17 Feb

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

40 PAGES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010

RABI ALAWAL 3, 1431 AH

Taleban bombs hinder Afghan offensive

Eritrea ‘not for sale’ to Iran, Israel PAGE 3

NO: 14643

Death be proud: Cyril Wecht, the man in the morgue

Rooney inspires United to first win in San Siro

PAGE 13

PAGES 11

PAGE 20

Kuwait limits kafeel control TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks with media during a press conference at the presidency yesterday. — AP

Iran to respond to any new sanctions Ahmadinejad warns powers TEHRAN: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday any country that tried to impose new sanctions on Iran would regret its actions, as the United States and Russia voiced shared concern about Tehran’s nuclear program.

Ahmadinejad was speaking a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought oil giant Saudi Arabia’s support to help win Chinese backing for additional sanctions. Clinton said a new round of sanctions should target Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. “Iran will retaliate ... of course, if somebody acts against Iran our response will definitely be firm enough...(to) make them regretful,” Ahmadinejad told a news conference, without elaborating.

“Sanctions will not harm Iran.”

A joint letter from the United States, Russia and France expressed concern about Tehran’s nuclear work and said its decision to escalate uranium enrichment rather than implement a nuclear fuel swap - was unjustified. Ahmadinejad said talks were still under way on the proposed fuel exchange and the issue was not yet closed. He did not give details, but Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu

was visiting Tehran on Tuesday to try to salvage the UN-brokered uranium exchange deal amid growing calls for new sanctions against Iran. “We have passed our own original proposals. We have brought up some ideas to unlock the impasse,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin told Reuters in Ankara.

Wester n powers had hoped the proposal, brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, would result in Iran sending most of its low-enriched uranium abroad for processing and ease their concerns that it might build a nuclear bomb. Iran, the world’s fifth-largest crude expor ter, says its nuclear program is solely to generate electricity so it can export more of its oil and gas.

“The case is not yet closed...we have already announced that we are ready for a fuel exchange within a fair framework. We are still ready for an exchange, even with America,” Ahmadinejad said. But he added that such a swap should take place inside Iran, a likely non-starter for the West.

Continued on Page 14

Govt moves to replace sponsor system

By Khaled Abdullah KUWAIT: Kuwait has begun taking serious steps to replace the existing kafeel (Kuwaiti sponsor) system by adopting executive measures, including a recent ministerial decree allowing expatriate workers who stay three years in Kuwait to transfer to new sponsors without having to take permission from their current ones.

Minister of Social Affairs and L abor Mohammad AlAfasi yesterday stressed the significance of finding practical solutions to the problems of foreign workers at private firms and maids. He was speaking to reporters following a meeting with members of a permanent committee in charge of regulating the conditions of expatriate workers at private firms and domestics.

“A fresh vision needs to be set out for such problems as a prelude to taking it to the Cabinet for further deliberations and then approval,” the minister told the committee, while requesting it to find practical substitutes to the kafeel system.

Al-Afasi said the meeting discussed the conditions of foreign workers whose services were terminated after the completion of certain government projects. He added that this segment of expat workers, totaling 6,000, is facing arrest warrants and deportation orders. “The meeting also considered how to find fresh alternatives to the sponsor system in collaboration with Continued on Page 14

150 FILS

Barrak urges Busairi to sack KAC chief

By B Izzak KUWAIT: Opposition MP Musallam Al-Barrak yesterday stepped up pressure on the chairman of Kuwait Airways Corp Hamad Al-Falah by calling on the communications minister to sack him over his controversial reports.

Barrak said in statements that af ter Communications Minister Mohammad AlBusairi denied Falah’s allegations that maintenance of the KAC fleet was not up to the required standards, the minister should act and dismiss him.

The lawmaker said the minister recently visited the maintenance center of KAC and insisted that safety standards at the carrier was very high, thus contradicting a report by Falah who doubted safety measures at KAC and provided false information to

the minister. Earlier in the week, Barrak said that Falah had sent a report to the minister warning of doubtful maintenance procedures at KAC aircraft.

Barrak said that he held a meeting yesterday with the minister who assured him that an independent committee will be formed soon to investigate the affairs of the national carrier including the report of its chairman. He said that the report must be carefully investigated to establish the main aim behind the allegations and “I am certain the aim is to weaken the position of KAC” ahead of the privatization program.

The minister said on Monday that he will form an independent committee to probe into reports by the Audit Bureau which highlighted many violations committed Continued on Page14

Zain eyes huge gains from Africa ops deal KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets outstanding Kuwaiti students at the Bayan Palace yesterday. — KUNA (See Page 4)

Top Taleban chief nabbed ISLAMABAD: The Taleban’s top military commander has been arrested in a joint CIAPakistani operation in Pakistan in a major victory against the insurgents as US troops push into their heartland in southern Afghanistan, officials said yesterday. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s No. 2 leader behind Afghan Taleban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and a close associate of Osama bin Laden, was captured in the

southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, two Pakistani intelligence officers and a senior US official said. One Pakistani officer said Baradar was arrested 10 days ago with the assistance of the United States and “was talking” to his interrogators.

Baradar is the most senior Afghan Taleban leader arrested since the beginning of the Afghan war in 2001 following the Sept11 terror attacks in the United States. His capture

represents a significant success for the administration of President Barack Obama, which has vowed to kill or seize Taleban and Al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It follows the ramping up of CIA missile strikes against militant targets along the border between the two countries that have reportedly killed many midlevel commanders.

Continued on Page 14

KUWAIT/NEW DELHI: Kuwaiti telecoms firm Zain said yesterday it would pocket up to $5 billion from the planned sale of African assets to Bharti Airtel for an enterprise value of $10.7 billion and use the rest to pay down debt, sending its shares soaring.

Under the agreement, Bharti is to pay 10 billion dollars when the deal is completed and the remaining 700 million dollars one year after it is signed, Zain said in a statement on Kuwait Stock Exchange’s (KSE) website.

The sale of operations in 15 African nations will increase company shareholders’ equity by nine billion dollars, it added. “After paying certain commitments, the company expects to achieve returns of up to five billion dollars,” the statement said.

But Bharti, India’s biggest mobile networks operator,

said yesterday the total likely payout to Zain would be about $9 billion after clarifying that the $10.7 billion figure includes the assumption of $1.7 billion of debt. “If the deal goes through Zain will be a winner and will concentrate on Arab countries.

They will have liquidity for other opportunities,” said Mustafa Behbehani, director at Gulf Consulting Co in Kuwait. Zain’s plans for the cash underscored how far the Kuwait-based firm extended itself with acquisitions in Africa and how the proposed sale to Bharti will give it a possible war chest to consolidate in the Middle East.

Richard Barker, analyst at Credit Suisse, said that a $5 billion profit was possible, depending on three things.

“Firstly, they get the full price.

Continued on Page 14

Dubai seeks global dragnet over killing

CAIRO: Women look at one of the coffins of King Tutankhamun at the Egyptian museum on Monday. — AP

Frail boy-king Tut died from malaria, broken leg CAIRO: Egypt’s famed King Tutankhamun suffered from a cleft palate and club foot, likely forcing him to walk with a cane, and died from complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria, according to the most extensive study ever of his more than 3,300-year-old mummy. The findings were from two years of DNA testing and CT scans on 16 mummies, including those of Tutankhamun and his family, the team that carried out the study said in an article to be published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

It also established the clearest yet family tree for Tut, indicating for the first time that he was the child of a brother-sister union. The study said his father was most likely

Akhenaten, the pharaoh who tried to revolutionize ancient Egyptian religion and force his people to worship one god. The mummy shown by DNA to be that of Tut’s mother also turned out to be a sister of Akhenaten, though she has not yet been identified.

Tut, who became pharaoh at the age of 10 in 1333 BC, ruled for just nine years at a pivotal time in Egypt’s history. While a comparatively minor king, the 1922 discovery of his tomb filled with stunning artifacts, including the famed golden funeral mask, made him known the world over. Speculation had long swirled over why the boy king died at such a young age.

Continued on Page 14

DUBAI: Dubai police appealed for an international manhunt yesterday af ter releasing names and photos of an alleged 11-member European hit squad accused of stalking and killing a Hamas commander last month in a plot that mixed cold precision with spy caper disguises such as fake beards and wigs. The case - as presented by Dubai authorities - rings of clockwork espionage and detailed planning that included suspects riding the same elevator as Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh before he was slain in an ambush-style attack in a luxury hotel room that took no more than 10 minutes.

But questions emerged about the list of suspects after Dubai authorities released pictures, names and passport photos identifying them as six Britons, three Irish and one each from France and Germany. Ireland said the three alleged Irish citizens on the wanted list do not exist. In Germany, officials said the passport number give by Dubai for the lone German suspect is either incomplete or wrong. Other elements also challenged the narrative presented by Dubai authorities, including how investigators pieced together the evidence pointing to an alleged European assassin team. Or why such an apparently wellplanned operation would forget about the country’s wide-

ranging security cameras.

At least three people who live in Israel share names with suspects identified by Dubai police, Israel’s Channel 2 news reported. Another man named as a suspect holds dual British-Israeli citizenship. Those connections are likely to encourage Hamas and others to press their claims that Israel’s Mossad secret service masterminded the slaying. Hamas has vowed revenge.

Al-Mabhouh, one of the founders of Hamas’ military wings, had been wanted by Israel for his role in the 1989 kidnapping and killing of two Israeli soldiers on leave something that was acknowledged by Hamas last month.

Days after his body was found on Jan 20, Israeli officials also pointedly accused AlMabhouh of helping smuggle rockets into the Gaza Strip, the coastal territory ruled by Hamas. Officials outside Dubai, however, said at least two Palestinians linked to the case were in Dubai custody, leaving Hamas and its Palestinian rivals trading bitter accusations.

Meanwhile, doubts were raised about some suspects’ identities. In Dublin, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs said it could not find the three suspects in passport records and the numbers listed were counterfeit because they have Continued on Page 14

JEDDAH: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives autographs to students at the Dar Al-Hekma college for women during a “town hall” meeting in this Red Sea port city yesterday. — AFP

Clinton warns of nuclear arms race in Middle East Saudis want immediate Iran resolution JEDDAH: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Saudi college students yesterday that if Iran gets a nuclear weapon it could trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. “Then you have all kinds of opportunity for problems that can be quite dangerous,” she said. Clinton spoke at an allwomen’s college in Jeddah called Dar AlHekma, which translates in English to “House of Wisdom.” Her appearance at the college was highly unusual in a conservative Muslim nation.

Clinton ticked off a list of Iranian actions that she said violated its obligation not to pur-

sue nuclear weapons, including construction of a uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom that came to light last fall. “You have to ask yourself, ‘Why are they doing this?’”

Clinton said. Noting that Iran insists it is not pursuing the bomb, she said, “The evidence doesn’t support that.” “Everyone who I speak with in the Gulf, including the leaders here and leaders elsewhere in the region, are expressing deep concern about Iran’s intentions,” she said. Clinton also called Iran “the largest supporter of terrorism in the world today.” She Continued on Page 14

2

NATIONAL

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

‘A land of opportunities’

Lesotho’s king seeks mutually beneficial alliance with Kuwait

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: King Letsie III of Lesotho yesterday visited the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) to “seek a mutual and beneficial partnership with Kuwait.” During his visit, King Letsie III thanked Kuwait for the warm welcome accorded to him and his

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receiving the Georgian Prime Minister Nikoloz Gilauri at the Kuwait International Airport yesterday. — KUNA

Georgian PM visits Kuwait KUWAIT: The Prime Minister of Georgia, Nikoloz Gilauri and the accompanying delegation arrived in the country yesterday for a two-day official visit, at the invitation of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The Georgian prime minister was received at Kuwait International Airport by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, First Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. He was also received by the

Deputy Premier for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Rashed Abdulmohsen Al-Hammad, Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, Head of the honorary mission accompanying the Georgian PM, Advisor at H.H. the Premier’s Diwan Sheikh Dr. Salem Jaber AlAhmad Al-Sabah, and a number of Al-Sabah family members, Ministers, Governors and top army, police and national guards’ leaders, in addition to Deputy Head of the diplomatic mission in the Embassy of Somalia in Kuwait, and top officials in H.H. the Premier’s Diwan and Ambassadors of both states. — KUNA

Court orders compensation for raped student KUWAIT: The Supreme Court has ordered the Kuwaiti Minister of Education Moudhi Al-Humoud to pay KD 30,000 in compensation to the parents of a school pupil who was sexually assaulted by a cleaning worker at the school. The rapists were initially sentenced to death for the offense, but the court overturned this, changing the sentence to life imprisonment, reported AlAnba.

Nawaf Sari Al-Mutairi, the lawyer for the victim’s family, said that the minister should take personal responsibility for the assault, adding that the court’s ruling is a clear message that those who do not meet their responsibilities will be penalized.

He emphasized that Lesotho’s state and private sectors are eager to explore trade and investment opportunities in Kuwait as well. “We envisage that trade between our two countries will be based on the principle of comparative advantage,” he continued, adding, “We know that the State of Kuwait is rich in oil, the most valuable natural resources, but Lesotho has an abundance of water and is a land of opportunities which you may wish to explore.”

King Letsie III noted that Lesotho encourages foreign direct investment, which he said can provide tremendous economic incentives for investors. He mentioned that his country’s membership of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a 15-member body, is a clear testament to its commitment towards regional groupings, as well as to strengthening business communities and development worldwide. The SADC’s other members include Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“The SADC enjoys approximately more than 200 million consumers,” said King Letsie III, adding, “We are signatories to the FTA agreement.” The monarch promised that his government is ready and committed to protect and guarantee Kuwaiti ventures in Lesotho.

The Lesothan ruler also praised the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), of which Kuwait is a member. “Like the SADC, GCC countries seek to consolidate market across the Gulf region,”

he said. “It is also equally important to share skills and experiences between our two business communities, especially in the form of small and medium enterprises. There is no doubt that our relations will continue and be further strengthened.”

On his part, KCCI chairman Ali Mohammed Thunayan AlGhanim warmly welcomed His Majesty King Letsie III and his delegation to the Chamber of Commerce.

Al-Ghanim reiterated that the Lesothan monarch’s presence is an obvious expression of that country’s commitment and trust to its partnership with Kuwait.

“Your Majesty, you can be assured of our commitment and cooperation to strengthening our business partnership,” said the KCCI head. “Our political relations are more than excellent, but unfortunately our economic relations are very limited. We hope, however, that with your visit, we can improve our ties and eventually enhance our cooperation in trade and business.”

Earlier in the day, King Letsie III visited the National Museum of Kuwait where he was accompanied by the Amiri Diwan Advisor Khaled Yousef Al-Fulaij.

The 30,000-kilometer Kingdom of Lesotho, which is only slightly larger than the US state of Maryland, is surrounded entirely by the Republic of South Africa.

According to US Central Intelligence Agency statistics, the Lesotho population stood at two million as of July 2009. Its capital and largest city is Maseru.

accompanying delegation when they arrived the previous day on a three-day official visit, which aims to bolster relations between Lesotho and Kuwait. “We are indeed humbled by your country’s hospitality,” he said in his speech at the chamber, adding, “Our main objective is to seek a mutual beneficial partnership between our two brotherly countries.”

KUWAIT: King Letsie III is being welcomed here at the chamber by KCCI chairman, Thunayan Al-Ghanim. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: King Letsie III signing visitors log book at the KCCI yesterday.

NATIONAL

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

3

Eritrea ‘not for sale’ for Iran, Israel President Afewerki denies support of Al-Qaeda

By Adnan Al-Rashid and Mohammad Al-Hussaini KUWAIT: Kuwait has provided Eritrea with diplomatic, political, media and material support, said the Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, in an interview conducted by Al-Anba newspaper in the Eritrean coastal city of Massawa. He praised the historical, strong nature of the relationship shared between both the countries. “It’s important, at the same time, to assert the strength of the Kuwaiti - Eritrean relationship here. Our independence could not have been achieved without Kuwaiti support,” he underscored.

Eritrea faces main issues on the global scene, including accusations of supporting Al-Qaeda in the Horn of Africa region, the Iranian and Israeli interference in their affairs, the country’s interference in the affairs of Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Kenya, and conflict with Ethiopia.

Afewerki replied candidly to the questions posed to him during the interview. He explained how his country ‘is not put for sale either for Iran or Israel,’ stating at the same time that the United States has “failed to learn their lessons from the ditches it has previously fallen into.” He accused the United States of holding campaigns against Eritrea despite its commitment to ensure the region’s stability.

While he asserted that his country was placed on the right track on human development and accused the United Nation’s report as being ‘misleading.’

Afewerki addressed his country’s lack of commitment to the democratic process, “Democracy as per America’s demands has paved the way for troops to be stationed in Somalia, Sudan, Kenya and other countries.”

On the rivalry between his country and Eritrea, Afewerki rejected any form of mediation between the two countries to discuss on border issues, adding that the only solution is to coerce Ethiopia into committing to the results of the court rule with were made in favor of Eritrea. He further accused the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, and his government of attempting to ‘export’ their internal crisis to Eritrea.

The interview in detail: Q: We would like to know the nature of the relationship shared between your country and Kuwait. You have only visited Kuwait twice since Eritrea gained independence in 1993.

Afewerki: Our relations with Kuwait are historical and have always been strong. Kuwait has contributed a lot toward Eritrea’s independence. They have provided the Eritrean cause with diplomatic, political, media, and even material support. The first double-motor ship we received was from Kuwait. In addition, Kuwait has also provided military support, including weapons and wireless communication devices.

Furthermore, Kuwait has contributed to several strategic projects in the country following independence, such as the power

project. The main power plant in the country was funded by Kuwait.

However, despite sharing great relations with the country, our mutual relations are still weaker than the relationship shared between Kuwait and Ethiopia. We don’t have a problem with that, but hope at the same time, that this relationship would not reflect negatively on our relationship with Kuwait. It’s important, at the same time, to assert the strength of the Kuwaiti - Eritrean relationship here. Our independence could not have been achieved without Kuwaiti support.

Q: Was this issue included in the letter that you referred to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, most recently?

Afewerki: No. That letter

toward finding a solution to the insurgencies that take place in Somalia and the region.

Q: Eritrea follows its own form of democracy. You try to explain that the society needs to prepare itself for meaningful democracy by regarding it as a means and not an end.

Has this issue been a reason for the failure in holding elections in Eritrea?

Afewerki: When we talk about elections, we need to talk about formalities. If we want to be more realistic, we have to ask ourselves such questions: Is the democratic model in Kuwait the best model of democracy? Is the ruling system in Saudi Arabia the best? With due respect to everybody, we believe that all societies need to go through phases. When they talk about democracy, it should focus on the awareness of

Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki pertained to the latest resolution issued by the UN’s Security Council against our country (1907) in which we explained to HH the Amir, the details of this resolution and its repercussions.

With his long experience while working with the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry, he has developed a great awareness of the situation of our region; especially that of Somalia, where he once owned a house and a farm. He shared great relations with the Somali officials. However, the United States has leveled incorrect allegations against us, stating that we support Al-Qaeda, and enforce the resolution number 1907. Therefore, it was our duty to explain to HH the Amir, the truth on the insurgencies that took place in Somalia since the fall of the rule of Mohammad Siad Barre. We have faith in the ability of the Amir to contribute

societies about their own economic, political, social and security interests. Overall, democracy should be considered as a means of improving people’s lives, and providing them with equal chances, best management of their national resources, ensuring equitable opportunities, instead of being used as a means for voting.

There is no such a thing as a standard constitution that can be used effectively all over the world. If we take China as an example, we can find that it is a country in which 1.4 billion people live under a single-party rule.

They have been developing at a significant pace, and will become a superpower within 15 years.

Therefore, why should we disregard their example and focus on the United States, who already owes trillions of dollars to China?

Talking about this issue has

become fruitless. We, should, instead focus on citizenship, human rights and opportunity making. Like I said earlier, if there were standard forms of democracy, we should question the reason behind using them so for a country’s development.

Nevertheless, democracy has now been used as a means to harass societies and increase conflicts in countries. And whatever has happened in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia is proof of this. There’s an amount of marketing done in certain patterns in our countries and regions which completely eclipses the reality in these countries. The media has been misleading on this regard.

Other countries try to teach us Christianity, despite the fact that this religion was introduced in our country in AD 330, and there are churches that are more than 1,700 years old. How can they teach us about Christianity when they accepted it several centuries later than us? The same goes for Islam, which was introduced in our country during the early ages. However, others try to teach us about Islam. This reality should be spread across the entire Arab world they should be made aware of it so that we can create an atmosphere of cooperation, stability and true citizenship based on development and equality. This objective should be focused on first before the issue of elections are discussed.

We never planned that elections would take place, let alone talk about holding them back.

Take the elections held in Sudan, for example. We can find that it’s facing a very mysterious fate which can only be determined through election results. What’s of more concern here is the fact that the stability of Sudan is deeply connected with entire region’s stability. Therefore, it’s important to first address the troubles that take place in that country before talking about democracy and holding elections there.

The Sudanese people have their right to determine their fate.

However, the issue in hand is that [former US President Jimmy] Carter had been there and had demanded that the election process is conducted in a fair manner. Elections had taken place in Kenya and Nigeria, but that failed to stop militants from opening fire at people in public.

Where’s the democracy they’re talking about? We need to overcome several stages before talking about formalities like elections.

Q: The harmony found in Eritrea between Muslim and Christian citizens is a very good example that is missing in other countries around the world. Do you have plans to attract Eritrean minorities living abroad to help improve the Eritrean economy?

Afewerki: First of all, coexistence in our country is a fact. It has been the practice for centuries. There’s a church located on the Asmara road which contains an old library that dates back to 1,300 years ago. It has an old

copy of the Bible written in Arabic. This church was built during the time when Islam was the dominant religion in the country.

This proves that a great level of harmony has always existed between Muslim and Christian Eritreans. Discrimination does not exist in Eritrea, it is mostly a result of politicization.

With regard to the Eritreans who live abroad, it’s an honor to see that our citizens have been the earliest contributors to achieving our country’s independence. We have a lot of experts who have achieved high academic ranks and have held significant roles in building this country. In addition, the remittances that these citizens invest in the country, exceed its annual economic revenue. This is because their contributions bring more profit to Eritrea than agriculture and industry. These days, we have started building universities to support education in our country.

Migration is not necessarily a negative phenomena when citizens can make use of their experience for the benefit of their country.

Q: Six months ago, we met with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi in Addis Ababa. He accused Eritrea of initiating military strikes against Ethiopia before moving on to tackle issue son a diplomatic level. Is that true? What is status of the relationship between your country and Ethiopia?

Afewerki: This is untrue. We have no reason to initiate a military strike. We should look at the facts. There is no reason why the border conflict should continue.

Following the war between the two countries, a decision was made by the court in our favor eight years ago. Since then, the court order has not been enforced.

We rejected all attempts that were made by Ethiopians to hold negotiations. They have created the border issue for no reason and we have had to suffer the consequences. Following the 1991 Gulf War, Kuwait cited the UN resolutions to prove their border rights.

We are experiencing a similar situation today. Their allegations are baseless. [Zenawi] stayed in our country for 18 years before he could return to Ethiopia and seize rule following a coup. People can’t deny the favor done by other people.

We believe that there is corruption in a country in which most Ethiopians are not part of the governance. In 1991, we weren’t only demanding for the independence of Eritrea, we also demanded that the Ethiopian people be liberated from ruling systems that excluded the majority of its people.

Discrimination and segregation based on race has become institutionalized. As a result of the policies implemented by that regime, they are under the notion that they can divide people in order to weaken them. We supported them back in 1991 in order to achieve co-existence and live freely.

However, we were dragged into their own problems after they did the unthinkable- by creating the border problem and raising terrorism accusations.

Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki flanked by Adnan Al-Rashid Deputy editor in chief (left) and Mohammad Al-Hussaini, the managing editor of AlAnba. —Photos by KUNA Q: Is there a third party that seeks to intervene between the leaderships of both the countries?

Afewerki: The logic is simple. When Saddam Hussain invaded Kuwait, was it right to ask Kuwait to negotiate with him? We can’t negotiate with the aggressor, therefore, we sought international agreements, and achieved a court order in our favor.

Q: Do you mean that a joint struggle and close relationships between the two people can achieve rapprochement?

Afewerki: Despite the fact that cohesion has always been present between the people of the two countries, political struggles have caused this situation.

They should be reconsidered by enforcing commitment to the law and regulations. Should this be achieved, then there won’t be any troubles between the Eritrean and the Ethiopian people. This problem was created when Ethiopia tried to ‘export’ their internal problems to us. While there’s no problem between sharing good relationships with America, it’s unacceptable to use their help to eliminate your own internal problems. Marginalizing a great number of people in your society is similar to what has been taking place in Somalia. We don’t need a third party to solve the problem between the two countries. The historic relations shared between the two people should do that job.

Q: The foreign policy of Eritrea is often considered to have a very significant impact on different African regions.

Several scenarios have been theorized regarding your relations with the region’s countries. What’s the basis of foreign policy, in light of the reports of the increasing Iranian and Israeli influence in Eritrea, the role you play in Sudan and Somalia, as well as your relationship with Ethiopia, Djibouti, Yemen, the African Confederation, and

Bomb threats now ‘a worrying trend’

By Nisreen Zahreddine

Man hurt, camel killed KUWAIT: A citizen sustained serious injuries and was admitted to Adan hospital following a car accident. He lost control over his vehicle and dashed into a young camel along the Wafra highway. The camel was killed in the crash.

KUWAIT: Bomb threats have become quite a trend in Kuwait. In the past week the country experienced a bomb threat every single day.

After threats to Avenues and 360, people have been afraid to go out to the malls.

On the other hand, some seem to be calm and not too worried about the news. Sarah, a Lebanese expat said that she goes to Avenues or some cafe every night with her friends and is not afraid of the bomb threats.

Malak said she always gets warnings from her colleagues, or her mother, that there has been a fake bomb threat.

“I get tense and freaked out. I think police should do something about it and punish those who do it,” she asserted. Police however seem quite busy and unable to respond appropriately to the fake calls.

Ahmad said that if such calls keep happening people will start to expect something bad to happen. He added that this threatens the reputation of Kuwait as a safe country and reflects negatively on several aspects of Kuwaiti society.

Mahmoud said that these actions are made by people who are very bored and do it just to entertain themselves. In the end, he will still go out at night despite his mother’s warnings, he explained.

Bomb threats continue to spread and many are committed to maintaining their normal lives.

Some have been affected by the threats however, and are now avoiding crowded places.

the security of the Red Sea? Afewerki: This issue has been completely misconstrued.

Israel and Iran has no presence in our country. We are further accused of seeking to disturb the security of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. While we have nothing to gain, should such a situation arise, we realize that it’s likely to spill over to us. Besides, what good can Eritrea gain from allowing other countries such as Iran and Israel to utilize our resources for their own benefit? Is there harmony between the Iranian and Israeli interests in the Red Sea for us to be interested in supporting both parties?

These accusations are baseless, and sadly, the Ethiopian government also has a hand in this. We are confounded by the American policy in the region, after it caused several problems and conflicts between the countries here. America should take responsibility for whatever has been happening in Somalia today.

Most of the region’s countries refuse the presence of a divided Somalia. While other countries perceive that Somalia threatens their national security and seeks insurgencies as being beneficial to them, we believe that the stability of Somalia is essential for the region. The image of Eritrea’s relations with other countries has been distorted. We can find that Iran shares stronger relations with Ethiopia and Djibouti than with us, but accusations are only leveled against us.

Q: You share a great relationship with Qatar. What about your relationship with the other Gulf countries?

What are your visions with regard to the relationships with Egypt and Saudi Arabia?

Afewerki: All these countries play a significant role in the region. We should all agree on achieving stability. Therefore, our relations with these countries are based on that notion.

They are our neighbors, so we have full commitment to ensure their stability. We hope to achieve more cooperation in all aspects.

Q: After ruling the country for 19 years, great achievements and developments have been garnered. Are you content with the developments that have been achieved so far, especially at a time when Eritrea’s citizens suffer from illiteracy?

Afewerki: First of all, we have to reconsider these statistics. The statistics released by our Education Ministry shows that the number of students in our schools have increased significantly within the past two decades. While efforts toward eliminating illiteracy by teaching older citizens have been going steadily for 40 years. It should be noted that Kuwait has made great contributions toward supporting education in Eritrea.

Furthermore, statistics following independence have exceeded those in other African or Arab countries.

Moreover, since 1991, we have been focusing on according priority towards human development, which is the most important field of investment in our country. The UN’s statistics on these issues are inaccurate.

Since education has been accorded top priority, it has been made free.

Furthermore, we’ve made great infrastructural achievements with regard to providing power, water, roads, ports and airports within the past 20 years.

All these projects were built despite our humble resources.

Considering the situation of the region we live in, the rate of development we have achieved is considered to be pioneering in nature. We have also been able to achieve self-sufficiency in food.

This has enabled us to stop receiving humanitarian aid while it still pours to other neighboring countries like Kenya and Sudan.

Eritrea has achieved significant advancement in the health care sector. We have managed to place malaria under control. All this, however, does not mean that we have everything under control. We are beginning to achieve a solid development basis for the future.

NATIONAL

4

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Amir receives high-achieving Kuwaiti students

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah receiving the outstanding students at the Bayan palace yesterday.— Photos by KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday morning at the Bayan palace the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Dr Moudhi Abdulaziz Al-Humoud who introduced to HH the top Kuwaiti students of the high school graduates for the school year 2008-2009.

The Amir asserted during this meeting the importance of knowledge as the main stay of building and developing societies, calling on the Kuwaiti students to further excel and keep up relentless efforts in their studies in order to benefit their country and push for its well-being.

Further, the minister of education delivered a speech in which he lauded the annual reception held by the Amir for the top Kuwaiti students in what proves that the political leadership of Kuwait gives utmost priority to knowledge and education.

He also extended the thanks of the Kuwaiti top students attending this occasion and their deep feelings of loyalty and gratitude for their country that showed great care toward them as well as for the wise political leadership that God endowed Kuwait with.

Then, student Mariam Arab delivered a speech on behalf of the high achieving students in which she expressed thanks to HH the Amir of Kuwait for receiving the students.

The excellent female student concluded her speech with dedicating her success along with her comrades to the Amir and Kuwait out of deepest gratitude for their dear homeland which provided for them a decent standard of life based on the principles of Islamic Shura, justice and equality. The meeting was attended by the Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. —KUNA

Education exhibition opens Kuwaiti MPs promote Palestinian reconciliation

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Kuwait International Higher Education Exhibition (Kuwait Edu) offers Kuwaiti and expatriate students to opt from the best international universities without having to travel abroad. The event is being hosted at the Radisson SAS Hotel’s Hashimi Ballroom between February 16 to 18. It is organized by the Kuwait Global Center for Organizing Exhibitions.

As many as 25 local and international public and private institutions are participating in this exhibition. “This exhibition is witnessing some international participation for the first time from countries like France, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In addition to this, traditional participants from the GCC countries are making their presence felt as well,” noted Ahmad Shaban, the

Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Global Center for Organizing Exhibitions.

“This exhibition is a great opportunity for Kuwaiti and expat students living in Kuwait to take a look at the participating universities under one roof instead of travelling aboard. This exhibition is also a chance for participating universities and institutes to exchange experience on the latest advancements,” added Shaban.

Some institutions and the concerned government bodies were absent. “I’m surprised that the Ministry of Higher Education for instance, is not participating on this exhibition even though, they are directly related to this issue. Also, some participants do not express interest in participation and don’t stay at their respective pavilions the entire time.

However, private universities

and institutes are present during the working hours all throughout,” he concluded.

“The GCC countries aim to own the modern and latest education technology. They also aim to set a complete strategy to place all the school graduates in universities. I also think that we should increase the expenditure on science researches by establishing specialized science centers similar to those present in the West,” stated Abdulraheem Naqi, Secretary General of the Federation of GCC Chambers.

The launch of the Kuwait Edu that took place yesterday morning was attended by some ambassadors of participating countries. Also, groups of female school students in their uniforms toured the exhibition.

The opening hours are from 9:00 am to 1:00pm and between 4:30pm to 9:00 pm.

GAZA: “We brought a lot of proposals with us for the Palestinian factions in order to complete Palestinian reconciliation,” said Kuwaiti MP and member of the Arab Parliamentary Federation delegation currently visiting Gaza Dr. Ali Saleh Al-Omair yesterday.

Dr. Al-Omair explained, “We came with a lot of proposals for finalizing the Palestinian reconciliation process and some of these were put on the table; at the top of these was accepting the Egyptian proposal as the basis of reconciliation and, if there are any secondary problems, let them be solved through meetings and dialogue as some suggested.”

The Kuwaiti MP also pointed out that the leaders of Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement, asserted during a meeting that included all Palestinian factions, except Fatah, that they support the Egyptian proposal and wish to take it as the basis of reconciliation.

Dr. Omair affirmed that the delegation will exert major efforts with various Palestinian factions in order to achieve the goal for which they came to the country. Egypt has been brokering a reconciliation between the Hamas and Fatah movements for several months now, resulting in the issuing of an agreement last October which established the

GAZA: Members of the Arab Parliamentary Federation delegation visiting Gaza yesterday. bases of reconciliation. However, while Fatah was amenable to the agreement’s points and signed it, Hamas objected to some of the items contained in it.

Dr. Al-Omair also indicated that although the Fatah leadership did not attend yesterday’s meeting, the delegation will also be meeting with Fatah leaders during its visit in order to discuss the latest developments on Palestinian reconciliation with them.

The Kuwaiti MP expressed

immense gratitude for the warm reception accorded to the delegation by the Hamas government of Gaza, as well as by other Palestinian factions and leaders, who received them at the Rafah gateway.

“We came here to resolve a thorny issue which is the current inter-Palestinian divisions, and we hope to continue with our journey and help overcome some of the hurdles precluding reconciliation,” Dr. Al-Omair explained.

He further explained that the visit also aims to ensure that public opinion is supportive of the Palestinian people and to strengthen the belief that “we cannot give up the Gaza Strip in particular and Palestine in general as a part of the Arab homeland and that we stand together united and will not accept any sacrilegious acts or spilling of blood while we remain shackled.”

On the reasons behind the delegates’ visit, the Kuwaiti MP

said, “We came, the members of the Arab parliaments which represent the Arab peoples, to ask the Palestinians to finalize their reconciliation and be united.”

Another of the goals behind this visit is to increase awareness of some aspects of the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip, he explained especially those which the mass media did not manage to transmit.

On the message carried by the Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation that also Dr. Mubarak Banaih Al-Khurainij, Dr. Omair said, “Kuwaiti people desperately want to alleviate the tragedy experienced by the Palestinian people and to ensure they achieve a landslide success soon...there is no doubt that the message we carry and the Kuwaiti people’s message did not start with this journey, but is an old one represented by the wars fought by the Arab nation against the Israeli enemy, which saw the participation of the people of Kuwait.”

The prominent MP concluded by stating, “The Kuwaiti leadership and people have stood by the Palestinian people and their cause since the very beginning, and believe that we are all included in a unity based on being a single nation that should not be divided or allow the enemy to take advantage of its divisions.” —KUNA

in the news ‘Abducted’ girl safe and sound KUWAIT: An Egyptian man told officers at Nugra police station that his 16-year-old daughter had been abducted and possibly sexually assaulted by a 23-year-old Kuwaiti man. After her details were circulated, however, police quickly found the ‘abducted’ girl at a Salmiya mall, where her boyfriend - the man accused of abducting her - had dropped her off. The girl explained that she had been at the mall earlier with her boyfriend and they had agreed to go together to the home of a friend of his for sex, with no coercion involved. After they had finished, he gave her a lift back to the mall and dropped her off, she added. Police are searching for the young man.

Kameel to be treated abroad KUWAIT: Renowned Kuwaiti footballer is set to leave Kuwait today for medical treatment abroad, after His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah issued a directive to this effect.

HH the Amir’s directive came after Kameel suffered a massive stroke last week, reported Al-Watan, since when the former football star has been receiving treatment at the military hospital.

Attendance system delays nurses KUWAIT: A phenomenon was spotted recently regarding nurses who are late to work because they are busy trying to sign into fingerprint attendance system. Several of these nurses work in operating rooms and intensive care units where patients may be in dire need of their assistance, reported Al-Qabas. The responsibility for the delay cannot be blamed on the fingerprints system itself.

Italian artist presents painting KUWAIT: At Bayan Palace yesterday, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received Italian Ambassador Enrico Granara, accompanied by renowned Italian artist Enzo Manara, who presented HH the Premier with a painting as a gift for His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

NATIONAL

5

CSC to submit its evaluation, vision to govt

World Bank report suggests review of salary system

By Ahmad Saeid KUWAIT: A World Bank (WB) official said yesterday that the role of its recent report was simply to point out the possible long-term implications of Kuwait’s current salary and reward system. Meanwhile, the Minister of Administrative “The report was meant to study the impact of the current salary system on employee productivity, as well as on the development pattern in the long run,” explained Lamia Sulaiman, a Communications Associate with WB Kuwait office. “The report concluded that the current employment and salary systems do have an impact on the productivity of Kuwaiti workers in the public sector.” Sulaiman revealed that the report also found that the current public sector employment policies may also have an impact on the education system’s results.

At present, she said, the CSC processes all Kuwaiti applicants’ job applications for government posts.

“Any young Kuwaiti man going to the CSC is likely to get a job; if we add that to the current salary and award policy system, that does not effectively distinguish between employees with higher educa-

KUWAIT: The task force entrusted with eliminating encroachments on state property in Hawally governorate, headed by Riyadh Erbaie, removed several encroachments in Zahra. Most of the illegal structures were in the form of car shades and overgrown shrubs. The plot of land in the area is owned

by Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) and has been allocated for the purpose of building a public park.

— Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Gulf citizen in police custody for murder of two Kuwaitis

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Jahra detectives on Monday evening arrested the main suspect in the murder of two Kuwaiti men the previous evening. The suspect, a Gulf citizen, is believed to have stabbed the two victims while high on drugs. One of the victims died at the scene, while the other succumbed to his injuries early the next morning despite being rushed to the local hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

The suspect, who police found at a local psychiatric hospital, said that he had stabbed the men out of anger, believing that they were making fun of him.

Bomb hoax Two hoax bomb calls to the emergency hotline led to a Fahaheel mall and the Capital traffic department being evacuated and searched for explosives. Police are working on tracing the calls to apprehend the culprits.

CP patronizes horse race KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah will patronize a horse race to be hosted by the Jahra Governorate today. HH has deputized Jahra Governor Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hmoud Al-Jaber AlSabah to attend the ceremony to be held at the late Sheikh Sabah AlNasser Al-Sabah track in the Jahra Governorate. —- KUNA

Cops jailed A disabled Kuwaiti man has been found Not Guilty by the Court of Misdemeanor of verbally and physically assaulting two police officers, although the officers themselves have been sentenced to one month each in prison for using excessive force and abusing their authority to attack a citizen, causing him several injuries. The victim was reportedly pulled over while driving by the police officers, who suspected him of driving under the influence of alcohol. The two officers alleged that when they pulled the man over, he launched a physical assault on them. They further claimed that one of them suffered a number of injuries from his attack, but the court found that it was physically impossible, given his disability, for him to have done so. The motorist presented a medical report to the court demonstrating the injuries he had sustained during the attack by the officers, with the court dismissing their allegations that he had initiated any assault.

tion and those without it, which can have damaging effects on the level of Kuwaiti education,” she said.

According to the report, these two factors combined could result in a situation where youngsters will be less interested in completing their higher education.

“The report merely suggested to the Kuwaiti government that it should reconsider its employment and salary policies, and also recommended that it give emphasis on the educational system, to ensure that it provides qualified workers who are capable of delivering better public services,” explained Sulaiman.

The World Bank official said that these “suggestions” to “reconsider” certain government policies had been misunderstood by some local media outlets.

“We did not ask the Kuwaiti government to cut wages, we simply evaluated a

Development Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad has said that the government will wait for the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) evaluation before adopting the necessary policies in this regard. A spokeswoman for the WB office in Kuwait said that the report was compiled by WB experts at the behest of the Kuwaiti government. situation as per the government’s request,” she stressed. The spokeswoman concluded by revealing that the report has now been handed to the Kuwaiti government, saying that it is now up to them what steps are taken in this regard. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad said that the report is currently being evaluated by the CSC. “They will give it to us with their comments and visions in this regard, so we can have a wider picture and take general policy decisions about it,” he explained. Al-Fahad added that the government wishes to create a productive public sector, and an attractive private sector. “This is the direction we are leaning towards, which was also adopted in the development plan, and we are going to implement all the mechanisms that can make us achieve this goal,” he concluded.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad

Kuwait calls for proper Arabic language use by media DUBAI: Kuwaiti officials participating in “The role of media in serving the Arabic Language” forum being held by the Arab Center for Educational Research for the Gulf States, confirmed the importance of using classical Arabic language in the broadcast media.

Kuwait University Professor of Mass Communications, Dr. Khalid Al-Qahs yesterday stressed the importance of the seminar, which began on Monday and will conclude later today.

Dr. Al-Qahs is heading a team of

researchers assigned by the Arab Center for Educational Research to study the role of media in serving the Arabic Language.

He revealed that a field survey conducted by the research team indicated that there was a decline in the standards of language used by some radio and television presenters and program writers in the Arab Office of Education for Gulf States’ member nations. He added that a number of program presenters use slang language while presenting programs

rather than simple classic Arabic.

Based on the study and its results, the working team has prepared three possible training programs, suitable for all the presenters and writers, concerning the basic language skills they must have to reduce linguistic errors.

Executive Director of the GCC Joint Program Production Institution, Abdulmohsen Al-Bannai, meanwhile, said that the seminar plays an important role in emphasizing the importance of correct phonetic pronunciation of the

Arabic language in the broadcast media.

He revealed that the institution recently completed a radio series entitled ‘Rescuers,’ which focuses on the need to rescue the Arabic language.

He said that the series’ goal is to pay attention to the Arabic language, through the work of drama explaining Arabic language grammar. Al-Bannai further revealed that the institution is working on new Arabic programs for children including Ahmad Kanaan and Tales of Hope Party III. — KUNA

6

NATIONAL

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Taxi driver kidnapped

Two in police custody for mugging people KUWAIT: Hawally police arrested two Arab men charged with impersonating investigators and mugging people on 15 separate occasions. The arrests occurred after police received several reports regarding thieves

Kuwait urged to reconsider Iraq’s debts KUWAIT: A senior Iraqi politician has called on Kuwait to consider working together with the United Nations to reconsider Iraqi debts.

Dr. Ahmad Al-Jalabi, the head of the Iraqi Questioning and Justice Authority and head of the Iraqi National Conference party, urged the people of Kuwait to reconsider the issue, saying that the Iraqi people are currently suffering extreme hardship and pointing out that Iraq has already paid over $30 billion in compensation for the 1990 Iraqi invasion and subsequent occupation.

The Iraqi people went through agony themselves under the regime of the country’s previous dictator Saddam Hussein, said Dr. AlJalabi, voicing hope that working with the United Nations would help to end this problem and expressing

faith that the issue could be resolved diplomatically.

In an interview with local daily Al-Watan, Dr. Al-Jalabi said that Kuwaiti-Iraqi relations have overcome several major obstacles, including the previous Iraqi regime’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait and Kuwait’s decision to hand over a number of political exiles who had fled Iraq to Saddam Hussein’s government. Iraq wishes to establish “brotherly” relations with Kuwait, he said, which should be based on respecting international resolutions.

The senior Iraqi politician said that while there are certain issues that still damage bilateral relations between the two countries, these matters do not threaten the political and strategic aspects of these relations.

While Dr. Al-Jalabi rejected any link between Kuwait and support for Al-Qaeda, he

refused to comment on rumors of the presence of Kuwaiti intelligence officials in Iraq. He asserted, however, that Iraq does not sense any aggression against it on the part of Kuwaiti security services.

Asked about the Iranian threat to the GCC countries, Dr. Al-Jalabi stressed the positive nature of the relations between Iran and the region’s other nations, saying that the protest over the Iranian issue originates outside the region.

Meanwhile, Britain, France and Italy called on Iraq to halt use of the death penalty, expressing concern at a growth in the number of executions in the past two years.

However, Iraq told the UN Human Rights Council that it had not been in a position to abolish capital punishment “because of the

severity and intensity of terrorist crimes” and their huge civilian toll. “Because of the extraordinary circumstances we are facing... we have maintained the penalty as a means of deterrence,” while victims and their relatives needed a sense of justice, explained Iraq’s Minister for Human Rights, Wijdan Salim.

Some 122 executions were carried out over the past five years out of 925 death sentences passed by criminal courts, according to Iraqi authorities. France told the UN council that 79 people were hanged last year alone. French ambassador Jean-Baptiste Mattei called on Iraq to commit to “the path of abolition of capital punishment” by swiftly approving “a moratorium and commuting death sentences already handed down.”

impersonating officers. Investigators were able to locate one of the thieves who confessed to the crimes and led authorities to his accomplice. Both were sent to the proper authorities.

Wife beater A man working with the Ministry of Justice physically assaulted his wife at their home. He threatened to cause her more harm should she complain to authorities.

Nevertheless, his wife went to the Doha police station and informed authorities about the incident.

Home robbery Upon returning to his home in Sulaibiya, a citizen realized that he had been robbed.

He reported to authorities that the thief stole thousands of Kuwaiti dinars and US dollars, as well as jewelry worth $1,500.

Criminal investigators responded to the emergency and are in pursuit of the thief.

Elderly man dies A 92-year-old Iraqi died in Babtain Hospital as a result of the severe burn injuries he received when a water heater fell on him. The man was transferred from AlZubair hospital in Iraq in an attempt to save his life.

Accident Two young brothers suffered severe injuries after they hit a traffic sign while driving on Salmi road. The accident occurred after another driver forced them off the road. Police and paramedics took the injured to Jahra Hospital where they were admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit in critical condition. A case was opened and police are searching for the driver who caused the accident.

Cabby mugged Three kidnappers grabbed KD 120 from an Asian taxi driver. The kidnapping occurred after the men were picked up in Khaitan and on their way to Jahra and realized that the driver had a large sum of money in his possession. They tried to hold the man for ransom but his family members refused to pay for his return. The kidnappers then returned the driver to Khaitan and escaped.

Bootlegger held An Asian man was arrested in Mangaf after he was pulled over by police and found in possession of 48 bottles of homemade liquor. He was taken to the General Department for Drug Control.

Harasser arrested A citizen in his 30s was arrested and sent to the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh police station after he was accused of harassing a female worker at a kiosk in the Kuwait International Airport. Security officers responded to the emergency and found a saleswoman being slapped in the face by her assaulter in attempts to keep her from screaming. He was put under investigation.

Suicide A 31-year-old Indian man hanged himself from the ceiling of his apartment in Mergab. Police and paramedics responded to the emergency and found the man had already died. A case was opened to investigate the incident further.

Fugitive in custody Ahmadi police arrested a 22-year-old citizen after discovering that he was wanted for a previous criminal case. The man was pulled over while driving his sports car in the area and was taken to the proper authorities.

Awqaf secretariat to hold forum KUWAIT: Secretariat General of the Awqaf is to hold the 16th two-day Awqaf forum in Feb 21, 2010 under the theme of “TAKE a PAUSE and THINK about WAQAF”, under the patronage of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, head of the forum’s preparatory committee said here yesterday.

Head of the forum’s preparatory committee Eman Al-Hamaidan said in a press conference held yesterday that this forum comes out of fulfilling the secretari-

at’s mission and its vision on serving society and meeting its needs through calling for Waqaf work, namely endowments, and taking interest in its affairs.

Hamaidan went on to say that concerning the role of marketing in the field of Awqaf, the forum will revolve around four themes which tackle the Awqaf marketing according to the Islamic Shariaa perspective, the scientific background and the pioneering experiments of Awqaf media and new outlooks on the charity marketing. On his part, director of

the media department Hamad Almairan said that this forum includes seminars and workshops with lectures delivered by some specialists on all the aspects of the Awqaf work.

Almairan added that this forum also includes a seminar that reviews the experiments carried out by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states on marketing Awqaf works and those experiments are to be presented by the officials in charge of Awqaf funds in the GCC states. He also noted that the forum will host Dr. Sharif

Abu Al-Naga to talk bout the experiment of the Children’s Cancer Hospital in Egypt as a kind of Waqaf as well as Mr. Essam Abu Leila and Dr. Hossam Touglu to shed light on the Waqaf experiments in both of Thailand and Australia.

Finally, he made clear that an exhibition will be held on the sidelines of the forum with the participation of governmental and non-governmental bodies from Kuwait and abroad and that the forum’s functions will be transmitted by the Awqaf Secretariat’s website. — KUNA

INTERNATIONAL

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

7

Attacks targeting Iraqi army

Bombs in northern Iraq kill four: Police GAZA CITY: In this photo taken on Wednesday, Feb 10, 2010, Palestinian applicants to the Hamas police force take part in a physical examination at a Hamas recruitment center in Gaza City. — AP

Most Hamas police applicants want jobs GAZA CITY: Take this for a measure of Gaza’s economic woes: When the territory’s Hamas rulers announced plans to hire about 1,000 new policemen, 15,000 applied. Only a few of those reporting for fitness tests one recent afternoon expressed an interest in police work or said they belonged to the Islamic militant group. Most just wanted a job.

Plagued by poverty for decades, Gaza’s private sector has been all but wiped out by nearly four years of closed borders and last year’s devastating Israeli offensive. In the meantime, Hamas has solidified its grip, making it Gaza’s second largest employer. Amid growing desperation, announcements of the hiring campaign spread a blaze of hope among the territory’s unemployed young men.

Not everyone could apply.

Candidates had to be between 18 and 20 years old, taller than 5-foot-6, (1.7 meters) and weigh more than 154 pounds (70 kilograms). They could have no more than a high school education, since most would work as street officers and not commanders, said Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ehab Ghussein.

In four days, about 15,000 men signed up, Ghussein said.

Over the past two weeks, Hamas has been holding daily drills to test their fitness. One recent afternoon, about 400 applicants lined up near a sandy lot in Gaza City. When a Hamas officer in combat boots and black fatigues yelled their names through a bullhorn, they removed their shoes, showed their IDs and had their height and weight measured. They ran

a lap on a track and did pushups, sit-ups and pull-ups. Hamas officers, some toting rifles, jotted down their results. Most of the applicants hailed from Gaza’s refugee camps. Few said they were interested in police work or expressed much enthusiasm for Hamas’ Islamic ideology. Some said their families made them come.

“The salary, what else?” said Majd Subah, 20, when asked why he applied. “If there was other work to look for, we’d go for that.” Subah said he needed work to get married. He had saved $11,000 working in smuggling tunnels under the GazaEgypt border and fixed up an apartment for his bride, but her father refused to let her go until he had a real job, he said.

“I want to go back and tell him I’m a cop,” he said. Gaza’s already sinking economy has plunged in recent years. Israel sealed the territory’s borders after Hamas-allied militants captured an Israeli soldier in 2006.

The following year, Hamas seized control of Gaza from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israel and Egypt tightened the blockade, leading to shortages of many goods.

Last winter, Israel launched a military offensive to stop Gaza militants from firing rockets at Israel. Some 1,400 Gazans were killed, including more than 200 police officers. Thirteen Israelis were also killed. Hamas now employs about 25,000 Gazans, said Gaza economist Omar Shaban, second only to the Abbas’ Palestinian Authority, which continues to pay 55,000 employees in Gaza since the Hamas takeover, though they

now stay home. About 80 percent of Gaza’s 1.5 million residents depend on food aid from the United Nations and other groups. There are no official figures, but some estimates put unemployment at more than 40 percent. The recruits will join the 15,000 already serving in Hamas security services, Ghussein said. While many of them direct traffic and guard government buildings, others work for Hamas’ internal security service, which is widely feared and often accused of cracking down on political rivals. Ghussein said applicants were not being vetted politically.

Even those landing jobs are unlikely to see their financial troubles disappear. Recruits will work for free for four months, then earn about $260 per month for six months before being eligible for raises, Ghussein said.

Still, some looked forward to working for Hamas. “God willing, I’m going to protect my country,” said Momen Abu Athra, 20, who came out in a white skull cap and wispy beard and soundly beat the others in his running group.

Abu Athra, who has memorized the Quran, said he now teaches in an Islamic school but wanted to work “for an Islamic government.” Few others shared his zeal. “I want to support my family and build my future,” said Mahmoud Douda, 20. Douda said he had earned about $26 a day working in the tunnels, but being underground terrified him. Douda said he didn’t belong to any political group but would work for anyone who would give him a job. “Hamas or not Hamas, people want to work,” he said. — AP

Missing black box memory from Lebanon plane crash retrieved BEIRUT: Lebanese navy divers yesterday retrieved the memory of the cockpit voice recorder of an Ethiopian plane which crashed off the coast last month killing 90 people on board, the military said. “We have recovered the missing part of the second black box, which contains the voice recording from the Ethiopian plane, and have handed it over to the investigation committee,” it said in a statement.

A probe into the mysterious crash is being carried out by a Lebanese commission with support from French, US and Ethiopian air accident investigators. The Lebanese navy retrieved the flight data recorder earlier this month and sent it to the Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses (BEA), France’s accident investigation agency, for

analysis. Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi said the preliminary report showed no evidence of technical failure or sabotage as possible causes of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409.

The Boeing 737-800 was bound for Addis Ababa with 83 passengers and seven crew on board when it plunged into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after takeoff from Beirut airport on January 25 during a fierce storm. There have been conflicting reports as to whether the passenger jet exploded while airborne or after it hit the water. Searchers have been struggling to recover bodies as most victims were believed to be still strapped to their seats when the plane crashed. More than 50 bodies and body parts have been identified. — AFP

BAGHDAD: A string of bombs targeted Iraqi army patrols and a police crime lab yesterday in northern Iraq, killing at least four people, authorities said.

The bombings were the latest attacks against security forces in Mosul, an area where insurgents retain a foothold despite a sharp drop in violence across the rest of the country.

Iraqi forces frequently have been targeted by insurgents seeking to derail public confidence in the government.

Security lapses that allowed for large and deadly attacks against a number of government buildings also have raised concerns about the Iraqis’ ability to take over their own security so American troops can withdraw by the end of 2011 as scheduled.

The first blast yesterday occurred when a car bomb exploded outside a side entrance of the police crime lab in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, said Lt. Col Salim Ibrahim, an area commander. It killed two people and wounded seven, including five police officers, he said.

