26 Mar

Kuwait Times

March 26, 2010

INSIDE

NO: 14679

FREE

Minister survives no-confidence

By B Izzak

Nuclear energy: Are we ready for it?

PAGES 4 & 5

Dubai offers $9.5 billion to struggling firm PAGE 16

Lebanonʼs archaeological sites a pillagerʼs paradise PAGE 55

Inter go four points clear as Milan crash PAGE 64

KUWAIT: As was highly expected, Minister of Information and Minister of Oil Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah narrowly survived a noconfidence vote over allegations he failed to apply the law on certain private media outlets accused of inciting divisions in the society.

Twenty-three MPs backed the minister by rejecting the motion, 22 voted against him while three lawmakers abstained. The motion needed 25 votes to pass and oust the minister from office. One lawmaker did not attend the session.

Only elected MPs who are not members in the Cabinet are allowed to vote on no-confidence motions.

The no-confidence motion was filed last week by 10 MPs following a six-hour interpellation in which the minister was accused of failing to apply the media laws against newspapers and private television channels which violated a

MPs charge government of support for ‘corrupt media’ 2006 Press and Publications Law and a 2007 Audio-Visual Law. In a brief debate ahead of the vote yesterday, MPs continued to make the same charges against the minister with MP Faisal Al-Mislem claiming that Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah had scrapped a decision taken by the previous minister to appoint auditors at newspapers and channels.

Mislem said that former information minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah had taken a decision last year to appoint eight auditors at the newspapers but Sheikh Ahmad scrapped the decision after he took over the ministry following last May elections.

Mislem charged that “it appears as if the minister deliberately scrapped the decision because he did not want to monitor corrupt media”.

The lawmaker accused the government and the information minister of sponsoring what he described as “corrupt media”, citing the controversial Al-Soor channel as an example.

The interpellation was actually triggered by a program aired by Al-Soor and presented by its owner Mohammad Al-Juwaihel in December, in which he criticized Kuwaiti tribes and people with dual citizenship.

Mislem said the information minister failed to order the closure of Al-Soor and only did that after massive public rallies protesting the controversial program that targeted national unity.

For his part, MP Marzouq Al-Ghanim wondered how can certain newspapers and televi-

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of Oil Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah AlSabah gives a thumb-up as he arrives to attend the Parliament session yesterday. Sheikh Ahmad survived a no-confidence vote filed against him on allegations his inaction against media risked national unity. (Inset) Opposition MP Ali Al-Deqbasi, who filed the interpellation against the minister addresses the session. — Photos by Yaser Al-Zayyat sion channels survive although they have never had any advertisements, and questioned their sources of income. He claimed that certain media outlets are supported by sides in the government.

Ghanim said that the grillers had postponed the grilling several times with the aim to give the government a chance to take the necessary action but the government was not cooperative.

He also questioned the National Assembly which is more important the “survival of the minister or the interests of the nation”, adding that many pressure tactics have been used to protect the minister.

Meanwhile, MPs Askar Al-Enezi and Ali Al-Rashed spoke in the defense of the minister, both warning that ousting the minister from office will only serve the interests of those who try to undermine national unity.

Following the vote, Sheikh Ahmad thanked those who supported him and praised the democratic process in the country.

MP Mussallam Al-Barrak vowed to reveal pressure tactics used by the government with MPs to save the minister. He also praised the number of those who opposed the minister, saying this is an important message to the government.

LOCAL

Page 2 IN MY VIEW

FRIDAY SPOTLIGHT

A child after forty!

By Muna Al-Fuzai

Oscar and the untold war stories

By Ruth Riegler

W

hat’s it like to have a baby after 40? Is it fun or a disaster? I think it’s a little bit crazy and personally I don’t want the trouble. This is only my opinion, however, not that of any woman who finds out that she’s going to have another baby after reaching her midforties. What happens in such cases and how do families react to the news?

Last week, I read a complaint from a middle-aged woman who discovered that she had accidentally fallen pregnant - after 25 years of marriage and with four children already, the oldest of whom is 24 and already married with children of his own! The rest are college students, with the youngest yet to finish high school.

According to this woman, the news of her pregnancy came as a shock to her entire family, a storm that brought anger all round and made her the butt of jokes, even from her husband, who hated the idea and the consequences. He felt that he is too old to become a father again, especially as he was about to celebrate his 55th birthday. His exact words, according to his wife, were: “By the time this child wants to marry at maybe the age of 25, I’ll be over 80 - that’s ridiculous! I might be dead by then!”

She also claimed that her husband told her he’s no longer prepared to buy or change diapers or wake up for the nightly feeds, so she’s on her own!

Her daughters and sons, meanwhile, received the news with disbelief - “What?! You said what? Are you sure? Why? How could you?!”

Her oldest son was annoyed because he was worried about what his wife and in-laws would say about his mum, reacting as if it was a lack of decency on his mother’s part to fall pregnant. Her other family members gave her contemptuous looks as if unable to imagine that their mum could actually become a mother for a fifth time.

The worst moment for the poor woman was her college student daughter’s wondering aloud at the idea that her mother and father still “do it”.

Everyone in her family tried to make this woman feel guilty or crazy, telling her that she was on her own and they didn’t want a new family member to share with or care for. They even announced certain restrictions on what she and the baby could and could not do - in her own home - especially when their friends came to visit.

“Was this my only mistake?” the woman asked in her open letter. “I’m married and this is one of these things that can happen at any time to anyone, and it happened to me. Why does everyone want to make me feel guilty, even my own family, my husband and educated sons and daughters? Am I that old? What should I do now?”

And so the letter concluded, with these open enquiries. I think that people here in the Arab world don’t know how to handle anything outside their own stereotyped ideas or the commonplace, so, for instance, when a woman is 40, 50, 60, whether widowed or even single, her getting married comes as a major shock when she is expected to not be interested in such things, especially to minds not used to such ideas.

As for the aforementioned woman’s pregnancy in middle age. I think it’s a bad idea because as you grow older you want to have free time to do things for yourself and raising a baby is hard enough when you’re young but more so when you’re older and may become ill or need healthcare for some reason. Also, simply feeling that you’ve done your bit to perpetuate the circle of pregnancy and motherhood. Having said all this, if it’s happened it’s happened. It’s unethical to change that destiny. As for the family, especially the husband, now I think he’s worried about the cost equation and about taking care of another kid, so he’s probably right to say that he doesn’t want to wake to do the night feeds at his age. I believe that every age has its positive features and that as you grow old you want peace. Some may believe that having more kids will achieve that, some may not. But blaming his wife for something like this simply reveals how shallow people can sometimes be! muna@kuwaittimes.net

Friday, March 26, 2010

S

o, the Oscars are over for another year, with Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq drama The Hurt Locker having won six of the little gold men.

Thanks to a colleague’s kindness, I finally saw the movie, albeit on DVD. As films go, it went, and while I’m unarguably now better informed of the trials and tribulations of a bomb disposal crew and can’t fault the portrayal of the tragedy of soldier-hood, I’m still rather puzzled that it’s billed as an Iraq movie since, other than a couple of cameos, the country and its people are fairly peripheral to the storyline.

Filmed in Jordan, the Iraq of the film is a generic, interchangeable Middle East warzone, peopled by generic, interchangeable Arabs, with the actual story concerned with the tensions and interplay between the American protagonists, while the locals feature in standard Hollywood villain or victim cameo roles. It could just as easily be set in Afghanistan or indeed, with the addition of some jungle, Vietnam or Cambodia with no perceptible effect on the storyline - the war and nation are, once more, plot devices, backdrops for Boys’ Own thrilling adventure tales about soldiers’ lives and lots of battleground bonding.

This is hardly a new departure for Hollywood, of course, which has a long history of war films, from Casablanca to Apocalypse Now, Platoon et al, featuring Morocco and Vietnam, amongst other nations, pretty much as atmospheric film sets for American soul-searching, heroism and tragedy. Indeed, it adheres quite faith-

fully to the traditional Hollywood war movie format where the locals in warzones are minor extras either suffering photogenically or being bloodthirsty fiends for the benefit of moving the real male bonding-under-fire storyline along.

So far, so familiar. What is more disturbing and depressing is how this simplistic, one-dimensional viewpoint has come to be reflected in the media narrative elsewhere, with news coverage, even in the more supposedly sophisticated broadsheets, increasingly reflecting the long history of colonial historical revisionism in which the ‘natives’ are one-dimensional sneering baddies or stoically suffering living saints, respectively plotting dastardly deeds or grinning cheerfully through their suffering while welcoming the Good Guys, with the real interest lying in the thoughts and deeds of those rugged Anglophone protagonists. For the people of the warzones themselves, there is no history, no depth or complexity, with profundity, nuance or shades of grey being reserved for Our Heroes Battling the Forces of Evil.

The coverage of war, particularly US and NATO conflicts, in mainstream media is now moving increasingly close to that of the movies (and in some cases to that of the video game), with more and more embedded journalists reporting conflicts from the viewpoint of the allied troops, reducing complex geopolitical issues and horrific events to the narrow perspective of a Manichean white hat-black hat worldview.

Civilians, meanwhile, are increasingly relegated, in news as in cinema, to onedimensional ciphers, with their lives and

deaths viewed through the prism of their effect on the troops themselves. Indeed, reading many of the reports from various international news agencies, one struggles to find any real sense that the civilians are or were mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, ordinary people with families, lives, histories, hopes, fears, dreams and ambitions.

One can read and see numerous news stories on the suffering and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder experienced by the soldiers themselves, but for anything about the unimaginable anguish and psychological trauma suffered by civilians in warzones one has to turn to human rights organizations’ reports, which tend largely to be relegated to a small column tucked away on page six of the newspaper, if they feature at all.

Of course, it would be foolish and naive to depend on Hollywood for a sympathetic or considered view of those peoples in lands far, far away from L.A., whose primary role for filmmakers is to serve as extras in tales of American derring-do in distant lands. Especially at a time of domestic and global uncertainty, the multiplex audience in Detroit or Dallas wants reassurance, patriotism, tales of thrills and heroism by Our Boys Overseas from their homegrown movie industry, and Hollywood, eager to get behinds on cinema seats, will, as always, oblige.

One wouldn’t think, though, that it would be too much to ask to demand more of those covering actual events than the repetition of these Boys’ Own Tales, and to insist that the countries, their people and their lives should have star billing rather than a cameo support role. r uth@kuwaittimes.net

IN MY VIEW

Silent politicians, the worst kind

By Abdulla Alnouri

I

get asked often if I think there is still racism in the United States. Having just returned from the country, I am surprised by how often, and by who, I get asked this question. I am not surprised because I think the answer is obvious, I am surprised because the question comes from everyone; young, old, Kuwaiti and expat.

It makes me feel pretty good to know that people are curious about racism in the United States. I figure if they think about it there, then they will probably think about it here. We would all benefit from a world that is more considerate of the realities of racism, especially here in Kuwait.

However, I have found that no matter how I respond people have a hard time believing me when I tell them I think racism still exists in the US. I usually get a ‘they have a black president now, problem solved!’ kind of response. After that I get pretty tongue-tied and have a hard time thinking of a good reply. I mean, what kind of one person example can I give to refute their argument? It would take a long conversation about the history, statistics, realities and inequalities that exist there to convince them otherwise. And, as important a topic I think this is, I know people generally don’t have the patience for these kinds of discussions.

Obama’s recently passed healthcare

bill though is a really good opportunity to point out where racism still is but it had a very polarizing affect on US politics. As a result protestors responded to the bill in quite ignorant and hateful ways, some of them even encouraged by conservative representatives.

But what does any of this have to do with Kuwait? Beneath the surface of what should be a reasonable debate are a group of politicians either openly willing to support those spouting ignorance and hatred or standing silent and stubborn, unwilling to vote for the right thing.

In the United States the example takes the form of protestors spitting on political representatives and shouting racial and homophobic slurs. The incident was made worse by politicians who later supported protesters within the House of Representatives voting chamber.

Here in Kuwait, the incidents take the form of calls by MPs to stop women from participating in organized sports, and legislation questioning whether women should wear the hijab in Parliament, should have permission to travel abroad by themselves, or be judges. It also takes the form of legislation that grants certain groups labor rights while ignoring others for reasons of ‘difficulty and economics.’

Outside of official politics it takes the form of those who intimidate and pressure women against participating in their own diwaniyas in Jahra.

My intention is not just to speak on

the trend and influence of fringe, conservative minorities in politics (well, in Kuwait perhaps more than just a fringe minority unfortunately) or to point out that racism still exists in the US. I think it is important to point out that often those who influence politics, and our lives, the most are not the ones who play the role of ‘hero’ or ‘villain.’

Is it really likely that all but one of the 178 members of the Republican Party in the US’s House of representatives had no reason to support Obama’s healthcare plan? No, it’s not. What is more likely is that the party decided to stick together in order to lose the debate but show a unified front against such a dramatic change.

Their best bet is to remain stubborn and hold out in case the plan backfires, at which point voters will run back to the Republican Party while they feed everyone a line about how they ‘knew it all along.’

This is the strategic thing to do, but definitely not the right thing. If just a handful of those Republicans had voted for the bill, those trumpeting such ignorance and racism would not have had as much credibility.

It is the group of stubborn, silent individuals who sit calmly by while controversy swirls around them that can make all the difference. Those that refuse to risk their social or political privilege probably don’t deserve to have those privileges in the first place.

Abalnouri@kuwaittimes.net

LOCAL

Friday, March 26, 2010

Page 3 CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Kiss it off

By Badr ya Dar wish

I

SATIRE WIRE

Virtual connections vs real ones

By Sawsan Kazak

M

obile phones are definitely an essential and integral part of our lives. I couldn’t imagine going a full day without my phone; it is what connects me to the rest of the world.

But have these virtual connections become more important than real life connections? I believe that for many people virtual connections have become their priority, which has led many to demonstrate poor social setting etiquette.

When sitting in a meeting or with friends, answering your phone and engaging in a conversation is simply bad man-

HalluciNations

By Ahmad Saeid

E

ver y one of us has seen, at least once, the pictures of a lineup of people arrested by police forces on suspicion of various offenses in pretty much ever y Kuwaiti newspaper. These suspects are shown kneeling on the floor in front of the illegal goods they were caught with, be it drugs, international calling telephones, or even DVDs. In my view, taking these pictures and publishing them is an extremely inhumane thing to do for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, by subjecting people to these circumstances, police forces violate the law. Even worse, they violate the constitutional and human rights of people, which state that suspects are innocent until they are proved guilty. These people should be first proved guilty in a court of law before being treated like criminals. The fact that they were caught by police forces smuggling, calling, or selling DVDs is only an evidence which is yet to be

ners. You are essentially saying, with your actions, that this phone call is more important and pressing than anything that is being said here. This is the equivalent to getting up from the table mid-conversation, walking over to another table nearby sitting down and starting a conversation with someone else. This would be socially rude and unacceptable; why then is it accepted or looked upon differently when it is a virtual conversation? You are giving your attention to someone else, no matter what form it is done in.

Furthermore, sending and checking text messages, reading your e-mails, updating your Facebook status or browsing the net are also forms of bad social manners. If there is someone in front of you they deserve the majority of your attention. The above are the equivalent to putting on the TV and turning the volume up while someone is trying to talk to you.

Again, this would be somewhat insulting to that person, since it demonstrates your lack of interest.

And since we are on the topic of telephone manners, answering your other line while you are already speaking to someone is bad enough, keeping them waiting for half an hour until you decide what restaurant you want to eat at is terrible. If you are talking to someone first, then they have priority. You don’t start talking to someone until something better comes along.

I’m not saying that there are not times when you will receive important phone calls, all I am saying is that not all your calls, messages or e-mails are of the utmost importance. Learn to prioritize and to remember that the people in front of you made the effort to be present and alert, you owe them the same respect. sawsank@kuwaiitimes.net

Police safari photos evaluated by a judge, it is not by all means a final sentence.

Therefore, those people are legally innocent when their pictures are taken.

Publishing their pictures in such a manner in the media is in itself a violation of the law which police was found to enforce in the first place.

Secondly, even if we discard the fact that suspects are innocent until they are proved guilty, we would be faced with another dilemma if the court rules that a photographed suspect is indeed innocent. By carrying out such a public punishment against suspects before court trial, the police is ruining so many lives without even noticing it.

Not only the suspect will suffer from social isolation, but the impact of these pictures could exceed the suspects themselves and cause lifetime psychological traumas to suspect’s relatives, family members, and most devastatingly on his children. Those children, if nothing else is to be considered, are 100 percent innocent people who were punished in one way or another by the publication of such lineup photos.

What would ‘law-enforcement’ officials feel, if a suspect is proved innocent, and the court orders to publish the picture of the officer kneeling in front of the libeled ex-suspect person? I

mean it will only be fair that way, since the officer will also be kneeling in front of the subject with whom he violated the law.

Thirdly, within this practice itself, another form of inhumanity is taking place - discrimination. Only when the arrested suspects are Kuwaitis do the pictures arrive with blurred faces.

When expats are photographed, their pictures are sent to newspapers with uncovered faces.

While different police departments continue to fight the PR war with each other, and while each one of them is trying to show more pictures of their safari hunts, people are being hurt for life-time.

Please don’t write to me to say that I am defending criminals, because I am not. I mean don’t get me wrong, it is always good to know that police forces are active in protecting the society against all security threats.

Their efforts are applauded by everyone. But while they make us feel proud of the job they are doing, they are causing much harm to innocent people and compromising a value that is central in our constitution, our culture and our religion - the human dignity. s a e i d @ ku w a i t t i m e s . n e t

t is already after 6 o’clock on Thursday and my editor Velina is eating my head to submit my article since she wants to leave a bit earlier to start her weekend. Because it is the weekend, I promise a lighter read. No Obama, no Israel, no war, no removal of settlements and construction of war barriers, no murders in Afghanistan and no Bin Laden fatwas.

God bless him, he keeps sending his tapes to AlJazeera every now and then surprising us with his bull****. One day he is threatening and the next he is becoming worse than Ahmadinejad. Honestly, I prefer the fatwa of Jamal Al-Banna. Leave Bin Laden alone in the mountains of Afghanistan or somewhere in the US... I have no idea.

Let me introduce the Al-Banna fatwa. Al-Banna was the founder of the Islamic Muslim brotherhood in Egypt.

This is a group of extreme Muslims who are banned by the Egyptian government. Jamal stands on the other bank of the river from his brother. His brother is an extreme Muslim, but Jamal tries to set himself as a contemporary Muslim. Here is his latest fatwa: “We are weak creatures and when we hug or kiss in public, we do not commit a sin.”

Islam is like all other religions. It does not allow adultery or premarital relationships just like other religions whether Christianity or Judaism. So, Mr Al-Banna went too far to allow kissing as a replacement for affection in public. He says that kissing a colleague in the university, for example, is not a sin. At the end of the day he thinks it is a sin but he classifies sins into small, medium or large categories. We understand that kissing is a small sin for him. What comes after and after? He says it is forgivable if you do a lot of good deeds God can forgive you for the small sin you have committed. Great! What about if you commit a greater sin? How can Al-Banna be sure that God is not forgiving? After all God is the merciful. Maybe you will also do a lot of good things and God will look upon you with mercy.

May I bring to your attention, Mr Banna, that committing a big sin starts actually with the small sin. Where do you go from there?

Jamal is well known for such unconventional and eccentric fatwas. Two years ago he issued a fatwa stating that smoking in Ramadan does not break the fast and is allowed. I do not know what he will allow in the coming Ramadan. Let’s wait and see.

Hey guys, take it easy and do not get carried away with Al-Banna’s fatwa and go to Gulf Road doing whatever he allowed. I am not responsible if you are caught or harassed by people or the police.

Have a nice weekend! www.badr yadar wish.com

KUWAIT: Workers are seen working on one of Kuwaitís towers that are being constructed downtown.

— Photo

by Yasser Al-Zayyat

LOCAL

Page 4

Friday, March 26, 2010

Nuclear energy: With great power comes great responsibility

By Priyanka Saligram Nuclear energy has been making news for a few months now.

First, Iran went all out to equip itself with it and now Kuwait is ready to ink the nuclear deal with a French company. The idea that oil resources will not last forever has dawned on many countries, especially in the Middle East. Might this have been one of the reasons that propelled Dubai to aggressively turn to promoting tourism?

Kuwait’s Minister of Electricity and Water Bader Al-Shuraiaan was right in affirming our interest in acquiring and harnessing alternative energy, particularly nuclear and solar power. He predicted that these forms of energy would be the future of the country in seven years. Professor Yaqoob F Al-Obaid, in an interview with the Kuwait Times shed light on how prepared Kuwait is to utilize this new form of energy and why nuclear energy holds the key to the future.

Q: What is your take on the feasibility and sustainability of nuclear energy in the Middle East, with special reference to Kuwait?

A: The generation of electricity using nuclear energy is a viable option in commercial terms, and looks promising from an environmental perspective. This will lead to major economic contributions to be made in the Middle East, especially in Kuwait. Fuel consumption for electricity generation will be reduced. That will, in turn, help support oil export revenues. I think that nuclear reactors have proven significant from the technical, economic, and environment point of view. Now, more than 400 nuclear reactors produce about 16 percent of the total global electricity without problems. The United States depends on nuclear energy for 20 percent of its electricity, even though 105 nuclear plants operate there. The cost of nuclear reactors to produce electricity or energy is still relatively low. This is because the amount of atomic fuel required to generate a certain amount of electrical energy is lesser than the amount of oil needed to generate the same quantity. This encouraged many countries to conduct feasibility studies on the possibility of using nuclear reactors as a source of energy. Water desalination using nuclear energy can be regarded as one of Kuwait’s future strategies despite oil being its strong competitor. Because of the instability of oil prices for many reasons, nuclear power wins in this market.

Q: How much would setting up a nuclear energy plant cost? Is it worth it?

A: The construction cost estimates for new nuclear power plants are very uncertain, and have increased in recent years.

Companies that plan to build new nuclear units are currently indicating that the total costs (including escalation and financing costs) will fall in the range between $5,500/kW to $8,100/kW or between $6 billion and $9 billion for each 1,100 MW plant. These new cost estimates are far higher than what the industry had predicted. For example, as recently as 2000-02, the industry and department of energy were talking about overnight costs of $1,200/kW to $1,500/kW for new nuclear units.

However, the estimated costs for new nuclear power plants begin to increase significantly starting in 2006-2007.

Q: How can you differentiate between nuclear energy used for peaceful purpose as opposed to warfare?

A: We can differentiate between nuclear energy used for peaceful purpose as opposed to the one used for warfare by the percentage of enrichment of uranium, in accordance with the regulation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Twenty percent of the energy produced from the enrichment of uranium will be valid for peaceful uses.

Q: What other alternative source of energy can Kuwait harness apart from this?

A: In fact, almost all types of renewable energy (geothermal, wind, solar and bio

About Prof Yaqoob F Al-Obaid aqoob F Al-Obaid, Ex-Dean and Professor in Mechanical Engineering, specializes in security and safety of nuclear reactors. He has been awarded Y Chevening Award British Council in 1989. In 1992, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) awarded Prof Yaqoob “The Kuwaiti Scientific Research in Engineering Sciences”. Also, he has been invited as visiting professor by various USA and UK institutions and universities. He is the sole author of many publications in different international journals and has attended conferences on security and safety of nuclear reactors. The current research focuses on structure mechanics, fractures, and missile impact problems.

fuels) can be utilized in the Gulf region.

One of the main sources of renewable energy that the GCC countries could benefit from is solar energy. The average direct natural exposure to sunlight in the Gulf region is about 1,800 kilowatt/hour per square meter. This makes the adoption of solar energy in the region technically and economically feasible. In the last few years, many projects to explore renewable energy sources have been undertaken in the Gulf region, such as wind at the Trade Centre Building in Bahrain and the use of sunlight to power at some reverse osmosis units in Bahrain and Oman. The latter used a photovoltaic system as well as wind energy to pump water and generate electricity. In Saudi Arabia, solar energy is harnessed to power oil field lighting systems, advertising signs and traffic signals. Progress has also been made in the field of solar-powered cooking, solar-powered desalination, thermal and solar electricity generation and photovoltaic systems. In the UAE, solar energy is used to power parking meters and offshore buoys as well as water heaters and air conditioners in hotels. The wind is harnessed on Sir

Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and in Fujairah. More research in the field of renewable energy will help to cut costs, which is another obstacle to the adoption of such technology.

Q: Why isn’t solar or wind energy popular here, despite it being more ecofriendly and cheaper?

A: Solar or wind energy is not popular in Kuwait, despite it being more ecofriendly and cheaper. This is because Kuwait has abundant oil resources, and generating power from petroleum is a viable option. Also, solar and wind energy are not permanent energies, as they depend on the sun and wind and may change from day-to-day, from season to another. More research needs to be carried out in this realm. In Kuwait, solar houses were built at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) that served as a laboratory for testing in Al-Rawadah.

Q: Is the disposal of nuclear waste now more ‘environment-friendly’ as claimed? How do the new generation reactors process it differently?

A: The energy produced from the use of

LOCAL

Friday, March 26, 2010

Page 5

Are we ready for it?

Q: Is the need to build a nuclear power plant politically motivated? Are we just trying to prove a point to Iran?

A: The need for a nuclear plant is politically motivated as they achieve a kind of balance in the region, especially after the rise of Iran’s nuclear program.

Kuwait drawing on nuclear energy will give her momentum and international standing, and greater regional position to enter the era of science and technology.

This is especially true with the entry of the nuclear program of the United Arab Emirates. Nuclear project will quantum leap in the efficiency of scientific and technical manpower in Kuwait. We are not just trying to prove a point to Iran.

Nuclear energy is the future. Also, we have to take into consideration while setting up a nuclear plant, the importance of bilateral agreement with full transparency with our neighbors.

Q: How safe will our sea and land be in the case of a radiation leak? Are we endangering our environment?

A: As we said before, the new generation of reactors are very safe, and nuclear energy is clean. There is no fear from radiation leakage on our sea and land, and we are not endangering our environment. But we have to keep in mind that there is danger to marine life and land in case leakage spreads to the soil or the sea. However, the waste should be properly contained and buried deep beneath the sea according to international safety standards.

Q: Nuclear energy is touted to be the best alternative as oil is depleting fast. Will it prove too costly for Kuwait, considering our sensitive geographic allocation?

A: Despite its negative image, nuclear

‘

We are not just trying to prove a point to Iran. Nuclear energy is the future.

‘

petroleum and combustion of petroleum products cause environmental pollution, as it is characterized by the exit of a huge amount of gases and carbon emissions in the air such as nitrogen oxides, carbon, and sulfur. Toxins cause pollution in the air and add to global warming and sudden changes and rising temperatures, which lead to long-term environmental disruption. But nuclear energy is clean energy. The new generation of reactors are highly secure in terms of averting radiation. They can withstand the impact of different types of aircraft (Pyongyang, the Phantom and Mirage), and the rocket shock will not have any effect on the reactor. The time needed to establish a new nuclear reactor of capacity of 500-100 megawatts of electricity ranges between four to five years. Uninhabited areas, situated at least 50 kilometers away from the city, are chosen as ideal locations after conducting physical, geological and technical studies. Disposal of nuclear waste is also one of the biggest problems that the United States faces, especially in terms of allocating a site for burial. But with the new generation of reactors, these wastes are processed differently and in innovative ways to allow re-used fuel for the production of nuclear energy.

energy may be the most efficient and realistic means of meeting the rapidlygrowing demand for power in the world.

If one closely monitors human progression in the spheres of energy and power, one will be overwhelmed to know that man is striding to receive alternative energy and electricity for future use. Researchers have invented different sorts of machines and tools to utilize the natural wealth and resources to make life much more soothing and attractive. You can’t overlook that evergreen effort which our scientists are making to maximize the facility in gaining adequate energy through alternative sources. Still, they are not satisfied because if it is biodiesel or wind powered system, there are limitations to obtain energy. However, nuclear power is the most powerful weapon that has the ability to produce unlimited energy in the twinkle of an eye. Looking back at history, it can be confirmed that the most devastating nuclear explosion in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan proved the scale of severity of the explosion. It released a huge amount of energy and heat which turned the two populated states into necropolis deserts. Don’t misconstrue it.

What I mean to say is that nuclear energy is more powerful in comparison to other sources of energy. It will prove to be a boon if our scientists are able to properly tap this fantastic and powerful

hidden source. The next point is regarding the consumption of energy. To be frank, you will get the maximum chance to consume power which you can use in future. In addition, there is the least chance of polluting the air. The destructive NOx is now a global concern and it will contaminate our environment to a great extent. This poisonous gas mixes in the air everyday due to the smoke spewing vehicles which emit huge amounts of this deadly gas into the air. This poses a real threat to people.

Q: What are the protective measures that need to be taken to check radiation hazards? What kind of training should be given to the personnel handling it?

A: Generally, one the obstacles that hinder the path to developing nuclear power generation is the non-availability of trained personnel. However, the GCC countries have extraordinary experience in making the best use of internationally available expertise, and progressively internalizing the know-how and technology without prejudging the competitiveness of operations. The government of Kuwait is interested in starting a nuclear program for peaceful civilian purposes, with full transparency, before the Kuwaiti and international society with the cooperation with (IAEA) International Atomic Energy Agency. The main steps to be taken in

Fission and Fusion toms are the building blocks from which matter is formed. Everything around us is made up of atoms. Nuclear energy is contained within the center of the atom in a place known as the nucleus. Particles within the nucleus are held together by a strong force. If a large nucleus is split apart (fission), generous amounts of energy can be liberated. Small nuclei can also be combined (fusion) with an accompanying release of energy. Using this strong force that holds the nucleus together to produce energy is essentially what the field of nuclear power generation is about.

In the fission process certain heavy elements, such as some forms of Uranium, are split when a neutron strikes them. When they split, they release energy in the form of kinetic energy (heat) and radiation. The process not only produces energy but also additional neutrons that can be used to fission other Uranium nuclei and start a chain reaction. In fusion, nuclei of light elements are brought together under conditions of high pressure and temperature, causing them to combine and produce new elements and energy. Fission is a nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus splits, or fissions, into fragments, usually two fragments of comparable mass, with the release of large amounts of energy in the form of heat and radiation.

A

this regard are as follows: Set up the Kuwait Foundation for the Establishment of Nuclear Energy. The body should help evaluate and develop a peaceful program of nuclear energy, of nuclear technology in economic development and environmental conservation. Establishment of a Center for Nuclear Safety and Control: The supervisory and regulatory body should be completely independent and work toward the organization of the nuclear sector in the country for peaceful purposes, with the aim of achieving nuclear safety and nuclear security and radiation protection. It should prepare a licensing system for workers in the nuclear sector and control nuclear materials.

Establishment of Nuclear Authority to Generate Electricity. This body should develop policies and oversee the nuclear power plants that Kuwait needs to generate electricity in the short and long term. The formation of an Advisory Board composed of those possessing specialized competencies.

They should have conducted studies and research in the field of nuclear energy. This Board should work in tandem with the National Commission, which is responsible for planning matters. Prepare the infrastructure, and rehabilitation of national manpower in this field. The body should implement mechanisms for the development of legislation, laws and systems required for the nuclear program. It should comply with international standards and environmental aspects of nuclear reactors. Promote scientific research, technical and technological support for the use of nuclear technology, and to prepare a feasibility study and technical use of nuclear energy in electricity production and desalination of sea water.

Preparation of advertising campaigns to spread awareness on the importance of nuclear energy and its benefits, the objective of use, and to provide programs and curricula on scientific topics of nuclear energy and its uses. Professional training sessions should be held in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) in the field of detection and investigation of radioactive materials.

Q: Are you an opponent or proponent of this nuclear proposal?

A: I am a proponent of this nuclear proposal. I see this as the best possible option from an economical, environmental and political point of view.

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Friday, March 26, 2010

The humbling story of a truly impressive woman

Homeless, a maid lives her dreams

By Sunil Cherian

L

ooking from the mountain in Sri Lanka’s Kurunegala town, one could find the spot where Chithra Gamage once had a house.

Married off to a government employee at 20, Chithra spent eight years in that home, giving birth to four children during her time there. Then the domestic dream went sour: her husband was caught taking bribes, a practice he had been indulging in for many years.

Thanks to his contacts, he managed to avoid being jailed, but worse, the savings he had faithfully invested in a local private financial company were totally lost, leading him to descend into a semi-insane state, wandering lost and confused around the town.

Collecting herself, Chithra realized that everything was now dependent on her and she had to take on the role of sole breadwinner. This led her to take the most immediately available job, then as now: housemaid. Chithra, now 52, is in the 25th year of her life as a maid. After eight years in Dubai and now in her 17th consecutive year in Kuwait, she is contented, in stark contrast to her still disoriented husband. Thanks to her Kuwaiti sponsor and her frugal living, all four children are educated and employed and two of her daughters are married off. Chithra has asked her only son to wait to settle down until her youngest daughter’s marriage is completed. Her son, who was working in Singapore with a computer hardware business,

returned home for the sake of his ready-to-be-married sister and is now in a laptop merchandising business, in their hometown, Kurunagela.

Recalling her years of sleepless nights away from home, Chithra particularly remembers one terrible occasion when her family’s home was broken into, burgled and vandalized by hooligans while she was in Dubai.

She went home, moved her family to her mother’s house before arranging a visa for herself to travel to Kuwait to work.

“When my first daughter [who is now a nurse] turned 18, she told me, ‘Now you can send money to me, I’ll take care of the family,’” she recalls.

Chithra who used to draft her salary to her elderly mother proudly concurred. Her mature and hardworking daughter also made extra money by giving private tuition to high school students while she was in the college.

The more highly educated second daughter, now well settled in Japan with her family, has repeatedly asked Chithra to give her work as a maid and return to Sri Lanka, but Chithra has resolutely refused.

“Now I dream of rebuilding the wrecked house”, she explains. “I don’t want to rely on my children. My husband is still around. Although we haven’t so much communication, he’s still my husband”.

In Sinhalese, the language of Chithra’s homeland, the word ‘Kurunagela’ means ‘elephant rock,’ and Chithra’s roots certainly seem to have influenced her indomitable, rock-solid character.

Chithra Gamage

Who wants a fat and violent teenager?

By Nawara Fattahova

T

oday’s fast paced life has altered people’s lifestyles, hobbies and habits. Nowadays, children’s games have taken their toll on reading books, playing with dolls, cars, or engaging in outdoor games.

Most of the teenagers, and even younger children have shifted their interest to playing a series of video games, where they spend long hours, without being monitored by parents.

Engaging in such unsupervised activities can damage their health considerably and leave a negative impact, psychologist argue. Not only are kids addicted to these games, many adults spend long hours playing it instead of engaging in productive activities.

Fun but damaging One of the pressing issues for parents today is the damage that videogames cause. The father of a 10-year-old boy related his experience about a terrible situation that involved videogames. “For the past four years I have been visiting the hospital regularly with my son. He is receiving medical treatment for partial paralysis caused by playing videogames for a very long time,” Abu Mohammed said. When I first bought this game for him, he was six years old and I did not supervise his activities. He spent around 10 to 12

continuous hours in front of the screen, and fell ill immediately, he recalled. “I advice parents to keep tabs on their kids and don’t let them spend long hours playing these games,” he said.

Some pediatric clinics have also reported receiving cases of children who suffer the consequences of excessive indulgence in videogames.

Pediatricians agree on the negative effects that the games have on children. “Videogames significantly alter children’s concentration and atten-

Also it affects their way of eating, which worsens and sometimes they even throw the food on his friends in the school, as if they are prisoners in the prison,” she explained.

Horror games and violent behavior According to Dr Mohammed, the effect on consciousness also includes gazing at repeating scenes in the classroom, while the effect on the unconsciousness includes the increased motion during sleeping and nightmares. “The child’s eyes are the

ger,” Mohammed said. He stressed, “The videogames have definitely bad impact on kids.”

Mohammed provided alternative advices, “They should practice more sports and physical activities. They also can take more cultural programs such as learning new languages or take advanced course levels in a language they know. Also, girls can be given activities suitable for them such as preparing some dishes or designing outfits for dolls,” she stated.

Parents believe that virtual reality leads to obesity and aggression tion. They may suffer from insomnia and nightmares. They may also suffer from ‘enuresis’ or bed-wetting,” Dr Nasma Mohammed from Al-Rashid Center for Human Development said.

The effect of the videogames can also affect not only the consciousness, thus it may even affect the unconsciousness. “These symptoms may be repeating everyday such as fighting the bad people. Their sleep is also uncomfortable, and even can’t sleep quickly. They wake up in the middle of the night, feeling scared.

window to the outside world, and the scenes of these games affects his personality, especially if it includes horror scenes,” she pointed out.

The overuse of these games may also teach the kids other bad manners. “It may teach them not to respect the traffic rules for instance, to hit the trees by a car, to jump in the sea with a car, to hit a wall or light pole, or to jump from a high floor, as he thinks that nothing will happen to him.

He decreases the size of the dan-

In conclusion, Mohammed advised parents to watch their children while playing videogames. So they will make sure that these games don’t include horror or indecent scenes.

“They should not play it more than two - three times a week, and not longer than an hour. Games shouldn’t be played before going to bed but after finishing the homework,” she concluded.

Health concerns vs violence Some parents take a more drastic

approach and ban games. They refuse to let their kids play any of the video games for long periods or under a certain age. “My youngest son kept demanding to let him play videogame thus I refused till he was seven, and only for one hour. I’m sure that such useless games are going in stereotype moving and don’t bring any advantage to the children’s mental development. I prefer that my kids do more useful activities than playing games,” said Aida, a 38-year-old mother of three kids. She was quick to point out that “videogames even kill the social side of their personality.” Many parents also don’t allow their kids to play video games for long time as it makes kids gain weight.

“They spend long hours doing the same thing, while eating snacks, fast food or sweets. This makes them gain weight. I’ve noticed this in some friends of my children. I banned my children from spending more than two hours playing such games,” Salah, a father of two young kids said.

Health concern was not the only reason for Salah to ban video games. “I noticed that such games can teach them violence, as they like to imitate the characters in the game, and they have also become addicted to the game,” he said. “I think that the most dangerous are the RPG and action games,” he said.

Friday, March 26, 2010

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Kuwait concerned about Afghanistan GENEVA: Kuwait yesterday expressed its “concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the suffering of the Afghan people from poverty and deprivation continued high rates of child mortality and the limited progress in health care.”

Kuwait called in its speech at the Human Rights Council here the international community to support the Government of Afghanistan to continue fulfill its obligations as stated in its Constitution, especially with relation to international conventions which have become a part of it, to work for implementing the strategy to reduce poverty, ensure women’s participation in decision-making and to do more in building the state institutions.

The diplomatic attache at the Kuwaiti ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmad Abdurahman Albuaijan said, “The Kuwaiti Government calls upon the international community to provide all

necessary support to achieve national reconciliation in Afghanistan to end the fighting between members of one people and to work for improving the daily living conditions for ordinary Afghans as they are the only way to create a stable environment in this country.”

The Kuwaiti diplomat assured the Kuwait’s keenness to “improve the living conditions and quality of life for the Afghan people by providing a grant of $30 million through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development in order to participate in the program of support for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.”

He also noted his country’s participation in the Conference on Afghanistan held in January this year in London, “in order to join the international community in its efforts to enable the Afghan people to enjoy their fundamental rights stipulated in international charters and international conventions.” —KUNA

Follow-up teams assigned for governmental projects Symposium on milk production to be held Sunday KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) affirmed the importance that governmental projects be built and made ready on time. Head of Public relations department at the PAAAFR Shaker Awadh said in a statement here yesterday that teams were formed to follow up all government projects according to certain budgets assigned for that purpose. Awadh added that the follow up teams are assigned to visit the sites weekly in order to overcome obstacles faced during the working or building process.

Meanwhile, the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) is

going to organize a symposium to be held on Sunday on health supervision on milk produced here. The symposium aims to understand the ways to protect dairy products and ensure their quality. Director General of agricultural guidance at PAAAFR Ghanim Al-Sanad said in a statement that the symposium includes several themes such as the requirements for milk production, experiments done on it, as well as the quality and safety procedures followed in that process.

Governmental, and private sector as well as individuals interested in this field and Milk Producers Union will participate in the symposium. — KUNA

SIRT, Libya: Kuwaiti Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah attends a meeting for Arab foreign ministers in preparation for the Arab Summit to take place in Libya tomorrow. —KUNA

Amir to attend summit in Libya Arab summit comes amidst harsh circumstances in Arab region, says Kuwaiti FM KUWAIT/SIRT, Libya: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah and the accompanying delegation left Kuwait yesterday heading for Libya to attend the 22nd Arab summit conference due in Sirt city on 26-27 March.

Meanwhile, in Sirt the Kuwaiti Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah on Wednesday underlined the significance of the Arab Summit in Libya, which comes amidst harsh circumstances engulfing the Arab area.

Upon arriving in Sirt to head Kuwait’s delegation in the preparatory ministerial meeting for the summit, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad said the summit is being held in light of a “vicious Zionist attack” on Islamic holy places in Palestine.

Continuous Israeli aggression in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque places the summit against a major challenge, Kuwait’s top diplomat said, adding “we saw in the last few days other nations’ reactions regarding Israeli ‘recklessness’ in its international relations, as the United Kingdom has expelled an Israeli diplomat

and the Middle East Quartet issued a strong-worded statement regarding building of settlements in East Jerusalem, as well as statements by US President Barack Obama on the matter.”

These stances are crucial, yet not enough, “as we are looking forward for words to be manifested on ground,” he said.

The Libya summit should deliver a clear message to the world, that is Arabs desire peace, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad noted, underscoring at the same time that Arab, and chiefly Palestinian reconciliation, should also take place.

He indicated that first steps for such reconciliation took place during the Kuwait Economic Summit on January 2009 under the patronage of His Highness the Amir hoping for them to continue in the Libya summit.

Kuwait has a role in narrowing the gap among Palestinian factions and in line with Egyptian mediation efforts in this regard, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad noted, hoping for the inter-Palestinian standoff be “behind us” during the upcoming summit in order

for it not to consume efforts needed to be channeled to other pending issues, as “we have a clear enemy in front of us and we need to confront him with utmost ability and firmness.”

As for follow up on implementing resolutions of the Kuwait summit, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad said, “Kuwait, in its capacity as current chair of the economic summit, is concerned with the dossier, with Finance Minister Faisal Al-Shimali tabling the issue during the Arab Economic and Social Ministerial Council held earlier today, and I will point to it during tomorrow’s meeting.”

