9 May

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MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

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www.kuwaittimes.net

PM overcomes hiccups to unveil new Cabinet Three grillings announced • Busairi named oil minister • Roudhan opts out

By B Izzak

from the editor’s desk

Same old game

By Abd Al-Rahman Alyan

myopinion@kuwaittimes.net

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he new Cabinet was finally announced and sworn into office yesterday. There was hope that the delay in forming the government could be a blessing in disguise to give time for our politicians to revise their agendas and to calm down Kuwait’s intense political field. However, that was shortlived as the same old faces in parliament have promised to question this Cabinet today. It seems that the resignations of the Cabinet and the dissolutions of the parliament only serve as temporary tranquilizers to this ongoing saga.

One can only wonder what are the intentions behind the grilling threats specially when questioning new ministers. Is it something about the way they swore into office or is it because they don’t belong to a certain tribe, political bloc or diwaniya?

I would like to send my congratulations to Mr Sami Al-Nasef on his appointment as Minister of Communication and Information. Looking at his journalistic background, the media will welcome the appointment of a fellow colleague who will understand the importance of the freedom of press. I hope that he will play a major role in protecting the freedom of Kuwait’s media from the proposed amendments to the press law. Perhaps he can also advise the government on the importance of marketing their agenda by defending their projects publicly by releasing statements to the press or holding weekly briefings for the media. After all, this is a major part of the political game and so far only the MPs are good at it.

The job that lies ahead is not an easy one and I hope that this Cabinet can finally get the wheel of development rolling again for the sake of our beloved country that has fallen behind its neighbours.

Max 39 Min 25 Low Tide 09:33 & 22:22 High Tide 04:52 & 14:42

KUWAIT: Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (center) is flanked by members of his new Cabinet yesterday. — KUNA (See Page 2)

Laden warns US from the dead DUBAI: Osama bin Laden warned in the final audiotape he recorded before being killed by American commandos there will be no US security without Palestine security, an Islamist website reported yesterday. Addressing US President Barack Obama, he said: “America will not be able to dream of security until we live in security in Palestine. It is unfair that you live in peace while our brothers in Gaza live in insecurity.”

“Accordingly, and with the will of God, our attacks will continue against you as long as your support for Israel continues,” he warned in a message posted on Shamikh1.net, a conduit for Al-Qaeda communications.

The founder of Al-Qaeda said he had tried to send a “message” to the United States through Nigerian

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to explode a bomb on a Detroit-bound US airliner in Dec 2009. “If it were possible to send you messages by way of words, we would not have had to use planes to send them to you,” he said. “So the message we wanted to convey through the plane of our hero, the fighter Umar Farouk, may God be with him, confirms a previous message which had been sent to you by our heroes of September 11,” he said in a clear reference to the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States.

The audio recording lasted just over a minute. The Internet outlet for official messages from Al-Qaeda on Friday confirmed the death of bin Laden, but warned that those rejoicing his killing would have their “blood mixed with tears.” — AFP

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlSabah yesterday swore in the new 16-member Cabinet presented by the Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who overcame lastminute obstacles to successfully form his seventh government in five years. “There are goals and ambitious developmental expectations in front of you, and the citizens are looking forward to that becoming a reality,” Sheikh Sabah told the ministers yesterday, KUNA said.

KUNA said Sheikh Sabah stressed the importance of cooperation between the country’s legislative and executive authorities.

But minutes after its formation, the government came under fire from MPs who said the Cabinet is far below expectations and three grillings were announced, two of them against the prime minister, with more expected to come. Member of the opposition Popular Action Bloc MP Khaled Al-Tahous said he will file a request to grill the prime minister today, just after the new Cabinet ministers take the oath to become members of parliament.

Pro-government MP Saadoun Hammad said he will meet later this week with other MPs to prepare a grilling against Health Minister Helal Al-Sayer who was retained in the Cabinet. Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei said his Reform and Development Bloc will file to grill the prime minister but after the first grilling is over. Liberal MPs have already vowed to file to grill deputy premier for economic affairs Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd Al-Sabah and Shiite MP Saleh Ashour was reported contemplating to file another grilling against Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah.

The Cabinet lineup and the subsequent reactions made MP Dhaifallah Buramia to predict a quick resignation of the Cabinet or a dissolution of the Assembly, while MP Salem Al-Namlan predicted “major confrontations between the government and MPs”. The announcement of the Cabinet came after the prime minister overcame last-minute problems after the only MP in the Cabinet, state minister for Cabinet affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan, declined to be included in the new Cabinet over a formality which he considered very Continued on Page 2

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Kuwait’s new cabinet KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah formed a new cabinet yesterday to replace the government which resigned on March 31. Following is the lineup of the new cabinet, his seventh since 2006 and the 28th since oil-rich Kuwait gained independence in 1961:

New cabinet 28th in Kuwait’s modern political history

HH the Prime Minister: Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah

Deputy premier and interior minister: Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah

Minister of commerce and industry: Amani Buresli (new)

Deputy premier, minister of social affairs and labour, and justice: Mohammad Al-Afasi

Minister of finance: Mustafa Al-Shamali

First deputy premier and defence minister: Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah

Deputy premier, foreign minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah

Deputy premier for economic affairs, state minister for housing and development: Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Sabah

Minister of state for cabinet affairs: Ali Al-Rashed (MP, new)

Minister of oil and parliamentary affairs: Mohammad Al-Busairi

Minister of education and higher education: Amad Al-Mulaifi (new)

Minister of health: Helal Al-Sayer

Minister of public works and municipalities: Fadhel Safar

Minister of communications and information: Sami Al-Nasef (new)

KUWAIT: The newly-announced cabinet, the seventh of His Highness the Premier Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, was formed according to Decree 143.

The previous cabinets came respectively on Feb 9, 2006, July 10, 2006, March 25, 2007, May 27, 2008, Jan 12, 2009 and May 29, 2009. The new cabinet is the 28th since Kuwait’s independence of June 19, 1961.

Article 130 of the country’s constitution stipulates that every minister supervises the affairs of his/her ministry and executes therein the general polic y of the Government. He/she also formulates directives for the ministry and supervises their execution.

The first cabinet formed in Kuwait’s modern history was on Jan 17, 1962 during the rulership of the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. It included 14 cabinet members and came 212 days after the country’s declaration of independence and 11 days after elections.

The seventh cabinet, formed Feb 2, 1971, was the smallest in number, with only 11 ministers and was headed by late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The biggest, however, was the one formed June 20, 1990, which included 20 ministers and was headed by late Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.

The Oct 17, 1992 cabinet had the largest number of elected MPs as cabinet members, with eight assuming ministerial posts.

The last cabinet; number 27, lasted 671 days. — KUNA

Minister of Islamic affairs: Mohammad Al-Numas (new)

Minister of electricity and water: Salem AlOthaina (new)

PM overcomes hiccups to unveil new Cabinet Continued from Page 1 important. Roudhan’s objection came after he learned that Social Affairs and Labour Minister Mohammad Al-Afasi was also given the justice ministry and in addition appointed deputy premier. Roudhan thought that since he was senior to Afasi, he should have been made the deputy premier instead.

These events started to happen late on Saturday. It posed a real problem for the government since Roudhan was the only MP in the Cabinet. According to the constitution, there must be at least one MP in the Cabinet. The premier offered the job to Islamist Salafist MP Ali Al-Omair, who declined. It was also offered to MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri, who also refused. Early yesterday, the job was offered to MP Ali Al-Rashed who accepted it and the Cabinet was announced.

The new Cabinet includes little change from the previous government and all the key ministers have been returned with the exception of oil which was given to Mohammad Al-Busairi, the communications minister in the previous Cabinet. He replaced Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah AlSabah, who was dropped. All other ruling family members, the ministers of defense, interior and foreign affairs in addition to deputy premier for economic affairs Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd Al-Sabah, were retained in the new Cabinet.

Among newcomers in the Cabinet are Amani Buresli as commerce and industry minister, liberal writer Sami Al-Nasef as minister of information and communications, former MP Ahmad Al-Mulaifi as education minister and Salem Al-Othaina, an academic, as electricity and water minister. The new Cabinet held its first meeting after the swearing-in ceremony and took a number

of important decisions. It asked its economic committee to prepare a draft law for the establishment of a corruption fighting authority and the government program and asked its legal committee to prepare a draft law to preserve national unity amid rising sectarian tension.

In his speech after the swearing-in ceremony, the prime minister said the government will extend its hand of cooperation to the Assembly.

The new ministers are scheduled to take the oath to become members of parliament today when a number of opposition MPs are planning to walk out of the session in protest against the appointment of the prime minister and the formation of the new Cabinet. Also, the Popular Bloc said it will file a request to grill the prime minister over a variety of allegations including squandering public funds and financial irregularities.

Kuwait cabinet holds first session after govt formation KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Cabinet held its preliminary meeting yesterday morning at Bayan Palace after swearing in before His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The session was chaired by HH the Prime Minister Sheik h Nasser AlMohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

State Minister for Cabinet’s Affairs Ali AlRashed made a statement highlighting what took place during the meeting.

Al-Rashed said that the Cabinet listened to a speech by HH the Premier, as Sheikh Nasser voiced utmost appreciation for HH the Amir’s trust and blessing bestowed on the the new cabinet formation, as well as HH Sheikh Nasser’s appreciation for burden to be shouldered by cabinet members during such critical stage. Sheikh Nasser also thanked former cabinet members for their devoted efforts during their tenure in serving state and citizens.

Sheikh Nasser, continued Minister AlRashed, also underlined necessity to overcome the state of “political exhaustion” that burdened and impacted the country, and

called for establishing a practical approach to push reform and development process forward in order to attain hoped achievements.

HH the Premier also highlighted main concerns of HH the Amir in the next period, chiefly preserving national unity, combating sedition among Kuwaiti people and establishing an institutional state that abides by law. Furthermore, HH Sheikh Nasser stressed the need to stick by constitutional regulations in the Cabinet’s cooperation with the National Assembly, which would lead to a fruitful cooperation embodying true partnership between the two branches.

HH Sheik h Nasser said the Cabinet should also develop its work mechanisms and well-invest in national resources in all domains.