The explosion knocked over concrete blast walls and caused minor damage to the building, Ibrahim said. Later, two roadside bombs struck separate Iraqi army patrols in eastern Mosul, killing two soldiers, an army official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information.

Five people, including three civilians, were wounded. In recent weeks in and around Mosul, security checkpoints have been attacked in drive-by shootings and the motorcade of the provincial governor was attacked.

Gunmen also opened fire yesterday on two Christian college students waiting at a bus stop in Mosul, killing one and wounding the other, a police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Christians have been routinely been the targets of sectarian violence since the USled invasion in 2003. The US military has warned of a possible escalation in violence ahead of Iraq’s March 7 parliamentary elections. Political tensions between the Shiiteled government and minority Sunnis have been on the rise after a vetting committee barred hundreds of candidates from running because of ties to Saddam Hussein outlawed Baath Party. An explosion late Monday targeted the Baghdad political office of al-Ahrar, a party that includes followers of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, police said.

Punched-out round holes in the office walls indicate that at least two rockets were fired at the building, observers said.

Officials blamed a roadside bomb for the explosion, which killed one person and wounded three, including Majid Hussein Taha, a director of the Ministry of Agriculture and a candidate running on the party’s ticket.— AP

Hezbollah urges France to ‘rein Israeli aggressiveness’ BEIRUT: Hezbollah yesterday urged France to “rein in Israeli aggressiveness” amid heightened concern in Beirut over recent Israeli warnings to the Shiite militant movement and its backer Syria. “We ask that France take a firm stand and work with the international community to rein in Israeli aggressiveness,” a press release said. “Israeli policies are behind all regional tensions and Lebanon maintains its right to armed defence against any possible Israeli attacks,” the party said.

The statement came after a Hezbollah MPs and interna-

tional relations official Ammar Moussawi met with Gerard Larcher, the visiting president of the French senate, or upper house of parliament. On Monday, parliament speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, also asked Larcher for his country take a “firm stand” to stop Israel from attacking Lebanon. Israeli officials have warned repeatedly that any attack by Hezbollah will spark a tough response, and have been locked in a war of words with Syrian leaders as well.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri described Israeli threats and

military activity as “escalating” and “really dangerous” in an interview with the BBC. Syrian President Bashar AlAssad has also said Damascus would back “the government and people of Lebanon against any possible Israeli aggression launched on Lebanon.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since sought to ease tensions, saying his country wants peace with all its neighbors.

But earlier this month, Netanyahu accused Beirut of allowing Hezbollah to smuggle weapons into Lebanon in “blatant violation” of UN Security

Council Resolution 1701, which led to ending a 2006 war between Israel and the Shiite group. Hezbollah has not yet responded to the warnings, but party leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to address the issue in a speech yesterday evening.

The speech marks the second annual commemoration of the murder of the party’s military commander Imad Mughnieh, who was wanted by Interpol and the United States.

Hezbollah has accused Israel of the Damascus bombing that killed Mughnieh and vowed to avenge his death.— AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraqis inspect the site of the previous day’s attack that targeted the Baghdad political office of Al-Ahrar in Baghdad yesterday.— AP

Iraq govt condemns Sadrist MP’s anti-Sunni comments BAGHDAD: The Iraqi government condemned yesterday the comments of one of radical anti-US Shiite cleric Moqtada alSadr’s senior MPs, who said Sunnis had been plotting against Shiites since the beginning of Islam. “The council of ministers condemns the statement of lawmaker Baha Al-Araji, which goes against the general wish to strengthen national unity, in accordance with the constitution, and respect all religions and confessions,” government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

On Saturday, Araji, head of parliament’s legal committee, told private Al-Baghdadia television that “the majority denomination

Biden to make Mideast tour WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden will tour the Middle East in early March with stops in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Egypt and Jordan, the White House said Monday.

Biden will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah, his office said.

“During the trip, the vice president will discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues,” according to the White House statement. No other details were provided on Biden’s tour, which comes as the administration of President Barack Obama struggles to revive peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians more than a year after he took office.

US allies Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab neighbors of Israel to have signed peace agreements with the Jewish state, and have in the past played the role of mediator between Israelis and Palestinians. Obama’s Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in the Qatari capital Doha, said Monday she is hopeful that “serious” negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians will begin this year.

A day earlier in a speech to the US-Islamic World Forum, Clinton said she was “disappointed” by the lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, but added that the United States could not impose a solution. The announcement of Biden’s trip also comes amid rising diplomatic heat over Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

Clinton, while in the Middle East, sought to rally support for tough new UN sanctions against Tehran, as she warned Iran was turning into a “military dictatorship” bent on building a nuclear bomb. — AFP

(the Shiites) was the victim of a plot since Abu Bakr until Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr.

Abu Bakr (573-634), was the father-inlaw and friend of Prophet Mohammed, and the first caliph after the death of Mohammed in 632. The Sunnis call him “the honest” but the Shiites say he usurped the power of Ali, the son-in law of Mohammed, the founder of Islam.

Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr (1912-1982) was the first president of Iraq after a coup d’etat in 1968 that brought to power the Baath party, later led from 1979 by Saddam Hussein until his ouster in a US-led invasion in 2003. Only after Saddam’s fall did the dominant Shiite community take power

in government. Dabbagh said Araji’s comments, ahead of a March 7 general election, were “a violation of article seven of the constitution,” which bars from the political process any party that attempts to provoke sectarian tension.

“The council of ministers calls on all the candidates to commit to the rules of democracy and honorable competition during the electoral campaign, and to distance themselves from anything that stops national unity,” Dabbagh added. Araji later denied that he had deliberately insulted anyone and said: “I believe in unity with all Muslims in the world and we cannot speak badly about any Islamic icon.”—AFP

INTERNATIONAL

8

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Cocaine being traded for arms in West Africa: UN DAKAR: Cocaine shipped to West Africa by Latin American drug cartels is now being traded for arms, the UN ‘s drug czar said Monday, an exchange of contraband that is especially dangerous in a region now home to cells of an AlQaida-linked terror group. Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, says “there is more than just spotty evidence” indicating a link between drug traffickers and terror groups. “And before this becomes a

very serious problem, it has to be dealt with and nipped in the bud,” Costa said in an interview with The Associated Press, on the sidelines of a sevennation drug summit in the Senegalese capital of Dakar.

Cocaine from South America has been moving through the West African coast for several years, and experts believe drugs are then parceled out to smugglers who move the cocaine north by boats and by road. One suspected smuggling route crosses portions of the

Sahara desert controlled by insurgents.

The cocaine-for-arms trade is especially worrying given the recent expansion of an Al-Qaeda-linked terror group, which was once based exclusively in Algeria but now has tentacles in Mauritania, Mali and Niger. “There is plenty of evidence of a double flow.

(Of) drugs moving, arriving into West Africa from across the Atlantic ... and the trading, exchange , of cocaine for arms,” Costa said.

For at least five years, traffickers in

Latin America have been using the poor and politically unstable countries of West Africa as transit points for Europe-bound cocaine. Until recently, officials believed the drugs came by private plane and were divided out to smugglers paid in cash to move it north. Costa did not say how extensive the cocaine-for-arms exchange was thought to be, or which countries were involved.

Several relatively stable West African countries have a foot in the

Sahara, including Mali and Niger, whose porous border has long a smuggling route for ethnic Tuareg rebels fighting a rebellion there for years.

There has been growing concern that the rebels are believed to be collaborating with Al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb, an Algeria-based terror group that joined Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network in 2006. Last year, four European tourists were kidnapped at the border of Mali and Niger. They are believed to have been kidnapped by

Tuareg gunmen but then handed over to the terror group, which later murdered one of the British citizens after one of their demands was not met.

And as recently as December, three men in their 30s from Mali were arrested and accused of being AlQaida associates plotting to ferry drugs through the Sahara desert to raise money for terror attacks.

Prosecutors called it evidence of a growing alliance between terror chiefs and drug lords. Costa said there is

also new evidence of drug production in West Africa. In 2009, UN officials discovered a warehouse in Guinea’s capital containing the precursor ingredients for manufacturing synthetic drugs, such as ecstasy. He said traffickers in some countries in the region have gone so far as to try their hand at growing opium , the raw ingredient used to make heroine which is almost exclusively grown in Afghanistan.

“But the climate is not right, and the soil is not right,” he said. —AP

Everyone from Europe’s passport-free zone denied entry

Libya bars European visitors in bizarre escalating dispute GENEVA: Libya is refusing to issue visas for visitors from nearly every European country in a bizarre escalation of a dispute that began when Swiss authorities arrested the son of Muammar Gaddafi on suspicion of beating up his servants. The new restrictions prevent everyone from oil executives to tourists from Europe’s passport-free zone of 25 nations from visiting Libya,

which has been trying to shed its image as an international pariah and attract investment from Western companies. Libyan visas already granted are also no longer valid, European governments said, and a number of Italians were waiting in Tripoli’s airport for a flight to take them home. Libyan government officials refused to comment.

European officials said the move was clearly retaliation for the 25 nations cooperation with a Swiss travel blacklist of Gaddafi and his son Hannibal and other relatives, along with Libyan government officials.

Hannibal was held in a Swiss jail for two days after his arrest in July 2008 because he and his wife were accused of beating up their servants in a Geneva hotel.

Geneva authorities dropped their criminal investigation after the two servants received compensation from an undisclosed source and withdrew their complaint. Since then, the Swiss government’s policy toward Libya has vacillated between capitulation and hardball tactics, with both failing to resolve the dispute. Muammar Gaddafi forced Swiss Finance Minister and then-President Hans-Rudolf Merz to apologize in Libya last year and agree to possible compensation claims.

Libya pulled most of its money out of Swiss vaults. And Libyan authorities continue to detain two Swiss citizens after 18 months on charges that VATICAN CITY STATE: This handout picture released by The Vatican press office on February 15, 2010 Amnesty International and the shows The Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone (C) celebrating a mass with Ireland’s bishops in the United Nations have criticized as a form of political revenge. crypt of St Peter’s basilica at The Vatican. —AFP In response, Switzerland suspended a deal aimed to improve bilateral relations, and initiated a visa blacklist that included Gaddafi and his family. That has drawn the rest of Europe into the dispute because a travel ban from one member of the continent’s passport-free Schengen agreement is binding on all.

The Schengen visa zone VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict the sexual abuse of children “a and in Catholic-run residences the problems of the past with includes France, Germany and XVI urged Irish clergy to be heinous crime” and a “grave sin for poor children. Lombardi determination and resolve, and Italy as well as non-EU member courageous in confronting the which offends God.” Irish bish- said Leanza, as a diplomat, “has to face the present crisis with Switzerland. The Swiss, already pedophile priest scandal that ops scheduled a news confer- to respond to rules” about honesty and courage,” said a isolated by a series of tax spats, has rocked the church, but took ence for later yesterday before diplomatic privilege. “If this is Vatican statement read to jourare receiving mixed support no action on victims’ demands they head back to Ireland before not part of his duty, you can’t nalists by Lombardi. Victims from their more powerful that he force bishops to resign, Ash Wednesday church ser- expect him” to testify, the had already warned the talks neighbors, some of whom have Vatican spokesman told an would be a failure unless the vices. the Vatican said yesterday. extensive interests in Libya’s During the two-day summit improvised news conference pope demanded resignations of The Vatican statement came resources-rich economy. “We as the pope and 24 Irish bishops behind closed doors at the minutes after the summit bishops who had any role in don’t have problems with Libya, concealing wrongdoing. They ended an extraordinary meeting Vatican, anger flared in Ireland ended.

Switzerland does,” Italian Irish lawmaker Alan Shatter also demand that the pope on the crisis meant to restore over the refusal of papal envoy Foreign Minister Franco dismay over accept in full the findings of the the trust of Irish Catholics shak- Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza to expressed Frattini said on Swiss TV. “We en by revelations of decades of appear in the Irish parliament. Leanza’s refusal, saying that “it Irish investigations, which are helping Switzerland but it clergy sex abuse and cover-up. Leanza, who participated in the is acknowledged in Rome that some church officials in Ireland can’t take the rest of Europe A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. summit, told lawmakers in a let- members of the clergy in have criticized as unfair. hostage.” Italy’s ENI SpA is In their meeting with Federico Lombardi, said follow- ter published Monday he would Ireland are guilty of abominable one of several companies geting the summit that the pope not answer questions from the sexual abuse of children.” Benedict, “the bishops spoke ting a slice of Libya’s 43 billion Lombardi said the pope would frankly of their sense of pain “shares the outrage” over the foreign affairs committee. barrels in crude, the biggest “I wish to inform that it is send Irish faithful a letter about and anger, betrayal, scandal and abuse and noted he had “already reserves in Africa. ENI has a expressed profound regret.” not the practice of the Holy See the crisis sometime during shame expressed to them on deal securing its place in Libya Asked if the issue of resigna- that apostolic nuncios appear Lent. That liturgical period of numerous occasions by those until 2047. tions came up, Lombardi said “it before parliamentary commis- penitence begins today with the who had been abused,” the “Gadhafi and some ministers statement said. was not addressed.” Lombardi sions,” he wrote in the letter tradition of distributing ashes to Vatican have been put on a black also defended the pope’s repre- dated Feb 12. Leanza has faced the faithful and ends this year Lombardi indicated there was Schengen list by Switzerland,” no mention of any plans for sentative in Ireland for refusing heavy criticism in Ireland for on April 4, Easter Sunday.

Frattini said. “Switzerland thus “While realizing that the Benedict to meet with Irish victo testify to lawmakers there ignoring letters from two statehas set Gaddafi and the minisabout systematic covers-up by ordered investigations into how current painful situation will not tims. The summit was “only a ters on an equal footing with church hierarchy. A Vatican the church suppressed reports be resolved quickly, he chal- step in long process” in healing, criminals and terrorists.” The statement said the pope called of child abuse by parish priests lenged the bishops to address Lombardi said. —AP EU’s executive branch deplored Libya’s “unilateral and disproportionate decision.” Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Commission’s home affairs chief, said European leaders S African opposition parties Guinea names new government would discuss the situation later Kenyan Cabinet members to walk out of parliament CONAKRY: A decree read on state TV this week and “consider the boycott over govt rift announced that Guinea’s new transiJOHANNESBURG: South African appropriate reaction.” France, NAIROBI: An adviser to Kenya’s tional government will consist of 34 opposition parties walked out of a parlike Italy a major investor in prime minister says Cabinet ministers ministers, only five of whom are memliament session yesterday. The South Libya, strongly advised French from the premier’s party will boycott bers of the military. Although the five African Press Association says the citizens to avoid traveling or future Cabinet meetings until a disare founding members of the military main opposition Democratic Alliance “even making an airport stop” pute with the president is resolved. junta that seized power a year ago, and the smaller Congress of the in Libya. Germany, which is Salim Lone says the ministers made none of them were implicated in the People walked out after the deputy involved in a tense standoff with the decision yesterday because they gruesome massacre of civilians at a speaker ordered a Congress of the the Swiss over tax evasion, said feel Prime Minister Raila Odinga canprotest in the capital last September.

People lawmaker to withdraw a comit regretted that visas already not function effectively following a disThe composition of the new government about the government leading issued in Libya were also no pute with the president. Odinga on ment indicates a clear break with the the country into lawlessness. The govlonger valid but placed no blame Sunday suspended two ministers folpast and underlines that the military is erning African National Congress, on either side. The Libyan visa lowing allegations of corruption. no longer in charge of the country. which has won every election since restrictions don’t appear to Hours later, President Mwai Kibaki The transitional government is the first multiracial vote in 1994, has affect British travelers and busiannulled the suspensions. The spat charged with governing Guinea for no 264 seats, just short of two-thirds of nessmen. Britain and Ireland has sparked a debate in Kenya about longer than six months before organizthe house. The Democratic Alliance are among the holdouts to constitutional powers and high levels ing elections. Its creation is the result has 67, and the Congress of the Europe’s passport cooperation. of corruption. Odinga has asked forof a breakthrough deal brokered by People, which was formed last year by For the EU, the options are mer UN chief Kofi Annan to mediate, the junta’s No. 2 who pressured former ANC members, has 30. The unclear. It cannot order the and Kenya’s Attorney General has Guinea’s military strongman to agree walkout came after President Jacob Swiss to revoke travel restricwarned that the dispute could foster a to go into voluntary exile and hand Zuma delivered a speech expanding on tions on Libya, because constitutional crisis. back power to civilians. last week’s state of the nation address.

Switzerland is outside the 27nation bloc. —AP

Pope tells Irish bishops to show courage in fighting pedophilia

in the news

MOGADISHU: A Somali police officer and a civilian examine the site of an explosion following a car-bomb attack in Mogadishu on February 15, 2010 —AFP

Somali defense official survives car bomb attack MOGADISHU: A top Somali defense official survived an attack by an Islamist suicide bomber driving an explosive-laden vehicle in the capital of Mogadishu, the official said. At least one bystander was killed. The attack on Monday against State Defense Minister Yusuf Mohamed Siyad, known by his nickname Indahaadde or “White Eyes”, comes as the besieged UNbacked government is preparing to launch an offensive against Islamist insurgents who have links to Al-Qaeda. Siyad said the bomber’s vehicle chased his car but exploded before colliding with it because a civilian minibus unexpectedly came between the two. Two bodyguards in a car driving behind the minister were wounded, Siyad said.

As the convoy stopped to collect the wounded men, a second vehicle and then a wheelbarrow packed with explosives detonated nearby, Siyad said. Siyad said recent intelligence had indicated militants would target him in an attack.

“This attack was a message from my enemy that they are committed to killing me and all other government officials like me,” he said. “But for me it encourages me to be ready for how I would target them in the name of the transitional federal government.” The Islamist insurgent group Al-Shabab claimed responsibility in a statement released after the attack. They have previously used suicide bombs to kill government min-

isters, and are suspected of doing so last year in an attack on a medical school graduation in which four government ministers and 21 others were killed. The insurgents are using increasingly sophisticated bombs and are able to coordinate attacks using multiple explosive devices. Experts say they are being taught by hundreds of foreign fighters who have joined the insurgency. The US State Department says some members of alShabab have links to Al-Qaeda.

Siyad used to be a member of the insurgency but joined the government in 2009. “This will not deter me from my national duties,” he said. “I used to patrol in the city (at) midnight and I will keep patrolling until we restore law and order.” A medical official said one bystander was killed and another seriously injured.

“We went there to help if there were any casualties but government soldiers prevented us from entering. They told us there were no casualties there, but we saw a dead woman being carried on a hand cart on our way back,” said Ali Muse, the head of Mogadishu’s ambulance service. Somalia has not had an effective government in almost two decades.

The current administration controls only a small section of the capital with the help of some 5,000 African Union peacekeepers. The government is preparing an offensive to try to wrest back control of much of the capital from the insurgents, who hold most of southern and central Somalia. —AP

PARIS: France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy delivers a speech as part of a ceremony with a Chinese delegation to mark the Chinese New year festivities inaugurating the Year of the Tiger yesterday at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris. —AFP

Kiev mayor’s daughter robbed in France: Police PARIS: The mayor of Kiev’s daughter told police she was robbed of €4 million ($5.5 million) worth of jewelry as she traveled by car from Charles de Gaulle airport to the French capital, Paris police said yesterday.

A spokesman for her wealthy father, however, immediately denied the report, which could be embarrassing considering that his daughter heads a charity organization funded by his own city government and many Ukrainians are struggling amid a widespread recession.

A Paris police official said Kristina Chernovetska reported that a man broke into her luxury car Monday as it stopped on a highway north of Paris, then stole her purse. Chernovetska reported the incident to authori-

ties and said the purse contained the valuable rings and earrings, the official said. The official was not authorized to be named according to police policy and gave no further description of the jewelry.

A spokesman for Kiev mayor Leonid Chernovetsky, however, denied that there was a robbery.

“This is somebody’s bad joke.

We completely deny these reporters about a robbery. There was no robbery,” spokeswoman Marta Hrymska said.

Chernovetsky was one of the first banking magnates in Ukraine after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union and sold his Pravex Bank for €493 million to Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo in June 2008.

French police said they contacted the Ukrainian Embassy

about the incident, but the embassy would not comment on it yesterday to The Associated Press. Hrymska insisted that Chernovetska was in Kiev, but her whereabouts remained unknown yesterday. A receptionist at the luxury George V hotel just off the Champs Elysees confirmed that a “Christina” Chernovetska was registered, but it was not clear if that was the same person.

At the George V, the least expensive room is $1,025 a night. Luxury limousines lined up in front of the hotel for guests in furs and designer sunglasses while diners inside lunched beneath crystal chandeliers.

Among goods on sale at the George V are $136,700 pearl necklaces. —AP

INTERNATIONAL

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

9

Mexican bishops criticize govt drug war strategy MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s Roman Catholic bishops have joined in the growing criticism of a drug war that has captured top kingpins but done little to stem gang violence. The Mexican Council of Bishops said in a report released Monday that the presence of thousands of troops on the streets and a corrupt judicial system raise human rights concerns.

They said too many suspects are paraded in front of the media before being charged and urged the government to speed up police reforms so that thousands of troops now leading the drug war can return to their barracks. Since taking office in 2006, President Felipe Calderon has

deployed tens of thousands of troops to drug trafficking hotspots across the country, vowing to wrest back territory from brutal cartels. Gang violence has since increased and become more vicious, with beheadings and shootouts occurring daily. More than 15,000 people have died in violence tied to the drug trade in the past three years. The report comes in the wake of the massacre of 15 people in the border city of Ciudad Juarez that provoked widespread criticism of Calderon’s drug war strategy. Most of those killed were students with no known ties to drug gangs, and investigators say the gunmen may have been acting on mistaken information.

Despite the presence of thousands of troops, the city across the border from El Paso, Texas, has become one of the world’s deadliest. Last week, a crowd jeered Calderon during a visit to Ciudad Juarez, where 2,600 people were killed last year.

Calderon pledged to spend more on social programs in the city of 1.3 million people, but he vowed not to remove soldiers from the streets.

Last weekend, the government deployed 400 more federal police to Ciudad Juarez. Public Safety Secretary Genaro Garcia Luna said Monday a special unit investigating kidnappings and extortion would also be sent to the city. The bishops

acknowledged that Calderon’s nationwide military deployment initially had widespread public support, but they warned that the troop presence must be temporary.

“As time passed, the participation of the armed forces in the fight against organized crime has created uncertainty in the population,” the report said. “The armed forces have the obligation to respect human rights.” International human rights groups have accused soldiers of arbitrary killings and other abuses in the drug war. Mexico’s Defense Department insists the incidents have been isolated and are being investigated. Calderon says his goal is to turn the drug war back to reformed police forces,

and hundreds of officers have been fired or arrested for suspected criminal ties under his administration.

But corruption scandals still abound. On Monday, authorities said two Tijuana police officers were arrested for threatening waitresses at a restaurant in the city of Tijuana, where the local government has launched an aggressive effort to clean up its force.

The officers allegedly shot at fellow police who arrived at the scene Sunday in response to complaints. They tested positive for cocaine after their arrest, said Baja California Assistant State Attorney Martha Imelda Almanza. The bishops said few suspected criminals in Mexico are brought to

justice because of police corruption and inefficiency. At the same time, the report said some tactics lend themselves to jailing innocent people. The bishops criticized the long-standing practice of parading suspects before the media before they are charged.

Many of those suspects are eventually released for lack of evidence or end up being tried for lesser crimes than announced to the public. Authorities must “respect the judicial principle that someone is innocent until proven otherwise,” the report said. “Because now we see that detainees are exhibited before the media before they are brought before judicial authorities.” — AP

Lawyer says innocent of accusations

Former adviser to Americans admits link to Salvador case SANTO DOMINGO: The former legal adviser to a group of American missionaries jailed in Haiti on child kidnapping charges is now the focus of a manhunt in the Dominican Republic. Dominican police and US agents are seek-

PORT-AU-PRINCE: View of a hilltop neighborhood that suffrered great damage by the earthquake that hit Haiti last month in Port-au-Prince on Monday. — AP

Haiti president: 3 years needed to move rubble PORT-AU-PRINCE: It will take three long years to clear the rubble left by Haiti’s devastating earthquake, said President Rene Preval who admitted even he’s still afraid to sleep under concrete in case another quake strikes.

In a rare exclusive sit-down interview, Preval told Associated Press Television News on Monday that Haiti faces a long reconstruction process that will result in fewer people living in the capital, Port-au-Prince. “It will take 1,000 trucks moving rubble for 1,000 days, so that’s three years. And until we move out rubble, we cannot really build,” Preval said.

Sitting in the airport police station that serves as the country’s temporary government headquarters, Preval calmly laid out the difficulties of rebuilding an impoverished country amid aftershocks and the threat of more earthquakes. He said the government has destroyed some hastily rebuilt structures in the capital, but he said that until alternative housing plans can be completed, the government’s ability to regulate reconstruction will be limited.

Asked about residents’ assertions that local corruption has interfered with the international aid effort, he replied: “It is possible that there have been irregularities.” “However,” he said, “I should point out that the government isn’t the direct manager of most of this humanitarian assistance.”

He referred further questions to relief organizations and local and international governments engaged in food distribution. International aid groups have taken pains to at least make Haiti’s government the titular head of the relief. But district mayor’s offices in Port-au-Prince have been put in control of some food coupon distribution, and some irregularities have been reported.

The president, whose five year term is scheduled to end next year, has rarely spoken publicly with his own people in the weeks since a magnitude-7 earthquake pummeled Haiti’s capital city on Jan. 12. More than 200,000 people were killed.

The presidential palace and his own private residence were destroyed, as were most government buildings and the headquarters of a 9,000-member UN peacekeeping force that guarantees his security.

Since then, Preval said Monday, he has been staying with friends until a “light, earthquakeproof” structure can be built to replace his home.

“Like you, I am nervous to be under cement,” he said. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Monday said his country will spend up to $12 million to build Haiti’s government a temporary base to replace official buildings damaged in the quake.

Despite Haitians’ desperate need for shelter, many abandoned houses that survived the quake still stand empty because nobody is quite sure they can withstand another quake.

At least 54 aftershocks have shuddered through Haiti’s shattered capital since Jan. 12.

They have toppled weakened buildings faster than demolition crews can get to them, sending up new clouds of choking dust. On Monday, three children were killed when a school collapsed in the northern city of Cap-Haitien. It wasn’t clear what caused the collapse, which occurred after a latenight tremor and heavy rains.

“I tried sleeping in the house for a night, but an aftershock came and I ran outside,” said Louise Lafonte, 36, who beds down with her family of five in a tent beside her seemingly intact concrete house. “I’m not going inside until the ground calms down.” — AP

Canada to set up Haiti government headquarters PORT-AU-PRINCE: Canada will set up a temporary headquarters for the beleaguered Haitian government, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Monday on a visit to quake-devastated Port-auPrince. “The establishment of a temporary government administrative base is an important step towards early recovery and reconstruction efforts,” Harper said after meeting with Haitian President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive.

Harper arrived earlier Monday for a two-day visit he said would focus on assess the country’s needs after the devastating January 12 earthquake, which killed at least 217,000 people. The semi-permanent, 11-million-dollar operations base would be fully kitted out with Canadian computer hardware, communications systems, furniture, water supply and air conditioning, officials said. It is Harper’s first trip as prime minister to Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas and Canada’s second-largest aid recipient after Afghanistan.

Canada is also the second largest foreign donor to Haiti after the United States.

Harper said the establishment of an operations base would be key to stabilizing Haiti’s government, which for over a month

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shakes hands with Haitian President Rene Preval as the two leaders begin a bilateral meeting in tents set up at the airport outside the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Monday. — AP has been holed up in offices at a police station near the airport.

Dozens of government ministries and the once-grand presidential palace were destroyed in the 7.0-magnitude quake.

“The support that Canadians and the international community extended to Haiti is a testament to the compassion that unites humanity in the face of catastrophe,” Harper said after talks with Preval and Bellerive. The

meeting, said Harper’s spokesman Dimitri Soudas, was “a leader-to-leader discussion on the challenges that lie ahead, and to get specific ideas in terms of where the Haitian government sees the next steps forward.”

Yesterday, Harper is scheduled to tour the seaside town of Jacmel, where Canadian forces have opened an airfield to deliver aid, and the town of Leogane, west of the capital. — AFP

In a call from an unknown location, Puello told The Associated Press he was innocent of the accusations and that he and his Salvadoran wife had taken in young women from the Caribbean and Central America who had been abandoned by smugglers.

Salvadoran authorities want to prosecute Puello and his jailed wife for allegedly luring women and girls into prostitution with bogus offers of modeling jobs. “I’m planning to go to El Salvador to tackle this problem,” Puello said in a phone call arranged by his mother at his childhood home in the Dominican Republic. “I am not afraid to face the music.” Each new detail emerging about the past of the 32-year-old seems to add to the embarrassment and discomfort of the American missionaries that Puello volunteered to help, and who are still awaiting release from a Portau-Prince jail. On Monday, a Haitian prosecutor said a power outage delayed his printing of a recommendation to release the 10 Americans charged with child kidnapping. Because yesterday was a national holiday, he doesn’t expect the judge to issue a decision until today morning.

In the phone call with the AP, Puello said he had fled the Dominican Republic to avoid arrest. The Dominican National Police, working with Interpol, said it had conducted several raids and interviews Monday in an attempt to locate Puello and detain him on the Salvadoran warrant. US federal agents also went to his mother’s house over the weekend. Dave Oney, a Marshals Service spokesman in Washington, said authorities are trying to determine if Puello is a man with a similar name and physical description wanted for a 2002 parole violation. Puello’s statement that he had left the Dominican Republic was immediately cast in doubt by his mother, Ana Rita Puello, who refused to vouch for her son’s whereabouts. Informed that Puello said he had left the country, she looked surprised.

Asked if she believed he fled, she shook her head and smiled.

“I don’t want to answer,” she said.

Puello’s recent behavior has only stoked doubts about his identity and other aspects of his life. He falsely portrayed himself as a lawyer in the Dominican Republic. He wrongly claimed to be the leader of the country’s Sephardic Jewish community. And he initially told reporters he had never been to El Salvador, but now says he has deep connections to the Central American country, including five children there.

Arrest warrants identify him as Jorge Anibal Torres Puello. Around Santo Domingo he was also known as Jorge Torres, Yoram Torres and Jorge Migdal. The Americans in Haiti, detained for allegedly trying to take 33 children out of the country without proper documents after the earthquake, knew him as Jorge Puello.

Puello says his role in the case is as a misunderstood do-gooder who volunteered to help the detained Americans after reading about their case on the Internet. “If you see somebody dying and you can help you can’t just not help because you have a past,” he said. “I have been helping people since I was a kid.” — AP

ing to detain Jorge Puello, who acknowledged Monday that he is wanted in El Salvador for alleged involvement in a human smuggling ring in the Central American country.

PORT-AU-PRINCE: In this photo taken Feb 8, 2010, Jorge Puello, center, a Dominican legal advisor, who was hired by the relatives of the 10 Americans that were arrested while trying to bus children out of Haiti without proper documents or government permission, arrives to the court building in Port-auPrince. — AP

10

INTERNATIONAL

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Myanmar sentences four activists as UN envoy visits YANGON: Military-ruled Myanmar sentenced four activists to prison terms with hard labor on the same day a UN envoy arrived to assess progress on human rights in the country, the opposition said yesterday. The four women were arrested last October after being accused of offering Buddhist monks alms that included religious literature, said Nyan Win, spokesman for the opposition party headed by detained Nobel Peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. The women used to hold prayer services at Yangon’s Shwedagon pagoda for Suu Kyi’s release.

They were sentenced Monday to two

years imprisonment with hard labor, Nyan Win said. The judgment came as special UN envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived for a five-day visit to evaluate progress on reform. “Human rights abuses in the country continue unabated even during the visit of the human rights envoy,” Nyan Win said. Amnesty International, a London-based human rights organization, yesterday also blasted the junta’s human rights record, calling on the regime to halt repression of ethnic minority activists before forthcoming national and local elections.

A report, covering two years ending

August, 2009, said authorities arrested, imprisoned, and in some cases tortured or even killed ethnic minority activists.

“Ethnic minorities play an important but seldom acknowledged role in Myanmar’s political opposition,” Amnesty said. “The government has responded to this activism in a heavy-handed manner, raising fears that repression will intensify before the elections.” The government has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying that it was only carrying out antiterrorist operations against some ethnic minorities fighting the central regime.

Quintana’s third visit follows the

release from almost seven years of detention of the deputy leader of the prodemocracy party led by Suu Kyi. The envoy left yesterday morning for northwestern Rakhine State and will visit a prison in northern Rakhine state today.

During a meeting with the envoy Monday, Nyan Win briefed Quintana about the inconsistencies of the judicial system in Myanmar, arbitrary detentions and the trials of Suu Kyi and a Myanmar-born American who was recently sentenced for forging documents and undeclared foreign currency. “I told Mr. Quintana that we inherited the judicial system from colonial

times but that it has rusted,” Nyan Win said.

He said judges often handed down the maximum possible sentences to political activists. “Persecution of activists has intensified and many activists have been unjustly sentenced,” he said. Nyan Win said that Nyi Nyi Aung, the Myanmarborn American who was sentenced last week to three years imprisonment with hard labor, was moved from Yangon to a prison in Pyi, 150 miles (240 kilometers) to the north. “Sending the activists to far away prisons caused extreme inconvenience to the families. It is like double pun-

ishment,” said Nyan Win, who is also a defense lawyer for Nyi Nyi Aung.

Quintana said in a statement last week that it would be important to meet with political party leaders in the context of this year’s landmark elections, which he described as “a critical time” for the people of Myanmar.

No date has yet been announced for the polls which are billed as moving the country toward civilian democracy. The envoy also has requested a meeting with Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest.

He was barred from seeing her on his previous visits. — AP

Leader celebrates 68th birthday

N Korea hails ‘brilliant’ Kim, seeks US dialogue SEOUL: North Korea celebrated the birthday yesterday of its “peerlessly brilliant” leader, urging talks with the United States as the economy worsens and hundreds of people are reported to have starved to death. Children A meeting Monday of senior communist party, army and state officials lauded Kim “as the most outstanding political elder and the peerlessly brilliant commander of the present era”. In contrast to last year’s birthday, when the North threatened South Korea and vowed to defy the world with a ballistic missile launch, the tone of the meeting was softer as the regime grapples with economic woes.

Number two leader Kim Yong-Nam stressed the need to end hostile relations with the United States “through dialogue and negotiations”, and noted a “steadfast” desire to improve inter-Korean relations and raise living standards. The North’s rocket launch last April brought international censure, causing it to quit six-party nuclear disarmament talks.

It staged a second atomic weapons test in May and the United Nations responded with tighter sanctions, which have hampered lucrative weapons exports. On the heels of a poor harvest, a bungled currency revaluation last November reportedly intensified severe food shortages,

received gift bags of sweets and biscuits, and Kim Jong-Il’s 68th birthday has also been marked by a synchronized swimming display and a festival celebrating the national “Kimjongilia” flower, state media reported.

PYONGYANG: This file handout photo released

by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency on February 9, 2010 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il talking with Wang Jiarui, head of the International Liaison Department of China’s Communist Party, during their meeting in. —AFP

sent prices soaring and fuelled unrest in the tightly controlled state. Seoul-based welfare group Good Friends, citing what it said was a survey by the North’s ruling party, said about 2,000 people had starved to death nationwide this winter-partly because of the currency change.

It was not possible to confirm the death toll. But a South Korean state research institute has said the North is expected to run short of 1.29 million tons of grain this year, equivalent to almost four months’ supply. Kim’s own health is also the subject of speculation after he suffered a stroke in August 2008. He is widely reported to be preparing for the eventual succession of his youngest son JongUn. Under pressure from ally China, the North in recent months has expressed readiness to return to nuclear talks.

But first it wants sanctions lifted and a US commitment to discuss a formal peace treatyconditions rejected by Washington. Paik Haksoon, of Seoul’s private Sejong Institute think-tank, said the North had toned down the

rhetoric because it “is implementing a strategy for its survival and prosperity in the 21st century.

“What it needs as an ‘exit’ strategy is to improve ties with the United States, Japan and South Korea, and then to get help from them to survive,” Paik told AFP. “North Korea needs to supply ample consumer goods to enhance the living standards of people and pave the way for becoming a ‘powerful and prosperous nation’-as pledged.”

Pyongyang has set this goal for 2012, the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Kim IlSung, who was the country’s founder and father of the current ruler. Paik said he expects North Korea and the United States to hold talks on narrowing their differences early next month, with six-party talks resuming later in March. The North’s news agency reported a festive mood, with people showing “heartfelt gratitude and respect” for Kim. Across the heavily fortified border, South Korean defectors and other activists launched 20,000 balloon-borne leaflets into the North denouncing the leader as a dictator. — AFP

Thai court denies bail for ‘Merchant of Death’ BANGKOK: Thailand’s appeal court yesterday rejected a bail request by Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout as a legal battle over plans to extradite him to the United States looked set to drag into a third year.

The court is currently considering an appeal by Thailand’s government against a ruling by the criminal court last August that Bout, dubbed the “Merchant of Death” by some media, should not be sent to the United States to stand trial.

Yesterday the court rejected the bail request by Bout’s lawyer, who asked that his client be released temporarily while the case continues, with the Russian embassy guaranteeing he would not try to escape.

Judge Jitakorn Patanasiri said Bout had missed a deadline for filing his bail request. “So the appeal court has rejected the request,” Jitakorn told the court.

Bout, a burly former Soviet air force officer, has been detained since he was arrested in March 2008 at a luxury Bangkok hotel where he was allegedly arranging to sell surface-toair missiles to US agents posing as Colombian guerrillas. No date has been set for the appeal ruling on Bout’s extradition. The 43year-old Russian’s colorful life is said to have inspired the Hollywood film “Lord of War” and he has been accused of peddling weapons around the world, including to Al-Qaeda.

The Thai government appealed in August after Bangkok’s criminal court ruled that it did not have the authority to extradite Bout because the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia was not listed as a terrorist group in Thailand. The decision was praised by Moscow but Washington said at the time

it was “disappointed and mystified” by the rejection of its extradition request.

The nickname “Merchant of Death” was coined by a

former British foreign office minister and also used for a 2007 book on Bout’s alleged activities. Bout faces life in prison if sent to the United

States and convicted there on terrorism charges, including conspiracy to kill US officers or employees and conspiracy to acquire

and use an anti-aircraft missile. He denies the charges and insists that he ran a legitimate air cargo business. — AFP

TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada listens to a question during a press conference at his office in Tokyo yesterday where he said he would visit Australia this weekend to hold talks with his counterpart Stephen Smith on the ongoing whaling issue. —AFP

Japan may press charges against anti-whaling activist TOKYO: Japan plans to hold and may charge a New Zealand anti-whaling activist being held aboard one of its harpoon ships in Antarctic waters, officials said yesterday.

Peter Bethune secretly climbed aboard the Japanese whaling fleet’s security ship the Shonan Maru 2 planning to make a citizens’ arrest of its captain Hiroyuki Komiya for “attempted murder”.

He left the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling vessel on a jet ski before dawn on Monday, also planning to hand Komiya a three-million-dollar bill for the destruction of the Ady Gil powerboat, of which he was captain.

The carbon-and-kevlar trimaran, which claimed the round-the-world record under its former name “Earthrace” in 2008, was destroyed when it collided with the whaling vessel on January 6. Six crew, including Bethune, were on board. But Japan may now charge Bethune, who remains in Japanese custody on the ship, in the latest twist in the increasingly heated confrontations between the whalers and the militant Sea Shepherd activists.

Japan plans to question Bethune and establish a criminal case under Japanese law, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing unnamed sources. Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Bethune was being kept aboard the Japanese ship under international maritime law. “We are preparing to take him to Japan without releasing him to a third country,” he said. Fisheries Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu earlier signaled tough action against Bethune, telling reporters: “As it is outrageously illegal behavior, we want to deal with it strictly.”

Over recent weeks, the whalers and activists have blasted each other with pow-

erful icy jets from high-pressure water cannon, while those aboard the Sea Shepherd have hurled rancid butter stink bombs at the whalers. The anti-whalers have also accused the Japanese of using sonar riot-control devices against them, while the whalers say they have been hit with paint bombs and flashed with a high-powered laser-like weapon.

In New Zealand, Foreign Minister Murray McClully yesterday met with Japan’s ambassador, the foreign ministry in Tokyo said.

Commercial whaling has been banned worldwide since 1986, but Japan justifies its annual hunts as “lethal scientific research”, while not hiding the fact that the meat is later sold in shops and restaurants.

In a separate case, two Greenpeace activists went on trial in Japan this week for theft and trespass for taking a box of whale meat from a delivery service depot in 2008.

They claim the meat was evidence of embezzlement in the state-funded whaling program. Bethune’s case is not the first time Sea Shepherd activists have boarded Japanese whaling ships. In January 2008 a Briton and an Australian climbed aboard a Japanese harpoon vessel to deliver a protest letter.

After two days the Japanese side handed them back to an Australian customs boat.

The Sea Shepherd’s Captain Paul Watson, in an online posting, said: “Captain Bethune was entirely in his rights to confront the man who almost killed him and destroyed his ship. “And now this same Japanese captain who destroyed a ship almost killing its crew is intent on bringing Captain Bethune back to Japan as his captive. The question must be asked-who are the pirates here? “— AFP

More dying of hunger in N Korea: Welfare group BANGKOK: Russian Viktor Bout, the alleged arms dealer, looks on while sitting in a cell at the Criminal Court in Bangkok yesterday. Thailand’s Appeal Court rejected Bout’s request for temporary release during his extradition trail. — AFP

Malaysia chides Australian MPs over Anwar trial criticism KUALA LUMPUR: Australian lawmakers who urged Malaysia to drop opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial should show more respect, a senior minister said according to reports yesterday.

More than 50 Australian MPs last week lodged a formal protest over the trial of the former deputy prime minister which began earlier this month, saying it would hurt the country’s image.

“What would happen if it was us telling them to do something similar?

They should be more respectful,” said

Shafie Apdal, a cabinet minister and chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. “As members of the Commonwealth, they should respect the legal system practiced by member nations and that they do not have any right to interfere,” he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper.

Anwar says the charges, which could see him jailed for 20 years, are a political conspiracy and another attempt to end his career after he was convicted and

jailed on similar allegations a decade ago.

The Australian MPs said that observers of Malaysia “find it difficult to believe that a leading opposition voice could be charged with sodomy a second time” and noted the allegations came after he made major gains in 2008 polls.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said over the weekend that Malaysia would “explain and engage” with the Australian lawmakers. “I don’t think they know the real situation,” he said according to the Star daily. — AFP

SEOUL: North Korea’s rulers have held rare emergency meetings to grapple with increasingly dire food shortages as more people starve to death, a Seoul-based welfare group said yesterday. A survey conducted by the Workers’ Party of Korea said about 2,000 people had starved to death across the reclusive communist state this winter, Good Friends, which has extensive cross-border contacts, said in a newsletter.

The grim results of the survey prompted cabinet, party and security officials to hold a series of urgent meetings in late January and early February, it said. “The survey indicates starvation and food shortages are getting serious across North Korea,” group director Lee Seung-Yong told AFP. “Overall figures were not available, but we believe more people starved to death” after the country’s chaotic currency change last November, he said.

North Korea has relied on foreign aid to feed its people since a devastating famine in the 1990s killed hundreds of thousands. In recent years the regime has tried to reassert state control over the economy by restricting private markets, which sprang up after the state food distribution system collapsed

in the famine years. The currency revaluation on November 30 has reportedly played havoc with distribution networks, aggravating food shortages and sparking inflation.

Good Friends quoted an unidentified ruling party official as conceding that the currency move had aggravated the hunger crisis. “The closure of markets was a hasty decision because it came without normalizing distribution networks,” the official reportedly said. The group said Pyongsong and Sunchon in South Pyongan province were hit hard by food shortages because the military collected 65 percent of last year’s grain harvest from residents in the two cities.

The North’s food shortages are expected to worsen this year after a poor grain harvest in 2009, the South’s unification ministry said last week.

North Korea produced an estimated 4.11 million tons of grain last year, a five percent drop from 4.3 million tons in 2008, it said.

Annual demand is 5.4 million tons, and the estimated shortfall of 1.29 million tons is equivalent to almost four months’ food supply this year, according to a state-run research institute in Seoul. — AFP

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

INTERNATIONAL

11

Forces press ahead in NATO’s assault on the militants’ heartland

Taleban resistance more disorganized: Marines MARJ AH: US and Afghan forces traded gunfire w ith insurgents shooting from haystacks in poppy fields in the Taleban stronghold of Marjah as they pressed ahead in NATO’s assault on the militants’ heartland in southern Afghanistan. Hoping to avoid prolonged gun battles, Marines called for longrange artillery support to disperse sniper squads harassing their advance into the tow n. For the first time since the offensive started Saturday, US forces

SARGODHA: Pakistani police escort US militant suspects as they leave a Pakistani anti-terrorist court after a hearing in Sargodha yesterday. — AFP

Bail plea for US militant suspects held in Pakistan SARGODHA: Defense lawyers for five Americans held in Pakistan for alleged militant links stepped up calls yesterday for their clients to be freed on bail, saying the evidence against them was “vague”. The five US citizens were produced in an anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Sargodha, where they were arrested in December 2009 on suspicion of trying to contact Al-Qaedalinked militant groups and plot attacks.

Officials said the court will rule today whether to grant bail to the young men, who have been held without charge since their arrest and have complained of torture and other mistreatment while in custody. “The allegations against them are vague.

There is no substantial evidence available to show their guilt. I am sure they will be bailed out tomorrow,” defense lawyer Mohammad Shahid Kamal Khan told reporters outside the court.

“It is a violation of the legal and fundamental rights to keep them in confinement.” Public prosecutor Nadeem Akram Cheema argued that a presidential decree stated that any suspect facing charges which carry more than 10 years in prison should not be granted bail. “There are very limited chances for the bail of the accused,” he told AFP. The men, aged between 18 and 25, face life imprisonment if put on trial and found guilty. A

Pakistani court has barred their deportation to the United States, where they all lived before travelling to Pakistan last year.

Cheema defended the delay in filing charges, and said prosecutors were waiting for government permission to pursue charges related to planning acts of war in another country-in this case neighboring Afghanistan. The list of charges would likely be formally presented at the next hearing on March 2, he said. Pakistani officials say the men planned to travel to Afghanistan to fight with the Taleban against US troops. The men have denied links to Al-Qaeda and said they wanted to go to Afghanistan for charity work.

One of the detained men tossed a piece of toilet paper out of the window of their prison van yesterday, again alleging mistreatment. “We have been threatened to be tortured again if we continued to speak out the truth,” the piece of paper read. The US embassy in Islamabad and Pakistani prison officials have denied their previous claims of torture. Pakistan is under US pressure to do more to eliminate Islamist networks that have carved out training grounds and havens in the country’s northwest to plot attacks against Western troops fighting in Afghanistan. — AFP

WEST BENGAL: An Indian official inspects a body in a courtyard containing several bodies covered by blankets in West Midnapore district’s Sildha, West Bengal state yesterday. — AFP

Maoist rebels kill 24 police in eastern India CALCUTTA: A stunning attack by Maoist rebels that killed at least 24 police officers in a remote camp in eastern India was an outrageous challenge to the state and exposed the insurgents’ brutal thirst for power, a top Indian official said yesterday. The brazen assault Monday , the deadliest rebel attack on police in West Bengal state, came amid a new government crackdown on the Maoists, who are active in 20 of India’s 28 states. More than 100 guerrillas attacked the security outpost, detonating land mines, setting the facility ablaze, killing two dozen police and stealing weapons, said district magistrate N S Nigam.

“Every attack of this kind exposes the true nature and character of the (Maoists),” Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said in a statement. “Their goal is to seize power. Their weapon is violence. No organization or group in a democratic republic has the right to take to violence to overpower the established legal authority.” The attack took place in Shilda village, about 105 miles (170 kilometers) southwest of state capital, Calcutta. A total of 51 police officers were in the camp at the time and many remained missing, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

“Never before the police here have suffered so many losses in one attack,” Surajit Kar Purkayastha, a police inspector-general, told The Associated Press yesterday. Nigam said the camp was close to a bustling market, and the rebels struck when a large number of people were shopping in the area.

Kishenji, a top Maoist leader in the area, claimed responsibility for the attack in a call to a local television station. He said it was in retaliation for a recent security crackdown against the rebels. Police reinforcements scoured the area yesterday for the assailants who fled after the assault, Nigam said. Inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, the rebels have fought for more than four decades demanding land and jobs for farmers and the poor. In the past few months the Indian government has cracked down on the outlawed rebels, saying it was ready to discuss all their demands but only if they gave up violence.

About 2,000 people, including police, militants and civilians, have been killed in violence over the past few years. The rebels are also known as Naxals or Naxalites, after Naxalbari, the village in West Bengal state where their movement was born in 1967. — AP

“We’re not seeing coordinated attacks like we did originally. We’re still getting small-arms fire but it’s sporadic, and hit-and-run tactics,” said spokesman Capt Abraham Sipe. “As a whole, while there is still resistance, it is of a disorganized nature.” Three more Afghan civilians were killed in the assault, NATO forces said, highlighting the toll on the population from an offensive aimed at making them safer.

The deaths, in three separate incidents, come after two errant US missiles struck a house on the outskirts of Marjah on Sunday, killing 12 people, half of them children. Afghan officials said three Taleban fighters were in the house at the time of the attack.

About 15,000 NATO and Afghan troops are taking part in the massive offensive around Marjah , the linchpin of the Taleban logistical and opium poppy smuggling network in the militant-influenced south.

As the assault aimed at breaking the Taleban stranglehold over the south continued, the extremist group received a blow with the news that its top military commander had been arrested in Pakistan.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s No 2 leader behind Afghan Taleban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and a close associate of Osama bin Laden, was captured in the port city of Karachi, US and Pakistani officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. The arrest appeared to have occurred as many as 10 days ago, and it was unclear if it had any effect on the Marjah battle. The offensive is the biggest joint operation since the 2001 US -led invasion of Afghanistan, and a major test of a retooled NATO strategy to focus on protecting civilians, rather than killing insurgents.

But in two incidents confirmed yesterday, Afghan men came toward NATO forces and ignored shouts and hand signals to stop, NATO said. Troops opened fire and killed them. In the third incident, two Afghan men were caught in the crossfire between insurgents and NATO forces. Both were wounded and one died of his injuries despite being given medical care, NATO said.

NATO has confirmed 15 civilian deaths, but an Afghan human rights group said yesterday that they have counted 19 civilians killed since the beginning of the operation. Four of those were people who were caught in the crossfire when they left their homes.

“Their neighbors tell us that the bodies are outside and they want someone to pick them up. They say they’re scared if they go outside they will also be shot dead,” said Ajmal Samadi, the director of Afghanistan Rights Monitor. It was unclear whether NATO or insurgent forces were to blame for the deaths, he said.

Elsewhere in Helmand province, NATO and Afghan forces killed more than 10 militants as they chased a group of three vehicles in pursuit of a Taleban commander in Washir district, west of the area where the offensive is going on. Firefights broke out as the troops chased the cars and they killed those inside the cars.

The forces also came under fire from a nearby village, but NATO said it broke off the fight because it was worried about civilian casualties in the village.

In Marjah, Marine and Afghan squads skirted the booby-trapped streets of the town, pushing through more rural sections where fields of chest-high poppies grew amid irrigation canals.

But there they found insurgent snipers firing from haystacks built over small canals. It appeared that lone snipers were seeking to draw the Marine squads into areas where they could be targeted by larger Taleban units firing from nearby rooftops.

Squads with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines fanned out in columns alongside an armored-vehicle convoy as they moved carefully through poppy fields. A mine-roller leading the way detonated planted bombs as it advanced. The Marines’ goal has been to link up with other companies that were airdropped into the city Saturday, but progress has been slow.

Residents said they were scared to be seen with NATO forces. One man, Wali Mohammad, warned an AP reporter, “Don’t take pictures or the Taleban will come back to kill me,” as Marines searched his compound. Mohammad said he strongly suspected insurgents would return to the area as soon as the Marines moved on. He said Taleban fighters had targeted US and Afghan troops, firing from his neighbors’ houses. “When they come, we try to tell them not to use our house, but they have guns so they do what they want,” the poppy farmer said.

Afghan commanders spoke optimistically about the progress in Marjah, a town of about 80,000 people. “It is very weak resistance, sporadic resistance by the enemy in some villages in the Marjah area,” Chief of Army Staff Bismullah Mohammadi said. Other officials have said Taleban fighters were fleeing across the border and the town should soon be cleared of insurgents. In a separate incident unrelated to the Marjah offensive, a NATO airstrike in neighboring Kandahar province killed five civilians and wounded two. NATO said they were mistakenly believed to have been planting roadside bombs. NATO officials have reported only two coalition deaths so far , one American and one Briton killed Saturday. — AP

fired the non-lethal artillery “smoke shells” in a bid to intimidate enemy fighters w ho also lobbed rockets and mortars at them. “We are trying not to be decisively engaged so w e can progress, but w e’re having some difficulty right now ,” said Lima Company commander Capt J oshua Winfrey. Despite the continued firefights, Marine officials said the resistance w as more disorganized than in previous days.

HERAT: An Afghan security officer stands guard during an operation in Maslakh Camp, Herat province, west of Kabul, Afghanistan yesterday. — AP

Bangladesh cracking down on Myanmar migrants: Lobby group DHAKA: A crackdown by Bangladeshi authorities has triggered a “humanitarian catastrophe” for the country’s unregistered population of Rohingya refugees, according to a report released yesterday. The authorities launched an “unprecedented” campaign against the ethnic Muslims from Myanmar on January 2, pushing thousands into an unofficial refugee camp, a report by the Arakan Project lobby group said.

In the makeshift camp in Kutuplaong on the Myanmar border, “food insecurity and hunger is spreading rapidly and a serious humanitarian crisis is looming,” the report by the Bangkok-based group said.

“A major humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding for the unprotected Rohingya in Bangladesh,” the report added. “This will deteriorate if the Bangladesh authorities do not immediately put an end to this massive crackdown and continue to deny access to food and livelihood to the unregistered Rohingya refugees.”

Police round-ups, leading to arrest or illegal forced deportation, are common and the local media has launched a “xenophobic campaign” against the Rohingya, stirring up local resentment, the report added. It also claimed instances of theft, rape and assaults against unregistered Rohingya soared last

month. Described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities on earth, thousands of Rohingyas from Myanmar’s northern Rakhaine state stream across the border every year. They are now estimated to number nearly 400,000.