At Sheikh Dr. Mohammad’s reception upon arriving here was Libyan counterpart Musa Kusa, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Libya Mubarak Al-Adwani, Director of Economy Department at the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry Sheikh Ali Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Director of Arab World Department in the ministry Jassem Al-Mubaraki and Kuwait’s Permanent Representative in the Arab League Ambassador Abdullah Al-Mansour. —KUNA

Kuwait urges rich nations to help least-developed countries UNITED NATIONS: Kuwait has urged rich nations to extend more aid to their least-developed counterparts despite the ongoing global economic meltdown, highlighting the role of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) in this regard. Fawzi AlHaneef, KFAED operations director, said last night before the 64th session of the General Assembly, that donors are urged to raise their aid to underdeveloped nations to seven percent from their national income, noting that the current rate is at 0.30 percent. AlHaneef said that the sluggish world economy has had negatively effects on developing countries, namely a sharp decline in global trade, the flow of private capital, a drop in the prices of basic goods, rising unemployment and shrinking per capita. He pointed out that the financial crisis would make it difficult for developing countries to realize their goals for the third millennium by 2015, warning that conditions would worsen if those countries, mainly the poorest, fail to acquire more financial resources, thus deepening their poverty and hunger crisis. Turning to KFAED, Haneef said that the nearly half-century-old fund continues to extend aid to some 104 developing countries, estimating that they have received over $15 billion in easy loans not to mention the grants provided by the Kuwaiti government. —KUNA

Kuwait, Egypt hold military talks KUWAIT: Chief of the Kuwaiti Army General Staff Lt-General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah yesterday held talks with head of the Nasser Military

Academy in Egypt Major General Tyseer Makram. The two officials discussed issues of common interest and means to upgrade the relations between military

establishments in both countries.

The meeting was attended by Egyptian and Kuwaiti military officials.— KUNA

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CRIMES

Absconding Filipina maid gang-raped KUWAIT: A Filipina woman who fled her abusive sponsors’ home early on Wednesday morning was abducted by a Bangladeshi taxi driver who offered her a lift before taking her to an animal pen in Kabd, where he and seven compatriots repeatedly raped her. Police who rushed to the area found the victim in a traumatized state, with her clothes ripped and torn, with her attackers having fled the scene earlier. The woman has been helping the police with their enquiries in order to apprehend the rapists.

Office rage A Jahra municipality worker has filed a complaint against a Kuwaiti man, claiming that the man physically and verbally assaulted him while he was on duty. The accused man had apparently visited the municipality office to enquire about a citation and fine issued against his shop. When he discovered that the fine was larger than he had believed, he attempted to convince the employee to drop it. When this failed, he became aggressive and attacked the staff member. An investigation is underway into the incident.

Baby dies over ID details A grieving father whose failure to change the address details on his civil ID after moving home led to precious time being lost in treating his baby son who subsequently died, was referred to police by a hospital official.

The distraught father had apparently moved with his family to Salmiya, but forgot to change his civil ID card details to match his new address. When his baby son fell dangerously ill, he first rushed to Mubarak Hospital. On his way to the hospital, however, he remembered that his failure to change the address on his ID card would make his son ineligible for treatment there, immediately changing course for Adan Hospital instead. The resulting delay meant, tragically, that the baby died en route, with doctors at the hospital unable to resuscitate him.

The hospital official responsible for investigating deaths referred the father to Salmiya police station, where the distraught man admitted that his failure to register the address change had been partially responsible for his child’s death.

Prison beating Three Central Prison inmates are being questioned after they allegedly assaulted another prisoner over a previous dispute between them.

Drugs bust Southern area police arrested two men a Saudi and a bedoon (stateless) resident, for possession of illicit drugs. The officers discovered the 40 Keptagon (amphetamine) tablets in the men’s car during a search of the vehicle after they pulled the men over for erratic driving. Both were taken into custody and are awaiting trial.

Family trouble A Kuwaiti woman called her husband for help when she and her brother were assaulted by other family members at her home in the Nadha area over a previous family dispute.

Although her husband immediately rushed back to the house, the assailants had already fled. A complaint has been lodged about the incident and an investigation is underway.

Several injured in car accidents

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Two Pakistani men were admitted to Adan Hospital after sustaining head injuries in a car accident on King Fahad road, near Sabahiya Park. In another incident, a 30-yearold Kuwaiti man was taken to Farwaniya Hospital with a broken thighbone following a car accident.

Meanwhile, a 23-year-old Kuwaiti woman suffered neck and head injuries, a 41-year-old Bangladeshi man suffered wounds to his neck, leg and right arm, and a 45-year-old Indian man sustained mild head injuries in a car accident on the Sixth Ring Road, near the 360 Mall. All were admitted to the Amiri Hospital.

Freak accidents An Indian expatriate was rushed to hospital

after suffering 45 percent chemical burns across his body in an accidental minor explosion in a college near the Ministry of Health building.

In a separate incident, a 12-year-old Kuwaiti boy was taken to Mubarak Hospital after suffering bruising to his left foot when he fell from his football club’s bus.

KUWAIT: (From left) His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Jassem AlKhorafi and Minister of Information and Minister of Oil Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

‘Some instigate sedition among Kuwaitis’ KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi asserted yesterday that national unity is not mere slogans, but a reality lived by Kuwaitis and that it will remain deep-seated in Kuwait and among its people.

Al-Khorafi made this remark within a statement made to the press following the National Assembly’s special session for discussing a no-confidence motion against Minister of Oil and Minister of Information Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-

Sabah that ended in the renewal of confidence in the minister.

Al-Khorafi said “I hope that we do not deem national unity mere slogans without looking at the reality we live because the national unity is deep-seated in Kuwait and will remain so.”

He went on to say “we should take utmost caution against the repercussions of what happened in the past years,” expressing his belief that there are some who seek to stir up sedition among the

Kuwaitis “in what might cause a harm to the national unity.”

He added “we will manage to protect our national unity and thwart the attempts of any sedition instigator with God’s help and the wisdom of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.”

Al-Khorafi congratulated the Minister of Oil and Information on the National Assembly’s renewal of confidence in him, calling on him to make use of what took place of discussions during the session. —KUNA

Dr unk ar rested A 27-year-old citizen was arrested in connection with public drunkenness in Qusoor.

Expat death The body of a 43-year-old Thai expatriate was removed for autopsy after he was found dead in his residence in Hasawi.

EPA: Sheikh Jaber Causeway eco-threat KUWAIT: The Environment Public Authority (EPA), expressed its strong opposition against the direction of Sheikh Jaber Causeway that ends at the beach of Subbiya area, because of its adverse effect on shrimps stock and the biology of the muddy soil biology, due to the concrete columns that will be erected at the bottom of the sea.

An environmental source was quoted by Al-Watan saying that there are necessary environmental requirements that must be attended to, and the approval of the previous EPA approval of the wrong path was due to pressures by the cabinet. He said there are many projects EPA rejects but the government insists on them.

The source wondered why consultations are sought if it is already determined to execute the project.

Assistant undersecretary for roads sector at the ministry of public works said the ministry is always keen on obtaining EPA approval before submitting a project, and

that it discussed the notes expressed by EPA, which was over the Doha spur and not Jaber Bridge path which was decided by the municipality affairs ministry, adding that the ministry received EPA approval based on the environmental returns study prepared by Kuwait University.

Based on this approval the CTC tendered the project last January, while envelops will be opened June 8th for awarding, adding that the project is a matter of sovereignty and must be executed.

Meanwhile EPA’s answer came from deputy director general captain Ali Haidar who said the ministry tendered the project before completing EPA’s requirements or those of Kuwait Ports Authority regarding navigation and the “over-height” of the bridge, that in addition to adding new cross roads and a spur to serve a future road to Doha and Ushairej head, which was opposed by the EPA due to its adverse effects on marine life.

KFSD marks world Fireman Day KUWAIT: Celebrating the Eight International Firefighters Day (IFFD) would surely boost the moral of such personnel worldwide, a Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD) official said yesterday.

KFSD Director General Major-General Jassem Al-Mansouri told the press after celebrating the IFFD, held under the auspices of the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan, that IFFD celebration would aim to involve parents and children to raise awareness of the causes of fires and accidents and it also would include competitions and prizes to encourage people on how to deal with fire prevention.

Deputy Director General for Human Resources and Combating Fire Affairs Brigadier Yousif AlAnsari said on his part that there were over 4,000 firefighters servicing in 38 fire-houses, revealing KUWAIT: A firefighter poses for a that the accidents decrease to 13,500 this year, a picture in front of a fire that broke out in drop of eight percent the total number from last a warehouse in Shuwaikh yesterday. year. — KUNA —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

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INTERNATIONAL

Friday, March 26, 2010

Razor thin margin to separate Iraq election blocs

BASRA: Iraqi demonstrators hold a banner calling for a recount of votes from the general election during a protest in the southern city of Basra on Wednesday. —AFP

Bin Laden threatens US over alleged 9/11 plotter Obama administration looking into for civilian trials CAIRO: Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden threatened in a new audio recording released yesterday to kill any captured Americans if the US executes the self-professed mastermind of the Sept 11 attacks or any other Al-Qaeda suspects. The US is still considering whether to put Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four of his fellow plotters on military tribunal for their role in the Sept 11 attacks. The Obama administration is also looking into recommendations for civilian trials, and is expected to announce a decision soon.

In a brief 74-second audio tape aired on AlJazeera television, bin Laden said if the US decides to execute any Al-Qaeda suspects in its custody, and explicitly mentioned Mohammed, his terror network would kill American captives. The terror leader said such a decision “would mean the US has issued a death sentence against whoever of you becomes a prisoner in our hands.” It was not immediately clear whether Al-Qaeda is currently has any US captives, but the

Haqqani group, the Pakistan-based Taliban faction closest to Al-Qaeda, is holding an American soldier it captured in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009. It released a video of him in December.

Bin Laden said US President Barack Obama is following in the footsteps of his predecessor George W. Bush by escalating the war in Afghanistan, being “unjust” to AlQaeda prisoners and supporting Israel in its occupation of Palestinian land. In a veiled threat, bin Laden said Americans had previously thought their homeland was beyond the reach of his group until the 9/11 attack.

Mohammed, who was captured in Pakistan in 2003, is the most senior Al-Qaeda operative in US custody, and is currently in detention at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In 2008, the US charged him with murder and war crimes in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks. Pentagon officials have said they’ll seek the death penalty.— AP

JERUSALEM: An ultra-orthodox Jewish man walks past a graffiti of a Palestinian flag and a swastika, in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, yesterday. —AP

BAGHDAD: The leading blocs in Iraq’s March 7 parliamentary election are separated by a slim margin of one or two seats, the head of the country’s election commission said yesterday, a day ahead of the scheduled release of the complete vote tallies. Independent High Electoral Commission chief Faraj Al-Haidari also told The Associated Press the vote tallying in the historic election was complete and that the commission was expected to sort through dozens of outstanding electoral complaints by the end of the day before announcing the full results Friday. But political tensions were rising across Iraq on the eve of the announcement, prompting Interior Minister Jawad Al-Bolani to demand a delay in the release of the full results because of security concerns. Al-Bolani said there had been violations and fraud during the March 7 vote and that tensions between political blocs may spill over to their supporters on the streets. He said a postponement would preserve security and ensure a peaceful transition of power.

It was not immediately clear how much weight Al-Bolani’s demand carried. A Shiite official who enjoys popularity among the police force he oversees, Al-Bolani took part in the elections but his party got few votes. In the overall tally after 95 percent of the votes counted, Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s coalition narrowly trails a bloc led by former prime minister Ayad Allawi. Al-Haidari, the commission chief, declined to say which side looked set to take the largest number of seats in the 325-member legislature, only acknowledging that the race was close.

“The difference between the leader and the second place will be one to two seats,” he said.

Though behind his rival in the overall vote tally, Al-Maliki’s coalition is ahead in seven of Iraq’s 18 provinces, compared to Allawi’s five. That is significant because the allocation of parliament’s seats is based on votes counted province by province and not nationwide.

The number of lawmakers sent by each province to parliament varies according to their population. Such a narrow victory could intensify political tensions. Iraq’s president, Jalal Talabani, on Sunday called for a recount to “preclude any doubt and misunderstanding” about the results. He said he was issuing the call as president in the interest of justice and transparency, though the Kurdish leader’s own coalition is losing to Allawi’s secular alliance in a key province. The electoral commission, an independent body appointed by parliament, has rejected calls for a recount. After the announcement on Friday, political blocs will have three days starting Saturday to appeal the results. The commission then submits its results to the country’s Supreme Court for ratification. The vote results become final after verification by the court. A recount or a protracted election dispute could complicate the seating of a new government. In Iraq’s fledgling democracy, such periods of political instability were in the past accompanied by a spike in violence, as debates not settled at the negotiating table were taken to the streets.

The interior minister, Al-Bolani, said a delay in announcing the results would provide time for a round-table of all political parties on allegations of fraud and vote rigging. It would help boost confidence among the blocs and that would filter down to the rank-and-file, he said. “We do not want to lose the security gains we have attained so far,” said Al-Bolani.

“We want the handover of power in a peaceful manner.” In southwestern Baghdad, a pre-dawn roadside bomb Thursday killed a commandeer of a Sunni pro-government militia and wounded two of his aides. In an eastern neighborhood, gunmen raided a house, killing a woman and her daughter before fleeing the scene. In the disputed northern town of Kirkuk, gunmen kidnapped Hashim Mohammed Saleem, a Turkomen physician, said police Brig. Gen. Burhan Tayeb Taha. — AP

Israeli PM gets home support in dispute with US JERUSALEM: Senior members of Israel’s ruling coalition yesterday rallied behind embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his dispute with the US, saying Israel would keep on building Jewish homes in east Jerusalem and accusing Washington of unfairly putting pressure on the government. The hard-line stance signaled even deeper trouble for the US as it tries to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which broke down more than a year ago. Netanyahu left Washington early Thursday after a last-ditch effort to heal the rift over Israel’s policies in east Jerusalem appeared to fail. The US wants Israel to stop building Jewish homes in east Jerusalem, the section of the city that the Palestinians want as the capital of a future state. Netanyahu refuses, saying the entire holy city must remain Israel’s capital.

Silvan Shalom, Netanyahu’s deputy and sometimes rival in the ruling Likud Party, told Israel Radio on Thursday that he “completely supports” the prime minister, saying that the Jewish people’s historical bond to Jerusalem is unbreakable.

“The subject of building in Jerusalem is unconditional and if we blink we will lose everything,” Shalom said, warning the government would collapse if Israel backs down. “The prime minister has a mandate not just from Likud voters or the Jewish people here but from the Jewish people from throughout the generations and therefore in this regard we have no option to accept another decision and no other decision can be made.” While he said the relationship with Washington is critical for Israel, he said “the United States needs to understand that if it is one sided only and all the pressure is on Israel only, then that way doesn’t contribute and might cause an opposite effect. The efforts need to be directed to both sides.” Netanyahu’s culture and national infrastructure ministers made similar comments in radio interviews yesterday. The fate of Jerusalem is

the most explosive issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and immediately annexed the area , a move that has never been recognized internationally. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of an independent state that includes the neighboring West Bank, as well as the Gaza Strip to Israel’s south. Over the years, Israel has built a ring of Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem to cement its control over the area.

Some 180,000 Israelis now live in these neighborhoods, which the international community view as illegal settlements.

The Palestinians have refused to return to the negotiating table until Israel freezes construction in all settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Netanyahu has only offered to slow construction in the West Bank. There was no immediate Palestinian reaction. But in neighboring Jordan, King Abdullah II warned Israel that it is playing with fire over its settlement policy and that the Jewish state must decide whether it wants peace or war. He urged Israel to take “tangible actions” toward ending settlements and resuming peace talks. The crisis with the US erupted earlier this month when Israel announced during a visit to Israel by Vice President Joe Biden that it plans to build 1,600 new apartments in a Jewish neighborhood of east Jerusalem.

Biden condemned the move, and plans to resume peace talks through US mediation were put on hold. The US has asked Israel to cancel the plan.

Netanyahu’s Washington visit this week had been meant as a fence-mending mission. But he again refused to soften Israel’s line on east Jerusalem, a position that was underscored by an announcement from Jerusalem city officials that they had approved 20 new apartments for a Jewish housing project in the heart of an Arab neighborhood. — AP

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Netherlands-based Tribunal conducts interviews

Hezbollah members questioned in Hariri case SERTE: An Arab delegate looks on in front of the empty seat of Lebanon’s delegation during the Arab representatives preparatory meeting ahead of the annual Arab League, in Serte, Libya Monday. —AP

Lebanon to send low-level official to Arab summit BEIRUT: Lebanon’s top leaders will not attend this month’s Arab summit in Libya in a move seen as a diplomatic snub to Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi. Beirut’s decadesold dispute with Tripoli stems from the 1978 disappearance of a top Lebanese Shiite cleric who was last seen in Libya.

Tripoli denies having any

connection with the case.

Instead of sending the president or prime minister, Lebanon will be represented by its ambassador to Cairo for the March 27-28 summit in Libya. Lebanon’s Cabinet endorsed the decision late Wednesday. The annual Arab League summit is frequently plagued by no-shows, often because of personal disputes among leaders. —AP

Israel playing with fire with settlements: Jordan AMMAN: Jordan’s king warned Israel in a rare public rebuke that it is “playing with fire” with its settlement policy, and said in comments published yesterday the Jewish state must decide whether it wants peace or war. The comments from King Abdullah II, whose country signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, underscore the Jordanian leader’s frustration with recent Israeli announcements of new housing for Jews in disputed east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state. The Israeli plans came just as long-stalled indirect peace talks were to begin under US mediation. The housing announcement enraged Arabs, and triggered sharp condemnation from Washington and the international community.

“We have warned repeatedly that Israel is playing with fire,” Abdullah said in an interview published with local newspapers. He said Israel “must decide if it wants conflict or peace,” adding that if it is indeed peace, then Israel must take “tangible actions” toward ending settlements and returning to negotiations with Palestinians. “People are fed up with an open-ended process that does not lead to results,” he said.

Abdullah said that a two-state solution was the “only solution” to the crisis, and warned that if no progress is made toward peace soon, then a new cycle violence will erupt for which “the whole world will pay the price.”

Despite intense pressure from the US and the international community, Israel has refused to budge on the plans for 1,600 new Jewish homes in east Jerusalem, insisting the holy city is Israel’s capital and not a settlement.

During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip this week to Washington for talks with senior US officials, Israel announced plans to further expand Jewish housing in the disputed part of Jerusalem. Abdullah firmly rejected the plans, saying Jordan “condemns all Israeli measures to change the identity of Jerusalem and empty it of its Arab Christian and Muslim residents.” Abdullah spoke ahead of this weekend’s Arab summit conference in Libya, where Arab leaders are expected to decide whether to keep an Arab peace initiative, giving Israel full Arab recognition in return for occupied Arab lands, on the table.

He also reiterated his rejection of the so-called ‘Jordan option,’ an idea espoused by some Israeli hard-liners to turn Jordan into a Palestinian state. “No one can enforce such a solution and whoever speaks of such illusions is talking about an impossible scenario,” he said. —AP

BEIRUT: International investigators have questioned Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon has members of the militant Hezbollah group in connection interviewed several Hezbollah members in Beirut, with the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime among dozens of other people. The judicial official said Minister Rafik Hariri, Lebanese security and judicial the investigators were speaking to a range of people officials said yesterday. They said a team from the who could have information about the assassination.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Many in Lebanon fear that if the Shiite, Iranian-backed Hezbollah is accused by the tribunal in connection with the assassination, it could lead to tension and possibly violence between Lebanon’s Shiite and Sunni communities.

Violence between members of the two sects left more than 100 people dead over the past five years. Hariri was a Sunni Muslim with close links to Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s foremost Sunni powers. It was not clear whether Hezbollah members have been questioned before, but it was the first time officials disclosed that interviews with group members have BEIRUT: In this picture taken on Monday a Lebanese man prays at the actually taken place. grave of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, in downtown of Hariri was Lebanon’s Beirut, Lebanon. —AP most prominent politician since the 1975-1990 civil war ended. He was killed in a massive truck bombing that set off a spiral of political turmoil in Lebanon, including the withdrawal of Syrian troops after almost 30 years of MOSCOW: Iran’s launch of “Everything is being detail Russia’s stance after military presence and a Russian-built nuclear done under IAEA President Dmitry domination of the country. power plant will go ahead regulations,” he said, Medvedev called for Many Lebanese blame and is in no way linked to referring to the UN’s “smart” sanctions against Syria for the killing, which possible new sanctions nuclear watchdog agency. Iran in comments early Damascus denies. In May over its alleged weapons “Spent fuel deliveries to this month in Paris. A last year, German magazine programme, Russia’s Iran will be returned to senior Russian diplomat on Der Spiegel said the court foreign ministry said Russia with the IAEA’s Wednesday stressed had evidence that members of Hezbollah were behind yesterday. “It would be seal according to the Moscow was against the assassination. wrong to make any links standards of all the “paralysing sanctions”, Hezbollah has fiercely between the construction existing technology in this saying at an anonymous denied any role in the and the launch of the plant field.” His comments came briefing that it will only killing. The group’s leader, and the growing need to after Prime Minister back measures targeting Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, take new measures Vladimir Putin announced n o n - p r o l i f e r a t i o n . one of Syria’s strongest towards Tehran,” ministry last Thursday-on the eve Nesterenko meanwhile allies in Lebanon, has said spokesman Andrei of his meeting with said measures against Iran that any attempt to Nesterenko said, quoted Clinton-that the Bushehr must not aim at “the implicate Hezbollah in the

by Russian news agencies. plant would come online financial and economic killing will be considered a In Moscow last week, this summer. suffocation” of the country. politically motivated US Secretary of State Russia, which had Russia has been helping “Israeli accusation.”

Hillary Clinton warned enjoyed close ties with Iran build the power Hezbollah officials have that going forward with Tehran for many years, has station in the southern city refused to confirm or deny the inauguration of the shown growing irritation of Bushehr since the midthe reports that its nuclear plant that Russia with Iran and has 1990s but its launch has members have been has helped build at repeatedly said it may back been marred by a series of questioned.

The UN Bushehr would send new UN sanctions over delays, not least the investigating team has Tehran the wrong the nuclear weapons issue. standoff over Iran’s questioned hundreds of message. But Nesterenko The United States and its nuclear activities. Clinton, people in the past few years, but it has kept silent denied that the United allies accuse Tehran of who visited Moscow last on its progress and who States had voiced any plans to build an atomic week hoping to secure might be charged. The concern over Bushehr in bomb, while the Islamic Russia’s support for a court prosecutor’s bilateral talks. “I would republic insists its nuclear tougher line on Iran, said spokeswoman Radhia like to put an stop to this drive is purely for Tehran was entitled to civil Achouri also declined to once and for all,” he said in peaceful, civilian purposes. nuclear power but called comment on whether response to a reporter’s Statements by officials the start-up of Bushehr members of Hezbollah were question. this week did more to premature. —AFP questioned. —AP

Iran nuclear plant launch unrelated to sanctions: Russia

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Pope gunman wants to visit Fatima shrine ANKARA: The Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II wants to attend annual ceremonies at Portugal’s Fatima shrine and meet with Pope Benedict XVI who is also scheduled to attend, his lawyer said yesterday.

Lawyer Haci Ali Ozhan told The Associated Press he has written to Portugal’s president and prime minister seeking permission for Mehmet Ali Agca to travel there for the May 13 event. A letter was also sent to the Vatican,

requesting a meeting between Benedict and Agca at Fatima, Ozhan said. Neither Lisbon or the Vatican have replied to the March 16 letters, which were made available to the AP. Agca was released from prison in January after completing a sentence for the 1979 killing of Turkish newspaper editor Abdi Ipekci.

Agca shot John Paul on May 13, 1981, as the pope rode in an open car in St. Peter’s Square, during a period in which he had

escaped from prison. The pontiff was hit in the abdomen, left hand and right arm Motives for the attack remain a mystery. When Agca was arrested, minutes after the attack, he said he had acted alone. Later, he suggested Bulgaria and the Soviet Union’s KGB were behind the attack, but then backed away from that assertion. His contradictory statements have frustrated prosecutors over the decades. Ozhan said Agca wanted to pray at

the Fatima shrine and meet with Benedict there.

The shrine attracts millions of pilgrims each year. Three shepherd children claimed in 1917 to have seen the Virgin Mary in Fatima and that she made predictions. Church officials said in 2000 that she foretold the assassination attempt. Agca is staying with friends at an undisclosed location in Istanbul and recently obtained a passport, Ozhan said. — AP

Group is suspected of having links to Al-Qaeda

Libya releases 214 Islamic militants TRIPOLI: Libya ha s relea sed 214 Isla mic milita nts, including senior members of a group a ccused of plotting to overthrow Mua mma r Ga dda fi, a fter they renounced violence. The Libya n lea der’s son Seif a l-Isla m Ga dda fi sa id 34 members of the “This is an important day for Libya because it is a day of forgiveness and honesty,” the younger Gaddafi said at a news conference Tuesday. Gaddafi’s son has been leading a dialogue with militants through a rehabilitation program run by his organization, the Gaddafi Foundation. The efforts are the latest by Arab governments to address militant movements through rehabilitation programs rather than solely

Libya n Isla mic Fighting Group, including its lea der, w ere sent home Tuesda y a fter they a ffirmed they ha d broken ties w ith the orga niza tion. The group is suspected of ha ving links to AlQa eda .

through force. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have both pioneered programs to “deprogram” militants and allow them to rejoin society.

“Since the beginning of this program, 705 Islamists have been freed and 409 are still in prison,” Gaddafi said, adding that 232 more will be released after making sure they had fully renounced their past activities. The Libyan government released 88 Islamic militants in October, including 45 members of

the Islamic Fighting Group. Most of those in Libyan prison are serving sentences of between 10 years and life after being detained in the mid-1990s.

The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group was believed to have joined al-Qaida’s ranks after a reference was made to them in an audio tape released on the Internet in 2007 by the terror network’s second-in-command, Ayman alZawahri. — AP

Workers to give out 2.5 billion condoms in S Africa JOHANNESBURG: Thousands of health workers will help hand out 2.5 billion condoms and test 15 million people for HIV as part of the world’s largest campaign in the country hardest hit by the virus, the health minister said yesterday.

After years of official denial and delay, South Africa’s government last year embarked on an antiAIDS drive, vowing to halve new infections and ensure that 80 percent of those who need them have access to AIDS drugs by 2011. Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has asked 9,000 retired South African doctors and health workers to help with testing and counseling during the $190 million campaign. He also has asked universities to lend their final-year medical students during the campaign’s first week.

Every person receiving HIV counseling and testing will receive 100 male condoms each, and 1 billion others will be distributed to public facilities, including FIFA-accredited hotels for football fans during the upcoming World Cup tournament, Motsoaledi said.

The campaign being launched April 15 also will treat rape victims and encourage male circumcision as a measure to prevent the virus that causes AIDS. The testing campaign hopes to “bring HIV out of the shadows and into the mainstream, helping to erode some of the stigma around the disease”, said Mark Heywood of the South African National AIDS Council, the government-supported coalition behind the campaign. Some 500 general practitioners already have pledged to provide free testing at their practices.

Testing will take place at all government hospitals, clinics, some universities and pharmacies, as well as in mobile units sent to remote rural areas. South Africa, a nation of about 50 million, has an estimated 5.7 million people infected with HIV, more than any other country. —AP

SEVILLE: Spain’s King Juan Carlos I (C) walks up for a group photo during the graduation ceremony for bullfighting at the Royal Cavalry of Seville yesterday. A raging debate in Spain over bullfighting took a new turn at the beginning of the month after two regional governments announced they would officially declare the practice part of their cultural. — AP

Spanish super judge closer to being charged MADRID: Spain’s Supreme Court cleared the way yesterday for the judge known for indicting Osama bin Laden and Augusto Pinochet to be charged with abuse of power in a probe of Spanish civil war atrocities. The decision by a five-judge panel to continue the case is a stinging setback for Judge Baltasar Garzon, a deeply polarizing figure who is accused of knowingly overstepping the bounds of his job in 2008 by investigating the atrocities.

The ultimate decision on whether to charge and put Garzon on trial is up to an investigating magistrate at the Supreme Court. That judge, Luciano Varela, said in a ruling in February that Garzon consciously ignored an amnesty decreed by Parliament in 1977 for civil war-era crimes. Garzon, 54, appealed that ruling, denying any wrongdoing.

Yesterday’s decision rejecting his appeal allows the case to proceed and puts it back in the hands of Varela, whose call has the potential end Garzon’s

career. Garzon, who has prosecuted everything from Islamic extremists to Basque separatists to Argentine ‘dirty war’ suspects, is arguably one of Spain’s most divisive figures and a man with a lot of political enemies. He is a tireless and dogged hero for leftists and international human rights groups like Amnesty International, but a headline-loving egotist with a grudge against the right in the eyes of Spanish conservatives. Over the past decade, he gained fame worldwide as the most prominent symbol of Spain’s doctrine of universal jurisdiction, which holds that heinous crimes like torture or terrorism can be tried in the country even if they had no link to Spain.

He used it in 1998 to go after Pinochet, having the former Chilean dictator arrested during a visit to London — although Britain ultimately refused to extradite him to Madrid. Garzon indicted bin Laden in 2003 over the Sept. —AP

PARIS: Newly named Budget Minister Francois Baroin, considered close to Sarkozy predecessor’s Jacques Chirac, speaks in Paris, Tuesday . —AP

French Ex-PM forms new party; may take on Sarkozy PARIS: Former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, an eloquent, silver-haired diplomat, launched a new political party yesterday that prepares the way for him to challenge longtime rival Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012 presidential elections. Villepin, who caught the world’s eye with a forceful 2003 UN speech urging the United States not to invade Iraq, assailed Sarkozy’s presidency and said he was worried the “French model” is disintegrating.

“We need a change in politics,” Villepin told a news conference in Paris. He said he wanted “a France that lives up to its difference and originality.” Sarkozy’s popularity is sinking and his conservative party, the UMP, was trounced by leftists in regional elections last weekend.

Villepin, himself a former member of the UMP, did not say where the new party would fit on France’s political spectrum. He seems to want to exploit growing fractures in Sarkozy’s conservative camp.

The former prime minister said the new party, which as yet has no name, would be formally inaugurated June 19. Villepin has never been elected to office. He said yesterday that he was “ill at ease” with government efforts to ban Islamic veils and cut public service jobs. France should not be afraid of raising taxes, especially on the rich, to get through the financial crisis and reduce the huge deficit, he said. The country needs to reduce the gap between rich and poor, and keep social protections while remaining competitive, he said, without laying out how he would do that. Villepin was prime minister under President Jacques Chirac from 2005 to 2007. But he has been on the sidelines since Sarkozy took office.

Villepin’s popularity plunged in 2006 amid nationwide student protests over a proposal to

decrease youth unemployment by allowing employers to fire employees aged under 26 without cause. The proposal was ultimately withdrawn. He has also been mired for years in a legal battle with Sarkozy involving a high-profile slander trial. — AP

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No claim of responsibility as of yet

TEXAS: This Texas Department of Criminal Justice handout photo shows death row inmate Hank Skinner. The US Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the execution of convicted murderer Skinner less than an hour before he was due to die after a plea from France and his defense lawyers to allow further DNA tests. —AFP

US court halts Texas execution WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the execution of a convicted murderer in Texas less than an hour before he was due to die after a plea from France and his lawyers to allow further DNA tests.

Henry “Hank” Skinner claims that new DNA tests will prove he did not commit the New Year’s Eve 1993 triple murder for which he was sentenced to death.

“He said he didn’t expect to get a stay, he expected to be executed,” Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said. Upon hearing news of the stay, Clark said, Skinner “felt weak in the knees, he felt like he really won.” Skinner, 47, who is now married to a French anti-death penalty campaigner, was convicted in Texas at a 1995 jury trial for the killings of his girlfriend and her two sons in his home.

He had been scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at 6:00 pm (2300 GMT) at the prison in Huntsville, Texas.

The Supreme Court must now decide if it will take up the case on the merits, otherwise a new execution date will be decided, the justices said in a brief decision. “We are relieved that the US Supreme Court has intervened to prevent Mr. Skinner’s execution,” said defense attorney Rob Owen.

The stay “suggests that the court believes there are important issues that require closer examination. “We remain hopeful that the court will agree to hear Skinner’s case and ultimately allow him the chance to prove his innocence through DNA testing,” Owen said. Skinner, who has proclaimed his innocence since his arrest, claims that DNA testing on items that were not examined during his trial will clear him.

Earlier Wednesday the French ambassador in Washington contacted Texas Governor Rick Perry urging a stay of execution. Both French President Nicolas Sarkozy and

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner have expressed their support to Skinner’s French wife, Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner.

“Our ambassador in Washington has contacted the governor of Texas to request a reprieve for Mr. Skinner and that his request for an additional inquiry be accepted,” said foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero.

France abolished capital punishment in 1981. The Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles on Sunday rejected Skinner’s DNA test request, leaving his fate in the hands of the US Supreme Court and Governor Perry. In recent years, 17 US death row prisoners have been released after DNA testing proved their innocence.

Some DNA evidence was presented during Skinner’s trial to ascertain that he had been present in his home in the Texas town of Pampa when the murders were committed-a point the defense never contested.

But he says that a third person must have committed the murders because he had passed out under the influence of anti-anxiety medication, painkillers and alcohol at the time. Blood tests at the time confirmed the presence of the drugs in his bloodstream.

Skinner’s defense insists he was physically incapable of killing his girlfriend Twila Jean Busby, 40 — who was fatally beaten with an axe handle-and her two sons aged 20 and 22 who were stabbed to death.

Ten years ago Skinner attracted the support of David Protess, a journalism professor at Northwestern University, who re-examined the case with his students and the DNA evidence, and concluded Skinner is innocent.

The journalism professor also noted that Skinner’s alleged victim had complained on the night of the murder of being harassed by her uncle, who was not questioned during the investigation into her murder.— AFP

Car bomb kills six in Colombia’s Pacific port BOGOTA: A car bomb ripped open cars and storefronts in the administrative center of Colombia’s Pacific port of Buenaventura on Wednesday, killing six people and wounding more than 30, authorities said. The blast occurred about 9:30 am near offices of the mayor and prosecutors, with six employees of the latter institution among the injured, said Jose de la Pava, the chief provincial prosecutor.

Buenaventura is a key cocaine trafficking hub as the country’s only major Pacific port and is rife with rival criminal bands. There was no claim of responsibility and President Alvaro Uribe said it was too early to lay blame, as police had not yet even announced the type of explosive used.

Uribe announced a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to those responsible.

“We can’t let our guard down,” he told reporters in Medellin before heading for Buenaventura. The armed forces chief, Gen. Freddy Padilla, said he suspected Colombia’s main leftist rebel group. Chief Prosecutor Guillermo Mendoza said he would not rule out retaliation against his office by drug traffickers , or a fight between rival bands. “It seems it was a car that was abandoned during the night,” said Valle del Cauca provincial Gov. Juan Carlos Abadia, who gave the death toll of six killed and 32 injured.

That number held late Wednesday, according to a local police commander and Abadia’s security chief. Uribe, who leaves office in August, has put the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia on the defensive since taking office in 2002. But the group known as the FARC remains capable of damaging attacks and in recent months it has stepped up raids on military posts in Valle del Cauca in particular.

Authorities say it is involved in the cocaine and marijuana trade in the region.

So are far-right paramilitaries, which Uribe’s critics say only feigned demobilization and continue to wreak havoc and corrupt local politics.

Wednesday’s car-bombing was the most serious in Colombia since a September 2008 blast killed four people in front of the palace of justice in Cali, capital of Valle de Cauca province. Authorities blamed the FARC for that attack.—AP

BUENAVENTURA: Locals gather at the site where a car bomb exploded in the Colombian port city of Buenaventura on Wednesday. Six people were killed and 18 wounded after a car bomb exploded near the city hall of Buenaventura. — AFP

Ignoring US slam, Fidel says has nothing against Obama HAVANA: Ignoring a blast from Barack Obama, Cuban leader Fidel Castro said yesterday he had nothing against the US president even though he sometimes says “silly things” about Cuba. Castro made no mention in his widely published message of Obama’s attack on Cuba’s communist regime late Wednesday-his strongest to date-that called for an “end to the repression” and the release of all political prisoners.

“Barack Obama is a fanatical believer in the capitalist imperialist system imposed on the world by the United States,” wrote Castro, 83, in a message published by all official Cuban newspapers. “The militaristic policy, the pillage of natural resources, the current administration’s unequal exchange with Third World countries is no different from that of his predecessors.

“Despite that, we have no dislike of Obama, and still less of the people of the United States. We consider health care reform an important battle and a

success for his government,” he continued, referring to the landmark health care coverage legislation Obama signed into law on Tuesday.

Castro said Obama was “intelligent” and “wellinformed” and he hoped that “the silly things he sometimes says about Cuba do not cloud his intelligence.” But Castro added that “the immense economic, technological and scientific power of the United States cannot survive the tragedy that threatens the planet.”

The powerful earthquakes that struck Haiti and Chile earlier this year were “eloquent proof of the dangers that threaten so-called civilization,” he said.

“President Obama should search on his computer for the pertinent figures and discuss them with his most eminent scientists, and he will see that the country is far from being the model for humanity that it claims to be.”

Obama took office in January 2009 pledging to seek improved ties with

Cuba, and reportedly sought to urge President Raul Castro to step up efforts to improve relations with Washington.

Last month, Obama sent his highest-ranking envoy yet to Havana to hold fresh talks on migration issues.

But on Wednesday, he described recent events, including the death of hunger striker Orlando Zapata, crackdowns against female protesters known as Las Damas de Blanco (the Ladies in White) and “intensified harassment” of other activists as “deeply disturbing.”

Recent events “underscore that instead of embracing an opportunity to enter a new era, Cuban authorities continue to respond to the aspirations of the Cuban people with a clenched fist,” Obama said.

“I join my voice with brave individuals across Cuba and a growing chorus around the world in calling for an end to the repression, for the immediate, unconditional release of all political prisoners in Cuba and for respect for the basic rights of the Cuban people.”—AFP

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N Korea makes new warning in bid to restart tours SEOUL: North Korea threatened yesterday to take unspecified “extraordinary” measures unless South Korea agrees within a week to lift its ban on tourist trips to the communist state, a businessman said. The sanctions-hit North is stepping up pressure to restart tours to the Mount Kumgang resort, which previously earned it tens of millions of dollars a year. The latest warning was delivered to 16 South Korean officials and businessmen who

attended a special meeting at Mount Kumgang, said Choi Yo-Sik, one of the visiting company officials.

He quoted a North Korean official as saying without elaborating that Pyongyang would take “extraordinary measures” unless the Seoul government allows the tours to resume by April 1.

The North has already threatened to tear up agreements governing the Seoulfunded resort and to seek a new business partner, rather than the South’s Hyundai

Asan, unless Seoul lifts its ban soon. It had ordered the businessmen to visit Kumgang by yesterday for what it called a survey of their assets there-or risk having the assets confiscated.

Hyundai Asan began the tours in 1998 as a reconciliation project in the divided nation. Nearly two million South Koreans travelled to Kumgang in the next decade. The South suspended the trips after a soldier in July 2008 shot dead a Seoul housewife who had strayed into a

poorly marked military zone. A luxury hotel, a golf course, and other facilities have since remained unused. The tours earned some 487 million dollars for the North over a decade, and Pyongyang is eager to restart the business as UN sanctions restrict its other hard currency earnings.

The South says the two governments must reach firm agreements on the safety of visitors before tours can resume. It says the North should also

permit a joint investigation into the shooting. The International Crisis Group think-tank, in a recent report, quoted South Korean government sources as saying its real policy is to block the tours until there is some progress on the North’s denuclearisation. The South Korean government said it would not itself attend yesterday’s meeting. The South Korean firms hold assets totalling 359.3 billion won (315.7 million dollars) at the resort.— AFP

November massacre worst in election violence

Manila court orders arrest of 196 massacre suspects MANILA: A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of a powerful political clan’s patriarch and 195 others on murder charges over the massacre of 57 people last year, police said yesterday. The massacre last November was the worst incident of election violence in the Philippines and has

raised security fears over elections on May 10. The order for the arrest of Andal Ampatuan Sr, whose family has ruled the poor and troubled southern Maguindanao province for nearly a decade, came before today’s official start of local campaigning for Congress positions in the May polls.

China says it agrees with Afghanistan on politics BEIJING: China reassured visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday that it won’t be joining the chorus of disapproval at home and abroad over corruption, cronyism and electoral fraud plaguing his government.

In a meeting in Beijing, top lawmaker Wu Bangguo told Karzai that Beijing didn’t see anything to criticize in Afghan politics, a reflection of China’s policy of ignoring the affairs of neighboring states as long as they don’t infringe on Chinese interests. “I don’t see any differences between us on political issues,” Wu, the Communist Party’s secondhighest ranking official, told Karzai at the start of their meeting at the Great Hall of the People. “We have made good progress in our practical cooperation. I’m sure your visit will give a great boost to the bilateral relationship,” Wu said. In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of Karzai’s visit yesterday, China further reaffirmed “the principle of noninterference into other countries’ internal affairs, its respect for Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, its respect for the Afghan people’s choice of a development road suited to their national conditions.” Chinese leaders themselves oversee a one-party communist state that brooks no internal dissent or outside criticism. While China has no troops in Afghanistan, where Karzai relies on US and NATO forces to prop up his weak government against the Taliban , its proximity and booming economy make it a valuable partner for the war-battered country.

China is already a major source of consumer goods for the country and while two-way trade totaled just $155 million in 2008, according to Chinese figures, it appears to be growing quickly. In the joint statement, China pledged to continue assistance to Afghanistan and encourage Chinese companies to take part in construction and development projects in the country. It said the sides agreed to expand trade, investment, economic cooperation, and technology transfer, focusing on transportation, basic infrastructure, agriculture, irrigation, and mining.

A Chinese company has already pledged $3 billion to tap one of the world’s largest unexploited copper reserves at Aynak in Afghanistan, and is favored to win the rights to iron deposits at Hajigak when bids are

considered this year. Karzai, traveling with a delegation of Cabinet officials and business figures, on Wednesday oversaw the signing of three agreements boosting economic ties.