Of the Cabinet’s priorities, he said, would be setting suitable steps and mechanisms to preserve public fund, fighting corruption and holding the corrupt accountable; an approach that would establish the concept of transparency and integrity. —KUNA

Registrar.

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KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah held a luncheon at Bayan Palace yesterday for visiting President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and the official delegation accompanying him on the occasion of their official visit to the country.

Local Spotlight

New government, much hope

Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

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o you think that the new Kuwaiti government will be able to perform better than its predecessors?

For weeks, the new Kuwaiti government’s formation was the subject of much speculation. The formation of every new government has become a difficult mission, not only for HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Nasser Al-Sabah but also for Kuwaitis. This also includes expectations over what this new government will be able to do and its strength to confront the National Assembly and its duties.

The new government has been delayed several times for different reasons. Kuwaiti is ready to hear any news, good or bad, simply because of the new government. They will be scrutinized - by MPs and people.

The ministers have accepted their mission and it is not an easy task in a society like Kuwait . After all, they have to take responsibilities seriously and make considerations.

On the other hand, the fact is that a government formation will satisfy society at large. MPs and the public are lost in a dreamland. No matter what this government brings with it, there will always be some noise and objection made over old timers. I never heard or read about government formation that was approved by the whole society, so let us be real.

Now, the problem lies with new comers. Their mission is difficult for two reasons — first, because they are obliged to demonstrate decency, pragmatism and transparency when dealing with the public . The second reason is that they should know that they are under the scanner. Their mistakes will not be forgiven or forgotten.

I believe that Kuwaitis deserve to have a government that matches with their hopes. What is the use of having a new government if old or new faces are tottering around the same path.

Every one secretly expects this new government’s life to be short. I think that is possible, if the change is not brought about with better planning.

asthmatic problems common KUWAIT: Almost one quarter of Kuwait’s residents, both citizens and expatriates, suffer from asthma, according to a senior Ministry of Health (MoH) official.

Speaking about the MoH’s new national asthma awareness program, which was launched last week to coincide with World Asthma Day on May 3, Dr. Abeer Al-Bahwa, the manager of the health ministr y ’s health reinforcement department, revealed that 23 percent of Kuwait residents are asthmatic.

“Asthma is responsible for 52 percent of school absenteeism, and 30 percent of employee absenteeism,” she revealed, noting that hospitals and other medical facilities see a steep surge in patient numbers during the sandstorm season, when rates of asthma attacks increase sharply. — Al-Qabas

Programmed power cuts KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) plans to conduct secondary transformation power stations’ maintenance work ahead of Kuwait’s scorching summer. The MEW officials said that the ministry will begin weekly programmed power cuts during May, especially in areas where power units and generators are subject to maintenance, reported Aljarida. Officials added that, as part of this plan, the ministry yesterday began conducting maintenance work on generators in Ahmadi and Hawalli. This is so that power cuts are conducted between 7:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Buramya blames Iran for sectarian graffiti KUWAIT: Two MPs have voiced their support for a proposal to impose stricter penalties, up to and including the death sentence, for anyone found guilty of slandering the companions or wives of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

Following the appearance of a number of items of sectarian graffiti in Kuwait, MP Dr. Daifullah Buramya said that he would support the introduction of capital punishment for those convicted of insulting members of either of the aforementioned groups, with fellow parliamentarian Dulaihi AlHajri agreeing with this proposal.

A third MP, Dr. Mohammad AlHuwaillah, suggested that action should be taken to combat the root causes which lead to the spread of such sacrilegious ideologies amongst the young. “The appearance for a third time of graffiti which insults the

Mother of Believers, Aisha, on the walls of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Mosque proves that there is a corrupt ideology poisoning the minds of our young people, which needs to be eradicated,” he insisted, adding that those responsible for such graffiti “have no place in evertolerant Kuwaiti society.”

Al-Hajri also condemned what he said was a recent increase in such graffiti, urging the Ministry of Interior to “increase its efforts to arrest the members of the network behind the graffiti, which aims to damage Kuwait’s national unity.”

Dr. Buramya, meanwhile, called the creation of the religious graffiti “a state security crime that aims to spread sectarianism in society and is undoubtedly backed by Iranian intelligence services who hire networks to carry out such acts. —Al-Qabas

First draft of new income tax law complete KUWAIT: The Fatwa and Legislation Department has finalized the first draft of legislation proposing the introduction of an income tax system in Kuwait. The introduction of such a system will change the current widespread belief that the Kuwaiti government should only give without taking anything in return, said a department official.

The first draft of the proposal suggests that the minimum eligibility threshold for tax payment should start at KD30,000 per year or around KD2,500 per month for single people, KD32,000

per year for married ones, and KD34,000 for individuals such as employers, who are responsible for sponsoring others.

According to the initial proposal, income tax should be set at a flat rate of 10 percent of income for all.

The average per capita annual income in Kuwait is only KD13,000, less than half the minimum tax threshold sum.

The introduction of income tax legislation in Kuwait is seen as a prelude to introducing more comprehensive taxation laws in the country. — Al-Rai

Climate change gives Kuwait extended spring Massive changes in movements of air masses

By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: With summer arriving across the region, Kuwait seems to be enjoying spring-like weather for longer than usual this year. Many people in the country have already noticed that the customary oven-like temperatures and searing heat for which the country’s summers are known have been late to arrive in 2011, with residents recalling that in previous years Kuwait’s unforgiving summer weather always arrived fast, usually around March, and lasted for months. Winters in the Gulf region tend to be short and to give way to summer weather fast, with the barometer usually rising above 100 from March onwards.

These have been the recognized regional weather patterns for this area for at least three decades, but now things are changing, says local meteorologist Issa Ramadan, who attributes these shifting and unpredictable weather patterns to climate change.

Ramadan explained that weather patterns across the world are inextricably linked to one another, with

the air masses that affect the Middle East being most closely connected to those in the rest of the northern hemisphere. In recent years, he went on, there have been massive changes in the movements of these air masses, which in turn affect the weather on the ground. “What I mean by movement is that the areas of low pressure that used to pass from the north to the south of the peninsula and affect Kuwait - since it’s in the northern part of the peninsula - have now started to move towards areas such as southern Turkey, unlike the areas they used to pass over in the past 30 years,” Ramadan told the Kuwait Times. When these areas of low pressure diminish, he continued, the percentage of rainfall also decreases, leading to soil erosion, plants dying off and overgrazing on what pasture is available.

These effects are also magnified by farmers reliant at least partly on regular rainfall giving up entirely on arable farming, leaving the land to become fallow and arid, and the presence of military equipment and possibly chemical substances which cause long-term damage to the soil in the area. These effects lead in

turn to an increase in aridity, further soil erosion, and higher levels of airborne particulates causing stronger sandstorms and the obscuring of solar radiation, creating a cyclical effect.

The eminent meteorologist said that for the past couple of months Kuwait has been affected by an area of high pressure, which has led to the usual brief transition from winter to summer weather being prolonged and the advent of a ‘spring’ period far longer than usual. He explained that a build-up of heavy thunderhead clouds bringing cold winds at ground level has also contributed to the continuing springlike weather. “These winds block solar radiation and keep the temperature slightly lower during the nighttime,” he added. All these factors combined have delayed the arrival of Kuwait’s usual scorching summer temperatures, which have not yet reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), their average level for this time of year, whilst the temperature of the country’s coastal waters also remains unusually cool for the season.

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Philippines envoy denies accusations against attache Human trafficking

By Ben Garcia

Ahmad Al-Romeadheen with his space balloon in California.

Kuwaiti student’s space balloon project makes country proud

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Young Kuwait is now home to a futuristic claim - a ‘space balloon project’ equipped with a camera to reach space. It is the brainchild of inventor Ahmad Al-Romeadheen, a 28-year- old Kuwaiti studying Aeronautical and Space Technology Engineering in California. On April 17, 2011 Ahmad drove 320 kilometers north from Los Angeles to California farmland to propel his camera-equipped device from high above the ground, to photograph the infinite black skies. The balloon was sent into orbit, it took pictures and two hours later landed 100 kilometers east of the launch site. He then picked up his invention and viewed the imagesthe project was a complete success! The balloon reached 30, 000 meters above sea level and photographed the curvature of the earth itself. At this height, a human being would need a spacesuit or he would die owing to a lack of oxygen.

According to Ahmad Al-Romeadheen, the space balloon reached an altitude that is normally covered by civilian aircrafts. Due to the lack of earthly atmosphere, one can easily see the depths of blackness in outer space.

The project was launched in California as Ahmad still is a student there, “This project could have been completed in Kuwait with the help of the government as it could have drifted away from Kuwait, up to some 200 kilometers or more depending on weather conditions. If the weather is calm and nice, there is a chance that the balloon will not leave the border,” Ahmad Al-Romeadheen told Kuwait Times in an interview.

Designing the balloon took about six months of research, data gathering, redesigning, and re-calculations on paper. The actual building took three days and nights with no breaks taken in between.

“This simple design can be used to obtain scientific measurements of the atmosphere and near space environment. These measurements can help scientists and engineers to gain a better understanding of science such as astronomy, weather, or earth science,” he added. The balloon was created in a such a manner that it would explode eventually. This is so that the payload and data can be retrieved, “However, it should be strong enough to last few hours until the balloon reaches the needed height.

It is made of a special kind of latex that is designed to conduct such experiments,” noted Ahmad.

“The design is simple and can be made better.

Early designs of such balloons were made around since 1783 according to an article mentioned in Space Science Reviews 13:2 pp.200 (1972).

However, it depends entirely on the location and the purpose of the experiment. The design that was used in this experiment made sure that the cost is within the reach of a normal student budget.

If the purpose is better performance, then it should be re-designed for that purpose. This will cost more since priority changed from cost to performance. I would rather have my country have the design, but there is no difference between human being regardless of their nationality. So, I do not mind it being used by any person for scientific purposes,” he added. “I set up the design based on calculation I made. According to them, the balloon would yield a minimum elevation of 27 kilometers, but the design also reached a higher one possible, and it did reach more than the minimum elevation expected. The final elevation was at least 30 kilometers if not more,” he explained.

Ahmad picked space projects rather than other usual engineering projects, “Space is the final frontier in human explorations to date. I wanted to be part of the latest exploration in human history. I also wanted to show the world, most importantly, to Kuwaiti people and all Arabs that Kuwait is capable of producing scientists and engineers that can enter the race to Space,” highlighted Ahmad.

