rI Pt Io N BS c Su THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF
40 PAGES
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010
SAFAR 26, 1431 AH
Women society supports Arab identity of Jerusalem
Parliament backs Nigerian vice president as acting leader
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NO: 14636
Sri Lanka’s Fonseka treated like an ‘animal’: Wife
City keep pressure on Reds in race to Europe
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Lawmakers differ over plans to invest in Iraq Kuwait forecasts huge budget deficit By B Izzaak KUWAIT: The National Assembly Financial and Economic Affairs Committee yesterday discussed potential plans to invest Kuwaiti debt in Iraq with two Iraqi parliamentarians as MPs issued conflicting views over the controversial issue. Rapporteur of the committee MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari said the Iraqi delegation explained investment opportunities in Iraq especially in infrastructure, agriculture and housing sectors. He said Kuwaiti MPs raised a number of issues with their Iraqi counterparts, particularly with regards to water and natural gas, but the Iraqi response was not conclusive. Anjari said the Iraqi parliamentarians said that Iraq plans to use Shat El-Arab water for domestic use, and that large quantities of natural gas exist in Al-Anbar
KABUL: An Afghan removes snow from the roof of his house yesterday, near the avalanche that struck Salang Pass. Afghanistan officials said the avalanches have killed at least 64 people and left many stranded in a snow-blocked mountain pass. — AP
64 feared dead in Afghanistan Massive avalanches hit mountain pass KABUL: Massive avalanches roaring down a mountain pass north of Kabul may have killed more than 60 people yesterday, Afghan officials said, as rescuers evacuated about 400 injured victims. Search-and-rescue teams
recovered the bodies of 24 people but said they fear 40 others may have also died, Interior Minister Hanif Atmar said. About 2,500 people were rescued from their snowblocked vehicles. “Twenty-four bodies have
New Dubai oil field a drop in ocean of debt NICOSIA: Dubai’s newly discovered oil field is unlikely to generate the big cash needed to get the debt-ridden emirate out of the doldrums, analysts say, challenging the government’s claim that it could inject new life into its ailing economy. “Foreign companies have explored and developed the area over a long period and any large finds should already have been made,” says Middle East energy analyst Samuel Ciszuk at IHS Global Insight in London. The announcement by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed AlMaktoum of a sizeable offshore discovery on February 4 has attracted considerable attention. Against the scale of Dubai’s debts, generally estimated at between 80 billion dollars and 100 billion dollars, but with some reports taking it as high as 170 billion dollars, the emirate’s oil reserves are a small fraction of neighboring Abu Dhabi’s. The government said the preliminary drilling results on the new Al-Jalila field, named after a daughter of Sheikh Mohammad, “indicate that commercial production can begin in one year.” It provided few other details. Paul Tossetti, senior advisor on oil markets at Washington-based PFC Energym, said “we Continued on Page 14
been recovered so far, but the fear is that there could be up to 40 more still buried and unfortunately, they might have died already,” he said. “That’s the best estimate we have at this moment.” Afghan and coalition forces evacuated
about 430 injured, with 180 taken by coalition helicopters to Bagram Airbase for medical treatment, Defense Minister Gen Abdul Rahim Wardak told reporters at a press conference in Kabul. The 250 others Continued on Page 14
in the news Saudi, Kuwait extend deadline KHOBAR: Bidding for additional work at a field Saudi Arabia shares with Kuwait has been extended to March 8, the company said. The Khafji field, which is in the Neutral Zone between the two countries, has a crude production capacity of around 550,000 barrels per day (bpd). Al-Khafji Joint Operations (KJO) announced on its website that the fresh deadline for work related to two onshore and offshore projects have been extended, without providing further details. The extra work calls for the upgrade of onshore crude facilities at Hout field. The due date for bids was Feb 8, industry sources said. The additional work for the offshore project calls for water distribution platforms, pipelines and cables. The original closing date was extended to March 8 from February and December, one industry source said. Saudi-based companies submitted their proposals by Dec 28 for the expansion of offshore oil facilities and construction of an onshore water treatment facility. KJO aims to boost capacity in the zone to 700,000-900,000 bpd by 2030.
Lankan parliament dissolved COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s president dissolved parliament yesterday to make way for spring elections a day after authorities arrested a key opposition leader, crippling the only serious threat to the ruling party’s stifling grip on power. President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision follows his sweeping victory at the polls last month over his former army chief Gen Sarath Fonseka, who had defected to the opposition after helping to end the country’s quarter-century civil war. Fonseka was arrested by the military on Monday on sedition charges. If last month’s presidential poll is anything to go by, the upcoming parliamentary contest will be another bitter race between the government and the opposition, which says it is being harassed and hounded.
DUBAI: An Emirati woman and her children walk past Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, in Dubai. The breathtaking view from the top of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest highrise, has been closed to the public due to problems with power supply. (See Page 14)
No relief for sex braggart RIYADH: A Saudi appeals court has upheld a sentence of five years in jail and 1,000 lashes for a Saudi man who bragged about his sexual exploits on television, newspapers reported yesterday. The court in Jeddah also confirmed a five-year travel ban for airline employee Mazen Abdul-Jawad, and sentences of two years plus 300 lashes for three friends who also appeared on the show, aired by Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC). Officials at the court could not be reached for comment. Abdul-Jawad, a divorced father of four, was arrested in August after discussing his premarital sexual encounters on LBC’s “In Bold Red” program. LBC’s Western-style entertainment programs and talk shows are popular in Saudi Arabia. But it is one of the world’s most conservative countries, and many viewers were shocked by the show.
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province, adding there could be government-togovernment agreements. He said that Kuwaiti MPs have called on Iraq for more guarantees and for complying with United Nations resolutions. But he added that the Iraqi delegation provided no guarantees. The issue of using tens of billions of dollars of Kuwaiti debt and war reparations owed by Iraq for investment in the neighboring Arab nations has been highlighted in the past few months as a way of resolving the outstanding issue between the two nations. But several Kuwaiti MPs have strongly objected to the idea, while others showed some acceptance. MP Faisal Al-Mislem strongly rejected moves to transfer Kuwaiti debt and compensations into investments in Iraq, adding that this Continued on Page 14
KD 2,000 each for Guards KUWAIT: Head of the National Guard His Highness Sheikh Salem Al-Ali AlSabah yesterday decided to pay every officer, non-com-
missioned officer and individual member of the Amiri Guard and the National Assembly Guards a 2,000 Kuwaiti dinar grant.—KUNA
Political thaw blooms hope People fed up with standstill: Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief KUWAIT: Decades of political skirmishing between Kuwait’s government and parliament have long stymied the country’s development, but Kuwaitis now tentatively discern a thaw in the conflict, the Financial Times said yesterday. Kuwait’s parliament
last week passed a $104bn four-year development plan, the first for decades, proposed by the government. The bill foresees boosting power and oil production, and several infrastructure projects. Continued on Page 14
Iran defies big powers TEHRAN: The Pentagon said yesterday that the United States wanted a UN Security Council resolution “within weeks” to tackle Iran’s nuclear program as Iran said it had begun making highergrade nuclear fuel. The Islamic Republic, which denies its program has mili-
tary aims, defied the international community by announcing on Sunday that it would enrich uranium to 20-percent purity for a Tehran reactor making medical isotopes for cancer patients. As tensions with the West rose and Russia indicated it Continued on Page 14
2 Cabinet-Parliament relations ‘improve’ KUWAIT: MP Shuaib AlMuwaizri acknowledged that the relationship between the legislative and executive authorities are maturing. He said that the political chaos the two governing bodies had gone through had positive effects, reported Al-Qabas. He added that while the use of constitutional tools may annoy the cabinet they are required to accept the MPs’ right to use them. He also said that MPs should use these tools reasonably and that the media’s role should be to report truthfully on the success or failure of the interpellation. In his statements AlMuwaizri said some senior state officials were
responsible for the spread of financial and administrative corruption in the public sector. He urged the Cabinet to take brave steps toward the naturalization issue and award rights to those entitled to them. At the same time he asserted that the issue is Kuwait’s concern and that international organizations should not interfere in this issue. Also, Al-Muwaizri called for allowing ministries to control their own employment directly as opposed to having it managed by the Civil Service Commission. He said that this would help address the increasing unemployment issue.
NATIONAL
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
KUWAIT: Sheikh Hasina is pictured alongside Kuwait House of National Works officials, and Dr Rasha Al-Sabah (third left). — Photos by Ben Garcia
KUWAIT: Sheikh Hasina touring the museum.
‘Recruit more Bangladeshis’ Hasina urges Kuwait KUWAIT: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said there are many unexplored areas of cooperation between Bangladesh and Kuwait despite the closeness of these two brotherly nations. “Exploring and investing in these areas would be enriching to both our countries. Our bilateral relations would reach an enviable level,” she said at a banquet hosted in her honor by Kuwaiti Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser AlMohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace Monday night. Hasina said Bangladesh has, for some time, been participating with manpower in Kuwait’s dynamic transformation. Around 250,000 Bangladeshis are involved in Kuwait’s economic activities. “More of our gentle, law abiding workers are waiting to follow.” She requested the Kuwaiti prime minister to intervene to lift the stay imposed in October 2006 on recruitment, thus allowing Bangladeshi workers to serve in Kuwait’s development efforts. The prime minister said at present, Bangladesh is in excellent position to offer services of doctors, engineers, business professionals, nurses, and semiskilled and skilled workers.
Technical personnel with experience are also available in construction, civil aviation, power, water, petrochemical and gas, health and hospitality sectors. “Nowadays, they are all taught the laws, customs, and values of the recruiting countries before sending them abroad. If the ‘Bilateral Technical Cooperation Agreement on Manpower’ signed by our two countries in November 2000 is ratified by Kuwait, flow of such quality workforce could ensue for development of your great country.” She mentioned that after establishing the diplomatic relations Kuwait has supported Bangladesh’s development ventures. Hasina said: “We are indeed grateful for it. However, for us to achieve our Vision 2021, we need Kuwait’s brotherly support. “We need your partnership in constructing a bridge over River Padma costing $2.4 billion; BMRE of Eastern Refinery in Chittagong; procurement of 13 dredgers worth $200 million for dredging our heavily silted rivers adversely affecting livelihood of millions of lives; rail-cum-road bridge over River Karnaphuli as well as tunnels under it; a flyover at Mouchak-Mogbazaar in Dhaka
worth $70 million; two coal-fired power stations, and another two oil based stations in Chittagong.” Hasina noted that her government is committed to speedily develop Bangladesh and improve quality of life of the people. “Our aim is to establish a middle-income Digital Bangladesh by fulfilling Vision 2021, the year of the golden Jubilee of our country’s independence,” she said. The prime minister said that within a year of the current government assuming office, visible progress is seen in education, gender mainstreaming, health, agriculture, infrastructure and other areas. “Despite global recession, we’ve maintained 6 percent GDP growth.” She said that Bangladesh also needed Kuwait investment in power, telecommunications, infrastructure development, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, ICT, real estate, gas and energy, leather, furniture and agro-based industries. She also informed the Kuwaiti prime minister that the investment policies of Bangladesh are extremely favorable. Hasina mentioned the huge domestic market of Bangladesh with 150 million people, abun-
KUWAIT: Sheikh Hasina and her accompanying delegation visiting the Scientific Center. dant skilled labor, and presence of homegrown entrepreneur class, supportive legal regime, and above all commitment of the government to ensure business success. She said there are scopes for increasing trade between the two countries. Kuwait can import high quality readymade garments, pharmaceuticals,
ceramics, finished leather goods, handicrafts and jute goods, which have found good markets in developed countries. Sheikh Rehana, younger sister of the prime minister, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, State Minister for Forest and
Environment Hasan Mahmud, Bangladesh Ambassador in Kuwait Shahid Reza, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Abdus Sobhan Golap, Principal Secretary MA Karim and Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad were, among others, present on the occasion. — United News of Bangladesh [UNB])
‘Hasina should raise problems of menial workers with Amir’ By Ben Garci a KUWAIT: Bilateral and diplomatic relations between Kuwait and Bangladesh are excellent, but the genuine problems of Bangladeshi people in the country should be addressed first, said a member of the Bangladeshi community in Kuwait reacting to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikha Hasina Wajed’s visit to the country. Suhail (not his real name) was part of the infamous Bangladeshi workers’ strike in July 2008, when workers took industrial action demanding payment of their long-delayed unpaid salaries. “I know that she’s here only to strengthen our ties and cooperation,” he said. “But did she ever know the real conditions of many of our compa-
triots here? There are many jobless Bangladeshis here; there are many problems for undocumented Bengalis, the never-ending problem of unpaid salaries. I hope she’ll bring solutions, not just PR. She has to bring those things to the attention of Kuwaiti officials, if not to HH the Amir and address the issue as quick as possible.” There are about 200,000 Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait, with most employed in unskilled jobs. In July 2008, many Bangladeshi workers were engaged in a peaceful strike to demand their unpaid salaries, but mobs and riots overshadowed their nonviolent intentions, resulting in the arrest and deportation of some 800 of their numbers. Following these incidents, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Social
Affairs and Labor ordered the strict implementation of a KD 40 minimum monthly wage for cleaners. Before the incident, Bangladeshi workers had been receiving a meager KD 20 per month. “Yes, they increased the minimum wage but, most of the time, we’ll get our salary only after three months or even more,” said Suhail. “Really, the discrimination against us is still very obvious; that is why our government should really do something to protect us.” During her meeting with National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi, however, the Bangladeshi Prime Minister voiced her country’s appreciation of the good treatment received by Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait.
She also discussed various issues related to Bangladeshi expatriates working in Kuwait and ways to improve their living conditions here. The Bangladeshi Premier also visited the Kuwait House of National Works yesterday, where she personally thanked museum curators for dedicating a corner there to honoring the Bangladeshi troops who were part of the international force that helped liberate Kuwait from the hands of Iraqi aggressors in 1991. Before the start of the tour, Sheikh Hasina’s security staff informed local media, including this writer, that she would not be talking with anyone from the local press. The Kuwaiti museum housed important documents, tools and equipments, reflecting a dark
chapter in Kuwait’s dark history, with some being the actual artifacts used by Iraqis during their seven-month occupation. During her meeting with Kuwaiti business leaders and entrepreneurs, meanwhile, the Bangladeshi PM urged them to invest more in her country’s promising sectors, citing Bangladesh’s attractive package of incentives. Sheikh Hasina also informed Kuwaiti investors about her country’s highquality garments, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, leather goods, furniture, handicrafts, and other products. The Bangladeshi premier arrived in Kuwait on Sunday on a three-day state visit to Kuwait, with her agenda set to include discussions on a wide range of issues of bilateral interest.
in the news Police stations’ performance KUWAIT: Concerns have been expressed about a deterioration in the standards of services offered at local police stations, with increasing numbers of complaints about negligence on the part of station staff, along with lack of concern for visitors’ problems. One Ministry of Interior (MoI) official said that any senior interior ministry staff carrying out an unannounced visit to any local police station would discover that most are almost deserted, with the majority of officers being deployed on external duties. The official also claimed that senior police officers who are unable to carry out all their duties are attempting to cover up the subsequent problems by organizing campaigns to use as PR material to make themselves seem more effective. While local police forces fail to improve their performance levels, however, failure is continuing to permeate the country’s police service to the point where they had become a burden on the MoI. Road for Jaber bridge KUWAIT: The Kuwait Municipality has approved plans related to the construction of a road that connects the Jaber Bridge project. The Ministry of Public Works is expected to upgrade its database at a later time, reported Al-Watan. This project will be extended from the Ghazali Highway in Shuwaikh to the junction of the Subbiya highway. The relevant announcement was made by the Managing Director of the Kuwait Municipality, Ahmad Al-Subaih. Give nurses overdue pay rise KUWAIT: The head of the Kuwait Nursing Association (KNA) has demanded that the already approved pay increases for around 12,400 nursing
staff be implemented before the end of the current financial year on March 31. KNA chairman Basel Al-Azmi said that the efforts of foreign minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah had resulted in the long-awaited pay rises being approved last September, reported Al-Shahed. The increases include a rise of between KD 160 and KD 500 for Kuwaiti nurses and of between KD 75 and KD 300 for non-Kuwaiti nurses, depending on grade and years of service. Professors to sue Kuwait Attorneys Society KUWAIT: Two law professors from the Kuwait University have filed a lawsuit against the Kuwait Attorneys Society, asking it to overrule a previous decision made to bar individuals from practicing the profession. Attorneys Dr. Rasheed Al-Enizy and Dr. Ibraheem Al-Hmoud stated, in their separate complaints, that the society is not authorized to make such a decision. This is because of the fact that exclusion is considered a form of punishment, which should be passed by the court, reported Al-Qabas. The Head of the Society, Omar AlEssa, asserted the attorney’s right to seek legal action, stating that they abide by the court order regardless of the outcome. Private sector labor law KUWAIT: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has received the final copy of the new private sector labor legislation after it was redrafted by the National Assembly supreme council. The law is expected to be passed by the government in the next couple of days, reported Al-Anba, with an Amiri decree expected to be issued later this week which will be published in the official gazette in order to announce the law coming into effect.
KUWAIT: Minister Dr Fadhel Safar pictured during his Abdali tour.
Solid waste to be used for energy KUWAIT: The Minister of Public Works and Municipal Affairs, Dr Fadhel Safar, said that the Ministry is planning to utilize treated sewage water in various parts of Kuwait. He also noted that the ministry was considering using municipal solid waste to generate electricity, reported AlRai. Speaking to reporters during a tour he made to the Abdali treated water distribution center, Safar
said that a similar line to Wafra had already started pumping treated water to farms there. He said he was pleased that the treated water was reasonably priced and that it suited all farmers. “The ministry has made plans until 2030 to develop various services to utilize treated sewage water plants without waste,” he said, urging all farmers to ration their consumption of treated water.
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
‘A matter of Kuwaiti sovereignty’
MPs’ reactions to debt issue ‘ruled by hearts’ By Ahmad Saei d KUWAI T: Loca l p olitica l a nd economic experts ha ve described Kuw aiti MPs’ stance on the issue of Iraqi debts as being more “emotional” than ra tional. The experts were speaking after a number of Kuw aiti MPs expressed their
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad receiving Sheikh Nimer Fahad Al-Malik AlSabah, Sheikh Fahad Al-Malik Al-Sabah and Sheikh Mubarak Fahad Al-Malik Al-Sabah.— KUNA
Cabinet finishes privatization vision KUWAIT: The Cabinet has finished their proposal regarding the privatization project and has sent their notes regarding the draft law to the Parliament. Once there the financial and economic committee will study and make suggestions on the draft law, reported Al-Qabas. The Cabinet’s vision includes opening the door for some public facilities to be privatized. They will be privatized on the condition that the state will still own a majority share of the facility. The plan also includes restricting the privatization of petroleum and natural gas resources. The law would be valid for a limited period of time and allow for the privatization of activities related to the refining, transportation, storage and marketing of oil. The Cabinet’s vision includes dividing the percentage of shares for a privatization project by giving 35% to the strategic investor, which they would gain through auction, 5% for national manpower, 20% for the government and 40% to be put into an initial public offering (IPO). On a separate note, the Cabinet returned the proposed amendments to
the audio-visual law to its legal committee for further study. They are planning to develop a new strategy that will stop violations while protecting freedoms and constitutional principles. Meanwhile, Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shimali said here yesterday the draft state budget for 2010-2011 is a significant step on the way to sustainable development thanks to planned development projects. The draft budget is hoped to lead to a quantum shift to realize the amiri desire to turn Kuwait into a regional financial and trade center, he said in news remarks. The draft budget involves revenues estimated at KD 9.7 billion, including KD 8.6 billion in oil proceeds, making up 89 percent, and KD 1.1 billion in non-oil proceeds, accounting for 11 percent, he said. Oil revenues were estimated on the basis of USD 43 per barrel, with an estimated production of 2.2 million barrels a day, he added. Actuarial deficit is to be cleared in five annual payments; KD 1.9 billion as of
the fiscal year 2010-2011 and ending with the FY 2014-2015, the minister said, noting that pays, social insurance, financial support for national labor and social care and others hit KD 7.2 billion. The Ministry of Finance has exerted stupendous efforts to work out the 20102011 state budget in line with successive stages, he added. The draft has been produced following the consideration of all drat budgets reaching the ministry from all state agencies and ministries with a view to ensuring exemplary spending and accurate estimates, the minister said. On the link between the draft budget and the government’s program of action for the 13th legislative term, Al-Shimali said the ministry had attached much attention to the program by scrutinizing the document and re-tabulating attached projects. The draft budget was completed and sent to the cabinet during a meeting on January 24 and then to the National Assembly (parliament), the minister concluded.
Strategic expert Thafer Al-Ajmi said that Kuwait has a strong negotiating position on the issue of Iraqi debts, regardless of the fact that the US might be leaning more towards Iraq’s view on this matter. “However, there are other facts to consider when it comes to taking a decision on this issue,” said Al-Ajmi: “We need to ask ourselves whether it is wise for us to insist on receiving the debts and refuse investments? Do we want to invest in the Iraqi people and open a new chapter with them? Do we want to raise two generations on both sides of the border who do not hate each other?” Al-Ajmi asserted that MPs’ stances on the matter are more driven by public opinion than by consideration of Kuwait’s long-term strategic interest. Nonetheless, the strategic
To whom it may concern assing the law for citizens with special needs has been lauded as a great national achievement. The efforts put in by the Parliament and the Cabinet should be acknowledged. This law grants disabled citizens and their families with the chance to feel content,” wrote Rashid AlRadaan in a column that appeared in Al-Watan. However, this law is still flawed and is likely to be exposed in the future. This is especially the case when it is related to the rights of disabled expatriates who demand that they benefit from the law. He also pointed out that regardless of its flaws, the law is a silver lining in parliamentary work, especially after families of Kuwaiti citizens expressed satisfaction and said that it promises their disabled children with a better future. He went on to write about the road mishap that took place at the Doha junction recently, in which many youngsters lost their lives. Several people blamed the Ministry of Interior for the accident, and asked them to enforce measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring. On the other hand, others asked the Ministry to establish an official race course in which youngsters could practice their hobby legally, off the streets. This is similar to the system that is followed in several neighboring countries, Al-Radaan pointed out. He writes that Kuwait had such a race track in the past, until it was removed for unknown reasons. ‘Restoring citizens’ faith in the countries’ health services is a matter of vital importance, which I believe, Minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer has been tackling by touring across America and Europe to sign mutual agreements,’ he wrote. The writer states that the Minister had acknowledged in a press conference that labeling local medical services as poor is an insult to the country’s medical services sector. “Although his statement is true, it still needs to be proved with evidence so that people retract their comments. We are eager to see medical achievements being made in all aspects.” While admitting that the country’s hospitals have been in a dilapidated state, the writer believes that focusing on garnering achievements can restore confidence in citizens. This could encourage them to stay back in their country to receive treatment instead of opting for treatment abroad.
Steps to locate, fix gas leak KUWAIT: The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has deployed teams of specialist engineering staff who are working around the clock to detect and repair the gas leak that caused the recent explosion at a home in Ahmadi in which a young girl was injured. KOC has already temporarily disconnected the mains gas supply from 161 of the homes in the area which it leases to staff, supplying them with gas canisters for cooking while the hunt for the leak continues.
expert said that it is in Kuwait’s best interest to demand complete repayment of its debts in order to get a better final agreement regarding the investment. Economic expert Hajjaj Bukhathour said that it would be better for Kuwait to negotiate investment deals with Iraq for a number of reasons. “First of all it is not uncommon in the business world for a insolvent debtor, who is incapable of repaying his debt, at least in the short term, to exchange it for investments or property,” he said, “and given the Iraqi capability to pay back the debts, I think the duration with which these debts can be paid back with could devalue the debts due to inflation.” Bukhathour added that there are numerous investment opportunities in Iraq right now. “There is the energy sector, whether it
be oil or gas, there’s great potential for water and agricultural investments and even in tourism in Iraq; all of these are options which Kuwait can actually benefit from investing in,” he explained, “and the sooner the better, because some of these investment opportunities might not be available for long time, and we might eventually find ourselves obliged to settle for less attractive investment.” Kuwait does not has a liquidity problem, Bukhathour added, but it should be deploying the surplus assets in investment opportunities. He argued that the political cost of inflexibility on this issue could exceed the actual value of the debt. “I am saddened by the fact that everyone who is addressing this matter is not taking these things in consideration, be it from the NA or outside it,” he concluded.
KUWAIT: The American Business Council of Kuwait recently honored the Radisson BLU Hotel for its excellence in performance at the ABCK’s 25th Anniversary Event, which was held in the hotel’s Grand Hashmi Ballroom. At the event, attended by the hotel’s General Manager Jan Petter Eilertsen, ABCK Chairman Luis Suarez and the council’s Executive Director Muna Al Fuzai presented Michael Neilson, the Radisson BLU’s Sales Director and Colonel Jawad Sarraj, its Security Director, with a commemorative memento in thanks for their sincere contributions to the success of the event.
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refusal to allow debts to be exchanged for investment privileges in Ira q, a fter a n Ira qi parlia mentary delegation held meetings with Kuwa iti MPs during their visit to the Na tional Assembly. MPs Bura mya, Mislem and Al-Khanfour sa id tha t Ira q’s debt to Kuwa it is a ma tter of Kuw aiti sovereignty and it is not the pla ce of the government to decide to give it up.
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Kuwait hosts exhibition
Women’s society supports Arab identity of Jerusalem By Nisreen Zahreddine
KUWAIT: A partial view of the audience.
Pakistan Embassy observes Kashmir Solidarity Day By Mohammed Omer KUWAIT: In a ceremony held at the Pakistan embassy, Kashmir Solidarity Day was observed on 5 February. Prominent members of the Pakistani community attended the ceremony which began with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Qasi Shakil. The Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistan Embassy asserted that they would continue to celebrate 5th February as Kashmir Day until the Kashmiri people receive the right to self-determination. He also read out the messages of President Asif Zardasi and the Prime Minister Syed Yousef Raza Gilani, in which they expressed moral and political support for their Kashmiri brothers. A special documentary was screened in which the famous speeches of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto were included. After a prayer led by Qazi
KUWAIT: Charge d’Affaires Sajjad Ahmed Sahar reading the message of Pakistani president. —Photos by Joseph Shakra Shakeel, refreshments were served to the attendees. Shahid Iqbal, President of the Pakistan Businessman Association said that only a sincere leadership can help
resolve the Kashmiri issue. Asif Bhatt, Chairman of the Volleyball Association said that if the nation stands united, issues related to Kashmir can be resolved immediate
No reshuffle at MoE KUWAIT: A senior Ministry of Education (MoE) official on Monday denied that there had been any reshuffle of Assistant Undersecretaries and area directors within the ministry. MoE Acting Undersecretary Mohammad Al-Sayegh said that education minister Dr. Moudhi Al-Humoud had been annoyed by the media’s publication of a number of false reports on this issue, adding that no
such departmental restructuring program was being considered. Al-Sayegh also revealed that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) recently agreed to a maximum KD 250 monthly increase in non-Kuwaiti MoE engineers’ salaries, reported Al-Anba. The education ministry is to request a similar increase for all the engineering staff which it employs, he added.
of Jerusalem City. Aziz Al-Mulla welcomed the guests and gave a quick definition of the committee. She explained that the group is comprised of members from the Graduate Society and Women’s Cultural Society. She said that the purpose of this committee is to support the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and retain the cooperation between the Palestinian and Kuwaiti people.
KUWAIT: The Kuwaitis for Jerusalem committee arranged a presentation and exhibition on the Palestinian influence in architecture, especially in the city of Jerusalem. The Women’s Cultural Society hosted a presentation by the Cooperation Committee for Reviving the Palestinian Heritage She added that the group acres of land, and 700 buildwas first launched with the ings were completely start of the first Intifada and destroyed and families were stopped in the nineties. They made homeless when a Jewish then picked up their activities neighborhood was built in the again during the Second city in 1967. Intifada. The committee The association works to believes that Jerusalem promote education, culture, should be in the heart of every heritage and human Kuwaiti and every Arab citi- resources. In 2006 the prozen, she said. gram expanded outside the Loloa Al-Mulla, Vice city of Jerusalem to Nablus. President of the Women’s The program includes forming Cultural Society, expressed a basic information system, the belief that Jerusalem is through GIS, to start a new key to peace in the region and plan to revive the old town. without liberating Jerusalem This, in addition to repairing there is no solution for the the infrastructure of the town, Arab-Israeli conflict. and the Al-Aqsa Librar is part “Jerusalem is an Arab city and of the program’s aims. its identity must be preDr Tafeeda Jarabawy, head KUWAIT: Dr Tafeeda Al-Jarabawi (left), Loloa Al-Mulla, Abdul Aziz Alserved”, she said. She added of Operations Programming Mulla and Dr Shadia Al-Touqan. that promoting this perspec- and Research and Planning, tive and belief is the aim of the complained about the difficulty association. of getting into Jerusalem. She Dr Shadia Al-Toqan, a spe- described the schools as old cialist in urban culture and houses from the days of manager of the technical office Mamaleek Sultanate or renofor the society talked about vated horse barns. the rebuilding program. She The humidity is high and said that it was launched upon where the students are living an initiative of the Arab in their schools is extremely Economic and Social fund. She bad for their health, she said. explained that the program’s Jarabawy added said that these goal is to keep the cultural problems are made even more heritage of the city and to con- complex by the presence of front the attempts of the drugs and violence, all of Israeli occupation to make the which is spread with the parcity’s identity Jewish by bury- ticipation and blessing of ing its Arab identity. Israel. Al-Toqan added that comPeople there, she munication is impossible with explained, live in small crowdpeople in Jerusalem because ed houses with no income or of the occupation and that job. They have no time to take Palestinians are prevented care of students and teachers from getting into the city. She are not trained for that, she said that the Apartheid Wall is said. being built in the city and that All these problems, along Jews in the city are attacking with the groups achievements and taking over the homes of were presented by the panel Arabs. with the hope that people will She also said that a com- take action to help Jerusalem plex for Jews was built inside sustain its Arab identity. They the city that has nothing to do concluded with the message with the architectural identity that Kuwait will always supof the Arabs. Al-Togan said port Jerusalem and the KUWAIT: Attendees taking a look at the architectural exhibition which that many neighborhoods, 347 Palestinian people. shows rebuilding the old Jerusalem heritage.— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
E-Award participation to enrich local websites KUWAIT: Participation in the Kuwait’s e-Award is significant as it enriches the local electronic content, Secretary General of the Kuwait’s electronic award Manar Al-Hashash asserted here yesterday. Hashash said that this award that is set up by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) under the patronage of HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah allocates incentive sums of money for winners amounting to KD 50,000. She went on to say that the sponsorship conferred by HH the Amir comes of HH belief in the necessity of pushing forward the technological advancement inside Kuwait to keep up with the times and in order to urge the Kuwaiti youth to further increase the local electronic content and upgrade its level. Hashash said that this
interest manifested itself in HH honoring of the winners at the prizes-handover ceremony at the first edition of the award (2008-2009) in what gave youth a big push toward pitching further contributions in this field. Finally, she said that though the Kuwaiti society is marked by the widespread use of cutting-edge technological devices among its individuals at all ages, the home-grown content of electronic applications is still little and does not comply with the big number of the electronic appliances. Last but not the least, Hashash said that this award aims at stimulating the Kuwaiti individuals to build and develop any electronic project of homegrown content in any of the following eight categories: e-government, e-entertainment, ehealth, e-commerce, e-heritage, e-education, e-sciences, e-content. — KUNA
KUWAIT: A festival of kites was recently launched near the Mesilla Beach Hotel as part of the Hala February shopping festivities. Hundreds of participants including children and adults took part in the event by flying colorful kites that flow across the beach. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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Lack of good theaters plague Kuwait actors By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Kuwaiti actors suffer from a lack of venues for expression in the form of official theaters. Some have even tried building theaters at their own expense, without meet-
KUWAIT: The Ahmadi and Fahaheel Fire Centers rushed to the Ahmadi industrial area yesterday in response to an emergency call about a fire that broke out in a tank that contained traces of crude oil. The flames spread to other tires and trees located behind the burning tank. Firemen removed the cars and trucks that were parked in the vicinity until the blaze was put out. No casualties were reported. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun
New rules for on-call doctors KUWAIT: Female doctors in the last trimester of pregnancy and the first year of their child’s lives will be excused from on-call duties as long as their applications for exemption are approved by their direct superior and a Ministry of Health (MoH) Undersecretary. The new regulation is one of several recently introduced by MoH Undersecretary Dr. Ibrahim Al-Abdulhadi in a restructuring
of local hospital and health centers’ oncall services. Dr. Abdulhadi also introduced more stringent regulations committing all health facility staff to comply with official working hours and the on-call system and not to swap their on-call duties with other staff except in cases of extreme emergency when they have first obtained the approval of their immediate
kuwait digest
Eliminate profiteering hose who fake disability and forge documents in pursuit of privileges allocated for people with special needs have no respect for the country and its laws. They don’t have a sense of honor and responsibility,’ wrote Saud Al-Samakah in Al-Qabas. Their actions are similar to those carried out by those who returned to Kuwait following the Iraqi Invasion and seized the KD 500 allowances paid to Kuwaitis who remained in the country during the Gulf War. This is in addition to actions carried out by the State’s employees who have abused their posts for profiteering purposes, the writer feels. These examples demonstrate the practice of seeking personal gain at the expense of public good. Public funds are wasted, the development process hindered and the State’s reputation is damaged in the process, he wrote. Such detrimental practices are not new, and has been religiously adhered to by governments until it turned into a major obstacle that hindered the country’s development. Al-Samakah suggests that as the country prepares to launch its multi-billion major development project, the most important step it needs to take is to eliminate unproductive practices. ‘Several people question the ability of the local work force to carry out the plan. However, I believe that our youngsters are qualified enough to fulfill this duty until it is fully and properly executed,’ Al-Samakah asserted in his article. This can be realized, should the government cooperate and eliminate the corruptive influences that threaten the process of development. Corruption inhibits development regardless of how the amount of funds used.
‘T
in the news Don’t leave valuables in cars KUWAIT: Citizens and expatriates have been warned to take care when parking their vehicles in public places and especially not to leave valuables inside them in order to avoid them being stolen. “Citizens and expatriates are advised not to leave any cash, electrical devices or other valuables inside parked vehicles where they could be tempting to antisocial individuals,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Anyone who has been robbed should immediately call the emergency hotline on 112 to report the incident in order to enable the police to catch the culprits as quickly as possible, the statement stressed. Power outage in 13 areas KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) will disconnect power supply to 13 areas for four hours every day until the weekend approaches. This move comes as part of the maintenance operations being conducted at several secondary power transformers across the country, ahead of the high demand expected in summer. The areas that will experience a power cuts between 7:30 am to 11:30 am include: Salmiya, Nuzha, Saad AlAbdullah, Qortuba, Khaitan, Al-Daiya, Al-Adailiya, AlRumaithiya, Al-Surra, Abdullah Al-Salem, Yarmouk, Salwa, and Faihaa, reported Al-Qabas. Several citizens have complained about the inconvenient timing of the power outage, especially since it interferes with spring break when many families are home on vacation. Cold snap almost over KUWAIT: The current cold snap in Kuwait is due to end shortly, with next week ushering in warmer temperatures, according to local meteorologist Musaed Al-Hamad. The period of chilly temperatures experienced recently is typical for the time of year, said Al-Hamad, being part of the brief ‘Shabat’ season, which usually begins around January 16 and finishes around February 10. This period is characterized by extreme cold and changeable weather, he explained, with the start of next week due to bring rising temperatures. Addiction treatment forum opens KUWAIT: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (MAIA) yesterday launched its second addiction treatment forum here. Organized by the ministry’s addiction rehabilitation center, the forum will focus on how to mobilize efforts for the treatment and rehabilitation of Kuwait’s addicts, explained MAIA Undersecretary Abdullah Al-Barak in his keynote speech. The center is doing an excellent job in helping with the rehabilitation of addicts in Kuwait, the undersecretary asserted, stressing that the ministry continues to make great efforts in contributing to eliminating the scourge of addiction by means of continuously sounding the alarm about the perils and dangers of addiction. However, the official added, more concerted efforts should be exerted in order to achieve more tangible and favorable results in campaigns against addiction.
superiors. The new directive also stipulates that hospital and medical center administrators should be informed as soon as possible about any such exchange of shifts, reported Al-Jarida. The directive also stipulates that consultants must spend a minimum of three hours during their on-call duty period examining arriving patients and others requiring check-ups.
“The actors, teachers, the fields of politics, sports and even media persons suffer from uncertainties in life. This situation needs to be addressed by holding more symposiums and meetings. We should overcome the situation as Kuwait is precious for all of us,” said the famous comedian. Art forms are dying out in Kuwait. “I think the main reason for this is the increasing number of satellite channels. In the past, the audience was keen to attend theater plays on a regular basis. This behavior strengthened into a relationship between the audience and the actor. Also, with the widespread influence of the media and press, less people began attending the theatre mainly because other channels were present to express opinions,” he added. Censorship is another factor that contributed toward the decline. “There are some works which are more than 40 years old. When it is submitted for censorship some parts are still cut. This depresses the actor who can’t create anymore. For instance, some archaic dialogues are removed simply because somebody doesn’t know its meaning,” stressed
ing with much success. Some actors also feel constrained, especially with Islamists curtailing their freedom of expression. One of the oldest and most famous Kuwaiti actors Abdulhusain Abdulredha spoke about these issues at the symposium held at the Arab Media Forum on Monday.
KUWAIT: Abdulhusain Abdulredha and Madhi AlKhamees. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh Abdulredha. The veteran actor feels that comedy is dependent on perfect timing . “We come up with some funny dialogues spontaneously during the play. It is sometimes inspired by the present situation political, economical or other. These days I hardly see any good texts. In the Gulf region, we face limited problems when compared to other countries like Egypt. This doesn’t give much room for creativity and there are no new subjects to deal with,” he went on to say. From his point of view, the
general situation in Kuwait is depressing. “Everything has changed - the people, customs, traditions, and morals. We rarely find something that makes us happy. There are many new graduates from the arts colleges and don’t find a suitable place to practice what they learnt at universities and institutes,” explained Abdulredha. Abdulredha and other Kuwaiti actors have been urging the government to establish a national theater for the past 50 years. “We haven’t met any minister who has
taken to this idea, It is treated like a shameful issue. I personally tried to build one in the 1980s and bought two plots of land for this purpose. However, after eight months of waiting, the Municipality informed me that the plot was located in a residential area and that I would not receive any approval to build a theater there. We don’t get any support from the government, not even as much as other professions like lawyers or engineers do,” he explained. A lack of financial support from the government has plagued the Kuwaiti government. “In the past, the producer of a theater play received KD 3000 in funds, then this amount rose to KD 16,000. These days this is the amount that actors charge. How can we manage to cover all the other expenses? So we would produce and market our works with our own budget. It’s impossible to go on with a few theaters where there are 400 seats and the ticket is priced between KD 5 to 7. The government is neglecting us and ignoring our work. We also face obstacles in the form of censorship,” Abdulredha concluded.
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Four illegal residents in custody
Kuwaiti youth dies in 5th Ring Road accident KUWAIT: A young Kuwaiti citizen was killed and another citizen sustained several injuries in a car collision that took place between two vehicles on the Fifth Ring Road near Andalus. Police and paramedics responded to the emergency and preliminary medical investigations Meanwhile, a young man sustained serious injuries when his vehicle overturned on Abdaly road. He was taken to Jahra Hospital by paramedics and police who responded to the emergency. The injured man informed officials during the investigation that the accident took place while he was being chased and harassed by other drivers. A case was opened and investigations are underway in pursuit of the lawbreakers.
Residency violation
No decision on sports law amendments KUWAIT: Minister of Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan has revealed that the cabinet has yet to discuss “anything” concerning the parliament’s proposed amendments to the country’s sports regulations. Al-Roudhan made the admission as MP Dulaihi Al-Hajri announced that he will be submitting 25 parliamentary questions to the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammad Al-Afasi on the issue, focusing primarily on the steps taken by the Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) and recent statements from authority officials, which reportedly contradict announcements from Al-Afasi. Al-Hajri asserted that since the parliament approved the proposed amendments in December 2009, the minister and the PAYS are responsible for delays in the passing of the legislation and the subse-
quent problems in this area. The MP insisted that the National Assembly should have the final say on sports-related legislation, announcing that he and ten of his parliamentary colleagues are set to call for a special parliamentary session to be dedicated to discussion of the issue. PAYS chairman Faisal Al-Jazzaf declared at the beginning of this month that the authority would be announcing steps to resolve the impasse over the issue within the next couple of days, reported Al-Watan, but no such announcement has yet been forthcoming. Dr. Al-Afasi, meanwhile, expressed hope of seeing cooperation between the legislative and executive authorities over the proposed amendments, asserting that the role played by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and State Minister of
Housing and Development Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah is “essential” in resolving the crisis over the issue. On a separate issue, MP Dr. Rola Dashti has proposed an amendment to the current social care legislation, calling for the introduction of a minimum KD 250 monthly allowance for Kuwaiti women aged over 55. In regards to education, meanwhile, MP Dr. Salwa Al-Jassar has called for amending the current legislation so that all Kuwaiti children and children of Kuwaiti mothers would receive free school education at every stage. On another issue, MP Saad AlKhanfour has urged health minister Dr. Helal Al-Sayer to address problems at the Makki Jumaa Cancer Treatment Center’s radiotherapy unit.
Security at the Kuwait International Airport recently arrested four Asian men found in violation of the residency law in the airport’s market. They were sent to the Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh police station for investigations.
revealed that one of the drivers had already succumbed to his injuries. The other driver survived the incident but suffered several injuries. He was taken to a nearby hospital. Police opened a case and further investigations are underway.
his friend. The thief was taken to the Fahaheel police station for further investigation. In another incident, a number of citizens complained to officials about thieves breaking into their parked vehicles and stealing their contents while they were staying at the Shaab and Bnaid Al-Gar beaches. Criminal investigators were sent to the scene to lift fingerprints and carryout other investigations. On a separate note, thieves broke into a famous restaurant located on the Gulf Road and grabbed the cash register before escaping. Police and investigators responded to the emergency and carried out investigations in pursuit for the thieves.
Kidnappers caught Fire A family of citizens escaped their home after it caught fire in Sabah AlSalem. Firefighters and rescue teams responded to the emergency and put the flames under control before it could spread. Investigations revealed that the fire was started by a short circuit. There were no casualties caused by the fire, only material damage.
Thefts An Indian man was arrested by Ahmadi police after he stole the wallet of his compatriot friend and used his credit card to withdraw KD 300. Authorities made the arrest after they reviewed the bank’s surveillance camera and the victim was able to identify
Farwaniya police arrested three people for performing several kidnappings and demanding ransom from family members. The arrest occurred after police received several reports of abduction cases. Police were able to find one of the kidnappers who lives in Reqaei and place him under arrest. The man confessed to the crimes during interrogation and informed authorities about his two accomplices who live in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh and Kabad. He explained that they keep their victims in their own apartments. The three were taken to the police station where they were identified by their victims. They all pled guilty to the charges pressed against them and are awaiting further legal procedures.
Employee attacked An Arab man who works with a local construction company was injured when he was attacked by three Asian thieves. He caught the men trying to steal materials from the company’s building and they beat him up before escaping. After he received treatment at the Sabah Hospital, the man went to the police station and informed police about the incident.
Fugitive in custody A group of youngsters informed authorities that their friend was abducted by individuals who raided their camp in Abdaly. Investigations revealed that the kidnappers were actually police dressed in dishdashas who carried out an operation because their friend was wanted for a previous case.
Smuggling foiled Officials at the Khafji station, located at the southern border of the country, were contacted by Saudi officials. They were asked to receive a GCC national who exited Kuwait while smuggling a bedoon man in his trunk. An investigation was opened in regards to the security breach.
Officials insulted A Kuwaiti man working with the National Guard was sent to prosecutors after being arrested for insulting two police officers. The man insulted the officers while they issued him a traffic citation in Jahra. It was revealed during investigation that the man was previously arrested for similar charges.
Search continues for murdered child’s body
in the news Night club KUWAIT: While municipality and demolition crews removed diwaniyas, trees, fences, and other violations to state property, they were unable to detect a night club constructed on state property in Abdullah Port. The nightclub was located in a hole dug eight meters under the ground and covered by a tent, reported Al-Watan. From the outside it would seem as though it were just a tent amongst several other tents in the area. Inside however, the space was designed to hold social gatherings with a fully equipped bar. The night club was removed by police and was not referred to the municipality or demolition teams. It is believed that these two bodies tend to avoid camp sites owned by ‘people with influence.’ When contacted, the municipality denied knowledge of the camp before its discovery by Ministry of Interior officials.
Sports facilities
AMMAN: Shaikha Al-Sinan and Noura Abdulhadi take part in the ‘plastic art’ exhibition yesterday. —Photos by KUNA
Kuwaiti artists take part in Jordanian exhibition AMMAN: Two Kuwaiti artists, along with others from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iraq, are taking part in a ‘plastic art’ exhibition that was inaugurated here on Monday evening. The Spain-based World Diplomatic Society is staging the exhibition in which Shaikha Al-Sinan and Noura Abdulhadi are taking part at Al-Hussein Cultural Centre in the Jordanian capital. Al-Sinan, who has an MA
in Art, said that she is exhibiting a number of works depicting the history of Kuwait, its sea and desert. For many years, Kuwait depended on the sea, she stressed. Abdulhadi, meanwhile, said that reaching the abstract phase is one of the hardest phases of plastic art, adding that she used it to represent human emotions. Abdulhadi, who is member of several plastic art soci-
eties, explained that her works are created using the colors pink, light blue, and purple, which she said reflect the purity of the soul. The World Diplomatic Society’s Deputy Director Dr Shankoul Haseeb said that the five-day exhibition is being held as part of the Jordanian celebrations of King Abdullah II’s birthday. She also stressed the importance of the exchange of expertise among artists. —KUNA
KUWAIT: The director of the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) announced on Monday that senior PAHW officials are working closely with colleagues from the Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) to implement the housing minister’s proposal to incorporate sports facilities into new residential areas. PAHW director Ali Al-Fawzan explained that a specialist committee has been formed consisting of experts from both authorities to collaborate on implementing the minister Sheikh Ahmad AlFahad Al-Sabah’s instructions. The committee has already invited an internationally renowned consultancy firm to evaluate the existing sports facilities in the recently built residential areas in order to assess the priorities for constructing further facilities, reported Al-Anba. After this has been completed, the resulting proposals will be studied before a tender for the necessary work is put together, Al-Fawzan explained. The idea of constructing specialist sports facilities alongside housing is a new departure for the PAHW, the chairman said, and will mark the first time that it has been involved in such a venture.
KUWAIT: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs’ Department of Holy Quran Affairs recently held exams for students enrolled in winter courses at the “Imam Al-Shatbi” centers. The students sat the exams at the Yousef Ahmad Al-Ghanim Center, and a ceremony for the presentation of awards to the successful course graduates is expected to be held once the results are issued.
Kuwaiti elected chairman of Group of 77, China at UN PARIS: State of Kuwait permanent delegate to UNESCO Dr Abdulrazzaq Al-Nifeesi was elected new chairman of the Group of 77 and China at the UN organization. Al-Nifeesi acknowledged the responsibility he is to shoulder, seeing it is an appreciation for Kuwait’s active role at such international gathering. In a speech on the occasion, Al-Nifeesi conveyed appreciation of the Kuwaiti government to the support lended by group members, especially Arab member states of the UN Education, Science and Culture Organization. He also commended efforts by former chair-
woman of the group; the Venezuelan delegate, Luisa Rebeca Sanchez Bello, as well as the group’s office. Swift initiatives should be put in action in order to chip in the reconstruction of quake-struck Haiti, AlNifeesi noted, stressing significance for the group to participate in UNESCO’s National Action Plan on Biodiversity for 2010, UNESCO’s 2010 International Festival of Cultural Diversity and United Nations Beijing Women’s Conference held in 1995. He also shed light on challenges ought to be faced by the organization, such as impacts of the global eco-
nomic crisis and climate change. The newly-elected chairman also emphasized necessity to upgrade level of cooperation and coordination between the group and other UNESCO-affiliated counterparts in order to sustain mutual interests. The Group of 77; founded June 1, 1964, is a coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members’ collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has since expanded to 130 member countries. —KUNA
KUWAIT: Detectives are continuing their search of a local rubbish tip for the body of a young teenage girl whose remains were thrown into a garbage dumpster by her killer after he raped and murdered her. Investigators who are painstakingly sifting through the tons of rubbish near the Sabhan incinerator in their search for the Pakistani victim’s body believe that they may be closer to locating it after finding a flyer there from a restaurant near the scene of the murder in Khaitan, which may indicate that the surrounding garbage comes from the same area. Six bulldozers are being used in the search, along with specially trained sniffer dogs, reported AlWatan. The killer, who has confessed to his crime, as well as to sexually abusing a number of other children, is still being questioned by the Public Prosecutor.
KUCCS head reappointed KUWAIT: Dr. Hussein AlDuwaihees has been reappointed as chairman of the Kuwait Union of Cooperative Consumer Societies (KUCCS) by Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Mohammad Al-Afasi. Dr. Al-Duwaihees said that he was honored at his reappointment to the post, stating that the minister’s approval demonstrated that he had achieved notable success in the position and in running the affairs of local cooperatives for the past year, reported Al-Watan. The decision will allow the chairman to continue with several of the projects he launched, which he said had been forcibly delayed by various problems that the union has been facing, which he insisted must be addressed. Dr. Al-Duwaihees urged the country’s Cooperative Societies to work closely with the union in order to allow him to perform his duties in strengthening Kuwait’s cooperative movement.
Charity auditing system to be unified KUWAIT: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is planning to form a task force to chalk out strategies and financial controls needed to unify the accounting systems of all the charitable organizations that operate in the country. The announcement was made by the Head of the Charity Organizations Department at the Ministry, Nassir Al-
Ammar. The team will feature membership from three representative of three organizations namely, the Islamic Heritage Restoration Society, the Bashaeer Al-Khair Society, the Social Reform Society. In addition to this, representatives from the Foreign Ministry, the International Islamic Charitable Organization, and the Ministry’s Charity
Organization Department will be included, reported Al-Watan. While cooperation on this matter was described as being limited, charity organizations expressed their understanding of this procedure, said Al-Ammar. He added that this step will be followed by several other steps including the ones that were referred to other countries.
InternAtIOnAL
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Almost all banned Iraqi poll candidates’ appeals rejected BAGHDAD: Almost all the candidates who contested their ban from Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary election did not submit their cases properly and lost the chance to appeal, an Iraqi legal body said yesterday. Nearly 500 candidates for Iraq’s March 7 vote were disqualified from standing in the election by the Justice and Accountability Commission for alleged links to Saddam Hussein’s outlawed Baath party, sparking political uproar. The commission, dominated by Shiite Muslim politicians, is tasked with rooting out Saddam loyalists, but Iraq’s minority Sunnis feel the ban is a move to sideline them before the polls. Many of the candidates have been replaced by their parties and some have had their ban lifted, leaving 177 cases in the appeals process. But only 37 were lodged correctly, leaving the rest disqualified, a commission spokesman said. “Just 37 candidates presented their application to investigate their ban to (the election watchdog). The rest presented their applications to the appeals commission directly, which means they lost their opportunity to review their ban,” said spokesman Khalid Al-Shami. Iraq has only just emerged from years of sectarian conflict since Saddam’s fall in 2003, and Sunni participation in the vote is seen as crucial if Iraq’s shaky stability is to hold. Although the majority of those disqualified from the election were Shiites, a prominent Sunni lawmaker, Saleh Al-Mutlaq, was included, as well as others trying to forge cross-sectarian
election alliances. Such groups are expected to do well and could chip away at the chances of Shiite Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and the powerful Shiite party the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council. Both have Islamist roots but are now trying present themselves as nationalists
to woo voters tired of sectarian politicking. Mutlaq is among those the commission said did not appeal correctly. Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who heads an election list in which Mutlaq is general secretary, warned on Monday the candidate ban could re-ignite sectarian violence.— Reuters
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8,000 men have helped restore law and order in the area
Palestinian force gains in West Bank JERICHO: The security men brandished their weapons and ordered the suspicious car to halt, forcing the occupants to get out and put their hands in their air. The suspects were quickly handcuffed, frisked and made to kneel on the ground as the vehicle was swept for explosives. The crackdown, carried out by elite Palestinian forces at a training base
BAGHDAD: Iraqi men walk past an election campaign placard bearing a picture of former prime minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari of the National Reform Movement yesterday in central Baghdad, with a slogan in Arabic which reads: “There is no way for the Baath to return to Iraq”. —AFP
Yemen getting tougher with Somalis on Al-Qaeda fears ADEN: Somalis fleeing war have long found refuge in Yemen, seen as a way station to Saudi Arabia, but fear of al Qaeda infiltration has cooled their welcome. “Because we are Somali refugees, we’re suspicious,” complained Ali Mohamed Othman, an unemployed man in the dusty Basateen slum in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden. Yemeni authorities have been on alert since Somalia’s hardline Islamist rebel group Al-Shabaab, already battling an interim Somali government at home, said last month it was ready to send fighters to help Al-Qaeda in Yemen. “After the (Shabaab) remarks we’ve taken several measures such as to limit refugees’ movements to other provinces,” said Major Ahmed Al-Humaiqani, head of Basateen police station. Refugees now get fingerprinted and their pictures registered in a central computer to help track their movements. A failed Dec. 25 attempt to blow up a US airliner, claimed by an Al-Qaeda group in Yemen, heightened Western and Saudi fears that militants will exploit state weakness in the impoverished southern Arabian country to prepare new attacks. Yemen, which has traditionally had close ties with Somalia, has given prima facie refugee status to all Somalis escaping the clan strife and famine that engulfed the Horn of Africa country after warlords toppled President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. It has offered no such favors to a growing influx of Ethiopians and Eritreans, often detaining them on arrival and deporting them, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Yemen hosts 171,000 registered refugees, mostly Somalis, according to UNHCR figures for December, up from 140,300 a year earlier. Many more unregistered Somalis are thought to roam there, most of them hoping to move to richer Gulf countries. After surviving a two-day voyage across the Gulf of Aden in a small boat, Shafir Abdullah dreams only of work in Saudi Arabia, which shares a 1,500 km (937 mile) border with Yemen. “I don’t have a job, but I wash cars sometimes,” said the 25year-old from the anarchic Somali capital Mogadishu, as he sat with friends in Basateen. “I am saving for Saudi.” Yemen itself is mired in poverty. With more than 40 percent of its 23 million people living on below $2 a day, it has few resources to cope with the human tide from the Horn of Africa.+”Many come to try to move on to other Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia,” said Mohamed Deriya, Somali community leader in Basateen where 40,000 Somalis and Yemenis with Somali ties live in makeshift houses, many made of wood or corrugated iron. Some in Basateen’s unpaved streets say police hassle them.”We have received a number of reports by refugees who have been harassed by the local population and by authorities,” said Rocco Nuri, a UNHCR spokesman in Aden. Since Al-Shabaab offered to send fighters to Yemen, four Somalis have been detained on suspicion of having links to al Qaeda, said Hussein Mahmood, Somalia’s vice-consul in Aden. “They are now being interrogated,” he said. Yemeni has also accused some Somalis of joining so-called Houthi rebels in the north, saying 30 had been arrested there, but diplomats say they have no evidence to substantiate this. Houthis might force some Somalis to join them as they head for the Saudi border, said Mahmood, the Somali diplomat. Others say Somalis might fight for a while if offered money or the prospect of a border crossing later. “They are desperate, they need money,” said Yemeni journalist Nasser Arrabyee. Abdullah Ali, a Somali living in Sweden who was visiting relatives in Basateen, agreed: “Some might be willing. All the boys here don’t have a job. They want money, a car, a living.” Yemen’s Western and Arab donors hope to save the country from replicating Somalia’s fate of chaotic breakdown. “Yemen has the advantage to have a government that wants to work with us,” said Pauline Baker, head of the Washington-based Fund for Peace which does research on failed states. “Somalia is a failed state, whose transitional government controls just some blocks in Mogadishu,” she said. Somalis desperate to flee their homeland pay smugglers up to $150 depending on the sea route, and are totally at their mercy.— Reuters
Maj Gen Diab el-Ali, commander of the National Security Forces, said the roughly 8,000 men under his command have helped restore law and order in an area that just a few years ago was overrun by armed vigilantes and bloody fighting with Israel. Although his men suffer from a dire lack of weapons and equipment and are hobbled by Israel’s military occupation, he insisted his forces could maintain peace in the West Bank if Israel withdrew from the area tomorrow. “I guarantee it,” he said in a rare meeting with foreign journalists. The National Security Forces are one of six Palestinian security agencies policing the West Bank under the command of President Mahmoud Abbas. It operates checkpoints, performs crowd control and is on the front lines with Israel, coordinating its movements in an uneasy working relationship with the Israeli army. Issues like police work, civil defense and intelligence gathering are left to other agencies. The performance of the force is being closely watched and could have important implications for peacemaking. Its members, unlike their counterparts in other agencies, receive training from police in neighboring Jordan under a US -funded program supervised by the American Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton. More than 2,600 Palestinians have participated in the four- and five-month courses, which include training in such areas as riot control, controlling civil disturbances and respect for
Sudan, Chad agree end to proxy wars KHARTOUM: Sudan and Chad agreed yesterday to end their proxy wars and engage in direct talks and joint development projects to rebuild their waraffected border areas. Chadian President Idriss Deby made a surprise visit to Khartoum for talks with President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Monday after relations between the African oil producers had hit rock bottom with each capital supporting rebels fighting the other’s governments. “I came with an open heart and hands outstretched to turn a new page in Sudanese-Chadian relations,” Deby told a gathering of Chadian and Sudanese nationals in Khartoum. He called on the armed Chadian opposition groups, who have camps in Sudan’s Darfur region, to take part in Chad’s elections and win power through the ballot box not with bullets. “I will give you security guarantees so you can return to your country and ... rejoin civil society,” Deby said of the Chadian “mercenaries”, who in 2008 besieged the presidential palace in N’Djamena. He invited Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in the restive Darfur region bor-
dering Chad, to visit N’Djamena in the coming days. “This visit has put a definitive end to all the problems between Sudan and Chad,” Bashir told journalists after the talks. He said Sudanese and Chadian authorities and the presidents themselves would now be in regular direct contact. Bashir’s adviser, Ghazi Salaheddin, told reporters the two were working to get a joint border patrol force on the ground and would undertake joint development projects including a road between Abeche in Chad and el-Geneina in Darfur, where the force’s head quarters would be. He said a protocol signed by both sides stated that neither country would host rebel forces from the other side and that those insurgents would be encouraged to join electoral or political processes. Both presidents said they supported the Darfur peace process taking place in Qatar, and chief mediator Djibril Bassole in Khartoum welcomed the visit. “This visit will help the Doha talks definitely,” he told Reuters. “Now that all the belligerents are in Doha we’ll keep them there until we reach something.” — Reuters
on the outskirts of this dusty West Bank town, was only a simulation for a small group of visitors. But the men carrying out this show of force , the result of months of US -sponsored training , are already at the vanguard of Palestinian attempts to lay the groundwork for an independent state.