The trip to Beijing also allows Karzai to further establish himself as a regional political figure with stature and independence.

Karzai has participated as an observer in summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a grouping of Central Asian nations dominated by China and Russia that aims to challenge US dominance. He has also cemented ties with India to balance the influence of neighboring Pakistan, with which Afghanistan has an acrimonious relationship.

And earlier this month, Karzai hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who used his brief visit to lob insults at the United States and argue that international forces in Afghanistan would only lead to more civilian deaths. Karzai called Iran , with which Afghanistan shares a long land border , “our brother nation” with whom it had excellent relations.— AP

BEIJING: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, right, shakes hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Beijing, China yesterday. —AP

Ampatuan, three of his sons and a brother will face 57 counts of murder before the Quezon City regional trial court in Manila. All five are already in custody on other charges. The Supreme Court moved the case from Mindanao island because of security concerns. A fourth son, Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr, the principal suspect, has already been arraigned for the murders.

“We got copies of the arrest warrants today and served them to those who are already in our custody,” said Francisco Montenegro, head of the national police agency’s criminal investigation and detection group. Of the 196 charged with the murders, 55 are under military and police custody.

Those still at large include soldiers, police officers and members of a civilian militia.

“We continued to hunt them down and search for weapons that might have been used in the murders of 57 people. We’re also gathering more evidence to pin them down for the murders,” Montenegro said.

The arrest warrants were issued six weeks after state prosecutors filed the murder charges against Ampatuan and 24 other members of his family, 65 soldiers and police officers, and 106 members of a civilian militia force. Thirty local journalists, 20 civilians and seven members of a rival clan of the Ampatuans were attacked by about 100 armed men while on their way to witness the filing of nomination papers of a candidate preparing to stand in elections.

The deaths heightened the Philippines’ profile as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, and stoked tensions ahead of the elections.

The campaign period for local seats begins today. Security forces anticipate more violence in provinces and towns where there is intense political rivalry and a heavy presence of rebels and armed groups. — Reuters

BANGKOK: An anti-government protester, who demands that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve Parliament and call new elections, has his head shaved, aiming at highlight his protest in Bangkok, Thailand yesterday. —AP

Thailand steps up security after blasts BANGKOK: Authorities in Thailand stepped up security yesterday after a series of small bomb blasts raised tensions in the capital as anti-government protests continued for a twelfth day. The “Red Shirt” protest movement, which wants Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve Parliament and call new elections, staged its latest attention-getting action, having hundreds of supporters shave their heads. But their nonviolent protest has been marred by a series of small blasts at government-linked targets around Bangkok , most recently on Wednesday night , causing minor damage. Although there have been several injuries, the explosions seem designed to cause alarm rather than to do any real harm, police say.

While no one has claimed responsibility, the timing and targets suggest the attacks are related to the political standoff.

The government has blamed the blasts on people trying to stir up tensions, while the Red Shirts say they are being carried out to discredit their protest movement. In response to the bombings, the Center for Administration of Peace and

Order , a special government body to keep security during the protests , announced yesterday it has set up 68 more checkpoints along major highways around Bangkok, augmenting the scores already in place. The Red Shirts, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, have pledged nonviolence, and their activities since launching their protest almost two weeks ago have generally been good-natured.

They have drawn as many as 100,000 people.

The group, which dresses in red and also has been staging conventional street demonstrations, drew international attention last week with a “blood sacrifice” in which it collected blood from supporters and splattered it at the gates of Abhisit’s office, the headquarters of his ruling party and his private residence.

The Red Shirts consist of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption, and pro-democracy activists who opposed the army takeover. — AP

INTERNATIONAL

Friday, March 26, 2010

Page 15

International hunt results in 5 arrests

Pakistan arrests suspects in British boy’s kidnapping HELMAND: A US Marines of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines gives some cereal to a stray puppy where a base was set up in a Taleban stronghold area, in northern Marjah, Helmand province.— AFP

Earthquake rumors spread panic in Indian Kashmir SRINAGAR: Authorities have decided to go after rumor mongers who spread stories that a strong earthquake was likely to devastate Indian Kashmir, an official said yesterday. The offenders could be arrested and jailed for up to one year, said Amir Ali, a spokesman for the state’s disaster management authority.

Cellular text messaging triggered a panic across the Himalayan region after a 3.9magnitude tremor hit Mattan, a town nearly 35 miles (60 kilometers) south of Indian Kashmir’s main city Srinagar, on Tuesday.

It carried rumors that a strong earthquake would soon cause a hillock to explode and destroy everything within an area of 15.4 square miles (40 square kilometers).

“The moment we went back into our house after Tuesday’s tremor I received frantic calls from friends saying that a big earthquake will strike,” said resident Mushtaq Ahmed.

“The tremor did not create as

much panic as the rumor.” It revived memories of a strong earthquake in 2005 that killed about 80,000 people and left 3 million people homeless, mostly in the Pakistani portion of Kashmir. With rumors refusing to die down, authorities on Wednesday advised people to hand over to police anyone found spreading them.

“Nobody can predict earthquakes and spreading rumor is an offense,” said Ali. Residents said the rumors have been fueled by mock drills being carried out by the disaster management authority for nearly a month.

The drills are part of a government campaign to educate officials about precautions to be taken before, during and after a disaster, especially earthquakes.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, and both claim it in its entirety. The longtime rivals have fought two wars over its control since they won independence from Britain in 1947. — AP

NATO soldier, 2 civilians killed in Afghan unrest KABUL: A NATO soldier has been killed in southern Afghanistan, while two Afghan civilians died in the crossfire of a gun battle between foreign troops and militants, the force said yesterday. “An ISAF service member died as a result of a smallarms attack in southern Afghanistan,” NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement. It did not release the soldier’s nationality, as per ISAF policy.

The death Wednesday takes the number of foreign troop fatalities in Afghanistan this year to 134, compared with 78 for the first quarter of 2009, according to an AFP tally based on the independent www.icasualties.org website. Also Wednesday in the eastern province of Khost, two civilians were killed during a firefight between NATO forces and militants. “Initial reports indicate that after the engagement six Afghan civilians with shrapnel wounds, two of whom died, received medical treatment at a nearby ISAF facility,” ISAF said in a separate statement.

“The cause of the civilian casualties is currently unknown,” it added. Six Taliban fighters were also killed Wednesday in Marjah, an area in the southern province of Helmand captured last month by NATO, US and Afghan troops during a massive operation, the defence ministry said. The dead included a Taliban group commander, it said in a statement.

There are about 120,000 troops under NATO and US command in Afghanistan battling a worsening Taliban-led insurgency now in its ninth year, with troop numbers expected to swell to 150,000 within months— AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police said yesterday they had arrested two of the men who kidnapped a five-year-old British boy for 12 days this month, and paraded the hooded and shackled suspects before the media. Sahil Saeed arrived back in England last week after an international police effort to free him from a kidnap gang that snatched That was largely recovered, however, in an international operation that resulted in five arrests in France and Spain.

Police in Jhelum said they had arrested two Pakistani men and were searching for two others who allegedly staged the initial kidnapping. The gang was also wanted for up to 22 murder and robbery cases.

“We have arrested two members of this international gang,” Aslam Tarin, regional police chief, said at a televised press conference in Jhelum.

“One is Safeer from Lala Musa and other is Imran from Rawalpindi, who are already wanted in various crimes of kidnapping for ransom and murders after kidnapping,” he added. He did not say when the men were arrested.

“Two members of this gang are still missing and we will catch them very soon,” Tarin said.

Local television footage showed the two men in black hoods and shackles, surrounded by police officers. “We had no prior planning to kidnap this boy,” one of the suspects was heard saying beneath his hood. He did not identify himself.

Tarin said the four men had gone to the house in Jhelum with the intention of robbing it, and had then seized upon the kidnapping plot which turned into an international criminal escapade. A Pakistani man and a Romanian woman, both awaiting trial on murder charges, were among five people arrested by police in France and Spain last week. The couple travelled from the northeastern Spanish town of Constanti, which has a large Pakistani community, to Paris to collect the ransom.

They were arrested on their return to Spain, and police found nearly 104,000 pounds and more than 3,000 euros in the couple’s flat in Constanti. Another Pakistani man was arrested in Constanti while French police detained two relatives of the man who went to Paris as alleged accomplices. Initially, Pakistan’s interior minister had suggested that someone “very close” to the family was behind the crime, but Tarin denied it was an inside job.

“No family member was involved in this case-reports about a family link in the kidnapping were wrong,” he said. Kidnappings of Westerners are rare in Pakistan but abductions of locals are all too common. They are often related to family quarrels, love affairs, property disputes or simply quests for money-particularly for the wealthier victims-by criminal gangs, some of whom are connected to Islamist militant networks.— AFP

him from his grandmother’s house in Jhelum in central Pakistan on March 4, demanding a hefty ransom. Pakistani and British officials launched a hunt for the boy and 12 days later Sahil was recovered in a field not far from Jhelum-but only after the boy’s uncle had paid a 110,000-pound (168,000-dollar) ransom in Paris.

JHELUM: Pakistani police escort arrested two handcuffed and shrouded men, who allegedly kidnapped a five-year-old British boy for ransom, in Jhelum yesterday. —AFP

Bangladesh sets up war crimes tribunal DHAKA: Bangladesh set up a war crimes tribunal yesterday for long-delayed trials of people accused of murder, torture, rape and arson during its 1971 independence war.

Three High Court judges will sit in the tribunal, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed told reporters, without specifying when trials would begin. The government also appointed six retired civil, police and military officials to investigate war crimes charges.

The government has already barred about 50 war crimes suspects mostly belonging to the country’s main Islamic party, Jamaat-eIslami, from leaving the country. Jamaat-e-Islami had sided with Pakistani troops against whom Bangladesh fought the independence war.

On March 26, 1971, Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, declared its independence from West Pakistan, following years of perceived political and economic discrimination.

Bangladesh official figures say

Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed an estimated 3 million people, raped about 200,000 women and forced millions more to flee their homes during a bloody nine-month guerrilla war. With help from neighbor India, Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation on Dec 16, 1971, with the surrender of the Pakistani army in Dhaka.

An amnesty was declared after the war for collaborators who were not directly involved in heinous crimes. It did not cover those who had specific charges or evidence of crimes against them. A Law Ministry statement said the tribunal will conduct quick trials under a 1973 act outlining prosecution and punishment for people accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under international law. If found guilty, some of those tried could face the death penalty.

It was not immediately clear if the tribunal intended to question or prosecute any

non-Bangladeshis.

The announcement of the tribunal came a day before Bangladesh celebrates its 40th independence day Friday.

Bangladesh began war crimes trials in 1973, but they were halted in 1975 when the nation’s independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated in a military coup.

Subsequent governments failed to address the issue, despite repeated calls for justice from war heroes and families of those slain.

Rahman’s daughter, current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, pledged during her election campaign to prosecute war criminals.

Last year, Parliament passed a resolution for their quick trial.

Hasina repeated her promise yesterday. “We shall not spare those who had killed and raped innocent people during the war,” she told a rally in Dhaka ahead of the Independence Day. “They had committed crimes against humanity.”— AP

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Standard and Poor’s downgrades KIPCO KUWAIT: The Standard and Poor’s agency has lowered its rating of Kuwait’s biggest private holding firm Kuwait Projects Co (KIPCO), citing a deterioration in its investments, a statement said Thursday. S and P downdgraded KIPCO’s long-term corporate credit rating to “BBB” from “BBB+”, and kept all other ratings, including the A-2 shortterm corporate credit rating, on watch with negative implications.

Last month, the agency placed KIPCO on credit watch due to the high-risk profile of its two largest holdings. “The downgrade reflects our view on KIPCO’s portfolio characteristics, which we believe have deteriorated in recent years as a result of comparably lower asset liquidity, and an increased proportion of investments which we consider to have weaker credit profiles,” the agency said.

KIPCO’s investment portfolio is now concentrated in two entities, pay-TV OrbitShowtime and investment bank United Gulf Bank, which have relatively weak credit characteristics, the agency said. The private holding group, which Standard and Poor’s says is connected to Kuwait’s ruling Al-Sabah family, has assets worth some 20 billion dollars under its management or control and big stakes in 55 companies across 21 countries. — AFP

Gulf Products: Fuel oil to stay firm through April DUBAI: Middle East fuel oil prices remained firm as supply flows in the region were expected to stay tight despite heavy flows of shipments arriving from the West into Asia.

Benchmark prices were pegged at $7.50 a ton, steady to levels seen last week, and were expected to trade upwards through April, traders said. “If you look at the last deal concluded on spot tenders, the price has been pretty strong, so it would suggest the market is still tight,” a Singapore based trader said.

Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) sold two parcels of 380-centistoke (cst) to Middle East Bakri at 33 percent higher than a previous deal, traders said. The two 80,000-ton parcels were slated for lifting on April 13-14 from Shuaiba, and April 10-11 loading on ship-toship (STS) transfer off the tanker Al Samidoon. The parcel loading from Shuaiba was sold at a premium of $9 a ton, while the parcel loading off an STS transfer was concluded at a premium of $15 a ton.

“There are some quality issues which seems to still be a problem for the regular suppliers, so until those issues get sorted out the market will stay firm,” a trader said. A rare western parcel of fuel oil was also expected to flow to the refuelling bunkering port of Fujairah at the United Arab Emirates, traders said. “The economics don’t usually work, but it works now because of the supply situation,” a trader said. Western fuel oil shipments to Asia are expected to hit around 4.2-4.3 million tons.

NAPHTHA Egypt has made a rare spot offer for 60,000 tons of naphtha for end March and mid-April.

It was not immediately clear if the offer was a result of any unplanned maintenance at its plant. “The market is pretty poor now so it’s a little hard to understand why they are selling those barrels,” a trader said. The margins for refiners to produce naphtha using Brent crude was pegged at $133.65 a ton last Friday, a twoweek low. — Reuters

DUBAI: A statue of a falcon stands outside Dubai’s International Financial Centre (DIFC) in the Gulf Emirate yesterday. Dubai’s main stock market index was up 4.5 percent by midday as Dubai World proposed to repay its creditors in full by issuing two tranches of new debt maturing in five and eight years, after months of talks on restructuring sovereign liabilities that had rattled world markets.— AFP

Dubai offers $9.5 billion in new aid to struggling firm Dubai World asks for up to 8 years to pay off debt DUBAI: Dubai’s government said yesterday it will pump up to $9.5 billion into its chief conglomerate Dubai World and a key subsidiary as part of a long-awaited restructuring plan to rescue it from crippling debt. The proposal, which still needs approval from creditors, comes after months of talks following Dubai World’s bombshell announcement in November that is would seek delays in repaying $26 billion in debt. The conglomerate’s woes have symbolized Dubai’s plummet from boom years to lean times as the global downturn ravaged the city-state’s ambitious growth plans.

The chairman of Dubai’s supreme fiscal committee said in a statement that the support aims to ensure Dubai World and property development arm Nakheel are “key contributors to the strong economic future” of the city-state.

The plan offers creditors full repayment on the principal of their outstanding loans over a five to eight year period by issuing new debt. It was not clear how much interest, if any, is being offered.

Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who is also the uncle of Dubai’s ruler, says the new funding includes $5.7 billion of the money remaining from a bailout by neighboring Abu Dhabi and “internal Dubai Government resources.” Investors in Dubai welcomed the news. Shares on the city-state’s main stock exchange, the Dubai Financial Market, shot up 4.5 percent in early trading.

Shares of DP World, Dubai World’s publicly traded port operator,

rallied nearly 4 percent to trade at 50 cents apiece on the Nasdaq Dubai, another exchange in the emirate.

Other Gulf markets also posted gains, reflecting investors’ relief over concerns Dubai’s debt woes could harm its neighbors. “This is a very positive announcement and the markets are reacting accordingly,” said Mohammed Shakeel, an Abu Dhabi-based independent economist. “Dubai is essentially saying that it is through the worst.” Dubai has received $20 billion in emergency funds from its oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi, which is also the capital of the United Arab Emirates, a seven-state federation of which Dubai is part.

Abu Dhabi holds nearly all the UAE’s oil wealth.

The plan calls for the restructuring of $23.5 billion of Dubai World’s total debt, including $14.2 billion owed to creditors other than the government. As part of that deal, the government plans to recapitalize the conglomerate by offering as equity an $8.9 billion claim in the company, while also pumping in $1.5 billion in new funds, according to a Dubai government statement.

Nakheel plans to present its own offer yesterday.

That deal will call on banks to restructure their debt “at commercial rates,” while other creditors still owed repayment “will be offered a significant cash payment shortly and a tradable security,” according to the statement.

Aidan Birkett, Dubai World’s

Chief Restructuring Officer told reporters yesterday that the indebted company hopes for a “consensual agreement” from all the lenders, although he expects negations with creditors to take months. Birkett said the priority of the plan was to address Nakheel’s problems, including paying contractors - some of whom have not been paid up to a year. The company also plans to restart some development projects to reinsure investors who have taken a loss when Dubai real estate bubble burst in 2008.

“If we fix Nakheel then we can go a long way to fix real estate issues in Dubai,” Birkett said.

Sheik Ahmed, too, made clear that Nakheel, whose future has been in doubt, remained a core part of Dubai’s economy.

“The Nakheel business plan allows work to continue as soon as possible and puts Nakheel on a sound footing. The government, as shareholder, will work closely with Nakheel so that any future projects are carefully planned and evaluated,” he said in a statement.

Dubai’s government rattled global markets in late November when it unexpectedly announced plans to restructure Dubai World and asked creditors to delay repayments on some $26 billion worth of debt until at least May of this year. The focus of the restructuring centers on the company’s Nakheel and Limitless real estate divisions. Nakheel is the developer behind Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah and other manmade islands, the majority of which sit

empty. Dubai World has tried to protect some of its more prominent internationally focused assets, including profitable global port operator DP World, by exempting them from the restructuring.

The conglomerate’s talks with creditors, which include major British banks such as HSBC and Standard Chartered, as well as numerous local lenders, have been carried out behind closed doors.

Dubai officials have said little about the restructuring process or the state’s backing for its many government-linked companies.

The crisis, like that in Greece, has raised fears that the world’s financial system remains exposed to large amounts of debt that will not be repaid in full. It also highlighted a lack of transparency within the booming oil-rich Gulf, and has forced creditors to rethink their assumptions about the region’s overall financial health.

Before November, lenders had assumed that the more than $80 billion owed by Dubai’s state-run companies was implicitly backed by the government. Dubai’s refusal to stand unequivocally behind those loans made clear there was no such guarantee.

Dubai, which has little oil wealth of its own, rapidly grew into a bustling Middle East commercial and logistics hub packed with soaring skyscrapers, including the world’s tallest, on the back of a building boom fueled by cheap credit. Many of the city-state’s biggest companies are run by or have ties to the government and its hereditary ruler. — AP

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Foreign firms ponder China future BEIJING: Foreign firms in China, rattled by the trial of Rio Tinto staff and Google’s woes, are finding it harder to do business in the country due to mounting red tape and a murky legal system, experts say. Thirty years after Beijing opened up to foreign investment, international companies face onerous rules, preferential treatment for local firms and growing nationalism-making some reconsider their future in the nation.

“The foreign business community for the first time is seeing future opportunities narrow even if they are doing well here,” said James McGregor, Beijing-based senior counsellor for communications firm APCO Worldwide. Business conditions have been deteriorating for several years, but the downslide gathered pace after the global financial crisis as China’s confidence grew, said John Lee, a fellow at Australia’s Centre for Independent Studies.

China powered out of the worst

downturn in decades-posting 8.7 percent growth in 2009 — on the back of massive public spending and bank lending, even as the United States and Europe were mired in recession. “The barriers that Western companies are finding in China’s markets-Google is a good example-is an illustration of China believing that it doesn’t need the West to the same degree that it once did,” Lee said.

China hosts some of the biggest firms in the world such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, but there are also numerous small and medium-sized companies involved in everything from information technology to insurance.

A new survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China shows a growing number of US firms feel unwelcome in the world’s most populous country because of what they see as discriminatory policies and inconsistent legal treatment.

Respondents said new procurement rules announced in December had

squeezed foreign technology companies out of the multi-billiondollar market for selling computers and office equipment to government departments.

These concerns have been echoed

by European business leaders, who also say the investment environment in China has been soured by an opaque judiciary and inadequate protection of intellectual property.

“The pie gets bigger, yet the door to the market has narrowed notably,” Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Chamber of Commerce in China said. Wuttke said more and more European businesses were considering pulling out of China, despite the vital role it plays for their balance sheets.

After bringing billions of dollars in investment, management expertise and technology to China, many foreign businesses felt they had been used by the government and were upset at the lack of “reciprocal goodwill”, said McGregor.

While many companies are making money in China, executives complain they are spending more time jumping through “bureaucratic hoops” and deciphering new rules, said David Wolf, who heads a corporate advisory firm. The Rio Tinto trial in Shanghai and Google’s spat with Beijing over censorship has shaken foreign firms but has not triggered a mass exodusshowing the world’s third largest economy is too big to ignore.

Australian resources minister Martin Ferguson said the country’s businesses were not worried about investing in China, its top trading partner, even as Australian national Stern Hu faces bribery and trade secrets charges.

“Those concerns have not been expressed to me,” Ferguson, in Beijing this week for the signing of a multibillion-dollar deal to ship liquefied natural gas from Australia to China said.

“The two economies are

complementary.” Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto announced a landmark partnership with China’s Chinalco days before Hu’s trial, while chief executive Tom Albanese addressed a Chinese business forum as the hearing began Monday. “A positive relationship with this market is vital to the continued success of our company,” Albanese said. But signs are emerging that China’s Communist leadership has heard the complaints expressed by some foreign companies. Premier Wen Jiabao this week told dozens of foreign executives that China remained open to foreign investment.

“It is important for China to reinforce your confidence in China with China’s own action and performance,” Wen said at the meeting. “I think we can do it.” McGregor said Wen’s comments suggested Beijing was listening. “The message has got across and I think there are people trying to wind down potential confrontation,” he said. — AFP

US Chamber of Commerce to China: No protectionism BEIJING: The US Chamber of Commerce warned China against protectionist economic policies yesterday, saying pressures are growing in the United States during an election year to retaliate with measures of its own. “Put simply, ongoing policy approaches

by China are eroding the support of China’s long-standing advocates in the United States, diminishing the many good arguments we have used historically in support of this relationship,” Myron Brilliant, the senior vice president for international affairs for the US Chamber of Commerce, told a conference yesterday in Beijing.

The Obama administration is under increasing pressure from some in Congress and the business community to declare Beijing a currency manipulator in a report due out in April. That could set the stage for a complaint to the World Trade Organization and possible sanctions on Chinese goods.

China denies that its currency is deliberately undervalued to give Chinese exports a competitive advantage in world markets. Its commerce minister has warned that China would retaliate against any such measures by the United States, and a Foreign Ministry spokesman has said US calls for yuan appreciation are a “bad example of protectionism that is detrimental to the recovery of the world economy.” But currency is just one of the concerns, Brilliant said.

He mentioned long-running concerns over protection of intellectual property and the growing issue of China’s push for “indigenous innovation,” which some foreign businesses worry will restrict their access in China. “China’s intensifying regulatory approach of shielding domestic companies from competition and restricting the market access of foreign companies is calling into serious question the long-term place of foreign investors in many sectors of its economy as well as the role of market competition in promoting innovation,” he said.

The United States is expected to make the currency issue a priority when US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner lead the US delegation to the latest version of the twice-yearly Strategic and Economic Dialogue in China in late May. China’s central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, said this month that currency measures would be withdrawn “sooner or later” but said Beijing will act cautiously because the global economic outlook is still uncertain.

Beijing broke its currency’s link to the US dollar in 2005 and allowed it to rise by about 20 percent through late 2008. But it has been frozen since then in what was seen as an effort by Beijing to keep its exporters competitive as global demand plunged. Many analysts expect China’s government will gradually allow the yuan to gain no more than 5 percent against the dollar this year while maintaining exchange rate controls. However, some speculate Chinese leaders might delay acting because they don’t want to be seen as giving in to American pressure.

“If China were to revalue its currency by 25 percent, that would be a significant gesture,” Brilliant said Wednesday, but added the move wouldn’t solve everything. “What we don’t want is the US taking protectionist actions,” he said. At a regular press briefing yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang addressed the tensions. “We believe there have been some frictions in the China-US trade and economic relations. But we should attach importance to the approach of how to resolve those disputes,” he said. “Partners are better than adversaries. This has been repeatedly proven by past experience.”— AP

SUINING: A Chinese bank worker arranges US currency next to stacks of 100-yuan notes at a bank in Suining, southwest China’s Sichuan province. By pushing China hard to revalue its currency, the United States may also be doing a favor for export-driven Asian and European nations reeling from Beijing’s exchange-rate policy. — AFP

China rejects US complaints on currency Geithner: Yuan appreciation important WASHINGTON: A Chinese official said China would reform its currency policy gradually and keep the exchange rate stable, rejecting mounting US calls to allow the yuan to rise more quickly. Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, in Washington amid US-China trade and political tensions, said changing the exchange rate was not the way to fix a huge bilateral trade gap and could upset the world economy. “Revaluing the renminbi is not a good recipe for solving problems,” he told the US Chamber of Commerce, according to a transcript obtained by Reuters.

“It is in nobody’s interest-China’s, the US’ or other countries’-to see big ups in the renminbi or big downs in the dollar,” Zhong said.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said it was critical for China to allow its currency to rise. “We can’t force them to make that change,” he said in an interview with CNN. “But it is very important that they let it start to appreciate again. And I think many of them understand that,” he said, according to an advance transcript

provided by CNN. Treasury Department officials met late on Wednesday afternoon with Zhong. “They discussed the importance of fostering global growth, a range of trade issues and economic policies, including exchange rates,” a Treasury spokesperson said. Many US economists estimate China’s currency is undervalued by as much as 40 percent. They say that gives China an unfair price advantage in international trade, takes jobs away from other countries and adds to global financial distortions.

With the US economy having shed 8.4 million jobs since December 2007, lawmakers have focused on China’s currency. Senators are crafting a law that would slap import duties on Chinese goods to offset the low value of its currency. Sponsors of the bill, Democratic Senator Charles Schumer and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, also want the Obama administration to formally label China a currency manipulator in a semi-annual Treasury Department report due on April 15.

‘VIGOROUS DISCUSSIONS’ WITH TREASURY The administration twice rejected that route in 2009, as did the Bush administration. Wary of straining US-China relations, US President Barack Obama has instead pressed Beijing to move to a “more market-oriented exchange rate.” US House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin, an influential Democratic Party lawmaker, kept up the chorus of criticism of Beijing’s currency policies on Wednesday. “What seems undisputed ... is that China has a persistent economic strategy, a policy, key to which is the pegging of its currency to the dollar at an undervalued rate,” he said. Levin said he intended to hold “some vigorous discussions this week” with Treasury officials on the currency issue. Declaring China a currency manipulator would require Geithner to hold talks with China, bilaterally or at the International Monetary Fund. The IMF called the yuan “substantially undervalued” on March 1. — Reuters

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Divisions deepen over Japan Post plan TOKYO: Divisions deepened yesterday over a proposal by Japan’s banking minister to scale back the privatisation of Japan Post, adding to the woes of a government struggling in the polls ahead of a mid-year election. Shizuka Kamei, the country’s outspoken banking minister, announced a plan on Wednesday to allow Japan Post to double the limit on deposits to 20 million yen ($217,200) per person, a move that could trigger an inflow of deposits from private banks.

But other cabinet ministers quickly called for more discussion on the proposal, reflecting concerns that it could be a ploy to get Japan Post-the world’s largest financial conglomerateto buy more government bonds and subsidise a jump in the country’s already mammoth public debt.

National Strategy Minister Yoshito

Banking minister’s plan not a done deal Sengoku called for a rethink on doubling the deposit limit, while Motohisa Furukawa, senior vice minister for the economy, questioned whether the government had thoroughly discussed the plan.

Dithering over the plan, which must be approved by the cabinet and parliament, could deal a blow to the Democratic Party-led government, which wants to win a majority in the upper house poll, expected in July, to avoid policy stalemate. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama acknowledged that the handling of the matter had been less than adept. “This was announced before things were coordinated,” he told reporters, adding the cabinet would decide the plan. “I think that was unfortunate, so I will coordinate

firmly from now on.”

Analysts said the latest policy confusion risked eroding support for Hatoyama’s six-month-old government, already sagging due to concerns over funding scandals and doubts about the premier’s ability to make tough decisions. “Opinions that have not gained a consensus have popped up one after another. This leaves an impression that the cabinet is falling apart,” said Takahide Kiuchi, chief economist at Nomura Securities.

“Kamei’s party may want to raise its presence within the coalition, but this will further lower support rates and be negative to the Democratic Party.”

FISCAL POLICY CONFLICT Kamei’s People’s New Party (PNP), a tiny coalition partner, has also

called for 11 trillion yen in fresh stimulus to boost the economy, even with the national debt already nearly twice the size of the country’s gross domestic product. “The real root of the conflict (between cabinet ministers) is what to do about this country’s fiscal situation,” said independent political analyst Hirotaka Futatsuki.

“Kamei wants to be able to issue government bonds to finance a big stimulus package and there needs to be a buyer for those bonds or else interest rates will rise. Basically, Kamei wants Japan Post to become a receptacle for buying deficit-financing JGBs.” Futatsuki added that if Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama can’t resolve the conflict in his cabinet, support rates for his government-

already less than half the 70 percent enjoyed when he took office in September-will fall further. Japan Post, which provides postal, banking and insurance services, holds about a third of the 700 trillion-yen government bond market.

The plan to raise the limit on deposits has also been criticised by private banks, which are worried that they will face unfair competition with the state. “The cabinet has not yet discussed the concrete substance of the plan. It will be up to discussion from now on as the content of legislation has not been put forward to a cabinet meeting,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano told a news conference yesterday. “We must fully pay heed to concerns that the plan would lead to hinder fair competition and deprive the private-sector of business opportunities.” — Reuters

Google deals in doubt amid spat with Beijing A widening backlash to US Internet company’s decision BEIJING: Google Inc’s business ties in China unraveled a little more yesterday amid a widening backlash to the US Internet company’s decision to move its Chinese search engine offshore in a challenge to the country’s online censorship laws.

While the stand is winning Google praise in the US and other countries, it’s threatening to turn the company into a pariah in China. A high-profile Communist Party newspaper skewered Google in a front-page story. And more of its partners and advertising customers in the country appeared to be distancing themselves from the company.

Google, based in Mountain View, California, still hopes to expand its non-search operations in China, but its refusal to play by the government’s censorship rules could make that unrealistic. By challenging the often tetchy government, Google appears to have violated an unspoken rule of doing business in China, especially in the Internet industry - whose control Beijing sees as crucial to maintaining its authoritarian rule.

“Everybody in the Internet space operates under the good graces of the government, and if the government’s not happy with your partner, you probably are going to have to change,” said TR Harrington, founder and CEO of Shanghai-based Darwin Marketing, which specializes in advertising for China’s search engine market. Investors already seemed to have concluded that Google won’t be bringing in as much revenue as they once anticipated. And Google’s losses could turn into a windfall for China-based Baidu Inc., which already held a commanding lead in the country’s search market. Google shares gained $8.33 Wednesday to close at $557.33, but they have fallen by more than $30, or nearly 6 percent, since the company’s Jan. 12 announcement about its intention to stop censoring search results in China. About $10.5 billion of Google’s market value has evaporated in the decline. Meanwhile, Baidu’s US shares have climbed 57 percent during the same period, closing Wednesday at $608.50, up $13.62. The surge has added nearly $8 billion to Baidu’s market value.

Setting up a search engine on Chinese soil four years ago helped Google build new business relationships. But those alliance have started to fracture since Monday, when Google started to redirect search traffic from mainland China to an uncensored Hong Kong service on Monday. Though part of China, Hong Kong has a semiautonomous status due to its history as a British colony, and Google is not legally required to censor results there.

Tianya.cn, a popular portal that claims 32 million registered users, said it was taking full control over social networking and question-and-answer services operated jointly with Google. A company

spokesman declined to say whether the government exerted pressure but said in a statement that the takeover was being done to “guarantee each product, normal business and good operations.” Google officials in the US didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Industry executives said that Google’s China revenues were diving as companies shied away from placing new ads with the search engine. Deals with China’s top two mobile companies were also in doubt. In Hong Kong, executives with China Unicom Ltd., a unit of one of China’s biggest mobile phone companies, hinted that it would shelve plans to offer two cell phones running Google’s Android software.

Asked by reporters whether the deal to cooperate with Google to sell the phones, which are made by Motorola and Samsung - was still moving forward, China Unicom Chairman Chang Xiaobing said the company was “open to cooperation with all the vendors but at the same time we need to abide by the laws and regulations in China.” Publicly, Google’s Tokyo-based spokeswoman Jessica Powell said the company was continuing to work with Chinese business partners, even providing some of them with censored search services to abide by existing contracts.

Mainland users rerouted to the Hong Kong site still come up against Chinese government Web filters - collectively known as the Great Firewall that automatically weed out content considered pornographic or politically sensitive before it can reach computers in China. The company’s move, in effect, shifts the handling of the censorship from Google to the government. China’s filters eventually could be used to restrict all access to Google’s services. Beijing initially seemed to shrug off Google’s move. A government statement called the move “totally wrong” while a Foreign Ministry spokesman appeared to dismiss it as an isolated business case.

The People’s Daily newspaper on Wednesday was more shrill, accusing Google in a front-page commentary of cooperating with US intelligence forces and suggesting its decision to move its search engine to Hong Kong was a salvo by US Internet warriors. “Considering the United States’ big push in recent years to prepare for Internet war, perhaps this could be an exploratory pre-dawn battle,” said the commentary in the newspaper’s overseas edition.

While the US State Department has said it was not involved in Google’s decision over its search engine, a speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton championing Internet freedom added to Beijing’s concerns about collusion and aggravated recently tense US-China relations.— AP

RIYADH: Photo shows an oil facility in Jubeil, about 600 km from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. — AP

Oil hovers below $81 US crude inventories rise, products stocks fall LONDON: Oil hovered below $81 yesterday after data showed a jump in US crude stocks but a drop in oil product inventories, leaving uncertainty over the strength of demand recovery in the world’s largest energy user. The euro weakened against the US dollar again yesterday, capping oil’s gains. A stronger dollar makes commodities, like oil, more expensive for those holding alternative currencies.

“There is a stickiness keeping prices above $80,” said Amrita Sen, analyst at Barclays Capital.

“I think the inventory data was pretty neutral.

The headline figure on crude was bearish for the oil price but the product numbers were pretty strong.” US crude for May delivery rose 22 cents $80.83 a barrel by 0955 GMT, having traded in a range of between $69 and $84 for all of this year.

ICE London Brent for May rose 24 cents to $79.86.

European economic concerns helped the euro fall to a 10-month low against the dollar as investors remained sceptical about whether the EU will agree on a quick rescue plan for heavily

indebted Greece at a summit this week. US crude inventory data was mixed on Wednesday as drops in oil product stocks offset some of the demand doubts raised by the larger-than-expected rise in crude inventories. [EIA/S] Demand for crude in Europe weakened sharply in January, down by 1.55 million barrels per day from a year earlier, Barclays Capital said citing data published by the Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI).

European Union leaders hold what is likely to be a tense and difficult summit yesterday, divided over how to help heavily indebted Greece and struggling to maintain confidence in the euro.

Economic data in the euro zone painted a mixed picture, with manufacturing activity growing in March at its highest level since the end of 2006 , but industrial orders in January fell, underscoring the fragility of the economic recovery. Japan’s commercial crude inventories rose 4 percent last week to their highest level in almost eight months, industry data showed yesterday, ahead of scheduled refinery maintenance in the coming months. — Reuters

BUSINESS

Friday, March 26, 2010

Housing market recovery ‘at risk’ WASHINGTON: The recovery in the US housing market is at risk of collapsing. Home sales are sliding, prices are stalling and foreclosures are rising.

And mortgage rates are likely to go up after next week, when the Federal Reserve ends a program that has driven them down. The trend could threaten the broader US economy, economists warn.

People whose home equity is stagnant or shrinking are less likely to spend freely. In a move that will help at least some homeowners avoid foreclosure, Bank of America unveiled a $3 billion plan Wednesday to help some of its most troubled borrowers. It said it will forgive up to 30 percent of their total mortgage balance.

About 45,000 borrowers are expected to qualify, the bank said.

The plan is part of an agreement the bank reached in 2008 with state attorneys general involving high-risk loans made by Countrywide Financial Corp before Bank of America acquired it. Still, it’s the first time a lender has announced a broad plan to reduce mortgage principal when home values drop well below the amount owed. Bank of America collects more Americans’ home loan payments than any other company. Only a few months ago, the housing market had been showing signs of strength as it recovered from the most painful downturn in decades.

Much of the improvement, though, came from government programs that held down mortgage rates and provided tax breaks for buyers.

Since the fall, sales have sunk.

And the government support is running out. The latest sour news came Wednesday, when the Commerce Department said sales of new homes fell last month to their lowest point on record. It was the fourth straight drop. “While bad weather could well have suppressed the February

result, it was dismal no matter how one tries to slice and dice it,” wrote Joshua Shapiro, chief US economist at MFR Inc. That news followed a report a day earlier that sales of existing homes fell for the third straight month in February, to their lowest level since July. To cope with falling demand, the homebuilding industry has slashed the pace of construction. But thousands of foreclosed homes have been dumped on the market at bargain prices. That glut has made it hard for builders to compete. Prices have followed sales down. The median sales price for previously occupied homes fell to $165,100 in February, down from a peak of $230,300 in July 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Falling home prices mean builders can’t recoup their construction costs. And that means fewer construction jobs. It also signals that the building industry won’t be giving much of a lift to the economic recovery. Each new home built creates about three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in taxes paid to local and federal authorities, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Bank of America’s effort to reduce foreclosures will affect only some borrowers with especially risky loans. Though other banks could follow its lead, helping 45,000 troubled homeowners won’t make much of a dent in the nation’s foreclosure problem. And forgiving principal could encourage people to default intentionally on their mortgages.

“I don’t necessarily think other banks are going to look at widespread principal forgiveness as a solution,” said Frank Pallotta, managing partner of Loan Value Group, a New Jersey company that’s working with mortgage investors to help cope with the “walkaway” problem. — AP

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ECB olive branch to Greece lifts shares Wall Street set for positive open LONDON: European shares rose to their highest level in 17 months and the euro recovered from 10-month lows against the dollar as the European Central Bank moved to shore up Greek banks. Wall Street also looked set for a positive start. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet told the European Parliament the bank would keep its current minimum rating threshold for collateral accepted against central bank funds beyond the end of this year.

It will also introduce a system for discounting collateral from January. One key impact of this is that Greek government bonds will remain eligible as collateral next year even if their rating drops a bit.

“It is really important they made this statement today to calm markets that are worried about the Greek situation,” said James Nixon, economist at Societe Generale. The euro was up 0.4 percent at $1.3361, having earlier fallen to a 10month low of $1.3285.

Investors remain highly concerned about stability in the euro zone on the back of the ongoing Greek troubles and Wednesday’s downgrade of Portuguese debt.

Diplomatic efforts continued ahead of a European Union summit after they failed on Wednesday to bridge differences over whether to offer a safety net to Greece.

The euro has been punished by uncertainty engendered by what comes down to a fight about whether one euro zone country should bail out another.

Dubai’s debt issues were also in focus again after the emirate’s government said it would support the

BRUSSELS: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (center) speaks during a joint media conference with Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (left) at an EU summit in Brussels yesterday. — AP restructuring of debt-laden state-owned firm Dubai World and its Nakheel subsidiary by providing $9.5 billion in new funding.

Euro zone government bond prices were slightly lower, catching up with moves in the US Treasury market which sold off late the previous session after poor demand in a five-year note auction.

EMERGING UNDERPERFORMANCE European shares climbed, led by banks. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares was up 0.7 percent. This helped lift MSCI’s all-country world index into positive territory for the day, but emerging market shares were slightly lower, weighing on the index. Despite being cited as a

favourite by institutional investors, emerging market shares have underperformed this year and the MSCI benchmark is barely in positive territory. Some investors may be pulling back because of concerns that too much money is chasing too few assets could create a short-term bubble.

Earlier, Japan’s Nikkei closed up 0.02 percent. — Reuters

Traders hedge for profit, dodge blame amid crisis PARIS: As the euro plunged to a 10month low point, hedge fund trader Didier Douls was glued to his bank of screens, ready to pounce: “When it hits 1.3355 to the dollar, I’ll buy a million.” Weakened by the Greek debt crisis, the single currency is on the slide, and politicians are trying to blame avid speculators such as Douls working in the trading centres of London, New York and-in his caseParis.

Already seen by many as the villains of the 2008 global financial crisis, hedge funds now stand accused of exacerbating Europe’s woes by speculating on Greek debt and betting against the euro. The G20 group has insisted it will find a way to regulate the so-called alternative funds, to rein in their short-term plays and risky

investment strategies, but so far with little concrete result. Meanwhile, in plush but discreet offices like that of fund managing firm Finaltis, which overlooks the spectacular ChampsElysees in central Paris, the traders work on, skimming off profits from vast global capital flows.

“Today, hedge funds don’t have the means to move a huge market like the euro,” insists Douls, a 22year veteran of financial markets in jeans and an open-collared shirt who has rarely seen his industry getting so much flak. “I tell people I’m a financial adviser, because a trader or a fund manager is the devil. People don’t understand what we do.” He admits that speculation on Greek debt by other traders has worsened the crisis there, but he and his colleagues complain that

governments are seeking to dodge the blame for their own bad economic management.

Aware of their lowly status in the eyes of the public, the firms have remained discreet. Finaltis was the first in a dozen contacted by AFP which agreed to talk about and defend its work. “In a world where political and economic leaders fed a crisis that blew up their faces, they need to find someone to blame,” said Denis Beaudoin, the company’s chairman and chief executive. “We’re the perfect scapegoats. There aren’t many of us, we don’t do public relations, and we’re often outside the establishment,” he adds, joking: “On top of that, it’s worse in France, because earning money is dirty.”

Very few hedge funds are based in France, more than two thirds cluster

in the as yet little-regulated traders’ wonderland of the City of London, while others have sprung up alongside the venerable institutions of Wall Street. Gesturing at his screens, Douls explained how the business works.

