RI PT IO N BS C SU THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF
40 PAGES
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2010
MOHARRAM 21, 1431 AH
Aamir Khan’s ‘3 Idiots’ becomes Bollywood’s biggest grosser
Mother of ‘Jordan bomber’ says he was no extremist
Hamas in quest of reconciliation among Palestinian factions
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in the news MoI enforces visa ban KUWAIT: The assistant undersecretary of the interior ministry for citizenship and passport affairs, Maj Gen Abdul Hameed AlAwadhi has put a ban on issuing visas for domestic laborers younger than 20 and older than 50, except in special circumstances, reported Al-Rai. The decision stated that some immigration departments had been issuing visas for domestic laborers from the banned age categories, which caused the ministry a great deal of embarrassment with the embassies of the concerned countries.
Agility hearing on Jan 8 KUWAIT: Kuwaiti logistics firm Agility said yesterday a court hearing for its US fraud case has been scheduled for tomorrow. In November, a US grand jury indicted Agility on charges of fraud and conspiracy alleging it overcharged the US Army on $8.5 billion worth of contracts to provide food to soldiers in Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan. Agility, which supplies food to US soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait, said it had been temporarily suspended, but not debarred, from new US government contracts pending the outcome of the grand jury indictment.
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By B Izzak
Iran diplomat quits
KUWAIT: MP Musallam Al-Barrak is all smiles during an Assembly session yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat (See Page 2)
KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday passed a historic law that requires the government to forgive close to two billion dinars of interest on debts of Kuwaiti citizens and reschedule the principal debt over at least 10 years. Thirty-five MPs voted for the controversial legislation in its second and final round of voting, 22 opposed it while one lawmaker abstained. The government swiftly said it will reject the law because of its technical, constitutional and procedural shortcomings which make it very difficult to implement. Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah said the amount of interest and returns on personal and Continued on Page 14
Cairo allows aid into Gaza One dead as Hamas, Egypt clash across border
Bahrain opens industrial city MANAMA: The Gulf state of Bahrain yesterday opened a new industrial city that cost around two billion dollars to build and aims at luring much-needed investments and creating jobs. King Hamad officially inaugurated the city which is now hosting 156 companies - local and foreign - who are in the process of investing $3.5 billion and providing more than 25,000 new jobs. Minister of Trade and Industry Hassan Fakhru said total investment in the city is expected to increase to $7.6 billion over the next few years. The city is located close to a new port opened by Bahrain last month that can handle up to 1.1 million containers a year.
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Bill calls to scrap interest • Govt to reject legislation
Gulf currency by 2015
MUHARRAQ, Bahrain: Bahrain’s King Hamed bin Isa Al-Khalifa listens to Commerce Minister Hassan Fakhro explain a model of the new Bahrain International Investment Park and deepwater port during an inauguration ceremony yesterday. — AP
China, Iran qualify with Japan - but Aussies must wait
Assembly OKs debt relief law
RIYADH: A single Gulf Arab currency could be launched in 2015 if countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) speed up the process, a senior official from the bloc’s secretariat said yesterday. “I personally expect the single currency to be launched in 2015, if we step up the efforts and the work of various committees,” Mohamed Al-Mazrooei, GCC Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs told Reuters. Mazrooei’s comment is the first from the GCC secretariat that sets a potential new timetable for the single currency’s launch after the bloc abandoned an initial 2010 deadline. OSLO: A diplomat at the Iranian embassy in Norway told Norwegian television yesterday that he had resigned in protest over a crackdown on demonstrators in Iran but the government in Tehran denied the report. “It was the Iranian authorities’ treatment of demonstrators during the Christmas week that made me realise I couldn’t continue,” public broadcaster NRK quoted Mohammed Reza Heydari as saying. Heydari, who NRK said has served as a consul at the embassy for the last three years, was not reachable for comment. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Reuters: “The report is baseless. A diplomat returns to the country when his mission is finished in another country.” Norway’s Immigration Directorate said it does not discuss any individual cases when asked if Heydari was seeking asylum as some media reports suggested.
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RAFAH: Egypt has reached a deal with members of an aid convoy to take supplies to Palestinians in Gaza af ter protests overnight, but Cairo barred their private cars from crossing, an Egyptian security source said. Cairo had insisted the food and other supplies should enter Gaza via an Israeli-controlled checkpoint but convoy leaders wanted to use the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing. Overnight, Egyptian security forces and members of the convoy, which is led by leftwing British politician George Galloway, threw stones at each other when tempers frayed over the route the trucks were to take. And in a further sign of the tensions surrounding the border, an Egyptian soldier was killed and four Palestinians were wounded in a gun battle in Rafah during a separate protest against an anti-smuggling wall Cairo is building on the Gaza border. The official Egyptian news agency MENA
RAFAH: Outspoken British MP George Galloway (center) is given a rousing welcome by Palestinians after crossing from Egypt into this southern Gaza Strip border town at the head of a relief convoy yesterday. — AFP said 17 Egyptian soldiers were also injured and seven foreign activists were arrested. Hamas called the incident “regrettable”. “We are not interested in raising tension at the border,” said spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. But he said the protest was the result of
the anger felt in Gaza over the Egyptian decision to build the underground barrier. Hundreds of demonstrators held up green Hamas flags and chanted “God is greatest.” “One metre away from Egypt, we ask: ‘why the siege?’” Hamas MP Mushir Al-Masri told the demonstrators. “We
came today to say no to the wall,” he said. The shooting was the most serious incident between Egyptian forces and Hamas since Cairo began an underground steel barrier a month ago. The project could choke off the movement of weapons and goods through tunnels into the Gaza Strip. Israel and Egypt maintain a blockade of the territory, which is ruled by Hamas Islamists who oppose international efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace. Under the compromise aid deal, 158 trucks will be allowed through Rafah in Gaza, the Egyptian security source said, but 40 private cars in the convoy would have to stay in Egypt for a month for security procedures and then pass through into Gaza via an Israeli checkpoint. As part of the deal, Turkey would intervene to guarantee that Israel would allow the cars into Gaza, the source said. Continued on Page 14
KUWAIT: Supporters of the Kuwaiti national football team wave the national flag during their Asian Cup 2011 qualifying match against Australia yesterday. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat (See Page 20)
Yemen opposes US troops in terror fight Key Qaeda chief arrested SANAA: Yemen’s foreign minister said yesterday that his country opposes any direct intervention by US or other foreign troops in the fight against Al-Qaeda. Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi told AP in an interview that “there is a lot of sensitivity about foreign troops coming to Yemeni territory.” His comments came as Yemeni security forces captured a key AlQaeda leader and two other militants believed behind threats against Western interests in Sanaa which prompted embassies to bolt their doors. The arrest of Mohammed Al-Hanq and the two other suspected extremists at a hospital in Raydah, north of capital, came as Yemen’s authorities said Al-Qaeda jihadists were being choked countrywide and forced into “holes”.
Hanq had evaded arrest on Monday during a security force raid in Arhab, 40 km north of Sanaa, in which two of his relatives were killed and three other people wounded. A security official told AFP security forces had yesterday morning swooped on a hospital in Raydah, 80 km, north of Sanaa in Amran province, where the suspects were receiving treatment. “Mohammed Al-Hanq and two others who were wounded were captured in a hospital in Amran,” the official said. Four men who had transported the wounded to the hospital and hid them from police were also taken into custody, the defence ministry-linked news website 26Sep.net said. Two other Al-Qaeda suspects Continued on Page 14
Book and Iran sojourn shed light on Laden kin Osama’s youngest son leaves Iran
ABU DHABI: Emirati men next to their luxury cars enjoy a sunny day Dec 15, 2009. — AP
Decline of Dubai gives way to Abu Dhabi rise ABU DHABI: There’s no greater symbol of the shifting fortunes in the Gulf than the surprise renaming of the world’s tallest building in Dubai after the leader of neighboring Abu Dhabi, who bailed out the faltering city state. For years, the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi played the role of rich but bland neighbor as flashy Dubai strutted to interna-
tional stardom. That all changed when the bills came due. Abu Dhabi - awash in oil wealth - sent a total of $25 billion to Dubai last year to help the former boomtown fend off creditors after the global recession brought growth to a standstill. Continued on Page 14
RIYADH: With a book written by one of Osama bin Laden’s sons, and with news of a daughter sheltering in the Saudi Embassy in Iran, some of the blanks are being filled in on the life of the Sept 11, 2001 mastermind’s large family, including lurid details of his parenting style. Two weeks ago, the son, Omar bin Laden, revealed that many of the children who had been with their father in Afghanistan escaped to Iran following the 2001 USled invasion, and were still together in a walled compound under Iranian guard. Confirmation came with the news that a daughter, Eman bin Laden, had taken refuge in the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. Saudi officials are negotiating with the Iranians
Omar bin Laden to allow Eman to return to Saudi Arabia, where she was born, and on Tuesday Omar bin Laden told The Associated Press that he, as well as his wife and mother, had applied for visas to go to Tehran and
help speed Eman’s case. Omar and his wife, Zaina Alsabah, later emailed the AP to report that another bin Laden son, 16-year-old Bakr, had been allowed to leave on Dec 25. It said “He arrived with great joy at the destination of his choice,” and was with relatives. The email did not disclose where Bakr was, but said he was not in Saudi Arabia. But the Saudi-controlled newspaper Asharq AlAwsat reported yesterday that Bakr is now in Damascus. Bakr had spent the last eight of his 16 years in Iran before being allowed to leave to Syria, the London-based newspaper said, citing Omar. In Damascus he was reunited on Dec 25 with his Syrian Continued on Page 14
Sassy Gulf grannies out to charm world DUBAI: Rising tower blocks, modern etiquette and the erosion of traditional values have so enraged four Dubai grannies that they plan to conquer the world. Um Saeed, Um Saloom, Um Allawi and Um Khammas, the veiled, sassy grandmothers from the hit cartoon TV series “Freej” have won the hearts of viewers across the Gulf as they dole out advice, insults and do battle with the encroaching modern world. Now the creator of the Gulf Arab region’s first animated TV series is in talks with international companies to take Freej globally and work on new animation projects for children. Mohammed Harib, founder of UAE-based Lammtara Pictures Continued on Page 14
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NATIONAL
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Abbas leaves after two-day visit
Kuwaiti-Palestinian relations ‘historic’ KUWAIT: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and an accompanying delegation yesterday concluded their two-day visit to Kuwait, during which the Palestinian Authority leader held official talks with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Abbas was seen off from Kuwait International Airport on his departure by HH the Amir, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah,
KUWAIT: The National Assembly referred during its session yesterday a bill on rescheduling of citizens’ consumer loans from banks and investment companies to the government. The vote on the bill came as the following with 35 MPs approving, 22 MPs objecting while one vote was absent. Pictures show the Parliament session in progress. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
Government against interest relief bill KUWAIT: Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shimali yesterday reiterated the government’s firm opposition of the draft law that calls for rescheduling consumer loans owed by Kuwaitis. “The bill is practically unviable and contains several constitutional ambiguities and loopholes,” the minister told reporters after a second National Assembly debate on the law yesterday. “Although the lawmakers who submitted the law sought to facilitate the repayment of the citizens’ debts through cancellation of interest rates, the law seemed to overshoot this target,” he argued. The minister added that the law could undermine the confidence in both the banking and financial sectors, as well as the legal system of the country. “It could also enshrine lack of respect for signed contracts and deepen negative practices by clients of the banking system,” he explained. “The implementation of the draft legislation could destabilize financial transactions and infringe on the financial stability which reflects the soundness of the legal system of the country,” Al-Shimali believes. He said the draft law adds to the burdens of Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) and could hamper the CBK’s supervisory and auditing roles. “This could lead to grave risks that we don’t need.” “The bill infringes on the principles of justice and equality as well as the right to litigation stipulated by the country’s Constitution and the traditions of the Kuwaiti society,” the minister made clear. —-KUNA
Earlier, Abbas hailed the Kuwaiti-Palestinian relations describing them as historic, deep-rooted and going back to the 1930s. Abbas pointed to the prominent role played by Kuwait in supporting Fatah movement, the main Palestinian faction, since its establishment. Abbas told the Kuwaiti press that he had the honor of having an audience with His Highness Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during his current visit to Kuwait. Chief of the PNA added that he explained to HH the Amir during this audience the peace process and domestic Israeli events that led to the halt of peace negotiations. Further, he said that he discussed with the Amir the most important problems suffered by the Palestinians, besides the current conditions on the Palestinian scene. On the situation in Gaza, Abbas pointed out that the PNA offers 58 percent of its budget to the sector to provide its needs of water resources, besides supplying it with water, electricity, fuel and health services. He also accused Hamas of taking money from Gazan citizens in return for the free services offered by the PNA. Then, he touched on the Israeli siege on Gaza, saying that it is ‘unjust,’ and it must be lifted and come to an end in order to enable people there to lead a normal life”, adding that, “People live there in a very bad prison and Palestinian people badly suffer.” Regarding the historic relations between Kuwait and Palestine, Abbas said that it goes back to the 1930s, besides the fact saying that Fatah movement blasted off from Kuwait and Qatar and its leadership was headquartered in Kuwait, “And this is an honor to us that should be put on historical records.” Answering a question about the fence which Egypt is going to build on its borders with the Palestinian territories and the PNA’s stance on it, Abbas said it is a legitimate right of Egypt and it practices its sovereignty on its territories,” And we know that Egypt will not deprive the Palestinian people from the basic items which they need.” Abbas wondered about the causes of digging tunnels, stressing the necessity of going to the root causes in order to put an end to this problem which led to imposing a siege on Gaza. He also pointed out that all food and medical supplies and ambulances and other stuff sent to Gaza are transported by the Egyptian government to this coastal enclave. Further, he expressed his preparedness to sign a national reconciliation document with Hamas that promptly lead to holding legislative and presidential elections because Hamas came to the legislative council as a result of free and fair elections that we take pride in. He went on to say, “Or let Hamas only accept setting a given date for elections and all of us go to the balloting boxes and let people choose whom they want.” He pointed out that he asked Egyptian brothers to offer a balanced document paying attention
National Assembly Speaker Jassem Mohammad Al-Khorafi and Deputy Chief of the National Guard Sheikh Meshaal AlAhmad Al-Sabah. Also present at the airport were First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Acting Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sahah, along with senior officials, and high-ranking commanders of the army, police, and National Guard.
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah seeing off Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his accompanying delegation yesterday. —Potos by KUNA to the interests of all concerned parties, but Hamas refused saying that it has some remarks and this means that they do not want to sign. He said that, “Egypt is considered the southern gateway of the Palestinian people and it is capable to apply any agreement, though the question that should be pose: why they do not want to sign? and there is another question: why they want to sign in Egypt?” He went on to say that,” so if they do not want to sign the document, they should go to Egypt and call for holding elections, wishing that Hamas to come to Egypt to sign the accord.” As for what head of Hamas movement Khaled Meshal expressed of acceptance on signing the accord and if there are external pressures put on the two Palestinian sides, Abbas said that he went under great pressures from the Americans and they
asked him not to sign, though he signed. He added, “So whoever claims that I yield to pressures, I say that I did not yield to them, and I have too many examples proving this,” stressing that national interest is above anything else. Asked if there is any mediation from the Arab Gulf states to bring views closer between Fatah and Hamas, Abbas said that the Arab Gulf states are keen on the national reconciliation and to get along with the Palestinian parties, expressing his belief that Egypt welcomes any effort from the Arab Gulf states in supporting the inter-Palestinian reconciliation. On not contesting the upcoming elections, Abbas asserted that, “I’m not going to run for the next elections,” pointing out, “When I said before that I’m not going to run for elections, this did not mean that I flee the battle, but I’m just a man who found the path for-
ward closed, so I wanted to take a step backward to leave room for others to try.” He said that when he contested elections in 2005, he competed with 8 candidates, and it was probable for one of them to win, asserting that there are some conditions, problems and complications related to the Palestinian cause. On the negotiations he held with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and he described as important, Abbas said that, “We coordinate our stances with our brothers, especially in Egypt, as Egypt is a weighty country.” He added, “So we talked to the Egyptians to ask the US administration to focus on two main points: first that Israel puts its settlement activities on full halt based on the roadmap as a frame of reference, then in case an agreement is reached, we are prepared to promptly enter into negotiations with the Israelis.” Concerning the deal on Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and the fears that Hamas may not fulfill its commitments in return for releasing Marwan Barghouti, Abbas said that there is a great willingness to sit at the negotiating table with Hamas despite traumas, blood and slayings. He said: “We do not deny their existence, though they deny our existence and they are part of the Palestinian people, so we have to deal with them.” As for Gilad Shalit, he said that there was a deal between Hamas and Israel mediated by Egypt, then it turned into a deal mediated by the German envoy who made a deal between Israel and Hizbollah but to no avail. He also pointed out that he supports any deal that leads to releasing any Palestinian prisoner. On to what extent Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is serious about peace, Abbas said that,” Netanyahu is elected by the Israeli people, so I have to deal with him.” On the relations with the US, Abbas said: “It is excellent but we differ with it in many things, because we have interests and priorities that we should take into account even if they are against the US desires, as our policy is dictated by our national interest.” He said that he was a target of mudslinging campaign after news circulated by some media that he asked the postponement of publishing Richard Goldstone report, while this demand was made by the Arab group, the Non-aligned movement and some other organizations. —KUNA
KUWAIT: Abbas speaks to journalists during a press conference on Tuesday.
local spotlight
Expat salaries: An ignored issue By Muna Al-Fuzai
H
ow will you a s s e s s expatriates’ salary scale in Kuwait? Do you think they are being accorded fair and just salary payments according to the country’s regulations? This issue has dogged expatriates’ issue for several years. The low-income group make ends meet with minimum wages ( though no set criteria exist). Nevertheless, salaries are a matter of concern to every worker in any part of the world, and Kuwait is no exception. Regardless of the intention involved, this matter has generated the least amount of interest. While the National Assembly had agreed upon several Articles in the new Labor Law, this
aspect was not focused upon. Does this imply that a worker can and should accept the said salary simply because he or she happens to be an expatriate? Is Kuwait an inexpensive place to live in? I think it is pathetic to see an expatriate worker receive a pay of KD 16 a month and survive on it! This is the sad reality. The cost of living in Kuwait is considerably high. In fact, most of the money that is made is spent on meeting daily needs and paying rents. Rental prices become an issue only if you seek a decent place to live. Otherwise, you could share a small flat with ten workers living in a room. In that case, the rent amount or living expenses cease to become problems! However, rents are not the only expenses that eat into your income; the car, bill payments to be made against using different services like medical insurance and school fees also constitute a major chunk of an expatriate’s liabilities. If your family lives here, all immediate needs are met with from your income.
When it is limited, you are in a serious trouble. What amount can be determined as decent salary for middle-level professions here? In Kuwait there are university graduates who work as maids, cleaners or security guards. Most of them earn between KD 30-70 . What does the country’s law stipulate? Are we following the international laws that pertain to minimum wages? I think that a part of the problem arises mostly owing to some expatriates’ ignorance about the country’s cost of living. They compare the situation with that of their native country, which is a grossly inaccurate estimate to make! I believe that there is an urgent need to seriously discuss the matter by official channels. NGO’s should not capitalize on this opportunity to collect votes. And please business owners, this is about how to help those who serve us in their best capacity. We should do it in a dignified manner by saving ourselves from international criticism.
NATIONAL
Thursday, January 7, 2010
3 Housing allowances to be introduced
MoE to raise expat teachers’ salaries By Rawan Khalid KUWAIT: The Ministry of Education (MoE) is working to improve teachers’ conditions, raising salaries for non-Kuwaiti teachers and introducing a housing allowance for them. The
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other dignitaries attending the ceremony. — Photos by KUNA
Amir honors Quran competition winners KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah sponsored and attended yesterday, along with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a ceremony honoring the winners of Kuwait’s 13th Holy Quran Competition. The celebration was held at Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem AlSabah theatre at Kuwait University’s Khaldiya campus. His Highness the Amir and Abbas were received at the venue by Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, Justice Minister, and Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Minister Advisor Rashid Abdulmohsen AlHammad and head and members of the permanent committee of the competition. The ceremony was attended by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Jassem AlKhorafi, members of the ruling family, Deputy Chief of the National Guard Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Acting Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah AlSabah, and senior officials. After playing the national anthem, one of the winners recited verses from the holy Quran. Then, Al-Hammad delivered a speech in which he expressed gratitude to His Highness the Amir for supporting the competition, which was followed by screening of a documentary on the award. His Highness the Amir and Abbas later honored the winners. — KUNA
The event was also attended by KTS President Ayed AlSahli, as well as a large number of students and KTS members. “The Ministry of Education is working on achieving its primary target, which is to increase the value given to the teacher’s job, which will be done by improving their social and financial situation,” the minister explained, adding, “There are many ways of accomplishing this.” The education ministry is concerned with all aspects of teachers’ wellbeing, including their professional, financial and social situation, the minister said. One of the main ways in which it intends to assist teachers professionally is in offering more training courses for them both inside and outside school, as well as providing new educational tools and equipment, reducing the transfer of teachers from one school to another and ensuring that teachers are appointed at schools near their homes to cut down on travel time. The MoE is also introducing a number of other measures to improve teachers’ conditions, Dr. Al-Humoud revealed, including providing staffrooms for teaching staff and subsidizing their transport costs. The minister added that more projects are to be introduced in the future, with all teachers eventually to be provided with a laptop and school’s curricula to undergo major redevelopment.
KUWAIT: Ayed Al-Sahli, President of Kuwait Teachers Society (left), and Minister of Education Dr Moudi Al-Humoud during the seminar.
KUWAIT: A partial view of the audience. — Photos by Joseph Shagra
IOM to hold workshop in Kuwait KUWAIT: Acting official of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Eman Eraikat said here yesterday that the IOM is to organize a workshop for members of the judiciary in Kuwait on human trafficking cases from Jan 11 to 13. Eraikat said in a statement that this workshop will be under the sponsorship of deputy Premier for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Chairman of Kuwait Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies adviser. Rashed Al-Hammad. Eraikat said that this workshop aims at supporting the efforts exerted by
Kuwait government on fighting human trafficking and it is held in cooperation with Kuwait Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies. She went on to say that Dutch embassy in Kuwait bankrolls the events of this workshop that aims at the participation of 20 judges and prosecutors, pointing out that it will be under the sponsorship of three experts from the IOM. The IOM official hoped that this workshop will reflect the serious role played by the state of Kuwait in working to find solutions and overcoming hurdles related
in the news Reappointments expected in MEW KUWAIT: A major reshuffling process is expected to take place at the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW). Minister Dr Badr Al-Shuraian is preparing to reorganize Deputy Assistants in an attempt to fill vacancies caused by a lack of promotions and several retirements by head officials, reported Al-Watan. Meanwhile, the Ministry is discussing proposals made by Public Relations Department head Talal Al-Enizi. He proposed demonstrating the Ministry’s achievements and future plans at a press conferences held by deputy assistants. He also recommended that each deputy should hold such conferences once a month. The proposal will provide more room for communication with the public and also include holding field press interviews. The Cabinet has already approved the decree to appoint the MEW Deputy Assistant for the Power Plants Projects Sector, Ahmad Al-Jassar, to Ministry Undersecretary. He will succeed former Undersecretary Yousuf Al-Hajri, who recently retired.
Dashti discusses company’s irregularities KUWAIT: Hamid Khaja, CEO of the Khair Al-Aqailah Company, faces charges related to issuing fake checks worth millions of dinars after being turned in to the proper authorities by Interpol. Syrian businessman Abdul Hameed Dashti held a press conference in Damascus where he discussed the development of the joint investment relationship between his company and the Al-Aqailah com-
ministry’s plan was revealed by Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Moudhi Al-Humoud, who was addressing a seminar held by the Kuwait Teachers’ Society at the Faculty of Basic Education building’s theater yesterday morning as part of the ‘Thank You My Teacher’ festival.
pany, reported Al-Qabas. He further discussed how the forgery case developed after the Khair Al-Aqailah company formed in Syria in cooperation with controversial Syrian businessman Khairullah Asad Khooli. During the press conference Dashti called on the shareholders of the Aqailah company to attend a public board meeting on Jan 14 to further discuss the company’s sit-
uation and participate in the first steps towards putting the company back on the right track. Furthermore, Dashti urged members of the company’s board, resigned or still active in their positions, to bear all responsibilities in order to avoid further prosecution. He added that he has accepted an offer to help the company overcome its troubles but has refused the opportunity to
become the company’s CEO. Dashti discussed how the conflict started between him and Khaja after he tried to talk Khaja out of a suspicious deal he signed with Khooli. Khaja refused to take his advice and filed lawsuits against Dashti’s company. After several illegal practices carried out be Khaja, such as issuing fake checks, Dashti said that Khaja disappeared and failed to return any of their calls.
Meat store reopening KUWAIT: An official employed with the Imported Foodstuff Department at the Kuwait Municipality is believed to be exerting influence to reopen a Shuwaikh meat store. It was shut down following a controversy over selling salmonella-infected meat. However, his efforts have failed to succeed so far. Furthermore, the official allegedly threatened inspectors by saying that the store owner would sue them for turning off all the refrigerators, reported Al-Qabas. The decision to close down store was made after consulting with the Deputy Director of Municipality Services, Mohammad Al-Otaibi. MPW contractor withdraws KUWAIT: The Ministry of Public Works may impose a heavy fine on the firm contracted to carry out maintenance work on the Sixth Ring Road and new residential areas in Jahra after the contracted firm withdrew from the contract without providing any reason, despite already accepting a down payment of the insurance fees for the job. The MPW has already launched an investigation into the contractors’ actions, while another, more extensive investigation has been opened by the Central Tenders Committee (CTC), reported Al-Shahed. One MPW insider said that the fine imposed on the contractor could be of up to 50 percent of the contract’s value, as per CTC legislation.
to human trafficking whatever were their names or forms. She said that the workshop aims at briefing participants from the judicial members of Kuwait on up-to-date international laws and world issues related to human trafficking. Eventually, Eraikat said that this workshop will help promote the sustainable efforts made by the Kuwaiti government on fighting human trafficking, and that it comes in tandem with the government’s directives aiming at taking part in the international and regional forums on combating the human trafficking. — KUNA
PAAET may amend regulations KUWAIT: In a recently held mee-ting, the executive committee of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) discussed a list of amendments to be made on staff promotions. Since no consensus was reached, a decision will be arrived at in a future meeting, where more discussions will be held. It will be referred to the PAAET board in order for it to be approved. Furthermore, the
PAAET board meeting will be held on January 25th, so that the committee finalizes its work, reported Al-Qabas. Several aspects will be discussed, including the appointment of deans, new supervisors and department heads to three faculties. The teaching staff had also put forward a suggestion to reduce the number of work hours owing to the nature of their work.
Yemen escapee may face charges in Kuwait KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Public Prosecutor, Consultant Hamid Al-Othman, has ordered that the detention of Kuwaiti serviceman Al-Humaidi AlShemmari, who recently fled from Yemen where he had been held on drug-related charges, be extended pending possible charges of illegally reentering Kuwait. Al-Othman has also contacted the
Yemeni branch of Interpol in order to determine how Al-Shemmari managed to escape custody there and who assisted his flight from the country. Meanwhile, Al-Shemmari told local daily Al-Qabas that he had been assisted to escape Yemen by an unidentified accomplice, who offered to help him flee the country in exchange for 5,000 Saudi Riyals.
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NATIONAL
Thursday, January 7, 2010
2kg of hashish found
Kuwaiti duo in police net for trafficking in drugs By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Two Kuwaiti men have been arrested for drug-trafficking, with one of them being admitted to Mubarak Hospital for treatment to injuries he sustained during his arrest. The investigation into the men’s activities began after the head of the Drugs Control General Department, Sheikh Ahmad AlThe arrested man then told DCGD officers about his supplier, another citizen with a criminal record for drugs offences, who had been released from prison four days earlier. This led to another sting operation being set up with the supplier, who was caught red-handed while handing over half a kilogram of hashish to an undercover officer. When the culprit realized that he had been set up, he leapt into his vehicle, a luxury model which he had rented for KD 120 per day. DCGD officers pursued him, ramming the car and forcing him to stop, which resulted in his suffering a number of injuries. On searching the vehicle, the officers found another kilogram of hashish inside. Interviewed at the scene before going to hospital, the supplier admitted that he had resumed his drug dealing career “because it’s far more profitable than any other job.” The first of the two dealers has been remanded in custody pending the second man’s full recovery from his injuries, after which both will face trial. Attempted suicide A 39-year-old Bangladeshi attempted suicide at Al-Wafra by ingesting insecticide. He was taken to Al-Adan Hospital.
Motor accidents A 35-year-old Egyptian suffered several injuries all over his body and broke his shoulder in an accident on the Sixth Ring Road opposite the 360 Mall. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital. Also, a 24-year-old Indian tried to cross Jaber Al-Ali road and was struck by a car. He suffered a broken femur and several injuries all over his body. He was taken to Al-Adan Hospital. In an unrelated incident yesterday, a car accident on Fahaheel road occurred between the vehicles of a 30-year-old American woman and a 30-year-old citizen. The American injured her forehead and the citizen suffered a broken right arm. Both were taken to Adan Hospital. Additionally, a 31-year-old Egyptian expat suffered a broken leg when a car struck him while he was trying to cross the road at Al Rumaithiya. The accident also caused him several other injuries all over his body. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital for treatment. Also yesterday, a car accident in a parking lot in Mirqab resulted in the broken leg of a 24-year-old Egyptian expat. He was taken to Amiri Hospital.
Abdullah Al-Khalifa, received a tip-off that one of the two, while nominally unemployed, was working as a drug dealer. A team was assigned to investigate his activities, with one undercover officer posing as a customer to arrange to buy three bars of hashish for KD 350. The dealer was arrested redhanded during the handover of the drugs, with a search of his car revealing further quantities of hashish and hallucinogenic tablets. Suicide The body of a 45-year-old Indian was found in Jleeb Al Shuyoukh in his apartment. The man committed suicide for unknown reasons. An autopsy was ordered to further determine the cause of death. Child injured A 7-year-old Egyptian student slipped on the stairs of his school in Hawally and injured his forehead. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital. Man injured A 38-year-old Egyptian inured his back after falling from a high place in Shuwaikh on Pepsi Cola Street. He was taken to Al-Razi Hospital. Jahra fire trial The Criminal Court has again adjourned the trial of the woman accused of starting the Jahra wedding tent fire in August 2009 that led to the deaths of 49 people. The court ordered the adjournment in order for subpoenas to be issued against three principal witnesses, the defendant’s husband, her former maid and a restaurant worker, to force them to testify in court.
The trial began earlier this week, with the suspect appearing in court flanked by female security officers, but was postponed after her husband failed to report at the court to give evidence, with court officials revealing that he had refused to do so. The defendant’s former maid, meanwhile, could not be located and it is believed that she may have left the country, while the restaurant worker reportedly only occasionally turns up at work and has proved difficult to locate. The accused woman’s lawyer has called for the footage from the CCTV cameras mounted at the gas station where she allegedly bought the petrol used to start the fatal blaze to be presented as evidence, arguing that it disproves claims that she was seen carrying the fuel from there. The defendant’s attorney also insisted that no evidence has been provided that his client began the fire, adding that the only witness present at the scene, the missing maid, said in her testimony after the incident that she had only seen the accused woman standing between eight and 10 feet away from the tent and throwing the fuel container to the ground.
Um Al-Haiman factories closure illegal: Union
KUWAIT: In Jahra, 170 parking and traffic citations were issued and 17 cars were impounded. The campaign was headed by the Department Supervisor Lt Col Nasser Al Zubi. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun
Kuwaiti youth killed in Seventh Ring accident KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti man in his 20s was killed in a car accident on the Seventh Ring Road. He suffered fatal injuries when a truck made an unexpected turn and collided with his vehicle. Paramedics responded to the emergency but the man had already died. Families saved Firefighters saved several families from a fire that broke out in an apartment building in Hawally. The families were spared from suffering smoke inhalation as the building was engulfed by smoke after they made their evacuation. After the blaze was put under control, authorities opened a case and investigators are looking into the cause of the fire. Spare parts thief A bedoon man was caught in the Amghara scrap area trying to steal spare parts from cars that were confiscated for legal reasons and stored in a Municipality garage. Jahra police set a trap for the thief after receiving several complaints about missing parts from some of the cars. He was taken to the proper authorities. Homosexual busted Security officers arrested a homosexual on Abdullah Port Street who confessed to being on his way to a chalet where a party was being held by a group of his gay friends. The arrest occurred after police pulled the man over, thinking at first he was a woman, only to discover his true sex by inspecting his ID. He was referred to the proper authorities. Sheep thieves Kabad police arrested one Egyptian and three Bangladeshis who were stealing sheep from animal farms in the area. The arrest came after investigators followed up on several complaints about theft in the area. Police were able to catch the thieves while they were raiding one of the farms. Investigations revealed that the Bangladeshis would act according to the instruction of the Egyptian. They were then
taken to the proper authorities. Fugitives arrested A Jordanian man was arrested for issuing a fake check worth KD 2.7 million and other similarly related charges. Police arrested the man on Blajat street in Salmiya after discovering that is where he is usually found. Authorities referred the man to the proper authorities. In a similar incident, Farwaniya police arrested a Syrian man who was wanted for issuing a fake check worth KD 18 thousand. He was also referred to the proper authorities. Gas stations thief Ahmadi police arrested a young bedoon man in Al-Thahar for robbing gas stations in the area. Police arrested the man after receiving several reports about his illegal actions. After being caught, he confessed his guilt to the charges. He was taken to the proper authorities. Sexual harassment An Egyptian woman recently filed a complaint at the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh police station against a customs official working at the Kuwait International Airport. In her report she accused the man of sexual harassment and attempted rape. The woman claimed that the official started assaulting her after instructing her into a private room for an individual search. She explained that she stormed out of the room after he attempted to rape her. A case was opened, and the inspector was summoned for investigations. Drug possession Farwaniya police arrested two Saudi men found in possession of 36 illegal drug pills and paraphernalia. The men’s car was searched after police discovered the vehicle pulled over in an open yard for no apparent reason. A search of the car revealed the illegal substances. They were then taken to the General Department for Drug Control.
KUWAIT: Kuwaiti industrialists have protested against the calls to close factories in Um AlHayman down over environmental concerns, claiming that any such action would be illegal, as well as insisting that it would unhelpful to the environment and again public interest. Hussein Al-Khorafi, the chairman of the Kuwait Industries Union (KIU), told local daily Annahar that MPs’ pressure on factory owners over this issue would simply lead to a massive waste of public funds if the factories were actually relocated. Al-Khorafi explained that during a recent meeting of 20 local factory owners, it was decided that the factories would be classified into three categories depending on their pollutant emissions levels, with only six of the manufacturing plants being relocated. Meanwhile others would be expected to introduce the necessary pollution reduction measures and carry out the required maintenance and repairs needed to improve their performance within a 90day period or face compulsory closure. “The six factories to be relocated will be moved to other sites,” Al-Khorafi stated, adding that the relocation operation
would take two years in the absence of a specialist industrial zone. The KIU head also claimed that the compulsory relocation of the factories was against industrial legislation, citing Law No. 56 of 1996, which states that industrial facilities violating any regulations must receive two separate warning notifications being temporarily closed for a short period as a warning, after which they can be permanently closed if they repeat or resume the same illegal activities. “The final closure has to be decided by the Public Authority for Industry,” he added. KIU Deputy Chairman Meshary Hamada, meanwhile, accused the PAI of excessive passivity over the issue, adding that some European factories are located only 30 meters away from residential homes. “Our national industrial company itself has a factory in the middle of a residential area without any problems because the factory observes all the environmental regulations and specifications set for the area,” he pointed out, asserting that the difference between the European and Kuwaiti situations in such matters is that there is more political pressure around these issues in Kuwait.
in the news ‘Unfair’ promotion system KUWAIT: A number of Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (MAIA) employees have contacted a local newspaper to complain of an unfair promotion system being used in the appointment of staff to supervisory positions there. The MAIA staff told AlJarida that they had been passed over for supervisory positions in various departments within the ministry despite being more qualified to perform them than those who were appointed. The complainants claimed that the promotion of qualified and capable staff to managerial positions in the ministry is opposed by influential individuals and high-ranking decision makers who, the staff members asserted, control the ministry. Equestrianism festival KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf AlAhmad Jaber Al-Sabah is sponsoring the equestrianism festival named in his honor that is currently being held by Ahmadi governorate’s equestrianism and shooting association. The event began yesterday afternoon at the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber AlSabah Racetrack, with HH the Crown Prince represented at the opening ceremony by the Ahmadi’s governor, Sheikh Dr. Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah. Reappointments expected in MEW KUWAIT: A major reshuffling process is expected to take place at the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW). Minister Dr Badr Al-Shuraian is preparing to reorganize Deputy Assistants in an attempt to fill vacancies caused by a lack of promotions and several retirements by head officials, reported Al-Watan. Meanwhile, the Ministry is discussing proposals made by Public Relations Department head Talal Al-Enizi. He proposed demonstrating the Ministry’s achievements and future plans at press conferences held by deputy assistants. He also recommended that each deputy should hold such conferences once a month. The proposal will provide more room for communication with the public and also include holding field press interviews. The Cabinet has already approved the decree to appoint the MEW Deputy Assistant for the Power Plants Projects Sector, Ahmad Al-Jassar, to Ministry Undersecretary. He will succeed former Undersecretary Yousuf Al-Hajri, who recently retired.
KUWAIT: A group photograph
LoYAC trains student in top institutions outside Kuwait KUWAIT: The International Internship Program of Lothan Youth Achievement Center (LoYAC) provides unique opportunities for distinguished Kuwaiti youths to train abroad in sectors of political science, engineering, media and several other fields. The program is conducted in collaboration with several international institutions such as the UK Parliament, Oxfam Great Britain, Italy’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as well as the United States’ Arab-American AntiDiscrimination Committee (ADC) and Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights. This year LoYAC sent two students, Marzouq Al-Nusf and Faris Al-Obaid, to the ADC in Washington DC. According to Al-Nusf their experience was very rewarding. He said he was honored to represent LoYAC during his training at one of the most important organizations in Washington DC. ADC defends human rights cases of American citizens as well as ArabAmericans and Muslims. The organization works on humanitarian cases, especially those related to issues of security and terrorism. He said that while working with the ADC he had the opportunity to work with officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the White House Bureau of Foreign Relations. Al-Nusf added that the ADC showed great interest in planning opportunities for him to become acquainted with the American political system as much as possible. They planned two visits per week for them to
KUWAIT: Dana Al-Rabeean in the British Parliament visit Congress and the US Department of Treasury, he said. The visits were very exclusive and they were allowed to attend many Congressional sessions that discussed important issues such as the US’s situation in Iraq and health care reform, he explained. Al-Nusf expressed gratitude to LoYAC for providing them with the unique opportunity and thanked the US Embassy for its cooperation and support. Dana Al-Rabeean, was sent by LoYAC to the UK Parliament. There, she worked with UK House of Commons MP Mohammad Sarwar. She was given the responsibility to help formulate the subjects MP Sarwar used in Parliament such as the war in Iraq, and how to assist Iraqis and Pakistanis. She said that her experience was “more than wonderful” and an excellent opportunity.
Al-Rabeean also said she got to participate in a fund raiser organized by a non-profit organization that Mohammad Sarwar was a guest for. The organization raised money for countries damaged by current conflicts in the Middle East. She was assigned with the task of drafting the opening speech and as well as the press release. Al-Rabeean said that she benefited from the opportunity provided by LoYAC. She added that LoYAC offers youths the optimal and right method of progress. “LoYAC trains youth and assists in their personal growth and professional development at an early age. That’s what Kuwait needs,” she said. She expressed thanks to the British Embassy for providing her with the opportunity and UK House of Commons Member Mohammad Sarwar for his guidance.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
NATIONAL
5 Cabinet to discuss disparity issue
20 KOC doctors threaten to quit over pay dispute KUWAIT: Twenty doctors employed by the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) are expected to submit letters of resignation next week in protest of not being awarded the same financial benefits recently given to other staff members. The issue is set to be discussed by the cabinet if no agreement can be reached. The doctors decided to take the action after a recent decision awarding other KOC staff, classified as ‘Class 17’ employees enhanced salary benefits, while denying the doctors the same benefits since they are categorized as ‘Class 16’ staff.
kuwait digest
Questions remain over Al-Juwaihel’s arrest ormer parliamentary candidate Mohammed Al-Juwaihel possesses a high level of courage to uncover hidden issues, writes Abdullah Khalaf in Al-Watan. If he had won a seat in the election, his voice would have stormed in the parliament while providing evidence to support his claims. And given the popularity he would have garnered, he probably would have been given a cabinet post. Although I don’t agree with all the statements he made on Al-Soor TV, it’s important to note that all the critical information and documents he provided give us serious food for thought about the issue of dual citizenship. It’s a fact, after all, that some Kuwaiti citizens were given citizenship unlawfully, through bribes, wasta and other illegal activities. Furthermore, it’s well known that several MPs have already offered to help people gain citizenship in exchange for large sums of money.
F
Al-Juwaihel made his statements for patriotic reasons, despite his excessive enthusiasm leading to him crossing the line. He provided evidence of those files that contain data about individuals granted citizenship illegally, which were supposed to be secret, but have been exposed due to carelessness on the part of civil servants in protecting them. The files were treated with negligence after once being protected, as the state bodies became unable to hide its secrets, which could have ended up not just leaked to the press but in more dangerous hands. These scandalous revelations were uncovered by Al-Juwaihel, without whom they might have been hidden forever. Al-Juwaihel’s arrest itself has caused controversy. After returning home from abroad, he voluntarily turned himself in to the fully armed state security personnel whose col-
leagues surrounded Kuwait International Airport, having closing all the entrances and exits there, and was handcuffed and blindfolded before being led away. This operation made it seem as if the security forces were on a mission to apprehend a dangerous and heavily armed criminal. In addition to this, Al-Juwaihel’s arrest has violated the laws governing the state security services, as well as other legislation, since a case should have first been filed against him so that he could have been summoned for questioning over the charges rather than being arrested without this taking place. Also, his TV channel should have been shut down through the proper procedures by use of a court order. Indeed, even National Assembly Speaker Jassem AlKhorafi has condemned the manner of Al-Juwaihel’s arrest, despite censuring the material broadcast by Al-Juwaihel on Al-Soor TV.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) Council of Undersecretaries discussed the proposed move to establish new governing body that oversees medical affairs, which will later be recognized as an authority that supervises the overseas treatment and medical insurance departments. This announcement was made by the Ministry Deputy Assistant for Legal Affairs Abdulkareem Jaafar who said that the meeting was chaired by the Ministry Undersecretary, Ibraheem AlAbdulhadi who asserted on the importance of its establishment to monitor and organize medical activities, reported Al-Qabas. Furthermore, future Ministry projects that are listed among the Cabinet’s work plan were discussed, including the project to expand eight hospitals that are expected to be finalized in the near future. These
hospitals include Ibn Sina, Al-Razi, the Maternity Hospital, Al-Amiri, the Internal Medicine departments at AlSabah, Farwaniya and Jahra hospitals. In other news, the cabinet agreed at its meeting on Monday to several regulatory decrees, including one appointing Ahmad Al-Jassar to the post of Undersecretary at the Ministry of Electricity and Water, and another approving the promotion of 316 Majors in the Kuwaiti military to Lieutenant Colonel status, making 161 Captains Colonels and promoting 11 other officers to Lieutenants’ positions. During the meeting, the cabinet also approved the establishment of an architectural faculty at Kuwait University and licensed the establishment of the American University of Medical Sciences, as well as approving an increase in the capital of the Al-Ahli Bank and the Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC).
His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlSabah also used the opportunity to reassert the importance of combating “alien practices” that threaten national unity, with the cabinet members discussing the recommendations on amending the current multimedia legislation, which are to be submitted to the parliament for approval. The cabinet also reviewed the amendments to the draft legislation on bedoon (stateless) residents’ civil and social rights, as well as other amendments to the sports reform law, reported Al-Watan. Also during the meeting, Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali explained the negative aspects of the draft legislation for writing off citizens’ loans, with all the cabinet members reiterating their objections to the legislation in its current form and expressing support for the amended insolvency fund.
British Council to hold education exhibition KUWAIT: Students in Kuwait will be given the opportunity to meet over 40 representatives from universities and colleges in the UK with a view to developing their education during the annual Education UK Exhibition (EDUKEX), organized by the British Council on Jan 20 and 21. In a press release yesterday, the British Council said that EDUKEX is part of its initiative to enhance cultural and educational relations between Kuwait and the UK by helping create a knowledge-based economy. “Prospective students from all nationalities in Kuwait are invited to attend
EDUKEX to obtain information from representatives of various universities and learning institutions about acquiring UK qualifications, with a view to studying in Kuwait and the UK,” it said. According to the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency, the academic year 2007/2008 saw nearly 12,000 students from the Middle East studying higher education courses in the UK, and many more students taking vocational education and English language courses. “British Council’s education initiatives have long been a part of Kuwait’s education landscape, and EDUKEX is an important
part of this work. By providing prospective students across Kuwait with opportunities to achieve UK qualifications, we are enabling them to return to Kuwait and grow the economy with their entrepreneurial plans and ideas, an important part of developing the country,” said Director of the British Council in Kuwait, Stephen Forbes. EDUKEX provides students with the chance to learn more about UK education opportunities, as well as the resources to gain personal advice on study options, including information about courses, qualifications, institutions, entry requirements,
visas, and travel. The British Council also plays an important role in providing opportunities for both Middle East and UK institutions to meet potential partners for mutually beneficial collaboration. The education exhibition regularly attracts over 40 exhibitors and more than 2,000 visitors. EDUKEX 2010 will be held in Kuwait on January 20-21 at the Crown Plaza Hotel. Based on British Council statistics, in the last two years, Education UK has reached over 6,000 students in Kuwait through exhibitions and outreach presentations. — KUNA
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NATIONAL
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Demolition teams continue work
Doha industrial area marred by environmental degradation KUWAIT: A delegation from the Municipal Council paid a visit to Asherij, a locale that is mostly lined with chalets in Doha yesterday. It is also an industrial area that is divided into 49 industrial blocks. Dhow and ship-related repair work are mostly carried out there. The purpose of the visit was to oversee the demolition work being carried out by the committee in charge of
demolishing encroachments on state property. The members who comprised the delegation were Shayia Al-Shayia, Deputy Chairman of the Municipal Council, Dr Abdullah Al-Anezi, Head of the Technical Committee, and Dr. Abdulkareem Saleem, Head of the Environmental Committee. They were accompanied by the Head of the Demolishing Committee, Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Bader, Colonel Dhafer Al-Sayegh, PR and Media Coordinator of the team.
“These blocks were demarcated about 30 or 40 years by experts in the field. In fact, it has changed into a deserted area, that is full of waste. Also, most of the owners of these blocks had expanded the property that was originally given to them. This happened due to the lack of supervision and inspection in this area,” Colonel Dhafer Al-Sayegh told the Kuwait Times. The most common violations found in the area are in the form of shades, concrete barriers, laborers’ rooms, freestanding walls, waste, buoys, cement bases (water tankers), containers, building foundation, and shipwrecks. Some owners have displayed cooperation by removing the illegal structures, while others ignored the warning notices. “Some owners extended their activities to almost 700 meters into the sea. Some others work with expired licenses, others throw waste and pollute the area. Many violations will be eliminated from this area,”Al-Sayegh added. “Some waste materials, especially tires and garbage dumped into the sea has a detrimental effect on the environment. The sea is in a terrible situation. This is then reflected negatively on human health. Usually sea-water is used as the main source of drinking water in Kuwait,’ stated Dr. Abdulkareem Saleem, Head of the Environmental Committee. Some offenders hold licenses to carry out light industrial activities but conduct heavy industrial work. “I think that such offenders should be penalized. We need to solve these problems, especially the toxic industrial waste like plastic materials, ruins of buildings and chemicals. We must put an end to these violations by enforcing strict regulations,” he added. Al-Sayegh suggested that the committee should be set up to take follow up action on decrees passed by the Cabinet. It should be entrust-
authority. Dr Abdullah Al-Anezi, Head of the Technical Committee commented on the situation. “We will hold a meeting next week to discuss the situation.
By Nawara Fattahova
KUWAIT: Big and old ships causing pollution
Praise for Kuwaiti participation in book fair DOHA: Kuwait’s Ambassador to Qatar Suleiman Al-Mirjan yesterday praised the participation of Kuwait’s state and private publishing houses in the 20th Doha International Book Fair. Al-Mirjan said that the number of Kuwaiti publishing houses taking part in the fair increases annually, noting that a total of 16 are participating in this year’s event. Most of those managing the Kuwaiti pavilions at the fair, along with the authors attending them, are young Kuwaitis, he said. He praised Qatar’s sponsorship of the fair and the degree of literary freedom, which he said increases every year and is a primary factor in the event’s success. Almost 400 publishing houses from 24 countries are taking part in the fair which was inaugurated on Dec 31 and will conclude on Jan 9. In addition to those from Arab states, other publishers are attending from countries as diverse as France, Iran, Britain,
Australia, Germany, the United States, India, Sweden, Japan and Austria. Egypt has the largest number of publishing houses participating in the event, followed by Lebanon and Qatar, with Kuwait in 16th place. Kuwaiti publications are popular at the 20th Doha International Book Fair, said representatives of Kuwaiti publishing houses here yesterday. The representatives told KUNA, in separate interviews, that the unique Kuwaiti intellectual works and publications guarantee a good number of visitors at any fair in which Kuwaiti publishing houses take part. Ahmad Ismail of Al-Rubaiaan publishing house said that the house took part in this fair for many years, adding that Kuwaiti books in all fields of culture, politics, social affairs, and economy, are high in status and appeal. Jamal Al-Deen Suleiman of Iqraa publishing house said that intellectual production of young Kuwaitis on raising children, family affairs and self development, were
particularly successful. He said that Iqraa sells a publication that was written by the youngest writer in the Gulf states, Falih Saad Al-Ajmi, aged 14. Meanwhile, General Director of Platinum Book publishing house Jassim Ashkanani told KUNA that the house sells Kuwaiti and Gulf books in the genres of science fiction, horror, and poetry which were very popular. A total of 357 publishing houses from 24 countries are taking part in the fair which was inaugurated December 31 and will conclude on January 9. The first quarter celebrations of ‘Doha, 2010 Arab Culture Capital’ began on Monday under the patronage of the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Qatar’s Minister of Culture, Arts and, Heritage Hamad Bin Abdulaziz AlKuwari had said in a press release that the official inauguration will be held on January 28. — KUNA
MoJ issues remain unsettled KUWAIT: The Ministry of Justice continues to be dogged by problems, with the failure to appoint staff to vacant undersecretaries’ positions being blamed for the paralysis that is said to be afflicting some of the departments there. Several issues have remained unsettled for a long time, with the completion of a number of important projects, including decisions on the construction of new court buildings to ease the current overcrowding in the existing buildings in Jahra and Ahmadi, being suspended. The justice ministry also needs to decide on new ways of implementing travel bans, with the current haphazardly applied system allowing some debtors who still owe money to government bodies to leave the country, costing the state considerable amounts. Some within the ministry have suggested that it should draw up an agreement with the Ministry of Interior to ensure that those who fail to pay their debts are brought to justice.
KUWAIT: Members of the municipal council listening to explanation before the demolition.