WEST BANK: Palestinian security cadets march in formation during a drill at a training base in the West Bank city of Jericho, Monday, Feb. 8, 2010. The Palestinian government in the West Bank has announced plans to hold municipal elections on July 17. It will be the first election in the Palestinian territories since the Islamic militant Hamas wrested control of Gaza from Abbas in 2007, leaving him with only the West Bank. — AP human rights. Success could gain the confidence of the Israelis, who remain hesitant about yielding security responsibilities to the Palestinians after years of violence. The initial signs are positive. The force has assumed security control over five towns and cities, and a sixth battalion is being trained in Jordan. The criminal gangs that once roamed Palestinian streets have disappeared, and the economy has begun to recover. El-Ali said that in the past two
years, there have been no cases of Palestinian security men attacking Israeli targets. During Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip last year, his forces prevented street demonstrations in the West Bank from spinning out of control. None of the graduates of the US program have been caught up in petty crime, a problem in the past. ElAli’s troops patrol only parts of the West Bank. The other Palestinian territory, Gaza, is under control of the Islamic militant Hamas, a bitter rival of el-Ali’s forces, who are
loyal to Abbas. Monday’s tour of a pair of training bases in Jericho showed how far the forces have come. A group of new recruits at one base appeared to be inexperienced, wearing mismatched uniforms, sneakers and occasionally marching out of step. In contrast, at a nearby battalion headquarters, the Jordantrained troops appeared to be professional and disciplined. Uniformed soldiers marched and jogged neatly in formation. A line of troops with fake wooden rifles
carried out a mock assault on a building, while other troops set up the simulated checkpoint. Even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a security hawk, has publicly praised the performance of the newly trained Palestinian security men, though he says more work needs to be done. El-Ali, 66, who once battled Israel as a Palestinian commander in Lebanon and also spent six years in a Syrian prison, acknowledged his relationship with the Israelis is difficult. He said the presence of the Israeli military and dozens of Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank hinders his men from carrying out operations, and complained there aren’t enough guns to arm his forces. He said the Palestinians possess only about 3,000 automatic weapons for more than 20,000 men across the various forces. The army also continues to raid Palestinian-controlled areas for suspects it wants, often giving el-Ali little or no notice ahead of time. “I feel uncomfortable when coordinating and cooperating with them. I tell these things to the Israelis,” he said. “It’s not easy, but there’s nothing that we can do.” In one recent incident, Israel gunned down three suspects it held responsible for the shooting of a settler, shortly after el-Ali said he notified Israel the Palestinians were about to arrest the men. He accused Israel of trying to embarrass the Palestinians and said he suspects Israel used his information to find the men. — AP
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Barroso team wins approval from EU parliament STRASBOURG: The European parliament yesterday gave overwhelming approval to the new team of EU commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso who urged governments to step up the fight against the economic crisis. European deputies voted by an overwhelming 488 to 137 in support of the new European commissioners. There were 72 abstentions. Barroso has been waiting for the vote since October when his first term ended. Delays ratifying the Lisbon reform treaty and parliament’s rejection of Bulgaria’s nominee for EU humanitarian aid commissioner, kept Barroso as a caretaker leader of the powerful executive body which proposes new laws, EU treaties, oversees competition issues and supervises enlargement. Before the vote, Barroso called for closer coordination by the 27 member states to assure economic recovery. “We must recognize that the interdependence
of our economies requires better and more coordination,” he said. “If we want to overcome the crisis, reinforce the social dimension and establish a good basis for a strong economic future for Europe in the globalised world; if we want to reinforce our industrial base and launch new common European projects: then stronger economic coordination is the only way forward,” he said. Barroso said greater cooperation would give the EU a stronger international voice. “Europe counts when we speak with a strong and united voice. When the European interest is clearly defined and vigorously defended. In trade for example, and competition policy,” he said. “It is less successful when we act according to narrow national interests, in an uncoordinated way. Or in areas where collectively the EU is not able to defend and promote its collective interest,” he
added. “I believe in a Europe that shows solidarity to others, as we have shown recently in Haiti, where we have contributed in an important way with emergency aid, and we will also contribute with significant reconstruction aid,” he said. “But we can achieve more with better coordination at European level and I will make proposals in this sense,” he told members of the European parliament ahead of a vote on giving his team a fiveyear mandate. The EU parliament approved Bulgaria’s replacement candidate, World Bank vice president Kristalina Georgieva and the Barroso team should now officially start work next week. To reach this stage each would-be commissioner, picked by the European capitals, had to undergo a three-hour hearing. Several MEPs remain unimpressed with EU High Representative for foreign affairs, British
peer and former trade commissioner Catherine Ashton-who also becomes commission vice-president. Criticised for failing to act quickly enough to address fallout from the financial crisis and recession, relaunching the economy is a main concern for Barroso and his core team: the EU’s Spanish competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia, its Finnish economic affairs commissioner Olli Rehn and Michel Barnier of France who becomes internal market commissioner. Other members of Barroso’s new team include Belgian Karel De Gucht, who picks up the trade portfolio, and Romanian Dacian Ciolos at agriculture. The former Portuguese premier vowed to “spend the next five years turning our vision into reality: making Europe a resource efficient, inclusive, social market economy-reflecting what makes us special, the European way of life.”— AFP
Move takes country into uncharted territory
Nigerian lawmakers empower vice prez ABUJA: Nigeria’s parliament yesterday recognized Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as acting head of state in the absence of the African oil producer’s ailing president. But the move takes Nigeria into uncharted political territory and does not end the uncertainty over who rules Africa’s most populous
nation since President Umaru Yar’Adua was hospitalised in Saudi Arabia in November. Motions backed by both chambers of parliament enable Jonathan to pass legislation and act as commander of the armed forces until President Umaru Yar’Adua declares he is fit enough to resume his duties.
ABUJA: In this May 29, 2007 file photo, Nigeria’s President Umaru Yar’Adua, right, stands with Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo, left, and Nigeria’s vice President Goodluck Jonathan, center, after they were sworn in at Abuja, Nigeria. Parliament empowered Vice President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday to take over for the ill president of oil-rich Nigeria. — AP
France ‘in principle’ ready to sell warship to Russia: Paris PARIS: France is “in principle” willing to sell an amphibious assault ship to Russia but no decision has yet been made and negotiations are continuing, a foreign ministry spokesman said yesterday. If the deal goes ahead, it would be the first such transfer of large-scale military technology from a NATO member to Moscow. Ex-Soviet Baltic states Estonia and Lithuania have expressed concern that France is mulling a deal that
would strengthen Russia’s ability to intervene in the countries of its region, as it did in its 2008 war with Georgia. The request to buy the ship “has been received positively in principle but its examination and talks are continuing to clarify the content of the Russians’ expectations and the response of the French authorities,” the foreign ministry spokesman told reporters in Paris. Asked about Estonia and
Lithuania’s demand Monday that fellow NATO and EU member France explain its plans to sell the ship to Moscow, he replied: “We are in the same alliance.” Having initially approached France to discuss the sale of one Mistral-class helicopter carrier, Russia has now said it wants four of the modern 21,000-tonne vessels, a senior French defense ministry official said Monday. Defense Minister Herve Morin
defended the principle behind the planned sale, saying: “We cannot on one hand enlist Russia in building (European) security and at the same time consider that Russia has not profoundly changed since 1991.” The Mistral, the second largest warship in the French fleet, is a 200metre (650-foot) amphibious assault vessel that can carry heavy-lift helicopters, landing craft, tanks and up to 900 commandos.— AFP
One year on, political feuds stall Zimbabwe unity govt HARARE: President Robert Mugabe’s grip on power was pried open one year ago Thursday when he was forced into a unity government, but deep-seated mistrust and political bickering are hampering Zimbabwe’s recovery. When opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai became prime minister on February 11, 2009, the once-vibrant nation had plunged into a seemingly endless freefall. Political violence had engulfed the country after failed elections in 2008. More than half the population needed food aid. Ruptured sewers sparked a cholera epidemic that killed more than 4,000 people. Doctors and teachers fled their jobs, while unemployment hit 94 percent. With Zimbabwe disintegrating, the government in January abandoned the local currency and legalized trade in US dollars. Just weeks later, the power-sharing government took office, leaving 85-year-old Mugabe in control of security forces while handing Tsvangirai the purse strings. More than any single action, dollarisation stabilized the economy, allowing once-bare supermarkets to restock at least basics like salt, sugar and cooking oil-items that had become luxuries. “We have done so much in so little time,”
Tsvangirai told AFP on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. “However I would be the last to say that everything is rosy.” The economy last year grew by 4.7 percent, the first growth in a decade, but economic analyst Antony Hawkins said a full recovery to the peaks of the 1990s would take 10 to 15 years. “The corner has been turned but it’s going to be a long-haul,” Hawkins said. “We need a political settlement that gets recognition from the international community. We need political certainty to move faster. The economy is being held back by the politicians.” But Zimbabwe’s political headaches have proved more difficult to fix. Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Mugabe’s ZANU-PF are still feuding over Mugabe’s unilateral appointments of the attorney general and central bank governor. Mugabe has refused to swear in Roy Bennett, Tsvangirai’s pick for deputy agriculture minister, who is being prosecuted for treason. “In terms of stopping the economic haemorrhage, we have succeeded,” said MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa. “The inclusive government has fallen victim to bickering and unnecessary politicking, particularly from our colleagues in ZANU-PF,” he said. Justice
Minister Patrick Chinamasa, a top Mugabe advisor, hailed the fact that the government has lasted an entire year. “There is commitment to continue cooperation in the inclusive government and meeting the challenges that lie ahead,” he said. He insisted that a western travel ban and asset freeze on Mugabe and his inner circle were crippling Zimbabwe’s recovery. “The future is in the hands of the MDC and their allies who imposed sanctions on us. If the sanctions were lifted, Zimbabwe would not be recognizable today,” Chinamasa said. Amid the bickering, new investors have shied away. Security forces are still accused of torture and rights abuses. The United Nations predicts 1.9 million people, about 15 percent of the population, will still need food aid this year. Zimbabwe’s 230,000 civil servants, lured back to work one year ago with an offer of US dollar salaries, launched an open-ended strike Friday to demand an increase to their 150 dollar monthly pay. The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition of rights groups warned in a report on the government’s performance that the risk remains of a return to “food shortages, runaway inflation, rampant violence and the general decay of social service.” “Zimbabwe still sits at the precipice,” it said.— AFP
“The Vice President ... shall henceforth discharge the functions of the office of the president, commander in chief of the armed forces of the federation, as acting president,” the Senate motion said. But the constitution makes no provision for parliament to take such a step, saying the president must make a written declaration that he is on vacation or unable to carry out his duties before such a transfer of powers can take place. Yar’Adua has been receiving treatment for a heart condition for more than two months and his failure to formally hand over to Jonathan has risked bringing government business to a halt. The Nigerian ambassador in Saudi Arabia, who has given occasional updates on Yar’Adua’s health, could not immediately be reached to comment on parliament’s move. “This foray into uncharted waters will lead to questions as to its constitutional legality,” said Kayode Akindele, a director at Lagos-based financial advisory firm Greengate Strategic Partners. “It is now up to the presidency and cabinet in their meeting tomorrow to align with this gathering political consensus. The vice president has to now step out of the shadows and assume the mantle of leadership in a very deliberate fashion.” In a speech to the upper house, Senate President David Mark acknowledged that the motion tested Nigeria’s laws but said parliament had to do what was necessary “when faced with a situation that was not contemplated by the constitution”. “The last 78 days have been very challenging to us as a nation ... We have examined all the options available to us and rightly concluded it is necessary to take this stand and allow the country to move forward,” he said. He said an interview given by Yar’Adua in Saudi Arabia and broadcast by the BBC on Jan. 12 was evidence enough of his absence for medical treatment. “A rigid and inflexible interpretation will not only stifle the spirit and (intention) of the constitution but will also affront the doctrine of necessity,” Mark said. Both the Senate and House of Representatives made clear that Jonathan would hold executive powers only until the president could return to office. Despite the constitutional question mark over the move, Jonathan’s empowerment means that government business can continue if Yar’Adua’s absence continues for a long period. The House of Representatives was due to debate the 2010 budget during its closed session yesterday, paving the way for the spending plans to be signed into law in Yar’Adua’s absence. “This is a move in the right direction. We are moving closer to closure,” said Bismarck Rewane, chief executive of Lagos-based consultancy Financial Derivatives.— Reuters
STRASBOURG: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (R) and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton (L) listen to a speech during the presentation of the newly elected team of EU commissioners yesterday. —AFP
Ukraine’s Tymoshenko girds to contest result KIEV: Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko launched action yesterday to call rival Viktor Yanukovich’s election as president into question. A local newspaper quoted Tymoshenko as saying she “will never recognise” Yanukovich’s victory in Sunday’s election and her supporters in parliament announced organised action to try to prove “cynical” fraud by the rival camp. But there was some unease among Tymoshenko supporters over the move, which flew in the face of international monitors. They hailed the election as an “impressive display” of democracy and urged her to accept defeat and shake Yanukovich’s hand. Russia and the United States yesterday added their weight to international recognition of the election. Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev sent congratulations to Yanukovich and the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, in a statement, endorsed the vote as a step “in the consolidation of Ukraine’s democracy.” Some Tymoshenko loyalists privately expressed doubts they could prove a case of fraud against the Yanukovich camp. A legal challenge to Yanukovich’s narrow victory-by just three percentage points-could deny the exSoviet state of 46 million a quick return to stability and rattle financial markets. Yields on Ukrainian sovereign bonds jumped early yesterday, indicating a negative sentiment towards Ukraine. The cost of insuring against state default also jumped as a resumption of International Monetary Fund lending seemed likely to be delayed. “I will never recognise the legitimacy of Yanukovich’s victory with such elections,” the Ukrainska Pravda quoted the charismatic Tymoshenko as telling a party meeting on Monday. Tymoshenko had instructed her lawyers to prepare for a court challenge of the results, the daily’s website reported. Her parliamentary faction alleged there had been widespread fraud by Yanukovich’s Regions Party camp and it would take legal action to defend the right to fair elections. “Voting day displayed a cynical violation of Ukrainian law by the teams of Yanukovich, pressure on the electors and a broad arsenal of falsification by the Regions Party,” Tymoshenko bloc deputy Serhiy Sobolev told parliament. “Consequently, the Tymoshenko bloc announces that we will defend in the courts your right, our citizens, to honest and transparent elections,” he said. The Tymoshenko side appeared set to try to prove thousands of instances of election cheating by the Yanukovich camp and then take a case to a higher court to win a recount or even possibly a third round vote. The official result signaled a remarkable comeback for Yanukovich, who tapped widespread disillusionment with the Orange Revolution democracy movement that delivered years of infighting instead of prosperi-
ty and stability. His Regions Party is an ally of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United Russia and he is expected to tilt Ukraine more towards Russia, ending a deep chill in relations under the proWestern Viktor Yushchenko. Yanukovich’s camp denied there was any legal basis for challenging the result and ruled out any third round as in 2004, when Tymoshenko successfully led the “Orange Revolution” against Yanukovich’s election in a rigged poll. “There will be no third round. There will be courts- please go to courtbut there is no legal basis (for action),” Yanukovich’s campaign manager Borys Kolesnikov told Reuters. The Orange Revolution, in which tens of thousands of people demonstrated on the streets of Kiev, brought current President Yushchenko to power. Now an enemy of Tymoshenko, he crashed to a humiliating defeat in a first round vote on Jan. 17. The fiery Tymoshenko remained uncharacteristically silent on Monday. Announcement of a re-scheduled news conference was removed from her website and it was possible she would stay out of the public eye again yesterday, weighing her options. The action announced by her parliamentary faction could delay official publication of the final election results and hold up any inauguration of a new president. This normally takes place within 30 days of publication of results. If Tymoshenko conceded defeat, Yanukovich could normally have expected to be sworn in as president in mid-March. Tymoshenko’s defiance is typical of a woman who fought a bitter campaign against the 59year-old ex-mechanic whom she branded a “puppet of the oligarchs”. A brilliant public performer, she nearly caught Yanukovich up after trailing him by 10 percentage points in the first round. She appears to have failed because her other nemesis, Yushchenko, encouraged his supporters to vote for neither candidate. Some of her supporters privately said that, unlike 2004, attempts to prove fraud against the Yanukovich camp might fail and they might only be delaying the inevitable. “One should not overdramatise the situation if we become an opposition-this will give us a chance to grow popular support for Tymoshenko in local elections on May 30 from today’s almost 12 million people,” Tymoshenko bloc deputy Serhiy Mishchenko told journalists. Tymoshenko also risks misjudging the country’s mood. She has backed off from an earlier threat to call people out onto the streets. But an election-weary people are equally likely to have little appetite for yet another vote. The country of 46 million people has been battered by economic crisis and badly needs to restart talks with the IMF on a $16.4 billion bailout package derailed by broken promises of fiscal restraint. — Reuters
KIEV: Supporters of Ukrainian opposition leader and presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovich react holding his portrait during a rally in front of Central Election Commission, in Kiev, Ukraine yesterday. — AP
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Venezuela declares emergency amid energy crisis CARACAS: President Hugo Chavez signed a decree declaring an energy emergency in Venezuela to facilitate his government’s efforts to ease severe power shortages. “We’ve been working on this because it’s a necessity. The truth is, it’s an emergency,” Chavez said Monday. Under the decree, Venezuelans who use more than 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month , an estimated 24 percent of all residential consumers, must reduce their consump-
tion by 10 percent or be required to pay a 75 percent price increase. Those who increase consumption by 10 percent will be slapped with a 100 percent price increase. If they boost usage by 20 percent, the price hike rises to 200 percent. Venezuela imposed electricity and water rationing in December to prevent a collapse of the electricity grid as water levels behind the Guri Dam fell to critical lows. The dam supplies most of Venezuela’s electricity.
Rolling blackouts lasting up to four hours are bring imposed throughout the country , except the capital of Caracas, as the country struggles with a severe drought. Venezuelans who collaborate with the government to save energy will be rewarded, Chavez said. Consumers who reduce their electricity usage by 10 to 20 percent will receive a 25 percent discount on monthly bills. And those who decrease consumption by more than 20 percent, will get a 50
percent discount. Chavez said he would set an example, vowing that energy consumption at the presidential palace would drop significantly. The energy conservation plan also requires big businesses and industrial complexes to reduce consumption by 20 percent or face sanctions, including 24-hour to 48-hour shutdowns. Total power consumption has risen about 25 percent since 2004 , a period during which Venezuela
enjoyed an oil boom while electricity rates remained frozen, leaving little incentive to save energy. And millions of poor Venezuelans help themselves to electricity for free by splicing wires onto power lines, further straining the country’s power grid. Venezuela is suffering from a drought as Pacific Ocean currents have changed weather patterns as part of the El Nino phenomenon, and Chavez has warned Venezuelans that the South American country’s power
woes could worsen if rains don’t come as expected when the rainy season begins in May or June. “This is the worst summer I’ve seen in my life,” Chavez said. “Everything is dry.” Critics counter that Chavez failed to invest enough in electrical projects to meet growing demand. Energy Minister Ali Rodriguez announced last week that Chavez’s administration plans to spend $15 billion over the next five years to
increase electricity production. Rodriguez rejected allegations the government is mostly to blame for the energy shortages. “It’s not due to lack of investment, even if it’s true that we’ve had problems (and) delays with some projects,” Rodriguez said. Venezuela has sought advice from its Latin American allies, including Brazil, Argentina and communist-led Cuba, on how to more effectively resolve its energy crisis.— AP
Forecasters predict another 10 to 20 inches of snow
Eastern US braces for fresh snow blitz VIRGINIA: In this Jan 28, 2010 file photo, first lady Michelle Obama speaks about childhood obesity, at the YMCA in Alexandria, Va. — AP
Michelle kicks off drive against childhood obesity WASHINGTON: First Lady Michelle Obama yesterday launched a major push against childhood obesity, which she has targeted as one of the greatest threats to America’s health and economy. The first lady joined President Barack Obama in the Oval Office as he signed an executive memorandum yesterday putting in place an “obesity plan of action.” “I am so proud of the work that the first lady, along with the cabinet secretaries behind me, have done in trying to tackle one of the most urgent health issues that we have in this country,” the president said as he signed the memorandum, surrounded by his senior aides and with the first lady’s arm draped over his chair. The presidential memorandum sets in motion a 90day plan that “provides optimal coordination” among federal agencies to fight the obesity epidemic. Michelle Obama, who has made child health and fitness one of the hallmarks of her tenure as first lady, was to be joined later yesterday by members of her husband’s cabinet, as well as luminaries from the media, entertainment and sports worlds, to kick off the program at a White House event. “We want to eliminate this problem of childhood obesity in a generation,” Obama explained in a television interview broadcast yesterday. She said her efforts are aimed at providing more nutritious, affordable food in schools and giving children more opportunities for rigorous physical activity. “One in three kids are overweight or obese and we’re spending 150 billion dollars a year treating obesity-related illnesses, so we
know this is a problem and there’s a lot at stake,” she told ABC television’s “Good Morning America” program. Because of obesity and the illnesses associated with it, including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, the current generation of US children have been predicted to be the first to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents. The first lady, who before her husband’s election was vice president of a Chicago hospital, was already on the warpath against obesity in the first year of President Barack Obama’s administration. She has highlighted healthy living by planting a vegetable garden on the lawn of the White and joining in physical activities — including showing off impressive hula-hooping skills-with US schoolchildren. “We’re launching a nationwide campaign called ‘Let’s Move’,” Michelle Obama told ABC television, adding that the importance of physical activity is something she stresses with her own young daughters, Sasha and Malia. “My kids have to get up and move. They can’t sit in front of the TV. I have my girls involved in sports because I want them as young women to understand what it feels like to compete and to win and to run and to sweat. This is about all of that as well,” she said. About 32 percent of US children and adolescents are obese or overweight, government statistics show. Almost 20 percent of children ages 6 to 11 and 18 percent of those ages 12 to 19 are obese. Overweight children are at greater risk for weight-related health problems such as high cholesterol and diabetes, and have a higher chance of becoming obese adults.— AFP
Canadian commander charged in 2 murders OTTAWA: A Canadian military base commander who once piloted the prime minister’s jet has been charged with murdering two women and sexually assaulting two others, police said Monday. Colonel Russell Williams, 46, was arrested on Sunday for the disappearance and death of a 27-yearold woman last heard from on January 28 when she sent a text message to a friend. Her body was found on Monday on a rural roadside near Williams’s home in Tweed, Ontario, about 215 kilometers (134 miles) east of Toronto. Police said a review of similar unsolved cases in the region led to further charges being laid in the murder of a corporal under Williams’ command at Canadian Forces Base Trenton. She was found dead in her home in November. Williams, who is married, was also charged in two home invasions in September in which two women were confined and sexually assaulted. “Due to
similarities in those incidents, the police investigative team linked (last month’s murder) to other crimes,” Ontario Provincial Police said in a statement. At a press conference they suggested Williams may also be tied to other unsolved crimes, which police are investigating with the help of military police. “We are certainly tracking the movements of where this man has been over the past several years, and we’re continuing on with our investigation,” Ontario Provincial Police Inspector Chris Nicholas told reporters. According to his biography, Williams is an amateur photographer and track runner, and enjoys fishing and golf with his wife. He once piloted the CC 144 Challenger jet used to ferry Canada’s governor general and prime minister, as well as the British royal family when they visit this country. He has commanded 437 Squadron in Trenton for nearly two years, and previ-
ously was in charge of Canada’s secretive Camp Mirage in the Middle East, said to be located near Dubai. Following his arrest, public broadcaster CBC aired video footage of him once chatting with Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay while CTV said he is on a first-name basis with the chief of the defense staff. “In light of the seriousness of the charges, and in consideration of the high level of responsibilities attached to the position of Wing Commander, an interim Wing Commander for 8 Wing Trenton will soon be appointed,” Chief of The Air Staff Lieutenant-General Andre Deschamps said in a statement. “Also, in the coming days, a review will be initiated by 1 Canadian Air Division, in Winnipeg, to determine the most appropriate action to take regarding Colonel Williams pending the outcome of the trial,” he said. “This situation affects us all,” he commented.— AFP
Mexico arrests 2 reputed leaders of Tijuana gang TIJUANA: Mexican federal police arrested two suspected gang leaders Monday, delivering another big blow to a brutal drug cartel that terrorized the border city of Tijuana for several years. The capture of Raydel Lopez Uriarte and Manuel Garcia Simental apparently wipes out the existing leadership of the cartel headed by Teodoro Garcia Simental, who was captured last month. Teodoro and Manuel Garcia are brothers. Lopez, known as “El Muletas,” and Garcia, known as “El Chiquilin,” were arrested Monday in La Paz, a city in the southern end of the Baja
California peninsula, said Amy Roderick, a spokeswoman for the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Mexico’s Public Security Department confirmed the arrests in a brief statement, describing Manual Garcia as the gang’s leader after his brother’s arrest and Lopez as the current second-in-command. It said the arrests were the result of leads starting with the capture of Teodoro Garcia in La Paz on Jan. 12, but offered no further details on the operations. Roderick said there were no US indictments pending against the suspects. — AP
WASHINGTON: The rarely-shuttered US government closed down for a second day yesterday, as the northeast braced for another massive snow blitz just days after a historic blizzard paralyzed the region. Schools in the Washington area were shut and thousands of homes were without power after a massive Unlike the last blizzard, yesterday’s storm was expected to travel clear up the east coast, reaching as far north as New England. As harried commuters in the mid-Atlantic states struggled to get to work on roads that were not completely cleared, most of the 230,000 federal employees were not going to work. Meanwhile airports in the area, which closed down during the worst of the weekend blizzard, faced the prospect of more delayed and cancelled flights yesterday. “Passengers should confirm with their airlines that their flight is operating before departing for the airport,” Mark Treadaway, a public affairs officer at Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority told AFP. He said that crews were preparing to treat the airport with chemicals and snow removal equipment to keep operations going. “We’re going to stay focused with a very close eye on the forecast. Our crews are standing by with all the appropriate treatments,” he said. Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland have declared emergencies, allowing them to mobilize the National Guard to help cope with the unprecedented snow. School officials in at least one Washington DC suburb, Virginia’s Loudoun County, have decided to remain closed for the rest of the week-reopening only after next Monday’s President’s Day holiday on February 15. “It should be better tomorrow, but it is a huge challenge to get the interstates cleared before the next storm yesterday,” said Joan Morris, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation, which clears state and residential roads. “Especially when we’ve also got 9,000 miles of subdivision roads,” Morris added. Even without the new snowfall, power companies had said it could take days to restore power to homes plunged into the dark when falling trees and branches snapped power lines. The prognosis was even more dismal with the new snowfall. Many of those without power gathered in restaurants and coffee shops on major avenues where power was often restored first. Some residents of suburban Washington spent two days huddled at businesses, unable to go home. The deepest snow left by the weekend “Snowmageddon” was in the small town of Colesville, central Maryland, which was buried in 40 inches (101 centimeters) of snow, the National Weather Service said. The new snowfall arrives just as life had begun to return to normal, as metro trains resumed service and residents dug out cars and cleared driveways. Some stores and coffee shops reopened after a rare shutdown. Boris Ruhadze, 24, was stuck at the International House of Pancakes in Rockville, Maryland from Friday afternoon when the storm started until Monday morning. “We slept on the benches in some of the booths, in a part of the restaurant they closed off. The line was out the door on Friday, and even worse on Saturday as people lost power,” Ruhadze said.— AFP
snowfall barreled across the area Friday and Saturday, leaving somes area entombed in as much as three feet (one meter) of snow. Forecasters said residents now face another wintry onslaught, with nearly another 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters) of snow forecast to fall yesterday and today.
WASHINGTON: A line forms the Delta counter at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, after the runway was re-opened for the first time in three days on Monday. A massive snow storm hit the region Friday and Saturday, dumping 2 feet of snow in some places and closing area airports over the weekend.— AP
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Malaysia sacks IAEA envoy after Iran nuclear vote VIENNA: Malaysia has fired its ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog for voting against a resolution rebuking Iran and he will be replaced as rotating head of the agency’s governing body later this week, officials said. The rare removal of a senior serving diplomat on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors underlined the volatile politics and high stakes in policymak-
ing involving Iran’s disputed nuclear programme. Mohd Arshad Manzoor Hussain, a 35-year diplomatic veteran, told Reuters he had been sacked by his government after being recalled to Kuala Lumpur following the Nov. 27 vote and several weeks of consultations. The Malaysian foreign ministry said in December that Hussain disregarded orders by voting “no”
to a resolution passed by a 25-3 margin with six abstentions to censure Iran for building a second uranium enrichment plant in secret. “I am very disappointed at this development (to sack me) as I had hoped my government would renew my contract to enable me to complete my mandate as chairman,” Hussain said in Vienna, where he had returned to
await his capital’s decision. “This has not happened and I just have to accept it as my fate.” The IAEA board will hold a special one-day meeting on Friday to appoint a successor, identified in a confidential memo obtained by Reuters as Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, previously Kuala Lumpur’s ambassador in Qatar. A senior diplomat close to the matter said Malaysia’s IAEA
mission had been instructed to vote in line with the position of the Non-Aligned Movement of developing nations, which has historically opposed Western-driven international actions to isolate Iran, a fellow member of NAM. Iran denies Western suspicions that it secretly seeks nuclear weapons and NAM has stood up for Iran’s proclaimed
right to develop a sovereign civilian nuclear power industry. When the vote was held, the diplomat said, Hussain was surprised to see NAM members Egypt, Pakistan and South Africa abstain, and India vote “yes”. Hussain had no time to doublecheck policy with his capital, and so voted against as originally instructed, the diplomat told Reuters. The other opposing votes
were cast by Cuba and Venezuela, both US foes unlike Malaysia. All Western board members, joined unusually by Russia and China, voted in favour. Vienna diplomats said the overwhelming passage of the resolution suggested major developing states were souring on Iran over its nuclear secrecy and defiance of calls to open up to IAEA inspections.—Reuters
Murder case biggest since World War II war crimes trials
197 people indicted in Philippines massacre
MANIlA: Evangelist and presidential candidate Eddie Villanueva, foreground, waves a Philippine flag to acknowledge thousands of supporters during his kick off campaign for the country’s first ever automated national elections yesterday at Manila’s Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines. Villanueva kicked off his campaign by unfurling the Philippines biggest flag as a symbol of their party’s call to “rise” and fight alleged corruption in the country. —AP
Kim sends nuclear envoy to China SEOUL: North Korea’s Kim Jong Il reportedly dispatched his top nuclear envoy to Beijing yesterday to discuss restarting nuclear disarmament talks, a day after pledging Pyongyang’s commitment to a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. Kim made the disarmament pledge during a meeting Monday with a high-level envoy from Beijing at the start of a week of diplomacy designed to get the six-nation nuclear talks back on track. A high-level UN envoy also flew to Pyongyang yesterday for a four-day trip. North Korea walked away from the talks last year during a standoff over its nuclear and missile programs. The disarmament process includes the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United States. Pyongyang, however, has been reaching out to
Washington, Seoul and Beijing in recent months, and has taken tentative steps toward discussing how to get the process going again. Analysts say the about-face shows the regime is feeling the pinch from sanctions taken after its May nuclear test. “The sincerity of relevant parties to resume the six-party talks is very important,” Kim said during a meeting with top Chinese Communist Party official Wang Jiarui, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported from Pyongyang. Kim reiterated his country’s “persistent stance to realize the denuclearization” of the peninsula, the report said. Wang delivered to Kim a letter from Chinese President Hu Jintao saying Beijing also is ready to enhance cooperation and work with North Korea to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula, Xinhua said. Hu
also invited Kim to visit China, the report said. Later yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu confirmed Kim’s denuclearization pledge, saying the leader “expressed the view that (North Korea) remains in favor of realizing the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.” Yesterday, South Korean media reports said North Korea’s top nuclear envoy, Kim Kye Gwan, landed in Beijing with Wang, who was returning home after a four-day trip to Pyongyang. The North Korean envoy was expected to discuss the nuclear talks with Chinese officials, the Yonhap news agency said, citing unidentified diplomatic sources in Beijing. Ma said he has no information on the envoy’s reported trip. “This is a sign that the resumption of the six-party talks is
HAMGYONG-DO: In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, front right, meets with senior Chinese Communist Party envoy Wang Jiarui, front left, in Hamhung-si, South Hamgyong-do, North Korea on Monday. —AP
imminent,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. “Kim Kye Gwan is expected to tell Chinese officials about North Korea’s disarmament plan in a more concrete manner”, probably in return for aid from Beijing, he said. UN political chief B. Lynn Pascoe, meanwhile, embarked on a trip to the North, with footage broadcast by APTN in Pyongyang showing him stepping off an airport shuttle, shaking hands and chatting with North Korean officials. Pascoe said the talks are to find “ways we can cooperate better,” according to the footage. “So it should be quite useful.” Pascoe’s trip will be the first there by a high-level UN official since 2004, according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry. The envoy is reportedly bearing a letter from UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon. Pascoe’s role is to try negotiating a breakthrough on the nuclear talks, said analyst Paik Hak-soon of the private Sejong Institute think tank in South Korea. North Korea has made clear it wants UN sanctions lifted and a peace treaty with Washington formally ending the 1950-1953 Korean War before it returns to the disarmament talks. Pyongyang cites the US military presence in South Korea as its main reason for building up its nuclear weapons program. Washington says Pyongyang must come back to the talks first before any discussion about political and economic concessions. Paik predicted that North Korea and the US would meet soon for “final coordination” to reopen the six-party talks. Earlier yesterday, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency called Kim Jong Il’s talks with Wang “cordial and friendly” but didn’t elaborate on what was discussed. The location of the meeting was unclear: Two KCNA-dispatched photos said it took place in Pyongyang while a Xinhua photo caption citing the eastern city of Hamhung. —AP
MANILA: Philippine prosecutors filed charges yesterday against the head of a powerful clan and 195 others in the biggest and deadliest murder case since the country’s World War II war crimes trials. The indictment said Andal Ampatuan Sr and the others were part of a conspiracy to ambush and kill members of the rival Mangudadatu family and supporters, who were gunned down Nov 23 on a hilltop in Maguindanao province. In all, 57 people died the massacre apparently to prevent Esmael Mangudadatu from challenging the Ampatuans’ control of the province in a gubernatorial election. Among those killed were 30 journalists and their staff who were going to cover the filing of Mangudadatu’s candidacy papers. The massacre was unprecedented even for the country notorious for election violence and political killings that have claimed hundreds of lives this decade alone. Only the war crime trials of World War II Japanese commanders in the Philippines involved the higher numbers of victims. “I would say it is the biggest (trial) since the war, but I would even say in Philippine history because I don’t put this in the same category of wars or those political crimes where you talk of numbers of victims,” said Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera. “Legally, it will take a little while because every accused has a right,” she told The Associated Press. Mangudadatu, who said he had received death threats from the Ampatuans, sent his wife and other female relatives and supporters to the provincial capital in the hope that his rival would not harm the women. Before yesterday’s indictment, only the patriarch’s son, Andal Ampatuan Jr, had been formally charged. “From the witnesses presented ... it can be deduced that the commission of the crime was planned deliberately by the perpetrators and that, until its consummation, there was an inexorable resolve to kill,” the indictment document said. “Consequently, their plan was carried out leading to the mass murder.” Andal Ampatuan Jr. has pleaded not guilty and is seeking bail. No date has been set for the arraignment of his father, brothers and the other coaccused. The 69-year-old clan patriarch, an ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has denied any involvement and said the charges have been fabricated. He also denied a witness’s statement saying he allegedly told his son, “You know what to do” with the people in the convoy. The Ampatuans are facing separate charges of rebellion for allegedly mobilizing armed resistance against the government in the wake of the massacre. Arroyo had political alliances with the Ampatuans and their rivals, the Mangudadatus, but was believed particularly indebted to the Ampatuans, who delivered crucial votes for her in the 2004 election. Arroyo’s administration party expelled the Ampatuans shortly after the massacre. Last week, relatives of 14 of the journalists killed asked the nascent Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to ensure that the suspects do not escape justice. —AP
SICHUAN: In this May 17, 2008 file photo, student ID tags are placed on the ground at the Juyuan Middle School, following the May 12 earthquake, in Dujiangyan, in China’s southwest Sichuan province. A Chinese court yesterday, sentenced an activist who investigated the deaths . —AP
China sentences quake activist to 5 years’ jail BEIJING: A Chinese court yesterday sentenced an activist who investigated the deaths of thousands of schoolchildren in the country’s massive 2008 earthquake to five years in jail for inciting subversion of state power, the man’s lawyer said. The United States deplored the sentence handed down to Tan Zuoren by a court in southwestern Sichuan province, saying such convictions were politically motivated and urging China to immediately release the activist and others similarly prosecuted. Attorney Pu Zhiqiang said Tan was convicted and sentenced yesterday by the Chengdu Intermediate Court. Tan’s trial in August had concluded with no ruling, during which police detained and threatened his supporters. The conviction of inciting subversion of state power was based on Tan’s activities in recent years to draw attention to the 1989 student-led demonstrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square that ended in a deadly military crackdown. China routinely uses such broad and vaguely defined charges of subversion to imprison dissidents, sometimes for years. But Tan’s supporters and human rights groups believe authorities were trying to silence him for his investigation into the collapse of schools in the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck in Sichuan province in May 2008, leaving almost 90,000 dead or missing. Tan estimated at least 5,600 students were among the dead, while a figure released by the government last May put the count at 5,335. Tan, 56, started his investigation in December 2008 and hoped to complete it before the May 12 anniversary of the quake the following year, but he was detained in late March. “Tan thinks one of the reasons behind this case is that he was leading an investigation into the poorly built schools after the earthquake, which would have embarrassed the local government in Chengdu,” Pu said. Critics allege that shoddy con-
struction, enabled by corruption, caused several schools to collapse while buildings nearby remained intact , a politically sensitive theory that the government has tried to quash, fearing it could undermine the admiration and goodwill it earned after its massive rescue effort. But activists and parents, many of whom lost their only children in the quake , have repeatedly demanded those responsible for shoddy construction be investigated and punished. Those who’ve pressed the issue have been detained, harassed and threatened by police and thugs believed to be hired by local officials. Pu said Tan would appeal the court’s verdict, which centered around Tan’s questioning of how authorities handled the 1989 Tiananmen protests: an essay he had written about it in 2007 and a blood drive in 2008 he had organized with others in Chengdu to commemorate the anniversary. Tan had initially also been accused of defaming the government in interviews with foreign news outlets following the quake, but the court dropped that allegation, Pu said. “The court was very smart. They took out any mention of the earthquake from the verdict because they are afraid of referring to it,” Pu said. An officer from the US Consulate General in Chengdu was at the courthouse for Tan’s sentencing but “did not gain entry,” according to US Embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson. Chinese police officers tried to block nine Hong Kong journalists from interviewing Pu outside the courthouse, Hong Kong’s radio RTHK said. RTHK said their reporter filmed the scuffle on her mobile phone, but the phone was confiscated and the footage deleted. The reporters were led to a room inside the courthouse and released after the verdict was announced. Calls to the court rang unanswered yesterday. The US government was dismayed by the sentence handed down to Tan,
Stevenson said, adding he is the latest in a series of activists to be jailed for the peaceful exercise of rights guaranteed them by the Chinese constitution. “Persecution of individuals for the peaceful expression of political views is inconsistent with internationally recognized norms of human rights. The United States condemns these convictions,” Stevenson said. “We call on the Chinese government to immediately release Tan Zuoren and other Chinese citizens who have been imprisoned on baseless, politically motivated charges.” Amnesty International also urged Chinese authorities to release Tan, saying his case highlighted China’s use of vague and broad laws to silence dissenting voices. “The Chinese authorities cannot continue to claim that they are dealing with human rights defenders according to the law when they violate so many of their own legal procedures in cases like this,” the organization’s AsiaPacific deputy director, Roseann Rife, said in an e-mailed statement. In a related case, the same court rejected the appeal of Huang Qi, a prominent dissident who criticized the government’s response to the Sichuan earthquake. Huang had appealed against a three-year jail sentence he was handed in November on the charge of illegally possessing state secrets, his lawyer Mo Shaoping said. Mo said he was notified of the court’s decision in a letter he received yesterday and that no hearing had been held. Huang, founder of a human rights Web site, was detained in June 2008 and had previously served a five-year prison sentence on subversion charges linked to politically sensitive articles posted on his site. Since his release in 2005, Huang has supported a wide range of causes, including aiding families of those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and publicizing the complaints of farmers involved in land disputes with authorities. —AP
Thailand aims to seize all Thaksin fortune BANGKOK: Thailand’s attorney general wants all of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s 2.2 billion-dollar fortune to be seized by the court in its ruling this month, the office said in closing arguments yesterday. Chief of the attorney general’s team, Sekesan Bangsomboon, said the 121-page final document had been submitted to the Supreme Court “to explain why the assets should be seized and we have asked the court to seize all of it.” Thaksin is living in exile to escape a twoyear jail term for graft handed to him in absentia in October 2008. On February 26 the Supreme Court will decide whether the fortune of the telecoms tycoon-frozen in the months after he was deposed in a coup in 2006 — can be seized by authorities. Thaksin’s lawyer submitted a closing statement on his behalf in late January, denying that the former leader used his power as prime minister to obtain his
wealth. Thaksin’s ex-wife, Pojaman Damapong, argued in her closing statement that many of the assets that prosecutors argue were transferred to her by her then-husband, in fact belonged to her before the marriage. “With our evidence, we have asked the court to lift its request for the assets seizure,” Pojaman’s lawyer Somporn Pongsuwan said. Thaksin loyalists are stepping up anti-government demonstrations ahead of the court date. The government has begun to deploy at least 20,000 extra security forces across the country in case of a populist backlash if the court rules to seize Thaksin’s fortune. Despite staying abroad since August 2008, Thaksin remains a divisive figure in his homeland. Both his opponents and supporters have staged numerous mass rallies over the past year, which have sometimes turned violent. —AFP
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Amnesty demands halt to Vedanta’s India mine plans NEW DELHI: Amnesty International demanded yesterday a halt to plans by British resource giant Vedanta to mine in an Indian forest held sacred by tribal people. “No process to seek the (tribal) community’s informed consent has been established,” said the human rights group in a report, the latest in a barrage of criticism over Vedanta’s plans to mine bauxite in eastern India. The human rights group accused the blue-chip company, which is listed on the London stock exchange, of callous treatment of the 8,000-strong Dongria
Kondh tribe who live in the mineral-rich state of Orissa. “The people of Orissa are among the poorest in India... their voices are being ignored by Vedanta,” said Amnesty campaigner Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, who authored the group’s report on the project. The row over Vedanta’s move to mine part of the Niyamgiri Hills, which the tribals believe is the home of their god Niyam Raja, has snowballed into an international controversy and cast a cloud over the company’s public image. Amnesty’s call came
days after the Church of England sold its six-million-dollar stake in Vedanta because it alleged the firm had not shown “the level of respect for human rights and local communities we expect.” India-focused Vedanta rejected Amnesty’s allegations it had violated the rights of the tribe who depend on the Niyamgiri Hills for their crops and livelihood. Vedanta, whose mining plans have been approved by India’s Supreme Court but is still awaiting final clearance from the environment ministry, said it has “the high-
Lankan govt under fire over Fonseka’s arrest Fonseka treated like ‘an animal’: Wife WASHINGTON: Sri Lanka was hit by sharp international criticism as troops arrested the defeated opposition candidate, just two weeks after an election that had raised hopes of turning a new page. The United States voiced worries that the arrest late Monday of former general Sarath Fonseka would worsen divisions on the island, which last year emerged from a bloody 37-year ethnic war. “We are following the situation closely and we have concerns that any action be in accord with Sri Lankan law,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said. “There is a tremendous need for the government of Sri Lanka to work to overcome the fissures that exist within its society,” he said. “It has to be very cautious that any actions it takes are designed to heal the split within Sri Lankan society, not to exacerbate it,” he said. Sri Lankan state media said Fonseka, a former army general who led the campaign that killed the leadership of the Tamil Tiger rebels, would be charged with unspecified “military offenses.” Meanwhile, the wife of Sri Lankan ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka accused the government yesterday of abducting her husband and treating him “like an animal” following his dramatic arrest. “This is not an arrest. It is an abduction,” a tearful Anoma Fonseka said at a press conference at her Colombo home. Fonseka, who lost his challenge for the presidency in a January 26 election, was arrested Monday night by military police who stormed the offices of the opposition alliance which had backed his candidacy. Anoma Fonseka complained that her 59year-old husband had been “dragged out and treated like an animal” by the soldiers. “I don’t know where he’s being held. I don’t know his condition. He needs regular medication. “We always knew that the government will try to arrest my husband, but we never thought they would do it in such a disgusting manner,” she said through sobs. “Is this the gratitude for a general who ended terrorism?” Hours earlier, Fonseka said he would testify before any tribunal on alleged war crimes-an idea fiercely opposed by President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government. Western nations had voiced guarded hope at improving relations with Sri Lanka after the January 26 election. It was the first vote since the rout of the Tigers, who waged a ruthless campaign for a separate homeland for the island’s Tamil minority. Rajapakse and Fonseka had both claimed credit for defeating the Tigers. But Fonseka in particular reached out to Tamil voters in hopes they could tip the race between the two members of the Sinhalese majority. “Whatever the government
spokesman for Vedanta said this was impossible. “This refinery is a world class. It is completely a zero-discharge refinery, there is no question of any leaking or pollution,” he told AFP. The mining plans are seen as a test case, pitting industrial development interests in India against those of indigenous peoples and the environment. Vast tracts of India’s mineral wealth lie in parts of the country that are home to indigenous tribes. Vedanta insists it has “complied in all respects” with Indian regulations and is committed to
COLOMBO: Anoma Fonseka, wife of the Sri Lanka’s defeated presidential candidate and former military chief Sarath Fonseka, reacts as she speaks to the media at her residence yesterday. — AP does has implications for how democratic institutions are perceived in the future,” Crowley said. “It’s an unusual action to take right on the heels of an election,” he said of the arrest. Fonseka holds US residency, although officials said it did not affect their treatment of him. Another official in Washington said that US diplomats had been working behind the scenes to encourage Rajapakse to be cautious, warning that an arrest of Fonseka without legal grounding would have serious effects on relations. The United States believed that the election was free, credible and-by regional standardspeaceful, but “we have been very disturbed by developments since the election,” the official said. On Friday, diplomats said that the European Union had decided to suspend preferential trade status to Sri Lanka-a major source of garments-because of its human rights record. The Tamil diaspora has pushed Western nations to take a harder line with Sri Lanka, leading Rajapakse’s government to turn increasingly on nations such as China and Iran for support. One community leader in Canada, which has the West’s most politically active Tamil diaspora, hoped that Fonseka’s arrest would lead to renewed pressure on Sri Lanka. — Agencies
That’s doubtful. Although Fonseka was a hero to many in Sri Lanka for his relentless pursuit of the Tamil Tigers, Rajapaksa won re-election with a landslide margin of 18 percentage points. He has also made clear he is not shy about using the considerable organs of the state at his disposal as he sees fit, as has been the case with many of Sri Lanka’s previous presidents. WHAT ABOUT FINANCIAL MARKETS? Sri Lanka’s booming stock market has been keeping up a record pace since the end of the war in May, gaining 125 percent in 2009 to earn it a spot among the world’s best performers. It was resilient throughout the bumpy election campaign and since Rajapaksa was declared the winner, it hit new record highs almost every day. A lot of that was driven by local buying, since foreign investors are net sellers. On the day after Fonseka’s arrest, the market edged down 0.11 percent, but traders said was likely a correction rather than reaction to the news. Analysts and investors say that since the war is gone, the politics don’t make a huge difference. What matters is whether Rajapaksa sticks to pledges made to the International Monetary Fund to rein in a budget deficit and improve the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals. WHAT ABOUT POPULAR SUPPORT? Fonseka did gain 40 percent of the vote. But the general was a political neophyte whose backing came from a motley
coalition of opposition parties, with little in common other than a desire to beat Rajapaksa. There were no real plans to keep that coalition in place should the general have won, and his post-poll support has been lukewarm. A rally he called to protest the vote drew a few thousand people in Colombo, and was subdued by all accounts. IS THIS A BATTLE OF EGOS, OR A VENDETTA? There is no doubt that there are larger-than-life personalities involved, and that the bruising election campaign bred serious enmity. Fonseka, Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa were a tight trio at the forefront of the war effort, and were all lionized in Sri Lanka after the victory. But if three is a crowd, Fonseka is the odd man out. The Rajapaksas are brothers, and the president is a definite adherent of the maxim that blood is thicker than water. It is telling that the particular regiment chosen to surround Fonseka’s hotel on election night was that of the defense secretary, who also was a combat-hardened infantry officer like Fonseka. IS THIS ABOUT KEEPING FONSEKA FROM RUNNING FOR PARLIAMENT? That’s what the opposition says, and polls are due by April. However, it is unclear how much of a political threat Fonseka would be as a legislator, given the ease with which Rajapaksa dispatched him in the presidential race. — Reuters
improve the welfare of local people in the area. Coinciding with Amnesty’s attack on Vedanta’s plans, Survival International, which campaigns on behalf of indigenous people, appealed to film director James Cameron to help it stop the mine in an ad in US entertainment magazine Variety. Like the tribe in Cameron’s blockbuster movie “Avatar,” who are seeking to stop humans from mining under their sacred “home tree,” the Dongria Kondh are trying to stop Vedanta from mining in the hills they worship, Survival said. — AFP
A new wave of murky rumors
Fresh speculation over fate of Pakistan’s Taleban chief ISLAMABAD: A new frenzy of rumors spread about the fate of Pakistan Taleban leader Hakimullah Mehsud yesterday, underscoring how tough it can be to get intelligence on militants seeking to topple the Americanbacked government. Hakimullah was wounded in a US drone aircraft attack in January. The strikes have escalated since Hakimullah appeared
What’s next in Lanka’s post-election fallout COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s former army chief General Sarath Fonseka is in army custody, facing a court-martial on charges he conspired against President Mahinda Rajapaksa before unsuccessfully vying for his job in a Jan 26 poll. Here are some questions and answers about what’s next: WHY WAS FONSEKA ARRESTED? The government says Fonseka planned his presidential bid while he was still serving in the army, which it says constitutes a conspiracy against Rajapaksa, his commander-in-chief. Fonseka’s supporters say it is an act of revenge for his daring to challenge Rajapaksa in a campaign that devolved into a whirl of accusations. The government has yet to fully elaborate on the specific charges for which Fonseka will face a court-martial. Given the welter of accusations thrown at the general during the campaign, it is difficult to say what will eventually be brought against him. Presidential allies say the government took the coup allegations against Fonseka very seriously, given the number of ex-military officers he kept around him. WHAT KIND OF PUNISHMENT DOES HE FACE? That won’t be clear until he is formally charged. Sri Lanka’s military justice system is subject to review by the supreme court, so Fonseka is likely to challenge any decision there. IS THE ARREST GOING TO ROIL THE ISLAND?
est respect for human rights.” The project “will deliver significant economic stimulus to the local community, especially historically underdeveloped areas of Orissa,” the company added. The proposed open-caste mine is intended to feed a nearby 900-million-dollar alumina refinery at Lanjigarh already built by the company. Amnesty also alleged the refinery, which is currently being fed with bauxite from other Indian states, is already causing air and water pollution that “threatens the health of local people.” But a
The latest rumors started with a Taleban official who requested anonymity telling journalists Hakimullah died of his wounds while being transported to the city of Karachi, a highly unlikely scenario because he would be more vulnerable to capture or killing outside his stronghold in tribal areas on the Afghan border. A government intelligence official gave the same account. Then the army spokesman and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who has commented wrongfully before about the deaths of Taleban leaders, said they had no credible information. “People coming from tribal areas are saying he is dead and has already been buried. However, I don’t have any confirmation. I am unable to confirm it,” said Malik. The official Taleban spokesman Azam Tariq denied reports that Hakimullah had died. “He is fine,” a Pakistani television station quoted him as saying. The confusion must be frustrating for the United States, which watched Hakimullah appear on a farewell video with the double agent suicide bomber who killed seven CIA employees in Afghanistan on Dec 30, raising the Pakistani Taleban’s profile. The drone strikes have killed some senior Taleban and Al-Qaeda figures but they have not eased suicide bombings which have killed hundreds of people despite a government offensive launched in October. Last year, the interior minister said Hakimullah was killed in a Taleban power struggle after the death of its leader Baitullah Mehsud in a drone strike. Rumors surfaced once again recently. Taleban militants issued an audio tape on January 16 purportedly from Hakimullah, denying he was killed in a US missile strike two days earlier. “I am neither wounded nor dead, I am fine,” said a man on the tape which a Taleban spokesman played over the telephone to a Reuters reporter. — Reuters
in a farewell video with the double agent suicide bomber who killed seven CIA employees in December in Afghanistan. The CIA is likely to step up efforts to hunt him-if he is alive-after the Taleban claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed three US special forces in Pakistan this month.
KABUL: Afghans, carrying a few possessions, walk towards a restaurant after being evacuated following heavy snow which caused an avalanche in the Salang Pass, some 100 kms north of Kabul, Afghanistan yesterday. — AP
One dead after student groups clash in Bangladesh DHAKA: Two rival student groups tied to mainstream political parties have clashed on a major public university campus in northwestern Bangladesh, leaving one student dead and 50 others injured, authorities said yesterday. Local police official Sardar Nurul Amin said his officials yesterday recovered the body of 23-year-old Faruk Hossain from an underground sewerage drain at Rajshahi University in Rajshahi city, which is 145 miles (235 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Dhaka.
Amin said Hossain’s body bore stabbing marks, and at least 10 police were among the injured. The groups ,one linked with the ruling Bangladesh Awami League and another tied to opposition Jamaat-e-Islami ,battled each other overnight with gunfire and sharp weapons after two activists from rival groups on Monday fought over entry of a student to his dormitory room. Police said the victim was a mathematics student and a member of Bangladesh Chhatra League, which belongs to Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina’s ruling Awami League party. Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of the country’s main Islamic party, has dominance at various colleges and universities across the country. The injured were being treated at hospitals, Amin said. Such violence on campuses in Bangladesh is common, as the student wings try to dominate educational institutions for mainly nonacademic benefits like building renovation projects and procurement of laboratory equipement and control of admission procedures. — AP
NATO warns Afghans to ‘keep your heads down’ KABUL : Taleban militants yesterday prevented townspeople from fleeing a rural community targeted in an upcoming NATOAfghan offensive, as families
huddled inside their homes to avoid being caught in the crossfire, witnesses said. NATO and Afghan officials urged militants holding the
southern community of Marjah, the biggest southern town under Taleban control, to lay down their arms and warned civilians to “keep your heads
KABUL: Mark Sedwill, left, the newly appointed NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, looks on as Golab Mangal, governor of Helmand province addresses a press conference at the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan yesterday. — AP
down.” Without giving a date, US and their NATO and Afghan allies have heavily publicized their plans to attack Marjah, causing hundreds of people to flee in advance of the fighting. It will be the first major offensive since President Barack Obama announced he was sending 30,000 reinforcements to Afghanistan. Villager Mohammad Hakim gambled that he could wait until the last minute because he was worried about abandoning his cotton fields. He finally tried to move his wife, nine sons, four daughters and grandchildren out of Marjah earlier yesterday but said militants told him to return home because they had mined the surrounding roads. “All of the people are very scared,” he said in a telephone interview. “Our village is like a ghost town. The people are staying in their homes.” NATO and Afghan officials have insisted their primary goal is to gain public confidence and promised to follow the military action with projects aimed at restoring government control and services in the area.