According to Ahmad, this is just the first step toward a very long journey. After being the first Kuwaiti to reach that height and be able to capture the moment of black sky of space, he plans to pursue this project.

“I would like to thank everyone who helped me and encouraged me. I do not think that I could have done that without the encouragement received from my parents, brothers, sisters, friends and the Scientific Club of Kuwait. I would like to thank every organization in this world that likes to advance science with the aim of helping humanity worldwide. I would like to submit this achievement as a gift to my parents on their 30th wedding anniversary, the Scientific Club of Kuwait, and for all the people of Kuwait and HH the Amir,” concluded Ahmad.

Ahmad Nasser Al-Romeadheen is an Aeronautical and Space Technology engineering student and a member in the Scientific Club of Kuwait. Ahmad is extremely passionate about space exploration and astronomy. He worked as member of the Astronomy Department with AlAijery observatory, the planetarium and helped coordinate with other Science Club members in many eclipse and astronomical events that took place in Kuwait. He had photographed the Nova explosion that occurred in 2008 which received news coverage. One of Ahmad’s dreams is to become the first Arab to land on the moon and other planets of the solar system. For now, it could be an unfulfilled dream given the current Arab situation.

KUWAIT: The Philippines Ambassador to Kuwait Shulan Primavera yesterday spoke out in defense of the Second Filipino Labor Attache Ofelia Castro Hudson, who was accused by some runaway housemaids of having been involved in human trafficking. A number of media outlets in Manila had reported Hudson’s involvement in human trafficking, with Philippines news website ABS-CBN on Saturday quoting a returning runaway housemaid from Kuwait who accused the senior embassy official by name of engaging in human trafficking. The OFW also accused the assistant labor attache of “selling” the domestic workers to agencies in exchange for “cash and gifts.”

Talking to the Kuwait Times yesterday, Ambassador Primavera explained that the complaint against Hudson was related to “the internal dynamics, between the two offices in Kuwait representing Filipino workers - the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The function of both bureaus is to mediate between housemaids, their employers and the recruitment agencies, the ambassador explained.

Talking with the Kuwait Times yesterday morning directly after the screening at his residence of the pay-per-view boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Sugar Shane Mosley, which was also enjoyed by some local Filipino community leaders in Kuwait, the ambassador said that the disagreement between the two offices stems from the misinterpretation of transfer between two employers.

Ambassador Primavera suggested that this misinterpretation could be traced back to the process of transferring from one sponsor to another, which sometimes requires a money exchange between the two sponsors.

Since the original sponsor who had already spent money bringing the housemaid to Kuwait, generally asks for a payment of ‘release’ money from the new employer, said the ambassador, “this process of a transfer involving money is being misinterpreted by some housemaids as human trafficking.” The ambassador categorically rejected that the embassy is or has ever been involved in such activities, pointing out, “The money transaction never happens at the embassy; we are not involved in any way.”

Ambassador Primavera said that the housemaids’ lack of awareness of the ‘release’ money transactions could lead to their misinterpreting it as the embassy being involved in underhand business.

The ambassador reiterated that the embassy has no involvement in financial transactions between sponsors and recruitment agencies. “The embassy is out of the picture when it comes to paying the housemaids’ release money, although we are involved in reconciliation between the four [parties involved]” he said, referring to the old and new employer, the employee and the recruitment agency.

The Manila news media use of the term ‘human trafficking’ to describe this transaction between the sponsors was an unusual choice of description for a standard practice which the embassy has been openly facilitating for some years, the ambassador added.

“Some OFWs who don’t really understand the process of transferring from one sponsor to another have interpreted it as human trafficking, but it’s not and never has been,” Ambassador Primavera added.

The senior diplomat asserted that the behavior of employers, employees and recruitment agencies is governed by laws which state that domestic workers

cannot leave their place of employment within the contracted period. “If a housemaid leaves [her employer], even at contract period, we don’t abandon [the maid] in distress,” the ambassador explained. “The prime responsibility of the two offices [POLO and OWWA] is to look after the welfare of our compatriots; we try our best to resolve their issues.”

Ambassador Primavera said that the reasons commonly cited by housemaids for leaving their jobs vary from non-payment of salaries to mistreatment and being made to work excessively hard or for long hours without time off, amongst others. “Those are the types of cases we try to resolve every day at the embassy; I stress, we’ve never had a case of human trafficking,” he reiterated.

The ambassador explained that the

in helping them, starting with mediating between the employee, employer and the recruitment agency, the diplomat said, explaining, “When new sponsors arrive, we work with the four of them, but without money talk, we don’t deal up to that extent.”

Ambassador Primavera stressed that Hudson is an extremely capable and effective civil servant who has shown the highest moral standards in dealing with cases involving distressed Filipinos.

Housemaids from the Philippines are not generally required to pay a penny towards their travel or recruitment expenses wherever they travel in the world to work, the ambassador went on, adding that the POLO office representatives stationed around the world, and main office, all stipulate that recruitment

KUWAIT: Ambassador Primavera, second left, with other leaders of the community. — Photos by Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Some embassy staff members and leaders of the Filipino community celebrating Manny Pacquiao’s victory at Ambassador Primavera’s residence yesterday. choice of whether to transfer their visas or opt for repatriation is entirely up to the individual housemaids themselves.

“If they wish to go back home, we facilitate their safe and speedy return to Manila,” he said. “If they want to work again since they are already in Kuwait we allow them to work. We are flexible provided her previous employer allows it.”

The moment runaway maids arrive at the embassy, the staff there are involved

agencies must provide the housemaids with return tickets, life insurance and placement fees.

Faced with these expenses, the recruitment agencies pass them on to the maids’ employers, admitted a secretary at one such agency in Kuwait. “We automatically charge employers KD500600 for employing a Filipino housemaid,” she told the Kuwait Times. “So, when a housemaid runs away, the employer will come to us to get back their cash. And

we tell them to release the maids; they only agree [to do so] in exchange for release money, which is most likely a similar amount to what they paid when they hired the housemaid from the Philippines.”

Speaking in her defense, Hudson said that the accusations of human trafficking made against her were “totally fabricated” lies. “I never received cash or gifts from the owners of agencies, I swear on my mother’s and father’s grave it was all lies,” she insisted. “It never happened and I would never sell our compatriots in exchange for cash or gifts.”

For Hudson, the so-called fabricated story will only come out from Attorney William Merginio “He [Merginio] complained and used his volunteer [the maid in question] to come out with this fabricated story back in the Philippines [referring to the ABS-CBN report] as if he was the only guy protecting our compatriots. We all do, but from what I know, this guy’s been in Kuwait for over a year now, and he’s never been any help to us.

He comes at 10 and leaves at 1pm. Then he uses his volunteer to come out and tarnish my image and the embassy’s image. I just hope that he can sleep well after what he did!”

Commenting on Hudson’s accusations Merginio, who faces dismissal from his post at the embassy as a result of the media furor, said that everything that has happened will ultimately have positive results. “Because of what happened I know, the wards will benefit greatly,” he told the Kuwait Times. “I hope that Manila will somehow take a look at the situation of runaway housemaids in Kuwait. There are some abuses going on, but let the wards express their comments; they can tell the truth. There are some secretaries of recruitment agencies who are conniving with POLO officers. Really, I see it as inappropriate to make friends with agencies, and we have staff who are befriending them; it is a conflict of interest. I hope that we will be guided by our ethics and I hope that the problems here will be resolved after this thing happened at my expense.”

The Philippine Labor Attache to Kuwait, Vivo Vidal, expressed disappointment at what he called the “biased (news) report.”

“They should at least call us and ask for our side before releasing such a story,” he said. “It was shameful to our mission, shameful to Filipinos and it tarnished our image in Kuwait.”

According to a memo obtained by the Kuwait Times from the Philippine Embassy and signed by the ambassador and the labor attache, Merginio has been notified of the termination of his service in his capacity as Welfare Officer.

Around 250 runaway Filipina housemaids are currently housed at the Jabriya shelter constructed especially for this purpose, with the embassy receiving at least 10-15 runaway housemaids every day.

‘Visit visas will not be converted to residence permits’ KUWAIT: Family visit visas and tourist visas will not be converted into residence permits under any circumstance, Mohammad Al-Kandari Undersecretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor said. AlKandari said that the ministry has enforced the regulation in order to put an end to visa trading that paves the way for human trafficking.

He said that the ministry has no objection towards converting tourists visas into residence permits if it falls within the ambit of the same organization and sponsor that offered the (visit) invitation. That is, one cannot enter Kuwait on a visit visa offered by one company and seek residence

KUWAIT: Detectives from the General Department of Drugs Control arrested a Syrian national from Hawally after receiving a tip off on his drug peddling activities. At least 50 grams of hashish and weigh scales were seized from his possession. The suspect told authorities that he bought the contraband from a bedoon who was arrested in AlZour. —Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

permit transfer with another. He stated that the commercial visit should strictly concern business.

Separately, he pointed out that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in association with other ministries plans to alter the country’s population structure so that the number of expatriates do not exceed that of Kuwaitis, reported Alshahed.

Al-Kandari explained that the ministry has received instructions from the political leadership to reduce the percentage of expatriates in general without targeting specific nationalities. An emphasis will be laid on reducing unemployment among Kuwaitis and training them on the

job, he added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor(MSAL) revealed that the Labor Committee has prepared a memorandum to allow a ‘grace’ period for laborers who have been registered as per Article 20. This is so that they can be transferred to the private sector under the same sponsor. The memo will be referred to the minister after the requisite formalities are completed, reported Alanba. The time period suggested is three months. Thereafter, the decision will be evaluated and it will be stopped or extended for another three months. The period will commence as of first June.

KUWAIT: A fire broke out in a chemical factory in Subhan. Fire engines from the area and Mubarak AlKabeer fire centers were sent to the scene. The blaze engulfed a warehouse covering an area of 3,000 square meters. It is used to store gasoline, kerosene and raw chemicals. It was triggered by an exhaust fan placed near a gasoline tank. —Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

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AOU to host Chocolate Day KUWAIT: The Students Activities Office of the Arab Open University will host a ‘Chocolate Day’ on May 16, 2011. This will be held as part of several activities that are organized during the second term and supervised by Students Activities Coordinator Tahani Al-Ajmi.