Around 8,000 are believed to have fled in 2009.

There are an estimated 700,000 Rohingya in Myanmar, where they are not recognised as citizens and have no right to own land and are forbidden from marrying or travelling without permission. Police on the border with Myanmar told AFP yesterday that they had arrested nearly 149 Rohingas last month as they tried to enter Bangladesh and had pushed back 112. The report claims the repatriation policy is illegal.

“This month, we have arrested over 50 and pushed all of them back into Myanmar. It is an ongoing operation,” said Rafiqul Islam, chief of the local police in Kutuplaong on the Myanmar border. Islam said the crackdown, prompted by a rise in the number of Rohingya asylum seekers who were clearing forest and building shanty towns around the Kutuplaong camp, was an attempt to stop further migration. “If we don’t stop them, the floodgates will open,” he said. — AFP

Sri Lanka’s opposition appeals defeat in court COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s jailed and defeated opposition presidential candidate appealed to the country’s highest court yesterday to overturn the results of last month’s election, a lawmaker said. President Mahinda Rajapaksa secured a wide victory over his former army chief and main rival Sarath Fonseka in the Jan. 26 election, according to official results.

But the opposition claims the poll was marred by widespread fraud and has rejected the result.

Lawyers for Fonseka, who was arrested last week after the government said he was planning a coup — have asked the Supreme Court to annul the results of the vote, said Tissa Attanayake, an opposition lawmaker. The appeal cites alleged government involvement in vote-rigging, use of state resources on behalf of Rajapaksa and other violations. It was not clear when the court would consider the case. The campaign between Rajapaksa and Fonseka was a bitter one. The two were allies when they worked together to defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels last year, but fell out after the war.

Fonseka denies plotting to stage a coup, and the opposition says he was arrested because he dared to challenge Rajapaksa. The dispute has spilled over onto the streets and even into the Buddhist temples of the island nation off the southern coast of India. For the Sinhalese Buddhist clergy, both Rajapaksa and Fonseka are considered heroes for defeating the Tigers and ushering in a period of peace. The country’s top Buddhist monks have urged Rajapaksa to release Fonseka immediately.

Yesterday, thousands of opposition supporters paraded in Colombo demanding Fonseka’s freedom and accusing the government of undermining democracy. Yesterday’s move

by Fonseka’s lawyers comes as the country gears up for general elections scheduled for April 8 in which the ruling coalition hopes to further strengthen its grip on power.

There have been widespread accusations of harassment in the weeks after the presidential poll, with international human rights and media groups saying the government has put particular focus on journalists.

The editor of a pro-opposition newspaper who has been held by police for more than two weeks without charge petitioned the Supreme Court on Monday, saying his detention was arbitrary and he should be released immediately. Police say Chandana Sirimalwatte, editor of the Lanka newspaper, is being detained under the country’s powerful emergency laws that allow authorities to detain suspects for 90 days without charge.

“The prevailing situation is very regrettable. So far, authorities have not filed charges against Sirimalwatte,” said Sunil Jayasekara, secretary of Free Media Movement, a local media rights group. Police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said an investigation was under way and Sirimalwatte would be presented before a court once it is finished. He did not elaborate. Separately, the fate of another journalist remained unknown more than three weeks after his disappearance. Jayakody said an investigation into the case of Prageeth Ekneligoda, a columnist for the news Web site Lanka e News and a critic of the president, continued but no progress had been made.

Media rights groups say Sri Lanka is among the most dangerous places for dissenting journalists.

Amnesty International says at least 14 Sri Lankan media workers have been killed since the beginning of 2006. — AP

CCTV gives some clues on bombing, say Indian police MUMBAI: Indian police were questioning several people yesterday in connection with a bomb attack that killed 10 people in a western city after viewing closed-circuit television footage, officials said. However, Satyapal Singh, the police chief in the city of Pune, declined to confirm media reports that 3-4 people had been taken into custody.

The bomb, which exploded in a bakery in Pune that is popular among Western and Indian tourists, contained ammonium nitrate and RDX, a powerful explosive used by the military, Singh told reporters.

“We have got some leads from CCTV footage and we are questioning many people,” he said. The Pune bombing was the first major militant strike in the country after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 that killed 166 people and which were blamed on the Pakistan-based separatist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Senior internal security sources have told Reuters the focus of the Pune attack investigations has been on the LeT, and the Indian Mujahideen, a local militant group. IM, a shadowy group which Indian officials and some experts say gets training and logistical support from LeT, is known to have operated a cell in Pune, an IT and educational hub about 160 km (100 miles) southeast of Mumbai. India is seeking to interrogate David Headley, arrested in the United States last year and charged with scouting targets for the Mumbai attacks.

India believes Headley, who also surveyed a religious retreat and a Jewish centre in Pune, has links to LeT. On Monday, Indian Home Secretary G K Pillai said authorities had no doubt that terror strikes in the country were largely masterminded from Pakistan, but with regard to the Pune blast, he would wait until the investigations were complete. — Reuters

OPINION

12

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher

YOUSUF S. ALYAN Editor-in-Chief

ABD AL-RAHMAN ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait.

E MAIL: info@kuwaittimes.net Website: www.kuwaittimes.net

issues

Obama’s challenge: Anger replaces hope

By Ben Feller

US

President Barack Obama won the White House with a campaign message focused on hope. Now he is trying to get himself on the right side of a remarkably different national sentiment these days: anger. Obama’s expansive domestic goals are largely the same, but his message is changing, now constructed around a concession that the public is disillusioned and wanting results. If he cannot show people that he understands their frustration and is working to fix it, the risks are real. All that angst that Obama wants to harness as a force for change - as he did in his campaign - will turn against him. That means eroding public support for his agenda and potentially big losses for his party in congressional elections in November.

So it was telling when Obama offered this take on Republican Scott Brown’s Senate win in Massachusetts last month, one that weakened the Democratic president’s hand: “The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office. People are angry, and they’re frustrated.” A new White House talking point was born, and it was hardly hope and change.

On that same day of postelection analysis, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs used some description of anger, frustration or both 12 times to describe what people were feeling, including this one: “That anger is now pointed at us, because we’re in charge.

Rightly so.” Brown’s win cost Senate Democrats the 60-seat supermajority that had allowed them to bypass Republican stalling tactics on legislation in the 100-seat chamber.

The Obama response has come in two parts. One is to try to get better about communicating to people that he is fighting to address exactly what angers them. The other is to put the onus on whomever he deems is getting in the way of progress, hoping to shift the heat onto them.

“If you, as a member of the public, do not perceive that leaders understand that you are angry and frustrated, you’re not going to listen to what they say next,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a scholar of political communication at the University of Pennsylvania. “Their credibility is gone. And once you’ve lost that, it’s hard to regain it.”

And with people fed up about so many things at once - stubbornly high unemployment, partisanship, big government, banker bonuses - Obama’s communications challenge is complex. He must connect to people’s bitterness without becoming exactly the person he warns about, politicians who exploit anger. And he has to personally relate to people’s wrenching financial losses when his natural style is to speak in a professorial, explanatory way.

Even Obama has lamented a sense of public detachment from all his difficult first-year work,

and has said he wants to do an improved job of communicating directly to people.

Examples of the retooled effort abound. Obama gave a fiery pep talk during a town hall in Midwestern Ohio a few days after his party’s big loss in Massachusetts. The next week he mocked news organizations for saying he had shifted to a more populist message. “I’ve been fighting for working folks my entire adult life,” he said.

In his State of the Union speech, Obama was speaking to Democratic and Republican lawmakers, but also, really, to families watching at home, when he offered this I-hearyou-America line: “We all hated the bank bailout. I hated it. You hated it.” And Obama has gotten more vocal in seeking Republican help - knowing the nation is angry about bickering - but he challenges the opposition party each time.

“We’ll call them out when they say they want to work with us, and we extend a hand and get a fist in return,” he said. “Fat cat” bankers, lobbyists, insurance companies, the media, even the Supreme Court.

Obama, one year into his four-year term, has targeted all of them in trying to show people that he is on the regular guy’s side. “It’s perhaps a winning strategy in the short term,” said David Gergen, a political analyst and former adviser to four presidents. “It will help to align him with those who are frustrated. But it is not a winning strategy over the long haul. You can’t run for re-election pointing to all the things that are wrong with the system.”

As Obama seeks to capture and channel the nation’s frustration, he has plenty of tools in his favor. He is viewed as likable by the public, he is still in just his 13th month in office, his party controls both chambers of Congress and he is seeing the economy start to recover. Working against him: Expectations. People want improved lives faster.

Hope gets harder to sustain for the jobless or for those ever exasperated by the Wall Street bailout. Obama tried to caution people even in the celebration of his election night in 2008.

“Our climb will be steep,” he said then. “We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.” The this-will-taketime part largely was lost among the throngs clamoring for change.

Obama also has the tough task of relating to anger without showing much of it.

Presidents are supposed to keep their cool. Obama tends to operate that way anyway, which sometimes is cast as advantage, and other times gets him depicted as seeming detached even if he isn’t. “If my poll numbers are low, then I’m cool and cerebral and cold and detached,” Obama said of the way people interpret his demeanor. “If my poll numbers are high, well, he’s calm and reasoned. — AP

All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

A singing nomad between Morocco and France

By Stefan Franzen

H

indi Zahra is the new face of a young generation of emancipated, cosmopolitan singers and songwriters from North Africa. Her album Handmade is due to be released in late February. Born in Khouribga in southern Morocco, Zahra describes herself as an inveterate nomad: “From the time I was a small child, I was out on the road with my parents and coming into contact with the whole spectrum of Moroccan music every day–from the songs of the Berber women and Gnawa [a Sufi religious order in Morocco] chants to rock. The music of the Tuareg, too, Egyptian music and Bollywood was something I had a particular soft spot for.”

Behind all of these influences was the voice of her mother that provided Zahra with an underlying melody.

Among Berbers, singing has always been the preserve of the women and every family has a least one female member who sings. Zahra is clearly moved as she explains that her background has given her a great deal of female, “intimate and powerful” selfconfidence. So it is no surprise that all of her idols are female singers: the American Ella Fitzgerald, the great Egyptian diva Oum Kalthoum, and the exotic and amazing voice of Peru’s Yma Sumac with its five-octave vocal range.

“They are all divas of sadness,” says Zahra.

She made her way to Paris as a young singer in a conscious attempt to free herself from the ties of her homeland and discover other cultures. It was difficult. She remembers: “All [immigrants] find it hard to settle in a new country; especially young people. One can adjust better to change mentally as an adult. As a youngster, however, the whole thing is just too much, the change overwhelming. Settling into life in a big city was very difficult for me. I had always been used to being on the road.”

Growing up as a Berber in a country

with a strong Arab culture, and where Arabic rather than Berber was spoken, she always had the vague feeling of living a kind of “somewhere” existence. It is a feeling, though, that has also always helped her to adapt to new places – eventually even to Paris. She began life on the Seine as a soul backup singer.

“I became really frustrated working only with Western musicians, though,” she recalls. “But at the same time, I became aware of the wealth of material I had in me. I wanted to take the musical culture of my homeland onto another level, to introduce different instruments, especially the piano and the electric guitar, to create a harmonious blend from the most diverse instruments.” The end result of this young woman’s journey of self-discovery can be heard on Handmade, a mainly acoustic album of Berber blues, trancelike songs and echoes of the jazz sounds of the 1930s and 1940s delivered in both Berber and English.

The British magazine Wire described “Beautiful Tango”, one of the outstanding songs on the album, as a cross between Gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and American jazz singer Billie Holiday. “I’d go along with that,” Zahra laughs. “The rhythm is clearly based on Berber handclapping.

The blues music of the Berber, though, has affinities with the music of the French Manouche gypsies. Little wonder, given that both are nomadic peoples. And the old jazz is also something that fascinated and influenced me from an early stage. For me, jazz musicians are sailors on a journey into the unknown. I also go on this journey, with my voice as medium.”

The 11 songs are characterised by spontaneity and informality, and range in character from informal, intimate miniatures to hymns to the night. Zahra also has a weakness for the psychedelic: the song “Set Me Free”, for example, is meant to capture the atmosphere of a night in the desert as one stares up in silence at the stars and drifts into

contemplation of nature and the meaning of life. The electric guitar, says Zahra, can take you to the stars. Other songs have more specific themes.

“Oursoul” (a Berber word that sounds English), for example, is the name of a song that sensitively explores the theme of forced marriage – a cultural, not Islamic, tradition still practiced in

the region. Handmade was recorded in a large artists’ studio to lend an authentic handcrafted character to the sound.

Musicians do work with their hands after all, so it is a handicraft, says Zahra.

“I dream the arrangements and vocals,” she states, quite seriously.

“The melodies tend to come of their own volition without any great effort on

my part. I work instinctively, without putting anything down in writing.” In her studio work, too, Zahra is constantly on the move. Be it Morocco, Paris, Brussels or London, she remains a true nomad.

NOTE: Stefan Franzen is a freelance writer – CGNews

Handing over to Afghanistan

By Michael Williams

F

or nine years the international community has blundered its way through Afghanistan. In a reaction to 9/11, the Bush administration invaded using a lot of bombs and few US troops, relying instead on Afghan militia forces to oust the Taleban. This left a huge gap where peacekeeping forces should have been.

Rather than pursuing policies to secure the population, the US, under Operation Enduring Freedom, went after “terrorists” - the remnants of the Taleban and Al-Qaeda. NATO was supposedly there to provide security to the population, but the never-ending rotation of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commanders meant that when a US commander was in situ, NATO usually focused more on killing the “terrorists” than on providing security for Afghans.

Finally, NATO is getting it right and Operation Moshtarak in Marjah shows it.

From the start NATO announced that it was going to pursue a massive military operation and that civilians should decide where they stood. NATO hoped that by publicising the attack it would prompt civilians to remove themselves from the battle as well as provide information to NATO about insurgent activities. The foundation for this approach was General Stanley McChrystal’s belief that NATO needed to stop going after the Taleban and start securing Afghans.

Since August 2009 the general has issued directives aimed at reducing civilian casualties, and while some mistakes still occur, overall the results have been beneficial. In just over a year Afghans have become far more positive about the future, even if the situation in Afghanistan remains at times tragic.

For the first time ever NATO entered combat operations with development and governance help ready to move in immediately after the operation. NATO countries have engaged in joint civil-military planning before. The UK led the way with the stabilisation unit’s planning for the UK operation in Helmand in 2006 and the revised plan a few years later. However, both of these plans were ultimately less

effective than the government would have liked.

Nonetheless, the UK and other NATO allies continue to learn and Operation Moshtarak reflects that. Afghan and international assets will be moving immediately into Helmand to provide policing, governance and development.

In theory, this all sounds good. But 1,000 corrupt Afghan police will make the situation worse. Given the historical corruption issues within the police force there are reasons to be sceptical. We also will have to wait and see if the efforts at rooting in governance are more effective than the distorted relationship between the international organisations and the military have traditionally allowed.

So far Operation Moshtarak has gone according to plan. It deploys both Afghan and international forces, a major step towards the “Afghanisation” of security operations. Very few Isaf soldiers have been killed and despite two incidents in which at least 17 Afghan civilians were regrettably killed, civilian casualties remain minimal. The Taleban has offered little challenge. The task now is to clear the city of the hundreds of mines and IEDs that litter the surrounding area, as well as instituting effective government administration and security.

The Taleban has not been defeated, it has simply melted away and will resurface elsewhere. We will have to wait and see if effective governance takes root, or if the endemic corruption of Afghanistan destroys the process from the inside.

Nonetheless, Operation Moshtarak will enable the international community to focus over the next two to five years on becoming a ready reserve rather than a frontline force. It will also show resolve to the Afghan people and the Taleban.

The Afghan government must now outline a process whereby it can identify the parameters for negotiation with the Taleban. Elements of the group that are willing to abide by these parameters must, and should, be reintegrated into society.

NOTE: Michael Williams is lecturer in international relations at Royal Holloway, University of London

Iraq faces dangerous political vacuum after vote

By Mohammed Abbas

I

raq is likely to enter a dangerous political vacuum after parliamentary elections in March, with protracted negotiations over a new government threatening the country’s fragile peace and shaky institutions. A decisive win for Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, or an opponent, would be welcomed by investors hoping to follow through on deals to tap Iraq’s huge oil reserves, but months of political horse trading seems more likely. “I think we will be very lucky if a new government is in place this side of the summer,” said analyst Reidar Visser of www.historiae.org.

Iraq cannot afford to wait too long for a new government. Its institutions, most rebuilt since the 2003 US invasion, are weak.

The security forces struggle to prevent attacks, yet the US military is expected to speed up its drawdown after the March 7 vote in time for a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.

Months of wrangling over who should be prime minister

An Iraqi man walks past a campaign billboard of the Kurdistan Alliance featuring Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (left) in Baghdad on Monday. – AFP after national polls in 2005 delayed the building of Iraqi security forces and other institutions, which could have helped to curb the sectarian slaughter in subsequent years.

“I would expect a political vacuum, perhaps for weeks or months. The country won’t have a government or prime minis-

ter,” said Peter Harling, analyst at the International Crisis Group.

Iraq’s constitution gives the outgoing government full clout until a new administration is finalised, but there is little doubt politicians’ attention will focus on the election’s aftermath and not on the business of gover-

nance and lawmaking. “If indeed Iraq survives this extremely difficult year, I would become extremely optimistic for its future, but there is a real risk of the contrary, that things will unravel,” said Harling.

A lack of obvious post-election alliances due to Iraq’s notoriously fluid politics is adding to

the uncertainty, along with questions over whether multibillion dollar oil deals signed by Maliki’s government would survive any big change in his political fortunes.

“The oil deals signed by the government are likely to hold because the profit rate for the foreign companies is very low and few doubt these deals are beneficial to Iraq,” Visser said.

Maliki’s coalition is not expected to repeat its triumphant performance in last year’s local polls.

Huge bomb attacks have since chipped away at his claims to have improved security, and powerful opponents have united to oust him.

But he still has a strong campaign network, and is an easily recognisable candidate in a sea of largely unknown contenders.

“If Maliki’s vote isn’t as big as he hopes and isn’t a knockout blow, then we’re in for a lot of negotiation,” said Toby Dodge, analyst at Queen Mary, University of London.

Iraq’s minority Kurds, seen as political kingmakers, are like-

ly to demand concessions on issues such as the oil producing city of Kirkuk, which they want to annex as capital of their semiautonomous region.

That dispute, and others including a row with Baghdad over the legality of Kurdish oil contracts, have hamstrung parliament in recent years and raised tensions, making their quick resolution as part of a deal to form a new government unlikely.

Talks on a deal with other big political blocs, whether Shiite or Sunni Muslim, are also likely to be rancorous and long.

Among the majority Shiites, two of Iraq’s most powerful groups, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council and followers of cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr, have banded together for the election with little in common apart from a desire to reduce Maliki’s power.

His apparent support for banning from the polls candidates accused of links to Saddam Hussein’s outlawed Sunni-dominated Baath party has fanned Sunni accusations of sectarianism. — Reuters

ANALYSIS

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

13

Kenya coalition likely to hold despite graft row

By Helen Nyambura-Mwaura

K

enya’s rocky coalition government is likely to survive despite a growing row over graft allegations as neither side is assured of an election win should the union fall apart now.

Analysts said President Mwai Kibaki’s Party of National Unity (PNU) and Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) both needed to build new alliances to garner enough national support ahead of the next poll, due in 2012. “They will limp towards the next election. The political cost on both sides is too great,” said Nairobi-based political analyst Amboka Andere. “The only thing that might lead to an early election is if the current wrangling went too far and Raila decided to resign. As a politician who wants to be president, he wants to prepare for it. So he won’t quit over something like this,” Andere said.

The two were forced into a unity government in 2008 following post-election violence that killed some 1,300 people after Odinga said he had been cheated of the presidency by incumbent Kibaki.

But since then, the coalition has struggled to make substantial progress on reforms, nor tackle endemic corruption, due to persistent bickering and power-games between the camps. The latest rift emerged when Odinga suspended Agriculture Minister William Ruto and Education Minister Sam Ongeri on Sunday for three months to allow independent investigations into corruption allegations in their ministries.

Hours later, Kibaki overturned the decision saying he was not consulted on the matter and the prime minister did not have the constitutional powers to suspend the two ministers. Some analysts say Odinga’s mandate allows him to sack officials from his ODM side of the coalition, but in consultation with Kibaki. Ruto belongs to ODM while Ongeri comes from PNU. “Raila and Kibaki thrive on this kind of thing ...

A combination of files pictures made on Feb 14, 2010 shows current Kenyan Education Minister and former Health Minister Sam Ongeri (left) gesturing on Oct 18, 2001 and current Kenyan Agriculture Minister William Ruto on Nov 22, 2005 in Nairobi. – AFP this kind of head to head confrontation,” said Kenyan analyst Ken Ouko. “Every time that happens, they get a chance to sit together, merge and smile at the cameras and we move on.” The problem for Odinga is that his rift with former ally Ruto means the prime minister now lacks the crucial backing of the Kalenjin, Kenya’s fourth largest tribe from which the agriculture minister hails.

Analysts say Kibaki’s problem is that he has no clear successor to unite his Kikuyu tribe, the country’s largest, or draw substantial support from other regions to carry an election in Kenya’s tribally tinged politics.

They say another reason for Odinga and Kibaki would want to avoid any drastic move is that both parties still need to build hefty war-chests to fight

an election.

Odinga left for Japan on Monday morning, but his party’s deputy leader stoked the row further by saying the prime minister wanted crisis mediator Kofi Annan to step in to resolve the dispute.

“Although the latest disagreement between Kibaki and Odinga is by no means the first, it could yet turn out to be the most damaging,” said Gus Selassie, Africa political analyst at IHS Global Insight.

If the coalition survives the latest wrangling, it could face another challenge from the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor - if he gets the green light to investigate the main perpetrators of 2008’s violence. While the chief suspects have not been named, they are believed to include several prominent cabinet ministers from both sides of the fragile union.

The spat between Odinga and Ruto has already raised tensions in the Rift Valley and analysts said there was a threat the tribal violence seen in early 2008 might resume.

In a scene reminiscent of those days, a bus from Odinga’s backyard of Kisumu was blocked by Ruto’s supporters on Sunday. It had to get a police escort to proceed to the capital, one passenger told Reuters. “The backlash is expected, especially from the Kalenjin, but it is a very backward way of doing things - that if at any time one of you is mentioned then you take to the streets and look at it as a tribal thing,” Ouko said.

The dispute between the two so-called principals could also wreck Kenya’s constitutional review process - seen by Kenyans as a crucial step to avoiding more electoral violence. A similar initiative was derailed in 2005 when Odinga’s supporters voted against a new constitution endorsed

by Kibaki. “There was a lot of enthusiasm for the new constitution. That has died down with what has happened this weekend,” Andere said.

“Overall, we have a leadership crisis, something we can’t afford now.” — Reuters

Egypt prepares for next economic leap forward

By Nehal El-Sherif

E

gypt is looking forward to its post-crisis challenge of growing at 7 per cent a year with recent encouraging figures from several sectors of the economy, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said Monday. “We cannot afford not to grow,” he told an economic conference in Cairo, noting that the January numbers for several sectors including tourism show the economy returning to growth levels of 2007 and 2008.

Egypt’s growth rate slowed to 4.7 per cent in the 2008-09 fiscal year due to the global financial crisis, after it increased by more than 7 per cent annually over the previous two years.

The economy was hurt by the shrinking of several sectors including tourism, exports, Suez Canal traffic and expatriate revenues.

However, figures by the cabinet’s think tank showed improvements in the second half of last year. Suez Canal revenues increased by 6.6 per cent in December from the previous month, while tourism, a major foreign currency earner for Egypt, had bounced back to levels before the financial crisis. “Now everyone looks to what happens next.

We should even look further ahead,” Nazif said. “The economy built enough power within it to absorb the shock of the past two years.”

He said that Egypt has potential to become an energy hub as well as a gateway for other Arab markets. It has new opportunities in infrastructure, which was one of the main barriers growth during the two years before the crisis. Now, the government is working on improving infrastructure in several sectors such as transportation, energy and tourism. “The crisis gave us a chance to catch our breath - there are still many reforms and areas to

improve,” Nazif said.

Nazif said that one of the good features of the Egyptian economy during the global crisis was that there were no layoffs. “But it is not a blessing if there was no job opportunities for newcomers,” he said. Around 40 per cent of Egyptians live on $2 a day or less, and unemployment is one of Egypt’s main problems, running at around 10 per cent. The government had always complained of a lack of skilled labour to fill the needs on the job market.

Jane Kinninmont of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said the high rate of unemployment raises the risk that Egypt could face social unrest. She noted that besides unemployment, Egypt faces other major challenges such as a fiscal deficit, inflation and weak exports.

“The European market, which is Egypt’s main market, will still be weak over the coming few years,” she said ahead of the Cairo conference.

The EIU expects Egypt’s gross domestic product to grow by around 5.5 per cent annually over the next two years. Kinninmont said that uncertainty about the political succession in the next presidential elections could impair Egypt’s growth.

“Governments tend to be cautious before elections - also, people do not know what will happen next,” she said.

“People believe that it will be good to have a strategy for the next 10 years to know where Egypt is going.”

Egypt’s next presidential election is scheduled for 2011, and many observers believe that President Hosny Mubarak is grooming his son, Gamal, for the job, especially after Gamal was appointed head of a policymaking committee in the ruling National Democratic Party in 2002.

Despite the opposition’s constant calls against Gamal, he seems to be support-

ed by many investors, as his statements reveal he would maintain the same liberal economic policy direction taken by the regime currently.

Nazif told the conference that the government has been implementing a

presidential campaign program, and this is going to be the main drive to restore the higher growth rates.

“People will discuss what’s after the next elections more openly over the next months with the parliamentary

elections, and even more next year,” he said. “We (the government) need to make sure we cover the targets. It is a good drive for us and allows us to prepare more programs for the following terms.” — dpa

West targets Iran oil for sanctions

By Philippe Rater

W

estern powers are seeking a way to disrupt Iran’s key oil exports to sanction the Islamic state’s nuclear drive, but experts warn a full embargo could hurt the global economic recovery. Diplomats have begun floating ideas to disrupt, penalise or even halt the oil exports that account for 90 percent of Iran’s foreign exchange revenue and 60 percent of the government budget. France, which chairs the UN Security Council in February, has indicated it is willing to impose oil sanctions.

The United States and Britain appear to be on the same page.

Whether or not fellow permanent Council members China and Russia are ready to go along remains to be seen but, after Tehran’s defiance of calls to halt its uranium enrichment, Washington and Paris sense an opportunity.

“We want to talk about oil sanctions at the Security Council.

If sanctions are not massive, they’ll have no impact,” a senior French diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity while negotiations continue.

The official did not speak explicitly of an embargo, but another French diplomat confirmed that the tougher stance would seek to hurt Iran’s finances. “We want to move away from sanctions limited to preventing nuclear proliferation alone, and instead to attack the regime’s revenue,” he said.

“Several top-ranking members of the regime have interests in large hydrocarbon, transport and banking businesses,” he added. Crude exports prop up the Iranian government which faces growing domestic opposition - and several firms working in the oil and gas sector have links to senior individuals or to the Revolutionary Guards Corps. “An embargo would hurt the national economy, which is dominated by the public sector,” explained Thierry Coville, a researcher at the Institute for International and Strategic Research in Paris. “It’s the state that redistributes oil revenue to the population. There’ll be less for public employ-

ees’ salaries, schools, welfare etc.”

Coville said Iran’s 60 billion dollar reserves would pay for domestic imports for around a year, while the effect of an Iranian backlash on the international economy would be immediate. A UN embargo would cut supplies of Iranian crude to the world market, driving up prices for everyone and hitting Tehran’s main trade partner, oil-hungry China, which wields a Security Council veto.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner recently said that ways are being sought to “compensate” for Iranian crude taken off the world market. Kouchner did not say how this might work, but US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the Gulf amid reports Washington wants Saudi Arabia to boost oil exports to China if sanctions are imposed.

“Saudi Arabia has an important trading relationship with China already,” Jeffrey Feltman, Clinton’s top assistant for the Middle East, said, adding that there have been a number of recent visits between the Gulf and China. “We would expect them (the Saudis) to use these visits, to use their relationship, in ways that can help increase the pressure that Iran feels,” said Feltman, the assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs.

Saudi Arabia is nervous about Iran’s attempt to shift the balance of power in the Middle East and - as the oil exporter with the most spare capacity - would be best placed to quickly replace embargoed Iranian exports. “Yes, given weak demand and excess supply in the market and excess output the Saudis also have in reserve, any drop in Iranian exports could be compensated by the Saudis,” said Ed Meir, an analyst with broker MF Global. “However, it is likely that prices would still go up on the initial action or announcement and then start making their way down,” he warned. Coville is less confident. “It would have an immediate effect on the oil price,” he warned. “Our economy is just coming out of recession. We risk an over-reaction on the oil markets that would not be good for the global economy.” — AFP

Split vote in Britain need not paralyse govt B

By Estelle Shirbon

ritain’s upcoming election may not deliver a clear victory for any one party but an inconclusive result does not have to be a disaster for economic and financial stability. With the Conservative lead over ruling Labour shrinking ahead of an election that must take place by June, there is growing talk of a hung parliament, in which no single party has control of the House of Commons, the lower chamber.

Investors fret that this could deliver a weak government at a time of severe strain on public finances. The deficit will hit £178 billion ($279 billion) this year, more than what the government spent last year on schools, health and defence put together. Markets worry that a hung parliament would delay painful but crucial spending cuts. Memories of the last hung parliament, in Feb 1974, are not reassuring. Then, a Labour government pushed ahead with minority support in the Commons, but it proved so difficult that a snap election was called seven months later.

Labour won, but by a razor-thin majority.

Labour stayed in power until 1979, but the period was marked by strikes, inflation and a public finances crisis that forced Britain to turn to the International Monetary Fund for support - a humiliation seared into the nation’s collective memory. But times

have changed since the 1970s and there are reasons why a break with one-party domination might not be so bad for Britain.

The need to clinch cross-party agreement, whether as a coalition or as a minority government seeking parliamentary support issue by issue, can be a useful way to focus minds and find pragmatic, non-partisan ways to solve problems. “It will force parties to work together in a way that single-party government won’t,” said Vince Cable, Treasury spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, the party that will hold the balance of power if neither of the big two win a majority. A cross-party arrangement would also strengthen the government’s legitimacy at a time when it will have to take on labour unions to push through painful cuts in public spending.

The majoritarian voting system in national elections has allowed two parties, the Conservatives and Labour, to alternate in power since the end of World War Two. But the

rise of the Liberal Democrats, who won over 22 percent of votes in the last election in 2005, and of smaller parties with strength in particular regions, means the two-party model no longer reflects the breadth of British politics. “It’s time for people to wake up and smell the coffee.

Times have changed. It’s a multiparty system,” said Patrick Dunleavy, political science professor at the London School of Economics.

He said that multi-party government was not as alien to Britain’s political culture as the two big parties would like voters to believe.

Scotland, Wales and city councils across Britain have all had successful power-sharing administrations.

In the major city of Leeds in northern England, a coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats has been in charge since 2004.

Richard Brett, co-leader of the City Council, said initial fears of instability or deadlock had proved unfounded.

“It’s worked far better than I thought was possible. You get on better if you work with someone than if you fight them,” Brett, a Liberal Democrat, told Reuters by telephone.

There are positive examples further afield. Many European countries are governed by coalition. In Sweden, after a 1992 banking crisis, a coalition government oversaw a recovery plan now hailed as a model around the world. But in Britain, coalition gov-

ernments are unheard of except at times of grave emergencies such as the two World Wars and the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the habit of one-party rule is hard to break for the two parties that have benefitted.

The three big parties have not revealed what they would do in the event of a hung parliament, though speculation is rife. The Conservatives are focusing on converting their poll lead into an overall majority and do not want to discuss alliances. Prime Minister Gordon Brown also says he is fighting to win, but the polls suggest Labour’s chances of victory are remote. He has made a tacit overture to the Liberal Democrats, signalling alliance talks would not be impossible.

The Lib Dems on Monday denied a newspaper report that they were ruling out a coalition government. Their economy chief, Cable, has dismissed concerns about a hung parliament as “totally irrational”. He has contrasted Sweden’s 1990s recovery under a coalition with the debt crisis in Greece, which has a tradition of oneparty rule. The governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, did not sound too worried when asked about a hung parliament last week. “I don’t think it is something which will concern the Monetary Policy Committee ... There’s a broad consensus across all political parties of the need later this year to announce more clearly the measures required for fiscal consolidation.” — AP

focus

Wecht, the man in the morgue

By Ramit Plushnick-Masti

A

door slams, and a snowyhaired man sweeps into the room at the back of a university garage, a sterile place of stainless steel sinks, a swaying hose and a metal table where a woman’s body lies, blood dripping from the back of her head. The first thing the man talks about is not the corpse, but why he was late. “Ran out of gas, totally,” Cyril Wecht tells his longtime assistant, Joe Mancuso. And as spray from the hose whooshes over the dead body, he explains where he has left the car. “So, we have to get a can or something. Do we have a can?” “I’ve got a gas can at the house,” Mancuso responds.

Wecht turns. A scalpel is in one of his latex-gloved hands, poised over the woman’s body, which is covered with bruises. He speaks into a microphone. “Testing, testing: 1-2-3-4,” he says, his eyes drifting from her toes to the top of her auburn head.

“What a shame,” he says, now fully focused. The woman was involved in a car crash. Wecht is here to determine how she died.

He brings to the task, as to all things, an eccentric flair that has made him one of the most soughtafter pathologists, one who played a part in many famous cases, a man whose personality helped turn a grim profession into a popular career choice and helped birth a generation of fictional medical examiners on crime shows from “CSI” to “NCIS.” Cyril Wecht’s is a story of how, with the right personality in the right era, death can be a one-way ticket to fame.

Death is different today. Well, not exactly. Death itself has not changed. The pain felt when a loved one dies is the same as it ever was. Never in human history, however, have the mechanics of dying been such a fundamental part of popular culture, served up as entertainment for the fascination of millions. Ever since 1976, when Jack Klugman gave life to the mulish Los Angeles coroner “Quincy”, medical examiners have been a staple of American televisiion. Now, it seems, they are everywhere - even to the point of being serial killers (Showtime’s “Dexter”).

Americans do not only watch death in ways their grandparents never did. We talk about it, too.

Grief and how people die: their illnesses, their suffering, the spiritual journey we believe they are undertaking. These are discussed not only at the dinner table but on tweets and Facebook status updates. Wecht’s high-profile cases helped build the bond between death and pop culture.

And now that bond, that TV-generated mystique, helps fill Wecht’s classrooms at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, where he teaches forensic science, and has gained a following for Duquesne University’s department of forensic science and law, an institute named after the pathologist himself. To promote the art of autopsy, and promote himself along the way, Wecht has used the modern tools of both medicine and communication.

Just months ago, he appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live” to discuss Michael Jackson’s death even as he made the rounds of local stations to take up a matter closer to home. He lambasted US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, who had dropped charges against him in a fraud and theft scandal that forced him to resign as the county coroner in Pittsburgh and cleaned out his life savings. Now 78, Wecht began stirring the pot when he was a thirtysomething pathologist, fresh out of medical and law school. President John F Kennedy had just been assassinated, and Wecht was asked to review the Warren Commission’s findings.

He declared the investigation “absolute nonsense”, and its single-bullet theory “an asinine, pseudoscientific sham at best.”

Director Oliver Stone’s magic-bullet courtroom scene in the film “JFK” was based on how Wecht has countless times depicted the bullet’s purported path. And it was Wecht’s contention that Elvis Presley had died of a deadly mix of prescription drugs, rather than heart disease, that led authorities to reopen the probe, though the cause of death never officially changed.

In Pittsburgh, he became known more for his whiplash tongue. Once he reprimanded a newly appointed county spokesman for calling a news conference to discuss an inmate’s death before an autopsy had been conducted. “Death doesn’t come to Allegheny County,” he told the young man, “till I say it does.”

The only child of immigrant coal-town grocers, Wecht says his earliest memories involve visiting slaughterhouses with his father.

His adolescent memories include sneaking into the morgue near his

Dr Cyril Wecht home and peeking at the bodies.

Just after medical school, when Wecht was completing his military service at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, he met a Norwegian woman named Sigrid. Their first date came hours after he had fallen from a horse and torn up his face on a gravel road.

“This is not good,” she thought as she munched on Mexican food and gazed at a 30year-old man who, to her 21-yearold eyes, already seemed old. A year later, they began what has been a nearly half-century marriage, producing four children.

Along the way, Wecht has served twice as Pittsburgh’s elected coroner, has performed 17,000 autopsies and consulted on thousands of others.

Some accuse him of enjoying the media spotlight too much, of arrogance and egotism and an unchecked temper. A columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brian O’Neill, wrote recently of Wecht’s penchant for making enemies: “He has made them gleefully, shamelessly, recklessly, aggressively and often tastelessly.

He writes letters like a man standing astride twin steeds, Vanity and Venom.”

Wecht, predictably, is unswayed by such attitudes.

“Most of what people call ‘diplomacy, tactfulness, sensitivity’,” here his voice takes on a nyahnyah cadence - “much of that ... is disingenuous.” (That “...” stands for something unprintable here.)

His adversarial nature, he realizes, has damaged him. “With all that I’ve achieved,” he says, “if I had had maybe more restraint, more patience, more tolerance, then I probably would have maybe achieved more.” “I’ll never know,” he adds. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Here is what most of the people who look at Wecht do not see: • a man who answers every letter, including missives from hundreds of convicts.

• an educator and mentor willing to talk to college and high school students on the phone at night.

• a workaholic who chairs the world’s largest group of forensic scientists and who is wrapping up his 10th book. Few see how his work and penchant for controversy have affected his family.

His wife, while never blaming him, is bitter over the recentlyended legal battle with Buchanan.

She is angry over the sums that went to pay lawyers. The federal prosecutor had charged Wecht with fraud and theft, accusing him of using his public office to benefit his multimillion dollar private practice. He denied it. And, in June, nearly five years after the initial charges were filed, after one deadlocked jury and a new judge’s ruling that important evidence would be inadmissible in a new trial, Buchanan dropped the charges.

At a news conference, she said the pathologist had used “taxpayer dollars for private gain.”

“If I could have a do-over, I’d still bring the case. Even with the tremendous criticism that’s been dumped on this office, I still believe a crime was committed here,” she insisted. Wecht struck back, saying the US attorney had no shame. “Is this the way justice is pursued in America? I think the record will speak for itself. As for her record, that will speak for itself, too,” he said.

These days, the man who has baked notoriety into his entire existence spends some of his time musing about death’s evolution. Is the spotlight the proper place for death? Should death be surrounded - even when it comes to a figure as public as the president or the King of Pop - by shouting, controversy and debate? Discussing death in this way, on the Internet and in public, can be demeaning, he says, diminishing the dead and trivializing the living. Now he is arriving at an age where, once in a while, the idea of his own death creeps up. He talks about people who suffer or become dependent on family, friends or doctors and may not even understand their own situations. “I want to be alive when I die. Think about that,” Wecht says, describing the oblivious old age reached by some, defined by little more than bodily functions. — AP

NEWS

14

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Top Taleban chief nabbed Continued from Page 1 It was unclear how Baradar was tracked down. Pakistan’s spy agency has been accused in the past of protecting top Taleban leaders believed sheltering in the country, frustrating Washington. Moving against Baradar could signal that Islamabad increasingly views the Afghan Taleban, or at least some of its members, as fair game.

There was also speculation that the arrest could be related in some way to a new push by the United States and its NATO allies to negotiate with moderate Afghan Taleban leaders as a way to end the eight-year war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has an important role in that process because of its close links with members of the movement, which it supported before the Sept 11 attacks. “If Pakistani officials had wanted to arrest him, they could have done it at any time,” said Sher Mohammad Akhud Zada, the former governor of Afghanistan’s Helmand province and a member of the Afghan parliament. “Why did they arrest him now?”

Baradar heads the Taleban’s military council and was elevated in the body after the 2006 death of military chief Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Usmani. He is known to coordinate the movement’s military operations throughout the south and southwest of Afghanistan. His area of direct responsibility stretches over Kandahar, Helmand, Nimroz, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces.

According to Interpol, Baradar was the deputy defense minister in the Taleban regime that ruled Afghanistan until it was ousted in the 2001 US-led invasion.

Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city and has been increasingly cited as a possible hiding place for top Afghan Taleban commanders in recent months. It has a large population of

Pashtuns, the ethnic group that makes up the Taleban, but it is on the Arabian Sea and far from the Afghan border.

A Taleban spokesman in Afghanistan told AP that Baradar was still free, though he did not provide any evidence. “We totally deny this rumor. He has not been arrested,” Zabiullah Mujahid told the AP by telephone.

He said the report was Western propaganda aimed at undercutting the Taleban fighting against an offensive in the southern Afghan town of Marjah, a Taleban haven. “The Taleban are having success with our jihad. It is to try to demoralize the Taleban who are on jihad in Marjah and all of Afghanistan,” he said.

Word of Baradar’s capture came as US Marine and Afghan units pressed deeper into Marjah, facing sporadic rocket and mortar fire as they moved through suspected insurgent neighborhoods in the NATO offensive to reclaim the town. US-based global intelligence firm Stratfor said the reported arrest was a “major development,” but cautioned it may not have a significant impact on the battlefield in Afghanistan. “It is unlikely that a single individual would be the umbilical cord between the leadership council and the military commanders in the field, particularly a guerrilla force such as the Taleban,” it said in an analysis soon after news broke of the arrest.

Sen John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said yesterday during a visit to Islamabad that the arrest was evidence of greater cooperation between the United States and Pakistan. “I think that is really a signal that wherever people go, wherever they are, the government of Pakistan is determined to continue to ferret out those people who engage in violent extremist acts against the people of Pakistan,” Kerry told CBS’ “The Early

Show” from Islamabad.

In a written interview with Newsweek last year, Baradar said the group did not see the point in reconciliation talks with the Afghan government or Washington. “Our basic problem with the Americans is that they have attacked our country,” Baradar said. “They are offering talks, hoping that the mujahedeen surrender before them. We see no benefit for the country and Islam in such kind of talks.”

But Taleban expert Michael Semple said Baradar was known to be a “pragmatist” who could be prepared to enter into some kind of talks with the United States. “If he could get guarantees, he would be willing to negotiate,” said Semple, who was expelled from Afghanistan in 2007 by President Hamid Karzai for negotiating with midlevel Taleban commanders when he worked for the European Union.

After denying for years that Afghan Taleban were based in the country, the Pakistani government and security agencies had little reason to publicize the arrest of Baradar, which was first reported by The New York Times. Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said only that authorities had arrested a “number of people who are running away from Afghanistan and coming to Pakistan” but would not confirm the arrest.

The Times said it learned of the operation against Baradar last Thursday but delayed reporting it at the request of White House officials who argued that publicizing it would end a valuable intelligence-gathering effort by making Baradar’s associates aware of his capture. The newspaper said it decided to publish the news after White House officials acknowledged Baradar’s capture was becoming widely known in the region. — AP

Iran to respond to any new sanctions Continued from Page 1 Ahmadinejad also insisted that the exchange had to be “simultaneous,” an Iranian stance that has led to a deadlock over the deal. “We are ready for an exchange even with the United States. The US can come and give us their 20 percent fuel and we will pay them if they want, or we can give them 3.5 percent fuel,” Ahmadinejad said. “But the swap should take place simultaneously and we will put our fuel under the supervision of the (UN atomic) agency in Iran,” he added.

Ahmadinejad also indicated Tehran could suspend enriching uranium to the 20 percent level if world powers supplied it the required fuel for Tehran reactor. “We are not insisting on doing this (20 percent enrichment) although we have the capability. If they supplied the (uranium enriched to) 20 percent, the situation may change,” he said in answer to a question if Iran would stop the controversial enrichment started

on Feb 9. His order to start production of higher-grade uranium, rather than agree to the UN-brokered swap proposal, exposed Tehran to new calls for UN sanctions.

The Kremlin said yesterday Iran could face sanctions if it failed to allay international fears about its nuclear program, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a visit to Moscow, called for “paralysing sanctions” on Iran. The joint letter from the United States, Russia and France, obtained by Reuters yesterday, said Iran’s move to escalate uranium enrichment was unjustified because the draft nuclear fuel deal lists guarantees for Tehran’s benefit. “(This) is wholly unjustified ... If Iran goes forward with this escalation, it would raise new concerns about Iran’s nuclear intentions,” the letter to the IAEA said. It said the plan for Iran to swap enriched uranium for nuclear medicine fuel had legal assurances it would be fulfilled, contrary to Iran’s assertions.

Ahmadinejad said Iran had been willing

to send its uranium abroad rather than enrich it further at home, but that it had “found that there is no goodwill in this regard.” He dismissed Clinton’s accusations that Iran was moving toward a military dictatorship. The US military budget was 80 times larger than that of the Islamic Republic, he said. “We don’t take her comments seriously,” Ahmadinejad said.

He said Iran was not worried about sanctions targeting its gasoline imports as the country could become an exporter of the fuel. “There are several refineries under construction...and as soon as they become operational we can even export gasoline.” “They (the United States) imagine that they can prevent Iran’s oil exports and it is just dreaming. They are not able to do that,” he said, saying the United States should instead cooperate constructively with Iran. “The only opportunity they have is to use Iran’s capabilities.” — Agencies

the wrong number of digits and contain no letters. “Ireland has issued no passports in those names,” the department said in a statement to AP. Germany’s Interior Ministry also said the five-digit passport number given for the lone German suspect is too short and lacks the letters that now appear on its passports.

Melvyn Adam Mildiner, 31, one of the men identified by the Dubai police yesterday as a suspect, was shocked when an AP reporter reached him on the phone in Israel and read him the information released by Dubai officials. Mildiner, who said he holds a British and an Israeli passport, confirmed the name and the passport number matched his but said the date of birth was a few days off. He said he did not know how anybody obtained his UK passport, issued in 2001 and never reported lost. Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement yesterday that authorities were aware the “holders of six British passports have been named” as suspects in the case but added authorities believe the passports used were fraudulent.

Dubai officials have said they would seek assistance from the global police coordination agency Interpol and press individual nations to hunt down the suspects. Attorney General Essam AlHemaydan said yesterday that international arrest warrants have been issued.

The account presented Monday by Dubai’s police chief, Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, included surveillance video clips from the suspects’ airport arrivals to their hasty departures to Europe and Asia before Al-Mabhouh’s body was found in Room 230 at the AlBustan Rotana Hotel near Dubai’s international airport.

Tamim said the suspects arrived in

Dubai at different times, checked into different hotels and tailed Al-Mabhouh from the moment of his arrival in Dubai to when he entered his hotel room. Some suspects even rode in the same elevator as Al-Mabhouh to verify his room number and later booked a room across the hall, Tamim said. They paid for all expenses in cash and used different cell phone cards to avoid being traced, Tamim said.

Surveillance footage shows the female suspect apparently wearing a wig and at times a big hat and sunglasses to blend in as a tourist. Others also were disguised as vacationers, wearing baseball caps or tennis outfits and carrying rackets. Tamim also said some suspects donned fake beards.

He said forensic tests indicated AlMabhouh died of suffocation, but lab analyses were still under way to pinpoint other possible factors. Hamas initially claimed Al-Mabhouh was poisoned and electrocuted, but later a Hamas leader, Mohammed Nazzal, denied that poison was used. The killing itself took just 10 minutes, Tamim said. Four assassins later entered his room while he was out, using an electronic device to open the door, and waited in ambush for AlMabhouh to return.

Tamim said they were careful not to disturb anything in the room and left the door locked from the inside. The team then headed for the airport, some of them flying to Europe and others to Asia, he said. All left Dubai - one of seven semiautonomous emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates - within 19 hours of their arrival. Dubai police claimed that four members of the alleged cell carried out the killing. Five others, including the woman, were used as spotters and in other planning roles, police said. The mastermind was a man identified as French. The

A hole in his skull long fueled speculation he was murdered, until a 2005 CT scan ruled that out, finding the hole was likely from the mummification process.

The scan also uncovered the broken leg.

In contrast to the golden splendor he was buried with, the newest CAT scans and DNA tests revealed a sickly teen pharaoh, weakened by congenital illnesses finally done in by complications from the broken leg aggravated by severe brain malaria. The team said it isolated DNA of the malaria parasite in several of the family’s mummies, including Tut’s - the oldest such discovery. “A sudden leg fracture possibly introduced by a fall might have resulted in a life threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred,” concluded the article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Tutankhamun had multiple disorders...

He might be envisioned as a young but frail king who needed canes to walk.”

Like his father, Tutankhamun had a cleft palate. He also had a club foot and suffered from Kohler’s disease in which lack of blood flow was slowly destroying the bones of his left foot - an often painful condition, the study said. It noted that 130 walking sticks and canes were discovered in Tut’s tomb, some of them with trace of wear suggested they had been used.

The new study also answered long standing questions over Tutankhamun’s family. His grandfather was the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, and his father was mostly likely the famous Akhenaten, who attempted to change millennia of Egypt’s religious tradition by forcing the country to worship the sun god Aten, instead of usual multiplicity of deities. Some archaeologists have speculated that Tut’s father was a little-known figure, Smenkhkare, thought to have ruled as a pharoah or co-

Continued from Page 1 the International Labor Organization (ILO) provided that they ensure the rights of both employers and employees,” he reiterated.

The minister revealed that the ministry is preparing the organizational structure of the Public Authority of Manpower Affairs that was mandated by the new labor law which was recently passed by the National Assembly. He underlined the need to coordinate with the General Department of Immigration to ensure that private firms fully comply with regulations regarding expat workforce.

The meeting was attended by a number of senior officials, including ministry’s undersecretary Mohammad Al-Kandari, ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for

Labor Affairs Mansour Al-Mansour and Director of the General Department of Immigration at the Ministry of Interior Brigadier Kamel Al-Awadi.

Also yesterday, Afasi met with members of the Assembly’s health, social and labor affairs committee to address several issues pertaining to the new labor law and proposed amendments to the existing cooperative societies law, in addition to regulations governing children nurseries.

“The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is witnessing at this stage a legislative revolution that touches on a wide range of issues in various ministry sectors,” the minister told journalists after concluding the meeting with the parliamentary committee.

He pointed out that deliberations with committee members included proposed

amendments to the cooperative societies law which are aimed at ensuring the rights of shareholders. He added that the ministry will finalize these amendments and other changes on other laws in the coming week.

“Once passed by the National Assembly, these laws will achieve a real transformation in ministry activities and in line with citizens’ expectations,” said Afasi, adding that the ministry will adopt stringent measures next week against certain officials who were involved in forging certificates granted by the Higher Council for the Disabled to persons with special needs. The minister said that the new law for the disabled, recently endorsed by the National Assembly, increases the number of people with disabilities from 1,500 to 33,000 which required a comprehensive review of all disability files.

Barrak urges Busairi to sack KAC chief Continued from Page 1 by officials at the national carrier. The budgets committee has been studying closing statements of the past fiscal years of the KAC with accumulated losses of up to KD 200 million.

In another development, liberal MP Aseel Al-Awadhi yesterday questioned the interior minister over a reported ban slapped by the ministry against London-based Saudi female activist Mudhawi Al-Rasheed.

Continued from Page 1 consul general of France in Dubai, Nada Yafi, declined to comment.

A former high-ranking Mossad official, Rami Igra, told Israel Army Radio that the assassin “does look professional” as described by Dubai police. But Igra said it “doesn’t look like an Israeli operation” because of the apparent shortcuts, such as allowing members to be videotaped by security cameras. Igra declined to speculate on who could have carried out the slaying, but noted that Al-Mabhouh has many enemies and was at the center of bloody Palestinian feuds. “He was not new to terror ... and he had many contacts with people who had good reason to want him dead,” he said.

The two detained Palestinians were Hamas operatives, said West Bank police spokesman Adnan Damiri, citing sources familiar with the investigation. Hamas, however, claimed the suspects were linked to the rival Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as part of alleged clandestine links with Israeli intelligence.

In Amman, Jordan, government spokesman Nabil Sharif told the AP that Jordan turned the two Palestinians over to the United Arab Emirates “a few days ago”. He declined to give their names or further details. Top Hamas figures have denied reports that Al-Mabhouh was en route to Iran, a major Hamas backer. But the group has not given clear reasons for his presence in Dubai. Besides Mildiner, the other suspects were identified by Dubai police as Michael L awrence Barney, James Leonard Clarke, Jonathan Louis Graham, Paul John Keeley and Stephen Daniel Hodes of Britain; Gail Folliard, Evan Dennings and Kevin Daveron of Ireland; Peter Elvinger of France and Michael Bodenheimer of Germany. — AP

Frail boy-king Tut died from malaria, broken leg Continued from Page 1

Kuwait limits kafeel control

Awadhi said that the ministry had issued an entry visa for Rasheed after she was invited by a number of Kuwaiti citizens but then withdrew it to stop her from entering the country.

The lawmaker asked the reason behind scrapping the visa and who took the decision and if it was ordered by the minister or any other official, demanding his name. She also asked if the ministry of interior has lists of names of intellectuals, artists, thinkers and religious scholars who are banned from

entering Kuwait and demanded copies of the lists and the reason for banning each personality. Awadhi asked if there is a department in the interior ministry that monitors people banned from entering Kuwait and on what basis this department slaps such bans. On his part, MP Hussein Mazyed called on the government to discard reports and opinions expressed by the World Bank which advised the government against further raising salaries of public sector employees.

Zain eyes huge gains from Africa ops deal

Dubai seeks global dragnet over killing Continued from Page 1

CAIRO: Jordanian singer Diana Karazon speaks during a press conference to mark the release of her new self-titled album late Monday. — AFP

regent.

Archaeologists have never been certain of the identity of Tut’s mother. DNA tests pinpointed which mummy is that of his mother - and that she was the sister of his father - but her name remains uncertain. Brother-sister marriages were common among ancient Egypt’s pharaohs. The studies also disproved speculation that Tutankhamun and members of his family suffered from rare disorders that gave them feminine attributes and misshapen bones, including Marfan Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that can result in elongated limbs. The theories arose from the artistic style and statues of the period, which showed the royal men with prominent breasts, elongated heads and flared hips.

“It is unlikely that either Tutankhamun or Akhenaten actually displayed a significantly bizarre or feminine physique,” said the article. — AP

Secondly, they actually get the deal and thirdly, the refinancing of other debt facilities,” he said. The company has spent some $12 billion on its African operations since 2005 alone and is keeping its Sudan and Moroccan interests if the Bharti sale goes through.

