of people involved,” Smith-Spangler said in a statement.

By contrast, a tax on salt would cut salt intake by 6 percent, resulting in 327,892 fewer strokes and 306,173 fewer heart attacks, the team calculated.

As many as 75 percent of Americans consume more than the suggested maximum of 2.3 grams of salt a day, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a commentary in the journal.

Because three-fourths of Americans’ salt intake comes from processed foods and restaurant meals, he said, it is not feasible to reduce the nation’s salt intake without food industry cooperation.

“If cooperation is not voluntary, new regulations on sodium content of processed and prepared foods might be necessary,” Frieden wrote. —Reuters

HANGZHOU: Workers from a Chinese radio station wear gas masks to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking in Hangzhou, in east China’s Zhejiang province on March 1. About 350 million Chinese, or nearly 27 percent of the country’s population, smoke cigarettes, with the nation consuming up to one-third of the tobacco products sold annually worldwide, while up to one million Chinese die every year from lung cancer or cardiovascular diseases directly linked to tobacco consumption. — AFP

Scientists try to break fat-and-disease link WASHINGTON: What if you could be fat but avoid heart disease or diabetes? Scientists trying to break the fatand-disease link increasingly say inflammation is the key.

In the quest to prove it, a major study is under way testing whether an anti-inflammatory drug — an old, cheap cousin of aspirin — can fight the Type 2 diabetes spurred by obesity.

And intriguing new research illustrates how those yellow globs of fat lurking under the skin are more than a storage site for extra calories. They’re a toxic neighborhood where inflammation appears to be born.

Diabetes and heart disease usually tag along with extra pounds, a huge risk for the two-thirds of Americans who are overweight or obese. What isn’t clear is what sets off the cascade of damage that ends in those illnesses. After all, there are examples of obese people who somehow stay metabolically fit — no high blood pressure or high blood sugar or high cholesterol.

“If fat cells functioned perfectly, you could be as obese as you want and not have heart disease,” says Dr. Carey Lumeng of the University of Michigan. “It’s something we don’t understand, why some people are more susceptible and others are not so susceptible.”

Solving that mystery could point to more targeted treatments for obesity’s threats than today’s effective but hard-to-follow advice to lose weight. The chief suspect: Inflammation that the immune system normally uses to fight infection runs amok with weight gain _ simmering inside fat tissue before spreading to harm blood vessels and spur insulin resistance.

“We all think it’s bad, and we know a lot of people with really bad inflammation die sooner,” says Dr. Myrlene Staten of the National Institutes of Health’s diabetes division.

Dr. Steven Shoelson at the Harvard-affiliated Joslin Diabetes Center noted reports from 150 years ago that one of the oldest anti-inflammatories around — salsalate, from the aspirin family — could lower blood sugar. Less harsh on the stomach than aspirin, generic salsalate is used today for arthritis, and Shoelson discovered that it inhibits what he calls a master switch in inflammation regulation. “We put those pieces together and sure enough, it does work,” says Shoelson.

Pilot trials found short-term use of salsalate, added to regular diabetes medication, helped poorly controlled Type 2 diabetics lower their blood sugar substantially.

Fasting glucose levels dropped from about an average of 150 down to 110, Schoelson says.

Now an NIH-funded study is recruiting several hundred Type 2 diabetics at 21 medical centers around the country to take the drug or a dummy pill for a year, to track long-term effects.

But what sparks that inflammation in the first place?

Other researchers are hot on the trail of immune cells called macrophages that cluster inside fat tissue. In a novel study, Dr. Preeti Kishore of Albert Einstein College of Medicine took 30 somewhat overweight but healthy volunteers and infused free fatty acids, a type of fat molecule, directly into their blood. She was mimicking what happens in the obese, when these fatty acids spill out from stored fat and continually flow through the body. The results were startling: For five hours, the volunteers’ bodies quit responding effectively to insulin.

They also experienced a surge in a protein called PAI-1 (pronounced Pie-one) that sets off a chain reaction linked to heart disease-causing blood clots and diabetes.

When Kishore took samples of the volunteers’ fat tissue, she found the macrophages start producing more PAI-1 as they are bathed in the fatty acids.

The more pounds you put on, the bigger fat cells called adipocytes become until they release fatty acids and eventually die. The theory is that macrophages

come in to clean up the dead cells but are hijacked to produce inflammation-causing chemicals — signals that also spur further adipocyte dysfunction. Kishore’s work suggests fat tissue primes macrophages to be switched on by a boost in fatty acids, starting the inflammation cycle. “What’s really exciting to us, is trying to understand these mechanisms can essentially help us to target therapies more effectively in the future,” says Kishore, whose research was published last week in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

She points to Shoelson’s study of salsalate — which blocks a related protein found in macrophages and other immune cells — as a first step.

“Four to five years ago, no one thought fat tissue matters for this stuff,” adds Michigan’s Lumeng, who studies the macrophage link. “There clearly are going to be anti-inflammatory therapies for diabetes coming out of the pipeline.” — AP

AHMEDABAD: This photo taken on February 27, 2010 shows Shree Maa Anantanand sitting behind medicine made from cow urine which she uses to treat patients suffering kidney ailments and cancer at her hospital in Ahmedabad. A laboratory in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad is one of a growing number of research centres which have embraced the sacred status of cows in India and sought to push it to a new level.

Promoting the practical alongside the spiritual, they have developed a line of dung- and urine-based medicines which they say can cure a whole herd of ailments from bad breath to cancer. — AFP

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WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Embassy information

Ranni St.Thomas College Alumini 11th Anniversary celebrated he 11th anniversary of the Ranny college Alumni Kuwait Chapter was held at Abbassiya United School Auditorium. The Function was officially inaugurated by Kuriakose Mor Ivanios, Bishop of Malankara Syrian Knanaya Church,Ranny Diocese.

The President of the association Roy Kaithavana presided over the meeting and felicitation speeches were delivered by Rev. Jacob T.Abraham,(Vicar C.S.I parish,Kuwait), Rev.Father Kurian , Rony Varughese (Gen.Sec. Ranny Pravasi Sanghom) Jacob Mathew, C.M.Philip (vice patrons), Manu P.Varughese and Ani Stephen.

The annual and the financial reports for 2009 presented by the Gen Secretary and the Treasurer, were approved by the general body.

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Mementos were distributed to honor outgoing students of 12th & 10th Std. and awards to winners of painting & coloring competition held under the auspicious of the alumni association.

The second part of the function was the cultural programs, where many entertainment programs, including Ganamela, Cinimatic and classical dance, light and classical songs were presented by the members and the children of Association members.

Earlier the General body meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Jacob Mathew & C.M.Philip(vicepatrons) to elect the new office bearers for 2010/11, during which a Thirty member executive committee was elected. Roy Kaithavana reelected as the President, and Jiji Chaluparambil (General

Secretary)Alex P.George (Treasurer) Varughese George and Sallykutty Thomas (Vice Presidents)Jinu Mathew (Joint Secretary), Alice Varughese Lady

Secretary and Varughese Issac & Jacob Peter as auditors. Gibi Philip compeered the program and the function was closed down with a family dinner.

Colorful celebration at ESF

‘Umang’ organises Kuwait Open Championships

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he English School Fahaheel recently held its annual National and Liberation Day concert at the Lloyd Webber Theatre. The event included colorful traditional Kuwaiti dances, a traditional wedding scene and a fantastic performance by the many expat students at ESF who were also happy to take part. The students were elaborately dressed for the concert in traditional embroidered attire.

Some student are seen in ESF winter uniform. The event was organized by the Arabic Language Department at ESF. A big thank you to all who participated for a superb performance.

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ost recently, ‘Umang’ made its debut by organizing an open Kuwait championship with events like Badminton, Table tennis, Box cricket, Rink football and all women throwball. The event that started on the 5th Feb’10 saw almost two weeks of intense competition among individuals and teams to reach the top. Badminton saw as many as 12 different categories for participation with Boys U12, U-14, U-16, U-19, Girls U-12, U-16, Men, Women (Singles/Doubles) as well as Mixed Doubles.

The finals. that were held at the Al-Ahleia school in Riggae on the 19th Feb’10 witnessed a large crowd of expatriates cheering for their favourite teams. Among prominent champions in the Badminton were Surya, Milan, Jovin, Ashita, Raja, Amina, Alisa and Nikka, Abdul Jabbar, Jijo and Dhanya Nair.

Hardeep Flora excelled in the singles and doubles of the table tennis event with Sami Farah. ‘Team Extreme’ won the accolades in the Men Box cricket while the Women Box Cricket was won by Team ‘Chaos’. In the Rink football, ‘Brothers’ emerged as champions while the Women Throwball title went to the ‘Kuwait Konkans’.

The chief organizer Ashish Chandwani, while giving away the trophies and certificates to the winners/runners up, took the opportunity to thank people who worked hard to make the event a huge success and promised the return of the event very soon.

Indian Public School Salmiya Thanksgiving

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hanksgiving day, primary wing, February 15th 2010 was a significant day for the students of the primary wing of Indian Public School as it was their

Thanksgiving Day. The program commenced with a prayer song. A variety of programs were presented by the students like Choral recitation, action song, Arabic and

Indian dances. The program gave them an opportunity to showcase their various talents like acting, singing, recitation and dancing. The highlight of the program was its

multiculturalism and wide variety. I P S also celebrated the students achievements by awarding prizes to the students by the chief guest Pancily Varkey of UAE Exchange.

EMBASSY OF UKRAINE The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait informs that it has started updating the information about Ukrainian citizens, who live and work in Kuwait. In this connection, we are asking you to refer to the Embassy and update your file in consular register in order not to be excluded from it.

Please note, that the last day of updating your data is 20th of March, 2010. For additional information please call: 25318507 ext.106 or visit the embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait (address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str.6, house 5).

The consular section of the Embassy open every day from 09:30 till 14:30 except Friday and Saturday.

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India has further revamped and improved its Legal Advice Clinic at the Indian Workers Welfare Center, and made the free service available to Indian nationals on all five working days, i.e. from Sunday to Thursday every week. Kuwaiti lawyers would be available at the Legal Advice Clinic daily from Monday to Thursday, while Indian lawyers would be available on Sundays. Following are the free welfare services provided at the Indian Workers Welfare Center located at the Embassy of India: [i] 24x7 Helpline for Domestic Workers: Accessible by toll free telephone no. 25674163 from anywhere in Kuwait, it provides information and advice exclusively to Indian domestic sector workers (Visa No. 20) as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. [ii] Help Desk: It offers guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal, and other issues (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iii) Labour Complaints Desk: It registers labor complaints and provides grievance redressal service to Indian workers (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iv) Shelters: For female and male domestic workers in distress; (v) Legal Advice Clinic: Provides free legal advice to Indian nationals (Embassy premises; Kuwaiti lawyers 3 PM to 5 PM, Monday to Thursday; Indian lawyers 2 PM to 4 PM on Sunday); and (vi) Attestation of Work Contracts: Private sector worker (Visa No. 18) contracts are accepted at the Embassy; 9 AM to 1 PM; Sunday to Thursday; Domestic sector worker (Visa No. 20) contracts are accepted at Kuwait Union of Domestic Labor Offices (KUDLO), Hawally, Al-Othman Street, Kurd Roundabout, AlAbraj Complex, Office No 9, Mezzanine Floor; 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday to Thursday; 5 PM to 9 PM on Friday.

EMBASSY OF PHILIPPINES The Embassy of the Philippines wishes to inform the Filipino community in the State of Kuwait, that the recent supreme court decision to extend the registration of voter’s applies only in local registration in the Philippines under Republic Act no.

8189 and does not apply to overseas voters which is governed by Republic Act no. 9189, hence it has no impact on the plans and preparations on the conduct of overseas absentee voting. The overseas absentee voting for presidential elections will start on 10 April 2010 and will continue uninterrupted until 10 May 2010 daily at the Philippine Embassy.

Registered overseas absentee voters are advised to schedule their days off in advance to avoid complications in their schedules. Qualified voters are encouraged to get out and vote.

The whole program was anchored and presented by the students themselves much to the delight of all present at the function.

Parents vociferously cheered their children.

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new bookstore, with exclusive section on Indian books, periodicals and dailies has been opened at Lulu.

Enlightenment into Islam Center courses

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rabic & Islamic Courses being offered

by Enlightenment into Islam Center (Revival of lslmic Heritage Society, Qortuba) for women only. Transportation available for Salmiya/ Jabriya/ Hawalli area.

Can be arranged for Farwaniya/ Khaitan/ Jleeb area (contact us).

Duration: 8th March - 27th May. All classes: Once a week; Timing: 5-7 pm unless indicated otherwise: 1. Arabic as a Foreign Language: Level Tuesdav: Level 2, Level 3, Level 4Wednesday.