This announcement was made by Students Affairs Officer Misfer Al-Omar, who stated in a press statement that the activity - which will begin at 6:00 pm will feature participation of various chocolate manufacturers, as well as organize several competitions, including an event to select the best dish.

Meanwhile, Al-Omar noted that the football team’s training sessions have been resumed at the AOU stadium.

These will take place thrice a week: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm every Saturday, Monday and Wednesday.

Sharing online info will expedite ministry work KUWAIT: The Ministr y of Social Affairs and Labor’s labor department has reached an agreement with the Ministry of Interior’s general migration depar tment and the Central Investigations Department to share their online databases and information.

Senior officials from the three bodies agreed on the shared venture during a recent meeting at which they looked into ways of improving working practices, with especial regard to handling reports of absconding expatriate workers, according to an official who attended the meeting.

The shared system will help expedite this work, as well as assisting in finding new recommendations and solutions to challenges in this field through facilitating the exchange of ideas between the three bodies, the official added. — Al-Qabas

Kuwait among leading states in caring for persons with disability KUWAIT: Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammad Al-Kandari reiterated here yesterday that Kuwait is among the leading countries at the Gulf and Arab level in terms of the special care given to people with special needs.

Al-Kandari recalled Law No. 8/2010 pertinent to care provided to disabled persons, thus, adding more care and privileges for people with disabilities.

At the opening of the second Arab Forum for the Blind which runs until May 12, the undersecretary pointed out that the state has been very concerned with issues and needs of the disabled persons for

more than 40 years, saying that such care is an extension and integration with what the state provides for the integration of this class in society based on the principle that the various forms of disability were not an obstacle to the achievement of their goals in various fields.

He praised the efforts of the Kuwaiti Society for the Blind for its care and achievements for the blind not only on the local level, but at the Gulf, Arab and international levels as well that aim to develop their skills, pointing to the special attention His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attaches to this segment of the society. — KUNA

Row over Kuwait TV red headdress continues KUWAIT: Kuwait TV announcer Hassan Al-Ajmi has threatened to reignite the row at the state-run station over the colors of the headdresses worn by male newsreaders and announcers.

After Ministry of Information Undersecretary Yousef Mustafa issued a press release denying reports that he had instructed these staff members not to wear red shmaghs (traditional headdresses) during a recent meeting, Al-Ajmi who attended the meeting in question insisted that Mustafa had indeed stipulated that red headdresses should not be worn since, according to the ministry official, they did not reflect Kuwaiti identity.

Al-Ajmi’s statement was also confirmed by a number of the other Kuwait TV announcers and newsreaders who were present at the meeting. Mustafa has not yet reacted to the latest statement from Al-Ajmi or the other newsreaders and announcers. — Al-Jarida

KUWAIT: Various activities at the second Arab Forum for the Blind in Kuwait yesterday.

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Brawl breaks out in Farwaniya hospital, seven people injured Salmiya burglar steals KD8,000 KUWAIT: Seven people were rushed to Farwaniya Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after sustaining lifethreatening stab wounds in a vicious brawl that broke out elsewhere in the hospital. Police arrested one Somali man who was involved in the fight, whilst five other individuals involved in it managed to escape. On being interviewed, the detained suspect was found to be a fugitive who went on the run after being sentenced to a five-year prison term over a case involving physical assault and theft.

The brawl also resulted in serious damage to property in the hospital, and a case has been registered at Andalus police station, with an investigation into the melee already underway.

Wataniya Telecom sponsored ‘Downtown’ Expo KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom sponsored “Downtown” Expo recently which was organized under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs and Development and with the presence of Sheikh Dhari Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

Aiming at supporting young businessmen and businesswomen and developing their businesses and promoting growth as well as encouraging the participation of the community, Downtown was held from 5 to 7 this month at the International Fairs Ground in Mishref.

Wataniya Telecom stresses the fact that since its foundation and in sponsoring this event, it continues supporting all activities that would serve the community and enhances the development of the local economy in various fields and activities.

Abdolaziz Al-Balool, Director of Public Relations Wataniya assured the fact that “Wataniya has always looked up to youth in the society and consider it a very significant initiative, and sponsoring Downtown was part of this initiative” “Our participation emphasizes the insistence of the company to support this important group of society and develop their capacities and praise their work. It has achieved the desired goal of our vision and it shows great success in creating a link between young people and all members of the society. It was an ideal way to help young people achieve their dreams and support them in running successful professional experiences locally” Al-Balool further added.

Al-Balool described the exhibition as “a good opportunity for young businessmen and businesswomen in taking part in this exhibition which was attended by a distinct class of the business community of young people who had the opportunity to intermingle and show-

case goods, products and ideas that have certainly won the admiration of visitors.”

Best Local Business Award was handed over to one of the participants for her creativity in fashion design.

Wataniya awarded her a valuable prize.

Downtown expo witnessed the participation of best professionals and owners of small and distinct initiatives, which focused on various business activities including fashion, perfume...etc; all presented in an innovative professional way.

Al-Balool included saying that “Wataniya Telecom will continue supporting individuals and push plans which are designed to make Kuwait a leader in the region”.

Wataniya Telecom was commercially launched in 1999 as the first privately owned operator in Kuwait.

National Mobile Telecommunications Company (NMTC) trading under the brand name Wataniya Telecom is listed in the Kuwait Stock Exchange and has operations in 6 countries including Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria and Palestine.

Expat child saved Coastguards plucked a five-yearold Arab expatriate girl from the Gulf after she was carried away by waves during a family day out at the beach, with officials saying that the life jacket she was wearing may well have saved her life. The coastguards rushed to the scene after the girl’s panic-stricken parents called emergency services on being unable to rescue her since she had drifted out so far from the shore during her swim. The girl was quickly reunited with her relieved family, and the incident was reported at the nearest police station.

Quicksand rescue Police officers helped rescue a Chinese woman who got stuck in an unpopulated desert area in Subbiya after her car sank into quicksand there. After the woman, who was in the area carrying out work for her job as a contractor, called emergency services for assistance, police officials quickly located her using satellite technology and the car was towed to safety. The woman gave a full report on the incident to officers at the area’s police station.

Safe stolen Detectives are looking into a series of break-ins at a brokerage

firm headquarters, with the thieves who carried out the latest audacious burglary stealing a three-ton safe containing KD63,000. The company owner who discovered the theft on his arrival at work told police that this was the latest of three break-ins, although the previous two had been unsuccessful, with the thieves failing to get past the company’s security features.

The disgruntled owner has voiced dissatisfaction with the police’s reaction, asserting that they had failed to take his previous reports seriously when he informed them of the two failed break-in attempts. He also complained at the lack of any police presence in the busy area, saying that the burglars must have dragged the heavy safe for at least 15 meters before somehow loading it into a getaway vehicle of some sort, and that they could have been deterred in their plans by a greater police presence.

car at high speed around the area.

The officers quickly located the man and forced him to pull over, rapidly concluding that he was intoxicated, although they were unable to find any gun. He was taken into custody and has been referred to the relevant authorities, whilst the investigation into the case is continuing.

Drunks held Three young Kuwaitis - one man and two women - were arrested after verbally assaulting a police officer who pulled their vehicle over after spotting them acting suspiciously. The officer quickly concluded that all three were extremely drunk and called for backup after the trio began swearing at and insulting him when he requested their ID. The drunken trio were taken to Rumaithiya police station, where they told officers that before being pulled over they had just left an apartment where they had drunk copious amounts of alcohol, insisting that they had refused to show their IDs in order to “avoid bringing shame” on their families’ reputations. The three were kept into custody to sober up and have been referred to the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, another Kuwaiti motorist was arrested in Abdally Street for drinking and driving, as well as dangerous driving. Patrol officers were quickly at the scene after a passerby reported that a gun-wielding driver was driving his

Smuggler thwarted An Arab expatriate truck driver was referred to the General Department for Drug Control (GDDC) after customs officers at Abdally border checkpoint discovered 900 narcotic tablets hidden in secret compartments in his vehicle.

The would-be smuggler is now in custody awaiting trial.

Theft case Police are hunting for a burglar who stole a total of KD8,000 in cash from two adjacent flats in a Salmiya apartment block. Crime scene investigators were at the scene shortly after the two tenants reported the thefts, with several other tenants in the building and neighboring apartment blocks being questioned since the culprit had apparently ensured that both flats’ occupants were out before burgling them, indicating that the thief had monitored their movements. The investigation into the burglaries is continuing.

Travel bans

The Ministry of Justice has issued, through the General Department of Execution, 150,000 subpoenas and travel ban orders starting 2010 until today. He has knowledge of the ministry’s statistical reports.

Officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the statistics were not officially made available to the press, explained that 77,050 people were banned from travelling during that period.

Subpoenas were issued against 73,341 especially concerning unpaid dues.

The official gave an estimated total of KD 1.46 billion inunpaid dues, reported Al-Qabas.

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Replacement of Al-Roudhan most notable change

Kuwait Digest

Kuwait’s new cabinet line-up KUWAIT: With yesterday’s official Cabinet announcement, the replacement of former Minister of Cabinet Affairs Roudhan AlRoudhan stands out as the most notable last minute change to the line-up. It retains most of the members who were mentioned in Cabinet formations that appeared in the local press.

Al-Roudhan was the only elected parliament member who found a place in the Cabinet. His exclusion from the Cabinet means that he will now embrace his role as a lawmaker. In the meantime, MP Ali AlRashid was selected in his place. Al-Rashid is a long-time lawmaker who is known for his pro-government views. He joined the Cabinet for the first time during his political career.

Earlier news reports had indicated that a controversy emerged a few hours before the new Cabinet was officially announced.

This is after Al-Roudhan - who was reappointed as the Cabinet Affairs Minister demanded that he be appointed as a deputy prime minister in place of former Justice and Islamic Affairs Minister Rashid Al-Hammad. He was almost certainly excluded from the new Cabinet.

