22 Feb

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

40 PAGES

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2010

RABI ALAWAL 8, 1431 AH

Lebanon’s outnumbered Maronites pull stops on voting age

HRW slams Kuwait for denying entry to speakers PAGE 3

NO: 14648

Nepal’s shortest man in quest for world record

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150 FILS

Ailing Federer out of Dubai Open

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US-Kuwait relationship ‘foundational’: Jones

US Ambassador Deborah Jones

in the news PIC plant to cost $5bn KUWAIT: Kuwait’s state-run Petrochemical Industries Co’s (PIC) planned petrochemical plant will cost about $5 billion, a PIC official said yesterday. The figure he gave is $2 billion higher than an estimate given last month in an Oil Ministry publication. The plant will produce over 1 million tonnes per year of ethylene and is expected to be operational by 2015, Yousef Al-Atiqi, PIC deputy managing director for olefins, said at a media event. He said the project would cost “around $5 billion”. The plant would be the firm’s third olefins complex, Atiqi said. Shareholders are not yet finalised and the project is still at a “preliminary studies phase”, he added. PIC’s current capacity at olefins I and II is about 1.65 million tonnes per year of ethylene and its derivatives.

KUWAIT: The US-Kuwaiti relationship has become foundational, dating back to the founding of the American Hospital in Kuwait and later solidifying and maturing in the wake of the invasion and the liberation of the Gulf state, said US Ambassador to Kuwait Deborah Jones. “The USKuwaiti relationship has become foundational. Obviously its roots go back to the founding of the

American Hospital in Kuwait the first real interaction between Americans and Kuwaitis - but it was solidified and matured in the wake of the 1990 invasion and the 1991 liberation (of Kuwait), and the subsequent relationships that have built up following that, both the institutional and personto-person,” she said in an interview on the occasion of Kuwait’s national celebrations.

Congratulating the Kuwaiti leadership, government and people on the 49th National Day and the 19th Liberation Day, Jones noted that for those who had seen the destruction that was wrought on Kuwait during the invasion, “now it’s really an oasis in a very difficult neighborhood.”

This oasis, she explained, was brought about by Kuwait’s system of governance, a freely

elected parliament, an open and free press and a highly educated populace that was guaranteed to keep Kuwait in the forefront.

She described the Kuwaiti-US relationship as “mature” and one of “honest friends”, but said that “we have an obligation not only to keep developing ourselves, but to do it so that we can be stabilizing factors in the world around us, and that we can be the

Israel sees little fallout from Dubai killing

Indian woman killed

Firms to sign letter of intent KUWAIT: Kuwaiti telecoms firm Zain and India’s Bharti Airtel are expected to sign a letter of intent for the $9 billion African assets deal this week, a newspaper reported yesterday. The letter will include the official offer and the schedule of payment, Al-Rai newspaper said in an unsourced report. Bharti is in exclusive talks until March 25 to buy Zain’s African business, excluding Morocco and Sudan. Another paper, Al-Anbaa, said Bharti was to meet yesterday with a Kuwaiti Islamic lender about financing the deal. Bharti had said it will have clarity by next week on funding its offer for Zain’s operations in 15 African countries. The two firms have agreed on an enterprise value of $10.7 billion for the assets, including $1.7 billion of debt on Zain Africa’s books.

Equate posts $510m profit FUNCHAL, Portugal: Firefighters and volunteers work to free a car trapped between two houses yesterday by a road where several cars were carried by floodwaters onto hillside houses on Saturday outside the Madeira Island’s capital. — AP

Portugal floods kill 40 FUNCHAL, Portugal: Troops and rescuers dug through mud-filled houses and streets on the Portuguese tourist island of Madeira yesterday after flash floods unleashed brown torrents which killed at least 40 peo-

ple. Portugal rushed medical teams, rescuers, divers and relief supplies to the Atlantic island. But morgue pathologists were also sent in a grim warning that more bodies would be found in the mud that swept people

off their feet as they tried to escape.

The rains ended revealing scenes of devastation in the capital, Funchal, with cars overturned and roofs ripped off buildings.

Continued on Page 14

Bomb thrown at Cairo synagogue CAIRO: A man hurled a suitcase containing a makeshift bomb at Cairo’s main downtown synagogue in the early hours yesterday morning, but there were no injuries or damage, police said.

According to the police report, a man entered a hotel located on the fourth floor of a building across from the synagogue at around 3 am and as he was checking in, abruptly threw his suitcase out the window. The case contained four containers of gasoline each attached to a glass bottle of sulfuric acid meant to shatter on impact and ignite the makeshift bomb, said police, who speculated the man may have panicked.

The bag, which also contained clothes, cotton strips,

operations in Iraq and elsewhere in the region in terms of regional security ... but we consult regularly on a broad range of regional security issues, including Iran, Yemen, Al-Qaeda, etc,” she explained. Dialogue between the Kuwaiti and US governments extends to counter-terrorism cooperation, human rights and trafficking in persons issues, as Continued on Page 14

UAE slams abuse of European passports

KUWAIT: A 20-year-old Pakistani man killed his 30-year-old Indian lover at a deserted house in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh. He had asked her to meet him there and after making love, killed her and left her body in the house. The next day he returned to the scene and found her body still there. He then went to the police, confessed to his crime and showed authorities where the woman’s body was located. A case was opened to investigate the incident.

KUWAIT: The net profits of Kuwait’s Equate Petrochemicals Co slumped by 25.3 percent in 2009, falling for the second year running due to lower demand, the company’s president said yesterday. Equate, a joint venture with the US Dow Chemical, posted a net profit of $510 million in 2009, down from $683 million the previous year, Hamad Al-Terkait, who is also the CEO, told a press conference. The company, which has made massive investments over the past decade, posted a profit of $769 million in 2007. “The petrochemicals market in general deteriorated last year and demand was lower than in 2008 ... and prices were 40 percent lower,” Terkait said, adding that earnings were still 29 percent higher than expectations. (See Page 21)

enzymes for positive change in the world. That’s why I believe in this relationship.”

Asked about areas of cooperation, she said that as in any mature relationship, there was cooperation “across the board”.

“Obviously we have a very important security relationship, and that remains the case because Kuwait remains essential to logistical support for our

matches and a lighter, fell onto the sidewalk in front of the hotel and briefly caught fire before being extinguished. There were no injuries and no damage to the historic synagogue. The suspect fled the scene and is now being sought by police.

Egypt’s once thriving Jewish community largely left the country 50 years ago during hostilities between Egypt and Israel, but a number of heavily guarded synagogues, open only to Jews, remain.

The downtown synagogue, Egypt’s largest, is the only one still conducting services for the Jewish high holidays, which are sometimes attended by Israeli CAIRO: An Egyptian policeman stands guard in diplomats. front of the Jewish synagogue Shaar Hashamayim C o n t i n u e d o n Pa g e 1 4 (background) yesterday. — AP

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates condemned yesterday the abuse of European passports by the assassins of a top Hamas figure in Dubai, as police said some of the killers entered the country with diplomatic passports.

The Dubai police chief also called for Hamas to conduct an internal investigation into the killing, pointing to a possible mole in the Palestinian Islamist movement, a theory Hamas rejected. “The UAE is deeply concerned by the fact that passports of close allies, whose nationals currently enjoy preferential visa waivers, were illegally used to commit this crime,” said a foreign ministry statement, carried by the official WAM news agency.

Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, a founder of Hamas’ armed wing, was found dead in his hotel room in Dubai on Jan 20. The UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, has summoned European Union ambassadors to the UAE to brief them on developments in the case and to seek their continued cooperation with the investigation, the statement said. “The abuse of passports poses a global threat, affecting both countries’ national security as well as the personal security of travellers,” UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahayan said in the statement. “We fully intend that those responsible are brought to account for their actions,” he said. Meanwhile, Dubai police chief Lieutenant General Continued on Page 14

KUWAIT: A packet of diet ‘green coffee’ that the Ministry of Health warned may cause cardiac problems is seen in this photo. — KUNA

MoH warns against Chinese diet ‘herbs’ KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health warned yesterday against the use of some Chinese herbs in the form of tea and coffee drinks called “Green Coffee 500” and “Slimming Bag Green Tea” as they have negative effects on the heart. Assistant deputy of Drugs and Medical Supplies Affairs at the Ministry of Health Dr Omar

Al-Sayed Omar told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the Drug Monitoring Directorate tested these herbs and found that they contain a chemical that must not be used except under medical prescription.

He added that such products are brought to the country through unofficial means Continued on Page 14

Privatization bill almost complete

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s financial and economic affairs committee yesterday completed reviewing all but three articles of the key privatization draft law that sets the necessary regulations for the privatization of state-owned companies and public services. Head of the committee MP Yousef Al-Zalzalah said that it was agreed to complete the final three articles on Wednesday because they require taking the opinion of the public pensions agency because they govern retirement of employees of privatized establishments.

The bill states the establishment of a higher privatization council to be headed by the prime minister. The council will enjoy extensive authority to decide on services and sectors that can be privatized, the price of the would-be privatized bodies, preventing monopoly and other powers. Zalzalah said the bill bans privatization in certain sectors like oil and natural resources, and there will be restrictions on the privatization of strategic sectors like education, health and electricity. Even after the law is passed, certain strategic sectors would still require special laws for privatization, he said.

Continued on Page 14

Clinton slammed for Book casts Brown ducking nuke query

as angry, abusive PM fights back against claims LONDON: Yesterday, the British public was introduced to what one political journalist has painted as the dark face of the country’s prime minister: An angry and abusive man whose rages were so intense the country’s top bureaucrat had to intervene to comfort his distressed staff. The description, carried in book “The End of the Party”, by The Observer journalist Andrew Rawnsley, is vigorously contested by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his lieutenants - who say that, while the prime minister does get angry, he’s not a bully.

Rawnsley’s book and its contents, extracts of which were published in an eightpage spread in The Observer,

Gordon Brown dominated Britain’s media yesterday. In one passage, the book describes Brown as furious when a journalist identified similarities between an address he gave at Labour’s 2007 conference and speeches given by Al Gore and Bill Continued on Page 14

RIYADH: A Saudi student yesterday blasted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for skirting her question on Israel’s nuclear arsenal during a “town hall” meeting at a Jeddah college. “I did not get a straight answer,” Mariyam Alavi said in a letter published in Arab News on her question to the top US diplomat last Tuesday. “My question was simple and direct enough,” she wrote, but Clinton’s response “was very unsatisfying.” Alavi, a 12th grader at the International Indian School in Jeddah, attended the meeting at the elite Dar Al-Hekma College with six classmates. She had asked Clinton about Washington’s stance on the existence of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

If the Americans “so vehemently oppose Iran’s nuclear program,” she had asked, “then why isn’t the US asking Israel to give up their nuclear weapons?” Clinton gave a lengthy answer detailing the US case against Iran, but did not mention Israel. She did, howev-

er, say that “we want not only a world free of nuclear weapons, we want a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, including everyone.”

Alavi’s Arab News letter assailed US “hypocrisy” over the issue, reflecting a widely held sentiment in the region.

“Clinton said that the United States, under the able leadership of President Barack Obama, was trying to repair and strengthen its ties with the Muslim world. “It is high time she realised it couldn’t be done without answering the questions uppermost in the minds of the Middle East people.”

Contacted by AFP, Alavi said she had been nervous about asking such a “politically provocative question” but was then encouraged by strong applause from the audience when she addressed Clinton.

Clinton had been on a three-day trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia to discuss, among other things, how to confront Iran’s alleged program to develop nuclear weapons. — AFP

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NATIONAL

Monday, February 22, 2010

Gulf loses appetite for expensive food Higher ingredient costs hit margins of regional manufacturers

KUWAIT: A ceremony was held yesterday to celebrate the fourth anniversary of His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s appointment as crown prince. The ceremony was held by the Diwan’s director Sheikh Mubarak Al-Faisal Al-Saud Al-Sabah, leaders, officials, and employees. On the occasion, Sheikh Nawaf expressed gratitude to all the Diwan’s employees and called them to make more efforts in serving Kuwait. He prayed to the Almighty to maintain security, stability, and development in Kuwait.

Awqaf to hold Quran recitation contest KUWAIT: Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs continued its preparations yesterday for Kuwait International prize contest for memorizing and reciting the Quran held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah from March 11 to 21.

Deputy assistant of the Quran and Islamic Studies Affairs department in the ministry and head of the prize executive committee Abdullah Al-Barak urged in a press statement the prize’s supervisors, following a meeting with them, to maintain

work according to the same scientific method along with carrying out the operation plan with all its content.

Further, Barak reviewed with the committees’ heads all the achievements made in the previous period since taking first steps toward setting up such a contest, pointing out the tasks ahead of their committees.

Additionally, Barak extended thanks for the committees’ heads for what they achieved in the run-up to the contest and prodded them to exert further efforts in order to attain the goal behind such contest

on Quran.

The prize has many branches including the memorization of the Quran according to the seven known recitations and the memorization of all Quran along with the ability to recite and intonate it, etc.

This specialized prize aims at motivating different Muslim generations to abide by the Islamic teachings and realize their duties toward the tolerant Islamic creed along with increasing the number of the Quran memorizers from among youth and honoring them. — KUNA

DUBAI: Appetite for high quality food in Kuwait and the Gulf has shrunk over the past year and companies are adapting by offering lower quality food at cheaper prices, food producers and distributors said yesterday. The economic crisis has cut consumers’ disposable incomes and reduced spending on premium food products in the Gulf region, Shonil Chande, a food and drink analyst at Business Monitor International, said on the sidelines of an industry conference in Dubai. “This is not the time for any company to be launching premium food products in the market because there is no longer a strong demand in the Gulf like before,” he said.

Poor crop output last year caused the price of basic food items such as rice and sugar to rise globally, prompting cashstrapped consumers in the Gulf to tighten their belts even more.

“It’s no longer about offering consumers fancy packaging and very high quality goods, it’s about offering them a good product and at the lowest price possible,” said Farhad Fathipour, sales and marketing director at Khatereh General Trading, a Dubai based rice trading company. “Our product does not have the same high quality packaging as others in the market and we cut down on advertising, all to provide consumers with the lowest price possible.” Khatereh trades around 100,000 tonnes of Indian basmati rice per year in the Gulf and Middle East region, Fathipour

said. “The Middle East has become a very price sensitive market and we had to adapt to that change,” he said.

Higher ingredient costs have hit the margins of some manufacturers in the region, such as Saudi food firm Halwani Brothers Co. “Over the past year we had been forced to compromise our profit margins on products containing sugar, such as jams, because of the high sugar price,” said Mahmoud Abu Asabeh, regional sales manager at Halwani. “There comes a point where you just

have to raise the price and maybe this will happen in 2010.”

Raw sugar futures more than doubled in 2009 and have touched a series of 29-year highs this year, propelled by a huge Indian appetite for the sweetener and poor crop yields in top exporter Brazil after heavy rains disrupted harvesting. Halwani trades mainly in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Its products include Middle Eastern sweets, processed meat, jams and dairy products. Still, not all companies have taken the approach of aiming at the budget-conscious

consumer.

US-based Kraft Foods has no plan to cut the output of the high quality products in its range and may increase prices to maintain the quality, said Vikram Mohan, Middle East business development manager for Kraft. “We believe that there will always be a demand for high quality products even if the price is higher, because some people have acquired a taste for these products and will always buy them,” Mohan said. “It’s like an addiction.” — Reuters

Violations recorded against KISR KUWAIT: The Audit Bureau has recorded three violations against the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) in a recently released report. The announcement was made by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad AlAfasi.

In a letter referred to the

Cabinet, Al-Afasi said that increasing financial allocations to people sent as part of delegations without referring it to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) first, increasing housing allocations, and failure to appoint candidates recommended by the CSC were some of the faults found,

reported Al-Qabas.

The KISR has, reportedly, committed violations by failing to consult with the CSC before passing vital decisions. The report goes on to state that it had already received an approval from the CSC on the system of allowances and scholarships in practice.

KUALA LUMPUR: Ambassador Humoud Al-Rawdhan and other members of the Kuwaiti delegation. — KUNA

Kuwait keen on protecting rights of foreign workers KUALA LUMPUR: A visiting senior Kuwaiti diplomat said yesterday his country is keen on safeguarding and protecting the human rights of foreign workers in Kuwait.

Ambassador Humoud AlRawdhan, chief of the Kuwaiti

Foreign Ministry’s consular department, said he is part of a Kuwaiti diplomatic and security delegation visiting Indonesia to attend an ongoing international immigration conference.

“Such meetings come within the context of Kuwait’s keen-

ness on preserving the human rights (of workers) and facilitating their travel” he said.

During the talks, the Kuwaiti team has presented a set of suggestions to Indonesian officials, mainly finding an effective mechanism for bilateral coordination between the Kuwaiti and Indonesian governments over how to guarantee the money transfer of Indonesian housekeepers in Kuwait, he added.

They also suggested the appointment of an Indonesian immigration officer at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait just like several other countries which have intensive household workers in Kuwait, with a view to facilitating the deportation of law-breaking workers, if found, through diplomatic channels, he said.

The proposal will certainly contribute to the sharing of information and coordination over legal procedures in this respect, he added. This shows how keen Kuwait is on the human rights of foreign workers on its soil, he added.

The Kuwaiti diplomat voiced his country’s willingness to further develop and promote cooperative ties with Indonesia.— KUNA

NATIONAL

Monday, February 22, 2010

3 Interfering in the freedom of information

HRW slams Kuwait for denying speakers’ entry

By Ahmad Saeid KUWAIT: Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement criticizing Kuwait’s decision to deny three people entry to the country over the last three months for their political opinions. The statement, issued on Thursday, referred to the barring of a Saudi The report was made after Kuwaiti security officials cancelled the visa of Madawi AlRasheed, a professor of cultural anthropology at King’s College London.

A woman of Saudi origin, she is believed to have ideas opposing the Saudi government.

The report quotes Al-Rasheed who said the decision to cancel her visa “stemmed from political pressure exerted by Saudi Arabia”.

“Kuwait is sending a message that political

KUWAIT: At Al-Seif Palace yesterday, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. Also yesterday morning, HH the Amir received HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah and the President of the Council Saad Al-Hajiri, as well as the Deputy Cabinet Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. —KUNA

Al-Afasi lauds Franco-Kuwaiti relations KUWAIT: In a recent interview with French newspaper Le Figaro, Kuwait’s Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammed Al-Afasi noted the exemplary ties between Kuwait and France, particularly those of a cultural, military, and economic nature.

Among the topics dealt with in the interview were Kuwait’s short and long-term economic prospects; on this issue, the minister underscored the Kuwaiti government’s plans to depend less on an oil-based income and more on diversification of the sources of national income and strengthening the private sector’s role in the nation’s future development plans.

On the subject of the expatriate workforce in Kuwait, Al-Afasi affirmed that his country has sought assiduously to uphold the civil rights of all expatriate workers and to do so through adhering strictly to international labor norms, while updating local

labor laws to dovetail with these workers’ overall interests.

On another topic, he mentioned Kuwait’s earnest endeavor to improve the status of people with special needs through favorable legislation including the recently-passed Disability Act, which he said had been formulated with great care by the country’s National Assembly.

Al-Afasi told the newspaper that his ministry was exerting monumental efforts to attend to the interests of broad sections of Kuwaiti society, whether citizens or expatriates, through improving the ministry services offered to them and proposing legislations for that purpose.

In another development, the Moroccan Minister of Culture Bensalem Himmich lauded here yesterday the Kuwaiti participation in the 16th International Exhibition of Publishing and Book (SIEL-2010). He revealed that Morocco would organize a cul-

tural event in Kuwait this year.

He told KUNA on the sidelines of SIEL that Kuwaiti-Moroccan cultural cooperation were excellent, affirming that Kuwait had a great input in this year’s SIEL event. The Moroccan Culture Ministry is very interested in bolstering cooperation with Kuwait, stated Himmich, adding that Morocco is planning a Moroccan Cultural week in Kuwait this year. The pavilion features more than 600 publications by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information, National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Al-Babtain Foundation, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), Kuwait University and the Fatwa and Legislation Department, and other publishers. —KUNA

cultural anthropologist from entering Kuwait earlier this month, a Saudi religious figure in January and an Egyptian theologian last December. “The government has given no official reason for refusing to let the three speakers enter the country. In all three cases, the denials appear to be based on these individuals’ views on religion and politics,” Human Rights Watch said.

concerns trump the Kuwaiti public’s right to hear all sides of an issue,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “By denying these individuals entry, Kuwait is interfering in the freedom of information and freedom of expression.”

Stork urged Kuwait to either demonstrate that it has a legitimate reason for barring persons from the country or let them enter and speak freely. “Authorities should encourage

civil society organizations to play an active role in regional debates instead of trying to silence them,” he added.

Kuwait Times attempted to get a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but a high official at the ministry declined to comment on the report.

Last January the ministry denounced a report issued by HRW regarding the mistreatment of bedoons and domestic servants in the country.

Women partake in Arab sport media workers event KUWAIT: Kuwaiti female sports reporters Moudhi AlMeftah and Naema Al-Dwaysan are among participants at the third forum of Arab women sports reporters and media workers, scheduled to be held between March 11 to 15 in Qatar.

Qatar Sports Media Committee Chairman Mohammad Al-Malki told KUNA yesterday the event, which is to be held in Qatar for the second consecutive year, will see participation of delegations representing over 16 Arab states, including Kuwait.

The event is organized in coordination with the Arab sports media unions and bodies. Al-Malki, who is on a short visit to Kuwait, added that the event is an initiative to boost Arab cooperation in this field and the program includes seminars presented by specialists in the sports journalism genres. —KUNA

KUWAIT: At his Diwan in Seif Palace yesterday, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received the Minister of Oil and of Information Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, who was accompanied by the CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) Ali Al-Shuaib and the chairman of the board of directors and Managing Director of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) Sami Al-Rushaid. Also attending the meeting were KOC’s Deputy Managing Director for Financial and Administrative Affairs Khaled Al-Khamis and member of KOC’s Public Relations and Media Group Abdulkhaleq Al-Ali.—KUNA

local spotlight

Workers’ strikes - A persistent saga

By Muna Alfuzai

W

hen we bring poor labors from their countries to clean our trash, we should make sure that we pay their salaries on time.

Punctuality in paying workers’ salaries should not be perceived as an act of charity, rather it is the right thing to do in return for the services provided to us by those workers. Let us not forget that such services are performed by many poor workers not because they enjoy doing so but because they need the pay in return. Yesterday, cleaning workers at certain hospitals staged strikes, protesting delay in the payment of their salaries. Such strikes have been common in Kuwait however, this time around these workers’ protests surfaced to the front mainly due to the urgent and sensitive nature of their jobs. These strikes were staged by labors catering hard work in public hospitals in return for trivial wages. The health of these workers are also exposed to many threats as they are working in an environment infested with germs, in addition to handling with many other waste and hazardous dirt such as blood, etc. Those people have all the right to get angry for not being paid. It does not matter if the Ministry of Health or the local contractors are behind their misery. Those workers simply do their job for hospitals and deserve to get paid, nothing more and nothing less... Unlawful exploitation could never be accepted. I am certain that

Power outage in 11 areas KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) will continue to hold maintenance operations at a number of secondary power transformation plants in several areas for the third consecutive week. As a result, many areas will experience temporary power cuts for four hours until the end of the current week (from 7:30 am to 11: 30 am).

The latest round of operations, which come as part of the Ministry’s preparations to meet high demand during summer by improving the performance of power plants, began on Saturday February 20. It will last till February 24, reported Al-Qabas. The areas included in the power cuts are: Salmiya, Rehab, south Jahra, Abu AlHasaynah, Qadsiya, Adailiya, Mishref, Kuwait City, Salwa, Ardhiya and Dasma.

New information minister?

SANAA: Kuwaiti volunteers distribute humanitarian aid to Sudanese refugee families.

KRCS volunteers distribute aid to Saada refugees SANAA: Volunteers of Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) distributed humanitarian aid yesterday to Sudanese refugee families who fled Saada after the eruption of recent violence there.

Yemeni Minister of State for Parliamentary and Shura Council Affairs Ahmad Al-Kahlani was present

on location, along with Sanaa Mayor Abdulrahman Al-Akwa’a and other city officials.

Al-Kahlani expressed his country’s deep appreciation for Kuwait’s assistance and the aid it was presenting to refugees, saying that they were in dire need for food and shelter.

He said that such a stance was not

new for Kuwait and KRCS, who were known to have stood by the Yemeni people in good times and in bad.

On his part, Executive Director of the Yemeni Red Crescent Society Risli Al-Hamati lauded Kuwait’s assistance for the victims of the Saada violence, and thanked the Gulf state for its noble action. Meanwhile, head of the KRCS

mission to Yemen Musaed Al-Enizi said that it was the society’s obligation to stand by those in need of assistance, adding that the distribution of aid today was in coordination with Yemeni authorities. This is the third batch of Kuwaiti humanitarian assistance to reach Yemen, after two convoys were dispatched in October.— KUNA

KUWAIT: Moves are reportedly underway to relieve Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah of his post as Minister of Information, with the current Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan AlRoudhan being favored to take over the position, largely due to his popularity among MPs. One cabinet official said that the current relative calm prevailing on Kuwait’s political scene came as a break from the recent tensions, reported Al-Shahed. This spirit of calm has prevailed despite the Popular Action Bloc’s attempts to disrupt it with calls for the grilling of the information minister, which were thwarted by the intervention of other MPs.

MoH to assess health services KUWAIT: In an unprecedented step, the Health Ministry’s work program now includes a project to assess patients’ satisfaction, announced the Deputy Assistant for Planning and Quality Dr.

those workers had to go through a lot of hardship to make the authorities pay attention to their rightful demands for getting paid. Manipulation is shameful.

The saddest part here is that when the workers went on strike, it was as if the Ministry of Health has nothing to do with them and their demands. It was as if they do not work under the roofs of ministry hospitals. The ministry simply claimed that the damage was minimal and that intensive care units are still operating normally!! Should we jump joy and clap for that or what? Or should we just ignore the entire issue? Like many other workers engaging in various fields, All workers, be it janitors or employees should always be treated with more respect, especially when it comes to hospitals and health centers which directly deal with people’s health. In that manner, the Ministry of Health is fully responsible for ensuring that workers get paid their salaries on time without delay. The continued silence of the National Assembly on these strikes is really surprising and ironic at the same time. I wonder, is it because those workers are not voters? Maybe. It is one possibility!! Yesterday’s workers’ strikes occurred at two major health facilities in Kuwait — the Al-Amiri and the Al-Jahra Hospitals which are usually overwhelmed with a large number of patients , out patients, visitors and all the tension that comes with it. Though these strikes ended yesterday, we should keep in mind that they may reoccur for different reasons, especially when they are related to abuse practiced against people... and not giving them their wages on time. muna@kuwaittimes.net

Waleed Al-Falah. The Ministry’s Undersecretary Dr Ibraheem Al-Abdulhadi led a specialized committee that was formed to carry out the process of executing this project. The work team will assess the level of patients’ satisfaction with the medical services received from the Ministry, reported AlQabas. Furthermore, the expertise of an international bank which has vast experience in rendering medical service assessment has been used, said Al-Falah. He further added that the ministry is currently considering establishing a joint cooperation project with the bank.

Beaten student KUWAIT: Farwaniya Hospital reported that the student who was beaten by seven of his friends in an intermediate school in Andalus last Thursday suffered a concussion. The student was leaving the school when two students who had a dispute with him brought five others and beat him until he fell on the ground, reported Al-Jarida. Eventually several teachers came to the student’s rescue and brought him to the hospital. The student’s father filed a complaint against the seven students at the Andalus police station.

Two under-fives die in crash KUWAIT: Two young girls, aged two and four, were killed in a tragic car accident on King Fahad Road, in which four other members of their family were seriously injured. The accident took place early Saturday morning when the car owner lost control of the steering wheel, with the vehicle veering off the road and smashing headfirst into a tree. Although rescue workers rushed to the scene, the two young girls could not be resuscitated. Their bodies were removed for autopsy, while the injured family members were quickly taken to Mubarak Hospital.

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NATIONAL

Monday, February 22, 2010

Japanese delegation in town

$108 billion to develop new ports and cities in Kuwait

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Teruhiko Mashiko and Hiroshi Saito are seen here with an interpreter (center) during the meeting yesterday.

Investigators to sue MoI on controversial appointments KUWAIT: A number of Ministry of Interior (MoI) investigators are reportedly set to file lawsuits against the ministry in protest at a number of recent rulings, including controversial appointments within the ministry’s investigations departments.

The lawsuits are separate to one already filed by the head of a local MoI office’s investigation unit against the interior minister himself, which the Public Prosecution Service has already referred to the Ministers’ Court.

One of the investigators set to take legal action is apparently doing so over the ministry’s failure to appoint a family member of his who had obtained a first class degree, instead assigning a classmate of his relative who had obtained a lowerranking degree.

The investigators are also reportedly expected to present an official complaint listing their grievances to the parliamentary complaints and petitions committee, reported Al-Watan.

On a separate issue, the suspects in the Mishref power

plant case reportedly contacted Attorney General Hamid AlOthman a week ago to request that the travel ban orders against them be lifted, but have yet to receive a response.

Officials believe that this is tantamount to Al-Othman rejecting their appeal.

The Public Prosecution Service has yet to begin its official investigation into the case and is apparently still awaiting the findings of the committee formed by the Ministry of Public Works to look into the issue.

KUWAIT: The next four years are crucial to and the most important for Kuwait’s development. The government has set aside a total of $108 billion to develop new ports and cities, disclosed Wael Jassem Al-Sagar, Co-chairman of the Kuwaiti side as he addressed the 15th joint meeting of Japan-Kuwait Businessmen Committee held yesterday at the Kuwait Chamber of “The government emphasized on the public-private sectors partnership and has increased the role played by private sectors. If implemented, this plan will change the local economic landscape and provide a stream of breaker projects to which Japanese investors can no doubt contribute a great deal in terms of experience and expertise,” he noted. Among the projects Al-Sagar mentioned were construction of railway system, seaports, new industrial cities and investments in power, water, oil, health and education sectors.

AlShamali, on his part, lauded the two countries’ excellent political and economic ties which he cited would further enhance after the creation of Japan-Kuwait Businessmen Committee. “Our ties are growing rapidly and Japan is number five in terms of our commercial relations with other countries,” he said.

“Japan has the superior capability, knowledge and experience to carry out projects.

There are lots of opportunities and Kuwait is ready to cooperate with Japanese companies,” he added.

Teruhiko Mashiko, Senior Vice Minister of Trade assured the Kuwaiti side that the new Yukio Hatoyama gov-

Commerce and Industry (KCCI). The joint meeting was inaugurated by Kuwait’s Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali along with Teruhiko Mashiko, Senior Vice Minister of Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry. The Japan-Kuwait Businessmen Committee was established in 1995 mainly to facilitate the transfer of Japanese expertise and technology for the development of Kuwaiti workforce, improve Kuwait’s public services in health, education and environment sectors.

KUWAIT: Japan-Kuwait Businessmen Committee meeting in progress at the KCCI yesterday.

— Photos by Joseph Shagra ernment would continue to promote their cooperation in all aspects. “Before I embark on this trip, I met my Prime Minister and told him about my visit to Kuwait. He told me to send his best regards to all of you here and wants to visit Kuwait soon, together, with our minister of trade and commerce.”

Mashiko expressed hope

that this meeting will help achieve better results as many Japanese investors have expressed a desire to invest in Kuwait, he said. “I do hope that Kuwait will be able to benefit from and make use of the technological capability Japan has provided in various sectors including environmental, electric power generation, water and others,” he

concluded.

The second half of the program was devoted to the presentation of Japan and Kuwait economies’ current and future outlook, business opportunities for both countries and sessions regarding environmental, electricity and water issues. The one-day session which began at the KCCI concluded with a dinner

reception at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence in Bayan at 7 pm.

The Japan-Kuwait Businessmen Committee meeting is held annually, alternately in each country, to discuss the latest developments in trade relations shared between two countries and take follow up action to previous discussions.

Teen dies of drug overdose in Rabiya KUWAIT: A Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah received yesterday the UK’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Frank Baker. He was accompanied by John Jenkins, the UK’s Ambassador to Iraq on the occasion of his visit to the country. The meeting was attended by Amiri Diwan Advisor Mohammad Abdullah Abu Al-Hassan and Director of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah. — KUNA

kuwait digest

200,000 delusions! he honorable Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Dr Mohammed Al-Afasi recently claimed that he had managed to deport 200,000 marginal laborers from Kuwait during the first year of his tenure in office, and that he promises to deport more over the coming years,’ wrote Jaafar Rajab in his AlRai column. He speculated that with this rate, the total number of expatriates in the country would have dropped to 2.1 million by the end of 2009 though no census was officially released.

‘This also means that by 2015, expatriates’ numbers will drop to only one million, which means that our development plans will come to a halt as well,’ he added. He pointed out that what Kuwait needs to do is to get more laborers for new projects rather than deport them.

‘Taking into consideration that each of the 100 laborers live in one building, this will also mean that at least 2,000 housing units are now vacant and that an area as large as Jleeb have been evacuated; that electricity and water consumption rates and various other services that previously suffered an overload, has now dropped by at least five percent. Public trans-

‘T

port buses are already plying the streets with no passengers on board,’ he added. He underscored that this only means that the minister is either mistaken or that the people ‘do not understand’.

‘But since the minister does not err and the people do understand, so it must be my mistake and the mistake of the calculator I used.

Basically, it was my mistake to write about this subject in the first place,’ he stressed.

‘The number 200,000 was also used by MPs who claimed that 200,000 housing units would be distributed within three years. They did not mention where the 200,000 units came from or where these were hidden all these years,’ he wrote.

He added that keeping the current situation of electricity and water services in view, how will officials provide enough of both supplies to these units within three years? ‘Ever since it was first established, the housing authority has only built the total of 77,000 units. How on earth will they do the 200,000 in three years?,’ he exclaimed. He questioned if officials mistook the Kuwaitis for a bunch of idiots who would buy such ‘official nonsense’ and lies.

KUWAIT: As the result of a drug overdose, a teenager died at his home in Rabiya. Police responded to the emergency and called criminal investigators after finding drug related paraphernalia near his body. A case was opened to investigate the incident further.

Suicides A Nepalese maid committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling of her sponsor’s home in Fahaheel. Family members discovered her death after they forced themselves into her room when she failed to answer the door. Police and paramedics responded to the emergency and are investigating the incident further.

In a separate incident, a Sri Lankan maid killed herself in a similar manner at her sponsor’s home in Rabiya.

Maid hurt A 32-year-old Indonesian maid suffered serious injuries while trying to escape from the first floor window of her sponsors’ apartment in Hawally. She was unable to hold onto the rope she used for her attempted escape. An ambulance responded to the emergency and brought her to Mubarak Hospital.

Addict held A drug addict was recently arrested in Fintas after police caught him driving under the influence of drugs.

Authorities also found him in possession of hashish and several illegal drug pills. He admitted to using the illegal substances for his own personal use.

He was taken to the General Department for Drug Control.

Bootlegger in custody Ahmadi police arrested an Asian man after finding him in possession of 18 bottles of homemade liquor. The arrest occurred after the man tried to avoid police and led them on a short chase through Abu Halifa. After he was arrested he confessed to be on his way to deliver alcoholic drinks to a number of customers. He was referred to the proper authorities.

Thief nabbed Farwaniya investigators arrested an Arab responsible for breaking the windows of parked vehicles at local malls and stealing their contents. The arrest occurred after authorities received several reports of theft in the area.

When questioned he admitted to the

Fugitive turns self in A GCC national, wanted for several crimes in Kuwait, turned himself in to authorities at Salmi Port. He informed them that he preferred to be jailed in Kuwait instead of his home country where he is wanted for a major criminal case. The man returned after successfully fleeing the country. He was taken to the proper authorities.

Security threat An Arab man was sent to State Security Services after being found in possession of an ID that belongs to an Interior Ministry official and a permit that allows him access to restricted zones. The man confessed during preliminary investigations that he obtained identification cards from a local company contracted with the ministry.

Youth fight A police officer suffered stab wounds to his shoulder while breaking up a fight between youngsters at a mall on the Sixth Ring Road. He was taken to Farwaniya Hospital after the situation was put under control. At least four youths involved in the fight were put under arrest.

Child saved A 4-year-old child was admitted to the intensive care unit of Jahra Hospital after falling unconscious from drinking cleaning bleach. A case of neglect was opened against the child’s family at a local police station.

Fireworks trouble An Arab child suffered injuries and burns to his face after playing with fireworks in Wafra. He was treated at Adan Hospital.

Lawbreakers held Three Asians were arrested for using an apartment in Mirgab for gambling purposes. Meanwhile in Hawally, three were arrested for running an illegal center for international phone calls. They were all taken to the proper authorities.

Hoax calls all originated in Kuwait: MoI

in the news Summer almost here KUWAIT: Summer is almost upon us, according to local meteorologist Saleh Al-Ajairi, who instructed residents to enjoy the brief spring period while it lasts. Al-Ajairi explained that Spring in Kuwait is very brief, adding that one could say that we are now entering the beginning of summer, reported Al-Anba. The meteorologist revealed that winter this year had been the warmest in Kuwait’s history, with record high seasonal temperatures recorded in both January and February.

MoI suffers from favoritism KUWAIT: Informed sources said the Information Ministry is suffering from favoritism when deciding awards and who gets to go on trips abroad. They said that most suggestions made by the investigation committee are not implemented, reported Al-Jarida. It was reported that many of the decisions that are made are often based on personal interests within the Parliament.

Pay hikes to eat into oil surplus KUWAIT: Government sources have warned against the approval of more pay hikes for civil servants that may result in serious repercussions. Further, officials asserted that if approved, such raises would eat into the remaining 16 percent of oil revenue surplus and that salaries were raised on an annual basis because of the steady rise in employees appointed both in the government and private sectors, reported Al-Rai. Officials added that the basis for this concern arose from a recent recommendation made by the World Bank concerning the salaries paid to citizens in the government sector. ‘The World Bank report warned that payrolls were consuming the state’s budget,” officials stressed.

KUWAIT: A driver escaped with heavy bruising after his vehicle crashed headfirst into a lamppost in Salmiya. Emergency personnel were quickly at the scene, with firemen rescuing the motorist from the wreckage of his car before he was treated by paramedics. —- Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

crimes. He was taken to the local police station.

On a separate note, Mubarak AlKabeer police arrested a Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) citizen after catching him trying to steal a car parked in the area. He was taken to the proper authorities.

Fugitive escapes again KUWAIT: Officers from the International Criminal Police Organization, known as Interpol, were recently assaulted in Kuwait by the brothers of a German fugitive of Arab origin who they were attempting to arrest, enabling their sibling to escape. The incident took place in Sulaibiya, where the fugitive, who is listed on the international agency’s list of most wanted figures, has been living, reported Al-Watan. As soon as the Interpol officers arrived at the address where the fugitive was staying, however, his brothers launched a sustained assault on them, enabling him to escape.

KUWAIT: An Iranian drug dealer in his 50s who worked as a trader at the vegetable market was caught red-handed in a General Department of Drugs Control (GDDC) sting operation while selling two grams of heroin to an undercover GDDC officer posing as a customer. On being questioned about his activities, the dealer told officers that he was dealing the drugs on behalf of a Central Prison inmate. He has been referred to the Public Prosecution Service on charges of drug possession with intent to sell and is in custody awaiting trial. — Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: The 12 recent hoax bomb threats made to the Ministry of Interior (MoI) all originated in Kuwait, according to a ministry official. The calls were made using sophisticated computer programs that divert suspicion by making it seem that they originate from an international number while making domestic calls, the official explained, adding that this indicates that the calls were made by an individual or individuals with expertise in both Information Technology and electronics.

“All the calls aim to disrupt the security and stability enjoyed

by Kuwait, and to create chaotic conditions,” the official asserted.

Some of the threats had been made using SMS messages, reported Awan, while others came in the form of direct phone calls to MoI officials, and the hoax bomb threat against Kuwait International Airport was made directly to the airport’s operations room rather than to the MoI’s 112 emergency hotline.

All the calls were made at times when the facilities being threatened were crowded with people, the official said, with the nature of the calls indicating that the individual or individuals making them are very familiar with the country’s vital facilities and installations.

NATIONAL

Monday, February 22, 2010

5

Kuwaiti academics discuss racism, sexism, education Biased behavior exists on the campus

By Hussain Al-Qatari KUWAIT: A study conducted by Kuwait University education professor, Dr Essa Al-Ansari, determined that over 70% of students feel that biased behavior exists on the campus regarding ethnicity, sect, or gender. Al-Ansari presented his paper during a seminar as part of Kuwait’s 1st Citizenship

KUWAIT: The opening ceremony of the Awqaf forum yesterday.

‘Pause and Think about Waqaf’ forum kicks off in Kuwait KUWAIT: The Awqaf general secretariat is a distinctive model of the positive role played by Awqaf that aims at achieving social justice and dissolving class differences, Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Justice Rashed Adbulmohsen AlHammad said here yesterday.

Hammad made this remark during an address delivered at the opening of the 16th Awqaf two-day forum held under the slogan of “Pause and Think about Waqaf” under the sponsorship of the H.H. the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah with the participation of some specialists from Kuwait and abroad.

Hammad said that the program is full of many activities and themes that aim at pushing toward the institutional level in the field of waqf, namely endowment, in order to achieve further success at a time when promotional aspect has a major significance in making Awqaf institutions a success.

On his part, head of the religious affairs committee at the Egyptian National Assembly Dr. Ahmed Omar Hashem said in an address delivered on behalf of the forum’s participants that the State of Kuwait made big strides in the field of Awqaf and charities all over the world.

He also said that establishing such forum is the epitome of eloquence as it embodies the cultural contributions of Kuwait throughout various

KUWAIT: Rashed Adbulmohsen Al-Hammad addressing the meeting. — Photos by KUNA eras, calling the participants on doubling their efforts in order to achieve the goal behind setting up such forum.

The opening ceremony of the forum saw the launching of a waqf entitled “Mama Anisa for children’s libraries” along with honoring the former secretary general of Awqaf’s secretariat Dr. Mohammad Abdul Ghafar AlSharif.

Minister Hammad also

inaugurated on the forum’s sidelines an exhibition with the participation of many state and civilian bodies from Kuwait and abroad.

The forum is to discuss four themes that tackle the Awqaf marketing from the perspective of the Islamic Shariaa, Awqaf marketing and information, a vision on marketing the Awqaf labor and new horizons of charitable marketing. — KUNA

Haniya calls NA Speaker GAZA: The head of the besieged Palestinian Hamas government in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, yesterday telephoned Kuwait’s National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi, according to a statement distributed in Gaza.

According to the statement, during the call the two men discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian arena in numerous areas,

including that of national reconciliation. Haniya also reportedly extended an invitation to AlKhorafi to visit the Gaza Strip during the call.

Al-Khorafi in return expressed Kuwait’s support for the brotherly Palestinian people and their just cause, stressing the need to achieve national reconciliation, the statement concluded. — KUNA

Kuwait chairs meeting of GCC, French officials PARIS: As part of its current role as rotating President of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Kuwait hosted here over the weekend a high-level meeting of GCC officials and members of the French Administration to discuss issues of mutual concern and potential for increased cooperation, officials indicated.

Kuwaiti Ambassador to Paris, Ali Suleiman Said, met with GCC and French Middle East and North Africa (MENA) department officials for an exchange of views on the current situation and to explore ways that France, and indeed the European Union, can increase their presence in the Gulf.

Said told KUNA in an exclusive interview that the working lunch with the GCC and French officials demonstrated that Kuwait “was working hard so that there can be a stronger presence by the EU and France in the Gulf, and in order that Europe can count on good relations with nations in the region.”

The French participation in the exchange included Ambassador Patrice Paoli, who is head of the MENA department at the French Foreign Ministry and a veteran of Gulf affairs, having served as a diplomat in several countries including Kuwait where he was French ambassador.

French Foreign Ministry officials with responsibility for Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were also present.

On the GCC side, all member countries were represented at high levels. “We discussed many issues,” Said said in the interview, noting in particular talks on bilateral GCC-EU trade and ways to bolster this.

“We had a useful exchange of positions and we also discussed political issues like the situation Yemen, the elections in Iraq, Iran and other regional topics,” the ambassador said.

He noted that there are increasing numbers of highlevel visits between GCC countries and France and he said a number of senior government officials from Paris have recently visited the Gulf.

President Nicolas Sarkozy was in Saudi Arabia in November for his third visit there in less than two years and he has also visited Kuwait in February of 2009 as part of a three-nation tour that also took him to Oman and Bahrain.

The French leader has additionally visited Qatar after he was elected and has close ties with that country, and Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani was in Paris in early February for his second visit here, the latest visit by a ranking Gulf official to France. — KUNA

Al-Ansari emphasized the role of education, saying that educators and professors in all educational institutes must address this issue with their students. Of surveyed students, 69% believe that a tribal bias exists while 61% believe that a sectarian bias exists and is being practiced by other students, faculty members and even outside campus.

“Favoritism and nepotism are determined by which tribe a student is from,” explained the professor. He emphasized that these acts destroy the national unity the Kuwaiti constitution strives to achieve. The university professor urged all educational faculties to implement rules and regulations to prevent the spread of intolerance and biased behavior.

Political science professor Mohammad Al-Faili led another session on the role of female citizens and the prosperity of countries. He said that it is crucial to draw a line between loyalty to one’s tribe and loyalty to one’s country.

“To be proud of your tribe or your sect is not something that is shameful,” said the professor. “Our society is a blend of ethnic backgrounds, sects and tribes. This is what makes us who we are, but our loyalty to these things should never override our loyalty to Kuwait.”

Conference at the Movenpick Hotel yesterday. He said that this percentage reflects Kuwaiti society’s opinion on biased behavior. “What happens on the university campus is a reflection of the way society thinks. University students are the educated future leaders with whose effort this country will continue to flourish. The fact that they feel racism exists is a very serious issue and must be addressed immediately,” he said.

Dr Haila Al-Mukaimi Speaking on the role of the female citizen, professor of political science Haila AlMukaimi said that it is impor-

Dr Mohammad Al-Faili

tant that laws be practiced and not just printed on paper.

“There are many laws that equate women and men, but

in reality men are dominant and women are mistreated.

The upbringing and education of people is important in

Top priority to security, respecting law KUWAIT: Protecting Kuwait’s security and respecting the law are among the political values most deeply instilled in the minds of students of Basic Education, according to an academic study. The study-prepared by Director of the Department of Educational Assets and Management at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training’s (PAAET) College of Basic Education Dr Bader Malak, Deputy Director Dr Mohsen Al-Salhi, and Associate Lecturer Dr Latifa AlKanderi-is titled ‘The Concept of National Education, its Bases and Challenges, for Basic Education Students in Kuwait’.

The study, surveying a population of 821 male and female Basic Education students in the first semester of the academic year 2008/2009, indicates that Basic Education students agree that the concept of nationalism comprises a number of rights and responsibilities.

It also notes that students believe the most important elements of good nationalism to be defending the nation

and its security, followed by protecting the environment, respecting the law, and protecting public property.

The last of the elements on the list of students’ priorities is belief in a woman’s ability to hold a leadership position and to contribute to politics.

Moreover, the study finds that among the greatest challenges obstructing the mission of national education as a subject in recent times is the weakness in monitoring the performance of government institutions, as well as the debates between the legislative and executive branches of the authority, interest in foreign culture, and widespread nepotism.

As for how to guarantee achieving the aims of national education, the study suggests appointing the right person for the job, providing services to citizens, protecting public property, and finally granting women the right to hold leadership positions.

With women’s right to hold leadership positions at the bottom of the list of students’ nationalism priorities, the study notes that this reflects lack of

awareness about women’s issues and failure to fully comprehend certain articles of the Kuwaiti Constitution that call for equality.

The student calls on media institutions to deepen and enrich the concept of nationalism in an objective way, and for educational colleges to include in their curricula the achievements of prominent figures in the field of education throughout Kuwait’s history.

Dr Malak explained that the aim of national education was to raise awareness about rights and responsibilities of citizens, as well as to improve dialogue.

He noted that findings of the study were only natural given that national security was of great importance.

Dr Malak explained that nationalism was not a means of identification, but a feeling of belonging to a nation, adding that youth years were important for instilling such important values in citizens and to acquaint them of their rights, as well as their responsibilities and obligations towards their homeland. — KUNA

order for us to make use of these laws. Otherwise, they are useless words on paper,” she said.

KPA Union calls for strike again KUWAIT: The Kuwait Ports Association’s (KPA) Labor Union has renewed calls to stage a strike at the three main ports (Shuwaikh, Shuaibah, Doha) protesting against failure to pay allowances and bonuses. The Head of the Union, Ali Al-Sakouni accused the Communication Minister, Mohammad Al-Busairi of ‘failing to commit to his promises,’ and of failure to take action to end the injustice suffered by laborers. They added that staging a demonstration will be the only option they can resort to once the given time period lapses. Al-Sakouni further criticized the report issued by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in response to its actions recorded in the International Bank’s report.

NATIONAL

6

Monday, February 22, 2010

Arabian Gulf or Persian Gulf?

By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: Following the Kuwaiti foreign minister’s recent statement during a visit to Iran that the Gulf could also be called the Persian Gulf, MP Walid Tabtabae remarked contemptuously that the region has become the American Gulf.

What do the young people on the Arabian street think of the alternative naming options, though, and what would they prefer the Gulf to be known as?

One interviewee, Ahmad, asserted that the waterway was originally under the command of the Persian empire, which is how it became known as the Persian Gulf. Later, however, with the arrival of Arab tribes, the situation changed and now

it is known by different names depending on the individual.

A Kuwaiti citizen called Ahmad told the Kuwait Times that he had no problem with the waterway being called Persian or Arab. “I know that this is gulf since it’s a sea partially enclosed by land; nothing else matters,” he insisted.

Another interviewee, Fatima, asserted, however, that while she has no problem with people of non-Arab origins being in the region, the waterway should be known solely as the Arabian Gulf.

Another respondent, also called Ahmad, an expatriate Arab resident of Kuwait, did not share Fatima’s viewpoint, however, saying that the waterway had always been known as

the Persian Gulf and had never been the Arabian Gulf. He stressed that his view is not based on racism but historical facts, adding that nobody can deny historical reality.

He went further, saying that many of the citizens in Gulf nations are of Iranian origins since this was originally part of the Persian Empire. Although the region always had Arab tribes, he said, it was controlled for a long time by the Persian Empire; the evidence of this history was seen in the title of the regional bloc, he added, saying that it is not known as the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council but as the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Another respondent, Rawaa, insisted that the Gulf region’s

identity is determined by the primary language used by its people, which is Arabic. All education and commerce is conducted in Arabic, she pointed out, saying that this indicates that the region is the Arab Gulf, with no other title being acceptable. Since the most powerful and best known Arab tribes originated in this area, she insisted, “there is no point in calling it the Persian Gulf.”

Interestingly, however, despite some expressions of concern over the presence of American military bases in the region, none of the young people interviewed by the Kuwait Times paid much attention to MP Al-Tabtabae’s ‘American Gulf’ comment.

New law required Parliament, cabinet to discuss on women’s housing

Flaws detected at hospital sterilization units KUWAIT: Serious flaws were detected in the sterilization units of operation rooms, intensive care units, cardiac, dental and other sections across many hospitals in the country.

The Chest Diseases Hospital, Ibn Sina Hospital, Al-Razi Hospital, and sterilization clinics were mostly affected.

After conducting around seven months of investigations into the issue and questioning

several doctors, nurses and other staff members, those responsible for committing the errors have been identified, said the Ministry’s Undersecretary Dr. Ibraheem AlAbdulhadi.

He said that officials have come across cases in which expired sterilizers were used, and asserted that the ministry has accorded the issue a great deal of importance.

The document that Al-Watan newspaper has obtained further supports this issue- a letter sent to the undersecretary from the Head of the Infectious Diseases Department Dr Arafat Al-Arbash and Senior Specialist Sahira Ramadan.

They explained that the operating room of the Ibn Sina hospital suffers from the lack of necessary sterilizing equipment, lack of maintenance and expired sterilizers.

in the news Mother’s appeal KUWAIT: The mother of a drug addict has pleaded with the ministries of interior and health to save her son’s life after officials at the Psychiatric Hospital refused to treat him, despite a court order which ruled that he should be treated there for his addiction. This followed his arrest over drug-related offences. The mother, an Arab woman married to a Kuwaiti citizen, has officially complained to interior minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah about what she claims is her son’s mistreatment at the hands of officers at the police station where he is currently being detained. She alleged that these officials are still abusing her son despite the fact that he has already pleaded guilty to the charges against him and given full answers to all their questions. The woman expressed concern for her son’s health, saying that he could die in his cell if he does not receive prompt treatment at the Psychiatric Hospital, reported Al-Watan.

