RI PT IO N BS C SU THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF
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THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010
Obama’s outreach to Muslims proves tough sell PAGE 13
conspiracy theories
Trying to be nice By Badrya Darwish
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erusalem and Jerusalem again in the limelight of the news. The holy city will never have peace. Jerusalem is part of the Palestinian issue and they can never part. What is Palestine without Jerusalem and what is Jerusalem without Palestine? Since history is known to men, the two are linked to each other whether Netanyahu likes it or not. In fact, Jerusalem never had a peaceful time under any rule except the Arab rule and the Islamic empire. When the crusaders came, they did not respect any religion. Let’s talk recent history. Jews, Muslims, Christians could perform their prayers and religious rituals. It is only since Israel occupied the rest of Palestine in 1967 all this started - digging under the mosque, choosing the best day for Muslims (Friday) to harass people, slowly annexing Jerusalem and kicking people out of their homes under hundreds of unfounded accusations. It looks like Israel is trying to provoke a religious war. The Aqsa mosque is considered the third holiest shrine and the second qibla (direction of Muslim prayers) after Makkah. Makkah is the first qibla and Jerusalem the second. It looks like peace talks have reached a dead end. Israel does not want peace at any price. This is obvious to the whole world. It is even obvious to their primary caretaker - the US. The other day Mrs Hillary Clinton blasted the Israelis for not stopping the settlements and for going ahead with peace talks. In less than 24 hours Hillary, and I am sure under Zionist lobbying in the US, softened her tone by saying that “Washington has an absolute commitment to Israel’s security” where she spoke of “a close unshakeable bond.” I commend her for her unshakable terminology. America has really let the Arabs down. Arabs went all the way with whatever Americans asked them to do to pave the way for peace talks. From Oslo till now, the Arabs are giving more and more concessions. From Arafat’s time to Abbas’ time. Lately, the Arab league agreed and pushed the Palestinians to have indirect talks with the Israelis regardless of their settlement issue just to show Mr Obama who is enthusiastic about solving the Palestinian issue and that they are ready to give anything not to let him down. What did they get in return? The next day, on Friday, the Israeli army was besieging the Aqsa mosque and closing the door on worshippers. This led to the turmoil that followed later. Israel is becoming more arrogant and arrogant and is not listening to the US, the UN or anybody. Or is it that Israel is like the spoilt child of the US? The Arabs are not against the Americans. We are against the blindsiding of Israel. Watching the kids in Jerusalem being thrown out of their homes and dragged by the Israeli soldiers and lately the settlers also are participating in harassing and tormenting Jerusalem residents, the whole world remains silent including the Arab world. How do you want me to write something nice Ambassador Jones? When we met during the celebration of the US Independence Day, you jokingly asked me to write something nice. Believe me I tried my best. So, forgive me if the circumstances do not allow.
RABI ALTHANI 2, 1431 AH
Gazans find glimmer of luxury in thriving gold bazaar
Poland’s tiny Muslim Tatar community taps deep roots PAGE 40
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Protest against Aqsa violations held outside Assembly By Hussain Al-Qatari
KUWAIT: Protestors hold banners at a rally yesterday outside the National Assembly against Israeli violations of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh (See Page 7)
KUWAIT: Student unions from Kuwait University and the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training organized a demonstration yesterday at the Determination Square opposite the National Assembly to protest the Israeli violations on the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. In a press release issued by the Kuwait University branch of the National Union of Kuwaiti Students, the union condemned the Israeli offensive and demanded that immediate action be taken by all the people of Kuwait. “The least we can do to show our disapproval is to voice our condemnation towards the Israeli crimes against Islam; it is our duty to support the people of Palestine against the tyranny of the Zionists,” said the statement. During the demonstration, Islamist MP Waleed AlTabtabaei took the stage and criticized Arab leaders for their negligence towards the Palestinian people. “Jerusalem is being violated by the Zionists, and the Arab leaders are doing nothing but sitting back and watching the events as if it were a football Continued on Page 14
OPEC holds oil output steady
VIENNA: Oil ministers including Kuwait’s Minister of Oil and Information Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Sabah (third right) applaud during the opening ceremony of the new OPEC headquarters yesterday. — AP
VIENNA: OPEC, which pumps 40 percent of world crude, froze its output ceiling at a meeting here yesterday against a backdrop of recovering oil prices and uncertainty over global economic prospects. In a statement issued after a ministerial meeting in the Austrian capital, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said it “decided to maintain the current oil production ceiling unchanged”. Nevertheless, “given the uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment and world oil demand, the secretariat will continue to monitor closely developments in the months ahead,” the statement said. OPEC, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year, said it would review the economic situation at its next ordinary meeting in Vienna on Oct 14. “We have to be very cautious because what we are seeing at this time, it’s not really (economic) growth,” OPEC Secretary General Abdalla Salem El-Badri told reporters at a news conference in the organisation’s brand new headquarters in central Vienna. “A lot of money is being thrown into the market and the growth (we’re seeing at the moment) is because of the stimulus packages. Continued on Page 14
UN gathering tackles Mideast animal trade
BEIRUT: A trainer passes in front of a lion during a show of Monte Carlo Circus in this March 8, 2010 photo. — AP
BEIRUT: A 2-year-old lion, emaciated and barely breathing, is found in a tiny cage off a Beirut highway. Monkeys are hauled through the dark tunnels of Gaza, bound for private zoos. Rare prize falcons are kept in desert encampments by wealthy Arab sheikhs. The trade in endangered animals is flourishing in the Middle East, fueled by corruption, ineffective legislation and lax law enforcement. “It’s a problem in the Arab world that we can no longer ignore,” said Marguerite Shaarawi, cofounder of the animal rights group Animals Lebanon. The group is pushing for Lebanon to join the Convention on International
150 FILS
Messi destroys Stuttgart in Champions League action
MPs, students blast Israel, Arab leaders
‘Sexy’ texts land cabin crew in jail DUBAI: Two Emirates Airline cabin crew in Dubai were given three-month jail terms for exchanging sexy text messages, a local daily reported yesterday. The then-married flight attendant, 42, and her male supervisor, 47, were convicted of “coercion to commit sin,” the National daily reported court documents as saying. It said the pair - both Indian - were earlier sentenced to six months in prison to be followed by deportation, but an appeals court last week reduced the jail time and dropped the expulsion penalty. The court concluded there was not enough evidence to prove that the unidentified pair had actually been sexually involved, the paper added. Continued on Page 14
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Trade in Endangered Species, whose signatories are meeting this month in Qatar. It is the first time the 175-nation convention is meeting in an Arab country. Lebanon and Bahrain are the only Arab countries yet to sign the convention. Delegates at the UN conference are considering nearly four dozen proposals on a range of endangered species from rhinos to polar bears. John Sellar, chief enforcement officer for CITES, said it is difficult to estimate the extent of the illegal trade in the Arab world, but Animals Lebanon estimates that it is the third largest illegal trade in the region, after weapons and drugs. Continued on Page 14
Hayef insists hijab mandatory for MPs By B Izzak KUWAIT: Hardline Salafist Islamist MP Mohammad Hayef yesterday criticized the government for not implementing a fatwa, or religious edict, issued last year by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs stating the hijab is mandatory for Muslim women. The fatwa was issued based on a question by Hayef himself to the minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Rashed Al-Hammad Continued on Page 14
Mohammad Hayef
in the news Amir to visit Russia MOSCOW: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah’s upcoming visit to Russia would be well received by state officials here, said a Russian official yesterday. Senior Program Officer for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Vershinin, told the press that Moscow had invited Sheikh Sabah to visit Russia as a means to bolster relations between the two countries on the highest level possible. Kuwaiti-Russian relations are very strong, said the Russian official, affirming that HH Sheikh Sabah’s visit would help to further boost these ties.
Banks to sue Saudi groups KUWAIT: A number of Kuwaiti banks have decided to launch legal proceedings against two troubled Saudi business groups for debt estimated at around $1.5 billion, a newspaper reported yesterday. The banks took the decision after months of negotiations with the Saad and Algosaibi groups ended in deadlock, Al-Qabas daily said, citing unnamed sources familiar with the issue. The creditor banks including Gulf Bank, Commercial Bank and Burgan Bank, in addition to Kuwait Finance House, the largest Islamic lender, have formed a joint committee to pursue the issue, the report said. The banks are expected to file lawsuits in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and in Britain. Another Kuwaiti lender, Al-Ahli Bank has already filed a lawsuit against the two Saudi groups in New York, the paper said. Kuwait last June ordered a freeze in dealings with the two Saudi conglomerates which have been severely impacted by the global financial crisis and their total debts are believed to top $20 billion.
British mission attacked MANAMA: Bahrain’s foreign minister yesterday condemned a minor bomb attack on the British embassy in Manama, saying his government will not tolerate such action against foreign missions. “The attack on the British embassy yesterday (Tuesday) is not acceptable. The kingdom of Bahrain will not be lenient about this,” Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa said, quoted by the BNA state news agency. Al-Ayam newspaper said police had arrested a man after an explosive device was thrown at the embassy, without causing any casualties or damage. In London, the Foreign Office confirmed the report. The attack came amid calls from Sunni groups to kick out British ambassador Jamie Bowden following his meeting with Al-Wefaq association, the largest political association of the Shiite majority in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. The Gulf state criticised the meeting as foreign meddling in its domestic affairs, in a country rife with sectarian tension.
Iraqi PM, main rival locked in tight battle BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and his main rival Iyad Allawi were locked in a tight election battle yesterday, with updated results showing their blocs neckand-neck in the race for parliament. Just 40,000 votes separated Maliki’s State of Law Alliance and Al-Maliki Allawi’s Iraqiya list nationwide, according to updated results based on 83 percent of ballots counted, while the incumbent’s bloc has alleged widespread fraud and demanded a recount. The two groupings had been on pace to garner 87 seats in the 325-member Council of Representatives, according to an earlier AFP calculation based on 79 percent of tabulated votes. The new breakdown was not immedi-
ately available. Meanwhile, votes cast outside Iraq and during special voting for the security forces, the sick and prisoners have not yet been tabulated by Iraq’s election commission and could affect the outcome. The election, the second since Saddam Hussein was ousted in the US-led invaAllawi sion of 2003, comes less than six months before the United States is set to withdraw all of its combat troops from Iraq. An ally of Maliki charged yesterday that the count, which has so far taken 10 days, had been plagued by widespread fraud and demanded a nationwide recount. “There has been clear manipulation inside the election commission in the interests of a certain or a specific list,” said Continued on Page 14
NATIONAL
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
connect the dots
Come join us! By Meshary Alruwaih
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KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah receiving His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on his arrival at the Ali Al-Sabah Military Academy.— Photos by KUNA
Amir attends officers’ graduation ceremony at Military Academy KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attended here yesterday the graduation ceremonies of the 14th batch of college graduates military cadets and the 37th officer cadets at the Ali Al-Sabah Military Academy. Sheikh Sabah’s convoy arrived at the academy at 7:30 am and he was received by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, chief of staff for the Kuwaiti Army Lt Gen Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled Al-Hamad AlSabah, and member of the board and staff at the military Academy. Present at the event were His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Jassem Mohammad Al-Kharafi, Deputy Chief of the National Guard Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His
Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, senior officials of the state, and family members of the graduates. Head of the Ali Al-Sabah Academy Maj Gen Ahmad Al-Rahmani welcomed His Highness Sheikh Sabah and the attendees for coming to the graduation ceremony, saying that their sons who recently graduated would do their best to protect their country from harm under the guidance of the Kuwaiti leadership. A military parade then was initiated for both classes which was followed by His Highness the Amir awarding the graduates with their certificates. The graduates also put on a show that showcased their recently acquired military skills. —KUNA
KUWAIT: (Top) HH the Amir, HH the Crown Prince, ministers, sheikhs and other dignitaries attending the ceremony. (Middle) A cadet greets HH the Amir at the ceremony and (above) cadets stage a formation.
hy do we care about Jerusalem? Isn’t it because we are Muslims? Why then do we talk about Jerusalem as Kuwaitis, Egyptians, Qataris, and Algerians etc? Why do we always approach the issue with the ‘reason of the state’ when the issue is purely Islamic? Do not tell me it’s implicit because Islam is part of the identity of the Kuwaiti or Egyptian state. I don’t think so. I believe that once engaged in international relations, contemporary states representing Muslim societies will leave behind religion, culture, and features they naturally acquire by virtue of representing their societies. Instead, some represent themselves as empty platforms ready to be filled by the social structures of the international system. Others let their temporary positions in the material structures of the international system determine the destiny of their societies. Those states representing Muslim societies, I’m sorry for not calling them Muslim states because they are not, can be found all over the international system. Some at the doorsteps of international organizations hopping for attention or recognition as members of the so-called ‘international community.’ Others lay down at the sidewalks of globalization begging for an FDI or an FTA. There are others that hide behind global superpowers who attack their fellow Muslims. As I’m writing these lines, NATO is negotiating a deal with Kuwait to allow their troops an unconditional passage through its air and sea ports. This is let alone being a base for American troops who do not seem to be leaving any time soon. As I’m writing these words, Egyptian gas continues to flow into Israeli lands at preferential rates. The iron fence is getting deeper and deeper. Now as a Muslim who happens to be half-Kuwaiti and half-Egyptian, or to put it differently, a Muslim who happens to be represented in the international system by the Kuwaiti state and to some extent by the Egyptian state, how can I ever think or hope that my desire along with those of other members of Muslim societies in Kuwait or in Egypt to do something about the situation in Jerusalem will ever be translated into action on the international system? Those states simply do not care, that we care about Jerusalem. We, in Muslim societies should not expect much from our current representatives in the international system, we should not expect much from beggars of globalization and prisoners of security arrangements. As long as social and material structures continue to constitute their reason and rationality, states in the Muslim world without much concerns about the inspirations of societies they represent. They will continue to act as barriers to Islamic collective action on world stage. Yet, I’m not calling for Muslim societies to revolt against their states, I’m calling for states to listen more to their societies and abandon their heartless instrumental foreign policymaking. In other words, I’m calling on the states to...join us. meshary@kuwaittimes.net
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Labor Law Section Three Termination of Work Contract and End of Service Benefit Article (41) Subject to the provisions of Article (37) of this Law: aThe employer may terminate the services of a worker without notice, compensation or benefit in the event where the worker has committed any of the following acts: 1If the Worker has committed a mistake that resulted in a large loss for the employer. 2If it was found that the worker obtained employment through cheating or fraud. 3If the worker divulged secrets related to the establishment which caused or would have caused real losses. b- The employer may dismiss the worker in any of the following events: 1If he has been found guilty of a crime that relates to honor, trust or morals. 2If he committed an act against public morals at the work site. 3If he assaulted one of his colleagues, his employer or deputy during work or for a reason thereof. 4If he breached or failed to abide by any of the obligations imposed on him by the contract and the provisions of this Law. 5If he is found to have repeatedly violated the instructions of the employer. In such events, the decision of dismissal shall not result in the deprivation of the worker of his end of service benefit. c- The employee who is dismissed for any of the reasons stated in this article shall have the right to object against such decision before the competent labor department in accordance with the procedure set forth in this Law. If it is established, by virtue of the final verdict, that the employer arbitrarily dismissed his worker, the latter shall be entitled to an end of service benefit and a compensation for material and moral damages. In all cases, the employer shall inform the Ministry about his decision to dismiss and the reasons for such decision, and the Ministry shall inform the Manpower Restructuring Team. Article (42) In the event where the employee is absent from work for 7 consecutive days or 20 separate days within a year without a valid excuse, the employer shall have the right to consider him as having resigned. In such event, provisions of Article 53 of this Law shall apply with regard to the worker’s end of service benefit. Article (43) In the event where the worker is imprisoned due to an accusation by the employer and placed in preventive detention or is detained in execution of a non-final court verdict, he shall be deemed suspended from work. However, the employer shall have no right to terminate his contract, unless he has been convicted with a final judgment. In the event where the verdict acquitted him from the accusation of the employer, the latter shall pay the remuneration of the worker for the period of suspension and pay him a fair compensation that shall be assessed by the court. Article (44) In the event where the term of the work contract is not specified, both parties shall have the right to terminate the same by means of a notice to the other party as follows: a- Three months prior to the termination of the contract for the workers earning a monthly remuneration. b- One month prior to the termination of the contract for other workers. In the event where the party wishing to terminate the contract does not abide by the period of notice, he shall be obliged to pay the other party a compensation for the notification period equal to the remuneration of the worker for the same period c- In the event where the notification of termination is issued by the employer, the worker shall have the right to be absent one day or 8 hours per week in order to search for other work. He shall also be entitled to his remuneration for the day or hours of absence. The worker shall decide on the day or hours of absence and shall notify the employer at least one day prior to such absence. d- The employer may exempt the employee from work during the period of notification while but shall count such period within the worker’s period of service. The employer shall pay the worker all his entitlements and remuneration for the period of notification. Article (45) The employer shall not use the right of termination granted to him by virtue of the previous article when the worker is enjoying one of the leaves stipulated in this Law Article (46) The service of the worker shall not be terminated without any justification or as a result of his activity in the syndicate or a claim or his legal rights in accordance with the provisions of the law. The service of the worker may not be terminated for reason of gender, race or religion. Article (47) In the event where the term of the work con-
tract is specified and the contract was unrightfully terminated by either party, the terminating party shall compensate the other party for damage provided that the amount of the compensation shall not exceed the remuneration of the worker for the remaining period of the contract The damage suffered by the parties shall be determined according to trade custom, the nature of the work, the duration of the contract and in general all considerations that may have an effect on the damage with regard to its existence and extent. All debts due to the other party shall be deducted from the value of the compensation. Article (48) The worker shall have the right to terminate his work contract without notification and shall be entitled to his end of service benefit in any of the following cases: a- The employer does not abide by the terms of the contract or the provisions of the law; b- If the worker was assaulted by or by provocation from either the employer or his deputy; c- If continuing work will endanger his safety and health pursuant to the decision of the medical arbitration committee at the Ministry of Health. d- If the employer or his deputy committed an act of cheating or fraud with regard to work conditions upon signing the contract. e- If the employer has accused the worker of committing a punishable act and the final verdict acquitted him. If the employer or his deputy commits an act that violates public morals against the worker. Article (49) The work contract shall be terminated by the death of the worker or in the event where the worker is proven incapable of performing his work, or due to a sickness that uses up all the worker’s sick leave entitlements as evidenced by a medical report approved by competent official medical bodies. Article (50) The employment contract shall be deemed terminated in the following events: a- If a final verdict was issued declaring bankruptcy of the employer; b- If the establishment was permanently closed; In the event where the establishment is sold, merged with another establishment or transferred by inheritance, donation or other legal action, the work contract shall remain valid under the same conditions and the obligations and rights of the original employer towards the workers shall be transferred to the employer who has taken his place. Article (51) The worker shall be entitled to an end of service benefit as follows: a- The worker shall be entitled to a 10 days remuneration for each of the first five years of service and a 15 days remuneration for each year thereafter. The total of the end of service benefit shall not exceed one-year remuneration for employees who are paid on daily, weekly, hourly or piecework basis. b- The worker shall be entitled to a 15 days remuneration for each of the first five years of service and one month remuneration for every year thereafter. The total of the end of service benefit should not exceed one and a half year remuneration for employees who are paid on a monthly basis. The worker shall be entitled to a benefit for the fraction of the year in proportion to the period of service. Loans and credits owed by the worker shall be deducted from the end of services benefit. The provisions of the Social Security Law shall be taken into consideration in this regard, and the employer shall pay the net difference between the amounts accrued due to the subscription of the worker in the social security and to the end of service benefit. Article (52) Subject to the provisions of Article 45 of this Law, the worker shall be entitled to the entire end of service benefits stated in the preceding Article as follows: a- If the employer terminates the contract: b- If the duration of the contract expired without being renewed. c- If the contract was terminated in accordance with Articles 48, 49 and 50 of this Law. d- If the female worker terminates the contract as a result of her marriage within a year after the date of marriage. Article (53) The worker shall be entitled to half of the end of service benefits stipulated in Article 51 in the event where he terminates the work contract which has an indefinite term and the period of service reaches not less than three years and not more than five years. In the event where the period of service reaches five years and less than 10 years, the worker shall be entitled to two thirds of the benefit and if the period of service exceeds 10 years, the worker shall be entitled to his entire benefit. Article (54) The worker who terminates his work contract shall be entitled to an end of service certificate from the employer stating the duration of his services, his position and the last remuneration he received. The employer shall not have the right to include, explicitly or implicitly, any expressions that may harm the employee or limit his employment prospects. The employer shall return to the worker all the documents, certificates or tools delivered to him by the employee. TO BE CONTINUED
‘Maids have full rights’ KUWAIT: Approximately 700,000 expatriate maids have freely chosen to work in Kuwait, proving that the country is seen as a desirable destination by these women, according to the head of the Kuwaiti Union for Domestic Staff Recruitment Agencies. Union head Fadhil Ashkanani, who was responding to allegations in a recent US State Department report that expatriate maids’ human rights have been routinely abused, insisted that these accusations were wholly untrue. Ashkanani slammed the American report, saying that it “disregarded all the positive aspects of working as a domestic worker in the country.” The maid recruitment agency union head insisted that the report was “based on certain negative cases that took place,” rejecting the report’s accusations of maids being forced to work against their will and insisting that the triplicate copies of the maids’ contracts, signed between the domestic worker, the
new sponsor and the agency, protect the rights of all three. Ashkanani rejected the allegations of sexual abuse of maids by sponsors contained in the report, asserting that such incidents do not take place in sponsors’ homes but instead occur when the maids are abducted after escaping from their sponsors. He proposed that maids should be made aware before coming to the country of the dangers they could face if they attempt to run away from their sponsors’ homes. The union head pointed out that a refuge had been built in Khaitan to house escaped domestic workers, reported Al-Qabas. He also mentioned the Ministry of Interior’s (MoI) dedicated department for domestic workers, saying that embassies can contact officials there concerning cases of citizens’ or domestic workers’ complaints in order to resolve any problems between employers and maids.
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Slew of loopholes in new private sector Labor Law By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: The new labor law is nothing but a government document that is punctured by a slew of loopholes. A senior Kuwaiti journalist who requested anonymity said that many employers will devise their own schemes to avoid paying indemnities and other forms of remuneration payable to workers. “Well The new law was amended to fix some loopholes that existed previously and serve as a clear guideline to prosecute violators. Ahmed (not his real name) worked for over ten years in a publishing company in Shuwaikh. In late 2008, he was told that the company he worked for would be sold to another, and they promised to pay full end-of-service benefits. Since he did not want to continue working with the new management, he resigned. But after several months, the promised indemnity was never
paid. His case is now being heard by the labor arbiter at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. “Until now I don’t see hope, perhaps this new law will help me anyway. I will see how it works and is applied to my case,” he said. Under the new law, Ahmed’s rights can be secured from the new management since the obligations and rights of the original employer towards workers have been transferred to the new employer who has acquired the company. Under Chapter Three,
this is the new law we should follow. But I am not very convinced with what is written there. As an employer myself, (owning a recruitment agency) I can still do many things to avoid answering questions from the ministry,” he asserted. “I can transfer him/her to another section or division in the company so that I can avoid paying benefits, or worse, I can fire them and look for new workers. There are many other miracles that I can perform as an employer,” he said.
Section Three, Article 50 states: “In the event where the establishment is sold or is merged with another establishment, the work contract shall remain valid as obligations and rights will automatically be transferred to its new owner and for workers who are paid monthly, the worker shall be entitled to a 15 days remuneration for each of the first five years of service and one month remuneration for every year thereafter. The total of the end-of-service benefit should not exceed one and half year of remuneration.”
Erlinda (not her real name) is another victim who was denied indemnity claim. She worked for five years in a restaurant at the Gulf Street. When she found a better job that offered a better salary, she eventually asked for a transfer of residence permit. She did not receive it easily though but the company’s management finally relented when she stated in her written resignation that she would not claim her end-of-service benefits. The new law states: “If a worker was terminated or ter-
minates her contract her/himself, the worker is yet entitled to half of the end of service benefits stipulated in Article 51 in the event where he terminates the work contract which has an indefinite term and the period of service reaches not less than three years and not more than five years. In the event where the period of service reaches five years and less than 10 years, the worker shall be entitled to two thirds of the benefit, and if the period of service exceeds 10 years, the worker shall be entitled to his entire benefit.”
Political activist slams recent ‘extreme’ price increase KUWAIT: A prominent Kuwaiti political activist has condemned the “extreme” price rises seen recently in Kuwait, demanding that the government take steps to prevent further increases. Sheikha Al-Ghanim, the Director General of the AlGhanim International Consultancy Division, warned against the adverse effects which these price rises could have on the low-paid, reported Al-Qabas. The well-known local figure laid the blame for the increases firmly on the Kuwait Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies (KUCCS), accusing the co-ops union of encouraging merchandisers to increase their prices, particularly of those goods in high demand. The senior executive also stressed that commercial freedom does not mean that businesses have the right to artificially inflate the prices of goods. Al-Ghanim urged the KUCCS to stop selling goods from any merchant imposing arbitrary price rises on them, unless the merchant provides documentary evidence that the items’ prices were increased by the manufacturers.
KUWAIT: Participants of the 33rd Aghrar training course conducted by the National Guards pose for a group photograph yesterday. — KUNA
MoE seeks KD 50 raise for expat researchers KUWAIT: The Minister of Education and Higher Education requested that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) permit a KD 50 allowance to each expatriate social and psychological researcher working for the Ministry. The increase is in addition to the request made by the minister to raise each employee’s salary between KD 200300, reported Al-Qabas.
Diabetes warning KUWAIT: One in six Kuwaiti citizens and one in five Emiratis suffer from diabetes, according to experts in the condition, who have warned that these already high ratios could increase, reported AlQabas. Speaking at the launch in Abu Dhabi of the new ‘Devoted’ initiative for developing diabetes care procedures, the specialists revealed that the current number of diabetics worldwide is currently estimated at 177 million, which they said could rise to 300 million by 2025. Kuwait spends $1,010 per patient on diabetes treatment annually, compared to $2,960 in Qatar, $950 in Bahrain, $507 in Oman, $33 in Afghanistan and $24 in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, errors and violations have been detected in the Ministry’s psychological services department. Obstacles were wrongfully put in the way of expatriate researchers living in Kuwait and applying for jobs with the ministry. They were told that all vacant posts were filled by researchers from nearby Arab countries.
Allowing these new allowances would mean that researchers would most likely not receive accommodation allowances similar to those paid to teaching staff. According to statistics carried out for the 2007-2008 school year, the number of Kuwaiti and expatriate social and psychological researchers working for the ministry was estimated at 777.
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NATIONAL
Thursday, March 18, 2010
KU to hold Social Services Day forum
Women’s studies center in offing at university By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: Kuwait University’s Social Sciences faculty announced yesterday that it will be hosting a Social Services Day forum on Tuesday. At a press conference held to announce the event, Ibtisam Al-Quod explained that the forum, to be held under the patronage of Minister of State for Among the other activities being held as part of the forum are a number of recreational events, including a marathon on Green Island. The head of the media committee for the event, Dr. Malak Al-Rushaid, explained that the forum, entitled ‘Our Society Through The Eyes of Our Family Issues,’ is being held as a way of forging links between the university’s Social Sciences faculty and wider
society. She said that the subjects under discussion had been carefully chosen for their accessibility to everyone, emphasizing that the organizers are seeking to demonstrate the close link between academic theory and real-life practice in discussing and resolving social services-related issues. The forum will also include a session on women’s issues in the presence of a number of
Development and Housing Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, will include lectures on the role of specialist social services personnel in society. She further revealed that some of the expert speakers will be making the case for the recruitment of more specialist staff in this area in Kuwait, along with the creation of an umbrella association to represent them.
MPs and experts in this issue from Kuwait and elsewhere, said Dr. Al-Rushaid, explaining that this session is a preliminary step towards the creation of a women’s studies center at the university, the first of its kind in the Gulf. Other activities being held as part of the forum include panel discussions, seminars and a number of presentations from social services experts from the Gulf states and else-
where in the Arab world, she revealed, adding that other participants are coming from Western nations, including Canada and England, to take part in the event. A number of exhibitions will be held on the sidelines of the forum, as well as various free workshops which will be available to all those coming along to the event who wish to take part in them, said Dr. AlRushaid.
New mechanism to monitor nightshift clinics in Kuwait
in the news
KUWAIT: The sudden appearance on Wafra Road of a massive pothole two meters wide and ten meters in diameter caused a major collision between two cars resulting in the injury of four of those in the two vehicles. The Egyptian driver of one of the cars, a jeep, was injured when he swerved to avoid the other vehicle, a taxi, with three of the cab passengers also being injured. Emergency personnel were quickly at the scene, with Wafra firefighters having to cut the injured free from the vehicles before they could be rushed to hospital. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun
Kuwait insists on medical checkup for expat workers KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health insists on subjecting expatriate workers to medical checkup and blood analyses in order to ensure health safety and security in the country, a senior health official said here yesterday. “Health security in the country is a red line. The Ministry of Health cannot give up its right to conduct medical checkup for incoming laborers,” the ministry’s assistant undersecretary for public health, Yussif Al-Nesf
said. The Kuwaiti official made the remarks in response to recent local press reports suggesting there were some violations of medical procedures for foreign workers, especially hepatitis C patients. Dismissing such reports, the official said: “What has been reported are just old documents that date back to past years.” The ministry has formed technical panels of specialized doctors and legal researchers with a view to checking the
soundness and reliability of such medical procedures, he added. Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The infection is often asymptomatic, but once established, chronic infection can progress to scarring of the liver, and advanced scarring (cirrhosis) which is generally apparent after many years. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact. —KUNA
Transformer explosion KUWAIT: An engineer working for the Ministry of Electricity and Water was injured in a blast at a secondary power transforming plant in Mishref while performing maintenance. He was sent to the hospital in stable condition, reported Al-Watan. An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the explosion and the ministry fears that similar incidents could take place due to an overload on the system. The Audit Bureau refused to approve of a project to rent mobile power generators to compensate for a potential overload during the summer season. The tender proceedings for such a project would not begin until the start of next month, which is not enough time for the project to be finalized before summer. Co-ops amendments KUWAIT: Amendments to the Co-op Law have so far only covered four clauses, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. They include; raising the minimum age of nomination to the co-ops board to 30 years, increasing the membership term to four years, holding elections once every two years, and imposing stricter measures against violators, reported AlWatan. “All these issues have been made in coordination and with the agreement of the coops”, said Mohammad AlKandari. He added that they approved the amendments five years ago when they were first brought up. Interior warning KUWAIT: A senior Ministry of Interior (MoI) official has warned all ministry employees to comply with the recently issued administrative order banning them from publishing any work-related material without permission or face stiff penalties. Brigadier Shehab Al-Shemmari, the Director General of the MoI’s Supervision and Inspection Department, said in a statement issued on Tuesday that it had been brought to his attention that pictures of ministry staff and sensitive official documents had been published without those responsible obtaining permission beforehand, reported Al-Jarida. All such cases of illegal publication will be investigated, with those responsible severely penalized, Brigadier AlShemmari warned.
Among the issues under discussion in the various lectures and seminars will be working with individuals with special needs and their families, the effects of divorce and family breakdown, and how to deal with teenagers’ problems, said the senior KU official. She concluded by revealing that other sessions will examine the negative phenomena that have recently been witnessed in Kuwaiti society.
Three illegal cafés demolished KUWAIT: The committee responsible for removing illegal structures on state property yesterday supervised the demolition of three unlicensed cafés in the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area of Farwaniya. Duaij Al-Snafi, the committee’s general coordinator, said that the committee had discovered three unlicensed cafés in Block 3 of the area, which had been built illegally on an empty 600-square-meter plot belonging to the state. “These cafés were unlicensed and the committee discovered their illegal nature after reviewing the registered official plans and diagrams for the area,” he explained. The local customers of the cafés, which had
apparently been operating illegally in the location for several years, were apparently surprised to discover that they were illegal, the senior MoI official revealed. “The cafés had been providing their unlicensed services for their customers for many years until we caught them recently,” he said. “The customers and residents of the area claimed that they had no idea that they were illegal.” Although the committee notified the cafés of the illegality of their business, said Al-Snafi, “the café owner didn’t remove the illegal structures, so the demolition team removed them and cleared the state property.”
KUWAIT: In the latest round of meetings held between officials from the Ministry of Health (MoH), a new mechanism has been put in place to regulate work during nightshifts at clinics. All the negative aspects involved in working late nights were addressed so that future occurrence of such incidents could be avoided. “The council of deputy officials have reached a decision to form a committee to assess the nature of the work carried out at nightshift clinics with regard to qualifying administrators, physicians and technicians required for each clinic,” said the Head of the Ministry’s Legal Affairs Department, Mahmoud Abdulhadi. “The council also discussed the new mechanism that the ministry would adopt to form permanent and temporary committees, in addition to re-organizing the current committees in accordance with the requirements,” he said. Al-Abdulhadi, who is also the Head of the Committee designated for forming the Psychiatry Law at the Ministry, recently met with members of the committee to discuss several issues, including a review of similar examples carried out in other countries like Egypt and Bahrain, reported AlWatan. This law aims to take care of citizens’ psychological health at an early age.
KUWAIT: Mahmoud Al-Maaytah, NBK CEO Isam Al-Sager, Jordanian Ambassador Jumaa Al-Abbadi, Jordanian Social Security Corporation Assistant General Manager Yahia Abu Irshaid, Jamal Msa’adeh, Abedrabbo Al Habashneh and NBK Deputy General Manager International Banking Group Marwan Isbaih.
School janitor nabbed for drug trafficking By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: An Asian female janitor was arrested for drugs trafficking yesterday. The suspect, who works at a school, was arrested while selling one gram of heroin. Fifty more grams of heroin were found in her room. During interrogation, the woman admitted that she works for a Pakistani national who is serving a jail term at the central prison on the charge of drug trafficking.
NBK introduces Jordanian social security campaign KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the leading bank in Kuwait and the highest rated bank in the Middle East, in collaboration with the Jordanian Social Security Corporation (JSSC), recently organized a special gathering to mark the re-launch of the Security Ambassador campaign “the Social Security Office” in Kuwait. The landmark event, which was graced by HE the Jordanian Ambassador to the State of Kuwait Jumaa Al-Abbadi, the Jordanian Social Security Corporation Assistant General Manager Yahia Abu Irshaid, NBK Chief Executive Officer- Kuwait Isam AlSager, and a host of senior NBK officials, has been received with impressive zeal and
enthusiasm from members of the Jordanian community residing in Kuwait, who inundated NBK Head Office. Commenting on the event, Abu Irshaid said that a key objective of the relaunch of the Jordanian Social Security Campaign in Kuwait is to ensure providing the proper social protection for the largest number of Jordanian expatriates in Kuwait, our first step in the Arabian Gulf countries, as well as providing this important segment of society with a decent retirement upon their return to homeland. On his part, Al-Sager said that the relaunch of the Jordanian Social Security
Campaign comes as a culmination of the close coordination and collaboration between NBK & the Jordanian Social Security Corporation. Al-Sager reiterated that NBK’s support provided at the launch of this campaign two years ago will be maintained until the final objectives of this intuitive are achieved. HE Al-Abbadi commended NBK’s active role in respect of commitment to the sustainable development of the Arab communities. He highlighted the support provided by NBK to the Jordanian Social Security campaign ever since its launch as being a testament of NBK’s interest to shoulder its social responsibilities.
NATIONAL
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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‘We are not going back’
‘Husband consent’ proposal provocative: Al-Mubarak By Ahmad Saeid KUWAIT: MP Dr. Maasouma Al-Mubarak has branded the proposal presented by an Islamist MP to prevent women from traveling without their husbands’ or guardians’ consent “provocative.” Al-Mubarak accused the MP of presenting the proposal to attempt to outmaneuver the constitutional court’s decision to allow adult women to obtain passports without their husbands’ or guardians’ permission. “If the constitutional court hadn’t issued that decision, this proposal would never have been presented,” asserted the prominent female MP and former minister. Kuwaiti society long ago left behind the historical period that some male MPs wanted it to return to and would not be returning to it, she insisted. “It was the case for a long time in Kuwait that women were viewed as needing to be under the “protection” of a man,” she said, emphasizing, “We are not going back to that place.” Dr Al-Mubarak said that all the restrictive measures proposed by this
MP and some of his likeminded colleagues had been suggested in the name of Islam, which demonstrated their lack of understanding about the faith. “Islam values women and they have a respected place in its teachings,” she asserted. The distinguished political figure said that the part of the proposal recommending that female minors should need to obtain their fathers’ approval before travelling outside the country
was a fact of life for children that did not need to be legislated. “This is a family issue,” Dr AlMubarak asserted. “I mean, even I tell my husband about my travel plans as soon as I find out about them. It’s not a common thing for underage girls to travel without their families’ permission! If these things happen occasionally, that doesn’t make them the rule, therefore there’s no need for a law to manage this.”
KUWAIT: A musical performance during the ceremony. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat
KGL supports GCC Traffic Week
local spotlight
Kuwait’s show business By Muna Al-Fuzai ou don’t need to observe much to know that everything in Kuwait is dramatized — politics, education, entertainment, ministers’ grilling motions and even business ventures. Why is that? How desperately do politicians need to attract audiences in order to make their motives known? No business venture can be passed in this country unless it turns into a public spectacle. Everyone is welcomed to join in or watch. Such exaggerated dramatization is losing its sense of purpose. To what lengths are we prepared to go, with the aim of publicizing a scandal, public speech in order to prove that the opposition party is wrong ? I will not begin with the topic of the recent grilling of the minister of information. I don’t believe in the function exercised by the Ministry of Information as a government body set up by the government to observe, control and manipulate people’s thoughts and ways of thinking. Such government departments that control the media only survive under tyrannical dictatorship that wants to control everything that falls within the frame of the media. Aren’t grilling motions conducted in a similar, outlandish fashion? Have, we the people, benefited from it? What were the outcomes of the last five or ten grilling sessions? Have we improved our performances and reduced
Y
the level of corruption? Let’s suppose that the Minister of Education has decided to set a new agenda for education tomorrow by updating some curricula to focus more on equality, and women’s empowerment. The immediate reaction would be a call to remove the minister from his position, no matter how true or sincere his intentions are. Although the topic itself has nothing to do with the public, this matter is related to educating people and specialists. Yet, this could easily turn in a ‘freak show’ in which people would vehemently call for or against the subject, even by those who don’t know anything about curriculums or education! Amazing! Politicians are masters of dramatic enactment. Surprisingly here in Kuwait, this is how the art of politics is carried out. It takes flair to release free publicity for some writers who seek limelight when people begin to forget them! For example, a former editor who wrote a book about Kuwait and has since been insulting others, is famous now! He now claims that his life is in danger and that he was advised to leave the country! I wonder what he is waiting for now. Why doesn’t he seek police protection? Kuwait is a small country and this way overly sensationalizing events to garner the crowd’s attention is really worrying. Repeated involvement of the public in all issues that concern the government or the National Assembly. This only reflects how weak and fragile our cases are. I believe that we waste time pursuing lost cases mainly because we focus on ‘displaying’ our cases rather than solving it. muna@kuwaittimes.net
High gut bacteria levels in Gulf KUWAIT: Large amounts of a variety of bacteria found in the human digestive system have been discovered in Kuwait’s offshore waters. The bacteria apparently exceed the international limits for offshore areas and could pose a serious threat to the Kuwaiti waters’ marine ecosystem, said an Environmental Public Authority (EPA) official. The bacteria were detected over the past two months during the regular tests carried out by the EPA to assess water quality,
which have been intensified following the recent Mishref sewage plant disaster that saw large amounts of raw sewage being dumped straight into the Gulf. Senior EPA officials reportedly held an emergency meeting recently to discuss the Mishref plant’s continued illegal dumping of untreated raw sewage into the Gulf and the adverse effects this has had on marine life there. Although the EPA has stated publicly that the liquid sewage is
treated chemically before being transferred to the Gulf, its announcement about the bacteria discovery and the recent meeting seem to contradict this, reported Al-Watan. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) has reportedly stopped pumping oxygen into the Gulf waters to maintain a balance, which one environmental expert warned could increase the likelihood of large numbers of the fish in Kuwaiti waters dying off during summer.
By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: As a part of the Unified Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) Traffic Week, from March 14 - 20, the Kuwait and Gulf Link Holding Company (KGL) held a recognition ceremony. The event, held at the Kuwait Hilton Resort on Tuesday, honored GCC delegates, Traffic General Department personnel and the organizing committee at the Ministry of Interior. The ceremony was held under the auspices of the Interior Deputy Undersecretary and the Director-General of the Traffic General Department, Major General Mahmoud Al-Dosary. KGL, for the sixth consecutive year, is sponsoring the activities of the Unified GCC Traffic Week under the theme ‘Watch out for reckless driving mistakes.’ The goal of the week is to promote traffic awareness and reduce the number of traffic accidents caused by reckless driving. The Traffic Week is an annual event in line with the Ministry of Interior’s campaign to promote safety amongst motorists and pedestrians. KGL espouses the principle of social responsibility and gives back to the community by participating in this campaign. KGL has made many great achievements within the past few years. “KGL has worldwide activities in the development
sector and we appreciate their cooperation with the Ministry of Interior,” stated Maj. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Dosari during the ceremony. “During this year’s Traffic Week, many important projects were approved for everyone’s benefit. I also congratulate the launching of the metro in Dubai, which is a proud moment for all GCC countries. I hope a joint metro project will be launched in all the GCC countries, and that they will link together. I also hope that KGL will have a part in this project.” “I would also like to thank KGL for respecting traffic rules,” added Al-Dosari. “KGL is strengthening the principle of collective public transportation and decreasing the number of personal vehicles.” The efforts spent by KGL are on an international level. “KGL offers services to a country that will put it on the level of developed nations. It is difficult to spread traffic awareness amongst all road users. It needs the cooperation and effort of individuals and authorities in order to eliminate bad habits, especially among the younger generations,” noted retired Brigadier General, Abdulgafour Al-Awadhi, on behalf of KGL. “It takes a long time to implement practices that will make a generation respect traffic rules. It could be done by promoting awareness campaigns. Also, slogans attract a drivers attention. This year’s
KUWAIT: Maj Gen Mahmoud Al-Dosari (left) awarding Maj Abdullah Al-Shihi, the head of the Bahraini delegation. slogan is, ‘watch out for reckless driving mistakes,’ which encourages drivers to pay attention to other drivers on the road,” Al-Awadhi added. KGL lives up to its commitment and ensures the safety and well-being of its employees. They regularly conduct comprehensive training courses for all drivers in Kuwait and the GCC. KGL prides itself for being the transportation company with the least amount of traffic fines in Kuwait. Subsequently, KGL announced a campaign to pro-
mote traffic awareness amongst students. They will host seminars and exhibitions on the danger of violating traffic rules to all members of society. During the honoring ceremony, key drivers from KGL, business units, selected citizens and residents of Kuwait received certificates and monetary awards for their excellent driving records. A number of media representatives were also honored for their role in promoting traffic safety and awareness.
Education’s regression affects patriotism: MP KUWAIT: A member of Parliament recently said that negative aspects of patriotism are a result of a lack of education. The MP also said that the ministry of education, as well as the family, are to blame, reported Al-Qabas. “Our education is outdated and has failed to cope with modern developments,” said MP Dr Salwa Al-Jassar during a seminar held at the social development center. “It’s still based on a spoon-feeding method of teaching that lacks creativity.”
She added that families no longer teach their children the values of loyalty, tolerance and respect for others. Furthermore, Al-Jassar indicated that wasta and a failure to commit to the law are also reasons for the regression of patriotism. The failure of state services to commit their duty also damages the foundation of patriotism, she added. The majority of state services lack the minimum sense of responsibility and fail to
commit to their duties towards society, AlJassar said. She criticized the media for “instigating tension instead of focusing on supporting patriotism. She then criticized MPs who call for illogical public demands. The MP announced a project she’s working on to teach students about the Iraqi invasion. She said that the curriculum will maintain facts and ensure that history is being taught to students properly.
German Embassy urges visitors to register early KUWAIT: The German Embassy in Kuwait urged travelers to register early for visa applications in order to avoid the summer season rush. A press release issued by the embassy directed travelers to the embassy’s website at www.kuwait.diplo.de in order to schedule appointment times. They noted that families and groups must schedule an appointment for each individual applicant. The release pointed out that travelers holding two Schengen visas within the past two years, or with long-term visas for the last two years, who can prove that they used the visas frequently do not need to come to the embassy in person. The press release also said that the embassy cooperates with several local travel agencies capable of handling traveler visas to Germany. — KUNA
More support for women’s sports KUWAIT: Sheikha Naeema AlAhmad Al-Sabah, Chairperson of the Gulf Cooperative Council’s Organizing Committee for Sports, yesterday said that GCC Ministers of Youth and Sports would surely support women’s sports in the region. Sheikha Naeema further stated that the nearing of the GCC’s youth and sports meeting, as well as the heads of the GCC Olympic Committees meeting next Friday, is an indication that Gulf officials are focusing on developing sports in the region. — KUNA
NATIONAL
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Experts hold talks with minister
Kuwait backs hemophilia management protocol KUWAIT: Minister of Health Dr Hilal Al-Sayer has voiced his full support for the hemophilia management protocol put forth by Kuwait Hemophilia Society (KHS), announced internal medicine specialist Dr Ahmad Al-Qallaf yesterday. The doctor said that the minister met yesterday with representatives of the World Federation for Hemophilia (WFH) and the
Two Egyptians killed in accidents KUWAIT: A 38-year-old Egyptian man was killed when his vehicle collided with a car carrying a Kuwaiti family on Jahra Road. Police and paramedics responded to the emergency but found the man had already died as a result of his injuries. The injured family members were taken to a nearby hospital. Authorities are looking into the incident. Meanwhile, an Egyptian man in his 30s was killed after being struck by a speeding car while crossing the road between Shuwaikh and Kaifan. Paramedics pronounced the man dead on the scene and the driver who struck him was placed under arrest. Fahaheel suicide A Sri Lankan maid committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling of her sponsor’s home in Fahaheel. Police and paramedics responded to the emergency and pronounced the woman dead upon their arrival. Drunk attacks friend Hawally police arrested a citizen in Salmiya for smashing a bottle of liquor over the head of his Moroccan friend. The action caused the Moroccan severe head injuries and he was admitted to the
Mubarak Hospital’s intensive care unit. Investigations revealed that the attacker, drunk when he attacked his friend, was released from jail only two weeks before the incident after having served a prison sentence of more than 10 years. He was taken to the proper authorities.
station and informed officials about a theft at their workplace in the Amghara scrap yard. They reported that a man disguised as a police officer pretended to arrest them and instead robbed them of KD 500 and their cell phones. A case was opened and police are searching for the impersonator.
Smuggler busted An Iraqi truck driver was arrested in the Abdaly Port after he was found with 5 grams of hashish hidden in his truck. Customs officials decided to search to the man’s vehicle after he began acting suspiciously at the checkpoint. He was taken to the General Department for Drug Control.
Maid attacks sponsor A 36-year-old Filipina maid attacked her sponsor, a female citizen, in Sabah AlNassir. In the attack, the maid injured her sponsor’s head and right hand. Police and paramedics responded to the emergency and the woman was taken to the Farwaniya Hospital. The maid was arrested and sent to the police station for further investigation.
Carjackers nabbed Investigators recently arrested three thieves for stealing cars left running by their owners outside of banks. The arrest occurred in Andalus, where the criminals stole a vehicle watched by police. When questioned, they confessed to the crimes and explained that they used seven of the stolen cars to carryout robberies. They were referred to the proper authorities. ‘Cop’ mugs Asians Two Pakistani men went to the police
Fugitive in custody A Kuwaiti fugitive, wanted for several crimes and sentenced to 12 years in prison, was recently arrested after an hour long pursuit on Salmi Road. The man, who is in his 30’s, tried to avoid a police checkpoint but was eventually caught by police. It was also discovered that he was driving under the influence of alcohol. He was sent to the proper authorities.
It also emphasized the importance of prophylaxis treatment - preventative treatment whereby the patient is given shots of the blood clotting factor they lack every three days instead of waiting until the patient actually bleeds, he said. On the goals of the KHS, he said that they included raising awareness about this rare condition in the society, working to improve the conditions of the patients and their families through providing constant support, and keeping patients updated with any new discoveries in the field. Further, he said the society aimed to create permanent communication channels between the patients and their families, so that they could offer peer-to-peer support and exchange experiences. Dr Al-Qallaf also said that the society called for the establishment of a multi-disciplinary team of specialists to treat patients, as well as placing a national protocol for the treatment of patients, conducting research in cooperation with the Kuwait University’s College of Medicine, and preparing records of hemophilia patients in Kuwait. The KHS held a symposium Monday night titled ‘Towards a Better Life for Hemophilia Patients’, which saw the participation of WFH Vice President for Finance Rob Christie and WFH Deputy Programs Director and Regional Program Manager for Africa and the Middle East Dr Assad Haffar. Meanwhile, hematologist Dr Sheikha AlMuhareb underscored the importance of prophylaxis treatment - preventative treatment whereby the patient is given shots of the blood clotting factor they lack every three days instead of waiting until the patient actually bleeds. The protocol also advises genetic counseling because the condition is hereditary, as well as establishing a registry to keep record of patients, she said. She noted that on Monday, for the very first time, a meeting was held for the multi-disciplinary team, involving dentists, surgeons, orthopedics, hepatologists, pediatricians, ob/gyn, radiologists, psychologists, and pain management specialists to consolidate efforts in managing patients with hemophilia. Dr Rana Al-Abdulrazzaq said that the KHS pinned great hope on this protocol, which Minister Al-Sayer had already voiced support for, in helping hemophilia patients lead normal lives. Ali Al-Dubairi, a patient of hemophilia and one of the founder of KHS, said that a lot had
KHS, who presented to him this protocol, for which he declared full support. Dr Al-Qallaf explained that the protocol outlined the principles of care for patients, primarily means for diagnosis, as well as inpatient and outpatient management, pain management, and training patients and their family members on how to administer home therapy.