“The success of the operation will not be in the military phase,” NATO’s civilian chief in Afghanistan, former British Ambassador Mark Sedwill, said yesterday. “It will be over the next weeks and months as the people ... feel the benefits of better governance, of economic opportunities and of operating under the legitimate authorities of Afghanistan,” he told reporters in a briefing at NATO headquarters in Kabul. International officials believe the insurgency has been able to capitalize on widespread public anger over President Hamid Karzai’s corruption-ridden government and failure to provide services after more than eight years of war. Two NATO service members, including an American, were killed yesterday in separate attacks in Afghanistan. NATO said the American was killed by a bomb in southern Afghanistan while another service member , whose nationality was not identified, died in an insurgent engagement in the east. — AP
opinion
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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issues
Chinese exporters not ready for yuan change
By Lucy Hornby
T
he United States is once more ratcheting up pressure on Beijing to let its currency appreciate, but for many of China’s small exporters the issue is not even on their radar. In marked contrast to the lead-up to China’s 2005 revaluation, when rumors of a change swept Asian markets daily, there is very little discussion these days in China beyond economists’ circles of allowing the yuan to resume its rise. Several private export firms contacted by Reuters say they have taken no precautions against an exchange rate shift. That could be a sign that, despite the hopes of officials in Washington, China has no immediate intention of ending its de facto peg of 6.83 yuan to the dollar, in place since mid-2008 to help exporters ride out the global financial crisis. “It shows they haven’t been prepared. If you were a cautious senior official, you’d think you’d give the export sector a heads up,” says Stephen Green, head of research for Greater China at Standard Chartered Bank in Shanghai, who does not expect any movement in the yuan before the third quarter. “We think it’s still too early. If the State Council is picking up the phone and talking to exporters, they’d be hearing the story that it’s still hard for them.” Despite surprisingly strong December export data, many of the private Chinese firms that supply the world with T-shirts, toys and teacups are still struggling for new orders and profits. Green estimates that exports are still about 20 percent short of their precrisis peak and may not regain those levels until mid-2011. Chinese officials say that exports need to recover before the yuan begins to rise again. The Obama administration has said the currency is its top priority in strategic talks with China, but could be disappointed if China is not prepared to move for its own domestic reasons. “Everyone sees the exchange rate as stable around 6.83. No one’s thinking of a change. If it changed, there would be too much harm. The whole export sector would suffer,” says Jimi Pang, a trader for an international steel trading house. “Steel is OK, but in other industries like furniture or clothing the margins are too thin. They’d go from barely profitable to big losses if the yuan started appreciating.” CAUTION Repegging the yuan has been a boon to China’s
exporters, who don’t need to hedge currency risk when offering razor-thin margins on a contract. They also benefited from last year’s slide in the dollar, which helped keep Chinese exports competitive against those from other developing countries. Many inexperienced exporters suffered when the yuan, after being pegged for more than a decade at 8.28 to the dollar, was revalued by 2.1 percent in 2005 and then set free to float within a tightly managed band. Immediately after the shift in currency regime, many exporters did write provisions for exchange rate fluctuations into their contracts. But they stopped once the yuan stabilized, says industry and trade consultant Sun Jianliang. “There’s not a lot of talk about this,” Sun says. Chinese companies often get hints from ministries and state-backed industry associations when policies are about to alter. For instance, the steel industry usually anticipates export tariff adjustments by adding a clause to contracts specifying which side will shoulder the additional cost. Most small exporters, many of whom turn around contracts in just a few months, do not currently include a similar clause for any move in the value of the yuan. That’s particularly true in the highly competitive textile industry, where orders are rushed through to keep up with fashion and margins leave no room for error, business managers say. “Our contracts are signed according to the spot exchange rates, and we don’t commit ourselves beyond three months,” says a manager surnamed Li at Cathaylink Import and Export Co, which makes Chinese crafts. “Beyond that, it’s too risky. Nobody can tell how the exchange rate will change.” A trade official from Yiwu, a manufacturing and wholesale trade hub in eastern China, says exporters are flocking to trade shows overseas with no obvious concerns about the appreciation of the yuan. Some firms, however, are worried. “We’re thinking of developing sales into Europe because we are afraid the US dollar will start moving,” says Johnny Chan, whose family business sells unfinished coat hangers to Vietnam for completion and export to the United States. “Our profit margins are already very low because we have to go through a middleman,” he says. “If the dollar starts to change, small businesses like us can only raise prices, and that would remove the margin.” - Reuters
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Politics snarls Obama’s terrorism policy By Steven R Hurst
R
aging partisanship defines American politics right down to how President Barack Obama handles captured terror suspects. The chasm is so deep that Obama is being attacked, mainly by opposition Republicans, for following established US legal precedent and practices adopted by the former administration of President George W Bush. The opposition chorus - led by Sen Mitch McConnell, the minority leader in the upper chamber - maintains that Obama has endangered the country by deciding to try accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a federal court, rather than a military tribunal. It is equally exercised over the handling of failed Christmas Day plane bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a young Nigerian with Al-Qaeda links. He stopped talking to FBI agents after he was told that - according to a halfcentury-old Supreme Court ruling - he had “the right to remain silent” and was entitled to a lawyer. The administration subsequently claimed he resumed cooperating after authorities brought his family to the United States to persuade him to work with investigators. Despite what appears to be a correct reading and application of the law, the complexity and emotions surrounding terrorism cases have allowed Obama’s opponents to make political headway. That’s especially true this year when all 435 members of the House of Representatives must run for re-election; in the Senate, 36 of 100 seats are in play. The heated emotions surrounding terrorism, plus the fallout from the deep economic recession and the stalemate over health care reform threaten Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress and, with them, Obama’s long list of undelivered campaign promises. At issue in the case of Abdulmutallab are the so-called Miranda rights that officers must recite to a suspect when he is arrested. The result of a 1966 Supreme Court ruling,
they stem from the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees all suspected criminals the right against self-incrimination. McConnell said last week that enemy combatants as he defined Abdulmutallab - were not protected by the Constitution and should be taken offshore, interrogated and prosecuted by the military at Guantanamo Bay. McConnell and others have argued that telling Abdulmutallab he needn’t talk may have prevented interrogators from gaining information about potential attacks on US airliners. The courts blocked such military trials as initially proposed by the Bush administration, and in 2008 the Supreme Court ruled that defendants held as enemy combatants at the US Navy base in Guantanamo had the right to challenge their imprisonment. Obama argued again on Sunday that he was right to insist that the likes of Mohammed - accused of planning the Sept 11 attacks - should be tried in a federal court. Eric Holder, Obama’s attorney general, has said the terror suspect should face charges in a federal court in New York City, near the scene of the World Trade Center attack. And despite objections now being voiced by the city’s mayor and police commissioner, Obama said in a CBS interview Sunday that he had not ruled out holding the trial in New York City, but was examining arguments against it. Given the growing opposition, it is looking likely that the trial will be held in a federal court elsewhere. In defending the legal treatment of Abdulmutallab and Mohammed, Obama noted that the Bush administration not known for a liberal reading of the US Constitution - “prosecuted 190 folks in these (federal) Article III courts, got convictions and those folks are in maximum security prisons right now. And there have been no escapes.” That, he said, “is a virtue of our system we should be proud of.” However, opponents argue that Obama and Bush were wrong. The strength of that argu-
ment gained political momentum in the Massachusetts special election to fill the Senate seat of the late Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy. Winning candidate Scott Brown, a Republican, argued, among other things, that terror suspects should not be accorded constitutional rights. That struck a chord with the state’s traditionally liberalleaning voters. And in sending him to the Senate, the state broke the Democrat’s key 60-
seat majority in the upper house, making it increasingly difficult for Obama to win passage of his legislative agenda. Senate rules require 60 votes in favor of major legislation before it can even be brought to a vote. The opposition is now claiming that foreigners captured for planning or trying to carry out terrorist acts should be treated as “enemy combatants” and shuttled automatically to the military for imprisonment, interrogation and trial. The Obama adminis-
tration has shown some ambiguity of its own. While moving to send Mohammed and four alleged henchmen to a civilian trial in New York, it decided that a suspect in the bombing of the USS Cole off Yemen in 2000 and four other terror suspects will be tried by military commissions. The major differences between the systems are the federal judiciary’s independence, rooted in the Constitution and lifetime appointments of judges. — AP
Obama: Back and forth with Beijing
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alk softly and carry a message of mutual respect. That was the Obama administration’s initial approach to China, part of a broad policy of seeking dialogue on difficult issues with friends and enemies alike. In that spirit, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the People’s Republic on her first trip abroad and avoided public expressions of concern about Chinese human rights abuses. President Obama put off meeting China’s nemesis, the Tibetan Dalai Lama, ahead of his own foray to China, hoping to focus attention on core US concerns such as nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea, trade relations and climate change. He held his tongue when his hosts carefully stage-managed the trip to eliminate all opportunities for dissent, and the two sides issued such a cooperative communique that political analysts began to speculate about a “G-2” era in which the powers would address global problems together. That was last year. By January, the murmurs of a sea change in Sino-American relations already were being drowned out by the noise of bilateral friction over a series of issues. First, Clinton publicly supported Google’s threat to pull out of China because of Internet censorship, and warned of a new “information curtain” on the order of the Cold War’s iron curtain; the Chinese government snapped back that this was a business dispute, not the business of the two governments. Making matters worse, Obama approved a $6.4-billion arms sale to the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own; Beijing retaliated by cutting off USChinese military cooperation and, for the first time, threatening to punish US companies involved in the sale. Then, Clinton publicly advised China that it risks diplomatic isolation and disruption to its energy supplies unless it helps keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons; China very publicly responded that if Obama met with the Dalai Lama as expected this month, it would cause “serious damage” to the bilateral relationship. And last week, despite having slapped tariffs on Chinese tire imports, Obama promised
Democrats “constant pressure” on China to open its markets to U.S. goods and to let its currency appreciate. A senior Chinese official responded Thursday that China would not succumb to pressure to revalue its currency. What happened? Has China grown arrogant, as some argue, or just cranky? Has the US lost patience, or lost its way? The answer is none of the above. These clashes should come as no surprise. The United States and China are prone to misunderstandings, and serious, long-standing disagreements between the two countries over issues such as Taiwan and Tibet were never going to be resolved overnight - nor will they be resolved in the near future. Some China watchers suggest that Obama was naive to adopt a conciliatory approach toward the communist government and that his lack of success argues for a combative posture. We don’t think so. The United States frequently alternates between carrots and sticks in its foreign policy, and neither works all that well by itself. The relationship with our biggest competitor and, not incidentally, biggest debt collector - is a long-term endeavor that requires maturity and nuance on both sides. Mutual respect may not succeed at first, but posturing and public scolding are almost always ineffective. The Taiwan arms deal is just one example of the disconnect in interests and perceptions. To the United States, the sale of defensive weapons represents the continuation of a 40-year policy of support for Taiwan that should come as no surprise to China. Obama declined to approve the F-16 fighter jets that the Taiwanese have long sought, but to have canceled the deal as China wanted would have exposed him to charges of failing to live up to defense obligations from those who already portrayed him as soft on China. For Obama, the timing of the announcement made sense: after his trip to Beijing and ahead of a hoped-for visit to Washington by Chinese President Hu Jintao this year. Beijing, however, saw it as particularly untimely given that relations between Beijing and Taipei are on the mend. — MCT
Failure to reform fiscal rules could haunt euro zone By Noah Barkin
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he fiscal splintering of the euro zone has increased pressure on the bloc to toughen its rules on public finances, and economists say a failure to make changes could expose it to more speculative attacks in the months and years to come. The European Union’s Stability and Growth Pact, designed to enforce fiscal discipline, sets debt and deficit ceilings for member states and gives Brussels the right to warn, and ultimately sanction countries who violate these limits. For much of the past decade it has done its job-keeping the euro area on a single track and, more importantly, convincing markets the bloc could manage the fiscal and economic differences among its members. The economic crisis has changed all that. Single currency members Greece, Portugal and Spain are under acute pressure because of their swollen deficits, a situation economists say has highlighted the need for new measures to strengthen or even replace the stability pact. In a research note this weekend, economists at UniCredit described the pact as a “spectacular failure” and urged policymakers to replace it with something “tougher and more enforceable” in order to prevent turbulence in the future. “Volatility and
tensions on euro zone sovereign markets could easily become a constant feature of 2010,” the bank’s chief economist Marco Annunziata wrote. STRENGTHENING THE PACT To strengthen the pact, economists
say Brussels should have new powers to monitor statistical data from euro zone members. The European Commission admitted last month that Greece had deliberately misreported deficit data for years. And in October the government in Athens shocked
ATHENS: People look the exchange rates in a bank in central Athens yesterday. Europe’s currency union faces an unprecedented crisis as markets and the euro currency have tumbled in recent weeks - with the euro trading at an eight-month low against the US dollar - on worries that Greece might need financial rescue to cope with its soaring debt and deficit. — AP
markets by revealing the budget deficit would be twice as large as previous estimates. Brussels is now closely monitoring how Greece implements its austerity plan, but much of the damage has already been done. “Brussels needs to be sending officers from Eurostat to individual countries to do proper checks,” said Juergen Michels, an economist at Citigroup. “If you have rules you need a referee-at the moment we don’t have that.” In addition to a better monitoring mechanism, economists say the crisis has also exposed the need for member states to move beyond the rules contained in the pact and coordinate their economic policies more closely. But this is likely to meet resistance from countries like Germany, who fear a loss of sovereignty over economic policy and suspect some member states could exploit such a forum to try to influence the European Central Bank (ECB). Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear that she blames the fragmentation of the euro-zone economy not on the inadequacies of the stability pact itself, but on the failure of certain member states to respect it. Berlin fears that establishing new economic rules for the euro zone would be akin to opening Pandora’s Box. Critics say Germany’s economic
policy model, based on wage moderation, high private savings and exportdriven growth, itself has weakened domestic demand and helped create the very imbalances the euro zone is now struggling to cope with. “Right now there is nothing to force adjustment on Germany, whose surpluses are the flipside of the Greek deficits,” said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform. “I’m not sure we will see the changes that would prevent future crises. Countries with big trade surpluses first need to realize they are part of their problem.” LISBON FATIGUE Jacob von Weizsaecker, a research fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, believes opposition to greater economic coordination might not be so high were it not for the EU’s struggles with the Lisbon Treaty. Merkel herself led the drive to pare down the bloc’s illfated “constitution” into a less-ambitious document that was acceptable to all members, only to see it rejected by Irish voters and savaged by euro-sceptics at home and abroad before finally stumbling into force late last year. The memory of the years-long struggle to push through Lisbon, and the damaging divisions it exposed within the broader EU, still haunt leaders in Berlin and Europe’s other capitals. —Reuters
analysis
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
13
The lies of Iranian government, in pictures By Joshua Prager
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n June 20, a young Iranian woman was shot dead at one of the mass protests that followed the contested re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Millions of people around the world watched video of Neda Agha-Soltan hemorrhaging on Tehran’s Karegar Street, and hers became the tragic, beautiful and galvanizing face of the reform movement in Iran. Witnesses implicated a member of the Basij, the governmental militia, in Agha-Soltan’s death. But an Iranian ambassador and ayatollah quickly pinned her shooting on the CIA and her fellow protesters, while a broadcasting official and a government-sponsored documentary that aired last month said the death had been simulated by the Western news media and by AghaSoltan herself. Thirty years ago, another iconic image of a shooting death in Iran raced round the world. It too triggered a cycle of public protests and creative denials by the then-new Islamist government of Iran. Those denials foreshadowed how the leaders of the Islamic Republic would react to Agha-Soltan’s death. And they demonstrate how the lies of a government can do nothing to suppress the power of an image. In August 1979, seven months after the ouster of the shah, the euphoria of revolution had given way to the realities of Islamic fundamentalism - black chadors, broken wine bottles, censorship, public executions. Protests in Tehran were drawing enormous crowds, while in Kurdistan, separatists were demanding an independent Kurdish state. On Aug. 16, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini dispatched Iranian troops to put down the movement. The troops had been killing Kurds for 11 days when, on Aug 27, 11 more “counterrevolutionaries” were sentenced to die in Sanandaj. Among the condemned were Ahsan and
TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks under a portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini during a visit to the 2nd National Festival of Innovation and Prosperity in Tehran. — AFP Shahriar Nahid. Ahsan, an engineer in Tehran, had joined a Kurdish separatist organization after the revolution and moved to Sanandaj. Shahriar, a medical student, had been visiting his brother when the two were arrested at a military checkpoint. Their mother, Monir, raced from Tehran to try to help her sons. She found them under guard in an army hospital and an airport control tower. But when she returned to the latter with a change of clothing, she learned that the young men and nine others had been shot by a firing squad on a dirt air-
field. She threw down the Quran she carried in her blouse. “Min itr Musulman nim,” she said in Kurdish. “I am no longer a Muslim.” The next afternoon, a photograph of the execution ran in Ettela’at, Iran’s oldest paper. Suddenly, the estimated 500 victims of the ayatollah’s firing squads had a face. Newsstands in Tehran sold out. The next day, the photo ran on the front pages of papers around the world. A week after the Nahid brothers were buried in Talah Cemetery in Sanandaj, their brother, Farhad, spent his savings to photocopy
the picture of their execution; he and friends canvassed Tehran with it. Their mother then brandished the photograph at meetings with Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan, cleric Mahmoud Taleghani and essayist Haj Seyyed Javadi. The government did not respond as Monir Nahid had hoped. Sadegh Khalkhali, the judge who had sentenced her sons to death (and granted permission to the Ettela’at photographer to take the photograph), declared on state TV that she had fabricated the photo and that she was related to the sister of
the deposed shah. (She wasn’t.) Later, the judge went back on television and declared that the photograph had been forged by Israel. And on Sept 9, Ahmad Azari Qomi, the prosecuting attorney of the Islamic Revolutionary Council, issued a statement that cited the famous image. It began: “Following the order of Imam Khomeini ... journalists should refrain from insertion of bold phrases and headlines, evocative pictures which could incite people.” On Oct 8, one day after the brothers’ mother addressed a crowd of students at Tehran University, the police raided her apartment one story above Seyyed Khandan Street. But she had flown at 6 a.m. to Germany on a passport registered under her maiden name. Twenty days later, she flew to the United States. She now lives in Los Angeles. In April 1980, the photograph won the Pulitzer Prize. The prizewinning photographer, Jahangir Razmi, remained anonymous until, with his permission, I told his story in the Wall Street Journal in 2006. The next year, at a dinner in New York, Nahid embraced the man who had captured her sons’ deaths on film. Six months ago, Nahid, then 84 years old, watched video of the death of Agha-Soltan and listened to the lies that followed. She says that just as after the deaths of her sons, Iranians today know their government is lying_and the government knows its people know the truth. But, she notes, there is a difference. In 1979, the Iranian people wanted to believe the lies that followed her sons’ deaths because they came from a government the people had recently ushered into power. Today, she says, the lies that followed Agha-Soltan’s death have fallen on deaf ears because they came from a government so many Iranians had voted to remove from power_only to see their votes ignored. And so, says Nahid, the government has reason to be scared.— MCT
What Iranian protesters really want By Yasaman Baji
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estern observers were quick to note when Iranian antigovernment protesters began chanting “Death to Khamenei,” seeing it as a possible sign the regime was under serious threat. But experts on Iran caution that the current slogan does not carry the same weight as “Death to the Shah” did during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Indeed, there are indications that neither the leaders of the opposition nor the majority of the Iranian people are ready to overthrow the regime or eliminate Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Instead, “Death to Khamenei” - first widely heard during bloody protests on the Shia holy day of Ashura in December - is merely a way for the people to voice their anger about the supreme leader’s failure to address their concerns. Protests that followed the disputed re-election in June of
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began with the slogan, “Death to the dictator, be it a shah or a doctor” (supporters of Ahmadinejad often refer to him as a doctor). It was after Khamenei’s Friday sermon on June 19, when he made his support for Ahmadinejad explicit and threatened protesters, that people began their nightly ritual of shouting “Death to the dictator, be it a cleric or a doctor” alongside their chants of “Allaho Akbar.” When students from Tehran University were attacked by the security forces on Nov. 4, they chanted: “Death to the supreme leadership” and “Rape and crime; death to this leadership.” On the same day, a poster of Khamenei was torn down and trampled in Vali-Asr Square, but his name was not used directly. Finally, “Death to Khamenei” was explicitly articulated in December during Ashura, the important Shia day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn
Ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. In response, the government denounced the slogan as undermining the Iranian political system. In a speech on Dec 30, Ahmad Alamolhoda, a Khamenei supporter and Friday sermon leader in the city of Mashhad, compared the protesters to “calves and yeanlings” and called for them to be punished as Moharebs. In Islamic jurisprudence, Moharebs are considered enemies of God who should be executed. Even some opposition leaders have denounced such slogans. Former reformist president Seyed Mohammad Khatami attributed the escalation in the war of words to a minority of protesters whom he said “have done wrong and have undermined the political system.” He also cautioned, “Don’t assume that if the current regime is deposed, we will get in its place a perfect one for the benefit of the people.” Mir Hossein Mousavi, the main figurehead of the Green
Movement, blamed the government for pushing demonstrators to extremes. He blamed harsh government crackdown on demonstrators for pushing opponents of the regime to extremes. In fact, many of the regime’s opponents, including Mousavi, have made it clear that what they really want is to open a channel of negotiations with the government. But will people chanting “Death to Khamenei” be willing to enter embrace negotiations with Khamenei? One Tehran resident, who participated in some of the recent demonstrations and asked that his name not be used out of concern for his security, explained what he really meant when he called for the death of the supreme leader. “I don’t agree with this slogan but I shouted it along with the crowd,” he said. “We were angry. How else can empty-handed people respond to the violence that is directed at them?” When they fight, Iranians can throw the
most extreme insults at each other but this does not mean that they mean what they say. Many quarrels end by one party saying, “I didn’t mean it.” Although there are parallels between current protests and those during the revolution, the present movement is looking for a gradual process of change. Chanting “Death to Khamenei” results from an immediate sense of anger that according to a professor of psychology, who did not wish to be named, has arisen from the supreme leader’s lack of attention to the people’s needs. “By chanting slogans against Khamenei, the opposition is in fact trying to grab his attention,” he said. It’s not the first time that the Iranian people have demanded their leader listen to them. On Nov 4, 1978, the Shah for the first time acknowledged that he had heard the message of the people’s revolution. Three months later, he was overthrown. The question is whether that lesson has been lost on Khamenei.— MCT
Afghan assault on Taleban ‘a test of US strategy’ By Lynne O’Donnell
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planned assault on a major Taleban stronghold in southern Afghanistan is the first real test of a new US-led counterinsurgency strategy to reestablish government control and end the war. Operation Mushtarak is an experiment in combining the military objective of eradicating the Taleban with the need to replace their brand of harsh control with the civilian authority of Kabul, analysts said. The battle for Marjah, an agricultural plain in the central Helmand River valley, is the proving ground for US General Stanley McChrystal’s counter-insurgency theory for winning the hearts and minds of Afghan people. Married to President Hamid Karzai’s program of encouraging Taleban to quit the fight and return to mainstream society-and US President Barack Obama’s troop surgeMcChrystal’s plan is being played out in the poppy fields of Helmand. “This fight is aimed at showing the Taleban and other anti-government groups the power of the government, to show them there is no place they can relax so they will eventually want to reconcile,” said political analyst Ahmad Saedi. Thousands of US, NATO and Afghan troops have massed around Marjah preparing for a fight that military commanders say will eradicate the Taleban from one of the last places under their sway in Helmand province. The Taleban too are massing fighters, with their purported spokesmen predicting a fierce battle. Waheed Mujda, a political analyst and author who
HELMAND: US soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment (on top of their armored vehicles) load their 50-caliber machine guns as they train in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. — AP served in the Taleban’s foreign ministry during its 1996-2001 rule, said the insurgents are unlikely to break cover for hand-to-hand combat. They are expected to mine the area, home to 80,000 mostly farming people, with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which, along with suicide attacks, have become a staple
Taleban weapon as their tactics morph into guerilla warfare. “The Taleban want to fight but they will not do so directly because they know that would mean high casualties,” said Mujda. “Instead they will bother foreign forces by fighting and fleeing, and the foreigners will also take casualties from the IEDs,” he said.
Operation Mushtarakmeaning “together”-is expected to begin within days, with thousands of US Marines and NATO troops, along with Afghan security forces massed around Marjah town, about 20 kilometers south of the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. The region is one of the world’s biggest opium poppy growing
regions, where insurgents are exploiting an irrigation system built in the 1950s with US aid aimed at turning the region into Afghanistan’s bread basket. Residents who are leaving the area say the Taleban maintain control through fear and violence. Western military commanders, including McChrystal who heads the
113,000 US and NATO forces in Afghanistan set to rise to around 150,000 by August, are prepared for high casualties in the battle for Marjah. They are also prepared for the need to stay until political and civil control has been established, paving the way for development. Norine MacDonald, president of London-based think tank the International Council on Security and Development, said it is important that troops stay to consolidate their victory with civilian control. “Then for those who want to bring the Taleban to the negotiating table we have some military leverage,” she said, referring to efforts to talk peace with the Taleban leadership. “The military effort and the ‘negotiating’ effort have to be coordinated,” she said. Military officials said Mushtarak was planned in close cooperation with the Afghan government and that lessons of past failures had been learned. The war against the Taleban is now into a ninth year and Obama wants to start bringing American troops home in mid 2011. “If you push the insurgents off but you don’t stay in place then the strategy is worth nothing,” said the spokesman for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Brigadier General Eric Tremblay. “The operation has to create an environment in which governance and development can be established. “It’s not supposed to be a show of strength militarily. We have said all along it’s not necessarily about killing them (the insurgents) but if they are fighting ISAF and Afghan forces they will be killed. — AFP
focus
Politics at play in Toyota woes; no bitter trade war By Linda Sieg
US
politics look to be playing a role in Washington’s harsh response to safety problems battering Toyota’s reputation, but no one expects a replay of the bitter trade wars that frayed ties and jolted currencies decades ago. That’s in large part because while Toyota Motor Corp as No 1 seems an easy target, Japan firms overall are no longer seen as the competitive threat that once rocked US confidence. “It is part of a US protectionist mood basically against foreign firms,” said Takuji Okubo, chief economist at Societe general Securities in Tokyo. “But it is different from the 1980s or the first term of (US President Bill) Clinton, when there were trade spats and the exchange rate moved according to political noise,” he said. “So far, it’s a Toyota problem. I think the US’s main target is still China and the Chinese exchange rate.” Toyota’s troubles deepened yesterday as it recalled its flagship Prius and other hybrids worldwide for braking problems, one day before a top executive was to testify to Congress at a hearing by the House Oversight Committee in Washington. US safety authorities and members of the administration have accused Toyota of responding too slowly to problems related to uncontrolled acceleration that have been linked to up to 19 deaths in the United States over the past decade. Japanese Transport Minister Seiji Maehara said he would meet US ambassador John Roos today to reaffirm close ties. “Recalling defective products is important, but each country needs to consider how to prevent this from becoming a diplomatic problem,” he told reporters, adding the US response had been “extremely measured”. No one is suggesting a US conspiracy to topple Toyota. But many in Japan do see more than a hint of US domestic dynamics at work-from last year’s bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler and charges that lax bank regulation led to the financial crisis, to the tough spot President Barack Obama’s Democrats are in ahead of November midterm elections. “Of course Toyota has some problems, but I feel like it is getting beaten on,” said Kazuo Akatsuka, who works at a factory making Prius hybrids in Toyota City, central Japan. “In the US, two car makers have gone under and I feel like some people might be using this as an opportunity. I might not go so far as to call it malicious, but there is something there,” said Akatsuka,
who has worked for Toyota for 35 years. FEAR OF FRAYING Japanese media and analysts have been critical of Toyota’s handling of its quality problems, but have also pointed to signs of US protectionism that some fear could further fray ties already soured by a feud over a US airbase on Okinawa island. “For the Obama administration, which is worrying about its falling support rates, the best way of letting off steam about the jobless situation is to target Toyota, which has overtaken the Big Three,” wrote Kazutaka Oshima, president of Rakuten Investment Management. The US government now owns 60 percent of General Motors and nearly 10 percent of Chrysler. “This is a kind of show, so to speak,” said Koji Endo, managing director of Advanced Research Japan, referring to the Congressional hearings. “So it’s going to be a very, very difficult situation. We’re not talking about the pure recall-related business situation here. We’re probably talking about something else, and that’s not necessarily friendly political consideration against Toyota.” Tough talk by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood last week, including a pledge to “hold Toyota’s feet to the fire”, also fanned speculation that US regulators were trying to deflect criticism that they, too, had dropped the ball. Some analysts warn that assumptions of politically motivated Toyota bashing are overdone. “Secretary of Transportation LaHood’s inappropriate comments created an adversarial political climate that will take time to recede,” said Michael Auslin at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. “However, there is no evidence that the US government would be so reckless as to try to intentionally harm Toyota to benefit the car company it now owns, GM,” he said. A huge imbalance in US auto trade with Japan is a longtime irritant that has received more attention of late. But few foresee a return of the mid-1990s friction, when Tokyo’s huge trade surplus sparked yen-boosting jawboning by US officials. Nor do they expect the sort of “Japan Bashing” symbolized by members of Congress smashing a Toshiba radiorecorder on Capitol Hill in 1987. Toyota’s status as a major employer in America could also dampen some of the fuss. “It’s not going turn into scenes of beating a Toyota Prius with a sledge hammer on Capitol Hill,” said Brad Glosserman, director of research at think tank Pacific Forum CSIS. — Reuters
Vaccination vindication
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t has been obvious for years that a British study positing a possible link between a common vaccine combination and autism failed the physician’s injunction to “do no harm.” Still, it’s significant that the influential medical journal that published Dr Andrew Wakefield’s discredited study in 1998 finally has retracted it. The decision by the Lancet won’t change the minds of some parents. It will not entirely dispel the conspiracy theories about how the medical establishment covered up a connection between autism and the MMR vaccine, which protects infants against measles, mumps and rubella. Still, the conclusive repudiation of what has been a sacred text for the anti-vaccination movement should reassure at least some of the families that have refused to accept an overwhelming medical consensus that MMR was safe as well as effective. In belatedly rejecting the Wakefield study, the Lancet criticized more than its bad science. Dr. Richard Horton, the journal’s editor in chief, linked the retraction to a medical panel’s judgment that Wakefield’s research had been not only dishonest but a violation of ethical rules. The panel also said that Wakefield had shown a “callous disregard” for the suffering of children who participated in the
study. But it is not just the participating children who suffered and not just Wakefield who showed callous disregard. Those who propagated the vaccine-autism connection exhibited willful blindness to multiple studies debunking it. The Wakefield study seems to have had worse consequences in Britain, where vaccinations declined dramatically after its publication, than in this country. Even so, the anti-vaccination movement it unleashed - one that has been amplified by the Internet and a culture of skepticism toward mainstream medicine - certainly influenced decisions by parents in the US not to have their children vaccinated. It’s hard to believe, for example, that anti-vaccine propaganda played no part in recent increases in measles cases or in the number of parents seeking “personal belief” exemptions from vaccinating their children. Children with autism disorders face serious challenges, as do their parents, teachers and caregivers. The diagnosis is deeply unsettling to parents, who are understandably susceptible to theories pointing to an external cause. But the price of the vaccination scare stoked by the Wakefield study has been more sick children. We hope this will be a retraction heard round the world. — MCT
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
New Dubai oil field a drop in ocean of debt Continued from Page 1
STOCKHOLM: Ice covers a bicycle as snow and freezing weather grips the area around Stockholm, Sweden yesterday. — AP
Faulty elevator blamed for Dubai tower shutdown DUBAI: A faulty elevator was behind the shutdown of the observation deck on the world’s tallest tower that effectively closed the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa to the public, witnesses and a Dubai rescue official said yesterday. Visitors who were on the viewing floor at the time of Saturday’s incident told The Associated Press they heard a loud noise, then saw what looked like smoke but turned out to be dust seeping out of the crack in one of the elevator doors. “It almost sounded like a small explosion. It was a really loud bang,” said Michael Timms, 31, an American telecommunications engineer who lives in Dubai and was visiting the tower with his cousin Michele Moscato. About 45 minutes later, rescue crews arrived and pried open the elevator door, Timms said. The faulty elevator was caught between floors, so rescuers hoisted a ladder into the shaft to help those trapped inside get out. Abu Naseer, a spokesman for Dubai’s civil defense department, confirmed the incident. He said the call for help came in around 6:20 pm Saturday evening. Emergency crews used another elevator to reach the observation deck and were able to rescue all 15 people stuck inside the faulty elevator unharmed, he said.
The 2,717-foot building’s owner, Emaar Properties, has revealed few details about the incident since closing the observation deck indefinitely. In a brief statement Monday, the company said the viewing platform was temporarily shut for “maintenance and upgrade” because of “unexpected high traffic.” It also hinted at electrical problems, saying “technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors.” Emaar has made no mention of problems with the elevators. That angers some involved in the incident. “What just kind of shocks me is that they were going to brush this under the rug to save face. If it broke, at least tell people it broke,” Timms said. The company has not responded to specific questions about the incident or made anyone available to speak despite repeated requests by the AP. Witnesses say the company provided little information to visitors stuck on the 124th floor observation deck as rescue crews worked. That lack of information caused panic among some visitors. “I was really starting to get upset, getting really nervous,” said Moscato, 29, a nurse visiting from Columbia, South
Carolina. “I started crying.” She said she and Timms asked to use the stairs because they felt uncomfortable taking the elevator back down, but were told that was not allowed. They, the people trapped in the elevator and an estimated 60 other visitors on the observation deck were eventually taken down in a freight elevator not normally used by the public, they said. It remains unclear what exactly caused the elevator to fail. Moscato said she spoke with a man, whose name she did not know, after he escaped from the elevator who said the lights went off and the elevator began to fall before the brakes kicked in. It was not possible to independently verify the account. The $1.5 billion Burj Khalifa opened with fireworks and other festivities in a widely televised celebration on Jan. 4 after a series of delays. It boasts more than 160 stories, but the exact number is not known. The tapering, silvery tower ranks not only as the highest building but also as the tallest freestanding structure in the world. The observation deck, which is mostly enclosed but includes an outdoor terrace bordered by guard rails, is located about two-thirds of the way up on the 124th floor. — AP
Central Asia a ‘ticking bomb’ Radical Islam casts shadow over Central Asia ALMATY: Central Asia is a ticking bomb waiting to go off. Long ignored as a myth whipped up by the authorities to justify political repression, a surge in radical Islam in the former Soviet region has become a reality for the West fighting an increasingly tough war in next-door Afghanistan. Analysts say longdefunct groups like the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are regaining force in the impoverished region where ethnic tensions have long simmered under the surface. “They (militants) are preparing the ground for a long, sustained military campaign in Central Asia,” said Ahmed Rashid, a leading Pakistan-based expert on Afghanistan and Central Asia. “There is now a real threat because the Islamist surge is combined with an economic and political crisis.” A vast region wedged between China, Iran, Afghanistan and Russia, Central Asia found itself on the frontline of global affairs last year when it agreed to host a vital new supply route for NATO forces fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan. Gripped by deepening gloom about economic stagnation and poverty, the mainly Muslim but secular region has become increasingly susceptible to extremist ideas in past years. Security analysts say militants, who had long left Central Asia to fight alongside the Taleban, are seeping back into the region to take advantage of its fragile state. A growing sense of frustration with the lack of basic freedoms has given political undertones to the rise of Islamism in a region which still has no influential opposition parties even after two decades of independence from Soviet rule. The trend is particularly alarming because of recent parallels with the situation in Yemen, where growing instability has led to fears it may become Al-Qaeda’s next hunting ground. Acknowledging these risks, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has urged for more engagement with Central Asia. “If Afghanistan becomes a safe haven
for terrorists they could easily spread through Central Asia to Russia,” he said last weekend. “Of course Afghanistan is not an island. There is no solution just within its borders.” INFILTRATION First alarm bells rang in Central Asia last year when Uzbek, Tajik and Kyrgyz troops fought gangs they described as terrorist around the time when the security situation in northern Afghanistan deteriorated sharply. “It does not matter who exactly was behind those attacks. It still means instability, that something’s going on,” said one Western diplomat. “It is certainly something we are watching.” Who are these militants and why are they coming back? “The reason is that they (have), first of all, done enough fighting for other people. They now want to fight for their own country ,” said Rashid, the Central Asia analyst. “The real threat now is the fact that they are trying to infiltrate back into Central Asia...They are trying to infiltrate weapons, ammunition and men back into Central Asia.” The IMU is shrouded in secrecy and its size is unclear. Its goal is to topple Uzbek President Islam Karimov, who has tolerated no opposition during his two decade long rule. Another target is Tajik leader Imomali Rakhmon who led pro-Russian forces against Islamists in a civil war in the 1990s. In the West, both are accused of mass rights violations. The Internet abounds with video clips, some as recent as this month, by groups such as the Islamic Jihad Union, believed to have been founded by breakaway IMU fighters. One Uzbek-language video, posted on YouTube, shows a desert training facility where dozens of children in black Talebanstyle turbans, clutching AK-47s, learn how to shoot. “Oh children of mujahideen! You are the future warriors of Allah!” says the narrator. Complete with Russian subtitles, it clearly targets the Russian speaking audience of
Central Asia. Anything from the death of long-serving leaders to natural disasters can prompt fighters into action, analysts say. “We should be looking at potential triggers,” said Rashid. “The death of Karimov or Rakhmon, or a power struggle in either of these countries, a major natural disaster, growing hunger or an economic collapse. These could prove the trigger for social unrest which the IMU would take advantage of.” POVERTY Hizb ut-Tahrir is another group accused of terror activities in Central Asia. It says it has tens of thousands of members in the region but stresses its methods are entirely peaceful. “It is the Central Asian regimes that continue terrorizing their people,” said Taji Mustafa, its representative in London. “Since the declaration of the West’s so-called ‘war on terror’, Central Asian governments have used it as a convenient umbrella to pursue, arrest and torture their political opponents.” Central Asia-watchers believe homegrown fundamentalism has been on the rise for some years, spurred by the latest economic crisis which has lef t millions of migrant workers without jobs. Official data for the entire region is not available but in Tajikistan, the poorest ex-Soviet republic, economic growth more than halved in 2009 to 3.4 percent from 7.9 percent in 2008. In Kyrgyzstan, another potentially volatile nation, economic growth fell to 2.3 percent last year from 8.4 percent in 2008. “The financial crisis and the return of labor migrants sparked predictions of unrest, intensif ying the concern that radical Islamists had been making inroads into the labor diaspora,” the International Crisis Group said in a report. “Insecurity is growing, in part domestically generated, in part because of proximity to Afghanistan; infrastructure is collapsing, weak economies are slipping still further.” — Reuters
64 feared dead in Afghanistan Continued from Page 1 were taken to hospitals nearby. The avalanches struck Monday following heavy snow along the 12,700-feet Salang Pass, which links the Afghan capital with the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. “It happened all of a sudden and it took us by surprise,” Atmar said. Rescue operations managed to extricate about 2,500 uninjured people from the area, he said. Some 500 Afghan soldiers were mobilized to join about 400 police and others in rescue efforts. The international coalition contributed four Chinook helicopters, while the army sent two choppers, several ambu-
lances and several bulldozers, the Afghan National Army said. Suhrab Ali Safari, acting public works minister said in a phone interview from Salang a strong snowstorm overnight triggered a major avalanche that covered about 2 miles of road. “Unfortunately, it has blocked the road completely. We’re working to clear it from both sides, north and south,” he said. Safari said there was a series of smaller avalanches in the area in recent weeks. Soldiers, police and local people were all trying to help in the rescue efforts, he said. “Everybody is trying to rescue the people who are stuck in the avalanche. But
while we’re clearing one part of the road, the storm covered another part of the road again. It’s very difficult,” he said. Military helicopters were dropping food packages to people stuck on snow-blocked roads, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemerai Bashary said. Earlier, Afghan reports said some 300 cars and buses were trapped on the mountain pass. In a statement, President Hamid Karzai ordered the ministries of public works, defense and disaster control to “use all possible means to get the roads unblocked and rescue those trapped and stranded in the heavy snow.” He also expressed condolences to the families of the victims who were killed or injured. — AP
would be surprised if the discovery is of a size that would have a material impact on the state’s oil output or finances. “I would think that if this were a major discovery-say 50,000 barrels per day-that construction of an offshore platform and pipeline ashore and associated treatment facilities would certainly take longer than the next 12-18 months.” Dubai’s oil output peaked in the early 1990s-at over 400,000 bpd-and has since plummeted in the absence of any big discoveries. Current production is a “state secret” as one analyst says, but is reckoned to be around 70,000 bpd. That compares with the United Arab Emirates’ total output of 2.8 million bpd, some 95 percent of which is produced in Abu Dhabi. John Sfakianakis, chief economist at Saudi bank Al-Fransi, says the new discovery may be “a good find”, capable of producing anything between 10,00015,000 bpd. But he is highly doubtful it will be of any significant economic benefit for Dubai, which gets just 3 percent of its
revenues from oil. Most of its income is from the real estate, financial services, retail and tourism sectors, all of which were battered by the global economic crisis. “Dubai is a service-based economy. Oil revenues are nothing. They are not significant at all. Even the 70,000 bpd that they produce is not enough to cater for the local needs.” Despite the vast oil wealth in neighboring Gulf countries, Dubai has been suffering from rapidly declining output for well over a decade and the industry does not see it as a growth area. The offshore concession where the new field was found, which was operated by ConocoPhillips and Total, expired in 2007 and was not renewed. “The companies probably found, with production in terminal decline, that it was not profitable enough for their portfolios. Dubai took it over and didn’t lease it out again,” says Ciszuk. He believes that, rather than raising Dubai’s overall oil output and boosting revenues, the new field will more likely slow the rate of decline. “As you try to stem decline, or slow it down, there will be a lot of development drilling and so on, and
they might have struck another pocket. I think that’s what people are expecting,” says Ciszuk. The UAE publishes very little detailed information about its oil and gas sector and the state-owned firm Dubai Petroleum, which manages the offshore acreage where the recent discovery was made, declined an AFP request for comment on the size of the new field. “Without information on the reserves and the development plan, it’s really impossible to judge whether this discovery will be able to do anything more than slow Dubai’s output declines,” says Bill Farren-Price, Middle East energy consultant at Medley Advisors. “My feeling is that this is a political message aimed at trying to provide a more positive piece of news in an otherwise quite depressing outlook for Dubai, which is obviously struggling with its para-statal debts.” Sfankianakis describes the lack of details surrounding the new oil find as typical of Dubai. “I think it’s a continuation of the lack of clarity that we have, not just in the oil sector. It’s on most government-related subjects. We have no clarity whatsoever on Dubai’s world debt.” — AFP
Iran defies big powers Continued from Page 1 could back fresh UN sanctions, members of an Islamic militia threw stones at the Italian embassy in Tehran. The big powers have already stepped up discussions on how to respond to Iran and what form a possible fourth set of UN sanctions over its still-expanding nuclear program could take. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Fox News: “I think it’s going to take some period of time-I would say weeks, not months-to see if we can’t get another UN Security Council resolution,” according to the transcript of his interview. State television quoted Iranian nuclear agency chief Ali Akbar Salehi as saying that “enrichment to 20 percent started in the Natanz facility under the supervision of the (International Atomic Energy Agency).” This followed a failure to agree on a swap with major powers, under which Iran would send most of its lowenriched uranium abroad in return for 20percent-pure fuel rods for the reactor. Despite its denials, Western powers fear Iran is enriching uranium with a view to producing nuclear weapons. Iran currently enriches uranium to 3.5 percent purity. Salehi said Iran had set up a chain of 164 centrifuges to refine the uranium to 20 percent purity. He said the production capacity was 3 to 5 kg a month, above the Tehran reactor’s needs of 1.5 kg, ISNA news agency reported. Although a nuclear bomb requires about 90 percent purity, getting to 20 percent is a big step because low-level enrichment is the most time-consuming and difficult stage of the process. Iran currently has no nuclear power plants able to use the low-enriched urani-
um it has already produced, and also lacks the technology to convert the 20-percent pure uranium into the fuel rods needed to run the medical reactor. “I think Iran all along intended to enrich to 20 percent,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, proliferation expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, “ostensibly to supply the research reactor but also to gain experience enriching to higher levels that would prove useful for weapons production.” Russia, which in the past has urged talks rather than punishment, said Iran’s move to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity was a clear breach of United Nations resolutions. “Political-diplomatic methods are important for a resolution, but there is a limit to everything,” said Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the presidential Security Council, according to Interfax news agency. Among the big powers only China, which can block any UN sanctions, has remained unswervingly opposed to punishing Iran. Yesterday it urged increased diplomatic efforts, calling for all sides to work towards a deal on the fuel exchange plan. Possible targets for any new sanctions include Iran’s central bank, the Revolutionary Guards, who Western powers say are key to Iran’s nuclear program, shipping firms and its energy sector, Western diplomats say. Last week Italy said it was blocking new Italian investments in the sector. It was not clear if this had prompted the protest at the Italian embassy in Tehran. Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said members of Iran’s Basij militia had attacked the embassy with stones. “About a hundred Basij dressed as civilians tried to assault the embassy shout-
ing ‘Death to Italy’ and ‘Death to Berlusconi (Italian Prime Minister)’,” he told the Senate in Rome, adding that police had intervened to “stop a fullblown assault”. Analysts say Iran will need a few months to reconfigure the Natanz plant to refine uranium to higher purity. It may also have difficulty obtaining crucial components due to UN sanctions, said the analysts. Salehi told state TV late on Monday that Iran was still prepared to carry out the fuel swap if its conditions were met: “The president announced that we will start production of 20 percent enriched uranium, but he has kept the doors of interaction open ... which means we would stop working (enrichment to 20%) if they provide us the necessary fuel.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for immediate and “crippling” sanctions against Iran yesterday, as it began making higher-grade nuclear fuel in defiance of international censure. “Iran is racing forward to produce nuclear weapons ... I believe that what is required right now is tough action by the international community,” Netanyahu told European diplomats. “This means not moderate sanctions, or watered-down sanctions. This means crippling sanctions and these sanctions must be applied right now,” he said in a short message to underscore Israel’s concern over the latest developments. Netanyahu’s language implied Israel would not be content with so-called “targeted sanctions” which Western diplomats have predicted could be pursued against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and other assets of the Tehran leadership. — Agencies
Political thaw blooms hope Continued from Page 1 On the same day, parliament passed a long-delayed capital markets law that establishes a sorely needed stock market regulator. Bills have been cautiously applauded by bankers and analysts. While implementation remains uncertain, many finally sense some political momentum, and the prospect of the country’s petrodollars trickling into development programs and easing stresses in healthcare, electricity supply and infrastructure. Kuwaitis and expatriates attribute much of the recent progress to the re-emergence of Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al Sabah, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs and a nephew of Sheikh Sabah Al Sabah, the Amir. Parliament forced Sheikh Ahmad out of government several years ago, but he resurfaced politically last July when he was re-appointed to the cabinet by Sheikh Nasser Al Sabah, the prime minister. Observers were quoted by the Financial Times saying that he has spent recent years cultivating influential groups and individuals, such as tribal leaders and Islamists, and has improved his relationship with parliament markedly. “He does his homework and, unlike many royals, doesn’t mind sitting down with opponents and discussing things with them,” says a senior Kuwaiti banker. “Parliament previously threatened to escalate the conflict with the government if he returned, but now he has returned he is hailed as a hero.” The deputy premier chose an opportune time to resume frontline policymaking.
Kuwaitis were becoming deeply frustrated by the inability of parliament and government to work together - particularly during a financial crisis that has seen many hurt by losses on real estate and stock market investments. “At first people backed the MPs, but they’re getting tired now and fed up with the standstill in Kuwait,” says Abd Al-Rahman Alyan, editor-in-chief of the Kuwait Times. “For the first time I heard people publicly question democracy.” Other factors have also helped improve the mood. In December, Sheikh Nasser faced a parliamentary “grilling session” and a vote of no confidence for the first time. In the past, the prime minister or the Amir preferred to dissolve parliament to avoid the ignominy of an interrogation but, when Sheikh Nasser finally chose to face down the MPs, he won a confidence vote decisively. This was a breakthrough for Kuwaiti politics, weakening a tool used against the government by fractious parliamentarians and giving the cabinet a mandate to pursue its development plans, observers say. Sheikh Ahmad’s recent political success has led some Kuwaitis to speculate that he could eventually succeed Sheikh Nasser as premier, and perhaps eventually become the ruling Amir. Others, however, remain pessimistic. “Sheikh Ahmad knows how to play the political game... [but] he knows nothing about economics, and the program is not in good hands,” says another senior Kuwaiti businessman. Parliament also remains combative. Shortly after Sheikh Nasser
won the no confidence vote, MPs voted in a bid to force the government to buy back Kuwaitis’ consumer loans, forgive interest payments and cap monthly installment payments. The finance ministry responded that this could cost up to $13bn and spark moral hazard. The Amir is likely to reject the bill and return it to parliament, but the bill remains a potential political time bomb if MPs remain determined to pass it. And, after years of stalled projects, many Kuwaitis remain skeptical that the four-year plan will actually be implemented. A large, overweening public sector dwarfs the country’s private sector, which is still suffering in the wake of the financial crisis, and foreign direct investment remains negligible. “The political hurdle has been passed, now it has to pass the bureaucratic hurdle,” says Naser Al Sane, a veteran former MP for the Islamic Constitutional Movement. Some parts of the plan, such as a vast real estate development project called City of Silk, have been touted for years with no progress. Even concrete projects, such as a proposed $17.4 billion joint venture with Dow Chemical and a fourth oil refinery, have foundered. Nevertheless, a strategic plan has been passed, and most Kuwaitis and expatriates are cautiously hopeful that it may signal a long-awaited shift towards more effective governance. “The proof will be in the pudding, but they have the best chance to get some movement in a long time,” says a diplomat.
Lawmakers differ over plans to invest in Iraq Continued from Page 1 would undermine Kuwaiti sovereignty and a squandering of Kuwaiti funds. He said that the Kuwaiti government should demand that the Iraqi government pays all debt and compensation for Kuwait and threatened to resort to constitutional tools to prevent any other solution. He stressed that the national assembly is the body that should decide the fate of Iraqi debt. Based on available figures, Iraq owes Kuwait about $16 billion in debts taken by Saddam Hussein’s government in the 1980s, in addition to about $25 billion in war reparations. MP Saad Al-Khanfour said that any decision regarding Iraqi debt must be taken by the National Assembly inside its chamber and not in any other place. MP Daifallah Buramia said that the government has been campaigning for public funds in the face of the debt relief law, but now is not
caring for public funds when it comes to Iraqi debt. But MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan said that investing Kuwaiti debt in Iraq is not only a service for Iraq but could bring huge profits for Kuwait and thus be of a good service to the country. MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak said that war reparations from Iraq are governed by international resolutions but Kuwaiti debt on Iraq is a bilateral issue that can be resolved through investments provided that security situations permit. In another development, the financial committee yesterday studied the draft privatization law with the minister of commerce and industry but took no decision for further consideration. Anjari said the bill deals with privatizing all stateowned establishments with the exception of the interior ministry, army and natural resources. He said the bill calls for setting up a higher privatization council to be headed by the prime minister, and that
the communications ministry should be the first target for privatization. Commerce and Industry Minister Ahmad Al-Haroun said the government will send its views to the committee regarding remarks made by MPs during the meeting. The privatization bill has been in the national assembly since 1992 and was discussed several times by committees but had never reached the floor for debate. In the meantime, Kuwait’s budget for the 2010/2011 fiscal year starting April 1 is projecting a deficit of KD6.44 billion. Revenues are projected at KD9.72 billion, up on this year’s projections of KD8.1 billion, and spending at KD16.16 billion, about 33.5 percent above the current year’s projection of KD12.1 billion. Oil income is projected at KD8.61 billion after the budget calculated oil revenues at a price of $43 a barrel compared to $35 a barrel in this year’s budget. Non-oil revenue is estimated at KD1.1 billion.
SPORTS
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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Super Bowl sets TV ratings record in US history LOS ANGELES: In a stunning victory for the NFL and broadcast television, Sunday’s Super Bowl has become the most-watched TV program in US history. The New Orleans Saints’ 31-17 upset of the Indianapolis Colts drew 106.5 million viewers on CBS, smashing Super Bowl records and edging out 1983’s “M*A*S*H” finale, which garnered 105.97 million viewers. Viewership was up 8% from last year’s Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers-Arizona Cardinals nail-biter that was seen by 98.7 million viewers, the game’s previous record. “With all the memorable story
lines going into Super Bowl XLIV combined with the awesome power of the NFL, we are thrilled with this rating, and I am extremely proud of the way the entire CBS Television Network produced, sold and promoted the most-watched television show in history,” CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus said. Granted, the population has grown plenty from when the “M*A*S*H” finale aired, with the U.S. TV audience having climbed to 292 million viewers from 218 million. Yet today’s audience also is much more specialized and segmented in terms of viewing habits-cable penetration was only 34% in 1983 com-
pared to 90% today. Most broadcast shows struggle to pull ratings that were commonplace just a few years ago. Rob Yarin, senior vp programming at Magid Associates, said football in general and the Super Bowl in particular are uniquely suited to resist the corrosive forces that plague other types of programming. “Who wants to watch the Super Bowl on their laptop?” Yarin said. “It’s a big-screen event. The primary purpose of the Super Bowl is to watch it live on television, and that’s why you’re seeing these huge ratings.” The game also capped a hugely successful season for the NFL.
“The NFL is the perfect television property,” McManus said. “The rest keeps getting fractionalized and the NFL keeps getting more appealing to viewers. It’s hard to explain the phenomena.” CBS research head David Poltrack gave it a shot. Poltrack said that-like award shows such as the Grammys and Golden Globes, which have recently seen a ratings revivalthe Super Bowl qualifies as a “shared experience event.” “We all seek ways to identify with other people,” he said. “All of our online activity is isolating, and there’s a growing need for connection, particularly in economically hard
times. You can participate in the Super Bowl at any economic level.” Perhaps viewers can afford to participate. But what about broadcasters? With NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics projected to lose money for the first time and college football’s BCS Championship moving to ESPN, big-ticket sporting events are getting tougher for broadcasters to afford. Cable networks, which have a dual revenue stream from advertising and subscribers, are potentially better poised to capture key events in the future. “There is a concern as we see the migration more toward the cable sec-
tor,” Poltrack said. “We have to make sure we deliver the greatest value we can. That’s why we do everything in our power to find an economic model that works and, fortunately, with the Super Bowl, that model has been discovered.” “We’ll figure out how to keep paying for it as long as it keeps delivering ratings like this,” he added. Sunday night’s premiere of CBS’ latest reality show, “Undercover Boss,” likewise scored for the network, drawing 38.6 million viewersthe largest audience for a new series following the Super Bowl and the most-watched reality series premiere ever.