Her son had been an outstanding student at school, she said, before he fell into bad company and thus became familiar with drugs.

KUWAIT: A law that was passed by the Parliament (No 25/1995) which stipulates that members of a Kuwaiti family should comprise more than two individuals in order to receive housing facilities poses a hindrance.

The Public Authority of Housing Welfare now faces a setback with the law placing a constraint on widows, divorced and single Kuwaiti women being able to receive accommodation.

This law, which was enforced in 1995, has quashed Kuwaiti women’s hopes of receiving government housing. This issue now requires that another legislation be passed so that these women can obtain housing units, reported Al-Watan. The Authority has received around 14,000 applications from women.

KU to celebrate nat’l holidays KUWAIT: Kuwait University’s scientific societies and student associations are organizing a number of activities at the university to mark national week in cooperation with the Dean of Student Affairs.

In a press release issued yesterday, the university announced that the events being held at different locations in its various campuses, were due to begin on Monday, emphasizing the enthusiasm for the student affairs administration and all the students to mark Kuwait’s national celebrations. — KUNA

priorities after spring break

KUWAIT: The parliament and cabinet are expected to discuss the procedures to be observed in implementing the priority strategies agreed jointly by them following the Spring break and national holidays, according to State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Mohammad Al-Busairi.

The discussions will focus on the action taken to date during the current parliamentary term to carry out the prioritized strategies and how much has yet to be achieved, he explained.

The minister said that the two executive bodies had reached an agreement on the issue during the period when he was representing the cabinet in the joint priorities committee which first formulated the list of high-priority strategies.

Al-Busairi emphasized that while the committee had deemed the implementation of the strategies as being of central importance, it had ensured that subsidiary issues could also be addressed, reported AlWatan. He pointed out that several of

the priority strategies listed by the committee, including the government’s development plan, the currency market authority legislation and the disability rights law, had already been implemented.

The matters of principal concern to the committee during the current parliamentary term had been the development and economy-related projects, he said, with some of these, including the privatization bill, yet to be enforced. Among the other priority strategies awaiting implementation are the amendments to the current central tenders and companies legislation, the anti-corruption and national service laws and the legislation to counter human trafficking, among others.

Al-Busairi also mentioned the law related to bedoon (stateless) residents, noting that this issue has been given top priority for discussion during March. The previous date for discussion of the issue had been changed due to the need to discuss the series of interpellation motions presented by MPs, he explained.

Kuwait plans vaccination campaign in April

Traffic campaign

KUWAIT: Army Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Ahmed Al-Khaled Al-Sabah with graduates of the 7th Naval Force Officer Advanced Course graduates yesterday.

—Photos by KUNA

KUWAIT: The Ahmadi Traffic Department has set a new record. As part of a traffic campaign which began two months ago, it has impounded 1,387 vehicles which are mostly old sports cars used for illegal driving.

The concerned announcement was made by Brig Gen Abdulfatah Al-Ali. Also, a staggering number of 25,000 traffic tickets were issued.

Al-Ali was recently a guest at a number of diwaniyas held at the governorate, reported Al-Watan. He had previously listened to complaints from residents about reckless driving practiced in the area, and also received an acknowledgment for his efforts.

Nurses to be recalled

kuwait digest

A desert camping trip T

his winter’s heavy rainfall has contributed to spreading spring greenery across the desert areas and will hopefully also result in a reduction in dust storms after the soil has settled, writes Dr. Ahmad Yousef Al-Duaij in AlWatan.

I recently decided to go camping with a group of friends in Kuwait’s northwestern desert area.

On our way to the campsite, we were astonished by the breathtaking sight of Kuwait’s natural wonders, with the ground being covered in purple, white and yellow flowers. Even rare plants were springing up, following the government’s efforts to counter overgrazing.

Soon after we reached the campsite, we saw a herd of camels approaching. This prompted our host to attempt to stop them wandering into the camp, only to learn from the shepherd accompanying them that they belong to Sheikh Ahmad

Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah; on hearing this, our host welcomed the herd in and asked the shepherd to provide us with some camel milk.

Before sunset that evening, we drove around 20 kilometers across the empty desert to the camp of the sons of the late Khalifa Al-Mefrige AlShemmari, where we were welcomed with great hospitality on our arrival.

After carrying out the Maghreb and Ishaa prayers and having some camel milk, we returned to our camp, where the sheikh’s shepherd provided us with yet more camel milk, a bucket full in fact, which we all enjoyed greatly. With the national holidays due to start in the next few days and numerous people set to seize the opportunity to go camping during the spring season, I hope that citizens and residents will ensure that they take care of the country’s precious natural environment and be sure to clean up after themselves.

KUWAIT: All nursing staff members who have been appointed at schools will be recalled by the end of the current school year. The Ministry of Health(MoH) has issued a notice to the Education Ministry concerning the issue. These staff members, who amount to 280 in number, have been appointed at schools as part of an agreement reached between the two ministries to ward off the threat of H1N1 virus. The decision was made due to the severe dearth in staff members that hospitals and polyclinics suffer from, reported Al-Watan.

The situation has put the MoE in deep waters as it will now have to contract an estimated 720 nurses from outside the country.

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait recently participated in decorating works at the Yarmouk municipality building, which comes as part of their commitment to contribute in the country’s national celebrations, and to the community service. The event also witnessed the presentation of a check of contribution that was handed by the head of the CBK Yarmouk branch, Fatima Al-Rasheed, to the Mokhtar of Yarmouk, Abdul-Aziz Thnayan Al-Mashari, who expressed his gratitude for the bank’s role in supporting various social activities.

Kuwait to host conference on green, industrial chemistry KUWAIT: Under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Kuwait Conference of Chemistry (KCC 2010) starts here on March 6 at the Kuwait JW Marriot Hotel with around 100 speakers participating, it was announced here yesterday.

The KCC 2010 is an event of great significance to the academia and the industry in Kuwait and other countries around the world, the organizers said in a press release.

This the first time the conference is organized in Kuwait, said the KCS, noting that the conference has attracted tremendous response from chemists all over the world.

The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) is the main sponsor of the event which is organized in cooperation between the Kuwait Chemical Society (KCS) together with the Kuwait University (KU), Kuwait Institute for Scientific Researches (KISR), Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

The four-day conference is expected to focus on four areas, namely the Environment and Industrial Chemistry, Green Chemistry, Petrochemical Industries and Research and Development in Chemical Industries, said the organizers.

IUPAC President Prof Nicole Jeanne

Moreau from France is to address the opening ceremony, while IUPAC’s immediate past president, Prof Jung Il-Jin from Univeristy of Korea will give a lecture.

Dr Nancy Jackson, the current president of the American Chemical Society (ACS) the world’s most important chemical society, has expressed her interest in participating in the conference and will deliver an invited lecture.

“This denotes the importance this event has invoked among chemists from the developed western world”, the organizers noted.

There are also very renowned professors from the UK, US, France, India, Russia, Egypt, Morocco, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait who are expected to deliver plenary and invited lectures on their recent cutting edge research on the focus areas of the conference.

Besides, several researchers will give oral and/or poster presentations on their current research. This will give an opportunity for chemists from Kuwait to interact with senior professors in the areas of their specialty which probably can lead to collaborative research.

The conference will give an opportunity to the young scientists and graduate students in Kuwait to share their research work and would enable them to interact with other researchers in other parts of the world. They can greatly benefit from such exposure to current level research taking place in other regions, the organizers said. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health said yesterday it would launch a national vaccination campaign against measles, rubella (German measles) and mumps for children between one and seven years in April.

The campaign follows a warning by the World Health Organization (WHO) of a possible increase in the cases of the infectious diseases in the State of Kuwait, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry for Public Health Yusuf Al-Nisf told reporters here.

“The number of children in the targeted age category amounts to 320,000,” Al-Nisf noted, adding that the campaign would start on April 18 and last for 10 days.

The ministry has finalized the plan for implementation, involving the costs, the workforce and the necessary vaccines and equipment, he said.

“It has set aside KD 400,000 as an initial budget and recruited some 90 physicians, 230 nurses, 200 inspectors and 90 administrators,” the official revealed.

“The campaign will take place in 55 medical centers at the health directorates nationwide,” he added.

Kuwait has suffered a measles outbreak in 2007 when the infection rate hit 4-6 out of each 100,000 people compared with only one case per 100,000 in the previous years.

“Al-Jahra was the epicenter of the outbreak at that time where 100 cases had been spotted. The ministry has recently detected signs of a possible outbreak in the near future, so it decided to launch the campaign in coordination with WHO,” AlNisf recalled.

WHO attributed great importance to the fight against measles, rubella and mumps and encourages its member states to launch national vaccination programs, which is the best way to contain the epidemics.

Kuwait conducted the last such vaccination campaign in 1997. —KUNA

INTERNATIONAL

Monday, February 22, 2010

7

Sunni bloc boycotts Iraq vote citing interference from Iran National Dialogue Front invites political entities to shun polls BAGHDAD: A major Sunni bloc on Saturday withdrew from Iraq’s March 7 general election in protest against Iranian interference it said was damaging the ballot and urged other parties to join the boycott. The National Dialogue

VATICAN: Pope Benedict XVI poses with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (second from left) his wife Lara Azm, his sons Hussam (bottom left) Rafik junior (second from right) and his daughter Lulwa (right) on the occasion of their audience in the pontiff’s private apartment, Saturday, Feb 20, 2010. — AP

Iran expels Greek steward over ‘Persian Gulf’ issue TEHRAN: Iran yesterday expelled a Greek steward working for a domestic airline after he argued with flight passengers over a “Persian Gulf” naming row, Fars news agency reported. The steward working for Kish Airline had a “verbal argument” with passengers on a Tehran-Kish flight on Friday, during which he threatened to arrest them, Fars said, quoting a top police officer. The incident occurred when passengers protested over the Gulf waterway being referred to as the Arabian Gulf on the plane’s

in-flight monitor. The protest turned into an argument with the steward.

“Due to his inappropriate and irresponsible behavior, the Greek steward of Kish Airline has been expelled,” Gholam Reza Rezain, head of Iran’s immigration police told Fars.

“He was summoned by the immigration police of Kish and his residency permit was cancelled.” The Islamic republic insists that the strategic body of water separating the oil-rich Arabian peninsula from the Iranian plateau be referred to

as the Persian Gulf.

According to Mehr, another Iranian news agency, Transport Minister Hamid Behbahani has said the entire “foreign crew of this flight must be prevented from continuing to work in Iran.” Some Iranian airlines lease planes with foreign crews.

Behbahani also warned foreign airlines of Arab nations against the “use of such a term while flying over Iranian airspace”, Mehr said. “If you use this wrong term, you will be prevented from flying.” — AFP

Saudi could allow women lawyers in court RIYADH: Saudi Arabia could soon allow women lawyers to appear in court, though apparently only representing other women, the country’s justice minister said in comments published yesterday. Justice Minister Mohammed Al-Issa said the ministry is drafting new rules to permit female lawyers to argue family cases, which could be passed soon, Saudi newspapers reported.

The women would be able to represent women in marriage, divorce, custody and other family cases, the newspapers said.

Female lawyers in the kingdom, where strict Islamic doctrine and sharia law have enforced separation of genders, can currently work only inside the women’s sections of law and government offices, where they do not come into contact with men. All judges in the kingdom are male religious clerics. As part of ongoing judicial reforms, the Saudi government is developing a network of specialized courts, including “personal status” or family courts, where the women lawyers would be allowed to practice. — AFP

A party spokesman said the decision was taken following remarks made by General Ray Odierno, the top US army officer in Iraq, who alleged that the committee which barred Mutlak from standing was controlled by Iran.

“The National Dialogue Front cannot continue in a political process run by a foreign agenda,” the group’s spokesman Haider Al-Mullah told reporters in Baghdad.

“The National Dialogue Front therefore announces its stance is to boycott the forthcoming election and the invitation is open to other political entities to take the same stance.”

Mutlak was the main Sunni figure in former Shiite premier Iyad Allawi’s secular Iraqiya list, and his withdrawal is a setback for Allawi’s bid to unseat serving Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, and hopes for reconciliation. However, electoral authorities told AFP the boycott was largely symbolic and had no official status because the deadline for parties to withdraw has passed and ballot papers have already been printed.

Mutlak-whose bloc has nine MPs in the present 275-seat parliament-was among hundreds of election candidates barred from the vote by the country’s Justice and Accountability Committee.

Mutlak and other Sunni leaders have repeatedly claimed that the JAC is controlled by Iran and is being used to oust them from politics and allow the selection of proxy candidates that Tehran can use to effectively govern Iraq.

The JAC is run by former Shiite deputy prime minister Ahmed Chalabi and his ally Ali Al-Allami, who spent a year in a

Lebanon Maronites fret over voting age move BEIRUT: In a country where 18-year-olds can drive, marry and serve in the army, allowing them to vote would generally be applauded as a boon for democracy. But not so in Lebanon. A move to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 has sparked fears of a shake-up of Lebanon’s political structure, a complex powersharing system between Christians and Muslims that has helped preserve a fragile peace since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

The fear resonates most strongly within Lebanon’s oncedominant Maronite Christian community, today estimated at around 30 percent of the fourmillion population. “Christians fear the numbers,” Paul Salem, who heads the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Centre, told AFP. “Mainly it is a fear that lowering the voting age might be the first step in rethinking the entire political structure.”

The thorny issue may be put to the test at a parliament session today, almost one year after MPs approved draft legislation to cut the age from 21 to 18.

But there are no guarantees that legislators will turn up for the vote. Once a political and military force to be reckoned with, Maronites pride themselves as being founders of Lebanon, which has not had an official census since 1932. But their leverage has steadily eroded since the civil war broke out 35 years ago as low fertility and high emigration rates took their toll.

“Lebanon of the 20th century started with a heavy Christian presence, dropped to a six-to-five ratio, then to a 50-50 (power) share” between Christians and Muslims, Salem said. “The next step is not so good for Christians.” The 1989 Taif Accord ended Lebanon’s devastating civil war and formalized the guarantee of a share in power for the country’s many minorities. The accord gave Maronites the presidency but stripped the post of many of its powers. It also allocated the prime minister’s post to Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims the position of parliament speaker.

Seats in government and parliament were evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. Experts say the Maronites today fear the voting

BEIRUT: Lebanese Maronite Christian women walk out of a church in the town of Jounieh. — AFP age “reform” could be the first step towards demands for direct popular representation in Lebanon, which does not follow a “one person, one vote” formula. “Today, equal power-sharing is still guaranteed constitutionally and Muslims are voicing

support for that guarantee,” columnist Edmond Saab wrote in the newspaper As-Safir.

“But with the realization that their community in Lebanon is shrinking, many Christians are considering whether, in a few generations, Muslims will start

questioning why they should continue to give Christians half when they are a minority.”

Unlike Lebanon’s more politically homogeneous Shiite and Sunni Muslim camps, Maronites divide their loyalty between a US- and Saudi-backed alliance led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri and a Hezbollah-led coalition backed by Syria and Iran.

And while they disagree on many political issues, Maronite MPs are united in one demand.

Banking on their diaspora to balance out shifting internal demographics, they are pushing for Lebanon to allow expatriates to cast ballots abroad if the voting age is lowered. Lebanon’s diaspora is estimated to number at least double its population.

Expats above the age of 21 who hold Lebanese citizenship are already listed in the interior ministry’s registry. Just over a third of them are Christian. — AFP

Front led by Saleh Al-Mutlak, a leading Sunni MP banned from the election on account of links to the Baath Party of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, confirmed its candidates would not contest the poll.

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi boy walks past a campaign banner of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki for the upcoming general elections yesterday. — AFP US-run jail in Iraq, who are both seen as close to the Iranian government. While in Washington on Tuesday, General Odierno said Chalabi and Allami had ties to Tehran’s Quds force and “clearly are influenced by Iran.” “We have direct intelligence that tells us that,” the commander told an audience at the Institute for the Study of War. Odierno said Chalabi and Allami had several meetings in Iran with a close aide to the commander of the Quds, the covert operations arm of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards. “And we believe

they’re absolutely involved in influencing the outcome of the election. And it’s concerning that they’ve been able to do that over time,” Odierno said, apparently referring to the Tehran government. His comments were backed by US ambassador to Baghdad Christopher Hill.

The dispute over who can stand in the March 7 election has raised sectarian tensions and alarmed the United States, which views the polls as a crucial precursor to a complete military withdrawal by the end of 2011. The vote is seen as a test of reconciliation efforts

between the population’s Sunni minority, dominant under Saddam, and the Shiite majority now represented by Maliki’s government. Mutlak’s decision is a u-turn on what he said Monday, when he told tribal chiefs in Baghdad that Sunnis had “tasted the bitterness of a boycott” in the 2005 parliamentary ballot and “it was not the solution” this time round.

Election organizers said his boycott was officially invalid.

“We did not receive any request from the party to withdraw, so, for us, they (the National Dialogue Front) are still part of the Iraqiya list,”

said Hamdiya Al-Husseini, a senior official with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

Allawi’s Iraqiya list appears to remain the favored choice among voters in the Sunni Arab strongholds of Anbar, Nineveh and Salaheddin, analysts have told AFP. Voters on Saturday appeared unmoved by the withdrawal of Mutlak’s party and indicated it would not stop them voting for Allawi. “I will vote for Iraqiya whether Mutlak’s list participates or not,” said Haider Ali Mahmud, a 41-year-old mechanic in Samarra, in Salaheddin. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL

8

Monday, February 22, 2010

‘Genocidaires’ feel heat from warmer France-Rwanda ties PARIS: One day before President Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans for a momentous visit to Rwanda, police turned up at a hospital in sleepy southwestern France and arrested a Rwandan doctor for genocide.

Sostene Munyemana had been working for nine years as a gynecologist at Saint-Cyr hospital in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, a town better known for its plum orchards and vineyards than as a refuge for genocide suspects.

Since 2006, the father of three had been on an Interpol watch list of men sought by Rwanda for war crimes, but French authorities had made no move until last month, when Paris and Kigali began enjoying a diplomatic thaw.

“I’m not at all surprised that this is hap-

pening now,” said Munyemana, who awaits a court decision in June on whether he will be extradited to Rwanda.

“Diplomatic relations have been restored between the two countries and so the circumstances were favorable to this,” he told AFP in a phone interview.

Dubbed the Butcher of Tumba by one rights group, Munyemana is accused of taking part in the 1994 killings of ethnic Tutsis in Butare, Rwanda’s second city, where he also worked as a doctor at the university hospital.

A group called African Rights said Munyemana was seen carrying a crowbar as he led angry mobs in attacks on Tutsi homes and rounded up victims to be locked up in an

office where he would return at night to kill them.

The 45-year-old Hutu rejects the charges and maintains he is the target of false accusations from the London-based pressure group, which he claims is close to the Kigali government. “There were killings just about everywhere,” he recalled of the atrocities in Butare. “We tried to resist and save our own skins, but I never took part in anything. I have witnesses to prove it.”

Munyemana’s arrest was seen as a shift in France’s policy on Rwanda.

For years, activist groups have been campaigning to force the “genocidaires” to answer charges related to the mass killing of 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, between

April and July 1994. French authorities are investigating more than a dozen cases involving Rwandan genocide suspects living in France, such as that of Munyemana and the more prominent Agathe Habyarimana, widow of the late president. But only three people have been formally charged including a Kigali priest accused of murdering victims who sought refuge in a church and a governor who allegedly organized the massacre of tens of thousands at a school.

Sarkozy will be the first French president to visit Rwanda since the genocide when he arrives Thursday in Kigali, where anti-French sentiment runs high.

The Tutsi-led Rwandan government has long accused France of siding with the for-

mer Hutu regime and providing sanctuary for alleged mass killers now enjoying comfortable lives in French towns.

Agathe Habyarimana, who wielded much power in Kigali during her late husband’s reign, was airlifted out of Rwanda by French troops in the days following her husband’s assassination and now lives in a Paris suburb.

She was denied asylum in a final appeal in October and could find herself before a French court to answer charges that she was one of the genocide’s masterminds.

Habyarimana denies the allegations.

Munyemama was released under judicial supervision and judges earlier this month asked for additional information from

Rwanda on the case before making a decision on whether to extradite him. Justice for Rwandans, he said, is an elusive goal. “In Rwanda, everyone knows at least one killer,” he said. France last month announced plans to set up a new court with special powers to try cases of genocide and crimes against humanity, with legislation on the panel expected later this year.

“There had been absolute inertia until now,” said Alain Gauthier, president of the CPCR group of civil plaintiffs who have been seeking to bring genocide suspects to justice. Neighboring Belgium meanwhile has already held four genocide trials in which two nuns, a banker and others have been sent behind bars. —AFP

Darfur’s key rebel group inks deal with Khartoum Sudanese Prez quashes death sentences against 100 JEM fighters KHARTOUM: Darfur’s most heavily armed rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, said on Saturday that it had signed a framework agreement with the Sudanese government in Chad that provides for a ceasefire. Soon afterwards, Sudanese President Omar Al-Beshir announced that he was quashing death sen-

tences handed down by the courts against some 100 JEM fighters for their parts in an unprecedented rebel assault on the capital Khartoum in May 2008. “We have just initially signed the framework agreement,” JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein told AFP by telephone from the Chadian capital Ndjamena.

NIAMEY: People attend a rally in Niger’s capital. — AFP

Fresh rallies back Niger coup as envoys seek polls pledge NIAMEY: Thousands of people took part in fresh demonstrations yesterday in support of Niger’s new military junta, state radio said, as UN and African envoys arrived for urgent talks with the coup leaders. The officers who led an assault on Niger’s presidential palace on Thursday are still holding President Mamadou Tandja and five of his ministers, said Tandja’s party, which called for their immediate release. Meanwhile, UN representative Said Djinnit, Ramtane Lamamra, the African Union commissioner for peace and security and Mohammed Ibn Chambas, head of the 15-nation regional economic bloc ECOWAS were to meet the new junta leaders in the capital Niamey.

All three organisations have condemned the overthrow of Tandja, a strongman who had led the uranium-rich nation for more than a decade. The country’s new military rulers were continuing to whip up popular support yesterday. Thousands of people, including students and civil servants, took part in a “gigantic demonstration” in the west African country’s second city Zinder, official Voix du Sahel radio said.

The turnout was “to salute the defense and security forces for the patriotic work which it has accomplished,” the radio said.

Opposition parties which had rallied international condemnation of Tandja for unilaterally extending his presidential mandate last

year had called for a massive show of support for the junta. Supporters chanted “Long Live the Army” and other pro-junta slogans as they marched through the southern city.

A colonel from the junta greeted the marchers outside the headquarters of the local government. The radio said similar pro-junta demonstrations had been held in the southern town of Dosso and Tahoua, in the west. Around 10,000 people marched through the capital Niamey on Saturday to welcome the coup. “Five ministers are still being held by the junta, most likely in Niamey,” said Issoufou Tamboura of the Tandja’s National Movement for the Development of Society (MNSD).

The party’s vice president, Ali Sabo, told AFP that Tandja himself “is still detained at a barracks in Niamey and is doing fine.”

Morocco had earlier denied that the 71year-old ex-president was on his way there.

Tamboura said the interior, finance and foreign ministers are among those still being held.

The ex-ruling party in a statement demanded “the immediate and unconditional release” of the president and members of his government and called on its supporters “to remain calm, united and vigilant”.

Niger’s new military leaders have already promised to hold elections, although they have yet to fix a date. “Our intention is

to stabilize the political situation... We plan to organize elections but first we have to stabilize the situation,” a junta leader, Colonel Djibrilla Hamidou Hima, told journalists in Mali on Saturday.

Speaking in Bamako, Hima said he had “explained” the reasons for the coup to west African leaders gathered in the Malian capital for a summit. “They have understood us,” he added. The AU has suspended Niger while the West African bloc kicked out Niger after Tandja changed the constitution to extend his grip on power.

“We have come to assess together the situation prevailing in Niger. We will meet the new authorities with whom we will have discussions,” ECOWAS president Chambas told AFP at Niamey airport. The envoys are also to meet other political players in the country to see how “they can support efforts for a return to constitutional order within the shortest possible time,” Djinnit told AFP on Saturday.

Niger’s new rulers, the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD), have suspended the constitution that Tandja forced through in a contested August referendum. They also dissolved his government. The United States called for a “speedy return to democracy,” while former colonial ruler France demanded fresh elections within months.— AFP

Merkel’s visit to US may increase support at home BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel plans an extended visit to the United States in April during which she will attend an international summit on nuclear non-proliferation, the government said yesterday. Merkel had agreed in principle to attend the “Nuclear Security Summit” in Washington on April 12-13 hosted by US President Barack Obama, a government spokesman said.

“Details about the summit and the chancellor’s ensuing trip to the United States are not yet fixed,” he said.

German media said the visit, which will take place just a few weeks before a major electoral test for Merkel’s centre-right coalition, may include a stop in California.

On May 9 voters go to the polls in North RhineWestphalia, the most populous of Germany’s 16 states and home to some 18 million people. Merkel’s coalition must retain control of the state to defend its majority in the upper house of parliament.

Gerd Langguth, a Merkel biographer and political scien-

tist at the University of Bonn, said the US visit would help the chancellor to shore up support ahead of the NRW election. “Appearing in public with Obama is likely to go down well for her in Germany,” said Langguth. At the weekend Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) sought to dispel corruption allegations centring on appointments with NRW state premier Juergen Ruettgers at a CDU rally this March.

German weekly Der Spiegel said the CDU had sent out letters offering sponsors

who purchased advertising space at the NRW party congress the chance for “individual talks” with Ruettgers and his ministers depending on how much they paid. “I didn’t know about the letters to sponsors,” Ruettgers said in a statement. “Once I found out about it I instructed (the party) to put a stop to it immediately.” Langguth said although the practice was commonplace in other countries, it did not create a good impression in Germany. “It’s certainly not going to help Ruettgers,” he said. —Reuters

“We will discuss of many issues-return of the IDPs (internally displaced persons), power and wealth sharing, compensation, detainees,” he said, speaking in English. “We are committed to a peaceful solution for Darfur,” he added. JEM leader “Dr Khalil (Ibrahim) asks to our force to stop” military operations.

A statement from the Chadian presidency said the agreement came after talks sponsored by President Idriss Deby Itno and led to “an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations for its application on the ground.”

It should lead to a “final agreement to be signed before March 15” ahead of presidential and legislative elections due in Sudan in April, the statement said. Beshir’s adviser on Darfur meanwhile said he expected negotiations with the JEM to be smooth and hoped other rebel groups will be drawn into talks with Khartoum. “I don’t envisage major difficulties,” Ghazi Salaheddine said.

“This is not an exclusionary arrangement, it does not exclude other movements specially those who come to the Doha process, we are open to them,” he said about talks due to resume next week in the Qatari capital. “I think we can try to emulate the agreement which we signed with JEM and speed up the process so that we can reach a final agreement as soon as possible.”

Beshir had promised on Friday “good news” about Darfur, adding that an agreement with the JEM would end the devastating seven-year conflict in Darfur which has claimed some 300,000 lives and left 2.7 million refugees, according to UN figures. Sudan puts the death toll at 10,000. The movement’s attack on the capital in 2008 brought it to just across the Nile from the presidential palace in the first ever such offensive by a Sudanese rebel group. The fighting resulted in at least 220 deaths and the capture of a large number of rebel fighters. A total of 105 were later convicted and condemned to death.

“I cancel all the sentences of hanging pronounced against members of the Justice and Equality Movement,” Beshir said in a campaign speech on Saturday. “And tomorrow we will release 30 percent of the prisoners.” A ceasefire with the JEM would close the most active front in Darfur, but smaller rebel groups such as the faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army of France-based exile Abdelwahid Nur have refused to enter talks with Khartoum.

Thousands were forced to flee following recent clashes between the faction and pro-government forces in the fertile Jebel Marra plateau in the heart of Darfur.

Sudan has long accused neighbouring Chad of aiding the rebels, an accusation reciprocated by Ndjamena. But the two presidents reconciled in Khartoum on February 8 and 9 in a breakthrough that Beshir said had “completely turned the page” on relations.

Beshir, who seized power in a 1989 coup, faces his first contested election campaign and some observers say he has been keen to cement an agreement with the JEM before polling day on April 11. The president faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on five counts of crimes against humanity and two of war crimes in Darfur. An appeals chamber of the ICC directed judges earlier this month to rethink their decision to omit genocide from the warrant issued in March last year, saying they had made “an error in law”. —AFP

ABIDJAN: President of the Youth Democratic Party of Ivory Coast, Kouadio Konan Bertin gestures as he speaks to journalists. —AFP

Fresh protests in Ivory Coast as naming new govt is delayed ABIDJAN: New opposition protests against Ivory Coast’s president erupted Saturday following deadly clashes with security forces that raised tensions and again delayed announcing a new government, officials said. “The prime minister will present his government Monday,” a member of Guillaume Soro’s entourage said, adding discussions aimed to include opposition members were continuing over the weekend. Soro had been expected to announce a new ministerial line-up by Saturday after President Laurent Gbagbo sacked the previous cabinet and dissolved the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) over alleged fraud in compiling a voters’ roll.

But Gbagbo’s actions triggered protests from opposition groups which turned deadly on Friday in the western town of Gagnoa. At least five people were killed and nine more injured, said the country’s military chief, General Philippe Mangou.

In fresh protests on Saturday the home of Malick Coulibaly, campaign director for Gbagbo, “was entirely burned down by militants of the RHDP,” he told AFP, referring to the opposition Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace. The headquarters of the presidential party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), was also set on fire in the northern city of Korhogo, a local official said.

After another day of violent protests, the FPI called on Soro to quickly install a new government in the face of an “insurrection” by the opposition. In the ex-rebel New Forces (FN) stronghold of Bouake, about 1,000 protesters marched with calls to oust Gbagbo, and some were responsible for partly burning the prefecture and looting city hall, an AFP correspondent at the scene reported. An FN spokesman made an appeal for calm after Soro met later Saturday

with the Bouake city leaders.

Efforts to end the political standoff will receive help from Burkino Faso’s President Blaise Compaore, who oversees Ivorian peace pacts and will meet with two key opposition leaders-former Ivorian president Henri Konan Bedie and ex-prime minister Alassane Ouattara, the official close to Soro said. “If the meeting produces something the opposition will join the government,” he added. “If there are no results, the government will be announced anyway.”

The opposition has demanded the reinstatement of the electoral commission and on Friday added calls for Gbagbo to resign as president. Following UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s concern over the west African nation’s political crisis, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast (ONUCI) Young-Jin Choi visited the wounded in Gagnoa hospitals early Saturday and spoke with security officials, spokesman Hamadoun Toure said. “He came to find out what happened and to offer ONUCI’s support so all this does not happen again,” Toure said. The US embassy in Abijan issued a statement Saturday calling on the country’s political leaders to “set a good example and renounce the use of violence as a political tool.”

Violent protests have taken place across Ivory Coast since Gbagbo’s shock announcements on February 12, which came after investigators said they had found evidence of fraud in a voters’ roll being compiled for the poll. The current turmoil casts fresh doubt on the west African nation’s ability to hold elections hoped for in March and already deferred six times. The vote is designed to unify a nation split between the south and the FN-controlled north following a failed 2002 coup against Gbagbo, who has remained in power for 10 years, half without a new mandate. — AFP

Experts warn of landslides in populated areas of Italy ROME: Experts say Italy faces new landslides in inhabited areas after the forced evacuation of thousands from two southern towns earlier this month.

“Italy will always have landslides,” geologist Leonello Serva told AFP. “What is not acceptable for a wealthy country is to have a landslide blocking a highway, hitting a bridge or a hospital.” The density of populations in at-risk areas and a lack of awareness about geological risks both contribute to the recurring catastrophes, experts agree.

Torrential rains in southern Italy caused landslides that led thousands of people to flee the towns of Maierato in Calabria and San Fratello in Sicily.

Sicily Governor Raffaele Lombardo said on Italian television that Sicily was especially at risk “because of the extraordinary rainfalls, the geological fragility of the land, and because for 40, 50, 100 years people have built houses on land that is subject to landslides.” ISPRA, a public research institute that monitors areas at geological risk, classifies about five percent of Italy’s territory at the highest risk for landslides. It has recorded 470,000 landslide events in Italy over the last 50 years. Serva, who heads ISPRA’s land protection section, says that in Italy, landslides “can be expected anywhere there is a slope,” since the soil on Italy’s innumerable hills and

mountains is “young in geological terms.”

But the southern regions of Campania, Calabria and Sicily are the most likely to experience landslides, he said. In October, dozens of people died in a mudslide near the city of Messina in Sicily. A worse disaster occurred in 1998, when the town of Sarno, outside Naples, was engulfed by two million metric cubes (70 million cubic feet) of mud, killing 160 people and destroying nearly 200 homes.

Francesco Dramis, a professor of geomorphology at Roma 3 University, told AFP that lack of awareness of land-use regulation was a serious problem in Italy. Urging “education on the correct use of land and legality,” Dramis said: “If I illegally dump water on the land, I can cause major effects.” Serva also noted that safe practices in building, vegetation maintenance and ploughing that are overlooked or forgotten worsen the geological situation.

“We are losing this culture of the land. Before there were many more farmers that knew these kinds of things,” he said. Early on Friday, as the inhabitants of Maierato and San Fratello still waited to return home, part of Italy’s main southern highway remained closed because of landslide risk. “We have landslides in Italy,” Dramis said. “We should just keep away from them.” — AFP

MAIERATO: A dog sits on luggage in a pick-up van as inhabitants in the Italian southern region of Calabria leave the village. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL

10

Monday, February 22, 2010

Reagan’s secretary of state Alexander Haig dies at 85 Remembered for ‘I’m in control’ remark after Reagan shot al winner. A spokesman for Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore said Haig died early on Saturday from a staph infection acquired prior to his arrival at the hospital. Symbolically, the closest Haig came to being president was when he proclaimed to the news media that “I’m in control here” after President Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt in 1981.

Critics called that statement, which seemed to incorrectly state the line of presidential succession, pompous and militaristic and used it against him later on the campaign trail.

President Barack Obama, a Democrat, praised Haig on Saturday as a “great American” who served the United States with distinction. “General Haig exemplified our finest warriordiplomat tradition of those who dedicate their lives to public service,” Obama said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” he added.

Haig secured a place in American history by holding the presidency together in 1974 during the months leading up to Richard Nixon’s resignation in the Watergate scandal.

Telling friends that “when your president asks, you do it,” he had reluctantly resigned as Army vice chief of staff in May 1973 to take over the top White House staff job at a time when Nixon’s administration seemed to be drifting out of control. Haig emerged as one of the few respected hands untainted by the scandal and was widely credited WASHINGTON: In this 1973 file photo, President Nixon (right) congratulates Gen Alexander Haig after pre- with persuading Nixon to avoid a senting him with the Distinguished Service Medal at the White House. —AP nasty and divisive battle over impeachment by becoming the first US president to resign. For many years, Haig’s name was one often mentioned as being “Deep Throat,” the legendary Washington Post source who had helped bring down Nixon. In 2005, former FBI official Mark Felt broke his silence and confirmed that he was the mysteriPORT-AU-PRINCE: The ous source. burnt-out church where he Long, distinguished career once preached to the poor in a Haig served as NATO comPort-au-Prince slum is in ruins, mander from 1974-79. He was but the graffiti on its stone walls appointed secretary of state by is defiant: “Titid come back,” it Reagan in 1981 and tried to says, “quick, quick.” Titidmediate between Argentina and known to the rest of the world Britain to head off the Falklands as Jean-Bertrand Aristide-was War in 1982. forced out of Haiti six years ago, His 18-month tenure as forbut the suffering wrought by eign policy chief was marred by last month’s devastating earthconstant battles with the White quake has intensified calls for House staff. He quit in anger in the return of the Catholic priest June 1982. He was succeeded by who became the country’s first George Shultz. KT McFarland, a democratically elected presiformer aide to Haig, told Fox dent.

News Haig shaped US foreign Such calls are due in part to policy during and after the frustration with President Rene Vietnam War and played a signifPreval over his low-key icant role in helping to end the response to the disaster, but Cold War. Hillary Clinton, also to an enduring allegiance Obama’s secretary of state, said among many of the poor to the Haig had earned “honor on the hope Aristide once representbattlefield, the confidence of ed. “He should have come back presidents and prime ministers, already,” said Joseph Wilfred, a PORT AU PRINCE: Supporters of former Haitian President Jean Bertrand and the thanks of a grateful 48-year-old father of three now Aristide demonstrate in front of the Presidential Palace. —AFP nation.” sleeping on the streets near the throughout the capital-and even near the church. MINUSTAH priest at Saint Jean Bosco, said In typical Haig fashion-critics Saint Jean Bosco church, where on a rock at a mass grave for is the name of the UN mission though he admired Aristide’s called it arrogance- he did little Aristide gave fiery, politically quake victims outside Port-au- in Haiti. Aristide rose to fight for the poor, he did not to hide his contempt for tinged sermons.

Prince-calls on Aristide to come prominence by railing against think he should return. “The Reagan’s senior staff. “I think “If he were here for this cat- back, while support runs deep Haiti’s dictators in sermons, Americans don’t want him to my last experience in governastrophe, he would have han- in the slums surrounding his including the infamous come back,” he said. He spoke of ment left me convinced that I dled it better.” Aristide, once a former church.

Duvaliers, who held power Aristide’s sermons and how he could do it better,” he said years passionate advocate for Haiti’s “If he were here, we would- from 1957 until 1986. In 1988, had denounced what he called a later when he was conducting his downtrodden who many n’t be in this terrible situation,” his church was attacked and “banana regime,” but said that ill-starred 1988 campaign for accused of having grown hugely said Wesline St. Hilaire, a 32- burned as he held mass, killing the ex-priest moved too fast for president. That appearance of corrupt by the time he was year-old mother of seven who several people. Aristide went his country. Peter DeShazo, supreme self-confidence only forced from power in 2004, now lives in a tent in front of the into hiding. director of the Americas proseemed to turn voters off and his lives in exile in South Africa. nuns’ convent at Saint Jean Only the shell of the building gram at the Washington-based campaign ended with a thud.

Aristide has made no secret of Bosco. She spoke as she sat on remains now, and the earth- Center for Strategic and Running last among Republicans his want to return to his coun- the ground cutting chicken quake appears to have caused International Studies, said and in nationwide popularity surtry. Three days after the mas- parts covered in flies and toss- further damage. Aristide was Aristide generated great hope veys, Haig dropped out as the sive quake hit-killing 217,000 ing them into a pot, a church elected in 1991, but was over- which he failed to deliver on. primaries began and threw his people and leaving more than a mass being held under tents a thrown in a coup the same year. “And in the end, by the time he support behind Senator Bob million homeless-he told short walk away. There was He returned to office in 1994 left the country in 2004, the Dole of Kansas. reporters he was ready to help. misery all around her, with with backing from the United country was pretty much in Not one to spare foes his disIt was not the first time he buildings up and down the States, but fell out of favour shambles,” he said. “You can’t dain, Haig seemed to relish raised the possibility. street crumbled and people tak- with Washington amid claims of put all the blame on him, but cerattacking Bush. “From my point Protests have broken out in ing up residence on the filthy vote-rigging in the 2000 elec- tainly he deserves his share.” of view, Bob Dole is head and the capital since the January 12 ground. A child urinated on the tions and political violence.

Aristide’s return could cause shoulders above George Bush as earthquake over the lack of food roadside.

An armed rebellion in 2004 more instability at a time when a potential president.” Haig was and shelter, with a number of “President Preval cannot led to his exit. He has main- co-ordination is needed in the the only 1988 Republican condemonstrators urging the visit poor neighborhoods with- tained ever since that the urgent aid effort following the tender who made a point of critidiminutive figure (his nickname out MINUSTAH and the United States and France quake, he said. “Any divisive cizing some of Reagan’s policies, means Little Aristide) to come police,” said Peter Lealis John, forced him to leave. element would be unhelpful,” including the conduct of USto their rescue. Graffiti a 56-year-old living in a tent Father Wim Boksebeld, a said DeShazo. —AFP Soviet relations that led to a thaw in superpower relations and progress in arms control.

Born Dec 2, 1924, in Philadelphia, Alexander Meigs Haig entered the US Military WASHINGTON: Michelle Obama wears that she felt compelled to declare “I love what’s going on from her own experiences Academy at West Point and blinders, of sorts. That helps her to see the this country” at the Democratic convention in and outside of Washington, and “I try to spent World War II as a cadet keep home kind of a news-free zone” apart real America. As the first lady put it in an and emphasize her ordinary nature. officer. He later served in the Those doubts about her appear to have from the newspaper clippings and headlines interview Saturday, the people she’s met Korean War and the Vietnam and the causes she’s taken up have put her subsided, she told host Mike Huckabee on she sees.

War. That’s how she gets a different vantage in touch with a side of the country far Fox News, a network whose conservative His big break came in 1962 removed from the tempest of attack politics commentators played no small part in rais- point of America, she said. “It’s decent and when, as a lieutenant colonel, he and nasty commentary, which she tries her ing questions about her patriotism in the it’s kind and it’s hopeful - and it’s critical and became an assistant to Defense campaign. “I feel like the country has got- it’s demanding, but it’s courageous.” And best to shut out.

Secretary Robert McNamara. He “Most of America isn’t like that and ten to know me,” she said. Polls suggest should there be any lingering question, she moved into the higher echelons they’re tired of that,” she said. “You know, she is a more popular first lady than either added: “I love my country. You can’t do this of national policymaking in 1969 they want folks to get stuff done. The beau- Hillary Rodham Clinton or Laura Bush if you don’t.” Relations between Fox and when he was chosen to be Henry ty of my job is that I get to see more of that early in their husband’s administrations. President Barack Obama’s White House Kissinger’s deputy at the nationAmerica. And that feeds me.” Her remark Fully 71 percent expressed a favorable have been frosty, but in Huckabee - a conal Security Council. Nixon in the 2008 campaign that she was “really opinion of her in a Pew Research Center tender for the Republican presidential nomrewarded him for his national proud” of her country for the first time fed survey in November, while just 16 percent ination in 2008 - she found a genial intersecurity service by bumping him doubts in some quarters about whether she had an unfavorable view. Michelle Obama viewer who heaped praise on her initiative past 240 more senior officers and stood for mainstream values, to the point said she prefers to form impressions of to fight childhood obesity. —AP naming him vice chief of staff of the Army. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: Alexander Haig, a former US Army general who became White House chief of staff during the Watergate scandal and secretary of state during the Reagan administration, died on Saturday at the age of 85.

Haig sought the US presidency, but his bid for the Republican nomination ended in failure in 1988, a campaign noted for his acerbic taunting of other candidates including Vice President George HW Bush, the eventu-

Haiti’s desperation magnifies calls for Aristide’s comeback

Michelle Obama says doubts about her have eased

WASHINGTON: In this 2010, file photo former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). —AP

Republican prez hopefuls flocking to Washington WASHINGTON: Republicans who may want President Barack Obama’s job flocked to the town they love to hate this weekend and repeatedly ripped into the Democratic incumbent, an early tryout of sorts for their party’s nomination. In appearance after appearance, possible Repulican contenders used two national platforms - a conference of conservatives and a gathering of governors - to promote their credentials and test their strength in an incredibly fluid field a full two years before the party chooses its nominee.

“Barack Obama has created at least three jobs that I know of: Bob McDonnell, Chris Christie and Scott Brown,” former House speaker Newt Gingrich told a fawning crowd Saturday, celebrating recent Republican victories in governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, and the Senate in Massachusetts, respectively. He predicted Republicans would take back control of Congress this fall and added: “We’ll elect a new president in 2012.” Along with Gingrich, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence and former Sen Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania courted conservatives with lengthy speeches at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Mississippi Gov Haley Barbour held court at the National Governors Association meeting as chairman of the Republican governors, while Govs.

Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana attended.

Minn Gov Tim Pawlenty plugged away at both events.

Among possible candidates missing: 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and South Dakota Sen. John Thune. Former Arkansas Gov Mike Huckabee’s presence was

limited to a video shown to a small group of conservatives.

No Republican has announced a bid.

Several are considering it or are in various stages of laying the groundwork. They are putting campaign teams in place, visiting early primary voting states and using political action committees to sow good will - and money - among the party’s candidates. Republican hopefuls are emboldened by Obama’s weakened poll numbers just one year into office, and they see an opportunity to capitalize on anger rippling through the electorate over his policies.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney could have been reading some of their minds when he made a surprise appearance at the conservatives’ conference and said, “I think Barack Obama is a one-term president.” But Cheney made clear he won’t be the one to try to upend Obama, even though he was greeted with chants of “Run, Dick, Run.” Said Cheney: “I am not going to do it.” Others wouldn’t rule out a run.

“If you see me losing 40 pounds (18 kilograms) that means I’m either running or have cancer,” quipped Barbour, a former lobbyist and Republican National Committee chairman who party insiders say would be a formidable candidate. He said he would focus this year on helping fellow Republicans in governor’s races. “If after these elections are over there’s anything to think about, I’ll think about it then,” he said. Still, he added: “I think it is unlikely that I’ll run for president but that does not qualify as ruling it out.” He made a brief stop at the conservatives’ meeting late Friday.

None of the would-be candidates speaking before that crowd mentioned running for president.

Nonetheless, there were signs of the next White House race everywhere. Each speaker delivered what could only be described as early versions of a routine campaign address, testing messages before an important part of the party’s base in Republican primary contests.

Potential campaign advisers gathered in the ballroom corners.

Supporters encouraged attendees to vote their way during a 2012 straw poll - a vote with nonbinding results. Texas Rep. Ron Paul, a libertarian who has railed against spending and the Federal Reserve, won the most support, followed by Romney, Palin and Pawlenty. The results mean little more than bragging rights for the winner. As the conference began Thursday, newly elected Massachusetts Sen Scott Brown, a rising star in Republican circles after his surprising victory in the Democratic-leaning state, made a surprise appearance to introduce Romney. The 2008 failed presidential candidate’s previous campaign experience showed through as he delivered speech highly critical of Obama, as well as Washington.

Romney said Obama was a failure in his first year. “Sometimes I wonder whether Washington’s liberal politicians understand the greatness of America,” the former governor said.

After his address Friday morning, Pawlenty shook hands, signed autographs and posed for pictures along what appeared to be a makeshift “rope line” of the kind presidential candidates are accustomed to; aides were close by.

Pawlenty is far less known nationally than Romney, so Pawlenty’s speech was intended to introduce his biography, outline his vision and take on Obama. —AP

US plane attack kicks off debate over terrorism tag AUSTIN: When a man fueled by rage against the US government and its tax code crashes his airplane into a building housing offices of the Internal Revenue Service, is it a criminal act or an act of terrorism?

For police in Austin, it’s a question tied to the potential for public alarm: The building set ablaze by Joseph Stack’s suicide flight was still burning Thursday afternoon when officials confidently stood before reporters and said the crash wasn’t terrorism.

But others, including those in the Muslim community, look at Stack’s actions and fail to understand how he differs from foreign perpetrators of political violence who are routinely labeled terrorists.

“The position of many individuals and institutions seems to be that no act of violence can be labeled ‘terrorism’ unless it is carried out by a Muslim,” said Nihad Awad, director of the Washington-based Council on Islamic-American Relations. Within hours of Thursday’s crash, which several witnesses said stirred memories of the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, both federal and local law enforcement officials, along with the White House, said it did not appear to be an act of terror.

A widely quoted statement issued by the Department of Homeland Security also said officials had “no reason to believe there is a nexus to terrorist activity.” Yet at the same time, Stack’s motives for flying his single-engine plane into a

seven-story office building after apparently setting his house on fire were becoming clear as detectives, reporters and others found a rambling manifesto on the Web in which he described a longsmoldering dispute with the IRS and a hatred of the government.

In the note, Stack said he longs for a big “body count” and expresses the hope that “American zombies wake up and revolt.” “To keep the government from getting money, he burned his house.

To keep them from getting money he crashed his airplane,” said Ken Hunter, whose father Vernon, a longtime IRS employee, was the only person killed

by Stack’s attack. “That’s not the act of a patriot.

That’s the act of a terrorist, and that’s what he is.”

Stratfor, an Austin-based global intelligence firm specializing in international risk management, said the rhetoric in Stack’s rant clearly matches the USA Patriot Act’s definition of terrorism: a criminal act that is intended to “intimidate or coerce a civilian population to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping.” “When you fly an airplane into a federal building to kill people, that’s how you define terrorism,” said Rep Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican whose district includes Austin. “It sounds like it to me.” —AP

US school official defended in webcam spy case PHILADELPHIA: A suburban Philadelphia school district accused of secretly switching on laptop computer webcams inside students’ homes says it never used webcam images to monitor or discipline students and believes one of its administrators has been “unfairly portrayed and unjustly attacked.” The Lower Merion School District, in response to a suit filed by a student, has acknowledged that webcams were remotely activated 42 times in the past 14 months, but only to find missing, lost or stolen laptops - which the district noted would include “a loaner computer that, against regulations, might be taken off campus.” “Despite some reports to the contrary, be assured that the security-tracking software has been completely disabled,”

Superintendent Christopher W McGinley said in a statement on the district’s Web site late Friday.

Officials vowed a comprehensive review that McGinley said should result in stronger privacy policies. Harriton High School student Blake Robbins and his parents, Michael and Holly Robbins, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Tuesday against the district, its board of directors and McGinley. They accused the school of turning on the webcam in his computer while it was inside their Penn Valley home, which they allege violated wiretap laws and his right to privacy.

The suit, which seeks classaction status, alleges that Harriton vice principal Lindy Matsko on Nov 11 cited a laptop photo in telling Blake that the

school thought he was engaging in improper behavior. He and his family have told reporters that an official mistook a piece of candy for a pill and thought he was selling drugs. Neither the family nor their attorney, Mark Haltzman, returned calls this week seeking comment. A listed number for Matsko could not be found.

“We believe that the administrator at Harriton has been unfairly portrayed and unjustly attacked in connection with her attempts to be supportive of a student and his family,” the statement on the Lower Merion School District site said. “The district never did and never would use such tactics as a basis for disciplinary action.” A district spokesman declined further comment on the statement Saturday. —AP

INTERNATIONAL

Monday, February 22, 2010

11

Dalai Lama doesn’t blame Obama for low-key meeting BEVERLY HILLS: The Dalai Lama says he doesn’t fault President Obama for his low-key reception in Washington because he recognizes that the president must juggle ties to the Tibetan spiritual leader with concerns about angering China. The Dalai Lama told The Associated Press he understands that Obama must be practical in exercising his commitment to human rights worldwide.

“No disappointment. The last six decades my heart hardened. I do not consider important political gestures. I don’t care. The important is meet face-to-face,” said the Dalai Lama, who was sometimes assisted by a translator. “With President Clinton, the first meeting was a ‘drop-in,”‘ he said. “People asked me the same question (then). I don’t care.” The Dalai Lama made the remarks while in Los Angeles to

support Whole Child International, an organization that advocates better care for orphans worldwide.

Obama hosted the Dalai Lama on Thursday in Washington, DC, but kept the get-together off-camera and low-key in an attempt to avoid inflaming tensions with China.

Revered in much of the world, the Dalai Lama is seen by Beijing as a separatist seeking to overthrow Chinese rule of Tibet. Though he

says that is untrue, China regards any official foreign leader’s contact with the Buddhist monk as an infringement on its sovereignty over the mountainous region and as a particularly unwelcome snub. Meetings between the Dalai Lama and US presidents became standard nearly 20 years ago, but they are always delicately choreographed and scrutinized because of China’s sensitivity.

This time, China had urged

Obama not to meet with the 75-yearold spiritual leader, saying the visit “seriously harms US-China relations.” The Dalai Lama said Saturday it is crucial for the US to develop an economic relationship with China without forgoing America’s founding principles. “You should develop cordial, close relations, mainly in the economic field at the same time (as) your principles, these universal values of democracy

and rule of law,” he said, as he sat in an armchair in his hotel suite, with his bare feet tucked under him. “In these principles, you should stand firm.”