KUWAIT: Some violations being removed. ed with the task of instilling respect for the environment and should also refrain from violating state property. He added that respecting the law strengthens the state’s
A ticking time bomb KUWAIT: The brother of a recently murdered Sulaibiya man, who returned from abroad for the mourning period following his sibling’s death, has vowed revenge on the killer, shaving his head and facial hair in a gesture of defiance and insisting that he will not regrow them or wear the traditional Arab headgear again until his brother’s murder is avenged. The deceased was killed by a neighbor in a fight following an argument a few weeks previously, with the killer’s father apparently egging him on during the brawl, reported AlShahed. The killer and his father are still in detention, while local tensions over the case still appear to be rising and some warning that without official intervention the situation is simply a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
Health employees protest KUWAIT: For the third day in a row the number of employees joining the protestors at the Farwaniya Health Directorate has increased, reported Al-Rai. The protestors argue that because many of them live an hour away from work and need to drive their chil-
dren to school before coming to work they have trouble complying to the new fingerprint attendance system. They accuse the directorate of imposing unfair measures against employees and that they are being forced to quit their jobs.
kuwait digest
Expats deserve more medical aid ay God help the expats,” wrote Nasser Al-Khalidi yesterday in the Al-Anba. “While they pay health insurance they find nothing in hospitals except waiting and bills for entry fees.” In the end, Al-Khalidi continued, expats will probably only get Panadol which is a quick solution but certainly not the right kind of medical care. He argued that since expats pay for medical insurance they should be provided with what they pay for. “To charge insurance fees, without giving them proper medication and care is unacceptable,” he wrote. To further his point, Al-Khalidi wrote that some expats who get cancer only find methods of paying for treatment through charitable organizations. Those expats who are unable to be covered by charitable organizations and cannot take care of themselves should be cared for by Kuwait, he continued. “I came to know from one patient that the value of some of these cancer medications exceeds KD 700,” he explained in his column. “I have seen an Arab
“M
KUWAIT: The Central Bank of Kuwait recently sponsored an exhibition entitled ‘Ambitions Overcome Disabilities.’ The event was held at Kuwait University’s Faculty of Law under the patronage of faculty dean Dr. Badr Yaqoub. The bank’s CEO, Amani Al-Waraa, explained that the bank’s sponsorship of the exhibition demonstrated its commitment to supporting the causes of people with special needs, which stems from its deep-rooted feeling of obligations towards society.
I hope we will be able to pool in recommendations to help revive the area. We need to stop renewing licenses for factories. I hope all the other officials will cooperate with us.”
woman crying because her husband got cancer.” In his article he stressed that the Ministry of Health should initiate a program similar to the ‘Hope Voyage Program’ provided by the Jaber Al-Ali Committee in order to further cover the needs of expats who need medical assistance. Also in his article he discussed an email he received from a woman in Kazakhstan and spoke on the desperate situation youth face in the country. “Hajja Umaima adopted more than 40 Muslim orphan girls and boys and is thinking of adopting more. They deserve our support,” he wrote. Kuwait spends millions to support and encourage foreign musical groups, AlKhalidi pointed out, and citizens are willing to pay the highest price for the autograph of a famous artist but the sons of Muslims are ignored. “We thank the Awqaf Ministry for their efforts to communicate with the Islamic world,” concluded Al-Khalidi, “and I hope the Ministry thinks of the people of Kazakhstan because the people there are in need of help.
Ebtihaj Al-Roumi
Al-Shabab offers discount on Wataniya Airways KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) the leading bank in Kuwait and the highest rated in the Middle East, is extending a very special offer to all Al-Shabab accountholders with a 10 percent off Wataniya Airways commencing in January 2010. “We are fortunate enough to be the bank which secures the best offers in town for our Al-Shabab customers; we consistently strive to bring our youth the most exciting yet life pertinent promotions,” stated Ebtihaj Al-Roumi, executive manager Consumer Banking Group, adding, “Wataniya Airways offers its customers a world of premium services. Operating from its own terminal, the airline appeals to many whether young or old, and provides passengers with a feeling of personal service.” Al-Shabab customers can now book to any destination on Wataniya Airways and enjoy a 10 percent discount on all purchases. Al-Shabab needs to use their Shabab ATM card when purchasing their ticket at Wataniya locations at Discovery Mall or at Kuwait International Airport. “Wataniya Airways delivers unprecedented levels of exclusivity, convenience and efficiency on the ground to all its guests in particular to Al-Shabab customers with our latest offer,” she said. Wataniya Airways, Kuwait’s new premium service airline, commenced operations in January 2009 with point to point connections across the Middle East. It currently flies to Amman, Bahrain, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Dubai, Jeddah and Sharm El-Sheikh with more destinations to follow. Al-Shabab is the youth account that caters to the various financial needs of our youth in the country. The account is for customers falling within the age group of 17 to 23 years. Al-Shabab offers custom made financial packages to suit the requirements of students during their college years. The account has encouraged the culture of saving and rewards customers with the highest savings, with the best offers and some of the best prizes in the country.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
INTERNATIONAL
7
Three detainees were beaten to death by their jailers
Iran ex-prosecutor blamed for prison torture deaths TEHRAN: A parliamentary probe has found a former Tehran prosecutor responsible for the death by torture of at least three anti-government protesters detained in the turmoil following the disputed June elections, a conservative Iranian Web site reported yesterday. Saeed
BAGHDAD: Men pray over the coffins of five victims killed when a US military armored vehicle collided with a minibus about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad on the road to Hillah yesterday. — AP
5 Iraqis killed in traffic accident with US forces BAGHDAD: A minibus carrying an extended Iraqi family collided yesterday with a US military vehicle south of Baghdad, killing five Iraqis and wounding at least 10 people, including three American soldiers, US and Iraqi officials said. Babil province’s police spokesman Maj. Muthana Khalid said the accident occurred about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad on the road to the city of Hillah. He said the US military vehicle was traveling in the wrong lane. The Iraqis were on their way to visit a cemetery, he added. The spokesman said eight Iraqis were injured, but a US military statement put the number at seven. The three injured soldiers and two of the Iraqis were evacuated by a US helicopter,
the US military statement said. Five other wounded Iraqis were evacuated by Iraqi police to Basra, it added. The American military referred to the incident as a traffic accident and said it was under investigation, but gave no further details. It is not uncommon for US and Iraqi vehicles to travel in the wrong lane to avoid congestion or slow moving military convoys. The practice, however, has declined over the past two years. At the scene of the accident, a damaged MRAP, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle extensively used by the American military in Iraq, could be seen being loaded onto a trailer by American military personnel. — AP
UK agreed ceasefire with Iraqi militants LONDON: Britain negotiated a cease-fire with Iraqi militants in Basra three months before British troops pulled out of the city, a senior British official told his country’s Iraq inquiry Wednesday. Britain has been accused of being too passive in the Basra region and leaving it without a proper post-conflict strategy that left it vulnerable to militias. But Jon Day, who was the Ministry of Defense’s director general of operational policy from 2007 to 2008, told the inquiry that British officials had held talks with the leaders of the Mahdi Army militia in Basra from spring 2007 over how they would operate in the area. British troops withdrew from central Basra in September that year and based themselves in the outskirts of the city. British troops pulled out of Iraq altogether last April. The Mahdi Army, a Shia militia loyal to the radical cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr and also known under the name Jaish al-Mahdi (or JAM) , was heavily involved in the insurgency that erupted after the 2003 US -led invasion of Iraq. Day said: “I can confirm that there were contacts between the UK and the Sadrists in Basra from the spring of 2007, and that as a result of this continuing dialogue , I think I prefer to use the word “understandings” , were reached with core elements of the Sadrist JAM militias in Basra.” Day added that this was a British initiative but stressed that it had support from Iraqi security forces in Basra, Iraqi prime minister Nouri
al-Maliki and the then-US commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus. Inquiry panel member Roderic Lyne also asked Day about accusations that the British left militias to police themselves when they withdrew from central Basra. Day replied that the accusations were unfair. “The local Iraqi commanders, the government of Iraq, and the coalition all agreed with the approach and the timings,” he said. The Iraq inquiry is investigating the decisions and mistakes surrounding the Iraq war. It is not set up to apportion blame or hold anyone liable for the conflict, but it does have the potential to embarrass officials in the United States and Britain who argued, wrongly, that the war was justified because Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction and building close links with al-Qaida. With the British taking a more passive stand than American soldiers to the north, Shiite militias took control of wide areas of Basra and other parts of the south during Britain’s stewardship. Gunmen held sway until al-Maliki, also a Shiite, ordered Iraqi soldiers and police to eventually regain control of Basra. US aircraft and ground troops provided support for the operation. But Iraqi officers complained bitterly that the British withheld military support. The Ministry of Defense said in the past that it held back to ensure that the operation was seen as Iraqi-led.— AP
The Alef Web site, which reported the probe results, is close to conservative lawmaker Ahmad Tavakoli. It said Mortazavi personally ordered that detained protesters be taken to Kahrizak , a facility on Tehran’s outskirts where much of the prisoner abuse took place. Iran’s judiciary has charged 12 officials at Kahrizak , three of them with murder , but has not identified them. Mortazavi is detested by reformists, who have dubbed him the “butcher of the press” and “torturer of Tehran” because he was behind the closure of more than 120 newspapers and the imprisonment of dozens of journalists and political activists over the past decade. Anger over the abuse claims, which emerged in August, extended far beyond the reformist camp, with influential conservative figures in the clerical hierarchy condemning the mistreatment of detainees. The outrage forced Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to order the immediate closure of the Kahrizak. After serving as Tehran prosecutor, Mortazavi was promoted in August to deputy state prosecutor. He currently heads a government body tasked with fighting smuggling of goods, making him the highest ranking official to be implicated in the case so far. However, reformists also accuse President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of being responsible for the abuses. The confirmation by the hard-line judiciary of the prisoner deaths confirmed one of the opposition’s most devastating claims against authorities and the elite Revolutionary Guard forces that led the crackdown after the presidential vote. The opposition says more than 80 protesters have been killed in the postelection crackdown, but the government puts the number of confirmed dead at less than 40. After reports of torture and rape emerged, authorities vowed to punish those found guilty to control the damage. The Alef Web site said the probe put “the blame on Saeed Mortazavi, the former Tehran Prosecutor who was in charge of Kahrizak prison.” The feared Mortazavi led interrogations of dozens of reformists arrested and put on trial after the June vote, according to opposition Web sites and families of the detained
Mortazavi was the Tehran city prosecutor who was responsible for monitoring Kahrizak prison. After months of denials, Iran’s judiciary acknowledged last month that three detainees there were beaten to death by their jailers.
Iran arrests 180 in new clampdown
TEHRAN: In this Sunday, April 19, 2009 file photo, former Tehran Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi speaks to the media at a news conference in Tehran, Iran. — AP activists. Iran’s state radio reported that parliament has concluded its investigation and has listed some culprits, but didn’t mention Mortazavi by name. Authorities initially tried to repel the abuse claims by accusing the opposition of running a campaign of lies against the ruling system. Ahmadinejad had even accused Iran’s enemies of being involved in the crimes, a claim the opposition rejected as ridiculous. The unrest broke out after pro-reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi claimed he was robbed of the presidency through massive fraud in the vote.
Pressure around the abuse claims accelerated in early August. One of the other proreform candidates defeated in the election, Mahdi Karroubi, said then that he had received reports from former military commanders and other senior officials that some detainees, male and female, were raped in custody. One of the detainees who died in custody was the son of Abdolhossein Rouhalamini, a top aide to conservative presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei. Rouhalamini’s death, two weeks after he was arrested, sparked anger even among government supporters.— AP
TEHRAN: Iran has arrested more than 180 people in recent days, including journalists, students and human rights campaigners, following antigovernment protests late last month, a banned opposition website said yesterday. Rahesabz named 92 people rounded up, including 10 aides to opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, 17 journalists working mostly for reformist media and members of the outlawed Bahai faith. Another 94 unnamed students have also been arrested, mostly in the holy city of Mashhad, the website said. On December 27, eight people were killed after clashes erupted between security forces and opposition supporters staging fresh protests during the Shiite mourning period of Ashura. Security forces arrested hundreds of people during the protests, at least 300 of whom are still being held in Tehran, police say. And government supporters staged counter-demonstrations calling for opposition leaders to be punished. Rahesabz was one of 60 organisations Iran banned citizens from having contact with, state media reported on Monday. The BBC, Human Rights Watch and US-funded broadcasters are some of the others. The opposition website said 12 Bahais have been arrested, among them the former secretary of Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi’s human rights group. Ebadi’s sister was also detained shortly after the opposition’s Sunday protest. Followers of the Bahai faith, founded in Iran in 1863, are regarded as infidels and suffered persecution both before and after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Dissidents from Iran’s Freedom Movement, an outlawed but tolerated group, as well as their relatives and dozens of human rights and student activists, have also been taken into custody, according to yesterday’s report. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose disputed June re-election has triggered numerous protests since then, has accused Iran’s archfoes the United States and Israel of staging the latest anti-government protests. The new wave of arrests came as hardliners stepped up pressure on the opposition. Some hardline senior clerics have even gone as far as declaring protesters as “mohareb”-enemies of God-who deserve to be executed. Mir Hossein Mousavi, whose own nephew was shot dead on Ashura, said he is ready to die for the reform cause in reaction to recent events. The former premier, who ran against Ahmadinejad, offered a fivepoint plan in a bid to find a way out of the crisis and called for an end of violence against demonstrators. He said the government should be held accountable and called for reform of the country’s election law, release of prisoners, freedom of the media and a recognition of the right to hold demonstrations as is enshrined in the constitution. His suggestions have been largely dismissed by hardline figures and media. Iran rounded up dozens of reformists and journalists backing the opposition shortly after the election as mass street protests broke out in Tehran. Some have been put on trial and sentenced to years in prison. Dozens of protesters were killed, including three in custody. The administration has also faced allegations of prisoners being raped, which it has vehemently denied. — AFP
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INTERNATIONAL
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Indian food currying favor with Americans NEW YORK: Indian food is having its “Slumdog Millionaire” moment. Supermarket shelves in America are lined with chutneys, pickles and sauces and all manner of boxed heat-and-serve Indian meals. The quality and number of Indian restaurants has soared, offering an alternative to cheap all-you-can-eat buffets. And a flurry of new cookbooks is introducing home cooks to subtle regional differences in Indian cuisine shaped by climate, geography, religion and caste. In Chicago, Indian businessman Vijay Puniani is betting Indian food will be the next big thing. After studying the success of Chipotle, Puniani opened the first in what he says will be a chain of “fast-casual” Indian restaurants modeled after the popular Mexican eatery. Chutney Joe’s, which opened in downtown Chicago in February 2009, features the sleek, minimalist decor of Chipotle - warmed up with orange walls - and a similarly simple menu. For $5.99, diners choose one of four meat or four vegetarian entrees accompanied by rice or the thin flatbread naan. Condiments to spice up or cool down the dishes are free. Puniani says the Indian-Pakistani population of Chicago comprises just 15 per-
cent to 20 percent of the store’s customers. “We look at Main Street, America as our customer base,” he says, adding that menu items were adapted after focus groups revealed that many people in the US consider Indian food too spicy and heavy. For instance, the popular dumplings known as samosas are baked instead of deep-fried, and cream and butter, two staples of Indian cooking, have been banished from the menu. The growing awareness of Indian culture and cuisine is due to the big influx of immigrants from South Asia since 1965, when national origin quotas favoring Europeans were abolished. Since then, the United States has witnessed a remarkable flowering of Indian talent, energy and drive as well as a seemingly insatiable appetite for all things Indian, including bhangra music, Bollywood films and yoga. Perhaps nothing expresses America’s fascination with that giant emerging economy more than the runaway success of the British film “Slumdog Millionaire,” a ragsto-riches tale based in the Mumbai slums that won eight Academy Awards in 2009. The growing Indian presence also comes at a time when the popularity of cooking shows - including Bravo’s “Top
Chef”, hosted by Indian actress and model Padma Lakshmi - and an increase in foreign travel have made Americans more adventurous eaters. “The American palate is no longer bland,” says Andrew F Smith, editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink of America, who predicts that Indian food will take off in the next decade the way sushi bars did in the 1980s and Thai food did in the ‘90s. A Sept 2009 survey of ethnic food by the market research group Mintel found that the fastest growing segment was Indian food, with sales increasing nearly 35 percent from 2006 to 2008. While Indian food’s overall share of the $2.2 billion ethnic food market still is tiny - $40 million in 2009 compared to $1.4 billion in Mexican/Hispanic foods - Mintel says the Asian (mostly Chinese) and Indian food segments are driving the growth. New York, the US dining capital, has seen an explosion in the number of Indian restaurants in recent years. New York University sociologist and food studies scholar Krishnendu Ray counts some 350 Indian restaurants today compared to the 19 listed in the 1978 edition of a restaurant guide. At the top of the market are a small group of stylish, cosmopolitan
restaurants like Tamarind, Devi and Tabla, which received three stars from The New York Times soon after it opened. The glowing review - “It was love at first bite,” it reads - is a far cry from an 1876 article in the Times that judged curry to be “a good thing in its time and place” but one that “still rather deserves the epithet of barbaric”. Fancy Indian food has made inroads in other cities too. Raghavan Iyer, author of the well-received Indian cookbook “660 Curries”, recently helped launch the upscale restaurant Om in Minneapolis, which features traditional Indian dishes like vindaloo and roghan josh (lamb curry) interpreted for an American audience. While Iyer is amazed at how much more available Indian products have become since he emigrated here in 1982, he says America still has a ways to go in terms of really understanding Indian food. “People associate hot with spicy and to me they’re two different things,” he says. “It’s a question of educating the American audience. If Thai food can be considered mainstream, I don’t think Indian cooking can be that far behind.” Part of the allure is the supposed health benefits of Indian food, especially
spices like turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and cayenne. Research into the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric has landed it on lists of cancerfighting foods in recent years. Priti Chitnis Gress, editorial director for the publisher Hippocrene Books, Inc, says the company’s line of Indian cookbooks do quite well, particularly the one titled “Healthy South Indian Cooking”, and sell largely to a non-Indian audience. “People, especially in metropolitan communities, are fairly sophisticated,” she says. “It’s not just chicken curry and rice and naan anymore.” Across the pond, Camellia Punjabi’s cookbook “50 Great Curries of India” has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. It was recently reissued in the United States with a DVD “to take the intimidation out of cooking Indian food,” says Anja Schmidt, the New York publisher of Kyle Books, a division of London-based Kyle Cathie Ltd. Not everyone believes that the South Indian crepes called dosas will become as ubiquitous as burritos. David Browne, a senior analyst at Mintel, says Indian food will remain an acquired taste because “the flavor profile is still a limiting factor”. Another skeptic
is Chicago-based food writer Colleen Taylor Sen, author of “Curry: A Global History.” She notes that America doesn’t have the colonial ties to India that Britain does. “There are so many Chinese, Thai and Mexican restaurants in the US that play the role that Indian restaurants do in the UK,” she says. It might be too early to tell, according to NYU’s Ray, who notes that while Indians are among the fastest growing ethnic groups in this country, the population of 2.7 million is still a tiny presence in a nation of more than 300 million people. Also, the bulk of the Indian immigrant population simply hasn’t been in the US that long. Chicken marsala and focaccia may be household words today for tens of millions of Americans but Italians have been in the US in large numbers since the late 19th century, and long ago assimilated and moved up the social and economic ladder. Whether ground fenugreek and coriander become flavors as familiar to Americans as basil and oregano depends in large part on whether Indians can do the same thing, according to Ray. “In 2065, Indian may be in the same place as Italian food,” he says. — AP
Fugitive prisoner found by footprints in snow
Snow brings mayhem to Britain as Europe shivers LONDON: Soldiers helped rescue stranded drivers Wednesday as Britain’s most brutal winter in decades caused chaos for travellers, and bitterly cold temperatures cloaked much of Europe. Millions of people in London and the south-east of England struggled to and from work in heavy snow after storms
spread from Scotland and the north of England, where they have caused problems for days. “Bitterly cold and wintry weather is forecast to continue for the next couple of weeks with further snowfall expected at times,” said the Met Office, calling the recent cold spell the worst to hit the country since 1981.
WILTON, England: Shane Wilkinson drives his team of Siberian huskies on an early morning training run on a snowy road in southern England yesterday. – AP
Slovak security test ends with explosives on plane BRATISLAVA, Slovakia: A failed airport security test ended up with a Slovak man unwittingly carrying hidden explosives in his luggage on a flight to Dublin, Slovak officials admitted yesterday - a mistake that enraged Irish authorities and shocked aviation experts worldwide. While the Slovaks blamed the incident on “a silly and unprofessional mistake,” Irish officials and security experts said it was foolish for the Slovaks to hide actual bomb parts in the luggage of innocent passengers under any circumstances. The passenger himself was detained by Irish police for several hours before being let go without charge Tuesday. The Irish were also angry that it took the Slovaks three days to tell them about the Saturday mistake and that the pilot of the airplane decided to fly to Dublin anyway even after being told that an explosive was in his aircraft’s checked luggage. After being informed by the Slovaks, Irish authorities shut down a major Dublin intersection Tuesday and evacuated people from several apartment buildings as Irish Army experts examined the explosive. The unwitting passenger was identified by Irish police as Stefan Gonda, a 49-year-old Slovak electrician who lives and works in Ireland. The incident was bound to heighten flying jitters in the wake of the Christmas near-disaster where, authorities say, a 23-year-old Nigerian suspect tried to detonate an explosive device aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, only to be foiled by a passenger who jumped over seats to subdue him. Security experts said the Dublin episode illustrated the inadequacy of the screening of checked-in luggage - the very point Slovak authorities had sought to test when they placed bomb components in passengers’ bags. Yet Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the US Homeland Security
Department, called the Slovak test “crazy”. “It should be a controlled exercise,” Ervin said. “It never should be done to someone unwittingly.” “It’s unbelievable, it’s astonishing,” said Rick Nelson, a former Bush administration official who worked at the National Counterterrorism Center. “I’m not sure what they were thinking using an unknowing civilian rather than an undercover security official.” Their comments were echoed by experts in several nations. Aviation analyst Chris Yates said someone should be fired, not only for the mistake, but for how the entire operation was designed. “The whole idea of putting devices in passenger bags scares the living daylights out of me, frankly. It leaves it wide open to a whole range of things, including theft,” Yates told AP in London. “Anything could happen,” he said. “That bag could go through a different carousel in the airport, you could lose it and you get the situation where you have RDX plastic explosive loaded into the cargo hold of an airplane, flown to another destination and then you have to find (it).” Aviation security experts in Israel, considered among the top in the world, were equally incredulous. Rafi Sela, president of AR Challenges, a consulting firm specializing in security, said Israel conducts daily drills in which people try to smuggle mock explosives, but the explosives are monitored at all times and are handled by volunteers, never by unwitting travelers. “Nothing has ever happened like that in Israel and it never will because we operate differently here,” he told the AP. “It’s extremely dangerous what happened there. We send people to try and get through security all the time to test the system but explosives are always closely monitored and would never end up unattended like that.” In neighboring Hungary, officials said
placing explosives secretly in a passenger’s luggage was against the law. Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak expressed “profound regret” to the Irish government for the oversight and the delay in alerting them. But his ministry, in a statement, still claimed that “no one was in danger (during the flight) because the substance, without any other components (detonators) and under the conditions it was stored, is not dangerous.” The ministry said it ordered an immediate halt to such tests and took steps to prevent a repeat, while Tibor Mako, the head of Slovakia’s border and foreign police whose people carried out the exercise, offered his resignation. There was no word on whether it would be accepted. “The aim of the training was to keep sniffer dogs in shape and on alert in a real environment,” the ministry said. Still, details emerging from the failed exercise heightened concerns that basic precautions were not taken, with the ministry saying that when Slovak authorities realized their error and told the pilot of the Danube Wings flight, he still decided to take off with the explosives on board. It was not clear what any other airport or airline officials, either in Slovakia or Dublin, knew about the failed security test. Slovak authorities said the officer who overlooked the planted explosive only told his superiors about the incident Monday. Even the basic facts of test were in dispute yesterday. Irish officials said the Slovaks told them nine real bomb components were placed into the bags of nine different passengers at two airports, including Bratislava Airport and Poprad-Tatry Airport in central Slovakia. Eight items were detected, the Irish said, adding that one bag had two bomb components in it. Slovak officials say they only attached two caches of explosives onto the outside of one man’s bag. — AP
Southern counties could be hit by to 40 cm of snow, the Met Office said, while snow storms swept across central London turning the city’s parks and squares white. Eurostar said it had cancelled four trains between London, Paris and Brussels as a precaution because of the snow, just weeks after freezing temperatures caused three-day service shutdown in the run-up to Christmas. Much of the rest of Europe was also in the grip of freezing temperatures due to a weather front from Siberia. Norway was among the coldest, with temperatures in the central town of Roeros falling to minus 41 degrees Celsius. In the Netherlands, the ice was thick enough for the year’s first skating event on natural ice, with up to 1,500 people expected to make the twokilometre circuit on the Henschoter Lake in Utrecht. Snow and ice caused traffic problems in western and southwestern France amid warnings of more to come, while torrential rain hit parts of Italy and officials feared the swollen Tiber River could threaten Rome in coming days. In Britain, transport links in densely-populated southern and central parts of England were snarled up by the cold weather. The military was called in to help the drivers of up to 500 cars which were stranded overnight on a major road in Hampshire, southern England. “The military have been working with us all night. They’re helping people to get out of their cars and moving the cars to the side of the road so gritters can get through,” a police spokeswoman said. The runway at London Gatwick, Britain’s second airport, was closed, leaving thousands of people stranded in the departure terminals. Hundreds of schools around Britain were also closed and football matches were called off, including yesterday night’s League Cup semi-final between Manchester United and Manchester City. Hospitals were also affected - all “non-urgent” operations in Oxford were cancelled - as the disruption turned the spotlight on infrastructure services in Britain. The National Grid issued a “gas balancing alert” for only the second time ever on Monday after a 30 percent surge in demand because of the weather. This was an indication that it might be necessary to cut supplies or get hold of more to avoid what it called a “gas supply emergency”. A spokeswoman stressed that supplies were in place to cope with demand. But the main opposition Conservatives have obtained figures which they said showed Britain had only eight days of supplies in storage, based on current usage levels. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the government was “doing our best” to help people, including giving out payments to elderly people to cover heating bills and ensuring local authorities have enough grit for icy roads. The operators of Britain’s biggest rock salt mine, Winsford in Cheshire, northwest England, earlier said they faced “unprecedented” demand. “We would obviously like to be able to fulfil every authority’s needs in full but the reality of the situation at present is that that is simply not possible,” the Winsford Salt Union said. German salt company Esco, which supplies across Europe, also said it would prioritise provision for motorways and major roads. One positive impact of the white-out was enjoyed by police in Manchester, northern England, who said they had caught a fugitive prisoner by following his footprints in the freshly-fallen snow. — AFP
LONDON: Artist Nicky Philipps poses with her new double-portrait of Britain’s Princes William and Harry after it was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery yesterday. — AP
Double portrait of princes William, Harry unveiled LONDON: The first double portrait painting of Prince William and Prince Harry went on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London on Wednesday, capturing some of their “brotherly banter”. The oil painting by artist Nicky Philipps shows Queen Elizabeth II’s grandsons wearing military uniform but chatting informally in the library of Clarence House, their official residence since 2002. Philipps said she wanted to offer “a behindthe-scenes glance at the human element of royal responsibility and to emphasise their brotherly relationship”. “They were very good company and although I was commissioned to paint them in their official context, I hope I have also captured some of the brotherly banter that characterised the sittings,” she said. Prince Harry, the youngest son of heir-tothe-throne Prince Charles and the late princess
Diana, is shown seated and in conversation with his brother, who stands in a doorway on the right of the painting. Both wear the uniform of the Household Cavalry, in which Prince William, now 27, was a lieutenant at the time of the sittings from August to December 2008. William is currently training to be a search and rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force (RAF), where he holds the rank of flight lieutenant. Prince Harry, now 25, was and is still a lieutenant with the same regiment and is training to become an army air corps helicopter pilot. In early 2008, he served with NATO-led forces in Afghanistan. “The first portrait of the princes captures them formally dressed, but informally posed. It is a delightful image which extends the tradition of royal portraiture,” said National Portrait Gallery director Sandy Nairne. — AFP
Mother of ‘Jordan bomber’ says he was no extremist AMMAN: The mother of a man named as an Al-Qaeda double agent who blew himself up at a CIA base in Afghanistan said yesterday her son was not an extremist, while officials insisted that he was a useful intelligence agent. Balawi’s mother said she has not heard from him in 10 months and has no idea if he is dead or alive, insisting that he “was never an extremist.” “We hear the news about my son Humam Khalil Mohammed alBalawi but I don’t know if he is dead or not,” Shanara Fadel alBalawi, 64, told AFP by telephone interview from her Amman home. “He prayed and read the Quran but was never an extremist. He never shared extremist views.” Jihadist websites have identified Balawi as a double agent who duped Western intelligence services for months before turning on his handlers. The Jordanian intelligence services, believing Balawi to be on their side, took him to eastern Afghanistan with the mission of finding Al-Qaeda number two, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, jihadist websites and Western intelligence agents cited by US media said. But instead he blew himself up at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost province near the Pakistani border, killing seven CIA agents and his Jordanian handler, a top intelligence officer and member of the royal family. Even so, a senior official told AFP on Wednesday that “Jordan has benefited since
a year ago from anti-terrorist information provided by Humam Khalil Al-Balawi and shared them with other (intelligence) services as part of the fight against terrorism. “We coordinated with the United States about information relating to Afghanistan, where the United States is present. Jordan and the United States lured Balawai into continuing to provide anti-terror information.” The official reiterated that there was no proof that Balawi was, as has been claimed, the suicide bomber who killed eight people in Afghanistan. He did not say whether he was still alive. “We will not wait for terrorism to come and knock on our doors. Our policy is to go ahead and pursue terrorism, even outside our borders,” he said. The Palestinian family of Balawi moved to Jordan following the Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. “My son was conscientious. He was a good student at a Jordanian public school,” his mother said. “Humam was born in Kuwait along with all our other children, six boys and three girls. He was born on December 25, 1977, and has a twin brother who lives in Canada.” She added that Balawi had travelled to Turkey to study medicine, and had married a Turkish woman who worked as a journalist. The couple have two children, Laila and Lina. On his return to Jordan, he worked in a hospital in a Palestinian refugee camp near Zarqa, where his family lived
before moving to Nuzha neighbourhood in east Amman several years ago. “In Jordan, Humam’s wife translated books from Arabic into Turkish on the Internet,” Balawi said. She added that her son had been interrogated last year in Jordan “but the authorities did not hold him responsible for anything.” Jordanian officials have confirmed that. “He applied last year for an American visa to study in the United States, and even paid fees,” she said, without being able to confirm if her son had been granted the visa. “He told us he was going to Turkey to get his original diploma, in late February. But we realised he never went then to Turkey,” she said. “His wife was in Turkey but she did not know anything about him. She searched everywhere and asked the Jordanian embassy in Ankara to help her. We have not heard his voice since then.” A Jordanian official told AFP on Tuesday that Balawi had gone to Pakistan to continue medical studies that he had begun in Turkey. “As a mother I want to know what happened. If he is alive and in a good health,” Balawi said. “My son is not like how he was described in the media. He is a man who did his work conscientiously and was not extremist at all.” Asked about a blog on which her son allegedly advocated extremist views, the mother said: “I do not know what a blog is. I’m an old woman. I know my son. He was not like that.” — AFP
Thursday, January 7, 2010
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INTERNATIONAL
Hamas in quest of reconciliation among Palestinian factions GAZA: Ismail Haniyah and Mahmoud Al-Zahar, two leading officials of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), affirmed yesterdsy the commitment of their group to the quest for national reconciliation among all Palestinian factions. During this meeting with the delegation of Kuwait Journalists Association (KJA), Haniyah and Al-Zahar, prime minister and foreign minister of the sacked Hamas-led government in Gaza Strip, warned that the political divide in the occupied territories risked to undermine the Palestine cause. “There must be just one Palestinian people living on one homeland under one government and one constitution,” Haniyah said. “Hamas decided on reconciliation out of the conviction that division is very harmful to the national question. We stood the last general elections in the hope for augmenting the political partnership and asserting the diversity of the political spectrum,” Haniyah said, stressing: “There could be no Palestinian statehood without Gaza Strip and no Gaza Strip without Palestine.” “The Egyptian-brokered understanding reached last year between Hamas and Fatah stemmed mainly from the flexibility shown by Hamas regarding many disputable issues,” he recalled. “However, many points of understanding dropped out of blueprint of the reconciliation deal. “Hamas seeks to integrate the missing points into the draft in order to break the deadlock and revive the process,” he said, appreciating the mediation efforts made by Egypt. “We have resumed in the last few days an active diplomacy with Egypt which could lead to the desired targets if there is good will. Hamas is ready to sign the draft deal in Cairo if a mutuallyacceptable arrangement is reached,” Haniyah affirmed. Commenting on the visit by Chairman of Hamas’s Politburo Khaled Meshaal to Riyadh two days ago, Haniyah said the visit sent a message to the effect that Saudi Arabia and all Arab countries backed the pursuit of Palestinian national reconciliation. He spoke highly of the positions of the Saudi leaders, saying: “The Saudis are our brothers and strategic custodians.” “We maintain stable friendly ties with Saudi Arabia and all Arab countries based on non-interference in the domestic affairs and away from regional alliances and polarizations. “We have our own political vision for handling our domestic affairs and the Middle East conflict,” he made clear. “Our diplomatic activity focuses on garnering the most possible support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people from the Arab and Muslim nations,” he went on to say. Haniyah also praised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for sparring with Israeli President Shimon Peres and stalking off the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 31, 2009, over the last winter Israeli military offensive on Gaza. “Erdogan’s move triggered popular support manifested in the demonstrations of millions of proPalestinian people in Turkey and elsewhere and a humanitarian support manifested in the relief materials sent to Gaza,” Haniyah pointed out. As for the PalestinianIsraeli prisoner swap deal, being co-mediated by Egypt and Germany, Haniyah said the resistance groups, who hold captive the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, are unanimous on seeking the best conditions for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. He hailed the current visit to Gaza by KJA’s delegation as “indicative of the sincere fraternity between the Palestinian and Kuwaiti nations.” “The delegation endured the ordeal of travel to Gaza in order to show solidarity with the besieged Gazans. This is a historic moment when Palestine and Kuwait are meeting on the Palestinian territories,” he noted. “We highly appreciate the supportive stances adopted by the government and people of sisterly Kuwait under His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlSabah,” he said. “Kuwait has contributed a lot to the humanitarian effort for Gaza during and after the Israeli military aggression last year. “We are in contact with HH the Amir and hold in high esteem his firm support to the fair cause of the Palestinian people,” Haniyah added. On his part, Al-Zahar extolled HH the Amir for his keenness on
Head of the Hamas government Ismail Haniyah (right) presents a memento shield to Kuwait Journalist Association (KJA)’s Financial Manager Adnan Al-Rashed.
Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al-Zahar (center) with Al-Rashed and the writer Sami AlNisf and Dr. Esam Al-Fleij (right) during a tour in Gaza. communication with his Palestinian brothers and support for the Palestinian question. “The close deeply-rooted relationship between Palestine and Kuwait stood the test of time. “Hamas’s political line in handling the ties with all Arab and Muslim nations is based on neutrality. We keep our distance from differing nations because we seek the support of all nations,” he underscored. “The responsibility for the Palestine question is too big for specific Arab or Muslim nations to shoulder in the face of the tyranny of the Zionist regime backed by the world’s major powers. “The major powers seek to crush the Palestinian resistance but history tells that (occupied) nations could not realize national liberation without resistance,” Al-Zahar explained. Commenting on the steel fence, being built by Egypt on the borderline with Gaza, Al-Zahar rapped Egyptian Muslim scholars for their attempts to justify the double fence on the grounds that it would prevent
drug and arms smuggling into Egypt. However, he said the Palestinians had no options other than keeping friendly ties with Egypt. “Egypt is the lifeline for the Palestinian people. Nobody can deny the great sacrifices offered by the Egyptian people for the sake of Palestine. “Hamas was able to build a strong relationship with the Egyptian leaders and we hope that this relationship will lead to strategic arrangements on all levels with a view to serving the shared interests,” Al-Zahar affirmed. As for the parliamentary and presidential elections, he said the elections, due on January 25, 2010, could not be held without consensus among all Palestinian factions. Dealing with the relations to Israel, he said: “We can never compromise on our legitimate rights.” “We believe in the ultimate destruction of Israel; the only way for this is through resistance,” AlZahar said.
Regarding the reconciliation efforts, he said Hamas must restore good ties with Fatah regardless of any differences, adding: “We are for resumption of dialogue.” “Hamas derived its legitimacy from free elections rather than the consent of the United States, the International Quartet or Israel,” he added. Meanwhile, Al-Zahar condemned the unfair stances adopted by some Arab and foreign mass media which turned a blind eye to the Israeli atrocities against, and blockade on, Gazans. He appealed for Egypt to reopen Rafah crossing even for two days a week in order to alleviate the suffering of thousands of sick children, women and elderly people in the besieged enclave. The KJA delegation, led by KJA’s financial manager Adnan Al-Rashed, includes also the two editors Dr. Esam Al-Fleij, Sami Al-Nisf, and Director-General of Kuwait Times daily Badrya Darwish and Editing Manager of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Mona Shishter. —-KUNA
A warm handshake between Haniyah and Al-Rashed.
Foreign Minister of the Hamas government Mahmoud Al-Zahar (right) with Al-Rashed.
Haniyah in a group picture with members of the KJA delegation in Gaza (from left) Mona Shishter, KUNA’s Editing Manager, Suad Al-Imam, Kuwait TV correspondent in Gaza Badrya Darwish from Kuwait Times, Al-Rashid, Al-Fleij and Al-Nisf during the visit in Gaza.
Haniyah and Hamas Government representatives with the delegation from Kuwait.
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INTERNATIONAL
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Media killings, deaths hit 132 in 2009: Media group
GENEVA: The Philippines, Mexico, Somalia and Russia were the most dangerous countries for journalists in 2009, a global media group reported yesterday. A total of 132 journalists and support staff were killed or died while working last year, the International News Safety Institute, INSI, said. Just three international reporters were among those deliberately targeted, the dead being overwhelmingly local journalists cov-
ering dangerous stories like high-level crime and corruption for national news media. The Brussels-based INSI, which monitors statistics from around the world, said 98 of the dead were murdered because of their reporting activities. “Journalists continue to die because they dare to shine a light on the darkest corners of societies. This is the shocking price we pay for our news,” INSI
Director Rodney Pinder said in a statement released in Geneva with the body’s annual figures. “This unacceptable situation will persist as long as the killers of journalists walk free,” he added, saying few of them had been brought to justice. The 2009 death total, swollen by the 31 reporters INSI said were killed in a politically motivated massacre of 57 people in southern Philippines in November, was 22 up on
the group’s figure for 2008. But it was well below the worst recent years. In 2007, a record 172 journalists died and 168 were killed in 2006, when media deaths in Iraq were high following the 2003 US -led invasion and amid sectarian fighting. The Philippines, already well up on the death list in 2008, had a total of 37 last year. Mexico was next with 11 killed, followed by Somalia and Russia with nine each.
INSI said Iraq provided the one encouraging statistic for 2009 with total deaths at five-two targeted and three in crossfire-by far the lowest since the invasion. “For five years after 2003, it was the most dangerous country in the world for media, but journalists are now benefiting from a general reduction in violence there,” said Pinder. The INSI, which runs safety courses for journalists around the globe and is support-
ed by many major news organizationsincluding Reuters-and professional unions, includes accidents while reporting as well as killings in its annual totals. Pinder said that since 2006 when the UN Security Council passed a landmark resolution demanding greater safety for journalists in conflict and calling for an end to impunity for their killers, some 400 had died while covering stories. — Reuters
Explosives detonated at station gate
Suicide bombing kills six Russian police, wounds 16 MAKHACHKALA: A suicide bomber blew up an explosives-packed car at a police station in Russia’s troubled North Caucasus yesterday, killing six officers and wounding at least 16 people, officials said. The officers who died took action to prevent far greater devastation at the traffic police station on the outskirts of Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, where 150 officers
were lined up outside for roll call at the time of the attack, city police chief Col Shamil Guseinov said. The bomber detonated the explosives at the station gate after police stopped him from driving through, Guseinov said. Those killed were at the gate, including three officers in a police jeep that blocked the attacker’s path, he said. A similar bombing in the neighboring republic of Ingushetia in August killed 24 people and injured more than 200. In that attack, a man succeeded in crashing a bomb-laden van through the gates of the police station in Nazran. The explosion left a bus-sized crater in what was left of the station. Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya, all predominantly Muslim republics in the North Caucasus, saw a sharp rise in violence last year, with many of the nearly daily attacks targeting police and other officials. The violence sweeping the impoverished southern region is increasingly being described as a civil war between Kremlinsupported administrations and Islamic militants. Widespread abuses against civilians by police, including abductions, torture and killings, have helped to swell the ranks of the militants. Suicide bombings, once rare, are occurring with growing frequency. The bomber’s body was blown to bits. Investigators determined that the homemade bomb packed into the Niva, a small Russian-made SUV, was equivalent to 80 to 100 kilograms (175 to 220 DAGESTAN: In photo taken with a cell phone, police officers and investigators seen at the site of an pounds) of TNT, Guseinov explosion at the traffic police station on the outskirts of Makhachkala, the capital of Russia’s Dagestan said. The blast knocked out windows and destroyed region yesterday. —AP parked cars up to 200 meters (yards) away. Buckshot from the explosive device was strewn across the area. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. It came six days after police killed four suspected militants, including a man they claimed commanded the insurgency in WARSAW: A Swedish citizen suspected of know what could have motivated the fully confirm their identities,” Wrona said. Dagestan. Russian televiThe sign was found in a wooded area of ordering the theft of the “Arbeit Macht Swedish suspect but that media speculation sion showed pictures of a Frei” sign from the Auschwitz memorial the person is a neo-Nazi has not been con- northern Poland on Dec 20 cut into three small notebook found on the cased the site before the theft along with firmed. Prosecutors have said the two Poles pieces. Wrona said it is now undergoing man, Umalat Magomedov, Poles who carried out the crime, a prosecu- told police they removed the sign on Dec 18, forensic examination and that it could be which authorities said conaided by three others who also have con- returned to the memorial site before the tor said yesterday. tained records of the miliKrakow prosecutor Artur Wrona said fessed. All five Poles remain in detention in 65th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation tants’ expenditures and revofficials have evidence the Swedish suspect Krakow, 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the on Jan 27. A separate investigation has been opened into suspected negligence on the visited the memorial in Poland with two Auschwitz museum. enues. Wrona did not identify the Swedish sus- part of the museum for lax security, Wrona Poles last spring, probably in March. The Guseinov said police had Swede told the pair he wanted them to steal pect, but said that officials in Stockholm said, but he provided no detail. Between received information about a the infamous sign, which means “Work Sets have been asked to confirm his identity and 1940 and 45 more than 1 million people, planned attack and had You Free” in German. It is one of the that of another Swedish citizen suspected of mostly Jews, were killed in the gas chammoved the daily roll call well world’s iconic symbols of Nazi Germany’s providing the thieves with a getaway car. bers of Auschwitz-Birkenau or died of starinside the station’s territory, atrocities during World War II and the “We would like these two persons to be vation or disease while forced to perform 200 meters (yards) from the Holocaust. Wrona said prosecutors don’t questioned in Poland, but first we need to hard physical labor at the camp.—AP gate. The Emergency Situations Ministry said six officers were killed and at least 16 people were wounded, possibly including a couJOHANNESBURG: The ple of civilians. President three wives of South African Dmitry Medvedev immediPresident Jacob Zuma will not ately ordered the interior vie for the position of “First minister, who oversees Lady” because the constituRussia’s police, to step up tion makes no provision for security in Dagestan and the title, his office said yesterday. South Africa’s media provide assistance to the has speculated on which families of the officers who spouse might assume the role died. after Zuma married for the Dagestan, home to 2.7 fifth time on Monday, giving million people, is the most the Zulu traditionalist his multiethnic region in Russia, third current wife. with more than a dozen offi“The Constitution of the cial languages. Dagestan and Republic of South Africa Ingushetia both border (does) not make provision for Chechnya, where Russian a First Lady or First Ladies, troops have fought two fulland there is no such official scale wars against separatist designation,” the presidency rebels in the past 15 years. said in a statement. “The president will be accompanied In the most recent violence CAPE TOWN: In this June 3, 2009 file photo, South African president Jacob in Chechnya, four police by any of the spouses to official or public engagements, or Zuma, second right, seen with his three wives Sizakele Khumalo, right, troops were injured in two all of them at the same time Nompumelo Ntuli, left, and Thobeka Mabhija, second left, after giving the separate attacks on should he so decide. This is Tuesday. In both cases, an State of the Nation address, at parliament in Cape Town, South Africa. —AP his prerogative.” Multiple explosive device blew up as marriages are allowed in try with one of the highest Zuma before their divorce in has 19 children, according to the troops walked along a South Africa and form part of infection rates in the world. 1998, while another wife com- his official biography on the village road or wooded path, Zulu culture but the practice Zuma, who was previously mitted suicide in 2000, has presidency website, and is also police spokesman Magomed has drawn criticism from also married to Home Affairs repeatedly defended his deci- engaged to at least one other Deniyev said.—AP HIV/AIDS activists in a counMinister Nkosazana Dlamini- sion to take many wives. He woman.—Reuters
Suspect likely visited Auschwitz before theft
Zuma’s wives will not vie for ‘first lady’ status
LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown is seen in this image taken from TV as he speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, London yesterday. —AP
2 former UK government ministers challenge Brown LONDON: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown fought to defeat a leadership challenge yesterday from two senior figures in his Labor Party, months before a national election that disaffected Labor supporters believe the party is sure to lose. Two former members of Brown’s Cabinet sent a letter to fellow Labor lawmakers calling for a secret ballot on Brown’s leadership. Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt said in the letter that grumbling about Brown’s performance was dividing the party at the worst possible time. “Many colleagues have expressed their frustration at the way in which this question is affecting our political performance,” they said in the letter, which they released to the media. “We have therefore come to the conclusion that the only way to resolve this issue would be to allow every member to express their view in a secret ballot,” it said, referring to the Labor lawmakers. Hewitt said the letter was “not an attempted coup,” but would not say whether she would back Brown if a vote were held. Labor officials and Brown allies moved quickly to quash the rebellion. The Labor party said in a statement that “there is no provision for a secret ballot of MPs within the Labor Party constitution or rules.” Brown’s supporters said a leadership vote would make the party look divided and dash any hopes of an election win. Former Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said the letter was “diversionary, it’s stupid and I hope no one will pay any attention to it at all.” Tony Lloyd, who chairs the Parliamentary Labor Party, said there was “very little support” for Hoon and Hewitt’s move.
Britain must hold an election by June, and opinion polls give the opposition Conservatives a big lead over Labor, which has been in power since 1997. Brown’s opponents within Labor say his lackluster performance will ensure electoral defeat. Unseating Brown would mean a quick party leadership contest and send an untested leader into a national election. Brown replaced Tony Blair when he stepped down as prime minister in June 2007, and Brown has never faced voters in an election as leader. Many within his party doubt the taciturn Brown has the popular appeal to win. Opponents say Brown is tainted by the economic crisis, he was Treasury chief for 10 years until 2007 , and by a scandal over lawmakers’ inflated expenses that outraged the public. Brown already has faced a series of challenges to his authority from within a fractious Labor Party. Most dramatically, in June he saw a flurry of Cabinet resignations designed to encourage a rival contender to challenge his leadership. The most likely successors , Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Home Secretary Alan Johnson , backed Brown, and that rebellion fizzled. Hoon held several Cabinet posts, including defense secretary until quitting last year. Hewitt is a former health secretary who has said she will not run for re-election. Conservatives were quick to capitalize yesterday’s letter. Party Chairman Eric Pickles said it was “irresponsible to have such a dysfunctional, faction-ridden Labor Party running the country.” “We cannot go on like this,” he said. “The only responsible thing the government can do is call a general election.” —AP
Madagascar’s rivals urged to resume talks ANTANANARIVO: International efforts to resolve a year-long political crisis in Madagascar must be redoubled to stop the Indian Ocean island from sliding deeper into turmoil, the African Union (AU) said yesterday. Speaking at the opening of an international contact group meeting in Ethiopia, AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping called for the resumption of talks between Madagascar’s feuding politicians over the formation of a power-sharing administration. The AU’s insistence on a consensus solution places it at odds with Madagascar’s leader, Andry Rajoelina, who has urged foreign mediators in recent weeks to stop meddling in the country’s affairs. “They (earlier power-sharing deals) are the fruits of consensus and are the only political and judicial basis from which to break the deadlock and end this crisis,” Ping told the meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. In Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, armed police fired teargas to stop an opposition march on a presidential palace in the city centre. “We
left... to accompany our (opposition) leaders to the palace to hand over a letter to Rajoelina asking whether he still stood for reconciliation,” opposition supporter Dominique Randrianasolo told Reuters. “But the forces of repression fired teargas at us to stop us.” Rajoelina, 35, tore up a series of internationally-brokered agreements shortly before Christmas and appointed a senior military officer as prime minister to govern the country, which is increasingly eyed by foreigners for its oil and minerals. Government spokesman Augustin Andriamananoro quickly rejected taking up negotiations again with former presidents Marc Ravalomanana, Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy. “Now, putting in place these accords with these people is u n t h i n k a b l e , ” Andriamananoro told Reuters. “We have made our choice and that is to give the people their say.” Rajoelina has set parliamentary elections for March 20, just over a year after he spearheaded Ravalomanana’s overthrow. Yesterday, opposition lead-
ers boycotted a two-day national workshop on preparations for the March vote. The workshop “has no basis and is unilaterally organised, which breaks with the (power-sharing) deals signed previously in Maputo and Addis Ababa,” Emmanuel Rakotovahiny, who had been named one of two copresidents under the accords, told Reuters. Ping did not mention the legislative poll in his speech. Analysts are divided on how much leverage regional blocs including the AU, which suspended Madagascar after Rajoelina’s power-grab, and foreign donors have in persuading Africa’s youngest incumbent to return to talks. France-based analyst Lydie Boka said donors still wielded carrots in the form of suspended aid worth hundreds of millions of dollars. “No private sector flows can compensate aid, even in the medium run,” Boka told Reuters by email. But others say Rajoelina might consider he has more to gain by breaking away from negotiations and hoping to obtain a semblance of legitimacy through the ballot box. — Reuters
INTERNATIONAL
Thursday, January 7, 2010
11
US intelligence chief vows action after Obama rebuke WASHINGTON: Bruised by a stinging rebuke from President Barack Obama, the top US intelligence chief has pledged to repair flaws in the security services to confront an evolving threat from terror groups. “The intelligence community received the president’s message todaywe got it, and we are moving forward to meet the new challenges,” Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said in a statement. “We can and we must outthink, outwork and defeat the enemy’s new ideas. The intelligence com-
munity will do that as directed by the president, working closely with our nation’s entire national security team.” An angry Obama Tuesday blasted US spy chiefs accusing them of an intelligence “screw-up” that left a US airliner carrying 290 people open to a Al-Qaeda attack on Christmas Day which was only narrowly averted. In a highly unusual public rebuke of the US clandestine community, Obama made a terse televised statement about the thwarted bombing, after gathering agency chiefs
and national security aides at a highstakes White House meeting. “It is increasingly clear that intelligence was not fully analyzed or fully leveraged,” Obama said, saying that missed “red flags” before the attack were more serious than originally thought. “That’s not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it.” Obama was even more explicit during the meeting in the secure White House Situation Room, an official said, calling for immediate repairs to the flawed US homeland security sys-
tem. “This was a screw-up that could have been disastrous,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, quoted Obama as saying in the meeting. “We dodged a bullet but just barely. It was averted by brave individuals not because the system worked,” the president said, according to the official. Nigerian suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, is accused of trying to bring down the Northwest jet outside Detroit with explosives sewn into his underwear. The device failed to explode
as the plane approached Detroit setting off a fire, and passengers and crew sprung into action, thwarting his attempted attack. As yet no heads have rolled over the incident, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs dodged the issue when asked Tuesday by reporters if anyone would lose their jobs. But a chagrined Blair admitted mistakes had been made. “The system did not catch Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and prevent him from boarding an airliner and entering the United States. We
must be able to stop such attempts,” he said. In the statement released just hours after Obama’s very public dressing-down, Blair said progress had been made “in developing collection and analysis capabilities and improving collaboration.” But he stressed “we need to strengthen our ability to stop new tactics such as the efforts of individual suicide terrorists. “The threat has evolved, and we need to anticipate new kinds of attacks and improve our
ability to stay ahead of them and protect America.” Obama said probes into the botched plot to blow up the airliner showed US intelligence missed other “red flags” as well as the already revealed fact that Abdulmutallab was a Nigerian extremist who had traveled to Yemen. He said US intelligence knew that AlQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula wanted to strike not only US targets in Yemen but in the United States itself over the holiday season. —AFP
Anti-incumbent anger threatened Obama’s party
2 Obama allies to retire from Senate
OTTAWA: Canadian Transport Minister John Baird takes a closer look at a full body scanner following a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday. —AP
Canada to use full-body scanners for US flights OTTAWA: Canada plans to introduce full-body scanners at all its major international airports to tighten security after the failed attack last month on a US -bound plane, the government said on Tuesday. The scanners, which see through clothing, will go into nine airports, including Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, starting this month, and will be used for now only on US -bound flights, officials said. Passengers will be given a choice between going through the scanners or being subjected to a full-body physical search, Transport Minister John Baird told a news conference in Ottawa. “I think for many Canadians the idea of going through an electronic machine is far more comfortable and less invasive,” Baird told reporters. Deployment of the new scanning equipment was requested by the United States, but Canada was still talking with Washington to clarify what, if any, additional security mea-
sures might be required. Canada has not decided if it will follow the US lead and and require all air travelers from 14 countries deemed to be “state sponsors of terrorism” to undergo additional screening, a Transport Canada spokesman said. Baird said the government was also studying using security personnel trained to detect behavioral characteristics that would indicate a passenger is a potential security risk. Baird said Ottawa was aware the tighter security could cause problems for the the airline industry, so it was talking with industry officials about the financial impact of the measures. Canada will purchase 44 of the scanning units. It tested the technology in a 2008 trial at a small airport in Kelowna, British Columbia. A survey found that 95 percent of the passengers who underwent the scan preferred it to a physical search, said Rob Merrifield, Canada’s minister of state for transport.