Bharti Airtel confirmed on Monday it is in exclusive talks to buy Zain’s African assets, excluding Sudan and Morocco.

The deal marks one of the biggest crossborder transactions ever in the Middle East and a turning point for the thirdbiggest telecoms operator in the region.

Zain shares surged to a 15-week high after the Kuwait bourse lifted a trading halt, climbing 9.3 percent to KD 1.18, while shares in Bharti Airtel extended Monday’s losses by a further 4.5 percent to 273 rupees.

Bharti is likely to finance nearly all the deal’s purchase price with foreign currency loans, three people familiar with the matter said yesterday. The move by Bharti, which is 30 percent-owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, follows two failed attempts to buy South Africa’s MTN Group in a $24 billion deal.

Bharti has been hunting for emerging market assets as its home turf becomes

fiercely competitive. New entrants into the world’s fastest-growing mobile market have triggered a vicious price war which has seen some call charges slashed to a fraction of a US cent.

Zain said the deal includes a $150 million break fee, payable by either side, if the deal fails. Separately, Zain Saudi Arabia, which is 25-percent owned by the Kuwait-based group, said it would seek to raise $1.14 billion through a share issue and convert $577 million in debt into shares. Kuwait’s Zain said the expected returns from the deal would enter the firm’s books in the second quarter of 2010. — Agencies

Clinton warns of nuclear arms race in Middle East Continued from Page 1 said the goal is to have not only a nonnuclear Iran but also an entire Middle East free of nuclear weapons. “If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, that hope disappears,” she said, “because then other countries which feel threatened by Iran will say to themselves, ‘If Iran has a nuclear weapon, I better get one, too, in order to protect my people’. Then you have a nuclear arms race in the region.”

A graduate of the college, Dalai M Khayat, said in an interview after Clinton departed that she was pleased Clinton had come, but saw some of her responses to audience members as “not that fulfilling”. Khayat said she was a bit disappointed that Clinton had not responded fully to a student who had asked why Israel should not be forced to give up its nuclear weapons, given US opposition to a nuclear Iran. Israel has not formally declared itself a nuclear power but is widely believed to have a relatively small arsenal of weapons. Clinton had said the US wants to see the entire Middle East free of nuclear weapons, but she did not mention Israel. Khayat said Clinton’s appearance was “a huge step forward” for Saudi Arabia,” given its closed nature and social conservatism.

Clinton got a rapturous welcome at the elite women’s college and was hailed as the world’s “most popular woman” after arriving there one hour and 45 minutes late and delaying exams. But she received a loud standing ovation at the college that included cheering and whistling on her arrival, before some students started heading off for an exam only to be called back by officials. A woman organiser stood up and grabbed the microphone to urge them to stay, saying it was the chance of a lifetime to see and exchange views with the “most powerful and popular woman” in the world.

Officials later said the exam had been postponed by an hour.

Clinton is an unlikely role model for Saudi women. Saudi law bars women from voting, except for chamber of commerce elections in two cities in recent

years, and no woman can sit in the kingdom’s Cabinet. Women also cannot drive or travel without permission from a male guardian. Clinton was winding up a three-day Arabian Gulf visit that began Sunday in Qatar and continued in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Monday. She was returning to Washington later yesterday.

But Saudi Arabia fueled doubts yesterday about whether it backs new UN sanctions to end the Iran nuclear crisis, as Clinton prepared to return home. Clinton defended the US-led push for tougher sanctions when she again charged that “evidence doesn’t support” Iran’s assertion that it is pursuing a peaceful atomic program. US officials travelling with Clinton on the mission to drum up support for tougher action against Iran expressed satisfaction and said they were “very pleased” following her lengthy talks with King Abdullah on Monday.

But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal raised some doubt about Riyadh’s support for further sanctions against Tehran when he termed the measures as a “long-term solution”. “We see the issue in the shorter term because we are closer to the threat ... We need an immediate resolution,” Saud told journalists said after meeting Clinton. It was not immediately clear whether Saud was calling for a tough and immediate UN Security Council resolution or another solution to the perceived threat from Iran.

Yesterday, a Saudi foreign policy official stressed that Riyadh was not advocating military action but rather a linkage with the Middle East peace process as a faster and more effective means to ease regional tensions. “There is no point in our spending all our time on sanctions which will not have an effect in the short term. We need something more tangible,” he said, asking not to be identified.

“We don’t want a military strike ... A military strike, we still believe, will be very counter-productive. We need to do something on Israel and the Palestinians ... For instance, the US could get Israel to halt (Jewish) settlements” on the occupied

West Bank. “There is a credibility issue with the US administration on promises it cannot fulfill,” he said, referring to the stalled peace process.

Clinton’s tour of Qatar and Saudi Arabia aimed to isolate Iran from its Arab neighbours and to put pressure on China to drop its resistance to UN sanctions targeting mainly Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Last week, Iran began enriching uranium to 20 percent purity, which Washington and other capitals say adds to evidence it is seeking a nuclear weapon.

Tehran denies the charge, insisting its goal is peaceful nuclear energy and research.

Prince Saud played down suggestions that the oil-rich kingdom could prod Beijing not to block sanctions against Tehran by guaranteeing Beijing stable oil supplies in the event of disruption from Iran. However, he said China, which invests heavily in and imports much of its oil from Iran, “carries its responsibilities” within the Security Council where it holds a veto power. “And they need no suggestion from Saudi Arabia to do what they ought to do,” Prince Saud added.

At the Monday night press conference, the Saudi chief diplomat also appeared to endorse Clinton’s charge, which she made earlier the same day, that Iran was turning into a “military dictatorship.” The Revolutionary Guards were “supplanting” the clerical and political leadership in Tehran with a more radical line, she said.

Saud said he was inclined to believe her warnings on the Revolutionary Guards.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki hit back yesterday, saying Clinton had tried but failed to dupe Gulf Arab states about a threat from the Islamic republic.

Clinton was in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah yesterday on the last part of her three-day tour, also aimed at gaining support for Washington’s push for a resumption of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. In Jeddah, she met with the head of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the world’s largest pan-Islamic grouping, introducing the new US envoy to the group. — Agencies

SPORTS

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

15

SPAIN: BMW Oracle Racing team members pose with the trophy for the media in front of the Stars and Stripes during a press conference held in Valencia on Monday. —AP

Party first, plan later for next America’s Cup VALENCIA: The wing sail came down before some really strong winds came up, software tycoon Larry Ellison hopped on his private jet to get back to his day job and the sailors who reclaimed the America’s Cup for the United States were still groggy after partying until just before dawn.

BMW Oracle Racing’s sailors reconvened at their base late Monday afternoon for a photo shoot with the 159-year-old trophy perched on a table in front of a giant US flag.

Plans for the next America’s Cup often are announced the day after a team clinches the trophy. But BMW Oracle Racing CEO Russell Coutts said the syndicate hasn’t had time to begin making plans for the 34th America’s Cup, or even when the ornate silver trophy will be flown to

its new home, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club.

“It may surprise you, but we don’t have any plans and I’m not sure you’d get anything sensible out of me anyway,” Coutts said at a news conference.

The American-based crew reclaimed the oldest trophy in international sports by sailing their spaceage trimaran to their second straight victory over two-time defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland on Sunday. After the Cup was dragged through a bitter 21/2-year court fight, BMW Oracle Racing officials say they want independent management of all the competitive aspects of the regatta.

“That’s important that all of the competitors and commercial sponsors and so forth would know that the rules would be fair and equal for

all competitors.” Ellison and Alinghi boss Ernesto Bertarelli fought over their interpretations of the 1887 Deed of Gift, which governs the America’s Cup. Ellison’s syndicate eventually prevailed, forcing the rare head-to-head showdown.

The America’s Cup is expected to return to its normal system of several challengers competing for the right to face the defender. The Italian syndicate Mascalzone Latino — the Latin Rascals — will be the next Challenger of Record, helping to set the rules for the 34th America’s Cup. Ellison said Sunday night that no decisions have been made about a venue. Sailing a full regatta in San Francisco Bay could be difficult, and Ellison said the syndicate would need some kind of commitment from the city. It’s possible that some preliminary rounds could be sailed over-

seas or in other U.S. ports.

Coutts, who’s now won the America’s Cup four times, said BMW Oracle Racing wants to get consensus from the rest of the competitors before deciding issues such as the class of boat that will be sailed.

Coutts said he felt strongly a few months ago that the Cup should return to being sailed in sloops, but admitted he was intrigued with the concept of sailing it in multihulls after the 90-by-90-foot American trimaran dueled an equally immense Swiss catamaran. Again, he said that’s a decision still to be made.

The trimaran was powered by a radical, 223-foot wing sail that made it significantly faster than the catamaran. The wing was lowered from the trimaran after it returned to port Sunday night and moved into a temporary sail loft, a good move consid-

ering that Valencia was hit by strong winds Monday.

The syndicate had left the wing up even when the boat was in port, which required the shore crew watching it around the clock.

“For all of us on the sailing team, it still hasn’t really hasn’t sunk in,” said Australian Jimmy Spithill, who at 30 became the youngest skipper to win the America’s Cup. “It’s good to be down here hanging out together as a group.

The only downer is we don’t get to sail the boat. It’s such a cool boat to sail. I’m talking on behalf of the guys when I say that I really looked forward to sailing it every single day.

It’s one of those special boats that’s just so rewarding.” Dennis Conner was pleased with the victory. A fourtime America’s Cup winner, he lost it to Coutts and Team New Zealand

Landis denies charges in warrant by French judge PARIS: A French judge has issued an arrest warrant against American rider Floyd Landis for suspected hacking into an anti-doping laboratory computer, French anti-doping agency head Pierre Bordry told Reuters on Monday.

In an interview, Bordry said the judge Thomas Cassuto believed Landis, whose 2006 Tour de France title was stripped after he failed a dope test, wanted to prove the laboratory where his samples were tested was wrong.

Landis denied the charges in an email to the Los Angeles Times. He also said he had not been contacted about the warrant.

“No attempt has been made to formally contact me,” Landis was quoted as saying by the newspaper on its website (www.latimes.com).

“It appears to be another case of fabricated evidence by a French lab who is still upset a United States citizen believed he should have the right to face his accusers and defend himself.”

Bordy, the president of the French anti-doping agency, said it was an international warrant but a French court spokeswoman later made clear the warrant only covers French territory.

“French judge Cassuto from the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Nanterre informed us that he had issued an international arrest warrant on Jan. 28 against Floyd Landis, who tested positive for banned testosterone during the 2006 Tour de France, after our laboratory computer system was hacked,” Bordry said.

“He was summoned by the judge, he didn’t come so he’s now under an international arrest warrant.” A Nanterre court spokeswoman later told Reuters: “This document is called a simple arrest warrant. It only applies to French territory.”

The French anti-doping agency launched legal action against unnamed persons after they found their laboratory computer system had been hacked into in September 2006.

Landis, the first rider to be stripped of a Tour victory, has continually denied any wrongdoing but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected his assertion that his positive test was due to procedural mistakes by the laboratory.

Landis, 34, said last year after his two-year ban ended that he was trying to decide whether to follow fellow-American Lance Armstrong’s example and ride again in the Tour de France.

“It seems that (Landis) made all he could to enter into our computer system to try to prove the laboratory was wrong. He showed many documents he got by hacking to numerous sporting instances,” Bordry said. “The judge traced a network of hackers back to the ringleader.” —Reuters

off San Diego in 1995. It hadn’t been in American hands until Ellison won it back.

“The best team won!” Conner said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. “It was a well-deserved victory. The wing was faster and sailed well with no big mistakes.” Ellison, meanwhile, addressed the team following its victory, took a swig of champagne from the silver trophy and headed back to California to resume running Oracle Corp.

Coutts said he’d like to see some kind of nationality requirement returned to America’s Cup rules. It was an interesting statement, considering that at one point there were four New Zealanders and one Australian sitting in front of the America’s Cup taking questions from reporters. Ellison and tactician John Kostecki of Reno, Nev., were the

only Americans among the 11 crewmen who sailed the trimaran in the clinching race.

Coutts said BMW Oracle would be open to having a defender elimination series if other American syndicates stepped up. Also Monday, BMW Oracle Racing spokesman Tom Ehman confirmed reports that three Swiss members of the race committee refused to help lower the postponement flags on Sunday when principal race officer Harold Bennett ordered the race prestart sequence to begin after a six-hour delay while waiting for the wind to settle.

Ehman was supposed to be a neutral observer on the race committee boat, but Bennett had to ask him to lower the postponement flag when the Swiss refused to. The Swiss apparently thought the waves were too high. —AP

McIlroy eyes Match Play despite back problems MARANA: Rory McIlroy’s back has been bothering him since his amateur days, but the 20-year-old believes that with proper maintenance it should not stop him from becoming a golfing force for the long haul.

The Northern Irish youngster saw a specialist last week after his back flared up during the Dubai Desert Classic, but was cleared to play this week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

McIlroy, rated one of golf’s most exciting young prospects and already ranked eighth in the world less than three years after turning professional, said his back had been troubling him on and off since 2007.

“The summer before the (2007) Walker Cup it was really bad,” he told reporters on Monday.

“This is fine, compared with what it used (to be like). You know, it comes and goes. If I play a couple of weeks in a row it’s fine.

“Play three weeks and I can feel it a little bit, and the fourth week it starts to hurt. “So I’m trying to manage my schedule so I’m not playing too much golf and not putting too much stress on it.”

McIlroy described the problem as a “stress change” in two facet joints in his lower back. The joints, he indicated, crunch together when he makes a full swing.

But he insisted he would be ready to play at his best in the $8.5 million event at Dove Mountain, where his first round opponent on Wednesday will be American Kevin Na. “This was my first tournament in the States as a pro last year and I played pretty well,” added McIlroy, who won his first three matches before bowing out against eventual champion Geoff Ogilvy.

McIlroy will line up in a field boasting 64 of the world’s top 66 players, with Americans Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson the notable absentees.

Woods has taken an indefinite break from the game in the wake of revelations about his marital infidelities, while Mickelson said he would miss the event to take a family holiday.

The field also features Italy’s Edoardo and Francesco Molinari, the first brothers to contest a WGC event. Francesco, ranked 46th in the world,

will meet American Zach Johnson. Edoardo, who surpassed his brother for the first time at 45 in the latest rankings, will play British Open champion Stewart Cink.

“I don’t know if (Francesco’s) in the mood to joke,” said Edoardo. The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship starts today.

Meanwhile, Spaniard Alvaro Quiros’s consistent displays in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai have caught the attention of European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie.

Quiros, 27, who is among golf’s longest hitters, again showed he could mix it with the best on the European Tour as he finished second in Qatar, tied sixth in Dubai and tied 11th in Abu Dhabi.

“He didn’t win but he was a common denominator on the leaderboards of all three tournaments (this year),” said Montgomerie in his captain’s blog on the tour’s website (www.europeantour.com) on Monday.

“There was strong European representation...and his form in the Gulf is exactly the sort of consistency I am looking for.”

Montgomerie, who will attempt to wrest the Ryder Cup back from the U.S. holders at the Celtic Manor course in Wales in October, is hoping world number 30 Quiros will make his debut in the biennial team event.

“He is someone I want to see mature into a Ryder Cup player and I have to say that every time I see him play he is doing just that,” said Europe’s skipper.

Montgomerie also mentioned the good performances by Qatar Masters winner Robert Karlsson, Dubai Desert Classic champion Miguel Angel Jimenez and Abu Dhabi winner Martin Kaymer and was encouraged by Luke Donald’s return to form in the United States.

Briton Donald shrugged off a year of nagging pain from his surgically repaired wrist to finish second at the Northern Trust Open in California two weeks ago.

“It was great to see Luke finish second behind (American) Steve Stricker,” said Montgomerie. “See, it’s not just in Europe that I am watching.” —Reuters

Three National winners set for repeat bids

PARIS: 2006 Tour de France winner Floyd Landis of the US, holds up his trophy after the final stage of the 93rd Tour de France cycling race between Antony, south of Paris, and Paris, in this July 23, 2006 file photo. —AP

LONDON: The last three winners of the $1.45 million Aintree Grand National were among the 111 remaining entries for this year’s race when weights for the jumping showpiece were announced yesterday.

Mon Mome, who sprang a 1001 shock in 2009, has seven pounds more to carry this year. Comply Or Die, successful in 2008, has one pound less to carry than when run-

ner-up last year. Silver Birch also has one pound less than when winning in 2007.

Tricky Trickster, 10-1 favourite since winning a big race at Newbury on Saturday when Cheltenham Gold Cup leading fancy Denman unseated champion jockey Tony McCoy, is near the head of the handicap just six pounds off the top weights.

Irish raiders have won six of

the last 11 Nationals and 38 remain in the April 10 race. Julian Thick, Aintree managing director, said in a media release: “It is fantastic that such a high-class field will line up in what will be the most valuable jump race ever run in Britain.”

Leading betting: 10-1 Tricky Trickster, 14-1 Niche Market, 16-1 Big Fella Thanks, 20-1 Black Apalachi and Possol, 25-1 and upwards others. —Reuters

SPORTS

16

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Fit-again Nadal eyes Indian Wells

OMAN: The pack pass the Climb of Yiti during the third stage of the Tour of Oman, between Saifat Ash Shiekh and Qurayyat. —AP

Jordan determined to buy the Bobcats CHARLOTTE: Former basketball great Michael Jordan could soon be the owner of his own NBA team. Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown said Monday that Jordan is doing everything he can to become the majority owner of the club in his home state.

“He said he’s doing his best to put himself in a position to get the team,” Brown said. “He wants it badly.” Johnson is eager to sell the unprofitable club, and NBA commissioner David Stern said Saturday he expects a deal to be completed within two months.

While Stern has said Jordan owning the team “would be a good thing,” he may have competition. Former Houston Rockets executive George Postolos has made inquiries, and it’s possible if Postolos gets control, Jordan would no longer have a role with the team.

Jordan, currently a part owner with the final say on basketball decisions, would have to put an ownership group together and agree with Johnson on a price. Jordan declined comment Monday through a team spokesman.

“I didn’t talk to him about the particulars,” Brown said of his conversation with Jordan last week. “He just told me don’t believe everything you read in the paper and I’m trying my hardest to get this thing done.

I’m hopeful that at the end of the day Michael will be running the

Former basketball great Michael Jordan Bobcats.”

Postolos, who once worked as an assistant to Stern in the NBA offices, has been in talks with Johnson for months. “I am still not talking to media about Charlotte,” Postolos wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Monday.

Jordan currently has a unique role in Charlotte. While he runs the basketball operations, he’s not officially a team employee and rarely attends practices or games. But he was able to lure

Brown, a fellow Hall of Famer, to coach the Bobcats and Charlotte (26-25) is in position to make its first playoff appearance this season.

“Anytime I read a possibility that Michael is not going to be involved it impacts my family and me because I came here because of him,” said Brown, in his record ninth NBA head coaching job. “Now after I got here I realized there were a lot of real plusses for being here.

But again, I wouldn’t have

thought about it and I’ve been thrilled since I’ve gotten here with the arrangement.”

Guard Raymond Felton was even more confident that a deal would be struck to make one of North Carolina’s most popular figures owner of the state’s NBA team. “From what I’ve been hearing it’s probably going to happen,” Felton said.

“So I hope it works out and he gets the team.” Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television and the first black

majority owner of a major professional sports team, also wasn’t talking Monday. He has declined interview requests for months.

What’s clear is Johnson is looking to unload the Bobcats.

After paying $300 million for the expansion franchise that began play in 2004-05, Johnson has lost tens of millions of dollars each season as the Bobcats have struggled to draw fans and find sponsorships.

But after five losing seasons, the Bobcats sit in sixth place ahead of late yesterday’s game against New Jersey. Jordan bought into the team in 2006 and after a rocky beginning that included drafting the disappointing Adam Morrison, he’s made several moves that have helped the team, including November’s acquisition of Stephen Jackson from Golden State.

Owning a team outright would be another milestone for the six-time NBA champion.

“He’s as good a player as we’ve ever had in this sport. He’s a wonderful guy,” Brown said. “I think when the NBA bounced back, Magic (Johnson) and Larry (Bird) and then Michael sustained it. A lot of people owe a lot to him. I don’t think David Stern takes that lightly. I think he admires Michael and realizes what he means to our sport. “I just think we’ve got to have him involved. ... I just can’t see the NBA without him being involved.” —AP

MANACOR: Rafa Nadal has shaken off the knee injury that forced him to abandon his Australian Open title defence last month and is confident of making a successful tour return at Indian Wells in March.

The world number three, who practised on an indoor court near his home in Mallorca on Monday, told Reuters the tendon had healed in his right knee and he was working to get back to the same level of fitness he reached at the start of the year.

“Right now, this week and these first few days back, it’s a matter of taking things slowly,” Nadal said in a courtside interview after his first training session of the month.

“I think things are progressing very well,” added the 23-year-old Spaniard. “I have been working with the appropriate machines to help the tear heal as quickly as possible and also done a lot of physical work in the gym.”

Nadal’s latest injury setback forced him to withdraw from his quarter-final against Briton Andy Murray in Melbourne in January and he also pulled out of last week’s Rotterdam event.

He said he was in solid mental shape and was planning to return to the tour to defend his title at the Masters Series tournament in Indian Wells, California where he also won in 2007.

“It’s a tournament where I have almost always played well,” Nadal said. “Let’s see what happens.

“It’s the first event I will have played for a month and a half and it’s always more difficult to start like that. I am hoping to play well and build confidence for a strong start to the claycourt season.”

Doubts have been raised over Nadal’s ability to stay free of injury, in part due to a playing style which relies heavily on power and athleticism.

Nadal said he had no doubt he could coax his body back to peak fitness. “I think

Rafael Nadal shakes off knee injury half and I think that taking things slowly would be more prudent.”

Looking ahead to the French Open in May, Nadal said he would not feel any different going into the claycourt grand slam despite having his four-year reign as champion ended last year.

“As always I will be excited about playing a good tournament and trying to win,” he said. “I don’t think it changes anything not being champion. Of course you’re not going to win Roland Garros every year.”

Asked about the prospects of Murray winning a maiden grand slam after final defeats

by Roger Federer at the US Open and in Australia, Nadal said: “I think he is a very complete player and he has very few weaknesses.

“If someone who can get to number three in the world is not capable of winning a slam then I don’t know who is.” Murray climbed above Nadal into third place after the Australian Open but slipped back to fourth in Monday’s rankings. —Reuters

I was there during the first month of the year,” he said.

“I think I am working well enough to get there again.

“That’s sport. You never know when you start (your career) and when you finish.”

The six-times grand slam winner said he was not considering taking the kind of prolonged break that could help him permanently correct some of the physical problems that have plagued him in recent years.

“I am very content with what I am doing and I feel very lucky to be playing tennis,” said Nadal. “I am not planning right now to do anything else than dedicate my life to playing tennis.”

Davis Cup champions Spain begin the defence of their title at home to Switzerland on March 5, the week before Indian Wells, but Nadal said he was unlikely to be available for the tie in Logrono.

“It could be a bit early to come back,” he said. “I’ll see how things go for me physically but I would need to be ready in about a week and a

500 players to vie in Kuwait’s tennis Open

Adel and Abdelredha Al-Gharib with the Jordan delegation.

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s third open tennis championship will start tomorrow under the supervision of Kuwait Tennis Federation, with the participation of nearly 500 players. The championship concludes on March 2.

Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee Adel Al-Gharib said, it is being organized under the sponsorship of Kuwait Airways, and has Kuwaiti players of both sexes along with others. He said matches will be played at KTA grounds at Al-Yarmouk Sports Club.

Al-Gharib said the age group of participants will be for men and women in singles, under-12 and under-16.

Doubles will be for ladies and mixed pairs and pioneers (over 40) that is in addition to diplomats.

He said the championship will start with the 12 and 16 years category while the other groups will continue for two weeks.

Al-Gharib said this year’s championship has a large number of participants from local, Gulf and Arab clubs.

He said KTA along with Al-Yarmouk Sports Club provided all facilities to the service of the championship.

Meanwhile, President of Jordan Tennis Association Hazim Adas said he is happy that Jordan’s team is participating in this significant event, and thanked KTA for the hospitality the delegation received so far.

He said Jordan’s team will participate in the masters and mixed doubles events, and are well prepared for the challenge.

Ahmad Al-Failakawi

Kuwait sailing team head for Qatar KUWAIT: Kuwait sailing national team left for Qatar yesterday to participate in Qatar’s sailing championship, organized by Qatar Sail and Rowing Club.

The delegation included ten players from all categories, they are Nayef Al-Haddah, Salem Al-Fahad, Ibrahim and Mohammad AlHamdan, in addition to Abdallah Jamal, Saudi Al-Masoud,, Abdelaziz Anbar, Suleiman AlMasoud and Ali Ishaq.

Secretary general, and chairman of the Sail and Kayak committee at the club Khalid AlFoudary stressed the importance of participating in the championship as 28 teams are there including European, Asian and Arab teams.

Al-Foudary said Kuwait team participated in Morocco international championship and achieved good results as Ahmad Al-Failakawi emerged victorious in the Radia category, while Ibrahim Al-Furaij finished third.

SPORTS

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

17

Alexandre the Great: Canada embraces its new hero VANCOUVER: Like countless other Canadian boys, Alexandre Bilodeau aspired to be a hockey player. Good thing for Canada his mother nudged him into skiing instead.

On Monday, the headline in one of Vancouver’s daily newspapers was “Alexandre the Great,” and the 22-yearold from Quebec was suddenly a household name across the nation.

By winning the moguls gold medal the night before, he ended what some of his compatriots were calling an Olympic curse — Canada had been shut out of golds in the two previous Olympics it hosted.

Prime Minster Stephen Harper called with congratulations. The Royal Canadian Mint and Canada Post swiftly announced plans to issue commemorative coins and

stamps in Bilodeau’s honor. Marriage proposals proliferated on Twitter.

And for the first time ever, Canadians got to hear “O Canada” played in Olympic triumph on home territory as the Maple Leaf flag rose during the medal ceremony Monday. The crowd at BC Place stadium leapt to its feet as Bilodeau emerged to walk to the podium. He lifted his arms in triumph after receiving the medal, thrust his ceremonial bouquet into the air, and then exhaled with a smile as the muchawaited national anthem began.

Bilodeau’s performance “will be forever burned into our national memory,” said Minister of State Rob Merrifield. The president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Michael Chambers, compared the moguls victory to perhaps the most

famous moment in Canadian sports, a goal enabling Canada to beat the Soviet Union in an epic 1972 hockey series. “It will be one of those Paul Henderson moments,” said Chambers, referring to the goal scorer. “Where were you when Alex Bilodeau won the first gold medal on Canadian soil?” As a young boy growing in Rosemere, Quebec, near Montreal, Bilodeau was keen on hockey.

His mother wearied of the logistics and steered him into skiing instead — a move made easier because Bilodeau, then 7, was enthralled by Quebec skier Jean-Luc Brassard’s moguls gold medal at the 1994 Winter Games in Norway.

When the results were posted confirming Bilodeau’s victory Sunday evening, fans poured onto the streets of Vancouver

to celebrate, shouting, waving Canadian flags, jumping with joy.

“It almost felt like the fire alarm for the whole city was pulled, and everyone went to the streets,” said John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee.

Up at Cypress Mountain, the venue for the event, Bilodeau had his own family celebration — embracing his older brother, Frederic, who suffers from cerebral palsy and was cheering from a wheelchair near the bottom of the course. Heading into the race, Bilodeau was considered a solid medal contender, but was not the favorite for the gold. At his previous Olympics, in Turin in 2006, he finished 11th. Last season, he won five events; he was not as successful this season but was diligently readying himself for Sunday’s

race. His preparations included many hours spent in a Montreal lab with sensors hooked to his head and body while the team’s psychiatrist monitored his responses to various stresses. The process is called bioneurofeedback _ and was one of numerous projects funded by Canada’s $110 million Own The Podium initiative aimed at propelling the country to the top of the medals table at these games.

Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, said Bilodeau’s victory helped keep the national team on track for its ambitious goal, and he defended Own The Podium against critics who have called un-Canadian or inhospitable.

“We did not set up our program to disadvantage anyone else _ we set it up to

provide to our athletes with knowledge and support that they’ve never had in this country before,” he said. “It’s the name — it’s so uncharacteristic of Canada — that has caught people’s attention. Yet we’re still playing catch-up.”

The Canadian team’s chef de mission, Nathalie Lambert, said Bilodeau and his teammates were benefiting from an unprecedented degree of crowd enthusiasm — even comparing the red-andwhite-clad Canadian fans to the iconic orange-clad Dutch fans were surface at many major international events.

“The athletes say its unbelievable to hear the crowd cheering for them,” Lambert said. “We’re typically more reserved than that. I don’t know what’s happened, but I hope it keeps up.”—AP

VANCOUVER: Canada’s forward Jayna Hefford (16) watches the puck sail past Switzerland’s goal keeper Florence Schelling (41) for a goal by Canada’s forward Meghan Agosta (not shown) in women’s preliminary round hockey play during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. — AP

Canada, Sweden advance to semis VANCOUVER: Canada and Sweden qualified for the semifinals of Olympic women’s hockey on Tuesday in a tournament that still hasn’t had a close game.

Canada beat Switzerland 10-1, and Sweden topped Slovakia 6-2.

None of the six games over the first three days has been decided by fewer than three goals. “We just try to move the puck and get

everybody involved,” Canadian captain Hayley Wickenheiser said.

“I don’t feel like we have to apologize too much.” Canada and Sweden will face each other in their final group game on Wednesday to determine seeding for the semifinals.

Finland and the United States can claim the other two semifinal berths with wins yesterday.

Canada and the United States are the runaway favorites to play in the gold medal game, and Sweden and Finland are expected to face off for the bronze. Everyone else is trying to catch up. When Swiss goalie Florence Schelling was asked if her team could beat Canada, she was blunt: “No.” “Our goal was to score one goal, and we did that,” she added. “We didn’t want to give

up more than 10 goals, and we achieved that, so we were satisfied.” The lone Swiss goal, by Darcia Leimgruber late in the second period, was greeted with a roar of approval from the pro-Canadian crowd at UBC Thunderbird Arena. Switzerland had been shut out by Sweden in its opener.

Meghan Agosta scored twice for Canada, which opened its Olympics with a record-set-

ting 18-0 win over Slovakia on Saturday.

Agosta already has five goals in the tournament. The Canadians outshot the Swiss 6212. In Monday’s late game, Pernilla Winberg scored four goals, Elin Holmlov had a goal and two assists, and Jenni Asserholt also scored for Sweden. Still, Slovakia played much better than it did against Canada, putting a bit of a scare of into Swedes by scoring twice on five

Ovechkin and Crosby set for Olympic showdown

Big dreams under flags of convenience WHISTLER: From a Moroccan skier, with no chance of Olympic glory, to a Russian-born, Slovakian medal winner, the Winter Olympics are peppered with athletes flying the flag of convenience.

Some have made their way to Canada by exploiting rules that give athletes from ‘smaller’ countries an Olympic lifeline while others have the talent and have simply switched nationalities.

Biathlete Anastazia Kuzmina once won world junior titles for Russia but on Saturday she made history for Slovakia by winning gold in the women’s 7.5km event.

Her achievement was all the more poignant as her journey towards Slovakian citizenship was not an easy one. Kuzmina’s husband Daniel Kuzmin, an Israeli who is also her coach, said: “After marriage, we moved to Slovakia and it was very hard to get citizenship. It took a lot of hard work.”

Dow Travers’ fine English accent belies the fact he will be the Cayman Islands’ (a British overseas territory in the Carribean) first ever winter Olympian.

He went to boarding school in the UK, took up skiing during family holidays in Colorado and after training with a British ski academy in the French Alps he moved to

Aspen.

It was there that his coach convinced him he could, “get down to Olympic qualifying points if I could ski 60 days a year, and that set my mind on it.”

Skiing is particularly kind when offering Olympic chances. The ‘Snow Leopard’ Kwame NkrumahAcheampong was born in Scotland, but represents snowless Ghana, where he was brought up.

After learning to ski while working at an indoor ski centre in England, NkrumahAcheampong battled to bring his points tally down below the magical 140-point qualifying barrier. He achieved that and will now fly Ghana’s flag in Whistler where he competes in the giant slalom.

“Some people where sceptical, others just did not believe that it was possible to train in such a short period of time and try and qualify, but I think now I can stand up and say it’s possible,” he said.

Among the Olympic ice hockey contingent at least five Canadians are plying their trade with adopted countries.

Having never played at senior level for his native Canada, Hnat (eds: correct) Domenichelli is now an Olympian-in the colors of Switzerland.

A former NHL player who

“kind of ran out of a spot” in the world’s biggest league, he moved to Switzerland seven years ago, met his wife, stayed on and eventually became eligible for citizenship.

Paris-born Samir Azzimani knows he won’t challenge for medals in the slalom or giant slalom skiing. But after marching solo and carrying the flag of Morocco-the country of his parents-he wants to show the world that Africans can ski.

“I want to be the top African, and beat the guys from Ghana or Senegal,” he said. “And show the world that when it comes to Africans, we don’t all do the snow plough.” One of the more controversial country switches was Vancouver-born Dale Begg-Smith’s decision to represent Australia.

The multi-millionaire, who won freestyle moguls gold in Turin in 2006, was beaten into the silver-medal position by Canada’s Alexandre Bilodeau on Sunday.

Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive Chris Rudge refused to delight in Begg-Smith’s loss of his title. “I think we have to be careful when you put your feet in the shoes of an athlete competing in the Olympic Games,” he said.

“Perhaps he was just introspective and quiet.” —AFP

shots in the first period against backup goalie Sara Grahn. “We knew it would be a hard game because we’ve never played them before,” Winberg said, “and we didn’t know what to expect at all.” Slovakia’s still-young team gets its last chance for a victory against Switzerland today. “Everything is new for us at this level,” Slovak goalie Zuzana Tomcikova, “but we’ve got to learn.”—AP

VANCOUVER: A view up the course from the finish area after heavy snowfall forced the postponement of the Men’s super combined at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler. —AP

VANCOUVER: In careers marked by dazzling acts of oneupmanship, the Vancouver Olympics could provide the ultimate stage for Canada’s Sidney Crosby and Russia’s Alexander Ovechkin, the greatest ice hockey players of their generation.

Both players can boast trophy cases that include National Hockey League most valuable player honours and scoring titles.

They have met in the Stanley Cup playoffs and played at world championships, but their bid for a gold medal in Vancouver is expected to offer one of the highlights of the Winter Games.

It only seems fitting for a showdown between the charismatic Canadian and the edgy Russian with the smoky visor to happen on the sporting world’s biggest stage.

The tournament could end without Crosby and Ovechkin ever facing off against each other, but even the chance of a classic Russia-Canada final on Feb.28 for the last gold medal of the Games has ice hockey fans salivating.

Both players dismissed talk of an Olympic rivalry. Crosby just said he was looking forward to Canada’s game against Norway yesterday while Ovechkin offered a terse, “Don’t care”. Choosing between the two former first overall draft picks is a bit like trying to decide between a Porsche and a Ferrari.

Both are captains of their NHL teams, with Crosby the wizard playmaker for the Pittsburgh Penguins and

Ovechkin the fiery goal scorer for the Washington Capitals.

Crosby, the number one pick in 2005, won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2007 while Ovechkin, the top pick in 2004, has been given the award in the past two seasons.

The Russian took rookie of the year honours after becoming just the fourth player in NHL history to score 50 goals in his debut campaign. An 18-year-old Crosby countered by becoming the youngest player to score 100 points in a season when he tallied 39 goals and 63 assists.

Both Crosby and Ovechkin pull in nearly $9 million a season and millions more in endorsements, but that is where it appears any similarity between the two players ends.

Already the youngest scoring champion and youngest captain to lead his team to an NHL championship, Crosby is considered the all-Canadian boy every mom hopes her daughter brings home.

Crosby personally delivers Pittsburgh Penguins tickets to subscribers and still lives in team owner Mario Lemieux’s guest house-just as he did when he broke into the league as a baby-faced prodigy in 2005.

In stark contrast, Ovechkin is the playful bad boy whose goal scoring celebrations have earned him criticism from ice hockey purists and legions of fans. In the preliminary rounds, which begin on Tuesday, Canada will play Norway, Switzerland and the United States. Russia, will play Latvia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. —Reuters

SPORTS

18

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Inside the Rings: Figure skating is all figures VANCOUVER: Why the fuss?

Figure skating’s much-maligned scoring system is, in fact, easy to understand: The Chinese got marked up for being married _ husbands and wives who stay together after hurling each other across the ice deserve 10 extra points _ and Ukraine’s pair was docked for teethgrindingly yucky Flash Gordon costumes.

Oh, sorry, have I got that wrong?

Rats. It’s just too confusing. From a scoring system fans could no longer trust, to one they can’t understand.

It’s more honest but more incomprehensible than it used to be. And that’s frustrating.

Fair and understandable should not be too much to ask. The women skaters’ see-through suits are more

“I just get really frustrated when the scores come up because they have no context for me,” she complained. “It takes away from the excitement.” That the sport is doing such a wretched job of explaining its grand-sounding International Judging System to confused souls like Dinsmore is truly unfortunate.

Because, actually, the scoring now is far better and fairer than under the old method that was ditched after the judging scandal that blackened skating’s name at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

That, for those who’ve preferred to forget this fiasco, was when the International Olympic Committee ended up having to award two golds in pairs after a French judge confessed that she’d been pressured to

transparent than the complex charts, computers and mathematical formulas judges are using at the Vancouver Olympics to differentiate one triple axel from another. In revamping its scoring system to make it less prone to fixing by crooked judges, skating is leaving befuddled spectators out in the cold.

Don’t just take my word for it.

Here’s Terry Dinsmore, picked at random from the crowd that packed Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum for the Olympic pairs competition. She was lost, so much so that by mid-point through the evening she was wondering why she was there. The fact that her pair of $420 tickets were a gift from a business contact offered some consolation.

favor the Russians.

So farewell the old system where 6.0 was neatly perfect and the crowd could have a little fun hissing when the judges — are you blind, stupid or what? — only awarded 5.2s or 5.3s for a performance that clearly deserved nothing less than a string of 5.9s and teddy bears thrown onto the ice to boot.

Trouble was, it wasn’t very scientific. Those that skated first were at an immediate disadvantage because judges, keeping their powder dry for those later in the show, weren’t going to award them perfect marks no matter how well they executed their toe loops, twizzles, salchows or death spirals. And that wasn’t fair.

In Vancouver, husband-and-wife pair Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo

skated first in Sunday’s short program but still got the highest score of the night. That would have been almost unheard of in the old days.

Reputation isn’t so important, now, either. Previously, star skaters had an undeniable advantage, equivalent to Tiger Woods being allowed to tee-off yards closer to the pin than everyone else. Judges were less likely to squander their 6.0s on unknown skaters if big names were coming up later in the night. That meant the champions were harder to dethrone than they are now which, again, wasn’t very fair.

As relative unknowns, the American pair of Mark Ladwig and Amanda Evora would under the old system have struggled to place better than 15th. Going into Monday’s

free skate, they were delighted to rank 10th — a feat due in no small part to the fact that their skating, like everyone’s, is now judged on its merits not on how famous skaters are. So far, so good.

What skating needs to do now is ditch the elitist attitude. That means not treating spectators like idiots who could never understand the system even if they tried. Scores on Sunday were announced without explanation — 76.66 for Shen and Zhao, 75.96 for second-placed pair Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, 57.86 for Evora and Ladwig, etc.

It could have been the weigh-in of a gardening club’s giant marrow contest. As it turned out, Shen and Zhao’s score set a world record, so at

least spectators could guess that they’d done OK. But was 65.36 for Canada’s Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison good or bad? More importantly, was it what they deserved?

How can the uninitiated know? They can’t.

Not surprisingly, the crowd response was often subdued, not much of an ambiance. You could sense that people didn’t feel as if they were being involved. And that, at an Olympics or anywhere, can’t be good for a sport.

The answer is not bringing back the old system. Fairness for the athletes trumps spectator comfort any day. But tweaks would be nice, so the scoring works not just for skaters but for the people who watch them, too. —AP

Swiss steals thunder as China break duck VANCOUVER: Swiss Didier Defago dashed out of the shadows of more fancied rivals to win the showcase men’s downhill at the Winter Olympics on Monday as China gracefully broke Russia’s astonishing 46-year grip on pairs skating gold.

Canada failed to build any momentum from Sunday’s first gold on home soil and America’s megabuck NHL ice hockey players were rapped on the knuckles for sporting politicised slogans on their helmets during training on the eve of the men’s event.

Defago, a 32-year-old veteran of the World Cup scene who had never come close to an Olympic podium before, scorched down the Dave Murray course in Whistler to become the first Swiss to land the men’s blue riband event

since Pirmin Zurbriggen in 1988.

“This morning I knew that the course would suit me well,” said Defago, who eclipsed favoured team mates Didier Cuche and Carlo Janka.

“I have been looking for a podium for a long time.”

The event, for many the showcase of an Olympic Games, was also a tale of redemption for a more famous 32-year-old racer, American Bode Miller.

Miller, the wild child of American skiing, took the bronze medal, finishing close behind Aksel Lund Svindal from Norway. China broke Russia’s remarkable domination of pairs figure skating dating back to the 1964 Games in Innsbruck.

Husband-and-wife duo Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo

came out of retirement to lead a mesmerising Chinese 1-2, their first gold medal in the event.

“Today’s medal is a completion of a dream after so many years,” gushed Shen, who had kissed the medal in unison with her husband while on the podium.

Job done, a grinning Shen immediately set her sights on their next goal: “It’s hard to continue skating (after today so) maybe it’s time to have a baby.”

No sooner had the flotilla of NHL players arrived in Vancouver for the hotly anticipated ice hockey competition than the US team found themselves in hot water.

Netminder Jonathan Quick is to be ordered by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to remove

WHISTLER: Canada’s Emily Brydon takes a curve during a training session for the women’s Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Downhill event. —AFP

VANCOUVER: Gold medallist Tae-Bum Mo of Korea (right) and Jeremy Wotherspoon of Canada (left) skate during the men’s 500 meter race at the Richmond Olympic Oval. —AP

Olympics medals table VANCOUVER: Olympics medals table after Monday’s programme: Switzerland United States South Korea France Germany Canada China Czech Republic Netherlands Slovakia

Gold Silver Bronze Total 3 0 0 3 2 2 4 8 2 1 0 3 2 0 2 4 1 3 1 5 1 2 1 4 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1

Sweden Norway Italy Japan Australia Estonia Poland Austria Croatia Russia

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0

0 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 1

1 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

a ‘Support Our Troops’ slogan seen on his helmet at training on Monday, a gesture that contravenes International Olympic Committee rules on political propaganda.

Team mate Ryan Miller will likewise be told to ditch a ‘Miller Time’ motif on his helmet although is hoping ‘Matt Man’, a tribute to a deceased friend, will be allowed to stay.

“We will inform the American team and their equipment managers that this is a violation of IOC rules,” IIHF spokesman Szymon Szemberg told Reuters.

The wins, and the winners’ smiling faces, were a welcome change from the dismal start to the Vancouver event, where organisers dedicated the opening ceremonies to a Georgian slider who died on a scarily fast luge track, and rain and fog forced postponements to weekend Alpine skiing events.

Games organisers held a memorial service on Monday for Georgia’s Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, before his body was flown home, while women sliders took their first competition runs down a shortened track.

South Korea’s Mo Taebum celebrated his 21st birthday by winning the men’s 500 metres speedskating in a contest interrupted for more than an hour after problems with the battery powered machine that resurfaces the ice.

For host nation Canada, a poor showing in the downhill, a last-gasp loss to the Americans in snowboard cross, and an out-of-the medals performance from speedskating hopeful Jeremy Wotherspoon brought locals back to earth after their first home-turf Olympic gold on Sunday.

Canada hosted Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976 and Calgary in 1988, but won no golds at either Games, so Alex Bilodeau’s moguls victory on Sunday was especially sweet.

Things were back to normal on Monday. Vancouver skier Manuel OsborneParadis, a downhill favourite, lost precious ground on the lower part of the Whistler course and ended back in the pack.

Hours later US boarder Seth Wescott soared past Canada’s Mike Robertson at the end of the hot-dog fourman race to nab the gold.

It was the second gold for the United States, but Switzerland lead the medals table with three golds after Monday’s victories in men’s 15km cross country and downhill.

Also coming up is the women’s downhill on Wednesday, where Americans hope for another turnaround from favorite Lindsey Vonn, a double world champion who has never won an Olympic medal.

Speaking after the racers’ first full training run, Vonn said she was shocked by the bumpy, jarring course, a route that might bode poorly for a shin injury on the mend.

In a Facebook update, she said the shin was “really sore again”. —Reuters

VANCOUVER: China’s Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo perform their pairs free program during the figure skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. —AP

We’ve won gold, let’s have a baby VANCOUVER: Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo delivered gold to end China’s barren Olympic figure skating spell and immediately turned their thoughts to creating the next generation of champions.

Wearing the new additions to their medal collection around their necks having broken Russia’s 46-year hold on pairs gold, the giggling couple switched their focus to the idea of a new addition to their family.

“I think it’s hard to continue skating so maybe it’s time to have a baby,” Shen told a news conference on Monday.

The duo came out of retirement for a fourth attempt at winning their sport’s top prize and achieved their goal in spectacular style, earning a standing ovation from flagwaving fans as they ended the remarkable grip

on the event held by the Russians since the 1964 Games in Innsbruck.

“This is a dream come true, we’ve had this dream for many many years. Every time we heard the anthem or saw the flag (when we won something), we wished it was the Olympic Games,” said Zhao, a three-times world champion with Shen.

“Records are set to be broken at some point,” he added. “This is an embodiment of the Olympic spirit,” he said with Shen adding: “This is the attraction of the Olympic Games.”

It was China’s first Olympic figure skating gold and there were double celebrations after Pang Qing and Tong Jian won silver, with all four skaters holding on to the corners of their country’s flag for the victory lap around the packed rink.

The runners-up’s rousing routine had fans on their feet and Tong on his knees kissing the ice, confident they had done enough to lift themselves up from fourth on to the podium.

“I’m still very thrilled,” said Tong. “When I kissed the ice I don’t know what got into meI think a power made me do that.”

While the Chinese skaters barely stopped smiling in the news conference, German bronze medallists Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy could not hide their disappointment.

Their glum faces only broke into a smile when Zhao was asked what advice he could give the Germans on how to lift themselves up enough to try for gold at the next Olympics.

Having won bronze in 2002 and 2006, Zhao has plenty of wisdom on the subject. —Reuters

Bullet in blue jeans zips to gold VANCOUVER: Seth Wescott made a huge comeback on the final jump to defend his Olympic snowboard cross gold on Monday, leaving another Canadian to settle for second best against an ice-cool American rival.

The American, who was wearing ultra-cool loose snowboard trousers designed to

look like well-worn blue jeans, pumped his arm after crossing the finish line in a near photo finish just ahead of Canadian Mike Robertson.

Wescott, who won the sport’s debut gold in Turin, started the race in the back of the four-man pack but then began to make his move after team mate Nate Holland spun

out about halfway through.

Cheered on by the partisan Cypress Mountain crowd, Robertson had led for most of the race where four athletes face off in snowboard’s version of motocross along a long course full of steep turns and jumps.

But then Wescott passed France’s Tony Ramoin then

VANCOUVER: Seth Wescott (right) of the US, competes against Mike Robertson of Canada in the Men’s Snowboard SBX final at Cypress Mountain during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. —AFP

pulled even with Robertson as they neared the final turn and jump of the long, technically challenging course.

As is often the case in the anything-can-happpen sport of snowboard cross, the Canadian lost ground when he made a slight mistake and when the American took a tighter line in the final turn.

Wescott then soared ahead of Robertson on the final jump, crossing the finish line first in a dramatic end to the race.

The crowd, which had been chanting Robertson’s name and seeming sure of his victory, seemed stunned into silence at the very end when Wescott pulled it out in the end. “I think I felt them collectively get bummed out when I made the pass,” Wescott said.

Robertson said he felt in control throughout the race, until he came up short on the last jump.

“As soon as I came up short on that jump I knew someone was going to pass me. But whatever, this happens,” said Robertson, whose close miss for gold mirrored his freestyle skiing teammate Jenn Heil who was pipped by American Hannah Kearney for gold in the moguls on Saturday.

Ramoin took the bronze behind Robertson. Several of the medal favourites, including France’s Pierre Vaultier and American Graham Watanabe, crashed out before the semifinals. —Reuters

SPORTS

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

19

India dominate after Laxman, Dhoni tons

DUBAI: Venus Williams from US returns the ball to Germany’s Sabine Lisicki during the third day of Dubai Tennis Championship. — AP

Venus on a roll in Dubai DUBAI: Venus Williams’ bid to hang on to one of her two remaining titles made a reassuring start as she quashed the challenge of one of the tour’s brightest young hopes to reach the last 16 of the Dubai Open.

The defending champion’s 6-2, 6-3 win over Sabine Lisicki, the 20-year-old Wimbledon quarter-finalist, contained consistent serving, well-timed increases in pressure, and a conspicuously tight focus.

A good week here is important for the five-time Wimbledon champion’s belief that, approaching her 30th birthday, she remains capable of winning more majors, and that need showed in the quality of her performance.

There was only one brief moment when it seemed that the hard-hitting but variable German might find sufficient control to get into the match - when she played a brilliant game to break Williams’ serve for the only time, and edge up to 3-4 in the second set.

Williams responded immediately, applying extra pressure on her returns to break Lisicki’s delivery a fourth time, then smartly closing out the match for the loss of only a point.

She had been put through her paces robustly by her father Richard, before the match, and it appeared to have helped. “I still try to listen to him,” she said, smiling, “and not to rebel against what he says.”

The champion’s sharp start earned her a meeting with Belarus’ Olga Govertsova, a

surprise survivor who is coached by her brother, and who brought down the 14th seeded Italian, Francesca Schiavone, in straight sets.

If Williams gets past that as she should, she could go on to a semi-final with the topseeded Caroline Wozniacki.

However the 19-year-old Dane had to combine resilience and level-headedness to fight back from 1-5 down against an in-form Dominika Cibulkova to win 6-2, 7-6 (7/2).

The buoyant and mobile Slovakian belied her world number 30 ranking to get the better of some athletic baseline exchanges in the middle of the match, and was within two points of taking the second set while serving at 5-2. “I was getting a bit nervous,” admitted Wozniacki. “But I went out there and I fought and didn’t give up, and felt like I was in there all the time.”

Wozniacki next plays Shahar Peer, who on Monday became the first Israeli woman to compete in a UAE state, and who scored a high quality win for the second successive day.

Having beaten the 13th seeded Yanina Wickmayer in the first round, Peer now outplayed Virginie Razzano, last year’s runnerup, by 6-2, 6-2.

The commitment required of Peer’s effort was underlined by her once again overcoming the distractions of careful security, with special arrangements for accommodation, transport, changing and the

scheduling of her matches.

“I am very happy with my performance,” said the Israeli. “It was a difficult day for me yesterday because I had two matches and, you know, a lot of emotions, so I am very happy I could be out there, and playing very very good tennis today.”

But even though the 22-year-old now faces the favourite in a plum match, Peer will again compete on a well-protected outside court rather than the much more open and conspicuous centre court.

One other seed fell, the fourth-seeded Olympic champion Elena Dementieva and coming here on the back of the Paris Indoor title last Sunday, who retired with a bad shoulder against Daniela Hantuchova; two more seeds, Jelena Jankovic, and Li Na, drifted into trouble and struggled their way out again.

Jankovic, the former world number one, was 1-3 down in the final set against Arazane Rezai, the rising world number 21, before slowing down the French woman’s forceful attack just enough to sneak a 4-6, 64, 7-5 win.

And Li Na, whose semi-final finish at last month’s Australian Open has lifted her to a career-high world number ten, was similarly 1-3 down in the decider, before fathoming an answer to the difficult left-handed angles of Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and surviving 7-6 (9/7), 2-6, 6-4. — AFP

MEMPHIS: Maria Sharapova returns to Shenay Perry of the United States during a Cellular South Cup tennis tournament. — AP

Sharapova eases past Perry MEMPHIS: Top seed Maria Sharapova dismantled Shenay Perry 6-0 6-2 in the opening round of the Memphis Championships on Monday to record her first victory on tour this year.

The former world number one needed just 51 minutes to dispatch her American challenger, breaking Perry’s service six times. The Russian will play American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the

next round. Sharapova was coming off a disappointing performance at the Australian Open last month when she fell in the first round to compatriot Maria Kirilenko. — Reuters

‘Twenty20 ripe for corruption’ LONDON: International players’ union FICA chief executive Tim May has warned that Twenty20 cricket is “ripe for corruption” and urged the sport’s administrators to exercise extreme care.

“Twenty20 is just ripe for corruption-the shorter the game the more influence each particular incident can have,”

the former Australia off-spinner said in an interview in the March issue of The Wisden Cricketer magazine which goes on sale this Friday.

“So I think it opens up a great deal of opportunities for the bookmakers to try and corrupt players into providing various different outcomes in the game, if not the result itself.

Cricket needs to be very, very careful.” May was also critical of the way the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) dealings with players.

“The refusal to grant players the ability to review the security arrangements and the decision of the IPL and its franchises not to recognise or deal with any players’ managers or

agents, is self-defeating,” he said.

“Its decision-making is very arrogant. The attitude is that they’re the only game in town, they’re the biggest game in town and, as long as they pay these huge amounts of money, they can do what they like. That may not always be the case.” — Reuters

KOLKATA: Venkatesh Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni slammed unbeaten centuries to put India in firm control of the second and final Test against South Africa yesterday.

Laxman hit 143 and Dhoni made 132 as India piled up a record 643-6 before declaring their first innings shortly before stumps on the third day at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The tourists, trailing by 347 runs, were six for no loss in their second knock when play was called off due to bad light after just five deliveries from Zaheer Khan.

India’s powerful batting boosted their chances of squaring the series after they lost the first Test in Nagpur by an innings and six runs.

A drawn series will also enable Dhoni’s men to retain their number one position in the official Test rankings. India’s total was their highest against South Africa, surpassing the 627 during the Chennai Test in 2008. “We expected India to come back strongly,” said South Africa’s batting consultant Kepler Wessels.

“They’re a very good team under their own conditions. We certainly expected them to put up this sort of fight. If you don’t take your opportunities against a good side, you’re going to pay the price.”