The Tibetan spiritual leader also briefly addressed the Tiger Woods scandal and the golf star’s public comments Friday about straying from his Buddhist faith. Woods said he was raised Buddhist but needed to focus anew on finding balance

between his faith and professional life. The Dalai Lama said he did not know who Woods was, but said selfdiscipline is among Buddhism’s highest values. When it comes to adultery, he said, “all religions have the same idea.” “I think mainly whether you call it Buddhism or another religion, self-discipline, that’s important,” he said. “Self-discipline with awareness of consequences.” —AP

Philippine troops kill 6 Al-Qaeda-linked militants Abu Sayyaf leader among dead: Military

PERTH: Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith gestures as his Japanese counterpart Katsuya Okada stands next to him at their press conference yesterday. —AP

Australia whaling threat ‘unfortunate’, says Japan PERTH: Japan’s foreign minister yesterday described Australia’s threat of legal action against its controversial whaling activities as “unfortunate” but said he did not believe it would hurt ties. “It’s very unfortunate the Australian side has indicated it will take action in an international court,” Katsuya Okada told reporters on the second and final day of a visit to Australia.

“Should court action become a reality, then Japan will seek to represent its case to the IWC (International Whaling Commission) supporting the fact that its activities are legal and within the convention.” Okada, the first official from the new Japanese government to visit Australia, said however that the dispute should not affect relations between the two major trading partners.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Friday bluntly warned Japan that it had until November to reduce its whale catch to zero, or face action in the International Court of Justice. Australia, along with New Zealand, has consistently opposed Japan’s killing of hundreds of whales each year, which it carries out via a loophole in an international moratorium that allows “lethal research”.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Australia remained hopeful of a diplomatic solution but he reiterated Rudd’s vow that Canberra would seek redress in the ICJ if talks failed.

“It’s quite clear that we have a disagreement on whaling,” Smith said after meeting Okada in the Western Australian capital of Perth. “I made clear to Foreign Minister Okada in the course of our conversations (that) Australia believes that time is running out,” he added.

Smith said Canberra had “in the last week or so” decided to bring a proposal before the IWC that whaling in the Great Southern Oceans be phased out over a reasonable period of time.

The case would be taken to the IWC in the very near future, Smith added, “potentially as early as today.”

Okada insisted before leaving Tokyo that Japan’s whaling activities were legal, carried out in public waters and in accordance with international conventions. He and Rudd had a “frank discussion on whaling” during their meeting in Sydney on Saturday. For the past six years Japanese harpooners have been pursued by militant environmental activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and this year clashes have been particularly fierce.

Okada and Smith both condemned the violence, which has seen a Sea Shepherd powerboat sunk, and the detention of one of their activists.

A group of about 10 Sea Shepherd campaigners confronted the pair during an official wreath-laying in Perth’s war cemetery, staging a silent protest against the annual whale hunt.

“For the past two years, by its lack of action, the Rudd government has effectively given Japan the green light to ram and sink ships and kill endangered species,” a Sea Shepherd spokesman said. Rudd had previously threatened Japan with legal action, and the spokesman said it was “hard to believe” he was serious this time.

Okada and Smith also discussed free trade, security and nuclear disarmament, issuing a joint statement affirming their close cooperation on non-proliferation, and expressing serious concern over Iran’s atomic drive. The statement also condemned “in the strongest terms” North Korea’s latest nuclear test and missile launches last year and said the reclusive state remained a “major threat” to peace and stability in the region and the world “which cannot be tolerated.”

Japan is Australia’s top export market, with sales worth 55 billion Australian dollars (49 billion US) in the year to June, dominated by coal and other commodities.

Japan is also Australia’s third-largest source of importsmostly cars and petroleum-with two-way trade accounting for 15.7 percent of Australia’s total trade. —AFP

MANILA: Philippine marines killed a top Al-Qaeda-linked militant com- Maimbung township on Jolo island following intelligence reports that two mander and five other extremists early yesterday in an assault on a rebel wanted militant leaders, Umbra Jumdail and Albader Parad, were there, encampment on a southern island, a senior military commander said. A said Lt Gen Benjamin Dolorfino, head of the military’s Western Mindanao marine special operations platoon raided an Abu Sayyaf camp outside Command.

Four civilians have independently identified the body of Parad at a military camp in Jolo town, Dolorfino said, adding that a younger brother of Jumdail, Abdulhaman Jumdail, also was among the slain rebels.

“It’s a very significant gain in our campaign against terrorism because we all know that Albader Parad is one of the influential leaders (of the Abu Sayyaf),” he told The Associated Press. “This will have a very big demoralizing effect on the other members and shows that they cannot hide forever from the arms of the law.” Government troops first encountered Parad’s group late Saturday and caught up with them at the encampment early yesterday, he said.

One marine was killed and three others were wounded in the clash, Philippine marines spokesman Lt Col Edgard Arevalo said. The recovery of the slain militants and their weapons indicated the Abu Sayyaf gunmen were caught by surprise and could have suffered more casualties since it was unusual for them to leave the bodies of dead comrades behind, Dolorfino said.

MANILA: A group of street kids form a line as they wait to be served with porridge during a feeding program He said the 30-man marine platoon was backed by other timed for the United Nations declaration of World Day for Social Justice Saturday, Feb 20, 2010. As election in troops deployed to block the the country draws near, political groups capitalize on the poverty in the country as they try to adhere to the call escape of the militants from of the Catholic Church to do good to the people and feed the hungry. —AP their encampment on Jolo, where the militants have operated for years despite a USbacked military campaign against them.

The Abu Sayyaf, which has BANGKOK: A court ruling on and his followers, repeatedly Shirts, the instability, are all ers messages - on blogs, about 400 fighters, has been whether Thailand’s deposed showing footage of Red Shirt because of Thaksin, plus his through Twitter and by video blamed for numerous bombleader Thaksin Shinawatra rioting last April that had to be money, his corruption, manipu- bemoaning his fate and exhortings, beheadings and kidnapby the army. lation and abuses of power.” ing them to keep up the fight. should lose his fortune for quashed pings of Filipinos and foreignalleged corruption could Newspapers publish endless “The bottom line is: Are these Opponents say Thaksin was a ers, including Americans. It is crook of become the latest flash point in speculation about a coup in the Reds really about something megalomaniacal believed to have received funds four years of sometimes-violent offing. The Supreme Court will more than Thaksin? His oppo- unbounded greed, who also from Al-Qaeda and is on a US political unrest that has exposed rule on whether Thaksin, a nents will say ‘No, They’re all sought to usurp the power of list of terrorist organizations. deep divisions in Thai society. telecommunications mogul, ille- because of Thaksin.’ Instead of the country’s revered constituThe US government has offered The government of Prime gally parked his fortune with saying that the Red Shirts have tional monarch, King Bhumibol a $100,000 reward for Jumdail, Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is family members because he was genuine grievances. Instead of Adulyadej. also known as Dr Abu, and His supporters, primarily hoping Friday’s decision will not allowed to hold company acknowledging that they exist, $15,000 for Parad. Parad is lead to a return of stability, but shares while prime minister and listening to them.” Such a state from the country’s poor rural accused of the abduction of it has hedged its bets, imposing whether his 2001-2006 govern- of denial, he warns, only intensi- majority, which benefited from three international Red Cross Thaksin’s innovative social wela security crackdown around the ments implemented policies to fies their movement. workers on Jolo early last year.

Thaksin’s supporters say the fare programs, feel robbed of country and offering safe houses benefit his businesses. If it The three - a Filipino, a Swiss for the court’s judges, claiming finds Thaksin guilty - the almost charges against him are an out- their democratic birthright. But and an Italian - were eventually the pro-Thaksin “Red Shirt” universal assumption is that it rage, part of a vendetta carried the Red Shirt movement also freed by the militants. —AP movement may be planning vio- will - the court will also decide out by a ruling class that felt encompasses many who while

Thaksin ruling may inflame Thai unrest

Obama statue to be fixed in Indonesia school yard

SEOUL: South Korean students shout slogans during a rally against Japan’s claim over a group of islets under South Korea’s control, in front of the Japanese Embassy yesterday. The volcanic islets known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese, located about 90 kilometers (55 miles) east of South Korea’s Ullung Island, have been a source of diplomatic friction between the two countries for years. —AP

JAKARTA: A statue of Barack Obama that was torn down from a public park in Indonesia will be relocated to the US president’s former school in Jakarta, a school official said yesterday. Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Jakarta and is due to visit Indonesia in March, was initially welcomed by locals almost as a long-lost son but his appeal has waned in recent months. A statue of the president as a 10-year-old boy was installed in central Jakarta’s Menteng Park in December 2009 but was recently removed by authorities after a campaign by locals, who argued that Obama has done little to deserve the tribute. Akhmad Solikhin, deputy headmaster of Obama’s former primary school, State Elementary School 01 Menteng, said the statue was removed from Menteng Park on Feb 14 and would be installed on the school grounds last night or early next week. “It is better if the statue can be placed here, so it will be an inspiration and motivation for students to reach their dreams, like Obama,” he told Reuters by phone. “We will place it in the front yard.” The mayor of central Jakarta, Sylviana Murni, told Reuters that council officials were helping facilitate the relocation of the statue.—Reuters

lence.

Political passions have led to years of off-and-on street protests, pitting those who view Thaksin as a corrupt demagogue who bought his way to power against those who benefited from his populist policies and see the military coup that ousted him in September 2006 as a grave injustice orchestrated by a ruling elite scared of change.

The refusal by Thaksin’s opponents to accept the results of post-coup elections that saw his allies return to power led to their occupation of the seat of government for several months and seizure of the capital’s two airports for a week in 2008. A court ruling that led to the fall of the proThaksin government and Abhisit taking power through parliamentary maneuverings fueled the ire of the Red Shirts, who last year rioted and disrupted a conference of Asian heads of government.

Now, says government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn, “People expect the system to resume functioning normally, the parliamentary system and the economic system. Although we continue to have political differences, the wishes of the people are clear.”

Actual evidence of a return to normalcy is slim. Red Shirt leaders boast of plans for a “millionman march” sometime after the verdict. State television nightly broadcasts dire warnings of the nefarious intentions of Thaksin

whether to seize some or all of the $2.29 billion chunk of the family fortune frozen in Thai banks.

For Thaksin’s opponents, says political scientist Thitinan Pongsidhirak of Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, the case marks “the final act of Thaksin’s political decapitation, on the premise that the Red

threatened by their hero’s popularity - he won two landslide election victories - and is determined to prevent his comeback.

Thaksin - who denies all the charges against him - fled into exile ahead of a 2008 conflict of interest conviction that resulted in a two-year jail sentence. As he trots the globe cutting business deals, he sends his follow-

Indonesian clerics mull motorbike safety fatwa JAKARTA: Indonesia’s leading clerics are considering a religious edict against riding a motorbike without a crash helmet to promote safety on the chaotic and deadly roads of the world’s most populous Muslim country. Such a fatwa would not carry a penalty for those who ignore it, but advocates said yesterday making road safety a moral issue could be more effective than the law. Helmets have been compulsory in Indonesia since 1988, but a 2005 government study found that up to 30 percent of riders in cities still did not wear one. Even fewer riders wear them in rural areas, particularly on short journeys. The Ulema Council, an influential board of Islamic clerics, will consider issuing the edict after consultations with the Road Safety Association, motorbike riders, government regulators and medical professionals, council general secretary Ichwan Sam said.

“As Islamic people, we have to protect our religion, our body and soul, our mind, our ancestry and our wealth,” Sam said.

“Wearing a helmet when riding a motorbike is included in the protection of our body and soul,” he added.

According to the safety association, the equivalent of 23 of the 32 people who die each day in traffic accidents in Indonesia are motorbike riders. Upgrading of roads, particularly in cities such as Jakarta, is not keeping pace with the growth in motorbike ownership. Edo Rusiyanto, a newspaper editor and association member, said it had recommended the fatwa in the hope that bikers in this nation of 235 million people who do not heed the safety pleas of lawmakers would listen to their religious

not necessarily Thaksin supporters, feel the coup and subsequent court rulings against his allies are symptoms of greater injustices in Thai society, which has long been dominated by those with ties to the military and palace. Friends and foes of Thaksin alike doubt the court verdict will clear the air.

The Red Shirts - nicknamed for their attire but formally called the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship - “have been fighting against dictatorship for three years and we will keep on fighting,” says one of their leaders, veteran politician Veera Musigapong. Whether Thaksin’s money is seized in whole or in part, or released, is irrelevant to the group, he says. “Our political gatherings will continue, according to our plan to bring back democracy and to overthrow the current government.” A prominent Thaksin critic thinks a guilty verdict will erode the former prime minister’s legitimacy with the public, but not end the schisms in Thai society. “Even if the assets are seized, the conflict will continue,” says Suriyasai Katasila of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, the group that has been the public face of the antiThaksin movement. “Thaksin will carry out his revenge against his opponents. The clashes of opinions will persist and are not likely to cease for the next couple of years.” —AP

INTERNATIONAL

12

Monday, February 22, 2010

Marines corner Taleban holdouts in Afghan town Insurgents put up ‘determined resistance’ in Marjah panies moved on a 2-square-mile (5.2-sq. kilometer) area of the town where more than 40 insurgents have apparently holed up. “They are squeezed,” said Lt Col Brian Christmas, commander of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. “It looks like they want to stay and fight but they can always drop their weapons and slip away.

That’s the nature of this war.” Insurgents are putting up a “determined resistance” in various parts of Marjah, though the overall offensive is “on track,” NATO said yesterday, eight days after thousands of Afghan and international forces launched their largest joint operation since the Taleban regime’s ouster in 2001. Late last week, Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, head of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, said he believed it would take at least 30 days to complete securing the Nad Ali district and Marjah in Helmand province, a hub for a lucrative opium trade that profits militants. The Marjah operation is a major test of a new NATO strategy that stresses protecting civilians over routing insurgents as quickly as possible. It’s also the first major ground operation since President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 reinforcements to Afghanistan to curb the rise of the Taleban.

Once the town is secure, NATO plans to rush in a civilAfghan administration, TRIKH NAWAR: US marines with 1/3 marine Charlie Company patrol past a Dasnish army Leopard 2A5EK ian restore public services and tank as they clear Improvised Explosive Device (IED)s from a main route on the North Eastern outskirts of pour in aid to try to win the Marjah yesterday. —AFP loyalty of the population and prevent the Taleban from returning. Twelve NATO troops and one Afghan soldier have died so far in the offensive. Senior Marine officers say intelligence reports suggest more than 120 insurgents NEW DELHI: An Indian student has overnight of his injuries. Hyderabad, died by setting themselves on fire over have died. NATO reported two died after he set himself on fire in an home to international IT giants such as the issue since the start of November. more service member deaths apparent show of support for the cre- Google and Microsoft, has been at the Students and activists burning themsuffered on ation of a new state in southern India, centre of protests since the national selves to death in support of their Saturday - one by rocket or a report said yesterday. The 19-year- government announced in December cause is not new in India. In 1990, mortar fire in eastern old was rushed to hospital Saturday that Andhra Pradesh would be carved Delhi University student Rajeev Afghanistan and another in a with 70 percent burns to his body after into two. Supporters of the proposed Goswami set himself on fire during a bombing in southern setting himself ablaze near Osmania new state of Telangana accuse the campaign for affirmative action in Afghanistan. Neither was University in Hyderabad, capital of national government of moving too Indian colleges. Goswami’s act led to a related to the Marjah area Andhra Pradesh state, the Press Trust slowly in creating it. Including the lat- spate of similar incidents among stufighting, NATO said yesterday of India news agency said. He died est case, at least three students have dents across the country. —AFP without identifying the victims by nationality.

Yesterday, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen Mohammad Zahir Azimi said that they had been more prepared for large numbers of planted bombs than for the sniper shooting and sustained firefights that have characterized the last few days of the Marjah operation. “We predicted it would take many days. But our prediction was that the insurgency would not resist that way. Maybe they would use more mines, or roadside bombs or these things,” Azimi said.

Even so, he said the operation has always been planned to last a month and noted some aspects are ahead of schedule, including the deployment of Afghan police units to the town. He said progress through the contested areas is intentionally slow so that troops can clear bombs and take the most care possible to prevent civilian casualties as they fight the insurgents. On Saturday, President HYDERABAD: Indian medical personnel treat self-immolated student Yadaiah at Gandhi Hospital on Hamid Karzai had urged February 20, 2010. —AFP NATO to do more to protect civilians during combat operations to secure Marjah.

NATO forces have repeatedly said they want to prevent civilian casualties but acknowledged that it is not always possible. On Saturday, the alliance said its troops DHAKA: At least two people according to official figures. The ALMATY: US special envoy Richard Holbrooke visited killed another civilian in the were killed and 10 injured after government has sent its junior Kazakhstan yesterday to drum up regional assistance in stabiMarjah area, bringing the civiltroops in Bangladesh’s insur- minister for hill tracts affairs to lizing Afghanistan, the last stop on his tour of former Soviet ian death toll from the operagency-hit southeastern hill areas the region for talks with tribal states in Central Asia. The recent surge in the US military contion to at least 16. Though opened fire on tribals clashing groups. tingent in Afghanistan has been accompanied by a US effort to NATO had made progress in “Gathering of more than five with Bengali settlers, police said enlist help from neighboring nations in rebuilding the war-ravreducing civilian casualties yesterday. More than 300 hous- people has been banned. But the aged country and to provide reassurances that the war won’t mainly by reducing airstrikes es were also torched in violent situation is still tense and lawspill over the border. and restricting combat rules clashes that started on Friday enforcers have failed to enter the “We are talking to all the countries that have a concern in more needed to be done, night between tribal people and troubled areas,” the police the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that is why we are Karzai said. “We need to Bengali settlers over a decades- inspector said. The clashes were here today,” Holbrooke said in Kazakh capital of Astana. reach the point where there long land dispute, police inspec- the most violent since the counHolbrooke’s trip also included Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and are no civilian casualties,” he tor Noyeem Uddin told AFP. try’s armed forces last July Uzbekistan, where he met with heads of state and held talks on said. “Our effort and our criti“We have got dead bodies of two announced a major withdrawal of cooperation in Afghanistan. tribal people. They have bullet troops from the region following cism will continue until we In Tajikistan, an impoverished country that shares a long and wounds. At least 10 people the treaty with the Parbattya reach that goal.” Karzai had porous border with Afghanistan, Holbrooke warned of the conincluding an army man were also Parbattya Chattagram Jana also reached out to Taleban tinuing danger posed to the region by Al-Qaeda. The roles of injured. Six of them were trans- Sanghati Samity tribal group. fighters, urging them to Central Asia and Russia in assisting NATO operations in The government has also ferred to hospitals,” he said. renounce Al-Qaeda and join Afghanistan has grown over the past year with the opening of an The military had been sent in announced a series of steps with the government. But the overland route to Afghanistan from Europe via Russia, and opened fire “to bring order”, including a land commission-a process of reconciliation and Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The route offers an alternative to he said. Trouble first erupted at major source of discord between reintegration is likely to prove the alliance’s main logistics chain through Pakistan, which has remote Baghaichhari town and tribals and Bengalis who settled difficult.

Yesterday, come under repeated attack by militants. spread to two of the three hill there in the 1970s. Despite the Mohammad Jan Rasool Yar, During his tour, Holbrooke also discussed electricity and districts in the southeast, where treaty and withdrawal of thoutransportation networks linking Central Asian to Afghanistan. spokesman for Zabul province, the main tribal group fought for sands of troops, low-intensity Uzbekistan supplies electricity to around four million people in said authorities arrested 14 autonomy for two decades unrest in the area has continued Afghanistan and is working on completing a rail route between police in the Shar-e Safa disbefore signing a peace treaty in with the tribal group demanding the two countries. Tajikistan also hopes to complete a 1,000 trict on Saturday who had 1997. The insurgency claimed implementation of the treaty that megawatt project that would allow it to export power to defected to the Taleban’s side the lives of more than 2,500 peo- includes dismantling of settlers’ Afghanistan and Pakistan. —AP last week and were found on a ple over the two decades, villages and army camps. —AFP bus heading to Pakistan. —AP

MARJAH: Marines and Afghan units converged on a dangerous western quarter of the Taleban stronghold of Marjah yesterday, with NATO forces facing “determined resistance” as their assault on the southern town entered its second week. Fighter jets, drones and attack helicopters hovered overhead, as Marine and Afghan com-

Indian student sets himself ablaze, dies

Two killed as troops open fire in Bangladesh clash

Holbrooke seeks Central Asia help for Afghanistan

RAWALPINDI: Disabled Pakistani journalist, Anser Abbas who lost both his arms in a suicide attack, types with his toes on a computer keyboard at his home. —AFP

Amputees struggle in Taleban-torn Pakistan PESHAWAR: Laiba is only seven years old, but she’s a poster girl for thousands of Pakistanis who have lost limbs in the war between Islamist militants and the armed forces. The girl, whose name means “Fairy of the Heavens”, was shopping in Peshawar with her uncle for a new pair of socks for the Muslim festival of Eid in November 2008 when tragedy struck. Their car was travelling alongside a convoy of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary. Mistaking them for potential suicide bombers, her father says, troops raked the vehicle with gunfire, shattering Laiba’s left leg.

Doctors could not save her foot and her leg was amputated mid-shin. Her right leg, despite five major operations, is still embedded with shrapnel. Now, Laiba lies in bed at her grandfather’s house in Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province, playing with an artificial foot, shy and silent after her trauma. “It is strange to be scared in our own country of our own people,” said her mother, Razia Khan. “If we escape from suicide attacks, our own forces fire shots on us. I get afraid when any of my relatives leave the house.”

Although the government does not keep statistics, doctors estimate thousands of people have lost limbs in a wave of attacks and suicide bombings blamed mostly on Taleban militants that have swept the country since July 2007. The attacks have killed around 3,000 people.

Civilians have also been caught in crossfire since Pakistan joined the US-led “war on terror” in 2002 and launched offensives against Islamist strongholds in the northwest.

There are no figures for civilians killed or wounded in army offensives, most of which occur in the northwest region along the Afghan border-lawless, rugged terrain largely out of bounds to journalists and aid workers. Laiba’s family said

they encountered a wall of silence when trying to get justice for their daughter. “Police registered the first information report against ‘unknown people’, despite the fact that everything was clear,” says her father Asim Khan, a supervisor at the Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation in Islamabad.

“I want them to accept responsibility and pay for the treatment of my daughter,” he said. The family has been able to drum up public support for Laiba’s cause, with TV channels and newspapers reporting her plight and human rights groups intervening.

Frontier Constabulary (FC) authorities acknowledged that Laiba was injured and paid about 400,000 rupees (4,700 US dollars) for treatment, Khan said.

But because she is growing, Laiba will need a new artificial limb every six months to have any hope of living a normal life.

The family cannot afford the 91,000 rupees (1,076 dollars) for each new prosthetic-although Laiba’s mother works in Britain for the National Health Service and the family is better off than many in Peshawar. “I don’t want any revenge, no compensation, but only the treatment of my daughter from the best physicians of the world. The security forces must do it,” says Razia Khan, who travels back and forth between Britain and Pakistan.

Major Fazl-ur-Rehman, a spokesman for the FC, told AFP an internal inquiry found that the shots which injured Laiba were not fired by their troops but by “various other forces moving there.” “Even then we paid for her treatment and offered to buy her an artificial foot purely on humanitarian grounds,” he added.

Militants appear to be increasingly targeting civilians. A suicide blast killed 101 people at a volleyball game in a northwest village on January 1. On October 28, a car bomb slaughtered 125 people in a crowded

Peshawar market.

The massive amounts of explosives packed in cars, trucks or suicide vests, sometimes studded with nails and other makeshift projectiles, cause horrible injuries. The Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences in Peshawar treats more than 6,000 amputees every year and numbers are increasing, says managing director Liaquat Ali Malik. “The number is increasing day by day due to this war on terror. We receive dozens of people every day who want artificial limbs but treatment is an ongoing and lengthy process,” he told AFP. Patients need to replace artificial limbs every two years, which is costly and few amputees can afford it, Malik acknowledged. Anser Abbas, a journalist, lost both his arms in a suicide bombing that killed 20 of his relatives at a hospital in northwest town Dera Ismail Khan on August 19, 2008. He was transferred to an intensive care unit in Islamabad and had a series of painful operations and treatments in the past year and a half, at the cost of 1.5 million rupees to his family.

The promised government compensation never came, and he remains without artificial arms which could give him some independence. “I can’t eat, dress, drink and write with my own hands. I have become disabled after the blast, the Taleban have destroyed my life,” he said. Arshad Abdullah, a member of the provincial cabinet of North West Frontier Province, said the government pays compensation to bomb blast victims for severe injures on the recommendations of a medical board. “We pay compensation within 15 days. If someone has been left without it, it is serious and criminal negligence on the part of government officials. I will look into this and take stern action,” he told AFP. —AFP

in the news Two soldiers dead in Afghanistan KABUL: Two foreign soldiers have died in Afghanistan, NATO reported yesterday, though neither was involved in a high-profile military operation against Taleban militants in southern Afghanistan. In two brief statements, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said both soldiers were killed on Saturday, one in the country’s east and the other in the south. ISAF did not give the nationality of either soldier, according to policy. It said the soldier killed in the south died as a result of an improvised bomb attack, but added that the death was not associated with Operation Mushtarak, the major assault on a Taleban stronghold in Helmand province.

Mushtarak was launched in the Marjah and Nad Ali areas of Helmand on February 13, with the deaths so far of 12 foreign soldiers, an ISAF spokesman said. A total of 24 foreign troop deaths have been announced since the offensive, most of them caused by IEDs, which have become the main weapon of the militants who have a presence across most of the country. Some 15,000 US, NATO and Afghan troops are involved in the Helmand operation, aimed at clearing the Taleban out of the area, which produces most of the world’s opium and has been controlled for years by militants and drug traffickers. Taleban fighters are said by military officials to be putting up stiff resistance in pockets of the target area, and innumerable hidden bombs they have planted are hampering the progress of the mission.

Militants bomb two boys’ schools in Pak ISLAMABAD: Militants blew up two boys’ schools in northwest Pakistan yesterday, the latest in a wave of attacks by Islamist extremists targeting educational institutions, local officials said.

No one was hurt in the pre-dawn attacks on the two schools located in the Mohmand tribal region

near the Afghan border. Local administration official Maqsood Khan blamed the attack on Taliban militants avenging ongoing military offensives against Islamist insurgents across the northwest.

Another tribal administration official, Roshan Khan, said the bomb attacks completely destroyed the two schools. Islamist militants opposed to coeducation have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in northwest Pakistan in recent years.

Bangladesh to return constitution to roots DHAKA: Bangladesh will restore secularism as a state principle in the constitution, a government minister said, following a Supreme Court decision to strike down an amendment moved after a 1975 military coup. The move comes at a time when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is seeking to rein in Islamist parties which have tried to promote a more austere vision of society. “In the light of the verdict, the secular constitution of 1972 already stands to have been revived,” Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said late on Saturday. “Now we don’t have any bar to return to the four state principles of democracy, nationalism, secularism and socialism as had been heralded in the 1972 statute of the state,” he said. The four principles were enshrined in Bangladesh’s original constitution formulated by independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. But the words “secularism” were dropped following a 1975 coup in which Mujib, as he was popularly called, was killed along with most of his family members.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its staunch ally Jamaat-e-Islami party had appealed against the High court judgement. Law minister Ahmed said people will be free to practise their faith, but will not be allowed to use religion for political purposes.

OPINION

Monday, February 22, 2010

13

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Industrial row spells trouble for Thailand

By Martin Petty

W

hile the threat of political unrest has put Thailand’s markets on edge, a costly environmental row threatening to paralyse the country’s industrial heart is already squeezing investment and could inflict greater damage. A courtordered suspension of 64 projects worth an estimated $9 billion to $12 billion at the world’s eighth-biggest petrochemicals hub in eastern Thailand is in its fifth month, raising questions about whether a country with a government fighting fires on multiple fronts is a safe bet for investment.

Analysts say the freeze at the Map Ta Phut industrial estate is the last thing the embattled coalition government needs right now and many investors fear resolution of the problem will take a back seat while the country remains locked in a political crisis. As a sign of growing concern about the outlook for Southeast Asia’s secondbiggest economy, the cost of insuring Thai sovereign debt has risen in tandem with an increase in political tensions, with 5-year credit default swaps recently hitting a ninemonth high.

Steve Vickers, president and CEO of FTI-International Risk, said that while protests and talk of coups, assassination threats and even civil war grab the headlines, a protracted standoff at Map Ta Phut may have a bigger impact on investor confidence. “Unlike political concerns, risk concerns and protests, this is very quantifiable - you can see how much this is going to cost,” he said. “Thailand is beginning to ratchet up an unfortunate (political risk) score. These are big investments and from the foreign perspective, these issues are piling up ... It’s not painting Thailand in a very elegant light.”

Whether this is the result of a favour to big business or a simple bureaucratic oversight, the government is now in hot water, paying the price for failing to heed warnings to set up an independent body to assess health and environmental risks from industrial projects, as required by the 2007 constitution. A local environmental group finally got its way last year having lobbied successive governments to clean up Map Ta Phut since 1996, claiming pollution from the plants had caused at least 2,000 cancer-related deaths.

The group has threatened to target another 181 projects if they, too, fail to comply.

Illustrating the widening financial toll from the injunction, Thai energy giant PTT, which has 18 stalled projects, announced last week it had been forced to delay for the second time a consolidation plan aimed at boosting efficiency and cutting costs.

Share prices of PTT, other affected companies and some downstream businesses were on the up in the weeks before the October court injunction initially on 76 projects - but

have largely fallen since, although political uncertainty was also a factor weighing on the market.

Many foreign and local investors say Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s administration already has a credibility problem, so its heel-dragging over the complicated Map Ta Phut saga adds to concerns about government effectiveness and bureaucratic unpredictability and may prompt existing or potential investors to turn to more stable alternatives in the region. Ford Motor Co has put on hold a planned $500 million passenger car plant in Rayong, the same province as Map Ta Phut. Without referring to the injunction, Ford said it was in discussions with the Thai government. Analysts close to the case reckon the row has given Ford second thoughts.

The Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Thailand said 33 percent of its businesses in the country had been adversely affected by the injunction at Map Ta Phut and it has repeatedly warned that Japanese investors might choose to do business elsewhere. “This is more serious than the airport closure and the unrest resulting from the political uncertainty,” Munenori Yamada, head of the Bangkok branch of the Japan External Trade Organisation, told a recent meeting of Japanese investors.

He was referring to a weeklong blockade of Bangkok’s airports by antigovernment protesters in Nov 2008, which stranded more than 230,000 tourists and disrupted trade flows, and riots last April in Bangkok. Both incidents led to downgrades in Thailand’s sovereign credit rating. And Thailand’s political problems are far from over as lawmakers and “red shirt” protesters allied with twiceelected former premier Thaksin Shinawatra attempt to unseat Abhisit’s “illegitimate” government in coming weeks.

On Feb 5 Abhisit announced proposals he hopes can get the stalled projects restarted in six to nine months, but many analysts believe this is unrealistic and expect the saga to drag on much longer, a scenario the industry ministry has said could cost $18 billion in terms of lost revenue and jobs. The government has sought to speed up the drafting of new legislation and the formation of numerous panels, committees and boards to carry out assessments, hold public hearings and help companies comply with regulations, all aimed at appeasing disgruntled investors. But analysts say that, even if new health and environmental impact measures are in place soon, the government still has no control over the legal process and whether individual projects will actually be approved.

The suspended operations still need to get the nod from a yet-to-be-formed regulator, independent experts and local people who say the plants are seriously damaging their health. — Reuters

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Saudi Arabia hosts Chu but woos China

By Simon Webb

S

audi Arabia’s oil affair with top consumer the United States is being redefined as contracting demand in the West means the kingdom competes more fiercely for dominance in the growing Asia market, especially China. US Energy Secretary Steven Chu will visit Riyadh today but it is Beijing’s allure that has intensified for oil suppliers in 2008 and 2009, as demand grew more in China but contracted in the United States and Europe at the same time.

Saudi Arabia has boosted exports to China and the flow of crude from the kingdom to the United States has fallen. The latter hit a 22-year low during 2009 as recession slashed fuel use and Saudi Arabia led OPEC supply cuts to match supply with demand. Oil has always been at the heart of the political, diplomatic and economic links that tie Riyadh to its ally Washington. The relationship may be loosening but oil will continue to underpin the US-Saudi connection, analysts said.

It is no longer direct exports so much as the Saudi capacity for balancing the global oil market that gives the kingdom sway with Washington, Beijing and other consumers. Riyadh is the only holder of significant spare oil output capacity, the main recourse to deal with any surprise major outage in global supply. “The old paradigm was that Saudi Arabia saw its geopolitical significance as the largest supplier to the world’s largest market,” said David Kirsch, director of market intelligence at PFC Energy in Washington.

“It doesn’t view that as the key driver anymore. Rather... it is that Saudi has enough spare capacity to replace the next largest exporter and is willing to adjust production up and down to meet the needs of the market.”

Even though the flow has fallen, Saudi still supplied more than a tenth of US crude imports last year. It was a more reliable long-term supplier than competitors for the US market such as Venezuela or Nigeria, said Frank Verrastro, head of the energy and national security program at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

“That puts Saudi in a great position, as oil market anchor on both ends of the world,” said Verrastro. “Saudi is very important to the US strategically, there is a recognition we can’t lose the Saudis any time soon.”

The changing supply flows also reflect a longer-term shift in oil demand. Developing countries will soon consume more oil than industrialised nations. Emerging economies would account for 47 percent of global oil demand in 2010, up from 37 percent in 2000, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA believes demand in developed nations has peaked. “The recession accelerated what was happening anyway,” Verrastro said. “We’re at the tipping point now toward developing countries in terms of energy demand.”

Saudi Arabia position as OPEC’s top oil producer and holder of a fifth of the world’s oil reserves also gives it the advantage over other producers when competing for new markets.

Energy-hungry Asian refiners, often state-owned, are eager to guarantee future energy supply through longterm deals with the country most able to supply them. “No single producer is really going to challenge the Saudi position in China in the long run,” Kirsch said “China is a key market and Saudi doesn’t want to lose market share there.

It doesn’t want to lose out to Russia and Iran. And that’s part of why

they will continue to push for longterm refinery deals in China.”

One such is for supply to China’s Fujian refinery, in which state-owned Saudi Aramco holds a 25 percent stake. Riyadh plans to ship 200,000 barrels per day to Fujian this year after start up in 2009. Aramco is also

looking to invest in a second Chinese refinery, a 200,000 bpd plant in the eastern port of Qingdao. Other producers are plotting similar deals with China. Kuwait wants to build a refinery while Qatar is eyeing investment in a petrochemical plant.

With little chance to sell existing or

additional supplies elsewhere, producers are also fighting to sell more to China in the short-term. Saudi Arabia agreed to boost crude supplies to China by 12 percent in 2010 from 2009, Kuwait by about 50 percent, while Iraq said it would more than double its flow. — Reuters

Niger coup may usher in a democracy

By Richard Valdmanis

T

he overthrow of Niger’s pariah leader Mamadou Tandja has been condemned internationally as undemocratic, but it could provide the west African country with its best chance for elections. Tandja was removed on Thursday in response tension caused by changes he made to the uranium-producing country’s constitution in 2009 to extend his rule, effectively delaying elections due this year by at least three years. “This is one of those cases where you ask yourself if there’s such a thing as a good coup,” said a regional analyst who asked not to be identified. “Though it really depends on the junta’s intentions.”

The crisis in Niger, whose oil and mineral wealth has attracted billions of dollars in foreign investment, is one of many in a region plagued by coups and delayed elections which have proved obstacles to democratic civilian rule.

Fighters from the junta, which calls itself the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy (CSRD), stormed the presidential palace on Thursday in a hail of gunfire before detaining Tandja and suspending the constitution.

Two regional bodies, the African Union and ECOWAS, and Niger’s former colonial ruler France, quickly condemned the coup while the United States said it could not defend Tandja’s violent overthrow. “Clearly, we do not in any way, shape or form, you know, defend violence of this nature, but clearly we think this underscores that Niger needs to move ahead with the elections and the formation of a new government,” US State Department spokesman P J Crowley said on Thursday.

The junta’s next move will be important. It has given no sign whether it will win foreign backing with a swift restoration of democracy or entrench itself in power with

the prospect of an increase in revenues from resources in the near future. Niger has attracted huge investments in recent years, including a $1.2 billion uranium mining project by France’s Areva and a $5 billion oil project by China’s China National Petroleum Corp. “The international community, accounting for around 10 percent of government revenue, must wait to know the character of Niger’s new rulers before deciding on its next course of action, but they will demand a programme for the return of constitutionalism and democracy,” IHS Global Insight said in a research note Friday.

Raising hopes of a transition to civilian rule, military sources have said two of the junta’s members played a role in a 1999 coup that paved the way for the elections that brought Tandja to power, described by observers as free and fair. “The CSRD pedigree could mean a return to constitutionalism within the short to medium term,” IHS said.

The Niger military is widely regarded as well-disciplined and more likely to uphold the constitutional order than those of other west African countries such as Guinea, where a junta seized power more than a year ago. “This is not Dadis Camara. They are more professional,” said Alex Vines, head of the Africa program at the London think tank Chatham House, referring to Guinea’s military chief. “It is a bittersweet thing. It is uncomfortable to have a coup but if it is a short-term platform for elections, that could be OK,” he added. Even if the junta calls elections, however, analysts say the coup sets a bad precedent. “There was a coup in Mauritania in 2005 that was widely seen as a good coup and was followed by elections. But there was another coup three years later,” said Jennifer Cooke, Africa analyst at Washington’s Center for Strategic International Studies. “While a coup like this solves the immediate problem, it also sets a precedent for future shortcuts around the constitution,” she said. — Reuters

Rousseff yet to emerge from Lula’s shadow

By Raymond Colitt

A

photo opportunity during Carnival is a must for Brazilian politicians and Dilma Rousseff, who is running for president, did well last week by partying with pop star Madonna and dancing samba with a street sweeper. It was one of the few public events in which the often stern-looking Rousseff showed a more human face and appeared without her mentor and political benefactor, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Buoyed by a roaring economy and the immense popularity of Lula, his chief of staff Rousseff has narrowed the gap in opinion polls with front-runner Jose Serra, the governor of Sao Paulo state from the opposition PSDB party.

But analysts caution that the race has yet to begin in earnest and Rousseff, whose candidacy will be endorsed by the ruling Workers’ Party on Saturday, must still emerge from Lula’s long shadow to consolidate her own image and define her policies to win the election on Oct 3.

“She has yet to present herself to the Brazilian electorate,” said Christopher Garman, Latin America analyst with Eurasia Group consultants in New York.

“And she has yet to learn to do so convincingly.”

Brazil’s Chief of Staff Dilma Rousseff smiles during the IVth Congress of the ruling Workers Party in Brasilia Saturday. Roussef was appointed as the party’s presidential candidate for the upcoming October general elections. — AP Her first challenge will be to convince the rank and file of the Workers’ Party, or PT, that she is as good as Lula says. The leftist former union leader, who is barred from running for a third straight term, has virtually imposed Rousseff’s candidacy despite grumbling in the party, which she only joined in 2001. In recent months the 64-year-old Lula has accompanied his protege every step of the way, from ribbon-cutting events and television spots to closed-door cabinet

meetings.

As a result, her name-recognition in opinion polls has shot up but many Brazilians still see her as a proxy for Lula rather than a candidate in her own right, pollsters say. “I don’t know much about her but she’d be a continuation of Lula,” said Jose Silva dos Santos, a 52-yearold taxi driver in downtown Brasilia, echoing a common view. Despite Rousseff’s stiff public persona, Lula thinks her management skills will make

her a good president. He also says Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, is ready for a woman president after he shattered the class barrier to become its first leader that didn’t hail from an elite background.

Still, there has been speculation in political circles that Rousseff, 62, would simply be an “interim president” until Lula can run again in 2014, a claim he dismissed in an interview with O Estado de S.Paulo published on Friday. “I have total confidence

in Dilma, that she’ll know how to do the right things for this country,” he said. Lula’s predecessor and longtime political rival Fernando Henrique Cardoso, also of Serra’s PSDB party, publicly belittled Rousseff this month as a mere puppet of her boss, foreshadowing a likely theme in the campaign ahead.

Most investors see little risk that either of the leading candidates would stray far from Lula’s market-friendly policies, though some prefer Serra for his executive experience and the PSDB’s more centrist political stance. Rousseff and much of the PT favor a larger government role in the economy, mainly through big state enterprises.

“This talk of governmentinduced growth and big state enterprises has us worried. It has failed in the past,” said Rodrigo Nogueira, a partner in the Brasilia-based construction firm JC Gontijo Engenheria.

“She needs to address these concerns soon.”

The daughter of Bulgarian immigrants and a leftwing militant in her youth, the gruff career civil servant is often referred to in political circles as the “iron lady”. For much of last year, she stuck to an intense agenda while battling lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system, of which doctors say

she has been cured. But Rousseff remains a political novice who often struggles to connect with her audience, a potential pitfall that even her supporters acknowledge.

“Dilma doesn’t have the skills like someone who ran in several elections,” PT president-elect Jose Eduardo Dutra told O Globo newspaper this week.

“Her opponent also lacks charisma, so it evens out,” he added, referring to the often dour-faced Serra.

Lula’s blessing and proven political skills are sure to work in her favor in the campaign. But Rousseff faces a formidable opponent in Serra, and her stance on some controversial issues could pose problems.

Opposition legislators have summoned her to testify on her support for legalizing abortion, a delicate act in an overwhelmingly Catholic society. Analysts say Rousseff’s lack of charisma and political savvy may not cost her the election but, if she wins, it could make governing with notoriously volatile allies difficult. “She has difficulty dealing with politicians - voters won’t notice that but her allies may jump on it,” said Cristiano Noronha, head of political Arko Advice. “Becoming hostage to her allies is Dilma’s biggest risk.” — Reuters

NEWS

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Book casts Brown as angry, abusive Continued from Page 1 Clinton. Bob Shrum, who worked for both before taking on a job as speech writer for Brown, was left shaking by an expletive-laden outburst from the prime minister, according to Rawnsley.

Rawnsley claims Brown grabbed one staff member by the jacket lapels and shouted at him, punched the back of a car seat after receiving bad news and repeatedly swore at advisors. Brown is also accused of having “turfed a (secretary) out of her chair and (taken) over the keyboard himself” because she was “not typing fast enough”, while a seat in his official car was allegedly “flecked with black marks” where he stabbed it with his pen in frustration. The atmosphere at Downing Street got so bad that the head of the Civil Service, Gus O’Donnell, gave Brown a “pep talk”, telling him: “This is no way to get things done,” according to extracts in The Observer newspaper.

The book extracts told how “during one rage, while in his prime ministerial car, Brown clenched his fist in fury after being told some unwelcome news and then thumped the back of the passenger seat”. It added that the protection officer in the seat “flinched with shock” and “the aide sitting next to Brown... cowered because he feared ‘that the prime minister was about to hit him in the face’,” The Observer added. O’Donnell launched his own investigations and felt the need “to calm down frightened duty clerks, badlytreated phone operators and other bruised staff” and tell them: “Don’t take it personally”, according to the paper.

“Rage, despair and indecision. Inside Gordon Brown’s Number 10,” The

Observer’s headline read, in reference to Brown’s No. 10 Downing Street office.

The Independent yesterday, carrying an interview with Brown, summarized the prime minister’s thoughts on the book in four big black letters: “LIES!” Speaking to the Independent, Brown seemed particularly upset at rumors that the published extracts would carry allegations that he hit members of staff. They didn’t, although there were references to alleged incidents in which the prime minister grabbed an aide by the lapels or manhandled a senior adviser.

“It is simply a lie to say I’ve hit anybody in my life,” Brown told the paper. “I may have done one or two good tackles at rugby but this so-called inside account is just ludicrous.” The excerpts’ publication comes as Britain’s looming general election is getting closer, tighter and more personal.

Brown’s party still trails in the polls, although a few recent ones show the race between him and his Conservative Party challenger, David Cameron, tightening.

Some surveys have suggested that, while Labour was likely to fall short of a parliamentary majority, it could still cling to power after the election, which must be held by June 3. On the morning talk shows, Brown loyalists were out doing damage control.

“These things that have been put in the book are wrong and have been denied,” Brown’s Labour Party deputy Harriet Harman told Sky News television.

She agreed that Brown could be tough “Nobody said he was a shrinking violet,” she said - but she added that “that’s a good thing, not a bad thing”.

Acknowledging that Brown’s temper had

long been the subject of media speculation, Business Secretary Peter Mandelson sought to cast Brown as passionate rather than petulant.

The prime minister “gets angry, but chiefly with himself” Mandelson told the BBC, adding that the book didn’t present a picture of Brown which he recognized.

Rawnsley said his work was based on thousands of interviews with hundreds of people both inside and out of government over the years. It follows the ups and downs of Brown’s governing L abour Party, but the most talked about passages - many of which are sourced anonymously - deal with Brown’s allegedly explosive rages.

The discomfiting take on Brown’s personality comes at time when the prime minister has sought to humanize his distant and often dour image. A recent interview with Britain’s ITV showed the prime minister in an unusually emotional discussion about the death of his newborn daughter in 2002. In the interview, which was seen by more than 4 million people, Brown also described his proposal to his wife Sarah, discussed his love life as a younger man and spoke in unusually frank terms about his clashes with his predecessor, Tony Blair.

In an editorial piece in The Observer, Rawnsley defended his focus on Brown’s character, referring to the ITV interview as an example when the prime minister had consciously sought to project his personality “in a way that might make it more appealing to voters”. That, he said, was the “Good Brown”, adding that there was also a “Bad Brown” lurking behind the scenes.

“The public deserves to be fully acquainted with both,” he said. —- Agencies

KATMANDU: Nepalese teenager Khagendra Thapa Magar attends a press conference yesterday. — AFP

UAE slams abuse of European passports Continued from Page 1

Dhahi Khalfan said some of Mabhouh’s killers used diplomatic passports to enter the country. “There is information that Dubai police will not make public for the moment, especially regarding diplomatic passports” used by some of Mabhouh’s killers to enter Dubai, Khalfan was quoted by Al-Bayan newspaper as saying.

Dubai police last week released the names and photos of 11 suspects in Mabhuh’s killing who entered the UAE on European passports - six from Britain, three from Ireland, one from Germany and one from France. Those passports appear to have been falsified or stolen, as they belonged to what appear to be ordinary citizens shocked to learn of their being linked to the case.

Khalfan had not previously mentioned any of the suspects holding diplomatic passports. However, he said last week that there were others implicated in the killing whose names have not yet been made public. The use of European passports has sparked a diplomatic furor in which Israeli envoys in the four countries have been summoned for talks. Khalfan has said he is “99, if not 100 percent” sure that Mossad was behind the assassination, and added on Saturday that Dubai had evidence, including wiretaps, of the agency’s role. The UK’s Sunday Times said the killing was carried out by Israel’s spy agency Mossad with the green light and blessing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Khalfan said that Mabhouh’s killing was “no longer a local issue, but a security issue for European countries,” quoted yesterday in another Emirati daily, the Abu Dhabi-owned Al-Ittihad.

Al-Ittihad said Khalfan has called for Hamas to conduct an internal investigation “about the person who leaked information on Mabhuh’s movements” and arrival in Dubai to his killers. The source of the leak was the “real killer,” Khalfan was quoted as saying. Hamas, however, rejected the idea of a leak. It said yester-

day that “the fact that Mahmoud AlMabhouh was followed by agents of the Mossad does not mean that the movement (Hamas) is infiltrated.”

However, it did say it would investigate. “Hamas always carries out an investigation into the perpetrated crime and hopes to coordinate its actions with (the police force) of Dubai,” the statement said. According to Khalfan, two Palestinians have been arrested in Jordan and extradited to Dubai, where they are being held in connection with the murder.

A Palestinian Authority security official in the West Bank said a senior Hamas member, Nehru Massoud, was also suspected of involvement in the killing. Massoud has denied he had a role in Mabhouh’s death. Hamas has blamed the killing entirely on Israel and vowed revenge.

But Israeli intelligence experts dismissed yesterday the prospect of lasting diplomatic fallout for Israel or damage to its Mossad spy agency over the spotlight shone on the assassination in Dubai.

“The bottom line is that an important deed was done, by whomever, in the war on terrorism,” Uzi Dayan, an ex-general and former head of Israel’s National Security Council, said on Army Radio.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman could face sharp questions from British and Irish counterparts in Brussels today over the alleged use of forged European passports by the hit squad. Citing a policy of “ambiguity” with regard to its intelligence activities, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied Hamas allegations that a Mossad team was responsible. “I intend ... to underline our deep concern about the fake use of passports in Dubai and to seek reassurance and clarification on this very serious issue,” Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin told the Irish Times on Friday.

Britain and Ireland called in the Israeli ambassadors last week to discuss the issue, but received little in the way of explanation. The ambassador in London, Ron Prosor, said he was “unable to assist” the British with more information.

France and Germany have also asked

Israel for an explanation, but the French and German foreign ministers are not scheduled to attend today’s foreign ministers’ meeting, and it is not clear whether Lieberman will meet their deputies.

Although six Britons in Israel, who said they were identity theft victims, had the same names of members of the alleged hit squad, Israel seemed confident in its no-smoking-gun approach. “No one recalled his ambassador (to Israel).

No one expelled anybody,” Dayan said, calling for an investigation into the type of passport Mabhouh used to enter Dubai. Izzat Al-Rishq, a Hamas official, told the Jordanian newspaper Al-Sabeel that the movement “has formed a highlevel investigation committee” to try to discover “how the Mossad was able to carry out the operation”.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, speaking on Saturday, said he did not expect a diplomatic crisis with Europe over the killing “because there is nothing linking Israel to the assassination”. “Britain, France and Germany are countries with shared interests with Israel in countering terrorism,” Ayalon said. In a speech on Friday, Israeli President Shimon Peres made no mention of the Dubai assassination, but he highlighted the importance of cooperation among security services in what he described as efforts “to stop terror”.

“The secret relations among the security organisations are more open, and more meaningful, than the diplomatic ones,” Peres said.

Mishka Ben-David, a former Mossad operative, said the 11 suspected hit squad members - some wearing beards and eyeglasses in photos released by Dubai - could easily get back into the field after changing their look. “These people can do almost anything because if you take any of the pictures you saw and make slight adjustments to their appearance, they can fly abroad under another name and no one will give them a second glance,” he told Army Radio. — Agencies

US-Kuwait relationship ‘foundational’: Jones Continued from Page 1 well as democracy and civil society, she added. “The US isn’t a quiet country; obviously we are very open about our concerns. And again, Kuwait has a mature government, and has open and free press that talks a lot about these concerns as well, so we have a very lively exchange.”

The economy is another important topic of dialogue. “I have often said that one of my goals as ambassador is to grow the economic and commercial and business relationship so that it brings appropriate balance to our security relationship.” When asked how far negotiations had come between the two countries in signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), she noted that Kuwait and the US were cooperating under the existing Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). However, the Trade Promotion Authority - the authority the US Congress grants to the executive branch to negotiate certain trade agreements, including FTAs - expired on July 1, 2007 and has not yet been renewed. Thus, she said, “that’s something that at the right time will re-emerge, but is not happening anytime soon.”

As for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Jones said that the “excellent, outstanding, functional security relationship with Kuwait” allowed the movement of equipment out of Iraq to go “very

smoothly”. She stressed that the US goal was “to ensure that Iraq is secure as much for Iraqis themselves as for Kuwait or anyone else, and that we leave a situation where Iraq is a secure and productive neighbor in the region that is at peace within itself and at peace with its neighbors.”

Moreover, she said that the nature of US presence in Iraq in the future was a matter of negotiations with Iraqis, noting that “the US is never anywhere uninvited; we don’t impose our presence on Kuwait, we don’t impose our presence per se anymore on an elected government in Iraq. So the nature of that presence, or what we call our footprint, in both places is always an ongoing matter of evaluation and assessment and discussions by the governments.”

On the matter of attracting Kuwaitis to study in the US, the ambassador explained that the number of Kuwaiti university students in the US always hovered around 3,000, but said that in the last 6-8 months, some 1,400 student visas and graduate student visas for the US had been issued by the embassy, “which is an increase of 45 percent or more over what it has been the previous year, and we’re now well above the 9/11 figures.” She explained that the embassy hosted four university fairs a year. “We really make an effort to recruit students to go to the US. We know some other places are closer, but we still think

Kuwaitis feel at home in the US the way we feel at home here; we still think it’s a great education, it’s great exposure.”

Jones noted that US President Barack Obama’s initiative in Cairo was moving beyond government-to-government interaction to people-to-people in areas of education, science and technology, research, “and the only way that’s going to happen is if we get to know each other.” As for the issue of human trafficking, the ambassador said that Kuwait was “fortunate in having a very lively press” that was an important player in bringing attention to some issues that remain outstanding here.

