4 Apr

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

40 PAGES

SUNDAY, APRIL 4, 2010

RABI ALTHANI 19, 1431 AH

Defiant Thai protesters swamp Bangkok tourist hub

Senegal statue unveiled amid pomp, criticism PAGE 8

NO: 14688

Cambridge give Oxford the Boat Race blues PAGE 17

PAGE 10

150 FILS

Chelsea topple United from summit PAGE 20

Sanctions will help Iran: Ahmadinejad Defiant leader says pressure only makes Iran more determined NEW YORK: Mike Heinsius, of Rotterdam, Netherlands, holds up his new iPad outside the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue yesterday. — AP

Much hyped Apple iPad hits the market NEW YORK: Apple’s heavily hyped iPad went on sale yesterday in the United States with excited customers crowding to get their hands on what some see as a major new step in the digital revolution. The Apple flagship store in New York greeted hundreds of people who had waited since just after dawn with high fives, whooping, and a New Year’s Eve-style countdown. Many of the shoppers were from outside the United States, which is initially the only country to sell the touchscreen tablet, retailing at between $499 and $829.

Adi Thomas, who flew in from Australia, said the iPad was “slim, beautiful”. “I really want to get it home and play with it,” Thomas, 38, said.

Dutch IT consultant Hans Schoenmakers, 49, proudly declared himself the first person from the Netherlands to own the shiny gadget. “It’s better than I thought. I will use it for email while on the Continued on Page 14

iPad unearthed RICHMOND, Virginia: Luke Soules was one of the first on the planet to get his hands on an iPad. And he wasted no time taking it apart. After staking out three locations in the Eastern United States, Soules co-founder of teardown firm iFixit - cracked the device open yesterday to unearth NAND flash memory by Samsung Electronics, and microchips from Broadcom Corp and Texas Instruments Inc. Soules and his outfit provide and advise on components in Apple gadgets - and also identifies them.

The work of teardown firms such as iFixit may prove crucial in identifying which manufacturer gets its parts into a device expected to sell upwards of 5 million units in 2010 alone.

Soules had slept overnight in the parking lot outside an Apple mall store in Richmond, Virginia. He was the first to walk out of the store, moments after the outlet opened at 9 am, iPad in hand. Store employees clapped and gave him high-fives. He grinned, but moved quickly. There was work to do.

Without a second’s dawdling, Soules hopped in a waiting car and raced a few short miles to the house of a friend, where he had his Continued on Page 14

TEHRAN: Faced with the prospect of new sanctions because of Iran’s nuclear defiance, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that new penalties would only strengthen the country’s technological progress by encouraging it to become more self-sufficient.

In a speech, Ahmadinejad also rejected President Barack Obama’s offers of engagement, saying “three or four beautiful words” don’t mean US policies have changed under his administration.

“They say they have extended a hand to Iran, but the Iranian government and nation declined to welcome that,” he said. “What kind of hand did you extend towards the Iranian nation? What has changed? Did you lift sanctions? Did you stop propaganda? Did you reduce the pressure?” White House spokesman Bill Burton said yesterday the US administration would have no comment on the Iranian president’s remarks.

Obama said Thursday that six world powers dealing with Iran’s nuclear program will develop a package of serious new punitive measures over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment in coming weeks. China has not confirmed US reports that it has dropped its opposition to possible new UN sanctions against Iran. China has veto power in the UN Security Council and its support would be key to passing a resolution against Iran.

Continued on Page 14

Cricket team quits Kuwait after visa row

SIRJAN, Iran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivers a speech in this southern city yesterday. — AFP

KUWAIT/MANAMA: Bahrain’s national cricket team were forced to pull out of the ongoing Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Elite Trophy in Kuwait after three of their players were not granted entry visas into the state. A majority of the squad, headed by coach Mohsin Kamal, had already flown to Kuwait last Sunday to begin their final preparations ahead of the prestigious continental competition. Three players - Azeem Ul Haque, Rizwan Beg and Mohammed Afif were to follow once their visas were issued prior to the start of play on Wednesday.

But their visas did not come through, leaving Bahrain undermanned and unable to field the required 11-man team in their opening clash.

The players, coaches and team staff who were already in Kuwait therefore returned dejected to the kingdom late on Thursday night. “This is very unfortunate; our boys were looking forward to playing in the tournament, but certain circumstances were not in our control,” a disappointed coach Kamal told the Gulf Daily News yesterday.

“By not playing, our ranking in this tournament will suffer, but at least our status in the International Cricket Council, where we are playing in the World Cricket League Division Five, will not be affected. Still, we would have liked to play. Bahrain have a very good reputation among the Gulf cricket teams, and we thought we can do well in Kuwait and it was another chance to showing our abilities. It was also to be the last tournament for our senior men’s squad for this year, so it would have been good to take part.” Kamal added that several players from the other participating countries also had a problem with their entry visas. — MCT

Syria private sector wooed to make films DAMASCUS: Syria, whose award-winning television series have taken the Arab world by storm, wants the private sector to move in on films, an industry in which the state says it has done more than its share.

“The ball is in their court now,” said Mohammed AlAhmad, director general of the state-run National Film Organisation, stressing that the private sector has been offered a host of incentives. “The National Film Organisation (NFO) is the only body that produces films, from A to Z, with the private sector absent,” he told AFP in an interview. “In my opinion, advancing cinema in Syria has become the responsibility of the private sector. It should play a key role because the state has done its utmost, and more than enough.”

The NFO chief invited private sector producers “to adopt movie productions the same way they have done with television drama”. “Today the private sector produces 50 drama serials a year, compared to

OSAKA: A model (left) poses with a humanoid robot called “Geminoid-TMF” shaped to resemble the model at a press conference yesterday. — AFP

Japan unveils humanoid robot that laughs, smiles OSAKA: Japanese researchers said yesterday they have developed a humanoid robot that can laugh and smile as it mimics a person’s facial expressions. The robot, Geminoid TMF, can move its rubber facial skin to imitate a smile, a laugh showing teeth, and a grim look with furrowed brows, by receiving electric signals from the person it is modelled on. The researchers demonstrated with a robot made to look exactly like an attractive woman in her 20s with long dark hair. The woman and the robot were dressed in the same clothes - a black skirt and black leather jacket.

The robot smiled and furrowed its brow in almost simultaneous mimicry of the woman, whose face was filmed with a video camera which then provided information on her expressions to the robot through electric signals. “I felt like I had a twin sister,” the woman told reporters after-

wards. The developers said they expected the robot to be eventually used in real-life situations, for example in hospitals.

“We’ve already got some data showing that the robot gave patients psychological security by nodding and smiling at them, when patients were checked on by doctors,” said Satoko Inoue, spokeswoman for Kokoro, one of the two companies involved in the development. “A new technology always creates some fears and negative opinions,” but the researchers wanted to make robots that could express something similar to human emotions, said Hiroshi Ishiguro, a professor at Osaka University who led the research. Copies of the robot are expected to be sold for about 10 million yen ($110,000), mainly to robotics research organisations, Ishiguro said, without giving a timeframe.— AFP

only two in the past when the general organisation of radio and television handled this,” he said. “We seek to establish a partnership with the private sector, but I think the private sector should work independently from the government. Let the private sector produce and let the government produce, and people will judge them.”

Syria’s television drama industry is booming, having won popularity across the Arab world.

Meanwhile, fingers have been pointed at the government for the demise of Syrian cinema. Since its creation in 1963, the NFO, a culture ministry-affiliated body which promotes local films and cine culture, has produced two feature-length films and several documentaries a year. It “enjoys financial and administrative independence,” according to its website, but the organisation’s budget is limited.

The NFO is also responsible for the annual Damascus Film Festival and a “cinematic city”,

which provides a technical base to develop the industry in the Arab country. “We receive funds from the state but we are required to raise our own funds for our projects,” Ahmad said. “We are thinking of opening the door for the private sector to manage the city.

We are still thinking about it.”

According to Ahmad, producing a feature film in Syria costs between $400,000 and $600,000, while a documentary requires $20,000-30,000. He insists the state has provided incentives, including tax and customs exemptions for five years to encourage private film-makers and cinema owners to buy equipment, import films and improve or build theatres. Until 2001, only the NFO had the right to import and distribute films. “All these facilities have responded to demands from the private sector, but unfortunately they did not move. Enough of blaming the state,” said Ahmad.

Continued on Page 14

Why Israel’s Arabs like eating matzoh?

UMM EL-FAHM, Israel: Many Jewish Israelis can’t stand the stuff, so there’s something mind-boggling about their Arab compatriots: Why in the world do they choose to eat matzoh?

Despite decades of uneasiness in their coexistence with the Jewish majority, Israel’s Arabs have developed a love affair with matzoh, the dry, crunchy wafers that observant Jews eat as a substitute for leavened bread during the weeklong Passover holiday.

Weeks in advance, Arab-owned stores across Israel stock up on matzoh, knowing their customers will clean it out. The matzoh craving among Israel’s Arab citizens - about 20 percent of the population - reflects their ambiguous place in the Jewish state. While they speak Hebrew, carry Israeli passports and wear Israeli brands, many say they suffer discrimination and identify themselves as Palestinians. Still, they love matzoh.

“We eat it from the start of the holiday to the end, and when we run out we buy more,” said Umaima Igbaria, a 35year-old Muslim woman who lugged a carton of matzoh out of a supermarket in the Arab town of Umm El-Fahm in northern Continued on Page 14

ABU GOSH: A Palestinian woman looks at boxes of matzoh in a grocery store near Jerusalem on April 1, 2010. — AP

2

NATIONAL

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Call to use all types of pressure

Jihad on Israelis ‘duty’ of every Muslim: Al-Nashim KUWAIT: A prominent Muslim theologian has stated that declaring jihad (defensive holy war) against the Israelis is the duty of every Muslim, while supporting the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque is the duty of leaders, as well as ordinary Muslims. Dr. Ajeel Al-Nashim, the chairman of the Shariat Scholars’ Society in GCC States, told local daily Al-Anba that the Western wall of AlAqsa Mosque and the ground in front of it is the sole property of Muslims.

KUWAIT: The Savings and Credit Bank has agreed to give a KD 10,000 grant to those with special needs and to reduce the monthly installment of loans to five percent of the overall salary, at a maximum of KD 50. A statement issued by the media office of Deputy Premier for Economic Affairs, State Minister for Development Affairs and State Minister for Housing Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Fahad AlAhmad Al-Sabah said that these decisions aimed at alleviating some of the hardships faced by those with special needs. It said that the bank’s board of directors, headed by Sheikh Ahmad, met recently and agreed to make these amendments, adding that a committee would be formed in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to oversee this matter.

in my view

Al-Soor TV’s shutdown decision I

n his column yesterday with AlQabas, Abdullatif Al-Duaij wrote on the Kuwait government’s decision to keep the TV station Al-Soor from broadcasting in Kuwait. ‘It’s strange to see that the level of oppression of freedom of speech has reached this level,’ he wrote.

‘The Information Ministry has reached outside of the country’s borders to shut down Al-Soor TV in Bahrain. It’s insane for the Cabinet to ignore their development duties to focus on shutting down a single TV station. This step fur-

ther tightens their hold on people’s freedom of expression, not only inside the country, but also from the outside.’

He said that because of this action, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the government were to sentence a citizen to jail for consuming alcohol in London, or failing to pray in Switzerland. ‘We could soon see the Ministry of Information force internet providers to shutdown websites and blogs whose opinions conflict with theirs,’ he added.

‘I still don’t understand how freedom of speech activists support the interpel-

While this has been internationally agreed, he said, the Israelis continue to pay no attention to international law whenever it is not in their favor. AlNashim emphasized that all Muslims, both leaders and ordinary members of the public, are responsible for protecting AlAqsa Mosque, adding that doing so is not only the concern of Palestinians or the people of Jerusalem.

Using political, diplomatic and commercial pressure, the threat of oil embargoes and a refusal to accept the Middle East Peace Initiative are duties for all Muslims, said the distinguished theologian and scholar, adding that Israel aims to destroy AlAqsa Mosque and build a Jewish temple on the site in order to ensure that Jerusalem becomes an exclusively Jewish city.

Asked about the need for jihad in occupied lands, such as Palestine, Al-Nashim said that waging jihad alongside the Palestinians is an obligatory duty on all Muslims, whether through arms, money, political activism or

other forms of support.

According to Islamic theology, he explained, jihad can be declared by some Muslims on behalf of the Muslim Ummah if these individuals are capable of facing and defeating the enemy on their own without the need for involving others. If one woman in a Muslim state came under attack, for instance, all Muslims would be compelled to defend and support her.

In Islamic lands, all Muslims, wherever they originally came from, have the right to be there, while the distance between any Muslim’s nation of origin and a Muslim country under occupation is no excuse for their not joining the jihad to defend the latter nation in whatever way they can do so. All Muslims are obliged to provide whatever support they are able to depending on their own circumstances.

Those who are able to fight should fight and are instructed not to choose other methods of jihad; individuals who are unable to fight, meanwhile, must provide support through financial or

other means. Islamic theology states that those who do not abide by these instructions will face torture in the hereafter, whether they took the decision not to do so as individuals or members of governments, AlNashim stressed.

These rules are applicable to every Muslim, said the leading theologian, meaning that every Muslim must look to their duties and themselves to see what they can offer to the Muslim cause.

Asked if the situation with AlAqsa Mosque was a Palestinian issue to be dealt with by the Palestinian Authority alone or had an Islamic dimension, Dr. AlNashim said, “Al-Aqsa Mosque is in the hearts of Muslims so long as they remain Muslims and their hearts are bound to Al-Masjid AlHaram in Makkah. So long as life exists, Al-Aqsa Mosque will remain close to our hearts, as this is ordered by Allah in the Quran until the Day of Judgement.” The eminent theologian continued, “Since the time of Omar Bin Al-Khattab, Muslims have ruled Jerusalem

in the news

lation against the Information Minister,’ he continued. ‘After all, those who call for certain TV stations to be shut down are the same people who were penalized for ‘going too far’ while expressing their own opinions previously.’

‘I believe that those who supported the interpellation should now be required to work against the Cabinet’s freedom-curbing procedures.

Encouraging the government to enforce more restrictions on freedoms, or abstain from taking action on that regard, is a crime,’ he concluded.

Qortuba thefts KUWAIT: A senior Interior Ministry official shed some light on the occurrence of weekly thefts in Qortuba, despite the fact that a majority of the area’s residents are former and current state and security officials. In a recent statement to the press, Lieutenant Ibraheem AlNughaimesh explained that thieves organized a campaign in the area during the period between March 20-25, reported Al-Watan. During the campaign, they stole irrigation systems located in more than 10 homes while police patrols remained completely absent.

Al-Nughaimesh also pointed out that part of the problem is the lack of a crime research center in the Saad Al-Abdullah police academy. He said that students there could study and analyze the different crimes in the country as he proposed in 1983. He called on officials to reconsider his rejected proposal because it is the best way to address the crimes.

MoH to install CCTV cameras in hospitals

KUWAIT: Participants of the Third Middle East wireless cars competition pose for a group photograph yesterday. Ali Abu Al-Lail won the contest.

KUWS displays Kuwaiti women’s achievements in Tunisia SOUSSE, TUNIS: Head of the media committee of Kuwaiti Union of Women Societies (KUWS) and the Union’s delegate to the 13th Tunisian Congress of the National Union of Tunisian Women, Fatma Othman Al-Bakr, yesterday highlighted the gains achieved

by Kuwaiti women in various fields. In an address delivered before the congress, Al-Bakr said that the feminist movement in Kuwait is not new but existed prior to Kuwait’s oil phase. She said that one of

Kuwaiti women’s most important roles was to support a family through harsh material and moral conditions while their husbands earned a living on the seas. She added that the feminist renaissance was supported by the emergence of oil with the ability to achieve a decent life for both men and women. The support of the state and its rational leadership helped secure women’s rights to education and productive health.

She added that Kuwait helped provide a decent stan-

dard of living for all citizens and residents, men and women alike. The state gave women the biggest share of Kuwait’s regionally and globally recognized contribution to fight poverty not only at home, but abroad as well, Al-Bakr said.

Kuwait continues the struggle against poverty by maintaining the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), she added.

In front of 1,000 female delegates from 30 Arab and foreign countries, Al-Bakr stressed that Kuwait will maintain all efforts to fight against poverty globally.

She also announced that the initiative will be supported by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah —KUNA

and it has been protected in Muslims’ hearts ever since.

Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) asked us to travel and visit AlAqsa Mosque, just like Al-Masjid Al-Haram and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.”

Meanwhile, MP Dr. Faisal AlMislem again alleged that a group of Israelis using Israeli passports had travelled to Kuwait, despite the illegality of doing so. AlMislem first made the allegations during the previous parliamentary session, with the government failing to either confirm or deny them. The MP asserted that he would not remain silent about the subject, saying that he is preparing a parliamentary question on the issue for interior minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, requesting clarification on the subject, which he will present to the minister within the next few days. The MP explained that he is currently awaiting the official documents necessary to draft the question, adding that he will await the minister’s response before reaching his final decision in this matter.

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health (MoH) is apparently set to install concealed closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras in hospital entrances and hallways, as well as in wards, to monitor activities in a bid to identify those responsible for attacks on medical staff and patients, as well as other problems such as thefts and fights.

The cameras will also allow ministry officials to monitor hospital staff’s attendance rates and timekeeping, as well as assessing their work performance, especially during night shifts, in a bid to improve the quality of medical services provided.

An insider said that the ministry has been extremely diligent about the issue, taking strict measures to ensure that camera footage cannot be leaked or improperly used.

The MoH aims to use the cameras to monitor staff performance and keep up to date with events in local hospitals, reducing the number of unplanned visits by inspectors.

National Guards drill KUWAIT: The Structure Protection Battalion of the National Guards recently held a drill at Khazma Camp that was attended by the security affairs captain, Brigadier General Khalid Abdulaziz.

The drill featured operations to storm a facility occupied by terrorists in order to free hostages and neutralize potential threats. The drill was considered a success and the display earned the praise of the Brig Gen.

120,000 bedoons’ names forged KUWAIT: Around 120,000 bedoon residents altered their names via the name changing and adjusting committees back in the period between 1970 and 1985, reported Al-Watan.

During this time, these committees were working inefficiently and the current legal committee affiliated with the public prosecution and judicial system was not yet established.

KUWAIT: Scenes from the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters’ Theatre Day celebrations on Monday.

Students’ victory CAIRO: Two Kuwaiti middle school students won the third and fifth places in a cultural contest held recently by the Arab League. The Arab Language Supervisor at the Kuwaiti Education Ministry, Makkiya Al-Haj, said that Ibrahim Al-Awadhi won third place in the Arabic eloquence contest, while Balqees AlGhanim won fifth place in the same competition. She said that Kuwait had been taking part in this competition, organized by the Arab League’s Cultural Department, for the past 13 years, noting that some 14 Arab countries competed in it. Kuwait’s participation reflects its keenness for the preservation of the Arabic language, Al-Haj added.

Kuwaiti Ambassador in Cairo Dr. Rasheed Al-Hamad received the two students on this occasion.

Former minister slams cabinet policy KUWAIT: In a newly issued report, former health minister Dr. Abdullah AlAwadhi has strongly condemned what he called the cabinet’s “no resolution policy” for turmoil in the “Kuwaiti body.”

The former minister said that the cabinet’s failure to resolve major outstanding issue and its adoption of a culture of constant postponement, procrastination and

purposefully ignoring issues or forming ineffectual committees to tackle them had been the primary reasons for the emergence of inequities in the Kuwaiti political system and wider society.

Dr. Al-Awadhi stressed the importance of the country’s ideological movements and human resources in creating a real, effective character for society, with the

main objectives being to demonstrate the flaws in Kuwaiti society to the decisionmakers, reported Al-Watan.

The former minister also emphasized the need to deal effectively with the social realities in the country, warning that at present these are characterized by deterioration leading inevitably to disintegration.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

NATIONAL

3

First stage to cost KD 28.7 million

First Ring development targets easier traffic KUWAIT: The First Ring Road development project, carried out by the Ministry of Public Works, is primarily meant to ease out traffic congestion in Kuwait. The first stage of the three-stage project, which is a major step towards the revamping of the capital city, was commenced in May 2008, costing a total of KD 28.7 million. The first stage, which involves the erection of

All the bridges will be built pursuant to world standard specifications and criteria. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Works is now finishing procedures for the second stage of the project, which will be launched as soon as the first phase is over.

The ministry affirmed that all relevant construction works would by no means negatively impact on environment. The project is part of Kuwait’s ongoing efforts to overhaul the network of its highways and main roads with a view to ensuring smooth and easy traffic in the country.

In another development, experts have suggested that moving expatriate workers from their current accommodation in residential areas to other areas without first investi-

Five-year plan needs radical overhaul: Dashti

KUWAIT: Minister of Public Works and Municipality Affairs Dr Fadhil Safar last week attended a seminar at Abdullah Bin Huthafa Al-Quraishi Boys’ School in Ferdous, which was held to increase awareness of the importance of environmental protection and public sanitation. The event, which formed part of the Kuwait Municipality’s 80th anniversary celebrations, was also attended by Faisal Sadiq, Farwaniya Governorate’s Deputy Director of Municipality Affairs, Ahmad Al-Hazaim the head of Farwaniya Municipality and Mohammad Al-Saad, a consultant at the municipality director’s office, along with several other senior municipality and security officials.

KUWAIT: As the Parliament’s financial affairs committee prepares to discuss the Cabinet’s annual plan, a lawmaker expressed her shock indicating that it contradicts the Parliament’s approved 5-year plan. The meeting, expected to be held today, will be attended by the Deputy Prime Minister for Financial Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad, reported Al-Watan “While we were hoping for it to be the base from which the 5year plan will be launched, we were unfortunately shocked to discover that the annual plan falls short of meeting expectations,” said MP Rula Dashti.

“The plan focused on structural matters while ignoring a lot of main issues including job opportunities for national manpower, a means to integrate the private sector into investment and development projects and procedures for addressing oil deficit.” She further explained that the annual plan is without any financial indications included in the 5-year plan. Dashti added that the plan needs a radical overhaul in order to meet expectations.

Dashti further criticized the body responsible for preparing the plan and stated that it proved their lack of awareness in regards to the requirements of the 5-year plan.

gating the problems that could result is a short-sighted policy, which could lead to sharp increases in land and house prices.

One unnamed specialist suggested that the issue could be resolved by the government’s allocating around KD 500 million to construct residential areas specifically for workers, telling local daily Awan that solving this problem would be an important step in successfully implementing the labor plan.

The number of low-paid expatriate workers living in residential areas has been increasing for over 25 years, especially in areas such as Farwaniya, Khaitan, Jleeb AlShuyoukh and Hasawi, the expert said. The specialist also suggested

some suspension bridges linking the First Ring Road to several main roads in the capital, is expected to be completed in the middle of next year. As part of the project, a 671-meter bridge will be built in order to link the road to Jamal Abdel-Nasser Road towards Jahra. Four footbridges ranging between 12 and 92 meters in length and three meters in width are also to be erected.

that if these workers were rehoused in a residential area specifically constructed for them, house and land prices in the residential areas could increase by as much as 30 percent.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Electricity and Water Bader AlShuraiaan underlined here yesterday the significance of carrying out the country’s national development plan for the four years to come.

Speaking to reporters following a ministerial meeting to follow up on preparations for the plan, the minister said, “There is no leniency in the implementation of the plan. The principle of rewarding and accountability will be observed.”

He instructed the ministry’s senior officials to work together to

Kuwait records KD 6bn budgetary surplus KUWAIT: Kuwait recorded a KD 6 billion budgetary surplus in 2009, according to the government’s newly released figures.

Despite the finance minister’s efforts last year to increase Kuwait’s non-oil revenue, however, the statistics show that the income from these sources came to no more than six percent of the total state revenue, with 94 percent of the income coming from oil. Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali is scheduled to review the 2009/2010 budget during today’s weekly cabinet meeting, including the value of revenues, expenses

and surpluses.

In the meantime, the cabinet is set to launch the preliminary stages of the recently announced development plan, beginning by reviewing a report regarding the progress of work, reported Al-Watan.

Today’s meeting will also feature discussion of all the legal and financial legislation that the parliament needs to adopt, while commerce minister Ahmad Al-Haroun is to present two reports, one regarding the measures taken to combat price increases and the other on the ministry’s adherence to the rules and regulations governing it.

complete the development drive as scheduled.

A team of the ministry’s planning and training has been made up to monitor and follow up on the implementation of the plan, the minister said.

For his part, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Water Ahmad Al-Jassar said the ministry was standing prepared to execute 100 new projects at a total cost of KD one billion as part of the government’s development program.

The ministry is also seeking to tap renewable energy like solar energy, and to boost its proceeds and support national cadres through training courses to boost their technical skills and scientific levels. —KUNA

NATIONAL

4

Sunday, April 4, 2010

$300 million investments

Kuwait projects in Lebanon to help improve economy BEIRUT: Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development’s projects in Lebanon are aimed at developing the infrastructure here, said the Fund’s Director General Abdulwahab AlBader yesterday. Al-Bader said on the conclusion of his weeklong visit to Lebanon that the fund had contributed

KUWAIT: A fire occurred in an abandoned house in Khaitan.

Lieutenants Khalid Kanaan Abdallah Shujaa and Abdallah Al-Mass along with sergeants Mohammad Al-Gharib and Mohammad Abul extinguished the fire.— Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Drugs officer in custody

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti security official has been referred for prosecution, along with his brother, on charges of possessing illegal drugs and alcohol with intent to sell them, along with the possession of an unlicensed firearm and resisting arrest.

The arrests followed an investigation ordered by the Director General of the General Department of Drugs Control (GDDC) Brig Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalifa, after he received a tip-off about the officer’s illicit activities. After GDDC investigators discovered that the officer had been dealing in drugs in his spare time for some years, an undercover GDDC officer posing as a customer arranged to buy 250 grams of hashish for KD 450 from the man. Caught red-handed during the handover, the dealer managed to escape into his house, where he grabbed a firearm, threatening to kill anyone who entered the building. GDDC officers managed to disarm him before he was able to use the weapon, however, confiscating the gun, along with 1.5 kilograms of hashish, 70 bottles of illegally imported alcohol and KD 4,000 in cash from the property and a nearby abandoned car.

Brigadier Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalifa said that the drug dealer’s possession of a weapon

demonstrates the dangers faced by GDDC officers, with the dealers arming themselves in the knowledge that their illegal activities could end up in their imprisonment or execution.

Cops injured Two Jahra police officers were injured, one critically, when they hit a lamppost after being forced off the road by a motorist. One of the officers was admitted to Jahra Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit with extensive injuries, while the other suffered some fractures. An investigation is underway to apprehend the motorist responsible.

Phone profit fight Two Indian men have been charged with misusing Ministry of Communications phone lines to make illegal international calls after they were arrested following a fight over their shares of the profits.

Cars burgled Three Kuwaiti women leaving a wedding celebration in Jahra discovered that their cars had been broken into, with KD 15,000 in cash stolen, along with some personal documents.

An investigation is underway to apprehend the thieves.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Socialist Progressive Party leader, MP Walid Jumblatt on Friday evening voiced his great appreciation of Kuwait’s political and economic support for Lebanon. Jumblatt was speaking during a reception for a visiting delegation of KFAED officials, headed by Al-Bader, at Al-Mukhtara Palace in Mount Lebanon.

The meeting was also attended by Counselor at the Kuwaiti Embassy in Lebanon Jassem Al-Najem, and members of the visiting KFAED team. “Kuwait’s support for Lebanon through donations and loans extended by the KFAED is neither unusual nor new to Kuwait’s leadership, government and people,” Jumblatt said.

He hailed the State of Kuwait as being in the forefront of the countries which provide political, economic, developmental and philanthropic backing to Lebanon.

He focused particularly on a new dam project in South Lebanon being bankrolled by the Kuwaiti fund, which he said would be beneficial to the Lebanese and even Kuwaiti holidaymakers in the area.

The Kuwaiti team is expected to return home shortly, concluding a five-day visit to Lebanon, during which a deal worth $19 million was signed for constructing the massive Al-Qaismani Dam in Mount Lebanon. The delegation also laid the cornerstone for an emergency First Aid center and inaugurated a $500,000 orphanage rehabilitation project in Sidon in South Lebanon.

The leader of the Lebanese Forces Party Samir Geagea on Thursday evening also lauded the support offered by the

in the news Diabetes awareness

HO CHI MINH: Najeeb Al-Bader with Huynh Tan Thanh.

Vietnam woos investors HO CHI MINH: Kuwait Consul General in Ho Chi Minh Najeeb Al-Bader met Thursday with Chairman of People’s Committee of Binh Thuan, Huynh Tan Thanh.

Al-Bader said that the meeting came as a part of regular talks with Vietnamese officials, aimed at enhancing commercial and economic relations between the two countries.

The Kuwaiti diplomat said that during the meeting, the Vietnamese official gave an overview of the economic situation and the efforts being exerted to develop tourism of

Binh Thuan.

There are some 80 foreign investment projects in Binh Thuan, which has a population of 1.2 million people and receives around 200,000 tourists annually, Al-Bader noted. Bihn Thuan is also one of Vietnam’s top three fishing areas.

Moreover, Al-Bader said that the Vietnamese official underscored the distinguished ties that his country has with Kuwait, and welcomed Kuwaiti businessmen to invest in the tourism industry in this region of Vietnam. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) is sponsoring the Amiri Hospital’s ‘Take Care of It’ diabetes awareness campaign which is to be launched today at the Avenues Mall under the patronage of health minister Hilal Al-Sayer. NBK public relations deputy director Abdulmohsen Al-Rashid said the bank’s decision to sponsor the campaign sprang from its commitment to meeting its social and national responsibility, which it had been doing enthusiastically since its launch several years ago, adding that it continues to pay special attention to the health sector.

State of Kuwait to his country in all areas.The Lebanese party leader was speaking following a meeting with the KFAED delegation.

“The Kuwaiti Amir, government and people have never spared any effort to help and support the Lebanese people in good times and in bad,” he said, voicing his appreciation of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah and the Kuwaiti government for their efforts, as well as those of the KFAED, which he said is “working to improve the developmental and economic conditions [in Lebanon], as well as the infrastructure in different areas.”

Asked about private Kuwaiti investments in Lebanon, Geagea reassured investors in the Gulf state that “the Lebanese economy is sound,” calling on Kuwaitis to invest in the services and tourism sectors.

“Kuwaiti businessmen have never stopped investing in Lebanon, even during the most difficult of circumstances,” he said.

Also during their visit, the KFAED officials handed over the keys to eight new buildings in southern Beirut, which were built as part of reconstruction efforts.

As well as Al-Bader, the Kuwaiti delegation also groups KFAED’s Representative in Lebanon Dr. Mohammad Sadeqi, Media Department Director Muna Al-Ayyaf, and Regional Director for Arab States Marwan Al-Ghanim. The meeting was also attended by Kuwait Embassy Counselor Jassem Al-Najem, and Lebanese MPs Strida Geagea and Elie Kairouz. — KUNA

$300 million in 45 projects in Lebanon, adding that the fund thoroughly follows up on projects here. Al-Bader said that his visit to the country had helped him to witness the opening of several projects, adding that the fund would continue its efforts in Lebanon.

BEIRUT: Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development contributed $300 million in 45 projects in Lebanon.

Ukraine steel not radioactive: Minister KUWAIT: Tests on the steel products imported from Ukraine confirmed that they are entirely free of any radioactive pollution, firmly disproving claims that they were made from materials left over after the 1986 Chernobyl reactor disaster, according to communications minister Dr. Mohammed Al-Busairi.

Responding to a question on the issue

from MP Dr. Ali Al-Omair, Al-Busairi, who is also State Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, explained that a team of Ministry of Health (MoH) specialists using the necessary specialist equipment had conducted exhaustive tests for radioactivity and other forms of pollution on the items in question, with all the results coming back negative.

He explained that the MoH team car-

ried out these tests during a visit to the Ukraine in order to ensure that the steel produced there was safe, reported AlQabas.

Prior to that, the minister added, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry had banned the import of steel from the European country until obtaining full officially documented certification of its safety.

Employees payment KUWAIT: Undersecretary with the ministry of social affairs and labor, Mohammad Al-Kandari, announced that the ministry will suspend the files of all companies who do not pay their employee’s salaries starting today, reported Al-Rai. AlKandari said that the new system will keep an employer who is late paying their employees from being able to file any of their paperwork.

Infant dumped

Col Al-Sabr

Shamiya police station reopening KUWAIT: Interior minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid AlSabah is set to reopen AlShamiya police station tomorrow following extensive renovation work, which was carried out as part of the Ministry of Interior’s efforts to develop the security services’ performance and strengthen social security.

“The minister’s attendance and patronage of this event demonstrates the great commitment that the senior ministry officials have towards consolidating stability and security across the country,” said Col. Mohammad Al-Sabr, the interior ministry’s official spokesperson and head of its media department. “The inauguration of new police stations further solidifies the commitment of police departments in serving the community”.

KUWAIT: A newborn baby was found alive inside a trash can near a local polyclinic, reported Al-Watan. He was quickly transferred to the Mubarak Hospital by paramedics to receive medical attention.

Investigations are underway to uncover the circumstances of the incident and to discover the identity of the baby’s parents.

Insolvents Fund KUWAIT: A source with the Ministry of Finance reported that 1,500 applications must be considered before the insolvent fund can be closed. The source also said that this can only be changed with a parliamentary decision, reported Al-Watan.

Meanwhile, the ministry said they are intending to increase the number of training courses regarding the taxation system in order to better prepare employees in this field and give them more experience. The current number of employees in the taxation department, 110 staff members, is said to be insufficient to handle the department’s work load.

Wataniya Telecom sponsors KU marathon KUWAIT: Driven by its social responsibility towards the society, Wataniya Telecom, the leading company in providing mobile service in Kuwait and the region, has sponsored Kuwait University’s yearly marathon organized by the KU-UNESCO club.

Wataniya’s sponsorship falls in line with its initiatives to constantly provide youth with support and guts and encouraging them be more involved in athletic activities as to well as raising the awareness relatively.

Regarding Wataniya’s involvement with the event, Abdol Aziz Al-Balool, PR Manager at Wataniya expressed Wataniya’s initiative saying that “Our sponsorship of the annual University marathon is part of our social obligation at Wataniya which confirms our interest

in supporting and encouraging all athletic activities by sponsoring various championships and competitions.”

Al-Balool praised such events organized by the University administration which aims in encouraging the youth and affirmed by saying: “It is our pleasure at Wataniya Telecom to constantly participate in sponsoring the yearly marathon due to its high importance, as we always seek in supporting the youth segment in the Kuwaiti society to take part in similar activities.”

From his end, Dr Yousef Jawad Messa’ed Dean Assistant of Science Administration unit at Kuwait University who has participated at the marathon event on behalf of the Dean Dr Rashid Al-Ajmi has expressed his appreciation to Wataniya’s sponsorship: “Wataniya has

had its evident foot prints in supporting Kuwaiti community and taking an effective role in social events and we are very delighted to have them onboard as a main sponsor of the yearly marathon.”

Worthy to mention, Wataniya’s sponsorship of the marathon falls under its social responsibility program which is built on the pillar of encouraging the youth to get involved in all athletic activities.

The marathon has brought together many different participant groups such as university students and faculty staff at the Kuwait University. Also taking part at the marathon were special needs students from Kuwait University as well as special needs students from the Kuwait Disabled Sport Club and a motorcycle participant as part of the marathon.

NATIONAL

Sunday, April 4, 2010

5 Youngster stabbed in Jleeb

Three die in Kuwait traffic accidents KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti man and two Asian expatriates died in car accidents over the weekend. In the deadliest accident, a collision on Fahaheel Road between two cars, driven by a Kuwaiti and an Asian man, resulted in both sustaining fatal injuries, dying soon afterwards. After paramedics pronounced them dead at the scene, the bodies of both were removed for autopsy.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident. Meanwhile, an Asian woman died instantly when she was hit by a car driven by a Kuwaiti man while she was crossing a street in Riqqa. The body was removed for autopsy, while the shocked driver handed himself to the police, reported Al-Qabas.

In another incident, another Kuwaiti motorist narrowly escaped death, managing to get out of his vehicle shortly after the engine caught fire while he was driving in the Ardiya Industrial Estate. The fire quickly spread, with local firefighters rushing to the scene to put the blaze out, while paramedics took the driver to hospital.

Pre-marriage testing center in Khaitan KUWAIT: A new pre-marriage testing center will be inaugurated today at the Munahi Al-Osaimi Health Center in Khaitan.

Director of the Pre-Marriage Testing Department at the Health Ministry, Dr. Yaqoub Al-Kanderi, told KUNA that the new center would help lift some of the load off the main center in Al-Sabah Hospital, thus saving citizen’s time.

He also said that another center would soon be opened in Mubarak AlKabeer, that would also cater for those living in Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Ahmadi Governorates.

Al-Kanderi said that the Health

Ministry’s role was not limited to testing citizens, but also referred them to specialized doctors in case diseases or health problems were discovered.

After the test results come out, it is up to the couple whether or not they wish to proceed with the marriage should any contagious or hereditary diseases or conditions be discovered, he explained.

The test is mandatory for all Kuwaiti couples wanting to get married, and is valid for six months. The test includes hereditary conditions such as sickle-cell anemia and thalassaemia, as well as contagious diseases like herpes, AIDS

and Hepatitis B and C. A total of 15,718 individuals have had the pre-marital medical tests since the tests were introduced last August, according to a senior Ministry of Health (MoH) official, with 97.3 percent of those tested given the all-clear to marry.

Dr. Yacoub Al-Kandari, the head of the health ministry’s social health department, told Al-Qabas that 45 percent of the 315 people who tested positive for possible genetic problems that could be transmitted to any children of the union decided to go ahead with the marriage anyway.

Jleeb attack A youngster was found at a local bank’s branch in Jleeb AlShuyoukh bleeding heavily from a stab wound, reported AlWatan. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of Farwaniya Hospital in critical condition.

Police are investigating the circumstances of the injury.

Drunk dad A citizen returned home at dawn while intoxicated and created an uproar in the house by waking his children up to go to school despite it being a weekend, reported Al-Watan. Called

by the man’s wife, police responded to the scene and took him to the local police station.

Motor thieves Ahmadi police arrested a citizen and two bedoon men for stealing mobile power generators from Al-Zoor, reported AlWatan. The men were arrested after they were caught trying to sell the stolen motor to a police informant.

Investigations revealed that the criminals were responsible for the theft of an additional 11 stolen motors.

They were taken to the proper authorities.

Missing daughter A mother informed police that her daughter disappeared from school, reported Al-Watan.

She discovered her daughter’s absence while attempting to pick her up from school. The school’s janitor indicated that he spotted her exit the school and enter the vehicle of an unknown driver. A case was opened and authorities are searching for the girl.

Drug abuse A citizen was arrested in Um Al-Haiman for driving under the influence of drugs. Additionally, three drug pills were found in his possession during the search. He was taken to the proper authorities.

Fugitive’s escape A serviceman at the criminal investigations department was questioned after he assisted a teenage girl out of her cell where she was held for a case of absence, reported Al-Watan.

The 17-year-old girl agreed to accompany the officer to an apartment in exchange for her freedom. Shortly after they left the police station she threatened to expose his crime should he refuse to let her go. The policeman had no other choice but to release her in the street and report back to the police station alone. Realizing the girl’s disappearance, officials at the police station arrested the officer. After he confessed his crime he was jailed and investi-

gators are searching for the fugitive.

Drug dealer Security officials at the Kuwait International Airport arrested a Pakistani for selling drugs in the airport’s parking lot, reported Al-Anba. While the man’s accomplice escaped police, around 9,000 illegal drug pills and 10 grams of heroin were confiscated in the arrest.

He was taken into custody for further investigations.

Two fires A fire occurred in the kitchen of a Kuwaiti family in Naseem while the maid was cooking lunch, reported Al-Watan.

Firefighters extinguished the flames before they could spread and an ambulance brought the maid to a nearby hospital.

Meanwhile, firefighters extinguished a fire in an apartment in Salmiya, reported AlSeyassah.

Investigations revealed that an electrical short circuit was the cause of the fire.

Envoy praises Amir’s vision MANAMA: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Bahrain Sheikh Azzam Mubarak AlSabah said here yesterday

that His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s economic vision aims to prop

up Gulf production and accomplishments.

A statement issued by the Kuwaiti Embassy yesterday,

MANAMA: Ambassador Sheikh Azzam Mubarak Al-Sabah visiting a new joint Gulf steel plant in Bahrain.

NATO, Kuwait agree on holding joint courses ROME: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the State of Kuwait have reached an unprecedented agreement according to which the two sides would organize joint courses and Kuwaiti lecturers would educate NATO personnel on some regional issues.

Lt Gen Wolf-Dieter Loeser, the head of the Nato Defense College (NDC), in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) yesterday, said NATO and a visiting Kuwaiti delegation, including heads of military academies chaired by Sheikh Thamer Al-Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Deputy Chief of the Kuwaiti National Security Apparatus, agreed on organizing several joint activities very soon.

NATO officials agreed with Sheikh Thamer that Kuwait would dispatch more cadets to take part in special courses in the Middle East. The academy would send its 80 enlistees of several member states of the western organization to the Gulf country for follow-up courses on regional issues.

He also expressed readiness to host academic lecturers from Kuwait and indicated at preparations for a week-long course to be held at the NATO academy headquarters. Such an unprecedented integrated workshop would certainly be beneficial for the NATO, he said.

Lt Gen Loeser indicated at the necessity for joint cooperation between the NATO and allied states for action against global challenges, namely terrorism, spread of weapons of mass destruction, threats caused by “rogue states,” energy security and combating cyber attacks and crimes. — KUNA

quoted the ambassador as saying while visiting a new joint Gulf steel plant in Bahrain that Kuwait’s political leadership attaches much attention to industry as a key pillar of national development in the country. Hailing the steel plant as a fresh Gulf accomplishment, he said the joint venture was set up under the umbrella of the United Gulf Steel Company. The GCC member states own 50 percent of the plant’s shares while the remaining percentage is held by shareholding companies from Kuwait and Qatar, he said.

The Kuwaiti ambassador went on to say, “This factory is a major contribution to the growth of steel industry in the region to meet development goals announced during the GCC summit in Kuwait.” — KUNA

KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait recently presented a financial contribution to support the activities of the Bayan Cooperative Society, in a step that comes as part of the their continuous efforts in supporting social activities in society; most notably those pertaining with the cooperative field. The Bayan co-op CEO, Yasser Al-Kandari, received a check for the contribution from the assistant manager, Nada Jaafar, and head of the NBK’s Bayan branch, Najat Al-Fadhalah. Al-Kandari expressed gratitude for this initiative, acknowledging the bank’s role in supporting social activities. Jafaar asserted on the NBK’s commitment to improve their national and social responsibilities for the development of the country.

NATIONAL

6

Sunday, April 4, 2010

KUWAIT: Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra (left) and Managing Director and Deputy CEO of TEC Khalid Al-Ghanim (right).

From left, Spouse of Indian Ambassador, Ajai Malhotra, Khalid AlGhanim, Meshari Al-Sanousi, Khalid Bin Sabt and Saqer Al-Bader.

Khalid Al-Ghanim and Indian Ambassador amidst the partici-

Khalid Al-Ghanim and Ambassador Ajai Malhotra cutting the cake to start the festival.

From left, Rogeh Domer, one of the Chefs, Khalid Fawzy, Rawan Khalid, Anwar Al-Rashid, Anwar Moussa and Mohammad Al-Tawash.

Huda Al-Saleh, Head of Public Relations and Marketing department at TEC amidst the Kuwaiti Press.

Indian Cuisine Festival kicks off at Kuwait Towers

Indian Band

Huda Al-Saleh, Head of Public Relations and Marketing in TEC.

KUWAIT: The Indian Cuisine Festival, hosted by the Touristic Enterprise Company (TEC), has begun and will continue until April 7 at the Kuwait Towers. Visitors to the festival will have the opportunity to taste a variety of Indian dishes during lunch and dinner buffets. Khalid Al-Ghanim, CEO of TEC, attended the festival and explained that it is part of the organization’s way to introduce different cultures to the country.

Indian ambassador to Kuwait, Ajai Malhotra, also attended the event and expressed his gratitude for the initiative. He added that the Indian embassy will continue to coordinate with the TEC in order to ensure the success of the event.

Meshari Al-Sanousi, Deputy Managing Director for Touristic Affairs.

Deputy managing director of touristic affairs, Meshari Al-Sanousi, explained that the TEC coordinated with the Indian Embassy and recruited three top-class Indian chefs to supervise the event.

The festival was also attended by the TEC managing director of administrative and financial affairs, Khalid Bin Sabt, deputy managing director for touristic affairs, Meshari Al-Sanousi, general manager of the Khairan Resort, Adnan Zain Addeen, head of the public relations and marketing department, Huda Al-Saleh, as well as two former Kuwaiti ambassadors to India; Essa AlEssa and Abdulaziz Al-Foudari. A number of other Indian, Arab and foreign personalities also attended the festival.

Nicolas, Chief Tawfeeq and Saqer Al-Bader

Some of the guests

Adnan Zain Addeen, General Manager of Khiran Resort

Khaild Bin Sabt, TEC managing Director for the Administrative and Financial Affairs

Kuwait wins leading post in UNESCO board PARIS: Kuwait has been selected as deputy chief of the executive board of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Council for the ‘Information for All’ Program.

The selection of Kuwait, which took place during a recent two-day gathering of the council, was made thanks to the Gulf state’s efforts to provide information to everybody at the national, Gulf and Arab levels, said the Director of Media Information at the Ministry of Information’s Foreign Media Sector, Khalid Al-Rezni, yesterday.

Al-Rezni praised the move as a great first achievement for state mass media, saying that Kuwait was first chosen in the council by the Arab Group at the nomination of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Libya and then by the executive board.

The Intergovernmental Council for the ‘Information for All’ Program comprises 26 members out of a total of 193 UNESCO members, divided among six regions, he said.

The new eight-member executive board of the council, currently headed by Russia, now includes Austria, the Philippines, Kuwait, Brazil, Latvia, Madagascar, and Cote d’Ivoire, he added.

The ‘Information for All’ Program is the only intergovernmental program exclusively dedicated to promoting universal access to information and knowl-

edge for development, a key feature in building knowledge societies.

During the recent gathering of the council, the participants reflected on the financial position of the program and reports of national supervisory committees, Al-Rezni said.

The Kuwaiti official quoted the executive board as welcoming and Voicing appreciation of Kuwait’s role in the provision of information to everybody in both the public and private sectors.

He explained that during the gathering Kuwait had presented a couple of strategies aimed at enhancing the board’s performance and budget and to make up working teams.

Kuwait was charged with forming one of the board’s five teams, which is responsible for assessing information’s contribution to development.

Founded in 2000, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Council for the ‘Information for All’ Program seeks to provide education to everybody, to freely share ideas and knowledge and to develop people-to-people relations, Al-Rezni explained.

Another of its objectives is to narrow the gap between the rich and poor in the field of information and the provision of platforms for international political debates and discussion of the moral, legal and social effects of information and communication technological advancement. —KUNA

INTERNATIONAL

Sunday, April 4, 2010

7

Israel’s ‘spy’ sentenced to death in Yemen SANAA: A Yemeni appeal court upheld yesterday a death sentence passed against a Yemeni man convicted of trying to work for Israeli intelligence services. A Reuters witness said the court also upheld jail sentences of five and three years handed down for the same offence to two other Yemenis in March 2009. The three had been convicted of emailing the Israeli prime minister’s office and offering to work for the intelligence service of the Jewish state, which Yemen and many other Arab states regard

as an enemy for occupying Arab land.

The three men had denied the charges, which they said were fabricated by an officer with whom they had a dispute.

The three, arrested in 2008, had been also convicted of demanding money from the embassies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They had been also accused of claiming, in the name of a group calling itself Islamic Jihad, an attack on the US embassy that killed 19 people in September 2008.

The twin suicide car bombings outside the US embassy, later claimed by Al-Qaeda in Yemen, were the biggest militant operation in the poor Arab state since the attacks on the French tanker Limburg in 2002 and the US warship Cole in 2000. Al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based regional wing has since claimed responsibility for the failed bombing of a US-bound passenger plane on a flight from Amsterdam in December.

Western powers and neighboring Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, fear that

instability in Yemen, where the government faces Shiite rebels in the north and separatist unrest, may allow Al-Qaeda to strengthen its operations.

Jordanian organ trafficker held A Jordanian suspected of trafficking in human organs has been arrested in Yemen as he attempted to fly to Egypt along with seven of his “victims,” the interior ministry said on its website yesterday. “Security forces in the capital arrested a Jordanian organ trader named Ramzi Khalil Abdullah

Farah who was trying to travel to Egypt along with seven Yemeni victims,” the ministry said. It said Farah was wanted for allegedly recruiting people to sell their kidneys. It said the seven Yemenis, aged between 20 and 45, were “on their way to Egypt after being persuaded by the Jordanian trader” who advanced them money from the proposed sale of their organs.

The ministry website did not say how much was reportedly paid to each person.

Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world. The World Health Organization considers Egypt, where hundreds of poor people sell kidneys or parts of their livers every year, to be a centre for organ trafficking.

Parliament in Cairo adopted a law to regulate organ transplants and limit trafficking in late February.

According to the United Nations, hundreds of poor Egyptians sell their kidneys and livers every year to buy food or pay off debts. —Agencies

Gunmen in army uniforms kill 24 Gunmen storm Sunni enclave KHARTOUM: Sudanese security forces patrol a street in Khartoum yesterday. — AFP

Boycott threat rocks Sudan’s historic polls Multiparty elections thrown into disarray KHARTOUM: Sudan’s first multiparty elections in decades have been thrown into disarray by allegations of government violations and opposition threats of a boycott. The disputes wreck hopes of transforming a conflict-plagued nation and could instead end up fueling violence in Darfur and the south. The election, set to begin April 11, had been billed as a chance to bring democracy to Sudan and start to heal a history of turmoil: 50 years of civil war between north and south that killed 2 million people, repeated military coups, and years of violence in the western Darfur region that the US called the 21st century’s first genocide and that brought international war crimes charges against the president, Omar Al-Bashir.

The United States and other nations have invested heavily in the elections, which are required under a 2005 peace deal between north and south mediated by Washington. But experts say the elections are likely to be deeply flawed and won’t resolve the deep mistrust between the multiple sides - leaving the divisions that could once again re-ignite into violence. “I think it is a hugely lost opportunity for Sudan,” said John Norris, executive director of the Washington-based advocacy group Enough project, which focuses on Darfur and Sudan.

The 2005 peace agreement that ended civil war “was built

around transformation and democratic reform, and those key elements ... have largely been ignored,” he said. Many in the south are already looking forward to a more crucial vote next year: a referendum on independence for their oil-rich region. But many fear the north will do anything to prevent the referendum from being held, which could bring the two sides again to the brink of war. The mainly Christian and animist south fought for decades against rule by the mainly Muslim north. The separate conflict in the western region of Darfur erupted in 2003, when ethnic African tribes rose up complaining of discrimination by the Arab-led government in Khartoum.

The theory behind this month’s local, parliamentary and presidential elections has been that they would loosen AlBashir’s autocratic control and decentralize power to address the factors that fueled conflicts in Africa’s largest nation ahead of the crucial referendum. But in the lead-up to the vote, there’s been little sign of that happening.

Arrangements for the referendum and crucial demarcation of the north-south border around oil-rich areas are still not in place, angering southerners. Darfur remains under a state of emergency, many of its refugee community disenfranchised or intimidated by the state presence, while violence continues, bringing the legitimacy

Which parties are planning to boycott Sudanese vote?

KHARTOUM: The shock decision by the main south Sudan party to withdraw from the presidential race and boycott elections in Darfur left the opposition in disarray and the credibility of the looming polls in question. After chaotic meetings, there was little consensus among the opposition about what action to do in the presidential, legislative and gubernatorial polls to begin on April 11, the first multi-party elections in 24 years in the oil-producer. Here are the positions of the main parties and what they mean.

SUDAN PEOPLE’S LIBERATION MOVEMENT (SPLM) The ex-southern rebels signed a 2005 peace deal with incumbent President Omar Hassan al-Bashir ending more than two decades of north-south civil war and formed a fragile coalition national government. They withdrew their candidate, seen as the main contender to Bashir, from the presidential race and said they would boycott all levels of polls in the western Darfur region because of the conflict there and widespread fraud.

They will continue to compete in all levels of polls in the south, where they dominate government, and which will vote in a January 2011 referendum on independence. Most analysts expect the south to secede. The SPLM announced their decision ahead of a planned meeting with a loose opposition alliance despite having promised them a consensus position on the polls. Their decision threw the already tentative opposition alliance into disarray in Africa’s largest country.

UMMA PARTY The last democratically elected prime minister, Sadeq Al-Mahdi, had said he would withdraw from the presidential race. But after deadlock in a meeting with much of the rank and file who refused a boycott, the party compromised and gave the government an ultimatum. A list of eight demands including a four-week delay to the April 11 polls must be agreed to by April 6 or the Umma Party, one of two of the largest opposition parties, would boycott the vote at all levels.

Bashir has said in every campaign speech for the past 10 days that he would never accept a delay, so a full boycott by the Umma is likely.

DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY The other main opposition party, the DUP, had until recently distanced itself from the opposition alliance, preferring to talk to Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP). But after accusations of irregularities in electoral procedure, it joined the alliance. It is very divided but the party leader, Mohamed Osman Al-Merghani, has confirmed the Islamic sectarian group will withdraw from the presidential race, but continue to compete at the parliamentary and gubernatorial levels. — Reuters

of any voting there into question.

Opposition groups said US envoy Scott Gration suggested partial elections in Darfur as a way to answer their complaints. And in general, opposition parties accuse Al-Bashir’s government of seeking to keep its monopoly on power despite the vote. Candidates, backed by reports from international observers and rights groups, complain al-Bashir’s party has used state resources for campaigning, arrested and intimidated activists, denied them free access to the media, and co-opted the independent National Election Commission. The Umma Party and other major opposition groups threatened to boycott the vote, saying they won’t participate in “incomplete” elections that would “falsify the people’s will” and demanding a delay to address the problems. Two of 11 opposition presidential candidates - including the sole southern candidate Yasser Arman - already have withdrawn from the race while others said they were considering following suit. Al-Bashir, on a campaign rally last week, sent a clear message to the southerners.

He warned that the southern referendum is in jeopardy if the opposition, backed by the south, continue to call for election delay.