Britain, the Netherlands and Nigeria are among other countries introducing scanners. Canada has a particularly large number of flights to the United States, and passengers even clear US customs at the larger Canadian airports. Civil liberties groups have raised privacy concerns about the scanners, which effectively allow security services to look at an image of a nude body. The images would not be stored or transmitted and personnel viewing them would be in a separate room with no contact with the person being scanned, to satisfy privacy concerns, Baird and Merrifield said. The new equipment and scanning requirements will be deployed as Vancouver International Airport is set to handle a crush of additional travelers coming to the Winter Olympics in February. Airport officials were not available for comment on what impact the changes will have on Olympic operations. —Reuters
US diplomat back in Honduras to heal rifts TEGUCIGALPA: US State Department diplomat Craig Kelly returned to Honduras on Tuesday to make his fourth attempt in five months to reunite leaders in this bitterly divided nation. US Embassy spokesman Michael Stevens said Kelly “came to make intensive effort to achieve a breakthrough agreement” during a two-day visit. Kelly met with ousted President Manuel Zelaya at the Brazilian Embassy, where he has been living since sneaking back into Honduras in late September. Kelly also plans to meet with interim President Roberto Micheletti, who took power after Zelaya was ousted in June and is to cede his position in three weeks, and with the winner of the country’s Nov 29 presidential election, Porfirio Lobo. “I thank the United States for seeking a solution to Honduras’ problem ... and that the United States is interested in having Micheletti leave the post as soon as possible,” Zelaya told the local Radio Globo station following his meeting with Kelly. “Kelly assured me that his government does not support Micheletti and is seeking the possibility of the international community recognizing the new government”, Zelaya said, referring to Lobo. “Washington recognizes that I am president of Honduras,” Zelaya said. While Zelaya appears to have few remaining options, even negotiations to fly him out of
Honduras to another country have stumbled, he remained unbowed, calling on supporters in a broadcast speech later to “not retreat one centimeter in the fight for their rights and social progress.” Micheletti’s interim government has said Zelaya faces arrest on various charges if he leaves the embassy under any terms other than an asylum arrangement in another country. Zelaya’s term ends Jan 27. The Honduran crisis has been one of the biggest diplomatic challenges in Latin America for the Obama administration. State Department spokesman P J Crowley said in Washington that “we are encouraged by comments by President-elect Lobo,” who has talked about national reconciliation. But Crowley said Kelly “is there to communicate clearly to a variety of parties that there are still things that Honduras has to do” to restore the constitutional order and mend the divisions caused by the coup. He mentioned a truth commission to sort out responsibilities in the coup, which interim government supporters said was triggered by Zelaya’s refusal to obey court rulings against his plan to hold a referendum on changing the constitution. Zelaya says he was illegally removed from office by his opponents. “Most importantly, you need to have this truth commission that is part of a healing process that has to occur if Honduras is going to, to advance,” Crowley said. —AP
WASHINGTON: Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd, head of the powerful Dodd’s retirement, confirmed by two Democratic sources, brought to three the Senate Banking Committee, planned yesterday to announce he was not seek- number of high-profile Democratic officeholders who have abandoned plans to ing re-election in November in a blow to President Barack Obama’s agenda. seek another term as anti-incumbent anger threatened Obama’s party. Dodd had been deeply involved The Connecticut senator, in the bitter debate about overwas to announce his decision at hauling the US health care sysnoon, had faced a stiff uphill tem as well as the economic reelection fight-and Democrats stimulus package adopted in hoped his departure in a state early 2009 and efforts to revamp Obama easily won in 2008 would the US financial system. help keep his seat. His decision Dodd had been facing what came after Democrat Byron by all accounts was to be a tough Dorgan announced he was retirre-election fight against wealthy ing as senator from North businesswoman Linda Dakota, a state where McMahon. Republicans will Republican White House hopehave to defend six open seats in ful John McCain defeated November, while Democrats Obama by eight points last year. must defend four. Democratic Dorgan’s move hurt senators appointed to fill vacanDemocratic morale at the dawn cies in Illinois and Delawareof an election year but also seats held by Obama and Vice imperiled the party’s 60-vote President Joe Biden, respecmajority-the bare minimum tively-have said they will leave needed in the 100-seat Senate office when their terms expire to overrun any Republican in January 2011. delaying tactics. “Over this holi“Senator Dorgan should be day season, I have come to the very proud of his more than 30 conclusion, with the support of years of devoted service in the my family, that I will not be United States Congress,” seeking another term,” Dorgan Obama said in a statement said, citing a desire to pursue Tuesday, describing him as a “other priorities” after 30 years WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama speaks in the Grand Foyer of the “trusted leader for the people of in public life. Dodd aides declined to com- White House in Washington, Tuesday about plans to thwart future terrorist his state.” Dorgan’s decision ment on his decision, but attacks after an alleged terrorist attempt to destroy a Detroit-bound US airliner on came after a public opinion poll found him trailing North Democratic officials who con- Christmas Day. —AP Dakota’s Republican Governor firmed he was retiring did not disclose details of his future Democrats are deciding to sim- Republican state of Colorado-a works as an executive at Merrill John Hoeven-who has yet to plans. Dorgan denied his deci- ply leave office instead of risk- one-time rising star in the Lynch and is said to be raising enter the race-by double digits. sion was tied to glum political ing certain defeat,” said Michael party-was also reportedly set to funds for a possible political run. Among the other White House prospects, saying he would have Steele, Republican National announce he would not seek Dodd saw his political stock fall allies in trouble: Democratic won reelection if he had run, but Committee chairman. “The reelection. Meanwhile, the New beginning in late 2008 with his Senate Majority Leader Harry Republicans pounced on his question will be, can Democrats York Times reported that Ford, failed bid for the Democratic Reid and Senator Blanche retirement as a symptom of recruit serious and viable candi- a former congressman from presidential nomination, which Lincoln of Arkansas. Mid-term US elections typiDemocratic pessimism about dates in both of those states?” Tennessee, is weighing a bid to garnered meager public supHarold Ford, Jr chairman of the unseat New York’s Senator port. Problems mounted when cally see the party that holds the coming election. “For nearly a year congres- centrist Democratic Leadership Kirsten Gillibrand in this fall’s reports emerged later that year the White House lose congresaccused him of improperly sional seats, and Republicans sional Democrats have been Council, told MSNBC yester- Democratic primary. Since losing the 2006 receiving discounts from trou- hope a rising anti-incumbent turning a deaf ear to the con- day. lender Countrywide tide-fed by double-digit unemThe senate retirements Tennessee Senate race to bled cerns of the American people and as the elections of 2010 came as Democratic Governor Republican Bob Corker, he has Financial. As chairman of the ployment-will further boost approach, many of these same Bill Ritter of the once solidly moved to New York where he Senate Banking Committee, their fortunes. —AFP
Colombian rebels say they killed governor BOGOTA: Colombia’s leftist guerrillas said Tuesday they killed a kidnapped governor last month because of a government order to rescue rebel-held hostages. The body of Caqueta Gov. Luis Francisco Cuellar, who was abducted on Dec 21, was found with the throat slashed near the state capital of Florencia the following day. President Alvaro Uribe blamed Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, or FARC, guerrillas for his death. In a statement posted on the web site of the news agency ANNCOL, which regularly carries FARC communications, the rebels acknowledged killing Cuellar but said they had planned to try him for alleged corruption and ties to right-wing paramilitaries, not execute him or hold him for ransom.
The statement, dated Dec 24 and signed by the FARC’s Southern Bloc, said his death was “an undesired and tragic consequence of the order given by Alvaro Uribe to the armed forces to rescue with fire and blood” the rebel-held hostages. Uribe, a staunch US ally, had ordered an army operation to free the 69-year-old governor as well as about 20 soldiers and police held by the rebels. Calls to rela-
tives of Cuellar and officials were not immediately returned. Colombia’s military had speculated that Cuellar’s captors killed him because security forces were in pursuit, but state officials said there was no sign of combat in the area. Cuellar had previously been kidnapped four times since 1987, each time for about two to seven months and in each instance an undisclosed ransom was paid. —AP
13 slain in single day in Mexican border city
SAO PAULO: Cars partially covered by houses destroyed by floods are seen in the historic city of Sao Luis do Paraitinga, in Brazil’s state of Sao Paulo, Tuesday. Floods caused by heavy rains damaged a church and dozens of houses that dated back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Authorities say that at least 80 people died during recent flooding and mudslides in southeastern Brazil. —AP
CIUDAD JUAREZ: Gunmen killed 13 people in a single day in the violence-plagued Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, state prosecutors said. Two of the dead were police officers. The Chihuahua state Attorney General’s Office issued a news release Tuesday that said Monday’s string of killings might be tied to organized crime, but police had not arrested anyone. The shootings occurred in eight different locations throughout the city. Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is Mexico’s deadliest city. Authorities say turf battles between the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels are largely responsible for a continuing wave of drug-related violence that cost more than 2,500 lives in 2009. In the western border city of Tijuana, prosecutors said four people were killed in separate attacks Tuesday and six others died on Monday. Baja California state prosecutors reported that a woman’s bound body was found on a sidewalk early Tuesday, while three men were shot to death in two separate attacks. —AP
12
INTERNATIONAL
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Afghan blast kills four kids, wounds soldiers
KABUL: An explosion tore through a group of children gathered around foreign soldiers visiting a US -funded road project yesterday, killing four kids and a policeman and wounding scores, including at least three American troops, officials said. The Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement that the blast in Nangrahar province in Afghanistan’s east occurred when a passing police vehicle hit a mine. The ministry called it a terrorist act, implying the mine had been planted by insurgents. Adjman Pardes, chief of the province’s
health department, said four children and a policeman died. He also told The Associated Press that 81 people, the vast majority of them schoolchildren, were wounded. Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, the spokesman for the provincial governor, told the AP earlier that the wounded included three US soldiers. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said nine of its soldiers were wounded, but could not specify their nationalities. Abdulzai said the soldiers were visiting a road construction project
funded by the United States. The blast occurred at about 10 a.m., as children were heading home from school; many Afghan elementary schools work on three shifts a day, with the first beginning in the early morning. Children frequently cluster around troop contingents, excited by curiosity and the hopes of receiving small treats. In a separate attack in the province, four Afghan policeman were killed when a remote-controlled bomb blew up their vehicle in the Khagyani district, Abdulzai
said. Also yesterday, at least 15 people were injured in an explosion at a market in Khost province in eastern Afghanistan, said provincial acting governor Tahr Khan Sabari. The blast occurred outside a shop in Khost city selling cellular telephones and music cassettes; the Taleban oppose most forms of secular music and Sabari speculated the insurgents chose the shop as a target for that reason. The deaths of civilians, especially children, are an increasingly sensitive issue in the Afghanistan conflict. Yesterday, the
independent human rights watchdog group Afghanistan Rights Monitor said more than 1,050 children under 18 died last year in war-related incidents. The group said about two-thirds of the young victims died at the hand of insurgents, including several murdered on suspicion of spying. But it also criticized Afghan and international forces, pointing particularly to the alleged deaths of eight children in an operation involving foreign troops last month in Kunar province. NATO claims those killed in the opera-
tion were insurgents, but ARM said in a statement that it appeared to be a “crime against civilian people.” Aside from outright killings of children, the insurgents are endangering countless others by “widespread and systematic attacks on aid workers, humanitarian convoys and facilities (that) deprived thousands of children from lifesaving services such as food aid and immunization against deadly diseases,” ARM said. Associated Press writers Jim Heintz and Amir Shah in Kabul contributed to this report.— AP
Lawless Waziristan tribal area home to several militant groups
Suspected US drones kill 12 in Pakistan: Officials ISLAMABAD: Two suspected US drone missile strikes killed at least 12 people yesterday in an area of Pakistan’s volatile northwest teeming with militants suspected in a recent suicide attack that killed seven CIA employees in Afghanistan, intelligence officials said. The lawless North Waziristan tribal area hit yesterday is home to several militant groups that stage cross-border attacks against coalition troops, including the Al-
Qaeda-linked Haqqani network. Counting the latest strikes, suspected US drones have attacked North Waziristan four times since the CIA bombing a week ago, killing at least 20 people. The Obama administration has pressed Pakistan to crack down on the Haqqani network, but Islamabad has resisted, saying it has its hands full battling local Taleban militants waging war against the state.
RAWLAKOT: Pakistani army soldiers carry their injured comrade from an ambulance to a hospital after a suicide bomb blast in Rawlakot, some 80 kilometers from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir yesterday. —AFP
Gunmen kill Kashmir police SRINAGAR: Two suspected insurgents hurled hand grenades and fired at a group of government forces in a crowded shopping district in the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir yesterday, killing at least one police officer and wounding three civilians, police said. The attackers later took shelter in a nearby building and were exchanging gunfire with Indian security forces, said Farooq Ahmed, an inspector-general of police. Panicked shoppers fled as armored vehicles carrying police reinforcements arrived in the central Lal Chowk district of Srinagar, the main city in the Indiancontrolled portion of Kashmir, Ahmed said. Government troops were trying to evacuate the civilians stranded in the busy area before launching an all out attack on the rebels, he added. The injured civilians included a cameraman from a television news channel, said Sajad Ahmed, another police officer. The civilians were hospitalized with bullet and shrapnel wounds, he said. Jamiat-ul-Mujahedeen, one of the rebel groups active in the area claimed responsibility for the attack by faxing a statement to the local offices of Press Trust of India news agency. “The attack is in response to India’s propaganda that the armed struggle has weakened in Kashmir,” the statement said. Yesterday’s attack is the first such attack in Srinagar since 2006. Meanwhile, hundreds of locals gathered on the edges of the district and chanted pro-independence slogans and clashed with troops forcing them to use bamboo batons and tear gas to disperse them. Anti-India sentiments run deep in the region, where more than a dozen rebel groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence
from India or its merger with neighboring Pakistan since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the
conflict. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, and both claim it in its entirety. The longtime rivals
have fought two wars over its control since they won independence from Britain in 1947.—AP
SRINAGAR: An Indian policeman stands alert during an encounter in Srinagar yesterday. Suspected Muslim militants opened fire in the main market area of Indian Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar, killing at least one police officer. —AFP
In response, Washington has stepped up drone strikes in the country’s tribal areas near the Afghan border. In the first attack yesterday, a suspected drone fired two missiles at a house in the Datta Khel region of North Waziristan, killing seven people, said intelligence officials. A second strike occurred as locals were retrieving bodies from the rubble of the house, killing five people, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The identities of those killed in the attacks were unknown. North Waziristan borders Afghanistan’s eastern Khost province, where a Jordanian man duped CIA agents into letting him onto a remote base by leading them to think he would help track down Al-Qaeda’s No 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, officials have said. Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, a 32-year-old doctor, was allowed to enter without being closely searched and then blew himself up during a briefing, killing seven CIA employees and a Jordanian intelligence agent. Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal area, said he believes the drone strikes over the past week in North Waziristan are retaliation for the suicide attack against the CIA. The Americans “have concluded that the Haqqani network is causing major problems in eastern Afghanistan, and they seem determined to hit the network, so we should expect more frequent attacks in North Waziristan,” said Shah. But Shah said the effectiveness of the drone strikes has been hampered by a shortage of human intelligence in the region. Pakistani intelligence officials have said that at least 30 of their operatives have been killed over the past year in North Waziristan. “Pakistan’s intelligence ability is almost zero in the border region because of the high rate of killing spies,” said Shah. “In such situations, these attacks are proving counterproductive and producing more militants.” US officials rarely discuss the missile strikes, and although Pakistan’s government publicly condemns them as violations of its sovereignty, many analysts believe the two countries have a secret deal allowing them. A drone strike in August killed Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taleban , which have been leading a deadly insurgency against the Pakistani government from their sanctuary in the tribal areas. The Pakistani army invaded the group’s main stronghold in South Waziristan in midOctober, sparking a wave of retaliatory violence that has killed over 600 people. Growing violence in Pakistan has not been confined to the country’s volatile northwest. A suicide bomber struck an army facility in the Pakistancontrolled portion of Kashmir yesterday, killing four soldiers and wounding 11 others in an area where such attacks are rare, said the prime minister of the region, Raja Farooq Haider. The attacker detonated his explosives after guards stopped him at the gate of an army barracks near the town of Rawalakot, said police official Zubair Ahmed. —AP
ANTARCTICA: In this photo made from a video released by the Institute of Cetacean Research of Japan, activists of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society aboard the anti-whaling group’s vessel Ady Gil, left, are sprayed with water from the Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru during a clash in Antarctic waters yesterday. —AP
Activists accuse Japanese whalers of ramming boat
CANBERRA: Anti-whaling activists accused Japanese whalers of ramming and sinking a hightech protest boat in the frigid Southern Ocean yesterday, but Japan said that its ship could not avoid the collision. The Australian government called for restraint by all parties after the hardline Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said its futuristic powerboat Ady Gil was cut in half by the Japanese security ship Shonan Maru No 2. All six crew were rescued, but the collision left one activist with two broken ribs and the A$1.5 million ($1.37 million) carbon-fiber trimaran was sinking, Sea Shepherd said. “We believe it was deliberate. Our ship had come to a complete stop and they basically came straight down on top of them. They cleaned them up,” the group’s Australian director Jeff Hansen told Reuters. Japan’s Fisheries Agency said the collision took place when Ady Gil suddenly slowed down as it crossed in front of Shonan Maru, which had warned the boat of impending danger. Ady Gil did not send a distress signal and did not appear to be sinking, the Agency said, adding that Shonan Maru did not suffer major damage and its crew were safe. “The series of obstructing activities by SS (Sea Shepherd) are dangerous acts that threaten the vessels engaged in scientific whaling as well as the lives and properties of the crew and they cannot be forgiven,” it said. Commercial whaling was banned under a 1986 treaty, but Japan continues to cull whales saying it is for research purposes, deflecting criticism from anti-whaling nations. Australia’s government called for calm in the Southern Ocean and said it would not be sending a patrol boat to the area. “The point I would make is that the risk of accident is high and the capacity for rescue in these
areas is low and it is absolutely critical that restraint be prudently exercised by all parties,” Environment Minister Peter Garrett told reporters. Environmentalists accuse centre-left Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of backpedalling on threats of an International Court of Justice whaling challenge to avoid damaging Australia’s trade ties with Japan and slow-moving talks on a free trade pact. Japan was Australia’s top export destination in 2008, with two-way trade worth $58 billion. Canberra also maintained a $25 billion trade surplus on the back of coal and iron ore exports. Some legal experts believe the cull violates international law. A court challenge would lead to so-called provisional orders for Japan to halt whaling ahead of a full hearing. A public relations company based in New Zealand and linked to Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research chartered aircraft in Hobart and in Western Australia state last month to track the Sea Shepherd flagship “Steve Irwin”, the Age newspaper said. “Instead of Australia sending a surveillance vessel to watch the whalers, the Japanese are using Australian soil to watch the whale defenders,” said Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown, whose party wields five key swing votes needed by the government. Legal expert Don Rothwell of Australian National University said the flights had broken no laws and overreaction could expose the government to accusations of breaching its Southern Ocean policing responsibilities. Japan says whaling is a cultural tradition and while most Japanese do not eat whale meat regularly, many are indifferent to accusations that the hunting is cruel. — Reuters
China’s Xinjiang issues new anti-terror rules BEIJING: Authorities in China’s troubled Xinjiang region will step up identity checks and monitor religious activities in a renewed bid to quash terrorism, separatism and extremism, state media said yesterday. The announcement of new government regulations aimed at helping the police and judiciary stamp out the so-called “three forces” in the region comes six months after ethnic violence left nearly 200 people dead. More than 1,600 people were also injured in the violence that erupted between mainly Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese in the regional capital of Urumqi on July 5, according to government figures. So far 22 people, mostly ethnic Uighurs, have been sentenced to death for the violence, drawing sharp criticism from the West and rights groups concerned that the accused were not guaranteed due process. Nine of those convicted have already been exe-
cuted. “The new rules provide forceful legal guarantees to step up the struggle against separatism,” Jappa Abibulla, chairman of the Xinjiang People’s Congress, told the China News Service. “They clearly state that striking at the ‘three evil forces’ of terrorism, separatism and religious extremism in accordance with the law are the priority task for maintaining social order.” The new regulations-which come into effect on February 1 — stipulate that governments down to the village level must step up checks on target populations and monitor all religious activities, China National Radio said. Local governments must also step up the registration of migrant workers and home rentals in their jurisdictions and help set up a region-wide information-sharing network, it said. The newly amended rules also stipulate that promotions of government leaders will be subject to their efforts to stamp out the “three forces”. — AFP
At least 25 die in China coal mine fire; 3 trapped BEIJING: A fire in a coal mine in central China killed at least 25 workers, and search efforts continued for at least three others trapped underground, state media reported yesterday. The Xinhua News Agency said underground cables caught fire Tuesday afternoon at the Lisheng coal mine in Xiangtan city in Hunan province. The owner of the mine and a senior employee were detained, Xinhua said. Sixteen more bodies were recovered yesterday about 1,770 feet (540 meters) below the surface, bringing the death toll to 25, it said. More than 70 workers were underground when the fire started and 43 managed to escape, it
said. Rescue workers were searching for the remaining miners, who were thought to be on another mining platform at least 2,000 feet (600 meters) underground, Xinhua said. The fire was extinguished and the ventilation system was restored Tuesday, so there was a chance that they were still alive, it said. China’s mining industry is the world’s deadliest, with most accidents blamed on poor safety as enterprises scramble to feed the country’s voracious demand for coal. In November, 108 miners were killed in a coal mine blast in northeast China. It was the country’s deadliest mining accident in two years. —AP
OPINION
Thursday, January 7, 2010
13
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issues
For Obama, what’ll accountability be? By Ben Feller
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s the White House portrays the dramatic scene, President Barack Obama summoned his national security team to the Situation Room for a lecture about accountability after the failed terrorist attack on a Detroit-bound airliner. “This was a screw-up that could have been disastrous,” the commander in chief said. The White House took the uncommon step of releasing that this-will-not-stand quote from a room where the secrecy usually is fiercely protected. Obama went on to say, according to the distributed account: “We dodged a bullet, but just barely. ... While there will be a tendency for fingerpointing, I will not tolerate it.” Tough language, but where will it lead? Words are not enough. What people want is action. Five times now since a man linked to AlQaeda allegedly tried to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day, Obama has updated the nation. His message is one of a president determined for people to see he is in charge, demanding results and willing to call out his own government’s flaws. All this comes after some grumbles about a slow initial response on the part of Obama, who was in Hawaii on vacation and first spoke about the incident three days after it happened. As the days pass, Obama’s window for unilateral action narrows. At least three Senate committees plan hearings on the security scare later this month. Beyond concentrating attention on homeland security, the botched terrorist attack has political implications for the White House. Republicans traditionally have sought to claim the toughest stand on national security come election time and could see an opening to expose this incident as a vulnerability. So Obama is promising the nation he’ll do exactly what he says the intelligence world did not: connect the dots. The deeper Obama gets into the weeds of what happened, the blunter his words become. His mission is to fix an exposed national security system quickly. And for a president who promises accountability, it also is to show that he really means it. Will somebody get fired over this security lapse? Perhaps not. But in political terms it can’t hurt Obama for voters to believe he’s willing to roll heads if necessary. The president’s review is centered on finding and filling the gaps in the nation’s intelligence and terrorist detection systems. In the course of that, “he’ll be able to determine whether or not somebody has to lose their job,” said one official
close to Obama who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the matter. And so on Tuesday, Obama outlined more missed signs about Al-Qaeda’s plans and about the accused attacker, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The 23-yearold Nigerian never moved from a database of suspected terrorists to a “no-fly” list because the intelligence was not fully analyzed by those trained to do just that. “The information was there,” Obama said. He painted a picture in which people failed to do their jobs, allowing a potentially disastrous situation. “I will not tolerate it,” he said again. The White House this week is expected to make public a preliminary report from Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, about what happened. Obama also is promising to announce more steps in the coming days to disrupt terrorist attacks, including improving the way people are screened at airports. That’s on top of short-term security measures the president has taken since Dec 25. But the problem is systemic, and presumably, so must be the action. “We have to do better - and we will do better,” Obama said emphatically. And then he listed all that he demanded from his officials: Get your reports in this week, get me recommendations to fix what went wrong, be prepared to put them in place fast. The president said everyone in the room took responsibility. White House aides said not one finger was pointed. Of course, the president had already told his team not to do so. The security breach and the troubling questions it poses have dominated the start of the new year for Obama. And while the top story of the day can change quickly around the White House, for now, Obama is facing questions he would never have wanted at the start of his second calendar year as president. Does he have faith in his national security team? Is that team up to the task? Is he tough enough on terror? Obama himself took no questions Tuesday. He stood alone in the White House’s Grand Foyer and left after his nearly nine-minute statement, capped with a declaration that the intelligence, homeland security and law enforcement systems must be held accountable. He said that applies not just to the institutions but to “the people in them.” “That’s what the American people deserve,” Obama said. “As president, that’s exactly what I will demand.” The line from Obama is clear. But it will take many others to connect all those dots. — AP
All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.
Qaeda survives pressure, salvages credibility By William Maclean
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l-Qaeda has stormed back to menacing prominence in the West with an attempted mass attack, shoring up tottering credibility among admirers impatient for another spectacular strike like Sept 11. Almost five years after its last mass killing in the West, the failed Christmas Day downing of a US airliner over Detroit shows the group to be resilient, innovative and able to persuade young militants to kill themselves in an antiWestern campaign. Hatched by Al-Qaeda followers in Yemen, the attack also demonstrates the threat to the West of the globallyscattered hubs Osama bin Laden has fostered as he has come under more pressure in his redoubts on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Experts draw a similar conclusion from a Jan. 1 attack in Denmark involving a Somali: armed with an axe and suspected of links with Al-Qaeda, the man broke into the home of a Danish cartoonist whose drawings of the Prophet Mohammad had caused Muslim outrage. The Somali was shot and wounded by police. “Al-Qaeda is back,” said Peter Neumann of London’s Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence. “It may look different from Al-Qaeda of 2001, and another 9/11 still seems far-fetched, but Detroit and now Denmark show the threat hasn’t gone ... and is becoming more diverse.” “It’s no longer just the tribal areas in Pakistan that cause concern, but a lot of locations across the world. There now seem to be regional hubs, which provide all the things - resources, training, direction - that used to be done in one place.” Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was quick to claim the Dec 25 attack, in which a 24-year-old Nigerian tried but failed to properly detonate explosives on a Detroit-bound plane. Some analysts saw the claim of a failed attack as stark evidence the group is so weakened by Western pressure that it self-servingly lowered the
bar for its own success. Not so, say other analysts. They argue the recent attacks, and a string of arrests of suspected militants in the United States in 2009, show there is no room for complacency, even if the network lacks the depth of talent it had in 2001. “We have a very formidable and implacable enemy, even if it has been weakened,” said Bruce Hofffman, professor of security studies at Georgetown university in Washington. “What’s worrisome is they are adapting and adjusting even to this immense pressure that we are putting them under.” Jeremy Binnie of Jane’s Intelligence says some affiliate groups “may emerge in their own right as international threats”. Big inroads were made into Al-Qaeda in 2009, in particular by aerial drones in Pakistan that killed a string of operatives including at least two top members of its external wing. Fear of death from the air means top men like bin Laden and Egyptian number two Ayman Al-Zawahiri hide in remote locations and reportedly communicate only by courier, a method which limits their effectiveness either as organisers or ideologues. “They are very, very wary indeed of meeting anybody that they don’t know...they will do almost anything to deal with people at two or three removes, rather than directly,” UN security official Richard Barrett told a Washington audience. “This makes it very difficult for them to give out a coherent message, an accurate message, and also to use whatever charisma they may have to try and recruit and inspire people.” The group continues to be irrelevant to the daily concerns of Muslims struggling variously with unemployment, war, famine or bad governance and this limits its following to a hardcore. Al-Qaeda is also under challenge intellectually, with prominent Libyan and Moroccan anti-Western activists in 2009 disowning its view of the world in online writings. Finances, according to experts who follow the group’s murky
money trail, are stretched, and AlQaeda has reminded followers that giving money is a suitable alternative to fighting. But despite these setbacks the group is still adept at exploiting its regional hubs, its links to effective and deadly Pakistani allies and Western counter-terrorism failings exposed in the Dec 25 incident. David Claridge of Janusian security consultants said the Dec 25 attempt
was “fairly predictable and we may see it as a failure. But Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula will see it as its first major attack outside its normal operating area.” Al-Qaeda has reason to see potential for growth in 2010. The US military build-up in Afghanistan and an increase in US security cooperation in Yemen give it plenty of material with which to argue the rulers of Muslim lands are US puppets. There is poten-
tial too, argue some analysts, for the West to hand Al-Qaeda an easy victory by over-reacting with vastly heightened security steps that could render life intolerable. Francois Heisbourg, of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, said: “The response is more damaging than the attack. Anyone born in the wrong place or with the wrong skin colour is going to have a pretty bad time at an airport now.” — Reuters
Raul’s nightmare By Marifeli Perez-Stable
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uba’s problems can’t be addressed under the leadership’s passe reformism. Raul Castro is neither Mikhail Gorbachev nor Deng Xiaoping, both of whom thought outside the box while in power. He is stuck in the old mold of market socialism: a tinker here, a nudge there, even though Europe’s 1989 should serve as warning. It’s a dead end. As a child I would often ask my maternal grandfather - a gallego who emigrated to Cuba and did well on all counts - for a peso (it was real money then). He’d hand it to me saying: “Mari, remember, money must be respected.” Turning the phrase differently, I pass his wisdom to my students: “Remember, markets must be respected.” Of course, I don’t mean that markets should always be left alone. But, politicians - dictators and democrats alike - who don’t respect the market don’t respect the people either. Ordinary men and women have the right to their dreams, especially giving their children the best future possible. Politicians who won’t give markets their due have their sights set on their own glory, which ends up costing the people dearly. For that alone, history almost never absolves them. On Dec 20, Raul Castro told the National Assembly: “In updating Cuba’s economic model, we cannot run the risk of improvisation and haste. We simply do not have the right to make mistakes.” So spoke a cautious man well aware of what was better left unsaid: that too many mistakes had been made over decades, and this time everything was on the line. Raul goes on to detail all sorts of absurdities that can only happen when markets aren’t respected. For example, he boasts about a success story: In 66 municipalities (out of 169 islandwide), local delivery of fresh milk reaches grocery stores in a timely manner, which saves fuel. Presidents of normal countries don’t have to worry about distributing fresh milk. The private sector takes care of it. In the past few months, high-ranking officials and the media have been pounding the “paternalistic state”. Since the same men have been in power for more than half a century, I
wonder who’s responsible for creating such a state and the mentality that flows from it? In Cuba, work and earnings are largely divorced: Cubans pretend to work, the state pretends to pay them. So it goes when people have their dignity taken away, when they are denied the right to make an honest living. Still, human beings do not live by bread alone. According to a Gallup poll taken in Havana and Santiago a few years ago, only a quarter of respondents thought they had the freedom to decide what to do with their lives. When asked if they had laughed or smiled the day before the survey, only 62 percent said yes. On these and other subjective measures of wellbeing, Cubans rank much lower than the average Latin American. Freedom is as important as social justice. Courageous Cubans on the island have stepped forward and claimed their rights. Whether a blogger, the ladies in white, a man on a hunger strike, a rapper singing truth to power or a young woman reading a banned book, ordinary people are taking their country back, bit by bit. Threats, beatings, detentions, mock trials aside, some step back out of fear but others always take steps forward. An unending nightmare for the regime! Lately new headaches have developed. • A group of prominent black Americans couldn’t keep quiet anymore and denounced the regime’s “callous disregard” for Cubans of color. Blacks and mixed-race Cubans on the island are giving renewed testament of their mistreatment. • Twenty-one intellectuals and five cultural organizations signed a statement denouncing the “rise of bureaucraticauthoritarian control” to smash autonomous cultural projects. • The leadership can’t set the party congress date. Militants clamor for change like everyone else. Being a Communist doesn’t necessarily mean you’re trustworthy. NOTE: Marifeli Perez-Stable is a professor at Florida International University, a senior non-resident fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington and a columnist for the Miami Herald — MCT
Pitfalls await US in fight with Qaeda in Yemen By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent
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he United States must tread warily in Yemen if it is to avoid inadvertently broadening Al-Qaeda’s appeal in a country plagued by poverty, corruption and conflict. The botched bombing of a US airliner on Dec 25, claimed by Al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based wing, has spurred Washington to step up aid to President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government, even though diplomats say it is tainted by graft and short on legitimacy. Such support may temporarily help sustain autocratic rule in Yemen, where militancy is only one of many woes. The population of 23 million is set to double in 20 years, even as gas exports fail to offset falling oil earnings and water supplies run dry. “Deeper US security involvement will cause a spike of Al-Qaeda recruitment,” said Yemeni analyst Abdul-Ghani Al-Iryani. “So much could go wrong,” he said, citing anti-US fervour generated by images from the Iraq war of an American soldier putting his boot on the neck of an Iraqi civilian. Yemeni officials acknowledge the need for US help with counterterrorism, but say the government also lacks resources to tackle the poverty that widens Al-Qaeda’s recruiting pool. The United States has quietly been supplying military equipment, intelli-
gence and training to Yemeni forces to root out suspected Al-Qaeda militants, including several released Guantanamo detainees who have rejoined their cause. “Propping up the Saleh government is an inevitable by-product of this (US) campaign,” said Iryani. “This will lead to continuation of the same bad habits that got us into this mess in the first place.” The United States has faced similar dilemmas in Afghanistan, Pakistan and
elsewhere, often opting to work with flawed leaders on overriding security goals rather than pressing for reform. A US official, who asked not to be named, took a pragmatic view of Saleh, 67, who has kept power for three turbulent decades by balancing tribal and military factions with a network of patronage that is now handicapped by plunging oil income. “We have to do the best we can, hold him to his commitments, make sure
A Yemeni youth chats with a Japanese tourist in Sanaa’s Old City yesterday. – AFP
we have oversight and ensure everything is going in the right direction. Not a small problem,” the official said. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also hinted at Yemen’s governance deficits, when she said the West should tie strings on aid to Sanaa, which is also fighting “Houthi” Shiite rebels in the north and secessionist unrest in the south. “It’s time for the international community to make it clear to Yemen that there are expectations and conditions on our continuing support for the government so that they can take actions which will have a better chance to provide that peace and stability,” Clinton declared on Monday. The United States has little appetite for a new war in Yemen, which, argued Ginny Hill of London’s Chatham House, is a much more sensitive environment than Iraq or Afghanistan due to its proximity to Saudi Arabia and the holy city of Makkah. “The Yemeni government would be placed in a very difficult position if the West were to push for troops on the ground in any kind of visible numbers,” she added. Alternatives, such as US drone strikes and use of special forces units to disrupt Al-Qaeda, could also prove politically sensitive, especially if civilian casualties ensued. For now the Pentagon has proposed increasing the $67 million pro-
vided in overt counter-terrorism assistance last year, a figure that does not include covert programs run by US special forces and the CIA, US officials have said. US-backed Yemeni air strikes against suspected Al-Qaeda targets last month killed more than 60 people. “The risk is increasing hostility in Yemen toward both the US and the Saleh regime,” said Robert Burrowes, an American scholar and author of the Historical Dictionary of Yemen. “A main theme of the Houthis and Al-Qaeda - and maybe the Southern Movement as well is the damning relationship between the Saleh regime and the United States,” he said. Saleh may view the northern revolt and southern secessionism as deadlier threats to his rule than Al-Qaeda, although a new breed of militants has proved more radical and harder to coopt than veterans of the US-backed Afghan “jihad” in the 1980s. Yet he may also spy an opportunity to use the fight against AlQaeda to garner more financial aid from the West to offset the dwindling resources available for patronage. “Terrorist networks stand to benefit if the state gets weaker but it’s not terrorism that will undermine the government, it’s the economic crisis forced by declining oil revenues,” said Hill, the Chatham House analyst. — Reuters
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‘3 Idiots’ Bollywood’s highest grossing movie MUMBAI: Aamir Khan’s latest film, “3 Idiots,” has become the highest grossing Bollywood movie of all time, with strong showings at home and abroad raising hopes for further cross-over hits for Indian films. The leading actor-producer-director wrote on his blog that box office takings for the coming-of-age comedy had already surpassed those for his 2008 hit “Ghajini,” which was the previous record holder. “In less than 10 days 3i has overtaken the ENTIRE business of GHAJINI!!!! India, Overseas, everywhere!!! And is still going strong,” Khan wrote Monday, describing himself as “fully overwhelmed and totally humbled.” India’s Business Standard newspaper said Tuesday that “3 Idiots” had taken 2.4 billion rupees ($51 million) from the domestic and international market since opening on December 25. “Ghajini” took 2.25 billion rupees. Meanwhile www.hollywood.com and Deadline Hollywood, which both track box office takings in the United States, said “3 Idiots” has so far made $4.8 million after opening in nearly 120 US theatres. No Bollywood film has crossed the four-million-dollar threshold before. The film’s success has given Bollywood a boost, after a disappointing 2009 marked by a damaging producers’
boycott of multiplex cinemas in a row over box office takings, swine flu fears and a string of big budget flops. The Business Standard said “3 Idiots” has so far made more money than Bollywood’s entire ticket receipts in November, which included the hit “Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani” (An Amazing Story Of Strange Love). Indian box office takings are lower than in Hollywood because of lower ticket prices. Film critics and industry analysts attributed the success of “3 Idiots” not just to Khan’s star quality, but also high production values, a sustained marketing campaign and the story’s wide appeal. A public row about how much the film was based on Chetan Bhagat’s best-seller “Five Point Someone,” and a lack of other big-name releases, may also have helped. “It’s a very well-made film with a message and with a big star. It brings back memories of people’s experience of the education system in India,” Taran Adarsh, from bollywoodhungama.com, said of the film’s overseas success. “If you still have family here I think you identify with it all the more,” he told AFP. Mayank Shekhar, national cultural editor at The Hindustan Times newspaper, said the same expatriate Indian “IT
crowd” who bought “Five Point Someone” appear to have flocked to US cinemas, boosting audiences. “What’s equally important is that it’s not a preachy film. It’s by itself a complete comedy, which is what most mainstream audiences go for,” he said. A well-constructed combination of a leading star, well-placed song-and-dance routines and a message gave it “all the elements of a Bollywood blockbuster,” he added. US film studios have been eyeing India’s popular Hindi-language film industry for several years, hoping to tap in to an expanding $2.3-billion market. Hopes are high that Shahrukh Khan’s upcoming film “My Name Is Khan” will match or even eclipse the success of “3 Idiots”. Fox Searchlight, which promoted the Oscarwinning film “Slumdog Millionaire”, and other Fox units are handling distribution. Adarsh said the overseas market is becoming increasingly important for Bollywood. “The domestic market has traditionally been measured in rupees. Today it’s dollars, pounds, dirham, euros and various other currencies,” he said. “It’s not just the Indian diaspora. It’s people in Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Middle East. The success of ‘3 Idiots’ is just the tip of the iceberg.” — AFP
Book and Iran sojourn shed light on Laden kin Continued from Page 1 mother Najwa Al-Ghanem, one of Osama bin Laden’s wives, Omar said. “My brother Bakr arrived from Tehran on Christmas day, bringing joy to the family and ending the tears of our mother,” Omar, was quoted as saying. “But our joy will not be complete until the other members of the family are able to leave Tehran safely and soundly,” said Omar, who lives in Qatar. Bin Laden’s family was already under the spotlight in “Growing Up Bin Laden”, written by Omar and his mother, Najwa, and published in late October. The book describes a brood of children - up to 20 from different wives - who were raised from an early age by an authoritarian father who shunned the luxury his inherited wealth could buy. The mother and son write that the kids grew up in Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Afghanistan without laughter or toys, were routinely beaten, and lost their pets to painful death from poison gas experiments by their father’s fighters. When they became young adults, their father asked them to volunteer for suicide missions. When Omar protested, bin Laden was quoted as replying: “You hold no more a place in my heart than any man or boy in the entire country. This is true for all my sons.” It was then, Omar recounted, that he “finally knew exactly where I stood. My father hated his enemies more than he loved his sons.” Speaking to AP, Omar recalled visiting his father’s training camps in Afghanistan and being sent to the front lines of the civil war that tore Afghanistan in the 1990s. “I nearly lost my life so many times,” he said. “People may ask why I left my father. I left because I did not want anyone to choose my destiny. ... And I believe I chose correctly, for I chose life. I chose peace.” Osama bin Laden was 17 when he married his Syrian first cousin, Najwa, then 15. The couple lived in the western port city of Jeddah, where bin Laden took three more wives. In Jeddah’s suffocating heat, the family was denied the use of
refrigerators and air conditioners. When Omar’s asthma got bad, his father ordered him to treat it with honeycombs and onions. In the early 1990s, bin Laden fell out with the Saudi royal family over the presence of US-led troops on Saudi soil and moved his wives and children to Sudan. There he owned farms, grew sunflowers and set up several businesses. On a nighttime camping trip outside Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, bin Laden told his oldest sons to dig ditches in the desert and then ordered his wives and children to each lie in one of them, according to the book. When someone complained of the desert cold, bin Laden said they should cover themselves with dirt or grass. “Do not think about foxes or snakes,” the book quoted him as saying. “Challenging trials are coming to us.” In 1994, the Saudi government stripped bin Laden of his citizenship. The next year five Americans were killed by a car bomb outside a US military training center in Riyadh. It was the first attack on Saudi soil that the government blamed on bin Laden followers. Bin Laden was forced to leave Sudan in 1996. He moved his family - minus his second wife and her children, who had left him - to stone huts without electricity or running water high on a mountain in Tora Bora in Afghanistan. There he took a fifth wife, believed to be a Yemeni; sent his children to the frontlines of the Afghan civil war; and made them attend hours of jihadist indoctrination. In the book, Omar described how one day, while sitting with his father on the mountain, bin Laden told him about his plan is to destroy the US from within. “I sat mute, feeling not one jolt of passion for my father’s life,” Omar wrote. “I only wanted him to be like other fathers, concerned with his work and his family.” On Sept 9, 2001, Najwa left her husband and returned to her native Syria, taking with her a son and her two youngest daughters. Eman, Omar’s sister, was left behind with her father and sib-
lings. Omar, who by then was 20, had left the family and Afghanistan earlier that year. In a Dec 23 interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Omar said the bin Laden children were told to flee after the US-led offensive in Afghanistan began, and they ended up in neighboring Iran. He told the paper that the family had been unsure of their fate until Eman’s escape. It has long been believed that Iran has in custody a number of bin Laden’s children who fled Afghanistan, most notably Saad and Hamza, who are thought to have held positions in Al-Qaeda. But Iran never confirmed it, and claimed to have been surprised to discover Eman was in the Saudi embassy. Besides 17-year-old Eman, the siblings in Iran include Othman, 25, Fatima, 22, Hamza, 20, and Bakr, 15 along with 25 other relatives, among them bin Laden’s daughters-in-law and 11 grandchildren, according to Omar. Five other children are in Saudi Arabia and three in Syria, he said. Son Saad left the compound less than a year ago and his whereabouts are unknown, Omar told the AP in an email last month. This year, US officials said Saad, who would have been 30, may have died in a US drone airstrike in Pakistan. Omar told the paper that after eluding her Iranian guards, Eman managed to contact her brother Abdullah, bin Laden’s firstborn. He had left the bin Laden household in the 1990s when they all lived in Sudan, and is now in Saudi Arabia. He advised her to seek immediate refuge in the Saudi Embassy, the paper said. Omar and his wife, Alsabah, both spoke to the AP. Alsabah said the compound occupied by bin Laden’s family is on the outskirts of Tehran and has several houses, gardens and a swimming pool. “They are well-treated,” she said. Saudi Arabia and Iran are strategic rivals in the Middle East, and the sensitivities surrounding the bin Laden family’s case are such that she asked that her and her husband’s present whereabouts not be revealed. Omar said getting his sister out of Tehran was “a family issue” and “It has nothing to do with politics.” — Agencies
Yemen opposes US troops in terror fight Continued from Page 1 meanwhile turned themselves in to the authorities in the region of Marib, east of Sanaa, yesterday, and a third surrendered in Arhab, a security official said. The US embassy closed on Sunday over security concerns prompted by fears of an Al-Qaeda threat against foreign interests just days after a failed attack on a US airliner claimed by the Al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen. Some countries, including Britain and France, followed suit while others curtailed consular operations as security was tightened around their missions. The US embassy reopened for business on Tuesday, saying that Yemeni security forces had addressed a “specific area of concern” the previous day. “Successful counter-terrorism operations conducted by the government of Yemen security forces January 4 north of the capital have addressed a specific area of concern, and have contributed to the embassy’s decision to resume operations,” the embassy said in a statement which is widely believed to be a reference to the threat posed by the cell headed by Hanq. The British and French embassies have also resumed operations, although the British mission’s consular services remained shut yesterday. The United States has ramped up its counterterrorism aid to Yemen in an intensified campaign to uproot Al-Qaeda’s off-
shoot here, which Washington warns has become a “global” threat. US military personnel have already been on the ground training Yemeni security forces in the fight, and intelligence cooperation has increased. Al-Qirbi said Yemen’s government would welcome more military trainers, “but not in any other capacity.” “There is a lot of debate among them about how far they should get involved in Yemen,” Al-Qirbi said, referring to the United States and its allies. “I’m sure that their experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan will be very useful to learn from - that direct intervention complicates things.” So far the US has indicated it is not aiming to deploy ground forces in Yemen. President Barack Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, said earlier in the week, “We’re not talking about that at this point at all.” But Al-Qirbi’s comments underscored how Washington must tread carefully as it strengthens its partnership with Yemen’s fragile government, which has little control over large parts of the country outside the capital and rules over a population where Islamic conservatism and mistrust of the Unites States is widespread. There have been media reports that US cruise missiles or warplanes were involved in strikes carried out last month against several Al-Qaeda strongholds, which Yemen says killed at least 30 militants. US officials have not confirmed the reports.