Laxman and Dhoni put on 259 for the unbroken seventh wicket as India lost just one wicket, of nightwatchman Amit Mishra, during the day.

Laxman, who missed the Nagpur Test due to a finger injury, played some trademark pulls and drives for his 15th Test century and the fourth at the Eden Gardens.

Dhoni, dropped on 23, clobbered part-time spinner Jean-Paul Duminy for two sixes in a row and another off Paul Harris to underline India’s dominance over the second-ranked Proteas.

There were four centuries in India’s innings after Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar made hundreds on Monday.

The South Africans, who made 296 in their first knock, squandered a few chances in the field, which could prove costly as they seek their first Test series victory in India for nearly a decade.

Duminy spilled his second catch of the match when he dropped Laxman on 48 at backward point off Wayne Parnell (0-103).

Duminy had also grassed Sehwag on 47 while fielding in the slips on Monday.

Sehwag went on to make 165 and set the platform for India’s huge total.

“You can’t drop good players and expect to get away with it, particularly on good surfaces like this,” said Wessels. “It’s challenging but you have to adapt and take the opportunities that come your way. We didn’t.

“We’re in a position where we have to save the game to win the series.

“There are two days of tough Test cricket ahead and we’ll fight as hard as we can.”

Resuming at 342-5, Laxman flicked a couple of boundaries in the first over of the day by Dale Steyn, who conceded 115 runs while taking just one wicket. Laxman faced 260 balls during his nearly six-hour stay at the wicket.

Mishra (28) enjoyed a brief flourish and a couple of reprieves before falling to an ambitious upper cut which was plucked by Jacques Kallis off Morne Morkel (2-115) at second slip.

Four South African bowlers conceded more than 100 runs each, with left-arm spinner Harris being the most expensive with figures of 1-182 from 50 overs. — AFP

KOLKATA: Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (right) and VVS Laxman run between the wickets during the third day of the second Test cricket match against South Africa. — AP

Scoreboard Scoreboard at the close of the third day of the second and final test between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India yesterday.

South Africa first innings 296 (A. Petersen 100, H. Amla 114, Z. Khan 4-90).

India first innings (342-5 overnight) G. Gambhir run out 25 V. Sehwag c Prince b Duminy 165 M. Vijay c de Villiers b Morkel 7 S. Tendulkar c Kallis b Harris 106 V. Laxman not out 143 S. Badrinath b Steyn 1 A. Mishra c Kallis b Morkel 28 M. Dhoni not out 132 Extras (b-6, lb-9, w-13, nb-8) 36 Total (six wickets dec; 153 overs) 643 Fall of wickets: 1-73 2-82 3-331 4-335 5-336 6-384.

Did not bat: H. Singh, Z. Khan, I. Sharma.

Bowling: Steyn 30-5-115-1 (w-1 nb-1), Morkel 26-3-115-2 (nb-7), Parnell 20-1-103-0, Kallis 121-40-0, Harris 50-5-182-1 (w-12), Duminy 15-073-1.

South Africa second innings G. Smith not out 5 A. Petersen not out 1 Total (no loss; 0.5 over) 6 To bat: H. Amla, J. Kallis, AB de Villiers, A. Prince, JP Duminy, D. Steyn, W. Parnell, M. Morkel, P. Harris.

Bowling (to date): Zaheer 0.5-0-6-0.

South Africa lead the two-match series 1-0.

Collingwood keen to test England’s Twenty20 vision DUBAI: England captain Paul Collingwood believes his side’s week in the United Arab Emirates will help clarify their selection and tactics ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies.

England will face world champions Pakistan in two Twenty20 internationals at Dubai Sports City, on Friday and Saturday. after taking on the second-string England Lions in Abu Dhabi today.

These are the final matches England will play in international cricket’s shortest format before the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in April and May. All-rounder Collingwood, speaking after the squad’s arrival in Dubai, was in no doubt of their importance. “This is a big week for us in terms of a Twenty20 squad of players and for getting our minds back on to Twenty20 cricket,” he said here on Monday.

“It’s good to have these two games before the World Cup to see exactly where we are in terms of team and squad selection.

“We’ve also got an important game today which is going to feel like an international because the (England) Lions will certainly want to beat us,” added Collingwood, who captains England in Twenty20

Paul Collingwood matches because Test skipper Andrew Strauss has opted out of the format.

Pakistan may have lost all their international matches during their recent tour of Australia but last year they beat Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 final at Lord’s.

And with the likes of fast bowler Umar Gul and all-rounder Abdur Razzaq, Pakistan certainly have proven Twenty20 match-winners in their side.

“We are the champions so we know how to play Twenty20 cricket,” said Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik. England have struggled to adjust to the specif-

ic demands of Twenty20 cricket but a share of the spoils in a two-match series during the tour of South Africa has given Collingwood cause for optimism.

“I’m excited because our batting line-up seems to be getting stronger and stronger with every one-day game we’re playing and the confidence we’re building all the time,” he said.

“We seem to be a lot more confident now in our batting approach of being able to hit the ball hard and that is obviously one of the main attributes of playing Twenty20 cricket and clearing the ropes. — AFP

www.kuwaittimes.net

Rooney inspires United to first ever win in San Siro PORTUGAL: Arsenal’s French coach Arsene Wenger (right) and Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner (left) hold a press conference in Porto on the eve of their Champions League qualifying match against FC Porto.— AFP

Preview

Porto offer stern test for confident Arsenal LISBON: Arsenal are brimming with confidence after beating Liverpool but they will have to show consistency to overcome in-form Porto in the Champions League last 16.

The north London team’s run of wins was interrupted recently by losses to Chelsea and Manchester United but they won 1-0 against Liverpool last week, a result which kept them in the title race and lifted their spirits.

“It would have been very difficult for us to lose against Liverpool and go to Porto feeling confident,” said coach Arsene Wenger.

The draw for the Champions League first knockout round could have been tougher for Arsenal, pitting them against Bayern Munich or one of the Milan giants, but Wenger said Porto could be tricky.

“Porto is a tough draw. They don’t look like a prestigious team but every year they are in there and they can surprise people. They have been playing very well recently.” Porto’s pedigree, which includes two European titles, has been clear in recent displays against English sides. They lost 4-0 at the Emirates last season but then topped the group and gave United a tough time in the quarter-finals. Losses against Chelsea this season were close matches that could have ended in

draws. “Arsenal are the English team that can trouble us most. When they are well, they play a game that is hard to overcome,” Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira said. “But their form can oscillate. On a good day we can cause them problems.”

Porto are third in the domestic league, having started badly, and have struggled to replace influential midfielder Lucho Gonzalez, who was sold to Marseille.

Their 0-0 draw against Leixoes on Saturday belied a strong performance and followed a run of fluid and commanding wins. Much of this has been thanks to Ruben Micael, a creative midfielder who has revitalised the team since joining from Nacional in January.

With skilful Argentine Belluschi and ball-winner Fernando alongside Micael, Porto have a midfield with technique and guile.

In attack, they have replaced Lisandro Lopez with another prolific goalscorer, Colombian Radamel Falcao, while Silvestre Varela is a threat on the wings. Burly Brazilian forward Hulk, suspended since December, has been called up and could come off the bench. Arsenal have Russian striker Andrei Arshavin out with a hamstring problem and Alex Song in doubt with a knee injury.—Reuters

Rising Bayern face falling Fiorentina MUNICH: Bayern Munich and Fiorentina, two teams moving in opposite directions, clash in the Champions League today with the Bavarians firm favorites to progress to the last eight.

Bayern, who made a shaky start to the season and finished six points behind Girondins Bordeaux as they struggled through the group stage, have won their last 12 games in all competitions under temperamental Dutch coach Louis van Gaal.

Fiorentina, who qualified for the knockout stages at the expense of Liverpool, have lost momentum since the start of the year, taking only one point from their last five Serie A matches.

They were outclassed 2-0 by Sampdoria on Saturday, almost inevitably sparking talk of a crisis in the Italian media, and have dropped to 11th in the table in one of the most difficult moments in the long reign of coach Cesare Prandelli.

Some fans have even called for Prandelli to leave amid speculation he is wanted by Juventus and Italy after the World Cup. The team appear to have been hit hard by the ban on Romania striker Adrian Mutu, who was provisionally suspended after the Italian Olympic Committee said he had tested positive for the appetite suppressant drug sibutramine after the 2-1 win over Bari on Jan. 10, the team’s last victory.

Fiorentina suffered another blow on Saturday when centre-back Alessandro Gamberini dislocated his shoulder and was ruled out of the game at the Allianz arena while Argentina forward Mario Santana also limped off. However, the players remain optimistic.

“We’re certain that match against Bayern has come at the right moment, it’s the most important match in Prandelli’s five-year reign,” said midfielder Ricardo Montolivo.

Bayern are taking nothing for granted and, despite their recent run, van Gaal is proving hard to please.

Having publicly criticised the team following their 3-1

win at VfL Wolfsburg and 6-2 Cup win over SpVgg Fuerth, he was complaining again following Saturday’s 3-1 win at home to Borussia Dortmund which left them level on points with Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

“We made a number of individual errors in defence, and that mustn’t happen against Fiorentina in midweek. We also need much better organisation throughout the team,.” he said.

Captain Mark van Bommel agreed. “In our recent games, against Wolfsburg, Fuerth and today, we’ve let our opponents make a few chances.

“We’ve not been punished, because we’ve gone on to win. But in the Champions League, you can’t afford any lapses and if you concede at home, it’s even more difficult. The whole team has to do its job in this respect. “If we all hare upfield and forget our defensive responsibilities and organisation, it’ll be difficult. The number of chances Dortmund created today wasn’t good at all.”— Reuters

Matches on TV (local timings) UEFA Champions League Bayern v Fiorentina ............... 22:45 Al Jazeera Saport +5 Porto v Arsenal ...................... 22:45 Al Jazeera Sport +3 English Premier League Wigan v Bolton ..................... 23:00 ShowSports 1

Everton take narrow

LONDON: Sporting Lisbon’s Argentinian player Leandro Grimi (right) heads the ball under pressure from Everton’s Landon Donovon during the Europa League.— AFP

LIVERPOOL: English Premier League outfit Everton will take a narrow advantage to Portugal for their Europa League last 32 second leg match after beating Sporting Lisbon 2-1 here yesterday.

David Moyes’ side looked to be cruising towards the last 16 after goals from South Africa midfielder Steven Pienaar and French defender Sylvain Distin put the hosts two goals ahead just after half-time.

But Distin was sent off with four minutes left for a mistimed tackle in the penalty area and Miguel Veloso converted the spot-kick to leave the tie on a knife-edge ahead of the return on February 25.

Despite beating Chelsea in their last match, Moyes still made two changes to the Everton team, as Pienaar came in for Russia winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, while Nigerian defender Joseph Yobo replaced John Heitinga.

Everton nearly took the lead in the 12th minute when Australia midfielder Tim Cahill sent Louis Saha racing through on goal. The French striker, who has 15 goals this season, had to react quickly to get his shot off and Sporting goalkeeper Rui Patricio was able to block.

Cahill was in the thick of the action again when he headed wide from Leighton Baines’s corner. Sporting have been in poor form of late and, with the second leg at home still to come, they were largely content to sit back in the early stages. — AFP

ROME: Wayne Rooney was the hero as Manchester United made AC Milan look old in a 32 win in the Champions League last 16 first leg clash here yesterday to record their first ever victory in the San Siro.

Rooney scored a brace as Milan’s old legs finally caught up with them as United came from behind to win at a canter until some late drama that saw United’s Michael Carrick dismissed in injury time for a second booking.

Ronaldinho gave Milan an early lead but after Paul Scholes’s fortuitous equaliser Sir Alex Ferguson’s side gradually took control and by the end they threatened to run up a cricket score.

Substitute Clarence Seedorf’s clever backheel finish from Ronaldinho’s cross five minutes from time was the only thing that gives the Italians hope for the second leg at Old Trafford.

Champions League Milan were off to a dream start, taking the lead after only three minutes and appropriately United old boy David Beckham was involved.

His free-kick into the box was only helped on by Patrice Evra and fell kindly to Ronaldinho at the back post who caught it on the volley and a wicked deflection off Carrick took it past a helpless Edwin van der Sar. That seemed to unsettle United and give Milan wings and on seven minutes Pato broke through the middle and fed Ronaldinho to his left but Van der Sar saved his low shot.

AC Milan were bossing the early action and a surging run from the back from Thiago Silva saw him slip in Luca Antonini on the overlap but he shot wide of the near post.

Ronladinho then tried to win a penalty as he ran at Rio Ferdinand but the referee waved the appeals away.

Rooney finally created a half chance on the edge of the box for the visitors on 19 minutes when he made a yard of space but fired wide with his left foot.

United were rocking again on 34 minutes, though, after a sloppy pass from Jonny Evans allowed Massimo Ambrosini to play in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar but his rasping low drive fizzed just wide.

And then, out of nothing United were level on 36 minutes. If Milan’s opener owed something to luck, United’s equaliser was no more lacking in that department.

Darren Fletcher crossed from the right for Scholes arriving in the box but he missed with his swinging right foot and the ball hit his standing left leg, spun beyond Dida and trickled in off the post.

Milan almost caught United napping again three minutes into the second period as Pato stole in unchecked onto Giuseppe Favalli’s deep cross but the young Brazilian headed over.

United started to get a foothold in the game with Rooney coming to the fore, seeing one shot deflected for a corner and hitting a volley wide before Van der Sar had to tip away a curling Ronaldinho effort.

Nani was having one of his more erratic days and Ferguson replaced him with Anotnio Valencia halfway through the second period, a move that bore fruit within a minute as the Ecuador flyer got to the byline and crossed for Rooney at the back post to flick a floating header over Dida for his 25th goal of the season.

United were now content to hit Milan on the counter and Rooney flashed a shot just wide on 73 minutes but a minute later he ran onto Fletcher’s dink into the box past a static defence to head easily past Dida.

United were cruising until a late lapse allowed in Seedorf, who had replaced Beckham, to lift the crowd and give the visitors a nervous last few minutes.—AFP

ITALY: Manchester United’s French defender Patrice Evra (left) pretends to clean the boots of English forward Wayne Rooney after Rooney scored his second goal against AC Milan during their UEFA Champions League. — AFP

Lyon maul star-studded Real

FRANCE: Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas (right) misses the goal of Lyon’s Cameroonese mid-fielder Jean II Makoun during the Champion’s League football match.— AFP

Barry comes to City’s rescue Stoke 1

Man City 1 STOKE: Manchester City moved into fourth place in the Premier League after Gareth Barry’s late equaliser rescued a controversial 11 draw at Stoke yesterday.

Roberto Mancini’s side looked set to suffer another disappointment against Stoke, who had Abdoulaye Faye sent off early in the second half, as the hosts took the lead through Glenn Whelan in the closing stages.

But England midfielder Barry levelled with just five minutes left at the Britannia Stadium to lift City above Liverpool into the final Champions League place with a game in hand still to play.

Stoke felt hard done by at the end as Ryan Shawcross’s stoppage time goal was harshly ruled out for a foul on City goalkeeper Shay Given.

Mancini made five changes to the side that squandered the lead in

their 1-1 draw against Stoke in the FA Cup on Saturday, with Wayne Bridge, Pablo Zabaleta, Stephen Ireland, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Martin Petrov all dropped.

Rory Delap’s trademark long throw had caused City all manner of problems at the weekend and led to Ricardo Fuller’s equaliser, so it was no surprise to see the midfielder take every chance to do the same in the early stages here.

Four times inside the opening 10 minutes, Delap unleashed his rocket throws and Shawcross almost took advantage twice as he headed over and then had an effort cleared by Micah Richards.

It wasn’t just throw-ins that troubled the City defence. From Liam Lawrence’s free-kick, Mamady Sidibe had a golden chance to score but the Mali striker shot tamely at Given.

Faye was next to threaten when he met Lawrence’s corner with a powerful header that Joleon Lescott had to scramble clear.

City finally fashioned a sight of goal when Barry shot wide, then Paraguay striker Santa Cruz tried his luck with a volley from Adam Johnson’s cross.

After being battered in the first

half, City got a break when Emmanuel Adebayor raced onto a long punt from Given and Faye responded by hauling down the Togo striker outside the penalty area.

Referee Alan Wiley consulted with his assistant before showing Faye a straight red card. City found it hard to make their one-man advantage count however and Stoke were back on the attack when Fuller appealed for a penalty after Barry blocked his route to goal.

Tony Pulis’s side made City pay for their nervous display as Whelan opened the scoring in the 72 minute. Johnson sliced his attempted clearance of Delap’s cross into the path of Whelan and the Irish midfielder’s powerful shot from the edge of the area deceived Given.

To City’s credit they took control after that and equalised with five minutes to play when Adebayor flicked onto Barry, who scored at the second attempt after his first effort hit a post.

There was still time for more drama as Given missed a Delap throw and Shawcross headed home, only to see his effort disallowed for a foul on the keeper.— AFP

LONDON: Manchester City’s Paraguayan forward Roque Santa Cruz (left) vies with Stoke City’s Senegalese midfielder Salif Diao during the FA Cup fifth round football match.— AFP

LYON: Lyon ruined former striker Karim Benzema’s return to his boyhood club by beating Real Madrid 1-0 in their last 16 Champions League first leg clash here yesterday.

The defeat will add to the woes of Real’s Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini, who is under pressure to return European football’s most coveted trophy to the Santiago Bernabeu following the triumph of fierce rivals Barcelona in the competition last year.

Defeat continued Real’s desperate record at Lyon’s ground, having failed ever to win there or even score. The French side’s breakthrough came immediately after halftime when Cameroonian midfielder, Jean II Makoun, picked up the ball from deep and powered through a retreating Madrid defence to hit a dipping shot over a stranded Iker Casillas.

Real were not without their chances but the multimillion-euro Spanish side could not penetrate a resilient Lyon defence, despite enjoying most of the possession.

Argentinian forward Gonzalo Higuain missed a glorious chance when he was clean through on 62 minutes.

But the French-born star could only fire his shot directly at the oncoming Hugo Lloris.

Real threw everything at the seven-time French champions as they went in search of an equaliser and defender Sergio Ramos headed over the crossbar on 80 minutes from a Kaka corner.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a penalty appeal turned down five minutes earlier when he fell under a challenge from the Lyon keeper.

Lyon old boy Benzema, on as a substitute, had one opportunity to snatch a vital away goal but he could only screw his shot wide.

The victory means Claude Puel’s men remain unbeaten in all competitions in 2010, while Real face an uphill battle to reach the quarter-finals.

Lyon travel to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium - where the final will be held later in the year - for the second leg on March 10, where Real Madrid will be without midfielder Xavi Alonso and leftback Marcelo through suspension.— AFP

Gulf Bridge, du sign cable landing, partnership deal

22

Gulf’s $45bn IT market expanding: MECOM

23

Europe turns debt screw as Greece faces new strikes

25

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

www.kuwaittimes.net

World stocks rally despite Greek fears Barclays, Kraft boost sentiment

ATHENS: An artist sells his artwork by a locked up store on Athens’ main shopping street yesterday. Greek customs officers and finance ministry staff began a three-day strike to protest at austerity measures taken by the government to tackle the country’s debt crisis. —AFP

Algeria wants Orascom to exit mobile market ALGIERS: The Algerian government wants Egyptian group Orascom Telecom to relinquish ownership of Algeria’s No 1 mobile phone operator, gover nment and finance industr y sources said.

“We don’t want Orascom anymore,” said a senior government official with direct knowledge of the Orascom Telecom issue and who asked not to be named.

“The gover nment considers Orascom’s way of doing business in Algeria as not in its interests,” said a financial industry source familiar with the government’s thinking.

“The consequence of that is that Orascom should exit the Algerian market.” Orascom Chair man Naguib Sawiris said in an email that he had no comment on the report. A spokesman for Orascom Telecom’s Algerian unit, Djezzy, also had no comment. Last year Algeria’s government said Orascom owed it $597 million in back taxes and penalties. The Egyptian company, which has a stake of over 90 percent in

Djezzy either directly or through subsidiaries, is appealing the decision.

Orascom Telecom’s relations with the Algerian government had soured by early 2008 when a sister firm, Orascom Constr uction Industries, sold its Algerian cement manufacturing assets to France’s Lafarge.

The transaction angered Algerian officials, including President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who believed they should have been consulted about the sale.

Sawiris said in an interview published on Monday the company wanted to stay in Algeria but would consider exiting if it felt unwelcome. Industry sources and analysts say Algeria is unlikely to force Orascom Telecom out directly, but said it could use indirect pressure to persuade it to sell.

The financial industry source said Algerian government officials had for months been refusing requests from Sawiris for a meeting. Algerian newspapers close to the government have also published a series of articles critical of Orascom.

Islamic OTC derivatives standard to launch soon MANAMA: The launch of the first template for an over-thecounter Islamic derivative contract is “imminent”, an executive at a bank involved in its creation said yesterday.

The contract, which is expected to pave the way for quicker and cheaper Islamic risk management and more frequent cross-currency transactions, was initially due to be launched a year ago.

“It will be launched imminently”, Simon Eedle, Managing Director of Islamic Banking at Credit Agricole CIB, told the Reuters Islamic Banking and Finance Summit yesterday.

The bank, as well as the IIFM, an industry body backed by the central banks of several Muslim countries, has been working with the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) on the contract.

The contract-to be known as Ta’Hawwut or hedging-would create a standard legal framework for OTC derivatives in the Islamic market, whereas currently contracts are arranged on an ad hoc basis.

“It will save time,” Eedle said, adding that it will also help the industry in managing its asset liabilities. OTC derivatives, or swaps, are privately negotiated deals between investors and counterparties and are commonly used to hedge against interest rate risk and default risk.

Islamic institutions have limited access to derivative products mainly because Islamic law requires the underlying assets in any transaction to be tangible, virtually excluding most of the mainstream derivatives instruments.

ISDA’s endorsement of the template will mean it will be quickly be accepted by banks and institutions, Eedle said.

“The fact that it is endorsed by ISDA will force the Western banks on to the standard very quickly, because the risk culture in conventional banks is to adopt market standards,” he said.

In addition, institutions with doubts over the legitimacy of using these instruments to hedge their risks may now be more easily persuaded to do so, he said.

Islamic scholars are split on the legitimacy of derivatives; some see them as permissible instruments to hedge risks but others as speculative transactions, which Islam forbids.

Some Islamic operators have used a contract known as Arbun to replicate call options. —Reuters

“He (Sawiris) is smart enough to understand that it is time for his company to exit the Algerian market,” the financial industry source told Reuters.

Djezzy star ted operating when Orascom Telecom bought a 15-year Algerian mobile telephone licence in 2001 for $737 million. It says it has 14.7 million subscribers, which is 63.7 percent of the Algerian market. Algerian media reports have named several possibly buyers of the unit, including Algerian state telecoms firm Algerie Telecom and France’s Vivendi.

Algerian private firm Cevital, which already owns a 3.19 percent stake in Djezzy, and unnamed Gulf-based companies have also been identified as possible suitors. None of the companies has said publicly they are interested in buying.

The Djezzy headquarters and dozens of its shops in the Algerian capital were ransacked in November by crowds angry about violent incidents surrounding a soccer World Cup qualifying match between Algeria and Egypt. —Reuters

Oil gains over $2 on euro jump and Iran tensions LONDON: Oil jumped more than $2 per barrel to over $76 yesterday, responding to a euro clambering higher against the dollar and supported by growing tensions over sanctions against Iran.

US crude for March delivery touched a session high of $76.18 per barrel, up $2.05, before easing back to be up $1.86 at $76 by 1451 GMT. The benchmark Brent contract for April delivery was trading up $2.19 per barrel at $74.70 after having touched an intra-day peak of $74.75 earlier.

Trading volumes continued light with much of Asia shut for the Lunar New Year holiday and US markets opening after Monday’s closure for Presidents’ Day. There was no settlement price on Monday as floor activity on the New York Mercantile Exchange was closed.

“Macro pessimism is definitely fading away as long as a resolution (to Greece’s problems) is not far away,” said Amrita Sen, energy analyst at Barclays Capital.

“Geopolitical rumblings, especially Nigeria, in the background are definitely helping prices,” Sen added. Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said talks were still going on over a proposed

nuclear fuel swap and any country which tried to impose new sanctions on Iran would regret its actions.

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has sought backing from oil giant Saudi Arabia to help win Chinese support for additional sanctions. In Nigeria, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan is looking for swift progress reviving an amnesty program in the oil-producing Niger Delta where years of attacks by militants have disrupted supplies.

On the foreign exchange markets, the euro rose against the dollar as traders reckoned the single currency’s battering in past weeks over Greek’s debt problems might have gone too far.

The dollar held to its losses against the euro after a US Treasury report showing the country’s net overall capital inflows jumped to $60.9 billion in December from $30.7 billion in November.

European ministers told Greece it may need to take further steps to bring its swollen debt under control and calm financial markets. But many investors remain cautious about buying the single currency on uncertainty that debt problems in Greece will be resolved quickly. —Reuters

LONDON: World markets mostly rose yesterday after strong earnings from British bank Barclays PLC and US conglomerate Kraf t Foods Inc, although investors remained worried by the debt crisis enveloping Greece. In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares led the way, rising 41.33 points, or 0.8 percent, to 5,208.80.

Barclays spiked 6.5 percent af ter it reported a fourth quarter profit of 6.9 billion pounds ($10.8 billion), more than eight times larger than a year earlier, largely because of the sale of one of its businesses.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC, which is over 80 percent owned by the British government, and Lloyds Banking Group PLC, which is 41 percent stateowned, both advanced in Barclays’ slipstream.

Deutsche Bank AG and Credit Agricole SA also enjoyed solid gains, helping Germany’s DAX to rise 23.79 points, or 0.4 percent, to 5,534.89 and the CAC-40 in France to advance 10.65 points, or 0.3 percent, to

3,619.87. After Barclays surprise markets with strong earnings, Kraf t Foods and retailer Abercrombie & Fitch also reported profits that topped analysts’ expectations.

The upbeat corporate news was a welcome diversion for market attention away from the ongoing worries about Greece’s debt problems. Fear related to a possible Greek debt default has been the key driver in markets over the last couple of weeks. That fear lingered yesterday, the finance ministers of the eurozone and wider EU told Greece that it has until March 16 to prove its commitment to reducing its deficit or new budget cuts beyond what is already planned will have to be enacted.

The spread between Greek and German ten-year government bond yields has widened since Monday’s close from around 3.05 percentage points to a high of 3.33 percent earlier yesterday before narrowing slightly to 3.24 percent — the bigger the spread, the greater the markets’ fear. Despite the modest narrowing during

European morning trading, the spread remains on an upward trajectory, suggesting that tensions linger and investors remain skeptical at best that the Greek government can pull off its austerity plan.

Greece has promised to reduce its budget gap from 12.7 percent of gross domestic product to 8.7 percent this year as it attempts to dampen down on market fears that it could eventually default on its debt and/or require a bailout from the 16 countries that use the euro. That skepticism was evident in the performance of Greek stocks Tuesday as investors returned from their holiday, still unsure about how the crisis will pan out over the coming weeks and whether more austerity would be on the cards. The Athens composite index was down 1.7 percent.

Despite ongoing Greek debt concerns, the euro has managed to win some respite yesterday, rising 0.5 percent to $1.3658 by late-morning London time.

“It seems now that any

euro bounce from here will not be driven by some magically detailed rescue plan,” said Daragh Maher, deputy head of global foreign exchange strategy at Calyon Credit Agricole.

“Instead, the markets will want to become more confident that Greece will be able to deliver the difficult fiscal tightening expected of it, and that other euro-zone nations will be sufficiently supportive of its efforts to remind markets that help can be provided if required,” he added. Earlier Asian markets ended modestly higher though trading levels were extremely low what with holidays in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average rose 20.95 points, or 0.2 percent, to 10,034.25 and South Korea’s Kospi gained 7.39, or 0.5 percent, to 1,601.05.

Australia’s benchmark climbed 0.5 percent while Indonesia’s market jumped 0.8 percent and New Zealand’s stock index advanced 0.9 percent. —AP

BUSINESS

22

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Gulf Bridge, du sign cable landing, partnership deal UAE’s position as regional communications hub reinforced DUBAI: Gulf Bridge International (GBI), the Middle East’s first privately owned submarine cable operator, announced signing of an agreement with UAE’s integrated telecom service provider, du, as part of which du will be the landing party for GBI’s new submarine cable. du will be landing this cable in its newly built Fujairah Cable Landing Station. The launch of Gulf Bridge

ABU DHABI: Officials of agreement.

International’s cable system will provide telecom operators and other communications companies, both in the region and globally, with greater choice, value, diversity and resilience. The cable system, which will utilize the latest subsea fibre cable technology, will connect all the countries of the Gulf region to each other and provide onward connectivity to Europe and Asia.

Commenting on yesterday’s announcement, Hamad Al-Mannai, Executive Vice Chairman, Gulf Bridge International, said: “It is a great pleasure to land and operate the GBI cable system in such an important country as the United Arab Emirates.

The opportunity to partner with du, will enable GBI to address the increased demand for international connectivity that is forecast for the UAE, as it continues to grow and diversify its business base.”

“The UAE is an important market for GBI. It is one of the most communications intensive countries in the Middle East and geographicalHamad Al-Mannai, Executive ly important because of its Gulf Bridge, du sign cable landing and partnership Vice Chairman, Gulf Bridge proximity and ease of connectivity to other international International sub-sea cables,” said Ahmed Mekky GBI’s CEO. “This new landing station which will connect the UAE to the GBI cable system will improve communications across the region and benefit consumers and businesses alike as the UAE’s economy continue to grow.”

“Our upcoming world-class new cable-landing facility at Fujairah will add strength to our existing landing facilities and reinforce our position as a hub for international traffic, into and out of the Middle East.

Gulf Bridge International’s cable will add further resilience and diversity to our existing submarine cables, allowing us to offer better quality of service to our customers and increase our reach in key markets such as Europe and Asia. As a result, the UAE will benefit from greater connectivity and access to more capacity, that will further stimulate demand for newer bandwidth hungry services like cloud computing and outsourced services. We look forward to a fruitful partnership with GBI,” commented Osman Sultan, CEO, du.

Scheduled to launch in ular they could provide us with ment wherever they are world.

2011 and designed to operate The red24 security service, international standards of based. I am delighted that for up to 25 years, the GBI administration combined with they have chosen to partner available exclusively through cable system will connect all locally-based 24 hour claims with InterGlobal to provide InterGlobal, provides the Soor the Gulf countries via a core these essential benefits to Fuel Marketing Company’s handling.” ring, which can re-route traffic staff with access 24/7 teleAshraf Bannan, Kuwait their employees.” thereby increasing resilience.

The 24 hour claims man- phone advice about their perCountry Manager, With a design capacity of up to InterGlobal, says: “Soor Fuel agement service is delivered sonal security in the world’s 5 terabits per second on cerMarketing Company is one of by WapMed from its call cen- hot spots and personalised tain cable sections, the GBI Kuwait’s leading fuel distribu- tre in Kuwait, providing pre-travel advisories and Cable System will have the tion businesses and has staff access to 14 network hospitals access to emergency evacuacapability to meet the rapid based throughout the State of locally. Members of the plan tion and repatriation in the growth in demand that has Kuwait. They needed a plan can also access medical care event of a life-threatening sitbeen forecast for traffic origiwhich provided their staff with and benefit from treatment in uation such as political or civil nating and terminating in Gulf. fast access to medical treat- hospitals throughout the unrest or a natural disaster.

Soor Fuel Marketing Company picks InterGlobal for medical insurance KUWAIT: Kuwait-based fuel distribution business, Soor Fuel Marketing Company, has selected InterGlobal to provide private medical insurance benefits to over 290 staff and dependants in the Middle East.

The plan is underwritten by Warba Insurance Company in Kuwait and is administered by InterGlobal and WapMed TPA. The InterGlobal UltraCare comprehensive group plan provides a high level of benefits to Soor Fuel Marketing Company’s staff, including local claims management with a 24 hour call centre and access to 14 local hospitals and international medical care.

The scheme is underwritten on a medical history disregarded basis and includes full inpatient, day care and outpatient treatment, dental cover, wellness benefits, emergency evacuation, maternity care, nursing at home, Oncology and cover for chronic conditions.

Staff can also access a 24/7 security advice service provided in partnership with global security specialists red24.

Hani Al Qallaf - HR & Admin Manager, Soor Fuel Marketing Company, says: “We were seeking a top quality private medical insurance package for our staff. We selected InterGlobal as they were able to provide use with a tailored package which fitted our needs precisely. In partic-

Gulf Bank congratulates winners of the Al-Danah weekly draw KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has launched Al-Danah 2010 with more chances for its Al-Danah customers to win cash prizes throughout the year. The Bank is now holding weekly, quarterly and annual prize draws for its customers, encouraging them to keep their money in their account for as long as possible to enhance their chances of winning.

The Bank held its first draw on February 7, 2010 and its second draw on February 14, announcing a total number of 20 Al-Danah weekly prize draw winners, each awarded with prizes of KD 1,000. The winners were: Khaled Ahmed Abdullah Bograis, Hani Abdulrahman Shahroor, Zainab Moqadem Hesham Aldean Abdullatif, Abdulnabi Abdullah Abbas Al Ghadhban, Ismaeel Ibrahim Abdulkareem Alsafar, Masoumah Suliaiman Mohammed Ali, Mohammed Akram Mohammed Sedeiq,

Bisher Mohammad Abdulrahmaa Albisher, Waleed Khalid Saleem Abozour and May Abdulrahman Mulla Hussein, Mohammed Turqi Fahad AlEnezi, Rodhan Mohammed Rodhan Lazem, Makiyah Abdulrida Hussain Almeel, Amal Jasem Abdulaziz Alsairafi, Sulaiman Thunaian Al-Ghanim, Iqbal Siddique Mohammad Sadiq Siddique, Mahmoud Ashour Ghloum Aljafar, Fatma Abdulnabi Abbas Alshawaf, Shaikha Abdulla Alothman Alrashed, Adel Duaij Abdullah Alduaij.

A minimum deposit of just KD200 is needed to open an AlDanah account. This will automatically allow account holders to enter the weekly, quarterly as well as the annual draws.

Not only does Gulf Bank’s Al Danah account allow customers to win, but it is also encourages customers to save money. The more money deposited and the longer it is kept in the account,

the more chances there are to win.

Al-Danah also offers a number of unique services including the Al-Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helps account holders deposit their money at their convenience; as well as the Al-Danah calculator which is now in operation to help customers calculate their chances of becoming an AlDanah winner.

To be part of the Al-Danah draw customers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 50 branches, transfer on line, or call the Telebanking service 1805805 for assistance and guidance.

Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s bilingual website, to find all the information regarding Al Danah or any of the Bank’s products and services or log on www.egulfbank.com/aldanah, to find out more about Al-Danah and who the winners are.

Qatar consumer prices edge lower 4.9% in 2009

GFH chair Janahi resigns from Khaleeji board

DUBAI: Consumer prices in Qatar fell by 4.9 percent in 2009, more than expected as the Gulf state suffered its first full-year of deflation since 1993 due mainly to a slump in property rents, official data showed yesterday.

A Reuters poll had forecast 4 percent deflation last year.

Qatar’s energy wealth enabled it to spend its way out of the global downturn last year and the economy grew 11 percent. But the global financial crisis put pressure on prices across the Gulf region, ending record high inflation which in Qatar peaked at 15.2 percent in 2008. Price deflation was aggravated by the end of a property boom, which sent rents sliding.

Data yesterday showed that Qatar rents and utility charges, which account for 32 percent of the consumer price basket, dropped 12 percent in 2009, reversing a 19.7 percent jump in 2008. Transport prices, the second largest component, fell 4.4 percent, after rising 9.3 percent in 2008. Food prices rose just 1.3 percent in 2009, down from a 19.9 percent rise in 2008.

Data released last month showed that Qatar’s consumer prices fell for a seventh straight month in December on a monthly basis as rents continued to decline. Qatar’s central bank expects prices will pick up this year as the economy accelerates and projects inflation of between 2 and 5 percent in 2010.

Analysts forecast the economy will surge 16 percent in fiscal 2010/11, outperforming Gulf neighbors thanks to new energy projects and the state’s status as the world’s biggest producer of liquefied natural gas. —Reuters

MANAMA: Esam Janahi, chairman of Bahraini investment house Gulf Finance House has resigned from the board of Khaleeji Commercial Bank, the bank said yesterday.

GFH, one of Bahrain’s investment houses badly hit by a regional property crash, owns a 37 percent stake in Khaleeji, and Janahi owns an additional 10 percent. Khaleeji said in a statement posted to the Bahrain Stock Exchange that Janahi had resigned from his post as a board member effective Feb. 8, without providing further details.

GFH escaped default earlier this month when it struck an eleventh-hour agreement with lenders to roll over one third of a $300 million loan maturing Feb. 10 by six months. Experts say its stake in Khaleeji is one of the assets it could sell to avoid further funding difficulties. —Reuters

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 .4480000 .3800000 .2650000 .2720000 .2550000 .0045000 .0020000 .0781130 .7610300 .4020000 .0750000 .7460570 .0045000 .0500000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2877500 .4516580 .3924740 .2677190 .2746970 .0527270 .0398340 .2570750 .0370210 .2043230 .0031990 .0062550 .0025240 .0034050 .0042160 .0783820 .7636460 .4069560 .0767720 .7477740 .0062550 TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2898500 .4548470 .2696150 .0772620

.2930000 .4600000 .3980000 .2740000 .2810000 .2630000 .0075000 .0035000 .0788980 .7686780 .4180000 .0790000 .7535550 .0072000 .0580000 .2898500 .4548470 .3952460 .2696150 .2766420 .0531000 .0401160 .2588900 .0372840 .2057700 .0032220 .0062990 .0025420 .0034290 .0042450 .0788820 .7685150 .4098380 .0772620 .7525420 .0062990

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 289.050 Euro 396.000

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

455.700 277.700 190.600 270.010 258.200 287.000 ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.233 6.252 3.399 2.522 3.919 206.200 37.210 4.180 6.263 8.726 0.301 0.292 ARAB COUNTRIES 56.250 52.654 1.363 209.530 408.400 195.310 6.322 35.690 GCC COUNTRIES 77.121 79.453 751.300 768.040 78.760 GOLD 216.000 112.000 58.000

Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal 10 Tola Sterling Pound US Dollar

SELL CASH 262.000 768.520 4.460 279.800 567.500 15.800 53.800 167.800 56.280

396.500 37.750 6.255

408.490 0.194 87.340 3.930 205.400 750.510 3.410 6.260 79.490 77.160 206.220 39.960 2.520 456.000 271.100 8.900 78.850 289.000

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

398.000 37.900 6.600 0.034 0.291 0.260 3.310 410.080 0.195 87.340 37.200 4.260 206.900 2.183 50.000 750.690 3.500 6.420 79.920 77.160 206.220 39.960 2.776 458.000 40.800 272.600 6.400 9.100 217.900 78.850 289.400 1.410 GOLD 1,200.750 TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 456.000 289.100

SELL DRAFT 260.500 768.520 4.180 278.300

206.200 52.681

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

288.900 280.030 458.905 399.435 268.630 708.110 766.105 78.635 79.275 77.070 407.675 52.675 6.255 3.405

Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees

2.520 4.180 6.260 3.215 8.700 5.562 3.908

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

289.150 3.415 6.240 2.530 4.180 6.275 78.695 77.280 768.300 52.675 457.700 0.0000312 3.900 1.550 410.500 5.750 398.000 282.100

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

288.800 396.300 455.850 278.150 3.225 6.225 52.645 2.522 4.178 6.245 3.400 768.450 78.675 77.000

BUSINESS

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Fitch Ratings affirms NBK’s long term rating at AA- with a stable outlook KUWAIT: Fitch Ratings, the international rating agency, has yesterday affirmed the National Bank of Kuwait’s (NBK) Long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘AA-’ with a Stable Outlook. Fitch has affirmed NBK’s Short-term IDR at ‘F1+’, Support Rating at ‘1’ and Support Rating Floor ‘AA-’. The Individual Rating has been affirmed at ‘B’.

Fitch Ratings highlighted in its report that NBK’s individual rating reflects the bank’s leading domestic franchise, consistent profitability, sound asset quality, conservative risk profile and low funding costs.

Additionally, the rating agency pointed out that NBK delivered sound profitability ratios in 2009 with net profits reaching $925 million, up 4% YoY. The strong net profits were driven by an increase in net interest income along with stable fee income, stronger investment-related gains and lower impairment charges.

Fitch Ratings has made special emphasis on NBK’s asset quality ratios remaining sound as a reflection of the bank’s conservative attitude towards credit risk. In contrast to most peers, NBK reported an improvement in loan quality ratios during 2009.

Commenting on NBK’s 2009 performance, Fitch Ratings added that despite the slower loan growth achieved in 2009 (12% YoY) which was a result of a slowdown in economic activity, deposit growth was stronger at 19% YoY, con-

firming NBK’s strong and stable deposit base which benefited from “flight to safety” throughout the crisis.

Additionally, and during 2009, NBK built up a 40% stake in Boubyan Bank, one of the smaller Kuwaiti banks with an Islamic banking license.

NBK plans to establish a presence in the Islamic banking market and is keen on increasing its stake in Boubyan bank, although this will require approval from the CBK. The rating agency stated that the acquisition of 40% stake in Boubyan Bank has slightly weakened NBK’s capital ratios, but is also likely to strengthen NBK’s domestic franchise in the medium term.

Further on capitalization, Fitch confirmed NBK’s strong capital ratios with a satisfactory Tier 1 ratio of 14.5% and a capital adequacy ratio of 15.0% at the end of 2009.

Fitch Ratings also pointed out that NBK has the strongest international presence of any Kuwaiti bank. Although Kuwait remains the bank’s primary market, international operations continue contributing a steadily increasing proportion of revenue. NBK’s international network includes a subsidiary in Egypt, Al Watany Bank, an affiliate bank in Turkey and one in Qatar. The bank also has presence in London, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Iraq, Dubai, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the US. It also has representative offices in China and Vietnam.

Surge of Mideast tourists to Sri Lanka in Jan 2010 Kuwait arrivals up by 135% KUWAIT: Destination Sri Lanka reported a major influx of Arab travellers as Middle East Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka surged 50 per cent in January, 2010 compared to the same period last year, according to statistics compiled by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and announced by the Middle East office of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board (SLTPB).

“Judging by these early results, destination Sri Lanka is on track to surpass figures attained last year where tourist arrivals saw a double-digit growth,” said Heba Al Ghais Al-Mansoori, Middle East Director of SLTPB based in Dubai.

Announcing the results, Al-Mansoori confirmed that the strongest growth was registered from the UAE (up by 164%), Saudi Arabia (up by 127%), Qatar (171%), Kuwait (up by 135%) and Jordan among others.

Apart from the Middle East, regions that saw a marked increase in visitors are Western and Eastern Europe, and South Asia. “With the widespread effects of the credit crunch and the stability that finally dawned on Sri Lanka as the war came to a halt and decades of strife ended, Sri Lanka is a destination with good value for money and one with an exotic locale that tantalizes tourists,” said Al-Mansoori. “Peace will finally bring prosperity and development into the country and open up more areas for tourism development which otherwise was not accessible during the war.” Cultural attractions, entertainment, shopping, and dining are some of the factors that draw modern day Arab travelers to their preferred

Heba Al Ghais Al-Mansoori, Middle East Director of SLTPB based in Dubai. destinations and Sri Lanka offers a good product that scores on all counts and is less than four hours flying time away from the Gulf.

Factors such as the government’s support for the tourism sector, and expansion of low-cost carrier services are also contributing to the growth of the tourism industry.

First dealer principal certified at Audi Kuwait KUWAIT: Audi Kuwait, represented by Fouad Alghanim and Sons Automotive, announces that its first graduate from the Audi Management Academy has passed the first levels of the management assessment and has been awarded the bronze level on his way to a fully Audi Certified Dealer Principal. Lee Boyle, Brand Manager at Audi Kuwait, was enrolled in the Academy in 2009 and after only a few months has successfully passed the first stage of the Dealer Principal program and has earned the certification of an Associate of the Audi Management Academy.

On this occasion James McKenzie DuLieu, Managing Director of Audi Kuwait, stated “Over the past few months Lee has exhibited extraordinary motivation and dedication in reviewing the business plan, which is an integral part of the certification process as Dealer Principal. His vast experience in the automo-

tive sector in both the retail and manufacturer side will be an asset to the team and we look forward to raising the bar in the way in which we conduct our business and our operational efficiencies.” He also stated, “We expect Lee to be fully certified as Dealer Principal within the following months.”

Lee joins Audi Kuwait at a time where the business is growing and expanding.

Fouad Alghanim & Sons Automotive is in the process of upgrading all of its facilities, which includes the construction of a new Audi Terminal that will house the new customer-focused showroom and state-of-theart workshops based on Audi’s worldwide standards.

Introduced to the Middle East in April 2009, the Audi Management Academy aims at increasing the level of professionalism at Audi dealerships and to foster customer satisfaction in the sales and after sales divisions as well as overall staff retention.

Lee Boyle

James McKenzie

23

Gulf’s $45bn IT market expanding: MECOM

ME Internet data revenue to show strong growth KUWAIT: With the move to broadband internet in the Middle East, revenues from data services are expected to grow more strongly in coming years than from mobile voice services, according to leading industry observers. “The region’s telecoms market continues to grow at a faster rate “We will see a strong shift in the Middle East mobile market from second generation technology to more advanced and higher capacity third generation,” he added. “Much of the growth will come from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia and due to that we are expecting this year’s show to grow by 15% in terms of exhibitors.”

This will have a major impact on data revenues in the region which, according to forecasts by Informa Telecoms & Media, will rise from $6.88 billion in 2009 to $13.82 billion in 2014, a stronger growth than voice service revenues.

“There is no doubt that the Middle East’s telecoms market is one of the most exciting in the world, as it continues to offer good growth opportunities and is seeing the deployment of some of the most advanced technologies,” Meltz said.

MECOM 2010, which takes place under the patronage of His Excellency Sultan Bin Saeed Al-Mansoori UAE Minister of Economy at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi on 17-19 May, is the leading business-to-business communications technology & solutions event for the region.

MECOM includes a major exhibition and concurrent conferences and forums offering face-to-face meetings with decision makers and influencers from government, telecom and internet operators, integrators and the enterprise sector.

The Middle East’s ICT market as a whole shows high growth potential compared with global markets, according to Meltz. “While there are varying forecasts about the level of expansion for ICT in the Arabian Gulf, analysts agree that the sector will continue major expansion beyond present levels of around $45 billion a year.”

Global ICT spending reached $3.8 trillion in 2008 and is being seen as an essential tool in reviving the world economy. ICT covers such vital areas as e-commerce, mobile commerce, web portals, business matching and customer relationship management systems, all of which bring a new dimension to how industries operate and do business in today’s world.

“The Middle East communications market is beyond doubt one of the most lucrative for business opportunities in advanced communications systems,” Meltz said. “The UAE capital and decision making centre of government offers an ideal meeting place for the industry to come together and do business.” High-level summits and forums will be colocated with MECOM including the Telecoms CEO Summit. It will be one of the largest gatherings of telecom CEOs, thought leaders and industry experts from the region.

Dubai Depa sees ’10 profit growth similar to ’09 rise DUBAI: Dubai-based interiors contractor Depa Ltd said yesterday its net profit for 2009 rose 24 percent while revenue grew by more than a third, and sees similar figures for both in 2010.

Depa, which listed shares on the Dubai Financial Exchange in April 2008, said profits for the year were 241 million dirhams ($65.61 million) from 194.5 million dirhams in 2008, with revenue increasing to 2.7 billion dirhams from 1.97 billion. “Although we are seeing signs of recovery, we believe that 2010 will also be extremely tough and we are further streamlining our business to strengthen our ability to cope with difficult market conditions,” the firm’s chief executive Mohannad Sweid said in a trading statement.

The firm is continuing its acquisition and investment strategy as planned and pursuing strategic expansion opportunities this year, the statement said. Depa’s backlog of projects stood at 2.1 billion dirhams at the end of 2009, it said. One of its most prestigious projects was Emaar Properties’ Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower.

Last year Depa started operations in Angola and Jordan, and strengthened its operations in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

More contractors in the United Arab Emirates have announced plans to expand into North Africa and across the Gulf Arab region in an effort to diversify their income.

The firm’s net cash position was 336 million dirhams for the year, down from 343.3 million dirhams in 2008, it said. The firm’s shares closed 1.82 percent higher at 0.56 dirhams a share on Feb. 11, when they last traded. — Reuters

than many other parts of the world and recent forecasts suggest mobile subscriptions will reach over 350 million by 2014,” said Jim Meltz, Group Director of IIR Middle East, organisers of Middle East Communications (MECOM).

MECOM 2009

GIC’s Gulf Islamic Fund occupies leading position KUWAIT: The Gulf Islamic Fund, a Sharia-compliant investment vehicle of Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), ranked first among Sharia-compliant funds investing in the GCC with a 24.6% return. This result was reported by the Zawya Financial Site and the Kuwait Financial Center (Markaz) on the performance of Gulf funds during 2009.

Commenting on these results, Head of GCC Equities, Talal Al-Tawari said: “This achievement by Gulf Islamic Fund is particularly important against the backdrop of the ongoing global financial crisis. In addition to the remarkable performance, the fund distributed 5% cash dividend for the first six months of 2009.”

These impressive results are attributed to the competence of the Gulf Equities and Research

Head of Business Development Malek Al-Ajeel

Head of GCC Equities, Talal Al-Tawari

teams at GIC, in combination with a disciplined investment process with application of advanced risk management techniques.

The teams’ rich collective experience and in-depth studies contributed to the right selection of stocks that achieved the highest

returns among the large number of Sharia compliant stocks in the Gulf region.

Elaborating on these results, Head of Business Development Malek AlAjeel, explained: “The Gulf Islamic Fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies whose activities strict-

ly comply with the provisions of Islamic Sharia and listed on Gulf stock exchanges. In addition, the fund is one of the key investment products offered by GIC since 2008 as part of its equity market investment capabilities.

Looking ahead, we expect an overall positive performance for GCC stocks this year.”

Established in 1983, GIC is a regional financial institution owned equally by the six GCC states. It strives to provide a comprehensive range of financial services that support the development of private enterprise and economic growth in the region. GIC managed to achieve a number of major projects throughout GCC countries with diversified activities covering different sectors via financial, petrochemical, steel, power, communications amongst others.

Omega skeletonized Tourbillon co-axial platinum limited edition The OMEGA Skeletonized Central Tourbillon Co-Axial Platinum Limited Edition is the ultimate expression of the watchmaker’s art. Each watch is handcrafted in OMEGA’s Cellule Haut de Gamme (Tourbillon Atelier) in Bienne by a select group of horologists. In a Tourbillon movement, all of the main components responsible for the timepiece’s precision are assembled in a rotating cage. OMEGA is the only watchmaker ever to have created a central Tourbillon. Its titanium cage rotates completely every 60 seconds, offsetting the effect of gravity on the performance of the watch.

The Skeletonized Tourbillon Co-Axial Platinum Limited Edition combines the complex Tourbillon technology with dazzling design elements.

The movement has a luxurious sunbrushed pearlescent finish; its bridges and mechanisms are hand polished. The rotor with its sapphire plate has been newly designed and is etched with the words “Limited Edition” and the watch’s individual serial number (out of 18). The Skeletonized Tourbillon Co-Axial Platinum Limited Edition is equipped with a Breguet balance spring. The Central Tourbillon’s hands cannot be mounted on a central shaft in the conventional way. They are etched on to sapphire crystal disks and propelled by gearing at the peripheries of the disks. The result is dramatic - they appear to float freely above the movement.

One watchmaker’s masterpiece To make a skeletonized version of the Central Tourbillon, the watchmaker begins by sawing away any non-essential material

from the plates and bridges, then bevelling their edges. Unlike products from conventional workshops, each Tourbillon is the work of one watchmaker who spends up to 540 hours on the creation of the skeletonized version of the watch. This means that every Skeletonized Central Tourbillon is unique - no two are exactly alike. Each watchmaker engraves his or her personal initials on the underside of the Tourbillon base to assure that all parts can be returned to their maker after they have been galvanized. When a Central Tourbillon is returned to OMEGA for servicing, it will be placed in the hands of the original watchmaker.

Only 18 pieces of this Skeletonized Tourbillon Co-axial Platinum Limited Edition will be produced.

An Omega co-axial movement The outstanding chronometric performance of OMEGA’s exclusive Co-Axial calibre 2636 is enhanced by the state-of-the-industry escapement which has redefined the way mechanical wristwatches are being made. The complex movement is assembled from 320 individual parts.

The remarkable Central Tourbillon calibre is housed in a platinum case presented with a black alligator bracelet. While the Skeletonized Central Tourbillon watches are accurate - each one is a COSC-certified chronometer - they are particularly valued for their beauty and the complexity of the Tourbillon mechanism. Every component in the movement and case is produced exclusively for the Central Tourbillons. The OMEGA Skeletonized Central Tourbillon Co-Axial Platinum Limited Edition is the

exquisite creation of a legendary watch brand working at the peak of its powers.

The OMEGA Skeletonized Central Tourbillon Co-Axial Platinum Limited Edition is the exquisite creation of a legendary watch brand working at the peak of its powers.

24

BUSINESS GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT

KSE stocks remain buoyant

Zain surges on Africa sale; KSE at new high MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) continued its positive performance during yesterday’s session with strong support from most sectors of the market. The KSE ended a freeze Zain’s shares mid-day that was imposed on Sunday. This return promoted the market’s gains after the stock ended yesterday’s session as the biggest gainer.

GGI added 3.88 points (+1.94 percent) during the session to reach 203.68 points.

Furthermore, the KSE Price Index increased by 61.90 points (+0.84 percent) and closed at 7,440.60 points. Market capitalization was up KD633.98mn to reach KD33.29bn.

Market breadth During the session, 150 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 68 equities gained versus 49 that retreated. A total of 90 stocks remained unchanged during yesterday’s trading session. Trading activities ended on a negative note as volume of shares traded on the exchange decreased by 20.07 percent to reach 729.89mn shares. In addition, value of shares traded dropped by 3.05 percent to stand at KD137.58mn. The Investment Sector was the volume leader, with 34.37 percent of total traded volume. While the Services Sector was the value leader, with 32.01 percent of total traded value. Gulf Finance House saw 63.64mn shares changing hands, making it the volume leader.