According to Cabinet insiders who have knowledge of the final meetings that took place preceding an official announcement, Al-Roudhan argued that he deserves to be appointed as a deputy premier in the capacity of the duties of a Cabinet Affairs Minister. Al-Roudhan had also explained that he agreed to allow Chancellor Rashid Al-Hammad take the Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs post the previous Cabinet, as per Al-Hammad’s position as Head of the Judicial Authority. Officials confirmed that Al-Roudhan made his intentions while exiting the Cabinet as soon as he learned that Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi would replace Al-Hammad as the newest deputy premier. He defended his position under the pretext of it being ‘a matter of principle.’

Of course, Dr Al-Afasi was appointed in the new Cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor.

Meanwhile, it has also been reported that His Highness the Prime Minister

Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah had instructed new ministers before the Cabinet’s announcements, about referring potential interpellation motions. HH the premier will face an interpellation motion that was initiated by the Popular Action Bloc(PAB) during numerous occasions.

In the meantime, Sheikh Ahmad AlFahad’s return to the Cabinet - holding the same posts as the previous Cabinet means that the National Action Bloc(NAB) will almost certainly re-file an interpellation motion that was previously presented against him. Bloc member MP Saleh AlMulla confirmed in a report, before the Cabinet’s official announcement. The interpellation motion should be filed as soon as Al-Fahad’s name is officially confirmed. AlMulla made a sarcastic remark at Al-Fahad referring to his sports background, “I hope [Al-Fahad] will enter a training camp during the Cabinet’s resignation period to prepare himself to face the NAB.” Dr Hilal Al-Sayer returned to take the Health Ministry’s portfolio. He is widely expected to face an interpellation motion that will be followed by a No-Confidence motion after several lawmakers clearly voiced their rejection at being re-appointed soon. His name appeared in the rumored Cabinet line-up, reported AlQabas.

In a statement issued recently, Development and Reform Member Dr Faisal Al-Mislem said prior to the Cabinet’s announcement, that his Bloc does not have high hopes “in any Cabinet that was formed

by Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah,” further reiterating his Bloc’s belief that “[Sheikh Nasser’s] seventh Cabinet is destined to fail.” Furthermore, the oppositionist lawmaker said that the premier was “too busy solidifying majority support in the Parliament at the expense of improving the conditions of the state’s institutions and laws. These will lead to such things as wastage of public funds and damage Kuwait’s’ historic relations with other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.” Moreover, Dr Al-Mislem said that the prime minister will lose majority support in the Parliament “the moment both parties express conflicting opinions.”

Lawsuit against MSAL KUWAIT: Three board members from three different co-operative societies have filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor(MSAL) demanding that elections be held to choose board members of Kuwait Union for the Consumer Co-operative Societies.

During a press conference held recently,

Mohammad Al-Mutairi from Jleeb AlShuyoukh Co-operative Society, Abdullatif Al-Abduljaleel from the Kaifan Co-operative Society and Ahmad Al-Bughaili from the Far waniya Co - operative Society argued that the MSAL has violated the law by suspending KUCCS board membership elections.

A jihadist or a terrorist?

By Mubarak Al-Maosharji

O

KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received the National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi at Bayan Palace yesterday.

Contracting sector the first to recover in Gulf KUWAIT: The contracting sector appears set to be the first to recover from the financial crisis in the Gulf Cooperation Council, as bigger state spending is pushing the real estate sector up, an economic report here indicated.

The Mazaya Holding report said GCC states are now giving contractors projects and this is bringing hope of a recovery in the real estate sector which would pave the way for a wider boom in the sector across the region.

The report pointed out the decision

by Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) to set up a real estate portfolio on a capital of KD 1 billion to invest in the local real estate sector, excluding private housing properties.

This step came to make gains on both medium and long term from the sharp drop in property prices and the availability of investment opportunities at present. The management of the portfolio is to be entrusted to specialized bodies within specific guidelines. Kuwait Finance House was selected to run the first phase, with room to name other bodies to run

part of the capital.

The report also pointed out the Saudi development plans, ongoing for years, and the development plans announced

by Qatar, particularly those announced following the country’s selection to host the 2022 world cup, would have the greatest impact on the real estate sector in the region after “strong shocks” that followed the global financial crisis of 2008.

Following the Q1 results for 2011, there is cautious optimism among those in the GCC real estate sector, particularly since most markets are showing signs of recovery and apparent tendency for hikes within the few coming months, most specifically in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi.

The report also mentions that incidents in several Arab countries helped direct focus to the Arabian Gulf states as a stable environment and destination for work and for investment, and said demand for GCC real estate is on the rise in general, most notably in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. — KUNA

sama bin Laden was a man who believed in propagating an extremist religious ideology. The United States first supported him as a ‘spiritual leader’ that waged a religious war against Russian troops in Afghanistan. During that time, America provided Osama with political and artillery support, in addition to providing training to his troops. But after the US mission came to a triumphant end, bin Laden was discarded by the United States. They then tried to eliminate him in what soon sparked a war waged against the US and its allies. The entire world became the battlefield of this vicious war which left hundreds of thousands of people dead and cost an estimated $3 billion in losses. It seriously hurts Islam’s image and caused ‘Islamophobia’ to grow in non-Muslim communities around the world.

While he aided the US in their ‘war of supremacy’ against the Soviets, Osama bin Laden gave America a reason to take over the entire world under the pretext of fighting global terrorism. Thanks to that cause, US troops are now spread all over the world. Countries have been invaded, regimes toppled. In addition, millions of dollars have been lost in funding wars. While US troops were looking for bin Laden in caves of Tora Bora, Afghanistan, the Al-Qaeda leader led a sheltered life within a huge compound at a top class neighborhood in one of Pakistan’s cities.

Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden also performed much service to the United States, specifically to President Barack Obama. His popularity among voters has increased by 13 percentage following Al-Qaeda leader’s killing. It would increase his chances of being re-elected to a second presidency term.

Osama bin Laden was eliminated in an operation carried out by a special team of Navy SEALs that approximately cost $400 million. News reports have been doing the rounds about bin Laden being unarmed and being killed in front of his family. The US refrained from releasing pictures for his body because they were ‘gruesome.’ Bin Laden’s killing - and subsequent sea burial - has been seen by many as an attempt by the United States to protect its national security from threats that could be imposed from events that could have taken place if the Al- Qaeda leader was captured alive.

Does that mean that Osama bin Laden’s name will eventually be forgotten? I don’t think so. If anything, Argentinean rebel Che Guevara’s name is still being chanted with pride by young people around the world, decades following his elimination by US intelligence at a Bolivian forest in 1967. Che Guevara’s ideologies are still donned by several left-wing revolutionary groups in South America. Was Osama bin Laden a jihadist, a terrorist or an agent? An accurate answer for this question will perhaps never be known. One thing can be said for sure, no one has done favors to the United States of America as much as bin Laden has. — Al-Rai

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

US takes heat off Pakistan on bin Laden’s hide-out Page 12

‘Miracle’ operation rescues 500 Libya refugees in Italy Page 10

Regime hunts opponents in Syrian towns Child killed as Syrian forces crack down

HOMS: In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad carry his pictures as military police load the coffins of eleven killed soldiers and security force members into ambulances before sending them to their families for burial, in front of a military hospital. — AP AMMAN: Syrian tanks and troops stormed three districts of the central city of Homs and swept into several southern towns yesterday, residents said, in a campaign to crush an uprising against autocratic Baathist rule. In the first incursion into residential areas in Homs, Syria’s third city, machinegun fire and shelling was heard across the city of one million people, they told Reuters. At least one civilian, a 12-year-old child, was killed when tanks and troops charged into the Bab Sebaa, Bab Amro and Tal AlSour districts of Homs overnight, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“The areas have been under total siege since yesterday. There is a total blackout on the numbers of dead and injured, Telecommunications and electricity are repeatedly being cut with the districts,” the Observatory

said in a statement. A human rights campaigner in Homs said by telephone: “There are reports of (more) deaths but they cannot be confirmed.

I cannot get out of my house. Security forces are everywhere.” A man was killed when security forces smashed their way into his home in the southern town of Tafas, a rights campaigner in the Hauran Plain region said.

Scores were arrested in Tafas.

“They are using the Israeli way.

They come with lists of hundreds of wanted names and besiege whole towns,” he said. The pro-democracy upheaval that began in Deraa on March 18, inspired by similar revolts across the Arab world, spread on Friday across Hauran, an agricultural belt bordering Jordan to the south and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the west. Protesters are demanding political freedoms, an

end to corruption and the departure of President Bashar Al-Assad, who has said they are part of a foreign conspiracy to cause sectarian strife-an accusation the demonstrators dismiss.

Syrian authorities have blamed the nearly two months of violence on “armed terrorist groups” they say are operating in Deraa, Banias, Homs and other parts of the country, which has been ruled by the Assad family for the last 41 years. Assad’s father, Hafez, who was president for 30 years until his death in 2000, brutally suppressed an armed Islamist uprising in 1982 in which around 30,000 people were killed. A human rights group says security forces have killed at least 800 civilians in the seven-week-old uprising.

Tanks moved into the towns of Tafas, Dael and Ibtaa in the Hauran Plain yesterday. Residents said they

heard gunfire and that army and forces broke into houses to arrest youths.

The three towns have a combined population of around 80,000 people.

The army intensified its presence in Hauran after partially pulling out of Deraa this week and redeploying in nearby rural communities, witnesses said.

“We knew they would not forgive us for our solidarity with Deraa. They are also targeting Tafas because it is harbouring lots of the youth who escaped the attack on Deraa,” one of the residents of Tafas said. Tens of thousands of villagers from Hauran converged on Tafas on Friday and chanted slogans demanding Assad’s overthrow. Prevented from entering Deraa, still encircled by tanks after nearly two weeks, they staged one of the largest demonstrations in Hauran

despite the heavy security presence in the plain, witnesses said.

In Banias on the Mediterranean coast, where human rights campaigners said Syrian forces shot dead six civilians in an attack on Sunni Muslim districts on Saturday, mass arrests continued, rights activists said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 200 more people had been arrested in Banias by soldiers in raids on houses in the city, including a 10-year-old child. Among them was a doctor, Hanan Iman, who was detained while she was treating an injured man in a street, the Observatory said, adding that dozens of women were arrested in Marqab, a village 3 km (two miles) from Banias.

A Western diplomat has said 7,000 people in all had been arrested in security sweeps since mid-March.