Yemen says its air force - which has Russian-made MiG warplanes - carried out the strikes with US intelligence help. Earlier this week, Al-Qirbi insisted there is no agreement between Yemen and the United States allowing the American military to use cruise missiles, drones or warplanes in strikes on Yemeni territory, “and there is no proposal for such an agreement”. Complicating the situation, a number of women, children and other civilians were killed in one of the recent strikes, a Dec 17 attack on a suspected Al-Qaeda training camp in southeastern Yemen. The deaths raised an outcry among Yemenis - and Sanaa is deeply wary of the possibility strikes could turn the population against it and the fight on Al-Qaeda. Al-Qirbi told AP that Yemen seeks Western help in “establishing more counterterrorism units, training them, equipping them and providing them with logistical support.” He ruled out the possibility of any joint command for those forces between Yemen and the United States. He also called for greater economic aid to Yemen, the poorest nation in the Arab world, to prevent “radicalization, extremism and terrorism.” Obama has vowed a close partnership with Sanaa against Al-Qaeda, but there are also deep concerns over the stability of the Yemeni government, which is burdened with crises. -— Agencies
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Decline of Dubai gives way to Abu Dhabi rise Continued from Page 1 The white knight rescue further reinforced Abu Dhabi’s image as a hub of serious power and ambitions - a place that forged deals for satellite branches of the L ouvre and Guggenheim while Dubai plotted fantasy cities in the desert. But Monday’s fireworks-and-laser extravaganza to open the nearly 830-m tower offered the first hints that the bailout money to Dubai may come with strings attached. Abu Dhabi’s more conservative rulers now hold the leverage to exert more control over Dubai’s economic policies, its free-spirited social rules and its international dealings. “It is the most public acknowledgment thus far of Dubai’s political subordination to Abu Dhabi in the wake of the ... debt crisis last month,” said Hani Sabra, Middle East expert with the New Yorkbased consultancy Eurasia Group. Abu Dhabi literally stole the thunder from Dubai during the booming opening for the tower. It was long referred to as the Burj Dubai - Arabic for the Dubai Tower. But the name was secretly switched and unveiled to the public as the Burj Khalifa - after the emir of Abu Dhabi and UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. “It’s a golden opportunity for Abu Dhabi to increase political control over Dubai and the whole federation,” said Christopher Davidson, an expert on Gulf affairs at Britain’s Durham University. As the capital of the United Arab Emirates - a collection of seven semiautonomous emirates and the world’s third largest oil exporter - Abu Dhabi has long tried to become the undisputed center of gravity for the country. Dubai has put up the most resistance to any outside supervision or control. But Abu Dhabi’s cash injection may change the way
Dubai is doing business with the West and - more important - could affect the sheikhdom’s massive trade with Iran. Dubai has served as a transshipment and banking hub for Iranian merchants, enabling the government in Tehran to try to circumvent US sanctions. Abu Dhabi’s rulers - like many other Arab leaders - are much more suspicious toward Persian Iran and its efforts to expand influence in the region. And Abu Dhabi has remained more faithful to Gulf’s traditional values - unlike Dubai, which has sped up its development and loosened many of Gulf’s strict Islamic codes to become one of the world’s most multinational cities. Abu Dhabi, however, has begun to look outward. It’s raised its profile internationally by hosting high-profile events such as the finale of the 2009 Formula 1 racing season and by using its estimated $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund on global shopping sprees. Abu Dhabi’s various investment arms have in the past years purchased landmarks such as New York’s Chrysler Building, acquired significant stakes in companies like Mercedes-Benz and explored new frontiers by pouring money into commercial space travel startup Virgin Galactic. “The investment plan is strategically thought out and whether the money is spent abroad or at home, its returns are always channeled into the development of Abu Dhabi,” said Mohammed Shakeel, a Dubai-based analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit. Abu Dhabi also has commissioned world’s renowned architects to design a cultural and educational hub, hosting regional branches of Guggenheim and Louvre museums and top US schools like the New York University. “Abu Dhabi does not want to be about oil and petrochemicals, but also about art and education,” said JeanFrancois Seznec, a Gulf specialist at
Georgetown University in Washington. With almost no oil left, Dubai several years ago believed it had to act fast if it wanted to attracted foreign investment and become a tourist destination. The ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid AlMaktoum, plowed ahead with dozens of megaprojects such as the palm-shaped island pushing into the Gulf as well as some dazzling follies such as a now-stalled city in the desert with imitations of the Eiffel Tower and Egypt’s Pyramids. Abu Dhabi, with its huge oil revenue, took it slow. “They could afford to be more cautious and develop slowly because they are not worried they will be left behind,” said Shakeel of the Economist Intelligence Unit. Abu Dhabi’s plans also have the benefit of a direct pipeline to one powerful ruling family. Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed has to share wealth with the emirate’s influential merchant families to rule. The new relationship between the two sheikhdoms is based on Dubai’s subordination to Abu Dhabi, analysts say. “Abu Dhabi views political dominance of the UAE as an important goal, and sees its current preeminence in the federation as permanent. Dubai’s leadership, however, still views Abu Dhabi’s dominance as matter of short term expedience,” Sabra of Eurasia Group said. With virtually no pressure to democratize and with no urgency to diversify its economy, Abu Dhabi is pressing ahead with developments while Dubai is suffering from a fiscal hangover. Unlike Dubai, Abu Dhabi is going forward quietly, with no sign that decision on policy and economy will be anything but a family affair among its ruling clan. “Abu Dhabi does not broadcast its potential and ambitions to anybody,” said Shakeel, adding that those who hoped Dubai’s debt fiasco will push Gulf’s other oil economies to be less secretive when acquiring prized assets abroad will have to wait for some time. — AP
Assembly OKs debt relief law Continued from Page 1 consumer loans covered by the law amount to KD 1.818 billion. Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali told reporters after the vote that the government will reject it because it cannot be implemented. Under the law, the government can reject legislation passed by the Assembly, but MPs also have the right to override the government’s rejection. To override the government rejection, MPs have two options: Either they pass the legislation with a two-thirds majority in a fresh vote in the current term, or wait until the next term starting October and pass it with a simple majority. In this case, the law becomes compulsory and the government has to implement it. The law requires the government to first write off all outstanding interest on personal and consumer loans taken out by Kuwaiti citizens from banks and investment companies until Dec 14. Then, the law stipulates these banks and investment firms have to reschedule the remaining debt in interest-free monthly installments that must not exceed 35 percent of the debtors’ income. The repayment must be made over a period of at least 10 years, according to the law. The government has said that the total amount of loans and its
interest is KD 6.7 billion. Shamali had told the Assembly that the scheme could cost public funds up to KD 3.725 billion and that it will encourage citizens to spend lavishly and seek fresh loans. Under the law, the government will use returns on its deposits of KD 8.5 billion at local banks to finance the cost of the scheme. During the debate, MPs rejected an amendment that calls for the state to pay any fines resulting from a delay in the repayment of the installments. The approval of the law came after two days of nail-biting debate that was marred by heated arguments in which supporters and opponents of the scheme traded accusations. The session was adjourned prematurely on Tuesday after speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi failed to bring order to the floor. At the start of yesterday’s session, a number of MPs harshly criticized Khorafi for adjourning the session, saying that he did not have the power to end the session. The passage came despite passionate appeals by the government and delay tactics used by opponents of the bill. Liberal MP Ali Al-Rashed, who opposed the law, said the legislation constitutes a flagrant violation of the constitution, describing the efforts to pass the law as “legislative
corruption”. Salafist MPs also exchanged heated arguments amongst themselves, with Khaled Al-Sultan supporting the law and Ali Al-Omair and Mohammad AlMutair opposing it. Their arguments focused on a fatwa by the main Salafi organization, the Islamic Heritage Revival Society, which said the law was in violation of sharia law. Sultan insisted it did not. A number of MPs were also engaged in heated arguments with the finance minister who accused some MPs of pursuing populist policies while ignoring national interests of the country. Kuwait says it sits on 10 percent of global oil reserves and pumps around 2.2 million barrels per day. The state holds assets estimated at $230 billion, mostly invested abroad, amassed during the past decade on the back of high oil prices. More than 80 percent of the citizen workforce is employed by the government and their average monthly salary is $3,500. Per capita income in 2008 was about $40,000. In a related development, the Assembly is scheduled to hold a special session today to discuss a draft law stipulating to grant around 100,000 bedoons, or stateless Arabs, civil and social rights. The Assembly failed to meet on two previous occasions to discuss the issue.
Cairo allows aid into Gaza Continued from Page 1 A Turkish Foreign spokesperson said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had spoken to his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Aboul Gheit early yesterday and the pair were in frequent contact over the progress of the convoy. The Egyptian security source said some of the trucks had already begun their journey, with the Rafah authorities allowing in 20 at a time. MENA said Egypt would close the Rafah border today after the convoy had passed through into Gaza. Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party welcomed the delivery of humani-
tarian aid to Gaza, but rejected any attempt to violate Egypt’s border controls. The deal followed a sometimes violent confrontation in the early hours in the Egyptian port city of Arish, some 40 km from the border with Gaza. A Reuters correspondent saw security forces throwing stones at several hundred people travelling with the convoy, and police used water cannon to force them to end an occupation of the harbour. Around 40 convoy members suffered minor injuries and 15 police were hurt, witnesses said. At a news conference on the Gaza side of the border late yesterday, Galloway said that 55 members of the group
reached Gaza “bandaged, bleeding and bruised ... because they tried to bring medicine to the Palestinian people under siege in Gaza”. Wearing a black-andwhite checkered scarf, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism, he said that “all the free people in the world are wearing these colors, all the free people in the world are crying out for Palestine.” Cairo has imposed strict regulations and restrictions on pro-Palestinian foreign activists who have held protests in Egypt since late December to mark the first anniversary of Israel’s three-week offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. — Agencies
Sassy Gulf grannies out to charm world Continued from Page 1 that produces Freej -which means neighbourhood in the region’s dialect told Reuters he was in discussions with animation and broadcasting companies in the United States and Europe. “We are in talks with several international companies to repackage the show and take it international, do proper dubbing, and collaborate on new animation projects for kids,” he said. Harib said he hoped to sign an agreement in the first half of this year. The Arabic show, released with English subtitles and dubbed in Italian, has gained wide popularity among local and expatriate communities across the region. The 15-minute episodes, 15 shows each season, revolve around the lives of four old Emirati women living in a traditional neighbourhood in modern Dubai. As their hometown goes through radical changes, the women try to come up with solutions to prevailing social issues in a satirical way. Harib’s main characters are all dressed in colourful UAE outfits with half of their faces partly covered by the metal-
lic veil called the burqu. Um Saeed is the wisest and most sarcastic; Um Saloom is the good-natured one who suffers from slight memory loss, while Um Allawi is the most sophisticated and a stock market geek. Lastly, Um Khammas is the hard-headed rebel of the bunch. Despite their combined talents, the modern world can be a baffling place for the scheming grannies, who in one episode try to trick a woman into swapping houses after discovering that the government is offering generous compensation for houses destroyed during the construction of Dubai’s new metro. They end up with a huge pile of debt instead. “It’s a fish out of water story,” Harib said. “It celebrates culture, who we are, our dialect and music ... in a city boosting with capitalism.” Harib said he will focus on TV broadcasting and was not considering creating a Freej movie at this point, citing the popularity of television in the Arab world as opposed to films. Each Freej series costs 500,000 dirhams ($136,100) to produce, which makes it one of the most expensive Arab shows to be made, Harib said, adding that funding came from merchan-
dising, sponsors and television advertisers. With Season 4 to be aired in August, Harib is looking at elements to include from the city. He’s already included the Dubai metro and is mulling the idea of featuring the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa. Growing up watching American cartoons that portrayed foreign cultures, Harib felt there was a need for an Arab animation with its own superheroes who were not Batman or Superman. Dubai, one of seven members comprising the United Arab Emirates, has gone through dramatic changes over the past eight years both socially and economically, on the back of a real estate boom that ended in late 2008. Many nationals of Dubai, famous for its man-made islands shaped like palms, an indoor ski slope in the desert and the world’s tallest building, feel alienated in their own city. Like his fictional grannies, Harib wanted to combat some of the diluting effects of the modern world on Dubai culture. “Some people said culture is boring but I wanted to repackage it and show that we do have our own culture and traditions.” — Reuters
SPORTS
Thursday, January 7, 2010
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Henin’s comeback gathers pace SYDNEY: Belgium’s Justine Henin continued her successful return to professional tennis with a 6-4 6-3 win over Kazakhstan’s Sesil Karatantcheva at the Brisbane International yesterday. The former world number one, playing her first official tournament in 20 months, cruised to victory in the night session to advance to the quarter-finals against Hungary’s Melinda Czink. She was well below the standards that saw her win seven grand slam titles, dropping her opening service game in each set and failing to serve out the match, but was satisfied with her progress in just her second match back. “I feel no pressure. I just want to try my best, play as many matches as possible and build my confidence day after day,” she told reporters. “I have to do it step by step. “It was not easy for me in just my second match but I can take confidence from that, I did what I had to in the right times.” Andy Roddick maintained his steady buildup to this month’s Australian Open with a workmanlike 7-6 6-3 second round win over big-serving Australian Carsten Ball in the men’s draw. Last year’s Wimbledon finalist, resuming after a knee injury cut short his 2009 season, saved a set point before winning the opener in a tiebreak then snatched the second with a single break of serve. Roddick’s fellow American James Blake saved three match points and recovered from a service break down in the deciding third set to defeat Frenchman Marc Gicquel 6-3 3-6 7-6 in a much tighter daytime match on the Pat Rafter centre court. “I was not going to let him beat me. You play your best when you have that clear mindset,” said Blake, who also won his first round match in three sets. “I would prefer to win in two and two but it is good to get some tough match-ups in the lead-up to a grand slam.” Czech Radek Stepanek also survived a close shave before beating Ukranian qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr 5-7 7-6 6-2 to keep alive his Brisbane title defence while Czech Tomas Berdych demolished former Australian Open finalist, Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, 6-0 6-1. In the women’s event, Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova brushed aside the challenge of Hungary’s Agnes Szavay 6-3 6-1 while Czech Lucie Safarova disposed of Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3 6-1 to join top seed Kim Clijsters in the last eight. Clijsters, who won last year’s US Open after making a comeback of her own, cannot meet Henin until the final. The Brisbane tournament, in only its second year, is one of the major lead-up events to the Australian Open in Melbourne from Jan 18-31. — Reuters
Tennis
Roddick eases through to next round
BRISBANE: Justine Henin of Belgium hits a backhand return on the way to defeating Sesil Karatantcheva of Kazakhstan in their match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament yesterday. The tournament is used by top men and women players as a warm-up to the Australian Open to be played January 18-31, 2010. — AFP
PERTH: Great Britain are on the verge of their first Hopman Cup final after Andy Murray and teenager Laura Robson beat Germany 2-1 yesterday to remain unbeaten in the mixed teams tournament. With Murray looking sharp early in the new season and Robson emerging as an exciting prospect for British tennis, the third seeds secured the Group B tie against Sabine Lisicki and Philipp Kohlschreiber with a 6-3, 6-2 win in the mixed doubles rubber. It is only the fourth time Great Britain have played at the Hopman Cup and first time since 1992, when they were represented by Jo Durie and Jeremy Bates. Murray stepped up his preparation for the upcoming Australian Open later this month by trouncing Kohlschreiber in straight sets in the men’s singles, 6-4, 6-1, in under an hour. The fourth-ranked Scot displayed his full repertoire of shots on both sides in an ominous performance for his Melbourne rivals. Murray, who chose the Hopman Cup over defending his title in Doha to give himself the best chance of a maiden grand slam singles title in Melbourne, has dropped just nine games in two singles matches here. Unbeaten in four Hopman Cup matches, two in mixed doubles and two in singles, Murray said the tournament was “perfect preparation” for the Australian Open. Murray had admitted being hampered by a hip problem when he beat Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev in Great Britain’s 2-1 win in the opening tie on Monday, but said he was delighted with his form in disposing of Kohlschreiber. “I served really well and didn’t really give him too many chances on my serve,” Murray said. “I think that was the main difference, he didn’t make too many first serves and I was able to capitalize.” Kohlschreiber was similarly impressed by Murray’s form. “He’s getting hot for the Australian Open,” Kohlschreiber said. “He kicked my ass today.” Murray was ably assisted in the doubles by the 15year-old Robson, the former junior Wimbledon champion confirming her talent with her impressive form in both the singles and doubles. Robson was beaten in straight sets by Lisicki, but made the emerging German work overtime for the 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 win. The young Englishwoman actually served for the first set, before the world number 22 steadied. In the doubles, Robson played almost faultless tennis, volleying and serving well and hitting a number of brilliant passing shots. The precocious teenager said she played better than in the opening tie but added that there was still plenty of room for improvement. “I still think I can play better,” she said. — AFP
Peer braves protest as seeds tumble in Classic AUCKLAND: Israel’s Shahar Peer overcame the chants of protesters to make the quarter-finals as three other seeds tumbled in the second round of the Auckland Classic women’s tennis tournament here yesterday. The 22-year-old world number 31 appeared to cope with the noisy protest against Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians better than her Slovakian opponent Magdalena Rybarikova. “I think it was really, really bad,” Peer said of the noise coming from outside the ASB Tennis Centre after her crushing 6-1, 6-0 victory in just over an hour. “I don’t really have anything to say to (the protesters). I know they can do whatever they want, but as long as I’m winning, I don’t care.” Rybarikova was rattled as around 10 protesters chanted throughout the first set before police moved in to disperse them, arresting one person. “I have to say it was tough to play during the protest,” she said. “I lost the first set because I was not concentrating. I was thinking about that and not my tennis.” Top-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta had an easy passage to the quarter-finals of the WTA event after beating Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2. But French fifth seed Virginie Razzano and seventh-seeded compatriot Aravane Rezai lost their secondround matches, along with Russian sixth seed Elena Vesnina. Razzano
UAE assures Israeli Peer’s visa went down 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to 39year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date Krumm, who returned to the circuit in 2008 after a 12-year retirement. “When I came back, I didn’t have confidence to play speedy ball or powerful ball,” Date Krumm said afterwards of her battle to regain competitiveness. “If I play more WTA Tour, my eyes and body get used to it.” In the quarter-finals Date Krumm will face fellow wildcard and third seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, who beat Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-2, 6-2. “I have so much respect for her comeback,” Wickmayer said of Date Krumm. “She is a great player and a great athlete with an awesome mentality.” Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates provided written confirmation to the WTA that it will allow Peer to play at a tournament in Dubai next month. Peer was denied entry into the UAE last year, apparently because of antiIsrael sentiments in the Gulf state following a three-week war between Israel and Islamic militants in Gaza. “The tour has received written confirmation from the UAE Ministry of Interior that she will be able to enter and participate in the event without incident,” WTA
spokeswoman Katie Scott said yesterday. The Dubai Tennis Championships starts on Feb 15. Last year, the tournament was fined $300,000 for denying the visa and was made to promise to meet other requirements. “One of the conditions that Dubai had to meet was that this year there would have to be a written confirmation that she would be able to play because last year there were just verbal assurances,” Scott said. The government of the UAE could not immediately be reached for comment. After the UAE’s refusal last year to allow Peer to enter the country, Israeli player Andy Ram was given a visa to play the following week at the men’s tournament in Dubai. But Andy Roddick, the 2008 champion in Dubai, skipped the 2009 tournament because of the incident involving Peer, saying he “didn’t agree with what went on over there.” Earlier Wednesday, the 30th-ranked Peer faced more anti-Israeli protests at a tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. Police arrested one person outside the stadium while Peer easily beat Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-0. “I also want peace in the world but I don’t think this is the place for this protest,” the 22-year-old Peer said. — Agencies
TORONTO: In this file photo, Shahar Peer of Israel hits a forehand to Elena Dementieva of Russia in Rogers Cup tennis action in Toronto. The United Arab Emirates provided written confirmation to the WTA that it will allow Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer to play at a tournament in Dubai next month. — AP
Monfils overcomes injury to join Gasquet in quarters
Kuwaiti police team prepare for swimming championship KUWAIT: The police swimming team is currently preparing to participate in the Arab Swimming Championship that is scheduled to be held in Sudan. Instructions on this regard were issued by the Chairman of Board of Kuwait Police Sports Federation (KPSF), Maj General Ahmed Nawaf AlAhmed Al-Sabah. The team’s coach Sultan AlOtaibi said that the swimming team had been following a strict and regular training schedule to prepare for the championship that will be held between January 10 to 13. Al-Otaibi added that all the team members were in high spirits and were determined to compete for gold in all races in order represent Kuwait in an honorable manner. ‘We are keen to maintain the championship title this year as well,’ he stressed.
British set for first Hopman Cup final
BRISBANE: France’s Gael Monfils slips and falls in his match against Taylor Dent of the USA during the Brisbane International tennis tournament. — AP
BRISBANE: Third seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils overcame a shoulder injury and a tenacious Florent Serra to make his way into the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International yesterday. Serra played some inspired tennis to push Monfils right to the limit, before appearing to tire in the decider and allow his higher-ranked countryman to run away with the match 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1. Monfils was forced to call for the trainer at the end of the first set and had his shoulder heavily strapped during the time-out. The injury seemed to take its toll as Serra opened up a 3-0 lead at the start of the second, but Monfils fought back and took the set to a tiebreak, before running away with the third. “I pulled my muscle a bit last week,” he said of his shoulder injury. “Last week I did a lot of weights and it’s been hurting me for some time. “I decided today to come on the court without tape and I think that was a mistake.” Monfils said he was happy with how he had served despite the pain. “Two, three shots after the serve it hurt a little bit,” he said. “I will take some anti-inflammatories or painkillers, work on it, ice it, and hopefully tomorrow it will be much better. He will now play American James
Blake in the quarter-finals after the veteran American outlasted another Frenchman, Marc Gicquel, earlier in the day. Gicquel had three match points in the third set tiebreak but was unable to convert any of them as Blake secured a 63, 3-6, 7-6 (10/8) win. Richard Gasquet earlier beat Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden 6-3, 6-4 on an outside court and will now take on top seed Andy Roddick in the last eight. Gasquet, whose controversial doping ban saw him miss much of 2009, dominated the first set but he had to withstand a fightback from the Australian and admitted later he had become too complacent. “It was a comfortable first set ... but after I led 6-3, 1-0 with a break I played badly-I was too confident,” he said. “I played better in the first round (against Jarkko Nieminen) but this match was not the same. It was not centre court, he had nothing to lose and I had everything to lose against him.” He said he was looking forward to the clash with Roddick. “It’s good for me to be in a quarter-final for the first tournament and to have a player like Andy to play,” Gasquet said. “I have a lot of respect for him because he’s been in the top 10 for a long time, he’s one of the best players in the world.” — AFP
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SPORTS
Thursday, January 7, 2010
NBA results/standings WASHINGTON: Results and standings after Tuesday’s National Basketball Association games: Charlotte 113, Chicago 108; Indiana 97, Orlando 90; Washington 104, Philadelphia 97; Milwaukee 98, New Jersey 76; Dallas 98, Detroit 93; Denver 123, Golden State 122; Memphis 109, Portland 105; Phoenix 113, Sacramento 109; LA Lakers 88, Houston 79. Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Boston 24 8 .750 Toronto 17 18 .486 8.5 NY Knicks 14 20 .412 11 Philadelphia 10 24 .294 15 New Jersey 3 31 .088 22 Central Division Cleveland 27 9 .750 Milwaukee 14 18 .438 11 Chicago 14 19 .424 11.5 Detroit 11 22 .333 14.5 Indiana 11 23 .324 15 Southeast Division Orlando 24 10 .706 Atlanta 21 12 .636 2.5 Miami 17 15 .531 6 Charlotte 15 18 .455 8.5 Washington 11 21 .344 12 Western Conference Northwest Division Denver 22 13 .629 Portland 22 15 .595 1 Oklahoma City 19 15 .559 2.5 Utah 18 16 .529 3.5 Minnesota 7 28 .200 15 Pacific Division LA Lakers 28 6 .824 Phoenix 22 13 .629 6.5 LA Clippers 15 18 .455 12.5 Sacramento 14 20 .412 14 Golden State 9 24 .273 18.5 Southwest Division Dallas 24 11 .686 San Antonio 20 12 .625 2.5 Houston 20 15 .571 4 Memphis 17 16 .515 6 New Orleans 1 16 .500 6.5
LOS ANGELES: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles around Shane Battier #31 of the Houston Rockets during the first half at Staples Center on January 5, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. — AFP
Lakers fight back to crush Rockets LOS ANGELES: Andrew Bynum scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers fought back to beat the Houston Rockets 8879 on Tuesday, notching their fourth consecutive NBA victory. Kobe Bryant added 22 points, but had just three field goals in the second half when he picked up four fouls. The Lakers maintained a 4-1/2 game lead in the Western Conference and a twogame lead over Boston and Cleveland for the league’s best record. Carl Landry led the Rockets with 19 points. Grizzlies 109, Trail Blazers 105 In Portland, Oregon, Memphis closed with a 13-1 run over the final four minutes to beat Portland. O.J. Mayo scored 27 points, hitting 10 of 18 shots including four 3-pointers, as Memphis moved above .500 for the first time this season. Zach Randolph also scored 27 points and had a game-high 14 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who have won four consecutive games. Brandon Roy hit 9 of 18 shots and scored 27
points to lead Portland. Suns 113, Kings 109 In Sacramento, California, Phoenix snapped a seven-game road losing skid with a tight win over Sacramento. Steve Nash had 30 points and 12 assists, and Amare Stoudemire scored 24 for the Suns. The Kings erased an entire 20-point first half deficit but could never take the lead, falling for the 14th time in the past 16 meetings between the teams. Tyreke Evans led Sacramento with 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Pacers 97, Magic 90 In Indianapolis, Roy Hibbert scored a career-high 26 points, leading Indiana over Orlando. Hibbert, a 2.13-meter (7-2) center, added eight rebounds and four blocks. Luther Head had 18 points for the
Pacers. Mickael Pietrus and Jameer Nelson each scored 16 for the Magic, who still lead the Southeast Division despite consecutive losses. Mavericks 98, Pistons 93 In Dallas, the hosts overcame a slow start to hand Detroit its 10th consecutive loss. Jason Terry scored 26 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 22 for the Mavericks, who recovered after shooting just 29 percent in the first quarter and trailing by 14 points during the first half. The Pistons hadn’t dropped 10 in a row since the end of the 1993-94 season. They lost their final 13 games that season. Richard Hamilton led Detroit with 20 points. Nuggets 123, Warriors 122 In Denver, JR Smith hit two free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining to lift Denver over Golden State.
Smith, one of four Nuggets to finish with at least 20 points, was fouled by Monta Ellis while throwing up a desperation 3-pointer after taking an inbounds pass with just 3 seconds remaining. Ellis had given Golden State a 122-121 lead when he made a 10-foot turnaround jumper with 15 seconds to play. Corey Maggette scored a season-high 35 points to lead the Warriors, who lost their eighth straight on the road.
Wizards 104, 76ers 97 In Philadelphia, Washington overcame an 18point deficit to defeat Philadelphia. Antawn Jamison tied his season-high with 32 points and had 14 rebounds, and Nick Young scored 21 points for the Wizards, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Andre Iguodala scored 20 points to lead the Sixers.
Bobcats 113, Bulls 108 In Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte held off a fast-finishing Chicago to notch a third straight victory. Gerald Wallace scored 32 points, and Stephen Jackson and Flip Murray added 25 each for the Bobcats, in a fast-paced game that saw both teams shoot 51 percent. Derrick Rose and John Salmons missed potential game-tying 3-point attempts in the closing seconds for the Bulls, who gave up seventh
Bucks 98, Nets 76 In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Milwaukee got a rare road win with a comfortable victory over hapless New Jersey. Andrew Bogut scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, while Carlos Delfino - who had scored just 10 points in the Bucks’ past five games - added 17. Yi Jianlian had 22 points to lead the Nets, who lost for the 31st time in 34 games this season. — AP
Devils shut out Stars
Holliday, Cards seal $120m deal
Flames singe Predators to top Northwest Division NEWARK: Veteran goalie Martin Brodeur made 28 saves for his third shutout in just seven games, helping the NHL Eastern Conference-leading New Jersey Devils to a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. Brodeur extended his league record by posting career shutout No 106. He has five this season. Patrik Elias scored twice, and Travis Zajac and Zach Parise added goals for New Jersey. Dallas has won only one of its past nine away from home. Flames 3, Predators 1 In Nashville, Tennessee, Calgary moved to the top of the Northwest Division standings with a win over Nashville. David Moss and Olli Jokinen each scored in the second period as the Flames won a fifth straight game, and fourth in a row at Nashville. Daymond Langkow added an empty-netter for his 11th goal of the season. The Predators’ three-game winning streak was snapped, with their sole goal from Patric Hornqvist in the third. Blackhawks 4, Wild 1 In Chicago, the hosts claimed the overall NHL points lead by sinking Minnesota. Marian Hossa scored two goals for the second straight game as the surging Blackhawks won their fourth straight, moving ahead of New Jersey and San Jose on points. Chicago improved its home record to a league-best 20-4-1. Patrick Kane extended his scoring streak to nine games with a power-play goal early in the third, and John Madden also netted for the Blackhawks. Minnesota’s Guillaume Latendresse opened the scoring. Capitals 4, Canadiens 2 In Washington, Alex Ovechkin’s debut as Washington captain was a success even though he was kept off the score sheet against Montreal. Tomas Fleischmann had a goal and two assists after moving from left wing to center, and Alexander Semin scored twice as Washington snapped a season-high three-game skid. Before the game, Washington introduced Ovechkin as the team’s 14th captain. He was held without a point for only the eighth time this season. Eric Fehr scored the Capitals’ go-ahead goal in the second period. The Canadiens goals came from Josh Gorges and Benoit Pouliot. Bruins 4, Senators 1 In Ottawa, Boston scored four times in the first period to quickly end the contest against Ottawa. Blake Wheeler had two goals and an assist, and David Krejci and Mark Recchi both had a goal and an assist. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas stopped 28 shots as he extended his winning streak against the Senators to 11 games. Filip Kuba scored
place in the Eastern Conference to the Bobcats despite wiping out a 13-point second-quarter deficit. Rose scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.
Wizards rally past 76ers
in the second period for Ottawa. Penguins 4, Thrashers 2 In Pittsburgh, the hosts halted a seasonworst five-game losing streak by beating slumping Atlanta. Jordan Staal scored twice, Ruslan Fedotenko ended Pittsburgh’s 0-13 run on power plays with a second-period goal, and Kris Letang also netted for the Penguins. Atlanta’s Jim Slater scored his second and third goals of the season about 13 minutes apart in the second period, but the Thrashers lost for the ninth straight game - their worst run since 2002-03. Coyotes 5, Oilers 4, OT In Edmonton, Alberta, Shane Doan scored his second goal of the game early in overtime to lift Phoenix over Edmonton. The Oilers scored two goals 49 seconds apart before the midpoint of the third, tying it 4-4. Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal and Petr Prucha also scored for the Coyotes, who snapped their five-game road losing streak to the Oilers. Gilbert Brule, Patrick O’Sullivan, Denis Grebeshkov and Dustin Penner had goals for the Oilers, but they lost their third straight. Canucks 7, Blue Jackets 3 In Vancouver, British Columbia, Alex Burrows’ hat trick helped surging Vancouver rout slumping Columbus. The left winger’s first two goals helped spark a Canucks’ comeback from a 2-0 deficit in the first period. He completed his second NHL hat trick in the third. Henrik Sedin scored his 20th goal and added two assists to move into a first-place tie for the NHL scoring lead with San Jose’s Joe Thornton on 58 points. Rick Rypien, Sami Salo and Mikael Samuelsson also scored for the Canucks. RJ Umberger, Kristian Huselius and Kris Russell had Columbus’ goals. Ducks 4, Red Wings 1 In Anaheim, California, Saku Koivu scored his 200th goal as Anaheim won its first game in four, downing Detroit. Jonas Hiller made 38 saves, while Matt Beleskey scored his first NHL goal and Corey Perry ended a 10-game goal drought with a late score for the lastplaced Ducks. Valtteri Filppula scored for the Red Wings. Maple Leafs 3, Panthers 2 In Toronto, Alexei Ponikarovsky scored the winning goal as Toronto came back to edge Florida. Jonas Gustavsson made 29 saves, while Lee Stempniak and Tomas Kaberle also scored for the Maple Leafs. Former Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe scored both goals to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead. — AP
NEWARK: Jere Lehtinen #26 of the Dallas Stars plays the puck against Travis Zajac #19 of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on January 5, 2010 in Newark. — AFP
NHL results/standings WASHINGTON: National Hockey League results and standings after Tuesday’s games: Toronto 3, Florida 2; New Jersey 4, Dallas 0; Washington 4, Montreal 2; Boston 4, Ottawa 1; Pittsburgh 5, Atlanta 2; Calgary 3, Nashville 1; Chicago 4, Minnesota 1; Phoenix 5, Edmonton 4 (OT); Vancouver 7, Columbus 3; Anaheim 4, Detroit 1. Eastern Conference Western Conference Central Division Atlantic Division Chicago 30 10 3 141 91 63 25 15 3 122 122 53 W L OTL GF GA PTS Nashville Detroit 21 15 6 109 108 48 New Jersey 30 10 1 122 89 61 St. Louis 17 18 6 108 121 40 Pittsburgh 27 16 1 138 118 55 Columbus 15 20 9 115 150 39 NY Rangers 20 17 5 111 117 45 Northwest Division NY Islanders 17 18 8 107 134 42 Calgary 25 12 5 117 99 55 Philadelphia 19 19 3 117 118 41 Colorado 24 13 6 128 124 54 Northeast Division Vancouver 26 16 1 139 106 53 Buffalo 26 11 4 112 93 56 Minnesota 20 20 3 112 128 43 Boston 22 13 7 111 99 51 Edmonton 16 22 5 119 143 37 Ottawa 22 17 4 123 129 48 Pacific Division Montreal 21 21 3 116 124 45 San Jose 27 9 7 144 112 61 Toronto 15 19 9 118 147 39 Phoenix 26 14 4 116 103 56 Southeast Division Los Angeles 25 15 3 130 122 53 Washington 25 11 6 149 118 56 Dallas 18 13 11 122 131 47 Tampa Bay 16 15 10 103 121 42 Anaheim 17 19 7 119 138 41 Atlanta 18 18 6 134 140 42 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in Florida 17 19 7 125 138 41 the standings and are not included in the loss colCarolina 11 23 7 102 146 29 umn (L).
ST LOUIS: Outfielder Matt Holliday agreed to stay with the St Louis Cardinals for a $120 million, seven-year contract that was Major League Baseball’s richest deal of the offseason on Tuesday. The Cardinals announced they agreed with Holliday on a multiyear contract subject to a physical. The team said a formal announcement was likely by Thursday. “I’m going back to the Cardinals,” Holliday confirmed in an interview on ESPN Radio. “I’m excited about it.” Holliday’s agreement includes $119 million guaranteed over seven seasons plus a $17 million vesting option for 2017 with a $1 million buyout, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t reveal the length of the contract or financial details. “When you’re a little kid growing up hoping to be a professional baseball player and hoping to play in the major leagues, I don’t think you ever think about the money,” Holliday said. “Now that you look at it, it’s a little overwhelming.” St Louis acquired Holliday from Oakland in July and he helped lead the Cardinals to their first National League Central division title since 2006. They justified the expense by retaining a player who hit .353 with 13 homers and 55 RBIs in 63 games for St Louis. A three-time All-Star, Holliday was a perfect fit batting cleanup behind star slugger Albert Pujols, though he was the villain in a first-round playoff sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers after dropping a sinking liner to left field that would have been the final out of Game 2. Holliday, who turns 30 on Jan 15, batted .313 overall with 24 homers and 109 RBIs, his fifth .300 season and third 100-RBI year. Holliday’s contract contains deferred money that lowers its annual present-day value to about $16 million. It also likely sets a floor for negotiations between the Cardinals and Pujols, who was entering the final guaranteed season of a $100 million, seven-year contract. St Louis holds a $16 million option for 2011 on the three-time NL MVP. St Louis becomes only the third team with a pair of $100 million players, joining the New York Yankees. — AP
All-star pitcher Johnson retires after 22 seasons PHOENIX: Five-time Cy Young winner Randy Johnson, who won more than 300 games in his career, is retiring after 22 glorious seasons in Major League Baseball. The left-handed American, who was nicknamed The Big Unit, made the announcement on Tuesday. The 46-year-old Johnson is a 10-time all-star who six months ago became the 24th pitcher in American baseball history to win 300 games. “Getting the end result of the performance is what it was all about,” Johnson said. “There was a learning curve for me for awhile. I worked hard. I was a fierce competitor and I gave everything I had.” Johnson won one World Series championship with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. He threw two career no-hitters, including a perfect game, and ranks second in career strikeouts. The 6ft 10in Johnson finishes with a career record of 303-166 and 4,875 strikeouts. Asked what his biggest career moment was, Johnson said it was playing in the World Series and sharing the co-MVP
honors with teammate Curt Schilling. “I did my part to get to the World Series that was my crowning achievement,” he said. Only Roger Clemens has won more Cy Young awards (six) for the best pitcher in baseball. “I wanted to go out on my terms,” Johnson said. “I definitely wanted to make the decision wholeheartedly and that I would stick to [retirement]...I didn’t want to make a hasty decision. I’m at peace with it.” He captured his Cy Young Awards in 1995 with Seattle and from 1999-2002 in Arizona. He compiled a 3.29 lifetime ERA with the Expos, Mariners, Astros, Diamondbacks, Yankees and Giants. His 4,875 strikeout total is second to Nolan Ryan who finished with 5,714. “I never thought I was going to play this long,” Johnson added. “One thing I’ve always tried to tell the younger pitchers was how preparation and work ethic have to be in order to go out and compete every fifth day. “If you want longevity, you have to stay healthy and do your work.” — AFP
SPORTS
Thursday, January 7, 2010
17
Europe captain expecting fierce Asian competition Montgomerie tests leadership skills in Royal Trophy BANGKOK: Colin Montgomerie tests his leadership skills for the Ryder Cup in October when he captains Europe against holders Asia in the fourth edition of the Royal Trophy this week. The visitors return to Thailand with wounded pride after former skipper Nick Faldo’s side were beaten by United States in the 2008 Ryder Cup in Kentucky and Europe lost 10-6 in last year’s Royal Trophy. “We’re looking forward to trying to regain the Royal Trophy but it’s a very strong Asian team so it should be a very good, close competition,” Montgomerie told a news conference. “We have a couple of players who have won this before but my team is full of winners and it was easy to pick a team of winners.” Organizers say the matchplay event has attracted unprecedented attention this year, with well over 100 countries screening the three-day event live. Asia captain Naomichi “Joe” Ozaki side’s lost the first two editions of the Royal Trophy but were lifted last year by young Japanese phe-
nomenon Ryo Ishikawa and a near-flawless performance by Thai duo Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng. REPEAT VICTORY Ozaki has kept faith in those players plus two more from last year-Charlie Wi of South Korea and China’s Liang Wenchong-in the hope of a repeat victory. “I feel more and more comfortable because many of my players have experience of the Royal Trophy and they each know how to play,” said Japanese Ozaki. “I don’t have to tell them anything. They know what to do.” The match starts with foursomes on Friday followed by fourballs on Saturday and singles on Sunday at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, east of Bangkok. The competition will be played in Thailand in 2011 for a fifth year in honor of the trophy’s donor, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, before switching to Europe in 2012. The hosting of future editions will then alternate between the two continents. — Reuters
Ecclestone doubts Briatore F1 return LONDON: Flavio Briatore is unlikely to return to Formula One any time soon despite a French court overturning the former Renault team principal’s lifetime ban, according to commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. “He’s happy he’s won, of course. But he didn’t say he wanted to come back to Formula One, and I don’t think he will,” the Briton told yesterday’s Daily Mail newspaper after speaking to the Italian, Briatore was initially handed the ban in September for a plot to rig the outcome of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix by having Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet stage a deliberate crash. “It’s not over by a long way,” added Ecclestone of the legal battles ahead. “Just because a bloody judge has said what he’s said doesn’t make any difference. Nothing’s happened. “The court said it was wrong, so the FIA can start all over again with a new hearing, and it will go on and on and on. That’s the worst thing. It would be better if they all get round a table and see what they can do.” The governing International Automobile Federation, now under the leadership of former Ferrari boss Jean Todt, indicated it
would keep on fighting with an appeal likely to take many more months to resolve. “The FIA’s ability to exclude those who intention-
Motor racing ally put others’ lives at risk has never before been put into doubt and the FIA is carefully considering its appeal options on this point,” it said in a statement. “The Court’s decision is not enforceable until the FIA’s appeal options have been exhausted. Until then, the World Motor Sport Council’s decision continues to apply. “In addition, the FIA intends to consider appropriate actions to ensure that no persons who would engage, or who have engaged, in such dangerous activities or acts of intentional cheating will be allowed to participate in Formula One in the future.” NO RUSH On Tuesday, Briatore indicated that he was in no rush to return to the paddock and his opportunities appear limited in any case. His job at Renault has gone, the team having been part
sold to Luxembourg-based investor Gerard Lopez with Frenchman Eric Boullier installed as the new boss. One problem for Briatore is that the court victory was due to procedural flaws in the FIA’s original hearing rather than any rebuttal of the allegations which cast a cloud of scandal over the sport last year. Briatore has been team boss of Benetton and Renault, owner of Ligier and manager to numerous drivers including Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso, now at Ferrari, and Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber. Some of those drivers have remained loyal, even if their teams are unlikely to welcome Briatore’s presence in the background. “There’s no reason he can’t carry on as a manager if he wants,” Ecclestone suggested. “But it would be difficult for someone who has done something wrong to return in his old job or something similar.” Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali put it more bluntly in an interview with Italy’s La Stampa earlier in the week: “People don’t like reheated soup. He will have to find another opportunity.” — Reuters
BANGKOK: European team captain Colin Montgomerie tees off for the opening of the Royal Trophy Europe versus Asia Golf Championship in Bangkok on Tuesday, Jan 5, 2010. — AP
Clarke chases glory as Africa Open joins European Tour EAST LONDON: Former Ryder Cup hero Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland heads a strong Africa Open field when the event joins the European Tour circuit for the first time today. Dane Thomas Bjorn and Englishman Nick Dougherty are other big names chasing glory in the one-million-euro event at the links-cum-parkland East London Golf Club. Retief Goosen, twice US Open champion, pipped Clarke for the Africa Open title last year and other South Africans will be trying to prevent a European Tour hat-trick for invaders this season.
The second edition of the Road to Dubai European Tour order of merit won by Englishman Lee Westwood last season began in South Africa a month ago with victories for rising stars Pablo Martin and Richie Ramsay. Spaniard Martin won the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in the eastern Mpumalanga province and Scot Ramsay lifted the South African Open after a play-off against Indian Shiv Kapur at Pearl Valley near Cape Town. Prominent South Africans in the 156-strong East London field include Richard Sterne,
winner of the 2008 Dunhill and South African Open tournaments, fellow former Open champion James Kingston, and
Golf Charl Schwartzel. Argentine Angel Cabrera fired a courserecord 62 on the intriguing par73 layout at the Africa Open last year only to be upstaged by Sterne, who needed one stroke less in the same tournament. Clarke overcame the death of his wife to play a pivotal role in the 2006 Ryder Cup triumph over the United States at a rain-
Questions for a new season all have Tiger KAPALUA: The first day of the new US PGA Tour season brought a Tiger Woods sighting. “Right there, through those trees,” a caddie said jokingly, pointing into the distance toward the Pacific Ocean, where a white yacht was cruising along the Maui coastline below Kapalua. “He’s on his boat.” For a guy who hasn’t been seen in more than six weeks, Woods seems to be everywhere. And while he isn’t at the season-opening SBS Championship, his presence looms larger than ever. Woods hasn’t played this tournament since 2005, so his absence is not unusual. Last season began with a similar question - when would he return? - only that was from knee surgery, and it was a matter of time. He is gone from golf now because of a shocking sex scandal that led him to take an “indefinite break” while he tries to save his marriage. Indefinite could mean anything from two months to all year. In the meantime, the tour faces a pivotal year in renewing title sponsorships and laying the groundwork for negotiations on a new television contract. The Americans have a Ryder Cup to defend in October. The major championship rotation features three of the most famous courses in golf - Augusta, Pebble Beach and St Andrews. Every season contains questions, yet every answer winds its way back to one player. Pat Perez was asked for his list of questions about 2010 on the US PGA Tour, and he wasted no time rattling off two of them. “When is Tiger coming back?” he said. “And where the hell is he?” That’s a good place to start on a few questions for the new season: When will Woods appear? Considering that a healthy Woods has started every season at Torrey Pines since 2006, the “indefinite break” really doesn’t start until he doesn’t show up at the San Diego Open starting Jan 28. Woods had planned on playing the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Feb 11, especially since Poppy Hills was replaced in the course rotation by Monterey Peninsula, the field was reduced from 180 to 156 players, the US Open is returning to Pebble Beach in June and Woods carried the AT&T logo on his golf bag. That was before AT&T ended its endorsement deal with him, and it was agreed that Woods no longer would be the host of the AT&T National this summer outside Philadelphia, a tournament that benefits his foundation. Accenture dropped him too, making it unlikely he would return to the Match Play Championship toward the end of February. Woods returned from his knee surgery at Match Play, and his relationship with Accenture played a part in that. Speculation has shifted to the Florida swing either Doral or Bay Hill, as a tuneup for the Masters. But that assumes he will play in the Masters. Would he really skip Augusta National?
Maybe. Could he possibly skip majors at Pebble and St Andrews? Could he return to Torrey Pines - next year? To borrow a slogan from the US PGA Tour, anything is possible. Can Americans win another Ryder Cup? Tom Watson, who turned 60 in September, is No 6 in the Ryder Cup standings going into the year. That’s because points in a non-Ryder Cup year only are awarded at the majors. David Duval is No 8. The Americans are defending champions for the first time in eight years, and US captain Corey Pavin has extra large shoes to fill after the job Paul Azinger did in 2008 at Valhalla. Europe is led by Colin Montgomerie, who believes the Ryder Cup is bigger than majors and can only hope he gets a better outcome. It will be played the first weekend in October in Wales, and past captain Nick Faldo wasn’t kidding when he reminded everyone at closing ceremonies in 2008 to bring rain gear. The big question: Will the Americans bring the No 1 player? Woods has tolerated the Ryder Cup more than he has enjoyed it. Even if he has returned to competition, his family crisis might be a good excuse for him to sit this one out. Besides, the Americans did just fine without him last time. What will Phil do next? The way Phil Mickelson ended last year, he appeared poised to make a run at several milestones - winning a money title, player of the year and reaching No 1 in the world, none of which he has ever achieved in an otherwise stellar career. His wife continues her recovery from breast cancer, which has allayed fears at home, and Mickelson regained his putting touch with the help of Dave Stockton. And with Woods out of the picture indefinitely (whatever that means), it would seem the stars are aligned. Strangely, though, Mickelson is one of the few players who thrives on competition with Woods. He did next to nothing at the tail end of 2008 when Woods was out with knee surgery, and didn’t win on the US PGA Tour until the week Woods announced his return. He won Doral with Woods in the field, outplayed him in their final round pairing at the Masters, outplayed him at the US Open, then ended the year by beating him in consecutive tournaments at the Tour Championship and in Shanghai. Is the worst of the golf economy over? Tour commissioner Tim Finchem already faced a big year trying to find title sponsors for San Diego, Hilton Head and Palm Springs, along with renewals at crucial venues such as Doral. Throw in the Woods scandal and it doesn’t get any easier. “It will be an interesting year for us with the economy and the hit we’re taking with our image,” said British Open champion Stewart Cink, a member of the tour’s policy board. “We’ll have to see how that plays out.” — AP
soaked K Club outside Dublin and craves another crack at the Americans in Wales this October. “I enjoyed playing in the Africa Open last year when finishing second behind Retief and I’m really looking forward to this tournament,” Clarke said after a practice round designed to brush off festive-season cobwebs. Competitors face raised tees, narrow fairways and minute greens on an outwardnine adventure that drifts through Indian Ocean dunes and can be pleasant when calm and perilous should the wind unleash its fury.
The backward half may offer wider fairways amid indigenous bush but undulating greens will test the best, and there is a blind tee shot on the final hole to add spice. “Overall condition of the course and greens is better than last year and it will provide a stern test irrespective of whether we have windy conditions,” club official Cameron van Niekerk told the domestic media. “Luck will not be an element in the Africa Open with the golfer who delivers the best round on the day taking the spoils,” said the man charged with preparing the 6,038-metre course. — AFP
Woods’ absence casts shadow over USPGA
BETHESDA: Tiger Woods cuts across the 1st tee on his way to the practice area in this file photo during the first round at the AT&T National golf tournament hosted by Woods at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. — AFP
LOS ANGELES: For an invisible man, Tiger Woods casts quite a shadow over the 2010 US PGA Tour season. Just when and where the embattled world number one will return from his “indefinite break” from golf are questions looming over the season that opens today with the SBS Championship at Kapalua. But the most intriguing question is how Woods will perform when he does return in the wake of the public relations nightmare that engulfed him at the end of 2009. Woods, winner of 82 tournaments worldwide, closed the year with a stunning fall from grace, admitting infidelity to wife Elin, who is reportedly set to divorce him amid reports he had as many mistresses as major titles: 14. Many of Woods’ fellow pros say they think he’ll return quickly to the form that saw him win six Tour events and seven titles worldwide in 2009, capturing his 10th Player of the Year award in 13 years. In fact, Woods swept all of the big PGA Tour awards for 2009, although he didn’t return to competition until February after a months-long layoff recovering from knee surgery. But European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie said that after the lurid headlines and sponsor defections, Woods won’t have the same “mystique”. “There is no question there was an aura about Tiger Woods over this incredible record he has, not just in majors but in other world events. That wall has been split slightly and there are cracks,” Montgomerie told the BBC. It was just what the PGA Tour, already reeling from a weak economy and sponsor pullouts, didn’t need to hear. Commissioner Tim Finchem tried to put a positive spin on the matter, but he had to admit the circuit is worse off without Woods. “We’re in a down economy. It’s hard to sell. And having the number one player in our sport not play is not a positive thing and it does hurt television ratings,” Finchem said. “It won’t be at the same levels without our number one player. No sport would be.” Finchem said he had no idea when Woods would resume playing - and his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles. His first shot at adding to his tally would come at the Masters in April. The strictly controlled confines of Augusta National might be a more comfortable place to make a public return. But a lengthy layoff would be poor preparation for a major campaign, so Woods might aim for Doral and Bay Hill beforehand. Two other 2010 majors are on courses where Woods has triumphed before: the US Open at Pebble Beach, California, and the British Open at storied St. Andrews. With Woods in limbo, rival Phil Mickelson will try to build on a strong finish to a 2009 season that included four victories. Mickelson said after his victory in the WGC-HSBC Champions in November that he was “starting to play the best golf of my career.” “My short game is better than it’s ever been and going into 2010, not only am I excited about it, but I have very high expectations.” And this year, Mickelson will play without the weight of worry that followed his wife Amy’s diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer in 2009. Woods’ absence may also see the spotlight trained on rising youngsters like US Tour rookie Rickie Fowler and young stars from overseas like Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa and, notably, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. McIlroy, 20, is the youngest player to reach the top 10 in the world rankings. He has joined the US tour and will play at least 15 events along with at least eight on the European tour. South Korea’s Yang Yong-Eun, who held off Woods in the final round of the PGA Championship to become Asia’s first major champion, will try to add to that success. Other well known names will try to rebound from disappointing seasons. — AFP
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
KUWAIT: Sports officials pictured during the opening ceremony of the Ninth Arab Shooting Sports Championship. (Inset) A shooter seen practicing prior to the event.
9Th Arab Shooting Sports Championship begins By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: The Ninth Arab Shooting Sports Championship began with a spectacular opening ceremony that was staged at the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Ranges Complex on Tuesday. Chairman of the Board and Director General of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports Major General (Ret) Faisal AlJazzaf sponsored the ceremony and declared the tournament open.