National Industries Group (Holding) was the value leader, with a total traded value of KD15.39mn.

In terms of top gainers, Zain was the top gainer for the day, adding 9.26 percent and closed at KD1.180. On the other hand, AlTameer Real Estate Asset Investment Company shed 7.81

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

percent and closed at KD0.059, making it the biggest loser.

Regarding Global’s sectoral indices, six out of the eight ended in the green with Global Services Index being the top gainer. The index ended the day up 5.37 percent backed by heavyweight Zain being the top gainer in the market. Heavyweight Agility also ended in the green yesterday by posting a 1.61 percent gain and closed at KD0.630.

Global Food Index ended the day with a 4.94 percent increase making it the second biggest gainer in the market. Aiding the index’s gain was heavyweight Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) which ended the day up 5.88 percent and closed at

KD1.800, making it the biggest gainer in the sector. To a lesser extent, Danah Al-Safat Foodstuff Company also contributed to the index’s gain by ending the day with a 2.11 percent increase.

Regarding the decliners, Global Insurance Index took the top spot with a 2.05 percent decline.

Kuwait Insurance Company and Al-Ahleia Insurance Company, the biggest decliners in the sector, ended the day down 4.35 percent and 4.12 percent, respectively.

Global’s special indices ended on a mixed note with Global Large Cap Index being the top gainer.

The index ended the day up 2.94 percent backed by Zain. On the other hand, Global Small Cap

Index shed 0.41 percent making it the biggest loser backed by Equipment Holding Company ending the day down 2.90 percent.

Oil news The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $71.72 a barrel on Monday 15/2/2010, compared with $71.55 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

Global Investment House (Global) has made a clarification on the news published yesterday in a local gazette. The company confirmed that it was designated the regional advisor for India’s Bharti Airtel in taking over Zain’s African assets. It denied the local press news that it had received a

commission from the deal value.

It pointed out that the charges to be obtained would not be related to the deal value. However, they would be similar to those received by global lenders in return for offering advisory services and would have no substantial impact on shareholders’ equity for FY10.

Jazeera Airways reported taking over Sahab Aircraft Leasing Co for KD25.55mn. Consolidated revenue of both carriers will be merged as of Jan. 2010. The deal will be financed from Jazeera’s secondary offering scheduled for Q3-10. The subscription will be launched after completing relevant procedures. Jazeera’s board will meet later to define the offering conditions.

DUBAI: Zain hit a 15-week closing high yesterday after saying it expects up to $5 billion in returns from a deal to sell African assets, helping Kuwait’s index rise for an 11th session.

Dubai ended a two-day debt-inspired slump, dividend seekers lifted Oman to an 18-week high and Saudi Arabia rose for a fifth day as banks extended gains following a ratings upgrade.

Zain surged 9.3 percent to KD1.18, its highest finish since Nov 4. Trading resumed after Zain gave more details on its proposed sale of some African assets to India’s Bharti Airtel for $10.7 billion. Zain said it expects a maximum return of $5 billion from the deal, which would mark a drastic change in the Kuwait operator’s strategy.

Kuwait’s index rose 0.8 percent to its highest finish since Oct. 27, with banks extending gains.

“Bank stocks have reacted positively (to Zain’s deal) because investors are now confident lenders won’t have to take any provisions from Zain if this deal goes through,” said a Kuwait analyst who asked not to be identified.

“Zain was a large borrower and banks have pretty tight cash positions, so Zain clearing some debts would make banks more comfortable.”

Bharti’s shares have fallen 13.3 percent in two days.

“The deal is not a foregone conclusion-due diligence has to be completed and Bharti has failed with similar deals. Kuwait investors

have got a bit ahead of themselves,” the analyst said.

Dubai’s index rose 0.5 percent, trimming its losses to 3.2 percent since a Sunday media report said Dubai World may offer only 60 cents on the dollar to creditors as part of the conglomerate’s multi-billion dollar restructuring.

“The market will be volatile and slightly down-I don’t see a lot more downside in the market, but also don’t see any catalysts upwards other than a resolution of the Dubai World issue,” said Robert McKinnon, ASAS Capital chief investment officer.

Arabtec and Dubai Financial Market each rose more than 2.6 percent as traders speculated on their likely full-year earnings, but index volumes slumped to an 11-week low.

“People are waiting to see what comes out of Dubai World and no news is not good news at this point,” said Ayman elSaheb, Darahem Financial Brokerage director of operations.

Banks pushed Saudi Arabia’s index to a fourweek high after Moody’s upgraded three of the kingdom’s lenders, the latest in a series of positive re-ratings. Of this trio, Banque Saudi Fransi was the top gainer, rising 1.6 percent.

“The upgrade was prompted by the continued strong state of government finances, which have largely withstood oil price volatility and the global economic crisis,” Moody’s wrote.

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) climbed 0.9 percent, tracking oil price gains. “With oil prices steady in the mid $70s, petrochemical names are mopping up any weakness,” says Matthew Wakeman, EFG-Hermes managing director for cash and equitylinked trading.

Oman’s index hit its highest finish since Oct. 12.

“Dividend yields are very good, so the whole market is chasing dividends,” said Shailendra Singh, investment manager at Al-Shurooq Securities.

HIGHLIGHTS DUBAI The index rose 0.5 percent to 1,622 points.

ABU DHABI The benchmark climbed 0.7 percent to 2,730 points.

KUWAIT The index climbed 0.8 percent to 7,441 points.

SAUDI ARABIA The index rose 0.8 percent to 6,382 points.

EGYPT The index climbed 0.6 percent to 7,063 points.

OMAN The index climbed 0.7 percent to 6,701 points.

QATAR The measure rose 0.1 percent to 6,913 points.

BAHRAIN The index was flat at 1,502 points. — Reuters

BUSINESS

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

25

Barclays profit tops $18bn; cuts bonus ratio LONDON: Barclays Plc beat forecasts with a near doubling of profits in 2009 to 11.6 billion pounds ($18.20 billion), cheering investors with an improved balance sheet and boosting shares across the sector.

Shares in the bank, the first UK lender to report earnings, jumped over 7 percent on the bumper profit and lifted its rivals, as investors welcomed its relatively optimistic outlook for 2010 and good news on bad debts and capital ratios. Britain’s second-largest bank by market value avoided a bailout during the crisis but has still been hit by a backlash over banker pay, and yesterday Tuesday said it had reined in payouts, with its two top executives declining their cash bonus.

Its investment bankers will receive average pay of 191,000 pounds for 2009, including an average bonus of 95,000 pounds. With a compensation ratio of 38 percent for its investment banking arm, down from 44 percent, Barclays is broadly in line with peers; just above Wall Street

LONDON: The logos of Barclays PLC are seen outside one of its branches in central London yesterday. — AP giant Goldman Sachs but below European rival Deutsche Bank’s 40 percent.

“The bond of trust between banks and stakeholders has been damaged by the credit crunch and the economic recession. That bond must be

restored to health by how banks behave-how we lend, and how we pay,” said Chief Executive John Varley.

Barclays ranks as the top earning European bank for last year, with profits up 92 percent from 6.1 billion

pounds in 2008 — swollen by a 6.3 billion pound gain on the sale of its Barclays Global Investors asset management arm-and beating a forecast of 11.2 billion from a Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S poll.

Underlying profit, stripping out

the BGI gain and other one-off items, more than trebled to 5.6 billion pounds, which analysts said was about 5 percent ahead of expectations.

Earnings at Barclays Capital, the investment bank arm headed by Bob Diamond, jumped 89 percent to 2.5 billion pounds, thanks to its purchase of the US operations of Lehman Brothers, expansion in Europe and Asia, and a revival in capital markets.

BarCap said its October to December income was virtually flat on the previous quarter, faring better than rivals who had on average seen a slowdown of about a third. Both JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs indicated weaker conditions at the end of 2009.

“They have surprised positively in revenues, particularly in investment banking,” said Arturo de Frias, analyst at Evolution. “The stock was trading at such low prices because of capital concerns, liquidity concerns, earnings concerns. I think these results are proof they can do much

better than what the market expects,” he added.

Barclays said it would pay 1.5 billion pounds in discretionary cash payments for 2009 and a further 1.2 billion pounds of long-term awards that vest over three years and can be clawed back. Diamond said he expected BarCap’s compensation-torevenue ratio to remain near 38 percent in future years.

Barclays said its board considered its performance last year merited bonuses for top executives, but Varley and Diamond said they would forgo theirs for a second successive year, although Diamond did land a 22 million pound windfall last year from the sale of shares in BGI under a plan dating back to 2003.

Bonuses for other executive board members and all members of BarCap’s executive committee will be awarded over three years. The bank will pay 225 million pounds to the British government under a 50 percent tax on bonuses of over 25,000 pounds. Varley said the bonus

pool had been reduced to cover the cost of the tax, and would be shared by staff globally.

CEO Varley has steered the bank through the crisis without need for a direct taxpayer bailout and said pretax profit so far this year was “well ahead” of the run rates for the first half of 2009 and the full year.

Analysts said last year’s bad debts of 8.1 billion pounds were well below expectations of near 9 billion pounds, and the bank said it expected a moderate decline this year.

Analysts say Barclays could be one of the hardest hit banks from proposed new rules on bank capitaldubbed Basel III- that are due to come into effect by the end of 2012.

It could need 17 billion pounds to repair an equity Tier 1 ratio that would fall to 5 percent under the Basel III proposals, Credit Suisse estimated. But it has options to plug the hole, including halving its 20 percent stake in US asset manager BlackRock, the analysts said. — Reuters

Athens given 30 days to rein in deficits, debts

Europe turns debt screw as Greece faces new strikes BRUSSELS: Europe tightened a budgetary screw on Greece yesterday while Athens, given just 30 days to rein in its bulging deficit and debts, was immediately hit by a new wave of strikes. In a bid to regain market confidence,

non-euro-zone Sweden led a fresh charge going into a meeting of European Union finance ministers, insisting that Greece must “surpass” financiers’ expectations if it is to fight off market attack dogs.

BRUSSELS: Greek Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou arrives to attend an Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN) ministers’ meeting yesterday. — AFP

South Africa budget to balance social needs with lower revenue CAPE TOWN: South Africa unveiled a new budget yesterday that will aim to put cash from already stretched state coffers to back President Jacob Zuma’s promises to create jobs and improve social services.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan presents the budget to parliament as South Africa is emerging from its first recession since apartheid, with 900,000 jobs lost last year. “We’re just getting out of a recession, the minister’s revenue is under tremendous pressure and the fiscal deficit will be close to eight percent of GDP,” said Dawie Roodt of the Efficient Group of financial services companies.

“Given those sort of numbers, I think it’s fair to say that this is going to be a very difficult budget.”

In October, Gordhan, who replaced long-serving Trevor Manuel last year, slashed 70 billion rand ($9 billion, 6.7 billion euros) off initial revenue forecasts and predicted a deficit at 7.6 percent.

But Roodt said Gordhan, whose predecessor was celebrated for fiscal prudence that shielded the brunt of the global crisis, had the luxury of putting off spending cuts or tax hikes. “He doesn’t have to do it yet and the reason behind that is simply

because state debt is relatively low. For the time being we can actually afford to run a huge fiscal deficit. But that is only for a year or two.”

“That makes it much easier for him to present the budget that is still quite expansionary without getting the fescues into financial trouble.”

South Africa has in recent years ramped up state spending, ploughing billions into infrastructure ahead of the 2010 World Cup which starts in June and widening social grants to a povertywracked society.

In his state address last week, Zuma said the antirecession push will continue with capital investments underpinning recovery efforts amid targets for more jobs, better schools, welfare and housing.

Gordhan is likely to stick to the government’s chief priorities, said Standard Bank economics analyst Goolam Ballim. “It is likely that the essences of the government program will continue to reflect national priorities, for instance infrastructure, education and health, while simultaneously pursuing this within a sustainable financial model.”

South Africa’s economy created 89,000 jobs in the last three months of 2009 but

the unemployment rate remained high at 24.3 percent, with nearly 900,000 jobs lost over the year.

In his speech, Zuma said economic activity was rising but was cautious about the

pace.

“Economic indicators suggest that we are now turning the corner. It is too soon, though, to be certain of the pace of recovery,” he said. — Reuters

German investor confidence drops FRANKFURT: German investor confidence slipped for the fifth month in a row in February amid dim prospects for the nation’s retail, consumer goods, steel and chemical sectors, a closely watched survey showed yesterday. The confidence index of the ZEW Institute showed investors’ outlook for the next six months dropped to 45.1 points from 47.2 points in January. The survey is viewed by many as an accurate barometer for the economic outlook in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy.

ZEW, or the Center for European Economic Research, based in Mannheim, said that despite the decline, the index remains well above the historical average of 27.1 points. The index hit a 3 1/2-year high of 57.7 points in September.

The ZEW said it expects the economy to recover slowly from the current crisis within the next six months, but that prospects for the retail, consumer goods and auto sectors remain poor.

Participants also voiced pessimism about the steel and chemical sectors in Europe’s biggest economy, the ZEW said.

“Though we have passed through the deepest valleys of the depression, the worries about the labor market, budget deficits and the euro have not lessened,” ZEW President Wolfgang Franz said in the report. The ZEW index’s drop indicates “a further adjustment of financial analysts’ expectations of the economic outlook,” said Carsten Brzeski, an analyst at ING. “Today’s correction of the ZEW indicator reflects the return of risk aversion in financial markets and the fiscal problems in Greece and other euro zone countries. Still, the pure macro-economic impact from Greece on the German economy through the trade channel can be neglected. — AP

However, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, holding separate trade talks in Moscow with Russia’s two top leaders, now faces intensified pressure domestically as Greek unions warned that the country was nearing breaking point.

Already severe austerity measures are set to be ramped up by March 16 after the 16 euro countries agreed to impose a vice-like grip of “additional measures,” which would include further cost cuts and tax hikes, should progress be deemed insufficient.

But Greek customs workers responded by announcing the start of a fresh three-day stoppage, less than a fortnight after 3,200 members staged a 48hour walkout.

“Although we contribute to 40 percent of state revenue and our working conditions are hard, the government wants to reduce our salary and take away our tax breaks,” customs union chief Anargyros Sakellaropoulos told AFP. Greek tax officials also met yesterday to discuss a possible strike on Wednesday, while three other unions have called a national strike for February 28.

Papandreou’s efforts to get the country’s finances in order include a freeze on public sector salaries, a hike in the retirement age and the end of bonuses for some state employees, including customs and tax officials.

But Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg said Athens must go much further if it is to deliver on a stated target of reducing its 2009 deficit-tooutput ratio by almost one third this year alone.

“What we’ve seen so far is not enough,” Borg warned. “We need more concrete steps when it comes to taxes, otherwise they can’t keep their social cohesion. (And) we need concrete steps when it comes to expenditure.”

Borg maintained that without a more ambitious program in Athens, a months-long onslaught by international fund managers and investors on Greece, which has pulled the euro down against the dollar, will only “drag out.” Greece is committed to reducing a deficit running to 12.7 percent of gross domestic product by four percentage points over the course of 2010. The euro-zone has a three percent limit for deficits.

However, the country’s euro partners have now effectively seized control of its budgetary sovereignty after finance ministers cut Athens out of the decision-making process.

Juncker, who also said after Monday’s talks that contingency bailout plans were being prepared to shore up the euro, has insisted that “the financial markets are completely wrong if they think they can destroy Greece.”

Yesterday, the Luxembourg premier declared an additional call by Borg for greater International Monetary Fund surveillance and monitoring to be an “absurd” irrelevance “fuelled by Anglo-Saxon voices” seen as hostile to the shared currency. — AFP

TOKYO: Shoppers walk past an apparel shop displaying a large ‘sale’ sign in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP

China’s economic rise has silver lining for Japan TOKYO: China is on the verge of unseating Japan as the world’s number two economy, but student Shi Minfei is one reason why Beijing’s rapid growth is not all bad news for its deflation-hit neighbor. With Japan’s consumers keeping a tight hold on their purse strings, leaving the country as reliant as ever on exports, Chinese tourists like Shi are a rare example of good news for the country’s long-suffering retailers.

The 20-year-old engineering student from Shanghai said she had splurged about 300,000 yen ($3,300) on clothing, bags, shoes and cosmetics during her visit to Japan. “I’m going mostly to shopping malls,” Shi said as she hopped aboard a tour bus in downtown Tokyo, adding that the Japanese capital still has an edge over Shanghai when it comes to splashing cash.

Another visitor, a 42-year-old housewife from Beijing, said she had spent 200,000 yen on ‘Gundam’ combat robot toys for her 12-year-old son, out of a shopping budget for the trip of up to 500,000 yen.

It is a welcome boost for a Japanese economy that has suffered two decades of malaise after its stock market and real estate bubble burst in the early 1990s, ushering in years of deflation and sluggish economic growth. Japan narrowly retained its title as the world’s number two econ-

omy in 2009 ahead of China, extending a recovery from a brutal recession with a robust fourth-quarter performance, data showed Monday.

But surging China came close to unseating its neighbor from the position it has held for more than 40 years, after the Japanese economy contracted at the fastest pace on record last year, battered by a plunge in exports. Average income per person in urban China was less than $3,000 in 2009, still a far cry from nearly $48,000 for a Japanese salaried worker, official figures show.

Even if Japan kept its number two rank last year, economists say it is inevitable it will soon be overtaken by China, which has a population of more than 1.3 billion and an economy that grew a blistering 8.7 percent last year. While its relegation in the global economic rankings would be a blow to Japan’s prestige, its economy might be in an even worse state if it were not for the boom in China, now its biggest trading partner and top export market.

With markets in Japan, North America and Europe in the doldrums, Japan’s top carmakers and other manufacturers are increasingly relying on emerging economies including China. Many Japanese manufacturers have opened factories in China, taking advantage of the lower labour costs and faster economic growth there. — AP

Indonesia rejects all sukuk auction bids JAKARTA: Indonesia’s finance ministry rejected all bids for its sukuk auction yesterday, signaling it is is confident of meeting its 2010 financing target and reducing its borrowing costs.

Indonesia plans to raise a total of 175.1 trillion rupiah ($18.74 billion) of debt this year to repay maturing bonds and help plug a budget deficit seen at 1.6 percent

of gross domestic product (GDP).

It has raised around 48 trillion rupiah ($5.14 billion) debt-including $2 billion from a global bond issue-or just over a quarter of its full-year target in less than two months in the fiscal year starting in January, based on Reuters calculations. The government has said it expected to raise most of its debt in the first half of the

JAKARTA: A street fruit vendor (left) walks past a luxury Ferrari sports car being delivered to the residence of a wealthy Indonesian resident at the affluent Menteng district in Jakarta yesterday. — AFP

year, capitalizing on strong foreign demand for emerging market assets.

Neighbouring Philippines had adopted a similar strategy.

Handy Yunianto, fixed income analyst at Mandiri Sekuritas, said yesterday’s outcome was a reflection of the government’s desire to lower the cost of issuing sukuk and reflected its confidence on meeting its financing target, he said. “It shows that it wants to reduce the costs of issuing sukuk to be more in line with that of issuing conventional debt,” he said. The finance ministry rejected all 1.705 trillion rupiah worth of bids for the 1 trillion rupiah offer of sukuk with tenors ranging from five to 15 years after investors demanded higher yields due to a lack of trading liquidity in the Islamic paper compared to conventional debt.

The ministry said the lowest incoming yields for the fiveyear bonds in the auction was 8.625 percent. Yunianto said this was above that of comparable conventional debt which was priced to yield around 8.48.5 percent. — Reuters

26

BUSINESS

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Recession’s end little comfort for Estonia’s unemployed TALLINN: Estonia’s emergence from a bleak two-year recession, plus the potential boost of its hoped-for 2011 euro adoption, are little comfort for the swelling ranks of the unemployed in this Baltic state.

After an eight-year boom turned to bust in 2008, the former European Union “tiger” has seen joblessness almost quadruple to 15.5 percent, a level unseen in nearly two decades.

That represents 107,000 of Estonia’s 1.3 million people, according to official data released Friday, with one-third of them jobless for at least a year. In addition, 11,000 more have simply lost hope and stopped seeking work, the figures showed. “I only survive thanks to savings that I

collected for years,” Mare Varendi, a 47-year-old accountant who lost her job in December 2008, told AFP. For their first seven months out of work, Estonia’s registered unemployed get state benefits worth around half their last salary.

Thereafter, the amount falls to 1,000 kroons (64 euros, $88) a month.

Welfare payments do not cover heating and power bills for even a one-room apartment during the harsh Baltic winter.

Varendi said she had applied for dozens of jobs, including low-paid secretarial work, but saw the situation as hopeless because there are sometimes a hundred other applicants.

A recent poll found that 68 percent

of Estonians regard unemployment as the biggest problem the nation faces.

Centre-right Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, at the helm of a biting austerity drive, has faced criticism for comments seeming to belittle the issuefor example, saying that many of the unemployed are “just” construction workers hit by the end of a building boom.

Ansip has urged the public to remember that welfare was worse during the slump of 1999, after the economy of major trading partner Russia went off the rails.

Varendi claims such remarks show Estonia’s leaders are out of touch. “The only thing that keeps my spirit up is the hope that the crisis will

be over in a few years and people like me will be needed by society again,” she added.

Unlike other crisis-hit nations, from Greece and Spain in the south to its Baltic neighbors Lithuania and Latvia, Estonia has not seen street protests. But analyst Hardo Pajula at Swedish bank SEB in Tallinn said it is time to wake up.

“The biggest problem for Estoniareally the biggest-is unemployment and the threat that it might turn into increasing political dissatisfaction,” he said.

Mart Laar, ex-premier and leader of a junior party in Ansip’s two-way coalition, has been a rarity in the government camp in warning that unem-

ployment is a major threat.

At a recent party congress, Laar said the coalition will only hold onto power until the 2011 general election if it can stem unemployment this year.

Finance ministry spokeswoman Kristi Joesaar contested claims that the government was sitting on its hands. “Financial support for active measures to increase employment have been doubled in this year’s budget compared to 2009,” she told AFP. She noted that the ministry had just drafted legislation that would for one year cut the taxes of firms hiring the long-term unemployed in parttime jobs.

Estonia shifted rapidly from a com-

munist command economy to the free market after regaining independence from the crumbling Soviet bloc in 1991.

As recently as the second quarter of 2008, unemployment had fallen to a 16-year low point of 4.0 percent thanks to robust growth, particularly after the country joined the EU in 2004.

But the country tumbled into recession in 2008 as domestic demand withered and the global economic crisis battered exports.

The economy contracted by 14.1 percent in 2009, according to official estimates, after 3.6 percent in 2008.

Estonia emerged technically from recession in the fourth quarter of last

year with 2.6-percent growth against the previous three months, data showed last week.

The government has said the crisis should ease markedly this year, with a 0.1-percent contraction instead of the feared 2.0 percent, followed by growth of 3.3 percent in 2011 and 3.7 percent in 2012.

For some Estonians, it is hard to wait. “I would like to stay in Estonia, but at the moment I plan to leave to work in the United States,” said Kairi Soosaar, 25, who is about to graduate in media studies.

“Many of my friends have already left to work abroad. I hope to return one day but who knows what life will bring,” she added. —AFP

Japan FM wants 1% price growth, seeks BOJ help Shirakawa says he will cooperate with govt to beat deflation TOKYO: Japan’s finance minister said he would like to see price growth of 1 percent and urged the Bank of Japan to cooperate in beating deflation, putting fresh pressure on the central bank for more action to support a frag-

ile economy. BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said the central bank was willing to cooperate, but he offered few clues on what it would do beyond keeping monetary conditions very easy.

“I personally would like to see (consumer price index) growth of around 1 percent, or perhaps even a little more,” Naoto Kan told a lower house budget committee yesterday.

“I think the BOJ shares the government’s view that this is a desirable policy goal,” he said, adding that how best to achieve the goal was up to the central bank to decide.

The BOJ is likely to keep interest rates at 0.1 percent and hold off on any new initiatives at a rate review ending tomorrow, as it expects Japan to avoid another recession despite a likely slowdown early this year. The bank does, however, appear to be ready to ease policy again in the future if market shocks, such as a sharp rise in the yen or a heavy tumble in Tokyo shares, threaten a fragile economic recovery.

Shirakawa, addressing the same budget committee as Kan, repeated that the BOJ would keep monetary conditions very easy and was always ready to provide liquidity when necessary.

“We are serious about ending deflation. It will take time and it’s not something the BOJ alone can achieve. But we will be doing all we can,” he said.

But he effectively ruled out any return to quantitative easTOKYO: People walk in front of the electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo yesterday. Asian stocks ing, a policy under which the were modestly higher yesterday in holiday-thinned trade as investors awaited another top level European BOJ flooded markets with excess cash from 2001 to 2006 finance meeting on Greece’s debt crisis. —AP in a bid to end an earlier bout of deflation.

Quantitative easing was effective in ensuring financial stability but it had only a limited effect in pushing up prices, Shirakawa said.

Japanese government bond yields edged up prior to Kan and Shirakawa’s comments as traders sold to make room for a re-opening sale of fiveLONDON: Britain’s consumer an increase in size and frequen- tion could rise further in rise in the third quarter of this year JGBs. price inflation rate rose to 3.5 cy of these short-run factors,” February as more retailers pass year, as forecast by many econ“Investors would rather percent in January from 2.9 per- King said in a letter to Treasury on January’s VAT hike. omists, the bank forecast inflasee a new issue being sold, cent in December, due to a hike Chief Alistair Darling. The gov- However, that may well mark tion at around 1.2 percent at the but at the same time they in the national sales tax and ernor is required by law to for- the peak and inflation should start of 2012. It added that even are aware of the deflationary more expensive energy, the mally explain to the Treasury start to fall back in the second if interest rates stayed at the pressure gripping the econoOffice for National Statistics when inflation rises above 3 quarter,” said Howard Archer, current record low of 0.5 permy as shown by yesterday’s economist at IHS Global cent, inflation would still be said yesterday. The increase — percent.

GDP data,” said Takafumi below target.

The statistics agency said Insight. the second largest on record — Yamawaki, a senior rates In a separate report, the staDecember’s annual increase was expected. The Bank of retail price inflation rose to 3.7 strategist at BNP Paribas England said last week that it percent from 2.4 percent in in consumer prices was a full tistics agency said output prices Securities. believes inflation will drop back December, and retail price point higher than in November, for manufactured goods rose 3.8 Japan’s economy grew later in the year. The Bank of inflation excluding mortgage the largest one-month jump on percent in the year through faster than expected in the compared to England’s governor, Mervyn interest payments rose to 4.6 record. The Bank of England’s January fourth quarter due to a stimquarterly inflation report December’s rate of 3.5 percent.

King, said the higher rate was percent from 3.8 percent. ulus-fuelled rebound in The main contributors to the released last week predicted Higher prices for petroleum driven by higher sales taxes, domestic demand and corpohigher oil prices and the linger- January rise included an that inflation will spike to products (up 21 percent), tobacrate investment. But maring effects of a sharp deprecia- increase in the national sales around 3.5 percent early this co and alcoholic drinks drove kets focused on the record 3 tion of the British pound in tax from 15 percent to 17.5 per- year, before falling back below the increase, the agency said. percent annual fall in the Output prices excluding 2007 and 2008. “Over the past cent, a 2.2 percent month-to- the bank’s 2 percent target in GDP deflator as a sign that three years inflation has been month increase in the prices of two years’ time if interest rates food, drinks, tobacco and petrothe gap between supply and much more volatile than in the fuels, and higher prices for rise as fast as markets predict. leum were up 2.5 percent yeardemand was pushing Japan preceding 10 years, reflecting DVDs. “Consumer price infla- Assuming interest rates start to on-year in January. —AP deeper into deflation. “(Deflation) is unlikely to result in immediate easing, but it will keep up the pressure on the Bank of Japan to continue with an easy monetary policy,” Yamawaki said.

NEW DELHI: The new chief executive of excited by the opportunity to grow Tata’s Japan’s core consumer India’s leading vehicle maker Tata Motors business both domestically and “out of India.” price index (CPI) fell from a Tata Motors is the flagship company of appealed yesterday for 100 days to get to year earlier for the 10th grips with his job, a day after being named to the sprawling tea-to-software Tata group and straight month in December Tata officials said Forster’s international steer the company into the new decade. and the so-called “core“I am enthused by having this opportuni- background would help increase the compacore” CPI, the narrowest ty to work for an Indian company with such ny’s global reach. measure of consumer inflaForster’s job includes overseeing Tata’s high business ethics,” Carl-Peter Forster tion, fell at the fastest pace said at a news conference in New Delhi, British-based luxury brands Jaguar and Land on record. where he made his debut public appearance Rover, which the Indian company bought for Haruhiko Kuroda, the in his new job. The 55-year-old Forster, the $2.3 billion in 2008 and which helped push head of the Asian former head of General Motors’ European Tata to its first annual loss in seven years last Development Bank, also operations, will have overall responsibility for year. He takes over the job after Tata Motors urged the BOJ to work out a Tata Motors’ global operations as group chief reported late last month that its Indian oper- NEW DELHI: Group Chief Executive solution for persistent price ations swung to profit in the fiscal third quarexecutive, the company said Monday.

Officer Tata Motors, Carl-Peter falls, telling a newspaper “People normally get 100 days, plus or ter to December as government stimulus interview that Japan was virminus. Give me that time and we’ll meet measures and cheap loans helped spur a Forster smiles after a press conference in New Delhi yesterday. —AFP tually alone in suffering again,” Forster told reporters, adding he was demand revival. —AFP deflation. —Reuters

British consumer price inflation jumps to 3.5%

New Tata Motors CEO wants 100 days

LOKSA, Estonia: Estonian workers at the Loksa shipyard company arrive at work in the town of Loksa. After an eight-year boom turned to bust in 2008, the former European Union “tiger” has seen joblessness almost quadruple to 15.5 percent, a level unseen in nearly two decades. —AFP

Total refinery workers occupy plant in N France DUNKIRK, France: Workers at a Total oil refinery in northern France that has been idle for five months stampeded into the plant yesterday and demanded to go back to work.

About 150 staff burned tyres at the gated entrance of the plant near Dunkirk at dawn before pushing their way passed a dozen security guards, an AFP journalist at the scene said.

They then broke into the entrance of the main administrative building and occupied the offices of the plant director and other executives, who were allowed to leave.

“We will occupy the building for as long as is needed to get an answer about our future,” said union activist Philippe Wullens.

Workers at the Flanders refinery, which shut down production in September, had threatened last week to seize control of the plant if Total failed to restart work by February 15.

“We don’t want to hold the director of the plant,” said another union activist, Marc Pigeon. “He is free to leave if he wants. He has no power to decide anyway.

“What we want is for someone from the top management of Total to give us clear answers about the future of the plant,” said Pigeon. “We wanted to send a symbolic message to Total management and to the other refineries to show our determination,” said Benjamin Tange, who has been working at the plant for eight years.

In September, Total cited a decline in sales of refined products for its decision to halt operations at the Flanders refinery, which employs 370 people directly and 450 sub-contractors.

Union activists at the refinery plant hung banners on the occupied building that read: “A future for Flanders”. Wullens

said that workers were also demanding that a meeting of the works committee set for March 29 be held earlier.

Unions representing Total workers called for a two-day strike at all sites today and tomorrow in a show of solidarity with the Flanders plant.

Total said in December that it was considering shutting down the facility, one of six refineries it runs in France, but has come under pressure from the government not to cut jobs.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has made fighting unemployment a priority and his government has told Total it must guarantee jobs, in particular since it has been posting multibillion-euro earnings despite the global slowdown.

Total last week reported profit of 7.8 billion euros ($10.9 billion) in 2009, down 44 percent from the previous year. —AFP

DUNKIRK: French workers at a Total oil refinery in Dunkirk, northern France, gather in the office of the plant director yesterday after they stormed into the plant and occupied the offices to demand their return to work. —AFP

Scrapping boosted Jan car sales in Europe PARIS: Passenger car sales rose 12.9 percent in January in EU member states, as the ongoing effects of scrapping incentive schemes boosted demand, European carmakers’ association ACEA said yesterday.

Governments introduced scrapping bonuses last year to boost demand and prop up carmakers hit by the downturn, leading to a limited fall in European car sales in 2009. But carmakers are worried that 2010 will be tough, with some scrapping schemes finished and others due to run out soon. Many forecast a drop of around 10 percent in the European car market this year.

New passenger car sales rose 12.9 percent to 1,058,868 units in European Union member states in January, which had one fewer working day than in 2009. ACEA said January car sales in the European Union were down 17.3 percent versus January 2008.

The EU15 states-or Western Europe-saw a 15.7 percent increase in sales, while the EU10 — the new European member states-saw a 23.5 percent fall in registrations in January.

ACEA said car sales in the European Union, plus the EFTA countries, rose 13 percent. Data for Cyprus and Malta was not available. Germany, Europe’s largest car market and whose highly successful scrapping scheme finished at the start of September, saw sales fall 4.3 percent in January, ACEA said.

Volkswagen, Europe’s largest carmaker, said last week there were challenges ahead in 2010, despite a January sales volume surge. French carmakers PSA Peugeot Citroen and Renault last week also warned of a tough year ahead as they posted full-year results which showed widening losses. —Reuters

TECHNOLOGY

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

27

Fighting pandemics like swine flu in digital age PHILADELPHIA: A tap on the HealthMap iPhone application brings up a cluster of red pins on a map, representing nearby cases of swine flu.

Another tap brings up a form for ordinary Americans to add to the collection by reporting bouts they have or know about. HealthMap Outbreaks Near Me is among scores of iPhone apps, along with social networks, Wikipedia and flutracking sites, that give consumers new ways to share information, shape conversations and keep tabs on swine flu and other health threats like it.

With instant two-way communication unavailable during past pandemics and smaller outbreaks, the public now can help paint a fuller picture of what’s happening and complement the often delayed and restrained announcements from health officials. And though swine flu infections have been waning since October, the apps and other digital tools have transformed the way such health crises will be tracked in years to come.

They offer a window into the opportunities - and dangers - that come with the rapid spread of information from everyday people.

These digital tools could open the door to mass panic from unreliable or false reports. After all, the public is often unfamiliar with medical terminology and can mistake ordinary colds for more serious illnesses such as the swine flu. And there isn’t ample evidence that people are actually changing their behavior as a result of these tools.

Ultimately, these tools may be no more than a fun way for people to connect not entirely useful, perhaps even misleading.

Still, the more than 100 swine flu apps for Apple Inc’s iPhone, either free or for a fee, may mollify some concerns

Swine Flu 101 iPhone app created to provide latest news and state-by-state list of cases and deaths people have about health outbreaks because people don’t like to be kept in the dark too long. Take HealthMap Outbreaks Near Me, which has been downloaded more than 100,000 times.

By learning of outbreaks nearby, a user can take preventive measures, such as getting a vaccine or washing hands more diligently. By sharing what they know, users can feel the thrill of being the first to give and receive information.

The new strain of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, claimed more than 11,000 lives and required the hospitalization of some 250,000 people, more than the number in a typical flu season.

If such an outbreak can be identified quickly, people could be warned about it sooner and help limit its spread. That’s why software developer Clark Freifeld and epidemiologist John Brownstein started HealthMap in 2006, first as a Web site before introducing apps for the iPhone in September and for mobile phones using the Android operating system later. The project, housed at the Children’s Hospital Boston and funded primarily by the Google.org foundation, automatically scours the Web for clues to a new pandemic. Users can also submit reports on cases in their areas, to supplement reports that local health officials send to federal agencies.

Because the reports from local officials have to be verified, they take longer to reach federal agencies and ultimately to reach the public. Although HealthMap tries to verify each usersubmitted report, it doesn’t do so as vigorously. It’s willing to take the chance that some inaccurate information slips through so that all the reports - good or

bad - get out more quickly. Having learned from experiences with swine flu, HealthMap plans to tweak its system to get information out even faster the next time. That includes looking for patterns in the symptoms reported by groups of people in an area, rather than waiting for an individual to report only cases confirmed with a doctor.

Meanwhile, the CDC News Reader iPhone app, created by a company unaffiliated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers the federal agency’s swine flu updates, public health articles and travel notices.

Another, SwineAware, links to swine flu statistics and briefings from the CDC and the World Health Organization. Mark Peterson, a 23year-old iPhone app developer from Newark, New Jersey, created Swine Flu 101 to provide the latest news and a state-by-state list of cases and deaths.

And beyond iPhone apps, Tim Vickers, a microbiologist in St. Louis who studies tropical diseases, has made it his mission to monitor the information exchange on Wikipedia, the collaborative Internet encyclopedia that lets anyone contribute, regardless of expertise.

Vickers said he wrote about a third of Wikipedia’s article on swine flu and has edited it nearly 200 times to amplify it and correct mistakes.

Why bother? “I see my Wikipedia activity as charity work,” said Vickers, 32. “One of my friends helps out in a soup kitchen. I could do that but I could put my expertise to work in a much more efficient way. I’m better at writing than cooking.” Add to that all the streams of data coming through social

In this photo, Mark Peterson, owner and president of Tapfactory, points to the icon for iPhone application Swine Flu 101. — AP

networks and other means. Twitter said “H1N1” is among the 50 most tweeted topics of all time. Chatter has included prevention tips and conspiracy theories that drug companies created the pandemic to sell vaccines. Swine flu “is the first pandemic to use digital tools,” said Ann Aikin, a social media strategist at the CDC. Whether these efforts prove useful is another matter.

“In general, having more information is better than less,” said David Bell, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania. But there’s a danger that “the information gets transmitted over and over and the story changes.”

The CDC tries to respond to errors it sees online. Early in the swine flu outbreak, for instance, some people on Twitter cited eating pork as a risk. The federal agency tweeted back: “you can NOT get swine flu from eating pork.”

The CDC won’t catch every instance of misinformation, though, including those spread through restricted circles on Facebook and elsewhere.

Cindy Capitani, a 45-year-old blogger from Rutherford, New Jersey, said she keeps a skeptical eye on what she reads, checking rumors of swine flu cases against reports from media sources she trusts, such as The New York Times.

But with so much swine flu information on the Internet, she’s getting data overload. “Everyone has something to report, a tidbit to share, a link to a news article, a tip from a blog ... We’ve all become aggregators and disseminators,” she wrote in her blog.

“Sometimes, it’s better not to know anything, not to share, not to care, and just be.” — AP

Next chapter in digital US toys are ‘green,’ high-tech and cheap book deal: Google vs US SAN FRANCISCO: Determined to create the world’s largest digital library, Google Inc is betting it knows more about US antitrust and copyright laws than the government regulators enforcing them. The Internet search leader took an audacious step toward realizing its book ambitions last week with a 67-page brief filed in New York federal court. Among other things, the documents dismissed the legal concerns that the US Department of Justice has raised about a class-action settlement proposing to give Google the digital rights to millions of hard-to-find books. Google’s stiff arm sets the stage for a showdown between the top US law enforcement agency and the most powerful company on the Internet.

They are scheduled to square off Thursday in a hearing before US District Judge Denny Chin. The judge will listen to arguments from Google, the Justice Department and more than two dozen opponents and supporters of the settlement as he tries to decide whether the deal should be approved. Google contends the world will be a better place if its electronic library of books is unlocked so everyone with an Internet connection can peruse and potentially buy volumes to store on their computers and other digital devices. The company has made digital copies of more than 12 million books and hopes to eventually scan everything that’s still on printed paper - if it can gain legal rights to do so.

Most of the books in Google’s digital database haven’t been shown in their entirety because of a copyright dispute that triggered a class-action lawsuit filed in 2005 by groups representing authors and publishers.

The $125 million settlement would remove that barrier and put Google in charge of an electronic bookstore, with most of the revenue going to participating publishers and authors. The Justice Department has left little doubt it believes the settlement would stifle competition in the book market and undermine copyright laws. The agency has made the points twice, first in September and then again last week, when it filed its opinion about changes that Google made with authors and publishers in November. Those changes were made in hopes of overcoming the Justice Department’s opposition to the deal.

In its most recent filing, the Justice Department called the settlement “a bridge too far” and asserted Chin “lacked authority” to approve the agreement.

Google countered that “the Department of Justice and other objectors have failed to articulate a meaningful principle” for Chin to reject the agreement. The settlement’s opponents include consumer watchdog groups, state governments, foreign government and Google rivals Microsoft Corp, Yahoo Inc and Amazon.com Inc.

Shouting down that chorus of criticism might be easier if the Justice Department hadn’t chimed in, too.

Google retreated the last time that the Justice Department warned the company was pursuing a path that would break antitrust laws, which are designed to prevent businesses from gaining an unfair competitive advantage. To avoid a Justice Department lawsuit alleging antitrust violations, Google called off a proposed plan to sell Internet search ads for Yahoo. But Google didn’t have much invested in the Yahoo deal, either financially or emotionally. Google agreed to the deal mainly to prevent Microsoft from teaming up with Yahoo. (Those two companies subsequently have gotten together in an alliance still awaiting regulatory approval.)

Google has spent the past five years scanning books at an “enormous” cost, according to its court filing.

Creating a massive library has been a dream shared by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The Justice Department contends the settlement provides the framework for a literary cartel that could drive up book prices. The agency also warned the settlement could give Google an unfair advantage in the Internet search market that it already dominates by giving it a reservoir of human knowledge that its rivals wouldn’t be able to easily duplicate.

Despite those red flags, the Justice Department endorsed the concept of Google’s digital library. The agency also outlined ways Chin could dictate changes that would satisfy some of its concerns. Chin himself is likely part of Google’s calculations, because he might not be on the case much longer. He has been nominated by President Barack Obama to a position on a federal appeals court, with confirmation in the Senate expected to come soon. If Google tried to revise the settlement again, in hopes of satisfying the Justice Department, the company would run the risk of further delays if a new judge had to spend time reviewing the volumes of documents in the case.

Google seems to want Chin to be the man making the decision, said John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, one of the opponents scheduled to speak in court this week. “Google has decided it’s longer willing to negotiate with Justice on this one,” Simpson said.

“They want to negotiate with the judge instead.” Even if Google can persuade Chin to approve the settlement, the Justice Department could still try to block it, by filing its own lawsuit alleging the arrangement is illegal.

But David Balto, a former policy director for the Federal Trade Commission who thinks Google is on solid legal ground, dismisses the prospect. “The Justice Department won’t poke a federal judge in the eye like that,” Balto said. — AP

Lexus to reveal CT 200h at 2010 Geneva Motor Show Six months after the LF-Ch concept was revealed, Lexus will unveil the new CT 200h at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

Created for those who wish to lower their emissions but not their standards, the CT 200h will be the first and only, full hybrid vehicle in the premium compact segment. It will bring new levels of refinement, sophistication and attention to detail to the segment, without any compromise on style or driving pleasure. Featuring second generation Lexus Hybrid Drive technology, the CT 200h reinforces Lexus’ hybrid leadership in the premium market, joining the RX 450h, GS 450h and LS 600h to create an unprecedented range of fullhybrid vehicles. The Lexus LFA will also be on show at Geneva, offering the opportunity to review the criticallyacclaimed supercar in Europe before the initial order period closes at the end of the motor show.

NEW YORK: US toy makers are coming out of a long recession tunnel this year, hoping to ride the recovery wave with new lines of classic, “green” and hightech toys, and a sales pitch centered on affordability. The American International Toy Fair 2010, underway in New York until today, is sounding out market tendencies after a disastrous 2008 and an encouraging upswing in 2009 that promises further improvements this year in a multi-billion-dollar industry. Toy manufacturers have hit the fair with exhibits ranging from classic erector sets

by Lego and Playmobil to spanking new offers like a Twitter collar for pets and the perennial doll favorite Barbie, who this year is decked out as a television anchorwoman.

Santa Claus will have toys for all tastes next Christmas, but above all he will be concerned with keeping the price tag down, even at the expense of quality.

Labeled toy of the year by the Toy Industry Association (TIA), the cuddly Zhu Zhu pet hamster robots from Cepia are still top of the list for young kids-and parents-for under 10 dollars. “The trend this year is affordability. You will see a lot of green products under 25 dollars, also active games for the body or the minds, and affordable high tech,” TIA spokeswoman Reyne Rice told AFP. “Parents are looking for toys or games they can play with their children, and not necessarily with too much tech-

NEW YORK: The Fisher-Price iXL is demonstrated during Toy Fair 2010 at the Javits Center. — AP nology,” said Playmobil USA Marketing Manager Michelle Winfrey. The toy industry is worth 75 billion dollars in annual sales worldwide, with more than one-quarter, or 21 billion, in the United States alone, according to TIA figures.

This year’s environmentally friendly exhibits include toys made of wood and innovative offers like a 20-dollar caterpillar farm that, with all the supplied proper care, turns into a butterfly factory in only three weeks.

Giant toy maker Mattel is hitting the high-tech market in mid-2010 with “Puppy Tweet,” a Twitter-enabled dog collar for around 30 dollars that broadcasts your pet’s actions on micro-blogging site Twitter. Another wallet-friendly smart toy starting at 10 dollars is “Hexbug,” micro-robotic creatures resembling cockroaches, spiders or crabs that respond to touch, sound and even light and are capable of navigating mazes or their own nano habitat set. To cele-

brate the 30th anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube, Techno Source offers “Rubik’s Touch” for easy solving of the puzzle with just a swipe of the finger, and “Rubik’s Slide”-coming out in the third quarter of this year-with light-and-sound effects for 18 dollars.

“It is easy to understand, it has a physical aspect and it is addictive,” said Techno Source assistant marketing manager Amy Bogin. Barbie 2010 has also gone high-tech with its 50-dollar “Video Girl,” sporting a small video camera that can send everything the blond doll sees onto a computer screen. Toy giant Mattel surveyed its Barbie followers to determine what the doll’s 125th profession should be. By majority consent, Barbie this year is a reporter and star news anchorwoman on television. And steering away from her traditional pink outfits, the new Barbie comes with a choice of 12 predominantly black wardrobes.

The toy fair has some 100,000 products on show for its 32,000 visitors at the Javits convention center. The list, of course, also includes sophisticated and expensive toys. “Beamz,” is a laser beam musical instrument for 200 dollars apt for children of all ages, including dad. A notch above is “Bioloid,” a 1,200-dollar robot from South Korea’s Robotis that is billed as the first educational robot kit based around “smart serially controlled servos.”

It can be programmed and made to move in astonishingly realistic fashion. — AFP

Microsoft eyes mobile comeback BARCELONA: Microsoft unveiled on Monday a new version of its mobile operating system as the US software giant seeks to regain lost ground in the highly competitive smartphone market. Chief executive Steve Ballmer presented the Windows Phone 7 Series at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, ending months of speculation about what Microsoft had in store for the industry’s biggest trade show.

“We’re taking a step, I think a big step,” Ballmer said, adding that devices fitted with the new software would be available in time for the winter holiday shopping season. “I’m enthusiastic about the direction that we’re heading.” “We hope 7 is our lucky number,” he said.

Microsoft has been up against strong competition from Internet giant Google’s Android, as both newcomers fight for a share of a market dominated by the Blackberry and Apple’s iPhone. “The primary goal of Windows Mobile 7 is clearly to address Microsoft’s shortcomings in the consumer mobile market,” said Charles Golvin, analyst at research firm Forrester. “All plaudits for their persistence aside, in my view this is their final chance to get it right,” Golvin said.

Google has made a splash in the mobile phone industry with its Android operating system, launched in 2007, and phone makers have announced that they would release several more smartphones with this platform this year.

Smartphones fitted with Microsoft’s operating system had 7.9 percent market share in the third quarter of last year, a drop from 11.1 percent in the same period in 2008, according to research group Gartner.

In the meantime its rivals grew: BlackBerrymaker Research in Motion saw its market share increase to 20.8 percent and Apple’s iPhone rose to 17.1 percent, according to Gartner. And Android phones took 3.5 percent of the market in just a few months of existence. “There is no doubt that this phone market is A, highly competitive, B, highly dymanic and C, super exciting,” Ballmer said. “And there is no question in our minds as we go back a couple of years that

we needed... to do some things that were out of the box, clearly differentiated from our past,” he said.

In its upgrade, Microsoft completely changed the platform’s interface and installed the capabilities of its Zune MP3 player, which has only been available in the United States. The system includes six “hubs” that group services by themes, such as a “people” inbox that includes emails, text messages and updates from social network activities, or an Xbox Live icon for online games.

Microsoft-powered touch-screen phones will be rolled out later this year in partnership with several device makers including Qualcomm, Samsung and LG, as well as operators from AT&T to T-Mobile and Vodafone, the company said. But Nicolas Petit, director of Microsoft’s mobile division in France, said the software titan had no intention of following its rivals and creating its own phone. “It is not in our DNA to build hardware,” he told AFP. “We have partners who do that better than us.”

Google entered the hardware business last month when it launched its own smartphone, Nexus One, in a challenge against another big rival, Apple, which never attends the Mobile World Congress. In a signal of Google’s ambitions to become a leader in the mobile phone industry, chief executive Eric Schmidt addressed the Barcelona event for the first time yesterday.

Mobile operating systems are the lifeblood of the increasingly popular smartphones, which allows users to surf the Internet, check and send emails, play music, videos and games, and take pictures. Global shipments of smartphones surged by 30 percent in the last quarter of 2009, according to Strategy Analytics. By comparison, overall handset sales rose by 10 percent in the same period. In an indication of the growing use of phones with Internet capabilities, the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency, said Monday that the number of mobile broadband subscriptions would exceed one billion this year after reaching 600 million in 2009. — AFP

BARCELONA: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer speaks during the “Windows Phone 7” presentation at the Mobile World Congress, on February 15, 2010. — AFP

HEALTH & SCIENCE

28

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Danube countries agree to protect ‘Amazon of Europe’ VIENNA: Ministers from the 14 countries of the Danube basin adopted here yesterday a plan to clean up and protect the historic river seen by green groups as Europe’s lifeline and the “Amazon of Europe”.

Environmental groups welcomed the plan, but called for additional action to avert or minimize the potentially destructive effects of hydroelectric power sta-

tions and man-made changes to the river to make it more navigable for shipping.

“The Danube waters are shared by us all and therefore we also share the responsibility,” said Mitja Bricelj, president of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) who hosted the meeting. “We meet to ensure that the

resources of the Danube Basin are managed in an environmentally sustainable manner.”

The Danube is Europe’s second-longest river, running 2,860 kilometers (1,777 miles) from the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea in Romania.

Ministers and high-level representatives from 14 countries, including Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech

Republic, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine as well as the European Commission attended the meeting.

The ministers adopted the so-called Danube River Basin Management Plan drawn up to “improve the environmental condition of the Danube and its tributaries.” The plan includes a

series of measures to be implemented over the next five years, including concrete efforts to reduce pollution and minimize the negative effects of manmade changes to the river. It also includes re-naturalization of wetlands, creation of natural flood barriers, upgrading of dykes and improvement of alarm and forecasting systems. — AFP

UK scientists find cheap, fast gene test method LONDON: British scientists say they have developed a way of pinpointing variations in a person’s genetic code using a chemical test on saliva, meaning quick, cheap DNA tests for risks of certain diseases may be around the corner. Researchers at Edinburgh University said their technique, based on chemical analysis, can deliver reliable results without the need for expensive enzymes used in conventional DNA testing.

Juan Diaz-Mochon of the university’s School of Chemistry, who led the research, said the chemical method was able to detect genes linked to cystic fibrosis in laboratory experiments using synthetic DNA.

Team wants to work with commercial partners and widen scope With funding from commercial partners and the Scottish Enterprise fund, he said his team planned to market a cystic fibrosis test very soon and then run further research to see if the same method could be used to decode entire human genomes.

“We’re hoping to bring the first test for cystic fibrosis to the market within five months,” he told Reuters. “With the scientific data we already have, we believe we can develop this test further and in different ways.” Tests which identify tiny variations or omissions in DNA code are

increasingly being developed and marketed as ways of determining whether or not a person is healthy, susceptible to disease, or has a disease or serious risks of developing one.

Cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening inherited disease in which internal organs such as the lungs and digestive system become clogged with thick sticky mucus, is one of a small number of diseases caused by a single, identifiable faulty gene. Companies around the world are racing to develop ever faster and cheaper gene sequencing

techniques to offer scientists and drug developers swifter routes mapping whole genomes.

US firm Illumina launched its latest genome sequencing tool, HiSeq 2000, in January and challenges rivals at Life Technologies, Roche, Affymetrix, Agilent Technologies and Helicos BioSciences.

Experts say the “holy grail” for such firms is to be able to decode a person’s entire genetic sequence for $1,000. Diaz-Mochon said the his chemical method would offer a “speedy, cost-efficient alternative” to

existing DNA analysis.

“The market for DNA testing is quickly expanding as it becomes more affordable. Our method could help reach the goal of complete genome analysis in a few hours for less than $1,000,” he said in a commentary about the study, which was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie and funded by Scottish Enterprise. Mark Bradley, who also worked on the study, said the team planned to extend their collaborations with researchers and companies working in DNA “and establish our first commercial operations within the next six months.” — Reuters

Five percent of lung cancers in men are related to jobs NEW YORK: Certain occupations can increase the risk of lung cancer for men with Italian researchers finding five percent of male lung cancers are job related although smoking remains by far the greatest cause of the disease.

Dario Consonni of the Foundation IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan and colleagues found that about 5 percent of lung cancers in men are jobrelated with chemicals and other on-the-job hazards “play a remarkable role” in lung cancer risk.

Their study, published in he American Journal of Epidemiology, looked at the link between lung cancer and jobs either known or suspected to increase the risk of the disease in 2,100 people diagnosed with lung cancer and 2,120 healthy individuals matched by age, gender and residence.

For men, about 12 percent had worked in occupations listed as known lung cancer risks, such as mining, metal working, and certain types of construction work.

Men in the occupations deemed risky were 74 percent more likely to have been diagnosed with lung cancer.

The strongest associations were seen for ceramic and pottery jobs and brick manufacturing, as well as for those working in manu-

facturing of non-iron metals. The same percentage of cancer patients and healthy individualsabout one in five-worked in the occupations suspected to be associated with lung cancer, indicating no overall increased risk.

But the researchers did find a “marked elevated risk” for gas station attendants, and for people working in leather tanneries, glass workers, and welders, although these were based on a small number of people.

Among the 385 women included in the study, just three of the cancer patients and two of the healthy individuals worked in occupations known to be associated with lung cancer.

This translated to a four-fold increased cancer risk, but because such a small number of women were exposed, this figure was “imprecise,” the researchers noted.