Arman’s withdrawal may have been in response to that threat, to give up the race in order to improve chances for the referendum taking place. —AP

BAGHDAD: Gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed a Sunni Muslim village near Baghdad and killed 24 people, some of them former insurgents who turned against Al-Qaeda, Iraqi authorities said yesterday. The attackers may have been pretending to be US soldiers because they wore US-style uniforms, sunglasses, At least seven people were left alive, their hands tied behind their backs, Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim Al-Moussawi said. “The terrorist group drove cars and killed 24 people, including five women,” Moussawi said. Iraqi authorities had warned of a possible escalation of violence due to rising tensions surrounding a March 7 parliamentary election that produced no clear winner. Iraqi and US troops sealed off the area. Moussawi said 25 people were arrested and security forces were searching for more .

SONS OF IRAQ Moussawi said some of the victims were members of the Iraqi security forces and others of the Sahwa movement, or the “Sons of Iraq.” The group comprises Sunni former insurgents who joined the Iraqi government and US forces to fight AlQaeda militants and are credited with helping turn the tide of the Iraq war.

“This is Al-Qaeda’s doing,” said a Sahwa leader who asked not to be named. Another Sahwa official in southern Baghdad said the area was once an al Qaeda stronghold freed from “terrorists” by the Sons of Iraq.

“The security situation is getting worse in the country because of the struggle for power,” he said. “If they (AlQaeda) succeed in destabilizing this area and other areas, there will be a security vacuum which will result in a chaos.”

The attack was the largest of its kind in Baghdad in recent months, although the capital has been the target of largescale bombings. Violence has fallen sharply in Iraq in the last two years following the sectarian slaughter of 2006-07, but

and spoke some English, according to an Iraqi military source at the scene. The attack occurred on Friday in a Sunni enclave called Albusaifi in the southern part of Baghdad province, a former stronghold of Al-Qaeda militants. A police source said the gunmen handcuffed the victims and shot them in the head.

BAGHDAD: Mourners grieve as they ride with coffins of relatives killed in a village outside Baghdad yesterday. —AP assassinations, bombings and mortar attacks still occur daily.

A source in the Iraqi security forces’ intelligence service said 10 to 15 gunmen in pickup trucks were involved in the attack. He said Sons of Iraq members were targeted because they were loyal to the government.

“We have intelligence information that says Al-Qaeda is

trying to re-organize itself,” he said. “In the past these areas were the stronghold of AlQaeda. There are still sleeper cells in these areas that seize the chance from time to time to execute attacks and regain control of the areas again.”

The victims were members of three different families and included women and children, another source said.

The attackers looked like US soldiers and spoke in English, using a translator to communicate with locals, the Iraqi military source said, but the villagers did not believe they were Americans.

Nearly four weeks after the election, political coalitions are negotiating alliances that could give them the majority in Iraq’s 325-seat parliament needed to

form a government. Iyad Allawi, whose cross-sectarian Iraqiya alliance narrowly edged Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s State of Law for a plurality of seats, has warned of possible violence if majority-Shiite coalitions unite in a bid to exclude his bloc.

Iraqiya won strong support from Sunnis in Baghdad and Sunnidominated provinces in the north and west. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

8

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Senegal to unveil ‘African Renaissance’ statue DAKAR: Senegal prepared to inaugurate its giant “African Renaissance” monument yesterday, brushing aside complaints that the personal project of President Abdoulaye Wade was a waste of money and un-Islamic. One imam in the mainly Muslim West African state issued a fatwa on Friday condemning the statue of a man, woman and infant as idolatrous, a charge dismissed by Wade allies. Slightly bigger than New York’s Statue of Liberty, the $28 million copper monument perched on a hill overlooking

Critics say it is waste of money, un-Islamic the capital Dakar has been criticized as a waste of money in a country with crumbling infrastructure and welfare provision.

But its supporters argue that Africa, many of whose states are still struggling to find their feet a half a century after independence, needs symbols of hope for the future. “Every architectural work

sparks controversies-look at the Eiffel Tower in Paris,” pro-Wade senator Ahmed Bachir Kounta told Reuters of the 19th-century structure labeled by early critics as an expensive eyesore.

Wade, who at 83 has confirmed he will seek reelection in 2012, has invited around 30 African and other heads of state to the 1500 GMT ceremony, with

veteran US civil rights activist Jesse Jackson and US-Senegalese rapper Akon also expected.

RISING COST OF LIVING Many Dakar residents, struggling with increasingly frequent power cuts, disintegrating city roads and scarce formal employment, have mixed feelings

about the monument. “In 2010, Africa has to re-born,” said 36-year-old Thierno Dienj, a supporter of Wade’s rival socialists who was among the crowd at a small anti-government rally yesterday. “But this monument doesn’t take into account the rising cost of living here,” he said, repeating a common complaint over price hikes in basic food-

stuffs and public transport.

The notion of an “African Renaissance” came to the fore in the 1990s amid optimism the continent was shaking off the effects of colonialism and Cold War-era meddling by superpowers.

Leaders such as Wade and South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki picked up the idea and used it to drive projects such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), an economic development programme with modest results so far. — Reuters

Jews outraged by Vatican’s sermon Vatican in damage control mode VATICAN CITY: Jewish groups around the world have reacted with shock after Pope Benedict’s personal preacher compared attacks on the Church and pope over a sexual abuse scandal to “collective violence” against Jews. “I am absolutely totally astounded by this. This is folly,” said Amos Luzzatto, a former president of Italy’s Jewish communities. Rome chief

rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, who welcomed the pope in the capital’s synagogue last January said: “This is really in bad taste”. The pope’s personal preacher, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, in a Friday sermon in St Peter’s Basilica, said attacks on the Catholic Church and the pope over a sexual abuse scandal were comparable to “collective violence” against Jews.

VATICAN: Rev Raniero Cantalamessa delivers the Good Friday homily during a service celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Cantalamessa, the pontiff’s personal preacher, likened accusations against the pope and the Catholic Church in the sex abuse scandal to “collective violence” suffered by the Jews. —AP

‘JihadJane’ friend held in US on terror charges WASHINGTON: A US woman has been charged over plotting to attend a terror camp in Europe with another US woman known as “JihadJane,” after returning and surrendering to US authorities. Jamie Paulin-

Ramirez, 31, a blonde nursing student from Leadville, Colorado, had been reportedly arrested in Ireland last month on suspicions she planned to kill a Swedish cartoonist who made a drawing of the Prophet

Mohammed that outraged many Muslims.

Paulin-Ramirez was later freed without charge. She then returned voluntarily to the United States and was arrested in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on

Friday, the Justice Department said without detailing the reason for her return. She was charged with “material support to terrorists.” The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of 250,000 dollars (185,000 euros).

The Justice Department said Paulin-Ramirez had traveled with Colleen L aRose, a Pennsylvania woman who dubbed herself “JihadJane” online, “to and around Europe to participate in and in support of violent jihad.” It said LaRose invited Paulin-Ramirez last summer to attend a “training camp” in Europe with her.

Paulin-Ramirez accepted the invitation and asked to bring along her six-year-old boy “with the intent to live and train with jihadists,” according to the charges.

The day she arrived in Europe, on September 12, Paulin-Ramirez married another plot participant with whom she had only corresponded online, the indictment said. Her estranged mother, Christine Mott, said she had not heard from her daughter since PaulinRamirez was arrested in Ireland and was not aware she had returned to the United States.

Mott told the Los Angeles Times that Paulin-Ramirez took her son Christian to Ireland last year and told him that nonMuslims burn in hell.

He is now in the custody Pennsylvania’s child care system, according to Mott. “He’s seen his mother arrested twice,” she said, adding she lives on disability payments and cannot afford a lawyer for help to get the child back. “He needs to be back here and out of this madness.” —AFP

Jewish leaders around the world used words like repugnant, obscene and offensive to describe the sermon, particularly, as Di Segni noted, it came on the day that for centuries Christians prayed for the conversion of the Jews, who were held collectively responsible for Jesus’ death.

“How can you compare the collective guilt assigned to the Jews which caused the deaths of tens of millions of innocent people to perpetrators who abuse their faith and their calling by sexually abusing children?” demanded Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the international Jewish rights group.

Cantalamessa, speaking with the pope sitting nearby, said Jews throughout history had been the victims of “collective violence” and drew comparisons between Jewish suffering and attacks on the Church. “The use of stereotypes, the shifting of personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt remind me of the most shameful aspects of antiSemitism,” Cantalamessa quoted from the letter.

DAMAGE CONTROL A Vatican spokesman said the comparison “is absolutely not the line of the Vatican and of the Catholic Church”.

This week’s celebrations leading up to Easter Sunday have been clouded by accusations the Church in several countries mishandled and covered up episodes of sexual abuse of children by priests, some dating back decades.

Shaken by the crisis, the Vatican has accused the media of an “ignoble” attempt to smear the pope.

Some reports have accused him of negligence in handling abuse cases in previous roles as a cardinal in his native Germany and in Rome. Victims of sexual abuse also criticized Cantalamessa.

“This ridiculous attempt to hide the crimes of the (Church) hierarchy inside of Jewish suffering shows just how far this Pope seems willing to go to stop the truth from emerging,” said Peter Isely, a spokesman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

The Vatican has denied any cover-up over the abuse of 200 deaf boys in the United States by Reverend L awrence Murphy from 1950 to 1974.

The New York Times reported the Vatican and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, were warned about Murphy but he was not defrocked. The spiritual head of the Anglican Church, Archbishop Rowan Williams, said on Saturday the Catholic Church in Ireland had lost all its credibility over its response to the sex abuse scandals after an apology by the pope abuse in Ireland that disappointed victims. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: A sign at a Tesoro Corp refinery shows the former safety record of the facility in Anacortes, Wash. An overnight fire and explosion at the refinery killed four people and critically injured three others. — AP

4 killed in US refinery fire 3 workers in critical condition SEATTLE: Four Tesoro Corp employees were killed and three critically injured in an early morning blaze at the oil company’s 120,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Anacortes, Washington on Friday, cutting production at the plant to about one-third of capacity. The fire started in the highly flammable naphtha unit, which was undergoing maintenance, at 0730 GMT was contained by 2 am. The company said no offsite damage was caused.

The blaze shut the plant’s hydroprocessing units, the company’s chief financial officer said, adding that other units could be shut after a damage assessment. Tesoro has not yet gained access to the fire’s site to investigate. The refinery’s crude distillation unit is still running, but the plant is only at one-third of capacity, a spokesman said. Earlier, the company said the plant was running at 70 percent to 75 percent capacity.

Tesoro said it planned to make up any lost production by boosting output at its other West Coast refineries. The US Energy Information Administration said this week there were 32.5 million barrels of gasoline in inventory on the West Coast, well above what is needed to supply the region. Market reaction may be muted when trading resumes on Monday. “(West Coast) stockpiles are more than 10 percent higher than last year,” said David Hackett, president of energy consultancy Stillwater Associates. “Inventories are very healthy, especially for this time of year.”

Four workers-two women and two menwere airlifted to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, about 70 miles south of the refinery with severe burns. One of the women later died, and the other three are still in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. The US Chemical Safety Board said it was sending a team of investigators to probe the fire. “It’s a

major case,” CSB spokesman Daniel Horowitz said. The Tesoro Anacortes refinery fire is the deadliest accident involving production at a US refinery since the BP Texas City explosion on March 23, 2005, in which 15 workers were killed and 180 others injured. Four contract workers at the Lyondell Basell refinery in Houston were killed when a crane collapsed in July 2008, and two workers were killed in fire on a tank under construction in March of this year at Holly Corp’s Artesia, New Mexico, refinery. The CSB is already investigating an October fire at Tesoro’s Salt Lake City refinery.

PREVIOUS SAFETY ISSUES Following an inspection of the Anacortes refinery in 2008, Tesoro was cited for 17 serious violations with fines totaling $85,700, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Fourteen of the violations were deleted and the fines reduced to $12,250 after Tesoro agreed to fix the problems as opposed to contesting them. The Anacortes fire could mean expensive legal trouble for Tesoro.

“I can confidently predict there are lawyers already on site or in contact with unions representing Tesoro employees and signing up claimants as we speak,” said Lester Brickman, a professor at the Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law in New York. “The ultimate liability depends on the number of people who had sufficient proximity to the fire to have viable claims.” The fire started in a part of the plant processing naphtha, a liquid that boosts gasoline octane to make premium grades of gas required by some higher-performance cars.

“Naphtha is a very volatile substance, and if Tesoro were found to have been significantly negligent, that could magnify its liability,” Brickman said. — Reuters

Guantanamo prisoners put aside food for Haiti WASHINGTON: A group of inmates at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are setting aside some of their food as a donation to Haiti’s earthquake victims, one of their lawyers said. Allison Lefrak said Ravil Mingazov, the last Russian held in Guantanamo, told him by telephone a week ago that fellow inmates from “camp 4”-where the most cooperative prisoners are kept-”had thought that a lot of food was going to be wasted.” “They thought it was common sense to ask if they can give it to the Haiti relief mission,” the lawyer added.

Camp 4 prisoners are allowed to watch television and have been following the tragedy unfolding in nearby Haiti from the January 12 earthquake that killed about 220,000 people and left 1.3 million homeless, Lefrak said.

Despite their good intentions, he added, the prisoners of camp 4 were “doubtful” the food they have been gathering for around two weeks was actually being sent to Haiti by prison authorities. The US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, in eastern Cuba, has been used by the US government for relief missions to Haiti, which lies only 160 kilometers across the sea.

Long-lost piece of Haiti history A Canadian student has discovered a longlost piece of Haiti’s history: a document that may be the only known printed copy of Haiti’s Declaration of Independence, Duke University

said. Julia Gaffield, 26, stumbled upon the eight-page pamphlet in February while she was doing research on Haiti’s early independence from France at the British National Archives in London. She said the document, dated the day Haiti declared independence from France on January 1, 1804, had been overlooked in the British archives despite years spent searching for it. Until now, the only surviving copies were thought to be handwritten ones.

“I wasn’t specifically looking for it, but I had an eye out for it because I knew it was missing,” Gaffield said in a statement released by Duke University. “We figured there was an original somewhere, but didn’t know if it still existed.” Upon finding the documents, she returned them to the archives and notified her advisers at Duke. Gaffield did research for her doctoral project in France, Haiti and Jamaica, where she read a handwritten copy of the declaration among the papers of then-governor of Jamaica George Nugent. A letter from the former British governor of Jamaica said that a copy of the declaration not more than one hour off the press was enclosed.

Unable to find the printed declaration in Jamaica, Gaffield traveled to London, where she found the printed version. “It was not misplaced; it had been there for a long time. This period has not been studied in as much detail, so these are documents few people have looked through, and if they saw it, they didn’t realize the significance,” she said. —Agencies

INTERNATIONAL

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Russia bolsters defense, oil ties with Venezuela

Moscow’s ties with Caracas: Weapons, energy, politics Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gave the United States’ main Latin American foe, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a needed boost with a brief visit on Friday to discuss oil, defense and nuclear energy cooperation. Following are facts about relations between Venezuela and Russia: ENERGY AND MINERALS Russia is the world’s secondbiggest oil exporter and biggest gas producer. OPEC member Venezuela boasts Latin America’s largest oil reserves and 7.9 percent of the world’s total proven reserves, according to the BP Statistical Review of world energy. Venezuela’s staterun PDVSA and a Russian consortium that includes state giant Rosneft and private major Lukoil launched a $20 billion joint venture to tap the Junin 6 field in the vast Orinoco heavy crude belt, which Chavez says holds the largest hydrocarbon reserves in the world. Caracas said the project would begin producing 50,000 barrels a day by the end of this year, and eventually 450,000 b/d, nearly a fifth of the OPEC nation’s current output. The Russian companies have paid Venezuela a first tranche of $600 million-out of an agreed total of $1 billion-for the right to take part. Reserves in the Junin 6 block are estimated at 53 billion barrels, potentially making it the biggest Russian oil exploration project overseas, although Orinoco crude is extra heavy and must be processed before it can be refined. Other Russian companies involved in the block are Gazprom, TNK-BP TNBPI.RTS

and Surgutneftegaz.

Gazprombank, part of the Gazprom business empire, said in July it would finance the development of minerals and other raw materials in Venezuela with a $4 billion loan. Also last year, Venezuela and Russian-Canadian miner Ruso unveiled the development of large gold reserves valued at up to $30 billion at the Las Cristinas and Brisas mines.

Chavez’s government says it wants to grow the mining sector into the country’s second-biggest source of income after oil.

WEAPONS During his Moscow visit in September, Chavez recognized the independence of two proRussian rebel territories in Georgia- a move the Kremlin has failed to persuade its allies to make. Hours later, President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia would supply Venezuela with all the arms it asked for. Chavez wants to beef up the Venezuelan military with Russian missiles, tanks and even diesel submarines. Colombia, a US ally, is particularly concerned after rising tensions between the two Andean neighbors.

Russian sources say weapons deals worth some $5 billion have been signed in the last three years, including for 100 T-72 and T-90 tanks, 24 Sukhoi fighter jets, dozens of helicopters and S300 advanced anti-aircraft missile systems. Chavez received $2.2 billion in credit lines for more Russian arms during his eighth visit to Moscow in September.

Putin said Venezuelan had not used it yet. Chavez says he wants to resist what he calls US imperi-

alism in Latin America.

Washington has expressed concern about Venezuela’s weapons purchases, saying they have the potential to trigger a regional arms race.

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama extended Easter and Passover greetings to believers worldwide yesterday, using the occasion to push his economic, health care and education platforms. The president struck a universal tone in his weekly audio and video address, embracing both believers of all faiths and non-believers.

“While we worship in different ways, we also remember the shared spirit of humanity that inhabits us allJews and Christians, Muslims and Hindus, believers and non-believers alike,” he said. “It can sometimes be easy to lose sight of the eternal. So, on this Easter weekend, let us hold fast to those aspirations we hold in common as brothers and sisters, as members of the same family-the family of man.”

Now focused on the arduous task of selling his polarizing health care plan to a skeptical American public after signing it into law last month, Obama made a fresh appeal, though a far more muted and implicit one this time. “All of us value our health and the health of our loved ones. All of us have experienced an illness, a loss, a personal tragedy. All of us know that no matter what we’re doing or what else is going on in our lives, if the health of someone we love is endangered, nothing else matters,” he said. “Our health is the rock upon which our lives are built, for better and for worse.”

The president vowed to never give up his fight to prop up the battered US economy, hailing new government data that showed 162,000 jobs were created in March, the biggest increase in three years. “It was heartening news that last month, for the first time in more than two years, our economy created a substantial number of jobs, instead of losing them,” he said. —AFP

reconstruction of the de jure institutions of government without controversy, violence or civil war,” the website says.

Beebe’s spokesman Matt DeCample said the federal probe was likely launched because the group stipulated a timeline for governors to vacate their office. “The general idea called on the governor to resign from his office and then this group wanted to put into place its own articles of law and if the governor would agree to that they would then reappoint him as governor,” DeCample said.

According to The Washington Post, the FBI expects all 50 governors to eventually receive the letters. Other recipients so far cited by US media include Iowa’s Democratic Governor Chet Culver, Michigan’s Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm, Oklahoma’s Democratic Governor Brad Henry, Louisiana’s Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, Minnesota’s Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty and South Dakota’s Republican Governor Mike Rounds. — AFP

II*˛ˇ

Obama sends Easter, Passover greetings

removed from office if they did not resign by the deadline, law enforcement and state officials said. Virginia’s Republican Governor Robert McDonnell and Arkansas’s Democratic Governor Mike Beebe were among those who received the letters. They came on the heels of vandalism and harassmentincluding death threats-against lawmakers. Investigators worried the letters could unleash more violent behavior, according to US media.

The Homeland Security Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said they were aware of the letters.

“While there does not appear to be credible or immediate threats of violence attached to the letters, we are working with state and local authorities and continue to assess the matter,” they said in a joint statement.

Guardians of the Free Republics claims on its website that it seeks to restore US institutions by peacefully dismantling and rebuilding parts of government.

“The Restore America Plan is a bold achievable strategy for behind-the-scenes peaceful

CARACAS: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gave the United States’ main Latin American foe, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a needed boost with a brief visit on Friday to discuss oil, defense and nuclear energy cooperation. They launched a $20 billion venture between Russian firms and Venezuelan state company PDVSA aimed at pumping 450,000 barrels a day-

TRADE Trade between Russia and Venezuela totaled $957.8 million in 2008, down 15 percent from a record $1.13 billion the year before, according to Russia’s Economy Ministry. Russian exports to Venezuela-mostly aircraft-made up the vast majority of trade in 2008 at $957.4 million.

Venezuelan exports to Russia that year amounted to just $00,000. Chavez said Russia wants to import Venezuelan coffee, cocoa and other agricultural commodities. During Putin’s April 2 visit, Venezuela agreed to buy 2,500 Lada cars built by AvtoVAZ. Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot and the Venezuelan airline Conviasa agreed to establish regular flights between Moscow and Caracas, via Havana and Madrid. —Reuters

FBI probes ‘resign’ ultimatum WASHINGTON: The FBI and the Homeland Security Department launched an investigation Friday into letters an anti-government group sent to over 30 governors demanding they resign within three days.

The letters sent by Guardians of the Free Republics do not threaten violence but warned recipients they would be

Caracas wants nuke, space technology

MILITARY COOPERATION In September 2008, Russia sent two long-range Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers to Venezuela on what it said was a training mission. Also in 2008, Moscow sent the nuclear-powered battle cruiser Peter the Great, a destroyer and other vessels to the Caribbean for joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy. In March 2009, Chavez said he told Medvedev he would let Russian planes use an airfield on one of his nation’s islands, La Orchila, during their long-range flights.

30 governors urged to quit

9

“We are prepared to begin drawing up the first project for a nuclear power generator, obviously for peaceful purposes,” Chavez said at a news conference with Putin. “We are not building an alliance against the United States. We don’t care what Washington thinks,” Chavez said, adding that he would continue to make “modest” arms purchases from Moscow that were the minimum needed for Venezuela’s defense. Putin’s 12-hour visit provides a welcome lift for Chavez, who is facing domestic and international criticism for failing to solve Venezuela’s economic woes and attempting to silence opposition to his 11year rule.

Putin also held talks in Caracas with Bolivian President Evo Morales, along with Chavez the fiercest opponent of what they call US “imperialism” in Latin America. Facing a national electricity crisis that has caused widespread outages, Chavez’s government is turning to Iran and Russia for help to develop nuclear power.

Venezuela, South America’s top oil exporter and a major US supplier, has also expanded military ties with Russia under Chavez, who says the United States could attack Venezuela for its oil reserves.

Since 2005, Venezuela has bought about $5 billion worth of Sukhoi jet fighters, Mi-17 helicopters and Kalashnikov assault rifles. Chavez received $2.2 billion in credit lines for more Russian arms during his eighth visit to Moscow in September, including T-72 tanks and the S-300 advanced anti-aircraft missile system. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern last year that the Russian weapons purchases by Venezuela could trigger an arms race across Latin America. Chavez says his growing arsenal is aimed at countering a planned increase in the US military forces at bases in neighboring Colombia, Washington’s closest ally in the region.

ORINOCO OIL VENTURE The highlight of Putin’s visit was the rolling out of the joint venture to develop the Junin 6 field in the Orinoco, which will require $20 billion in investments over 40 years.

Venezuela expects the venture to begin producing 50,000 barrels a day by the end of the

almost a fifth of the OPEC member’s current output-from the vast Orinoco heavy oil belt. Russia also delivered the last four of 38 military transport helicopters, but no new defense agreements were signed, though Chavez said Moscow was open to help Venezuela develop nuclear energy for generating electricity.

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (right) and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attend a welcome ceremony at the airport in Caracas. — AP year. To boost its sagging output from traditional wells, Venezuela needs foreign investment and technology to tap the heavy oil of the Orinoco belt that requires much upgrading to turn into lighter crude.

The Russian consortium involved in Junin 6, state giant

Rosneft, private major Lukoil, Gazprom, TNK-BP and Surgutneftegaz, paid Venezuela the first $600 million tranche of an agreed $1 billion signing fee on Friday.

PDVSA holds a 60 percent stake in the project. The Russian firms are also in talks to create

joint ventures to develop three more Orinoco blocks, Junin 3 and Ayacucho 2 and 3. Chavez hopes Russian cooperation will reach as far as the space industry. “We could even install a satellite launcher,” he said at a televised cabinet meeting on Thursday.

The US State Department

scoffed at Chavez’s space plans, pointing out that Venezuela was so short of electricity the government had extended the Easter holiday for a full week.

“Perhaps the focus should be more terrestrial than extraterrestrial,” said spokesman PJ Crowley. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

10

Sunday, April 4, 2010

North Korea cargo train sparks Kim’s trip speculation DANDONG: The train thought to be carrying Kim Jong-Il to China appears to have been a cargo freighter on a journey unrelated to the reclusive North Korean leader, witnesses at the border said yesterday.

South Korea’s Yonhap news sparked speculation that Kim may be heading to China when it said one of the special trains Kim uses on rare trips outside his hermit state was seen in the Chinese border city of Dandong.

Witnesses in Dandong who saw the train cross in the predawn hours and video footage

shot by Reuters TV indicates it was a freighter and not Kim’s armored train. “It was an ordinary cargo train, nothing special,” a Dandong transport official who asked not to be named said.

South Korean officials said this week a trip was imminent, with analysts saying a visit would help revive dormant international talks hosted by Beijing on ending Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions. The North’s official news agency said in a report yesterday that Kim had watched a musical performance in Pyongyang. It did not give a

date for when he attended the event. Kim’s few trips to China have often led to moves that decrease the security threat Pyongyang poses to the economically vibrant region. His trips abroad are usually shrouded in secrecy and his state’s official media does not report on them until his journey is over and he is safely back in Pyongyang.

The visit would be the first since January 2006 when Kim toured China’s commercial centers and his first trip abroad since his recovery from a suspected stroke in 2008. The

North has come under pressure to return to six-country nuclear talks due to UN sanctions imposed after a May 2009 atomic test.

The sanctions have dealt a blow to its wobbly economy, and a botched currency move late last year has sparked inflation and rare civil unrest.

Tensions were high on the peninsula after a South Korean navy ship exploded and sank last week near a contested sea border with North Korea, leaving 46 sailors missing and likely dead.

The body of one of the miss-

ing sailors washed up near a South Korean controlled island yesterday, local media reported. South Korea has not ruled out blaming a North Korean torpedo strike for sinking its 1,200 ton corvette Cheonan, Defense Minister Kim Taeyoung said on Friday. Initial speculation that North Korea might have sunk the vessel spooked Wall Street when news first broke last week.

Share prices dipped partly on geopolitical concerns of escalating conflict between the rival Koreas, and the won dropped against the dollar.— Reuters

‘Red shirts’ swarm shopping district Protesters force major shopping malls to close BANGKOK: Tens of thousands of protesters converged on Bangkok’s main shopping area yesterday and threatened to stay until Thailand’s premier calls elections, forcing big retailers to close and paralyzing traffic. The red-shirted

protesters swarmed an intersection whose upmarket stores make it a symbol of wealth in the Thai capital, accusing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government of neglecting the poor on the 21st day of their mass street rally.

BANGKOK: A young boy watches from a flyover as protesters and supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra take up a street on their motorcycles during an anti-government demonstration in Bangkok yesterday. — AP

Body of S Korea sailor found; 45 still missing SEOUL: South Korean military divers found the body of one of 46 sailors missing after their navy ship sank eight days ago, officials said yesterday, the first body recovered during the underwater search of the wreckage. The body of Senior Chief Petty Officer Nam Ki-hoon was found near in what is presumed to be the mess hall in the ship’s rear area, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It said officials plan to take Nam’s body by helicopter to a military hospital near Seoul.

With the discovery of the body, 45 sailors remained missing, and hopes of finding survivors appeared to be fading. Divers planned to resume the search later yesterday.

The JCS said divers can plunge into waters only four times a day when currents are slow and waves weak, and they can stay underwater about 20 minutes each time.

The 1,200-ton navy ship Cheonan sank following an explosion late on March 26 during a routine patrol. Fiftyeight crew members, including the captain, were rescued soon after.

The vessel broke into two pieces after the explosion, the rear going down first and the front early on March 27. No cause has been determined for the blast and, despite some speculation, there has been no confirmation of North Korean involvement in the sinking, which occurred near the coun-

tries’ disputed sea border off the west coast of the Korean peninsula.

Defense Minister Kim Taeyoung has said that a floating mine dispatched from North Korea was one possible explanation for the blast on the Cheonan. A mine left over from the 1950-53 Korean War may also have struck the ship, he said. Officials say the cause of the explosion can only be

determined after the sunken ship is recovered. Separately, a funeral ceremony was held yesterday for a military diver who died during an attempt earlier in the week to reach sailors possibly trapped in the ship.

Also, the coast guard found the bodies of two of nine fishermen whose boat disappeared as it sailed toward fishing grounds after helping

search for debris and possible survivors from the sinking of the Cheonan. The bodies of one South Korean and one Indonesian fishermen were discovered after contact was lost with the boat late Friday, said coast guard official Lee Kyo-min. The search was continuing for six other South Korean crew members of the fishing boat as well as another Indonesian. — AP

BAENGNYEONG: An unidentified family member of a missing sailor of South Korean naval ship Cheonan weeps as she visits a site of the sunken ship off Baengnyeong Island yesterday. —AP

Central World, the secondlargest shopping complex in Southeast Asia, and other big shopping malls shut their doors in response to the protests and threats by the “red shirts” to stay in the area popular with tourists and studded with hotels. “We cannot let Abhisit rule the country any longer,” Jatuporn Prompan, a “red shirt” leader, said from the roof a truck. “It is time for the under-privileged to liberate themselves from oppression made by the elite-backed government.”

Abhisit, a British-born, Oxford-educated economist, said the government would not use force to disperse the protesters and urged Bangkok’s 15 million people to show restraint. “Be assured the government can maintain order,” he said. While the rally was mostly peaceful, tensions flared when protesters smashed the windshield of a Porsche car that had driven onto a sidewalk and hit a demonstrator.

Police rescued the 18-year-old driver, the son of a prominent businessman.

Backed by Thailand’s powerful military and royalist establishment, Abhisit has said a peaceful poll now would be difficult given the tensions and has offered to dissolve parliament in December, a year early. The mostly rural and urban poor protesters began rallying on March 14 when up to 150,000 converged on Bangkok’s old quarter. Analysts say Abhisit would likely lose an election if it were held now, raising investment risks in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy following a $1.6 billion surge of foreign investment in Thai stocks over the past five weeks on expectations Abhisit will survive the showdown.

‘SEA CHANGE IN THAI POLITICS’ The “red shirts”, supporters of twice-elected and now fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, say Abhisit has no popular mandate and came to power illegitimately, heading a coalition the military cobbled together after courts dissolved a pro-Thaksin party that led the previous government. Abhisit says he was voted into office by the same parliament that picked his Thaksin-allied predecessors.

Laying siege to an area to dislodge governments has become a way of life in Thai politics. In 2008, yellow-shirted protesters who opposed Thaksin’s allies in the previous government occupied the premier’s office for three months and then blockaded Bangkok’s main airport until a court expelled the government.

At the heart of the impasse is Thaksin, seen as authoritarian and corrupt before he was ousted in a 2006 coup but a rallying symbol for the poor as the first Thai civilian leader to reach out to rural voters in his 2001 campaign.

The 60-year-old former telecommunications tycoon is believed to be a big source of funds for the protests and has harnessed new technology-from social networking site Twitter to webcams — to rally supporters from selfimposed exile, mostly in Dubai.

Analysts say regardless of the outcome, the mass rallies mark a turning point in a country where the richest 20 percent of the population earn about 55 percent of the income while the poorest fifth get 4 percent, according to the World Bank. “The fact that this many people were mobilized for so long shows the sea change in Thai politics,” said Chris Baker, a political analyst who has written books on Thai politics. — Reuters

PYONGYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il (right) enjoys an art performance given by the Mansudae Art Troupe at an undisclosed location in North Korea. A cargo train was mistaken for a special train used to transport North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il as it crossed the border into China yesterday. — AFP

Indian minister calls academic robes ‘barbaric colonial legacy’ Ramesh pulls off his academic gown, cap NEW DELHI: India’s outspoken environment minister Jairam Ramesh pulled off his academic gown and cap at a university graduation ceremony, calling them a “barbaric” colonial legacy, a report said yesterday. Ramesh drew cheers in the central city of Bhopal as he discarded the robes and mortarboard Friday and addressed students in his trademark Indian loose cotton attire of long white shirt and pyjamas, the Times of India reported. India’s environment minister, who has guided the country’s global warming policy and is known for his blunt speech, rooted for dress that was “more Indian.”

He told the audience of students and faculty members that the long-flowing convocation robes were “medieval” and a “barbaric” relic from the country’s time as a British colony which ended in 1947 with India’s independence. “With

the flowing robe and the hat, it’s like being decked up like medieval vicars and popes. This practice started in 13th-century Oxford,” he said, adding India’s hot weather was “inappropriate” for such clothing.

“Why can’t we have a convocation ceremony in simple clothes?” Ramesh asked the students graduating from Bhopal’s Indian Institute of Forest Management. Ramesh’s remarks came after several ministers in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh where he was speaking had described the academic square cap and gown as a “sign of colonial slavery.”

Despite their applause for Ramesh’s views, the students and faculty remained in their academic gowns throughout the ceremony and later threw their caps in the air in traditional celebration. — AFP

White House responds to drywall complaints Homeowners blame drywall for nose bleeding, headaches WASHINGTON: The US government recommended yesterday that homeowners remove foul-smelling drywall, much of it Chinese-made, and replace electrical items and plumbing corroded by the key construction material. The interim guidelines, issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, follow complaints in a handful of states that Chinese drywall emitted rottenegg smells and damaged metal in homes. Some homeowners also say they have suffered nose bleeds, headaches and rashes as a result of the product.

HUD and the CPSC specifically advised consumers to rid their homes of the problematic drywall and replace affected electrical components and wiring, gas service piping, fire suppression sprinkler systems,

smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. “Our investigations now show a clear path forward,” CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in a press release. “We have shared with affected families that hydrogen sulfide (from the drywall) is causing the corrosion.” CPSC said it received more than 3,000 consumer complaints of health problems and metal corrosion in homes with the Chinese drywall that were newly-built or renovated from 2001 through 2008.

The top ten sulfur-emitting drywall samples tested for the agencies came from China, with some of the samples having emission rates of hydrogen sulfide 100 times greater than nonChinese drywall tested, according to the press release.

Chinese drywall produced during 2005 and 2006 showed high sulfur emissions compared to non-Chinese drywall, the agen-

cies said. But several Chinese drywall panels manufactured in 2009 demonstrated a marked decrease in sulfur emissions when tested, compared to the 2005-2006 samples.

“This does not imply that all Chinese drywall or that only Chinese drywall is associated with these (corrosion) problems, but that among homes with the characteristic corrosion, Chinese drywall is a corroborating marker for the characteristic problems,” an agency staff report said. HUD and CPSC said their investigation will provide a strong foundation for US lawmakers as they consider providing financial relief for affected homeowners.

In December, the federal government said local governments could use funds from HUD’s community block grants to battle the drywall problem.—Reuters

Rescuers, divers enter China’s flooded mine BEIJING: A group of rescuers yesterday entered a flooded mine shaft in China where 153 workers have been trapped for six days, state media reported. The 13 rescuers, including six divers carrying cameras, entered the Wangjialing coal mine in the early afternoon to explore conditions underground before more rescuers would be sent in, the official Xinhua news agency said. Some of the rescuers returned within hours, describing the situation underground as “complicated”. There have been no further signs of life since rescuers heard a tapping sound on Friday. At least 3,000 rescuers have been racing against time to pump water out of the vast coal mine in the northern province of Shanxi and reach the missing workers.

The water level inside the mine has fallen by more than five meters since Sunday, with rescuers draining 2,000 cubic meters of water per hour. A large scale rescue operation could be launched Sunday at the earliest, Xinhua said, citing a spokesman for the rescuers. About 280 rescuers would be involved in the mission, with 158 ambulances on standby, the report said. Authorities had maintained a faint hope that some workers may have survived if they were working on platforms above danger levels, and Friday’s news from the mine indicated this might have been the case.

Rescuers had inserted a pipe into the shaft as part of the rescue effort. When they took it out, an iron wire had been attached to it, apparently by one of the trapped, Xinhua quoted a rescue official as saying.

They have sent a bucket down the narrow hole with food provisions, pens, paper and communication equipment, Xinhua said. The rescue effort comes at the end of what has been a disastrous week for China’s notoriously dangerous mining sector.

Altogether, nearly 30 people have died and almost 200 are missing after five separate coal mining accidents in as many days. Workers’ safety is often ignored in China’s collieries in the quest for quick profits and the drive to meet surging demand for coal-the source of about 70 percent of the country’s energy. In the latest incident, nine people died in a fire in a coal mine in the northern province of Shaanxi on Thursday. In the central province of Henan, a huge explosion at a coal mine that authorities said had been operating illegally killed at least 20 people on Wednesday.

Another 24 people were believed to be trapped underground in the mine, and the boss had fled, prompting a huge manhunt by local police, state media said. The blast was so powerful that several buildings near the mine shaft were flattened, the official China Daily reported. In the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, a flood had trapped five people at a colliery. And on the other side of the country, in the far-western region of Xinjiang, 10 were missing after a mine collapse. If the workers in Shanxi are not saved, that accident will be the deadliest in China’s coal mines in more than two years.

According to official statistics, 2,631 coal miners were killed last year in China-or about seven a daydown by 584 from 2008. China has made efforts to improve safety standards in mines, levying heavy fines and implementing region-wide mining shutdowns following serious accidents. But the action has resulted in the under-reporting of accidents, labor rights groups maintain.

And deadly accidents still occur in big, stateowned collieries, such as the one in Shanxi where the 153 workers are trapped. — AFP

Sunday, April 4, 2010

INTERNATIONAL

11

German friendly fire kills 6 Afghan troops 3 Germans die in firefight with militants KABUL: German soldiers traveling to the scene of a deadly firefight with Taleban insurgents accidentally killed six Afghan troops, the Afghan military said yesterday. Three Germans died in the firefight with the militants. The friendly fire incident Friday took place in northern Kunduz province, where German forces were sharply criticized last September when they ordered an

PESHAWAR: Pakistani policemen stand alert during a funeral ceremony for fallen colleagues in Peshawar yesterday. Eleven people including three policemen were killed in a clash between police and criminals involved in kidnapping and robberies in northwest Pakistan. —AFP

30 militants die in Pakistan offensive Six soldiers slain; Troops capture key area PESHAWAR: Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships yesterday killed 30 militants and captured key heights in a tribal area after facing tough resistance in which six soldiers were killed, officials said. Fighting erupted at several places in Orakzai district near the Afghan border, where security forces have been pressing a new offensive to flush out Taleban believed to have fled a major offensive in South Waziristan last year.

“Security forces have taken control of important heights around Bezoti area after encountering tough resistance,” a military statement said.

“During the operation 30 terrorists were killed and many got injured,” it said. “Six security personnel embraced martyrdom while 10 got injured,” the statement said.

Earlier local administration and military officials said fighting erupted at several places and helicopter gunships pounded rebels positions in which a total of 22 militants were killed. Major Fazlur Rehman, spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps said, that militants based in mountain hideouts attacked a military convoy between the towns of Goeen and Hindara and the gunbattle left at least 13 Taleban dead. Local administration official Sajjad Ahmed, who also put the militant toll at 13 dead, said helicopter gunships pounded the

rebels in the area. Six other militants wounded in the clash had been arrested, Ahmed said.

Ground forces attacked militant hideouts in Otman Khel also and killed nine Taleban insurgents, Rehman said. He later confirmed the overall toll had risen to 30 and that security forces had seized control of key heights in the area. US officials have praised Pakistani assaults against homegrown militants blamed for attacks that have killed more than 3,000 people in three years, but also want the military to tackle groups who attack NATO troops across the border in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s mountainous and semi-autonomous tribal belt became a stronghold for hundreds of Taleban and Al-Qaeda-linked extremists who fled Afghanistan to regroup and launch cross-border attacks after the US-led invasion in 2001.

The military has announced a running death toll of more than 100 militants in the Orakzai operation since late last month, but the figures cannot be verified independently because access to the remote area is extremely limited. Orakzai is a former bastion of Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan leader Hakimullah Mehsud, whom US officials believe probably died in a US drone attack in January. The Pakistani military says it has no evidence he is in the area. —AFP

Washington rejects Karzai’s anti-foreigner outburst WASHINGTON: The United States has rejected President Hamid Karzai’s anti-foreigner outburst as “troubling” and “preposterous,” prompting a hurried effort by the Afghan leader to make amends. Officials said Karzai did not specifically apologize during a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday, but expressed “surprise” at the furor over his claim that foreigners orchestrated election fraud.

The row came just a few days after President Barack Obama made an unannounced trip to Kabul to press Karzai on tackling corruption and to demand progress on good governance, as Washington’s troop surge strategy unfolds against the Taleban. The new confrontation will only raise doubts about the fragile relationship between the Obama administration and Karzai, whom Washington is forced to consider a partner despite distaste for his political record.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs called Karzai’s comments “troubling” and “cause for real and genuine concern.” Gibbs noted the huge US military and political resources-and sacrifices-committed to Afghanistan. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley meanwhile described Karzai’s intervention as “preposterous.” US ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry also met with Karzai in person to seek clarification on his comments on Thursday. The Afghan leader then initiated the call to Clinton and expressed “surprise that his comments had created what he called a stir,” a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“Generally we were happy with the call and we’re moving on,” the official added. Crowley called the conversation a “constructive” one as Washington and Kabul seek to defuse tense relations. “President Karzai reaffirmed his commitment to the partnership between our two countries, and expressed his appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices of the international community,” he said, adding that Karzai and Clinton “pledged to continue working together in a spirit of partnership.”

But the Obama administration scrapped a planned Karzai visit to Washington last month after he gave

himself full control over the electoral commission. In another snub to the United States, he then invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit Afghanistan. The Afghan leader drew fierce global condemnation for his speech on Thursday. “There was fraud in presidential and provincial council elections-no doubt that there was a very widespread fraud, very widespread,” Karzai told Afghan election commission workers in Kabul.

“But Afghans did not do this fraud. The foreigners did this fraud,” he added, accusing other countries of interfering in his country’s domestic affairs. He also claimed that such moves risked the 126,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan being seen as “invaders”-terminology used by the Taleban-and the nine-year insurgency as “a national resistance.” Afghan analysts suggested Karzai had lost control after being criticized by Obama and angered by the Afghan parliament, and noted the statements could signal a shift in foreign policy.

Afghan lawmakers had voted against his amendments to a law banning non-Afghans from the UNbacked watchdog that was integral to exposing last year’s fraud. Parliamentary elections are scheduled in Afghanistan in September and some Afghans say Karzai is galled by the prospect of having to make embarrassing concessions to secure vital foreign funds. Karzai was declared re-elected in November by his own officials after his challenger Abdullah Abdullah abandoned a run-off.

On Thursday, he accused “embassies” of trying to bribe electoral officials and former UN deputy head of mission Peter Galbraith of threatening them.

He also charged that the head of the EU election observer mission, France’s Philippe Morillon, orchestrated the fraud. Galbraith was sacked after arguing the United Nations was turning a blind eye to the electoral chicanery. At the time, he said that as much as 30 percent of the Karzai vote in the August election was fraudulent. In an interview, Galbraith said Karzai’s comments were “absurd and preposterous” and showed Karzai was not taking Obama’s warnings seriously. —AFP

KAROKH: Afghan children ride a donkey in Karokh district of Herat province, west of Kabul. — AP

Meanwhile in Kabul, the speaker of the lower house of parliament criticized President Hamid Karzai for blaming the international community Thursday for the vote fraud controversy over last year’s disputed presidential election. Yunus Qanooni also blasted Karzai’s claim of foreign interference in the drafting of the nation’s electoral law, which the president had sought to amend this week to expand his control over the country’s institutions. Karzai was rebuffed by parliament.

“This is the house of the people and all the members have been elected,” Qanooni said. “It’s not possible that we would be influenced by foreigners.” Karzai called US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Friday after the Obama administration expressed dismay at his remarks - a sign of the increasingly uneasy relations between the Afghan leader and key international allies whose forces support his weak government against a powerful Taleban insurgency.

Militants have long been active in the volatile south and east, but once stable northern areas have also come under growing militant influence, including Kunduz. The Taleban presence there threatens a key NATO military supply line that opened last year following painstaking negotiations between neighboring counties and the United States. The land route via Russia and Central Asia offers an alternative means of trucking in essential supplies to the 120,000-strong NATO force in Afghanistan. Most supplies come in overland from Pakistan along a corridor that has been frequently attacked by militants.

Commenting on Friday’s friendly fire incident, the German military said its soldiers were rushing from Kunduz to the scene of fighting with militants shortly after 7:00 pm when they encountered two civilian vehicles and demanded that they stop.

When they did not, a German armored personnel carrier opened fire on them, its statement said. The vehicles were later found to have been transporting Afghan troops and an investigation is pending, the military added. Shortly before, German troops had been attacked while on a bridge-building and mine-clearing mission southwest of Kunduz city.

Kunduz provincial government spokesman Muhboballuh Sayedi said Afghan commanders were meeting yesterday with coalition forces to discuss the incident. The Afghan Defense Ministry condemned the deaths of its soldiers. Commander of Afghan forces in northern Afghanistan, Gen. Murad Ani, said the two vehicles attacked had been returning to base after resupplying army and police units dispatched at the request of the Germans. One was an armored vehicle and both were clearly marked, said Ani, who visited the scene of the shooting yesterday morning along with officials from the police and intelligence services.

Ani said the incident occurred 5 miles from the battlefield and there was no fighting in the immediate area. “I don’t know why these German troops fired on our soldiers,” he said, adding it wasn’t clear what warnings had been issued before firing commenced. The German commander in northern Afghanistan, Brig Gen Frank Leidenberger, called Ani soon after the friendly fire incident to “express his profound dismay,” the German military said. Spokesman for the German Central Command Joerg Langer said troops had warned the oncoming vehicles but were unable to see who was inside because of failing light.

“We obviously regret this incident very much,” Langer said in Berlin. He declined to give further details citing the ongoing investigation. The German military said Friday’s battle with militants continued until about 11:30 p.m. and German troops were still patrolling the area. The bodies of the three soldiers were to be repatriated to Germany yesterday, it said. Kunduz is one of the principal bases for the 4,300 German troops currently deployed in Afghanistan. The German parliament recently approved the deployment of 850 reinforcements.— AP

airstrike on two tanker trucks that had been captured by the Taleban. Up to 142 people died, many of them civilians. The German central command confirmed Friday’s incident, but put the number of Afghan troop casualties at five. The deaths occurred amid heavy fighting between German troops and militants near Kunduz city.

HELMAND: A US Marine (second right) of 3rd Battalion checks their position on a GPS device as they move forward at a farm during a foot patrol in Marjah.—AFP

in the news Five killed in Kashmir SRINAGAR: Four suspected Muslim rebels and a soldier died in fresh gunbattles in the south of revolt-hit Indian Kashmir where fighting has raged for days, police said yesterday. So far 17 rebels and four soldiers have died in gunbattles in Rajouri district, which borders Pakistan-administered Kashmir, since Indian troops backed by police launched an operation last Tuesday against the militants. The latest killings came late Friday when insurgents made an offer to surrender but then opened fire when troops moved in to arrest them, killing a soldier, a police spokesman said. “The soldiers returned the fire, killing four militants,” he said, adding that the anti-rebel operation in the forested area was continuing. Police said the heavily armed rebels had recently crossed into

Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani zone of the disputed region. On Thursday, suspected rebels blew up part of the railway linking Baramulla town in the north with the southern town of Qazigund in the first such attack since the train was introduced in the Muslimmajority Kashmir valley in 2008.

Lanka writer under fire

COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan woman taken into custody last month for writing books about her conversion to Islam from Buddhism is being investigated for possible links to Islamic extremists, police said yesterday. Last weekend, police said the woman, identified as Malini Perera, was taken into custody under tough emergency laws over allegations of “anti-state” activities but they did not elaborate. But yester-

day, police spokesman Prashantha Jayakody said Perera was being held while police investigate “possible links to Islamic militants.” “She has not been formally charged yet because police are still investigating the case,” Jayakody said. He accused the writer of “insensitive religious writings.” The author, a native Sri Lankan who is resident in Bahrain, was detained while holidaying on the island after trying to mail copies of her books to undisclosed recipients abroad. The books are titled “From Darkness to Light” and “Questions and Answers.” Perera’s lawyer, Lakshan Dias, said the writer was a victim of religious intolerance. “Her writings don’t insult any religion. They’re a collection of opinion pieces on the way Buddhism is being practised,” Dias said.

12

OPINION

Sunday, April 4, 2010

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher

YOUSUF S. ALYAN Editor-in-Chief

ABD AL-RAHMAN ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24833199 Extn. 125 / 126 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait.

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

focus

US currency push on China no slam dunk

By Paul Eckert

C

hina’s currency is clearly undervalued, but pressure on Beijing to make its currency rise in value won’t trim the US trade deficit with China or reduce the jobless rate, say American economists.

Political pressure is building on the Obama administration to name China a “currency manipulator” in a mid-April report, and lawmakers are threatening to slap tariffs on Chinese goods to offset any export subsidy a cheap currency gives China.

However, many trade economists and businessmen say that at best, a heavyhanded US approach on currency will fail. At worst, it could backfire, sparking a US-China trade war. Instead, Washington should address the currency and other factors behind global financial imbalances in a multilateral setting. Bilaterally, the Americans should focus on Chinese trade barriers that suppress sales to China and may violate World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments, they say.

“The currency is undervalued, period. It’s also a structural distortion because the world’s second-largest economy shouldn’t be pegging to the largest economy,” said Derek Scissors of the Heritage Foundation in Washington. Economists say China’s currency is pegged to the dollar at a rate that is between 15 and 40 percent lower than the level markets would set if the yuan were freely traded. Slamming the Chinese over currency is politically appealing in an election year in which US unemployment is near 10 percent and China’s trade surplus is expanding again.

Economically, however, “this is a dead end,” warned Scissors. “If you’re looking to create jobs, the currency change won’t do it.” “The Chinese have reserved large parts of their market for the state - by rules, by subsidies, by everything you can imagine - and that’s the big cap on US exports, not the currency,” he said. The US Trade Representative’s office on Wednesday issued an annual report that cited a range of Chinese regulations, subsidies and policies that favor state firms over foreign firms and contravene China’s WTO obligations.

Earlier this month, the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute issued a study that said China’s “currency manipulation” and other trade policies caused the loss of as many as 2.4 million US jobs between 2001 and 2008.

With the US economy having shed 8.4 million jobs since December 2007, many US lawmakers have embraced the currency-unemployment nexus suggested in the EPI report.

The US-China

Business Council, whose members do business in China, retorted that the EPI analysis was “several decades wrong” because China is merely the newest supplier of goods that its Asian neighbors used to sell to the US market.

Americans who blame job loss on China trade ignore all the jobs supported by imports and operate “on the faulty assumption that every product imported from China would have been made in the US otherwise,” said John Frisbie, USCBC president.

Daniel Ikenson, an economist at the CATO Institute, said that when China eased the yuan-dollar peg between 2005 and 2008, the Chinese currency appreciated 21 percent - but US imports from Chinese increased by 38.7 percent. “The currency issue is a problem because there’s a false association with the trade deficit and the trade deficit is falsely associated with job loss,” he said.

The EPI’s Senior International Economist Robert Scott, author of the job report, shrugs off critics who say his call for a sharp appreciation of the Chinese currency is futile. “If you make Chinese goods 40 percent more expensive and make US goods 40 percent less expensive, that’s got to have an impact on ultimate sales of goods in both countries and ultimately, on jobs,” he said. But Scissors counters that a Chinese currency appreciation would simply make “jobs move to other countries that are lowcost producers who couldn’t quite catch up to the Chinese but now they can: Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico, India.”

Speculation about how the US Treasury Department will handle the semi-annual currency report due on April 15 has swung from predictions of a strong likelihood that China will be cited to talk that Treasury might postpone the decision. The Bush administration often put off the finding to avoid friction with Beijing ahead of key events, and neither the Obama administration nor its predecessor has ever declared China a manipulator.

The Obama administration is hosting a nuclear disarmament summit on April 12-13 that it hopes Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend. US cabinet officials will travel to Beijing for an annual strategic and economic dialogue meeting in late May. A currency manipulator ruling simply requires Washington enter into consultations with China and the International Monetary Fund. Some analysts say that would be a good thing because it would “multilateralize” a testy bilateral dispute and stave off broad protectionist moves by the US Congress. —Reuters

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

Iraq a catalyst for US-Syria rapprochement?

F

By Marwan Kabalan

ollowing five years of tense relations between the United States and Syria, the Obama administration has appointed a new ambassador to Damascus - the current deputy ambassador to Iraq, Robert Ford. The nomination shows the central importance of Iraq to US-Syrian relations. The US war in Iraq drove a deep wedge between the two, but common interests over Iraq now seem to have become the latent force behind rapprochement.

When the Bush administration decided to invade Iraq in 2003, Syria openly opposed the plan. Syria felt that the United States was targeting it as well, as Washington’s political conservatives advocated regime change in Damascus, and so it supported the resistance to the US occupation. The United States also accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross the borders into Iraq and hosting senior members of the former Iraqi regime.

In the summer of 2004, however, Syria started to reconsider its policy. Increasing violence in Iraq and the growing influence of extremist groups, such as Al-Qaeda, led Syria to place greater emphasis on stabilizing Iraq in order to reduce its effect on Syria. In the autumn of 2005, Syria reinforced its military presence along its Iraq border, deploying 7,000 extra troops to stop would-be infiltrators trying to join the anti-US insurgency. In addition, as a mark of good faith, Syria allowed Iraqi electoral candidates to campaign amongst the approximately 1.5 million Syria-based Iraqi refugees - a clear departure from earlier Syrian policy, which opposed the US invasion and everything resulting from it, including elections.

In 2006, Syria recognized the Nouri Al-Maliki-led government in Iraq and re-established diplomatic relations with Baghdad.

Increasingly, observers started to see agreement and sometime over-

lapping interests between the United States and Syria. From mid2007, Syria and the United States, notwithstanding the hostile rhetoric, started to explore common interests regarding Iraq. On this particular area, they could increase their cooperation and stop their deteriorating relationship.

From that time on, Syria started to show genuine interest in the establishment of a strong central government in Baghdad. For Damascus, this was a key requirement in preventing the disintegration of the country and the emergence of confessional-based ministates along its border. To this end, Syria lobbied for the inclusion of the major Sunni factions in the political process. A formula of power and wealth sharing was seen as essential to get all the parties involved in a national reconciliation process.