“I think there’s been a lot of focus and attention ... I think the government has taken some very important steps to address these issues ... We realize the difficulty of these things, and we have these difficulties at home (the US) too,” she said, adding that the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor were “very open” about this matter and that the NGOs played an important role in keeping this issue in the forefront.

“My goal, by the time I leave in another year or so, that we are completely free of the Tier III (ranking on the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report),” she said, hoping that Kuwait and the US could work together on this matter “as partners and friends who are facing a common challenge.” — KUNA

Nepal’s shortest man in quest for world record KATMANDU: A man who is only 56 cm tall left his home country of Nepal yesterday in a quest to be recognized as the world’s shortest man. Khagendra Thapa Magar is traveling to Europe to campaign for the Guinness World Record title. He applied to Londonbased group for a place in the record book in October, soon after turning 18, but said he has not received any

response. Magar’s family initially filed a claim when he was 14, but it was rejected because he was not an adult and there was a chance he might grow.

They say doctors in Nepal have not been able to explain why Magar is so small. “We are going to Italy to try to record his name in the Guinness Book of World Records,” his father, Rup Bahadur Thapa Magar, told reporters in

Katmandu. They plan to appear on an Italian television show to talk about his bid for the title. Once in Italy, Magar, his father and a supporter will decide on their next destination. His supporters saw him off from the Nepalese capital yesterday, offering flower bouquets and garlands. The current record is held by He Pingping of China, who is 73 cm tall. — AP

Privatization bill almost complete Continued from Page 1 The lawmaker also added that the law gives a special emphasis to the rights of Kuwaiti employees in the agencies that would be privatized. Kuwaiti employees will be given the choice of taking early retirement with a lucrative payout, staying in the company after privatization or moving to another government job, keeping the same benefits.

Meanwhile, MP Khaled Al-Tahous has said that the Popular Action Bloc is committed to grilling Information Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah because of his failure to apply two legislations that govern private TV stations and the local press. Tahous, a member of the

bloc, said that the minister has failed to apply the law against a number of satellite stations that aired material deemed detrimental to national unity. He said that 20 MPs have signed on a statement pledging to grill the minister and all these MPs are committed to this pledge.

Tahous expected that the grilling will be added to the agenda of March 16 Assembly session because even if the grilling request is filed this week, it will not be placed on the March 2 session. He said that the grilling will focus on the government policies in the past three years that failed to curb what he called corrupt media. Opposition MPs had vowed to grill the information minister after a private channel owned by Mohammad Al-

Juwaihel aired a program deemed highly offensive to Kuwaiti bedouin tribes.

In a related development, the criminal court yesterday fined Juwaihel and four other staff of the station KD 3,000 each over airing a program that was judged slanderous to MP Musallam Al-Barrak.

Also, the same court set March 7 as the date to issue its verdict in the lawsuit filed by the prime minister against writer Mohammad Abdulqader Al-Jassem for posting an article on his website deemed critical of the prime minister. In another development, MP Barrak sent a series of questions to the finance minister regarding the appointments and careers of three officials at companies either totally or partially-owned by the government.

Bomb thrown at Cairo synagogue Continued from Page 1 The temple, known as Shaar Hashamayim, or the Gate of Heaven, was built in 1899 in a style evoking ancient Egyptian temples and was once the largest building on the wide downtown boulevard.

Egypt’s Jewish community, which dates back millennia and in the 1940s numbered

around 80,000, is down to several dozen, almost all of them elderly. Egypt and Israel fought a war every decade from the 1940s to the 1970s until the 1979 peace treaty was signed. Despite that treaty, Egyptian sentiment remains unfriendly to Israel, and anti-Semitic stereotypes still occasionally appear in the Egyptian media.

Since an Islamist insurgency based in

southern Egypt was quashed in the 1990s, there have been few organized terrorist attacks in Egypt’s Nile valley and the capital Cairo. However, there have been a number of amateurish attempts to target foreigners over the years. In February 2009 a crude explosive device planted in a bazaar popular with tourists killed a French teenager. — AP

MoH warns against Chinese diet ‘herbs’ Continued from Page 1 such as over the Internet, by passengers or personal parcels without being checked by the Drug Directorate of the MoH and without having any medical license. Omar warned against purchasing such drugs or herbs through the Internet or bringing it from abroad without being aware of their latent hazards.

He also asserted that smuggling and counterfeiting products containing restrict-

ed chemicals or getting drugs without medical licenses is a crime punishable by law, pointing out that the Ministry of Health takes all necessary legal measures and refers all violators to the legal bodies concerned out of protecting human health even if the small amount seized was for personal use. Omar also stressed the importance of the mass media in raising the awareness of people regarding the hazards involved in such products through abstaining from advertising about them. Finally, he warned

against drifting toward the use of unlicensed drugs and products, calling for protecting the society against the serious effects resulting from such use. Some of these drugs and products are sold through unconventional ways from houses, unlicensed shops or telemarketing, as those who promote them fear official questioning and as these products are not usually verified by the official bodies due to being brought to the country under the pretext of personal use. — KUNA

Portugal floods kill 40 Continued from Page 1 Power and telephone lines were torn down but the international airport started allowing flights again from the Portuguese mainland, 900 km to the northwest. The regional government gave a new toll of at least 40 dead and 70 people detained in hospital.

Officials said that no foreign tourists were among the dead but the many British and German visitors seeking winter sun had been told to stay in their hotels. Britain said its diplomats were helping some nationals who were among the injured.

Seventeen dead were found in the island’s main city, Funchal. Its mayor, Miguel Albuquerque, told reporters: “It is very probable that we will find more bodies.”

At the height of the storm, authorities transmitted emergency messages urging people not to risk their lives by venturing out into the torrents of muddy water that poured down the hillsides and out of alleys.

Winds exceeding 100 km an hour, high seas and blocked roads made rescue

attempts even more dangerous for emergency services. One elderly woman died when the roof of her Funchal house caved in and two others were crushed by a falling crane, local media reported. “I only know what I see from my window,” Funchal resident Margarida Freitas Vieira told the Lusa news agency describing the disaster. “The sea is all brown, there are enormous waves.”

The mud filled some homes up to the second floor and the rescue teams from mainland Portugal were put to work clearing out the stricken buildings. Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates went to Funchal on Saturday night and promised “all necessary aid so that Madeira can immediately start the work of recuperating.” Football star Cristiano Ronaldo, Madeira’s most famous native, said he was in shock at the disaster and promised help for relief efforts. “It is a huge catastrophe, a tragedy without precedent,” said the world’s most expensive footballer, who was born in a poor district of Funchal. “No-one can remain indifferent to a calamity of such

huge proportions, least of all me who was born and grew up in Madeira.”

The damage was concentrated around Funchal and the Ribeira Brava region, both on the south of Madeira. The Portuguese naval frigate Corte-Real set off from Lisbon for Madeira late Saturday with helicopters, a medical team and relief supplies, a military statement said. Two helicopters and two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft were en route along with 89 police and firefighters. The head of the regional government held talks late Saturday with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a bid to get EU aid.

Madeira authorities appealed for doctors and other medical staff to come in to help relieve the pressure on overworked hospital staff. They opened up a military garrison to house about 100 of the 250 people left homeless. Officials evacuated the lower part of Funchal, which has 100,000 of the 250,000 who live on Madeira.

Portuguese media said the storms were the deadliest in Madeira since October 1993, when eight people died. — AFP

SPORTS

Monday, February 22, 2010

15

Cipriani leaving England to escape ‘negativity’ LONDON: Danny Cipriani is moving to new Australian Super 15 side Melbourne Rebels partly to escape the “negativity” surrounding him in England, where his international career has gone backwards.

The 22-year-old flyhalf, who made a sparkling England debut two years ago but who now cannot even make the training squad, announced last week that he would leave Wasps at the end of the season and join the new franchise.

While his departure will be mourned by many in England who appreciate his natural talent and effervescence, elements the national team have lacked for years, manager Martin Johnson has shown little inclination to include Cipriani, usually relegating him to the secondstring Saxons side.

“There has been so much negativity surrounding me, from coaches, pundits, all sorts of others. It has been depressing,” he told the Sunday Times.

“I have never made any secret of the fact that I want to have a career with England. I have now lost 15 caps I could have won and I could have improved so much by now if I had been given the chance. The best way to get away from all the negativity is to go to Melbourne.

“My rugby has made me depressed and I have got to get back to feeling good about myself and back to being called confident, not arrogant. When I came through as an 18-yearold I could never have dreamt that I would feel so down about my rugby as I have been lately.”

Dismissed by some as a man with a big ego who upsets team morale, Cipriani has cut a dejected on-pitch figure since his return from an horrific ankle injury.

Johnson has never publically criticised him but with half a dozen flyhalves seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order, the player has decided to up sticks.

Cipriani, a regular in the social pages alongside his model girlfriend Kelly Brook, hinted that a more understanding approach from the England camp might have helped.

“It is fair to say that I would have liked to be treated with a little more sympathy by people in the game. I would liked to have spoken to Martin a lot more. People write things about me every day and sometimes it would have been good to set the record straight,” he said.

“I was interested in listening to Alex Ferguson discussing Cristiano Ronaldo. I am not for a moment suggesting that I am in his class as a sportsman but he was saying that every person in a team is different and they have to be treated differently — not singled out for special attention, just different.”

Cipriani has signed a two-year contract starting in February 2011 but said he was not moving for financial reasons as he had been offered three times as much to play in France.

Johnson has said anyone not available for the 2011 Six Nations would have no chance of selection for the World Cup in New Zealand later that year, but Cipriani has not given up all hope. “I will be 23 when it happens, hopefully at a peak. I can be back for all the training,” he said.

“I will have had experience of playing with and against some of England’s biggest enemies, such as Dan Carter and Matt Giteau and all the others.

“The move will help not only help me to maximise my potential as a player, it will help me get away from some of the downs and rediscover myself.”—Reuters

PRETORIA: Josh Valentine of the Brumbies clears the ball from behind the scrum during their Rugby Super14 match against the Bulls.—AP

Waikato, Lions set points record in Super 14 WELLINGTON: The Waikato Chiefs’ 7265 win over South Africa’s Lions in a Super 14 rugby match, which produced a record 18 tries, raised questions over whether new rule interpretations err too much in favor of attacking teams.

The second-round match at Johannesburg on Friday was the highestscoring in Super rugby history, eclipsing the 118 points scored when Natal, now the Sharks, beat the Otago Highlanders 75-43 in Durban in 1997.

Each team Friday scored nine tries — beating the previous single match record of 17 tries — and the second half produced 85 points, leaving observers divided over whether the match was an aberration or a sign new rulings are strangling defense.

Waikato coach Ian Foster was among those who saw the match as an anomaly.

“It’s one of those games in some ways you just have to enjoy it for what it was and hope those sort of games don’t happen too

often,” Foster said.

“It was at altitude, it was hot and I think our fatigue factor in that last quarter helped them score those last three or four tries.

It’s not a usual game of rugby. “Last year, we had a 63-34 game against the Blues and it sort of felt similar to that. So I’m not sure it’s totally foreign to rugby but clearly I don’t think it’s going to be a weekly occurrence.” The match was the most glaring reflection of a high-scoring trend in the second round of this year’s tournament.

In four out of seven weekend matches, winning teams scored more than 40 points.

A total of 52 tries were scored at a rate of seven per match and 461 points at an average of 65 per game. The second round in 2009 produced 35 tries and 288 points at 41 points per match.

Super 14 officials are working with referees to address acknowledged “problem areas” in the game — principally the tackled ball, the scrum and offside play at kick

returns — which impede continuity, inhibit attack or yield an advantage to defensive teams. Marc Hinton, a columnist for Australasia’s Fairfax media organization, questioned whether matches such as Friday’s were good for rugby. Hinton said rule interpretations which sought to improve the quality of matches may have gone too far.

“After sitting through a 2009 rugby season that got progressively more stodgy, one-dimensional and downright boring, the southern hemisphere superpowers have decided to see if they can give things a little nudge in the right direction,” Hinton said.

“But judging by Jo’burg ... they may just have unleashed a monster.” On Sunday, Waikato captain and former All Blacks No. 8 Sione Lauaki was banned for two matches for a dangerous tackle in the match against the Lions. The judiciary headed by South Africa’s Jannie Lubbe found Lauaki’s

Ferrari ‘best car I’ve ever had’, says Alonso JEREZ: Double world champion Fernando Alonso believes the new Ferrari F10 is the best car he has driven and says the team were hiding their true potential in last week’s Jerez test.

“As of today, this is the best car I’ve ever had,” the Spaniard, who won the world title in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, told reporters after the penultimate pre-season test ended on Saturday.

“Red Bull, McLaren and Renault have been very quick and have shown their cards, while we are still hiding ours,” he said.

“We will analyse the data, but we are very optimistic. As of today, if I were in a different team I would be looking at Ferrari because everything is going really well.

“Maybe where Ferrari has to improve is the short runs with little fuel onboard.” Ferrari, fourth last year, recruited Alonso to replace Kimi Raikkonen and partner Felipe Massa this season.

The final test takes place at Barcelona next week before the season-opening race in Bahrain on March 14.

Menawhile, Britain’s world champion Jenson Button on Saturday clocked the fastest time of any driver during preseason tests held at Jerez over the past two weeks at Jerez in southern Spain.

The McLaren driver, who will drive alongside 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton in the 2010 season which gets underway in Bahrain on March 14, recorded a time of one minute 18.871sec on the final day of the third winter Formula One test.

Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso was sixth fastest on Saturday with a time of one minute 20.436sec in his Ferrari.

“If I was in another team I would look at Ferrari because everything is going really well and for now we have no reason to be pessimistic. As of today, it is the best car I have ever had,” he said.

Alonso clocked the fastest time of the opening winter test in Valencia for Ferrari, while Hamilton, the 2008 champion, recorded the fastest time at last week’s four-day test in Jerez.

“I think the Ferrari is a very strong car. I think they have better consistency than anyone at the moment,” Button said on Friday.

“I think our pace is good but there are still areas we need to work on for me to be happy with the car.” A fourth and final pre-season test will be held in Barcelona next week before the season-opening race in Bahrain. —Reuters

lifting tackle on Lions center Deon van Rensburg was dangerous and illegal.

Lions lock Willem Stoltz was suspended for one week for striking Chiefs and All Blacks hooker Aled de Malmanche during the first half.

In other high-scoring second-round matches South Africa’s Bulls reached 50 points for the second-straight week, beating the ACT Brumbies 50-32 to go to the top of the standings.

The Wellington Hurricanes, who managed only one try in a 34-20 first-round win over the Auckland Blues, scored seven in a 47-22 win over a Western Force team which was severely depleted by injuries.

The Queensland Reds upset seven-time champions the Canterbury Crusaders 4120.

In other matches, the Auckland Blues beat the Otago Highlanders 19-15, the Cheetahs beat the Sharks 25-20 and the Stormers defeated New South Wales 27-6.

Springboks flyhalf Morne Steyn scored two tries among 35 points as the Bulls beat the Brumbies by five tries to three. After beating the Cheetahs 51-34 in last week’s first round, the Bulls showed their defense of the Super 14 title is likely to be strong.

Bulls captain Victor Matfield was happy with his team’s performance but said new rule interpretations posed a challenge to defenses. “It’s going well. We are very happy,” Matfield said.

“It’s just the tries against us that we have to work on. But with the new rules it is sometimes difficult to keep teams out.”

Quade Cooper set an individual pointsscoring record for the Reds when he scored two tries, kicked three conversions and five penalties for 31 points in a convincing win over the Crusaders.

The win came at a cost as Queensland lost Wallabies lock James Horwill for up to nine months with a ruptured knee ligament that will require surgery.—AP

Velasquez KO’s Nogueira

Fernando Alonso seen in this file photo

SYDNEY: Unbeaten Cain Velasquez knocked out veteran Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira of Brazil at 2:20 of the first round yesterday to claim the featured heavyweight bout at the MMA’s UFC 110.

The 27-year-old Velasquez unleashed a flurry of punches at Nogueira to knock the Brazilian down, then began another set of combinations to his head before the referee stopped the fight.

Velasquez improved to 8-0 in the UFC and has beaten all but one of his opponents inside the distance. Former UFC heavyweight champion Nogueira dropped to 326-1. “The plan was push the pace whenever we could, and then when the takedown was there, take it,” Velasquez said. “I tried to stay focused, and when I got in a good position, I beat him to the punch.” Nogueira said he was disappointed with himself, but was outclassed.

“He had the fast hands tonight,” he said. “He’s a very good up-and-coming guy, one of the best fighters in the heavyweight division.” Earlier, veteran Brazilian Wanderlei Silva knocked down England’s Michael Bisping in the final 10 seconds and went on to claim a unanimous decision.

Before a crowd of nearly 20,000 at Acer Arena in UFC’s first foray into Australia, Silva, nicknamed “The Axe Murderer,” staged a late flurry to claim the fight. Silva, with a record of 33-10-1, won the PRIDE world championship in Japan for five years in a row.

Bisping, of England, 19-3, was the UFC’s winner in its third season.

Silva recently had nose surgery which enables him to breathe better.

“Everybody has bad moments, but if you work hard the good

moments will come,” Silva said.

Bisping apologized to his fans for the late lapse. “I grew up in the sport watching him fight,” Bisping said of Silva. “I have a lot of respect for the guy. I think the reason he got the decision was the knockdown at the end. Sorry England. Sorry Australia.”

Earlier, Australian George Sotiropoulos thrilled the crowd when he beat Joe “Daddy” Stevenson in a unanimous decision. Ryan “Darth” Bader won his fourth consecutive fight, beating light heavyweight Keith Jardine by knockout at 2:10 of the third round.

It was the fifth loss in his last seven MMA fights for Jardine, from Butte, Montana. Bader, from Reno, Nevada, finished Jardine off with a flying knee and big left hook.

“I tried to stick to my game plan, stand up and let him do his stuff,” Bader said. “I’ve been working on my boxing, and it paid off.” In other bouts, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic stopped Anthony Perosh due to a cut after one round of their heavyweight fight.

Krzysztof Soszynski also stopped Stephan Bonnar on cuts at 1:04 of the third round. Chris Lytle beat Brian Foster by submission (leg lock) at 1:41 in the first round by kneebar and C.B. Dollaway beat Goran Reljic by unanimous decision. The Sydney show sold out within four hours in December, despite the card not having been announced. UFC president Dana White told local media last week that Australia could become an annual stop on the UFC tour. The only venue to sell out faster, according to the UFC, was UFC 83 in Montreal, Canada in April 2008, when 21,390 attended the Bell Centre.—AP

SPORTS

16

Monday, February 22, 2010

Thunder down Knicks in OT NEW YORK: Tracy McGrady’s dazzling Knicks debut couldn’t stop the surging Oklahoma City Thunder, who got 36 points from Kevin Durant to beat New York 121-118 in overtime Saturday for their eighth straight victory.

Durant made the go-ahead jumper with 16 seconds left in his 27th consecutive game with at least 25 points, the longest streak since Allen Iverson also did it in 27 in a row from Jan. 12-March 9, 2001.

The last longer streak was

by Michael Jordan in 40 straight in the 1986-87 season.

McGrady scored 26 points in his first game since the Knicks acquired him Thursday at the trade deadline. But he was on the bench for almost all of overtime, perhaps exhausted after playing 32 minutes in his first action since December.

Russell Westbrook finished with 31 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the longest winning streak for the Thunder franchise since a nine-game run early in the 2004-05 season.

Jeff Green had 16 points and 11 rebounds. David Lee had 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks. Eddie House, also acquired at the trade deadline, scored a season-high 24 points.

Pacers 125, Rockets 115 At Houston, Danny Granger scored 36 points, T.J. Ford led a second-half surge and Indiana snapped a four-game losing streak.

The Rockets, playing their first game with four new players from a three-team trade, led most of the game but the Pacers rallied from nine points down to start the third quarter, led by Ford, who scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half.

Troy Murphy added 18 points and 12 rebounds. Aaron Books led the Rockets with 26 points and seven assists, and Luis Scola added 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Raptors 109, Wizards 104

NEW YORK: Knicks’ Tracy McGrady (3) drives past Oklahoma City Thunder’s Serge Ibaka during the first half of an NBA basketball game.—AP

NBA results/standings NBA results and standings on Saturday: Toronto 109, Washington 104; Oklahoma City 121, NY Knicks 118 (OT); Chicago 122, Philadelphia 90; Dallas 97, Miami 91; Indiana 125, Houston 115; Milwaukee 93, Charlotte 88; LA Clippers 99, Sacramento 89. (OT denotes overtime).

Boston Toronto Philadelphia NY Knicks New Jersey Cleveland Chicago Milwaukee Detroit Indiana Orlando Atlanta Miami Charlotte Washington

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT 35 18 .660 31 24 .564 21 34 .382 19 35 .352 5 50 .091 Central Division 43 13 .768 29 26 .527 26 28 .481 19 35 .352 19 36 .345 Southeast Division 37 19 .661 34 19 .642 29 28 .509 27 27 .500 19 34 .358

GB 5 15 16.5 31

Denver Utah Oklahoma City Portland Minnesota

13.5 16 23 23.5

LA Lakers Phoenix LA Clippers Sacramento Golden State

1.5 8.5 9 16.5

Dallas San Antonio New Orleans Houston Memphis

Western Conference Northwest Division 36 19 .655 35 19 .648 32 21 .604 32 25 .561 13 43 .232 Pacific Division 42 14 .750 33 23 .589 22 33 .400 18 37 .327 15 39 .278 Southwest Division 35 21 .625 31 22 .585 29 26 .527 28 26 .519 27 27 .500

.5 3 5 23.5 9 19.5 23.5 26 2.5 5.5 6 7

T-T Salwa Cup draw to be held today

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The draw for teams participating in the Salwa Cup will be held today. The final preparations for Kuwait’s Sixth International Table Tennis Championship (Salwa Cup) will take place 24 hours before the kickoff. The championship will be held under the patronage of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The organizing committee of the Championship will host a drawing at 3:00 pm today at the Palms Beach Hotel. It will be supervised by the International Federation and be in the presence of the representatives of the participating teams. The draw will include the single and doubles men categories, single and doubles women categories, and the single men and single women under 21 years of age.

Yesterday, the teams of Czech, Bulgaria, Russia, Poland, North Korea, Romania, Italy, Latvia, Belgium and Germany arrived in Kuwait. They are prepared for their participation in one of the biggest international table tennis championships in which 38 countries are participating. The rest of the participating teams are scheduled to arrive today.

The Salwa Cup is included in the international championship and is held annually in Kuwait.

“The organizing committee of this championship is giving its best efforts in cooperation with the Kuwait Tennis Federation.

This will make Kuwait attractive

for hosting future international tennis championships,” said Jasim Yaqoub, Deputy Director of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS).

“All institutions should support the organizing committee in their work to organize this international championship and keep their prestigious reputation. I always attend the tournaments and enjoy the performance of the international champions,” added Yaqoub.

The Czech team The members of the Czech teams expressed their delight at participating in this championship.

Dimitrej Protobokov is visiting Kuwait for the first time. “The Czech players prepared and participated in the Qatar

International championship. I always heard about the Salwa Cup and I’m very happy that I was chosen to participate in it. It will be a good experience that will enrich my table tennis career. I will also learn more about the standard of the GCC countries,” he noted.

His colleague Michal Opelo said he also feels ready for the competition in this championship, which he expects to be exciting.

Tomas Trigler, another colleague, said he hoped Czech will gain a gold medal in one of the top categories.

The Egyptian team The Egyptian team participates every year in the Salwa Cup. “The good organization and high attendance of the GCC, Arab, Asian, and international teams

encourages the players to participate,” stated Adel Ibraheen, President of the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation and the Head of the participating team. I thank the organizers of this championship as it is really quite professional.”

This year the Egyptian team is participating with 9 players: Sayid Lashin, Emad Muselhi, Ahmad Nadeem, Amro Aser, Mohammed Al-Bili, Ali Lashin, Tareq AlSabki, Mahmoud Zaghlool, and Mohammed Zaghlool. “Our team is ready for this tournament because they recently participated in the Qatar championship. They hope to achieve good scores to add to their sports record,” concluded Ibraheem.

At Toronto, Jarrett Jack had 23 points and eight assists, and Antoine Wright scored a season-high 19 points in Toronto’s ninth victory in 10 home games.

Andrea Bargnani added 18 points, Hedo Turkoglu had 16, and Rasho Nesterovic and Jose Calderon each had 10 for Toronto, which topped 100 points for the 20th straight game and won its second straight without All-Star Chris Bosh (sprained left ankle).

Andray Blatche scored 24 points for Washington.

Mavericks 97, Heat 91 At Dallas, Jason Kidd scored 14 of his 21 points in fourth quarter, and Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points for Dallas against short-handed Miami.

All-Star game most valuable player Dwyane Wade missed his second in a row with a strained left calf. Kidd scored 19 points in the second half as the Mavericks rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat Miami for the 12th straight time in the regular season.

Daequan Cook scored a seasonhigh 22 points for Miami.

Bulls 122, 76ers 90 At Chicago, rookie Taj Gibson tied a career high with 20 points and had 13 rebounds as Chicago beat Philadelphia for its fourth straight win.

Derrick Rose scored 17 points to help the Bulls set a season high for points. So did Kirk Hinrich, who also buried three 3-pointers to give him 773 in his career and break a tie with Ben Gordon for the club record. Andre Iguodala led Philadelphia with 23 points.

Clippers 99, Kings 89 At Los Angeles, Eric Gordon scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, and Chris Kaman had 22 points and 16 rebounds for Los Angeles to give Kim Hughes his first official win as an NBA head coach.

The Clippers had lost their first five games after general manager Mike Dunleavy gave up his dual role as coach to Hughes, his longtime assistant.

Hughes coached the Clippers to a 103-94 win in New York on Feb. 4, 2008, while filling in for a flu-ridden Dunleavy, but that game is credited to Dunleavy’s record. Tyreke Evans had 21 points for Sacramento.

Bucks 93, Bobcats 88

KUWAIT: Three of the Czech table tennis team players upon arrival yesterday at the Kuwait International Airport.

At Milwaukee, Brandon Jennings and John Salmons each scored 19 points, and Andrew Bogut added 18 points and 13 rebounds in Milwaukee’s fifth win in seven games. Stephen Jackson led Charlotte with 35 points. —AP

MARANA: Camilo Villegas, of Colombia, tosses his club in the air after just missing his chip attempt on the 12th hole during the semi-finals at the Match Play Championship.—AP

Poulter cruises into final MARANA: Ian Poulter stormed into the Accenture Match Play Championship final with a 7&6 victory over Sergio Garcia on Saturday, but the Briton must wait a little longer to discover who he will face over 36 holes for the title.

In the second semi-final, Colombia’s Camilo Villegas and Poulter’s compatriot Paul Casey were locked all square after five extra holes of their match when play was halted in near darkness at a chilly Dove Mountain.

Hopes of an all-English final seemed to have disappeared on the 23rd hole of the titanic struggle as Villegas stood over a three-foot par putt for victory that he could normally sink with his eyes closed.

Villegas conspired to miss right of the hole and whether it was difficult to read the break in the gloom or nerves had taken hold, only he really knows, but it was a messy end to a long day that began with the morning quarter-finals.

Villegas and Casey will resume at 7:10 a.m (1410 GMT), with the winner advancing to face a well-rested Poulter, who according to a posting on his Twitter page, was soaking in his hotel bath while the second semi-final drifted on into the night.

“I should have made that putt but it is what it is,” Villegas told reporters as Casey offered an excuse for his opponent.

“It was just very, very bad light,” the Briton said. “If I was getting up at five o’clock in the morning I wanted it to be for a final. I didn’t want to be continuing a semi-final but that’s the way it is,” he continued. “Yeah, I’m tired. But, you know, it’s amazing what a little bit of adrenalin will do.”

As if an unsatisfactory conclusion was bad enough, both players also endured miserable conditions early in their match when a cold front

came through with heavy rain and blustery winds.

“Probably the most miserable I’ve ever been on a golf course, starting the semi-final,” Casey grumbled. “If it wasn’t for the rain and bad weather, we probably would have gotten this thing done by now.”

Poulter, meanwhile, played superbly to cruise past Garcia following a storming start. “It was nice to get out there and get up early on Sergio,” Poulter said.

There was some tension between the Ryder Cup team mates, with Garcia expressing displeasure over an incident at the par-four seventh, where Poulter sought relief after his second shot stopped under a bush beyond the green, behind a television tower.

Poulter was granted line-of-sight relief but when he saw exactly where he would have to drop the ball, in another bush, he decided to play the ball from its original spot.

He eventually made a bogey and lost the hole, but Garcia was evidently not impressed, seeming to believe that after seeking relief, Poulter should have played his ball from the new spot.

“That’s probably what I would have done after trying to get relief, but he did what he felt was right and he’s the one who has to live with it,” Garcia said. “I just told him what I felt, but in a good manner.”

Poulter defended his decision: “I wanted to see where I could drop the ball,” he said. “It’s my prerogative.” In the quarter-finals, Poulter edged out Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee 1-up while Garcia eased past Britain’s Oliver Wilson 4&3.

Villegas advanced with a 4&3 victory over South Africa’s Retief Goosen and Casey ended the American challenge with a 5&4 win against British Open champion Stewart Cink. —Reuters

Ai wins season-opening LPGA PATTAYA: Japanese star Ai Miyazato rallied to win the season-opening Honda PTT LPGA Thailand yesterday, holing a birdie chip on the final hole for a 9-under 63 and a one-stroke victory over Norway’s Suzann Pettersen.

Miyazato, six strokes behind Pettersen after the third round, was 6 under in a six-hole stretch midway through the round, then birdied three of the last six holes to match the tournament record of 21 under set

by Pettersen in October 2007.

“I didn’t think of winning. I was just focused on my game and tried to do my best on the final round,” said Miyazato, who earned $195,000 for her second LPGA Tour title. She also won the Evian Masters last year in France.

“It was my lucky day as no matter what I did was right.

This victory is a good start of the season for me.” Pettersen finished with a 70. She had a chance to force a playoff on the par-5 18th, but missed a 23-foot eagle try. Miyazato earned $195,000 for her second LPGA Tour title.

She also won the Evian Masters last year in France.

Taiwan’s Yani Tseng (69) was third, six strokes back at 15 under. Karrie Webb (67) and Cristie Kerr (70) followed at 13 under, and Laura Davies 65), Maria Hjorth (71), Momoko Ueda (72) and SongHee Kim (73) were 12 under.

Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa had a 72 to tie for 18th at 6 under, and Michelle Wie closed with a 69 to tie for 22nd at 5 under.

“Wish I could have made a few more putts. Hopefully, I’ll play better next week,” said Wie, who added that her goals for the year were “to play injury-free and hopefully win a couple (of tournaments).”

Miyazato began her big mid-round run with a birdie on the par-4 sixth, then eagled the par-5 seventh and added birdies on Nos. 9-11 to cut

PATTAYA: Ai Miyazato of Japan kisses the winner’s trophy during ceremonies at the Siam Country Club following the final round at the LPGA Thailand tournament.—AP Pettersen’s lead to a stroke.

Pettersen dropped a stroke on the par-4 ninth with her first bogey of the tournament, but birdied the par-5 10th for the fourth straight day to push her advantage back to two strokes.

Miyazato quickly countered, birdieing the 13th to again pull within one, and

making another birdie on 15 to tie Pettersen at 20 under.

Pettersen fell back with a bogey on 16, then settled for a birdie on 18 after missing her eagle try.

In her 2007 victory, Pettersen beat Davies with an eagle on 18 after blowing a seven-stroke lead in the final round. —AP

SPORTS

Monday, February 22, 2010

17

Russians play down ‘Miracle on Ice’ 30 years later VANCOUVER: They are gathering again at a Winter Olympics, now aging cold warriors.

Thirty years ago, they played a game that has been called the greatest upset in Olympic history, a David-vs.-Goliath tale, a political metaphor, a miracle.

That’s how many Americans remember the hockey game played at the Lake Placid Olympics on Feb. 22, 1980, when a group of mostly college kids defeated the mighty team from the Soviet Union, which had dominated the sport for most of the previous two decades.

But what went through the minds of those red-clad players, who watched in stunned disbelief as the Americans celebrated the “Miracle on Ice” at the other end of the rink?

The hawkish features of goalie Vladislav Tretiak turned soft and he smiled slightly as he was reminded of the painful anniversary. But

whose famous call, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” went down in American television history — is broadcasting from Vancouver for NBC. The US team had been selected and coached by Herb Brooks, a tough disciplinarian who was a master motivator. The Americans played a series of exhibition games before Lake Placid, and were soundly beaten by the Soviets, 10-3, in their final Olympic warmup in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The team survived a tie with Sweden in the round-robin Olympic tournament and then got victories over Czechoslovakia, Norway, Romania and West Germany. Against the Soviets, the hard-skating Americans fell behind twice in the first period but managed to tie it 22 when Johnson put a last-second rebound past Tretiak. Legendary Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov unexpectedly pulled Tretiak from the

he brushed the memory aside as easily as one of the many thousands of shots he turned away in his Hall of Fame career.

“It’s fine with me,” Tretiak said in an interview with The Associated Press at the nondescript East Vancouver community rink where the Russian Olympic team is practicing. “It’s a big number, but of course it’s 30 years ago.”

The 57-year-old general manager of the Russian hockey team is one of several players from the Lake Placid game who is in Vancouver. Mike Eruzione, who scored the winning goal for the US, is here.

Mark Johnson, who scored twice, is coaching the US women’s hockey team. US goalie Jim Craig, who turned aside so many Soviet shots, is coming. Former defenseman Slava Fetisov, now a Russian government sports official, will be here too. Even Al Michaels —

game after the first period, replacing him with Vladimir Mishkin in an apparent move to shake up his complacent team.

“It was difficult for me to sit on the bench with the score 2-2,” said the Hall of Fame goaltender who won three Olympic gold medals and was part of 10 world championship Soviet teams. “If I played the second and third period, the game might have turned a different way.”

Alexander Maltsev scored the only goal of the second period. Trailing 3-2 in the third period, the Americans got another goal from Johnson to tie it, and Eruzione, the team’s gritty captain, scored a screened shot to give the U.S. the lead for the first time with exactly 10 minutes left.

With the crowd chanting “USA!” Craig turned aside wave after wave of Soviet attacks in the frenzied final minutes to preserve the win.

“The Soviets were putting so much pressure on the American team at the end of the game, and it was a one-goal game, the crowd is going absolutely insane, we were on a platform that was shaking, the production truck was going crazy,” Michaels recalled.

When time ran out, Michaels gave his famous call and the US team broke into a wild celebration. The Soviets could only watch. Two days later, the Americans beat Finland to win the gold.

Tretiak said he never got an apology from Tikhonov for what many regard as the key blunder that gave the game to the Americans.

“Tikhonov wrote in his autobiography that it was the biggest mistake of his life,” the goaltender said. Tretiak showed none of the bitterness over the game that has been attributed to him by the Russian media -- feelings hurt so

badly that he contemplated quitting the sport.

He once was quoted as saying that he would remember being denied a fourth gold medal “until the end of my life.” He later decided against retiring. “I didn’t want to leave hockey as a loser. I wanted to be a winner again,” Tretiak told the AP. In a 2006 interview with the online newspaper Gazeta, teammate Valery Vasilyev also blamed Tikhonov, saying the move to replace Tretiak “made the team nervous.” “For me, it was a ‘Mirage on Ice,”‘ Vasilyev was quoted as saying. “I still can’t understand how we could have lost to the Americans. I still can’t believe in that — as if it were a dream.

“I believed then and I still believe that our dismissive attitude to the US team had led to our defeat,” he said. “We simply hadn’t taken them seriously.”—AP

Europe, Asia sweep medals as US falter

VANCOUVER: Switzerland’s Simon Ammann makes his first competition jump during the Men’s large hill individual competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. — AP

Belarus, Slovakia, Switzerland advance VANCOUVER: The men’s ice hockey competition at the Winter Games on Saturday featured six teams trying to avoid last place, and it ended with one of the most exciting periods of the tournament.

Belarus and Germany combined for five goals in the final nine minutes before the Belarusians claimed a 5-3 victory and their first win of the Olympics. “We got our win, that’s the most important thing. Doesn’t have to be pretty,” said Ruslan Salei, who scored the goal that gave Belarus the lead for good. In other games, Slovakia beat Latvia 60, and Switzerland defeated Norway 5-4 in overtime.

All 12 teams advance to the playoffs in the Olympic format, with the top four getting a bye to the quarterfinals, so Saturday’s games gave some of the lesser teams a chance to improve their seeding and gain momentum going into the knockout rounds that begin Tuesday.

The rest of the field wraps up group play late yesterday with three games that will determine the four automatic quarterfinal berths: Canada-United States, Sweden-Finland and Russia-Czech Republic.

Belarus and Germany had both lost their first two games in Group C — Germany, in fact, had yet to score a goal — but they finished group play with a flourish. After Belarus took a 3-1 lead with 8:50 to play, Germany got goals 21 seconds apart from John Tripp and Marcel Goc to tie the game.

But Belarus regained the lead when Salei’s slap shot in traffic deflected off Thomas Greiss’ right leg pad and into the net with 5:24 remaining. Alexei Kalyuzhny added his second goal of the game with 1:15 left. It was the first Olympic win for Belarus since its stunning upset of Sweden at Salt Lake City in 2002.

That was also the last time Germany won in the Winter Games. “It’s very frustrating right now. I think everybody is pretty down,” Goc said. “You could see it in everybody’s faces. Everybody was real disappointed. We worked hard and didn’t get the reward we wanted.” —AP

Olympics Medals Table Olympic Games medals table after the eighth day of events in Vancouver yesterday.

Country U.S. Norway Germany South Korea Canada Switzerland Sweden China Austria France Netherlands Russia Slovakia Australia Czech Rep Britain Poland Latvia Italy Japan Slovenia Belarus Kazakhstan Finland Estonia Croatia Total

G 6 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44

S 7 3 6 4 3 0 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 45

B 10 3 4 1 1 1 2 1 3 4 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 43

Total 23 11 14 9 8 5 6 5 7 7 4 5 2 2 2 1 4 2 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 132

VANCOUVER: Germany’s Jochen Hecht (17) knocks down Belarus’ Aleksandr Ryadinski (52) as they chase down the puck in the third period of a preliminary round men’s ice hockey game. Belarus won 5-3. —AP

VANCOUVER: Lindsey Vonn and Shani Davis, two of the performers who helped rescue the Vancouver Olympics from a slew of bad publicity, were relegated to bit-part roles on a day of upsets and drama at the Winter Games on Saturday.

Vonn was beaten into third place by Austrian Andrea Fischbacher in the women’s super-G while Davis had to settle for silver behind flying Dutchman Mark Tuitert in the men’s 1500 metres speedskating final.

Norwegian world champion Petter Northug finished out of the medals in the men’s 30 kilometre cross country pursuit as Sweden’s Marcus Hellner snatched the title, and Chinese teenager Zhou Yang burst through the pack to win the women’s 1500 short track speed skating gold.

Only Swiss ski jumper Simon Ammann and South Korean short track speed skater Lee Jung-su won gold as expected on the day where the Games reached the halfway stage.

“We are pleased after eight days,” IOC Executive Director for the Games Gilbert Felli said.

“Of course there are eight days left but there is no reason to believe that those eight days will not continue as normal.”

More than 150,000 fans packed the streets of downtown Vancouver while the sounds of cowbells and woodpeckers provided the perfect backing vocals for the party atmosphere in the Whistler mountains.

Not that everyone was happy, with a protest by the Slovenian team adding to the ongoing complaints the organisers have faced about safety standards.

Questions about competitor safety have dominated these Olympics since Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed in a training run a week ago and showed no signs of abating.

Fischbacher unleashed the finest performance of her life to upstage Vonn and her other big-name rivals and win the first major title of her career.

“I like a tight course and I like a difficult race,” said the 24-year-old, a distant cousin of retired double Olympic champion Hermann Maier.

Vonn could only manage third, adding a bronze to the gold she won in the downhill on Wednesday after defying injury and a treacherous course in one of the real fairytale moments of the opening week.

“I came here just hoping to get a medal and I got one gold,” Vonn said. “This is just the icing on the cake.” Slovenia’s Tina Maze snatched the silver to appease her angry team officials who lodged an official protest after their leading cross-country skier Petra Majdic broke four ribs when she fell in a gully three days ago.

Majdic defied doctors’ orders and unbearable pain to win a bronze in the women’s sprint classic, providing one of the most poignant memories of the Games, but was ruled out of the rest of the competition after x-rays confirmed the severity of her injuries.

Ammann’s victory in the ski jump came after Austrian team officials withdrew a threat to protest against his modified boot bindings which they thought gave him an unfair advantage.

Unfazed by the saga, Ammann became the first man to win four individual ski jump gold medals when he added the large hill title to his two golds from the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and his win in the normal hill earlier in the week.

He won easily after two massive leaps with Poland’s Adam Malysz taking the silver and Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer the bronze in a repeat of the placings of the normal hill.

Davis was an overwhelming favourite to win the speedskating after successfully defending his 1,000m earlier in the week but could not match the powerful effort of Tuitert of the Netherlands. Third place went to Norway’s Havard Bokko.

“These things happen for a reason and I am sure there is a lesson to learn,” said Davis, who was also runner-up in the 1,500m at the last Olympics. “I will learn that lesson and will be back in four years.”

Hellner produced a stunning late burst to win his lung-busting event, charging clear of a tight bunch of four skiers on the final loop, then being congratulated by Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

He crossed the line first ahead of Germany’s Tobias Angerer and Swede Johan Olsson. Northug faded over the last kilometre to come home in 11th.

Zhou won the women’s 1500 short track final ahead of the South Korean pair of Lee Eun-byul and Park Seung-hi after favourite Wang Meng, who won the 500 final earlier in the week, was disqualified in the semi-finals for impeding in a crash near the end of the race.

South Korea won gold and silver in the men’s final, with Lee sticking his boot across the line just ahead of Lee Ho-suk.

American Apolo Anton Ohno picked up the bronze to become his country’s most decorated winter Olympian with his seventh medal in three Games, overtaking speedskater Bonnie Blair.

The US retained their place at the top of the medals table despite ending the day as they began with six golds. Norway were second with five while Germany, Canada and Switzerland each had four.

Another six medals was to be decided yesterday although the most eagerly-awaited event is the men’s ice hockey match between Canada and the US, prompting local police to bring in extra forces. —Reuters

VANCOUVER: Gold medallist Netherlands’s Mark Tuitert reacts after the men’s 1,500 meter speed skating race at the Richmond Olympic Oval. —AP

Super Sunday of Olympic hockey VANCOUVER: Sometimes a hockey game is about more than a final score, a place in the standings, a line in a record book. Sometimes it’s personal. For Jaromir Jagr, it’s all about his No. 68. For his Czech teammate Marek Zidlicky, it’s being taught a language he didn’t want to learn.

For Finland’s Teemu Selanne, it’s alternately loving and hating the team he’s about to play. For Canada’s Sidney Crosby, it’s getting an upper hand on an opponent he’s likely to encounter often in a career that is only starting.

Get ready for hockey’s version of Super Sunday, a day when the field is sorted out for what should be a dramatic final week of the Olympic tournament. In doing so, six teams with long and sometimes antagonistic relationships go head-to-head in rematches of each of the last three Olympic finals.

Best friends playing best friends: Canada meets the United States, a replay of 2002. Bad feelings renewed: Russia plays the Czech Republic, a rematch from 1998.

Bordering countries who are the biggest of rivals: Sweden faces Finland, as in the 2006 goldmedal game. It promises to be one of those days that, when memorable Olympic games are recalled by future generations, somebody will say, “Remember when ...” “Anybody who’s a hockey fan is going to be watching,” U.S. coach Ron Wilson said.

And which game is the biggest depends strictly on one’s citizenship papers. For Canada, the widely perceived gold-medal favorite, it’s a game that could signal whether a dramatically altered lineup from

the one that finished seventh in 2006 is a team of substance or one of self-promoted hype.

The Canadians struggled to beat Switzerland 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday, and the United States — winners in each of its first two games — is much faster, more skilled and should offer a much tougher test than the Swiss. “The gold medal game isn’t tomorrow, and that’s probably the good news,” said Crosby, who possibly saved Canada from a humiliating loss by scoring in the shootout to beat the Swiss.

Crosby knows a Canadian team thrown together with one day’s practice needs more time and work to start meshing. Canada is having trouble finding a linemate for Crosby and Rick Nash, and Mike Richards became the latest tried on that line during practice Saturday, following Patrice Bergeron, Jarome Iginla and Jonathan Toews.

US forward David Backes talks respectfully of the “many Hall of Famers” the Americans will be playing, yet he understands this is a chance for a possibly overlooked team to move itself to the front of the medal chance by beating the big favorites on their home ice.

“A goalie like (Ryan Miller) can steal games for us, especially against Canada, and hopefully he does that,” forward Bobby Ryan said. “He makes guys calm, he has a great presence in net and we’re confident in him.” This will be only the third major showdown between the North American neighbors since 1996, when the United States upset Canada in the World Cup. The other came in Salt Lake City in 2002, when Canada won 5-2 for its first gold medal in its homegrown sport in 50 years. —AP

VANCOUVER: Americans Nicole Joraanstad (left) and Natalie Nicholson sweep in a match against Great Britain in women’s curling at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. — AP

SPORTS

18

Monday, February 22, 2010

KUWAIT: 50m Rifle 3X20 Women Gold medallist Olessya Snegirevich, silver medallist Nur Suryani Mohammad Taibi, and bronze medal winner Iryan Sukhorukova with vice president of the ISSF Unni Nicolaysen (front center) and KSSC treasurer Essa Butaiban.

KUWAIT: Kuwait police and shooting club officials with the skeet winners.

Kuwaiti shooters hit bulls eye

By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: Kuwait’s skeet shooter Abdallah Al-Rashidi made sure the First International Police Shooting Championship ended exactly as it started by winning the gold medal in the men’s skeet event with a score of 148.

Al-Rashidi who was playing against well known world champions was determined to win the gold for Kuwait in a discipline Kuwait shooters excelled in both locally, regionally and internationally. Al-Rashidi himself was crowned world champion several times throughout his carrier.

Al-Rashidi’s closest opponent was his compatriot Salah Al-Mutairi who ended second with a score of 144 after a shoot out with Italy’s Andrea Filippetti who also scored 144 during the regular competition.

Deputy Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee who is also President of the International Police Association (USIP) and Kuwait Police

Sports Federation (KPSF) Major General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf said he is very proud and feels satisfied that all participating countries were able to get a medal of some sort.

He added that the championship itself brought several world champions together to participate in the FIPSC, which “makes me satisfied with the medals Kuwait and other Gulf countries have won while competing against this international group of shooters.”

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf said Kuwaiti athletes have “made us accustomed to winning when championships are held in Kuwait, and this time they were able to achieve six medals. He said this makes the police sports community proud to present the success to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad and HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad and the Kuwaiti people.

He said as he just took over as the president of the USIP, there are proposals on changing the structural organization of the federation during the

first meeting of the executive committee in Kuwait in two months’ time. He added that there should be coordination with member countries when it comes to organizing championships to avoid conflict and ensure the largest number of participation.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf thanked all those who contributed to the success of the championship particularly the President of the Asian and Kuwait Shooting Federations Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah who provided all what the championship needed.

Meanwhile Director General of the Championship Major General Mahmoud Al-Dousary said Kuwait is very proud that its shooters were able to make great results ending with a gold and silver medals during a time when Kuwait is celebrating two dear occasions National and Liberation Days. He said the shooting officials prepared very well since the establishment of the sport till date and attention is being paid to all aspects be it technical or administrative. He said the sport is

progressing well and right on target.

Results of the final day of competition are as follows: In the women 25m pistol: Zauresh Baibussinova from Kazakhstan was first with a score of 776.8 followed by Ukraine’s Oksana Kaminska with a score of 776.5 and Malaysia’s Bibiana NG Pei Chin with a score of 772.1.

In the women’s 50m Rifle 3x20: Olessya Snegirevich from Kazakhstan was first with a score of 671.6 followed by Malaysia’s Nur Suryani Mohammad Taibi with a score of 665.3 and Ukraine’s Iryan Sukhorukova with a score 664.9.

In the Center Fire Pistol Men 25m: Christian Reitz from Germany was first with a score of 583 followed by Saudi Arabia’s 578 and Qatar’s Zafer AlQahtani was third with 575.

In the 50m Rifle 3x40 men: Sukhorkov Yurii was first with a score of 1253.4 followed by Kazakh Yuriy Yurkov with a score of 1253.3 and Ukraine’s Oleh Overchenko was third scoring 1237.7.

KUWAIT: Gold medallist Abdallah Al-Rashidi (center), with Salah Al-Mutairi (right) and Andre Filipetti (left).

Ailing Federer out of Dubai Open

India snatch dramatic victory over S Africa JAIPUR: India overcame the absence of four top stars to beat South Africa by one run in a thrilling one-day international yesterday and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Wayne Parnell was run out off the final delivery, attempting a second run that would have tied

the match, to leave the Proteas on 297 all out in reply to India’s 2989. The tourists were tottering at 225-8 in the 43rd over when the ninth-wicket pair of Parnell and Dale Steyn swung the day-night match around by adding 65 off 38 balls. South Africa, needing 26 off the final 12 deliveries, smashed

16 runs in the penultimate over of Ashish Nehra that included a six each by Parnell and Steyn.

With nine runs required from five deliveries, seamer Praveen Kumar bowled Steyn and conceded just seven more off the next four to hand India a thrilling win.

Parnell hit a defiant 49 off 47

JAIPUR: India’s Ravindra Jadeja (right) celebrates after dismissing South Africa’s AB de Villiers (center) during their one- day international cricket match.—AP

SCOREBOARD JAIPUR, India: Scoreboard of the first one-day international between India and South Africa at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur yesterday: India:

South Africa:

V. Sehwag run out 46 S. Tendulkar run out 4 D. Karthik c Petersen b Langeveldt 44 M. Dhoni c A. Morkel b Kallis 26 V. Kohli c Gibbs b A. Morkel 31 S. Raina c Boucher b Kallis 58 Yusuf Pathan c Kallis b Parnell 18 R. Jadeja c Boucher b Kallis 22 P. Kumar run out 13 A. Nehra not out 16 S. Sreesanth not out 0 Extras: (lb7, w13) 20 Total (for nine wickets, 50 overs) 298 Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Tendulkar), 2-89 (Sehwag), 3116 (Karthik), 4-138 (Dhoni), 5-204 (Kohli), 6-231 (Pathan), 7-260 (Raina), 8-274 (Jadeja), 9-292 (Kumar).

Bowling: Steyn 10-1-46-0 (w4), Parnell 9-0-69-1 (w3), Langeveldt 10-0-48-1 (w2), A. Morkel 8-0-59-1 (w3), Botha 6-0-40-0, Kallis 7-0-29-3 (w1)

L. Bosman b Kumar 29 H. Gibbs c Kohli b Jadeja 27 J. Kallis b Sreesanth 89 AB de Villiers b Jadeja 25 A. Petersen run out 9 A. Morkel lbw b Nehra 2 M. Boucher c Dhoni b Sreesanth 5 J. Botha lbw b Pathan 10 W. Parnell run out 49 D. Steyn b Kumar 35 C. Langeveldt not out 4 Extras: (b1, lb4, w8) 13 Total (all out, 50 overs) 297 Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Bosman), 2-64 (Gibbs), 3-109 (de Villiers), 4-134 (Petersen), 5-142 (Morkel), 6-161 (Boucher), 7-180 (Botha), 8-225 (Kallis), 9-290 (Steyn), 10-297 (Parnell).

Bowling: Kumar 8-0-46-2 (w2), Nehra 10-0-67-1, Sreesanth 9-1-74-2 (w1), Jadeja 10-2-29-2, Pathan 100-51-1 (w5), Raina 3-0-25-0.

India won by one run; lead 1-0 in three-match series.

balls and Steyn plundered an 18ball 35, but the pair failed to take the tourists across the line at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur.

Earlier, Suresh Raina topscored with 58 off 63 balls and Virender Sehwag hammered a typically aggressive 46 off 37 balls as the hosts piled up 298-9 after being sent in to bat.

South Africa’s stand-in captain Jacques Kallis starred for the tourists with both bat and ball, claiming 3-29 from seven overs with his medium-pace bowling before making a fluent 89.