They did find “suggestive” increases in cancer risk for female launderers and dry cleaners. “The findings of this study confirm the need for continuous monitoring and improved control of work-related exposures both for prevention and workers’ compensation purposes,” the researchers concluded. — Reuters

SAN DIEGO: In this image released by the San Diego Zoo February 14, 2010 shows the newest pachyderm at the San Diego Zooís Wild Animal Park was welcomed into the African elephant herd shortly after birth on February 14, 2010 morning. The baby elephant, a boy, was born in the early hours of the morning to an experienced mom and is doing well. The newest arrival, who has yet to be named, was born to a herd of elephants who were brought to the Wild Animal Park in 2003 in order to keep them from being culled in Swaziland due to overpopulation. — AFP

Debate over GM eggplant consumes India MUMBAI: The purple eggplant that Indian shopper Tanuja Krishnan picks out at a Mumbai market stall every week is an unlikely protagonist in a raging debate about whether genetically modified foods should be introduced into India. A genetically modified version of eggplant, a staple in fiery curries, was slated to be the first GM food introduced into India in a bid to stabilize food prices and mitigate some of the effects of climate change on Indian food crop yields.

Yet, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh blocked the release of the vegetable until further notice following an outcry by environmentalists and some farmers. The opposition to GM foods was so heated that some protesters burnt effigies. Ramesh said there was not enough public trust to support the introduction of such crops into India’s food supply until more research was done to remove all doubts that GM foods were safe for consumption. But while those from the camp that opposed GM foods are celebrating, there are concerns that rising food prices will be a major problem for Indian policymakers in the future unless the country starts embracing genetically-modified food crops.

“This is bad for the country’s agricultural and biotechnology future. Our scientists have lost their credibility, companies will be unwilling to invest more money, and it will take us a long time to pick up the pieces again,” said C Kameshwar Rao, an official at the Foundation for Biotechnology Awareness & Education, a GM advocacy institute.

“Scientists can’t win a shouting match with politicians.” India’s farm sector has changed very little since the advent of the Green Revolution with crop yields failing to keep up with soaring population growth and rising incomes. At the same time, damage to crops from pests and disease have worsened due to rising temperatures from climate change.

Hybrids Known as Bt brinjal, the Indian word for aubergine, the GM vegetable is able to resist some pests responsible for devastating crops across India thanks to a gene from soil bacteria called ‘bacillus thuringniensis’ (Bt). The thought of eating a genetic hybrid has made consumers such as Krishnan wary. “I would try it to see if it tastes any different, if it has fewer pests, but I think I would prefer organic brinjal just to be safe,” she said. The moratorium against the release of the GM eggplant followed harsh criticism by environmentalists and farmers who demanded rigorous testing and labeling standards before Bt brinjal was cultivated.

“Stringent monitoring measures should be immediately put in place to ensure that no releases of GM crops happens,” said Rajesh

Krishnan, a manager for sustainable agriculture at Greenpeace India. India’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) opened the way for the commercial cultivation of Bt brinjal last October, seven years after approving Bt cotton, which is now grown on more than 80 percent of total cotton area.

Thanks to genetically modified cotton, India has become the world’s second largest cotton producer and exporter after China, with about 5 million farmers growing Bt cotton.

“Our experience with Bt cotton has showed the technology has benefited the farmer, the consumer and the states’ economies,” said Bhagirath Choudhary, head of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) in Delhi. “We have a solid case in Bt cotton, with higher yields, double the output and less use of insecticide. But the technology is so sophisticated, the general public is ignorant about it.” India is among the top biotech crop growing countries, trailing only Argentina, Brazil and the United States.

No other option India is the world’s second largest producer of eggplant after China and the vegetable is also used in traditional medicine to treat diabetes and hypertension. About 1.4 million farmers grow eggplant, which is very susceptible to pest attacks. Farmers tend to spray the crop with pesticides 30-50 times during a crop cycle. “The brinjal we eat now is more harmful because of the pesticide residue,” said Raju Shetty, a farmer leader in western Maharashtra state and a member of parliament. He supported Bt brinjal because he said “it will cut the cost of pesticide and boost yields. That’s what farmers are seeking”.

Even though the GM seeds for the vegetable would likely cost three times the price and farmers would need to purchase seeds for every sowing rather than reusing crop seeds, proponents say the extra expenses would be compensated by lower pesticide costs and less devastating crop loses. Expanding India’s food supply is crucial in a country of one billion people, with predictions the population might reach 1.4 billion by 2025.

The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization has said food production will need to double by mid-century to meet demand from a growing world population, prompting calls for a second Green Revolution. But Greenpeace maintains GM crops are a costly distraction from tackling hunger through fighting poverty and helping small holders in developing countries sell their products. A combination of changing diets, a growing population, demand for farmland for industrialization and high energy prices have stoked food prices globally,

including in India, where the food price index rose 17.56 percent in the 12 months to Jan 23.

India is also battling with lower crop yields and more pests and plant disease because of higher temperatures, raising concerns that India’s farm output could lag demand and the world’s second most populous country will become a large food importer unless crop yields jump. Some economists and scientists in India favor a raft of policy initiatives, including genetic engineering, to improve yields and increase resistance to pests, disease and drought. “You have a large population that’s growing in affluence, but our resources-land, water, cheap labor-are all shrinking, so we have to increase output quickly and efficiently,” said Gyanendra Shukla, director of Monsanto India Ltd. “I don’t see any other option but GM crops.” Since Monsanto launched the world’s first GM crop in 1996, more than 25 countries have taken to biotech crops including soybean, corn, tomato, squash, papaya and sugarbeet. Bt brinjal was developed by Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co (Mahyco) under license from Monsanto, and estimates show economic benefits from higher yields could top $400 million a year.

GEAC has also approved studies of GM okra, tomato and rice, but opponents say GM should be a last resort. “You can’t simply abandon all other solutions, including organic farming, to focus just on biotechnology when the testing, labeling and enforcement standards are so inadequate,” said Kushal Yadav, an official at the Centre for Science and Environment.

No panacea Aside from health and safety concerns, critics worry that the widespread use of GM crops will put India’s food supply largely in the hands of a few giant corporations that make the seeds. There is also the possibility of genetic contamination if the Bt genes cross pollinate with other varieties. A recent report

by US health and environment protection groups said that rather than reduce the use of pesticides, genetically engineered crops had actually prompted increased use of these chemicals, caused an epidemic of herbicideresistant weeds and resulted in more chemical residues in foods.

A backlash against the technology also appears to be growing globally, with consumer resistance to what British tabloids have dubbed “Frankenfood” taking root.

Even advocates in India admit genetically modified crops are no magic bullet. “Bt can’t be the panacea for all the problems in Indian agriculture. But if we miss this, we miss the chance to usher in a new technology, see how it can help us,” Choudhary said. — Reuters

Poor fit explains why men refuse condoms WASHINGTON: Condoms that do not fit right could break and may reduce sexual pleasure for both partners, suggesting reasons why men and women often fail to use them, researchers reported on Monday. The study has implications for countries trying to encourage people to use condoms to reduce the risk of AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy, the researchers reported in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. “Men and their female sex partners may benefit from public health efforts designed to promote the improved fit of condoms,” Dr Richard Crosby of the University of Kentucky and Dr Bill Yarber of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction in Indiana wrote.

They surveyed 436 men aged 18 to 67 for their study. Nearly half — 45 percent-said they had used a badly fitting condom during the previous three months. These men were more than 2 1/2 times as likely to say the condom broke or slipped when they used it. They also often reported it was irritating to wear. The men who wore poorly fitting condoms were twice as likely to say that using one reduced sexual pleasure for themselves and their partners.

The findings may make some people giggle, but the researchers said the implications were serious.

Men will often not buy condoms sized “small” or even “medium,” they said. “Moreover, the increased likelihood that men using ill-fitting condoms will remove condoms before sex ends constitutes another form of condom failure. —Reuters

Diabetes drug metformin smells like fish, doctors find WASHINGTON: The commonly used diabetes drug metformin stinks, literally, and this may explain why many patients stop taking it, US doctors reported on Monday.

The drug smells like fish or dirty socks to some people and this could account for the well-known side effects of the drug, which can make people nauseated, they said. But the problem could be solved by coating the pills so they do not smell or release the odor into the stomach, where it can be burped up, they wrote in a letter to the Annals of Internal Medicine.

“We wonder why this reaction to metformin has not been previously reported,” Dr Allen Pelletier of the Medical College of Georgia and colleagues wrote in a letter to the journal. “Patients may report that metformin nauseates them but do not further elaborate or distinguish this as a visceral reaction to the smell of the medication.”

They described two cases in detail.

The first had taken brand-name metformin (Glucophage, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb) for several years before being switched to an immediate release, generic version of metformin, which he refused to take. “He reported that it smelled like ‘dead fish’ and nauseated him,” they wrote. An extended release generic version, coated to make it dissolve more slowly, solved the problem.

A second man refused to ever take metformin again, even coated formulations, they said. “Our cases show that the distinctive odor of metformin (independent of other, well-known gastrointestinal adverse effects of the medication) causes patients to stop taking the drug,” they wrote. Doctors may simply think patients are having the other side-effects such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, flatulence, distention and abdominal pain, but the smell could make patients feel ill, Pelletier and colleagues said.

“Although reaction to the odor of metformin has not been reported in the medical literature, hundreds of postings to message boards on the Internet note the peculiar odor of the drug, which is also well known to pharmacists,” they added. “Trial of a filmcoated, extended-release formulation may be a reasonable approach in such cases,” they said. Doctors often struggle to persuade patients to take their diabetes drugs as directed and this could be one easy fix, they said. — Reuters

Quarter of stroke patients die within a year: Study WASHINGTON: One in four people who have a stroke will likely die within one year from any cause and 8 percent who have a stroke will have another one soon, US researchers said on Monday. The risks were higher for African-Americans compared to whites and increased with age and the number of other ailments stroke patients had, the researchers wrote in the journal Neurology. Dr Wuwei Feng of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and colleagues studied records of 10,399 hospital patients in the state who had a stroke in 2002.

The average age of the patients was 69. Feng’s team found that 25 percent of people who had a stroke died within a year and 8 percent had another stroke within a year. They said 50 percent either died or had another stroke or a heart attack within four years. The risk of heart attack jumped by 14 percent for every 10-year increase in age, and blacks were 16 percent more likely to have another stroke than whites, the study found.

“We tried to quantify the short-term and long-term risk of recurrent stroke, heart attack and deaths after initial stroke in the whole state,” Feng said in a telephone interview. He said they are not sure of the underlying reasons behind the high risks in South Carolina, in the heart

of the US “stroke belt”-a dozen states in the southeast with high stroke rates, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But he said the study was large enough and comprehensive enough for the results to apply to the United States as a whole, and he said the study supports other, smaller studies done elsewhere. A stroke occurs when a clot blocks the blood supply to the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, smoking and a prior stroke are the biggest risk factors for stroke, the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the CDC. “The findings suggest that South Carolina, and possibly other parts of the United States, probably have a long way to go in terms of preventing or reducing the risk factors for recurrent strokes,” Feng said. Feng said a neurological evaluation, proper medication and taking drugs as prescribed can help. But he said more study is needed to come up with an effective approach for preventing stroke. Stroke will cost the United States about $74 billion in 2010, including the cost of healthcare services, drugs and lost productivity, the CDC estimates. — Reuters

CALIFORNIA: A honey bee works on a flower blossom with pollen sacks attached to its legs, off of Airport Way south of French Camp on Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. — AP

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

30

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

US Embassy holds ‘Coffee with Commerce’ event he Commercial Section at the US Embassy held its business networking event “Coffee with Commerce”, at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Wednesday, Feb 10, 2010.

This event, hosted four times a year by the Commercial Section, was organized in an effort to strengthen business relations between corporate firms in Kuwait and the US. The breakfast gathering also played an active part in furthering bilateral trade between both countries. Kuwait and US have witnessed a healthy trade relationship so far, with trade figures totaling between U.S $7 and 10 billion in 2008 and 2009.

The US Ambassador to Kuwait Deborah K Jones

T

attended the event and met with members of the press as well as executives from different companies present at the gathering. Also in attendance were representatives from established firms such as GE, Abar Solutions, Raithe Engineering, Fasttelco and Gulf Advance Trading Company. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a renowned coffee concept with over 750 locations in 22 countries, was introduced to Kuwait in 2004

by Al-Ghunaim Trading Company Ltd. Known for its relaxed atmosphere, unique coffee and loose leaf tea concoctions and warm ambience, it provided the perfect backdrop for a breakfast gathering of leading corporate personalities in Kuwait.

Embassy information EMBASSY OF UKRAINE The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait informs that it has started updating the information about Ukrainian citizens, who live and work in Kuwait. In this connection, we are asking you to refer to the Embassy and update your file in consular register in order not to be excluded from it.

Please note, that the last day of updating your data is 20th of March, 2010. For additional information please call: 25318507 ext.106 or visit the embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait (address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str.6, house 5). The consular section of the Embassy open every day from 09:30 till 14:30 except Friday and Saturday.

Deborah K Jones with Operations Manager of CBTL Wissam Hassanie, Khaled Al-Ghunaim, and CBTL staff.

Rajwarah Jewelers shine at the 8th Gold and Jewelry Exhibition nticing designer collections showcased at Mishref Fairgrounds Thomas Gray, the English poet, knew a thing or two about cats, fish, women and gold; well, perhaps not in that order. But he did coin the lines: What female heart can gold despise?

What cat’s averse to fish? So, what’s Thomas Gray got to do with the 8th Gold and Jewelry Exhibition being held at the Mishref Fairgrounds? Nothing, other than that the verse came to mind when Renu Sharma, Director, Rajwarah Jewelers of India, reiterated something along the same lines, when we spoke to her on the sidelines of the exhibition. “Women in Kuwait are no different from women in India, or anywhere else for that matter, when it comes to a love for fine gold and diamond jewelry,” said Sharma. And, exquisite gold and diamond jewelry and enticing designer collections are just some of the multitude of glitters that Rajwarah Jewelry is exhibiting in booth 28 and 29 at the Mishref Fairgrounds from the February 15-21.

“Indian jewelry has come of age, today it is on par, if not better, than jewelry designed in Italy, Thailand or anywhere else. The fact that India is the world’s largest market for gold jewelry and accounts for almost 96 percent of all the diamonds that are cut and polished in the world, says a lot about the craftsmanship of Indian artisans,” ,” said Sharma who is among the leading jewelry designers in India. “At Rajwarah Jewelers, our expertise is in handcrafting exclusive and exquisite traditional and contemporary ‘wearable’ jewelry. By wearable, I mean jewelry that women can wear regularly, rather than leave stashed away in bank lockers. As more and more women enter the workforce, the trend today is to own jewelry that they can wear to work, as well as to social gatherings; something unique, elegant and tastefully designed. At Rajwarah, we speak the same jewelry language, with 80 percent

E

of our jewelry handcrafted, we cater to this demand offering a wide range of superb gold and diamond jewelry,” added Sharma.

For the last two decades, Rajwarah Jewelers have been showcasing Indian Fine Jewelry around the world. Though they have quite a strong presence in UAE and exhibit regularly in the US, UK, Brazil and other countries, this is only their second visit to Kuwait, having come here for the first time at last year’s Mishref exhibition.

Elaborating on this, Sharma said, “The enthusiastic response we received for our jewelry collection at last year’s show is

what encouraged us to return this year with an even larger collection. In addition to our range of 18 and 22Kt gold and diamond jewelry, alluring studded and Kundan Polki jewelry and beguiling solitaires, this year’s selection also includes several designs based on Mughal period jewelry, which is quite popular in this part of the world. This year we have also included a large range of men’s jewelry items, including rings, bracelets, cufflinks and other enticing pieces as well as pieces specially designed to fascinate kids.”

Rajwarah, which means princely realm,

Sahara Kuwait Resort helps Haiti victims aiti was stricken by a devastating earthquake wherein countless lives were lost. This incident affected the feelings of the team of Sahara Kuwait Resort, which led to the decision of donating from their income to support people giving help to Haiti as compassion. Although Kuwait is far from Haiti, this does not stop the team from showing sympathy and concern to the Haiti people. General Manager of Sahara Kuwait Resort, Hassan Bayerli, visited Dr Salah Bourjini, United Nations Resident Co-ordinator in the State of Kuwait and handed over to him the collected donation. Dr Bourjini commended this humanitarian act.

and their exclusive luxury brand Shimmer, which highlights their bridal jewelry and jewelry for special occasions, have become eponymous for exquisite and fine Indian jewelry. With obvious reasons to feel proud of her creations, Sharma added, “Our brand is known and appreciated for its quality, distinctive designs and value as well as for the expertise, trust and professionalism of our craftspeople. The skill of our artificers ensures that each distinctively designed piece of jewelry draws out the brilliance and scintillation of the gems. Using the best quality diamonds and gems, each item

NAFO to bid farewell to outgoing students

Kuwait Chopin Competition invites entries ntries are now being accepted for the fifth Kuwait Chopin Competition which is part of the first Gulf International Chopin Competition for pianists in the Gulf region. It is already taking place in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Oman and Qatar. The Kuwait leg will be held on March 12 and 13 and all application forms should be completed by March 1. There are four groups: Under 8, Under 12, Under 16 and Over 16. Full details of registration and the rules of the competition can be found at www.kuwaitcp; treasureoftalents@yahoo.com. The event is being organized by Kuwait Chamber Philharmonia, Embassy of Poland, Treasure of Talents , Radisson BLU Hotel and is honored to have HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as a patron. Completed application forms and fees can be returned to Radisson Blu Hotel or The British School of Kuwait in Salwa.

E

H

Jalsa-e-Seerat to be held ndian Muslim Association Kuwait in co-operation with Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs cordially invite you to attend Jalsa-e-Seerat tomorrow after Isha prayer (7:45) at Masjid Yousef Al-Adsani (beside Souq Al-Watiya, opposite Hotel

I

Sheraton, Malliya, Kuwait City).

Athar Ali Khan, President of Islamic Education, Kuwait will preside over the function. Dinner will be served at the end of the program. Separate seating arrangements will be made for ladies at the Musallah Nisah.

in our designer collection is hallmarked for purity, giving customers assurance of guaranteed purity at the most competitive prices.”

A leading woman entrepreneur, Renu Sharma is not only a successful business person but also a dedicated social activist engaged in promoting village industries and working closely with local artisans to help revive India’s hand-crafted jewelry heritage. Pursuing ethical business policies and the highest environmental standards, green initiatives and fair-trade practices, which ensure only conflict-free diamonds are used in all their jewelry, Rajwarah Jewelers have gained recognition for their business and social acumen. In a vindication of their adherence to the highest standards, they were recently commissioned to design and produce gold and silver medallions as well as striking souvenirs for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Operating out of the nation’s capital with showrooms and outlets sited across prime locations, Rajwarah Jewelers are associated as general sales representatives with HHEC (Handicrafts and Handlooms Exports Corporation of India Limited) and are franchisees for a wide range of gold and silver medallions and silverware, under the Sanchi brand name, for MMTC (Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation Limited), a Government of India undertaking and the country’s largest bullion trader. And bullion is big in India, it is estimated that over 15,000 tons of the yellow metal are held privately in the country. Often seen as a form of investment and social security hedge for the millions who arduously save to secure it, India is the world’s largest importer accounting for over 20 percent of global demand, or around 800 tons in 2009 - with sales reaching phenomenal levels during wedding seasons and religious festivals.

n order to acknowledge the tremendous social and cultural contributions of outgoing students of NAFO, a family get-together is being hosted

by NAFO, on February 19, at 10am, at Indian Community Junior School, Salmiya. All NAFO members and their families are kindly invited and requested to attend and bless the outgoing students. A delicious lunch will also be honorably served. Your gracious presence will be highly appreciated.

I

Fine Arts Handicraft Creativity Society holds expo or all lovers of art and refined taste, and in appreciation of nimble fingers, the Fine Arts Handicraft Creativity Society is delighted to invite you to attend its first public exhibition of Drawing, Embroidery, Tailoring and Egg Drawing, which will be held at the house of the famous historian and astronomer, Dr Adel Al-Saadoun at Fintas, Block 4, Street 9, House 21 on Saturday, February 20, 2010.

The exhibition will be held for one day only from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.

F

Aware organizes Arabian Desert Camp before.

very year during the winter, the desert beckons us to come and enjoy. This year, we journey south to the AWARE Arabian Desert camp for an all-day, outdoor experience including: Camel rides, sporting competitions (See details below), hot Buffet lunch, and Arabian cultural displays. Families and children are welcome. 10 KD adults; 5 KD children (5-10yrs) for a memorable day in the desert amongst friends. Visit AWARE to purchase your tickets or contact us for delivery of 10 or more tickets Surra, Block 3, Surra Street, Villa 84 ñ Telephone: 25335260/80 Fax: 2-5335230 email: info@aware.com.kw http://www.aware.com.k.w

E

Tug-o-war By pulling on a rope two teams compete against each other in a test of strength. Great fun for all ages and fitness levels.

Nordic walking Due to the specially designed poles this powerful way of walking provides you with a whole body workout. A Nordic Walking instructor will take out-door lovers for a tour around the camp.

Gymstick Gymstick is an innovative fitness tool that combines stickand resistance band exercise into one effective workout.

Challenge your strength, endurance, and balance with those effective fun-moves.

Aware desert out-door activities for February 20, 2010: Boulder climbing Bouldering is a kind of climbing that uses short, technical moves close to the ground. Kids and teens can challenge their strength, endurance, agility, and balance at the boulder climbing wall mounted on the side of the FIT4FUN ON TOUR Truck ña memorable fun adven-

ture for those 5-12 years old.

Sportwall Run up, play in teams, compete and get ready to strike the illuminated light pads on the Sportwall board.

Your body is the joy-stick. Agility, speed, and coordination play for you to score the highest points. With the Sportwall youíll challenge your cardiovascular fitness, reaction, and agility and youíll have fun at the same time! You’ve never experienced anything like this

Volleyball/Soccer Join us for a game of soccer or volleyball ñ invite your friends or make new friends at the camp. There is nothing more fun than chasing after a ball.

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. ter or call: 25318507 ext.106 EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India has further revamped and improved its Legal Advice Clinic at the Indian Workers Welfare Center, and made the free service available to Indian nationals on all five working days, i.e. from Sunday to Thursday every week. Kuwaiti lawyers would be available at the Legal Advice Clinic daily from Monday to Thursday, while Indian lawyers would be available on Sundays. Following are the free welfare services provided at the Indian Workers Welfare Center located at the Embassy of India: [i] 24x7 Helpline for Domestic Workers: Accessible by toll free telephone no. 25674163 from anywhere in Kuwait, it provides information and advice exclusively to Indian domestic sector workers (Visa No. 20) as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. [ii] Help Desk: It offers guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal, and other issues (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iii) Labour Complaints Desk: It registers labor complaints and provides grievance redressal service to Indian workers (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iv) Shelters: For female and male domestic workers in distress; (v) Legal Advice Clinic: Provides free legal advice to Indian nationals (Embassy premises; Kuwaiti lawyers 3 PM to 5 PM, Monday to Thursday; Indian lawyers 2 PM to 4 PM on Sunday); and (vi) Attestation of Work Contracts: Private sector worker (Visa No. 18) contracts are accepted at the Embassy; 9 AM to 1 PM; Sunday to Thursday; Domestic sector worker (Visa No. 20) contracts are accepted at Kuwait Union of Domestic Labor Offices (KUDLO), Hawally, Al-Othman Street, Kurd Roundabout, 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

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Announcements FEBRUARY 19 Indian Lawyers Forum: Indian Lawyers forum, (ILF) the Association of Indian Lawyers & Law Graduates in Kuwait planning to conduct its annual programme & get together on 19-02-2010 Friday evening 6 pm at Hidine Restaurant Auditorium (Tel: 24312505) at Abassiya. Professional presentation, orchestra & variety entertainments arranged. All Indian lawyers & Law graduates with their families are cordially invited to attend the functions. For more information please contact. 97203939, 97260159 email: advpanicker@gmail.com FEBRUARY 26 IOC fest ’09 winners: Indian Overseas Congress, Kuwait is conducting its 16th Annual day celebrations on Friday, 26th February 2010 at Indian Central School Auditorium, Abbassiya. Various Senior Congress leaders from Kerala including K.C Joseph MLA, E.M Augasthy Ex. MLA, V.D Satheeshan MLA will be attending the function. IOC as an organisation of equally minded people from India, have been anchored with a vision of imparting the spirit of economically prosperous, socialy just, politically united and culturally Harmonious India to the expatriate Indian Community.

The uncomparable public speeches of V.D Satheeshan, E.M. Augusthy and KC Joseph will be memorable talks to the Congressmen in Kuwait.

Since few years LOC is conducting Arts festival for all the Indians in Kuwait. More than one thousand participants from all States of India are participating in various competitions organised. every year. The winners of IOC Fest ‘09 will be awarded with prizes and certificates at the function.

Various committees under the leadership of M.A Hilal, Somu Mathew Geevarghese Abraham, Raju Zakarias, K.J. John, John Abraham, Tony Mathew, Adv. John Thomas, C. Ramachandran, Thajudeen, Alex Bino Joseph, Varghese Mamparampan, Shaji Kavalam, are actively working to make this a memorable event among the Indians in Kuwait. IOC requests all the IOC Fest ‘09 winners to contact Tony Mathew (66853100) or Raju Zakarias (99234968).

MARCH 26 CRYcket 2010: The 13th annual crycket tournament is scheduled to be held on Friday, 26th March 2010 at the KOC Hockey Grounds, Ahmadi. This tournament is organized by FOCC (Friends of Cry Club).

Friends of CRY Club (FOCC) is associated with CRY (Child Rights and You), India and its main objectives are to create awareness of the underprivileged Indian children, help restore their basic rights, strive to provide support in personal development of the Indian children in Kuwait and bring out the qualities of social commitment in them.

FOCC has been organizing CRY awareness programmes for children through its two annual events - CRYcket (Cricket match for children below 14 years organized annually since 1997) and CRY chess tournament (for children of all ages organized annually since 2005) - and ‘Brain Bang’ programme which is an ongoing bi-weekly Accelerated Learning activity. CRYcket will be played by 24 teams of children and about 500 spectators are expected for this special one-day event. The deadline to receive the registration forms is 18th March 2010, however registration may be close earlier if the available slots of 12 teams in each category are filled. A colourful souvenir will be released to mark the 13th year of FOCC’s activities in Kuwait. For details how to become a sponsor and/or to advertise in the Souvenir or to volunteer as a FOCC member, pls visit www.focckwt.org or email focckwt@yahoo.com April 16 Friends of Kannur holds drama competition: Friends of Kannur Expatriates Association (FOKE) is arranging a drama competition for their forthcoming fifth anniversary celebration. Competition will be held on April 16th at Daiya Auditorium.

Applications are invited from all art lovers in Kuwait to participate in this drama competition. Drama should be in Malayalam language and should be less than 40 minutes duration.

All those who wish to participate in this competition are requested to submit their application along with a copy of their script before February 15th 2010. For further details you may contact 65071434, 99860832.

Lofat Juniors tackles obesity in kids t is no secret that the scourge of obesity among Kuwait youth, especially amongst the adolescent sector, has reached alarmingly shocking proportions with recent surveys indicating that over 40 percent of Kuwaiti youth are overwhelmingly overweight. It has also been discovered that a great number of them, due to their poor eating habits are also afflicted with several, serious medical conditions such as Diabetes Type 2, the prevalence of which is swelling by the day in the country.

After carefully contemplating the seriousness of the situation and the dangers of inaction towards the issue, Lofat Group, a leading diet center in Kuwait, has decided to establish a ground-breaking, novel concept called Lofat Juniors for the first time in the country. Lofat Juniors is designed and caters to Kuwaiti children and adolescents, and aims to provide

I

them with delicious, nutritious, pre-packaged meals to help them tackle obesity, fight disease, improve the quality of their lives and enhance their overall physical and mental well-being, not to mention their self-esteem and the way they perceive themselves.

Lofat Juniors places great emphasis on encouraging its clientele to augment their consumption of fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and healthy oils, while at the same time pushing them to reduce their intake of unhealthy foods such as white sugars, harmful fats and junk food, especially the ‘fast food’ kind. According to Amal Lahalih, Operations Manager, “Today’s children are tomorrow’s adults. By teaching them better eating habits now, we ensure that they will lead a prosperous and healthy lifestyle for the future”.

Bangladesh ambassador hosts dinner reception Ambassador Sayid Shahid Reza gave a dinner reception Saturday evening at his house in honor of Lt General ITM Shaheed Al-Islam head of the Bangladesh military delegation visiting Kuwait on an official visit. The dinner was attended by a number of Kuwaiti military personnel and Bangladeshi officers working in the Bangladeshi Brigade in Kuwait.

Bangladesh

The Bangladesh ambassador’s wife is seen with other distinguished guests.

Picture shows Shaheed Al-Islam and the Bangladesh ambassador with a host of other important officials.

Radisson Blu Hotel participates in charitable campaign

s a responsible business initiative, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Kuwait team participated in a Ball-pen collection campaign. The Ball-pens were then sent to Africa to: PENS FOR KIDS - A volunteer-based project to support the poor children of Africa with pens - thus removing one of the hurdles on their way to an education - the cost of a pen! Africa, where people are in need, there are lot of things we can do to help them improve their quality of life and chance of getting an education. For more info please visit www.pensforkids.dk

A

Regency Hotel sponsors ‘Religious Nights’ of Layali February

ESF Sports Day begins ommencing this week, The English School Fahaheel will hold a series of Sports Days for Kindergarten, Reception, Lower, Middle and Upper School students respectively.

Today Middle and Upper school students will take part in a Sports Day at Al-Sahel Stadium.

C

Cinemagic’s schedule

Enjoy Seafood nights at La Brasserie 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.

31

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

*Saturday, February 20 Requiem For A Dream, USA 2000 Director: Darren Aronofsky Genre: Adventure | Mystery | 102 min | English Subtitle Rated: 18 Drugs. They consume mind, body and soul. Once you’re hooked, you’re hooked. Four lives. Four addicts. Four failures. Doing their best to succeed in the world, but failing miserably, four people get hooked on various drugs. Despite their aspirations of greatness, they succumb to their addictions. Watching the addicts spiral out of control, we bear witness to the dirtiest, ugliest portions of the underworld addicts reside in. It is shocking and eye opening but demands to be seen by both addicts and non-addicts alike.

T

■■■■■■■

ayali February Festival, the local celebrity and long awaited annual event, succeeded to attract and invite an elite group of the Arab world Muslim preachers to take part in a number of religious seminars targeting to strengthen faith in the heart of believers. To this end, The Regency Hotel prides itself in hosting these distinguished

L

and most renowned preachers in the Arab world including Sheikh Amr Khaled , Sheikh Mohamad Hussein Ya’qoub and Sheikh Mohamad Ratib Al-Nabulsi. The honorable preachers expressed their content and praised the Regency as the first hotel to offer hospitality services in compliance with Islamic Shari’ah principles. The Regency

hotel is honored to be selected and named “Official Sponsor” of Layali February Religious Nights. The Regency Hotel feels proud and shows great concern in providing excellent services to all guests, notably the Islamic dignitaries. Services are in line with familiar Arab legacy and traditions of authentic hospitality.

*Thursday, February 25 Corpse Bride, USA 2005 Director: Tim Burton Genre: Animation | Drama | 80 min | English Subtitle Rated: PG 13 Set back in the late 1800s in a Victorian village, a man and woman by the names of Victor Van Dort and Victoria Everglot are betrothed because the Everglots need the money or else they’ll be living on the streets and the Van Dorts want to be hight in society.

But when things go wrong at the wedding rehearsal, Victor goes into the woods to practice his vows. Just as soon as he gets them right, he finds himself married to Emily, the corpse bride. While Victoria waits on the other side, there’s a rich newcomer that may take Victor’s place. So two brides, one groom, who will Victor pick?

TV PROGRAMS

32

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Orbit / Showtime Listings

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

00:50 01:45 02:40 03:35 04:30 05:25 06:20 06:45 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:45 10:10 10:40 11:05 11:55 12:50 13:15 13:45 14:10 14:40 15:35 16:00 16:30 16:55 17:25 17:50 18:20 19:15 20:10 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:55

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 21:30 21:50 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15

Doctor Who Life on Mars Knight Rider Dawsons Creek Life on Mars One Tree Hill Heroes Doctor Who Inside the Actors Studio Flash Forward Knight Rider Dawsons Creek Heroes One Tree Hill Knight Rider Life on Mars Inside the Actors Studio Flash Forward Doctor Who Heroes Lie to Me Law & Order One Tree Hill Rescue Me

Animal Cops Phoenix Daniel and Our Cats Untamed & Uncut K9 Cops Animal Cops Philadelphia Animal Cops Phoenix Lemur Street Monkey Business RSPCA: On the Frontline Vet on the Loose Wildlife SOS Pet Rescue Animal Precinct The Planet’s Funniest Animals The Planet’s Funniest Animals RSPCA: On the Frontline Animal Cops Phoenix Corwin’s Quest Specials Wildlife SOS Pet Rescue The Planet’s Funniest Animals The Planet’s Funniest Animals Daniel and Our Cats Lemur Street Monkey Business Pet Rescue Vet on the Loose Wildlife SOS RSPCA: On the Frontline Animal Cops Philadelphia Galapagos Amba The Russian Tiger Animal Cops Phoenix Untamed & Uncut Galapagos Animal Cops Philadelphia

01:25 Coast 02:25 The Ship 03:15 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2 part version) 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 Terry Jones’ Barbarians 13:15 The Weakest Link 14:00 Eastenders 14:30 Doctors 15:00 Bargain Hunt 15:45 Cash In The Attic 16:15 Blackadder Goes Forth 16:45 Blackadder Goes Forth 17:15 The Weakest Link 18:00 Doctors 18:30 Eastenders 19:00 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2 part version) 20:00 Antiques Roadshow 21:00 The Weakest Link 21:45 Doctors 22:15 Eastenders 22:45 Goldplated 23:45 Casualty

00:05 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 00:30 Masterchef Goes Large 01:00 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 03:30 New British Kitchen 04:00 The Naked Chef 04:30 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 05:15 Cash In The Attic Usa 05:45 Hidden Potential 06:10 Living In The Sun 07:00 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 10:30 Rhodes Across India

Mr. Brooks on Show Movies 11:30 Living In The Sun 12:20 Antiques Roadshow 13:10 10 Years Younger 14:00 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 14:45 Rhodes Across India 15:40 Daily Cooks Challenge 16:05 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 20:10 Daily Cooks Challenge 20:40 Masterchef Goes Large 21:05 Come Dine With Me 21:35 Come Dine With Me 22:00 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 22:50 The Clothes Show 23:40 The Naked Chef

01:00 03:15 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 12:45 14:45 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:00

The Golden Bowl - PG 15 Trainspotting - R Her Name Is Carla - 18 Under The Same Moon - PG Mean Creek - PG 15 Imaginary Heroes - PG 15 Quand J’etais Chanteur - PG 15 Class Action - PG 15 Macarthur - PG Escape To Victory - PG The Juror - 18 Coeurs - PG

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:55 03:50 04:45 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:55 08:50 09:45 10:10 11:05 12:00 12:30 12:55 13:25 13:50 14:15 15:10 16:05 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00

Untamed & Uncut Miami Ink Street Customs American Chopper The Kustomizer Mythbusters How Stuff Works Ultimate Survival Extreme Engineering The Kustomizer Street Customs How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Destroyed in Seconds Destroyed in Seconds How Do They Do It? How Stuff Works Fifth Gear American Chopper Miami Ink Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Destroyed in Seconds Destroyed in Seconds Street Customs How Do They Do It? How Does it Work Smash Lab Time Warp Mythbusters

00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 04:05 05:00 05:55 06:20 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:40

Dr G: Medical Examiner Fbi Files A Haunting Deadly Women Undercover Forensic Detectives Real Emergency Calls Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters Ghosthunters Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Fugitive Strike Force Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Solved Real Emergency Calls Royal Inquest

15:30 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:30 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Fugitive Strike Force Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Solved Real Emergency Calls Royal Inquest Murder Shift Serial Killers

00:40 China’s Man Made Marvels 01:30 Download: The True Story of the Internet 02:20 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 03:10 Discovery Project Earth 04:00 Beyond Tomorrow 04:50 Sci-Fi Saved My Life 05:45 How Does That Work?

06:10 Mean Green Machines 06:40 One Step Beyond 07:10 Download: The True Story of the Internet 08:00 Scrapheap Challenge 09:00 Sci-Fi Saved My Life 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 Sci-Fi Saved My Life 14:35 Sci-Trek 15:30 Engineered 16:25 How Does That Work?

16:55 Scrapheap Challenge 17:50 Brainiac 18:45 China’s Man Made Marvels 19:40 How It’s Made 20:05 How It’s Made 20:30 What’s That About?

21:20 How It’s Made 21:45 How It’s Made 22:10 Mythbusters 23:00 How It’s Made 23:25 How It’s Made 23:50 What’s That About?

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 NEW EPISODES 03:10 Special Agent Oso 03:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 04:00 Fairly Odd Parents 04:25 Hannah Montana 04:45 I Got A Rocket 05:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place 05:35 Phineas & Ferb 06:00 Higglytown Heroes 06:10 My Friends Tigger and Pooh 06:35 Handy Manny 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:20 IMAGINATION MOVERS 07:45 Lazytown 08:10 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 08:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:00 HANDY MANNY NEW EPISODES 09:25 Special Agent Oso 09:45 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 10:10 Fairly Odd Parents 10:35 Hannah Montana 11:00 I Got A Rocket 11:25 Wizards Of Waverly Place 11:45 Phineas & Ferb 12:10 Suite Life On Deck 12:35 Replacements 12:55 American Dragon 13:20 Kim Possible 13:40 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 Suite Life of Zack & Cody The Replacements American Dragon Kim Possible Famous Five Fairly Odd Parents

00:15 Streets Of Hollywood 00:40 E!es 01:30 25 Most Stylish 02:20 Sexiest 03:15 40 (more) Crimes Of Fashion 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 11:05 THS 12:00 E! News 12:25 The Daily 10 12:50 Leave It To Lamas 13:15 Leave It To Lamas 13:40 15 Most Shocking Political Sex Scandals 15:25 Behind The Scenes 15:50 Behind The Scenes 16:15 E!es 17:10 Kendra 17:35 Kendra 18:00 E! News 18:25 The Daily 10 18:50 Streets Of Hollywood 19:15 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 19:40 E! Investigates 20:30 E!es 21:20 Perfect Catch

00:00 Chopped 01:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 01:30 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 02:00 Food Network Challenge 03:00 Iron Chef America 04:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 04:30 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 05:00 Teleshopping 05:30 Teleshopping 06:00 Teleshopping 06:30 Teleshopping 07:00 Teleshopping 07:30 Teleshopping 08:00 Giada At Home 08:25 Giada At Home 08:50 Barefoot Contessa 09:15 30 Minute Meals 09:40 30 Minute Meals 10:05 Rescue Chef with Danny Boome 10:30 Rescue Chef with Danny Boome 11:00 Tyler’s Ultimate 11:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 12:00 Barefoot Contessa 12:30 Barefoot Contessa 13:00 Giada At Home 13:30 Giada At Home 14:00 30 Minute Meals 14:30 30 Minute Meals 15:00 Barefoot Contessa 15:30 Barefoot Contessa 16:00 Grill It! with Bobby Flay 16:30 Grill It! with Bobby Flay 17:00 Barefoot Contessa 17:30 Barefoot Contessa 18:00 Tyler’s Ultimate 18:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 19:00 Rescue Chef with Danny Boome 19:30 Rescue Chef with Danny Boome

01:20 03:10 04:45 06:15 07:45 09:20 10:55 12:30 14:10 15:45 17:25 19:00 20:25 22:00

Wisdom Prime Target The Iron Triangle The Setup A Green Journey Parker Kane The Man Inside Defiance Beach Party Man in the Moon Crossplot The King And Four Queens The Happy Hooker Alice’s Restaurant

00:00 Rita Rocks 00:30 Will and Grace 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 The Tonight Show With Conan

OBrien 03:00 Free Radio 03:30 Nutcase 04:00 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 05:00 Rita Rocks 05:30 The Tonight Show With Conan OBrien 06:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 07:00 Home Improvement 07:30 The Simpsons 08:00 Coach 08:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 09:00 The Colbert Report 09:30 Drew Carey Show 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:30 Frasier 11:00 All of us 11:30 Eight Simple Rules 12:00 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 13:00 Will and Grace 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 14:00 Home Improvement 14:30 The Simpsons 15:00 Coach 15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Drew Carey Show 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Frasier 18:00 Eight Simple Rules 18:30 All of us 19:00 Rita Rocks 19:30 10 Things I Hate About You

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00

The Martha Stewart Show 10 Years Younger Eat Your Self Sexy The Ellen Degeneres Show The Monique Show Huey’s Cooking Adventure Fresh The Best of Jay Leno GMA LIVE GMA Health What’s the Buzz The Martha Stewart Show Jimmy Kimmel The View The Ellen Degeneres Show Huey’s Cooking Adventure Fresh The Martha Stewart Show GMA LIVE GMA Health What’s the Buzz Look A Like 10 Years Younger The View The Ellen Degeneres Show Jimmy Kimmel

00:00 Mr. Brooks - 18 02:00 Holly - PG 15 04:00 Perfect Holiday - PG 06:00 The Perfect Child - PG 15 08:00 Sarah Landon And The Paranormal Hour - U 10:00 Chasing The Horizon - PG 15 12:00 Baby Mama - PG 14:00 Before The Rains - U 16:00 Sarah Landon And The Paranormal Hour - U 18:00 Seven Pounds - PG 15 20:00 Ghost Town - PG 15 22:00 Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead - 18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Virtuosity - 18 Last Lullaby - PG 15 Taken By Force - PG 15 Rock Monster - PG 15 Under Seige 2 - PG 15 Midnight Bayou - PG 15 The Collective - PG 15 Under Seige 2 - PG 15 Child’s Play - 18 Eastern Promises - 18 In The Cold Light Of Day Prophecy 5 - 18

00:00 The Great White Hype - PG 15 02:00 I Me Wed - PG 15 04:00 Superhero Movie - PG 15 06:00 Lock And Roll Forever - PG 08:00 Good Burger - PG 15 10:00 Parenthood - PG 15 12:00 Blonde And Blonder - PG 15 14:00 Together Again For The First Time - PG 15 16:00 The Great White Hype - PG 15 18:00 National Lampoon’s: Electric Apricot - PG 15 20:00 Zero Effect - R 22:00 My Cousin Vinny - PG 15

00:00 Yogi’s Great Escape - PG 02:00 Free Willy 3: The Rescue FAM 04:00 Tales Of The River Bank FAM 05:45 Stardust - PG 08:00 The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones - FAM 10:00 Tales Of The River Bank FAM 12:00 Scooby-Doo And The Goblin King - FAM

14:00 Free Willy 3: The Rescue FAM 16:00 Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium - FAM 18:00 How To Eat Fried Worms FAM 20:00 Olsen Twins: Switching Goals - FAM 22:00 Scooby-Doo And The Goblin King - FAM

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30

C.S.I: NY C.S.I: NY Every Body Loves Raymond My Name is Earl Sex and the City Sex and the City C.S.I Ally Mcbeal Emmerdale Coronation Street Every Body Loves Raymond My Name is Earl 24 C.S.I Ally Mcbeal Law & Order Emmerdale Coronation Street Parkinson C.S.I: NY C.S.I: NY Law & Order 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street Law & Order Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice The Murdoch Mysteries Sex and the City Sex and the City

01:00 Premier League 03:00 Premier League 05:00 Barclays Premier League Highlights 06:00 Futbol Mundial 06:30 Premier League Classics 07:00 Portugol 07:30 Futbrasil 08:00 Premier League 10:00 Premier League 12:00 Goals Goals Goals 12:30 Portugol 13:00 Brazilian League Highlights 13:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 14:00 Premier League 16:00 Futbol Mundial 16:30 Goals Goals Goals 17:00 Premier League 19:00 Premier League

01:00 Futbol Mundial 01:30 Super League 03:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 04:00 Super 14 06:00 World Sport 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 07:30 Portuguese Liga 09:30 Barclays Premier League Highlights 10:30 Futbol Mundial 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 Hocky 19:30 European Tour Weekly 20:00 Portugol

03:00 04:00 05:00 07:15 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter Live NCAA Basketball WWE Vintage Collection UAE National Race Day FIM World Cup Rat Race NCAA Basketball Bushido WWE Vintage Collection FIA GT FIM World Cup Rat Race NCAA Basketball NCAA Basketball UFC 110 Countdown UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter

01:00 Flawless - 18 03:00 Franklyn - PG 15 05:00 Barack Obama: The Man And His Journey - PG 07:00 Phoebe In Wonderland - PG 09:00 Dan In Real Life - PG 15 11:00 Son Of The Mask - PG 13:00 From Time To Time - PG 15 15:00 Christmas In Wonderland - PG 17:00 Saving Sarah Cain - PG 15 19:00 Fool’s Gold - PG 15 21:00 Saw V - R 23:00 Choke - R

00:45 Penelope 02:25 The Screening Room 02:50 The Screening Room 03:20 To Have and Have Not 05:00 The Year of Living Dangerously 06:55 The Screening Room 07:25 The Screening Room 08:00 White Heat 09:50 The Alamo 13:15 Forbidden Planet 14:50 Bad Day at Black Rock 16:10 Hearts of the West 17:50 After The Fox

00:40 Battlefield Detectives 01:30 Dogfights 02:20 Cities Of The Underworld 03:10 Deep Sea Detectives 04:00 Hell’s Battlefield 04:55 Secret Russian Aircraft Of World War II 05:50 Battle Stations 06:40 Battlefield Detectives 07:30 Dogfights 08:20 Cities Of The Underworld 09:10 Deep Sea Detectives 10:00 Hell’s Battlefield 10:55 Secret Russian Aircraft Of World War II 11:50 Battle Stations 12:40 Battlefield Detectives 13:30 Dogfights 14:20 Cities Of The Underworld 15:10 Deep Sea Detectives 16:00 Hell’s Battlefield 16:55 Secret Russian Aircraft Of World War II 17:50 Battle Stations 18:40 Battlefield Detectives 19:30 Dogfights 20:20 Cities Of The Underworld 21:10 Deep Sea Detectives

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

Ruby Ruby Tacky House Giuliana And Bill Running In Heels How Do I Look?

Split Ends Dr 90210 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Area How Do I Look?

Style Star Style Her Famous My Celebrity Home Style Star Dress My Nest Peter Perfect Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

Ruby Clean House Clean House Comes Clean Dress My Nest How Do I Look?

Split Ends Dallas Divas And Daughters Dallas Divas And Daughters Running In Heels Split Ends Clean House Dress My Nest

01:00 01:04 01:35 02:00 02:45 05:00 05:04 06:04 08:00 08:04 08:35 09:00 09:14 13:00 13:04 13:50 16:00 16:04 16:35 18:00 18:45 19:00 20:00 20:04 20:35

Code French Only Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Code Focus Playlist Code Hip Hop Us Playlist Code Compilation Playlist Code Urban Hit Playlist Code Sound System Playlist Urban Hit Guest Star Playlist Code RNB Playlist

00:00 Globe Trekker - U 01:00 Angry Planet - U 01:30 The Thirsty Traveler - U 02:00 Flavours Of Mexico - U 02:30 Chef Abroad - U 03:00 Chef Abroad - U 03:30 Essential - U 04:00 Inside Luxury Travel-varun Sharma - U 05:00 Globe Trekker - U 06:00 Swiss Railway Journeys - U 07:00 The Thirsty Traveler - U 07:30 Angry Planet - U 08:00 Globe Trekker - U 09:00 Essential - U 09:30 Rudy Maxa’s World - U 10:00 Distant Shores - U 10:30 Travel Today - U 11:00 Chef Abroad - U

00:30 Goals Goals Goals 01:00 Portugol 01:30 Weber Cup Bowling 02:30 PGA European Tour 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Super 14 09:30 Fut Brasil 10:00 Futbol Mundial 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 14 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 World Hockey

00:00 UFC 110 Countdown 01:00 WWE Vintage Collection 02:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter

Flawless on Super Movies

Star Listings (UAE Timings) STAR Movies 20:45 Custody 22:15 Do You Know Me? 23:50 Deadly Game 01:25 Species 03:10 Ground Zero: The Deadly Shift 04:40 Custody 06:10 Do You Know Me? 07:40 Deadly Game 09:15 Species 11:00 Ground Zero: The Deadly Shift 12:30 Life With Mikey 14:05 Soul Food 16:00 Dark Skies 17:30 Mr. Holland’s Opus 19:50 Someone Like You STAR World 20:00 Australia’s Next Top Model 20:50 Charlie’s Angels 21:00 Boston Legal 21:50 Bewitched 22:00 [V] Tunes 23:00 [V] Tunes 00:00 [V] Tunes 01:00 [V] Tunes 02:00 7th Heaven 03:00 The Simpsons

03:30 04:00 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

The King Of Queens Stone Undercover American Idol Brothers & Sisters 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 Brothers & Sisters Different Strokes [V] Tunes American Idol The Simpsons The King Of Queens Stone Undercover American Idol East West Charlie’s Angels The Unit Bewitched American Idol

Granada TV 20:30 Strange But True? (Series 4)

21:00 Pets From Hell 22:00 Emmerdale 22:30 Coronation Street 23:00 Pets From Hell 00:00 Parkinson (Series 6) 01:00 60 Minute Makeover (Series 3) 02:00 Romance Wednesday: Cold (Series 3) (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 (Series 3) (Double Bill) 10:00 Vroom Vroom (Series 2) 11:00 Emmerdale 11:30 Coronation Street 12:00 Parkinson (Series 7) 13:00 Coach Trip (Series 1) 14:00 Romance Wednesday: Cold (Series 3) (Double Bill) 16:00 Emmerdale 16:30 Coronation Street 17:00 Parkinson (Series 7) 18:00 Coach Trip (Series 1) 19:00 Romance Wednesday: Cold (Series 3) (Double Bill)

Feet

Feet

Feet

Feet

Channel [V] 22:00 Double Shot 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 05:00 [V] Tunes 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 Parental Control Double Bill 21:00 [V] Tunes Fox New s 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 23:00 America’s Newsroom

National Geographic Channel 20:00 Machines Of War -Tank 21:00 Perilous Journeys -Crossing The Himalaya 1 22:00 The Border -Under Siege 23:00 Theme Week -Hunter Hunted : Forest Intruder S4-1 00:00 Seconds From Disaster -Derailment at Eschede 5 01:00 ABOUT ASIA -Food Lovers Guide To The Plane : Hong Kong 4 01:30 ABOUT ASIA -Food Lovers Guide To The Plane : Korean Code 02:00 Carrier -Super Secrets S1-3 03:00 Swamp Troop 04:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Queensland 05:00 ABOUT ASIA -Food Lovers Guide To The Plane : Hong Kong 4 05:30 ABOUT ASIA -Food Lovers Guide To The Plane : Korean Code 06:00 Light At The Edge Of The World -The Science Of The Mind 07:00 Built For The Kill -River S2-3 08:00 Carrier -Super Secrets S1-3 09:00 Wild Chronicles -19 09:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet Cocktail Artists 20

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

33

ACCOMMODATION There is accommodation available for one Keralite bachelor near United Indian School, Abbassiya. Contact: 24348576, 66288012.

(C 20344) 17-2-2010 Sharing accommodation furnished one room available in Sharq CA/C, 2 bathrooms, for Indian couple or 2 working ladies or one executive bachelor. Rent KD 100.

Contact: 99849490. (C 20340) Sharing accommodation available for bachelors or a small family Goan or Mangalorean to share with a small Mangalorean family.

Two bedroom flat, window A/C near Rashid hospital Shara Amman. Contact: 66132003 or 94969047.

(C 20338) 16-2-2010 Sharing accommodation available in a C-A/C building for a small family or two working ladies in Abbassiya near Integrated Indian School & Bharathiya Vidhyabhavan.

Contact: 97846304/ 24346984.

(C 20334) Fully furnished one bedroom and separate bathroom available with Keralite family in new Vigi studio building near United Indian School at Abbassiya for couple or working ladies from 10/03/10. Contact:

97841925. (C 20335) 15-2-2010 Single room accommodation required for a decent Keralite Christian bachelor with a small family in Abbassiya.

Contact: 97426334. (C 20330) 14-2-2010

FOR SALE Magna 2002 model excellent condition, company maintained.

Contact: 99928863, 24344176.

(C 20333) Pajero 2001 model, green

and silver, good condition, price KD 1950, and Out Lander red color 2003, price KD 1650 only. Phone: 99980087, 66052331.

(C 20332) 15-2-2010

SITUATION VACANT

Looking for home nurse to take care of old Kuwaiti male. Salary 150 KD, send your CV immediately to fax: 24836310 contact Mob: 97687707. (C 20343) Required English speaking nanny/maid. If interested, please contact 99824597.

(C 20339) 16-2-2010

SITUATION WANTED Indian male, American citizen (MBA in finance and hospital administration), 10 years of international experience including in USA with Bank of America in the field of finance, HR, administration, banking. Well versed in all software applications and computers.

Contact: 55354081. Email: guy_great32@yahoo.com (C 20331) Indian male MBA, B.Com (27 years) having 4 years experience in finance and investment in Kuwait seeking suitable placement. Pro-

ficient in MS Office & Tally.

Fluent in English, Arabic, Hindi. Article # 18, transferable visa.

Contact: 55492163. Email: abdul_sudheer@yahoo.com (C 20336) 15-2-2010

MATRIMONIAL Seeking alliance for a Keralite RC 27, 152 cm Palai Dioces working staff MoH in Jahra (GNM) looking for alliance preferably working in Kuwait from Kottayam district.