Dr Hilal Al-Sayer been done in the past four years, and that now the society was on its way to being officially declared, adding that the formation of the multidisciplinary team was a promising sign for patients. He lauded the cooperation of the Ministry of Health, and hoped that a prophylaxis treatment would be approved through the establishment of a specialized center that followed up on hemophilia cases. WFH Deputy Programs Director and Regional Program Manager for Africa and the Middle East, Dr Assad Haffar, discussed the history and global view of hemophilia. He explained that this hereditary genetic disorder was handed down to male offspring and that females could only be carriers. Hemophiliacs are born with a deficiency in blood clotting Factors XIII or IX, and if untreated the disease could cause severe disabilities in the joins and early death. “Only a fraction of those born with hemophilia are diagnosed,” he said, adding that there was an estimate of 400,000 people with this rare condition worldwide, of which only 145,042 were known to the WFH. He underscored the importance of having setting up a national program supported by the government, that would be integrated into the healthcare system, such that a comprehensive care center would be established to offer adequate diagnosis and raise awareness in the society. Dr. Haffar also spoke about the comprehensive care approach and forming multi-disciplinary teams for hemophilia, as well as prophylaxis treatment. WFH Vice President for Finance Rob Christie outlines the missions and programs of the Montreal-based federation, which was estab-
lished in 1963 and grouping doctors, scientists, nurses, people with the disorder and their families. “Our mission is to introduce and sustain care and treatment for people with hemophilia and deliver treatment for all people with inherited blood disorders, “ he explained. He noted that every two years the WFH held a Congress, adding that this year it would be held in July in Buenos Aires, Brazil. The proceedings of the Congress helps the WFH help countries establish national programs and training courses. On the sidelines of the event, Abdullah AlDubairi, one of the founders of the KHS, told KUNA that past three years he, along with his brother and internal medicine specialist Dr. Ahmad Al-Qallaf, had been working to bring together doctors and hemophilia patients to form the society. “Now, along with Dr. Ahmad AlQallaf, we have a group of hematologists, including Dr. Faisal Al-Sayegh, Dr. Rana AlAbdulrazzaq and Dr. Sheikh Al-Muhareb,” he said. He explained how in the 1960s when his brother Ali was born, he suffered bleeding at circumcision. “The condition was not very well known, and my parents started to do some research. My father suggested to doctors that this could be a case of hemophilia, and this is what the test confirmed.” Al-Dubairi explained that as children, his brother and he had to be given blood transfusions and later fresh plasma because factor replacement had not yet been introduced. Balsem Al-Johari, a Jordanian mother whose son Mutasim is a hemophiliac, said that it was difficult for her to control her son and to protect him from injury when he was younger. “Today he is 17, and he is more careful and looks out for himself, which makes it easier for me,” she said. Mutasim’s older brother is also a hemophiliac, and their mother administers the factor shots at home when they suffer injuries. Asked if she knew she was a carrier, she said that this was the first incident of hemophilia in the family and that she had not expected her second son to be born with it. Najwa Abdulrahman, another Jordanian with hemophiliac sons, said that her second child was not diagnosed with the condition until the age of 18 months, after he fell and cut his gum. He had been bleeding for eight days. She noted that in Jordan the factor treatment had not been available at the time, and now that they were living in Kuwait, the boys - now 15 and 13 years of age were in a much better condition because of the availability of treatment. — KUNA
INTERNATIONAL
Thursday, March 18, 2010
7
New sectarian slaughter rocks Nigeria BYEI: Raiders armed with machetes killed at least 13 people in an attack on a village near the central Nigeria city of Jos yesterday, close to where hundreds have died in sectarian violence this year. A Reuters witness in the village of Byei, in the Riyom area around 30 km south of Jos, counted 13 bodies, most of them women, following what residents said an attack in the early hours. At least three huts were also burned in the raid. The attack happened despite a dusk-todawn curfew in Plateau State which has
been enforced by the military since January, when clashes between Muslim and Christian mobs killed more than 400 people, according to community leaders. “Enough is enough. We don’t want the military again,” said Emmanuel Jugu, who represents Riyom in the Plateau State parliament. “We have been observing the curfew. So how can people now come and slaughter us. The military should withdraw. We are capable of defending ourselves,” he said. The Red Cross said it had sent a team of
volunteers to the village. Plateau State, of which Jos is the capital, lies at the crossroads of Nigeria’s Muslim north and Christian south, a region known as the
Nigeria’s acting leader dissolves cabinet “Middle Belt”. Fierce competition for control of fertile farmlands between Christian and animist indigenous groups and Muslim settlers from the north have repeatedly triggered unrest in the region over the past
Yemen tightens security SANAA: Yemen has beefed up security around oil and maritime installations for fear of retaliation by Al-Qaeda after several strikes against the jihadist network, the interior ministry said yesterday. “Yemeni authorities have increased security measures around oil and maritime installations, in addition to securing the routes of oil tankers,” the ministry website said. “Firm orders have been given to security bodies and the coast guard to up their alert levels in order to counter any possible terror attack by Al-Qaeda elements,” it added. It said that attacks could take place “in retaliation for the qualitative and severe strikes that targeted terror hideouts in several provinces.” Security forces in the southern provinces of Abyan, Aden, Hadramut and Shabwa, as well as Hudayda and Taez further north, were ordered to “double coastal surveillance to spot suspicious boats that could be used by terrorist elements in revenge attacks,” it said. Al-Qaeda has in the past targeted oil facilities in Yemen, which produces less than 300,000 barrels of oil a day, more than half of which is exported. The impoverished country also has a gas terminal in Balhaf, in the south. Yemen said it killed three members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula-the local branch of the global network, in Sunday
air strikes on suspected hideouts in Moudia, in Abyan. It said the AQAP chief in Abyan, Jamil Nasser Abdullah Al-Ambari, 25, who figured on a list of 152 wanted militants, was killed in the attacks. The air force targeted a suspected Al-Qaeda training camp in the same area on Monday, the defense ministry said. A brief statement said the raids were carried out in Moudia, but did not specify whether anyone was killed or wounded in the latest strike. Yesterday, the ministry elaborated that the Sunday air strike “targeted a terrorist cell in the village of Jizat Al Qinan, in Moudia, which was plotting terrorist attacks.” It said that the “severe strikes” against AQAP were forcing militants to flee to “remote areas” claiming that the authorities have succeeded in “isolating the elements of Al-Qaeda in Abyan, Shabwa and Maarib, and other provinces.” “These elements are not able to leave their hideouts or appear in public,” it claimed, warning that security forces “will hit hard wherever terrorist elements were to be found.” The air raids on Sunday and Monday were the first since January 20, when Yemeni warplanes pounded the house of Ayed alShabwani, a local Al-Qaeda chief in the province of Maarib, east of Sanaa. Shabwani himself was believed to have been
Iran ready for one-shot nuke fuel exchange inside country TEHRAN: Iran has said it is ready for a one-shot nuclear fuel exchange on its own soil, edging closer to the conditions of a plan drawn up by the UN atomic watchdog last year as major powers mulled a new round of sanctions. Iran’s atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi revealed the new offer in an interview published by hardline daily Jawan yesterday, signaling a major change in Tehran’s longstanding position on the nuclear fuel plan first drafted last October. Salehi said Iran is ready to deliver 1,200 kilograms of low-enriched uranium (LEU) in one go in return for fuel for a Tehran medical research reactor, but the exchange must be inside the country.— AFP
decade. After the January unrest, violence flared again 10 days ago with attacks on the mostly Christian villages of Dogo Nahawa, Zot
killed a week earlier along with five other suspects in an air raid in the north of the country. AQAP had denied then that any of the six militants were killed in the attack on three 4x4 vehicles in a remote desert area. Yemen has intensified operations against the local Al-Qaeda branch since December, when air strikes killed 34 suspected members of AQAP on December 17 in an attack on an alleged training camp in Abyan. The same number of militants were allegedly killed in another strike on December 24 which targeted a meeting of AQAP militants in Shabwa. AQAP claimed responsibility for a failed attempt to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day. Top US general David Petraeus said last month that Al-Qaeda is becoming less of a threat across much of the Middle East and south Asia with the clear exception of Yemen. “Saudi Arabia and the other peninsula countries have continued to make gains with the obvious exception of Yemen,” Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, told NBC television’s “Meet the Press” program. The United States has reportedly supplied Yemen with intelligence and other support in its operations against the jihadists. But US President Barack Obama has said he has “no intention” of sending in troops. — AFP
and Ratsat just south of Jos, in which hundreds more people are feared to have been killed. The unrest comes at a difficult time for Nigeria, with Acting President Goodluck Jonathan trying to consolidate
power while ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua, who recently returned from three months in a Saudi hospital, is too sick to govern. Jonathan is also having to deal with resurgent unrest in the oil-producing Niger Delta, where militants on Monday detonated two car bombs outside a government building. Meanwhile, Jonathan dissolved the country’s cabinet yesterday, just over a month after assuming executive powers, government sources said. “None of the perpetrators of the Jos crisis shall go unpunished. Government is
committed to the sustenance of peace and stability in Jos and in the entire country,” Jonathan said in a statement issued in the capital Abuja. Pope Benedict, the United States and the United Nations have all condemned the violence in central Nigeria and urged the authorities to work for a peaceful resolution. Retaliatory attacks are not uncommon and Jonathan put the security forces on red alert after the attacks south of Jos a week and a half ago to try to prevent unrest from spreading to neighboring states.—Agencies
Israel reopens mosque after Jerusalem clashes Israel moves to ease diplomatic dispute with US JERUSALEM: Israel reopened the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound yesterday as calm largely returned to east Jerusalem one day after the Holy City saw the heaviest Palestinian rioting in years. Tensions also appeared to be easing between Israel and its key ally the United States after a bitter diplomatic row erupted over new settlement plans announced last week during a visit by US Vice President Joe Biden. But Israel and the Palestinians again accused each other of hampering the already hobbled peace process. Police in and around the Old City remained on high alert but lifted restrictions on access to the mosque compound, which is the holiest site for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims. The site had been closed to Muslim men under the age of 50 and all non-Muslims since Friday. The city was generally calm yesterday, though a few dozen Palestinian youths hurled rocks at security forces which responded by firing rubber-coated bullets in the Qalandia refugee camp in east Jerusalem. In the West Bank, medics said three people were wounded when Israeli troops fired rubber bullets at Palestinians hurling stones near Nablus, while the army sealed off several roads in and around Hebron after brief clashes in that city. Israel
HEBRON: A Palestinian youth jumps over a burning tire during clashes with Israeli soldiers (not seen) in the West Bank city of Hebron yesterday. — AP had locked down the occupied West Bank for almost a week before lifting the measure overnight yesterday. On Tuesday, clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces across east Jerusalem left dozens of police and protesters wounded. Sixty Palestinians were arrested. Jordan’s King Abdullah II yesterday demanded that the international community take firm action.
“Jerusalem is a red line and the world should not be silent about Israel’s attempts to get rid of Jerusalem’s Arabs residents, Muslims or Christians,” he told visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Tensions in Jerusalem soared in recent days over the opening of a rebuilt 17th century synagogue in the Jewish quarter of the Old City, a few hundred meters from the mosque com-
pound. Israel’s announcement last week of plans to build 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in annexed Arab east Jerusalem had already fuelled tension and sparked a row with the United States. Washington, frustrated over a lack of progress in its peace brokering, reacted angrily to the announcement but senior US officials now appear eager to patch up relations. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu spoke overnight with Biden, sources in his office said yesterday, while US officials said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would speak with the Israeli premier “very soon.” Clinton has said Washington was engaged in “very active consultation” with the Israelis over steps that would demonstrate the requisite commitment to reviving peace talks but reaffirmed the two allies’ “unshakable” bond. The Israelis appeared keen to portray Washington’s tone as at least a temporary suspension of hostilities. “The state of Israel appreciates and cherishes the warm words from Secretary of State Clinton on the deep ties between the US and Israel, and the US commitment to Israel’s security,” Netanyahu’s office said. At the same time he insisted that while Israel “has proven its commitment to peace,” the Palestinians are “continuing to incite towards hatred and violence.” He cited among others Israel’s decision in November to impose a partial moratorium on settlement construction in the Palestinian territory, excluding east Jerusalem. But Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas insisted that Israel must abide by its “obligations” and particularly that to “freeze settlement activity in all Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem.” — AFP
INTERNATIONAL
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
UK crime down but rising fears benefit opposition Opposition Conservatives say ‘Britain is broken’ REDDITCH: Builder Graham Davies has never been a victim of crime, but he knows people who have, and that is enough to convince him that crime in Britain cannot be at a near 30-year low. It also explains why the ruling Labor Party, in power for the past 13 years, is vulnerable to attacks on its crime
policies in the run up to an election expected on May 6. Because Davies is not alone in thinking the government’s figures are wrong and that crime is on the rise. Until recently, crime and law and order dominated surveys on the most important issues facing Britons.
LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown leaves his official residence at 10 Downing Stret in central London, on his way to the Houses of Parliament for the weekly questions and answers session. —AP
Bulgaria raises pressure on judiciary to clean up SOFIA: Bulgaria’s efforts to reform its inefficient judiciary will be fruitless unless the top judicial body can shed high-level corruption and regain public trust, the justice minister said. A scandal last year, when a lobbyist allegedly claimed he could buy Supreme Judicial Council votes to secure top posts in the judiciary, was a huge morale blow to the legal system and appalled Bulgarians, over 85 percent of whom say they distrust the graft-ridden judiciary. Cleaning up the justice system and punishing corrupt officials and crime bosses is key to reassuring the European Union and securing aid flows to the Balkan country. Justice Minister Margarita Popova told Reuters in an interview the centre-right government, elected last July, would announce a longterm reform strategy within a month and issue policies to make magistrates more accountable and remove legal loopholes allowing many people to escape justice. But she said the council, which appoints, disciplines and dismisses judges and prosecutors, must prove its efficacy and independence if the reforms are to succeed. “If we do not trust this top
managerial body, what reform are we talking about and how are we going to motivate the magistrate community to work?” said Popova. “What justice do we expect from economically or politically dependent people”. Popova, a respected former prosecutor, said suspect practices
in appointing magistrates had existed for years and new selection criteria and higher morale were needed. “We need a different attitude ... whatever this would cost them (the council)”. Failing to show results by July, when Brussels will assess Sofia’s progress, may threaten access to
SOFIA: A man shouts anti government slogans and holds a picture of Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boiko Borisov with slogan which reads ‘Liar’ during a nation-wide anti-GMO protest in front of the Parliament building in the capital yesterday. — AP
some of the 11 billion euros ($15 billion) promised to the bloc’s poorest nation through to 2013. RESISTANCE Tough-talking Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, whose centreright GERB came to power on promises to end a climate of impunity, has urged the judicial system to clean itself up in a bid to harness public support for radical changes. Analysts and EU diplomats are skeptical the judiciary will revamp itself and have said they expect resistance to change. In October, the council launched disciplinary procedures against 18 magistrates, including three of its members, over telephone conversations with Krasimir Georgiev, under investigation for offering to arrange top posts for payments of 200,000 euros. It has since temporarily demoted 11 magistrates and fired two others. Media have criticized the punishments as too soft. “If the council goes on like this without determined and clear anti-corruption measures, without analyzing the problems and pointing out clearly what must be done, I believe that there is no chance for them to gain trust,” said Popova.— Reuters
That has been overtaken by worries about the economy in the past 18 months, but a child torture case in northern England has underlined just how quickly an emotive subject like crime can return to dominate the social and political agenda. The case of two young boys aged nine and 11 who were physically tortured and sexually abused by two brothers of similar age seemed to confirm people’s perceptions that-as David Cameron, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, believes-British society is “broken”. PERCEPTION The rate of children under 15 dying a violent death in Britain has actually dropped by nearly half since the mid-1970s, and is the fourth lowest in the western world, according to Bournemouth University. But the “Broken Britain” view resonates with many and the views of 65-yearold Davies and others in the former manufacturing town of Redditch, central England, typify the tussle between crime statistics and sentiment nationwide. Redditch is the constituency of former Home Secretary (Interior Minister) Jacqui Smith, a Labor politician, but it could well turn Conservative in the next election. “It (crime) is going on all around you. Once it used to be on the news, now it’s on the streets,” Louise Thomas, 26 said from her family’s Redditch shoe shop on the outskirts of Britain’s second-biggest city, Birmingham. In fact, crime in Redditch is down 24 percent in the past four years, according to local police, while nationally it is down about 45 percent since a peak in 1995, the British Crime Survey (BCS), a government survey for England and Wales, showed. But twothirds thought crime was on the up, the BCS added. “I have not suffered from muggings or burglaries, but I know people who have,” Davies said. “I would query the figures.” The perception that crime is on the rise chimes with a more widespread belief that society is crumbling, fuelled by a rise in antisocial behavior and what is seen as a fall in values. Three-quarters of people in a 2008 national opinion poll agreed with the proposition that Britain was a broken society whose social problems were far more serious than they were 10 or 20 years ago. Prime Minister Gordon Brown acknowledged these concerns in a speech earlier this month: “Sometimes as damaging as the fear of crime is the crime of fear,” he said. HARSHER PENALTIES Redditch has one of the highest teenage-pregnancy rates in Britain, and that in a country which has topped European league tables. Despite a general downward trend in under-18 conception rates in England and Wales since 2002, locals resent teenage mothers being given state handouts and free accommodation. — Reuters
DAMMARIE-LES-LYS: Police officers enter in a garage in Dammarie-lesLys, a southeastern suburd of Paris, near the site where a policeman died in a shootout with Basque-speaking gunmen linked by Spanish media to the Basque armed separatist group ETA. —AFP
Police hunt ETA suspects ETA still active in Spain, France PARIS: French police were searching for at least six suspected members of the Basque separatist movement ETA yesterday after a French policeman was shot and killed. The unnamed 52-yearold officer was part of a patrol that was attacked after it halted a speeding car in Dammarie-lesLys, a suburb east of Paris late on Tuesday. The police came under fire from other vehicles, which were apparently committing several car thefts from a garage. “We think it was a commando unit of at least six people, maybe 10, including a woman, because six cars were stolen,” a French judicial source said. One man was arrested at the scene and he gave a Spanish identity corresponding to that of a Basque individual close to ETA, according to the same source. If ETA was responsible for the shooting, it would be the first time the group has killed a French law enforcement official. ETA wants independence for traditional Basque lands not only in northern Spain but also in southwestern France. Authorities in Spain, where the Basque separatist rebels have killed more than 850 people, were quick to blame the group. “This time France has paid a high price for its collaboration in the fight against ETA, which is so important for our freedom and our security,” Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told a news conference. “I feel just as strongly about the murder of this policeman as I would have done if he had been a member of our own security
forces,” he said. ETA members have often used the open border with France to escape detection in Spain and while they do commit crimes, such as theft of vehicles and weapons, they avoid direct confrontation with French police. However, in recent weeks increased security measures by the French have led to hundreds of arrests and seriously weakened the group. At the end of February, the man believed to be ETA’s military leader, Ibon Gogeaskoetxea, was arrested in Normandy along with two suspected accomplices. UNLIKELY CHANGE IN TACTICS Tuesday’s killing was unlikely to herald a more aggressive attitude towards the French authorities, according to Juan Aviles, a history professor at Spain’s UNED open university. Instead, they may be struggling to operate effectively. “You get the impression that they’re improvising, that they lack professionalism as criminals.” Until Tuesday, ETA had not claimed a fatal victim since July, when it killed two police officers on the island of Majorca with a bomb. Polls indicate a significant minority of the inhabitants of the Spanish Basque Country, where Basque language and culture have remained distinct, would like independence, although only a smaller number sympathize with violent groups. In the French Basque Country, the distinctive Basque language is no longer widely spoken and separatist sentiment is weak. — Reuters
Triplet births rising and death rates high: Study Death rate 10 times higher for triplets than single births LONDON: Triplet births are on the increase, even when IVF pregnancies are discounted, and the death rate for triplets is 10 times higher than for single births, Norwegian scientists said yesterday. The researchers, who said their findings were likely to be similar in other parts of Europe, said the increase in triplet pregnancies was probably due to use of hormone drugs to stimulate ovulation and a rise in the average age of mothers. The results mean more effort is needed to control such treatments to cut the number of triplet pregnancies, they said. The study analyzed more than 2 million pregnancies between 1967 and 2006 in Norway and found that although death rates have fallen for singles, twins and triplets in the past 40 years, the rate for triplets is still 10 times higher than for single births. “Advances in obstetric practice and perinatal care have increased the survival of very preterm infants,” said Anne Tandberg of the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, who worked on the study. “However ... the improvements have not been so favorable for triplets compared to twins and singletons.” Tandberg said that although the study excluded births after in-vitro fertilization (IVF) - which
involves eggs being fertilized in a laboratory dish and the embryos being implanted into the mother-the underlying triplet rate was still rising. At about 2.7 per 10,000 pregnancies between 2002 and 2006, the rate of triplet pregnancies is almost two-and-a-half times higher than it was in the 1970s, the study found. Philip Steer, editor of BJOG International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology which published the study, said it was important to try to cut the number of triplet pregnancies. He noted that in Britain, the triplet birth rate fell after embryology authorities limited the number of embryos transferred in women under 40 during IVF treatment to two, more than halving the proportion of triplets born from 2000 to 2007. He said hormone treatments should be more closely monitored or IVF embryo transfers reduced yet further to try to cut the number of triplet pregnancies. “All hormonal treatment for ovulation induction should either be monitored more carefully ... or moved to IVF with single embryo transfer,” Steer wrote in a comment on the study. Tandberg said it was important also to try to prolong triplet pregnancies beyond the 28th week of gestation to give the babies the best chance of survival. —Reuters
Key political risks in western Balkan Ethnic tensions and the legacy of the 1990s wars still weigh on Western Balkan countries and complicate their common goal of joining the European Union. The following are some of the main political and financial obstacles in countries keen to attract foreign investors but which have much to do to improve the business climate. ALBANIA Once the most isolated country in Europe, Albania joined NATO in 2008 and applied for EU membership last year but has not yet been granted candidate status. A controversy over national elections last summer continues to reverberate. A sixmonth boycott of parliament by the opposition Socialist Party has delayed the passage of key reform laws necessary for European integration and raised concerns in Brussels about the country’s democratic credentials. Opposition demands for a full investigation into the vote have not swayed Prime Minister Sali Berisha’s centre-right Democratic Party, which has 75 votes in the 140-seat chamber. The International Monetary Fund estimates GDP grew at 3 percent last year and expects further growth of 2-2.5 percent in 2010. However, retail sales have shrunk, fiscal revenues are down as are remittances from Albanians working in Greece and Italy. The central bank has let the free-floating lek currency depreciate since January 2009, saying it was not a concern. The IMF has urged Albania to cut its budget deficit to 3 percent from
around 7 percent and reduce public debt, which amounts to 60 percent of GDP. BOSNIA The scene of Europe’s worst fighting since World War Two from 1992 to 1995, Bosnia remains the least stable country in the Balkans. The presence of EU-led peacekeepers and an international peace overseer have effectively prevented a relapse into war that tore the country apart in the 1990s. Ethnic tensions between its two rival and highly autonomous regionsthe Serb Republic and the Muslim-Croat Federation- will likely increase before presidential and parliamentary elections in October. Nationalist rhetoric is set to overshadow the economic and EU agenda in the campaign, diminishing prospects for a more functional central state and faster reform this year. The two regions must implement tough public sector reforms to secure future disbursements under a 1.2 billion euro stand-by loan agreed with the International Monetary Fund. Without IMF cash, the consolidated government deficit will rise well above the 4.5 percent agreed with the IMF, which in turn will jeopardize fiscal stability, payment of wages and pensions and the deal itself, and may cause social unrest. Bosnia must harmonize its constitution with the European Charter on Human Rights to enable minority groups to run for top offices in October so the EU can declare
the vote free and fair. Bosnia signed an association agreement with the EU in 2008, but EU diplomats say membership talks can only start when the country ceases to be supervised by an international peace envoy and starts implementing serious reforms. CROATIA The popular tourist destination with a long coastline along the Adriatic Sea has advanced farthest in EU entry talks among current Balkan hopefuls. Croatia would like to complete talks this year and join the bloc in 2012. However, the toughest areas in the talks have yet to be tackled, raising a risk of the talks being extended into 2011. Those areas include competition policy because of excessive subsidies to the loss-making and socially sensitive shipbuilding industry, and the judiciary, because of widespread corruption and slow court procedures. Croatia’s economy contracted 5.8 percent in 2009 and most observers fear another recession year. The most pressing reforms sought by business and analysts include cuts in public spending, taxes and subsidies and a start of reforms of the bloated public administration and inflexible labor market, to shift the economy towards production and exports. Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has vowed reforms but little has been put in practice so far as social groups such as farmers and public sector unions threaten to protest cuts in subsidies or wages. However, Greek-style national strikes are
unlikely. A parliamentary election is due in late 2011 and the ruling conservative coalition seems stable, but a delay in EU talks or a major economic downturn could create pressure for early polls. KOSOVO Kosovo’s bad relations with Serbia, from which it declared independence two years ago, remains a major obstacle to regional integration into the EU. The poorest and smallest of the emerging Balkan nations has a 90-percent Albanian majority, but the ethnic Serb region around Mitrovica is beyond central government control and receives subsidies from Belgrade. The government hopes to enforce control this year over this northern region where half of the 120,000 Kosovo Serbs live. Belgrade-backed local opposition to such plans could lead to fresh clashes. Organized crime, corruption and ethnic tensions as well as legal uncertainties have kept foreign investors away. About 10,000 NATO troops and 2,000 EU prosecutors, judges, police and customs officers help oversee security. Five EU countries do not recognize Kosovo, clouding its long-term prospects to integrate into the bloc. The country last year launched an advertising campaign to highlight that it has the region’s youngest population, but it is unclear how youth will translate into eventual prosperity. Kosovo’s economy, based on exports of metals, does not generate
enough revenue to sustain the government, which is dependent on Western aid. Poverty is widespread and unemployment is more than 40 percent. Last year Pristina resolved its border issue with Macedonia. It expects to start similar talks with Montenegro but Belgrade’s stance that Kosovo is part of its territory has prevented meaningful cooperation between the two neighbors. MACEDONIA Macedonia is an official candidate for EU membership but prospects are clouded by a 17 year-old name dispute with neighboring Greece. Athens blocked Skopje’s bid to join NATO in 2008, saying the country’s name implies territorial claims to the northern Greek province called Macedonia. Years of UN-mediated talks have yet to produce a compromise. Relations between Slav Macedonians and ethnic Albanians, who make up onethird of the population, remain fragile after a Western-brokered peace deal ended a 2001 armed conflict between Albanian rebels and government security forces. Macedonia is expected to recover from recession this year after a one-percent decline in 2009, but analysts say high government spending is threatening its budget deficit target of 2.8 percent of GDP. MONTENEGRO The least-populated Balkan country, Montenegro enjoyed robust growth during the mid 2000s as investors, lured by the
rugged Adriatic coastline, poured money into real estate and tourism projects. Yet last year the economy shrank by 7 percent, according to the IMF, amid a sharp reversal in the property market. Some experts say the country’s banks could face greater risk than those of other Balkan countries because many loans were tied to property no longer worth the value of the loan. Another uncertainty is the possible retirement of Milo Djukanovic, the prime minister who has dominated Montenegrin politics for two decades. Some experts say central institutions are not well prepared to handle major political change or deal with other challenges such as corruption and crime. SERBIA Serbia, the biggest Western Balkan country with 7.3 million people, applied for EU membership last December but its hopes hinge on the arrest of top war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic, and on mending of ties with its former province of Kosovo. Belgrade has vowed never to recognize Kosovo’s independence, putting it at loggerheads with the United States and most EU members. The status of Serbia’s NATO ambitions is unclear. NATO waged a bombing war against Serbia in 1999 to halt Belgrade’s crackdown on the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo. Serbia has joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 2006, but has not applied for membership. — Reuters
INTERNATIONAL
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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Caracas weeps for its dead after bloody weekend CARACAS: Death surprised Daniel as he was drinking a beer in a Caracas slum. Johiman was riding in a taxi and Victor was playing with his children at home. They never knew each other, but the three lie together in a morgue in the Venezuelan capital, where 67 violent deaths occurred in only two days. It was the deadliest weekend this year in Caracas, one of the most dangerous cities in Latin America with 140 homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants in 2009, according to unofficial figures. “Some guys came to steal his motorcycle; he resisted and they shot him in the head. He had two small children. There must be justice. My son’s death can’t just be
left like that,” sobbed Beatriz Martinez, the mother of Victor Miranda, murdered on Saturday. At the doors to the Bello Monte morgue, overwhelmed by the large number of bodies received, the families wait hours or days to recover their loved ones. The pain in many instances gives way to rage against the security forces, who are seen as ineffectual. “I never thought I would be here a day. In this country this is what befalls us. To kill is a sport here. If each of us were allowed to take revenge, I don’t think there would be so many dead every weekend,” said Miriam Zuniga, whose brother was also killed on
Saturday. Seated patiently at the morgue’s entrance with a death certificate in hand, Jose, a laborer from eastern city of Maracay, waited to recover the body of his 22-year-old son who was killed resisting a robbery. “It’s a lottery. When it’s your turn, it’s your turn. That’s the way it is in this country,” he said, eyes brimming with tears. “It’s a feeling of great impotence. I feel like there is nothing I can do,” said Juan Abano, with an air of self-absorption, as he waited to take away Johiman, a Supreme Court inspector who was gunned down inside a taxi. For many of these families, the nightmare began Friday night. That
Is White House seeking regime change in Israel? US, Israel on a rocky ride WASHINGTON: The Obama administration’s row with Israel over settlements has prompted some analysts to wonder whether it seeks “regime change,” a new government that can make peace with the Palestinians. However, the analysts doubt that President Barack Obama’s administration, which has made Arab-Israeli peace a national security priority, will achieve anything if it has indeed adopted such a strategy. In unusually harsh words, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday that his right-wing government’s plans to build new settler homes in east Jerusalem sent a “deeply negative signal” about Israel’s ties to its top ally. “Is this about regime change, or is it about (Israeli) behavior modification?” asked Aaron David Miller, a Middle East peace negotiator in past Republican and Democratic administrations. “Because either way, it’s going to be a rocky ride,” Miller said. “If it’s the former, then I think we’re naive in the extreme in thinking that we will be able to produce and somehow manage that,” said Miller, now at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. Miller said Obama and Clinton may be trying to create the impression Netanyahu is “mismanaging the relationship” with Washington in order to shake up Israeli politics. After all, he said, former president George H.W. Bush and his top diplomat James Baker did much the same thing with then Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir and helped pave the way for Yitzhak Rabin to become prime minister. “But there are no more Rabins,” Miller said. Rabin, who was assassinated by an Israeli right-wing extremist in 1995, sealed a
Sexual assault on the rise in US military WASHINGTON: The number of reports of sexual assault in the US military rose by 11 percent in 2009, the Pentagon announced yesterday. The Defense Department attributed the spike in part to efforts to encourage victims to report such assaults. The department recorded 3,230 complaints of sexual assault in fiscal year 2009, which involved members of the military-either as victims or as perpetrators, it said. That number compared to 2,908 recorded in 2008, which had represented an increase of eight percent over the previous year, according to an annual report. Pentagon officials have said they believed sexual assaults were underreported and have launched a campaign to raise awareness of the problem. Victims who are military personnel can report an assault without having to notify their commanding officers or police. That “restricted” reporting means the case does not trigger an investigation or military trial. Out of 2,284 sexual assault investigations, the accused were punished in 983 cases, the report said. Of those, 42 percent were prosecuted under a courtmartial, it said. —Agencies
STRONGSVILLE: US President Barack Obama speaks on healthcare insurance reform at the Walter F Ehrnelt Recreation and Senior Center in Strongsville, Ohio. — AFP short-lived peace deal with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at the White House in 1993 under then president Bill Clinton. Under another scenario, if the Obama administration defuses the row and even wins some concessions from Netanyahu, he warned, it may still be impossible to bridge the Israeli-Palestinian divide, say analysts, Miller and others like Daniel Kurtzer, the former US ambassador to Egypt and Israel, have long wondered whether the Obama administration has a strategy to revive Arab-Israeli peace talks suspended since 2008. Both noted that the Obama administration, in its first year, demanded a total halt to Jewish settlements, only to yield to Netanyahu’s call for a 10month moratorium on construction in the West Bank but not in east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war, to be the capital of a future state; Israel
claims all of Jerusalem as its capital. Kurtzer, who is now at Princeton University, could not rule out that the Obama administration might be contemplating a way to change Israel’s political landscape. “I would like to say ‘no’ because we don’t do that with Israel and with friends and democracies,” Kurtzer said when asked whether “regime change” might be part of the Obama strategy. “But I don’t doubt that there are some (Obama) people who are angry enough to want to see the (Netanyahu) government fall,” he said. The previous George W Bush administration embraced “regime change” for Iraq, Iran and North Korea, although the term referred to the violent overthrow of dictatorships. “In people’s heart of hearts, they probably want somebody other than Netanyahu but I can’t imagine that anybody really believes that they have a strategy or a real chance of
effecting it,” the former ambassador said. To be sure, he said, Netanyahu might be able to drop a right-wing party and bring in Tzipi Livni, a former foreign minister and candidate for premier who once mulled joining his government, and her centrist Kadima. “But to do this under siege, as he (Netanyahu) feels right now, is not going to happen,” Kurtzer said. Haim Malka, a top analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said “there is no obvious or viable alternative to Netanyahu at the moment” when asked if “regime change” could work. “And trying to trigger a reshuffling of the Israeli political landscape will more likely lead to paralysis rather than a coalition willing to make political compromises with the Palestinians,” he said. He said he would not speculate however on whether the Obama administration might be considering “regime change.” — AFP
was the case with Daniel’s parents. Their son was shot eight times in Petare, one of the city’s most dangerous slums. “Dead on arrival! Dead on arrival!” the stretcher bearers in the Perez de Leon hospital screamed, as they rushed in with only the tiniest hope of saving his life. His mother, who brought him to the hospital in a car, wept, mindless with grief as doctors confirmed that he had died from nine gunshot wounds. “He has various bullet wounds, in the neck, the face and chest. Whoever did it really wanted to kill him,” said one of the stretcher bearers as he placed the body in the hospital’s storage area minutes later. It was
all done in such haste that no one had even closed Daniel’s eyes. Scenes like this, sadly, are commonplace at this Caracas hospital. “The weekends, especially after pay days, are the most difficult,” said Hayde Rada, the head nurse in the emergency ward. “I have been here 10 years and have 23 years experience, but I am still human and there are times you feel so impotent, unable to do anything when you see all this,” she added, choked with emotion. Agents from various police forces guard the entrance to the hospital. Their mission is to protect the wounded and their families, and to calm down the drunks, the thugs and fam-
ily members enraged over the death of a loved one. “This is not the fault of the government, it is the fault of the families, a cultural problem, they don’t make an effort to ensure their children study. The government makes every effort to stop this from happening,” said a police official. The wounded arrive at the hospital on motorcycle, roar up to the entrance in their own cars, or even walk in with an unfinished bottle of alcohol still in their hand. A youth who had been shot in the foot was brought in with the help of some friends. “It’s going to be a busy night,” said one of the nurses, wearily. — AFP
Will US politics curb Obama foreign policy? WASHINGTON: Mindful that this year’s pivotal US congressional elections will be decided on jobs and the economy, President Barack Obama is putting his main focus where the votes are-on his domestic priorities. That has stirred debate over whether Obama may have to scale back his foreign policy goals as he grapples with political realities at home. White House aides insist Obama is a master at multi-tasking and has no intention of skimping on his international agenda. But in a telling example of the foreign giving way to the domestic, he has delayed his long-planned trip to Indonesia and Australia by three days to focus on his final push for a US healthcare overhaul. With Obama’s poll ratings down among US voters and legislative battles occupying his attention, many analysts believe he will have less room to maneuver on the global stage. “Obama is now a little weaker in the eyes of the world and the American people,” said Douglas Paal, an Asia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “You will start to see domestic concerns reflected in foreign policy matters,” said Paal, who served in the Republican administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush. Many analysts credit Obama with improving the tone of US foreign policy in his first year but see few tangible achievements, and some critics say he may have tried to do too much too soon. Still looming is an array of challenges: wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea, strains with China and Russia, and ever-elusive Middle East peace. Here are questions and answers about what can be expected from Obama on the foreign policy front: WHERE IS FOREIGN POLICY ON OBAMA’S TO-DO LIST? Looking toward the November mid-term elections, Obama finds himself in a tenuous position. Voter frustration over the struggling economy, high unemployment and big budget deficits could translate into heavy losses for his Democratic Party. Success or failure in tackling these domestic woes could define his term and determine whether he
gets a second one. Though the congressional election won’t hinge on foreign policy, Obama can ill afford to be seen retreating from the world, which would worry many Americans and alienate allies. While juggling competing agendas, he will trim back from last year’s heavy foreign travel to concentrate on reconnecting with voters and stumping for at-risk congressional Democrats. Aides deny he is taking a lower profile internationally. “It would be a huge mistake to draw that impression,” Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said. As evidence that Obama is sticking to his commitments, administration officials cite a plan to host a 44-nation nuclear security summit in April, diplomatic efforts to isolate nuclear Iran, monitoring of a US-led offensive in Afghanistan and a sustained aid response to the Haiti earthquake. Despite that, Obama helped fuel speculation that foreign policy was taking a backseat when he devoted little of his annual State of the Union speech to it. The most notable omission: not a mention of the Middle East conflict. He then surprised European partners by opting out of a US-EU summit planned for Madrid in May. The no-show was interpreted in European media as a transatlantic snub, but US officials pointed out that Obama visited Europe six times in his first year in office. HOW WILL US POLITICS SPILL INTO FOREIGN POLICY? There is little doubt Obama’s political problems at home could complicate his life overseas. Having failed to translate his popularity abroad into concrete diplomatic achievements, he may now find foreign leaders even warier until after the dust clears in November. That could mean further obstacles on issues ranging from Middle East peacemaking to climate change to more NATO troops for Afghanistan. Consider the rare feud between Washington and Israel over plans for new Jewish homes on occupied land. With Democrats facing tough elections and mindful of the risk of alienating pro-Israel groups, he will have to weigh the domestic
political consequences in how far he pushes the Jewish state. Obama is also facing increased protectionist pressure from congressional Democrats, which could have implications for already-strained relations with China, America’s biggest trading rival. Tightening the screws on China could in turn erode Obama’s chances for overcoming Beijing’s resistance to new UN sanctions on Iran, one of his top foreign policy challenges. Democrats’ election-year concerns about further US job losses also seem likely to keep free trade pacts with Colombia, Panama and South Korea stalled. HOW DO INDONESIA, AUSTRALIA FIT OBAMA’S STRATEGY? Obama has called himself “America’s first Pacific president” because of his birth in Hawaii and part of his youth spent in Indonesia. So expect his visits to Indonesia and Australia during a March 21-26 trip to be big on symbolism. Though no major policy breakthroughs are likely in Obama’s first overseas travel of 2010, he will use the opportunity to build on his Asia debut tour last year. US competition with China for influence in the dynamic Pacific region will be the subtext, underscored by the fact Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will go to Jakarta next month. On top of that, Obama will have a chance to cement personal ties with two key world leaders, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. This comes while US foreign policy circles are buzzing over a Washington Post editorial column saying administration officials were asked to name a foreign leader with whom Obama had forged a close personal bond. They had little to offer. Scoffing at the notion Obama has no foreign friends, a senior administration official insisted Obama is “kind of buddy-buddy” with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, “clicks” with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and shares a “pragmatic streak” with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. — Reuters
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Central Asian skies a lifeline for troops in Afghanistan KANDAHAR: Roaring above the clouds between Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan in a hulking C-17, 151 US Marines anxiously prepare to join their comrades in the insurgency-torn Afghan region of Kandahar. The roar of the engines makes conversation impossible and within minutes, the marines have succumbed to exhaustion, their helmeted heads lolling forward onto the Kevlar cuffs that will protect their neck from snipers. Whether for providing fresh recruits, transporting armored personnel carriers or even bags of blood, the skies of Central Asia are proving a key route for coalition forces fighting in Afghanistan. The troops will join the tens of thousands of coalition forces who have moved into Afghanistan as part of US President Barack Obama’s efforts to reverse a Taliban-led insurgency after more than eight years of conflict. Perhaps no transit route has been as vital-and controversial to the surge than that between the US Transit Centre at Manas outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek and the NATO-run Kandahar airfield.
“We’re a small unit, but we have a huge overall impact on the war effort,” Major Rickardo M Bodden, the public affairs officer at Manas said. Securing this vital routewhich begins on the doorstep of an increasingly assertive Russia and close to the Chinese border-was no small feat. One year ago, it looked the base could become victim to geo-political squabbles. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced in 2009 he would be closing the US base at Manas-which opened back in late-2001 - but backtracked after Washington agreed to more than triple its rent for the facilities. Approximately 35,000 soldiers are moving in and out of Afghanistan through Manas every month - 10,000 more per month than just six months ago-and 30 percent of refueling operations over Afghanistan originate there. The 1,500 km air route from Kyrgyzstan presents a far safer alternative to the increasingly-dangerous route over the Khyber Pass from Pakistan. Their flight completed, the marines of Bravo Company alight from the
MANAS: A US soldier stands near a plane bound for Afghanistan, as it fuels up at the Manas Transit Center some 30kms from Bishkek. — AFP hulking aircraft and file across the tarmac at Kandahar’s airstrip, the blazing Afghan sun dimming to orange behind the peaks that
frame the pale desert floor. “I’d say that one of the most important things I see come in every night is human
‘Red shirts’ splatter blood at PM home Thaksin gets Montenegro citizenship BANGKOK: Red-shirted protesters emptied bottles of their blood outside the home of Thailand’s prime minister yesterday in a symbolic sacrifice after the government rejected calls for elections. Despite the fourth day of street rallies in
Bangkok, Thai stocks hit a 19-month high and the baht currency raced to its strongest level in 22 months. Investors have been emboldened by the lack of violence and the view that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva would survive the crisis.
BANGKOK: A supporter of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra spills blood at the front gate of Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s residence yesterday. — AP
Police raids uncover wider security risks Indonesia finds evidence of closer links among Asian militants JAKARTA: Police raids on militants in Indonesia scored some dramatic successes in recent weeks but also uncovered a worrying trend-regional Islamist groups are again forging closer links to boost their capacity for violent attacks. The discovery of a jihadist training camp in a remote part of Aceh provincewhere Islamist separatists fought Indonesian rule for decades-was the start of a trail that after a series of raids on militants in February and March led police to Dulmatin, a suspected mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings. Dulmatin was shot dead in Jakarta last week. His death, along with the killing or capture of other militants in recent months, has dealt a serious short-term blow to the ability of violent Islamists to sow mayhem in Indonesia, analysts say. But evidence that Dulmatin’s cell was part of a nexus of formerly disparate militant groups that are now working together more closely suggests the longer-term regional risks may rise. Financial markets in militant hotspots like Indonesia and the Philippines have grown accustomed to the militant threat, and bomb attacks rarely have much impact on prices. But if evidence emerged that the risks were rising in Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand, that could damage investment and rattle markets. MILITANTS REGROUPING? Militants in southeast Asia had previously forged links through the Jemaah Islamiah network, responsible for deadly bombings in Jakarta and Bali over the past decade. Former JI military commander Riduan Isamuddin, or “Hambali”, tried to unify regional insurgent groups under an Al-Qaeda umbrella before his capture in Thailand in 2003. His efforts were frustrated by their different agendas and improved security cooperation among regional countries and the United States.
After the core JI movement abandoned the strategy of violent attacks on foreign targets, security analysts believed remaining cells bent on violence were fragmented and the overall risk from militants in the region was on the decline. But plenty of younger militants, who dismissively refer to senior Jemaah Islamiah members as NATO-”No Action, Talk Only”remain eager to continue the violent struggle in Indonesia. And the re-appearance of Dulmatin in Indonesia, after he fled in 2003 to find eventual sanctuary with the Abu Sayyaf group, shows the extent of the international ties Indonesian militants have forged, said Sidney Jones of the International Crisis Group. There were a number of other “seriously dangerous individuals” who had formed a group around Abu Sayyaf who could have been in contact with Indonesia and also returned,
she said. The new group in Aceh included militants who had trained in Mindanao in the restive southern Philippines, former religious conflict zones in Indonesia such as Poso and Ambon, as well as at least one who had trained in Libya, Jones said. “I think given the fact it includes some of the most experienced members of a variety of extremist groups I think you would have to put the capacity fairly high,” she said. Videos have emerged on the internet claiming to come from the group, calling itself the Aceh branch of Al-Qaeda for Southeast Asia (Tandzim Al-Qoidah Indonesia Wilayah Serambi Makkah). The videos include scenes of military-style training, and Muslims are urged to join the jihad and give funds. Someone also complains at one point about the diet of rice and fish. — Reuters
JAKARTA: Indonesian terror suspect Syaifudin Zuhri (right) walks past holding cells after his trial yesterday. — AFP
Economists say the central bank will likely bring forward an expected interest rate rise that could have been delayed by unrest. Benchmark five-year bond yields dropped two basis points to 3.53 percent as prices rose. “The political event does not have as much teeth as expected,” said Chakkrit Charoenmetachai, an analyst with Globlex Securities, adding that foreign money should continue to flow into Thai assets if the protest did not end in violence. But the supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra are not letting up in their campaign for new elections. They promised a city-wide march on Saturday, bringing in reinforcements to cover thousands of protesters who became weary and left after days on the street in the scorching Bangkok heat. “The government may think this is nearly over-it isn’t,” a protest leader, Nattawut Saikua, told reporters, calling on Bangkok residents to join them. Honking horns, singing folk songs and waving red flags, protesters converged on Abhisit’s house in an affluent Bangkok neighborhood where they splashed blood-a few spoonfuls donated by each-on the gates and fences amid pouring rain. “We have washed Abhisit’s house with the blood of the common people to express our wish,” said Nattawut, as thousands of supporters rattled plastic clappers. Protesters say the splashing of blood was a “symbolic sacrifice for democracy”. It is also a bid to re-energize a peaceful movement that appears to be waning in numbers. On Tuesday, protesters poured blood outside Abhisit’s office and his Democrat Party’s headquarters, following an unorthodox ritual by a man who dressed like a Brahmin priest in white garb. Montenegro citizenship Meanwhile, ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has Montenegrin citizenship and arrived there earlier this week, officials in the Balkan country said yesterday. A brief statement from Montenegrin national police said Thaksin arrived on a private plane from Dubai on March 13 at the Adriatic coastal airport of Tivat. “Shinawatra is a Montenegrin citizen and is now located in Montenegro,” police spokeswoman Tamara Ralevic said in the statement. “Police authorities have no basis to take any action against Mr Shinawatra.” Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and was later sentenced in absentia to two years in jail for graft. He fled shortly before his sentence was given and lives mostly in Dubai. Local media have previously reported Thaksin had a Montenegrin passport but the government has yet to explain why the country of 670,000 people granted him citizenship. Thaksin was seen on the Montenegrin coast earlier this week. — Agencies
blood. Whole human blood. I’m probably moving 200 to 300 pounds of blood a night,” said Sergeant James Lee on the tarmac at the airport. At least 120 coalition troops have been killed so far in Afghanistan this year, according to the website icasualties.org, which tracks casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq. A far heavier load-but still transported by air from Manas-is the 25,000 lbs Oshkosh MRAP All Terrain Vehicle (MATVs) aimed at protecting troops from the deadly strikes from homemade bombs. “Those MATVs came off last night and chances are that after lunch, they’ll be gone,” Lee said. While the importance of the route into Afghanistan is incontestable, many of the US troops travelling from Manas appeared to have little idea of where Kyrgyzstan is located or even have heard of the ex-Soviet Central Asian state. A bus packed with marines, their armor and weapons piled high on their laps took the troops down a rutted road towards the Manas runway for the two and a half hour flight to Kandahar.
