RI PT IO N BS C SU THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF
24 PAGES
SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2010
Israel’s former militia allies in Lebanon now feel abandoned
JAMADA ALTHANI 8, 1431 AH
NO: 14736
150 FILS
Google premieres Web television gamble
US Senate passes historic Wall Street overhaul
Rejects return to Bernabeu to rub salt in Real’s eyes
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Greece woos China, Arabs Cash-strapped Athens seeks investments
KUWAIT: Girls play in a swimming pool at Aqua Park yesterday. The 22nd annual raft race was also held at the water park yesterday. — Photo byYasser Al-Zayyat (See Page 2)
Thailand faces ‘huge challenges’: PM BANGKOK: Thailand’s premier said yesterday that order has been restored after a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests triggered mayhem in the capital, but that the divided kingdom faces “huge challenges”. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared victory in a campaign to secure Bangkok, clamping down on militants in the “Red Shirt” movement who went on a rampage of arson and looting after their leaders surrendered Wednesday. “This is one of the worst episodes Thailand has ever faced,” Abhisit said in a televised address to the nation. “We will continue to swiftly restore normalcy and we recognise that as we move ahead there are huge challenges ahead of us, particularly the challenge of overcoming the divisions that have occurred in this country.”
BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva speaks during a press conference at a military base yesterday. — AFP
Abhisit said he regretted the loss of life in the army offensive to shut down six weeks of anti-government protests, which left 16 dead, including an Italian photographer, but defended the way it was carried out. “The operation was within the law and complied with international practice,” he said, adding however that there would be an independent probe. Concern remains over a shootout at a temple “safe zone” where six bodies were found. Abhisit made no mention of the fresh elections demanded by Red Shirts who condemn his government as illegitimate, but said the focus should now move to healing the splits that fomented the unrest. “We are living in the same house,” he said. “I invite all of you to join the reconciliation process. Let me reassure you that
the government will meet these challenges through the five-point reconciliation plan I have announced,” he said, referring to a road-map which failed to produce a peaceful resolution to the Reds rallies. During failed negotiations before the crackdown, Abhisit offered to hold a vote in November - a year ahead of schedule - as long as the rallies dispersed. Major General Amnuay Nimano of the Bangkok Police said in a televised broadcast later yesterday that he had told Red Shirt leaders arrested after the protests they faced charges of insulting the monarchy, as well as terrorism. Thailand is deeply split between the Reds, mostly urban and rural poor who are demanding the ouster of a Continued on Page 19
ATHENS: Chinese shipping and transport giant Cosco Group said yesterday it is looking to expand its operations in Greece, whose cashstrapped government has turned east and south in search of elusive foreign investments. Cosco president Wei Jiafu said the group was interested in participating in a freight and logistics center due to be built at Thriasio, west of Athens, and operated on a 40-year concession. The Chinese company already operates two container terminals at Greece’s largest port of Piraeus, near Thriasio, on a 35-year concession worth $1 billion that was finalized last year. Wei’s remarks were met with relief in Athens yesterday, as Prime Minister George Papandreou ended an intensive weeklong series of trips and meetings to seek investment from China as well as companies from Turkey and Arab countries. Greece came to the brink of bankruptcy this month, before receiving rescue loans from European countries and the International Monetary Fund that allowed it to refinance debts. “I believe (Greece) will overcome its problems shortly,” Wei said after meeting Papandreou in Athens. Last week, Greece and longtime regional foe Turkey signed a series of economic cooperation agreements - including the key tourism sector - during a visit to Athens by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The large Turkish government delegation was accompanied by about 100 businessmen. Papandreou also met yesterday with the prime Continued on Page 19
This undated handout image provided by the J Craig Venter Institute shows negatively stained transmission electron micrographs of aggregated M. mycoides. — AP
US scientists create first ‘synthetic cell’ Debate over ‘artificial life’ WASHINGTON: US researchers have developed the first self-replicating bacteria cell controlled by a synthetic genome, but denied Thursday they were playing God or seeking to recreate life in a test-tube. “This is the first synthetic cell that’s been made,” said lead researcher Craig