2. Tajweed (Rules of Reciting the Qur’an) Level 1 - Mondays: Level 2 - Wednesdays.

3. Qur’an and Du’aa (Memorisation of selected verses & supplications) - Tuesdays 4. Tilawah (Qur’anic Recitation) Wednesdays 5. Tadabbur (How to Ponder over the Meanings of the Qur’an) - Thursdays 6. Sdences of the Qur’an - Sundays (10-11 am) 7. Fiqh of Salah (Part 2) - Tuesdays Registration starts February 20, 2010 at the main office - Women’s Committee in Qortuba. Contact 97743327, 99507076, 25329259 or email us: enlight.center@gmail.com

31

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Announcements MARCH 5 World Mother tongue day: Ponguthamizh Manram is happy to announce a function to commemorate “The World Mother tongue Day and The International Women’s Day”. Many challenging competitions and interesting events are being planned for the commemoration. The function will be conducted between 0930 hrs to 1300 hrs on the 5th March, 2010 at Kohinoor Restaurant, Fahaheel, to register for various competitions & for further detailed information, visit us at www.pongutamil.org or call us on 66852906 or Email us thro thamizh@pongutamil.org.

MARCH 26 Ugadi carnival: Kalanjali Kuwait plans to organize Carnival & Musical Nite of Sri Koti, on 26th March 2010, in American International School Maidan Hawally, on the occasion of UGADI Telugu New Year’s Day. Sri Koti with his troupe from Hyderabad will present some of his hits.

Kalanjali plans to conduct “Painting Competition” for school children & adults, as well as “RANGOLI Competition” for ladies, “Salad Cutting Competitions” for MEN during this occasion.

There will be an Inter-School “Youth Festival Competition” among the Indian School Children.

Schools interested in participating can contact us.

Persons interested to keep Game Stalls, Food Stalls and ready to participate in various games & sports, or present any musical talents / perform any talents, can send an email to kalanjaliq8@gmail.com or contact 55457286 for further details.

MARCH 26 CRYcket 2010: The 13th annual crycket tournament is scheduled to be held on Friday, 26th March 2010 at the KOC Hockey Grounds, Ahmadi. This tournament is organized by FOCC (Friends of Cry Club). Friends of CRY Club (FOCC) is associated with CRY (Child Rights and You), India and its main objectives are to create awareness of the underprivileged Indian children, help restore their basic rights, strive to provide support in personal development of the Indian children in Kuwait and bring out the qualities of social commitment in them. FOCC has been organizing CRY awareness programmes for children through its two annual events - CRYcket (Cricket match for children below 14 years organized annually since 1997) and CRY chess tournament (for children of all ages organized annually since 2005) - and ‘Brain Bang’ programme which is an ongoing bi-weekly Accelerated Learning activity.

CRYcket will be played by 24 teams of children and about 500 spectators are expected for this special one-day event. The deadline to receive the registration forms is 18th March 2010, however registration may be close earlier if the available slots of 12 teams in each category are filled.

A colourful souvenir will be released to mark the 13th year of FOCC’s activities in Kuwait. For details how to become a sponsor and/or to advertise in the Souvenir or to volunteer as a FOCC member, pls visit www.focckwt.org or email focckwt@yahoo.com

Fare thee well at ICSK

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he Indian Community school bid farewell to its XIIth Grade students 2009-2010 in an elegant and solemn ceremony held at ICSK , Khaitan. The ambience of Farewell resonated with the Dignitaries being escorted to the auditorium.

The Program commenced with a recitation from Holy Quran by Mohd. Samiullah Khan and the rendition of Kuwait & Indian National Anthems.

Principal and Farewell Program Coordinator Sridevi Pradeep welcomed the guests, Principals, Vice Principals, teachers and students which was followed by the lighting of ceremonial lamp.

Vijay Singh (Second Secretary, Embassy of India to the State of Kuwait) was the chief guest of the day. Singh, in his enlightening speech stressed the students to be dedicated in all walks of life.

He also exhorted that the young nationals should not be looking at what they can take from the society, but looking at what they can give to the society.

Archie Menezes (Honorable Vice Chairman of Board of Trustees) presided over the function. Archie Menezes, Honorable Vice Chairman of Board of Trustees, in his Presidential address fondly wished them fare well encouraging them to work hard& be practical in life.

from Principal Julie George as the students promised to live up to the expectations of their Alma matar.

Then the Dignitaries, Principals, Vice Principals and Teachers along with Chief Guest formed a corridor of blessings and each student with a gentle smile & tearful eyes bid Au Revoir to their Alma mater by receiving the blessings while passing through it.

The Management, Principals, Vice Principals and staff wished the children all the best to conquer the peaks and bring laurels to everyone around them. Indeed it was a day to be cherished by all as it was a hallmark of total joy and solemness.

Tulukoota Kuwait holds blood donation

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n an endeavor to promote the spirit of “Share your love & care with the society”, Tulukoota Kuwait organized its first voluntary blood donation camp on Friday 19th Feb 2010. The camp was organized at Jabriya Central Blood Bank from 08:00 hrs to 13:00 hrs.

The blood donation started with the first group of donors from Tulukoota Kuwait Managing & Executive committee members. Blood donors not only included Tulukoota Kuwait members, but also different section of public came forward to be a part of this noble cause.

Around 160 registrations were received for the blood donation camp , however only 106 successful donors could be accommodated due to time constraints. The various efforts put in by the committee members has

MAY 6 2010 Mayflower Ball: The Social & Cultural Exchange Group - a multi-lingual, multi-cultural association will present the Mayflower Ball Dinner Dance & Beauty Pageant contest at a gliterring venue with a live music band from the western coast of India and renowned DJs. A galaxy of prizes awaits for the participants and to learn more about the show to be held on Thursday, 6th May 2010, watch out for more details in your favourite newspaper.

German Embassy hosts gala dinner honoring INJAZ Kuwait volunteers

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On behalf of the staff members, Principal S Ilango gave a touching message bidding adieu to the students. Abdullah Amanullah Popere (President of School Senate, Khaitan) thanked everyone for arranging such a wonderful ceremony to honor them.

Principal Fathima M ignited the candle of wisdom from the ceremonial lamp which was passed on to the students through the Vice Principals and Class teachers. This symbolized the prayers and wishes of everyone gathered to shower the blessings of Lord Almighty to guide the outgoing students to the perennial pastures of life.

This was followed by the exhortation

Greetings

APRIL 16 Friends of Kannur holds drama competition: Friends of Kannur Expatriates Association (FOKE) is arranging a drama competition for their forthcoming fifth anniversary celebration.

Competition will be held on April 16th at Daiya Auditorium. Applications are invited from all art lovers in Kuwait to participate in this drama competition. Drama should be in Malayalam language and should be less than 40 minutes duration. All those who wish to participate in this competition are requested to submit their application along with a copy of their script before February 15th 2010. For further details you may contact 65071434, 99860832.

nder the patronage of the German Ambassador to Kuwait. Dr Michael Worbs INJAZ Kuwait officially recognized the hard work and commitment of over 90 volunteers with a gala dinner in the Ambassador’s residence. INJAZ Kuwait, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, strives to inspire and prepare the youth of Kuwait in order to succeed in a global economy “The success and extraordinary achievements of INJAZ Kuwait over the past five years have been largely due to the selfless and philanthropic contributions of our volunteers” stated CEO of INJAZ Kuwait Rana Kamshad. “These individuals are our personal heroes; dedicating countless hours and immeasurable energy solely for the purpose of ensuring the success of the Kuwaiti youth. We are proud to count our volunteers as a part of the INJAZ Kuwait family, and we are proud to honor them tonight. I also extend our gratitude to our sponsors, the German Embassy, Siemens and 10 Centers providers of serviced and furnished office space who made this event possible with their valuable contributions.”

Founded in Kuwait in August 2005 as a member of the non-profit international Junior Achievement Worldwide (JA) organization, INJAZ Kuwait specializes in educational programs 10 prepare students from KG to grade 12 for the business world. “We help to bridge the gap between education and the private sector” says Rana Kamshad. INJAZ Kuwait has blossomed into a highly influential organization, reaching over 100 institutes of education and preparing thousands of students in Kuwait for their future success in the business sector.

The gala dinner hosted the honored 2008/2009 volunteers, members of the German business community and a number of media representatives. “I am very impressed by the work of UNJAZ Kuwait. We have a sister organization of INJAZ Kuwait in Germany which is supported by the German Ministry of Economics and Technology”, says Ambassador Dr. Michael Worbs, “So when FNJAZ Kuwait asked us to host their annual gala dinner, we accepted with pleasure. I think it is very important that young people get an understanding of market economy and entrepreneurship from an early age, and INJAZ Kuwait helps them acquire just that.”

Francis Machado (Honorable Joint Secretary of Board of Trustees), Dr Kamlesh Kumari, Dr Raj Raghupathi, Sageer Trikarpur (Honorable Board of Trustees), K J John, Sridhar Dharmapadam, Sherin Mani Thomas, Mr. John George (members of Board of Trustees) along with Council of Elders, Parent Advisory Council Members, and ), Jaspal Singh, K V Oommen (invited Guests) were also present.

The reminiscence of the students which took everyone through a nostalgic journey of their days spent at ICSK brought “A smile to the face and a tear to the eyes” of everyone present.

Play a Cross Word Puzzle to Win

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rowne Plaza & Holiday Inn Salmiya team has always surprised us with its amazing, one of their kind promotions.

This time, an interaction is required were guests are given the chance to avail a 50% discount on solving a word puzzle.

Keep on the lookout for this new unusual campaign. There are a total of 9 restaurant brands that are participating in this campaign, which will have a crossword puzzle for each restaurant. Solve this puz-

zle and get a 50% discount on your total bill. The participating restaurants are Sakura, Tang Chao, Al Noukhaza, Rib Eye, Al Diwan, Al Ahmadi, Viaggio, Ayam Zaman and Shabestan.

The chain of participating restaurants are available with their various locations all throughout Kuwait, Crowne Plaza restaurants, Holiday Inn Kuwait- Salmiya restaurants, Multaqa Al Shaab restaurants complex, Mangaf as well as outlets in 360, Laila Gallery and Discovery malls.

The puzzles are related to each restaurant theme.

For example, Tang Chao will have questions related to the restaurant outlet and to the restaurant concept (China & Chinese cuisine). When you solve a puzzle related to a certain restaurant, you will have the chance to get your well earned discount in the related restaurant.

Don’t miss this chance of enjoying a 50% discount in any of your favorite restaurants. You can call 24757775 if you need any help answering the questions or for making reservations.

received an overwhelming support from the public.

As the first blood donation camp organized by Tulukoota Kuwait, the Managing committee members stated it was a great success. Tulukoota Kuwait is thankful to the Jabriya Blood Bank for the professional team and other staff who supported the event . Tulukoota Kuwait would also like to thank all donors who have already donated or had expressed their willingness to join the blood donation camp.

In addition to the blood camp, Tulukoota Kuwait has in past conducted free medical camp for the benefit of the lower income group of the society and has also been supporting many worthy causes since its inception in the year 2000.

ohammad Naymur Rahman, celebrated his 10th birthday on 01/02/2010. Best wishes from father M Rahman, mother Jannatul Ferdus, relatives and friends.

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FOKE distributes wheelchairs

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s part of the charity activities conducted by Friends of Kannur Expatriates Association Kuwait - FOKE— distributed wheelchairs for the needy people in Kannur district. The function was held at Kannur Sports Council Hall in coordination with Jaycees Kokkanasseri. FOKE president B P Surendran presided over the function. Health Minister of Kerala P K Srimathi Teacher distributed the wheelchairs for 13 people from various parts of the district. Application was invited through all panchayats in the district from concerned people for the wheelchair. A large number of people attended the function. The function concluded by vote of thanks by Subeesh.

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uhammad Ashar celebrating his 1st birthday, many many happy returns of the day and best wishes from his grand mama, Bare papa, parents and cousins, Saad, Anas, Haris and Houriya.

TV PROGRAMS

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Orbit / Showtime Listings

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 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00

14:20 NEXT X U.S SHORTS 14:30 Jimmy Two-Shoes 15:00 American Dragon 15:30 Yin Yang Yo 16:00 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 16:30 Kid vs Kat 17:00 Power Rangers Jungle Fury 17:30 American Dragon 18:00 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 18:30 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 19:00 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures 19:25 Kid vs Kat 20:00 Zeke & Luther 20:30 K9 ADVENTURES 21:00 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 21:30 Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension 22:00 Phineas & Ferb 22:25 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures 22:50 Power Rangers Jungle Fury 23:15 Incredible Hulk

Kathy Griffin Prison Break Friday Night Lights Dawson’s Creek Prison Break One Tree Hill No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Kathy Griffin Dollhouse Flash Forward Friday Night Lights Dawson’s Creek No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency One Tree Hill Friday Night Lights Prison Break Dollhouse Flash Forward Kathy Griffin No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Lie to Me

00:50 Animal Cops Houston 01:45 Killer Whales: Up Close And Personal 02:40 Untamed And Uncut 03:35 K9 Cops 04:30 Animal Cops Miami 05:25 Animal Cops Houston 06:20 Lemur Street 06:45 Monkey Life 07:10 Rspca: Have You Got What It Takes?

07:35 Dolphin Days 08:00 Wildlife SOS 08:25 Pet Rescue 08:50 Animal Precinct 09:45 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 10:10 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 10:40 Rspca: Have You Got What It Takes?