He trades currencies, for example betting the euro will fall against the dollar, or buys “options” to make such a trade at some future date-hoping that the relative values will have shifted in his favour.

He seeks to minimise the exposure of the firm’s own funds, while maximising eventual profits.

Alongside Douls’ trades, software robots, automatic computer trading mechanisms, make dozens of calls, or trades, of their own. “Some buy and sell again within a matters of seconds and make tens of thousands of trades

in a day,” he explained. Between the men and the machines, four trillion dollars changes hands every day in global foreign exchange trading.

Hedge funds don’t need to take a huge cut of such a market to make sometimes spectacular profits.

But in 10 years the life of the traders has moved away from the formerly clubby gentleman’s world of Wall Street investment banks, aristocratic City firms and the now empty trading floor of the Paris Bourse. “The job has become much more scientific, and most of the fund managers are centraliens, normaliens or polytechniciens,” Beaudoin said, referring to graduates of France’s top engineering and science schools. “They create models, improve on them, correct them,” he said. — AFP

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China overtakes US in green investment WASHINGTON: China has surpassed the United States as the top investor in clean energy with the rising Asian power becoming a “powerhouse” in the emerging field, a study by environmentalists said. The report said that China has shown determination to be on the frontline of green technology, while US investors have been put off by uncertainties amid the legislative battle on climate change.

Chinese investment in clean energy soared by more than 50 percent in 2009 to reach 34.6 billion dollars, far more than any other country in

the Group of 20 major economies, the study led by the Pew Charitable Trusts said. Total US investment was about half that at 18.6 billion dollars, the first time in five years that the world’s largest economy lost the top spot in clean energy, the study said.

“China is emerging as the world’s clean energy powerhouse,” Phyllis Cuttino, global warming campaign director of the Pew Environment Group, told reporters on a conference call.

“This represents a dramatic growth when you consider that just five years ago their investment totaled 2.5 billion dollars,” she said. China has

also overtaken the United States as the top emitter of carbon blamed for global warming and came under fire for its role in December’s much-criticized UN climate summit in Copenhagen. But the study found that China had made a strategic decision to invest in wind and solar technologies as it copes with sharply rising demand for energy-and has set some of the world’s most ambitious targets on renewable energy.

The study also found strong investment by Britain, which ranked third with 11.2 billion dollars for clean energy; Spain, which came in first in green investment when taken as

percentage of gross domestic product, and Germany. Nations seen as struggling in the clean energy competition include the United States, Australia and Japan, the study said. Cuttino said the three nations have “less consistent, clear and long-term policies in place.”

US President Barack Obama, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama have all championed climate action but none of the countries have set in motion nationwide plans to curb emissions. But the study noted that Australia had potential in wind energy and said Japan was “one of the G-20’s most

Nikkei up 0.1% as techs rise on yen Chip-linked shares gain on hopes for earnings, demand TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei average rose 0.1 percent yesterday, with tech shares such as Advantest Corp supported by hopes for strong earnings and by the yen’s dip to a two-month low against the dollar the previous day. But Obayashi Corp slid 1.3 percent in heavy volume after the construction company said it was likely to post an operating loss of 66 billion yen ($716.6 million) for this financial year due to increased costs related to its Dubai metro project.

Additional downward pressure came from commodities shares after the price of oil and industrial metals slid on Wednesday, but this was countered by gains in semiconductor-linked stocks on expectations for strong results and improved demand.

“The type of shares that are being bought are ones such as high-tech shares that have global operations and can be expected to achieve good revenues,” said Hajime Nakajima, deputy general manager for Cosmo Securities’ equity department.

Some high-dividend shares in sectors such as electric power, chemicals and pharmaceuticals attracted buying, he added. The benchmark Nikkei rose 13.82 points to 10,828.85. The Nikkei hit a two-month intraday high of 10,880.62 on Wednesday The broader Topix eked out a slim gain, inching up 0.16 point or 0.02 percent to 952.13. Trading volume was moderate, with some 1.9 billion shares changing hands on the Tokyo exchange’s first section, and below the 2.0 billion share threshold that market players consider a sign of active trade. Declining shares outnumbered advancing ones by 896 to 643.

“The Nikkei is trying to renew the year’s high just under 11,000, but a lack of strong buying impetus as the end of the current business year approaches is likely to weigh

on the market,” said Nagayuki Yamagishi, a strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities.

Toray Industries Inc, a major synthetic fibre maker, surged 3.1 percent to 530 yen in active trade after the Nikkei business daily said the company has decided to raise carbon fibre prices by some 10 percent to 15 percent, effective from April shipments, in what would be its first price increase in 20 months. Carbon fibre is used in aircraft and sporting goods, and with airplane makers recovering and demand for sports equipment having bottomed out, Toray sees this as a good time to raise prices and help offset the rising cost of ingredients, the Nikkei said.

Trading volume in Toray climbed to roughly three times its 30-day moving average, as did trade in major airline All Nippon Airways Co Ltd, which slid 3 percent to 262 yen after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to “sell” and added it to its “conviction sell” list.

Goldman Sachs set a new target price of 220 yen for ANA, citing downside risk to earnings guidance and adding that the shares look overvalued relative to its Japanese transportation peers.

Obayashi Corp fell 1.3 percent to 396 yen and its trading volume jumped to more than six times its 30-day moving average. Chip-tester maker Advantest Corp rose 2.7

percent to 2,260 yen, and other semiconductor-linked shares also climbed, with Shin-Etsu Chemical, a major maker of semiconductor wafers, rising 2.5 percent to 5,320 yen and memory maker Tokyo Electron gaining 1.7 percent to 6,040 yen. The dollar dipped 0.3 percent to 92.06 yen. On Wednesday the greenback hit its highest in more than two months at about 92.40 yen.

The dollar rose broadly on Wednesday after Portugal’s rating was lowered one notch

by Fitch to AA-minus, compounding problems in the euro zone, where diplomats have still not agreed on a safety net for heavily indebted Greece. — Reuters

KARACHI: Pakistani stockbrokers discuss matters under a digital board showing the latest share prices during a trading session at the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) yesterday. The benchmark KSE-100 index was 10130.55, down 15.72 points in mid of the day’s session. — AFP

promising growth markets” if the resource-poor nation carries out plans to ramp up solar and wind power.

The study found that even though the United States dominates technological innovation, its investment in clean energy tumbled 42 percent last year from 2008 levels. The researchers partly blamed the global economic slowdown but also said there was a lack of direction. Climate legislation has been stalled in the Senate, although Obama allies have vowed to push it ahead now that Congress has completed the top priority of expanding health care.

John Woolard, chief

executive officer of Californiabased solar plant builder BrightSource Energy Inc, said that the government needed to take action to create markets.

“We have never had certainty or predictability in the United States,” Woolard said. “We have not had a thoughtful and coherent energy policy in this country for decades.”

Obama and his congressional allies argue that curbing emissions will open up a new green economy, helping fuel the economic recovery. Many Republican leaders are skeptical, saying that restrictions on carbon would only worsen a fragile economy. — AFP

Feisty Obama pushes new Wall Street rules WASHINGTON: The Obama administration went on the attack Wednesday against America’s biggest business lobby over its resistance to financial rules as Democrats and the White House voiced new optimism that sweeping Wall Street regulations could be completed within months.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin told the US Chamber of Commerce that a reworking of the financial system was sorely needed and that an attempted obstruction by the Chamber was misguided.

“It is so puzzling that despite the urgent and undeniable need for reform, the Chamber of Commerce has launched a $3 million advertising campaign against it,” Wolin told a business audience as it lunched beneath chandeliers at the organization’s ornate headquarters a block from the White House.

Wolin’s remarks and a White House meeting between President Barack Obama and leading administration and congressional authors of the regulatory overhaul - signaled a new determination to make reining in Wall Street the next presidential priority.

The legislation working its way through Congress, prompted by the Wall Street meltdown of 2008, would be the most sweeping change in financial regulations since the New Deal. It would give the government unprecedented powers to split up firms considered a threat to the economy, put together a council of regulators to watch for risks in the financial system and create an independent consumer watchdog.

Republican unity, meanwhile, was showing signs of strain. Sen. Bob Corker, who tried and failed to negotiate an agreement with Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, questioned the Republican

decision this week to let the bill go to the Senate floor without a compromise. “I just think that it is a strategic mistake,” Corker said in an interview Wednesday. “This is a very different issue than health care. Most everyone in the House and Senate want to deal with it.”

On Monday, the Banking Committee’s top Republican, Sen Richard Shelby, withdrew Republican amendments to the bill and let the committee approve a Dodd-written bill by a party-line 13-10 vote. At the time, Shelby said he would continue to negotiate with Dodd, a Democrat.

But Corker said he feared that Republicans no longer had leverage to adjust the bill more to their liking. At the White House, Obama met with Dodd, House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council director Lawrence Summers to begin plotting strategy for the bill.

The House passed its version of the bill in December. “The President expects that we will finish financial reform in the next couple of months, certainly by the time we mark the second anniversary of the financial collapse in the early fall,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. Asked after the meeting whether the Senate could pass a bill by summer’s end, Dodd said: “My hope would be even before then, if possible.”

Dodd will still need at least one Republican to support the legislation to avoid procedural obstacles that require 60 votes to overcome.

Right now Republicans control 41 votes.

In sending Wolin to the Chamber of Commerce, an organization with 3 million members and a big bank account, the administration signaled it was not in a compromising mood. — AP

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Page 21

The man who unmasked Madoff I

n a small Massachusetts town, American fund manager Harry Markopolos lived in fear of his life. For three years, he carried a Smith & Wesson revolver, checked under his car for bombs and avoided walking along dark shadowy streets. A self-confessed maths geek, he had unravelled the secret of Wall Street’s biggest conman.

A belatedly celebrated whistleblower who was ignored by everybody, Markopolos tried, umpteen times, to raise the alarm about Bernard Madoff’s $65bn Ponzi scheme which imploded at the end of 2008, leaving charities, hedge funds, pensioners and Hollywood stars bereft of billions of dollars. Dismissed as a misguided obsessive until Madoff’s eventual confession, he became increasingly anxious for his safety.

“Think about it. Here was a man that wiped out thousands of families,” says Markopolos, who was afraid both of Madoff and of the tame “feeder funds” that fed him customers’ money. “If he didn’t have a reason to kill me, think about the feeder funds.

What’s going to happen to their lifestyles? They’re all going to be ruined financially, they’ll all be sued and, hopefully, many of them will go to jail. What will people do to protect their lifestyles?”

A quantitative financial specialist with an instinct for the numbers behind complex derivatives, Markopolos smelt a rat about Madoff Investment Securities as far back as 1999 when his boss at Boston-based Rampart Investment Management asked him to create a product that could provide similarly stellar returns to the astonishingly consistent numbers produced by Madoff.

New Book In a newly published book, No One Would Listen (John Wiley & Sons), Markopolos describes agonising over how Madoff could produce 1% to 2% returns every month, in positive territory 96% of the time, producing a 45-degree curve of profit with no volatility.

For months, he tried to reverseengineer Madoff’s stated strategy of using a basket of S&P 500 shares hedged against risk using options on Chicago’s derivatives exchange.

After analysing Madoff’s vague, broad-brush statements to clients, Markopolos concluded that it was impossible - not only was it mathematically inconceivable to smooth out all the ups and downs in the S&P index’s performance, Madoff would need to use more options than existed on the entire Chicago Board Options Exchange, where nobody owned up to seeing any volume from Madoff’s firm at all.

“The math was so compelling,” Markopolos told the Guardian in an interview this week, over beer and french fries at an Irish bar in midtown Manhattan. “If there’s only $1bn of options in existence and he’s many times that size, unless you could change the laws of mathematics, I knew I had to be

Harry Markopolos spotted Bernard Madoff’s $65bn Ponzi scheme years before it imploded. He tells Andrew Clark how he lived in fear of his life while trying to convince the world.

right. And the risk-return ratios had never been seen in human recorded history. They were off the charts.”

It’s easy to say so with hindsight. But Markopolos was shouting the same thing for years - not just once, but continually. He approached the securities and exchange commission (SEC) as early as 2001. He contacted politicians and badgered journalists to write about Madoff, succeeding in getting a couple of business magazines to publish sceptical stories. In a coup de grace, he even presented the SEC with a detailed dossier in 2005 bluntly entitled The World’s Largest Hedge Fund is a Fraud. So why did nobody take any notice?

“Mainly, it was incompetence,” says Markopolos, who believes the SEC’s staff, who are largely lawyers rather than financiers, simply lacked the financial knowledge to follow his reasoning.

But also, he says, it was unthinkable. “It was just too big.”

Madoff, a respected Wall Street name, kept his investment management business very quiet, beneath his legitimate marketmaking operation. Markopolos says: “I’m coming in saying there’s a hedge fund you’ve never heard of that’s six to 10 times

larger than anything you know that exists and by the way, it’s corrupt, it’s secretive and it’s run by someone you already know, Bernie Madoff.”

Tall, lean, in an immaculate cream suit and pink shirt, Markopolos, 53, cuts a credible figure, although he talks with a degree of utter certainty that can seem, at times, unnerving. A father of three young boys, he has been criticised as an obsessive and a self-publicist, while some have wondered if he was motivated by a financial bounty, which he denies. The Wall Street Journal, which did nothing with Markopolos’s dossier on Madoff for two years, recently patronised him as “a little bit nuts”.

“I’m a little bit eccentric, of course,” concedes Markopolos, who reveals in his book that at one point he kept an old army gas mask handy in case SEC investigators burst into his home with teargas. “If you’re a whistleblower, you need to be eccentric. You have to have a firm belief in your core values and you have to be willing to risk it all to do what’s right.”

He’s clearly relishing elements of his new-found notoriety. Giving evidence before a congressional committee, he says, was

thoroughly enjoyable, and he likes the interest that movie scriptwriters have shown in his story - perhaps, he suggests, Nicolas Cage could portray him as a “nerd with a hard edge”. He quit fund management in 2004 to pursue fraud investigations fulltime and was presented with a silver whistle last year by Boston’s Security Analysts Society.

Suspicious But Markopolos stresses he wasn’t the only person who was suspicious. He believes Madoff’s more financially astute clients feeder funds and hedge funds chose not to look too closely.

Some, Markopolos thinks, knew that Madoff was dubious but believed he was “front-running” by using advance knowledge of clients’ trades from his stockbroking business to insider trade his way to success. And there were glaring signs - such as Madoff’s use of an unknown twoman accounting firm, Friehling & Horowitz, to audit his books.

“Hundreds, if not a few thousand people knew. They knew something was wrong with Madoff and they stayed away from him,” says Markopolos, who compares the fraudster’s lack of subtlety to

somebody running through Times Square stark naked in the middle of a summer’s day. “You’d hear people say ‘I don’t think he’s legitimate, I think he’s a fraud’.”

Now serving a 150-year sentence at a federal prison in North Carolina, Madoff has prompted a searching selfexamination and a series of reforms at the SEC. Markopolos advocates a list of further changes including moving the agency from Washington to New York, axing lawyers in favour of experienced financiers, improving databases and copying the tax authorities by offering a share of recovered funds to whistleblowers.

He remains wary over safety, claiming Madoff’s clients included Russian mafia and South American drugs cartels. And he wastes few words describing his view of Wall Street’s most notorious crook, describing the 71-year-old as “evil”.

“He was a knowing predator. He would show up at weddings, funerals. At funerals, he would put his arm round the grieving widow and say ‘I’ll take care of you’ and of course he did, he’d wipe her out,” says Markopolos. “He was hunting at social occasions.

Everybody thought of him as nice uncle Bernie. But he was a predator.” —Guardian

CAREERS

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Make your CV stand out of the crowd Where should educational background go?

If your education includes a college degree it is not necessary to include information about high school. If you have completed your education recently (less than five years ago) and your degree is relevant to the position for which you are applying, you should place your educational background near the top of your resume. Otherwise, you may place it at the bottom. If you completed your education more than five years ago and worked outside the field in which you were educated, but are now seeking to enter that field, you should also place your educational information at the top of your resume.

How long is too long?

A rule of thumb is to stick to a one-page resume. Employers need only see a snapshot of your background-something that will make them want to learn more about you. However, if there is something you must include, for example, special awards and achievements, publications, or a grant you procured, you can run onto a second page. This rule differs for a Curriculum Vitae (CV) which is used by academics. In general a CV is several pages long as it includes a list of publications.

What about personal information?

Do not, under any circumstances,

include personal information such as height, weight, age, marital status, or religious background. In the United States, it is not legal for an employer to request this information. As for other countries, you would need to ascertain whether this information is necessary.

Where do I put salary history?

Sometimes a prospective employer will require a salary history along with a resume and cover letter. If that is the case, you can include the salary history as an addendum to your resume.

How do I handle a brief period of employment?

Every so often a job comes along that just wasn’t meant to be. You begin a job that you soon discover isn’t for you. Rather than continue at the job you decide to cut your losses and quit. If you do decide to place that job on your resume, a short period of employment might raise a lot of questions. On the other hand, you should never lie on your resume. Rather than include specific dates on your resume, include only years. For example, for each job you list, state the years or year that encompassed your tenure there. Of course, when you fill out an employment application, you are going to have to include the actual dates of employment.

How do I make sense of all the advice?

You will hear the opinions of many experts, each giving different advice. The bottom line is that you must produce a resume that makes you proud. Your name is right up there on top, it represents you, and will affect your chance of getting the interview. Read through all the information, listen to what everyone has to say, and then decide what you want to do.

Do not forget to proof read your resume-over and over again. Have someone else do it as well. Before you send it out, put it away for a day.

Take it out again and look it over.

You will probably pick up errors you didn’t see yesterday.

Keep your resume up-to-date.

Even if you are currently employed and have no intention of job hunting, add any new skills to your resume.

If you work on a special project add that as well. You may not remember some important additions if you have to write a resume under pressure.

Resume banks Many job sites let you store your resume in a resume bank.

Employers can search this bank to find qualified job candidates. You must determine if this is a viable option for you. There are factors you should consider before submitting your resume to a bank.

One important thing to consider is confidentiality. The worse case

scenario would be having your resume found by your current employer. Many resume banks allow you to post your resume anonymously, keeping your personal information separate from the rest of the resume and allowing employers to only search through work experience and skills.

Cover letters A good cover letter is as important as a solid resume. A cover letter should be written directly to each employer. In it emphasize how your skills answer that particular company’s needs.

Always use good business form when writing a cover letter. Always (and this can’t be stressed enough) write your letter to a specific person. If you don’t know who a letter should be addressed to, call the company. Only if you are answering a blind ad, should you not address your letter to a particular person. Also, please make sure you spell the person’s name correctly.

Resumes for creative jobs A resume that breaks from the traditional formats should be used only in very specific situations and only if the job hunter feels very comfortable with it. You might consider using a creative resume if you are pursuing a job in graphic arts, the creative end of advertising, the computer game industry, or fields such as these. If that’s the case, you may design a resume to

Getting a resume ready is easy but like they say, the devil lies in the details.

Here are a few frequently asked questions about the stuff that goes into CVs. look like an advertisement, a Web Site, or anything that expresses your individuality and artistic skills.

Keep in mind, though, that the resume will not be scannable. You may even want to include a machine-readable resume if you suspect that the employer may want to scan your resume into a database. www.careerplanning.about.com

TECHNOLOGY

Friday, March 26, 2010

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Video games that ruled the decade Top 10

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f one thing is true, it’s that video games have come of age in the past 10 years. Sure, many of us remember playing Ms Pac-Man in the early ’80s, but the fact remains that many of the games that were released over the past 10 years have changed not only technology and gaming, but also entertainment in general. Here are the top 10 games of the past 10 years. created specifically for the game by Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, Quake also introduced us to the idea of mainstream artists making music for video games.

1. Half-Life (1998)

8. Metal Gear Solid

(1998)

5. Madden NFL Football (immemorial) ow, in its 17th year, the Madden NFL Football series is the king of all sports games. While each year has seen significant changes to the game, some years have been better than others. For instance, many critics seem to think that Madden 2005 is better than the recently released Madden 2006. That said, there’s no doubt that Electronic Arts will experience success with Madden 2006. Additionally, the game’s reach is so deep, before every Super Bowl, players are chosen from each team to compete in a game of Madden. Up until recently, the team whose player won the Madden game won the big game, too.

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hen it was first released in 1998, gamers knew that Half-Life was going to be a great game. At the time, however, we had no idea that it would change the first-person shooter genre forever. In an era when the world of shooters was dominated by online titles such as Quake II, Half-Life offered gamers an amazing storybased experience. Playing as Gordon Freeman, Half-Life felt more like taking the lead role in a well-written action movie. If not for Half-Life, one could say that we wouldn’t have had other great story-based shooters, such as Medal of Honor and Call of Duty.

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2. Starcraft

(1998)

ften compared to the various Warcraft and Command and Conquer titles that preceded it, Starcraft had some pretty large anticipatory shoes to fill. While the debate raged as to whether Starcraft was the best real-time strategy (RTS) title up to that time, the fact remained that with Starcraft, Blizzard did a great job of sticking to the RTS formula that was heralded in by Warcraft and Command and Conquer. With a great multiplayer mode, Starcraft’s single player (or campaign) mode was both long and compelling.

Players could choose from one of three races: the insectlike Zerg, the interstellar “everymen” Terrans, and the high-tech Protoss.

The gameplay itself was so addictive that players often played the game through three times just to experience it from the perspective of all three races.

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3. The Sims

(2000)

eleased in 2000, The Sims, created by Maxis, took the gaming world by storm.

Having experienced success with

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the various Sim City titles, The Sims was unique: rather than managing cities, players got to manage the lives of their onscreen counterparts-everything from bathroom breaks to waking up and going to work. While this sounds like torture to many of us, the game was extremely successful.

Popular among women gamers, The Sims spawned a veritable deluge of offshoots.

4. Quake

(1996)

ne of the best-looking games ever to be released, Quake introduced us to true 3D gaming. In conjunction with the ascendance of graphics chip maker 3Dfx, with Quake, games became not only three-dimensional, their textures were also greatly improved. Gone were the days of hideous pixelated graphics and simple aim-and-shoot gameplay. In Quake, perspectives looked correct, nails from nail guns whizzed by your head, and the gameplay gave birth to the vaunted keyboard-and-mouse gaming combination that was needed to aim up, down, left, and right, all while moving your character forward and backward as well as strafing left or right. And let’s not forget that with a soundtrack

6. EverQuest

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7. Halo

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9. Grand Theft Auto III (1999)

hen you think of massive multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPG), EverQuest shines as the king of the genre. Often referred to as “EverCrack,” the game’s addictive gameplay and extensive online community has led to people making a real-world living selling in-game artifacts on eBay and meeting on EverQuest servers and getting married in the real world.

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t a time when all shooters were of the “grab a big gun and shoot the hell out of everything and everyone in the room” variety, Metal Gear Solid was a breath of fresh air. As the venerable Solid Snake, in Metal Gear Solid, players were required to use stealth to save the world from a group of terrorists that had gotten their hands on...uh...some weapons of mass destruction. Like many of the games in this list, leaks about the game were rampant and hype was through the roof. Fortunately, the game was so enjoyable that once the game was released, no one minded all the hype.

hen it first came out, Grand Theft Auto III (GTAIII) took the gaming world by storm.

With open-ended environments that gave players a ton of freedom, you could enjoy the game without diving into its more shady aspects. But where’s the fun in that? Unless you’ve been living in

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(2001)

a cave, you already know that GTAIII is about stealing cars, killing people, sleeping with hookers, and many other things that make the Mature rating seem appropriate.

While it’s easy to get distracted by GTAIII’s over-the-top sleaziness, the fact remains that the actual gameplay is actually fun.

10. The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time

(1998)

(2001)

eleased in 2001, Halo had to be a lot of things. Not only did it have to be a good game (the Halo-hype machine was immense), it was also the flagship launch title for the recently released Xbox. In other words, Halo had to be compelling enough to get people to shell out $300 for an as-yet-unproven console.

Fortunately for Microsoft, Halo was a success. Not only was it a genuinely fun game to play, fighting to save the world as the Master Chief, Halo did a great job of showing off the Xbox’s technological capabilities.

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riginally released for the Nintendo 64 (N64), The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time represents what a platformer is capable of being. With a ton of side missions, minigames, and compelling puzzle levels, Zelda has spawned a ton of sequels and a gang of copycats.

— www.cnet.com

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BEAUTY

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Friday, March 26, 2010

1. Avoid wearing too much Makeup is meant to enhance features not bring negative attention to you. That’s what wearing too much makeup will do; it will bring you unwanted attention. Don’t wear too much of anything such as: 1. Eyeliner: dark, thick eyeliner will make you look overdone and will ruin the rest of your makeup.

2. Mascara: too much mascara looks fake and will flake. It looks especially bad if worn with thick eyeliner or dark blue eye eye shadow.

3. Foundation: Make sure your foundation is the same color as your skin. Foundation is meant to protect and give the face a smooth look. The magic word is blend.

4. Powder: The same holds true for powder not too much. Also, be sure to blend your makeup so there are no obvious lines.

2. Lips Apply lip liner to completely cover the lips, add color and your lipstick will stay on much longer.

Make sure your lip liner doesn’t show. Also, your lip color should match your skin tone; wear cool colors if you have cool coloring and warm colors if you have warm coloring. If you want to make your lips look smaller, keep your liner on the inside of your lips.

However, if you decide to make your lips look larger, going outside the natural outline of you lips is a mistake.

This can look quite messy and unnatural.

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steps to great makeup

Makeup is meant to enhance features not bring negative attention to you.

That’s what wearing too much makeup will do; it will bring you unwanted attention. Don’t wear too much of anything.

3. Appropriate makeup Wear makeup that is appropriate for the

occasion. If you are going to the beach you shouldn’t wear the same or as much makeup as you would if you were going dancing. Also, when you are in daylight your makeup should be a lighter than when you are out for the evening.

4. Too little or no makeup Some women don’t wear makeup because they are not sure how to use it and are afraid of being overdone. If you are unsure, start will light colours in your shade. Start slowly and add one product at a time. Maybe start with foundation, add mascara, blush or lipstick. If you are not used to wearing makeup, using a lot a first may be a little too much for you, so start slowly. The bottom line is a little is better than none. If you are still unsure seek professional advice.

5. Overall look When your makeup is completed it should look natural. That means avoiding colours that clash. If you have dark skin and hair you will look better in darker shades; light colours will make you look washed out. If your hair and skin tone are light, light colours will look better on you. Dark makeup will make you look older and harsh. If you have oily skin, first use oil control moisturizer and foundation.

Then be sure to wear loose powder, keeping

pressed powder with you for touch ups.

6. Hair color Your hair color should also be in harmony with your skin. If you have dark hair and you want to add color, keep it close to the same shade. If you have light hair, use light colors. As you age your skin will lighten, so should your hair color. One last thing about hair color - if you do color you hair be sure you keep it up, don’t let your roots show.

7. One last thing Keep makeup looking fresh all day by doing regular touch ups. Don’t let your makeup fade or crease. Smile!

WWW.ambafrance-do.org

BEAUTY

Teeth Whitening 101

Friday, March 26, 2010

Page 25

Have a whiter smile and feel more confident eeth whitening is the process of removing stains and discoloration from teeth and improving their color through a bleaching process to make them look “whiter”.

For heavily stained teeth, a procedure as simple as a scale and polish from a dental hygienist can significantly improve their appearance.

Most cosmetic dental practices offer a combination of immediate, in-surgery teeth whitening and professional take-home toothwhitening kits with custom-made trays. Both procedures are based on a bleaching process that uses a peroxide-based compound of varying strength (3%-30% peroxide). The higher the concentration of peroxide in the compound, the more powerful the bleaching compound is. While this makes it more effective at whitening the teeth, it also has greater potential to cause damage to the surrounding gum tissue and your lips.

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Protection during tooth whitening It is very important that your dentist isolates your gums and lips with a protective material in order to avoid any potential damage or burning of your soft tissue. Home whitening kits usually have a low concentration of peroxide so that there is less chance of any damage occurring.

Recently, high-strength home whitening kits purchased online and from certain stores have attracted media attention with horror stories of people with badly burnt lips and gums. It’s for this reason that teeth whitening is a procedure that should always be carried out under the supervision of a dentist.

Home teeth-whitening kits Take-home tooth whitening kits provide more permanent results over a longer time scale, whereas laser tooth whitening offers immediate

results. A combination of the two provides the perfect solution to both immediate and long-term whitening needs.

How much whiter will my teeth look?

This varies from individual to individual, and also depends on the type of whitening system used. Some people respond very well to teeth whitening and have dramatically whiter teeth as a result, whereas others may notice very little difference at all. Your dentist will be able to advise you on the likely results given your teeth.

Does it hurt? What are the side effects of teeth whitening?

Some people experience no pain or sensitivity with their teeth. However, the majority of people will experience some kind of sensitivity either during and/or after the initial treatment. This is usually described by patients as sporadic, sharp shooting pains coming from their teeth. This should settle down after approximately 48 hours though. Your dentist may give you a special gel or mousse to apply to your teeth to help with the sensitivity. It is advisable to avoid hot or cold food and drinks within the first 48 hours of your whitening treatment.

Which teeth-whitening brand or system is the best?

There are many different brands of professional teeth-whitening systems, each claiming to provide the best results. The most popular systems are Zoom!(r), as featured on Extreme Makeover, Opalescence(r) , BriteSmile(r) and the latest Enlighten system.

Each system has its pros and cons, and your dentist will be able to advise you on which system would be best suited for your teeth.

How much does teeth whitening cost?

This depends on many different factors, including: The specific clinic where your whitening is performed.

The teeth-whitening system used.

The location of the clinic.

The skill of the dentist performing the treatment.

— www.cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk

HEALTH

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Friday, March 26, 2010

The basics: Build muscle for better health e all know how important cardiovascular exercise ishow it’s great for your heart, cholesterol, and blood pressure. And whether you choose to walk, bicycle, or jog, you know that any exercise that increases your heart rate helps you burn calories and melt away unwanted pounds.

But that’s only half the equation.

For a balanced fitness program, strength training is essential. It can slow the muscle loss that comes with age, build the strength of your muscles and connective tissues, increase bone density, cut your risk of injury, and help ease arthritis pain.

“Strength training is very important, not just for your muscles but for your bones,” says certified fitness trainer Debbie Siebers. “It’s preventative for [bone-thinning] osteoporosis and other problems.”

Studies from the CDC have found that muscle-building exercise can also improve balance, reduce the likelihood of falls, improve blood-sugar control, and improve sleep and mental health.

And let us not forget the weightloss benefits. Not only does it make you look trimmer and shapelier, but building muscle also helps you burn calories-even after your workout is done.

“Three to four hours after a strength-training workout, you’re still burning calories,” says Seibers, a creator of fitness videos including the “Slim in 6” series.

Strength training is especially important for dieters. When you lose weight, up to a quarter of the loss may come from muscle, which can slow your metabolism. Strength

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Strength training is about more than getting buff training helps you rebuild any muscle you lost by dieting-or keep you from losing it in the first place.

Getting Started So you’re convinced of strength training’s virtues. But just how do you go about getting started?

The weight room at the gym, with all the buff bodies and complicated-looking equipment, can be intimidating to a beginner.

Indeed, for someone with back or joint pain, just picking up a weight might seem daunting. Then there’s the issue of proper form: Without it, you could do more harm than good trying to build strength.

Your best bet when starting out, the experts say, is one-on-one help from a qualified fitness trainerwhether it’s a personal trainer you’ve hired, or an instructor at your gym. A trainer can address your personal goals and limitations and can help you with alignment and execution of each exercise.

“I can’t tell you how many people I see with a knee injury because they were not taught correctly how to do a lunge or squat,” says Sue Carver, physical therapist with A World of Difference Therapy Services in Little Rock, Ark. Siebers also recommends checking out books, videos, and/or fitness- and health-related web sites for guidance on exercises and form.

Indeed, good technique, not heavy lifting, should be your primary goal in the beginning, Carver says.

Siebers recommends using a heavy enough weight to feel resistance, but not strain or pain.

Your individual body will determine just how much that is, and you should err on the light side at first; five pounds may not seem like a lot, but it’s better to be conservative than suffer.

And how much should you work out?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines, beginners should do at least two days per week of any type of strength-training exercise. Your workout should consist of 8 to 12 repetitions each of 8 to 10 different exercises working all the major muscle groups-chest, back, shoulders, arms, abdominals, and legs. (A repetition is how many times you lift the weight, pull the rubber tubing, do a pushup, or whatever.)

Machines or free weights?

Both free weights and weight machines work well, and experts say there’s no evidence that one is superior to the other, so this is largely a matter of choice.

Machines are a good idea for people who are overweight and/or out of condition, since the exercises are generally done seated and with back support, Seibers says.

But if machines are not an option, investing a few dollars in a set of light dumbbells and/or some resistance tubing can give you what you need to start toning those muscles.

Whichever option you choose, keep your moves basic at first, the experts say. For the arms and upper body, try these exercises: • Chest presses • Reverse flies for the back • Overhead presses for the shoulders • Bicep curls • Triceps kickbacks or extensions For the lower body, don’t start out with squats and lunges, which can put too much impact on weak joints. Instead, try: • Quadriceps extensions for the front of the thigh.

• Hamstrings curl for the back of the thigh.

• Side-lying or standing leg lifts to work the inner and outer thigh.

And don’t forget to work on strengthening your “core” musclesthe ones in your abdominal and lower back area. Core stability is key to avoiding injury, according to Carver. “Somebody with strong upper extremities but no core stability can hurt themselves doing a bicep curl, for example, if they can’t stabilize the trunk,” she says.

You’ll also avoid injuries-and get the best results-by varying your workouts. For example, if you work the biceps, back and legs one day, work the triceps, chest and shoulders the next time you train, Siebers says. Alternating between muscle groups gives the ones you worked plenty of time to recover.

Incorporating stretching in your strength program will also help keep injuries at bay, says Carver.

Most important, don’t push too

hard. Carver always cautions people that “feeling some discomfort in the muscle is OK, but feeling it in the joint is not.”

If you have a health condition or previous injury, you may need to do modified versions of certain exercises or skip them altogether, she says. That’s when it’s especially important to work with a fitness trainer.

Staying with the program Success comes from structure and constant support, according to Siebers. “Calendar it up,” she suggests: Chart your week of exercise out in advance so you know exactly what you’re expecting of yourself.

Having a friend to train with is one of the best ways to stick to a program, Siebers says, even if he or she is a cyber-pal.

“Internet chat rooms and support groups really help to motivate,” she says. “There are a million people out there in your same situation getting online every night and encouraging each other.

People need that day-to-day handholding.”

But perhaps the most important things you need for a successful strength training program-or for successful weight loss-are patience and acceptance, she says.

“The problem is, people look too far down the road trying to see the big picture too quickly,” she says.

“You have to try to accept and love yourself today and know that each day, you’re going to get better.” (www.webmd.com)

Friday, March 26, 2010

HEALTH

Food and yoga

Thereʼs a theory around that yogic meditation can heighten the experience of eating and drinking. Can one truly be a yogi and a foodie?

eing a food lover in your mid-40s involves carrying something of an occupational health burden. Like many men of substance I keep my cholesterol low with statins. I also keep my blood pressure under control. This is achieved in part by a daily 20mg of Lisinopril and partly by avoiding reading things like this in the NYT: “The words of Ziggy Marley’s ‘Love Is My Religion’ floated over 30 people lying on yoga mats in a steamy, dim loft above Madison Avenue on Friday. All had signed up for a strange new hybrid of physical activity: first an hour of vigorous, sweaty yoga, then a multicourse dinner of pasta, red wine and chocolate ... dinner was served on the floor: an (almost) seamless transition designed to allow the yogis to taste, smell and digest in a heightened state of awareness.”

I mean, when you can actually see the veins in your temples throbbing out of the corner of your eye, that’s not right is it?

My rage, I’m aware, is not even faintly rational. If I worried about everything that people who willingly eat wheatgrass do in lofts above Madison Avenue, my brain would have burst years ago, but there’s something about the notion of ‘foodie yoga’ that just pushes all my buttons and I’ve been trying, in a spirit of the mindfulness, to work out why.

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In truth, I’m sorry to admit, my reaction is one of jealous protectionism. I’m fully prepared to believe that hours spent in solipsistic bendiness makes these chakrabotherers better at sex than me - I mean they’re thin, flexible, good at self-denial and can probably sharpen pencils with their pubococcygeus muscles. If it didn’t involve shagging people with the uncalibrated self-

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but because I can do something he can’t: I can in a very real sense, both physically and emotionally, get off on a bacon roll.

Being a food lover - a proper, committed, according-to-Hoyle, paid up nosher - means wanting to eat beyond prudence or self-preservation. I still retain a hearty distrust of anyone who feels they can balance their appetites and wellbeing without sacrificing either - it strikes at the gnarled trunk of my belief system. I can’t believe there is balance - only a lifelong and agonising battle. If I believed in balance I’d have to believe there was virtue in moderation and that I will not, cannot do.

So please, WoM readers, uncoil yourselves from that Adho Mukha Svanasana, put down that fried

regard of Sting we’d all be up for a slice of that. But, please people, for the love of the Bodhisattva, can’t you leave food alone? If - and it’s a sodding great ontological stonker of an ‘if’- one can really achieve a heightened state of awareness through yoga that actually makes things taste

better then I’ve entirely lost my carefully constructed superiority.

I’ve worked most of my life building the unshakeable belief that I’m better than the whipcord-muscled love-god with the seraphic smile and the lycra shorts. This is not because I can hold my breath for a month or drop out all eight inches of my rectum for a hand-wash

egg bap and help me out here. Can one truly be a yogi and a foodie? Is it possible to practice the five abstentions while still enjoying a cheeky little merlot? Can we respect all living things while mindfully necking a steak?

I really need to know, because if these New Yorkers are onto something, I’m going to get the mat out and start chanting.

—Guardian

PETS

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Friday, Mach 26, 2010

Zoo begins breeding program for rare animals ‘Orangutans have the longest dependent T heir habitats are shrinking, and their numbers are already greatly reduced. The survival of endangered species such as orangutans and Malayan tigers could depend on breeding efforts half a world away, in places such as Fresno Chaffee Zoo. The zoo - which sent two endangered addaxes to a preserve in Africa in 2007 - has received permission from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to begin breeding its two tigers and three of its four orangutans.

Officials say participation in breeding programs gives credibility to Fresno Chaffee Zoo, which less than three years ago was in jeopardy of losing its accreditation with the national association because of inadequate housing for some animals and political infighting among board members. AZA officials say getting permission for the breeding programs is recognition that the Fresno zoo can meet the association’s expectations.

“It’s a real expression that staff and the facilities are in top shape based on the needs of that particular species,” said Steve Feldman, a Marylandbased AZA spokesman. “It’s huge for us,” said Scott Barton, executive director for Fresno Chaffee Zoo. The survival of tigers and orangutans is very much in question. Both need a large habitat. Tigers, for example, have ranges of 30 to 40 square miles in the wild, said Andy Snider, Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s director of animal care and conservation.

As forests have been cut down and replaced with palm oil plantations, the animals lose territory and food that’s critical for their survival, he said. Tigers also are lost through poaching for traditional medicine, such as tiger bone. Ron Tilson, Minnesota Zoo director of conservation and AZA’s species survival plan coordinator for tigers, said tiger populations in southeast Asia have declined by 50 percent over the past 20 years because of poaching and loss of habitat.

Recently, South China tigers became extinct in the wild and now can only be found in zoos. There are only 600 to 800 Malayan tigers in the wild and that population also is in danger. But the species might well survive through captive breeding, which helps raise public awareness. Malayan tigers in Fresno are among 50 being managed in AZA facilities, which hold some 400 tigers total, Tilson said.

“This form of management is a genetic insurance policy,” he said. The AZA makes its breeding recommendations through a “species survival plan” that’s followed by participating zoos such as Fresno’s. Under a species

survival plan, a zoo is required to relinquish bred animals as requested by AZA. Less endangered animals, such as giraffes, are bred under a “population management plan” that focuses on maintaining a zoo’s animal stock and lets the zoo keep animals bred there. At Fresno Chaffee Zoo, for example, staff are keeping a close eye on a female giraffe, Uzuri, that could give birth any day now.

Genetic management is key to breeding programs. Zoos must guard against inbreeding and also cross-breeding. For example, Malayan tigers should not be bred with South China or hybrid tigers.

Orangutan breeding is similarly complicated. In the 1980s, orangutans were determined to have two distinct subspecies. Hybrids that are a mixture of the two subspecies are not allowed to be part of the AZA’s reproduction program, so the subspecies may remain distinctly separated.

Lori Perkins, director of animal programs at Zoo Atlanta and coordinator for AZA’s orangutan species survival plan, said Fresno’s orangutans are a perfect age to mate.

Busar, the male, was originally from Atlanta, and is 25 years old. Siabu, the female, is 20.

Sara, the other female, is 39, which is near the end of her reproductive years. But, Perkins said, Sara has been a good mother in the past - and may well be a mother again.

To control animal breeding, zoos use contraception.

Methods used include implants, surgeries, specialized feed, injections, pills and liquids. If bred successfully, the tigers and orangutans will not be reintroduced into the wild because of shrinking habitats in Southeast Asia and the lack of reserves in those countries.

And orangutans bred in captivity likely would not survive in the wild, Perkins said.

“Orangutans have the longest dependent childhood ... it almost takes them as long as humans to grow up,” she said.

Unlike their African ape counterparts that will eat leaves and other foliage, orangutans have to learn to eat fruit, know when their food is in season and how to remove it from trees. The Fresno zoo’s tiger and orangutan offspring will be available to other zoos or wildlife preserves, where visitors can learn about them and their species.

“It’s about these guys being ambassadors for their wild counterparts,” Perkins said. And if some catastrophe were to destroy remaining habitat, zoo breeding programs will keep species alive, Tilson said. “There could be a war or some kind of disease,” he said. “If their numbers are knocked down so low, this is where the captive tigers can be useful.” —MCT

childhood; it almost takes them as long as humans to grow up’

Kiri, a Malayan tiger, paces in a pen at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, California. —MCT

RELATIONSHIPS

Friday, March 26, 2010

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ʻParent universitiesʼ help moms, dads deal with teens L

ike many parents raising a teenager, Bob Rettger was at wit’s end. He’d criticize his daughter’s non-stop texting or the drama surrounding her friends, and there would be an ugly battle. She’d scream. He’d scream. She’d go to her room. He couldn’t figure out how to get through to her. That was until he sat in on a parenting lecture at Glenbard West High School. The tools he learned that day and in the months that followed changed his relationship with his daughter. First, he learned to stop yelling. Then he worked on getting his point across in 20 words or less. Things began to change.