Syria also advocated the revision of the de-Baathification law in Iraq to allow some former members of the Sunni-dominated Baath Party to

participate in government again, a prerequisite for an inclusive national reconciliation process. Syria is concerned about the activities of extremist groups in Iraq and fears violence spilling over into its territory. For Damascus, Iraq might very well turn into another Afghanistan a breeding place for extremists.

As such, Syria makes no efforts to hide its displeasure with policies that foster sectarianism and federalism, by opposing attempts by key Shiite factions, particularly the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, to establish a Shiite province in the south of Iraq.

It also coordinated with Turkey to preserve Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity.

Ahead of the latest general elections, Syria and the United States seemed to have been endorsing more or less the same policies on Iraq: encouraging the inclusion of all political parties in the electoral process, working to provide a reasonable level of stability and securi-

ty and preventing sectarian violence or partition along ethnic lines. Syria also hopes to see the smooth withdrawal of all American troops according to the timetable set out in the US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement.

Indeed, there are a number of differences between the United States and Syria, such as disagreements over the pace of US withdrawal from Iraq and Syria’s strong ties with elements of the former Iraqi regime.

Yet, these differences could be overcome, particularly after the positive developments resulting from the March 7 general elections in Iraq, including strong performances by secular and nationalist forces. Indeed, the two countries will have to agree on an overall strategy to cooperate to stabilize Iraq, an opportunity for the new US ambassador to Damascus to bring five years of cold relations to an end.

NOTE: Marwan Kabalan is a Syrian writer and academic —CGNews

Karzai outburst exposes Kabul’s rift with West

By Peter Graff

A

blistering outburst by President Hamid Karzai on the West exposes a yawning rift between the veteran Afghan leader and the countries whose troops protect him, which could have serious consequences for the eight-year-old war. Karzai has occasionally sniped at the Western countries that have 120,000 troops in Afghanistan, but his full-throated remarks on Thursday were unprecedentedly bitter and direct.

In a speech to election officials, he accused Western embassies of bribing and threatening officials, tampering with election results and conspiring to weaken the Afghan government. “Foreigners will make excuses, they do not want us to have a parliamentary election,” Karzai said. “They want parliament to be weakened and battered and for me to be an ineffective president, and for parliament to be ineffective.”

In Washington, the White House said the United States was seeking clarification of Karzai’s comments.

“Obviously some of the comments of President Karzai are troubling,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters. “They’re cause for real and genuine concern.”

The remarks follow a deterioration in the relationship on both sides and come days after an awkward visit by US President Barack Obama, who arrived and left under cover of darkness and did not answer media questions in Karzai’s presence.

Diplomats said that while they were taken aback by the high visibility and direct tone of Karzai’s latest comments, they were not surprised to find themselves the butt of his attack. “Karzai has been biting the hands that have been feeding

Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) compound in Kabul on April 1, 2010. —AFP him for some time. This is not a new pattern,” said one Western diplomat in Kabul. “This was particularly visible, but he’s been Western-bashing and US-bashing for some time now.”

Another diplomat described the

remarks as a negotiating tactic to influence talks to resolve how a parliamentary election will be run this year, which could backfire by hurting support for the war in Western countries back home. Karzai has tried to remove UN appointees from

their majority position on an election fraud watchdog that threw out a third of his ballots during a presidential poll last year. The lower house of parliament voted on Wednesday to overrule him.

But the tension goes deeper than a spat over electoral rules. Karzai has had a frosty relationship with the Obama administration from the outset and it deteriorated late last year in the aftermath of his disputed presidential election. US ambassador Karl Eikenberry, in a classified cable that was later leaked, wrote in November that Karzai was “not an adequate strategic partner” and recommended against sending troop reinforcements unless Karzai implemented reforms.

Nevertheless, in December Obama re-committed to a counterinsurgency strategy to protect Karzai’s government, and ordered 30,000 extra troops to the country this year. So far this year, US and Western officials have tried to play down their differences with Karzai in public, receiving him warmly at a conference in London in January.

They praised commitments he made to tackling corruption in his inauguration speech in November and hailed his decision to keep proWestern ministers in some cabinet posts.

But Western frustration has since grown. A promised anti-corruption crackdown has not materialised. Quietly, Karzai’s government disclosed it had made a 2007 amnesty bill into law, granting immunity for war crimes to armed groups, a measure denounced by the United Nations.

Unlike his predecessor George W Bush, who held video conferences with Karzai regularly, Obama has held only one video conference with the Afghan leader so far this

year.

The lack of trust between Karzai and the West could directly hurt the campaign on the battlefield in coming months, when US troops launch the war’s biggest operation in the southern city of Kandahar, said Tim Ripley, who writes about defence for Jane’s publications in Britain. “The obvious problem is, the aim of counter-insurgency war is to win the population to the cause. And if you don’t believe in the cause, it’s difficult to sell it to the population,” he said. “They seem to be not having much confidence in the Afghan government, and the Afghan government doesn’t have much confidence in us either.”

In recent days, US military officials have briefed reporters on the Kandahar operation, saying they would prefer to sideline Karzai’s half-brother, the province’s provincial council chief and most powerful man. Karzai stands by his brother and is unlikely to accept any pressure to reduce his family’s interests. Karzai’s main election opponent from last year, ex-foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, pounced on Karzai’s remarks as a sign the president was losing his grip, even telling reporters he feared for Karzai’s “well being”.

Karzai’s remarks were intended to be “populist, anti-foreigner”, but would backfire at a time when he remains dependent on the West, where public support for aid to Afghanistan is fragile and flagging, Abdullah said. “Look at the very, very small window of opportunity which is left - which is the presence of the international community and they still have the committment to help Afghanistan. And then you have a leader talking in that sense?”

Abdullah told Reuters. —Reuters

13

ANALYSIS

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Election-free Italy has rare window for reform

By Stephen Brown and Giselda Vagnoni

T

he rare prospect of three years without major elections gives Italy a window of opportunity for reforms, but rivalries in Silvio Berlusconi’s ruling coalition, highlighted by regional elections, could prove distracting. The centre-right prime minister exceeded expectations in the elections held in 13 regions this week, but his share of the vote fell dramatically, turnout hit record lows, and in Rome his party only just avoided defeat after bungling its registration.

Although only 64 percent of 41 million eligible voters turned out, an eight point drop, it did not prove to be a midterm protest vote of the kind suffered

by France’s Nicolas Sarkozy last month. Berlusconi said it gave him a stronger mandate for reform. Yet, aware that the biggest gains were made by his anti-immigrant, pro-autonomy coalition partner, the Northern League, whose grip on the industrial north strengthened, Berlusconi now appears to feel the need to reassert his leadership of the centre right. “The voters are with me, we won a mandate for reforms, and now I will show that the party is with me too,” said the 73year-old, whose third term in office expires in 2013.

His party’s share of the vote fell almost seven points to 26.7 percent from 2008’s general election, putting

him only one point ahead of the main opposition Democratic Party. Umberto Bossi’s Northern League continued its steady climb, to 12.7 percent. Party insiders say the regional vote highlighted faults in the structure of Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party (PDL), an uneasy partnership of the former Forza Italia, a personal vehicle for Berlusconi, and Gianfranco Fini’s southern-based National Alliance, which evolved from the fascist movement.

The PDL failed to register candidates in the Rome district, meaning that Fini’s faction of the party only narrowly managed to win the Lazio region, which includes Rome. Fini, speaker of parliament and the most obvious successor to Berlusconi as leader of the centre right, often disagrees with him and is suspected of hatching plans to relaunch his own party.

Meanwhile Bossi, whose National League is highly disciplined and well organised down to the grass roots, has made public his ambition to replace the PDL’s mayor in Milan in 2011. “If Berlusconi and Fini don’t start talking to each other rather than through the press, and sort out the structure of the party, everything will fall apart, people will end up leaving and reforms won’t get done,” said a PDL member of the European Parliament, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Berlusconi talks broadly of

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi casts his ballot during the regional elections in Milan on March 28, 2010. —AFP “reforms needed to modernise and develop our country” while Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti told an International Monetary Fund mission worried about Italy’s deficit that “we accept the challenge of structural reform”. However, Berlusconi’s immediate focus is on his pet project of reforming the courts, which he says are led by “communists” bent on “persecuting” him. And the League looks unstoppable in its plan to devolve taxation and spending powers via “fiscal federalism”.

Judicial reform could make Italy more competitive, but only in the long term. Fiscal federalism, already approved by parliament, will take years to implement, and its benefits are hotly debated. Bossi is determined to stop the rich north bankrolling the poor, corrupt south and is a strong backer of the PDL’s Tremonti, who defended federalism when the IMF suggested it risked increasing public spending. But federalism does not appeal to the whole coalition. The MEP said the PDL was not keen, “but

clearly Bossi will insist on it”. One ministry source said there was no choice, “otherwise the League will plunge the government into crisis”.

IHS Global Insight stressed the League’s potential to “force national government policy towards a more radical or right-wing agenda” and “further alienate moderates” such as Fini.

“The growing split along party lines is likely to destabilise the political scene,” wrote IHS analysts Lilit Gevorgyan and Raj Badiani. The IMF stressed the need to reduce Italy’s deficit, which came in at 5.3 percent of GDP in 2009, to prevent it suffering the fate of other debt-laden euro zone members such as Greece - an area where Tremonti has had success so far.

With a fragile recovery unlikely to let Berlusconi deliver promised tax cuts, the focus will be on efforts to rein in spending, and a fiscal plan that Tremonti terms “the reform of all reforms”. In a country where half of taxpayers declare less than 15,000 euros ($20,200) a year of income, and just 1 percent declare more than 100,000 euros, Moody’s wrote this week that reducing evasion was “a critical element for a sustainable fiscal consolidation process”. Fighting evasion has never been Berlusconi’s top priority. A tax amnesty that has netted 95 billion euros is depicted by critics as a boon to evaders, money launderers and the Mafia. —Reuters

Land, liability bill keep India nuke power in dark

By Rina Chandran

A

stalled nuclear liability bill, delays in land acquisition and political squabbling are hobbling foreign investors keen for a share of India’s newly opened civilian nuclear energy market worth about $150 billion.

Since a 2008 US deal ended India’s nuclear isolation of more than three decades, firms in the United States, Russia, France, Canada and Britian have scrambled for a foothold in the energy-starved country, which aims to double the share of nuclear power on its grid to more than 8 percent over two decades.

With a peak energy deficit of about 12 percent, Asia’s third-largest economy is struggling to power its near-8percent growth, with nuclear energy being touted as a way for the world’s fourth biggest emitter to also curb fossil fuel emissions. “For every percentage of GDP growth, you need power to grow 1.5 times, which has not been the case in India so far,” said Amol Kotwal, a deputy director at consultancy Frost & Sullivan. “Nuclear energy will go a long way in plugging the deficit.”

Coal accounts for more than half of India’s total energy consumption, followed by oil, a bulk of which is imported. With plans to build 24-30 new reactors in addition to the existing 19 reactors, India aims to generate 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power by 2020 and 63,000 MW by 2032, up from just 4,560 MW now. But protests over the liability bill seeking to limit damages to private nuclear operators and suppliers in case of an accidents has put the government on the backfoot, and delayed the entry of US commercial nuclear firms.

Also, French nuclear reactor maker Areva’s plan to set up the first post-deal reactor in western Maharashtra state has been delayed, with villagers refusing to give up land. Still, advocates say it is the only way India, the world’s

fourth biggest emitter, can curb fossil fuel emissions and plug its energy deficit that can seriously undermine productivity. “The fact remains that beyond 2050, availability of coal in India is going to be a major problem.

Hydrocarbon, of course, will run out much earlier,” said Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of India’s atomic energy commission, at a recent public meeting.

It is a huge business opportunity: Russia has nearly completed equipment delivery for two reactors in Tamil Nadu state, and will build up to 16 nuclear reactors in the country. Russia’s Stateowned Rosatom is exploring other options, as well. Areva will build two reactors in Maharashtra, and India has offered to tender two plants in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh states to US firms GE-Hitachi and Westinghouse Electric, a unit of Toshiba, contracts that could be worth $10 billion. There are also commitments to collaborate with dozens of US commercial nuclear suppliers on at least 10,000 MW. But farmers and activists are protesting land acquisition and environmental impact.

Villagers in Maharashtra, where the two Areva reactors will be located on 938 hectares, have refused compensation cheques.

“This is not arid land; these are our rice fields, our mango orchards, our cashew groves,” said Praveen Gavankar, a farmer who has mobilised protesters against the proposed plant in Jaitapur, about 300 km south of Mumbai, on India’s west coast. Land poses “an increasingly significant challenge” to the power sector, consultancy KPMG noted in a recent report.

A bill aimed at overhauling an archaic land acquisition law has stalled in India, where more than 60 percent of the billion-plus population still relies on land for a living. S K Jain, head of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), the state nuclear power generator, is sanguine: “It’s a noisy democracy and there will always be some peo-

ple objecting.”

Political opposition to the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill is even louder. Last month, the Indian government backed off from introducing the bill that is designed to protect suppliers from the risk of lawsuits in the event of an accident by placing legal liability entirely on the state-run plant operator. Opposition parties say the bill, which will now be tabled in parliament after April 15, favours private

firms as it puts a maximum liability of about $450 million on NPCIL, without placing any compensation burden on private suppliers and contractors.

Some analysts say granting foreign suppliers legal immunity upfront weakens nuclear safety and robs victims of their rights. The issue is sensitive in a country where a gas leak in a Union Carbide factory in Bhopal city killed about 3,800 people in 1984 in one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.

Then there’s the sensitive issue of pricing. It took years to shake off the ghost of Enron’s $2.9 billion Dabhol power plant, mothballed for years over a billing dispute. But the pressing need for energy will outweigh most concerns. “I think it is only a matter of time before every big country which requires large-scale energy would embrace nuclear power,” said Kakodkar, the former atomic energy chief. —Reuters

Only ban will stop mine tragedies

By Shabtai Gold

T

he plague of hidden explosives buried under the grounds of former battlefields continues to inflict misery on thousands of civilians each year, many in the world’s poorest countries. On Sunday, the United Nations will mark the international day for awareness and assistance in relation to landmines. Haider Reza, a senior official with the Mine Action Coordination Centre of Afghanistan, said his country was one of many battling with unexploded devices.

“This is an opportunity to underline the problems and the difficulties of the people as well as the country - they have suffered and they are still suffering because of the presence of mines and explosive remnants of war,” Reza said. Many of the areas with the problem have too few local resources and rely on monetary aid from economic powers to help them with the costly task of removal.

“Most landmine affected countries need outside support to clear all mined areas,” said Tamar Gabelmick, an activist on landmine issues, noting it was a “long and expensive process.”

Countries like Afghanistan and Cambodia have high number of citizens living with disabilities, mainly owing to landmine and other unexploded ordinances (UXO) accidents, years after the end of the wars during which they were planted. “Anti-personnel landmines and other explosive remnants of war continue to pose a threat and to maim and kill indiscriminately long after hostilities have ended,” the International Committee of the Red Cross says.

In 2008 alone, 1,266 people were killed and 3,891 injured by the explosive devices, according to Gabelmick’s organization, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International

Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Almost 90 per cent of the victims were men and young boys. Over 150 nations have joined the Ottawa treaty, designed by the campaign and other activists, which imposes a total ban on the use and manufacturing of landmines. It went into effect in 1999. “We call for all 37 countries not yet part of it to join,” Gabelmick told dpa.

Most of her group’s efforts are now focused on Washington. The United States is one of the major military powers, along with China and Russia, not signed up to the treaty - although it does offer financial help to areas affected and has not planted new mines in many years. “The US has a leadership quality in the world, still, and we hope that by joining, that will move other countries along,” she said.

China too has in recent years upped its de-mining aid, though it is believed to be the largest producer of landmines at the moment. The ICBL says only a total ban will end the scourge and that the impact of the weapon on civilians is far too great. According to the Red Cross, “humanitarian needs include lifelong assistance for the care, rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration of victims and measures to prevent further casualties.”

And all this costs money, which is not always made available. In Afghanistan, the UN’s mission has asked for $242 million for mine assistance for this year and next, but only $100 million were pledged by the end of last month.

Other parts of the world, less under the spotlight of the global media and world leaders, are in worse financial shape. According to activist groups, such as the US Physicians for Human Rights, one of the economic ironies is that while landmines are cheap to produce - one can be made for as little as $3 - destroying the same device can cost up to $1,000. —dpa

Malaysia PM struggles to realise reforms

By Beh Lih Yi

M

alaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak took office a year ago with big ambitions for political and economic reform but analysts say his plans have been hampered by the disarray in his own coalition. Sworn in after his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was forced to step down following a dismal performance by their ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in the 2008 election, Najib outlined a bold agenda.

He pledged to spur growth, close the wealth gap between ethnic groups and reach out to minorities aggrieved by the “bumiputra” affirmative action programme, which favours the country’s Muslim Malay majority.

“He is on the right track,” Ibrahim Suffian, head of the independent opinion polling firm Merdeka Centre told AFP, adding that Najib has done “remarkably well” - under the circumstances. “He has been able to regain some lost respect for the prime minister’s position and some support for the government due to his firmness and competitiveness.”

But as the leader of an unruly coalition dominated by his own UMNO party, Najib’s efforts have been hindered by political infighting among the other BN members, weakening his position, Ibrahim said. “As prime minister he tries to resolve the people’s problems but as BN chairman he is one way or another linked to the

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks at an investment conference in Kuala Lumpur on March 30, 2010. – AFP politicking that is going on, which people are fed up about,” he said.

The son and nephew of two previous prime ministers, the 56-year-old Najib has made an effort to reach out to Chinese and Indian minorities who deserted the BN at the last election -to join an inclusive “One Malaysia” agenda. He has liberalised the banking and services sectors to attract much-needed foreign investment and vowed this week to review the bumiputra (“sons of the soil”) affirmative action policy, which has promoted the interest of Muslim

Malays since the 1970s.

Ibrahim says Majib, a British-educated moderate Muslim, has enjoyed an average 60 percent popularity rating since he took office. But critics say that his reforms have not gone nearly far enough, and that minorities are being alienated by the BN’s fierce defence of the bumiputra policy and a rash of religious disputes. These include church firebombings linked to a controversy over the government’s refusal to allow Christians to use the word “Allah” as a translation for God. “He has prevaricated between pan-

dering to conservative Muslim elements and making concessions to liberal forces to win the support of nonMalays,” said analyst Reuben Wong at the National University of Singapore said.

Export-dependent Malaysia has seen its economy - the third largest in South East Asia -contract by 1.7 percent in 2009 while foreign investment plummeted during to the global downturn. Andrew Colquhoun of Fitch Ratings in Hong Kong said Najib’s “New Economic Model,” under which the review of the bumiputra policy

will be carried out, “looks like an ambitious agenda” but lacked substance. “We need to see what reaction there is from key stakeholders. I think UMNO is at a crossroads in terms of what sort of political model it wants to follow,” he said.

“Governments around the world can face difficulties in mustering support for reforms that promise long-term gains in return for short-term adjustments.”

Critics have called for the repeal of the race-based policy, arguing it has bred an over-reliance on support from Malays - UMNO’s core vote bank and improperly benefited the elites.

Steven Gan, chief editor of the influential online news portal Malaysiakini, said Najib was struggling to convince UMNO members to support his agenda, as the party tries to recapture lost Malay votes from the resurgent opposition. He said reforms so far were mostly “piecemeal,” citing the failure to reform a controversial security law that allows detention without trial, and more reprimands for the tightly controlled media under Najib’s year-long leadership.

“Najib has done something but whether it is successful is really hard to say at this point in time,” he said.

“A lot of that relies on him winning over the conservative elements in UMNO and, looking at the track record of UMNO, he will get quite a bit of reluctance on issues such as phasing out the racial quota.” —AFP

focus

Apology first step to facing wartime past

By Katarina Subasic

S

erbia’s apology for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre is seen as the first and most difficult step on Belgrade’s long road to face up to its role in the bloody 1990s wars that tore apart the Balkans. “This is really the first step in reviewing the past from the highest authority in the state, the parliament of Serbia,” said Ivan Vejvoda, the executive director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy.

“This resolution is a milestone in facing up to the recent past and has a decisive importance,” Vejvoda told AFP. In a resolution voted early Wednesday the parliament said it “strongly condemns the crime committed against the Bosnian Muslim population of Srebrenica in July 1995, as determined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling”. The lawmakers also formally extended “their condolences and an apology to the families of the victims because not everything possible was done to prevent the tragedy”.

Srecko Latal, a Sarajevobased analyst of the International Crisis Group think-tank, said he hoped the declaration will be the first in a series of steps towards reconciliation in the Balkans.

“There were a lot of doubts about the declaration ... whether it was aimed at opening the doors to the European Union for Serbia or whether it reflected Belgrade’s honest confrontation with the events of the last 20 years. In my view, every move forward is a positive one. I hope that this could be the first small positive step towards facing this region’s past and the reconciliation of both states and peoples,” Latal told AFP. Aleksandar Popov of the Igman Initiative, a regional non-governmental organisation working on reconciliation in former Yugoslavia, said the declaration was “the most that could be achieved at the moment considering the par-

ties in the parliament.” “The declaration certainly satisfied the expectations of the international community but it also kickstarted the process of confronting the past,” Popov said. “The heated debate in the parliament shows that this process was irreversibly launched,” he said.

The declaration was backed by 127 out of 173 members present in the 250seat parliament, reflecting the deep divisions over the issue in Serb society. The text was agreed after months of talks within the ruling coalition, especially between the proEuropean Democratic Party of President Boris Tadic and the Socialist Party of Serbia, which was in power during the wars in the 1990s under late strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

As a concession to its coalition partners, Tadic’s party agreed to start a debate on another declaration that would condemn all crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and in particular against Serbs.

“Of course in the future we will need a lot of time to deal with this and it will be a long process for Serbian society but at this very moment we should mark the importance of what has happened,” Vejvoda said. The resolution proves that 15 years later “Serbia admits a crime that was committed on its behalf,” he added.

Wednesday’s vote “was the most difficult step but I am convinced that we will now open the process of reviewing recent history; this will be long and painful,” ruling coalition MP Nenad Canak said.

While initial reactions from Bosnia were negative, with Bosnian Muslims slamming the text for saying too little while many Bosnian Serbs thought it said too much, observers still think it will ultimately help reconciliation.

“An important step in right direction has been made and it will significantly relax relations in the region,” Popov told AFP. —AFP

Thailand’s army, the silent political actor

By Didier Lauras

W

hile a populist street movement paints Bangkok red, the army has been quietly acting its own role and will be pivotal to determining how the crisis plays out, analysts say. Experts differ on who will win the political battle pitting Oxford-educated Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva against the “Red Shirts” loyal to his ousted billionaire predecessor, Thaksin Shinawatra. But they agree that some of the real power play is taking place behind closed doors.

The army, responsible for no fewer than 18 coups or attempted coups since 1932, overthrew Thaksin in September 2006 and appointed a general to head an interim government, which created a new constitution during its year in power. Thaksin’s allies took office in 2007 elections, but were hounded by a series of lawsuits and a vocal protest movement. They were toppled by court rulings in 2008 that saw Abhisit come to power through a parliamentary vote.

The coup still looms large over the political stage, said Thongchai Winichakul, a Thai analyst at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. “The 2006 coup has let the genie out of the bottle,” said Thongchai, arguing that the country’s establishment had asked the army to step in and restore order. “Of course they didn’t turn down the invitation to power.” The Red Shirts have argued that former prime minister Prem Tinsulanonda, who is now the chief adviser to Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, masterminded the putsch.

The 82-year-old monarch has been a stabilising force during six politically turbulent decades on the throne, but he has kept out of the current crisis.

Observers now say Abhisit and his fragile coalition government survive only with the support of the army and its chief, General Anupong Paojinda. The current army leadership “and (Abhisit’s) Democrats are both adamantly anti-Thaksin”, said Paul

Chambers, a Thailand expert at Germany’s Heidelberg University. “The former currently dominates the armed forces, the latter the ruling coalition. It is thus in their mutual interests to remain together.”

The military was widely seen as being behind Abhisit’s sudden decision on Sunday to agree to televised talks with the Red Shirts, after previously refusing all negotiation until they left the streets. And many believe the army must have agreed to Abhisit’s offer - rejected by the Red Shirts - to call elections a year early, at the end of 2010. If the polls were held even earlier it might upset a transition of power in the army, with Anupong due to retire in October.

He is pushing his number two, General Prayuth Chanocha, to succeed him but despite the army’s clout - the appointment must be signed off by the government. So it would have been “extremely unusual” if an election date was discussed for before the October 1 military reshuffle, said Chris Baker, a Bangkok-based Thailand expert and biographer of Thaksin. In recent months, Thai media have pored over signs of splits within army ranks and ruminated over persistent rumours of a fresh coup being plotted in the background.

But Chambers said the military was likely to keep up the pressure in private rather than stage another coup, allowing the country to maintain a “veneer of electoral democracy”. “It is more convenient to allow an elected prime minister to face potential public scorn while the armed forces reap the rewards of enhanced prerogatives behind the scenes,” he said.

Analyst Thongchai believes it is now up to Thai society to reject the army’s preeminent role in politics.

Otherwise the military genies look likely to remain. Only when “society no longer seeks a quick but false fix of political problems, but lets the democratic process and rule of law run its course, will they return to the bottle”, he said. —AFP

14

NEWS

Sunday, April 4, 2010

HELGOLAND, Germany: A seal pup relaxes on the beach of this island in northern Germany yesterday. — AP

iPad unearthed

Sanctions will help Iran: Ahmadinejad Continued from Page 1 Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, is in China in the hopes of winning assurances from Beijing that it will oppose sanctions.

The US and some of its allies have accused Iran of seeking to use its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has denied the charge, saying its nuclear program is geared towards generating electricity, not bombs. Three rounds of earlier United Nations sanctions have already been imposed. Iran’s economy has suffered over the past year, and parliament approved a cut in subsidies that keep fuel prices low, a further blow to Iranians already experiencing high unemployment and inflation.

Nevertheless, Ahmadinejad said US steps to pressure Iran have backfired and instead have isolated Washington in the eyes of the world. “You (world powers) can cut your own throat, jump up or down, issue statements and declarations and pass resolutions... but don’t think you can stop the progress and building of the Iranian nation,” he said. “The more overt

your animosity towards us, the more determined the Iranian nation will be to go forward,” the hardliner said in a speech broadcast live on state television.

Ahmadinejad also reiterated that Iran had started making its own nuclear fuel for a Tehran research reactor after world powers “did not” supply the material.

“Based on the law which you wrote in the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) charter, you were supposed to give the fuel for the Tehran reactor, but you did not,” he said.

“We said we will do it ourselves and they made fun, but our experts did it.”

The UN Security Council could consider new punishments on Iran, including increasing financial squeezes on the extensive holdings of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The US has also said it could seek to penalize companies that sell fuel to the oil-rich Islamic republic, which imports about 40 percent of the fuel it needs because its refineries cannot keep pace.

Iran has periodically boasted of what it says is growing self-sufficiency in technological sectors like its satellite program and other scientific work. Seeking to demonstrate that point, Ahmadinejad’s speech yesterday was to workers at the

inauguration of an industrial project in southern Iran. He said Iran need not be bothered by the prospect of new sanctions.

“They (Americans) said they want to impose fuel sanctions. ... They don’t understand that they work in our favor.

They imagine we will get upset should they refuse to sell gasoline to us. ... No, we immediately tell experts to produce it,” he said. Ahmadinejad said the US has failed to isolate Iran. He said the fact that Obama’s recent visit to Afghanistan was not announced beforehand for security reasons was evidence of America’s own isolation.

“First, let’s see who is isolated. We think those who can’t show up publicly among the people and directly address them are isolated, those who fear nations.

Gentlemen go to a country where they have 60,000 troops without any prior announcement. Who is isolated?”

Ahmadinejad said. The Iranian president noted that his own trip to Afghanistan was announced in advance and said he was warmly received. “You are isolated yourself, but you are hotheaded and don’t understand it,” Ahmadinejad said. — AP

Much hyped Apple iPad hits the market Continued from Page 1 couch - and Internet and reading books,” he said. Simon Cox, a high school math teacher visiting from Manchester, England, immediately used his iPad to email friends and family from the store.

“It looks fantastic, so nice to hold and play and touch,” he said, noting that the device is smaller than he expected. “It’s easier to carry around. I certainly know I’ll use it when I’m out and about.”

There were scenes of nearly hysterical enthusiasm as dozens of Apple staff in matching blue T-shirts psyched themselves up before opening hour with rhythmic clapping and cheering. Customers emerged from the glass-roofed store, holding their newly minted toys in front of the television news cameras like trophy winners. “I’m going to go home and play with iPad, not my girlfriend,” announced a young man named Randy.

Apple calls the tablet “revolutionary” and the Wall Street Journal in a sneak preview said the device is a “game changer” that could topple the laptop and “change portable computing profoundly”. Whether reality will match the advertising hype fueled by wall-to-wall media coverage of the days leading up to the launch - is the soon-to-be answered question. Despite the fervent reception at Apple stores, veterans of the original iPhone launch said yesterday’s event was relatively subdued.

A meager crowd of only 15 took the ultimate step of camping outside the Manhattan store overnight. Apple representatives would not comment on how sales were going.

The 24.6 cm device allows users to watch video, listen to music, play games, surf the Web or read electronic books.

Unlike a laptop, the keyboard is touchscreen, making for a far slimmer, lighter package. It starts up as easily as a phone, customers said, and has lightning-fast Internet access. In addition, the iPad also runs most of the 150,000 applications made for the iPod Touch and the iPhone.

The model that went on sale yesterday features Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, while a model offering both Wi-Fi and 3G

cellular connectivity will appear late April.

Among the many uses targeted by the iPad is changing the way that people get their news. German TV journalist Richard Gutjhar, 36, said he hoped the multi-media device would bind together the increasingly fractured media market and help newspapers and other outlets collect revenue in an age where content circulates for nothing on the Internet. “I hope this will transform our work. I believe our work must be paid and if this will help, then that would be great,” he said, after securing his small place in consumer history as the first person to exit the Apple store with a new iPad. Bernardo Groenewold, a 28-year-old church minister from Mexico, said he sold his iPhone to buy the iPad. He raved about the intimacy of typing and giving commands on the screen itself, rather than on an attached keyboard. New Yorker Eddy Sarmiento, 33, said his new iPad would replace his damaged laptop.

“You can read books on it and it has Internet and it’s really fast. It’s color. If you read comic books on it you see the illustrations. You can order movies on it, watch your favorite TV shows - anything.”

Eager iPad seekers thronged Apple stores across the United States and thousands had walked away with the California firm’s latest creation by the time its shop opened to a waiting throng in downtown San Francisco. Technology blogger Robert Scoble headed the queue at the Apple Store in the Silicon Valley city of Palo Alto. He had waited outside the shop for nearly 24 hours. “Got my two iPads,” Scoble said in a Twitter message after stepping from the store. “Off to home to set them up and then take a nap.”

Siggi Manz, a software developer who lives near Frankfurt, Germany, was spending just 20 hours in New York to snag one so he could start writing iPad applications for his fitness center clients.

Manz, who already carries Apple’s MacBook Pro and an iPhone, said the iPad would be ideal for note-taking.

“Opening a laptop is sometimes imper-

sonal because the monitor is between us, and the iPhone is too little to really honestly type,” Manz said.

In San Francisco, tattoo artist Max Ackermann is convinced the iPad will “define a giant change in how we perceive computers in general and how we deal with them on a daily basis. It’s really cool to be a part of that beginning. The iPhone feels just like a trial right now compared with the iPad.” Yet Ackermann admits he has no clue exactly how the iPad will be transformative: “It’s definitely in its baby years.”

Software savants who made fortunes crafting mini-programs for iPhone and iPod Touch devices were quick to focus on designing applications for the iPad. The enthusiasm of developers bodes well for iPad, since the “ecosystem” of fun, hip or functional programs is credited with being behind Apple mobile gadgets’ success as marketplace stars. iPad programs were filling up virtual shelves of Apple’s online iTunes shop.

Even Internet leader Google threw its weight behind the iPad, rolling out a version of its free Web-based email service for Apple’s latest creation. And while the iPad is seen as a threat to Kindle electronic readers, Amazon.com on Friday released an application that lets people read digital books from the Kindle Store on the Apple gadgets.

Will Kiefer, 28, who waited at a store at Burlington Mall, north of Boston, said he hoped the iPad would allow him to break away from his desktop computer and avoid buying a laptop. “I think this will do everything for me that I need. ...

I’ll do my random New York Times reading from the iPad,” said Kiefer, a freelance software developer who is among those hoping to developing some apps for the new device. In Richmond, Virginia, about 100 people gathered at an Apple store, drinking coffee and mingling in a festive, holiday atmosphere. Matt Reidy, IT director at a company called snagajob.com, said he got there at 1 am and was first in line. “My wife thinks I’m crazy,” said Reidy, 43. “She said I’d be the oldest person out there.” — Agencies

Continued from Page 1 tools of destruction ready to go. He barely paused to admire the iPad out of the box.

He didn’t even turn it on.

The secretive Apple is famous for designing sealed-up devices intended to discourage nosy gadget heads from poking around in them, and the iPad was no different. The iPad had no screws. But working with a tool called a spudger, it took Soules only 10 minutes to separate the iPad’s handsome, 9.7-inch facing from its silver-backed casing. He surveyed the iPad’s design, a maze of parts that would be utterly inscrutable to most people.

“That’s very, very nice,” he said almost reverentially.

Teardown firms are hired by an array of clients, their data used for competitive intelligence, in patent disputes or to keep current on industry benchmarks. By 9:30 am, Soules had turned the iPad inside out and was sharing its secrets with the world. There is strong competition to be first to tear open Apple devices and reveal the design, chips and components within and iFixit has gained a measure of fame for their work. Months of anticipation had built ahead of the iPad launch and - at least in technology circles almost as much excitement about what’s on the inside of the device.

Within 45 minutes, iFixit had left the iPad - the gleaming symbol of Apple’s technological wizardry - in tatters, its various parts naked against a crisp white backdrop. Soules moved at a rapid clip, narrating as he took pictures and streamed to colleague Kyle Wiens and others in California, who were posting them online and helping identify

parts. iFixit’s near-live teardowns have become staples for gadget fans during Apple product launches.

As a veteran of many previous efforts, Soules was prepared for any tricks Apple might throw his way, but the iPad didn’t prove to be too enormous of a challenge to take apart, as some of previous devices have.

Soules had removed the main circuit board of the iPad by 10 a.m. The 4-inch long, 1-ounce board was covered by an electromagnetic interference shield, and underneath were all the microprocessors that make the device tick. “The vast majority of the brains of the iPad are on this little board. It’s amazing what they can fit into such a small space,” Soules said.

One of first identifiable parts was the NAND flash memory, which was made by Samsung Electronics, which has supplied components for other Apple devices. Soules also quickly noted chips from Broadcom Corp and Texas Instruments Inc. There were also at least three chips carrying Apple branding. Apple is known to hide the identities of some chipmakers in its products by having them stamp an Apple logo on their parts. The main iPad chip is an Apple creation; its very own A4 processor controls the iPad’s programs.

After removing the circuit board, Soules dug in further using a Torx screwdriver to manipulate the minuscule screws inside the iPad. His fingernails gingerly pried open casings. “The teardown process is bit easier if I keep my fingernails on the long side,” he said. Soules discovered the iPad’s battery is not soldered into place, which means that replacing it is possible for the do-it-yourself

crowd. iFixit promotes device repair as a way to cut down on electronic waste. Apple requires users to mail iPad units back to the company, which will change the battery for a hefty fee.

By 10:45 am Soules was cautiously fiddling with the iPad’s display, the most expensive component. A big question is who makes it, but that question was not answered definitively. He peeled back a sticker, hoping to see a manufacturer’s name underneath, but found only an indecipherable serial number. “Not this time,” he said quietly. Besides Richmond, iFixit had also ordered iPads at addresses near Indianapolis and Orlando, Florida. The company had people in both areas, home to FedEx shipping hubs. iFixit thought it might be able to get a few hours jump on the competition by staking out the FedEx hubs the morning of the launch, to intercept one of the devices.

But that didn’t pan out, so they resorted to standing in line - at the head of the line actually - in three cities. The Federal Communications Commission also managed to steal at least some of iFixit’s thunder.

Bloggers discovered on Friday that the FCC had posted pictures of the insides of pre-production iPads on its sebsite, despite the fact that Apple had requested that they keep them confidential. iFixit spent much of the night identifying the parts, which were not necessarily the same as those in real iPads.

By noon yesterday, the bulk of the iPad teardown was done. But there will be at least another week of analysis, using sophisticated equipment that can cut into components to determine how they were made, and who made them.— Reuters

Syria private sector wooed to make films Continued from Page 1 “The state, which now runs seven cinema theatres, should not be responsible now for building more. In order to promote Syrian films, more cinemas need to be built.”

Last year, a new private CinemaCity complex with two separate theatres, a rash of restaurants and a bookshop opened in the heart of Damascus. The inauguration was the first time since 1985 that a new cinema has opened its doors in the Syrian capital, and brings to just 10 the number of theatres catering to a population of some four million people. The total number of cinemas across Syria has slumped from 158 in 1964 to 36 today - in a country of 22 million people.

Prominent Syrian director and producer Haitham Hakki agrees on the need for a partnership between the public and private sectors but called for more support for independent filmmakers and “less censorship”. “It’s true that the private sector is required to work, but the state should support it and minimise censorship,” he told AFP from Morocco.

Hakki said the NFO needed more state funding. “If the NFO receives 150 million (Syrian) pounds ($3.2 million), it can help the private sector produce five films a year,” he said.

“Syria has great directors and it can make 20 movies every year. We have excelled in drama serials, and we can do the same in cinema.”

Hakki was the screenwriter of Syrian director Hatem Ali’s debut feature-length

movie, “The Long Night”, which has garnered critical acclaim and Arab awards. The drama in which three ageing political prisoners are suddenly told they are finally going home after two decades behind bars awaits official approval for screening in Syria. All television programs, plays and movies in Syria have to be approved by a state-controlled body before going on public release. “There is a vicious campaign against Syria and it’s important that we protect our society and country, and that’s why we have to approve films in advance,” said Ahmad. “At the NFO, we seek to give the world a chance to know Syria, its culture and people. Our movies enjoy a margin of freedom, deals with thoughts and tackle issues.”—AFP

Why Israel’s Arabs like eating matzoh?

Continued from Page 1 Israel. She said she, her husband and their three sons all eat matzoh, usually with tea and slathered with chocolate sauce. She said they didn’t care if it was “Jewish food.”

Inside the store, a 1.5-m-tall stack of matzoh boxes stood in the entryway, all that remained of the more than 4 tons that owner Tariq Ifin ordered for the holiday, which began Monday night. He had no doubts the rest would sell.

In the Passover tradition, matzoh commemorates the biblical story of the Jews fleeing Egypt so quickly they had no time to let their bread rise. Jews also consider matzoh poor man’s bread, eaten to remind them of their ancestors’ hardships. Few consider it a culinary delight. “I don’t like it much, but it’s part of the holiday,” said Simon Mizrahi, 44, an observant Jew from Jerusalem who eats his matzoh with soup, cheese or butter.

Mizrahi said matzoh doesn’t fill him up like bread, and he worries its carbs will make him fat. Many other Jews share his ambivalence, recognizing its traditional role while saying they get tired of it.

To prevent matzoh burnout, many have developed alternative recipes. Some stir crushed matzoh into warm milk or coffee to make porridge. Others add an Italian twist, topping it with tomato sauce and cheese to make matzoh-pizza or substituting it for noodles to make matzoh lasagna, or “matzagna.”

Outside of the holiday, few eat it and few stores stock it. Many say they wouldn’t eat it if they had other options.

Thus their surprise when informed that Israel’s Muslim and Christian Arabs - who don’t observe Passover and can eat any bread they like - choose matzoh. The answer to the mystery is simple, said Arabs in several mainly Arab towns in Israel. They just like the taste. “The kids love it. They eat it like cookies,” said Wisad Jamil, a 43-year-old woman lugging a carton of matzoh and tub of chocolate spread to her car for her husband and five kids at the Umm El-Fahm store.

“Don’t the Jews eat our bread? Fine, we eat their matzoh,” she said.

Indeed, the mixing goes both ways, with Arab dishes like hummus and felafel now favorites of Jewish Israelis. And during

Passover, nonobservant Jews often turn to Arab shops for leavened bread, which disappears from most Jewish-owned stores in the season. Ifin, the supermarket owner, said some of his Arab customers once refused matzoh on ideological grounds, though fewer do now because of years of mixing. “You can’t say Arabs and Jews are one people, but we share the same land, so why not share the same food?” Ifin said.

While Israel’s 1.5 million Arabs hold citizenship and vote in elections, they strongly identify with their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Most still call themselves Palestinians. Palestinians in the territories and east Jerusalem largely don’t share the matzoh craze, and shops there don’t sell it. Israel captured the predominantly Arab east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and Palestinians claim it as the capital of their future state. “We don’t like anything that comes from them,” said Jerusalem taxi driver Firas Salem, 27, when asked if he ate matzoh.

“And besides,” he said - expressing a sentiment shared by many Jews - “bread tastes better”. — AP

SPORTS

Sunday, April 4, 2010

15

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Friday: Chicago 2, New Jersey 1 (SO); Montreal 1, Philadelphia 0; NY Rangers 5, Tampa Bay 0; San Jose 3, Minnesota 2; Dallas 6, Edmonton 3; Calgary 2, Colorado 1; Vancouver 5, Anaheim 4 (SO). (SO denotes shootout win).

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS New Jersey 44 26 7 204 186 95 Pittsburgh 44 26 7 237 219 95 Philadelphia 38 34 6 225 217 82 NY Rangers 35 32 10 206 206 80 NY Islanders 32 35 10 205 240 74

Buffalo Ottawa Montreal Boston Toronto

Northeast 43 24 43 30 38 32 35 30 29 36

Division 10 223 195 5 214 223 8 206 210 12 191 190 13 208 255

96 91 84 82 71

Washington Atlanta Carolina Florida Tampa Bay

Southeast 50 15 34 32 33 35 31 34 31 35

Division 12 298 220 12 228 244 10 215 241 12 198 226 12 201 245

112 80 76 74 74

Western Conference Central Division Chicago 48 22 7 249 196 Nashville 45 28 6 217 216 Detroit 41 23 13 215 203 St. Louis 37 31 9 209 210 Columbus 32 33 13 210 249

103 96 95 83 77

Vancouver Colorado Calgary Minnesota Edmonton

Northwest 47 27 41 29 40 29 37 35 24 46

Division 4 256 208 7 228 214 9 198 195 6 210 233 7 197 266

98 89 89 80 55

Pacific Division San Jose 48 20 10 251 205 106 Phoenix 47 25 6 212 193 100 Los Angeles 44 27 6 228 205 94 Dallas 35 29 14 227 242 84 Anaheim 37 31 9 220 234 83 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L).

PHILADELPHIA: Dominic Moore No. 42 of the Montreal Canadiens pursues Matt Carle No. 25 of the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center.—AFP

Canadiens edge Flyers, Rangers stop Lightning PHILADELPHIA: Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves, and Tomas Plekanec scored the only goal in the Montreal Canadiens’ key 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.

Montreal moved two points ahead of Philadelphia and Boston in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race. The Flyers lost for the second straight night and have just one win in eight games (1-6-1).

The Flyers and Canadiens entered the night in a three-way tie with idle Boston for sixth place in the East. Philadelphia is only two points above the postseason cutoff.

Brian Boucher finished with 22 saves for Philadelphia. Boucher, one of six goalies used by the Flyers this season, has only one win in his last seven starts.

Rangers 5, Lightning 0 At Tampa, Florida, Brandon Prust started New York’s four-goal first period, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 shots for his fourth shutout of the season in a

rout of Tampa Bay. The Rangers moved ahead of Atlanta and into ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Philadelphia and Boston at the postseason cutoff. New York has five games remaining, the same amount as Boston and one more than Philadelphia.

Prust scored 3:09 in, Marc Staal doubled the lead 25 seconds later, Vinny Prospal added a goal, and Brandon Dubinsky pushed the lead to 4-0 with a power-play tally before 15 minutes had elapsed. Aaron Voros finished the scoring late in the third period.

Canucks 5, Ducks 4 At Anaheim, California, Michael Grabner scored three goals as Vancouver clinched a Western Conference playoff spot with a shootout victory over Anaheim. Vancouver, the Northwest Division leader, earned its berth once the

game was extended to overtime.

Grabner had never scored more than one goal in a game and had only two this season. Andrew Raycroft started in place of Roberto Luongo, who gave up eight goals in an 8-3 loss at Los Angeles on Thursday, and made 30 saves. Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu both scored two goals each for the Ducks.

The Devils lost their third straight, but still moved into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division with Pittsburgh.

Kris Versteeg scored the tying goal for Chicago with 26 seconds left in regulation.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 40th of the season in the first period to give the Devils the lead.

It was the first NHL game without a penalty since March 28, 2001, when Boston faced Toronto.

Blackhawks 2, Devils 1 At Newark, New Jersey, Jonathan Toews scored the only shootout goal and Antti Niemi made 32 saves as Chicago moved a step closer to the Central Division title with a victory over New Jersey in a penalty-free game.

Niemi only had to make one save during the shootout, but it was a magnificent pad stop on Zach Parise after Toews beat Martin Brodeur with a wrist shot on Chicago’s first shot. Toews is tied for the NHL lead with eight shootout goals this season.

Sharks 3, Wild 2 At St. Paul. Minnesota, Logan Couture’s late third-period goal lifted San Jose to a win over Minnesota that eliminated the Wild from the Western Conference playoff race.

Couture, playing in his 21st NHL game, tipped Dan Boyle’s shot past goalie Niklas Backstrom. That broke a tie with 3:51 remaining and sent the Sharks to their fourth victory over Minnesota this season.

Evgeni Nabokov had 25 saves for the Sharks. Backstrom also stopped 25 shots,

but it wasn’t enough to keep Minnesota from missing the playoffs for the second straight year. Manny Malhotra and Scott Nichol scored to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead in the first period. Cal Clutterbuck and Antti Miettinen answered in the second to get the Wild even.

Stars 6, Oilers 3 At Dallas, rookie Jamie Benn scored twice, including the go-ahead goal early in the third period, as Dallas kept its faint playoff hopes alive by beating Edmonton. Mike Modano had two assists, including the 800th of his NHL career, as he returned to the lineup after missing nine games following an appendectomy.

Mike Ribeiro’s goal at 8:35 of the final period stretched Dallas’ lead to 5-3, and Benn’s second of the night at 15:07 gave the Stars a three-goal advantage. Brad Richards and Jere Lehtinen scored for Dallas during an 11-second span of the first period. James

Haye already eyeing Klitschko brothers MANCHESTER: David Haye is already looking beyond late yesterday’s first defense of his WBA heavyweight title against John Ruiz to a unification bout with either of the Klitschko brothers.

Discussions have begun about staging a unification fight in the Gulf against either Vitali or Wladimir Klitschko, who between them hold the WBC, IBF and minor WBO titles.

“It’s something we have talked about with Adam Booth,” Haye said, referring to his trainer and manager. “There has not been a big title fight in the Middle East. A heavyweight title fight is the biggest you can get. It would be huge for putting (a country like) Abu Dhabi on the map.

“Look what the “Rumble in the Jungle” did for Zaire. No one ever heard of Zaire until then. After Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman for the title, no one forgets it.” A “Showdown in the Sand” would be the latest major sporting event to go to the Gulf region, following the FIFA Club World Cup and the season-ending WTA Tour Championships.

“What I want to achieve in boxing is worldwide,” the 29-year-old Haye said.

“I want to show I’m not just a British commodity... To do that you have to fight the best and fight all over the world.

“I believe I’m the best now. Some people out there don’t believe I am and would like to see me against one of the Klitschko brothers to show that. When that opportunity arises, I’ll take it with both hands and prove everyone wrong.”

First, though, Haye must conquer Ruiz at the MEN Arena late yesterday.

Haye is defending the title he captured from the 2.18-meter (7-foot-2) Nikolai Valuev on a majority points decision in Nuremberg in November.

“I’m fighting someone my own size, so that should be easier,” said Haye, a

former world cruiserweight champion who was nine pounds (4 kilos) lighter than Ruiz at Friday’s weigh-in at 222 pounds (100 kilos). “It will be completely different this time around ... Ruiz will be tough but the plan is still to render him unconscious.”

Haye is counting down to the fight by spending the afternoon at Old Trafford watching Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Chelsea. Ruiz, who held and lost the WBA title twice, won’t be joining Haye at the football. Instead, the American said he will be steeling himself for an early barrage of speedy punches.

“I’ll definitely have to be a brawler and chase the guy down,” the 38-yearold Ruiz said. “You have to make sure you throw a ton a punches — that’s what a brawler does: roughs things up.

Sometimes you need a bit of that.”

Taking the title from Haye would enable Ruiz to join Ali and Evander Holyfield as three-time world heavyweight champions, capping a 54-fight career that has produced 44 wins, eight defeats, one draw and one no contest.

“Two years more and I’ll be over the hill,” Ruiz said.

“I don’t want to go beyond 40.”

That’s how old Carl Thompson was in 2004 when he beat Haye in a cruiserweight title fight — the brash Londoner’s only loss in 24 fights. Haye has contemplated the effects of another setback yesterday.

“Every champion knows the high of winning can quickly turn to the opposite feeling if things go wrong in the first defense,” Haye said. “Then I had the excuse of being a novice. This time I have no excuse. After the Carl Thompson defeat, I went away for a couple of weeks. “This one would be so much worse. I’d probably want to duck out for a year.”—AP

Neal also had a first-period goal. Dustin Penner, Marc Pouliot and Ethan Moreau had second-period goals for the Oilers, who have lost four straight.

Flames 2, Avalanche 1 At Denver, Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 35 shots for Calgary, which beat Colorado and moved into a points tie with the eighth-place Avalanche in the Western Conference playoff race. Nigel Dawes and Rene Bourque scored for the Flames, who won their third straight.

Calgary has made up ground in a hurry.

The Flames trailed Colorado by nine points heading into a game against the Avalanche on March 17. Now the teams are tied with 89 points. The Avalanche have five games left, compared to four for Calgary, and own the tiebreaker based on one more win than the Flames. Colorado, which got a thirdperiod goal from TJ Galiardi, is 1-6-1 in its last eight games. —AP

Hopkins, Jones out to settle old score

LONDON: British WBA heavyweight boxing champion David Haye shows off his belt on the pitch before the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford yesterday. Haye defends his title against American fighter John Ruiz in Manchester late yesterday. —AFP

LAS VEGAS: Aging warriors Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones will try to settle old scores late yesterday when they meet in a rematch 17 years in the making.

But the bout between a pair of legendary fighters has been too long coming according to some, who fear the 40-something contestants have left things too late.

The two fought on May 22, 1993, in Washington’s RFK Stadium for the vacant International Boxing Federation middleweight championship.

Jones, who says he fought then with an injured right hand, won a unanimous decision that gave little indication of the careers each fighter would go on to build. Jones, 41, says he can hand 45-year-old Hopkins his first knockout defeat.

Hopkins says Jones is “desperate” to turnaround his fortunes after a spate of unimpressive performances. “I remember I beat him with one hand,” said Jones, who has said the fight could cap his career.

“My right hand was injured and I had to overcome that. I didn’t have a right hand in that fight against him. So why should it be so hard now that I got two hands?”

Hopkins, who has talked about the fight being a springboard to a clash with heavyweight world champion David Haye of Britain, acknowledged Jones could be a dangerous opponent. “Roy Jones is a desperate man. A desperate man is a dangerous man,” Hopkins said.

The desperation - if indeed it exists - would stem from Jones’s

late-career losses - including a one-punch knockout by Antonio Tarver in May 2004 followed by a ninth-round knockout by Glen Johnson four months later.

Joe Calzaghe beat Jones bloody in notching a lopsided unanimous decision in November 2008. And in December, Jones was stopped in the first round by Danny Green in Australia. Those results have prompted some pundits to say the fight should not even be going ahead.

Margaret Goodman, a former ring doctor for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, says Jones should not be fighting.

“He shouldn’t be competing now, and maybe never again. He has amazing credentials, an amazing history, and has been so good for the sport on so many levels,” Goodman said. “But his more recent performances have been terrible for someone with those credentials and that history. I don’t know how you can turn a blind eye to that.”

Jones said his loss to Green is one of the only reasons Hopkins dared fight him.

“He feels like I’m done. I’m washed up. I’m old goods. That’s the only reason he’s taking the fight now,” Jones said. “I’m going to give him my secret punch, guaranteed to stop him.

He’s going to sleep by knockout. There’s nothing he can do to win.” Hopkins, meanwhile, says he’ll settle a 17year-old score. “He’s one up on me. It’s a personal vendetta,” Hopkins said. “I’ve got something legitimate to me personally in this fight.”—AFP

16

SPORTS

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Indian Community School Kuwait lifts EFFK Inter School Trophy

KUWAIT: On a very pleasant and memorable day all the eight participating Indian schools in Kuwait battled for the EFFK Inter School 8-A-Side Cup. The tournament was held at the Sulaibhiya Football ground on April 1.

ICSK (Indian Community School of Kuwait) and UIS (United Indian School) reached the final. ICSK defeated FAIPS (Fahaheel Al Wataniya Indian Private School), GIS (Gulf Indian School) and UIS defeated IPS-B (Indian Public School), CSK (Carmel School Kuwait) to reach the final.

Vying for the third place CSK got the better of GIS in a penalty shoot out as both teams were locked at 1-1 at full time, a well taken penalty by Shaheen put GIS leading in first half but CSK in second half came back with a goal from striker Faraz.

The match was officiated by Gary and

Baxter helps Waratahs go on top SYDNEY: Al Baxter scored his first Super rugby try in his 100th match for the New South Wales Waratahs to help his team thrash the Cheetahs 40-17 and soar to the top of the standings yesterday.

The 33-year-old Wallaby prop took the ball in a ruck on the try line shortly after halftime and emerged from a pile of bodies with his team’s third of five tries on a rainy evening at Sydney Football Stadium.

“I don’t care how it happens, as long as you get one it’s fine,” a grinning Baxter said in a televised interview. “I got one in the trial matches this year and was told it doesn’t count and so I had to get one in Super 14. So, I got my test try in the 50th and now my Super 14 try in the 100th, so I’m just waiting for those bigger moments.”

Fullback Kurtley Beale ensured the Waratahs took a bonus point by intercepting a pass and sprinting over the line for his team’s fourth try a few minutes later. Josh Holmes came off the bench to chip in for a fifth inbetween two late tries by the Cheetahs.

Prop WP Nel and replacement Corne Uys added respectability to the Cheetah’s scoreline but the South Africans were comprehensively outplayed from the start.