Yet for some, Super Ratings Sunday wasn’t all that surprising given the “perfect storm” of elements coming together, which included snowstorms in the Northeast that encouraged viewers to stay home. “It’s not surprising,” said Bill Carroll, vp director of programming at Katz TV Group. “When you have a once-a-year event, particularly suited to HD, with little to no competition on broadcast or cable, while in this economy it’s mostly watched from home, with a blizzard on the East Coast, it would be more surprising if the game did not set a record.”—Reuters
NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Monday. San Jose 3, Toronto 2; Philadelphia 3, New Jersey 2; Colorado 5, St. Louis 2; Phoenix 6, Edmonton 1; Anaheim 4, Los Angeles 2. Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS New Jersey 36 20 2 153 134 74 Pittsburgh 35 22 2 187 171 72 Philadelphia 29 25 3 167 154 61 NY Rangers 26 26 7 152 163 59 NY Islanders 23 27 8 146 180 54 Northeast Division Buffalo 32 18 7 158 144 71 Ottawa 33 22 4 164 165 70 Montreal 28 26 6 154 162 62 Boston 24 22 11 138 146 59 Toronto 19 30 11 162 204 49 Southeast Division Washington 41 12 6 234 161 88 Tampa Bay 25 21 11 147 166 61 Atlanta 25 24 8 172 183 58 Florida 24 25 9 152 167 57 Carolina 21 30 7 155 188 49 Western Conference Central Division Chicago 38 15 5 185 135 81 Nashville 31 22 4 159 160 66 Detroit 27 21 10 150 156 64 St. Louis 25 25 9 151 166 59 Columbus 24 27 9 156 194 57 Northwest Division Vancouver 35 20 2 184 140 72 Colorado 33 19 6 172 151 72 Calgary 29 21 9 150 149 67 Minnesota 29 25 4 161 170 62 Edmonton 18 34 6 145 199 42 Pacific Division San Jose 39 11 9 200 145 87 Phoenix 36 19 5 163 151 77 Los Angeles 36 20 3 180 163 75 Dallas 26 21 11 166 181 63 Anaheim 28 24 7 166 181 63 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)
LOS ANGELES: Ryan Whitney No.19 celebrates a goal by Matt Beleskey No.39 of the Anaheim Ducks. —AFP
Ducks snap Kings’ winning streak ANAHEIM: Corey Perry had a goal and two assists as the Anaheim Ducks snapped the Los Angeles Kings’ franchise-record nine-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory in the latest Freeway Faceoff on Monday night. Jonas Hiller made 35 saves, while Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu had a goal and an assist apiece for the lastplace Ducks, who tied a franchise record of their own with their 10th straight home win. Ryan Getzlaf also scored during Anaheim’s three-goal second period, but the Canadian Olympian left in the
second period with a sprained left ankle. Oscar Moller and Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings, who hadn’t lost since Jan. 11 while rising to third place in the Western Conference. Los Angeles had won five straight over Anaheim. Los Angeles fell one victory shy of a club-record eighth straight road win. Flyers 3, Devils 2 At Philadelphia, Mike Richards scored the go-ahead goal with less than eight minutes left in the third period to lead Philadelphia over
New Jersey. Richards pushed Kimmo Timonen’s pass from behind the goal past Martin Brodeur. James van Riemsdyk and Jeff Carter also scored to help the Flyers rally from a 2-0 deficit and snap a two-game losing streak. Zach Parise and Anssi Salmela scored for the Devils, who have lost 10 of 14. Salmela left the ice on a stretcher after scoring when he took a hard shoulder to the face from Carter. Salmela tumbled to the ice and remained face down for several minutes, until the Devils medical staff
wheeled him off. Sharks 3, Leafs 2 At Toronto, Ryane Clowe scored with less than seven minutes left in the third period to lead San Jose past Toronto. Dan Boyle and Joe Pavelski also had goals for the Sharks, who sent Jean-Sebastien Giguere to his first loss since being acquired from Anaheim on Jan. 31. Giguere had posted consecutive shutouts in his first two games with San Jose. Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel scored for the Maple Leafs, who
nearly tied it with a flourish in the final minute of regulation. Evgeni Nabokov made 32 saves for San Jose, which has won eight straight road games. Avalanche 5, Blues 2 At Denver, Brandon Yip scored two goals and Chris Stewart had a goal and two assists as Colorado beat St. Louis. Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist, T.J. Galiardi also scored, and Craig Anderson made 32 saves for the Avalanche. Colorado moved into a first-place tie with idle Vancouver in the
Northwest Division. Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson scored for the Blues, who have lost three in a row. Colorado got goals from Stewart, Stastny and Yip 4:09 apart to take a 5-2 lead and chase Chris Mason, who allowed five goals on 15 shots. Coyotes 6, Oilers 1 At Glendale, Arizona, Matthew Lombardi had two goals and three assists for a career-high five points as Phoenix routed sputtering Edmonton for its 36th victory, matching their total from last season.
Paterson poised to win 100th cap for Scotland LONDON: Chris Paterson will become the first Scottish player to win 100 caps when he turns out at fullback against Wales on Saturday. Paterson was named in the starting team by coach Andy Robinson yesterday and will be presented with a speciallycommissioned cap to mark the occasion after the match at the Millennium Stadium. The 31-year-old made his debut in 1999 and has developed into the most accurate goalkicker in the international game. “He’s a great professional both on the pitch and also off it,” Robinson said of Paterson. “He thoroughly deserves the honour and the tributes bestowed upon him because of the way that he’s performed consistently with a number of different coaches.” Robinson made three changes from the team beaten 18-9 at home by France on Sunday, with flyhalf Phil Godman, centre Max Evans and prop Moray Lowe all dropped. Dan Parks takes over the number 10 shirt with Rory Lamont coming in on the left
wing and his brother Sean moving to outside centre. Key prop Euan Murray is back after missing the France game because of his decision not to play on Sunday for religious reasons. Robinson said he had recalled Parks partly for his tactical kicking. “We needed to improve our owning of territory, winning the territorial battle and marrying the two together of being able to play with the ball in hand but also looking to be able to dominate territory,” he said in a statement. “We didn’t do that well enough last week and while we showed some really good attacking intent, we turned too many balls over. “Dan’s coming in not just to kick the ball-we still want to move it, we still want to play with the ball in hand.” The former England coach, taking charge of his second Six Nations game for Scotland, was also delighted to be able to call upon Murray. “He’s a fantastic tighthead prop, he’s a real rock in the way that he performs and we need that level of physicality in the game,” he said. —Reuters
It was the most one-sided victory of the season for Coyotes, who emerged from bankruptcy owned by the NHL while the league tries to work out a sale. Phoenix has won seven of eight and entered tied with Los Angeles for third-best record in the Western Conference. Ed Jovanovski, James Vandermeer, Radim Vrbata and Robert Lang also scored for Phoenix, while Ilya Bryzgalov had 33 saves. The Oilers, winners of three of their last 26 games, averted a shutout when Dustin Penner scored his 23rd goal with 4:28 to play. —AP
Two changes in Wales team to face Scotland
LONDON: Wales flanker Andy Powell (left) runs in against England’s fly Half Jonny Wilkinson (right) in this file photo. —AFP
LONDON: Errant lock AlunWyn Jones has kept his place in the Wales team to face Scotland in the Six Nations championship on Saturday, though coach Warren Gatland has made two changes from the side beaten 30-17 by England last weekend. Jones was sin-binned for tripping in the first half of the Twickenham game, during which time England scored 17 unanswered points, and was heavily criticised by Gatland and defence coach Shaun Edwards. However, he keeps his place for the Cardiff match while his second-row colleague Luke Charteris is replaced by Jonathan Thomas after a poor Welsh lineout display. The other change sees the return of wing Leigh Halfpenny for Tom James. British and Irish Lions prop Gethin Jenkins, who missed the England game with a calf strain, has been named among the replacements subject to passing fitness tests later in the week.
“Jonathan Thomas brings more than 50 caps of experience to the tight five and offers us some extra mobility around the field,” Gatland said in a statement yesterday. “Leigh Halfpenny is a recognised right wing who offers us an extra kicking option and his return to full fitness after limited training in the run-up to the England game allows his selection.” Wales follow the Scotland match with another home game against France before travelling to Dublin and then finishing off against Italy in the Millennium stadium. “The championship is by no means over,” Gatland said. “We are back at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday looking to kickstart our campaign. This is a must-win game for us. “The good news for these players is that they have an opportunity now, seven days after losing a game we all feel we could have won, to bounce back against Scotland.” —Reuters
SPORTS
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Figure skating, we need more scandals, says Sale VANCOUVER: Judging controversies and a baffling scoring system have left figure skating struggling to pull in the fans, and Olympic champion Jamie Sale believes there is one good way to regain its popularitymore scandals. “We need some fights!” That scandal (involving) Nancy (Kerrigan) and Tonya (Harding) made skating popular. We need some fist fighting,” Sale told Reuters in a telephone interview as she burst into laughter. “It’s silly. I’m just kidding. But
every sport has got its problems. TV (figures) and live (attendance) is down. I don’t know what it’s going to take to make it really, really popular again.” Officials are likely to roll their eyes at Sale’s suggestion but any diehard figure skating fan will know that the 2002 Olympic pairs gold medallist is not too wide of the mark. Whereas once a mesmerising performance could turn competitors such as Britain’s Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean into household
names, over the past two decades the only skaters to have left a lasting legacy are those who have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Remember the year Alexei Urmanov and Oksana Baiul won the men’s and women’s gold medals at the Winter Games? No? While their powerful jumps and artistic choreography may not bring back a flood of memories, few can forget the Kerrigan-Harding saga that overshadowed the whole of that 1994 Olympics.
Kerrigan gained worldwide sympathy when, just a few weeks before the Games, she was hit in the knee with a baton in an assault planned by rival Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly. The ploy to sideline Kerrigan backfired and the American became the story of the Lillehammer Olympics when she grabbed the silver behind Baiul. Similarly Sale and her now husband David Pelletier were thrust into the spotlight at the 2002 Games
when a judging controversy erupted and they were belatedly awarded duplicate gold medals in the pairs competition after a French official admitted she had been ordered to mark them down. “As much as it wasn’t a pleasant thing to go through, it turned out better for us as we became household names, in the US especially. People still talk about it today and that wouldn’t have happened if we won the gold outright,” said Sale, who will be in Vancouver as a commentator.
That incident led to a major scoring overhaul, with the old 6.0 system replaced by an accumulative scoring system that has bewildered fans and pundits alike ever since it was introduced following the Salt Lake City furore. All this has hit figure skating hard. “There was so much pressure to make changes that they felt that they needed to do something,” said Sale. “Just like they gave us the gold medal to shut people up, and with people going ‘this has gotta change,
this sport is so bad, it’s been like this for so long, I don’t want to watch it anymore’. So they thought, if we make the (scoring) system a little different, it seems more fair. “People always felt (before) it was biased but now the (revamped) scoring system, I don’t understand it. It all seems contrived. It seems (the judges) can hide now. It’s even hurt pro skating (in ticket sales). “It impacted the whole sport. It totally hurt our sport. Everyone I know is fed up with skating.” —Reuters
Can Vancouver life get any better with Olympic Games?
CANADA : China’s figure skaters Xue Shen (left) and Hongbo Zhao practice at the Pacific Coliseum for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. —AFP
US Olympians arrive in Vancouver RICHMOND: Noelle Pikus-Pace gasped as she glanced around the hotel ballroom to see the mountains of boxes piled around and overflowing with red-white-and-blue US Olympic gear. “This is amazing,” the skeleton racer said Monday, when she joined dozens of teammates in suburban Vancouver for team processing by the US Olympic Committee. “I just can’t get the smile off my face,” PikusPace said, in between trying on different sweaters.
“And I feel like I’m going to have it on for another 22 days.” Though the prospect of sorting through all the free clothes _ sneakers and boots with red laces, T-shirts and turtlenecks — provided by Ralph Lauren and Nike wasn’t the incentive Pikus-Pace used to come back from a shattered leg that prevented her from competing at the 2006 Turin Games, this was a pleasant reward. “It’s been a long time. To get to this point is pretty incredible, and it’s a little surreal still,” she said, showing off the red and blue
streaks she had colored into her blond hair. “But I think little by little it’s starting to kind of set in.” She’s not the only one. From the hulking members of US men’s bobsledding team to tiny pairs figure skater Amanda Evora, there’s nothing like a free shopping spree to get into the Olympic mood. “Oh my gosh!” shrieked Evora, when asked about her new red running shoes. “I’ve never had red shoes, not even red high heels. And I’m not one who likes to buy too much for myself, but today, it’s all about me.”—AP
VANCOUVER: Workers stage a rehearsal of the flower ceremony, in the finish area of the alpine ski course, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistle. —AP
Security could add millions to London’s 2012 Games cost
LONDON: The cost of the London 2012 Olympics could rise by up to 180 million pounds ($280.6 million), mainly because of security, but will remain within budget, organisers said yesterday. The anticipated final cost is set to rise by 21 million pounds, largely as a result of the poor economic climate, and a further 110 to 160 million pounds could be spent on securing the Olympic Park and venues during the Games and immediately afterwards, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said in its latest financial reports.
The extra money will come from the remaining 1.25-billion-pound contingency fund, and the overall cost will stay within the 9.3-billion-pounds budget. Organisers hope some of the 110-160 million pounds will be offset by savings elsewhere. “As we enter the busiest and most exciting phase of the Olympic project so far, this report shows we are still on time and still on budget,” Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said in a statement. Following a government review, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA),
which is responsible for Games’ infrastructure, has been given additional responsibility for security and operations between 2011 and 2013, which will cover testing, Games time and the immediate legacy. The security cost is separate to the 600-million-pound budget put aside for securing the Games, covering costs such as policing. Work on Games preparations was temporarily affected by the winter weather, the worst to hit Britain in 30 years, but was now back on track. —Reuters
VANCOUVER: Cities that take on the gargantuan task of hosting Olympic Games contend that the costly investment leads to a better quality of life for its denizens for years to come. But the 2010 Winter Games host Vancouver is already ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world, leading some to wonder if the Olympics can add anything to this Canadian city on the so-called ‘Left Coast’. “The bar is set so high now that it will be interesting to see if they do,” said Randy Albertson, 55, as he gathered with friends in downtown Vancouver at the countdown board for the Games that open Friday. ‘Vangroovy’ or ‘Lotusland’as the city of 2.1 million is known in Canada-is by most accounts clean, friendly, safe, multicultural and a gastronomic paradise. Surrounded by water and snowy mountains, it is the epitome of the healthy outdoors, allowing for golf in the morning and skiing in the afternoon. With just one highway that skirts downtown, the city also boasts public transport that allows many Vancouverites to go car-free. Even Mayor Gregor Robertson travels by bike, despite one of the city’s downsides-frequent rain. Vancouver was ranked as the world’s most livable city in 2009 by The Economist and was fourth in Mercer’s “Quality of Living” survey of 215 cities for the same year. The mayor said Vancouver is so advanced on issues like anti-smoking laws that it willingly compromised on those issues to accommodate the Olympics. “We don’t need to pontificate on how far down the path we are,” Robertson said. “I think it is important we show how we are behaving as a city, and model that, but not be heavy-handed about it.” The Games have a mostly privately funded budget of C$1.7 billion ($1.6 billion), although a provincial auditor’s report from 2006 put the Games’ cost to taxpayers at C$2.5 billion. Even if they support the Olympic spirit, some Vancouverites have mixed feelings about how the money is spent and whether it will improve life for the disadvantaged, like the thousands of homeless just a stone’s throw from Olympic venues. “It was a fantastic opportunity to create low-cost housing here and we blew it entirely and that’s really disappointing,” said librarian Miriam Moses, 55, noting that the Olympic Village will be highend housing when the athletes leave. Yet Moses and others have high praise for the new, sleek Canada Line train linking the airport and downtown, and improvements in the Sea to Sky highway up to the Whistler ski resort, venue for Olympic skiing events. One of the best windfalls of the Olympics for the already blessed Vancouverites may be the party, the chance to celebrate during two weeks and show off a world-class city to visitors. “I was feeling blase about it until I got downtown today,” Albertson said Sunday. “And there were the international athletes with their coats and regalia, and I caught a little bit of excitement. I am actually a little bit surprised.” —Reuters
SILVERSTONE: A handout image obtained yesterday, shows the 2010 Force India VJM03 Formula One car with drivers Adrian Sutil (front left) of Germany, Vitantonio Liuzzi (front right) of Italy and third driver Paul Di Resta (top left) of Great Britain during a virtual launch of the new car. —AFP
Force India eye progress after unveiling new car
MILAN: Force India unveiled their new car yesterday, saying greater stability than other Formula One teams would boost their chances this season. Vijay Mallya’s team finished ninth out of 10 last season but improved significantly in the closing stages and are bullish for 2010 despite missing a deadline to file their annual accounts. It has been a smooth transition for the VJM03 from last year’s car which again uses a Mercedes engine and McLaren gearbox, whereas the start of last season was hit by a late switch of suppliers. “It’s been a lot smoother,” design director Mark Smith said during the online launch (www.forceindiaf1.com). “From the very beginning we designed the VJM03 in full knowledge of the engine and gearbox that we would be using
for 2010, which gave us a significant advantage by comparison with respect to the same point in design time for VJM02.” The back of the car has changed most significantly given the team has had more time to develop a double diffuser after having to rush the introduction of last year’s version when authorities decided early in the season that the device was legal. A ban on refuelling during the race has led to bigger fuel tanks and increases the VJM03’s length, while the team says it will develop an adjustable front flap this year. The car, which will be tested for the first time in Spain’s Jerez in the next four days having missed the first test in Valencia last week, has a carbon fibre composite monocoque Chassis with Zylon legality side anti-
Struggling new teams can miss three races — Todt MILAN: Formula One’s new entrants will be allowed to miss the first three races of the season and avoid punishment, International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Jean Todt said yesterday. F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has consistently said he does not expect US F1 and Campos to be ready for the season-opening race in Bahrain on March 14. “In the last draft of the Concorde agreement it’s written that a team can skip three races,” Todt, who has replaced Max Mosley as world motorsport head, told a media briefing in Paris. US F1 and Campos, two of four completely new teams this season, have so far both named only one of their two drivers. They have yet to launch their cars, missed the first test in Valencia last week and will skip this week’s session in Jerez. Former Spanish driver Adrian Campos has said he hopes to settle the future of his new team this week, having already signed Brazilian Bruno Senna, nephew of the late Ayrton. Tony Teixeira, the boss of the A1 GP series, told Reuters last month he was in talks to buy into Campos while Serbia’s Stefan GP say they are all but ready to replace a failed new team and have Ecclestone as a backer. Todt remains cautious, however. “If one of them doesn’t make it, it doesn’t mean another team comes in. It’s up to the FIA to decide if they have the credentials,” the former Ferrari chief said. Virgin have already launched their car and fellow new team Lotus are set to unveil theirs on Friday, after Red Bull’s presentation at the Jerez test today. —Reuters
intrusion panels. Giancarlo Fisichella finished second at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix to score their first points before joining Ferrari. He was replaced by plucky compatriot Vitantonio Liuzzi, who will first test the car today and will drive for the team again this season alongside German Adrian Sutil. Amid a raft of driver changes in F1, having the same two drivers as the end of last season and no longer being the smallest team on the grid given this year’s new entrants also bodes well, team members said. “I am really confident in the work they have done over the winter and we’ve built a car that can regularly be in the points,” Liuzzi said, adding that budget restrictions would also help Force India against the big guns. “Yes, this is an advantage for us as we know how to operate on smaller levels that the bigger teams will have to get used to, while the new teams have a tough job to do. I think it will be a good season for us.” Sutil expects to add to the five points he gained last year. “Right now we’re looking really good, we’ve sorted out all the issues and this winter has been a consistent working situation so it’s a big advantage,” he said. “It’s nice to be one of the few teams who have stability now and can just focus on the racing.” Force India rejected speculation last Friday that they were in danger of being forced out of business because they had not filed their 2008 accounts by an Oct. 31 deadline. “Force India’s participation within the F1 championship has not, and will not, be in jeopardy,” Indian tycoon Mallya said, adding that Force India had been granted an extension until Feb. 25 to submit accounts. The first race of the 2010 season is in Bahrain on March 14.—Reuters
sports
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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ABC affiliates upset about losing sports to ESPN NEW YORK: ABC affiliates are boiling mad that corporate sibling ESPN is being handed live sports events that they initially were supposed to carry. The most recent move came last month, when ESPN said it will take eight NASCAR races this fall off ABC to run on ESPN. Even before that, though, ABC coughed up the Rose Bowl beginning in 2011 and golf’s British Open this year to ESPN, which is majority-owned by Disney, the full owner of ABC. Station executives argue that losing live sports events not only will cost them significant ad revenue and take away a negotiating chip with media buyers, but it also
will hamper their ability to promote other programming to male audiences. The latter is particularly true among ABC’s Southern affiliates, where NASCAR viewership is passionate. ESPN can cherry-pick sports from (or occasionally move sports to) ABC because ESPN in effect took control of ABC Sports in 2006. All sports programming on ABC is now produced by “ESPN on ABC,” as the onscreen logo reads. “The migration of more and more live sporting events from ABC to ESPN is troubling,” said Bill Hoffman, vp and GM of Cox Television’s ABC affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta.
Hoffman, also secretary-treasurer of the ABC affiliate board, said losing sports will cost affiliates “significant” ad revenue and hard-to-reach (and therefore valuable) male viewers. “Not only have we lost these sporting events, but now we also have to compete against those telecasts on ESPN. NASCAR is a huge lifestyle in the South; it’s indigenous to the region. Now most of the live races on broadcast are gone,” he said. Hoffman was the only affiliate executive who would speak on the record, though several echoed his position on condition of anonymity. “It’s a delicate subject, but we (the ABC affiliate board) are in passionate
alignment on this,” he said. A few station execs privately suspect that because ESPN is a big money maker for Disney, the parent company is letting it pull more live sports from ABC to justify hefty subscriber fees. ESPN charges cable operators $4.10 a household, according to SNL Kagan, and is said to be seeking a hike. Len DeLuca, ESPN senior vp programming and acquisitions, disputed that rationale, saying the NASCAR move is purely about ratings. “What we did was take eight NASCAR races on ABC on Sunday afternoons that were not getting maximum audiences
nationwide (last season) because they were competing with the NFL,” he said. He believes ESPN will be able to devote more promotional time to those races to their target audience this fall. The 11 races on ABC last year averaged a 3.5 household rating, lower than Fox’s NASCAR average (5.1) and ESPN’s (3.6 for six races) and just slightly higher than TNT’s (3.3). DeLuca said he is sympathetic to ABC affiliates, but noted they still will air more than 300 hours of “good sports programming” this year, including college football, the NBA, World Cup soccer, the Indianapolis 500, the Little League World Series and three primetime NASCAR
races. He added that ESPN has “several shows and concepts in development targeting men” to offer ABC affiliates for airing weekend afternoons. As upset as affiliates are, they have little recourse, and they shouldn’t expect much support from media buyers. “The ratings on ESPN may be lower, but the pricing will be lower also,” said Christine Merrifield, senior vp/group client director at MediaVest. “For sports telecasts, a lot of benefit comes from promotion, and ESPN is a promotional machine. ESPN is an engine that targets men across all of its platforms. ABC reaches a lot more women.” —Reuters
South Africa flay India in first Test NAGPUR: South Africa thumped India by an innings and six runs despite a fighting century by Sachin Tendulkar on the fourth day of the first Test yesterday to go 1-0 up in the two-match series. Fast bowler Dale Steyn (3-57) and left-arm spinner
Win Nagpur Test
KUWAIT: (Left to right) Eng Duaij Al-Otaibi, Maj General Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al- Ahmad, Maj Gen Mahmoud Al-Dousary, Colonel Fahad Salem Al-Shuwaea
Kuwait on target to host shooting championship
By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: Kuwait will host teams from 40 countries during the first international shooting championship to start on Feb 16th, at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic shooting ranges complex, announced Deputy Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee Maj General Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad during a press conference yesterday. He said the tournament has a special significance as it has the patronage of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and it coincides with Kuwait’s celebration of its National and Liberation days. Sheikh Ahmad thanked HH the Prime Minister for approving the budget of the tournament, and thanked all the ministries who are contributing to ensure the success of this dear event. Meanwhile, assistant of Championship Director for Technical Affairs Engineer Duaij Al-Otaibi thanked Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf on behalf of Chairman of the Asian and Kuwait shooting
federations Sheikh Salman AlHumoud Al-Sabah for selecting the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex to hold the first international police shooting event in Kuwait. He said 40 countries are participating in the event, and 39 already sent the names of their shooters, as Monday was the deadline for registration. Al-Otaibi said there will be 397 shooters participating in addition to Kuwait’s shooters bringing the number to 435. He said the said numbers do not include the technical staff that will accompany the shooters. He said there will be 42 referees from various countries, while Kuwait will be represented with 36 referees in the shotgun events and 48 referees in the bullets events. He said ISSF Vice President Unni Nicolaysen will be in Kuwait during he championship. Engineer Al-Otaibi said “We are happy to have this large number participating, especially that among the participants are those considered the best in the world.” He said that there will be 10 events for men and seven for women. He said it
was agreed to include all Olympic shooting events in this championship, and that in each event there will be two participants only, and without teams. He said most of Kuwait’s shooters are serving in various police sectors like Abdallah Al-Rashidi, Mishfi Al-Mutairi and Salah Al-Mutairi. Championship Director Maj General Mahmoud Al-Dousary expressed his pleasure that the championship coincides with the 4th anniversary of the Amir’s assumption of power. About chances of Kuwait’s shooters Al-Dousary expected good results bearing in mind the high standards Kuwait shooters have along with the care they receive from Kuwait Shooting Club. About the election of the new president of the international police shooting federation, Sheikh Nawaf said that his nomination came from Interior Ministry Undersecretary Lt General Ahmad Al-Rujaib, and that he made several visits to Arab and European countries about the nomination and expected to win the presidency unanimously.
Paul Harris (3-76) shared six wickets to bowl out India for 319 in their follow-on at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur. Harris picked the key wickets of Tendulkar (100) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who suffered his first Test defeat as captain since taking charge in 2008. It was India’s third defeat by an innings margin at home since 2000, all of those coming against South Africa. The South Africans now need just to draw the second and final Test beginning in Kolkata on February 14 to reclaim their top world ranking from India. The emphatic win was set up by Hashim Amla (253) and Jacques Kallis (173), who helped South Africa post an imposing 558-6 declared before Steyn picked a careerbest 7-51 to bowl out India for 233 in their first knock. Steyn finished with a haul of 10 wickets for 108 runs while Amla was named man of the match. “It has been an outstanding performance from the guys,” said South African skipper Graeme Smith. “To win in India, you need lots of discipline and the guys have showed it. “There were a few special individual performances but overall it was a good team effort. It is nice to have someone like Steyn. To run in like that and bowl as he did was amazing. “Harris also bowled well, he is not a fancied cricketer but he knows his role and has come back well.” India’s lone resistance in the second innings came from Tendulkar, who smashed 13
NAGPUR: South African players led by captain Graeme Smith (center with hat) celebrate their victory in the first cricket Test match of the series against India. — AP fours in his 179-ball knock on the way to his 46th Test century. Tendulkar, who hit two successive centuries during India’s 2-0 away Test win against Bangladesh, defied the South African attack for close to four and a half hours before being dismissed in bizarre fashion. Tendulkar tried to sweep Harris but the ball bounced off his body, hit his elbow and fell onto the stumps. He watched the ball in disbelief before trudging back to the pavilion. The batting ace shared 72 runs for the third wicket with Murali Vijay (32) and another 70 runs with Dhoni, who was caught at silly point after staying for 144 minutes at the wicket. “We were completely out-
Scoreboard South Africa first innings 558-6 declared (H. Amla 253 n.o., J.Kallis 173, AB de Villiers 53). India first innings 233 (V. Sehwag 109, S. Badrinath 56, D. Steyn 7-51). India second innings (overnight 66-2) G. Gambhir b Morkel 1 V. Sehwag c Smith b Steyn 16 M. Vijay c Morkel b Harris 32 S. Tendulkar b Harris 100 S. Badrinath c Boucher b Parnell 6 M. Dhoni c de Villiers b Harris 25 W. Saha lbw b Steyn 36 H. Singh lbw b Parnell 39 played,” said Dhoni. “Kallis and Amla batted brilliantly. Steyn, the way he bowled, he was the best I have seen of him in the last two years. “In India on a track like this, you hardly see such good conventional swing bowling. We are on the back foot now as they cannot lose the series from here. But
Z. Khan c Harris b Kallis 33 A. Mishra b Steyn 0 I. Sharma not out 0 Extras: (b-15 lb-8 w-6 nb-2) 31 Total: (all out; 107.1 overs) 319 Fall of wickets: 1-1 2-24 3-96 4-122 5-192 6209 7-259 8-318 9-318. Bowling: Steyn 18.1-1-57-3, Morkel 21-6-65-1 (nb 1, w-6), Parnell 13-2-58-2, Harris 38-17-763, Kallis 12-3-19-1, Duminy 5-0-21-0 (nb-1).
we will try to fight back in Kolkata.” Resuming at 66-2 after being made to follow on, the hosts lost overnight batsman Vijay inside the first hour of play. Debutant Subramaniam Badrinath (six) edged Parnell to Mark Boucher, who returned to keep wicket
after missing the final session on Monday with a back strain. After the dismissal of Dhoni for 25 in the postlunch session, Harbhajan Singh hit a run-a-ball 39 with six fours and a six to provide some cheer to Indian fans before curtains were drawn on the innings. — AFP
Magic defeat Hornets, Lakers roll over Spurs ORLANDO: Vince Carter had a season-high 48 points to lead the Orlando Magic back from a 17point second-half deficit to beat the New Orleans Hornets 123117 on Monday. Carter was 19 for 27 shooting and had 34 points in the second half with some of the most sizzling moves since he joined the Magic, who have won nine of their last 11 games. Dwight Howard added 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Rashard Lewis finished with 18 points for Orlando. Peja Stojakovic had 29 points, and Darren Collison and David West added 27 points apiece for the Hornets, who have lost four of five since Chris Paul went down with an injured left knee. Lakers 101, Spurs 89 At Los Angeles, Pau Gasol had 21 points and 19 rebounds to lead five players in double figures as the Los Angeles Lakers beat San Antonio without injured Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. Bryant missed his second consecutive game with a sore left ankle, while Bynum sat out with a bruised right hip. In their absences, the Lakers used a collective effort to win in their
NBA results/standings NBA result and standings on Monday: Orlando 123, New Orleans 117. Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Boston 32 17 .653 Toronto 28 23 .549 5 Philadelphia 19 31 .380 13.5 NY Knicks 19 31 .380 13.5 New Jersey 4 46 .080 28.5 Central Division Cleveland 41 11 .788 Chicago 24 25 .490 15.5 Milwaukee 23 26 .469 16.5 Indiana 18 33 .353 22.5 Detroit 17 32 .347 22.5 Southeast Division Orlando 35 17 .673 Atlanta 32 17 .653 1.5 Charlotte 24 25 .490 9.5 Miami 24 27 .471 10.5 Washington 17 32 .347 16.5 final home game before this weekend’s All-Star break. Ron Artest added 18 points, Lamar Odom 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher had 13 each. Manu Ginobili scored 21 points, Tony Parker 20, Tim Duncan had 16 points and 15 rebounds and Antonio McDyess 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who have lost four in a row to the
Western Conference Northwest Division Denver 34 17 .667 Utah 31 18 .633 2 Okla City 29 21 .580 4.5 Portland 30 23 .566 5 Minnesota 13 38 .255 21 Pacific Division LA Lakers 40 13 .755 Phoenix 31 21 .596 8.5 LA Clippers 21 29 .420 17.5 Sacramento 16 34 .320 22.5 Gol State 13 37 .260 25.5 Southwest Division Dallas 32 19 .627 San Antonio 29 21 .580 2.5 Houston 27 23 .540 4.5 Memphis 26 24 .520 5.5 N Orleans 27 25 .519 5.5
Lakers at Staples Center. Mavericks 127, Warriors 117 At Oakland, California, Jason Terry scored a season-high 36 points, including the go-ahead 3pointer, as Dallas rallied from a 14point deficit to beat Golden State. Josh Howard and Drew Gooden also had season bests with 25 and 24 points respectively for the Mavericks. Jason Kidd added 17
points and 12 assists. Anthony Morrow scored a season-high 33 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the Warriors, who lost their season-worst ninth straight, including five at home. Monta Ellis scored 27 points before leaving the game with an apparent right knee injury in the final four minutes. Stephen Curry scored 25 points to go with nine assists. — AP
OAKLAND: Golden State Warriors’ Anthony Morrow (left) and Dallas Mavericks’ Shawn Marion (0) fight for a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game. — AP
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sports
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
United returning to full power, says van der Sar
LONDON: Manchester United’s Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf reacts after missing a chance in this file photo. — AFP
Reds rediscover mean streak LONDON: Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is confident his side’s rediscovered meanness can help them close the gap on faltering Arsenal. Today’s fixture at the Emirates Stadium sees the team in third place in the Premier League table host the team in fourth. Arsenal had been top just a few weeks ago but back-to-back defeats by Manchester United and then Chelsea have seen them fall behind the top two and most pundits have now written off their title chances. Liverpool are coming up strongly behind them and a season that was being labelled “in crisis” a few weeks ago is now looking much healthier for Rafa Benitez and co. The clean sheet in the 1-0 Merseyside derby victory Everton at the weekend was their fourth straight shut-out and Benitez’s men have now taken 17 points from a possible 21 in their last seven league outings. Carragher said: “Over the last four or five years defensively we’ve been as good as probably any team in the world. “You have to look at the overall record and defensively we’ve had a fantastic record under Rafa Benitez and we’re showing that again now. “At the start of the season we had a lot of people in and out and maybe we were playing a little bit different with two offensive fullbacks.
“We’re just getting back to our normal selves and hopefully we can keep that going. If you keep clean sheets you’re going to win games because you only need to score one goal.” Liverpool had been out of the top four since October and now they were back striker Dirk Kuyt is keen to stay there. The Dutchman, who scored the winner against Everton, said: “Out of the last seven matches we have taken 17 points and have kept six clean sheets, so you can see from those results that we are playing better and our confidence is up. “Now we have to keep going and make sure we are ready for the next game at Arsenal. We have to show that we really are back to our best form.” Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said the weekend derby win would ensure his squad travel south in confident mood. “Everybody is still on a high and now we have got to take that high into the Arsenal game,” the England midfielder said. “It’s a tough one, Arsenal away always is, but we have used beating Everton as a platform in the past and we’ve got to do it again. “We want to extend our run and go on to better things as we can’t afford any slip-ups. We showed fantastic togetherness against Everton, we fought for each other and it’s per-
formances like this that will get you there.” The Arsenal players can probably understand how their Liverpool counterparts were feeling earlier in the season when rivals were prospering as they stumbled both at home and abroad. The Gunners know they will remain in third place whatever the result however and defender Gael Clichy insists they have not given up hope of overhauling United and Chelsea before the end of the season. Chelsea had also beaten Arsenal comfortably in November to establish an 11-point advantage but though only Wenger appeared to think that gap could be closed, the Gunners went on to do exactly that. Clichy said: “We don’t have to look for a long run - we have to think game after game and it starts with Liverpool. We have to think one game at a time but the less we lose, the better it will be. “It is not going to be easy but it is not finished. We were 11 points behind and came back so we have to hope they drop points and make sure we don’t drop any. Let’s work on it, next we play against a good side in Liverpool. It is going to be difficult but we have to do it because if we want to be the best we have to compete.” Liverpool will be without Greece defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos, who starts a three-match ban for his sending-off against Everton.— AFP
India’s Ambani group denies bid for Liverpool NEW DELHI: India’s wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani denied yesterday a British newspaper report that he was in a race to take over Liverpool football club. But another Indian businessman reportedly in the running for the Merseyside club appeared more circumspect. The Times of London reported that Ambani, the world’s seventh-richest man, was one of two tycoons from the subcontinent competing to purchase a stake in Liverpool. The paper said Ambani’s Reliance Industries and Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy had each tendered similar bids to pay off Liverpool’s 237 million pound (370 million dollar) debts in return for a 51 percent stake in the club. “There is no truth to the report. We deny it completely,” Reliance spokeswoman Sudeep Purkayastha told AFP. Ambani is worth 19.5 billion dollars from his investment in Reliance Industries, a petrochemicals giant, according to Forbes business magazine. In 2008, Ambani created the Mumbai Indians, one of the eight teams in cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL). The newspaper said Roy’s interest in Liverpool appeared “more serious”. His Sahara conglomerate said it could neither confirm nor deny that a bid was in the offing. “We are presently not in a position to comment,” Sahara spokesman Abhijit Sarkar told AFP. Sahara has been linked with ownership of one of the next IPL franchises, possibly to be based in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, where the group is headquartered. Sahara was linked with shirt sponsorship of Manchester United last February, but the deal fell through. The Times said Liverpool chief executive Christian Purslow had denied knowledge of either bid, but reported that approaches began as early as November and that some preliminary talks had taken place. Pressure has been mounting on Liverpool’s feuding owners, US businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, to cut a deal to sell the Anfield club. The Times quoted an unnamed source as saying that Liverpool’s banker, the state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland, is stipulating that the pair must pay off 100 million pounds of debt and inject tens of millions of pounds into the club. The paper identified a number of other potential bidders, including a Saudi Arabian consortium and a US-based buyer, who is prepared to pay the 100 million pounds in exchange for 40 percent of the club. — AFP
LONDON: Liverpool’s English midfielder Steven Gerrard celebrates in this file photo. — AFP
BIRMINGHAM: Edwin van der Sar believes that Manchester United have done well to stay in touch with Chelsea despite the injury problems that have dogged the season at Old Trafford. United go into their meeting with Aston Villa today two points off Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who are in action at Everton on the same evening. Sir Alex Ferguson’s options at the back have been limited throughout the campaign, with Dutch goalkeeper van der Sar and defenders Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, John O’Shea, Rafael and Gary Neville all enduring stints on the sidelines. Ferdinand is still suspended and O’Shea is likely to miss the rest of the campaign with a thigh problem. But even if Vidic does not return from a calf injury at Villa Park, United have finally been able to benefit from having increased options at the back. Key to that has been the return of van der Sar, who has missed months of the campaign as a result of his own finger and knee injuries and the ill-health of his wife, who suffered a brain haemorrhage in December. The 39-year-old has played a central role in United’s recent upturn in form and Ferguson’s side travel to Villa Park looking for a fifth straight Premier League win for just the second time this season. Van der Sar, whose current contract expires in the summer, said: “We’re right up there with Chelsea, just a couple of points behind so the last three months of the season are shaping up to be very interesting. “It’s all to play for. There are a lot of big games in a short period, with the Champions League also starting up again soon. “Luckily we have most of our players back. We’re still missing three or four but it’s better than the 11 or 12 that were missing earlier in the season and over Christmas. “It feels really good to be back. It’s been a stop-start season for me which has been frustrating. “It was disappointing because I’m not used to being out of action and not being able to play. “It feels great to be back in the swing of things and playing for United again.” Although Martin O’Neill’s side are chasing a place in the Champions League and won 1-0 at Old Trafford in December, United will be boosted by their impressive record at Villa Park. Ferguson’s team were held to a goalless draw there last season but are unbeaten there in the league since losing 3-1 on the opening day of the season in 1995. Villa, who will be without Stephen Warnock and Nigel Reo-Coker through injury, go into the game on the back of an eight-match unbeaten run and they have kept three consecutive clean sheets. O’Neill feels that former Manchester City defender Richard Dunne, who moved to Villa Park in the summer, has been crucial to his team’s performances. He said: “Maybe we were lucky to get him and maybe if Manchester City had really wanted him then he might have stayed, but I don’t know that. “All I do know is that whatever way it fell for us, luck was on our side and I’m just delighted to have him. “The art of defending isn’t dead. You look at Dunne in particular, he can read the game, he’s very brave and when he’s going to head it you just get out of the way. “We’ve got a group of players here at this minute who are going week in, week out and I could not fault the application and tenacity of the side. “I’ve had some very fine defenders in my time, both at Leicester and Celtic, fine players with the same mentality as these lads, who are prepared to be very brave when it’s demanded.”— AFP
FRANKFURT: German Football Federation (DFB) President Theo Zwanziger (left) and Germany’s national football team head coach Joachim Loew address a press conference yesterday.— AFP
Loew buries hatchet with German federation
BERLIN: National coach Joachim Loew ended his standoff with the German Football Federation (DFB) yesterday as both parties agreed to plough all their efforts into Germany’s 2010 World Cup campaign. “We have agreed upon a clear strategy right up to the World Cup,” Loew said during a televised press conference from the DFB’s base in Frankfurt. “We agree that our mutual interest is tied to the build-up to the World Cup over the coming weeks and months and we will prepare the team so that it can enjoy a good tournament.” Loew confirmed, however, that an extension to his contract, which expires in July this year, will not be discussed until after the World Cup (June 11-July 11). He added: “We have a very high responsibility, and not just vis-a-vis the DFB for this World Cup, but because we are representing Germany in a competition overseas and behind us there are millions of supporters who want and who of course expect the team to play a good tournament.” DFB president Theo Zwanziger also confirmed that no contract negotiations would take place before the World Cup, but reiterated his faith in Loew. “The team needs this coach,” Zwanziger said. “We
want success and I say it here and now, such success at the World Cup is only possible with this coach.” The DFB suspended negotiations over a two-year extension to Loew’s contract, citing wage demands made by Loew and the team’s general manager, Oliver Bierhoff. Loew had been expected to agree to stay on until the 2012 European Championship and on Sunday he declared himself “very angry” with the DFB’s decision to publicise details of their negotiations. Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had earlier urged the DFB to find a solution with Loew. The Bayern chief also criticised Bierhoff for having reportedly demanded the right to veto the appointment of Loew’s successor. “That was not acceptable (but) I think he’s prepared to take a step back,” said Rummenigge, who added that the DFB had made a “serious mistake-the biggest mistake possible-by publicising the contents of the contract”. Loew took over as Germany’s national coach in 2006 after two years as an assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann. Under Loew’s guidance, in 45 games Germany have recorded 31 victories, eight draws and six defeats.— AFP
Drogba unwilling to relinquish top spot LONDON: Didier Drogba sent Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League by shooting down Arsenal and the Ivory Coast hitman is determined they will still be there after today’s trip to Everton. Drogba scored both his side’s goals in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. That gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side a two-point advantage over Manchester United, who travel to Aston Villa on the same night. A point at Goodison Park is no disgrace for any side but Drogba knows it will not be good enough to remain at the summit if United win at Villa Park. He said: “There is always pressure, that’s part of the game, and that’s why we get excited about big matches like this. “We are top of the league again and Manchester United are going to have to fight all the way to the title. “Now we have to go to Everton and win there if we want to stay top of the League and win this race against Manchester United.” The Everton supporters are likely to barrack Chelsea captain John Terry in the wake of the allegations about his private life that saw him stripped of the England captain’s armband last week. Terry was given a hero’s reception by the Chelsea fans during the win over Arsenal but, provided he recovers from a dead leg in time, he will be stepping into a much more hostile environment today. Drogba, though, has no doubts about his team-mate’s ability to cope. “No matter what’s happening outside of football, on the pitch he is a great player and he is doing everything he can,” Drogba said. “He is our captain, a great captain, and we owe him.” Michael Ballack meanwhile has underlined the extent to which Drogba’s return from the African Nations Cup has boosted confidence in the Chelsea camp.
LONDON: Chelsea Captain John Terry applauds Chelsea fans in this file photo. — AFP “In big games like the one against Arsenal, he is there and that is why he is a big player,” the Germany captain said. “Didier has unbelievable physical strength, but he has great technique, is a great free-kick taker and has the nose of a striker. He has a lot of qualities and not a lot of players are like this. “But we have a lot of big characters and this is why we have a good team. “It is really great to play in a team like this. Everybody fights for everybody - there is a good spirit and experience in the team. “We have played for a few years together and have a lot of personal qualities in the players. — AFP
Sports snippets College basketball NEW YORK: A league that has always had to fight for respect as it tries to join the ranks of the power conferences, the 11-year-old Mountain West had three teams in The Associated Press’ Top 25, one more than the Atlantic Coast Conference and three more than the Pac-10. Kansas (22-1) remained the runaway No. 1, receiving 55 first-place votes from the national media panel. Syracuse (23-1), which received eight first-place votes, moved up one spot to become the fourth No. 2 in as many weeks. The ranking is the highest for the Orange since a sixweek stretch at No. 1 in 1989-90. Kentucky (22-1), which was No. 1 on two ballots, moved up one place to No. 3, while No. 4 Villanova beat No. 5 West Virginia 82-75. NASCAR debut DAYTONA BEACH: Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR debut this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. The IndyCar star will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in Saturday’s second-tier Nationwide Series race. UCLA lawsuit SAN FRANCISCO: A federal judge has green-lighted most of a lawsuit by former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon, who alleges the NCAA used the images of student-athletes without permission. US District Court Judge Claudia Wilken denied the NCAA’s attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed. The NCAA had argued O’Bannon and others gave up their commercials rights when they annually signed a form permitting the organization to use their images to promote NCAA activities. But the judge says O’Bannon’s allegations the NCAA is improperly profiting by using the images to sell DVDs, video games and apparel deserve further hearing. Baseball training SEATTLE: Cliff Lee’s first spring training with the Seattle Mariners is off to a slow start already. Lee is recovering from minor foot surgery and will be limited when pitchers and catchers report to
Seattle’s camp in Arizona this month. Seattle’s biggest acquisition during its splashy winter had surgery Friday in his native Arkansas to remove a bone spur that broke loose and was floating in his left foot. Lee’s foot is not in a cast, and he is continuing his upper-body exercise program. The Mariners said the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner will “gradually return to all normal baseball activities” over the next two to three weeks. Brandon replaced LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman will replace the Trail Blazers’ Brandon Roy in this weekend’s All-Star game. Roy injured his right hamstring last month. Roy, in his fourth season with the Blazers, made the All-Star team as a reserve for the third straight season. Kaman will be making his first All-Star appearance. He is averaging a career-high 20.2 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field. Gainey steps aside MONTREAL: From his time as captain to his tenure as general manager, Bob Gainey has spent a lifetime providing leadership for the Montreal Canadiens. Now, he’s handing the reins to a trusted colleague. Gainey stepped aside as Montreal’s general manager and was replaced by assistant Pierre Gauthier in a surprising front-office shake-up for hockey’s most storied franchise. Gainey starred for the Canadiens from 1973-89 and the Hall of Famer rejoined the team as GM after the 2002-2003 season. Montreal made the playoffs four out of five seasons during Gainey’s tenure. Soderling wins ROTTERDAM: Robin Soderling has won his first match of the year, beating Florent Serra 4-6, 6-4, 61 in the first round of the ABN Amro indoor tournament. Tommy Robredo also advanced to the second round with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Dutch player Robin Haase. Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko play their first-round matches late yesterday.
SPORTS
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
19
Freestyler gets ball rolling to World Cup LONDON: From smashing windows to breaking world records, soccer freestyler Dan Magness has enjoyed a bizarre career which has offered him the chance to travel and rub shoulders with big names. The Englishman’s latest exploit was to kick-start a ball relay that will end at the World Cup in South Africa in June. After he was released at the age of 16 by ex-English league side and 1988 FA Cup winners Wimbledon, Magness’s soccer career looked as doomed as his old club, who were dissolved in 2004. “I was always the player in the team where the ball would come to me and no one else would get it back,” he conceded rather proudly. However, the ball-hogging skills that no doubt contributed to his
Wimbledon downfall soon became an ally when he began performing soccer tricks to busk around Australia in 2001. “I put my hat out, started busking and before I knew it I was making some good cash. I’ve been doing it ever since,” Magness told Reuters. Now 26, the bubbly man from the central town of Milton Keynes has a list of keepy-uppy world records and tales of kickabouts with England international Joe Cole and FIFA world player of 2009 Lionel Messi of Barcelona. “I’m glad Messi is playing football as opposed to freestyling, otherwise I wouldn’t have a job,” said Magness, who filmed a commercial with the Argentine forward in Spain. Among other world records,
Magness has notched up the longest time controlling a ball (24 hours), set last year in London’s Covent Garden, and the most consecutive touches on his shoulders. His skills now provide a living, which he makes through corporate events that have taken him across Europe and beyond, including to Dubai and South Africa. “My career has been amazing. I can’t believe I am lucky enough to visit all these countries, meet so many people and do all these things,” he said. Training involves lots of running and walking and an apparent die-hard habit of practising risky kick-ups around the house. “I have broken my mum and dad’s window when I was little, I also
broke the patio chair and blamed it on the dog,” he said. Last month, he walked 58 kms around London’s Premier League soccer grounds to record the longest journey while continuously kicking or heading a ball. His unusual journey was the first leg of “The Ball”- soccer’s equivalent to the Olympic torch, a relay set up by a not-for-profit company called Spirit of Football which invites organisations to promote their causes on a journey to South Africa’s World Cup opening ceremony on June 11. The relay involves one soccer ball being played with by as many people, as many times as possible, on a fourand-a-half-month trip through Europe and 17 African countries to
the finals. Thought up by three friends, the relay started in 2002. This year it is being used to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa. “Football’s such a universal language, it breaks barriers and that can help build on raising awareness of AIDS in Africa,” Magness said. The ball used in the relay is made by another non-profit organisation, Alive and Kicking (A&K), which employs 150 people in Kenya and Namibia to hand-stitch footballs which are then distributed to children’s projects across Africa and used as visual aids for HIV/AIDS education. The relay also promotes the Special Olympics (SO) which is involved in sports training and
events for mentally disabled people in more than 180 countries. After touring Europe, The Ball will head overland to West Africa, down the coast and through the Sahara before rejoining the coast in Ghana. From Cameroon it will cross to the east of the continent and head south to eventually arrive in Johannesburg on June 6. During the trip, anywhere from big stadiums to backstreets will be used for kickabouts with everyone invited-an ethos which provided a memorable experience in 2002. On The Ball’s journey that year to the South Korea and Japan World Cup, organisers were taken by minibus to a pitch in the mountains of China’s Gansu province for an impromptu soccer match with
Tibetan monks. “Football had broken the barriers of distance and language, but we had yet to find a way to nutmeg a monk,” The Ball co-founder Christian Wach told Reuters. A&K want to distribute 100,000 balls to African children by the start of the World Cup and will also supply balls for the Special Olympics’ ‘Unified Sports’, which pairs athletes without disabilities with SO athletes in training and competitions. “Africa is unlikely to have the privilege of hosting the World Cup again in the near future so it is incumbent on Special Olympics Africa to ensure that we capitalise on this opportunity,” SO soccer initiatives manager Ancilla Smith said. —Reuters
Pele leads World Cup stars predicting African success
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger
Wenger ducks Ballack’s bouncer LONDON: Arsene Wenger has brushed aside a broadside from Michael Ballack over his grudging praise for Chelsea in the wake of their win over Arsenal at the weekend. Chelsea midfielder Ballack has accused the Arsenal boss of making excuses for his side being outplayed when he reacted to the 2-0 defeat by caustically observing: “We didn’t get a demonstration of football but they were highly efficient.” Wenger claimed yesterday that comment had been taken out of context but refused to back away from his suggestion that Arsenal had been the better side at Stamford Bridge. “I would just like to say that I was full of compliments and praise for Chelsea after the game and I find it completely unfair from the press that you take one word of my press conference to turn it in a kind of probe every time,” the Frenchman said. Wenger argued that similar misrepresentation had resulted in his recent spat with Villa manager Martin O’Neill, who was infuriated by the Arsenal manager’s characterisation of his side’s style as “long ball” following last month’s goalless draw between the two clubs. Addressing Ballack’s argument that Arsenal had lost the tactical battle at Stamford Bridge, Wenger commented: “I am long enough in England to know that the team who wins can say what they want.
They are right. “It is my job to take a distance from that and analyse the game in a calm way with a cool head and to analyse what is right. “I have to live with all the conclusions that Chelsea are a much better side, but I believe what I believe.” Despite Wenger’s defiance, Ballack’s comments will undoubtedly have touched a raw nerve with many Gunners supporters, who are growing increasingly frustrated that the wonderful football on offer at the Emirates has not yielded a trophy since the 2005 FA Cup. “We knew the way Arsenal play,” Germany’s captain said. “It is always the same style. If you play tactics like we did, you can beat them. “This season and the season before they showed they weren’t able to win the league. “He (Wenger) always says things like this when he loses to find an excuse-but football is not possession of the ball and playing a nice pass, football is about winning games and that is what Manchester United showed when they played them and what we did. “Football is a mixture of winning games and good football physically, but also technically. We have a good mix in the team as we have shown this season and you can’t do more. We are in first position and that counts.”