From somewhere deep in the throng of bodies, a lone voice breaks the tense silence and asks a question that gets the first-and last-laugh of the final moments before they deploy to the heart of the Afghan warzone. “Where are we? Kyrgyzstan? I didn’t even know that was a country dude,” the voice says, before disappearing into laughter and then, again, into silence. For those going the other way, returning home after an exhausting tour of duty in Kandahar, where Kyrgyzstan is matters far less than its status as a staging post to get them back safely. Smoking a cigarette outside one of the tents that have sprung up around Kandahar airport since the surge, Sergeant Brian Riley of the 52nd Stryker Brigade says he does not know, or care, how he will be leaving Afghanistan. A stocky machine-gunner, Riley recently returned from Marjah in Helmand province, the site of some of the fiercest fighting since the US-led invasion in 2001. “I’m ready to just go home,” he says, before standing up and disappearing. — AFP
Militant groups in Southeast Asia Indonesian police raids on Islamist militants in recent weeks show that some regional radical groups have maintained close links and shared strategies as they prepare to launch new types of attacks. Here are some of the main Asian militant groups: JEMAAH ISLAMIAH Founded around 1993, the goal of Jemaah Islamiah, or JI, is the creation of an Islamic “super-state” spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, southern Thailand, Singapore and Brunei. Forging international links with groups such as Al-Qaeda, it carried out deadly attacks on Western targets in Indonesia, including the 2004 Australian embassy blast and the 2002 Bali bombing, which killed 202 people. JI’s structure and membership remain murky, but it was said to be southeast Asia’s largest jihadist organisation. JI’s mainstream appears to have backed away from violence, but some remain committed to attacks. Malaysian-born bomb maker Noordin Mohammad Top, who set up a violent splinter group of JI, is believed to have masterminded last year’s suicide attacks on Jarkarta hotels, before he was found and killed by Indonesian police. ABU SAYYAF Abu Sayyaf, which translates as “Bearer of the Sword”, is one of the smallest but deadliest Islamist militant groups in the Philippines. It was formed in the 1990s by a charismatic Islamic preacher who returned from Afghanistan. It wants an independent Islamic nation in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic nation. It has been linked to Al-Qaeda and to Jemaah Islamiah. Based on the Basilan and Jolo islands off the larger island of Mindanao, it began with small attacks, targeting Roman Catholic churches, missionaries and nuns, but soon graduated to larger-scale assaults as well as high-profile kidnappings of foreigners. MORO ISLAMIC LIBERATION FRONT (MILF) The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group was formed in 1978 but had started fighting for an independent Moro nation since the late 1960s under different names. The colonial Spanish term for followers of Islam, “Moro” or “moors”, was reclaimed by Filipino Muslims. But the group has moderated its stance and has been in on-off negotiations with Manila since 2001 to end 40 years of conflict that has killed
more than 120,000 people. DARUL ISLAM The resilient Darul Islam movement has been agitating to establish the Islamic State of Indonesia (Negara Islam Indonesia) since the 1950s, when it was formed through a series of separate rebellions in West Java, South Sulawesi, and Aceh which were defeated by the army in the 1960s. While surviving veterans are largely inactive, an underground network is thought to exist, and members of an offshoot were alleged to be involved in the 2004 Australian embassy bombings. ISLAMIC DEFENDERS’ FRONT (FRONT PEMBELA ISLAM) (FPI) Notorious for raiding Jakarta night clubs, the Muslim group was formed in 1998 with the stated goal of full implementation of sharia law. Suspending its military wing in 2002, its boss, the Saudi Arabia-educated religious teacher Muhammaad Rizieq, was prosecuted in the same year over the group’s raids on bars, massage parlours, and gaming halls in the capital. He was also jailed in 2008 for inciting violence at an interfaith rally. LASKAR JIHAD Active during community violence that pitted Christians against Muslims in Indonesia’s Moluccas islands, Laskar Jihad grew out of the Islamic students’ movement to become one of the country’s best-known militant groups, sending thousands to fight in clashes that saw more than 5,000 killed before a 2002 peace deal. The group announced it was suspending activities around the time of the 2002 Bali bombing. THAI GROUPS A resurgent insurgency in the Malay Muslim-dominated southern part of Thailand has killed over 4,000 over the past 6 years. No group has publicly emerged as the driving force but analysts believe the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) Coordinate is running the show, possibly in cooperation with remnants of the Patani United Liberation Front (PULO). BRN is said to be a military offshoot of the Patani Malay National Revolutionary Front, a political movement established in the 1960s to seek independence, or at least autonomy. Despite fears links to radical Islamists or a global jihadist movement could be established, there is no evidence yet to suggest the conflict is broadening into more than a localized, ethno-nationalist struggle. — Reuters
Philippine hero Pacquiao faces tough political fight MANILA: Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao will return home this week to a hero’s welcome but his next challenge may see him go down for the count as he steps into the even more bruising ring of Philippine politics. Pacquiao’s latest victory has earned the superstar even more acclaim and wealth, but analysts warn that adulation and big spending may not convert to votes when he runs for a seat in Congress in May national elections. “It will be a harder battle than all the battles he has waged in the ring,” said political science professor Ronald Holmes of Manila’s De La Salle University. “They (the public) might be passionate about him in boxing but this does not necessarily translate into political support.” Pacquiao, 31, whose boxing riches have hauled his family out of deep poverty, appears to be taking his political future as seriously as his sporting career. Soon after his weekend win over Ghana’s Joshua Clottey in Texas to retain the World Boxing Organization welterweight title, he affirmed his desire to represent the southern Philippine province of Sarangani. “Now it is time for a more serious fight for me and that is my campaign for Congress. The people of my province are among the poorest. They have been under-served for too long,” he said. “I know how my people have suffered because I have too. That is how I grew up and because I am one of the fortunate ones to have escaped poverty, I am compelled to be a public servant for them.” But his opponent, Roy Chiongbian, is no pushover: he comes from a powerful family that has dominated business and politics in the area for years. Members and allies of the Chiongbian clan have long occupied many of the top positions in the sparsely populated, rural and deeply impoverished province. “It’s not easy to discount the network they have established, the support they have
nurtured through the years,” Holmes said. One key feature of the Philippines’ chaotic brand of democracy is the ability of clans to hold on to power by fair means and foul, with the same surnames being seen in political posts for generations. Pacquiao has also tasted defeat at the polls before. Despite being worshipped by his fans, he lost his first bid for Congress in his hometown of General Santos City in 2007, also to a member of a heavyweight political clan. For his campaign team, Pacquiao’s biggest priority now is to make personal appearances in the area and make up for the time spent outside the province while he pursued boxing glory. “Time is running out for Manny’s campaign because he has been away training and he has to make up, saturate the whole Sarangani province,” said Mindaluz Gulle, executive director of Pacquiao’s campaign. Still, Holmes said Pacquiao seemed more prepared this time than he was three years ago. “He has been planning the transfer (to Sarangani) for quite some time. He has been more generous in helping out people in many areas there,” the analyst said. Pacquiao’s wealth has soared with each boxing victory-he reportedly earned 12 million dollars for beating Clottey-and he has invested heavily in his political career by helping local communities and spending on advertising. He also has an important backer in Senator Manny Villar, a leading presidential candidate. Villar persuaded Pacquiao last year to join his Nacionalista Party, ending the boxer’s alliance with President Gloria Arroyo and her coalition. Villar has since been using Pacquiao to bolster his own image, playing up the theme that they are both poor boys who fought their way to prominence but whose hearts are still with the country’s downtrodden masses. —AFP
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
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35 killed in bus accident in Afghan mountains KABUL: A bus plunged off a mountain road in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountains yesterday, catching fire and leaving as many as 35 people dead, though authorities were still pulling burned bodies from the wreckage. Dr Sanim Rasouli, health director in Baghlan province, says the bus picked up speed, struck other vehicles and then plunged off a road near the Salang Pass, a major route through the mountains about 70 miles north of the capital, Kabul. “The bus failed to brake and hit several other small vehicles on its way down a hill,” Rasouli said,
adding that the brakes might not have been working. He said dozens of people - some of them children - burned to death when the bus caught fire. The Afghan Interior Ministry reported that up to 35 people were killed in the accident just north of the 12,700-foot-(3,800meter-) high Salang Pass, the site of an avalanche earlier this year that killed more than 170 people. In southern Afghanistan, would-be suicide attackers targeted the offices of a charity yesterday morning but were killed by security guards before they could detonate their explosives-
laden vests, an official said. One foreign employee was wounded in the attack on the office of International Relief and Development in the town of Lashkar Gah, said Dawood Ahmadi, spokesman for the government in Helmand province. Two gunmen wearing suicide vests burst into the compound that houses the charity’s office. The first was shot by security guards and the second returned fire and was killed in the ensuing gunbattle, Ahmadi said. The offices are next to a government education department and officials initially thought that office
was also under attack. Lashkar Gah is the closest major town to Marjah, where thousands of NATO troops have been fighting to oust the Taleban from their largest stronghold and operational hub in Helmand province. Two British soldiers were killed on Tuesday by an explosion in Helmand, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The ministry said the soldiers from The Royal Anglian Regiment died in the blast in the Musa Qala area of Helmand province, raising the total number of British military personnel
killed in action in Afghanistan to 242. Also on Tuesday, a government official who was working to enhance the effectiveness of governance in Afghanistan, was assassinated in Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan. Jawid, director of the reform administration in the area who used only one name, was walking toward his home when he was approached by two insurgents, according to Abdul Ghani, deputy governor of the province. One opened fire and killed the official, who was on foot after his motorbike broke down, Ghani said. — AP
Unmanned drones inflict heavy casualties on Pakistani Taleban Drive-by shooting in Karachi leaves 4 dead an ally of the United States, wants the Americans to provide them with drone technology so the country’s military can carry out its own strikes. While it insists on getting US drone technology, Pakistan has launched two major offensives in the northwest over the past year against homegrown Taleban militants who want to topple the US-backed government of President Asif Ali Zardari. Elsewhere, a group of militants attacked a security checkpoint early yesterday on the outskirts of Peshawar, the provincial capital of the North West Frontier Province, killing three paramilitary troops and two policemen, said a police official. In Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city and commercial hub, four activists of a local political party were gunned down and one wounded in a drive-by shooting, senior police official Ghulam Nabi Memon said. In southwestern Baluchistan, gunmen riding on motorcycles killed a retired paramilitary officer and two Shiites in two separate attacks yesterday, police said. For decades, Baluch militants have been waging a low-level insurgency in the province for greater provincial autonomy and a larger share in the income from their natural resources. — Agencies
MIRANSHAH: Two missile strikes by pilotless US drone aircraft yesterday killed at least ten militants in Pakistan’s North Waziristan, a major AlQaeda and Taleban sanctuary, intelligence officials and residents said. The first strike, made up of five missiles, targeted a militant compound and a vehicle in Mazoni village, about 10 km west of North Waziristan’s main town of Miranshah. Two missiles were fired into Datta Kheil area, 40 km west of Miranshah, in the second attack. “The death toll may rise, but so far we have information that ten militants were killed in both incidents,” said an intelligence official in Miranshah. US officials say the pilotless drones are one of the most effective weapons against militants. The strikes have killed senior Taleban and Al-Qaeda figures. But they have caused resentment in overwhelmingly Muslim Pakistan, where antiAmerican feeling runs high. Despite government assertions that the army and security forces have taken control of Taleban bases, militants still demonstrate the ability to attack a wide range of targets, from army headquarters to crowded markets, killing hundreds since October. Last week, six bombings killed 81 people. The Pakistani government,
Troops slay suicide bombers in burqas KANDAHAR: Two suicide attackers dressed in burqas were killed in a gunfight outside the offices of a US aid group in Afghanistan yesterday near the site of a major US-led military operation. Three people, including two foreigners, were wounded in the shoot-out with guards at the International Relief and Development (IRD) compound in Lashkar Gah, capital of volatile Helmand province, Afghan officials said. “The two suicide bombers were shot and killed by the IRD guards. Luckily their explosives did not explode,” provincial spokesman Daud Ahmadi said. “Three people working for IRD have been wounded in today’s incident,” he said. “An Afghan woman working for IRD has
been seriously wounded, a foreign woman and a foreign man have also been wounded,” he added. A spokesman for the British embassy in Kabul said the wounded man was a British national working for a private security firm. The nationality of the injured foreign woman could not be immediately confirmed. Lashkar Gah is 20 kilometers northeast of the battleground of US-led Operation Mushtarak, “Together” in Dari, which is testing a new counter-insurgency strategy aimed at wiping out the Taliban and drugs cartels. The male bombers were wearing explosives-packed vests beneath traditional women’s all-covering dress when they arrived at IRD on a motorized tricycle at
KABUL: Burqa-clad Afghan women wait for bus transportation in Kabul. Two suicide attackers dressed in burqas were killed in a gunfight outside the offices of a US aid group in Afghanistan yesterday. — AFP
about 9.45 am, Ahmadi said. “They had a ladder with them and they climbed over the wall using the ladder. When they jumped into the compound, they were shot by the guards,” he said. “Police arrived on the scene within minutes and this whole thing was wrapped up in 10 minutes,” he said, adding that city authorities had intelligence that such an attack was imminent and “so we were on alert”. The interior ministry had said earlier there were no casualties besides the thwarted attackers. “Two (male) suicide bombers... started firing on the police guards and in a return of fire by the national police within moments, both suicide attackers were killed, it said. Police seized two assault rifles and two suicide vests filled with explosives, it added. IRD implements projects on behalf of the US Agency for International Development, Ahmadi said, including helping farmers market their products, improving food security and other agriculture-related projects. Helmand is a hotbed of Taliban militancy, with the movement waging an increasingly virulent insurgency since its regime was overthrown in the 2001 US-led invasion following the September 11 attacks on the United States. Helmand provincial police chief Assadullah Shairzad said that two hours after the attempted attack at IRD, another would-be suicide attacker blew himself up as he tried to put on a suicide vest. “His explosives went off, killing him,” Shairzad said. The interior ministry said the daughter of the landlord of the house where the bomber blew himself up was injured in the explosion. The United States and NATO are raising to 150,000 the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan by August under a strategy marrying military and civilian efforts to eradicate the militant presence and establish Afghan sovereignty. The strategy is being tested in Helmand’s Marjah and Nad Ali districts, where poppyproduction is controlled by Taliban and drug traffickers in areas that have long been outside government control. —AFP
SALANG PASS: A destroyed bus is lifted after it was plunged off a road near the Salang Pass about 70 miles north of the capital, Kabul, Afghanistan yesterday. — AP
Pakistani court charges 5 Americans with terrorism SARGODHA: A Pakistani court yesterday charged five Americans with funneling money to outlaws and plotting a terror attack that could see them jailed for life if found guilty, lawyers said. The five men aged 19 to 25 denied the seven charges read out by Judge Anwar Nazeer in an anti-terrorism court convened under tight security at the district jail of the eastern city of Sargodha, where they were arrested in December. “Charges have been laid against all the accused. All these charges are terrorismrelated. The offences are punishable by life imprisonment,” defense lawyer Shahid Kamal told reporters. The court named the five as Umar Farooq, Waqar Hussain, Rami Zamzam, Ahmad Abdullah Mini and Amman Hassan Yammer, defense lawyer Hasan Dastagir said. “A total of seven charges have been laid against them. They include funding a banned or proscribed organization and helping out a banned organization. “One of the charges is conspiring to carry out a terrorist attack within Pakistan or an allied country,” he added. Prosecutors and police had long called for the five men to be charged with plotting militant attacks in Pakistan and
Indians try to clean filthy Yamuna River NEW DELHI: Hundreds of volunteers wearing gloves and face masks picked up garbage along the Yamuna River yesterday to offset what they say is government inaction that has left the waterway a putrid sewer. The volunteers hope the Commonwealth Games coming to New Delhi in October - the athletes’ village is located on the river bank - will finally spur action to clean up what has become an embarrassment to the government and a public health crisis for the city. The river water looks dark with a foul smell and some human waste flowing from city drains. A tributary of one of India’s main rivers, the Ganges, the Yamuna is small but swells during monsoon rains. Hindu worshippers bathe in the river during religious festivals, but not many people swim there. Nearly 800 people, mostly young students, worked to clean the river and its banks early yesterday. Some of them got into motorized boats to scoop the filth from the river in barrels. “This is not river water, this is gutter water,” said Sangeeta Anand, a spokeswoman for the Art of Living Foundation, sponsor of the cleanup campaign. The educational and humanitarian group, founded in 1982 by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, plans to clean the river banks and build walkways and parks on the riverfront ahead of the Commonwealth Games. “This is a mass citizen campaign to motivate people to become aware of what they are putting into the river - plastic, toxic wastes and all that sewage,” Anand said. Officials say factories are ignoring regulations and dumping untreated sewage and industrial pollution, turning toxic the river that gives the capital much of its drinking water. The corruption and bureaucracy that derails many public initiatives in India have hampered previous cleanups. The Yamuna’s water is chemically treated before being supplied to Delhi’s nearly 16 million residents. The New Delhi-based Center for Science and Environment blamed the condition of the river in part on the improper placement of treatment plants, along with fights between water-starved states over managing the river water. Government officials were not immediately available for comment.— AP
attempting to commit an act of terror against countries that are at peace with Pakistan. Although those countries have not been named, Pakistani officials have said the young men planned to travel to neighboring Afghanistan and join up with Taleban-led militants fighting US and NATO troops. The five men professed their innocence yesterday, lawyers told reporters who were banned from attending the closed-doors hearing. “The judge asked if they accept the charges. All the accused unanimously rejected them. They said ‘we totally deny the charges’,” Dastagir said. Nazeer adjourned the next hearing until March 31, when the prosecutor is scheduled to provide evidence against the accused. Yesterday’s proceedings were held under tight security and reporters were not allowed near the prison where the accused have been held and where special guards lined the perimeter to prevent intrusions. A US consular staff member attended the hearing yesterday, the US embassy in Islamabad confirmed, but made no further comment. A Pakistani court has barred the Americans’ deportation to the United States, where they lived before travelling to
Pakistan last year. The men have said they were tortured in custody but prison officials have denied the accusations. The suspects have insisted that they wanted to travel to Afghanistan, where US-led troops are locked into an eight-year war, only for charity work. Investigators have said that the men planned to travel from Sargodha to South Waziristan, a training ground for Islamist networks in Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt that was subject to a major military operation last year. Although the Pakistani government is a close US ally in the war on Al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan, the country is gripped by widespread anti-Americanism where many blame deteriorating security on the alliance. Washington has put the government and military under major pressure to do more to eliminate Islamist networks that have carved out havens in the country’s northwest and infiltrate Afghanistan to attack Western troops. Last month, a US court convicted Pakistani woman scientist Aafia Siddiqui of trying to kill US servicemen in Afghanistan, which sparked protests across the country and saw President Asif Ali Zardari intervene calling for justice. — AFP
OPINION
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issues
Balkan states still cling to rivalries By Zoran Radosavljevic
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estern Balkan nations warred in the 1990s but they now share the goal of joining the European Union. Yet despite economic and political progress in the past decade, historical rivalry still obstructs their EU prospects. Even talking about common goals can prove thorny, which is making them less attractive to investors who regard the region as a frontier market but want to see concrete progress towards European Union accession. A high-level regional conference next Saturday hosted by EU member Slovenia may fall through because Serbian President Boris Tadic refuses to attend unless Kosovo, a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008, comes as a UN-run protectorate, which Pristina refuses. “There are bilateral issues in the region that can slow down (EU integration). It would be an illusion to think those issues can just be put aside,” said Gerald Knaus of the European Stability Initiative think-tank. “But as countries get closer to the EU, all these tough issues will have to be resolved.” Serbs, Croats and Bosnians have a common Slavic heritage, and until 1991 lived in a common state - Yugoslavia which fell apart in wars in the 1990s. Serbs and ethnic Albanians were on opposing sides of the Kosovo conflict in 1998-99. The nationalism that fuelled those conflicts has eased, but legacy problems abound. Slovenia’s frantic shuttle diplomacy between Belgrade and Pristina has not yet yielded a compromise on the March 20 conference of regional leaders. Croatia is seen joining the EU probably in 2012, but membership remains more elusive for Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Analysts rule out a return to widespread war, although some say a worst-case scenario in Bosnia might lead to renewed ethnic armed conflict there. Investors remain wary of the intractable politics of a region once dubbed “the black hole of Europe”. “There is potential, for sure, for economic development. There is room for catch-up. But political risk is the biggest issue, historical legacy is still weighing on the region,” said Stuart Culverhouse of Exotix investment banking group in London. After reformers came to power in Croatia and Serbia in 2000, intra-regional political and business ties were restored but the 2008 independence of Kosovo once again derailed rapprochement. “It was a trigger that activated a series of unwanted consequences, aggravated relations, made Serbia isolated from all the neighbours,” said Damir Grubisa, head of the Centre for European Studies at Zagreb University. Serbian officials have refused to attend events attended by counter-
parts from Kosovo. Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said only this month that if pressed to choose between the EU and Kosovo, Serbia would chose the latter. “The Kosovo issue will ... slow the progress of the region, and particularly Serbia, towards the EU. And then there is the problem of Bosnia and the precarious balance of its three ethnic groups,” Grubisa said. Bosnia’s two rival and highly autonomous regions - the Serb Republic and the Muslim-Croat Federation have been unable to pass key laws, effectively paralysing the weak central state. The EU’s stick-and-carrot approach has yielded no result either. A high-level attempt by the EU and the United States last October to break the deadlock by dangling a leap forward in Bosnia’s EU and NATO membership aspirations failed. Tensions are likely to mount ahead of a presidential and general election in October. Nationalist parties will probably triumph again in both regions, which will further encourage the Serb Republic’s defiance of Sarajevo institutions. Relations between Belgrade, which tacitly supports its ethnic kin in Bosnia, and Sarajevo have cooled in the past year. Belgrade also went through a rough patch in relations with its Balkan neighbours after they recognized Kosovo. “Events in Serbia will be the key for the region, whether President Tadic is able to shrug off the pressure from nationalists and pursue serious pro-EU policies,” said Zeljko Trkanjec, world news editor of Croatia’s Jutarnji List daily. In a bid to encourage the region, Brussels in December lifted visa requirements for Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro and activated a trade agreement with Belgrade, but there has been little progress since then. “Brussels cannot do more than the countries themselves, and they are not doing a lot. There is no huge enthusiasm, no big love for the EU, no pressure for membership from the region,” said Vladimir Gligorov of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies. Investors want to see faster reforms and better business climate. “Even Turkey has a better image for investors now,” he said. Culverhouse from Exotix said the region’s markets were small and illiquid, with few investment instruments, but the sovereign bonds were already trading at very tight spreads. Coupled with palpable political risks, these factors deter global investors. “In an environment of higher volatility and uncertainties about global recovery, many people will maybe think that those risks are too much at the moment, when they could get similar returns elsewhere,” he said. — Reuters
All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.
Netanyahu and Ahmadinejad best of enemies? By Alistair Lyon
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s adversaries go, Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are oddly wellsuited. The hardline Israeli prime minister and the fiery Iranian president seem to feed each other rhetorical ammunition to whip up fears that bolster them in domestic politics and beyond. Between them, they are stubbornly testing the limits of US power in the Middle East and undermining the “new beginning” in relations between America and Muslims that President Barack Obama proposed in an eloquent Cairo speech nine months ago. Netanyahu contends that Iran is seeking a nuclear bomb to fulfil Ahmadinejad’s declared wish for Israel’s destruction. Confronting it, he argues, eclipses the importance of USled attempts to revive peacemaking with Palestinians and Arabs. For Ahmadinejad, who says Iran’s nuclear ambitions are purely peaceful, any breakdown of US mediation backs up his doctrine that armed resistance, not negotiations, is the only way to regain Israeli-occupied land, especially Jerusalem. His emotive calls for Muslims to defend the city, which is also holy to Jews and Christians, resonate across the Arab and Islamic worlds, as well as with many Palestinians. So Israeli plans to build 1,600 more homes for Jews on West Bank land annexed to Jerusalem - announced last week during a visit to Israel by US Vice President Joe Biden -enraged Ahmadinejad’s audience of choice. They also brewed a diplomatic storm with Washington, whose minor success in nudging the Palestinians
towards indirect peace talks may have vapourised. Abbas indicated yesterday that there would be no “proximity talks” unless Israel froze all settlement building. Netanyahu offered regrets for what US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called “insulting” behaviour, but did not scrap the plan. Instead he rejected any curbs on Jewish settlement in and around Jerusalem in a defiant parliament speech on Monday. “Ahmadinejad is justifiably thrilled,” wrote Israeli journalist Akiva Eldar in the liberal Haaretz newspaper. “Jerusalem is the preferred arena for Iran and its regional allies to clash with the
United States and its Mideast allies.” Iran projects influence in the region partly by backing Islamist militant groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Hamas movement, which mock peace talks between Israel and Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. A US failure to broker resumed peace negotiations of any sort would be a victory for Ahmadinejad, who casts himself as a resistance leader against US-Israeli “hegemony” in the region. And a flareup over Jerusalem can only make it harder for Washington to canvas Arab support for tougher sanctions on Iran. Obama sees Middle East peace talks as vital to broader US interests, including efforts to combat al Qaeda; stabilise Iraq and Afghanistan; block any Iranian quest for nuclear arms; and reset US relations with Arabs and Muslims across the world. Renewed tension in the Middle East complicates Obama’s bid to tamp down conflict there, while he grapples with a host of other challenges jostling for his attention at home and abroad. “I don’t think the president has the time or energy for this now. He has a whole economy to save,” said Lebanese political analyst Osama Safa,
By Martin Petty
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mass anti-government rally in Thailand appears to be fizzling. Tens of thousands have returned to their farms. They drew nowhere near the promised million protesters. The premier rebuffed their demands for elections. But dismissing it as a failure could be a mistake. What’s changed in the week since the mostly rural supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra began their “million man march” into Bangkok? Thaksin’s red-shirted protesters, vilified as a thuggish mob after their street insurrection in Bangkok nearly a year ago, has won some credibility as a non-violent political movement that is in the fray for the long haul, several independent analysts said. The “red shirts”, trying to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call an early election, splattered gallons of their own blood outside his residence yesterday in a dramatic demonstration to show their “sacrifice for democracy”. But the public relations stunt, which drew howls of outrage from public health professionals, put them no closer to polls that must be held by the end of 2011. They are well placed to win any election anyway - Thaksin-affiliated parties have won every election the past decade and that could herald deep change for Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy and its recent surge of investors. “The size of the protest, the show of emotion and discipline, has been impressive, and Thai people will have got the message quite strongly,” said Chris Baker, a
Supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra spill blood at the front gate of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s residence in Bangkok yesterday. – AP Thailand-based author who has written several books about Thaksin. “The tendency to dismiss the ‘red shirts’ will diminish from this point on. There’s an upsurge that’s really a lot bigger than people imagined, and anyone who says this protest was a failure is just kidding themselves.” Federico Ferrara, a political science professor at the National University of Singapore, said the rally could garner some support from Bangkok’s politically powerful middle classes by softening the image of a movement widely blamed for Thailand’s worst street violence in 17
years last April. “A mobilisation of this number of people from the provinces, against a scare-mongering government that did everything in its power to stop them, is somewhat unprecedented,” he said. “They’ve been portrayed as barbarians coming to tear up the capital, but that didn’t happen. They came to Bangkok to show they’re legitimate. Mission accomplished.” However, in a front page analysis yesterday, the anti-Thaksin Nation newspaper countered that view, suggesting the “red shirts” lacked coordination and were becoming increasingly divided, with Thaksin not totally in control. “His
adding that Washington wanted to buy time on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so it could focus on Iran. “They are trying to muster an international consensus and impose sanctions, which are bound to get a violent reaction from the Iranians. So if you can keep the peace process at least cruising on auto pilot, even though not achieving anything, you are at least quietening that front,” Safa argued. But a row over Jerusalem that fuels the wider confrontation between Iran
and Israel may suit Netanyahu and Ahmadinejad. It may help the Israeli leader keep his rightwing coalition afloat and boost his appeal to Israelis who fear Iran - though many would be alarmed if his policies damage ties with America. Ahmadinejad uses the threat of an Israeli or US military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites to rally nationalist sentiment and brush aside opposition challenges to his legitimacy. Obama’s predicament, meanwhile, becomes ever more acute as he seeks to avoid war with Iran and salvage some momentum toward settling the Middle East conflict, with Jerusalem at its heart. He has seen his offers of dialogue and nuclear deals rebuffed by Ahmadinejad, prompting the United States to seek harsher sanctions, if only to dissuade Israel from attacking Iran, an act that would risk igniting a regional conflagration. Netanyahu has also proved unbending. His stonewalling of Obama’s demand last year that Israel halt all settlement building, in the interests of peace, only confirmed for many Arabs that the United States would not stand up to Israel. Now, America’s credibility and its own interests are again at stake in its handling of a conflict that stirs emotions and sways governments far beyond the Holy Land. “Clearly the tensions, the issues and so forth have an enormous effect,” US General David Petraeus, whose Central Command area includes Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and much of the Arab world, said of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle on Tuesday. “They set the strategic context within which we operate in the Central Command area of responsibility.”— Reuters
entire political movement had been fractious but the problems may become glaring once the ‘red shirts’ make their retreat,” it said. “Many of the ‘red shirts’ will be going home not quite knowing what they were in the city for.” In the near term, the peaceful rally and the “red shirts” shift in philosophy toward non-violence give a green light to investors betting Thailand’s export-fueled economic recovery will propel further gains in a stock market that has surged 73 percent in the past 12 months. Charl Kengchon, economist at the Kasikorn Reseach Centre, says the central bank will likely bring forward an expected interest rate rise that could have been delayed by unrest. Another Kasikorn economist, Pimonwan Mahujchariyawong, said the political situation had improved and her economic growth forecast for this year would be revised upwards from 3-4 percent. “If the protest takes only a week and will not lead to a change in government, it’s likely that we will raise our growth forecast to 3.5-4.5 percent as economic fundamentals are quite positive,” Pimonwan said. As a sign of investors’ enthusiasm, Thai stocks - among the cheapest in Asia - leapt nearly two percent on Wednesday, supported by aggressive buying by foreign investors who have snapped up $900 million of Thai shares in just over two weeks. “Protests will return, but we’ve seen they can be handled,” Charl said. “This is a positive development for the economy and investors will be bullish in the short term.”
However, if the grassroots movement picks up pace, it will likely remain on a collision course with a traditional, urbancentred power-clique with an almost visceral hatred of Thaksin, a graft-convicted, multi-millionaire beloved by the rural poor who elected him twice in landslides. Results of previous elections have shown Thais are broadly traditional voters and analysts believe the rural masses in the vote-rich north and northeast will back Puea Thai, the latest incarnation of Thaksin’s electoral juggernaut. That poses medium-term risks in a country where recent tight coordination between fiscal and monetary policies has been widely applauded, and where Oxford-educated Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij, a close ally of Abhisit, has drawn praise from foreign investors for aggressive fiscal stimulus measures. Korn, a vocal critic of Thaksin, was honoured last month by the Financial Times’ Banker magazine as Global Finance Minister of the Year. His policies emphasising a service-based economy run counter to Thaksin’s vision, suggesting any change of government would likely entail a significant policy shift. Adding to the risk are fears of another intervention by the judiciary or the military if Thaksin’s allies win the election, as many expect, given the loyalty of his rural backers. Another removal of an elected government could be the final straw for Thaksin’s supporters, raising the risk of violent confrontation. With compromise unlikely and a hardening of stances on both sides, the crisis is likely to drag on. — Reuters
ANALYSIS
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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Jerusalem clashes could signal more trouble ahead By Tom Perry
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surge in PalestinianIsraeli violence on the streets of Jerusalem and the West Bank is a sign of broader instability ahead unless the United States can quickly restore faith in the peace process. Clashes this month indicate the rising tension between Palestinians and a right-wing Israeli government which has incensed Palestinians with moves they believe aim to deepen the Jewish state’s control of the holy city and its hinterland. The violence, the worst since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed his coalition a year ago, has mainly been restricted to stone-throwing by Palestinians and the use of rubber bullets and tear gas by Israeli security forces. Few see a return to the kind of bloodshed seen a few years ago, not least because, for all its frustration, the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas is loath to risk the loss of the Western diplomatic and economic support that it now enjoys.
Palestinian protestors try to burn an Israeli flag during clashes with Israeli troops in east Jerusalem Tuesday. – AP But with dozens hurt, the latest trouble on the streets has cast a shadow over US efforts to revive the two-decade-old peace process, which many on both sides have grown tired of. Many expert observers say a vacuum
in progress toward a solution will be filled, sooner or later, by more unpredictable confrontations, unless the United States can instill confidence that it is serious about ending more than 60 years of conflict. Its latest
proposal for indirect negotiations between the PA and Israel had barely been launched before hitting difficulties. “It is clear with the arrival of the extreme right-wing government ... that this was bound to
provoke a Palestinian reaction, especially in Jerusalem,” said George Giacaman, a political scientist at Birzeit University in the West Bank. “There will be a reaction on the Palestinian side in response to Israeli measures and they may continue,” he said. “The role of the American administration is extremely important.” There is little faith in the United States, however, among the youths who have taken part in protests in recent weeks. “It is Israel’s No. 1 ally,” said one 20-year-old student, who took part in a protest at an Israeli checkpoint outside Ramallah this week in which seven Palestinians were wounded. “There is suppressed anger among the youth. “I expect that there will be a third intifada,” added the student, a member of Abbas’ Fatah faction. He asked not to be named for fear of arrest over his role in the protest. Palestinian analysts are more hesitant to predict another intifada - the name given to two extended uprisings mounted by Palestinians against Israel since the late ‘80s. More trouble is
expected, they say, but the scope and timing is unclear. The Hamas Islamists who control the Gaza Strip on Tuesday called for an intifada. It wants armed action in the West Bank - a challenge to both Israel and to Abbas’ PA forces in Ramallah, which have clamped down on their Palestinian rivals. But few observers in the West Bank see broad appetite among Palestinians for repeating the armed uprising of the early years of last decade which was marked by bombings, shootings and heavy casualties on both sides of the Green Line frontier set in 1948. Hamas, committed to armed struggle, has by its own admission been weakened in the West Bank due to the crackdown by Abbas’ security forces, retrained with the backing of the United States and the European Union. The Palestinian Authority, largely funded by Western governments, rules out violence on its part against Israel - in contrast to the intifada from 2000, when various forces loyal to Abbas’s late predecessor Yasser Arafat fought Israel. — Reuters
Obama’s outreach to Muslims proves tough sell By Ross Colvin
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ine months ago US President Barack Obama offered Muslims a “new beginning” with the United States in a speech in Cairo that was the centerpiece of his efforts to restore America’s image around the world. Today, Kuwaiti public servant, Yacoub Hussein, 45, voices the disappointment felt by many Muslims, particularly in the Middle East, with the Obama administration’s perceived failure to make good on that promise. “We were optimistic, but there were no results,” he said. Obama aides are defensive about such criticism and point to scientific, educational and technological initiatives launched after the Cairo speech, a Muslim entrepreneurship summit scheduled for April, as well Obama’s determination to withdraw all US troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. But the litmus test for many Muslims is progress on the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace
process, which Obama tried to jumpstart last year. That effort went nowhere after Israel rebuffed his demand for a complete freeze on settlements. “Maybe the speech raised expectations too high in terms of what a young administration could accomplish in year one on a very difficult, intractable problem,” said Stephen Grand, an expert on US-Islamic relations in Washington. The administration is now trying to launch indirect talks between the two sides, but this new effort was set back last week when Israel announced plans to build 1,600 homes in contested east Jerusalem, drawing unusually blunt condemnation from an infuriated Washington. Fairly or unfairly, many Muslims perceive Obama as being soft on Israel while pressuring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to return to peace talks. “Muslims were expecting Obama to represent something new because of what he represents in American politics. They haven’t seen that. What they’ve
really seen is a return to traditional diplomacy,” said Michele Dunne of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. After being overshadowed by the nuclear standoff with Iran and the war in Afghanistan, Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world is back in the spotlight as he prepares to head to Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, next week. Obama will deliver a speech in Jakarta in which he will highlight Indonesia as both a Muslim-majority country and one of the world’s biggest democracies. He will also review progress since his Cairo speech, aides said. The United States believes improved ties with the Muslim world bolsters its own national security, helps build alliances against Iran and erodes support for groups like al Qaeda. In Jakarta, Obama should emphasize “there is nothing incompatible between Islam and democracy,” said Grand, who took part in Brookings’ US Islamic World Forum in Doha in February when
Muslim delegates voiced frustration with US policies in the Middle East. The highest-level US delegation ever to attend the annual gathering found itself on the defensive. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged Muslim fears that the US commitment is insufficient or insincere. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said: “We can’t speak honestly at a forum like this without recognizing the widespread frustration many people feel. Much of it is justified. Some of it is not.” Columnist Fouad Al-Hashem, who writes for Kuwaiti daily Al-Watan, says improving US-Muslim ties is a two-way street. “We shouldn’t put all the blame on Obama. The Arab world needs to take 10 steps toward Obama, if Obama takes one step.” In a White House meeting room, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes ticked off accomplishments since the Cairo speech, notably reducing the US military presence in Iraq. “The (Cairo)
speech takes a long view of what we are trying to achieve. What we hope to do is show concerted and steady effort and progress in those political and security issues ... while also building these broader partnerships in areas like education, science and technology and innovation,” he said. The administration remained committed to restarting Middle East peace talks, he said. “The proof of our commitment will be borne out in the fact that we are going to continue despite the difficulties. We are not going to let the inevitable setbacks that come with this conflict deter our pursuit for peace.” In Gaza, where many Palestinians are disheartened by the lack of progress, posters for a media event in January to mark Obama’s one year in office asked: “A year after Obama what has changed?” Not much, say Gazans. Many may be hoping though that Obama tries to answer a different question in his speech in Jakarta: “What next?” — Reuters
focus
Europe fight won’t be Tories’ priority By Adrian Croft
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Conservative government would be too busy cleaning up Britain’s finances to pick a fight with European Union partners anytime soon despite the party’s pledge to claw back powers from Brussels. Europe is the main area of difference on foreign policy between the main opposition grouping and the governing Labour Party, due to face each other in an election expected on May 6. The Conservatives, or Tories, are leading in opinion polls. Wary of ceding any more power to what they see as an unelected bureaucracy in Brussels, the Tories oppose any moves towards a federal Europe and want to “repatriate” control of employment and social legislation to London. Conservative leader David Cameron infuriated the leaders of France and Germany by pulling out of the main centre-right grouping in the European Parliament last year and forming a rival caucus with parties more hostile to Europe. In 13 years in power, Labour has kept Britain out of the single European currency while seeking to strengthen economic and defence ties with the 27-nation bloc. Foreign Secretary David Miliband accuses Cameron of adopting a stance that is bad for Britain and for Europe. “David Cameron has designed a Europe policy that panders to the right-wingers in his party. His policy in Europe exposes his claims to have changed the Conservative Party to be completely false,” Miliband said in a Labour Party document. But those fearing - or hoping for - a bust-up with Brussels if the Tories win are likely to be disappointed. “They will believe the economy is their priority. They
won’t want Europe as an issue to distract energy and attention and time,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform thinktank. A Conservative government would inherit a £178 billion ($266 billion) budget deficit after the worst recession since World War Two. William Hague, the Tory foreign policy spokesman, says his party will be “extremely active and positive” in Europe and told Reuters it was an “outdated caricature” to expect the Conservatives to have problems with the EU. The issue of Britain’s place in Europe has long divided the Conservatives. Their last government, led by John Major from 1992-1997, had only a small parliamentary majority and was torn apart by feuding over the EU. It was the Conservatives who took Britain into the European Economic Community in 1973 but a vocal element, loyal to the legacy of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, is still deeply sceptical. Cameron said last November he would try to negotiate the right to opt out of some areas of EU social and employment law, claw back powers on criminal justice and seek a complete exemption from the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. He also said he would put any future treaty ceding sovereignty to the EU to a referendum. However, he dismayed hardliners by refusing to promise a vote on the recently enforced Lisbon treaty, which established a long-term president for the European Council and enhanced EU foreign policy powers. If the Conservatives win in May, the first test of their relations with European partners may well come on the sensitive issue of Britain’s money-spinning financial services sector. — Reuters
NEWS
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Recent cases show challenge of homegrown US terrorists WASHINGTON: One was a drywall contractor and father, another a petite woman who cared for the elderly, another a US military officer. The most alarming thing about a string of recently arrested terror suspects is that they are all Americans. Over the past week, a Pennsylvania woman was accused in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist; a New Jersey man was held by authorities in Yemen; and five young Pakistani-American men from Northern Virginia were charged by Pakistani officials with planning terrorist attacks in the South Asian country. These seven are among more than a dozen Americans captured or identified by the US government and its allies as actively supporting jihad, or holy war, in the past two years. Some, according to prosecutors, were inspired by the US involvement in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Others, like the accused Pennsylvania woman, allegedly wanted to avenge what they considered an insult to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Many traveled overseas to get terrorist training. Some used home computers to foment plots. There is no evidence that these cases are connected in any way. But they underscore the new reality that there is a threat from violent Islamic extremism from within the US It is difficult to say whether the uptick in cases is because law enforcement has gotten better at catching suspects or if there are simply more to catch. Most of the cases ended with suspects captured before they could act on their plans. But some were nearly ready to spring to action, like Colorado resident Najibullah Zazi, 24, who pleaded guilty in February as the leader of a plot to bomb the New York subway system. And law enforcement was too late to prevent a shooting rampage in December on the military post at Fort Hood, Texas. Army Maj Nidal Hasan, 39, a
US-born Army psychiatrist of Palestinian descent, is charged with killing 13 people. Determining how quickly a suspected homegrown terrorist goes from adopting extremist rhetoric to becoming a suicide bomber is a challenge to law enforcement. Some people never make that leap. Others do it in a matter of months or years. “Individuals can be radicalized in a number of ways - by direct contact with terrorists abroad or in the United States, over the Internet or on their own through a process of self-radicalization,” said Assistant Attorney General David Kris, the top counterterrorism official at the Justice Department. These cases, Kris said, “underscore the constantly evolving nature of the threat we face.” For years US officials have predicted there would be a rise in homegrown terrorism. “Now we’re beginning to see the predictions coming true,” said Michael Chertoff, the former Homeland Security secretary. Because of this, Chertoff said, it is critical for communities to be on the lookout for unusual behavior. Law enforcement, he added, needs to continue to educate people on the differing signs of terrorism. There is no single reason people drift toward terrorism. “It’s a combination of psychology, sociology and people who, just for cultural reasons, gravitate” to Islamist extremism, Chertoff said. “We can’t assume we’ve got months and years.” Colleen LaRose, the Pennsylvania woman who allegedly met violent jihadists online under the name “JihadJane,” took only months, prosecutors say. LaRose, according to her boyfriend, never showed religious leanings during the five years they dated. Then, her boyfriend came home last summer and she was gone. In a June 2008 YouTube video, the blond-haired, green-eyed Muslim convert said
she was “desperate to do something somehow to help” ease the suffering of Muslims, federal prosecutors allege. Some homegrown terrorists take much longer to show their militant leanings. In the case of North Carolina drywall contractor Daniel Boyd, federal prosecutors say he nursed his ambitions for jihad over decades. Boyd is accused of leading a group of men including two of his sons - who planned to kidnap, kill and maim people in other countries in the name of jihad. One of Boyd’s neighbors said he didn’t think Boyd was a terrorist. “If he’s a terrorist, he’s the nicest terrorist I ever met in my life,” Charles Casale said. Boyd decried the US military, praised the honor in martyrdom, bemoaned the struggle of Muslims and said “I love jihad” on audiotapes obtained by federal authorities. Even when law enforcement officials know about an American’s interaction with suspected terrorists, they may not have enough information to act on it. Months before Hasan allegedly went on his shooting spree at Fort Hood, he was in contact with a radical Islamic cleric in Yemen, federal prosecutors allege. The FBI was aware of Hasan’s contact with the cleric, but he did not emerge as a homegrown threat before the shootings. It is not a new concept for Americans to join the jihadi cause. In 2001, John Walker Lindh was arrested in Afghanistan for fighting with the Taleban. Raised Catholic, the California native was 12 when he saw the movie “Malcolm X” and became interested in Islam. A few years later, the teenager who liked hip-hop music converted to Islam. There are disaffected, alienated people everywhere in the United States who, for decades, have joined gangs and cults in search of an identity. Radical Islamist groups are yet another destination for those who seek purpose in their lives, experts say. — AP
Hayef insists hijab mandatory for MPs Continued from Page 1 who referred the question to the Fatwa Department in the ministry. Hayef’s question came after two out of the four women elected to the Assembly last year were not wearing the hijab. Hayef recalled a clause in the elections law which requires women voters and candidates to abide by sharia regulations. The fatwa was not specific to politics but said that wearing the hijab is compulsory for Muslim women. The controversy was resolved by the constitutional court last year when it ruled that wearing the hijab is not a precondition for women who wish to participate in politics. At the start of the Assembly session yesterday, Hayef still called on the government to apply the election law that obliges women to wear the hijab. Hammad however told Hayef that the constitutional court has explicitly interpreted the election law by stating that wearing the hijab is not compulsory in the election law. The hardline lawmaker, who heads an Assembly morality committee, has submitted a pro-
posal stating that women cannot travel without a male guardian similar to a rule practiced in Saudi Arabia. The proposal was referred by the Assembly on Tuesday to the legal and legislative committee to study if it breaches the Kuwaiti constitution or any other law. In a landmark ruling last year, the constitutional court ruled that Kuwaiti women can obtain their own passports without the prior approval of their male guardians. In another development, MPs again criticized the state of affairs at Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) which is bound to be privatized in the coming few weeks. During a special debate, veteran MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun blamed the prime minister and finance minister for part of the violations at KAC. Saadoun said that a member of the constituent committee formed to carry out the privatization of KAC is an advisor to the finance minister and at the same time chairman of a leading company that is operating in the field of purchasing privatized companies. Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali said the man was appointed because of his
long experience and track record, but at the same time said he was prepared to remove him from the committee if clash of interests is proved. Other MPs also called for a serious investigation before KAC is privatized. A lack of quorum however forced Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi to adjourn the Assembly prematurely. Meanwhile, journalists covering parliament yesterday issued a strong statement claiming that the media department at the Assembly has been oppressing them with an attempt to obstruct their work. The reporters appealed to Khorafi to interfere to provide them with all the necessary facilities and to stop harassment against them. Parliamentary reporters have repeatedly complained of maltreatment by authorities in the past several months. Last month, the press room was moved away from the Assembly entrance which was cordoned off and reporters were prevented from approaching it. On Tuesday, the media department deliberately cut off transmission from the press room television which carried live coverage of the Assembly sessions to reporters.
MPs, students blast Israel, Arab leaders Continued from Page 1 match,” he said, adding that if it were truly a sports event, Arab leaders would have taken more initiative and used more resources to help the situation. Tabtabaei stated that he has lost hope in Arab leaders today after they repeatedly failed the Arab people. “The Arab League has become useless to the Arab people. Our only hope are devout, faithful Muslims and the people of Jerusalem and Palestine. We pray that Allah gives them
the strength they need to fight the enemy.” Ahmad Al-Kandari, a poet and an activist, echoed Tabtabaei about the failure of Arab leaders towards the Palestinian cause. “We ask the Arab leaders to stop being naive - peace talks have proved to be fruitless on many occasions. We demand that these leaders become true allies of the Palestinian people” and not of traitors, he emotionally appealed. Earlier this week, the National Union of Kuwaiti Students collected signatures
of student political groups and blocs condemning the Israeli oppression of the Palestinian people. The head of the Union’s cultural committee Mohammad Al-Matar said to the press that the student groups will sign a petition and send it to the United Nations asking for its interference in the case. “We ask all student groups, regardless of their political affiliations, to unite for this cause. The Palestinian cause is a shared cause among all the Arab people regardless of whether they are religious or liberal,” he said.
KHARTOUM: Darfur hip-hop artist Abbas Annoor performs on Feb 25, 2010. — AFP
Sudan’s capital sways to hip hop KHARTOUM: It’s hip hop night in the Sudanese capital and the crowd is ready to boogie as the DJ spins his turntable and the rapper from the war-torn Western Darfur region belts out his lyrics. The scene being played out in a Western cultural centre in the heart of Khartoum would have been unimaginable after the Islamist-backed coup that brought President Omar Al-Bashir to power more than 20 years ago. The Islamist resurgence that rose in the wake of the June 1989 military coup dealt a fatal blow to popular music, but once-banned gigs are now back and kicking, albeit discreetly. Ever since the Khartoum government in the north signed a peace agreement with the mostly Christian south five years ago, musicians have been fine-tuning their acts. “Hip hop is a novelty here, even if it is recognised around the world. But we’re starting to pick it up thanks to television and the Americans,” said Metwalli as he swayed to the music on a recent Thursday night. “We’re trying to copy their gestures,” the tall young man added, flashing a big grin. Metwalli was among around 100 men and women who thronged the once-a-month gathering organised by a Western cultural centre in Khartoum to listen to professional and amateur rappers with names such as Mc Mo. “Here hip hop music is somewhat underground,” said Mc Mo, a dentist by day who becomes a rapper at night. But the real star of the evening is undoubtedly Abbas Annoor, a young artist born in Darfur who now lives in
Khartoum where he sings in Arabic and French about the devastating seven-year conflict plaguing his home town. “Far from my country, I have lost all taste for life. I love you, my native land, I cry for you every night, but no one ever asks me a ‘su’al’,” he sings, using the Arabic word for “question”. The young rapper, in a white NBA Denver Nuggets T-shirt and cap, may not yet be able to match the international fame of rappers such as former South Sudan child soldier Emmanuel Jal, but he does know how to inspire an audience. Men and women who had been timidly sitting on Chinese-made plastic chairs rose and formed a circle around Annoor, clapping and dancing to the rhythm of the music blaring from loudspeakers. Some young men tried their hand at breakdancing as women wearing fashionable Western clothes shed their inhibitions to sway their hips and glide across the dance floor. “We try to do our best to get people out and about, and to persuade young and old alike to come and see what we do,” said Annoor. “Each time we attract a bigger crowd.” Annoor and rappers like him in Sudan have yet to make their mark on a local music scene that is dominated by more traditional trends, unlike some of their compatriots who have moved away and made a name for themselves abroad. Jal is probably the best known of these. He spent his childhood fighting in his native southern Sudan before ending up in the care of a British aid worker who took him to Kenya when he was in his early teens. Another com-
patriot who has embraced a career in music is Samy Deluxe, a German hip hop artist of Sudanese origin. And on a recent weekend, American hip hop artist K-Young played his first gig in Khartoum. Young Sudanese rappers have a strong ally in Mamoun Mansour, head of programs at the private Mango radio station in Khartoum which broadcasts Arab and international music and hip hop. “We’re trying to promote these artists, to give them a platform,” Mansur said. “Hip hop is trendy. There is hip hop in Arabic and in English and many small, underground studios where artists can record. “But the problem is not to record a track, the problem is to release it and find a market for it,” he added. Sudan’s rappers sing of love, politics and everyday life, but unlike their brothers and sisters in New York, Dakar or other capitals around the globe they must be careful not to upset the authorities with their lyrics. “If there are songs that speak the truth, I sing them in French” instead of Sudan’s native Arabic, Annoor said. Last year popular artist Taha Suleiman made a hit with “Mushkilat” (“Problems” in Arabic), a song launched after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur. The song was about Sudan under fire from the international justice system. In the run-up to the country’s first presidential and legislative election in 24 years next month, however, rappers are currently keeping their tunes politics-free. — AFP
OPEC holds oil output steady Continued from Page 1 China is having stimulus packages, the United State, Europe, Japan. “And everyone is putting money into the economy so they can prevent this recession.” El-Badri said the main worry for OPEC was how it handles “the exit from those stimulus packages”. “Good demand, reliable supply, beautiful prices - we are very happy,” Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi said. The decision not to alter its output ceiling - which the cartel has now held unchanged for 15 months - had been seen as a done deal. In recent days, OPEC’s 12 member countries have pointed to high oil inventories, low demand and recovering crude prices for reasons not to move. The organisation’s president, Ecuadoran Oil Minister Germanico Pinto, said yesterday that while oil prices had “held up” since the cartel’s last meeting in December, “the strength of the global economic recovery in
2010 remains uncertain and uneven”. He added in the meeting’s opening address: “The main challenges today concern market stability at a time of much uncertainty in the world economy. While there has been an improvement in the oil market outlook in recent months, there is still a long way to go before we can feel at ease with the situation. Developments in the world economy, which remains balanced on a knife-edge of uncertainty, will continue to have a direct impact on the outlook in the coming months.” OPEC has had an official output level, excluding production by Iraq, of 24.84 million barrels a day since Jan 2009 after removing a massive 4.2 million barrels from the target level in a move aimed at halting a slide in prices. Oil prices, which tumbled from historic highs of more than $147 in July 2008 to about 32 dollars in December in response to the global recession, have since clawed back ground on economic recovery hopes. New York crude was trad-
ing above $82 ahead of OPEC’s formal announcement. “Apparently this is a comfortable price for producers and consumers at this time, at this pace of world growth,” El-Badri said yesterday. “If world growth were higher than the one we are seeing, then maybe prices would be different. But at this time, with world growth at 3.4 percent, a range of 70-80 dollars is fine.” The outlook for prices would now very much depend on the strength of economic recovery, analysts said. Oil prices rose yesterday one day after the Federal Reserve maintained record low interest rates. Markets are also worried that rising inflation in China may cause the Asian power to cool its overheating economy, in turn dampening energy demand in the world’s second biggest energy consuming nation. OPEC comprises Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. — AFP
Iraqi PM, main rival locked in tight battle Continued from Page 1 Ali Al-Adeeb, a candidate for State of Law in the predominantly Shiite central province of Karbala. “State of L aw demands the counting process be repeated to be sure that there has been no manipulation.” Adeeb described Iraqiya’s progress as “like a miracle”. His remarks were a sharp departure from Maliki’s own just days earlier, when he dismissed allegations of fraud as “very small”. Iyad AlKinaani, an election commission official, downplayed any allegations of fraud, telling AFP “there is no need to restart the counting process.” The work of the commission is “transparent and is done with great care because we know the importance of this step.” Overall, Maliki held a slim lead in the count, with 2,260,483 votes against 2,220,443 for Iraqiya. Results released late Tuesday had put Allawi ahead by less than 9,000 votes. State of Law leads in
Baghdad, which is the largest province and accounts for more than twice as many seats as any other. It is also ahead in southern oil province of Basra, the third biggest, as well as five other mostly Shiite central and southern provinces, but has failed to finish in the top three in all but one of Iraq’s Sunni-majority provinces. Iraqiya, on the other hand, was leading in four provinces, including the second biggest province Nineveh. It was also in a virtual tie for the lead in a fifth, Kirkuk, where it was ahead of a Kurdish bloc by around 600 votes. It was placed in the top three in six predominantly Shiite provinces where Maliki was either first or second. “The results announced yesterday (Tuesday) show that we have been in the lead since the beginning of the elections,” said Haidar Al-Mullah, an Iraqiya candidate. “Iraqiya is in the lead because it represents Iraqi national identity.” The Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition
led by Shiite religious groups is set to come in third with 67 seats, according to the AFP calculations, while Kurdistania, comprised of the autonomous Kurdish region’s two long-dominant parties, is likely to have 38. No other group is set to win more than 10 seats. Fifteen of the 325 seats in parliament are either compensatory or reserved for minorities. Both State of Law and Iraqiya have said they have begun talks with rival blocs to form a government, with analysts warning that political groupings could still manoeuvre to form a coalition without either list. Iraq’s system of proportional representation makes it unlikely that any single group will clinch the 163 seats that would enable it to form a government on its own, and protracted coalition building is likely. Complete election results are expected around today. Final results after all complaints have been investigated and ruled upon - are likely by the end of the month. — AFP
Sexy texts land cabin crew in jail Continued from Page 1 The messages were exposed during a bitter divorce battle between the attendant and her husband that began in 2007, the daily said. It said the divorce court had ordered Dubai’s telecommunications company, Etisalat, to produce the text messages after the husband accused his wife of an affair. Etisalat provided copies of SMS messages in Oct 2008, allowing the husband to file a “criminal complaint” against his wife, the paper said. The court also handed a three-month jail term to the attendant’s sister for perjury, after she claimed she had
been having the affair and had been using her sister’s telephone. The attendant’s husband has since gained custody of the couple’s four-year-old son after the divorce was finalised, the paper reported. Dubai, a regional tourist hub with a large non-Muslim expatriate population and the Gulf’s most liberal social policies, nevertheless continues to apply strict rules based on sharia law. A British pair await a final verdict from Dubai’s appeals court next month to find out if they will serve a one-month jail sentence over charges of kissing in public. A British mother-of-two lost custody of her children and was jailed for three months last
year on adultery charges filed by her then Egyptian husband. Dubai’s foreign population has expanded rapidly in recent years as expatriates flocked to the Gulf Arab trade and tourism hub for its tax-free earnings and year-round sunshine. The changes have challenged the Emirati population, which is now vastly outnumbered by foreigners, raising concern that their emirate’s rapid pace of growth is a threat to their social and religious identity in what remains a deeply conservative region. An Emirates spokeswoman declined to comment on the case as it was still ongoing.— Agencies
UN gathering tackles Mideast animal trade Continued from Page 1 “Much of the illegal trade that takes place here is of a specialized nature,” Sellar said, citing the example of prize falcons, kept by many Arab sheikhs in desert encampments, particularly in the United Arab Emirates. “We’ve also seen some smuggling of very exotic species ... like very rare parrots, young chimpanzees, gorillas and leopards that seem to be for the private collections of some of the rich individuals in the Gulf area,” he said. Several recent incidents have underscored the plight of animals in Lebanon a country where the only law that refers to animal rights stipulates that anyone who purposely harms an animal has to pay a fine of up to $15. Willem Wijnstekers, the secretary-general of CITES, said countries must have strong laws in place to discourage animal smuggling. Otherwise, he said, smugglers will simply see the penalties as part of the cost of doing business, and not a deterrent. In Dec 2009, Animals Lebanon began a campaign against Egypt’s Monte Carlo Circus after it received a tip that the circus animals - six lions and three tigers did not have proper certificates and had not received water or food during the six-day trip from Egypt to Lebanon. The group sent several activists and a veterinarian to the circus grounds to investigate, and they reported the animals were malnourished and that one cub had been de-clawed. The circus was declared illegal in January af ter Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan sent the ministry’s own experts to investigate, but the cir-
cus has appealed. While the case continues, the circus is still giving daily performances attended by small crowds. “The case of the circus, and the trade of the lions and tigers, highlighted the urgent need to have Lebanon join CITES and protect these endangered species,” Hajj Hassan said. A circus employee at a recent performance denied the animals were treated badly. “They say we are not feeding them. Look at them, do they look hungry to you?” the employee asked the audience as lions and tigers dutifully performed acrobatics around a caged tent near a highway just north of Beirut. There was no official comment from the circus. The animals looked healthy at the performance, weeks after the allegations were made. In Feb 2009, Animals Lebanon managed to close down a zoo and rescue its 42 neglected and dying animals that had become a health hazard to its neighbors. The starving animals languishing in dirty, rusty cages included bears, jackals, a chimpanzee, monkeys and a vulture that had apparently spent years tied by a chain that prevented it from flying or moving out of its cage, which measured just 2 sq m. “The lion and chimpanzee died, but we flew the monkeys to a sanctuary in Wales and two bears to a sanctuary in Turkey,” Shaarawi said. “I cannot describe the happiness I feel when we are able to rescue abused animals and find new homes for them.” In September, a 2-year-old lion cub was rescued by members of another local animal welfare organization after he was apparently abandoned off the main road in Beirut by the owner of the pet shop that imported him. The severely dehy-
drated “King of the Jungle” was emaciated and malnourished with open sores on his body, according to Beta, the organization that rescued him. Beta tried to save the animal - which the group named Adam - but it died shortly after it was found. There are similar problems across the region. In Egypt, a gateway from Africa to the Middle East, there is a flourishing chimpanzee trade and exotic animals are frequently smuggled in and out. The owners are believed to bribe airport officials to look away. Last year, panic broke out on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Egypt when a foot-long baby crocodile wriggled out of a passenger’s hand luggage. In blockaded Gaza, residents smuggle animals through tunnels that link the territory to Egypt to supply their private zoos. Smugglers proudly speak of hauling lions, monkeys and exotic birds through the underground passageways, making deals with animal smugglers in Egypt. Most animals are drugged first, but in a particularly cruel practice, zoo owners usually rip out the teeth of lions to ensure they don’t bite visitors. Activists say many of the pet shops in Lebanon are unlicensed and keep the animals in appalling conditions without proper healthcare. One pet shop owner who identified himself only by his first name, Elie, to avoid “trouble” from activists, scoffed at the allegations. “Everything in here is legal,” he says of the dogs, cats, parrots and rabbits he sells. Asked whether it was fair to keep a puppy locked up in a cage the size of a bird cage, he shrugged: “They are fine. It is only until I sell them.” — AP
SPORTS
Thursday, March 18, 2010
15 NHL results/standings
NHL wants to impose head-shots rule: Report TORONTO: The National Hockey League wants to adopt a new rule against blindside hits to the head before the end of this season, according to two reports yesterday. The league is hoping to fast-track the proposed rule and is preparing a package of game footage after a number of players suffered concussions this season. The highlight package will illustrate what would, and wouldn’t, be allowed under a proposed rule change adopted by general managers at meetings in Florida last week. The NHL plans to circulate the highlight package to all 30 teams within the next week or so, according to reports in the Toronto Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. “It’s a process that has never been done before in the season,” NHL senior vice-president of hockey operations Colin Campbell told the Globe and Mail in a story published online early yesterday. “But this is so important an issue that if we can possibly avoid just one concussion, we should do this.” In order to get the new rule in place, the NHL needs to get the players, coaches, management and officials involved, Campbell added. Also, the NHL board of governors would have the final say on any change. Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Toronto Star the new rule could be in place by the end of the regular season and in time for the playoffs. “We are working to see if the new rules can be implemented as quickly as possible, and perhaps as early as before the end of the season,” Daly said. “We are proceeding on the basis (of) doing what is best for the game and the players on a responsible timetable within the parameters of our legal and contractual obligations.” —AP
NHL results and standings on Tuesday. Montreal 3, NY Rangers 1; Boston 5, Carolina 2; Atlanta 4, Buffalo 3; Phoenix 2, Tampa Bay 1; Washington 7, Florida 3; Toronto 4, Ottawa 1; Colorado 5, St. Louis 3; Nashville 4, Philadelphia 3 (SO); Minnesota 4, Edmonton 2; Dallas 8, San Jose 2; NY Islanders 5, Vancouver 2. (So denotes shootout win).
NEW YORK: Henrik Lundqvist No.30 of the New York Rangers blocks a shot on net as Benoit Pouliot No.57 of the Montreal Canadiens defends during their game at Madison Square Garden.—AFP
Bruins see off Hurricanes, Predators down Flyers RALEIGH: Mark Recchi, Michael Ryder and David Krejci scored third-period goals to help the Boston Bruins maintain eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. Tuukka Rask made 30 saves for Boston. Patrice Bergeron scored less than a minute into the game, and Johnny Boychuk gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead midway through the second period. The Hurricanes cut the lead to 3-2 on Erik Cole’s second goal of the game, early in the third period. Ryder then took a giveaway from Brian Pothier and scored the clincher with 10:12 remaining. Manny Legace finished with 32 saves for Carolina.
Predators 4, Flyers 3 At Nashville, Martin Erat scored the only goal of the shootout to lead Nashville past Philadelphia. Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne turned aside all three Flyers attempts in the shootout. Rinne finished with 42 saves.The Predators carried a two-goal lead into the final period, but goals by Gagne and Pronger 3:04 apart tied the game late in the third.
Thrashers 4, Sabres 3 At Atlanta, Buffalo’s Ryan Miller was pulled
after giving up three goals in the first 6 minutes and Jim Slater’s third-period goal gave the Thrashers a win over the Northeast-leading Sabres. After Miller’s early exit, Patrick Lalime shut out the Thrashers until Slater’s tiebreaking goal with 6:44 remaining. Niclas Bergfors’ third assist set up Slater’s shot in front of the net.
Canadiens 3, Rangers 1 At New York, Sergei Kostitsyn broke a thirdperiod tie with a deflected goal and helped Montreal win its sixth straight. Kostitsyn nudged the puck in front and was rewarded when it caromed in off the skate of Rangers forward Artem Anisimov at 5:59. Montreal’s winning streak is its longest since an eight-game spurt in 2006.