Email: sthomas@qnetstaff.com (C 20337) 17-2-2010

Flight Schedule Arrival Flights on Wednesday 17/02/2010 Airlines Flt Route Jazeera 0263 Beirut KLM 0447 Amsterdam/Bahrain Wataniya Airways 1129 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 2103 Beirut Gulf Air 211 Bahrain DHL 370 Bahrain Turkish A/L 1172 Istanbul Emirates 853 Dubai Etihad 0305 Abu Dhabi Qatari 0138 Doha Ethiopian 622 Addis Ababa/Bahrain Jazeera 0637 Aleppo Falcon 201 Dubai Jazeera 0503 Luxor Jazeera 0527 Alexandria Jazeera 0529 Assiut British 0157 London Kuwait 412 Manila/Bangkok Kuwait 206 Islamabad Kuwait 352 Cochin Jazeera 0161 Dubai Kuwait 382 Delhi Kuwait 302 Mumbai Kuwait 676 Dubai Kuwait 284 Dhaka Kuwait 362 Colombo Emirates 855 Dubai Arabia 0121 Sharjah Qatari 0132 Doha Etihad 0301 Abu Dhabi Kuwait 344 Chennai Gulf Air 213 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 1121 Bahrain Jazeera 0447 Doha Jazeera 0165 Dubai Jazeera 0425 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 1021 Dubai Jazeera 0113 Abu Dhabi Middle East 404 Beirut Iran Aseman 6521 Lamerd Egypt Air 610 Cairo Jazeera 0171 Dubai Kuwait 672 Dubai Wataniya Airways 2301 Damascus Nas Air 745 Jeddah Jazeera 0525 Alexandria Jazeera 0257 Beirut Wataniya Airways 2001 Cairo Saudi Arabian A/L 500 Jeddah Kuwait 552 Damascus Jazeera 0457 Damascus

Time 00:05 00:10 00:25 00:50 01:05 02:15 02:15 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:30 05:05 05:25 05:35 06:10 06:30 06:40 06:45 07:40 07:40 07:45 07:50 07:55 08:10 08:15 08:20 08:30 08:55 09:00 09:35 10:35 10:45 10:45 11:00 11:05 11:10 11:20 11:20 11:55 12:35 12:55 13:05 13:25 13:35 14:00 14:05 14:10 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:45

Qatari Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Royal Jordanian Jazeera Kuwait Emirates Gulf Air Saudi Arabian A/L Etihad Jazeera Jazeera Arabia Jazeera Wataniya Airways Sri Lankan United A/L Wataniya Airways DHL Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Indian Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jet A/W Oman Air Jazeera Wataniya Airways Gulf Air Middle East Qatari Emirates Kuwait KLM Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera Global Jazeera Jazeera Tunis Air Pakistan Lufthansa Wataniya Airways Wataniya Airways

0134 284 548 546 678 800 0173 118 857 215 510 0303 0493 0239 0125 0367 2101 227 982 2003 473 1025 542 674 0177 786 614 744 575 774 104 618 572 0647 0459 2103 217 402 0136 859 502 0445 1129 0449 0429 081 0117 0185 327 239 636 2201 1029

Doha Dhaka Luxor Alexandria Muscat/Abu Dhabi Amman Dubai New York Dubai Bahrain Riyadh Abu Dhabi Jeddah Amman Sharjah Deirezzor Beirut Colombo/Dubai Washington DC Dulles Cairo Baghdad Dubai Cairo Dubai Dubai Jeddah Bahrain Dammam Chennai/Goa Riyadh London Doha Mumbai Muscat Damascus Beirut Bahrain Beirut Doha Dubai Beirut Amsterdam Bahrain Doha Bahrain Baghdad Abu Dhabi Dubai Tunis Islamabad/Sialkot Frankfurt Amman Dubai

15:00 15:10 15:15 15:30 15:30 15:40 16:05 16:55 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:15 17:30 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:50 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:50 18:55 18:55 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 20:00 20:05 20:20 20:40 20:55 21:05 21:20 21:35 21:40 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:40 23:10 23:20 23:30 23:40 23:45

Departure Flights on Wednesday 17/02/2010 Airlines Flt Route Jazeera 0528 Assiut India Express 390 Mangalore/Kozhikode United A/L 981 Washington DC Dulles Indian 982 Ahmadabad/Chennai Pakistan 206 Peshawar/Lahore Bangladesh 044 Dhaka Lufthansa 637 Frankfurt KLM 0447 Amsterdam Kuwait 283 Dhaka Turkish A/L 1173 Istanbul DHL 371 Bahrain Emirates 854 Dubai Etihad 0306 Abu Dhabi Ethiopian 622 Addis Ababa Qatari 0139 Doha Wataniya Airways 1020 Dubai Jazeera 0164 Dubai Jazeera 0524 Alexandria Wataniya Airways 2000 Cairo Jazeera 0112 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 0446 Doha Gulf Air 212 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 1120 Bahrain Jazeera 0422 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 2300 Damascus Kuwait 545 Alexandria Jazeera 0256 Beirut Kuwait 677 Abu Dhabi/Muscat British 0156 London Kuwait 671 Dubai Jazeera 0170 Dubai Kuwait 551 Damascus Kuwait 547 Luxor Jazeera 0456 Damascus Arabia 0122 Sharjah Emirates 856 Dubai Qatari 0133 Doha Etihad 0302 Abu Dhabi Wataniya Airways 2002 Cairo Gulf Air 214 Bahrain Kuwait 165 Rome/Paris Kuwait 541 Cairo Jazeera 0172 Dubai Wataniya Airways 2100 Beirut Jazeera 0492 Jeddah Jazeera 0366 Deirezzor Jazeera 0238 Amman Kuwait 103 London Middle East 405 Beirut Iran Aseman 6522 Lamerd Kuwait 785 Jeddah

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

Time 00:05 00:30 00:40 01:05 01:10 01:15 01:20 01:25 02:55 03:15 03:15 03:50 04:10 04:15 05:00 07:00 07:00 07:20 07:30 07:35 07:40 07:45 07:50 07:55 08:10 08:30 08:35 08:40 08:55 09:00 09:00 09:10 09:15 09:25 09:35 09:40 10:00 10:20 11:30 11:40 11:45 12:00 12:00 12:05 12:15 12:20 12:25 12:30 12:55 13:35 13:40

Egypt Air Wataniya Airways Kuwait Nas Air Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Saudi Arabian A/L Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Royal Jordanian Qatari Kuwait Kuwait Gulf Air Etihad Emirates Arabia Jazeera Saudi Arabian A/L Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Global Jazeera Wataniya Airways Sri Lankan Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Jet A/W Oman Air Gulf Air DHL Kuwait Middle East Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Falcon Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Emirates KLM Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Kuwait

611 1024 673 746 0176 2102 0458 501 501 773 613 801 0135 617 743 216 0304 858 0126 0262 511 543 0184 0116 2200 0448 082 0428 1128 228 1028 283 331 571 0648 218 171 675 403 381 203 0188 102 381 0137 301 860 0445 0480 0526 0502 411

Cairo Dubai Dubai Jeddah Dubai Beirut Damascus Jeddah Beirut Riyadh Bahrain Amman Doha Doha Dammam Bahrain Abu Dhabi Dubai Sharjah Beirut Riyadh Cairo Dubai Abu Dhabi Amman Doha Baghdad Bahrain Bahrain Dubai/Colombo Dubai Dhaka Trivandrum Mumbai Muscat Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Beirut Delhi Lahore Dubai Bahrain Delhi Doha Mumbai Dubai Bahrain/Amsterdam Sabiha Alexandria Luxor Bangkok/Manila

13:45 14:25 14:30 14:55 15:05 15:10 15:30 15:45 16:05 16:10 16:20 16:25 16:30 16:35 16:40 17:55 18:00 18:10 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:40 18:50 18:50 19:00 19:15 19:15 19:30 20:15 21:00 21:10 21:20 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:20 22:30 22:30 22:30 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:50 22:55 23:00 23:25 23:50 23:55

SPECTRUM

34 CROSSWORD 903

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Calvin Aries (March 21-April 19) The accent today is on

sociability. This should be one of those nice days when everything goes well, great for business transactions as well as for social get-togethers with lighthearted conversation. Any past tensions can easily be straightened out. You could be most persuasive with others and eloquent in your discourse with others. The situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your particular ideas. Though you may prefer to be around old friends, you certainly will not close the door on making new ones today. However you deal with people—interacting one-on-one, leading a group towards a common goal, convincing others in a sales or public relations effort—you will be a winner. All will feel your understanding ways.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) This is a very fast moving

day—many things can be accomplished. Exercise, caution and care in business dealings, both in the physical and financial realm are important today.

Exercise could be as simple as running up and down a flight of stairs. Self-discipline and a sense of self-worth become important issues in your life as a new phase begins. A fear of asserting yourself can hold you back—as can coming on too strong. The trick is in learning to strike a balance and make the most of your personal talents as well as to work within your limitations. Don’t be afraid to stretch your mind! Learn new things but set limits. You will enjoy a gathering with the neighbors and friends who are a part of your community this evening.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS 1. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

4. Colloquial British abbreviation.

8. A genetic disorder of metabolism.

11. 300 to 3000 megahertz.

12. A cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment).

13. An associate degree in applied science.

14. The upper side of the thighs of a seated person.

15. Ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length.

16. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

19. A resource.

20. Mentally or physically infirm with age.

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

23. God of the earth.

24. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

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

27. A platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it.

30. 1 species.

35. 1 species.

39. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

40. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

42. A small cake leavened with yeast.

43. Having undesirable or negative qualities.

45. A sudden short attack.

48. An adult male person (as opposed to a woman).

49. (Hawaiian) A small guitar having four strings.

50. A software system that facilitates the creation and maintenance and use of an electronic database.

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

DOWN 1. A Russian prison camp for political prisoners.

2. A Bantu language spoken by the Chaga people in northern Tanzania.

3. An abnormally large amount of this fetoprotein in the fetus can signal an abnormality of the neural tube (as spina bifida or anencephaly).

4. A user interface in which you type commands instead of choosing them from a menu or selecting an icon.

5. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing.

6. English scholastic philosopher and assumed author of Occam's Razor (1285-1349).

7. Tropical American trees with palmately compound leaves and showy bell-shaped flowers.

8. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America.

9. Bushy plant of Old World salt marshes and sea beaches having prickly leaves.

10. Employed in accomplishing something.

17. An ugly evil-looking old woman.

18. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

22. 10 hao equal 1 dong.

26. Any high mountain.

28. Informal terms for a mother.

29. A small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun.

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

32. The hair growing on the lower part of a man's face.

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

34. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

36. Any of various strong liquors distilled from the fermented sap of toddy palms or from fermented molasses.

37. A metallic element having four allotropic forms.

38. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

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

41. Game in which matchsticks are arranged in rows and players alternately remove one or more of them.

44. A Mid-Atlantic state.

46. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

47. An honorary degree in science.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You may be in a serious and a practical mood today. Hypothetical ideas are not for you just now. You would rather know the real value of something in order to find its’ right place. This is a period when you take your work most serious. A lot of time and thought goes into getting things scheduled and organized. As in the example of a nail that sticks up, gets hammered down. You will be good at polishing up details, whether as part of a project or an organization. You know instinctively what needs to be done to make something work. The broad picture can wait for another day. There may be instances when you will have to give a full accounting of your labors, particularly to superiors or those interested in buying your wares.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Your intellect is sharp, making it a good day for study or work. You may however, feel that you are giving more than you are receiving in your job identification. It may be time for an employee review, if so, play it cool and list your goals and accomplishments. They will advise you and in this discourse, you will gain more than you think. It is important to effectively communicate your ideas to co-workers and those who work under you so that people will see you are an achiever. Work to put your plans into action; for action is where your words gain meaning. This is a good time to use the home as a vehicle for entertaining family and friends. Additionally, it is also favorable to make plans for spring cleaning/repairs or planting.

Leo (July 23-August 22) If ever there was a day to work with groups, this is it. You could be most persuasive as well as expressive in your communications. Others will listen to your ideas, plans or proposals. Your acute sensitivity to other people’s moods could enable you to fine-tune those moods as you would a violin. With your charisma, you could obtain anything you wish to obtain or sell anything you wish to sell to people—they will think you have done them a favor! You love being around people, especially those to whom you are emotionally attached.

Better yet, old friends with whom you can reminisce. The power of attraction and desire for love is great and the only caution for you at this time is just that; caution. Take time to grow; enjoy the trip.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This is your lucky day!

Schedule that conference, give that lecture and plan for that business trip. Whatever you do today, your ability to make things run smoothly should produce excellent results.

Working with and discussing ideas with co-workers can be most beneficial and rewarding. You enjoy working in partnerships or group activities. The ability to communicate with superiors or describe what you see is important to any group. Your acute sensitivity to other people’s moods could help you to fine-tune those moods as you would a violin. Besides keeping the peace, you have good practical job-related ideas. Mental stimulation from others is key for today.

Doing just about anything with friends or family later this evening will bring much joy.

Libra (September 23-October 22) Your effectiveness in the work place today may have been hampered by your heavy schedule. Your physical energy is really high as well. If you simply cannot get away from that desk, try jogging before breakfast—or schedule in a game of handball at lunch. Work it off or you could wind up irritable and argumentative. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Pay particular attention to the political situation in the work place—it could have a big influence on your job performance. Your own requirements may appear to separate you from where the rest of the gang is headed. This is of short duration. By helping someone else, you know your own life is improved. It is easy for you to lend a helping hand today.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) There could be

difficulties in the workplace today. It is important to communicate your ideas to co-workers and those who work under you; as for feedback if necessary. This is a time to be watchful in order to nip any problems before they begin.

Working with others should be profitable now. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. Your directional abilities are good. Although there may be an air of seriousness to issues at work, you will find it easy to help others look for a most positive side. Besides being creative and affectionate, you are very sociable. You truly desire fun and should not hesitate to get to know new people and form new acquaintances.

In social surroundings this evening, you make stimulating company.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Ambitious schemes and the pursuit of success and status take on a high priority. This brings a focus on the practical, the successful and the sensible. The meek may inherit the earth, but the shrewd will collect the rent. You should take every opportunity to get outside and enjoy the natural world. Work will seem easier and you should feel more relaxed once you engage in some sort of health-related activity on a regular basis. Humdrum or high stress professional responsibilities take a rear seat this afternoon. You might rather just sit back and daydream, with a romantic novel, or listen to good music. You may have a yen to study art, poetry, religion or some occult subject. You certainly would not be wasting time.

Yesterday’s Solution

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) It may

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

seem that your emotions are taking over in your dealings with others today. This can cloud reason, so probably it is not the best day for delicate deal making. However, mental patterns and skills play a major role in today’s events.

Work to develop your highest potential in these areas. This may not be a day when you feel like standing up to the world alone; you appreciate the support of your team or those close to you. You are more than willing to repay them in kind. It is an excellent time to solicit the help of others, though it’s important that you truly know the needs of your company or business before asking. This afternoon there is time to relax and focus on new ideas. A good book, a movie, etc.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) To you dreamers of impossible dreams, you just might make them come true today. Do not let your high spirits get too far ahead of the discipline and attention to detail necessary to make any dream a reality. Your mental faculties are in high gear, making you readily receptive to all, but perhaps a bit more sensitive than usual. It’s best to rely on facts rather than feelings, especially when an expensive mistake might be the outcome.

This afternoon you may discover dialogue problems with friends and loved ones. If you have faith in yourself and have surrounded yourself with good people, you are unaffected by this movement. Whether you are listening, creating or playing . . . music can be relaxing now.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) There are some powerful energies spilling into your life in unpredictable ways today.

The actions today will have long-lasting effects. This is a great time to be with others and to work together. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. Your management and directional abilities are in high focus. Your inner resources and emotions are accented. Expect a sense of support and good will from those around you.

Intensity rules! Colors are brighter, images sharper, music more moving.

Emotions run deep, especially with members of the other gender.

Previously bland relationships could now border on love/hate. You can control this, so enjoy the good parts while you can. You are very active. This is an excellent time to be with loved ones.

INFORMATION

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

35 FIRE BRIGADE Operation Room 777 Al-Madena 22418714 Al-Shohada始a 22545171 Al-Shuwaikh 24810598 Al-Nuzha 22545171 Sabhan 24742838 Al-Helaly 22434853 Al-Fayhaa 22545051 Al-Farwaniya 24711433 Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983 Al-Fahaheel 23927002 Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983 Ahmadi 23980088 Al-Mangaf 23711183 Al-Shuaiba 23262845 Al-Jahra 25610011 Al-Salmiya 25616368

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 HOSPITALS Sabah Hospital

24812000

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始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

Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

(2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535 Dentists:

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists:

Internist, Chest & Heart: DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Tel: 25339667 Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Consultant Cardiologist Tel: 2611555-2622555 Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324 Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

Internists, Chest & Heart: Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Physiotherapists & VD: Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Endocrinologist: Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari

25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr

25329924

Psychologists/Psychotherapists Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688 info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677 William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kuwait Airways Wataniya Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines

22433377 24379900 177 22477631 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/2433141 22456700 22412284/5 22453820/1

INTERNATIONAL CALLS Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK)

0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345 00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044

Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Holland (Netherlands) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Ibiza (Spain) Iceland India Indian Ocean Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia

00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689 00241 00220 00995 0049 00233 00350 0030 00299 001473 00590 001671 00502 00224 00592 00509 0031 00504 00852 0036 0034 00354 0091 00873 0062 0098 00964 00353 0039 00225 001876 0081 00962 007 00254 00686 00965 00996 00856 00371 00961 00231 00218 00370 00352 00853 00389

SPECTRUM

he socialite confirmed that she is officially engaged to her rocker boyfriend Joel Madden - with whom she has daughter Harlow, two, and five-month-old son Sparrow - when she appeared on ‘The Late Show With David Letterman’, showing off a large engagement ring. She then joined friends at New York restaurant Abe and Arthurs, where she was overheard talking about her impending nuptials. A source said: “She was glowing. She was telling her table how happy she was.” Good Charlotte singer Joel, 30, later confirmed the news - revealing they had managed to keep their engagement secret for some time. He tweeted: “Yep. I’m engaged. Very happy. “Yeah we’ve been engaged for a while so your all kind of late on that. But Thanks for the hooplah all the same (sic).” The couple denied that they had plans to marry as late as last year, and were in no plans to rush into tying the knot. Nicole said: “One day I would love to get married. It’s not something we’re talking about right now. If my kids ask me to get married, I’d get married. “I think for both of us, we are going to do it because we want to, not because that’s what you do. We’re going to do it when the time’s right.” However, it has been reported that the couple are planning to marry this summer and wedding plans are already well under way.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

T

he family of the late pop superstar are astonished at how similar his three kids - Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, who is known as ‘Blanket’ - are to him with the eldest pair in particular showing signs of following in his footsteps. A source said: “Talking to Prince is like talking to Michael. He’s so smart and mature - way beyond his age. Paris, meanwhile, wants to be a singer.” The children are now living with the singer’s mother Katherine in California and according to family insiders, they are able to live a much more “normal” life than they did with their father. The source told People magazine: “They like not wearing the masks when they go out. It’s a different experience for them. “It would have been hard to imagine them going out in public or showing up at someone’s house hanging out and playing video games before their father died. That had a lot to do with Michael, because every time he showed up there were bodyguards and chaos. And now, not so much. It feels much more normal and they’ve adjusted really well to that.” The children spend a lot of time with their older cousins, which their family believe has helped them deal with their father’s death last June. Family attorney Adam Streisand said: “They’re doing great, thanks to the love and support they’ve gotten. With the kids running around the house, laughing, playing, they’ve given each other a lot of joy. “Katherine really listens to the kids. She wants to give them a sense of freedom when she can.

She wants to encourage them.”

T

Cowell may get married soon S

imon Cowell has sparked speculation that he is getting married. The ‘American Idol’ judge reportedly presented girlfriend Mezhgan Hussainy with a large diamond ring during a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at the couple’s favorite restaurant - placing it on her engagement finger. The loved-up star surprised the 36-year-old beauty with the giant piece of jewelry as they dined alongside his ex-lover Jackie St Claire and her husband, Carl Michaelson at Mr Chow in Knightsbridge, London. A source revealed to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Mezghan was speechless and gave him a huge kiss. He is besotted with her, and she him.” As one of the most powerful men in showbiz, Cowell’s alleged proposal comes two years after he claimed that he would never risk his fortune by getting married. A source close to Simon,50, revealed: “Simon is ready to let everyone know.

Things between them are moving along very nicely indeed.” However, when the music mogul was asked if he and Megan were getting married, he laughed and refused to answer. Mezhgan, who was born in Afghanistan before moving to the US in the early 80s, joins a long list of beauties who have dated Simon, including Terri Seymour and ‘So Macho’ singer Sinitta.

A

They’re cute together.”

Since splitting from Deryck - who she was married to for three years - Avril, 25, has been romantically linked with actor Wilmer Valderrama and oil heir Brandon Davis, but pals insisted she was just friends with both men. Brody was most recently dating Playboy playmate Jayde Nicole, but they split in December. After revealing she and Deryck were to divorce, Avril insisted the pair would remain friends. She said: “Deryck and I have been together for six-anda-half years. We have been friends since I was 17, started dating when I was 19, and married when I was 21. I am grateful for our time together,

Ramsay to open a restaurant with the Beckhams ordon Ramsay wants to open a restaurant with David and Victoria Beckham.

The charismatic chef, who enjoyed Christmas dinner with the couple, enjoyed the festive season so much, he wants to go into business with the soccer star and his fashion designer wife. He is quoted by gossip website Absolute Now as saying: “We had a great time together - a lot of fun and a lot of laughs - cooking and having fun.

So maybe one day we will have a restaurant together! Who knows?”

Victoria is such a fan of Gordon’s

G

Lavigne is dating Jenner and I am grateful and blessed for our remaining friendship.

“I admire Deryck and have a great amount of respect for him. He is the most amazing person I know, and I love him with all my heart. Deryck and I are separating and moving forward on a positive note.”

Fox is desperate to have children

Jackson’s daughter wants to be a singer

vril Lavigne is reportedly dating Brody Jenner. The ‘Sk8er Boi’ singer - who filed for divorce from rocker husband Deryck Whibley last October, a month after they separated - has been enjoying a low-key romance with the 26-year-old reality TV star for several weeks. A source said: “They’re hooking up but they’re keeping it low-key.” Despite trying to keep their romance out of the public eye, the couple recently enjoyed a dinner at Los Angeles restaurant Koi before heading to nearby nightspot Voyeur, where they amazed onlookers with their flirty behavior.

Another source told E! Online: “You can tell they’re into each other and both like to have a good time.

cooking she ordered take away from his restaurant at London’s Heathrow airport, despite them not normally providing such a service. Meanwhile, her soccer star husband recently undertook cooking lessons to impress Gordon. He said: “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always loved cooking. “It’s gone from a small ambition of wanting to learn how to make pasta to the extreme of doing this course professional chefs do. It’s something I’m passionate about. “I’d love to cook for Gordon and I definitely will one day.”

he ‘Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen’ actress - who has an on/off relationship with actor Brian Austin Green - said she is a very maternal person but suffers a deep fear that she won’t be able to have kids biologically. She said: “No-one believes me when I talk about this, but I’m really maternal. I worry that because I’ve always wanted kids so much, as the world goes sometimes, I won’t be able to have them - even though I would be able to provide them with such an amazing environment.” The 23-year-old actress also told how she isn’t interested in competing with other Hollywood beauties and, because of the nature of the film industry, is wary of who she trusts. She added: “I don’t trust

T

people in this industry, but I especially don’t trust girls in this industry, because it’s incredibly competitive, and I’m just not interested.” The star also admitted that, despite her movie successes, she isn’t confident about her acting abilities and hates having her picture taken. She added to W magazine: “With acting, my main weakness is nerves. I have no confidence, and because of that I’m always second-guessing myself.”

“I feel intimidated by fashion. I hate doing photo shoots. But there are some women you could put in underwear and photograph them, and it looks really classy and it doesn’t necessarily provoke a pin-up image.

“But with me it does, immediately, as soon as I’m in underwear.”

obbie Williams is “coming round to the idea” of having children. The ‘Angels’ hitmaker said his fiancee, US actress

R

Williams is ready for fatherhood

Nicole Richie is getting married

36

Ayda Field, is constantly nagging him to start a family and he is slowly preparing himself to agree to her wishes. Speaking of becoming a

father, Robbie said: “I’m feeling good things. She keeps going on about it and really, really wants one - and I’m coming around to the idea.

But it’s slowly, slowly catchy monkey.” Robbie - who will receive an Outstanding Contribution to Music honor at the BRIT Awards in London- is currently focusing on improving his mental and physical health and believes he is making good progress. He added in an interview with The Sun newspaper: “It sounds heavy but I was crippled with nerves over my latest album.

But I’m in really good shape both mentally and physically. Mentally, I’m doing really well. I often get sidetracked and let my thoughts take me to a place that I don’t really want to go. “I’ve been doing an awful lot about that recently.” The 36-year-old star was seen entering a recording studio with former band Take That recently and has finally admitted they are working together. He said: “I could tell you about it, but they would kill me. Let’s but it this way, something big is on its way.” —Bang Showbiz

SPECTRUM

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Oscar nominees share lunch, light and sober talk andra Bullock spoke of maintaining a good work ethic for years to come. Woody Harrelson spoke of soldiers. Carey Mulligan spoke about bumping butts with Quentin Tarantino. This season’s Academy Awards elite gathered Monday for the annual nominees luncheon, with table talk ranging from weighty matters such as the war on terror to lighter chatter like what to wear to the big show. Before sharing a meal of poached pear gorgonzola salad, marinated chicken breast and apple tarts, nominees dropped by a news conference to talk about the whirlwind leading to the March 7 Oscar ceremony.

Bullock has been considered the front-runner to win best actress for the football drama “The Blind Side” but said didn’t take her nomination for granted. “Does anybody expect a nomination? I certainly didn’t,” said Bullock, an enduring box-office draw who had never before been nominated for an Oscar. “I’m really very amazed and thankful to be here, because I’d like to work hard for another 10, 15 years. So if this is what that means, bring it.” Harrelson, a supportingactor nominee for the homefront war drama “The Messenger,” and Jeremy Renner, a best-actor contender for the Iraq war saga “The Hurt Locker,” said their roles instilled fresh respect for troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I walk up to any military personnel I can find, and I shake their hand and I thank them for their service,” Renner said. Before “The Messenger,” Harrelson said he generally had viewed the war and the troops fighting it in the same light. “I always kind of lumped it all together, and it wasn’t until I had the opportunity through the shooting of ‘The Messenger’ to spend a lot of time with people in the Army that I started to realize how amazing these people are,” Harrelson said. “As much as I have come to love the warrior, I still loathe the war.” Harrelson had a concise reply when asked if he ever expected to earn an Oscar nomination for a film released the same year he played a gleeful slayer of flesh-eating fiends in “Zombieland.” “Short answer, no,” Harrelson said.

Mulligan, a best-actress nominee for the British drama “An Education,” said awards season has been a thrill because of the Hollywood idols with whom she has rubbed elbows, including Bullock and fellow best-actress contenders Meryl Streep (“Julie & Julia”) and Helen Mirren (“The Last Station”). “They’ve all been

S

so unbelievably kind and not intimidating,” Mulligan said. “You have them on such a pedestal and you think they could be a nightmare if they wanted to because they’re so good. And they’re just lovely.” Also among the idols she has met is Tarantino, a directing nominee for best-picture contender “Inglourious Basterds.” Moments earlier, Mulligan said, she and Tarantino had accidentally bumped butts while milling about among the luncheon crowd.

Bullock, Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe, a best-actress nominee for the Harlem drama “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire,” said they have barely started to consider what to wear to the Oscars, one of the world’s top fashion bashes. “It’s two weeks away, and my stomach’s hurting over it a little bit,” Sidibe said. “I’m a little scared.” Contenders posed for the annual Oscar “class picture” _ a group photo of all 121 nominees at the luncheon. The crowd included ex-spouses Kathryn Bigelow, director of “The Hurt Locker,” and James Cameron, director of the scifi sensation “Avatar.” Though the best-picture field was doubled to 10 films this season, the contest for top prize is considered a two-movie race between “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker.” Others on hand included acting nominees George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”), Morgan Freeman (“Invictus”), Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Crazy Heart”) and Colin Firth (“A Single Man”). The Oscar show had its best TV ratings ever when Cameron’s blockbuster “Titanic” dominated the awards 12 years ago. Oscar organizers hope that having “Avatar” and hits such as “Up,” “The Blind Side” and “District 9” in the mix will coax more viewers to tune in to a show that saw ratings fall to an all-time low two years ago. “This year, it seems to be more lively, more interesting than it has been in a while,” Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told nominees during the luncheon.

Gyllenhaal, a supportingactress nominee for “Crazy Heart,” said she got some valuable advice from brother Jake Gyllenhaal, a past nominee for “Brokeback Mountain,” about not letting the Oscars go to her head.

“He said, ‘There isn’t actually anything at the end of the rainbow,”‘ Gyllenhaal said. “He said, ‘It’s a lot of fun and enjoy it in that spirit.

If you make it mean too much more than that, you’ll probably go astray.”‘— AP

Music & Movies

Ahlam and Asma rock Layali Febrayer

By Nawara Fattahova

EMI puts Abbey Road studios up for sale: FT ritish music group EMI has put the Beatles’ historic Abbey Road studios up for sale, as it struggles to reduce debt, the Financial Times reported yesterday. A sale of the north London studios, used by a long line of artists since the Fab Four made them famous, could raise tens of millions of pounds, said the business daily. EMI has declined to comment, but the FT quoted people familiar with the situation as saying the music group is courting bidders as it looks to reduce a debt burden stemming from its 2007 buyout by private equity firm Terra Firma. It is unclear whether EMI would sell the Abbey Road brand as well as the studios, but one media lawyer told the paper: “The brand is worth more than the building... anybody who wants the studios will want the brand.” EMI bought the property in the St John’s Wood area for 100,000 pounds in 1929. The Beatles used it for most of their recording in the 1960s, including the 1969 album “Abbey Road”, which featured them walking over a pedestrian crossing outside the studios

B

A file photo taken on August 8, 2009, shows a Beatles tribute band posing for photographs as they walk on the pedestrian crossing used in the photoshoot for the Beatles album ‘Abbey Road’ outside the Abbey Road Studios in London. — AFP

KUWAIT: Just two more concerts remain as a part of the Layali Febrayer Musical Festival. Some of the participating singers in the fifth and sixth concerts arrived in Kuwait and met with the press.

Emirati singer Ahlam expressed joy at getting the opportunity to perform for her Kuwaiti fans for the second consecutive time. "I'm so excited to visit Kuwait again," she said.

"Performing in front of a Kuwaiti audience is such a great honor. I am always worried during rehearsal about my concert.

Once on stage I forget everything and interact with them to present my best songs."

Ahlam appreciated the warm welcome she received at the Airport from her fans. "I always feel love for my fans when I arrive and when I leave Kuwait.

Kuwait is my home and family.

When I sing here I'm happy and I want to make my fans happy as well. I was impressed by the theater last year and I expect that this year it will also be very nice," she said.

She will be participating in the fifth concert of the Layali Febrayer musical festival alongside Angham and Aseel. She

Ahlam

said that her passion for music started when she was just a child. Kuwaiti composer Anwar Abdullah discovered her talent and encouraged her to keep singing. Since then she has received many awards.

Asma Young Moroccan singer Asma Al-Minwer started her career five years ago and has attracted much attention with her beautiful clear voice. This will be her first year participating in the Layali Febrayer Musical Festival.

"I will choose some of my more well-known songs to present to my fans, especially from the last album. I hope they will like it. I will also present a national song about Kuwait which will be a surprise for my fans," she added.

Layali Febrayer is one of the biggest musical festivals in the region. "Last year the organization, dÈcor, lights, and all other preparations were great. The participants in this festival are the most popular stars. That encouraged me to participate this year. I'm really happy to be singing in the last concert with popular stars like Mohammed Abdou, and Warda," she concluded.

Asma Al-Minwer

US journalism prize goes to makers of Neda shooting film he unknown people who videotaped the shocking images of an Iranian woman bleeding to death in a Tehran street and posted it on the Web were awarded a prestigious US journalism prize yesterday. Long Island University said the George Polk Award for Videography for 2009 would recognize the “efforts of the people responsible” for recording the death of 26-year-old Neda AghaSoltan and uploading the footage to the Internet.

The images of Agha-Soltan dying

T

in the street last year after being shot during an anti-government protest spread across the Web after being posted on YouTube. “This video footage was seen by millions and became an iconic image of the Iranian resistance,” said John Darnton, curator of the George Polk Awards. “We don’t know who took it or who uploaded it, but we know it has news value.

“This award celebrates the fact that, in today’s world, a brave bystander with a cellphone camera

can use video-sharing and social networking sites to deliver news,” Darnton said. Other George Polk Award winners for 2009 included New York Times reporter David Rohde for a series of articles on being held by the Taleban for more than seven months, and David Grann of The New Yorker for a story on the execution of an innocent man. The awards were established to memorialize George Polk, a CBS reporter who was killed in 1948 while covering the civil war in Greece. — AFP

An undated file picture posted on the Internet on June 22, 2009 shows Iranian Neda Agha Soltan, who was reportedly killed when hit by a bullet during a protest in Tehran.

— AFP

Three nods for Lady Gaga as women lead way at Brits Kevin Smith fuels ady Gaga, Jay-Z and Robbie Williams top the bill yesterday at the 30th anniversary edition of Britain’s top music awards the Brits, where this year’s nominations are dominated by female artists. Flamboyant US superstar Lady Gaga is up for three awards, as are homegrown talents Lily Allen, Florence And The Machine and Pixie Lott.

The show has even received royal approvalPrince Harry, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, has recorded a special message to be played at the event, at London’s Earls Court venue yesterday evening.

Lady Gaga, whose single “Poker Face” was Britain’s top seller last year, is in the running for best international female solo artist, best international album and best international breakthrough act. Allen and Florence And The Machine are in contention for best British female solo artist and best British album, while Allen is up for best British single (“The Fear”) and Florence And The Machine best British breakthrough act.

Lott is up for best British female solo artist, best British breakthrough act and best British single. “I’m just really excited,” she told Sky News television. “British females have really taken over, it’s definitely girl power-females are leading at the moment.” Williams will receive a lifetime achievement award amid reports he could take to

L

Sandra Bullock, an Academy Award nominee for Best Actress for her performance in ‘The Blind Side.’ — AP

37

the stage with his former band Take That, who have staged a highly successful comeback in recent years. Jay-Z is to appear live with Alicia Keys, who guests on his hit “Empire State Of Mind”. There will also be a performance from Cheryl Cole, whose Chelsea footballer husband Ashley is at the centre of reports about an alleged sex text flirtation with another woman.

The Brits has witnessed a host of headlinegrabbing incidents over the years. In 1996, Michael Jackson’s performance of “Earth Song” was interrupted when Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker ran across the stage and waved his bottom in Jackson’s direction. And the following year, Britain’s then deputy prime minister John Prescott had a bucket of iced water thrown over him by Danbert Nobacon of anarchist band Chumbawamba.

This year’s event also features two awards designed to mark 30 years of the Brits-best album of the past three decades and best Brits performance. Best album nominees include “Brothers In Arms” by Dire Straits, “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?” by Oasis and Duffy’s “Rockferry”. Those up for best performance include “Stayin’ Alive/How Deep Is Your Love?” by the Bee Gees, Paul McCartney’s “Live And Let Die” and “Clocks” by Coldplay. — AFP

row over ‘fat’ plane passengers

F

Flamboyant US superstar Lady Gaga is up for three awards. — AFP

Efron and Hudgens chill at Bondi ollywood poster boy Zac Efron and his diminutive girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens were the main attractions at Bondi yesterday as the world’s paparazzi descended on our famous beach strip to glimpse the young lovers.

The couple, who were co-stars in the High School Musical film trilogy, flew into Australia on Monday, the guests of sunglasses manufacturer Oakley which paid Efron upwards of $200,000 to take part in a surf promotion. He told Confidential he was enjoying some rare down time after recently completing his latest film The Death And Life Of Charlie St Cloud.

“I don’t have any irons in the fire, so to speak. I am working on developing something great because, believe it or not, these things don’t really manifest in the way that you think,” a thoughtful Efron admitted. “You really have to work hard to find something that’s worthwhile . . .” Efron’s girlfriend, whom he met at the castings for the original HSM film, slipped into North Bondi Italian Restaurant mid-afternoon to meet her sweetheart. The young couple shared a kiss in full view of other guests invited to the exclusive lunch. They included surf champion Layne Beachley , water skier Lauren Eagle, pro surfer Tom Whitaker and models Kristy Coulcher, Nikki Phillips and Maude Garrett.

— heraldsun.com

ilm director Kevin Smith has reignited a heated debate about airlines’ treatment of overweight passengers after being thrown off a flight for being too large to fit in one seat. An angry tirade posted on his Twitter page about the way he was treated by Southwest Airlines last weekend has fueled a wave of protests from some angry passengers while other travelers have stood by the airline’s decision.

“If you look like me, you may be ejected from Southwest Air,” wrote Smith, posting a photograph of himself on the plane, puffing out his cheeks. Smith, director of the new Bruce Willis movie “Cop Out” as well as “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy,” said a Southwest Airlines pilot ejected him off a flight from Oakland to Burbank, California because the pilot believed Smith didn’t fit properly into just one seat and was a “safety risk.” “I’m way fat... But I’m not THERE just yet,” he wrote. Smith said he had actually booked and paid for two seats on a later flight but moved to an earlier flight as a standby passenger that only had one seat available.

His posting prompted a barrage of angry responses from other disgruntled customers, adding to an ongoing debate over the treatment of overweight customers by airlines and whether they should have to pay for two seats. Air France found itself at the center of this heated debate last month after it was misreported that the airline was planning an extra charge for passengers unable to fit into a single seat. Air France has, since 2005, offered overweight passengers the option to buy a second seat at a 25 percent discount.

Southwest Airlines says its policy requires travelers to be able to fit safely and comfortably in one seat and be able to lower their armrests or buy a second seat. United Airlines also has this policy and both airlines have a policy that overweight passengers can claim a refund on the second seat if the plane is not full. These policies were introduced after complaints from neighboring passengers. But after a barrage of angry comments from Smith and other passengers, Southwest Airlines apologized to Smith by phone, on its own Twitter account and in a statement on its website.

The airline said it was unusual for it to be so public in handling such matters but decided this case was different because so many people were involved. “We would like to echo our Tweets and again offer our heartfelt apologies to you,” said the airline. The airline said it put Smith on a later flight and gave him a $100 voucher for his inconvenience. But not all of the comments supported Smith. Other people sided with the airline. “Being heavy is not something to be proud about. I wish more companies would not tolerate the lifestyle of fatness!” read one comment on Smith’s Twitter account. —Reuters

H

Actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are seen with children Maddox, right, Shiloh Nouvel, in Venice, Italy, yesterday. Angelina Jolie is in Venice to shoot scenes of the movie ‘The Tourist’, by director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. — AP

SPECTRUM

38

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Fashion

Big reveal: Marc Jacobs shifts Fashion Week tone W

MARC JACOBS Jacobs clearly has turned a

trousers and a creamy silk blouse. In fact, the former flashy showman, who has recently chronicled in the press his struggles to lead a viable business, turned out a mostly understated, chic collection. It might not be full of head-turners, but the clothes aren’t as polarizing as, say, his tornado-inspired gowns a few seasons ago. As wild as it got here were some copper metallics, pink-dot prints and magenta-colored fur-a refreshing break from the largely neutral palette that has been dominating this round of previews for stylists, editors and retailers. Posen partnered with violinist Miri Ben-Ari to provide a live, serene soundtrack. He also seemed to stick to a recent commitment to seek out older

models-by industry standards that means 18, maybe 16 — to avoid those who are too thin.

And he seemed to stick by it, hiring veterans Alek Wek, Hana Soukupova, Sessilee Lopez and Coco Rocha.

which is versatile. It’s how people shop. They are looking for wardrobe-updating pieces.” Her go-to items would be the cozy sweaters paired with contrasting stretch-suede skinny pants.

CAROLINA HERRERA For a while, it seemed Carolina Herrera was trying to court a hipster customer, but she showed Monday that she is firmly committed to the rarified world in which she lives. There was luxury like a Prussian-blue, mosaic-print jacket with fur lining and a mink collar, worn with camelcolored suede pants, and a sky-and-steel blue gown with beaded leaves and a swath of tulle around the neck. There was a hint of a Russian influence to the overall look of the show, in her color choices, fur and style of embroidery. The daywear models also wore full-brim hats. The Herrera lady — “woman” doesn’t sound quite right-is a day-andnight dresser, not a day-tonight one. Look for her in a deep red wool sheath with asymmetrical vertical pleats for day, and a distinctly different black-and-metallic embossed organza gown with a hint of red framing the face in the evening.

Carolina Herrera

ith one move, Marc Jacobs changed the look and tone of New York Fashion Week. The designer, touted as the most influential in the US, ripped brown-paper wrapping off the box-within-a-box construction of his runway Monday night to reveal dozens of models in the most elegant and ladylike clothes. There was both sophistication and sweetness in the outfits that borrowed from a more refined time. On other runways Monday, designers seemed to be going for the gold. And the silver.

And bronze. Metallic fabrics shone on the runways of Zac Posen, Carolina Herrera and Rachel Roy among others.

Donna Karan

Marc Jacobs new leaf from his more recent party-girl ‘80s-influenced collections. Monday’s dresses were mostly an A-line, adding a little volume, although one stunner was a body-hugging sweater covered on the front with shiny beading. Jacobs also confirmed a longer-length hemline that had been seen as one of the season’s likely trends. “These were gorgeous, real clothes that were beautifully done,” said Joe Zee, creative director for Elle magazine. “Don’t you walk away feeling elated? Isn’t that the whole point of fashion?” These lovely ladies wore tweed, suede or boucle coats on a proper date-or perhaps a transparent trench with a hint of sparkle for a special occasion. For day, there were several suits, including a three-piece menswear plaid one and a gray-flannel culotte version-yes, culottes.

DONNA KARAN When you’ve got the chic eye of Donna Karan, you don’t need a lot of glitz to celebrate fashion. In fact, the collection to mark the 25th anniversary of her label was almost entirely black, spare and highly sculptured. And it looked great. There was no better model for the modern, almost stiff, coats that really were the star of this runway than Karan herself, who is probably far more relatable to consumers than the tall, slender catwalkers. She wore it as she took her bow in front of a crowd that included Demi Moore and Brooke Shields.

The coats, which had a hint of origami influence to them, paired as well with a plunging-cowl evening gown as slim trousers. To feel really special, sometimes a separate ruffled collar was added on top-but it would be the wearer’s choice.

ZAC POSEN It’s the real world and now Zac Posen is living in it. The first model on his runway Monday morning wore a fully wearable, thoroughly sophisticated, portrait-neck cape in camel-colored felt, smart

RACHEL ROY Rachel Roy’s outfits that demanded the most attention featured slightly tarnished metallics, including a gold, crochet-style dress and jacket, a black sheath decorated with gold, almost-serpentine beads, and a high-shine patchwork gold skirt worn with a gold-lace tank. But daywear is the base of her collection that has steadily gained a following in recent seasons, spawning a secondary, more affordable line with Macy’s. Stylish professional clothes included an open, pleated cashmere cardigan and cropped trousers (and a sheer jersey bodysuit for extra attention), a slouchy brickred, wrap coat, and a delicate black lace blouse with high-waisted navy wool trousers.

You’d need a blazer-of which there were severalon top of that last outfit for the office.

TRACY REESE Tracy Reese is showing an edge she hasn’t shown before, with a taste for black lacquered fabrics and studding down the sides of pants. Even the pretty dresses and ladylike coats she’s known for have gotten the distressed treatment for next season.

Fashion went through a “cleaning house” period during the worst point of the economic downturn and turned out some toned-down styles, but it’s starting to get its groove back with more inventive and interesting looks, Reese said in an interview Monday just before models stepped onto the runway at New York Fashion Week. Still, there is a lingering lesson from the recession, she said: Create more “items” than outfits. “I have a lot of layered sportswear in this collection,

RACHEL ROY

MONIQUE LHUILLIER Monique Lhuillier found herself seduced by China as she was developing the fall collection she debuted on the runway Monday, interpreting warrior and military suits, traditional dragon motifs and, of course, Shanghai red. The opening look at her New York Fashion Week show was a striking gown with goldencrusted cuffs that incorporated all the above. Other noteworthy looks included a navy chiffon halter gown with a braided belt in black-lacquered leather wrapped multiple times around the bodice and one-shouldered tulle gown covered in not-so-perfect roses. The finale redsatin gown draped tightly from the neckline to hips and exploding into big fabric flowers on the skirt also was a headline-grabber. —AP

TRACY REESE

SPECTRUM

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

39

Fashion

Fashion Week goes for gold, silver and bronze A

LUCA LUCA A silver taffeta trench coat and a reversible gray one made partially of lacquered cotton are two nice bookends to the Luca Luca story for next season. Designer Raul Melgoza said he wanted to offer a collection of fall clothes at New York Fashion Week that paid homage to “the diverse roles of women in society.” The front row included the label’s founding designer Luca Orlandi and his wife, model Oluchi. The handoff of creative duties happened in 2008.

Melgoza honored the house’s signature cocktail dresses with a light, fluttery dress made of gray silk lame and wool, and a liquidlike silver lame gown with a deep cowl neck and open back. Runway reality came in the form of more office-friendly styles, such as a blue wool sheath with pleated silk insets, and an oldschool, ivory-colored georgette blouse paired with a black leather skirt that was neither too tight nor too short.

LUCA LUCA THAKOON Is the fashion crowd going to cheer for Thakoon Panichgul’s pompoms? The designer, whose label is known as just Thakoon, traded the colorful prints he’s used in recent seasons for texture, including fur, velvet, leather and those pompoms, which dangled from the hems of dresses and decorated a jacket worn

over a knit, pompom and ruffle skirt.

Panichgul emphasized the mixed-fabric, layered look at his show on Sunday in a downtown studio space.

It’s a trend that has emerged halfway through the fashion previews for the

what uneven. Panichgul was seemingly torn between the “young designer” status he’s now had for so long, the name recognition he enjoys having dressed first lady Michelle Obama on many occasions, and the need to evolve into a more established craftsman who can cater to the

fashion-forward and luxury market crowds.

REBECCA TAYLOR Rebecca Taylor’s vision for fall 2010 means a healthy dose of mas-

DOO.RI Doo.Ri Chung for fall is a study in contrast. Very sparkly, wearable contrast. The designer took her favorite flowing jersey to an edgier place Friday in a collection of jackets, tops, down-to-the-floor skirts and a variety of dresses that were shirt-style, sheath and slouchy. Fox fur and bold, plastic sequins-and a touch of leather-trimmed up a runway dominated by dark and steely blues, camel, grays and graphite, some shown over skinny, military-style pants and crystal leggings paired with heavy black and hand painted shoes.

Chung also offered some fitted looks in sporty, asymmetrical blazers, with a few stunning pieces in color: A belted, red alpaca lapel coat over a silk pleated dress high on the list. Pleats, at the back of long skirts, in a geranium V-neck blouse and on suede jersey pants, loomed as large as the glittery lips on her models and her newfound aggression in trims. —AP

MONIQUE LHUILLIER

Zac Posen

culinity. The New Zealand native delivered a collection Sunday that tempered her girly look with touches of menswear. The clothes, in navy, gray, olive and black, combined tweed with silk, mohair with chiffon, and feathery fringe with wool. Cozy brown cable sweaters, reminiscent of those worn by grandfathers of another era, were remained in shorter lengths with braided collar trims and backward V-necks. The masculine feel was emphasized by oversized tuxedo blouses and skinny wool trousers that were paired with faux-fur jackets in animal prints. An oatmeal sweater, covered with layers of knit ruffles, was shown with a silk blouse that the designer called “granddad.” And more than a few models, their bombshell cat eyes emphasized by heavy liner, contrasted the look with black wool bowler hats and structured handbags in faded colors of nubuck. Front-row admirers Carmen Electra, Kristen Bell, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mena Suvari and Sophia Bush, who applauded enthusiastically as Taylor took her finale bow.

fall. Fur also has had a strong presence, but, so far, no one but Panichgul colored it like tiger stripes.

Overall, this collection was some-

little gold goes a long way.

Same goes for silver and bronze. No, this isn’t an Olympic event-it’s New York Fashion Week, where metallic fabrics shone on the runways. “A little sparkle adds a lot to your wardrobe,” Tracy Reese said backstage before her show on Monday. “You can wear it with jeans, and then for something dressier, it can be more formal.”

Metallics were prominent in the collections of Luca Luca and Diane von Furstenberg. Some added tarnish to the look, in keeping with the dark palette that has dominated in the week’s previews of fall styles. “Like my mother always said, all girls like a little dazzle,” Reese said.

REBECCA TAYLOR

DOO.RI

THAKOON

www.kuwaittimes.net

A reveler of Grande Rio samba school performsyesterday during the second night at the Sambodrome in Rio de Janeiro. Porto da Pedra presents the subject ‘The Fashion’. razil wrapped up its spectacular Carnival parades early yesterday, winding down colorful festivities that this year were tarnished by controversy over a child samba queen and crime. Rio de Janeiro, the focus of the partying with 730,000 Brazilian and foreign visitors, saw off the last of the processions in its purpose-built Sambodromo stadium throughout the night. The three days of parades in the city attracted Madonna and a clutch of other international celebrities, including Paris Hilton and actors Hugh Jackman and Gerard Butler.

For most of Brazil, it was another superlative Carnival season with imaginative floats featuring everything from Moses atop a Bible to Batman skiing and a Michael Jackson impersonator accompanied by extraterrestrials. Today, organizers are to announce

B

Dancers of the Porto da Pedra samba school perform during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, early yesterday.

A member of the samba school Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel. —AFP / AP photos

Brazil wraps up Carnival parades which samba school put on the best parade, an honor here akin to a football team winning a national championship.

One of the most talked-about aspects of the Rio shows was the inclusion of the youngest samba queen ever: a seven-year-old girl who controversially filled the sexually charged role despite protests from child welfare groups. The girl, Julia Lima, broke down in tears and had to be comforted by her father, who headed the Viradouro school she danced for, as her parade started amid a glare of cameras.

Wearing a modest outfit unlike the scant bikinis of her adult rivals, she made it to the end, but was mostly hidden from view by a scrum of photographers and cameraman. "She was a bit surprised" by all the attention, her mother, Monica Lara, explained to reporters. Viradouro was generally seen lagging behind other schools that put on a better overall show in terms of floats and execution. Many Brazilians said they were impressed in particular with the Unidos de Tijuca school, which Sunday overnight deployed the Batman on skis, Spider-Man

and other superheros as well as the surprisingly convincing Michael Jackson lookalike.

The final night saw parades that included sci-fi robots and-in a nod to Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup-a football-themed number with a dancing player and a samba queen wearing a soccer bra. Officials hoping to show Rio was a safe city for the World Cup, and for the 2016 Olympic Games, were disappointed by a surge in crime during Carnival. The body of a young Brazilian girl aged between eight and 10 was found Sunday, apparently the victim of a rape-murder.

The Carnival disguise she had been wearing was half torn off. In a separate incident, an off-duty Brazilian policeman was arrested the same day for shooting dead a fellow off-duty officer in a Carnival club party.

The two killings followed the shooting last Thursday of a Dutch tourist by a mugger. The 37year-old Dutchman, who had just arrived in Rio with his wife to attend Carnival, survived the attack but was in a serious condition in hospital. The head of the tourist police unit handling the Dutchman's mugging, Gilbert Stivanello, said it was "the worst crime we have had against a foreign tourist this year and we are worried about it." He said Carnival crime statistics would be available at the end of the week, when celebrations fade and people gradually resume to work. — AFP

China's young graduates live 'ant's' life Horror witch-hunts target low-caste women in Nepal K S

ix years after moving into a maze of bunkhouses on the outskirts of Beijing, Yu Ping still frowns as she heads home along the muddy lanes lined with grocery stores, web cafes and hair salons. The security devices saleswoman is one of hundreds of thousands of young university graduates-known as the "ants"-scraping by on meagre salaries from unstable jobs as they try to take advantage of China's economic miracle. "I'm planning to move-I've had enough of living here," said the 27-year-old Yu, who lives in a tiny 10-square-metre (110-square-foot) flat in Tangjialing village with her husband, a computer hardware salesman. The apartment is so minuscule that the couple cannot have a proper wardrobe-they use their only chair as a makeshift dresser. Yu however admits the cheap rent of 550 yuan (80 dollars) a month makes the hardships worth it, saying a flat in the city centre would be "extravagant", given the couple's combined earnings of just 4,400 yuan a month.

University graduates in China were once dubbed "the favored children of Heaven"-they won decent jobs from the government upon graduation, and housing was one of the many perks offered

to them. But the country's three decades of economic reform have made such privileges a thing of the past and forced many 20somethings into a fierce battle for decent jobs-and an unenviable life in the cramped suburbs. China had more than six million new university graduates in 2009, but by year's end, only 87 percent of them had found jobs, meaning nearly 800,000 were yet to be employed.

Beijing alone has more than 100,000 "ants", and other megacities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou in the south have similar worker armies, according to the book "Ants Tribe", based on two years of surveys among the huge workforce. "They have high aims and expectations," said Lian Si, the book's lead author and an associate professor at the University of International Business and Economics. "They put up with the poor conditions in these villages in order to strive for their goals and future," he said.

Software engineer Huang Guolong is an ant colony survivor. After 18 months in Tangjialing, he has landed a three-year contract with a new company, and his monthly wage was boosted by 50 percent to 4,500 yuan. —AFP

A security device saleswoman Yu Ping walks into her small room in the maze of bunkhouses on the outskirts of Beijing. — AFP

alli Biswokarma was tortured by neighbors in her village in Nepal for two days and forced to eat human waste before she finally gave in and confessed to practicing witchcraft. Those who beat, punched and kicked the 47-year-old mother of one accused her of casting evil spells on a schoolteacher who had fallen ill. "I was victimized because I am a poor woman," said Biswokarma, who belongs to the Dalit community-the "untouchables" on the lowest rung of Nepal's rigid Hindu caste hierarchy.

"Around 35 people came to my home and took me away. They trapped me in a cow shed and forced me to eat faeces and drink urine," she told AFP in the village of Pyutar, 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Kathmandu. "The next day they cut my skin with blades. I could not bear the torture and I confessed to being a witch just to save my life." Hundreds of Dalit women are thought to suf-

fer a similar ordeal every year in Nepal, where superstition and caste-based discrimination remain rife and where most communities still operate on strict patriarchal lines.

Human rights campaigners say the perpetrators of such crimes are rarely brought to justice, with police viewing the persecution of Dalit women as a matter for the community to sort out itself. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has pronounced 2010 the year to end violence against women as Nepal makes the transformation from traditional Hindu monarchy to modern secular state. But authorities in the impoverished South Asian nation admit they face an uphill struggle. "Superstitions are deeply rooted in our society, and the belief in witchcraft is one of the worst forms of this," said Sarwa Dev Prasad Ojha, minister for women and social welfare.—AFP