Back-to-back defeats by Manchester United and Chelsea have left Arsenal nine points off the pace in the title race ahead of today’s meeting with Liverpool, who are unbeaten in their last seven league matches, at the Emirates. The recent setbacks have focused attention on Arsenal’s lack of physical presence throughout the side, particularly in attack, where the absence of the injured Robin van Persie has been felt acutely at times. Wenger’s critics believe he could have addressed that problem in the transfer market but the Frenchman continues to believe he can deliver success his way. “There is only one way to play football that is to win games and be efficient,” he said. “The best way to win the games is the way which is most adapted to the qualities of your players and the philosophy of your club. That is what we try to be faithful to. “You have to accept that when you lose games, the way you play is always questioned - what becomes a fantastic quality when you win, becomes a fantastic mistake when you lose. It is like that. “We still have to believe in the way we do things, in the way we play and to show that strength.” Fit-again Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner is in line to start against Liverpool after coming off the bench against Chelsea. —AFP
Inter eye 11-point lead against Parma ROME: Defending champions Inter Milan will look to go 11 points clear at the top of Italy’s Serie A when they travel to misfiring Parma today. Jose Mourinho’s men go into the match as clear favourites, having lost just twice all season. The last time they tasted defeat was over two months ago when they lost 2-1 away to Juventus. Parma, meanwhile, are on a terrible run, having lost five of their last six matches and dropped down the table from fourth to 12th place. An Inter win will put them in a strong position to secure a fifth straight Scudetto with four months of the season left to go, but midfielder Thiago Motta is keen to downplay talk of winning the championship. “The season isn’t over. There is still a long way to go and if you mess up one or two games in a row, whoever’s behind you can catch up,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “We have done well up until now. We have worked well and we have to keep up this pace, only that way can we win the league.” On Sunday the Nerazzurri thumped Cagliari 3-0 at the San Siro thanks to goals from new
signing Goran Pandev, Walter Samuel and Diego Milito. Macedonian striker Pandev, who joined Inter from Lazio last month, was at the centre of much of Inter’s attacking moves in the absence of their suspended Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder. Sneijder will sit out today’s encounter as he serves the final game of a two-match ban for his sending off in the Milan derby last month. Inter will also have to do without defender Cristian Chivu and midfielder Dejan Stankovic, who are out injured. Parma are not without injury problems themselves. Swiss international Blerim Dzemaili is set to miss the game after injuring his left knee against Palermo at the weekend. Coach Francesco Guidolin says that his side have nothing to fear from the reigning champions. “We must play with intensity if we are to trouble the Nerazzurri,” he told the ANSA news agency. “Parma are a side with great character and personality and for that reason we don’t fear Inter.” The game had been set to take place ten days ago but was cancelled due to heavy snow. —AFP
ITALY: Inter Milan’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho seen in this file photo. —AFP
Matches on TV (local timings) English Premier League Arsenal v Liverpool ................................................. 22:45 ShowSports 1 ShowSports 2 Aston Villa v Man United ........................................ 22:45 ShosSports 3 W’hampton v Tottenham ........................................ 22:45 Sho Shasha Everton v Chelsea ................................................... 23:00 Extreme Sport Italian League Parma v Inter .......................................................... 22:45 Al Jazeera Sport +1
PARIS: Football greats Pele and Franz Beckenbauer have both backed African sides to prosper at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa, when the tournament visits the continent for the very first time. Pele, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, famously predicted that an African team would win the tournament before the year 2000. His prediction proved wide of the mark but he expects the continent’s leading lights to fare well on home soil. “It’s difficult to say what will happen this year, but maybe we will see a surprise,” he told the FIFA website. “The African teams have tough groups but if they qualify for the knockout stage, there’ll certainly be a surprise.” Beckenbauer captained hosts West Germany to the trophy in 1974 and he echoed Pele’s optimistic assessment of the African sides’ chances. “I’m confident that an African team can reach the semi-finals,” Beckenbauer said. “Ghana are strong, Ivory Coast are strong and the South Africans have home advantage.” Ivory Coast landed themselves in arguably the toughest group of all the African teams and must compete with pre-tournament favourites Brazil, Portugal and North Korea for a place in the knockout phase. Ghana were drawn alongside Germany, Serbia and Australia in a tight Group D, while Cameroon will face the Netherlands, Denmark and Japan in Group E. Roger Milla captured the hearts of football fans worldwide with his exploits for Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup in Italy and he views the decision to award this summer’s tournament to South Africa as a victory in itself. “In Africa, we are so happy to have received this World Cup-we could not believe we would get it,” he said. “Every time I come to Zurich, I thank (FIFA) president (Sepp) Blatter for that.” Hosts South Africa meet Mexico in the tournament’s opening game in Johannesburg on June 11 and Mexican great Hugo Sanchez anticipates a memorable occasion. “I’m very happy for Africa,” said the former Real Madrid star. “To have South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup is not only very good for football, but also for the whole African continent.” Nigeria and Algeria are the other African sides to have qualified for the quadrennial showpiece. Algeria face England, USA and Slovenia in Group C, while Nigeria will meet Greece, South Korea and Diego Maradona’s Argentina in Group B. —AFP
Brazilian football great Pele
Ronaldinho fails to win Brazilian recall
BRASILIA: Ronaldinho’s hopes of a Brazil recall received a sizeable blow yesterday when he was left out of Dunga’s squad for the team’s final friendly prior to the World Cup against Ireland on March 2. The friendly match in London is the squad’s last outing before they travel to South Africa for the tournament and Ronaldinho’s omission suggests Dunga has been unmoved by the winger’s recent return to form with AC Milan. Robinho, who joined former club Santos on a six-
month loan deal from Manchester City last month, has been included in the squad. Five-time champions Brazil were drawn alongside Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea in World Cup Group G. They begin their campaign against North Korea in Johannesburg on June 15. Squad Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan, ITA), Doni (Roma, ITA) Defenders: Maicon (Inter Milan), Daniel Alves (Barcelona, ESP), Juan (Roma), Lucio (Inter Milan),
Luisao (Benfica, POR), Thiago Silva (AC Milan, ITA), Gilberto (Cruzeiro), Michel Bastos (Lyon, FRA) Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos, GRE), Josue (Wolfsburg, GER), Felipe Melo (Juventus, ITA), Lucas (Liverpool, ENG), Kaka (Real Madrid, ESP), Ramires (Benfica), Elano (Galatasaray, TUR), Julio Baptista (Roma), Kleberson (Flamengo). Forwards: Robinho (Santos), Adriano (Flamengo), Nilmar (Villarreal, ESP), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla, ESP) —AFP
ITALY: Brazilian player Ronaldinho reacts in this file photo. —AFP
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Afghanistan hopes to defeat America — in cricket DUBAI: In Afghanistan, the United States is preparing for the biggest military offensive in nine years of war. But on a field in Dubai, it’s the Afghans who appear to be the superior force — in a rare cricket match between the two countries. Afghanistan has been grouped with the United States in the qualifying tournament for the Twenty20 World Cup and the two sides will meet at Dubai Sports City tomorrow. Both teams are trying hard to downplay the obvious political overtones. “We are not even thinking about it,” US team captain Steve Massiah said. “It’s politics, but we are here to win the match and the entire tournament. That’s our objective.” A victory by Afghanistan would offer a moment of pride — and a welcome diversion — in a country being dragged deeper
into war between the Taliban and US and allied forces. As hundreds of US marines wait for the battle of Marjah, the biggest community in southern Afghanistan under Taliban control, Raees Ahmadzai, a 25-yearold middle-order batsman is confident of a victory that would moved his team closer to joining the elite nations at the World Cup in the West Indies in May. “We will beat them, but our goal is not just to defeat the Americans, but to qualify for the World Cup,” said Ahmadzai, who comes from Logar province, southeast of the capital Kabul. Cricket is an alien sport to the US, but it has been part of Afghanistan’s sporting landscape for decades. More recently, the passion for the game developed among Afghan refugees in neighboring Pakistan. Like all sports, cricket was banned dur-
ing the Taliban rule. In 2000 it became the only sport, and was sanctioned by the hardline Islamic movement. A year later the national team was formed and Afghanistan became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council, the game’s Dubai-based governing body. With no sports infrastructure and continued instability, the Afghan team meets on improvised cricket grounds and plays for spectators on makeshift soccer fields. The players often travel to Pakistan for training, said Seed Shah, the team’s manager. Despite a lack of security, the number of cricket fans is growing and the game has the support of “many factions,” including the Taliban and the country’s president Hamid Karzai, Shah said. “There are groups trying to sabotage sports events in Afghanistan, but the inter-
est in cricket has rapidly picked up and luckily the players have not been threatened,” Shah said. While the American team’s circumstances don’t compare to a life on a front line, cricket in the US is plagued with logistical problems. The national team rarely practices together since players — mostly of immigrant background and with regular jobs — live far away from each other. The game is underfunded since sponsors pour money into popular sports like baseball and football. And unlike international cricket matches, played on the turf wicket, most cricket in the US is played on a synthetic surface. “We are the underdogs,” said Sushail Nadkarni, a US player. The team’s expectations in confronting Afghanistan are realistic, he said, but hopes to qualify for the World Cup are high. “Will
take it one game at a time.” Imran Khan Suddahazai, the US team manager, said American cricketers have distanced themselves from politics ahead of the match, but won’t deny the rival team’s difficult political reality. “There’s conflict in Afghanistan and the US government is involved, but we’d like to dissociate ourselves from that,” Suddahazai said. “Cricket is sport, a healthy way of competition.” The Afghan team is made of “a great bunch of guys,” Suddahazai said. He praised their achievements, their dedication to cricket and hailed their “remarkable spirit.” “We represent the world power in politics, but in cricket we have a lot to learn from Afghanistan,” Suddahazai said. “We’d like to emulate their success, qualify for the World Cup and enhance cricket in the US” A spot in the World Cup
is what is expected of the Afghan team, its manager Shah said, but he acknowledged that the “enthusiasm is focused on at least beating the US”. “We want to show that Afghanistan is not worth less than any other country if only given a fair chance,” Shah said. Joining Afghanistan and the US in Group A are Ireland and Scotland. Group B is made up by the Netherlands, Kenya, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. The two finalists from the qualifying competition, which will include a playoff stage among the top two sides from each group, will be in May’s main event. The winner of the qualifying tournament will join South Africa and India in Group C, while the losing finalist will be placed with West Indies and England in Group D. — AP
City keep pressure on Reds in race to Europe Man City 2
Bolton 0
LONDON: Manchester City’s Patrick Vieira (center) competes for the ball with Bolton Wanderers’ Tamir Cohen (right) during their English Premier League soccer match. — AP
Dindane gives Pompey fans something to cheer at last Portsmouth 1
Sunderland 1 PORTSMOUTH: Arunda Dindane’s header in the sixth minute of stoppage time earned Portsmouth a 1-1 draw with Sunderland and finally gave the beleaguered club’s long-suffering supporters something to cheer about. Darren Bent’s 12th-minute penalty had put Sunderland on course for their first win since November but Steve Bruce’s side, reduced to nine men by the end, buckled under a late onslaught from the Premier League’s basement club. Portsmouth had made five changes from the side thrashed 5-0 by Manchester United at the weekend. But it was to no avail as Bent fired Sunderland into the lead from the penalty spot with only 11 minutes gone. The England striker had
earned the spot-kick himself by running on to Kenwyne Jones’s backheel into the box only to be sent sprawling by Ricardo Rocha’s challenge. Referee Kevin Friend initially waved his red card at Hassan Yebda and the Algerian was on his way to the dressing room before Rocha called him back and accepted responsibility for his misdemeanour. Bent’s spot-kick left his England team-mate David James with no chance as it found the net off the inside of the post. The home side might have equalised midway through the opening period after Frederic Piquionne’s header put Dindane into a one-on-one with Craig Gordon, the Sunderland goalkeeper. It was Gordon who came out top in the duel with the Scotland goalkeeper sticking out a leg to frustrate the striker. Jamie O’Hara, the on loan Tottenham midfielder, was Portsmouth’s most lively player and he was narrowly off target with a long range effort. Pompey boss Avram Grant was forced to watch
the second half from the directors’ box following a robust exchange of views with the referee at half-time. The official levelled things up on the numbers front by handing Lee Cattermole two yellow cards in quick succession, but he infuriated Grant once more when he failed to award a penalty after George McCartney appeared to bring down Piquionne. With the hosts throwing everyone forward, Sunderland had chances to add to their score on the break. The best of them fell to Bent but he was denied by a fine stop from James and, from the resulting corner, Matt Kilgallon struck the inside of the post with a volley from the edge of the penalty area. Sunderland were reduced to nine men when substitute David Meyler was given a straight red card following a clash with Steve Finnan two minutes after coming off the bench. There was still more drama to come however with Dindane heading home from O’Hara’s cross to secure a point and leave Sunderland deflated. — AFP
LONDON: Portsmouth’s Frederic Piquionne (right) is tackled by Sunderland’s George McCartney during their English Premier League soccer match at the Fratton Park Stadium. — AP
MANCHESTER: Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor ensured that Manchester City remain slight favorites to finish fourth in the Premier League with the goals in a 2-0 victory over Bolton yesterday. With manager Roberto Mancini left in little doubt that his failure to deliver Champions League football will jeopardise his job security come season’s end, these are relatively anxious times for City following three league and cup defeats since the start of 2010. But the goal-scoring form of Tevez and Adebayor, looking back to close to his sharpest after his tragic ordeal with the Togo national team last month, suggests Mancini could yet deliver the demands of his billionaire employers. Tevez converted his 19th goal of the season from the spot on the half hour after Bolton full-back Paul Robinson had needlessly given away the penalty for a trip on impressive new City winger Adam Johnson. Tevez was almost denied by Jussi Jaaskelainen, who managed to get a strong hand to the ball but the power of the strike carried it home and provided instant relief for a City side which had opened the game in edgy fashion. While City handed full league debuts to Patrick Vieira and Johnson, Bolton handed a first career Premier League start to Jack Wilshere, the promising 18year-old midfielder on loan from Arsenal, and he was instrumental in an enterprising first half display from the struggling visitors. City might have been made to pay for wasting so much early possession when Bolton’s 16th minute counter-attack ended with Johan Elmander firing wide from the edge of the area. In the 37th minute, the City defence reacted slowly and allowed Fabrice Muamba to connect with a powerful 25-yard shot, which took a deflection and forced Shay Given into a magnificent diving stop. Adebayor wasted a glorious chance to put Bolton away before the break when Sam Ricketts misjudged a cross to leave the City man clean through only for him to screw his shot wide, although yet more uncertainty in the home defence might have seen the scores level at the interval. Wilshere shot at Given from 15 yards and Gareth Barry’s handball presented Bolton with a free-kick on the edge of the area, which Tamir Cohen powered directly into the wall. An early second half injury to Kolo Toure forced City into a defensive change, with the 24million-pound substitute Joleon Lescott brought on. With Lescott warming up, City almost doubled their lead when Cohen handled 20 yards from his goal and Tevez sent a terrific free- kick sailing against the Bolton bar with Jaaskelainen rooted to his line. There were reminders that City might yet need a second goal, Cohen’s touch played in Elmander whose shot on the turn flew just inches wide. — AFP
LONDON: Fulham’s Damien Duff (left) competes with Burnley’s Daniel Fox during their English Premier League soccer match at Craven Cottage.— AP
Fulham crush struggling Burnley Fulham 3
Burnley 0 LONDON: Fulham boosted their bid for a Europa League place with an emphatic 3-0 win over struggling Burnley at Craven Cottage yesterday. Roy Hodgsonís team earned a place in the Europeís second tier competition last season and the west London club could repeat the trick this term if they can maintain their impressive form on home turf. Cottagers captain Danny Murphy opened the scoring and David Elm added a second for
the hosts before half-time. Bobby Zamora wrapped up the points after the interval. Brian Lawsís visitors had claimed a crucial win over fellow strugglers West Ham on Saturday to climb out of the bottom three. But the Clarets are just two points above the relegation zone after another dismal away-day. Burnley were still looking for their first away win of the season and any belief that they could end that run here were dashed before half-time. The Cottagers didnít have to wait long for the opening goal as Murphy broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute. On-loan Aston Villa defender Nicky Shorey crossed from the left and Elm, taking advantage of the linesmanís debatable
decision not to flag him offside, headed down for Murphy to stroke home from close-range. Burnley briefly sparked into life when Steven Fletcherís fierce, angled drive skimmed past Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzerís far post. Dickson Etuhu came close to increasing Fulhamís lead with a powerful long-range effort which Brian Jensen pushed away at full-stretch. With Burnley creaking under the weight of Fulhamís pressure it was no surprise that Elm put the hosts in complete control in the 31st minute. Zamora surged past Leon Cort and his shot parried by Jensen to Elm, who calmly slotted home his first goal for the club. Laws responded by sending
on Chris Eagles for Cort and Burnley almost got one back just before the break when defender Tyrone Mears hit the angle of crossbar and post with a superb free-kick. That close-shave proved a false dawn for Burnley. The visitors have taken just one point on their travels and Zamora ensured that would remain the case in the 54th minute. Zamora was fouled by David Edgar on the edge of the Fulham penalty area and the former West Ham star picked himself up to curl a low free-kick past Jensenís weak attempted save. Substitute Stefano Okaka, on loan from Roma, twice went close to increasing Fulhamís margin of victory in the closing stages but the damage had already been done. — AFP
Stoke unbeaten in 2010 after draw with Wigan Wigan 1
Stoke 1 WIGAN: Stoke City held on to their unbeaten record this year against relegation-threatened Wigan at home yesterday after the Latics blew the lead to draw 1-1. Roberto Martinez’s men badly needed a win after going into the game hovering two places above the drop zone and having picked up a meagre six points from their previous nine games. Stoke, meanwhile, stretched their unbeaten run to five and are still to be defeated in 2010 following their 3-0 demolition of Blackburn Rovers at the weekend. Latics’ new teenage sensation Victor Moses had to make do with a place on the bench, while Stoke were still without skipper Abdoulaye Faye after he failed to recover from the back spasm that forced him to miss Saturday’s game. Wigan started the match brightly with winger Charles N’Zogbia at the centre of much of his side’s attacking play.
Stoke’s Matthew Etherington fouled the former Newcastle man on 13 minutes and N’Zogbia took the resulting free kick to dispatch an inch-perfect cross for Austrian international defender Paul Scharner to head past Thomas Sorensen for the opening goal. Both sides pressed hard but their combative midfield tactics cancelled each other out in the first half. Wigan’s James McCarthy was left hurting after a tussle with Stoke’s Irish midfielder Glenn Whelan on 52 minutes, limping from the field two minutes later to be replaced by Hendry Thomas. — AFP
LONDON: Stoke City’s Robert Huth (left) vies for the ball against Wigan Athletic’s Jason Scotland during their soccer match..— AP
EPL results/standings Fulham 3 (Murphy 23, Elm 31, Zamora 54) Burnley 0; Manchester City 2 (Tevez 31-pen, Adebayor 73) Bolton 0; Portsmouth 1 (Dindane 90) Sunderland 1 (Bent 12-pen); Wigan 1 (Scharner 14) Stoke 1 (Sanli 74). English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Chelsea Man Utd Arsenal Liverpool Man City Tottenham Aston Villa Birmingham Fulham Everton
25 25 25 25 24 25 24 24 26 24
18 18 15 13 12 12 11 10 9 8
4 2 4 5 8 7 8 7 7 8
3 5 6 7 4 6 5 7 10 8
60 61 60 43 47 45 31 24 30 33
20 20 30 26 32 25 18 24 28 35
58 56 49 44 44 43 41 37 34 32
Stoke Blackburn Sunderland Wigan Hull Burnley Bolton West Ham W’hampton Portsmouth
24 25 25 24 25 25 24 24 24 25
7 7 6 6 5 6 5 4 5 4
9 7 8 6 9 5 7 9 6 4
8 11 11 12 11 14 12 11 13 17
23 25 32 26 25 25 29 30 20 20
27 43 42 49 50 50 46 40 42 42
30 28 26 24 24 23 22 21 21 16
Kuwait House Speaker visits Viva
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Gulf Bank inaugurates new branch
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Opel asks for billions
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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Europe could face years-long debt grind EU opposes IMF bailout as it may affect sovereignty of monetary union ATHENS: Is there any way out of Europe’s debt morass? Greece’s efforts to restore confidence in its finances have only called attention to its woes, and now investors are fretting debt contagion could spread to other countries, starting with similarly troubled Portugal, but with markets wondering who’s next. Some experts believe a bailout may be needed to prevent a continental conflagration - but EU leaders resist the idea, while going cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund would be a humiliating step they’re unlikely to take. A growing chorus of voices is predicting a less dramatic, but potentially more corrosive, outcome: a years-long grind of fiscal pain that neither plunges Greece into default nor restores its finances to health. As it denies the possibility of a bailout, the EU has been desperately voicing its confidence in Greece’s ability to contain spending and pay down debt in the hopes that investors will give the country a break and stop betting on its fiscal demise. A number of investors now appear inclined to think the politicians will go to any length to avoid the humiliation of a member state going bust or being bailed out, by the EU or by the IMF. The result may leave Greece and other debtplagued countries in the 16-member euro zone in limbo - without the boost of a bailout or the catastrophe of a default, but stuck for years in an uphill struggle to gets its finances straight that will mean lower salaries for many workers, especially those in public jobs, plus higher interest rates and less chance that governments can spend to stimulate their economies. David Jones, chief market strategist at IG Markets in London, believes that after last week’s sharp sell-off in equities, when markets were evaluating the risk of default and the possibility of contagion across the eurozone, investors are now turning to the view that the debt crisis will become a long-term burden - both for Greece and the wider eurozone. “Markets are coming to terms with the fact that it’s going to be a long process,” said Jones. The bigger danger: high interest rates that will sap spending for years, as indicated by the roughly 3.5 percentage point spread in the markets between Greek bonds and those of Germany, considered a benchmark of safety. “I have yet to meet an investor who thinks Greece will default,” said Jones. “They are mostly concerned that the spreads will remain elevated.” Greece’s figures - a budget deficit that rocketed to 12.7 percent of annual economic output in 2009, four times above the EU limit, and a national debt of more than 113 percent of GDP - have alarmed the country’s EU partners and international markets, forcing a spike in borrowing costs for Greece and other weak European economies and pushing down the euro exchange rate. Italy is at 127 percent and Belgium at 105 percent. Austria’s banks have troublesome exposure to recession-hit Eastern Europe. As well, Greece, along with Portugal, Spain and other countries with deficit trouble, may find that unions and voters push back against cutbacks that will take years to show results. With a potential public backlash, their chance to win approval for such measures remains unclear. “Failure is not certain. But success is also not certain, and if I look at financial markets, they seem to be saying that the possibilities are about even,” said Daniel Gros, director of the Brusselsbased Centre for European Policy Studies. Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou says a new tax bill to be presented this week will expand the top 40 percent tax bracket to incomes below the current §75,000 ($102,000) threshold. He hopes to raise nearly §4 billion in extra taxes this year, and an additional §1.2 billion from a crackdown on the country’s notorious tax evasion. But the measures have met with resistance already. Civil servants are to strike today and their main umbrella union, ADEDY, warns it could call for another strike next month, depending on what the new tax bill will say. Greece’s umbrella private sector union plans a separate 24-hour walkout Feb 24. “That is the problem. One sees for the moment only strikes, one does not see yet the willingness of everybody to contribute,” Gros said. “Usually this recognition that the crisis is serious and everybody has to make a sacrifice comes only when the economic situation is really very bad for some time, and visibly bad ... but that seems not to be the case yet in Greece.” Athens insists it can weather the storm alone although it has not ruled out accepting some form of help. “We will overcome the crisis on our own,” government spokesman Giorgos Petalotis said Monday. “But we are a member of the European Union ... and European solidarity exists.” The EU opposes an IMF bailout because it would deliver a blow to the sovereignty of the monetary union, but they have also little willingness to raise funds for a bailout, said Stephen Lewis at Monument Securities in London. Some argue it would also only be a temporary help. “The IMF anyway would postpone only the problem, because in the end the problem is one for the eurozone,” Gros said. Economists believe eurozone officials hope to duck the most politically difficult decision-making and simply wait for markets to tire of attacking Greece and other weak governments as it becomes clear that no member state will be allowed to default - but that these countries will face the pain of tough fiscal measures for years to come. — AP
CNN’s Quest Means Business
G7 hold a meeting in land of Huskies By Richard Quest
T
ATHENS: A woman passes in front of a graffiti yesterday. — AP
Arab Bank’s profit struck by grim debt provisions Full-year net profit down 31.4 pct at $575.5m AMMAN: Net profit at Jordan’s Arab Bank fell 31.4 percent in 2009, it reported yesterday, after bad debts ballooned in the wake of the global financial crisis. Jordan’s largest lender said its net profit last year fell to $575.5 million as it set aside $204 million in provisions for non-performing loans, up from $40.4 million in 2008. Most Jordanian banks have made higher provisions to cover for possible defaults and non-performing loans by businesses and real-estate firms hit by the global downturn. Arab Bank said last June that it was exposed to troubled Saudi Arabian groups Saad and AlGosaibi but that it would not affect its overall financial position. Arab Bank is one of the few Jordanian banks active in global financial markets. Most banks in the family-dominated banking sec-
tor have limited exposure to Western markets thanks to their modest risk profiles and their range of simpler financial products. Bankers said while the credit provisions weighed on profits, Arab Bank was cushioned by a capital base with $8 billion of shareholders equity. The firm is one of the Arab world’s largest privately owned banks, with nearly 20 percent owned by the family of Lebanon’s former prime minister, Rafik Al-Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005, and a similar size stake held by Jordan’s social pension fund. The rest is mainly held by long-term investors. The assets of Arab Bank, which includes Arab Bank Switzerland based in Zurich, rose to $50.6 billion at the end of 2009 from $45.6 billion a year earlier. Cash and balances with central banks rose to
$11.73 billion at the end of 2009 from $7.842 billion a year ago, the statement showed. Bankers said Arab Bank and other financial institutions in the region will continue to book provisions to cover defaults, though not at the same high levels. The bank’s total outstanding loan portfolio fell to $22.02 billion at the end of 2009 from $22.5 billion a year ago. Customer deposits rose to $31.47 billion from $28.58 billion a year ago. Banks and financial institutions’ deposits rose to $5.79 billion from $4.74 billion. The bank, whose geographic diversification has helped it weather turmoil in the past, saw its net revenue drop to $1.774 billion in 2009 from $1.866 billion the previous year. Arab Bank owns 40 percent of Saudi Arabia’s Arab National Bank ANB. — Reuters
Qatar bank governor says no need for more bank aid DOHA: Qatar does not see the need to provide more support to its banks after it spent $900 million on buying bank stakes amid the financial crisis to bolster the sector, its central bank governor said. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference yesterday Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud Al-Thani said previous aid had been “preventive.” Qatar took a 5 percent stake in listed banks’ capital in December, in the second stage of a previously announced move aimed at boosting confidence in the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. “We don’t need any intervention at all,” he said. Governments across the world have been grappling with whether to withdraw stimulus packages or continue spending to keep economies functioning while global recovery remains fragile. The economy of Qatar has been spared much of the effects of the global slowdown and most Qatari banks have had little exposure to Dubai World’s debt and other debt troubles in the region. Qatar’s gross domestic product could surge as much 17 percent in real terms in 2010. Sheikh Abdullah said. According to a Reuters poll, Qatar will remain the region’s leader with a 16.1 percent jump in gross domestic product this year thanks to massive expansion of its natural gas facilities, while Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy, is expected to grow by 3.8 percent. Sheikh Abdullah reiterated previous statements that he expected inflation to be in “single digits” in 2010, reversing a deflation cycle since June last year as a weak global economy put pressure on hydrocarbon prices and housing rents were slashed amid an oversupply of housing. Consumer prices in the Gulf state fell 5.2 percent between January and November last year. Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim, advisor to Qatar’s emir, said the Gulf Arab state would move to ensure the economy grew at a sustainable pace. “Growth should be controlled, and determined by the capacity of the economy to absorb it,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the same conference. “We want to make sure the economy does not overheat and reach a level of stress. — Reuters
Previous govt financial aid was ‘preventive’
GLASGOW: An ‘amphibious bus’ is trialed in the River Clyde yesterday. The GBP 700,000 (approx 797,600 euros/1m USD) ‘amfibus’, built in Holland, is designed to operate on water and roads, and is being trialed to replace the current ferry service and to link communities on the River Clyde. — AFP
his weekend saw the G7 finance ministers meeting in the frozen arctic of Canada. G7 you ask? How very old fashioned - didn’t the G7 go the way of the audio cassette and the VHS? Surely the Group of Seven has already been supplanted by the G8 (adding Russia), which has itself been overtaken by the G20 (adding everyone else) economic forum. Well have I got news for you - G’s never die. They just sit there, having regular meetings in obscure places, waiting for their moment in the sun to thaw out and show that they still have relevance. And this has never been truer than the G7 which includes US, Japan, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada. It is the one group of countries that meet at all levels where the parties seem to like and understand each other and get things done. And it seems to be returning to something of its roots as a place where “things get done”. For this meeting, the Canadians had chosen the frozen arctic town of Iqaluit where Eskimos, Igloos and Huskies were the home for the finance ministers and central bankers from the richest seven countries. It may be a physical world away from the elegance of Rambouillet where the original G6/7 summit was held in 1974, but actually had a lot more in common with that initial meeting than the jamboree that the G20s in Washington, London and Pittsburgh became. True - finance ministers meeting alone tend to be much less exciting affairs than when the “big bosses” join them - but the idea of once again quietly meeting to hash out the economic issues privately, quietly and without the entire world watching still has merit. So for instance, at Iqaluit the European Union members (Germany, France, UK and Italy) told the others quite clearly that they will handle the financial problems of Greece, Portugal and Spain. As the French minister Christine Lagarde said, “We will monitor and make sure the Greek plan is managed”. In other words - hands off! If there are any bailouts, the EU will deal with them... not that anyone is honest enough to
admit that yet. Should we be worried that the G7 ministers headed off to the wilds to plan and plot revolution in the financial world? Not really. There is only so much damage that seven ministers can do at once and their ability to agree on anything more than banalities is rare. Getting ministers to agree that sustainable economic growth is desirable is a bit like agreeing that muggers and murderers should be locked up. Only a lunatic will disagree. But the fact that every now and then they do meet to thrash out that concept can only be to the good. So what about the G20 then? Surely Pittsburgh decided that this larger grouping was the preferred option. I am one of those who is highly sceptical of the G20 being anything like an efficient process for discussing and resolving the economic issues in anything less than a crisis. There are simply too many different parties, politics and personalities around the table to get anything done. What we saw at this weekend’s G7 was a quiet reaffirmation that friends will still meet with friends. Countries having shared political, ideological and democrati philosophies will invariably find comfort in each other. Having now held a G7 well on the way to the North Pole...it will be interesting to see just where the next little tete-atete takes place. Leave the grandstanding to the G20 Leaders. The G7 is a useful get together where the real talking gets done and preferably the further the way, the better. Tune in to Richard Quest each weekday at 9pm Cairo /9pm Kuwait /9pm Riyadh /10pm
World stocks mixed after Wall St decline BEIJING: World stocks were mixed yesterday following Wall Street’s decline on lingering worries about high European debt levels. Tokyo and Sydney were down while Shanghai and Hong Kong gained. As trading got started in Europe, France’s CAC-40 and Germany’s DAX were moderately lower while Britain’s FTSE 100 advanced. Oil prices surmounted $72 a barrel while the dollar gained against the yen and slipped versus the euro. The lackluster performance in markets came after the Dow Jones industrial average closed below 10,000 for the first time in three months on concerns that debt problems in weaker European economies, especially Greece, might spark problems for the global financial system. “The overriding concern is Greece and what that means in a global sense,” said Kirby Daley, senior strategist at Newedge Group in Hong Kong. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock average lost 0.2 percent, or 18.92 points, to 9,932.90 while Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 declined 0.4 percent, or 16.3, to 4,505.1. China’s benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.5 percent to 2,948.84 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 1.2 percent, or 239.39, to 19,790.28. Seoul’s Kospi rose 1.1 percent, or 17.70, to 1,570.49. Elsewhere, benchmarks in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines fell. Markets in Singapore, Taiwan and India posted solid gains. Investors worry that debt problems in Greece, a relatively small part of the European economy, could spread to the rest of the 16-nation bloc that uses the euro. Other countries being watched closely include Portugal and Spain. Concern intensified last week, undermining the euro, after Portugal’s lawmakers defeated the government over its deficitreduction plan. Asian stocks are so sensitive to the health of Western export and financial markets that analysts say even regional developments as severe as Toyota Motor Corp’s struggles with a spate of safety problems have little impact. “We are taking our lead from the US, and if there are no strong leads from the US, we will likely drift until there is a solution or an announcement that can put investors’ minds at ease over what is happening in Europe,” Daley said. — AP
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Jet Airways records growth for 4th consecutive month
Group photo of KOTC and NBK officials
NBK holds a seminar for KOTC employees KUWAIT: As part of NBK’s solid relationships with the national oil sector, NBK organized a seminar for KOTC employees on the financial crisis and latest development in global markets. As part of its endeavors to further its relationships with major national companies responsible for the management and operation of the Kuwaiti oil sector, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), recently organized for Kuwait Oil Tankers Company (KOTC) Management and employees a special seminar and presentation, during which NBK’s experts updated the attendees on the global financial crisis and the latest developments in the world financial markets. The event was attended from NBK side by George Richani, Treasury Group General Manager, Pradeep Handa, Deputy General Manager-Corporate Banking Group, Saud AlQemlas, Executive Manager-Oil & Petrochemical Unit in addition to a selection of NBK senior managers while the attending group of KOTC employees was headed by Nabil Bourisly, KOTC Chairman & Managing Director and Sheikh Ali Humood Al-Sabah KOTC Deputy Chairman.
KUWAIT: George Richani Treasury Group General Manager and Saud Al-Qemlas, Executive Manager-Oil & Petrochemical Unit. Commenting on the occasion, Pradeep Handa, NBK Deputy General Manager, Corporate Banking Group said that the presentation is part of NBK’s endeavors to continuously update its valued customers like KOTC to enable them to have a better grip of the financial markets, which continue to be very fluid, and position themselves accordingly in order to attain their strategic business goals and objectives. “Such presentations are part of NBK’s strong relationship and team culture vis-a-vis our customers” Handa added.
CBK announces draw winners KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al-Najma Account and Discover Europe draws on February 7, 2010. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented by Suhail Makki. Commercial Bank of Kuwait was represented at the draws by staff members of Retail Banking Division, Technical Support Division, IT Security, and Advertising & Public Relations Department in addition to a large crowd of customers.
The winners of the Al-Najma draw are: No Names KD 1. Shaqha Radi Al-Ajmi 100,000 2. Riyad Yousef Chmait 100,000 3. Mohammed Yousef Assaf 100,000 The winner of the Discover draw is: Robert Lynn Oneal. Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.
MUMBAI: Jet Airways, India’s premier airline announced a fourth consecutive month of impressive growth for January 2010, helping the airline further strengthen its leadership in the Indian aviation industry. Jet Airways comprehensively improved on its impressive performance in December 2009, reporting a 30% surge in international passenger traffic for January 2010 vis-a-vis the same period last year. Domestic passenger traffic in January 2010 also registered a 26% increase, as compared to the same period last year. The airlines’ average seat factor for its international operations for January 2010 also stood at an impressive 84.9%, reflecting a growing passenger demand for the airline’s award-winning international product. JetLite, Jet Airways’ alleconomy subsidiary, similarly posted a 12.8% growth in passenger traffic on a seat factor of 75% in January 2010. The robust growth figures have been registered despite disruption in flight schedules over North India due to inclement weather and the fog in Delhi during the month of January 2010. Nikos Kardassis, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Airways (I) Ltd said, “Four consecutive months of growth reaffirms the fact that Jet Airways is set to further consolidate its leadership position in Indian skies. The airline’s ability to fully anticipate customer and market requirements and consequently customize its product to cater to them as well as its team of highly dedicated professionals is what has helped Jet Airways stay ahead.” Kardassis further added, “Several new strategic, marketing and network initiatives implemented during the economic downturn are also now beginning to pay dividend, enabling the airline to tap into demand revival at the shortest possible notice. Increased business and leisure travel during the winter months has resulted in higher yields and higher network wide passenger load factors. Our focus to deliver an enhanced customer service experience, will further help Jet Airways build on its hallmark of convenience and comfort for its domestic and international passengers.” As part of the company’s strategic expansion program, the airline has introduced new routes for its guests on the international and domestic sector. Enhanced connectivity on the Delhi-Doha sector, coupled with an all new Boeing 737-700 JetLite service on the KolkataAgartala-Kolkata sector will offer guests enhanced seamless connectivity to several destinations across India, as well as to the Gulf and ASEAN regions.
Mohammed Al-Khaled
KFH introduces new facilities
KUWAIT: Surprise visit by Jassim Al-Khorafi was broadcast live via Viva’s new Internet router.
Kuwaiti House Speaker visits Viva KUWAIT: Surprise visit by Jassim Al-Khorafi was broadcast live via Viva’s new Internet router to viewers at Marina Mall and Avenues. Following an action packed week in which leading Kuwaiti telecommunications company, Viva, achieved great success at the Info Connect exhibition, employees and customers were treated to one last surprise - a visit from Kuwait’s National Assembly Speaker Jassim Al-Khorafi. Using a super fast 21.6Mbps Internet connection from Viva’s new, best selling router, Khorafi’s visit was showcased on large television monitors strategically located in Marina
Mall and Avenues. Spectators witnessed firsthand the speed, clarity and reliability of VIVA’s exclusive router connection. The event was also covered by Marina FM radio, which followed VIVA’s activities in Avenues Mall during a live broadcast. “We at VIVA have achieved our objectives at this year’s Info Connect by demonstrating the possibilities that our innovative products and services offer. As a result of our activities there, and the positive feedback and sales we received, we are confident that we will continue to delight existing and potential customers, said Al-Awadi.”
Mahindra and BAE Systems announce change of name NEW DELHI: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd and BAE Systems announced the naming and corporate structure for their land system focused Joint Venture Defense Company. Based in India, the company will be known as ‘Defense Land Systems India’. It is expected that the company will be up and running as a joint venture in the near future. Deepak Chhibba and Arne Berglund will be Defense Land Systems India’s CEO and Deputy CEO respectively. Deepak Chhibba was earlier EVP International Operations Mahindra & Mahindra and has over 32 years industrial experience. The newly appointed Deputy CEO, Arne Berglund, was previously a director at BAE Systems, Global Combat Systems, in the UK. Arne has also worked in Singapore, Canada, Sweden and the United States with various BAE Systems and other joint venture companies. Defense Land Systems India will highlight an extensive portfolio of defense products and services at India’s DefExpo 2010, Feb 15-18 in New Delhi. A key project is the development of a mine protected vehicle specifically
designed to meet the needs of the Indian armed and paramilitary forces. In addition, it is anticipated that Defense Land Systems India will be involved in a number of future artillery programs, with the ambition to become an artillery centre of excellence in India that covers not just manufacturing but development, testing and support. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, said: “As a fully operational joint venture, Defense Land Systems India will bring real and lasting value to India’s growing defense industry. BAE Systems is the global number one land systems defense company. We are proud to have them as a partner in this joint venture and are confident of addressing the unique requirements of Indian defense and security forces with world class product offerings.” Guy Griffiths, Group Managing Director International, BAE Systems, said: “This company is founded with the express purpose of serving the Indian armed forces and the Indian economy through the creation of high quality jobs, the devel-
opment of innovative technologies and system integration skills, and benefits from the leadership of two world class companies. We firmly support the Indian government’s aim of procuring 70% of defense equipment domestically and see the establishment of this company as a major contribution towards this objective. Defense Land Systems India will be headquartered in New Delhi with manufacturing at a purpose built facility South of Faridabad, just outside of Delhi. Initially there will be about 100 employees and existing projects include the Axe high mobility vehicle as well as up-armored and bulletproof Scorpios, Boleros, Rakshak, Rapid Intervention Vehicles and the Marksman light armored vehicle. Approved by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board of the Government of India (GoI), the parent companies’ initial investment will be US$ 21.25 million over a three year period. The company’s equity split will be 74% Mahindra and 26% BAE Systems, in accordance with the current defence sector Foreign Direct Investment regulations of the GoI.
KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) allows its clients who want to pay their installments or debts to pay them at any of its 50 branches in Kuwait, after only three branches offered this service. KFH’s AGM for Commercial Sector Ahmed Al-Khaled stated that this step aims to ease the pressure, and clients can also pay online through www.kfh.com by directly deducting every month from their accounts, the person had an account at KFH. He added that this cements the concept of the integral branch adopted by KFH, where clients can benefit from all KFH services and products. He went on to explain that this also allows the branches to begin marketing and service activities in the area to include various client segments, which led to the increases in market share and the demand on KFH. He noted that such an approach has been used for many years, since its branches offered commercial finance, while some branches offered real estate services. Furthermore, he mentioned that this step comes after KFH opened its new showroom in Dajeej, which is the biggest used cars’ showroom in the area, not to mention that it also offers banking services, which reveals KFH’s keenness on being a pioneer in the financing services field for the past 30 years. Al-Khaled noted that means of communication between KFH and its clients are constantly developing to suit their various interests, such as the internet, call center, SMS services, or directly communicating with the clients. He mentioned that studies and services reveal the most suitable means of communicating with the clients.
EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals
.2830000 .4470000 .3910000 .2660000 .2660000 .2470000 .0045000 .0020000 .0781130 .7610300 .4020000 .0750000 .7460570 .0045000 .0500000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2876000 .4490360 .39237080 .2682660 .2682290 .0528860 .0387850 .2495220 .0370110 .2023420 .0032180 .0061840 .0025230 .0034030 .0042130 .0783410 .7632490 .4067440 .0767320 .7473850 .0062510 TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2897000 .4522070 .2701660 .0772210
.2930000 .4560000 .4000000 .2760000 .2760000 .2570000 .0075000 .0035000 .0788980 .7686780 .4180000 .0790000 .7535550 .0072000 .0580000 .2897000 .4522070 .3964880 .2701660 .2701280 .0532610 .0390590 .2512840 .0372730 .2037730 .0032400 .0062280 .0025400 .0034270 .0042430 .0788410 .7681160 .4096250 .0772210 .7521510 .0062960
Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 288.900 Euro 398.100
Sterling Pound Canadian dollar Turkish lire Swiss Franc Australian dollar US Dollar Buying 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 Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram
453.140 271.140 190.220 271.010 250.400 287.000 ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.246 6.187 3.396 2.514 3.872 203.900 37.193 4.178 6.217 8.727 0.301 0.292 ARAB COUNTRIES 56.000 52.660 1.363 209.900 408.200 195.200 6.318 35.670 GCC COUNTRIES 77.801 79.412 750.900 767.040 78.720 GOLD 210.000 108.000 56.000
Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal 10 Tola Sterling Pound US Dollar
SELL CASH 255.500 768.120 4.470 273.700 567.200 15.800 53.900 167.800 55.960
399.000 37.800 6.190
408.280 0.194 87.420 3.880 201.800 750.120 3.415 6.205 79.450 77.120 204.810 39.700 2.514 454.000 271.900 8.900 78.810 288.800
Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd
Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound
400.500 37.950 6.550 0.034 0.291 0.259 3.330 409.870 0.195 87.420 39.100 4.260 203.300 2.183 49.300 750.300 3.500 6.430 79.880 77.120 204.810 39.700 2.774 456.000 39.800 273.400 6.400 9.110 217.900 78.810 289.200 1.410 GOLD 1,160.170 TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 454.000 288.000
SELL DRAFT 254.000 768.120 4.185 272.200
204.800 52.672
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
287.900 276.920 465.430 407.030 272.080 705.655 763.450 78.370 79.015 76.805 406.265 52.665 6.255 3.395
Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees
2.505 4.175 6.225 3.185 8.670 5.550 3.955
Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency
Rate per 1000 (Tran)
US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Candaian Dollars
288.950 3.410 6.190 2.525 4.180 6.220 78.660 77.120 767.700 52.655 456.600 0.0000312 3.250 1.550 410.200 5.750 401.300 276.600
Al Mulla Exchange Currency
Transfer rate
US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar 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
288.600 398.500 453.850 272.050 3.235 6.200 52.630 2.514 4.176 6.215 3.398 768.000 78.600 77.050
business
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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Volvo Corporation has productive year in 2009 DUBAI: Despite difficult times for the car industry, 2009 was a very productive year for Volvo Car Corporation with a number of introductions and exciting news - environment and safety technologies as well as concept cars and new production models. A strengthened product program with a range of fuel efficient Drive products and the Volvo XC60 were well received in an otherwise challenging market situation. A number of successful sponsorship and communication projects were carried out - Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo team Polestar in the Swedish Touring Car Championship and Volvo The Game to mention a few. “2009 has proven to be yet another fruitful year for Volvo Cars with best practices & lessons learnt that will be applied in 2010” said Roula Beiruty, Marketing Manager for Volvo Cars Middle East. “We are confident that this will continue to bring us closer to our customers and optimistic that 2010 will be yet another addition to Volvo’s continued success stories,” said Roula. Product news The first official pictures of the all-new Volvo S60 were released, showing a sportier and more dynamic car than any previous Volvo model. The new Volvo S60 is the first car to be offered with Pedestrian Detection. The car will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in early March 2010. The all-new Volvo S80L, with an extended wheel base of 140mm, was launched in Beijing, China and production started in Chongqing. The interior of the refreshed Volvo S80 has been made more driver-oriented, not least with a new steering wheel and upgraded instruments. The new Volvo C30 has a refreshed front clearly separating it from the Volvo S40 and V50, and its character is emphasized by a wide range of options, including an urbane, bold accessory styling kit. The new Volvo C70 convertible has been given a careful redesign of the front and rear as well as an increased interior exclusiveness of the materials and trim details. The Volvo XC60 was named 2010 International Truck of the Year. The XC60 is the first vehicle to offer City Safety as standard equipment, a unique Volvo technology that can help the driver avoid frontal collisions at low speed. This marks the 20th award the Volvo XC60 has received since sales began in Europe in late 2008. Environment “Drive Towards Zero” is Volvo Cars’ vision for developing cars entirely free from harmful exhaust emissions and environment-impacting carbon dioxide. Volvo follows three main tracks for reducing the environmental impact of its products: efficiency enhancement, renewable fuels and electrification. A joint venture project between Volvo Cars and energy supplier Vattenfall will develop plug-in hybrid cars and an energy infrastructure. The project will research the wishes and demands from drivers, determine driving habits and establish how they want to charge their cars. Safety In the quest for the ultimate vision of an accident-free traffic environment, Volvo Car Corporation’s short-term target is that no one will be killed or injured in a new Volvo car by year 2020. In recent years, focus has shifted from protection to prevention and continuous progress is being made. New technologies in Volvo cars such as Collision Warning with Auto Brake and City Safety can warn and assist the driver in difficult situations, in order to mitigate or avoid an accident. In 2009, Volvo’s three-point safety belt turned 50, celebrating the world’s first car with standard-fit three-point safety belts a Volvo PV544 - built in 1959. Over the next 50 years, the Vshaped three-point safety belt saved well over one million lives. To this day, the three-point safety belt remains the car’s single most important safety feature.
Oman Air appoints new chief officer KUWAIT: Oman Air has appointed Philippe Georgiou as Chief Officer - Corporate Affairs. The departments that he will be officiating are Marketing, Corporate Communications and Media, Customer Relations, Emergency Response, Government Relations and Legal Affairs. He will also be the official spokesperson for the airline. Philippe has lived in the Middle East most of his life and has 30 years of experience that spans technical, operational, marketing, business development, public relations and general management. He joined Cadbury Schweppes in 1977 and, heading their operations unit, helped their expansion plans into the Near East and the Gulf. At Coca-Cola as from 1990, Philippe led the business unit that implemented the re-entry of the company in the Middle East and North Africa after an absence of 25 years. Also heading their PR unit for the Middle East region, Philippe developed all the company’s issues and crisis programs, consumer response systems, employee
communications, government relations management as well as its corporate social responsibility drive. As a spokesperson for Coca-Cola, he also was the main interface with the local and international media. Philippe joined the CocaCola Africa Group in 2006, where he consolidated the Public Affairs and Communications function, integrating the diversified geographies and addressing the specific requirements of the company’s reputation management. A Rotarian for many years, Philippe is active on many aid and relief programmes. About his appointment in Oman Air, Philippe says “I am very happy to be joining Oman Air, which has tremendous opportunities that can be capitalized on. My main priority would be to support the aggressive expansion plan of the airline by providing expanded corporate support and enhanced communications, internally and externally. Our contribution to the airline’s drive as it moves forward with its objectives ultimately aims at sustaining and enhancing Oman Air’s image and reputation.”
KIPCO hosts investor relations workshop KUWAIT: KIPCO - the Kuwait Projects Company - has hosted an investor relations workshop for all its operating companies listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. The workshop - which was attended by over 40 staff members from finance and public relations departments across the KIPCO Group - was designed to improve communication between the companies and their shareholders and investors. The workshop discussed the latest trends and techniques used by the world’s leading companies to provide their investors with relevant and accurate information. The event featured presentations from a team of investor relations experts from Citi, the leading global bank. KIPCO’s Vice Chairman, Faisal Al-Ayyar, said the workshop was an important part of the company’s development of investor relations: “Although KIPCO was recently voted as having the best investor relations in Kuwait, we see our investor communications program as an ongoing process. We were the first company in the country to hold annual investor meetings, the first to provide earnings forecasts and the first to win an award for our work. This track record is a sign of our commitment to investor relations and we are determined to remain several steps ahead of our competition when it comes to talking - and listening - to our shareholders and investors,” he said.
KUWAIT: (Left) Gulf Bank’s new branch in Yarmouk is inaugurated. (Right) Gulf Bank officials come together for a picture.
Gulf Bank inaugurates new branch KUWAIT: Gulf Bank inaugurated its branch in Yarmouk, as part of its continued focus on client service. This branch extends the Gulf Bank offer of premium financial services to a new part of the city and will offer Yarmouk residents the chance to experience the difference of banking with Gulf
Bank for themselves. The branch opening was attended by the Governor of Al-Asma HE Sheikh Ali Al-Jaber AlAhmad Al-Sabah, the Mayor of Yarmouk, Abdulaziz Thunayan Abdulmohsen Al-Mishary, as well as Gulf Bank’s management team including, Gulf
Bank’s CEO & CGM Michel Accad, General Manager of Board Affairs, Fawzy Althunayan, General Manager of Retail Banking, Aly Shalaby, General Manager of Human Resources, Surour Alsamerai, the General Sales Manager for the area, Adel Al-Mutawa and the Branch Manager of
Yarmouk, Nawwar Al-Yaseen. This latest branch inauguration is further evidence of the success of Gulf Bank’s strategic approach to offering the convenience of branch locations to meet its customers’ banking needs throughout Kuwait, and marks a further strengthening of the Gulf Bank offer.
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
KSE session ends on bright note KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) along with major indicators ended yesterday’s trading session on a positive note backed by gains witnessed in the blue chip stocks. It is worth to mention that Agility said a US court entered a not guilty plea on its behalf as the company continues talks to settle a case over allegations it overcharged on about US$8.5bn worth of contracts.
GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT
Market indices Global General Index (GGI) added 2.86 points (+1.51 percent) during yesterday’s session to reach 193.08 points. Furthermore, the KSE Price Index increased by 10.90 points (+0.15 percent) yesterday and closed at 7,162.10 points. Market capitalization was up KD467.69mn yesterday to reach KD31.54bn. Market breadth During yesterday’s session, 134 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 50 equities gained versus 43 that retreated. A total of 113 stocks remained unchanged during yesterday’s trading session.
Air Arabia sailing adventure takes off SHARJAH: As further testimony to its commitment to developing sports in the region, Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, in association with BMI Bank, the Bahrain based associate of Bank Muscat, and Audi Bahrain, announced the launch of the “2010 Air Arabia Sailing Adventure.” The adventure includes sponsorship of Air Arabia pilot and Olympic sailor Sami Al-Kooheji in his bid to compete in the 2010 Asian Games to be held in the city of Guangzhou in China next November. As part of the “2010 Air Arabia Sailing Adventure” and in order to qualify for the 2010 Asian Games, 25 year-old AlKooheji will launch his campaign. He will compete in 12 international regattas and training camps in the GCC, Europe and Asia, which will also include the 2010 World Championships to be held in the United Kingdom at Haling Island in August. These thrilling challenges will test Al-Kooheji’s strategy, strength and skill to be fully prepared for the 2010
Asian Games to be held in China. Air Arabia’s initial involvement in the sport of sailing began in 2007, when it sponsored Al-Kooheji, who competed in the 2004 Olympic Games to take part in the “2007 Air Arabia World Endurance Challenge,” an unprecedented 550-kilometre non-stop solo voyage in a small laser sail boat from Bahrain to Dubai, where he achieved a new world record. In 2009, the airline then went on to sponsor Bahrain’s National Sailing team for two international regattas in Mumbai. The team named “Bahrain Team Air Arabia” was ranked fifth overall in the championships. “We are extremely pleased to announce the launch of the 2010 Air Arabia Sailing Adventure along side BMI Bank and Audi Bahrain,” said AK Nizar, Head of Commercial, Air Arabia. “At Air Arabia, we believe that sports play an integral role in today’s society, promoting values such as dedication, determination, competition and good sportsmanship. Air Arabia’s commitment to the sport of sail-
ing has been growing year after the other and we are proud to once again support Sami in his run to the Asian Olympic Games.” BMI Bank and Audi Bahrain signed on with title sponsors Air Arabia recently. “We are delighted to strategically partner Sami in his new campaign. Our key pillars at BMI Bank include innovation, inspiration, teamwork, integrity and customer satisfaction. As a Bahraini Olympian, Sami represents all these values which is one of the reasons we proud to support his campaign,” said Andrew Bainbridge, Chief Executive Officer of BMI Bank. Running in tandem with the “2010 Air Arabia Sailing Adventure” Sami will be acting as an ambassador of “Think Pink” campaign to promote breast cancer awareness in the GCC. Sami’s campaign will also be partnered and assisted by the Bahrain Maritime Sports Association, Team Pindar, Sail Bahrain and GAC. The first regatta on the campaign titled “Sail the Gulf” will take place in Doha, Qatar on February 16th, 2010.
Daily trading activity Trading activities ended on a mixed note yesterday as volume of shares traded on the exchange decreased by 7.46 percent to reach 550.60mn shares. However, value of shares traded increased by 12.08 percent to stand at KD98.30mn. The Real Estate Sector was the volume leader for the day, accounting for 37.41 percent of total shares traded. The Services Sector was the value leader, with 42.41 percent of total traded value. Kuwait Real Estate Company saw 82.20mn shares changing hands, making it the volume leader. In terms of value traded, Zain took the top spot with a total traded of KD18.81mn. Top gainers and biggest decliners In terms of top gainers, Arkan Al Kuwait Real Estate Company was the top gainer for day, adding 7.58 percent and closed at KD0.071. On the other hand, Real Estate Asset Management Company shed 14.29 percent and closed at KD0.120, making it the biggest loser. Sectors wise Regarding Global’s sectoral indices, five ended yesterday’s trading session in the green, two in the red, and Global’s Insurance Index was unchanged. Among the gainers, Global Services Index posted a 3.90 gain, making it the top gainer backed by heavyweights Zain and Agility. Zain ended the day up 6.12 percent and closed at KD1.040 and Agility also ended with a gain of 6.67 percent and closed at KD0.640. Global Banking Index posted a 1.34 percent gain, making it the second biggest gainer. Contributing to the index’s gain were National Bank of Kuwait and Kuwait Finance House ending yesterday’s trading session up 1.67 percent and 3.57 percent, respectively. Regarding the decliners, Global’s Non-Kuwaiti Index took the lead with a 0.53 percent drop. Egypt Kuwait Holding Company and Ahli United Bank contributed the most to the index’s decline by shedding 1.72 percent and 1.15 percent from their respective values. All of Global’s special indices ended on a positive note with Global Large Cap Index being the biggest gainer. The index ended the day up 2.90 percent backed by Kuwait Finance House and Agility being the biggest gainers in the index. Oil news The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at US$68.86 a barrel on Monday 8/2/2010, compared with US$69.71 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.
Olympic sailor Sami Al-Kooheji
Market news MENA Real Estate Company has sold a 119,176 sqm property in Saudi Arabia for SR23.24mn. Accordingly, the company is expected to generate SR4.71mn profit that will be recorded in Q4-
ABK announces profits for 2009 KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait announced its operational profits of KD79.9 million and a net profit of KD 39.2 million for the financial year 2009 after taking provisions of KD38 million including precautionary provisions. This outstanding achievement is a landmark in the performance of Al-Ahli Bank. However, due to the economic recession and the negative effects of the world financial crisis, the performance of the bank was affected compared to the results of 2008, in which the bank achieved KD46 million net profits, 40 fils earning per share, 1.54% return on assets and 14.58% return on equity. Commenting on the financial results of 2009, Ahmed Yousuf Behbehani, Chairman of the Board, stated the following: “Despite the negative effects of the world financial crisis on Kuwait and GCC markets and the economic recession which affect the banking sector all over the world, Al-Ahli Bank managed to perform admirably well reporting a net profits of KD39.2 million after taking provisions of KD38 million including precautionary provisions.” Behbehani pointed out that this outstanding performance amid difficult market conditions and tough competition have proven the stability of ABK position and our ability to grow and achieve profits particularly in the core operating activities. These financial results are a natural outcome of the sound strategies applied by the bank and its focus on investment in the infrastructure, expansion in retail products and services, delivery channels and branches network. The diversification of sources of income, effective cost control and cut down of expenses contributed also to the achievement of these results”. “ABK endeavors to provide first class banking services to its customers. It develops its banking services by using the
Ahmed Yousuf Behbehani state-of-the-art technologies available in the banking industry to satisfy and service its customers better. The bank equips its retail network branches with high-caliber cadres to provide quality service to the customers. The bank expands its local and regional retail network. The total number of ABK branches is currently 26 including 24 local and two overseas branches in Dubai and Abu-Dhabi (UAE)”, added the Chairman of ABK. Behbehani concluded his statement expressing his hope to see a quick recovery of the world economy from the financial crisis and return of stability and improvement in market conditions in Kuwait in the light of the recent governmental measures such as the establishment of the Money Market Authority and approval of the Five-Year Economic Plan.
Egypt realty set to perk up by 2013-15 KUWAIT: After going through the moderate impact of the economic slowdown, Egypt real estate sector is expected to provide with a healthy long term prospects in all of its sub-segments says the new real estate report from Kuwait Financial Centre SAK ‘Markaz’ on the Egypt Real Estate sector. The authors of the report also examine the effect of the recent slowdown on the real estate fundamentals and the demand and supply for residential, retail and hospitality sub-segments. Macro Trends and Outlook: The report studies the economic cycles in Egypt back from 1986 and argues that the average real GDP growth rate has been on the rise from 3-4 percent range during the 1990s to 4-5 percent range in the past decade. The forecasts for the forthcoming cycle suggest that the cycle would last till 2014-15 with an average growth rate of 6 percent. The possibility of a double dip in global economic growth trends could create a temporary glitch in this expected growth pattern. Egypt’s population is expected to grow at its natural growth rate of 2 percent per annum during the forthcoming cycle. The demographics is positive as well with more than half of the current population aged below 25, however income growth is the key driver for real estate demand. It is only during the period between 2006-08, when the real GDP growth was at 6-7 percent levels, job creation in organized sector surpassed 150,000 jobs per annum. This signals a key level of job creation to ensure that the annual addition to workforce gets adequately catered with jobs. This level of job creation lead to income growth both for job seekers and the self employed and unleashed the dormant pent-up demand for housing leading to a higher supply absorption. It also explains one of the major reasons behind a lackluster real estate market that prevailed before the recent boom and the current slump in sector activity while the market has often been assessed as undersupplied. The take up levels would return to the vibrancy of 2006-08 starting from fiscal 2012 when the average real GDP growth rate is expected to reach 6-7 percent again. Due to the low mortgage penetration, which stands at 0.4 percent of nominal GDP, the source of funds to purchase a house has essentially been savings and sale of existing assets. Savings got leveraged by the growth in mortgage financing during the recent boom. However, the growth in lending has slowed down of late and the report expects mortgage financing by banks to recover during 2010-11 aided by an 8 percent average growth in deposits. It also expects lending by MFCs to stabilize at the current 7 percent quarterly growth rate unless more capital is infused. The report also notes that mortgages extended to properties in and around Cairo accounts for 90 per-
cent the 6th of October alone accounts for 64 percent of all mortgages extended as of Sep-09 supporting demand for mid-income residential demand. FDI into real estate contracted heavily during the fiscal year 2008-09. However, the authors expect FDIs to start flowing from 2010-11 as the development plans are still in place and as investors seek regional diversification given the lost luster in Dubai. Residential: Activity levels contracted due to the economic slowdown citing fall in reservations and rise in cancellations of property offerings by major developers. These trends indicate that the downtrend turned around during Q3-09. The advertised prices contracted on an average by 8 percent during 2009 in and around Cairo with a higher contraction in luxury and high end segments. Major developers have recalibrated their focus to mid-end segments which remains undersupplied backed by concerns of oversupply in high/luxury segments. The report expects the shortfall in mid-income housing to remain undersupplied during 2010-12, however, it expects developers to focus back on the high and luxury segments when the economy strengthens from 2012 though not to the past extent. The authors expect rental trends to reflect the inflationary trends in the long run. However, they opine that the current high inflation would not percolate down to rental rate growth during 2010-11 as it is essentially driven by volatile food items and not due to cyclical inflationary fundamentals. Retail: Consumption accounts for 70-75 percent of Egypt’s economic activity and this lead to a higher average nominal growth rate in internal trade during 2003-09. Seasonally adjusted trade establishment formation data indicates a sustained uptrend in number of establishments formed while overall establishment data is yet in plateaus. Supply data suggests that there is one supermarket for every 53510 people in Cairo, which indicates the healthy prospects for development in this segment. The average prime rentals are at EGP 150-250 per sqm per month and asking yields are at 12-15 percent. Hospitality : The difference between growth in tourist nights and number of hotels and beds stood at 11-15 percent during the past five years compared to the 3-6 percent long term average. This signifies the considerable long term investment potential offered by this segment. The authors expect the average occupancy rates to be at 70-80 percent during 2010-11, down from the 88 percent levels experienced during 2008 due to the cyclical downtrend in tourism caused by the global economic slowdown. However, the low near term supply backed by recovery in demand aided by the low rates among its regional peers would drive up occupancy levels from 2011-12.