The veteran all-rounder hit six fours and a six before being eighth out, bowled by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, 11 runs short of his 17th one-day century. “That was quite a finish,” said Kallis. “The guys down the order played unbelievably well. The ball came on to the bat a lot better in the second session, but we lost wickets at the wrong time.

“Credit to our bowlers also. It looked like India would get a lot over 300, but our guys did well to keep them under that.”

India took the field in the series opener without bowling spearheads Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, and frontline batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh. Harbhajan was given permission to miss the first two matches due to his sister’s wedding, while the other three were injured.

Kallis led South Africa in the absence of Graeme Smith, who opted out of the one-dayers with a finger injury sustained during the Test series, which ended 1-1 last week.

South Africa made a flying start as Herschelle Gibbs (27) and Loots Bosman (29) put on 58 for the first wicket off just 8.4 overs.

South Africa, who were 134-3 at one stage, lost three middleorder wickets for 27 runs to slip to 161-6 by the 35th over. Relieved Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni paid tribute to his team’s fighting qualities. —AFP

MEMPHIS: Maria Sharapova of Russia (left) and Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden hold their trophies following Sharipova’s victory over Arvidsson in the finals of the Cellular South Cup tennis tournament.—AP

Sharapova cruises to Memphis title MEMPHIS: Top-seed Maria Sharapova breezed to a 6-2 6-1 victory over Swedish qualifier Sofia Arvidsson to easily win the Memphis Championships women’s title on Saturday.

The dominant Russian did not drop a set during the tournament as she won her 21st career title.

“I feel great. I came here for matches - I got five and I got the win, so it was a good week,” Sharapova told reporters.

“I served and returned well, two things that are very important indoors.” Arvidsson, who won at Memphis in 2006, lost nine successive games from 2-2 in the first set. In the men’s draw, US Davis Cup team mates Sam Querrey and John Isner set up an

all-American showdown with contrasting semi-final victories.

Eighth seed Querrey held off Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-3 6-4 after the sixth-seeded Isner beat German Philipp Petzschner 7-5 46 6-3. The pair will face off on Sunday before teaming up to represent the United States in a Davis Cup World Group tie against Serbia in Belgrade on March 5-7. Querrey, who beat top seed and defending champion Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, broke Gulbis in each set while saving all nine break point opportunities. “I came up big on the break points,” the world number 31 said. “I think I made a high percentage of first serves on most of them and I just kind of willed

out that last game at 5-4.”

World number 25 Isner converted three of 11 break points and smashed 13 aces to win his first meeting with Petzschner.

The tall American has a 12-1 record this year, which includes his first ATP tour title at Auckland in January. “I had some chances early in the second to pull away a little bit, didn’t do it,” Isner said. “It went to a third set and I told myself not to get rattled, which I didn’t. I knew that I still had my serve in my pocket I’m going to hold serve, take my chances on the return game, and I like my chances in the third set no matter who I’m playing.

“I usually play pretty well in the third.”—Reuters

DUBAI: Ailing top-seed Roger Federer has pulled out of the twomillion-dollar ATP Dubai Open due to a lung infection which could keep him sidelined for up to six weeks.

“He has got a lung infection,” announced ATP circuit official Stephen Duckett here yesterday.

“He saw a doctor and he was advised not to play for a fortnight.”

Federer is hoping to have recovered in time to play at the ATP World Masters at Indian Wells which starts on March 11, or if that came too soon then at the following tournament in Miami.

The world number one said: “There are no guarantees that I will play at Inidan Wells - this could be a maximum of six weeks, but if it’s treated properly everything should be fine and I should be back fairly quickly.”

Federer, a four-time Dubai champion, was due to appear here for his first tournament since beating Andy Murray to win his fourth Australian Open at the start of the month.

That was the Swiss ace’s 16th Grand Slam and it secured him the top ranking for a 268th week.

Explaining how he had come down with the infection he added: Ever since I came back from Australia I’ve been practising really hard but Tuesday was the last time I could practice.

“On Wednesday I couldn’t get up anymore - and the next day I just wasn’t in shape at all. “I survived all the travelling from Australia to Dubai and into the practise routine again - but as you’ve heard now I can’t play.

“It’s a lung infection - it’s the first time I’ve had it - breathing is difficult - I feel I am not fine, I’m still very tired and slow.

“The doctors say it’s too serious for me to try - and that I should rest for at least two weeks - obviously I can’t take any more chances.”

His victory against Murray in Melbourne ensured that the 28year-old kicked off the new season firmly ensconced at the top after winning Wimbledon and the French Open last year.—AFP

SPORTS

Monday, February 22, 2010

19

Roma close in on Inter

GERMANY: Bremen’s Torsten Frings (bottom) and Leverkusen’s Stefan Kiessling challenge for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match. — AP

Record-breaking Leverkusen hold Bremen to edge Bayern BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen set a new Bundesliga record of 23 consecutive games unbeaten yesterday as a 2-2 draw at Werder Bremen enabled them to overhaul Bayern Munich at the top of the table on goal difference.

Leverkusen took the lead on 29 minutes as prolific Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok curled a long-distance free-kick past the despairing dive of Tim Wiese in the Bremen goal, for his fourth league goal in as many games.

But the hosts equalised five minutes later after a goalkeeping clanger from Rene Adler.

The 25-year-old failed to collect a harmless free-kick and the ball slipped through his legs, allowing Bremen striker Claudio Pizarro to poke home.

However, Bayern Munich old-boy Toni Kroos put Leverkusen back in front with an unstoppable 30-metre piledriver after 57 minutes.

And Leverkusen stayed in front until an injury-time header from German international striker Per Mertesacker broke their hearts. Nevertheless, Leverkusen stayed top by one goal and to add insult to injury, it was Bayern’s own record that they beat.

Ironically, Jupp Heynckes’ men overtook the previous mark set by the Bayern side of 1988-89, coached by Heynckes himself.

For their part, Bayern saw a 13-game winning streak in all competitions come to a disappointing end with a 1-1 draw away at lowly local rivals Nuremberg.

Coach Louis van Gaal insisted after the game that he was interested only in trophies, not records, as his team fell just short of equalling a Bundesliga record of 10 consecutive league wins.

Yesterday’s other late game, third-placed Schalke slipped further behind the leaders, with a 2-1 away loss to last season’s champions Wolfsburg.

Wolfsburg were livid when they had a strike disallowed for offside in the very first minute and replays showed the goal should have stood.

The home team’s sense of injustice was increased when German striker Kevin Kuranyi rose above the Wolfsburg

defence to head home a corner after half an hour.

However, justice was restored in the 71th minute as Brazilian striker Grafite sent a powerful header beyond the reach of Manuel Neuer.

And the 30-year-old Grafite sealed a shock win for Wolfsburg with a delicate chip six minutes later. The loss leaves Schalke four points behind the top two.

However, fourth-placed Hamburg, minus injured star signing Ruud van Nistelrooy, failed to take advantage, playing out a disappointing 0-0 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt.

At the other end of the table, Hertha Berlin, the Bundesliga’s bottom club, finally gave their fans something to cheer about as a double from Brazilian midfielder Cicero handed them a 3-

0 win Sunday over fellow strugglers Freiburg.

The precious three points allowed Berlin’s only top-flight club to close the gap at the bottom to two points as the battle to avoid relegation heated up.

With 33 points still up for grabs, only four points separate four clubs - Hertha, Nuremberg, Hanover and Freiburg.

The bottom two are relegated automatically, while the third-from-bottom club must endure the agony of a survival play-off with the third-placed team in the second division.

Meanwhile, in by far and away the best game of the weekend, Stuttgart warmed up for Tuesday’s Champions League visit of Barcelona with a 5-1 drubbing of Cologne, with German striker Cacau the star, hitting four. — AFP

German League results/standings Freiburg 0 Hertha Berlin 3 (Ramos 28, Cicero 35, 57); Werder Bremen 2 (Pizarro 34, Mertesacker 90+2) Bayer Leverkusen 2 (Derdiyok 29, Kroos 57); Wolfsburg 2 (Grafite 71, 77) Schalke 1 (Kuranyi 30).

Played Saturday Hamburg 0 Eintracht Frankfurt 0; Borussia Dortmund 4 (Subotic 43, Eggimann, 60-og, Valdez 77, Grosskreutz 88) Hanover 1 (Kone 81); Nuremberg 1 (Gundogan 54) Bayern Munich 1 (Mueller 38); Mainz 0 Bochum 0; Cologne 1 (Schorch 44) Stuttgart 5 (Cacau 13, 31, 38, 74, Pogrebnyak 69).

Played Friday Hoffenheim 2 (Ibisevic 69, Eduardo 89-pen) Borussia Moenchengladbach 2 (Daems 31-pen, Colautti 51) German league table after yesterday’s late matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Bayer Leverkusen Bayern Munich Schalke 04 Hamburg Dortmund Werder Bremen Eintracht Frankfurt Mainz 05 VfB Stuttgart Hoffenheim M’gladbach Wolfsburg Bochum Cologne SC Freiburg Hanover Nuremberg Hertha Berlin

23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23

13 14 13 10 11 9 9 8 8 8 8 7 6 6 5 4 4 3

10 7 6 10 6 8 8 8 7 5 5 7 8 7 4 5 5 6

0 2 4 3 6 6 6 7 8 10 10 9 9 10 14 14 14 14

50 49 34 43 35 46 30 26 32 32 33 40 25 21 21 25 19 21

20 20 17 25 30 28 30 30 30 29 38 45 38 31 44 45 40 42

49 49 45 40 39 35 35 32 31 29 29 28 26 25 19 17 17 15

ROME: AS Roma closed the gap to leaders Inter Milan at the top of Serie A to just five points with a narrow 1-0 win over Catania at the Stadio Olimpico in the capital yesterday.

Montenegro forward Mirko Vucinic scored the only goal of the game as Roma took their unbeaten run in the league to 15 matches with their seventh Serie A win in a row.

It means Roma have now shaved six points off Inter’s lead over the last three matches with the champions having drawn three in a row, including Saturday’s 0-0 stalemate at home to Sampdoria, in which Jose Mourinho’s team were reduced to nine men after just 38 minutes following the dismisals of centre-backs Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba.

Roma had three wins, two draws and five defeats in their first 10 games of the season but have since taken 39 from a possible 45 points. Even so, coach Claudio Ranieri dismissed title talk, saying the race was not back on.

“No, no it’s not. We’re doing great things at the moment but we’re still on the big curve and then we’ll see how things pan out when we enter the final straight,” he said.

“Now our minds return to the (Europa League second leg) where we want to progress and do well, also to improve Italy’s ranking coefficient. “We have many irons in the fire and we don’t want to burn any of them.”

Despite their fine run, though, they had been stuttering in recent weeks and lost their 20-match unbeaten run in all competitions on Thursday when two late goals

by Panathinaikos gave the Greeks a 3-2 win in Athens in the Europa League.

But they settled this affair in the 18th minute as Ciro Capuano lost Vucinic at a corner, allowing the striker to prod home unmolested from six yards out.

Juventus moved up to fourth and back into a Champions League qualification place after their third win in a row, including Thursday’s 2-1 Europa League triumph away to Ajax, with a 2-1 success at Bologna.

They were off to a flying start as Diego surged forward on four minutes, hitting a shot from the edge of the area that goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano couldn’t hold and although he also stopped Amauri’s followup, Diego then swept home the next rebound.

Bologna came within a whisker of equalising when Adailton hit the woodwork with a free-kick but five minutes into the second period they deservedly equalised.

However, it took a defensive horror show from Juve as Federico Casarini’s inswinging cross was missed by everyone and came back off the post where the unmarked Antonio Busce bundled home.

The hosts then enjoyed their best spell of the game and should have gone in front following a mistake by Juve centre-back Giorgio Chiellini but substitute forward Henry Gimenez hit the post after taking the ball around goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who then smothered Gimenez’s follow-up.

Completely against the run of play, Juve went straight up the other end and Alessandro Del Piero slipped in substitute Antonio Candreva to score his first goal for the club.

Juve then had a Felipe Melo goal ruled out for an offside against Alessandro Del Piero, who although he never touched the ball was clearly interfering with play.

Napoli lost fourth place after a dull 0-0 draw at rockbottom Siena, their third goalless stalemate in their last four matches, with the other being a 3-1 defeat.

They sit fifth now just ahead of Palermo, 3-1 winners against Lazio, and Sampdoria on goal difference while Genoa and Cagliari are just two points further back.—AFP

ITALY: Catania defender Matias Agustin Silvestre, of Argentina (left) and AS Roma midfielder Matteo Brighi fight for the ball during a Italian League soccer match. — AP

Italian Serie A results/standings Atalanta 0 Chievo 1 (Pellissier 44); Bologna 1 (Busce 50) Juventus 2 (Diego 4, Candreva 66); Cagliari 2 (Lazzari 6, Matri 39) Parma 0; Fiorentina 2 (Vargas 62, Gilardino 78) Livorno 1 (Rivas 36); Palermo 3 (Hernandez 1, Miccoli 28-pen, Nocerino 75) Lazio 1 (Kolarov 39); AS Roma 1 (Vucinic 18) Catania 0; Siena 0 Napoli 0.

Playing later Bari v AC Milan Saturday Genoa 3 (Acquafresca 30, 53-pen, Palacio 64) Udinese 0; Inter Milan 0 Sampdoria 0.

Italian Serie A table ahead of yesterday’s late game (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Inter Milan 25 AS Roma 25

16 15

7 5

2 5

49 43

20 27

55 50

AC Milan 23 Juventus 25 Napoli 25 Palermo 25 Sampdoria 25 Cagliari 24 Genoa 25 Fiorentina 24 Bari 24 Chievo 25 Parma 25 Bologna 25 Lazio 25 Udinese 24 Catania 25 Livorno 25 Atalanta 25 Siena 25

13 12 10 11 11 11 11 10 8 9 8 7 5 6 5 6 5 4

6 5 10 7 7 5 5 4 8 5 6 7 10 6 9 5 6 5

4 8 5 7 7 8 9 10 8 11 11 11 10 12 11 14 14 16

39 40 32 35 32 39 41 30 31 24 26 26 20 28 23 16 21 25

24 33 27 31 31 30 39 28 28 25 36 33 27 35 31 34 35 46

45 41 40 40 40 38 38 34 32 32 30 28 25 24 24 23 21 17

In-form Bilbao sight European spot

FRANCE: Marseille’s midfielder Fabrice Abriel (right) vies for the ball with Nancy’s French defender Florian Marange, during their Division One soccer match. — AP

Niang and Bastos hat-tricks keep pressure on Bordeaux PARIS: Seasoned Senegalese international striker Mamadou Niang and Brazilian Michel Bastos both scored hat-tricks yesterday for Marseille and Lyon respectively to maintain some pressure on French champions Bordeaux.

Niang’s hat-trick in a 3-1 victory over Nancy took him to the top of the goalscoring charts as he racked up 14 for the season six of which have come in February alone as Marseille moved to within six points of Bordeaux.

Bastos scored all his goals in the first-half as seven-time champions Lyon stormed to a 4-0 victory away at Sochaux - their record signing Argentinian international striker Lisandro Lopez rounding off the scoring 12 minutes from time.

Lyon moved to within five points of Bordeaux - who were given special dispensation not to play this weekend ahead of their Champions League match with Olympiakos tomorrow - but have played a game more than both the leaders and Marseille.

Niang could have had a hattrick in the first-half as the bustling 30-year-old forward created endless problems for the Nancy defence especially Andre Luiz.

The Senegalese marksman struck first in the ninth minute as he rose majestically to meet a cross from Burkina Faso’s Charles Kabore and head home in what was Marseille’s first real attack of note.

Andre Luiz got a measure of

revenge when he levelled for Nancy - whose attack had been blunted by the late injury of Moroccan veteran Youssouf Hadji - three minutes later as the Marseille defence went walkabout and unmarked he tapped home.

Niang, though, went desperately close to restoring their advantage in the 19th minute as again he rose above the defence to meet Mathieu Valbuena’s corner but this time his header crashed against the crossbar.

However, the irrepressible Niang was not to be denied his second as despite being manhandled by a Nancy defender he was able to swivel and volley home Nigerian defender Taye Taiwo’s cross to give the hosts the lead 12 minutes before the break.

Niang did give the supporters and the coaching staff a scare close to the half-time whistle when he went down clutching an ankle and had to receive treatment on the touchline but he hobbled back on to see out the half.

Didier Deschamps made Baby Kone go through a prolonged warm-up during the break just in case Niang was unable to continue but he was to dispel all fears of that when he completed his hattrick in the 66th minute.

His strike partner Lucho Gonzalez was the provider as he released Niang with a perfectly sleighted ball that Niang pounced on and it was no contest with a one on one with the Nancy ‘keeper and slotted it home.—AFP

BARCELONA: Athletic Bilbao have a European place in their sights after a convincing 4-1 win over tenman Tenerife yesterday.

The Basque side are now one point off sixth-placed Mallorca after a game in which they never looked back following a penalty taken by Fernando Llorente, after a foul by Jose Culberas on Gaizka Toquero for which he was sent-off.

Toquero scored himself from a flick-on by Llorente and then after the break Andoni Iraola added another before Alejandro Alfaro pulled a goal back.

Igor Gabilondo, though, restored the three-goal advantage with just less than half an hour to go. Malaga continued their good run which has seen them pick up ten points from a possible 12 with a 2-1 win over Espanyol.

The home side went ahead through Fernando Fernandez but

Victor Ruiz drew Espanyol level before half-time and while it was they who had the better of the second half, Victor Obinna scored the vital goal to give Malaga victory.

Valladolid lost the chance to win three key points in their battle against relegation as a late goal from Camunas saw Osasuna draw 1-1.

In a frantic finale Haris Medunjanin put the visitors ahead but Javier Camunas gave Osasuna a share of the spoils with four minutes left. Zaragoza are now just one point above Valladolid after they lost 3-1 at home to Sporting Gijon.

Mate Bilic and Luis Moran put Sporting into a commanding lead and then in in injury time there goals for either side from Angel Arizmendi and David Barral.

On Saturday leaders Barcelona put their injury concerns to one side as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Racing Santander. —AFP

Spanish League results/standings Athletic Bilbao 4 (F. Llorente 17-pen, Toquero 22, Iraola 53, Gabilondo 63) Tenerife 1 (Alfaro 59); Osasuna 1 (Camunas 86) Valladolid 1 (Medunjanin 86); Real Zaragoza 1 (Arizmendi 90+2) Sporting Gijon 3 (Bilic 38, Luis Moran 63, Barral 90+3); Malaga 2 (Fernando 13, Obinna 75) Espanyol 1 (Ruiz 45), Playing later Almeria v Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid v Villarreal Saturday Real Mallorca 1 (Suarez 5) Sevilla 3 (Jesus Navas 23, Dragutinovic 57, Perotti 62); Barcelona 4 (Iniesta 7, Henry 29, Marquez 34, Thiago 84) Racing Santander 0; Deportivo La Coruna 2 (Guardado 3-pen, Riki 7) Xerez 1 (Bermejo 39); Real Mallorca 1 (Suarez 5) Sevilla 3 (Navas 23, Dragutinovic 56, Perotti 62).

Playing Monday Valencia v Getafe Spanish League table after yesterday’s early matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Barcelona Real Madrid Valencia Sevilla Deportivo La Coruna Real Mallorca Athletic Bilbao Getafe Osasuna Villarreal Sporting Gijon Malaga Atletico Madrid Espanyol Racing Santander Almeria Real Zaragoza Valladolid Tenerife Xerez

23 22 22 23 23 23 23 22 23 22 23 23 22 23 23 22 23 23 23 23

18 17 12 13 11 11 11 10 8 8 7 6 7 7 6 5 5 3 5 2

4 2 7 3 5 4 3 2 6 5 7 9 6 5 7 8 6 11 5 5

1 3 3 7 7 8 9 10 9 9 9 8 9 11 10 9 12 9 13 16

57 53 39 36 26 36 32 30 22 33 25 28 33 17 24 24 27 26 19 13

13 15 21 25 25 27 30 28 23 31 27 27 35 31 35 33 47 40 44 43

58 53 43 42 38 37 36 32 30 29 28 27 27 26 25 23 21 20 20 11

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Villa rout Burnley Aston Villa 5

Burnley 2

LONDON: Wigan Athletic’s James McCarthy (left) vies for the ball against Tottenham Hotspur’s Peter Crouch (right) during their English Premier League soccer match.—AP

Pavlyuchenko fires Spurs into fourth spot Wigan 0

Tottenham 3 WIGAN: Tottenham moved into fourth place in the Premier League as Roman Pavlyuchenko’s double sealed a 3-0 win at Wigan yesterday that proved the Russian forward is no joke.

Pavlyuchenko had launched a scathing attack on Harry Redknapp in the Russian media this week which included the claims that he felt like the Spurs manager was always laughing at him and had gone back on his promise to play him more often.

But, with Tottenham clinging onto Jermain Defoe’s controversial first half goal at the DW Stadium, Redknapp showed he

Blackburn 3

Bolton 0

Allardyce heaps more misery on former club BLACKBURN: Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce pushed former club Bolton further into the relegation mire as his side secured a 3-0 win over Wanderers at Ewood Park yesterday. Rovers boss Allardyce spent eight years in charge of Bolton before leaving to join Newcastle in 2007, but his players showed no mercy to his struggling ex-employers as goals from Nikola Kalinic, Jason Roberts and Gael Givet left Owen Coyle’s team stuck in the relegation zone.

While Blackburn are comfortably in mid-table, Bolton are third bottom of the Premier League and one point from safety after winning just once in the eight league matches since Coyle took over from Gary Megson.

Despite snow flurries around the Blackburn area early on Sunday, the fixture was given the go-ahead and it was the hosts who made the more dynamic start. Morten Gamst Pedersen had the ball in the net as his long throw sailed past Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, but the ball hadn’t touched another player so the ‘goal’ was ruled out.

Rovers midfielder Keith Andrews threatened when he glanced a corner goalwards but Fabrice Muamba cleared his header off the line before also diverting Kalinic’s overhead kick onto the post.

Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen was forced to come off after a collision with Ricardo Gardner but even their skipper’s departure didn’t unsettle Rovers, with Pedersen curling a free-kick just over.

Rovers keeper Paul Robinson was called into action for the first time to keep out Matt Taylor’s drive, but Allardyce’s team went in front in the 41st minute.

Senegal star El Hadji Diouf passed to Pedersen and the winger set up Kalinic to shoot past Jaaskelainen for just his second league goal of the season.—AFP

didn’t hold a grudge against Pavlyuchenko.

He sent on the Russian for the final 17 minutes and Pavlyuchenko took the opportunity to show Redknapp that he is worthy of more playing time with two late goals to complete a victory that lifted Spurs above Manchester City and Liverpool into the final Champions League spot.

While Pavlyuchenko savoured his moment of redemption, it was Defoe, who had scored five times when Tottenham thrashed Wigan 9-1 earlier this season, who set them on the way to their second win in seven league games.

Wigan plan to replace their pitch soon as it suffers from overuse by the football and rugby league teams and the boggy conditions were exacerbated by heavy snow.

The visitors initially found it hard to get used to get surface but

they gradually found some rhythm and David Bentley’s powerful effort forced Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland into action for the first time.

Wigan’s first serious threat came in the 22nd minute when Heurelho Gomes did well to tip over a shot from Hugo Rodallega after he exchanged passes with Marcelo Moreno.

But Defoe seems to love facing Wigan and he gave the Latics another moment of anguish as he opened the scoring in the 27th minute. Peter Crouch fed Niko Kranjcar and the Croatian released Gareth Bale down the left. Bale’s low cross reached Defoe at the far post and, although the England forward looked offside the flag stayed down, allowing him to tap in his 22nd goal of the season.

Tottenham captain Ledley King was forced to come off in the 52nd minute with a knee injury

and Sebastien Bassong was drafted into the defence.

Wigan striker Victor Moses, on as a second half substitute, was quickly into the action and tested Gomes after being set up by Charles N’Zogbia.

But Redknapp’s side launched a swift counter attack and Defoe drove in a fierce effort that Kirkland saved well.

Pavlyuchenko came on for Defoe with 17 minutes to play and seized the opportunity to make his point. Spurs had to survive a rare Wigan attack when substitute Scott Sinclair’s effort was fumbled

by Gomes at the post, only for the goalkeeper to recover in the nick of time.

Then Pavlyuchenko extended Tottenham’s lead in the 85th minute with a cool finish from Luka Modric’s pass. And the Russian added his second goal in stoppage time after Kirkland had initially blocked his shot.—AFP

EPL result/standings Aston Villa 5 (Young 32, Downing 56, 58, Heskey 61, Agbonlahor 68) Burnley 2 (Fletcher 10, Paterson 90); Blackburn 3 (Kalinic 41, Roberts 73, Givet 84) Bolton 0; Fulham 2 (Duff 59, Zamora 90) Birmingham 1 (Baird 3-og); Manchester City 0 Liverpool 0; Wigan 0 Tottenham 3 (Defoe 27, Pavlyuchenko 84, 90).

English Premier League table after yesterday’s late matches (played, goals against, points): Stoke 26 Chelsea 27 19 4 4 63 22 61 Blackburn 27 Man Utd 27 18 3 6 63 24 57 West Ham 26 Arsenal 27 17 4 6 63 30 55 Sunderland 26 Tottenham 27 13 7 7 48 26 46 Wigan 26 Man City 26 12 10 4 48 33 46 W’hampton 26 Liverpool 27 13 6 8 43 27 45 Hull 27 Aston Villa 26 12 9 5 37 21 45 Bolton 26 Everton 26 10 8 8 38 37 38 Burnley 26 Fulham 27 10 7 10 32 29 37 Portsmouth 26 Birmingham 26 10 7 9 25 28 37

won, drawn, lost, goals for, 8 9 6 6 6 6 5 5 6 4

10 7 9 8 7 6 9 8 5 4

8 11 11 12 13 14 13 13 15 18

26 29 35 32 26 21 25 29 27 21

29 43 40 44 52 44 54 49 55 44

34 34 27 26 25 24 24 23 23 16

Zamora’s late stunner sinks Birmingham Fulham 2

Birmingham 1 LONDON: Bobby Zamora capped Fulham’s second half fightback as the Cottagers claimed a dramatic 2-1 win over Birmingham yesterday.

Roy Hodgson’s side trailed in the third minute when Fulham defender Chris Baird headed a spectacular own goal at Craven

Cottage. But Damien Duff scored a superb equaliser after half-time and Zamora drove in a brilliant free-kick winner in stoppage time to lift Fulham above Birmingham into ninth place.

Birmingham had been on the front foot in the early stages and James McFadden should have done better than shoot straight at Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

McFadden didn’t need to rue that miss for long as Baird gifted Birmingham the lead in comical fashion. Lee Bowyer sent in a cross to the far post and Baird, under little pressure, inexplicably

LONDON: Fulham’s Bobby Zamora (left) and Birmingham City’s Liam Ridgewell battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match at Craven Cottage.—AP

directed a powerful header past Schwarzer into his own net.

Northern Ireland defender Baird tried making amends and set up Simon Davies moments later, only for Birmingham goalkeeper Joe Hart to make a brave save.

Davies had another sight of goal from Zoltan Gera’s pin-point cross but the Welsh midfielder headed straight at Hart.

Birmingham midfielder Sebastian Larsson had a shot blocked by Dickson Etuhu, but Davies threatened again as he scuffed an effort at Hart from Danny Murphy’s pass.

Alex McLeish’s team were fortunate not to concede a penalty early in the second half when defender Scott Dann clearly handled the ball.

The frustration of that injustice spurred Fulham on and the Cottagers equalised in the 59th minute. Duff cut in from the left and exchanged passes with Gera before driving a sublime strike that whistled past Hart via his the left post.

The visitors mounted an immediate response and Schwarzer had to tip a blistering shot from McFadden onto the underside of the crossbar. The Australian was able to breathe a sigh of relief as the ball then bounced down and out to safety.

Just as the match appeared to be heading for a draw, Gera was brought down by Stephen Carr in the 90th minute and Zamora stepped up to smash the free-kick past Hart for the winner.—AFP

BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa stepped up their bid to land a Champions League spot as Stewart Downing’s first goals for the club inspired a 5-2 demolition of Burnley yesterday.

Martin O’Neill’s side kept the pressure on Manchester City and Liverpool in the race to finish fourth in the Premier League thanks to an astonishing second half goal spree at Villa Park.

Struggling Burnley had taken a shock lead through Steven Fletcher, but Ashley Young equalised before halftime and that was the cue Villa to run riot with four goals in 12 second half minutes.

Downing scored twice, then Emile Heskey notched the fourth goal three minutes later and Gabriel Agbonlahor added a fifth to condemn second bottom Burnley to their 13th defeat in 14 away league games this season.

Although Villa have a midweek FA Cup replay against Crystal Palace and the League Cup final against Manchester United looming next weekend, O’Neill named a full-strength team, with England forward Agbonlahor back from a leg injury.

O’Neill’s team had the first chance when Agbonlahor picked out Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov on the edge of the area but the Bulgarian dragged his shot well wide.

Burnley took the lead in the 10th minute when David Nugent found space on the right side of the penalty area to whip in a low cross that Fletcher, just onside, converted for his 11th goal of the season.

It was Burnley’s first away league goal in 550 minutes since Chris Eagles scored at West Ham on November 28.

Nugent almost added a second goal for Burnley when his shot took a deflection which had Brad Friedel scrambling across his line before it drifted wide.

Just as the home fans were being to voice their frustrations with Villa’s spluttering display, Young claimed his seventh goal of the season to ease their angst.

Young played a short corner to James Milner, received the return pass and then cut inside before firing a ball into the area which clipped Danny Fox before flashing past Jensen in the 32nd minute.

It took a fine stop from Jensen to keep out Young’s shot just before half-time as Villa began to find some energy at last.

Villa had the momentum now and took the lead in the 56th minute. Young drilled over a low cross from the left and Downing, collecting the ball at a tight angle, whipped his shot back into the far corner past Leon Cort on the line.

Downing shattered Burnley’s resistance completely in the 58th minute as Milner teed up the former Middlesbrough winger for a powerful low strike that deflected past Jensen off Fox. With Burnley’s morale at rock bottom, Villa went for the kill and Heskey got in on the action as he scored from Agbonlahor’s 61st minute cross.

Agbonlahor put the icing on Villa’s cake in the 68th minute. Heskey found Milner in space on the right and the England winger sent in a cross that Agbonlahor poked home from close range.

Martin Paterson’s stoppage time goal from Jack Cork’s cross was no consolation for the Clarets.—AFP

LONDON: Aston Villa’s Ashley Young (left) battles for the ball with Burnley’s Chris Eagles during their English Premier League soccer match at Villa Park stadium.—AP

Draw does little for City and Liverpool Euro bids Man City 0

Liverpool 0 MANCHESTER: Manchester City and Liverpool played out a 0-0 draw at Eastlands yesterday which did little to help either side’s bid to finish fourth in the Premier League.

City boss Roberto Mancini and Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez would both appear to need a fourth-placed finish this season to improve their job security, making this a crucial meeting in the contest for that position.

Given City’s recent problems, and reports of mounting unrest in their dressing room, avoiding defeat was the least Mancini needed, while Liverpool now have the consolation of stretching their impressive recent run to just one defeat in nine games.

Considering the importance of the game, it was probably no surprise that both teams should start so cautiously, with the result that four forwards were often confronted by eight, or even more, defenders to negotiate. In the light of such an approach, first half chances were limited, to say the least, neither goalkeeper being forced into making a save in anger.

Steven Gerrard’s lay-off allowed Maxi Rodriguez a 12th minute shot which was deflected behind.

The first real goal attempt did not come until the 25th minute when Gerrard picked up a throw-in on the right and cut across the top of the penalty area before lifting a shot over the bar.

City’s first shot came a couple of moments later when a mis-hit Emmanuel Adebayor effort passed hopelessly across the face of goal and then the Togo forward found himself in the way of a Pablo Zabaleta shot, deflecting the ball off target for a goal kick.

In keeping with the cautious tone of the game, Liverpool kept a close check of City’s young winger Adam Johnson, surrounded him with two, or even three, red shirts every time he dwelled on the ball.

Johnson finally found space after 38 minutes to curl a leftfoot shot just beyond the far post, although the half would end with Liverpool in the ascendancy as Gerrard’s corner was glanced wide by defender Martin Skrtel.

City started the second half with greater urgency - although when Stephen Ireland found

himself in a shooting position, he was offside, and Johnson continued to be a problem for the visitors, winning a series of corners with his work down the right wing.

Johnson was proving a pain for Liverpool, a literal one in the case of Ryan Babel who caught a full-blooded cross from the City man flush in his face and required lengthy treatment before he could continue.

Finally, on the hour, the game’s first save arrived when Pepe Reina was forced to dive full length to keep out an 18yard drive from Adebayor, a shot which was permitted despite Liverpool appeals for a handball. In response, 13 minutes later, Shay Given was final-

ly called into some sort of action in the opposite goal when Gerrard appeared on the end of a tidy Liverpool passing move and produced a left-foot shot which the Irish keeper saved comfortably.

The introduction of Craig Bellamy and Fernando Torres as substitutes hinted at the possibility of more scoring opportunities over the closing stages and Martin Skrtel was required to make a superb covering tackle on Adebayor as the City forward appeared to have given him the slip.

But the resulting corner saw Adebayor meet a Vincent Kompany chip with a header which flew harmlessly over the goal.—AFP

LONDON: Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor (left) and Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel in action during the English Premier League sccoer match.—AP

QNB lead arranger for financing ships valued at $275m

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HK police probe takeover bid for PCCW

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Bangladesh stock frenzy raises fear of new crash

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Monday, February 22, 2010

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EQUATE CEO lists gains, sees bright future Company well-positioned to meet intercontinental demand: Terkait

By Chidi Emmanuel KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company yesterday outlined its world class achievements and promising future. The President and CEO, Hamad Al-Terkait attributed the company’s success to their legacy of strong bonds with customers and innovative business practices.

Terkait said EQUATE plans to increase output to around 95 percent of its total production capacity.

According to the CEO, the company’s net profit slumped by 25.3% in 2009, falling for the second year due to lower demand. EQUATE posted a net profit of $510 million in 2009, down from $683 million the previous year. Earnings for the company were still 29 percent higher than expected. EQUATE has made huge investments over the past decade. “The petrochemicals market generally went down last year,” Terkait said.

During the press conference at EQUATE’s headquarters yesterday, Al-Terkait said that the company is now positioned to fulfill mounting intercontinental demand for highest quality and competitively priced petrochemicals. “To meet ever-increasing worldwide demand for high quality products, EQUATE has completed a multi-billion dollar expansion project which will greatly increase the production capacities of petrochemical products,” he said.

At the press conference, the CEO highlighted the company’s achievement of 20 Million Safe Work Hours. Commenting on this milestone, AlTerkait said that the company will continue to be a pacesetter in safety standards for the petrochemical sector.

As part of its contribution to a cleaner environment, the CEO said EQUATE is preserving Kuwait’s atmosphere and participating in global efforts for a cleaner environment. “Being strictly aligned with international industrial standards, EQUATE has developed its own Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU) whereby all Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) emissions will be eliminated and reduced to zero,” he said.

According to one the top executives, the main aim of this project is to reduce emissions and make Kuwait a pollution free environment. In addition to the SRU, a special cooling tower system was developed to prevent overheating of Gulf waters and to accommodate wastewater reduction and recycling. “More so, EQUATE has launched many major projects such as Carbon dioxide emission reduction, energy conservation and green initiatives,” he added EQUATE’s notable contributions to Kuwait’s economy and the global petrochemical industry

Exit phase begins as Fed hikes rate

By Ole Hansen

T

KUWAIT: EQUATE President and CEO Hamad Al-Terkait (left) addresses the media during a press conference at the headquarters yesterday.— Photos by Chidi Emmanuel was also on focus. EQUATE’s top executive said that the ethylene-based products now account for over 60% of Kuwait’s export value from non-oil sources. “The company plays a positive role in Kuwait’s business community by employing many local contractors in construction, logistics and maintenance operations. The company’s annual sales to local Kuwaiti plastic manufacturers have increased by 200% during 1998 to 2009” he added.

In appreciation of their sustainable development efforts, EQUATE has earned the Amir’s Award for the Best Plant in Kuwait, Gold Award in Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) for Gulf private sector companies. The company also received the Award for Best Gulf Recruiting Company for recruiting Nationals as well as Kuwait’s CSR Award in the industrial and oil sector. Meanwhile, the company’s Ethylene Unit received the Dow Technology Award for the development and implementation of Most Effective Technology design improvements.

“EQUATE has been recognized as the trendsetter in safety and operational standards in the industrial sector in Kuwait,” the CEO said.

EQUATE Petrochemical Company is a Kuwait-based producer of high-quality polyethylene (PE), ethylene glycol (EG) and styrene monomer(SM). Considered to be one of the

Kuwaiti investments in Syria reach record DAMASCUS: The good Kuwaiti-Syrian relations positively reflected on the economic ties and investments between the two countries, resulting in high figures and constant progress.

Economic cooperation between Kuwait and Syria is based on a number of agreements that encouraged the protection of investments, the prevention of double taxation, and increasing trade exchange. Kuwait is one of the first countries to invest in Syria. It established Kuwait united investment company in Syria with a capital of $200 million and established a number of commercial banks like Gulf Bank with a capital of $0 million and Cham Islamic Bank with a capital of $100 million.

Kuwait is currently ranked third, after Saudi Arabia and Turkey, in volume of foreign investments in Syria. In 2005, Syrian exports to Kuwait came to about $36 million and trade

Weekly commodity update

exchange between Syria and Kuwait reached $345 million. Between 2005 and 2006, Syrian exports to Kuwait made up 35 percent of the country’s exports.

A report on Arab and foreign investments in Syria showed that from 1991 to 2008, Kuwaiti investments were chanelled into about 32 projects. A total of 25 of the projects were industrial, 3 were agricultural, and three were in the transport field.

Agreements signed by the two countries in the past few years helped trade exchange exceed $6 billion. The Syrian Investment Agency’s Director General Dr. Ahmad Abdulaziz told KUNA that the Kuwaiti capital is one of the major resources for the flow of investments into Syria. Kuwaiti investors are special for their seriousness in following up procedures to get licenses for the projects, among other things, he pointed out. — KUNA

KUWAIT: EQUATE’s top executives (left to right) Ali Al-Hamad, Dan Gibbs, president CEO Hamad Al-Terkait, Yousef Al-Ateeqi, Ahmed Habib and Abdulkarim Mubarak pictured during the press conference. world’s leading companies in producing Polyethylene and Ethylene Glycol, EQUATE was established in 1995 and began production in November 1997. The plant’s compound was officially inaugurated by HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, former Amir of Kuwait.

Shareholders include; Dow Chemical Company (42.5%), PIC (42.5%), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (9%) and Qurain Petrochemical

Industries Company (6%).

EQUATE enjoys the advantages of combining Dow’s leadership in industrial practices and cutting-edge technology with experienced and highly-driven people and valuable infrastructure.

Recognized as a ‘World Class Corporation,’ EQUATE uses best practices in all aspects of its business ventures, striving for the highest level of safety and a clean environment’.

Profit-taking not affecting market deals: Economists KUWAIT: Profit-taking continued at most registered companies yesterday, reflecting mixed stock closings overwhelmed by speculative pressure, according to economists.

Mixed closings mainly included selected shares especially in the sectors of services, banks and real estate, and last-ditch closings played a part in reversing some positions of leading and small corporate stocks, they said.

Deputy CEO of the International Financial Advisors Company (IFA) Saleh Al-Salmi said in spite of the mixed performance of the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE), dealers were upbeat, thus favorably reflecting on trading.

Positive indications, mainly Zain’s transaction, have contributed to boosting the movement of buying and selling, he said. Murabahat Investment Company’s Asset Section Chief Fahad Al-Bassam said the current profit-taking

wave is so healthy that Zain’s deal has created an atmosphere of optimism among dealers and would consequently bring favorable economic benefits.

Zain’s stock trading value yesterday hit KD 12.5 million out of the total value, making up 15 percent, he said, expecting 2010 to witness more communication asset acquisitions.

For his part, Jafar Al-Qallaf, a financial analyst, said the market is witnessing a very normal stage due to profit-taking which is the natural outgrowth of successive rises. The bourse is normally subject to supply and demand operations without any interference or negative factors, he said. The analyst predicted the stock market performance to continue unchanged despite the holiday of the country’s national festivals, which could be beneficial to dealers, particularly small-sized one. — KUNA

Housing to keep Saudi inflation up in Q1: CB Food prices no longer main inflation driver

NEW YORK: A sign assuring customers that the car has not been affected by the recall is displayed on a 2010 Camry at Bay Ridge Toyota in New York. With Toyota waging a furious lobbying and advertising battle to protect its name following the recall of 8.5 million vehicles, many of its 1,200 dealers are taking matters into their own hands. A group in Southern California almost retained the PR firm Sitrick and Co of Los Angeles.— AP

RIYADH: Housing will keep Saudi Arabia’s inflation rising during the first quarter but a stabilization in food prices will keep it below the 1.5 percent recorded in the previous quarter, the kingdom’s central bank said yesterday.

With the exception of sugar, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) expects a stabilization in food prices, which account for 26 percent in the weighting of the cost of living index used to track Saudi inflation. The renovation, home rent, fuel and water group weighs 18 percent in living index.

“Projections indicate that inflationary pressures in the kingdom will continue during the first quarter of 2010 albeit at a slower rate than in the fourth quarter of 2009,” SAMA said in a report.

“Most of the inflationary pressures in the kingdom come from the renovation, home rent and fuel group ... As for the food and drinks group, a price stabilisation is expected locally during the first quarter of 2010 to the exception of sugar.”

Inflation in Saudi Arabia fell to 5.1 percent in 2009 from 9.9 percent in 2008, which was the highest in more than 20 years. SAMA said inflation over the 2004-2008 averaged an annual 3.4 percent.

But it has been accelerating on a quarterly basis in 2009. It rose to 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter from 1.2 percent in the third quarter and 0.5 percent in the second quarters, SAMA said.

The home rents index rose 14.2 percent in 2009 up from an average 5.3 percent per year over the previous five years while the food and drinks index rose 2 percent in 2009 down from an annual average of 6.4 percent over the 2004-2008 period, SAMA said.

Saudis hope a new mortgage law would soon be enacted to open up home ownership to more of the 25 million population in the most-populous Gulf Arab country, less than a third of whom currently owns property. The low home-ownership ratio is seen by analysts as reflecting weaknesses in Saudi Arabia’s wealth distribution policies, which the government has been seeking to address. US consultancy Clayton Holdings Inc, which advised Real Estate Financing Co (Refco), estimated in 2009 that the world’s top oil exporter had a housing deficit of 2 million residential units, a figure which was rising by 200,000 a year. — Reuters

he US Federal Reserve began withdrawing emergency support to the financial system by raising the discount rate. Although the move was not seen as one leading up to an imminent change in the Fed funds rate, stock markets fell and the dollar strengthened on the back of the announcement. The Fed stressed that the changes did not signal any change in the outlook for the economy but never the less this changes the psychology of the market.

Gold had a very interesting week with the announcement from the IMF that the remaining 190 tons of a total 400 tons was going to be sold into the open market instead of through direct sale to Central Banks.

L ast September they announced the sale which was going to fund projects among poorer nations. India bought 200 tons around $1,050 followed by smaller amounts by Sri Lanka and Mauritius. The fact that the remaining 190 tons did not attract a buyer despite constant rumors about Russian or Chinese interest has fueled a lot of speculation over the past few months.

The news about the sale initially led to a 2.5% sell off but the $1,100 level proved to be well supported and a bounce followed. Given the high degree of publicity surrounding this type of sale where both quantity and price would be public information probably kept some interested buyers away. China has already indicated that they want to diversify their reserves further and buying gold would be part of that process. A process that has seen them doubling their reserves in the past six years to more than 1,054 tons and recently they have been buying into the SPDR Gold ETF. Selling the remaining gold in the open market can prove an easier task and Central Banks who has been watching from the sideline may now quietly get involved. The IMF has promised not to disrupt the market saying that sales would be done gradually.

Despite the recent dollar strength on the back of sovereign debt problems in Europe, with widening budget deficits in Greece, Spain and Portugal hampering Europe’s economic recovery, gold prices have held up. Measured in Euros it raced to a new all time high this week at EUR 828 and indicates a potential decoupling with gold and dollar being able to rise together.

Technically gold broke the downtrend from the December high reaching $1,127 before the IMF story took it back down to

support at $1,098. The speculative long position on COMEX has been reduced back to September levels leaving the market in a more neutral situation. A break higher would target $1,162 while support below $1,098 can be found at $1,070 before $1,045.

Crude Oil rallied strongly this week on the back of further signs of economic growth which led to a technical move back above $72.50 reaching $79.30 before the Fed hike triggered some profit taking. The speculative long position on the WTI futures contract has been reduced by 68% over the past few weeks leaving the market in a better position to react to positive news.

This is only the second time since October 2008 this has happened and a technical reaction to the upside could be expected. A move through resistance at $80 would target $85 while support can be found at $75 followed by $69.50.

Natural Gas fell on a continued large overhang of supplies.

The seasonal drop through the winter month has despite cold weather left the supply nearly three percent higher than the five year average. The winter is now more than half over and it leaves prices exposed to the downside as spring approaches.

Support at $5.06 is currently the only level holding the market from a deeper retracement potentially down towards $4.74.

Copper has recovered very strongly from the lows seen a couple of weeks ago and was getting close to challenging the January high at $355 before the Fed announcement dampened sentiment somewhat.

Despite London Metal Exchange Copper stocks increasing to the highest level since October 2003 the recent behavior of traders holding copper in LME designated warehouses could indicate that demand for the physical metal is picking up. This can be seen through the increased number of cancelled warrants at the LME, something that indicates metal is getting ready for delivery out of storage. Technically we are looking for a pull back towards support at $315 on the future for May delivery given the 18% rally over the past couple of weeks. Resistance can be found at $335 and $347.

Tamweel to request share trading in 1 month: Chief DUBAI: Dubai’s Tamweel will request that its shares resume trading in the next month and is in discussions with the United Arab Emirates federal government over financial assistance in 2010, its chairman said yesterday. A merger with rival Islamic mortgage lender Amlak in the first quarter is still “feasible”, Tamweel chairman Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed al-Nahyan told Reuters yesterday, adding a final decision rested with the government. Tamweel and Amlak have been hit hard by the collapse of the emirate’s once-booming property sector and shares in both were suspended in 2008 and have not traded on the Dubai Financial Market since. “Once our full financial numbers (2009) are released we will request for trading to resume,” he said, adding the firm would also request a general assembly meeting with its shareholders, its first since 2008. The UAE government said in November 2008 it intended to merge the two entities and has been working on a plan to restructure them.

Sheikh Khaled said yesterday the resumption of trading in its shares was not related to the merger.

“We are obliged to call for that for our shareholders,” he said. Earlier on Sunday, Arabic daily al-Itihad reported the chairman as saying Tamweel needed 1 billion dirhams ($272.3 million) of financing for 2010. Sheikh Khaled told Reuters 1 billion dirhams is probably the minimum the firm needed, whether in the form of equity, debt or guarantees, adding it was in talks with the government over financing but declined to give further details. “We are in talks, but they are keeping their cards close to their chest,” he said. — Reuters

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BUSINESS

Monday, February 22, 2010

KSE posts hefty gain as sentiment improves GLOBAL WEEKLY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended its third week with hefty gains this time specially seen in the services stocks. This gain took the market index to its highest level since October 28, 2009. As measured by Global’s weighted General Index, the Kuwaiti market closed the week with a notable performance, being up by 5.92 percent at 204.73 point. The index continued increasing its gains for the year and ended this week with 9.94 percent gain on a year-to-day basis. This covers all 2009’s recorded loss of 9.78 percent. On the other hand, Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) price index was also up by 219.50 points (3.06 percent) and closed at 7,396.50 points.

The market capitalization reached KD33.47bn pushed up by the increase in the market value of listed equities combined with the market capitalization of the newly joined Al-Mudon International Real Estate Company which reached KD25mn at the end of the week. Al-Mudon was shifted from the Parallel market to the Real Estate sector yesterday, February 14, bringing the total listed companies under the regular market to 207. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as out of 171 shares traded this week, 96 advanced, against 52 shares retreating.

Trading activity rocketed this week on optimistic news regarding the $10.7bn deal of Kuwait’s largest listed stock, Zain, which if finalized would help in paying off the companies dept. Total traded volume reached 3.89bn shares changing hands, a 51.98 percent increase from a week earlier. Also, total traded value was up by 62.35 percent, reaching KD690.61mn. High volume was seen on the Services sector, accounting for 30.21 percent of the total traded volume this week with 1.17bn shares traded. Four of the services companies made it to the biggest volume list with Al-Safwa Holding Group being the most traded among those with 401.12mn shares traded. However, on top of the list came Kuwait Real Estate Company with 461.72mn shares traded accounting for 11.88 percent of the total traded volume in the market.

On the value list, the Services sector also took the lead, with a total traded value of KD227.57mn, accounting for 32.95 percent of total market value.

Zain, the largest listed company in the Kuwaiti bourse, topped the traded value list for the second week, with a total traded value of KD81.06mn. The heavyweight scrip was up by 18.52 percent, ending the week at its highest level since 16 weeks at KD1.280. Agility, another large cap. Company, saw a KD42.51mn traded and was also up by 15 percent as its share price closed at KD0.690.

The prominent performance of the large services companies caused Global Services index to rise, recording the highest increase for the week of 11.81 percent. Global Food Index followed, adding 10.85 percent to its value as no losers were seen among the index components. Danah Al-Safat Foodstuff was the biggest gainer in the sector, adding 20 percent to its share price. The Industrial sector came third with Global Industrial Index closing higher by 8.25 percent. Kuwait Portland Cement Company was a major gainer in the sector, adding 20.37 percent to its share price.

On the other side, the Insurance sector was the biggest loser for the second week with Global Insurance Index closing down by 1.78 percent with only one gainer seen among the sector components.

Gulf Insurance Company’s share price closed higher by 2.38 percent. Global Real Estate Index was the only other loser this week, shedding 0.16 percent. The real estate companies led the biggest gainers and losers list for the week. Manazel Holding Company topped the gainers with 32.56 percent increase in its share price while Al-Tameer Real Estate Investment Company topped the losers list, shedding 14.49 percent of its share price value.

All of Global’s special indices ended on a positive note. Global Large Cap (Top 10) Index was the biggest gainer, adding 8.62 percent to its value.

Global Islamic Sharia Index was up by 1.92 percent while Global Small Cap (Low 10) index added 0.20 percent.

Oil related news The latest revealed price of Kuwait crude oil was at $70.01 per barrel as of Wednesday, February 10, 2010 a drop of $4.34 pb from a week earlier, according to Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). A Reuters survey showed that Kuwait, the world’s fourth largest oil exporter, pumped 2.28mn barrels per day (bpd) of crude in January.

The fourth refinery and clean fuel plant projects are set to be presented to the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC), the top oil authority in Kuwait, for approval, said Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) Saad Al-Shwayib.

After the inauguration of KPC’s safe driving campaign for staff, Al-Shwayib said that the SPC, headed by His highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, from now on will have the final say in passing all oil-related projects.

On the price of Kuwaiti crude, he said that all predictions view that the current prices of $70-80 will remain about the same throughout the current year, although he did concede that they will be affected somewhat in the time to come due to political and security tensions in the region and the price of the dollar in comparison to other currencies.

Kuwait will send a stalled project for a 615,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery to its highest oil policy body for review, a top oil official said. Officials have said previously they aim to relaunch the project to build the $15bn Al-Zour refinery, which would produce fuel the country desperately needs for power plants. A long stand-off between Kuwait’s parliament and government has led to delays and cancellations of a number of energy projects in the world’s fourth-largest producer, including for AlZour. The refinery plan, along with another for clean fuels, would be reviewed by the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC) “soon,” Saad Al-Shuwaib, chief executive of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said. OPEC-member Kuwait scrapped the deals to build the refinery in March after opposition from several lawmakers who questioned the tender process.

The 615,000 bpd plant is meant to replace the ageing 200,000 bpd Shuaiba plant. The refinery would produce low-sulfur fuel oil for burning in power plants. Kuwait has one of the highest percapita power consumption rates in the world and has struggled to meet domestic power demand. The

Gulf Arab state’s government approved members of the SPC earlier this month.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) sold 50,000-ton full-range naphtha for mid-February lifting at a premium of about $24.00 a ton to Middle East spot quotes on a free-on-board (FOB) basis to Vitol, traders said. This is more than three times than what it had fetched for a total of 100,000 tons of the full-range grade sold for November lifting to Itochu and Petro-Diamond at about $7.00 a ton premium, FOB. KPC has resumed spot exports of fullrange naphtha after a hiatus of nearly three months.