“Within two weeks the stress in my house, you could feel it come down,” says Rettger, 57, of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. “Within two months, it was gone. Within four months, I was getting sweet cards from my daughter, thanking me for my

renowned psychologists and experts who help parents decipher the mysteries of the adolescent mind.

The idea is twofold: One, that simply telling kids about lurking threats is no longer enough. With teen DUIs and fatal accidents in the news, educators think the message needs to get to parents, too. And

“Today, we can’t do that. Fighting this war with the lessons of the past one, just doesn’t work anymore.” For starters, he says, parents are up against technology. Teens, with their not fully developed brains and impulsive dispositions, are bombarded day and night with popular culture through the Internet

Philadelphia-based Bradley. He adds that the secret is teaching kids why drugs, alcohol and risky sexual activity may be dangerous so they can “defend” themselves.

Teaching parents how to parent is not a new idea. In the Chicago area, the Hinsdale, Glenbard and Naperville school districts were

Lectures help parents understand what the next generation is up to efforts.” Many school districts and non-profit parent groups are holding what they call “parent universities.”

Structured as seminars and workshops, they’re meant to teach parents how to react calmly and effectively, and how to achieve the Holy Grail of parenting: earning your teen’s respect. The lectures also try to open parents’ eyes to real-life dangers confronting teens today with topics such as “Parties, Teens and the Law,” “Cyber Bullying, Sexting and Social Networking” and “Alcohol and Drug Awareness - What Parents Need to Know.”

An all-day school for parents in Naperville, last month drew nearly 300 parents who paid up to $30 each to take notes on how to set boundaries early on (you should’ve started when they were toddlers) and which battles to pick (stop trying to make the 9-year-old dress up for church; there are bigger clashes ahead). Glenbard High School District 87’s monthly parent lectures are free, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Cebrin Goodman Center, a Skokie, a foundation started by the grandparents of a young woman who died of a heroin overdose. The parenting series brings in nationally

Bob Rettger (right) and his 17-year-old daughter Ashley pose for a portrait after finishing playing tennis after school at the Wheaton Fairgrounds courts in Wheaton, Illinois. — MCT secondly, they hope that arming parents with awareness and wisdom can help them stave off potential problems ahead.

“In the past, it was easier to police a child’s environment,” says Michael Bradley, an adolescent psychologist and author of “When Things get CRAZY With Your Teen - the Why, the How, and the What To Do NOW.”

and TV. Teens have easy access to danger through the click of a mouse or a quick text message. Many also have the disposable income to follow through.

“You need parents to be trained so they can skillfully move in and become the cognitive control center for their kids so they don’t act on high-risk behavior,” says the

among the first to offer “parent” universities. Back then, topics on substance abuse prevention would draw only a handful of parents. When Naperville Community Unit School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204, both K-12 districts in Naperville, broadened the topics to deal with more benign issues such as stress and taming TV usage, they

found the numbers doubled.

Claudia Evenson, a director at Rosecrance, an addiction treatment center in Naperville, says parents in communities such as Naperville are often unwilling to see substance abuse as a problem in their homes, which explains the poor turnout initially. But it’s out there. In her presentations to parents on “Raising self-sufficient and responsible children,” she squeezed in the drugs, alcohol and sex talk.

Speakers such as Evenson and Bradley come with statistics, pointing out that alcohol or marijuana use at younger ages - a growing concern leads to stronger addictions later.

They talk about riskier sexual behavior, especially among young women, which is leading to more cases of sexually transmitted diseases and more incidents of violence against women.

“There’s been a shift in our society,” Evenson says. “We tend to be more relaxed in our way of parenting. Parents want to be friends with their kids. They have a tendency of thinking, ‘not in my house, not in my backyard, not in my neighborhood,’ and this is enabling behavior. They have lost their ability to set limits, or they wander and are not consistent. We have to teach them how to be parents again.”

Anastasia Goodstein, San Francisco-based author of “Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online,” says teens are doing what they’ve always done staying connected with friends, exploring their identity - only now they’re doing it in chat rooms or on Facebook. And parental blocks and filters don’t work. She says most kids have figured out how to get around them by the time they’re 12.

What works? Goodstein says the old-fashioned method of talking to your teens. “Ask them where they hang out online or ask them to help you build a profile,” she suggested at a parent lecture last week. “Then, be their guide. Teach them cyber ethics and the public nature of the Internet.

Know who their friends are online.

Set limits. Tell them when to turn it off, so you limit multitasking when they’re studying.”

Note to parents: If you don’t want your teen texting during dinner, you need to turn that Blackberry off, too.

For those just dealing with the normal tug-of-wars with teens over their clothes, friends and grades, parent experts advise moms and dads to avoid shouting matches and stay calm. Here again, the teen experts say, it’s all in the brain. Staying calm allows the adolescents to not feel threatened, thus allowing them to engage with the learning centers of their brain. Ashley Rettger says she actually goes to her dad for advice now. And her friends are no longer afraid of him. “Now he sits down and listens,” says Ashley, a junior at Glenbard South. “Instead of yelling at me, he tells me how I should handle things differently. I think that parents don’t know how to communicate with kids. The more you yell, the further it pushes you away.” — MCT

FOOD

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Everyday cooking

By Sawsan Kazak arlic’s pungeant flavor and fragrance adds a distinctive G touch to any meal. Packed with nutrients and low in calories, garlic is the perfect way to add tons of flavor in a healthy manner.

In salad dressings, stews and almost any savory dish, garlic adds a tick. Yes it gives you bad breath, but if you all eat it, then no one can tell the difference.

Enjoy the following garlic recipes. sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

Everything you need to know about garlic Cloves Garlic, Latin name Allium sativum, belongs to the onion family Alliaceae including shallots, and leek. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both medicinal and culinary purposes. The garlic bulb is divided into sections called cloves.

Elephant garlic or Russian garlic is a variant of the species leek and not considered a true garlic. It has a tall, solid, flowering stalk and broad, flat leaves much like those of the leek, but forms a bulb consisting of very large, garlic like cloves.

Is garlic good for you?

Garlic is one of the most valuable and versatile foods on the planet. Garlic belongs to the Allium family of vegetables which also includes onions, chives, shallots and leeks.

Today garlic is a widely recognized health enhancing supplement. Garlic promotes the well-being of the heart and immune systems with antioxidant properties and helps maintain healthy blood circulation. One of garlic?s most potent health benefits includes

the ability to enhance the body’s immune cell activity.

The active component in garlic is the sulfur compound called allicin. Allicin is the chemical produced when garlic is chopped, chewed, or bruised. Allicin is quite powerful as an antibiotic and a potent agent that helps the body to inhibit the ability of germs to grow and reproduce. In fact, it’s said that 1 milligram of allicin has a potency of 15 standard units of penicillin.

There are now over 12 studies published around the world that confirm that garlic can reduce cholesterol.

Recently researchers in Oxford and America have published some summaries of all the good data on garlic. Garlic is known to stimulate T-lymphocyte and macrophage action, promote interleukin-1 levels, and support natural killer cells. Strong activity of these key cells promotes healthy immune system function, and strengthens the body’s defenses.

— www.disabled-world.com

FOOD

Friday, March 26, 2010

Page 31

Garlic shrimp

1/3 cup butter 1 1/2 to 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined 4 to 6 medium cloves garlic, crushed and minced 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice salt, to taste

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Garlic dip 3/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley

bowl, mix together sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, crushed red pepper dried parsley. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight for full flavor.

Inanda medium

Crunchy garlic chicken

n large skillet heat oil to medium high.

Stir fry beef strips until well browned on both sides. Remove beef pieces and set aside then saute garlic slices until soft and golden. Stir in broth, lemon juice. When mixture is hot reduce heat to medium and return beef to skillet.

Simmer a few minutes to heat through then serve over rice.

I

2 teaspoons crushed garlic 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Garlic beef 2 teaspoons oil 2 pounds beef tenderloin cut into 1� strips 6 cloves garlic sliced 2-1/4 cups chicken broth 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

n a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat until butter stops foaming, about 30 to 45 seconds.

Add the shrimp and garlic and saute over medium heat, turning frequently until the shrimp just turn pink, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the parsley, lemon juice, and salt; stir well. Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately, with rice or a salad.

reheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Warm the garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors. In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip the chicken breasts in

P

the olive oil and garlic mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture.

Place in a shallow baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

THEY ARE THE 99!

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe - now little more than a legend. One man has made it his life’s mission to seek out what was lost.

His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change - the first of the stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can unlock the gem’s mystical power.

Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to form a new force for good in the world.

A force known as ... the 99!

THE STORY SO FAR : Jami, Jabbar, and Hadya travel to Germany to assist in upgrading one of the world’s fastest supercomputers. But a severe energy feedback draws their

www.the99.org

consciousnesses into the computer itself. In order to escape, they must travel back

The 99 ® and all related characters ® and © 2010, Teshkeel Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

to the input ports before the scientists can shut down and reboot the machine...

TRAVEL

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Todos Santos:

All you want, and less, in a Baja getaway

In Cabo, you just might score the spring break you’ll never forget, or the one you won’t remember. nce upon a time, say about 1972, Cabo San Lucas was a sleepy little fishing town at the southern tip of Baja California. Then came the paved highway, the international airport, the marina, the golf courses, the raucous bars and well-heeled retreats. At the newest and perhaps fanciest, Capella Pedregal, suites this spring start at $675 a night.

In Cabo, you just might score the spring break you’ll never forget, or the one you won’t remember.

And then there’s Todos Santos, still small, still drowsy at most hours, wedged between the mountains and sea about 50 miles north of Cabo.

Its sugar mills, born amid a 19th century boom, died about 60 years ago. The paved highway didn’t arrive until the mid-1980s, about the time the first American expat artist, Charles Stewart, moved in. With no airport, no marina, no golf and virtually no nightlife, downtown amounts to a few blocks of newish galleries, inns and shops in oldish buildings. Outside town, cardon cactuses stipple the hills, and miles of lonely beaches roar under assault by waves so wicked that surfers and swimmers must pick their spots carefully.

Todos Santos, whose population might be as high as 15,000, depending on how many surrounding hamlets you include, is not where you come for action. But if you’re after Mexican flavor, Pacific solitude, desert vistas, fresh food and a seriously slow spring break, this might be your place.

“We close down at Baja midnight, which is 9 o’clock,” said Lisa Harper, former chief executive of Gymboree and now proprietor of the Rancho

O

Pescadero hotel, about six miles south of town. “We’re not up partying until all hours. It’s a very calm, relaxed area. Lots of surfers, lots of expats.

Lots of fantastic Mexican food, great galleries and artists.”

Pat Cope, who arrived from Los Angeles to open a gallery with her husband, Michael, and infant son, Lane, remembers that “when we first moved here, all I heard was roosters.”

Sixteen years later, Lane is contemplating colleges, and the

roosters still greet each morning, Cope said, but “I don’t hear them.”

Todos Santos, said Paula Colombo, co-owner of the Cafe Santa-Fe, “is real. Good and bad, it’s real.” Now that the recession has slowed the pace of coastal vacation-home building outside town, Colombo added, “maybe we can settle down and do what we have to do to keep this place as magnificent as it could be ... an oasis in the desert.”

My first stop was at Harper’s Rancho Pescadero hotel (no warning

Rancho Pescadero is a 12-room hotel 15 acres south of Todos Santos in Baja California Sur. given, full price paid). Rancho Pescadero, billed as a different kind of “dude” ranch, has been busy since it opened in Novem ber 2009 with 12 rooms, a restaurant, a bar and a pool.

If things keep going this well, Harper said, the hotel could add 15 units by year’s end.

To reach the 15-acre site, you turn off two-lane Highway 19 at a Pemex station, drive a mile on a dirt/sand road and stop just past the green fields of basil. (The area sits on an aquifer

Colorful plates fill the wall of the curio shop Mary Sol in downtown Todos Santos.

that feeds many organic growing operations and keeps the place rich in chiles, mangoes, avocados and papayas.)

Once on the grounds, you can take refuge in your large room (the smallest is still more than 600 square feet) or on your mostly private patio.

Before long, you’ll be sipping your welcome drink, strolling past the fire pit, through the fledgling palm grove, to the dunes and the wide, lonely beach.

Don’t jump in. Staffers warn guests not to swim at the hotel-adjacent beach because the tide is treacherous.

But you can flop onto one of the Rancho Pescadero daybeds on the dunes. Or walk at water’s edge, especially near dawn or dusk, where you’ll get the full effect of the nearempty beach coastline: pelicans gliding above the swells, offshore breezes blowing feathered foam off the whitecaps It’s a wonder I turned away long enough to spot the handwritten signs for the San Pedrito Surf Hotel, a few hundred yards north of Rancho Pescadero. Beginning four years ago, manager/co-owner Andy Keller and the other owners upgraded the beachfront site from a camping spot to a seven-unit hotel (rates are $55-$200, a kitchen in every room), but it remains rustic: tile floors, a few shelves of well-thumbed paperbacks, all at the end of another dirt road.

“I’m into the classic look,” Keller said. “No red lights, no parking meters, no pavement....You have the dirt roads, you have the dogs with no collars ... the proximity of the mountains just beyond us here, and the ocean just behind me. It’s the best

TRAVEL

Friday, March 26, 2010 of both worlds.”

Out on the water , that is, the San Pedrito surf break, known up and down the West Coast, I spotted half a dozen euphoric young men carving waves with their short boards. If you can’t surf like these guys but want to get into the ocean, you drive a couple of miles south to Cerritos Beach, which has milder tides and beach gear for rent and the passable Cerritos Beach club restaurant.

This beach, long empty, has been busy with development in the last few years. Just south of the restaurant, workers have completed about 10 Cerritos Surf Colony bungalows, being sold as time-shares and rented at $125 nightly. About 60 more are planned.

up nightly. My tour of the property befuddled me. Even with multiple zero-horizon pools, a massive patio, handsome tiles and big ocean views, the place felt like a rental house and was costlier than any other hotel I saw.

Downtown Todos Santos is more affordable and easier to understand: the 18th century mission on the plaza, the galleries, shops and eateries on narrow streets, mostly unpaved. I looked at paintings in Galeria Logan and Galeria Indigo, chatted with sculptor Benito Ortega in his studio, checked out the 1930s mural at the Cultural Center. I picked up a book at El Tecolote bookshop on the main drag, Juarez, and sipped some cool

IF YOU GO: TELEPHONES: To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code) 52 (the country code for Mexico) and the local number.

WHERE TO STAY: Rancho Pescadero, six miles south of Todos Santos; 1612-135-5849 (or direct from U.S., [910] 300-8891), www.ranchopescadero.com. Twelve rooms, restaurant and pool on 15 acres neighboring dunes and beach. Getting there, expect a mile of dirt road after you leave the highway. Rates $185-$300. No children younger than 12.

Posada la Poza, Colonia La Poza, A.P. 10, Todos Santos; 612-1450400, www.lapoza.com. Eight rooms, restaurant and pool on four acres at the edge of a lagoon. Rates $210-$480, with some “recession discounts” as much as 25%. Breakfast included. No children younger than 13.

Hotel California, Benito Juarez e/Morelos y Marquez de Leon, Todos Santos, Colonia Centro; 612-145-0525; www.hotelcaliforniabaja.com.

Eleven rooms festooned with bright colors and art, with restaurant, shop and pool on the liveliest block downtown. Rates $110-$215. Children OK.

On the cliff top just north, meanwhile, looms the immense yellow-orange Hacienda Cerritos, a 30,000-square-foot walled mansion that’s unfortunately visible for miles.

Workers said it was built as a private home last year by Oregon developer Roger Pollock. Pollock’s finances became complicated in the recession, so the hacienda has been recast as a hotel, renting 11 rooms for $295 and

gazpacho on the patio of Los Adobes de Todos Santos.

Toward the middle of the day, I drove out to Punta Lobos Beach, where you can buy fresh catch from the fishermen as they drag their boats ashore about 2:30 pm each day. This is no longer a town I can hold in the palm of my hand, which is what it seemed when I first visited in 1995.

Todos Santos has probably doubled in population since.

In 2006, local boosters managed to win a “Pueblo Magico” designation from national tourism officials, even though the label is usually reserved for towns with older buildings and more of them, more elaborately restored. If the highway is improved as promised, the drive to Los Cabos airport could drop from one hour and 40 minutes to one hour.

But even so, there isn’t a lodging here with more than 14 rooms. And though some have Wi-Fi and airconditioning, most don’t bother with guest phones or TVs. I’m guessing that if you put two tourists in every guest bed, the population would grow by 500, tops. Though Stewart, the first expat, has closed his gallery, there are a dozen others, including Michael and Pat Cope’s enduring Galeria de Todos Santos.

Cafe Santa-Fe, the smart, tasty Italian restaurant that Ezio and Paula Colombo started on the plaza in 1990, coexists with several other well-loved eateries, including the top-notch Asian fusion cuisine of Michael’s at the Gallery, now 4 years old. I also got a fix of down-home Mexican cuisine at Miguel’s, where since 2001 a family has been serving widely admired chile rellenos in a dining room with dirt floors, a palapa roof and walls of woven twigs.

On the main drag, the Hotel California traded for years on the false idea that it had inspired the Eagles’ 1976 song of the same name. It got new owners in 2001, and when they reopened the place a year later, 11 rooms, pool patio and restaurant were full of vibrant colors and festive atmosphere. In otherwise muted Todos Santos, the Hotel California sounds a brassy note, but is a step up from the old days. And unlike other lodgings, it doesn’t ban children.

If you want grown-up gentility in the heart of town, go to the Todos Santos Inn, which has been open since 1997. It has eight rooms, a restaurant and a tiny pool at the converted residence of a 19th century sugar baron. Or you cast your gaze across the street to the

Page 35

brick walls of the 14-suite Guaycura Hotel, expected to open in coming weeks. “We came for the first time in ‘96, and it was much sleepier than it is now,” Juerg Wiesendanger, formerly a Swiss financier, told me one morning.

“We went to look for a place to stay on the beach. Nothing. And we said, ‘This has to change.’ “ He and his wife, Libusche, moved here and went to work. In 2002, they opened the eight-room Posada la Poza, which sits on the edge of a lagoon at the end of a long dirt road. It has a popular rooftop lounge, a restaurant

(El Gusto) and some of the town’s quietest guest rooms, with glimpses of La Poza Beach. The walls display Libusche’s paintings.

On yet another dirt road that leads to the sea, London-born designer Jenny Armit in 2007 opened the fourunit Hotelito. It sits about midway between town and La Cachora Beach, and its quartet of cottages ($90-$135 nightly) is done in minimalist-modern style. It has a dining patio, bar and pool, palm fronds here, hammocks there, carefully raked pebbles in between. I liked the privacy, simplicity and quiet ... for a while.

Pelicans and other birds enjoy uncrowded sand at La Cachora Beach near downtown Todos Santos in Baja California Sur. —MCT photos

BOOKS

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Friday, March 26, 2010

One-on-one with Nami Mun ami Mun was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up there and in the Bronx, New York. She has worked as a door-to-door Avon Lady, a dance hostess, a street vendor, a photojournalist, a bartender, and a criminal investigator. A graduate of University of California at Berkeley, she received her MFA from the University of Michigan, where she garnered a Hopwood Award for fiction and the Farrar Prize. She has received a Pushcart Prize, as well as scholarships and residencies from the Corporation of Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony. Her stories have been published in the 2007 Pushcart Prize anthology, The Iowa Review, Tin House, Evergreen Review, Witness, and other journals.

N

Q: Describe your latest project.

A: Miles from Nowhere is about Joon, a young Korean girl who navigates homelessness, physical abuse, and drug addiction during her years as a runaway in 1980s New York. We follow her for five years (from age 13 to 18) as she tries to eke out a life for herself - a life that doesn’t involve shelters, violence, prostitution, petty crimes, and addiction. This book isn’t necessarily “pleasant” to read, I guess, but I can say that it’s emotionally honest, and, I hope, unflinching. I wanted to try and depict life as it is really lived by runaways, throwaways, sex workers, and addicts, and in no way did I want to beautify anything for fear of offending. But, of course, life on the streets isn’t all about brutality and pain. There are funny, loving moments, too, which hopefully my readers - whether they be booksellers, soccer moms, priests or prison guards - will connect with.

Q: What fictional character would you like to date, and why?

A: I could see myself dating a 60-40 combination of Frederic Henry (from A Farewell to Arms) and his friend, the highspirited Rinaldi. I think that means I’m attracted to stoic, strong, reserved manlymen who also possess a certain joie de vivre and who reside in countries like Italy during times of war, violence, and high infant mortality rates. I’d also like to have a fling with Rodolphe Boulanger from Madame Bovary, but only to teach him a lesson or two on how not to treat women.

If I were gay, I’d definitely date Midori from Murakami’s Norwegian Wood.

Q: What’s the strangest or most interesting job you’ve ever had?

A: I have had a lot of strange jobs in my life, and was grossly incompetent at every single one of them - I’ve sold jewelry out

of a briefcase door-to-door; weighed cubic zirconium eight hours a day; worked as an activities coordinator for a nursing home; played classical piano for a wealthy, bitter man (one hour during dinner time) in exchange for room and board, etc. But the strangest job I’ve ever had has to be when I worked as a dance hostess. Contrary to popular belief, being a dance hostess has nothing to do with stripping, or even dancing, really, and a lot to do with empathy. Now, the most interesting job I’ve ever had was when I worked as a criminal defense investigator.

Q: Offer a favorite sentence or passage from another writer.

A: “I prayed to rediscover my childhood, and it has come back, and I feel that it is just as difficult as it used to be, and that growing older has served no purpose at all.”

-from The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge

by Rainer Maria Rilke Q: What is your favorite indulgence, either wicked or benign?

A: Spending an entire day reading whatever I want without distractions. If Korean food is somehow involved, all the better.

Q: Fahrenheit, Celsius, or Kelvin?

A: Now that I know that Fahrenheit is actually K X 9/5 - 459.67, I’m going to think in Kelvin from now on.

Q: Name the best television series of all time.

A: It used to be Homicide, a show about Baltimore detectives, created by David Simon. My boyfriend, Gus, had something like 40 VHS tapes of the show, which he would ration so I wouldn’t watch them all at once. Once, when Gus was in the doghouse for something, he left on my doorstep a box of those Homicide tapes,

fully knowing that the significance of this apology gift would not be lost on me. Now it’s The Wire, hands down. Because it’s actually an episodic novel in script form.

Because the writers for that show remained loyal to their characters.

Because the show didn’t spoon-feed information. Because it showed how society fails children without being preachy. Because of the actors. And because of Omar.

Q: Aside from other writers, name some artists from whom you draw inspiration and talk a little about their work.

A: Truthfully, I’m more inspired by the people around me than works of art. That said, when I look at Francis Bacon’s terrifying portrait of the screaming Pope Innocent X, or George Tooker’s frightened woman in The Subway, I do wonder if I’ve done everything in my powers to tap into my characters’ fears.

Q: Recommend five or more books on a single subject of personal interest or expertise.

A: I couldn’t decide between these two

categories, so I’m offering them both.

First, books of poetry for fiction lovers.

These poets tell the most beautiful stories.

—Powells

• • • • • • •

• • • • •

Shadow Wars by D. Nurkse Jimmy and Rita by Kim Addonizio Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha The Vigil by C. K. Williams Bad With Faces by Sean Norton Opened Ground: Selected Poems 1966-1996 by Seamus Heaney The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke Second, surviving childhood (but just barely).

These are books for adults who believe we are always coming of age.

The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz Childhood and other Neighborhoods

by Stuart Dybek The Wanderers by Richard Price The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

BOOKS

Essential 5: For kids aged five and under

Friday, March 26, 2010

Page 37

Make Way for Ducklings

By Robert McCloskey

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he busy Boston streets are too dangerous for eight little ducklings! But with a little help from a friendly policeman Mrs. Mallard and her family arrive safely at their new home. The public

Litte Bear

By Else Holmelund Minarik, Maurice Sendak

H

ere are three stories about Little Bear and his mother, who is always there when Little Bear needs her. Beginning readers will feel a great sense of accomplishment reading each story by themselves, and will enjoy Little Bear’s adventures flying to the moon, making birthday soup, and wishing for the impossible. Minarik, formerly a first-grade teacher, has captured the essence of little children perfectly in this funny, warm, and tender classic.

garden was no place for ducklings when they were first born, but now they are old enough to brave the raucous crowds and swim with the giant swan boats. Available for the first time in a full-size paperback edition, this Caldecott winning classic continues to delight generations of children.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

By Crockett Johnson

O

ne evening Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight. But there wasn’t any moon, and Harold needed a moon for a walk in the moonlight.

Fortunately, he had brought his purple crayon. So he drew a moon. He also needed something to walk on. So he drew a path...

And thus begins one of the most imaginative and enchanting adventures in all of children’s books. The creative concept behind this beloved story has intrigued children and kept them absorbed for generations, as page by page unfolds the dramatic and clever adventures of Harold and his purple crayon.

The Rainbabies

By Laura Krauss Melmed, Jim Lamarche

A

t a time when many supposedly new titles turn out to be retellings of familiar fairy tales, it’s invigorating to find real creativity at work. In a stunning debut, Melmed combines standard fairy tale devices (a wish granted by magic; a series of trials to prove worthiness; virtue rewarded, etc.) in a wholly original story featuring the most fetching cast of little ones since the Dionne quintuplets. Melmed’s writing is flawless, her storyline clean and unaffected: a childless couple finds a dozen tiny rainbabies in

Gorky Rises

By William Steig

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ne fresh and fair summer day, as soon as his parents go out, Gorky sets up his laboratory by the kitchen sink to have another try at concocting a magic potion. This time he strikes upon the missing ingredient—half a bottle of his mother’s attar of roses— and he knows it’s success at last.

While he is waiting for the bubbly, glinting liquid to show what it can do, he heads over to Elephant Rock, “his best spot for doing nothing.” But on the way

he stops to bask in the sun, soon falls asleep—and wakes to find himself floating in the immensely blue sky, clutching his bottle of magic.

There follows the most astonishing, bewildering, and bedazzling adventure a young frog could possibly have. Orbiting the globe has its ups and downs, however, and Gorky soon begins to wonder if he’ll ever get back to earth. He does manage to outwit the magic; but the potion saves a last surprise until Gorky reaches Elephant Rock, just on day later than he had planned.

the grass after a moonshower, takes them home and tenderly cares for them until the babies’ real mother arrives to claim her offspring and reward the devoted husband and wife. LaMarche’s (Mandy) paintings are equally masterful. Whether portraying the couple’s delight with their unexpected charges, or pecking in at the row of sleeping wee ones nestled snugly in a drawer, the artist’s transcendent watercolors glow with a warm inner light that comes as much from the heart as from the brush.

A winner in every respect, this genuinely touching book is guaranteed to become a favorite.

— bn.com

CHILDREN

Page 38

Sudoku for Kids

Friday, March 26, 2010

Solution

Friday, March 26, 2010

CHILDREN

Page 39

Page 40

OPINION

Friday, March 26, 2010

The grassroots paradox

By Scott Stewart

A

couple of weeks back, rumors that Adam Gadahn had been arrested in Karachi, Pakistan, quickly swept through the global media. When the dust settled, it turned out that the rumors were incorrect; the person arrested was not the American-born Al-Qaeda spokesman. The excitement generated by the rumors overshadowed a message from Gadahn that the AlQaeda media arm as Sahab had released on March 7, the same day as the reported arrest. While many of the messages from Al-Qaeda figures that as Sahab has released over the past several years have been repetitive and quite unremarkable, after watching Gadahn’s March 7 message, we believe that it is a message too interesting to ignore.

The Message In the message, which was titled “A Call to Arms,” Gadahn starts by telling jihadists to strike targets that are close to them. He repeats the AlQaeda doctrinal position that jihad is a personal, religiously mandated duty for every able-bodied Muslim. He then tells his audience that “it is for you, like your heroic mujahid brother Nidal Hasan, to decide how, when and where you discharge this duty. But whatever you do, don’t wait for tomorrow to do what can be done today, and don’t wait for others to do what you can do yourself.”

As the message progresses, Gadahn’s praise of Fort Hood shooter Hasan continues. Gadahn lifts up Hasan as an example for other Muslims to emulate: “the mujahid brother Nidal Hasan is a pioneer, a trailblazer and a role-model who has opened a door, lit a path and shown the way forward for every Muslim who finds himself among the unbelievers and yearns to discharge his duty to Allah.” He adds that Hasan was the “ideal role model” for Muslims serving in the armed forces of Western countries and of their Muslim allies.

Gadahn’s message is clearly intended to encourage more jihadists to emulate Hasan and conduct lone wolf terrorist attacks.

Regarding the planning of such attacks, Gadahn praises Hasan for being a careful planner and for not engaging in a hasty, reckless or poorly planned operation. He states that Hasan clearly learned from the mistakes of others and did not repeat them. Although Gadahn does not specify particular plots in which he believes mistakes were made by grassroots jihadists, he is undoubtedly referring to cases such as the May 2009 arrest of a group of grassroots jihadists in White Plains, NY, who came to the attention of authorities when they sought help from a man who turned out to be an FBI informant.

Gadahn praises Hasan for practicing careful operational security by keeping his plans to himself and for not discussing them over the phone or Internet. He also notes that Hasan did not make the mistake of confiding in a person who might have been an FBI informant, as several other plotters have done. Gadahn also says Hasan “didn’t unnecessarily raise his security profile or waste money better spent on the operation itself by traveling abroad to acquire skills and instructions which could easily be acquired at home, or indeed, deduced by using one’s own powers of logic and reasoning.”

When discussing methods lone wolf jihadists can use to conduct their attacks, Gadahn notes that while Hasan used firearms in his assault at Fort Hood, jihadists are “no longer limited to bullets and bombs” when it comes to weapons. “As the blessed operations of September 11th showed, a little imagination and planning and a minimal budget can turn almost anything into a deadly, effective and convenient weapon which can take the enemy by surprise and deprive him of sleep for years on end.”

Gadahn then turns his attention to targeting. He counsels lone wolf jihadists to follow a threepronged target selection process. They should choose a target with which they are well acquainted, a target that is feasible to hit and a target that, when struck, will have a major impact.

He notes that Hasan’s choice of Fort Hood fit all three criteria, but that jihadists should not think that military bases are the only high-value targets in the United States or other Western countries.

“On the contrary,” Gadahn insists, “there are countless other strategic places, institutions and installations which, by striking, the Muslim can do major damage.”

He then relates that jihadists must attempt to “further undermine the West’s already-struggling economies” by carefully timed and targeted attacks against symbols of capitalism in an effort to “shake consumer confidence and stifle spending.” (In this way, Gadahn’s message tracks with past messages of Osama bin Laden pertaining to economic jihad.)

Gadahn notes that even apparently unsuccessful attacks on Western mass-transportation systems can bring major cities to a halt, cost billions of dollars and send corporations into bankruptcy. He also calls upon jihadists to kill or capture “leading Crusaders and Zionists in government, industry and media.”

To summarize his lessons on targeting, Gadahn urges jihadists to “look for targets which epitomize Western decadence, depravity, immorality and atheism - targets which the enemy and his mouthpieces will have trouble trying to pass off to the conservative Muslim majority as illegitimate targets full of innocent people.”

Implications First, it is significant that Gadahn, a representative of the core Al-Qaeda group, is openly advocating a tactical approach to terrorist attacks that was first publicly laid out by the leader of one of the Al-Qaeda franchise groups. Nasir AlWahayshi, head of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), authored an article that appeared in AQAP’s Sada Al-Malahim online magazine in Oct 2009 that encouraged jihadists to conduct simple attacks with readily available weapons.

Since that time, Al-Wahayshi’s group has been linked to Hasan and the Fort Hood shooting, the attempt to destroy Northwest Airlines Flight 253

on Christmas Day 2009 and the June 1, 2009, attack against an armed forces recruitment center in Little Rock, Ark. Normally it is the Al-Qaeda core group that sets the agenda in the jihadist realm, but the success of AQAP has apparently caused the core group to jump on the AQAP bandwagon and endorse Al-Wahayshi’s approach.

It is also telling that the core Al-Qaeda group chose to produce this particular video message using Gadahn as the spokesman and not one of their other talking heads like Ayman al-Zawahiri or Abu Yahya Al-Libi. Gadahn, an American, is often used by the group to address the West, and English speaking-people in particular, so it is clear that the intended audience for his message was aspiring grassroots jihadists in the West. Indeed, Gadahn says in the video that his message is meant particularly for jihadists in the United States, United Kingdom and Israel. Presented in English, Gadahn’s video is more easily accessible to English-speakers than Al-Wahayshi’s article, which was written in Arabic.

Even though the Al-Qaeda core has been marginalized on the physical battlefield, when it comes to areas like militant philosophy, the pronouncements of the core group carry more influence with the wider jihadist world than statements from a regional franchise such as AQAP. When these two factors are combined, it is reasonable to assume that more people in the English-speaking world may pay attention to this call to simple attacks than they did to Al-Wahayshi’s call in October 2009. Video is also a more viral type of media than the printed word, and video messages are known to be very appealing to aspiring jihadists.

Another thing this video reveals is the

Adam Yahiye Gadahn was arrested for assault and battery on May 9, 1997.

The incident occurred at the Islamic Center of Orange County in Garden Grove, California. – MCT

continued weakening of the core Al-Qaeda group. It has come a long way from the early days of as Sahab, when bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders issued defiant threats of launching a follow-on attack against the United States that was going to be even more destructive than 9/11. The group is now asking individual Muslims to conduct lonewolf terrorist attacks and to follow the examples of Hasan and Mir Amal Kansi, the Pakistani citizen who conducted a shooting at a stoplight outside CIA headquarters in Jan 1993 that killed two CIA employees. Stratfor has long been tracking the devolution of the jihadist threat from one primarily based upon Al-Qaeda the group to one based upon a wider jihadist movement, and this video is a clear indication that the trend toward decentralization is continuing.

This decentralization means grassroots operatives will continue to be a concern. The problems posed by such operatives are illustrated by recent cases involving American citizens like Colleen LaRose (aka Jihad Jane), Jamie PaulinRamirez and Sharif Mobley, who are all alleged to have been involved in recent jihadist plots. As blonde Caucasian women, LaRose and PaulinRamirez, in particular, do not fit the jihadist operative stereotype in most people’s minds and serve to illustrate the difficulty of creating a terrorist profile based on race, ethnicity or gender.

But decentralization can also mean diminished capability. Counseling jihadists against traveling to training camps in places like Pakistan or Yemen and advising them not to coordinate their attacks with others will increase a group’s operational security, but it can also have a serious impact on its operational effectiveness.

Traditionally, one of the biggest problems for lone-wolf operators is acquiring the skills necessary to conduct a successful terrorist attack.

Even though many websites and military manuals can provide instruction on such things as hand-tohand combat and marksmanship, there is no substitute for hands-on experience in the real world. This is especially true when it comes to the more subtle skills required to conduct a complex terrorist attack, such as planning, surveillance and bomb making. This difficulty in translating intent into effective action explains why so few lone-wolf militants have been able to pull off spectacular, mass-casualty attacks.

Not putting their recruits through a more formal training regimen also makes it more difficult for groups to thoroughly indoctrinate recruits with jihadist ideology. In addition to physical training, individuals attending jihadist training camps typically receive hours of theological instruction every day that is intended to ground them in jihadist doctrine and motivate them to follow through with their plans to engage in attacks.

All that said, while the threat posed by grassroots jihadists is less severe than that posed by trained militant operatives from the core AlQaeda group or the regional franchises, grassroots operatives can still kill people - and they most certainly will continue to do so. Because of this, it is important to pay careful attention to the targeting criteria that Gadahn lays out. His focus on mass transportation targets means that historical jihadist targets such as airliners and subways continue to be at risk. For corporate security directors and the protective security details assigned to safeguard high-profile government officials and private individuals, the video should also serve as a reminder of the need to be vigilant. This is doubly true for those assigned to protect individuals of the Jewish faith, who could be thought to fit both the “Crusader” and “Zionist” labels in the mind of a prospective attacker.

For security personnel, the silver lining in all this is that grassroots operatives are often lacking in street skills and tend to be very sloppy when conducting preoperational surveillance. This means that, while these individuals are in many ways more difficult to identify before an attack than operatives who communicate with, or are somehow connected to, jihadist groups (indeed, lone wolves can seemingly appear out of nowhere), their amateurish methods tend to make them more vulnerable to detection than their better-trained counterparts.

This is the paradox presented by this class of militant operative - and it is a paradox that will confront security, intelligence and law enforcement officers for many years to come. – Stratfor

Friday, March 26, 2010

ANALYSIS

Page 41

Defining a tactic

By Fred Burton and Ben West

I

n the evening of March 4, as US Department of Defense workers were wrapping up their day, a man wearing a suit and displaying what guards later referred to as a “nervous intensity” approached the entrance to the Pentagon. As he walked up to the guard booth, he reached into his pocket and took out a semi-automatic 9 mm pistol and began firing at the two security personnel stationed at the entrance. The guards retreated behind ballistic glass and returned fire at the man, who rushed the entrance. Seconds later, a third guard armed with a .40-caliber submachine gun confronted and shot the gunman, delivering a fatal head wound that ended the incident.

The gunman in this case was John Patrick Bedell, a native Californian who had driven from California to Washington to carry out his one-man attack on the Pentagon. Given the available details (eg, a cross-country trek, business attire), it appears that Bedell had planned his attack well ahead of time. He had a history of mental illness as well as minor criminal offenses, such as growing marijuana and resisting arrest. More notable, though, is a series of recordings and writings he posted on the Internet in Nov 2006 in which he criticized the federal government and said the 9/11 attacks were a government-led conspiracy.

The March 4 shooting came right on the heels of another attack against the US government, this one in Austin, Texas, where software engineer and pilot Joseph Stack crashed his single-engine Piper Cherokee into a building Feb. 18 that housed offices of the Internal Revenue Service. In another previous attack, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist, opened fire at a troop processing facility at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people.

While many government officials are denying that these incidents were terrorist acts, we at Stratfor disagree. Arguments used to not classify these attacks as terrorism include the failure to generate large numbers of casualties, a lack of foreign ties and the absence of a larger conspiracy.

This dismissal of terrorism as a factor in these attacks ultimately has a long-term impact on past and future investigations, and it also seems to ignore the legal definition, as set out in Title VIII, Section 802 of the USA PATRIOT Act: [An] act of terrorism means any activity that (A) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State; and (B) appears to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping.

Terrorism It is important to note that this definition does not include the magnitude of the violence involved in the attack - it does not have to be a catastrophic event. The word “terrorism” has taken on a lot of inflated connotations as Islamist militant groups, among others, have used it as a tactic to cause high (often civilian) casualty rates in complex, well-orchestrated attacks. Attacks like 9/11, the 2004 Madrid train bombings, the 2005 London bombings and the 2008 Mumbai siege were all catastrophic in terms of physical damage and loss of human life. But they also became massive media events that ensured that the Islamist extremists behind the attacks remained in the spotlight for months, if not years - an effective way to publicize their ideology and objectives. But attacks do not have to be huge and catastrophic to be considered acts of terror.

Consider the statement from the October 2009 Echo of Battle (11th edition), in which Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader Nasir AlWahayshi advocated using simple attacks against a variety of targets. It was significant that AlWahayshi said this, but it was certainly not a novel

The Unabomber Theodore Kaczynskiis escorted by police in this undated file photo. – MCT idea. Numerous attacks previously considered acts of terrorism had been committed following this small-scale model: Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad opened fire on a US Army/Navy career center in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 1, 2009, killing one soldier and critically wounding another. The attack was considered an act of terrorism because Muhammad was protesting the presence of US forces in Islamic countries.

An even earlier example is the case of Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, an Egyptian who opened fire on the El Al Airlines ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport in 2002, killing two people before being killed himself. His shooting was ruled an act of terrorism because investigators concluded that he was striking out at Israel on behalf of Palestinians.

Looking back over the last 100 years or so of terrorist attacks in the United States, there are many examples of small, non-catastrophic events.

Often these events are no more violent or consequential than a common criminal incident what sets them apart are the political motivations of their perpetrators. Indeed, catastrophic attacks are the exception to the rule, though the memory of these spectacular incidents is burned indelibly into the public mind.

Terrorist attacks also do not need to have foreign links. Again, the dominant trend over the past decade has been that such attacks are linked to radical Islamist groups based in the Middle East and South Asia. But terrorism does not belong to any set ideology or group. It is a tactic, one that can be used by anyone to pursue any political goal. In fact, looking back over the history of terrorism in the United States, most attacks have been generated and carried out by

domestic groups. Militant entities like the Order of the Covenant (a white supremacist group), the Black Liberation Army, the Earth Liberation Front, anarchist groups and anti-abortion groups have more often than not been the perpetrators behind terrorist attacks on US soil.

Homegrown Foreign-based terrorism in the United States is fairly rare, and the most recent extremist Islamist attacks have been “homegrown,” with the ideology and perhaps inspiration coming from abroad but with the actual materials being collected and the preparation conducted in the United States.

Finally, in order to be considered terrorism, an attack does not have to be part of a larger conspiracy - it can be carried out by a single individual. The lone-wolf attack is actually the most dangerous because it is not part of a larger conspiracy, which can make a plot more vulnerable to discovery. Often a single individual will carry out a terrorist attack based on a political ideology shared by a larger group, which can blur the lines of what constitutes a lone-wolf attack.

Incidents like the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing are consistent with this type of attack. Theodore Kaczynski (aka the “Unabomber”) is the archetypal lone-wolf operative who used violent attacks to publicize a social and political message.

Therefore his violent acts qualify as terrorism.

When thinking about Bedell, Stack and Hasan, it is important to view their actions in the context of the longer history of terrorism, not just over the past decade. The attacks these individuals carried out appear to match the conditions specified in the USA PATRIOT Act in that they were violent and appear to be politically

motivated. All three perpetrators had exhibited overt disapproval of US government policies in writings and communications prior to their attacks. While this isn’t enough to prove that the attacks were politically motivated, it certainly provides a reason for further investigation.