11:05 Animal Cops Houston 11:55 Corwin’s Quest 12:50 Wildlife SOS 13:15 Pet Rescue 13:45 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 14:10 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 14:40 Killer Whales: Up Close And Personal 15:35 Lemur Street 16:00 Monkey Life 16:30 Pet Rescue 16:55 Dolphin Days 17:25 Wildlife SOS 17:50 Rspca: Have You Got What It Takes?

18:20 Animal Cops Miami 19:15 Journey Of Life

01:15 Teen Angels 02:20 Days That Shook The World 03:15 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 04:05 Judge John Deed 05:35 Teen Angels 06:35 Bargain Hunt 07:20 Balamory 07:40 Fimbles 08:00 The Roly Mo Show 08:15 Tikkabilla 08:45 Yoho Ahoy 08:50 Little Robots 09:00 Balamory 09:20 Fimbles 09:40 The Roly Mo Show 09:55 Tikkabilla 10:25 Yoho Ahoy 10:30 Little Robots 10:40 Bargain Hunt 11:25 Teen Angels 12:25 Days That Shook The World 13:15 The Weakest Link 14:00 Eastenders 14:30 Doctors 15:00 Bargain Hunt 15:45 Cash In The Attic 16:15 Red Dwarf 16:45 Red Dwarf 17:15 The Weakest Link 18:00 Doctors 18:30 Eastenders 19:00 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 20:00 Antiques Roadshow 21:00 The Weakest Link 21:45 Doctors 22:15 Eastenders 22:45 Love Soup 23:15 Love Soup 23:45 Casualty

00:05 Glamour Puds 00:30 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 01:20 Cash In The Attic Usa 01:45 Hidden Potential 02:15 Antiques Roadshow 03:00 Antiques Roadshow 04:00 10 Years Younger 04:45 Cash In The Attic Usa 05:15 Cash In The Attic Usa 05:45 Hidden Potential 06:10 Living In The Sun 07:10 10 Years Younger 08:10 Antiques Roadshow 09:00 Cash In The Attic Usa 09:25 Hidden Potential 09:45 Rhodes Across India 10:30 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes

Death In Love on Show Movies 11:30 Living In The Sun 12:20 Antiques Roadshow 13:10 10 Years Younger 14:00 Rhodes Across India 14:50 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 15:40 Daily Cooks Challenge 16:05 Daily Cooks Challenge 16:30 Cash In The Attic Usa 16:50 Hidden Potential 17:15 10 Years Younger 18:00 Antiques Roadshow 18:50 Antiques Roadshow 19:45 Daily Cooks Challenge 20:15 Daily Cooks Challenge 20:40 Masterchef Goes Large 21:10 Come Dine With Me 21:35 Come Dine With Me 22:00 Fantasy Homes By The Sea

00:00 02:00 04:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 16:45 18:45 21:00

In The Cut-R The Company You Keep-18 Topsy Turvy-PG15 Mean Creek-PG15 Xanadu-PG Last Orders-PG West Of Here-PG15 Only The Strong Survive-PG15 Class Action-PG15 A Few Good Men-PG15 Land Of Plenty-PG15

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:55 03:50 Shine 04:45 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:55 Shine 08:50 09:45 10:10 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:25 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:35 17:30 18:30 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00

Untamed & Uncut Miami Ink Street Customs 2008 American Chopper Hot Rod Apprentice: Hard Mythbusters How Does It Work Dirty Jobs Extreme Engineering Hot Rod Apprentice: Hard Street Customs 2008 How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Ultimate Survival American Loggers How Do They Do It? How Does It Work American Chopper Miami Ink Mythbusters Dirty Jobs American Loggers Street Customs 2008 Destroyed In Seconds How Do They Do It? How Does It Work Smash Lab Time Warp Mythbusters

00:40 Monster Moves 01:30 Suv Revolution 02:20 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 03:10 The Electric Garage 04:00 Beyond Tomorrow 04:50 Race To Mars 05:45 How Does That Work?

06:10 Green Wheels 06:40 One Step Beyond 07:10 Suv Revolution 08:00 Thunder Races 09:00 Race To Mars 10:00 Sci-Trek 10:55 How Does That Work?

11:20 Stuntdawgs 11:50 Suv Revolution 12:45 Green Wheels 13:10 One Step Beyond 13:40 Race To Mars 14:35 Sci-Trek

15:30 16:25 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:40 20:05 20:30 21:20 21:45 22:10 23:00 23:25 23:50

Engineered How Does That Work?

Thunder Races Brainiac - History Abuse Monster Moves How It’s Made How It’s Made What’s That About?

How It’s Made How It’s Made Mythbusters Specials How It’s Made How It’s Made What’s That About?

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:45 03:10 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:20 07:45 08:10 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:45 12:10 12:35 12:55 13:20 13:40 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:15 15:40 16:00 16:25 16:45 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:45 19:00 19:25 19:50 20:15 20:35 21:00

My Friends Tigger And Pooh Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Imagination Movers Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Brandy & Mr Whiskers Fairly Odd Parents Hannah Montana I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas & Ferb Higglytown Heroes My Friends Tigger And Pooh Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Imagination Movers Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Brandy & Mr Whiskers Fairly Odd Parents Hannah Montana I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas & Ferb Suite Life On Deck Replacements American Dragon Kim Possible Famous Five Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb Replacements I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana The Replacements Jonas Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance Hannah Montana Wizards Of Waverly Place The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody

07:00 Yin Yang Yo 07:25 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures 07:50 Kid vs Kat 08:15 Power Rangers Jungle Fury 08:40 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 09:05 American Dragon 09:30 Kid vs Kat 10:00 Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension 10:30 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 11:00 Phil Of The Future 11:30 Jimmy Two-Shoes 12:00 Kid vs Kat 12:30 Phineas & Ferb 13:00 Aaron Stone 13:25 Power Rangers Jungle Fury 13:50 Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension

00:15 Streets Of Hollywood 00:40 Ths 01:30 Extreme Hollywood 02:20 Sexiest 03:15 Ths 05:05 Dr 90210 06:00 Beauty Queens Gone Wrong 07:45 Style Star 08:10 Style Star 08:35 E! News 09:00 The Daily 10 09:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 09:50 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 Ths 11:05 Ths 12:00 E! News 12:25 The Daily 10 12:50 Leave It To Lamas 13:15 Leave It To Lamas 13:40 15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks 15:25 Behind The Scenes 15:50 Behind The Scenes 16:15 E!es 17:10 Kendra 17:35 Kendra 18:00 E! News 18:25 The Daily 10 18:50 Streets Of Hollywood 19:15 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 19:40 E!es 20:05 E!es 20:30 E!es 21:20 Bank Of Hollywood 22:10 E! News

00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 04:05 05:00 05:55 06:20 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:15 14:40 15:30 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:30 21:20 21:45

01:25 02:55 04:30 06:00 07:40 09:10 10:45 12:30 14:15 15:45 17:15 18:55 20:25 22:00

Dr G: Medical Examiner Fbi Files Dead Tenants Deadly Women Undercover Forensic Detectives Amsterdam Vice Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters Ghosthunters Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Fugitive Strike Force Solved Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Solved Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls Royal Inquest Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Fugitive Strike Force Solved Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Solved Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls

Golden Gate Keaton’s Cop Seven Hours to Judgement A Dangerous Woman Sticky Fingers Crusoe Nobody’s Fool Cooley High My American Cousin Mr. Accident The House On Carroll Street Teen Wolf A Doll’s House Elmer Gantry

00:00 Rita Rocks 00:30 Will and Grace 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 03:00 Reno 911 03:30 State of the Union 04:00 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 05:00 Rita Rocks 05:30 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 06:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 07:00 Home Improvement 07:30 Malcolm in the Middle 08:00 Coach 08:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 09:00 The Colbert Report 09:30 Drew Carey

10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Til’ Death 11:30 Eight Simple Rules 12:00 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 13:00 Will and Grace 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 14:00 Home Improvement 14:30 Malcolm in the Middle 15:00 Coach 15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Drew Carey 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Frasier 18:00 Eight Simple Rules 18:30 Til’ Death 19:00 Rita Rocks 19:30 10 Things I Hate About You 20:00 Best of Late night with Jimmy Fallon 21:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Reno 911 22:30 State of the Union 23:00 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 Leno 06:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 Leno

The Martha Stewart Show 10 Years younger S3 Eat Yourself Sexy The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Monique Show Huey’s Cooking Adventures Fresh The Tonight show with Jay GMA Live GMA Health What’s the Buzz The Martha Stewart Show Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The View The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show Huey’s Cooking Adventures Fresh GMA Live GMA Health What’s the Buzz Look A Like S2 10 Years younger S3 The View The Ellen DeGeneres Show Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The Tonight show with Jay

00:00 Death In Love-R 02:00 And When Did You Last See Your Father-PG15 04:00 Call Of The North-PG 06:00 A Previous Engagement-PG15 08:00 The Promotion-PG15 09:45 Honeydripper-PG15 12:00 The Perfect Child-PG15 13:45 Mongol-PG15 16:00 The Promotion-PG15 17:45 Brideshead Revisited-PG15 20:00 Body Of Lies-18 22:30 The Love Guru-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:15 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00

Boa-PG15 The Mutant Chronicles-PG15 The X Files-PG15 Redbelt-PG15 Street Fighter-PG Battle Of Wits-PG15 The Watch-PG15 Street Fighter-PG Ba’al-PG15 Underground-PG15 The Abyss -PG15

00:00 The Deal-PG15 02:00 Dream For An InsomniacPG15 04:00 Pretty In Pink-PG15 06:00 Together Again For The First Time-PG15 08:00 Another Cinderella Story-PG 10:00 Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day-PG15 12:00 Rat-PG 14:00 Will You Merry Me-PG15 16:00 The Deal-PG15 18:00 The Last Request-PG15 20:00 The War Of The Roses-PG15 22:00 Still Crazy-PG15

00:30 Zeus And Roxanne-PG 02:20 Casper Haunted Xmas-FAM 04:00 Robotech - The Shadow Chronicles-FAM 06:00 Legend Of The Titanic-FAM 08:00 Felix 1-FAM 10:00 Casper Haunted Xmas-FAM 11:30 Barbie As Rapunzel-FAM 12:55 Zeus And Roxanne-PG 14:30 Felix 1-FAM 16:00 Scooby-Doo And The Ghoul School-FAM 18:00 Happy Feet-PG 20:00 War Of The Buttons-PG 22:00 Barbie As Rapunzel-FAM

00:00 C.S.I: NY 01:00 C.S.I: NY

02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30

Sex and the City Sex and the City “24” C.S.I Every Body Loves Raymond My Name is Earl Emmerdale Coronation Street Sons of Anarchy Every Body Loves Raymond My Name is Earl “24” The Beast C.S.I Emmerdale Coronation Street Every Body Loves Raymond My Name is Earl C.S.I: NY C.S.I: NY Sons of Anarchy “24” Emmerdale Coronation Street Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice The Murdoch Mysteries Sons of Anarchy Sex and the City Sex and the City

01:00 Premier League 03:00 Fut Brasil 03:30 Barclays Premier League Review 05:00 Premier League 07:00 Portugol 07:30 Fut Brasil 08:00 Premier League 10:00 Portuguese Liga 12:00 Goals Goals Goals 12:30 Portugol 13:00 Fut Brasil 13:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 14:00 Premier League 16:00 Futbol Mundial 16:30 Goals Goals Goals 17:00 Premier League 19:00 Premier League 21:00 Goals Goals Goals 21:30 Barclays Premier League Review 23:00 Premier League Classics 23:30 Premier League Classics

00:00 Portugol 00:30 Fut Brasil 01:00 Futbol Mundial 01:30 Super League 03:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 04:00 Super 14 06:00 World Sport 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 07:30 Portuguese Liga 09:30 Goals On Monday 11:00 Weber Cup Bowling 12:00 Super League 14:00 Super 14 16:00 Premier League Classics 16:30 Futbol Mundial 17:00 Weber Cup Bowling 18:00 Barclays Premier League Highlights 19:00 FEI Equestrain World 19:30 European Tour Weekly 20:00 Mobil 1 20:30 Portugol 21:00 Premier League Classics 21:30 Premier League World 22:00 Futbol Mundial 22:30 European Tour Weekly 23:00 Super 14

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

The Oxford Murders-PG15 Impact 1-PG15 Against The Current-PG15 The Nines-PG15 Georgia Rule-PG15 Genghis Khan-PG15 Mamma Mia-PG15 Impact 2-PG15 Greetings From The Shore-PG Georgia Rule-PG15 W-PG15 Mamma Mia-PG15

00:40 02:05 03:25 05:00 07:30 08:00 09:50 11:45 14:15 16:10 16:35 19:15 21:05 23:00

Westworld House Of Usher Angels With Dirty Faces The Comedians The Screening Room Young Cassidy All The Fine Young Cannibals The Comedians Silk Stockings The Screening Room Raintree County Where The Spies Are The Last Time I Saw Paris The Time Machine

00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 04:00 04:55 05:50 06:40 07:30 08:20 09:10 10:00 10:55 11:50 12:40 13:30 14:20 15:10 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:55

Battlefield Detectives Dogfights Ice Road Truckers 2 Deep Sea Detectives Hell’s Battlefield The American Revolution Battle Stations Battlefield Detectives Dogfights Ice Road Truckers 2 Deep Sea Detectives Hell’s Battlefield The American Revolution Battle Stations Battlefield Detectives Dogfights Ice Road Truckers 2 Deep Sea Detectives Hell’s Battlefield The American Revolution Battle Stations Battlefield Detectives Dogfights Ice Road Truckers 2 Deep Sea Detectives Dead Men’s Secrets The Nazi Officer’s Wife

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00

Clean House Peter Perfect Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Dallas Divas And Daughters How Do I Look?