Mashreq reports gain of AED 1bn in 2009 KUWAIT: Mashreq, one of UAE’s leading financial institutions, reported net profits of AED 1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2009 on operating income of AED 4.9 billion. Prudent financial management has seen Mashreq increase its provisioning and strengthen its liquidity position. The growth in Mashreq’s operating income has been largely driven by increases in fee, commission and other income recording 30 percent year on year growth. This growth has been complemented by a significant growth in investment income. Mashreq very prudently managed its assets and liabilities to ensure high liquidity at all times which resulted to strengthening its cash position in 2009, with cash and balances with central banks standing at AED 20 billion, a 221 percent increase year on year. This high liquidity was achieved by keeping advances under control which declined by 13 percent to reach 47 billion whereas deposits were increased by 4 percent to reach 53.6 billion. Thus advances to customer deposits ratio improved from 107 percent in December 2008 to 89 percent in 2009. The liquid assets to total assets ratio which indicates bank’s healthy liquidity position improved from 16 percent in 2008 to 30 percent in 2009. Following aggressive risk recognition and provisioning policy bank made allowances for impairment of AED 2.1 billion for the year 2009.
Mashreq enters the current financial year in a strong position with total assets standing at AED 94.6 billion and a total capital adequacy ratio of 20.2 percent. Tier 1 ratio to risk weighted assets also improved from 11.5 percent to 14.02 percent. Further to this, effective cost management has allowed the bank to increase its operational efficiency with a year on year operating cost reduction of 5.5 percent and expenses to income ratio improving from 47 percent in 2008 to 36 percent in 2009. Bank’s board has recommended a cash dividend of 15 percent and stock dividend of 5 percent subject to Central Bank clearance. Commenting on Mashreq’s financial performance for the twelve months to December 31, 2009, Abdul Aziz AlGhurair, CEO of Mashreq said “Mashreq continues to operate profitably at both an operational and net level. 2009 was in many ways a challenging year for the financial services industry, and I am pleased to enter 2010 with our growth plans intact. “Our customers and shareholders’ interests are paramount to us and as a result in 2009 we ensured that we took a proactive approach to maintaining our strong financial position. Our operational efficiency has increased year on year, in addition to significantly raising our cash balances with central banks improving liquidity. We have had to take a long term view with regards to allowances for
Abdul Aziz Al-Ghurair, CEO of Mashreq impairment, and whilst this has had an impact on our net profits for the year, we believe that it is of paramount importance to prepare against all eventualities. “Operationally 2009 has been a successful year for Mashreq, with regional expansion underway, new prod-
ucts and partnerships that will lay the foundations for the year ahead.” In 2009 Mashreq expanded its regional footprint, opening offices and branches in Cairo and Kuwait, in addition to opening four new branches in Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain taking the total number of branches in the UAE to 59 branches along with three Mashreq Gold Centers and two Mashreq SME Centers. As part of its UAE expansion plans, Mashreq entered into strategic partnerships with Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), Aldar and Surouh to increase access to home financing for customers wishing to invest in Abu Dhabi real estate. Mashreq inaugurated its 94 branch in the Middle East region with its first branch opening in Kuwait with a capital of 15 million Kuwaiti Dinars. The move demonstrates Mashreq’s strategic expansion plans and its commitment to the MENA region, whilst additionally providing customers with greater accessibility and convenience to meet their corporate and retail banking needs. The inauguration of Mashreq’s branch in Kuwait was attended by HE Jassem Al Kharafi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kuwait and HE Abdul Al-Aziz Al Ghurair, CEO of Mashreq. Mashreq this year expanded its credit card offering by teaming up with Air Arabia to offer a unique combination of premium banking services and Air Arabia’s wide range
of travel services. Continuing this theme, Mashreq unveiled its Business Platinum debit card aimed at small to medium sized enterprises - the first of its kind in the UAE. Also in April last year, Mashreq managed to strengthen the UAE’s relationship with China by signing up with China UnionPay (CUP) offering their 1.8 billion UnionPay Card Holders acceptance in Mashreq ATM’s and POS as they came together to build a new business model of cooperation, uniting the two leading financial institutions and strengthening the economic ties between the People’s Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates. In response to the growing demand for Shariah compliant financial products, Mashreq Capital DIFC ltd, which is regulated by Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), launched the Badr Al-Islami Income Fund, in partnership with Badr Al-Islami the Islamic banking division of Mashreq. The division won the award for sukuk deal of the year 2008 at the Islamic Finance News Awards for its role as Joint Lead Manager and Bookrunner in the AED 1.1 billion Tamweel sukuk. At a corporate level Mashreq Capital continues to be a strong player in the regional bond and sukuk markets, having recently been one of the ten savings banks working alongside Qatar National Bank as part of the Vodafone Qatar IPO.
BUSINESS
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
25
Japan’s plane seat maker admits faking safety data TOKYO: Japan’s Koito Industries has admitted to fabricating safety data for seats in more than 1,000 aircraft used by 32 carriers, striking another blow to corporate Japan’s image of reliability. The Yokohamabased company used fake strength test data for more than 150,000 seats used in the Boeing and Airbus aircraft of customers including Air Canada, KLM, Scandinavian Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Among the affected aircraft were some 300 jets of domestic carriers Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA). Transport minister Seiji Maehara rebuked Okito
for its way of handling the trouble, calling it “vicious.” Japan’s transport ministry has already instructed the company to improve its business operations, but stressed there was no problem with the planes continuing to fly. The manufacturer omitted part of a test process and used figures from past tests, the ministry said, adding that the data falsification could have been going on since the mid-1990s. “That the company had intentionally fabricated data was extremely vicious,” Maehara told reporters late yesterday. “It’s shameful that Japanese companies fab-
ricate data. Koito must face some stern social punishment.” The nation’s largest plane seat maker was ordered by the ministry to retest the products to confirm their safety and would fix them if necessary, the company said. “I deeply apologise,” company president Takashi Kakegawa told a news conference late Monday. “The whole section in charge was systematically involved in it,” he said, explaining that the company had been worried “that we would delay our delivery if we failed in tests.” The seat maker is a subsidiary of Koito
Manufacturing, an auto parts maker affiliated with Toyota Motor, which is now under fire over recalls of millions of vehicles worldwide due to problems with gas pedals and brakes. Toyota Motor has no direct equity stake in Koito Industries. A transport ministry official said on condition of anonymity that the authorities had been alerted to Koito’s problem after they “received several reports from insiders” over the company’s data fabrication. “We will make copy samples of already delivered products, retest the safety standard and possibly
decide on a recall if the samples fail to meet the standards,” said Koito spokesman Yoichiro Kuroiwa. The data-cooking scandal has delayed deliveries of seats for two of ANAs’ Boeing 737-800 planes, a spokeswoman of the carrier said, adding that the company would continue flying its aircraft as usual. “About 26,000 seats are subjected to safety checking by the ministry and Koito,” said ANA spokeswoman Nana Kon. “But it will not affect our current flight schedule as the authorities have decided it would not cause an immediate safety concern.” — AFP
Opel asks for billions in restructuring plan 7,000 manufacturing and 1,300 white-collar jobs to go TOKYA: In this file photo, a Japan Airlines airplane with a sign reading: “Oneworld” takes off from Haneda International Airport. — AP
Japan Airlines rejects Delta TOKYO: Japan Airlines, wooed for months by Delta Air Lines with promises of cash and a broad global network, spurned the world’s biggest carrier and opted to keep its alliance with American Airlines. The Japanese carrier said yesterday it will strengthen its partnership with American, and the two airlines will jointly seek antitrust immunity on trans-Pacific routes. The decision brings to an end a fierce tug-of-war over Japan’s ailing flagship carrier, which is restructuring under bankruptcy but offers the US airlines access to lucrative Asian routes. In an aggressive courtship, Delta and its partners offered JAL $1 billion to leave oneworld. American and its partners said they would give JAL as much as $1.4 billion to stay. Delta in a statement didn’t directly address JAL’s choice, instead asserting it remains a big player in Asia. “With recently announced plans to invest $1 billion in our product, Delta remains committed to providing a leading option for travel across the Pacific,” the airline said. American, based in Fort Worth, Texas, said in a statement it believes JAL made the right choice. It reiterated that American and its oneworld partners plan to deliver to JAL roughly $2 billion in ongoing and incremental revenue over three years. The agreement does not involve a cash injection from American, JAL officials said. “American and JAL will now focus on building a joint venture that can offer JAL significant revenue growth beyond the stability that oneworld offers today,” American said. Its victory seemed improbable just a few weeks ago when Japanese officials, convinced of the longterm revenue benefits, were pushing JAL toward Delta and its SkyTeam partners. But after taking over last month, new JAL chairman Kazuo Inamori insisted that management would re-evaluate both proposals from scratch. JAL’s loyalties swung back to American in the end as executives decided an alliance switch would do more harm than good during a restructuring that is expected to take three years. The process of shifting partners would have confused customers at a time when JAL needs to focus solely on recovery, it said. “If we don’t surivive the first two years, there will be no future for JAL after the third year of restructuring,” Daiji Nagai, senior vice president
of corporate planning, told reporters. “We decided that we can minimize risk by staying with American.” Moreover, the regional dominance of a JAL-Delta tie-up would likely raise concerns about unfair competition, complicating any bid to score antitrust immunity. Immunity is seen as the key to a closer revenue-sharing relationship between U.S. and Asian carriers. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation called yesterday’s news a “massive win” for Gerald Arpey, CEO of American’s parent company AMR Corp. “American stood to lose more than Delta, which already has a significant presence at Narita Airport” the Sydney-based aviation research group said in a report. It expects Delta to strengthen its presence in Tokyo on its own and expand in other Asian markets through its ties with SkyTeam members Korean Air and China Southern Airlines. In their fight over JAL, American and Delta were vying to keep pace with the Star alliance, which includes United Airlines, Continental Airlines and All Nippon Airways. Star alliance has 31 percent of US-Japan market share. United, Continental and All Nippon Airways have applied for antitrust immunity so they can form a joint venture and work together more closely on flights across the Pacific. Delta would have submitted its own application if it landed Japan Airlines. But it will be American, part of the oneworld alliance, taking on that task now. A joint venture allows airlines to share costs and revenue on certain flights regardless of which airline owns or flies the aircraft. It differs from a codesharing agreement where one airline bears all the cost but another airline might get a share of the revenue for booking a customer on a flight. JAL President Masaru Onishi said the Tokyobased company analyzed the issue “in great detail.” He said management “firmly believe that the advantages of this development with American Airlines can strongly support JAL at a time when we are striving toward the revival of our business, which we are determined to achieve.” There is no guarantee American and Japan Airlines will be able to get antitrust immunity, either. But JAL in the end wasn’t willing to take the risk of moving to Delta. — AP
Upbeat Nissan expects full-year profit TOKYO: Nissan Motor upgraded its earnings outlook yesterday, saying it was on course to end the current financial year in the black thanks to solid demand in China and other emerging markets. Nissan joined its bigger rivals Toyota and Honda in painting a more upbeat outlook for the sector, which was ravaged by the global economic downturn. Japan’s number three automaker said it now expects a net profit of 35 billion yen (392 million dollars) for the current fiscal year to March, against an earlier projection of a 40-billion-yen loss. Nissan, which is 44-percent owned by France’s Renault, said it logged a better-thanexpected net profit of 45 billion yen in the third quarter of fiscal 2009, against a year-earlier loss of 83.2 billion yen. At the operating level, it swung to a profit of 134.1 billion yen from a loss of 99.2 billion in the same period of the previous year, as revenue rose 9.9 percent to 2.0 trillion yen. “Our performance in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 is encouraging, demonstrating that our countermeasures (in response to the global economic downturn) are working,” chief executive Carlos Ghosn said in a statement. But due to uncertain prospects for global economy, “our outlook will remain cautious until we see clear evidence that economic recovery can be sustained in world markets,” added Ghosn, who also heads Renault. For the year to March, Nissan expects an operating profit of 290 billion yen on revenue of 7.4 trillion yen. Nissan sold 882,000 vehicles worldwide in the October-December period and a total of 2.51 million units in the nine months to December-down 4.8 percent compared with the same period last year. The maker aims to increase its foothold in emerging markets such as China and India where demand is more robust than in mature markets in the United States, Europe and Japan. It may also benefit from the woes of Toyota, which is recalling millions of vehicles worldwide owing to problems spanning accel-
TOKYO: Nissan Motor Co Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga speaks during a news conference yesterday. — AP erator pedals, floor mats and brakes. Nissan, which was slower than rivals Toyota and Honda to embrace fuel-efficient petrol-electric hybrids, aims to take a lead in zero-emission cars and plans to launch its first electric car, the Leaf, in late 2010. For the April-December period, Nissan’s net income came to 54 billion yen, up 25 percent from a year earlier. Operating profit jumped 147.6 percent to 228.9 billion yen despite a 19.5 percent drop in revenue to 5.38 trillion yen. — AFP
FRANKFURT: Genera l Motors Co’s Opel unit asked Europea n governments for billions of euros (dolla rs) in aid yesterday as it formally presented a restructuring plan that w ill result in some 8,300 job cuts. Opel is seeking loa ns a nd loan guara ntees to the tune of some €2.7 billion ($3.7 billion) as pa rt of a program under w hich it plans to invest €11 billion ($15 billion) through 2014. It a ims to break even by 2011. Chief Executive Nick Reilly declined to sa y how much w a s being sought from individual Parent General Motors Co has already injected €600 million, along with €650 million in advanced payments, to ensure Opel’s cash positions. Reilly said of the process of seeking European aid: “Our estimate is the overall process will take several weeks until it is completed, but we expect to have sufficient liquidity during this period.” He did not elaborate on how far talks with governments have gone. Discussions with Britain, Spain and Austria among others have elicited “a reasonably good response,” he said. Asked at a news conference why Opel couldn’t bank on more money from General Motors, which emerged from bankruptcy last year with government help, Reilly said that money is earmarked to pay back US and Canadian government loans and to invest in future technology. Reilly noted that GM’s cash resources are “essentially US taxpayers’ money.” “It is not surprising that the US would expect Europe and European governments to help a European entity, and not have the US taxpayer for all of the restructuring and growth of Opel,” he added The governor of Germany’s Hesse state, which is home to Opel’s Ruesselsheim headquarters, made clear that he wants to see more money from Detroit. “According to our first assessment, it will be necessary that GM as the owner significantly increase its share in the restructuring and realignment,” Roland Koch said, German news agency DAPD reported. The figure for job losses was in line with that previously given. Opel and British sister brand Vauxhall employ around 48,000 people in Europe, about half of them in Germany. “We have no time to waste,” Reilly said. “We need a plan that is going to be realistic about the tremendous economic pressures we face.” “We are confident that we have a plan for the future that will work and deliver results,” he said, adding the company hopes to break even by 2011 and “make a decent profit in 2012.” The job cuts will include 1,300 sales and administration positions along with cuts at most of the automaker’s manufacturing plants in Europe, Opel said. It reiterated that it plans to close the Antwerp, Belgium plant, and let go 2,377 workers there. Production of the Astra HB3 will be transferred to Bochum. Elsewhere, the company will cut 1,799 jobs in Bochum, Germany; 900 positions in Zaragoza, Spain; 892 in Ruesselsheim, Germany, where Opel is headquartered; 300 at Eisenach, also in Germany; 369 in Luton, England; and 300 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. However, the plants in Gliwice, Poland and Ellesmere Port, England, are set to escape any cuts. Opel board member Reinald Hoben said that, independently of the restructuring program, some 2,000 people in Germany previously signed up for early retirement programs will be leaving through 2012 and 2013. The 8,300 figure includes about 500 of those employees, Hoben said. Of the remaining 1,500, about 650 will replaced will be replaced by new hires to ensure that “critical skills” are maintained, he added. Reilly said the automaker would focus on three areas: making quality, desirable cars; developing alternative propulsion and expanding into growth markets in the Middle East and Asia. “Several studies are underway to look at export programs,” Reilly said, “but I want to be clear: we are only going to expand in those areas where it is economically viable.” — AP
countries, but said: “We don’t a nticipate w e w ill be turned dow n.” Germa n Economy Minister Ra iner Bruederle said GM is seeking loan gua rantees covering €1.5 billion from the German federal and state governments. Bruederle w as noncommittal, telling reporters that “w e w ill carefully evaluate the documents w e now have.” He noted that European countries previously a greed that the Europea n Commission should conduct a prelimina ry evaluation.
RUSSELSHEIM: In this 2008 file photo workers are seen at the assembly line of the Opel Insignia car at the Opel plant. — AP
Rival Australian carbon scheme flawed: Report SINGAPORE: A rival scheme by Australia’s opposition coalition to cut carbon pollution will fail to meet its emissions targets and prove more costly than a program backed by the government, research released yesterday shows. Analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance found the government’s planned Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme will cost less than A$1.5 billion ($1.3 billion) over the first four years, not A$40.6 billion as stated by the opposition. “Indeed the CPRS would actually be more cost-effective than the Coalition’s proposed climate policy, which would cost some A$3.2 billion over the same period,” the analysis said. The Senate twice rejected the government’s carbon trade laws last year and an amended version of the scheme is now before parliament for a third time. It looks set for failure again unless a last-minute deal between rival parties can be reached. That looks unlikely given the intensely polarized debate on climate policy in the country, with the opposition accusing the government trying to impose a huge new tax via emissions trading. The CPRS would put a price on every ton of carbon from about 1,000 of the country’s largest greenhouse gas polluters, covering about 75 percent of the nation’s total annual carbon emissions. The scheme is supposed to start mid-2011. Big emitters would have to surrender a permit for every ton of carbon dioxide under the mandatory scheme that aims to cut emissions by at least 5 percent by 2020
from 2000 levels. The opposition’s climate policy released this month also aims to cut emissions by 5 percent by 2020 and hinge on a government emissions reduction fund to pay for measures that reduce emissions and lock away carbon. “The coalition’s claim that the CPRS will cost A$40.6 billion appears to be based on a strange logic which confuses the value of allowances distributed with the actual cost of emissions reductions to the economy,” said the analysis. The report examined the opposition scheme according to cost-effectiveness, certainty and the ability to scale it up. The authors found that the CPRS, because it would be linked to the international carbon market, would give companies more options in reducing their emissions. Being market-based backed with penalties, it also forced participants to find the least-cost options. “In contrast the coalition’s approach is a voluntary mechanism and so does not penalize firms whose emissions increase, and it does not offer a permanent price signal,” the analysis said. The Coalition’s scheme was also unable to guarantee a specific level of emissions reduction. Direct government funding would also become increasingly unviable because the cheapest projects used to cut emissions would soon be exhausted, leading to more significant investments to move to a lower-carbon economy. “This will arguably be a 10-year policy at best,” the analysis said of the opposition’s scheme. — Reuters
German exports nose-dive most in 60 years in 2009 BERLIN: German exports tumbled by nearly one-fifth last year, the biggest fall for 60 years and one that officially knocked the country off its perch as the world’s top exporter, government data showed yesterday. However, exports from Europe’s biggest economy showed their first year-on-year growth in December since the fall of 2008, the Federal Statistical Office said, and also were up healthily on the month. Germany exported goods and services worth €803.2 billion (nearly $1.1 trillion) last year, a fall of 18.4 percent compared with 2008, the office said. Imports totaled €667.1 billion ($916 billion), a 17.2 percent decline. Both exports and imports saw their biggest declines since 1950 as the global economic crisis sapped demand, the statistical office said. The figures provided final official confirmation that China overtook Germany as the world’s biggest exporter in 2009. Chinese authorities said last month their country’s total exports were more than $1.2 trillion last year. Exports to Germany’s partners in the European Union were down 19.1 percent last year at €503.5 billion, while deliveries to other countries dropped 17.1 percent to €299.7 billion. However, German exports have been recovering in recent months, and in December saw their first year-on-year rise since October 2008. Exports totaled €69 billion in December, up from €66.7 billion ($94.7 billion) a year earlier - a 3.4 percent rise. They were up 3 percent in seasonally adjusted terms compared with November, the statistical office said. “The trend in foreign trade is still clearly upward and contributed positively to economic growth in the fourth quarter,” said Simon Junker, an economist at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. “In the coming months, exports are set to climb again, although the dynamics should slow down.” Junker estimated that gross domestic product grew by a modest 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the previous three months. That would be the third consecutive quarter of growth after Germany emerged from a sharp recession. Official fourth-quarter growth figures are due on Friday. Imports fell by 6.5 percent on the year in December, declining to €55.5 billion from €59.4 billion. They were up 4.5 percent on the month. Germany’s foreign trade balance showed a surplus of €136.1 billion last year, down from €178.3 billion in 2008. Also yesterday, government data showed that Germany’s annual inflation rate was more or less steady at 0.8 percent in January, powered by year-on-year rises in oil prices. The figure compared with an annual inflation rate of 0.9 percent in December. Inflation in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, hovered around and occasionally below zero for part of last year. Consumer prices were down 0.6 percent on the month in January, due largely to seasonal factors, the statistical office said. — AP
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
SAS to raise cash, cut 700 jobs after Q4 loss STOCKHOLM: Scandinavian airline group SAS yesterday asked shareholders for a 5 billion kronor ($670 million) cash injection, saying it needs more liquidity to emerge from the economic downturn after reporting a loss in the fourth quarter. The struggling travel group also announced it would ramp up its savings program and slash 700 jobs to reduce costs by an additional 2 billion kronor. SAS shares plummeted nearly 20
percent to 2.84 kronor (38 cents) in Stockholm as investors took stock of the company’s poor finances - just a year after it launched a major costcutting effort and raised 6 billion kronor ($720 million) in a previous rights issue. “It is an incredibly bad signal to send to the markets,” Sydbank analyst Jacob Pedersen said of the new rights issue. “SAS is in a very tough situation now.” The announcement came as SAS posted a loss of 1.3 billion kronor in the
fourth quarter, an improvement from a loss of 2.8 billion kronor a year earlier. Sales fell 20 percent to 10.3 billion kronor from 12.8 billion kronor. SAS said the new rights issue was supported by its major shareholders: the governments of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, which together hold a 50 percent stake, and Sweden’s powerful Wallenberg family. It’s subject to a final agreement with SAS unions and approval by an
extraordinary general meeting planned for April 7. The cashstrapped travel group said it had also improved the terms of its bank loans, including extending four revolving credit facilities totaling about 5 billion kronor by one year to 2013. SAS streamlined its operations last year, cutting its staff by 30 percent to about 16,500 in the fourth quarter, shedding subsidiary airlines and focusing on its core carrier Scandinavian Airlines, which targets
business travel in the Nordic region. Meanwhile, the fleet was reduced by 18 aircraft to a total of 191, and would shrink by three more planes, SAS spokeswoman Elisabeth Manzi said. The company said yesterday it had achieved about 66 percent of the targeted 5.3 billion kronor in savings, but new measures were needed to reduce costs by an additional 2 billion kronor. The new initiatives would include 700 job cuts this year
and in 2011. “The unprecedented severity of the market downturn has been far worse than anticipated,” SAS CEO Mats Jansson said, noting that business travel was hit especially hard. He said the new measures to improve the balance sheet “will give SAS the strength and flexibility it needs to compete effectively and be well positioned for the market recovery.” Denmark and Norway each con-
trol 14.3 percent of SAS shares, while Sweden holds 21.4 percent. All three governments said they backed the deal on condition that the company improve its finances by cutting costs and other measures. “Like the rest of the airline industry, SAS is in middle of one of the worst crises ever,” Danish Finance Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said. “As a responsible owner, we found it right to back up the company’s efforts.” —AP
Greece to raise pension age in cost-cutting move Minister pledges to cull voluntary retirement scheme ATHENS: Greece will raise the average rate of retirement by two years to 63 by 2015 as part of a spate of measures to clean up its loss-making public sector, the labor minister said yesterday. “There will be a two-year increase of the limits on
the average rate of retirement... namely 63 years on average for men and women by 2015,” Labor Minister Andreas Loverdos told reporters after a ministry meeting. “We are changing the pensions system in order to keep it alive,” he said. The maximum retirement rate is currently 65 for men and 60 for women, and Greece is under pressure by the European Union to bridge the gap. The minister also pledged to bring an end to voluntary retirement schemes that have cost the cash-strapped Greek state dearly. “There will be an end to voluntary retirement,” he said. The pension reform is part of a cost-cutting plan by Greece’s hard-pressed Socialist government which is struggling to slash a debt mountain expected to hit over 290 billion euros (396 billion dollars) this year. Loverdos is trying to save 4.5 billion euros (six billion euros) this year from a social budget burdened by years of mismanaged spending by social funds on medicine and hospital bills. Greece’s main private sector union GSEE is staging a nationwide strike on February 24 in opposition to the pension reform. Thousands of civil servants targeted for bonus cuts are ZURICH: Oswald J Gruebel (right) CEO of Swiss Bank UBS, speaks to John Cryan, CFO of Swiss Bank UBS, holding another one-day strike today. during a press conference on the fourth quarter and full-year results 2009 yesterday. —AP GSEE chairman Yiannis Panagopoulos yesterday said the minister’s statements were “vague” as they made no reference to the maximum age of retirement, which is a “red line” for the union. “When the government presents its full proposals in a bill, we will discuss them and ZURICH: Troubled Swiss bank UBS said ment unit rose to 27.3 billion francs from of 2009 UBS has returned to profitability, yesterday it had surged back into quarterly 12.9 billion. The bank said outflows would delivering on its priorities,” chief executive fight to improve them,” he profit for the first time in more than a year continue “in the immediate future.” Oswald Gruebel said. told private Flash Radio. “We “We expect that our return to profitabileven though it was still grappling with a Analysts at Helvea described the fourth have studies showing that a worrying loss of client confidence. The quarter outflows as “horrendous” despite ity will increase clients’ confidence in UBS two-year hike in the retirebank, severely hit by the financial crisis and praise for the grip on costs and better-than- and restore our reputation,” he added. UBS ment age only prolongs the international pressure on tax evasion and expected investment banking performance. said that addressing the causes of net new life of the system by six to “These factors are overshadowed by the money outflows “remains a main priority.” Swiss banking secrecy, posted a 1.20-bilseven months.” lion-franc profit (1.12 billion dollars, 821 awful outflows from the wealth manage- Swiss Justice Minister Eveline WidmerBut he welcomed the million euros) in the fourth quarter of 2009. ment unit and the prospect of more to come Schlumpf warned in a newspaper last scrapping of voluntary retireIt was the first time that Switzerland’s because client advisors are leaving and the month that UBS could be under threat if ment schemes “It’s provocabanking flagship had reported a profit since worsening newsflow over Swiss banking sensitive talks with the United States over tive to have miners crawling the third quarter of 2008 and helped the secrecy and the US tax case,” they com- a deal settling high-profile tax fraud investiinto holes at the age 65 and bank cut its annual net loss to 2.73 billion mented in a note. Even Swiss customers gation fell through. to see other categories retirThe bank, which was one of the hardcontinued to desert UBS as total net new francs from 21.29 billion francs in 2008. ing after 25 years of work,” The earnings figures beat analyst expec- money outflows from domestic banking est hit in the global financial crisis and he said. The government is tations but investors were unimpressed, reached 5.9 billion francs in the last quarter, has struggled to recover compared to trying to prevent this monwith UBS shares down 1.69 percent in compared with 3.9 billion beforehand, some of its US and British rivals, also bolth’s industrial action from morning trades in Zurich. The bank is still despite more corporate and institutional stered its capital reserves through 2009. UBS said it expected to see an improvein the middle of a bruising tussle over tax business. undermining efforts to jumpUBS said, however, that it managed to ment in its crisis-hit investment bank dodgers in the United States that has start the recession-mired prompted unsettled investors to withdraw hold on to 14.3 billion of the 22.8 billion performance in 2010. “The investment economy. The cabinet is their funds. Yesterday it reported that net francs in invested client funds affected by bank’s results always depend heavily on meeting for a second day money outflows from its international an Italian tax amnesty, and also underlined market vitality and client activity levels yesterday to finalize a tax wealth management unit more than dou- a sharp boost for profits in all wealth man- have been high in January,” the statement overhaul aimed at netting agement units. In a letter to shareholders, said. Yesterday’s fourth quarter result bled from the previous quarter. around five billion euros this Net new money outflows totaled 56.2 UBS’s fresh management team called the outstripped a poll of analysts’ expectayear and help plug a budget billion Swiss francs in the fourth quarter, ongoing outflows “disappointing,” despite tions by Swiss financial news agency deficit that hit over 30 billion despite an increase in assets from Asia. The the improved profitability. “We entered AWP, which had expected a net profit of euros in 2009. —AFP outflows from its global wealth manage- 2009 at the height of the crisis. By the end 374 million Swiss francs. —AFP
Swiss bank UBS returns to profit Client confidence still down
British Land’s bumper Q3 gain cheers banks LONDON: British Land’s surprise 18 percent rise in net asset value lifted spirits among property landlords and lenders yesterday, but is unlikely to muffle doomsayers who claim a pricing bubble is already in prospect. The bluechip investor said its net asset value rose to 438 pence a share in the quarter to Dec 31, reflecting an 8 percent uplift in its 7.9 billion pound ($12.3 billion) portfolio as demand for prime UK commercial property hots up. “Our third-quarter performance saw a continued recovery with strong valuation growth right across the portfolio,” Chief Executive Chris Grigg said. News of the improved valuations brought cheer to lenders Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, which are battling to cut property impairments after a 45 percent plunge in values between June 2007 and August 2009. Shares in the state-
backed banks gained 4 percent and 3.75 percent respectively by 0956 GMT amid hopes they could soon post mark-ups in troubled mortgages and repossessed assets. British Land shares were trading 2.5 percent up at 449 pence, ahead of a 1.4 percent rise in broader UK property stocks. Unsustainable? British Land’s NAV rise trumped consensus forecasts, but the sharp rise may fuel concerns that the UK property market recovery is unsustainable. Fears of a “double-dip” in commercial property values loom large over the market following a rapid 10 percent turnaround in values in the second half of 2009, against a backdrop of grim economic forecasts and continued pressure on rents. “The revaluation captures the full effect of QE (quantitative easing, a bank of England economic stimulus measure) on property prices but there
are headwinds,” said Nomura analyst Mike Prew, pointing to rising bond yields, weakening purchasing power of euro buyers, thin occupier demand and unstable lending trends. British Land and peers Liberty International and Segro were among the biggest FTSE 100 fallers on Monday as the market digested news of a slower-than-hoped 0.9 percent rise in average commercial values last month, after a record 3 percent hike in December. Grigg told a conference call he believed the recovery was sustainable but he was not expecting to see many repeats of the stellar quarter. “We continue to see interest flowing (into prime commercial real estate). What we still have not seen obviously is a huge amount of supply and so how those two things equate over time is a relatively complicated issue,” he said. British Land reported a 1.4 percent rise in like-for-like rental income to
128 million pounds and said it had observed much higher levels of leasing activity across London. Last week, the company agreed preliminary terms to let around 220,000 square feet of office space at its Ropemaker Place scheme to Macquarie Group in the latest sign of revival in the flagging occupier market. Despite this improved tenant demand, Grigg declined to estimate when the company might restart abandoned London development projects including the “Cheesegrater” skyscraper project at Leadenhall Street. Instead, the company is focused on letting 650,000 square feet of available offices and devising a refurbishment and redevelopment plan with joint venture partner Blackstone at Broadgate. “We are well positioned to take advantage of that (demand) because of the new space we have to let,” Grigg said. —Reuters
TAIPEI: A Toyota technician checks a recalled Prius Hybrid car at a factory yesterday. —AFP
Toyota announces mass Prius recall TOKYO: Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems - the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world’s largest automaker. “I don’t see Toyota as an infallible company that never makes mistakes,” President Akio Toyoda said at a press conference yesterday in Tokyo. “We will face up to the facts and correct the problem, putting customers’ safety and convenience first.” With the Prius announcement, the number of vehicles recalled globally by Toyota Motor Corp has ballooned to 8.5 million, including for floor mats which can trap gas pedals and faulty gas pedals that are slow to return to the idle position. The 2010 Prius wasn’t part of the earlier recalls. There have been about 200 complaints in Japan and the US about a delay when the brakes in the Prius were pressed in cold conditions and on some bumpy roads. The delay doesn’t indicate a brake failure. The company says the problem can be fixed in 40 minutes with new software that oversees the controls of the antilock brakes. “Let me assure everyone that we will redouble our commitment to quality as the lifeline of our company,” Toyoda said. Toyota officials went to Japan’s Transport Ministry earlier yesterday to formally notify officials the company is recalling the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid - the world’s top-selling hybrid car. The automaker is also recalling two other hybrid models in Japan, the Lexus
HS250h sedan, sold in the US and Japan, and the Sai, which is sold only in Japan. The 223,000 cars being recalled in Japan include nearly 200,000 Priuses sold from April last year through Monday, according to papers the automaker filed with the ministry. The Prius is Japan’s top-selling car. In the US, Toyota will recall 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles. Nearly 53,000 Priuses are also being recalled in Europe. Toyota is suspending production of the Sai and Lexus HS250h in Japan until the updated software for those models is ready. If drivers experience a delayed reaction when depressing the brakes in any of these models, they should keep pressing, according to Toyota and the transport ministry. The Prius repairs will start in Japan today. US owners will start receiving letters about the recall next week. Toyoda, the president, has been criticized for being largely invisible during the two weeks after the company announced Jan 21 the gas pedal recall in the US, Europe and China. He apologized at his first public press conference last Friday, but was criticized by the Japanese media for failing to outline concrete steps to tackle the safety crisis and reassure customers around the world. In contrast to his halting English in response to questions from foreign reporters at last week’s news conference, Toyoda seemed much better prepared yesterday reading from an English statement after doing so in Japanese. —AP
MOUNTAIN VIEW: Wii and PlayStation 3 versions of Madden NFL 10, an Electronic Arts game, are shown at Best Buy Monday, Feb 8, 2010. —AP
Electronic Arts shares dive on weak outlook NEW YORK: A disappointing outlook from Electronic Arts Inc sent shares of the video game publisher sharply lower Monday, a sign that significant cost-cuts and layoffs have not ended the company’s slump. The company, whose games include the popular “Madden” series and “Mass Effect 2,” said Monday it narrowed its net loss in the last quarter even as game sales declined. It blamed the revenue falloff on having fewer titles than it did in the 2008 holiday period. EA also cited weak sales in Europe, which accounts for about a third of its revenue. The results for the October-December period were not a surprise, because EA had warned in January it would miss forecasts, leading analysts to lower their estimates. The company lost $82 million, 20 cents per share. In the same period a year earlier it lost $641 million, $2 per share. Revenue fell 25 percent to $1.24 billion. Accounting for deferred revenue in games with online components, EA earned 33 cents per share, down from 56 cents per
share a year earlier. Analysts were expecting 31 cents, according to Thomson Reuters. But the company gave a forecast below Wall Street’s expectations for the current quarter, even though it is launching several bigname titles during the period. One is the science-fiction epic “Mass Effect 2.” Chief Financial Officer Eric Brown said in an interview the game has sold 2 million copies so far. EA ran its first-ever Super Bowl ad Sunday to promote the upcoming “Dante’s Inferno.” For the fiscal fourth quarter ending March 31, EA is forecasting a profit of 2 cents to 6 cents per share on an adjusted basis, on revenue of $800 million to $850 million. This is below average analyst estimates of a profit of 13 cents per share on sales of $851 million. CEO John Riccitiello said in a conference call with analysts EA decided to be “a little bit more conservative” than others that have given guidance for the year. With a strong lineup of games, he added, “there is reason to be optimistic. —AP
technology
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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Authorities block opposition websites, slow Internet
Iran’s resistance keeps up cat-and-mouse web game BEIJING: Chinese try out iPhones on display inside the Apple’s store in Beijing, yesterday. China’s giant sovereign wealth fund has disclosed that it owns stakes totaling $9.6 billion in major US companies including Coca-Cola, Apple and Goodyear following a buying spree last year. — AP
Gamer to pay Nintendo $1.3m for illegal upload SYDNEY: An Australian man has agreed to pay Nintendo 1.3 million US dollars for illegally uploading a game to the Internet six days before its global release, the firm said yesterday. Nintendo said it had settled the Federal Court action against the man who hacked into New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii gaming console and put it on the world wide web on November 6, 2009. “The legal proceeding resulted in a settlement in which the individual will pay to Nintendo the sum of 1.5 million (Australian) dollars by way of damages to compensate Nintendo for the loss of sales revenue caused by the individual’s actions,” it said in a statement.
Nintendo said the Australian man, named by local media as 24-year-old James Burt, bought the popular game ahead of its global release when a shop accidentally put it on its shelves before the official sale date. He breached copyright law by hacking into it and illegally making it available on the Internet, causing the company to lose thousands of sales, Nintendo said. Games are generally made available in Australia around six months after their release in the major markets of Japan and the United States, but in this instance Australia was ahead of the rest of the world. “It wasn’t just an Australian issue, it was a
global issue. There was thousands and thousands of downloads, at a major cost to us and the industry really,” Nintendo Australia managing director Rose Lappin said. “Once it’s on the Internet it’s anyone’s really.” Nintendo said when it discovered the game was online, it used computer forensics experts to identify the individual responsible. “Nintendo will pursue those who attempt to jeopardise our industry by using all means available to it under the law,” the company said in the statement. In the settlement on January 27, Burt was also ordered by the Federal Court to pay Nintendo’s legal fees of 100,000 dollars. — AFP
TEHRAN: With their paths through the Internet increasingly blocked by government filters, Nooshin and her fellow Iranian opposition-supporters say their information on planned protests now comes in emails. They say they don’t know who sends them. Internet messages have been circulating about possible rallies on Feb. 11, when Iran marks the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. But the climate in the Islamic Republic is much harder than before last year’s post-election protests. Last June, social media sites were hailed in the West as promising opposition supporters an anonymous rallying ground- especially when they were accessed via proxy servers that could mask participants’ actions and whereabouts. For determined Iranians now, they are a high-risk tactic in a strategic game with the authorities, amid reports of mounting Internet disruption. Almost 32 percent of Iranians use the Internet and nearly 59 percent have a cellphone subscription, according to 2008 estimates from the International Telecommunications Union. Since the disputed presidential poll that plunged Iran into its deepest internal turmoil since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the authorities have slowed Internet speeds and shut down opposition websites. They also boast of an ability to track online action even from behind the proxies. “This one is also blocked,” sighed Nooshin, a student, as she surfed the web in a cafe in downtown Tehran. “This is more Filternet than Internet.” Speaking in a low voice and wearing a blue Islamic headscarf, the 22-year-old declined to use her real name due to the sensitivity of opposition activism in Iran. The presidential vote was followed by huge protests led by opposition supporters who say the poll was rigged to secure hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election. The authori-
‘Bioshock’ sequel returns to morally-battered Rapture SAN FRANCISCO: Thousands of US videogame shops will be open the instant arrival for expected hordes of “Bioshock” fans eager to return to the grim, morally-tattered undersea world of Rapture. The “shocking” sequel to the title crowned 2007 Game of the Year launches globally after its release date was delayed several months in hopes of an improved economy and videogame consoles being popular holiday season gifts. “Bioshock” is the brain-
child of Ken Levine, who told AFP that inspirations for the game’s dystopic storyline came from many places, including the films “Citizen Kane” and “The Fight Club” and the work of author Ayn Rand. The game has been lauded for its play and disturbing moral choices. Key characters in Bioshock include girls with hypodermic needles for arms and “Big Daddy” brutes for bodyguards. “One of the most exciting aspects of the original
‘BioShock’ was how fans responded with adoration for the game, from creating homemade Big Daddy suits to their own BioShockinspired art and videos,” said 2K president Christoph Hartmann. “We felt it was only fitting to reach out to those passionate fans with nationwide Return to Rapture midnight openings.” More than 2,500 GameStop and Best Buy stores will be open when clocks strike midnight to begin selling copies of
A Bioshock image
“BioShock 2.” The sequel was a collaborative effort of California, Australia and China studios of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software based in New York City. The first-person shooter game is set approximately 10 years after the events of the original “BioShock,” according to 2K. Players enter a fictional scene in which a monster has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city of Rapture. — AFP
ties deny that charge. When their newspapers were shut down after the vote, defeated presidential candidates Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi launched their own websites. The authorities later blocked them, forcing the opposition to set up new ones. Much of this action and protest was publicised and tracked on the Internet, especially through micro-blogging site Twitter. However, concerns are now mounting in Iran that the authorities may be able to track down people who use proxies. “People are afraid of being identified and are not willing to use them any longer,” said Hamid, a shopkeeper in Markaz-e Computre, a popular computer shopping centre in north Tehran, speaking on condition of anonymity. Which is not to say that opposition efforts to plan and publicise their actions have been thwarted. Afshin, a web developer who supports the opposition, said the authorities would not succeed: “Whatever the government blocks in the web, the people find another way,” he said. “It is a cat-and-mouse game which the government cannot win.” Arrayed against the web activists are the fact that Iran’s government is equipped with latest monitoring technology, which enables it to detect computers making a secure connection, said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer for Helsinki-based F-Secure Corporation. Some proxy servers use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to secure the connection with a remote server. This security layer helps ensure that no other computers can read the traffic exchanged. When people make these SSL connections-the same type used in the West for Internet shopping-the authorities cannot see the content of material accessed. But they could physically raid sites to check on the computers
involved. National police chief Esmail AhmadiMoghaddam in January warned Iran’s opposition against using text messages and emails to organise fresh street rallies. “These people should know where they are sending the SMS and email as these systems are under control. They should not think using proxies will prevent their identification,” he said. “If they continue ... those who organise or issue appeals (about opposition protests) have committed a crime worse than those who take to the streets,” Ahmadi-Moghaddam added. Thousands of people were arrested during widespread street unrest after the election. Most have since been freed, but more than 80 people have received jail terms of up to 15 years, including several senior opposition figures. On Jan. 28, Iranian media said two men sentenced to death in trials that followed the election had been executed. Tension in Iran rose after eight people were killed in clashes with security forces in December, including Mousavi’s nephew. “The security services can turn technology against the logistics of protest,” Evgeny Morozov, a commentator on the political implications of the Internet, wrote in the November edition of Prospect magazine, citing experiences in Belarus and elsewhere. But the authorities are facing determined resistance. Journalists inside Iran have been banned from attending opposition demonstrations, but that has not kept footage of anti-government gatherings from reaching the Internet. “It is extremely important for me to check my email messages in order to be informed about the latest developments in the absence of independent free media in the country,” said Nooshin, her computer screen repeatedly flashing up the same message in Farsi: “Access to this page is prohibited by the law.” A young customer in the computer
shopping centre in Tehran said: “It is very important to be unidentified while surfing the Internet these days ... currently the most secure way for us is to have a secure email account.” Hypponen said Iran’s international isolation-especially its tense relationship with the United States-is likely to hamper its ability to catch web activists. “It’s easier for an activist from Iran to hide than for a web criminal,” he said. “When chasing criminals, countries help each other.” The United States is also a factor. It cut ties with Iran shortly after its revolution toppled the US-backed Shah, and Tehran and Washington are now at odds over Iran’s disputed nuclear work. Iran has accused the West of waging a “soft” war with the help of opposition and intellectuals inside the country, and officials have portrayed the post-election protests as a foreign-backed bid to undermine the clerical establishment. In January, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton challenged Beijing and other governments to end Internet censorship, placing China in the company of Iran, Saudi Arabia and others as leading suppressors of online freedom. She said “electronic barriers” to parts of the Internet or filtered search engine results contravened the UN’s Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of information. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hit back, accusing the United States of trying to use the Internet as a tool to confront the Islamic Republic. “The Americans have said that they have allocated a $45 million budget to help them to confront the Islamic Republic of Iran via the Internet,” he said in a Jan. 26 speech. The U.S. Senate voted in July to adopt the Victims of Iranian Censorship Act, which authorises up to $50 million for expanding Farsi language broadcasts, supporting Iranian Internet and countering government efforts to block it. — Reuters
China’s NetEase reapplies for ‘World of Warcraft’ licence SHANGHAI: Chinese Internet portal NetEase has said it will reapply for a licence to operate “World of Warcraft”, one of the most popular online role-playing games with millions of users in China alone. China’s General Administration of Press and Publication said in November it had rejected NetEase’s application seeking approval for the game, which is developed by California-based company Activision Blizzard Entertainment. It said at the time NetEase had violated a rule banning new account registration and collection of subscription fees during a trial period starting July 30, when the firm was ordered to “revise harmful content” in the game. NetEase said it would “soon” reapply to the authorities for a licence to operate the game’s latest expansion pack, according to a statement posted on the game’s official Chinese website. It will also stop accepting new user registration until February 14 and offer only three hours of free play time each day for existing online gamers during the period. The administration said in a separate statement on Monday that it would accept the licence application, to be submitted by NetEase’s subsidiary Shanghai EaseNet Network Technology Ltd. NetEase announced in April last year that it had won a three-year licence for the game from Blizzard after the licence of another Chinese firm, The9, expired. It started operating the game in the country in September after gaining the approval from the culture ministry. “World of Warcraft” is the most popular multiplayer online role-playing game on the planet with more than 11 million monthly subscribers. Previous media reports put the number of players in China at up to five million. — AFP
The new design of IBM computer chips set.
Intel and IBM roll out new chips for computer networks SAN FRANCISCO: US technology titans IBM and Intel on Monday rolled out powerful new computer chips designed for businesses continually demanding more from networks and data centers. Intel introduced an Itanium processor 9300 series developed under the code name ‘Tukwila’ that it touts as delivering twice the performance of prior generation chips. The 9300 series features two billion transistors per chip and four ‘cores,’ minibrains that process data. “With the Gartner Group predicting a 650 percent growth in IT data over the next five years, businesses need increasingly powerful and scalable enterprise
servers,” Intel said in a release. Intel also said the chips are built to improve the ability of computer systems to recover from otherwise fatal errors. IBM launched new Power7 servers built to manage intensely demanding computing environments such as smart electrical grids or real-time financial markets analysis. Power 7 chips at the heart of the systems perform four times as fast as the previous generation Power 6 microprocessors, tending to 32 tasks simultaneously, according to IBM. Power 7 systems incorporate technology tailored for services that rely on ìprocessing an enormous num-
ber of concurrent transactions and data while analyzing that information in real time,” IBM said. “In addition, the new systems enable clients to manage current applications and services at less cost with technology breakthroughs in virtualization, energy savings, and more cost-efficient use of memory,” according to IBM. The announcements by Intel and IBM come as Oracle weighs into the market by acquiring Sun Microsystems in a deal valued at 7.4 billion dollars. Oracle has vowed to put its resources behind improving and marketing Sun Solaris server systems built on SPARC microprocessor technology. — AFP
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health & science
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Baltic leaders under pressure to save sick sea HELSINKI: Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and other leaders from around the Baltic Sea hold a summit in Helsinki today under growing pressure to clean up one of the world’s most polluted seas. Over-fished, surrounded by dirty industry and uncared for, the brackish sea is so toxic that pregnant women should not to eat the fish that are caught in the Baltic, according to Greenpeace. The marine life is being decimated, researchers say. One hundred years ago there were about 100,000 grey seals in the Baltic but but by the 1980s the population had fallen to 2-3,000 because of hunting and pollution that made females
infertile. Putin and his counterparts from Estonia, Denmark and Norway, the presidents of Latvia and Lithuania, and Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf will discuss how to save the sick sea at the meeting hosted by Finland’s President Tarja Halonen, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG). Environmentalists are disappointed that neither Germany nor Poland are sending a top leader to the summit, but they also insist that those who do attend must put into action already agreed plans. “We know exactly what needs to be done,” Sampsa Vilhunen, head of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)
Finland’s marine programme, told AFP. “Let’s now start implementing what’s already been agreed. After that, we can evaluate whether or not that’s enough.” Organisers of the Helsinki summit say a range of companies, foundations and individuals have already made more than 130 promises of action to save the Baltic. Businesses have promised innovations to recycle nutrients from waste-water and technology to improve communications between vessels and local authorities to enhance safety. Some 90 million people live around the Baltic Sea. Eutrophication—the overconcentration of nutrients caused by sewage effluent and agricultural run-off carrying
fertilizers into the sea—over-fishing and the increasing marine traffic are the main threats to be tackled. The shallow, semi-enclosed sea takes far longer than many other large bodies of water to flush out harmful substances and this has increased the toxic concentrations in fish, according to the Greenpeace group. But there are also opportunities and sustainable industrial development could help protect the Baltic, said Mari Walls who heads the marine research centre at the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). “The Baltic Sea has a lot to offer when it comes to developing environmentally
sustainable technology,” she said, citing the potential of algea, a product of eutrophication, as a base for biodiesel. The European Union and the nine countries with a Baltic Sea coastlineRussia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany-already cooperate to protect the marine environment through the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM). But critics say the body’s good intentions have been slow to translate into concrete measures, and its action plan, aimed at restoring the sea to a good state by 2021, is lagging. “There is a lack of real results. We haven’t seen the action needed to meet
those ambitions that have been presented within the Baltic Sea strategy,” said Greenpeace ocean campaigner Jan Isakson. Environmentalists say countries need to set aside national agendas in favour of the best interests of the Baltic Sea. “What has been obvious over the years is that practically no country speaks with the voice of the Baltic Sea; they all speak with the voice of their own country and national interests,” said WWF’s Vilhunen. Russia is currently the chair of HELCOM. The next test of international commitment to the Baltic comes in May when it holds a ministerial meeting in Moscow. — AFP
For older fathers, age a factor when mother is under 30
Age of mother affects child’s autism risk: Study CHICAGO: Being an older mother significantly increases the risk of having a child with autism, but being an older father only increases the risk when the mother is under the age of 30, US researchers said on Monday.
They found that a 40-year-old woman’s risk of having a child later diagnosed with autism was 50 percent greater than that of a woman between 25 and 29. But being an older father — 40 or older-only contributes significantly to autism risk when the mother is under 30. “The older the mother, the more the risk that the child will develop autism, regardless of whether the father is young or old,” said Irva Hertz-Picciotto of the University of California Davis MIND Institute, who worked on the study published in the journal Autism Research. The findings contradict a 2006 study of children born in Israel that suggested paternal age played a much larger role. “There has been a debate over whether it is maternal or paternal risk. A lot of people were thinking it’s not really mom’s age,” Hertz-Picciotto said in a telephone interview. Researchers and policymakers are increasingly looking for causes to explain the growing numbers of children diagnosed with autism, which affects 1 percent of US children. There is no cure for autism, a spectrum of diseases ranging from severe and profound inability to communicate and mental retardation to relatively WASHINGTON: A one-day-old baby boy’s heel is pricked for blood during a newborn screening to mild symptoms such as with detect phenylketonuria (PKU) and many other disorders at Washington Hospital Center in Washington. Asperger’s syndrome. The current study, which A critical safety net for babies — that heelprick of blood taken from every newborn — is facing an incorporates data on 4.9 million ethics attack. States increasingly are storing the leftover blood samples for later medical research, births and 12,159 autism cases often without parents’ knowledge or consent — prompting lawsuits in two states and work in many in California, helps to clarify others to give parents a greater say. — AP the contribution of age from both parents. “We have such a very large database we were really able to disentangle the mother’s age KUWAIT: Al-Rashid hospital impotence and premature very well,” Hertz-Picciotto welcomes Dr Mustafa Hammam ejacuiation. Also, Dr Hammam said. This can be a challenge professor of Dermatology, has excellent experience for because older mothers and Andrology and sexually trans- treatment of sexually transmitfathers tend to have children mitted diseases. He has excel- ted diseases. He treats skin together. lent experience for treatment of wrinkles, hair fall and cellulite “We found it does vary for by mesotherapy. different skin diseases. the father, but not for the mothDr Hammam can do electroDr Hammam is a specialist in er,” she said. treatment of skin diseases like: surgery and cryo-therapy for For example, among babies - vitelligo - psoriasis - eczema - skin tags, Tumors and skin born to mothers under 25, chilAcne - laser treatment, der- warts. The visit will start from dren whose father was over 40 mabrasion and chemical pealing. 6/2/2010 to 25/2/2010. The were twice as likely to develop Also, he has excellent expe- coordinator of the visit is Dr autism as those whose father Celejowska rience for treatment of different Renata was between 25 and 29. causes of infertility and treating (Dermatology & Venerology This could be because when Dr Mustafa Hammam Dr Renata Celejowska both parents are older, the risk erectile dysfunction such as specialist). conferred by the father is outweighed by the risk from the mother, Hertz-Picciotto said. She said the point of the study is not to blame parents, NEW YORK: As the first cases her lawyers as having lung can- More than $1 billion in damages died of esophageal cancer at age but to gain clues about what is in a massive battle over illness- cer, doesn’t have cancer at all. is at stake. Lawyers for the 47 after putting in at least 90 going on in older parents that es linked to Sept 11, 2001 near Her actual illness involves workers whose cases were days on the smoking rubble pile. could increase a child’s risk of Fire Lt. Martin Fullam needtrial, an Associated Press inves- something akin to chronic asth- examined by the AP declined to developing autism. tigation has found that several of ma. She insists her lawyers discuss them, but said the trials ed a lung transplant after docOlder parents, for example, will show unequivocally that tors diagnosed him with the initial 30 suits contain incon- were mistaken. are more likely to have infertilThe three cases are among workers exposed to the dust polymyositis, an autoimmune sistent or exaggerated claims ity problems and have used ferabout how the workers got sick the 30 plaintiffs whose suits are weren’t given proper equip- disease that led to pulmonary tility treatments; the mothers or how much time they spent at being considered for May trials ment, and as a result are now fibrosis. Others claim a variety are more likely to have autoimover the city’s culpability for sick. “These are cops and fire- of illnesses, but a majority ground zero. mune conditions, including One demolition worker who chronic illnesses caused by men and construction workers describe symptoms similar to gestational diabetes; and both said he developed health prob- exposure to contaminated dust who were there for the city,” asthma, with recurrent wheezhave accumulated more toxins lems after toiling for six months in the months after the Sept. 11, said attorney David Worby, who ing, shortness of breath and over their lifetimes, so the would not answer specific ques- sinus problems. There is growin the toxic ruins of the World 2001 terrorist attacks. sperm and egg are more likely Those cases are among the tions about the cases uncovered ing scientific evidence that Trade Center has actually been to have some changes that severely ill since the 1990s. In a thousands filed over the health by AP. “There is no question some people, maybe even thoucould increase risk. previous medical malpractice of ground zero workers, but anymore about whether they sands, were harmed by the air at “We see these age findings case, he said he was so sick they have an outsized impor- were sick, and how sick they ground zero. as clues for where to look Studies have shown elevated are. There are tens of thousands between 2000 and 2003 that he tance. next,” Hertz-Picciotto said. Of the more than 9,000 legal of people who are sick. Not all levels of sinus and lung probcouldn’t work regularly. He Autism researchers are never mentioned Sept. 11 dur- claims filed against New York are severely ill, but many of lems among rescue and recovlooking at a broad range of ing his testimony in that law- City, about 60 have gotten close them are.” The lead counsel for ery workers. Of the people potential environmental facscrutiny by the court. Of those, the plaintiffs, Paul Napoli, did exposed to the dust, 1 in 10 suit. tors, including household prodLawyers for a police officer 30 are now being considered as not respond to several requests developed asthma within six ucts, medical treatments, diet, from northern New Jersey who candidates for trials in May. U.S. for information about Briganti, years of the attacks, about triple food supplements and infecdied in 2006 claimed in a court District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, O’Loughlin, Sorrento or the the national rate. Firefighters tions. filing that he spent nearly 300 who is overseeing the case, says others with health claims have experienced unusual levAnd the National Institute of els of sarcoidosis, an inflammadays handling debris at ground that group will ultimately be against the city. Mental Health, one of the Some plaintiffs have turned tory disease that affects the zero, but his work records indi- reduced to 12, for the first set of National Institutes of Health, is cate that his actual time and trials. Hellerstein has said he reluctant as the cases have lungs. looking at potential genetic Research has also shown duties related to Sept. 11 were hopes those initial trials will moved forward. For example, causes of autism and has plans far more limited. During the serve as a road map to settle- one of the 30 asked out of the that trade center responders to sequence the entire months the lawyers said the ments for the many other claims case completely, for unspecified suffer from high rates of postgenomes of hundreds of chilman worked at ground zero, he by rescue and recovery workers personal reasons. Clearly, some traumatic stress disorder and dren and their parents to gain a was recording full-time shifts in who say they got sick after the of the plaintiffs are gravely ill - doctors have been investigating elevated levels of acid reflux Cresskill, New Jersey. Another city failed to protect them from or worse. better understanding of the Firefighter Raymond Hauber disease. — AP police officer who was listed by poisonous trade center ash. role genes play. — Reuters
Al-Rashid hospital welcomes Dr Hammam
Credibility key in 9/11 health trials
CHANGCHUN: In a picture taken on February 6, 2010 a Siberian Tiger, also known as a Manchurian Tiger, bares its teeth at a tiger park in Changchun, in northeast China’s Jilin province. Fewer than 50 wild tigers remain in China, a conservation group said voicing hope that the Year of the Tiger would not be the last for the endangered cats, while just 20 years ago tigers still roamed across large swathes of China. — AFP
China says it has 6,000 captive tigers BEIJING: China said yesterday it had nearly 6,000 tigers in captivity and could breed 1,000 more every year, amid international controversy over the benefits of farming the endangered species. The numbers were announced by Yin Hong, vice head of the State Forestry Administration, according to a spokesman at the agency who refused to be named. “There are close to 6,000 tigers that have been artifically bred and raised in China,” the official China News Service quoted Yin saying. “These tigers can breed over 1,000 baby tigers every year.” Yin’s comments came as China prepares to ring in the Year of the Tiger, which begins February 14, amid mounting worldwide concern over dwindling numbers of the great cats. Yin said there were just 50 to 60 wild tigers left in China. Conservation groups have said recently fewer than 50 still roam the country. There are four varieties of wild tigers in China, and one of them-the South China tiger-has not been spotted in the wild since the late 1970s. In the 1950s, there were around 4,000 of the subspecies. Degradation of the animal’s habitat and poaching of the tiger and its prey are blamed for its rapid disappearance. In the 1980s, China set up tiger
farms to try and preserve the big cats, intending to release some into the wild. But experts warn it will be difficult for captive tigers to re-adapt to the wild, and the sheer number of the endangered animals kept in farms now poses a challenge. “The government now realises it’s a problem but they haven’t figured out how to deal with the existing tigers yet,” Xie Yan, director of the China programme for the Wildlife Conservation Society, told AFP. The existence of tiger farms in China and other countries has sparked international controversy. In July, Keshav Varma, leader of the World Bank’s Global Tiger Initiative, called for tiger farming to be phased out, saying there was a danger this could hasten the extinction of the endangered species. “Would it create new markets and an even higher demand for wild tiger products-for those who want a luxury good-the ‘real thing?’” he asked. Xie said farms in China make little money, apart from tourists, and some are pushing for a 1993 ban on the trade in tiger parts and related products to be reversed so they can profit from the animals once they die. Experts, however, say this would encourage poaching. — AFP
Depression costs employers WASHINGTON: Workers with depression stay home sick more often than healthy colleagues, even when their disease is treated, according to a Thomson Reuters report released yesterday. The report, commissioned by drug maker Sanofi Aventis, suggests that employers would benefit from better treatments of their workers for depression. Depression is the leading cause of disability among Americans aged 15 to 44, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. “Even when depressed patients are treated with antidepressants, there are substantial productivity losses. Therapies that can better manage depression may provide opportunities for savings to employers,” the Thomson Reuters research team wrote in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. “Despite the widely acknowledged effectiveness of antidepressant therapy, productivity costs related to depression persist even after patients receive treatment,” Suellen Curkendall, director of outcomes research at Thomson Reuters, said in a statement. “This may be due to the fact that patients often don’t respond to the first type of antidepressant that they are prescribed. They also may fail to take their medications on a regular basis,” added Curkendall, who led the study. Curkendall and colleagues analyzed insurance claims and employee health and produc-
tivity data for more than 22,000 patients treated with antidepressants and compared them to people without depression. Workers who had been treated for depression were twice as likely as others to use short-term disability leave, they found. Disability-related costs for a year, on average, were $1,038 for patients treated for depression and $325 for the non-depressed workers. “Over 40 percent of patients with depression were diagnosed with at least one of the other included psychiatric conditions besides depression,” the researchers at Thomson Reuters, parent company of Reuters, added. Most common were anxiety, dissociative and so-called somatoform disorders-a group of disorders with physical symptoms but no apparent physical cause. Last month, a team at the University of Pennsylvania found only patients with very severe depression were measurably helped by antidepressant drugs. Mild to severe depression might be better treated with alternatives to antidepressant drugs, they wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association. At least 27 million Americans take antidepressants and more than 164 million prescriptions for antidepressants were written in 2008, totaling nearly $10 billion in U.S. sales and $20 billion globally, according to IMS Health. — Reuters
WHAT’S ON IN KUWAIT
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Help 4 Haiti raises $33,333
Embassy information Embassy of Japan The Embassy of Japan in the State of Kuwait announces that it will be closed to the public tomorow on the occasion of Japan’s National Foundation Day. Embassy of KEnya The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya is happy to inform the general public and visitors to Kenya of a reduction in the cost of tourist visas by 50%, continuing through all of 2010. Additionally, in recognition of the family travel segment, Kenya is giving a complete waiver of visit fees to children aged 16 years and below. Visitors are urged to take this opportunity and experience unique Kenyan beach holidays on palm fringed, sandy beaches, safaris in the country’s famous national parks, and activity based tourism. For more information contact the Kenya Embassy located at Surra, block 6, Street 9, Villa No.3. Tel. 25353314/ 25353362 or visit the Mission’s websites www.kenyaembkuwait.com & www.magicalkenya.com. Official timings are 8:00 am 4:00 pm, Sundays through Thursdays.