The Waratahs recorded their fifth successive win to leapfrog the Bulls, Canterbury Crusaders and Stormers into first place.

Outside centre Berrick Barnes barged through the Cheetahs defence to set up Rob Horne for the Waratahs’ first try and Daniel Halangahu added the conversion for a 13-0 lead. The Cheetahs had to wait another 10 minutes for their first score, a penalty goal kicked by flyhalf Naas Olivier.

Prop Benn Robinson responded by putting the Waratahs up 23-3, digging the ball out of a ruck and barrelling across the line on the half-time siren. — Reuters

linesman Hemant, Franklin and Ahmed.

In the Final match ICSK defeated UIS 4-0, in which Jassim of ICSK scored a hattrick and Rifan added to the total. The match was officiated by Hemant and linesman Gopi, Franklin and Ahmed.

Milton Allan Lord (Founder of EFFK) gave away the awards to the winners, runners-up, third place, Best Goalkeeper, Highest Scorer and Best Player of the Final. Mateen of ISCK was awarded the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament, Vivek of UIS got the highest scorer of the tournament and Jassim of ICSK got the Best Player of the final.

Special Thanks to all the eight participating teams namely IPS A & B, FAIPS, FAIPS Challengers, UIS, GIS, ICSK and CSK, referees, organizers and well wishers of EFFK. for more info log on to www.effkuwait.com

Chiefs beat Highlanders to keep semi hopes alive AUCKLAND: The Waikato Chiefs scored two tries in a 12-minute second-half spell to beat the Otago Highlanders 27-21 at Mount Maunganui yesterday and keep their semi-final hopes alive.

Trailing 15-10 at halftime and encountering fierce resistance from the 11thplaced Highlanders, the Chiefs blew the game open with a try by number eight Sione Lauaki six minutes after the break.

Prop Sona Taumalolo then burrowed

into a ruck and emerged with a try in the 58th minute to put the Chiefs 25-18 up.

Fullback Israel Dagg slotted a penalty to reduce the deficit to six points, but the Highlanders were unable to add to the scoreboard in the last 12 minutes and slumped to their sixth loss from eight matches.

“We started off a bit scratchy with our set piece, our scrum, but I thought our line-out was a hell of a lot better than

what it has been,” Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina said in a televised interview.

“So I think big-ups to the forwards and they may have deserved their Easter egg this weekend.”

The win helped the Chiefs banish a confidence-sapping month in which they lost three matches in a row after starting the season with three wins.

Flyhalf Stephen Donald finished with a try and 17 points for the match, slotting

all three conversions and two out of three penalty goals.

Both sides struggled to find their rhythm in an uninspiring opening to the first half, but the Highlanders settled first through a drop goal by Robbie Robinson in the 12th minute.

Lock Hayden Triggs then burrowed over the line from a ruck a metre out to give them their first try and an 8-3 lead after a video review.

Donald hit back for the Chiefs, receiving from scrumhalf Mike Delaney after a well-executed line-out then sprinting to the left corner for his team’s first try.

Donald converted his own try to put the Chiefs in front 10-8, but the Highlanders went into the break with a 15-10 lead after Fetu’u Vainikolo crossed at the right-hand corner with his team’s second five-pointer four minutes before halftime. — Reuters

Blues end Bulls’ winning streak

AUCKLAND: Blues’ Alby Mathewson runs with the ball as he plays against the Bulls in a Super 14 Rugby match at Eden Park. — AP

AUCKLAND: The Auckland Blues boosted their semi-final hopes with a stirring 32-17 win over the Bulls at Eden Park yesterday, ending the Super 14 champions’ undefeated sixgame streak this season.

Flyhalf Stephen Brett was razor-sharp in front of the posts, slotting six out of seven penalty goals and both conversion chances to amass 22 points and help the Blues win their fourth from seven this season.

The Bulls were undisciplined throughout, conceding 14 penalties and repeatedly falling foul of the referee at the breakdown.

“They beat us at the breakdown and dominated the contact points,” Bulls skipper Victor Matfield said in a televised interview. “We knew it was going to be tough, just on the night we didn’t come and we didn’t perform.”

Trailing 16-14, the Bulls were reduced to 14 when replacement Pedrie Wannenburg was sent off in the 52nd minute for killing the ball in the breakdown.

Ten minutes later, a quick but wayward pass from the touch line saw Bulls fullback Zane Kirchner dispossessed in the penalty zone. The Blues swooped and winger Joe Rokocoko duly crossed the line in the right corner after a neatly flicked pass from fullback Isaiah Toeava to give the Blues a 2717 lead.

Brett’s conversion and final penalty goal put the result beyond doubt as the Bulls were held scoreless for the last 25 minutes.

“I think the boys, every single one of us stepped up tonight and it just shows what we can do when we play some good football,” Blues captain Keven Mealamu said.

The Blues were wasteful early despite dominating possession in a pulsating first half in which the lead changed six times.

Outside centre Rene Ranger blew a near-certain try about 20 minutes in when he failed to pass to an unguarded Rudi Wulf just short of the goal line.

The Bulls subsequently made the Bulls pay with the match’s first try, number eight Pierre Spies collecting a pass speared out from a ruck then deftly placing the ball over the line while lying on his back to give the Bulls an 8-6 lead.

Flyhalf Morne Steyn pressed the advantage with an opportunist drop goal from 30 metres, before a rare mistake by the Super 14 champions allowed the home side to hit back.

The Bulls fumbled a clearing kick allowing the Blues to regain possession and Toeava to jog over the line at the left corner after a neat chain of passes. Brett’s conversion gave the Blues a 16-11 lead at halftime. — Reuters

SPORTS

Sunday, April 4, 2010

17

Reds’ Chapman leading Cuban wave to big leagues CINCINNATI: A few innings are left before Aroldis Chapman gets his turn to pitch. The Cuban defector passes the time in the dugout by showing Cincinnati Reds teammates how much he has learned since the last time they were together. He starts calling out lists. In English.

“He’s on the bench reciting the days and numbers,” shortstop Paul Janish said. “He’ll start counting and go all the way up to 300.

We’re like, ‘Dude, one day at a time!”‘ No wasted time for Chapman.

The 22-year-old lefty has been on the fast track to the majors since the Reds signed him to a six-year, $30.25 million deal in January, one of the richest ever for a young Cuban player. He’ll soon get a chance to become the face of the latest wave of players leaving his homeland. It’s a wave that’s been building.

The number of Cuban players in the majors has been increasing since the early 1990s, when defectors were treated like traitors on the baseball-rich island. If Chapman and his 100 mph heater can handle the hype and expectations while going through a jolting transition, he could become even more famous than those who blazed the trail from Havana. More will want to follow.

“I would think so, especially when they start seeing the money that can be made over here,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “There are a lot of talented players. I think every club recognizes there are some quality players in Cuba.” It’s always been that way.

Cuba has long been part of baseball’s fab-

ric. There were 30 Cuban-born players in the major leagues in 1967, the most ever, according to STATS LLC. By then, things had already begun to change. Fidel Castro — himself a huge baseball fan — had risen to power eight years earlier. The ensuing standoff with the United States — the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban missile crisis — had turned off the spigot of baseball talent heading to the majors.

By the mid-1980s, there were only three Cuban-born players left in the majors, according to STATS LLC. When pitcher Rene Arocha defected from the Cuban national team in 1991, he forged a path that many have followed, including Chapman.

Despite being condemned as traitors by the Cuban government, the players kept coming. Some became big stars — Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez helped the Yankees win three World Series titles from 19982000; Livan Hernandez was the 1997 World Series MVP for the Marlins; Rey Ordonez became a Gold Glove shortstop with the Mets.

Most who leave the island fail to reach the majors. No surprise there. Only a small percentage of players from any country — including the United States — reach the top after turning pro. Seventeen Cuban-born players are either in the major leagues or close to moving up this year.

Leaving Cuba is viewed back home as more of a career move these days, though it’s still a touchy subject. Asked if Cubans have come to accept baseball defections, Angels first baseman Kendry Morales declined to get into it.

PHOENIX: This March 31, 2010, file photo shows Cincinnati Reds’ Aroldis Chapman during a spring training baseball game in Phoenix.—AP “Too political,” he said, through a translator. Many stars chose to stay rather than leave for a chance to see how they’d stack up in the majors. Third baseman Omar Linares helped the island nation win Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996 and is considered one of the greatest Cuban players of modern times. He said he began receiving big-money offers when he was 14 and playing in youth tournament in Venezuela.

Linares said he had no regrets about turning down the chance to make tens of

millions of dollars, and never wondered how he could’ve spent such riches. “No idea and I don’t care,” Linares said in Cuba last year.

“I never stop to think about that. I’m faithful to my country and my people.” As for the players who defected, “they did it for financial reasons,” he said.

“That was their choice and that’s their deal. But they are what they are because they were formed in Cuba and were trained to reach something in life. It’s Cuba’s credit whatever accomplishments they can reach.”

Arriving in the US isn’t easy. Cubans

have to adapt to a new language, new food, new culture. They leave their families behind and can feel very much alone. “It’s a big adjustment,” said Morales, who defected and signed with the Angels in 2004.

“I would say that just getting over the mental hurdle of what I had to overcome, just to get out of there and then arriving is the biggest thing.” When Chapman defected from the Cuban national team during a tournament in the Netherlands last July, he showed resolve to get through the tough transition. Major league teams wondered how he would handle it.

“A theme of many clubs was how long it would take him to adjust to America culturally, and to major league baseball,” agent Randy Hendricks said. “He said he wanted teams to know that while he may be from Cuba, don’t treat him like some typical Cuban player. He was pretty adamant about that, in a friendly way: ‘I’m who I am, don’t lump me in with everybody else who came before me.”‘ It was something of a surprise when he wound up picking the Reds, one of three teams that pursued him the hardest.

Oakland also was in the running at the end — a pair of small-market teams hoping to make a big-time investment in their future.

Teams like the Yankees and Red Sox dropped out of the bidding for a promising talent.

“Their focus is on winning now,” Hendricks said. So far, Chapman seems to be handling it well. There’s a core of Latin American players in the clubhouse that has become a support system. Bullpen coach

Juan Lopez became his translator and friend.

“The other day, he wanted some rice and beans, and Lopez cooked it for him,” manager Dusty Baker said. “That’s how you get over being lonely.”

On the field, he’s been impressive. Back spasms forced him to miss a week in March and scuttled his chances of winning a place in the major league staff. Still, he was one of the team’s biggest attractions, a pitcher who made everyone stop and watch when he hiked that right leg up to mid-chest and let the ball fly.

“As Dusty said early on, the fact that he doesn’t understand English has probably helped him somewhat, not realizing all the hype that’s been put on him,” Jocketty said.

Actually, he seems to have a pretty good sense of what’s going on. After pitching two ragged innings during an 8-3 win over Oakland during the last week of spring training, the lanky lefty walked up a shaded breezeway to the no-frills clubhouse — four bags of bread were spread on a table, next to a jar of creamy peanut butter and a halfdozen brown bananas — to get into his new postgame routine.

He checked messages on his BlackBerry phone, then got ready to answer questions from a handful of reporters. Lopez translated.

Asked about the Reds’ plans to start him in the minors, he answered without hesitation, then listened as Lopez put it in English.

“He doesn’t worry about it,” Lopez said.

“He knows he’s going to pitch in the big leagues. When? He doesn’t know.”

Everyone knows it won’t be long.—AP

Webber takes pole spot

MALAYSIA: Red Bull Formula One driver Mark Webber of Australia drives down the final straight during the Qualifying session for the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix.—AP

Loeb wins Rally of Jordan AMMAN: Frenchman Sebastien Loeb won the Rally of Jordan, the third leg of the world championships, here yesterday for his 56th rally win and extended his lead in the overall standings.

The 36-year-old six-time defending world champion driving a Citroen - beat Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, in a Ford Focus and Petter Solberg of Norway, also driving a Citroen.

Loeb leads Latvala by 25 points in the overall standings with Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen, who retired on Friday morning with a broken suspension, dropping to third.

“It’s been a good rally for us and with a 31-point lead over (arch-rival) Mikko Hirvonen it means it has been a good start to the season,” said Loeb.

“I really had to go flat-out because Jari-Matti was going very fast and made me push to the limit all of the time.”

Latvala wasn’t quite sure how he felt about ending up in the runners-up spot.

“I am quite pleased with second but also a little disappointed we didn’t have the pace to compete with Sebastien,” said Latvala.

Loeb, 10th in the inaugural bi-annual Rally of Jordan two years ago, had been ahead since Friday afternoon’s special stages and

cemented his advantage on Saturday as he won three special stages while his closest rival Latvala lost 30 seconds on him. The biggest loser on the final day was Loeb’s compatriot and team-mate Sebastien Ogier who was under team orders to give Loeb a free run and slipped as a result from second overnight to a final sixth place.

While Latvala was keen not to discuss the dubious tactics used by Citroen to ensure Loeb prevailed, Ogier carried their instructiuons out selflessly.

Having started the day in second he ran first on the road after being instructed by his team to check in early at the start of the first stage to clear the road of loose surface gravel and help Loeb.

The eight-minute time penalty he picked up meant he could finish no better than sixth.

“Tactics are part of the game and it’s down to the teams to do what they want with it. I am just the driver,” commented Loeb. Latvala simply shrugged his shoulders. “What has happened with the tactics on this event is now history.”—AFP

DEAD SEA: Citroen C4 driver Sebastien Loeb of France, holds his first place trophy in the Jordan Rally near Southern Shuneh, Dead Sea. —AP

SEPANG: Mark Webber splashed to pole position at the Malaysian Grand Prix yesterday after a tropical storm caused chaos in qualifying and left some of his main rivals at the slow end of the grid.

While the Australian grabbed Red Bull’s third successive pole, Germany’s Nico Rosberg outqualified illustrious Mercedes team mate Michael Schumacher for the third time in as many races to secure his first front row start.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, on pole in Bahrain and Australia, qualified third with Force India’s Adrian Sutil an encouraging fourth and Nico Hulkenburg fifth for Williams to ensure German drivers filled four of the top five slots.

The big talking points, however, were the severe misjudgement of the conditions in the first part of qualifying by both Ferrari and McLaren as well as the surprise of new teams Lotus and Virgin both having cars in the second session.

McLaren’s 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton will start in 20th place, sandwiched by the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso (19th) and Felipe Massa (21st), who all left it too late to record flying laps as the rain became heavier over the Sepang Circuit.

World champion Jenson Button did manage to squeeze into the top 17 from the first session but was unable to take any further part in qualifying after he aquaplaned off and beached his McLaren in a gravel trap.

“We read it wrong basically,” Button, who won a rain-shortened Malaysian Grand Prix last season, told reporters. “We thought that first rain storm was it and there was nothing else coming, so we waited. It was obviously the wrong thing to do.

“I hope I haven’t damaged anything because I was sat in the gravel with the engine running for quite a long time hoping to get pulled out. but that wasn’t the case.” The third session was also halted for 18 minutes due to the conditions.

Webber gambled on intermediate tyres for the final two sessions and the risk paid off when the Australian finished more than 1.346 seconds clear of Rosberg.

“It was a very tricky qualifying session for everyone, there’s no question about it,” Webber told reporters. “When you look at the amount of standing water in places in Q1 (the first session) and Q2... just trying to get a clear lap was pretty challenging.

“There were a few big scalps in the first session which is a bit of a surprise but it just goes to show how sensitive it is to the tyres.”

Webber praised his engineer for recommending the tyres that took him to a second pole position of his career after Germany last season. “He made the call and told me to go for it, telling me by the third or fourth lap on them we could go for pole,” he added. “It was tricky in places but it was the right tyre and I kept it on the black stuff and got the job done.”

Rosberg played down his knack of getting more out of Mercedes in the early season than Schumacher, instead focusing on a session where he timed his runs just about right.—Reuters

LONDON: The Cambridge president and former double and quadruple sculls US national champion, Deaglan McEachern (left) takes the Boat Race trophy from Sir Steven Redgrave after winning the 156th running of the Boat Race. —AP

Cambridge win University Boat Race LONDON: Cambridge won the 156th University Boat Race by more than a length yesterday, claiming victory over rivals Oxford for the first time in three years.

Oxford had the early lead on the River Thames but the Light Blues stayed in touch on a long outside bend then pulled clear towards the finish to win in 17 minutes and 35 seconds.

Cambridge now lead the world-famous annual duel between England’s oldest universities by 80 wins to 75. “It was pretty tough,” Cambridge crew president Deaglan McEachern said after being handed the trophy by British Olympic rowing legend Steve Redgrave. “I knew that if we just stuck with them we were the crew that was going to be able to hold on and we were going to pull through in the end.

“It wasn’t fun but it was good. It was an affirmation of everything we’ve been doing all year. “It was a team effort and we came away with what we thought we would.” Oxford won the toss and chose to start on the southern Surrey side of the River Thames. They opened up an early advantage on the first bend as they passed Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham Football Club, which should have favoured Cambridge on the Middlesex side.

The Dark Blues held onto a slender lead as they went past the Harrods furniture warehouse landmark. Cambridge then began to creep back after they passed under Hammersmith Bridge, with both crews keeping about 35 strokes per minute in the early stages.

Oxford maintained the inside line as they went around the Barnes peninsula on the Surrey side

but failed to press home their advantage and pull away from the Light Blues.

The crews were neck-and-neck with the blades close to clashing with a mile and a quarter to go. Cambridge then opened up a six-foot lead and were about half a length up at the final bridge.

Only twice in history — the last time was Oxford in 2002 — had a crew come from being behind at Barnes Bridge to win.

The Dark Blues began to close slightly but Cambridge held onto their lead to take victory by two seconds at the Chiswick Bridge finishing post.

Cambridge celebrated in the traditional fashion, by hurling their cox, Ted Randolph, into the river before diving in themselves.

The Light Blues were slightly the heavier crew at 760.4 kilogrammes, with Oxford weighing in at 756.6 kilos. The winning crew was composed of four Britons, three Canadians and two Americans.

The Oxford crew contained three Americans, two Britons, an Irishman, a Dutchman, a German and a Canadian Briton.

Cambridge now lead the series that began in 1829 with 80 wins to Oxford’s 75, with the 1877 race declared a dead heat. Organisers expected more than 250,000 people to line the London river banks to watch the action, with millions more tuning in around the world.

The course runs for four miles and 374 yards (6,779 metres) upstream from Putney to Mortlake, starting at Putney Bridge and ending at Chiswick Bridge.—AFP

SPORTS

18

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Ginobili torches Magic spell in Spurs’ victory

LOS ANGELES: Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer (left) loses the ball while going to the hoop as Los Angeles Lakers’ Lamar Odom (right) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game.—AP

NBA results/standings NBA results and standings on Friday: 87, Milwaukee 86 (OT); Miami 105, Indiana 96 (OT); Chicago 95, Washington 87; Houston 119, Boston 114 (OT); Cleveland 93, Atlanta 88; Phoenix 109, Detroit 94; Memphis 107, New Orleans 96; San Antonio 112, Orlando 100; Golden State 128, NY Knicks 117; La Lakers 106, Utah 92. (OT denotes overtime)

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

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT 47 28 .627 37 37 .500 26 49 .347 26 49 .347 10 65 .133 Central Division 60 16 .789 41 34 .547 36 39 .480 28 48 .368 23 52 .307 Southeast Division 53 23 .697 48 27 .640 42 34 .553 40 35 .533 22 53 .293

GB 9.5 21 21 37 18.5 23.5 32 36.5 4.5 11 12.5 30.5

Western Conference Northwest Division Utah 50 27 .649 Denver 49 27 .645 Oklahoma City 46 28 .622 Portland 46 30 .605 Minnesota 15 60 .200 Pacific Division LA Lakers 55 21 .724 Phoenix 50 26 .658 LA Clippers 27 48 .360 Sacramento 24 52 .316 Golden State 22 53 .293 Southwest Division Dallas 50 26 .658 San Antonio 46 29 .613 Memphis 39 36 .520 Houston 38 37 .507 New Orleans 35 42 .455

0.5 2.5 3.5 34 5 27.5 31 32.5 3.5 10.5 11.5 15.5

Afghanistan scrape home narrowly KUWAIT: Afghanistan miraculously escaped being defeated by Malaysia in the league round match played at Hubara ground in the ACC Elite Trophy 2010. Needing 237 to win the match, Malaysian tailenders struck to their task till the last moment but the experienced Afghanis pulled all their tricks to notch a narrow victory of one run to scrape home safely.

Winning the toss Afghanistan decided to bat first and scored 236 runs with Karim Sadiq stroking a wonderful 46 runs and Mohammed Asgher scoring a blistering 41 runs to the total.

Afghanistan the favorite contenders to capture the ACC Elite Trophy were rescued by former captain Rais Ahmedzai who scored a patient 64 runs and put his head down to steady the Afghan innings.

Rais Ahmadzai rotated the strike with deft placing and with controlled aggression hit a few boundaries in his 64 runs. Mohammed Asghar again showed his class by a quickfire 41 runs. Veteran fast bowler and former Malaysian captain Suresh Navarathinam bowled a hostile spell by capturing 2 wickets for 45 runs while Nik Azril took 2 wickets for 38 runs. Afghanistan in the 50 overs

scored 236 for 9 wickets.

Malaysian opener Rakesh Madhavan was bowled by Sapura in the very first over but Suhan Kumar the Malaysian skipper stood like a rock to score 61 runs.

Suhan playing copy book cricket was very strong on his front foot and he pulled with vigor and stepped to loft the spinners over the circle.

Damithu Warusavithana gave his captain firm support by rotating the strike and scored a valuable 35 runs.

Anwaruddin kept his nerve cool and along with Suresh Navarathinam took the battle to the enemy camp and the crowd rose to the feet to witness the end result. Hamid Hassan was given the job to bowl the last few overs and the strongly built Hassan struck immediately to rock the Malaysian innings by capturing 5 wickets to give Afghanistan amuch deserved victory.

Hameed H assan was named Man of the Match for his fabulous bowling effort.

Nepal coasts to easy victory In another match played at Unity ground, Ahmadi, Singapore tasted their third successive defeat as the fancied Nepal defeated them by 7 wickets. Opting to bat first Singapore posted a decent score of 216 runs in

50 overs largely due to some fine batting display by Chetan Suryavamshi (32 runs) and Buddika Mendis ( 36 runs) who piled 66 runs for the first wicket.

Munish Arora again played well to score 31 runs along with Philip Childs who top scored with 40 runs. Saad Janjua hit a fluent 29 runs to read the Singapore total to 216 runs.

Shakti Gauchan was the most successful bowler with 2 for 26 runs.

Nepal fielded well to effect 5 run outs.

In reply Nepal openers Anil Mandal and Mahesh Chettri exhibited top notch batting display by posting 135 runs for the first wicket. Anil Mandal scored a classic 83 and had all the strokes in the book while Mahesh played in style to notch 87 runs.

The duo so composed and with precise timing had no difficulty in taming the Singapore attack as they stroked the cherry to all parts of the field. Anil as elegant as ever played stylish copy book drives and anything pitched short was pulled with power.

Mahesh cut and drove with great authority and dominated the attack.

Saad Janjua, Promod Raja and Philip Childs took a wicket each.

SAN ANTONIO: Manu Ginobili scored 43 points, his fourth 30plus game since replacing Tony Parker in the starting lineup last month, to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 112-100 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Tim Duncan had 23 points and the Spurs temporarily pulled themselves out of the last playoff seed in the West, where San Antonio is bunched up with Portland and Oklahoma City in a race to avoid the No. 8 spot.

Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus had 18 apiece for Orlando.

Cavaliers 93, Hawks 88 At Cleveland, LeBron James scored 27 points as Cleveland became the ninth team to post back-to-back 60-win seasons, scoring 14 straight points in the fourth to pull away and beat Atlanta.

Mo Williams scored 24 and J.J. Hickson added 16 rebounds for the Cavs, who trailed 76-74 before James scored nine points and Williams drained a 3-pointer during Cleveland’s decisive spurt. Josh Smith scored 20 and Jamal Crawford 17 for the Hawks.

Lakers 106, Jazz 92 At Los Angeles, Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant triggered an offensive burst in the fourth quarter to help Los Angeles beat Utah and avoid a third straight loss. Odom finished with a season-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Bryant had 25 points, going 15 of 18 from the free throw line, hours after the defending NBA champions announced he signed a threeyear contract extension worth nearly $90 million.

Deron Williams had 20 points and 10 assists, and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 18 rebounds for the Jazz, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.

Rockets 119, Celtics 114 At Boston, Luis Scola had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and made back-to-back baskets in the last 81 seconds of overtime to lead Houston over Boston.

Aaron Brooks scored 30 with nine assists for Houston, hitting a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Chase Budinger added 24 points for the Rockets. Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Rajon Rondo 23 for Boston, which has lost three straight at home.

Bobcats 87, Bucks 86 At Charlotte, North Carolina, Stephen Jackson scored 32 points and hit the go-ahead 3pointer with a minute left in overtime to lead Charlotte over Milwaukee and further crowd the Eastern Conference playoff race. Jackson won a scoring duel with John Salmons, who had 28 points and whose 3-pointer in the closing second of regulation tied it.

Carlos Delfino scored 14 points in his first game since a scary head injury for Milwaukee.

Andrew Bogut added 19 points, 12 rebounds and matched a career high with seven blocks as the Bucks dropped their second tight game in a row.

Suns 109, Pistons 94 At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Amare Stoudemire scored 27 points on 13-of-15 shooting, as Phoenix won its 10th straight by beating Detroit.

Jared Dudley added a careerhigh 20 points, hitting 6-of-7 3pointers, and Grant Hill had 17 against the team where he started his career.

Reserve guard Ben Gordon scored 20 points for Detroit, which lost its 10th in a row and 17th in 19 games, while Tayshaun Prince added 17.

Heat 105, Pacers 96 At Indianapolis, Dwyane Wade scored 43 points, eight in overtime, as Miami rallied to beat Indiana. Wade hit consecutive 3-pointers to give the Heat a 101-93 lead with 1:17 left in overtime. He made 14-of-22 field goals, including 2-of-3 3-pointers, and converted 13-of-17 free throws.

Michael Beasley added 12 points, Dorell Wright 11 and Mario Chalmers 10 for Miami.

Troy Murphy had 29 points and 15 rebounds, and Danny Granger scored 25 points for Indiana.

Grizzlies 107, Hornets 96 At Memphis, Tennessee, OJ Mayo scored 27 points and Rudy Gay added 20 as Memphis beat New Orleans to stay mathematically alive in the playoff race by the slimmest of margins.

Sam Young finished with 19 points and seven rebounds off the Memphis bench. Mike Conley had 15 points. Marcus Thornton led New Orleans with 19 points, while Chris Paul had 16 points and eight assists.

Darren Collison scored 15, and David West finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. —AP

KEY BISCAYNE: Andy Roddick, of the United States, celebrates winning a point during his semifinal match against Rafael Nadal of Spain at the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament. —AP

Roddick sends Nadal packing MIAMI: Rafel Nadal’s 11-month title drought continued after American Andy Roddick beat the Spaniard 4-6 6-3 6-3 to reach the Sony Ericsson Open final on Friday.

Sixth seed Roddick will face Tomas Berdych in the final after the Czech swept past Swede Robin Soderling 6-2 6-2.

Berdych is looking for his second Masters 1000 title after his win in Paris in 2005, and while he beat Roger Federer in the fourth round Roddick will be in confident mood after producing a fine comeback in front of a packed stadium at Key Biscayne.

“I took a lot of risk there in the last two sets. That’s what I had to do,” said Roddick, who has reached his second consecutive Masters series final after losing to Croat Ivan Ljubicic at Indian Wells last month.

“My comfort zone of moving the ball around and maybe chipping it around a little bit doesn’t work

against Rafa. I had to try to come up with something that at least took him out of his comfort zone a little bit and it paid off,” he added.

Nadal has not won since the Rome Masters in May but the fourth seed looked poised to take a step towards the final after dominating the opening set in gorgeous sunshine.

Nadal had won five of their previous seven meetings in the last six years and that looked a good guide to the outcome of this encounter after he broke Roddick’s serve in the third game — a magnificent crosscourt forehand securing the break.

The Spaniard went on to win the set but it was a different story in the second where Roddick broke in the eighth game with a pair of outstanding forehands taking him to another level. Brimming with confidence, the 27-year-old from Nebraska took the game to Nadal in the third and

that positive approach was rewarded when he broke to go 2-1 up after the under-pressure Spaniard dropped a straightforward forehand return into the net.

Roddick kept his serve strong and then wrapped up the victory by breaking the struggling Nadal again.

The Spaniard, beaten by Ljubicic in the semis at Indian Wells, was pleased with his displays despite going out.

“I just have to keep working like this, keep improving. You know, two semi-finals in a row, first two Masters 1000’s of the season for me, is positive and it has been a positive American hardcourt season for me. “I am playing well. I had very good matches in these two tournaments-those are the positive things.

The worst thing is I lost two semifinals in three sets. That’s it. “But if you are there, you are going to have your day. You’re going to win one day,” he added. —Reuters

Kuwaiti double trap national team with Kuwaiti officials at the Asian clay shooting tournament in Thailand.

Kuwait tops Asian shooting tourney

By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: Kuwait’s National Team remained on the winning track, and won all double trap medals (two gold, a silver and a bronze) during the Asian clay target tournament being held in Thailand.

Shooters Fuhaid Al-Daihani, Mishfi Al-Mutairi and Hamad AlAfasi took first place with a score of 433 followed by Qatar’s team with a score of 398, followed by the Indian team with 389.

Meanwhile, in the individuals event Fuhaid Al-Daihani was first with a score of 178 followed by Hamad Al-Afasi by a score of 176 and Mishfi Al-Mutairi was third

with a score of 175.

P re s i d e n t o f t h e A s i a n a n d Ku w a i t Shooting Sports Federation Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah telephoned President of the Arab Shooting Federation and Deputy C h a i r m a n o f Ku w a i t S h o o t i n g Sports Club Engr Duaij Al-Otaibi and congratulated the shooters for their efforts and achievements.

He said Kuwait shooting will do its best to support the shooters in maintaining the achievements. Sheikh Salman presented this win to HH the Amir, HH the Crown Prince, HH the Premier and Kuwait’s people.

President of the Asian and Kuwait Shooting Sports Federation Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem AlHumoud Al-Sabah.

SPORTS

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Soccer results/standings Arsenal 1 (Bendtner 90) Wolves 0; Bolton 0 Aston Villa 1 (Young 11); Man Utd 1 (Macheda 81) Chelsea 2 (Cole 20, Drogba 79); Portsmouth 0 Blackburn 0; Stoke 2 (Fuller 6, Lawrence 90) Hull 0; Sunderland 3 (Bent 1, 29-pen, Zenden 86) Tottenham 1 (Crouch 72), Burnley 1 (Fletcher 71) Man City 6 (Adebayor 4, 45, Bellamy 5, Tevez 7, Vieira 20, Kompany 58).

Playing later Burnley v Man City Playing today Birmingham v Liverpool; Everton v West Ham; Fulham v Wigan.

English Football League results Championship Bristol City 1 Nottingham Forest 1; Coventry 0 Derby 1; Doncaster 1 Plymouth 2; Ipswich 2 Reading 1; Middlesbrough 1 Crystal Palace 1; Peterborough 2 Newcastle 3; Preston 1 Watford 1; QPR 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1; Sheffield Utd 0 Barnsley 0.

Playing later Cardiff v Swansea Division One Leeds 0 Swindon 3; Leyton Orient 1 Hartlepool 3; Milton Keynes Dons 0 Charlton 1; Oldham 1 Gillingham 0; Southend 0 Yeovil 0; Stockport 1 Walsall 1; Wycombe 1 Huddersfield 2.

Division Two Bournemouth 1 Bradford 0; Burton 1 Darlington 2; Cheltenham 1 Lincoln 0; Chesterfield 2 Rochdale 0; Dagenham and Redbridge 3 Accrington 1; Hereford 2 Barnet 1; Macclesfield 1 Aldershot 1; Notts County 5 Bury 0; Rotherham 1 Port Vale 2; Torquay 2 Shrewsbury 1.

Scottish Premier League results Motherwell 0 Falkirk 1 (Flynn 27); Rangers 1 (Edu 11) Hamilton 0; St Mirren 1 (Carey 44) Hearts 1 (Zaliukas 47).

Playing today Hibernian v Celtic; Kilmarnock v Aberdeen.

Playing tomorrow St Johnstone v Dundee Utd. Scottish Football League results First Division Airdrie 2 Partick 0; Dundee 3 Ayr 0; Dunfermline 1 Ross County 2; Inverness CT 4 Raith 3; Morton 3 Queen of the South 3.

Second Division Brechin 1 Peterhead 2; Clyde 0 Arbroath 2; Cowdenbeath 1 Stenhousemuir 0; East Fife 0 Alloa 1; Stirling 1 Dumbarton 2.

Third Division Annan Athletic 2 Livingston 0; East Stirling 3 Albion 1; Elgin City 1 Stranraer 2; Forfar 2 Berwick 0; Queen’s Park 3 Montrose 0.

German league results Eintracht Frankfurt 3 (Teber 28-pen, Caio 62, Franz 89) Bayer Leverkusen 2 (Kiessling 33, 46); Nuremberg 2 (Frantz 14, Choupo-Moting 40) Mainz 05 0; Dortmund 2 (Grosskreutz 10, Subotic 22) Werder Bremen 1 (Hunt 65); Schalke 04 1 (Kuranyi 31) Bayern Munich 2 (Ribery 25, Mueller 26); SC Freiburg 1 (P. Cisse 18) VfL Bochum 1 (Dabrowski 24); VfB Stuttgart 2 (Marica 66, Kuzmanovic 83) Borussia Moenchengladbach 1 (Reus 34); FC Cologne v Hertha Berlin - late kickoff Playing today VfL Wolfsburg v Hoffenheim; Hamburg v Hanover Italian Serie A results Atalanta 2 (Valdes 16, Pinto 71) Siena 0; Bari 0 AS Roma 1 (Vucinic 19); Cagliari 2 (Ragatzu 17, Matri 32) AC Milan 3 (Borriello 7, Huntelaar 19, Astori 38-og); Chievo 1 (Mantovani 76) Sampdoria 2 (Cassano 1, Pazzini 55); Genoa 1 (Boakye 51) Livorno 1 (Tavano 88); Inter Milan 3 (Motta 29, 85 Balotelli 52) Bologna 0; Lazio 1 (Floccari 4) Napoli 1 (Hamsik 38); Parma 1 (Bojinov 68) Fiorentina 1 (Silvestri 22).

Playing later Catania v Palermo, Udinese v Juventus

English Premier League table English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Chelsea 33 23 5 5 84 30 74 Man Utd 33 23 3 7 77 27 72 Arsenal 33 22 5 6 75 34 71 Man City 32 16 11 5 64 40 59 Tottenham 32 17 7 8 58 32 58 Liverpool 32 16 6 10 53 32 54 Aston Villa 32 14 12 6 44 32 54 Everton 32 13 10 9 50 42 49 Birmingham 32 12 9 11 33 37 45 Stoke 32 10 12 10 32 35 42 Blackburn 33 11 9 13 35 50 42 Fulham 31 10 8 13 33 36 38 Sunderland 33 9 11 13 44 51 38 Wolverhampton 33 8 8 17 28 51 32 Bolton 33 8 8 17 36 61 32 Wigan 32 8 7 17 29 62 31 West Ham 32 6 9 17 38 55 27 Hull 32 6 9 17 31 66 27 Burnley 33 6 6 21 32 71 24 Portsmouth 33 6 5 22 28 60 14 Note: Portsmouth deducted 9 points for entering administration English Football League tables Championship Newcastle 40 25 11 4 77 30 86 West Brom 41 24 10 7 81 43 82 Nottingham Forest 41 20 11 10 56 35 71 Cardiff 40 19 8 13 67 49 65 Swansea 40 15 17 8 33 31 62 Leicester 41 16 13 12 48 43 61 Blackpool 41 16 12 13 66 52 60 Middlesbrough 41 14 13 14 54 45 55 Doncaster 41 14 13 14 52 49 55 Sheffield Utd 41 14 13 14 54 52 55 Bristol City 41 12 17 12 51 60 53 Reading 39 14 10 15 52 55 52 Coventry 41 13 13 15 45 54 52 Ipswich 41 11 18 12 44 51 51 Derby 41 14 9 18 48 57 51 Barnsley 41 14 9 18 49 62 51 Preston 41 12 14 15 52 62 50 QPR 40 11 15 14 54 59 48 Scunthorpe 40 13 8 19 50 70 47 Sheffield Wednesday 41 11 12 18 44 61 45 Watford 40 11 11 18 51 62 44 Crystal Palace 41 13 14 14 43 46 43 Plymouth 41 11 8 22 42 58 41 Peterborough 41 7 9 25 41 68 30 Note: Crystal Palace deducted 10 points for entering administration Division One Norwich 39 25 7 7 79 41 82 Swindon 39 20 13 6 61 45 73 Millwall 39 20 12 7 64 36 72 Leeds 39 20 11 8 62 36 71 Charlton 39 19 14 6 65 45 71 Huddersfield 39 18 11 10 66 47 65 Colchester 39 18 11 10 56 43 65 Bristol Rovers 39 18 4 17 54 56 58 Milton Keynes Dons 39 17 6 16 55 57 57 Southampton 38 17 13 8 69 40 54 Brentford 38 12 15 11 45 45 51 Carlisle 39 13 12 14 54 55 51 Brighton 39 12 12 15 50 54 48 Walsall 39 12 12 15 46 53 48 Yeovil 39 11 12 16 46 52 45 Exeter 39 10 13 16 42 53 43 Oldham 38 11 10 17 33 46 43 Hartlepool 39 11 9 19 49 60 42 Leyton Orient 39 10 11 18 45 57 41 Tranmere 38 11 8 19 34 60 41 Gillingham 39 9 13 17 39 51 40 Southend 39 9 11 19 44 58 38 Wycombe 39 6 14 19 42 68 32 Stockport 39 5 10 24 32 74 25 Note: Southampton deducted 10 points for entering administration Division Two Rochdale 38 24 6 8 79 36 78 Notts County 37 20 11 6 75 27 71 Bournemouth 39 21 7 11 49 39 70 Rotherham 39 19 8 12 53 44 65 Chesterfield 39 20 4 15 53 49 64 Northampton 39 17 11 11 59 47 62 Aldershot 39 17 10 12 59 49 61 Bury 39 17 10 12 44 48 61 Dagenham and Redbridge 39 16 11 12 56 49 59 Morecambe 39 15 13 11 62 55 58 Port Vale 39 14 14 11 51 40 56 Shrewsbury 39 15 10 14 48 47 55 Burton Albion 39 15 9 15 63 61 54 Accrington Stanley 38 16 5 17 53 61 53 Crewe 39 14 8 17 61 62 50 Bradford 39 12 12 15 49 57 48 Hereford 39 13 8 18 44 58 47 Macclesfield 39 9 16 14 42 52 43 Lincoln City 39 11 10 18 36 54 43 Barnet 38 10 12 16 40 50 42 Torquay 39 9 13 17 50 55 40 Cheltenham 38 8 14 16 42 57 38 Grimsby 39 5 16 18 35 61 31 Darlington 37 6 4 27 27 72 22 Scottish Premier League table Rangers 31 22 7 2 70 21 73 Celtic 31 18 6 7 59 34 60 Dundee Utd 31 15 10 6 50 39 55 Hibernian 31 14 8 9 46 38 50 Motherwell 32 12 12 8 38 36 48 Hearts 32 11 8 13 31 39 41

St Johnstone 31 Aberdeen 30 Hamilton 32 St Mirren 32 Kilmarnock 31 Falkirk 32 Scottish Football League tables First Division Inverness CT 31 Dundee 31 Dunfermline 32 Ross County 28 Queen of the South 28 Partick 31 Morton 30 Raith 27 Ayr 29 Airdrie Utd 29 Second Division Alloa 31 Cowdenbeath 30 Stirling 28 Brechin 29 Peterhead 31 Dumbarton 30 East Fife 32 Stenhousemuir 31 Arbroath 31 Clyde 29 Third Division Livingston 29 East Stirling 32 Forfar 31 Queens Park 31 Berwick 30 Albion 28 Annan Athletic 30 Stranraer 27 Montrose 30 Elgin 30 German League table Bayern Munich 29 Schalke 04 29 Bayer Leverkusen 29 Dortmund 29 Werder Bremen 29 Hamburg 28 VfB Stuttgart 29 Eintr. Frankfurt 29 VfL Wolfsburg 28 Mainz 05 29 Hoffenheim 28 M’gladbach 29 FC Cologne 28 Nuremberg 29 VfL Bochum 29 SC Freiburg 29 Hanover 28 Hertha Berlin 28 Italian Serie A table Inter Milan 32 AS Roma 32 AC Milan 32 Palermo 31 Sampdoria 32 Napoli 32 Juventus 31 Fiorentina 32 Genoa 32 Bari 32 Parma 32 Cagliari 32 Chievo 32 Catania 31 Bologna 32 Lazio 32 Udinese 31 Atalanta 32 Siena 32 Livorno 32

10 8 8 10 8 9 6 10 6 8 5 10

13 12 15 16 17 17

47 29 25 31 24 28

52 38 42 43 43 53

38 34 33 28 26 25

16 10 14 12 14 7 13 8 12 8 12 5 10 2 8 7 6 10 5 7

5 5 11 7 8 14 18 12 13 17

57 43 47 38 44 40 33 29 25 30

31 30 40 33 33 37 53 37 42 50

58 54 49 47 44 41 32 31 28 22

17 8 15 8 13 8 13 7 13 5 12 5 9 9 8 11 9 7 5 6

6 7 7 9 13 13 14 12 15 18

41 48 46 40 40 41 42 34 32 23

27 30 36 28 44 47 49 34 46 46

59 53 47 46 44 41 36 35 34 21

20 4 17 3 15 8 14 4 12 5 10 10 9 9 10 6 5 8 5 7

5 12 8 13 13 8 12 11 17 18

51 44 51 40 40 27 35 38 27 35

21 42 39 39 45 26 34 42 48 52

64 54 53 46 41 40 36 36 23 22

17 17 14 15 13 11 12 12 11 10 9 9 7 7 6 6 6 4

8 7 11 7 9 11 8 8 7 8 7 7 10 7 10 7 5 7

4 5 4 7 7 6 9 9 10 11 12 13 11 15 13 16 17 17

57 47 58 48 59 48 43 40 52 29 35 37 27 28 31 27 30 27

27 24 33 34 37 33 37 42 51 37 32 49 35 47 52 51 54 48

59 58 53 52 48 44 44 44 40 38 34 34 31 28 28 25 23 19

19 19 18 14 14 12 14 13 12 11 11 11 10 8 9 7 8 8 6 6

9 8 9 9 9 13 6 6 9 10 10 7 8 11 8 13 8 7 8 8

4 5 5 8 9 7 11 13 11 11 11 14 14 12 15 12 15 17 18 18

61 57 52 46 40 42 48 43 52 38 32 50 28 34 34 28 38 31 32 22

28 35 31 38 38 37 44 36 52 38 39 50 31 36 47 34 49 42 55 48

66 65 63 51 51 49 48 45 45 43 43 40 38 35 35 34 32 31 26 26

Todayʼs matches on TV (local timings) English Premier League Birmingham v Liverpool..............17:00 ShowSports 1 ShowSports 2 Fulham v Wigan..........................17:00 Show Shasha Everton v West Ham..................18:00 Extreme Sport Spanish League Valencia v Osasuna.....................18:00 Al Jazeera Sport +7 Almeria v Mallorca.....................18:00 Al Jazeera Sport +6 Racing v Real Madrid.................20:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2 Atletico v Deportivo...................22:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2

19

City put six past Burnley

Stoke 2

Hull 0 Burnley 1

Stoke increase battling Hull’s drop worries

Man City 6

BURNLEY: Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice as Manchester City climbed into fourth place in the Premier League with a crushing 6-1 win over struggling Burnley at Turf Moor yesterday.

With Tottenham’s 3-1 loss to Sunderland earlier in the day, City knew a win would put them in pole position in the race for fourth place and the final Champions League spot.

Roberto Mancini’s side rose to the challenge with a stylish display and they now have 59 points - one more than fifth-placed Tottenham. City were 3-0 up after seven minutes and 5-0 ahead by half-time in the teeming Lancashire rain.

Adebayor’s double and one each from Craig Bellamy, Carlos Tevez and Patrick Vieira put the result beyond doubt by the interval.

Vincent Kompany made it 6-0 before Burnley finally showed some attacking nous when Steven Fletcher curled a shot over Shay Given into the far corner in the 72nd minute.

This was a matchup between one of the wealthiest clubs in the world against the club with the smallest budget in the Premier League - City substitute Roque Santa Cruz’s 17 million pound price tag last year was more than Burnley’s playing budget for the whole of this season.

Adebayor emphasised the difference between the clubs as he started the goal rush in the fourth minute, controlling a corner from Adam Johnson and volleying past Brian Jensen.

Bellamy was completely unmarked when he doubled the score in the fifth minute, collecting a cross from Tevez to score.

Tevez then tapped in a rebound from Adebayor to score City’s third, taking advantage of hesitant goalkeeping from Jensen.

That resulted in Burnley manager Brian Laws losing his cool on the touchline, the crowd jeering their team and several fans heading for the exits.

The Clarets have yet to win a Premier League game this season after conceding the first goal and City were far from finished.

Vieira scored his first goal for City since moving from Inter Milan in January and his first in the Premier League in five years, rising to head home a Johnson cross in the 20th minute.

Adebayor made it 5-0 in 44th, taking a pass from Tevez to comfortably sprint clear and slot past Jensen. It was a far cry from November, when Burnley earned their only away point of the season in a 3-3 draw at Manchester City.

But since then Burnley have struggled with their last win coming against West Ham in February, a run of nine matches.

Their best chance came from David Nugent, who forced Given to save but the ball then went straight to the other end and Vieira had a shot of his own stopped by Jensen.

Tevez then failed to connect with a Bellamy cross after fine work from Johnson and the Argentine also hit a post. Puddles appeared on the pitch in the second half as a result of the relentless rain. It affected the playing conditions but did not stop City from scoring again.—AFP

Zaragoza beat Malaga 2-0 MADRID: Real Zaragoza moved seven points clear of the bottom three in La Liga with a 2-0 home win over relegation rivals Malaga yesterday.

Argentine Leo Ponzio scored his first goal of the season to put Zaragoza ahead on the stroke of half-time before Chile international striker Humberto Suazo killed the game off on 75 minutes.

Zaragoza’s second successive win sees them jump a point above Malaga into 15th place with Racing Santander, at home to Real Madrid today, dropping to fourth from bottom, six points above the drop.

Suazo almost scored early on for Zaragoza and Suazo then set up Javier Arizmendi only for the Valencia man to head wide.

With virtually the last kick of the first half Zaragoza got the goal they deserved with Ponzio cutting inside before firing in a rightfooted shot.Valdo spurned a great chance to equalise for Malaga on the half hour mark shooting over before Arizmendia won an aerial battle to lay the ball off for Suazo to volley home his fifth goal of the season. —AFP

LONDON: Manchester City’s Argentinian forward Carlos Tevez (right) vies with Burnley’s Northern Irish defender Michael Duff during the English Premier League football match.—AFP

Balotelli keeps Inter ahead ROME: Rebel striker Mario Balotelli made a goalscoring return for Inter Milan yesterday as the champions beat Bologna 3-0 while AS Roma and AC Milan also won to keep up the Serie A title pressure.

Mirko Vucinic scored the only goal of the game as second-placed AS Roma triumphed 1-0 at Bari, to stay one point behind Inter, while Milan stayed three points off top with a 3-2 success at Cagliari.

Inter came into their game in poor league form having won only two of their previous nine matches, but they dominated despite suffering from a number of suspensions, notably captain Javier Zanetti, Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o and Brazilian defenders Maicon and Lucio.

But, having apologised publically in midweek for his part in a bust-up with coach Jose Mourinho, Balotelli, who had been frozen out for the previous six matches, ensured Eto’o’s absence was hardly felt.

He was involved in much of Inter’s attacking work and got his name on the scoresheet with a low right-foot finish from Diego Milito’s cross seven minutes after the break. Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta had given Inter a first half lead with a low shot from distance just before the half hour mark.

And he rounded off the scoring with a crisp curling left-foot finish five minutes from time after playing a one-two with Dejan Stankovic as he burst into the box. Roma produced a professional and controlled performance decided by Vucinic’s 19th minute goal in a game of few chances and little action.

Coach Claudio Ranieri was rewarded for his bold team selection of a three-pronged attack with Francesco Totti and Vucinic flanking Luca Toni as

the three combined for the winner.

Totti fed Toni on the edge of the box and he slipped in Vucinic running in behind him to finish with aplomb. And with six matches left Ranieri insisted his team would not yield in the run-in.

“We won’t buckle, we’re in good shape. It can happen that our level dips for one game, the other teams can play better than us but we’re in good shape,” he said. “We have a chance we could not have imagined a few months ago and now we have to fight for every ball.

“Inter are favorites because they’re ahead, they have a monster of a squad to fight on all fronts but for us this win and staying one point behind gives us enthusiasm, belief and an adrenaline boost.”

Milan’s victory came courtesy of a crazy first half in which all five goals were scored. Marco Borriello opened the scoring on seven minutes after he played a one-two with Clarence Seedorf and then finished right-footed inside the near post.

But Daniele Ragatzu levelled 10 minutes later with a low shot from just inside the area. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar restored Milan’s advantage two minutes after that with a long-range effort into the top corner past Italy international goalkeeper Federico Marchetti.

Cagliari were level again just after the hour mark following a three-on-two counter-attack with Alessandro Matri finishing high past Dida.

But seven minutes before the break Milan grabbed their winner with a comical own goal as Ignazio Abate’s cross was pushed out by Marchetti onto Davide Astori’s thigh and over the line.—AFP

STOKE: Stoke beat battling visitors Hull 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium yesterday to leave the Tigers stuck in the English Premier League relegation zone.

Jamaica striker Ricardo Fuller scored in the 6th minute and Republic of Ireland midfielder Liam Lawrence got the second in the 90th as Hull missed a chance to get out of the bottom three despite giving the Potters a tough fight.

Stoke moved up to 10th in the table, while Hull remain rooted in the drop zone. Though Hull had not won an away Premier League game since March 4 last year, Stoke had not won in four matches at home.

However, the Potters wasted no time in turning round their fortunes and extending Hull’s dreadful record to 30 away league games without a victory.

Hull centre-half Paul McShane misjudged a flick-on from Dave Kitson, allowing Fuller to race past him. The striker clipped his shot past Tigers goalkeeper Boaz Myhill and though caught by a McShane attempted tackle, limped back into action after treatment.

Stoke centre-half Robert Huth sent a volley over the bar and McShane did well to block a Kitson shot as the hosts looked to extend their lead.

Fuller was replaced at halftime by Tuncay, but the Turkey striker did not provide the same attacking threat as his Jamaican team-mate.

Hull were the better side after the break but failed to capitalise on their chances. The Tigers’ Jimmy Bullard fired a free kick into the wall, substitute Geovanni mis-hit a shot well wide and Craig Fagan saw a shot charged down, with captain George Boateng’s effort on the rebound blocked.

Hull played out the final 10 minutes without Boateng after the Dutch international was knocked unconscious by a Tuncay overhead kick. —AFP

www.kuwaittimes.net

Chelsea defeat United to take control of title race Man United 1

Chelsea 2

LONDON: Portsmouth’s Kanu (right) competes with Blackburn Rovers’ Michel Salgado during their English Premier League soccer match at Fratton Park. —AP

Portsmouth frustrate Blackburn Portsmouth 0

Blackburn 0 PORTSMOUTH: Portsmouth produced determined rearguard action to earn a 0-0 draw against Blackburn yesterday despite Anthony Vanden Borre’s dismissal.

Avram Grant’s beleaguered team were reduced to 10 men on the hour when Vanden Borre was sent off for a second bookable offence.

The red card, which rules Belgium defender Vanden Borre out of next weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham, could have shat-

tered Portsmouth’s already fragile morale.

But the Premier League’s bottom club, already destined for relegation after a 10-point deduction for going into administration, dug deep to earn a point which fought off official confirmation of the drop into the Championship for the moment.

Grant went into the game without 13 first-team regulars and was forced to pad his sixman substitutes’ bench with youth team players.

They added another injury worry to their list after four minutes, when makeshift centre back Aaron Mokoena pulled up with a twisted knee.

With Grant’s options so limited on the bench, the South African midfielder knew he had to stay on the pitch and

performed well out of position.

On-loan Pompey midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who sat out last Saturday’s trip to his parent club Tottenham, nearly marked his return to the side with a goal after 28 minutes.

Kanu found John Utaka in space on the left and the Nigerian picked out O’Hara, but his header was beautifully nodded off the line by Gael Givet.

Blackburn took over after that and David Dunn came within inches of giving them the lead when his low leftfooted strike from the left corner of the box hit the outside of the far post.

Rovers should have gone ahead before the break when a Mortem Gamst Pedersen free kick found Christopher Samba unmarked in the box but his

header hit a post.

Pompey started the second half more impressively, but their efforts to take charge suffered a crushing blow on the hour, when they were reduced to ten men by referee Steve Bennett.

Vanden Borre was booked shortly before the break for a foul on Blackburn’s Steven Nzonzi. Grant will have been fuming to then see him blatantly handle a ball down the Pompey flank and receive a cheap second yellow card.

Sam Allardyce’s men threw bodies forward in search of a winner. But a string of balls into the Pompey box failed to trouble the home side and Nwankwo Kanu nearly made Rovers pay for their wastefulness when he shot over in the 85th minute. —AFP

Bolton 0

Aston Villa 1

Villa back on European track BOLTON: A fine finish from Ashley Young helped Aston Villa recover from their 7-1 mauling against Chelsea last weekend as they defeated Bolton 1-0 at the Reebok Stadium yesterday.

Martin O’Neill’s side needed to erase their humiliating defeat at Stamford Bridge, and ignore the midweek speculation regarding their manager’s future and they did just that to keep the pressure on fourthplaced Tottenham.

Villa are four points behind Spurs, who occupy the final Champions League qualifying place, while Bolton are not clear of the relegation zone just yet.

Tamir Cohen caused a couple of early scares for Villa as he rifled two low shots that had Brad Freidel worried, but when the action finally switched to the other end, Villa took the lead in the 11th minute with a brilliant effort from Young.

It was a case of history repeating itself for Villa as Young curled home a wonderful effort that left Jussi Jaaskelainen little chance.

When Villa defeated Wanderers 5-1 back in November, it was Young who scored the first and it was the England winger who got the game going again.