Speaking during the occasion, he said that Kuwait was proud of organizing this event. He added that the unprecedented number of teams participating in the tournament were indicative of the respect the country has earned, and the confidence that most countries have placed in its ability to organize such an event. “We are always proud of Kuwait’s ability to undertake events at any level. This is a proof of their readiness and competence.” Al-Jazzaf said. He expressed hope that the Shooting
Sports Club with its state-of-the art facilities would continue to make concerted efforts to boost Kuwait’s pride. President of the Asian and Kuwait Shooting Sport Federations, Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud AlSabah who was present at the event said that the opening ceremony’s success lay in the participation of Arab teams. “We thank all the countries for coming to Kuwait, and for appreciating Kuwait, its Amir and people. We also thank the Secretary General
of the Arab Olympic Committees Othman Al-Saad, Maj. General (Ret) Faisal AlJazzaf and all the officials for supporting the tournament,” Sheikh Salman said . President of the Arab Shooting Sport Federation, Duaij Al-Otaibi was also present during the ceremony. He said that the tournament is a testimony to the advancements that Kuwait has made in the sport and has become the ‘capital’ of the shooting sport of the region. Al-Otaibi said. “We will always work towards
developing the sport at all levels.” He wished that Kuwaiti shooters would reap good results, and at the same time hope that all Arab shooters win because their presence is highly appreciated. Duaij AlOtaibi congratulated HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on the occasion of New Hijra Year and the New Year. Also, the Interior Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic
Affairs, Major General Humoud AlDousari added, “We are proud to host so many Arab teams for the first time and hope that other Arab countries would participate in the future, especially Egypt.” He went on to say that this tournament was organized within a short time period. It is being held before the scheduled World Police Shooting Tournament to be held on February 15, under the patronage of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
Iowa trounce Georgia Tech in Orange Bowl MIAMI: Iowa claimed the Orange Bowl title with a 24-14 win over a misfiring Georgia Tech in college football Tuesday. An abysmal first half and a bad decision by quarterback Josh Nesbitt midway through the final quarter cost Georgia Tech in a game that was statistically dominated by the Hawkeyes. Georgia Tech came into the game with the nation’s No 2 rushing offense, averaging 307 yards per game and with 46 touchdowns. But the Yellow Jackets finished with just 143 yards on 41 carries, their second-lowest total of the season. Before halftime, Georgia Tech was forced to punt six times - tying their season worst for a game - as well as being outgained 257 yards to 32 and failing to gain a single first down on their first three possessions. Despite all the mistakes, the Yellow Jackets still had two late possessions, with a chance to tie the game or take the lead. The first came with 8-1/2 minutes left, when Nesbitt’s pass
College Roundup MIAMI GARDENS: Josh Nesbitt No 9 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is tackled by Broderick Binns No 91 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the FedEx Orange Bowl at Land Shark Stadium on January 5, 2010. —AFP
US looks on to World Cup leader Burke in biathlon LONDON: The Christmas and New Year holidays offered little rest for Tim Burke as he prepared for his role as the first American biathlete to wear the bib of World Cup leader. With the Vancouver Winter Olympics only weeks away, Burke and his team mates knew there was no let-up from training. “Quite a bit of high-level training goes on in this two-week break,” said the team’s Swedish coach Per Nilsson, one of several overseas experts brought in to boost American prospects in a sport traditionally dominated by Germany, Norway and Russia. Burke was spending the holidays working to improve his skiing and shooting on the trails and target range being used for this weekend’s World Cup events in Oberhof, Germany. “My ski speed has been able to keep me in every race so far this year, but I know come February in Vancouver I’m going to have to be near perfect,” he told Reuters by telephone. Burke took the World Cup overall lead last month after two top-10 places in Pokljuka, Slovenia, and two podium spots in Oestersund, Sweden. Norway’s Ole Einar Bjorndalen, who won his 91st World Cup event last month, missed the Swedish and Slovenian races after a virus. Bjorndalen, who was overall champion for the past two years, is hoping to add to his Olympic haul of five gold medals, three silvers and a bronze in Vancouver, which comes soon after his 36th birthday. —Reuters
Blackmun to head USOC NEW YORK: Scott Blackmun will be named chief executive officer of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), sources said on Tuesday. Blackmun, a 52-year-old Colorado lawyer who formerly served as general counsel and interim CEO for USOC, will become the third person to hold the post in the last 10 months. Blackmun, who was to be introduced at a news conference yesterday, replaces Stephanie Streeter, who took over from Jim Scherr after he suddenly resigned in March. Five days after Chicago’s surprise elimination in the first round of voting in October to decide the host city for the 2016 Summer Games, USOC launched a search for a new chief executive, saying Streeter would not be a candidate. Blackmun faces the daunting challenge of polishing the USOC’s tarnished image and easing a strained relationship with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “Those who know him (Blackmun) from his past life with the Olympic movement know that there is a smart adult at the tiller of this boat,” Doug Logan, CEO of USA Track and Field said. “This is going to be seen internationally, particularly from the standpoint of those who criticized us for have an erratic leadership for the past few years, as a sign of stability.” The USOC has been locked in a bitter dispute for years with the IOC
over its share of revenue from US TV rights deals and global sponsorship agreements. The USOC raised tensions further in August when it announced plans for an Olympic TV network without consulting the IOC. After an angry response from the IOC, the plans were put on hold. US Olympic officials believed both disputes contributed to Chicago’s crushing defeat in its bid to land the 2016 Summer Games. Critics complained USOC leadership was out of touch and unable to build key relationships and partnerships that have left the United States increasingly isolated on the international sports scene. “I feel as long as the board does give Scott the mandate to make the changes that are necessary, he will be able to build some of those bridges that need to be built,” said Chris Welton, a former top marketing executive for IOC. Blackmun is no stranger to the sometimes complicated workings of the Olympic movement. As general counsel, he managed the USOC’s response to the Salt Lake City bid scandal and was the USOC staff liaison to the bid investigation committee headed by Senator George Mitchell. Blackmun also stepped in as acting chief executive for USOC from November 2000 to October 2001 and later became chief operating officer of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). —Reuters
from his own goal line was intercepted by AJ Edds, but the Yellow Jackets escaped when Iowa’s fake field goal didn’t work, giving Georgia Tech the ball back at the 12, still down by only three points. One the ensuing drive, running back Jonathan Dwyer lost 11 yards, backing Georgia Tech to its 1-yard line, and the Yellow Jackets had to punt again. That set up the final blow, Brandon Wegher’s 32-yard clinching touchdown run for Iowa with 1:56 left. The defeat meant Atlantic Coast Conference teams are 1-9 in their past 10 bowl games. —AP
Kuwait fencing spared by IOC KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti fencing federation would be spared from the suspension imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in order to hold a world competition in mid-January, said the International Fencing Federation (FIE). Kuwait would be able to take part in the international Saber tournament to be held in Iran on January 9-11, added FIE. Also Kuwait would be holding an international Epee competition - with the three-day event-to attract around 120 fencers. —KUNA
CAPE TOWN: England’s Alastair Cook plays a shot during their third test cricket match against South Africa in Cape Town yesterday. —AP
England’s openers dig in at Newlands CAPE TOWN: England, handed an improbable victory target of 466 to win the third test against South Africa, reached 38 without loss at tea on the fourth day at Newlands yesterday. Openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, on 15 and 21 not out respectively, batted through 16 overs without blemish after South Africa, 10 down in the four-match series, declared their second innings on 447 for seven. South Africa batted for 40 minutes after lunch, scoring 50 runs and leaving England a minimum of 146 overs in which to survive. AB de Villiers (34) fell in the second over after lunch when he charged Jimmy Anderson and skied a drive, Stuart Broad keeping his eye on the ball well as he ran from mid-off to deep extra cover to take the catch. JP Duminy reached 36 before his dismissal,
caught by wicketkeeper Matt Prior down the leg-side off Anderson which prompted the declaration. Anderson finished with three for 98 in 22.2 overs and off-spinner Graeme Swann claimed three for 127 in 37 overs. England dismissed Graeme Smith for 183 but South Africa still went into lunch on 397 for four. Seamer Graham Onions eventually provided the solution to England’s biggest problem in the second innings with a bouncer that Smith top-edged to Paul Collingwood at fine leg. The tourists also managed to remove Jacques Kallis in the morning session, South Africa’s leading run-scorer viciously lashing out at an Anderson delivery but managing only to edge a catch to Prior. —Reuters
Scoreboard CAPE TOWN: Scores at tea on the fourth day of the third Test between South Africa and England at Newlands yesterday. South Africa, first innings, 291 England, first innings, 273 South Africa, second innings (overnight 312-2) A. Prince lbw b Swann 15 G. Smith c Collingwood b Onions 183 H. Amla c Cook b Swann 95 J. Kallis c Prior b Anderson 46 A. de Villiers c Broad b Anderson 34 J. Duminy c Prior b Anderson 36 M. Boucher c Bell b Swann 15 D. Steyn not out 1 Extras (b8, lb7, nb2, pen5) 22 Total (7 wkts dec. 111.2 overs, 507 mins) 447 Fall of wickets: 1-31 (Prince), 2-261 (Amla), 3-346 (Smith), 4-376 (Kallis), 5-401 (De Villiers), 6-442 (Boucher), 7-447 (Duminy)
Did not bat: M. Morkel, P. Harris, F. de Wet Bowling: Anderson 22.2-1-98-3, Onions 22-4-87-1 (nb2), Swann 37-5-127-3, Broad 22-4-79-0, Pietersen 3-0-6-0, Trott 5-0-30-0. England, second innings A. Strauss not out 15 A. Cook not out 21 Extras (b1, lb1) 2 Total (0 wkts, 16 overs) 38 To bat: J. Trott, K. Pietersen, P. Collingwood, I. Bell, M. Prior, S. Broad, G. Swann, J. Anderson, G. Onions Bowling: Morkel 5-1-9-0, Steyn 6-1-17-0, De Wet 3-25-0, Harris 2-1-5-0 Match position: England need another 428 to win with 10 wickets remaining in the second innings
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
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City post a record loss of 92.6 million pounds LONDON: Manchester City recorded a loss of 92.6million pounds ($147.8) in the year to May 31 2009 the biggest annual loss ever reported by an English football club. The figure, announced on the club’s website yesterday, does not include last summer’s 117 million pounds spending spree on Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Joleon Lescott. It does include the previous year’s 50 million pound layout on Brazilian duo Robinho and Jo following the arrival of new owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in September 2008. Turnover increased by six percent to 87 million pounds, while attendances rose to 42,890 from an average of 42,081 in the previous season. Ticketing revenues were ahead by 1.8 million pounds and TV revenues up 12 percent to 48.3 million pounds, mainly as a result of City’s extended run in the UEFA Cup. Player salaries rose to 39.4 million pounds from 25.4 million in the previous year. City also announced that, just as Roman Abramovich has done at Chelsea, Sheikh Mansour has turned the 304.9 million shareholder loans he made to the club into equity. He has also purchased a further 89.6 million pounds-worth
of shares as a “show of commitment.” “The financial year to May 2009 marked the beginning of a period of significant planned investment in all areas of the club; the playing squad, the youth academy, infrastructure, website and technology applications and our people,” City said on the website. “Not surprisingly, this substantial investment has had a significant impact on this year’s financial results. This investment is also forecast to similarly impact the financial results of the next several years as the club seeks to achieve success both on and off the field.” The club’s chief financial and administration officer Graham Wallace said: “The financial results reflect a period of rapid change at the club, the result of long-term planning and investment by the Board and our owners, to create a sustainable business in the future. “We have always said that this transformation will take a number of years and these figures reflect that. “The owners’ decision to convert debt to equity is in line with their previously-stated financial strategy and is fantastic news for supporters of Manchester City, whose club is now on a secure financial foundation that gives a tremendous platform to build from in future years.” — Reuters
in the news Ronaldo ‘most popular sports’ star MADRID: Real Madrid’s Portuguese international striker Cristiano Ronaldo is the most popular sports star on Facebook, the sports daily Marca reported yesterday. The flamboyant footballer could count 3.2 million fans on his social network site yesterday, putting him ahead of Swiss tennis star Roger Federer with 3.18 million and US swimmer Michael Phelps, 2.86 million. Ronaldo, 24, arrived in Real Madrid from Manchester United last summer in a world record 94-millioneuro deal. He is also the most profitable player ever in a club which had such stars as Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham, generating 80 million euros in advertising revenues per year.
Berger hangs up his boots PRAGUE: Sparta Prague’s former Czech international midfielder Patrik Berger has announced that he is retiring because of recurrent injuries, his team coach said yesterday. Sparta Prague coach Jozef Chovanec said that the 36-year-old had informed him of his decision on Tuesday. “Patrik told me yesterday ‘It’s over. My knee can no longer hold up’,” said Chovanev. Berger started his career as a Sparta Prague trainee before before joining city rival’s Slavia Prague aged 18 years. He then moved to Borussia Dortmund in Germany followed by seven years at Liverpool, then Portsmouth, Stoke City and Aston Villa. He rejoined Sparta in 2008 but rarely featured because of health problems, playing his final match on August 8 last year. Berger was capped 44 times and scored 18 goals for the Czech Republic between 1993 and 2001.
Tough times beckoning for Stallions in Angola OUAGADOUGOU: Burkina Faso are making their seventh appearance in the African Nations Cup, their best showing a semi-final berth in 1998 when they hosted the competition. The Stallions, who have never made it to a World Cup, face a tough test in Angola in Group B alongside African giants Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Togo. Ranked 49th in FIFA’s charts the team boast prolific scorer Moumouni Dagano, whose 12 goal haul saw him finish the continental qualifying campaign as top scorer. Coached by Portugal’s Paulo Duarte they will be struggling to make it into the knockout stages. One player who did not figure in the squad was Aristide Bance, who plays for German first division side Mayence. He misses out after an apparent row with Duarte. Burkina Faso’s squad includes Marseille midfielder Charles Kabore and Bance’s Bundesliga colleagues Sanou Wilfried, who is based with Cologne, and Hamburg’s Jonathan Pitroipa. Pitroipa and Bance teamed up to score the goals when Burkina Faso suffered an honorable 3-2 loss to the Ivory Coast in a World Cup qualifier last year.
Ghana due for bold run ACCRA: Ghana, aside from hosts South Africa, were the first team from Africa to qualify for the World Cup and they will be disappointed not to make a sizeable imprint on the 2010 African Nations Cup ‘dress rehearsal’. Under French coach Claude Le Roy Michael Essien and the rest of the Black Stars made a bold show to win the 2008 edition on home turf, taking third place. With Le Roy since replaced by Serb coach Milovan Rajevac Ghana certainly haven’t gone backwards but their World Cup credentials will be tested to the full in a group which has them pitted against Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast, Togo and Burkina Faso. They regularly arrive at the African Nations Cup branded among the favorites but it is 28 years since they won the last of their four continental titles. The only occasion since then they have come close to lifting the crown was in 1992 in Tripoli when they lost a marathon penalty shootout against surprise packets Ivory Coast after a goalless 1992 decider. They make a cohesive unit under Rajevac but the wily Serb has suffered a series of setbacks in the build up to Angola with central defenders John Pantsil and John Mensah and midfielders Stephen Appiah and Laryea Kingston all ruled out through injury.
Guti poised for Real return MADRID: Veteran Real Madrid midfielder Guti appears on his way back to playing for the Spanish giants after falling out with Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini at the end of October. Guti trained with the rest of his teammates yesterday for the first time since the reported falling out and is hoping to play against Mallorca in the Spanish league this weekend. “I am ready if Pellegrini wants me,” he told reporters when asked if he would be part of the Real squad which faces Mallorca on Saturday. A product of Real’s youth system, the 33-year-old is one of the longest-serving members of the squad but he has been out of action since the club’s embarrassing 4-0 Spanish Cup defeat against third division side Alcorcon on October 27. According to media reports Guti had a half-time argument in Alcorcon with Pellegrini, and insulted the coach when he was told that he was going to be substituted at half-time. The player, whose full name Jose Maria Gutierrez, also made an obscene gesture to Alcorcon fans at the start of the second half when sitting on the Real bench after someone launched an insult directed at him.
TEXAS: Estudiantes Tecos’s Rodrigo Ruiz (left) keeps his balance while jumping over Santos Laguna’s Rafael Figueroa during the first half of an InterLiga soccer match on Tuesday, Jan 5, 2010, in Frisco, Texas. — AP
America thrash Atlante, go top of InterLiga group Estudiantes Tecos blank Santos Laguna FRISCO: America beat Atlante 3-0 on Tuesday to take the Group A lead in the Mexican InterLiga. Paraguay international striker Salvador Cabanas netted twice for America and substitute Luis Alonso Sandoval also scored as America got its goals in a 16-minute burst midway through the second half.
Two wins from two games put America three points clear of Atlanta and Estudiantes Tecos in the group, and poised to advance to the semifinals. In Tuesday’s other Group A game, Estudiantes Tecos had a 2-0 win over Santos Laguna, which has lost both its games. Paraguay international Fredy
Jose Bareiro put the Tecos ahead in the 14th minute and Chilean playmaker Rodrigo Ruiz made it 2-0 in the 59th. “I’m happy because it represents winning and tallying more points and it gives us confidence for our next game against America,” Ruiz said. “And now we control our own destiny for advanc-
ing to the next round.” Cabanas’ brace gave the America striker three goals from two games in the tournament. “Today Cabanas was really, really good,” said America midfielder Pavel Pardo, whose corner set up Cabanas’ second. “But the key for the game today was we were more compact on
defense, and then we played very fast in the front.” InterLiga, an eight-team tournament of Mexican teams played in the United States, determines two automatic berths into the Copa Libertadores, the South American club championship, for the 2010 season. —AP
Sharpshooting Eto’o targets goal record
Puma unveils kits for African teams
NAIROBI: Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o wants to break the individual goal record for a single African Nations Cup at this month’s finals. “I would like to take Cameroon as far as possible, to even win the tournament,” the 29-year-old Inter Milan player said in an interview in the Kenyan capital Nairobi yesterday. “But my first objective will be to score the highest number of goals at a single Nations Cup,” added the triple African Footballer of the Year. Cameroon begin their Group D campaign against Gabon on Jan 13. They take on Zambia four days later before meeting Tunisia on Jan 21. Eto’o, who will captain the Indomitable Lions in Angola and at the World Cup in South Africa in June, already holds the record as the highest overall scorer (16 goals) in the Nations Cup. Congolese Mulamba Ndaye’s nine goals for then-Zaire in Egypt in 1974 is the highest by a player at the finals. Ivorian Laurent Pokou grabbed eight goals in Sudan in 1970 while Egyptian Hossam Hassan and South African Benni McCarthy netted seven in Burkina Faso in 1998. Eto’o, who joined Inter from Barcelona in July in a swap with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, won the Golden Boot as top scorer for the second consecutive Nations Cup when he notched five goals in Ghana in 2008. That year Cameroon lost to Egypt in the final. He also hit five goals in Egypt in 2006. GOOD TEAM “Although we have a pretty good team (this year) all the teams are equal and have a chance of winning,” said Eto’o who lifted the Nations Cup in 2000 and 2002. “I don’t want to make any predictions.” Eto’o, who missed Inter’s Italian Serie A early kickoff against Chievo yesterday after Cameroon turned down the club’s request to delay his Nations Cup departure, said European teams paid big wages and had a right to demand the services of their players. However, he added the Nations Cup could not change dates to fit the seasons of European teams. “Just as they play their European Cup of Nations every four years in the summer because it is convenient for them, the African Nations Cup must be played in January because it is convenient for us as there is less rain all over the continent,” said Eto’o. — AP
NAIROBI: German sportswear giant Puma yesterday unveiled a “unified African kit” the continent’s teams can use if their national colors clash during the African Nations Cup and World Cup finals. Designed to help create awareness for the safeguard of the environment, the African Unity Kits were launched in Nairobi, where the German firm announced a partnership to raise funds for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to support the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. Cameroon star forward Samuel Eto’o, whose side is one of the 12 teams being sponsored by Puma at the African Nations Cup finals which start in Angola on Sunday, took part in the unveiling of the new uniform. Eto’o, along with the rest of the Cameroon squad arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday for a nine-day preNations Cup training camp before travelling to Luanda. Puma chief executive Jochen Zeitz said the use of the kits had been approved by FIFA as a third kit which can be worn when there is a clash of uniforms between competing teams during the Nations Cup and the World Cup. “In 2010, Africa will be at the centre of the footballing world. Puma is creating a unique kit embracing the diversity of African Nations teams while valuing the unity of players and supporters towards a common goal,” said Zeitz at a news conference. “Biodiversity and therefore valuing and protecting all life on our planet is a huge issue, not only in Africa, but around the world. We are proud to partner with UNEP to raise both awareness and funds through the sale of Unity products,” he added. The kit comes with replica jerseys in brown pantone color which were created by mixing soil samples from Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Cameroon and matching shorts. Zeitz said funds raised from the sale of the kits would go towards the support of biodiversity projects in Africa. — AFP
NAIROBI: Cameroon’s national soccer team captain, Samuel Eto’o during a press conference in Nairobi yesterday. PUMA and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) were joined yesterday by the Indomitable Lions - Cameroon’s national football team - with team captain Samuel Eto’o, to announce a strategic partnership to support biodiversity worldwide and specific initiatives in Africa. — AP
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Asian heavyweights Japan, Iran cruise to finals Kuwait fight back to draw with Australia SINGAPORE: Regional heavyweights Japan and Iran secured places at the 2011 Asian Cup finals with away qualifying victories yesterday but Australia failed to join them after a brave fightback by Kuwait. A much-changed Japanese side found themselves 2-0 down after 40 minutes in Yemen but a hat-trick from substitute Sota Hirayama, finished in the 79th minute, completed a brave 3-2 comeback win and booked a place at the finals for the Blue Samurai. Japan top Group A on 12 points from five games with Bahrain, who also went through in second place after they thrashed Hong Kong 4-0 at home, level on points in second. The top-two teams from each group qualify for the finals in Qatar next year. Australia were on course to join them after racing into a 20 lead in Kuwait after goals from Luke Wilkshire and Dean Heffernan in the first five minutes but substitute Addul Aziz Al Enezi and Yousuf Nasser struck before halftime to deny the Socceroos in a 2-2 draw. “The last minutes of the first half we lost control of the midfield, but the second half we were much better organized,” Australian coach Pim Verbeek told Fox Sports. “A little bit more sharpness in one-on-one situations and we could have won the game.” Kuwait lead Group B on eight points from five games, ahead of Australia courtesy of a better head-to-head record with Oman, who beat Indonesia 2-1 in Jakarta, third on seven. A point for Kuwait in their final match in Muscat against Oman in March will book their place in the finals with Australia also
needing just a point at home to Indonesia, who are out of contention. EASE PRESSURE Some questionable refereeing decisions overshadowed Iran’s 3-1 victory over Singapore which booked their place in Qatar and eased the pressure on coach Afshin Ghotbi, who had fans handing out posters with his face crossed out before kick-off. “I hope that everybody believes that the referee wasn’t the difference,” Ghotbi told reporters. “I think it was the quality of the Iranian team.” Group E winners Iran have 10 points from five games with the race for the runners-up spot wide-open after Thailand and Jordan played out a 0-0 draw in rain-soaked Bangkok. One point separates the three remaining teams in the group with Thai coach Bryan Robson, the former England and Manchester United captain, confident his team can go to Iran and get the result they need in March. “I’ve seen enough of this Thai team to say that if I have everyone fit, we can do really, really well,” Robson said. “Even a draw is enough. I have confidence in these players that they can do this.” China sealed their place at the finals after a 0-0 draw with Group D leaders and already qualified Syria was enough following third-placed Vietnam’s 1-1 draw at bottom-side Lebanon. In Group C the United Arab Emirates made coach Srecko Katanec’s first competitive match in charge a memorable one as they scored an injury time winner to beat Malaysia 1-0 and qualify for the finals. — Reuters
Snow hits sports Arsenal-Bolton LONDON: Arsenal’s home Premier League match against struggling Bolton Wanderers was postponed yesterday as snow played havoc with sporting events across Britain. “Despite making every effort to stage tonight’s match... the sudden and unpredicted adverse change in weather conditions in the Highbury area has left us no choice but to postpone the fixture,” the club said on their website (www.arsenal.com) four hours before the scheduled kickoff. A win against Bolton, who sacked Gary Megson as manager last week and have Burnley’s Owen Coyle lined up to replace him, would have sent the Gunners second in the standings above Manchester United and just behind Chelsea. Freezing temperatures and heavy snow had already forced the postponement of this week’s English League Cup semi-final first leg matches. The tie between Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa, scheduled for Tuesday, and yesterday’s Manchester derby between City and United were called off because of dangerous travelling conditions across the north of England.
Chivu has surgery on fractured skull MILAN: Inter Milan left back Cristian Chivu had surgery for over an hour after fracturing his skull in a clash of heads during yesterday’s 1-0 Serie A win at Chievo. The Romanian’s life is not in danger but he will have to stay under observation in a Verona hospital for some time after an operation to relieve a haematoma and take out bone fragments. “Everything went normally and therefore we are quite confident the patient can recover without problems,” doctor Sergio Turazzi said in a statement. The loss of the dependable Chivu is a blow to the Serie A leaders, who have no likefor-like replacement. Inter’s right-footed fullback Davide Santon is also injured and
Javier Zanetti is needed in midfield. “We hope (Chivu) can come back as soon as possible but I think he will be out of action for a while,” Inter coach Jose Mourinho told the club’s TV channel. Media reports said Inter were chasing Lazio left back Aleksandar Kolarov even before Chivu’s injury but Lazio president Claudio Lotito has said the Serb is not for sale. Mourinho, who has already brought in Macedonia forward Goran Pandev, also hopes the club can recruit another midfielder in the January transfer window with the little-used Patrick Vieira on the verge of leaving. Manchester City have been strongly linked with the Frenchman in the media. —Reuters
MILAN: Inter Milan’s Romanian defender Cristian Chivu is airborned during his team’s Serie A football match against Chievo yesterday at Bentegodi Stadium in Verona. — AFP
KUWAIT: Australia’s national soccer team player Archi Gerald (left) competes with Kuwaiti’s Fahad Shahin during their Asian Cup 2011 qualifying match yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat
Inter squeeze past Chievo Fiorentina thrash Siena 5-1 MILAN: Serie A leaders Inter Milan ground out a 1-0 victory at Chievo before Juventus ended their bad run with a similarly battling 2-1 win at Parma yesterday. Champions Inter, nine points clear of second-placed Juve, scored on 12 minutes when Mario Balotelli’s shot was cleared from the line and new signing Goran Pandev nodded home only for television replays to show Balotelli’s effort had gone in. Striker Pandev had not played a league game since May having been banished from the Lazio squad in a contract dispute but made an immediate start because of injuries, suspensions and Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o being at the African Nations Cup. The Macedonian belied his lack of sharpness with a lively display as Inter clung on and avoided conceding a late penalty for a Ricardo Quaresma handball. Patrick Vieira was also impressive in what could be his last Inter match before a transfer, with Manchester City linked with the French midfielder. “Patrick has found the best way to say goodbye,” coach Jose Mourinho told Sky, adding he did not know his destination. “I’m super satisfied. These are the matches that decide lots. What makes the difference is personality and character.” CACERES DISMISSED Juventus had lost three in
a row in all competitions before the mid-season break, prompting media speculation that Russia coach Guus Hiddink was being lined up to replace Ciro Ferrara. Right winger Hasan Salihamidzic was brought into a new 4-4-2 formation and headed the visitors infront on three minutes before former Juve striker Nicola Amoruso equalized for sixth-placed Parma. Paolo Castellini nodded a corner into his own net to give Juve the lead again after 39 minutes and Ferrara’s men held on despite having Martin Caceres dismissed for two bookings. AC Milan in third can go back above Juve and cut Inter’s advantage to eight with victory over Genoa later (1945 GMT). AS Roma missed the chance to move level with Milan after conceding twice in injury time in a 2-2 draw at Cagliari where new striker Luca Toni came off the bench. Napoli went fourth following a 2-0 win at lowly Atalanta while Fiorentina got back to winning ways with a 5-1 thrashing of bottom side Siena. Sampdoria and Palermo drew 1-1. At the bottom, Sergio Floccari netted twice on his Lazio debut in a 4-1 victory over Livorno and Sinisa Mihajlovic’s Catania beat his former side Bologna 10. Udinese are three above the drop zone after a 2-0 defeat at Bari in coach Gianni De Biasi’s first game in charge. — Reuters
RACING OFF Horse racing was badly hit, with the all-weather track at Lingfield failing to live up to its name when yesterday’s meeting had to be cancelled. Racing at Kempton Park was abandoned while Fontwell’s Friday meeting was called off due to heavy snow with more severe weather forecast. Four rugby matches were postponed, with the weekend clash between Sale Sharks and leaders Saracens one of those falling foul of the weather. “All parties have reluctantly agreed that under the circumstances and looking at the weather forecast, postponing the match now is the best option for supporters, players and administrators,” PRL rugby director Phil Winstanley told the Sale website (www.salesharks.com). “Snow and ice around Edgeley Park make it potentially too dangerous for spectators and presents significant concerns for access for the emergency services. “Under the expected conditions, it is likely that the match would not gain a safety certificate.” — Reuters
Sevilla upset depleted Barca in Spanish Cup Negredo, Capel grab valuable away goals MADRID: Diego Capel and Alvaro Negredo scored at the Nou Camp to give Sevilla a 21 win over holders Barcelona in the first leg of their King’s Cup last 16 tie on Tuesday. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had cancelled out Capel’s 59th-minute strike with a cool finish 18 minutes from time, but Barca conceded a penalty almost immediately and Negredo restored Sevilla’s one-goal cushion for next week’s return leg. Pep Guardiola’s side have made a lackluster start to 2010 after drawing their first game since the winter break at home to Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday. “Sevilla were deserved winners and have made the tie very difficult for us,”
Barca president Joan Laporta told Canal Plus television. “I think it’s a little early to start talking about an end of an era but everyone is entitled to his opinions,” he replied when asked if Barca were struggling to live up to last year’s standards. Guardiola sent out a weakened team against Sevilla, including Argentina defender Gabriel Milito, who was making his return to action after a season and a half out with a knee ligament injury. Barca dominated a poor first half, with Lionel Messi hitting the woodwork, and Guardiola turned to substitute Ibrahimovic to pep up the attack after the break.
But Sevilla scored first when the lively Diego Perotti burst down the left and crossed for an unmarked Capel to score at the far post. Ibrahimovic broke the offside trap racing on to Rafael Marquez’s long pass, and rounded the keeper to equalize but the scores only remained level for two minutes. An out-of-sorts Dmytro Chygrynskiy pulled back Capel as he dribbled into the area, conceding a penalty and Negredo made no mistake from the spot. Daniel Alves looked to have leveled again for Barca in the closing stages but the referee ruled it out for offside. —Reuters
BARCELONA: FC Barcelona’s Rafa Marquez from Mexico (right) duels for the ball against Sevilla’s Julien Escude from France during their Copa del Rey soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010. — AP
Zain expands ‘Zap’ service to Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone
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Manjooran makes Cochin affordable
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Kraft gets 1.52% acceptance for Cadbury bid
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
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UAE banks to make more bad loan provisions: CB DUBAI: United Arab Emirates banks will have to make further provisions for bad loans this year although its economy will see moderate growth, the UAE’s central bank governor said yesterday. The global financial crisis sent the second largest Arab economy into a downturn last year and analysts expect Dubai’s debt problems to hinder its recovery in 2010. “The situation globally seems to have stabilized, which reflects on the UAE’s economy,” Sultan Nasser Al-Suweidi told Al Arabiya television. “There will not be growth at high levels but there will be growth,” he said without giving details. Analysts expected the world’s third-largest oil exporter’s economy to grow 2.9 percent this year after a 1.1 percent fall in 2009, a Reuters poll showed before the UAE’s emirate of Dubai asked for a standstill on billions of dollars of debt on Nov. 25. Suweidi also expected banks to book more provisions in the coming months.
“Provisions go up and down depending on the crisis ... we are still in a crisis all around the world, although this has come down significantly, but the crisis still requires more provisions,” he said. Restructuring of two Saudi Arabian family firms and $22 billion worth of debt by stateowned conglomerate Dubai World are expected to force UAE banks to write off more of their loan portfolio. The UAE will also see very low inflation levels for an extended period, Suweidi said, after experiencing deflation in 2009. “I think we don’t have to talk about inflation. Inflation will be very low for even more than one year,” he said. Analysts polled by Reuters expected average inflation of 2.9 percent this year, above an estimated 1.1 percent for 2009, but well below a record 12.3 percent in 2008. Consumer prices rose 0.17 percent on an annual basis in November, for the first time in four months, helped by a rise in food prices. — Reuters
Inflation seen very low for more than a year
Citi names Rehman new Mideast CEO DUBAI: Citigroup said yesterday it has appointed Atiq ur Rehman, a veteran Citi banker with 26 years of experience mostly with emerging markets, as its new chief executive for the Middle East. Rehman joined Citi’s United Arab Emirates office in 2008 to expand the bank’s capital markets presence in the region, according to an emailed statement from the bank. “The Middle East is a priority growth region for Citi and one of our most important franchises,” said Alberto Verme, the bank’s regional chief executive for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Rehman replaces Mohammed Al-Shroogi who resigned in 2009 to join Bahrain’s Investcorp. Citigroup is active in the region in investment banking, consumer banking and private banking. — Reuters
Global financial regulation overhaul seen in 2010 WASHINGTON/LONDON: Global financial regulation has changed little since the 2008 banking crisis, but that won’t be the case much longer. US and EU authorities are expected to hammer out the final shape of a new regulatory order in 2010 that will fundamentally change how world banks and markets operate. Stricter limits on leverage and capital will emerge, leading eventually to slimmer profits for banks, policy analysts said. Formerly unregulated off-exchange derivatives markets will have to conform to new procedures. Lenders’ power to package and securitize mortgages and other forms of debt will face new limits, while hedge fundsonce the darlings of high finance-will face new scrutiny. Procedural hurdles remain to be crossed by reform advocates. In the United States, the House of Representatives has approved a bill, but the Senate has not and the prospect for that was clouded yesterday by news that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd will not seek reelection. Two senior Democratic aides said Dodd will make his announcement yesterday at a news conference, raising questions about his plans. In addition the retirement of another senator casts doubt on the Democrats’ slim majority in the Senate. Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan said on Tuesday that he will not seek reelection. Banking lobbyists and Republicans are working to block the reforms. Senate debate on the proposed changes will resume this month, with analysts expecting passage of legislation in early spring, if Dodd stays committed to reform and Democrats can muster the votes. The Senate and House would then have to agree on a single measure to send to President Barack Obama. That could happen in April or May, according to policy analysts. In Europe, EU member
states and the European Parliament must still rule on a range of proposed regulations for banks, markets, insurers, hedge funds and private equity groups. “The reform package will be more far-reaching than anything we’ve seen since the Great Depression, and there is a high likelihood it will pass,” said the Eurasia Group, a research and consulting firm that closely follows Washington politics. The first big headlines of the year on financial regulatory reforms will likely come on Jan. 13, a key date on both sides of the Atlantic. The European Parliament will hold a confirmation hearing that day with Michel Barnier, the Frenchman that the European Commission has proposed oversee the EU’s financial services industry and play a core role in drafting legislation. Britain, the bloc’s biggest financial center, will look for clues as to how interventionist Barnier is likely to be. “One of the biggest things at the European level is what they are calling the markets infrastructure directive. It started life about regulating derivatives but is becoming a complete redesign of financial trading in Europe,” said Simon Gleeson, a partner at the law firm Clifford Chance. Barnier is expected to unveil this draft law, which will include mandatory clearing of as many off-exchange derivatives contracts as possible, by July. Also on Jan 13, the US Congress’ Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission will begin its first public hearing, a twoday session with testimony from the CEOs of Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley. The commission’s work, culminating in a report to Congress due Dec. 15, will be mainly retrospective, seeking explanations for the crisis that rocked economies worldwide. But it is likely to spur Senate debate going forward. — Reuters
DUBAI: Container ships dock at Dubai Port in the Jebel Ali Free Zone about 40 km south of Dubai. Dubai’s port operator said yesterday it plans to float shares on the London Stock Exchange, aiming for additional investors as its troubled parent Dubai World struggles to dig out from a pile of debt. — AP
Dubai’s DP World to seek London listing Company’s current market valuation disappointing DUBAI: Port operator DP World, part of troubled group Dubai World, said yesterday it is to seek a London listing for its shares following disappointment with its market valuation in Dubai. The company, whose shares currently trade on the Nasdaq Dubai market, could list on the LSE as soon as the second quarter of this year, it said in a statement on the bourse website. “Af ter an extensive period of
review with advisers, and discussions with shareholders, the board of DP World has decided to seek a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange whilst maintaining the existing primary listing on Nasdaq Dubai,” it said. “In March 2009 the board ... stated it would evaluate all available options to address its continued disappointment with the markets valuation of the company.” Since listing on Nasdaq Dubai-for-
merly the Dubai International Finance Exchange-in November 2007, DP World’s shares have struggled. The stock was up 2.6 percent at $0.435 yesterday, down about 67 percent on its IPO price of $1.30. DP World is one of the largest port operators in the world and is owned by Dubai government-linked conglomerate Dubai World, but is not included in its parent company’s $26 billion debt restructuring plans. “Previously DP World’s management
had said it was not happy with the valuation the market was putting on the company and was looking at ways to unlock value for shareholders,” said Rami Sidani, head of investment at Schroders Middle East. “One of the concerns would have been the lack of liquidity on the Nasdaq Dubai, so a dual listing is a good idea. The company will be more visible to international investors,” he said.
DP World is the only share on Nasdaq Dubai that trades on a daily basis. The company reported in October a 6 percent fall in third-quarter container volumes and said its 2009 results would be in line with market expectations despite a challenging fourth quarter. On Jan. 4, DP World said it had paid regular profit and coupon obligations on a $1.5 billion Islamic bond and another $1.75 billion issue on time. — Reuters
Iran Dec inflation stands at 7.4%: CB
FRAMINGHAM: Jason Kilpatrick of Wholesale Fuel hauls a hose across a snow covered yard while delivering home heating oil in Framingham, Massachusetts Tuesday. A private trade group said yesterday, a measure tracking the US service sector returned to growth last month, but the slight expansion wasn’t enough to kick-start hiring.— AP
US service sector returns to growth in December NEW YORK: A measure tracking the US service sector returned to growth last month, helped higher by the holiday season’s retail sales, but the slight expansion wasn’t enough to kick-start hiring. The Institute for Supply Management, a private trade group, said its service index rose to 50.1 in December from 48.7 in November. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a reading of 50.5. A level above 50 signals growth. The gauge rose in September for the first time in 13 months, but the comeback has been fitful amid tiny gains in consumers’
incomes and tight bank lending to small businesses. Seven industries reported growth, led by agriculture and retail. ISM’s service-sector gauge is closely watched because service jobs comprise more than 80 percent of non-farm US employment. ISM said its employment measure shrank in December, but at a slower pace than in November. It hasn’t grown in 2 years. The employment index was 44 in December versus 41.6 a month earlier. The four industry groups adding jobs were retail, finance and insurance, public administration and what is called
other services. Meanwhile, new orders, a signal of future business, expanded for the fourth straight month, although less quickly than in November. Business activity also grew, as did the prices paid by businesses. That may mean service companies will pass their higher costs on to consumers, collecting higher revenue. More spending by US consumers will translate into higher sales for the nation’s service providers — and eventually, should mean more jobs. ISM said on Monday that manufacturing grew in December for the
fifth straight month. A rebound in the industrial sector has been helping the US limp out of the recession, but manufacturing doesn’t add many American jobs. The service sector, which depends on consumer spending and tends to be less efficient, is currently the key to job creation. The ADP National Employment Report said yesterday that 84,000 private-sector jobs were lost in December, an improvement from November. ADP said private nonfarm employment in the service sector grew by 12,000 jobs, while manufacturing lost 43,000 jobs. — AP
TEHRAN: Iran’s inflation rate remained unchanged in December at 7.4 percent year-on-year after months of continued downward trend, the central bank reported yesterday. The official annual rate in the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter has fallen from a peak of nearly 30 percent late last year. Easing inflationary pressures could help President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, re-elected in a June disputed vote for a second fouryear term, to counter criticisms over enforcing a subsidy reform plan which might stoke price rise and hurt the poor. Under the plan, which needs the final approval of the powerful legislative watchdog Guardian Council to become a law, food and energy subsidies would be phased out over five years. The year-on-year inflation rate in the Iranian month of Azar (ended on Dec. 21) remained unchanged even though consumer prices rose 1.3 percent from the previous month, according to a report published on the central bank’s website. The average rate over the last 12 months, compared with the previous year, fell to 13.5 percent from 15, it said. Critics have accused Ahmadinejad of stoking inflation with reckless spending of petrodollars since 2005, when he first came to office, pledging to share out Iran’s oil wealth more fairly. The government blamed inflation on international energy and food price rises that peaked during 2008 and points to a falling trend since late last year. Economists say the inflation decline is due to various reasons such as a slowing economy as a result of lower crude prices over the last year and the global economic downturn, and also monetary tightening by the central bank. — Reuters
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BUSINESS
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Firm becomes biggest mobile commerce operator in world
Zain expands ‘Zap’ service to Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone KUWAIT: Zain, the leading mobile telecommunications provider in the Middle East and Africa, announced the expansion of ‘Zap’, its award-winning mobile commerce service to the African nations of Niger, Sierra Leone and in the boundaries of a full commercial pilot in Malawi. The move follows the successful launch of the service in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in February 2009 where more than 10 million people have already used the service. Zap This innovative mobile commerce service was introduced in these three countries in partnership with leading international banks*, allowing Zain customers in Zap-enabled countries to use their mobile phone to: Withdraw cash or pay for goods and services, school fees and utility bills, including electricity and water • Receive money from or send money to friends and family • Send and receive money to their bank accounts • Top-up their or someone else’s airtime • Manage their bank accounts Zap is also part of Zain’s pioneering ‘One Network’ platform, meaning that customers can benefit from all of the Zap features when travelling to an associate Zain ‘One Network’ country. The platform allows travelling customers to move across geographic borders without roaming surcharges, make calls/SMS at local rates, receive incoming calls for free as well as recharge their mobile phones with locally purchased top up cards. “The expansion of this revolutionary mobile commerce service to Malawi,
is the most comprehensive and accessible mobile commerce service in Africa, now serving over 150 million people in six countries on the continent, allowing them, in many cases for the first time, access to advanced financial services through their mobile phones. With this expansion, Zain is now the biggest mobile commerce operator in the world in terms of geographic coverage, enabled customers and service functionalities.
Dr Saad Al-Barak Niger and Sierra Leone is an extremely important step in pushing the boundaries of mobile communications,” said Dr Saad Al-Barrak, Zain Group CEO. “We are proud to play a role in improving people’s lives by giving 150 million people access
to effective and efficient financial services, fulfilling our brand promise of ‘A wonderful world’”. The Zap mobile commerce service will provide customers with increased security and flexibility, reducing the need
to carry cash and ensuring payments between friends and family remain secure. A password is needed for each transaction and the service is protected through a state-of-the-art security application. Customers will also benefit from being able to access the service 24 / 7 through their handset, providing the convenience of accessing cash anytime, anywhere. The service is supported on all handsets including ultra low cost handsets (ULCH), which Zain is successfully rolling out across the continent. “We already saw impact Zap has made the economies of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda,” added Dr. Al Barrak. “We are confident that we will see a similar impact in Malawi, Niger and Sierra Leone, where formal banking services are largely restricted to urban hubs. Together with our financial partners, we have ensured that Zap mobile commerce services meet all the required in-country banking regulations as stipulated by the respective Central Banks.” Zain plans on rolling out Mobile Commerce services in all its mobile operations on both continents in the future, subject to regulatory approvals.
Burgan Bank announces names of Yawmi winners KUWAIT: Burgan Bank declared the names of the daily winners of the Yawmi Account draw which took place at the Banks head office on Sunday 28. The lucky winners for the five daily draws last week will take home a handsome cash-prize of KD 5000 each. The lucky win-
ners are Nour Jaber Mohammed Redha, Hathal Hussain Abdulla Al Mutairy, Esam Ibrahim AL Najadah, Hamad Mohammed Abdullah Al Saad and Ahmed Abdul Kareem Ali AL Ibrahim Congratulating the winners, Burgan Bank Chief Retail Banking Officer Mr. Simon
Clements said: “Since its launch, the Yawmi account has been very well received by our customers as it offers multiple chances of winning a fantastic daily prize. This is the only account in the country that gives account holders a chance to win KD 5000 every single day
except on weekends and public holidays”..” Last year, Burgan Bank introduced a first-of-its kind draw account - Yawmi Account which entitles customers who deposit KD 500 for a period of 30 days to be eligible for a daily draw to win KD 5000. For every
KD 50 deposited in your Yawmi Account you receive an additional entry into the draw, which means the more you deposit, the more chances you will have of winning. For example, if you deposit the minimum of KD 500 for one month, you will receive 10 entries into the draw.
British Airways January sales take off KUWAIT: Leading global premium airline, British Airways - which operates daily flights from Kuwait to London Heathrow - is celebrating the New Year with a sale, offering Kuwaiti customers some of the best fares on the airline’s services to the UK, Europe, USA and Canada. Running from January 6th - 19th, the promotion is valid on all flights through to June 15th and allows British Airways’ Kuwaiti customers to book a return World Traveller (economy class) fare to London Heathrow from just KD 157. Price includes taxes, charges and service fees. British Airways travelers from Kuwait can also take advantage of flights to other major European destinations from just KD 198, while the USA and Canada start at KD 254 and KD 249, respectively. Customers can also book their car hire and hotel all in one package at
ba.com. Paolo De Renzis, British Airways’ Area Commercial Manager, Middle East, encouraged customers to take advantage of airline’s January sale. “We thought we would celebrate 2010 with a great all inclusive fare of KD 157 and some of our other best fares to a range of popular worldwide travel destinations,” he said. “The offer is valid for just two weeks so we are advising customers to book early to avoid disappointment.” A full timetable of British Airways’ global services is available online at ba.com - where the lowest fares are guaranteed - and customers can book, pay and check-in online for their flights. British Airways currently operates a daily service from Kuwait to London Heathrow’s Terminal 5, the airline’s £4.3 billion home at the UK’s principal airport.
Gulf Bank announces KD 100,000 winner KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announced the name of the Al Danah KD100,000 monthly winner. Fareeda Mohammed Al Sayed Hassan, won the KD100,000 prize, while AbdulRassoul Ebel Hasan Sadeq won the KD 10,000 prize. Zaid Naser AbdullRahman Al Nasser, Fawziea Abdulaziz Abdulrahman AlDosari, Ali Kaleel AlSayed AbdulMajeed AlKazemi, Anwar Jawad Ghanem and Bader Naser Abdullah Bourisli were each awarded with prizes of KD1,000. A minimum deposit of just KD 400 is needed to open an Al-Danah account. This will automatically allow account holders to enter the weekly, monthly as well as the annual draws. Not only does Gulf Bank’s Al Danah account allow customers to win, but it is also a perfect method to save money. The more money deposited and the longer it is kept in the account, the more chances there are to win. The Al-Danah account’s added value begins with customers opening an account 5 working
days prior to the draw, ultimately allowing them to automatically enter the weekly draw or a month prior to the draw to enter the monthly and the annual draw. Al-Danah also offers a number of unique services including the Al-Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helps account holders deposit their money at their convenience; as well as the AlDanah calculator which is now in operation to help customers calculate their chances of becoming an Al-Danah winner. To be part of the Al Danah draw customers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 50 branches, transfer on line, or call the Telebanking service 1805805 for assistance and guidance. Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s bilingual website, to find all the information regarding Al Danah or any of the Bank’s products and services or log on www.e-gulfbank.com/aldanah, to find out more about Al Danah and who the winners are.
Ramachandran named president, CEO of MEGlobal, Equipolymers DUBAI: Ramesh Ramachandran, president and chief executive officer (CEO) Dow Chemical International Private Limited (Dow India), has been named to the simultaneous roles of president and CEO for MEGlobal and Equipolymers, The Dow Chemical Company’s (Dow) joint ventures with Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) of Kuwait. Ramachandran will replace Henry Roth, current president and CEO of MEGlobal and Equipolymers, who has been named president for Dow Chemical Middle East. The appointment is effective January 1, 2010 and Ramachandran will relocate from Mumbai, India to the MEGlobal headquarters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Ramachandran will report to the MEGlobal Board and Equipolymers Boards of Directors. A chemical engineer by training, Ramachandran earned his Doctorate in surface and colloid chemistry from
Ramesh Ramachandran Columbia University, New York and has several publications and patents to his credit. He has spent his entire career in the chemical industry, initially as an analytical chemist before moving into the commercial side of the business holding product and marketing manager roles for a wide variety of business units. Ramachandran joined Dow in 2001, as business director in the performance chemicals division for the acrolein derivatives, divynyl benzene, ENB
and specialty ketones businesses. He moved to Houston in 2003 to take over responsibility as business director for Dow’s hydrocarbons division in the United States. Ramachandran relocated to Calgary in Alberta, Canada, in 2004 assuming the role of president of Dow Chemical Canada Inc. and continuing his role as business director of Dow Hydrocarbons. As president, he was also a member of the board of directors of Petromont Inc, a joint venture between Dow Chemical Canada Inc. and the Quebec Investment Group. During his tenure in Canada, Ramachandran was presented with the Alberta Centenary Citizen award in 2005 for contributions to the petrochemical industry in Alberta. Ramachandran returned to the US in 2006 to Dow’s headquarters in Midland, MI to take the role of senior director of global strategic planning and business analysis. He was appointed to his role in India in October 2007.
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
.2830000 .4580000 .4100000 .2760000 .2730000 .2590000 .0045000 .0020000 .0777740 .7577310 .4020000 .0750000 .7428230 .0045000 .0500000
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
CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2860500 .4601340 .4125550 .2778790 .2751790 .0554340 .0405930 .2611790 .0368760 .2049010 .0031170 .0062180 .0025090 .0034050 .0041910 .0779200 .7591430 .4045560 .0763190 .7433640 .0062860
US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals
TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2881500 .4633850 .2798470 .0768060
.2930000 .4690000 .4190000 .2850000 .2820000 .2670000 .0075000 .0035000 .0785560 .7653460 .4180000 .0790000 .7502880 .0072000 .0570000
282.300 195.220 279.000 262.800 285.250 ASIAN COUNTRIES
Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash
3.144 6.226 3.392 2.512 3.913 206.500 37.104 4.162 6.243 8.681 0.301 0.292 ARAB COUNTRIES
.2881500 .4633850 .4154690 .2798470 .2771280 .055260 .0408810 .2630240 .0371370 .2063520 .0031390 .0062620 .0025270 .0034290 .0042200 .0784170 .7639840 .4074220 .0768060 .7481050 .0063310
Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham
54.500 52.732 1.391 219.600 406.400 194.400 6.333 37.260 GCC COUNTRIES
Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham
76.750 79.070 747.630 764.320 78.380 GOLD
20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram
221.000 115.000 58.500
Bahrain Exchange Company
Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer Euro Sterling Pound
Canadian dollar Turkish lire Swiss Franc Australian dollar US Dollar Buying
287.650 413.500 461.820
COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar
SELL CASH SELL DRAFT 286.400 264.900 764.800 764.800 4.410 4.165 280.800 279.300 693.900 15.800 56.100 54.140 52.641 417.500 416.000 37.790 37.640
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
6.480 0.034 0.290 0.260 3.220 408.250 0.194 86.680 38.700 4.240 214.800 2.183 51.500 747.060 3.480 6.460 79.540 76.790 207.270 41.820 2.763 465.000 41.400 281.600 6.400 9.030 222.000 78.470 288.000 1.430
6.230
406.800 0.193 86.680 3.920 213.300 746.880 3.420 6.260 79.110 76.790 207.270 41.820 2.510 463.000 280.100 8.860 78.470 287.600
GOLD 10 Tola
1,214.300
Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees
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 Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Candaian Dollars
TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE Sterling Pound US Dollar
Rate per 1000 (Tran) 287.150 3.410 6.220 2.520 4.165 6.300 78.220 76.695 763.500 52.445 467.800 0.0000306 1.550 407.900 5.750 420.000 283.500
Al Mulla Exchange
463.000 287.600
Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 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
2.515 4.170 6.260 3.130 8.660 5.535 3.890
287.200 277.810 464.590 416.565 278.855 721.360 761.585 78.179 78.820 76.615 405.270 52.470 6.210 3.400
Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change
Transfer rate 287.200 414.250 463.000 3.135 6.245 52.720 2.511 4.153 6.260 3.397 764.500 78.250 76.700
BUSINESS
Thursday, January 7, 2010
23
Manjooran Housing makes Cochin affordable By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: Manjooran Housing, a premier property developer in Kerala, will showcase its newlylaunched projects in Cochin during a three-day real estate exhibition that opens at Ramada Kuwait Hotel today. The exhibition will run from Jan 7 to 9. Addressing a press conference at Ramada Hotel yesterday, Anumod Menon, General Manager, Business Development and Operations, Manjooran Housing and John Manjooran, Director, announced the new projects that come up in Cochin and outlined how they will be ideal for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in Kuwait. Manjooran Housing’s ongoing projects include Orchid Meadow Apartments at Kakkanad, Moonstone Apartments at Palarivattom, Riverine Waterfront villas at Periyar waterfront, Aluva and Rowan Park Villas at Kakkanad. The most attractive feature about Manjooran’s Scarlet Apartments is that it makes Cochin affordable for middle income families with a price tag of Rs 12.5 lakhs. Manjooran Housing’s Scarlet Apartments is a part of its prestigious Rowan Park project that comes up in three-acres of land. Rowan Park is located in Kakkanad, which is widely viewed as the future of development in Cochin. Scarlet has a variety of 1bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments starting from 530sq.ft. to 980sq.ft. “It is ideal for a small family. All luxury amenities, world class fixtures and quality construction make Scarlet a comfortable and affordable one,” Menon said. Amenities include the designer landscaped garden, a business centre, swimming pool, clubhouse, gym multi-station, intercom facility, party area, children’s park and indoor games. The amenities are spread out over 50 cents, providing extra space for comfort and leisure. “Rowan Park will give you and your family a life undisturbed by pollution, noise and
Kerala property developer showcases latest projects in Kuwait traffic,” he said. Rowan Park project is a three-acre township project with 16 villas and 200 apartments. Villas are laid out around a central designer garden, lush with greenery and ambient air circulation. The price tag of Rowan Park Villas is starting from Rs 87 lakhs. A key advantage of the project lies in its location,
Kakkanad, the most sought after address among insightful Kochi customers. The project is close to Smart City, Infopark, the Collectorate, the seaportairport road and Veega Land, making it a great investment opportunity for expatriates, he explained. Riverine Waterfront villas by River Periyar at
Aluva are of supreme quality and luxury. While it offers all the seclusion of a waterfront project, Riverine is only 10 minutes drive from UC College junction. Riverine is, in part, designed to offer a second-home option, it is styled like a resort. Each 3bedroom villa is having 2,168 sq. ft. area with a price tag of Rs 67 lakhs.