Instead, authorities have dismissed these cases as criminal acts due to the lack of foreign involvement or outside help. In the Hasan case (which would be the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11), the FBI has ceded investigation of the case to the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the Department of Defense’s internal investigative unit. Certainly, the DCIS has jurisdiction over the case because it took place on a military base, but considering that the FBI’s current top priority is protecting the United States from terrorist attacks, its low profile in this case seems to run counter to that mission.

As a criminal case, Hasan’s attack is pretty straightforward. It can be easily proved that he shot and killed the 13 people, and this is exactly what the DCIS will do because that is its job. An FBI counterterrorism investigation, however, would provide a more in-depth look at other connections that Hasan may have had that could shed light on other militant activities. For example, what is the significance of reports of Hasan’s correspondence with Anwar Al-Awlaki, a US-born imam who is currently living in Yemen recruiting operatives for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and who is also believed to have ties to Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab? Without conducting a terrorism investigation into his activities, questions like these may go unanswered.

The denial of terrorist links in such cases is similar to denials surrounding the 1990 assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane in New York

by El Sayyid Nosair, an Egyptian with US citizenship. Initially, the FBI denied that the case was terrorism and Nosair was acquitted of the murder charges brought against him. Following the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the FBI re-labeled the Kahane assassination an act of terrorism and re-charged Nosair after it learned of his relationship to Omar Abdul-Rahman and of his involvement in the World Trade Center attack.

Had authorities pursued the terrorism angle following Kahane’s assassination, perhaps more information would have been known about the individuals plotting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

But getting the FBI involved in cases like those of Hasan, Stack or Bedell sends the clear signal that the federal government suspects terrorism, and sending that signal is politically inexpedient right now. Suggesting that an act is terrorism automatically draws more attention to the incident, causing more fear among the population and giving the actors and their political messages more publicity.

Moreover, the political sensitivity surrounding the investigation of Muslims (especially those serving in the US military) means that avoiding the issue is politically less risky. The FBI was given the responsibility of preventing terrorism because it was one of the only existing agencies after 9/11 that had the resources and manpower to address it. However, the FBI has a stronger background in, and institutional culture based on, investigating criminal cases (especially organized crime) and traditionally has not been focused on counterterrorism. Moreover, given the boomand-bust cycle in funding counterterrorism operations, those involved in the field don’t view it as being necessarily good for their national security careers. According to the definition of terrorism laid out in the USA PATRIOT Act, the cases of Hasan and Stack clearly fit the label of terrorism and Bedell’s is certainly looking that way. But not examining the possibility of terrorism in the first place risks overlooking important pieces of information that could prove useful in preventing the next attack, or fully understanding the last one. – Stratfor

SPOTLIGHT

Page 42

Friday, March 26, 2010

Professional photographer Laura Novak looks at the portrait of Tiernan Perkins, 21 months, that she shot at his party.

—MCT

A photographer’s story Personal and pricey, photographers document the events, big and little, of a child’s life

S

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 point-and-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 families , often with price tags worthy of a head of state.

Full-day sessions with kiddie paparazzi and the resulting coffee-table-quality books can run

into tens of thousands 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, N.J., who works in film production and publicity, considers New York-based 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 slimmed-down 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 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 highprofile 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-inthe-life sessions. “Dressing little girls in frilly dresses and patentleather 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 30-page, silkcovered album for the grandparents. It features Landon doing his thing. —MCT

ART

Friday, March 26, 2010

Page 43

Destination Dubai: How an art fair is reviving the city’s culture M

uch more exciting than the recent completion of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa (renamed at the last minute as a shout-out to Dubai’s creditors in Abu Dhabi) was the relatively uncelebrated opening of the first sections of Dubai’s metro system. The idea of the “public” has never been prominent in Dubai, but that may be starting to change. The city’s incredibly diverse ethnicities, used to encountering one another only in strictly hierarchical service situations, are now being squeezed together in rude proximity for the first time. The only nationality I did not see on the crowded train, as we glided along elevated tracks beside Sheikh Zayed Road, were Emiratis.

I start with the metro because it’s an unsung triumph for a city that you’d be forgiven for thinking - if you read the Daily Mail - or indeed certain commentators in this venerable publication - is slipping into the Persian Gulf like something out of Roland Emmerich’s 2012.

Thanks to bailouts from its big brother in Abu Dhabi, it isn’t.

And its confidence - or at least defiance - is returning as a result. Even its art fair (who buys art in this economic climate?) enjoyed a surprisingly successful fourth edition in the Disney-like luxury of the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel last weekend.

Art Dubai is not like western art fairs: it doesn’t have the quality that connoisseurs are accustomed to at Basel or London’s Frieze. No works featuring nudity or obvious political content are allowed (of which more later); there is an exclusive “women’s day” for the sheikh’s wives to roam around and add to their collections; and it has more accompanying exhibitions, installations, talks, tours, prizes and passion than one person could possibly absorb. In short, it feels like Dubai is trying to prove something here. Perhaps that it does indeed possess the culture that it is derided for lacking?

Showcasing 72 galleries, the art is from 31 countries - mostly from what Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Dubai’s leader, calls the central world: the Middle East and Asia, of which Dubai still wants to be capital.

So someone like Javier Peres, the hip LA and Berlin gallerist who’s right at home at a fair such as Art Basel Miami Beach, felt like a fish out of water the first time he participated in Art Dubai. “I had to look up where the United Arab Emirates was on Google before coming here,” he said. “I admit my stupidity.” By the second day, though, he had already made more money than he did at the recent Armory Show in New York, mostly by selling a few Dan Colen

Debt woes and a sprawlingly diverse program haven’t stopped this year’s Dubai art fair from showing some exhilarating art - just don’t expect any nudity

Going for gold, an artwork at the Al-Mine Reach Brussels/Paris gallery, exhibiting as part of Art Dubai. —Guardian paintings. As for the rest of the works on show, mostly from the Middle East, Peres said: “I don’t know how to look at it. If I respond to it instinctively, with my gut, fine. But I don’t understand it.”

That’s true of a lot of art in galleries such as ATHR from Jeddah or even the Middle Eastdominated New York gallery Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller (which reported such rapid sales that “we haven’t even had time to invoice”). But, amid the newness of the fair, there are moments of familiarity. A squat toilet by Iranian artist Behdad Lahooti is an obvious homage to Duchamp’s urinal, except Lahooti has charged his with political meaning by covering it with conjugations of the verb “to be free” in Farsi. Tehran’s Aaran gallery sold the piece on the first day for $4,700, to French collectors.

Power house Over at the Third Line gallery, Dubai’s local powerhouse, a diptych of black holograms by Babak Golkar create the illusion of a circuit around the Ka’aba; the piece is called From God to Malevich. At Sfeir-Semler gallery, which has branches in Hamburg and Beirut, Etel Adnan’s stunning, Andreas Gursky-style photographs of the

Golan Heights are loaded with anger and cold-eyed beauty.

As a western visitor to the fair, then, it’s hard to put aside familiar frames of reference. But the lesson of Art Dubai might be that such regional groupings and divisions are increasingly irrelevant, anyway. Artists everywhere share similar influences, and work in multiple locations. We all dip in the same pool.

This might also explain why Art Dubai has managed to survive the fact that some of the several heavy-hitting galleries that attended last year, such as Haunch of Venison and New York’s L&M, chose not to return this time around: the collector base is sufficiently broad to absorb local difficulties. “We don’t fear the crisis,” says gallerist Ulrich Semler. “It’s not important for us, because we sell to England, the US, Turkey, Saudia Arabia, Lebanon. We don’t have any local collectors.”

However, plenty of new faces graced the fair for the first time this year - sheikhs, ultra-wealthy collectors from the Middle East and Ukraine, and the US megacollectors Don and Mera Rubell.

Still, the variation in quality here is massive - excitingly so.

Hunar, which was Dubai’s first fine art gallery, opening in 1998, displayed, among lyrical

paintings of horses and mysterious dishdasha’d figures, a bronze bust of Sheikh Maktoum

by British sculptor Carolyn Morton. It was commissioned, according to the gallerist, as a tribute. Only if appropriated by an artist such as Jeff Koons - it seems like the kind of kitsch/sincere object he’d love would it accrue the level of conceptual value expected at most art fairs. In the meantime, it’s a healthy challenge to have to swallow art that is made with no other purpose than pure glorification.

On view Another local gallery, Isabelle Van Den Eynde, showed a big, sloppy, jovial painting by young Iranian artist Rokni Haerizadeh, of a chaotic picnic in the middle of a busy roundabout. I assumed - or wished - that this thrilling scene, reminiscent in spirit of Manet’s Music in the Tuileries Gardens (1862) or Jean Dubuffet’s The Busy Life (1953), was in Dubai. Here is the vibrant public life, the crosscontamination, that the city has been allergic to. But it actually depicts Tehran, not Dubai, on the 13th day of the Persian new year, when everyone eats together, outdoors.

The gallery was also showing work by Haerizadeh’s brother,

Ramin. Or at least it did, until Dubai’s state censors - the same guys who diligently black out nipples from issues of the Sun destined for British tourists removed it from the fair. They also slapped a big white sticker over the hundreds of issues of the art fair’s daily newspaper that featured Ramin’s work.

I took a break from the fair to visit the Haerizadeh brothers in their 42nd-floor penthouse at Dubai Marina, overlooking the artificial archipelago that is the Palm Jumeirah. The duo arrived in Dubai last year, shortly after appearing in Charles Saatchi’s exhibition Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East. The provocative nature of that show earned them a visibility they’d never had before in Tehran including threats that were convincing enough to make them leave immediately for Dubai.

“We came here as exiles,” Ramin says. “And now we have a problem with censorship here as well.” The work in question was a political collage in which the Shah’s wife, Farah Pahlavi, pays a benevolent visit to a classroom. Instead of school children, though, Ramin had inserted multiple images of himself, with his massive beard, wearing a chador and gleefully munching on pieces of paper

with the empress’s image on it.

Several gallerists privately warned journalists against overestimating the importance of censorship in Dubai. But the significant problem of the Haerizadehs’ situation is that Dubai, potentially a beacon of relative freedom and opportunity for the Middle East and Asia, has now become unstable for them. If Rokni’s brilliant new series of paintings, depicting the torture currently going on in Iran’s prisons, were discovered in his studio, he’d have to go into exile again - this time to London. “We are thinking of becoming fugitives,” he half-jokes.

In March 2008, a year after Art Dubai began, the newlyformed Dubai Cultural and Arts Authority announced plans for a permanent cultural infrastructure for the emirate.

Khor Dubai was to be a 22km tract of culture, boasting 14 theatres, 10 museums (including a museum of Middle Eastern modern art), 11 galleries, nine libraries, seven “cultural icons”, seven arts and cultural institutes, and an opera house.

All of this is now in deep freeze.

That’s part of the reason why Abdul Raheem Sharif turned his modest old house (they do exist in Dubai) into The Flying House, a spontaneous, overflowing mini-museum for local artists to display and preserve their art in the absence of a proper institution to do it for them. Local artist Hassan Sharifi’s works dominate: he obsessively accumulates Arte Povera-type junk and stores it on shelves and in glass cases. It will be a shame when this place, and the delightfully unpretentious Dubai Museum in the old town, which features historical dioramas and relics, are superseded by a starchitect mega-museum.

What Dubai is left with, in the meantime, is actually much better: a burgeoning grassroots cultural scene in the industrial Al Quoz district, which will soon be accessible from the fair by metro (admittedly with a couple of taxi transfers). Young galleries such as the Third Line, Carbon 12, Traffic and Ayyam are all sticking out the crisis here. “Dubai has always been the little guy,” says Hetal Pawani, director of Jamjar, a gallery studio space and sometime yoga venue. Pawani is one of the city’s apparently limitless supply of ambitious, self-confident young women who are basically running the art scene here. “We’ve always been bottom up,” she says, “and then the policy would emerge later.

There’s a clear distinction between Dubai and Sharjah, with its biennial and art museum, and Abu Dhabi, which has its big plans.” (These call for a cultural island featuring franchises of the Guggenheim and the Louvre.) “In Dubai,” says Pawani, “we have to do things ourselves.” —Guadian

Page 44

Friday, March 26, 2010 CROSSWORD 939

Word Sleuth Solution

ACROSS 1. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

4. In bed.

8. An American doctorate usually based on at least 3 years graduate study and a dissertation.

11. A flexible container with a single opening.

12. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

13. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots.

14. An independent agency of the United States government responsible for collecting and coordinating intelligence and counterintelligence activities abroad in the national interest.

15. Cheap showy jewelry or ornament or clothing.

16. (astronomy) A measure of time defined by Earth's orbital motion.

17. A constitutional monarchy on the western part of the islands of Samoa in the South Pacific.

20. (informal) Of the highest quality.

23. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

25. The capital of Croatia.

26. An informal term for a father.

28. A master's degree in business.

30. Tropical starchy tuberous root.

34. Tag the base runner to get him out.

37. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

39. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

40. The sixth month of the civil year.

42. A line of argument rationalizing the course of action of a government.

44. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

46. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

47. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.

48. A nonmetallic largely pentavalent heavy volatile corrosive dark brown liquid element belonging to the halogens.

49. A bluish shade of green.

DOWN 1. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

Yesterday’s Solution

2. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology.

3. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.

4. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves.

5. The cry made by sheep.

6. Any of various systems of units for measuring electricity and magnetism.

7. An informal term for a father.

8. (Middle East) Usually small round bread that can open into a pocket for filling.

9. A pilgrimage to Mecca.

10. A collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn.

18. English scholastic philosopher and assumed author of Occam's Razor (1285-1349).

19. East Indian cereal grass whose seed yield a somewhat bitter flour, a staple in the Orient.

21. A type of submachine gun that is designed and manufactured in Israel.

22. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

24. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

27. Light informal conversation for social occasions.

29. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

31. Occurring or done each day.

32. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

33. Of or relating to the former Indo-European people.

35. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

36. A small cake leavened with yeast.

38. South American armadillo with three bands of bony plates.

39. A public promotion of some product or service.

41. The most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on.

43. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

44. A hard gray lustrous metallic element that is highly corrosion-resistant.

45. A logarithmic unit of sound intensity.

Yesterday’s Solution

Page 45

Friday, March 26, 2010

COUNTRY CODES

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY A r i e s ( M a rc h 2 1 - A p r i l 1 9 ) All but one of our planet's mountain ranges have been mapped: the Gamburtsev Mountains, which are buried under 2.5 miles of ice in Antarctica. Recent efforts to get a read on this craggy landscape, aided by a network of seismic instruments, have revealed some initial details about it, including its role in forming the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. I recommend that you regard the Gamburtsevs as an iconic metaphor in the coming months, Aries. They'll be an apt symbol for one of your life's featured themes: the discovery and exploration of a massive unknown territory that has been hidden from view.

Libra (September 23O c t o b e r 2 2 ) In my role as moral sentinel, I strongly urge you not to watch "Telephone," the music video by Lady Gaga and Beyonce. It epitomizes everything that's crazy-making about our culture: brilliantly executed, gorgeous to behold, and perversely seductive, even though its subject matter is degrading, demoralizing, and devoid of meaning. In my role as a kick-ass educator, however, I encourage you to watch the video at least once. I think you'd benefit from seeing such an explicit embodiment of the crazymaking pressures you'll be wise to avoid exposing yourself to in the coming weeks.

Ta u r u s ( A p r i l 2 0 - M a y 2 0 ) It's my opinion that everyone has a duty to periodically check in with themselves to make sure they still are who they say they are. Over time, there's a tendency for all of us to fall into the habit of believing our own hype. We get entranced by the persona we project. We're tempted to keep capitalizing on our past accomplishments in ways that lull us into complacency and give us unconscious permission to stop growing. You, Taurus, are in no worse danger of doing this than any of the rest of us. But the coming weeks will be an excellent time, astrologically speaking, for you to do an intensive check-in.

Scorpio (October 23-November 2 1 ) "Most of the time, life does not talk to you," writes Robert T. Kiyosaki in his book *Rich Dad, Poor Dad.* "It just sort of pushes you around. Each push is life saying, 'Wake up. There's something I want you to learn.'" Different people respond in different ways, Kiyosaki says. "Some just let life push them around. Others get angry and push back. But they push back against their boss, or their job, or their husband or wife. They do not know it's life that's pushing." I'm here to tell you, Scorpio, that what he says is particularly apropos for you right now. And I hope that you will neither allow yourself to get pushed around nor blame the wrong source for the push. Instead, make yourself available to learn the lesson that life's nudging you to pay attention to.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) The odds are higher than usual that you'll encounter a future soul brother or soul sister in the coming weeks. Potential allies are gravitating toward you, even if neither they nor you are aware of it yet. You're also likely to brush up against a tribe or team you could benefit from knowing more about. That's why I'm counseling you to be extra open to meeting people you don't know. Talk to strangers. Ask your friends to introduce you to their friends. And consider the possibility of skipping over the customary social formalities so you can reveal some of the core truths about who you are right from the start.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Sci-fi author Neil Gaiman sometimes invites his readers to get involved in his creative process. While working on the story "Metamorpho," for example, he Twittered, "Trying to decide if broccoli is funnier than kohlrabi in a list of vegetables." When a number of fans suggested "rutabaga" instead, he took their suggestion.

(Thanks to The New Yorker for that report.) I'd like to borrow Gaiman's approach, as you're entering a phase of your astrological cycle when you'll have maximum power to shape your own destiny. So here's my question: What accomplishment would you like your horoscope to say you will complete by May 15? Email me at Truthrooster@gmail.com.

L e o ( J u l y 2 3 - Au g u s t 2 2 ) From the 9th to the 15th century, the Khmer empire thrived in what is now Cambodia. Its rulers were regarded as deities who had privileges that common folk didn't have -- as well as special responsibilities. For example, each god-king was expected, according to custom, to engage in sexual relations with a sacred nine-headed serpent every single night, whether he was in the mood or not. (An actual human being usually served as a proxy for the magic snake.) I suspect you may get an inkling of the god-king's double-edged situation in the coming week, Leo. On the one hand, you're likely to be presented with the possibility of experiencing uncommonly interesting pleasure. On the other hand, there may be an obligatory quality to it -- a slightly oppressive pressure that is fully blended with the bliss.

Vi rg o ( Au g u s t 2 3 - S e p t e m b e r 22) According to the oracular priestess at the ancient Greek shrine of Delphi, whom I consulted in my dream last night, your code phrases for the week are "luminous shadow" and "hidden light." That was the gist of her entire message; she didn't provide any more practical clues. But here are some ways I might interpret her prophecy if I were you: What dark place in your life might soon shine forth with a new radiance? Or: What secret beauty is aching to be found? Or: What odd asset have you been concealing for no good reason?

Sagittarius (November 22December 21) NASA scientist Richard Gross believes that the recent 8.8 earthquake in Chile was so strong that it shifted the planet's axis and shortened the length of the day. The amounts were relatively small -- three inches and 1.26 microseconds -- but it was enough to make "the Earth ring like a bell." I predict a somewhat comparable seismic shift for you in the coming weeks. The main difference is that yours will not be generated by a painful jolt but rather by a breakthrough that's half smart and half lucky.

Capricor n (December 22J a n u a r y 1 9 ) In a library in Warsaw, there is a 1,000+-page memoir written by my greatgreat-great-great grandfather, Leon Dembowski, a close advisor to the last king of Poland. Someday I'll make a pilgrimage over there, photocopy that family heirloom, bring it back to America, and have it translated into English. The task I envision for you in the coming weeks, Capricorn, has a certain resemblance to mine. I think you will have the chance to uncover a wealth of material about where you came from, but it'll take a lot of footwork and reinterpretation.

Aquarius (January 20Fe b r u a r y 1 8 ) There's no need for you to get a t-shirt that says, "Oh no, not another learning experience." According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are not about to have an embarrassing stumble that could in retrospect be euphemistically referred to as a "learning experience." On the contrary, the educational events you'll be communing with will be pretty pleasurable, and will more closely resemble a hop, skip, and a jump than a stumble.

P i s c e s ( Fe b r u a r y 1 9 M a r c h 2 0 ) I'm inclined to prophesy that in the days to come, you may be able to read the minds of people whose actions are critical to your success. I also suspect that you will know exactly what to do in order to banish a minor health problem. I'm even tempted to believe that when you gaze into the mirror you will be more intrigued than you've been in a while. Have you ever heard a bird sing a song just for you? Did you ever find a small treasure you assumed was lost forever? Developments like those are in the works. There's only one catch: To get the most out of this grace period, you will have to summon more faith in yourself than you usually do.

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK) Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Holland (Netherlands) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Ibiza (Spain) Iceland India Indian Ocean Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait

0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345 00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044 00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689 00241 00220 00995 0049 00233 00350 0030 00299 001473 00590 001671 00502 00224 00592 00509 0031 00504 00852 0036 0034 00354 0091 00873 0062 0098 00964 00353 0039 00225 001876 0081 00962 007 00254 00686 00965

Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Majorca Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (Burma) Namibia Nepal Netherlands (Holland) Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Nigar Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Ireland (UK) North Korea Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts Saint Lucia Saint Pierre Saint Vincent Samoa US Samoa West San Marino Sao Tone Saudi Arabia Scotland (UK) Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Toga Tonga Tokelau Trinidad Tunisia Turkey Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay

00996 00856 00371 00961 00231 00218 00370 00352 00853 00389 00261 0034 00265 0060 00960 00223 00356 00692 00596 00222 00230 00269 0052 00691 00373 00377 00976 001664 00212 00258 0095 00264 00977 0031 00599 00687 0064 00505 00227 00234 00683 00672 0044 00850 0047 00968 0092 00680 00507 00675 00595 0051 0063 0048 00351 001787 00974 0040 007 00250 00290 001869 001758 00508 001784 00684 00685 00378 00239 00966 0044 00221 00284 00232 0065 00421 00386 00677 00252 0027 0082 0034 0094 00249 00597 00268 0046 0041 00963 00886 00255 0066 00228 00676 00690 001868 00216 0090 00688 00256 00380 00976 0044 00598

WHAT'S ON

Page 46

Friday, March 26, 2010

KNES holds sports day

T

IMA organizes family desert picnic I ndian Muslim Association (IMA Kuwait) organized a desert picnic at the outskirts of the city at Khairan City, South of Kuwait, which is a customary spectacular annual event. Hundreds of families and youth from the Indian subcontinent participated in this joyful and memorable event.

Every year IMA celebrates this remarkable activity.

Mohammad Aslam, IMA President said that it gave him great pleasure to welcome all the individuals.

In his keynote address, he expressed sincere gratitude to the people and elaborated on the activities carried out

by IMA. In an atmosphere of charm and happiness, presentation of Poetry in Urdu language was also held. Few couplets were so thrilling and charged the whole atmosphere with emotions. The picnic was remarkable for the sports loving people who participated in various games such as cricket, volleyball, running race etc.

These games were enjoyed by children as well as their elders equally.

The Friday sermon was delivered by eminent scholar from India, Maulana Sirajuddin Nadvi. He particularly advised the younger generation to

he annual Sports Day for the Secondary Department at Kuwait National English School took place on Tuesday March 22, 2010 on the school premises. The event started at 9:30 am and ended at 2:00 pm. The pupils competed in a variety of sports activities (basketball, football, volleyball, swimming, tug of war etc) that are relevant to their age and physical ability.

The day was brilliant.

The entire Secondary department pulled together, quite literally in the tug of war, making this a team building day for everybody.

Fitness and physical health are very important on Sports Day. The team games were really good and showed many of the skills students at Kuwait National English School have.

Students were competing in their house teams. Each house has an allocated color to identify them from the other houses: (Jupiter = Dark Red), (Saturn = Dark Blue), (Neptune = Yellow) and (Venus = Dark Green).

The winning house was Saturn followed by Jupiter, Neptune and Venus. At the end of the eventful day, the winners received medals and the famous KNES Sporting Cup. At Kuwait National English School we believe that sports form an important part of our children’s development.

Sports reveal character, the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a child’s determination. It should be noted that children at play are not playing about; their games should be seen as their most serious - minded activity.

Birthday greetings concentrate on character building and take active participation in the community development activities.

The Youth Wing of IMA staged Dramas and other entertaining programs.

These were the prime attractions of the picnic that added color and glory to the atmosphere. Animations and cutting-edge technology were employed to bring the remarkable and pleasant touch of arts and Islamic culture to the whole stage activities. In these activities, IMA - Youth Wing highlighted the forthcoming Youth Conference, which is scheduled to be held on Friday April 23, 2010 at

Masjid Al-Kabir (The Grand Mosque) Kuwait City.

Khalid Al-Badr, head of projects departments in Abdullah Noorie Society participated as chief guest in prize distribution ceremony. Prize distribution

for the winning teams & individuals in the area of sports and games was held before concluding the program. Delicious food such as biryani and ice creams were on the menu for the lunch. Separate

tents for men and women were arranged and the picnic, which started at 7:00 am, lasted up to 5:00 pm.

Free transportation was arranged from all over Kuwait to facilitate the participants.

Mashallah, It’s our daughter’s 5th Birthday Amna Faisal will celebrate it with her family, Khala and Mamu.

May Allah shower His blessings upon you. Love and wishes from everyone.

WHAT'S ON

Friday, March 26, 2010

Page 47

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.

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.

KFH receives students of Khoula School

K

uwait Finance House (KFH) organized a special visit for the distinguished students of Khoula School for Girls that is located in Shuwaikh Residential area, where the students were received at AlFaiha branch to introduce them to the various banking businesses that KFH offers to its client segments, especially ëBaitií product for children. The Faiha Branch Manager Raba Al-Yasseen,

employees Dana Al-Menaie and Anan Al-Zayed in coordination with ëBaitií account supervisor Nada AlWeqayan, gave a seminar about how banks operate, and how money and accounts are managed. The seminar was done in an entertaining manner using different educational means, in addition to explaining to them the mechanisms followed to open a ëBaitií account for children, and the

BSK students triumph at Int’l competition

S

taff and students at The British School of Kuwait extend congratulations to Hei Wei Li (Year 1), Charles Fernandes (Year 10) and Feixue Li (Year 12) on their superb achievements in the First Gulf international Chopin competition. The original heats for the competition were held in Qatar, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait with 55 students making it through to the finals in Kuwait.

The patron of the event HE Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah Minister of Al-Diwan Al-Amiri Affairs presented

a magnificent dhow to BSK student Feixue Li winner of the senior category for her performance of Chopin’s Polonaise in A flat. Second place went to another BSK student Charles Fernandes for his rendition of Chopin’s Scherzo in B flat minor while in the under 12 category BSK student Hei Wei Li gained a distinction at six years of age for his Chopin Polonaise in G minor. The trio followed this up with a series of recitals at the BSK Music Festival Week in front of packed houses of adoring fans.

benefits they enjoy from such an account.

The employees demonstrated to the students the methods of counting cash, using treasuries that are found in many branches, and using ATM machines found in various locations in Kuwait. The students were then allowed to ask the employees, where most of the questions focused on the social activities that KFH does to children, in addition

to the means of communicating with them, where they requested that such activities continue.

Such visits reveals the eagerness revealed by various society segments to view KFHís banking experience, in addition to being a result of the marketing efforts exerted by branches to establish connections with authorities and bodies surrounding the branch.

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on Sunday, March 28, 2010 on account of “Mahavir Jayanthi”.

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 Bangladesh The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will remain today on the occasion of The Independence and National Day of Bangladesh. The Embassy will arrange the following program today at 8:00 am to observe the Independence and National Day at the Chancery: Chancery Roof ● Ceremonial hoisting of the National Flag.

Chancery Basement ● Recitation from the Holy Quran, dua & munajat. ● Observance of one minute’s silence in honour of the Martyrs. ● Reading out of the Messages. ● Discussion on the significance of the day.

All members of the expatriate Bangladesh community in Kuwait are cordially invited to attend the programme.

This is for information of all concerned.

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Friday, March 26, 2010

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

“IN CASE YOU ARE NOT TRAVELLING, YOUR PROPER CANCELLATION OF BOOKINGS WILL HELP OTHER PASSENGERS TO USE SEATS”.

Arrival Flights on Friday 26/03/2010 Airlines Flt Route Jazeera 0263 Beirut KLM 0447 Amstlrdam/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 676 Dubai Kuwait 344 Chennai Kuwait 284 Dhaka Emirates 855 Dubai Arabia 0121 Sharjah Qatari 0132 Doha Etihad 0301 Abu Dhabi Wataniya Airways 1121 Bahrain Gulf Air 213 Bahrain Jazeera 0447 Doha Jazeera 0165 Dubai Jazeera 0425 Bahrain Jazeera 0113 Abu Dhabi Wataniya Airways 1021 Dubai Kuwait 772 Riyadh Egypt Air 610 Cairo Syrian Arab A/L 341 Damascus Kuwait 672 Dubai Jazeera 0171 Dubai Wataniya Airways 2301 Damascus Egypt Air 621 Assiut Nas Air 745 Jeddah Jazeera 0525 Alexandria Jazeera 0257 Beirut Wataniya Airways 2001 Cairo Saudi Arabian A/L 3500 Jeddah Kuwait 678 Muscat/Abu Dhabi Kuwait 552 Damascus Jazeera 0457 Damascus Qatari 0134 Doha Kuwait 546 Alexandria Royal Jordanian 800 Amman Kuwait 562 Amman Jazeera 0173 Dubai Mihin Lanka 403 Colombo/Dubai Bahrain Air 344 Bahrain Kuwait 118 New York Emirates 857 Dubai Gulf Air 215 Bahrain Etihad 0303 Abu Dhabi Saudi Arabian A/L 510 Riyadh United A/L 982 Washington DC Dulles Jazeera 0493 Jeddah Arabia 0125 Sharjah Jazeera 0217 Isfahan Thai 519 Bangkok Wataniya Airways 2101 Beirut Sri Lankan 227 Colombo/Dubai Jazeera 0427 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 2003 Cairo DHL 473 Baghdad Wataniya Airways 1025 Dubai Kuwait 502 Beirut Kuwait 542 Cairo Jazeera 0177 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 09:35 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 14:40 14:45 15:00 15:30 15:40 15:55 16:05 16:40 16:50 16:55 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:15 17:15 17:30 17:40 17:40 17:45 17:50 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:45 18:50 18:55

Kuwait Kuwait Rovos Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Singapore A/L Jet A/W Wataniya Airways Oman Air Iran Air Egypt Air Jazeera 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

818 674 093 786 614 774 104 458 572 1201 0647 617 618 0459 0343 0433 217 402 0136 859 174 0445 981 0449 0429 215 0117 0185 612 606 389 636 043 1029 327 205 1129

Doha Dubai Kandahar/Dubai Jeddah Bahrain Riyadh London Singapore/Abu Dhabi Mumbai Jeddah Muscat Ahwaz Alexandria Damascus Sanaa/Bahrain Mashad Bahrain Beirut Doha Dubai Geneva/Frankfurt Amsterdam Chennai/Ahmadabad Doha Bahrain Kabul Abu Dhabi Dubai Cairo Luxor Kozhikode/Mangalore Frankfurt Dhaka Dubai Tunis/Dubai Lahore Bahrain

18:55 18:55 19:00 19:10 19:20 19:30 19:35 19:45 20:05 20:15 20:20 20:30 20:35 20:40 20:55 21:00 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 Friday 26/3/2010 Airlines Flt Route Jazeera 0528 Assiut Shaheen Air 442 Lahore India Express 394 Cochin/Kozhikode Indian 576 Goa/Chennai Pakistan 216 Karachi Lufthansa 637 Frankfurt KLM 0447 Amsterdam Ethiopian 620 Bahrain/Addis Ababa Turkish A/L 1173 Istanbul DHL 371 Bahrain Emirates 854 Dubai Etihad 0306 Abu Dhabi Qatari 0139 Doha Wataniya Airways 1020 Dubai Jazeera 0164 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 771 Riyadh Jazeera 0456 Damascus Jazeera 0170 Dubai Kuwait 101 London/New York Arabia 0122 Sharjah Emirates 856 Dubai Qatari 0133 Doha Etihad 0302 Abu Dhabi

Time 00:05 00:15 00:30 00:50 01:10 01:20 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 09:20 09:25 09:30 09:35 09:35 09:40 10:00 10:20

Kuwait Cargolux Wataniya Airways Gulf Air Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Egypt Air Syrian Arab A/L Wataniya Airways Kuwait Jazeera Egypt Air Nas Air Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera 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 Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Wataniya Airways Thai Kuwait Sri Lankan Wataniya Airways Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Wataniya Airways Jet A/W Oman Air Jazeera Iran Air Egypt Air Singapore A/L Gulf Air DHL Kuwait Middle East Falcon Jazeera Qatari Kuwait Emirates Kuwait KLM Jazeera United A/L Egypt Air Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

561 794 2002 214 165 0342 541 0172 2100 0492 501 785 611 342 1024 673 0216 622 746 0176 1200 0432 0426 0458 617 3505 773 613 801 0135 345 404 216 0304 858 0126 0262 543 511 0184 2010 0116 0448 0428 2102 520 285 228 1028 0512 283 361 351 1128 571 0648 0240 616 619 457 218 171 675 403 102 0188 0137 301 860 205 0445 0526 981 613 415 0502 411

Amman Singapore Cairo Bahrain Rome/Paris Bahrain/Sanaa Cairo Dubai Beirut Jeddah Beirut Jeddah Cairo Damascus Dubai Dubai Isfahan Assiut Jeddah Dubai Jeddah Mashad Bahrain Damascus Doha Jeddah Riyadh Bahrain Amman Doha Bahrain Dubai/Colombo Bahrain Abu Dhabi Dubai Sharjah Beirut Cairo Riyadh Dubai Sharm El Sheikh Abu Dhabi Doha Bahrain Beirut Bangkok Chittagong Dubai/Colombo Dubai Sharm El Sheikh Dhaka Colombo Cochin Bahrain Mumbai Muscat Amman Ahwaz Alexandria Abu Dhabi/Singapore Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Beirut Bahrain Dubai Doha Mumbai Dubai Islamabad Bahrain /Amsterdam Alexandria Washington DC Dulles Cairo Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta Luxor Bangkok/Manila

10:35 11:15 11:30 11:40 11:45 11:50 12:00 12:00 12:05 12:15 13:00 13:40 13:55 14:00 14:25 14:30 14:35 14:50 14:55 15:05 15:10 15:20 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 20:55 21:00 21:10 21:20 21:25 21:30 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 23:25 23:40 23:45 23:45 23:50 23:55

CLASSIFIEDS

Friday, March 26, 2010

ACCOMMODATION In Abu Halifa sector 1 police station road sharing accommodation available for a decent Muslim person in a central A/C 2 BR flat with kitchen and tel facilities. Contact: 97910678.

(C 20494)

ladies semi-furnished, centralized A/C flat. Contact: 97134824. (C 2052) 25-3-2010 Sharing accommodation available for one bachelor at Abbassiya near Unique store No. 2 from 1st April with kitchen facilities.

Contact: 66110593 or 24313908. (C 20495)

Sharing accommodation available for single working ladies, couple or executive bachelor in a 2 bedroom, 2 toilet CAC apartment new building in Farwaniya behind Metro cinema, only for Indian from Bombay, Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa. Contact: 66625901, 24716975. (C 20497)

Sharing accommodation available from 1st April with Keralite family near Neethi store building in Abbassiya share with couples or bachelors (only for Keralite peoples), furnished double bedroom flat with mini split A/C. Contact: 66944127.

(C 20496) 24-3-2010

Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya only for Keralite couples or

Sharing accommodation available for Indian working ladies or couples in a 2

bedroom flat with all facilities near Khaitan police station round about.

Contact: 99480468. (C 20488) Looking for room furnished/unfurnished with attached bath required for an executive couple preferably with balcony in Salmiya around garden area or in Mangaf, Block #4. Contact between 5 am to 2 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm # 66844722/65533571.

(C 20490) 23-3-2010 Sharing accommodation available for a Keralite bachelor in small single bedroom in CAC flat with all facilities in Farwaniya near Continental suite. Tel: 99716630. (C 20481) Sharing furnished accom-

No: 14679

Page 49

modation available for decent executive with a couple in CAC flat at Farwaniya airport road.

Call: 99678391. (C 20482) 21-3-2010

TRANSPORT Transportation available from Salmiya to Carmel School, Khaitan; from Salmiya to British School, Salwa and Salmiya to Kuwait City 8 am & Kuwait City to Salmiya 5:30 pm.

Experienced drivers & new cars. Contact: 55497212, 99286433. (C 20492) 24-3-2010

FOR SALE Toyota Corolla 1.6 model 2009, white color, good look and excellent condition, one hand use car.

Price KD 3650. Only serious persons call 66050484.

(C 20487) 23-3-2010

Toyota Corolla XLi 1.6, model 2009, white color, excellent condition, CD player, sensor, folding mirrors, wood trim, alloy wheels, done 7,000 kms only. Cash Price KD 4,200.

Contact: 66211779.

(C 20484) Toyota Corolla XLi 1.8L, model 2007, silver color, excellent condition, done 70,000 kms only. Cash Price KD 2,850. Contact: 97213518. (C 20483) Mitsubishi Pajero, model 2000, automatic gear, in good condition, KD 800.

Contact: 66482700.

(C 20485)

Cherry Aster, model 2008, blue color, direct from agent, not used, meter zero km. Final Price KD 2,500 not negotiable. Call: 55451465. (C 20486) 22-3-2010 Nissan X Trail 2003 model, full options, sun roof and heavy trailer, off white metallic color, very good condition, price KD 1,800. Call afternoon 66944127.

sonal secretary or mandoob or personal driver.

Mob: 67730592. (C 20489) 23-3-2010 Diploma holder in civil engineering (Indian) 15 years experience in civil construction field. 5 years Gulf experience, experienced in Autocad + Comp. Seeks suitable placement.

Phone: 65033757, 66860418. Mail: kkpillai2005@yahoo.co.in (C 20480) 21-3-2010

MATRIMONIAL

SITUATION WANTED A Srilankan lady who has been working as maid for families for the last 10 years in Kuwait is seeking a live-in maid job in household. English and Arabic speaking and has good experience in taking care of kids & pets. For further details please call: 97448826. (C 20498) 25-3-2010 A decent housemaid for a family in Hawally. Call 66729068, 67784195.

24-3-2010 Hardworking experienced honest Pakistani young man available to work for high profile people as per-

Proposals invited from parents of educated good looking girls (below 32 years), for handsome Hindu engineer (Bombay) employed in oil company Kuwait. No dowry. Contact email: kumar117630yahoo.com (C 2051) 25-3-2010 Keralite Orthodox boy, 28/172, B.Com, working as accountant in a reputed firm in Kuwait invites proposals from the parents of girls working in Kuwait.

Contact email: abrahamgees@yahoo.com (C 20491) 24-3-2010

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists: Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 5622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 5752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 5321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 5739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 5757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 5732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 5732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT): Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz

4555050 Ext 510 5644660 5646478 5311996 5731988 2620166 5651426

General Practitioners: Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi Dr. Yousef Al-Omar Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem Dr. Kathem Maarafi Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae

4555050 Ext 123 4719312 3926920 5730465 5655528 4577781 5333501

Urologists: Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 2641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 2639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 2616660

Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 5313120 Plastic Surgeons: Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari Dr. Abdel Quttainah

2547272 2617700 5625030/60

Family Doctor: Dr Divya Damodar

3729596/3729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

2635047 2613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians: Dr Adrian Harbe Dr. Verginia s.Marin Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly Dr. Salem soso

3729596/3729581 572-6666 ext 8321 2655539 5343406 5739272 2618787

General Surgeons: Dr. Abidallah Behbahani 5717111 Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 2610044 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 5327148

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra Dr. Mobarak Aldoub Dr Nasser Behbehani

5728004 5355515 4726446 5654300/3

Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed Dr. Zahra Qabazard Dr. Sohail Qamar Dr. Snaa Maaroof Dr. Pradip Gujare Dr. Zacharias Mathew

5340300 5710444 2621099 5713514 3713100 4334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada) 5655535

2639939 2666300

Endocrinologist: Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 5339330 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 5658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 5329924 Physiotherapists & VD: Dr. Deyaa Shehab Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

5722291 2666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 5330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 5722290

Dentists: Dr Anil Thomas Dr. Shamah Al-Matar Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

3729596/3729581 2641071/2 2562226 2561444 2619557 2525888 5653755 5620111

Internists, Chest & Heart: Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Mousa Khadada

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman 2636464 Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 5322030 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 2633135

Neurologists: Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 5633324 Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 5345875

Internist, Chest & Heart: DR.Mohammes Akkad 4555050 Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Tel: 5339667 Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Consultant Cardiologist Tel: 2611555-2622555

Page 50

Friday, March 26, 2010

TV Listings Orbit /Showtime Channels

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

00:50 01:45 02:40 03:35 04:00 04:30 05:25 06:20 06:45 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:45 10:40 11:05 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 Baker 19:15 19:40 20:10 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:25

00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:55 03:55 04:25 04:55 05:25 06:00 06:30 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 11:25 12:15 13:15 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:45 16:15 16:45

Starter Wife In Plain Sight Life Murdoch Mysteries In Plain Sight Sons of Anarchy Demons Starter Wife Without a Trace Ghost Whisperer Life Murdoch Mysteries Demons Sons of Anarchy Life In Plain Sight Without a Trace Ghost Whisperer Starter Wife Inside the Actors Studio Without a Trace Survivor The Closer The Tudors

Jessica The Hippo Animal Cops Phoenix Untamed And Uncut Living With The Wolfman Living With The Wolfman Animal Cops Phoenix Miami Animal Police Going Ape Shamwari: A Wild Life E-Vets: The Interns Aussie Animal Rescue Wildlife SOS Pet Rescue Jessica The Hippo The Jeff Corwin Experience Beverly Hills Groomer The Planet’s Funniest Animals The Planet’s Funniest Animals Going Ape Shamwari: A Wild Life Miami Animal Police E-Vets: The Interns Pet Rescue Animal Cops Phoenix Wildlife SOS Aussie Animal Rescue Jessica The Hippo The Planet’s Funniest Animals The Planet’s Funniest Animals Beverly Hills Groomer Deep Into The Wild With Nick Ultimate Killers Ultimate Killers Great Ocean Adventures Animal Cops Phoenix Untamed And Uncut Animal Witness Animal Witness

Nighty Night Nighty Night Little Britain Egypt Child Of Our Time 2006 Green Green Grass Extras Nighty Night Nighty Night Cash In The Attic 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 Egypt Child Of Our Time 2006 The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Bargain Hunt Cash In The Attic Red Dwarf Red Dwarf

17:15 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 21:45 22:15 23:46

The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders 2 Point 4 Children Green Green Grass Antiques Roadshow The Weakest Link Doctors Frances Tuesday Robin Hood

00:05 00:30 01:20 01:45 02:15 03:00 03:45 04:15 04:45 05:15 05:45 06:15 07:00 07:25 08:10 09:00 09:25 09:45 10:30 11:30 12:20 13:15 14:00 14:50 15:40 16:05 16:30 16:50 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:45 20:15 20:40 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:45 23:35

Sweet Baby James Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes Cash In The Attic Usa Hidden Potential Antiques Roadshow Antiques Roadshow A Week Of Dressing Dangerously A Week Of Dressing Dangerously Cash In The Attic Usa Cash In The Attic Usa Hidden Potential Living In The Sun A Week Of Dressing Dangerously A Week Of Dressing Dangerously Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Usa Hidden Potential Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes Living In The Sun The Home Show Antiques Roadshow Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes Gary Rhodes’ Local Food Heroes Daily Cooks Challenge Daily Cooks Challenge Cash In The Attic Usa Hidden Potential The Home Show Antiques Roadshow Antiques Roadshow Daily Cooks Challenge Daily Cooks Challenge Masterchef Goes Large Come Dine With Me Come Dine With Me Living In The Sun What Not To Wear What To Eat Now - Autumn

00:45 03:15 05:15 07:30 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:30 20:30 23:00

Sophie’s Choice-18 Unfaithful-18 As Good As It Gets-PG15 What Rats Won’t Do-PG15 Max-PG15 Stolen Summer-PG Mean Creek-PG15 Les Miserables-PG15 Topsy Turvy-PG15 Bridges To Madison County Straw Dogs-R

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:55 03:50 04:15 04:45 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:55 08:20 08:50 09:45 10:10 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:25 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:35 17:30 18:30 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00

Untamed & Uncut Miami Ink Street Customs American Chopper Massive Speed Massive Speed Mythbusters How Stuff’s Made Dirty Jobs China’s Man Made Marvels Massive Speed Massive Speed Street Customs How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Swamp Loggers How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made American Chopper Miami Ink Mythbusters Dirty Jobs Swamp Loggers Street Customs Destroyed In Seconds How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made Fifth Gear

00:40 Building The Biggest 01:30 Primal Connections

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 12:45 13:10 13:40 14:35 15:30 16:25 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:40 20:05 20:30 20:55 21:20 21:45 22:10 23:00 23:25 23:50

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 20:35 21:00 21:25 21:45 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

The Future Of...