Capitals 7, Panthers 3 At Sunrise, Florida, Brooks Laich scored twice and five other Washington players had goals. The Capitals were without star Alex Ovechkin, suspended two games for a hit on Chicago’s Brian Campbell. Nicklas Backstrom, Eric Fehr, Brendan Morrison, Jason Chimera and Alexander Semin each scored for the Capitals, who beat Florida for the sixth time this season.
Maple Leafs 4, Senators 1 At Ottawa, Phil Kessel got his 26th goal and John Mitchell and Mikhail Grabovski scored 19 seconds apart in the second period to lead Toronto.Kessel beat Brian Elliott for his fourth goal in four games 11:20 in. Mitchell made it 2-0 when he scored 4:33 into the second. His goal had not even been announced when Grabovski increased the lead to 3-0 with his ninth goal at 4:52. Jonas Gustavsson stopped 30 shots for Toronto, which is last overall in the Eastern Conference with 60 points but has won four of five.
Coyotes 2, Lightning 1 At Tampa, Vernon Fiddler and Matthew Lombardi scored in a 2-minute span midway through the first period, while Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 27 shots as Phoenix equaled a franchise record with its 43 victory. The Coyotes moved five points behind Western Conference-leading San Jose in the Pacific Division. Phoenix began the night tied with Vancouver for third place overall in the conference, but the Northwest Division-leading Canucks still hold the third seed. The loss left the Lightning six points behind Boston for the
final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Wild 4, Oilers 2 At St. Paul, Chuck Kobasew scored the goahead goal early in the third period as Minnesota beat Edmonton for the 13th straight time at home. Andrew Ebbett, Antti Miettinen and Martin Havlat also scored for the Wild, winners of three straight overall. The Wild’s home winning streak over Edmonton is tied for the longest home winning streak against an opponent in the NHL, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Joe Worsley switches to blindside with James Haskell dropping to the bench. Lock Steve Borthwick will again lead the team having overcome a knee injury. The backline changes appear to be a belated recognition by Johnson of his team’s dire lack of attacking intent. In 1999 Clive Woodward opted for Paul Grayson over Wilkinson in the World Cup quarter-final defeat by South Africa in Paris while in 2008 he made way for Danny Cipriani in a Six Nations win over Ireland. Wilkinson has struggled to take control of games in the current Six Nations and has also been uncharacteristically wayward with his goalkicking. Flood, who replaced him in the second half at Murrayfield, has looked marginally more inventive but he too has struggled with his kicking and missed a late penalty on Saturday that would have won the game. Northampton’s Foden has looked England’s most exciting player in his off-the-bench cameos and deserves his start ahead of Armitage. Likewise Ashton, who was brought into the training squad at the start of the tournament but has yet to feature. Tindall’s recall for his 61st cap following yet another long injury layoff has much to do with countering the threat of mighty French centre Mathieu Bastareaud. England are likely to finish third in the standings whatever the result in Paris while France should win their first title since 2007 even if they were to suffer a surprise defeat. They have eight points to the six of Ireland and though the Irish will expect to beat Scotland in Dublin earlier on Saturday they have a points difference deficit of 50 to make up.—Reuters
each scored twice, including short-handed goals in the third period, while Kari Lehtonen made 44 saves in his second start of the season as Dallas boosted its fading playoff chances. Brad Richards struck on the power play, and Brandon Segal added a goal for the Stars, who pulled seven points behind No. 8 Detroit in the Western Conference. Dan Boyle had a power-play goal and Devin Setoguchi scored at even strength for the Sharks, the Western Conference leaders by two points over Chicago.
Avalanche 5, Blues 3
Islanders 5, Canucks 2
At St. Louis, Peter Mueller scored twice on a three-point game that matched his career best and Paul Stastny had his fifth goal in three games with two assists, helping Colorado sweep the season series against St. Louis. The Blues had quick goals to start the first two periods, with Alex Steen matching the franchise record to start the game on his 20th goal at the 8-second mark and Patrik Berglund scoring at 34 seconds of the second to tie it at 2.
At Vancouver, rookie John Tavares broke out of a scoring slump with two goals and three assists to lead the New York Islanders. Tavares, the first pick in last summer’s draft, burst into the NHL with rookie of the year expectations after 15 goals and 27 points in his first 32 games. But the 19-year-old came in with only three goals and nine points in his last 37 games before breaking out with his first five-point night. Dylan Reese, Matt Moulson and Freddy Meyer also scored for the Islanders. Kyle Wellwood and Alex Burrows had the Canucks’ goals. —AP
Stars 8, Sharks 2 At Dallas, Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow
Liu still loved in China but hurdles still remain ahead
England drop Wilkinson for clash against France LONDON: Jonny Wilkinson has been dropped for England’s final Six Nations game against France on Saturday as manager Martin Johnson made six changes from the side that laboured to a 15-15 draw with Scotland last weekend. Wilkinson, who went off after 44 minutes at Murrayfield following a blow to the head, is replaced at flyhalf by Toby Flood but remains in the squad named yesterday among the replacements. It is only the third time in his England career that Wilkinson has been dropped because of form rather than injury. “You need a strong squad. Going forward the next 18 months towards a World Cup, we are going to need at least two of everything,” said Johnson. “It’s great that we’ve got Toby there and Jonny fighting it out and obviously the younger guys beneath them as well all pushing to get up.” Winger Ugo Monye, another to receive a head injury against the Scots, is replaced by Northampton’s uncapped Chris Ashton, the Premiership’s leading try-scorer, while fullback Delon Armitage, who has struggled for form throughout the tournament, gives way for Ben Foden to make his first start following some lively contributions from the bench. Outside centre Mathew Tait, hailed as England’s great creative hope when recalled by Johnson at the start of the tournament, is dropped again as 31year-old World Cup-winner Mike Tindall makes his first appearance for a year. In the pack, Simon Shaw has recovered from a shoulder injury and comes back in place of Louis Deacon while Lewis Moody, dropped against Scotland, returns at openside flanker.
Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS Pittsburgh 41 23 5 217 197 87 New Jersey 41 24 3 183 164 85 Philadelphia 36 28 5 206 189 77 NY Rangers 31 30 9 182 191 71 NY Islanders 29 32 9 185 216 67 Northeast Division Buffalo 36 22 10 186 174 82 Ottawa 37 28 5 187 201 79 Montreal 36 29 6 194 195 78 Boston 31 26 12 174 177 74 Toronto 24 34 12 187 235 60 Southeast Division Washington 47 14 9 277 198 103 Atlanta 29 29 11 204 224 69 Tampa Bay 28 29 12 183 211 68 Florida 28 30 10 177 200 66 Carolina 28 33 8 191 216 64 Western Conference Central Division Chicago 44 18 6 225 170 94 Nashville 39 26 5 197 201 83 Detroit 34 23 12 187 186 80 St. Louis 32 28 9 189 193 73 Columbus 28 31 11 183 226 67 Northwest Division Vancouver 43 24 3 230 181 89 Colorado 40 23 6 209 182 86 Calgary 34 26 9 174 172 77 Minnesota 34 29 6 192 199 74 Edmonton 21 42 7 176 245 49 Pacific Division San Jose 43 16 10 226 180 96 Phoenix 43 22 5 189 170 91 Los Angeles 40 23 5 206 182 85 Dallas 30 26 13 199 220 73 Anaheim 31 29 8 189 209 70 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L).
MARCOUSSIS: France’s centre Mathieu Bastareaud juggles with a ball during a training session days ahead the Six Nations rugby union match against England.—AFP
BEIJING: Liu Xiang’s road back from injury to the sort of world-beating performances that earned him that status of China’s top track and field athlete looks like being a long, hard slog. The former Olympic and world 110 metres hurdles champion returned to top international competition at last week’s world indoor championships, his first outing at that level since the Beijing Olympics. The Achilles injury that caused him to limp out of his first heat at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium in Aug. 2008 continued to dog him in Qatar, however, and he could only finish seventh in the 60 metres final on Sunday. “The injury is still reacting,” Liu told the Oriental Sports Daily on his return from Doha. “I dared not take off. I feel I am full of energy everywhere but in the foot.” Liu remains a sporting icon with a profile rivalled only by basketball’s Yao Ming in his home country, as anyone who saw him being hounded even in the toilets by autograph-hunting reporters at the recent meeting of China’s parliament will attest. His shock gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and his subsequent capture of the world record and world title in 2006 and 2007 respectively made him a rare commodity, a Chinese sportsman dominating in a relatively high profile sport. His dominance of the high hurdles had, however, already started to slip before his dramatic departure from the biggest stage at his home Olympics. Cuban Dayron Robles, the champion in Beijing and again in Qatar last weekend, had already bettered Liu’s 110 metres world record with a time of 12.87 seconds in Ostrava in June 2008. Liu had surgery in Dec. 2008 and made his comeback on his home track in Shanghai last September but has yet to rediscover the sublime smoothness of technique that enabled him to overhaul more powerful hurdlers in his heyday. Terrence Trammell, who finished second in Doha last weekend at the age of 31, and the likes of Colin Jackson and Allen Johnson, who both competed at the top until their mid-thirties, offer hope that Liu still has time to get back to his best. Because of the continuing problems with his foot, Liu has decided to skip this
season’s Diamond League events in Europe and concentrate on Asian events, Liu’s coach Sun Haiping said. Liu also hopes to represent Asia in the new Continental Cup, formerly the World Cup, in Croatia in September. “The World Cup is the only title Liu Xiang has not won in the past,” Sun told the paper. “He really wants to win it.” Liu, who has said he would retire if the injury failed to heal, clearly believes he has a chance of regaining his best form. “I have already had a splendid past,” Liu added. “Everybody has highs and lows. But I think I will still work hard in the future. I hope I can run a good time.”—Reuters
Bolt to compete in Golden Spike meet PRAGUE: Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt will compete in the rarely contested 300-meter race for the first time at the traditional Czech Golden Spike meet in May. Organizers said yesterday that Bolt, who holds the world record at 100 and 200 meters, will attempt to break the world mark in the distance on May 27 in Ostrava. Michael Johnson holds the current mark of 30.85 seconds. The IAAF does not recognize it as a world record, as the distance is not used at major events. Bolt will reportedly earn more than $300,000 for his participation. Organizers say he will receive another $30,000 if he sets a world best. “I have done some 300s in training so I am used to the distance but this will be my first time to race it,” Bolt said. “If the weather is good I hope to run a fast time.” Bolt will race for the fourth time at the meet, which is part of the new IAAF World Challenge series. Last year, he won the 100 meters in 9.77 seconds. Bolt opened his season by running the 400 meters in the Campertown Classic in Jamaica Feb. 14, clocking 45.86 seconds. However, he said he has no plans to compete regularly in the longer sprint distance — at least for now. “I think the 400 meters is somewhere in the future, but hopefully after 2012,” Bolt said. “The 400 is painful.”—AP
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tiger return great for ratings, fans may disagree INDIAN WELLS: While the return of Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour is manna from heaven for sponsors and television executives, an intriguing question mark hovers over his likely reception by the fans. Woods is assured of a warm welcome at his first event back, the April 8-11 US Masters at genteel Augusta National, but beyond that he could spark a mixed reaction following his stunning fall from grace at the end of last year. After becoming engulfed in a media frenzy following a bizarre early-morning car crash outside his
Florida home on Nov. 27, the American’s squeaky-clean image was torn asunder by allegations of extramarital affairs. In a carefully managed public appearance last month, he finally apologised to his family and fans for his repeated infidelities and said that he was undergoing therapy. Although Woods was the most marketable player in the game and drives up television ratings by around 50 percent when he competes, his image needs to be slowly rebuilt if he is to win back many of the fans he has lost over the last four months.
Unquestionably the greatest golfer of his generation and arguably the best of all time, Woods can expect to receive his fair share of biting retorts from the galleries, just as he has been lampooned by television chat-show hosts in recent months. However, there is also a possibility that the 14-times major champion could attract new fans now that his human flaws have been so publicly exposed. Previously he was put on a pedestal by many and viewed as a remarkable but almost blinkered player who never really took the gal-
leries to heart. “It’s certainly a possibility,” said British Open champion Stewart Cink, who joked Woods was made of nuts and bolts after being pummelled by his fellow American in the 2008 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship final. “Now, maybe a lot of people think if you open him (Woods) up, you see a beating human heart. We all have our short comings. “I guess that’s one reason why John Daly has been so popular with the fans. They identify with him and his trials and tribulations.”
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has welcomed the impending return of the U.S. circuit’s most bankable asset and he was confident Woods would cope well with the heightened interest by fans and media. “It is going to be huge when he comes back,” Finchem said. “It’s going to be an interesting thing to watch, how he re-enters the game, how he plays and how he deals with the reaction to his statement. “I do feel this huge change in the atmosphere because of what he said and I was impressed not only about
him talking about personal issues but (also) about the game. “I thought he set the bar for himself and we all know what happens when Tiger sets the bar for himself.” The biggest question mark for Woods, whose career is fuelled by his hunger for more major titles, is how well he will be able to play golf given the emotional roller-coaster ride he has experienced over the last four months. He has frequently said he never tees off at a tournament unless he firmly believes he is capable of winning that week and pundits can only
guess at the mental strain he has been under while he desperately tries to repair his marriage. As far his peers are concerned, though, the return of Woods can only be good for the game. “We want the best player in the world out playing golf again,” 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk told the Golf Channel. “He’s got to do what’s best for him. “But I realise, looking at the big picture, it’s good for everyone. What’s good for the best player in the world is probably good for the big picture and the PGA Tour.” —Reuters
Cavs top Pistons as Spurs cool off Heat AUBURN HILLS: LeBron James had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in his fourth triple-double of the season, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 113-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. Cleveland has won four in a row and lost only one of its last 11 games, improving to an NBA-best 53-15 win-loss record. Richard Hamilton had 24 points and was one of six Pistons who scored in double figures. Detroit has lost three straight games and eight of 10. Spurs 88, Heat 76 At Miami, Manu Ginobili scored 22 points, George Hill had 16 and surging San Antonio wasted most of a 25point, third-quarter lead before beating Miami. Richard Jefferson added 15 points and Tim Duncan had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who’ve won eight of their last nine and ensured they would end the night no worse than No. 7 in the Western Conference standings. Dwyane Wade scored 28 points for Miami, which lost for the first time in its last seven home games. Jermaine O’Neal added 13 points and Udonis Haslem finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who missed a chance to move past Charlotte for the No. 6 spot in the East race. Charlotte lost at Indiana. Lakers 106, Kings 99 At Sacramento, Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and Pau Gasol added 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers completed a sweep of their Northern California swing with a 106-99 victory over the Kings. After committing 24 turnovers and barely holding on for a 124-121 victory at Golden State on Monday night, the Lakers were much sharper on the back end of their trip. They committed just two turnovers in the first half and 10 for the game, overpowering the Kings inside to win their fourth straight following a season-high, threegame losing streak. Andrew Bynum added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Lakers finished with 60 points in the paint to remain four games ahead of Denver for the best record in the Western Conference. Suns 152, T’wolves 114 At Phoenix, Jason Richardson scored 27 points and Amare Stoudemire scored 25, then sat with the rest of the Phoenix starters while the Suns’ reserves finished off a 152-114 rout of Minnesota in the highest-scoring game by an NBA team this season. Lou Amundson matched his career high with 20 points as Phoenix sent the Timberwolves to their 10th straight loss and 16th in the last 17 games. The Suns, with eight players in double figures, shot 56 percent and won their ninth in 12 games.
SACRAMENTO: Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward Donte Greene during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game. —AP
NBA results/standings NBA results and standings on Tuesday. Indiana 99, Charlotte 94; Cleveland 113, Detroit 101; San Antonio 88, Miami 76; Atlanta 108, New Jersey 84; Memphis 104, Chicago 97; Denver 97, Washington 87; Phoenix 152, Minnesota 114; LA Lakers 106, Sacramento 99. Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT Boston 42 24 .636 Toronto 32 33 .492 NY Knicks 24 43 .358 Philadelphia 23 44 .343 New Jersey 7 60 .104 Central Division Cleveland 53 15 .779 Milwaukee 36 29 .554 Chicago 31 35 .470 Detroit 23 45 .338 Indiana 22 45 .328 Southeast Division Orlando 47 21 .691 Atlanta 43 23 .652 Charlotte 34 32 .515 Miami 35 33 .515 Washington 21 45 .318
GB 9.5 18.5 19.5 35.5 15.5 21 30 30.5 3 12 12 25
Western Conference Northwest Division Denver 46 22 .676 Utah 43 24 .642 Oklahoma City 41 24 .631 Portland 41 28 .594 Minnesota 14 54 .206 Pacific Division LA Lakers 50 18 .735 Phoenix 42 26 .618 LA Clippers 25 43 .368 Sacramento 23 45 .338 Golden State 18 48 .273 Southwest Division Dallas 45 22 .672 San Antonio 40 25 .615 Memphis 36 32 .529 Houston 34 31 .523 New Orleans 33 35 .485
2.5 3.5 5.5 32 8 25 27 31 4 9.5 10 12.5
Call for more support to sports KUWAIT: Several sports officials urged the GCC ministers of youth and sports as well as heads of Olympic committees to extend all support to the Gulf sports, as it plays an important role in protecting youth from deviating. It was agreed that the Gulf sports movement take a better part of attention based on the developments the Gulf sports is making be it at the management or technical levels of teams in various games. PAYS deputy director general for sports affairs emphasized the authority’s support for all committees organizing the meeting of the
Gulf youth and sports ministers as well as the meeting of Olympic committees presidents. He hoped the meeting would result in decisions and recommendations that would help a sports improvement in the Gulf area in general and Kuwait in particular. He said the Gulf region witnessed a sports improvement through the facilities that will help the improvements to continue. Meanwhile, chairperson of the organizing committee of women sports in the GCC countries Sheikha Naeema Al-Ahmad said the meeting “will come out with
decisions that will boost the women’s sports in the Gulf.” Sheikha Naeema said she was optimistic about the results of meetings to push women sports forward as the Gulf women proved outstanding in both technical and administrative aspects. Head of Kuwait Squash Association Hussein Maqseed asked ministers to take interest in all sports, particularly the individual ones which made the achievements during the Olympics. He said that the squash game should receive deserved care and urged countries to participate in the Gulf tournament.
Pacers 99, Bobcats 94 At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 26 points to help Indiana deny Charlotte what would have been a franchise-record seventh consecutive victory. Troy Murphy had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Mike Dunleavy added 15 points for Indiana, which had lost 14 of its previous 17 games. Former Pacer Stephen Graham scored a career-high 19 points and tied a career best with eight rebounds in place of All-Star forward Gerald Wallace, who missed his second straight with an injured left ankle. Stephen Jackson, another former Pacer, finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Hawks 108, Nets 84 At East Rutherford, Jamal Crawford hit a 30-footer at the buzzer to cap his game-breaking, 15-point second quarter as Atlanta ran away from woeful New Jersey. Crawford, the NBA scoring leader among players who have not started a game, finished with 25 points in leading Atlanta to its third straight win and ninth in 12 games. Marvin Williams added 15 points for the Hawks, who were playing without Joe Johnson for the first time this season. The All-Star guard has Achilles’ tendinitis and did not accompany the team for its two-game road trip. Al Horford finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Brook Lopez had 21 points for the Nets, who lost for the 60th time in 67 games. New Jersey needs to win three times in its last 15 games to avoid tying or breaking the NBA mark for fewest wins (9) in a season, set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers. Grizzlies 104, Bulls 97 At Memphis, OJ Mayo scored 24 points as Memphis sent undermanned Chicago to its eighth straight loss. Mike Conley finished with 19 points and 10 assists, while Zach Randolph added 18 points and 12 rebounds. Rudy Gay had 12 points, and Marcus Williams and Hasheem Thabeet finished with 10 apiece. Flip Murray scored 25 points for the Bulls, who were missing their top four scorers. Hakim Warrick came off the bench for 22, including 10 in the fourth as the Bulls made a run. Acie Law finished with a season-high 18 points, while Jannero Pargo had 12. Nuggets 97, Wizards 87 At Denver, J.R. Smith scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, helping Denver pull away to the Nuggets beat Washington. Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Nene added 16 points for Denver, which sent Washington to its ninth consecutive loss. The game marked the return of Nuggets coach George Karl, who was back on the bench after missing four games over the past week for cancer treatments. Andray Blatche led the Wizards with 23 points and Al Thornton had 16. —AP
WHISTLER: Gold medalist Henrieta Farkasova of Slovakia (right) and guide Natalia Subrtova celebrate during the medal ceremony for the Women’s Visually Impaired Giant Slalom at the Vancouver Winter Paralympics. —AFP
Vancouver hopes Paralympics will make it top accessibility city VANCOUVER: Civic leaders hope the 2010 Paralympics will make Vancouver a world leader in disabled accessibility, but experts are divided on whether the games help regular disabled people. Having the high-profile Paralympics in town “means that you have to walk the walk as well as talk the talk on disability,” said city councillor Heather Deal of Vancouver, a metropolis which has long promoted “universal accessibility.” “Knowing that the Paralympics might come sharpened our focus,” Deal told AFP. Vancouver has been at least partly successful. Before the Paralympics opened Friday, Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, praised the ease with which someone in a wheelchair can travel on city streets and use public transit. “It’s easy to get around,” Craven, a British former wheelchair basketball athlete who travels the world, told AFP. “When accessibility is good, I never even recognize it.” Hosting the Paralympics “does make governments maybe more aware of access issues,” said social work professor Tim Stainton of the University of British Columbia, who specializes in dis-
ability issues. “It does sensitize people to abilities of people with disabilities and what they can do,” said Stainton. But he warned, “it creates a false image of disability, and the idea that everybody can rise above and over come and become an athlete. Not everyone is capable of being an elite athlete or interested. “In some ways it’s easy for governments to support sports and visible access,” said Stainton, then fail to provide “actual day to day support for people, addressing issues like poverty and employment, particularly for people with more severe disabilities.” Vancouver has “done a pretty reasonable job” on access, Stainton said, partly “because it’s a young city. Newer buildings tend to be more accessible and in that sense we have an automatic leg up.” In the nearby ski resort of Whistler, the alpine venue host, mayor Ken Melamed announced construction of a fully-accessible children’s playground and said Whistler’s goal “is to become a future centre for training for athletes with disabilities.” Both Vancouver and Whistler have buses that can accommodate wheelchairs, sidewalks with ramps for wheelchairs,
designated disability parking, and building codes that require wide doors for wheelchairs, electrical plug-ins and light switches within reach of all and levers instead of round door handles. But Thomas Wilhelm, who manages the Swedish wheelchair curling team and works in Europe as an expert on accessibility, said North American and European standards differ. “What we see as accessible in Europe is not accessible here,” Wilhelm told AFP. For example, he said in the Athletes Village in Vancouver some toilets are placed in corners where they’re difficult for people in wheelchairs to use. Wilhelm said when he and his wife Anette, who curls on Sweden’s wheelchair team, used Vancouver’s public transit and signs for elevators were hard to find. Stainton said the percentage of people with disabilities ranges globally from about 13 to 30 percent, though statistics are not precise and there is disagreement on how to define disability. He said the popular “social model” defines disability as how far a person’s ability is limited by problems with mobility, agility, mental impairment and pain. —AFP
Mustafa Karam shooting tourney concludes KUWAIT: The Mustafa Karam shooting tournament concluded earlier this week, after three days of fierce competition among shooters in the skeet, trap, double trap, 10m air pistol and rifle and 50m prone rifle. The closing ceremony was attended by President of the Asian and Kuwait Shooting Federations Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, president of the Arab shooting federation and deputy chairman of KSSF Eng Duaij Al-Otaibi and director general of Mustafa Karam Company Mohammad Mustafa Karam. Results of the tournament are as follows: In the skeet event Zaid Al-Mutairi was first followed by Nasser Al-Daihani and Salah Al-Mutairi. In the trap event Tami Al-Rashidi emerged victorious followed by Khalid Al-Shuhoumi and Irshaid Al-Rashidi. In the double trap Mishifi Al-Mutairi took top spot followed by Hamad Al-Afasi and Saad Al-Mutairi. In the air pistol Zaid Al-Dhafiri was first followed by Dawood Al-Shimmari followed by Mideth Al-Sahli. In the air rifle Khalid Al-Sabie came in first followed by Mohammad Abdelrahman and Abdallah Al-Harby. In the 50m pistol Zaid Al-Dhafiri followed by Dawood AlShimmari and Khalid Al-Subaie. In the 50m free rifle: Mishal AlTahoos was first followed by Abdallah AlHarby and Hamad Al-Hajiri. In the women’s trap event Shahad AlHawal was first followed by Rasha AlFares and Jinan Al-Fares. In the women’s skeet: Sheikha AlRashidi was first followed by Iman AlShammaa and Afrah Adel. In the women’s air pistol: Huthama Al-Baghli was first followed by Ghizlan Hussein and Awatif Al-Qallaf. In the women air rifle: Maryam Irzouqi was first followed by Neeran Irzouqi and Taiba Izrouqi. In the women’s 25m pistol Awatif Al-Qallaf was first followed by Huthama Al-Baghli.
KUWAIT: Mishfi Al-Mutairi receiving his trophy from Mohammad Mustafa Karam.
KUWAIT: Sheikha receiving her trophy.
SPORTS
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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Here’s hoping Formula One gets even more boring PARIS: With luck, the deadly dull Bahrain Grand Prix was not an unfortunate one-off but the first in a parade of mind-blowingly boring races that will ruin the Formula One season. Because a complete lack of racing spectacle could be just what is needed to finally force the remarkably conservative sport to swallow its medicine and accept radical changes that would a) enable cars to actually overtake each other and b) give fans what they want, which is races consistently worth watching and not the bus-like procession of vehicles seen in Bahrain. Of course, not all races this season will be quite that bad. Occasionally, there will be rain, which makes things more interesting. But, one hopes, not too interesting. “It’s like climate change, it’s got to be bad before it can get better,” says Peter Wright, a veteran F1 engineer and consultant to motorsport’s governing body, the FIA. “It’s got to get bad enough for people to
actually have the real will to do things that they wouldn’t normally do.” Fundamentally, F1 lacks the essential ingredient for an absorbing spectator sport: unpredictability. The sad truth is that many people within the F1 industry have long known that the cars, as they are now designed, are not really very good at overtaking each other. But they’ve been reluctant to do much about it, mainly because the teams spend so much money on their cars that they don’t want to shake things up too much. F1 has long talked about the need to make overtaking easier, it has even had groups studying the problem, but it has not made this its absolute priority. The boredom of Bahrain was no fluke. It was another sign that the F1 emperor has no clothes, that having the fastest, most expensive cars does not make the formula the pinnacle of motorsport, as it claims. “The root cause is that the cars are not good racing cars, the formula is badly
designed,” says Tony Purnell, who led the former Jaguar team and helped devise last year’s failed FIA attempt to cap F1 budgets. “The will to please the public really isn’t there.” “The sad thing is that there are solutions but no one is really brave enough or forceful enough or probably convinced enough that they will do anything about it,” he says. “When they look at the politics of change they all just groan and say ‘Well, I don’t want to fight that battle.”’ Quick fixes being suggested following last weekend’s season-opening debacle — such as shaking up the order of the cars by making them pit twice during a race — aren’t the longer term cures that are needed. Asking Bridgestone to make things more interesting by supplying tires that either don’t work so well or quickly fall apart isn’t the solution, either. Drivers who lose out because they are poor at managing their tires will only complain, making the Japanese manufacturer’s
products look bad. It would also only be an artificial way of hiding F1’s fundamental problem of racing cars that, as blindingly fast as they are, still struggle to overtake. One of the big reasons for that is aerodynamics. F1 cars are designed so that air passing over and through them forces them downwards. That downforce glues the cars to the track and, in turn, helps make them fast, not least because it allows them to race super-quick through corners without spinning off. But F1 cars work less well when their airflow is disrupted — as it is when they find themselves in the windy wake of another car. In that situation, only if the car behind is far quicker than the one in front — nearly 2 seconds per lap faster, says Wright — can it overtake. And F1 teams employ armies of engineers and spend millions to make sure that their rivals don’t have such a performance advantage. The result too often is a very expensive
stalemate. Eradicating downforce and making F1 cars slower is a nonstarter. Fans and teams would likely rather quit. But there is a range of other possible solutions, some more complex than others. Circuits could be altered to make overtaking easier, possibly by changing corners and even inclining them so that two cars could race through them at the same time. Wright says the FIA has a group looking at this and quizzing drivers about what makes some tracks more conducive to passing maneuvers than others. Another possible remedy that Purnell says was discussed at a meeting on overtaking hosted by the FIA last November would involve installing electronics that would alter cars’ aerodynamics when they are tucked behind another car and enable them to overtake more easily. Alternatively, cars could get a power boost, like the KERS system some teams used last season, that drivers could deploy
once or twice a lap to get them past cars in front. One idea championed by F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone would introduce short cuts at circuits that drivers could take a few times to get past cars in front. Initially, it seemed ludicrous but much less so after Bahrain. Whatever solutions F1 adopts have to involve more than mere rule-tinkering. The outcome of races must become far less predictable. Overtaking must be made easier, although not too easy. F1 is not and should not be NASCAR, with cars racing around with their noses stuck in each other’s exhaust pipes. It is a delicate balance, but surely achievable for a sport with F1’s financial means. With seven-time champion Michael Schumacher returning this season to race against the likes of Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, F1 promised thrills. It talked the talk. Now, it must walk the walk or stand accused of fraud. — AP
Baghdatis stuns Federer after Murray moves on
INDIAN WELLS: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark returns a backhand to Nadia Petrova of Russia during the BNP Paribas Open. — AFP
Caroline toils at Indian Wells INDIAN WELLS: Second seed Caroline Wozniacki recovered from a second-set hiccup to move into the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells WTA tournament with a 6-3 36 6-0 victory over Russian Nadia Petrova on Tuesday. The 19-year-old Dane, the youngest player left in the draw, broke her opponent three times in the final set to wrap up victory in one hour 47 minutes. “It was a match where it just went up and down quite a bit,” Wozniacki told reporters after setting up a quarter-final with China’s Zheng Jie. “You didn’t really know what to expect. It was not really a great rhythm there and I didn’t feel the ball as well. “But I’m just happy that I fought through and I won the match. That’s the most important thing. I just think that I will be more ready for the next match.”
Zheng, a surprise semi-finalist at the Australian Open in January before losing to former world number one Justine Henin, reached the last eight by beating Australia’s Alicia Molik 6-3 4-6 7-6. Fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva and Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, the fifth seed, each advanced in relatively comfortable fashion at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Dementieva cruised through with a 6-3 6-3 win against Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai and will next meet Radwanska, who crushed 11th seed Marion Bartoli of France 6-3 6-2. “Today was pretty comfortable for me because she was playing like I expected her to play,” Dementieva said after clinching victory over Rezai in just over an hour. “She was very aggressive, hitting some flat balls, and it was easy to get to the
rhythm. “We have played lots of times before and I knew what to expect from her, so it was not a big problem today.” Asked to assess her quarter-final match against Radwanska, Dementieva replied: “I feel like it’s on my game, you know. I need really to create something. I need to go for the winner. “It’s not like I’m going on the court and I’m patient, because there’s nothing to be waiting for. She doesn’t make any mistakes. She moves well. She has a very smart game. “It’s going to be up to me, if I will be able to step forward, take advantage of the short ball and be aggressive the whole match.” In other matches, sixth-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic eased past Israel’s Shahar Peer 6-2 6-2 and eighth-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur eliminated holder Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-2 7-5. — Reuters
CHELTENHAM: Jockey Barry Geraghty riding Big Zeb (left) leads race favorite, Master Minded, ridden by Paddy Brennan (right) during the first lap of the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase. — AFP
Big Zeb lands Champion Chase CHELTENHAM: The Irish celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day in style here yesterday when Big Zeb landed the feature race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival. All the build-up to the Queen Mother Champion Chase had centred on Master Minded’s hattrick bid but Paul Nicholls’ chaser looked a shadow of the performer that won the two-mile chasing crown in 2008 and 2009. Turning for home the oddson favourite, with Ruby Walsh riding, was struggling to keep tabs with Barry Geraghty on Big Zeb, and it was this pair that powered up the hill to beat
Forpadydeplasterer for a memorable Irish one-two. Kalahari King stayed on in third with Master Minded fading to finish fourth. The 10-1 winner is trained in county Wexford by Colm Murphy. Geraghty, who picked the right mount as he had also been offered the ride on the runnerup, said: “Big Zeb had a good look around after the last and I thought he was going to pull up, but he found plenty when he needed to. “I saw Master Minded coming but I had a lot left when I kicked for home.” Walsh blamed the underfoot conditions for
Master Minded’s defeat. “He wouldn’t go on the ground as it was too quick for him,” he said. It was a good day all round for the Emerald Isle as earlier Weapon’s Armoury landed another Grade One race, the RSA Chase, for county Kildare handler Charles Byrnes in the colours of Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of Ireland’s lowcost airline Ryanair. And the opening National Hunt Challenge Cup was won by Poker De Sivola, trained in England by Irishman Ferdy Murphy and ridden by Katie Walsh, the sister of top Irish jockey Ruby Walsh and daughter
of Grand National winning-trainer Ted Walsh. “I’m lost for words,” said a tearful Walsh after her first Festival winner. “I don’t want to sound soft or anything, but this is the best day of my life.” Ireland’s Rites Of Passage was a warm order to add to the Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations in the Grade One Novices’ Hurdle but Dermot Weld’s favourite had to settle for third behind Peddlers Cross. The winner hails from the stable of Ginger McCain, of triple Grand National winner Red Rum fame, and now in the hands of his son, Donald. — AFP
INDIAN WELLS: Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis celebrated the greatest victory of his career after upsetting world number one Roger Federer 5-7 7-5 7-6 in the third round of the Indian Wells ATP tournament on Tuesday. The 24-year-old from Limassol, who had lost to the Swiss master in all six of their previous meetings, saved three match points before clinching the decisive tiebreak 7-4. Baghdatis, beaten by Federer in four sets at the 2006 Australian Open final, kissed the ground in celebration after his opponent failed to return a powerful first serve. The Cypriot’s shock win against a 16-times grand slam champion earned him a place in the fourth round against Spaniard Tommy Robredo, who beat Israel’s Dudi Sela 6-3 6-0 earlier in the day. “A lot of emotions are going through right now,” the 27thranked Baghdatis told reporters. “It’s the best win of my career. “I lost a lot of matches against those top guys, and it’s a relief to win a match like that. It’s a great moment for me.” Federer, beaten for only the second time in 13 matches this year and playing his first tournament since winning the Australian Open in January, reflected on the fine line between victory and defeat. “I just couldn’t find the way to win,” the 28-year-old said after losing the third-set tiebreak 7-4. “I was maybe one shot away. That’s how much it takes sometimes from winning or losing. “That’s why you can’t say I played a bad match, and if I win I’m going to tell you it’s a good match. It was a decent match, but maybe wrong choices at the wrong time for me.” American Andy Roddick booked his place in the fourth round with a clinical 6-3 6-4 win against Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker, where he was joined by fourth seed Andy Murray, who suffered a late wobble before beating American Michael Russell 6-3 7-5. Murray, beaten in last year’s final by Spain’s Rafa Nadal, appeared to be cruising to a routine victory when he led by a set and 5-2 but Russell offered dogged resistance to extend the Scot who was not at his best. Russell played an inspired game to break Murray’s serve and claw back to 5-5 but the 31year-old American faltered at 56 and netted a backhand at matchpoint down. “He hits it solid from the back of the court and stays close to the baseline,” Briton Murray said on court after his first meeting with Russell. “He’s very quick, has a great attitude and made it difficult for me. “I started well and was up in the second but he started to make me move whereas earlier I was dictating. The thing that was good about that match is a lot of long, tough games. Big-serving Roddick broke his opponent once in each set and will next meet Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who gained a walkover when German Simon Greul withdrew due to illness. In other matches, sixthseeded Swede Robin Soderling eased past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 7-6 6-4 while ninth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came from a set down to beat Albert Montanes of Spain 4-6 6-3 6-3. — Reuters
INDIAN WELLS: Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus returns a shot to Roger Federer of Switzerland during the BNP Paribas Open. — AFP
KEA Friendship Cup gets underway KUWAIT: The Gulf Bank sponsored KEA Friendship Cup Football tournament began on March 5, 2010, at the Salmiya Sports Club, with the players from 8 alumni teams battling it out to be crowned Inaugural Champions in the monthlong tournament. The opening ceremony began, admist a minor dust storm, with the alumni teams lining up with their mascots, KEA children in the different alumni colours. Following a welcome speech by the General Convenor - KEF, Varkey Monsey Kuruvilla, the officials of the tournament, Yusuf Witi from Zambia and Mustafa Cisse from Gambia were introduced to the players as well as the spectators.
The KEA President, Finney George, declared the tournament Open with the Official kick-off of the tournament. Formalities concluded, the focus then shifted to the playing field which saw 4 well-contested matches. In the 1st match, Captain Sreekumar (Player of the Match) and Sunil scored in a comfortable 2-0 win for TKMCE against MACE, for whom Captain George missed a 2nd half penalty. The 2nd match saw NSSCE, led by a brace each from Thasneem and Naseem, come from behind twice to defeat OECK 4-2. Kim and Basil scored a goal each for OECK in a losing cause. Basil (OECK), though was later declared Player of
the Match. In the 3rd match, CETAA also had to come from behind on the back of a brace by Captain James Daniel to hold off a stubborn NIT. CETAA won 2-1, with Pramod scoring the lone NIT goal. James was declared Player of the Match. The final match of the day saw hosts KEA and TEC play out a tense goal-less draw where neither team managed to assert any level of supremacy over the other. Dinto of TEC was declared the Player of the Match. Spectators were also given a chance to win prizes for guessing correctly the Player of the Match for each match. Winners of this contest went home with a shopping voucher from Gulf Mart.
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Inter Milan triumph halts Serie A doom-mongers MILAN: Inter Milan’s dominant Champions League last-16 win over Chelsea showed the death of Italian soccer was greatly exaggerated even if huge problems remain. Serie A still risks losing its fourth Champions League qualifying place to Germany from 2011 depending on results in the rest of the season but some of the gloom which descended has quickly been lifted by the success of Jose Mourinho’s team. The Italian champions and league leaders, who held a 2-1 first leg advantage, battled bravely to win 10 at Mourinho’s former club on Tuesday and seal a famous 3-1 aggregate victory. “It’s a great moment for the team, a great moment for Inter, for all the players who year after year had problems overcoming this barrier of the last 16, and now they have done it,” Mourinho, the jewel in Serie A’s crown, told reporters. “This qualification for the quarter-finals was
earned not with luck, but with merit, thanks to a team which was perfect.” Serie A had been trashed by many pundits after seven-times champions AC Milan were hammered 40 at Manchester United last week, a woeful performance which the great Rossoneri side of the 1990s would never have produced. Fiorentina’s unlucky last-16 exit at the hands of Bayern Munich and twice champions Juventus being dumped out in the group stage had raised the prospect of no Italian team reaching the quarter-finals for the second straight year. However, Italy coach Marcello Lippi reckons the criticism of the Italian game has gone too far, saying commentators quickly forget Italy are world champions. “Serie A is not the most beautiful league but there are more pressures than in other championships. The coaches are very good and you can lose against the
bottom team,” he told reporters. Samuel Eto’o’s 78th-minute winner will have shocked English fans who now find only two Premier League teams in the last eight rather than the customary four. But one good result cannot hide Serie A’s deficiencies. Lower financial revenues in Serie A compared to England and Spain mean clubs miss out on extra income through not owning their own stadiums and having less lucrative television deals. The once mighty Juve, damaged by a 2006 matchfixing scandal which is still having implications across Italy, are trying to change the status quo by becoming the first Italian side to build their own stadium and not rent a ground from the council. But occasional outbreaks of hooliganism have affected Serie A attendances and even if a cultural change in stadium ownership eventually brings more
revenue, tax laws make it easier for the likes of Real Madrid to attract better players than Serie A. Milan’s top player Kaka left for Real before the start of the season and Inter’s talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic quit for Barcelona, saying he had nothing left to achieve in Italy despite never coming close to European success there. Inter swapped Ibrahimovic for Eto’o but like a raft of other recent Serie A signings, the Cameroonian is past his peak rather than on top of his game despite his goal. Good young players are being blocked from Italian first teams by a myriad of Argentines and Brazilians not talented enough for their national sides. Lippi thinks there are too many foreigners at the big teams. “What is there of Italian football in Inter or Milan? It isn’t Italian football, Italian football is something else,” he said, highlighting teams such as
Palermo and Genoa. Italian coaches are also fleeing their homeland with Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Mancini choosing England’s Chelsea and Manchester City to pursue their careers. An Inter defeat in the last eight and continued progress for Germany’s Bayern, coupled with Europa League results, could still spell trouble for Serie A under UEFA rules. “It’s very tough because it may mean the loss of the fourth Champions League qualifying spot from 2011,” Giorgio Brambrilla, from sports marketing group SPORT+MARKT, told Reuters. “It would have global implications, especially for the club which will finish fourth in the future and will miss out. The strength of Italian football would have to be re-dimensioned.” For now, though, Serie A can rejoice. — Reuters
Velez snatch late draw
SANTIAGO: Chile’s Colo Colo’s Esteban Paredes (behind) battles with Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield’s Nicolas Otamedi during a Copa Libertadores soccer match. — AP
BUENOS AIRES: Velez Sarsfield snatched a 1-1 draw in injury time at Chilean champions Colo Colo on Tuesday despite playing the last half hour of their Libertadores Cup match with 10 men. Argentine champions Banfield slumped to a 2-0 home defeat against Uruguay’s Nacional, their first loss of the competition, while Mexico’s record scorer Jared Borgetti scored twice in Morelia’s 2-1 win over Deportivo Cuenca. Esteban Paredes took advantage of a catalogue of errors in the Velez defence to put Colo Colo ahead in the 57th minute at Santiago’s Monumental stadium. Velez, who became the first foreign team to play in Chile since a massive earthquake struck on Feb. 27, slipped deeper into trouble when Victor Zapata was sent off for a second bookable offence three minutes later. However, Velez salvaged a point when Uruguayan forward Santiago Silva-who had a goal disallowed in the first half — scored from the edge of the area in the third minute of injury time, keeping his side at the top of Group Seven with seven points from three games. “We played well but we were out of luck,” said Paredes. “We had the points in our pockets.” Borgetti, 36, who has scored a record 46 goals for Mexico, was given a rare start by Morelia and responded with two first-half goals that gave his side their first win in Group Six. The ‘Desert Fox’ headed Morelia in front from Elias Hernandez’s cross in the 19th minute and fired the second from another Hernandez pass eight minutes later. Jorge Ladines pulled one back for the Ecuadoreans-bottom of the group-in the second half. Three-times winners Nacional overtook Banfield at the top of the same group with their win in Buenos Aires. Sebastian Coates and Gonzalo Godoy scored twice in a 10-minute spell before halftime to leave the Uruguayans with eight points, one ahead of their opponents. Morelia have four and Cuenca three. Alianza Lima lost their 100 percent record in Group Three when they went down 4-2 at fellow Peruvians Juan Aurich. Alianza still lead with nine points from four games, while Juan Aurich moved upto second with six, overtaking defending champions Estudiantes. — Reuters
SEVILLA: Sevilla’s coach Manolo Jimenez speaks during a news conference in this file photo. — AFP
Time running out for Sevilla coach Jimenez MADRID: Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez’s position has been undermined by their disappointing exit from to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League at the first knockout round stage. The Russian team were surprise winners at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Tuesday but well worth their 2-1 victory on the night, which put them in the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate. Sevilla left the pitch to whistles and chants for Jimenez to go from some sections of the home crowd, who have been unhappy for some time at what they believe are his conservative tactics. “Of course it hurts. Now, it will be said it was the whole stadium, though it clearly wasn’t,” Jimenez told an increasingly tetchy news conference after the match. “I’m the only person responsible for what has happened. CSKA are a very good team even though they don’t have the name of other sides, and have waited for their chances and made the most of them.” Sevilla had high hopes of challenging for the
La Liga title and of making the last eight of the Champions League this season with a squad that boasts one of the strongest attacking line ups in Spain. A club record swoop for Alvaro Negredo, for a reported fee of 15 million euros from Real Madrid last year, added the young Spain striker to the proven talents of Luis Fabiano and Frederic Kanoute up front. In midfield, they have the pace of players such as Jesus Navas, Diego Perotti, and Diego Capel. But on Tuesday the side were cautious in their approach and Jimenez started with only one natural striker, Luis Fabiano. Sevilla lie fourth in La Liga, 21 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid, and are in the King’s Cup final, but club president Jose Maria del Nido fell short of giving Jimenez a ringing endorsement. “All I can say is that Jimenez will be coach until the end of the season,” he told Spanish state television. “We can’t win the league so we have to concentrate on claiming third or fourth place and on winning the Cup.” — Reuters
Premier League docks Portsmouth nine points LONDON: Portsmouth face almost certain relegation from the English Premier League after being docked nine points yesterday for going into administration last month.
The debt-laden south-coast club are the first Premier League team to suffer a points penalty for entering administration. They now have just 10 points and are 17 points adrift of the safety zone
with just nine games remaining. “Following the High Court’s decision that Portsmouth FC’s administration is valid the Premier League Board convened today to apply the League’s rules and poli-
English Premier League standings English Premier League standings yesterday after Portsmouth were deducted nine points for entering administration. P W D L F A Pts 1 Manchester United 30 21 3 6 70 24 66 2 Chelsea 29 20 4 5 69 27 64 3 Arsenal 30 20 4 6 71 33 64 4 Tottenham Hotspur 29 15 7 7 53 28 52 5 Liverpool 30 15 6 9 49 30 51 6 Manchester City 28 13 11 4 53 36 50 7 Aston Villa 28 13 10 5 39 22 49 8 Birmingham City 29 12 8 9 30 31 44 9 Everton 29 11 9 9 46 42 42 10 Fulham 29 10 8 11 32 32 38 11 Stoke City 29 8 12 9 28 33 36 12 Blackburn Rovers 29 9 7 13 31 48 34 13 Bolton Wanderers 30 8 8 14 36 54 32 14 Sunderland 29 7 10 12 37 45 31 15 Wigan Athletic 30 7 7 16 28 59 28 16 West Ham United 29 6 9 14 37 49 27 17 Wolverhampton Wanderers 29 7 6 16 23 47 27 18 Burnley 30 6 6 18 31 63 24 19 Hull City 29 5 9 15 27 61 24 20 Portsmouth* 29 5 4 20 25 51 10 * Portsmouth were deducted nine points for entering administration. 1-3: Champions League / EC I 4: Champions League preliminary round 5: Europa League 6-7: Europa League depending on domestic cup 18-20: Relegation
cies in relation to a member club suffering an event of insolvency,” a League statement said. “As a result Portsmouth FC has been deducted nine points with immediate effect.” The nine-point deduction had been delayed while Portmsouth’s move into voluntary administration was formally validated-a situation resolved in the High Court on Tuesday when a winding up order against the club was suspended. “As part of this process the Board met with the Administrator to agree how we will work together for the remainder of the season to ensure that the club is able fulfil its commitments,” the Premier League said. Administrator Andrew Andronikou, who is trying to rescue the troubled club, met with the League Board on Wednesday. Last week Portsmouth, which has debts of about 78 million pounds ($119.8 million) and has failed to pay players’ wages several times this season, axed 85 jobs. Andronikou said on Tuesday he hoped Portsmouth could come out of administration in “six to eight weeks”. Failure to do so by the end of the season could trigger a 10-point deduction in the Championship (second division) next season. Portsmouth, beaten 4-1 at Liverpool in the league on Monday, have reached the FA Cup semi-finals where they will play Tottenham Hotspur or Fulham at Wembley Stadium in April.— Reuters
LONDON: A file photo taken on April 11, 2009 shows Newcastle United’s coach Iain Dowie shouting instructions to players. — AFP
Dowie named Hull manager LONDON: Iain Dowie has been handed the task of saving Hull City from relegation after the Premier League club confirmed yesterday he was their new manager. “We are delighted to confirm that Iain Dowie is the club’s new manager, initially on a short-term contract,” Hull said on their website (www.hullcityafc.net). Dowie, who has managed in the Premier League with Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic, has nine games to try and reverse Hull’s dive towards a return to the Championship (second division) which cost Phil Brown his job on Monday. Hull, who have not won away in the league all season, are in 19th place with
24 points, three away from the safety zone and have a game against bottom club Portsmouth on Saturday. Relegation could have dire financial implications for Hull with auditors Deloitte stating that relegation to the Championship could leave them with a 21 million pounds ($32.25 million) funding shortfall. However, Dowie believes he can save them. “I’m not one to be frightened by a challenge,” Dowie said. “It’s a about getting everybody together and pulling in the same direction.” Dowie, a former Northern Ireland striker who played for Southampton and West Ham United, cut his managerial
teeth at Oldham before taking over at Crystal Palace in 2003 and leading them into the Premier League via the playoffs. Palace lasted only one season in the top flight although Dowie enhanced his reputation as an astute coach. He joined Charlton in 2006 but lasted just 15 games there and left after a poor start to the Premier League season. Since then Dowie has had spells at Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers in the Championship as well as a brief spell as assistant to temporary Newcastle United manager Alan Shearer at the end of last season. Dowie will be assisted by former England goalkeeper Tim Flowers and Steve Wigley at Hull. — Reuters
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
S Africa protests to intensify ahead of World Cup JOHANNESBURG: A flare-up of violent South African protests reminiscent of the apartheid era could escalate ahead of the soccer World Cup as the country’s angry poor press their demands for better housing and jobs. For the past two months, protests in poor black townships and shantytowns have become an almost daily occurence with police using water canons and rubber bullets to disperse protesters armed with rocks and stones. And these protests could spread and intensify before the world’s premier sporting event held in Africa for the first time from June 11-July 11, political analysts believe. A threat by South Africa’s two-millionstrong COSATU trade union federation to strike nationwide over power price
increases during the sports event could add pressure on President Jacob Zuma’s government. Poor and unemployed black South Africans, many still living in shacks almost 16 years after the ruling ANC came to power, are angry at what they say is the government’s failure to provide, decent housing, clean water, electricity and jobs. “The government can afford to spend billions of rands on (World Cup) stadiums but has no money to improve our lives,” said Morongoa Molokmone, who lives in the grim Orange Farm squatter settlement south of Johannesburg. Molkomone, who is unemployed and lives in a tin shack without water and electricity, said the poor have waited for years for a better life. In the rainy season, his shack leaks and sewage from overflowing
toilet pits spills into the muddy streets. “Why should we have third rate development when we have been waiting for decades?”. The government hopes that the World Cup will inject billions of rands into the economy after vast amounts have been spent on upgrading infrastructure and building new stadiums. Banc of America/Merrill Lynch analysts estimate that the World Cup could lead to around $1.1 billion flowing into the economy. Zuma, who promised to improve the lives of the poor while campaigning for election last April, is facing an uphill battle to deliver on those promises soon after South Africa emerged from its first recession in 17 years. “People realise that now is the time to take advantage of this groundswell of
anger. With the World Cup around the corner the government cannot afford not to listen,” said Prince Mashele, executive director of the Centre for Politics and Research. Protests have mainly erupted around Johannesburg and Gauteng province-South Africa’s economic centre-but analysts say the disturbances could spill over into other provinces. “It’s only a matter of time before people realise they are complaining about the same issues and that they would be more powerful if they unite,” said Frans Cronje, deputy Chief Executive Officer of the South African Institute for Race Relations. Although any protests during the World Cup could embarrass the government, they are unlikely to disrupt the event. “The riot police will be quick to turn
their guns on demonstrators to restore order,” Cronje said. But Zuma’s biggest worry does not come from the poor. The threat from COSATU’s Secretary General Zwelinzima Vavi that the scores of unions under the federation’s umbrella could strike is potentially more damaging. COSATU, which supported Zuma in his bid for the presidency, opposes a 25 percent price increase granted to the state power firm Eskom COSATU says the hike, and two other similar increase in the next two years, will have a crippling effect on the poor and lead to a further 250,000 job losses. “COSATU has the ability and the logistical capacity to bring the country to its knees,” the Centre for Politics and Research’s Mashele said. “Vavi is a calculating man and he knows
that he can use the World Cup to get what he wants. Challenging the government on this issue will also further his political aspirations.” Zuma indicated in a recent interview that he was prepared to compromise and analysts believe he may reach a behind the scenes deal with COSATU to ensure a strike-free World Cup. “The South African government is on pins and needles hosting the World Cup with the rest of the world watching. They would do everything they could to prevent (a strike) from happening,” said Mark Schroeder, southern Africa analyst at global intelligence company Stratfor. “They would bring these guys into the backrooms and say your career and your future is over if you disrupt the World Cup.” — Reuters
Beckham buoyed by support PARIS: David Beckham is coming to terms, in positive fashion, with losing out on the chance to extend his international career at the World Cup this summer. And despite being ruled out for several months with an Achilles tendon injury, leading figures in Britain are rallying round the “major sporting icon” to make sure he feels an integral part of the campaign, and beyond.