Mickey show from Fun Zone.
Organizers’ team with ICRC delegate-July Mallon, Tania Boustani
Ambassador of Belgium & his wife with Tania Boustani
O
Fun Zone Team-Organizers-Elie Najm, Rafa Nehmeh & Tania Boustani.
n 29th January, 2010, a Family Day took place at The Camp which was offered by Hassan Awaidha. All proceeds have been donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which is represented in Kuwait by its regional delegate, JeanMichel Monod. These funds will be used by the ICRC for its humanitarian programs in Haiti. FUN ZONE for Children and Family Entertainment )a division of Special Events Production Co.) sponsored the organization of the full event. Mais AlGhanim Restaurant provided lunch for more than 800 participants during the event in collaboration with Mughal Mahal Restaurant. Paul served breakfast to all attendees and Starbucks gave out hot and cold drinks throughout the day. Boushari Group provided water and juices.Coca Cola also contributed with refreshments. McVities donated biscuits. Oil sector services company provided ice cream. Valuable prizes were donated for the raffle by the following sponsors: Etihad
Embassy of InDIa
Demonstration of Kuwaiti handicrafts Airways, Aataniya Airlines, Habchi & Chalhoub, Azadea Group, Al Shaya Casual Dining, Fantasy World, Radisson Blu Kuwait, Al Corniche Club, Kefan Optics, Vision Express, Art Shop, Maki Restaurant, Casa Maroc, Books for Kids, Fay Lawson, Beidoun Company and Roumi &
Rizk. The following organisations assisted in promoting the event: The Community Service Group, The English School, Kuwait English School, and British School of Kuwait. The generosity of all above resulted in an extremely successful day!
Volunteers’ team
‘Kozhikode Women forum’ elect new committee
K
ozhikode District Association Kuwait has convened its Ladies Committee Meeting and formed Kozhikode Women Forum. The Meeting presided by the General Convener Neena Rajagopal and Laila Razak welcomed the gathering and Asha Premraj expressed Vote of Thanks. Association President Adv Razak M Payyoli and General Secretary Suresh Mathur controlled the Election of Kozhikode Women Forum. Neena Rajagopal was elected as President, Asma.K Abdulla and Asha Premraj were elected as
Vice Presidents, Sreeja Santhakumar (General Secretary) Shahina Zubair, Swapna Santhosh and Sophiya Rahman elected as Joint Secretaries and Laila Razak (Ammu) has elected as Treasurer. Biji Ramakrishnan (Abbasisya) and Reshmi Vinod (Farwaniya) were elected as Area Secretaries. Rafiya Anas, Sreelatha Vijayan, Rajeena Ashraf, Anoofa Shehin, Suja Basheer, Jessy Rafi, Shaniba Hakeem, Saleena Mustafa, Bindu Balagopal, Zakhariya, Nayeem were elected as Ladies
Executive Committee Members. Adv Razak M Payyoli, Suresh Mathur, Rajagopal Edavalath, SanthaKumar and MM Zubair addressed the meeting and expressed the importance of a ladies wing for the welfare of women nd children. After detailed discussion, the Committee decided to conduct the first programme “Medical Seminar on Gynaecological problems/Breast Cancer” on April 2, Friday 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM subject to the approval of the Central Executive Committee.
EMBASSY OF UKRAINE The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait informs about the second voting of the Presidential elections in Ukraine, which is scheduled to be held on February 7, 2010. The voting will take place on the territory of the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait (address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str.6, house 5) from 08:00 am till 20:00 pm. In this connection, please refer to the Embassy to check your personal data in the electoral register or call: 25318507 ext.106
Laila Razak Ammu
Neena Rajagopal
Sreeja Santhakumar
ETA Melco organizes staff annual party
Mitsubishi Elevator & Escalator Co Kuwiat (ETA Melco Kuwait) organized Staff Annual Party with their family on Friday at Sultan Centre Restaurant, Arabian Gulf Street, Salmiya. It was presided by their Executive Director Ahmed Meeran (Dubai) and General Manager Hemanth Kumar (Kuwait) posing with Staff. ETA Melco is one of the Kapico group of companies.
The Embassy of India has further revamped and improved its Legal Advice Clinic at the Indian Workers Welfare Center, and made the free service available to Indian nationals on all five working days, i.e. from Sunday to Thursday every week. Kuwaiti lawyers would be available at the Legal Advice Clinic daily from Monday to Thursday, while Indian lawyers would be available on Sundays. Following are the free welfare services provided at the Indian Workers Welfare Center located at the Embassy of India: [i] 24x7 Helpline for Domestic Workers: Accessible by toll free telephone no. 25674163 from anywhere in Kuwait, it provides information and advice exclusively to Indian domestic sector workers (Visa No. 20) as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. [ii] Help Desk: It offers guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal, and other issues (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iii) Labour Complaints Desk: It registers labor complaints and provides grievance redressal service to Indian workers (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iv) Shelters: For female and male domestic workers in distress; (v) Legal Advice Clinic: Provides free legal advice to Indian nationals (Embassy premises; Kuwaiti lawyers 3 PM to 5 PM, Monday to Thursday; Indian lawyers 2 PM to 4 PM on Sunday); and (vi) Attestation of Work Contracts: Private sector worker (Visa No. 18) contracts are accepted at the Embassy; 9 AM to 1 PM; Sunday to Thursday; Domestic sector worker (Visa No. 20) contracts are accepted at Kuwait Union of Domestic Labor Offices (KUDLO), Hawally, Al-Othman Street, Kurd Roundabout, Al-Abraj Complex, Office No 9, Mezzanine Floor; 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday to Thursday; 5 PM to 9 PM on Friday. Embassy of phIlIppInEs The Embassy of the Philippines wishes to inform the Filipino community in the State of Kuwait, that the recent supreme court decision to extend the registration of voter’s applies only in local registration in the Philippines under Republic Act no. 8189 and does not apply to overseas voters which is governed by Republic Act no. 9189, hence it has no impact on the plans and preparations on the conduct of overseas absentee voting. The overseas absentee voting for presidential elections will start on 10 April 2010 and will continue uninterrupted until 10 May 2010 daily at the Philippine Embassy. Registered overseas absentee voters are advised to schedule their days off in advance to avoid complications in their schedules. Qualified voters are encouraged to get out and vote.
Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20
WHAT’S ON IN KUWAIT
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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BSK executive director wins Excellence Award
D
r Hanan Al-Mutawa is the winner of an Award of Excellence at the British Business Forum Awards Ceremony which was held at the British Embassy Kuwait. Dr Hanan received her award from the Deputy Head of Mission, Tim Stew, and the Chairman of the BBF Chris Simpson at a Gala Dinner which was attended by the captains of industry in Kuwait. The award was in recognition of her excellence in promoting British education in Kuwait and leading BSK to academic excellence in 2009. She was involved in the establishment of a new company British International (BI) which encompasses The British School of Kuwait, The Sunshine Kindergarten, The British Institute of Vocational training, The British Academy of International Arts, Top Class and The ritish Academy of Sport. She manages projects in the risk management and education fields with initial working capital of half a million
Kuwaiti dinars to introduce British companies to Kuwait. The establishment of BIVT (The British Institute of Vocational Training) in 2009 which provides business and recruitment opportunities for British personnel and the implementation of British vocational training practices in Kuwait has been a major success story. Dr Hanan is a member of the government steering group which has overseen the introduction in government schools of IT, interactive white boards and educational software based on British educational practices. She is a leading member of the board of the Kuwait Union of private schools and cultural institutes and has successfully presented position papers on behalf of British curriculum schools in Kuwait. She is an adviser to Dr Masooma Al-Mubarak MP on education and was a key member of the election steering committee and campaign leader in the recent election campaign.
Left to Right: Paul Mc Kay, BBF Vice Chairman, Tim Stew, Deputy Head of Mission British Embassy, Dr Hanan Al-Mutawa, Executive Chairman British International, Chris Simpson BBF Chairman at the BBF Excellence Awards held at the British Embassy Kuwait.
IMA Youth Wing conference kick off ceremony
I
MA Youth Wing is organizing a conference on the theme ‘From Darkness to Light’ on 23rd of April 2010 with an aim of reaching 50,000 youth living in Kuwait, in order to cultivate religious awareness in them and to make them more productive and goal oriented in life. There are several events to be organized prior to the final day of the conference, from February until the conference day. As part of these events, on 5th February, a kick off ceremony was organized to mark the beginning of pre-conference
activities in Grand Mosque’s auditorium. The program began with the recitation of the glorious Quran by Br. Minhaj, followed by a presentation on the objectives and activities of the conference by Br. Faheem. Key note speaker of the program Br. Abubakr Falahi delivered his speech on the theme ‘From Darkness to Light’. While speaking on the occasion he said: Today people are living in the darkness of ignorance, illiteracy, immorality, materialism, selfishness and greed, lack of values, lack of
‘From Darkness to Light’ faith, superstitions, exploitation and political corruption. Allah (Subhanawu Tala) being the creator of the world has already revealed the light to expel this darkness from the surface of the earth so that mankind can live in peace and harmony. That light is nothing
but The Glorious Quran. Allah says in the Quran concerning this that ‘We have revealed a book, in order that thou may lead people from the depths of darkness into light’. Before the revelation of the Quran the nomad Arabs were living in deep darkness,
they would kill each other on very small issues and tribal prejudice blinded their eyes. The strong oppressed the weak. There were no laws to live by. In that situation Allah revealed the light (Quran) to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to expel the darkness which had broken the back of people. Another prominent Kuwaiti Scholar Sheikh Abdul Hameed Jasim Al-Bilali, President of Bashair Al-khair Committee, launched the conference logo and delivered
a thought provoking speech. One of the guests Mr. Ahmed Abdul Rahaman Trewere from the Masjid Al-Kabir’s management also delivered a speech on the occasion on the theme ‘From Darkness to Light’. IMA president, Mr. Muhammad Aslam Sahab, launched IMA Youth Wing’s website (www.imayouthwing.org). Finally, IMA Youth Wing president, Br. Arshad Habib Khan gave vote of thanks to conclude the program. Program was convened by Br.Osama.
JIS celebrates Hindi Divas’
J
abriya Indian School marked ‘World Hindi Day’ on 10th January with a special assembly and various other programmes to create awareness amongst its students with regard to the popularity of the Hindi language worldwide. The assembly which was conducted entirely in Hindi was presented with great enthusiasm. Songs and renderings of poems flowed mellifluously. The poems had proverbs, popular sayings, aphorisms and pearls of daily wisdom which serve as signposts in the journey of our daily lives. The highlight of the occasion was a skit based on the theme of unity~ well acted and well presented it impressed one and all. The assembly was an inspiration for the students to learn the language, speak it with pride and to appreciate how it creates bonds of friendship, oneness and goodwill.
New book counter for Indian language books
A
s part of Hala February celebration a new book counter exclusively for Indian language books, ranging from cookery to literature, will be annexed to the existing counter for English books at Lulu Hyper Market, said books manager Alexander. First the Malayalam regional books will be available from 20th of this month, he said. According to him both fiction and non-fiction
titles are expected late next week. Novels by famous Malayalam writers, poetry, essays on past and present, books that give insights to the Kerala community and a range of classics will be available. Later the counter will add books in other Indian languages, he said. Alexander also added that book signing ceremonies with authors, autograph sessions, meet the author and discussions are also on the cards.
Enjoy Seafood nights at La Brasserie
T
he renowned La Brasserie restaurant of the JW Marriott Kuwait City has launched an exciting seafood promotion for all seafood lovers in Kuwait. “Seafood lovers can enjoy a wide and exciting dinner buffet featuring a huge array of delicious and fresh fish, scallops, lobsters cooked to their taste,” says Hassan Yazbek, Food & Beverage Director, JW Marriott Hotel. “We invite connoisseurs of both gourmet and grill to savor an eclectic spectrum of sea food,” he adds. This exclusive and exotic buffet is served throughout the week daily from (Saturday-Wednesday). Diners visiting the La Brasserie restaurant can select from a wide variety of fresh fish, scallops, mussels, shrimps, octopus, clams and lobsters and have our chefs prepare the dish to their taste. The daily dinner timings at the La Brasserie restaurant are 7pm-11pm. Come and enjoy fresh fish and seafood choices with your family and friends.
INFORMATION
32
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 FIRE BRIGADE Operation Room 777 Al-Madena 22418714 Al-Shohada’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
Amiri Hospital
22450005
Maternity Hospital
24843100
Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital
25312700
Chest Hospital
24849400
Farwaniya Hospital
24892010
Adan Hospital
23940620
Ibn Sina Hospital
24840300
Al-Razi Hospital
24846000
Physiotherapy Hospital
POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station
24874330/9 CLINICS
Roudha
22517733
Adhaliya
22517144
Khaldiya
24848075
Keifan
24849807
Shamiya
24848913
Shuwaikh
24814507
Abdullah Salim
22549134
Al-Nuzha
22526804
Industrial Shuwaikh
24814764
Al-Khadissiya
22515088
Dasmah
22532265
Bneid Al-Ghar
22531908
Al-Shaab
22518752
Al-Kibla
22459381
Ayoun Al-Kibla
22451082
Al-Mirqab
22456536
Sharq
22465401
Salmiya
25746401
Jabriya
25316254
Maidan Hawally
25623444
Bayan
25388462
Mishref
25381200
W.Hawally
22630786
Sabah
24810221
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
(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:
Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300
Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290 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
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
33
ACCOMMODATION Accommodation available for decent non-smoking bachelor in 2 BR CAC flat near Integrated School, Abbassiya. Contact: 66005134. (C 20315) Single room A/C (good) available in Beneid Al Gar for decent working ladies, very near to Al-Salam hospital. Please contact: 97879611. (C 20306)
Flight Schedule
Sharing accommodation available at Abbassiya for couple or working ladies with Keralite couple from March 1st, rent KD 75. Call: 66525579. (C 20308) Sharing accommodation available at Maidan Hawally next to Bhuamarah Clinic near petrol pump, 4th Ring Road end 2 bedroom central A/C flat with all facilities one bed room available on rent only for Indian working ladies or families. Contact: 99325130. (C 20311)
Keralite bachelors Gents camp building. Contact: 97957183, 65500258, 66041367. (C 20299) 8-2-2010
Sharing accommodation available in a C-A/C building for a small family or two working ladies in Abbassiya near Integrated Indian School & Bharathia Vidhyabhavan. Contact: 97846304/24346984. (C 20312)
Sharing accommodation available for decent Indian bachelor (non-smoking and non-alcoholic) at Abbassiya near German Clinic with Keralite bachelor in CA/C building new flat. Contact: 94942964. (C 20293) 7-2-2010
Sharing accommodation available in one big room with separate bathroom for family, couple or working women in new C-A/C spacious two bedroom flat. Walkable distance to Avenues and next to Future Pharmacy in old Riggae. Contact: 55114836, 55871869. (C 20305)
Sharing accommodation available in a C-A/C flat near Indian Community school & Caesars Travel Co, Salmiya Amman street for family or working ladies. Contact: 97122268. (C 20288)
There is one bachelor accommodation available for one Keralite Christian bachelor near Abbassiya United School Abbassiya. Contact: 24348576, 66288012. (C 20316) 10-2-2010 Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya, two bedroom, two bathroom flat. Tel: 55845280. (C 20302) Accommodation available in Abbassiya for family/ bachelors from 1st March in a two bedroom spacious flat close to Hi-Dine and paradise hotel. Mob: 94046540/66558927. (C 20303) Available for single executive a big furnished room for immediate occupancy, rent to start from March 2010, in Bneid Al Gar area, Indians preferred. Contact: 60046720. (C 20304) 9-2-2010 Full room for rent in Hawally behind Rihab complex. Call 99581802. (C 20297) One room available for one or two Indian executive bachelors in Kuwait City. Contact: 65900578. (C 20294) Sharing accommodation available for a decent Indian bachelor near Edee Store, Salmiya for KD 60. Contact: 25635450/99838117. (C 20295) One room for rent in a 2 bedroom flat in Abbassiya near Hidine supermarket for two decent bachelors with
clean sofa set, Ikea dining table with 6 chairs, white color, cupboard, storage selves, boys cricket pads unused. Contact: 65980247. (C 20310) 10-2-2010 Toyota Camry 2004 Grande, lemon gold color, very low mileage, excellent condition, full options. Price KD 2,650. Contact: 99971326. (C 20301) 9-2-2010 Two bedroom flat furniture, sofa set, beds, cupboards, dressing tables etc in Sharq. Contact: 66479253. (C 20292) 7-2-2010
Sharing accommodation available for a Keralite couple in a central A/C 2 bedroom flat with Keralite family in Teenage building Abbassiya from March 1st onwards. Contact: 66037905, 66091212. (C 20287)
Toyota Jeep Prado, model 2008, white color, V6 cylinder engine, alloy rim, CD, fog lamp, wooden interior, excellent condition, cash price KD 7,650 (installment possible). Contact: 66507741. (C 20284)
Sharing accommodation available with a Keralite family in a 2 bedroom C-AC flat near Integrated Indian school Abbassiya. We prefer Keralite couples only. Contact: 99255235. (C 20290) 6-2-2010
Toyota Camry XLI, 4 cylinders, model 2006, white color, done 47,000 km, excellent condition, price KD 3,150. Contact: 97213518. (C 20281)
FOR SALE Toyota Camry XLi, model 97, in excellent condition, regd up to Jan 2011. Asking Price KD 1,100. Contact 67056666 for inspection. Pajero io, model 2002, km 110,800, 5 doors, 4WD, full options with new 4 tyres, lady driven, super condition, KD 1,550. Contact: 55637587. (20314) Nissan Sunny, 4 cylinders, model 2009, silver color, done KM 14,000, excellent condition. Price cash KD 2,900. Contact: 55107856. (C 20309) Honda Accord, 1998 model (new) 120,000 mileage, full options (sunroof, alloy wheels, cruise control, CD). Price KD 1,250. Contact: 55522942. (C 20307) Alum kitchen cabinet 2+1,
2007 Pajero, black, sunroof, full options, done 29,000 km, excellent condition, KD 5,500. Contact: 97454416. (C 20285) Mazda Zoom 3, 2008 model, silver color, 58,000 kms, single owner, dealer maintained, excellent condition, KD 2,850. Call: 97915262. (C 20280) Big office wooden drawer, office leather visitors chair, HP printer, aluminium ladders, leather bag, leather table mat etc. Contact: 66977639. (C 20282) Internet card - Fast Telco for sale, original price KD 55, required price KD 10. Contact: 66451465. (C 20270) 4-2-2010 2005 model Mitsubishi Pajero, color white, interior color beige, 300cc, 100,008 km, very good condition. Price KD 2,850. Tel: 99526902. (C 20278) 3-2-2010
SITUATION VACANT
Need urgent part-time babysitter in Al Muthanna Complex Kuwait City. Call 66809431, 55145707. (C 20298) Live-in Indian driver with transferable residence and driving license required for an Indian family. Please call 22406645, 22410672/3. (C 20296) 8-2-2010 Part-time maid required for an Indian family in Farwaniya, near fire station. Time from 1:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Please call 66267690. (C 20279) Full-time English speaking maid with own residency. Friday holiday. For English working adults with pets in Salwa. Tel: 97611015. (C 20286) 4-2-2010
MATRIMONIAL Looking for a suitable alliance from the parents of a born again girl, who is interested to serve the “Lord� in the ministry. Email: bcmchira@yahoo.co.in (C 20313) 10-2-2010 Seeking suitable marriage proposal from Roman Catholic girl, age 25, height 162cm, weight 62kg, fair, Dip. in computer application, Kannur. Working in Kuwait as data entry operator. Invites proposals from Roman Catholic Keralite boys only in age between 27 to 30 years. Preferably working in Kuwait. Salary should be as per family status. Email: arvi_jose@rediffmail.com (C 20300) 9-2-2010 Invited for Keralite RC boy, 30/170/BA/DME, working KRH Kuwait from professionally qualified girls. Email: abilashdk@gmail.com / abilashkaranath@yahoo.com (C 20238) 4-2-2010
SITUATION WANTED Indian female (MBA in HR), 10 years experience in HR/Administration, specializing in recruitments, PMS, MIS Reports & Admin functions. Well versed in computer applications. Please contact: 66634322. (C 20283) 10-2-2010 Indian maid seeking job on full-time or part-time basis preferably in Riggae. Contact: 99515956. 8-2-2010 Indian male, B.Com, MBA (finance) having four years Kuwait experience in accounting and investment seeking part-time job after 4:00 pm, fluent in English Arabic and Hindi with typing skill, proficient in MS-Office & Tally. Contact: 55492163, email: tvnasir@yahoo.co.in (C 20291) A Srilankan looking for work as messenger or driver. 11 years in Kuwait, fluent in English, Hindi and Arabic, good relationship with 40 embassies prefer embassies intl. companies. Contact: 55198931. (C 20289) 7-2-2010 Indian female (MBA in HR), 10 years experience in HR/Administration, specializing in recruitments, PMS, MIS reports & Admin functions. Well versed in computer applications. Contact: 66634322. (C 20283) 6-2-2010 An experienced Engineering Manager with a vast experience in the Middle East in the fields of Fire Protection, Safety, Project management, sales and maintenance seeks suitable placement. Contact email: apslgbl@gmail.com (C 20266) An MBA post graduate in finance with an experience of three years in Kuwait with a transferable visa, seeking suitable placement in the field of financial accounts. Please contact: 23982669. (C 20267) 3-2-2010
Arrival Flights on Wednesday 10/02/2010 Airlines Flt Route Time Jazeera 0263 Beirut 00:05 Tunis Air 327 Tunis/Dubai 00:10 Wataniya Airways 2011 Sharm El Sheikh 00:15 Royal Jordanian 802 Amman 00:35 Wataniya Airways 2103 Beirut 00:50 Gulf Air 211 Bahrain 01:05 Kuwait 544 Cairo 01:15 Jazeera 0513 Sharm El Sheikh 01:25 Turkish A/L 1172 Istanbul 02:15 DHL 370 Bahrain 02:15 Jazeera 0241 Amman 02:30 Emirates 853 Dubai 02:35 Etihad 0305 Abu Dhabi 03:00 Qatari 0138 Doha 03:25 Ethiopian 622 Addis Ababa/Bahrain 03:30 Air France 6770 Paris 04:35 Jazeera 0503 Luxor 05:35 Jazeera 0527 Alexandria 06:10 Kuwait 416 Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur06:25 Jazeera 0529 Assiut 06:30 Jazeera 0481 Sabiha 06:35 British 0157 London 06:40 Kuwait 206 Islamabad 07:40 Kuwait 352 Cochin 07:40 Jazeera 0161 Dubai 07:45 Kuwait 302 Mumbai 07:55 Kuwait 676 Dubai 08:10 Kuwait 362 Colombo 08:20 Emirates 855 Dubai 08:30 Kuwait 286 Chittagong 08:35 Arabia 0121 Sharjah 08:55 Qatari 0132 Doha 09:00 Etihad 0301 Abu Dhabi 09:35 Wataniya Airways 1121 Bahrain 10:45 Gulf Air 213 Bahrain 10:45 Jazeera 0447 Doha 11:00 Jazeera 0165 Dubai 11:05 Jazeera 0425 Bahrain 11:10 Wataniya Airways 1021 Dubai 11:20 Jazeera 0113 Abu Dhabi 11:20 Iran Air 619 Lar 11:50 Middle East 404 Beirut 11:55 Yemenia 825 Sanaa 12:35 Pakistan 239 Sialkot 12:50 Egypt Air 610 Cairo 12:55 Jazeera 0171 Dubai 13:05 Kuwait 672 Dubai 13:25 Wataniya Airways 2301 Damascus 13:35 Jazeera 0525 Alexandria 14:05 Jazeera 0257 Beirut 14:10 Wataniya Airways 2001 Cairo 14:20 Kuwait 552 Damascus 14:35 Kuwait 744 Dammam 14:40 Jazeera 0457 Damascus 14:45 Qatari 0134 Doha 15:00 Kuwait 284 Dhaka 15:10 Kuwait 546 Alexandria 15:30 Royal Jordanian 800 Amman 15:40 Jazeera 0173 Dubai 16:05 Emirates 857 Dubai 16:55 Gulf Air 215 Bahrain 17:05 Etihad 0303 Abu Dhabi 17:15 Saudi Arabian A/L 510 Riyadh 17:15 Jazeera 0239 Amman 17:35 Arabia 0125 Sharjah 17:40 Jazeera 0367 Deirezzor 17:45 Wataniya Airways 2101 Beirut 17:50 Jazeera 0497 Riyadh 18:00 Srilankan 227 Colombo/Dubai 18:05 United A/L 982 Washington Dc Dulles18:15 Jazeera 0427 Bahrain 18:15 Wataniya Airways 2003 Cairo 18:20 DHL 473 Baghdad 18:30 Wataniya Airways 1025 Dubai 18:40 Kuwait 542 Cairo 18:50 Kuwait 618 Doha 18:55 Kuwait 674 Dubai 18:55 Kuwait 166 Paris/Rome 19:00 Jazeera 0177 Dubai 19:05 Kuwait 614 Bahrain 19:20 Kuwait 774 Riyadh 19:30 Indian 575 Chennai/Goa 19:30 Kuwait 102 New York/London 19:35 Kuwait 562 Amman 19:40 Jet A/W 572 Mumbai 20:05 Wataniya Airways 1201 Jeddah 20:15 Oman Air 0647 Muscat 20:20 Saudi Arabian A/L 506 Jeddah 20:35 Jazeera 0459 Damascus 20:40 Gulf Air 217 Bahrain 21:05 Kuwait 786 Jeddah 21:10 Middle East 402 Beirut 21:20 Qatari 0136 Doha 21:35 Emirates 859 Dubai 22:00 Kuwait 502 Beirut 22:00 Jazeera 0449 Doha 22:10 Jazeera 0429 Bahrain 22:15 Global 081 Baghdad 22:20 Jazeera 0117 Abu Dhabi 22:25 Jazeera 0185 Dubai 22:40 Egypt Air 612 Cairo 22:45 Egypt Air 606 Luxor 23:00 Shaheen Air 441 Lahore/Karachi 23:05 Lufthansa 636 Frankfurt 23:30 Wataniya Airways 2201 Amman 23:40 Wataniya Airways 1029 Dubai 23:45 Wataniya Airways 1129 Bahrain 23:55 Pakistan 215 Karachi 23:55
Departure Flights on Wednesday 10/02/2010 Airlines Flt Route Time Egypt Air 607 Luxor 00:01 Jazeera 0528 Assiut 00:05 India Express 390 Mangalore/Kozhikode 00:30 United A/L 981 Washington Dc Dulles00:40 Tunis Air 328 Tunis 01:00 Indian 982 Ahmedabad/ Hyderabad/Chennai 01:05 Pakistan 206 Lahore 01:10 Bangladesh 044 Dhaka 01:15 Lufthansa 637 Frankfurt 01:20 Safi A/W 216 Kabul 02:30 Kuwait 283 Dhaka 02:55 DHL 371 Bahrain 03:15 Turkish A/L 1173 Istanbul 03:15 Emirates 854 Dubai 03:50 Etihad 0306 Abu Dhabi 04:10 Ethiopian 622 Addis Ababa 04:15 Qatari 0139 Doha 05:00 Air France 6770 Dubai/Hong Kong 06:20 Jazeera 0164 Dubai 07:00 Wataniya Airways 1020 Dubai 07:00 Royal Jordanian 803 Amman 07:05 Jazeera 0524 Alexandria 07:20 Wataniya Airways 2000 Cairo 07:30 Jazeera 0112 Abu Dhabi 07:35 Jazeera 0446 Doha 07:40 Gulf Air 212 Bahrain 07:45 Wataniya Airways 1120 Bahrain 07:50 Jazeera 0422 Bahrain 07:55 Wataniya Airways 2300 Damascus 08:10 Kuwait 545 Alexandria 08:30 Jazeera 0256 Beirut 08:35 British 0156 London 08:55 Jazeera 0170 Dubai 09:00 Kuwait 671 Dubai 09:00 Kuwait 551 Damascus 09:10 Jazeera 0456 Damascus 09:25 Arabia 0122 Sharjah 09:35 Emirates 856 Dubai 09:40 Kuwait 117 New York 10:00 Qatari 0133 Doha 10:00 Etihad 0302 Abu Dhabi 10:20 Kuwait 173 Frankfurt/Geneva 10:20 Wataniya Airways 2002 Cairo 11:30 Gulf Air 214 Bahrain 11:40 Kuwait 743 Dammam 11:55 Kuwait 541 Cairo 12:00 Jazeera 0172 Dubai 12:00 Wataniya Airways 2100 Beirut 12:05 Jazeera 0366 Deirezzor 12:20 Jazeera 0238 Amman 12:25 Kuwait 103 London 12:30 Iran Air 618 Lar 12:50 Middle East 405 Beirut 12:55 Yemenia 825 Doha/Sanaa 13:35 Pakistan 240 Sialkot 13:40 Egypt Air 611 Cairo 13:55 Wataniya Airways 1024 Dubai 14:25 Kuwait 673 Dubai 14:30 Kuwait 561 Amman 14:35 Jazeera 0496 Riyadh 14:40 Jazeera 0176 Dubai 15:05 Wataniya Airways 1200 Jeddah 15:10 Jazeera 0426 Bahrain 15:25 Jazeera 0458 Damascus 15:30 Kuwait 617 Doha 15:35 Kuwait 785 Jeddah 15:45 Kuwait 501 Beirut 16:10 Kuwait 773 Riyadh 16:10 Kuwait 613 Bahrain 16:20 Royal Jordanian 801 Amman 16:25 Qatari 0135 Doha 16:30 Gulf Air 216 Bahrain 17:55 Etihad 0304 Abu Dhabi 18:00 Emirates 858 Dubai 18:10 Arabia 0126 Sharjah 18:20 Jazeera 0262 Beirut 18:25 Saudi Arabian A/L 511 Riyadh 18:30 Jazeera 0184 Dubai 18:35 Jazeera 0116 Abu Dhabi 18:40 Wataniya Airways 2200 Amman 18:40 Global 082 Baghdad 18:50 Jazeera 0448 Doha 18:50 Jazeera 0428 Bahrain 19:00 Wataniya Airways 2102 Beirut 19:05 Srilankan 228 Dubai/Colombo 19:15 Wataniya Airways 1028 Dubai 19:30 Kuwait 361 Colombo 20:20 Kuwait 343 Chennai 20:50 Wataniya Airways 1128 Bahrain 21:00 Jet A/W 571 Mumbai 21:10 Oman Air 0648 Muscat 21:20 Kuwait 331 Trivandrum 21:25 Saudi Arabian A/L 507 Jeddah 21:55 Gulf Air 218 Bahrain 21:55 DHL 171 Bahrain 22:00 Kuwait 675 Dubai 22:10 Middle East 403 Beirut 22:20 Jazeera 0188 Dubai 22:30 Kuwait 203 Lahore 22:30 Qatari 0137 Doha 22:35 Kuwait 301 Mumbai 22:45 Emirates 860 Dubai 23:10 Jazeera 0636 Aleppo 23:20 Jazeera 0526 Alexandria 23:25 Egypt Air 613 Cairo 23:45 Jazeera 0502 Luxor 23:50 Kuwait 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:55
FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161
SPECTRUM
34 CROSSWORD 896
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Calvin Aries (March 21-April 19) Head down, hands in
motion, mind focused and you are able to get many things accomplished. Your creativity is inspired— make the most of it. If you have not decided what area you want to become involved with when it comes to volunteer work-think about that now. You have a lot of wisdom and a helpful attitude. Travel and other contacts with faraway people and places will play a bigger role for you. Travel may not be because you have decided to travel but because of work or your choice in volunteer work. Such things bring love and gain in one way or another. Doing just about anything with friends or family this evening will bring you much joy. If you are unattached, you could be viewing the opposite sex with renewed interest. Network often. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Imagination soars!
Awareness and insight into others’ minds is especially acute. Leave the tasks that call for close attention to detail for another day. You are prone to be deluded by another person today—be watchful! This is a most energetic time, filling you with a great desire to succeed. Working with partners in an open, honest environment can only bring good fortune to you. This is a time when both you, your friends and loved ones will experience tremendous, yet positive life changes. Financial transactions or investments are favored now. Escape the rigors of the daily grind with a good fantasy or romance novel later today. This evening is a good time to just rest and reflect on the things that make you feel grateful.
Pooch Cafe
ACROSS 1. A belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school. 4. Crowd or pack to capacity. 8. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers. 11. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (Aspirin and Phenacetin and Caffeine). 12. A cruel and brutal fellow. 13. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvettextured blooms and yielding a yellow dye. 14. A graphical record of electrical activity of the brain. 15. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike. 16. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix. 17. A radioactive element of the actinide series. 19. Being one hundred more than three hundred. 20. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens. 25. Large edible mackerel of temperate United States coastal Atlantic waters. 27. Strike with disgust or revulsion. 29. Having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number. 31. A metrical unit with unstressed-stressed syllables. 32. A small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun. 33. An honorary degree in science. 34. A small cake leavened with yeast. 40. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods. 45. Tastelessness by virtue of being cheap and vulgar. 46. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey). 47. Type genus of the family Myacidae. 48. The residue that remains when something is burned. 49. An official language of the Republic of South Africa. 50. An informal term for a father. DOWN 1. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy. 2. A detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work. 3. One millionth of a gram. 4. A closed sac that develops abnormally in some body structure. 5. Mythical bird of prey having enormous size and strength. 6. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth. 7. Large high frilly cap with a full crown. 8. Not divisible by two. 9. (astronomy) An indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels. 10. Jordan's port. 18. Naked freshwater or marine or parasitic protozoa that form temporary pseudopods for feeding and locomotion. 21. Electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field. 22. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group. 23. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum. 24. By bad luck. 26. (Akkadian) God of wisdom. 28. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer. 30. A logarithmic unit of sound intensity. 35. Type genus of the Anatidae. 36. A vessel in which something is immersed to maintain it at a constant temperature or to process or lubricate it. 37. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples. 38. Common Indian weaverbird. 39. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Republic of Chad or its people or language. 41. Not reflecting light. 42. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey). 43. The federal agency that insures residential mortgages. 44. A doctor's degree in dental medicine.
Gemini (May 21-June 20) It is a favorable aspect for financial dealings all day long. Your mind is clear and alert and anyone should understand just what you mean. Professional matters take your full concentration all morning—in the afternoon, you may feel a bit tired of all the problem-solving work issues. You tend to enjoy friendly conversations with co-workers during the working hours—careful. After work you can enjoy the appreciation you have of art, nature and music— perhaps, through a shopping mall. Life may seem richer, more satisfying and more fun—you feel a special bond with your friends and loved ones. Go out on a date with your special someone or invite friends over for the evening. You will make them all feel good!
Non Sequitur
Cancer (June 21-July 22) You have the motivation to tackle any problem or project that you want to work on today. However, being told to do something just now, may not sit very well with you. You may have some serious or contemplative moments however; you will tackle any problem-solving situation quite well—just take a deep breath and move forward. You find yourself in a very practical mood and working with, instead of against, yourself this afternoon. You have good discipline and you are pleased with the results of your efforts. Any excuse for a gettogether with friends later today will be welcome. You feel especially close to your loved ones and your desire to nurture and protect them is strong. Tonight, you may enjoy reminiscing over a few old family pictures. Leo (July 23-August 22) This week may bring about an end to many projects, especially large ones. You could be susceptible to partaking in activities that may not be favorable to success at the workplace. Try to avoid any romantic intrigues and keep your mind on your work. Use the time you have this afternoon to take full stock of your accounts and debts. Things may not be as bad as they seem. You take an active interest in improving the home or at least planning on the improvements you will want to make soon. This is a good time to try and foster a sense of togetherness and team play among family members. You should try hard at this time to squelch the desire to do everything by yourself. Get the family together and plant a tree.
Zits
Virgo (August 23-September 22) You may feel there is something missing from your professional life these days— regardless of how well you have been progressing. It may be time to reassess the balance between your professional and personal goals and the progress you are making with each one. This must be the balance that is right for you—there are no correct answers—but neither side should monopolize your life at the expense of the other. Be attentive to your own work today—there is a tendency to gloss over anything that needs special attention. This may include your own personal business dealings or purchases that may cause you to go in debt. You should work hard to make time for your family today. You will particularly enjoy the interactions with loved ones this evening. Libra (September 23-October 22) Teaching, public speaking and writing can be enjoyed throughout the rest of this month. Communication comes easily. You make all details clear. No one should misunderstand anything you say. There may also be an opportunity to catch up on paying bills, cleaning up paperwork, writing letters and perhaps, making phone calls. Your phone will probably be ringing anyway. There is an air of seriousness to all your dealings with partners. Also, you are concerned about the future of business and romantic associates. You may experience many situations when a new relationship begins, particularly one of a physical, loving nature. Additionally, this is a time when your powers of creativity are great.
Mother Goose and Grimm
Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Whatever feelings
underscore your life, will be felt strongly now. If you are going through a particularly trying time, this period could produce low energy levels. If this is the case, take it easy for a while—otherwise, you should have a burst of energy that will keep you going all month! Technologies that change the way people live—not just one person, but many—are soon to be a major new focus in your life. This could involve testing new inventions or putting the final change on some new communication systems. Finding better ways to be creative without creating any negative results is a plus as far as you are concerned. Today you may discover ways to help others see some of the nonsensical destructions we humans do to the environment. Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You are super-sensitive today and this can be rewarding or damaging, depending on how you handle it. If you focus on others, your understanding will enable you to fit into any group. This ability is helpful in any job. If, however, you are caught up in your own feelings, you are likely to see only what you want to see. In any event, save the decisions that require clear logic for another day. Emotional problems at home may seriously interfere with your career. Concentrate on the job at hand first! You show a great deal of interest in all family matters this evening, particularly about the general living environment. Further, you may wish to strengthen ties with your parents. A healing comes with a new understanding.
Yesterday’s Solution
Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Self-
yester
Yesterday’s Solution
to
INTERNATIONAL CALLS Kuwait Qatar Abu Dhabi Dubai Raas Al Khayma Al-Shareqa Muscat Jordan Bahrain Riyadh Makkah - Jeddah Cairo Alexandria Beirut Damascus Allepo
00965 00974 009712 009714 009717 009716 00968 009626 00973 009661 009662 00202 00203 009611 0096311 0096321
Tunisia Rabat Washington New York Paris London Madrid Zurich Geneva Monaco Rome Bangkok Hong Kong Pakistan Taiwan Bonn
0021610 002127 001212 001718 00331 004471 00341 00411 004122 0033 00396 00662 00852 0092 00886 0049228
Word Sleuth Solution
discipline and a sense of self-worth become important issues. A fear of asserting yourself can hold you back—as can coming on too strong. The trick is learning to make the most of your personal talents and abilities, working within your limitations instead of feeling hemmed in by them. This should be a very successful day. You feel good about your friends, your love relationship or about finding a new love relationship. The only things you do not feel good about is perhaps the work and self-discipline you must maintain. If you channel your energy well, you may decide that work and self-discipline have a place in your life. Only complain three times and then . . . no more. Tonight is a great time to get to know someone better. Aquarius (January 20- February 18) This is a great day to get things accomplished. Powerful energies spill into your life; in unpredictable ways. The decisions and actions that you take now will have long lasting effects. State your agenda logically and even those who may disagree will respect you. It is best to keep this interest in check today and avoid entering into any business transaction or relationship heedlessly just now. There is time for imagination and creativity when it comes to ideas and thinking. Strong-minded people are attracted to you and you to them. You enjoy the opportunity to stretch your thinking abilities. You may want to break that routine and try something new or different this evening. Weather permitting; get outside for a while this afternoon. Pisces (February 19-March 20) Your communicative abilities are accented at this time. You are able to sway others to your cause through speeches or clever arguments; for your thinking is most lucid and grasping. Your enthusiasm is high and your kind ways are ready to be applied to any help you are asked to give. If you give your best effort now, considerable success may follow. You feel vital; you feel good; you feel in harmony with yourself; the entire world and everybody in it. Others can feel this, so they in turn are drawn to you, making this a successful day for any kind of group endeavor. Companionship with others is most rewarding. Best of all, relations with the opposite sex are at a peak. This evening is a super time to go on a date, be married, or to be in love!