Split Ends Dr 90210 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Area How Do I Look?

Style Star Style Her Famous My Celebrity Home Style Star Dress My Nest Peter Perfect Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30

Ruby Clean House Clean House Comes Clean Dress My Nest How Do I Look?

Split Ends Dallas Divas And Daughters Style Her Famous Running In Heels Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Split Ends Clean House Dress My Nest Style Her Famous Ruby Ruby

01:04 01:45 02:00 02:45 05:04 06:04 08:04 09:00 09:24 13:04 13:50 16:04 16:45 18:00 18:45 19:00 20:04 20:45 21:00 22:00

French Only Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Focus Playlist Hit US Code Compilation Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Sound System Playlist Urban Hit Guest Star Playlist RNB Playlist Legend Playlist

00:00 Globe Trekker 01:00 Angry Planet 01:30 The Thirsty Traveler 02:00 Travel Today 02:30 Chef Abroad 03:00 Chef Abroad 03:30 Essential 04:00 Inside Luxury Travel-varun Sharma 05:00 Globe Trekker 06:00 Swiss Railway Journeys 07:00 The Thirsty Traveler 07:30 Angry Planet 08:00 Globe Trekker 09:00 Essential 09:30 Rudy Maxa’s World 10:00 Distant Shores 10:30 Distant Shores 11:00 Chef Abroad 11:30 Entrada 12:00 Planet Food 13:00 Globe Trekker 14:00 Chef Abroad 14:30 The Thirsty Traveler 15:00 Taste Takes Off 15:30 Entrada 16:00 Chef Abroad 16:30 Chef Abroad 17:00 Globe Trekker 18:00 Skier’s World 18:30 Hollywood And Vines 19:00 Chef Abroad 19:30 The Thirsty Traveler 20:00 Globe Trekker 21:00 Inside Luxury Travel-varun Sharma 22:00 Planet Food 23:00 Intrepid Journeys

00:00 FIH Hockey World Cup 02:00 FIH Hockey World Cup 04:00 FIH Hockey World Cup 06:00 Portugol 06:30 Premier League Classics 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Super 14 09:30 Fut Brasil 10:00 Futbol Mundial 10:30 World Sport 11:00 Premier League Classics 11:30 Premier League Classics 12:00 Barclays Premier League Highlights 13:00 World Hockey 13:30 Futbol Mundial 14:00 Live FIH Hockey World Cup 16:00 Live FIH Hockey World Cup 18:00 Live FIH Hockey World Cup 20:00 Rugby League 22:00 Mobil 1

00:00 03:00 04:00 06:15 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 19:00 21:00 22:00

UFC 110 UFC Unleashed Live NCAA Basketball UFC - The Ultimate Fighter WWE Vintage Collection LG Action Sport British Triathlon Series NCAA Basketball Bushido WWE Vintage Collection FIA GT FIM World Cup British Triathlon Series NCAA Basketball Drambuie Pursuit NCAA Basketball UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC - The Ultimate Fighter

Georgia Rule on Super Movies

Star Listings (UAE Timings) STAR Movies 21:05 Hard Ride To Hell 22:40 Super Capers: The Origins Of Ed And The Missing Bullion 00:20 VIP Access 00:50 The Full Monty 02:25 Conan The Barbarian 04:30 Hard Ride To Hell 06:05 Super Capers: The Origins Of Ed And The Missing Bullion 07:45 Good Boy! 09:15 The Full Monty 10:50 Conan The Barbarian 12:55 I’m Reed Fish 14:35 Xtra Credit 16:05 I Think I Love My Wife 17:30 The Thin Red Line STAR World 20:00 American Idol 22:00 Boston Legal 22:50 Married With Children 23:00 American Idol 01:00 Boston Legal 01:50 Married With Children 02:00 Brothers & Sisters 03:00 [V] Tunes 04:00 [V] Tunes

05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:50 15:00 15:50 16:00 17:00 19:00

[V] Tunes 7th Heaven The Goode Family The King Of Queens Stone Undercover American Idol American Idol The King Of Queens The Bold And The Beautiful 7th Heaven Different Strokes Brothers & Sisters Married With Children [V] Tunes American Idol Stone Undercover

Granada TV 20:30 Strange But True? (Series 4) 21:00 Weather From Hell 22:00 Emmerdale 22:30 Coronation Street 23:00 Weather From Hell 00:00 Parkinson (Series 7) 01:00 The Crunch 02:00 Romance Wednesday: Bob And Rose (Double Bill) 04:00 Vroom Vroom (Series 2)

05:00 Emmerdale 05:30 Coronation Street 06:00 Parkinson (Series 7) 07:00 The Crunch 08:00 Romance Wednesday: Bob And Rose (Double Bill) 10:00 ...And Proud 11:00 Emmerdale 11:30 Coronation Street 12:00 Parkinson (Series 7) 13:00 Coach Trip (Series 1) 14:00 Romance Wednesday: Bob And Rose (Double Bill) 16:00 Emmerdale 16:30 Coronation Street 17:00 Parkinson (Series 7) 18:00 Coach Trip (Series 1) 19:00 Romance Wednesday: Bob And Rose (Double Bill) Channel [V] 22:00 [V] Plug 22:30 The Playlist 23:00 Loop 00:00 Backtracks 01:00 Double Shot 02:00 [V] Plug 02:30 The Playlist

03:00 04:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00

Loop [V] Countdown Double Shot Backtracks Loop [V] Plug Double Shot Backtracks [V] Tunes [V] Plug The Playlist Loop Parental Control Double Bill [V] Tunes Backtracks [V] Tunes [V] Plug The Playlist Loop Parental Control Double Bill [V] Tunes

Fox News 20:00 Happening Now 22:00 The Live Desk 00:00 Studio B with Shepard Smith Live 01:00 Your World with Neil Cavuto 02:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck

03:00 Special Report with Bret Baier 04:00 The FOX Report with Shepard Smith 05:00 The O’Reilly Factor 06:00 Hannity 07:00 On the Record with Greta Van Susteren 08:00 The O’Reilly Factor 09:00 Hannity 10:00 On the Record with Greta Van Susteren 11:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 12:00 Fox Report 13:00 Special Report with Bret Baier 14:00 The O’Reilly Factor 15:00 FOX & Friends First Live 16:00 FOX & Friends Live 18:00 America’s Newsroom 19:00 America’s Newsroom National Geographic Channel 20:00 Super Factories -Winnebago 21:00 Perilous Journeys -Roof of Africa 3 22:00 Cruise Ship Diaries -Honeymoon Season 1 23:00 Theme Week -Situation Critical : Hollywood Shootout 00:00 Seconds From Disaster -Fire on the Ski Slope 9

01:00 ABOUT ASIA -Engineering Connections : Taipei Tower 02:00 Carrier -Show Of Force S1-5 03:00 Deep Jungle : New Frontiers 1 04:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy -USA 05:00 ABOUT ASIA -Engineering Connections : Taipei Tower 06:00 Lockdown -Iron Grip 07:00 Built For The Kill -Bird of Prey 08:00 Carrier -Show Of Force S1-5 09:00 Wild Detectives -Bear Bandits 09:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet Cow Cuisine 8 10:00 Theme Week -Situation Critical : Moscow Theatre Siege 11:00 Seconds From Disaster -Fire on the Ski Slope 9 12:00 ABOUT ASIA -Engineering Connections : Taipei Tower 13:00 Wild Wednesday -Grizzly Cauldron 14:00 Wild Wednesday -Animal Autopsy : Whale 15:00 Theme Week -Situation Critical : Moscow Theatre Siege 16:00 Super Factories -UPS 17:00 Seconds From Disaster -Fire on the Ski Slope 9 18:00 Wild Wednesday -Grizzly Cauldron

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

33

ACCOMMODATION

girls. Call: (C20397)

99581583.

2-3-2010

Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya for Keralite couples only KD 50/month.

Contact: 97145592. (C 20402) Sharing accommodation (fully furnished room) available for an executive bachelor with Keralite family, near Classic typing center, Abbassiya. Call 66829585.

(C 20401) Sharing accommodation available with food for 2 Goan or Manglorean bachelors to share with a Goan family in Abbassiya. Contact: 66269035. (C 20399) Nangangai langan 2 pilipinang bed spacer sa Salmiya, likod ng Gulf Mart. tumawag sa 99101530 or 99132471. (C 20400) 3-3-2010 Furnished room with attached bath and AC available for rent from 1st March 2010 in Farwaniya next to main street. Rent KD 75.

Interested call on 24748837, 66509289.

(C 20396) Room (new central A/C building) available for rent on sharing basis in Salmiya near Apollo hospital/Al Rasheed hospital, preference to south Indian family, for more information contact: 97301765. (C 20394)

Sharing accommodation available for couple or one/two decent Indian bachelor with an Indian Christian family in Abbassiya in C-AC building, behind telecommunication, near Shrouq Al Kuwait store. Tel: 24331569.

(C 20391) Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya for 2 executive working ladies or couples in fully furnished double bedroom, (2 bathroom attached) new C-AC flat with Keralite couples. Contact: 66013882. (C 20390)

FOR SALE Honda Accord 1999 coupe black, excellent condition, full option, price KD 1,300.

Call: 55522942. (C 20392) 3-3-2010 Nissan Pathfinder, model 1999, silver color, full options, KD 1,900. Mob: 66729295. (C 20393) 2-3-2010

SITUATION WANTED Indian male on visit with nine years Gulf experience seeks job as IT consultant/manager experienced in document/project management, pre-sales, technical support. Call: 60049783.

(C 20395) 2-3-2010

Indian female (MBA in HR), 10 years experience in HR/Admin functions. Proficient in MS Office and other computer applications.

Commendable in English, multi-tasker and highly efficient. Please contact: 66634322. (C 20370) 1-3-2010

No: 14656

Furnished room with carpet, curtain, bed, cupboard, fridge in CAC 2 BR for nonsmoking executive bachelor in Abbassiya near Integrated School. Rent KD 80. Contact: 60049556.

(C 20398) Accommodation for family, couple, ladies, big room attached kitchen, bathroom, KD 130 & KD 100 with kitchen, for Indian, Pakistani, Iranian. Swaber Complex, Kuwait City, bed 30 KD for

Flight Schedule Arrival Flights on Wednesday 03/03/2010 Airlines Flt Route Jazeera 0263 Beirut Royal Jordanian 802 Amman Wataniya Airways 2103 Beirut Gulf Air 211 Bahrain Kuwait 544 Cairo Jazeera 0513 Sharm El Sheikh Ethiopian 3406 Addis Ababa DHL 370 Bahrain Turkish A/L 1172 Istanbul Jazeera 0241 Amman Emirates 853 Dubai Etihad 0305 Abu Dhabi Qatari 0138 Doha Ethiopian 622 Addis Ababa/Bahrain Falcon 201 Dubai Jazeera 0503 Luxor Jazeera 0527 Alexandria Jazeera 0529 Assiut Jazeera 0481 Sabiha British 0157 London Kuwait 412 Manila/Bangkok Kuwait 206 Islamabad Jazeera 0161 Dubai Kuwait 382 Delhi Kuwait 362 Colombo Kuwait 302 Mumbai Kuwait 332 Trivandrum Kuwait 676 Dubai Kuwait 284 Dhaka Emirates 855 Dubai Kuwait 286 Chittagong Arabia 0121 Sharjah Qatari 0132 Doha Etihad 0301 Abu Dhabi Iran Air 603 Shiraz Falcon 203 Dubai Gulf Air 213 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 1121 Bahrain Jazeera 0447 Doha Jazeera 0165 Dubai Jazeera 0425 Bahrain Iran Aseman 6801 Ahwaz Jazeera 0113 Abu Dhabi Wataniya Airways 1021 Dubai Iran Air 615 Shahre Kord Egypt Air 610 Cairo Kuwait 672 Dubai Jazeera 0171 Dubai Wataniya Airways 2301 Damascus Kuwait 512 Tehran Jazeera 0525 Alexandria Kuwait 774 Riyadh Jazeera 0257 Beirut Wataniya Airways 2001 Cairo

Time 00:05 00:35 00:50 01:05 01:15 01:25 01:45 02:15 02:15 02:30 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:30 05:25 05:35 06:10 06:30 06:35 06:40 06:45 07:40 07:45 07:50 07:55 07:55 08:05 08:10 08:15 08:30 08:35 08:55 09:00 09:35 09:40 10:30 10:45 10:45 11:00 11:05 11:10 11:15 11:20 11:20 11:35 12:55 13:25 13:35 13:35 13:40 14:05 14:05 14:10 14:20