Baby rumors begin
LONDON: AC Milan’s English midfielder David Beckham seen in this file photo. — AFP
Jordan becomes owner of the Charlotte Bobcats NEW YORK: Michael Jordan became the first former NBA player to be the majority owner of a team when he was unanimously approved to take over the Charlotte Bobcats by the league yesterday. “We are pleased that Michael Jordan’s purchase of majority ownership of the Bobcats was approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors and closed in such a smooth and expeditious fashion,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement. “We look forward to the continued growth of the Bobcats, on and off the court, under his leadership.” Jordan organised a group of investors to pull off the deal under MJ Basketball Holdings. Known as “Air Jordan” in his playing days, he led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and was five-times named the league’s Most Valuable Player. “Purchasing the Bobcats is the culmination of my post-playing career goal of becoming the majority owner of an NBA franchise,” Jordan said in a statement on the team’s website (nba.com/bobcats). “I am especially pleased to have the opportunity to build a winning team in my home state of North Carolina,” he added. “I plan to make this franchise an organization that Charlotte can be proud of, and I am committed to doing all that I can to achieve this goal.” Hall of Famer Jordan was already an investor and head of basketball operations for the Bobcats, which was previously owned by Bob Johnson who became the first AfricanAmerican to own an NBA club when he bought the team in 2003. “The best decision I made since acquiring the Bobcats was to convince my friend Michael to become an investor in the Bobcats and to appoint him as managing member of basketball operations,” Johnson said in a statement. “As the new majority owner of the Bobcats, his dedication will be stronger now more than ever. Today’s announcement is great news for the Bobcats, the city of Charlotte, the fans and the NBA.” Terms of the Jordan deal were not disclosed. The club, which last year posted a 35-47 record and this season stands sixth in the Eastern
Conference at 34-32, was purchased by Johnson for a reported $300 million. The Charlotte Observer newspaper said it took at least $250 million for Jordan’s group to buy the team, which has been losing money in recent years. Under NBA rules, it takes 15 percent of a purchase price to claim controlling interest, putting Jordan’s stake at an estimated minimum of $37.5 million. — Reuters
INDIANAPOLIS: NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan (top right) seen in this file photo. — AFP
Lauded in recent days by Britain’s poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and sent best wishes by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Beckham was reminded of his importance to the England set-up again yesterday. For England 2018 bid chiefs Beckham’s physical recovery is important, but not as crucial as his continued status as one of their main ambassadors as they bid to win the right to stage the event in eight years’ time. England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson said: “We have sent David a message wishing him well and hoping he recovers. We want him to recover to be playing again — that’s the only thing we are worried about. “He’s David Beckham - he’s going to be a major ambassador for us right through to the end of this. “We have our big moments in the campaign and obviously the final presentation (in December) is one thing where we would want our major ambassadors involved. “That’s a good example of where we would see David’s involvement. He’s just a major, major sporting icon.” After undergoing surgery in Finland on Monday which he called a “success”, Beckham departed for London Wednesday afternoon with his wife Victoria to begin what could be a long period of rehabilitation. Although contracted to Los Angeles Galaxy Beckham is in his second loan spell at AC Milan-a move designed, somewhat ironically, to boost his chances of a World Cup place. AC Milan believe Beckham, whose rehabilitation programme has been already mapped out, will make “a complete recovery” in six months. A statement from AC Milan yesterday said Beckham has been advised to be as careful as possible with his ankle for the first few weeks. “For the first two weeks the footballer must not put pressure on the injured limb, and then he will do so progressively and partially for six weeks before doing specific therapy in the swimming pool,” a club statement read. “The plan foresees a complete recovery in six months, after which he will be able to play again.” Already upbeat and getting used to walking with crutches, Beckham has been quick to thank everyone for the messages of support he has received after the injury suffered on Sunday evening. “I want to thank from my heart all the Rossoneri,” Beckham said on the club’s official website, www.acmilan.com. “The club, the doctors, my team-mates and the fans. “I have appreciated so much all the messages I have received after the injury, they are of great help and support.” As far as the World Cup goes, the jury is still out on whether Beckham’s absence will leave England lacking. In all three of his previous World Cup appearances Beckham failed to help deliver the Holy Grail of international football, which England last won in 1966. In the meantime, his enforced absence may allow him to concentrate on helping wife Victoria conceive, and give birth to, a baby girl-if some reports are to be believed. Britain’s Daily Star yesterday cited one “pal” of the couple claiming that Beckham is desperate to give the couple’s three sons Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, seven, and Cruz, five, a new sister. The pal said: “This injury is a nightmare for David, but he is not the kind of man to buckle under the strain. He knows some good must come out of it. “A baby girl would make their family complete. They are both so excited and have decided: ‘Let’s go for it!’”— AFP
LONDON: Chelsea’s captain John Terry participates in a training session at Stamford Bridge in this file photo. — AFP
Terry knocks down security man LONDON: Chelsea captain John Terry was questioned by police yesterday after knocking down a member of the club’s security staff in his car following the team’s Champions League loss to Inter Milan and failing go stop. Chelsea said that Terry’s car was surrounded by photographers and fans as he drove out of the Stamford Bridge car park and a member of the club’s security staff was knocked to the ground. The police said that the 35-year-old man broke his leg and that Terry did not stop. The club said Terry, who was driving slowly, knew there was contact with his car but was unaware anyone had been injured. It said he was driving out of the stadium at approximately 1-2 mph (1.63.2 kph) in a line of traffic exiting the ground. Chelsea said Terry, after hearing about the injury, spoke to the police and had also been in contact with the staff member to check on his welfare. Sky Sports News said Terry was also given a breath test. Metropolitan Police said that the security man had a broken leg and was taken by ambulance to a west London hospital where he was in a stable condition. They said Terry’s 4x4 car did not stop at the scene and inquiries into the incident were continuing. Terry has been in the headlines for several weeks and lost the England captaincy after reports that he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of national
team defender and former Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge. Terry, who is married, has said nothing about the alleged affair but
Bridge, who had a good chance of going to this year’s World Cup in South Africa, has refused to play for England. — AP
Garcia fears being odd man out of World Cup LONDON: Socceroos midfielder Richard Garcia has admitted he faces a tense few months to see whether he will be included in Australia coach Pim Verbeek’s plans for the World Cup in South Africa. A combination of form, fitness and the insecurity surrounding his club, Hull, means Garcia is the only one of Verbeek’s Premier League-based Socceroos who’s sweating on his place in the Dutchman’s 23-man final squad. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and midfield trio Tim Cahill, Brett Emerton and Vinnie Grella all seem certainties for the squad. But Garcia has endured an interrupted second season in the Premier League with Hull, who languish second-bottom in the table and this week sacked Phil Brown, the manager who brought the 28-year-old to the Tigers from Colchester United in 2007. “There will be a tense few months ahead to wait and see whether I’m in the squad or not,” Perth-born Garcia told AFP. “I think there are still a lot of spots up for grabs and I’m just trying to play as much here as I can and trying to concentrate on helping Hull get out of the predica-
ment we’re in. Hopefully that will be enough for me to get a place on the plane to South Africa.” With only nine Premier League games remaining starting with this weekend’s crucial trip to bottom side Portsmouth, Garcia’s window of opportunity to extinguish any lingering doubts over this World Cup participation is drawing to a close. He has started just 12 of Hull’s 29 league games this year after damaging knee ligaments during pre-season training and missing the opening three months of the new campaign, an absence that also put pay to his involvement in five Socceroos internationals including the Asian Cup double header against Oman. After featuring regularly between November and January, Garcia regained his first team spot against Everton at the start of the month, but illness prevented him keeping hold of it for the visit of Arsenal last Saturday. And Brown’s dismissal on Monday has now thrown his position at Hull and, consequently, his chances of catching Verbeek’s eye into uncertainty, especially after winning the last of his five international caps nine months ago. —AFP
Pakistan bars cricketers from foreign competitions KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) yesterday barred members of its national squad from participating in cricket matches abroad without prior permission. Several of Pakistan’s 18man World Twenty20 squad players were scheduled to play in private leagues in Bangladesh later this month but a PCB statement said “permission will be required to play abroad”. “PCB firmly conveys to all concerned that no player is allowed to play cricket outside Pakistan without having prior approval from the board in this regard,” it said in a statement. “Any player interested to play cricket in any part of the world should apply to the board to seek permission for the same,” it added. The announcement came a week after PCB banned and fined seven leading players on charges of indiscipline during the national team’s tour of Australia in December-February. Pakistan lost all three Tests, five oneday internationals and a Twenty20 match on the tour. Former captain Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf were banned indefinitely on charges that their infighting affected team performance last year and
during the tour of Australia. Fellow former captain Shoaib Malik and all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were banned for one year, while Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umer Akmal were fined. Kamran and Afridi were also put on a six-month probation. Afridi,
Umer, Mohammad Hafeez and Abdul Razzaq-all part of team for the World Twenty20 — were scheduled to play in a domestic Twenty20 competition in Bangladesh. The third edition of World Twenty20 will be held in the West Indies from April 30-May 16.— AFP
Smith may miss World Twenty20 DURBAN: South Africa cricket captain Graeme Smith could miss the World Twenty20 tournament in West Indies due to a finger injury. Smith, who was hurt on Monday during a domestic Indian league match, posted on microblogging site Twitter that he had a double fracture of his right middle finger. He was due back in South Africa later yesterday when the full extent of his injury will be made known but he is expected to be out for up to six weeks. South Africa media officer Michael Owen-Smith said they had not heard any news from India about
the severity of the skipper’s injury. “Our team doctor, Mohammed Moosajee, said that injuries similar to Graeme’s usually take three to six weeks to heal,” Owen-Smith added. “Graeme is bringing all the X-rays back with him and we will be able to make a full diagnosis once the X-rays have been seen.” The World Twenty20 in West Indies starts on April 30, South Africa’s first game is against India on May 2. Smith has only just recovered from a finger injury to his left hand, which he suffered in training before a test match against India in February. — Reuters
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Barca march into q-finals SPAIN: FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts after scoring against VfB Stuttgart during a Champions League soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium. — AP
SPAIN: FC Barcelona’s Pedro Gonzalez reacts after scoring against VfB Stuttgart during a Champions League soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium.—AP
MADRID: Two-goal Lionel Messi turned in another sparkling display as holders Barcelona marched into the quar ter-finals of the Champions League with a 4-0 victory over Stuttgart at Camp Nou yesterday. Messi, 22, followed up his hat-trick against Valencia on Sunday with a brace either side of the interval to make it eight goals in his last four games, and 29 in all competitons this season, as Barca cruised to a 5-1 aggregate victory. As well as scoring twice, Messi was also the provider for Pedro’s goal before substitute Bojan Krkic scored in the final minute shortly after coming on. Barcelona are Spain’s only representatives in Europe’s flagship competition following the elimination of Sevilla and Real Madrid. They are also favourites to win the Champions League although no holder has ever managed to retain the trophy since its inception in 1993. The additional incentive for Barca is that the Champions L eague final is played at the
Santiago Bernabeu — the home of arch-rivals Real Madrid — and there would be nothing sweeter than lifting a fourth European Cup in the Spanish capital. For Stuttgart it was an abrupt end to their European adventure and they now return to the domestic league where they languish in ninth place in the Bundesliga.
Champions League Spanish inter national midfielder Xavi Hernandez missed the game with a leg injury so Yaya Toure deputised in midfield with French forward Thierry Henry forcing record signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic onto the substitutes bench. Henry came up against old Arsenal teammates Alexander Hleb, on a season loan from Barcelona, and veteran goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, now 40, with all three players in the
Arsenal team that lost 2-1 against Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final. Messi was the man Stuttgart knew they had to beware, but they could only watch in awe on 13 minutes as the Argentine dribbled inside and thumped a shot past Lehmann to put Barca 2-1 up in the tie. Messi then produced a sublime pass to set up the second goal on 22 minutes finding Toure who squared the ball for Pedro to tap in his third Champions League goal of the campaign. After the break it was more of the same as Messi tormented the opposition, again setting up Toure for a great chance on 55 minutes only for the
Quarter-finalists Ivory Coast midfielder to shoot wide. Messi showed his team-mate how to do it four minutes later turning smartly before curling the ball into the bottom corner for his fif th goal in his last two matches and fourth in this season’s Champions League. Sergi Busquets hobbled off with a knock and Ibrahimovic came on in his place to give Stuttgart another headache at the back. Messi almost bagged another hat-trick meeting Dani Alves’ cross with his head but Lehmann produced a smart save. The Germans were helpless, however, as Bojan scored a fourth in the final minute shortly after coming on as a substitute. — AFP
PARIS: Teams qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals after the conclusion of the round of 16 yesterday. Manchester United ......................................... (England) Arsenal ............................................................ (England) Lyon.................................................................. (France) Bayern Munich ................................................(Germany) Inter Milan .......................................................(Italy) CSKA Moscow ................................................ (Russia) Barcelona ........................................................ (Spain) Bordeaux ........................................................ (France) Quarter-final draw takes place tomorrow. Quarter-final ties on March 30/31 and April 6/7.
Lille inspired by Real conquerors BERNE: Lille will draw inspiration from fellow French side Olympique Lyon’s European exploits when they attempt to end Liverpool’s last chance of silverware in the Europa League last-16 second-leg today. More accustomed to challenging for Premier and Champions League honours, five-times European winners Liverpool have this season been
We hope we can keep this advantage,” he told UEFA.com. Premier League underdogs Fulham, fighting relegation only two years ago, host twice European champions Juventus still hopeful they can pull off an upset. It would not be their first of the campaign having already eliminated titleholders Shakhtar Donetsk in the previous round. “Coming to places like Craven
Europa League Preview KUWAIT: Lebanon’s Al-Ahed FC player Hassam Maatuk (center) fights for the ball with Kuwait’s Kazima Club players Ahmad Al-Mashmum (right) and Abdullah Dashti during their 2011 AFC Cup football match yesterday. The Kuwaiti team won 1-0. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat
Ancelotti, Chelsea overwhelmed LONDON: Outfought and outthought on the pitch and in the dugout, Chelsea and their coach Carlo Ancelotti were like rabbits frozen into immobilty by Jose Mourinho’s halo at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. From the moment the teams were thrown together in the first knockout round Mourinho bestrode the tie and as Ancelotti did all he could to avoid being sucked in to the maelstrom as Chelsea conceded the emotional advantage. Inter added a scoreboard bonus with their 2-1 San Siro win but if Ancelotti thought his compatriots were going to do their usual and defend that lead he was sorely mistaken and the visitors
deserved their 1-0 win for a 3-1 aggregate success. Mourinho’s tactics of starting with three strikers, Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev, seemed to confuse Chelsea from the kickoff and gave Inter an initiative they never relinquished. “I wanted to sow some doubt in Chelsea and I saw some doubt,” Mourinho told reporters. “Chelsea felt from the start it was Inter’s game.” As Mourinho danced and gestured animatedly in his technical area, Ancelotti was still and silent. Even when assistant coach Ray Wilkins went ballistic over an early high tackle-having to be held back from the Inter bench by the fourth official-Ancelotti
looked on almost as a detached observer. His only real attempt to change the course of the game was the introduction of Joe Cole after an hour but even then the England midfielder tucked into a congested centre and failed to deliver the width his team and the fans were crying out for. “I was not surprised by their formation-that’s how they played in the last 30 minutes at the San Siro,” said Ancelotti. “But I was surprised by the hard work put in by Eto’o and Pandev. “It’s fair to say we were never fully in control, they put us under a lot of pressure, they controlled the pace of the game.”—Reuters
forced to set their sights on the less glamorous Europa League after an unhappy campaign. Juventus, also forced to aim lower after a troubled last few months, defend a 3-1 lead at Fulham while Anderlecht’s 16year-old Romelo Lukaku could be the biggest threat to German side Hamburg SV, who take a 31 lead to Belgium. Buoyed by Lyon, who successfully defended a 1-0 advantage at the Bernabeu to knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League last week, Lille take the same scoreline to Anfield hoping for a similar upset. “We’ve taken the lead but we know that we’ll have to give everything in an even tougher game,” said 19-year-old Eden Hazard, whose fortuitous free kick sealed a first-leg win. “Hopefully, we can produce the same sort of game Lyon delivered at Real. As for my goal, I’m not supposed to take the free kicks but I was asked to. I wanted to put it in the box. No one touched it. Good for us.
Cottage is intimidating for teams like Juve,” Fulham defender Chris Baird told the club website (www.fulhamfc.com). “We’re looking forward to the game. We know the threat they’re going to pose to us but it’s another great game to play in and hopefully we’ll get the right result for Fulham.” Anderlecht will look to impressive league topscorer Lukaku to help overturn Hamburg’s lead. Already a full international, he has caught the attention of a number of big clubs but intends to stay with the Belgian side until he is 20years-old. Three of the ties are drawn at 1-1 af ter the first legOlympique Marseille and Benfica, Werder Bremen and Valencia and German champions VfL Wolfsburg and Rubin Kazan-while Sporting host Atletico Madrid after a goalless first leg. Belgian side Standard Liege have a healthy 3-1 lead as they host Greek league leaders Panathinaikos. — Reuters
FRANCE: Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh (top left) heads the ball to score as Olympiakos’ Captain and goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis (right) looks on during their round of 16 Champions League soccer match. — AP
Bordeaux scrape past Olympiakos BORDEAUX: Bordeaux squeezed into the Champions League quarter-finals after a tense 2-1 victory over Olympiakos yesterday that saw three men sent off. Laurent Blanc’s men were 2-0 up on aggregate and apparently cruising after Yoann Gourcuff’s sublime early free-kick and the second-half dismissal of Olympiakos striker Matt Derbyshire. But substitute Konstantinos Mitroglou drew the visitors level with a fine opportunistic strike and Bordeaux then lost captain Alou Diarra after he received a second booking. It made for a jittery final 20 minutes at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, but Marouane Chamakh finally put the tie to bed with an emphatic headed finish in the 88th minute to seal a 3-1 aggregate win. The Greek side’s frustrations boiled over in the game’s aftermath, with centre-back Olof Mellberg sent off after the final whistle. Victory extended Bordeaux’s winning run in the competition to seven matches and took the French
champions into the last eight of Europe’s top club competition for the first time since 1988. Olympiakos’s hopes of turning the tie around took a heavy blow in the fifth minute when Gourcuff put his side in front in sensational fashion. Right-back Vasilis Torosidis was unfortunate to be penalised after Wendel went to ground in his vicinity but Gourcuff was merciless, ripping the ensuing free-kick into the top-right corner from wide on the left. He almost repeated the trick moments before half-time but, from 20 yards further out, his free-kick fell against the crossbar and bounced onto the righthand post before being cleared. Derbyshire thought he’d snatched an equaliser on the stroke of half-time but his adroit close-range volley was ruled out for a marginal offside. The former Blackburn Rovers forward was then sent off 15 minutes into the second half for jumping in on Jaroslav Plasil after an earlier booking for diving. —AFP
Burgan Bank ties up with HP ProCurve
Volkswagen Golf is ‘Safest Car of 2009’
Fed maintains low rates, upgrades view on US economy
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Chance to overhaul global economy receding: IMF Strauss-Kahn says nations losing chance to fix financial system
GAZA CITY: Women shop for gold in Gaza City’s gold market in Gaza City. The Israeli blockade on the impoverished Gaza Strip has not affected the gold trade, say sellers, who say they bring stock through tunnels from Egypt to satisfy the demand for gold gifts in hugely popular weddings. —AFP
Gazans find glimmer of luxury Thriving gold bazaars packed with young brides to be GAZA CITY: Gaza’s borders are closed and its economy in shambles, but the glittering alleys of the territory’s centuries-old gold bazaar are packed with young brides to be. The market has experienced an unlikely renaissance in recent years as Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers have championed weddings and Israeli closures have crippled the local economy, making gold an attractive investment. “Not only have we not been hurt by the Israeli blockade, but our business has actually gotten better,” gold merchant Iyad Basal says as people cram into his crowded family-run shop. “We have not stopped working since the blockade because the gold comes to us through smuggling and Hamas encourages marriage,” he adds. Israel and Egypt have largely sealed Gaza’s borders since Hamas seized power in June 2007, but some merchants have survived and even thrived
by importing products through smuggling tunnels beneath the Egyptian border. Others have jewelry brought in through the Erez pedestrian crossing with Israel, which is usually open to foreign journalists, aid workers and Palestinians with special permits. Hamas has encouraged marriage by holding mass weddings, running a matchmaker service for war widows and other poor girls and giving financial support to thousands of young men hoping to settle down. Hassan al-Juju, a judge in the Islamic family courts run by the group, says the rate of marriage in 2009 was higher than any year in the last decade. The effects can be seen in Gaza City’s Qaisariya Market-a 600-year-old covered bazaar largely destroyed by Allied shelling during World War Iwhich on most days is packed with young brides-to-be. “Gold has become
Saudi steel demand rising 8%: SABIC
expensive but there is no beauty in a bride without gold. Her joy just wouldn’t be the same,” says Amal, 25, as she tries on necklaces in gleeful anticipation of her approaching wedding day. In Gaza the groom traditionally gives money to the bride-to-be, usually a few thousand dollars, part of which is spent on gold jewelry. The Muslim tradition is in part aimed at providing women with financial security. As in other parts of the world struck by financial crises, ordinary Gazans have also turned to gold as a secure investment and an alternative to local banks which are frequently short on cash. “Those who have money buy gold because they can’t build and they can’t put money in the banks because of the liquidity crisis,” says one trader who asked not to be named. Another trader, Mohammed Yunis, says his sales have gone up by 20 per-
BRUSSELS: Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Dominique Strauss-Kahn gestures while addressing the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday. —AP funds is insufficient. Both are supposed to stick to guidelines set out by the Group of 20 rich and emerging economies at summits last year that aimed to make deep changes to the way countries supervise financial actors and manage the global economy. Strauss-Kahn called for a better balance of global demand, saying some countries’ massive build-up of reserves is straining the global monetary system. The comment was aimed at China, which the US and others have criticized for intervening keep its currency at a low level. This cuts the price of Chinese goods for Americans and Europeans, causing a huge trade flow of exports in one direction. “In some cases, exchange rates have to appreciate,” he
said. “The renminbi is very much undervalued and it is in the logic of this rebalancing that the renminbi will appreciate.” “I think this is going to move slowly but it’s going to move,” he said of the Chinese rate. He also said the US and some European countries should consume less and export more to reduce their deficits, while China, Germany and oil-producing countries would cut their surpluses by buying more and saving less. A longer-term solution to China’s huge reserves would be creating a “better insurance process” to remove the need for countries to build up financial buffers. The IMF has suggested the creation of a new global reserve currency to replace the US dollar. —AP
US Congress clears job-creation bill WASHINGTON: A package of tax breaks and highway spending cleared the US Congress yesterday, the first of what Democrats hope will be several efforts to bring down the 9.7 percent unemployment rate. The Senate passed the $17.6 billion measure by a vote of 68 to 29 and sent it to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it into law. With congressional elections looming in November, Democrats hope to show voters that they are committed to bringing down an unemployment rate that has remained stubbornly high even as the economy has begun to recover from the worst recession in 70 years.
None of their effor ts is likely to approach the scale of last year’s $863 billion stimulus package, which has created up to 2.1 million jobs but spurred a backlash among voters concerned about record budget deficits. The bill sent to Obama includes a $13 billion payroll tax break for businesses that hire unemployed workers, along with subsidies for state and local construction bonds. It also extends a highway-construction fund through the end of the year and gives a tax break to small businesses that buy new equipment. The bill’s costs, other than the highway fund, are offset by a crackdown on offshore tax shelters. —Reuters
Watchmakers go back to basics Years of extravagance are over: Industry players
KHOBAR: Demand for steel in top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is expected to rise this year by 8 percent with consumption nearing 6.4 million tons, Saudi Arabian Basic Industries (SABIC) said yesterday. Saudi Arabian authorities in 2008 imposed restrictions on exports of steel and scrap metal due to tight supply in the domestic market. AABIC, which controls the kingdom’s biggest steel producer Hadeed, said on its website that total production capacity at local plants run at full tilt is about 7.3 million tons. The firm is moving ahead with plans to raise annual capacity of long-steel products to 4 million tons by mid-2012, from 3.2 million tons currently, it added. —Reuters
US producer prices plummet on energy WASHINGTON: US producer prices fell more steeply than expected in February as energy costs tumbled, giving the Federal Reserve leeway to hold interest rates exceptionally low for an extended period as it has promised. The Labor Department yesterday said the index for prices paid at the farm and factory gate fell 0.6 percent, the largest decline since July, after increasing 1.4 percent in January. Even excluding volatile energy and food costs, core producer prices rose just 0.1 percent last month. “The bottom line is it looks like the price pressures are pretty moderate in terms of core producer prices right now. It doesn’t suggest there is any kind of generalized inflationary pressures building up in the production pipeline,” said Jonathan Basile, an economist at Credit Suisse in New York. —Reuters
cent in the last three years, in part reflecting the improved security since Hamas solidified its control over the territory. “Hamas has provided security since they took over, so we no longer fear the theft that used to be rampant,” he says. The merchants admit that prices have gone up, in part because of the heavy fees charged by smugglers, who can tack on up to 50 percent of the price of jewelry, but customers appear to be willing to bear the burden. “I would have preferred not buying gold now and saving money until the price goes down a little, but my family insisted that I buy it now before the wedding,” said Nisma, a 23-year-old bride. “My mother said, cheap or expensive, the bride has to wear gold, even if only a little... It’s better than going to your husband’s house with nothing.” —AFP
BRUSSELS: Nations risk losing a window of opportunity to fix the global financial system in the wake of the credit crisis if they do not push reforms through soon, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned yesterday. Stressing the need for cooperation, Dominique Strauss-Kahn also noted China’s currency, the renminbi, was undervalued but said he expected it would appreciate as China starts to rely more on domestic demand, helping to rebalance global surpluses and deficits. He told European lawmakers that he was worried that countries’ “receding” commitment to international efforts to overhaul the world economy and the financial system in the wake of a blistering financial crisis could trigger protectionism. “We have a system with holes and go-it-alone national regulation,” he told members of national parliaments from across the EU. “In the period we are in now, the risk will be ... in many countries, under political pressure that governments will begin to implement various solutions,” he said, warning that national rules could be harmful to other parts of the world. The United States recently criticized European moves to regulate hedge funds that they fear could block American funds from the EU. European Union officials also snipe that they must draft rules because US financial oversight of the world’s biggest banks and
BASEL: Watches are displayed at the Meccaniche Veloci’s exhibition stand at the Baselworld 2010 watch and jewelry show yesterday. —AFP
BASEL: Luxury watchmakers are going back to basics with classic designs, as industry players at the world’s biggest watch fair warned yesterday that the “years of extravagance” were over. While the industry is reporting a glimmer of recovery, watchmakers gathering in the Swiss city of Basel also noted it was a fragile recovery and that the mood among consumers was far from the heady pre-crisis years. “After several months of economic upturn, there are some positive signs,” said Jacques Duchene, head of the organizing committee for the Baselworld fair which officially kicks off today. “However, we should not be overly confident, because the global economic situation is still highly precarious,” he added. Industry players from key exporting countries of Switzerland, France, Germany and Italy all reported a slump in 2009. Swiss watch exports, often taken as a barometer for the global sector, plunged by over a fifth — 22.3 percent-in 2009. But in January, they posted a small growth of 2.7 percent.
But watchmakers warned that the impact of the crisis still resonates. Duchene observed that the economic crisis had made consumers more careful about what they were buying. It had sparked a “return to genuine values, as well as traditional and solid principles,” he said. “Today, consumers certainly take more responsible and considered decisions that established and even highly reputable companies must respond to. “Many of you have already mentioned this in writing or in conversation-the years of extravagance are over,” added the industry veteran. In the Swiss watchmaking industry, the biggest in the world, demand for watches in the low export price bracket of below 3,000 Swiss francs (2,551 dollars, 2,068 euros) rose by 19.8 percent in January. Francois Thiebaud, who heads the committee of Swiss exhibitors, also noted that there was a “return to real value” and “more classic” designs. Consumers were also looking at high end jewelry as an investment.
“It’s better to invest in ‘haute’ jewelry than in the stock market. It’s viewed as a more sure investment,” he said. His German counterpart Alfred Schneider also described forecasts for demand in 2010 as “more muted.” “There is a slight recovery in foreign demand... we hope that these first signs would be strengthened,” he said. Beyond the issue of more restrained consumers, the industry, and jewelers in particular, is also feeling the squeeze from higher raw material prices. Gaetano Cavalieri, representing Italian jewelers, pointed in particular to gold prices, which have soared in the crisis as investors sought to park their money in investments seen as safer. “Keeping costs down was particularly difficult when the price of gold was rising so sharply,” he said. “Many of the luxury product categories managed to reduce costs by cutting prices but this was difficult for us due to skyrocketing prices of gold,” he said. —AFP
BASEL: A man passes behind a giant picture at the Dior stand at the Baselworld 2010 watch and jewelry show yesterday in Basel. —AFP
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Tie-up to enhance bank’s IT infrastructure
Burgan Bank picks HP ProCurve for better business outcomes KUWAIT: Burgan Bank yesterday announced that it has partnered with HP ProCurve to further enhance its IT infrastructure and support its business expansion plans for 2010. Established in 1977, Burgan Bank, a subsidiary of KIPCO (Kuwait Projects Company), is the youngest and most
dynamic regional commercial bank in the State of Kuwait. The Bank has acquired a leading role in the retail, corporate and investment banking sector through innovative product offerings and technologically advanced delivery channels.
Officials of Burgan Bank and HP
Global awarded ‘MENA Firm of the Year’ by Private Equity Int’l KUWAIT: Global Investment House (Global) announced yesterday that it has been awarded “Middle East and North Africa Firm of the Year” in the PERE Awards 2009, organized by Private Equity International. Rajiv Nakani, Head of Alternative Asset Management at Global said, “Receiving this award is a great honor, because it highlights the confidence of PERE and PERENews.com readers, who represent leading institutional investors, in Global’s ability to overcome challenging market conditions and fulfil our obligations towards our clients.” Global was recognized by PERE and PERENews.com
readers to be one of the organizations that overcame the adverse effects of the property downturn and made cash distributions to investors in its real estate funds in 2009. The organizer stated that the “MENA Firm of the Year” Award was granted to Global in recognition for its commitment to clients, which became apparent in August 2009 when Global distributed 6.5% cash dividends to investors in its property fund, Global MENA Ijarah Real Estate, making it the third quarter of dividends in a row. The fund made positive gains although a number of projects in the region were delayed, cancelled or scaled down due to
Rajiv Nakani lack of bank credit and inadequate liquidity, and called 40 percent of its committed capital in 2008, which it had invested in
two projects in Dubai and Kuwait.It is worth mentioning that in 2009 Global paid over $50 million to investors in its various funds, despite the tough economic situation the region faced last year. PERE magazine and its news website PERENews.com are published by Private Equity International (PEI), the leading financial information group dedicated to the alternative asset classes of private equity, real estate and infrastructure globally. Nakani concluded, “This award reflects the industry leaders and investors’ recognition of our commitment to clients regardless of market conditions.”
Qatar banks gain from trading move: Analysts DUBAI: Banks in Qatar will be able to diversify their revenue base and bolster trading income as the government relaxes curbs on buying listed securities and allows banks back into brokerage operations, analysts said yesterday. On Tuesday, the Qatar Central Bank said banks will soon be allowed to buy shares of listed companies on the bourse. Qatar’s index rose 3.8 percent yesterday on the news as banks and other blue-chip stocks rallied. Analysts said banks will be allowed to invest a maximum of 150 million Qatari riyals ($41.23 million) in listed securities on the Qatar bourse. Banks had been banned from trading on Qatar’s markets
since the government bought their share portfolios last year in an emergency move to bolster capital. “It is a positive move and should increase market sentiment overall. Banks now have the discretion to trade and that should boost their fee income,” said Janany Vamadeva, banking analyst at HC Brokerage. Shares of Qatar National Bank (QNB), the largest lender in the region, rose 7.4 percent, while Commercial Bank of Qatar (CBQ) rose 2.2 percent on the Qatar bourse. “I think the largest banks in Qatar like QNB, CBQ will be the most to benefit. They are the largest banks in the country
and have a lot of reach in the region, so they should be able to benefit from the move,” said Dheeraj Lakhwani, investment analyst at Prime Emirates. The Qatar government moved to support its banks amid the financial crisis by buying 10 to 20 percent of their listed capital and also acquiring their investment portfolios to mitigate the impact of the crisis. Separately on Monday, the Qatar Financial Authority (QFA) said it intends to issue licenses to national banks to open brokerages. Banks in the region where previously prohibited from operating independent broking operations. — Reuters
As a fast growing financial institution, Burgan Bank wanted to enhance its network infrastructure to support a higher and increasing number of users. The bank wanted to reduce its downtime, network restrictions and server connection capabilities and provide employees and customers more enhanced facilities and access to services on a 24/7 basis. “Providing our customers with exceptional service standards is fundamental to our success. We understand that our customer needs are evolving and we continuously need to address this. As we have grown dramatically and continue to expand into the region, we had to re-assess the capabilities of our older systems and network. After conducting a thorough study and testing different solutions provided by the vendors, we chose to standardize on ProCurve Networking technology from HP”, said Ivan Jensen, Chief Information Technology Officer, Burgan Bank. “One of the key benefits of partnering with HP was its IEEE standards, round-the-clock customer support, an open standard platform which offers us the flexibility to work with other technology and the smooth, seamless migration process which ensured that no data or time was lost during the change. The implementation which went live in December 2009 was carried out by Al Alamia technology group and was completed in less than 2 months. An extensive portfolio of HP networking solutions, namely, HP ProCurve Switch 4200 series, HP ProCurve Switch 5400 series, HP ProCurve Switch 8200 series and ProCurve High- performance LAN networking solutions were implemented. The new implementation has addressed the Bank’s key challenge areas with distinct progress in business performance, productivity and resource utilization. This five-year technology infrastructure upgradation is in line with Burgan Bank’s growth objectives for 2010. Currently with over 20 branches spread across Kuwait, Burgan Bank aims to expand the number further and introduce new customer focused products and services by end of this year. HP ProCurve will support the technology implementation across these new branches as and when it is launched.
Doha Bank launches 3 new draws in Kuwait branch Opportunity to double winning amount KUWAIT: Following the continuous success that the “ Doha Millionaire “ Campaign has foreseen throughout 2009, Doha Bank, one of the leading Banks in Qatar, in maintaining excellence within the State of Kuwait, has announced the launch of three new draws, giving its outstanding customers a larger chance to win. The new Doha Bank Campaign will be launched in the State of Kuwait from March 2010 until March 2011, and will include several monthly and quarterly draws enhancing luck for its customers. The draw amounts will vary from 100,000 Qatari Riyals to 1 million Qatari Riyals. Al-Doha Millionaire As a continuity of the renowned draws that Al Doha Bank has launched for the Million Qatari Riyals draw as part of “Doha Millionaire”, the bank in Kuwait announces its introduction of five draws, giving its lucky customers increased opportunities to becoming millionaires. The 1st draw will take place in the coming month of April, followed by a second draw in July, a third draw in November and the final two draws within December. The second draw in the month of November shall include a cash prize of 100,000 Qatari Riyals, exclusive to customers holding accounts of 100 Kuwaiti Dinars. This draw will continue on a monthly basis, along with an additional ten prizes, each worth 10,000 Qatari Riyals. In aim of increasing the chance to win, the bank has organized additional draws throughout April and July to multiply the opportunity to prevail the 100,000 Qatari Riyals for each winner of the draw. For the first time in Kuwait, Doha Bank offers further winning prospects to its outstanding customers through its program of “Double your chances to win”, which will offer each and every customer depositing 500 Kuwaiti Dinars in their account, within the “Doha Millionaire” Campaign, for a period of six months, two chances for each 100 Dinars deposited. Furthermore, customers depositing 500 Dinars in their accounts for more than one year will receive three chances of winning for each 100 Dinars deposited. The chief Country Manager of the Kuwait Branch, Ahmed Al-Mehza said, “Outstanding customers of the bank holding 500 Kuwaiti
Ahmed Al-Mehza Dinars in their accounts, for a period of six months or more, will have their names repeated twice in the draw, for each 100 Dinars. Therefore benefiting from a doubled chance to win. Respectively, customers with a stable amount of KD500 for a time period of more than twelve months will gain three chances of winning, of which they will be entered into the draw three consecutive times for each 100 Dinars deposited into their accounts.” Al-Mehza also concluded that in consideration of the Campaigns launch which will be active from 2010 until 2011, the Bank will pay special attention and excellent services to its customers, along with offering opportunities to win cash prizes worth 100,000 Qatari Riyals and ranging to 1 million Qatari Riyals. “The bank is always eager to enhance its position within Kuwait, as well as continuously offering excellent and up to date financial services to its customers, through presenting various different methods and choices of accounts and services, including ones such as the current deposit account, the fixed deposit account, the savings account and the account upon demand which suits different daily needs and demands.
Midas Furniture ‘Wins Double’ with Successful Campaign 4 mega-draw winners, 3 remaining KUWAIT: The year 2010 has started off with a very positive kick for the region’s leading furniture and accessories retailer, which is proud to announce the astounding success of its “Double Win...Cash & Furniture” Campaign, giving customers the chance to win cash and receive a home makeover paid for by Midas. The “Double Win” Campaign gives each customer a ‘scratch-and-everybodywins’ coupon that returns up to 100% of the purchase value in cash, in addition to entering them in seven separate mega draws to receive a home makeover paid for by Midas. There have already been winners of the first four of the seven mega draws for a home makeover. The lucky Ali AlQattan, Salim Souod,
Mohamad Jounian Mahmoud and Ajith Panicker were declared winners with three remaining prizes to be won on the coming weeks. Participants should note that their name remains in the ballot throughout all seven mega draws. This success comes at a time when Midas is taking bold expansion initiatives in the region, primarily in markets in KSA, UAE and Qatar, after experiencing astounding success in Kuwait and Jordan. Both in-store traffic and product sales have reached unsurpassed levels, with each year shattering the record of the previous. Midas has always asserted that the key to the company’s success is its ability to welcome the constant change in the market by embracing it
with its products, services and employees. Contrary to popular belief, Midas has only been in operation since1993, starting out in a modest location with a winning formula of high-quality family-oriented furniture at a bargain price. It has since evolved with the market into something much more significant. Unlike 15 years ago, people today want something more than just furniture. They want something that completes their lifestyle and allows them to express themselves. Midas also offers an array of unique and unmatched added values, such as free 3-month storage, 2-years maintenance, free delivery & assembling of furniture and trade-in of old furniture.
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 .4350000 .393000 .2700000 .2810000 .2610000 .0045000 .0020000 .0779370 .7593140 .4020000 .0750000 .7443750 .0045000 .0510000
.2930000 .4440000 .4000000 .2780000 .2890000 .2680000 .0075000 .0035000 .0787200 .7669460 .4180000 .0790000 .7518560 .0072000 .0590000
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 .2874000 .4393860 .3952350 .2723610 .2836650 .0531140 .0405100 .2645190 .0369850 .2061460 .0031670 .0063440 .0025240 .0034070 .0042060 .0782050 .7619240 .4060380 .0765990 .7460880 .0063090
.2892000 .4424890 .3980260 .2742900 .2856740 .0534900 .0407960 .2663870 .0372470 .2076060 .0031900 .0063890 .0025420 .0034310 .0042360 .0787040 .7667830 .4089140 .0770870 .7508460 .0063540
US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals
TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2892000 .4424890 .2742900 .0770870
Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES Japanese Yen 3.204 Indian Rupees 6.352 Pakistani Rupees 3.415
Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash
2.522 3.977 207.700 37.170 4.162 6.328 8.914 0.301 0.292 GCC COUNTRIES 76.950 79.274 749.600 766.310 78.583
Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham
ARAB COUNTRIES 56.250 52.652 1.337 211.000 407.440 193.600 6.321 36.050
EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 288.400 Euro 399.200 Sterling Pound 441.000 Canadian dollar 285.910 Turkish lire 189.800 Swiss Franc 275.100 Australian dollar 264.900 US Dollar Buying 286.500 GOLD 219.000 113.000 58.000
20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram
SELL CASH 268.900 766.790 4.400 287.900 566.200 15.800 54.300 167.800 56.440 402.000
37.830 6.590 0.035 0.296 0.260 3.280 409.310 0.195 89.080 47.700 4.250 209.000 2.183 50.700 749.000 3.530 6.530 79.750 76.990 208.400 41.440 2.770 443.500 41.600 277.300 6.400 9.210 217.900 78.680 288.700 1.380
10 Tola
GOLD 1,217.460
Sterling Pound US Dollar
37.680 6.350
407.570 0.194 89.080 3.990 207.500
SELL DRAFT 267.400 766.790 4.165 286.400
208.400 52.658 400.500
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
Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees
Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.
275.800 9.030 78.680 286.300
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 441.500 288.300
288.700 287.715 439.565 400.430 271.910 707.620 764.155 78.580 79.195 76.955 407.395 52.640 6.350 3.430
2.530 4.170 6.310 3.200 8.890 5.559 3.970
Currency 748.820 3.430 6.315 79.320 76.990 208.400 41.440 2.523 441.500
Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd
Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash
Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal
288.400 3.430 6.340 2.540 4.175 6.350 78.695 77.195 767.500 52.765 440.300 0.00003195 3.980 1.550 410.200 5.750 401.200 290.900
Al Mulla Exchange Currency 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 288.200 400.350 441.350 286.300 3.210 6.355 52.652 2.525 4.163 6.320 3.420 766.690 78.600 76.900
BUSINESS
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Volkswagen Golf - Components of DCC
23
Volkswagen Golf - Safety Body
Volkswgen Golf - Airbag Restraint System
Volkswagen Golf is ‘Safest Car of 2009’ Successful model from Wolfsburg wins top EuroNCAP honors DUBAI: According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) most recent report, road traffic accidents rank as the 10th leading cause of mortality and burden in all WHO member states, which includes all countries of the GCC and Levant. With these statistics in mind, the need for safer vehicles is fast becoming a necessity on Middle Eastern roads. To support safety for road users, Volkswagen has produced the safest car for 2009. These efforts have now been recognized by the EuroNCAP Institute in Brussels. After compiling all crash test results for the year 2009, EuroNCAP has named the Volkswagen Golf “Safest Car of 2009”, winning out against the competition with a total of 103 points. Commenting on the award, Stefan Mecha, Managing Director of Volkswagen Middle East, said, “The Volkswagen philosophy is to always ensure our customers are safe. Stricter EuroNCAP testing criteria
were introduced at the beginning of 2009, and the Golf performed impressively in all four categories: Occupant protection of adults, protection of children, pedestrian protection and supporting safety and driver assistance systems.” The bestseller from Wolfsburg attained the coveted five-star rating for the second consecutive year with a top score of 103 points, earning it the title of “Safest Car of 2009”. In total, 33 cars were tested last year under the new, stricter and more extensive EuroNCAP crash testing procedure. The Golf had already attained a five-star EuroNCAP rating in 2008. Initially, this testing program, conducted since 1997, only assessed frontal crashes, side crashes and pedestrian protection. Electronic safety and assistance systems that help prevent accidents and serious injuries are now incorporated in the rating of the new, stricter assessment method. The Golf offers maximum safety with
standard safety features that include ESP with counter-steer assist, ABS with braking assistance, anti-slip regulation (ASR), electronic differential lock (EDS), engine drag torque control (MSR), trailer stabilization, Isofix mounting brackets for two child seats on the rear bench as well as airbags for driver and front passenger with passengerside deactivation, including knee airbag for the driver and a head airbag system for front and rear passengers with side airbags for front passengers. The Golf not only fulfils European safety standards. In 2008, the compact car earned the prestigious title of “Top Safety Pick” - awarded by the independent US safety institute “Insurance Institute for Highway Safety” (IIHS). In this evaluation, vehicles were tested in a frontal crash at 64 km/h and in a side crash at 50 km/h with a movable barrier shaped like the front end of an SUV. In addition, seat behavior was studied in a rear-end crash.
British and US unions to meet over the action
UK’s Brown says deal to avert BA strike possible An oil pump works in the Arabian Gulf desert field of Sakhir, Bahrain. Oil prices rose above $82 a barrel yesterday after a report showed US crude inventories grew less than expected last week and OPEC decided to keep its output targets unchanged.—AP
GM CFO sees chance for profit, IPO in 2010 DETROIT: General Motors Co, which emerged from bankruptcy last year, has a “reasonable chance” to show a profit in 2010 and could possibly make an initial public offering, though it has no hard timetable for an IPO, the automaker’s chief financial officer said yesterday. CFO Chris Liddell, speaking to reporters for the first time in his new role after joining GM from Microsoft Corp, said the automaker will not rush into an IPO. “We’ll do it when we’re ready,” said Liddell, who has been full-time on the job at GM for about two months. GM had been planning for an IPO within about a year after its emergence from a bankruptcy
reorganization supported by the US government, which now holds a more than 60 percent stake. Liddell said it was “possible” an IPO could come in the second half of 2010, but the automaker would not rush to meet a specific target. “I wouldn’t go beyond possible,” he said. “Even in the few months I’ve been here, I’ve been encouraged by the progress we’ve made, but when it will all come together is impossible to say,” Liddell said of the timing for an IPO. Liddell said GM is on track to complete postbankruptcy fresh start accounting and the automaker’s financial management was “not as bad as has been characterized.” — Reuters
Abu Dhabi’s TAQA plans $1.4bn capex in 2010 ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi National Energy Co (TAQA) plans to spend $1.4 billion on five capital projects this year as the state-owned utility shifts its focus from acquisitions to internal growth, its general manager said. Carl Sheldon also said the state-owned utility does not expect to tap capital markets this year, relying instead on internally generated funds and a refinancing facility for its projects. “Our main focus is on organic growth with a $1.4 billion capital expenditure this year for five projects,” Sheldon said in a conference call yesterday. TAQA’s capital expenditure in 2009 was $646 million, excluding acquisitions. The company has made at least ten acquisitions in the Middle East, Europe and North America over the last three years. Asked if the company has ruled out acquisitions in the short-term, Sheldon said, “No. We will certainly consider acquisitions around our existing assets,” without elaborating further. The company also said it
is in talks with Canadian banks to refinance a C$1.3 billion revolving credit facility of which C$1 billion has already been drawn. “We are targeting C$700 to C$800 million. We talked to banks on March 4 and the feedback is they are willing to refinance for another three years,” said Doug Fraser, chief financial officer. On March 4, rating agency Moody’s downgraded TAQA along with some other Abu Dhabi statebacked companies citing lack of formal government guarantees. Fraser underplayed the downgrade saying its impact was negligible to access markets and that TAQA has adequate government support. The company also said it was unlikely to buy back its bonds. “Our bonds are trading very low, they are not attractive now but if the opportunity arises, it is at the option of the company,” said Sheldon. TAQA made a gain of 260 million dirhams ($70.79 million) last year from buyback of its 2036 bonds at a nominal value of $323 million. — Reuters
LONDON: Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday he believed a deal was still possible to prevent a planned British Airways cabin crew strike at the weekend. Brown, facing an election by June, told parliament that BA and union leaders needed to take “a deep breath” and resume talks as the dispute threatened to spread across the Atlantic. Officials from Britain’s Unite union will meet representatives of the powerful US Teamsters union, which has 1.4 million members, for talks in Washington yesterday. Neither union has said what the talks could lead to beyond expressions of solidarity, but media reports suggested that US workers might end up disrupting flights by refusing to clean or refuel air-
craft. “We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at Unite who are fighting for a fair contract at British Airways,” Teamsters said in a statement. Unite has called out BA cabin crew on a three-day strike from Saturday, with a four-day walkout scheduled for March 27, although both the company and the union say they are still open to talks to prevent the industrial action. “What we need to do is to get the unions and the management to talk to each other,” Brown told parliament. “I have talked to both sides and I believe the agreement that was near to being reached last Thursday is one on which they can build for an agreement this week.”
Unite said it had received a large number of enquiries from trade unions around the world offering support and the Washington talks had been instigated by Teamsters. “We have been invited there to debrief them on an issue that they feel is of importance, the standards in the aviation industry,” a spokeswoman said. “Obviously all expressions of support for crew are very welcome.” BA has trained staff from other areas of the company to fill in as cabin crew during the action and expressed dismay at the latest development. It has said it plans to fly around 60 percent of customers booked for the March 20-22 period. “It is sad to see Unite seeking backing from trade unions overseas to sup-
port its unjustified strike against an iconic British brand,” a spokesman said. The opposition Conservatives have used the strike to attack Brown over his ruling Labour Party’s funding links to the union. Unite is the main financial backer for Labour, which is trailing the Conservatives in opinion polls before an election expected to be held on May 6. “His (Brown’s) party is a whollyowned subsidiary of the Unite union,” Conservative leader David Cameron told parliament. “They pick the candidates, they choose the policies, they elect the leader, they have special access to Downing Street. Isn’t it true that when the crunch comes he can only act in the union interest, not the national interest?” — Reuters
Etihad Airways launches first codeshare deal out of Pakistan with American Airlines Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced its first codeshare operation out of Pakistan with American Airlines, providing air travellers in Pakistan with greater access to the US market. The new codeshare agreement starts on March 18 and will offer customers in Pakistan easy and convenient connections between Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore and key destinations in the US, including Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami and Houston. The expansion follows the original codeshare agreement made between Etihad Airways and American Airlines in September 2009. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The US is a key market for Etihad and a popular destination for many of our customers in Pakistan. Etihad has seen substantial growth to and from the US over the past few years and we are committed to strengthening the ties between the Pakistan and US markets through this new codeshare. “As our first codeshare out of Pakistan, we are delighted to partner with American Airlines, one of the world’s largest and most respected airlines and we
Etihad names Alhosani as airport facilitations manager in Malaysia
look forward to strengthening this strategic relationship further into the future.” Passengers transferring between the two carriers will be able to purchase a single ticket for their journey and enjoy the convenience of being able to check in luggage through to their final destination. Etihad Airways currently places its ‘EY’ code on a number of transatlantic services operated by American Airlines between Europe and the US, as well as selected domestic services operated beyond New York and Chicago. The carriers recently confirmed that American Airlines will also place its ‘AA’ code on Etihad services from Kuwait city, with Etihad placing its two letter ‘EY’ code onto American Airlines operations to Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis via
Chicago. Etihad Airways currently flies to three destinations in North America - New York, Chicago and Toronto in Canada - and started operations to Pakistan in 2004 with flights to and from Karachi. Etihad now offers services to Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore as well as 13 destinations in the Indian Subcontinent and 60 destinations across the globe American Airlines currently operates transatlantic services from New York to Barcelona, Brussels, Milan, London, Paris, Rome and Zurich; Chicago to Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Moscow, New Delhi, Paris and Rome; Miami to London, Madrid and Paris; Dallas/Fort Worth to London, Madrid, Paris and Frankfurt; Los Angeles to London; and Raleigh/Durham to London.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced the appointment of Ali Abdul Rahim Alhosani as its Airport Facilitations Manager at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Malaysia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Alhosani, a United Arab Emirates national, will assist Etihad’s KLIA Airport Manager in overseeing the Etihad airport office operations in Kuala Lumpur. A graduate of the Higher College Ali Abdul Rahim of Technology in Abu Dhabi, Alhosani Alhosani began his career in 1996 with Abu Dhabi International Airport. During his three-year association with Etihad Airways, Alhosani served as Airport Manager in Abu Dhabi and in Kuwait International Airport. Throughout his career with Etihad, Alhosani received extensive training through Etihad Airways’ Emiratisation program. The program is a career development initiative for UAE Nationals that aims to inspire a new generation of leaders and help raise the UAE national component in the private and public sector workforce in the UAE. James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “Alhosani brings extensive experience and expertise to this market where he will play a vital role in continuing to establish relations and manage operations at our airport office in Kuala Lumpur. I am very pleased to welcome Ali to this new role. “We now have a number of Emiratis based in positions around the world and I am delighted that the unique skills and experience of the airline’s UAE National employees will be used for the benefit of the airline worldwide.”
24
BUSINESS
Thursday, March 18, 2010
GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT
KSE stocks remain bearish KUWAIT: The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) closed yesterday on a mixed note. The price index declined and the weighted increased after the blue-chip stocks witnessed good performance during yesterday’s meeting. Global General Index added 0.78 points (+0.38 percent) during the session to reach 207.36 points. The KSE Price Index decreased by 28.50 points (-0.38 percent) yesterday and closed at 7,415.80 points. Market capitalization was up KD184.74mn yesterday to reach KD33.98bn. Market breadth During the session, 135 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards decliners as 51 equities retreated versus 47 that advanced. A total of 110 stocks remained unchanged during the trading session. Trading activities ended on a negative note yesterday as volume of shares traded on the exchange decreased by 11.67 percent to reach 317.75mn shares. Furthermore, value of shares traded decreased by 21.88 percent to stand at KD46.54mn. The Investment Sector was the volume leader accounting for 33 percent of total market volume. The Services Sector was the value leader with 34.89 percent of total traded value. Al-Safat TEC Holding Company saw 31.44mn shares changing hands, making it the volume leader. Kuwait Finance House was the value leader, with a total traded value of KD4.46mn. In terms of top gainers, Tijara & Real Estate Investment Company and Hayat Communications Company were the top gainers for the day, both adding 10 percent. On the other hand, First Takaful Insurance Company shed 35 percent and closed at KD0.325, making it the biggest decliner in the market yesterday. Sector-wise performance Regarding Global’s sectoral indices, six out of the eight ended the day in the green with Global Industrial Index being the top gainer. The index ended the day up 0.80 percent backed by National Industries Group (Holding) ending the day with a gain of 2.63 per-
FutureTEC hosts seminar
cent to close at KD0.390. Metal & Recycling Company was also noteworthy in aiding the index because it ended the day up 6.85 percent and closed at KD0.156. Global Non-Kuwaiti Index posted a 0.76 percent increase today making it the second biggest gainer yesterday. The index was aided by gains witnessed in Egypt Kuwait Holding Company and Inovest Company which ended the day up 1.61 percent and 5.33 percent, respectively. On the other side, Global Insurance Index was the top decliner for today. The index ended yesterday’s trading session down 5.40 percent backed by First Takaful Insurance Company. Global’s special indices ended on a
mixed note yesterday with Global Large Cap Index being the top gainer up 0.73 percent backed by Zain and Kuwait Finance House ending the day up 1.49 percent and 1.79 percent, respectively. Global High Yield Index was the biggest decliner. The index ended the day down 0.34 percent backed by Commercial Facilities Company ending the day with a decline of 2.90 percent to close at KD0.335. Oil news Kuwaiti crude oil dropped $1.08 and came to $74.73 per barrel on Tuesday, said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) yesterday. Oil prices are within the range that OPEC has declared optimal, at $70-80 per barrel.
Market news Hayat Communications Company Board of Directors recommended a 50for-100 bonus share distribution at 50 percent of paid-in capital, for the FY that ended on 31/12/2009. Shareholders of record on the general meeting date are eligible for this distribution. This proposal is pending the approval of shareholder meeting and competent authorities. Gulf Finance House announced that it has signed on behalf of Syria Finance House, one of Syria’s largest Islamic banks under establishment with a capital of $333mn, Memorandum of Understandings with the Syrian Investment Authority (SIA) to develop an economic zone, power projects and phosphate mines.