Stephen Warnock threaded the ball through to Young on the left side of the box and he looked up and bent the ball brilliantly to net the opener.

Jack Wilshere had a good chance for Bolton but smashed his shot wide and a Fabrice Muamba strike was bravely blocked by Richard Dunne who threw himself in the ball’s path to stop it going any further than the edge of the box.

However, after that explosive start the encounter settled down and neither side looked any better than the other. —AFP

LONDON: Sunderland’s Boudewijn Zenden (left) and Tottenham Hotspur’s goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match at the Stadium of Light. —AP

Bent’s double sinks Spurs Sunderland 3

Tottenham 1 SUNDERLAND: Darren Bent exacted revenge on former boss Harry Redknapp with a double strike that dented Spurs’ Champions League push, but yesterday’s 3-1 win should have been even sweeter for the Sunderland striker.

Bent also endured the misery of seeing two penalties saved by Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes at the Stadium of Light, making it three the Brazilian has made against him this season.

Redknapp publicly ridiculed Bent when he missed a chance for Spurs last season, claiming his wife would have scored.

England international Bent, who joined Sunderland in a 10 million pounds deal last year, made Redknapp pay with a goal after 36 seconds and a 29th minute penalty.

But Gomes got the better of Bent when former Spurs loanee Fraizer Campbell won a 41stminute penalty for a foul by skipper Luka Modric, and the Tottenham keeper sprang to his

left to make a stunning save.

Gomes repeated his penalty heroics to frustrate Bent again just after the hour-mark, then substitute Peter Crouch headed Spurs back into the game in the 72nd minute only a minute after coming on.

But Sunderland sub Bolo Zenden smashed in a magnificent left-foot volley from Jordan Henderson’s centre to seal victory five minutes from time. Bent now has 23 goals this season - 22 in the Premier League - and his first, in 36 seconds, was the quickest this season.

His first came when Kieran Richardson took the right-wing corner, Campbell saw his diving header saved by Gomes and Bent bundled in the rebound from close range.

Roman Pavlyuchenko spurned a glorious opportunity to level in the sixth minute when the ball dropped into him, but he let it escape under his foot.

The home fans appealed in vain for a penalty on 13 minutes when Henderson nutmegged Benoit Assou-Ekotto before going down as he surged into the penalty area on the right.

Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon came to his side’s aid again when he dived to his right to save Pavlyuchenko’s header.

Steed Malbranque then played

his part when Sunderland doubled their lead.

Gomes parried his shot and the ball bounced up to strike the hand of right-back Kyle Walker.

And Bent stepped up to gleefully blast home.

Campbell flashed a header wide as Sunderland continued to dominate, but Gordon had to be on his mettle once more to block as Gudjohnsen slid in.

The Black Cats were then awarded their second penalty after Campbell went down under the challenge of Spurs’ stand-in skipper Modric. But this time Gomes was equal to it, saving brilliantly to his left.

Redknapp brought on fitagain Jermain Defoe and Niko Kranjcar for the second half and Gordon then came to Sunderland’s rescue again with two fine saves in the space of a minute.

The first came when Defoe raced goalward and the Scottish international came out to block, the second when he turned over Bale’s header.

Sunderland had another spotkick chance to kill the game off when Wilson Palacios brought down Henderson. But, incredibly, Gomes touched Bent’s kick on to a post before the ball rolled back kindly for the keeper to gather. —AFP

MANCHESTER: Chelsea took maximum advantage of Wayne Rooney’s enforced absence to move into pole position in the Premier League title race with a 2-1 win over Manchester United here yesterday.

Goals from Joe Cole and substitute Didier Drogba amounted to a fair reflection of the Londoners domination of opponents who looked distinctly short of inspiration without their 34-goal star striker.

A late strike from substitute Federico Macheda ensured United kept the contest alive to the death and, on another day, United might also have enjoyed a better return from three debatable penalty appeals.

But the champions could scarcely complain about the outcome after failing to create a single clear scoring opportunity in open play before Macheda bundled a cross from fellow substitute Nani over the line with nine minutes left.

Rooney’s absence did not entail a change of shape for United, with Dimitar Berbatov — who once again failed to live up to his status as the most expensive signing in the club’s history — slotting in at the sharp end of an attacking trident made up of Ryan Giggs and Antonio Valencia.

Ancelotti’s pre-match suggestion that Drogba was too important to be left out proved to be a smokescreen as the Italian opted for the same lineup that started last weekend’s 7-1 demolition of Aston Villa.

That meant Nicolas Anelka leading the line and Cole and Florent Malouda occupying the flanks and it was the two wide men who combined to give Chelsea the lead after 20 minutes of cagey opening exchanges.

From wide on the left, Malouda wriggled past Valencia, turned inside Gary Neville and powered into the area, muscling Darren Fletcher aside on his way to the byline.

The Frenchman’s low cross found Cole at the near post and, despite the attentions of Patrice Evra, the England international was able to produce a deft little flick through his own legs to find the net.

That piece of improvisation made amends for Cole having wasted the best chance of the match until then, when he shanked his shot from an inviting Anelka pass.

For United, Berbatov had headed a Valencia cutback high over the bar and Evra had had an effort from the corner of the penalty area comfortably saved

by Petr Cech.

The home side did have two first-half penalty appeals, Park Ji-Sung tumbling, somewhwat theatrically, under a challenge from Yuri Zhirkov and Berbatov behing up-ended by Frank Lampard, who looked to have played the ball fractionally before he swept the Bulgarian’s standing leg away.

In between those two, Chelsea had what looked like a stronger penalty claim of their own turned down after Neville barged Anelka off the ball inside the area, while the threat posed by Malouda was underlined by the bookings both Neville and Scholes received for fouls on the Frenchman.

United appeared oddly listless but Fletcher injected a note of urgency as the hour approached, driving through the middle to create a shooting opportunity for Park.

The South Korean sliced his effort wide but United took the half-chance as their cue to move up a gear. Berbatov was narrowly off target with headers from Giggs and Neville deliveries from the right while Evra forced Cech to flap at a equally menacing cross from the opposite flank.

United had another penalty appeal waved away when Antonio Valencia headed a Giggs free-kick against the upper arm of Malouda. —AFP

LONDON: Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia (left) competes for the ball with Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel during their English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford Stadium. —AP

Gunners keep title bid alive Arsenal 1

Wolves 0 LONDON: Nicklas Bendtner struck in the fourth minute of added time as Arsenal maintained their Premier League title challenge with a 1-0 win over 10-man Wolves yesterday.

Arsene Wenger’s side seemed set for a disappointing draw that would have all but ended their hopes of catching leaders Chelsea after failing to find a way through a Wolves side depleted by the 66th minute dismissal of Karl Henry.

But Bendtner’s header from Bacary Sagna’s corner ensured they moved to within three points of Carlo Ancelotti’s side with five games remaining.

And after a largely frustrating performance, the Gunners will now head to face Barcelona for the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday with renewed confidence.

The drama of Wednesday’s thrilling 2-2 first leg draw with Barca meant this game risked carrying a sense of anti-climax.

The looming trip to the Nou Camp clearly influenced Wenger’s team selection as

the Arsenal manager made seven changes in an attempt to protect key players despite his squad being stretched by the loss of Cesc Fabregas, William Gallas and Andrey Arshavin.

With Gallas out, Wenger opted to select veteran Sol Campbell alongside Thomas Vermaelen in central defence rather than ask Alex Song to drop back from midfield.

The game was played almost exclusively in the visitors’ half and as impressive as Arsenal’s build-up play was, their inability to finish off inferior opponents raised serious questions about their prospects of landing silverware this season.

Theo Walcott was given a rare start on the right flank following his impressive 20 minute substitute appearance that helped trigger Arsenal’s recovery af ter falling two down to Barcelona.

And once again the England winger showed outstanding skill and trickery to carve open a succession of openings against an overstretched Wolves back-line.

The problem for Arsenal was that Walcott’s final ball too often left something to be desired - and when he did deliver a quality cross, his team-mates were incapable of converting.

The first opening came in the sixth minute when the wideman pulled back for Eduardo whose first time shot

was well saved by Wolves keeper Marcus Hahnemann.

The chance offered early promise that the Brazil-born Croat could end his threemonth goal-drought. A second opportunity six minutes later, however, suggested otherwise with Eduardo completely miscueing from just 12 yards out.

That set the pattern for a one-sided first half that remained all-square largely because of Arsenal’s tendency to over-elaborate in the final third.

And when they did work a way through to goal, they found Hahnemann in outstanding form. This was the kind of game that might have been turned by Fabregas’s determined forward running from midfield and the captain’s absence was felt even more keenly in the second period.

Although Arsenal enjoyed an even greater share of the possession, they began to run out of ideas while Wolves grew in confidence.

However, the dismissal of Henry in the 66th minute gave them new impetus, although Wolves were convinced their captain was treated harshly by referee Andre Marriner following his late challenge on Tomas Rosicky.

Wenger introduced Samir Nasri and Bendtner and, just as a draw looked certain, the Dane struck to steal a vital three points. —AFP

LONDON: Arsenal’s Sol Campbell (left) challenges for the ball with Wolverhampton Wanderers Kevin Doyle during their English Premiership soccer match. —AP

Markaz Mumtaz, Gulf funds win 4 Lipper Awards

23

British Airways’ new First debuts in Kuwait

25

US economy beginning to turn the corner: Obama

26

Sunday, April 4, 2010

www.kuwaittimes.net

Oil, gas and petrochemical projects hold key to Kuwait’s 2030 strategy KTS to hold forum on transparency in oil sector KUWAIT: The Kuwait Transparency Society (KTS) declared here yesterday the launching of its fourth annual forum on transparency to be held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah on April 20-21, 2010 under the slogan of “Transparency in Oil Industries”.

Chairman of the Kuwaiti Transparency Society Salah AlGhazali said in a press conference here yesterday that the forum’s goals this year is to achieve the values of transparency, integrity and accountability in the Kuwaiti oil sector.

He added that this comes in line with the state’s development plan recently submitted by the government in which the oil sector has the biggest share of projects in terms of value and volume.

Al-Ghazali pointed out that oil, gas and petrochemicals projects are those included in the new strategy of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), known as the 2030 strategy.

This prompted the KPC to be the forum’s main sponsor out of its belief in the importance of the oil sector’s abiding by the transparency principle in all transactions with clientele.

Al-Ghazali made clear that

the forum seeks to define the criteria derived from the UN Convention against Corruption which Kuwait signed in 2006 out of its willingness to protect the Kuwaiti oil output from corruption and ascertain its sustained success in making gains as the sinew of the local economy.

He went on to say that extractive industries around the world including oil, gas and minerals started to apply some special criteria that aim at boosting governance after officials remarked a widespread political, administrative and financial corruption in those industries around the world.

Al-Ghazali said that some international civil society figures took the lead in working toward strengthening governance in such important industries. He also expected for this forum to attract a big number of those interested in knowing more about the mandatory and voluntary transparency standards in the oil industries from various world.

Head of the Scientific Committee of the Forum Dr Meshaal Al-Samhan said that the forum will shed light on an array of themes derived from the transparency initiative in the extractive industries signed and supported by big oil companies in the world. — KUNA

LAHORE: Pakistani farmers sit on truck loaded with watermelon as they bargain with dealers at a fruit market in Lahore yesterday. Last fiscal year, Pakistan recorded its worst economic growth in more than a decade, at two percent, and attracted only $3.7 billion in investment. — AFP

Oman Air ups capital, predicts tough year MUSCAT: State-run Oman Air has raised its capital by 67 percent to $1.3 billion and plans to add new destinations, while its CEO said 2010 was expected to be a difficult year for the airline and the whole industry.

“Looking forward to 2010, I am under no illusion that this again will be yet another tough year for the aviation industry worldwide and for Oman Air in particular,” CEO Peter Hill said in a statement issued yesterday.

Oman Air hiked its capital to 500 million rials ($1.3 billion) from 300 million rials and will fly to eight new destinations this year, the statement quoted Ahmad bin Abdul-Nabi Mekki, the Gulf Arab sultanate’s economy minister, as saying.

“Financial results of Oman Air too were impacted by adverse global economic conditions (in 2009),” Mekki said in the statement, without giving details. “We are confident that over a period of time when the airline has established its presence in the industry and its network has matured, we will see positive returns on investment,” he said.

Hill was appointed CEO of Oman Air in 2008 after Oman withdrew from Gulf Air, which it had owned jointly with Bahrain, to develop its own carrier. Oman Air launched operations in 1993.

Mekki added that the airline will go ahead with plans to fly to eight new destinations this year, shelved last year. The destinations are Milan, Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, Dar es Salaam, Islamabad, L ahore, and the United Arab Emirates cities of Al Ain and Ras Al-Khaimah.

Oman Air carried 2.4 million passengers in 2009, up 19 percent from the previous year, the statement said.

Hill told Reuters in March that Oman Air, which posted a loss of $109 million in 2008, planned to return to profit by 2014. — Reuters

22

BUSINESS

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Profit-taking takes shine off KSE stocks KUWAIT: The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) tumbled towards the end of the week as the permitting period for announcing the annual corporate profits came to an end this week. On the morning of last trading day of this week the KSE announced suspending 21 listed companies from trading for not revealing their term results. Total profits of listed companies with their year ending in December 2009 recorded a notable turnaround compared to the year earlier. The overall net profit was around KD100mn compared to a loss of KD185.12mn recorded in 2008. As measured by Global’s weighted General Index, the Kuwaiti market closed the week shedding 1.11 percent, at 210.38 point. On a year-to-date basis, the index gains reached 12.97 percent. Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) price index was also down by 14.70 points (0.20 percent) and closed at 7,475.1 points. Total market capitalization reached KD34.51bn. Market breadth was skewed towards decliners as out of 177 shares traded this week, 91 shares declined against 64 advancing.

Trading activity was lower this week. Total traded volume dropped by 6.79 percent reaching 1.80bn shares changing hands at a total traded value of KD377.98mn (-6.43 percent compared to the week before). High volume was seen on the Investment sector, accounting for 30.93 percent of the total traded volume in the market with 558.31mn shares traded. Ekttitab Holding Company was the highest volume traded in the sector with 82.16mn share traded on its share.

However, Gulf Finance House topped the same list for the week with 100.64mn shares changing hands, accounting for 5.58 percent of the total volume traded this week. On the value list, the Services sector took the lead with KD166.99mn traded, accounting for 44.18 percent of total traded market value. Zain topped the value list with KD62.79mn traded on its share, accounting for 16.61 percent of the total weekly traded value.

Zain’s share price was down by 2.82 percent this week. Sector-wise, Global Insurance Index was the biggest advancer, adding 0.94 percent to its value with First Takaful Insurance being a major gainer in the sector, adding 9.09 percent to its share price. Global Non-Kuwaiti Index followed, adding 0.90 percent to its value.

Ahli United Bank was the biggest gainer among the foreign equities listed in the market, adding 12.36 percent to its share price. The scrip and another 3 equities were traded ex-dividend in the Non-Kuwaiti sector this week. Global Real Estate Index was the only other gainer this week, adding 0.15 percent. In the same sector, Investors Holding Group Company was the biggest loser this week, shedding 19.40 percent to its share price.

On the other hand, Global Investment Index was the biggest loser, shedding 2.90 percent of its value. Al-Mal Investment Company was a major loser in the sector, with its share price being down by 15.63 percent. However, and in the same sector, Strategia Investment Company topped the gainers list this week, adding 44.12 percent to its share price. The scrip closed at KD0.049. The Services sector was the second biggest loser, with Global Services Index ending the last trading session 1.77 percent lower with five services companies announced suspended by the end of the week.

Global Industrial Index came third, shedding 1.59 percent this week.

Global’s special indices were recorded mixed performances this week. Global Large Cap (Top 10) Index was down by 1.45 percent while Global Islamic Sharia Index shed 0.73 percent of its value.

On the other side, Global Small Cap (Low 10) index closed up by 3.73 percent.

GLOBAL WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

booked a budget surplus of KD5.33bn in the same period of its previous 2008/2009 fiscal year. The figure stood at KD8.02bn in the first ten months of the current fiscal year. Revenues were KD16.02bn at the end of February, about 198 percent of the figure budgeted for the whole fiscal year.

Oil revenue of the OPEC member came in at KD15.17bn, while spending amounted to KD7.68bn, about 63.4 percent of the full-year plan, the data showed. The Gulf state’s 2009/2010 budget forecast a deficit of KD4.85bn, on the assumption that crude, the main revenue earner, would fetch US$35 a barrel. Kuwait forecasts a deficit of KD7.41bn in its 2010/2011 budget, which will be based on an oil price of US$43 a barrel. Analysts polled by Reuters expected a fiscal surplus of 23.4 percent of gross domestic product in 2010, the highest in the Gulf, up from 20.0 percent in the previous calendar year.

Oil related news Price of Kuwaiti crude oil reached $77.56 per barrel (pb) in Wednesday, March 31, an increase of $1.54 per barrel compared to a week earlier, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said. Crude prices have recently been within the $70-80 per barrel range, set as ideal by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The current price compares to a low of $32pb late December, 2008, and a peak of $136 pb posted in July of the same year. Experts believe that the prices of the crude are currently influenced by signs of global economic recovery, which would herald increase in demand for oil.

Commercial quantities of oil and gas have been discovered in the divided zone Kuwait shares with Saudi Arabia, managing director of the Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) Bader Al-Khashti said. He stated that daily feasibility studies were underway for the new finds in the offshore fields of Al-Hout and Al-Loulou. KGOC plans to spend about KD323mn ($1.12bn) on oil and gas projects this year. Kuwait, the world’s fourth largest oil producer, aims to reach an oil production capacity of 4mn barrels per day (bpd) in 2020 and sustain it until 2030.

Macroeconomic news Kuwait’s budget surplus widened to KD8.33bn ($28.81bn) in the first eleven months of its 2009/2010 fiscal year due to higher-than-forecast oil income, official data showed. An oil price recovery from last year’s lows is helping Gulf oil exporters boost their budget revenues, allowing them to keep fiscal stimulus packages in place at a time when other countries consider spending cuts.

Kuwait, the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter,

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) sold a light naphtha cargo for late April loading at largely steady premiums, reflecting the resilience in freeon-board (FOB) premiums despite weaker petrochemical margins, traders said. KPC sold the 24,000-ton cargo for April 24-28 by tender to an oil major at premiums in the levels of mid $20.00s a ton to Middle East quotes on (FOB) basis. This is largely steady compared to the low $20.00s a ton premium FOB it had fetched previously for a light naphtha cargo sold for first-half April loading. Some traders said FOB prices have been unreasonably high, given the current weak sentiment.

Kuwait’s crude oil exports to Japan plunged 41.6 percent in February from a year earlier to 7.24mn barrels, or 259,000 barrels per day (bpd), for the third consecutive monthly drop, the government said. Kuwait supplied 6.9 percent of nation’s crude oil in February, compared with 10.1 percent in the same month of last year and 6.1 percent in January, the Japanese Natural Resources and Energy Agency, a unit of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report. Japan is Kuwait’s largest oil buyer with accounting for 20 percent of its total crude exports.

Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) is planning to drill 200 oil wells for heavy crude oil with a depth of 600 feet in the Al-Ratqa Oil Field in the north of Kuwait by 2011. A source said that KOC has developed plans for projects including the drilling of these oil wells at a cost of KD59mn, noting that the cost of the first phase of the project will be higher than the cost of the second phase. They added that if the wells are not drilled according to the plan and the program on developing oil reserves are production of oil in Kuwait’s north, this will delay the objective of increasing the production capacity of heavy crude oil, which is estimated at 60,000 barrels a day.

Other local news Kuwait plans to apply solar energy at its government facilities, including ministries and various state installations, in a bid to curb high power cuts during summer. The Cabinet has approved a proposal by the Ministry of Electricity and Water to

apply the latest in solar energy technology at state buildings, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan stated after the weekly Cabinet meeting. The minister pointed out that the Cabinet agreed on forming a committee to implement solar energy applications at its facilities. The committee will be headed by Minister of Electricity and Water Dr Bader Al-Shuraian, and its membership will include representatives from six ministries with posts not less than assistant under secretary, he added.

Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) announced during its General Assembly held of March 25 that its net income surged to $91mn, representing a return of shareholders equity of 6.3 percent. The operating revenues increased multifold during 2009 to $153mn, boosted by contributions from all core businesses. Shareholders’ equity rose to $1.75bn at the end of 2009, an increase of $1.1bn compared to the previous year. Approximately half of this increase, or $537mn, resulted from valuation gains and retained earnings during 2009.

Kuwait’s Zain confirmed on Tuesday, March 30, it had signed a deal for the sale of African telecom assets to Bharti Airtel, saying it would pay dividends from the proceeds. Zain intends to distribute a large proportion of the upfront net proceeds to shareholders in the form of dividends, the company said in a statement. The gain net profit of the deal of about $3.3bn from African asset sale; will be booked in Q2 2010 financials.

Debtors of Al-Mal Investment Company have agreed to defer repayment of KD20mn ($69.35mn) in bonds for a year, the company said. The investment management firm, controlled by familyowned conglomerate Kharafi Group, said that its bond holders had approved a one-year extension of payment till April 5, 2011.

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has received the approval from the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) to buy up to an additional 20 percent in Boubyan Bank, which could help Kuwait’s largest lender boost its Islamic business. The approval is valid for three months starting March 22, to raise its stake in Islamic lender Boubyan Bank to up to 60 percent from 40 percent. The 20 percent stake

would cost NBK about $530mn, based on Boubyan’s market capitalization.

Bahrain-based bank Ithmaar Bank, listed in the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) raised 51.5 percent of $200mn rights issue, as part of its plans to raise capital following heavy losses in 2009.

The Saudi central bank chief was named to head a Gulf monetary council this week, underlining the kingdom’s dominance in a single currency project and reducing prospects for the United Arab Emirates and Oman to return. Muhammad AlJasser, head of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), will be the first chairman of the joint monetary council, a forerunner for a regional central bank. Rasheed Al-Maraj, the governor of Bahrain’s central bank, will be his deputy, Jasser said at the council’s inaugural meeting. Their term will last one year beginning Tuesday, March 30.

Rulers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) endorsed in December a plan for union in the world’s top oil exporting region despite the absence of the UAE, the bloc’s second-biggest economy after Saudi Arabia, and Oman. Last year, GCC abandoned an initial 2010 deadline for issuing common notes and coins, saying the joint monetary council would draw a new timeline for the project $400mn, up to $200mn by selling equity to existing shareholders at $0.25. It also said it would sell a mandatory convertible Islamic bond for the remainder. The subscription period ended on March 25 raising $103mn through the rights issue, said Ithmaar’s Chief Executive Mohamed Hussain in a statement.

The Bank formerly known as Bank of Kuwait and the Middle East was crossed out from the local conventional banks list and started its Sharia-compliant operations on April 1, 2010 listed as “Ahli United Bank,” said the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK). This step follows the bank’s full implementation of measures required for the conversion. It comes in compliance with the fourth article of law 30/2003 on CBK and banking regulation in the State of Kuwait. The bank is thus the latest Islamic bank registered in Kuwait, joining Kuwait Finance House (KFH), Boubyan Bank, Kuwait International Bank, soon to come Warba Bank and the Kuwait branch of Saudi Arabian Al-Rajhi Bank.

The registration for Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Ports International’s (KGL PI) capital increase by KD15mn is approximately 70 percent covered and the registration for 150mn new shares will end within the few coming days. For strategic purposes Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company (KGL), the main owner of KGL PI, will buy the rest of the unregistered shares as a worthy and promising investment to complete construction of Dimyat Port in Egypt, an official said. He added that KGL PI’s capital increase aims to enhance its partnership in the capital of Dimyat International Company by $100mn, in order to satisfy the need of completion of Dimyat Port in Egypt. The port is expected to be tested in the first quarter of 2011 before its official inauguration in September 2011.

Gulf Bank got the approval from the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), on March 28, 2010 to repurchase 10 percent maximum of its issued shares for further six months, from the expiry date of last approval on October 14, 2010. Gulf Bank should abide by the CBK buyback rules and regulations, in addition to the provisions of Article No. 115 bis of Corporate Law. United Industries Company (UCI), a member of the KIPCO Group, announced the repayment of KD15mn bond on its maturity, on March 29. The bonds are made up of two tranches, one of KD8.5mn with a fixed rate of 6.5 percent per annum, and another of KD6.5mn with a floating rate of 2.25 percent above the Kuwait Interbank Offering Rate (KIBOR).

Manafae Investment Company got the approval from the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), from the date of approval, to repurchase 10 percent maximum of its issued shares for further six months, from the expiry date of last approval on October 14, 2010. Gulf Bank should abide by the CBK buyback rules and regulations, in addition to the provisions of Article No. 115 bis of Corporate Law.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals

.2840000 .4300000 .386000 .2690000 .2800000 .2620000 .0045000 .0020000 .0782350 .7622180 .4020000 .0750000 .7472220 .0045000 .0500000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2878500 .4319550 .3882930 .2710660 .2819530 .0521700 .0397240 .2644890 .0370720 .2060330 .0031190 .0064320 .0025300 .0034570 .0042170 .0784090 .7639110 .4070970 .0767990 .7480340 .0063960 TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2899500 .4350050 .2729850 .0772880

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.099 6.445

.2940000 .4390000 .3930000 .2760000 .2880000 .2690000 .0075000 .0035000 .0790210 .7698780 .4180000 .0790000 .7547320 .0072000 .0580000 .2899500 .4350050 .3910350 .2729850 .2839500 .0525400 .0400050 .2663570 .0373350 .2074920 .0031410 .0064770 .0025480 .0034820 .0042470 .0789090 .7687820 .4099800 .0772880 .7528030 .0064410

Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.432 2.533 4.034 206.910 37.230 4.171 6.386 8.957 0.301 0.292 GCC COUNTRIES Saudi Riyal 77.120 Qatari Riyal 79.453 Omani Riyal 751.300 Bahraini Dinar 768.040 UAE Dirham 78.760 ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 55.500 Egyptian Pound 52.550 Yemen Riyal 1.308 Tunisian Dinar 207.800 Jordanian Dinar 408.400 Lebanese Lira 194.000 Syrian Lier 6.343 Morocco Dirham 35.250 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 289.050 Euro 394.200 Sterling Pound 443.400 Canadian dollar 289.630 Turkish lire 190.840 Swiss Franc 275.940 Australian dollar 265.600 US Dollar Buying 287.000 GOLD 20 Gram 218.000 10 Gram 110.000 5 Gram 57.500

Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal 10 Tola Sterling Pound US Dollar

SELL CASH 268.500 768.520 4.390 288.500 567.500 15.800 53.100 167.800 54.690

393.000 37.760 6.435

408.490 0.194 90.890 3.040 206.800 750.510 3.450 6.415 79.490 77.160 207.390 42.070 2.535 442.200 278.000 9.120 78.850 289.000

GOLD 1,203.990 TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 442.200 289.000

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound

394.500 37.930 6.670 0.035 0.298 0.260 3.150 410.220 0.195 90.890 47.500 4.260 208.300 2.183 49.300 750.690 3.510 6.550 79.920 77.160 207.390 42.070 2.739 444.200 40.800 279.500 6.400 9.290 217.900 78.850 289.400 1.380

SELL DRAFT 268.000 768.520 4.170 288.000

207.400 52.542

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Cyprus Pound Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees

Selling Rate 289.400 288.295 441.350 393.015 270.656 709.340 766.010 78.770 79.470 77.140 408.385 52.643 6.422 3.443

Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees

2.525 4.185 6.386 3.132 8.935 6.314 3.994

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Candaian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 289.150 3.455 6.445 2.540 4.180 6.430 78.790 77.280 768.300 52.555 439.100 0.00003195 3.980 1.550 410.500 5.750 395.000 290.000

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 289.300 Euro 391.700 Pound Sterling 440.500 Canadian Dollar 286.300 Japanese Yen 3.200 Indian Rupee 6.435 Egyptian Pound 52.630 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.536 Bangladesh Taka 4.180 Philippines Peso 6.390 Pakistan Rupee 3.445 Bahraini Dinar 769.650 UAE Dirham 78.675 Saudi Riyal 77.050 *Rates are subject to change

Sunday, April 4, 2010

BUSINESS

23

Recognition for best risk-adjusted performance

Markaz Mumtaz, Islamic, Gulf funds win 4 Lipper Awards KUWAIT: (From right): Mazen Al-Nahedh, Khalid Al-Hajeri and Abdullah AlNajran during the ceremony.

Special Zain packages now offered to new Mustaqbal & Laki customers KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the leading bank in Kuwait and the highest rated in the Middle East, is offering new Mustaqbal and Laki customers who transfer their salaries to NBK the chance to benefit from Zain Packages for the Employee Sector in addition to many privileges free monthly subscriptions.

Commenting on the occasion, NBK Group General Manager Corporate Banking, Mazen AlNahedh said that the launch of this rewarding offer comes within NBK’s ongoing endeavors to reward its clients and allow them to benefit from the merits and benefits of NBK’s strong ties and partnerships with the most prominent companies and brands in Kuwait. Al-Nahedh also lauded the strong cooperation existing between NBK and Zain, indicating that such partnership has been manifested in a multitude of mutually beneficial activities in various countries. He further commended Zain as one of the best regional and international telecommunications companies.

Engineer Khaled Al-Hajeri CEO-Zain Kuwait stated once again, Zain has shown that we are genuine partners with the NBK; this service comes under this strategic relationship. He stated that Zain have been always interested in the employee sector as reflected by the diversity of services and promotions introduced lately in the market to this sector, indicating that the company will provide NBK with exclusive offers especially for the employee sector.

AlHajeri stressed that Zain is happy with this cooperation, and looks forward to further integration of services among clients of Zain and NBK for the coming period especially as the two are con-

sidered leading companies in the market and they possess the largest share in the Kuwaiti market.

“Customers availing of this promotion will have the chance to choose from any of Zain Packages for the Employee Sector and get benefit from free subscriptions on voice lines, reduced rates on high speed mobile internet and more benefits during promotion period” stated NBK Deputy General Manager-Consumer Banking Group Abdullah AlNajran Al-Tuwaijri. Adding “we believe that our customers can benefit greatly from our close partnership with Zain, who are constantly extending us the best tailor-made branch offers and services and we are happy to bring them the best in value added benefits when banking with us. We encourage all those who haven’t yet opened an account with us to do so at any NBK branch in order to start benefitting right away”.

Al-Mustaqbal is a package tailor-made for young professionals at the beginning of their working career by providing them with a comprehensive range of financial services that are easily and conveniently accessible. NBK’s objective with Al-Mustaqbal package is to recognize that young working professionals are embarking upon a new stage of their life in which they require support in the management of their finances along with easier and convenient banking services using the channel of their choice; go to the branch, call Hala Watani, use Watani Online banking or mobile banking. NBK’s Laki account offers women the first in Kuwait Laki Titanium MasterCard with its unrivaled offers and exclusive privileges such as free Valet parking, concierge service and instant discounts at numerous outlets around Kuwait.

BMW 5 Series

2010 red dot awards

BMW Group wins 11 prizes for outstanding product design The presentation of the red dot award 2010 once again provides impressive confirmation of the outstanding quality of BMW Group design.

Six current models of the BMW Group and five design innovations by BMW Group DesignworksUSA will receive the internationally renowned award this year, with the new Rolls-Royce Ghost winning the special “red dot: best of the best” award for the very highest level of design quality in the category Automobiles, Transport and Caravans. Other BMW Group models to be awarded the red dot as a mark of outstanding design are the new BMW 5 Series Sedan, the BMW X1 and the motorcycle model BMW F 800 R. There were also honorable mentions from the international jury for the BMW Gran Turismo and the motorcycle model BMW S 1000 RR. The awards will be presented at the gala held at the Aalto Theatre in Essen on July 5th 2010.

The red dot award is one of the most important awards in the world for product design. It was first awarded in 1955 and recognizes outstanding design work in a wide range of categories including not only automobiles, architecture, household and home electronics but also fashion, life science and medicine. This year the jury, made up of international design experts, rated 4252 products from 57 nations.

Their assessment is based on 17 criteria ranging from degree of innovation to functionality and ecological compatibility. In the category automobile, transport and caravan the jury issued 24 red dot awards this year - three of the award winners received the special “best of the best” rating.

This highest red dot seal of quality is given for recognition of unusually high-quality and groundbreaking design. The award-winning Rolls-Royce Ghost is an automobile whose unique character is expressed by an exclusive, unmistakable appearance. It is a symbol of clarity whose design reinterprets the classic values of the brand in a modern style for the 21st century. Its flowing lines reflect the dynamic performance of the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever built. Large spaces which cover the entire body and are structured by horizontal lines and highlight the solid, luxurious and supreme character of the vehicle.

An authentic visualization of the vehicle’s properties is also provided by the design of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan. Presence and stylish elegance in its shaping reflect the sedan’s uncompromising premium quality and its high level of driving comfort. The car’s sporty prop-

erties are reflected in dynamic lines and an athletic overall impression. What is more the high-quality aesthetic appeal of the BMW 5 Series Sedan, now also a 2010 red dot award winner, shows perfectly balanced proportions and precisely finished details.

The second honorable mention at the 2010 red dot awards goes to the BMW Gran Turismo.

This completely new vehicle concept combines essential features of a prestigious sedan, a modern Sports Activity Vehicle and a classic Gran Turismo, impressively implemented by means of innovative design solutions. The diverse qualities of the BMW Gran Turismo in the areas of dynamic performance, space comfort and versatility are reflected in the characteristic BMW proportions, the four doors with frameless windows, a coupé-like flowing roof line and the dual-section rear opening.

The BMW X1 is distinct and yet characteristic of the brand. This applies both to its driving properties and its visual appearance, which has likewise been awarded a red dot award in 2010. The BMW X1 combines thrilling agility, versatile sporty flair and modern functionality: for the first time it is possible to savor the unique driving pleasure of a BMW X model in a vehicle of the premium compact segment. The BMW X1’s highly distinct appearance is based on its elongated lines, giving it a look which conveys selfassured elegance. The characteristic design features of the BMW X1 include a powerfully shaped, long engine compartment lid, a striking upright BMW kidney grille, broadly flared wheel arches, short overhangs, a long wheelbase, an elaborately modulated rear and the flat standing rear window. The front, side and rear sections are seamlessly joined, with striking lines creating flowing connections between the body elements.

Striking design With the red dot award 2010 for the BMW F 800 R, BMW Motorrad likewise continues its successful series of entries in renowned design competitions. The medium-category naked bike launched in the spring of 2009 brings the design concept of the large 4-cylinder roadsters (K 1300 R) to a new segment. A sporty touch and high-quality details determine the character of this model. The outstanding quality of the design also extends to the optionally available accessory components such as a windshield, a pillion passenger seat cover, radiator trim panels and an engine spoiler.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz”, one of the Middle East’s awards for best Kuwaiti Equities Fund for the periods of three and five leading investment banking and asset management companies, announced years. “Markaz Gulf Fund” won best MENA Equities Fund and “Markaz that three of its MENA mutual funds collectively won four Lipper Awards Islamic Fund” won best Islamic Kuwaiti Equities Fund, both for the period for best risk-adjusted performance. Markaz “Mumtaz” Fund won two of three years.

Amani Al-Omani, Senior winner of two Lipper Fund tion is open to all nationaliVice President of Local and awards for the years 2010 ties. Markaz manages a GCC Investments at Markaz and 2008, was established in major market share in the said, “Markaz Funds have 2003 and aims to invest in region through its funds; it’s now won a total of eight Sharia-compliant quoted and ranked the first in Kuwait Lipper Awards in the last unquoted equities in Kuwait. and the fourth in the GCC. three years alone. These It has posted 8.3% CAGR As of January 31, 2010 the awards recognize Markaz’s since inception, outperform- Markaz Local and GCC commitment to achieving ing its benchmark by 7.2%. Investments team managed the best risk-adjusted perIts net assets are worth assets of approximately KD formance through following KD21.8 million The Net 543 million ($1.89 billion), of a research driven methodolAsset Value (NAV) as of which more than 60% are ogy and investing in high February 28, 2010 is managed on behalf of instituquality assets.”

KD1.666. tional investors.

“Mumtaz”, rated “A” by Markaz Gulf Fund, rated Markaz’s track record in Standard & Poor’s, is a win“A” by Standard & Poor’s, asset management in Kuwait ner of five Lipper Fund was launched in 2006, and in and the GCC extends back awards for the years 2010, 2008 the fund’s mandate was to more than two decades. In 2008 and 2007, and recently changed to expand its 1983, the company started won the Kuwait Equity Fund investment universe into offering portfolio manageof the Year Award by MENA the MENA region. The fund ment services in the Kuwaiti Fund Manager. It is an has been run to outperform Market and in 1999 it actively managed fund, tarthe MSCI Arabian Markets entered the fund managegeting outperformance of index, while retaining a GCC ment field with the launch of the KIC index. It has bias of approximately 75- the first Kuwaiti Equities achieved 23.1% CAGR since 80%. It has posted -4.1% Fund - “Mumtaz”. inception in 1999, outperCAGR since inception, outLipper is a Thomson forming its benchmark by performing its benchmark Reuters and the Awards pro10.1%. Its net assets are by 11.2%. Its net assets are gram highlights funds that worth KD68.4 million and worth $34.4 and the Net have excelled in delivering the fund’s investment deciAsset Value (NAV) as of consistently strong risksions rely heavily on February 28, 2010 is $2.52. adjusted performance, relaresearch driven consideraAll the above mentioned tive to peers. The Awards tions. The Net Asset Value Mohamed Al-Saad, Manager, Local and GCC funds have a low minimum are granted to funds across (NAV) as of February 28, and weekly 21 countries in Asia, Investments represented Markaz in the Lipper Awards subscription 2010 is KD4.177. subscription and redemp- Europe, and the United Markaz Islamic Fund, ceremony that took place on 30 March 2010 in Dubai. tion. In addition, subscrip- States.

Behbehani Motors holds ceremony to honor distinguished employees KUWAIT: Behbehani Motors Company, the sole distributor of Volkswagen vehicles in Kuwait, held a ceremony at the Safir Marina Hotel in honor of its employees and in appreciation for their efforts last year that made several company achievements possible. These include being named the number one Volkswagen dealer in the Middle East for 2009, both in terms of volume of Sales and After-Sales Services.

During the ceremony, which was attended by the company’s top executives, certificates of appreciation were handed out to distinguished employees for their outstanding performance in 2009. This comes out of the management’s keenness for showing its appreciation towards those who make great efforts that elevates the status of the company in the local market.

Graeme Hunter, the Group General Manager of Behbehani Motors Company expressed his thanks to all the staff, and recognized that due to their

continued hardwork and team spirit, they had made 2009 a very successful year for the Volkswagen brand in Kuwait.

The employees expressed their gratitude to the management for its constant show of appreciation for their efforts, and said that they were proud

to be part of the Behbehani Motors family. They also promised to exert more effort this year, to maintain the status of Volkswagen and Behbehani Motors Co. as one of the largest motor companies in the Kuwaiti market.

Behbehani Motors places

great emphasis on its employees, as many activities and events have been organized in recent years to encourage employees and to create an excellent atmosphere for them to work in, thus reflecting positively on clients and their interests.

Behbehani Motors made several important achievements in 2009, including ranking as the number one Volkswagen distributor in the Middle East, being awarded the ISO 9001:2008 award, and attaining the ‘Superbrand’ status.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts opens its 1000th hotel Sheraton Qiandao lake resort in China debuts today WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc announced yesterday that the company has reached an important milestone in its history, opening its 1000th hotel and resort. Starwood’s 1000th hotel, which debuts today, is the Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort located on the shores of China’s famed Qiandao Lake, also, aptly known as the Lake of Thousand Islands.

“We are delighted to welcome our 1000th hotel, and the fact that it is a Sheraton in China seems pre-destined,” said Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO of Starwood.

“This hotel is emblematic of both our history and our bright future. As Starwood’s largest and most global brand, Sheraton provided us

early footholds in emerging markets, including China in the early 1980s when we were the first international hotel there. Today, Starwood is the world’s most global hotel company - with plans to open 300 hotels in the next three to four years - and for the first time we have more hotels outside the US than inside. And there is no more fertile ground to grow than in China where we plan to double our footprint to 100 hotels by 2012.”

Beyond its 1,000th hotel, Starwood expects to open 80-100 additional hotels in 2010 - 70% of which will be outside the United States, with the majority in Asia Pacific. In China, Starwood is slated to open more than 20 hotels this year. Growth is also

accelerating in India where Starwood already has 26 hotels and plans to increase its portfolio by 60% by the end of 2012.

“Some expect that more than 70% of the world’s growth over the next decade will come from emerging - or what we like to call ‘fast-growing’ - markets, which is consistent with Starwood’s global pipeline of new hotels and skew towards development in markets like China and India,” said Simon Turner, President of Global Development for Starwood. “By working with the right partners in the right places on the right properties, we are well poised to continue to lead the charge in growth throughout these critical markets.”

Sheraton Qiandao Lake is Illustrative of Starwood and the Sheraton brands’ growth located in Chun’an County of Hangzhou, Qiandao Lake is 140 kilometers from downtown Hangzhou. The 250-room Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort is located on the scenic lakeshore of Qiandao Lake, a popular tourist destination for mountain climbing, cycling and other outdoor activities. The pure waters of the lake flow directly from the Yellow Mountain Range, and the region is China’s largest state forest park, spanning almost 1,000 square kilometers. Qiandao Lake is well known as home to “the Atlantis of the East,” the 1,800 year-old remains of an ancient Chinese city, an archeological treasure submerged beneath the water. The city walls and architecture have remained preserved and are heralded as some of the most substantial sunken artifacts in the world.

“With its fascinating cultural and historic location, the new Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort is symbolic of the diversity of Starwood’s portfolio across nearly 100 countries,” said Miguel Ko, Chairman and

President of Starwood’s Asia Pacific Division.

“Our portfolio includes some of the world’s oldest, most famed hotels dating back centuries and also nearly 200 brand new hotels opened in the last two years, many of which are fast becoming icons of their own.”

A key feature of Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort is the brand’s signature hotel offering: The Link@SheratonSM experienced with Microsoft, a unique lobby lounge that enables guests to stay connected with instant access to information and technology for work, leisure and social networking. Designed as a social environment, the Link@Sheraton invites guests to interact with each other while they check their email, research local attractions and share stories and photos of their travels with friends and family using the Internet-enabled computer stations.

Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort is also introducing a revolutionary new health and fitness program, Sheraton Fitness, Programmed by Core Performance. Created in partnership with Core Performance, a training and lifestyle brand built by the experts who train professional athletes in every major sport, the program helps travelers train and eat healthy while on the road, as well as refresh, recharge and refocus their minds and bodies. This comprehensive offering features a state-of-the-art gym experience and healthy dining options. In addition, the first Shine Spa by Sheraton in Greater China will debut at Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort in August 2010. Shine Spa is designed to facilitate the fundamental need to revitalize when traveling. Sheraton guests will enjoy being pampered with Shine Spa’s exclusive treatments, inviting aromas and professional spa consultants in the Sheraton brand’s signature warm and welcoming atmosphere.

BUSINESS

24

Sunday, April 4, 2010

KSE Price Index sheds gains amid volatility KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week’s trades with a limited decline after witnessing fluctuations in terms of its daily performance. By the end of the week, the price index closed at 7,475.1 points, down by 0.20% from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 0.90% weekly loss after closing at 440.23 points. The volatile movement of the market’s indices was the result of profit-taking transactions on one hand and purchase activities, which were mostly speculative, on the other.

Furthermore, transactions during the last minutes of trading sessions continued to play a pivotal role in lessening the impact of selling activities that dominated traders’ movements in most of the week’s sessions. On the other hand, trading indicators maintained levels close to those witnessed in the week before, as average daily turnover reached KD 75.60 million, at 6.43% decline compared to previous week’s levels, whereas trading volume average amounted to 360.98 million shares, at a decrease of 6.79%.

Furthermore, listed companies continued, during

Bayan Investment weekly market report the past week, to announce their annual results for the year 2009, which disclosure period came to an end on the last day of this year’s first quarter.

Accordingly, KSE suspended trades on a number of stocks for companies that have failed to disclose their results during the designated period. Currently, attention is drawn to 2010’s first quarter results in light of KSE’s registered gains during the first three months of the year. As KSE price index closed by the end of March with 7.54% growth compared to last year’s closing level, whereas weighted index increased by 14.33%.

Sectors’ Indices Five of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the red zone, while the other three recorded increases. The Food sector headed the losers list as its index

declined by 1.52% to end the week’s activity at 4,848.7 points. The Investment sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declined by 1.19%, closing at 5,830.6 points, followed by the Non-Kuwaiti companies sector, as its index closed at 7,547.8 points at a loss of 0.42%. On the other hand, last week’s highest gainer was the Banks sector, achieving 1.39% growth rate as its index closed at 9,265.3 points. Whereas, in the second place, the Insurance sector’s index closed at 2,529.4 points recording 1.20% increase. The Services sector came in third as its index achieved 0.02% growth, ending the week at 16,430.4 points.

Sectors’ activity The Investment sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 558.31 million shares

changing hands, representing 30.93% of the total market trading volume. The Services sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 28.71% of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 518.20 million shares. On the other hand, the Services sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 166.99 million or 44.18% of last week’s total market trading value. The Investment sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 64.39 million represented 17.03% of the total market trading value.

Market capitalization KSE total market capitalization declined by 0.79% during last week to reach KD 33.27 billion, as five of KSE’s sectors recorded a decrease in their respec-

tive market capitalization, whereas the other three recorded increases. The Investment sector headed the decliners list as its total market capitalization reached KD 3.30 billion, decreasing by 1.96%. The Services sector was the second in terms of recorded decline with 1.68% decrease after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 9.47 billion. The third place was for the Industry sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 2.96 billion by the end of the week, recording a decline of 1.55%. The Banks sector was the least declining with 0.57% recorded decrease after its market capitalization amounted to KD 11.21 billion.

On the other hand, the Non-Kuwaiti companies sector headed the growing sectors as its total market capitalization reached KD 3.25 billion, increasing by 2.10%. The Insurance sector was the second in terms of recorded growth with 0.95% increase after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 302.09 million. The third place was for the Real Estate sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 1.99 billion by the end of the week, recording an increase of 0.53%.

BUSINESS

Sunday, April 4, 2010

25

Real GDP expected to grow 3.9% in 2010

NBK GCC BRIEF

Saudi economic outlook remains vibrant KUWAIT: The events of the last year and a half have lead to the emergence of the Saudi economy as the leading and most promising economy in the region, not only because of its large relative size, but also because of its resilience to external shocks and challenges. The Saudi economy successfully weathered the worst of the global crisis at relatively little cost, especially when compared to countries with similar economic structures. There is a growing consensus that the Kingdom will benefit further from a switch in sentiment among investors, following the weak spots that have surfaced in a number of its GCC neighbors.

Despite being an open and highly oil-dependent economy, the impact of the world financial crisis (via lower oil prices) on Saudi economic performance is fading overtime. In all, this supports the view that macroeconomic policies adopted toward the beginning of the last decade are working well, at least over the medium term.

With the ongoing recovery in the global and regional economy, the Saudi outlook is encouraging.

We project economic growth in Saudi Arabia of 3.9% in 2010 and higher growth over the medium term, averaging 4.6% over the following two years.

Meanwhile, we expect inflation to remain in the range of 5 to 6 percent over the medium term. Our projection is based on a number of supportive factors: elevated oil prices, prudent economic policies, strong banks, and further improvement in the business environment. Nevertheless, we believe the Saudi economy can do better by directing further efforts towards the areas of, so far, limited success: economic diversification, the relatively high unemployment rate, the quality of education, and privatization.

Although 2009 has been a year of weak performance for the world economy as a whole, the Saudi economy managed to escape a recession and posted

instead 0.2% growth in real GDP, according to preliminary estimates by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA). To put this rate in perspective, it is estimated that the second two largest Gulf economies, the UAE and Kuwait, posted declines of 3.9% and 3.3%, respectively.

The depressing impact of the sharp drop in oil prices and foreign demand in 2009 was more apparent in nominal GDP, which shrank by 22% to reach $365 billion. The fall was caused by a 38% drop in the average price of oil and by an estimated 12% drop in oil production. While oil prices bottomed out in the first quarter of 2009 and rebounded to above $60 per barrel by summer, they have fluctuated within a narrow range of $63-77 per barrel since the end of July 2009. Overall, we project the price of Saudi heavy crude to remain in its current tight band and to average between $ 65-70 per barrel in 2010, based on a moderate anticipated recovery in the global economy. Accordingly, we project oil GDP to rise 3.5% in real terms in 2010 and 20% in nominal terms.

Non-oil GDP in Saudi Arabia is a success story.

The sector managed to post a 3% growth rate in 2009 despite the less favorable economic environment, especially the lack of sufficient bank funding. This followed an average growth rate of 4.8% over the previous 5 years. The share of non-oil sector in nominal GDP stood at 53% in 2009, up from an average of 44% in the previous 4 years. All non- oil sectors saw solid performances in recent years, especially transport, manufacturing, trade and finance. The non-oil economy, which is dominated by the private sector, is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.7% and 9% in real and nominal terms, respectively, over 2010-2012.

Non-oil activity will continue to benefit from a favorable macroeconomic environment, including

strong fiscal stimulus, improved domestic and foreign demand, as well as anticipated improvements in credit and liquidity conditions.

Signs of strong recovery Well supported oil prices in 2010, and a number of recent developments have encouraged our optimism about the current and future path of the Saudi economy. These include: strong foreign and domestic demand, stock market rally, and continued government support.

According to recent figures, non-oil exports have been trending upward in recent months, and mainly since April 2009, following a severe drop in late 2008.

This uptrend reflects both volume and price increases. Petrochemicals and plastics, which were 52% of gross exports in 2009, have seen strong foreign demand, especially towards year-end. Exports of these products grew 16.2% in the fourth quarter of 2009 (q/q), and were 10% higher year on year (y/y).

Exports other than petrochemicals and plastics also saw strong growth in the fourth quarter of 2009, 5.3% and 6.2% (q/q and y/y respectively).

A number of recent indicators also reveal the strength of domestic demand. Point of sale transactions (an indicator of private consumption) recorded growth of 7.3% in the last three months ending February 2010 relative to the previous 3 months.

Year-on-year growth during the same 3-month period was more impressive at 24%. Similarly, letters of credit opened by banks to finance private sector imports jumped 2.8% per month, the last three months ending February 2010.

For now, credit to the private sector is up slightly in February, rising by only 0.6% m/m and y/y.

However, credit conditions are expected to improve in 2010, but should remain well below averages seen

in previous years. We expect credit to the private sector to expand by 8% this year, benefitting from rising demand, as well as by improved balance sheets of banks in the wake of some of the provisioning taken last year.

Meanwhile, it seems that inflationary pressures are starting to build and to reverse last year’s downward trend. The inflation rate rose to 4.6% in February 2010 y/y, following 4.1% in the previous month.

Improving equity markets The Saudi stock market has risen considerably this year. Year-to-date, the Tadawul All-Share index is up 7.5%, outperforming other regional markets.

Indeed, this positive performance mirrors rising confidence in the prospects for the economy.

Similarly, the Saudi real estate market has been very resilient. Anecdotal evidence suggests that demand for real estate, especially in the residential sector, substantially outpaces supply. According to Colliers International, rent and sales prices of residential units located in Riyadh’s prime residential areas remained stable between 3Q08 and 3Q09, while sales prices in prime residential areas in Jeddah increased by 10% on the quarter, due to strong demand. Outside prime areas, a moderate correction has been seen in rental and sale prices.

The introduction of the new mortgage law, which may take place during the next few months, is expected to boost housing demand. This law will provide the regulatory framework for real estate financing, allow more access to property ownership, and encourage more investments in the sector.

Banks will also benefit from the introduction of this law as it paves the way for them to diversify their income sources.

Government support The Saudi government has played an important and timely role in tackling the impact of the global economic crisis on the domestic market. First, the firm stand on economic reforms and the continued improvement in the Saudi business environment enabled Saudi Arabia to rank 13th among 181 countries according to the World Bank’s ease of doing business for 2009, and to rank 28th among 133 countries on the competitiveness of its economy (World Economic Forum, 2009/2010).

Second, the Saudi government announced an enormous investment program in early 2009 costing around $400 billion over 5 years, and approved a sizable expansionary budget for the second year in a row. Government expenditures are projected to grow by 15.9% and 13.7% in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Such an expansion will undoubtedly help in stimulating domestic demand and in offsetting any reduction in private consumption or investment. Finally, there is a strong commitment by the government to execute vital development projects. According to the MEED Projects database, the percentage of projects put on hold or cancelled in Saudi Arabia by year end 2009 was low, 7% of total projects at various stages of implementation. This compares to 28% in the UAE, 15% in Bahrain and 13% in Kuwait.

The NBK report concluded: We therefore expect the Saudi economy to post healthy growth in 2010 and over the medium term, supported by favorable domestic and external developments.

The government’s attempts to reduce the vulnerabilities of the economy and to create a more investment friendly environment appear to be paying off and should provide further support ahead?.

Stable currency policy helped forex market: Kan

Japan appeals to China to take ‘appropriate’ action on yuan BEIJING: Japan’s finance minister yesterday asked China to make an “appropriate decision” on its foreign exchange policy but stopped short of telling it what to do.

Naoto Kan made the remarks at a news conference after meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao as part of weekend talks in Beijing with top officials. “I told Wen that I believe China’s stable foreign exchange rate policy has helped ease the recent financial turmoil, and asked him to continue to make an appropriate decision” on the currency problem, Kan said, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

British Airways’ new First debuts in Kuwait KUWAIT: British Airways’ new First - which took to the skies on February 10, 2010 touched down at the Kuwait International Airport early this morning before departing at 8 25 AM for the airline’s £4.3 million Terminal 5 home at London Heathrow.

With stiff competition in the industry for premium passengers, the carrier’s £100 million investment in its flagship brand is set to re-establish its position as a global premium airline.

“The arrival of new First on the Kuwait route demonstrates the enduring importance of this market to the airline. We are giving our local customers a taste of our flagship product and I’m sure they will find that every aspect of the cabin has been designed to provide a seamless end-to-end experience that is dedicated to exclusivity,” said Paolo De Renzis, British Airways’ Area Commercial Manager, Middle East.

“We set the industry benchmark when we launched the world’s first fully-flat bed for business customers in 2000, and the new First cabin is another step in maintaining our leadership as an innovative airline. I have personally seen the new First cabin fitted on the aircraft and it looks amazing. It is luxurious, classic, private and has great style. This is what our customers have told us that they want, including those we surveyed in the Kuwaiti market. The new First cabin not only reinforces the exclusivity of our brand but

sets a whole new standard in understated luxury and innovation in the skies,” added De Renzis.