Until the uprising began, Assad-from

the minority Shi’ite Alawite sect-had been emerging from Western isolation after defying the United States over Iraq and reinforcing an antiIsrael bloc with Iran, increasing Syrian Sunni concerns. The attack on Banias this weekend raised sectarian tension.

The West had been working on rehabilitating Assad on the international stage over the last three years to wean Damascus off its Iran alliance and encourage peace moves with Israel, but his crackdown on dissent has put that rapprochement on hold.

The United States, reacting to the death of 27 protesters on Friday, threatened to take new steps against Syria’s Alawite rulers. Washington imposed more targeted sanctions on Syrian officials but excluded Assad himself. The European Union later imposed similar sanctions. — Reuters

12 dead in Egypt clash, government vows action CAIRO: Egypt’s military rulers vowed yesterday to crack down on religious violence after 12 people died in clashes in a Cairo suburb sparked by unconfirmed suspicions that Christians had abducted a woman who converted to Islam. The inter-faith conflict on Saturday was Egypt’s worst since 13 people died in violence on March 9 that followed a church burning and threw down a new challenge for generals ruling the country since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf cancelled a tour of Gulf Arab states to chair a cabinet meeting where the government decided to deploy more security near religious sites and toughen laws criminalizing attacks on places of worship.

Tension was high and the army cordoned off streets near the Saint Mina church, where about 500 conservative Salafist Muslims massed on Saturday to call on Christians to hand over the woman. The Salafists were joined by other Muslims who demanded access to the church to see if the woman was inside. Tensions flared, gunfire broke out and the two sides exchanged firebombs and stones, witnesses said. Soldiers and police fired shots in the air and used teargas to separate the two sides but stone-throwing in streets near the church went on through the night. A power cut plunged the neighbourhood into darkness, making it harder for the security forces to quell the violence.

Another church nearby, Saint Mary’s, was set on fire and badly damaged. One witness said the fire at

Saint Mary’s was started by thugs and that the Salafists had tried to stop them. Confused accounts of who stoked the violence and began the shooting led to heated arguments in the working class neighborhood’s narrow streets yesterday.

“God knows if the story of this convert girl is true or rumors but, regardless, she does not add to Islam or reduce Christianity,” said Dina Mohamed, a housewife living near Saint Mary’s. “Why are we focused on such matters when we are in a country that can barely stand on its feet?” As bulldozers cleared away the debris at Saint Mary’s yesterday, an argument broke out between a group of Muslims and Christians in front of the church, attracting a bigger crowd. Security forces fired shots in the air and the crowd dispersed.

“My son attends mass at this church. How can we ever feel safe?” said Nashaat Boshra, who stood crying in front of Saint Mary’s. “This is religious strife facilitated by the army and police. Let’s just face the truth.” Egypt’s highest religious authority, Al-Azhar, held an emergency meeting to discuss the clashes.

The governor of Giza province, where the church lies, said relatives of the dead and injured would receive compensation. Injured Muslims and Christians being treated in hospital showed reporters small holes that looked like shotgun wounds. State media said 12 died and 232 were wounded. Medical sources said 65 of the injured were shot.

Egypt’s army said yesterday that 190 people would be tried in military courts over Saturday’s

violence. “I think the army is in a state of confusion,” said Gamal Eid, a prominent author and human rights activist. “It is afraid to take serious action against extremists so as not to be accused of suppressing these movements.” Christian lawyer Peter el-Naggar blamed the clashes on Salafists seeking the support of more moderate Muslims. “ They want to gain the sympathy of the Egyptian Muslims and they think that by doing what they are doing, they would reach this goal and gain political ground,” Naggar said. Sectarian strife often flares in Egypt over conversions, family disputes and the construction of churches. Muslims and Christians made demonstrations of unity during the protests that overthrew Mubarak, but interfaith tensions have grown. Some Christians said the security forces had been too slow to disperse the crowd in front of Saint Mina and looked on as tension got out of hand. Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 80 million population.

Secular Egyptians have voiced unease at what they see as a lax approach to violence by Salafists since Mubarak’s overthrow, saying an emphasis by the government on reconciliation not punishment sends a signal that such violence is acceptable.

Hundreds gathered in Alexandria to call for religious unity and punishment for those who took part in Saturday’s violence. “They must strike with an iron fist against anyone who has killed an Egyptian, regardless of their religion or political orientation,” said Christian college student Mina Gergis, 22. —Reuters

CAIRO: Copts look out from a window of the burned Virgin Mary church in the Imbaba neighborhood yesterday. — AP

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18 die in jailbreak attempt in Baghdad Qaeda’s ‘Amir of Baghdad’ among dead BAGHDAD: Eighteen people, including an Al-Qaeda leader and a senior Iraqi counter-terrorism official, died in a battle between inmates and security officers during a jailbreak attempt in Baghdad yesterday, security officials said. Huthaifa AlBatawi, known as Al-Qaeda’s “Amir of Baghdad” and accused of a deadly attack on a Catholic church, was killed along with 10 other senior Al-Qaeda militants, said Baghdad’s security spokesman Major-General Qassim Al-Moussawi. The skirmish at an Interior Ministry counter-terrorism unit jail complex in Baghdad’s central Karrada district began when a prisoner grabbed a gun from a guard, killed several guards and ministry officers, and gave a weapon to other inmates, Moussawi said.

HAMAD TOWN: A vendor takes copies of Al-Wasat newspaper from a stand, yesterday. Al-Wasat, which was the country’s main opposition newspaper until new editors were appointed after old ones came under investigation, had earlier announced that yesterday would be its final issue. However, Al-Wasat reported on its front page yesterday that it would continue publishing. —AP

Bahrain King to lift state of emergency MANAMA: Bahrain’s king has ordered a state of emergency to be lifted from June 1, after imposing it following weeks of Shi’ite-led street protests in the Gulf Arab kingdom, the state news agency said yesterday. Bahrain, where the Sunni king rules over a Shi’ite majority, declared emergency law in March before forcibly quelling the protests calling for greater political freedoms, a constitutional monarchy and an end to sectarian discrimination. “The state of national safety is lifted across the kingdom of Bahrain from June 1, 2011,” state news agency BNA quoted the king’s decree as saying. It had been due to expire in mid-June.

As Bahrain moved to put down the protests, neighboring Sunni-led Gulf states sent troops to back its forces, in turn boosting regional tension with nearby Shi’ite rival Iran, which Bahrain accuses of helping instigate the protests. Since then, Bahrain has targeted demonstrators.

Hundreds have been arrested and dozens put on trial in special courts. Others have been fired from government jobs. The main Shi’ite opposition group Wefaq welcomed the king’s move to lift emergency law as “very good news” and said it was the first sign authorities were relaxing their grip.

“The security forces can still do their normal business but we don’t have to have the army in the streets,” said Jasim

Husain, a Wefaq politician. “I expect more gestures from the king in coming weeks.

We have to get our house in order and move on as a nation.” At least 29 people, all but six of them Shi’ites, have been killed since the protests started in February, inspired by Arab revolts against autocratic rule that toppled the rulers of Egypt and Tunisia. The six non-Shi’ites killed were an Indian and a Bangladeshi and four policemen, several of whom were hit by cars.

Bahrain put 21 opposition activists on trial in special courts yesterday, charged with trying to topple the government.

They included Shi’ite dissident Hassan Mushaimaa, leader of the opposition group Haq who has called for the overthrow of the Sunni al-Khalifa monarchy, and Ebrahim Shareef, the Sunni leader of the secular Waad group that has called for a constitutional monarchy but has not joined those seeking to oust the king.

The defendants, who also include a human rights activist who is a Danish citizen, were put on trial in a hybrid civilianmilitary court where military prosecutors try the case before a panel of one military and two civilian judges. “Lawyers were called less than 24 hours before the trial started. They did not have time to prepare,” Nabeel Rajab of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights said. State media said the trial was later adjourned to May 12 to give lawyers more time. —Retuers

Inmates controlled a section of the facility for several hours before a SWAT team brought the siege to an end, security officials said. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri AlMaliki ordered an investigation into the incident and told security forces to be extra vigilant. “We must not allow such setbacks to happen in the security field,” Maliki said in a statement issued by his office. Iraqi security forces are preparing to take sole responsibility for security ahead of a full withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by Dec 31 in line with a joint security pact. The jail housed about 250 inmates, many of them members of AlQaeda, one source said.

“Security forces and guards responded to the jail of the counter-terrorism department and killed 11 terrorist-prisoners ... including Huthaifa Al-Batawi, the Amir of Baghdad, who was in charge of planning the church attack ,” Moussawi said.

Moussawi said seven security officers-including Brigadier Muaid Mahdi, head of investigations at the counter-terrorism unit-were killed in the skirmish and one other was wounded. A senior security official, who asked not to be named, said eight terrorism suspects, most facing death sentences, were killed along with nine security officers, three of them senior officials.

Batawi was arrested along with 11 others in late November in connection with the Oct 31

BAGHDAD: Mourners carry the coffin of Brigadier Muaeid Mohammed Saleh during his funeral yesterday. Salah, the head of a department responsible for combating terrorism and organized crime in eastern Baghdad, was killed when prisoners entered his office and shot him along with another officer who was in the room. —AP assault on Our Lady of Salvation church during Sunday mass.

Dozens of hostages and police died when Iraqi forces tried to free more than 100 Catholic hostages. The attack was the bloodiest against Iraq’s Christian minority since the 2003 US-led invasion. Security officials said it was Batawi who started the jail

battle by seizing a guard’s gun in an attempt to flee. Moussawi said the situation at the jail was under control and no prisoners had escaped.

Iraqi security forces have been on high alert for revenge attacks by Al-Qaeda since US commandos killed the group’s leader Osama bin Laden in

Pak istan on Monday. Iraq became a major battlefield for the Islamist militant group after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. One Iraqi security official estimates the group is behind 70 percent of the scores of bombings and other attacks carried out in Iraq every month. —Reuters

Heavy fighting grips besieged Misrata MISRATA: Intense fighting erupted yesterday near Misrata as smoke billowed from fuel depots bombed by Libyan regime forces laying siege to the lifeline port city where rebels awaited arms from Italy. The fighting broke out in the resort area of Burgueya, west of Misrata, the North African country’s third city about 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Tripoli. A thick plume of smoke spread over Misrata from blazing fuel depots bombed a day earlier, while long queues could be seen at fuel stations amid fears of shortages, an AFP correspondent said. Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi “destroyed the only tanks that were full,” said Ahmad Monthasser, a rebel from Misrata.