KUWAIT: Future Technology Systems Company ‘FutureTEC’, a leading IT Security & Business Continuity Solutions Provider in Kuwait hosted a seminar recently in cooperation with Websense, a global leader in integrated Web security, data security, and email security solutions highlighting the topic of Unified Content Filtering & Data Loss Prevention Solutions. Organizations process information that can be often classified as sensitive, either from a business or legal point of view. In addition to risk of intrusion and gaining access to sensitive information by unauthorized persons, there’s also risk of intentional or spontaneous transmission of the information to the outside of organization. This is referred to as DATA Leakage or Data Loss, said Eng. Feras Al-Oqlah, General Manager of FutureTEC. Loss of large volumes of protected information has become a regular headline event, forcing companies to reissue cards, notify customers, and mitigate loss of goodwill from negative publicity, adds Feras. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a computer security
term referring to systems that identify, monitor, and protect data in use (eg, endpoint actions), data in motion (eg, network actions), and data at rest (eg, data storage) through deep content inspection, contextual security analysis of transaction (attributes of originator, data object, medium, timing, recipient/destination, etc.), and with a centralized management framework. The systems are designed to detect and prevent the unauthorized use and transmission of confidential information. DLP solutions include a number of techniques for identifying confidential or sensitive information. Sometimes confused with discovery, data identification is a process by which organizations use a DLP technology to determine what to look for (in motion, at rest, or in use). DLP solutions use multiple methods for deep content analysis, ranging from keywords, dictionaries, and regular expressions to partial document matching and fingerprinting. The strength of the analysis engine directly correlates to its accuracy. Websense data loss prevention (DLP) technologies are part of the Websense TRITON solution and provide marketleading DLP capabilities
designed to secure sensitive information and intellectual property, as well as manage and enforce regulatory requirements. Websense DLP solutions accurately prevents data loss, secures business processes, and manages compliance and risk by identifying your confidential data, monitoring it’s use, discovering where it’s stored, and protecting it, on the network and at the endpoint. Websense TRITON is the first and only solution to combine industry-leading Web security, email security, and data loss prevention security technologies into one unified architecture. The TRITON solution delivers increased content security and cost savings helping organizations achieve a significant return on their security investments while enabling them to leverage all the benefits of Web 2.0 unlike point solutions that rely on redundant multi-vendor management tools. Compared with such limited and restrictive solutions, the TRITON architecture also enables superior control and flexibility providing unrivaled visibility into an organization’s security operations and protects remote offices and mobile workers just as effectively as at corporate headquarters.
BUSINESS
Thursday, March 18, 2010
25
World Bank urges stronger, more flexible Chinese currency
China unyielding on yuan as US ups heat on Beijing BEIJING: China said yesterday it would not waver in sticking to a stable exchange rate and was being made a “scapegoat” after the US Congress threatened to seek duties on Chinese goods unless it revalues its yuan. The heat in the long-running dispute over China’s exchange rate regime is rising quickly, with a bipartisan bill introduced on Tuesday in the US Senate that aims to press Beijing to let its yuan currency rise. The Managing Director of
MUNICH: BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer poses for photographers in front of a BMW Concept Car Vision prior to the companyís annual balance conference in Munich yesterday. — AP
BMW expects economic crisis past lowest point FRANKFURT: German auto group BMW AG said yesterday the economic crisis has probably reached its lowest point and that the company’s brands and the global car market could see growth in a single-digit percentage range in 2010. BMW said setbacks in the world economy could continue to arise and that it was still difficult to make a more precise or reliable forecast. Munich-based BMW also builds motorcycles and the Mini and Rolls Royce brand cars. It is the biggest luxury carmaker in the world by sales. BMW said net income for the whole of 2009 fell 37 percent to 204 million euros ($282 million) from 324 million euros in 2008. Revenue for the year fell nearly 4 percent to 51 billion euros from 53 billion euros in 2008. The results were in line with preliminary results released earlier this month. Group production for the year decreased nearly 13 percent to 1.26 million cars from 1.44 million in 2008. The BMW brand saw a 13 percent decline, Mini a 9 percent decline and Rolls Royce a 35 percent decline. The motorcycle division reported a 21 percent drop in production to nearly 83,000 bikes. The results and weak outlook pushed BMW shares about half a percent lower to 32.58 in Frankfurt afternoon trading. US group unit sales were down more than 20 percent for the year to
around 242,000 cars, but BMW forecast sales would increase in that key market in 2010. In Germany, its single biggest market, BMW group unit sales declined more than 9 percent to 258,012 cars in 2009. The Mini brand recorded its best year to date in Germany, delivering 33,517 cars for the year. Emerging markets helped the company through the downturn with strong growth in Brazil, China and India. Those three markets sold a combined 100,553 vehicles in 2009 and are expected to grow in 2010. BMW said the launch of its new 5 Series BMW cars would lead to sales gains especially during the second half of 2010, and that BMW would also continue to revitalize the model range to increase volumes. BMW said new models are also expected this year, including the BMW 3 Series convertible and coupe and the BMW X5 SUV. BMW also said it would continue working on a broad range of efficiency and cost saving measures in a previously announced program called Strategy Number ONE that the company hopes will help earnings. The company said it’s making progress at a number of savings measures and, for example, saved 9 million in 2009 through optimizing equipment operating times, increasing efficiency of ventilation systems and managing its lighting better. — AP
“The yuan’s exchange rate is not a magic potion for solving global economic imbalances.” In Geneva, a senior China diplomat said the US lawmakers were unfairly blaming Beijing for their own woes. “They should not blame the problems they have by finding a scapegoat in China,” He Yafei, China’s new ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told a briefing. The apparent hardening of positions drove the yuan to a three-week low against the dollar in the offshore forwards market, implying just 2.4 percent of appreciation over the next 12 months. Ding Zhijie, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said US pressure on the exchange rate was “totally counter-productive”. “With such heavy pressure from the United States, any move would look like giving in to foreign pressure-for both the Chinese government and the Chinese public, it would be unacceptable,” said Ding, who provides advice to the government. China’s official Xinhua news agency said Washington was making Beijing unfairly carry the blame for US economic woes ahead of Congressional elections. “With the US mid-term elections looming, electoral politics have again become the priority of the Obama administration,” said the commentary. Focusing on China’s yuan
BEIJING: People shop at a crowded store in a busy shopping district in Beijing yesterday. The World Bank urged China to let its currency rise to contain inflation and stop the economy overheating, predicting that growth will gallop ahead at 9.5 percent this year.—AFP currency can create “a clear target, offering an explanation to the unemployed of why they lost their jobs,” it said. The World Bank weighed into the debate, recommending a stronger exchange rate and a tighter monetary policy to restrain inflation expectations and asset bubbles in China. The case for greater exchange rate flexibility had, on balance, increased over the last year, Ardo Hansson, the bank’s lead economist in Beijing, told a news conference. “If there is a concern
Liechtenstein LGT bank hit by tax clampdown
CHENNAI: President and CEO of automobile giants Renault and Nissan, Carlos Ghosn (right) poses with deputy Chief Minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin (center) and former prime minister of Japan Yoshiro Mori (second left) with a Nissan Micra car at the newly-inaugurated Renault and Nissan auto India plant in Chennai yesterday. — AFP
Zara owner’s profits rise on strong Asia sales MADRID: Spain’s Inditex, Europe’s biggest clothing retailer and the company behind Zara, posted yesterday a rise in profit as strong sales abroad, especially in Asia, offset sluggish domestic demand. Inditex, which also owns the Bershka and Massimo Dutti chains earned a net profit of 483 million euros ($666 million) in the fourth quarter, against 410 million euros in the same yearago period, it said in a statement. For the full year 2009 the company’s net profit rose to 1.31 billion euros from 1.25 billion euros in the previous year. Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a full year 2009 net profit of 1.27 billion euros. Net sales during the fourthquarter rose to 1.9 billion euros from 1.68 billion euros during the same year-ago period and reached 11.08 billion euros for the full year compared to 10.41 billion euros last year. Sales in Spain, which is being wracked by its worst recession in over 80 years that has driven the jobless rate to nearly 19 percent, accounted for 31.8 percent of total sales, compared with 33.9 percent in 2008. Sales outside Spain accounted for 68.2 percent of total sales, up from
66 percent in 2008. “A highlight was the significant increase in sales in Asia, which in 2009 accounted for 12.2 percent of total sales versus 10.5 percent a year earlier,” the statement said. Inditex continued its strategic push into Asia’s three top markets last year with the opening of 10 new stores in Japan, 12 new stores in South Korea and 41 new outlets in China, including the first Massimo Dutti store in Beijing. It opened a total of 343 new stores around the world in 2009 and plans to add between 365 and 425 locations this year across its eight formats, with 95 percent of the openings outside Spain. Over 40 percent of the commercial retail space which it will add will be in Asia, including its first opening in India in May. “The opening in India will be very strategic for the medium term,” said Inditex chief executive Pablo Isa told a conference call with analysts, adding that China would be the “major driver” of the company’s Asian expansion. Zara, which opened its first shop in China in 2007, plans five branches in India in 2010, starting in New Delhi followed by Mumbai and then other cities.
Investment bank Goldman Sachs predicts India, the world’s second-most populous country after China, will expand annually by some 6.2 percent from 2011 to 2050. Isla said Inditex’s plan to start selling its flagship Zara brand clothes for the autumn/winter 2010 season online in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Britain and Geramny “was on track.” Further details of the start of online sales will be given when Inditex presents its first quarter results, he added. Sweden’s H&M, Europe’s second-largest clothing retailer, already sells its products online in Europe while the Gap Inc., the largest US group, does the same in its home market. Store sales in local currencies have increased by 14 percent between February 1 and March 14 over the same time last year. Inditex had 4,607 stores in 74 countries and it employed over 92,000 people at the end of last year. The company is controlled by Amancio Ortega, Spain’s richest man. Forbes magazine estimates the railway workers’ son has a net worth of over 18 billion dollars, making him the world’s 10th richest man last year. — AFP
ZURICH: Liechtenstein royal family controlled LGT bank said yesterday that asset flight intensified with the global clampdown on tax evasion, as net outflows reached 3.7 billion Swiss francs in 2009. LGT Group reported a 35percent drop in annual net profit to 106 million Swiss francs (73 million euros, $100 million) in 2009 as the client withdrawals that began a year earlier dented its earnings. “While all international locations and the asset management business saw net inflows, funds flowed out of Liechtenstein, resulting in a net outflow of 3.7 billion Swiss francs for the group as a whole,” LGT said in a statement. That compared with net outflows at 1.3 billion francs in 2008, sparked by a German government tax fraud probe based on data stolen from Liechtenstein banks six years earlier. In 2009, “LGT Group’s earnings reflected a year-onyear decline in client assets coupled with a clear shift into lower-margin interest-bearing products,” the bank added. “The sale of the trust and fiduciary business, tax amnesties, the implementation of the new US policy, and the tax debate all impacted the development of net new money, leading as anticipated to outflows of assets from Liechtenstein.” However, client assets under administration grew 14 percent to 89 billion Swiss
the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, added to the pressure on Beijing, saying that the yuan is undervalued. Focusing on the yuan will not help to solve problems in the Sino-US bilateral trade relationship, a Chinese Commerce Ministry official told Reuters. “We oppose the over-emphasis on the yuan’s exchange rate,” the official said, when asked about the bill.
francs by the end of 2009, largely due to the acquisition of Dresdner Bank’s Swiss private banking arm in December 2009. LGT also reported net inflows at its international branches in Asia, and in neighboring Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Chief executive Prince Max von und zu Liechtenstein said LGT had anticipated the “structural changes” in cross border banking away from its offshore business. “Our priorities for 2010 are clear: we will continue to invest in building international business in our onshore and growth markets and asset management, while at the same time making careful use of our resources and keeping a firm grip on costs.” “We are, however, prepared to accept temporary investment-related reductions in earnings,” he added, while expecting “a positive development” on net asset inflows this year. The Alpine principality has signed new tax information exchange deals with other countries, including Britain, France and Germany, to fall into line with OECD standards following last year’s drive by leading economies against offshore banking havens and tax dodgers. As a result of its softening of banking secrecy, Liechtenstein was removed from the OECD’s “grey list” of non compliant countries last November. — AFP
about inflation, if there is a concern about sensitive capital inflows, this is part of the arsenal for dealing with these policy issues,” he said. IMF chief Strauss-Kahn said a stronger focus by China on “domestic-led growth” would help the yuan appreciate. “Some currencies in Asia are undervalued, especially the renminbi,” he told a committee of the European Parliament in Brussels. The renminbi is another name for China’s yuan. Beijing’s stance on the yuan had been consistent and was
unchanged, the Chinese official in Beijing said. He cited Premier Wen Jiabao and Commerce Minister Chen Deming, who have said a stable yuan has contributed to both the Chinese and the global economic recovery. “We have repeated ourselves multiple times. And we cannot be any clearer,” the official said. China has in effect pegged the yuan near 6.83 to the dollar since mid-2008 to cushion its exporters from the global crisis. Rising inflation and recov-
ering exports had fuelled market expectations that Beijing was on the cusp of resuming the gradual path of appreciation followed for three years starting in mid-2005. Wen on Sunday recommitted China to pushing ahead with reform of the yuan’s exchange rate mechanism, leaving the door open to reintroducing exchange rate flexibility if it suits Beijing. But the premier also said that the yuan was not undervalued and said calls for appreciation were tantamount to protectionism. The US trade gap with China narrowed to $226.8 billion in 2009 from a record $268.0 billion in 2008. But with the administration of President Barack Obama keen to expand exports and jobs, the deficit remains a point of friction between the two powers, which have also been at odds over human rights, Tibet and US arms sales to Taiwan. The US Senate bill, a rare show of bipartisan accord, adds to pressure on Obama, whose administration must decide whether to label China as a currency manipulator in a semiannual Treasury Department report due on April 15. Many US lawmakers, with strong backing from economists, believe the yuan is undervalued by at least 25 percent, giving Chinese companies an unfair edge in trade-one seen as more critical now that the US economy is struggling to recover from the worst downturn since the 1930s. — Reuters
BOJ frees up more cash, keeps rate near zero TOKYO: Japan’s central bank doubled the amount of cash it will make available to banks yesterday while keeping interest rates at a record low as it tries to kickstart a stuttering economic recovery. Under government pressure to help fight deflation, the Bank of Japan said it would extend emergency steps taken in December by boosting its short-term loan facility to 20 trillion yen ($220 billion). The facility offers three-month loans at 0.1 percent against collateral such as government bonds and corporate debt. However, markets had been expecting the loan duration to be extended to at least six months. The move aims to bring a decline in longer-term interest rates at which companies and individuals borrow to invest in new capital or to buy homes-to boost spending. The bank’s decision, announced after a two-day policy meeting, came as Asia’s biggest economy struggles to sustain a firm recovery in the face of falling consumer prices and weak private demand. Japan’s economy last year emerged from its worst post-war recession thanks to rebounding exports, much of it to booming China, and on the back of government pump-priming measures at home. But the recovery has been slower than expected. The government last week said gross domestic product grew at an annualized 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter, less than the 4.6 percent previously estimated. The BOJ yesterday held its benchmark interest rate unchanged at an ultra-low 0.1 percent, a level it has kept since December 2008, the height of the global financial market meltdown. In its economic assessment, the bank said: “Japan’s economy is picking up mainly due to various policy measures taken at home and abroad, although there is not yet sufficient momentum to support a self-sustaining recovery in domestic private demand.” Sticking with its earlier view, the BOJ said it “recognizes that it is a critical challenge for Japan’s economy to overcome deflation and return to a sustainable growth path with price stability.” “The bank will continue to aim to maintain the extremely accommodative environment.” Tokyo has been raising pressure on the bank to do more to beat deflation, which hurts corporate profits and depresses economic activity as consumers delay spending, hoping for further price
TOKYO: Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa leaves a table after holding a press conference at the BOJ headquarters in Tokyo yesterday following its policy board meeting. — AP drops. Japan has been grappling with deflation since the late 1990s when an asset bubble burst, ending years of booming growth. An ageing population that is reluctant to spend has also added to the deflationary pressure. In a fresh nudge to the bank, Finance Minister Naoto Kan told a parliamentary session on Tuesday that he hoped the BOJ would “make efforts to combat deflation”, in comments cited by Dow Jones Newswires. Earlier this month the outspoken minister signalled he wants deflation to end by late 2010, earlier than the bank’s own forecast of no earlier than 2012. Haruhiko Kuroda, president of the Asian Development Bank, warned yesterday that “consumer prices, the GDP deflators, have been declining in so many months and years. This is a unique situation in Japan.” — AFP
UniCredit reports halved profit on bad loan charges MILAN: UniCredit bank, heavily involved in lending in eastern Europe, reported yesterday a halving of net profit for 2009, because of loan payment problems by customers hit by the economic crisis. The halving of profits went hand in hand with a doubling of charges for under-performing and devalued loans, but underlying operating profit jumped by 20.3 percent. UniCredit, the leading Italian bank with extensive activities in eastern and central Europe, reported a 57.6-percent
drop in net profit, but even so outperformed analysts’ expectations. The net outcome was 1.702 billion euros ($2.3 billion). In the fourth quarter, the net figure on a 12-month comparison fell by 26.5 percent to 371 million euros. But that was far better than expected by analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires who had expected 50 million euros. The bank booked a total of 8.313 billion euros in provisions and for the reduced value of its loan book for the whole of the year. This was more than
double the figure for 2008 of 3.7 billion euros. However, operating profit rose by 20.3 percent to 12.248 billion euros. And net banking income, the difference between the cost of taking money in from depositors and the price of lending it out and a key measure of retail banking performance, rose by 2.6 percent to 27.572 billion euros. The bank said that it would resume paying a cash dividend for last year, of 0.03 euros per share. For 2008, it had paid dividend in the form of shares in
order to conserve cash. At the beginning of last year the bank, which had decided not to accept help from the government, raised capital of 4.0 billion euros to strengthen shareholders’ funds. At the end of 2009, the so-called Tier One ratio shareholders’ funds to risk rose to 8.47 percent from 6.58 percent. The bank announced in a separate statement yesterday the sale of 2.84 percent of Italian insurance group Generali in line with requirements laid down by competition authorities. — AFP
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BUSINESS
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Fed maintains low rates, upgrades view on US economy WASHINGTON: The Federal Reserve has maintained record low interest rates but offered a modest upgrade to its view of the US economy still dogged by high unemployment and tight credit. After a one-day meeting Tuesday, the central bank’s policy body voted 91 to keep the federal funds rate-at which banks charge each other for loans-at a zero to 0.25 percent range, a Fed statement said. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) expected to hold the “exceptionally low” rate “for an extended period”-reiterating its standard guidance since it slashed rates to record lows in December 2008 in a bid to jolt the world’s largest
economy from its worst recession in decades. The central bank offered a slight upgrade to its view of the economy in the statement issued after the sixhour meeting chaired by Fed boss Ben Bernanke. It said “economic activity has continued to strengthen and that the labor market is stabilizing”-a more upbeat description than the phrasing used after its last policy meeting in January that “the deterioration in the labor market is abating.” The statement also noted that consumer spending was constrained by “high unemployment,” rather than the previous “weak labor market,” which
some analysts said shifts the focus away from job growth to the unemployment level, hovering at nearly 10 percent. After not mentioning housing, the epicenter of the financial crisis that plunged the US economy into recession, in the last statement, the Fed lamented Tuesday that housing activity has been “flat at a depressed level.” Analysts said that by keeping rates at ultralow levels, the cautious Fed was not prepared to take any chances of tinkering with monetary policy. It also gave no indication it would proceed with an monetary stimulus exit strategy. “The next key event is likely to
occur when the Fed alters its ‘extended period’ language in favor of something less committal; we think this change is likely to be made in second quarter, and it may occur as soon as the April meeting if labor market data strengthen notably, as we expect,” said Barclays Capital Research analyst Dean Maki. The Fed also stressed that the pace of economic recovery was likely to be “moderate” for sometime. It said American households remained reluctant to spend amid high unemployment, modest income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit. Employers also remained reluctant to add to payrolls and bank lending
continued to contract, the Fed reported. Kansas City Fed president Thomas Hoenig was, for the second meeting in a row, the sole dissenting voice to the FOMC decision. He expressed concern that the promise of low interest rates for the long-run could present economic risks. “However, the majority of the FOMC would agree with us that removing this phrase now would lead to an unwarranted rise in interest rates across the yield curve,” said Brian Bethune, financial economist for IHS Global Insight. The yield curve is what economists use to capture the overall move-
ment of interest rates on the bond market. “Credit, housing and employment markets are still too weak to be able to withstand this kind of negative pressure, and we agree with the majority of the FOMC on this score,” Bethune said. US authorities pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into the world’s largest economy to jolt it from a deep recession since December 2007. The economy started growing from the second half of last year-at 2.2 percent in the third quarter and 5.9 percent in the final quarter of 2009. Many believe the Fed will need to raise rates gradually to keep inflation
in check. “We do not consider any risk of changes in the direction of the Fed’s monetary policy, as economic slack is likely to hamper the inflation pressures for some more time,” said analyst Inna Mufteeva of Natixis. The Fed policy makers also confirmed at the meeting Tuesday that the central bank will complete purchases of 1.25 trillion dollars of mortgage-backed securities by the end of this month. The program has been widely credited with pumping up the housing market, which was at the epicenter of the financial crisis triggered by a mortgage meltdown. —AFP
Countries relying too much on recovery to cut debts
EU warns 5 major euro-zone nations on budget deficits BRUSSELS: The European Union yesterday warned Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands that they are relying too much on a strong economic recovery to meet debt reduction targets. European Commission reports say that the five largest nations that use the euro
have “rather optimistic” growth forecasts in their programs to cut budget deficits to the EU limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product. It said budget figures could be worse than they expect if growth remains slow. Germany’s “budgetary euros ($48 billion) to fund a strategy is not sufficient to stimulus program. Spain may need to draft bring the debt ratio back on a downward path,” the EU extra measures to reduce its huge deficit _ estimated at executive warned. Berlin needs to reconcile 11.4 percent this year — by possible tax cuts — promoted 2013 because it may be too by Chancellor Angela optimistic about growth after Merkel’s Free Democrat this year, the EU report said. It also cautioned Madrid to coalition partner — with the need to reduce budget spend- make pension reforms to ing, it said. It also warns that reduce spending. The Spanish Berlin hasn’t spelled out what government faced protests cuts it would make after this when it tried to do that by hiking the retirement age from year. Europe’s largest economy 65 to 67. The EU told Italy that its isn’t facing rocketing debt and deficit levels but still needs to debt and deficit could be highact because debt is mounting er than targeted because the and the rising cost of pensions government’s growth outlook and social security could is likewise too high, it hasn’t make it hard to fund public described how it plans to make reductions and it could finances in the longer-term. France’s budget plans spend more than it assumes. It also says Italy needs “a don’t leave “any safety margin if economic developments swift and durable recovery in turn out worse than project- productivity growth” to get ed” by the government’s the country’s economy “markedly favorable” growth growing again. That implies developing more lucrative assumptions, the EU said. It calls on France to speci- industries that could generfy spending cuts and show ate higher profits from exactly how it will bring down exports. The EU told the BRUSSELS: EU commissioner for Internal Market and Services Michel Barnier its deficit and its debt — Dutch government to lay out will keep increasing more details on how it will talks during a press conference at the end of the second session of the ECOFIN which until 2012 as France takes out reduce its deficit and debt by council at the EU headquarters in Brussels. —AFP a “grand loan” of 35 billion 2013. —AP
Honda recalls 412,000 US vehicles for ‘soft’ brakes CHICAGO: Honda announced the recall of an estimated 412,000 vehicles in the United States because of problems with “soft” brakes, in the latest blow to the embattled Japanese auto industry. Honda said the problem can result from air accumulating in a “vehicle stability assist modulator,” which causes the pedal to get closer to the floor than normal before the vehicle stops. The move came a month after Japan’s second-biggest carmaker recalled more than 437,000 vehicles worldwide to fix airbags that it said can explode and spray out potentially deadly metal shards. In January, some 646,000 Honda Fit and Jazz vehicles were recalled worldwide because the power window switch could short out and cause a fire if too much water got into the door handle. The Japanese automaker’s latest recall affects 2007-2008 model years of the Odyssey minivan and boxy Element sport utility vehicle.
Honda said some accidents involving soft brakes were reported to safety regulators in the vehicles covered under the recall but that it was unlikely the soft pedal problem was a significant factor. “There are three injuries reported to NHTSA for vehicles in this range but it’s tough to link those injuries to this cause,” Honda spokesman Chris Martin told AFP. That’s because the brakes continue to function long after they begin to soften and the softening process takes a long time to develop. “It’s a very slow progression because it’s a tiny, tiny amount of air that gets init’s smaller than a drop of water,” Martin said. “Customers get a lot of warning.” If the problem goes untreated, however, the brakes could eventually stop working, he added. Honda’s woes come as rival Toyota is struggling to rebuild its once stellar reputation for
quality and safety after a series of mass recalls due to faulty accelerator and brake systems. Toyota has insisted it has found a solution to defects that triggered the recall of more than eight million vehicles worldwide, including six million in the United States, and have been blamed for about 50 US deaths. But critics have accused Toyota of intentionally hiding deadly defects from consumers and ignoring potential electronic problems. The top Japanese automaker has been called to Washington to answer a congressional investigation. It faces scrutiny by securities regulators and a US federal grand jury investigating whether there is sufficient evidence for criminal charges related to problems with Toyota’s brakes and accelerators. It has also been slapped with scores of civil lawsuits, including one last week from a California prosecutor alleging that Toyota ignored reports of problems with
its vehicles and deliberately misled the public. “As other car companies watch from the sidelines, they are likely to shorten the decision cycle between learning of a problem and taking action,” said Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive officer of the automotive website Edmunds.com. “Industry norms for ‘due diligence’ research and testing may take too long in the court of public opinion, given today’s heightened consumer sensitivity to car safety issues and defects.” Honda will be sending letters out to owners next month asking them to schedule an appointment to have the modulator sealed to prevent air intrusion. “Although not all vehicles being recalled are affected by this issue, we are recalling all possible units to assure all customers that their vehicles will perform correctly,” Honda said in a statement. —AFP
DES PLAINES, US: Honda Odysseys are offered for sale at O’Hare Honda in Des Plaines, Illinois. Honda announced a recall of 2007 and 2008 Odyssey minivans and Element utility vehicles due to a faulty stability assist modulator which allows air to get into the braking system and can cause a gradual decrease in the vehicles braking abilities. —AFP
NEW YORK: A television indicates that the Fed will keep interest rates unchanged on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday. —AP
UK unemployment edges down in January quarter LONDON: Unemployment in Britain dropped to 7.8 percent in the three months through January from the previous quarter’s 7.9 percent, the first such decline since May 2008 as the economy emerged from recession, official statistics showed yesterday. The number of unemployed fell by 33,000 during the quarter to 2.45 million, the Office for National Statistics said. But in a contrary signal about the state of the national economy, the number of people in work fell by 54,000. On a monthly basis, the unemployment rate for January was unchanged from December’s rate, although the number of people claiming benefits decreased by 32,300 between January and February, the largest monthly fall since November 1997. The report gave a boost to the pound sterling, which rose to a three-week high of $1.5350. “The latest labor market data don’t help to clear up any of the uncertainty about the economic outlook,” said Vicky Redwood, economist at Capital Economics. While unemployment fell during the quarter through January, she noted the drop in the number of employed. “We suspect the labor market may well be somewhat erratic in the near term at least, with some months of unemployment gains and some of losses.” said Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight. “There remains the risk that unless the economy gains significant momentum in the near term, a significant number of firms may well decide that they really cannot hold on to some of their workers any longer.” Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s office said the number of Britons out of work for 12 months or more — up 61,000
to 687,000 — was worrisome. “Clearly long term unemployment is something of a concern, but I think that government policies, as far as possible, are seeking to provide opportunities for training and employment,” Brown’s spokesman Simon Lewis said. Uncertainty about the labor market and the the course of economic recovery were key factors in the Bank of England’s unanimous decision earlier this month to keep its base rate at an all-time low of 0.5 percent and to refrain for now from further fiscal stimulus, according to minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee’s meeting released yesterday. The committee believed that several factors would impede growth. “The banking sector remained impaired, holding back the growth of both broad money and credit,” the minutes said. “A significant fiscal consolidation was needed in the United Kingdom, the precise nature and pace of which remained uncertain. And a weakening in the prospects for growth in some of the United Kingdom’s main trading partners, amid growing concerns about the fiscal position in some countries, particularly in the euro area, would weigh on the outlook for UK exports.” Britain’s economy grew by 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter, ending six quarters of recession. Elsewhere, the British Retail Consortium reported that sales in London bounced strongly in February after a subdued and stormy January. Sales in central London were up 9.9 percent on a comparable stores basis in February, compared to a 3.4 percent rise in January, when cold and snowy weather depressed trade. —AP
France calls on Germany to cut taxes even out trade imbalances within the single currency bloc, and Paris has been complaining more loudly than usual over Berlin’s stance. “Our efforts should be shared,” Finance Minister Christine Lagarde told RTL radio. “For example, Germany could cut taxes to encourage domestic demand. “An improvement in domestic consumption could, in particular, help us in terms of our exports towards Germany, which is our most important economic partner,” she continued. “When an effort is needed in a shared economic zone like the
euro-zone, everyone has to play their part. “Those who are running deficits should reduce their deficits, and those who are in surplus should not become our single-engined driver,” she warned, insisting Germany “could doubtless generate growth by other means.” Germany’s right-wing governing coalition plans tax cuts for businesses and households of 20 billion euros this year and 24 billion in 2011, but the measures have not all been approved by parliament and some may be shelved. —AFP
Iceland cuts interest rate by 0.5 to 9.0%
PARIS: France yesterday urged its big exporting neighbor Germany to cut taxes in order to stimulate domestic demand, amid growing tensions within Europe over how to balance the euro-zone economy. Germany, the world’s biggest net exporter after China, is clinging to its traditional economic model of maintaining large domestic savings and huge external trade surpluses, to the frustration of its euro-zone partners. France would like to see German domestic demand for imported goods rise in order to
REYKJAVIK: Iceland’s central bank has cut its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to 9.0 percent, it said in a statement yesterday. The bank also said it had lowered its other rates by 0.5 points, with its deposit rate slipping to 7.5 percent, its maximum bid rate for 28-day certificates of deposit falling to 8.75 percent and its overnight lending rate dropping to 10.5 percent. On January 27, the central bank had lowered its main rate by 0.5 points to 9.5 percent. The next rate decision is expected on May 5. The central bank, or Sedlabanki, did not immediately provide an explanation for yesterday’s decision, but was expected to justify the rate cut later in the day. Iceland’s once-booming financial sector ground to a halt in October 2008 when the major banks collapsed after borrowing beyond their means to fund aggressive investments abroad. —AFP
The logo of Linde is pictured in Mainz, Germany. German gas and engineering company Linde AG said yesterday it expects to increase sales and profits in 2010 as the global economy emerges from the downturn and it continues with efficiency measures. —AP
TECHNOLOGY
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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Drive a Porsche? Up your status with a phone SINGAPORE: As if a Porsche isn’t enough of a status symbol, the German luxury sports car company’s subsidiary, Porsche Design, is marketing a mobile phone that’s exclusive to Porsche owners. The Porsche Design P’9522 BLACK, the latest in the company’s series of mobile phones, held its global launch in Singapore, where, for now, only the 1,600 or so drivers of
Porsche cars in the affluent city state can buy it from the car dealership, Stuttgart Auto. The phone is made by Sagem Wireless and combines matt black anodised aluminium and black mineral glass. Features include a fingerprint sensor to authenticate users. Retailing for 2,280 Singapore dollars ($1,636), the phone is about three
times the price of a Blackberry or an Iphone in Singapore. But its agent expects demand to be strong in the country and from the Asia Pacific, a region that Forbes magazine recently said witnessed an 80 percent increase in the number of billionaires in 2009. “The Porsche Design brand is doing very well in Asia, Russia and the Middle
East, and the usage of our products, especially mobiles, is high in Asia,” said Samy Redjeb, business director for Brand Lab, the sole distributor of Porsche Design mobiles in several Asian countries, including China and Singapore. “In Europe, people are used to buying phones that are subsidised by phone operators, but in Asia, people like to have something unique-they
like to show their status by putting the phone on the table, which says ‘look, I’m rich’.” Porsche Design is a global luxury brand targetting men, founded in 1972 by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of the iconic Porsche 911 car. Redjeb said the brand was doing very well in China, where Porsche has around a dozen car
showrooms. He forecast demand in Singapore would be boosted by its two casinos-one of which is already open-which he said would attract more rich tourists from Southeast Asia. And for those craving even more distinction-and with the pockets deep enought to pay for it-Redjeb said Porsche Design was working on a luxury yacht that will also be launched in Asia. — Reuters
China no longer willing to offer censored search engine
Google partners call for clarity on China plans LONDON: Captain Judith Gallagher of 11 EOD (Explosive Ordnance Division) Regiment displays an anti-IED robot known as the ‘Dragon Runner’ during a photocall on military technologies in London yesterday. The robot weighs between 10-20 kg and is easily carried by a soldier in a backpack and is robust enough to operate in rough terrain. The ‘Dragon Runner’ is the next generation of anti IED and bomb disposal robot which will used by British troops worldwide. — AFP
Homeland chief holts on virtual fence funds PHOENIX: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that she will freeze funds for expanding the virtual fence that originally was supposed to monitor most of the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) southern US border by 2011 but now covers only a portion of Arizona’s boundary with Mexico. The virtual fence is a network of cameras, ground sensors and radars designed to let a small number of dispatchers watch the border on a computer monitor, zoom in with cameras to see people crossing, and decide whether to send Border Patrol agents to the scene. A string of technical glitches and delays has put the virtual fence in jeopardy. Two months ago, Napolitano ordered a reassessment of the project that has thus far cost the government $672 million. “Not only do we have an obligation to secure our borders, we have a responsibility to do so in the most cost effective way possible,” Napolitano said in a statement, which didn’t specify the amount of funding that would be frozen. The funds will be frozen until the project’s reassessment is completed. Napolitano also plans to redirect $50 million from the Arizona portion to pay for radios, cameras, thermal-imaging devices and other technology that would be used at the border but wouldn’t be strung
together in the vastly networked way envisioned for the virtual fence. US Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, applauded that decision, saying he was pleased that “Napolitano has decided to instead turn to commercial available technology that can be used to immediately secure our border from illegal entries. I have been calling for congressional oversight and administrative action on this issue since it became clear that SBInet was a complete failure.” The fence is known within the government as SBInet. US Rep. Bennie Thompson, who leads the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, called the project an expensive disappointment. “Today’s announcement is a recognition that this troubled program needs better management and stronger oversight,” the Mississippi Democrat said in a statement. Among other problems, the radar system had trouble distinguishing between vegetation and people when the weather was windy. The satellite communication system took too long to relay information in the field to a command center; by the time an operator moved a camera to take a closer look at a spot, whatever had raised suspicion was gone. The first permanent segment of the virtual fence , a 23mile (37-kilometer) stretch near Sasabe, Arizona , was supposed to be turned over to the Border
Patrol by the main contractor, Boeing Co., for testing in January. The handover was delayed by problems involving video recording equipment. Testing is continuing on that section of virtual fence. Construction on a second 30mile (48-kilometer) permanent section south of Ajo, Arizona, is still expected to be completed in August. A 28-mile (45-kilometer) prototype virtual fence has been in use in southern Arizona for two years, but that stretch will be replaced by the first permanent section. The virtual fence was developed as part of thenPresident George W. Bush’s border security plan. It was meant to add another layer of protection at the border, along with thousands of Border Patrol agents and 650 miles (1,050 kilometers) of real fences. Originally, the virtual fence was supposed to be completed by 2011; that date has slipped to 2014, largely because of technical problems. Both Boeing and the government officials said the technical problems stemmed from an erroneous belief that the firstof-its-kind virtual fence could be put together relatively quickly by tying together off-the-shelf components that weren’t designed to be linked. Homeland Security officials have said the government shares blame with the contractor for the delays in the virtual fence. — AP
Dotcom celebrates 25th birthday WASHINGTON: Recognize Symbolics.com? Probably not. But 25 years ago this week the Massachusetts computer maker played a bit role in history-it was the first company to register a .com address on what would eventually become known as the World Wide Web. Only five companies would join Symbolics.com in 1985 in registering their dotcom names with DARPA, the Pentagon technology research agency which was behind the precursor to the Internet. Ten years later there were 120,000 dotcoms and “today we have close to 85 million dotcom names registered,” said Mark McLaughlin president and chief executive of VeriSign, the company which runs the dotcom infrastructure. “In some ways (dotcom’s) become somewhat of a proxy for the Internet,” McLaughlin told a gathering of Internet policymakers and leaders here to celebrate the 25th birthday of dotcom. “Dotcom’s becomes part of our lexicon, our way of life, how we communicate, how we interact with each other, how we do business online,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a platform for business, entertainment, sports, finance, culture and how we connect with people.” Robert Atkinson, president of the Washington-based Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, said none of this was envisioned when Symbolics.com and the others were registered as the first dotcoms. “DARPA let these companies come on what was essentially a government research network,” Atkinson said. “When they made that decision they didn’t really know what they were doing. “What they actually ended up doing was probably creating one of the greatest technological revolutions of all time,” he said. Reed
Hundt, a former chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, said the dotcom domain has become a “common medium for humanity.” “In earlier generations the printing press provided the common medium, print on paper,” he said. “To a very large degree the telephone network was a common medium. “We haven’t yet wrapped the whole world in the common language of dotcom-ism,” he said. “It’s an important thing to do.” Participants in the 25 Years of .Com Policy Impact Forum also highlighted the economic contributions of dotcoms. “Commerce and communications led (the Internet) to explode and dotcom has been the home for most of that,” said Rod Beckstrom, chief executive of ICANN, the private corporation which administers the Domain Name System that forms the technical backbone of the Web. “The value that all those domains add to business and commerce is absolutely massive,” Beckstrom said. According to a new ITIF study, the dotcom domain has become the platform for 400 billion dollars in annual economic activity, a number that is expected to rise to 950 billion dollars by 2020. Of the world’s nearly 85 million dotcoms, 11.9 million are e-commerce and online business websites, 4.3 million are entertainmentrelated sites and 1.8 million are sports-related sites, according to VeriSign. “The value of these dotcom names is incredible,” Beckstrom said. “The economic value to businesses that often pay just 10 bucks a year for their domain name may be millions of dollars. “Google probably paid 10 bucks for Google.com when they first got it,” he said. — AFP
BEIJING: Chinese firms selling advertising space on Google’s search amid signs that Google Inc may soon move to close Google.cn, more than pages have demanded clarity about the Internet company’s plans in two months after it hit back against sophisticated hacking attacks from China, warning they will demand compensation if it shuts its Chinese por- inside China and said it was no longer willing to offer a censored search tal. The warning from Chinese online advertising sales companies comes engine. Google and China have been tight-lipped since then about any talks to reconcile their differences. A letter purportedly from 27 Googleauthorized sales representative companies says the wait has gone on for too long, eroding their business, scaring off employees and putting big investments in jeopardy. “We see a constant stream of information but cannot predict the future, we see business sliding, but there is nothing we can do,” says the letter, which was also posted on a website affiliated with China’s central television. “We are waiting now in incomparable pain and disquiet.” Google has received the letter and is reviewing it, spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said. The companies spell out demands for redress-for investors, employees and clients-that could add to the economic and political pressures on Google if it shuts down Google.cn and perhaps withdraws other operations from China. MOUNTAIN VIEW, California: A bicyclist rides by a sign at the Google headquarters March 10, Some of the signatories, 2010. — AFP contacted by Reuters, would not comment on the letter, but said that neither their affiliation with Google.cn nor the fight between Google and the government had hurt their micro-blogging site Twitter by adding the SAN FRANCISCO: Social-networking star od, compared to the same week in 2009. business. The Wall Street By comparison, visits to search engine social-networking feature Buzz to its Gmail Facebook surpassed Google to become the most visited website in the United States home Google.com increased only nine per- service. In what could signal an escalating Journal quoted one anonymous for the first time last week, industry ana- cent in the same time-although the tracker battle between Facebook and Google, the source who confirmed the conlysts showed. Facebook’s homepage fin- does not include Google property sites such leading social-networking service celebrattents of the letter, but added ished the week ending March 13 as the as the popular Gmail email service, ed its sixth birthday earlier this year with that not all the signatories had most visited site in the country, according YouTube and Google Maps. Taken together, changes including a new message inbox been involved in drafting the to industry tracker Hitwise. The “impor- Facebook.com and Google.com amounted that echoes Gmail’s format. Facebook letter. The companies sell tant milestone,” as described by Hitwise to 14 percent of the entire US Internet vis- boasts some 400 million users while Gmail advertising spots on Google had 176 million unique visitors in director of research Heather Dougherty, its last week, Dougherty said. search-result pages tied to cerGoogle has been positioning challenges December, according to tracking firm came as Facebook enjoyed a massive 185 tain searches. percent increase in visits in the same peri- in recent months to Facebook and the comScore. — AFP The letter demands that Google develop a plan spelling out when customers’ pre-payments for advertising will be returned to them, how employThe Apple App Store is weather look-up apps, there is SAN FRANCISCO: A study January. ees of the advertising agents Mobile applications have reported to have more than practically an app for every scereleased yesterday indicated thrown out of work will be that the market for mobile been around since the late 150,000 iPhone applications on nario from bar exams to simucompensated, and how the device software programs 1990s but began to “blossom in its virtual shelves and recently lated libation consumption,” the should rocket to 17.5 billion earnest” after Apple launched passed the three-billion-down- report noted. The average price companies themselves will be dollars (US) within three years. its App Store for iPhone and load milestone. Internet titan of two dollars paid for mobile compensated for investments. Downloads of mobile applica- iPod Touch devices in mid- Google has weighed into the applications in 2009 is expected Addressed to Google’s top tions to handsets will leap from 2008, according to the report smartphone arena with an to drop to 1.50 dollars in two executive for China, John Liu, slightly more than seven billion summary. The annual market Android mobile software used years, the study by Chetan it demands negotiations with in 2009 to nearly 50 billion in for mobile applications is six on an array of devices including Sharma Consulting indicated. the company. A commerce “This report signifies a bat2012, according to the inde- billion dollars and Internet its own touch-screen Nexus ministry spokesman on pendent study commissioned firms large and small are racing One handsets. Google runs a tle for survival of the fittest Tuesday warned Google to growing Android among app stores worldwide,” by GetJar, the world’s second to offer services that tap into rapidly obey Chinese laws and rules, geo-location, camera, touch- Marketplace that already boasts Laurs said. GetJar has become a largest app store. including alerting the ministry “It is easy to see how screen and other features of more than 30,000 mini-pro- hot spot for free mini-applicato any exit plans. Google’s grams made for smartphones tions for just about any kind of mobile apps will eclipse the tra- mobile phones. chief executive, Eric Schmidt, Seventeen percent of GetJar running on that mobile operat- smartphone. More that 842 milditional desktop Internet,” said last week he hoped to GetJar chief executive Ilja users already spend more time ing system. About 310,000 soft- lion downloads of applications have an outcome soon from Laurs told AFP. “It makes per- on Internet-linked mobile ware developers have accounts had been logged at m.getjar.com fect sense that mobile devices phones than they do on desktop to submit programs to GetJar, as of Tuesday, according to the talks with Chinese officials on will kill the desktop.” Apple computers, according to Laurs. which boasts a collection of firm’s website. GetJar has been offering an uncensored search runs the world’s top App Store IPhone owners are the most more than 65,000 mini-applica- in the mobile applications shop engine in that country of 384 online at iTunes and the cul- advanced users of mobile appli- tions crafted for thousands of business slightly more than two million Internet users. years. GetJar is venture-backed ture-changing firm was pro- cations, spending more time different types of handsets. Many experts doubt China’s “From highly interactive and has offices in Britain, nounced a “mobile devices and money on software for their ruling Communist Party would and Northern company” by its iconic chief smartphones than they do on games that only used to run on Lithuania, compromise on censorship. consoles to simple news or California. — AFP music, he added. executive Steve Jobs in The Financial Times reported at the weekend the talks had reached an impasse and Google was “99.9 percent” certain to shut Google.cn. A Google spokesperson said on Monday that talks with Chinese authorities had not ended, but added that the company was adamant about not accepting self-censorship. China requires Internet operators to block words and images the ruling Communist Party deems unacceptable. Google.cn has not yet lifted that filter. Internationally popular websites Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are entirely blocked in China, which uses a filtering “firewall” to block Internet users from overseas content banned by authorities. —Reuters
Facebook beats Google for visitors
Mobile ‘apps’ a 17.5 billion market by 2012
HEALTH & SCIENCE
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Clinic offers chance for free human eggs LONDON: An American infertility clinic is offering free human eggs to one British participant for attending an informational seminar yesterday in London. The promotion, which has been described by some as a raffle, has sparked an ethical debate in Britain about whether women should be paid for their eggs , which is illegal in the European Union, but not in the United States. The Genetics and IVF Institute held a free educational seminar for British couples yesterday. Of the participants, one will win a treatment cycle for donated in-vitro fertilization, to produce eggs. The prize is not based on a paid raffle. In a statement, the clinic said its egg donors are college-educated women between 19 and 32. In the US, women are routinely paid from $10,000 to $35,000 or more for their eggs. In Britain, women cannot be paid for their eggs and can only be compensated for their travel expenses
and time off work; that cannot exceed more than 250 pounds (USD $384) per treatment cycle. To donate eggs, a woman must undergo a monthlong treatment that involves injecting herself with hormones and then undergoing a surgical procedure to retrieve the eggs. Because the donated eggs, which may result from paying a woman for treatment, will happen in the US , the clinic is not technically breaking any British laws. But experts slammed the event as a publicity stunt. “There’s something shocking in the association of a raffle and giving away a human product,” said Dr. Francoise Shenfield, a fertility and medical ethics expert at University College London. “In Europe, we have the general idea that altruism is a good thing and we don’t want to turn human body parts into a commodity.” Shenfield, who has studied how many
Europeans go abroad for infertility treatment, said it was impossible to know how many Britons were going to the US, since they are not obliged to report it. Many Europeans commonly seek treatment elsewhere to get around loopholes in their own country, like the number of eggs that can be retrieved or implanted, how much donors can be paid, and who is eligible to be treated. Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which regulates fertility treatment, said the US clinic’s raffle was inappropriate. “It trivializes altruistic donation,” the agency said, and runs contrary to the regulations that exist “to protect the dignity of donors and recipients.” Trina Leonard, a spokeswoman for the Genetics and IVF Institute in Fairfax, Virginia, said the US clinic was simply offering a seminar in London commonly held in the US.
“They’re not raffling off a human egg,” she said. Leonard said one person who comes to the seminar who wants to pursue a donated egg is given a free treatment cycle. She said the giveaway was promotional to introduce “new options” for people hoping to start a family. She said the winner would be picked randomly, not according to need because that would be too complicated. The clinic has been giving away donor cycles valued at more than $10,000 for about a year, she said. Far more egg donors are available in the US than in Britain. According to the European Union’s Tissues and Cells Directive, donors may only be paid for their inconvenience. But the figure varies across the continent. In Spain, women can receive up to about §900 (about $1,200) for donating eggs. Allan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield, said the British supply of donated eggs
might be increased if women received more money for their time. “To donate an egg, you’re really inconvenienced, and 250 pounds barely scratches the surface,” he said. Some women weren’t sure if offering more money for eggs was a good idea. Rhiannon Prytherch, 28, an actress and theatre manager in Darby, England, said even if she was offered money, she would not sell her eggs. “It doesn’t feel like a commodity that should be profitable,” she said. “I could never charge someone for that.” But Prytherch said she might feel differently if she were the one needing eggs. “If I were a woman who wanted to have a child, I would be willing to pay.” Pacey said the US clinic’s approach risked turning human eggs into a commercialized product. “Having a lottery (to get eggs) is not how we do things in this country,” Pacey said. — AP
Lung cancer gene tests not ready: US report Tests fail to take known factors into account WASHINGTON: Genetic tests designed to predict how well lung cancer patients will fare after treatment do very little to guide doctors, government researchers said on Tuesday. Their review of studies aiming to show a gene signature for lung tumors found serious problems in the
design and analysis of the studies. Researchers need some clear guidelines to follow in what is becoming a booming industry of using genes to predict who needs more treatment, said Jyothi Subramanian and Richard Simon of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.
Antidepressants can help people with physical ills LONDON: Antidepressants such as Eli Lilly’s Prozac or GlaxoSmithKline’s Paxil can help depressed patients with physical illness, and doctors should consider them more often, researchers said yesterday. While around 10 percent of patients with physical diseases are thought to suffer from depression, studies suggest doctors are less likely to prescribe antidepressants because they are not sure if the medicines will work well. A systematic review by British scientists found the drugs were more effective than placebos, or dummy pills, at treating depression in patients with physical illnesses including stroke, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease and various types of cancer. The findings are already being used to update European guidelines on treating depression, experts said. “I see many patients struggling with the effects of physical disease on their mental health,” said Matthew Hotopf of King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, who led the study. “This is a critical area of research which will help doctors maximize a patient’s treatment and
recovery from the mental and physical symptoms of illness.” The research, a Cochrane Library review which analyzed 51 studies on antidepressants versus placebos, found that for every six people being treated, one more was likely to benefit at 6-8 weeks if they were taking antidepressants. Most of the studies looked at selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), like Prozac, or at an older class of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants, like Norpramin, made by SanofiAventis. Around 3,600 patients were involved. “This research is very important for millions of patients and families who are experiencing physical illness,” said Irene Higginson of the Cicely Saunders Institute at King’s College London, who also worked on the study. “Until now many doctors and nurses were worried that these treatments did not work well in people with physical illness. This result shows that they are usually of benefit. Already we are using the results to inform a new European guideline for doctors and nurses on the management of depression.” — Reuters
“None of the studies reviewed were successful in showing clear usefulness for the gene expression signatures over and above the known risk factors,” they wrote in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer globally, killing 1.2 million people a year. Only 15 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer are still alive five years later. Researchers hope to be able to use DNA sequences to predict risk of disease, to help choose the best drug for a patient, and to follow how well patients are doing on various therapies. However, so many different stretches of DNA are involved in disease that experts say it will take years to sort out. And there is no clear agreement on how to design studies to show whether such tests predict what they are supposed to. Subramanian and Simon reviewed 16 studies published from 2002 to 2009 on tests looking for active genes in non-small cell lung tumors that would predict whether a patient’s tumors would return or spread. Diagnosing lung cancer is tricky. At Stage I, before the tumor has spread, surgery can get the tumor-if the surgeon can get to it without destroying the lung. Most patients are not diagnosed until Stage IV, when the cancer has spread throughout the body, because symptoms are vague. In between, it is hard to assess how much the tumor has spread and whether a patient would benefit from chemotherapy. Even when a surgeon gets all the tumor and patients are designated as stage IA, meaning no spread, 30 percent of the patients relapse. So the pressure is on for a way to test the tumor to predict who needs extra treatment. But none of the tests so far do this adequately, Subramanian and Simon said. And most of the studies did not even take into account known risk factors, such as whether the edges of the tumor looked fuzzy, they said. “Hence, we again emphasize the fact that care must be taken to collect and use as much clinical information about patients as possible when developing prognostic signatures,” they concluded. In a separate study on Tuesday, researchers showed intensive radiation therapy called stereotactic body radiation therapy was useful for treating early stage lung cancer patients whose tumors could not be removed surgically.— Reuters
JAKARTA: A picture taken on January 22, 2010 shows a captive Sumatran tiger padding through its enclosure at Jakarta’s Ragunan Zoo. Thirty-five years of efforts to save tigers in the wild have been “failed miserably” and the great cat is walking ever closer to extinction, the head of the UN’s wildlife trade body warned. — AFP
Judge allows genetically engineered beet harvest SAN FRANCISCO: A federal judge on Tuesday said farmers can harvest their genetically engineered sugar beets this year, ruling the economic impact too great and that environmental groups waited too long to request that the crop be yanked from the ground and otherwise barred from the market. Nearly all sugar beets planted are genetically engineered and the crop accounts for half the US sugar supply. US District Court Judge Jeffrey White last year sided with the environmental groups when he ruled that federal regulators five years ago improperly approved the genetically engineered crop for market. White said in September that further environmental studies are required before the United States Department of Agriculture can decide the issue but didn’t decide the next legal steps. In January, the Center for Food Safety, Earthjustice and several other groups and organic farmers asked White to immediately halt the planting and harvest of all genetically engineered beets while determining how to resolve the lawsuit, which was filed in 2007. The groups sued the USDA over its approval, and the biotech company Monsanto Co., which develops genetically engineered seeds, joined the lawsuit on the government’s side. The groups and organic farmers fear the biotech beets will cross-pollinate with conventional beets, as well as Swiss chard, and upset consumers who shun genetically engineered products. In denying their request, White noted that the Center for Food Safety and the other groups who sued had ample opportunity to make such a request and he chastised them for waiting until this year to act. The judge said it appears most of the genetically engineered seeds have already been planted and it would be too disruptive to order their removal from the fields. “This ruling provides clarity that farmers can plant Roundup Ready sugarbeets in
2010,” said Steve Welker, Monsanto’s sugarbeet business manager. The judge also said such an order would cause an economic catastrophe — 95 percent of sugar beets are genetically engineered with a bacteria gene to withstand sprayings of Monsanto popular weed killer Roundup. Half the nation’s sugar supply is derived from beets and a Monsanto expert testified that 5,800 jobs and $283.6 million in growers’ profits would be lost if he shut down the market, which stretches across 1 million acres (400,000 hectares) in 10 states. “Moreover, an injunction which would ban the planting and processing of genetically engineered sugar beets in 2010 would have a large detrimental impact on the United States’ domestic sugar supply and price,” White said in his eight-page ruling. Now the battle turns to whether the judge will bar future plantings of genetically engineered seeds while a new Monsanto application is pending before the USDA. The judge said he wanted farmers to use as much conventional seed as possible but didn’t say if he would bar the biotech variety. The company said it would fight such an order. Paul Achitoff, an attorney for Earthjustice, said he was “encouraged” by White’s comments about future harvests. “We will ask the court to halt the use of genetically engineered sugar beets and seeds until the federal government does its job to protect consumers and farmers alike,” Achitoff said. White scheduled a July 9 hearing to decide whether to ban future plantings. “Without measures to protect farmers like me from (genetically engineered) contamination, organic chard and beets as we know them are at serious risk of being lost,” said Frank Morton, an organic beet farmer in Oregon who supports the lawsuit. — AP
Brain damage linked to prenatal meth exposure
CHEONGDO: Bulls wrestle during the opening day of the bull fighting festival at Cheongdo yesterday. A total of 132 bulls from South Korea, Japan, Australia and the US will fight each other during the fiveday festival from March 17-21. — AFP
WASHINGTON: A developing fetus exposed to methamphetamine can cause far more damaging brain, cognitive and behavioral problems than prenatal exposure to alcohol, a study said Tuesday. University of California Los Angeles professor Elizabeth Sowell and her colleagues used structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) to evaluate the specific effects of prenatal methexposure by comparing the brain scans of 61 children. Among the participating children, 21 had prenatal meth and alcohol exposure, 13 had heavy alcohol exposure only and 27 were not exposed to either meth or alcohol. The scientists showed for the first time that children whose mothers consumed meth during pregnancy-with or without alcohol-had structural abnormalities in the brain that were more severe than those seen in children whose mothers abused alco-
hol alone. They found that the caudate nucleus, a structure important for learning and memory, motor control and motivation, was one of the brain regions more reduced by meth than alcohol exposure. Earlier studies have shown that alcohol-exposed children have some smaller brain structures. Sowell and her colleagues found the affected brain regions were similar for meth-exposed children, with some of the brain regions even smaller and others larger than normal. The larger volume in meth-exposed children was found in the cingulate cortex, an area linked to control and conflict resolution. Based on brain images and IQ information, researchers were also able to chart a child’s past exposure to drugs. The scientists noted that detailed data about vulnerable brain structures could eventually help diag-
nose children with cognitive or behavioral problems who do not have a welldocumented history of drug exposure. “We know that alcohol exposure is toxic to the developing fetus and can result in lifelong brain, cognitive and behavioral problems,” said Sowell, whose study appears in Wednesday’s issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. “In this study, we show that the effects of prenatal meth exposure, or the combination of meth and alcohol exposure, may actually be worse. Our findings stress the importance of drug abuse treatment for pregnant women.” Among the over 16 million Americans older than 12 who have used meth, some 19,000 are pregnant women, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. About half of women who said they used meth while pregnant also consumed alcohol. — AFP
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WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Embassy information EMBASSY OF UKRAINE The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait informs that it has started updating the information about Ukrainian citizens, who live and work in Kuwait. In this connection, we are asking you to refer to the Embassy and update your file in consular register in order not to be excluded from it. Please note, that the last day of updating your data is 20th of March, 2010. For additional information please call: 25318507 ext.106 or visit the embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait (address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str.6, house 5). The consular section of the Embassy open every day from 09:30 till 14:30 except Friday and Saturday.