KUWAIT: Anumod Menon (right) and John Manjooran address a press conference at the Ramada Hotel yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat
The projects nearing completion are Orchid Meadow apartments at Kakkanad and Moonstone at Palarivattom. These ready to move in apartments will range from Rs 35 lakhs onwards. Market rebound Kerala’s real estate market has started showing signs of a rebound after a lull early last year with the growing demand for apartments, said Menon. “The market is picking up and demand for real estate apartments is sharply growing, especially in urban areas,” he said. “Though demand for higher-end apartments remains still low, people are showing keen interest in small to medium apartment projects,” he said. The global economic recession and real estate crisis in other parts of the world have put investors on guard while investing in higher- end projects, he added. Asked whether the delay in implementation of the much-touted Smart City project will hurt the market growth in Cochin, he said the project itself was part of a market hype. “Definitely, some major project will come up there soon, if not Smart City,” he commented. Talking about loan availability from banks, John Manjooran said, “Today, all the banks in the state are ready to offer loans provided your papers are intact. Provisions are simple and easy. There is no liquidity problem also now,” he pointed out. Manjooran Housing, a family real estate group, is well known for its far-sighted approach to property development. A well-established name in the real estate sector, Manjooran already has a trusted database in the city. Today, it offers Kochiities an unmatched quality at affordable range of prices.
Project to improve safety, boost production
Petrofac celebrates completion of KOC modernization project By Naw ara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Petrofac International Limited held a ceremony at the Hilton Resort to celebrate the completion of the ‘Facilities Modernization Project’
Dr Rasheed Al-Hamad congratulating students.
Wataniya Airways honors top Kuwaiti students in Cairo KUWAIT: Wataniya Airways, Kuwait’s premium services airline, recently participated in an honoring ceremony of top Kuwaiti students studying in Cairo’s universities. Several hundred Kuwaiti students attended the event which was organized by the National Union of Kuwaiti Students in Egypt and held at the Moevenpick hotel in Cairo under the auspices of Kuwait’s Ambassador to Egypt Dr Rasheed Al-Hamad and other embassy officials. Wataniya Airways sponsored the occasion as a sign of its commitment to support excellence in education and an as an encouragement to the Kuwaiti students in Egypt. At least fifty outstanding Kuwaiti students were awarded a free airline ticket on Wataniya Airways to commend their accomplishments. Wataniya Airways’ country manager, Maged Shenouda, and his Cairo team were present to deliver the awards and showcase Wataniya Airways’ services and new student packages. “Kuwaitis have had a deep relationship
with Cairo and Egypt in general throughout the years, since the first days of Kuwaitis going to study abroad in scholarships during the 1950s,” said Wataniya Airways’ Public Relations Manager Jassim AlQames, adding “as a Kuwaiti airline we are proud to be part of the continuing success and achievements of young Kuwaitis in Egypt and all around the world. We understand the hard time students go through to get their education away from their families and loved ones, and try to reward their achievements by a simple gesture in connecting them with their loved ones.” AlQames stressed that Wataniya Airways will continue to support students all around the network, sighting the airlines’ latest student packages offered to students around the network with discounts up to 30 percent. The head of the Kuwait Students Union presented Wataniya Airways with a trophy as a token of the students’ appreciation to their support of the event.
The main purpose of the project is to enhance operational safety and increase production capacity at Kuwait Oil Company’s facilities. “The Facilities Modernization Project initiated by the Kuwait Oil Company was a project of national importance to Kuwait. This project was intended to improve the operational safety of the existing oil and gas production facilities as well as to install new facilities which would enhance the oil and gas production capacities,” noted Asin Sharma, MD of Petrofac. The upgraded existing facilities were to be seamlessly integrated with the new production facilities to create a safer and bigger production facility. “The operational safety enhancement was to be achieved by a complex series of modifications starting with replacement and relocation of all underground hydrocarbon lines to above ground, replacement of selected electrical cabling, incorporation of new fire and gas monitoring system, and incorporation of new emergency shutdown system,” added Sharma. “The new oil production facilities were to be designed for a capacity enhancement of 300,000 barrels per day, and the new gas and condensate recovery systems were to replace the existing gas compressors with more efficient Compression and Condensate Recovery Units. This project covered seven Oil Gathering Centres (GCs 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 21, and 23) and two Gas Booster Stations (BS
(EF-1500) for the Kuw ait Oil Company (KOC). “This project w as executed safely w ithout any accidents. It also takes place at the right time as w e are celebrating the 75th anniversary of KOC,” said Sami Al-Risheid, Chairman of KOC.
The Petrofac International Ltd officials during the ceremony to mark the completion of the ‘Facilities Modernization Project’ (EF-1500) for the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) at the Hilton Resort. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat 140, and 150),” stated Mazin AlSardi, Deputy Managing Director for Operations. Video A video presentation was held that illustrated some facts about the project displaying a more tangible quantification of the scope
and complexity of the project. Milestones “The project has been successfully completed and the facilities progressively taken into production starting from April 2007 to March 2009. The new facilities installed for oil
production, have successfully produced in excess of 80 million barrels of oil,” Sharma further said. The production of the newly discovered oil field won’t start before 3 - 4 years. “The discovering of the new oil field are still in the beginning. We just started
with the excavations to specify the size of the field and its pressure. The world economic crisis affected the economic growth which is closely related to the power growth. We are going forward in our plan of discovering more oil and gas fields,” explained Sami Al-Risheid.
ABK's Ahlan Ahli staff get rewarded Kuwaiti Ambassador presents an outstanding student with his award.
A student is being congratulated.
KUWAIT: In appreciation of their outstanding performance and their concerted efforts to introduce a special banking service experience to ABK customers, Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait recently honored its Call Center Ahlan Ahli's staff in a felicitation ceremony. The event, attended by Eugene Galligan, the acting General Manager of Retail Banking, Othman Tawfiqi, Head of Communication Channels, and Cobus Crous, the Call Center manager, demonstrates the Bank's obligation to provide quality service to its customers. The management congratulated the Call Center staff and expressed their appreciation for their outstanding performance. The award winners Hamad Al Shatti, Ahmed Al Hussain, Mohammed Nader, Ahmed Fahmi, Fatima Hayat, Fatima Al Mousawi, Maha Ali, Ebrahim Abu Safi received outstanding performance trophies and "STAR" rewards. Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait provides 24 hours tele-banking service to its customers through Ahlan Ahli, manned by a well-trained professional team. Through ABK's tele-banking service, customers can inquire about their personal accounts, credit cards and loans balances. Customers can also be made aware of new products and services of the Bank, and any other information pertaining to the Bank. The efficient service is proof the Bank applies high standards of customer care to satisfy its varied client base.
Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait honors its Call Center Ahlan Ahli’s staff at a felicitation ceremony.
24
BUSINESS
KSE equities remain mixed Global Daily Market Report KUWAIT: The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended yesterday’s session on a mixed note. Global General Index (GGI) posted a marginal gain supported by gains witnessed in the blue chip stocks. Among them, Agility was the leader, which rose for the second consecutive day. GGI added 0.30 points (+0.16 percent) during yesterday’s session to reach 184.69 points. However, the Kuwait Stock Exchange Price Index posted a marginal loss of 1.70 points (0.02 percent), to close at 6,968.60 points. Market capitalization was up KD47.99mn yesterday to reach KD29.99bn. Market breadth During the session, 131 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards decliners as 49 equities retreated versus 31 that advanced. A total of 124 stocks remained unchanged during the trading session. Trading activities ended on a negative note yesterday as volume of shares traded on the exchange was down 41.65 percent to reach 310.39mn shares. Furthermore, value of shares traded decreased by 42.53 percent to stand at KD39.02mn. The Investment Sector was the volume leader yesterday, accounting for 32.85 percent of total shares traded, while the Services Sector was the value leader, accounting for 39.55 percent to total market value. Gulf Finance House was the volume leader with 45.24mn shares changing hands and Agility had the highest traded value of KD5.52mn. In terms of top gainers, Haj & Umrah Services Consortium (Mashaer) was the top gainer in the market, adding 9.43 percent and closed at KD0.290. On the other hand, National Company
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Kingdom lifts Saudi to new high; markets flat MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS
for Consumer Industries was the biggest decliner for the day, dropping by 8.62 percent and closed at KD0.106. Sector wise Overall, a majority of Global’s sectoral indices ended on a negative note yesterday except for Global Insurance Index which was unchanged. Global Industrial Index posted a drop of 0.73 percent making it the biggest decliner backed by National Industries Group (Holding) the largest company
in the sector. The scrip ended the day down 1.59 percent and closed at KD0.310. Also contributing to the decline was Gulf Cables & Electrical Industries Company, which ended the day down 1.22 percent and closed at KD1.620. Global Real Estate Index came in second with a 0.37 percent drop. Several scrips in the sector ended the day in the red, among was Mabanee Company, which shed 1.45 percent and closed at KD0.680. On the other hand, Global
Services Index was the top gainer for the second day in a row, up 0.91 percent backed by heavyweights Zain and Agility. Zain ended the day up 1.02 percent and closed at KD0.990, while Agility ended up 5.26 percent and closed at KD0.600. In regards to Global special indices, they all ended on a positive note except for Global Small Cap Index which was the only decliner. The index ended the day down 0.60 percent backed by Equipment Holding Company being the biggest
decliner in the index. The scrip ended the day down 3.64 percent and closed at KD0.053. Oil news The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $78.18 a barrel on Monday 4/1/2010, compared with $77.16 the previous Thursday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. Kuwaiti crude oil increased $1.29 to $78.82 per barrel on Tuesday compared with Monday’s price, said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC).
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Co surged yesterday after its main shareholder gave it Citigroup shares worth $597 million, helping the country’s index edge up to a month high. Middle East markets were flat on low volumes as investors await fourth-quarter results before committing more cash. “I think we will probably trade sideways until we get profit announcements and can get a good understanding about the quality of earnings, not just the headline figures,” said a Qatar-based analyst who asked not to be identified. “Have companies really cleared up their balance sheets to the point where they are now worth buying?” Kingdom received 180 million free Citigroup shares from its 95 percent shareholder, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Alaweed bin Talal, and said it had received regulatory approval to its cut capital by 40 percent. Kingdom’s shares jumped 9.6 percent. The index rose 0.4 percent in its fifth straight gain. “Saudi Arabia has announced a record budget, which means more government spending and this should help companies across all sectors,” said Rami Sidani, Schroders Middle East head of investment. “The region has lagged global emerging markets, so we should see a good inflow from international funds into our markets. With oil stabilizing around $80, there should be more interest in the Gulf.” Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) ended 1.5 percent higher, touching a 14-month intraday high. Abu Dhabi’s index fell 0.3 percent, slipping from Tuesday’s three-week high, although Waha Capital climbed 5.5 percent after the firm said it had closed a $1.8 billion financing deal for the UAE armed forces to buy Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Kuwait’s Agility rose 5.3 percent after a newspaper said the country’s foreign ministry was trying to help the logistics firm resolve a US court case. Banks lifted the Qatar and Oman indexes, with the latter hitting an 10-week high. “The outlook for banks is not at all clear globally-banks need more capital, which means dividend yields will be lower and so it’s hard to jus-
tify holding banks that are trading at price to earnings multiples of more than 10,” said the Qatar-based analyst. Adel Nasr, United Securities brokerage manager, was more bullish, saying there was there was strong buying into Oman’s banking sector from local pension funds and asset managers. “The market should continue to rise for the next week or so until these funds finish building their positions,” he added. “Investors are optimistic that results and dividend yields will be good.” Dubai’s index ended slightly higher as bluechip stocks gave up most of their early gains in a further signs the market remains the preserve of day traders. Emaar Properties rose 0.5 percent. HIGHLIGHTS DUBAI The index edged up 0.1 percent to 1,820 points. ABU DHABI The benchmark slipped 0.3 percent to 2,767 points. SAUDI ARABIA The measure climbed 0.4 percent to 6,261 points. OMAN The index rose 0.3 percent to 6,487 points. KUWAIT The benchmark fell 0.02 percent to 6,969 points. QATAR The measure climbed 0.4 percent to 7,032 points. EGYPT The index rose 0.3 percent to 6,437 points. BAHRAIN The index fell 0.2 percent to 1,447 points. — Reuters
Thursday, January 7, 2010
BUSINESS
25
New truck to slash costs, ticket prices
Jetstar, AirAsia form ‘world first’ budget airline alliance SYDNEY: J etstar and AirAsia unveiled plans yesterday to slash costs and ticket prices by pooling some resources, taking the first step in an alliance that could transform the Asian budget market. J etstar chief executive Bruce
NEW YORK: Dennis Bubenheimer dusts a Mazda CX-7 at the New York International Auto Show in New York. Mazda North American Operations said that its 2009 sales fell by 21.3 percent, while sales for December rose by 1.6 percent. — AP
Asian automakers dethrone Detroit in 2009 US sales CHICAGO: Asian automakers dethroned Detroit as the biggest sellers in the United States in 2009 after General Motors and Chrysler succumbed to the economic crisis, industry data has shown. Total industry sales fell 21.2 percent to 10.43 million vehicles in 2009, according to Autodata figures released Tuesday. That is the lowest level since the 1983 recession and drastically below the 15 to 17 million vehicle range posted each of the previous 15 years. GM and Chrysler saw their sales suffer more than most after seeking billions of dollars in government aid and restructuring under bankruptcy protection. While Ford managed to both stay afloat and increase its piece of the shrunken market, the Detroit Three’s overall share fell to 44.2 percent of their home market from 47.5 percent in 2008. Asian brands captured a 47.4-percent share in 2009, up from 44.6 percent in 2008, Autodata said. It was the first time they gained a bigger piece than GM, Chrysler and Ford combined, which held a 60-percent share as recently as 2004 and a 70 percent share a decade ago. European automakers saw their piece of the pie rise to 8.4 percent from 7.8 percent in 2008. “It was a challenging and very volatile year,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president for US marketing sales and service. “We had to deal with a near-depression economy, there were bankruptcies, bailouts, discontinued brands, distressed pricing, a government stimulus program... that resulted in huge shifts in demand from one month to the next.” Ford managed to increase its share to 15.5 percent in 2009 from 14.4 percent a year earlier-the first time the second-largest US automaker posted a full-year share gain since 1995. Ford capped the year with a 33-percent gain in December sales, even as the year’s total fell 15.4 percent to 1.7 million vehicles. “For 2010, I’m leaving my seatbelt on, because I think that volatility is still an element of the new norm,” Czubay said in a conference call discussing Ford’s December sales results. Ford said it expects global vehicle sales to resume growth this year.Other major automakers also predicted smoother roads ahead as total December sales rose 15.1 percent from a year earlier.
“Emerging from the rollercoaster of 2009, the industry has gained positive momentum for a gradual recovery,” said Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, USA. Toyota-which managed to hold onto the number two spot in US sales-posted a 32percent sales gain in December. It also managed to increase its share of the US market by 0.3 points to 17 percent, although sales ended the year down 20.2 percent at 1.78 million vehicles. “Despite a tough market, TMS performed solidly, reaching its goal to grow market share,” Esmond said. General Motors posted a six-percent drop in December US sales and saw its share shrink to 19.8 percent in 2009 from 22.2 percent in 2008 as annual sales fell 30 percent to 2.93 million vehicles. “We’re looking forward to 2010 as a year when the economy continues a modest recovery, industry sales begin to improve and our outstanding new products build additional sales momentum,” said Susan Docherty, GM vice president of US sales. Chrysler also expressed optimism even after its share fell to 8.9 percent in 2009 from 11 percent in 2008 and its ranking slid to 5th place as annual sales dropped 36 percent to 1.45 million vehicles. “As we kick off the new year, Chrysler Group continues to build momentum with some of the best products in the marketplace, and we are enthusiastic about the new products coming this year,” Chrysler’s top sales executive Fred Diaz said in a statement. Korean automakers were among the big winners of 2009, with Kia and Hyundai the only brands besides Japan’s Subaru to post both market share and net sales gains. Hyundai’s share rose to 4.2 percent from 3.0 in 2008 as sales grew 8.3 percent to 435,064 while Kia’s share rose 0.8 points to 2.9 percent as its sales grew 9.8 percent to 300,063 vehicles. Honda managed to beat Chrysler to 4th place as its share rose 0.2 points to 11.0 percent even as 2009 sales fell 19.5 percent to 1.15 million vehicles. Nissan managed to increase its share by 0.2 points to 7.4 percent in 2009, while sales fell 19.1 percent to 770,103 vehicles. — AFP
“By getting together and focusing on areas where we can actually reduce costs we think it’s a really exciting opportunity,” Buchanan told reporters, calling the deal an “important first step.” “We have identified... many hundreds of millions of dollars of cost saving opportunities, and we think that is an exciting opportunity for us as we launch this partnership going forward.” Jetstar, a subsidiary of Australian flag-carrier Qantas, will share parts and ground and passenger handling services with Malaysia’s AirAsia, which is Asia’s biggest budget airline. They will also investigate jointly procuring new aircraft, cooperate on buying engineering and maintenance supplies and will carry each other’s passengers stranded by breakdowns and other disruptions. Qantas chief Alan Joyce said the deal would give both airlines an edge in the competitive Asian market. “Jetstar and AirAsia offer unmatched reach in the Asia-Pacific region, with more routes and lower fares than their main competitors, and this new alliance will enable them to maximize that scale,” he said. Jetstar, operating 60 aircraft, is the world’s largest long-haul budget carrier, while AirAsia leads the Asian low-cost market with 85 planes servicing more than 60 destinations. Analysts said the two were moving to dominate the growing Asian budget sector and were likely to announce further joint ventures. “Certainly the teaming of two of Asia’s leading lowcost carriers suggests that there will be some move to really dominate this region over the longer term,” Derek Sadubin, chief operating officer of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, told AFP. “We expect that the agreement could flourish over time to include revenue-generating agreements and potential joint ventures in a range of other areas.” IG Markets analyst Ben Potter said Jetstar and AirAsia were “thinking outside the box” to stay ahead of the competition. “In an extremely competitive environment where airlines have been under constant pressures from a number of different forces, this world first alliance is very positive indeed,” he said. “The Asia-Pacific region is one of the biggest growth markets in aviation, so any ways to further reduce costs and offer more competitive fares will benefit both shareholders and customers.” Qantas shares rose 1.4 percent to 3.0 Australian dollars (2.7 US) shortly after the announcement. Shares in the airline closed down one cent at $2.95. — AFP
Buchanan said the non-equity arrangement, w hich he described as a w orld first betw een low -cost airlines, w as expected to save hundreds of millions of dollars in costs.
SYDNEY:(Second left to right) Jetstar CEO Bruce Buchanan, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, and Qantas CEO Alan Joyce laugh after announcing plans to slash costs and ticket prices by pooling, in Sydney yesterday. Jetstar and AirAsia unveiled plans to slash costs and ticket prices by pooling some resources, taking the first step in an alliance which could transform the Asian budget market. — AFP
Zambia says gets $125m India loan for projects LUSAKA: India has approved a total of $125 million in credit for Zambia, part of it to finance a key power project, Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said yesterday. Musokotwane said India’s Export and Import Bank (Exim) Bank had signed an agreement with Zambia for a $50 million loan to help the southern African country develop the 120 Megawatt (MW) Itezhi-tezhi hydroelectric project, estimated to cost $240 million. The power project, about 260 km south of Lusaka, is being developed by the Itezhi-tezhi Power Corporation (ITPC), a company jointly owned by Zambia state power utility, Zesco Ltd and TATA Africa. “The credit line signed by the government today will be part of Zesco’s equity contribution to the joint ven-
ture company between Zesco and TATA,” Musokotwane said in a statement. There were no details on how the balance of the loan, which visiting Indian vice-president Mohammad Ansari separately said had been approved yesterday, would be used. Ansari said India was likely to offer Zambia more credit and that it would also provide technical support to Zambia’s health, agriculture and education sectors. Musokotwane said Zambia, Africa’s largest copper producer, had in recent years been overwhelmed with increased investment opportunities in mining and tourism and needed to boost power generation to meet rising demand. “It is our sincere hope that the government of India through (the) Export
and Import Bank of India will consider extending additional finances to our government in order to meet the required financial contribution by Zesco,” he said. Zesco acting managing director, Cyprian Chitundu said in October last year that the company and TATA Africa were in talks with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and African Development Bank (AfDB) to seek additional financing for the power project. Construction of the power station was expected to begin in the first quarter of 2010 and the project would be commissioned by March 2012, Chitundu said. The southern African country generates 1,400 MW of electricity and consumes about 800 MW but demand rises to 1,500 MW at peak times. — Reuters
M&S returns to sales growth, but cautious on 2010 outlook
VEVEY, Switzerland: The logo of Nestle, the Swiss food giant, is seen at the company’s headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. Food giant Nestle took a big step up in the frozen pizza sector Tuesday. — AFP
Kraft gets 1.52% acceptance for Cadbury bid LONDON: Kraft said it had a 1.52 percent take-up from Cadbury shareholders for its 10.5 billion pound ($16.8 billion) hostile bid, with analysts saying the US food group will have to raise its offer to win. Kraft said yesterday it had received the acceptances by its first closing date of 1300 GMT on Jan. 5 and its offer remained open until Feb 2. Most investors will likely be waiting until a Jan. 19 deadline for Kraft to raise its bid before deciding whether to accept, with analysts saying a price over 800 pence per share would be needed for Kraft to succeed. Kraft’s cash and shares bid is currently worth 765 pence per Cadbury share or 10.5 billion pounds ($16.8 billion), against a current share price down 0.8 percent at 773 pence by 1020 GMT. “Kraft will have to offer at least 810 pence to attract acceptances from current Cadbury shareholders,” said analyst Dirk Van Vlaanderen at Jefferies International. Martin Dolan at Execution Research said Kraft will have to offer
over 800 pence to encourage Cadbury to let it see its books and believes Kraft could pay an extra 60 pence per share. On Tuesday, a warning by Kraft’s biggest shareholder, Warren Buffett, and Swiss food group Nestle’s announcement it would not make a rival bid pushed Cadbury shares lower and Kraft stock higher. Buffett said he would vote against Kraft’s proposal to issue 370 million new Kraft shares to fund its Cadbury bid unless he was convinced it did not destroy shareholder value. Buffett’s intervention and Nestle’s decision has narrowed the premium of Cadbury’s share price to the bid price to around 1 percent from nearly 10 percent on Monday. Under Britain’s takeover rules, Kraft has until Jan. 19 to raise its bid while Cadbury shareholders have until Feb. 2 to accept. Potential bidders for Cadbury who have expressed an interest publically, Hershey and Italy’s Ferrero, have until Jan. 23 to come up with fully financed bids or withdraw. — Reuters
LONDON: British retailer Marks & Spencer Plc posted its first rise in quarterly underlying sales for over two years, joining rivals in reporting solid Christmas sales while also warning of an uncertain outlook for 2010. The 126-year-old group, which is Britain’s biggest clothing retailer and also runs an upmarket food business, said yesterday sales at UK stores open at least a year rose 0.8 percent in the 13 weeks to Dec 26, its fiscal third quarter. That was below analysts’ average forecast of 1.2 percent. However, the group said the figure was nearer 2 percent adjusting for the fact that the comparable period the previous year included an extra day of the post-Christmas clearance sale. The rise in underlying sales was the first since the second quarter of 2007-2008. “We had a good Christmas, continuing the improvements seen throughout 2009,” said Chairman Stuart Rose, flagging strong sales of knitwear, sleepwear and Christmas treats such as mince pies and champagne. “We expect the trading conditions over the coming year to remain challenging as a result of continuing economic uncertainty,” he added. Britain’s retailers have coped better in the recession than many analysts had expected, helped by cost cutting and sharply lower interest rates, which have propped up consumer spending. But economists warn taxes will have to rise and public spending fall in order to rein in government debt, which could hit
confidence among shoppers this year. Earlier yesterday, a survey showed British consumer confidence suffered its sharpest fall in over a year in December, even as other data showed both job placements and wages rising. M&S’s mix of solid Christmas trading and caution on 2010 echo recent comments from other major British retailers. Fashion chain Next Plc on Tuesday raised profit forecasts for the year to Jan. 31, but warned earnings in 2010-2011 could be flat, while department stores group John Lewis forecast a “long slow recovery” even as it posted surging sales. M&S, which serves 21 million Britons a week from more than 650 stores and also has about 300 shops abroad, said underlying UK sales were up 1.2 percent in general merchandise, which includes clothing and homewares, and up 0.4 percent in food. International sales were up 6 percent. The company said its guidance on profit margins, costs and capital spending remained unchanged. M&S shares, which plunged over 60 percent in value in 2008 as the recession took hold, recovered over half their losses last year as the group stepped up promotions in its food business and introduced new clothes such as the popular Indigo range. They have beaten the DJ Stoxx European retail index about 40 percent over the past year and closed at 404.9 pence on Tuesday, valuing M&S at 6.4 billion pounds ($10.2 billion). — Reuters
SHANGHAI: A Chinese model poses next to a Chinese made Roewe car from the SAIC Motor Corp at the China International Industry Fair in Shanghai. China’s SAIC Motor Corp said yesterday its 2009 net profit was expected to surge more than tenfold after Beijing’s efforts to stimulate domestic consumption led to record sales. — AFP
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BUSINESS
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Asian consumers most upbeat, US sentiment dips: Report HONG KONG: Consumer confidence is strongest in emerging Asia, Brazil and Australia, but weakened slightly in the United States in the fourth quarter as Americans worried about job security, a survey showed yesterday. Consumer sentiment was highest in Indonesia, followed by India and Brazil, and was weakest in Japan and South Korea, according to the survey conducted by the New York-based Nielsen Company
a month ago. Globally, the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index averaged a reading of 87 points in the fourth quarter, little changed from the third quarter but 5 points higher than the second quarter. The US reading dipped to 82 in the fourth quarter from 84 three months earlier, reflecting concern about rising unemployment and ranking US confidence at 18th among the 29 markets surveyed worldwide. Many analysts believe a deci-
sive rebound in US consumer spending is vital for a sustained global economy recovery. Consumer confidence was relatively high in Australia, the Philippines and China and in other markets that are recovering fastest from the global economic slump. The survey, which covered more than 17,500 consumers, showed the United Arab Emirates suffered the biggest drop in confidence, by 10 points to 92, as a debt
crisis erupted in Dubai. Asia-Pacific economies are rebounding much more quickly than Western economies and Brazil and Canada were the only countries outside the Asia-Pacific that ranked in the top 10 most confident markets. The top readings, though, were well below India’s record 137 index reading in the second half of 2006, the highest reading since the index’s launch in 2005. “The Nielsen survey shows that in the
past six months, consumers have become more optimistic about their countries emerging from recession with better job prospects and personal finances. This is another sign that global recovery is heading in the right direction,” said James Russo, a vice president of Nielsen. “However, while purse strings may be loosening in some markets, there is clearly a big difference in the pace of expected recovery between the emerging and
developed markets, and consumers’ increased confidence is not yet translating into a widespread readiness to start spending.” Confidence in Japan was weakest at 47 points, down from 49 in the third quarter. Sentiment in Korea dropped 5 points to 48 points by the fourth quarter although recent economic data has suggested Asia’s fourth-largest economy is on a firm recovery path. — Reuters
Fujii stepping down on health grounds
Japan PM appoints deputy Kan as new finance minister TOKYO: Japan’s prime minister named his deputy Naoto Kan as finance minister yesterday, replacing 77-year-old Hirohisa Fujii who is stepping down for health reasons in a blow to the three-month-old government. Prime Minister
Yukio Hatoyama, struggling to reverse a slump in his popularity, said Fujii’s resignation was unavoidable due to exhaustion after months of hard work drawing up the national budget.
TOKYO: Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan (center) is surrounded by reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo yesterday. Hatoyama named Kan as finance minister, replacing 77-year-old Hirohisa Fujii who is stepping down for health reasons in a blow to the three-month-old government. — AFP
S&P puts Icelandic debt under negative credit watch PARIS: Rating agency Standard and Poor’s said yesterday it had put Icelandic debt under negative credit watch, a day after Iceland’s president blocked a bill of compensation for the failure of Icesave bank. SandP said that the refusal of the Icelandic president to sign the bill, compensating Britain and The Netherlands, could undermine help from the International Monetary Fund, although the IMF has said there was no link. The agency said that that “as a result, we
could lower our ratings on Iceland by one to two notches within a month.” The decision by SandP came after the Fitch credit rating agency had downgraded Iceland’s long-term debt rating from BBB- to BB+ late on Tuesday, citing a “renewed wave of domestic political, economic and financial uncertainty.” SandP said yesterday that its negative watch decision referred to its BBB-/A-3 foreign currency and BBB+/A2 local currency sovereign ratings for Iceland. It said: “The Creditwatch placement
indicates the likelihood of a downgrade if political uncertainty grows and external liquidity pressures persist in the wake of President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson’s veto of the ‘Icesave Act’.” The agency’s credit analyst Kai Stukenbrock said that SandP now expected “that disbursements of the remaining 2.3 billion dollar balance under the IMF program will be delayed and the parameters of the program might have to be revoked, possibly raising the required primary surplus targets.” — AFP
Signs appear of ‘double-dip’ recession in Spain: Survey BRUSSELS: Accelerating decline in Spanish private sector services activity in December raised fears of renewed recession on the Iberian peninsula, a well-watched survey said yesterday. “It is worrying to see Spain showing signs of a ‘double dip’ recession and lagging so far behind the other large euro area service economies,” said Markit economist Rob Dobson as purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data was released. “The overall picture of improving health masks severe national divergences, however, with both France and Germany appearing to be fighting fit but Spain displaying worrying symptoms of slipping back into recession.” Private sector business grew across the euro-zone as 2009 drew towards a close, with composite PMI figures compiled by his group, taking in manufacturing data, rising to 54.2 points from 53.7 points in November. That marked its highest reading for 26 months, with the upturn led by strong manufacturing gains but supported by similar expansion in services throughout continental Europe, despite a slight downgrade from an earlier flash estimate. The final services index posted 53.6 points in December, down from the anticipated 53.7 but up from 53.0 points in
November, which represented the fastest rate of growth across the 16 countries using the euro since late-2007. Growth was firmly led by France and Germany, but the major disappointment from Spain was joined by news that activity in Ireland declined for the 23rd successive month, albeit at the weakest rate since the start of the run. Nevertheless, Dobson said
2009 had clearly ended on “a positive note,” stressing that “the recoveries in both the manufacturing and service sectors are gaining traction and the labor market is moving closer to stabilization.” Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight said the further rise in the services sector-the engine for modern economies-suggests
overall fourth-quarter 2009 growth of at least the 0.4 percent posted in the previous three months. However, he warned that the euro-zone services sector “is by no means completely out of the woods yet” citing “significant financial sector problems, muted consumer expenditure and relatively limited business spending.” — AFP
SHANGHAI: A woman is silhouetted as she rests, while tourists take pictures behind her yesterday in Singapore. Singapore’s economy shrank in the October-to-December period after surging for two straight quarters, sparking fears of a renewed recession. — AP
“The doctors’ medical certificate said it is difficult for him to execute his official duty as a minister. I have no choice but to take the doctors’ diagnosis seriously,” Hatoyama told reporters. “I believe Deputy Prime Minister Kan can fully handle the job,” he added. Kan, 63, is a co-founder of the governing Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and reputed for his tough legislative debating skills. He is best known for his work as a health minister in the 1990s, when he pushed civil servants to disclose the ministry’s involvement in allowing the use of imported blood products tainted with HIV. Nicknamed “irritable Kan” for his sometimes short temper, he is a onetime grassroots activist and former leader of the DPJ, which he co-launched in 1998 along with Hatoyama. He will also remain deputy prime minister. “I accepted the prime minister’s offer, telling him that I am still immature in many aspects but that I will do my best to fill the place left by Minister Fujii,” Kan told reporters. “With everyone’s help, I resolutely take it upon myself to continue what Minister Fujii had set out to do, particularly with the budget.” Fujii, who has railed against wasteful government spending, was hospitalised on December 28 suffering from fatigue and high blood pressure after months of wrangling over the national budget. The veteran politician was picked by Hatoyama as finance minister less than four months ago, returning to a post he held briefly in the early 1990s. He was one of the few cabinet members with previous government experience and his departure is setback to Hatoyama’s efforts to revive the world’s number two economy, reeling from its worst downturn in decades. Hatoyama took office in mid-September with a vow to tackle wealth inequalities, curb the power of Japan’s bureaucrats and pursue a more equal relationship with Washington. But polls show that many voters fear he lacks leadership, after he postponed a decision on where to move a key US military base and backtracked on a manifesto pledge to scrap a petrol tax. Tokyo stocks closed up 0.46 percent earlier yesterday as investors reacted calmly to the possibility of Fujii stepping down. “I do not expect any substantial impact on the Japanese economy as a whole,” said Yutaka Harada, chief economist at Daiwa Research Institute. But the yen fell as traders speculated that Fujii’s successor might not be so tolerant of the currency’s recent strength. Fujii has repeatedly said that in principle Tokyo should refrain from market intervention to weaken the yen and protect exporters. “The market has taken Fujii’s policies favourably,” said Hideaki Inoue, chief manager of forex trading at Mitsubishi UFJ and Banking Corp. — AFP
BEIJING: A man walks on a snow covered bridge near newly-built apartment buildings in Beijing yesterday. China’s economy likely grew 8.5 percent in 2009 despite the global downturn, but the country still faces challenges this year, including the difficult task of driving demand, a senior official has said. — AFP
China’s 2009 growth projected at 8.5% BEIJING: China’s economy likely grew 8.5 percent in 2009 despite the global downturn, but the country still faces challenges this year, including the difficult task of driving demand, a senior official has said. Growth is set to exceed the government’s eight-percent target as Beijing’s massive stimulus package “quickly turned around the slowdown momentum,” said Zhang Xiaoqiang, a vice chairman of China’s top economic planning agency. The Chinese government has for years set the annual growth target at eight percent-the rate seen as the minimum necessary to create enough jobs to prevent social unrest in the vast country of 1.3 billion. Growth accelerated on the back of improving company profits, soaring investment, and booming domestic consumption, Zhang said in a speech posted Tuesday on the website of the National Development and Reform Commission. But the Chinese economy however still faces many challenges to maintain a steady and fast expansion in
2010 due to constraints in boosting demand, overcapacity in some industries and fiercer international competition, he said. “The trade environment outlook is no cause for optimism as foreign demand in the next year is unlikely to recover to the pre-crisis level given rife trade protectionism,” Zhang said. “China will face rising international competition and friction in trade and (the acquisition of) energy and resources, capital and technology in the post-crisis times. China’s “economic development will be more vulnerable to global economic and financial turmoil,” he said. Zhang added that domestic demand growth would taper off as the effects of stimulus measures reached their limit. China’s economy grew by 8.9 percent in the third quarter of 2009 the fastest pace in a yearafter expanding by 7.9 percent in the second quarter and 6.1 percent in the first, the slowest pace in more than a decade. Official full-year growth figures are normally released in late January. — AFP
Mauritius exchange eyes trading in E African units ANTANANARIVO: A commodities and currency exchange expected to go live in Mauritius in late March plans to offer Africa’s first currency futures and derivatives market for the Kenyan shilling and Ugandan shilling. Joseph Bosco, Chief Operating Officer of Global Board of Trade (GBOT) that will run the exchange, told Reuters it would allow market players to better hedge themselves in a region where political risk weighs heavily on the markets. “We intended to start off with six currency pairs and now we are expanding to eight pairs with the dollar as the base. The two additions are the Kenyan and Ugandan shillings,” Bosco said in a telephone interview yesterday. “Today these markets (Kenya and Uganda) obviously
have their own currency trading, but that doesn’t give them the required risk management mechanisms.” Kenya’s economy spiraled down and its currency weakened sharply when violence erupted after disputed elections at the end of 2007, before being hit by the global downturn last year. This year is seen by many investors as a year to cement recovery in east Africa’s largest economy. But there are fears any failure by the country’s fragile coalition government to address constitutional reform and the perceived immunity of the architects of the post-election crisis could trigger more fighting and destabilize the economy again. “We are giving them risk containment mechanisms, we are helping them to hedge themselves against uncertainty
of unforeseen circumstances,” said Bosco. The exchange, which GBOT says will be Africa’s first international multi-asset derivatives exchange, had been due to go live this month. But Bosco said the end of March was now more realistic with membership applications proving sluggish. “We need to have a sufficient number of members (before launching) to bring in the liquidity. I would say about 25-30,” he told Reuters. Regulators in Mauritius, he said, were processing licenses for four members with another dozen in the pipeline. The exchange will trade in 14 commodities, such as precious metals, base metals and agricultural commodities and eight dollarbased currency pairs - including the Mauritius rupee, euro, yen and sterling. — Reuters
An investor looks at the share index at a bank in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday. Asian stock markets inched higher yesterday with gains tempered by muddled U.S. economic figures that added to ambiguity about the strength of recovery in the world’s No. 1 economy. The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (FBM KLCI) rose 2.14 points to 1,290.38. It had opened 0.62 of a point higher at 1,288.86. — AP
TECHNOLOGY
Thursday, January 7, 2010
LAS VEGAS: The Flipower USB charger from Taiwanese company Power Tech is on display during a press preview event for the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Flippower is a USB charger that fits on the plug of another device, piggybacking to avoid occupying an outlet of its own. — AFP
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LAS VEGAS: A Samsung cell phone that is taking in a live broadcast is shown at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, yesterday. The showroom floor opens today. — AP
LAS VEGAS: A Vestalife Mantis is displayed during a press event at the Venetian for the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show January 5, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Mantis is the newest in the company’s line of speaker docks for iPods featuring speaker “wings” that flip out and will be available for $179. — AFP
Netbook’s popularity to continue in 2010 SAN FRANCISCO: Small and inexpensive “netbooks” were some of the most popular computers in the recession, wooing consumers with their portability and prices that were often below $400. Now with the US economy improving, consumers will be asked to open their wallets to new styles of computers, including some costing a bit more. Among the new offerings being unveiled at this week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: lightweight, medium-sized laptops meant as a step above netbooks in price and performance. There also will be at least one “smartbook” — a tiny computer that combines elements of netbooks and so-called smart phones. That is not to say the netbook has reached the end of its line. PC makers including Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Toshiba are expected to show off new netbook offerings with such features as touch screens and the latest Intel Atom processors, which offer improved performance over the earlier Atoms that fueled the initial run of netbooks. But the netbook’s popularity has come at a price for the industry: slim profit margins for chipmaker Intel Corp. and the PC manufacturers. For many PC makers, the rise of netbooks has meant falling revenue and profit from PC divisions. Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s largest computer maker, gets a third of its revenue from its PC business but just 15 percent of the company’s operating profit, numbers that are shrinking thanks to netbook sales and price cuts on other machines. And while netbooks proved that there is an appetite for highly mobile computers, consumers will likely come to want more power, more portability — or both. Ever since Taiwan-based AsusTek Computer Inc. got the netbook craze going with its 7-inch (17-centimeter) Eee PC in late 2007, consumers have been gravitating to the devices. According to data from research company Gartner Inc., netbooks made up an estimated 10 percent of all PC shipments in 2009, up from 4 percent a year earlier. These devices had small screens — generally 7 to 11 inches (28 centimeters), compared with about 14 to 17 inches (43 centimeters) on a full-sized laptop _ and often smaller-than-normal keyboards. PC makers kept prices down by avoiding extras such as DVD drives and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Netbooks were meant to be companion devices that could slip into a purse or backpack for on-the-go Web surfing, though for many consumers it was the only computer they bought in 2009. But only so many people can buy netbooks as secondary computers, and people who buy them as their only computers will eventually trade up to more powerful machines, said John
Gadget show
In this product image provided by Lenovo, the S10-3 tablet notebook is shown. Lenovo Group Ltd., the world’s fourth-largest personal computer maker, is banking on one category in particular: so-called “smartbooks,” which are meant to combine the constant Internet connectivity and long battery life of a smart phone with the classic shape and keyboard of a laptop. The company announced its first smartbook, the Skylight yesterday. — AP
Jacobs, an analyst at market research company DisplaySearch. Thus, the growth in netbook sales is likely to slow in the next few years. Although netbook shipments to retailers more than doubled in 2009 to 33.3 million, compared with the previous year, shipments should rise just 19 percent to 39.7 million this year, according to DisplaySearch. In addition to netbooks, consumers can expect to see in stores a number of devices that fit above and below the small laptops in price, size and performance as PC companies try to widen the market. Many of these are being unveiled at CES even as Google Inc. announced its own widely anticipated smart phone, the Nexus One. Lenovo Group Ltd. is banking on so-called “smartbooks,” which are meant to combine the constant Internet connectivity and long battery life of a smart phone with a laptop’s classic shape. The company announced its first smartbook, the Skylight, on Tuesday. The skinny Skylight has a 10-inch (25-centimeter) screen, full-size keyboard and 10 hours of battery life and weighs less than 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms). It includes Wi-Fi, and consumers can use it over AT&T Inc.’s high-speed data network if they sign up for a data plan. If they do, the Skylight will be able to switch automatically between the two network types. But under the hood, it’s less powerful than a netbook because it uses a weaker class of processors. The Skylight is slated to be available in April at $499, though AT&T may subsidize the cost for customers who also sign up for a data plan. Because those won’t appeal to everyone, store shelves will also be increasingly stocked this year with computers that are thin and light like netbooks but have more powerful processors and screens that are a bit larger at 11 inches to 13 inches (33 centimeters). The price tags would also be a bit heftier, at $400 to $600. Philip Osako, a director of product marketing for Japanese electronics company Toshiba Corp., said those laptops should resonate with consumers who want an affordable gadget that can do more than surf the Web and check e-mail on the go. As it is, netbooks aren’t good at demanding tasks such as viewing high-quality video. “It’s the natural step up from the netbook,” he said. “It’s also a sweet spot relative to where full-size traditional notebooks are.” At the same time, PC makers are releasing a new generation of improved netbooks. Lenovo, a fairly early player in the netbook market, will be showing the latest entrants to that line at CES, one of which has a 10-inch
touch screen that swivels around to become a tablet. The new S10-3t model, like Apple Inc.’s iPhone, will understand multiple finger gestures, allowing you to pinch the screen to zoom in and out of photos, for instance. It will have Intel’s latest Atom processor, which should consume less power and depict graphics better than an earlier version. The S10-3t is expected to be available in January for $500, while a similar model without a swiveling touch screen will cost $350. Toshiba, meanwhile, will show off the mini NB305. It keeps the 10.1-inch screen and fullsized keyboard available on the company’s current mini NB205 model but adds the new Atom processor and 11 hours of battery life, two more hours than before. The netbook is expected to be available Jan. 12 with prices that start at $350. While DisplaySearch expects netbook growth to slow markedly in 2010, it’s still projected to make up about 20 percent of the portable computer market, slightly above the market share in 2009. And Gartner believes netbook shipments will grow to 12 percent of all PC shipments in 2010, up from the estimated 10 percent last year. Osako, the marketing executive at Toshiba, said that although the weak economy helped netbooks take off, an improvement shouldn’t mean fewer sales. “I think what netbooks have done is really opened consumers’ eyes to the concept of mobility,” he said. — AP
Skype to offer HD video calling on some new TVs SAN FRANCISCO: Skype says its voice and video calling technology will be embedded in upcoming high-definition televisions with Internet capabilities. Skype said Tuesday that its Internet phone service will be included in Panasonic’s 2010 VIERA CASTenabled HD TVs and LG’s new LCD and plasma HD TVs with NetCast Entertainment Access. The televisions are expected to be available in the middle of the year. LG and Panasonic will sell webcams that support the 720p high-definition format and are meant for making video calls with the televisions. Skype, which eBay Inc. sold to an investor group in November, offers free voice and video calls to other Skype users, and charges for calls to cell or landline phones. — AP
Mobile phones will help spread video further in 2010 PARIS: The rise of videosharing websites such as YouTube and Dailymotion is proving to be a headache for some of France’s biggest companies as their image comes under fire from satirical online videos. The aim behind humorous video clips can varysome are made by film producers as publicity stunts, others simply for fun-but the potentially global impact and unpredictable nature of the clips can make them difficult for companies to contain. “Brands were in the mindset of having one message, one broadcast,” Emmanuel Vivier, chief executive of marketing agency Vanksen, said. “Now people reply to the brands’ messages, remix them, redistribute them... impacting their reputation. “It’s becoming harder and harder to tell the difference between a real advert and a fake one,” he said. French grocer Carrefour, the second-biggest retailer in the world, was last month forced to disown and condemn a fake video advert that implied its discount food range contained human remains.
The video, which first appeared on Google site YouTube in early December, depicts an angelic little girl munching reluctantly on her grandmother’s bones as her parents egg her on. “It was a concern for us,” a Carrefour spokeswoman said. “It did not give a good image for the brand.” Phone network operator France Telecom also squirmed under the online spotlight after a succession of employee suicides last summer prompted multiple video parodies. One clip posted on Dailymotion in October shows several France Telecom workers killing themselves in a variety of ways to the tune of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. It features the slogan “Souffrance Telecom”-or “Suffering Telecom”. “There are a lot of things that go on the web that we’re obviously not comfortable with,” said a France Telecom spokesman. But, he said, it was generally “not very productive” to respond directly unless the law was being broken. Another regular target has been French bank Societe Generale , which provided rich comic fodder
online during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. Its “coup de pouce”-or “helping hand”-ad campaign featuring a giant thumb helping out was remade several times to poke fun at the bank. Some blue-chips have used online video and multimedia marketing campaigns to their advantage, such as ArcelorMittal, with its online TV channel, and Danone, whose multi-media ad for Evian features babies on roller skates. But most leading companies in France are still playing catch-up and only responding to negative items rather than using online video to create their own content, marketing experts said. The pressure will likely increase as mobile phones such as the Apple iPhone 3GS and social networks like Twitter put more online video on the Internet. The problem for big companies is partly one of stretched resources and also of old-fashioned approaches to marketing, said Andrew Girdwood, head of strategy at British consultancy BigMouthMedia. “The bigger you are, the harder it gets,” Girdwood said. — Reuters
Japanese aim to turn CO2 into natural gas TOKYO: Japanese researchers said yesterday they hoped to enlist bacteria in the fight against global warming to transform carbon dioxide buried under the seabed into natural gas. The researchers at the Japan Agency for MarineEarth Science and Technology aim to activate bacteria found naturally in earth to turn CO2 into methane, a major component of natural gas. A team led by chief researcher Fumio Inagaki have already confirmed that the bacteria exists in the crust deep under the seabed off the northern tip of Japan’s main island, a spokesman for the institute told AFP. But the project faces a big challenge to develop a method of activating the bacteria and accelerating the speed of methane gas generation, a spokesman for the agency acknowledged. In the natural environment, the bacteria turn CO2 into methane gas very slowly, over billions of years, he said. The researchers hope to develop technology within about five years to activate the bacteria and shorten the transformation time to about 100 years, he said. “The institute still has many hurdles, including the need to secure a budget, before officially kicking off the project,” the spokesman said. “But if launched, it would be the first such project as far as we know.” The aim is for the bacteria to produce methane gas from CO2 buried in a layer about 2,000 metres (6,600 feet) under the sea bed, the agency said. Researchers in Japan and elsewhere are seeking to capture and store carbon dioxide underground in an effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Such projects are controversial as environmentalists warn that CO2 could seep out. — AFP
OAKLAND: Mike Keele pumps liquid natural gas onto a garbage truck at the Waste Management offices in Oakland, Calif., Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. Almost 500 Waste Management Inc. garbage and recycling trucks run on this new source of environmentally friendly fuel instead of diesel fuel. — AP
28
HEALTH & SCIENCE
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Study turns up 10 autism clusters in California
CHICAGO: US researchers have identified 10 locations in California that have double the rates of autism found in surrounding areas, and these clusters were located in neighborhoods with high concentrations of white, highly educated parents. Researchers at the University of California Davis had hoped to uncover pockets of autism that might reveal clues about triggers in the environment that could explain rising rates of autism, which affects as many as one in 110 US children. But the findings likely say more about the US healthcare system than the causes of autism, said researcher Irva Hertz-Picciotto
of UC Davis’ MIND Institute, whose study will be released online on Wednesday in the journal Autism Research. Advocacy groups have been clamoring for treatment options and for better research to show what might be causing an apparent increase in autism cases. Hertz-Picciotto and colleagues used a research technique that has been effective at identifying cancer clusters. “This kind of analysis sometimes turns up clues about environmental factors,” she said in a telephone interview. The researchers looked at about 2.5 million births recorded in California from 1996
through 2000. About 10,000 of those children were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, according to the state’s department of developmental services. Using data from birth records, the team found a strong link between parental education and the high rates of autism. “In this particular case, we found 10 clusters of autism across the state of California. When we looked further, we discovered virtually all of them were areas where there was a higher level of education among the parents who were giving birth in those years,” Hertz-Picciotto said. “We already know that people with a
higher education in the United States are more likely to get a diagnosis of autism for their child. It doesn’t necessarily mean that autism occurs more frequently in those families,” she said. “It was also a greater likelihood to be white, non-Hispanic, and for the parents to be a little bit older.” Hertz-Picciotto said studies in Denmark, which offers universal access to healthcare, have found no link between autism and race or socioeconomic status. “In this country, we have a lot of people who are uninsured. They may not have someone to go to if they have suspicions
about their child,” she said. She said some communities with lower education levels and fewer resources may have higher rates of undiagnosed autism. But the study did offer new clues about autism. “What it tells us is if we want to go looking for environmental factors, they are not going to be these focused fixed points of contamination, for example,” she said. “It is probably going to be something much more widespread common sorts of exposures that are more across the board.” Hertz-Picciotto said her team is now undertaking two different kinds of studies to
look for environmental causes of autism, a spectrum of diseases ranging from severe and profound inability to communicate and mental retardation to relatively mild symptoms called Asperger’s syndrome. In one, her team plans to collect dust samples from the homes of 1,300 families with autistic children to look for common chemicals, such as flame retardants, that might be playing a role. In another, the researchers are following pregnant women who have already given birth to a child with autism, to see if there are any common exposures that might be a factor in developing autism. —Reuters
TB killed 1.8 million people across the world in 2008
China fights growing problem of tuberculosis GUANGZHOU: China, saddled with the world’s second largest tuberculosis burden after India, is fighting an uphill battle against drug-resistant forms of the disease which will only drain the country’s health budget.