An ongoing four-day repair work at its new aromatics plant from February 9-12 prompted KPC to resume spot exports.

The latest spot premium is also higher than its recent term premium. KPC has sealed a term premium for supplies lifting April 2010-March 2011 with some buyers at $22.00 a ton, FOB, the highest it had ever fetched. However, not all buyers have accepted the term premium, citing weak sentiment and an uncertain market ahead.

State-run Kuwait Oil Company has signed a fiveyear service contract to develop gas fields in the country’s north. Gas demand in Kuwait has outstripped supply, forcing the country to import liquefied natural gas (LNG). OPEC-member Kuwait plans to boost output from pure gas fields to help meet demand. Most gas output in the world’s fourth-largest exporter is a by-product of oil output.

Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has signed a fiveyear service contract with Royal Dutch Shell to develop pure gas fields in the country’s north, a Kuwait official and Shell said. Gas demand in the Gulf Arab state has outstripped supply, forcing the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter to import liquefied natural gas (LNG). The deal with Shell is to boost output from gas fields not associated with oil output, Kuwait oil sector spokesman Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Sabah said. That would help decrease the exposure of domestic gas supply to OPEC output agreements on oil. Kuwait plans to increase output from the gas fields to 1bn cubic feet per day (cfd) from around 140mn cfd.

Other local news Moody’s report on banking system outlook in Kuwait showed that the outlook for the Kuwaiti banking system remains negative, although imple-

mentation of the government’s four-year development plan (announced in February) could stimulate the weakened operating environment. The negative outlook expresses Moody’s expectations for the fundamental credit conditions in the Kuwaiti banking system over the next 12 to 18 months. The average ratings and country ceilings came as follows: Average asset-weighted bank financial strength rating (BFSR): C-. Average asset-weighted long-term local currency deposit rating: A1.

Average asset-weighted long-term foreign currency deposit rating: A1. Local currency deposit ceiling Aa2. Local currency bond ceiling Aa2. Foreign currency deposit ceiling Aa2 Negative. Foreign currency bond ceiling Aa2 Stable.

The Central Bank of Kuwait’s (CBK) Governor Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah said that local banks are capable of meeting the demands and challenge of the state’s five-year plan and of financing the state projects involved. The governor said that the coming period would see change in policy aimed at improving risk management and setting up an early warning system to guard against expected problems. The governor also said Islamic banks’ activities are fully monitored and regulated, in addition to their own Sharia-compliance supervision. On banks liquidity, Sheikh Salem said the situation was very satisfactory and added setting provisional sums aside was a case by case issue.

Kuwait Stock Exchange Global Investment House announced that two of its equity funds namely Global GCC Large Cap Fund and Global GCC Islamic Fund were awarded Standard & Poor’s ‘A’ (New) fund management rating. The S&P fund ratings are a widely acknowledged measure of excellence, with ‘A’ rating awarded only when “The fund demonstrates high standards of quality in its sector based on its investment process and management’s consistency of performance as compared to funds with similar objectives.”

Zain said it would pocket up to $5bn from the planned sale of African assets to Bharti Airtel for an enterprise value of $10.7bn and use the rest to pay down debt. The deal would mark one of the biggest cross-border transactions in the Middle East.

Bharti, India’s biggest mobile networks operator, said that the total likely payout to Zain would be

about $9bn after clarifying that the $10.7bn figure includes the assumption of $1.7bn of debt. The two companies are in exclusive talks until March 25, set as the deadline for the negotiations to conclude.

Zain will make a return of up to $5bn on the sale of some of its African assets excluding Sudan and Morocco. Zain is being advised by UBS while Global Investment House and Standard Chartered are advising Bharti.

Jazeera Airways said it has fully acquired Sahab Aircraft Leasing Company, a leasing firm launched in 2008 for KD25.6mn ($88.77mn). The acquisition gives Jazeera Airways a platform to pursue strategic vertical integration initiatives lined up for 2010 and 2011 that include an airline acquisition and access to global leasing markets, Jazeera said in a statement.

Al Mazaya Holding Company is discussing a debt-for-equity swap with regional creditors using the 50mn shares it holds in its treasury, the company’s chief executive was quoted. “We are in talks with banks in Kuwait, Bahrain and Dubai to offer our treasury shares in return for conversion of debt into equity,” Khalid Esbaitah, CEO of Al-Mazaya said. Mazaya has term loans worth KD45mn ($156.1mn).

Hayat Communications Company announced that it has partnered with Diamond General Trading Company to co-found Life Energy for Electrical Appliances & Contracting Company. The new company, in which both companies own 50 percent, is capitalized at KD10,000. Marchaal Al-Ibrahim was appointed as General Manager. Establishment procedures are being finalized at the Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MOCI), while required certificates and licenses are being obtained.

Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank, also listed in Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE), said that it will acquire 40 percent of the Libya’s United Bank of Commerce & Investment (UBCI). Ahli United Bank received the approval of each of the central banks of Bahrain and Libya to acquire 40 percent of the bank by increasing its capital. UBCI was founded in 2007 through the merger of three national banks in Libya.

Gulf Finance House (GFH), Bahraini-based listed in KSE, said that it plans to raise $250mn through asset sales this quarter, and has made layoffs to cut costs after a regional real estate boom ended, its acting CEO said. Ted Pretty said that the troubled investment house is in talks to sell its stakes in Khaleej Commercial Bank as well as its “energy city” real estate projects.

He added that the investment house is in talks with banks, sovereign institutions and real estate developers and hopes to complete the sales by the end of the quarter. Hard-hit by a property crash in the Gulf Arab region late in 2008, GFH escaped default on a $300mn loan this month by striking an eleventh-hour deal to roll over one third by six months. GFH has said that it is also in talks with lenders of a $100mn loan arranged by Liquidity Management Center (LMC) that matures in two tranches in march 2010 and March 2011, and Pretty said the investment house aims to replace it with a new two-year facility.

Highlights of the week Kuwait Municipality has reportedly approved all the Ministry of Commerce’s plans related to the inter-Gulf railway project, which will eventually see the construction of a railway link between Kuwait and the other Gulf nations. Senior officials from the commerce ministry’s transport department are apparently set to hold several meetings with their counterparts from other state bodies regarding the project before publishing the first tenders for bidding, which is expected to take place within the next few months. A number of technical studies on subjects such as the location of branch stations, the cost of merchandise transportation and the manpower numbers required for the project’s construction still need to be completed before work on it can begin, said an official. The commerce ministry has already received approval to appropriate the land needed for the project, which will be completed using the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2830000 .4510000 .3930000 .2670000 .2730000 .2570000 .0045000 .0020000 .0781130 .7610300 .4020000 .0750000 .7460570 .0045000 .0500000

.2930000 .4600000 .4000000 .2750000 .2810000 .2640000 .0075000 .0035000 .0788980 .7686780 .4180000 .0790000 .7535550 .0072000 .0580000

US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2872500 .4531430 .3957000 .2695620 .2750480 .0531580 .0400390 .2588840 .0369700 .2047320 .0031800 .0062780 .0025190 .0033990 .0042080 .0782460 .7623220 .4062500 .0766390 .7464770 .0062780

.2893500 .4563440 .3984940 .2714710 .2769960 .0535350 .0403230 .2607120 .0372320 .2061820 .0032020 .0063220 .0025370 .0034230 .0042380 .0787450 .7671830 .4091270 .0771280 .7512370 .0063220

US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals

TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2898500 .4548470 .2696150 .0772620

281.310 191.320 271.920 259.840 287.000 ASIAN COUNTRIES

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.200 6.229 3.400 2.523 3.921 205.300 37.240 4.176 6.242 8.718 0.301 0.292 ARAB COUNTRIES

Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

56.250 52.651 1.363 208.900 408.400 195.310 6.322 35.600 GCC COUNTRIES

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

77.121 79.453 751.300 768.040 78.760 GOLD

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

215.000 112.000 59.000

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer Euro Sterling Pound

Canadian dollar Turkish lire Swiss Franc Australian dollar US Dollar Buying

289.050 396.900 450.920

COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash

SELL CASH 263.900 769.780 4.460 281.800 567.700 15.800 53.300 167.800 56.300 397.700

SELL DRAFT 262.400 768.780 4.180 280.300

206.400 52.690 396.200

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 US dollars Yemeni Riyal

37.910 6.600 0.034 0.292 0.260 3.250 410.220 0.195 87.750 48.000 4.260 208.400 2.183 49.800 750.950 3.500 6.420 79.950 77.190 206.440 40.370 2.777 452.800 41.000 272.500 6.400 9.070 217.900 78.880 289.500 1.410

37.780 6.240

408.630 0.194 87.750 3.920 204.900

271.000 8.900 78.880 289.100

1,216.300

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 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

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 450.800 289.100

289.150 3.415 6.245 2.535 4.180 6.275 78.710 77.280 769.000 52.665 452.100 0.0000312 3.900 1.550 410.500 5.750 398.400 285.000

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Cyprus Pound Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees

2.515 4.175 6.205 3.155 8.690 5.565 3.905

Currency 750.770 3.420 6.255 79.520 77.190 206.440 40.370 2.524 450.800

GOLD 10 Tola

Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees

289.000 282.045 452.340 398.680 268.325 708.355 766.370 78.660 79.295 77.095 407.820 52.690 6.240 3.405

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

Transfer rate 288.800 395.350 456.850 277.900 3.235 6.228 52.675 2.522 4.170 6.235 3.405 768.400 78.675 77.000

BUSINESS

Monday, February 22, 2010

23

A volatile week passes, US dollar gains KUWAIT: After another wild week and a surprising rate hike, the US dollar gained versus sterling pound but lacked momentum against the euro. The sterling pound started slowly, touched a high of 1.5816, but lost momentum later during the week, dropping to 1.5345, before closing at 1.5480 on Friday. The euro had a similar performance during the week reaching a high of 1.3789 on Wednesday, then weakening to a low of 1.3442; on Friday, however, the euro came back to close at 1.3605. The Japanese Yen had a weaker performance against the US dollar, starting the week at 90’s levels and ending the week around the 91.59 level.

The Swiss franc opened at 1.0757 on Monday, and closed the week at 1.0753.

Fed rate hike The Federal Reserve sent its most explicit signal yet that the emergency supply of liquidity to financial markets is done and the most aggressive monetary policy easing in its 96-year history will eventually reverse. Chairman Ben Bernanke raised the discount rate which is the rate charged to banks for direct loans, by a quarter point to 0.75%. It was the first increase in the discount rate since June 2006.

The Fed portrayed the decision, as a “normalization” of lending that would have no impact on monetary policy, repeating in a statement that its benchmark federal funds rate would stay low for an “extended period.” The assurances did not stop investors from increasing bets that the Fed would

tighten policy in the fourth quarter.

Foreign Demand Falls for US Treasuries?

Foreign demand for US Treasury securities fell by a record amount in December as China sold some of its holdings of government debt. China sold $34.2 billion in US Treasury securities during the month, the US Treasury said last week, leaving Japan as the biggest holder of US government debt with $768.8 billion.

China overtook Japan as the largest holder in September 2008. The shift in demand comes as countries retreat from the “flight to safety” strategy they embarked on during the worst of the global economic crisis and could mean the US will have to pay more to service its debt interest.

Economic indicators Housing starts, wholesale prices, and new jobless claims in the US rose in January to a higher level than anticipated.

In the housing sector, work began on 591,000 houses last month, up 2.8% from December. The Producer Price Index rose 1.4% in January. The figure was more than economists predicted and marked the fourth consecutive month that prices increased. Core producer prices, which exclude food and energy, rose by a mild 0.3% in January.

The labor market remains a greater concern as initial jobless claims jumped by 31,000 to 473,000 last week. The US

NBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKETS REPORT

Consumer Price Index came in at 0.2% for the month of January, lower than the forecasted 0.3% but higher than the prior 0.1%.

In parallel, the core CPI plummeted to 0.1%, worse than the expected and previous 0.1%, falling to 1.6% year-on-year.

Greece replaces debt chief?

Greece replaced its debt management chief as declines in the country’s bonds shake European markets.

Petros Christodoulou, general manager of treasury and global markets at National Bank of Greece SA, the country’s biggest lender, will take over from Spyros Papanicolaou as head of the Athens-based Public Debt Management Agency, the country’s Finance

Ministry said.

The Greek government is under pressure to show that it can reduce its budget deficit after the EU this week stopped short of offering financial support.

German confidence The ZEW indicator of economic sentiment for Germany fell to 45.1 in February from a reading of 47.2 in January. The ZEW index measures the response of professional investors polled on their expectations for the German economy over the next six months. “Though we have passed through the deepest valleys of the depression, the worries about the labor market, budget deficits, and the Euro had not lessened.

There is the option that economic activity will move sideways, with only minor ups and downs,” said ZEW President Wolfgang Franz in a statement.

Inflation surge UK inflation accelerated in January to the fastest pace in 14 months as an increase in sales tax pushed the rate high enough to prompt a public letter of explanation from Bank of England Governor Mervyn King.

Consumer prices rose 3.5% from a year earlier, the most since November 2008. A reading differing more than a percentage point from the bank’s 2% target requires King to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, setting out his plans to return to the goal. Core inflation, which excludes costs of energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco, accelerated to 3.1% in January, the fastest pace on record.

Retail sales Retail sales on the UK high street suffered their sharpest monthly drop in 18 months in January as the snow and icy weather deterred shoppers. Sales volumes dropped 1.8% during January. This is more than three times what analysts had expected and the biggest monthly fall since June 2008.

On the year, sales were up 0.9%.

Since 1997 UK jobless claims unexpectedly jumped in January to the highest level since Tony Blair led the ruling Labor Party to power almost 13 years ago as the recession destroyed work at businesses from carmak-

ers to banks. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits rose by 23,500 from the previous month to 1.64 million, the highest since April 1997.

GDP grows Japan’s economy grew faster than expected in the fourth quarter with a stimulusfueled rebound in domestic demand and a corporate investment revival masking rising deflationary pressure and the risk of a slowdown in 2010. The government, which has been pressing the Bank of Japan to broaden its policy response to deflation, drew little comfort from the 1.1% expansion in the world’s second-largest economy compared with the previous quarter. The fourth quarter growth was the fastest since a 1.3% expansion in April-June 2009 and translated into an annualized rise of 4.6%.

BOJ policy unchanged The Bank of Japan refrained from expanding its lending and asset-purchase programs, preserving policy ammunition in case the economic recovery falters or the government increases pressure for more action to beat deflation. The policy board kept the loan facility for commercial banks and monthly purchases of government bonds unchanged, the central bank said in a statement in Tokyo. It also maintained the benchmark interest rate at 0.1% in a unanimous vote.

Kuwait Dinar at 0.28840 The USD—KD opened at 0.28840 yesterday morning.

Burgan Bank reopens financial center branch in Riqqa KUWAIT: Burgan Bank amongst the leading and the most dynamic commercial banks in the state of Kuwait reopened its Riqqa Financial Center/Branch on 21 February, 2010.

The branch was officially opened by Majed Essa AlAjeel, the Vice Chairman of Burgan Bank and attended by board members and senior management of the bank as well as VIP clients.

The newly re-built ‘Financial Center’ is a three storey branch which will feature all financial services from simple banking transactions to the fully fledged customized financial advice to customers as well as corporate clients and SMEs. “We are extremely delighted to reopen our financial center today,” said Majed Essa AlAjeel. “The newly rebuilt three storey branch will offer customers a whole new banking experience”. At Burgan

Bank we continue to demonstrate our progress towards offering our customers with superior service across all business segments.”

The financial center is located in Riqqa at Fahad Al-Ahmed Area-Block 1. The working hours of the branch are from 08.30 am to 03.30 pm Sunday to Thursday.

Burgan Bank, a subsidiary of KIPCO (Kuwait Projects Company), is a regional bank with majority owned subsidiaries in the MENA region.

The youngest and most dynamic regional commercial bank, established in 1977, the Bank has acquired a leading role in the retail, corporate and investment banking sector through innovative product offers and technologically advanced delivery channels. Its subsidiaries include Gulf Bank Algeria (Algeria), Bank of Baghdad (Iraq) and Jordan Kuwait Bank (Jordan). It has continuously improved its performance over

the years by applying an expanded revenue structure, good asset quality, diversified funding sources and a strong capital base. The adoption of state-of-the-art services and ground-breaking technology has positioned it as a trendsetter in the domestic market and within the MENA region. At present it enjoys a wide reach through our network of 21 branches and over 120 ATM’s making it one of the widest ATM networks in the GCC. The brand has been created on a foundation of real values of trust, commitment, excellence and progression to remind us of the high standards to which we aspire. ‘People come first’ is the foundation on which its products and services are developed and are further augmented by its three pillars of innovative technology, staff competency and customer service. It is committed to offering an enhanced banking experience.

DOHA: Officials sign the loan facility

QNB mandated lead arranger for financing ships valued at $275m UASC to acquire three A13 container vessels DOHA: QNB (Qatar National Bank), Qatar’s leading banking institution, served as the Mandated Lead Arranger and Coordinating Bank in a term loan facility of multi-currency $275 million involving United Arab Shipping

The reopened Riqqa Financial Center branch of Burgan Bank

Credit Suisse names Carton as UHNWI GENEVA/DUBAI: Credit Suisse is pleased to announce the appointment of Edmond Carton as UHNWI Segment Head for the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, effective immediately. This new position underscores the Bank’s continued commitment to its clients in the region.

Geneva/Dubai, February 18, 2010 - Credit Suisse is pleased to announce the appointment of Edmond Carton as UHNWI Segment Head for the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, effective immediately. This new position underscores the Bank’s continued commitment to its clients in the region.

In this role, Edmond will head a team of Investment Partners located in Bahrain, Dubai, Geneva, London and Zurich. He will be responsible for further establishing Credit Suisse as the leading provider of financial services to the wealthiest individuals, families and family offices in the Middle East and will be based in Geneva.

Bruno Daher, Co-CEO of the Middle East and Head of Private Banking in the region, said: “Edmond’s appointment to this new position again demonstrates Credit Suisse’s commitment to deliver the highest quality services to its clients in the region. He will fully utilize the capabilities of the integrated bank in order to meet the challenges of increasingly complex and sophisticated UHNWI client needs in the Middle East.”

Blake Shorthouse, Head UHNWI for the Europe Middle East and Africa region, said: “We are very pleased that Edmond chose to join Credit Suisse. We

believe that our ability to deliver Investment Banking and Asset Management in a Private Banking relationship context positions us uniquely to serve our Ultra High Net Worth clients and to attract the best talent in the industry.”

Edmond Carton joins Credit Suisse from one of Geneva’s leading multi-family offices where he spent eighteen months as ViceChairman & Member of Executive Committee.

Prior to that, he spent 12 years with HSBC Private Bank, where he was Group Head of Middle East & North Africa.

He also sat on the Executive committee of the Swiss Private Bank and was board member of HSBC bank Middle East (HBME).

Before joining HSBC, Edmond held a variety of senior positions at JP Morgan, where he spent 20 years in the Wealth Management, Commercial Banking and Investment Banking Divisions, including Global Head of Middle East Private Banking.

The deal represented an important cross-border GCC transaction as several other Gulf banks were involved, including Burgan Bank S.A.K. (Kuwait), The Commercial Bank of Qatar Q.S.C and Doha bank as Lead Arrangers and Al Khaliji Commercial Bank QSC as Arranger. QNB is also the documentation Agent, Facility Agent, Security Agent and the Account Bank while BNP Paribas (Switzerland) is the Structuring Bank.

Abdullah Al-Khalifa, General Manager, Corporate Banking, of QNB commented about the deal, “This facility shows the vital strategic importance of United Arab Shipping Company.

QNB has had a long-standing relation with UASC that dates back to 1979. We are pleased to be a strategic partner and to act as the Mandated Lead Arranger and Coordinating Bank in successfully arranging for this milestone cross-border multi-currency transaction in GCC”.

Speaking on the occasion,

Jorn Hinge, President and Chief Executive Officer of UASC, said “With this facility, UASC will finance three of the nine A13 type container vessels currently on order. We at UASC recognize the effort to conclude this senior facility by leading banks from the GCC as a token of trust in UASC’s solid foundation, sound performance and strong future prospects within the current

Company’s acquisition of three new A13 container vessels by Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Korea during a signing ceremony held in Dubai 21 February 2010.

challenging market environment. By the time the entire new building order is delivered, UASC will have substantially increased its fleet capacity and achieved greater economies of scale. The A13s will significantly improve UASC’s cost-base to enable the company to compete head-to-head with other industry majors. This, together with planned network enhance-

ments, increased investment in IT systems, and efficiency improvement measures, will reconfirm the company’s leading position in the region.

Moreover, we are pleased to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability as we bring among the world’s most environmentally friendly container vessels into service”.

QNB is also known for advocating environmentally-clean policies and technologies and that was manifested in the fact that the vessels bought by UASC were amongst the “greenest” ships available in the market since they will be equipped with the latest Waste Heat Recovery technology which reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions and helps protect the environment.

QNB is one of the fastest expanding banks in the region with presence in 22 countries including five GCC nations (Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and United Arab Emirates). It has worked relentlessly to facil-

itate the integration of the Qatari economy and GCC countries through numerous business transactions. The Bank has a proven record in structuring deals, knowledge of the market and funding capacity.

During 2009, QNB participated in major transactions amongst which being the Joint Lead Manager for the State of Qatar sovereign bond issue that totaled $7.0 billion which was very well received demonstrating the strong fundamentals of Qatar and its economic prospects.

In another major transaction, QNB was appointed as the General Financial Adviser and one of the initial Mandated Lead Arrangers to Qatar Telecom (Qtel) $1.5 billion credit facility to refinance a previously existing facility that matured in November 2009.

The oversubscribed transaction was one of the largest credit facilities and the first Forward Start Facility executed in the GCC region in 2009.

Gulf Bank opens branch in Al-Ayoun

Gulf Bank Management with Mayor Mulouh Al-Harbi KUWAIT: Gulf Bank inaugurated its branch in Al-Ayoun, as part of its continued focus on client service. This branch extends the Gulf Bank offer and premium financial services to a new part of the city and will offer Al-Ayoun residents the chance to experience the Gulf Bank difference for themselves.

The branch opening was attended by

the Mayor Mulouh Al-Harbi as well as Gulf Bank’s management team including the CEO & CGM, Michel Accad, General Manager of Board Affairs, Fawzy Althunayan General Manager of Retail Banking, Aly Shalaby, General Manager of Human Resources, Surour Alsamerai, as well as the Assistant General Manager for the area, Hala Bibi, Executive Manager

(From left to right): Mayor Mulouh Al-Harbi, CEO & CGM Michel Accad and General Manager of Board Affairs Fawzy Al-Thunayan Basel Al-Assad and the Branch Manager of Al-Ayoun, Jarah Al-Mutairi This latest branch celebration is further evidence of the success of Gulf Bank’s strategic approach to offering the best possible customer experience to customers throughout Kuwait, and marks a further strengthening of the Gulf Bank offer. For

further information about any Gulf Bank’s products and services and its regular promotions and offers, visit one of Gulf Bank’s 50 conveniently located branches or call the Telebanking service on 1805805.

Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s bilingual website, for more information.

24

BUSINESS GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT

MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

KSE rallies on fresh confidence KUWAIT: The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) along with major indicators and indices ended the first trading session of the week on a positive note. Heavyweight Zain continued to gain backed by its deal to sell its Africa assets. Global General Index (GGI) added 0.95 points (+ 0.46 percent) during yesterday’s session to reach 205.68 points. The KSE Price Index increased by 22.40 points (+ 0.30 percent) yesterday and closed at 7,418.90 points. Market capitalization was up KD155.34mn yesterday to reach KD33.62bn.

Market breadth During the session, 145 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 59 equities gained versus 35 that retreated. A total of 113 stocks remained unchanged during yesterday’s trading session.

Trading activities ended on a negative note yesterday as volume of shares traded on the exchange decreased by 8.18 percent to reach 596.17mn shares. In addition, value of shares traded dropped by 18.40 percent to stand at KD90.83mn. The Investment Sector was the volume leader, with 33.45 percent of total traded volume. While the Services Sector was the value leader, with 32.49 percent of total traded value.

Kuwait Real Estate Company saw 66.32mn shares changing hands, making it the volume leader. Zain, on the other hand, was the value leader, with a total traded value of KD13.26mn.

In terms of top gainers, Real Estate Asset Management Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 9.09 percent and closed at KD0.120.

On the other hand, Al-Themar International Holding Company shed 7.81 percent and closed at KD0.118, making it the biggest decliner in the market yesterday.

Sector wise Regarding Global’s sectoral indices, they overall ended on a positive note except for Global Insurance Index which was unchanged during the trading session. In terms of gainers, Global Industrial Index took the top spot with a 1.53 percent gain backed by Kuwait Cement Company being the top gainer in the sector.

The scrip ended the day up 4.23 percent and closed at KD0.740. In addition, National Industries Group (Holding) also ended on a positive note with a 2.67 percent gain to close at KD0.385.

Global Services Index added 1.01 percent making it the second biggest gainer during the trading session.

The index’s gain was aided by heavy-

weight Zain which ended the day up 1.56 percent and closed at KD1.300.

On the other hand, Global Food Index was the top decliner with a 0.34 percent decline. Danah Al-Safat Foodstuff Company, the only decliner in the sector with the remaining companies being unchanged, ended the day with a 4.90 percent loss to close at KD0.194.

Global’s special indices ended mainly in the green with the exception of Global Islamic Index which was the only decliner. The index shed 0.13 percent from its value backed by Boubyan Bank ending the day down 1.11 percent. On the other hand, Global Small Cap Index was the top gainer, up 0.63 percent.

Strategia Investment Company was

Monday, February 22, 2010

the only gainer in the index and the remaining companies were unchanged. The scrip ended the day up 7.35 percent and closed at KD0.036.

Oil news The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $74.49 a barrel on Thursday 18/2/2010, compared with $74.33 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations KSE holiday The KSE will close from Thursday February 25, 2010 until Monday March 01, 2010 for holidays and will resume trading on Tuesday March 2, 2010 due to National Day, Liberation Day and Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday.

Saudi rallies as most markets up; UAE fall DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s index rose for the eighth straight session as most regional markets gained yesterday, while UAE bourses fell as investors awaited more clarity on Dubai’s debt situation.

Saudi Arabian Fertilizers Co (Safco) was the main driver in the Saudi index, rising 2.9 percent after saying it would pay a dividend of 7 riyals ($1.87) per share.

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), which will pocket $200.3 million as dividends from Safco, however fell 0.3 percent in late selling.

“There is no reason to think Saudi markets may correct unless there is some big negative news coming,” said Youssef Kassantini, an independent analyst.

The Saudi index, on its longest rally for more than one year, gained 0.1 percent. It had touched a 17-week high on Saturday.

Kuwait’s index gained for a second consecutive day after Credit Suisse upgraded the Gulf state’s stocks.

Zain rose 1.6 percent on reports that the telecoms firm and India’s Bharti Airtel are expected to sign a letter of intent for a $9 billion African assets deal this week.

Qatar’s index traded up, helped by a surge in Barwa Real Estate shares which rallied 3.2 percent. Barwa has climbed after saying last week it was in talks to sell Barwa Financial district to Qatar Petroleum.

“We believe Qatar stocks are quality stocks and are trading at a PE of 12, which is cheap compared to most of the region, but the Gulf isn’t a great story at the moment and so Qatar is likely to remain range-bound,” says Keith Edwards, head of asset management at Doha-based The First Investor.

Oman’s index, which hit a 15-month high on Thursday on foreign buying, edged up 0.04 percent, backed by a 2.4 percent rally in Raysut Cement which announced its dividend. “Healthy dividend announcements have strengthened investor sentiments in the market,” Ajeev Gopinath, assistant vice president, asset

management at Gulf Baader Capital Markets said.

However, UAE markets slipped as investors remained on the sidelines awaiting more clarity on Dubai’s debt issues. Dubai’s index dropped 0.1 percent after gaining earlier in the day while Abu Dhabi’s index fell 0.4 percent, weighed down by Emirates Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) which fell 1.3 percent.

“There are lots of question marks that remain (about Dubai’s debt),” said Chamel Fahmy, regional sales trader at Beltone Financial. Volumes remained light in Abu Dhabi and hit a low since November in Dubai.

HIGHLIGHTS SAUDI ARABIA The index added 0.1 percent to 6,479 points.

KUWAIT The index rose 0.3 percent to 7,419 points.

DUBAI The index fell 0.1 percent to 1,624 points.

ABU DHABI The benchmark dropped 0.4 percent to 2,755 points.

EGYPT The index fell 2.2 percent to 6,708 points.

OMAN The index inched up 0.04 percent to 6,798 points.

QATAR The measure rose 0.5 percent to 6,950 points.

BAHRAIN The index rose 0.5 percent to 1,513 points. —Reuters

BUSINESS

Monday, February 22, 2010

25

Reports: Japan govt to review car recall system TOKYO: Japan’s transport ministry may review and improve its car recall system, reports said yesterday, as Toyota Motor Corp battles accusations it may have delayed acting on drivers’ complaints.

The step reflects deepening concerns in Japan over Toyota’s recalls of more than 8 million vehicles, most of them in overseas markets.

Transport Minister Seiji Maehara told Japanese lawmakers Friday that he hopes to try to improve his agency’s recall system to respond better to consumer interests, Kyodo News agency reported.

“We will consider reviewing the recall system to make it more familiar to users,” Maehara told a lower house committee.

The agency may require automakers to move more quickly to fix defects and may expand the types of problems subject to reporting requirements, according to the reports, which also included one in the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper. The reports cited unnamed ministry officials. Calls to the ministry rang unanswered yesterday.

Toyota’s president, Akio Toyoda, is to appear Wednesday before the US House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Its chairman, Rep. Edolphus Towns, a Democrat from New York, virtually compelled Toyoda to attend last week after issuing a formal invitation for him to testify.

Toyota has not given any details of

Toyoda’s travel plans, though the Japanese newspapers Yomiuri Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun reported he left Japan over the weekend. Maehara and other Japanese officials have applauded Toyoda’s decision to attend the hearing and voiced their support, saying he should use the opportunity to reassure customers angered by recalls over sticking gas pedals, accelerators jamming in floor mats and momentarily unresponsive brakes.

US safety regulators are also investigating complaints about power steering in the Corolla, Toyota’s top-selling model worldwide, with 1.3 million sold last year.

The estimated 500,000 Corollas in question in the US market are not made or sold in Japan.

As Toyota wallows in its recall mess, there has been relatively little talk here about how and why its famously impeccable quality control regime failed - and why mainly in overseas markets.

But a review by the transport ministry could focus on such issues inside Japan, where the company has recalled about 223,000 Prius hybrid cars for braking problems. The number of complaints over quality and safety issues in the US has dwarfed those in Japan, largely because the millions of Toyota vehicles subject to recalls were made with parts not used in models made and sold in Japan. The recalls crisis has raised doubts over the Japanese automaker’s sterling reputation,

earned over decades of striving to win over American and European drivers.

Even Toyoda, grandson of the company’s founder, has publicly lamented the difficulties of keeping a grip on quality in an era of outsourcing and global expansion. “We so aggressively pursued numbers that we were unable to keep up with training staff to oversee quality,” he told reporters at a news conference in Tokyo last week.

Toyoda has promised an outside review of company operations, better responses to customer complaints and improved communication with U.S. federal officials.

Japan, where the customer is said to be “king,” has had plenty of product quality crises — some of the most notorious involving automobiles. And the transport ministry, similar to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States, does keep public records of recalls and drivers’ complaints. But Japanese citizens tend to be less assertive, partly because the legal system and other government institutions are more likely to side with manufacturers than with consumers. Back home, Toyota’s travails are drawing attention, but not the sort of outraged criticism seen in the US. “Americans are whinier. But it’s also that most Japanese are aware that, at the end of the day, the consumer hasn’t come out satisfied and mollified and compensated,” says Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University in Tokyo.

FAIRFAX: A 2009 Toyota Corolla wheel and dashboard is seen February 18, 2010 in Fairfax, Virginia. Toyota faces a new US probe into complaints of steering problems with the Corolla .— AFP

Still, if the problems expand back in its home market, Toyota is bound to face some high-stakes questions here, too.

Japan’s biggest recent auto quality case involved Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and its truck unit, which were mired in a scandal that first surfaced in 2000 over systematic hiding of defects for decades. The automaker recalled millions of vehicles — some models repeatedly for multiple problems.

Although the manufacturer has promised the cover-ups will never happen again, it acknowledged in 2004 that it didn’t come totally clean in 2000. Two former Mitsubishi Motors employees were convicted of professional negligence in a 2002 accident in which a housewife was killed and her two young sons injured when a wheel flew off the axle of a Mitsubishi truck. Parts that connected the wheel to the truck were among the defects requiring recalls, which also included braking systems.

A former Mitsubishi Motors president, Katsuhiko Kawasoe, was convicted of the same crime in a separate 2002 accident in which a driver died when the brakes of his Mitsubishi vehicle failed.

“Many automakers viewed Mitsubishi’s problem as a wakeup call.

Before, the problems were not handled so vigorously,” said Christopher Richter, an auto analyst at CLSA Asia Pacific Markets in Tokyo. “Mitsubishi Motors never recovered from that,” he said. — AP

Speculation rife on monetary tightening

Fed chief to throw light on monetary policy after hike WASHINGTON: US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke is expected to shed light this week on the central bank’s sudden decision to hike an emergency bank-lending rate, triggering speculation on monetary tightening. Bernanke

HONG KONG: Police searched the offices and three homes of of Li, the chairman of PCCW and the son of Hong Kong’s richest man Li Ka-shing. — AFP

Hong Kong police probe takeover bid for PCCW HONG KONG: Hong Kong police are probing tycoon Richard Li over his failed bid to buy out telecommunications giant PCCW, a legal source and press reports said yesterday.

Investigators last week raided several homes and offices in a bid to collect evidence following a court ruling last year that a shareholder vote on the controversial deal was rigged, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. Police searched the offices and three homes of of Li, the chairman of PCCW and the son of Hong Kong’s richest man Li Ka-shing, local newspapers reported.

The long-running saga has gripped the financial hub as it pits one of the city’s wealthiest families against company shareholders and Hong Kong’s market watchdog the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).

PCCW, Hong Kong’s largest telecoms company, declined to comment. “We do not comment on market rumors, and we do not comment on (their) accuracy or otherwise,” spokeswoman Anita Choi told AFP. Li’s lawyer Martin Rogers

Chairman Richard Li told the South China Morning Post that he did not believe Li was “the target of any investigation” but had pledged to “cooperate fully with any investigation.”

Police and the SFC also declined comment. Li had sought to buy out PCCW through his investment vehicle Pacific Century Regional Developments (PCRD) and with his partner China Unicom, and offered shareholders 4.50 Hong Kong dollars (60 US cents) per share.

But the bid was fiercely opposed by a group of minority shareholders who had seen the value of their shares plummet from more than $100 at the height of the tech-stock boom in 2000. The offer was accepted following a shareholder vote in February last year. But the SFC immediately sought a judgment on its

legality, claiming it had been manipulated. The vote was upheld by the High Court in April last year but the SFC lodged an appeal and won. Li later announced that the takeover plan was scrapped.

The judges in the SFC appeal ruled that the vote was unfair as agents at Fortis Insurance Company (Asia), a Hong Kong insurer formerly controlled by Li’s investment vehicle, were given stocks in return for their approval of the takeover. Li Ka-shing, the 81year-old head of conglomerate Cheung Kong Holdings, remains the financial hub’s richest person with a $21.3 billion fortune, according to the annual list compiled by Forbes business magazine.

Forbes in November ranked Li as the 16th wealthiest person in the world when his net worth was $16.2 billion.

Li had fared particularly well from Hong Kong’s soaring property prices.

He was the only one of the city’s tycoons to make the top 25 world ranking list in November, which placed Microsoft founder Bill Gates as the globe’s richest person with a $40 billion fortune.

Li’s son Richard was in 26th on the Hong Kong list with $1.3 billion. — AFP

Singapore’s economic growth seen up to 6.5% KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore raised its economic growth expectations to 6.5 percent after deciding to buy most of its exports to avoid falling into recession, Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry said.

Expectations were upgraded to 4.5-6.5 percent after being at 3-5 percent, a statement by the ministry said, adding that the two percent growth scored in the final quarter of 2009 is to account for the upgrade. It is still unclear whether the growth will be sustained, as reports are pointing to a drop in recovery in the US, Europe, and Japan, it said, and noted that credit risk might jeopardize Europe’s growth. The statement said that in contrast with countries such as the

US, Europe and Japan, the growth in Asian countries was quiet vigorous.

Singapore fell into recession in the third quarter of 2008 as the world economy collapsed due to the financial crisis and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. announced bankruptcy.

It was expected back then that Singapore will witness it worst economic downturn in 40 years, yet the recovery came in November and that was when the country announced terminating corrective action. Back in 2001, Singapore encounter the largest correction action since independence in 1965, after the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) plummeted 2.4 percent. — KUNA

The Fed’s increase Friday of the discount rate, the interest it charges on emergency loans to banks, rattled stock markets.

Investors feared the central bank might be moving faster than anticipated to withdraw critical support measures for the US economy, as it recovered from a brutal recession.

It was the first major action by the Fed to remove some of the unprecedented monetary easing measures; and also the first tinkering of interest rates by a central bank from the Group of Seven industrialized nations after emerging from recession, analysts said.

The markets were particularly concerned that the central bank was setting the stage for tightening the more significant federal funds rate, the benchmark interest rate that banks charge each other for loans now at virtually zero percent.

“Hopefully, chairman Ben Bernanke’s testimony to Congress (this) week will shed some important new light on the Fed’s policy intentions,” said Brian Bethune, chief US financial economist of IHS Global Insight. “It is indeed puzzling as to why the Fed made this move and announcement out of cycle with its meeting dates for 2010,” he said.

Although many had expected the Fed to raise the discount rate, considering the waning interest from banks for the short-term loan facility, the timing caught many by surprise, especially coming well ahead of the central bank’s March 16 policy meeting.

If the Fed was laying the groundwork for dismantling the easy money policy critical to accelerating the US recovery, it appeared premature, analysts said.

The US economy expanded by a strong 5.7 percent in the final 2009 quarter after 2.2 percent growth in the preceding quarter, but unemployment near double digits is expected to persist for some time in the face of lagging job growth.

In addition, the latest consumer price data for January showed tame inflation, underscoring weak demand and still-fragile recovery from a recession that began in December 2007 and has cost more than seven million jobs.

“In some ways the timing of the Fed move is peculiar since growth is not exactly building in a clear way,” said Robert Brusca, chief economist at FAO Economics. The economy “has been so weak for so long that if there is backsliding the possibility that economic weakness turns to financial catastrophe again is quite high,” he said.

Bernanke is likely to sound “cautiously upbeat on growth and inflation” in his congressional testimony and focus on the “exit” strategy for the radical measures introduced to haul the world’s largest economy from recession, said Fabio Fois, an economist at Barclays Capital. — AFP

is scheduled to appear before the financial committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday and the Senate banking panel the next day, where his testimony will be closly scrutinized by jittery markets.

HONG KONG: A woman walks past a share price board displaying the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong shares fell 2.59 percent, after the US Federal Reserve increased the interest it charges banks for emergency loans, prompting fears of faster-than-expected tightening. — AFP

Toyota to face US Congress crucible NEW YORK: The US Congress this week takes aim at Toyota’s safety woes, an election-year probe tempered by worries over the 172,000 jobs the Japanese auto giant says are tied to its US operations.

Already, elected officials in states where the world’s number one carmaker is an economic heavyweight have warned against a “rush to judgment” while underlining that consumer safety is their top priority.

Toyota, in a multi-billiondollar blow, has recalled nearly nine million vehicles worldwide following a series of complaints and a slew of lawsuits claiming vehicle flaws were linked to 30 deaths across the United States. Key US congressional committees plan to explore what the company knew, and when, as well as the response from US regulators, in hearings expected to feature tough questions for embattled Toyota president Akio Toyoda.

But with sky-high US unemployment and November mid-term elections not far off, lawmakers and governors have tried to strike a balance between safety concerns and

the sour US jobs picture.

For Democratic Representative Charles Gonzalez, who has constituents employed by a Toyota plant just outside his Texas district, the firm is “a model corporation” but does not deserve special treatment.

“I will tell you now, I wish I had a lot more of them in or near my district providing these kinds of quality jobs to my constituents. But that really becomes irrelevant,” he told AFP in a telephone interview.

Gonzalez, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the panel will ask tough questions Tuesday when it hears from James Lentz, who heads Toyota’s US operations, and David Strickland, the head of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“We’ve got a responsibility to everybody in this country, and that’s the bottom line,” said Gonzalez. “These are serious allegations. Let’s be responsible and thorough.”

On Wednesday, Toyoda is expected to face a grilling by the House Oversight and

Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp president Akio Toyoda listens to questions from reporters at the company’s Nagoya office, in Aichi Prefecture. — AFP Government Reform Committee at a hearing entitled “Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public At Risk?”

The panel’s members are likely to focus on the auto giant’s sluggish response to safety issues with its accelerators, which appeared in 2007 or perhaps earlier, and failure to disclose them publicly.

Committee members could also criticize the NHTSA for what critics have called a slow response by the agency charged with protecting US consumers.

It was unclear how much Toyota’s sizeable US presence, which the company says accounts directly for 33,400 jobs, could cushion the blow.

The governors of Mississippi, Kentucky, Indiana,

Alabama and Texas-where some of Toyota’s 14 US plants are located-have warned that the US government has a “conflict of interest,” citing Washington’s ownership of 60 percent of General Motors and eight percent of Chrysler.

The governors pointed to “good-paying jobs” and emphasized that Toyota “has not laid off a single employee” despite the recall’s impact on sales, which were down 15 percent in January against the same period one year ago.

Facing rising inventory, Toyota has planned to idle a manufacturing plant in Kentucky for one to four days through April, and halt work at a Texas plant for two weeks between now and midApril. — AFP

26

BUSINESS

Monday, February 22, 2010

Diamond-rich Botswana’s economy loses sparkle

Earth Observatory published a satellite image of the Jwaneng Diamond Mine, located in south-central Botswana. It shows the deep concentric geometry of the mine, adjacent settling ponds and a nearby community where many of the miners live.

GABORONE: Botswana for years was hailed as an economic success story, but the collapse in demand for the country’s diamonds has hit revenues hard and raised questions about an ambitious spending scheme.

Botswana produces 22 percent of the world’s diamonds, making it the top producer and accounting for half of government revenue. The country prides itself as a model of a successful African democracy. But in 2009, Botswana halved output and suspended much of its diamond activities as the global economic crisis hit its mines. High-end tourism, Botswana’s other economic mainstay, also took a hit as arrivals fell sharply during the recession.

Highlighting the nation’s difficulties, Standard and Poor’s rating agency on Monday downgraded Botswana’s sovereign credit ratings from A to A-, citing concerns over the country’s spending plans at a time of falling revenues.

“We expect this deterioration of pub-

lic finances to translate into higher debt accumulation than we previously expected, and the gradual dissipation of the country’s asset buffers,” said S&P credit analyst Veronique Paillat-Chayrigues.

“We believe that Botswana needs these buffers more than many similarlyrated peers to offset its economic and fiscal dependence on commodity exports, in particular diamonds, combined with its substantial development needs.”

For two consecutive years, the government has presented budget deficits due to limited funds and growing public expenditure, with this year’s deficit the largest yet.

Finance Minister Kenneth Mathambo said in this year’s budget that Botswana will run a 12 billion pula ($1.7 billion, 1.3 billion euros) deficit, representing 12.2 percent of gross domestic product.

The shortfall will be financed by drawing on the government’s cash reserves, accumulated in surplus years, and by borrowing largely on the domestic capital

market, he said in the budget.

The value added tax will also rise from 10 to 12 percent, while public servants’ salaries were frozen for a second year in a row. Independent economist Keith Jefferis, based in Gaborone, said the downgrade was no surprise, based on the growing deficit projections.

“The original credit ratings from S&P and Moody’s were based upon government’s large savings and the strength of the public sector balance sheet,” he said.

“This position has been weakened as a result of the global recession, reduced revenues, continued very high levels of public spending and large deficits,” he said. Government expenditure normally is largely on education, health, and poverty alleviation, in a nation where unemployment stands at 20 percent.

This year nearly one third of the government’s 39 billion pula budget is for infrastructure projects to expand electricity and water supplies, which the authorities believe are needed to serve

the growing private sector.

The infrastructure spending is equivalent to the size of the entire deficit, but government insists that it’s money that needs to spent to help encourage new industries and diversify the country’s economy away from diamonds. Botswana is trying to foster an offshore financial services sector in a bid to become an investment hub in the region and facilitate trade.

The country has also offered incentives for manufacturing firms to set up shop, but is struggling to emerge from the shadow of regional economic giant South Africa.

Government spokesman Jeff Ramsay said Botswana is in the process of cutting back severely on its spending while looking for new sources of revenue.

“We have no choice but to carefully engage in a balancing act to ensure stability. In this respect we appreciate S&P’s perspectives, both positive and cautionary,” he said. — AFP

Dhaka share index jumps 30% since January

Bangladesh stock frenzy raises fear of new crash DHAKA: In a run-down office in downtown Dhaka, excited investor Mizanur Rahman has just spent his life savings of 3,000 dollars on shares despite knowing nothing about market fundamentals.

Everyone in this unofficial trading room, one of hundreds across the country, is glued to a screen showing share price movements on the Dhaka Stock Exchange-up nearly 30 percent since January.

“My friends make hefty profits investing in stocks and told me I could make 20,000 per month by investing 200,000 taka ($3,000),” said Rahman, a 30-year-old electrician who returned from working in Singapore last week.

“Some people have said the market could crash any time, but I’ve been hearing about this for years. In reality, it’s going up and up,” he said.

Rahman is one of 143,000 people who opened electronic share accounts country-wide in the first two weeks of February. The figure has officials predicting this month will break the previous record, set in October 2007, of 191,000 new accounts. But like the majority of Bangladesh’s new part-time traders, Rahman has no idea what the bourse’s largest listing or best performers are, what the quarterly or annual profits of key firms are, or whether a stock is overpriced. Officials say such blind enthusiasm by retail investors has fuelled a dangerous uptrend at Bangladesh’s main bourse-the general index hit a record high of 5828.38 points this week, up 28.5 percent since the start of the year.

DHAKA: Bangladeshi pedestrians walk past the front of the Bangladesh Stock Exchange in Dhaka. The rundown office in downtown Dhaka is packed with excited investors like Mizanur Rahman, who has just spent his life savings of $3000 on shares, despite knowing nothing about market fundamentals. — AFP This year record-breaking highs have become a daily occurrence on the Dhaka Stock Exchange as investors overlook a series of curbs and warnings by regulators, who are concerned a crash could wipe out savings. “The market is dangerously overheated with the daily infusions of liquidity by new retail investors who have barely any idea about the fundamentals of the market,” the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) executive director, Anwarul Kabir Bhuiyan said.

“We could see a massive correction anytime.” He said

the SEC had restricted borrowing to fund trading of shares in scores of companies, placed many stocks on watch and dished out repeated warnings.

“What can we do if people don’t heed our warnings?

We’ve even received threatening phone calls telling us not to act against this bull run,” Bhuiyan said.

In November 1996, wild speculation and lax regulations sent Dhaka stocks soaring to 3,600 points before a crash took them to 700 points, wiping out thousands of families’ savings and slowing economic growth the following year. On

Thursday, in response to recent surges in the price of shares for two key listed companies, including Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus’s Grameenphone Ltd., the SEC placed restrictions on both, effective from Monday.

The move saw share prices for Grameenphone drop around 6.0 percent by close Thursday, but experts say the new curbs will not halt the bull run.

“The market is going up and up, defying all logic-this is driven entirely by rumour,” said Reaz Ahmed of LR Global, a New York-based fund manager.

“Real economic growth has

slowed down and the fundamentals of the economy are not that strong,” he said, adding that the market was “heavily overvalued” and that he expected a 20-percent correction to come at any time.

Bangladesh’s economy is projected to grow 5.5 percent in the year ending June 2010 — its worst performance in eight years. Exports, the main lever of growth, declined by six percent in the first six months to December.

Inflation has reached seven percent, with food inflation believed to be significantly higher.

Cash from remittancessome 10.5 billion dollars last year-and a government amnesty which allows untaxed cash, often from bribes, to be invested in the bourse have fuelled the bubble, said AIMS fund manager Yawar Sayeed.

“New investors are being bused in by brokers from rural towns to feed the frenzy,” he said.

“A massive correction has become long overdue. There is a very strong chance we’ll have a crash, and if this happens it will destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and the scale of devastation will be worse than 1996.”

The legacy of that crash lives on for Khairul Alam, a 40year-old government clerk who invested his father’s entire pension of one million taka into stocks, only to see it vanish within a month. “My father never got over it. I had to work two jobs a day, from morning to midnight to support our family of eight people. My only sin is that I advised my father to buy stocks,” he said. — AFP

Foster’s urges Australia vine clearing to counter wine glut SYDNEY: Australian drinks giant Foster’s yesterday warned one quarter of the nation’s grape vines needed to be pulled up to reverse a damaging wine glut forcing growers to let their fruit wither on the vine.

Chief executive Ian Johnston said global wine growers were experiencing a “very painful period” due to the global economic downturn, and a significant amount of Australia’s vineyards needed to be pulled up.

“The commonly held number is somewhere around 30,000 to 40,000 hectares, about a quarter of what is planted,” Johnston told ABC television’s Inside Business program. Foster’s last week reported a 13.5 percent plunge in first-half profits to $356 million, with its wine business hammered by the double whammy of slowing demand and oversupply.

With cash-strapped consumers opting to drink at home, wine slated for sale at restaurants is flowing back to grocery markets at discounted prices, compounding the oversupply problem, Johnston said. “That is a big issue for the industry and we can’t see a shortterm solution”. Australia’s leading wine industry body last month warned the country needed to reduce its vineyards by 20 percent to counter the glut, which, coupled

MELBOURNE: Foster’s chief executive, Ian Johnston speaks to the media at a briefing where he revealed Foster’s first-half net profit after tax has come in at $316.4 million, down almost 14 per cent from the same time a year earlier, in Melbourne. — AFP with a strong local dollar, had left growers facing the worst crisis in decades.

The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia said the glut, which is estimated to exceed 100 million cases, would take years to reverse, with the amount of unwanted wine to more than double within three

years unless production was halted.

Johnston said Foster’s had reduced its plantings and was implementing a firesale of nonessential vineyards, wineries and other assets to focus on key brands “for when the economy improves and brings people back into the restaurants”. Australia’s biggest

brewer and the world’s secondlargest wine company, Foster’s had received no direct takeover approaches for either its wine or beer business, Johnston said.

It owns seven of the top 10 biggest beer brands in Australia and three of the five fastest-growing brands, Johnston said, adding

that “on the wine side, we have a portfolio of brands that’s the envy of most wine companies in the world.”

Australia’s wine exports amount to some 2.8 billion dollars ($2.5 billion) each year, with the United States and Britain the dominant markets. — AFP

Chrysler managed to pull off an impressive surprise at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show with their concept 200C hybrid. — MCT

Chrysler plans to expand operations in Toledo Hundreds of new jobs possible Top officials with the state of Ohio and the United Auto Workers have confirmed that Chrysler Group LLC is in discussions to expand its operations in Toledo, perhaps adding hundreds-if not more than a thousand-of new jobs.

Although details of what the automaker is asking for or what it wants to do are still unknown, local officials acknowledge on background that it could mean up to two additional shifts of workers at Chrysler’s Toledo Assembly complex.

With just over 220 workers currently laid off from the complex, such a move could mean as many as 1,700 new workers could be hired-most at about $14 an hour.

“I’m speculating. I can’t give you any definite information,” Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland told The Blade last week. “I am convinced that Toledo’s going to have good news going forward.

I just really am.”

Asked if Chrysler is seeking special incentives from the state to advance its plans, the governor said Ohio is doing all it can to work with the automaker.

“We’re talking and we want to be as responsible as we can possibly be,” Strickland said. “I don’t know of anything the company has asked of us that ...

I know of no outstanding requests.” Ken Lortz, the UAW’s regional director for Ohio, said Chrysler has been planning for months to expand its operations in Toledo, but the decision has been delayed several times. “We were really hopeful for some really good news before the end of the year, and in my heart, I know there’s ... big news on the horizon,” Mr. Lortz said.