TV PROGRAMS
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
35
Orbit listings / Show listings AMERICA PLUS 00:00 Doctor Who 01:00 Life on Mars 02:00 Knight Rider 03:00 Dawsons Creek 04:00 Life on Mars 05:00 One Tree Hill 06:00 Heroes 07:00 Doctor Who 08:00 Inside the Actors Studio 09:00 Flash Forward 10:00 Knight Rider 11:00 Dawsons Creek 12:00 Heroes 13:00 One Tree Hill 14:00 Knight Rider 15:00 Life on Mars 16:00 Inside the Actors Studio 17:00 Flash Forward 18:00 Doctor Who 19:00 Heroes 20:00 Lie to Me 21:00 Law & Order 22:00 One Tree Hill 23:00 Rescue Me ANIMAL PLANET 00:50 Animal Cops Phoenix 01:45 Wild Dog Island 02:40 Untamed & Uncut 03:35 K9 Cops 04:30 Animal Cops Miami 05:25 Animal Cops Phoenix 06:20 Lemur Street 06:45 Monkey Business 07:10 RSPCA: On the Frontline 07:35 Dolphin Days 08:00 Wildlife SOS 08:25 Pet Rescue 08:50 Animal Precinct 09:45 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 10:40 RSPCA: On the Frontline 11:05 Animal Cops Phoenix 11:55 The Jeff Corwin Experience 12:50 Wildlife SOS 13:15 Pet Rescue 13:45 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 14:40 Wild Dog Island 15:35 Lemur Street 16:00 Monkey Business 16:30 Pet Rescue 16:55 Dolphin Days 17:25 Wildlife SOS 17:50 RSPCA: On the Frontline 18:20 Animal Cops Miami 19:15 Galapagos 20:10 Wolverine Revealed 21:10 Animal Cops Phoenix 22:05 Untamed & Uncut 23:00 Galapagos 23:55 Animal Cops Miami BBC ENTERTAINMENT 01:25 Coast 02:25 Ancient Rome 03:15 The Whistleblowers 04:05 Judge John Deed 05:35 Coast 06:35 Bargain Hunt 07:20 Balamory 07:40 Tweenies 08:00 Fimbles 08:20 Teletubbies 08:45 Yoho Ahoy 08:50 Tommy Zoom 09:00 Balamory 09:20 Tweenies 09:40 Fimbles 10:00 Teletubbies 10:25 Yoho Ahoy 10:30 Bargain Hunt 11:15 Coast 12:15 The Ship 13:15 The Weakest Link 14:00 Eastenders 14:30 Doctors 15:00 Bargain Hunt 15:45 Cash In The Attic 16:15 Blackadder the Third 17:15 The Weakest Link 18:00 Doctors 18:30 Eastenders 19:00 The Whistleblowers 20:00 Antiques Roadshow 21:00 The Weakest Link 21:45 Doctors 22:15 Eastenders 22:45 Goldplated 23:45 Casualty BBC LIFESTYLE 00:05 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 00:30 Masterchef Goes Large 01:20 Cash In The Attic Usa 01:45 Hidden Potential 02:10 Living In The Sun 03:00 New British Kitchen 04:00 Boys’ Weekend 04:30 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 05:15 Cash In The Attic Usa 05:45 Hidden Potential 06:10 Living In The Sun 07:10 10 Years Younger 08:10 Antiques Roadshow 09:00 Cash In The Attic Usa 09:25 Hidden Potential 09:45 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 11:30 Living In The Sun 12:20 Antiques Roadshow 13:10 10 Years Younger 14:00 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 15:40 Daily Cooks Challenge 16:30 Cash In The Attic Usa 16:50 Hidden Potential 17:10 Antiques Roadshow 18:10 10 Years Younger 18:50 Living In The Sun 19:40 Daily Cooks Challenge 20:40 Masterchef Goes Large 21:05 Come Dine With Me 22:00 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 22:50 The Clothes Show 23:40 Boys’ Weekend BBC WORLD 00:00 Bbc World News - U 00:30 Hardtalk - U 01:00 Business Edition With Tanya Beckett - U 01:45 Sport Today - U 02:00 Bbc World News - U 02:30 Asia Business Report - U 02:45 Asia Today - U 03:00 Bbc World News America - U 04:00 Bbc World News - U 04:30 Asia Business Report - U 04:45 Asia Today - U 05:00 Bbc World News - U 05:30 Asia Business Report - U 05:45 Asia Today - U
06:00 Bbc World News - U 06:30 Asia Business Report - U 06:45 Asia Today - U 07:00 Bbc World News - U 07:30 Hardtalk - U 08:00 Bbc World News - U 08:30 World Business Report - U 08:45 Bbc World News - U 09:00 Bbc World News - U 09:30 World Business Report - U 09:45 Bbc World News - 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 14:30 World Business Report - U 14:45 Sport Today - U 15:00 Gmt With George Alagiah - U 15:30 Gmt With George Alagiah - U 16:00 Impact Asia With Mishal Husain - U 17:30 World Business Report - U 17:45 Sport Today - U 18:00 Bbc World News - U 18:30 Hardtalk - U 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing - U 20:30 World Business Report - U 20:45 Sport Today - U 21:00 Bbc World News - U 21:30 World Business Report - U 21:45 Sport Today - U 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi - U 23:30 World Business Report - U 23:45 Sport Today - U BLOOMBERG 00:00 Street Smart with Carol Massar and Matt Miller 01:00 Charlie Rose 02:00 Morning Call 06:00 The Bloomberg Edge 07:00 Asia Confidential with Bernie Lo 09:00 Start-Up
14:30 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:10 16:35 17:00 17:20 17:45 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:20 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40
Mike, Lu & Og Time Squad Sheep In The Big City The Scooby Doo Show Hong Kong Phooey Popeye Classics Tom & Jerry Top Cat Wacky Races Dastardly And Muttley The Scooby Doo Show Johnny Bravo Dexter’s Laboratory Popeye The Perils of Penelope Pitstop King Arthur’s Disasters The Jetsons The Flintstones Looney Tunes Tom & Jerry The Scooby Doo Show Hong Kong Phooey Tex Avery
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
The House Bunny on Show Movies 10:30 Countdown 12:00 Briefing 13:00 FirstUp with Scarlet Fu 14:00 Inside Track with Deidre Bolton and Erik Schatzker 15:00 Inside Track with Deidre Bolton and Erik Schatzker 16:00 In the Loop with Betty Liu 18:00 InBusiness with Margaret Brennan 19:00 InBusiness with Margaret Brennan and Francine Lacqua 20:00 Bloomberg News 22:00 Charlie Rose 23:00 Street Smart with Carol Massar and Matt Miller BOOMERANG 00:00 Top Cat 00:25 Wacky Races 00:50 Dexter’s Laboratory 01:15 Johnny Bravo 01:40 Dastardly And Muttley 02:05 King Arthur’s Disasters 02:30 Popeye 02:55 Scooby Doo Where Are You! 03:20 Help! It’s the Hair Bear Bunch 03:45 Mike, Lu & Og 04:10 Time Squad 04:35 Sheep In The Big City 05:00 The Perils of Penelope Pitstop 05:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 05:50 Johnny Bravo 06:15 Dexter’s Laboratory 06:40 Popeye 07:05 The Jetsons 07:30 The Flintstones 08:00 Looney Tunes 08:25 Tom & Jerry 08:55 Popeye Classics 09:20 The Perils of Penelope Pitstop 09:45 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 10:10 Dexter’s Laboratory 10:35 Johnny Bravo 11:00 Dastardly And Muttley 11:30 The Flintstones 12:00 The Jetsons 12:25 Looney Tunes 12:50 King Arthur’s Disasters 13:15 Top Cat 13:40 Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo 14:05 Help! It’s the Hair Bear Bunch
09:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 10:05 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 10:30 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 10:55 Eliot Kid 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 The War Within - 18 03:00 Shallow Grave - 18 05:00 Where’s Marlowe? - 18 07:00 West Of Here - 18 09:00 Princess Mononoke - PG 15 11:30 When We Were Kings - PG 15 13:00 Cj7 - PG 14:30 Last Orders - PG 16:30 The Firm - PG 15
19:00 Janis - PG 21:00 Transamerica - 18 23:00 The Indian Runner - PG 15 CNN INTERNATIONAL 00:00 Connect the World 01:00 BackStory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 The Situation Room 03:00 World Report 04:00 World Business Today 04:30 World Sport 05:00 World Report 06:00 Anderson Cooper 360 07:00 World Report 07:30 Inside Africa 08:00 World Report 08:30 BackStory 09:00 World Report 10:30 World Sport 11:00 World Report 11:30 World Business Today 12:00 World Report 12:30 CNN Business Traveller 13:00 Larry King 14:00 World Report 14:30 World Sport 15:00 World Report 16:00 Amanpour 16:30 Talk Asia 17:00 World Business Today 18:00 International Desk 19:00 The Brief 19:30 World Sport 20:00 Prism 20:30 CNN Business Traveller 21:00 International Desk 22:00 Quest Means Business 23:00 Amanpour 23:30 World One DISCOVERY HD 00:40 Ultimate Survival 01:30 Mythbusters 02:20 Mega World 03:10 Extreme Engineering 04:00 American Chopper 04:55 Cool Stuff And How It Works 05:25 Alaska: Surviving The Last Frontier 06:15 Alaska’s Great Race 07:10 Smash Lab 08:00 Sunrise Earth International 08:50 1000 Places To See Before You Die 09:40 Mythbusters 10:30 How Stuff’s Made 11:20 Deadliest Catch 12:10 GT Racer 13:00 Chasing Cars 13:50 Alaska: Surviving The Last Frontier 14:40 Mythbusters 15:30 How Stuff’s Made 16:20 Smash Lab 17:10 1000 Places To See Before You Die 18:00 GT Racer 18:50 Street Customs 19:40 American Chopper 20:30 Chasing Cars 21:20 Alaska’s Great Race 22:10 Deadliest Catch 23:00 GT Racer 23:50 Street Customs DISCOVERY CHANNEL 00:00 Untamed & Uncut 01:00 Miami Ink 02:00 Street Customs Berlin 02:55 American Chopper 03:50 Chop Shop 04:45 Mythbusters 05:40 How Stuff Works 06:05 Ultimate Survival 07:00 Extreme Engineering 07:55 Chop Shop 08:50 Street Customs Berlin 09:45 How Do They Do It? 10:10 Mythbusters 11:05 Ultimate Survival 12:00 Destroyed in Seconds 12:55 How Do They Do It? 13:25 How Stuff Works 13:50 Fifth Gear 14:15 American Chopper 15:10 Miami Ink 16:05 Mythbusters 17:00 Ultimate Survival 18:00 Destroyed in Seconds 19:00 Street Customs 20:00 How Do They Do It? 20:30 How Stuff Works 21:00 Smash Lab 22:00 Time Warp 23:00 Mythbusters DISCOVERY SCIENCE 00:40 Mega World 01:30 Download: The True Story of the Internet 02:20 Eco-Tech 03:10 Discovery Project Earth 04:00 Beyond Tomorrow 04:50 NASA’s Greatest Missions 05:45 How Stuff’s Made 06:10 Green Wheels 06:40 One Step Beyond 07:10 Download: The True Story of the Internet 08:00 Scrapheap Challenge 09:00 NASA’s Greatest Missions 10:00 Sci-Trek 10:55 How Does That Work? 11:20 Stunt Junkies 11:50 Download: The True Story of the Internet 12:45 Mean Green Machines 13:10 One Step Beyond 13:40 NASA’s Greatest Missions 14:35 Sci-Trek 15:30 Engineered 16:25 How Does That Work? 16:55 Scrapheap Challenge 17:50 Brainiac 18:45 Mega World 19:40 How It’s Made 20:30 What’s That About? 21:20 How It’s Made 22:10 Mythbusters 23:00 How It’s Made 23:50 What’s That About? DISNEY CHANNEL 00:00 My Friends Tigger and Pooh 00:20 Handy Manny 00:45 Special Agent Oso 01:10 IMAGINATION MOVERS 01:35 Lazytown 02:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 02:25 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 02:45 Handy Manny
03:10 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:20 07:45 08:10 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:45 12:10 12:35 12:55 13:20 13:40 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:15 15:40 16:00 16:25 16:45 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:45 19:00 19:25 19:50 20:15 20:40 21:05 21:50 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35
Special Agent Oso Brandy & Mr Whiskers Fairly Odd Parents Hannah Montana I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas & Ferb Higglytown Heroes My Friends Tigger and Pooh Handy Manny Special Agent Oso IMAGINATION MOVERS Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Brandy & Mr Whiskers Fairly Odd Parents Hannah Montana I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas & Ferb Suite Life On Deck Replacements American Dragon Kim Possible Famous Five Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb Replacements I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana The Replacements Jonas Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance Hannah Montana Wizards Of Waverly Place The Suite Life of Zack & Cody The Replacements American Dragon Kim Possible Famous Five Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb
E! ENTERTAINMENT 00:15 Streets Of Hollywood 00:40 E!es 01:30 Extreme Hollywood 02:20 Sexiest 03:15 THS Investigates 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 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 THS 12:00 E! News 12:25 The Daily 10 12:50 Leave It To Lamas 13:40 25 Most Memorable Swimsuit Moments 15:25 Behind The Scenes 16:15 E!es 17:10 Kendra 18:00 E! News 18:25 The Daily 10 18:50 Streets Of Hollywood 19:15 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 19:40 E!es 20:05 Tempted 20:30 E!es 21:20 Perfect Catch 22:10 E! News 22:35 The Daily 10 23:00 Dr 90210 23:50 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties EXTREME SPORTS 00:00 Strikeforce 01:00 FIM World Motocross Championships 2008 02:00 Ride Guide Snow 2007 03:00 Strikeforce 04:00 FIM World Supermoto 2008 05:00 The Sorsa Project 06:00 Sacred Ride 07:00 FIM World Motocross Championships 2008 08:00 Sacred Ride 09:00 I-Ex Season 2 09:30 Ski P.I.G Series 2 11:00 Ride Guide Snow 2007 12:00 Sacred Ride 13:00 I-Ex Season 2 14:00 The Sorsa Project 14:30 Ticket To Ride 15:00 Ride Guide Snow 2007 16:00 Sacred Ride 17:00 I-Ex Season 2 17:30 Ski P.I.G Series 2 19:00 Fim World Motocross Championships 2009 20:00 The Sorsa Project 20:30 Ticket To Ride 21:00 I-Ex Season 2 22:00 Ride Guide Snow 2007 23:00 Fim World Motocross Championships 2009 MGM 01:15 Chattahoochee 02:45 Lost Angels 04:40 Keaton’s Cop 06:15 Sonny Boy 07:55 The King And Four Queens 09:20 The Secret Of N.i.m.h. 10:40 Brenda Starr 12:10 Far North 13:40 Master Of The World 15:20 Queen Of Hearts 17:10 Doc 18:45 Teen Wolf 20:15 Futureworld 22:00 Ulee’s Gold 23:50 Mannequin NAT GEO WILD HD 00:00 Guardians Of Nature 01:00 Hammerhead Highway 02:00 Hunter Hunted 03:00 Guardians Of Nature 04:00 Cheetah Blood Brothers 05:00 Dangerous Encounters 06:00 Thunder Beasts 07:00 Hunter Hunted 08:00 Guardians Of Nature 09:00 Hammerhead Highway
11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00
Law & Order Emmerdale Coronation Street Parkinson C.S.I: NY Law & Order 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street Law & Order Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice The Murdoch Mysteries Sex and the City
SHOW SPORTS 1 01:00 Premier League 17:00 Portugol 17:30 Futbrasil 18:00 Futbol Mundial 18:30 Premier League 22:30 Live Toshiba Special 23:00 Premier League
Happy Go Lucky on Super Movies 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00
Hunter Hunted Guardians Of Nature Killer Dragons World’s Deadliest Animals Penguin Death Zone Dangerous Encounters Monster Crocs World’s Deadliest Animals Penguin Death Zone Dangerous Encounters Monster Crocs World’s Deadliest Animals Bandits Of Selous Hunter Hunted
ORBIT NEWS 1 00:00 ABC Now Bell/ Good Money LIVE 00:30 ABC NOW N&W / Now you Know / ESPN 01:00 ABC NOW Top Line / Inside the Newsroom 01:30 ABC NOW Daily Download & Now You Know 02:00 ABC Nightline 02:30 ABC World News Live 03:00 NBC Nightly News Live 03:30 ABC World News (Tue) 04:00 NBC Today Show 07:00 NBC Nightly News (Tue) 07:30 ABC Nightline Live 08:00 ABC World News (Tue) 08:30 NBC Nightly News (Tue) 09:00 Newshour with Jim Lehrer 10:00 ABC Nightline 10:30 NBC Nightly News (Tue) 11:00 ABC World News Now Live 12:30 NBC Early Today Live 13:00 ABC America This Morning Live 14:30 NBC Early Today 15:00 NBC Today Show Live 19:00 ABC Now Money Matters / Bell 19:30 ABC NOW / Good Money 20:00 MSNBC Live Dr. NANCY 21:00 MSNBC Live Andrea Mitchell Reports 22:00 PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer 23:00 MSNBC Countdown w/K. Olbermann ORBIT NEWS 2 00:00 MSNBC Live The Dylan Ratigan Show 01:00 MSNBC Live Hardball 02:00 MSNBC News Live The Ed Show 03:00 MSNBC (As Live) Hardball 04:00 MSNBC Live Countdown w/K. Olbermann 05:00 MSNBC Live The Rachel Maddow Show 06:00 MSNBC (as live) Countdown w/K. Olbermann 07:00 MSNBC (As Live) The Rachel Maddow Show 08:00 MSNBC (As Live) Hardball 09:00 MSNBC (as live) Countdown w/K. Olbermann 10:00 MSNBC (As Live) The Rachel Maddow Show 11:00 MSNBC (As Live) The Ed Show 12:00 MSNBC (as live) Countdown w/K. Olbermann 13:00 MSNBC First Look (Live) 13:30 MSNBC Way Too Early w/W. Geist (Live) 14:00 MSNBC (taped) Hardball 15:00 MSNBC (taped) The Ed Show 16:00 MSNBC (taped) Countdown w/K. Olbermann 17:00 MSNBC Live The Daily Rundown 18:00 MSNBC Live 19:00 MSNBC Live 20:00 MSNBC (taped) Hardball 21:00 MSNBC (taped) Countdown w/K. Olbermann 22:00 MSNBC (taped) The Rachel Maddow Show 23:00 MSNBC Live PLAYHOUSE DISNEY 08:00 Special Agent Oso 08:25 Handy Manny 08:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:15 Imagination Movers 09:40 Chuggington 10:10 Handy Manny 10:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:50 Special Agent Oso 11:15 Imagination Movers
11:40 12:05 12:15 12:55 13:05 13:30 13:50 14:10 14:30 14:55 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:25 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:50 19:00 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:15 20:40 20:50 21:00
My Friends Tigger and Pooh Chuggington Special Agent Oso Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Little Einsteins Imagination Movers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Little Einsteins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jo Jo’s Circus Higglytown Heroes My Friends Tigger and Pooh Chuggington Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Chuggington Chuggington Imagination Movers Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Little Einsteins Handy Manny My Friends Tigger and Pooh End Of Programming
SHOW MOVIES 00:15 The House Bunny - 18 02:00 Stories Usa - PG 15 04:00 God Grew Tired Of Us - PG 15 05:45 Genghis Khan - PG 15 08:00 Surf’s Up - PG 10:00 Let Him Be - PG 15 12:00 Drillbit Taylor - PG 15 14:00 Lenexa. 1mile - PG 15 16:00 Surf’s Up - PG 18:00 Nights In Rodanthe - PG 15 20:00 300 - PG 15 22:00 Semi-Pro - PG 15 SHOW MOVIES ACTION 01:00 Pulse 3 - 18 03:00 Palermo Hollywood - 18 05:00 Lost - PG 15 07:00 Fire From Below - PG 15 09:00 Dragon Heart - U 11:00 Capers - PG 15 13:00 Missionary Man - PG 15 15:00 Dragon Heart - U 17:00 Art Of War Ii: Betrayal - 18 19:00 Fight Night - PG 15 21:00 Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead - PG 15 23:00 Rogue - PG 15 SHOW MOVIES COMEDY 00:00 My Cousin Vinny - PG 15 02:00 My Name Is Bruce - PG 15 04:00 Lucid - 18 06:00 High Heels And Low Lifes - PG 15 08:00 Sixteen Candles - PG 15 10:00 Taking A Chance On Love - PG 15 12:00 The Lonely Guy - PG 15 14:00 Daddy Day Camp - FAM 16:00 My Cousin Vinny - PG 15 18:00 The Other Half - PG 15 20:00 Fever Pitch - PG 15 22:45 Premier League 2009/10 FAM SHOW MOVIES KIDS 00:00 Yogi And The Invasion Of The Space Bears - FAM 02:00 Free Willy 2:the Adventure Home - FAM 04:00 My Dog Skip - FAM 06:00 Wall-E - FAM 08:00 Tom And Jerry: Blast Off To Mars - FAM 10:00 My Dog Skip - FAM 12:00 The Jungle Book Ii - FAM 14:00 Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home - FAM 16:00 Olsen Twins: Getting There FAM 18:00 Never Ending Story 2: The Next Chapter - FAM 20:00 Curly Sue - FAM 22:00 The Jungle Book II - FAM SHOW SERIES 00:00 C.S.I: NY 02:00 Every Body Loves Raymond 02:30 My Name is Earl 03:00 Sex and the City 04:00 C.S.I 05:00 Ally Mcbeal 06:00 Emmerdale 06:30 Coronation Street 07:00 Every Body Loves Raymond 07:30 My Name is Earl 08:00 24 09:00 C.S.I 10:00 Ally Mcbeal
Mid-Week
SHOW SPORTS 2 01:15 Premier League 05:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 05:30 Premier League Classics 06:00 World Sport 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 Premier League 09:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 09:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 10:30 World Hockey 11:00 Weber Cup Bowling 12:00 Super League 14:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 15:00 Barclays Premier League Highlights 16:00 Premier League Classics 16:30 Futbol Mundial 17:00 Weber Cup Bowling 18:00 Barclays Premier League Highlights 19:00 World Hockey 19:30 European Tour Weekly 20:00 Portugol 20:30 Premier League Classics 21:30 Premier League World 22:00 Futbol Mundial 22:30 Live Toshiba Mid-Week Special 22:45 Live Premier League SHOW SPORTS 3 01:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 01:30 Portugol 02:00 Fut Brasil 02:30 PGA European Tour 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Super League 09:30 Brazil League Highlights 10:00 Fut Brasil 10:30 World Sport 11:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 12:00 Barclays Premier League Highlights 13:00 Portuguese Liga 15:00 Futbol Mundial 15:30 Super League 17:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 18:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 19:00 Portugol 19:30 Fut Brasil 20:00 Super League 22:00 Premier League World 22:45 Live Premier League SHOW SPORTS 4 00:45 WWE Vintage Collection 02:00 NCAA Basketball 04:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 07:00 WWE Vintage Collection 08:00 UAE National Race Day 08:30 Iron Man 09:30 NCAA Basketball 11:00 Bushido 12:00 WWE Vintage Collection 13:00 FIA GT 15:00 Iron Man 16:00 FIM World Cup 16:30 UFC All Access 17:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 20:00 Live NCAA Basketball 22:15 Goals Goals Goals 22:45 Live Scottish Premier League SUPER MOVIES 01:00 Hunger - PG 15 03:00 Broken Lines - PG 15 05:00 The Visitor - PG 15 07:00 Act Of God - PG 09:00 All In - PG 15 11:00 Impact 1 - PG 15 13:00 Mamma Mia - PG 15 15:00 Living Proof - PG 17:00 Happy Go Lucky - PG 15 19:00 August Rush - PG 15 21:00 The Eye - R 23:00 Atonement - PG 15 TCM 01:00 03:25 05:00 06:40 07:10 08:00 09:40 11:15 12:55 15:00 17:30 19:25 23:00
The Dirty Dozen Jailhouse Rock Easy Money The Screening Room The Screening Room Key Largo On the Town Welcome to Hard Times The Unsinkable Molly Brown The Dirty Dozen All the Fine Young Cannibals Gone with the Wind Butterflies Are Free
THE HISTORY CHANNEL 00:40 Battlefield Detectives 01:30 Lost Worlds 02:20 Cities Of The Underworld 03:10 Deep Sea Detectives 04:00 Dogfights Of The Future 05:50 Battle Stations 06:40 Battlefield Detectives 07:30 Lost Worlds 08:20 Cities Of The Underworld 09:10 Deep Sea Detectives 10:00 Dogfights Of The Future 11:50 Battle Stations 12:40 Battlefield Detectives 13:30 Lost Worlds 14:20 Cities Of The Underworld 15:10 Deep Sea Detectives
Star Listings (UAE Timings) Star Movies 21:00 Guantanamero 22:25 Chapter 27 23:50 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers 01:45 Eyewitness 03:25 Lava Storm 05:00 Guantanamero 06:25 Chapter 27 07:50 The Simpsons Movie 09:15 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers 11:10 Lava Storm 12:45 Delirious 14:30 Total Eclipse 15:55 Super Troopers 17:30 Hackers 19:15 Hellhounds STAR 20:00 20:50 21:00 21:50 22:00 02:00 03:00 03:30 04:00
World Australia’s Next Top Model Charlie’s Angels Boston Legal Starsky & Hutch [V] Tunes 7th Heaven The Simpsons The King Of Queens Painkiller Jane
05:00 06:00 06:50 07:00 08:00 08:50 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:50 11:00 11:50 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 17:50 18:00 18:50 19:00
American Idol Bones Charlie’s Angels American Idol Australia’s Next Top Model Jackie Chan Adventures Worst Week The Bold And The Beautiful 7th Heaven Charlie’s Angels Bones Starsky & Hutch [V] Tunes American Idol The Simpsons The King Of Queens Painkiller Jane American Idol East West Charlie’s Angels The Unit Starsky & Hutch American Idol
Granada TV 20:30 Strange But True? (Series 4) 21:00 Diets From Hell
22:00 Emmerdale 22:30 Coronation Street 23:00 Diets From Hell 00:00 Parkinson (Series 6) 01:00 60 Minute Makeover (Series 3) 02:00 Romance Wednesday: Cold Feet (Double Bill) 04:00 Vroom Vroom (Series 2) 05:00 Emmerdale 05:30 Coronation Street 06:00 Parkinson (Series 6) 07:00 60 Minute Makeover (Series 3) 08:00 Romance Wednesday: Cold Feet (Double Bill) 10:00 Vroom Vroom (Series 2) 11:00 Emmerdale 11:30 Coronation Street 12:00 Parkinson (Series 6) 13:00 Coach Trip (Series 1) 14:00 Romance Wednesday: Cold Feet (Double Bill) 16:00 Emmerdale 16:30 Coronation Street 17:00 Parkinson (Series 6) 18:00 Coach Trip (Series 1) 19:00 Romance Wednesday: Cold Feet (Double Bill)
(Series 3)
(Series 3)
(Series 3)
(Series 3)
Channel [V] 22:00 [V] Plug 22:30 The Playlist 23:00 Loop 00:00 Backtracks 01:00 Double Shot 02:00 [V] Plug 02:30 The Playlist 03:00 Loop 04:00 [V] Countdown 06:00 Double Shot 07:00 Backtracks 08:00 Loop 09:00 [V] Plug 09:30 Double Shot 10:00 Backtracks 11:00 [V] Tunes 12:00 [V] Plug 12:30 The Playlist 13:00 Loop 14:00 Parental Control Double Bill 15:00 [V] Tunes 16:00 Backtracks 17:00 [V] Tunes 18:00 [V] Plug 18:30 The Playlist 19:00 Loop
20:00 21:00
Parental Control Double Bill [V] Tunes
Fox News 00:00 Happening Now 02:00 The Live Desk 04:00 Studio B with Shepard Smith Live 05:00 Your World with Neil Cavuto 06:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 07:00 Special Report with Bret Baier 08:00 The FOX Report with Shepard Smith 09:00 The O’Reilly Factor 10:00 Hannity 11:00 On the Record with Greta Van Susteren 12:00 The O’Reilly Factor 13:00 Hannity 14:00 On the Record with Greta Van Susteren 15:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 16:00 Fox Report 17:00 Special Report with Bret Baier 18:00 The O’Reilly Factor 19:00 FOX & Friends First Live 20:00 FOX & Friends Live 22:00 America’s Newsroom National Geographic Channel 20:00 Warplanes -Airplane To Air Force
21:00 Adventure Wanted -Rat Race Scotland S1-1 22:00 Wild Wednesday -Animal Autopsy : Crocodile 23:00 Theme Week -Myanmar’s Killer Cyclone 00:00 Seconds From Disaster -Bomb In Oklahoma City 3 01:00 ABOUT ASIA -Cooking The World : Thailand:The Delights Of Thai Cuisine 1 01:30 ABOUT ASIA -Word Travels : Thailand 10 02:00 Carrier -Controlled Chaos S1-2 03:00 Dam Beavers 04:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy -Australian Outback 05:00 ABOUT ASIA -Cooking The World : Thailand:The Delights Of Thai Cuisine 1 05:30 ABOUT ASIA -Word Travels : Thailand 10 06:00 Light At The Edge Of The World -The Wayfinders 07:00 Built For The Kill -Flying Insects 08:00 Carrier -Controlled Chaos S1-2 09:00 Wild Chronicles -18 09:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet -Catch Of The Day 12 10:00 Theme Week -Inside : Kung Fu Inc. 11:00 Seconds From Disaster -Bomb In Oklahoma City 3 12:00 ABOUT ASIA -Cooking The World : Thailand:The Delights Of Thai Cuisine 1
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SPECTRUM
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
M a d o nna ’s manager to be new Idol M
Andre cried on Kay’s shoulder
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ennifer Aniston’s birthday holiday was organized by Gerard Butler. The former ‘Friends’ star who has repeatedly been romantically linked to her ‘The Bounty Hunter’ co-star since they filmed the movie together last year - has revealed it was the 40-year-old Hollywood hunk’s idea to whisk her and a group of friends away to Mexico for her 41st birthday. Jennifer - who reaches the age tomorrow explained: “He said to me, ‘You come to Mexico all the time and Mexico is really hurting right now because of the swine flu and the drug trafficking and all of this sort of stuff but it’s not all of Mexico.’ “These people survive on us coming down and spending money and coming here to these beautiful places. It sort of made sense to say, ‘Hey, let’s help out Mexico.’ Let’s shout out to these kids in Tijuana at El Faro and have a good time. That’s sort of our birthday celebration this year.” The pair were joined
adopt Harvey, Kay asked me how I’d feel if Alex wanted to adopt my children. I really wasn’t expecting her to go down this route and I admit it completely threw me. My kids are my life and the thought of someone taking them away from me is my worst nightmare. She really hit a raw nerve and I just lost my composure. “The whole interview left me feeling very down and afterwards I just went straight home to be with the kids.” While the ‘Behind Closed Doors’ hit maker was shocked by the interview, he insists he wasn’t surprised when he heard Katie and Alex had married. Writing in his column for new! magazine, he added: “I didn’t know about the wedding beforehand, but I wasn’t surprised when it happened. So, I know it sounds a bit weird, but I was more shocked when Michael Jackson died than I was about this.”
Cox and Arquette to adopt a baby
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ourteney Cox-Arquette and David Arquette are thinking of adopting a baby. The couple whose five-year-old daughter Coco was conceived after they underwent in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment are looking into alternative ways of expanding their family because the 45-year-old actress is finding it “hard” to fall pregnant naturally. David said: “I don’t know. I mean, it takes a lot for us to do it, so maybe adoption. “Listen, I like practicing as much as possible! But it’s hard... I’m exhausted!” For the time being, the couple are focusing their attentions
on Coco and are amazed at how many of their personality traits she is already showing. David, 38, told US TV talk show host Bonnie Hunt: “She’s a little messy so that’s sort of on my side, but she’s very strongwilled which is very Courteney-like.” However, the youngster is showing no signs in wanting to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become an actress, as she is currently more interested in music. David added: “We got her a flute recently and she is just walking around pretending to play. We’re jammin’ a lot, a little Jethro Tull.”
Kelly Osbourne has painful bunions
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he presenter says she sympathises with Victoria Beckham - who is reportedly planning to have surgery to correct the affliction - because she also has problems with her feet, but is refusing to go under the knife to correct the deformity. Kelly told Closer magazine: “I can totally sympathise because I’ve got them too! I’ve had them since I was 16, but they’ve got much worse since ‘Dancing With The Stars’. “Like Victoria, I’ve been advised to have an operation, but there’s no way I could be in a wheel-
chair for six weeks. It would drive me nuts. So I’ll just have to put up with the pain. It annoys me if people think they’re gross - they’re common and quite normal.” Bunions are deformities of the bone and joint which affect the big toe and can be extremely painful. Victoria - who has sons Brooklyn, ten, Romeo, seven, and four-year-old Cruz with soccer star husband David Beckham - recently swapped her trademark high-heeled shoes for flip flops to reveal her misshapen feet during a family outing to Malibu. A source said:
“Victoria has spent most of her working life in towering stilettos so it’s little wonder her feet aren’t in mint condition.” The singer-turned-fashion designer has previously spoken about how she is happy to “suffer” in high-heeled shoes. She said: “Absolutely, heels make my feet hurt. Absolutely! I’m not going to lie. But no pain, no gain, as they say. I don’t mind. I will suffer. I don’t wear heels every day, but when I’m out, that’s how I feel confident.” — BangShowbiz
on the trip by their celebrity friends Courteney CoxArquette, Jason Bateman, Sheryl Crow and Kathy Najimy. The group soaked up the sun on a boat and stayed at the One and Only Palmilla resort in Cabo San Lucas. Last month, Jennifer and Gerard reignited romance rumors after they were seen getting close backstage at the Golden Globe Awards. The actress has now praised the “lovely” actor for his “self-deprecating” manner. She told ‘Access Hollywood’ presenter Billy Bush: “He’s a guy’s guy, but he’s absolutely lovely and sort of self-deprecating. What you see is what you get. We look at work the same way... we always have each other’s back.” Despite enjoying her birthday celebrations, Jennifer is seemingly in denial about hitting 41, she joked: “Mmm 31, pssh. It’s quite lovely I have to say. Hitting 30 was a hump but, you know, 31 is fabulous. It really does get better doesn’t it?”
Alba wants to star in a Bollywood movie
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eter Andre cried on TV after being confronted by his “worst nightmare”. The singer - who broke down while being interviewed by Sky News presenter Kay Burley on the day it was revealed his exwife Katie Price had married Alex Reid - insists he lost control of his emotions when forced to consider the possibility the cage fighter would want to take on the care of his children Junior, four, and Princess Tiaamii, two, in the same way he looked after Harvey, Katie’s seven-year-old son from a previous relationship with soccer star Dwight Yorke. He explained: “Many people jumped to the wrong conclusion and thought I was crying because Katie has married Alex, but nothing could be further from the truth. I was crying because after showing me some footage of Dwight Yorke saying how disrespectful it was of me to want to
Aniston’s birthday organized by Butler
adonna’s manager is being lined up to replace Simon Cowell on the ‘American Idol’ judging panel. Guy Oseary - who is also Chairman of the ‘Celebration’ singer’s label Maverick Records, which has also released LPs by The Prodigy, Alanis Morissette and Deftones in the US - is said to be the favorite to succeed Simon when he leaves the show after the current series. Although Guy is the frontrunner he still faces competition from singer-and-actor Jamie Foxx and former Sony music boss Tommy Mottola - the ex-husband of Mariah Carey - for the judging job. A source said: “Guy has been in the music business since Madonna discovered him when he was 17, and he has a lot of the same experience as Simon. “His competition just can’t live up to his level of experience and the people behind the show are slowly starting to realize it.” Jamie admitted it is unlikely he would be able to find the time in his schedule to appear on ‘American Idol’ and he may not be able to “fill Simon’s shoes”, while show bosses are worried Tommy could be an even fiercer critic of the pop wannabes than Simon. The source added to the New York Daily News newspaper: “People really only know him as Mariah Carey’s big bad ex. And producers are worried he’ll even be harsher on contestants than Simon was.” Guy - who has made cameos in several films, including ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and ‘You Don’t Mess With the Zohan’, and authored four books including ‘Jews Who Rock’- is keen on the job because he wants to raise his public profile. The source said: “He was thrilled to hear Fox is considering him. He thinks it would be great for his image. And it’s great exposure to boot.”
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he ‘Fantastic 4’ star - who has a 19month-old daughter Honor Marie with husband Cash Warren - has fallen in love with Indian films and would love the chance to show off a different side to her acting talents. She said: “Hindi films are very dramatic. They are colorful. And I love the singing and dancing bit. I would love to act in one of them.” Despite her fascination with its movies, Jessica, 28, admits she has never been to India, but is planning a trip there and wants to see as much of the country’s culture as possible. She told DNA India: “India is a beautiful country I have never visited but would love to travel around and see the country soon. It will be a lot of fun.” During her travels, Jessica hopes to make new friends and says loyalty is one of the most important factors in building a lasting relationship with someone. She explained: “Loyalty goes a long way. It is about being open and loving to people you care about, regardless of what they could offer you. It’s not lacking just in Hollywood, I think in the world.”
SPECTRUM
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
37
Lifestyle
Berlin film festival rolls out 3-D red carpet Buyers at the Berlin film festival will be seeing triple this year, as 3D productions such as “Avatar” transform the global cinema industry. The head of the festival’s nineday European Film Market, Beki Probst, said the event would move to harness the new demand by offering for the first time digital 3-D screenings to industry honchos. “We have rented a movie theatre that is not on Potsdamer Platz (the festival venue) but on the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard-a prestigious cinema that is wellknown and equipped for a true 3-D experience, complete with the glasses,” Probst told AFP ahead of the start of the festival tomorrow. Probst has presided over a major of expansion of the European Film Market since 1988, which has become a key event for the buying and selling of international rights to new releases. Industry insiders say the success of rights-trading in
Berlin helped propel the festival to become the clear number two in Europe behind Cannes, well ahead of Venice which has no market. Film is one of the few sectors that did not see sales plummet in the global recession, and blockbusters such as James Cameron’s science fiction 3-D opus “Avatar” have provided another strong shot in the arm. While the depth-perception technology has been around for years, the technological leaps behind the success of “Avatar” and the animated “Ice Age 3”, which was released in 2-D and 3-D, have propelled it into a new orbit. The Oscar-nominated “Avatar” — believed to be the most expensive motion picture made-has now grossed more than two billion dollars worldwide. And it has convinced global audiences that the latest three-dimensional technology can transform the viewing experience. Cinemas
Picture taken on September 2, 2009 shows visitors wearing three-dimensional (3D) glasses watch a 3-D trailer during a press conference of Japanese electronics company Sony at the IFA (Internationale Funkaustellung) Consumer Electronics Trade Fair, at Berlin’s fair ground on September 2, 2009. —AFP
worldwide are re-equipping for new 3-D releases from major US studios such as Dreamworks and Pixar including the hotly anticipated “Alice in Wonderland” by Tim Burton, due out in March. For its part, the Market in Berlin will spotlight between 10 and 12 new 3-D productions this year, Probst said. While she acknowledges that 3D has sent a jolt of excitement through the industry, Probst is leery of huge Hollywood movies squeezing out the kind of independent productions for which Berlin is most famous. “There is a kind of cannibalization by the big productions,” with box office champs punting little movies out of cinemas, said Probst, who owns movie theatres in Switzerland. “While it’s right to say ‘cinema is doing well’ you have to ask who is doing well. How many ‘Avatars’ or ‘Ice Ages’ can you have in a year?” She added that production
money was noticeably drying up, leading to fewer international releases. “But that’s not a bad thing because in recent years, too many films were produced. There was inflation, due in part to all the public subsidies,” she said. “Certain films should never have been produced. There are films that never found an audience.” The Market itself is in rude health, she said, with 410 firms signed up to attend, compared to 408 last year, and 127 new names coming mainly from the United States, Britain, Germany and France, many of them Internet start-ups. But she said the wheeling-and-dealing of past years had grown a bit more sober in the economic crisis. “The days where contracts were signed on the corner of the restaurant table are over,” Probst said. “Now people no longer buy with their eyes closed, they haggle over the price.” —AFP
Indian police promise extra security for new Bollywood film ecurity will be increased at cinemas for the Indian release of the latest Shah Rukh Khan film after a row between the actorproducer and a hard line Hindu nationalist party, police said testerday. Mumbai police’s joint commissioner for law and order, Himanshu Roy, said officers could be deployed to the 63 theatres in the city showing “My Name Is Khan”, while checks will be made on cinema-goers. “We will provide the security as long as it is required,” he told a news conference in the city after meeting multiplex owners concerned about possible attacks by activists from the Shiv Sena organization. “There will be a high level of frisking and personal checking before they are allowed to enter into theatres,” he added, but refused to go into exact details about the security arrangements. Director Karan Johar, who also attended the meeting, told reporters the police had assured the delegation of “full security” for the screenings. “The movie will be released on the scheduled date and advance bookings are open nationwide,” he added. “My Name Is Khan”-about a man with Asperger’s Syndrome living in San Francisco who falls in love with a Hindu woman against the backdrop of the fallout from the September 11, 2001 attacks-hits screens on Friday.
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Dr Conrad Murray makes an appearance in court as he faces arraignment in the Los Angeles County Superior Airport Courthouse. —AFP
Jackson doctor out on bail, back for April hearing ichael Jackson’s doctor must return to court for the next major step in his case-finding out for the first time the evidence that the prosecution believes will show that his “gross negligence” was the direct cause of the pop star’s death. Dr Conrad Murray pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of involuntary manslaughter and a judge released him on $75,000 bail. Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz ordered Murray to turn in his passport and said he could travel within the US but not to any foreign country. The prosecutor had suggested he might flee to his native Grenada or to Trinidad, where he has a child. Murray was ordered to return April 5 to have another date set for his preliminary hearing. That proceeding, a virtual mini-trial, will disclose the evidence prosecutors maintain will demonstrate Murray’s “gross negligence.” Murray is accused of giving Jackson a
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fatal dose of an anesthetic to help him sleep. Jackson died June 25. If convicted, the doctor could face up to four years in prison. Schwartz told Murray he was restricting his practice of medicine, barring him from using any anesthetic agent, specifically the drug propofol which a coroner’s report found was the cause of Jackson’s death with other drugs as contributing factors. “I don’t want you sedating people,” the judge said. Immediately after the hearing, Latoya Jackson issued a statement saying she believed her brother had been murdered and that others besides Murray were involved in his death. “I will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served,” Latoya said. She was in court along with siblings including, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Randy. Her father Joe Jackson expressed the same views Monday night in an interview on Larry King Live
and claimed that his son believed he was going to be murdered. He did not elaborate. As he left the courtroom, the family patriarch said, “We need justice.” Outside the Los Angeles airport area courthouse, about 50 Michael Jackson fans carried large photographs of the superstar and signs urging, “Justice for Michael.” Many were the same fans who had stood vigil during the 2005 trial at which Jackson was acquitted of child molestation. Some shouted “murderer” when Murray was brought to court. Murray recently reopened his office in Houston after months of waiting to be charged while his bills piled up. A representative of the state attorney general’s office said the California Medical Board would be filing a motion to revoke Murray’s medical license to practice in California while he awaits trial. Deputy District Attorney David Walgren tried to convince the judge to impose a high bail of $300,000. —AP
Haiti record is century’s fastest UK seller verybody Hurts”, organized by pop supremo Simon Cowell in aid of victims of the Haitian earthquake, has become the fastest-selling British charity single of the century with over 200,000 sales in just two days, the Official Charts Company said on Tuesday. It is also set to have one of the biggest first week sales of any single since 2000. Martin Talbot, the company’s Managing Director, said: “This is a phenomenal achievement. The public are certainly not showing any signs of charity fatigue.” Everybody Hurts was originally written and recorded by American rock band REM. It was rerecorded for Haiti with a line-up including Alexandra Burke, Cheryl Cole, James Morrison, JLS, Kylie Minogue, Leona Lewis, Michael Buble, Mika, Robbie Williams, Rod Stewart, Susan Boyle and Take That. It was not the first time that Everybody Hurts has been used for charitable purposes. —Reuters
Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party activists vandalize a poster of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s new film ‘My Name is Khan’ in Mumbai, India, yesterday. —AP
The release has been overshadowed by the Shiv Sena’s objections to Khan’s comments regretting the absence of any Pakistani players in the forthcoming Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament, which begins next month. Khan’s parents were born in what is now Pakistan and he part-owns IPL outfit the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Shiv Sena has been a
Jolie to visit Haiti with UN refugee body he UN refugee agency says its goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie is heading to Haiti to meet with earthquake victims. The Hollywood star spoke with hospitalized Haitian survivors in the neighboring Dominican Republic on Monday. UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said Jolie would travel to Haiti later Tuesday. He provided no details of her planned itinerary for security reasons. Jolie has previously visited Iraq, Thailand, Pakistan and other countries with UNHCR. —AP
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(Sacrifice), which showed the actress Kareena Kapoor from behind and apparently naked from the waist up. Previous targets have included Mumbai-born cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar-for saying he was proud of his roots but was Indian first-and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan after his wife said she preferred to speak Hindi. A campaign was also launched against Peshawar-
bor n screen legend Dilip Kumar when he received Pakistan’s highest civilian award. The Shiv Sena has recently threatened to target Australian cricketers playing in the IPL because of a series of attacks on Indian students Down Under. Khan has so far refused to apologize for backing the participation of Pakistani players in the IPL and defended his patriotism. —AFP
Pitt, Jolie sue British newspaper over split claims ollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are suing a British newspaper over claims they were considering a multi-million-pound split, their lawyers said in a statement
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US actress Angelina Jolie poses next to doctors and nurses at Dario Contreras Trauma Center in Santo Domingo. —AFP
self-styled promoter of “Maharashtrian pride” for nearly four decades, championing the rights of people from the western Indian state over “outsiders” and the local language Marathi, often with violence. The organization is also vocally anti-Muslim and sees itself as a defender of traditional Hindu moral values. L ast November, activists defaced promotional posters for the film “Kurbaan”
In this May 20, 2009 file photo, Brad Pitt, right, and Angelina Jolie arrive on the red carpet for the film ‘Inglourious Basterds’, during the 62nd International film festival in Cannes, southern France. —AP
received Tuesday. The weekly News of the World tabloid reported last month that the unmarried stars had visited a lawyer in December, and had agreed a deal on dividing their assets and access to their children. “The publication of these false allegations is being treated as a serious misuse of private information and accordingly a claim form has... been issued in the High Court of Justice in London,” said Schillings lawyers. The British paper’s story was picked up by a number of international news outlets, some of which cited US divorce lawyer Sorrell Trope as representing the couple, dubbed “Brangelina” by the press. But Trope denied any links with them, according to comments cited by Schillings. “I have had no contact from.., Angelina Jolie and/or Brad Pitt. I have never met your... clients or had any involvement with either of them. The foregoing is true with respect to all other members of this firm,” he said. Schillings also alleged that the News of the World story breached the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) code of practice requiring media to “take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information”. Lawyer Keith Schilling said the newspaper had rebuffed efforts to resolve the matter without going to court. “The News of the World has failed to meet our clients’ reasonable demands for a retraction of an apology for these false and intrusive allegations which have now been widely republished by mainstream news outlets,” he said. “We have advised them to bring proceedings which they have now done.” The News of the World, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News International group and one of Britain’s biggest-selling papers which regularly publishes scoops about celebrities, made no comment on the legal action. —AFP
Musicians Ben Harper, Don Was, Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh and actress Barbara Bach attend the 2401st Hollywood Walk of Fame Star ceremony honoring musician Ringo Starr. —AFP
Ringo Starr honored with Walk of Fame star star for former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame Monday evening during a whimsical ceremony that also marked the 50th anniversary of groundbreaking on the sidewalk attraction. Starr’s name was the 2,401st to be unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “This is the start of the next 50 years of stars,” he said outside the Capitol Records building. “I’m proud to be the first one.” The Walk of Fame also includes individual stars for the drummer’s former Beatles bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison. Last month, rock legend Roy Orbison was honored with a star. “It’s cool to get one at night,” said Starr. “I don’t know about you, but where I live, the stars come out at night.” The Beatles as a group were given a star in 1998. Those by Starr’s side for the unveiling included actress-wife Barbara Bach, musicians Joe Walsh and Ben Harper, producer Don Was, director David Lynch and actor Noah Wyle. The Hollywood Walk of Fame attracts an estimated 10 million visitors annually to the 18-block stretch lining Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce conceived the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1953 in an effort to return glamour to the decaying neighborhood at time when the film and television industry was on the decline. “We’ve seen positive changes,” said Hollywood Chamber of Commerce senior vice president Bill Farrar. —AP
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Fashion
Track your goals bead by pretty bead f you have a fitness or health goal, you are likely counting something reps, whole-grain servings, glasses of water, workout sessions per week, calories. That’s the epiphany that came to Oakland University graduate Chelsea Charles Gossett seven years ago as she plugged away on a treadmill, reading a women’s magazine advising people to journal to reach their health targets. “But that’s not always convenient,” she thought at the time. And so an idea was born: What if there was something women could wear that would serve as motivation and also
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keep track of their goals? Charles Gossett, 29, launched Count Me Healthy Jewelry in late 2008. The bracelets come with various themes, but each features 12 sterling silver beads that slide along a silver band. The beads stay in place once moved, allowing wearers to keep track of how many strokes they’ve taken on the golf course or how many laps they’ve run around the track. They gained national attention when NBC’s “Today” featured one in a roundup of helpful health products last January. Now, the one-time market-
Chelsea Charles Gossett, 29, launched Count Me Healthy Jewelry in late 2008. The bracelets come with various themes, but each features 12 sterling silver beads that slide along a silver band. —MCT
ing director for Volkswagen in Auburn Hills, Mich, has taken what was a hobby-designing jewelry-and made it a career. The bracelet is patented and trademarked, sold online (www.countmehealthyjewelry.c om) and in retailers across the country. It sells for $88. Charles Gossett says, “It’s a tool. It’s a beautiful tool and a constant reminder to be healthy.” Her newest themed bracelet is called “Helping Hearts,” just in time for February and American Heart Month. The etching on the beads has a heart imprint, and 25 percent of the proceeds go
to Women Heart, the National Coalition of Women with Heart Disease, which helped with the design. The bracelets will be worn in a Women-Heart event in Times Square later in the month. “If you look at heart disease and even cancer, there are things that can help prevent itthose healthy rituals you do daily for prevention,” Charles Gossett says. “You can count heart-healthy super foods on Count Me Healthy, for instance.” Novi, Mich, resident Terri Taylor has two bracelets. She uses one to count exercise ses-
In this image released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia, yesterday, top Malaysian model Amber Chia poses in a jungle covered in painted tiger stripes, as she appears next to the words ‘Keep Wild Animals Free, Boycott Zoos’ in a sexy new ad for the animal rights group. —AP
Corporate gal becomes handbag designer lly Losness had a dream. She would graduate from University of San Diego with her degree in communications and get a high-powered corporate job. Out of college, the San Clemente, Calif., resident became the marketing and communications specialist for a toll road company in San Diego. But the job wasn’t what she expected or trained for. Plus, she never knew when she could see her boyfriend at the time, pro surfer and globetrotter Mike Losness.
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her travels. Her label, Moda Viajando, means “traveling fashion” in Spanish, a subject Losness minored in during college. She uses canvas, leather and snakeskin and is favoring prints such as ikat and tie dye. Most retail for less than $100, and most are clutches. “Bags are so great. Anybody can wear them. There’s no sizes,” Losness said. “If you’re having a fat day or a gross day, you can throw on a cute bag and feel great.” She considers clutches an easy way to “punch up” an
Ally Losness designs handbags from her home studio.
The Moda Viajando label is sewn in the handbag designs of Ally Losness shown at her home’. —MCT photos He would invite her to accompany him to places such as Bali or Egypt “but I wasn’t just going to follow him,” said Ally Losness, 25, who married him last year. “I wanted to go on my own terms.” Those terms became clear on a trip to Vietnam in 2007 — she would design, make and sell her own handbags inspired by
outfit and doesn’t mind the lack of convenience (most have an optional shoulder or wrist strap anyway). But Losness also likes to keep on trend, too. Her next collection will likely include pouch bags, which were seen on the Spring 2010 runways. “I’m a little bohemian with an edge of preppy,” she said. “It’s a
conflicting style because I’m exposed to so many.” Despite having the penmanship of a “2-year-old boy,” Losness sketches her designs and takes them with her to Bali, Indonesia, where her bags are made. She selects fabrics and has samples made before she decides what to produce for sale. “I think proportions will make or break a bag,” she said. “You can change something by 2 inches and it’ll give it the look.” Losness really cherishes the business side of what she does, too. One of her favorite tasks is picking up her boxes, containing a couple thousand of her bags, from the airport after returning from Bali. Alongside crews of burly men with cargo trucks, she’ll be accompanied
with just her husband or her dad and perhaps a Suburban to carry the merchandise home. Moda Viajando is sold at Orange County, Calif., boutiques. Older styles are sold on the Moda Viajando Web site, http://modaviajando.com/. Losness has now expanded beyond selling bags in boutiques. Today she works with brides and makes clutches for their bridesmaids, and she makes lingerie. She also receives requests to manufacture bags for other companies under their label. Although she knows she wants to grow Moda Viajando, Losness has learned from her experience in the corporate world to stay open-minded about the future. “I almost got here on the no-plan plan. I like to be free with where I can end up.” —MCT
A board holds items of inspiration as Ally Losness designs handbags.
sions. The other is a golfthemed bracelet. Taylor is the president of the metro Detroit chapter of the Executive Women’s Golf Association. She says wearing the bracelets has changed her habits. “Exercise is something I started doing after I got the bracelet,” says Taylor, 51. “I wasn’t doing too much, and I met Chelsea, and she’s such a fit woman, and that was part of my inspiration. Now I do Pilates and yoga and also work out at a gym on the elliptical and weights. Any of those count as one exercise.” On the golf course, Taylor counts her strokes, or just her
putts. She says she likes how the bracelets encourage accuracy in keeping score. They can also encourage truth-telling for those who might sabotage their diets or fitness goals by lying to themselves about their actions, Charles Gossett says. “I’m held accountable because of the product,” says Charles Gossett, who lives in Memphis, Mich. As for what she counts? She wears three and counts glasses of water, workouts per week, and her personal vicesweetener packets. “I’m a Splenda addict,” she says. “I drink way too much coffee and tea.” —MCT
Price and Ried to throw a huge wedding party
atie Price is throwing a huge party to celebrate her wedding to Alex Reid. The former glamour model who married the cage-fighter in a Las Vegas hotel last week - is planning a lavish bash in Britain for their family and celebrity friends who were disappointed not to be invited to their secret ceremony. Alex - who won UK reality TV contest ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ days before they flew to the US - revealed: “We went to Vegas for the wedding because we really did want to keep it private and not have the whole of the press following our every move. “People have said it’s a shame that lots of our loved-ones weren’t at the wedding, but we are going to have a big party with them back in the UK soon.” Although the ceremony itself was fairly simple, the pair celebrated their wedding night at a strip club with a few of their closest friends, including Alex’s best man Josh Hathaway, Katie’s agent Diane Colburt and her two gay best friends Gary Cockerill and Phil Turner, who gave her away. Alex wrote in his column for Britain’s Star magazine: “So, me and Katie have done it - we’re married! I feel incredibly happy. After winning ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ and then this, I’ve had the best week of my life. “I don’t want to go into too much detail but Katie, of course, looked stunning. “To celebrate the wedding, we went to the Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club. A mate of mine owns it and he said to come along. So we did! It was a real laugh - a bit tongue in cheek and, of course, we had loads of champagne there. But it wasn’t just topless girls - the gay mafia were out in force, too - and it was actually a nice sort of family atmosphere. It was a big night, as you can imagine!” The pair even hired a butler in the days following their wedding to look after their every need. He said: “We stayed in the penthouse suite at the Planet Hollywood hotel, which is like three apartments in one. Our room had the best view across the strip and our bed was enormous - like a football pitch! And we had a butler on call at all times. I’m so lucky and feel very blessed at the moment.” —Bang Showbiz
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Beckham’s ‘Sexy’ ringtone ictoria Beckham has Right Said Fred’s ‘I’m Too Sexy’ as her mobile phone ringtone. The former Spice Girl’s husband, soccer star David Beckham, decided to “take the p**s” and change the settings on her handset so the 90s pop anthem blasts out every time she receives a call. She told Love magazine: “It was David who set my phone up to play Right Said Fred. Honestly - he’s trying to take the p**s and I can’t change it because I’m rubbish with phones.” Instead, the singerturned-fashion designer is lef t shame-faced when her phone goes off in a public place. She explained: “I’ll be at the gym and suddenly I’ve got Right Said Fred playing and I’m mortified.” The 35-year-old star who has sons Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, seven, and four-year-old Cruz with David - also revealed although the couple are very happy together they don’t always share the same passions. While she spends her days discussing her love for fashion and clothes, the 34-year-old sportsman tries to stick to much more masculine topics of conversation. She explained: “I’m just happy to have someone who wants to talk to me about fashion. Normally, David’s like, ‘Stop it, I don’t want to talk about clothes anymore! I want to talk about motorbikes and tattoos.’ —Bang Showbiz
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Fashion
Andre Leon Talley ndre Leon Talley will help crown “America’s Next Top Model.” The over-the-top 60-year-old Vogue editorat-large will join Tyra Banks, photographer Nigel Barker and a weekly guest judge on the panel of the 14th season of the CW modeling competition (premiering March 10), the
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Models present creations by Pakistani designer Faisal Akram during a fashion show in Islamabad on Mondy. Various Pakistani designers showcased their work on the catwalk showing fashion inspired by traditional designs. —AFP photos
Pakistani designer Usman Shahid
Pakistani designer Rameez Jabbar
Pakistan fashion show
Andre Leon Talley to judge ‘Top Model’
Pakistani designer Hania Malik
network announced Monday. Previous “Top Model” judges have included runway coach J Alexander and supermodel Janice Dickinson. Talley, a veteran fashionista, is a regular in the front row at fashion shows in New York, Paris, London and Milan.—AP
www.kuwaittimes.net
Singers Al-Huraibi, Kfouri to perform at Layali Febrayer Festival KUWAIT: Popular singer Abdulrahman Al-Huraibi expressed joy at being able to occupy center stage with the stars of the Layali Febrayer Festival this year. “This is one of the best moments in my life. I thank the organizers of this successful festival which was held for the second consecutive year,” said Al-Huraibi. He will be participating in the third concert being held as part of the festival held next Thursday. Al-Huraibi will share the limelight with three veteran singers: Nabeel Shuail, Asala, and Abu Baker Salim. He noted that the competition was strong . “I must prepare for it. I have
prepared many surprises for my fans, which I am going to present during the concert,” he added. Abdulrahman Al-Huraibi is the son of the famous Kuwaiti singer Saleh AlHuraibi. His brother Ahmad AlHuraibi is also a singer. He musical career began in 2001 and has released three musical albums. He participated in the Hala February Festival in 2005, in addition to participating in the Arab Song Festival in Cairo. He is known for his romantic renditions. The very popular Lebanese singer Wael Kfouri will also be participating in the Layali Febrayer Festival this year. He will be performing at the fourth concert held next Friday night at the Ice Skating Rink. Kfouri is
excited to be in Kuwait again and participate in this important musical festival. Kfouri has been missing from stage concerts in Kuwait for a while. “I missed the Kuwait audience who are known for their good taste, and I’m happy to be here again. Singing in this popular festival is a gain for any singer as it helps spur his popularity. Also, the relationship between the two countries Kuwait and Lebanon is solid and old,” he noted. He considers himself lucky enough to be able to participate in this festival. “My absence during the past period was not a deliberate decision to upset fans in Kuwait. My visits to Kuwait were not interrupted in any manner, I was busy performing at some private
Lebanese singer Wael Kfouri
By Nawara Fattahova
parties,” he added. The singer is always looking out to introduce innovative concepts to his music videos.”As soon as I finish one musical album, I immediately start preparing for a new one. Sometimes when I like a certain song, I produce and release it as a single. This way I am able to keep in touch with my fans. Now I’m, in fact, preparing to release my new album.” Wael Kfouri was trained under his father at a very young age. In 1992, he participated in a talent show named ‘Studio Al Fan’ and won the gold medal, which brought him instant stardom. He has since participated in different musical festivals held across the Arab world.
Abdulrahman Al-Huraibi
Looking for lasting love? It’s not all looks and laughs ingles looking for love put too much emphasis on looks and passion in trying to find their perfect match, according to research released ahead of Valentine’s Day. An analysis by online dating website eHarmony shows what people find attractive in a possible partner may not be the same qualities that will make the relationship successful, which is a lesson learned by those who have been married. For example single women aged under 45 were 13 times more likely than married women under 45 to stress the importance of feeling passion and desire toward their partners. Single women aged over 45 were nearly twice as likely to stress the importance of love, compared to their married peers who were more likely to cite companionship. “We know what we are attracted to. It is very easy to see. But the challenges of finding someone attractive can cloud over what is very important across the long haul,” said Gian Gonzaga, a senior director of research and development at the California-based company. eHarmony compared the responses of 598,000 users registered on its website, some who had been previously married and some never married, about the qualities sought in a potential partner. Never-married singles tended to put more emphasis on physical appearance, passion and personality in a partner,
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People walk beneath a display of red lanterns at the Temple of the Earth (Ditan) Park in Beijing, displayed for the coming Lunar New Year celebrations, Chinaís most important holiday season also known as Spring Festival, which begins on February 14. —AFP
while formerly married singles focused on a person’s beliefs, values, emotional intimacy and skills at resolving conflict, as well as sexual compatibility. “The study showed that singles tend to focus on the emotional aspects of a relationship and don’t focus as much on the skills and requirements that are necessary to make a long-term relationship stronger,” said Gonzaga. An accompanying survey of 2,020 adults in the United States by Opinion Research Corporation for eHarmony, which was founded in 2000 and is available in Canada, Australia and Britain, supported the findings, according to Gonzaga. “It’s great to be passionate about your partner but if you’re not compatible, if you don’t share important underlying characteristics, you are going to bump into problems down the road,” Gonzaga added. Valentine’s Day is among the busiest periods of the year for online dating sites, according to Greg Blatt, the CEO of the online dating website of Match.com, which operates in 24 countries and 15 languages. “The need for love and companionship is always there but I think there are certain periods in the calendar where people who aren’t in a relationship and want to be feel it especially profoundly,” he said. “It tends to be during the end of year holidays through Valentine’s Day into the spring. That is when our membership surges the most.” —Reuters
Contemporary auctions aim to cement art recovery There’s only love at new Beijing supermarket C
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more than 1,000 clients and successfully matched more than 50 couples. The supermarket-essentially a dating service that offers avenue where singles can meet-only charges a 20 yuan ($3) registration fee. Members list their names, ages, income and occupation, along with a picture, and this profile is available for others to view. They are also asked what they would like in a partner. Gao Shan, the supermarket’s manager, said the concept was inspired by people’s need to
meet in a safe, friendly and relaxing environment, and by the negative experiences some singles have had using Internet dating services. “The love supermarket was not created to satisfy a holiday need,” she said. “It was created so that singles can have the opportunity to leave behind their single life.”
Many single Chinese complain that hectic work and school schedules in the highly competitive society leave them with little time to socialize, Gao said. Clients such as Qu Hui, a 25-year-old teacher, said the supermarket had given her hope to find Mr Right, as well as some much-needed friends. “I wish I could find my better half, that is my greatest hope. But if that doesn’t happen, I hope I can use this place to meet more friends. After all, I am a teacher, so the people that I can meet and socialize
with are very limited,” she said. Some clients such as government employee Wang Jiaohong were encouraged to sign up to the so-called love supermarket by mothers eager for their children to marry. “My ideal woman would be someone who I can get along with, who is kind-hearted, and who is responsible. My mother says that the reason why I haven’t found her yet is because I’m too picky,” said 35-year-old Wang. “But in reality, I believe it’s because I just haven’t yet found my match. There are however some outstanding women here.” Chinese women living in the cities may not have enough time to look for partners, but men have more to worry about. More than 24 million Chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without spouses in 2020, state media has reported, citing a study that blamed sex-selective abortions as a major factor. The study, conducted by the government-backed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, named the gender imbalance among newborns as the most serious demographic problem faced by the country’s 1.3 billion population. A traditional preference for boys, exacerbated by China’s one-child policy, means many expectant parents are willing to pay for illegal ultrasound checks to determine the sex of their baby, and abort a female foetus. — Reuters
ArtTactic research group said it had returned to levels last seen in the autumn of 2007. “Both the primary and auction market confidence are now in positive territory, signaling that we could see a further uplift in the market from current levels,” it said. “However, uncertainty about the sustainability of the global economic recovery remains.” Christie’s sold art worth just 8.4 million pounds at its equivalent auction in 2009, but estimates that it will bring in 26.3-38.3 million pounds tomorrow. Sotheby’s fared better in early 2009, raising 17.9 million pounds at its evening sale in February.
New York leads way The sharply higher numbers are partly explained by contemporary sales in
HE Three Wishes restaurant in Sherborne will be holding its famous pancake race in Cheap Street later this month. The fun race will take
T Pancake race set for Cheap Street
or Chinese singles in the market for love this Valentine’s day, a Beijing supermarket may offer just what they’re looking for. The “I’m Looking For You” market opened in November 2009, for the China’s unofficial “Singles Day” which is marked on the 11th of that month. Since then, the supermarket has attracted
onfidence has surged back into the art market faster than predicted, and although contemporary values were hit hard by the credit crunch, auctioneers are confident that this week’s sales will cement the recovery. A week after a new world auction record of $104.3 million was set for a Giacometti statue, rival powerhouses Christie’s and Sotheby’s hold post-war and contemporary sales in London which are expected to eclipse last year’s disappointing levels. But questions remain over the strength of the global economic recovery, and over whether post-war and contemporary works on offer have the same rarity factor as recent old master, modern and impressionist auctions. In its latest survey of confidence in the US and European contemporary sector, the
place on February 16 at 11am and proceeds from the race will be donated to Sherbor ne Rugby Club which is raising money to build a new clubhouse. Local businesses are once again encouraged to enter teams to win
New York in November, where Christie’s sold $74.2 million worth of art and Sotheby’s $134.4 million. Those results already suggested that the financial crisis, which knocked contemporary values and deterred sellers, was already over for wealthy collectors who view art as an investment opportunity or an aesthetic choice, or both. Art experts believe that, frustrated at limited returns in some markets, millionaires and billionaires have been attracted to physical commodities ranging from gold to paintings. With Chinese tycoons joining the recent Russian rush into art, added to private and institutional buying from the Middle East where major new museums are opening, confidence is returning to pre-crisis levels, they believe.
prizes for their work mates and also as the date falls during half term, school children are invited to take part for the first time, and can enter teams from their school. The Three Wishes head chef Brett Sutton said: “Last year the numbers involved were fantastic, we had so many entrants that we had to have three heats and I almost ran out of frying pans! “On Shrove Tuesday we hope to see even more people taking part and as schools can now get involved we may even have a separate race for children with their own special prize!” Fastest flipper 2010 will win a tea party at The Three Wishes for a group of six! Entry into the race will cost only £1 per person on the day with pancakes and frying pans provided. The Three Wishes will also be selling pancakes all day with proceeds going to Sherborne Rugby Club. —thewestcountry.co.uk
In December, Christie’s sold the most expensive lot of 2009, a Raphael, for $47.9 million, a record for any work on paper. And last week Sotheby’s notched the overall auction record of $104.3 million for Giacometti’s stick-thin statue “L’homme qui marche I” (Walking Man I), beating the previous top lot of $104.2 million for a Picasso painting set in New York in 2004. And as prices rise, the supply of topquality art tends to increase to match it. “This is our first major auction of postwar and contemporary art in 2010, and we are encouraged to be able to match the strong demand with an increased level of supply as vendors continue to gain confidence,” said Francis Outred, head of post-war and contemporary art at Christie’s in Europe. —Reuters
A Naga Sadhu, or naked Hindu holy man, participates in a procession during the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, India, yesterday. The Kumbh Mela, touted as the largest religious gathering in the world, is celebrated every three years, rotating among four Indian cities. —AP