Drug-resistant TB, far more expensive to treat, emerges when patients fail to follow treatment regimens and take substandard drugs or stop treatment too early.
FLORIDA: Manatees gather in the warm water discharged from the Florida Power & Light Riviera Beach power plant into the Intracoastal Waterway to keep warm Tuesday, in Riviera Beach, Fla. — AP
Obama prods Congress to pass health bill quickly WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama is prodding House and Senate Democrats to get him a final health care bill as soon as possible, encouraging them to bypass the usual negotiations between the two chambers in the interest of speed. The Democratic-controlled White House and Congress are now closer to achieving near-universal health care than any of their predecessors despite near unanimous Republican opposition. Obama has made health care reform his top domestic priority. Obama delivered the message at an Oval Office meeting Tuesday evening with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his No. 2, Sen. Dick Durbin joined in by phone. They agreed that rather than setting up a formal conference committee to resolve differences between health bills passed last year by the House and Senate, the House will work off the Senate’s version, amend it and send it back to the Senate for final passage, according to a House leadership aide, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the private meeting. Obama himself will take a hands-on role, convening another meeting with congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday, the aide said. The aim is to get a final bill to Obama’s desk before the State of the Union policy address sometime in early February. Facing the need to maintain a tenuous 60-vote coalition in the Senate, House Democrats likely will have to give up on starting a new government insurance plan to compete with the private market, something that’s a nonstarter with Senate moderates. In its place they hope for more gener-
ous subsidies for lower-income families to buy health insurance. Obama agreed at Tuesday evening’s meeting to help strengthen affordability measures beyond what’s in the Senate bill, the aide said. Pelosi suggested Tuesday that House members wouldn’t insist on the government plan as long as the final bill provides “affordability for the middle class, accountability for the insurance companies ... accessibility by lowering cost at every stage.” “There are other ways to do that, and we look forward to having those discussions,” she said. House Democrats want the Senate to agree to language revoking insurers’ antitrust exemption as a way to hold insurance companies accountable in absence of direct government competition, said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a member of the House leadership. The bills passed by the House and Senate both would require nearly all Americans to get health insurance coverage and would provide subsidies for many who can’t afford the cost, but they differ on hundreds of details. Among them are whom to tax, how many people to cover, how to restrict taxpayer funding for abortion and whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to buy coverage in the new markets with their own money. Concerns about affordability are paramount. Major subsidies under the bills wouldn’t start flowing to consumers until 2013 at the earliest. Even with federal aid, many families still would face substantial costs. The House bill would provide $602 billion in subsidies from 2013-2019, covering an additional 36 million people. The
Senate bill would start the aid a year later, providing $436 billion in subsidies from 2014-2019, and reducing the number of uninsured by 31 million. “Affordability is a critical issue,” Van Hollen said. But sweetening the deal for low- and middle-income households could require more taxes to pay for additional subsidies. And the House and Senate are also at odds over whom to tax. The House wants to raise income taxes on individuals making more than $500,000 and couples over $1 million. The Senate would slap a new tax on high-cost insurance plans. Although the Obama administration supports the Senate’s insurance tax as a cost-saver, labor unions, which contribute heavily to Democratic candidates, are against it. The House may end up accepting the insurance tax if it hits fewer people than the Senate’s design now calls for. There also could be common ground in a Senate proposal to raise Medicare payroll taxes on individuals making more than $200,000 and married couples over $250,000. Democrats reacted defensively to criticism that they are taking the final, most crucial stage of the debate behind closed doors, contending they’ve conducted a transparent process with hundreds of public meetings and legislation posted online. Republicans seized on a newly released letter from the head of the C-SPAN network calling on congressional leaders to open the final talks to the public, and cited Obama’s campaign trail pledge to do just that. Asked about that promise, Pelosi remarked, without elaboration: “There are a number of things he was for on the campaign trail.” — AP
Antidepressants do little for mild cases WASHINGTON: Patients with mild or moderate depression may benefit little from antidepressant medications and may be better treated with alternatives, researchers said Tuesday. A group of researchers combined data from six studies involving 718 adult outpatients who ranged from mildly to very severely depressed according to the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Their study, which sought to compare the benefits of commonly prescribed antidepressants (ADM) compared to placebos, was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The authors, led by Jay Fournier of the
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, found that the effect of antidepressants varied considerably, depending on the severity of the symptoms. “True drug effects (an advantage of ADM over placebo) were nonexistent to negligible among depressed patients with mild, moderate and even severe baseline symptoms, whereas they were large for patients with very severe symptoms,” they wrote. Most studies on antidepressants-currently the standard treatment for major depressive disorders-focus on the impact of the drugs on patients considered to be severely depressed, but there remains scant evidence on their effect for patients with
less severe depression. Advertisements for these drugs to clinicians or the general public omit this feature, the researchers noted. The majority of patients receiving antidepressants in clinical practice have depression measures below the high level of symptom severity they found necessary for the drugs to have a meaningful impact, according to the study. “Prescribers, policymakers and consumers may not be aware that the efficacy of medications largely has been established on the basis of studies that have included only those individuals with more severe forms of depression,” the authors wrote. —AFP
Liu Zhongwu, a stonecutter working in southern China, for example, stopped taking his TB medication midway through a standard six-month course in 2007 because it was too costly. “Even though one or two drugs were free, I had to pay 500 yuan ($73) a month for other drugs (to reduce side effects) and the side effects were bad, I suffered terrible gastric pain and had to stop work, I didn’t even have energy to walk,” said Liu. It is precisely this sort of behaviour that health experts are trying to stop because if the TB bacteria is not fully eliminated, it can mutate, resurge later and become resistant to the small arsenal of drugs that can fight the disease. China has 4.5 million TB cases currently; and each year 1.4 million people fall ill with the disease. TB killed 160,000 people in China in 2008, according to the World Health Organisation. TB killed 1.8 million people across the world in 2008, or a person every 20 seconds. It is not only a scourge in poor countries but also in the West, where it has flared anew in the last 20 years because of AIDS, which weakens the immune system. TB is also a big drain on China’s health budget because of a high incidence of people with a drug-resistant strain of the disease, which is a lot harder and more expensive to treat. In such cases, patients need to take drugs for up to two years and the worst type of TB, for which there is no cure, kills one out of every two patients. “If there are more drug-resistant cases, the cost of TB treatment will rise by a lot, that’s for sure. With drug resistance, we can’t use first-line drugs and other drugs cost a lot more,” said Lin Yan, director of the China office of the non-profit International Union Against TB and Lung Disease. “When these patients infect others, the others will get drugresistant TB. That increases the cost of treating that person and increases the chances of him not recovering.” Regular TB costs 1,000 yuan to treat in China but drug-resistant TB ranges from 100,000 to 300,000 yuan per person, said Zhong Qiu of China’s TB Expert Consultative Committee. China ranks second in the world with 112,000 drug-resistant TB cases in 2007, after India with 131,000. Russia has 43,000 cases, while South Africa has 16,000 and Bangladesh 15,000. China spent $225 million on tackling TB in 2008, up from $98 million in 2002, according to WHO. These figures do not take into account what patients pay out of their pockets, typically between 47 and 62 percent of their hospital bills. Drug-resistant TB made up 27.8 percent of all TB cases in China in 2000 versus five percent in advanced countries. “There are many reasons for China’s drug-resistant TB problem. Patients stop taking drugs when they feel better, maybe after a month. Some have no money for drugs if the treatment is not free and they don’t even know this is a serious disease,” said Lin. “Some are so afraid of stigma they don’t see a doctor, they just buy drugs over the counter.” TB affects mostly poor people, who typically live in places where healthcare is not easily accessible. Many patients pay not only for treatment but also transportation, and any chronic, long-term disease can bankrupt entire families. Li Jiachuen, 45, quickly ran out of money and had to borrow from relatives and friends after he was diagnosed with TB. — Reuters
CALIFORNIA: In this photo taken Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, fifteen-year-old Amorette Castillo has her sensor checked before starting a series of physical activities at a University of Southern California lab in Alhambra, Calif. Scientists across the country are playing with miniature gadgets and fitting them on the overweight and obese to get an unbiased glimpse into their exercise and eating habits. The cell phone for gathering data is on her hip.— AP
Fight against fat goes high-tech ALHAMBRA: The fight against fat is going hightech. To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits, scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives. The experimental devices are designed to keep track of how many minutes they work out, how much food they consume and even whether they are at a fast-food joint when they should be in the park. The goal is to cut down on self-reported answers that often cover up what’s really happening. In a lab in this Los Angeles suburb, two overweight teenagers help test the devices by taking turns sitting, standing, lying down, running on a treadmill and playing Wii. As music thumps in the background, wireless sensors on their chests record their heart rates, stress levels and amount of physical activity. The information is sent to a cell phone. “I can’t feel my legs,” 15-year-old Amorette Castillo groans after her second treadmill run. Traditional weight-loss interventions rely mainly on people’s memory of what they ate for dinner and how many minutes they worked out. But researchers have long known that method can be unreliable since people often forget details or lie. The new devices are being designed in labs or created with off-the-shelf parts. Some similar instruments are already on the market, including a model that tracks calories burned by measuring motion, sweat and heat with armbands. But the devices in development aim to be more sophisticated by featuring more precise electronics and sometimes even video cameras. Many emerging systems also strive to provide instant feedback and personalized treatment for wearers. At the University of Southern California lab, the teens alternated between being sedentary and active as researchers resolved the technical bugs. Later this year, some will wear the body sensors at home on weekends. If they get too lazy, they will get pinged with a text message. “We’ll be able to know real-time if they’re inactive, if they’re active,” said Donna Spruijt-Metz, a USC child obesity expert in charge of the project. The devices are made possible by advances in technology such as accelerometers that can measure the duration and intensity of a workout. They also use Bluetooth-enabled cell phones that can take pictures of meals and send information back. Will all this wizardry lead to a slimmer society? Scientists say there’s reason to hope. Getting an accurate picture of what people eat and how often
they move around will help researchers develop personalized weight-loss advice. Obesity is epidemic in the United States, with two-thirds of adults either overweight or obese. It’s a major health concern for children and adolescents, who are at higher risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes as they grow older. A federally funded pilot project by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana is exploring whether people can lose more weight when tracked by technology. Participants carry around Blackberry Curves to snap pictures of their meals and leftovers. They also wear a quarter-sized device on their shoe that counts the number of steps they take. Counselors pore over the incoming data and give individually tailored health advice through e-mail or telephone. Every month, the participants get their weight checked, and their progress is compared against a separate group that receives only generic health tips. The study involves just seven people, but researchers eventually hope to have 40. “It’s highly personalized. You get feedback very quickly,” said Corby Martin, who heads Pennington’s Ingestive Behavior Laboratory. By using technology to capture eating and exercise details, researchers hope to bypass self-reporting that can sometimes give an incomplete picture. But some medical experts are concerned about ethical questions. Even if people agree to be tracked, researchers worry about intruding into the rest of their lives and the lives of those around them. “As a researcher, I’m a professional voyeur, and I like to find out whatever I can about human subjects,” said William McCarthy, a professor of public health and psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. “But if I were a subject, I’d be concerned about the level of detail that’s being captured about my behavior from moment to moment.” University of Pittsburgh engineer Mingui Sun has developed a necklace equipped with a video camera that records where a person goes and what he or she eats. Before a researcher sees the data, it’s filtered by a computer that blurs out other people’s faces. The device is not smart enough to know whether the wearer ate a Big Mac or tofu. So a researcher inputs the food, and the computer calculates the portion size, calories and nutrients. Sun’s lab workers are wearing the prototype, and he hopes to test it on real people by the middle of the year. Another concern is whether people, particularly youngsters, will stick with it. — AP
File photo taken on November 12, 2009 in Nice, southeastern France, showing a nurse preparing vaccine against swine flu. France cancelled purchases of 50 million swine flu vaccines after ordering far more than needed, but was confident on Tuesday that it would not have to compensate the big companies that provide them, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said. — AFP
30
WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Happy Birthday dear Erin... From dear and near ones.
Christmas at JIS
C
hristmas celebrations were on at Jabriya Indian School and the happy occasion was the marked by the students during various assemblies throughout the day. Joy and cheer were in the air as the school choir dressed in red and white sang beautiful old favourites of X’mas carols. The little ones of the K.G. classes sang with great gusto ‘Joy to the world’ and indeed brought warmth on the cold morning. Teachers and students spoke on the significance of the day. Young and old clapped in excitement as Santa Claus made his entry. The long journey from the North had not dimmed his liveliness and enthusiasm.
Happy birthday dear S. Geetha. You are so special to everyone and we pray for your long life and happiness and lots of fun. Best wishes on your 8th birthday comes from mummy S. Nagalatha, daddy S.V Ramana, all family in Kuwait and India.
Premier
Announcements
Football
Tommorow UGC soccer tourney: The draw for the 34th Edition of the United Goans Centre soccer tournament will be held on 8th Jan 2010 at 9:00 am, at Shuwaikh Ground (MOH). UGC rolling trophy football tournament starts on 22nd Jan. 10, under the auspices of the Kuwait Indian Football Federation.
Academy
T
he Premier Football Academy - Everton Under 16 team, played against Al Arabi Sporting Club on Tuesday in an entertaining and sporting encounter. Chances were created by both teams with some fine footballing skills displayed but it was the clinical finishing of Al Arabi that clinched the result on this occasion. Training for the P.F.A. Centre of Excellence teams begins again on 8th January with regular fixtures arranged. For Further information contact P.F.A. Director of Football, Mike Finn on 99981327.
January 15 Konkani tiatr: Kala Mogui Kuwait is all set to presents. The most awaited show of the year 2009, now touring Gulf & the UK to entertain one & all with an award winning performance by every artiste in ‘Conny Enterprises’ Konkani Tiatr Mahanand Monis Vo Soitan? Written & Directed by History Creator of Konkani Stage Tony Dias. A true story of a serial killer that rocked Goa. Date: 15th January 2010 at 4.30 pm at Da’iya Fencing Club Hall ñ Kuwait. For reservation contact Raja Stores 22412970 or organizers: 99391452, 97439165, 24726524, 66512602, 99458159 or email: kalamogui@gmail.com Kalanjali Pongal Vizha 2010: Kalanjali Kuwait is planning to organize ‘Pongal Vizha’ on January 15, 2010 in American International School. Special program, similar to Paattukku Paatu (in Tamil), by World famous Bh Abdul Hameed will be conducted. Interested participants can send an email with their details to kalanjaliq8@gmail.com for selection process in Dec 2009 or contact 99816937 / 66457286.
Congratulations
F
rontliners Kuwait founder N.C.Mohandas celebrated the marriage reception of his daughter Ms Vinaya Bharathi with Dinesh at Fintas Marriage hall.
Vinya Bharathi an excellent engineering student serving for Intel India was married to Eng Dinesh, HCL at a grand function in their home town in Tamilnadu on Nov 1, 2009. Reception at
Kuwait was a show of love, affection and respect for the Indian community at Kuwait, NCM a part of it for over 15 years. Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra
graced the occasion and blessed the couple and applauded the good work done by Frontliners toward community welfare activities. He advised that younger generation should set positive goals and
work with dedication for the well being of oneself and for our country. Prominent members of the Indian community attended the function and blessed the couple.
Mega event:Seva Darshan Kuwait will present a mega stage show ‘Bharath Darshan’ on Friday, January 15, 2010 from 9 am onwards at the Marina Hall, Jleeb AlShouyoukh. The mega event will showcase riveting dance and music programs featuring celebrated artists of the Idea Star Singerfame Somadas, Jins, Prashobh and Superstar Global winner Roopa. They will be supported by the famous comedy duo Kottayam Nazir and Kalabhavan Prajod. The proceeds from the event will go to building a school project for the tribal children in the backward region of Kerala’s Marayoor area. All are welcome to the mega event. KKMA children?s drawing contest: The grand final contest of KKMA-Tiffany drawing contest for children in Indian schools in Kuwait will be held on Friday, 15th January 2010. A press release from KKMA stated that a total number of 3000 entries were received during the first phase of the contest held in June-October 2009. Children’s from 17 Indian schools in Kuwait participated in this contest. Of which 1000 finalists were selected and invited for an onthe-spot final contest held on January 15th 2010 at Kuwait Indian school in Jleeb (next to 6th ring road). A list of all finalists who are eligible for participating in the final contest is being sent to their respective schools and the participants are contacted by their given contact telephone or emails.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
31
INFORMATION
32
Thursday, January 7, 2010 FIRE BRIGADE Operation Room 777 Al-Madena 22418714 Al-Shohada始a 22545171 Al-Shuwaikh 24810598 Al-Nuzha 22545171 Sabhan 24742838 Al-Helaly 22434853 Al-Fayhaa 22545051 Al-Farwaniya 24711433 Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983 Al-Fahaheel 23927002 Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983 Ahmadi 23980088 Al-Mangaf 23711183 Al-Shuaiba 23262845 Al-Jahra 25610011 Al-Salmiya 25616368
Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw
For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 HOSPITALS Sabah Hospital
24812000
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POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha始a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station
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Jahra
24770319
New Jahra
24575755
West Jahra
24772608
South Jahra
24775066
North Jahra
24775992
North Jleeb
24311795
Al-Ardhiya
24884079
Firdous
4892674
Al-Omariya
4719048
N.Kheitan
4710044
Rabiya
4732263
Fintas
3900322
THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988 AIRLINES
PHARMACIES ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE Ahmadi
PHARMACY Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan
ADDRESS Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd
PHONE 23915883 23715414 23726558
Jahra
Modern Jahra Madina Munawara
Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92
24575518 24566622
Capital
Ahlam Khaldiya Coop
Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop
22436184 24833967
Farwaniya
New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan
Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11
24734000 24881201 24726638
Hawally
Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy
Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B
25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554
EMERGENCY 112
PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists: Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea Dr. Masoma Habeeb Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy Dr. Mohsen Abel Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly
25622444 25752222 25321171 25739999 25757700 25732223 25732223
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT): Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners: Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists: Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Plastic Surgeons: Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272
22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801
Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari Dr. Abdel Quttainah
22617700 25625030/60
Family Doctor: Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581
Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.
Zahra Qabazard Sohail Qamar Snaa Maaroof Pradip Gujare Zacharias Mathew
25710444 22621099 25713514 23713100 24334282
(1) Ear, Nose and Throat Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047 Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0 Gynaecologists & Obstetricians: Dr Adrian Harbe 23729596/23729581 Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321 Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539 Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406 Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272 Dr. Salem soso 22618787 General Surgeons: Dr. Abidallah Behbahani 25717111 Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148
Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300
Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290
(2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)
25655535 Dentists:
Dr Anil Thomas
3729596/3729581
Dr. Shamah Al-Matar
22641071/2
Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed
22562226
Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer
22561444
Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan
22619557
Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash
22525888
Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan
25653755
Dr. Bader Al-Ansari
25620111
Neurologists:
Internist, Chest & Heart: DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Tel: 25339667 Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Consultant Cardiologist Tel: 2611555-2622555 Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123
Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324 Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan
Internists, Chest & Heart: Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3
Physiotherapists & VD: Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288
25345875
Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman
22636464
Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali
22633135
Endocrinologist: Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari
25658888
Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr
25329924
Psychologists/Psychotherapists Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688 info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677 William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677
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
22433377 24379900 177 22477631 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/2433141 22456700 22412284/5 22453820/1
INTERNATIONAL CALLS Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK)
0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345 00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044
Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Holland (Netherlands) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Ibiza (Spain) Iceland India Indian Ocean Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia
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
Thursday, January 7, 2010
33 ACCOMMODATION Fully furnished sharing accommodation available for a Keralite Christian family at Abbassiya for 3-5 months. Contact: 99962214 & 66957146. (C 20140) Furnished accommodation from 1st February 2010 in Salmiya near garden for decent Muslim executive bachelors preferably Muslim Indian or Pakistani, in a very clean and peaceful environment. Rent KD 100. Contact: 66639581. (C 20141) 07-1-2010 Room available at Maidan Hawally for Filipino only with TFC, near bus stop. Please contact 97277135 Sharing accommodation available for a Keralite bachelor with 2 bachelors in a flat in Abbassiya, near Classic Typing Center. Contact after 5 pm on 66439011. (C 20133) Room for rent, for Filipino only, pwede nang lipatan, old Riggae, bldg 25, near KPTC bus stop/ UAE Exchange. Contact: 66982714/ 66166021. (C 20134) 6-1-2010 Sharing accommodation available in Kuwait city from 1st Feb in CAC flat with Keralite bachelors for a decent person. Rent KD 42. Interested pls contact 99486009, 97517417 (C 20132) 5-1-2010 Room available from 1st January in central A/C flat for Asian decent family/ couple, in old Khaitan near Water and Electricity department. Contact: 97468551. (C 20125) Sharing accommodation available with food for 2 Manglorean or Goan bachelors to share with a Goan family in Abbassiya. Mobile:
66269035. (C 20128) 4-1-2010 Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near 6th Ring Road one room semi furnished for bachelors or small family, stay with two bachelors, Indians only from 25th Dec, reasonable rent. Contact: 55682203 (C20083) Sharing accommodation available for a bachelor Indian, near Don Bosco School at Salmiya, rent KD 60 one room. Contact: 99493024, 25628932. (C 20123) Are you looking for good sharing apartment in a CAC, furnished 3BR/ 2 bath? Itʼs only for decent working females executive with an Indian family. Interested females can call on 65820916. (C 20122) 3-1-2010 Sharing accommodation available, new building, single working lady at old Riggae. Contact: 97836756, 66720438. (C 20119) 2-1-2010 Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near German clinic from nonsmoking, God fearing bachelors with an executive Christian Keralite bachelor, C-AC 2 bedroom new bldg reasonable rent. Contact: 94942964. (C 20115) 31-12-2009 Sharing accommodation available for a couple or working ladies with Keralite family, two bedroom and two bath flat, near Swaad restaurant, Abbassiya. Contact: 97949378, 97524093. (C 20110) 30-12-2009
FOR SALE Mitsubishi Gallant, 6 cylinder, silver color, 72,000 km, excellent condition, price KD 3,150. Contact:
66026259/ 55273700. (C 20138) Honda Accord 2007 model, honey gold, well maintained, (2.4 litres capacity, 25,000 km mileage). Single owner driven, owner leaving Kuwait. Price KD 4,000. Contact: 99300296. (C 20136) Laptop Siemens Core 2 Due, HD 120 GB, Ram 1 GB, DVD writer, Wifi, Bluetooth, Web cam + IBM Lenovo Desktop PC, Due Core with LCD monitor, for detail call: 99322585. (C 20139)
installment KD 49, balance to KFH KD 980, for details 99322585. (C 20113) IBM Lenovo desktop PC, Dual Core, RAM 1 GB, HD 200 GB, DVD writer, fax modem, Lan card, 17” LCD monitor Lenovo, in excellent condition, price 90 KD, call 99322585. (C 20114) 31-122009 Toyota Prado, model 2007 VX 4 cylinder, color violet, good condition, price KD 5,990 only. Tel: 66974049. 30-12-2009
Internet Card - Fast Telco for sale, original price is KD 55, required price is KD 25. Contact: 66451465. (C 20137) 7-1-2010
Toyota Corolla 1.8, model 2007, white, done mileage 47,000 km, excellent condition, price KD 3,050/- cash. Contact: 66211779. (C 20104)
Motorbike, Ducati 7495, model 2006, mileage: 3000 km, very good condition, color black, price 2800 KD. Tel: 99983300. (C 20135) 6-1-2010
Galant 2001, lady driven, excellent condition, only km 102,000 done, cash KD 1,000. Contact: 97119879. (C 20106)
Mitsubishi Galant, model 2003, silver grey color, in very good condition & insured up to October 2010, engine overhauled in November 09 from M/S auto-1 (Ex Al Gannam), price fixed KD 1,200. Call: 66608427. (C 20131) 5-1-2010 Excellent condition. Used household furniture, electrical, electronic items for sale with or w/o apartment. Genuine buyers call 66159436. (C 20121) 3-1-2010 Household furniture sofas, cupboards, tables chairs, dishwasher, TV, miscellaneous. Qurtoba - 99786814. (C 20118) 2-1-2010 Pajero 4x4, V3000, model 92, color golden + brown, full option, interior and exterior, engine transmission, AC front and rear all in excellent condition, one year registration, monthly
Subaru Impereza 2007, 4WD, GPS manual drive, DVD player, red metallic, sunroof, service book excellent condition, price 3400 KD. Contact: 60012596. (C 20101) Pentium 4, Intel, 40GB HDD, 256 MB Ram, CD Rom, 56K modem, sound card, speakers, 17” CRT monitor, ready for internet KD 40, P4, Intel Celeron 1.7 Ghz, 30GB, 256 Ram with 17” monitor KD 30. Contact: 66244192. (C 20102) 29-12-2009 Toyota Camry model 2006, white color, 4 cylinder engine, excellent condition, 72,500 km done, installment
CHANGE OF NAME I, Rema Ullas holder of Indian Passport No. E5285163 hereby change my name as Reema Mogal Rahiman. (C 20130) 5-1-2010
SITUATION VACANT
No: 14602
Required live in maid for Keralite family. Please call 99509436. (C 20129) 5-1-2010 Wanted full time maid for Pakistani family in Sawaber, for cooking, cleaning, should speak Hindi, having valid iqama. Tel: 22400207. (C 201127) 4-1-2010 Required a live-in nanny for a special needs child, knowledge of spoken and written English a necessity, nursing or educational background an asset highly competitive salary, please contact 99824597. (C 20117)
Flight Schedule Arrival Flights on Thursday 07/01/2010 Airlines Flt Route Jazeera 0263 Beirut Tunis Air 327 Tunis/Dubai Jazeera 0189 Dubai Wataniya Airways 2011 Sharm El Sheikh Royal Jordanian 802 Amman Jet A/W 574 Cochin Wataniya Airways 2103 Beirut Kalitta 537 Sharjah Gulf Air 211 Bahrain Jazeera 0513 Sharm El Sheikh Kuwait 544 Cairo Turkish A/L 1172 Istanbul D.H.L. 370 Bahrain Emirates 853 Dubai Etihad 0305 Abu Dhabi Qatari 0138 Doha Ethiopian 822 Addis Ababa/Bahrain Air France 6770 Paris Jazeera 0503 Luxor Jazeera 0527 Alexandria Kuwait 416 Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur Jazeera 0529 Assiut Jazeera 0481 Sabiha British 0157 London Kalitta 533 Al Fujairah Kuwait 208 Islamabad Kuwait 352 Cochin Jazeera 0161 Dubai Kuwait 302 Mumbai Kuwait 362 Colombo Kuwait 676 Dubai Emirates 855 Dubai Kuwait 286 Chittagong Arabia 0121 Sharjah Qatari 0132 Doha Etihad 0301 Abu Dhabi Gulf Air 213 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 1121 Bahrain Jazeera 0447 Doha Jazeera 0165 Dubai Jazeera 0425 Dubai/Bahrain Wataniya Airways 1021 Dubai Jazeera 0113 Abu Dhabi Iran Air 619 Lar Middle East 404 Beirut Oman Air 0645 Muscat Yemenia 625 Sanaa Pakistan 239 Sialkot Egypt Air 610 Cairo Jazeera 0171 Dubai Kuwait 672 Dubai Wataniya Airways 2301 Damascus Jazeera 0255 Beirut Jazeera 0525 Alexandria Jazeera 0257 Beirut Wataniya Airways 2001 Cairo
Time 00:05 00:10 00:15 00:15 00:35 00:40 00:50 01:00 01:05 01:25 01:30 02:15 02:15 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:30 04:35 05:35 06:10 06:25 06:30 06:35 06:40 07:00 07:40 01:40 07:45 07:55 08:20 08:20 08:30 08:35 08:55 09:00 09:35 10:45 10:45 11:00 11:05 11:10 11:20 11:20 11:50 11:55 12:15 12:35 12:50 12:55 13:05 13:25 13:35 13:50 14:05 14:10 14:20
Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Qatari Kuwait Kuwait Royal Jordanian Jazeera Emirates Gulf Air Saudi Arabian A/L Etihad Jazeera Arabia Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Sri Lankan United A/L Jazeera Wataniya Airways D.H.L. Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Indian Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jet A/W Wataniya Airways Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Jazeera Gulf Air Kuwait Middle East Qatari Kuwait Emirates Jazeera Jazeera Global Jazeera Jazeera Egypt Air Egypt Air Shaheen Air Lufthansa Wataniya Airways Wataniya Airways Pakistan Wataniya Airways
552 744 0457 0134 284 546 800 0173 857 215 510 0303 0239 0125 0367 2101 0497 227 982 0427 2003 473 1025 542 674 166 0177 614 774 575 102 562 618 572 1201 506 0459 0343 217 786 402 0136 502 859 0449 0429 081 0117 0185 612 606 441 636 2201 1029 215 1129
Damascus Dammam Damascus Doha Dhaka Alexandria Amman Dubai Dubai Bahrain Riyadh Abu Dhabi Amman Sharjah Deirezzor Beirut Riyadh Colombo/Dubai Washington DC Dulles Dubai/Bahrain Cairo Baghdad Dubai Cairo Dubai Paris/Rome Dubai Bahrain Riyadh Chennai/Goa New York/London Amman Doha Mumbai Jeddah Jeddah Damascus Sanaa/Bahrain Bahrain Jeddah Beirut Doha Beirut Dubai Doha Dubai/Bahrain Baghdad Abu Dhabi Dubai Cairo Luxor Lahore/Karachi Frankfurt Amman Dubai Karachi Bahrain
14:35 14:40 14:45 15:00 15:10 15:30 15:40 16:05 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:50 18:00 18:05 18:15 18:15 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:50 18:55 19:00 19:05 19:20 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:05 20:15 20:35 20:40 20:55 21:05 21:10 21:20 21:35 22:00 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:05 23:30 23:40 23:45 23:55 23:55
Departure Flights on Thursday 07/01/2010 Airlines Flt Route Egypt Air 607 Luxor Jazeera 0528 Assiut India Express 390 Mangalore/Kozhikode United A/L 981 Washington DC Dulles Jazeera 0160 Dubai Tunis Air 328 Tunis Indian 982 Ahmedabad/Chennai Pakistan 206 Lahore Bangladesh 044 Dhaka Jet A/W 573 Cochin Safi A/W 216 Kabul Kuwait 283 Dhaka D.H.L. 371 Bahrain Turkish A/L 1173 Istanbul 1mirates 854 Dubai Etihad 0306 Abu Dhabi Ethiopian 622 Addis Ababa Kalitta 537 Kandahar Qatari 0139 Doha Jazeera 0162 Dubai Air France 6770 Dubai/Hong Kong 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 Jazeera 0254 Beirut Wataniya Airways 1120 Bahrain Jazeera 0422 Bahrain/Dubai Wataniya Airways 2300 Damascus Kuwait 545 Alexandria Jazeera 0256 Beirut British 0156 London Kuwait 671 Dubai Kuwait 551 Damascus Jazeera 0456 Damascus Arabia 0122 Sharjah Emirates 856 Dubai Kuwait 117 New York Qatari 0133 Doha Etihad 0302 Abu Dhabi Kuwait 173 Frankfurt/Geneva Kalitta 533 Kandahar Wataniya Airways 2002 Cairo Gulf Air 214 Bahrain Jazeera 0426 Bahrain/Dubai Kuwait 743 Dammam Kuwait 541 Cairo Jazeera 0172 Dubai Wataniya Airways 2100 Beirut Jazeera 0366 Deirezzor
FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161
Time 00:01 00:05 00:30 00:40 00:55 01:00 01:05 01:10 01:15 01:40 02:30 02:55 03:15 03:15 03:50 04:10 04:15 05:00 05:00 06:00 06:20 07:00 07:00 07:05 07:20 07:30 07:35 07:40 07:45 07:45 07:50 07:55 08:10 08:30 08:35 08:55 09:00 09:10 09:25 09:35 09:40 10:00 10:00 10:20 10:20 11:00 11:30 11:40 11:50 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:05 12:20
Jazeera Kuwait Iran Air Middle East Oman Air Yemenia Pakistan Jazeera Egypt Air Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Royal Jordanian Qatari Kuwait Jazeera Gulf Air Etihad Emirates Arabia Jazeera Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Jazeera Wataniya Airways Global Jazeera Jazeera Wataniya Airways Sri Lankan Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Wataniya Airways Jet A/W Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Saudi Arabian A/L Gulf Air D.H.L. Kuwait Middle East Qatari Kuwait Emirates Jazeera Jazeera Egypt Air Jazeera Kuwait
0238 103 618 405 0646 825 240 0342 611 1024 673 561 0496 0176 1200 04s8 785 773 501 613 801 0135 617 0182 216 0304 858 0126 0262 511 0184 0116 2200 082 0448 0428 2102 228 3028 361 343 1128 571 331 0266 0606 507 218 171 675 403 0137 301 860 0636 0526 613 0502 411
Amman London Lar Beirut Muscat Doha/Sanaa Sialkot Sanaa Cairo Dubai Dubai Amman Riyadh Dubai Jeddah Damascus Jeddah Riyadh Beirut Bahrain Amman Doha Doha Dubai Bahrain Abu Dhabi Dubai Sharjah Beirut Riyadh Dubai Abu Dhabi Amman Baghdad Doha Bahrain/Dubai Beirut Dubai/Colombo Dubai Colombo Chennai Bahrain Mumbai Trivandrum Beirut Mumbai Jeddah Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Beirut Doha Mumbai Dubai Aleppo Alexandria Cairo Luxor Bangkok/Manila
12:25 12:30 12:50 12:55 13:15 13:35 13:40 13:50 13:55 14:25 14:30 L435 14:40 15:05 15:10 15:30 15:45 16:10 16:10 16:20 16:25 16:30 16:35 16:55 17:55 18:00 18:10 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:40 18:50 18:50 19:00 19:05 19:15 19:30 20:20 20:50 21:00 21:10 21:25 21:30 21:50 21:55 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:20 22:35 22:45 23:10 23:20 23:25 23:45 23:50 23:55
34
SPECTRUM
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Calvin
CROSSWORD 862
Aries (March 21-April 19) You may find yourself fussing with others regarding matters of group concern. You sometimes feel the pressure of competition and may push yourself very hard, thinking that someone hungrier and savvier than you will overtake you. You may be going against tradition and being too independent for group approval. You win recognition and authority through hard work and knowing the score. You could let your emotions become carried away under this kind of pressure and make mistakes you may regret. Ease up and find the humor in the day—you and your co-workers will enjoy a bit of laughter. You and your loved one may enjoy talking about each other’s dreams. Your dreams have a great deal of validity behind their meaning-keep a diary. Taurus (April 20-May 20) You may find yourself at odds with those around you or with your life situation regarding issues of great sensitivity—very personal. Difficulties, blocks and all manner of hot spots may be discovered and actually worked through. This will pass but meanwhile it might make it easier on you if you keep notes. Resist the urge to make decisions, as there are better times on the horizon. When you have some free time—dive into a bookstore and have fun browsing. You show great progress in your attempt to balance between work and play and you are successful in teaching others to do the same. You could feel loving and warm to those around you and you are appreciative of your own life and self, in general. This evening you can relax with loved ones.
Pooch Cafe
ACROSS 1. A shape that sags. 4. Any orchid of the genus Disa. 8. A workplace for the conduct of scientific research. 11. The 19th letter of the Greek alphabet. 12. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America. 13. To make a mistake or be incorrect. 14. A suburb of Paris. 15. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium. 16. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers. 17. Seed of a pea plant. 20. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal. 21. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar. 24. A unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns. 26. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens. 31. A public promotion of some product or service. 33. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects. 35. The capital and largest city of Ghana with a deep-water port. 37. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables. 39. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively. 42. South American armadillo with three bands of bony plates. 45. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples. 47. (prefix) Bad or erroneous or lack of. 50. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (Aspirin and Phenacetin and Caffeine). 51. (informal) Of the highest quality. 52. Cry plaintively. 53. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring on the sea or ships. DOWN 1. The event of something ending. 2. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine. 3. A Russian prison camp for political prisoners. 4. A person forced to flee from home or country. 5. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy. 6. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae. 7. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine. 8. A zodiacal constellation in northern hemisphere between Cancer and Virgo. 9. Type genus of the family Arcidae. 10. (informal) Exceptionally good. 18. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits. 19. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion. 22. Conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC). 23. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp. 25. A bachelor's degree in religion. 27. An enclosed space. 28. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism. 29. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores. 30. A radioactive element of the actinide series. 32. Informal terms for a mother. 34. Lower in esteem. 36. Support resembling the rib of an animal. 38. Surpassing the ordinary especially in size or scale. 40. A strip of land projecting into a body of water. 41. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill. 43. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 10 liters. 44. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth. 46. An associate degree in applied science. 47. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light. 48. A small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun. 49. A highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series).
Gemini (May 21-June 20) Ambition is a powerful motivation. This can lead you into conflict if you let it get out of control. Properly channeled, it results in great achievements and brings recognition. A special item you have been wanting for some time is within your reach now. There is a constant input into ideas that will increase your finances. It is up to you to act on some of this information. Do not respond by impulse but with thorough investigation and scrutiny. There is a push to finish projects that you have abandoned in the past. You will probably have some long conversations with an older person today—perhaps an authority figure. You will be able to encourage each other when it comes to some important decisions.
Non Sequitur Cancer (June 21-July 22) About the time that one thing works out, some other problem or challenge arises. You make the effort to remember to consider the positive with each challenge; however, you will set the pace for others. After a busy day, be kind to your feet—relax for a while with your feet propped up and do not sit on your feet. Stay away from stimulating situations after such a busy day, if possible—perhaps music will be soothing. Take care of personal affairs this afternoon. You will have a good opportunity to reflect your own situation and how you relate to the world around you. Lovers, children and other people or things dear to your heart are emphasized this evening. You may be teaching a child not be afraid of asking questions or making mistakes. Leo (July 23-August 22) Communication comes in clear form. In the work place, you will suddenly look around and find that the impact of the last few weeks is finally over. The office machines are running smoothly and life is busy but less stressful. The past few weeks were profitable but it is nice to be back in some sort of control. Today you may find a new friend in the work place. A friendship is important and you will find many things for which to laugh about and stories to share. Confidence reigns this afternoon as you tackle a difficult job—you feel very much in control and strong in your profession. This afternoon you may find that it is your turn to volunteer at the PTA. The evening goes well and you may even find another new friend.
Zits
Virgo (August 23-September 22) Unfinished business can be completed early this Thursday. Later, you may just want to sit back and soak in all the good vibrations. There is a personal decision to be made before this day is over. Perhaps a for-and-against or a pro-and-con list will help you come up with some answers. If needed, you can be most persuasive with others. You can expect a little boost, some sort of extra support from those around you. There is positive feedback when you express your dreams, ideas and thoughts. Friendships and involvement in group activities are all possible this afternoon. Lovers, children and other people or things dear to your heart are emphasized this evening. You give a listening ear to a complainer— they have their own answers.
Mother Goose and Grimm
Libra (September 23-October 22) Now is the best of times to confer with a professional. All energies are working toward a positive result. You will earn a good living in your lifetime, slowly building up a sound base for financial security as you go along at your own steady pace. Review your options for investments and get advice on which way to go with this endeavor. Your talents and capabilities are many. As an adult, only you can deprive yourself of anything. This is truly the beginning of many bright sun-shinny days. Faith, optimism and a yearning to explore all kinds of new horizons are some of the focal points in your life at this time. A reunion with a friend opens a door to memories and much laughter. There is inspiration from your significant other. Scorpio (October 23-November 21) An authority figure could slow you today—patience. Those that sign our checks have priority, so walk quietly and carry a big positive attitude. You must look at today as one of the steppingstones to success—delays are temporary—and sometimes important. Today and tomorrow are the best times to start a diet. You will do best in the dieting game if you compete with yourself or a friend and make the reward clothing. Do not miss meals in order to lose weight, just cut back on the amount and walk for exercise. Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever! Someone may offer you a deal you think you cannot refuse this evening—refuse it. Go forward with your own plans and allow others to get on with their plans. Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Your own inner need for change and growth may be threatened by someone older or by circumstances. It could be that the time is just not right for some of the changes you want to make. Someone who seemed out to damage your good name has turned out to be a totally different person than you thought—a really good friend. Patience will win out, especially as you lend a listening ear to someone that is very frustrated. This person is all caught up in techniques. Somewhere you have heard before to not stress yourself out over the small stuff . . . it is all small stuff and this you may decide to teach. Careful, there are plenty of unexpected requests for your money as well as a desire to own something pretty. Music is relaxing this evening.
Yesterday’s Solution
Yester
Yesterday’s Solution
To
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
Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Too many responsibilities can clutter your thinking as well as your progress. Any new request for your time might send your nerves in a twist. When there are requests for your time and efforts—give some thought about what you are involved with just now. You may want to consider dropping one or two of your interests for a short time—it may be time to let someone else be creative. Demands at work are ongoing and it is important to enjoy your work breaks. Friends or a friend can be great company this afternoon. You may be feeling more like sharing some time with your lover or with close friends this evening. There is growth in your relationships. You can see the tangible benefits and will find ways to compliment each person.
INTERNATIONAL CALLS Kuwait Qatar Abu Dhabi Dubai Raas Al Khayma Al-Shareqa Muscat Jordan Bahrain Riyadh Makkah - Jeddah Cairo Alexandria Beirut Damascus Allepo
Capricorn (December 22-January 19) The hard work you have been doing lately is beginning to show positive results. Meetings or presentations show you as very well organized and knowledgeable. You may be able to bring a group together with words or ideas that are helpful to others. Later this afternoon, you may be challenging young people to write poetry and encouraging their artistic talents. There is a never ending need for original writing and you may take up the pen and create a story, proposal or poem yourself. This afternoon your homework will be exactly that . . . homework. You have company coming and will hurry through a variety of cleaning techniques that could have you huffing and puffing by the time your company appears. Advance notice is always welcomed.
Word Sleuth Solution
Pisces (February 19-March 20) You could be helping or making decisions concerning group issues today. With your business and organizational expertise, you will know just what to do. You may find several requisitions on the proper way to handle foreign visitors to your company— you do well. You are the peacemaker. The ways you make choices are very wise—others could learn from the way you decipher, analyze and then move forward. The phone is nearby and there are people to call that will help you. You increase your finances today and you are able to see your future with a more realistic view. From now until June is the time to create some idea for a book. Gather information, read and take notes. Romance is possible this evening.