Jodi Tinson, a spokesman for Chrysler, said the automaker had no comment. Any expansion of Chrysler’s Toledo operations would be likely to involve its Toledo North Assembly Plant, where the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro sport utility vehicles are made. The plant, which employs about 950 hourly workers on one shift, is one of Chrysler’s most flexible manufacturing facilities and makes so-called “unibody” vehicles.

The adjacent plant, where the Jeep Wrangler is assembled, employs about 1,300 peo-

ple on two shifts. The Wrangler is made in a manner that precludes building it on the same line as a unibody vehicle such as the Liberty. UAW Local 12 President Bruce Baumhower said he could not comment “at this time” on the governor’s statements. However, Dan Henneman, the UAW’s Jeep Unit chairman, said local members are eager for Chrysler to invest further in its Toledo operations.

“We’ve been patiently waiting, hoping for good news,” Henneman said. Chrysler detailed its business plan for the next five years in November, discussing the vehicles it wanted to produce and how it wanted to produce them.

During that seven-hour presentation, Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne said the key to the company’s vehicle plan was the use of a common architecture to underpin several automobiles, including cars, SUVs, crossovers, and pickups.

Under such an arrangement, analysts say, a single, flexible plant-say, Toledo North-could simultaneously manufacture several types of vehicles, such as an SUV, a car or two, and even a small pickup on the same line. Output could be adjusted to make products that are selling well and limit production of vehicles in reduced demand.

“I would say it’s really going to be hopping in Toledo,” said Haig Stoddard, an automotive industry analyst for IHS Global Insight in suburban Detroit. “It does make sense for them to build stuff there.

“We know Fiat for sure is going to keep the Jeep brand going, and Toledo North is already entrenched as the Liberty plant. And since it’s going to be on the same platform as a lot of other vehicles, it makes sense that they would make that the central hub for all those vehicles.” Marchionne and other top Chrysler officials have said two other things that bode well for Toledo. The company said the next Jeep Libertydue to be produced for the 2013 model year-is to share the platform that will underpin at least seven products in the most popular vehicle segments in the United States: midsized cars, crossovers, and SUVs.

And Mr. Marchionne-who also is head of Fiat SpA, which took a controlling share in Chrysler in June-has said the company is committed to the belief that the best way to make money is to have fewer plants that operate around the clock, rather than more assembly plants with just one or two shifts each.

Mr. Stoddard said the Toledo plant is more flexible than other Chrysler plants, and if the automaker is forced to shed another assembly plant, it won’t be in Toledo. “You could really argue that they could close another plant eventually, and it’s not going to be the Toledo North plant,” he said.

Newly elected Toledo Mayor Mike Bell said he has not been personally involved in any discussions with Chrysler about its Toledo operations but said the city would do whatever was needed to make it happen.

“It’s still in their ballpark,” he said. “Because of the need for increasing the economic growth of this area, we’ll do whatever we need to do to make sure that whatever they want to bring here is successful.” Local economic development officials declined last week to confirm that discussions with Chrysler are ongoing.

However, Steve Weathers, chairman of the Regional Growth Partnership, said he believes from his experience with other companies that Chrysler could be moving to consolidate manufacturing operations it has elsewhere in Toledo because of the city’s facilities and work force.

“I would think Toledo would have an excellent opportunity to become a much larger plant because of what they have,” he said. “I actually could see an expansion of operations here in the expansion of the plant and new jobs being created.” The UAW’s Mr. Lortz said patience and persistence could pay off for the state and the city in any expansion discussions with Chrysler, but ultimately, he believes an announcement will come. “The Jeep work force has proven themselves worthy several times over the years, and that has resulted in product placement over the years in Toledo. I’m optimistic that trend will continue.” — MCT

TECHNOLOGY

Monday, February 22, 2010

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Chinese schools deny link to Google attack SHANGHAI: A prestigious Chinese university and a lesser-known vocational school have denied a report they were the source of recent cyber attacks on Internet giant Google and other US corporations, Xinhua news agency said yesterday.

A representative of Shanghai Jiaotong University, considered one of China’s best, said the allegations in a New York Times report were baseless and even if

the school’s computers appeared to be involved, it did not mean the hackers were based there.

“We were shocked and indignant to hear these baseless allegations which may harm the university’s reputation,” Xinhua quoted the unnamed Jiaotong University spokesperson saying.

“The report of the New York Times was based simply on an IP address. Given

the highly developed network technology today, such a report is neither objective nor balanced.”

The Communist party boss at Lanxiang Vocational School, the other institution fingered in the report, also denied any role.

“Investigation in the staff found no trace the attacks originated from our school,” Li Zixiang, party chief at the

school in coastal Shandong Province, was quoted as saying.

The New York Times said Lanxiang was established with support from the Chinese military and has trained computer scientists who later joined the military, but Li said there was no relationship with the military, Xinhua reported.

He also disputed the statement that investigators suspected a link to a com-

puter science class taught by a Ukrainian professor.

“There is no Ukrainian teacher in the school and we have never employed any foreign staff,” Li told Xinhua. “The report was unfounded. Please show the evidence.”

Lanxiang, founded in 1984, has about 20,000 students learning vocational skills such as cooking, auto repair and hair-

dressing.

Google announced in January that it had faced a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” in mid-December, allegedly from inside China, and declared that it was no longer willing to censor search results in the country as required by Beijing.

The attacks have been a source of friction in Sino-US relations at an already tense time. — Reuters

Mobiles become pocket banks in poor countries

TOKYO: An employee of Japanese electronics manufacturer Toshiba displays a prototype model of a headset used to analyze a person’s brain waves which connects to a computer using bluetooth wireless communication at a symposium of Continua health-care devices and communication alliance in Tokyo. Toshiba plans to spend almost nine billion dollars to build a new factory producing memory chips for mobile telephones, cameras and other electronics, a report said. — AFP

Make life a game and save the world LONG BEACH: Game designer Jane McGonigal is adamant that epic wins can save the world.

Epic wins are videogame moments when players unflinchingly take on horrendous enemies for a greater good, and usually a mountain of experience points that let them “level-up” characters with improved abilities.

“A goal for the next decade is to make it as easy to save the world in real life as it is to save the world in online games,” McGonigal told a rapt audience at a prestigious TED Conference that ends here Saturday. Approximately three billion hours are devoted weekly to playing videogames online.

The veteran game designer argued that the amount of play time must be bumped up to 21 billion hours weekly to solve global ills such as hunger, poverty, and climate change.

“I’m serious,” McGonigal said in a playful presentation.

“In the game world we become the best version of ourselves.

We feel we are not as good in reality as we are in games.”

If life better reflected games,

people would be quickly entrusted with world-saving missions compatible with their talents and there would be “tons of collaborators” ready to help along the way.

And, there would be plenty of positive feedback-leveling up to keep people inspired.

That is the way it is in “World of Warcraft,” the leading online role-playing game where players have already spent the equivalent of 5.93 million years solving problems and vanquishing evil in that virtual realm.

If life were crafted more like a game, that passion and persistence could be unleashed on real problems, according to McGonigal.

Studies cited indicated that it is not unusual for game-loving US youths to each log 10,000 hours playing online by the time they reach the age of 21. That equates to the amount of time spent in public school.

“We have a parallel track of education,” McGonigal said.”We are teaching urgent optimism’ the desire to act immediately to tackle any obstacle with the belief in success-gamers always

think they can win.”

McGonigal and the World Bank Institute in March will launch an online Evoke game at urgentevoke.com that challenges players to complete 10 quests in as many weeks, with the missions tied to ills facing the planet.

Winners will get to claim World Bank social innovator titles and top players will earn scholarships and mentor programs.

“Gamers are super-empowered, hopeful individuals,” McGonigal said. “We are using games today to escape real world suffering, everything that is broken in the real environment, but it doesn’t have to end there.” Her prior game creations include “World Without Oil” which challenges players to thrive in that scenario, and “Superstruct” that calls on players to re-shape society to survive threats to life on the planet.

“We have to start making the real world more like a game,” McGonigal said. “We want to imagine epic wins and give people the means to create epic wins.” — AFP

Facebook glitches NEW YORK: Facebook users have been complaining about problems at the social media site.

Users in the US and other countries reported problems beginning Saturday morning. Some could not log in, and the site was unusually slow and glitchy for others. Users in London, Bangkok and Mexico City reported problems.

Many used Twitter to complain.

Facebook spokesman Matt Hicks said the company is working to restore access as quickly as possible. Without giving a specific number, he

said it was a “small percentage of users” who had problems accessing Facebook, their friends’ profiles or specific site features because of an isolated server problem.

Facebook, which has more than 400 million users, has generally avoided such hiccups.

Twitter has had bigger problems. Last August, hackers shut down the short messaging service for several hours. Facebook also experienced problems, but it was never shut down completely. — AP

BARCELONA: A 3GBox, modem 3G HSPA by Telefonica is displayed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. — AFP

BARCELONA: An Afghan police officer gets his salary in a text message on his mobile phone. A Kenyan worker dials a few numbers to send money to his family.

The rise of banking transactions through mobile phones is giving a whole new meaning to pocket money in parts of the developing world that lack banks or cash machines.

Mobile money applications are emerging as potent financial tools in rural and remote areas of the globe, allowing people with no bank accounts to get paid, send remittances or settle their bills.

“One billion consumers in the world have a mobile phone but no access to a bank account,” said Gavin Krugel, the director of mobile banking strategy at GSM Association, an industry group of 800 wireless operators.

“We see it as very big opportunity,” he said this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the industry’s annual four-day event that ended on Thursday.

Mobile banking began to emerge six years ago in the Philippines and South Africa, where 8.5 million and 4.5 million people, respectively, use such services.

Today, 40 million people worldwide use mobile money, and the industry is growing, according to the GSMA. “Africa and Asia are the most active regions right now,” Krugel said. “We expect Latin America pick up this year.”

There are 18,000 new mobile banking users per day in Uganda, 15,000 in Tanzania and 11,000 in Kenya, he said.

Mobile phones can offer a wide range of banking solutions, from sending transfers to a relative to buying goods in a store or putting money aside for a rainy day-all by dialing a few numbers on one’s handset.

Mobile banking can also make life easier for people in parts of Africa where paying a simple bill can be time-consuming, said Reg Swart, regional executive of Fundamo, a company that makes banking applications.

“It takes one day to pay one bill. You have to physically go to the bank, then you must queue, a long queue,” he said.

In Afghanistan, the national police has been testing a service from mobile operator Roshan to pay its officers-a system that helps to limit corruption, the company said.

“We are currently moving from a trial to a full launch in paying the Afghan national police,” said Roshan’s head of mobile commerce, Zahir Jhoja.

Every month, police officers receive a text message in the language they prefer informing them they have received their salaries, Jhoja said.

A voice message is also left on the phone “because a lot of them are illiterate and cannot read,” he said.

The officer can then go get his money from an authorised Roshan agent.

“The benefit is that police and police officers don’t have to carry cash anymore: from their post they are able to send their money home, buy items, and take whatever cash they want from an agent, or to store for future,” he said.

The system has helped officers who were not receiving their full salaries due to “corruption and skimming.

“The police officers who received the money electronically were very surprised to learn that they earn so much money. When they were getting cash they were receiving 25 to 30 percent less,” Johja said. —AFP

Over 40 million people worldwide use mobile money

BARCELONA: The new mobile phone “Legend” by HTC. — AFP

technology briefs iPhone apps Apple has begun removing risque iPhone and iPod Touch applications from its online App Store, including some which had previously been approved for sale, according to reports yesterday.

Technology blog TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal said the new policy towards adult-themed contents had resulted, for example, in the deletion of applications featuring bikini models.

TechCrunch said Apple had begun notifying application developers earlier this week that apps with “overtly sexual content” were being removed. “If we find these apps contain inappropriate material, we remove them and request the developer make any necessary changes in order to be distributed by Apple,” the Journal quoted an Apple statement as saying. The Journal said the move appeared to be part of an effort by Apple to clean up the App Store ahead of the shipping late next month of its new iPad tablet computer.

The newspaper said the App Store, which offers more than 140,000 programs, will be an important part of the marketing of the iPad, which Apple intends to promote as a device for families and schools.

US, Germany sign tech pact The United States and Germany signed their first science and technology agreement, the State Department announced recently. “This bilateral

umbrella science and technology agreement will facilitate the initiation and implementation of future activities between German and American scientists by providing an overall framework for cooperation,” said the State Department in a statement. “The agreement will also serve as a mechanism to address any obstacles to cooperation, as well as bring various agencies and research institutes together to address cross-cutting scientific issues while providing mutual scientific, social, and economic benefits,” added the statement. US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg signed the agreement on behalf of the United States and German Minister of Education and Research Annette Schavan and German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth signed the bilateral agreement on behalf of Germany during a ceremony also attended by US Assistant Secretary Kerri-Ann Jones from the Bureau of Oceans, and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

“In addition to the bilateral agreement, the US and Germany signed two Memoranda of Understanding in the fields of energy and cancer research.

Under the two arrangements, the US and Germany will further cooperation to address global challenges in energy, food security, climate change, ocean and water sciences, and health, including the fields of stem cell research and rare diseases,” concluded the State Department.

Yahoo takeover The European Commission approved here the proposed acquisition of the internet search and advertising businesses of Yahoo! Inc. by Microsoft. The EU’s executive concluded that the concentration would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

Microsoft is active in the design, development and supply of computer software and the supply of related services on a worldwide basis. The Yahoo search business subject to the transaction encompasses the internet search and the online search advertising businesses of Yahoo, including its online search advertising. Under the agreement , Microsoft will acquire a 10year exclusive license to Yahoo’s search technologies. Microsoft will also hire Yahoo internet search and search advertising staff. Microsoft will become the exclusive internet search and search advertising provider used by Yahoo. In exchange, Microsoft will retain 12% of the search revenues generated on Yahoo’s and its partners’ websites during the first five years of the agreement, paying 88% to Yahoo as a traffic acquisition cost. In the EEA, Microsoft’s and Yahoo’s activities in internet search and online search advertising are very limited with combined market shares generally below 10%. Google, by contrast, generally enjoys market shares above 90%, said the European Commission in a statement.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

Monday, February 22, 2010

Early, aggressive therapy eyed in blocking AIDS SAN DIEGO: Aggressive, early antiviral therapy might provide a way to derail the spread of AIDS, a battle where a successful vaccine remains elusive. Called “test-and-treat,” the goal is to catch new AIDS cases early and administer therapy to reduce the amount of virus in patients’ systems in an effort to prevent them from spreading the illness.

While anti-retroviral therapy has increased in the last five years it has often been given too late in the

course of infection. By the time people start therapy they have infected most of those that they would have infected anyway, Brian Williams of the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis told the annual meeting on the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Saturday.

And the National Institutes of Health is now looking at testing the strategy in the United States. Some 40 million people are infected with

HIV/AIDS worldwide and the plague continues to spread, researchers said.

“The problem is we are using drugs to save lives, we’re not using them to prevent infection,” Williams said. Much of the spread of the infection is by people who are not yet aware they have the virus.

Even in the United States, 20 percent to 25 percent of infected people don’t know it, added Dr. Kenneth H. Mayer of Brown University. They

can be highly infectious if they engage in risky behavior, he said.

Aggressively testing people for HIV and then launching treatment with anti-retroviral drugs could set up a roadblock to the spread, Williams said. Indeed, Mayer noted that Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease recently announced a series of initiatives including studies of test-and-treat in Washington, D.C. and New York

City.

Early treatment can reduce the load of virus in the blood to one tenthousandth of what it would be otherwise. Such a drop makes the carrier just one-twenty-fifth as likely to pass on the infection, Williams said. Such a reduction could help break the cycle of infection, he said. Once treatment is started it’s a lifetime commitment, Mayer added.

The test-and-treat idea was suggested by the World Health

Organization and the programs in the Bronx and Washington are aimed at seeing if the idea can work in the real world. “NIAID already is conducting several studies designed to answer the key research questions that underpin the test-and-treat concept,” Carl Dieffenbach, director of NIAID’s Division of AIDS said in a statement.

“Through this partnership, NIAID is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to design a study to answer whether implement-

ing a combined strategy of expanding HIV testing, diagnosing infection early and bringing HIV-infected patients to medical care and treatment is feasible.” Meanwhile, Dennis R. Burton of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, told the AAAS meeting that while no successful AIDS vaccine has been developed, he remains optimistic.

Tests in monkeys have been encouraging and researchers continue their vaccine work, he said. — AP

Research finds brain link for words, music ability

CALIFORNIA: This undated NOAA handout image released on February 18, 2010 shows suction cups as they are attached to a dolphin for a hearing test and electrocardiogram as part of a veterinary examination on board the processing boat along the Georgia coast. Scientists from around the world will gather this week in California for an annual conference to discuss everything from the secret pathologies of dolphins to a count of the creatures in the seas and the 50th birthday of the laser. Up to 8,000 participants from 50 countries are expected to attend 176th annual conference of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which begins Thursday in San Diego and this year centers around the theme “bridging science and society.” — AFP

Criticizes insurers’ huge profits

White House to publish healthcare proposals today WASHINGTON: The White House will unveil its latest healthcare reform proposals yesterday ahead of a bipartisan summit that President Barack Obama hopes will advance the stalled legislation, a senior administration official said on Saturday.

Obama urged Democrats and Republicans on Saturday to find common ground at a summit he will host on Thursday to help rejuvenate efforts to overhaul the $2.5 trillion US healthcare system, one of his top domestic policy priorities.

The administration official said the White House would publish its updated proposals today but declined to outline details.

The plan is expected to combine features of two Democratic bills passed by the Senate and House of Representatives, according to congressional aides and healthcare advocates.

They are expected to reflect common ground negotiated over the past several

weeks by Democratic leaders in Congress.

Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address to take aim at health insurance companies, saying the “status quo is good for the insurance industry and bad for America.”

Democrats are struggling to push healthcare legislation over the finish line in the face of sagging public support and solid Republican opposition bolstered by recent election victories in Massachusetts, Virginia and New Jersey.

“As bad as things are today, they’ll only get worse if we fail to act. We’ll see exploding premiums and out-of-pocket costs burn through more and more family budgets,” Obama said.

Since the start of the year, Obama has sought to regain control of the healthcare debate, revive flagging enthusiasm for the overhaul among some Democratic lawmakers, and inject new momentum into the process.

Democrats have majorities in the

Senate and House but are expected to lose seats to the Republicans in the midterm congressional elections in November. The passage of a healthcare bill could boost Democrats’ election hopes.

Obama said he had invited members of the Democratic and Republican parties to the healthcare summit to share ideas on how to bring down healthcare costs, which he has repeatedly warned threaten to cripple the US economy.

“I hope they come in a spirit of good faith. I don’t want to see this meeting turn into political theater, with each side simply reciting talking points and trying to score political points,” he said.

“Instead, I ask members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that’s been with us for generations.”

Republicans, who have accused Obama of trying to push through a government take-over of the healthcare system, have said they will attend but fear

the White House is setting a trap, possibly preparing to blame them if the healthcare effort falters.

“Nearly one year ago, the president moderated a healthcare summit that kicked off a national debate that has led us to where we are today: a partisan bill devoid of support from the American people and a diminished faith in this government’s capacity to listen. Let’s not make the same mistake twice,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said.

The administration, congressional Democrats and advocacy groups have also been turning up the rhetorical heat on health insurers that in recent weeks announced huge premium increases against the backdrop of sizable profits and growing numbers of uninsured people.

Obama echoed the criticism, saying the five largest insurers had made record profits of more than $12 billion even as millions of Americans lost their coverage. — Reuters

Scientists see early warning to El Nino PARIS: Weather experts say they have a tip that could give up to 14 months’ warning before the onset of an El Nino, the weather anomaly that whacks countries around the Pacific and affects southern Africa and even Europe.

At present, scientists are unable to give little more than a few months’ notice that an El Nino is in the offing, which is often too late for farmers, fishermen and others to prepare for weather disruption. El Nino occurs every two to seven years, when the trade winds that circulate surface water in the tropical Pacific start to weaken.

A mass of warm water builds in the western Pacific and eventually rides over to the eastern

side of the ocean.

The outcome is a major shift in rainfall, bringing floods and mudslides to usually arid countries in western south America and drought in the western Pacific, as well as a change in nutrient-rich ocean currents that lure fish.

El Nino is ushered out by a cold phase, La Nina, which usually occurs the following year.

Meteorologists led by Takeshi Izumo of the Research Institute for Global Change in Yokohama, Japan, believe the world can gain a precious early warning from a similar event that occurs in the Indian Ocean. This oscillation, first identified in 1999, occurs roughly every two years. — AFP

Scientists warn of fraud of stem cell ‘banks’

YARI: A southern Sudanese man holds a Guinea worm after it was removed from the leg of a patient in the village of Yari in Central Equatoria state on February 2, 2010. The Guinea worm, also known as dracunculiasis, from the Latin for “little dragons”, is a particularly painful water-borne parasite that can leave people weakened and sick for months every year. Caught by drinking contaminated water, the worm larvae grow into wriggling creatures up to a metre in length, and mate inside the human body. — AFP

SAN DIEGO: Clinics that offer to “bank” stem cells from the umbilical cords of newborns for use later in life when illness strikes are fraudsters, a top US scientist said here Saturday.

Clinics in many countries allow parents to deposit stem cells from their neonate’s umbilical cord with a view to using the cells to cure major illnesses that could occur later in life.

In Thailand, for example, parents pay in the region of 3,600 dollars to make a deposit in a stem cell bank, thinking they are taking out a sort of health insurance for their child.

But Irving Weissman, director of the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University in California, said the wellmeaning parents were being fleeced by the stem cell bankers. “Umbilical cords contain blood-forming stem cells at a level that would maintain the blood-forming capacity of a very young child,” Weissman told reporters at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

“They could also have derived mesenchymal cells-fiberglass-like cells that have a very limited capacity to make scar, bone, fat-but they don’t make brain, they don’t make blood, they don’t make heart, they don’t make skeletal muscle, despite what various people claim,” he said.

Weissman said these “unproven stem cell therapeutic clinicians” tend to set up shop in countries with poor medical regulations, but AFP found websites for umbilical cord stem cell banks in European Union member states and in the United States.

“They do the therapies, then they let the patients go on their own, short of maybe 50150,000 dollars for a therapy that has no chancetaken away from a family that needs them when they have an incurable disease,” Weissman said.

“It is wrong.”

The International Stem Cell Society is due to issue a report in April about unproven stem cell therapies such as banking a baby’s umbilical cord blood for future use. — AFP

SAN DIEGO: Words and music, such natural partners that it seems obvious they go together. Now science is confirming that those abilities are linked in the brain, a finding that might even lead to better stroke treatments. Studies have found overlap in the brain’s processing of language and instrumental music, and new research suggests that intensive musical therapy may help improve speech in stroke patients, researchers said Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In addition, researchers said, music education can help children with developmental dyslexia or autism more accurately use speech.

People who have suffered a severe stroke on the left side of the brain and cannot speak can sometimes learn to communicate through singing, Gottfried Schlaug, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School told the meeting.

“Music making is a multisensory experience, activating links to several parts of the brain,” Schlaug said. Schlaug showed a video of one patient who could only make meaningless sounds learning to say “I am thirsty,” by singing the words, and another was able to sing “happy birthday.” “If you have someone who is nonverbal and they can say there are hungry or thirsty or ask where the bathroom is, that’s an improvement,” Schlaug said of the Melodic Intonation Therapy.

As long as a century ago there were reports of stroke victims who couldn’t talk but who could sing, he said. Now, they are doing trials to see if music can be used as a therapy.

But, he cautioned, the work is geared toward people who have had a severe stroke on the left side of the brain and the therapy can take a long time.

Nina Kraus, director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University, reported that new studies show that musical training enhances the brain’s ability to do

other things.

For example, she said, the trained brain gets better at detecting patterns in sounds, so that musicians are better at picking out the voice of a friend in a noisy restaurant. “Musical experience improves abilities important in daily life,” she said. “Playing an instrument may help youngsters better process speech in noisy classrooms and more accurately interpret the nuances of language that are conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice,” Kraus said.

When people first learn to talk and when they talk to babies they often use musical patterns in their speech, she noted.

“People’s hearing systems are fine-tuned by the experiences they’ve had with sound throughout their lives. Music training is not only beneficial for processing music stimuli. We’ve found that years of music training may also improve how sounds are processed for language and emotion,” Kraus said in prepared remarks. Kraus said “the very responses that are enhanced in musicians are deficient in clinical populations such as children with developmental dyslexia and autism.”

New studies of brain waves, she noted, mimic the patterns of sound that the individual hears.

Whether speech or instrumental music is heard, it is actually possible to record the brain’s electronic waves and play them back to hear the sound — which she demonstrated with a series of recordings. Aniruddh D. Patel of The Neurosciences Institute in San Diego said new studies show that music doesn’t involve just hot spots in the brain, but large swaths on both sides of the brain.

“Nouns and verbs are very different from tones and chords and harmony, but the parts of the brain that process them overlap,” he said.

Some scientists, among them Charles Darwin, have speculated that musical ability in humans might have developed before language, Patel said. — AP

KALAHARI DESERT: This undated photo released by the University of New South Wales on February 18, 2010 shows Dr Vanessa Hayes (L) and Professor Stephan Schuster (R) in the field in Namibia’s northern Kalahari Desert. Scientists said they had sequenced the genome of Bushmen, the longest-surviving lineage of modern humans, expanding our understanding of genetic diversity and inherited disease. Comparison of DNA provided by a Bushman elder and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu showed that Tutu is partly of Bushman heritage, they added. — AFP

Blair in Nigeria to urge fight against malaria ABUJA:- Former British prime minister Tony Blair called for concerted efforts to combat malaria in Nigeria which accounts for a quarter of the one million malaria deaths annually in Africa.

“Malaria has no barrier and does not discriminate. When we think of malaria we think particularly of children and women, and how to prevent it becomes particularly imperative,” Blair said at a training workshop of Christian and Muslim faith leaders on ways to combat malaria.

Some 75 million Nigerians, or half of the population, get infected with malaria at least once a year while children under the age of five (around 24 million) suffer up to four bouts each year. The workshop-held in Nigeria’s adminstrative capital Abuja focused-on the use of bed nets to help prevent contracting malaria which is a mosquito-borne disease.

The pilot plan looks to train 300,000 Muslim and Christian faith leaders in a bid to support

the government’s anti-malaria scheme using an “innovative interfaith model”.

The Nigerian government plans to roll out 62 million bed nets in a country where nearly 300,000 people succumb to malaria each year.

Around 97 percent of the 150 million Nigerians are at risk of infection, says Roll Back Malaria, a global initiative aiming to eradicate the disease.

Blair, who was British prime minister from 1997 to 2007, lauded Africa’s largest Muslim and Christian alliance, the Nigerian Inter-Faith Action Association (NIFAA), for its role in combating malaria.

“This model of inter-faith action can be readily adopted to join the state and public sector in other developing countries if government and funders are willing to provide external support to make this a reality,” he said.

“That is at the heart of my own faith foundation. When faith communities collaborate and

work together for justice and human development, there is a pay-off. That is, things get done and then respect and understanding between them grows,” he said.

Nigeria’s supreme Islamic affairs leader Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, said the two faiths had come together “to fight a common cause is of importance to us, because we believe that the mosquito does not know religion”.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Abuja and head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, John Onaiyekan, said the project was an “extraordinary opportunity to turn the world’s positive attention to this major health” problem.

Blair, who arrived in Nigeria on Friday at the start of an African tour that will also take him to Liberia and Sierra Leone, is to attend an award ceremony in Abuja late yesterday organised by the privately-owned newspaper This Day.—AFP

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

30

Monday, February 22, 2010

Embassy information

KES celebrates National, Liberation days

K

uwait English School was awash with colour and excitement on Thursday, as the Preparatory and Infant Departments celebrated the National and Liberation Days.

The school was brightly decorated with flags, large clusters of balloons and glittering star shapes under the awnings in the Prep Department, and floating balloons in the Infant Department, as the children performed to mass gatherings of parents.

“Brilliant all of you”, said Helen Searle, Head of the Preparatory Department. “That was absolutely fantastic” she said, calling for another round of applause.

Mrs Searle welcomed members of the High Management, Mme Naela, Mme Rula, and Mrs Muhmood, to the celebration.

Janet Carew, Head of the Senior School, Ann Gurnett, Head of the Primary Department, Zainab, Chairman’s Secretary, and Maha, Executive Secretary and hundreds of parents also attended the

popular event.

“I was here when Kuwait was Liberated” said KES Director Rhoda Elizabeth Muhmood, congratulating the country and thanking the parents for providing the wonderful outfits for the children.

Mrs Muhmood thanked all the staff for their efforts, praising “wonderful leader” Helen Searle, Head of the Prep Department and Miss Lana, Prep Department Arabic teacher as “one person making a difference”.

“Young nationals should not be looking at what they can take from Kuwait, but looking at what they can give the country”, said KES Director Rhoda Elizabeth Muhmood, recalling a conversation with a prominent Kuwaiti.

Throughout the programme, Sixth Form students clapped rhythmically, accompanying the hearty singing by Reception children. Five year olds bopped and swayed to the drum beats, as parents clapped to the vibe.

Reception girls dancing in the first number included Retaj Al Failakawi, Jodi Al Manaa, Hala

Hassanein, Maryam Ahmed, Rasha Al Shabo, Leah Chakroun, Vasiliki Stergiou and Sheila Gomez.

Young boys with faint voices twiddled with the fluffy tassels on their red scarves. Delicate girls sat like fragile dolls, their tiny features painted with bright lipstick, flicking long soft untied hair from their faces as they watched with fresh faced awe.

Girls performing in the second dance were Muneerah Al Raqem, Modhi Al Monawer, Lujain Mahmid, Marwa AlLoghani, Sham Omran, Sarah Abdal, Haya Najem, Kinda El Dakkour, Fadak Khoursheed and Aisha Al Shammari.

“Special thanks to Lana who spent many, many hours putting everything together. Thank you very, very much “ said Mrs Searle. All of the Reception

Teachers and assistants were thanked for their hard work, along with Ivy for taking photographs, Annie for managing the dancing girls, and the maids and security men for helping to move benches and chairs. Collectively, the team decorated and transformed the Prep Department playground into a happy and lavish festive arena.

The celebration finished with a song titled “Watani Al Habibi”.

Students mingled with glee, stylishly dressed in their own national attire. Female teachers tottered on high heels as they whisked up lengthy floating ornamental dresses, whilst male members of staff adjusted local ghutra and ugull head dresses.

“The children had a lovely day and enjoyed performing for their parents” said Sally Richmond, Reception Year Leader.

IIS organizes blessing ceremony for Class X

I

ndia International School (IIS) organized a Blessing Ceremony for class X students on l8th Feb 2010. M.K. Pothan one of the senior most Indians in Kuwait was the Chief Guest at this solemn

occasion. The Director of the school Moosa Koya presented bouquet of flowers to the chief guest. The Principal Anis Ahmad welcomed the chief guest and made a power point presentation to the students motivat-

ing them to keep their eyes straight on their target to succeed in their life.

Multi religious prayer was conducted.

The students of IX class presented wonderful inspirational songs for their class X

friends.

All the teachers prayed for their success in every walk of life. Few students of class X shared their experiences and had high praise for their teachers. In the end

M.K. Pothan the chief guest blessed the students with his inspiring words. Mrs Kaur the vice principal presented the vote of thanks all the students had a very warm and cordial day.

Help Haiti

A

s part of the awareness campaign that LoYAC is carrying out for the Haiti crisis, the proceeds of the Annual Music Night that will be held on the 22nd of February in Abdul Aziz Hussain Theatre will be donated for the victims of the Haiti tragedy. Tickets are available at the LoYAC Headquarters in Bayt Lothan, Salmiya.

On this occasion, Mrs Al Saqqaf, ViceChairperson and Managing Director of LoYAC, announced that this initiative is part of a whole action plan, created by the Help Haiti Committee that has been established recently by a group of young Kuwaitis headed by Al Zain Al Humaidhi to aid Haiti. The committee is planning a series of activities aimed at increasing the awareness about the magnitude of this catastrophe, which is considered to be the greatest catastrophe in the human history within the last century. Mrs. Al Saqqaf added “In line with our objectives, that encourage humanitarian awareness among Kuwaiti youth, we chose to respond proactively.” She also added that the committee’s activities will be sponsored by Zain Telecommunications and will be held in cooperation with the Red Crescent.

Currently, the focus will be on awareness building and fundraising. LoYAC will then consider sending qualified young volunteers to Haiti.

The committee calls upon companies and individuals to sympathize with this tragedy and support the people of Haiti.

Note: LoYAC has already dedicated part of the fees of the LoYAC Soccer Academy towards this cause.

TDP announces free Telugu classes

N

RI Telugu Desam Party, Kuwait started free Telugu classes for Andhra residents. Many people signed up for the recently-started NRI TDP membership enrollment campaign under Bayana Palli Youth Association President Kukatla Eswaraiah Naidu. On this occasion, a meeting was organized in NRI TDP office, Maliyah yesterday. NRI TDP President Daruri Balaram Naidu said that more welfare programs should be organized for Telugu people in the future. Gondi Rama Krishnam Naidu, Potturi Partha Saradhi Naidu, Daggupati Srinu, Gulf Wide Nandamuri Fans Association leaders T Venkata Ratnam Naidu, Darla Srinivaasaachari, S Mubarak, Master Mahaboob Bhasha, Laxmipati Naidu participated in this event.

EMBASSY OF UKRAINE The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait informs that it has started updating the information about Ukrainian citizens, who live and work in Kuwait. In this connection, we are asking you to refer to the Embassy and update your file in consular register in order not to be excluded from it.

Please note, that the last day of updating your data is 20th of March, 2010. For additional information please call: 25318507 ext.106 or visit the embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait (address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str.6, house 5). The consular section of the Embassy open every day from 09:30 till 14:30 except Friday and Saturday.

EMBASSY OF 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 will remain closed on Thursday, February 25 and Monday, March 1, 2010 on account of “National Day of Kuwait” & “Holi”.

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

31

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

Monday, February 22, 2010

Announcements TOMORROW Lecture on diabetes: Correlation between diabetes and obesity by Dr. Dhari Al-Own. What is the definition of obesity? What are its side effects, how can one calculate his BMI (Body mass Index? How can we calculate our calorie requirements? And how can we avoid obesity and diabetes? In his 20minute presentation, Dr. Dhari will answer all this questions and many more. When?

Tuesday February 23rd at 7pm at AWARE. FEBRUARY 24 Churches join worship: In the history of the Kuwait Episcopal Churches in Kuwait, a joint worship service will be held on Wednesday the 24th February 2010 at Indian Central School Auditorium. The leaders for the day are Rt Rev Kuriakose Mar Evanious Metropolitan of Kannaya Syrian Church, 12 Clergies of the Episcopal Churches and Choir leaders. The singing secession will be led by St Peters CSI Congregation Choir, under the leadership of Rev Jacob T Abraham and Choir Master, Thomas Koshy, with various other teams. The worship service will be led by Rt Rev Kuriakose Mar Evanious Metropolitan, Ranny Zone of Kanannay Syrian Church and the worship service will begin at 7:30 pm followed by a procession. The joint worship service is an effort to bring all the Episcopal believers together and revitalize the fellowship of the 10 churches in Kuwait. All members are requested to be present.

FEBRUARY 24-27 Islamic seminar: Kuwait Kerala Islahi Centre is organizing a 4 day-long Islamic Seminar at Farwaniya Garden Ground starting from February 24 to 27 and will be under the patronage of His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice and Awqaf & Islamic Affairs Advisor Rashid Abdul Mohsin Al Hammad. Assistant Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs Ibrahim Al-Saleh, Advisor for Minister of Awqaf & Islamic Affairs Shaikh Jassem Muhammed Al Farhan, Director of Department of Justice Salem Abdullah Al-Hassan, Shaikh Yousuf Shuaib and Shaikh Khalid Sinan from Ministry of Awqaf & Islamic Affairs will be attending the Islamic Seminar Inauguration program. Indian Ambassador Ajay Malhotra will be inaugurating Exhibiton, Vision-2010 on Feb 24. All are invited to attend this program with your families and friends.

Bangladesh Embassy observes Shahid Dibash & Mother Language Day

B

angladesh Embassy in Kuwait observed Shahid Dibash & International Mother Language Day at the Chancery. To mark the day in a befitting manner an elaborated programme of two days were arranged.

On Saturday, 20th February 2010, an Art Competition was arranged at the Chancery for children of Bangladesh. The competition was arranged in two groups, ‘Group-A’ for children aged upto eight years and ‘Group-B’ upto twelve years. Syed Shahed Reza, Bangladesh Ambassador to Kuwait inaugurated the competition.

Altogether 72 children in two groups participated, Competitors occupying position from first to sixth were given “Winners’ Prize” while all participants were given ‘Letter of Appreciation’.

FEBRUARY 26 Daasotsava invitation: Kuwait Kannada Koota (KKK) invites all its members to the Daasotsava program on Friday, February 26 at Carmel School Auditorium. Program commences from 7:15 am, which will be followed by breakfast at 8 am and lunch at 2 pm.

Members are requested to be dressed in traditional attire.

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 IOC 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

Prizes wore presented by Syed Shahed Reza, Ambassador, Mrs. Punam Shahed, wife of Ambassador and other Officers along with their wives.

On Sunday 21st February 2010, Syed Shahed Reza, Ambassador hoisted the National Flag at half mast ceremoniously in the presence of Embassy Officials and a huge number of members of the community.

The programme started with the recitation from the Holy Quran.

Special Dua and Munajat were offered seeking divine blessings for the martyrs’ and for the continued progress of the Country. The messages given by the Hon’ble President, the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Hcn’ble Foreign Minister of Bangladesh were read out by Officers of the Embassy.

The discussion took place in a very lively atmosphere as a good number of participants from the Community took part in the discussion. They highlighted various important events that took place before and after the language movement. Syed Shahed Reza in his speech highlighted the language movement and its significance in the buildup of the subsequent mass movement that led by the emergence of independent Bangladesh. He urged all to work unitely for the benefit of the country. He thanked the Government and people of the State of Kuwait for employing a large number of Bangladesh workers and asked them to abide by the local rules and regulations to show their respect to the Kuwait customs.

Women enjoy ‘Valberso Vita’ breakfast at Marina Hotel

T

he Mis’aad Company ltd., sponsors of the ‘Valbreso Vita’ French cheese, held an open breakfast for women at the Marina Hotel, hall ‘6 Palms’, this past Saturday, February 20. The event was attended by a large number of women interested in culinary field, who were welcomed by coordinator, Mrs Reham Al-Nadi, while Riyadh Al-Atry delivered the Mis’aad Company speech. Furthermore, the event featured a demonstration about ways of using the Valbreso Vita cheese in cooking, presented by the hotel’s chef, while a draw was also held for prizes to be distributed to visitors.

Farewell reception for Mahajan

T

areq Al Shumaimry, Chairman of Response Media & Events held a day out at his Wafra farm for some members of the Indian community recently. Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra was welcomed to the distinguished gathering. During the reception a ceremonial cake was cut to bid farewell to V K Mahajan, first secretary education and information at the embassy of India, Kuwait. He was warmly felicitated by the gathering for his helpful role to the Indian community during his tenure in Kuwait

AUK's National and Libration Day celebrations program

Kalpak holds blessing ceremony

K

alpak held the blessing ceremony of its new theater production, ‘Sargakshethram’ directed by well known dramatist Joseph Chettupuzha last Thursday, at United Indian School, Abbasiya. Kalpak president Kumar Thrithala presided over the function that was attended by many well wishers. Adv John Thomas lit the lamp.

Director Joseph Chettupuzha and cine actor Anu Anand were honoured at the function by Idikkula Mathews. Malayil Moosa Koya released the script to Babu Chakkola. Prasad K Mathew, Nirmala Paili and Joyce Davis gave the felicitations. The drama will be staged in Kuwait in May, and the rehearsal has been ongoing, said Kalpak sources.

Today Cooperation Club: Honoring Martyrs Children recognition ceremony The Office of Student Life is organizing AUK Martyr's Children recognition ceremony.

This event is held in association with AUK's cooperation club that involves the participation of Martyrs Office in addition to their participation in the National fair. It is a part of the overall National Day and Libration Day celebrations program. The ceremony will include an opening by AUK's cooperation club, short speech by Ahmed Al Awadi Honoring Department Manager of Martyrs Office, and the presentation of acknowledgement certificates to Martyrs sons and daughters who are registered in AUK by a University Official.

Below are the names of the attending officials from the Martyrs Office: 1- Ms. Fatma Al Amir - General Manager 2- Mr. Ahmed Al Awadi Honoring Department Manager 3- Mr. Salah Alawfan - Media Supervisor Manger 4- Ms. Abtsam Al Marzouq Head of Public Relation Department Date: Monday, February 22, 2010 Time: 1-2 p.m.

Location: AUK grass area next to the Liberal Art Building, AUK Campus, Salem Al-Mubarak Street, Salmiya.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010: Arab Literature Club: Poetry Reading

By Dr. Abdulaziz Albabtain Head of board of trustees of AlBabtain's prize for Poetic

Creativity The Office of Student Life is organizing Arabic pottery reading ceremony By Dr. Abdulaziz Albabtain as part of the overall National Day and Libration Day celebrations program. This event is held in association with AUK's Arabic Literature Club. The event will include pottery reading

by Dr. Abdulaziz Albabtain. The event will be concluded by honoring Dr. Abdulaziz by making him an "Honorary President" for the AUK's Arab Literature Club.

Date: on Tuesday February 23, 2010 -- Time: 2-3 pm.

Location: AUK's Auditorium, AUK Campus, Salem AlMubarak Street, Salmiya.

For more information please call: PR & Marketing Department American University of Kuwait Tel.: 22248399 Ext. 306.

TV PROGRAMS

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Orbit / Showtime Listings

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Kathy Griffin Prison Break Friday Night Lights Dawsons Creek Prison Break One Tree Hill Heroes Kathy Griffin Criminal Minds Cold Case Friday Night Lights Dawsons Creek Heroes One Tree Hill Friday Night Lights Prison Break Criminal Minds Cold Case Kathy Griffin Heroes Hotel Babylon Saving Grace One Tree Hill Rescue Me

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Galapagos Whale Wars Untamed & Uncut Untamed & Uncut Animal Cops Miami Night Night Animal Cops Houston RSPCA: On the Frontline Dolphin Days 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 Wildlife SOS Pet Rescue The Planet’s Funniest Animals The Planet’s Funniest Animals Natural World Lemur Street Monkey Life Pet Rescue Vet on the Loose Wildlife SOS RSPCA: On the Frontline Animal Cops Philadelphia I’m Alive Natural World Animal Cops Phoenix Untamed & Uncut I’m Alive Animal Cops Philadelphia

00:20 01:10 01:55 02:55 03:45 04:40 05:10 05:40 06:10 06:40 07:20 07:40 08:00 08:20 08:45 08:50 09:00 09:20 09:40 10:00 10:25 10:30 11:15 12:15 13:15 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:45 16:15 16:45 17:15 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 21:45 22:15 22:45 23:45

Life on Mars Doctor Who The Life Of Mammals Casualty Casualty Doctors Doctors Doctors Doctors Doctors Balamory Tweenies Fimbles Teletubbies Yoho Ahoy Tommy Zoom Balamory Tweenies Fimbles Teletubbies Yoho Ahoy Bargain Hunt Coast Terry Jones’ Barbarians The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Bargain Hunt Cash In The Attic Red Dwarf (re-mastered) Red Dwarf (re-mastered) The Weakest Link Doctors Cash In The Attic Hustle Antiques Roadshow The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby Blue Holby City

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The Restaurant Uk Saturday Kitchen Saturday Kitchen Living In The Sun Coleen’s Real Women 10 Years Younger The Clothes Show It’s Not Easy Being Green Saturday Kitchen Saturday Kitchen Living In The Sun Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Usa Hidden Potential Rhodes Across India Rhodes Across India Living In The Sun Antiques Roadshow What Not To Wear

Milk on Show Movies 14:00 14:45 15:30 16:05 16:30 16:50 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:45 20:15 20:40 21:05 21:30 21:55 22:25 22:55 23:40

Rhodes Across India Rhodes Across India Daily Cooks Challenge Daily Cooks Challenge Cash In The Attic Usa Hidden Potential Antiques Roadshow What Not To Wear Living In The Sun Daily Cooks Challenge Daily Cooks Challenge Masterchef Goes Large Saturday Kitchen Saturday Kitchen Cash In The Attic Usa Cash In The Attic Usa Coleen’s Real Women The Naked Chef

01:00 03:00 05:15 06:45 09:00 10:45 13:00 15:00 17:30 19:00 21:00 23:00

The Proposition - PG 15 The Indian Runner - PG 15 Kiss Of Life - PG 15 Nicholas Nickleby - PG 15 Stolen Summer - PG The Andromeda Strain - PG Cocoon - PG 15 West Side Story - PG 15 Grateful Dawg - PG Bopha! - PG 15 Nathalie... - PG 15 Land Of Plenty - PG 15

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:55 03:20 03:50 04:45 05:10 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:55 Shine 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 Green

Ross Kemp on Gangs Destroyed in Seconds Destroyed in Seconds Street Customs Fifth Gear Fifth Gear American Chopper How Stuff Works Destroyed in Seconds Destroyed in Seconds LA Hard Hats Extreme Engineering Hot Rod Apprentice: Hard

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Street Customs 2008 How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Destroyed in Seconds Destroyed in Seconds How Do They Do It? How Does it Work Fifth Gear American Chopper Miami Ink Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Destroyed in Seconds Destroyed in Seconds Street Customs 2008 How Do They Do It? How Does it Work River Monsters Extreme Fishing with Robson

Deadly Women Undercover Murder Shift Deadly Women Guilty Or Innocent?

Undercover Real Emergency Calls Fbi Files Ghosthunters Ghosthunters Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Real Emergency Calls Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Mystery Er

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The Prosecutors Extreme Forensics Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Real Emergency Calls Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Mystery Er The Prosecutors Extreme Forensics Forensic Justice Dr G: Medical Examiner

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Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science The Future of...

Future Weapons Future Weapons Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science The Future of...

What’s That About?

Test Case Engineered Scrapheap Challenge Science of Star Wars Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science How Does That Work?

Stunt Junkies The Electric Garage Mean Green Machines One Step Beyond Science of Star Wars Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science Robocar How Does That Work?

Scrapheap Challenge Brainiac Man Made Marvels Asia Mighty Ships Mega Builders How It’s Made How It’s Made Mythbusters

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:45 03:10 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:20 07:45 08:10 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:45 12:10 12:35 12:55 13:20 13:40 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:15 15:40 16:00

Jonas Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Fairly Odd Parents Replacements Phineas & Ferb Little Einsteins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Lazytown Jonas Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Higglytown Heroes My Friends Tigger and Pooh Handy Manny Special Agent Oso IMAGINATION MOVERS Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Brandy & Mr Whiskers Fairly Odd Parents Hannah Montana I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas & Ferb Suite Life On Deck Replacements American Dragon Kim Possible Famous Five Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb Replacements I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana

Sonny With A Chance Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana The Replacements Jonas Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance Hannah Montana Wizards Of Waverly Place The Suite Life of Zack & Cody

00:15 Wildest TV Show Moments 00:40 E!es 01:30 THS 02:20 Sexiest 03:15 THS 05:05 Dr 90210 06:00 20 Best And Worst Celebrity Plastic...