Saudi Arabian A/L Kuwait Jazeera Qatari Royal Jordanian Jazeera Jazeera Emirates Gulf Air Saudi Arabian A/L Etihad Jazeera Arabia Jazeera Jazeera Wataniya Airways Nas Air Sri Lankan United A/L Wataniya Airways DHL Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Singapore A/L Kuwait Jet A/L Oman Air Jazeera Wataniya Airways Gulf Air Middle East Qatari Emirates Kuwait Indian Jazeera Jazeera Global Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera India Express Lufthansa Bangladesh Wataniya Airways Pakistan

500 562 0457 0134 800 0173 0693 857 215 510 0303 0239 0125 0217 0367 2101 703 227 982 2003 473 1025 502 542 0177 618 674 166 786 614 744 102 458 552 572 0647 0459 2011 217 402 0136 859 172 981 0429 0429 081 0117 0433 0185 389 636 043 1029 205

Jeddah Amman Damascus Doha Amman Dubai Shiraz Dubai Bahrain Riyadh Abu Dhabi Amman Sharjah Isfahan Deirezzor Beirut Medinah Colombo/Dubai Washington DC Dulles Cairo Baghdad Dubai Beirut Cairo Dubai Doha Dubai Paris/Rome Jeddah Bahrain Dammam New York/London Singapore/Abu Dhabi Damascus Mumbai Muscat Damascus Sharm El Sheikh Bahrain Beirut Doha Dubai Frankfurt Chennai/Ahmedabad Doha Bahrain Baghdad Abu Dhabi Mashad Dubai Kozhikode/Mangalore Frankfurt Dhaka Dubai Lahore

14:30 14:35 14:45 15:00 15:40 16:05 16:45 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:40 17:45 17:50 18:00 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:45 18:50 18:55 18:55 18:55 19:00 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:35 19:45 20:00 20:05 20:20 20:40 20:45 21:05 21:20 21:35 21:40 21:45 22:05 22:10 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:35 22:40 23:15 23:30 23:40 23:45 23:55

Departure Flights on Wednesday 03/03/2010 Airlines Flt Route Egypt Air 607 Luxor Jazeera 0528 Assiut India Express 396 Cochin/Kozhikode United A/L 981 Washington DC Dulles Indian 994 Mumbai/Chennai Ariana 406 Kabul Bangladesh 044 Dhaka Lufthansa 637 Frankfurt Turkish A/L 1173 Istanbul Ethiopian 3407 Beirut/Addis Ababa DHL 371 Bahrain Emirates 854 Dubai Etihad 0306 Abu Dhabi Ethiopian 622 Addis Ababa Qatari 0139 Doha Wataniya Airways 1020 Dubai Jazeera 0164 Dubai Royal Jordanian 803 Amman Jazeera 0524 Alexandria Wataniya Airways 2000 Cairo Jazeera 0112 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 0446 Doha Gulf Air 212 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 1120 Bahrain Jazeera 0422 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 2300 Damascus Jazeera 0256 Beirut British 0156 London Kuwait 171 Frankfurt Kuwait 671 Dubai Kuwait 511 Tehran Kuwait 561 Amman Jazeera 0456 Damascus Jazeera 0170 Dubai Arabia 0122 Sharjah Emirates 856 Dubai Qatari 0133 Doha Kuwait 117 New York Etihad 0302 Abu Dhabi Iran Air 602 Shiraz Kuwait 773 Riyadh Wataniya Airways 2002 Cairo Gulf Air 214 Bahrain Falcon 204 Baghdad Jazeera 0172 Dubai Kuwait 541 Cairo Wataniya Airways 2100 Beirut Iran Aseman 6802 Ahwaz Jazeera 0366 Deirezzor Jazeera 0238 Amman Kuwait 103 London Iran Air 614 Shahre Kord Kuwait 501 Beirut Kuwait 785 Jeddah

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

Time 00:01 00:05 00:30 00:40 00:50 01:05 01:15 01:20 03:15 03:15 03:15 03:50 04:10 04:15 05:00 07:00 07:00 07:05 07:20 07:30 07:35 07:40 07:45 07:50 07:55 08:10 08:35 08:55 09:00 09:00 09:15 09:15 09:25 09:30 09:35 09:40 10:00 10:00 10:20 10:40 10:45 11:30 11:40 11:45 12:00 12:00 12:05 12:15 12:20 12:25 12:30 12:35 13:00 13:40

Egypt Air Jazeera Wataniya Airways Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Kuwait Saudi Arabian A/L Kuwait Royal Jordanian Qatari Kuwait Jazeera Gulf Air Etihad Emirates Arabia Jazeera Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Global Nas Air Jazeera Wataniya Airways Sri Lankan Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jet A/W Oman Air Wataniya Airways Singapore A/L Gulf Air DHL Kuwait Middle East Kuwait Jazeera Falcon Qatari Kuwait Emirates Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait

611 0692 1024 673 0216 551 0176 2010 0458 617 503 613 801 0135 743 0432 216 0304 858 0126 0262 511 0184 0116 0448 082 704 0428 2102 228 1028 283 361 351 571 0648 1128 457 218 171 675 403 381 0188 102 0137 301 860 205 0636 0526 343 415 0502 411

Cairo Shiraz Dubai Dubai Isfahan Damascus Dubai Sharm El Sheikh Damascus Doha Medinah/Jeddah Bahrain Amman Doha Dammam Mashad Bahrain Abu Dhabi Dubai Sharjah Beirut Riyadh Dubai Abu Dhabi Doha Baghdad Riyadh Bahrain Beirut Dubai/Colombo Dubai Dhaka Colombo Cochin Mumbai Muscat Bahrain Abu Dhabi/Singapore Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Beirut Delhi Dubai Bahrain Doha Mumbai Dubai Islamabad Aleppo Alexandria Chennai Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta Luxor Bangkok/Manila

13:55 14:00 14:25 14:30 14:35 14:40 15:05 15:10 15:30 15:15 15:45 16:20 16:25 16:30 16:40 16:55 17:55 18:00 18:10 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:50 18:50 18:55 19:00 19:05 19:15 19:30 20:15 20:20 20:55 21:10 21:20 21:30 21:45 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:20 22:30 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:50 22:55 23:20 23:25 23:30 23:45 23:50 23:55

SPECTRUM

34 CROSSWORD 916

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Calvin Aries (March 21-April 19) A clear-minded insight

into your own plans and methods is available to you now. Tactfulness is the key word for this day, especially when talking to someone about their mistakes. You may be the person in charge of a small group—higher ups are watching.

Companionship with others is most rewarding at this afternoon and you should take every opportunity to be with friends. Stress later in the year could put your energy to periodic testing. This would be a good time to be conscientious about a consistent exercise program to build your strength and stamina. Over-exercising or over-eating can be a threat to your health. Learn ways in which to keep a positive frame of mind. Lots of people depend on your opinion.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) An employee review or a

presentation may bring the topic of a pay increase to your attention. You could express yourself quite well if you become focused. Set your review or meeting for the afternoon so the person you speak to will be relaxed; you are most clear with your proposal. Finetune your thoughts and if you get the chance, practice what you will say when it comes time to ask for a raise. Spending and earning money brings you pleasure this month. Some of the interests for this evening are on writing, classes and conferring with close kin and neighbors. Problems now are valued for the lessons they represent, rather than perceived as obstacles. You feel good, ready to accomplish anything set before you.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS 1. Former measure of the US economy.

4. A small cake leavened with yeast.

8. Someone who engages in arbitrage (who purchases securities in one market for immediate resale in another in the hope of profiting from the price differential).

11. Of or relating to a member of the Buddhist people inhabiting the Mekong river in Laos and Thailand.

12. A sudden very loud noise.

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

14. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

16. Alloy of copper and tin and zinc.

18. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

19. A logarithmic unit of sound intensity.

20. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

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

23. On a ship, train, plane or other vehicle.

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

28. A decree that prohibits something.

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

32. Modulation of the frequency of the (radio) carrier wave.

33. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

34. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

36. A unit of information equal to one million (1,048,576) bytes.

38. A large number or amount.

42. An informal term for a father.

46. A slender double-reed instrument.

47. Type genus of the family Myacidae.

48. An early form of modern jazz (originating around 1940).

49. A Loloish language.

50. An associate degree in applied science.

51. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

52. An official language of the Republic of South Africa.

DOWN 1. A compact mass.

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

3. A writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry).

4. Date used in reckoning dates before the supposed year Christ was born.

5. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

6. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

7. The month following March and preceding May. 8. A promontory in northern Morocco opposite the Rock of Gibraltar.

9. Measuring instrument in which the echo of a pulse of microwave radiation is used to detect and locate distant objects.

10. A special lineage.

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

17. Very dark black.

22. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

24. A pale rose-colored variety of the ruby spinel.

26. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

27. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material.

30. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

31. Sweetened milk or cream mixed with eggs and usually alcoholic liquor.

35. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

36. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material.

37. Common Indian weaverbird.

39. An outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down.

40. The capital and chief port of Qatar.

41. Fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm.

43. Any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes.

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

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

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Your personal charm impresses others. This can be a key to increased earnings and dynamic social success. Your enthusiasm is high and the creative juices are flowing, ready to be applied to your work. If you give your best effort now, considerable success will follow and you may unconsciously help a close friend through your efforts. Lovers, children and other people or things dear to your heart are emphasized now. Being appreciated and admired for your gifts and talents are powerful needs. Taking chances can bring big rewards. Do not hurry today—you could forget what your purpose was in the first place. Stress may play a part in the afternoon but you enjoy the activity that is around you now.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You may get the news you have been waiting for today. This could mean travel or the approval of some recent request. The positive news at the beginning of this day will keep you positive all day long. You have an opportunity to work in groups and may enjoy giving a lecture or guiding others with some new approach to a technical difficulty. You can usually communicate well when it has to do with something you are really knowledgeable about; the subject today is certainly in your field of expertise. You could be helpful in uncovering some new solutions or inventions. Someone close to you appreciates and loves you and with just a few hints, you could find yourself transported to a most wonderful place. This could mean a new book or a sweet.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Your feelings may be a bit emotional today. If you have dealt with your feelings in the past and understand your emotional nature, then today could bring valuable insights. All that passion could backfire—careful. It is important to gather all the pertinent facts before making decisions today. Be open to new concepts and methods. Gather information and see how everything fits together.

There are better financial prospects this year and you may find yourself in a lecture or library studying your options. You enjoy getting out meeting new people. This adventure to learn more about financial stability puts you in a great mood. This evening there are errands, calls, writing, reading, paper work or just staying in touch keeps you busy and informed.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) The planet of inspiration and creativity enters your professional sector now. Your attitude is that there must be something else out there for you to discover! You seem to have the motivation of two people today. You organize people so that they do their best and you are good at keeping up to date with new technology. Now is a good time to sign up for a class or teach a class within the field that you love the most. Trade shows, classes after work, or even in working to achieve a degree or update in your particular field of education is an option this year. A wonderful adventure is in the works and your friend/s and family work to clear their agenda so they stay close to you, as they do not want to take a chance on missing anything!

Libra (September 23-October 22) You push in the work place when it comes to competition—not politics, just some good old healthy competition.

There are rewards for your good works today. Also, a secret admirer will slip and allow them to be known to you. This could happen on a trip or in a classroom. You may notice that others appreciate you and may try to mirror the way you get things done so quickly. You will be dealing with all types of personalities today—you seem able to handle most any situation that comes your way. You have a way of communicating in friendly, helpful tones to all you come into contact with today. You appreciate your particular situation and enjoy support from those around you. Enjoy some relaxation time this evening.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Good luck may

increase your finances now but sensitivity may take the fun away. This is a time that holds plenty of opportunities for you to expand your financial and personal horizons—patience. With your patience being tested, you will make more progress than you think when you see the fruits of your labor. A friend in banking may help you now—if you need the help. New methods or new machines may take a bit of time to get used to this afternoon. Learn from a boss or mentor today. Take your time and study what is presented. You have valuable information to digest that will serve you well in the future. Don’t be too surprised when others come to you for answers regarding some new equipment or method of working.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You could be on the track of some new herb or fruit and you will enjoy growing sprouts in little pots on your desk. When they begin to sprout, you could trade out with the ones from home and eventually show them off at either place. Work projects may not move particularly fast just now.

This would be a good time to clear away the things from the back of your drawers or under the books, etc. The price of success may mean that you must have patience of others. Planning instead of giving into frustrations will work best. Try outlining the steps you need to take in an order that will show your work or views—a demonstration. Romance comes into full bloom this evening. Between now and the twenty-eighth, relationships will have new strengths.