TV PROGRAMS
Thursday, January 7, 2010
35
Orbit Listings / Show Listings AMERICA PLUS 00:00 Lost 01:00 Private Practice 02:00 Grey’s Anatomy 03:00 Cold Case 04:00 The Closer 05:00 Lost 06:00 GMA Recorded 08:00 GMA Health 08:30 What’s the Buzz 09:00 Private Practice 10:00 Grey’s Anatomy 11:00 *24* 12:00 The Closer 13:00 Cold Case 14:00 *24* 15:00 GMA Live 17:00 GMA Health 17:30 What’s the Buzz 18:00 The Closer 19:00 Lost 20:00 The O.C. 21:00 ER 22:00 Bachelor 23:00 Supernatural ANIMAL PLANET 00:50 Animal Cops Phoenix 01:45 The Heart of a Lioness 02:40 Untamed & Uncut 03:35 Planet Earth 04:30 Animal Cops Phoenix 05:25 Animal Cops Phoenix 06:20 Lemur Street 06:45 Monkey Business 07:10 Aussie Animal Rescue 07:35 Pet Passport 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 Aussie Animal Rescue 11:05 Animal Cops Phoenix 11:55 Planet Earth 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 The Heart of a Lioness 15:35 Lemur Street 16:00 Monkey Business 16:30 Pet Rescue 16:55 Pet Passport 17:25 Wildlife SOS 18:20 Animal Cops Phoenix 19:15 Austin Stevens Adventures 20:10 Lions and Giants 21:10 Animal Cops Phoenix 22:05 Untamed & Uncut 23:00 Austin Stevens Adventures 23:55 Animal Cops Phoenix BBC ENTERTAINMENT 00:35 Casualty 01:35 Child Of Our Time 2006 02:35 A Year At Kew 03:05 A Year At Kew 03:35 Goldplated 04:25 Casualty 05:15 Casualty 06:35 Bargain Hunt 07:20 Balamory 07:40 Tweenies 08:00 Fimbles
08:20 08:45 08:50 09:00 09:20 09:40 10:00 10:25 10:30 11:15 12:15 12:45 13:15 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:45 16:15 17:15 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:50 20:40 21:00 21:45 22:15 22:45 23:15 23:45
Teletubbies Yoho Ahoy Tommy Zoom Balamory Tweenies Fimbles Teletubbies Yoho Ahoy Bargain Hunt Child Of Our Time 2006 A Year At Kew A Year At Kew The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Bargain Hunt Cash In The Attic Antiques Roadshow The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Casualty Model Gardens The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Massive Fear Stress & Anger Jack Dee: Live At The Apollo
BBC LIFESTYLE 00:05 Sweet Baby James 00:30 Masterchef Goes Large 01:00 Masterchef Goes Large 01:25 Cash In The Attic Usa 01:50 Hidden Potential 02:15 Living In The Sun 03:15 Indian Food Made Easy 03:45 Sweet Baby James 04:10 Masterchef Goes Large 04:40 Masterchef Goes Large 05:10 Cash In The Attic Usa 05:35 Cash In The Attic Usa 05:55 Hidden Potential 06:20 Living In The Sun 07:20 Colin And Justin’s Home Show 08:00 Antiques Roadshow 08:50 Cash In The Attic Usa 09:10 Cash In The Attic Usa 09:35 Hidden Potential 10:00 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 10:45 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 11:30 Living In The Sun 12:20 Antiques Roadshow 13:05 What Not To Wear 13:55 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 14:40 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 15:25 Daily Cooks Challenge 15:55 Daily Cooks Challenge 16:25 Cash In The Attic Usa 16:50 Hidden Potential 17:10 Antiques Roadshow 18:00 What Not To Wear 18:50 Living In The Sun 19:45 Daily Cooks Challenge 20:15 Daily Cooks Challenge 20:40 Masterchef Goes Large 21:05 Indian Food Made Easy 21:35 Sweet Baby James 22:00 Colin And Justin’s Home Show 22:50 What Not To Wear 23:40 Indian Food Made Easy
BBC WORLD 00:00 Bbc World News - U 00:30 Hardtalk - U 01:00 World News Today: Business Edition - U 01:45 Sport Today - U 02:00 Bbc World News - U 02:30 Hardtalk - U 03:00 Bbc World News America - U 04:00 Bbc World News - U 04:30 Asia Business Report - U 04:45 Sport Today - U 05:00 Bbc World News - U 05:30 Asia Business Report - U 05:45 Asia Today - U 06:00 World News Today - U 07:00 Bbc World News - U 07:30 Hardtalk - U 08:00 Bbc World News - U 08:30 World Business Report - U 09:00 Bbc World News - U 09:30 World Business Report - U 10:00 Bbc World News - U 10:30 World Business Report - U 10:45 Sport Today - U 11:00 Bbc World News - U 11:30 World Business Report - U 11:45 Sport Today - U 12:00 Bbc World News - U 12:30 Hardtalk - U 13:00 Bbc World News - U 14:00 Bbc World News - U 14:30 World Business Report - U 14:45 Sport Today - U 15:00 World News Today - U 16:00 World News Today - U 17:00 Bbc World News - U 17:30 Hardtalk - U 18:00 Bbc World News - U 18:30 Kill Or Cure? - U 19:00 World News Today - U 20:00 Bbc World News - U 20:30 World Business Report - U 20:45 Sport Today - U 21:00 Bbc World News - U 21:30 Hardtalk - U 22:00 World News Today - U 23:00 Bbc World News - U 23:30 Click - U CARTOON NETWORK 00:15 Out of Jimmy’s Head 00:40 Chop Socky Chooks 01:05 Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends 01:30 Cramp Twins 01:55 George of the Jungle 02:20 Adrenalini Brothers 02:45 Gadget Boy 03:10 Ed, Edd n Eddy 03:35 Class of 3000 04:00 The Powerpuff Girls 04:15 Robotboy 04:40 The Secret Saturdays 05:05 Chowder 05:30 Ben 10 05:55 Best Ed 06:20 Samurai Jack 06:45 Cramp Twins 07:10 Eliot Kid 07:35 The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack 08:00 My Spy Family 08:25 Chowder 08:50 Best Ed 09:15 Chop Socky Chooks 09:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 10:05 Bakugan Battle Brawlers
10:30 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 10:55 Skunk Fu! 11:20 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 11:30 Squirrel Boy 11:55 Robotboy 12:20 Camp Lazlo 12:45 The Powerpuff Girls 13:10 Class of 3000 13:35 Ed, Edd n Eddy 14:00 Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends 14:25 Codename 14:50 Ben 10 15:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 15:40 Squirrel Boy 16:05 Eliot Kid 16:35 George of the Jungle 17:00 Skunk Fu! 17:25 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 17:50 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 18:15 The Secret Saturdays 18:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:05 Casper’s Scare School 19:30 Total Drama Action 20:00 The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack 20:25 Chop Socky Chooks 20:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 21:05 Ed, Edd n Eddy 21:30 Skunk Fu! 21:45 The Secret Saturdays 22:10 Ben 10: Alien Force 22:35 The Life & Times of Juniper Lee 23:00 Camp Lazlo 23:25 Samurai Jack 23:50 Megas XLR CINEMA CITY 01:00 Newcastle - R 03:00 The Informant - 18 05:00 The Indian - PG 07:00 The Cursed - PG15 09:00 Napoleon Pt.*2* - PG 11:00 Tribute - PG 13:00 There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble - PG 15:00 Past Lies - PG 17:00 Girl With a Pearl Earring PG15 19:00 Night Of the Living Dead - 18 21:00 White Men Can’t Jump - PG15 23:00 Love for Sale - 18 E! ENTERTAINMENT 00:15 Streets Of Hollywood 00:40 50 Most Shocking Celebrity Scandals 01:30 25 Most Stylish 02:20 Sexiest 03:15 Ths 05:05 Dr 90210 06:00 Ths 07:45 Style Star 08:10 Style Star 08:35 E! News 09:00 The Daily 10 09:25 Leave It To Lamas 09:50 Leave It To Lamas 10:15 Ths 11:05 Ths 12:00 E! News 12:25 The Daily 10 12:50 Reality Hell 13:15 Reality Hell 13:40 Cheating Death 15:25 Behind The Scenes 15:50 Behind The Scenes 16:15 E!es 17:10 Perfect Catch 18:00 E! News 18:25 The Daily 10 18:50 Streets Of Hollywood 19:15 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 19:40 Ths 20:30 Ths 21:20 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:45 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 22:10 E! News 22:35 The Daily 10 23:00 Dr 90210 23:50 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties NAT GEO ADVENTURE 00:30 Jailed Abroad 01:30 Jailed Abroad 02:30 Destination Extreme 03:00 Madventures 03:30 Surfer’s Journal 04:00 Bondi Rescue 04:30 Destination Extreme 05:00 Madventures 05:30 By Any Means 06:30 Jailed Abroad 07:30 Jailed Abroad 08:30 Destination Extreme 09:00 Madventures 09:30 Surfer’s Journal 10:00 Bondi Rescue 10:30 Destination Extreme 11:00 Madventures 11:30 Kayaking In New Zealand 12:30 Bondi Rescue 13:00 Bondi Rescue 13:30 Surfer’s Journal 14:00 Surfer’s Journal 14:30 Destination Extreme 15:00 Madventures 15:30 Surfer’s Journal 16:00 Bondi Rescue 16:30 Destination Extreme 17:00 Madventures 17:30 Kayaking In New Zealand 18:30 Bondi Rescue 19:00 Bondi Rescue 19:30 Surfer’s Journal 20:00 Surfer’s Journal 20:30 Destination Extreme 21:00 Madventures 21:30 Surfer’s Journal 22:00 Bondi Rescue 22:30 Destination Extreme 23:00 Madventures 23:30 Kayaking In New Zealand
The Kingdom on Show Movies
NAT GEO WILD 00:00 Wild Russia 01:00 Cheetah Blood Brothers 02:00 Monkey Thieves
02:30 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30
Monkey Thieves Wild Dog Diaries Insects From Hell Snake Wranglers Animals At The Edge Wild Russia Cheetah Blood Brothers Monkey Thieves Monkey Thieves Wild Dog Diaries Insects From Hell Snake Wranglers Brady’s Wild Hour In The Land Of The Dragons When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs Super Pride Rescue Ink Golden Baboons Insects From Hell Snake Wranglers Brady’s Wild Hour In The Land Of The Dragons When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs Super Pride Rescue Ink Golden Baboons Insects From Hell Snake Wranglers Brady’s Wild Hour In The Land Of The Dragons
PLAYHOUSE DISNEY 08:00 Special Agent Oso 08:25 Handy Manny 08:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:15 Imagination Movers 09:40 Chuggington 09:50 Chuggington 10:00 Chuggington 10:10 Handy Manny 10:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:50 Special Agent Oso 11:15 Imagination Movers 11:40 My Friends Tigger and Pooh 12:05 Chuggington 12:20 Chuggington 12:55 Handy Manny 13:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 13:30 Handy Manny 13:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 14:10 Imagination Movers 14:30 Little Einsteins 14:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 15:20 Jo Jo’s Circus 15:45 Jo Jo’s Circus 16:10 Higglytown Heroes 16:35 Higglytown Heroes 17:00 Happy Monster Band 17:05 My Friends Tigger and Pooh 17:30 Happy Monster Band 17:35 Handy Manny 18:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 18:25 Special Agent Oso 18:50 Chuggington 19:00 Imagination Movers 19:25 Handy Manny 19:50 Chuggington 20:00 Special Agent Oso 20:15 Little Einsteins 20:40 Handy Manny 20:50 My Friends Tigger and Pooh 21:00 End Of Programming SHOW COMEDY 00:00 Friends 00:30 According To Jim 01:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Weeds 02:30 The Inbetweeners 03:00 Home Improvement 03:30 The Colbert Report 04:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 04:30 The Colbert Report 05:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 05:30 Will And Grace 06:00 My Wife And Kids 06:30 Home Improvement 07:00 Fresh Prince Of Bel Air 07:30 Three Sisters 08:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 08:30 8 Simple Rules... 09:00 The Nanny 09:30 Malcolm In The Middle 10:00 Will And Grace 10:30 My Wife And Kids 11:00 How I Met Your Mother 11:30 8 Simple Rules... 12:00 Three Sisters 12:30 The Nanny 13:00 Fresh Prince Of Bel Air 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 14:00 Home Improvement 14:30 Malcolm In The Middle 15:00 Friends 15:30 According To Jim 16:00 Three Sisters 16:30 The Nanny 17:00 Fresh Prince Of Bel Air 17:30 8 Simple Rules... 18:00 Will And Grace 18:30 My Wife And Kids 19:00 How I Met Your Mother 19:30 Malcolm In The Middle 20:00 Friends 20:30 According To Jim 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Comedy Central 22:30 Comedy Central 23:00 South Park 23:30 How I Met Your Mother SHOW MOVIES 1 01:00 Jcvd - PG 15 03:00 I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry - PG 15 05:00 Reservation Road - PG 15 07:00 Space Chimps - PG 09:00 Dan In Real Life - PG 15 11:00 Not Easily Broken - PG 15 12:45 The Mist - PG 15 15:00 Dan In Real Life - PG 15 17:00 Not Easily Broken - PG 15 18:45 Wall-e - FAM 20:30 The Kingdom - 18 23:00 Meet Bill - R SHOW MOVIES 2 00:00 El Pasado - 18 02:00 Clubbed - 18 04:00 Mystery Of The Crystal Skulls
Heist on Super Movies - PG 06:00 And When Did You Last See Your Father - PG 15 08:00 The Coneheads - PG 15 10:00 Curly Sue - FAM 11:45 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - PG 14:15 Barrack Obama: The Man And His Journey - PG 15:45 Curly Sue - FAM 17:30 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - PG 20:00 Return To Rajapur - PG 15 22:00 The Other Boleyn Girl - PG 15 SHOW MOVIES ACTION 01:00 The Disappeared - 18 03:00 Nitro - PG 15 05:00 Redline - PG 15 07:00 Elsewhere - 18 09:00 Resident Evil: Degeneration PG 15 11:00 Godzilla - PG 15 13:30 Sasquatch Hunters - PG 15 15:00 Resident Evil: Degeneration PG 15 17:00 Godzilla - PG 15 19:30 Shaft - 18 21:30 Penny Dreadfull - PG 15 23:00 Eastern Promises - 18 SHOW MOVIES COMEDY 00:00 Touch Of Pink - 18 02:00 Zoolander - PG 15 04:00 Heavyweights - PG 06:00 Kung Fu Hustle - PG 15 08:00 Zoolander - PG 15 10:00 All Hat - PG 15 12:00 Parenthood - PG 15 14:00 Georgia Rule - PG 15 16:00 All Hat - PG 15 18:00 Parenthood - PG 15 20:00 Lee Evans Big: Live At The O2 - PG 15 22:30 Burn After Reading - PG 15 SHOW MOVIES KIDS 00:00 Flintstones: I Yabba Dabba Do! - FAM 01:45 The Jungle Book Ii - FAM 03:30 Milagro De P. Tinto, El - PG 05:45 Barbie In The 12 Dancing Princesses - FAM 07:45 Spiderwick Chronicles - PG 10:00 Phoebe In Wonderland - PG 12:00 My Neighbors: The Yamadas FAM 14:00 Bolt - FAM 15:45 Dragon Hunters - PG 15 17:15 The Jungle Book Iii : Mowgli’s Adventure - FAM 18:45 Bolt - FAM 20:30 Phoebe In Wonderland - PG 22:30 My Neighbors: The Yamadas FAM SHOW SERIES 00:00 Criminal Minds 01:00 House Of Saddam 03:00 Survivor: Samoa 04:00 Law And Order 05:00 Emmerdale 05:30 Coronation Street 06:00 Criminal Minds 07:00 24 08:00 Heroes
09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00
Survivor: Samoa Law And Order 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street Never Trust A Skinny Cook 10 Years Younger (usa) 10 Years Younger (usa) Saving Grace Criminal Minds Eureka Emmerdale Huey’s Cooking Adventure Starter Wife Bones Demons Secret Diary Of A Call Girl Saving Grace
SKY NEWS 00:00 News, Sport, Weather - U 01:00 Sky News At Ten - U 02:00 Sky News Tonight - U 02:30 Press Preview - U 03:00 Sky Midnight News - U 03:30 Cbs News - U 04:00 News On The Hour - U 04:30 News, Sport, Weather - U 05:00 News On The Hour - U 05:30 News, Sport, Weather - U 06:00 News On The Hour - U 06:30 Cbs News - U 07:00 Sky World News - U 07:30 Sky World Review And Business Report - U 08:00 Sky World News - U 08:30 Sky World Review And Business Report - U 09:00 Sunrise - U 12:00 The Live Desk - U 13:00 Sky News Today - U 16:00 The Live Desk - U 17:00 Afternoon Live - U 20:00 Live At Five - U 20:30 Live At Five - U 21:00 Sky News At Six - U 21:30 Sky News At Six - U 22:00 Sky.com News - U 22:30 Jeff Randall Live - U 23:30 News, Sport, Weather - U SUPER COMEDY 00:30 The Jay Leno Show 01:30 Notes From The Underbelly 02:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 03:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 03:30 Late Night Show With Jimmy Fallon 04:30 Jimmy Kimmel Live 05:30 The Jay Leno Show 06:30 Notes From The Underbelly 07:00 Frasier 07:30 All Of Us 08:00 The Tonight Show With Conan O’ Brien 09:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 10:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live 11:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:30 Frasier 12:00 Notes From The Underbelly 12:30 All Of Us 13:00 The Jay Leno Show 14:00 The Tonight Show With Conan O’ Brien 15:00 Late Night Show With Jimmy
Fallon 16:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Frasier 18:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live 19:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 19:30 All Of Us 20:00 The Jay Leno Show 21:00 The Tonight Show With Conan O’ Brien 22:00 Late Night Show With Jimmy Fallon 23:00 HUNG 23:30 Jimmy Kimmel Live SUPER MOVIES 01:00 Her Name is Carla - 18 03:00 Genghis Khan - PG15 05:00 Prom Wars - PG15 07:00 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl - FAM 09:00 Lady in the Water - PG15 11:00 Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! - FAM 13:00 Hoot - FAM 15:00 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl - FAM 17:00 Jumper - PG 19:00 L.A. Blues - PG15 21:00 Australia - PG15 23:00 Heist - 18 TCM 00:50 The Dirty Dozen 03:15 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 05:00 The Screening Room 05:30 Liebestraum (1991) 07:20 The Screening Room 08:00 The Yellow Rolls Royce 10:00 The Unsinkable Molly Brown 12:05 The V.I.P.s 14:00 Easter Parade 15:40 The Wings of Eagles 17:25 Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm 19:35 Ben Hur 23:00 Liebestraum (1991) THE HISTORY CHANNEL 00:40 Ancient Discoveries 01:30 Lost Worlds 02:20 Mummy Forensics 03:10 Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire 04:00 How the Earth Was Made 04:55 Specials 06:40 Ancient Discoveries 07:30 Lost Worlds 08:20 Mummy Forensics 09:10 Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire 10:00 How the Earth Was Made 10:55 Specials 12:40 Ancient Discoveries 13:30 Lost Worlds 14:20 Mummy Forensics 15:10 Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire 16:00 How the Earth Was Made 16:55 Specials 18:40 Ancient Discoveries 19:30 Lost Worlds 20:20 Mummy Forensics 21:10 Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire
Star Listings (UAE Timings) STAR Movies
16:00 16:25 16:50 17:00 17:50 18:00 18:50 19:00 19:25 19:50 20:00 20:50 21:00 21:50 22:00 23:00 23:30 00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:25
My Name Is Earl My Name Is Earl V.I.P. Prison Break One Day At A Time The Unit Dilbert Cops Cops V.I.P. Prison Break One Day At A Time The Unit Dilbert [V] Tunes Worst Week Ngc Program [V] Tunes [V] Tunes 7th Heaven American Idol Beauty And The Geek Cops Cops
05:50 06:00 06:50 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:00 08:50 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:50 11:00 11:50 12:00 13:00 13:30 14:00
V.I.P. Grey’s Anatomy One Day At A Time My Name Is Earl My Name Is Earl Dilbert Prison Break V.I.P. Worst Week The Bold And The Beautiful 7th Heaven One Day At A Time Grey’s Anatomy Dilbert [V] Tunes Cops Cops American Idol
Granada TV 21:00 Vroom Vroom (Series 2) 22:00 Emmerdale 22:30 Coronation Street 23:00 Vroom Vroom (Series 2) 00:00 Coach Trip (Series 1) *
01:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00
Action Thursday: Rough Diamond (Series 2) Young, Posh and Loaded The Paul O’Grady Show Jungle Janes Emmerdale Coronation Street Coach Trip (Series 1) * Action Thusday: Rough Diamond (Series 2) Young, Posh and Loaded The Paul O’Grady Show Art Crime Emmerdale Coronation Street The Springer Show The Chopping Block (Series 1) Action Thursday: Rough Diamond (Series 2) Young, Posh and Loaded Emmerdale Coronation Street The Springer Show The Chopping Block (Series 1) Action Thursday: Rough Diamond (Series 2)
Channel [V] 22:00 [V] Plug
22:30 23:00 00:00 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 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
The Playlist Loop Backtracks Double Shot [V] Plug The Playlist Loop Vanity Lair [V] Tunes Double Shot Backtracks Loop [V] Plug Double Shot Backtracks [V] Tunes [V] Plug The Playlist Loop Videoscope [V] Tunes Backtracks [V] Tunes [V] Plug The Playlist
19:00 Loop 20:00 Videoscope 21:00 [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
36
SPECTRUM
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Stallone undergoes neck surgery after fight scene ylvester Stallone broke his neck filming his new movie. The actor suffered the serious injury while shooting a fight scene with former WWE wrestler Steve Austin for ‘The Expendables’, and had to have major surgery. He said: “Man, it was seven guys, kicking each other’s a*s, one guy tougher than the next. No joke, our stunt guys were begging for mercy. “Actually, my fight with Stone Cold Steve Austin was so vicious that I ended up getting a hairline fracture in my neck. I’m not joking. I haven’t told anyone this, but I had to have a very serious operation afterwards. I now have a metal plate in my neck.” This is not the first injury the 63year-old star has suffered while making a movie. While making ‘Rocky IV’ in 1985 a boxing scene with Dolph Lundgren - who also appears in ‘The Expendables’ - got so out of hand, Stallone almost died after being punched in the head and chest. He explained to FHM magazine: “Dolph Lundgren and I always went for it. I gave him orders to try to knock me out while the cameras were rolling. At one point, he hit me so hard on the top of the head I felt my spine compress. He then hit me with an almighty uppercut. “That night my chest and heart started to swell, and I had to be helicopter-ambulanced from my hotel to a nearby emergency room. I was told that Dolph had punched my rib cage into my chest, compressing my heart. If it had swollen any more, I would have died. “After that, I was like, ‘Dolph, it’s only a movie, bro.’ “ Stallone, Lundgren and Austin also star alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke in ‘The Expendables’ - about a crack military squad that is assembled to overthrow a South American dictator.
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he ‘Beautiful’ singer - who will release her fourth LP, ‘Bionic’, in March - says her sound has changed dramatically since she became a mother to her 23-monthold son Max. She told Marie Claire magazine: “I had a really hard time being light before. I’d get a little weird about it being too cliched. My first record was very cliched pop what everyone else wanted. “‘Stripped’ was inspired by a lot of pain and ‘Back to Basics’ still had some sort of relation to my past. “My new one is just about the future - my son in my life, motivating me to want to play and have fun. “Things that maybe I’ve been afraid to do in the past, to allow myself to go to a place of ‘less singing’. I’m more vulnerable and stronger at the same time.” It seems motherhood is now having a different effect Christina - who is married to music producer Jordan Bradman - since she
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started recording the LP. In October, the 29-year-old pop star claimed it would be “unfair” if she changed her career or style just because she had a family. Asked how becoming a mom had affected her attitude to work, she said: “As far as motherhood affecting me creatively goes - like, I shouldn’t be wearing that because I’m a mom - it hasn’t. That wouldn’t be fair to me. “It’s important to keep a strong sense of yourself when you’re a mom. You’re still you.”
Aguilera’s son inspired her new album
Lopez feels she deserves an Oscar ennifer Lopez feels she deserves to have won an Oscar. The singer-and-actress believes her role in ‘El Cantante’ was worthy of an Academy Award and was disappointed she didn’t even get nominated for the prestigious honor. Jennifer - who starred alongside husband Marc Anthony in the movie - said: “I feel like I had that Oscar worthy role in ‘El Cantante’, but I don’t even think the academy members saw it. I feel like it’s their responsibility to do that, to see everything that’s out there, everything that could be great.” The ‘Maid in Manhattan’ star admits she watched the 2008 Oscars with frustration even though she had given birth to her twins, Max and Emme, just days before. She said: “Well, it is a little bit frustrating. It was funny; when the Oscars were on, I had just given birth on the 22nd, and the Oscars, I think, were a day or two later. I was sitting there with my twins - I couldn’t have been happier - but I was like, ‘How dope would it have been if I would’ve won the Oscar and been here in my hospital bed accepting the award?’ ‘Thank you so much! I just want to thank the academy!’ “ However, she does believe she will get the honor one day, telling Latina magazine: “Things will happen when they’re supposed to happen. I have the utmost faith and no doubt that it will one day, when and if it’s supposed to. You can’t get all crazy twisted over it.”
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Anderson made a career out of being a ‘dumb blonde’ he ‘Baywatch’ actress doesn’t mind being stereotyped as she is happy to laugh at herself. Speaking about her image, she said: “I think it’s funny. We all have to have a sense of humor about ourselves and other people. It’s definitely one of those things. I made a career out of it. I guess ignorance is bliss - when I do interviews people always say, ‘Aren’t you upset that people make fun of you?’ And I’m like, ‘Are they making fun of me?’ I guess I just don’t get it.” Asked if she knew any dumb blonde jokes, she said: “I don’t. That’s how dumb I am.” However, Pamela, 42, who is currently the face of Vivienne Westwood’s fashion range, claimed many of her friends appreciate her image as she is more of an art icon to them. She told Britain’s OK! magazine: “I have great friends who I really admire artists and great people who understand that it’s like a pop art thing.” — Bang Showbiz
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than Hawke would “chain-smoke” if he were immortal. The actor admits that playing a vampire in new movie ‘Daybreakers’ made him consider what life would be like if it never ended and he would be able to be more reckless. He said: “There’s something about knowing life is finite that makes it so precious. I did wonder what I would do if I knew I was immortal. I guess what tops my list would be riding a motorcycle and chain-smoking. The idea can be seductive.” Ethan - who has a 17-month-old daughter Clementine with wife Ryan Shawhughes and two children, Maya, 11, and Lebon, seven, with ex-spouse Uma Thurman - turns 40 this year and although he is happy with his life, the actor doesn’t feel he has achieved enough. He added to Parade.com: “I feel like all those cliche things that everybody always says about getting older, like, ‘I can’t believe it’s happened.’ But I’m having one of the most interesting moments in my life right now, directing a Sam Shepard play. “I’m getting to do the things that I want to do, which was always the fear for me when I was younger. When you’re young, there’s so much anxiety about how things are going to go. But I still hear my old football coach talking in my head, ‘200 per cent Hawke. Ordinary effort, ordinary result.’ “
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Kate Moss has taken up synchronized swimming he British catwalk beauty spent almost a week mastering a water dance routine at a luxurious hotel in Phuket, Thailand - where she saw in the New Year - before performing for a big group of friends, including fellow model Naomi Campbell on Tuesday A source said: “Kate has spent five days solid preparing for this synchronized swimming display.” The 35-year-old style icon took the task so seriously she even wore professional attire and studied from a guide book to help her perfect the challenging moves. The source added: “Underwater music was piped through her hotel pool, allowing her to practice her moves and refine the art of water ballet. Sporting a nose clip and floral swimming cap - worn ironically - she had a hotel worker download an online handbook so she could learn all the moves. “Kate has perfected all the basic
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sculling moves and twirls, plus the eggbeater - basically treading water - but has really struggled with the crane which requires a great deal of core strength.” Kate’s week of training ended last night with an alcoholfuelled performance which left her friends and rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince in hysterics. The source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Last night she invited a group of model friends, including Naomi, to her villa for the show. It was a roaring success and everyone was in hysterics watching Kate and co. pirouetting underwater. “The only blip in the evening was when a rather tipsy Kate tried to jump back in the pool at midnight for an impromptu solo performance. Boyfriend Jamie Hince had to physically hold her back. But Kate reckons it’s been amazing for her bum and tum, and has really toned her up.”
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
lifestyle
Elvis fans love him tender on his 75th birthday nconfirmed sightings aside, Elvis lives on for millions of his fans worldwide, and in cities across the globe many are getting ready to celebrate the King’s 75th birthday on Friday. The biggest party will be here in Memphis, where January 8, 2010 has already been proclaimed Elvis Presley Day, and events including live music and exhibits are planned. But celebrations are also happening globally, with Elvis fan clubs organizing events in Tokyo, London, Paris and elsewhere. “Elvis is one of those rare people who came along who resonated across cultural lines,” said Howard Kramer, who curated the Elvis exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Even 32 years after his death, the man born Aaron Elvis Presley retains a fan base that is almost unrivalled in numbers and geographic reach, he added. Elvis is “still out there as an important cultural figure,” says Erika Doss, a professor at the University of Notre Dame’s American Studies Department. For Doss, the author of “Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith, and Image,” the King’s popularity endures because he offers something different to each fan. “For some, he will always be
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the rockabilly rebel from the 1950s, for others he’s very much the Las Vegas superstar. For some he is the patriotic American who went into the military in the late 1950s and for others he’s sort of a good old boy gospel singer,” she added. But Elvis also remains relevant because he was so far ahead of the cultural curve, Doss says. “He was an incredibly good-looking guy who deliberately violated all sorts of sex and gender norms in the 1950s and was attractive to both men and women at the time.” “And, you know, you watch him today, you still see it. He is shockingly good-looking and dynamic.” However fans remember him, the most hardcore will be flocking to Memphis, where his ex-wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie Presley will take part in a birthday cake cutting on the sprawling front lawn of the King’s former home, Graceland. “Elvis continues to be popular all over the world, and fans tend to come on the five-year anniversaries,” said Graceland spokesman Kevin Kern. Opened to the public in 1982 and declared a national monument in 2006, Graceland draws nearly 600,000 visitors a year, making it one of America’s most visited homes. In honor of the
King’s birthday, the estate will unveil a new exhibit entitled “From Tupelo to Memphis,” chronicling Elvis’ early life from his birth in small-town Mississippi to his high school graduation in Memphis up to just before he stepped into the international spotlight. In downtown Memphis, pastry chefs at the historic Peabody Hotel will serve up a chocolate birthday cake layered with rich peanut butter and sliced bananas, mimicking the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich said to have been one of Elvis’s favorites. Born on January 8, 1935, the man who would become known as the King of Rock and Roll, grew up surrounded by the influences of popular country music and the gospel songs he heard at the Pentecostal church where his family worshipped. The way he combined those influences to create a new sound had a lasting effect on music, according to Jeff Melnick, an associate professor of American studies at Babson College in Massachusetts. “It’s so central to our musical vocabulary, the idea of borrowing from other genres or literally creating remixes or mashups. That’s really in our musical DNA now.” Elvis’s early death, at 42, did not create his iconic image, according to Melnick.
Aguilera, Hanks, Harris to appear at Golden Globes
Chicago man admits he sold bogus Picassos on eBay
Lady Gaga, Green Day, Pink to play at Grammys ady Gaga, Pink, Green Day, Dave Matthews Band and Zac Brown Band are the latest acts scheduled to perform at the Grammy Awards on Jan 31, organizers said Tuesday. The Grammys will also feature performances by nominated artists Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas, Taylor Swift, Maxwell and Lady Antebellum.
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Now that Lady Gaga and Dave Matthews Band have been added to the roster, all five nominees in the Album of the Year category-which also includes Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas and Swift-will perform at the Staples Center event. Album of the Year is just one of 10 nods for Beyonce’s “I Am. . . Sasha Fierce,” whose nomination domination is followed by eight nods for Swift’s “Fearless,” six each for Maxwell, the Peas and Kanye West and five each for Jay-Z and Gaga. — Reuters
O’Neal jailed on probation violation fficials say Redmond O’Neal is back in jail after a drugrelated probation violation. The son of actors Ryan O’Neal and the late Farrah Fawcett appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom during a brief hearing Tuesday after being taken into custody Dec 29. Los Angeles County district attorney’s spokeswoman Jane Robison says Redmond O’Neal gave the judge a handwritten letter and was ordered back to in-custody treatment until he returns to court on Feb 2. O’Neal’s attorney Richard Pintal says the judge ordered the 24-year-old to write the letter, and its contents are private. He was placed in an intensive rehab program last year after a series of arrests and probation violations on drug charges. A judge at the time told the 24-year-old it was his last-chance to avoid prison. — AP
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Battery charge dismissed against Butler judge has dropped a misdemeanor battery charge against Gerard Butler. Superior Court spokeswoman Mary Hearn says the charge was dismissed at a hearing Tuesday after the actor completed community service. Butler could have faced up to six months in jail if convicted. His attorney, Blair Berk, declined to comment. City prosecutors say the Scottish-born star of ‘300’ had a run-in with a photographer on Oct 7, 2008, after leaving a premiere party for the film ‘RocknRolla.’ His manager has said Butler was forced to have his driver stop the car after the photographer sped through red lights and almost struck two pedestrians. City Attorneyís spokesman Frank Mateljan says prosecutors are ‘satisfied’ with the outcome. — AP
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suburban Chicago man pleaded guilty Tuesday to swindling at least 250 people out of more than $1 million through the sale of counterfeit prints advertised as the work of Pablo Picasso and other major contemporary artists. Michael Zabrin of Northbrook admitted sometimes paying between $1,000 and $1,500 for counterfeit limited edition fine art prints produced in Spain and Italy and reselling them on eBay for many times that amount. In his signed plea agreement with prosecutors, 57-year-old Zabrin said he would send away to his Italian source for fake Picassos, saying: “I need some P’s.” When he needed bogus works by Roy Lichtenstein, he would say: “I need some L’s” In
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hristina Aguilera, Tom Hanks and Neil Patrick Harris will appear as presenters at the Golden Globe Awards. Ricky Gervais is set to host the Jan 17 awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The awards are given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and are seen as a predictor of how films will do at the Academy Awards in March. Previously announced presenters at the 67th annual ceremony include Jennifer Aniston, Sophia Loren, Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, Gerard Butler, Mickey Rourke and Mel Gibson. Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio will present a special honor to Martin Scorsese. — AP
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Tom Hanks
“He didn’t die young enough,” he said. “He didn’t die so young that we remember him as this always fresh-faced, wonderfully energetic guy.” “He doesn’t die young and leave a beautiful corpse. Far from it, he’s much more the image of what happens through excess,” he added. But his image as an ultimate entertainer persists nonetheless in large part because of the many recordings of the young Elvis, Melnick said. “There’s preserved this unbelievable footage of this young, incredibly athletic, incredibly sexy guy who was just doing stuff that no one had done before,” he said. “He was just really good.” Millions of fans agree, and Elvis continues to influence musicians today, from award-winning stars to Memphis-based rockabilly trio The Dempseys. “From his music, movies, clothes and moves, no one will ever be as influential as him. He was an original,” said Brad Birkedahl, one of the band’s members. For curator Kramer, the key to the King’s long reign is quite simple. “Truth be told, greatness is what endures, and the reason we’re still talking about Elvis Presley long after he died is because his music is great.”— AFP
Christina Aguilera
the summer of 2004, Zabrin purchased eight counterfeit works purportedly by Marc Chagall for $20,000 “which he resold at no less than three times his cost,” according to the plea agreement which was presented to Judge Robert M Dow Jr Zabrin agreed in the document that he caused foreseeable losses of more than $1 million but less than $2.5 million with works turned out by “the Spanish guy” and another supplier in Italy. He also admitted trading fake art works with other dealers. Zabrin was among seven people charged in March 2008 on charges of trading in fake works by Picasso, Lichtenstein, Chagall, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali. He was the first to be convicted. Charges against the six others are pending.
Zabrin pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. But prosecutors calculated that under federal sentencing guidelines Zabrin could be facing a prison term in the 10- to 13-year range. Dow set March 23 for sentencing. According to the plea agreement, Zabrin had been previously convicted of telephone harassment, mail fraud and retail theft. Zabrin admitted conducting 280 sales of fraudulent art on eBay through his companies, Fineartmasters and ZFineartmasters. When some customers realized they had bought fakes, they returned them. Zabrin acknowledged that he then waited a few months and resold them to someone else.—AP
Harbin ice festival a feast of fancy, lights cold snap in northern China has thrown daily life into confusion, but is ideal for fairy tale palaces, towering pagodas, and even a sphinx-all carved from ice-that make up the sights at this year’s Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. The annual event in northern China, now in its 26th year, pulls crowds from across China and even a few visitors from overseas, drawn to the unique visions of an international roster of sculptors who illuminate their creations with multicolored electric lights encased in the translucent ice. Tuesday night’s opening ceremony featured a fireworks display, lighting up the sky above the festival’s main site on Sun Island alongside the frozen Songhua River running to the north of Harbin, a metropolis as far north as Toronto that styles itself China’s “ice city.” Past festival themes have included the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, while perennial motifs include famous Chinese tourist sites such as Beijing’s Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. Tired of looking at the sculptures? Take a ride on the
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ice slide, but be sure to get out of the way quick as other thrill seekers zip down on you from behind. Other hazards include elbow-to-elbow crowds at popular times of the night and intense cold temperatures that dipped to 3 degrees Fahrenheit (-16 Celsius) on Tuesday amid light snow. A recent cold spell has benefited the festival, but has caused havoc in other parts of northern China. Heavy snowstorms caused the cancellation of 756 flights at Beijing’s Capital International Airport and closed highways and rail lines. Millions of commuters also struggled to get to work for several days, although most transportation lines were back to normal in major cities on Wednesday. Primary and middle schools were also reopened in Beijing and the nearby port of Tianjin. Away from the festival, Harbin also features varied architecture pointing to its close Russian historical links, dumplings and other tasty northern Chinese eats, and the prospect of skiing at Yuquan, about 65 kilometers from the city, and China’s premier Yabuli resort, 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the east. — AP
Ice sculptures are displayed at the annual Ice and Snow festival in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on January 5, 2010. — AFP
China book heroine a role model for ambitious women D
u Lala is a brash, 30-something Chinese woman who successfully breaks the glass ceiling in the macho corporate world. She is also the title character in a novel that has been a breakout literary hit in China and an unofficial handbook for ambitious career women in the Asian nation, now the world’s third largest economy. “The Story of Du Lala’s Promotion” was such a success that the author-herself once a young professional like her protagonist-quickly churned out “Du Lala 2: Splendid Days”, which was equally well received. She uses a pseudonym, Li Ke, to maintain a bit of privacy amid the excitement over her books. “A bit of calm is better than celebrity any day. Many people who have done extraordinary things are in fact looking for peace, not celebrity,” the author told AFP in an email. “A novel is easier to read than a manual,” Li Ke said, describing her heroine as “a normal person”, “more beautiful than the norm but not more than that”. Fresh out of university, Du L ala’s first foray into the Chinese working world is a bitter one-she is sexually harassed by her boss. She then gets a job at DB, a fictitious multinational corporation in the Fortune 500. The first book describes in simple fashion Du Lala’s climb through the ranks at DB, from sales assistant to director of human resources-a meteoric rise peppered with accounts of jealousy and other quirks of office politics. Young women say they are using the novel as a handbook to improve their own careers. “It gave me guidance and ideas. I learned a lot from this book about how to communicate, how to survive in an office, how to ask for a pay rise and also how office love affairs are taboo,” said 28-year-old fan Yan Nan. “I don’t feel alone any more. There are thousands of Du Lalas who try
Chinese author Li Ke rests with her book, ‘The Story of Du Lala’s Promotion’ at her office in Beijing on December 26, 2009. —AFP
to make it on their own and live better lives, like me,” said Yan, who works for a foreign company in Beijing. “It’s a very practical book for active young women.” The book’s success is easy to explainreaders can readily identify with the heroine, who is fighting for her economic and personal independence. “In contrast to many young Chinese women who look for a rich man to marry, Du Lala works hard and counts on her own abilities to secure her future-that’s why I like her,”
said another reader, 28-year-old Rui Menggui. Yan says she likes Du Lala because “she represents a group of white-collar workers who are fighting in the jungle of the working world. In some way, I am like Du Lala, even if I don’t work for a big multinational,” said Yan. “I admire her because she is intelligent and hard-working. What she gets, she earns-she is not taking advantage of her guanxi (connections), as is often the case in China.” Rui says Du Lala conveys “the image of a young modern
woman who is very real, strong and resourceful”. Li Ke’s first book has already been adapted for the theatre, and a television series is in the works for this year. The author was in ninth place on China’s list of best-paid writers in 2009, having earned 3.5 million yuan (513,000 dollars). More than one million official copies of the two books have been sold, according to industry data-but that does not include the likely high number of pirated copies in the hands of eager readers.—AFP
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
Fashion
he design team is offering a diverse mix for H&M’s spring collection, with ethnic influences from all over the world, old Hollywood fashion classics and college styles. Sharp silhouettes boast angular lines with an 80s influence and in contrast there is soft feminine draping. Fabrics feature new blends, structures and surfaces. “There are so many must-have pieces in this spring collection, from classics that have been revamped and updated to ethnic-inspired styles that create a strong global look. Romantic style continues with inspiration from both art and nature, creating the most enchanting prints,” says H&M Head of Design Ann-Sofie Johansson.
H&M’s spring collection
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houlder bags are equal parts tote and companion. Stuffed with work paraphernalia, a newspaper or e-reader, and perhaps a bit of lunch or gym gear, the work bag is an essential that’s chosen carefully, and loved dearly. There are many options for workers who commute or travel beyond the ubiquitous black nylon shoulder bag, although there are some excellent versions of that, too. Some of the best bags come from the US West Coast, out of design studios started by guys with connections to the bike messenger community. While they may have begun with recycled car seat belts and industrial-strength upholstery fabric, companies like Chrome and Timbuk2 now create bags and cases that are state-of-the-art in style and construction. Timbuk2 says their bags take on the “stains and scars of everyday urban adventures.” Their Classic Messenger comes in lots of colors and patterns, including an edgy San Francisco street map and an earthier “seed” textured fabric. The bags have a reinforced bottom boot, key tethers and plenty of interior space. A 10-inch (25-centimeter) nylon netbook bag can be slung anywhere on the body-hip, shoulder or chest-and features a cool cam buckle that, once adjusted, will always return to that setting when reconnected. The SuperBright messenger is swathed in a panel of reflective Reflexite, great for workers who bike to the train and need to be safely visible. Timbuk2 also has a create-your-own option: Choose a base model bag and customize the colors, even the
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Ladies Modern urban looks include cool white suits and feminine draped dresses that give both softness and strength. Jumpsuits are softer in slippery silks, while loose harem pants En luxurious gold lame add dramatic glamour. Romantic vintage-style dresses and artist-style tunics offer a preppy and retro ‘chic housewife’ look. Global inspiration comes in the form of embroidery, tunic and kaftan styles and spicy color palettes.
Men Classic menswear favorites have been updated this season. There is a new take on the preppy look that includes, for example, a new modern checked shirt and striped Tshirt as well as a baseball jacket. As in ladies wear there are ethnic influences in men’s wear too, giving paisley prints and rustic tones a modern twist.
Silhouettes Narrow, relaxed and comfortable, draped or softly voluminous.
Colors White, blue, beige and grey, leather colors, watercolor shades, rich spicy tones and neon bright.
Patterns and prints Floral, ethnic, watercolor, embroidery, animal prints, and classic checks and stripes.
Materials Cotton, silk, transparent fabrics, jersey, viscose, chambray, organic and recycled materials.
Garments Women: Dresses with volume or drape, kaftans, tunics, oversized shirts, utility jackets, blazers, peg trousers, harem pants, pencil skirts, all-inones, decorated pieces.
Accessories: Maxi-size jewelry, luxuriously decorative ethnic jewelry and shoes, wide belts, scarves, big sunglasses.
Men: Utility jackets, individual blazers, linen suits, patterned shirts, granddad tops, shorts, worn jeans, chinos, cardigans, polo shirts, shirts and drawstring trousers. Accessories: Scarves, leather belts, canvas belts, sandals, deck shoes, loafers, sneakers, straw hats.
The latest in shoulder bags interior configuration. Chrome offers the smart Soyuz bag made of rugged Cordura with an impermeable chamber for wet stuff like gym gear or bottles. It also comes with an ergonomic back panel for comfy street trekking. The entire Chrome line seems built to take anything a city or college warrior can throw at it. Or consider
Boston’s David King & Co buttery and beautiful Vacquetta leather briefcases and bags; in rich hues of caramel, coffee or ebony, these are durable pieces that will take on the patina of age in style. Briggs & Reilly have several checkpoint-friendly cases including a slim rolling briefcase and clamshell messenger, both laden with clever features suggest-
This product image released by M-Edge shows their line of e-reader cases are available in a variety of bold, contemporary colors. — AP photos
ed by the legions of B&R followers who view the bags as serious “mobile support systems.” The advent of e-readers has led to a number of case designs, with M-Edge probably leading the pack. The jackets can be had in styles that open like a book or flip into a platform; materials include leather, nylon, and laminated canvas. There’s a space for papers and
This product image released by M-Edge shows their collaboration with California designer Sally Bartz on this collection of Kindle cases featuring her Halsea patterns. Laminated canvas, leather trim.
business cards, and a booklight is available. There are sporty models like the Go! and Latitude, and more refined versions made of patent or crocodile print leather, or California’s Halsea prints. Also from California come beautiful tooled leather e-reader cases with wool linings, by Oberon Designs’ Brendan Smith and his sister Becca. Intricate designs like forests, and Japanese and Celtic motifs are handcrafted, then the cases are finished with small etched pewter buttons. — AP
This product image released by MEdge shows their Kindle cases which come in a variety of hues, in both patent and crocodile patterned leathers.
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
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Fashion
Shine no more: Matte makeup gets its turn as trend This image released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals shows a new PETA ad that features Carrie Underwood, first lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks. —AP
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Michelle Obama featured in new anti-fur ad he fur is flying over a new ad campaign by an animal rights group the White House says is using first lady Michelle Obama’s image without her permission. The president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Ingrid Newkirk, said her organization wouldn’t have sought Mrs Obama’s consent for the anti-fur ad because it knows that she can’t make such an endorsement.
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t’s no longer time for makeup to shine. Top makeup artists say that matte makeup is an evolving beauty trend that should be good news for people of all skin types and tones. Matte doesn’t necessarily mean flatinstead think of it as sheer or satinyand it definitely tones down any dewiness or sparkle. “I think it’s going to be a matte world pretty soon,” says Avon’s global color creative director Jillian Dempsey. For this look, which can have a retro vibe, play up the eyes, she suggests. “I think this is the look that works best: matte skin with a little bit of a lined eye, some eyeshadow contrast and maybe some minimal black-brown, soft-lash look.” If you like a darker, vampire look, add a purple or red lip. A more moderate look is a smoky eye and nude matte lip. But, Dempsey warns, the matte skin will ramp up the effect of a heavily made up eye or lip exponentially. There’s also a risk of a matte foundation looking cakey or a lip looking chalky, so moisturizer or lip balm always comes first. But don’t let that scare you off, says Kayleen McAdams, celebrity makeup artist for Dior. “Most people can wear this trend-it’s harder for people to do dewy than matte because if you have oily skin, dewy is too much,” she says. “Just be taking care of your skin.” Start off with an oil-free moisturizer and dab on with your finger a lip balm for a smooth surface. Then, McAdams
PETA included the first lady in its Washington ad campaign based on White House confirmation that she does not wear fur. Mrs Obama appears in the ad with celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Carrie Underwood and Tyra Banks-three others who have shunned fur. The ads are appearing in Washington’s Metro stations, magazines and PETA’s Web site.— AP
says, try a lipstick that doesn’t bleed. There have been a lot of improvements in color-cosmetics texture, Dempsey adds, so the products should both look good and feel good. To ease into a matte appearance, especially on the lips, she suggests using a stain or
lip liner. Since shine highlights imperfections, Dempsey thinks once people get used to using matte they’ll grow to love it. “This is the secret to hiding a big pimple on your face: You match the color of a powder to the
This product image released by Avon shows the magiX Tinted Face Perfector with SPF 15. This compact makeup provides lightweight coverage to hide imperfections without the heavy look and feel of a foundation. — AP
face, press the powder and help it disappear.” Still, Jean Ford, cofounder of Benefit Cosmetics, says you shouldn’t be too literal when it comes to matte in your beauty routine. “A matte complexion does not mean layering on a heavy base,” Ford says. “We all have areas that need spot concealing and require fuller coverage, but not the entirety of the face. Wearing a heavy-solid color all over the skin, makes the complexion look lifeless and dull rather than youthful and fresh.” Benefit partner Jane Ford says a velvety, creamlike powder achieves the right balance. It will “glide over the skin effortlessly and appear as if you have not lifted a finger to your skin.” Oh, and that very tanned, took-a-lot-of-effort bronzed look? Forget it. “We’re moving away from bronze and tan, toward more porcelain or at least a pure look,” says McAdams. Dempsey agrees it is time for a new beauty routine. “The big bronze Gisele (Bundchen), we’ve been there done that. This is a new land of matte lips that hasn’t surfaced in a while,” she says. “I think people are wanting to change and this is definitely a change and a trend that’s been knocking at the door for a while.” And, she adds, the beauty of makeup is, that trying something new is easy, inexpensive and easily removable. — AP
From Wild West to modern rodeo, the look is new
In this photograph taken on Wednesday, Dec 30, 2009, a Rockmount Ranch Wear coat hangs from a rack of goods for sale inside the firmís headquarters in Denver. — AP photos housands of cowboys and cowgirls will be decked out in their Western finery at the National Western Stock Show in Denver this month. But if an original cowboy from the late 1800s somehow stumbled in, would he recognize anybody? “He wouldn’t even recognize the cows,” said Steve Weil, president of Denver’s Rockmount Ranch Wear. Western wear today doesn’t look much like what the legendary young cowhands wore from the 1870s through the 1890s, designers and historians say. The clothing has adapted to meet changing styles, just as cattle have been bred to meet evolving tastes. In the 1880s, Texas cowboys often wore battered, floppy hats and loose pants made of wool or canvas. Cowboys from California or other parts west of the Rockies more likely wore tighter pants made of denim and a red sash, a carry-over from the Mexican vaqueros. Or a cowboy’s clothes might be a chaotic mess with no discernible style at all, said Don Reeves, a curator at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. “In earlier times, you had such a mismatch of people and the clothes they wore. They looked more like refugees than cowboys,” said Reeves, who holds the McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture at the museum. An event like the National Western, with 16 days of rodeo, livestock contests, auctions and Wild West shows, draws hundreds of thousands of people with a noticeably tidier look. Today’s well-dressed cowboys and cowgirls are more likely to wear a clean hat with a carefully creased crown, maybe in a style called “Cattleman” or “Montana” or “Gus.” They might also wear a brightly colored shirt and heavily starched jeans. “My dry-cleaning bill is through the roof,” said Keith Mundee, vice president for sales and marketing for Rocky Mountain Clothing Co of Denver. “Just this weekend I spent $140 on starched jeans.” Cowboy boots may have changed the least over time. Such embellishments as high heels and decorated uppers appeared early as cowboys tried to set themselves apart, Reeves said. “Even in the 1870s, they would try to show that ‘I’m a Texan, I’m a cowboy, I don’t walk
Steve Weil, president of Rockmount Ranch Wear, shows off one of his company’s latest offerings from a rack of shirts for sale.
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Rockmount Ranch Wear shirt hangs on a rack as one of the company’s latest offerings for sale. behind a plow,”‘ he said. It wasn’t until the 1920s and 30s, years after the cattle drives that made the cowboy an American hero, that the style we recognize today as Western wear began to emerge, Reeves and Weil said. That had as much to do with Hollywood and the music business as it did with
working cowboys. “Western fashion as we know it really came into its own with the movies, the Western movie,” Weil said. Before the 1920s, “Western fashion as we know it did not exist.” The look hit its zenith in the 1940s with the fancy outfits of Roy Rogers and
Gene Autry, the singing cowboys and movie stars, Reeves said. “The Lone Ranger” and “Hopalong Cassidy” TV Westerns carried the look in the 1950s. Reeves once saw an original Lone Ranger costume, including stretchy blue tights. “It was, ew-w-w, kind of scary. You looked at the suit and
it was kind of like dance class,” he said. But the Lone Ranger’s hat, boots and gun belt were enough to convince audiences that he was a cowboy. “Even though the rest of it had more to do with leotards than what cowboys wore, we said, ‘Yeah, that’s a cowboy.’ We made that cognitive leap,” Reeves said. Rodeo performers in the early 1900s had an underrated influence on the Western look, Reeves said. They started wearing bigger hats and brighter colors to get noticed, and teenagers in the audience began to imitate the style when they dressed up for a dance, if not when they went to work in the saddle. Western wear has evolved into a hardy industry, if a relatively small one. Sales figures are hard to come by, but Mundee of Rocky Mountain Clothing estimates the segment accounts for about $500 million a year in sales. The overall US apparel market is about $200 billion a year, said Beth Boyle of NPD Group, a market research provider. People in the Western wear business say it’s relatively stable, even during the recession. “We’ve always done well through the downturns,” Mundee said. “They may not buy a new truck, or horse, or saddle, but they always want to look good.” Weil said one of the industry’s strengths is that it embodies the West. “That was the whole point when my grandfather went into business, to make something for a Western identity which was emerging,” Weil said. His grandfather, “Papa Jack” Weil, founded the company in 1946 and is credited with developing such signature Western looks as snap-button shirts and pockets with a sawtooth pattern. Jack Weil, who died in 2008 at age 107, went to work daily until a few days before his death, his grandson said. Rockmount is now known for putting its Western shirts on the backs of everyone from guitarist Eric Clapton to actor Hugh Grant in “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” It’s a look that never goes out of fashion, Steve Weil said. “Who doesn’t long for what it represents? Wide open spaces, rugged individualism, the myth of the cowboy,” he said. “It’s something that people universally understand and respect.”—AP
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DiCaprio, Eastwood are Palm Springs film winners he world economy is in dire straits, but you sure wouldn’t know it from the red carpet at the 20th-annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala. The actresses were dripping with jewels, actors donned high fashion, and logos of jeweler Cartier and automaker Mercedes-Benz loomed large behind all as they posed for photographers. “I’m just doing what I know how to do, and that’s make movies and hopefully get people to go see them so I can continue to make more movies,” said actor Leonardo DiCaprio, when asked if he felt uncomfortable in this setting, given widespread financial woes. DiCaprio was on hand Tuesday night to accept the fest’s Ensemble Performance Award for the drama “Revolutionary Road,” for which he’s a nominee at Sunday’s Golden Globes. This year’s other Palm Springs honorees included many who are widely considered strong Oscar contenders, including “The Changeling” director and “Gran Torino” star and director Clint Eastwood, who showed up to take home the Career Achievement Award. “Milk” actor Sean Penn and “Rachel Getting Married” actor Anne Hathaway each
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came to pick up a Desert Palm Achievement Award. Is Hathaway ready for eight more weeks of awards-show mania, ending
with the Oscars on Feb 22? “I’ve decided to keep a journal about it, and write down my reflections every night. Because I know that if I don’t do that
China films boycott US festival over Tibet wo Chinese movies have been pulled out of the Palm Springs International Film Festival in the United States in protest at the inclusion of a film about Tibet, staterun media reported yesterday. The makers of the Chinese films were upset over the inclusion of “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom,” the Beijing Times newspaper said. The film deals with the “trials and tribulations” of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, in advocating autonomy for his Himalayan homeland, the festival’s website said. However the makers of the two Chinese movies viewed it as a “Tibetan independence” film, the Beijing Times said. It said the Chinese movies included “Nanjing! Nanjing!”, also known as “City of Life and Death”, about the brutal 1937 capture of the city of Nanjing by Japanese forces. The other was a
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short film called “Quick Quick Slow Slow”, the paper said. Officials at the studios that made the Chinese filmsStellar Megamedia Films and DFM Films Shanghai, respectively-either declined comment or could not be reached by AFP. China accuses the Dalai Lama of agitating for an independent Tibet. The Tibetan spiritual leader has repeatedly denied the charges, saying he only seeks greater autonomy for the remote Buddhist enclave. Earlier this year, the screening of a film about exiled Uighur minority activist Rebiya Kadeer at festivals in Australia and Taiwan prompted either the withdrawal of Chinese films or warnings by Beijing not to show the movie. The film was screened anyway. China accuses Kadeer of fomenting unrest in its restive Xinjiang region, home to more than eight million Uighurs, a Muslim minority.—AFP
now, when I look back, I won’t be able to remember things so clearly,” Hathaway said. “So I think that’s what I’m going to do.” The Oscar-winning Penn summed up the red-carpet experience in two words - “It’s loud!” - and Eastwood had only a few more. “Once in a while it’s fine,” he said. “But, after a while, you go blind by the time they hit you with about 400 flashbulbs.” Awards Gala presenters included “Frost/Nixon” star Frank Langella, there to give the film’s director Ron Howard the Director’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and actor Ben Stiller to hand his “Meet the Fockers” co-star Dustin Hoffman the Chairman’s Awards. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” composer Alexandre Desplat received his statuette from “Button” actor Taraji P Hanson - herself an awards-show veteran, thanks to her role in the acclaimed “Hustle and Flow.” The red carpet is “a lot of work and I really would like to find out who said it was all glamorous and I’d like to kick them in their shins because it’s not so glamorous,” Hanson noted. “You have to be on, you have to be personality, you know, even if you don’t feel like it.”—AP
Actor Jeff Bridges accepts the Desert Palm Achievement award from actress Michelle Pfeiffer.
Actor Sean Penn speaks onstage at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival gala.
Clint Eastwood presents the Career Achievement award - to actor Morgan Freeman (L) onstage at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival gala held at the Palm Springs Convention Center on January 5, 2010 in Palm Springs, California.—AFP photos
Director/producer Quentin Tarantino accepts the Sonny Bono Visionary award.
Actress Anna Kendrick poses backstage after receiving the rising star award.
Director Jason Reitman accepts the Director of the Year award.
Actor Morgan Freeman, actress/singer Mariah Carey and director/actor/producer Clint Eastwood attend the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival gala held at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
Actress Helen Mirren poses backstage after receiving the Career Achievement Award.
Actress Marion Cotillard accepts the Desert Palm Achievement award.
Composer T Bone Burnett accepts the Frederick Loewe award for Film Composing.
Director/producer Lee Daniels (L) presents actress/singer Mariah Carey with the Breakthrough Actress Performance award.
Actor Jeremy Renner accepts Breakthrough Actor Performance award.
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