The service proved a resounding success on its inaugural flight to Chicago earlier this month with one customer reporting the fittings were reminiscent of a Bentley, while another compared the sleek new cabin to the luxury of the Orient Express.

New key features of the cabin include a 60 per cent wider bed at the shoulders; personal wardrobe; personal electronic blinds; a 15” inflight entertainment screen; USB port, RCA jack and noise-cancelling headsets; fully integrated ambient and mood lighting; Anya Hindmarch washbag and amenities by D R Harris & Co and a leather-bound writing table.

Each individual suite has its own personal wardrobe, a leather-bound writing desk that converts into a dining table, a new 15” inflight entertainment screen and a buddy seat to enable customers to dine together. The lighting and electronic blinds can be modified to reflect mood and time of day.

A seat control unit replaces the switches to activate the bed and give the customer precision control over the seat position and pneumatic panels to support the head and lumbar positions.

A new premium service style has been developed for cabin crew to ensure worldclass service for customers who can eat, sleep and work whenever they want to.

NEW YORK: People look at car displays on the opening day of the New York International Auto Show on Friday in New York City. The show, which opened to the public Friday and runs through April 11, features a significant number of green vehicles this year. — AFP

But “I didn’t say anything on what China should do or shouldn’t do” about the yuan, he said. International disquiet has grown over the yuan, which critics say is undervalued by as much as 40 percent against the dollar, giving Chinese exporters an unfair advantage.

Washington has led the charge in ramping up the pressure on Beijing to let the yuan appreciate. It has been effectively pegged at about 6.8 to the US dollar since mid-2008. US lawmakers are pushing Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to label Beijing a “currency manipulator” in a report due April 15.

Second LNG train comes online in Yemen: Media SANAA: The second train of Yemen’s liquefied natural gas plant has come online, boosting the impoverished country’s production capacity to 6.7 million tons of LNG per year, state media reported yesterday.

Production at the second train of the liquefaction plant at Balhaf on the Gulf of Aden began Friday, the defense ministry’s 26sep.net news website said. The first liquefying unit began operating on October 15 and the maiden shipment of LNG left Yemen’s shores on November 7.

The $4.5 billion (3.0-billion-euro) project, involving a 320-kilometre (200-mile) gas pipeline from Maarib in eastern Yemen, is the country’s largest ever investment.

“The future of Yemen is promising in terms of gas,” 26sep.net quoted Oil Minister Amir Al-Aydarus as saying. With the second

train, Yemen’s production of LNG will gradually increase to 6.7 million tons per year, said Francois Rafin, director general of Yemeni Liquefied Natural Gas, of which French Total owns a 39.6 percent stake.

Eighteen shipments of LNG have been exported so far, to South Korea, the United States, China, Spain and Mexico, Total said in a statement. According to Rafin, about 85 shipments will be exported in 2010 and between 100 and 105 in 2011.

He has previously estimated that over 25 years, the Balhaf project should generate between $30 and $40 billion in revenue.

Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, produces about 300,000 barrels of oil per day, but production is dropping by five percent annually.

Yemen has 259 billion cubic meters of proven natural gas reserves. — AFP

Currently the yuan may rise or fall 0.5 percent against the dollar each day from a mid-point set by the China’s central bank and three percent for non-dollar currencies such as the euro and Japanese yen. However Chinese media reports this week said the government is reviewing proposals to adjust its currency exchange rate system this month, including giving the yuan more flexibility.

During the weekend visit, Kan will meet with China’s finance minister Xie Xuren and vice premier Li Keqiang, a spokesman for the Japanese embassy said. — AFP

Rates rise in US bonds markets on jobs report NEW YORK: Interest rates rose in the bond market Friday after the government said employers added jobs in March for only the third month since the recession began. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which is often used as a benchmark for consumer loans, rose to its highest level since last June and approached 4 percent for the first time since 2008.

The yield on the 10-year note maturing in February 2020 rose to 3.94 percent from 3.87 percent late Thursday. Its price fell 14/32 to 97 14/32.

Interest rates have been creeping higher in recent weeks as more data shows the economy is on the upswing, even if growth is slow. The Labor Department said 162,000 jobs were added to payrolls in March. Economists had forecast employer would add 190,000 jobs.

The report adds further evidence that the US economy is recovering, even though jobs were created at a slower pace than forecast. Investors often sell Treasurys and favor riskier assets like stocks and commodities when the economy is improving.

NEW YORK: People look at car displays on the opening day of the New York International Auto Show on Friday in New York City. — AFP

That’s because investments other than Treasurys traditionally provide the potential for bigger profits. Inflation also typically increases when the economy is strong, so rates must move higher to keep pace. The yield on the 10-year note hasn’t been this high since it reached 3.96 in June.

It last traded above 4 percent in October 2008, just before the credit crisis peaked and investors poured money into bonds for safety. The yield fell as low as 2.06 percent in December 2008. The 10-year’s yield climbed as high as 3.95 percent during trading Friday. The bond market closed early for the Good Friday holiday.

The stock market was closed. In other trading, the yield on the two-year note that matures in March 2012 rose to 1.11 percent from 1.06 percent. Its price fell 2/32 to 99 25/32. The yield on 30-year bond that matures in February 2040 rose to 4.80 percent from 4.73 percent. The price fell 1 to 97 7/32.

The yield on the three-month T-bill that matures July 1 rose to 0.16 percent from 0.15 percent. Its discount rate was 0.16 percent. — AP

NEW YORK: People look at a new Ford vehicle on the opening day of the New York International Auto Show on Friday in New York City. — AFP

26

BUSINESS

Sunday, April 4, 2010

WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK

Jobs, profit hopes may drive market rally NEW YORK: Optimism about an improving labor market and corporate profits could propel US stocks higher next week as earnings season approaches. Analysts expect trading at the week’s outset to be dictated by Friday’s non-farm payrolls report, which showed the economy added 162,000 jobs in March, the fastest pace of growth in three years. US markets were closed for the Good Friday holiday.

“Things have been getting better.

There’s no question about it. We’ve had a remarkable V-shaped recovery since last March,” said Alan Valdes, director of floor operations for Kabrik Trading in New York. The market could have momentum on its side as investors turn their attention

to what is expected to be a strong earnings season.

The broad Standard & Poor’s 500 achieved its fourth consecutive quarterly gain this week and scored its best monthly rise since last July. For the first quarter, the S&P 500 climbed 4.9 percent. For March alone, it gained 5.9 percent. On Thursday, the S&P ended at 1,178.10 — an 18-month high. For the short holiday week, it was up 1 percent.

The Dow, meanwhile, has its sights set on the psychologically important 11,000 level, which could be taken out tomorrow if there is enough enthusiasm over the jobs report.

The payrolls data will lend sup-

port to markets, as US stock futures rallied on Friday in the wake of the release. Private hiring was stronger than anticipated, bolstering the view the economy is starting to find its footing and, as a result, needs less government support.

However, with the S&P 500 stock index up 74 percent from the March 2009 closing low, some worry the rally will be interrupted if the economy does not maintain its strength.

“The road to a self-sustaining economic recovery, which is the thesis of the bullish cabal, is going to be tested,” said Doug Kass, president of Seabreeze Partners Management, in Palm Beach, Florida.

As well as the payrolls report, investors will take in minutes from

the Fed’s rate-setting meeting in March, and a round of data that includes February pending home sales and an ISM survey on the US services sector for March.

Analysts expect first-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies to rise 36.3 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data. That’s slightly less than the 37.2 percent growth that was expected in January and well off the 51.2 percent that was anticipated in October. While expectations have come down somewhat, analysts’ estimates could be closer to the mark than in recent quarters, said Scott Wren, senior equity strategist at Wells Fargo Advisors in St. Louis.

“Coming into 2009, estimates

were off by $20 or $30. I think people have a better, more realistic feel for what earnings are going to be now,” Wren said. Investors will be keen for corporate guidance heading into the earnings season, which kicks off with Alcoa Inc on April 12 — a week from tomorrow.

So far, 70 S&P 500 companies have given negative pre-announcements, compared with 55 companies that have given positive ones.

Honeywell was an exception to the negative bias this week when the diversified manufacturer raised its profit outlook, citing stronger orders and sales in several markets.

While some of the earnings enthusiasm could already be priced in, preventing a swift, large rally,

good results should give the market enough support to drift higher, said Matt Kaufler, portfolio manager and equity analyst at Clover Capital Management in Rochester, New York.

“In terms of providing another check that this recovery is gathering its sea legs, I think the earnings season is going to provide that confirmation point,” Kaufler said.

Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s most recent rate-setting committee meeting will be released on Tuesday. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak to the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.

Investors will watch for any additional details on the Fed’s plans to

unwind its stimulus measures. In a relatively light week for data, one of the more influential reports will come tomorrow with the Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index for March. This ISM index, which assesses activity in the huge US services sector, is forecast to rise to 54.0 in March from 53.0 in February, according to economists polled by Reuters.

February pending home sales, also due tomorrow, are expected to dip 0.1 percent, improving from January’s sharp drop of 7.6 percent.

Friday’s wholesale inventories report for February is expected to show a gain of 0.4 percent from a revised loss of 0.1 percent in January. —Reuters

Economy beginning to turn the corner: Obama

Summers: US on path to self-sustaining growth LONDON: The US economy is on the path to achieving self-sustaining growth, although the jobs outlook remains uncertain, White House economic adviser Larry Summers said in a newspaper interview published yester-

day. “I think the economy appears to be moving towards escape velocity,” Summers said in an interview with the Financial Times. “You hear a lot less talk of W-shaped recoveries and double-dips than you did six months ago.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C.: President Barack Obama talks about jobs during a forum at Celgard, Inc. in Charlotte, N.C. Friday, April 2, 2010. —AP

Republicans dispute course of financial overhaul

SACRAMENTO: March 13, 2006 file photo, Californian Rep. Kevin McCarthy, center, accompanied by Republican Assembly members Rick Keene, of Chico, Calif., right, and George Plescia, of La Jolla, Calif., walks to the Governor’s office at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. Taxpayers should no longer be used as a lifeline for large financial institutions, Republicans said yesterday as a Democraticled Congress inches toward a regulatory overhaul of the financial industry. —AP

WASHINGTON: American taxpayers should no longer be used as a lifeline for large financial institutions, Republicans said yesterday as a Democratic-led Congress inches toward a regulatory overhaul of the financial industry.

The Republican Party is trying to beat back many of the changes that President Barack Obama and Democratic lawmakers seek for the financial industry.

The legislation would give the government authority to split up big financial firms and force the industry to pay for its most spectacular failures.

Republicans have offered alternative legislation that calls for new bankruptcy proceedings to dismantle failing institutions. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, said that creating more federal agencies and putting taxpayers on the hook for more bailouts will not help revive the economy. “It will only compound the pain for struggling small businesses and for families who played by the rules, lived within their means and acted responsibly,” McCarthy said in the Republicans’ weekly radio and Internet address. The

House passed a regulatory overhaul in December. The Senate has yet to vote on a similar measure.

Democratic senators sent a Wall Street regulation bill from the Senate Banking Committee to the full Senate on a party-line vote last month after a temporary retreat by Republicans that still left the bill’s chances for bipartisan passage in doubt.

Despite a conciliatory tone struck by the committee’s Democratic and Republican leaders, the development did nothing to mend the partisan divide over the legislation and adds even more uncertainty to Congress’ ability to pass a sweeping rewrite of financial regulations this year.

Obama used a recent Saturday address to urge Congress to act, saying it’s necessary to prevent firms from again taking on the kind of risks that led to the nation’s recent economic woes.

But McCarthy attempted to frame the effort as one that would lead to more federal spending while the deficit is soaring.

“We have run out of money,” he said. “And yet this administration and congressional Democrats want to spend even more.” —AP

Summers, a former Treasury secretary who advises President Barack Obama, said the economic recovery appeared to have “started earlier and more vigorously” than in previous downturns.

Obama’s action on healthcare, energy and education should help to restore confidence and stimulate the economy in the months ahead, Summers added. However, he warned that it was still unclear whether companies would start taking on more workers or whether more action is needed to fuel the recovery.

“Whether firms will start hiring more as it becomes less tenable to do more with less and you will see some extra pick-up in employment beyond what is justified in output, or whether we are just going to have to grow the economy harder to put people back to work is not certain,” he said.

“What I think is certain is that we walked back from the brink of depression and that there is a great deal under way that should result in increased job creation.”

Summers gave the interview before the release on Friday of data showing US employers created jobs in March at the fastest rate in three years.

The recession-racked US economy is “beginning to turn the corner,” President Barack Obama said as data showed 162,000 jobs were created in March, the biggest increase in three years.

The US Labor Department said Friday that job creation leaped dramatically in March after years of near-continual losses, although the increase was not enough to budge the unemployment rate from 9.7 percent. With close to one in 10 American workers unable to find a job, the figures were an eagerly-awaited indicator of the strength of the economic recovery.

In a rare positive report, the Labor Department said job creation rose markedly from February, when the economy lost 14,000 posts according to revised figures.

News that the economy is again creating jobs came as a relief to Obama, who lauded the report as a sign the still-fragile economy was on the mend.

“I have often had to report bad news during the course of this year,” Obama said at a factory in North Carolina.

“Today is an encouraging day. We learned that the economy actually produced a substantial number of jobs instead of losing a substantial number of jobs.

“We are beginning to turn the corner... the worst of the storm is over.”

But there was little sign of White House backslapping, amid news the unemployment rate remained unchanged for the third consecutive month.

The job growth rate was just enough to offset continued sackings, population growth and people rejoining the labor market.

Since the recession began in December 2007, around eight million Americans have lost their jobs. Some 15 million Americans remain unemployed. —Agencies

British economy grew faster in Q1 of 2010 LONDON: Economists are predicting the pace of recovery in the UK accelerated in the first quarter of 2010 providing election boost to the Government, it was announced here yesterday.

Economic growth of about 0.5 percent is expected for the first three months of the year, compared with 0.4 pc growth in the fourth quarter of 2009, following a resilient performance from some of Britain’s key sectors, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said.

The Office for National Statistics will not publish its first estimate of gross domestic product for the first quarter, until April 23, but economists have based their forecasts on the most recent evidence from business surveys, the daily said.

“We are penciling in a rise of 0.5 percent, we’re seeing significant acceleration in manufacturing,” said David Page, economist at Investec. group.“Snow disrupted activity in early months of the quarter, so there is some uncertainty but we are expecting the recovery to gain ground,” he said.

If economists are correct the growth figures will be well-timed from Labor’s point of view, as it seeks to defend its economic record as the nation prepares to vote at the general election, the paper noted. It would also dampen fears that Britain is in store for a double dip recession, experts said.

Simon Hayes, economist at Barclays Capital, said predictions of a relapse into recession in the first quarter were “wide of the mark.”

He predicted growth of 0.5 percent with a continued boost from inventories, government demand and household spending, and with less of a drag from investment and net trade.

“Although concerns about employment, the government deficit and credit availability are likely to be a drag on demand, there is enough momentum in the economy to keep the expansion going,” he said. Simon Ward, chief economist at Henderson, said all the major surveys were at a level that have “historically signaled solid growth.” He said unemployment data had reinforced the view. —KUNA

Struggling JAL to cut 50 routes: Reports TOKYO: Struggling Japan Airlines expects to cut about 50 routes including international and domestic flights this financial year in its bid to return to profitability, reports said yesterday.

The airline, being restructured with the help of a statebacked turnaround fund after filing for bankruptcy in January,

plans to cut 29 international and 31 domestic routes by the end of March next year, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported.

The Asahi Shimbun said in its evening edition JAL would cut about 50 routes in total. The airline currently operates more than 90 international flights, including code shares with

other carriers, of which around a third are to Asian destinations.

The routes to be cut include flights to Sao Paulo, Milan, Bangkok and Beijing, the reports said. The carrier posted a $2 billion loss for the nine months to December and is planning more than 15,000 job cuts. —AFP

Many doubt Obama’s economic policies are working: Poll HIGH POINT: Many North Carolinians say President Obama has not handled the economy well despite the claims he made Friday in Charlotte that the economy is turning up after a deep recession.

The president hailed a new government report showing stronger job growth and credited his policies with helping businesses rebuild.

But results of a High Point University poll show 57 percent of North Carolinians disapprove of how President Obama is handling the economy, compared to 36 percent approving his actions. And 56 percent believe that economic conditions in North Carolina are getting worse while 59 percent believe that the government has not done enough to address the economic crisis.

Obama’s appearance at Celgard in Charlotte, a firm that produces material for lithium batteries and has received $49 million from the stimulus program, came just days after passage of health care legislation that 51 percent of North Carolinians opposed before and after passage, according to the HPU survey.

Thirty-eight percent supported the legislation. In addition, 55 percent of those surveyed disapprove of the way Obama has handled health care and 38 percent approve. The survey of 578 residents was conducted over a twoweek period in March. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

Here are some other survey results: ● Terrorism: Fifty percent of North Carolinians approve of Obama’s handling of the terrorism threat, 39 percent disapprove. While 53 percent believe the U.S. government is doing at least fairly well in reducing the threat of terrorism, a near majority of 47 percent say further attacks on the US are very likely. ● Education: A 52-percent majority of North Carolinians approve of how Obama is handling education, compared to 32 percent who disapprove. But just 47 percent approve of the national government developing standards for all public schools while 45 percent disapprove.

A 64-percent majority rejects paying teachers based on their students’ standardized test scores, while 29 percent approve. —MCT

TECHNOLOGY

Sunday, April 4, 2010

27

Online photo-processing pioneers look beyond prints SAN FRANCISCO: One of the big battles of the dot-com era centered on a space where new media converged with the old: Printing pictures taken with digital cameras.

Shutterfly, Snapfish and Ofoto emerged as the pioneers of, and key rivals in, the fast-growing market that allowed consumers to store their photos online and then order prints from home computers.

But 10 years later, the rivals find a changing landscape in which customers are looking beyond 4x6 prints for other ways to share their photos.

“There has been an evolution and a revolution in what we do,” said Madhav Mehra, chief product officer at Kodak Gallery. “The market has very high peaks, and very low valleys. ... It’s very interesting that the three companies have weathered those storms and adapted.” Only Shutterfly remains as a standalone in the photo processing market today. Snapfish is now part of Hewlett-Packard, while Ofoto is now known as Kodak Gallery after being acquired by Eastman Kodak Co. in 2001.

“They’re 10 years old and they were successful in maintaining themselves throughout the first wave of digital photography, which was storing pictures for free

and making prints,” said IDC analyst Chris Chute.

The companies have since entered what he called “the next wave,” which is focused on creative products such as photo books, posters and calendars.

“They’ll do more exciting things with pictures,” Chute said. “It has moved toward the creative products and away from commodity prints.”

The three San Francisco Bay Area-based companies plunged into the market around the same time. Ofoto began in July 1999, while Shutterfly was founded in December 1999, and Snapfish, a few months later, in April 2000. The battle initially focused mainly on who could produce the cheapest prints, typically in the 4x6 format. But improvements in home printers and growing use of sites like Facebook for photo sharing has altered the demand for those sorts of prints. Now, consumers are looking to do more with images, by putting them on such items as photobooks, posters and calendars.

“Technology was advancing, allowing people to tell their stories in a much richer way, like photobooks,” Shutterfly’s Chief Executive Jeffrey Housenbold said.

The trend is evident in Shutterfly’s

financials.

In February, the company reported a 29 percent year-over-year jump in quarterly revenue for its personalized product and services business, which includes photobooks, greeting cards and calendars. That business also made up 71 percent of Shutterfly’s revenue, which rose 22 percent year-over-year.

In a recent note, Lazard Capital analyst Colin Sebastian said Shutterfly “embodies a number of key attributes embodied by many successful Internet companies, including beneficial consumer network effects, a trusted brand, high retention rates, longterm monetization potential with highly valued digital content, and integration with online communities.”

Snapfish does not break out its financials as part of Hewlett-Packard. But Ben Nelson, its general manager, said that, since 2005, when Hewlett-Packard bought the company, Snapfish’s print business has grown more than 500 percent, while its merchandise business has expanded by 700 percent, he said.

“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth in our print business, but we’ve seen an even larger amount of growth in our merchandise business,” he said.

ZigBee would allow remote use of home electronics You probably have a mobile phone with a Bluetooth radio in it, and you may have a WiFi network as well. Soon, you could be using a third wireless networking technology in your house.

It’s called ZigBee, and it eventually might find its way into more devices than Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combined.

In the near term, you’re likely to see it show up in the smart meters that utilities have begun to use and in the remote controls of high-end televisions. In the not-toodistant future, you could be using ZigBee networking to control the lights in your home, monitor your elderly parent’s health or turn off your air conditioner during periods of peak energy use when no one’s home.

“ZigBee is regarded as a fairly robust, good technology for many applications,” said Sam Lucero, an industry analyst at ABI Research, a technology research firm.

ZigBee operates over the same 2.4 GHz frequency range as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Unlike those technologies, though, ZigBee transmits at much lower data rates. It’s made for sending simple commands, such as turning on a TV, or small bits of data, such as whether a door is locked.

Thanks to the low data rate, ZigBee tends to use far less power than other networking technologies. The battery life of a ZigBee device can often be measured in years, rather than hours in the case of Wi-Fi or days with Bluetooth.

Also, ZigBee’s standard utilizes mesh networking, which allows ZigBee devices to automatically connect with and transmit data through one another without having to go through a central gateway like a router.

ZigBee has been around for about seven years. To date, though, it’s primarily been used in commercial and industrial settings in alarm and monitoring systems and in expensive houses for custom-installed home-automation systems.

But the technology’s backers — and analysts who follow the industry — think it’s about to hit the mainstream.

The number of ZigBee radio chips shipped has been doubling every year in recent years, hitting 20 million last year, said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance, a nonprofit standards body that helps oversee and promote the technology. The group, whose members include Intel, Marvell and Cypress Semiconductor, expects 100 million ZigBee chips to be shipped this year.

Part of that expected growth is driven by power companies. To better track and potentially regulate inhome energy use, PG&E and other utilities are installing millions of smart meters in California and around the country.

All three major power vendors in California plan to include ZigBee radios in their meters, Heile noted. So you may already have a ZigBeecapable device if PG&E has

In fact, Snapfish is marking its 10th anniversary by launching an initiative dubbed Snapfish Publisher. The company is opening up the site to developers and designers who will be granted access to technical specifications needed to come up with new designs and products.

This summer, for example, a group of designers will unveil new templates for cards, and later for photo books.

Chute of IDC said the initiative means “taking a more holistic view” of printing and photography.

“It’s kind of taking the apps store approach that Apple developed,” he said.

“They’re offering to be more open to different designers and developers.”

Other players have also marked their 10th birthdays by rolling out new products, many of them geared to photo merchandise.

Shutterfly, for example, has launched a new system, dubbed Simple Path, that it says makes it easier for users to create a photo book, and a new service, called Wink, that allows users to make photostrips using photos from iPhones, cameras and social networking sites, such as Facebook and Flickr.

Kodak recently upgraded its Gallery site, including what it said are improved

ways for users to create such products as cards and photobooks.

But the three companies face a steadily changing arena, highlighted by the rise of social networking sites led by Facebook.

Asked if Facebook has hurt his business, Nelson said, “It hasn’t yet. In fact, Facebook for us has been a huge boon.”

Nelson says Snapfish focuses on giving customers the tools to share photos “with a very small circle of those friends and family that you want to communicate with proactively.” Facebook, on the other hand, “is about managing your larger social network.” Mehra of Kodak Gallery echoed this view saying, “Facebook has changed the landscape because it does very broad sharing of low resolution photographs. But there is still a need for a deeper and morecontrolled sharing.”

But Alan Bulock, an associate director at InfoTrends, a market research firm, said that, as more people have turned to social networking sites for sharing photos, “it has cut down on the traffic to (photofinishing) sites somewhat.”

Chute of IDC said the photofinishing companies are still trying to figure out the impact of Facebook, saying, “Everything is still being written. I think there’s some con-

iPad or iFad?

Will Apple’s tablet device soar or sink?

SAN FRANCISCO: Some believe the iPad may be the greatest piece of technology since the can opener. Others think it could be as superfluous as the animatronic singing fish toys that were all the rage a few years ago.

But whether Apple’s iPad flops or reshapes the entire technology land-

A person holding a wireless device and looking at all the things new wireless provider Zigbee can do. — MCT recently upgraded your meter.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, a federal agency, has recommended that the technology be included in such meters nationwide.

That agency and other ZigBee backers envision it being used to create so-called home-area networks. Such a network might link a thermostat, major appliances and outlets to the smart meter, allowing consumers to closely monitor and control the energy use of particular devices. It could also allow a power company to turn down the air-conditioning in many of their customers’ homes at once — with their customers’ permission, of course — to help prevent a power outage.

ZigBee “has a good chance to be one of the primary technologies in the home for smart-energy management,” said Lisa Arrowsmith, a market analyst with IMS Research, which focuses on the electronics industry. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm among utilities in the US to proceed down the ZigBee route.”

But ZigBee is also likely to start making its way into consumers’ homes via their televisions. TV and other consumer electronics manufacturers are developing new remote controls that use ZigBee and other radio-frequency (RF) technologies in place of infrared emitters and sensors.

Infrared is a line-of-site technology that doesn’t work if someone or something is in the way, or if you have your remote pointed in the wrong direction. In contrast, an RF remote will work in any direction. And because its signal will pass through obstacles, you could hide ugly or bulky devices like set-top boxes and stereo equipment in a cabinet or another room and still be able to control them.

The advantage of using ZigBee over other RF technologies is that it uses so lit-

tle power you may need to replace your television before you would have to swap out the batteries in your remote, said Cees Links, who helped develop the Wi-Fi standard and is now CEO of Green Peak, which designs ZigBee chips.

What’s more, ZigBee technology could eventually lead to a universal device to control not only your TV, but everything from your automatic window blinds to your thermostat — and monitor how much energy you’re using at the same time.

Links and other industry figures expect the first ZigBee remotes to hit the market later this year, likely as a premium feature of higher-end televisions.

The consumer electronic industry “will move to RF remote controls,” said Craig Mathias, an analyst at Farpoint Group, an advisory firm specializing in wireless technologies.

“That is absolutely going to happen.”

But Mathias and others caution that ZigBee is competing against a number of other wireless and wired technologies, and there’s no guarantee that it will eventually win out. Some manufacturers already use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in their remote controls. Technologies such as Z-wave and X10 and network-connected power outlets are also being used for home automation and monitoring.

For home area networks, “I don’t think there’s going to be a clear winner,” Arrowsmith said.

Even if ZigBee does emerge as the dominant technology, it could be many years before consumers have more than one or two ZigBee devices in their homes, because the appliances that are likely to use it get replaced infrequently.

“Are you going to trade in your fridge so you can control it by remote?” says Ken Dulaney, a mobile technology analyst with Gartner, a market research firm. — MCT

sideration of how can we work with this, rather than work against it.”

The companies are also wrestling with another trend: Young people who were children when companies like Snapfish were born grew up storing and sharing photos digitally.

Kodak Gallery’s strongest demographic is moms with small children, Mehra said.

But he added that many young people who grew up on Facebook and Twitter eventually discover the value of print photos as they grow older.

Nelson cited a similar trend as he pointed to two camps of young users: Those who love to print, and “another group that doesn’t print at all. They live in the digital world.”

But Nelson said he’s found that even these young users find value in old-style photo prints — especially when they become parents.

“Everyone remembers how important that physical memory is of you when you were growing up, of seeing your mom and photos of her when she was growing up,” he said. “Having something physical is just a feeling you can’t replace online. And when people have that first child, even to this day, they come around to that view.” — MCT

But opinions vary widely as to whether the $499 iPad will replicate the amazing success of the iPod and iPhone, or whether it will instead imitate the famous failures of other products once hyped by Apple as revolutionary, such as the Newton, Apple TV and the Mac Cube. Newsweek was in no doubt about the outcome. “The iPad will change everything,” proclaimed the print weekly, which like other old-media publishers must be hoping that the device, with its 23-cm touch screen and purpose-built apps, will finally persuade customers to pay for news content - just as Apple’s iPod and iTunes coaxed people into actually paying for music.

Companies like The New York Times hope to be among the first to show special editions for the iPad, while bluechip firms such as Unilever, Toyota and Fidelity have already signed up for ad spots in each of Time magazine’s first eight iPad issues, paying $200,000 per page. Six advertisers, including Coca-Cola and FedEx, have agreements to place ads in The Wall Street Journal over a four- month period that will cost $400,000.

But nobody is even sure what iPad owners will use their devices for. Given its lack of a physical keyboard, its inability to multitask or run more than one programme at once, and its lack of support for the Flash platform on which most online video is based, it’s clearly no replacement for a laptop, yet. In many ways it’s not even as good as the low-featured netbooks so smartingly ridiculed by Apple chief Steve Jobs when he unveiled the iPad to thousands of Apple fans in January.

Such factors prompted one contributor to the influential website Gizmodo to post an article entitled “8 Things That Suck About the iPad”. “A lot of people at Gizmodo are psyched about the iPad. Not me!” he wrote. “My god, am I underwhelmed by it. It has some absolutely backbreaking failures that will make buying one the last thing I would want to do.”

Among the author’s other gripes: the lack of a camera, the absence of ports to connect to HD monitors and USB adapters, and the walled-garden architecture of the App Store, which gives Apple complete control over what programs are available on the iPad. Apple can expect to face stiff competition as other companies gear up to bring out iPad competitors. One of the most hotly rumoured devices is a dual screen mini- tablet from Microsoft called the Courier, which functions as a digital journal and appears to have numerous advantages over the iPad like its stylus input mode and multitasking ability. —dpa

scape, one thing is clear. For a few days around yesterday’s launch of the iPad, you won’t be able to browse the Internet, open a newspaper or turn on the TV without being inundated with wonders and woes of Apple’s latest gizmo.

NEW YORK: An early customer emerges from the Apple store on Fifth Avenue with Apple Inc’s new iPad yesterday in New York City. Hundreds lined up in front of the technology company’s flagship New York store to be among the first in the world to acquire the device. The much heralded iPad looks to be a bridge between a laptop and smartphone. — AFP

Facts and figures SAN FRANCISCO: The much anticipated “iPad” touchscreen tablet computer made its debut in the United States yesterday: • About the size of a letter-sized sheet of paper, the iPad is half an inch (1.3-cm) thick and weighs 1.5 pounds (0.7 kilograms).

• It has a color 9.7-inch (24.6-cm) LEDdisplay screen that allows for viewing video in high-definition 16, 32 and 64 gigabytes of flash memory.

• A 16-gigabyte Wi-Fi version will be available in late April worldwide for 499 dollars.

The 32GB Wi-Fi model will cost 599 dollars while the 64GB Wi-Fi model will cost 699 dollars.

• iPad models equipped with Wi-Fi and 3G will be available in late April in the United States and selected countries.

• The 16GB model will cost 629 dollars, the 32GB will cost 729 dollars and the 64GB model will cost 829 dollars.

• Battery life of up to 10 hours from a single charge.

• Runs almost all of the over 150,000 applications for the iPod. • Touch and iPhone available in Apple’s App Store.

• An online “iBookstore” to complement the iTunes music store. iPad syncs with iTunes so applications and content down-

loaded from the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore will be automatically synched to a user’s iTunes library.

• A virtual touchscreen keyboard and the ability to hook up an external physical keyboard.

• iWork, a productivity suite of applications for creating presentations or working with spreadsheets and charts.

• Powered by A4, a next-generation chip which Apple said provides exceptional processor and graphics performance.

• A Software Development Kit for iPad developers to create applications gccl/sg/mac. — AFP

What makes a good gaming keyboard?

BERLIN: Gamers need to have quick reactions, the ability to multitask, and absolute control of the game action. They expect their keyboard not just to keep up, but to make their life easier as well. That includes a comfortable feel, extra programmable buttons, and in some cases special built-in displays as well.

Choosing the right keyboard is a question of personal preference and preferred game genre.

A gaming keyboard differs from standard keyboards in two significant ways: first, gaming keyboards contain extra functions and keys tailored for the actions a gamer performs, explains Sven Simon from hardware maker Logitech. One example is a small display on the keyboard containing information about the game. Second, gaming keyboards are much better equipped than regular keyboards to adapt to the needs of the specific gamer and the specific game.

One prime example is macro buttons. These are special pro-

grammable buttons that can run a complicated series of commands with one touch. They are tremendously important for gamers, says Lars Craemer from PC Games Hardware magazine. “Magic spells in some role-playing games require quick and precise entry of numerous keyboard commands, for example,” Craemer says. It makes life much easier for the gamer if they can define the entire batch as one single command.

There are two versions of the macro programming function. The simpler style plays back the keyboard sequence rapidly. Extra ambitious gamers want to be able to define the delays between the different commands, Craemer explains.

Otherwise some of the commands will interfere with one another.

Traditional keyboards offer the classic 105 key layout.

Gaming keyboards supplement these with a variety of special keys that are especially impor-

tant for real-time strategy games, says Boris Gojic from game maker Electronic Arts in Cologne. Gaming keyboards also register a keystroke with less pressure than a standard keyboard. “That means the key has to travel less distance before registering, which means quicker reaction times,” he says. The keyboards should also be highly stable and offer good ergonomics to ensure they don’t wear out prematurely.

How the keyboard feels beneath your hands is a subjective feeling, Craemer notes.

Many wrist rests have a steep angle, causing the hand to slip off easily. “For gamers with big hands, though, precisely that kind of rest may be perfect,” he notes. Gamers should go handson with the merchandise before taking it home. The same applies for key height. “Many people like flat laptop keys, others prefer full-size keys,” says Craemer. Another factor to remember: the best equipment can’t help you if the keyboard

slips because there are no rubber bases on the bottom.

Real-time strategy games require good ergonomics, Gojic says. Professional gamers frequently switch between mouse and keyboard. Ultimately deciding on the right keyboard for you is a question of which gaming genre you prefer: “Online role playing games are most effectively mastered using freely programmable keys,” Gojic explains. That means the macro buttons are crucial. Firstperson shooters are better served with keys the react to low pressure taps.

Gaming keyboards are offered in various price classes.

The lower end starts at around $25, Craemer says. “But the macro functions often run only through the driver and the models look like something out of a gumball machine,” he says.

Classic mid-range keyboards for gamers like the G11 from Logitech or the upcoming SideWinder x4 from Microsoft start at around $40. — dpa

HEALTH & SCIENCE

28

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Singapore a key transit hub for wildlife smuggling SINGAPORE: Midori the iguana sits on a platform contemplating his snack of fresh fruit. He is one of the lucky ones, rescued and nursed back to health in Singapore, a major hub for wildlife trafficking.

Three months ago the huge and notoriously touchy 1.5-metre (fivefoot) adult male was brought into the non-profit Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) rescue centre in bad shape.

Director Anbarasi Boopal said Midori had mouth ulcers and excreted a razor blade on his first day at the sanctuary.

“He was under critical care for a

while, now he is completely fine,” Boopal told AFP as she beamed at the iguana, due to be repatriated to his natural habitat in the lush rainforests of Central and South America.

The lizard, whose name, given by his rescuers, means “green” in Japanese, was likely part of the steady stream of creatures brought into Singapore illegally when he was smaller and then abandoned after growing too big.

Other mistreated pets and trafficked animals are not so fortunate, destined for slaughter or a life of confinement away from their natural habitats.

Singapore’s extensive trade links and efficient ports have lured opportunistic wildlife smugglers, who use the country as a transit point to ship exotic fauna to customers worldwide, animal welfare activists said.

Wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC lists Singapore as among the world’s top 10 wildlife smuggling hubs.

“The animals are just shipped into Singapore, (which acts) like a transit point from other countries like Indonesia or Malaysia or other neighbouring countries or surrounding islands,” Boopal said.

High-value birds and reptiles such as cockatoos, turtles and snakes fre-

quently pass through the island nation’s borders illegally en route to other countries to be sold as pets, food or for medicine.

There is also trade in even more exotic wildlife such as star tortoises, hornbills and the sugar glider, a small marsupial, Boopal said.

Figures released by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) show that the number of controlled items detected, including live wildlife, as well as unsanctioned food products, hit 5,900 in 2009, more than triple the level recorded in 2008.

The ICA called the increase “significant” and said it noted the “wide array

of animals and wildlife species that travellers had attempted to smuggle into Singapore”.

But activists say despite the increased level of detection, they represent just the tip of the iceberg, believing traffickers are exploiting Singapore’s international reputation to boost trade.

“When you smuggle the animals into Singapore and you export out with a country of origin as Singapore, it is very rare that other countries will check because of our very good reputation,” said Louis Ng, executive director of ACRES. He said that Singapore’s free trade

agreements with other countries also meant smugglers could often avoid paying tax and made clearing customs easier.

Ng said checks for wildlife and animal products remain inadequate, believing sniffer dogs would help plug the loophole, such as those used in South Korea.

Chris Shepherd, TRAFFIC’s Southeast Asian acting regional director, urged the government to be tougher in cracking down on illegal trade.

“The authorities in Singapore and in other importing-exporting countries should take great care in ensuring the

wildlife they are importing is from a legal source and has been acquired in a legal manner,” he said.

The ACRES centre, where Midori is recuperating, received more than 220 abandoned, surrendered or rescued lizards, tortoises and turtles in just seven months after opening last August, many of them illegal and endangered.

Boopal forgives Midori his bad temper, saying signs of stress in the presence of humans can be a positive sign.

“He gets a bit stressed when people walk nearby, so he might start lashing his tail,” Boopal said. “This is good. He is still wild, which is good.” —AFP

Cancer is now among the top three killers

New diseases straining healthcare system in Asia SINGAPORE: Asia’s healthcare systems are straining under the weight of lifestyle ailments linked to rising affluence while confronting new and old infectious diseases like bird flu and tuberculosis. A rapidly ageing population,

expensive medical technologies and more demanding patients are adding to the burden, said experts attending a regional healthcare conference this week in Singapore.

Budgetary constraints are hobbling government spending, but allowing the private sector to lead could take medical care further beyond the poor’s reach, the experts said.

“Non-communicable diseases have become the leading cause of death in Asia,” said the Economist Intelligence Unit in a study circulated at the conference, which was organised by the EIU, a sister company to The Economist magazine.

Heart disease is either the leading or second biggest cause of death in 11 Asian economiesChina, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Cancer is now among the top three killers in eight out of the 11 economies.

Meanwhile governments still have to deal with emerging diseases such as avian flu and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and age-old ailments that are re-emerging such as malaria and TB. Analysts said Asia’s economic transition from rural to wealthier urban life was bringing a resurgence of diseases normally associated with grindKATHMANDU: In a picture taken on March 26, 2010 Nepalese doctors work on computers at a hospi- ing poverty and lack of hygiene. tal in Kathmandu. The Nepal government is to connect dozens of rural hospitals to specialists in the cap“Tuberculosis, malaria-they ital using Internet technology as part of a plan to improve healthcare in remote areas of the Himalayan are all coming back with a vengeance... It’s quite frightennation. —AFP ing,” said Phua Kai Hong, an associate professor on health policy and management at Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

“No country is an island and diseases respect no boundaries,” he said.

In addition, healthcare systems must cater to the needs of Asia’s fast-greying population.

Phua said Asian govern“Most people in Nepal live in remote vil- for the poorest and most vulnerable.

KATHMANDU: Patients in rural Nepal will ments must learn to manage But development agencies say nearly one soon be able to consult specialist doctors lages where harsh weather conditions and their healthcare systems betover the Internet as part of an innovative geography make access to healthcare diffi- in four people in Nepal still has no access to ter. This includes balancing the scheme to improve health care in remote cult,” said Sherpa, 56, now director of logis- even basic health care. role of the government and priSherpa came up with the idea of introductics at the health ministry in Kathmandu. areas of the Himalayan country. vate sector so that treatment “It’s very hard to get specialists into ing telemedecine five years ago, but at that Over the next few weeks, the governremains affordable, he and ment will begin connecting 25 district hospi- those districts-mostly they want to remain in time, Internet connectivity in Nepal was still other experts said. tals, most of them located in the rugged and the city, or even go abroad to work. Even too weak for the scheme to work.

Reforms should also ensure Now, under his supervision, the health inaccessible Himalayas, to specialist consul- getting skilled birthing attendants to work in that healthcare programmes tants in the capital Kathmandu using satel- such places has proved a challenge,” he told ministry has set up high-speed Internet condeal not only with vaccination nections in 25 hospitals, using satellite techAFP. lite technology. and sanitation issues but also “So the health ministry decided it was nology to provide sufficient bandwidth for The 30-million-rupee (400,000-dollar) educate people about their project is the first of its kind in Nepal, where worth trying telemedecine, which is already videoconferencing. diets, lifestyles and exercise Local doctors will log their patients’ millions of people live in small communities quite advanced in other South Asian counhabits. notes online along with any x-ray or ultrawith no road connections and several days’ tries such as India.”

China now has a diabetes Impoverished Nepal has made significant sound images and lab tests, ready to be walk from the nearest hospital. “epidemic” as obesity rates rise The scheme is the brainchild of doctor progress in health care in recent years, examined by specialists in Kathmandu-a syson the back of growing affluMingmar Sherpa, who for 24 years ran the reducing maternal and child mortality rates tem known as “store and forward”. ence, a study in the New main hospital in the Everest region in east- and increasing life expectancy.

Doctors at the Patan Hospital on the England Journal of Medicine In 2007 the government endorsed health outskirts of the capital will devote two ern Nepal, where he experienced at first said last week, with one in 10 hand the difficulties faced by health practi- care as a basic human right in the constitu- hours a day to patients in outlying areas Chinese adults now afflicted. tion, introducing a policy of free treatment under the plan, which will also allow rural tioners in rural areas.

The hard-fought passage of health workers to receive training using US President Barack Obama’s videoconferencing. healthcare reforms has put the Sherpa says the system will allow comspotlight on the need for health mon diseases to be diagnosed much more insurance, but Phua said Asian quickly than at present, and enable postgovernments should not view operative patients to receive follow-up treatgovernment insurance as a ment without having to travel to the capital. “magic bullet”.

Under the scheme, doctors in Kathmandu State subsidies for health will in turn be linked up with consultants insurance will strain budgets known as “super-specialists” working in 12 unless they cover the “risks of hospitals across India to give them access to very low probability but highfurther medical expertise when needed. cost catastrophic illnesses” and The government is also setting up a tolllong-term care, he told free telephone line offering health advice to reporters at the conference. people living long distances from the nearest “Unfortunately, many govdoctor. ernments look upon insurance It is a major leap forward in a country to solve all the problems. They where as little as 20 years ago, most people cover everything under the sun still relied on local shamans or witch doctors so there’s not enough if they fell ill. (money).”

“Telemedecine sounds very technical, Healthcare spending as a but it is really just using technology to treat percentage of gross domestic patients, whether it be mobile phones or the product in the 11 Asian AHMADABAD: Sonal Suthar, 19, operates a laptop with the help of a Internet,” said Sherpa, who hopes the economies ranged between 3.3 will eventually extend nationwide. and 6.3 percent for 2010, comrotary LN-4 prosthetic hand during a live demonstration in Ahmadabad, scheme “Once we are on the right track, we will India, yesterday. The artificial limb, that aids the physically challenged in start adding more districts and expanding pared with 16 percent in the United States and 10.3 percent becoming more self dependent, will be distributed free of cost by Rotary into rural health posts. This is just the in Western Europe, the EIU beginning.” —AFP Club to 20 beneficiaries. —AP said. —AFP

Internet connects deepest Nepal to ‘telemedics’

SINGAPORE: Photo taken on March 3, 2010 shows Megan Williamson (L), Director of Veterinary Care for ACRES (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society) Wildlife Rescue Centre and Crime Unit, injecting a star tortoise with severe vitamin deficiency with the help of Hafiz’zan Shah (R), the animal caretaker at the rescue and rehabilitation centre in Singapore. —AFP

Gaza Siamese twins transferred to Saudi RIYADH: Saudi King Abdullah has facilitated the transfer of Siamese twins from the Gaza Strip to a Riyadh hospital where surgeons will attempt to separate them, newspapers reported yesterday.

Baby girls Retag and Rittal, born joined at the abdomen a week ago, have been admitted to Riyadh’s King Abdul Aziz Medical City where they will be examined by experts, Arab News and Al-Riyadh papers said.

The twins, daughters of a man named in the reports as Yasser Abu Assi, were born in

Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli blockade since June 2007 and where medical facilities are poor. Arab News cited Saudi Health Minister Abdullah al-Rabeeah as saying the twins would be examined by surgeons with a view to performing an operation to separate them. At least 20 such operations have been successfully carried out in the oil-rich Gulf monarchy in the past 18 years, with most of the costs being borne by members of the royal family. —AFP

PARIS: People gather as part of the World Autism Awareness Day, on April 2, 2010, in front of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris. Banner reads: “Defeat Autism, the new research challenge.” —AFP

Bird with H5N1 virus found in Bulgaria SOFIA: A dead bird found near Bulgaria’s Black Sea port of Varna has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus, officials said. The Agriculture Ministry said the tests on a common buzzard were conducted at the national veterinary.

No other cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza were detected in Bulgaria, but farmers were alerted to the risks of transmission by migratory

and wild birds.

Two weeks ago, a bird flu outbreak was found at a backyard poultry farm in a village in neighboring Romania, and all its birds were killed.

The European Commission called it the first detection of bird flu in the European Union in a year, following a confirmed case in March 2009 involving a wild duck in Germany.

Gregory Hartl, a World

Health Organization spokesman in Geneva, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he heard about the bird flu cases in Bulgaria and Romania, but that WHO doesn’t confirm or record bird flu cases unless they involve humans.

Bird flu has killed 291 people around the world since it began ravaging poultry stocks in 2003, Hartl said, with Indonesia being the worst hit country. —AP

30

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Embassy information

FAIPS annual sports day

EMBASSY OF ITALY The Embassy of Italy informs the public that it will be closed for festivities today, tomorrow and April 25 and that the Consular/Visa section will remain closed, for technical reasons on April 6, 2010.

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.

t was a step by step journey to fun and excitement for the Class 1 students of FAIPS, on their annual sports day on March 15. It was indeed, a meaningful learning activity for the little ones.

It looked like a rainbow of colourful items where each event had a story and rule of its own. The tiny tots danced to titillating music and then ran eagerly to the victory belt which was a part of the theme races like the trotting butterfly race, the comic Charlie Chaplins, the pretty party goers, the smart children with colourful umbrellas and the efficient bakers! The drill display was performed with perfection and style. The aerobic dance was the grand finale where the children moved to the rhythmic beats of the lively, reverberating music! It was a proud moment for all parents to see their children perform and win prizes. All participants were given appreciation certificates.

I

EMBASSY OF INDIA

Hope for Haiti concert raises funds for victims he Hope for Haiti Concert featured a fabulous performance by 88 members of the famous Kuwait English School band, held at Gulf University for Science and Technology last Saturday. GUST contributed an original silk screen painting, auctioned by Anwar Al-Sabah, which raised an additional KD305 towards the purchase of wheelchairs. “It has been really wonderful. The music has been delightful. We are so proud of the band from Kuwait English School” said Sabah Al-Quaddoomi, GUST Dean of Student Affairs.

Haiti’s plight has been desperate following the devastating January 12 earthquake. Lasting just 30 seconds, the magnitude7.0 earthquake was 35 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb and caused substantial damage and casualties.

KES has established a history of fund raising, including for Kuwait Red Crescent Society, KAACH, Save the Children and Great Ormond Street Hospital. KES chose to support the international efforts by launching the “KES Wheelchair-Connect appeal”. According to JS agency for International Development, there are likely to be tens of thousands of amputees due to the earthquake. Their care will burden Haiti’s medical system for decades.

“Wheelchairs bring hope, mobility and dignity”. KES Wheelchair- Connect Appeal stated that one wheelchair costs KD20, three are KD50 and five for KD90. These costs include shipping from the factory in China directly to Haiti based upon up to date information received from the manufacturer. KES began to plan a charity concert. During a chance exchange of ideas whilst visiting KES, Dr AlQuaddoomi offered GUST as a suitable venue. “We were willing to support and help. We thought it’s part of our community service to extend ourselves to the other schools and to the world really,” he said. Dr Muhailan, Chairman of the Board, GUST President, Vice Dean, administration and Faculty members attended the event.

KES Vice Chairman, Naela Al-Saddah, Financial Director, Rula Al-Saddah, Director Rhoda Elizabeth Muhmood, and KES Manager Muhmood Al-Muhmood also attended the event.

Spring Flowers generously sponsored the event with beautiful floral arrangements and bouquets. Mohammad Al-Shahadat organized the delicious and exquisite refreshments, provided by The Convention Centre and Royal Suites Hotel. The inside of the program was designed by Peter Reed. The concert began with the National Anthem and welcome by Mohammed Ibrahim. “Thank you for

T

sharing our deep feelings for such a devastating tragedy that touched our hearts”, Ibrahim said. He later outbid everyone in the auction for the prized painting of verses of the Quran.

KES Concert Band continued with Highland Fantasy, followed by the theme from Pomp and Circumstance No 4, a 1907 composition by Sir Edward Elgar. Schneewaltzer, the Snow Waltz, a simple and elegant melody popular with the band precceded an interval. Eszter Hunyadkurti then made an appeal. KES Concert band then played March and the 17th century Minuet from Royal Fireworks Music, a stately court dance by Handell celebrating the end of the war of Austrian succession. Markowic’s String Group then played Mozart’s Minuet in G minor, followed by “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” by Strauss. The Concert Band rendered The Supreme Sacrifice, remembering those who fell during World War 1.

The audience was encouraged to participate with clapping and stomping to a lively composition by Smith called “Camel Ride”. Heiu Sung Kim performed the Black Keys Etude by Chopin, which was followed by an unusual Tribute to educators, first performed last Thursday at a

Ministry of Education function. The Show Band continued with Black Sabbath’s Iron Man and concluded the program with Big Spender, by Shirley Bassey. A visual presentation on Haiti showed on a screen behind the orchestra throughout the concert.

Master of ceremonies Alan Wild, thanked Musical presenters Noor Majed Al-Naqeeb, Christina Yousef Matta, Tristan French and Yousef Ibrahim. Wild thanked the attendees for supporting KES quest for excellence in music. He thanked support staff at KES and GUST for working so hard to make the event possible. “The management, staff and students of Kuwait English School are much indebted to all faculty members of GUST for their great assistance and generosity in both facilitating and providing the venue for this special Charity Concert”.

“I am so impressed also with our staff and their attention to details. I think it is a wonderful evening. It truly shows when people put their efforts together for a good cause what wonderful things can come out” Dr AlQaddoomi said. He expressed hope in organizing another event in co-operation with KES, involving more of the 3,150 students at GUST. “Help less fortunate people to

become mobile”, Eszter Hunyadkurti said in a final appeal.

“You can make a great difference to the life of someone out in Haiti”.

“The scale of the disaster is unimaginable” the donation request letter states. The earthquake left 230,000 persons died, 300,000 were seriously injured, 1 million persons are homeless and the majority of schools, hospitals and government buildings were destroyed. Even before the earthquake on January 12, Haiti was one of the poorest nations in the world. In normal times 50 percent of the population exists on just $1 a day. “With your help and support we are once again poised to make an immediate difference ... this time by stretching out our friendship and support to the people of Haiti”.

“Our humanitarian mission will continue to allow us to provide hope, mobility, freedom, independence and dignity to people and their families worldwide” stated the Wheelchair Foundation. Research has shown that major aid organizations are specifically requesting wheelchairs.

Kuwait has quickly and generously responded to this need before with a very successful fund-raising appeal for wheelchairs to Iraq.

The Embassy of India has further revamped and improved its Legal Advice Clinic at the Indian Workers Welfare Center, and made the free service available to Indian nationals on all five working days, i.e. from Sunday to Thursday every week. Kuwaiti lawyers would be available at the Legal Advice Clinic daily from Monday to Thursday, while Indian lawyers would be available on Sundays. Following are the free welfare services provided at the Indian Workers Welfare Center located at the Embassy of India: [i] 24x7 Helpline for Domestic Workers: Accessible by toll free telephone no. 25674163 from anywhere in Kuwait, it provides information and advice exclusively to Indian domestic sector workers (Visa No. 20) as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. [ii] Help Desk: It offers guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal, and other issues (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iii) Labour Complaints Desk: It registers labor complaints and provides grievance redressal service to Indian workers (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iv) Shelters: For female and male domestic workers in distress; (v) Legal Advice Clinic: Provides free legal advice to Indian nationals (Embassy premises; Kuwaiti lawyers 3 PM to 5 PM, Monday to Thursday; Indian lawyers 2 PM to 4 PM on Sunday); and (vi) Attestation of Work Contracts: Private sector worker (Visa No. 18) contracts are accepted at the Embassy; 9 AM to 1 PM; Sunday to Thursday; Domestic sector worker (Visa No. 20) contracts are accepted at Kuwait Union of Domestic Labor Offices (KUDLO), Hawally, Al-Othman Street, Kurd Roundabout, Al-Abraj Complex, Office No 9, Mezzanine Floor; 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday to Thursday; 5 PM to 9 PM on Friday.

EMBASSY OF PHILIPPINES The Embassy of the Philippines wishes to inform the Filipino community in the State of Kuwait, that the recent supreme court decision to extend the registration of voter’s applies only in local registration in the Philippines under Republic Act no.

8189 and does not apply to overseas voters which is governed by Republic Act no.

9189, hence it has no impact on the plans and preparations on the conduct of overseas absentee voting. The overseas absentee voting for presidential elections will start on 10 April 2010 and will continue uninterrupted until 10 May 2010 daily at the Philippine Embassy. Registered overseas absentee voters are advised to schedule their days off in advance to avoid complications in their schedules. Qualified voters are encouraged to get out and vote.

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Radisson Blu Hotel welcomes new GM cocktail reception was held on Wednesday March 31 to bid farewell to General Manager Jan Petter Eilertsen and his wife Kicki and to welcome the new General Manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel Kuwait, Philippe Pellaud and his wife Ida. The board members of the First Hotels Company and the management of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Kuwait, invited more than 800 dignitaries and top key accounts to the reception.

A

MENACOM group appoints new GM n a quest to strive and keep up pace with the ever-changing industry, MENACOM group is pleased to announce the appointment of Sami Hanna as the managing director of Y&R in Kuwait. Over the years, Sami has proved his caliber and determination in his field. He is indeed competent to shoulder and execute all responsibilities amicably, especially during this challenging period. We wish Sami the best in his endeavors and assure him of our continuous and sincere support.

I

31

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Dawoodi Bohra community celebrates leader’s birthday he Dawoodi Bohras the world over are celebrating the 99th birthday of their leader - the 52nd His Holiness Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (TUS) today. This year, His Holiness will be in Mumbai on the momentous and joyous occasion. Thousands of Dawoodi Bohras from all over India and other parts of the world including the Middle East, Far

T

Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin

East, North America, Europe and Africa will converge in Mumbai to offer greetings and obtain the blessing of His Holiness.