Marina Hotel Kuwait hosts Award Recognition
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n the occasion of completion of five successful years in Kuwait, the “Safir” Marina Hotel Kuwait recently hosted its “Long Service Award Recognition” for Managers and associates who completed five years of service with Safir Hotels and Resorts. The Hotel’s staff members who completed five years of service with the Hotel were awarded with a certificate and
Aware poetry night
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WARE Poetry Night By AbdulHadi Mohammed, famous as Kazeh. Entitled as “One of the first young Anglophone poets” and marked as the one who “started a literary revolution on the local side.”, Kazeh is a young, prominent writer of the Kuwaiti Independent Writers Circle known for his satirical style and commentaries on issues regarding Kuwait and its youth; a poet renowned for his unique and self-invented poetry style. The topics of his poems wander around the physical and spiritual aspects of life and death from love, friendship, sacrifice and patriotism to the talk of souls and the faith in God. Come and share this wonderful poetry night with all AWARE friends on Tuesday March 23, 2010 at 7pm.
Tulukoota Kuwait family picnic 2010
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ulukoota Kuwait cordially invites all its members to the 2010 TKK Annual Picnic as the beautiful blue sky and warm sun announce the arrival of summer. Come and join us for a fun filled play day at Mish ref Garden on Friday 9th April 2010 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. The day will be filled with fun activities for the whole family. Come out and enjoy great food, and games. This is going to be one of the biggest events of the year, spread the word out and invite all Tuluvas to come and enjoy this day. For more information call: Mohd Iqbal - 99483350; Chandrahasa Shetty55941955; Sathya Narayana66585077.
a token of appreciation in recognition of their dedication, commitment and exceptional performance throughout the years. Fawzi Al-Musallam - Vice Chairman, Safir International Hotel Management, said: “It is an occasion for us to celebrate along with our Employees the success of our hard work achieved throughout the years. We take pride in treating our employees in the same manner they
treat their guests, providing nothing but the best in the systems, practices, policies, procedures and training. We are proud to have amidst us dedicated and professional Staff who have been with us from day one. I would like to thank them for the wonderful job they have done and hope they continue with this spirit and keep up the efforts” The celebration included distribution
of certificates by Mr. Fawzi K. AlMusallam, Vice Chairman, Safir International Hotel Management, Mr. Nabil Hammoud, Group Director of Operations, Safir International Hotel Management representing for Mr. Helmut Meckelburg, the Chief Executive Officer, Safir International Hotel Management. “Safir” Marina Hotel Kuwait was
launched five years ago by Safir International Hotels and Resorts - the largest group of Hotel chains in Kuwait managing hotels in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria and Oman. Under development are projects in Morocco, the UAE, Sudan, Iran, Malaysia and Indonesia, Turkey and India. Safir Hotels is a 100 % subsidiary of Kuwait Hotels Company.
ESF brings in spring with annual performance
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he English School Fahaheel recently held their annual Spring concert in the Lloyd Webber Theatre, to display the unsurpassed musical talent that ESF students possess. This year’s talent was even evident in Year 1 and 2 students who have now officially formed the “ESF Petit Choir”. They exuded confidence as they sang” If Your happy’”, “I can be your friend” and many more. The ESF Junior and Senior Choirs sang numbers from the forthcoming ESF production of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and other classics and favourites. The soloists were exemplary and Lou Lou Ashton performed Morning from Peer Gynt, Maria Dalibalta performed Midnight Sonata on the piano among others. The Recorder group was the next attraction as they performed “Ode to Joy” and other known classics. The Brass Band performed “Clair De La Lume” and “Kumbaya”. The event came to a close with an outstanding performance from the ESF Rock Band with “Never Say never”, “As long as you love me” and a solo by Clive “God Bless the broken road”. A member of the audience commented that he was so impressed with the wide range of musical talent at ESF. The ESF Spring Concert was further proof of the high standard of performing arts at the school.
EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on Wednesday, March 24 and Sunday, March 28, 2010 on account of “Ram Navami” & “Mahavir Jayanthi” respectively. 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. Embassy of Japan The Embassy of Japan in Kuwait announces that it will be closed to the public on Sunday, March 21st 2010 on the occasion of Japan’s Vernal Equinox Day.
Trassk to hold annual general body meeting
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hrissur Association of Kuwait (TRASSK) is conducting its Annual General Body Meeting on Friday 26 March 2010 at Khaitan Indian Community School auditorium at 5.OOPM. All members are requested to treat this intimation as a call and attend the meeting, where annual reports for 2009-10 will be presented and new office bearers will be elected for 2010-11. For more details, please contact on 97551368.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Embassy of India Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children F
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he Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India has announced the Scholarship Program for Diaspora Children (SPDC 2010-2011) to assist children/wards of PIOs / NRIs to pursue undergraduate courses in several disciplines in India. The Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed.CIL), a Government of India Enterprise, has been designated as the Nodal Agency for implementation of the SPDC. The following are the highlights of the SPDC 20102011: l 100 scholarships are being offered for undergraduate courses in several disci-
plines including Engineering/Architecture/Tec hnology, Humanities/Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management-BBA/BBM, Computer-BCA, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture/Animal Husbandry, Sciences, Law, etc. l The program is open only to PIOs/NRIs from the specified 40 countries, including Kuwait, having a larger concentration of Indian Diaspora. l 50% of the scholarship would be reserved for PIOs. However, in the event of nonavailability of suitable PIO candidates, the unfilled slots could be assigned to NRI candidates. l NRI candidates would be
31
WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT
eligible for the grant of scholarship only if their total family income per month does not exceed an amount equivalent to US $2,250 (US dollars two thousand two hundred and fifty only). l Children of NRIs should have pursued at least three years of education inclusive of 11th & 12th or equivalent (not beyond), in a foreign country during the last six years, and should have passed the qualifying examination abroad. l The last date for receipt of duly filled-in application forms in the prescribed format by Ed.CIL is 10th June 2010. l PIO/NRI students already studying in India on a selffinancing basis or under any
other arrangement will not be eligible under this scheme, which is open only for fresh admissions in the first semester/year of undergraduate courses. l Candidates would be selected on the basis of their performances in the qualifying examination (equivalent to plus 2 stage in India) which decides the eligibility to apply for the scholarship scheme. The candidates would also have to fulfill all the criteria prescribed for the purpose. The guidelines and the application form can be downloaded from the Ed.CIL websites: www.edcilindia.co.in and www.educationindia4u.nic.in
Free Medical Camp
riends Welfare Trust (FWT) and Society of Pakistani Doctors in Kuwait (SPDK) are organizing a free medical camp with a desire to discuss their medical problems, educate our community and bring to their knowledge the importance of various factors relating to Their health . Different Pakistani specialist doctors under umbrella of Kuwait Medical Association (KMA) will extend their expert advice to the patients. Venue: Pakistan School and college, Area #10 Essa alqattami Street,
Salmiya. Date and Time: Friday, 19th March from 2 pm to 6 pm. In this connection we advise the patients to bring their old papers and all other investigations with them so that doctors can give their expert opinion regarding your problem. Blood Sugar screening, Blood group, Blood pressure monitoring, ECG and ultrasonogram services will be also available. For more information Contact: Dr. Shujauddin 66509007, Dr Zafar A Sheikh 65851604 Sh. Bashir Ahmed 99529099.
KUWAIT TEXTILE ARTS ASSOCIATION
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uesday 23rd March 2010, KUWAIT TEXTILE ARTS ASSOCIATION hosts a lecture by Dr KEIREINE CANAVAN from the UNIVERSITY OF WALES INSTITUTE, CARDIFF, UK. The lecture titled ‘Discovered Through Translation: Sadu House Permanent Collection Gata No 2’ at Sadu House at 7.00pm (Entrance on corner of National Museum, Gulf Road, Kuwait City) The event will also host the American University of Kuwait Graphic Students’ Sadu Project Poster Exhibition.
Get well soon
S
heikha Dr Hessa Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah successfully underwent an operation in London, to treat an old injury in her foot. She is currently staying in London for her recovery period. Get well soon.
Rich musical tribute to Puthencherry
M
alayalee Community in Kuwait paid rich tribute to Girish Puthancherry, popular film lyricist who passed away recently. ‘Nilave Mayumo,’ a musical eve was held at United Indian School Abbassiya on Thursday evening to pay homage to the musical genius. Prominent singers and well known musicians in Kuwait took part in the event which has been organized in the auspices of Thanima (The Human and Nostalgic Interaction of Malayalees Abroad) with the cooperation of various Malayalee cultural organizations. Twenty two of his sweet and melodious songs including Harimuraliravum...., Ethrayo Janmam Nine Njaan Thedunu ..., Pinnayum Pinnayum Aaro Kinavinte..., Kalabham Tharam Bhagavane..., Innale
WOW talks about going green
W
OW (Women of the World) discussed their “go green” project at the occasion of Dr Iqbal’s birthday. It was a wonderful program full of fun, enlightenment and entertainment. It was touching moment when everyone wished her birthday greetings in their national language and sang a song.
Ente Nenjile... and Moovanthi Tazhvarayil... Sooryakireedam Veenudanju...were presented in reverence to the beloved lyricist. Anwar Sarang, Kishore, Shyju Pallipuram, Sindhu Ramesh, Rony Cherian, Rafi Kallai, Nixon George, Varghese Paul, Chandramohan Kannur, Razak Kannur, Rebecca and Varsha Venu Gopal presented the songs and Basheer, Iqbal, Prathab, Shahul, Sony Francis, Jabbar, Johnson, Hamsa and Joseph led the orchestra. In fact, the musical tribute in memory of the renowned composer turned magnificent due to the presence of people from all walks of life and since it has evolved as a mark of great respect towards an eminent artist whose untimely demise created a deep vacuum in Malayalee cultural life. Commencing the program promi-
nent personalities in Kuwait Malayalee Community and cultural activists paid floral tributes in front of Puthancherry’s portrait. Sam Painummood welcomed the gathering and Somu Mathew proposed a vote of thanks. Jyothidas in his introductory talk remembered the contributions of Puthancherry and his simplicity as a man. Babuji Bathery was the master of ceremonies. Many of the leading social and cultural leaders attended the musical evening. Raghunathan Nair, Adv .John Thomas, Raju Zacharia, Jacob Thomas, Joy Mundakad, Sony Francis, Pushpalal, Shemesh Kumar, Jerry John Koshy, Shaji Varghese, Benoy, Radhakrishnan, Sony Mon Philip, Thomas Mathew, Jomon Mankuzhikari, Jins and Thomas Kattanam led the programs.
Meeting with Emily Unsworth
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ocal schoolgirl, Emily Unsworth, met her “hero”, Jacqueline Wilson, last weekend at the 2nd Festival of Literature in neighboring Dubai. Emily, a year 4 pupil at Kuwait English School is an avid reader and it was a dream come true for her to meet her favorite author, Jacqueline Wilson, author of more than 100 books mostly written for girls. Emily attended the event with her brother, Joe, also a student at Kuwait
English School and her parents who are both teachers at the same school. The 3rd Festival of Literature is already being planned for next year and children’s writer, Michael Morpurgo, has already signed up for this event. This is a brilliant opportunity for anybody who is passionate about reading. More than 107 authors were in attendance this year and more than 25,000 people visited the festival during the four days.
TV PROGRAMS
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Orbit / Showtime Listings
00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00
14:20 NEXT X U.S SHORTS 14:30 Jimmy Two-Shoes 15:00 Phineas & Ferb 15:30 Yin Yang Yo 16:00 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 16:30 Kid vs Kat 17:00 Power Rangers Jungle Fury 17:30 Phineas & Ferb 18:00 Suite Life On Deck 18:30 Suite Life On Deck 19:00 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures 19:25 Kid vs Kat 20:00 Zeke & Luther 20:30 Phil Of The Future 21:00 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 21:30 Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension 22:00 Phineas & Ferb 22:25 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures
ER In Plain Sight Inside the Actors Studio Murdoch Mysteries In Plain Sight Burn Notice Damages ER Lie to Me Law & Order Inside the Actors Studio Murdoch Mysteries Damages Burn Notice Inside the Actors Studio In Plain Sight Lie to Me Law & Order Starter Wife Damages Without a Trace Ghost Whisperer Sons of Anarchy True Blood
00:50 01:45 02:40 03:35 04:30 05:25 06:20 06:45 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:45 10:40 11:30 11:55 12:20 12:50 13:45 14:10 14:40 15:35 16:00 16:30 17:25 17:50 18:20 18:45 19:15 19:40 20:10 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:25 23:55
Living With Wolves Animal Cops Phoenix Untamed And Uncut Journey Of Life Animal Cops Phoenix Miami Animal Police Monkey Life Shamwari: A Wild Life Vet On The Loose Aussie Animal Rescue Wildlife SOS Pet Rescue Living With Wolves The Jeff Corwin Experience Britain’s Worst Pet The Planet’s Funniest Animals Monkey Life Shamwari: A Wild Life Miami Animal Police Vet On The Loose Pet Rescue Animal Cops Phoenix Wildlife SOS Aussie Animal Rescue Living With Wolves The Planet’s Funniest Animals The Planet’s Funniest Animals Beverly Hills Groomer Animal Battlegrounds Living With The Wolfman Living With The Wolfman Fur Seals: The Dark Side Animal Cops Phoenix Untamed And Uncut Living With The Wolfman Living With The Wolfman Animal Cops Phoenix
00:35 01:25 02:15 03:05 03:35 04:05 04:55 05:45 06:35 07:20 07:40 08:00 08:15 08:45 08:50 09:00 09:20 09:40 09:55 10:25 10:30 10:40 11:30 12:25 12:50 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 23:15
Casualty Life In The Undergrowth Paradise Or Bust Love Soup Love Soup Casualty Casualty Life In The Undergrowth Bargain Hunt Balamory Fimbles The Roly Mo Show Tikkabilla Yoho Ahoy Little Robots Balamory Fimbles The Roly Mo Show Tikkabilla Yoho Ahoy Little Robots Bargain Hunt Life In The Undergrowth Building Wonders Building Wonders The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Bargain Hunt Cash In The Attic Red Dwarf Red Dwarf The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Casualty The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Green Green Grass Extras
00:05 Ching’s Kitchen 00:30 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 01:20 Cash In The Attic Usa 02:00 Hidden Potential 02:30 Antiques Roadshow 03:30 Antiques Roadshow 04:30 The Clothes Show 05:15 Cash In The Attic Usa 05:45 Hidden Potential 06:15 Living In The Sun 07:00 The Clothes Show 08:10 Antiques Roadshow 09:00 Cash In The Attic Usa 09:25 Hidden Potential 09:45 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 10:30 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes
00:15 Streets Of Hollywood 00:40 E!es 01:30 Extreme Hollywood 02:20 Sexiest 03:15 Ths Investigates 05:05 Dr 90210 06:00 20 Acts Of Love Gone Wrong 07:45 Style Star 08:10 Style Star 08:35 E! News 09:00 The Daily 10 09:25 Leave It To Lamas 09:50 Leave It To Lamas 10:15 Ths 11:05 Ths 12:00 E! News 12:25 The Daily 10 12:50 Kendra 13:15 Kendra 13:40 30 Most Outrageous Celebrity Feuds 15:25 Behind The Scenes 15:50 Behind The Scenes 16:15 E!es 17:10 Bank Of Hollywood 18:00 E! News 18:25 The Daily 10 18:50 Streets Of Hollywood 19:15 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 19:40 Ths 20:30 Ths 21:20 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:45 Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Pan’s Labyrinth on Show Movies Action 11:30 Living In The Sun 12:20 Antiques Roadshow 13:10 The Clothes Show 14:00 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 14:50 Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes 15:40 Daily Cooks Challenge 16:05 Daily Cooks Challenge 16:30 Cash In The Attic Usa 16:50 Hidden Potential 17:15 The Clothes Show 18:00 Antiques Roadshow 18:50 Antiques Roadshow 19:45 Daily Cooks Challenge 20:15 Daily Cooks Challenge 20:40 Masterchef Goes Large 21:10 Come Dine With Me 21:35 Come Dine With Me 22:00 Living In The Sun
01:00 03:15 05:15 07:15 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 22:00
Henry And June-18 Intersection-PG15 The Hi-Lo Country-18 Pearl Diver-PG Janis-PG Gone For A Dance-PG15 Cocoon-PG15 Beyond The Mat-PG15 The Truman Show-PG15 The Firm-PG15 Ripley’s Game-PG15
00:00 Untamed & Uncut 01:00 Miami Ink 02:00 Street Customs Berlin 02:55 American Chopper 03:50 Beetle Crisis 04:15 Beetle Crisis 04:45 Mythbusters 05:40 How Do They Do It? 06:05 Dirty Jobs 07:00 Man Made Marvels Asia 07:55 Beetle Crisis 08:20 Beetle Crisis 08:50 Street Customs Berlin 09:45 How Do They Do It? 10:10 Mythbusters 11:05 Ultimate Survival 12:00 Extreme Loggers 12:55 How Do They Do It? 13:25 How Do They Do It? 13:50 American Chopper 14:45 Miami Ink 15:40 Mythbusters 16:35 Dirty Jobs 17:30 Extreme Loggers 18:30 Street Customs Berlin 19:30 Destroyed In Seconds 20:00 How Do They Do It? 20:30 How Do They Do It? 21:00 Destroyed In Seconds 21:30 Destroyed In Seconds 22:00 My Shocking Story 23:00 World’s Heaviest Man Gets Married
00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 04:00 04:50 05:45 06:10 06:40 07:10 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:55 11:20 11:50
Extreme Engineering Engineered Space Pioneer What’s That About? Beyond Tomorrow Nasa’s Greatest Missions How Stuff’s Made Mean Green Machines One Step Beyond Engineered Thunder Races Nasa’s Greatest Missions What’s That About? How Stuff’s Made Stunt Junkies Engineered
12:45 13:10 13:40 14:35 15:30 16:25 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:40 20:30 21:20 21:45 22:10 23:00 23:50
Mean Green Machines One Step Beyond Nasa’s Greatest Missions What’s That About? Science Of Beauty How Stuff’s Made Thunder Races Brainiac Extreme Engineering The Future Of... Brainiac How It’s Made How It’s Made Mythbusters The Future Of... Brainiac
00:00 00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:45 03:10 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:20 07:45 08:10 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:45 12:10 12:35 12:55 13:20 13:40 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:15 15:40 16:00 16:25 16:45 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:45 19:00 19:25 19:50
My Friends Tigger And Pooh Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Imagination Movers Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Brandy & Mr Whiskers Fairly Odd Parents Hannah Montana I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas & Ferb Higglytown Heroes My Friends Tigger And Pooh Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Imagination Movers Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Brandy & Mr Whiskers Fairly Odd Parents Hannah Montana I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas & Ferb Suite Life On Deck Replacements American Dragon Kim Possible Famous Five Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb Replacements I Got A Rocket Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana The Replacements Jonas Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance
07:00 Yin Yang Yo 07:25 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures 07:50 Kid vs Kat 08:15 Power Rangers Jungle Fury 08:40 Aaron Stone 09:05 Phineas & Ferb 09:30 Kid vs Kat 10:00 Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension 10:30 Suite Life On Deck 11:00 American Dragon 11:30 Jimmy Two-Shoes 12:00 Kid vs Kat 12:30 Phineas & Ferb 13:00 Aaron Stone 13:25 Power Rangers Jungle Fury 13:50 Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension
00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 04:05 05:00 05:55 06:20 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:40 15:30 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40
01:15 02:50 04:30 06:20 07:50 10:30 12:10 13:30 15:10 16:40 18:50 20:40 22:00
Dr G: Medical Examiner Fbi Files A Haunting Murder Shift Serial Killers Forensic Detectives Crime Scene Psychics Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters Ghosthunters Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Royal Inquest Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives Fbi Files The Prosecutors Guilty Or Innocent? Csu Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Royal Inquest Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives Fbi Files
Marshal Law The Cure Married To It Wish You Were Here Hawaii Defiance Napoleon Bikini Beach Clifford Nicholas Nickleby The Wizard of Loneliness The Lost Brigade Signs of Life
00:00 Community 00:30 10 Things I Hate About You 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 03:00 Reno 911 03:30 State of the Union 04:00 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 05:00 Community 05:30 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 06:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 07:00 Home Improvement 07:30 Malcolm in the Middle 08:00 Coach 08:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 09:00 The Colbert Report 09:30 Drew Carey 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Til’ Death 11:30 Eight Simple Rules 12:00 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 13:00 10 Things I Hate About You 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 14:00 Home Improvement
14:30 Malcolm in the Middle 15:00 Coach 15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Drew Carey 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Frasier 18:00 Eight Simple Rules 18:30 Til’ Death 19:00 Modern Family 19:30 New adventures of old Christine 20:00 Best of Late night with Jimmy Fallon 21:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 Leno 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 Leno 23:00
The Martha Stewart Show 10 Years younger S3 Look A Like S2 The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Monique Show Never Trust A Skinny Cook Fresh GMA (repeat) GMA Health What’s the Buzz The Martha Stewart Show Never Trust A Skinny Cook Fresh Jimmy Kimmel Live! The View The Ellen DeGeneres Show What’s Good For You GMA Live GMA Health What’s the Buzz The Tonight Show with Jay Look A Like S2 10 Years younger S3 The View The Ellen DeGeneres Show Jimmy Kimmel Live! The Tonight show with Jay The Monique Show
00:00 Pan’s Labyrinth-18 02:00 Motherhood-PG15 04:00 Chasing The Horizon-PG15 06:00 The Forbidden Kingdom-PG15 08:00 The Water Horse: Legend Of The Deep-FAM 10:00 The Flying Scotsman -PG15 12:00 Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix-PG 14:15 The Promotion-PG15 16:00 The Water Horse: Legend Of The Deep-FAM 18:00 Evan Almighty-PG15 20:00 Seven Pounds-PG15 22:00 Sex And The City The Movie
01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 PG15 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00
Vacancy 2: The First Cut-18 Blood : The Last Vampire-18 The Last Drop-PG15 Resident Evil: DegenerationRedbelt-PG15 Elsewhere-18 The Vanishing-PG15 Redbelt-PG15 Creature Of Darkness-PG15 Virtuosity-18 Shoot ‘em Up-18 Diary Of The Dead-18
00:00 Prelude To A Kiss-PG15 02:00 All Night Long-18 04:00 Short Track-PG 06:00 Life Or Something Like It-PG 08:00 High Heels And Low LifesPG15 10:00 First Kid-PG 12:00 The Utopian Society-PG15 14:00 My Favorite Martian-PG 16:00 Prelude To A Kiss-PG15 18:00 Miss Conception-PG15 20:00 Wieners-18 22:00 How To Lose Friends And Alienate People-PG15
01:00 Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home-FAM 02:40 The Jungle Book III : Mowgli’s Adventure-FAM 04:30 Andre-PG 06:30 Batman And Mr. Freeze: Subzero-PG 08:00 Barbie In The 12 Dancing Princesses-FAM 10:00 The Jungle Book III : Mowgli’s Adventure-FAM 12:00 Robin Hood: The King’s Return-FAM 14:00 Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home-FAM 16:00 Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie-FAM 18:00 The Gold Retrievers: Legend Of The Lost Tre-PG 20:00 Superman/batman : Public Enemies-PG15 22:00 Robin Hood: The King’s Return-FAM
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Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice Janice Dickinson Smallville
04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00
Criminal Minds Fraisier Coach Emmerdale Coronation Street Sons of Anarchy Frasier Coach Smallville (TBA) Criminal Minds Emmerdale Coronation Street Frasier Coach Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice Sons of Anarchy Beauty and the Geek Emmerdale Huey’s Cooking Adventure Bones Dollhouse
00:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 00:30 Premier League 02:30 Barclays Premier League Review Show 04:00 Premier League 06:00 Portugol 06:30 Fut Brasil 07:00 Premier League 09:00 Premier League Classics 09:30 Premier League Classics 10:00 Premier League 12:00 Premier League 14:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 14:30 Fut Brasil 15:00 Scottish Premier League 17:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 17:30 Futbol Mundial 18:00 Barclays Premier League Highlights 19:00 Premier League 21:00 Premier League World 21:30 Futbol Mundial
01:00 Premier League World 01:30 Goals On Monday 03:00 Premier League Darts 07:00 Barclays Premier League Highlights 08:00 Mobil 1 08:30 NRL Premiership 10:30 Futbol Mundial 11:00 Weber Cup Bowling 12:00 Premier League World 12:30 Goals Goals Goals 13:00 FIH Hockey World Cup 15:00 Premier League Classics 15:30 Futbol Mundial 16:00 Anglo-Welsh Cup 18:00 Mobil 1 18:30 Goals Goals Goals 19:00 Futbol Mundial 19:30 Portugol 20:00 World Sport 20:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights
01:00 Futbol Mundial 01:30 Portuguese Liga 03:30 European Tour Weekly 04:00 Weber Cup Bowling 05:00 Premier League World 05:30 Goals Goals Goals 06:00 Mobil 1 06:30 Premier League Classics 07:00 Scottish Cup 09:00 Goals Goals Goals 09:30 European Tour Weekly 10:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 11:00 Super League 13:00 Futbol Mundial 13:30 Mobil 1 14:00 Premier League Classics 14:30 ICC Cricket World 15:00 European Tour Weekly 15:30 Live PGA European Tour 19:30 FIH Hockey World Cup 21:30 Super 14 23:30 World Sport
00:00 02:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 23:00
00:55 02:40 05:00 07:30 08:00 09:50 11:35 13:25 15:30 17:25 19:00 21:15 23:00
Shaft Victor/victoria Man Of La Mancha The Screening Room The Asphalt Jungle Sunday In New York Young Cassidy The Champ The V.i.p.s On The Town Man Of La Mancha Singin’ In The Rain Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid
00:40 Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire 01:30 Lost Worlds 02:20 Dead Men’s Secrets 03:10 Conspiracy? 04:00 Dead Men’s Secrets 04:55 The True Story Of Troy 06:40 Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire 07:30 Lost Worlds 08:20 Dead Men’s Secrets 09:10 Conspiracy? 10:00 Dead Men’s Secrets 10:55 The True Story Of Troy 12:40 Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire 13:30 Lost Worlds 14:20 Dead Men’s Secrets 15:10 Conspiracy? 16:00 Dead Men’s Secrets 16:55 The True Story Of Troy 18:40 Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire 19:30 Lost Worlds 20:20 Dead Men’s Secrets 21:10 Conspiracy? 22:00 Life After People 22:55 Evolve 23:50 Dinosaur Secrets
00:00 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 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 19:30 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30
Clean House Peter Perfect Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Dallas Divas And Daughters How Do I Look? Split Ends Dr 90210 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 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 What I Hate About Me Split Ends Dallas Divas And Daughters The Dish Running In Heels Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Split Ends Clean House Dress My Nest Style Her Famous Ruby Ruby
01:04 01:45 02:00 02:45 05:04 06:00 08:04 08:45 13:04 13:50 14:00 15:00 16:04 16:45 18:00 18:45 20:04 20:45 21:00 21:15 22:00 22:24
Latina Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Legend Playlist Latina Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Trace Video Mix Playlist RNB Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Sound System Playlist Guest Star Playlist Code Compilation Playlist
00:00 Globe Trekker 01:00 Angry Planet 01:30 The Thirsty Traveler 02:00 Inside Luxury Travel-varun Sharma 03:00 Planet Food 04:00 Intrepid Journeys 05:00 Globe Trekker 06:00 Swiss Railway Journeys 07:00 The Thirsty Traveler 07:30 Angry Planet 08:00 Globe Trekker 09:00 Essential 09:30 Dream Destinations 10:00 Distant Shores 10:30 Distant Shores 11:00 Chef Abroad 11:30 Entrada 12:00 Planet Food 13:00 Globe Trekker 14:00 Chef Abroad 14:30 The Thirsty Traveler
00:30 01:30 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 05:30 06:30 07:30 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30
Jailed Abroad Jailed Abroad Bondi Rescue - Bali Destination Extreme Surfer’s Journal Treks In A Wild World Madventures Chasing Time Departures Jailed Abroad Jailed Abroad Bondi Rescue - Bali Destination Extreme Surfer’s Journal Treks In A Wild World Madventures Chasing Time Which Way To... Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Surfer’s Journal Surfer’s Journal Bondi Rescue - Bali Destination Extreme Surfer’s Journal Treks In A Wild World Madventures Chasing Time Which Way To... Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Surfer’s Journal Surfer’s Journal Bondi Rescue - Bali
NCAA Basketball NCAA Basketball UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC - The Ultimate Fighter WWE SmackDown WWE Vintage Collection FIM World Cup Rat Race Bushido WWE SmackDown LG Action Sport City Centre Races NCAA Basketball UAE National Race Day UAE National Race Day WWE Vintage Collection WWE NXT UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC 110
01:00 Fur: An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus-PG15 03:00 Iron Road Part 1-PG15 05:00 The Good Heart-PG15 07:00 Evening-PG15 09:00 Music And Lyrics-PG 11:00 Happy Go Lucky-PG15 13:00 Iron Road Part 2-PG15 15:00 Music And Lyrics-PG 17:00 Spiderwick Chronicles-PG 19:00 Flags Of Our Fathers-U 21:00 Wanted-18 23:00 Mr. Woodcock-18
Wanted on Super Movies
Star Listings (UAE Timings) STAR Movies 20:45 22:15 00:10 02:20 04:05 05:35 07:05 08:55 11:05 12:55 14:25 15:55 17:30 18:55
Carny Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger Keeping The Faith Alien Resurrection High Plains Invaders Carny Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger Keeping The Faith Alien Resurrection Keeping Up With The Steins Tuck Everlasting Carrie Horton Four Weddings And A Funeral
STAR World 20:00 American Idol 21:00 East West 21:50 Different Strokes 22:00 The Unit 22:50 Married With Children 23:00 American Idol 00:00 East West 00:50 Different Strokes 01:00 The Unit 01:50 Married With Children 02:00 Grey’s Anatomy 03:00 [V] Tunes
04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:50 11:00 12:00 12:50 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:50 15:00 15:50 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00
[V] Tunes [V] Tunes 7th Heaven Scrubs The King Of Queens Boston Legal American Idol Grey’s Anatomy Different Strokes American Idol East West Married With Children The King Of Queens The Bold And The Beautiful 7th Heaven Different Strokes Grey’s Anatomy Married With Children [V] Tunes American Idol Scrubs The King Of Queens Boston Legal
Granada TV 21:00 ...And Proud 22:00 Emmerdale 22:30 Coronation Street 23:00 ...And Proud
00:00 01:00 02:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00
The Springer Show Coach Trip (Series 1) Action Thursday: Instinct Beyond Boiling Point For One Night Only Emmerdale Coronation Street The Springer Show Coach Trip (Series 1) Action Thursday: Instinct Beyond Boiling Point The Inside Guide To (Series 3) Emmerdale Coronation Street The Springer Show Ballroom Bootcamp Action Thursday: Instinct Dirtbusters Emmerdale Coronation Street The Springer Show Ballroom Bootcamp Action Thursday: Instinct
Channel [V] 22:00 [V] Plug 22:30 The Playlist 23:00 Loop 00:00 Backtracks
01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00
Double Shot [V] Plug The Playlist Loop Parental Control Double Bill [V] Tunes Double Shot Backtracks Loop [V] Plug Double Shot Backtracks [V] Tunes [V] Plug The Playlist Loop Videoscope [V] Tunes Backtracks [V] Tunes [V] Plug The Playlist Parental Control Double Bill Videoscope [V] Tunes
Fox News 20:00 Happening Now 22:00 The Live Desk
00:00 Studio B with Shepard Smith Live 01:00 Your World with Neil Cavuto 02:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 03:00 Special Report with Bret Baier 04:00 The FOX Report with Shepard Smith 05:00 The O’Reilly Factor 06:00 Hannity 07:00 On the Record with Greta Van Susteren 08:00 The O’Reilly Factor 09:00 Hannity 10:00 On the Record with Greta Van Susteren 11:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 12:00 Fox Report 13:00 Special Report with Bret Baier 14:00 The O’Reilly Factor 15:00 FOX & Friends First Live 16:00 FOX & Friends Live 18:00 America’s Newsroom 19:00 America’s Newsroom National Geographic Channel 20:00 Inside -Inside Afghan Heroin 21:00 Wild Wednesday -Fishzilla 22:00 Wild Wednesday -Monster Fish : Sawfish 23:00 Theme Week -Seconds From Disaster : Asian Tsunami S3-6
00:00 Seconds From Disaster -Hotel Collapse Singapore S2-10 01:00 ABOUT ASIA -Speed Nation 02:00 Interpol Investigates -Betrayed 03:00 Animal Autopsy -Whale 04:00 Hunter Hunted -Ambushed 05:00 ABOUT ASIA -Speed Nation 06:00 Perilous Journeys -Crossing The Himalaya 1 07:00 The Living Edens -Manu: Peru Hidden Rainforest 08:00 Interpol Investigates -Betrayed 09:00 Monkey Thieves -Skid Row 5 09:30 Hayden Turner’s Wildlife Chall Monarch Butterflies 2 10:00 Theme Week -ShowReal Asia : Asia’s Titanic 11:00 Seconds From Disaster -Hotel Collapse Singapore S2-10 12:00 ABOUT ASIA -Speed Nation 13:00 Megastructures -World’s Toughest Fixes : Rigging Vegas 14:00 Megastructures -Mega Factories : Rolls Royce 15:00 Theme Week -ShowReal Asia : Asia’s Titanic 16:00 Inside -Super Truck Rally 17:00 Seconds From Disaster -Hotel Collapse Singapore S2-10
Thursday, March 18, 2010
33 ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation at Abbassiya (near German Clinic) Christian non-smoker bachelor only. Rent KD 25. Contact: 99284653. (C 20470) Sharing accommodation in CAC two bed and bath Salmiya, block 10 with elderly couple for Indian lady. Contact: 25632037, 99464226. (C 20469) Available single room with separate toilet in a CAC 2 bedroom flat for an executive bachelor/working lady in Mangaf to share with a decent family. Contact: 23713472. (C 20468) 18-3-2010 Sharing accommodation available in old Khaitan for three decent Muslim Indian/Pakistani bachelors. Contact: 99845247. Sharing accommodation available for couples in Abbassiya with Keralite family, near Hi-Dine supermarket. Contact: 65139705. (C 20465) Furnished sharing accommodation available for a small family or an executive bachelor in Sharq, near Amiri hospital. Contact: 66232892. (C 20461) Sharing available in a furnished Mulhaq room (kitchen room and bathroom attached) to share with Mangalorean Catholic bachelor close to Khaitan cinema, rent KD 25. Call: 66036893. (C 20444) Furnished accommodation available for a single executive bachelor in a window air-conditioned flat to share with a small family, hailing from Kerala, next to Salmiya church, behind Woodlands restaurant (from 1 April 2010) rent KD 70. Contact: 65890532 or 25657681 after 2:30pm. 17-3-2010
FOR SALE Mitsubishi Jeep Pajero model 2005, maroon metallic color, 6-cylinder engine, alloy rim, fog lamp, wooden interior, excellent condition, cash price KD 2,850 (installment possible). Contact: 99105286. (C 20471) Laptop Siemens Centrino & Dell D510 Centrino with basic specifications & IBM desktop PC with LCD screen all in good condition. For details call 99322585. (C 20472) 18-3-2010 Hummer-H2, 2003, brown, very good condition, price
KD 5,400 (negotiable). Tel: 97487676. (C 20466) 17-3-2010 Corolla 2005, 1.8 Xli, red color, 12,000 km, Mazda box delivery van 2006 model. Phone: 66052331. (C 20459) Household items for sale, furniture, double bed, bunk bed, study table, chairs, cabinet, fridge, dining table, sofa set, washing machine, airconditions, near to Untied Indian School Abbassiya. Contact: 97645193. (C 20458) 16-3-2010 Toyota Corolla model 2006 1.8, white, color low mileage very god condition, price KD 2,700. Call: 99891838. (C 20453) 15-3-2010
MATRIMONIAL Hindu Nair parents invite proposal from reputed family for only child daughter, aged 25 years, wheatish, 5ʼ3”, Moolam star, B.Tech/Computer Science & MS/Computing, with work experience in India/Ireland. Please respond with parents/sonʼs complete personal/career details to: sunneydr@gmail.com (C 20463) 18-3-2910 Inviting proposals for a Keralite RC boy, 31 years, fair, 155cms, diploma in electronics engineering, working as sales coordinator with family status, in a well reputed company in Kuwait. Email: jogijosephk@yahoo.com (C 20445) Financially sound, Orthodox NRI parents invite proposal for their son 26/180, MBA finance, God fearing, handsome, bank employee in Kuwait. Contact email: Kuruvilla26@yahoo.com (C 20462) 17-3-2010
ving license and car, could also handle recovery and banking related issues, qualification is MBA (Marketing). Mob: 55355954. (C 20464) 17-3-2010 Malaysian, PhD holder looking for IT/Academic job in Kuwait. Prefer consultant, middle management, teaching or research-oriented job. Contact dhaneshr@gmail.com (C 20456) 16-3-2010 Indian female, electronics and communication engineer, experienced in software field with standard chartered bank, India, seeking for job, proficient in Oracle, MS Office, Java, Unix, holding valid transferable visa. Contact: 67050674, email: pritymary.Mmathew@gmail.com
(C 20452) 15-3-2010 j
SITUATION VACANT
Wanted full-time live-in maid for an Indian family (one child) in Mahboula. Contact: 66781734. (C 20455) 16-3-2010
No: 14671
Sunni Muslim parents from Hyderabad (India) seeks alliance for their daughter very fair 20 years, BA, boys should be well settled in Kuwait and well educated. Only Hyderabad boy contact by email: shaikh_750@yahoo.com (C 20457) Proposals are invited from parents of qualified boys for an RCSC girl, 27 years, 157 cm, B.Com, GNM practicing in a famous hospital in central Kerala. Contact email: vincentanila@yahoo.com (C 20460)
SITUATION WANTED Looking a suitable job as sales/ marketing executive. I have a valid Kuwaiti dri-
Flight Schedule Arrival Flights on Thursday 18/03/2010 Airlines Flt Route Jazeera 0263 Beirut KLM 0447 Amsterdam/Bahrain Gulf Air 211 Bahrain Ethiopian 620 Addis Ababa DHL 370 Bahrain Turkish A/L 1172 Istanbul Emirates 853 Dubai Etihad 0305 Abu Dhabi Qatari 0138 Doha Cargolux 794 Luxembourg Kuwait 802 Cairo Jazeera 0637 Aleppo Falcon 201 Dubai Jazeera 0503 Luxor Jazeera 0527 Alexandria Jazeera 0529 Assiut British 0157 London Kuwait 412 Manila/Bangkok Kuwait 204 Lahore Kuwait 302 Mumbai Kuwait 332 Trivandrum Kuwait 344 Chennai Kuwait 676 Dubai Kuwait 284 Dhaka Emirates 855 Dubai Arabia 0121 Sharjah Qatari 0132 Doha Iran Air 605 Isfahan Etihad 0301 Abu Dhabi 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 Kuwait 772 Riyadh Egypt Air 610 Cairo Syrian Arab A/L 341 Damascus Kuwait 672 Dubai Wataniya Airways 2301 Damascus Jazeera 0171 Dubai Egypt Air 621 Assiut Nas Air 745 Jeddah Jazeera 0525 Alexandria Jazeera 0257 Beirut Wataniya Airways 2001 Cairo Saudi Arabian A/L 500 Jeddah Kuwait 678 Muscat/Abu Dhabi Kuwait 562 Amman Kuwait 552 Damascus Jazeera 0457 Damascus Qatari 0134 Doha Kuwait 546 Alexandria Royal Jordanian 800 Amman Jazeera 0173 Dubai
Time 00:05 00:10 01:05 01:45 02:15 02:15 02:35 03:00 03:25 04:45 04:45 05:05 05:25 05:35 06:10 06:30 06:40 06:45 07:35 07:55 08:05 08:10 08:10 08:15 08:30 08:55 09:00 09:15 09:35 10:45 10:45 11:00 11:05 11:10 11:20 11:20 12:40 12:55 13:00 13:25 13:35 13:35 13:55 14:00 14:05 14:10 14:20 14:30 14:30 14:35 14:40 14:45 15:00 15:30 15:40 16:05
Mihin Lanka Bahrain Air Kuwait Emirates Gulf Air United A/L Saudi Arabian A/L Etihad Jazeera Jazeera Arabia Jazeera Thai Wataniya Airways Srilankan Jazeera Wataniya Airways DHL Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Rovos Kuwait Kuwait Iran Air Kuwait Kuwait Singapore A/L Jet A/L Wataniya Airways Oman Air Egypt Air Jazeera Jazeera Gulf Air Middle East Qatari Emirates Kuwait KLM Indian Jazeera Jazeera Safi A/W Jazeera Jazeera Egypt Air Egypt Air India Express Lufthansa Bangladesh Wataniya Airways Tunis Air Pakistan Wataniya Airways
403 344 118 857 215 982 510 0303 0493 0217 0125 0433 519 2101 227 0427 2003 473 1025 502 542 674 0177 618 093 786 614 617 774 1810 458 572 1201 0647 618 0459 0343 217 402 0136 859 174 0445 981 0449 0429 215 0117 0185 612 606 389 636 043 1029 327 205 1129
Colombo/Dubai Bahrain New York Dubai Bahrain Washington Dc Dulles Riyadh Abu Dhabi Jeddah Isfahan Sharjah Mashad Bangkok Beirut Colombo/Dubai Bahrain Cairo Baghdad Dubai Beirut Cairo Dubai Dubai Doha Kandahar/Dubai Jeddah Bahrain Ahwaz Riyadh London Singapore/Abu Dhabi Mumbai Jeddah Muscat Alexandria Damascus Sanaa/Bahrain Bahrain Beirut Doha Dubai Geneva/Frankfurt Amsterdam Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad Doha Bahrain Kabul Abu Dhabi Dubai Cairo Luxor Kozhikode/Mangalore Frankfurt Dhaka Dubai Tunis/Dubai Lahore Bahrain
16:40 16:50 16:55 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:15 17:15 17:30 17:40 17:40 17:45 17:45 17:50 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:45 18:50 18:55 18:55 18:55 19:00 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:45 20:05 20:15 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:55 21:05 21:20 21:35 21:40 21:45 21:55 22:05 22:10 22:15 22:15 22:25 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:15 23:30 23:40 23:45 23:50 23:55 23:55
Departure Flights on Thursday 18/03/2010 Airlines Flt Route Jazeera 0528 Assiut Shaheen Air 442 Lahore India Express 394 Cochin/Kozhikode Indian 576 Goa/Chennai Bangladesh 046 Dhaka Pakistan 216 Karachi Lufthansa 637 Frankfurt KLM 0447 Amsterdam Ethiopian 620 Bahrain/Addis Ababa DHL 371 Bahrain Turkish A/L 1173 Istanbul Emirates 854 Dubai Etihad 0306 Abu Dhabi Qatari 0139 Doha Jazeera 0164 Dubai Wataniya Airways 1020 Dubai Jazeera 0524 Alexandria Wataniya Airways 2000 Cairo Jazeera 0112 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 0446 Doha Kuwait 677 Abu Dhabi/Muscat Gulf Air 212 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 1120 Bahrain Jazeera 0422 Bahrain Rovos 094 Dubai/Kandahar Wataniya Airways 2300 Damascus Kuwait 545 Alexandria Jazeera 0256 Beirut British 0156 London Kuwait 671 Dubai Kuwait 551 Damascus Kuwait 561 Amman Kuwait 771 Riyadh Jazeera 0456 Damascus Jazeera 0170 Dubai Kuwait 101 London/New York Arabia 0122 Sharjah Emirates 856 Dubai Qatari 0133 Doha Iran Air 606 Mashad Etihad 0302 Abu Dhabi Cargolux 794 Singapore Wataniya Airways 2002 Cairo Gulf Air 214 Bahrain Kuwait 165 Rome/Paris Jazeera 0342 Bahrain/Sanaa Kuwait 541 Cairo Jazeera 0172 Dubai Jazeera 0432 Mashad Wataniya Airways 2100 Beirut Jazeera 0492 Jeddah Kuwait 501 Beirut Kuwait 785 Jeddah Egypt Air 611 Cairo Syrian Arab A/L 342 Damascus Wataniya Airways 1024 Dubai Kuwait 673 Dubai Jazeera 0216 Isfahan
FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161
Time 00:05 00:15 00:30 00:50 01:00 01:10 0l:20 01:25 02:30 03:15 03:15 03:50 04:10 05:00 07:00 07:00 07:20 07:30 07:35 07:40 07:40 07:45 07:50 07:55 08:00 08:10 08:30 08:35 08:55 09:00 09:10 09:15 09:20 09:25 09:30 09:35 09:35 09:40 10:00 10:15 10:20 11:15 11:30 11:40 11:45 11:50 12:00 12:00 12:05 12:05 12:15 13:00 13:40 13:55 14:00 14:25 14:30 14:35
Egypt Air Nas Air Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera Kuwait Saudi Arabian A/L Kuwait Kuwait Royal Jordanian Qatari Bahrain Air Mihin Lanka Gulf Air Etihad Emirates Arabia Jazeera Kuwait Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera Wataniya Airways Thai Kuwait Srilankan Wataniya Airways Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Iran Air Kuwait Wataniya Airways Jet A/W Oman Air Jazeera Egypt Air Singapore A/L Gulf Air DHL Kuwait Middle East Falcon Jazeera Qatari Kuwait Emirates Kuwait KLM Jazeera Jazeera United A/L Egypt Air Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait
622 746 0176 1200 0426 0458 617 505 773 613 801 0135 345 404 216 0304 858 0126 0262 543 511 0184 0116 2010 0448 0428 2102 520 285 228 1028 0512 283 361 616 351 1128 571 0648 0240 619 457 218 171 675 403 102 0188 0137 301 860 205 0445 0480 0526 981 613 415 0502 411
Assiut Jeddah Dubai Jeddah Bahrain Damascus Doha Jeddah Riyadh Bahrain Amman Doha Bahrain Dubai/Colombo Bahrain Abu Dhabi Dubai Sharjah Beirut Cairo Riyadh Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharm El Sheikh Doha Bahrain Beirut Bangkok Chittagong Dubai/Colombo Dubai Sharm El Sheikh Dhaka Colombo Ahwaz Cochin Bahrain Mumbai Muscat Amman Alexandria Abu Dhabi/Singapore Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Beirut Bahrain Dubai Doha Mumbai Dubai Islamabad Bahrain/Amsterdam Sabiha Alexandria Washington Dc Dulles Cairo Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta Luxor Bangkok/Manila
14:50 14:55 15:05 15:10 15:25 15:30 15:35 16:00 16:10 16:20 16:25 16:30 17:35 17:40 17:55 18:00 18:10 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:40 18:50 19:00 19:05 19:05 19:10 19:15 19:30 19:50 20:15 20:20 20:25 20:55 21:00 21:10 21:20 21:25 21:35 21:45 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:20 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:50 22:55 22:55 23:00 23:25 23:40 23:45 23:45 23:50 23:55
34
SPECTRUM
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Calvin
CROSSWORD 931
Aries (March 21-April 19) Your highly active mind encourages you to voice your ideas. This makes for a potential in a management position if you are careful. Strive for coordinator or a consulting position within your work—you are good at coordinating events, assigning jobs, consultation and encouraging others. If you are not involved in any volunteer groups, you might consider ways to encourage recycling in your city or a clean upcrew in your community. You have a great deal of talent in discovering ways to help in the healing of the earth. You know that we all have a responsibility and you would do well to turn your attention in this direction. This new volunteer work may also bring about the opportunity for a new love relationship—if you are looking. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Be as realistic as possible when job opportunities come your way. This time is one of hard work and responsibility, both in salvaging some endeavors that appear to be failing and in branching out in new directions. You are able to obtain success financially through the power of attraction today. This means that you may improve your position in the world of money-making through a business associate, social affair or friend. Networking, as well as timing, can mean success. Today you have the mental concentration and discipline to work out the final details of a past project. It may be a good idea to put off any negotiations requiring personal decisions about a close relationship just now, you have enough on your mind concerning a business situation.
Pooch Cafe
ACROSS 1. Largest known toad species. 5. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material. 8. (Roman mythology) Goddess of abundance and fertility. 11. A coil of rope or wool or yarn. 12. Used of a single unit or thing. 13. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric. 14. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill. 15. Light informal conversation for social occasions. 16. An undergarment worn by women to support their breasts. 17. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread. 20. A public promotion of some product or service. 21. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism. 23. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey). 26. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar. 30. The inner and thicker of the two bones of the human leg between the knee and ankle. 33. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens. 34. 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. 35. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine. 37. A radioactive element of the actinide series. 40. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind. 43. A small cake leavened with yeast. 47. An official prosecutor for a judicial district. 48. A federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment. 51. A doctor's degree in education. 52. An informal term for a father. 53. A benevolent aspect of Devi. DOWN 1. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC). 2. Offering fun and gaiety. 3. Beyond what is natural. 4. Jordan's port. 5. A motley assortment of things. 6. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods. 7. A young woman making her debut into society. 8. The executive agency that advises the President on the federal budget. 9. (obstetrics) The number of live-born children a woman has delivered. 10. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae. 18. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite. 19. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group. 22. A workplace for the conduct of scientific research. 24. Of or relating to the stomach and intestines. 25. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth. 27. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light. 28. (Akkadian) God of wisdom. 29. Being one hundred more than three hundred. 31. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy. 32. A colorless and odorless inert gas. 36. Extremely pleasing. 38. A strip of land projecting into a body of water. 39. Made agreeably cold (especially by ice). 41. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology. 42. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad. 44. Having undesirable or negative qualities. 45. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring on the sea or ships. 46. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma. 49. A bachelor's degree in religion. 50. A ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element.
Gemini (May 21-June 20) This should be a normally active, stimulating day, full of paper work, conferences and communication. A technical matter may need special attention around noon today. Double check the facts in front of you—mistakes can be easily made by someone new and you will be able to catch the mistakes by just scanning the report. There are increased opportunities for advancement in your job or to decide the advancement of another person. Keep note of the things you think you might like to see change in the work place that would make it a safer or more efficient running place. These could be discussed at a review or in a report. This evening is an excellent time for taking part in social activities with friends.
Non Sequitur Cancer (June 21-July 22) This is a go-to-it day, like many of your days this month. You may find that you enjoy your job or the responsibility it entails more than usual. Expect a sense of support and good will from those around you. You are at your most practical when it comes to dealing with others and you know just what to do and can act without hast. This is an important time as you are encouraged to make use of your natural problem-solving abilities. You will also make career gains by your ability to sense quality and choose accordingly. Take caution in engaging in enterprises which entail the accruing of many debts. Seek approval from higher-ups if there is a chance you might exceed a quota. Work, achievement and ambition are where your energy navigates. Leo (July 23-August 22) If work seems to monopolize your life, it may be time to stop and take notice. If the changes that you will have to make are too much for now, make some small changes each week that will bring you to a better balanced life style. The choices we make today determine the life we lead tomorrow—make one life-changing choice for the better this week. There is a need for change, a desire to break with outmoded patterns of the past. You may want to break an old routine and try something new or different. Take a little trip after work, just for the view. You may discover insights into day-to-day problems that will be of great value later. Indulge in some daydreaming while you are at home this evening. Consider the new wall or floor textures for your place.