Mission Implausible Beyond Tomorrow Sci-Fi Saved My Life Cool Stuff And How It Works Mean Green Machines One Step Beyond Primal Connections Junkyard Wars Sci-Fi Saved My Life The Future Of...

Cool Stuff And How It Works Stunt Junkies Primal Connections Green Wheels One Step Beyond Sci-Fi Saved My Life The Colony The Colony Cool Stuff And How It Works Junkyard Wars Brainiac Building The Biggest Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections Weird Connections How It’s Made How It’s Made Mythbusters Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections

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 I Got A Rocket 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 Tarzan Wizards Of Waverly Place The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Replacements American Dragon Kim Possible I Got A Rocket Fairly Odd Parents Phineas & Ferb

00:15 Streets Of Hollywood 00:40 E!es 01:30 25 Most Stylish 02:20 Sexiest 03:15 20 Most Shocking Unsolved Crimes 05:05 Dr 90210 06:00 25 Hottest Hollywood Cougar Tales 07:45 Extreme Hollywood 08:35 E! News 09:00 The Daily 10

09:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 09:50 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 Ths 11:05 Ths 12:00 E! News 12:25 The Daily 10 12:50 Bank Of Hollywood 13:40 20 Hottest Women Of The Web 15:25 Behind The Scenes 15:50 Behind The Scenes 16:15 E!es 17:10 Leave It To Lamas 17:35 Leave It To Lamas 18:00 E! News 18:25 The Daily 10 18:50 Streets Of Hollywood 19:15 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 19:40 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:20 Kendra 21:45 Kendra 22:10 E! News 22:35 The Daily 10 23:00 Dr 90210 23:50 Wildest Tv Show Moments

01:00 Inside the PGA Tour 01:30 LPGA Tour: LPGA Classic Presented by J Golf Rd. 1 Carlsbad, CA 03:30 World of Athletics 04:00 The Golf Channel - TBA 06:30 Golf Central International 07:00 LPGA Tour: LPGA Classic Presented by J Golf Rd. 1 Carlsbad, CA 09:00 Golf Central International 09:30 Inside the PGA Tour 10:00 PGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard Rd. 1 Orlando, FL 13:00 Golf Central International 13:30 World Sport 2010 14:00 Big Ten Match Play Championship 15:30 ATP Tour: Showdown at Madison Square Garden Final 17:30 European Tour Open de Andalucia Rd. 2 Malaga, Spain 19:30 Champions Tour: The Cap Cana Championship Rd. 1 Cap Cana, Dominican Republic

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 20:30

Dr G: Medical Examiner Fbi Files A Haunting On The Case Crimes That Shook The World Forensic Detectives Crime Scene Psychics Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters Ghosthunters Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Csu Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Diagnosis: Unknown Solved Mystery Er Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Csu Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives Fbi Files Diagnosis: Unknown

01:25 02:50 04:20 06:20 08:00 09:20 10:45 12:20 13:50 15:15 17:05 18:35 20:15 22:00

Gothic Masquerade Triumph Of The Spirit Stigmata The Trip Women Vs. Men Parker Kane My American Cousin The Glory Stompers The Playboys Mr. Accident Man in the Moon Great Balls Of Fire Miami Blues

The House Bunny Show Movies 23:00 Chasing Time 23:30 Perilous Journeys

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 08:00 09:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 17:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 20:30

(P) The Osbournes Room Raiders ¬† Fist Of Zen 2 Lick Shots Headbangers Ball ¬† Music Mix Starter Mtv Breakfast Club Alarm Mtv Top 10 ¬†Placebo Music Non Stop Lunchbox Pimp My Ride Pimp My Ride Made Run’s House Run’s House Mtv Icon Justin Timberlake Worldchart Express Music Non Stop This Is The New Sh*T

00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 05:30 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:30 13:30 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:30 19:30 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30

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 Destination Extreme Surfer’s Journal Treks In A Wild World Madventures Chasing Time Perilous Journeys Don’t Tell My Mother...

By Any Means Bondi Rescue - Bali Destination Extreme Surfer’s Journal Treks In A Wild World Madventures Chasing Time Perilous Journeys Don’t Tell My Mother...

By Any Means Bondi Rescue - Bali Destination Extreme Surfer’s Journal Treks In A Wild World Madventures

00:00 Modern Family 00:30 New adventures of old Christine 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 03:00 Family Guy 03:30 Entourage 04:00 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 05:00 Modern Family 05:30 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 06:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 07:00 The Nannyt 07:30 Malcolm in the Middle 08:00 Yes dear 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 Just Shoot me 11:30 Eight Simple Rules 12:00 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 13:00 New adventures of old Christine 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 14:00 The Nanny 14:30 Three sisters 15:00 Yes dear 15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 George Lopez 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Frasier 18:00 The Bernie Mac show 18:30 Dharma & Greg 19:00 How I met you mother 19:30 Two and a half men 20:00 Best of Late night with Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 07:00 07:30 08:00

What’s Good For You 10 Years younger S3 Look A Like S3 The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Monique Show Never Trust A Skinny Cook Fresh GMA (repeat) GMA Health What’s the Buzz What’s Good For You

Page 51

Friday, March 26, 2010 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

Chef’s Table 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

08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:35 09:45 10:00 10:10 10:30 10:50 11:15 11:40 12:05 12:15 12:30 12:55 13:05 13:30 13:50 14:10 14:30 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:10 16:35 17:00 17:25 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:50 19:00 19:10 19:35 20:00

Special Agent Oso Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Chuggington Chuggington Chuggington Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Imagination Movers My Friends Tigger And Pooh Chuggington Special Agent Oso Little Einsteins Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Little Einsteins Imagination Movers Little Einsteins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jo Jo’s Circus Jo Jo’s Circus Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes My Friends Tigger And Pooh Chuggington Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Chuggington Chuggington Imagination Movers Handy Manny Special Agent Oso

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 11:45 14:00 PG15 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:45

Look A Like S3 10 Years younger S3 The View The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Cocaine Cowboys II-18 Wendy And Lucy-PG15 Mostly Ghostly-PG Honeydripper-PG15 No Reservations-PG15 A Plumm Summer-PG15 The Prestige-PG15 Elizabeth: The Golden AgeNo Reservations-PG15 Bedtime Stories-FAM Watchmen-18 The House Bunny-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Clive Barker’s Book Of Blood Prophecy 5-18 H.I.T.-PG15 Missionary Man-PG15 Broken Arrow-18 Prisoner-PG The X Files-PG15 Broken Arrow-18 The Cycle-PG15 Surviving Evil-18 Art Of War II: Betrayal-18 The Last Resort -PG15

00:00 02:00 PG15 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Go-Getter-PG15 In Memory Of My FatherGoing Berserk-PG15 Black Knight-PG15 Slap Shots 3-PG15 Heartbreakers-PG15 Picture This-PG15 Clueless-PG15 The Go-Getter-PG15 Prom Wars-18 Lonely Street-PG15 Undead Or Alive-18

00:00 Tracy Beaker - The Movie Of Me-FAM 02:00 The Jungle Book IV : Hate And Love-FAM

04:00 Superman: Brainiac AttacksPG15 06:00 Cinderella-FAM 08:00 Mamma Moo And Crow-FAM 10:00 Superman: Brainiac AttacksPG15 12:00 Santa Buddies-PG 14:00 The Jungle Book IV : Hate And Love-FAM 16:00 Daffy Duck’s QuackbustersFAM 18:00 My Dog Skip-FAM 20:00 How To Eat Fried WormsFAM 22:00 Santa Buddies-PG

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Bones Dollhouse Sex and the City Sex and the City Beauty and the Geek Cold Case Frasier Coach Emmerdale Huey’s Cooking Adventure Life on Mars Frasier Coach Beauty and the Geek (TBA) Cold Case Emmerdale Huey’s Cooking Adventure Frasier Coach Bones Dollhouse Life on Mars Beauty and the Geek Better off Ted Billable Hours Burn Notice Burn Notice Flash Forwards Life on Mars Sex and the City

00:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 00:30 Barclays Premier League Review Show 02:00 Premier League 04:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 04:30 Premier League 06:30 Premier League Classics 07:00 Premier League World 07:30 Fut Brasil 08:00 Premier League 10:00 Barclays Premier League Highlights 11:00 Premier League Classics 11:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 12:00 Premier League World 12:30 Live NRL Premiership 14:30 Premier League 16:30 Barclays Premier League Highlights 17:30 Fut Brasil 18:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 18:30 Premier League 20:30 Goals Goals Goals 21:00 Premier League World 21:30 Live Barclays Premier League Preview 22:30 Futbol Mundial 23:00 Barclays Premier League

02:00 Anglo-Welsh Cup 04:00 Anglo-Welsh Cup 06:00 Futbol Mundial 06:30 European Tour Weekly 07:00 Mobil 1 07:30 Premier League World 08:00 ICC Cricket World 08:30 Futbol Mundial 09:00 World Sport 09:30 Live Super 14 11:30 Live Super 14 13:30 ICC Cricket World 14:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 14:30 Barclays Premier League Highlights 15:30 Premier League Darts 19:30 ICC Cricket World 20:00 Live Super 14 22:00 Premier League Preview Show 22:30 World Sport 23:00 Live Super 14

Hit US Urban Hit Playlist French Only Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Africa Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Trace Video Mix New Playlist

00:00 Globe Trekker 01:00 Angry Planet 01:30 The Thirsty Traveler 02:00 Essential 02:30 Essential 03:00 Distant Shores 03:30 Wild At Heart 04:00 Julian And Camilla’s World Odyssey 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 Travel Today 11:00 Chef Abroad 11:30 Entrada 12:00 Planet Food 13:00 Globe Trekker 14:00 Chef Abroad 14:30 The Thirsty Traveler 15:00 Sophie Grigson In The Souk 15:30 Entrada 16:00 Essential 16:30 Essential 17:00 Globe Trekker 18:00 Essential 18:30 Hollywood And Vines

The Day The Earth Stood Stil on Super Movies

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SPL Highlights World Sport Premier League Darts World Sport Live Aussie Rules AFL Futbol Mundial Premier League World ICC Cricket World Live NRL Premiership Mobil 1 World Sport Aussie Rules AFL European Tour Weekly Live PGA European Tour Premier League World NRL Premiership

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WWE NXT Bushido UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC - The Ultimate Fighter NCAA Basketball FIM World Cup British Triathlon Series UAE National Race Day UFC All Access Bushido WWE NXT WWE Vintage Collection NCAA Basketball NCAA Basketball

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Sunshine Cleaning-PG15 10,000 B.C.-PG Taking Chance-PG15 Kung Fu Panda-PG Sydney White And The 7

Dorks-PG15 11:00 Georgia Rule-PG15 13:00 Race To Witch MountainPG15 15:00 Hoot-PG 17:00 Sydney White And The 7 Dorks-PG15 19:00 The Day The Earth Stood Still-PG15 21:00 Music And Lyrics-PG 23:00 Silk-R

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Victor/victoria Somebody Up There Likes Me Nicholas And Alexandra Bhowani Junction Anchors Aweigh The Prize Man Of La Mancha Rhapsody 2001: A Space Odyssey The Champ Wild Rovers

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How the Earth Was Made The Universe 3 Human Weapon Modern Marvels Life After People Evolve Dinosaur Secrets How the Earth Was Made The Universe 3 Human Weapon Modern Marvels Life After People Evolve Dinosaur Secrets How the Earth Was Made The Universe 3 Human Weapon Modern Marvels

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Life After People Evolve Dinosaur Secrets How the Earth Was Made The Universe 3 Human Weapon Modern Marvels Ax Men 2 Tunnellers§

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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 Area How Do I Look?

Style Star Style Her Famous My Celebrity Home Style Star Dress My Nest Peter Perfect Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

Ruby Giuliana And Bill Clean House Clean House Comes Clean Dress My Nest How Do I Look?

Split Ends Dallas Divas And Daughters Style Her Famous Running In Heels Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Split Ends Clean House Dress My Nest Style Her Famous Ruby

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Vh1 Rocks So 80’s Greatest Hits Vh1 Music Chill Out Vh1 Hits Vh1 Music Aerobic Top 10 Aerosmith Music For The Masses Vh1 Pop Chart Vh1 Music Music For The Masses Vh1 Music

00:15 Out Of Jimmy’s Head 00:40 Chop Socky Chooks 01:05 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 01:30 Cramp Twins 01:55 George Of The Jungle 02:20 Adrenalini Brothers 02:45 Eliot Kid 03:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 03:35 Class Of 3000 04:00 The Powerpuff Girls 04:15 Robotboy 04:40 The Secret Saturdays 05:05 Chowder 05:30 Ben 10 05:55 Best ED 06:20 Samurai Jack 06:45 Cramp Twins 07:10 Eliot Kid 07:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 08:00 My Spy Family 08:25 Chowder 08:50 Best ED 09:15 Chop Socky Chooks 09:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 10:05 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 10:30 Alien Force 60 11:30 Squirrel Boy 11:55 Robotboy 12:20 Camp Lazlo 12:45 The Powerpuff Girls 13:10 Class Of 3000 13:35 Ed, Edd N Eddy 14:00 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 14:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 14:50 Ben 10 15:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 15:40 Squirrel Boy

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he US actress - who recently won an Oscar for her performance in ‘The Blind Side’ - told friends that since her husband of five years, Jesse James, cheated on her with tattoo model Michelle ‘Bombshell’ McGhee, she can’t trust him enough to give him another chance. A friend told the Chicago Sun Times newspaper: “Sandy has decided there’s no way their relationship can be fixed. Once the trust is gone, there’s nothing left.”

Sandra is also said to be distraught at being apart from Jesse’s six-year old daughter from a previous relationship, Sunny, and another source claims she may seek custody of her if she divorces him. A

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source old X17 Online: “Sandra is going to go ahead and file for divorce and she is also wanting to get custody of Mr James’ young daughter. “Her lawyers are telling her that there is a possibility that she could win custody since the child’s mother is unfit and Jesse is an adulterer. She wants that little girl and is ready to fight to get her.” Sunny has lived with Jesse and Sandra since her biological mother, adult film star Janine Lindemulder, was jailed for tax evasion in December 2008. Janine has since battled to regain custody of Sunny.

Jesse also has two other children from a previous marriage. Sandra, 45, left the home she shared with Jesse over a week

Avoiding the sun keeps Cindy Crawford youthful he 44-year-old model insists her beauty regime is simple and looks youthful thanks to a number of different things. She said: “It’s a combination of a lot of things. I don’t smoke, I don’t take too much sun on my face - all of those things. If you keep doing them enough over the years, they add up. “It’s not that I work out every day and I’m not ever on a diet - I just eat healthy. I’m never off the wagon, so I never have to get back on the wagon. I think it’s about maintaining a healthy body weight.”

The star - who has children Presley, 10, and Kaia, eight, with husband Rande Gerber - also admits she is happy with her career and lives a good life, which helps her look good. She told Us Weekly magazine: “If you’re happy and you’re doing work that you enjoy - for me it’s about being a mother - that comes out in how I look.”

Recently Cindy admitted she wouldn’t worry about looking older as the years pass by. She said: “When you don’t have anything interesting to do, you start thinking too much

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about what you don’t have anymore.

When you can appreciate fulfilling things like family, work, friends or the possibility of helping other people, you will have a focus. The list could go on.

“But to be standing in front of a mirror and to moan, ‘Oh my God, I’ve just found another wrinkle!’ That’s embarrassing. I don’t have time for that.”

Friday, March 26, 2010

ago and friends have told she is “devastated” by her husband’s behavior.

Motorcycle enthusiast Jesse has meanwhile spoken publicly about the allegations and admits he deserves “everything bad” which may come from his “bad judgment”. He said: “There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me. It’s because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way.”

Katy Perry stays in shape by eating mushrooms

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he ‘Hot N’ Cold’ singer says tasty fungi are her favorite food and the wide variety of earthy treats are very good for staying slim. She said: “I love mushrooms. I could eat a ton of them. I really love truffles but I hardly ever get them. Mushrooms in general though are so healthy and good for you. I can’t get enough.” Katy - who is engaged to vegetarian funnyman Russell Brand admits she can’t indulge in many of the waist-expanding delicacies she loves, which include Chinese food and pizza, because she puts on weight. Listing many of her favorite calorific treats, she said: “My fave things include barbeque chicken chop at CPK Chinese, chicken salad at Chinchins, Rock shrimp and yellow tail sashimi at Nobu, Crispy beef at Mr Chow’s, four curry chicken salad at Urth Cafe, my beloved double double at In-N-Out Burger. All so good!”

Meanwhile, Katy is busy planning her

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wedding to Russell. The ‘I Kissed A Girl’ singer - whose parents Mary and Keith Hudson are both Christian pastors - has reportedly told the British comedian she wants to tie the knot at a location close to her Los Angeles home. A source said: “Russell has said she can have whatever she wants - as long as his mum’s there. Katy’s religious parents want her to get married in a church.”

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Bruce Springsteen sells home at a $150,000 loss

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Lindsay Lohan designs handbags for Ed Hardy he ‘Mean Girls’ actress is working closely with the Los Angeles clothing company on three new lines with the possibility of extending this after being introduced to the company’s designers by mutual friends. A source said: “Lindsay and the design team at Ed Hardy have mutual friends, and they knew she was interested in looking for a handbag license and partner.

They thought she’d be a good fit and so did she. “As of last week, there are three collections in development and numerous more are expected. Lindsay is very directly involved with the project, and she’s always pulling things online and from magazines for ideas.” Lindsay’s latest fashion projects follows her much criticized collaboration with Emanuel Ungaro - where she worked as the artistic director for one season. The 23-yearold starlet also has her own line of leggings, 6126, and launched fake tan line Sevin Nyne.

In 2007, Lindsay fronted a Jill Stuart handbags campaign, following the success of a Dooney and Bourke one in 2004.

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Jennifer Love Hewitt thinks she will make a ‘good wife’ he actress - who recently separated from her ‘Ghost Whisperer’ co-star Jamie Kennedy after a year of dating - is comfortable being single but wants to settle down and have children.

She said: “It’s what life handed me, and I’m OK with it. I know wholeheartedly that I’m a really good partner. I think I’m a really good girlfriend, and I think that I could be a really good wife. I know that I love being able to give my love out to someone. I know there is somebody great out there for me. “I’m a hopeless romantic. My middle name is Love. Valentine’s

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he 60-year-old rocker had advertised one of his lavish mansions in Wellington, Florida - which boasted five bedrooms and six bathrooms - for sale at $3.95 million. He bought the 7,862 square-foot property in April 2008, with his wife Patti Scialfa, for $3.1 million and finally sold it for $2.95 million - $150,000 less than the original purchase price.

Despite the financial loss, Bruce isn’t expected to miss the house too much. Shortly

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after moving into building, he and his spouse bought the property next door on the Equestrian Club Estate for $4.6 million and the couple have always preferred to stay there. Both properties have outdoor swimming pools and overlook a large pond. It is believed the musician has sold the property to billionaire couple Daniel Podell Crown and his wife Ellen. As well as their remaining Florida home, Bruce and Patti also own a horse farm in New Jersey.

Day is my favorite holiday. I want to have a family and children. I am a sucker for every romantic comedy that comes out.” The 31year-old star - who has previously dated singer John Mayer, actor Ross McCall and was engaged to professional kayaker Brad Ludden - also laughed off her ‘serial dater’ tag, insisting she is no different to many other women. She told the USA Today newspaper: “I’m made fun of a lot for it, but I don’t think I’m that different from a large group of people out there who are better and happier when they can spend time with someone.”

he former Spice Girl - who is currently a judge on UK TV talent show ‘Dancing On Ice’ - admits her old bandmate has been sending dresses from her fashion line for Emma to wear on the program, and this has inspired her so much she’s now planning on making her own children’s wear collection. She said: “I love her stuff!

In fact, I’ve been very lucky

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as she’s sent me a few bits. It’s been lovely to get some of her dresses because they are beautiful - you do feel so sexy in them. They’re gorgeous. “I am so, so proud of her. She has always been so into fashion. I think she’s pushed boundaries by going from music to designing... “I’d love to do more design. I’ve been designing some bits of jewelry that I’ve worn on ‘Dancing On Ice’. I’d love to do a kids’ line.” Emma - who has a two-year-old son Beau with her partner of 11 years, singer Jade Jones - admitted she was more than happy to wear Victoria’s clothes because it had encouraged her to push the boundaries from pop star to

designer as well. She told new! magazine: “My friend and I get together and I kind of say what I want, then she makes it up.

It’s been great. I’ve had so many questions about the designs, so I’m thinking, ‘Hmm... that might be a nice idea!’

Claudia Schiffer is expecting a girl

Emma Bunton gets free clothes from Victoria Beckham

he supermodel and her husband, director Matthew Vaughn, are looking forward to welcoming their third child in May, but haven’t yet thought of a name for the tot. The German beauty - who already has a son, Caspar, seven, and daughter Clementine, five, with Matthew revealed: “We’re expecting a girl.” .

Claudia - who married Matthew in May 2002 - has previously spoken about how motherhood made her reassess her attitude to work. She said: “I used to work every single day and travel round the world. I worked weekends, I never took one second off. When I met my husband I said, ‘You know what, this is important. I’m not going to work weekends any more.’

And when I had kids, I became even more careful. Modeling work is fine because you can do one day here, two days there, you’re never long gone.” — Bangshowbiz

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Japan unveils always-willing dental patient

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In this file photo, Welsh singer Shirley Bassey arrives at the “Red Cross Gala”, in Monaco. —AFP

New British probe into death of Shirley Basseyʼs daughter

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ritish police have re-opened an investigation into the death 25 years ago of the daughter of Welsh diva and 007 movie songstress Shirley Bassey, reports and police said yesterday. Detectives are making new inquiries after the family of a convicted killer’s victim handed them new information.

Samantha Novak, 21, was found face down in the River Avon near the 75-metre (245-foot) high Clifton Suspension Bridge landmark in Bristol, southwest England, in 1985.

A coroner at the time said it appeared she fell from the riverbank after a night out and there did not appear to be any suspicious circumstances. But Bassey, 73, has always maintained that her daughter’s death was not an accident or suicide. “I never believed that she killed herself. If she’d jumped off the bridge, all her bones would have been broken,” she said last October. Detectives now say the family of Penny Beale, killed by Michael Moffatt, had written to them with a new lead. Her mother said the convicted killer claimed to be “involved in the murder” of Novak.

It is understood Moffat boasted of being in a relationship with the singer’s daughter. “The mother of Moffat’s victim wrote to us with some information in the last couple of weeks,” said Detective Chief Inspector Mike Carter, head of the force’s major crime review team. “Her daughter had said that Moffat told her he was involved in the murder of Samantha Novak. We looked at the circumstances surrounding the death six months ago after comments made

by Dame Shirley Bassey.”

“There was nothing from the coroner’s report to suggest it was murder rather than suicide. However, this information is obviously additional so we are making fresh inquiries.” The glamorous Bassey is best known for singing the James Bond film theme songs “Goldfinger” (1964), “Diamonds Are Forever” (1971), and “Moonraker” (1979). —AFP

ew people would want to be guinea pigs for aspiring dentists but Japan has found an always-willing patienta robot. Doctors and robotics researchers yesterday unveiled a humanoid that happily goes under the drill for orthodontics students and can also express pain, roll her eyes and even drool like a real patient. “Hello,” female-looking “Hanako” said cheerfully as an aspiring dentist closed in during a presentation in Tokyo. “Please take care of me.”

But the robo-patient’s mood can quickly take a real-life turn for the worse if the grinding and drilling get too much or the wrong spot is hit. “It hurts,” said Hanako, dangerously moving her plastic head while a dental student was grinding her resin teeth, which are designed to be taken out and examined later to assess the student’s skill. In the demonstration, under the watchful gaze of an instructor, the dental student reacted quickly, deactivating and moving the sharppointed grinding tool to avoid damaging Hanoko’s teeth or gums.

“Please raise your left hand when it hurts because it’s dangerous to move your mouth,” the student told the machine lying in the dentist’s chair. To add to the realism, Hanako can also move her eyes and eyelids, jaw and tongue. She even discharges a saliva-like liquid and slowly slackens her jaw muscles to simulate the gradual “fatigue” of a real patient. Hanako was developed by the medical Showa University and a research team led by humanoid pioneer Atsuo Takanishi, a professor at Waseda University, both Tokyo-based, as well as robot maker tmsuk based in southern Japan.

The price tag is confidential, the inventors said. Japan already has humanoid robots for a variety of tasks, from receptionists to photo models, but the field of patient robots is still small.

Hanako is the world’s first that has been used to evaluate the skills of dental students on a large scale, according to Showa University. This month 88 of its students trained and took clinical exams using her.

Koutaro Maki, vice director of the Showa University Dental Hospital, told a press conference that the use of the humanoid meant a vast improvement from the traditional method to teach and

A dentist from the Showa University Dentistry School demonstrates treatment on a dental patient robot named Hanako Showa, at the University’s dental clinic in Tokyo yesterday. —AFP train young dentists. “We still have a system where the ‘apprentices’ watch doctors with higher skills, borrow from them and copy them... This is not scientific,” he said. “Education in the medical and dental fields is underdeveloped. I wouldn’t say it’s the Galapagos islands, but it is undoubtedly a final frontier. The key to cultivating this undeveloped land is a robot.”

‘Mr Shuffles’ trumpets new name

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Australian author Wrightson dies at 88

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atricia Wrightson, the internationally acclaimed Australian children’s author who attracted praise - and then criticism - for entwining Aboriginal mythology into her writing, has died at age 88. In 1986, Wrightson was awarded the biennial Hans Christian Andersen Medal - the highest accolade for a writer of children’s fiction - given by the Swiss-based International Board on Books for Young People for an author’s body of work.

She died of natural causes on March 15 in northern New South Wales state several days after being hospitalized, her son Peter Wrightson said yesterday. The two spent the last 32 years of her life living on a wooded property in nearby Bonalbo, a village 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of Sydney. Federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett described Wrightson as a talented and prolific writer who would continue to inspire new generations of readers. —AFP

The great thing about using robots, Maki said, is that it “allows students to make many mistakes” from which they can learn. Shugo Haga, a 26-year-old dentist-in-training, said he had previously used a mannequin’s head but said it felt like using a mere “object.” Sitting next to Hanako, he added: “This one isn’t easy to cope with, but she is close to being a patient.” —AFP

Taronga Zoo’s new male elephant calf, given the nickname of “Mr Shuffles” after his miracle birth, wraps his trunk around a steel wire inside the elephant barn at the zoo yesterday. —AFP

ustralia’s elephant calf Mr Shuffles, whose successful birth after being pronounced dead during labour caused a nationwide sensation, was renamed Pathi Harn, meaning “miracle” in Thai, yesterday. The elephant, whose nickname came from his unsteady walk, was blessed in a Thai naming ceremony at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo just two weeks after cheating death. Pathi Harn was the top choice out of seven names put to the public.

“Pathi Harn’s story has really captured the public’s imagination and they have chosen a name that reflects this,” said New South Wales state environment minister Frank Sartor. However he admitted that the elephant would be unlikely to outgrow his nickname, which has won widespread public affection. “Pathi Harn will of course be the name that will replace Mr Shuffles, which I suppose will remain the nickname,” Sartor said.

Pathi Harn was declared dead on March 8 after about a week of labor. But zoo staff noticed he was moving after finally being born two days later. He is the third calf born in Australia since last July under a conservation breeding program using adult elephants from Thailand. —AFP

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Friday, March 26, 2010

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Lebanon’s archaeological sites a pillager’s paradise

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or three decades Abu Nayef has been digging for treasure from Lebanon’s rich archaeological past, but instead of museums his finds end up in the hands of unscrupulous traders around the globe. In the eastern town of Baalbeck, home to some of the world’s most beautiful Roman temples, scavengers like Abu Nayef have made careers of unearthing ancient treasure for sale to the highest bidder.

“I know that these are historical artifacts, but much of the time I don’t know their exact value,” Abu Nayef admitted to AFP in his garden in Baalbeck.

“Sometimes we even move from one piece of land to another through tunnels, if

we think we can find new vestiges,” he added. But Abu Nayef, who requested his real name be concealed, says he does not believe he is doing anything wrong. “I have a wife and six children to support, and I do so through this business,” he explained.

He is not alone in an underground profession where centuries-old gold coins and sarcophagi containing rings, earrings, bracelets, and clay lamps can be prize finds. The artifacts often wind up in the homes and gardens of Lebanese politicians and citizens and even in private collections on other continents.

In February, police confiscated a child’s sarcophagus dating back to the Roman empire

from the Baalbeck home of a Muslim sheikh who was trying to lure in the highest bid.

“Lebanon has a wealth of antiquities, but we have lost so many of them and we will continue to lose even more because of theft and lack of professional excavations,” a history and archaeology professor based in Lebanon told AFP, requesting anonymity for fear of a backlash from authorities.

Looting archaeological sites was rampant during the country’s devastating 19751990 civil war, which gave free rein to smugglers looking for statues, jars and mosaics from Lebanon’s Phoenician, Roman, Crusader and Byzantine past.

Statues from the Pharaonic era are displayed at the national museum of Beirut on February 24, 2010. —AFP

An employee at the Lebanese Administration of the Archaeological Antiquities, inspects a sarcophagus found in the vestiges of the historical heliopolis of Baalbak in the Bekaa valley, at the depot of the Lebanese national museum in Beirut. —AFP ‘Lebanon’s laws are lax’ “Lebanon is still a popular ‘transit country’ for such smuggling,” said Rana Andari, who manages the archaeological collection at the culture ministry’s Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA). “Police bust at least 20 attempted smugglings inside Lebanon annually, and that’s not counting what goes on at the airport and border crossings,” she told AFP. But preserving the historical heritage is far from a national priority in Lebanon.

“The problem is that whoever is caught gets away with a small fine,” Andari added. “Lebanon’s laws are lax compared to countries like Jordan or Egypt,” which recently toughened their punishment for antiquities trafficking

KC and Sunshine Band founder held on US sex rap

James Cameron takes film studios to task over 3-D

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olice in central Ohio say a co-founder of KC and the Sunshine Band has told them he had sex with teenage boys.

They say a boy disclosed to detectives last week Richard R. Finch had sexual contact with him at Finch’s home in Newark. They say they arrested Finch on Tuesday and while being interviewed he admitted he’d had sex with that boy and others aged 13 to 17.

Finch was being held Wednesday at the Licking County sheriff’s office on $250,000 bond. A message on the Web site of Richard Finch Productions Inc says “we are sure Mr. Finch will be vindicated.” Sgt Kevin Biller says no date has been set for Finch’s arraignment. He won’t disclose the evidence that led to Finch’s arrest or the possible charges. —AP

vatar” director James Cameron sees misguided thriftiness in Hollywood studios’ latest craze to convert big movie projects from 2-D to 3-D, but the pace of such conversions shows no signs of letting up. Cameron believes studios are rushing to take advantage of the public’s appetite for 3-D films.

But using computers to convert standard 2-D movies to 3-D, instead of filming in 3D, gives audiences a cheaperlooking film and could do more harm than good if audiences get turned off. He ought to know. Shot in 3-D, “Avatar” is the top-grossing movie of alltime with $2.7 billion at box offices.

And Cameron is not the only filmmaker questioning studios’ headlong rush to convert films to 3-D, in a brewing battle that pitches major directors against the

studios that employ them.

“Transformers” maker Michael Bay has questioned the move, too. “The problem is these decisions should be made by filmmakers, they shouldn’t be made by studios, because if it was up to studios they’re going to sacrifice quality for lower cost,” Cameron said, in an event to promote the April 22 release of the DVD for “Avatar.”

Studios are rapidly converting now that Walt Disney Co has seen its 3-D conversion “Alice in Wonderland” sell more than $570 million in tickets since its March 5 debut. On April 2, Warner Bros, a division of Time Warner Inc , will release its action movie “Clash of the Titans” as another 2-D to 3-D conversion.

3-D for tentpoles Warner Bros now plans to release all major “tentpole” movies in 3-D, Alan Horn, the

studio’s chief operating officer, told the movie theater convention ShoWest last week. He said “conversion to 3-D doesn’t lessen” the experience of viewers. Some estimates put the cost of a conversion as low as $5 million a film. Shooting in 3-D is far more expensive, industry watchers say, but difficult to determine because “Avatar” is one of the few liveaction movies shot in 3-D. It officially cost $237 million, although many reports have put the true expense over $300 million, and much of its cost was because new equipment created to make it. Cameron said filmmakers “should have been pounding on the gates of the studios saying we want to make movies in 3-D.” “That didn’t happen so now they’re paying the price, which is a top-down studio cramdown telling them to make their

with a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. A dearth of government funding and an ineffective legal system has meant that the historical past of a country is being pillaged, neglected or destroyed.

Authentic historical sites rich with relics that date back thousands of years often go completely neglected. Weeds overrun the shrine of Eshmoun, the Phoenician god of healing, in southern Lebanon. In 1981, 600 sculptures were stolen from the shrine, 50 of which are still circulating in the global market.

The most famous of Lebanon’s few museums, the National Museum in Beirut, showcases about 2,000 archaeological relics.

But hundreds of thousands of other pieces are gathering

dust in storage because the museum does not have the funds or personnel to put them on display. The DGA can afford only 15 archaeologists, three of whom work for the museums.

In Beirut, booming investments and construction are fueling a new, modern capital that is burying or destroying an even richer past. “With the new wave of construction that has hit Beirut, we can soon kiss excavations goodbye,” the archaeology professor said. But all that is faded is not worth gold. In the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre in southern Lebanon traders immerse new clay jars in seawater for two weeks, then pass off the faded handiwork as antiques. —AFP

movies in 3-D and they’re caught with their pants down,” he said.

“Transformers” director Michael Bay has also joined the debate, telling movie industry website Deadline.com this week that he is “not sold right now on the conversion process.” Film purists see conversions as lower quality because it can produce more of a layered look, with slightly less of a smooth and continuous depth perception.

But not all filmmakers are sold on shooting in 3-D, either.

“Alice” director Tim Burton told reporters last month there was “no point” shooting his film in 3-D because it would have added one more wrinkle in an already complicated production. “With all these tools, you can see good 3-D, bad 3-D, good conversion and bad conversions,” he said.

Cameron himself plans to convert his 1997 blockbuster “Titanic” for a 3-D release in spring 2012, but he said that is different because he plans to take his time, instead of doing a “slapdash conversion.” —Reuters

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Fashion

O

rganizers of India’s leading fashion week said the event would finally open yesterday after a missing fire permit forced the cancellation of all shows on the first day. Designers, models, traders and the media waited in vain at the venue until late in the evening on Wednesday as police conducted a surprise check on the paperwork for the five-day Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in New Delhi.

“The event will open. We have the fire safety certificate now,” said Bhavna Katyal, a member of the organizing team. Katyal said they had failed to obtain a certificate from the fire department showing that all Models present safety creations

by Indian arrangements designers Ashima-Leena were in place at during the Wills India the venue which led the police to Fashion Week Autumnorder its closure.

Winter 2010 in New Delhi The event, in its yesterday.

15th edition this — AFP photos year, will feature 130 Indian designers showcasing their collections, and had eight shows planned on the opening day.

Among India’s host of fashion events, the biannual India Fashion Week along with the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai are considered the most important events on the calendar. Katyal said she was unsure how the cancelled shows would be rescheduled at the Okhla exhibition centre in the south of New Delhi.

— AFP

Models present creations by Indian designer Pallavi Mohan during the Wills India Fashion Week. — AFP

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Fashion

Broader smile, longer life, says study he broader your smile and the deeper the creases around your eyes when you grin, the longer you are likely to live, according to a study published in Psychological Science this week.

Researchers led by Ernest Abel of Wayne State University in Michigan studied 230 photographs of US major league baseball players who started playing before 1950 and grouped them according to their smiles. The players were rated as “no smile” if they were just looking deadpan at the camera; as “partial smile” if only the muscles around the mouth were involved in their grin; or as “full smile” if the mouth and eyes were smiling and the cheeks were both raised.

The players’ pictures were taken from

demonstrating that emotions have a positive relationship with mental health, physical health and longevity,” the study says. It was unclear, the authors said, if the baseball players had smiled spontaneously or if their grins were produced under orders from a photographer. But, in any case, far fewer individuals had full smiles — 23 — than partial or no smiles (64 and 63 respectively), which indicated to the researchers that even if smiles were produced on request, their intensity reflected the player’s “general underlying disposition.” So the conclusion could be, if you want to live a long, happy life: hit the books, hit the ball and grin in a way that gives you crow’s feet. — AFP

A model displays creation by Aya Furuhashi during Tokyo Fashion Week in Tokyo yesterday. — AP

China Fashion Week

T

the 1952 Baseball Register, a listing of professionals that is packed with statistics such as year of birth, body mass index, marital status and career length, which reflects physical fitness. The wealth of statistics allowed the researchers to control for other factors that could affect lifespan. Of the players who had died as of June 1 last year, those in the no-smile category lived for an average of 72.9 years, those with partial smiles-just the mouth involved-died at age 75, while the fullsmile players lived to the ripe old age of 79.9 on average, the study showed.

“To the extent that smile intensity reflects an underlying emotional disposition, the results of this study are congruent with those of other studies

Chinese models walk on the stage displaying creations by fashion designer Julia Brumm of Germany during the opening of China Fashion Week in Beijing, yesterday. — AP

London art event seeks to help Asian elephants ondoners will wake up on the morning of the May bank holiday to find their city has been invaded by over 250 brightly colored elephants on parade. A whole host of designers and artists including Lulu Guinness, Tommy Hilfiger and Jack Vettriano have hand painted life-sized baby elephant statues, which will appear on the night of May 3 at landmark London locations such as Parliament Square, Hyde Park and the South Bank.

The Elephant Family charity has planned London’s biggest ever public art event to raise awareness of the

L

plight of Asian elephants, which it says are more endangered than their African cousins. The elephant statues, which each weigh about 70 kg (154 lb) and will be bolted down, will stay on the streets until the end of June before being sold in an auction arranged by Sotheby’s.

Hilfiger has given his elephant a green mohican, Guinness’s will be covered in trademark lipstick kisses and one will be covered with ethical emeralds, although that one will likely be in a more secure indoor location.

One of the fiercest bidding battles looks set to be for a

sleek black elephant styled by artist Benjamin Shine to look like London’s distinctive taxis, complete with solarpowered headlights as eyes and a light-up orange taxi sign on top.

Mark Shand, the principal trustee of Elephant Family, said he hoped the auction would double its target of raising 1 million pounds and also provide Britons with a distraction from the upcoming general election, expected to be held in May. “We’re hoping the parade will cheer everyone up when the election’s on. — Reuters

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Samoa aim to join Sevens elite in Hong Kong HONG KONG: Samoa will be gunning for their first series title while New Zealand will aim for an 11th crown when the IRB World Sevens resumes in Hong Kong’s showpiece tournament from today.

Samoa, series leaders New Zealand and Fiji have shared the spoils in the five events played on the current tour thus far, with the Kiwis edging ahead on 96 points, leading the Samoans by two.

Despite getting off to a perfect start with two tournament wins, New Zealand have suffered a dip in form as Samoa have come through as the team to watch, with back-toback victories in Las Vegas and Adelaide.

“Samoa are the form team-they

are playing very well-but I have the confidence we can compete with any of the sides providing my team play to the best of their potential,” said Kiwi coach Gordon Tietjens.

Organisers hope the worldrenowned Hong Kong Sevens, where packed crowds of 40,000 roar on 24 teams over three days of rugby, will reinforce interest in the sport ahead of its Olympic debut in Brazil in 2016.

“With the world series and the closeness of the sides now, and the emergence of the minnows, it’s a spectator’s dream going to a tournament and not knowing who is going to win,” Tietjens added.