It has been the practice of the Dawoodi Bohras organized in 700 community centers all over the world to begin celebrations from the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) culminating on the birthday of His Holiness.

Events such as medical camps, seminars on health, trade fairs, business seminars, launch of low cost housing schemes, mass marriages known as ‘Rasme Saifee’, sports, competitions for adults on memorization of Quran and arts and crafts are organized for the social, education and economic development of the entire community. Various public functions are

organized and attended by dignitaries, politicians, government officials, prominent citizens and members of sister communities which provided a forum to spread Syedna’s (TUS) message of peace and loyalty to one’s nation.

In an expression of love and affection for their revered leader, the Dawoodi Bohras have organized colorful processions and

decorated their homes and community centers. On the auspicious day of His Holiness’s birthday, the community members will gather at their respective Masjids and community centers to listen to Syedna (TUS)’s discourse that will be telecast live in every city and town of India and the world where Dawoodi Bohras reside and will pray for His Holiness.

Marriott Hotel hosts ‘Appreciation Night’

he JW Marriott Kuwait hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Kuwait Hotel and Arraya Ballroom hosted the Annual Appreciation Corporate Night at the Grand Arraya Ballroom. The gala evening was sponsored by Commercial Bank of Kuwait (Al-Tijari), Condor Event Management and Etihad Airways and was attended by top VIP companies that have consistently supported the Hotels’ and Preference Plus Loyalty program

T

members.

The appreciation evening was a fine blend of elegance and luxury, and a pianist wearing a six meter dress playing on an authentic 18th century piano entertained the guests. The evening also witnessed a spectacular performance by Brazilian Band and a Jazz Band headed by Joe Mouranie.

The evening also featured an Award Ceremony where the top supporting companies were given

Admission to technical institutions in India inistry of Human Resources & Development, Govt of India, has entrusted the central coordination of admission under Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) Scheme to NITK Surathkal, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.

Admissions are open for Foreign Nationals / Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) / NonResident Indians (NRIs) under DASA Scheme for the Academic Year 2010-11 to various National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and other premier Institutes (for details refer to www.nitk.ac.in).

Attention of all interested students is drawn to the revised procedure of drawing up the Merit list for allotment of branches and Institutes based on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT II) subject scores only (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics Level 2). Hence,

M

students are advised to register for SAT examination likely to be conducted on June 05, 2010, whose registration date is May 05, 2010. Please note that students applying under SPDC scheme for seeking admission in NITs are also required to qualify the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT II) examination. This will, however, not affect students seeking admissions under SPDC to other institutes having an MOU with EdCIL. Complete details about the SAT examination are available at www.collegeboard.com . Detailed admission procedure, online application and brochure for the current revised scheme would also be available on NITK website (www.nitk.ac.in) effective 01.04.2010. Any queries may be addressed to jsfs@moia.nic.in

International, Morad Yousef Behbehani, Samsonite, Wataniya Telecom, Zain, Quality Net & Dar El Teeb Perfumes.

Highlighting the achievements of the Preference Plus Loyalty Program Country Director of Sales and Marketing Saif Eddin Mohammad who thanked profusely the partnering outlets, Tanagra, IKEA, Azadea Group, Easa Hussein Al-Yousifi & Sultan Centre.

abre Travel Network Middle East (STNME), operator of the world’s leading global distribution system (GDS), has announced the appointment of Nabeel Sheikho as Account Manager for its Kuwait office. Sheikho will be reporting to Nadeem Zafar, Country Manager, Kuwait. Sheikho has served as senior eSolutions Specialist for STNME in Bahrain

S

for the past three years, where he managed Online Training Solutions, Sabre’s agency portal Agency eServices, and Sabre Travel Network Middle East’s Arabic and English websites. His transfer to the Kuwait office underscores the key role the Kuwaiti market plays in STNME’s growth plans.

Commenting on this latest promotion, STNME’s CEO Daniel Naoumovitch said, “With Sabre bringing in new and unique products to the Kuwait market, it’s essential that we expand our local team to support our growth, and that of our new and existing customers. “Sheikho’s strong customer-focus and strong knowledge of the travel industry puts him in good stead to help our customers in Kuwait meet their business objectives and gain better savings and revenue,” added Naoumovitch.

Managing existing accounts, Nabeel will also lead new business opportunities while ensuring our current partners’ service levels and technology supports their strategy within the travel industry’s regional and global environment. “I’m excited about joining our team of Sabre experts in the Kuwaiti market.

Utilizing my experience with travel technology and knowledge of our partners’ business priorities, I am confident I can add value to our customers by helping them make money, save money and provide better service through maximizing the benefits of our stateof-the-art Sabre technology,” said Nabeel Sheikho.

The evening was made even more special with mothers receiving a special rose in celebration of Mothers Day. While the jazz band played light music, the top VIPs enjoyed and savored the culinary delights, with the evening offering international buffet with live stations from around the world. The evening concluded with a grand raffle draw and all attending guests at the event took home special gifts.

Rezidor Hotel Group appoints director of sales

Sabre Travel Network appoints account manager

Nabeel Sheikho

Birthday greetings

elegant crystal plaques as well as airline tickets and hotel stays at different Marriott hotels.

The guests further enjoyed two exciting raffle draws were lucky winners took home prizes from the sponsors Tanagra, Lufthansa, Kuwait Airways, Samsung Al-Babtain, Easa Hussein AlYousifi & Sons Co, Panasonic, Kefan Optics, Centrepoint, Aramis & Designer Fragrances, Sean John, DKNY, Kefan Optics, Ajmal

he Rezidor Hotel Group - one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide announces the appointment of Yigit Sezgin as Global Director of Sales & Marketing. Sezgin, a Turkish national, has previously held a number of sales and marketing positions throughout the region including UAE, Qatar, Turkey and Bahrain.

Sezgin takes on the new responsibilities in addition to his current role as Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for Rezidor’s portfolio of 40 hotels open and under development in the Middle East, Egypt and Libya. During his time in this role, he has supported the opening of eight new hotels and launched two new brands in the Middle East region.

Speaking of his new role, Sezgin said”I am very proud to be a part of the noticeable growth in our portfolio, brands and teams. As we move forward, our focus will be to increase the awareness of Rezidor brands and introduce our diverse products to both new and existing markets” As Global Director of Sales and Marketing, Sezgin will assume responsibility for all outbound sales and marketing actvities to generate business for Rezidor hotels located throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa on top of his current

T

Yigit Sezgin regional responsibilities. In addition, Sezgin will oversee Rezidor’s team of Global Sales Representatives in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and will work closely with Carlson Hotels worldwide sales offices in the USA and Asia.

Behbehani Motors honors employees n appreciation of its employees’ efforts last year, Behbehani Motors held a ceremony to honor them. Behbehani Motors Company, the sole distributor of Volkswagen vehicles in Kuwait, held a ceremony at the Safir Marina Hotel in honor of its employees and in appreciation for their efforts last year that made several company achievements possible. These include being named the number one Volkswagen dealer in the Middle East for 2009, both in terms of volume of Sales and After-Sales Services.

During the ceremony, which was attended by the company’s top executives, certificates of appreciation were handed out to distinguished employees for their outstanding performance in 2009. This comes out of the management’s keenness for showing its appreciation towards those who make great efforts that elevates the status of the company in the local market.

Graeme Hunter, the Group General Manager of Behbehani Motors Company expressed his thanks

I

appy birthday dear Latifa!

Best wishes from family, friends, well-wishers and relatives.

H

to all the staff, and recognized that due to their continued hard work and team spirit, they had made 2009 a very successful year for the Volkswagen brand in Kuwait. The employees expressed their gratitude to the management for its constant show of appreciation for their efforts, and said that they were proud to be part of the Behbehani Motors family.

They also promised to exert more effort this year, to maintain the status of Volkswagen and Behbehani Motors Co as one of the largest motor companies in the Kuwaiti market.

Behbehani Motors places great emphasis on its employees, as many activities and events have been organized in recent years to encourage employees and to create an excellent atmosphere for them to work in, thus reflecting positively on clients and their interests. Behbehani Motors made several important achievements in 2009, including ranking as the number one Volkswagen distributor in the Middle East, being awarded the ISO 9001:2008 award, and attaining the ‘Superbrand’ status.

TV PROGRAMS

32

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Orbit / Showtime Listings

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

ER The Unusuals Life One Tree Hill The Unusuals The Closer CSI ER Glee Drop Dead Diva Life One Tree Hill CSI The Closer Life The Unusuals Glee Drop Dead Diva ER CSI Criminal Minds Cold Case Supernatural Nip/Tuck

00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 04:25 05:20 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:15 08:45 09:40 10:05 10:55 11:50 12:15 12:45 13:40 14:05 14:35 15:00 15:30 16:25 Irwin 17:20 18:15 18:40 19:10 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

I’m Alive Untamed & Uncut Untamed & Uncut Animal Cops Miami I’m Alive Animal Cops Houston RSPCA: On the Frontline Dolphin Days Lemur Street Pet Rescue The Planet’s Funniest Animals The Planet’s Funniest Animals Animal Cops Houston Aussie Animal Rescue The Jeff Corwin Experience Miami Animal Police RSPCA: On the Frontline Going Ape Animal Precinct Ultimate Killers Ultimate Killers Wildlife SOS Wildlife SOS Dogs 101 New Breed Vets with Steve Journey of Life Living with the Wolfman Living with the Wolfman Great Savannah Race Austin Stevens Adventures Untamed & Uncut Untamed & Uncut Animal Cops Miami Great Savannah Race

00:30 The League Of Gentlemen 01:00 The League Of Gentlemen 01:30 Hyperdrive 02:00 Green Green Grass 02:30 Suburban Shootout 03:00 The Smoking Room 03:30 Jack Dee: Live At The Apollo 04:15 Doctor Who 05:00 Doctor Who Confidential 05:20 Garden Rivals 05:50 Garden Rivals 06:20 Teletubbies 06:45 Me Too 07:05 Tweenies 07:25 Teletubbies 07:50 Me Too 08:10 Tweenies 08:30 Teletubbies 08:55 Me Too 09:15 Tweenies 09:35 Teletubbies 10:00 Garden Rivals 10:30 Garden Rivals 11:00 Doctors 11:30 Doctors 12:00 Doctors 12:30 Doctors 13:00 Doctors 13:35 Bargain Hunt 14:25 The Life Of Mammals 15:20 The Weakest Link 16:10 Doctor Who 17:00 Doctor Who Confidential 17:20 Robin Hood 18:05 Casualty 18:55 Casualty 19:50 Hell To Hotel 20:45 The Life Of Mammals 21:45 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 22:35 Afterlife 23:25 Hotel Babylon

00:10 00:35 01:25 01:50 02:15 03:10 04:55 07:00 07:50 08:10 08:40 09:30 15:20 17:50 19:30 19:55 20:45

Come Dine With Me Big Chef Takes On Little Chef Saturday Kitchen Saturday Kitchen Living In The Sun Cash In The Attic USA Come Dine With Me Big Chef Takes On Little Chef Cash In The Attic USA Saturday Kitchen Antiques Roadshow The Restaurant UK Big Chef Takes On Little Chef Come Dine With Me Come Dine With Me Big Chef Takes On Little Chef The Restaurant UK

Plastic...

17:10 Behind The Scenes 17:35 Behind The Scenes 18:00 E!es 18:50 15 Unforgettable Hollywood Tragedies 20:30 E!es 21:20 Pretty Wild 21:45 Kendra 22:10 E! News 23:00 Dr 90210 23:50 Bank Of Hollywood

Elegy on Show Movies

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:55 03:50 04:45 05:10 06:05 07:00 07:30 07:55 08:50 09:45 10:10 10:40 11:05 12:00 17:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Dad Savage-PG15 City Of Ghosts-18 Days Of Glory-PG15 Ocean Waves-PG15 Pearl Diver-PG Class Action-PG15 The Sun Also Rises-PG15 It Might Get Loud-PG15 Ensemble C’est Tout-PG15 Pavilion Of Women-18 Inventing The Abbots-18 Alias-18

My Shocking Story My Shocking Story Breaking Point Brainiac Smash Lab How Stuff’s Made Ultimate Survival Mythbusters Fifth Gear Fifth Gear Heartland Thunder Street Customs Berlin How Stuff’s Made Destroyed in Seconds Destroyed in Seconds Ultimate Survival How Stuff Works How Stuff’s Made Brainiac Nextworld Breaking Point Mythbusters Rampage!

Ross Kemp on Gangs

00:30 NYC: Inside Out 01:20 Race to Mars 02:10 Human Cloning 03:00 Nextworld 03:50 NYC: Inside Out 04:45 Weird Connections 05:10 Weird Connections 05:40 Patent Bending 06:10 Download: The True Story of the Internet 07:00 Junkyard Wars 08:00 Sci-Fi Science 08:30 Sci-Fi Science 09:00 Nextworld 09:55 Kings of Construction 15:25 How Stuff’s Made 15:55 Download: The True Story of the Internet 16:50 Ecopolis 17:45 Engineered 18:40 Patent Bending 19:05 Patent Bending 19:30 What’s That About?

20:20 Space Pioneer 21:10 NYC: Inside Out 22:00 The Colony 22:50 The Colony 23:40 Sci-Fi Science

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

Hannah Montana Handy Manny Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Special Agent Oso Jonas Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Handy Manny

06:25 06:45 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 08:50 10:30 12:00 12:05 12:25 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:00 14:25 14:50 14:55 15:00 16:10 16:15 16:25 16:30 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:10 18:35 18:40 19:00 20:20 20:25 20:35 21:00 21:45 22:00 22:25 22:50

Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Special Agent Oso Fairly Odd Parents Jonas Sonny With A Chance Camp Rock Cars Toons Pixar Shorts Jonas Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Kim Possible Cars Toons Pixar Shorts Pocahontas 2 Cars Toons Pixar Shorts Pixar Shorts Jonas Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Cars Toons Pixar Shorts Dadnapped Cars Toons Pixar Shorts Hannah Montana The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Jonas Sonny With A Chance

06:00 Jimmy Two-Shoes 06:25 American Dragon 06:50 Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension 07:15 Phineas & Ferb 07:40 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 08:05 Suite Life On Deck 08:30 I’M IN THE BAND 09:05 CARS TOONS 09:15 Phineas & Ferb 09:20 CARS TOONS 09:30 Zeke & Luther 10:00 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 10:30 I’M IN THE BAND 11:00 Suite Life On Deck 11:30 SHREDUCATION 12:00 SKYRUNNERS 13:30 Aaron Stone 14:00 Phineas & Ferb 14:05 CARS TOONS 14:30 Phineas & Ferb 15:00 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 15:30 Suite Life On Deck 16:00 I’M IN THE BAND 16:30 Zeke & Luther 17:00 Phineas & Ferb 17:05 CARS TOONS 17:30 Kid vs Kat 18:00 K9 ADVENTURES 18:30 SHREDUCATION 19:00 NEXT X U.S SHORTS 19:10 Phineas & Ferb 19:40 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 20:05 Zeke & Luther 20:30 American Dragon

00:40 Tempted 01:05 E!es 02:20 Sexiest 03:15 Ths 05:05 Dr 90210 06:00 15 Most Shocking Political Sex Scandals 07:45 25 Most Stylish 08:35 E! News 09:25 30 Best And Worst Beach Bodies 11:05 E!es 12:00 25 Most Memorable Swimsuit Moments 13:40 E!es 14:30 E!es 15:25 20 Best And Worst Celebrity

00:00 Everyday Italian 01:00 30 Minute Meals 01:00 Everyday Italian 02:00 Easter Sweets with Jacques Torres 03:00 Barefoot Contessa 03:00 Giada At Home 04:00 Barefoot Contessa 05:00 Easter Sweets with Jacques Torres 05:00 Giada At Home 06:00 Kitchen Criminals 06:00 Unwrapped 07:00 Kitchen Criminals 08:00 Food Network Challenge 08:00 Kitchen Criminals 09:00 Food Network Challenge 09:00 Kitchen Criminals 10:00 Food Network Challenge 10:00 Kitchen Criminals 11:00 Food Network Challenge 11:00 Unwrapped 11:50 Everyday Italian 12:40 Everyday Italian 13:00 Teleshopping 13:30 30 Minute Meals 14:00 Teleshopping 14:20 30 Minute Meals 15:00 Teleshopping 15:10 Rescue Chef with Danny Boome 16:00 Tyler’s Ultimate 17:00 Teleshopping 17:00 Tyler’s Ultimate 18:00 Kitchen Criminals 19:00 Kitchen Criminals 19:00 Teleshopping 21:00 Kitchen Criminals 21:00 Teleshopping 22:00 Kitchen Criminals 23:00 30 Minute Meals 23:00 Kitchen Criminals

00:30 00:55 01:20 02:10 03:05 04:00 04:25 04:55 05:20 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Crime Scene Psychics Crime Scene Psychics Ghost Lab A Haunting Psychic Witness Crime Scene Psychics Crime Scene Psychics Real Emergency Calls FBI Files Ghosthunters Ghosthunters Forensic Detectives FBI Files CSU Forensic Detectives Forensic Detectives FBI Files Guilty Or Innocent?

Extreme Forensics Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives FBI Files CSU Forensic Detectives Forensic Detectives FBI Files Guilty Or Innocent?

Extreme Forensics Diagnosis: Unknown Murder Shift Serial Killers Deadly Women

01:05 03:05 05:05 06:35 08:05 09:40 11:30 13:20 15:05 16:40 18:10 19:50 22:00 23:40

Colors Knightriders Lord of the Flies The Little Death A Doll’s House Huckleberry Finn The Wizard of Loneliness Nobody’s Fool The Man Inside Signs of Life Untamed Heart The Pride And The Passion The End Duel at Diablo

00:00 How I met your mother 00:30 Gary Unmarried 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon 03:00 Flight of the Conchords 03:30 Curb your Enthusiasm 04:00 Sauturday Night Live 05:00 How I met your mother 05:30 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 06:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 07:00 Dharma & Greg 07:30 Three sisters 08:00 Frasier 08:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 09:00 The Nanny 09:30 George Lopez 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:30 Dharma & Greg 11:00 Frasier 11:30 The Bernie Mac show 12:00 The Late Late Show with Craig

Ferguson 13:00 Gary Unmarried 13:30 Yes dear 14:00 The Nanny 14:30 Malcolm in the Middle 15:00 How I met your mother 15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Drew Carey 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Frasier 18:00 Eight Simple Rules 18:30 Just Shoot me!

19:00 Better Off Ted 19:30 The Office 20:00 Curb your Enthusiasm 20:30 Flight of the Conchords 21:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:30 South park

00:00 The Martha Stewart Show 01:00 Downsize Me 02:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 03:00 The Monique Show 04:00 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 05:00 GMA Weekend (Repeat) 06:00 Moms Get Real / Now you know / Amplified 07:00 GMA Health 07:30 What’s the Buzz 08:00 The Martha Stewart Show 09:00 Downsize Me 10:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live1 11:00 The View 12:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 13:00 The Martha Stewart Show 14:00 Parenting 14:30 Popcorn 15:00 GMA Weekend Live 16:00 Ahead of The Curve 16:30 Chef’s Table 17:00 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 18:00 Downsize Me 19:00 The View (repeat) 20:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 21:00 The Best of Jimmy Kimmel 22:00 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (Best Of) 23:00 Moms Get Real / Now you know / Amplified

00:15 Blindness-18 02:15 Shake Hands With The DevilPG15 04:15 The Man From Earth-PG15 06:00 The Promotion-PG15 08:00 Angus Thongs And Perfect Snogging PG15 10:00 Somers Town-PG 12:00 Valkyrie-PG15 14:00 Saving God-PG15 16:00 Angus Thongs And Perfect Snogging-PG15 18:00 The Incredible Hulk-PG 20:00 Taking Woodstock-PG15 22:00 Elegy-18

01:00 The Perfect Witness-18 03:00 The Blob-18 05:00 Spiderwick Chronicles-PG 07:00 Ba’al-PG15 09:00 Termination Point-PG15 11:00 Arn: The Knight Templar 13:15 The Scorpion King 2: Rise Of A Warrior-PG15 15:00 Termination Point-PG15 17:00 Circle-PG15 19:00 Linewatch-18 21:00 Hotel California-18 23:00 Pulse 2-18

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Harold-PG15 Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo Car Babes-PG15 RRRrrrr!!!-PG15 Scrooged-PG Mr. Baseball-PG My Favorite Martian-PG Backseat-PG15 Harold-PG15 Mystic Pizza-PG15 Paper Heart-PG15 Still Crazy-PG15

00:00 Barbie And The Three Musketeers-PG 02:00 Doctor Dolittle 4: Tail To The Chief-PG 04:00 Tommy And The Cool Mule06:00 Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation-FAM 08:00 Barbie As Rapunzel-FAM 10:00 Tommy And The Cool MulePG 11:50 Tom And Jerry: A Nutcracker’s Tale-FAM 12:40 Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation-FAM 14:00 Doctor Dolittle 4: Tail To The Chief-PG 16:00 Babar: King Of The ElephantsFAM 18:00 Igor-PG 20:00 Alice Upside Down-PG 22:00 Tom And Jerry: A Nutcracker’s Tale-FAM

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Psych Psych Sex and the City Tess of the D’Urbervilles Every Body Loves Raymond Coach 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street In Treatment In Treatment Every Body Loves Raymond Coach Tess of the D’Urbervilles 24 In Treatment Emmerdale Coronation Street Every Body Loves Raymond Coach Psych Psych 24 Tess of the D’Urbervilles Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ex-list Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order 24 Sex and the City

00:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 17:00 17:30 18:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 23:15

Premier League Premier League Classics Premier League World Premier League Futbol Mundial Live Toshiba Super Sunday Live Premier League Premier League World Futbol Mundial Premier League LIVE Portuguese Liga

= 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 09:00 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:30 18:00 20:00 22:00

Premier League Premier League Premier League Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket World Live NRL Premiership AFL Toyota Premiership Premier League Premier League Premier League Live Toshiba Super Sunday Live Premier League Scottish Premier League Guinness Premiership

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 20:00 20:30 21:00

Super 14 NRL Premiership NRL Premiership Mobil 1 The Grid V8 Supercars Live NRL Premiership NRL Premiership Super 14 NRL Premiership Live PGA European Tour ICC Cricket World V8 Supercars PGA European Tour

00:00 01:00 02:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 12:00 13:00 15:00 15:30 16:30 18:30 19:00 20:00 23:00

UFC Unleashed UFC Wired UFC 105 UFC Unleashed UFC Wired WWE Vintage Collection WWE Bottomline WWE NXT WWE Smackdown LG Action Sport NCAA Basketball UFC All Access UFC 112 Countdown Live Guinness Premiership UFC All Access UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC 106 UFC Unleashed

Brothers Grimm 14:30 Somebody Up There Likes Me 16:20 The Prize 18:35 Ben-Hur 22:00 Brother John 23:35 A Hole In The Head

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 04:50 05:40 06:30 07:20 08:10 09:00 10:50 11:40 12:30 13:20 14:10 15:00 16:50 17:40 18:30 19:20 20:10 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:40

Mummy Forensics Cities of the Underworld Egypt: Land of the Gods Seven Signs of the Apocalypse Ancient Discoveries 3 Battles B.C. Mummy Forensics Cities of the Underworld Egypt: Land of the Gods Seven Signs of the Apocalypse Ancient Discoveries 3 Battles B.C. Mummy Forensics Cities of the Underworld Egypt: Land of the Gods Seven Signs of the Apocalypse Ancient Discoveries 3 Battles B.C. Mummy Forensics Cities of the Underworld Egypt: Land of the Gods Tsunami 2004: Waves of Death Seven Deadly Sins Life After People Ax Men 2

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Clean House My Celebrity Home How Do I Look?

Split Ends Dr 90210 Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane Area How Do I Look?

Style Star Style Her Famous Clean House My Celebrity Home Ruby Giuliana & Bill Dallas Divas & Daughters Dallas Divas & Daughters Clean House Clean House Clean House Clean House Clean House Clean House Clean House Clean House How Do I Look?

Giuliana & Bill Ruby

01:04 01:45 02:00 02:45 08:04 08:45 13:04 15:00 15:24 16:04 16:35 17:00 18:00 18:45 20:04 20:45

Sound System Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Africa Playlist Urban Hit 30 Code Compilation Playlist New Playlist Focus Urban Hit Playlist French Only Playlist

00:00 Globe Trekker 01:00 Julian and Camilla’s World Odyssey 02:00 Chef Abroad 02:30 Chef Abroad 03:00 Planet Food 04:00 Essential 04:30 Essential 05:00 Distant Shores 05:30 Distant Shores 06:00 Distant Shores 06:30 Distant Shores 07:00 Angry Planet 07:30 Angry Planet 08:00 Globe Trekker 09:00 Swiss Railway Journeys 10:00 Great Scenic Railways - 175 Years 10:30 Globe Trekker 11:00 Intrepid Journeys 12:00 Intrepid Journeys 13:00 Globe Trekker 14:00 Planet Food 15:00 Chef Abroad 15:30 Feast India 16:00 Floyd On Africa 16:30 Essential 17:00 Africa Trek 19:00 Distant Shores 19:30 Wild At Heart 20:00 Angry Planet 20:30 Raging Bulls 21:00 Globe Trekker 21:30 Essential 22:00 Intrepid Journeys 23:00 Globe Trekker

01:00 Vh1 Music 05:00 Chill Out 07:00 Smooth Wake Up 09:00 Vh1 Music 11:00 Vh1 Pop Chart 12:00 Top 10 Dire Straits 13:00 Cover Power 14:00 Soul Rhythm Weekend 17:00 Music For The Masses 18:00 Vh1 Music 19:00 Vh1 Viewer’s Jukebox Love Request 20:00 Vh1 Viewer’s Jukebox Love Request 21:00 Top 10 Dire Straits 22:00 Sunday Soul 23:00 Behind The Music 50 Cent

00:00 Word Travels:The Truth Behind 00:30 Camels, Courts & Concubines 01:30 Camels, Courts & Concubines 02:30 Camels, Courts & Concubines 03:30 Treks In A Wild World 04:00 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet 04:30 Food School 05:00 Word Of Mouth 05:30 Word Travels:The Truth Behind 06:00 Word Travels:The Truth Behind 06:30 Camels, Courts & Concubines 07:30 Camels, Courts & Concubines 08:30 Camels, Courts & Concubines 09:30 Treks In A Wild World 10:00 Motorcycle Karma 11:00 Finding Genghis 11:30 Lonely Planet 12:30 Bondi Rescue - Bali 13:00 Bondi Rescue - Bali 13:30 Cruise Ship Diaries 14:30 Jailed Abroad 15:30 Jailed Abroad 16:30 Cycling Home With Rob

01:00 Evening-PG15 03:00 The El Escorial Conspiracy 05:00 Last Mimzy-PG 07:00 Hoot-PG 09:00 Australia-PG 12:00 Stan Lee: The Condor-PG 13:30 Stan Lee: Mosaic-PG 15:00 Reservation Road-PG15 17:00 Happy Feet-PG 19:00 Into The Storm-PG15 21:00 Havoc 2: Normal Adolescent Behavior-PG15 23:00 When Soldiers Cry-PG15

01:35 04:00 07:00 08:50 10:45 12:25

Cimarron Quo Vadis Somebody Up There Likes Me The V.I.P.S Singin’ In The Rain The Wonderful World Of The

Hoot on Super Movies

Star Listings (UAE Timings) STAR Movies 20:25 Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation 22:00 Deadly Game 23:35 Get Shorty 01:20 Phone Booth 02:40 Blonde & Blonder 04:15 Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation 05:50 Deadly Game 07:25 Renaissance Man 09:30 Phone Booth 10:50 Blonde & Blonder 12:25 7-10 Split 14:00 Hackers 15:45 Nine Months 17:30 Alvin And The Chipmunks 19:00 No Way Out STAR World 20:00 American Idol 21:00 October Road 22:00 [V] Tunes 23:00 [V] Tunes 00:00 Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

01:00 [V] Tunes 02:00 7th Heaven 03:00 Scrubs 03:30 The King Of Queens 04:00 According To Jim

04:30 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:50 11:00 11:50 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:50 17:00 17:50 18:00 18:50 19:00

According To Jim Asian Film Awards Grey’s Anatomy Samantha Who? Rules Of Engagement [V] Tunes The King Of Queens The Bold And The Beautiful 7th Heaven Different Strokes Grey’s Anatomy Married With Children Asian Film Awards Asia Uncut Scrubs The King Of Queens According To Jim According To Jim 90210 Jackie Chan Adventures Mental Different Strokes The Listener Married With Children Criminal Minds

Granada TV 21:00 Fat Club

21:30 City Cabs (Series 1) 22:00 Young, Posh and Loaded 22:30 The Sunshine Girls 23:00 Come Dine With Me (Primetime Series 2) 00:00 Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (Series 3) 01:00 Stars In Their Eyes (Series 12) 02:00 Prime Drama: Cheers & Tears (Series 2) The Treasure Hunt 04:00 60 Minute Makeover (Series 3) 05:00 Britain’s Youngest Brides 06:00 Coronation Street (WEEKEND OMNIBUS) 07:30 Shampoo 08:00 The Inside Guide To (Series 3) 09:00 Fat Club 09:30 City Cabs (Series 1) 10:00 Confessions Of 10:30 House of Horrors (Series 3) 11:00 Vroom Vroom (Series 2) 12:00 Who Dares Wins (Series 1) 13:00 I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

(Series 7) 14:00 Parkinson (Series 7) 15:00 Life Begins (Series 2) 16:00 Vroom Vroom (Series 2) 17:00 Who Dares Wins (Series 1) 18:00 I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

(Series 7) 19:00 Parkinson (Series 7) Channel [V] 22:00 [V] Plug 00:30 Double Shot 01:00 Loop 02:00 [V] Tunes 05:00 Backtracks 06:00 [V] Special 07:00 [V] Countdown 09:00 The Playlist 11:30 Double Shot 12:00 [V] Special 13:00 The List 14:00 Keys To The VIP Double Bill 15:00 Parental Control Double Bill 16:00 [V] Plug 18:30 Double Shot 19:00 America’s Next Top Model (Series 11) Marathon Fox News 00:00 America’s News HQ Host host Brian Wilson 01:00 America’s News HQ Hosts Kelly Wright and Jamie Colby 02:00 The Journal Editorial Report

02:30 Fox News Watch 03:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 04:00 America’s News HQ hosts Gregg Jarrett and Julie Banderas 06:00 America’s News HQ hosts Rick Folbaum and Juliet Huddy 07:00 FOX Report Saturday host Julie Banderas 08:00 Huckabee with Mike Huckabee 09:00 Geraldo At Large with Geraldo Rivera 11:00 The Journal Editorial Report 11:30 Fox News Watch 12:00 FOX Report Saturday 13:00 Geraldo At Large with Geraldo Rivera 14:00 Huckabee with Mike Huckabee 15:00 FOX Report Saturday host Julie Banderas 16:00 Geraldo At Large with Geraldo Rivera 18:00 The Journal Editorial Report 18:30 Fox News Watch 19:00 FOX and Friends Sunday hosts David Briggs, Alisyn Camerota & Clayton Morris 20:00 FOX and Friends Sunday hosts David Briggs, Alisyn Camerota & Clayton Morris 21:00 FOX and Friends Sunday hosts David Briggs, Alisyn Camerota & Clayton Morris 22:00 America’s News HQ hosts Eric Shawn & Jamie Colby 23:00 America’s News HQ hosts Eric Shawn & Jamie Colby

National Geographic Channel 20:00 Naked Science -Bullets S2-9 21:00 Perfect Weapon -Skull Smashers 22:00 Mega Factories -Super Subway 23:00 Monster Fish -Great White Sturgeon 00:00 Perilous Journeys -Roof of Africa 3 01:00 World’s Toughest Fixes -San Francisco Bay Bridge 02:00 Mega Factories -Super Subway 03:00 Nat Geo Junior -Monkey Thieves : One Bad Apple 7 03:30 Hayden Turner’s Wildlife Chall -Salt Water Crocodiles 9 04:00 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet -Catch Of The Day 12 04:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet Cocktail Artists 20 05:00 Monster Fish -Great White Sturgeon 06:00 The Living Edens -Ngorongoro: Africa’s Cradle Of Life 07:00 No Borders -Lovers On The Ice 08:00 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet Spanish Roots 08:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet -Baja California 7 09:00 When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs 10:00 Monster Fish -Great White Sturgeon 11:00 Perilous Journeys -Roof of Africa 3

Sunday, April 4, 2010

33

ACCOMMODATION

No: 14688

Two central A/C rooms available in Benaid Al-Gar, very near to Al Salam hospital, for decent working ladies. Please contact: 97879611. (C 2083) One spacious room in a decent fully furnished flat in Ashbiliya opp Farwaniya is available for a Muslim preferably Pakistani/Indian single, rent KD 100, serious person can contact.

99714430. (C 2081) 3-4-2010 Accommodation available for a decent non-smoking Keralite in Abbassiya near Lovely/Garden stores. Contact: 24334851, 99185377.

(C 2079) Sharing rooms available in CAC building near Salmiya garden and Maidan Hawally with bath, single or couple, rent KD 100, 50, 40. Call 97151921. (C 2075)

Spacious one room with balcony available for rent in a double bedroom flat at Salmiya, behind Al Jazeera complex, Gulf road, close to Pizza Hut & Rays One restaurant, rent KD 70. Contact: 97471492. (C 2076) Two central A/C rooms available in Benaid-AlGar, very near to Al-Salam hospital for decent working ladies from April.

Contact: 97879611.

FOR SALE Mitsubishi Jeep Nativa model 2008, silver color, 6cylinder engine, alloy rims, excellent condition, cash price 3150 KD, negotiable, installment possible. Contact: 99105286. (C 2082) 3-4-2010 Toyota Camry Grande

model 2006, 6 cylinders, done 86,000 kms only, golden beige color, excellent condition, cash price KD 3,400. Contact: 66211779.

(C 2078) Toyota Camry 2006 model, GL, 4 cy, white color, km 82,000, good condition, cash 3,200 KD. Contact: 97800987. (C 2080) 1-4-2010

MATRIMONIAL Proposals invited from parents of well educated qualified boys for a Keralite CSI girl, 24 years, 165 cm, B.Tech (electronic & communication) working as project engineer in a reputed company. Please respond with boy始s complete personal/career details to email kamkwt@hotmail.com (C 2077) 1-4-2010

Flight Schedule Arrival Flights on Sunday 04/04/2010 Airlines Flt Route Royal Jordanian 802 Amman Ariana 405 Kabul/Dubai Wataniya Airways 188 Bahrain Kuwait 544 Cairo Wataniya Airways 306 Cairo Gulf Air 211 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 408 Beirut Turkish A/L 772 Istanbul Wataniya Airways 322 Sharm El Sheikh Jazeera 513 Sharm El Sheikh DHL 370 Bahrain Emirates 853 Dubai Etihad 305 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 241 Amman Qatari 138 Doha Jazeera 503 Luxor Falcon 201 Dubai Jazeera 527 Alexandria Kuwait 412 Manila/Bangkok British 157 London Jazeera 481 Sabiha Kuwait 206 Islamabad Kuwait 382 Delhi Jazeera 529 Assiut Iran Air 615 Shahre Kord Kuwait 302 Mumbai Fly Dubai 053 Dubai Kuwait 332 Trivandrum Kuwait 676 Dubai Kuwait 284 Dhaka Emirates 855 Dubai Arabia 121 Sharjah Kuwait 286 Chittagong Qatari 132 Doha Iran Air 603 Shiraz Etihad 301 Abu Dhabi Iran Aseman 6801 Ahwaz Jazeera 425 Bahrain Falcon 203 Dubai Wataniya Airways 182 Bahrain Gulf Air 213 Bahrain Jazeera 165 Dubai Wataniya Airways 102 Dubai Jazeera 447 Doha Jazeera 113 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 171 Dubai Egypt Air 610 Cairo Kuwait 672 Dubai Oman Air 645 Muscat Kuwait 774 Riyadh Royal Jordanian 800 Amman United A/L 982 Washington Dc Dulles Wataniya Airways 432 Damascus Wataniya Airways 422 Amman

Time 00:05 00:05 00:30 00:50 00:50 01:05 01:05 01:15 01:20 01:45 02:15 02:25 02:55 02:55 03:25 05:15 05:25 06:05 06:15 06:30 06:40 07:15 07:20 07:30 07:35 07:50 07:55 07:55 08:00 08:10 08:25 08:40 08:45 09:00 09:20 09:25 10:15 10:25 10:30 10:45 10:45 11:05 11:05 11:10 11:20 12:50 12:55 13:15 13:15 13:20 13:35 13:35 13:35 14:10

Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Saudi Arabian A/L Qatari Jazeera Etihad Emirates Gulf Air Wataniya Airways Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Jazeera Arabia Jazeera Jazeera Srilankan Wataniya Airways Kuwait Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Singapore A/L Kuwait Fly Dubai Oman Air Middle East Jet A/W Global Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera DHL Gulf Air Emirates Kuwait Qatari Indian Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Safi A/W Lufthansa Jazeera KLM India Express Wataniya Airways Pakistan

257 512 562 500 134 173 303 857 215 402 510 239 367 125 511 343 227 304 166 106 502 542 618 786 674 177 744 614 102 458 552 061 647 402 572 081 404 459 183 372 217 859 172 136 981 429 117 449 215 636 185 0447 389 108 205

Beirut Tehran Amman Jeddah Doha Dubai Abu Dhabi Dubai Bahrain Beirut Riyadh Amman Deirezzor Sharjah Sharm El Sheikh Sanaa/Bahrain Colombo/Dubai Cairo Paris/Rome Dubai Beirut Cairo Doha Jeddah Dubai Dubai Dammam Bahrain New York/London Singapore/Abu Dhabi Damascus Dubai Muscat Beirut Mumbai Baghdad Beirut Damascus Dubai Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Frankfurt Doha Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad Bahrain Abu Dhabi Doha Kabul Frankfurt Dubai Amsterdam/Bahrain Kozhikode/Mangalore Dubai Lahore

14:10 14:20 14:20 14:30 15:05 15:55 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:15 17:20 17:35 17:40 17:40 17:45 17:55 18:00 18:35 18:40 18:45 18:50 18:50 18:55 18:55 19:00 19:05 19:15 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:40 20:05 20:15 20:20 20:30 20:30 20:50 20:55 21:00 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:35 22:05 22:15 22:25 22:25 22:30 22:35 23:05 23:10 23:10 23:55 23:55

Departure Flights on Sunday 04/04/2010 Airlines Flt Route Bangladesh 044 Dhaka Egypt Air 607 Luxor India Express 394 Cochin/Kozhikode Lufthansa 637 Frankfurt Indian 994 Mumbai/Chennai Jazeera 528 Assiut Ariana 406 Dubai/Kabul Turkish A/L 773 Istanbul DHL 371 Bahrain Emirates 854 Dubai Etihad 306 Abu Dhabi Qatari 139 Doha Wataniya Airways 101 Dubai Royal Jordanian 803 Amman Jazeera 164 Dubai Jazeera 112 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 422 Bahrain Jazeera 446 Doha Gulf Air 212 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 181 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 431 Damascus British 156 London Jazeera 256 Beirut Iran Air 614 Shahre Kord Fly Dubai 054 Dubai Kuwait 171 Frankfurt Jazeera 170 Dubai Kuwait 671 Dubai Jazeera 342 Bahrain/Sanaa Wataniya Airways 421 Amman Kuwait 561 Amman Arabia 122 Sharjah Emirates 856 Dubai Kuwait 773 Riyadh Kuwait 511 Tehran Qatari 133 Doha Kuwait 117 New York Etihad 302 Abu Dhabi Iran Air 602 Shiraz Iran Aseman 6802 Ahwaz Gulf Air 214 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 401 Beirut Falcon 204 Baghdad Wataniya Airways 303 Cairo Jazeera 172 Dubai Kuwait 541 Cairo Jazeera 510 Sharm El Sheikh Jazeera 366 Deirezzor Kuwait 103 London Jazeera 238 Amman Kuwait 501 Beirut Kuwait 785 Jeddah Egypt Air 611 Cairo Oman Air 646 Muscat

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

Time 00:15 00:15 00:25 00:50 00:50 01:25 01:45 02:15 03:15 03:45 04:00 05:00 06:50 07:00 07:00 07:15 07:35 07:40 07:45 07:50 08:10 08:25 08:35 08:35 08:40 08:55 09:00 09:00 09:00 09:10 09:15 09:20 09:40 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:10 10:20 11:15 11:35 11:35 11:45 11:50 11:55 12:00 12:10 12:20 12:30 12:30 13:00 13:30 13:55 14:15

Kuwait Kuwait Royal Jordanian Wataniya Airways Jazeera Wataniya Airways Kuwait Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Jazeera Global Etihad Wataniya Airways Emirates Gulf Air Arabia Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Srilankan Wataniya Airways Wataniya Airways Jazeera Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Singapore A/L Fly Dubai Kuwait Kuwait Oman Air Middle East Jet A/W Wataniya Airways Gulf Air DHL Kuwait Emirates Falcon Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera United A/L Kuwait Kuwait

551 673 801 105 176 403 617 503 458 613 135 743 182 082 304 305 858 216 126 511 116 448 184 428 228 107 321 434 283 266 361 457 062 343 351 648 403 571 187 218 373 675 860 102 381 137 203 301 526 502 636 981 411 415

Damascus Dubai Amman Dubai Dubai Beirut Doha Medinah/Jeddah Damascus Bahrain Doha Dammam Dubai Baghdad Abu Dhabi Cairo Dubai Bahrain Sharjah Riyadh Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Bahrain Dubai/Colombo Dubai Sharm El Sheikh Mashad Dhaka Beirut Colombo Abu Dhabi/Singapore Dubai Chennai Cochin Muscat Beirut Mumbai Bahrain Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Dubai Bahrain Delhi Doha Lahore Mumbai Alexandria Luxor Aleppo Washington Dc Dulles Bangkok/Manila Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta

14:20 14:30 14:30 14:30 14:55 15:10 15:35 15:45 15:50 16:20 16:20 16:25 16:50 17:00 17:35 18:05 18:05 18:05 18:20 18:35 18:40 18:55 19:00 19:10 19:10 19:40 19:45 19:55 20:00 20:05 20:20 20:45 20:50 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:30 21:35 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:20 23:30 23:35 23:40 23:40 23:50

SPECTRUM

34 CROSSWORD 948

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Calvin Aries (March 21-April 19) You are wise to consider your past gains—whether they are monetary or otherwise. Your positive thinking is mirrored in the other people around you today. A loved one is encouraging and you are motivated to achieve. This could mean gardening, repairs, errands, etc. This is a high cycle day for you and you have a lot of positive enthusiasm. In order to give more time to family matters you may find yourself wanting to retire from a club or organization. Travel may be in your thoughts and the last week of this month would be a perfect time for planning a short trip or vacation. You may not appreciate someone’s unrealistic approach to a particular situation today—patience.

Celebrations are in order for this evening—enjoy.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Stay away from procrastination today. True procrastination is not the result of simple laziness—it is sometimes created from an uncertainty in the outcome of a situation. You might want to create a basic to-do list that you can refer to at times like this. As you begin to work down your list, you will pick up speed and complete the task/s much faster than you realize. You may even turn your chores into fun if you have some music or a recorded story to hear. You celebrate your accomplishments today by taking a little trip— perhaps to drive or bicycle around a park or lake. You are coming into a creative and competitive phase soon, one in which you want to be appreciated for what you do and who you are—keeping organized is a good thing.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS 1. Narrow wood or metal or plastic runners used for gliding over snow.

4. A unit of conductance equal to the reciprocal of an ohm.

7. A detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work.

11. Someone who is morally reprehensible.

12. (Scotland) A small loaf or roll of soft bread.

13. The habitation of wild animals.

14. Before noon.

16. Long-bodied long-tailed tropical American wildcat.

17. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

19. Liquid containing proteins and electrolytes including the liquid in blood plasma and interstitial fluid.

21. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

22. Tropical starchy tuberous root.

23. (Norse mythology) Wife of Thor and guardian of the home.

26. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

31. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

33. (used of count nouns) Every one considered individually.

35. The cry made by sheep.

37. (informal) Exceptionally good.

42. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

44. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfections of the skin.

45. Informal terms for a mother.

46. Used of a single unit or thing.

47. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

49. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

50. A boy or man.

51. A small cake leavened with yeast.

52. An informal term for a father.

DOWN 1. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

2. God of love and erotic desire.

3. A state in the Rocky Mountains.

4. A master's degree in business.

5. Australian shrubs and small trees with evergreen usually spiny leaves and dense clusters of showy flowers.

6. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

7. An inflammatory disease of connective tissue with variable features including fever and weakness and fatigability and joint pains and skin lesions on the face or neck or arms.

8. Something that remunerates.

9. A genus of Mustelidae.

10. A steep rugged rock or cliff.

15. Having undesirable or negative qualities.

18. A beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water.

20. A federally chartered savings bank.

24. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

25. A federal agency established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products.

27. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

28. A French abbot.

29. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

30. A state in New England.

32. A flexible container with a single opening.

34. Worn or shabby from overuse or (of pages) from having corners turned down.

36. Jordan's port.

37. An inflammatory disease of connective tissue with variable features including fever and weakness and fatigability and joint pains and skin lesions on the face or neck or arms.

38. Type genus of the Ranidae.

39. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

40. Prolific Spanish playwright (1562-1635).

41. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

43. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

44. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

45. A coenzyme derived from the B vitamin nicotinic acid.

46. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

48. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Your concentration may be on your parents today. The difference in the methods of raising children yesterday versus today’s child rearing attitude may be the topic of conversation with your friends. Perhaps you are a tutor or a teacher of sorts. It is useful to your professional progress to study these changes. Conferences, lectures or consultations, all bring opportunities for you to be helped or to help others. You may be sought after for your advice and counsel regarding some very personal and emotional issues. You will have a grasp for understanding issues and the ability to present or communicate well with others. Create a soft atmosphere and try some candle magic, subdued lighting or accent flowers around your place.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You may have an explosion of interest in new healing methods, parapsychology, astrology, tarot, reincarnation, afterlife experiences, etc., etc. You can become involved in your healing or in someone else’s healing today. You are curious and inclined to investigate these subjects in order to have a wider scope of self-help tools in which to choose. You may decide to lighten up and be less concerned with the tools and more concerned with the joy of life. You may have some ideas that would aid the health care programs. Do not hesitate to write a member of congress or your legislator and keep notes on your progress and ideas. Today seems to be discovery day and you could discover insights into day-to-day problems that will be of great value later.

Leo (July 23-August 22) It’s a good day for reaching agreements with others. You and a friend are on the same wave-length. Your thinking is indeed inspired! Being more involved with neighbors or siblings helps you feel settled into one place and belonging. An agreement or even a compromise about some political issue may come about. Communicating feelings becomes more important as you want to make sure you are very well understood. Out-of-town visitors stay to visit with you and your family for several hours. You need not spend extravagantly for these people; perhaps some popcorn and a little tea would be ideal. Enjoy socializing without going to extremes. Later this evening you can buy a gift for your loved one, who so generously helped you entertain.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) A frank discussion with a close friend that you trust may help you make better sense out of some recent event. This is not gossip but you could come close to involving yourself in gossip—tread carefully. You and your friend could come up with some good moneymaking ideas. If you go cautiously now, you will receive inspirations that will move you along at a faster pace later. This afternoon may be spent in entertaining children. This can be anything from coaching a ball game for your religious group or visiting children in a hospital for some group therapy. You are good with children and may be called upon many times in the future to lend your guidance expertise or just give support. You may be thinking about a new addition to the family soon.

Libra (September 23-October 22) You may find yourself in a very talkative mood today; neighbors, friends and co-workers alike. You can be very open and invite comments from others that will help you with a new artistic endeavor. You are most persuasive with others and powerful in speech and communication. The situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your particular ideas and thoughts. A good conversation with those you love is inevitable this afternoon. You may find some cultural involvement irresistible tonight. This experience increases your awareness of different expressions of art. You will notice that in absorbing impressions of events—your intuitive abilities are enhanced.

This is also an excellent time for activities with the opposite sex.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) If vague communication exists today, you may be the one to set things straight. This is a great time to be with others in a play or work environment. This may be the day you discover just how you want to focus your energies in a volunteer program.

You may be sought after as just the person for a particular task. You are at your mental best with sharp ideas and clear thoughts. This is an excellent time to make decisions and take care of mental work. Before we get into the personal and financial parts of the day . . . have you laughed lately?

Appreciating the finer things of life is another hallmark of this phase. You are willing to save or invest for longer periods of time in order to have your wishes become a reality. Keep up the good work.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Chores and little favors are the order of this morning. You accomplish a lot. Shift your focus to others today. You could be most persuasive. Push someone else into the limelight. There is a lot of emotional drive now and if this energy is channeled, you can be very influential. You may decide to lend your wisdom and energies to a youth organization. This activity could involve you as a guide, camping coordinator, cook or teacher. The talents you have that are beneficial are money management, job training, educational funding ideas or pursuit toward professional goals and goal setting. Invite your co-worker friends to become involved with these young people’s activities . . . it is the youth that will run the country when you retire.

Yesterday’s Solution

yester

Yesterday’s Solution

to

INTERNATIONAL CALLS Kuwait Qatar Abu Dhabi Dubai Raas Al Khayma Al-Shareqa Muscat Jordan Bahrain Riyadh Makkah - Jeddah Cairo Alexandria Beirut Damascus Allepo

00965 00974 009712 009714 009717 009716 00968 009626 00973 009661 009662 00202 00203 009611 0096311 0096321

Tunisia Rabat Washington New York Paris London Madrid Zurich Geneva Monaco Rome Bangkok Hong Kong Pakistan Taiwan Bonn

0021610 002127 001212 001718 00331 004471 00341 00411 004122 0033 00396 00662 00852 0092 00886 0049228

Word Sleuth Solution

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You may share your faithfulness and devotion by sharing your money and day-to-day practical activities with a loved one. Remember—this satisfies a deep need for security and permanence in your own life. It might surprise you to know that others need your emotional support as much as you need theirs. Money is not the problem with most people; it is what they do with it when they have it. Get busy and plan a getaway for today or tomorrow. Perhaps visiting with relatives or taking a family member to the zoo would be good. Artistic endeavors are encouraged at this time. Spiritual guidance may come to you from a distance. Your emotional barometer regains a balance this evening. You encourage others to share their ideas and viewpoint today.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may feel that you need some quiet time this morning to get a focus on your ideas. Do something different this weekend where you can enjoy a variety of people. New friends and an involvement in idealistic groups take on greater importance for you now; the old is in need of changing; the new seems to hold all the answers. A new suit or dress could be in the works—a friend may encourage you along this line and help you with your purchases. You will enjoy a creative involvement with projects today that may bring you nice little monetary benefits. There is still time this evening to care for your animal friends and this may even mean a bath for your dog. A social affair will show off your most elegant side this evening.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You may find yourself going head-to-head with someone older over matters of honesty and integrity. You could fear being deceived or misled, or you could question the motives of authorities.

You will work very hard to create a better understanding today, whether it is between you and someone else or in helping to soothe out problems between two other people. This afternoon it will be time to move on to new and different things. Perhaps a movie, or shopping or a sports event is in order. Later today you may want to retire to a favorite past time. A creative project is quite enthralling and you enjoy doing your best.

Something that was really just a hobby could become a source of extra income, especially if you market it yourself.

INFORMATION

Sunday, April 4, 2010

35 FIRE BRIGADE Operation Room 777 Al-Madena 22418714 Al-Shohada始a 22545171 Al-Shuwaikh 24810598 Al-Nuzha 22545171 Sabhan 24742838 Al-Helaly 22434853 Al-Fayhaa 22545051 Al-Farwaniya 24711433 Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983 Al-Fahaheel 23927002 Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983 Ahmadi 23980088 Al-Mangaf 23711183 Al-Shuaiba 23262845 Al-Jahra 25610011 Al-Salmiya 25616368

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 HOSPITALS Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha始a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

24874330/9 CLINICS

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

4892674

Al-Omariya

4719048

N.Kheitan

4710044

Rabiya

4732263

Fintas

3900322

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988 AIRLINES

PHARMACIES ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE Ahmadi

PHARMACY Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

ADDRESS Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

PHONE 23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554

EMERGENCY 112

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists: Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea Dr. Masoma Habeeb Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy Dr. Mohsen Abel Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly

25622444 25752222 25321171 25739999 25757700 25732223 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT): Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners: Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists: Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Plastic Surgeons: Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari Dr. Abdel Quttainah

22617700 25625030/60

Family Doctor: Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.

Zahra Qabazard Sohail Qamar Snaa Maaroof Pradip Gujare Zacharias Mathew

25710444 22621099 25713514 23713100 24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047 Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0 Gynaecologists & Obstetricians: Dr Adrian Harbe 23729596/23729581 Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321 Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539 Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406 Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272 Dr. Salem soso 22618787 General Surgeons: Dr. Abidallah Behbahani 25717111 Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

(2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535 Dentists:

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists:

Internist, Chest & Heart: DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Tel: 25339667 Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Consultant Cardiologist Tel: 2611555-2622555 Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324 Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

Internists, Chest & Heart: Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Physiotherapists & VD: Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Endocrinologist: Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari

25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr

25329924

Psychologists/Psychotherapists Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688 info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677 William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kuwait Airways Wataniya Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines

22433377 24379900 177 22477631 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/2433141 22456700 22412284/5 22453820/1

INTERNATIONAL CALLS Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK)

0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345 00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044

Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Holland (Netherlands) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Ibiza (Spain) Iceland India Indian Ocean Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia

00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689 00241 00220 00995 0049 00233 00350 0030 00299 001473 00590 001671 00502 00224 00592 00509 0031 00504 00852 0036 0034 00354 0091 00873 0062 0098 00964 00353 0039 00225 001876 0081 00962 007 00254 00686 00965 00996 00856 00371 00961 00231 00218 00370 00352 00853 00389

SPECTRUM

36

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Shakira driven by povertyJessica Alba to adopt a child

hakira was driven to success because she never wanted to be poor again. The 33-year-old singer - whose father William Mebarak Chadid was declared bankrupt when she was growing up claims seeing the plight of those worse off than her family made her even more determined to do well in her life so she could help others. She said: “My dad went bankrupt when I was eight years old. I remember the day I realized that pretty much all of the comfort of our lives was gone. We had had very decent lives, two cars, my dad had a successful business, and then from one day to the next we lost everything. “He took me to the park to show me a reality much worse than ours. There were all these barefoot orphaned kids who were sniffing glue. I guess the image stuck in my head. I promised myself, ‘One day I’m going to succeed because there’s no way I’m not having a car again.’