“Someone pointed out the exact location of the fuel depots. This means inside the city there is a fifth column that is collaborating with Gaddafi,” he said. Government troops have intensified their attacks on the port of Misrata, the main source of supplies to rebels fighting to oust the veteran strongman in western Libya. Misrata is seen as a make-or-break city in the Libyan conflict, which broke out in mid-February after Gaddafi’s security forces waged a bloody crackdown on protests inspired by regime-changing movements in Tunisia and Egypt.

On Friday, Suleiman Fortiya, who represents rebels in Misrata, said they were bracing for a new ground assault on the port city. “I am sure there will be a lot of fighting on the ground in the future. That is what Misrata is worried about

Turkey hosts forum ISTANBUL: The acute problems of the world’s poorest countries form the agenda of a UNbacked conference this week in Turkey, which has sought to balance its traditional Western alliances with growing ties to Africa, the Middle East and other developing regions. The conference of “least-developed countries” lists 48 members, including Afghanistan, where a US-led coalition is fighting Taleban insurgents, and Yemen, where at least 140 protesters have died during months of demonstrations aimed at ousting the president. Up to 10,000 delegates are expected to attend the five-day forum, which starts today.

Among them are UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose oil-rich country is not in the list of poorest countries. —AFP

because he (Gaddafi) is doing a big preparation to march on Misrata,” he said. On Saturday, Gaddafi’s troops unleashed a salvo of Grad rockets on towns in Libya’s western mountains near the border with Tunisia as it bombed Misrata’s fuel depots.

At least nine rebels were killed and 50 wounded in fierce clashes in the northwestern town of Zintan as Gaddafi forces pressed the insurgents on several fronts. The day before, Gaddafi’s forces dropped mines into Misrata’s harbour using small helicopters bearing the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems, the rebels said. “It seems that the more desperate Gaddafi gets, the more he unleashes his firepower on the people,” said Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, vice-chairman of the opposition National Transitional Council.

A barrage of shells on Saturday struck Zintan and Wazin, western towns near the border with Tunisia, forcing 20,000 people to flee, said Ghoga, while loyalist fighters attacked the southern oasis towns of Ojla and Jalo, which neighbour oil facilities. The towns were “heavily bombarded by Grad missiles,” a rebel information officer told AFP, adding Gaddafi’s troops were “firing randomly” and that overwhelmed rebels had pulled out of Wazin. “The fighting was too heavy for them,” he said. Hundreds of regime troops backed by tanks had come to within 15 kilometers (nine miles) of Zintan’s eastern edge Saturday morning before the insurgents drove them back twice asfar to the Al-Aluwinia area.

It was there that the heaviest fighting took place throughout the day, as black smoke rose from the town virtually emptied of its population.

Gaddafi forces abandoned their vehicles as well as some prisoners. The mountainous area of Zintan, southwest of Tripoli, was one of the first to rise up against Gaddafi’s regime in March.

Rebels last month captured a border post there.

Ghoga said Gaddafi was under immense political and economic pressure from the world community and so was wreaking “havoc on the population, on the civilians and the cities.”

Representatives of the international community have promised $250 million (175 million euros) in humanitarian aid to the rebels and said the Gaddafi regime’s frozen overseas assets, estimated at $60 billion, would be used later to assist the Libyan opposition. Unlocking Gaddafi’s funds abroad would, however, pose “many difficulties” as the international resolutions freezing them remained in force, said Giorgio Sacerdoti, international law professor at the University of Bocconi in Milan.

“The government in Tripoli has not disappeared and the resolutions of the UN and the European Union do not say that he (Gaddafi) is illegitimate,” he added. The economic situation in rebel held areas, including Benghazi, is steadily worsening, with costs of basic commodities skyrocketing and the rebel administration facing shortage of funds as receipts from oil exports have come to a virtual halt. —AFP

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‘Miracle’ operation rescues 500 Libya refugees in Italy Migrants throw themselves into the water

BENGHAZI: A Libyan boy looks out the window of a classroom at a school run by volunteers yesterday. — AFP

Europe’s invisible ‘boots on the ground’ in rebel Libya BENGHAZI: France, Britain and Italy, whose warplanes are bombing Muammar Gaddafi’s military in western Libya, have also put a tiny number of “boots on the ground” in the rebel-held east. But these European soldiers tread lightly. “If you see them please ask them to come and have a cup of tea with me,” joked Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani, the rebels’ military spokesman, when asked for information about what the advisors were up to. Bani declined to let journalists interview the advisors-about 20 Britons, and ten each from Italy and France-while defense and foreign ministries in London, Paris and Rome refused requests to let AFP report on their work.

The advisors are rumored to be holed up in a building on the edge of Benghazi, a port city which has become the rebels’ de facto capital in the wake of the anti-Gaddafi uprising that began in mid-February. There they are working with senior rebel commanders to try and turn a ragtag, poorly armed and badly trained force into a fighting machine that, with the backing of NATO firepower in the air, can defeat the forces loyal to Gaddafi. That process is akin to “trying to turn chaos into order,” said a European military official here who said the advisors were helping set up a command structure and had no plans to take part in training fighters.

There are two main reasons for the glaring imbalance between the massive presence in the air above Libya-NATO says it has flown more than 5,000 sorties to enforce a UN-mandated no-fly zone and to strike Gaddafi military targetsand the tiny presence on the ground.

Photos or TV footage of European soldiers working with Libyan rebels would likely be used by Gaddafi’s propaganda machine as evidence the uprising was orchestrated by Western powers bent on seizing control of the country’s oil. There is also concern about “mission creep.”

Critics of the Libya campaign point out that the United States’ disastrous involvement in Vietnam began with a handful of military advisors but soon developed into a protracted full-scale land war. They fear that what began as

an air campaign to protect civilians could, if Gaddafi is not soon killed by an airstrike or decides to step down, develop into a lengthy campaign in which Western troops end up on the ground in ever greater numbers to support the rebels. The governments of the three countries who currently have advisors here insist they will not let that happen, and to avoid fuelling criticism are keeping their men well out of sight.

Volunteer fighters training at military camps in Benghazi said they had not seen them, as did fighters at the front line about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of here, just beyond the city of Ajdabiya. In Misrata, the rebels’ only major stronghold in the west which has been besieged for the past two months by Gaddafi’s troops, rebel sources say there are at least two French and one British military advisors at work. Two journalists from AFP working in the city were recently locked in a house by a group of rebel fighters because, according to one of the fighters, “the French are walking around in the neighboring streets.”

An AFP journalist also heard a man talking in English with a French accent over the radio to a rebel fighter there. The French government has repeatedly denied it has agents on the ground in Libya who are used to provide information on potential targets for NATO air strikes. Many people in Misrata, where hundreds have been killed in street battles and shelling, say that a handful of military advisors are not enough and call for foreign troops on the ground to help break the siege. But in Benghazi, which in March was saved from being recaptured

by Gaddafi forces by the launch of the Western air strikes, rebels say they are opposed to the idea. “We do not require troops on the ground,” said Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, the vice chairman of the National Transitional Council. “If we can get the necessary weapons we can create a proper plan and put an end to this once and for all.” The European powers with secretive military advisors in Benghazi are also hoping that the rebels will very soon be able to do just that. But they have also so far refused to supply any weapons to help them finish their task. —AFP

Britain’s Clegg promises ‘louder voice’ in coalition LONDON: Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg vowed yesterday that his Liberal Democrats would take a more assertive role in the year-old coalition government after the party took a hammering in elections. The Lib Dems last week lost a referendum on voting reform and fared badly in local elections, apparently taking the blame for harsh public services cuts while Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives escaped unscathed. “The lesson I’ve learned listening to people on the doorsteps is that people want a louder Liberal Democrat voice in government,” Clegg told the BBC. “We need to show people where we have a moderating influence on the Conservatives and we need to stand up for our values and say that loud and clear.” Clegg signaled his new stance by threatening to derail the coalition’s reforms of Britain’s prized state healthcare service unless there were “substantial, significant changes”. But he said there would be no redrawing of the coalition agreement signed by the centrist Lib Dems with the centre-right Conservatives after general elections in May 2010.

He also angrily dismissed a call by the leader of the opposition Labor party, Ed Miliband, for disaffected Lib Dem ministers to jump ship. “If they are not in favor of these Tory policies they should stand up for what they believe or leave the cabinet,” Miliband told Britain’s Observer newspaper. Britain’s first coalition since World War II is under strain after more than two-thirds of voters on Thursday rejected the adoption the Alternative Vote system to elect lawmakers, which Clegg had heavily backed.

The Lib Dems, traditionally Britain’s third-placed party in national elections but strong regionally, also had their worst local council results in a quarter of a century. Clegg had insisted on the referendum as a condition of joining the coalition.

The Lib Dems have accused Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron of “ruthless” betrayal after the anti-AV campaign savaged Clegg for “broken promises”.

The attacks came even though Clegg broke those election pledges in order to support the Conservative-led austerity measures aimed at tackling Britain’s record deficit.

But Cameron reiterated that he expected the coalition to see out its full term and try to get the world’s sixth largest economy back on track. “None of this should break the coalition. Indeed, our determination to lead a successful coalition government-and run it for the full five years of this parliament-is as strong as ever,” Cameron wrote in the Mail yesterday.

After the Lib Dems’ electoral meltdown last week speculation has centered on whether a strengthened Cameron could offer Clegg concessions to keep the coalition afloat; or whether he will push for elections and a full majority. Cameron appeared to indicate the former, saying the partnership with the Liberal Democrats was “absolutely vital”. “Some Conservatives might be thinking of celebrating this weekend-a victory in the referendum and much better results than anyone expected or predicted in council elections. My message is: don’t,” he said.

“The real task is still ahead of us.” — AFP

ROME: Italian coast guards and local fisherman saved all 500 refugees on a boat from Libya early yesterday after their vessel hit rocks off the island of Lampedusa, an operation one rescuer described as a “miracle”. Refugees threw themselves into the water in the night, with some clinging to ropes strung between the rusty fishing boat and the shoreline by rescuers, as officers and local residents dived in to help along the rocky coast. “There were about 500 people on board. It was a difficult situation. Our patrol boats couldn’t come close because of the shallow water and the undertow was very strong,” said Antonio Morana, a coast guard spokesman.