Zits
Virgo (August 23-September 22) Putting aside youthful antics, you are now more intent on the secure, dependable aspects. This may mean that you have settled on a particular major in college or a profession in your community. You will make great headway in your choices, whether it means you have that perfect job or not. You may have a nagging feeling today that no matter how well you are progressing—there is still something missing. It may be time to reassess the balance between your professional and personal goals and the progress you are making with each one. This must be the balance that is right for you—there are no correct answers—but neither side should monopolize your life at the expense of the other. Consider a class in personal finances. Libra (September 23-October 22) Unfinished business from the past may weigh on your mind just now. Pace yourself and in surprisingly little time, progress will be recognized. You may be of great help to a business associate today as your compassion is heightened. Information you have acquired or a person you know, could be the key to guiding this colleague in the right direction. You feel great empathy for others and are the first to usually come to someone’s aid. Your artistic talents or your appreciation of art is your way of finding the meaning to your own life and life around you. This could be music, pottery, cooking, etc. This evening, the most enjoyable way to relax is through some form of art. A loved one shares good news with you tonight.
Mother Goose and Grimm
Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Your heart is as big as all outdoors; not only for those close to you emotionally, but for the general public as well. You just cannot be mad at anybody. All you want to do is help, protect and nurture. From those who perceive this, it will be reflected back to you. Just make sure that this feeling comes across as genuine—because it is. You may wish to strengthen the ties with an older family member, not necessarily to prove yourself to them but to create an avenue in which you can be assured of their welfare. You will begin to see your relationships more clearly this month by recognizing just how much you did not know about the people with whom you live. Also, you should open up to relatives since this is a good time for emotional support. Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Hard work and responsibility, both in salvaging some endeavors that appear to be failing and in branching out in new directions are evident. You stick to routine tasks and avoid starting new projects for now. Mental stimulation from others is the key for today. It would be wise to cooperate and compromise as much as possible. The results of these efforts should be a successful project by a group effort. You could be most persuasive with others and influential in speech and communication. The situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your particular ideas and thoughts. You could talk someone into almost anything. This afternoon would be a good time to weed the garden or wash the car—great stress relief.
Yesterday’s Solution
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
Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You are just plain witty now and the ideas roll off your tongue. This is a real time for communication—by phone, letter or in person. Your daily routine, which you normally do not give much thought to, should be enlivened. An understanding of feelings, truthfulness and a sense of humor allows you to put much more of yourself into everyday work. This will be perceived and appreciated by those with whom you interact. This closeness will also make you an excellent listener. Your moods may fluctuate as much as the weather today and this would not be a good time to make any concrete decisions about a relationship or a business deal. You have a natural love of life that manifests itself in good cheer and generosity.
Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may have that nagging feeling that no matter how well you are progressing in the workplace, there is something you have missed. It may be time to reassess the balance between your professional and personal goals and the progress you are making with each one. This must be the balance that is right for you—there are no correct answers—but neither side should monopolize your life at the expense of the other. Be as realistic today as possible. Plans for travel and higher education get good support from relatives and friends. Do not let finances completely dominate your concerns. During this month you will find some financial gains fall apart and some ideas for financial gains will materialize. It is good to just go with the flow for now.
Pisces (February 19-March 20) Check and re-check your work and the expectations for the day. This is a time when you could make some wrong choices. Knowing this ahead of time, it will be easier for you. Just make it known that you might need a little time to think over a request before giving an answer. Completing old projects just now is a good thing to do. To avoid being the victim of a misunderstanding at work today, be explicit in all things you do and say—also, ask questions. This afternoon you need complete information before gambling with an investment. Check all aspects of a situation to find out where your energies could best be applied. Seeking these intricate details are not necessary all the time, but very helpful for today.
INFORMATION
Thursday, March 18, 2010
35 FIRE BRIGADE Operation Room 777 Al-Madena 22418714 Al-Shohada始a 22545171 Al-Shuwaikh 24810598 Al-Nuzha 22545171 Sabhan 24742838 Al-Helaly 22434853 Al-Fayhaa 22545051 Al-Farwaniya 24711433 Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983 Al-Fahaheel 23927002 Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983 Ahmadi 23980088 Al-Mangaf 23711183 Al-Shuaiba 23262845 Al-Jahra 25610011 Al-Salmiya 25616368
Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw
For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 HOSPITALS Sabah Hospital
24812000
Amiri Hospital
22450005
Maternity Hospital
24843100
Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital
25312700
Chest Hospital
24849400
Farwaniya Hospital
24892010
Adan Hospital
23940620
Ibn Sina Hospital
24840300
Al-Razi Hospital
24846000
Physiotherapy Hospital
POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha始a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station
24874330/9 CLINICS
Roudha
22517733
Adhaliya
22517144
Khaldiya
24848075
Keifan
24849807
Shamiya
24848913
Shuwaikh
24814507
Abdullah Salim
22549134
Al-Nuzha
22526804
Industrial Shuwaikh
24814764
Al-Khadissiya
22515088
Dasmah
22532265
Bneid Al-Ghar
22531908
Al-Shaab
22518752
Al-Kibla
22459381
Ayoun Al-Kibla
22451082
Al-Mirqab
22456536
Sharq
22465401
Salmiya
25746401
Jabriya
25316254
Maidan Hawally
25623444
Bayan
25388462
Mishref
25381200
W.Hawally
22630786
Sabah
24810221
Jahra
24770319
New Jahra
24575755
West Jahra
24772608
South Jahra
24775066
North Jahra
24775992
North Jleeb
24311795
Al-Ardhiya
24884079
Firdous
4892674
Al-Omariya
4719048
N.Kheitan
4710044
Rabiya
4732263
Fintas
3900322
THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988 AIRLINES
PHARMACIES ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE Ahmadi
PHARMACY Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan
ADDRESS Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd
PHONE 23915883 23715414 23726558
Jahra
Modern Jahra Madina Munawara
Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92
24575518 24566622
Capital
Ahlam Khaldiya Coop
Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop
22436184 24833967
Farwaniya
New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan
Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11
24734000 24881201 24726638
Hawally
Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy
Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B
25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554
EMERGENCY 112
PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists: Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea Dr. Masoma Habeeb Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy Dr. Mohsen Abel Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly
25622444 25752222 25321171 25739999 25757700 25732223 25732223
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT): Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners: Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists: Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Plastic Surgeons: Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272
22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801
Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari Dr. Abdel Quttainah
22617700 25625030/60
Family Doctor: Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581
Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.
Zahra Qabazard Sohail Qamar Snaa Maaroof Pradip Gujare Zacharias Mathew
25710444 22621099 25713514 23713100 24334282
(1) Ear, Nose and Throat Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047 Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0 Gynaecologists & Obstetricians: Dr Adrian Harbe 23729596/23729581 Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321 Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539 Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406 Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272 Dr. Salem soso 22618787 General Surgeons: Dr. Abidallah Behbahani 25717111 Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148
Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300
Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290
(2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)
25655535 Dentists:
Dr Anil Thomas
3729596/3729581
Dr. Shamah Al-Matar
22641071/2
Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed
22562226
Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer
22561444
Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan
22619557
Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash
22525888
Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan
25653755
Dr. Bader Al-Ansari
25620111
Neurologists:
Internist, Chest & Heart: DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Tel: 25339667 Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Consultant Cardiologist Tel: 2611555-2622555 Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123
Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324 Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan
Internists, Chest & Heart: Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3
Physiotherapists & VD: Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288
25345875
Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman
22636464
Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali
22633135
Endocrinologist: Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari
25658888
Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr
25329924
Psychologists/Psychotherapists Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688 info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677 William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677
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SPECTRUM
he ‘Ghost Whisperer’ actress - who recently split from long-term boyfriend Jamie Kennedy - doesn’t like being on her own and loves being part of a couple. Jennifer, who has written a selfhelp book on relationships ‘The Day I Shot Cupid’, said: “Back in the shark tank! I never said in the book that I knew how to be in the perfect relationship. I say in my book I want to be the readers’ kind spirit out in the dating world. And now, more than ever, I am. I don’t like to go out to clubs and party. I’m not into, ‘Let’s go out with one guy on a Monday and another guy on a Wednesday,’ that’s just not me. I’m a relationship kind of girl. I like a twosome. Some people get excited about being single. I don’t.” Jennifer, 31, insists her break-up from Jamie was amicable and she is now looking forward to moving on with her life. She told People: “We’ve parted as friends. There’s no anger, there’s no upset, there’s no enemies. It’s been totally fine. It’s really a testament to who he is and to who I am. We’re both grownups. “I want to be an independent woman who falls in love, finds a great partner for her lifetime, has kids and kind of does it all. I’d like to have it all.”
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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Anderson
to date an older man
Winsletbeing supported by DiCaprio ate Winslet is being supported through her marriage break-up by Leonardo DiCaprio. The actress turned to her ‘Titanic’ co-star when problems started to surface in her relationship with director Sam Mendes as the trio worked together on 2008 movie ‘Revolutionary Road’ and she is said to be relying on his support to get through this difficult time. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Leonardo and Kate have been like brother and sister since they starred in ‘Titanic’ together. “And since Kate’s marriage problems started, around the time they were filming ‘Revolutionary Road’, they’ve got closer again. Kate feels like she can tell Leonardo anything. “They were thrust into stardom together and were the only people
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who knew what the other was going through. He’s been a rock for her.” While Kate - who is currently holidaying in Mexico with her two children, six-year-old son Joe and Mia, her nine-year-old daughter from her marriage to Jim Threapleton - has a close friendship with Leonardo, Sam’s bond with actress Rebecca Hall, 27, was reportedly the cause of many of their rows. The director first met Rebecca in 2006 on the set of movie ‘Starter For 10’ - who he acted as executive producer on - and worked on two theatre productions, ‘A Winter’s Tale’ and ‘The Cherry Orchard’, in New York and London as part of his Bridge Project theatre company last summer. A source said: “Sam is a huge admirer of Rebecca’s work. He really worked well with
risten Stewart is “excited” about making a movie with her mother. The ‘Runaways’ actress has reservations about working with her mother Jules MannStewart on new drama ‘K-11’ but thinks it will be a “cool” project when it is finally given the go ahead. She said: “She’s a really well-known script supervisor and she’s cowritten this drama ‘K-11’, which she’ll direct and I will be in. If she called me right now and said, ‘We’re making the movie,’ I would be really excited. I guess my question is, ‘How would it be to work with a parent?’ We’re really close and then, at the same time, we’re creatively very different. But, I think it would be cool if it happens.” Kristen is best known for her role as Bella Swan in the
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‘Twilight’ movies, in which she stars opposite her boyfriend Robert Pattinson who plays vampire Edward Cullen. The franchise - based on the best-selling books by Stephenie Meyer - has been a worldwide success, with millions of devoted fans, but although the actress can understand their passion she has never been “obsessed” by anything. She added to Parade.com: “I’ve never been so fanatical about something. I never had that thing that I’m obsessed with. But, I’ve followed things for years like bands and movies and actors. I completely get what they’re feeling. Personally, it’s just so cool for me to be able to go back and follow a character for so long in successive movies. The fact that fans love them helps give me the chance.”
ine Zeta-Jon r e h t es Ca
im Cattrall thinks there is “nothing better” than going home to her cat. The ‘Sex and the City’ actress - who has been single since splitting from chef Alan Wyse last May - is content with life on her own because she has her beloved feline friend Kobi. She said: “Home is London because that’s where my cat, Kobi, is. I brought her over here. There is nothing better when you are single than you come home and have a cat waiting for you.” The 53-year-old star - who is currently starring in London stage show ‘Private Lives’ - is happy with her single life because it gives her so much freedom and she never feels she has missed out by not becoming a mother. She added to Britain’s Hello magazine: “It’s fine, it really is. I’m a pretty good aunt and I have a lot of friends with kids. “At the end of the day I like to go home and be quiet and have time to relax.” Kim - who has been married three times - admits being on your own can sometimes be difficult, but no more so than being in a relationship. She said: “Being single and being with someone both have their good points and challenges, but I am very happy being single right now.”
l as e ft rrassed emba
—BangShowbiz
Cattrall?s happiness with cat
Sidibe’s mum to star in ‘America’s Got Talent’
Mandel - who is replacing ‘Baywatch’ star David Hasselhoff - but is confident she will do well if she does. She told RadarOnline.com : “I’m proud of my daughter and hopefully ‘America’s Got Talent’ will give me the chance to shine and I’m really looking forward to the audition and doing well if I get through.” Alice can take much of the credit for her daughter’s success - following her own audition for the troubling movie, she encouraged Gabourey to read the ‘Precious’ novel, which eventually led her to become one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed actresses.
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atherine Zeta-Jones was too embarrassed to let Brad Pitt see her without make-up. The actress - who has two children, Dylan, nine, and six-yearold Carys with her husband, actor Michael Douglas - always gets along with her male co-stars, including ‘Ocean’s Twelve’ actors Brad and George Clooney, but wishes she could have more privacy on set. She said: “They’re just cool guys. I was brought up with five brothers so as girly as I was, you just have to go with the guys sometimes. But the worst thing is when you’re really tired ... and you think of the solace of a makeup room. “Sitting next to Brad Pitt and George Clooney when you look like you-know-what, it’s not nice at six in the morning. I don’t think any woman should have to do it.” Despite starring opposite a string of Hollywood hunks, Catherine insists her husband never shows any signs of jealousy because she always returns home to him. She added to US TV talk show host Rachael Ray: “He’s not jealous, never, I’m like, ‘I’m going to be kissing George Clooney today,’ and he’s like, ‘OK, have a nice time baby, have a good day.’ “I’ve been lucky to work with Antonio Banderas in ‘The Mask of Zorro’, with Brad Pitt, with George Clooney - and I get to sleep with Michael Douglas every night!”
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her. There’s no suggestion of anything untoward but undoubtedly the friendship didn’t help mend their struggling relationship.” It has also been claimed the end of their six-year marriage came about after a row over conflicting work schedules, with 44-year-old Sam lined up to direct the new James Bond film in London and Kate, 34, planning to star in a US TV comedy show. The source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Sam raised several questions over whether she should be doing it, insisting she was above a TV script and it wouldn’t progress her career. Not surprisingly, Kate went ballistic.” Kate and Sam - who married in May 2003 - announced their split on Monday but friends claim they have been living apart for several months.
abourey Sidibe’s mother is to take part on ‘America’s Got Talent’. Alice Tan Ridley is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her daughter - who gained a Best Actress Oscar nomination for ‘Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire’ - by taking part in the talent competition. Alice, who regularly performs on the New York subway, said: “I would not be entering the competition if I did not know I could do well. Singing is what I do and I know I can do this. “I haven’t told Gabby yet but I’m sure she will support me like I support her as a performer.” The singer will have to impress judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie
Stewart ready for mother’s movie
he former ‘Baywatch’ babe - who was previously married to Tommy Lee, Kid Rock and Rick Salomon and recently split from toyboy beau Jamie Padgett - wants to try romancing someone her senior as she thinks it may be the way to a successful relationship. Talking about the prospect of dating boy band JLS, the 42-year-old blonde said: “I’m sure they are way too young! I need an older man, don’t you think? I’m going to try that for once!” As well as being on the lookout for love, Pamela is busy raising her two sons with Tommy - Brandon, 13, and Dylan, 12, - and admits they haven’t inherited any of their parents’ wild side. Pamela - who is starring in US celebrity talent show ‘Dancing with the Stars’ told Britain’s OK magazine: “They are very good boys. Brandon is 13 and Dylan is 12 now, I don’t know where the time has gone! They do lots of sports, that’s the key - it gets them tired out! “I’m just busy with my boys, busy working and staying out of trouble, staying focused.”
SPECTRUM
Thursday, March 18, 2010
37
Fashion
nless you’re an Olympian or a runway model, you probably have a zone. A certain body bulge that bedevils you in dressing rooms and taunts you at the gym. “A very small percentage of women are perfect hourglasses; the vast majority have at least one trouble zone,” said Clinton Kelly, styling star of TLC’s “What Not to Wear.” “Some women think camouflaging means covering it up so no one can see it. That’s not always the best approach.” So what is? Here are some wardrobe tips from Kelly and bicoastal stylist/wardrobe consultant Eric Himel, who adds that “your No 1 thing is to find a good tailor.”
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Rubenesque thighs Kelly: “Hem your top to midhip and don’t cover the crotch. A straighter leg pant, a trouser leg jean, that goes straight down from the widest part of the hip down the leg, with a pointy toe heel, is the most lengthening.” Himel: “Go up in size to accommodate that area and take the waist in. Stick with A-line skirts and dresses-so flattering.” What not to wear: “Anything with skinny in the label,” Kelly said. “You don’t want something that’s vacuum-sealed to the thigh.”
should go straight down, you want the pant a halfinch off the ground to lengthen the whole leg.” What not to do: “Tuck,” said Kelly.
help balance out narrow shoulders and big arms. And tailoring down from a larger size is definitely annoying, but sometimes it has to be done.”
A robust bust Kelly: “The best way to minimize is with a V-neck. This comes back to showing a little bit of skin. It’s about creating verticality. You want to make sure you aren’t showing too much skin; it can look a little trashy. You need an arsenal of camisoles. Do a nice V-neck with a cami to add a little coverage. You’re creating an illusion of a longer neck, and that creates a longer body overall.”
Himel: “A lot of people are asking me about underpinnings, and I love a Wolford three-quarter-sleeve top because it’s form-fitting but the material is kind of thick. It’s almost like a Spanx for your arm. If you wear something that will accent your waist _ a little shrug _ your eye will be drawn there instead of to your arms.” What not to wear: “What you definitely do not want is for a sleeve to cut across the widest part of the arm and bust,” Kelly said. “That just makes everything look bigger.”
Here Polly Ho is photographed in her ‘before’ makeover photo.
A voluptuous tush Kelly: “If you have a small waist, large tush, the best tool to have is a good tailor. Look for pants that fit your largest part. You can have two little darts put in if your tush is much larger, or a little nip in the back center.” Himel: “The idea is to show your pluses. Show the waist or do it with a belt. ... You always need to get jeans one size smaller than you think. Because if you have a big butt and have any kind of saggy material in the butt, it’s going to look worse. You don’t want to get a pant that’s too full, but a nice straight-leg pant. It comes in at the waist and
Himel: “A large bust can really shorten your torso. The No. 1 thing is, A woman with you’ve got to be a belly fitted for a Kelly: “The proper bra. best way They need to to camoube up, the flage a proper height. tummy is with With tailoring, darts a jacket, jacket, are your friend. Darts that jacket, jacket. I’m go underneath and in toward not saying a suit your body will show you jacket, I’m saying a have a shape.” denim jacket, cotton What not to wear: “A The canvas, corduroy, velturtleneck is the best way to vet. Plus, jackets are worst thing you camouflage a tummy what we call ‘completer’ can wear if you’re is to stick with A-line pieces. They make you looking to deskirts and dresses. Here look like you’re wearing emphasize a large Polly Ho is photographed an outfit. They bust,” Kelly said. in her ‘after’ makeover strengthen a shoulderphoto. less emphasis on the Big upper arms midsection. If you wear it Kelly: “Honestly, the open, it creates a nice verbest way to camoutical line. Make sure it closflage arms is with a es comfortably. Also, you want sleeve. Look for kimono to be really careful about the sleeves in summer or a rise on your pants. Aim for microfiber jersey, threeabout an inch below the belly quarter sleeve, with a button. print. Believe it or not, sometimes a little cap sleeve or a litHimel: “Obviously, Spanx and tle bit of puff on the shoulder can
those types of body shapers do help. You don’t want anything too clingy, and you kind of need an optical illusion. That’s why wrap dresses and wrap tops work. They go around and cover.” What not to wear: “If you have a small bust and big tummy, an empire waist is not going to work,” Kelly said. “That works best if your bust is slightly bigger.”
The best way to minimize a robust bust is with a V-neck. This comes back to showing a little bit of skin. It’s about creating verticality. Here, Chris Meyer is photographed in her ‘after’ makeover photo. —MCT photos
A guy with a gut Kelly: “When I put on weight, it goes right to my tummy, so you hardly see me these days without a jacket on. ... If you’re going to wear a shirt and pants, make sure the (untucked) shirt fits well and doesn’t cover the crotch.” Himel: “You want a straight-leg kind of pant. Men love to put cuffs on pants, but you want to make your leg look fluid and streamlined. Also wear your pant longer, so you have a break in it, A with the bottom guy with a gut a half-inch off should make sure the floor. If you the untucked shirt fits can wear a well and doesn’t cover dress shoe the crotch. Here Jairo with a little Sagastume is phoheel, it’s going tographed in his “after” to elongate.” makeover photo. What not to wear: “Men always think pleats help guts, and it’s the opposite,” Himel said. “Pleats create tenting.” — MCT
Jordan seeks larger share of Dead Sea cosmetics market ordan is vying to break Israel’s dominance of a major cosmetics industry based on Dead Sea minerals famous for their therapeutic qualities but, despite an abundance of mud, still has far to go. Two decades after production first started, the industry on the Jordanian side still has a turnover of just 30 million dollars a year and accounts for only 0.5 percent of the kingdom’s annual exports of around six billion dollars. Israel’s Ahava, which markets its moisturizing lotions and a range of other Dead Sea products in 30 countries, alone earns more than 150 million dollars a year, five times more than all of the Jordanian companies. Some 50 Jordanian firms produce Dead Sea cosmetics, but only 15 have a global presence in markets across the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the United States. “The kingdom is rich in materials and its Dead Sea shoreline is muddy, in contrast to Israel’s rocky shoreline,” said Osama Qutaishat, head of Jordan’s association of manufacturers of Dead Sea products and owner of one of its largest cosmetics companies. Israel’s rocky shoreline has meant it has even imported raw materials from Jordan since the two countries signed a peace treaty in 1994. “Many studies have shown that Dead Sea minerals including potassium, magnesium, silicon, sodium and calcium are effective in treating and preventing illnesses like psoriasis, eczema and acne,” Qutaishat told AFP. Landlocked between Jordan, Israel and the occupied West Bank, the Dead Sea is the world’s lowest and saltiest body of water. Legend says the Queen of Sheba believed in its healing powers, and Egypt’s Cleopatra built a spa on its shores. Lack of cooperation and the small size of the companies in the sector are the major problems of the industry, said Yarub Qudah, head of the state-owned Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation. “Their capabilities are limited. One of the solutions is systemized cooperation between the companies and the establishment of a consortium for exports,” he added. “If the companies work properly, exports could reach 100 to 120 million dollars annually in five years,” he said, adding that if a plan to transform Dead Sea products into clinical products bears fruit, prices could jump “four or five times.” Poor quality output by some firms has also been to blame, giving Jordanian products a bad name, the owners of some of the largest companies said. Both Israel and Jordan are exploiting the Dead Sea tourist trade, with luxury hotels on either shore. Both have also set up massive evaporation pools that harvest Dead Sea minerals like potash, or potassium carbonate, used to produce soap, glass, baking soda and fertilizers. But the Dead Sea, so named because virtually no life can tolerate its heavily salty waters, may be facing another kind of death-the sea’s surface level is plunging by a meter (more than three feet) a year. For centuries, the sea’s delicate balance was maintained by the Jordan river, its only year-round water source. But in recent decades Israel and Jordan have been diverting its waters into large irrigation projects. The Dead Sea shoreline has receded by more than a kilometer (about a mile) in some places and the world-famous body of water could dry out completely by 2050, according to some calculations. — AFP
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Models display creations during Kyrgyz Fashion Week-2010 in Bishkek. —AFP
Skirting styling below the waist? W
hat if you could look more fashionable than ever-and cut your spending in half? It’s so much easier than you
think. Here’s how: Stop worrying about what you’re wearing from the waist down. Call it Tabletop Dressing. If you’re outfitting yourself for dining out, quit wasting cash, time and trouble choosing the cutest designer shoes, the latest $300 jeans or the perfect high-end trousers or skirt. Nobody sees any of that when you’re sitting at the table. Grab some trusty shoes and an old (black?) standby for your lower parts. Now, start concentrating your fashion firepower on what goes on from the waist up. That’s the territory where you’ll make the big statement. This is a lesson that television anchors, planted behind their desks, have employed forever. The same goes for politicians. I once showed up for an on-camera interview with the first former President George (HW) Bush at his Maine summer home. Waist up, he was immaculate in navy blazer, coat and tie: all business. His bottom half featured Bermuda shorts and boat shoes, the better to make a fast getaway to his speedboat. Similarly, if you’re going to a business meeting where you’ll be stuck at a conference table all day, focus on your look waist up to maximize the impression you make. As for dining out, by focusing on your better half, you’ll discover the style wallop you can get from low-cost accessories. Acquire a bag full of knockout costume jewelry or an unforgettable hair bauble for less than the cost of another
round of dirty martinis. Shown here are three entirely different Tabletop Dressing scenarios that definitely will attract a second, or third, look. And get this: Two of the outfits cost less than $100, and the third was less than $150 —for everything in the picture! In the first photo, arms laden from wrist to elbow with attention-grabbing bangles-barely $50 total-who cares what outfit lurks beneath that tablecloth? Colorful prints and jewelry are huge for spring, as in the next photo. The patchwork multiprint fabric is a backdrop for drop-
dead necklaces (less than $30 for all). In this look, more is ... more. On the flip side, sometimes simplicity, a single statement piece, is more effective than piling on. This is especially true when showing some skin, as in the Champagne-ready halter dress example where a single yellow hair blossom would have you smokin’ in the No Smoking section. First photo: Why it works: Takes a trend (colorful, ethnic) but stops short of costumey. A necklace jumble of variations on shades of a single color (green) masses attention where you
want it. Jewelry fills in and minimizes low neckline for day to evening versatility. Dress: Desigual, $104, Macy’s, macys.com. Necklaces: Four two-strand necklaces, $10.50 each, reduced to $7.35, Old Navy, oldnavy.com. Second photo: Why it works: Black-andwhite is a can’t-miss classic. One color accentonly one-makes the look pop. Here it’s red, but other colors such as yellow, green or bright blue would do the same. A scarf knotted as headwear is kicky and draws all eyes to your face. Top: New York & Co, $24.95, nyandcompany.com. Scarf: Forever 21, $8.80, forever21.com.
Bangles: H&M, wide, $6.95 each; narrow, $3.95 each, hm.com Third photo: Why it works: Sparkle is great for evening and makes a statement all by itself. A hair accessory adds punch because it’s unexpected-and in a surprising color. Polished nails with a big (but frugal fake) ring or two mean that when you talk with your hands, people will listen. Dress: Forever 21, $32.80. Jewelry: Forever, 21, rhinestone ring, $5.80; black flower ring, $4.80; earrings, $3.80. Flower headband: Tasha, $38, Nordstrom, nordstrom.com. — MCT
SPECTRUM
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Lifestyle
Black Eyed Peas, Shakira to front World Cup concert
he Black Eyed Peas, Shakira and Alicia Keys will be among scores of music stars performing at a concert on the eve of the soccer World Cup in South Africa, organizers said yesterday. The concert in South Africa’s biggest black township Soweto will be on June 10, a day before the start of the month-long World Cup, which is being hosted for the first time in Africa. The concert in the 30,000-capacity stadium will be broadcast live to millions of people across the world. “We are thrilled to have a concert of such magnitude and performing talent raise the curtain on the first FIFA World Cup in Africa. It is testament to the universal and unifying power of football and music, and will
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start the competition off on the right note-of celebration,” FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said in a statement. Among other performers at the concert will be African musicians including Benin-born diva Angelique Kidjo, Amadou and Mariam from Mali, South African group the Parlotones and Tuareg desert blues band Tinariwen. Net proceeds from the concert will go to 20 Centers for 2010, FIFA’s official social campaign for the World Cup- aimed at achieving positive change in Africa through football. The campaign aims to build 20 centers across the continent offering healthcare services, education and soccer training for disadvantaged communities. — Reuters
Christie’s puts record price tag on ‘key’ Picasso hristie’s has put a record price tag on an important Picasso painting from his celebrated Blue Period that will be offered for sale in London in June. “Portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto (The Absinthe Drinker),” dated 1903, is expected to fetch 30-40 million pounds ($45-60 million), the highest pre-sale estimate for any work of art offered at auction in Europe. The June 23 auction follows a February sale at rival Sotheby’s where a Giacometti sculpture went under the hammer for $104.3 million, just beating the previous record for another Picasso that sold for $104.2 million in New York in 2004. Yesterday’s announcement of the June sale underlines growing confidence in the art market after a sharp contraction during the financial crisis. The Picasso, featuring a seated man with a glass of absinthe and a pipe, the smoke curling upwards, is being offered by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the proceeds will go to his foundation which promotes arts and culture in Britain. The same work was originally offered for auction at Christie’s in November 2006, but it was withdrawn at the 11th hour after an individual challenged its true ownership and said it was effectively stolen from his family by the Nazis. “This challenge has since been resolved by agree-
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People enjoy the St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin, Ireland. —AP/AFP photos
Irish at home, worldwide cheer St Patrick’s Day
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uch of the world is turning green yesterday for St Patrick’s Day, the annual celebration of all hues of Irishness. More than a half-million people lined the 3-kilometer (2-mile) route of the flagship Dublin parade beneath unusually sunny skies in this wet, windy land. The parade’s theme “The Extraordinary World” celebrated Ireland’s increasing multiculturalism as well as the global spread of the Irish. patrick Mixed in with the usual displays of US marching bands and Irish sporting heroes were dancing troupes from Africa and India, bands from Austria and France, giant insect floats from Spain, and Dubliners dancing with mops and dusters. The biggest laughs came from Waterford’s entry: man-sized eggs with legs fighting bakers armed with wooden spoons. A singer standing in the middle of a massive frying pan and atop a similarly oversized fried egg belted out renditions of “Do the Funky Chicken” and “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens.” This year Ireland is pushing itself especially hard as a tourist destination as the country faces its worst recession since the Great Depression, with double-digit unemployment and net emigration back for the first time in 15 years. St Patrick’s Day is Ireland’s first major tourist event of the year, packing hotels and pubs with visitors seeking an all-night party. Ireland’s weeklong festival gets bigger each year, with more than 100 parades Wednesday in cities, towns and villages across the island of 6 million. The Tourism Ireland agency wangled a deal for major world landmarks-including the Sydney Opera House, London Eye, Toronto’s CN Tower and New York’s Empire State Building-to be bathed in green floodlights as part of a marketing push on four continents. The parade in New York-the biggest of hundreds taking place throughout North America-was stepping off on Fifth Avenue with New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly as grand marshal. The parade featured New York’s famous “Fighting 69th,” a US Army regiment that began life as part of the Union Army’s “Irish Brigade” during the US Civil War. Reflecting the traditional bond between Roman Catholicism and Irish nationalism, leaders in both countries-Irish President Mary McAleese in Dublin, and Gov David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York-attended morning Mass before the parades. As many as a quarter-million marchers were ready to head up Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, just as crowds gathered along parade routes in cities around the country to mark the emeraldhued holiday. The celebration of Irish heritage and culture in New York includes bands, bagpipes and grand marshal Ray Kelly, the city’s police commissioner. Phil Giovanniello, an
Air Force military police officer on leave from Iraq, leaned over the police barricades near the start of the route at 44th Street, smoking a cigar and taking in the sea of green. “This is my first parade,” said Giovanniello, of Rochester. “And it feels great.” Virtually the entire Irish government left the country this week to press the flesh of foreign leaders and corporate kingpins in 23 countries, particularly in the United States, in hopes of rekindling the investment wave that fueled Ireland’s lost Celtic Tiger boom of 1994-2007. Prime Minister Brian Cowen was meeting US President Barack Obama at the White House, continuing Ireland’s unique tradition of annual access to the most powerful man on earth. McAleese, guest of honor for Dublin’s two-hour parade, said the Irish had powerful allies in politics and business backed by 70 million people of Irish descent, half of them Americans. “We are lucky to have such a large global family. It has proved itself to be a very precious and important resource in every generation,” she said. The Catholic Church in Ireland faced this St Patrick’s Day under unprecedented pressure over its reluctant admissions of cover-
ing up child abuse for decades. Irish Cardinal Sean Brady-facing calls to resign over his admission that he collected evidence from victims of a pedophile priest in 1975 but never told police-declared in a sermon broadcast live nationwide that he was “ashamed that I have not always upheld the values that I profess and believe in.” Several hundred faithful inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh, Northern Ireland, gave him a standing ovation. Other Irish Catholic leaders sought to remind revelers of the true story of Patrick: a Briton enslaved in his youth in Ireland who returned to spread Christianity throughout the pagan land in the 5th Century. Bishop Seamus Hegarty called for prayers for immigrants-both the Irish seeking jobs overseas and the Emerald Isle’s own tens of thousands of newcomers from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia who often work the longest hours for least pay. “Mindful that St Patrick was himself a migrant, we as a people are called to build a society that is truly inclusive, a society that is welcoming and respectful of people of different cultures, languages and traditions,” Hegarty said. — AP
ment and the claimants have withdrawn all claims to the painting, leaving the Foundation free to sell the work,” Christie’s said in a statement. ‘Huge’ interest Jussi Pylkkanen, president of Christie’s Europe, Russia and the Middle East, said the painting could end up in a major museum or private collection, and anticipated that interest from collectors would be “huge.” “This is one of the most important works of art to be offered at auction in decades,” he said. Christie’s called it “the very embodiment of Blue Period aesthetic, rendered in bold, loose, swirling brush strokes that recall El Greco and trumpet Picasso’s virtuosity.” Picasso met Angel, the subject, in 1899 and they twice shared studios in Barcelona. According to the auctioneer, artist De Soto “was more dedicated to drinking and partying than to art,” and the pastime forced Picasso to move to another studio in order to work. De Soto died in 1938 during the Spanish civil war. The painting was acquired by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation at auction in New York in 1995 for $29.2 million. Since then, three works by Picasso have realized over $50 million and, in 2004, “Garcon a la pipe” became the first painting to sell at auction for over $100 million. — Reuters
A Christie’s employee looks at a painting entitled “Portrait de Angel Fernandez de Soto” (The Absinthe Drinker) by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso at Christie’s auction house in London, yesterday. — AFP
Angelina Jolie, Depp in Venice for film shoot ollywood stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie were spotted in Venice yesterday shooting the crime thriller “The Tourist”. The two were seen in front of the ritzy Danieli Hotel, a stone’s throw from Saint Mark’s Square, and cruising the Renaissance city’s canals in water taxis. In
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US actress Angelina Jolie and US actor Johnny Depp sit in a boat during the filming of “The Tourist” yesterday in Venice. The film is directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. —AFP
the film directed by Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck, Depp, 46, plays an American tourist whose life is put in danger when an Interpol agent, played by 34-year-old Jolie, uses him to entrap a criminal with whom she once had an affair. Jolie arrived in Venice last month with the other half of the “Brangelina”
Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and their six children. Based on the 2004 French movie “Anthony Zimmer” with Sophie Marceau and Yvan Attal, “The Tourist” is set for release in the United States next year. Von Donnersmarck directed the 2006 hit “The Lives of Others”. — AFP
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SPECTRUM
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Lifestyle
Photographers document all events of a child’s life
Professional photographer Laura Novak, right, waits for just the right expression from the face of Phineas Costal, 2-yearsold. —MCT photos ometimes, the most memorable moments happen during the daily clatter of life. Especially when they involve children. Those adorable half-asleep eyes in the early morning hours. A serious case of giggles at bath time. The excitement after scoring a soccer goal. Even a temper tantrum, in hindsight. Many parents are preserving those candid minutes forever-not by grabbing the family pointand-click but by hiring a personal photographer to follow and shoot their children doing everyday activities. “It’s a great way to capture times that go so fast,” said Vanessa Kreckel, 34, of Northern Liberties, Pa. Earlier this year, she hired pro Laura Novak of Wilmington, Del, to take pictures at a 90-minute playdate in honor of the Winter Solstice for her only child, 4-year-old Landon Smith, and his buddies. The session cost $400, not including prints. Known as lifestyle or documentary portraiture, the snapshots look like the stuff of first familiesoften with price tags worthy of a head of state. Fullday sessions with kiddie paparazzi and the resulting coffee-table-quality books can run into tens of thou-
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Fox to mine ‘Avatar’ DVD release three times wentieth Century Fox on Tuesday set Earth Day, April 22, for the DVD and Bluray release of “Avatar”. But fans will have to wait until November for another disc with all the usual extras, and even longer for a 3-D version. Fox said it had chosen Earth Day as “Avatar’s” US and Canada home video release, because the film’s theme matches the day’s goal of environmental awareness. The April release will be in 2-D and is thought to be one of the first major movies put out in home video format without any of the special features that are normally included, such as deleted scenes, trailers and behind-the-scenes footage. The studio plans another home video release in November of the “Ultimate Edition” of “Avatar,” and that will include extra features, said sources at Fox, a division of News Corp. A third version, in 3-D, will likely come out next year, they said. By then, more consumers are expected to have 3-D televisions in their homes. “Avatar” has made a record-breaking $2.64 billion so far at worldwide box offices since its Dec 18 release, with a large bulk of that coming from 3-D showings. Sources at Fox said the April disc will come without extra features so that all available storage space can be used for the best picture and sound possible. “Avatar,” which won three Oscars, is about a soldier from an environmentally degraded Earth who is sent to infiltrate a tribe of humanoids aliens living atop a rich mineral deposit on the distant moon Pandora. The soldier’s mission is to find a way to move the tribe so humans can mine the mineral, but he falls in love with a member of the tall, blue Na’vi and leads a revolt against the human colonizers. Some US conservatives criticized the film, with columnist John Podhoretz of the Weekly Standard faulting it for displaying “hatred of the military and American institutions.” The DVD and Blu-ray disc for “Avatar” will be released in the US, Canada and some other countries on April 22. In France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands, it will be available on April 21, and in Japan, Germany and Mexico it will hit stores April 23, with other dates varying by country. — Reuters
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sands of dollars. Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, a trade association with more than 7,000 members, has seen lifestyle photography explode, an outgrowth of the popular, photojournalistic wedding pictures that brought spontaneity to the choreographed albums of yesteryear. “The same photographer wants to do your engagement, your wedding, your newborn, the first birthday, the fifth birthday, everything,” said Abigail Ronck, a staff member with the Los Angeles-based association and managing editor of two trade magazines. “They want to build these relationships. It’s not a session over hours or even days. It’s over years.” Frances Fiore of Jersey City, NJ, who works in film production and publicity, considers New Yorkbased Rachel Hudgins “the official family photographer” of her children, Enzo, 6, and Giovanni, 2. “You get this beautiful version of your life,” she said. “It’s like Vogue Living came to your house and did a spread on you.” Enzo, in fact, has a book that documents his entire day when he was a toddler, a
Hudgins primo specialty that goes for $10,000 and was a gift to the Fiores from a relative. (A slimmeddown package is $5,000.) The “breakfast to bedtime” session, as Hudgins calls it, shows Enzo emerging from under his blanket, playing with his wooden Thomas the Tank Engine trains, getting a haircut, baking muffins, sharing a bedtime story with his mother-the daily routine of toddlerhood told in 250 photos. “It’s a great little time capsule,” Fiore said. “There’s something sweet and poignant about that snapshot in time.” The family also hired Hudgins to make a picture book of Enzo’s fifth birthday party, complete with magician. Fiore loves the pictures that capture the boy playing tag with his best friend-and even the one of a little guest sneaking his head into the pretzel bowl. “I get really connected to these kids,” said Hudgins, 42, who has a dozen client families around the country, many in the film or oil industry. “I photograph them not only year after year, but multiple times each year.” Besides the christenings and birthdays, she offers a year of portraits, checking in
Laura Novak, right, waits for just the right moment between Bret Perkins and his son, Tiernan Perkins, 21-months-old, during a Winter Solstice party.
monthly for a one-hour session. Of course, traditional portraiture-where children in their Sunday best are dragged to a studio and expected to smile-is still around, but more photographers are offering fun, relaxed experiences, whether it’s a mall chain that shoots kids barefoot against a white backdrop or a studio play session where “say cheese!” is verboten. For families with the means, including a Philadelphia sports star or two (though Novak won’t name names) and other high-profile folks, hiring a family photographer to spend several hours on the kids’ home turf is the next step beyond those relaxed portraits, the best way to imprint the memories. “I think today’s parents are looking for realism and tangible reminders of day-to-day life with kids,” said Jennifer Breton, a Reading-based children’s photographer who wants to expand her business into day-in-the-life sessions. “Dressing little girls in frilly dresses and patent-leather shoes and praying and hoping that they’ll smile on cue is fantasy and definitely not part of a modern parent’s daily existence with their children, like diapers and Superman T-
shirts are.” Last summer, she spent a Sunday morning with the Barnes family of four at their Berwyn home. Breton caught Elle, 3, running around in her diaper; Harrison, then 4, playing baseball with a tennis racket and getting a ride in a wheelbarrow; and both children baking banana bread. There is no looking at the camera with a big grin, even though the pictures are full of joy. “That was such a moment of childhood, instead of being posed in a portrait center,” said the children’s mother, Erica Barnes, 38, who paid $225 for the session and $1,700 for a disk of photos. “I wanted Jen to capture just the casualness and everyday pleasures of life.” Parents, of course, could take their own snaps or ask Uncle Harry to shoot the birthday party, but besides the questionable quality-and lack of motivation to organize it all into a showcase album that tells a story-many view the shoot as a “high-end experience” in itself. “It’s become a tradition,” said Kreckel, who every year hires Novak to create a 30page, silk-covered album for the grandparents. It features Landon doing his thing. — MCT
New book by Bob Marley’s son strains legend’s family ties son of reggae legend Bob Marley, Ky-Mani Marley, has written a new book claiming he was deprived of his father’s fortune for years by the reggae star’s widow. Ky-Mani Marley’s “Dear Dad” hit booksellers’ stands February 6, when the late reggae icon would have turned 65. It quickly became a major headache for the 34-year-old, who had second thoughts about the book, realizing the family squabbles it could unleash, and tried unsuccessfully to delay its release and tweak its content.
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Then a dispute arose between Ky-Mani Marley and his editor Farrah Gray, a 24-year-old businessman, over the veracity of the book’s content. Though they both told media in the United States and Jamaica in recent days that their clash could end up in court, by Tuesday they had ironed out their differences. Ky-Mani Marley, a Jamaican actor and musician born to table tennis champ Anita Belnavis, took to his MySpace page to defend himself. “The book was not an attack on my family. I love my
A handout photo obtained from the National Film and Sound Archive yesterday, shows a framegrab from Australia’s earliest surviving film — a 1896 movie known as ‘Patineur Grotesque’ or ‘Humorous Rollerskater’ — which was shown yesterday for the first time in the country. —AFP
Australia screens its earliest surviving film ustralia’s earliest surviving film-a 1896 movie known as “Patineur Grotesque” or “Humorous Rollerskater”-was shown in the country for the first time yesterday, Arts Minister Peter Garrett said. The comedy, which shows a cigarsmoking, top-hatted man rollerskating before a crowd with a white hand mark on the seat of his trousers-is thought to have been filmed in Melbourne by French cinematographer Marius Sestier. While the one-minute movie, which features some of the earliest images of Australia caught on film, was shown overseas over a century ago, yesterday’s screening is believed to be the first time it has been shown Down Under. “While Sestier’s other films were a fixture of all his shows throughout Australia at the time, there is no record of this film ever having been shown here,” Garrett said. “Amazingly, however, it was screened across Europe and as far away as Mexico, making it one of the first films to broadcast images of Australia abroad.” The images, shot on long-obsolete 35mm film, were discovered in an archive in France by an Australian intern from
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Dances with diapers: Costner to be dad again K evin Costner is to become a father for the seventh time, his third child with German wife Christine Baumgartner, the US actor told German magazine Bunte yesterday. “My wife is going to have a baby in June,” the 55-year-old star of 1990’s multiple Oscar-winning “Dances With Wolves”, which he also directed, told the magazine.
Laura Novak, right, looks to get a facial response from Quinn Gallagher, 6-months, as his mother Suzanne Gallagher, raises him up in play.
Costner and handbag designer and model Baumgartner already have two sons, oneyear-old Hayes Logan and brother Cayden Wyatt, two, Bunte said. The actor has four other children including three from his first marriage and one from a brief relationship. The Bild daily reported meanwhile that the couple have bought a villa in Berlin. — AFP
brothers and sisters more than anyone can know,” he said. The book’s cover says it contains the “story the Marley family apparently didn’t want you to know.” Under the accord reached Tuesday with the publisher, that claim will be pulled from the book’s second edition. “Dear Dad” claims its author was kept from accessing his father’s fortune by Marley’s widow Rita. It also claims Rita Marley tried to keep the money for her children with Marley, while denying financial support to his children with six other women. — AFP
911 tape released in actor Haim’s death uthorities on Tuesday released the 911 tape in actor Corey Haim’s sudden death at age 38, as family gathered in his home town of Toronto for a private funeral service for the former teen movie star. Corey Feldman, who was Haim’s costar in 1980s movies “The Lost Boys” and “License to Drive,” did not attend the funeral but released a statement remembering his friend, who died on March 10. In the 911 tape, Haim’s mother, Judy, called paramedics from a Los Angeles apartment last week to report her son was not breathing and that he had been feeling ill. “He all of a sudden got out of bed,” a distraught Judy Haim said in the tape. “He wanted to go to the bathroom and he fell on the floor and I put him on the bed and then that was it.” Police have described Haim’s death as an apparent prescription drug overdose, but an official cause of death still
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awaits toxicology results. Haim’s family and friends held a private funeral service for the star in Toronto on Tuesday, where the Canadian actor was born. The Toronto Star reported that about 200 relatives and friends attended, but Feldman was notably absent. Feldman said in a statement on his website he stayed away to avoid bringing more media attention to the private service. “I always feared this day would come, and often rehearsed how to face it,” Feldman wrote. “But once confronted with the reality of it, it’s so much more painful than I could have ever imagined,” he said. Haim and Feldman starred together three years ago in reality TV series “The Two Coreys”. California Attorney General Jerry Brown has said his office is investigating a prescription drug ring linked to Haim’s sudden death. — Reuters
Canberra’s National Film and Sound Archive in 2006. They were painstakingly adapted to digital format by Australian experts who built special tools to copy and preserve the film, which shows the skating gentleman tripping, falling and dropping his hat before the gathering crowd. As the man attempts to collect the hat, he continues to fall about and the movie ends when he finally gets it back on his head. Among the audience in Canberra Wednesday were descendants of Sestier, a filmmaker with the Freres Lumiere, who is credited with bringing the movies to Australia and who opened the country’s first cinema in Sydney in 1896. The copied film, along with another 1896 Sestier film about the Melbourne Cup horse race, has been placed in the Canberra film archive. “We do have a love affair with film in this country,” Garrett said. “And (both films) show two things very close to our hearts-humour and the Melbourne Cup.” National Film and Sound Archive chairman Chris Puplick said “Patineur Grotesque” was created at a time when “Hollywood was still a cow paddock.” — AFP
Picture taken on December 16, 2009 shows US actor Kevin Costner attending the 20th anniversary screening of the film ‘Field of Dreams’ at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California. — AFP
The casket of Canadian born actor Corey Haim is carried to a waiting hearse following his funeral in Toronto.—AP
Rapper DMX sentenced to six months in Arizona jail n Arizona judge sentenced rapper and actor DMX on Tuesday to six months in a Phoenix jail for violating his probation by regularly using drugs, court officials said. The rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was also placed on 20 months probation by Maricopa County Court Commissioner Christine Mulleneaux. Simmons, 39, was arrested last week after authorities said he admitted to using cocaine and not complying with the terms of his treatment plan. He faced five counts of violating probation.
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The New York-born rapper, whose albums include “...And then There was X” and who starred in the movies “Romeo Must Die” and “Cradle 2 The Grave”, has a long record of arrests on charges ranging from animal cruelty to reckless driving and weapons possession. During Tuesday’s court hearing, the judge revealed that an offer had been made to treat Simmons by the Pasadena Recovery Center in California, which is featured in VH1’s reality TV show “Celebrity Rehab.” She said such an offer
would have to be approved by California court officials. Center co-founder Michael Bloom told Reuters that he wanted to help Simmons. “We made to the offer and we would take him in, if the court is OK with that,” he said, adding that celebrity therapist Dr Drew Pinsky would be involved in DMX’s treatment. Simmons has faced continued legal trouble in Arizona. He was on probation for throwing a food tray at a detention officer inside a Phoenix jail last year. — Reuters
www.kuwaittimes.net
Poland’s tiny Muslim Tatar community taps deep roots ucked in a tiny village, the small wooden building looks just like any other house of worship dotted across the Polish countryside. But three crescents mark it out as a mosque, and a rare footprint of Islam in this overwhelmingly Catholic nation of 38.5 million people. Kruszyniany is home to the descendants of Muslim Tatars who came here three centuries ago. The village of 160 people on the Belarussian border played host Tuesday to Britain’s Prince Charles, on an official visit to Poland. The mosque lacks the minaret typical of Islamic architecture. But there is little need for a muezzin to call the faithful to prayer-Kruszyniany is now home to just four Tatar families, or 10 people, living among Catholic and Orthodox neighbors. At the end of World War II, some 300 lived here. Although their community has shrunk over time as youngsters moved away seeking better opportunities, Kruszyniany remains a spiritual home for Poland’s 5,000 Tatars. “We’re descended from the Tatars of Kazan, who were the successors of the Tatars of the Golden Horde,” said Mustafa Jasinski, proudly, referring to ancestors with roots in Asia. At 99, he is the oldest member of the community. He is also the imam of Bialystok, a city of some 295,000 people, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of
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Women inspect the painting ‘The Previous Life’ by artist Apple Yin, one of the 34 finalists in the prestigious Archibald Art prize, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney yesterday. The Archibald Prize for 2010 which will be announced on March 26, in previous years arousing controversy while chronicling the changing face of Australian society.—AFP
Gallery visitors inspect the painting ‘Self portrait with guardian spirits’ by artist Kate Beynon. — AFP
Soldiers at war turn to gardens for peace of mind ardening can be comforting, even therapeutic, for troops trying to shake the stresses of war. There is a long history of soldiers growing plants in the extreme conditions of a war zone. “Trench Gardens” produced needed food as well as healing diversion for soldiers mired in the muck on both sides of the Western Front in World War I. American prisoners of war cultivated “barbed wire gardens” to augment starvation rations and provide some mental escape during World War II. Most recently, such “defiant gardens” have cropped up at isolated combat outposts in Iraq and Afghanistan, much as they did around GI Quonset huts in the Vietnam of four decades ago. “Such gardens stand not in harmony with but in opposition to their locations, asserting their presence,” writes Kenneth Helphand, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Oregon, in his “Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime” (Trinity University Press, 2006). “In extreme conditions, where the most
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extreme is war, death is all around,” Helphand adds in an interview. “A garden then takes on meaning that goes well beyond our daily lives.” Defiant gardening often is not about food at all, Helphand says. Motivations vary, he said, but fall into five general areas: • Hope: “Planting is an optimistic act,” Helphand says. “You put a seed into the ground in anticipation it will grow. It takes time, attention and maintenance. There’s a miraculous aspect. Hope is embodied in all that.” • Life: “Gardens are alive. They provide a connection with nature and life’s forces.” • Home: “Gardens either are part of or an extension of home, or places where we’ve lived or would like to be.” • Work: “It’s something to do. The garden often is part of a person’s identity and culture.” • Beauty: “Gardens are beautiful, and in a time of crisis that beauty is accentuated,” Helphand says.
“They’re often strikingly dramatic when done in devastated areas.” Gardening meant “coming back down to Earth” for Bill Beardall, who was a Marine Corps helicopter pilot in Vietnam in 1970. Beardall flew H-53s, big cargo machines capable of carrying large payloads. That made them large targets, too. “The longer we stayed in-country, the more hyper we got,” says Beardall, now director of Grounds Management and Fleet Services at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. “Our big helicopters drew a lot of fire; took a lot of hits. It was always time to shut down after a tough day and there were lots of tough days. The garden did a lot for me. I’d go back to my hooch and just sit and stare at it.” Justin Wanzek was with a North Dakota National Guard unit deployed near Tikrit, northwest of Baghdad, in 2004. He started gardening with a buddy in Iraq because it reminded him of his farming roots near Valley City, North Dakota. “Coming from North Dakota, everybody likes to stay busy,
This book cover released by Trinity University Press shows the cover of ‘Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime’, by Kenneth Helphand. — AP
even when off-duty,” Wanzek says. “We were always planting or digging irrigation ditches by hand. Our garden was nothing big, but it reminded me of what once was and what someday would be again.” And then there was the late John Creech, a World War II infantry officer who survived several German prisoner of war camps to become director of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington in the 1970s. He jokingly introduced himself to Helphand as “the only soldier ever awarded a medal for gardening.” There was more to it than that, of course: After being moved to a camp in Poland that had an unused greenhouse, Creech talked his captors into letting him operate it for raising edibles. His “barbed wire garden” supplemented a moldy bread and watered-down-soup diet for 1,500 fellow prisoners. It also earned him a Bronze Star for merit, which he was said to have valued more than the Silver Star won earlier for gallantry in action. —AP
Kruszyniany and home to most of Poland’s Tatars. On Friday, the Muslim holy day, Jasinski dons his robes and leads prayers in Bialystok’s Islamic centre, a former city library. The sermon is in Polish, although the verses of the Quran and the prayers are in Arabic. A curtain separates male and female worshippers. “The youngsters are at work on Fridays,” said Halina Szachidewicz, one of a handful of retirees at a recent service there. Fellow-worshipper Lila Smolska, in her seventies, added: “I pray in Polish in my heart and recite the prayers in Arabic, the ones our grandparents taught us.” ‘I feel Polish, then Tatar, then Muslim’ Afterwards she handed out halva made to her grandmother’s recipe. The sweet delight, common in the Islamic world, has long been a Polish favorite. There have been Tatars in Poland since at least the 14th century. Local rulers employed them due to their reputation as fearsome horse-borne warriors. In 1679, Poland’s King Jan Sobieski, lacking money to pay his Tatar troops, awarded them land in an area including Kruszyniany. In the village cemetery the oldest grave dates to 1699. Visible despite the snow, the headstone is etched in Arabic, the liturgical language of Islam. —AFP
Britain’s Prince Charles speaks with girls from a traditional Tatar dance group during his visit to the Tatar restaurant in Kruszyniany, east Poland, on March 16, 2010. — AFP