Yesterday’s Solution

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Avoid

yester

Yesterday’s Solution

to

INTERNATIONAL CALLS Kuwait Qatar Abu Dhabi Dubai Raas Al Khayma Al-Shareqa Muscat Jordan Bahrain Riyadh Makkah - Jeddah Cairo Alexandria Beirut Damascus Allepo

00965 00974 009712 009714 009717 009716 00968 009626 00973 009661 009662 00202 00203 009611 0096311 0096321

Tunisia Rabat Washington New York Paris London Madrid Zurich Geneva Monaco Rome Bangkok Hong Kong Pakistan Taiwan Bonn

0021610 002127 001212 001718 00331 004471 00341 00411 004122 0033 00396 00662 00852 0092 00886 0049228

Word Sleuth Solution

disagreements in the work place. Any time the focus is wavering, the reason is usually emotional and this leads to negative thinking. You can change the focus to positive and you will help others in the process. You can see the heavy-duty discussions of today as a learning process but someone else may take it as contrariness. Your sense of humor will see you through anything today. Your mental impressions are strong. The turn around this afternoon is the chance to respond with quick decisions. You excel in positions where quick decisions are vital. Changes on the home front are discussed this afternoon and you are open to new ideas. You won’t be shopping for paint right away and you know that some choices will have opportunities to change.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) The people that speak with authority today may not be the ones you are used to working with but they have the same pull as past authority figures. You will work to eliminate any confusion in the work place. By quitting time this evening you will discover that you have a couple of new friends.

You encourage others to use their imagination and you encourage confidence—giving them incentive. Personal priorities become important this afternoon as you interest family and friends in some fun activity. Perhaps you will entertain friends in your own home or at least make plans for a springtime sort of party. You create opportunities to enjoy life and relax at home this evening. Sing a happy tune; this is a good day.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) If you are not working right now, you have many talents and avenues in which to earn money. If you are working now, you may decide that now is the time to reevaluate what you want to realistically be earning, against what you are earning now. You may be motivated to begin thinking toward a change. One of the most important issues for the next few weeks is an attitude of positive outcomes.

Problems or challenges are opportunities to excel beyond your average potential. Now is the time for you to form a plan. Your domestic life is on an even path and cooperation with others will maintain good relations. If you are not the main cook for the family, you may volunteer to be the cook tonight. After all, others may enjoy your culinary creativity.

INFORMATION

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

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25655535 Dentists:

Dr Anil Thomas

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25658888

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25329924

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Kuwait Airways Wataniya Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines

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00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689 00241 00220 00995 0049 00233 00350 0030 00299 001473 00590 001671 00502 00224 00592 00509 0031 00504 00852 0036 0034 00354 0091 00873 0062 0098 00964 00353 0039 00225 001876 0081 00962 007 00254 00686 00965 00996 00856 00371 00961 00231 00218 00370 00352 00853 00389

SPECTRUM

36

Scherzinger and Anderson to dance in ‘Dancing with the

Douglas has put career before family icole Scherzinger and Pamela Anderson have been confirmed in the lineup for the next ‘Dancing with the Stars’. The sexy singer and the former ‘Baywatch’ star will take part in the 10th season of the US reality show, in which they will be paired with a professional dancer who will teach them both Latin and ballroom dancers.

Other stars to take part include astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ actress Shannen Doherty, motherof-eight Kate Gosselin and figure skater Evan Lysacek. ‘All My Children’ actor Aiden Turner, comedienne Niecy Nash, sports newsreader Erin Andrews, ‘Bachelor’ star Jake Pavelka and American footballer Chad Ochocinco. All 11 couples will dance on the first episode, which airs on the US later this month, performing either the Viennese Waltz or the Chacha-cha. During week two, the pairs will dance their second routines in another two-hour show and the dance duo with the lowest score - based on a combination of the judges’ scores and the public vote - will be eliminated. Last year, the series was won by Donny Osmond.

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Lohan says rehab was like a ‘vacation’ T

they’ve been experiencing. I met some great people. “It was a nice time to shut everyone off for a while because there was so much noise. It was a positive experience.” The 23year-old star - who shot to fame aged 10 when she appeared in ‘The Parent Trap’ - has also revealed she is working on her autobiography. She said: “I write a lot and it’s very therapeutic for me because then I can see what’s happening on paper. “I’ve started writing a book. It’s going to take a while, all my life experiences.

I started writing it a year ago.

There’s a lot to put down.”

he troubled actress - who has twice been arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) - admits she only undertook addiction treatment on a couple of occasions because it stopped her from receiving a jail sentence. She confessed in an interview with Britain’s OK! magazine: “The second two times I went to rehab, to be honest with you, I had to go because it was a court thing. It was an obligation. I had to do it to stay out of getting any jail time. And I took responsibility for that. “It was like a vacation. I love meeting new people and seeing what

Williams to quit smoking obbie Williams is giving up smoking to please his fiancee. The ‘Angels’ singer has already cut his habit from 60 cigarettes to ten a day as he is keen to get healthier in order to start a family with actress Ayda Field. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Ayda is very keen to start a family and knows the damage tobacco can do to sperm. “It’s hard for Robbie to say no to the woman he loves at the best of times. But it’s even harder when, far from nagging him about smoking, she gives practical support and offers to be there for him when he’s finding it tough. “He has promised Ayda he will crack it. Now it’s just a matter of when he’s ready.” Ayda has banned Robbie from smoking cigarettes inside their Los Angeles mansion in a bid to make him reduce his habit even more. The 30-year-old actress has also hired a personal trainer to help the 36-year-old pop star get in top shape before their wedding. A source said: “Robbie is training hard. He is enjoying it and wants to do Ayda proud. She’s putting pressure on him to shape up and set a wedding date.” Robbie recently admitted Ayda has been working hard to convince him to start a family. Speaking about the possibility of having a baby, Robbie said: “I’m feeling good things. She keeps going on about it and really, really wants one - and I’m coming around to the idea. But it’s slowly, slowly catchy monkey.”

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Leona Lewis designed her own tattoo he ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ recently got an etching on her back in tribute to her love of horses and she wrote the words for it herself. Leona - who has another tattoo on the inside of her left wrist which is an Arabic message about love - said: “I got another one that goes halfway down my back recently. “It’s a poem - about horses.

The last bit is a quote but I made up the rest. Their beauty captures every eye/ A gift from

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

God for all mankind/ They lend us wings so we may fly/ To ride a horse is to ride the sky.”

Although the 24-year-old pop star is delighted with new inking, her boyfriend Lou Al Chamaa was less impressed by the lengthy tattoo. Asked how Lou reacted when he saw it, she replied: “He was a bit annoyed at first. He was like, ‘It’s permanent!’ But he likes the message, everyone does.”

Leona thinks many people are surprised by her tattoos

because they wrongly believe she is a shy person. The ‘I Got You’ singer - who won the 2006 series of Simon Cowell’s UK TV talent show ‘The X Factor’ - added to Grazia magazine: “I’m actually not shy, I’m very outgoing, very talkative. I’m not a walkover. “You’ve got to be tough in this business to get on. I am a very ambitious person, always been hard working and driven. You have to have that in you to go through a process like ‘The X Factor’.”

ichael Douglas admits he could have been a better father to his son Cameron.

The actor - whose son is facing a possible ten years in jail after pleading guilty in January to possession and dealing methamphetamine and cocaine from a Manhattan hotel last July - believes he used to be a selfish parent. Michael, whose father is screen legend Kirk Douglas, said: “My priorities were very similar to my father’s. Career first.” The Hollywood star - who went to rehab for alcohol problems in the early 90s - admits seeing his son fight an addiction is one of the hardest things he has ever had to deal with. Speaking to Vanity Fair magazine, Michael - who has two other children, Dylan, nine, and six-year-old Carys, with his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones - said: “The history of second-generation actors isn’t great in our

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Knowles a babysitter to nephew eyonce Knowles is a babysitter to her sister Solange’s son. Solange often lets her pop superstar sibling look after five-year-old son Daniel - her child with ex-husband Daniel Smith - because she’s so good with him. She said: “Beyonce’s very hands-on. I’ve had two weekends where I’ve been able to hand him over, and it’s been very nerve-racking for me, but she does a great job.”

Singer Solange also revealed Beyonce and her husband JayZ love spoiling Daniel when he stays with them. She told America’s OK! magazine: “They actually request him more than I’m willing to give him. But the bedtimes we got to work on.

Sometimes I’ll call expecting him to be asleep, but he’s still up!” The ‘Halo’ singer who married rapper Jay-Z in a secret ceremony in 2008 - has always been very reluctant to speak about their home life, but Solange says they are a perfect match and Jay-Z makes a “very good uncle” as well as one that is “pretty cool”. —Bang Showbiz

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industry. It’s kind of a tragic road, actually.

Anybody who has a relative or child in substance abuse has some idea of what this feels like. “This is one of those worst-case scenarios. It will ultimately be a painful lesson and very expensive as far as time is concerned. I don’t wish it on anybody, but then, you know, everybody’s got difficult things in life.” Cameron, 31, recently appeared at Manhattan Federal Court to ask to be placed under house arrest and receive outpatient addiction treatment, but had his request turned down. Judge Richard Berman told the court he didn’t think Cameron could be trusted to stay off heroin while on house arrest. He said: “His living at home is unlikely to prove a powerful deterrent to relapse.”

Cameron - whose mother is Michael’s ex-wife Diandra Luker - will be sentenced on April 27.

SPECTRUM

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

37

Music & Movies Lil Wayne prepares for jail term ap star Lil Wayne has left fans and fellow artists with a video blitz as he braces for as much as a year behind bars at the height of his career. The rapper was expected to begin his New York City jail term yesterday after pleading guilty in October in a 2007 gun case.

“He’s been approaching this as professionally as he does everything else,” his lawyer, Stacey Richman, said Monday.

The multiplatinum-selling rapper, one of the genre’s biggest names in recent years, certainly has been preparing for a professional absence. He said in a video clip sent Monday to MTV News that he shot footage for seven music videos with various artists in one night this weekend.

Lil Wayne, 27, pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He admitted having a loaded gun on his tour bus when it was stopped in Manhattan in July 2007. His plea deal calls for him to serve his sentence in city jails, rather than state prison.

Officials have declined to discuss where he’ll be held among the roughly 13,000 inmates in the city’s jails.

Lil Wayne was initially due to be sentenced and start his term last month, but the date was pushed back so he could have surgery on his gemencrusted teeth. With good behavior, he could end up spending only about eight months behind bars.

Born Dwayne Carter, he has been a rapper since his teens and one of the genre’s most prolific, ubiquitous and profitable figures in recent years. His “Tha Carter III” was the best-selling album of 2008. His latest album, “Rebirth,” was released this month. — AP

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Hollywood film tackles Taiwan’s martial law era In this undated image provided by the public relations company Ginsberg and Libby, American actor James Van Der Beek playing FBI agent Jake Kelly, center, takes part in an anti-government protest in 1980s in Taiwan in a scene from ‘Formosa Betrayed,’ filmed in Bangkok, Thailand. —AP

hen China and Taiwan split in 1949, the mainland’s communist rulers were demonized by the West and their defeated opponents on the island touted as guardians of freedom. The Nationalists were anything but.

Chiang Kai-shek ruled the leafshaped territory with a heavy hand.

On the pretext of containing communism, he jailed and tortured activists, censored newspapers and books and restricted the use of the local Taiwanese dialect. Now a Taiwanese-American filmmaker is using Hollywood storytelling to bring this dark period of the island’s history to a broader audience.

“Formosa Betrayed,” released in the US over the weekend, is partly based on actual events. It follows an FBI agent who travels to the island to help investigate the killing of a

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Taiwanese economics professor outside Chicago. The lead role is played

by James Van Der Beek, an American actor best known for playing the title character in the hit teen TV drama “Dawson’s Creek.” The producer and writer is Will Tiao, a former US congressional aide and trade official who moved into acting.

He said he was inspired by his own family history: His father, a professor at Kansas State University, was blacklisted and spied on by fellow Taiwanese studying in the US who were hired by the Taiwanese government to monitor the politics of their peers. In “Formosa Betrayed” — Portuguese seafarers dubbed Taiwan “Ilha Formosa,” or “Beautiful Isle” when they passed the island in 1542 — Tiao and director Adam Kane offer a stark look at authoritarian

Nationalist rule in the 1980s. Tiao has a supporting role as a Taiwanese activist who is tortured by blowtorch during an interrogation and whose wife and young daughter are killed.

Military police in khaki uniforms and white helmets are everywhere.

They drop by a restaurant and arrest a customer, seemingly at random, after labeling him a communist spy.

They fire into a peaceful protest organized by anti-government activists. The main plot is the murder of the dissident Taiwanese economics professor on US soil-a story reminiscent of actual events. In 1984, two Taiwanese gangsters acting on the orders of a military intelligence official gunned down Taiwanese-American journalist Henry Liu in the garage of his suburban San Francisco home after he published a critical biography of

Chiang’s son, Chiang Ching-kuo. In the movie, Taiwanese officials track down two gunmen behind the economics professor’s murder and kill them before they can talk.

In real life, Taiwanese courts sentenced Liu’s two murderers and the military intelligence official to life terms in 1985 — but all three were freed on parole in 1991. The Taiwanese government said the intelligence official acted on his own, but it paid Liu’s widow $1.5 million in 1990 as part of an out-ofcourt settlement. Van Der Beek said he was shocked when he read the script. Ignorant of Taiwanese history, he prepared for his role by meeting with Taiwanese-Americans who were harassed by spies.