07:45 Style Star 08:10 Style Star 08:35 E! News 09:25 Leave It To Lamas 09:50 Leave It To Lamas 10:15 THS 11:05 THS 12:00 E! News 12:50 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 13:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 13:40 30 Best And Worst Beach Bodies 15:25 Behind The Scenes 15:50 Behind The Scenes 16:15 E!es 17:10 Kendra 17:35 Kendra 18:00 E! News 18:50 Streets Of Hollywood 19:15 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 19:40 THS 20:30 THS 21:20 Wildest TV Show Moments 21:45 Wildest TV Show Moments 22:10 E! News

00:00 Food Network Challenge 03:00 Iron Chef America 04:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 04:30 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 05:00 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 Great British Menu 11:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 12:00 Barefoot Contessa 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 20:00 Great British Menu 20:30 Kitchen Criminals 21:00 Barefoot Contessa 21:30 Barefoot Contessa 22:00 Food Network Challenge 23:00 Iron Chef America

01:10 03:10 05:05 06:40 08:40 10:45 12:15 13:55 15:15 16:55 18:30 20:10 22:00 23:40

Triumph Of The Spirit The Innocent Marshal Law The War At Home The Russians Are Coming The Heavenly Kid Bikini Beach Napoleon I Could Go on Singing Cherry 2000 Summer Lovers Juggernaut Speechless Something Wild

00:00 Better Off Ted 00:30 Will and Grace 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Best of Late night with Jimmy Fallon 03:00 Saturday Night Live 04:30 Sit Down & Shut Up 05:00 Better Off Ted 05:30 Best of Late night with Jimmy Fallon 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 Saturday Night Live 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 Billable Hours 19:30 Will and Grace 20:00 Best of Late night with Jimmy Fallon 21:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Monday Night Stand Up 23:30 Life & Times of Tim

00:00 What’s Good For You 01:00 Downsize Me 02:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 03:00 The Monique Show 04:00 Huey’s Cooking Adventure 04:30 Fresh 05:00 The Best of Jay Leno 06:00 GMA Weekend Live 07:00 Mom Gets Real / Now you know / Amplified 08:00 Ahead of the Curve 08:30 Amplified 09:00 The Martha Stewart Show 10:00 The Best of Jimmy Kimmel 11:00 Downsize Me 12:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 13:00 Huey’s Cooking Adventure 13:30 Fresh 14:00 The Martha Stewart Show 15:00 GMA LIVE 17:00 Ahead of the Curve 17:30 Nature’s Edge 18:00 Eat Your Self Sexy 18:30 10 Years Younger 19:00 Mom Gets Real / Now you know / Amplified 20:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 21:00 The Best of Jimmy Kimmel 22:00 The Best of Jay Leno 23:00 Mom Gets Real / Now you know / Amplified

00:00 02:15 04:15 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Milk - 18 The Payback - PG 15 Space Chimps - PG The Old Curiousity Shop - PG This Christmas - PG Every Second Counts - PG Looking For Fidel - PG 15 Daddy Day Camp - FAM This Christmas - PG Joe’s Palace - PG 15 No Reservations - PG 15 Superbad - 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

Room 6 - PG 15 Shifty - PG 15 Somebody Help Me - PG 15 The Host - 18 Prisoner - PG Devil’s Diary - PG 15 The Last Drop - PG 15 Prisoner - PG The Darkroom - PG 15 Living Hell - 18 Blood Brothers - PG 15 Charlie Valentine - PG 15

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Mystic Pizza - PG 15 The Last Request - R Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid Serendipity - PG 15 My Sassy Girl - PG 15 Heavyweights - PG Year Of The Dog - PG 15 Life Or Something Like It - PG Mystic Pizza - PG 15 Bachelor Party 2 - 18 American Pie 6: Beta House In Memory Of My Father - PG

00:00 Tom And Jerry: The Magic Ring - PG 02:00 My Favorite Martian - PG 04:00 Aussie And Ted’s Great Adventure - FAM 06:00 Doctor Dolittle 4: Tail To The Chief - PG 08:00 Scooby-Doo And The Reluctant Werewolf - FAM 10:00 Aussie And Ted’s Great Adventure - FAM 12:00 Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie - FAM 14:00 My Favorite Martian - PG 16:00 Kung Fu Panda - PG 18:00 Genghis Khan - PG 20:00 Olsen Twins: When In Rome FAM 22:00 Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie - 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 13:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

The Ex-list C.S.I: Miami 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 Every Body Loves Raymond My Name is Earl The Ex-list C.S.I: Miami Law & Order 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street Law & Order Ugly Betty Desperate Housewives C.S.I Sex and the City

01:30 Premier League 03:30 Premier League 05:30 Portuguese Liga 07:00 Premier League 09:00 Premier League 11:00 Premier League 13:00 Premier League 15:00 Premier League 17:00 Futbol Mundial 17:30 Premier League World 18:00 Premier League Classics 18:30 Premier League 20:30 Live Barclays Premier League Review 22:00 Futbol Mundial 22:30 Premier League World 23:00 Live Premier League

00:00 Premier League 02:00 Premier League 04:00 Premier League 06:00 Futbol Mundial 06:30 Premier League World 07:00 Super League 08:45 Super League 10:30 Premier League Classics 11:00 Weber Cup Bowling 12:00 Futbol Mundial 12:30 Premier League World 13:00 Twenty20 Cricket 16:30 Futbol Mundial 17:00 Weber Cup Bowling 18:00 Guinness Premiership 20:00 Premier League Classics 20:30 Live Goals on Monday 22:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 22:30 Premier League Darts

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 10:30 12:30 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 19:00 22:30

Guinness Premiership Super 14 Super 14 Twenty20 Cricket Guinness Premiership World Hockey Weber Cup Bowling World Sport Futbol Mundial Premier League Darts Twenty20 Cricket Goals On Monday

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:00

UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter WWE Vintage Collection Bushido UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter WWE Bottom Line FIM World Cup UAE National Race Day Rat Race NCAA Basketball Bushido WWE Bottom Line Red Bull Air Race WWE SmackDown WWE ECW UFC The Ultimate Fighter

01:00 The Pleasure Of Being Robbed 03:00 Heavy Metal In Baghdad - PG 05:00 Wall-e - FAM 07:00 Dancing Trees - PG 09:00 Eavesdrop - PG 11:00 Lost Holiday: The Jim And Suzanne Shemwell Story - PG 13:00 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl - PG

15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Last Of The Romantics - PG Eavesdrop - PG Custody - PG 15 Decameron - PG Yes Man - PG 15

01:05 03:05 05:00 07:05 07:30 08:00 09:55 11:45 13:45 15:30 17:10 19:10 20:55 23:00

Lust for Life The Bad and the Beautiful Only When I Laugh The Screening Room The Screening Room The Big Sleep Eight on the Lam Lust for Life Masquerade Singin’ in the Rain The Yellow Rolls Royce High Society The Champ The Collector

00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 04:00 04:55 05:50 06:40 07:30 08:20 09:10 10:00 10:55 11:50 12:40 13:30 14:20 15:10 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10

Ax Men 2 Extreme Trains Dogfights Ice Road Truckers 3 Evolve Dead Men’s Secrets Deep Wreck Mysteries Ax Men 2 Extreme Trains Dogfights Ice Road Truckers 3 Evolve Dead Men’s Secrets Deep Wreck Mysteries Ax Men 2 Extreme Trains Dogfights Ice Road Truckers 3 Evolve Dead Men’s Secrets Deep Wreck Mysteries Ax Men 2 Extreme Trains Dogfights Ice Road Truckers 3

00:00 00:30 01:00 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 13:30 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00

Ruby Ruby What I Hate About Me My Celebrity Home 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 Giuliana And Bill 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

19:30 20:00 21:00 22:00

Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Split Ends Clean House Dallas Divas And Daughters

01:00 01:04 01:35 02:00 02:45 05:00 05:04 08:00 08:04 08:35 13:00 13:04 13:50 16:00 16:04 16:35 18:00 18:45 20:00 20:04 20:35

Code Africa Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Code Playlist Code Sound System Playlist Code Urban Hit Playlist Code Latina Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Code Hip Hop Us Playlist

00:00 Globe Trekker - U 01:00 Julian And Camilla’s World Odyssey - U 02:00 Intrepid Journeys - U 03:00 Raider Of The Lost Snow - U 03:30 Skier’s World - U 04:00 Angry Planet - U 04:30 Photoxplorers - U 05:00 X-quest - U 06:00 Globe Trekker - U 07:00 Globe Trekker - U 08:00 Globe Trekker - U 09:00 Essential - U 09:30 Rudy Maxa’s World - U 10:00 Distant Shores - U 10:30 Distant Shores - U 11:00 Chef Abroad - U 11:30 Entrada - U 12:00 Planet Food - U 13:00 Globe Trekker - U 14:00 Chef Abroad - U 14:30 The Thirsty Traveler - U 15:00 Taste Takes Off - U 15:30 Entrada - U 16:00 Angry Planet - U 16:30 Photoxplorers - U 17:00 Globe Trekker - U 18:00 Skier’s World - U 18:30 Hollywood And Vines - U 19:00 Chef Abroad - U 19:30 The Thirsty Traveler - U 20:00 Globe Trekker - U 21:00 Planet Food - U

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 19:00 20:00

Sunday Soul - U Soulstage: India.arie - U Soulstage: Chrisette Michelle Vh1 Rocks - U Vh1 Music - U Chill Out - U Vh1 Hits - U Vh1 Music - U Aerobic - U Top 10 James Blunt - U Music For The Masses - U Vh1 Pop Chart - U Vh1 Music - U Music For The Masses - U Vh1 Music - U

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl on Super Movies

Star Listings (UAE Timings) STAR Movies 21:00 The Sixth Man 22:45 Lava Storm 00:15 At First Sight 02:20 Total Eclipse 03:45 The Sixth Man 05:35 Lava Storm 07:05 The Darjeeling Limited 08:35 At First Sight 10:40 Total Eclipse 12:05 Happy Texas 13:45 Someone Like You 15:20 Shining Through 17:30 Bachelor Party 2: Temptation 19:05 Alien 3 STAR World 20:00 Ugly Betty 20:50 Charlie’s Angels 21:00 Ghost Whisperer 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 Goode Family

The

Last

03:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 05:50 06:00 06:50 07:00 07:50 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 15:30 16:00 16:50 17:00 17:50 18:00

The King Of Queens According To Jim According To Jim Ghost Hunters International Jackie Chan Adventures Brothers & Sisters Charlie’s Angels 90210 Starsky & Hutch Ugly Betty V.I.P. Worst Week The Bold And The Beautiful 7th Heaven Charlie’s Angels Brothers & Sisters Different Strokes [V] Tunes Ghost Hunters International The Goode Family The King Of Queens According To Jim According To Jim Kyle XY Jackie Chan Adventures Reaper Charlie’s Angels Stone Undercover

18:50 Bewitched 19:00 Ghost Hunters International 19:50 Jackie Chan Adventures Granada TV 20:15 Vincent (Series 1) 21:30 Airline (Series 5) 22:00 Pets From Hell 23:00 Come Dine With Me (Primetime Series 1) 00:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show 01:00 Come Dine With Me (Primetime Series 1) 02:00 Crime Monday: Vincent (Series 1) 03:30 Airline (Series 5) 04:00 Total Emergency 05:00 Emmerdale 05:30 Coronation Street 06:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Come Dine With Me (Primetime Series 1) 08:00 Crime Monday: Vincent (Series 1) 09:30 Airline (Series 5) 10:00 Total Emergency 11:00 Emmerdale 11:30 Coronation Street 12:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show 13:00 Trinny And Susannah Undress (Series

1) 14:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 1) 19:00

Crime Monday: Fallen Airline (Series 5) Emmerdale Coronation Street The Jeremy Kyle Show Trinny And Susannah Undress (Series Crime Monday: Fallen

Channel [V] 21:00 [V] Tunes 22:00 Double Shot 22:30 The Playlist 23:00 Loop 00:00 Backtracks 01:00 Double Shot 02:00 [V] Tunes 02:30 The Playlist 03:00 Loop 04:00 [V] Special 05:00 [V] Tunes 06:00 Double Shot 07:00 Backtracks 08:00 Loop 09:00 Double Shot 10:00 Backtracks 11:00 [V] Tunes

12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00

Double Shot The Playlist Loop The List Keys To The VIP Backtracks [V] Tunes Double Shot The Playlist Loop The List Keys To The VIP

Fox News 00:00 FORBES on FOX 00:30 Cashin’ In 01:00 America’s News HQ Host host Brian Wilson 02:00 America’s News HQ Hosts Kelly Wright and Jamie Colby 03:00 The Journal Editorial Report 03:30 Fox News Watch 04:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 05:00 America’s News HQ hosts Gregg Jarrett and Uma Pemmaraju 07:00 America’s News HQ hosts Rick Folbaum and Juliet Huddy 08:00 FOX Report Saturday host Jamie

Colby 09:00 Huckabee with Mike Huckabee 10:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 11:00 Geraldo At Large with Geraldo Rivera 12:00 The Journal Editorial Report 12:30 Fox News Watch 13:00 FOX Report Saturday 14:00 Geraldo At Large with Geraldo Rivera 15:00 Huckabee with Mike Huckabee 16:00 FOX Report Saturday host Julie Banderas 17:00 Geraldo At Large with Geraldo Rivera 18:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 19:00 The Journal Editorial Report 19:30 Fox News Watch 20:00 FOX and Friends Sunday 23:00 America’s News HQ National Geographic Channel 20:00 Hunter Hunted -Shark Invasion 21:00 Theme Week -Inside : Hong Kong’s Big Bang 22:00 Theme Week -The Living Edens : Temple Of The Tigers: India’s Bandhavgarh Wilderne 23:00 Theme Week -Wild Russia : The Secret Forest 00:00 Air Crash Investigation -Miracle

Monday, February 22, 2010

33 ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available in Sharq, C-A/C 2 bathrooms, neat and furnished flat, looking for Indian small family or 2 working ladies or one executive bachelor rent KD 100. Call: 99849490. (C 20365) Sharing accommodation available, two bedroom, two bathroom flats in Abbassiya.

Tel: 55845280. (C 20366) Accommodation available for family/bachelors/ working ladies in a two spacious room flat in Abbassiya close to Paradise hotel from first of March.

Contact: 99698501/ 94046540.

(C 20368) Sharing accommodation for Indian working ladies, couple, family in a 2 bedroom C-A/C flat in Maidan Hawally opposite Fourth Ring Road with Indian lady. Contact: 99325130/ 25649970.

(C 20369) 22-2-2010 One room available for Keralites or Indian bachelors in Sharq Kuwait City with cooking and satellite facilities. Contact: 97964063.

(C 20362) Sharing accommodation with kitchen facility available for three months from 15th March, 2010 in Chitra studio

building, next to Faiha store for a non-smoking, decent couple: KD 75/month. Contact: 97973657. (C 20361) Sharing accommodation available in Jleeb near Tourist garden, 2 bed, 2 bath, bachelor/couple or working ladies. Contact: 97506913. (C 20363) Sharing accommodation available for Christian couples or working ladies in Abbassiya near United Indian School and opposite to Jas restaurant, Madeena Supermarket, in a central A/C new building with double bedroom, double bathroom with Keralite Christian family. Contact: 94060249.

(C 20364) 21-2-2010 Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near Classic typing center, for a bachelor.

Contact: 66829585. (C 20355) Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya CAC, separate bathroom, spacious room ready for occupancy. Call: 99412951.

(C 20358) Accommodation available for Indian bachelors, central A/C, big room, near UAE Bank building, old Riggae.

Contact: 99709823.

(C 20356) Furnished sharing accommodation available in Man-

gaf Block 3, for working ladies & executive bachelor, two bathrooms, internet connection.

Contact: 67008764, 99468018.

(C 20359) One furnished room available near Indian Central School, Abbassiya, for decent bachelor or small family from 25th Feb. Indians only, reasonable rent.

Contact: 99764178.

(C 20360) 19-2-2010 Sharing accommodation available for single girls.

Contact: 97527233.

(C 20348) Sharing accommodation available for Christian couples or working ladies in Abbassiya. Please contact: 66538532. (C 20347) Sharing accommodation available in Salmiya behind Appolo, for Indian bachelors. Contact: 97961405/ 66176090. (C 20349) Sharing accommodation available for executive bachelor/ couples/ visiting family (preferred Christian) in a 3BHK, 2 bathroom centralized A/C flat near Shara Amman, Salmiya. Interested may please call 66624123.

(C 20346) Rent for a single family, new building C-A/C, attached bathroom, water & electricity charge is free,

rent KD 90, location is near Abbassiya Indian Integrated school & Bharatia Vidya Bhavan.

Contact: 66548128. (C 20350) Room in C-A/C flat with separate bathroom in Sharq near Mughal Mahal restaurant for working ladies from March 1st. Please contact: 99567689 or 55197093.

(C 20345) To let, a spacious furnished room in a flat, to a decent executive bachelor, rent KD 75, payable from March 2010. Independent toilet & to avail kitchen facility.

Location B始neid Al Gar. Call 97407275 for more details.

18-2-2010

CHANGE OF NAME Old name: Mohd Shaukat Ali Ansari, Indian Passport No: B1589375. New name: Mohammad Ansari.

(C 20367) 22-2-2010

FOR SALE 1997 Mercedes-Benz EClass for sale, insurance up to 14th Feb 2011. Please contact: 99256044.

22-2-2010 BMW 740i black 1996 model, 220,000 kms with beige

leather seats in good condition. Contact: 97201151.

(C 20353) Furniture with household items 2 dish antenna two bedroom flat with two toilets central A/C near City Center, Salmiya with land line telephone transferable rent.

Contact: 97201151.

(C 20352) 18-2-2010

MATRIMONIAL RC girl 24/165, BTech, born and brought up in Kuwait, worked with Wipro as software engineer for 2 years, currently employed in a nationalized bank in India, invites proposals from parents of professionally qualified and well-settled boys.

Contact email: frmprop@gmail.com (20354) 19-2-2010 Seeking alliance for a Ker-

alite 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 SITUATION VACANT

Required cook for house, good experience on all kinds of continental food , good salary, part time or full time. Contact: 66519719, 23901053. (C 20357) 19-2-2010

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)

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. Proficient in MS Office & Tally.

Fluent in English, Arabic, Hindi. Article # 18, transferable visa.

Contact: 55492163. Email: abdul_sudheer@yahoo.com (C 20336)

No: 14648

Flight Schedule Arrival Flights on Monday 22/02/2010 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 Wataniya Airways 1121 Bahrain Gulf Air 213 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 Kuwait 672 Dubai Jazeera 0171 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

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 13:25 13:35 13:35 14:00 14:05 14:10 14:20 14:30 14:35

Jazeera Qatari Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Royal Jordanian Jazeera Emirates Kuwait 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 Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Indian Kuwait Jet A/W Oman Air Jazeera Wataniya Airways Gulf Air Middle East Qatari Emirates KLM Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera Global Jazeera Jazeera Tunis Air Pakistan Wataniya Airways

0457 0134 548 546 678 800 0173 857 118 215 510 0303 0493 0239 0125 0367 2101 227 982 2003 473 1025 502 542 674 0177 618 786 614 744 774 575 104 572 0647 0459 2103 217 402 0136 859 0445 1129 0449 0429 081 0117 0185 327 239 1029

Damascus Doha Luxor Alexandria Muscat/Abu Dhabi Amman Dubai Dubai New York Bahrain Riyadh Abu Dhabi Jeddah Amman Sharjah Deirezzor Beirut Colombo/Dubai Washington DC Dulles Cairo Baghdad Dubai Beirut18:45 Cairo Dubai Dubai Doha Jeddah Bahrain Dammam Riyadh Chennai/Goa London Mumbai Muscat Damascus Beirut Bahrain Beirut Doha Dubai Amsterdam Bahrain Doha Bahrain Baghdad Abu Dhabi Dubai Tunis Islamabad/Sialkot Dubai

14:45 15:00 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 18:55 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 20:05 20:20 20:40 20:55 21:05 21:20 21:35 21:40 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:40 23:10 23:20 23:45

Departure Flights on Monday 22/02/2010 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 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 Kuwait 551 Damascus Kuwait 547 Luxor Jazeera 0456 Damascus Jazeera 0170 Dubai 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 Jazeera 0172 Dubai Kuwait 541 Cairo Wataniya Airways 2100 Beirut Jazeera 0492 Jeddah Jazeera 0366 Deirezzor Jazeera 0238 Amman Kuwait 103 London Middle East 405 Beirut Kuwait 501 Beirut Iran Aseman 6522 Lamerd

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

Time 00:05 00:30 00:40 01:05 01:10 01:15 01:20 01:25 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 09:10 09:15 09:25 09:30 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 13:00 13:35

Kuwait Egypt Air Wataniya Airways Kuwait Nas Air Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Kuwait Saudi Arabian A/L Kuwait Kuwait Royal Jordanian Qatari Kuwait Gulf Air Etihad Emirates Arabia Jazeera Kuwait Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Global Jazeera Wataniya Airways Sri Lankan Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Jet A/W Oman Air Gulf Air DHL Kuwait Middle East Kuwait Jazeera Falcon Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Emirates KLM Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Kuwait

785 611 1024 673 746 0176 2102 0458 617 501 773 613 801 0135 743 216 0304 858 0126 0262 543 511 0184 0116 0448 082 0428 1128 228 1028 283 331 571 0648 218 171 675 403 203 0188 102 381 0137 301 860 0445 0480 0526 0502 411

Jeddah Cairo Dubai Dubai Jeddah Dubai Beirut Damascus Doha Jeddah Riyadh Bahrain Amman Doha Dammam Bahrain Abu Dhabi Dubai Sharjah Beirut Cairo Riyadh Dubai Abu Dhabi Doha Baghdad Bahrain Bahrain Dubai/Colombo Dubai Dhaka Trivandrum Mumbai Muscat Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Beirut Lahore Dubai Bahrain Delhi Doha Mumbai Dubai Bahrain/Amsterdam Sabiha Alexandria Luxor Bangkok/Manila

13:40 13:55 14:25 14:30 14:55 15:05 15:10 15:30 15:35 15:45 16:10 16:20 16:25 16:30 16:40 17:55 18:00 18:10 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:30 18:35 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 22:35 22:45 22:50 22:55 23:00 23:25 23:50 23:55

SPECTRUM

34 CROSSWORD 908

Monday, February 22, 2010

Calvin Aries (March 21-April 19) You have lots of friends

and today is one of those days when the phone keeps ringing. Later today, a request for your advice regarding some very personal and emotional issues may be required. This may be in a religious setting or in some group gathering. Whatever the case, you will be able to be understanding and flexible. You are able to cut through the red tape and get at what is beneath and behind most situations. Clear decisions affecting others could be made now. Later today there is an opportunity to become involved in some fun sports. This may only mean sports on the television, but you will have plenty of friends with which to share the time. Relax, have fun but go easy on the rich food as you share an abundance of good time with others today.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) This is an excellent time for

spiritual growth and a growing understanding of the forces that move the world. Moral issues and the love of others are much more important now than material concerns—which may create a most unselfish time. You have a great deal of passion and may find yourself volunteering in some way to help others within your religious or spiritual group. This afternoon is a good time for surrounding yourself with friends.

You appreciate your particular situation and enjoy supporting others as much as they supporting you. The formation of your creative energy with a partner’s sincerity and practicality could prove most rewarding. You are filled with the desire to succeed in all areas of your life. Relationships deepen.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS 1. A bachelor's degree in naval science.

4. Emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design.

8. A pilgrimage to Mecca.

11. An associate degree in applied science.

12. Type genus of the Hylidae.

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

14. A medicinal drug used to evoke vomiting (especially in cases of drug overdose or poisoning).

17. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

18. A class of proteins produced in lymph tissue in vertebrates and that function as antibodies in the immune response.

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

24. A port city in southwestern Iran.

26. Counting the number of white and red blood cells and the number of platelets in 1 cubic millimeter of blood.

30. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

31. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

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

40. One millionth of a gram.

42. A defensive missile designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles.

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

44. A mark left by the healing of injured tissue.

45. An adherent of any branch of Taoism.

DOWN 1. The Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Dali region of Yunnan.

2. Plant with an elongated head of broad stalked leaves resembling celery.

3. The compass point midway between south and southeast.

4. The federal agency that insures residential mortgages.

5. An Anatolian language.

6. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

7. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element.

8. 10 hao equal 1 dong.

9. Jordan's port.

10. (Old Testament) The fourth son of Jacob who was forebear of one of the tribes of Israel.

15. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Republic of Chad or its people or language.

16. A nucleic acid that transmits genetic information from DNA to the cytoplasm.

20. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric.

21. A port in western Israel on the Mediterranean.

22. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.

23. Warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings.

25. A small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun.

27. A republic in central Africa.

28. An anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling of lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months.

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

32. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

33. Kamarupan languages spoken in northeastern India and western Burma.

34. A small cake leavened with yeast.

35. Fabric dyed with splotches of green and brown and black and tan.

37. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (Aspirin and Phenacetin and Caffeine).

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

39. Nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate.

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

41. A very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) The need for emotional security is emphasized. Charisma, self-transformation, the development of personal power: all play a bigger role in your life now, more than ever before. You present a most positive and upbeat side today while you lecture or speak to young people that need to hear what you have to say. Fun and upbeat activities that help you to teach will prove successful. You will be able to make a positive difference. Being as flexible as possible will help you move along with others. Work this afternoon may include shoveling snow or chopping wood. Tonight there is time to relax. You create cozy and pleasant surroundings in the home—even if it is a bit messy at times, it is comfortable. You grab some fun time with family and pets.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Being more practical and conscientious takes on a special importance. Taking care of the necessary ingredients that make life run smoothly—health, work and such—becomes a greater preoccupation. Organizing and finding ways to keep the household running efficiently also keeps you busy. There is a feeling that anything is possible. There is optimism, faith and a tendency to take chances at the deepest emotional level. This is a time of exploring your feelings, a kind of restlessness for new emotional experiences. As you enjoy the company of others in some sort of social surrounding, you gain new insights into the thoughts and feelings of others. A great deal of romantic interests comes your way this evening. The power of attraction is great.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Your path of self-development and expression becomes more and more unusual— setting you apart from the crowd and from all that is traditional. Tie up any loose ends before moving into new directions. The new, the futuristic and the high-tech are the hallmarks of your lifestyle, as this cycle gets underway. Ideas and technologies that change the way people live—not just one person, but many—are a major new focus in your life. Take care in becoming involved with groups that are not into reality. Find the truth in all things—weigh your options. Lovers, children and other people or things dear to your heart are appreciated this evening and you express your feelings well. Being admired for your gifts and talents may become your power to achieve.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Your attitude today is one of gratitude. Everyone seems to be in a state of change or focused on work. Make a concentrated effort to bring and keep a balance in your day. Someone is still trying to get you to loan money or invest with them in the greatest money-making deal you will encounter—so they say. It is best that you say no to this most wonderful sounding proposition and keep busy in other directions. Your sense of humor turns a negative situation into a positive happening around the work place. Good for you! You may want to begin a dream journal soon.

Set a small flash light, a pen and a notebook upon which to record your dreams. Your dreams have deep insight into the progress you are making toward your goals.

Libra (September 23-October 22) All manner of hot spots may be discovered and worked through today. This is the time to get the difficult situations behind you. Your mind is quick and sharp and your words are the only weapon you will need. You have insight into your emotions and drive and you can talk about your feelings with great insight. You may teach a young person to do unto others as you would want them to do to you. This is a period of optimism and emotional stability—making it a good time to evaluate and modify existing relationships. Also, there may be a strong desire to break any connection to a person or thing that has caused you much stress. You greatly desire peace and quiet in the family setting and will do everything to keep it that way.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Take care when

discussing emotional things today. Forgetting the ground rules to stay focused you might find yourself or another in a difficult place, emotionally. A group meeting among neighbors can be handled successfully if you do not garnish the story. You may have a lot of fun when it comes to the process of storytelling; try putting your stories in books— they would be a great success! You greatly enjoy social and romantic activities. You truly desire fun and should not hesitate to get to know new people and form new acquaintances. The exchange of ideas becomes a focal point in your life. Learning, knowing a little about many things and staying in touch and on top of the latest developments are the things that satisfy the stimulation of the mind.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Today may bring a great deal of reflection, especially about your work. There may be a tremendous desire to cut loose and try something completely different with regard to your profession. Perhaps ideas will come as you look through the employment advertisement in the paper today— or talk with a friend. It is a good time to think about where your professional life is heading. Listen with an open mind to the advice of others. This afternoon you may use your home to entertain family members and friends. Good dialogues are favored with others and boosts your ego. This period can have a profound effect on your psyche and it marks a time when faith, healings and general good feelings are most beneficial.

Yesterday’s Solution

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Getting

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

people and things organized may not be the best thing for you to involve yourself with today.

There may be too many cooks and not enough bottle washers; so-to-speak. You may find yourself having emotional differences with someone. Those around you, or the situation you find yourself in, may not feel right—you could be challenged. It may be time to take a step back and let someone else take on the challenges of the day. This afternoon there are great opportunities to spend quality time with your loved ones. Being more practical and conscientious takes on a special importance as it may mean how well you put a motor together or how you cook for food-sensitive people. You will find that you are appreciated for you.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Having and appreciating things of beauty and value play a big role in your life. Provided you do not spend it all on the fancy things that catch your eye, this can be a financially favorable time. Everything conspires to value and brings out your unique and unusual qualities. You may find that someone close to you understands and is supportive of your ideas. You could come up with new solutions or inventions. Your confidence is high and you will be able to accomplish much. Now is the perfect time to do those things that you previously put off, whether from fear of failure or lack of motivation. You welcome the new people that come into your life today.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Whatever you decide to do today will bring great support from others. You feel healthy and natural and there is a feeling that anything is possible if you set your sights high enough. There is optimism, faith and a tendency to take chances at the deepest emotional levels. This is a time of exploring your feelings, a kind of restlessness for new emotional experience . . . divine wanderlust, if you will. You may find yourself looking for challenges, perhaps in the physical department, but more than likely in the brain area. You may even consider returning to college or taking a class. A fun and fast game of scrabble, trivia or some board game fills your afternoon. Later tonight, you and a friend or loved one calculates the subject of, how to increase the budget.

INFORMATION

Monday, February 22, 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

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24843100

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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

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22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

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24848913

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24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

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22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

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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

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24884079

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4892674

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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

36

midst all the buzz and excitement that took place at the award ceremony, Vasanthi Hariharan, Dhruv Rajeev Kabad, Keerthiga Nagarajan, Salma El Ziki, Sarah Touman and Merin Jose were thrilled on being declared the top six Art Olympiads. Centrepoint hosted the Art Olympiad for students between the age group 9-11 years and 12-14 years at the JW Marriott and the competition got an overwhelming response from the 14 participating schools. The paintings were judged by famous Kuwaiti artists Asaad Bunashi and Maha AlMansour along with Marwan Farah the General Manager of RLP International and Adnan Saad the Marketing Director of Kuwait Times newspaper which both are members of IAA. A total of six winners were selected at the end of the Olympiad on the basis of creativity, workmanship, overall impression and relevance to the theme. The paintings of the young talented artists offered the judges to choose the best of the best.

Each of these six winners were awarded with a number of exciting gifts including Playstations, home theatre systems and digital cameras. Vasanthi Hariharan from Fahaheel Al-Watanieh Indian Private School was thrilled on receiving her Playstation and said “It was fun taking part in this competition, I thank Centrepoint for giving me an opportunity to express myself and I look forward to participating in the competition next year as well.”

The winners received certificates and trophies as well and their schools were given a plaque of appreciation. All students who participated in the Olympiad were provided with gifts. There were also special prize categories including ‘Most Colorful’ which was bagged

by Nilassis Bhattacharya from Fahaheel Al-Watanieh Indian Private School and ‘Most imaginative’ was awarded to Kamakshi Renjen from Kuwait English School.

Saibal Basu, Chief Operating Officer of Centrepoint Kuwait said, “Every year the Olympiad proves to be a great accomplishment; it only gets bigger and better. We are glad to have been able to give these young talented artists a platform, it has helped enhance youth, bring out their flair and encouraged them to further develop their artistic abilities. By conducting the Art Olympiad on an annual basis, we hope to raise the spirits of the students and encourage them to express their views strongly and in an innovative manner about anything and everything that concerns their world.

“I would like to thank Assad Bunashi and Maha Al-Mansour for being on the judging panel, for committing again this year as a judge and am also happy with the fact that Adnan Saad and Marwan Farah came to co-judge the competition” further concluded Saibal.

The participating schools for this year’s Olympiad were: Gulf English School, Kuwait English School, Fahaheel Al-Watanieh Indian Private School, Indian English Academy School, Kuwait American School, British School of Kuwait, Dasman Model School, Al-Bayan Bilingual School, Kuwait International English School, The Oxford Academy, Indian Educational School, The English School, The English School Fahaheel and Carmel School Kuwait.

The event was co-sponsored by Sunrise International and Lucky Printing Press.

SPECTRUM

Monday, February 22, 2010

A

Adnan Saad Marketing Director of Kuwait Times (left) and artists Assaad Bunashi, Maha Al-Mansour and Marwan Farah General Manager RLP are on the panel of judges.

Participants seen at the event.

Winners receiving their awards on the stage.

9-11 Age Group

12-14 Age Group

Participants seen at the event.

The paintings which were shortlisted.

SPECTRUM

Monday, February 22, 2010

37

Lifestyle

Audience enjoys last of Layali Febrayer

By Nawara Fattahova

anchors, best director, best program, and the station’s staff behind the music festival coverage. The winners were chosen by public votes on the TV station’s website.

Following the ceremony, the last star of the evening, Emirati singer Ahlam, came onstage at 2:30 AM. She was warmly welcomed by the audience, especially since she participated in the concert despite being visibly pregnant.

A huge number of Emiratis attended the concert especially to see Ahlam, who told the audience, “Every time I come here I love you more.”

After her fifth song of the evening, Ahlam complained of feeling tired and, after apolo-

KUWAIT: The fifth Layali Febrayer Music Festival concert held at the Ice Skating Rink on Thursday night featured a blend of Egyptian, Emirati and Saudi music.

Beginning at 10:25 pm at the Ice Skating Rink, the first performer of the evening was popular Egyptian singer Angham, wearing a simple but elegant long black evening gown, who began with one of her latest songs.

Angham began her career more than 20 years ago, when she released her first musical album in 1987, with her most recent album coming out in

Majid and Kazem Al-Saher.

During the concert she performed in Moroccan, Kuwaiti and Saudi dialects. Her set concluded at 11:50 pm.

The theatre was fully booked and attended by well known political figures such as MP Rola Dashti and the Algerian ambassador. The second star of the concert was veteran Algerian singer Warda. When she came on stage at 12:40 am the audi-

Veteran Algerian singer Warda presented a mix of his old and new songs, in addition to a song by popular Saudi singer Abdul Majid Abdullah, with only piano accompaniment.

He also sang one of his old songs as a gift for his father who he explained was watching the TV coverage of the event, before ending at 1:45 AM with one of his father’s

Veteran Egyptian actor Sameer Ghanim 2007. Born in 1972, she was married until 2009 to renowned Kuwaiti composer Fahad, with whom she has two sons Omar and Abdulrahman.

Audience members were still arriving at 11:00 pm, when the theatre was almost complete. Although the temperature was fine, Angham complained of feeling hot and asked the audience, “How can the weather be so warm in February; is it for real?”

Angham, who’s best known for her romantic, slow rhythmic ballads, sang a variety of her best known numbers during her appearance to the great delight of her fans. She apologized for being unable to sing all the songs her fans were requesting, explaining that the time limitations meant restrictions on the number of songs she could fit in. Her final number before going offstage at 11:40 PM was a patriotic song for Kuwait.

The second star of the evening was Aseel Abu-Bakr Salem, the son of the veteran Saudi singer Abu-Bakr Salem,

Asma Al-Minwer

Presenter Fatima Bou Hamad songs from 1982.

After a 30-minute break a short awards ceremony was held, with trophies being presented for Al-Watan TV’s best male and best female TV

ʻHurt Locker,ʼ ʻAvatarʼ face off at UK film awards

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he intense war drama “The Hurt Locker” and the blockbuster sci-fi spectacle “Avatar” are squaring off at the British Academy Film Awards-a curtain raiser for their Academy Awards battle in Los Angeles next month. British coming-of-age drama “An Education” is also a favorite for the London prizes, attended by a mix of homegrown celebrity and Hollywood imports. Kate Winslet, Uma Thurman, Colin Firth, Dustin Hoffman and “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson are due to attend Sunday’s ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House, with Prince William in attendance to add real royalty to showbiz aristocracy.

William’s office said the prince would present an award, although it did not confirm the recipient. Media reports said it would a lifetime achievement honor to actress Vanessa Redgrave. “Avatar,” “An Education” and “The Hurt Locker” all have eight nomina-

The chairman of Watan TV and Editor-in-Chief Sheikh Khalifa Al-Ali honors the veteran Kuwaiti actor Abdul Husain Abdulredha. gizing that she would have to sit down for the rest of her performance, a chair was hastily provided for her by backstage staff.

Ahlam began her singing

who had himself participated in the third Layali Febrayer Music Festival concert. Aseel, who has also participated in previous Hala February festivals, came onstage at 12:30 AM, accompanied by ten children, all carrying flags and singing a national song about Kuwait.

He welcomed his fans, saying, “I missed Kuwait, and I’m happy to be here tonight. I love Kuwait, which has welcomed me as well as my father.”

Aseel began his career at the start of 1990s, and has recorded many albums since then. During the concert he

tions, including best picture.

“Avatar” director James Cameron and “Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow, former spouses turned awards-season rivals, are competing for best director. The two directors, who were married from 1989 to 1991, are also going head to head at the March 7 Oscars, where their films have nine nominations apiece.

The British awards, known as BAFTAs, are considered an important indicator of likely Oscar success. Last year, Danny Boyle’s underdog picture “Slumdog Millionaire” won seven BAFTAs, including best filmand it went on to win eight Oscars. The “Avatar”/”Hurt Locker” battle seems like a David-and-Goliath story.

Cameron’s last feature, “Titanic” won 11 Oscars, including picture and director. “Avatar” is a global phenomenon that has taken more than $2 billion at the box office. “Hurt Locker,” the intense story of a bomb-disposal

team in Iraq, has made about a hundredth that much-but Britain loves an underdog.

The nominations for “An Education” include one for 24year-old Carey Mulligan for best actress. Mulligan made a career breakthrough-and gained an Oscar nomination-for her performance as a smart schoolgirl having a sobering romance with an older man in 1960s London.

South African alien thriller “District 9” is up for seven awards, while Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” and Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air” each have six nominations. The best picture nominees are: “Hurt Locker,” “Avatar,” “An Education,” “Up in the Air” and “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” As well as Cameron and Bigelow, the director nominees are Neill Blomkamp for “District 9,” Lone Scherfig for “An Education” and Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds.” —AP

ence gave her a standing ovation.

For many, seeing Warda live on stage is a dream come true. It has been a long time since she performed on stage and her last visit to the country was in 1975. This is only her second time participating in a concert here. She started her career in the 1960s and has several albums.

She apologized many times for feeling sick and being

unable to perform the way she wanted. The audience sang along with her for many of her songs and she expressed happiness at the opportunity to perform in Kuwait. She finished up her concert at 1:45 am.

The evening included several surprises. The chairman of Watan TV and Editor-inChief Sheikh Khalifa Al-Ali honored veteran Kuwaiti actor Abdul Husain Abdulredha with a trophy. Also, veteran Egyptian actor Sameer Ghanim welcomed the audience with a few jokes.

At 2:40 am, popular veteran Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu began his performance with a national song about Kuwait. Mohammed Abdu was born in 1948, started his career in the 1960s and has since released several albums.

He has thousands of fans allaround the Arab world from all generations. Regardless of his old age he sang on stage for more than two continuous hours and concluded at 4:45 am.

Presenter Iman Najem

career in the early 1990s, with her distinctive, clear singing voice leading her to become first widely known and extremely popular Emirati female singer. She has since released many albums, becoming a renowned artiste and participating in a number of Kuwait’s Hala February musical concerts, as well as other Arab festivals.

After an hour-long performance, Ahlam again apologized to the audience, explaining that she would be cutting her show short since she felt exhausted. She concluded at 3:30 AM with a patriotic song for Kuwait.

Veteran Saudi star Mohammed Abdu

Last concert The sixth and final musical concert of the Layali Febrayer Music Festival was held at 10:35 pm on Friday night at the Ice Skating Rink. The first performance featured the young Moroccan singer Asma Al-Minwer.

Asma started her career just five years ago and began with some of her more well known songs. She performed a few duos with popular singers such as Rashid Al-

Ahlam

Aseel Abu-Bakr Salem

Exhibition attracts art lovers

By Hussain Al-Qatari KUWAIT: Knitted, painted, molded or drawn, the art work displayed at Kuwaiti astronomer Adel Al-Saadoun’s house in Fintas featured a myriad of colors and shapes that pleased all art enthusiasts. The exhibition, held between 10 am to 8 pm on Friday featured the work of artists from the Fine Arts Handicraft Creativity Society.

Included in the exhibit were embroideries, paintings, mixed media pieces and colored ceramic accessories.

Ola, an attendee at the event in her 20s, said that she thoroughly enjoys the art of local artists more than buying paintings from stores. “What I love is the fact that these artists’ work is truly original.

I’m establishing my own small collection at home. I find that these exhibitions introduce

local art product is very impressive. I have always been interested, but now I notice more interest by the public.” Ahmad said that it is important that such events be funded and supported as much as possible.

Artists and art enthusiasts during the exhibition in the house of astronomer Adel Al-Saadoun. me to new art and help me establish connections with them,” she said.

Nawal Massoud, one of the

An artist displays embroideries and decorated candles at the exhibition.

artists whose work was on display, had a number of paintings and colored ceramic accessories sold at very affordable prices. She said that she appreciates the art-loving crowd who attend art exhibitions in Kuwait. “They are very enthusiastic about the pieces and very curious about the art. Kuwait really has very educated art lovers. Holding such events is truly worthwhile here,” she said.

Moving from one display table to the next was Ahmad Dashti, an art enthusiast who was with his family. He already had booked a few pieces to buy. He lauded the work of the organizers and said that more of these small galleries and exhibits should be held around Kuwait. “The

Colored ceramic plates by artist Nawal Massoud. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

A weaved art piece at display.

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Fashion

Mark Fa

st

Plus-size models take to London catwalk

sually the domain of the waifishly thin, London’s catwalk got a dose of realism when knitwear designer Mark Fast deployed several plus-size models to fill his skintight creations Saturday.

The Canadian-born Fast was at the center of a minor stir at last season’s Fashion Week after media suggested that a stylist had quit over his decision to use plus-size modelssomething the stylist reportedly denied.

Whatever the case, the 29year-old stuck to his guns, drawing on curvier women to show off his autumn/winter 2010 collection-although some of the more familiar, far thinner models were still out in force.

Fast’s use of at least some plus-size women feeds in to the debate over whether it’s appropriate for the fashion industry to keep employing the thinnest of the thin to carry it’s clothing. Several years ago London’s Fashion Week was at the center of a debate over whether to bar such models from the catwalk. But in 2008 organizers dropped proposals for mandatory medical tests for models, saying their counterparts in Milan, Paris and New York were unhappy with the idea.

Designer Bora Aksu was quoted as telling Britain’s Sky News that the fashion industry was embracing normal-sized women, saying they had become “more noticeable” over the past couple of seasons. But Sarah Watkinson, the founder of 12+ UK, the agency that supplied some of the mod-

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House of Holland els, said that while Fast was “very committed” to showing his clothes on realistic-looking women, no other designers at London Fashion Week were using her models. At catwalk shows across the capital over the weekend, rail thin figures were still the norm.

Perhaps Fast’s work-which he designs using a domestic knitting machine-lends itself to more naturallooking women. He is known for stitch-

ing techniques which blend Lycra with viscose, angora or wool. The dark violet, rose red and navy blue dresses unveiled Saturday clung to every fold of skin, with patterns of holes poked into the fabric to make them look extra stretchy.

Also showing Saturday was House of Holland, whose young designer Henry Holland seemed to have run the better part of his collection through a highway

striper.

There were stripes on dresses, stripes running across the coat, and a white garter that stood out like a pair of stripes on the model’s tanned legs. With so many white lines running across the room, the show sometimes looked like a group of models had escaped from a very fashionable jail.

Greek-born Mary Katrantzou showed off an outfit accessorized with a breast

piece that looked like a giant gold wind chime, while John Rocha displayed an attractive collection of layered shearing, leather and felt wool coats for men that blew away the rest of his work.

And in a rather dark and staid collection, the design team PPQ focused almost exclusively on black and gold. London Fashion Week runs until Wednesday.—AP

ith autumn/winter fashion shows, it’s not a bad idea to toss in a few coats. Designer John Rocha went a step further, showing a dozen layered shearling, leather and felt wool coats for men that blew away the rest of his collection.

The coats had ragged uneven hems, holes in unprocessed felt and were often paired with sleeveless vests in another texture. The shearling was dark brown or black and very thin-none of that traditional thick wooly shearling that turns people into camelcolored polar bears. On top or

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underneath black leather or black or gray wool coats, the effect was mesmerizing, raw urban testosterone. If James Dean or Marlon Brando were alive in 2010, these were the coats they would drape over their muscled shoulders.

Women fared less well under Rocha, mostly serving as props upon which to hang his overly structural designs.

It was hard to see any feminine shapes under baby doll dresses drowning in cream ruffles or black pointed cones shapes. The best pieces for women were fitted cream wool dresses with the same

uneven hems and sexy holes as the men’s coats. Two fitted black suits livened up with sparkly panels and black-onblack embroidery were also eye-catching.

One short bouncy dress-a cream version of a traditional cabled Irish sweater-showed off Rocha’s skill with textures. “It was amazing. I’m a big fan of leather and I am Irish too,” gushed Laura Whitmore, an MTV video jockey who graced the front row. Rocha has lived in Dublin for the last 22 years and also designs for Waterford Crystal. —AFP

John Rocha

In London, Rocha shows sleek-looking men’s coats

Mary Katrantzou

Monday, February 22, 2010

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Fashion

London Fashion Week

Models wear outfits by designers Unique for their Autumn/Winter 2010 collection at London Fashion Week in London, Saturday. —AP

Celebrity designers slammed by fashion veteran V eteran Irish designer Paul Costelloe told celebrities trying their hand at fashion to pack up and content themselves with their luxury lifestyles, accusing them on Saturday (NZT) of stealing his thunder on the catwalk. “I object to celebrities stick-

ing their toe in and stepping out again, like Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller’s sister - they’ll be here for a couple of seasons and then they’re off and we’re still hanging around,” he told reporters backstage after his opening show at London Fashion Week.

“She (Beckham) should be happy enough living with David Beckham - or maybe not, but stop competing with us struggling fashion designers,” he said with a laugh. Celebrity fashion endorsement has long been a powerful marketing tool, prompting the

more ambitious to draw up their own designs, often with mixed success. Beckham, a former Spice Girl, has won over many of her critics since launching her label.

Her 1940s, femme fatale-inspired fourth collection, shown during New York Fashion Week, was well

received, with newspapers reporting her collections have sold out even during the depths of the financial crisis.

Sienna Miller and her sister Savannah are behind label Twenty8Twelve, which will present its collection today . —Reuters

In London, PPQ proposes short shorts for winter he design team PPQ has decided there are only two colors for next fall and winterblack and gold-and the shortest of short shorts is exactly what women need to fend off the winter chill.

Really. Funny thing was, their shiny gold one-piece short ensemble was the lively highlight of an otherwise overly black and staid collection Saturday at London Fashion Week.

Heavy brocade tassels and trim-in gold, of course-nicely complimented the first item down the runway, a short fitted strapless black dress.

But the idea grew less and less successful with each subsequent outfit.

One long slinky black dress was paired with a gold-trimmed cardigan, an ensemble more suited to an

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Trafalgar celebrates Chopard’s 150th anniversary rafalgar, the official and sole distributor of Chopard watches, jewelry and accessories in Kuwait, has commemorated the 150th anniversary of the brand by launching a massive outdoor visual in Kuwait City.

Located on the Nassar Tower that faces the historic Jahra round-about, the visual features a large Chopard logo alongside the brand’s iconic product, the Mark II Happy Sport.

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established woman who favors that style-first lady Michelle Obama, perhaps? — than the skinny young model wearing it. Many of the dresses had black-on-black contrasting panels, which livened up the tone somewhat-the best was a twotoned, tuxedo smoking dress, fitted

PPQ through the waist with tiny buttons.

Black wool coats had wide fur collars and trim, also black. “I liked the big black coats with the fur,” said Rolien Zonneveld, an 18-year-old model from Holland in the audience.

“But those tassels, ugh!” declared her friend, who then realized that models with tickets to runway shows should probably not criticize designers who may hire them. She declined to give her name. —AP

The visual encompasses floors 3-25 of the tower’s 32floor total, and holds a surface area of 2,500 m2. This establishes it as the largest visual ever in Chopard’s 150 years of existence.

Mr Amer Alansari, Trafalgar’s managing partner commented: “We were searching for a way to pay tribute to such an important milestone in Chopard’s long history.

And we are honored by having found it near Kuwait’s important and historic landmark, the Jarha gate.”

Mr Hugues Jucker, the Middle East and North Africa manager for Chopard added: “ The Kuwaiti market has been one of the first in the Middle-East to support Chopard in the early 70’s and still today is one the most important one in the region, particularly thanks to the excellent collaboration with the Al Ansari family. The huge Chopard visual on the Nassar Tower is the perfect way to celebrate Chopard 150th Anniversary, as well as our confi-

www.kuwaittimes.net

Berlin film fest laps up ‘Honey’ but lacks bite he 60th Berlin film festival ended with a generally popular Golden Bear winner, the elegiac Turkish father-and-son drama “Honey”, but the annual movie marathon failed to impress some critics who said it lacked bite. While acknowledging a solid competition of 20 movies that was better than recent years, they bemoaned a lack of standout entries of the kind that light up a major festival. “This year’s official selection has played out in a worthy but often dull way, like a giant festival walking in slow motion,” said Derek Elley of the trade publication Variety.

“Few titles have generated any buzz or heated discussion, and even fewer people have been shouting about their discoveries.”

Contributing to the downbeat mood among hundreds of journalists and critics who trudged from screening to screening over 10 days in a snowy Berlin was the tough, even grim, subject matter tackled by many of the movies. The competition lineup included a film about the aftermath of war”Caterpillar” centres on a Japanese soldier who returns from the front mute and deaf and without arms and legsbroken families and a psychotic serial killer.

Berlin was not without buzz altogether, and Roman Polanski’s latest film “The Ghost Writer” celebrated its world premiere without the 76-year-old director. Polanski, who won a Silver Bear for best director, is fighting extradition to the United States where he is wanted for an underage sex case dating back more than 30 years, and completed the movie in jail and under house arrest in his Swiss chalet. American director Martin Scorsese brought his latest drama “Shutter Island” to the festival, ensuring A-list star power on the red carpet in the form of actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

The success or otherwise of the Berlinale is also judged by the level of business on the European Film Market which runs throughout the festival, and buyers and sellers spoke of a solid, though not spectacular, year.

Honey wins top prize At the awards ceremony on Saturday, “Honey” came away with the top prize in a surprise decision that few pundits foresaw. The jury, led

by German director Werner Herzog and including Hollywood actress Renee Zellweger, decided against rewarding the political or shocking and went instead for a minimalist, slow-paced story about a son’s love for his beekeeper father. Bora Altas, the 8-year-old who played the central character Yusuf, won over audiences with his touching performance in a film that had no soundtrack and little in the way of plot but resonated with some critics.

“I hope to be able to show feelings-love, emotion and hope, also the pleasure in living-and hope my films can trigger these emotions too,” director Semih Kaplanoglu said of “Honey”, the final part of a trilogy. Other winners in Berlin were Russian film “How I Ended This Summer”, a drama about two men living in a remote part of the Arctic Circle who become involved in a life-and-death struggle.

The cast of two-Grigori Dobrygin and Sergei Puskepalis- shared the best actor award, while the movie also won a Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution. “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle”, a Romanian prison drama about a teenager’s desperate bid to escape, won the runner-up Jury Prize and the Alfred-Bauer Award for cinematic innovation. Japan’s Shinobu Terajima was named best actress for her role in “Caterpillar” and Wang Quan’an of China won the screenplay award for “Apart Together”, about an elderly couple reunited decades after losing each other during the Chinese civil war. —Reuters

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Turkish film director Semih Kaplanoglu poses for photographers with the Golden Bear for Best Film award received for ‘Bal’ (Honey) during a press conference after the awards ceremony of the 60th Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin yesterday.

Actors Grigory Dobrygin , left, and Sergei Puskepalis smile as they hold Silver Bears awards for best actors.

(Left) The Silver Bear for the Best Director awarded to Roman Polanski for his film ‘The Ghost Writer’ stands on a table during a press conference. (Above) French producer Alain Sarde and Robert Benmussa pose with the Silver Bear for the Best Director awarded to Roman Polanski for his film “The Ghost Writer” during a press conference after the awards ceremony.

Director Babak Najafi poses for photographers with the Best First Feature Award for the Best Debut Film “Sebbe”.

List of winners Winners of the Berlin film festʼs Golden Bear since 1990 Japanese director Koji Wakamatsu poses with the Silver Bear for Best Actress in place of Japanese actress Shinobu Terajima for her film “Caterpillar” (Kyatapira).

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he Turkish family drama “Bal” (Honey) by director Semih Kaplanoglu won the Golden Bear prize for best picture Saturday at the 60th Berlin Film Festival. Here are the winners since 1990 of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale, which ranks second only to Cannes among Europe’s top film festivals: • 1990: Tie between “Music Box” by Costa-Gavras (US) and “Skrivanci na niti” (L arks on a String) by Jiri Menzel (Czechoslovakia) • 1991: “La casa del sorriso” (House of Smiles) by Marco Ferreri (Italy) • 1992: “Grand Canyon” by Lawrence Kasdan (US) • 1993: Tie between “Xian Hun Nu” (The Woman from the Lake of Scented Souls) by Xie Fei (China) and “Hsi Yen” (The Wedding Banquet) by Ang Lee (Taiwan) • 1994: “In the Name of the Father” by Jim Sheridan (Ireland/Britain) • 1995: “L’appat” (Fresh Bait) by Bertrand Tavernier (France) • 1996: “Sense and Sensibility” by Ang Lee (US) • 1997: “The People vs. Larry Flint” by Milos Forman (US) • 1998: “Central do Brasil” (Central Station) by Walter Salles (Brazil) • 1999: “The Thin Red Line” by Terence Malick (US) • 2000: “Magnolia” by Paul Thomas Anderson (US) • 2001: “Intimacy” by Patrice Chereau (France) • 2002: “Bloody Sunday” by Paul Greengrass (Britain/Ireland) and “Sen To Chihiro No Kamikakushi” (Spirited Away) by Hayao Miyazaki (Japan) • 2003: “In This World” by Michael Winterbottom (Britain) • 2004: “Gegen die Wand” (Head-On) by Fatih Akin (Germany/Turkey) • 2005: “U-Carmen eKhayelitsha” (Carmen In Khayelitsha) by Mark Dornford-May (South Africa) • 2006: “Grbavica” by Jasmila Zbanic (Bosnia-Hercegovina) • 2007: “Tuya De Hunshi” (Tuya’s Marriage) by Wang Quan’an (China) • 2008: “Tropa de Elite” (Elite Squad) by Jose Padilha (Brazil/Argentina) • 2009: “La teta asustada” (The Milk of Sorrow) by Claudia Llosa (Spain/Peru) • 2010: “Bal” (Honey) by Semih Kaplanoglu (Turkey/Germany)—AFP

Japanese director Yoji Yamada of the movie ‘About Her Brother’ reacts after being awarded with Berlinale Camera.

Golden Bear for best film: “Bal” (Honey) by Semih Kaplanoglu (Turkey/Germany) Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear: “Eu cand vreau sa fluier, fluier” (If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle), Florin Serban, (Romania/Sweden) Silver Bear for best director: Roman Polanski for “The Ghost Writer” (France/Germany/Britain) Silver Bear for best actress: Japan’s Shinobu Terajima for “Caterpillar” (Japan)

US film director Lisa Cholodenko poses for a photo after receiving the Teddy Award for her film “The Kids Are All Right”.

Jury member US actress Renee Zellweger.

Romanian director Florin Serban poses with Romanian actress Ada Condeescu and Romanian actor George Pistereanu after winning for the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prize for the film ‘If I want to whistle, I whistle’ (Eu Cand Vreau Sa Fluier, Fluier). — AFP photos

Silver Bear for best actor: Grigory Dobrygin and Sergei Puskepalis for “Kak ya provel etim letom” (How I Ended This Summer) (Russia) Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution (camera): Pavel Kostomarov for “How I Ended This Summer” Silver Bear for best screenplay: Wang Quan’an and Nan Jing for “Tuan Yuan” (Apart Together) (China)Alfred Bauer Prize for work of particular innovation: “If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle” Best first feature film: “Sebbe” by Iranian-born Babak Najafi (Sweden) Golden Bear for best short film: “Handelse Vid Bank” (Incident by a Bank) by Ruben Ostlund (Sweden) Teddy for best film with gay or lesbian context: “The Kids Are All Right” by Lisa Cholodenko (United States). —AFP

(Left) Russian director Alexei Popogrebsky receives the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution for his cinematographer Pavel Kostomarov. (Right) Director Wang Quan’an holds his Silver Bear award for the movie “Tuan Yuan” (Apart Together).