The Kiwis, looking to stretch

their narrow lead with a 10th cup win in Hong Kong, line up alongside Scotland, France and Chinese Taipei in Pool B. Samoa, who last won in Hong Kong in 2007, will be favourites in a competitive Pool A ahead of Argentina, fresh from a cup semifinal appearance last weekend in Australia, and European sides Russia and Italy.

“Sevens brings everything you need for playing rugby-speed, control, vision, agility and quickthinking,” said Argentine coach Augustin Pichot, a three-time Rugby World Cup veteran and former captain of the South Americans.

Defending champions Fiji face

off in Pool C against Portugal, Thailand and an on-form USA side, while Pool D offers a tantalising set of rivalries with England as top seeds against Wales and Asia’s best side, Japan, preparing to do battle with Hong Kong.

The hosts will be looking for revenge against their East Asian rivals after losing to them in the final of the East Asian Games in Hong Kong in December.

Among those expected to do little better than make up the numbers are China, Chinese Taipei, Japan and Thailand, making their first appearance in six years.

Pool F features Korea and an African contingent made up of Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In October, the International Olympics Committee voted to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Rio Games, which Trevor Rigby, the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union chairman, described as “one of the most important moments in the history of our sport.

“Here in Hong Kong, we take satisfaction we have been able to play in this exciting development for our game,” he added.

The Sevens tournament has been a mainstay of Hong Kong expat life for more than 30 years despite some scaling down of the lavish festivities last year with the city in recession and major financial institutions struggling in the global downturn. —AFP

Hopkins, Jones rematch no ‘clown reality show’ NEW YORK: The rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr is not just two boxers in the twilight of their careers looking to settle an old score nearly two decades after they last fought, the pair said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call ahead of their non-title fight in Las Vegas on April 3, the American boxers said they were still at the top of their game and some younger fighters did not offer the same competition. —Reuters

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Wednesday.

NY Rangers 5, NY Islanders 0; Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3 (SO); Buffalo 3, Montreal 2 (So); Detroit 4, St Louis 2; Colorado 4, Los Angeles 3 (SO); Vancouver 4, Anaheim 1. (SO denotes shootout) Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS Pittsburgh 42 25 7 228 212 91 New Jersey 43 25 4 195 172 90 Philadelphia 37 31 5 212 201 79 NY Rangers 32 32 9 191 197 73 NY Islanders 29 34 10 189 227 68 Northeast Division Buffalo 40 22 10 203 182 90 Ottawa 39 30 5 198 212 83 Montreal 36 30 8 198 203 80 Boston 33 27 12 180 181 78 Toronto 26 35 12 193 242 64 Southeast Division Washington 49 14 10 287 206 108 Atlanta 32 30 11 218 234 75 Florida 30 31 11 190 210 71 Tampa Bay 29 32 12 191 227 70 Carolina 30 34 9 203 229 69 Western Conference Central Division Chicago 46 19 7 236 179 99 Nashville 42 27 5 207 206 89 Detroit 37 23 13 200 195 87 St Louis 34 30 9 198 203 77 Columbus 29 32 12 190 235 70 Northwest Division Vancouver 45 25 4 242 191 94 Colorado 41 25 7 220 197 89 Calgary 37 27 9 187 182 83 Minnesota 35 32 6 199 215 76 Edmonton 24 42 7 187 250 55 Pacific Division San Jose 44 19 10 236 193 98 Phoenix 46 23 5 201 181 97 Los Angeles 42 24 6 214 192 90 Dallas 32 27 14 211 231 78 Anaheim 34 31 8 205 224 76 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

NEW YORK: Michael Grier No.25 of the Buffalo Sabres cuts around the net as Carey Price No.31 and Ryan O’Byrne No. 20 and Brian Gionta No.21 of the Montreal Canadiens defend at HSBC Arena. —AFP

Capitals down Penguins in shootout WASHINGTON: Mike Knuble scored the decisive goal in the fourth round of the shootout, and also connected in regulation of the Washington Capitals’ 4-3 victory over the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Jose Theodore made 39 saves for the Capitals, increasing his club-record streak to 19 games (17-0-2) without a loss in regulation. With the victory, the Capitals tied the franchise points record of 108 set last season.

Alexander Semin and Eric Fehr scored about 2 minutes apart early in the third to give Washington the lead, but Jordan Staal countered with 3:06 left in regulation to force overtime. Bill Guerin and Maxime Talbot also scored for Pittsburgh.

Avalanche 4, Kings 3 At Denver, Peter Mueller and Chris Stewart had shootout goals for Colorado after Los Angeles

overcame a late two-goal deficit to force overtime.

Los Angeles’ Ryan Smyth had a chance to extend the shootout, but his shot clanged off the goal post to end the game.

Matt Hendricks, Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny scored first-period goals, leading Los Angeles to pull starting goalie Jonathan Quick in favor of Erik Ersberg. Alexander Frolov tied it on a power play with 1:21 left in regulation, and Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty also scored for Los Angeles.

Red Wings 4, Blues 2 At Detroit, Valtteri Filppula scored with 6:49 left and added an empty-net goal, and Jimmy Howard made 30 saves to help Detroit moved four points ahead of Calgary for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

Henrik Zetterberg and Todd Bertuzzi also scored for the Red

Wings, 9-2-1 since the Olympic break. Paul Kariya and Jay McClement scored for St. Louis.

Canucks 4, Ducks 1 At Vancouver, British Columbia, Daniel Sedin had a goal and two assists, twin brother Henrik added three assists, and Andrew Raycroft made 30 saves for Vancouver.

Christian Ehrhoff, Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler also scored to help Vancouver bounce back from a loss to last-place Edmonton on Tuesday night. The win was just the Canucks’ second in five games and kept them five points ahead of Colorado atop the Northwest Division.

Henrik Sedin also moved back into the NHL scoring lead with 99 points, one more than Washington’s Alex Ovechkin.

Saku Koivu broke up Raycroft’s shutout bid 8 minutes into the third period.

Sabres 3, Canadiens 2 At Buffalo, New York, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek scored in the shootout after Buffalo overcame a two goal deficit in the final 2 minutes of regulation.

Tim Connolly scored a powerplay goal with 1:59 left in regulation, and Steve Montador tied it with 47.9 seconds left and goalie Ryan Miller off for an extra attacker. Miller made with 26 saves to help the Sabres win their fourth straight game. Andrei Kostitsyn scored twice, and Carey Price stopped 40 shots for Montreal.

Rangers 5, Islanders 0 At New York, Marian Gaborik had two goals and an assist, and Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves for his third shutout of the season for New York. Artem Anisimov, Michael Del Zotto and Dan Girardi for New York. The 10th-place Rangers moved within five points of eighthplace Boston, but have only nine games left. —AP

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Hawks soar over Magic ATLANTA: Josh Smith swooped in to slam through Joe Johnson’s missed shot just ahead of the buzzer as the Atlanta Hawks finally beat the Orlando Magic to clinch a third straight trip to the playoffs with an 86-84 victory Wednesday.

Vince Carter led Orlando with 20 points, while Dwight Howard chipped in with another monster performance: 19 points and a season-high 24 rebounds. Johnson led six Atlanta players in double figures with 17 points, while Smith scored 15.

Hawks sixth man Jamal Crawford will be heading to the playoffs for the first time in his decade-long career. He came into the night having played 666 games without making it to the postseason, the third-longest drought in NBA history.

Lakers 92, Spurs 83 At San Antonio, Kobe Bryant scored 24 points as Los Angeles extended its winning streak to seven games. Lamar Odom added 19 points and Ron Artest had 16, but it was Bryant who put the Spurs away for good. He scored 10 in the fourth quarter, including two backbreaking 3-pointers that San Antonio couldn’t shake off. Manu Ginobili scored 24 points and George Hill had 21, but the Spurs got little help from anyone else.

76ers 101, Bucks 86 At Milwaukee, rookie Jrue Holiday had 15 points and seven assists as Philadelphia snapped Milwaukee’s longest home winning streak in six years at eight games.

Instead, Samuel Dalembert had 12 points and 10

NBA results and standings on Wednesday.

Atlanta 86, Orlando 84; Boston 113, Denver 99; Charlotte 108, Minnesota 95; Indiana 99, Washington 82; Utah 113, Toronto 87; New Jersey 93, Sacramento 79; Philadelphia 101, Milwaukee 86; Cleveland 105, New Orleans 92; Oklahoma City 122, Houston 104; LA Lakers 92, San Antonio 83; Golden State 128, Memphis 110.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT Boston 46 25 .648 Toronto 35 35 .500 NY Knicks 26 45 .366 Philadelphia 25 47 .347 New Jersey 8 63 .113 Central Division Cleveland 57 15 .792 Milwaukee 39 31 .557 Chicago 33 37 .471 Indiana 26 46 .361 Detroit 23 48 .324 Southeast Division Orlando 50 22 .694 Atlanta 46 25 .648 Charlotte 37 34 .521 Miami 37 34 .521 Washington 21 49 .300 Western Conference Northwest Division Denver 47 25 .653 Utah 47 25 .653 Oklahoma City 43 27 .614 Portland 42 29 .592 Minnesota 14 58 .194 Pacific Division LA Lakers 53 18 .746 Phoenix 45 26 .634 LA Clippers 26 45 .366 Sacramento 24 48 .333 Golden State 20 51 .282 Southwest Division Dallas 47 24 .662 San Antonio 42 28 .600 Memphis 38 34 .528 Houston 36 34 .514 New Orleans 34 39 .466

Nets 93, Kings 79 At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Brook Lopez had 26 points and 13 rebounds as New Jersey beat Sacramento to snap an eightgame losing streak and a franchise-record, 14-game skid at home.

Devin Harris added 24 points and nine assists for the Nets (863), who need to win once in their last 11 games to avoid breaking the league mark for fewest wins in a season (9-73), set by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972-73.

Nets interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe guided the team despite learning of the death of his mother, former Miss America Colleen Kay Hutchins, earlier in the day. Beno Udrih had 19 points for the Kings, who lost the eighth time in 11 games.

Celtics 113, Nuggets 99 At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Kevin Garnett had 20 as Boston clinched a playoff berth with a victory over Denver.

Boston led by 21 points twice in the third quarter before Denver cut the lead to 87-80 going into the fourth. But the Celtics stayed ahead by seven to 16 the rest of the way for their fifth win in six games. Rajon Rondo had a tripledouble with 11 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points and J.R. Smith added 21 as the Nuggets lost their third straight.

MLB results/standings

ATLANTA: Josh Smith No.5 of the Atlanta Hawks drives the basket against Rashard Lewis No.9 of the Orlando Magic at Philips Arena. —AFP rebounds, Willie Green scored 16 points and Andre Iguodala 14 as the Sixers poured it on for their third win in the last 16 games.

Cavaliers 105, Hornets 92 At New Orleans, LeBron James scored an efficient 38 points on 15of-22 shooting to go with nine assists as Cleveland won its eighth straight game.

J.J. Hickson scored 20 for the Cavs, who led by as many as 17 and never trailed after James’ floater tied it at 10 in the first quarter. Delonte West added 15 points and Antawn Jamison had 11 points and 11 rebounds as Cleveland won its 27th straight over a team with a losing record.

Marcus Thornton scored 20 points and Darren Collison added 17 for the Hornets. David West added 16 points.

Thunder 122, Rockets 104 At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 25 points and James Harden added 23 points off the bench while returning from an injury as Oklahoma City beat Houston. Luis Scola scored 25 and Trevor Ariza added 20 points for Houston, which fell seven games behind Oklahoma City and 51/2

behind eighth-place Portland in the Western Conference.

Bobcats 108, T’wolves 95 At Charlotte, North Carolina, Stephen Jackson shook off a sore hand and busted out of his shooting slump with 37 points, leading Charlotte past Minnesota to send the reeling Timberwolves to their 14th straight loss. Gerald Wallace added 23 points as the Bobcats shot 54 percent from the field and moved into sixth place in the Eastern Conference with their sixth straight home win.

Jazz 113, Raptors 87 At Toronto, Deron Williams had 18 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds to lead Utah over Toronto. Carlos Boozer added 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Mehmet Okur and rookie Wesley Matthews had 16 points apiece for the Jazz, who won their third straight. Seven Jazz players finished with at least 12 points.

Chris Bosh celebrated his 26th birthday with a 20-point performance for the Raptors.

Pacers 99, Wizards 82 At Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored 31 points to help Indiana

beat Washington and extend the Wizards’ losing streak to a franchise record-tying 13 games.

Andray Blatche started for the Wizards a night after he was benched for most of the game following a spat with coach Flip Saunders. He finished with 21 points in 39 minutes. The Wizards last lost 13 straight in 1995. They can set a record for futility Friday at Charlotte.

Warriors 128, Grizzlies 110 At Oakland, California, Stephen Curry had 30 points and 11 assists, and Reggie Williams scored 23 points as Golden State damaged Memphis’ playoff hopes. Monta Ellis added 21 points for the Warriors.

Corey Maggette and Anthony Tolliver each had 12 points and Chris Hunter, making his sixth start, recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gay had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

OJ Mayo and Mike Conley each added 21 points, and Zach Randolph finished with 16 points and five rebounds before leaving in the third quarter with a sore left ankle. —AP

GB 10.5 20 21.5 38 17 23 31 33.5 3.5 12.5 12.5 28

3 4.5 33 8 27 29.5 33 4.5 9.5 10.5 14

Pang, Tong open Asian gold rush TURIN: China’s Qing Pang and Jian Tong opened an anticipated Asian gold rush at worlds when they claimed their second pairs title as Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi led the men’s event on the second day of the world figure skating championships here on Wednesday.

Asian skaters are bidding for three of the four titles on offer here this week and Pang and Tong claimed the first as the Olympic silver medallists lead all the way to reclaim the title they last won in 2006.

Performing their free skate to “Impossible Dream” by Joe Hisaishi they finished a comfortable 6.65 points ahead of two-time defending champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany.

The Chinese scored 136.11 points for their free skate for an overall total of 211.39 points with Savchenko and Szolkowy taking silver with 204.74.

Russia’s Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov dropped to bronze after leading the Germans in the short programme, scoring 203.79.

Pang and Tong, who have competed together for the past 17 years, have seen a renaissance in their skating this season after dropping off the world podium following their silver in 2007.

They surged to silver in Vancouver behind compatriots Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, who have since retired. Savchenko, 26, and Szolkowy, 30, have lost everything this season.

After taking bronze in Vancouver they had been bidding for a third world gold in Turin but had to settle for silver after also losing their European title which they had held for three years to Kavaguti and Smirnov. —AFP

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India’s C’wealth Games plagued by delay, anger NEW DELHI: A countdown clock outside the Commonwealth Games offices in New Delhi shows 192 days left until the Indian capital hosts the 17-sport event.

But the city still looks like a messy construction site. The main stadium is months overdue and remains a tangle of cranes, and residents are furious over new taxes to pay for the Games.

Meanwhile, dozens of construction workers have died and hundreds of thousands are laboring in unsafe conditions in the rush to prepare the city for the Games, a court-appointed investigation said. India hoped that by hosting athletes from the 71 countries of the Commonwealth, the former British Empire, it would boost its global image and become a contender for the Olympics.

Now, with the Oct. 3 start date approaching, many are wondering whether it’s worth it. “For poor people

there are no benefits from all this,” said Ramesh Dubey, a sidewalk vendor angry over a proposed hike in cooking gas taxes.

“This whole show is by rich people and will only benefit rich people.” Suresh Kalmadi, head of India’s organizing committee, has promised that problems will be resolved. “With the support of the governments of India and Delhi, we are doing everything to produce a great Games,” he told visiting Commonwealth delegates this month. Numerous hurdles remain.

The main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium — which is to host the opening and closing ceremonies and the main track events — is a giant shell. Dozens of laborers ferry cement and bricks in baskets on their heads.

Cranes dot the sprawling complex, and the road around it is a dug-up mound of dirt. There are similar scenes at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee swimming complex.

Both complexes were supposed to have been

finished by December. “Certainly it’s cutting it very, very fine with Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and the swimming stadium,” said Mike Hooper, the CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, who is in New Delhi helping oversee the preparations.

The stadiums are now scheduled to be finished in June. “If they don’t adhere to these new revised, revised deadlines then we do have real concerns about the operational delivery and the pressure it will put on the organizing committee,” Hooper told The Associated Press.

Many New Delhi roads are lined with mounds of rubble, often forcing several lanes of traffic into a single, chaotic one. New construction projects crop up every few weeks.

An attempt to clean up Connaught Place, a collection of colonial-era buildings at the heart of the city’s business district, has choked shops in the area.

A once-busy book store managed by Puneet Sharma is now mostly deserted, surrounded by scaffolding and rubble that has blocked access. “They have known about the Games since 2003 and yet we were given no notice about when work would start in our area,” Sharma said. “It’s all very unplanned and haphazard.”

Indian organizers insist the construction and roadwork will be wrapped up by the end of June.

“There have been some delays,” accepts Rahul Bhatnagar, a senior official from India’s Sports Ministry, who is overseeing the preparations, “but the venues will all be done well in time for the test events and the main Games.” The cash-strapped government is pumping in more money to the nearly $3 billion event. Last week, the national government announced it was lending the organizers an additional $150 million to pay for fixtures and equipment required at the venues. —AP

KEY BISCAYNE: Justine Henin of Belgium returns a shot by Jill Craybas of the US during day two of the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center. — AFP

Justine, Date advance at Key Biscayne KEY BISCAYNE: Justine Henin advanced to the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open by beating Jill Craybas 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday.

Henin double-faulted five times Wednesday and struggled with inconsistent groundstrokes. But she saved seven of eight break points while converting five of six. The 33rd-ranked Henin, a former No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam champion, is mounting a comeback this year after a 20-month retirement.

She’ll play fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva in the second round today. “I realize it’s gonna take a little bit of time to really be in the good rhythm and find myself again on the court, and I have to get used to different kind of things,” Henin said.

“I didn’t live this life for almost two years, so that takes a little bit of time.” Henin will face a stiffer second-round test from Dementieva. Henin said she is looking forward to the match to find out where she is with her game. “Now I’m going to have a tough round, tough match,” Henin said.

“That’s what I want. So it’s going to be perfect to test myself.” Seeded players had a first-round bye.

Making her first appearance in Miami since 1996, 39year-old Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan earned a 7-5, 36, 6-4 victory over Anna Chakvetadze of Russia. Date Krumm, who retired from the tour in 1996 and started to play again in 2008, spent 2 hours, 32 minutes on the court in beating Chakvetadze.

Chakvetadze saved two match points she faced while serving at 2-5 in the third set and broke Date’s

serve in the next game. The Russian lost the match, dropping her serve at love in the final game.

“In the beginning, everybody said (it was) impossible to come back on the tour,” Date Krumm said. James Blake of the United States struggled to oust 18-year-old Serbian wildcard Filip Krajinovic in a 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-4 first-round win.

After the 2 hour, 13-minute match, Blake joked that “I should be home in bed by now,” but credited the teen for keeping him on his toes.

“I’d take that ability at 18 years old over what I was

working with at that age,” Blake said of Krajinovic.

Melanie Oudin closed out the evening with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands.

Fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal, who will play on Friday, said a toothache sent him to a dentist and kept him from practicing.

“I had a little bit (of) problem on the teeth, so I didn’t practice for a few days,” Nadal said. “I started to practice yesterday afternoon. I have an inflammation (of) Wisdom tooth. I have to take out all (of them), but not now.” Against Craybas, Henin lost her serve in the

Serena named WTA’s top player for 2009 MIAMI: World number one Serena Williams was named the 2009 WTA Player of the Year and shared Doubles Team of the Year with sister Venus at an awards ceremony on Wednesday.

Serena Williams won last year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon singles titles while also reaching the US Open semi-finals and French Open quarter-finals.

Alongside Venus, Serena captured the 2009 US and Australian Open and Wimbledon women’s doubles titles.

Belgium’s Kim Clijsters took Comeback Player of the Year honors after her US Open title and won her seventh sportsmanship award from the WTA. US teen Melanie Oudin, a 2009 US Open quarter-finalist, won Newcomer of the Year honors while Belgian Yanina Wickmayer took Most Improved Player honors and American Liezel Huber won her fourth career Player Service Award. Russian Elena Dementieva won Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year in an internet fan vote. — AFP

second game and sometimes struggled to hold after that. Leading 3-2 in the second set, she fought off four break points before going ahead 4-2. Serving for the match at 5-2, Henin overcame one break point and needed four match points to close out the victory.

In that final game, Henin missed an overhead shot on the first match point. She followed by netting a forehand drop shot on her second match point. She double-faulted on the third match point before Craybas hit a forehand long on the final match point.

“That happens sometimes,” Henin said of missing the overhead. “No excuse about that. It was only a point in the match, so I forgot about that one.”

Henin said her comeback will have its up and downs even considering her impressive start to the year. She reached the final of Brisbane before losing to Kim Clijsters, and the final of the Australian Open before losing to Serena Williams in January.

“It’s not that easy to come back,” Henin said. “At the beginning is no pressure; there’s nothing. “I was No. 1 when I retired, and now I have to build again.”

Other first round women’s winners on Wednesday were Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, Virginie Razzano of France, Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain and Sara Errani of Italy.

First round men’s winners were Taylor Dent of the United States, David Nalbandian of Argentina, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain, Jeremy Chardy of France, and Germans Benjamin Becker and Florian Mayer. — AP

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Ferrari flying start boosts Australian GP hopes MELBOURNE: The Ferrari duo of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa take the edge into Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after their one-two finish in the season opener in Bahrain a fortnight ago.

Alonso, the Spanish two-time world champion, won on his Ferrari debut as he led Brazilian teammate Massa home in the Bahrain Grand Prix with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton third.

Ferrari last won in Melbourne three years ago and are coming off a dismal 2009 season when the Italian giants limped home in fourth place in the constructors’ championship behind Brawn, Red Bull Renault and McLaren for their lowest season finish since 1993.

Ferrari are expecting a sterner challenge from their main rivals around the Albert Park street circuit this weekend with reigning champion Jenson Button, then with Brawn, and Hamilton winners of the last two Australian races.

“The one-two win in Sakhir gave us confidence and was a great result but we can’t take anything for granted,” Alonso said. “We have to keep our feet on the ground. In Melbourne we’re starting from square one.

“Nothing has changed for me. There are four teams and eight drivers who can fight for victory and we have to give it our all to stay ahead of everybody else.”

The Australian race offers an intriguing mix of four world champions and four race winners-Alonso, Hamilton, Button and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, who is back on the circuit at the age of 41.

“I had a great race in Bahrain and despite losing time in the opening stint I’m pleased that we’ve got some decent points on the board,” 2008 champion Hamilton said.

“I like the Melbourne circuit, I think we’ll go well there and I don’t think we’ll have the same problems that slowed our progress in Bahrain.”

Schumacher, who dominated F1 racing before his retirement in 2006 with 91 wins in 249 GPs, has won the Australian race four times and can never be counted out of calculations, even if he has been away from the scene for three years.

“I am very happy with the outcome of the season opener in Bahrain,” Schumacher said. “Sixth position was good for me, especially considering how few times I have driven an F1 car since my retirement.

“I am sure that Melbourne will help me to get into the rhythm even more and I am looking forward to it.” The Red Bull pair of Sebastian Vettel and Australian hope Mark Webber are looking to go one better than runner-up to Brawn last season.

Vettel began the season strongly in Bahrain until he was forced to slow down with reduced power and finished fourth. “I think coming out of Bahrain we have very good cars so there is no reason we shouldn’t be competitive here,” the German said.

Webber, who is always a focal point at his home GP, has had a frustrating sequence of results since his debut fifth placing for Minardi in 2002. The Australian has failed to finish four times and was 12th last year.

“Red Bull Racing’s RB6 should be competitive this weekend, so my aim is to bang in a podium in Sunday’s race,” Webber said. “There will be a lot of competition at the front, particularly from Ferrari, but on the strength of the RB6’s pace in Bahrain my aim is to be at the sharp end from the outset.”

The twisting 5.3-kilometre (3.3-mile) Albert Park circuit offers some tight corners, 16 of them dotted around the parkland layout, making overtaking difficult.

That will make tomorrow’s qualifying for starting grid positions even more important than other races and with no refuelling stops allowed this season cars will be heavier.

Cars are estimated to be carrying around 170 kilograms’ (375 pounds) worth of fuel in Sunday’s race. Practice gets underway today.—AFP

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso of Spain in action in the lead-up to Formula One’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. —AFP

Hamilton says he will benefit from harsh struggle last year MELBOURNE: Lewis Hamilton believes the lessons from his “harsh struggle” last year will benefit him when he returns to the Albert Park circuit where his championship defence unravelled in scandal in 2009.

The British driver was disqualified from last year’s seasonopening Australian Grand Prix for misleading stewards at a hearing that promoted him to third place.

Hamilton, whose team were handed a suspended three-race ban, stuck with McLaren and eventually

won twice among five podium finishes to come fifth in the championship.

The 25-year-old, who became Formula One’s youngest world champion in 2008, said he arrived at Melbourne this year a more complete driver and person.

“I think just maturing and learning and perhaps making better decisions, a little bit wiser than I was back then. But I think you just continue to grow,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“Coming to the race now I think

that every year you feel you make another step. It doesn’t happen that quick but you feel that you make a step. “Last year was a long, harsh struggle but we got back to the top and I was able to work on different sides of my driving,” added Hamilton.

“When you’re at the back you have more time to focus on other areas. Once I got to the front I felt I was stronger and I ended up on on high and I think I rolled with that into this year.”

Hamilton was pleased with his

podium finish in Bahrain but said he and and world champion team mate Jenson Button would focus more on qualifying after not paying it enough heed in the season-opener where the race was effectively decided on grid positions. “Definitely ... because our race pace is not too bad and our understanding of the car felt very good in the race,” he said.

“I think clearly the most important part for us is to get the qualifying sorted, understand how to get the most out of the car on that single lap.”—Reuters

Webber hopes Red Bull can rampage to home victory MELBOURNE: After hobbling into last year’s Australian Grand Prix still recovering from a broken leg and shoulder, Mark Webber is happy to return to Albert Park circuit with bones intact and two race wins under his belt.

The Australian Red Bull driver, whose seven-year victory drought was banished at Nurburgring last year, also carries a huge weight of expectation from local fans desperate to end their long wait for a home winner. “There’s always pressure at this level. You always want to do your best job for the team, yourself, everyone and that’s why we enjoy it,” Webber told reporters yesterday. “(There) are a lot less concerns for me (this year). Coming here obviously I’ve done a lot more testing, I’ve already got a Grand Prix

under my belt and there are still a few little niggles here and there but they’re absolutely nothing, obviously compared to what I had.”

Webber’s preparations for Melbourne’s season-opener last year were cut short by a horrific crash in an off-season adventure race in Tasmania.

He suited up for Albert Park with only 17 practice laps under his belt, but drove through the pain to qualify eighth, before a first corner crash after an entanglement with Rubens Barrichello stopped his victory bid within 10 seconds.

Webber, who described the moment as one of the most disappointing of his life, said his two victories, among eight podiums last year, had given him more composure to make amends.

“The more times you experience

Mark Webber (winning), obviously you have more composure, more control about how you control the race yourself. So (I’m) hoping that I get in that position again this year, and try and do it as often as possible,” he said.

His hopes of winning at home are arguably at their highest, with fellow drivers gazing longingly at the Red

Bull’s and describing them as surprisingly speedy.

Webber, who finished eighth after a qualifying mistake in the seasonopener at Bahrain a fortnight ago, played down his car’s edge, however, and said the team was still striving for a perfect weekend.

Red Bull, who won the last three races of the 2009 season, could well have had four in a row, had Webber’s German team mate Sebastian Vettel not suffered a spark plug failure when leading at Sakhir.

“Pace is one thing but we need to execute clean weekends,” Webber added. “We’ll go here clearly with some great optimism for our programme and we can do a very solid job but it’s not like we’re waking up in the morning going ‘there’s no-one else here on the track with us’.”—Reuters

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Totti’s return could add to Inter’s worries ROME: Francesco Totti’s possible return from injury may add to the hazards leaders Inter Milan will face when they visit an AS Roma side with growing hopes of winning the Serie A title tomorrow.

Roma have fared well without their captain, who has been dogged by a knee problem for much of the year, extending their unbeaten league run to 20 matches with a 2-0 win at Bologna

on Wednesday to draw level on points with second-placed AC Milan.

Inter thumped bottom side Livorno 3-0 to pull four points clear after Milan lost 1-0 at Parma but Roma will have the chance to reduce the lead to a point at the Stadio Olimpico this weekend.

After Totti’s return to full training, they hope the striker can provide the ammunition for a

surprise title win for a side that was in turmoil at the start of the season when coach Luciano Spalletti quit to be replaced by

Preview Claudio Ranieri.

“Having the captain back will be a major advantage for us,” Brazil defender Juan, who should

be in the side this weekend after being suspended against Bologna, told reporters.

“Let’s hope he’ll soon be back to his usual standard. Inter will be tired as they are playing a lot and they are engaged on various fronts (Serie A, Champions League and Italian Cup). “(AC) Milan are without (injured defender Alessandro) Nesta and (forward Alexandre)

Pato, players who you miss.”

Milan will also be without suspended Ronaldinho and Andrea Pirlo, who was sent off at the end of a toothless display at Parma, when they meet Lazio at home on Sunday (1845).

The Rome side have eased their relegation worries with two consecutive wins, although they are only four points above the drop zone. —Reuters

Tensions run high between Bordeaux and Lyon PARIS: Tensions were running high on the Ligue 1 battlefield between Girondins Bordeaux and Olympique Lyon before next week’s Champions League quarter-final clash between the two league title contenders.

After both presidents stated their mutual respect when the draw was made, the polite small talk was quickly forgotten when Bordeaux asked the Lyon v Grenoble game scheduled for today to be played tomorrow-the day the French champions play the League Cup final against Olympique Marseille. “Don’t talk to me about fairness when you know how things go, when (Bordeaux coach) Laurent Blanc directly calls the League president to try and influence him,” Lyon coach Claude Puel told reporters. “Everybody has to respect the hierarchy and stop doing things on the sly.”

Lyon appealed against the decision but the French League (LFP) said the game would be played on Saturday (1600GMT). Lyon have asked for the French Olympic Committee’s arbitration in a last-gap attempt to overturn the decision. —Reuters

LONDON: Manchester United’s English forward Wayne Rooney celebrates in this file photo. —AFP

United’s Scholes relishing EPL title twists and turns LONDON: Paul Scholes has seen and done it all before but the thought of the closing weeks of what promises to be the most tense finale to a Premier League title chase for many years still gets his pulse racing.

His Manchester United team, who lead by a nose from Chelsea and Arsenal, go to Bolton Wanderers tomorrow with Scholes targetting the first of seven wins that will bring a fourth consecutive title and a record 19th championship in all.

Chelsea, who returned to form with a 5-0 rout of Portsmouth in midweek to lie one point behind United, host Aston Villa while Arsenal, two points behind in third spot, travel to Birmingham City.

Ginger-haired Scholes, who along with Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville is part of the Old Trafford furniture, may be 35 but his knack of finding space in dangerous areas and his dead-eye shooting mean he is invaluable to United when the pressure cranks up.

The midfielder’s hunger for a 10th Premier League winner’s medal is also undiminished and while not an automatic starter these days he will be in the thick of the action in the coming weeks.

“Once you start winning trophies you don’t want to stop,” Scholes told United’s television channel. “Maybe that experience will help us, maybe we know what it takes to win the league.

“But every season’s different

and throws up new twists and new challenges-all we can do is hope we react to those challenges in the right way.

“The title run-in is always exciting,” added Scholes, who says the chance of being the first club to win four in a row was adding another dimension.

“It would be great. Three titles in a row was a big achievement and now we want to go one step further. But if we want to win the league we’re going to have to win every game. It’ll be tough but I’m sure we can do it.”

United’s lead over Chelsea, who visit Old Trafford next weekend, is wafer thin especially as Carlo Ancelotti’s side matched the leaders on goal difference at

Fratton Park on Wednesday.

Those who wrote off Chelsea’s chances last week when they dropped points at Blackburn Rovers have suddenly gone quiet.

Didier Drogba took his league tally for the season to 24 with two goals against Portsmouth and the Ivory Coast striker is Chelsea’s talisman.

“I am looking at what he can do the next nine games. I hope he hasn’t finished scoring,” Ancelotti said as he looked ahead to the first of two clashes with Aston Villa, the team they also meet in the FA Cup semi-finals.

“We need to maintain this spirit.

We have to prepare these nine games like a final.” Arsenal, who went top last Saturday only to be

overtaken again, do not have destiny in their own hands but their run-in looks slightly less arduous than that of their rivals.

With Barcelona looming in the Champions League next week they can afford no slip-ups at Birmingham where they will be without injured William Gallas and suspended Thomas Vermaelen and also have doubts over striker Nicklas Bendtner.

Below the title battle, Tottenham Hotspur are in pole position for fourth spot and a place in the Champions League qualifiers and are confident of maintaining their push against bottom club Portsmouth in a dress rehearsal of their FA Cup semifinal. —Reuters

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Page 63

GERMANY: Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben (right) and Schalke’s Alexander Baumjohann challenge for the ball during the German soccer cup match.—AP

Robben sends Bayern into German Cup final BERLIN: Arjen Robben’s spectacular extra-time strike took Bayern Munich into the German Cup final for the 17th time with a 1-0 win at Schalke 04 on Wednesday.

Bayern will meet Werder Bremen, who beat second division Augsburg 2-0, in the final in Berlin on May 15.

Dutchman Robben grabbed the winner in the 112th minute of an otherwise lacklustre game when he raced some

40 metres down the right, cut back into the middle and released a curling leftfoot shot into the top corner.

Bayern, who have won a record 14 titles in 16 final appearances, are top of the Bundesliga and also face Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals next week.

“Robben dribbled a lot and still had power to decide the match like that.

That’s superb,” Bayern coach Louis

van Gaal told reporters. “I think we were superior in both tactics and fitness. We were patient and luckily he (Robben) made that goal,” he told ARD Television.

In a subdued first half, the visitors should have scored when Robben raced clear in the 10th minute but his shot from 12 metres was saved by keeper Manuel Neuer, who kept his cool long enough to deflect it wide. Both teams

laboured with their quick passing game on an extremely rough pitch and Schalke’s solid defence, the best in the league this season, left Robben and Frenchman Franck Ribery, who came on in the second half, with little space to move.

The hosts set a fierce pace early in the second half, coming close through Croatia international Ivan Rakitic and striker Kevin Kuranyi.

Cruzeiro, Lanus grab wins BUENOS AIRES: Brazil’s Cruzeiro beat Deportivo Italia of Venezuela 2-0 on Wednesday to go joint top of Group Seven in the Libertadores Cup. Cruzeiro and Argentine side Velez Sarsfield lead the group on seven points, Chile’s Colo Colo have four and Deportivo Italia one. Velez host Colo Colo on Thursday in Buenos Aires.

Platini to stand for second term

Santiago Salcedo to climb within two points of joint leaders Libertad of Paraguay and Peruvian champions Universitario. In Group Seven, Universidad Catolica of Chile needed a late equaliser from forward Juan Jose Morales to scrape a 1-1 draw at home to Caracas FC. The Venezuelan side took the

Libertadores Cup The Brazilians took the lead following a sixth-minute corner when Italia goalkeeper Jose Fernandez was caught stranded and Fabinho stooped to head the ball through a melee of players.

Italia midfielder Alain Giroletti rattled the bar with a free kick close to the half-hour mark before Pedro Ken increased Cruzeiro’s lead in the 69th minute, two minutes after coming on as a substitute.

In Group Four, Argentina’s Lanus beat Blooming of Bolivia 10 thanks to a penalty from

lead five minutes after halftime through defender Jaime Bustamante, who volleyed home from Dario Figueroa’s free kick.

Striker Zamir Valoyes could have given Caracas victory but his two efforts in quick succession hit the woodwork four minutes from time. In their next attack Pablo Camacho hit the post. Catolica fans jeered the team after their poor performance and called for coach Marco Antonio Figueroa to be sacked.

The result leaves both teams in danger of elimination.—Reuters

With both teams looking as if they had settled for penalties to decide the single-leg semi-final, Robben exploded down the wing, shrugging off three defenders in the process and beating Neuer, who just got a touch to the ball.

“I felt good and when you get the ball and have that space you have to take it,” Robben said. “I think we were the better team ... and in extra time we were as fit as Schalke.” —Reuters

BRAZIL: Venezuela’s Deportivo Italia’s Emerson Panigutti (front) fights for the ball with Brazil’s Cruzeiro’s Fabinho at a Copa Libertadores soccer game.—AP

TEL AVIV: UEFA president Michel Platini will stand for a second term in office when his current run ends next year, he told delegates at the European governing body’s annual congress yesterday.

The 54-year-old Frenchman, who succeeded Lennart Johannson as president in 2007, is expected to be unopposed when the decision is made at the next UEFA Congress in May 2011.

Platini told delegates in a simple statement: “I have been asked about my future by the press and other people but wanted to tell you first that I am happy man, a happy president and happy to work with you.

“There is more work to do in the future so I am happy to announce to you that I am a candidate for re-election to the presidency of UEFA.” He confirmed that next year’s congress would be held in Paris.—Reuters

www.kuwaittimes.net

MILAN: Inter Milan’s forward of Macedonia Goran Pandev (left) vies for the ball with Livorno goalkeeper Rubinho during their Italian League football match. — AFP

Inter go four points clear as Milan crash ROME: Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o scored a brace as Serie A leaders Inter Milan ended their recent blip with a 3-0 victory over rock bottom Livorno to move four points clear at the top of the table.

AS Roma won 2-0 away to Bologna to join AC Milan in joint second place after the seven time European champions crashed 1-0 at Parma.

Roma host Inter tomorrow and the champions’ Colombia defender Ivan Cordoba said his team cannot afford to give their rivals any more encouragement.

Already Roma have clawed back 10 points on Inter since October. “Roma deserve great credit for what they have done, it’s been an impressive comeback and hence we have to keep pushing because we know how good they are and we can’t afford to give them any hope,” said Cordoba, while not ruling out Milan’s chances.

“At the start of the season Milan were one of the few teams expected to fight for the title and they’re still doing so and that’s credit to them too but we can’t think about them we have to concentrate on ourselves and what we’re doing.”

Inter came into this match reeling from a dire run of one win in seven league matches and a measly eight points from a possible 21 that had seen neighbours Milan reduce their lead to just one point at the weekend.

But a top versus bottom clash was just the tonic Jose Mourinho’s men needed to emphatically return to winning ways ahead of their crucial title trip to Roma tomorrow.

Inter had been far from impressive in the early stages and it was the basement sitters who had the best chances. But it was from one of those

very opportunities, when Nico Pulzetti failed to beat Julio Cesar from close range, that Inter charged up the other end to take the lead.

On 36 minutes Julio Cesar threw the ball out to captain Javier Zanetti who helped it on to Portugal winger Ricardo Quaresma, making a rare start, and he fed Thiago Motta whose sliderule pass found the Cameroon forward on the left of the area and he cut inside his marker before unleashing an unstoppable right foot shot past goalkeeper Rubinho.

Four minutes from the break it was two as Goran Pandev collected Cristian Chivu’s crossfield pass and chipped the ball into the area where Eto’o connected with an overhead bicycle kick to double the champions’ advantage.

In between those two strikes, Eto’o had actually missed his best chance as Quaresma’s inch perfect cross from the left found him eight yards out but he shot too close to Rubinho who saved.

Any doubts about the final result were

Italian League results/standings Atalanta 3 (Tiribocchi 53, Valdes 64-pen, 73) Cagliari 1 (Conti 90); Bari 2 (Meggiorini 58, Barreto 86) Sampdoria 1 (Cassano 20); Bologna 0 AS Roma 2 (Riise 48, Baptista 82); Catania 1 (Mascara 2) Fiorentina 0; Genoa 2 (Bocchetti

75, Kharja 90-pen) Palermo 2 (Hernandez 34, Pastore 78); Inter Milan 3 (Eto’o 36, 41, Maicon 61) Livorno 0; Lazio 2 (Lichtsteiner 6, Cruz 67) Siena 0; Parma 1 (Bojinov 90) AC Milan 0; Udinese 0 Chievo 0.

Italian League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Inter Milan AC Milan AS Roma Palermo Sampdoria Juventus Genoa Napoli Bari Fiorentina

30 30 30 30 30 29 30 29 30 30

18 9 3 17 8 5 17 8 5 13 9 8 13 8 9 13 6 10 12 7 11 10 12 7 11 9 10 12 5 13

57 48 54 43 37 45 51 37 37 39

26 28 34 37 36 40 51 35 36 35

63 59 59 48 47 45 43 42 42 41

Parma Cagliari Chievo Catania Bologna Lazio Udinese Atalanta Siena Livorno

30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30

11 8 11 11 6 13 10 7 13 8 11 11 9 8 13 7 11 12 8 8 14 7 7 16 6 7 17 6 6 18

31 47 27 34 33 26 37 28 32 20

38 46 29 35 41 32 45 40 53 46

41 39 37 35 35 32 32 28 25 24

dispelled just past the hour mark as Thiago Motta fed the overlapping Maicon in the box and the Brazil full-back lashed a fierce drive past his countryman at the near post.

Milan, who had missed the chance to go top on Sunday after they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Napoli, were in uninspired form throughout and fell to a last minute goal from on-loan Manchester City forward Valeri Bojinov.

The Bulgarian substitute pounced to prod home the loose ball after Jonathan Biabiany’s shot was parried by Christian Abbiati.

Roma were made to work hard for their victory in the north but now know that a win over Inter at the weekend will move them to one point from top spot. And coach Claudio Ranieri admitted he is excited at the prospect.

“Against Inter it will be the game of the season. They have been the superpower of the last few years but we’re still here so we’ll see what happens, we won’t let up,” he said.

They opened the scoring three minutes into the second period as John Arne Riise stuck out a foot to divert Daniele De Rossi’s drilled long range effort past wrong-footed goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano.

Two substitutes combined on 82 minutes to clinch the victory with a goal identical to Maicon’s at the San Siro, with this time Alessio Cerci slipping in Julio Baptista to beat Viviano at his near post.

Palermo stayed fourth after a controversial 2-2 draw at Genoa, during which the hosts equalised eight minutes into time added on through Houssine Kharja’s penalty. — AFP