“When you have people thanking you for doing this movie with tears in their eyes, the sense of responsi-

bility becomes that much more immediate. I hope they’re happy with it. We did it for them,” he said.

Taiwan is now a democracy. The Nationalists ended martial law in 1987, launched democratic reforms and apologized for the atrocities they committed. The formerly outlawed opposition ruled from 2000 to 2008, before the Nationalists returned to power.

But the island’s authoritarian past is still a topic sensitive enough that Tiao chose not to shoot on location, opting instead for the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. That also made it easier to replicate Taiwan’s rustic look of the 1980s, something that would have been difficult in the highly developed island today.

The filmmakers sought funding from the Taiwanese government to make “Formosa Betrayed” but

failed. Producer Echo Lin said they applied for $4 million from the thenopposition-run government in October 2007. She said the proposal passed an initial round of screening by the government, but the filmmakers never heard back after the Nationalists won the presidential election in March 2008.

Taiwan’s government disputes this. York Liao, the chief secretary of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, said the filmmakers withdrew their application for funding before the change of power. Tiao said he raised most of his $8 million dollar budget from small investors in the U.S., Taiwan and Canada. The filmmakers are still keen to show the movie in Taiwan, and Lin said several local distributors have expressed interest. —AP

Award-winning filmmaker Panahi arrested in Tehran raid ward-winning Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, a vocal backer of the opposition movement, was arrested along with his family and guests during a raid on his home, his son and Tehran’s prosecutor said yesterday.

“About 10 on Monday evening, several plainclothes agents broke into the house,” Panah Panahi told Rahesabz opposition website. Panahi, his wife and daughter as well as 15 guests were arrested and taken

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to an unknown location, the son said, adding that the security agents had searched the Tehran house and confiscated personal belongings and computers.

Tehran’s prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi confirmed Panahi’s arrest, saying it came af ter an order issued by a judge. “The arrest of Jafar Panahi is not because he is an artist or for political reason,” Dolatabadi told ISNA news agency. “He is accused of

some crimes and was arrested with another person following an order by a judge.” An arthouse favorite, Panahi, 49, is known for his gritty sociallycritical movies such as the “Circle”, winner of the 2000 Venice Golden Lion award, “Crimson Gold” and “Offside”, which bagged the 2006 Silver Bear at the Berlin film festival.

He was briefly detained in summer with his family after attending a memorial at Tehran cemetery for slain protester

Oscar: Hollywoodʼs golden mystery man he golden guy known to the world as the Oscar, the real star of Sunday’s Academy Awards, has become a Hollywood icon over the past 82 years, but the origin of his name has been lost in time. The venerable statuette, officially named the Academy Award of Merit, is the

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An Oscar statue is seen in front of the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California on March 1, 2010. —AFP child of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which was created in 1927 as a small industry body to promote films.

Initially made up of 36 members with actor Douglas Fairbanks as its first president, the newly founded body created the golden trophy to honor performances by the industry’s leading actors, actresses and directors.

An art director from Metro-GoldwynMayer studios, Cedric Gibbons, was selected to design the statuette-the figure of a knight standing on a reel of film, his hands gripping a sword. From these humble beginnings was born an award that would become a global symbol of excellence. The first Academy Awards were held on May 16, 1929 at Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel. They consisted of a simple dinner banquet attended by around 270 guests. Fairbanks handed out the 15 statuettes in just 15 minutes.

Ironically, the birthplace of the Oscars is just a short stroll from the Kodak Theatre, where more than 3,300 stars and Hollywood power brokers will gather for Sunday’s 82nd annual awards ceremony. Around 50 Oscars will be handed out during the glittering three-hour show, which over the years has expanded into a global spectacle with a redcarpet arrivals line that has become the world’s most glamorous fashion show. Since the first awards ceremony, around 2,500 of the trophies have been handed out in an awards ceremony that has become bigger, glitzier and more glamorous over the years, with the exception of wartime shows.

The early editions of the statues were bronze, but during the World War II metals shortage, the trophies were made of plaster.

Those were later redeemed for the now gold-plated ones. The trophy, standing 34 centimeters (13.5 inches) tall and weighing 3.85 kilos (8.5 pounds), wasn’t always called an Oscar, but his form has not changed since his birth, except when his pedestal was raised 1945. But the origin of the statuette’s nickname is unclear. One legend has it that Academy librarian and eventual executive director Margaret Herrick thought it resembled her uncle Oscar and said so. Her staff began referring to it as Oscar.

Oscar-winner Bette Davis claimed she thought of the name because the nude statuette had a rear end that reminded her of the derriere of her husband Harmon Oscar Nelson. —AFP

File picture dated Feberuary 18, 2006 shows Iranian director Jafar Panahi posing with his ‘Jury Grand Prix’ silver bear for his movie ‘Offside’ at the 56th Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin. —AFP

Neda Agha Soltan and banned from leaving the country in February to attend the Berlin film festival. Many Iranian artists, facing tough censorship under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, backed his rival Mir Hossein Mousavi in the June election, which the opposition charged was rigged to keep the hardliner in power.

Panahi’s travel ban came af ter he appeared wearing green and openly backing the anti-government opposition at

the Montreal film festival, where he was on the jur y.

Despite his international success, most of Panahi’s films have been banned from Iranian theatres reportedly for portraying a dark picture of Iranian society. He has not made any features since “Offside,” which challenged Iran’s ban on woman spectators at football games by sending a group of young women disguised as men to the stadium. —AFP

Drug tests pending Hello again to Jay Leno, in Marie Osmond back as ʻTonightʼ host son’s LA death oxicology tests will determine whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the death of singer Marie Osmond’s 18-year-old son, who police said jumped to his death from a downtown apartment building, a coroner’s official said Monday. Michael Blosil left a suicide note before he leaped from the eighth floor of the building on Friday night, said police Lt Paul Vernon. Vernon said he did not have details of the note. “It was fairly obvious this appeared to be a suicide, based upon witness statements,” he said. Coroner’s officials were investigating the case as a suicide, but an autopsy conducted Sunday did not officially determine the cause of death pending the results of toxicology tests, which could take up to two months, said Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter.

“He fell to his death from a balcony, eight stories,” Winter said, but officials “just want to make sure that he wasn’t drunk or something and walked out of his balcony and fell.” “Is it an accident or is it a suicide?”

Winter asked. “We just want to make sure that there’s nothing that we missed.” Blosil was a first-year student of apparel manufacturing at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, said college spokeswoman Shirley Wilson. A floral memorial was placed in the school’s rotunda in his honor. Blosil and other students

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lived at the Metropolitan apartments on Flower Street, Wilson said. The complex, known as “The Met,” has a 24-hour doorman and a balcony for every apartment, along with a spa, pool and other luxuries.

Details of Blosil’s death were not immediately released, but Vernon said there was no indication that he had been

Entertainer Marie Osmond speaks at a North Little Rock, Ark, Sam’s Club store in this April 27, 2005 file photo. —AP attending a party or other event where he might have been drinking. There have been conflicting reports about whether Blosil may have struggled with depression. Vernon said he did not have any information.

Osmond revealed in 2007 that her son had entered rehab but didn’t say specifically what he was being treated for. —AP

ay Leno started Monday’s show by spoofing the end of “The Wizard of Oz,” where Dorothy awakens to find all those crazy goings-on were only a dream. Jay, seen in sepia tones in what was meant to be a Kansas farmhouse, said, “I went away to the strangest place.

It was wonderful, but some of it wasn’t so nice.”

In fact, Leno had gone away from the nation’s TV screens for less than a month when he returned Monday night to his old haunts in late night.

“It’s good to be home,” he told his audience as he began his first “Tonight Show” monologue since last spring. “I’m Jay Leno, your host. At least, for a while.” Leno was reclaiming his old job at NBC’s “Tonight Show” just nine months after giving it up to Conan O’Brien, and only 19 days after NBC pulled the plug on Leno’s own prime-time misadventure.

“We were off for the last couple of weeks,” Leno cracked during his monologue. “Kind of like the Russians at the Olympics. What happened to them?” Leno noted that one of his guests was an American gold medalist, skier Lindsey Vonn.

“Did you see her?” Leno marveled. “When it comes to going downhill, nobody is faster. OK, except NBC.” As he zinged his own network, along with former Vice President Dick Cheney, Toyota and Tiger Woods, Leno signaled the resumption of the late-night war between him and his longtime CBS foe David Letterman, who had gained the ratings upper hand during O’Brien’s brief, unhappy stay as “Tonight Show” host. Leno’s other welcome-back guests included Jamie Foxx and singer-songwriter Brad Paisley.

And in a pre-taped piece, Leno knocked on front doors asking unwitting residents if he could come in and try out their desks (he had notably eschewed any desk for “The Jay Leno Show”).

Then, back in the studio, he unveiled his own stylish new desk.

NBC is praying that he will comfortably settle back behind it on the “Tonight Show,” where he ruled late night (and beat Letterman) for much of 17 years. But already handicappers were weighing whether Leno can recapture his momentum after leaving last May in favor of O’Brien, then stumbling badly in his weeknight prime-time hour. So were viewers. Dorothy Elayan, 50, of

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Louisville, Kentucky, and her daughter, Jena, 19, who were visiting Southern California, were waiting to enter the NBC studio in Burbank for Monday’s taping. Both said they preferred Leno over O’Brien. “I didn’t like Conan. I didn’t like his sense of humor,” Jena Elayan said. “I watched ‘The Tonight Show’ when it was Jay Leno.” Her

Jay Leno mother said she had remained a fan of Leno in prime time.

“I would like him earlier because I go to bed earlier. I was that one little person still watching,” she said, referring to his disappointing prime-time ratings. Also in line was Natalie Hanks, 19, of San Clemente, California, who said she found O’Brien funnier than Leno but added, “I wish there was room for both.” She said Leno might face resistance from O’Brien’s fans. “I’ve seen a lot of people on Facebook rallying around Conan. I think younger people” will boycott “Tonight” with Leno, Hanks said.—AP

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Fashion

Female bikers make a fashion statement

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omen bikers want to have it both ways.

They want to look like bikers-but more than that, they want to look like women. Even-or perhaps especially-if it means pink chaps and orange bandanas.

“Everything has evolved away from black,” said Christy Koethe, an avid motorcyclist from Cottage Grove, Minn. “The girls want a lot more colors. It’s all over the color spectrum: whites, blues, pinks, greens, purples. We can even buy pink leather if we like.”

That has helped make motorcycle shops a lot more vibrant visually, with splashy head-to-toe apparel and even the bikes themselves in brighter hues. Women make about 12 percent of US motorcycle purchases, according to JD Power & Associates, but only in the past decade have they had attire geared for them. Before that, Koethe said, “we ended up wearing men’s clothes because that’s all we could find.”

Now gatherings such as lasat weekend’s International Motorcycle Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center even feature fashion shows.

“For years, women were dressed basically in a husband’s or boyfriend’s boxy gear, which didn’t fit their shape. By 2000, women had tired of wearing the men’s stuff,” said Brenda Trumbo, product specialist for the California-based Icon apparel line, which will be part of the fashion show here. “For women, we go for matching outfits, with the helmet to match the jacket to match the chaps to match the boots. We have hot pink chaps with a helmet and jacket to match.

“Red has made a comeback, but pink continues to dominate, and I don’t think it will go away.”

Barb Himelfarb dons trendy biking attire, January 28, 2010, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. — MCT There’s another kind of “match game” in play, said Jim Kaempfer, owner of Afton (Minn.) Leather shop (formerly Leather and Lace). “Women like to match the outfit to the colors on the bike, so you see a lot of reds and oranges,” he said. Indeed, Koethe’s headgear is “metallic ruby like my bike. But I see a lot of girls wear bandanas with rhinestones, especially with long hair. You do the do-rags because your hair would be a complete mess.

“And we all love our boots. You see a lot of tall heels, the taller the better. The toe jewelry, the buckles, we see a lot of that, the more buckles the better. You see chaps with fringe and beads on ‘em.”

Are they worried about looking a little too, well, girly? “No, not with all the ribbons and fringe and other froufrou stuff available,” Koethe said, adding that most of the women in her riding circle go the froufrou route. “I would say probably at least 50 per-

cent, because you have a lot of women who are heavier-set and they tend not to wear the deep V’s and the backless tops.”

Kaempfer-whose store sits along Minnesota’s busiest motorcycling road, Hwy. 95 — added that many riders are gravitating toward an alternative to the tried-and-true leather jacket. A nylon-based material called Cordura, he said, is “tougher than nails and a lot lighter than leather.” Many women

still often opt for leather, of course. Koethe, who said she “climbed on my daddy’s Harley as a small child,” admitted that “it’s interesting what leather will do to a female, and to people’s perceptions.”

Still, unlike their male counterparts, these women want to look not only good but distinctive.

“We believe all bikers want to look good,” said Kaempfer. “They want to be classy-looking, but they don’t want to look alike.”— MCT

Models display creations as part of John Richmond Fall-Winter 2010-2011 ready-towear collection during the Women’s fashion week in Milan.