Venter, unveiling the culmination of 15 years of research. “We call it synthetic because the cell is totally derived from a synthetic chromosome, made with four bottles of chemicals on a chemical synthesizer, starting with information in a computer.” Continued on Page 19
At Dubai eatery, camel makes burger the king
This composite image shows Nickelodeon cartoon character Dora the Explorer created late last year for a contest for the fake news site FreakingNews.com. — AP
Is Dora the Explorer an illegal immigrant? CHICAGO: In her police mug shot, the doe-eyed cartoon heroine with the bowl haircut has a black eye, battered lip and bloody nose. Dora the Explorer’s alleged crime? “Illegal Border Crossing Resisting Arrest.” The doctored picture, one of several circulating widely in the aftermath of Arizona’s controversial new immigration law, may seem harmless, ridiculous or even tasteless. But experts say the pictures and the rhet-
oric surrounding them online, in newspapers and at public rallies, reveal some Americans’ attitudes about race, immigrants and where some of immigration reform debate may be headed. For about a decade, the pint-sized Latina character has taught millions of children the English alphabet, colors and Spanish phrases on a Nickelodeon TV show and through a global empire. Continued on Page 19
DUBAI: “Don’t miss yummy camel burger” reads the Dubai restaurant’s sign, putting a Western twist on a traditional fare to entice adventurous tourists into giving camel meat a chew. Camel meat is eaten throughout the Gulf, but Dubai’s Local House restaurant targets visitors who may never have bitten into this edible form of desert transport. “Most of our guests are tourists from different parts of the world,” says Ramesh, a 44-year-old Indian national who has managed the restaurant since it opened in 2004. He says the restaurant was the brainchild of the owner, a local from Dubai who grew up on camel meat and milk. “With this restaurant (the owner) wanted to (introduce) that to the world as well. That’s how it all started,” said Ramesh, who gave only one name. Camels, sometimes called “ships of the desert”, are a big part of culture in the Arabian Peninsula. In the United Arab Emirates, there are camel races, camel beauty contests and competitions for the tastiest camel cuisine. Camel meat is cooked many ways and sometimes served as a “shawarma” - grilled meat wrapped in flat bread. Local House prides itself on its novel burger, but the menu boasts
an extensive camel-based offering. “We have... camel soup, camel salad, then we have the camel burger, camel kebab, camel steak, then we have camel biryani - that is a mixture of rice and camel meat,” says Ramesh, as he rattles off still more menu items. The restaurant also offers a camel curry dish, grilled camel ribs and the camel special, which is cooked in oyster sauce. Camel sausage, bacon and pizza are in the works, Ramesh says. “Camelicious” brand camel
DUBAI: A man eats a camel burger at the Local House restaurant on May 18, 2010. — AFP
milk, milk chocolates and milkshakes made with camel milk are some of the other offerings. Local House customers described their first taste of camel meat as positive. “Excellent,” says Anna, a 38-year-old Canadian who tried the camel soup after hearing about the restaurant and happened upon it during her vacation to Dubai. “I wanted something of the region, something unique,” she says. Alanen, a 60-year-old from Finland visiting Dubai with his wife, described the camel burger as “good”. He tried it because “my friends say that this place (is) the only place where we can eat a camel burger”. Karine, 39, a French national living in the UAE, says that she tried the camel biryani and the camel special “because I lived here for four years now, and I thought it would be interesting to know how a camel tastes”. “It was nice,” she says with a laugh. “The texture is like mutton, a bit... without the strong taste of the mutton,” but “it’s a bit hard”. Out of all the restaurant’s camel-based offerings, the camel burger is king. “The most popular is the burger, and (then) the camel special, then Continued on Page 19
BERLIN: Muslim clerics sit in the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque, which was officially opened yesterday. — AP
New mosque opens in Berlin BERLIN: A new mosque that is one of the largest in Germany was officially opened yesterday in Berlin’s Kreuzberg quarter, which has a strong Turkish presence. The mosque, which can hold around 1,000 people, is part of a complex that media reports said cost around €10 million ($12.5 million) to build and was entirely financed by private Lebanese and Palestinian donors.
The mosque is topped by a glass dome and four small minarets, and is part of a six-storey, 5,000sq-m building that includes commercial and social centres and a library. Germany’s largest mosque can accommodate 2,500 people and is in the city of Mannheim in the west of the country. The construction of mosques in Germany has prompted debate - as it has in other European countries notably among the extreme right. — AFP