“And I thought, ‘If I ever do it, I’m going to do something about these kids.’ “ The ‘She Wolf’ hitmaker kept to her promise, and set up a charity when she had her first taste of fame at 18. She explained to The Big Issue magazine: “When I had my first big success with ‘Pies Descalzos’, the album that made it big in Latin America when I was 18, I decided to establish my first foundation in Columbia. “Ever since, I’ve been investing all my efforts in education, which have achieved amazing results for kids who live in poverty and conflict or kids who might have been recruited into the guerrillas or drugs cartels. “Instead, they’re on their way to college. How can I not believe in this so passionately?”

S

he ‘Fantastic Four’ actress - who gave birth to her first daughter, Honor Marie, with husband Cash Warren in June 2008 - said she is eager to expand her brood and was inspired to adopt after making a TV show where she visited a family who had adopted 13 children but still lived in a small trailer. Speaking on US show ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ she said: “My mom grew up around a huge family, and they always wanted more kids, and I was like, ‘Why don’t you just adopt?’ “I’m totally inspired. If you have the love, and the capacity to love children, you should just adopt.

And I plan on doing it.” Jessica has previously said she and Cash plan to expand their fam-

T

ily, saying: “We’ll have a few kids - three or four.” The 28-year-old actress also has previously talked about how much her life has changed since she became a mother, and that realized exactly how much her routine had altered when she went on vacation with some friends who don’t have kids. She said: “Now that you have kids it’s different going on vacation. You know, single people aren’t really trying to wake up early in the morning.

They don’t understand a meltdown, and a poopie diaper grosses them out.”

arah Jessica Parker thinks being a mother is like a “military operation”. The ‘Sex and the City’ actress - who has ninemonth-old twin daughters Marion Loretta and Tabitha Hodge and seven-year-old son James Wilkie with her husband Matthew Broderick admits her mornings are so hectic, she feels like she is in both a comedy sketch and army operation at the same time. She said: “Honestly, it’s funny. It’s comedic. It really is.

There is so much organization and advanced planning that happens, like a military operation and with a seven year old who has needs, too.

They’re different. The bag is less but it’s crazy.” The 45-year-old star has also admitted she was amazed by how dramatically her life changed when she went from being a motherof-one to suddenly having three children. She explained: “There’s no sugar- coating it. It’s wonderful. It’s what we wanted. We didn’t want twins but we wanted a bigger family and it’s a blessing. It’s a thrill. But it couldn’t be more different. I mean, it’s daunting in the beginning with all the paraphernalia: the diapers, the ointments, the bottles, the pacifiers... the list just goes on. With two more, you’re carrying suitcases. It’s hilarious. “They’re as different as they can be. It’s wonderful. It’s good for them, that they will be their own people.” Sarah has also admitted she doesn’t mind being a working mother as long as her children are “healthy” and “loved”. She told new! magazine: “I see a lot of working women all over the world having to juggle those two things. The most important things to me are my children and their well-being, and that they are loved and that I have created a life for them that is healthy and nurturing. If that is the case then I can make the choice to work. If that is not the case and the situation doesn’t allow for that, then I don’t work, so I try to make choices based on that.”

Justin Bieber likes natural-looking girls situation. But at first I won’t let her know ‘ you’ve got to pace yourself.

Then, maybe by the end of the conversation, I’d ask her something like, ‘Do you have a phone number that I could reach you at?’ That’s usually how it goes.” Despite being a teen pin-up, the ‘Never Let You Go’ singer was only allowed to start dating when he turned 16 because his mother didn’t think he was mature enough. He said: “Yes, she did say that. But she realized I was growing up, so now she doesn’t mind. That was what she said to me when I was younger, but she knows that I date now.”

he 16-year-old star hates it when women try too hard with their appearance in order to grab his attention and wishes they would wear fewer cosmetics. He said: “I don’t like girls who wear lots of make-up and you can’t see their face. Some girls are beautiful but insecure and look much better without the make-up, but decide to put loads on. “I like girls with nice eyes and a nice smile.” The US heartthrob also revealed he does his best to play it cool when speaking to someone he wants to ask out on a date. He explained to Top of the Pops magazine: “It depends on the

T

ameron Diaz reportedly treated her stunt double to a holiday after shooting wrapped on ‘Knight and Day’. The actress - who stars in the upcoming movie with Tom Cruise - paid for the onset action woman to holiday to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, as a way of saying thank you for all her hard work.

A source told the National Enquirer magazine: “There were a lot of serious stunts in the movie. The double got pretty banged up, Cameron sent her away to heal her bruises in peace.” In the film, Tom plays secret agent Milner who goes on a blind date with Cameron’s character June Havens and the pair end up having to protect a powerful battery that can produce infinite power. The majority of shooting took place at the end of 2009 in Boston, Bridgewater and Melrose, in Massachusetts, while some scenes were filmed in Spain and Austria.

The action comedy marks the first time the Hollywood pair have starred together since 2001’s ‘Vanilla Sky’ and it is due for release this coming June.

Diaz’s stunt double gift

C

Florence Welch feels ‘sensitive’ to ghosts he Florence and The Machine singer - who collects vintage photographs - constantly thinks about the former existence of dead people and sees it as a reminder that she is not immortal. She said: “I don’t see myself as possessed exactly, but I do feel sensitive to the past.

To ghosts. “It’s like the photographs in my bedroom - all those people lived and died and one day so will we. Sometimes I can’t quite get that out of my head.” The singer also admitted she is struggling to cope with her success because of how “serious” her career now feels. She explained: “I’d always thought, ‘It’s not going to happen for you.’ And now it has I’m trying to get used to it.

The hardest part of that is it used to feel so spontaneous and light hearted. Now there are lawyers and schedules and meetings and it feels quite serious.”

T

Lady Gaga wants well dresse

J

Arquette - wanted to shoot the scenes because she felt it was important to show what real women look like. She said: “I think it was an important thing to do.

This show talks about real things and real experiences, so I think I had to. I know my friend Jennifer Aniston was shocked I did it. Some people may not want to show parts of them that are not the very best and that’s alright. I decided to show, and I don’t care. It was impor-

ady Gaga hates casually dressed celebrities. The ‘Telephone’ singer - who is famed for her eccentric fashion sense - believes stars should make an effort when they appear at red carpet events as she thinks it’s something the fans deserve. She said: “I think you should look nice all the time. When I meet celebrities and they’re in casual clothes, I’m always like, ‘Whaaat?’ I don’t mean to be judgmental, but it would do them better to be who they really are, all the time.

When I get out of a car and there are 30 fans waiting for me, I know I’m dressed the way I should be. There’s a reason they have that emotional reaction.” The 24-year-old star also admitted her image is highly sexed but denied rumors she buys her clothes from sex stores. She told Britain’s OK! magazine: “Everybody loves sex. I would love to be introduced to one person on the planet that does not love sex. “I don’t buy my clothes from sex shops. I just recently have had a love affair with S+M clothing and masks as I love the idea of telling stories with no face. I believe in some things very strongly and that is the power of showbiz.”

L

Aniston ‘shocked’

by Cox-Arquette ennifer Aniston was “shocked” when Courteney Cox-Arquette flashed her flesh on TV. The former ‘Friends’ actress was completely surprised when her pal and co-star bared all for her latest drama series ‘Cougar Town’, where she plays a woman who embarks on a series of romances with younger men. Despite her insecurities, Courteney - who has a five-year-old daughter Coco with her husband David

Parker thinks being a mother is like a ‘military’ operation

S

tant to show the real side of being 40.”

While she was happy to expose her body on screen including flaws, Courteney tries hard to minimize her imperfections with a strict exercise regime. She explained: “I try really hard. I walk, I run, I do elliptical, I do band work, weights and dance aerobics. I play tennis and I eat really well... But I was also lit very well. Don’t mistake Hollywood lighting for reality!” —Bang Showbiz

SPECTRUM

Sunday, April 4, 2010

37

Lifestyle

Decisively denim: All-denim outfits are back in style ver the lightning rod, denim is crackling like it did at the dawn of $200 jeans.

Gap, H&M, Armani Exchange, J Crew, Banana Republic, D&G, American Eagle and others are turning head-to-toe denim into one of spring’s most noticeable trends, one that knows no gender bounds. For guys, fashion changes at a plate-tectonics pace.

So going from a pair of jeans to jeans, a jean jacket and a denim shirt-all in one wearing-can look drastic, in the same way that Brad Pitt’s backwoods beard seems a bit much, even in the midst of a facial-hair frenzy.

Not to Patrick Robinson, a design alumnus of Armani and Perry Ellis who now is creative director of the Gap. “Denim is a huge, huge way of expressing yourself right now,” he said.

E

“Obviously, wearing all pieces of it makes you that much cooler.”

But, “There is a trick to it,” he acknowledges.

Proceed with caution Robinson isn’t talking-or walking-the Jay-Leno-with-hiscars interpretation of double denim (roomy blue jeans with a chambray shirt). Nor is Robinson advocating the jumpsuit look mocked as the “Canadian tuxedo” after the 2001 movie “Super Troopers” featured a character named Denim Dan. “The trick is you don’t want to look like you’re wearing the same denim on top as on the bottom.” Instead pair a darker and lighter wash, said Robinson, who often wears a white T-shirt with dark blue jeans, black motorcycle boots and a “really, holey, dis-

tressed (lighter blue) old denim jacket.” Nick Sullivan, fashion director for Esquire magazine, agrees on the need for contrastand caution.

“There’s a very famous picture of Steve McQueen shot by William Claxton of him wearing a denim shirt and denim jeans that match,” Sullivan said. “That was the ‘70s. And that was Steve McQueen, more importantly. The problem is, when everyone else does it, it can be a bit John Denver.” If you’re going to double up on denim, it’s safest to keep the color of your top half lighter than the bottom, Sullivan said. “A darker shirt on lighter jeans doesn’t work. It has something to do with the visual center of gravity.”

Some say steer clear The authors of the new book “Undateable: 311 Things Guys Do That Guarantee They Won’t Be Dating or Having Sex” say they know the trick to double denim: Don’t do it. Ever. Ellen Rakieten and Anne Coyle rank “double denim” No. 20 on their list of deal-breakers, right up there with tube socks, Transitions sunglasses and owning a cat.

They define double denim as a denim shirt or denim jacket worn with jeans, “which gives the illusion that you’re wearing a denim jumpsuit.”

“We know you love them both, but you’re going to have to choose one or the other,” they write. “And don’t go thinking that you can get away with substituting a chambray shirt for a denim one, either. They’re the same thing.”

How to pull it off Designers at Gap-owned Banana Republic advise the alldenim wearer to consider the cut of their jeans. To keep it modern, steer clear of a relaxed fit. “We’re talking a slimmer fit or vintage fit that has a skinny-leg look,” said Banana Republic creative director Simon Kneen. Limit the distress of the jeans; lean toward the “just worn-in with a tiny hole here and there.”

Kneen prefers cognac or softcolored leather accessories to blacks. “Black can harden it,” he

said. Belts and shoes should be modern and metropolitan, “not Western in any way.”

Sullivan recommends breaking up the blue, as in a Banana Republic look that layers a chambray shirt underneath a plaid jacket with jeans. H&M adds a tux-style jacket to an unbuttoned denim shirt over a gray T-shirt, completing the look by cuffing the dark jeans over brown shoes.

Chambray ties can dress up a denim shirt, Kneen said, but don’t try it at a business meeting.

Sullivan agrees: “Denim shouldn’t get ideas above its station.”

The only absolute dictum seems to be this: Carry your denim with confidence. “Men and women alike can wear as much as they like,” said Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing. “We’re

not only seeing double but triple denim and four and five pieces at a time. You make the rules.

Whatever makes you feel cool.”

Denim danger zones Should men pair jean jackets with jeans? Sure, says Patrick Doddy, vice president and brand director for Armani Exchange.

“It’s fresh and modern, but to create a look with urban edge it is important to have a balance of dark and light pieces-dark denim jean, white shirt, bold tie and deconstructed denim jacket.”

“Absolutely!” agrees Rachel DiCarlo, style expert for American Eagle Outfitters. Just “mix and match your denim tones and steer clear of matching.”

How about that definitive Dockers ‘80s look-the chambray

Spring fashion:

Beyond clothes call ith every change of the season come new fashion trends. But new looks aren’t restricted to clothing and accessories. Hair and makeup trends are an important part, too.

Texture, volume and movement are the big trends in hair this spring, says Tambra Evans-Hiser, owner of Platinum Salon, Spa and Boutique in Wichita, Kan. “The new texturized layers allow you to build multiple styles from the same cut,” she said.

Eric Fisher, owner of Eric Fisher Salons, says he’s expecting

W

shirt with khakis?

“The khaki and denim shirt look is classic and clean,” Doddy said. To modernize the chambray shirt, though, pair it with “a gray pant or white denim,” he said. Adds DiCarlo: “Adding an unexpected layering piece like a Henley or V-neck shirt will give it a unique twist.” How do you keep a denim shirt and jeans from looking like a uniform? Gap creative director Patrick Robinson likes simply layering a Tshirt under the denim shirt, treating it “almost like it’s a jacket, untucked and a little more open.”

—MCT

Whiteley’s lover inspiration Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley

around the face, leaving the back and underside a more natural shade. Lighter tones can be added on top for a sun-kissed effect,” Tinker said. Ross thinks the many gray days of winter are resulting in more of his clients wanting to go to the blond side.

“The brunette has held true, and we’ve enjoyed the rich browns, but we are seeing more blondes,” he said. Golden blond and red will be two favorite colors for spring, says Pam Cutler, owner

to see looks from the ‘60s this spring. “Old-fashioned wedges, cable curls, soft and glamorous hair is back,” he said. “Looking back even further, think of old movies, old Hollywood, French twists. We’ll be doing a lot of back-combing for height.”

The arrival of romantic, feminine hairstyles with soft curls and waves isn’t a surprise considering the deluge this spring of floral prints and pastels, says Melissa Tinker, a stylist at Eric Fisher Salon East in Wichita. “The midlength, shoulder- skimming curls

osie Huntington-Whiteley thinks about her lovers when she poses for sexy photo shoots. The Victoria’s Secret model - who recently split from French actor Olivier Martinez - has revealed she daydreams about boyfriends when she’s in front of the camera, because she wants to impress them with the image. She said: “When it’s a sexy photograph, you tend to think about the person that you are with at the time. There are few people I care about seeing the picture. And at the end of the day, that’s the person I most want to be proud of the picture. “Nearly every American guy will tell you that the first time they became aware of their sexuality was flicking through a Victoria’s Secret catalogue.

It’s a huge honor to be part of that.” The 22-year-old beauty - who is known for her womanly curves and bee-stung lips adores her work and doesn’t mind having to makes herself look sexy for the camera. She explained to GQ magazine: “I am not a shy person when it comes to doing things for my job.

I’ve never done anything that makes me feel uncomfortable.

“All that stuff comes with time. I don’t practice. It just happens. When I am working, I become a different character - and yes, there is a bit of skill to it, I guess... then, when the shoot is over and the robe goes on, I am me again.” —Bang Showbiz

R are really a fresh idea to change the smooth and low-volume looks we had this winter,” she said.

Graham Ross, co-owner of Wichita’s Planet Hair, says he sees “lots of chopped-out layers,

but very soft and very sexy” in the mid-length category.

Color is another way to brighten your hairstyle for spring.

“Simple and flattering highlights can be placed in the front and

of Salon Knotty in Wichita. Hair trends will include long hair in loose buns, ponytails, plaited hair, and an assortment of bobs.

Makeup Mastering the art of spring makeup has never been so easy. A sun-kissed luminescent look can be created with shimmers of gold and bronze.

“Brows should be filled in and natural looking. On the lips, let spring’s sheer shades inspire you,” Evans-Hiser said. Cutler said spring is all about shimmer on eyes and cheeks. “Red lips continue to be classy for spring and long lashes are important,” she said, suggesting false eyelashes, lash extensions or volumizing mascara. —MCT

British creator of cheeky tennis poster dies he British photographer whose shot of his then girlfriend in a hitched-up tennis dress became one of the world’s most popular posters has died, his family said Friday.

Martin Elliott was a photography student when he persuaded 18-year-old Fiona Butler to pose in 1976 for “Tennis Girl”, which went on to sell more than two million copies and adorned

T

the walls of teenagers’ bedrooms around the world.

Elliott, 63, died last week at his home in Cornwall, southwest England, following a 10-year battle with cancer.

His widow Noelle, who met her husband in 1987, told the Cornish Guardian newspaper that the image brought him worldwide acclaim and was still earning money. —AFP

SPECTRUM

38 Music

B illboard CD reviews here’s three sides to every story.

There’s one side, there’s the other and then there’s the truth.” So notes Usher as he opens the door to his sixth studio album, “Raymond v Raymond,” and promptly begins to musically answer the question on everyone’s mind: Can he reclaim the fervor sparked with 2004 set “Confessions?” In a word, yes. Rather than a tell-all about the singer’s divorce, as the title suggests, this follow-up to Usher’s 2008 hit-and-miss album “Here I Stand” is a more cohesive collection centered on the different sides that make up the artist. Drawing from a skillful fusion of R&B/hiphop/pop, Usher addresses the trappings of fame on the uptempo “Monstar,” shifts into sexy overdrive on “Lil Freak” (featuring Nicki Minaj) and “Pro Lover,” pumps up the beat on the infectious club anthem “OMG” (featuring Will.i.am) and turns introspective on the ballad “Foolin’ Around.” Don’t count Usher out just yet.

“T

ARTIST: SHE & HIM ALBUM: VOLUME TWO he & Him’s second album, “Volume Two,” offers up all the charm of the duo’s 2008 debut, “Volume One.” But this time around, actress Zooey Deschanel and indierock titan M. Ward approach the music with a newfound confidence; “Volume Two” expands the balmy melodies and bittersweet lyrics that the pair knows so well. On the dreamy opening track, “Thieves,” Deschanel pours her heartbreak over wistful strings, while “Lingering Still” marries similar unlucky-in-love lyrics to Ward’s summery guitar work.

Meanwhile, “Over It Over Again” finds Deschanel serving her vocals with a little more bite (“Why do I always wanna sock it to you hard?”). As on “Volume One,” Ward’s performance and production excel, and his arrangements move effortlessly between heartrending and cheery. While Ward’s musicianship remains the magic behind She & Him, Deschanel’s lyrical growth on “Volume Two” proves she can hold her own alongside a well-respected partner.

S

Elton John’s Mexico concert angers Mayans ven after the stage collapsed injuring three workers, indigenous Mayans complained Friday that Elton John’s upcoming concert in the ruins of Chichen Itza was irreverent and out of place. The concert amid the majestic pyramids in southern Mexico went ahead yesterday as planned, organizers said, despite Thursday’s accident caused by a collapsing 80-meter (262-foot) metal tower which left one worker with serious leg injuries.

The announcement rankled local Mayan leaders and officials, who pointed out that perhaps the accident

E

was the work of “aluxes,” the Mayan culture’s equivalent of fairies, who were upset because their gods’ permission for the concert was lacking.

“With each concert, in the early morning, a ritual is performed to ask for permission, and this time it was not done,” Yucatan state public works secretary Francisco Torres told the Reforma daily.

As with previous concerts by Spanish tenor Placido Domingo in 2008 and British soprano Sarah Brightman in 2009, Mayan leaders, archaeologists and some say even the local gods, resent the sacred ruins being used for profit-seeking

Rock band Devo gives red cone hat to Ohio museum evo has donated one of the red conical hats from the band’s hit video “Whip It” to an Ohio museum. The Ohio Historical Society says it has received a small collection of artifacts from the oddball rock group and its official archivist. The items include stickers, Tshirts, costumes and a flower pot-style hat worn in the band’s memorable 1980 video.

Three of the band’s founding members grew up in Akron and met at Kent State University in the 1970s. The group’s name came from a theory the human race is in a process of devolution, which members read about in an anti-Darwinism pamphlet. The band most recently performed in Ohio in 2008 for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. An annual DEVOtional convention is held in Cleveland. — AP

D

ARTIST: SIERRA LEONE’S REFUGEE ALL STARS ALBUM: RISE & SHINE ierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars’ latest release, “Rise & Shine,” not only solidifies the group’s spot in the world music galaxy, but also affirms that roots reggae is alive and well beyond Jamaica. Evidence of this is heard in the backbeat of opening track “Muloma,” and reggae also steps front and center on the following song, “Global Threat,” which offers a bit of social commentary. The group reverts to a more African-traditional mood on “Oruwiebie.” One of the highlights is the rootsreggae number “Living Stone,” an endlessly catchy track written by Mohamed Kamara. And the All Stars put the hammer down most convincingly on the vibrant ska tune “Jah Come Down,” an original from band member Reuben M. Koroma. The All Stars have come a long way from the West African refugee camps, and with the release of “Rise & Shine,” it sounds like music will keep the group busy for quite a while.

S

ARTIST: METH, GHOST AND RAE ALBUM: WU-MASSACRE ethod Man recently admitted that “WuMassacre,” his new album with fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, was rushreleased by Def Jam on a low budget. It’s a fact that’s somewhat hard to hide behind the set’s lean production and uneven narrative. But there’s cohesion among most of the 13 tracks, whose rough-edged samples draw largely from horn- and keys-heavy ‘70s funk and soul, including the RZA-produced single “Our Dreams,” which is built around Michael Jackson’s 1975 ballad “We’re Almost There.” The lyrical prowess of the Wu-bond is strongest in Method Man and Raekwon’s stream-of-consciousness battle “Mef Vs. Chef 2”; the desperate, Ghost-dominated track “Gunshowers” (featuring rapper Inspectah Deck); the street-challenging “Dangerous”; and the Mathematicshelmed “Miranda,” on which the trio swap conquest tales over soul keys and vocals remixed to synthesize a Latin beat. Curious are the filler skits, including one that’s less scripted comedy and more stumbling drunkdial by “30 Rock” star Tracy Morgan.

M

ARTIST: SCORPIONS ALBUM: STING IN THE TAIL he real sting of the Scorpions’ latest album, “Sting in the Tail,” is that it will be the German rock band’s last one, according to the group. If that’s the case, it will close a 40-plus-year career that put the quintet’s homeland on the hard-rock map. Those who dug into Scorpions albums from the ‘80s like “Animal Magnetism,” “Blackout” and “Love at First Sting” will enjoy nostalgic twinges throughout these 12 new tracks, beginning with “Raised on Rock,” a latterday “Rock You Like a Hurricane” that lyrically references its predecessor. The title track and “No Limit” offer galloping riff rock, while “Rock Zone” touches on psychedelic blues. The power ballads are here as well, including a torchy “The Good Die Young,” with Finnish singer Tarja Turunen. —Reuters

T

Elizabeth Higgins holds a flower pot-style hat like the rock group Devo wore in their video for their 1980 hit song ‘Whip It.’ —AP

entertainment. Forty researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History, which takes cares of the Chichen Itza complex, recently published their complaints about Saturday’s musical event in local media.

Chichen Itza “is no scenery for an artist to show off, for the enjoyment of an elite or for the political and economic benefit of a small group of people, as well as powerful multinationals,” wrote the scientists. The concert venue near Merida has a 6,000-seat capacity that is 90 percent booked, with ticket prices ranging from 80 to 800 dollars-putting it

US musician in Kuwait promotes integration through music

By Sunil Cherian he students sang the familiar Bob Dylan phrase along with the guitarist on the stage; ‘the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.’ They sat on the carpeted floor and looked up at musician on the stage made from their own study desks.

The musician - Ruth Wyand stood alone on the stage in white pants and shirt singing the Dylan song and swaying a bit herself. She spoke a lot on American classical music and the students listened, sang along, and clapped loudly at the end of the show.

Ruth was in Jahra on Thursday at the Kuwait Bilingual School to introduce students to the history of American music; country, blues, rock and jazz. Figures from the pop hall of fame and history books unfolded for them as she shared the stories and music of Stephen Foster, WC Handy, Bessie Smith, Jimmy Rogers, Billie Holiday, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Bob Dylan and of course the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.

Ruth, a guitarist, songwriter and singer, hails from North Carolina and runs the Carolinian Music School for the past three years. She has a degree in music from Stockton University, New Jersey and admits that her attempt to share American music stems from “an urge to do something meaningful with our tradition.” She questions why history

T

Ruth Wyand at Kuwait Bilingual School, Jahra. books only portray musicians like Beethoven and Mozart and not American artists.

Ruth explained that she is not happy with the way the world knows about the culture of music and how culture and music are interrelated.

“The African-American slave music has its own culture, history and spirituality. So does Arabic, Indian and Brazilian music,” she said. In most musical cultures, she added, rhythm is the base from which the tree of music sprouts and that rhythm takes us back to our primitive roots.

The show at Jahra school was a miniature history lesson of music with audio-visual aids. Chris

Courtney Love is back with a vengeance ou don’t get an interview with Courtney Love; you get an audience with her. In six hours at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, the day after two well-received, return-to-form performances at the South by Southwest music conference (SXSW), she will do the following: show off all her clothes; explain her new style, which she calls “kook”; display financial documents on her battered laptop which, she says, prove she’s a victim of embezzlement; Google her new crush’s exgirlfriend; learn two Big Star songs; and yell at various people about various things.

She will talk. She will smoke. On two occasions, she will smoke, talk and pee with the bathroom door open, all at once.

Leaving her room, you feel like you’ve just run a marathon you are tired, out of breath, and you smell bad. But there’s also the feeling that you’ve witnessed the rock star in her natural habitat-perched atop a filthy bed in a trashed hotel room, she commands attention. In a musical landscape populated with faceless hard rock bands, bad emo hair and aw-shucks indie rockers who look just like the kids who serve you coffee in the morning, she’s like nothing else. Seeing her out of her element would be as jarring as catching Lady Gaga in khakis and a button-down.

There was a freak-show element to the three gigs Hole played at SXSW. People were curious about the new songs, sure, but they were mostly curious about her.

Would she stay upright for the entire set?

Could she still sing? The answers are yes (unless she was crowd surfing) and yes (insofar as she could ever “sing”). She played grunge favorites and a number of songs from her new album, “Nobody’s Daughter,” which Mercury will release April 27. Critical reaction was strong, and massive crowds attended all three of the shows she eventually played. Courtney Love is back and in fighting shape. But can she overcome a long absence, a celebrity that threatens to overshadow her music and a radically changed music scene?

Call it a comeback While Courtney Love the personality has remained in the spotlight during the past 16 years, Courtney Love the artist has been out of it since 1998, when Hole released “Celebrity Skin.” Love released a solo album in 2004 on Virgin, but it received mixed reviews and sold only

clearly out of range of the local Maya population.

Valerio Canche, a Mayan priest who heads the “Mayao’b” religious group, told AFP he regretted “the great discrimination the authorities are inflicting on our brothers of the Maya race.” Meanwhile, local authorities earlier this week announced they had purchased the land on which the Chichen Itza ruins stand from private individuals for 17.6 million dollars. And without missing a beat, they announced that former Beatle Paul McCartney was next in line to hold a concert at the Mayan ruins. —AFP

Elton John

ARTIST: USHER ALBUM: RAYMOND V RAYMOND

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Y

Courtney Love 100,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. (Love herself refers to it as “la disaster.”) “Celebrity Skin,” by contrast, has sold 1.4 million copies, and 1994’s “Live Through This” has sold 1.6 million.

But attention for those albums, both of which were critically acclaimed (“Live Through This” topped the Village Voice Pazz and Jop critics’ poll; “Celebrity Skin” came in at No 14), is a drop in the bucket of press surrounding Love. The tabloids have followed her as she has endured several breakups, gained weight, lost weight, started fights, lost her money and lost legal control of her daughter-though, when interviewed, she speaks about Frances Bean in glowing terms.

The gossip is one of the reasons Love decided to use the Hole name for the new project, despite the fact that no other original members of the band played on the record. “She didn’t want to cash in or slight any of the people she’s played with in the past,” Daniel says. “But calling it Hole is the way she can separate herself from the tabloids. “People like to pick on her for a lot of reasons,” Daniel continues. “We run into it all the time with promoters. They are very skeptical, despite the fact that she sold

out Terminal 5 (in New York) and the Henry Fonda Theater (in Los Angeles) and had great shows at SXSW. She’s super pro, and she really wants this.”

Plenty of skepticism surrounded “Nobody’s Daughter,” but early response to the first single, the harsh punk tune “Skinny Little Bitch,” has been encouraging, with the song rising one rung to No 21 on Billboard’s Alternative chart and from No 37 to No 32 on Rock Songs.

The rest of “Nobody’s Daughter” is classic Hole: a big rock record helmed by a big personality. In many ways, it seems like no time has passed since “Celebrity Skin”; the song “Pacific Coast Highway” would have been right at home on that album, while “Samantha” is a natural sister of “Live Through This” track “Jennifer’s Body.” The lyrics are dark throughout, and concerned with sexual politics and the damage they cause- Listeners expecting a train wreck will be disappointed- “Nobody’s Daughter” is sharp and well executed. “We’re leading this campaign with the music,” Massey says. “This is our opportunity to reintroduce her as a musician and drive home the point that few bands have achieved what she has achieved.” —Reuters

Creighton, Ruth’s husband, and part of the team, displayed the video presentation as Ruth introduced them. She sang a number from each musician as the lesson progressed toward present day music. She taught students new words, like yodeling, and encouraged the audience to scat sing along or sing at random.

“Today, the world is open to anybody who wants to learn anything,” she said while plucking on her dobro. “One reason why the world is small is because we all share music.”

Ruth thanked the US Embassy in Kuwait for making it possible to participate in the cultural exchange.

“When I go back I’m going to perform a fusion of Arabic and Western music”, she said.

Ruth Wyand with her dobro.

We Are the Fallen reunites ex-Evanescence members he success of Evanescence’s 2003 album “Fallen” was everything band co-founders Ben Moody and Amy Lee could have dreamed of. Lead single “Bring Me to Life” was a crossover smash that peaked at No 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Fallen” sold 3.4 million copies in the United States alone that year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. But by the time the rock act collected two Grammy Awards in March 2004, guitarist Moody had quit, his friendship and professional relationship with singer/pianist Lee in tatters for reasons never made entirely clear. She moved forward with Evanescence, and for the next six years he worked as an in-demand songwriter for such pop stars as Kelly Clarkson and Celine Dion.

But Moody wasn’t ready to give up on playing live.

Last year Steve Karas, his former publicist at Wind-up Records, the label that released “Fallen,” half-jokingly advised him to “get the band back together.” Since Moody’s departure, John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray had also left Evanescence, and he recruited them for a new project, along with “American Idol” season-seven finalist Carly Smithson and bassist Marty O’Brien. The venture born

T

out of a wisecrack, We Are the Fallen, is getting ready to release its debut, “Tear the World Down,” May 11 on Universal Republic.

Moody explains that he’s not trying to relive the past, nor does he intend to ignore it. “There’s John to my right and Rocky’s behind me, and it’s just like no time has passed. That’s special,” he says of playing together, adding, “The reason that we’re doing it this way is simply that this way works, and this way feels more natural than any other lineup we could have.” More comparisons are inevitable: Smithson resembles Lee, and dramatic first single “Bury Me Alive” features powerful vocals and orchestral accompaniment just like “Fallen.”

“The similarities are there because that’s just what we do,” Moody says. “John and Rocky and I-we get together, we start playing music, that’s what it sounds like.” He points out that Evanescence has moved “into a more artistic place,” whereas We Are the Fallen wants to create songs “that are both epic and heavy and beautiful, but memorable and catchy.” He also notes that “Tear the World Down” contains more metal and pop, evidenced on tracks like “Burn,” “St John” and an imaginative cover of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” —Reuters

SPECTRUM

Sunday, April 4, 2010

39

Movies

ho Do You Love” is the second recent film to tell the story of Chess Records and its role in popularizing Southern-flavored blues and later acting as midwife to rock ‘n’ roll and R&B. And yet, after two films, nobody has really figured out the story’s central figure, the enigmatic Leonard Chess.

Both films had handicaps. “Cadillac Records,” released in 2008, didn’t have access to the man’s papers or family because his family backed this film. But then, when your protagonist’s son is on board as a consultant, you tiptoe lightly over a minefield of unsettled relationships between this JewishPolish immigrant and his African-American employees. Even so, audiences come to such pictures for the music.

Here there is an even greater distinction between the films. “Cadillac Records,” produced by Sony Music Film, turned the biopic into a terrific jam session headlined by one of its executive producers, Beyonce. “Who Do You Love,” directed by Broadway veteran Jerry Zaks, pays attention to the music but to its credit pays even more attention to the actors and story.

Audiences undoubtedly prefer the former approach. “Cadillac Records” grossed a modest $8.1 million domestically. “Who Do You Love,” which lacks the star power of the previous effort, will do a fraction of that business. It opens April 9 in New York and adds more markets the following week.

“Who Do You Love”-the title comes from a Bo Diddley song takes the Chess Records story only to the point that blues gives birth to rock ‘n’ roll. Peter Wortmann and Bob Conte’s screenplay picks things up where Leonard Chess (Alessandro Nivola) takes a mercantile shine to the music he hears in Chicago nightclubs in the early ‘50s.

He talks brother Phil (Jon Abrahams) into selling the family junkyard and opening a South Side nightclub. (At least this film acknowledges Leonard had a brother. He didn’t exist in “Cadillac Records.”) The Macomba Club venture leads to the decision to gamble on so-called “race records.” With bass player/songwriter Willie Dixon (Chi McBride) as his guide, Leonard meets the remarkable, Delta-born slide guitarist Muddy Waters (David Oyelowo), the label’s first star.

Leonard’s total obsession with business causes tensions at home with his wife, Revetta (Marika Dominczyk), although his son Marshall (Tendal Jaret Mann) — remember, he’s a consultant here-continues to worship his dad. Leonard’s alleged affairs with female artists get summed up with a fictional character named Ivy Mills (a sultry Megalyn Echikunwoke).

The whole area of Leonard’s questionable bookkeeping is fudged here. The Chess brothers made money, and lots of it, while their artists got low pay and a few expensive gifts. The film doesn’t completely ignore this, but can never decide just how badly Leonard exploits his artists. Nivola’s Leonard is thoroughly likable but without any darker complexity. McBride is fine as the white man’s mentor and facilitator in the black music community, while Oyelowo and Robert Randolph are convincing as Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley, respectively.

All period details and, of course, the music are scrupulously authentic. The characters feel slightly less so.—Reuters

‘Dynasty’ actor John Forsythe dies, 92

“W

In a Sept 24, 1986 file photo, actor John Forsythe is joined by ‘Dynasty’ actresses Joan Collins, left, and Linda Evans, at a party celebrating the production of 150 episodes of the popular series, in Los Angeles.

—AP photos

ynasty” star John Forsythe, whose acting career spanned seven decades on stage, film and television, has died at age 92 after a year-long battle with cancer, his family said Friday. Forsythe died Thursday in Santa Ynez, California, northwest of Los Angeles, near Santa Barbara, after contracting pneumonia. “Thankfully, he died as he lived his life ... with dignity and grace,” the family said in a statement.

The US actor’s career began in New York where he was among the original members of Lee Strasburg’s The Actors Studio. In Hollywood he lent his voice to the character of “Charlie” in the 1970s detective show “Charlie’s Angels,” and his association with producer Aaron Spelling led to his role as oil baron Blake Carrington in TV drama “Dynasty.”

“He was a good friend to Aaron and me, and despite his matinee-star good looks was as humble and down to earth as could be,” Spelling’s wife, Candy, said in a statement.

Born John Lincoln Freund on January 29, 1918, in

“D

In a Saturday, Jan 30, 1983 photo, actor John Forsythe celebrates after accepting the Golden Globe Award for best actor in a dramatic television series, ‘Dyanasty,’ in Hollywood.

Penn’s Grove, New Jersey, Forsythe was the son of a Wall Street businessman. He attended the University of North Carolina and served in the US Army Air Corps during World War Two. Forsythe spent time as a field announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team before joining Strasburg’s method acting group that would also prove instrumental for actors such as James Dean, Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

On Broadway he performed in Moss Hart’s musical, “Winged Victory,” and went on to starring roles in plays such as “Mr. Roberts,” Pulitzer Prize winner “Teahouse of the August Moon” and Gore Vidal’s “Weekend.” In the 1940s and 1950s, the handsome, broad-shouldered actor worked on live TV in teleplays such as those on the popular “Studio One” programs, and he played drama critic Al Manheim in “What Makes Sammy Run?”, the award-winning tale of Hollywood treachery.

Charlie and Blake He worked in films such as “It Happens Every Thursday” with Loretta Young and Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood.” But it was on TV where the deep-voiced Forsythe saw his star rise. From 1957 to 1962, he portrayed bachelor attorney Bentley Gregg who has to raise his young niece after her parents die in an accident. By 1965, he was starring in “The John Forsythe Show,” portraying a retired US Air Force officer who inherits an exclusive girls school in San Francisco.

His long-time association with Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling led to Forsythe becoming the voice of the mysterious “Charles Townsend” who employed three gorgeous women as private detectives in 1970s TV series “Charlie’s Angels.” That hit show spurred the careers for Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith. It led to two feature films, “Charlie’s Angels” (2000) and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (2003) in which Forsythe also voiced the role of Charlie. It would be his last work for a Hollywood production.

His most notable fame came in the role of ruthless oil baron Blake Carrington in “Dynasty,” for which he won two Golden Globe best actor awards and numerous nominations for US TV’s top honor, the Emmy. In his personal life, Forsythe was interested in ecology and served as spokesperson and sponsor of the World Wildlife Fund.

Forsythe was married to Parker McCormick for two years, then to Julie Warren from 1943 until her death in 1994. He married Nicole Carter-Forsythe in 2002 and is survived by her, a son and two daughters, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His family said there would be no public memorial and asked that any donations be made to the American Cancer Society. — Reuters

In a Jan 31, 1987 photo, actor John Forsythe and his wife Julie enter the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills to attend the 44th annual Golden Globe Awards.

In a Sept 13, 1965 photo, actors Ann B Davis, left, John Forsythe, and Elsa Lanchester are shown in ‘The John Forsythe Show’.

In an August 23, 1956 handout photo provided by United Artists shows Olivia de Havilland as Joan Fiske, and John Forsythe the G.I. who mistakes her for a Parisian model in a photo from the film ‘The Ambassador’s Daughter.’ — AP

‘The Last Song’ for ‘Hannah Montana’ Don McKay? falls short of dark comic intenti iley Cyrus is growing up. After years of reigning as the Queen of Tweens with her Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana,” the 17-year-old is leaving the blond wig behind after this fourth season and is trying to build a more serious acting career. The first step comes with the release of “The Last Song,” a movie based on the book by Nicholas Sparks.

Cyrus plays Ronnie, a piano prodigy who has turned her back on music, friends and family after her parents’ divorce. When she must spend the summer in Georgia with her father (Greg Kinnear), Ronnie learns there’s more to growing up than just getting older.

“As one chapter is beginning, one that’s been my life for the last five years is ending,” Cyrus says. “It’s interesting to be leaving my security blanket behind. But also it’s exciting.” Sparks, who has written several books that became films (“The Notebook,” “Dear John,” “A Walk to Remember”), conceived the part of Ronnie specifically for Cyrus.

“The Last Song” gave Cyrus a chance to interpret her role. As “Hannah” she had to stick to the script. For Ronnie, director Julie Anne Robinson allowed Cyrus adapt the character. Cyrus says she

M

particularly liked that Ronnie was a piano prodigy, not a singer. Robinson pushed Cyrus to show the nuances of emotion.

“It’s easy to bring tears in a cry but it’s a little bit harder to go beyond that and see it in your eyes, your body language, and not the obvious,” Cyrus says. So far, growing up hasn’t hurt Cyrus’s popularity. Co-star Kinnear got to see the extent of her stardom during filming. “I couldn’t believe how many people would show up hours before we started filming just hoping to get a glimpse of her,” Kinnear says. “It must have been what it was like when the Beatles came to America.”

Cyrus says “Hannah Montana” is getting a proper ending because of that fan loyalty. When Cyrus says ending, she means it. She plans to burn her “Hannah” wig after filming the final episode. “I can’t put it on again,” she says emphatically. The finale is scheduled for spring 2011 and the show’s 101 episodes will continue to air in reruns. The storyline will have Miley Stewart questioning whether she has the best of both worlds and should continue with her alter-ego Hannah Montana or leave it behind forever to be an ordinary girl. — MCT

Liam Hemsworth, left, and Miley Cyrus star in ‘The Last Song.’

— MCT

on McKay” is meant to be an odd film, but it’s odd for the wrong reasons. Actors inhabit the film’s spaces awkwardly, as if these were not the sets they rehearsed in. Scenes play in a half-halting manner with too much dead space surrounding the actors. Then their characters keep doing strange things, which one assumes will be explained later.

When those explanations arrive, their actions make even less sense.

The film’s neophyte writer-director, Jake Goldberger, no doubt was aiming for a darkly comic film noir such as Danny Boyle’s “Shallow Grave” or, his own suggestion, the Coen brothers’ “Blood Simple.” But he mistakes deadness for deadpan and mere oddness for that touch of genius that allows a first-rate filmmaker to get laughs out of the contrast between gruesome acts and mundane social concerns.

A talented cast signed aboard, including Thomas Haden Church-who executive produces-Elisabeth Shue, Melissa Leo and M. Emmet Walsh. That should ensure that a few curious cineastes will check out the film in theaters during its April 2 opening weekend, before it lands on DVD shelves.

One of the film’s odder aspects is Church. Playing the title character, a mousy high school custodian without an apparent friend or family member, Church appears determined to play against his normally exuberant type. So he sleepwalks through the movie with little sense of energy or purpose. A better title for this movie would be “Blood Tired.”

One day, he gets a letter at school, looks at it with astonishment, and there follows a montage under the opening credits as he travels by bus and then taxi

“D

back to his hometown in New England.

The taxi driver is Walsh, so you learn in their, well, odd exchange that he didn’t leave town under good circumstances.

Nonetheless, his high school girlfriend, Sonny (Shue), has reached out to him to come see her because she is dying.

But the strange way she, along with her nurse/minder (Leo) and even the cabbie, act, one is clued that something is not right. The woman’s doctor (James Rebhorn) and an old school buddy (Keith David) have peculiar interactions with Don as well.

It gets stranger. Don never bothers to ask what disease is killing Sonny.

Shouldn’t he at least be curious? Then, when he returns briefly to his apartment at home, one might spot a rotary dial telephone. Even if this is meant to exemplify a character who lives in the past, Don’s past was the ‘80s, and few people had rotary dials even then.

Soon enough there’s a dead body, and the problem arises, as it does in most classic murder tales, of its disposal.

Suffice it to say, this task is handled badly.

Especially because there is no real need to hide the body in the first place.

So it goes, each development and detail less convincing than the last.

Actors are left to their own devices when

their characters, as written, either lack motivations or must play dual motivations-the one meant to confuse the audience and the real one that eventually gets revealed.

Finally, the actors are completely deserted by the writer-director in an ending that is meant to be madcap bloody but is simply mad. None of it makes any sense. It’s James M Cain stood on his head with all his worst pulpfiction plot ideas spilling out. Such tech contributions as the strange props, including an ancient ax, and flat camera angles don’t help as much as the director thinks they do. — Reuters

www.kuwaittimes.net

Setting your table Easter for doesn?t have to be pricey W

Mix and match your serving pieces We chose a pink egg holder to display our dyed Easter eggs. We filled a colorful pedestal egg holder with chocolate marshmallow eggs. To display our sweet Milky Way treats, we placed them into a wire basket ($14.95 at Sur La Table) and chose a green oval-shaped platter to serve our glazed carrots.

Add color to your Eastertable

hether you’re hosting a brunch or dinner, Easter is a time to celebrate with friends and family, and if you’re one of the lucky ones, you get to spend some time with the Easter Bunny. Celebrating Easter reminds us of the return of spring, warmer temperatures and festive, colorful table tops. However, it can be a challenge to entertain if you’re watching your budget.

Stephanie Homer, an interior designer at Total Interior Designs Inc. in Chesterfield, Mo., says, “You can get things hopping without spending a lot to host an Easter get-together.

“Come up with a plan,” Homer says. “First and foremost, figure out which meal you will be preparing, brunch or dinner.” Secondly, decide on your budget, which includes food and decorating. Finally, try a practice run.

Set your table weeks ahead. Bring out your best dinnerware, table linens and stemware to see what you have.

Generally, you want to use your good dishes. It brings back memories of family traditions.

Once you’ve set the table, you’ll see open areas on the table that need filling in. “These fillers can be done on the cheap,” Homer says. For instance, place cards are a nice addition to your table setting. You can make them by purchasing inexpensive colorful egg cups. Write the names of your guests on dyed eggs and place them into each cup.

To create a budget centerpiece, choose a service bowl from your dinnerware collection and fill it with water. Add pink, yellow and light blue floating candles and sunflowers (cut the stems). Another option is to take three vases and fill them with lilac, pink and yellow daffodils to bring a springtime style to your table.

Homer says, “If you stick with your plan, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your guests and spend time with them.”

Dinner mats We skipped a table runner and went with decorative bunny dinner mats to brighten up our table.

Extra fillers We found ceramic chocolate bunnies that looked good enough to nibble on. Jelly bean tangerine carrot bag at Sugarfactory.com adds color and a festive treat to the table.

Bunny-ear napkins To create a little extra fun on your table, you can make these napkins that look like a bunny.

—MCT

Start with an easy centerpiece We used a vase (free) from our kitchen and filled it with yellow Easter grass . Next, we added three metal egg shoots ($5.99 each). If you have crystal or ceramic candle holders , add them to the table. Instead of placing candles on the holders, trim the top with mini egg wreaths and add a large, colorful ceramic egg .

Milky way cupcakes Yield: About 12 regular cupcakes 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 10 fun-size Milky Way bars (half an 11-ounce bag), cut into -inch cubes 6 cups corn flakes About cup chocolate frosting Jelly beans, for garnish 1. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Melt butter and corn syrup in a large saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Add chopped candy bars; stir until just melted.

3. Remove from heat. Gently fold in corn flakes. Mix completely, but be careful not to crush the flakes.

4. Spoon the mixture loosely into each cupcake liner. Let cool completely.

5. Top each cupcake with a spoonful of chocolate frosting; decorate with jellybeans and Easter picks (see note).

Note: We used a Cupcake Party Pack, which contains 24 Easterthemed cupcake liners and 24 decorative picks.

Per regular cupcake: 210 calories; 7g fat; 3.5g saturated fat; 5mg cholesterol; 2g protein; 35g carbohydrate; 19g sugar; 0.5g fiber; 160mg sodium; 20mg calcium.

Adapted from “Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery” by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas

Glazed carrots and parsnips Yield: 8 servings Salt 8 small to medium carrots, peeled 4 small to medium parsnips, peeled cup ({ stick) unsalted butter cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon minced fresh mint or thyme leaves, optional 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and parsnips; cook until tender. Drain and pat dry. When cool enough to handle, cut into slices. (If making ahead, cover and refrigerate. Return to room temperature before proceeding.)

2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Stir in sugar until dissolved. If desired, stir in mint or thyme. Add carrots and parsnips. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are slightly browned and glazed.

Per serving: 160 calories; 6g fat; 3.5g saturated fat; 15mg cholesterol; 1.5g protein; 26g carbohydrate; 13g sugar; 4.5g fiber; 51mg sodium; 50mg calcium. — MCT

Easterdecoration Respect the rabbit: Easter Bunny creeping up on Santa’s mall turf E will brighten table e can thank the German immigrants who came to America in the 1700s for introducing the Easter Bunny to American folklore. They provided the New World with some of the cherished traditions we practice today.

The Easter Bunny, who had long been known as “Oschter Haws” in Germany, needed a soft nest to place the eggs he delivered each Easter. Children in America were more than happy to oblige and provided the bunny with a nesting place to leave them each Easter Eve. Since ancient times, eggs have represented new life and have long been associated with spring festivals. Early Christians believed the egg was a symbol of Christ’s resurrection and many legends grew from this time.

Never was that message more important than after the Civil War when people yearned to believe in the renewal of life following the deaths of so many of their loved ones in the war.

Polish folklore tells of eggs changing from white to brilliant colors as the Virgin Mary’s tears fell on them. Today, colored Easter eggs still maintain a part of our holiday as Christians throughout the world renew their spiritual faith during Easter celebrations.

This craft blends colorful spring flowers, also considered a symbol of renewal, with colored eggs to make a delightful Easter

W

decoration. Use real eggs or substitute plastic ones for a lasting decoration for your family’s Easter dinner with directions I found on Disney’s Family Fun Web site at http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/egg-garden-672364.

Supplies you will need: Craft foam in green and pastel colors.

1 cardboard paper tube for each flower.

Scissors.

Masking tape.

Eggs (real or plastic).

Sandwich bag.

Uncooked rice or beans.

Glue.

Computer and printer.

Download petal pattern templates at http://familyfun.go.com/assets/cms/pdf/printables/0207_egggarden.pdf.

Cut out petal templates after printing.

Place the templates on pastel-colored sheets of foam and cut out the petals, using a pair of petal shapes for each flower you want to make. Use contrasting colors for each pair.

For the center hole, trace the end of a cardboard tube then cut out the circle. To make the stem, glue a piece of green craft foam around the cardboard tube. Use masking tape to secure it until the glue dries.

Push the foam-covered stem through the holes in the foam petals and set an egg in place for the flower center. For added stability, place a sealed sandwich bag of uncooked rice or beans inside the stem to anchor it.

Hold with tape, if necessary. — MCT

very successful employee begins with successful training, Marie Johnson believes, and so she delivered her best advice to the new hires who recently gathered in a vacant store space at Yorktown Center in Lombard.

Bunny does not talk. Use a hairbrush to fluff up your fur and make sure you’re pretty. Bunny needs to be pretty. People aren’t quite ready for Easter, so it’s Bunny’s job to draw attention. Outside, a trio of teen girls took one look at the “Bunny School” sign taped to the entrance of the makeshift training room and burst out laughing.

But Johnson had driven 900 miles to impart her wisdom to these college students, former Chuck E Cheese mascots and other aspiring Easter actors as part of a national Bunny-training road trip.

She didn’t miss a beat. Bunny ignores the haters. And Bunny uses just one name. Like Madonna.

Year after year, Santa Claus may get most of the press but the Easter Bunny is slowly and skillfully creating a comfortable throne for himself in America’s shopping mall atriums. This spring, some 30,000 children will line up to see the cotton-tailed rabbit at the Chicagoarea Yorktown mall, compared with 22,500 five years ago. Companies hired to place Easter Bunnies at shopping centers across the US report similar increases elsewhere.

While sales of Easter candy and Easter outfits may be down, retail analysts say, the Easter Bunny-who, not surprisingly, appears at the mall earlier and earlier each year-remains a sure way to attract shoppers. “It’s showbiz, that’s what I tell our group,” said Johnson, vice president of Birmingham, Ala.-based IPCA, a company that hires and trains hundreds of Easter Bunnies across the country, including those at Yorktown this year.

“Santa should be a little worried,” said Lindsey Burke marketing director for Yorktown Center. “The bunny has become an icon not only for Easter season, but also for spring.” Eighth-century Christians named Easter, the Resurrection of Christ, after the spring-

time celebration of the German goddess Eostre, who represented fertility and new life, said Pamela Frese, professor of anthropology at the College of Wooster in Ohio. Rabbits were often connected with both holidays because of their renowned reproductive capabilities.

After the Civil War, American artists began using cute and cuddly bunny and

“more of a dressy look”-a blue velvet jacket and wire-rimmed spectacles, said company president Judy Noerr. That look, updated from overalls, was just one of the changes that came about as malls increasingly hired national digital imaging companies to supply Santas, Bunnies and photographers instead of trying to coordinate the holiday help

Bunnies at Orland Park Square, Lincolnwood Town Center and River Oaks Center. While the Easter Bunny still only accounts for 30 percent of the company’s mall business, compared with Santa’s 70 percent, Noerr says she expects this year’s attendance to set a company record.

Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Ill.,

Christian Milutinovic, 2, colors on the floor while warming up to Patrick Huetten, in the bunny suit during his 2.5 hour shift as the Easter Bunny at the Yorktown Mall in Lombard, Illinois. — MCT chickadee images on postcards and Easter greetings. In the decades that followed, Easter Bunny imagery reflected the times: During the Depression, he was depicted as a factory worker. In the Civil Rights era, he wore beautiful brown fur, Frese said.

These days, the Bunny from Noerr Programs, a digital event imaging company based in Arvada, Colo., sports

themselves.

These companies-there are just a handful, according to Noerr-do the hiring and training and offer the malls a cut of the sales from photos and frames.

Yorktown Bunnies make a starting salary of $9 an hour.

Noerr Programs supplies Bunnies to 151 malls and four military bases.

The company is responsible for

is expecting 5,000 visitors to its Bunny this year, a smaller turnout than Yorktown’s-perhaps because of a later debut on March 6 — but the attraction is more popular than ever, said marketing manager Lisa Stricker.

At Bunny School, Johnson explained to trainees that Bunny doesn’t talk because of an unwritten rule to maintain Bunny uniformity. But there are

other responsibilities. Bunnies, when you take off your suit, turn it inside out and spray it with disinfectant. Bunny must relieve himself before he dresses up.

Opening Bunnies, please, please, allow yourself an extra 30 minutes to get to work. Meanwhile, his assistantscalled “Seater, Meeter, Greeters”learned how to keep Bunny comfortable. They hold his drinking straw to his cut-out mouth when he’s getting hot.

They sneak children’s names into introductions-”Bunny, remember Matthew?”-to help break the ice before placing shy kids onto his lap.

And, perhaps most importantly, they ward off paparazzi parents who attempt to snap pictures with their own cameras instead of buying photos (ranging from $14.99 for “Fluffy’s Favorite” to $39.99 for the “Best Buy.”) After three hours of training, Patrick Huetten, 62, embodied Bunny’s winning attitude so well that he was granted the honor of being Yorktown’s Premiere Bunny-who would walk out to a crowd of screaming fans warmed up by a Radio Disney dance party. “I’m the opening act. I’m going to do a great job, said Huetten, an aspiring party planner who works as a jeweler and bar manager the rest of the week.

“They’re going to love me.”

Yorktown management expects to see steady lines for the Bunny through February and March. The week before Easter, they’ll bring out ropes and extra security to manage the crowds. The mall is also introducing its first Pet Night on March 21, when dogs, cats, and other “domestic animals” will be allowed to pose with Bunny.

Frese, the cultural anthropologist, thinks the Easter Bunny’s popularity demonstrates how Americans have increasingly turned to malls as community centers, where people of all religious backgrounds can celebrate socalled civil-religious holidays together.

“People are still seeking some meaning to life, and if they’re not getting it in the churches, it’s at least hopeful for me that they’re trying to get it somewhere,” Frese said.—MCT