—AFP

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SPECTRUM

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Fashion Models display creations as part of Salvatore Ferragamo FallWinter 2010-2011 ready-to-wear collection during the Women’s fashion week in Milan. — AFP

Blunt’s corset ‘hell’ E

Nicola Roberts doesn’t have time for a fashion line he Girls Aloud singer - who is well known for her love of clothes and is a regular on the front row of catwalk shows - says her make-up range takes up too much time for her to become a designer.

She said: “There’s talk that I’m reinventing myself as a fashion designer but I’m too busy with my make-up to do anything else at the moment.” The flame-haired beauty also defended her small figure, claiming it is completely natural.

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mily Blunt admits it was “hell” wearing corsets when playing Queen Victoria. The actress took on the role of the monarch in ‘The Young Victoria’ and says the restrictive outfits she was made to wear by costumer Sandy Powell often left her unable to breathe.

She said: “It was hell. When you’re playing a character like Queen Victoria it helps to have a visionary like Sandy Powell.

“She corset-ed me within an inch of my life. Thank God I did learn to work the corset.

She said, ‘The shape needs to be right.’ I said, ‘Well I can’t breathe, Sandy.’ And she said, ‘I

She told Closer magazine: “I’m a size six and I’m not ashamed of that - I have a naturally small frame and it’s the way I’ve always been. I’ve not been starving myself or exercising every day. “It’s irresponsible for people to obsess over it because I don’t want girls to feel they have to be the same shape.” Nicola also admits to being no fan of exercise, adding: “I’ve never been a gym bunny. Walking the dogs is my only exercise - that’s enough for me.”— Bang Showbiz

Osbourne’s cosmetic 0 surgery problem

elly Osbourne can’t have cosmetic surgery because of her addiction problems. The presenter - who has been in rehab three times, most recently to seek help for a dependency on prescription drugs - has blasted speculation she has undergone some appearance-changing procedures, insisting she only looks different because of her dramatic weight loss. She said: “I’m so angry there are rumors going around that I’ve had fillers

in my lips, or liposuction on my legs. Someone even said I’ve had a gastric bypass! I have 100 per cent not had any of that. I’ve lost weight from my face, and that’s why it looks different. “ I can say with confidence that the only time I’ve been in a plastic surgeon’s office was with my mum, and though I wouldn’t rule it out when I’m older, right now I couldn’t even do it if I wanted because of my past addictions - I couldn’t take the

don’t care.’

“But it worked. It transported me to a whole other place so I have to be grateful, I think.”

The ‘Devil Wears Prada’ star recently revealed she is proud of her curvy figure and hates being airbrushed for magazine shoots.

She said: “I hate when your legs are three times the length they actually are. It’s unfair to represent an image of yourself if it’s not true. “They’re going to see what you look like on film anyway, so why try to cover all your wobbly bits in a photo.”— Bang Showbiz

medication they put you on.” Kelly - whose parents are Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne - is particularly annoyed by the rumors because she put so much time and effort into losing weight. She added in her column for Closer magazine: “The rumors are ridiculous. They send out the wrong message because I’ve shaped up working hard for months it wasn’t a quick fix!”

— Bang Showbiz

www.kuwaittimes.net

Critics laud art from Africa’s ancient Ife Kingdom show about the kingdom of Ife, which flourished in what is now Nigeria from the 12th to 15th centuries, underlines why sculptures found last century forced the West to revise its attitudes towards African art. Long perceived as primitive, the status of the region’s culture soared with the discovery in the early 20th century of bronze, copper and terracotta figures which captured the beauty, savagery and pain of Ife society with accuracy and grace. A 1948 article in the Illustrated London News reproduced by the exhibition was headlined: “African art worthy to rank with the finest works of Italy and Greece” and “Donatellos of medieval Africa”.

And critics reviewing the British Museum’s “Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures from West Africa” have said similar things more than 60 years later. “The faces that gaze coolly past you from these cases are challenging and formidable in their beauty,” wrote the Guardian’s Jonathan Jones in a five-out-of-five star review.

“And they are disturbing to anyone who has any lingering belief in the uniqueness of European art. “Sculptors in Ife imitated the human face as accurately and sensitively as any Greek, and matched the Greek feeling for harmony, balance and proportion.” The Telegraph’s Richard Dorment calls the sculptures’ quality “flabbergasting” and the exhibition “astounding”.

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Atlantis discovered?

So surprised were early Western explorers of Ife with the art they found there that they refused to believe it was African at all. Germany’s Leo Frobenius, who travelled to Ife in 1910, suspected he had found traces of the lost city of Atlantis and identified the local sea goddess Olokun with Greek god Poseidon.

“Ife opened a new kind of perspective to what was then seen as African,” said curator Hassan Arero. “By 1910 the tables were turned completely when Ife came on to the scene.” The 100 or so works on display from March 4 to June 6 are almost all from Africa, unlike the Benin Bronzes, many of which were controversially taken out of Africa and ended up in the British Museum’s permanent collection.

Ife was an important regional trading centre still regarded today as the spiritual heartland of the Yoruba people living in Nigeria, Benin and their descendants around the world. It flourished as a cosmopolitan citystate, was home to sacred groves in the surrounding forests and was importing copper and brass which its artisans cast using a wax process. It declined in importance from the 14th and 15th centuries onwards, and although the exact cause is unknown, historians suspect that it was bypassed by alternative trade routes.

Many of the serene faces feature fine, meticulouslyrendered lines running down them, as well as headdresses and jewelry befitting royalty.

But among the kings and queens are slaves and victims of sacrifice and execution, gagged and eyes bulging possibly at the realization of their fate. Disease is also portrayed in graphic detail, as in a sculpture of a man with elephantiasis of the testicles which may have been made to appeal to the gods for a cure.—Reuters

An exhibit from Kingdom of Ife at the British Museum. —Telegraph.co.uk

In Poland, Chopin’s music defines a nation sarist Russia berated it as subversive, Nazi Germany banned it outright and to this day, for Poles, the cascading notes of Frederic Chopin still symbolize their country’s long struggle for independence.

After hearing Chopin’s quintessentially Polish “Mazurkas” and his “Revolutionary Etude”, Robert Schuman, a German and like Chopin a renowned 19th-century composer, understood, describing the music of his Franco-Polish contemporary as “cannons hidden among blossoms”.

Chopin wrote the powerful and turbulent “Revolutionary Etude” as an expat in his father’s native France, where he landed after an 1830-31 uprising of Polish insurgents against the 1795 partition of Poland by Russia, Prussia and Austria.

Having refused to take a Russian passport, Chopin was never able to set foot on his and his mother’s native soil again after the doomed insurrection. Schuman showed ironic foresight when he said of Tsar Nicholas I, if “this powerful and autocratic monarch of the north knew

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the danger of the enemy he has in the works of Chopin (...) he would ban his music.”

As indeed, after the 19th-century partition of Poland the tsar censured public performances of Chopin’s music as dangerous.

In 1863, Russian troops even destroyed the piano Chopin had played as a child prodigy in Warsaw, throwing it out the second storey of a building in symbolic revenge for a failed assassination attempt against the Russian governor of Poland. No one before nor anyone since Chopin “has been able to create a sonic universe from the melodies and rhythms surrounding Poles,” said Stainslaw Leszczynski, deputy director of Poland’s Chopin Institute in Warsaw.

“He delved into folklore and created music that has become folklore.” Chopin’s music “is intuitively Polish, even if this in itself is difficult to define,” Leszczynski told AFP. Later on, the Nazis too perceived the power of this native whose music they banned during their brutal World War II occupation of Poland. So potent was the

The Ostrogski Palace in Warsaw on February 28, 2010 where a museum dedicated to composer Frederic Chopin to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth. —AFP perceived threat of his expressive compositions that the Nazis even blew up a monumental statue of the composer in Warsaw’s sprawling Royal Lazieki park.

“The Germans wanted to destroy Poland’s national her-

itage, and this included Chopin’s music which stirred patriotic sentiments,” Leszczynski said.

In 1958, the statue was rebuilt and returned to the park. Chopin concerts are still played there every Sunday

from April through to September in what has become a weekend ritual for many residents of the capital.

“His music is timeless, always beautiful, very moving, very Polish,” Monika Hama, a 42year-old elementary school

vice principal told AFP as she listened to the vibrant notes of Chopin’s “Minute Waltz”. It played from one of several musical benches set up along central Warsaw areas Chopin once frequented, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Records point to either February 22 or March 1 as Chopin’s birth date, and more than 250 musicians and singers performed for seven days and nights over the last week in a marathon tribute in the Polish capital.

The Warsaw Philharmonic also held daily concerts during the week, as part of year-long events in Poland, and abroad, to mark the composer’s bicentennial. “It’s the quintessence of Polish romanticism, overflowing with all sorts of emotions-sadness, joy, love or profound weariness,” Hama said.

Even Polish children recognize the composer. “I like Chopin’s music because it’s a little bit sad and a little bit happy,” said eight-year-old Jas Adamczyk. He wasn’t sure when he first heard the composer but thinks “he’s cool” and could identify the inimitable notes of Chopin’s Opus 53, known as the “Heroic Polonaise”, emerging from

another bench.

“It’s sad, melancholy.

Poland’s history was very turbulent and Poles experienced so much suffering and misfortune,” said Michal, 24, an art student who gave only his first name. “Chopin also suffered personally from serious illness and the turbulence surrounding Poland at the time. I think this is why he wrote such beautiful, profound music,” he added. Born in Zelazowa Wola near Warsaw in 1810, Chopin died in exile in Paris in 1849 of what was then diagnosed as tuberculosis, but which some experts now believe may have been cystic fibrosis.

His body is buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, but his heart was sent back home. It lies inside a crystal urn filled with alcohol in Warsaw’s sprawling and ornate baroque Church of the Holy Cross. It was brought back from Paris in 1849 — as Chopin wished-by his elder sister Ludwika. A commemorative plaque at the site is inscribed with a Biblical passage from the Gospel of Matthew: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” —AFP

French medieval statues march in New York n a sense, they’ve spent the last five centuries walking, but 37 statues from a French nobleman’s tomb are debuting on their biggest journey yet with an exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 15th century alabaster statues-considered treasures of Medieval Europe-have never before left the city of Dijon, where they

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In a handout picture released by Megistella Four young South Koreans who will alternate in the title role of ‘Billy Elliot: the musical’ pose during a promotion in Seoul yesterday. —AFP

‘Billy Elliot’ to debut in South Korea hit musical set in a gritty mining village in northeast England is coming to South Korea for its first foreign-language production, promoters said yesterday.

“Billy Elliot”, the story of a miner’s son who overcomes prejudice and hardships to become a professional ballet dancer, will be staged in South Korea starting in August. Following productions in Britain, Australia and the United States, the Korean promoters began auditions one year ago and had more than 800 applicants. Eventually they selected four young Koreans to alternate in the role of Billy.

Kim Se-Yong, 13, said he wants his portrayal to be better than his Australian or British counterparts.

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Producer Moon Mi-Ho said the Korean version would be the same as elsewhere except for the show’s Geordie slang and strong language, which would be paraphrased. “Billy Elliot” is set in County Durham at the time of Britain’s 1984/85 miners’ strike, when pickets clashed violently with police. “A coal town in northern Britain as the background may seem distant for Koreans, but Korea had similar coal towns a few decades ago,” said Moon.

“Considering the similar history, I think audiences will easily identify with the show.”

The 2000 movie was nominated for an Oscar.

The musical produced in 2005 has attracted a total international audience of 4.2 million at more than 2,000 performances.—AFP

Women hit men with whips made of cloth, torn apart from men’s clothing on the occasion of Holi, the Hindu festival of colors at the Dauji Temple in Dauji, 180 kilometers (113 miles) south of New Delhi, India, yesterday. —AP

‘Mourners from the Tomb of Duke John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria’, alabaster sculptures. —AFP photos

In this photo taken Feb 22, 2010, architect, Robert Madison discusses the new library and archives, in Cleveland. —AP march perpetually around the base of the tomb of John the Fearless and his wife Margaret of Bavaria.

Now they can be seen walking two-by-two down a plain catwalk in the heart of the Met in the exhibition The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy.

Carved over a 25-year-period by sculptors Jean de la Huerta and Antoine le Moiturier, each statue represents a mourner-mostly ecclesiastical figures such as a bishop, a choirboy and rows of monks from the Carthusian order. In their normal setting in Dijon they are only partially seen as they blend in between miniature Gothic arches lacing the base of the wealthy and powerful couple’s black marble

tomb. The open display at New York’s Met has allowed them to loosen up, emerging as individuals with sometimes surprising results.

Far from being pompous advertisements for the deceased couple’s religious devoutness and social standing, the monks and priests of the procession exude individuality, humanity and a cheeky strain of rebellion. The higherranking clerics at the front maintain serious faces and hold books.

Many are clearly struck with emotion.

Several dab at their eyes with their robes.

Others have pulled their huge cowls far over their heads, obscuring their faces. But as the procession continues, the mood becomes more uneven. One monk pulls at his apparently over-tight belt. Another blows his nose.

One pulls back his cowl to see better. “It’s the first time I’ve seen them like this. Before I never saw their backs,” said Francois Rebsamen, mayor of Dijon, who helped host a preview of the exhibition. —AFP