Many refugees including women and children were later seen wrapped in thermal blankets on the shore, according to footage released by coast guards. “The sea was rough and it was pushing the boat towards the coast,” said one coast guard, Davide Miserendino.

“When the first immigrants jumped into the water, we immediately dived in to try and rescue as many as possible,” he added. “When we finished, to be honest, we burst out crying and embracing. We all thought about those children in the sea. It was incredible. It was a real miracle that we managed to rescue everyone,” he said.

“We managed to save all the passengers. We believe there were no victims,” Vittorio Alessandro, another coast guard official, told AFP. Coast guards said local fishermen also helped rescue some of the refugees and the whole operation was lit up by beams from nearby boats. Local residents brought food and clothes for the survivors and a Ghanaian woman with a baby called Wisdom was given diapers and toys.

Most of those on board were

LAMPEDUSA: Migrants arrive on the tiny island of Italy, early yesterday. — AP migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia who have been living in Libya. Thousands of refugees fleeing Libya have been arriving in Lampedusa in recent weeks as the conflict there has escalated. “The bombs forced us to flee. Right now the situation in Libya doesn’t leave us any choice,” a Pakistani refugee was quoted by ANSA news agency as saying.

Lampedusa, which measures 20 square kilometers (eight square miles), is Italy’s southernmost point and is closer to North Africa than to the mainland. Alessandro said the boat had been headed for Malta escorted by the Maltese coast guard but then changed route and went towards Lampedusa. “As it

was coming towards the port of Lampedusa, it suddenly veered towards some rocks. There was major panic on board,” he said. A few of the refugees suffered slight injuries and have been hospitalized. Morana said an investigation was underway into what had gone wrong but he believed there had been “a malfunctioning of the rudder” on the vessel. Also yesterday, another boat carrying 800 refugees from Libya arrived in Lampedusa, a day after two boats with 842 refugees including 101 women and 22 children also fleeing the North African state landed there.

The refugees who arrived on Saturday were ferried to the mainland later yesterday, leaving around

2,500 migrants and refugees still on the island. Lampedusa has received more than 30,000 migrant and refugee arrivals since the start of the year. Most of them are Tunisians in search of a better life in Europe amid continued upheaval in their homeland in the wake of a revolt in January.

Some 150 refugees fleeing Libya are believed to have died on April 6 after their boat capsized in stormy weather in the middle of the Mediterranean. Italian coast guards managed to pluck 53 survivors from the sea. A week later, two women died and another person was reported missing after their overcrowded boat hit rocks on the Italian island of Pantelleria. — AFP

Albania goes to polls in uptight local elections TIRANA: Albanian voters cast their ballots yesterday in local elections seen as a major test of the volatile Balkans nation’s stability as it seeks to emerge from two years of political crisis. The vote, the first political contest between the ruling right and the opposition left since an anti-government demonstration turned deadly in January, started out calmly but in early afternoon incidents were reported from several places. In Shkodra an official of the opposition Socialist Party said he was beaten by pro-government militants. In the capital Tirana, a television crew of national broadcaster Top Channel was attacked in a Democratic Party stronghold. They were beaten and had their camera taken away when they tried to investigate reports of voters with fake identity cards.

Earlier in the morning at the Sabaudin Gabrani school in the central 21 December neighborhood of Tirana the atmosphere was friendly as many voters greeted each other and chatted before entering one of the eight polling stations in the building to vote. Waiting in line to vote in Tirana, Pulinka Krate, a government supporter, said she believed things would stay calm. “That’s the order we got from the authorities, to calm things down and not to react to provocations,” she said.

The international community and the European Union see the polls as an important test for Albania as it struggles to break from a two-year political crisis. Early turnout figures pointed to a bigger turnout than earlier local elections. The vote is being closely monitored by some 5,000

local and international independent observers. The run-up to the elections was marred by violent incidents including three car bombings but observers and politicians said the campaign has actually been calmer than usual, without any fatalities.

After casting his vote Prime Minister Sali Berisha urged voters to remain calm. “It is crucial for Albanian democracy that this vote is in accordance with international standards,” he said. Opposition leader Edi Rama, running for a fourth term as mayor of Tirana, called on people to come out to vote. “I ask all of you: go and vote, I ask you to believe in your vote and the force of your vote,” he appealed.

Albania has been in political stalemate since the opposition rejected the results of parliamentary elections in June 2009, accusing the ruling right-wing Democratic Party of electoral fraud and demanding a recount. The crisis reached its peak in January, when four people were killed and several injured at an antigovernment protest in Tirana. Seven of the elite Republican Guards were briefly detained in connection with the deaths but only one is still in custody as a probe into the incidents continues.

Berisha has dismissed the protesters who stormed the government buildings in January as “criminals paid by the opposition” to start a coup d’etat. The opposition blames the government for the killings and called the investigation into the killing “farcical”. Rama sees the local elections as a referendum on the legitimacy of the government. — AFP

TIRANA: Tirana mayor and main opposition Socialist party leader Edi Rama casts his ballot for the local elections yesterday. — AP

VENICE: Pope Benedict XVI is flanked by the patriarch of Venice Cardinal Angelo Scola as they cross the Grand Canal in a wooden boat yesterday. Pope Benedict XVI celebrated an open-air Mass yesterday for 300,000 faithful in Venice, the spiritual highlight of his two-day pastoral visit to the lagoon city. It is the first papal visit to the city since John Paul II plied the canals in a gondola 26 years ago. — AP

French trade feels good though voters feel bad PARIS: The French economy is on the move after the dramas of the financial crisis but President Nicolas Sarkozy, down in the polls, is putting a brave face on his record of reform. Industrialists say they are feeling good, the best for 10 years, but the feel-good factor has not fed through to voters. Sarkozy made three main promises, to modernize the country, curb budget deficits and the debt, and to increase jobs and wage packets for the people. Reforms have been made, but the hole in public finances is deeper and people are feeling the pinch of the crisis and now rising prices.

His long-serving Prime Minister Francois Fillon admitted as much at a morale boosting session of the main governing right-wing UMP party this past week, held with one year to go before a presidential election in which Sarkozy is expected to stand again. They had governed “with honesty and courage to modernize France,” but “we’ve had setbacks,” he acknowledged, referring to jobs and living standards. A recent poll said just 17 percent of voters think Sarkozy’s record is “rather positive.” Sarkozy had intended that the initial discomfort of some of the reforms such as a sharp tightening of pension arrangements would be offset by another key measure, a switch away from the effects of the previous Socialist administration’s reduction of the working week to 35 hours. He promised that overtime would be relieved of charges, and that the overall reforms would boost the economy and job market. That was before the financial crisis, economic downturn in advanced economies and a big rise in state spending to cushion the economy. Fillon regretted the gap between the reality of the reforms and the “feelings of the French”. Some leading indicators do point to a strong underlying pick-up in parts of the economy. The French purchasing managers index (PMI), a key leading indicator of manufacturing activity, rose in April to the highest level for 10 and a half years, driven by activity in the services sector.

French industrialists are also increasingly confident about long-term prospects, with the industrial confidence index, a leading signal of drive in the economy, returning to pre-crisis levels. At BNP Paribas bank, Frederique Cerisier said: “Industrialists are very optimistic, they see strong demand and expect activity to continue at a high level.” The government expects growth of 2.25 percent this year, compared to an outlook of 1.6-percent growth for the entire eurozone. —AFP

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Afghanistan security forces continue battle with Taleban Heavy machine-gun fire, explosions ensue on second day

MULTAN: Activists of a local social group Muthahida Shehri Mahaz hold up a banner depicting US President Barack Obama, during a rally to condemn the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden yesterday. — AP

Pakistani villagers bemused by hunt for bin Laden’s trail CHAK SHAH MOHAMMAD: Residents of a quiet Pakistani village were bemused yesterday to find themselves at the centre of the investigation of the secret life of Osama bin Laden, saying there was no way that the Al-Qaeda leader lived there without them knowing. Chak Shah Mohammad village is near the town of Abbottabad where bin Laden was tracked down and killed in a raid by US special forces on May 2, nearly 10 years after he orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. One of his wives, found along with a gaggle of children in a high-walled compound where he had been hiding, told Pakistani investigators they used to live in Chak Shah Mohammad before moving to Abbottabad five years ago.

That brought the attention of a horde of reporters and Pakistani security agents hunting for clues to the movements of the world’s most wanted man during his decade in hiding. But residents of the village at the end of a bumpy road flanked by fields of wheat are both puzzled and a little scared to find themselves at the focus of the investigation. “Everyone in the village knows when a cow has a calf so how could bin Laden and his family hide here?” Mohammad Naseer, a 65year-old retired soldier, said as he took a break from working his fields.

“I can say for sure he wasn’t here.” The village is made up of about 120 small, brick buildings, homes and sheds, and has a population of about 400 people, although many have left for work in cities.

“It’s impossible ... Everyone knows each other,” said government worker Hafiz Rafiq. “We’re all from the same clan so if a guest comes to someone’s house, the whole place knows,” said Rafiq, who rushed home on hearing the village was under the spotlight. Men and women were yesterday cutting the first harvest of their rain-fed wheat crop. Farming folk walking along the roadside carrying sheathes of grain watched as city cars carrying curious media people passed by.

Reporters have zeroed in on cave-like dwellings built into sandy banks in the village. Bin Laden had a long history of living in caves. He helped build an underground complex in the mountains of Afghanistan during the war against Soviet invaders in the 1980s and later took refuge in caves as US B-52 aircraft rained down bombs in the weeks after the Sept 11 attacks. For years since the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden was believed to be hiding in caves in the Hindu Kush mountains.

The tunnel rooms in Chak Shah Mohammad were built by poor folk decades ago, at first for living in but they later used them as stables for their cows.

It seems impossible that the world’s most wanted man and his family would have been able to hide out in them. “You could stay here but you couldn’t hide because people are passing by all the time,” said schoolboy Waqas Haider. But it is not just flocks of reporters who have rushed to the village hoping to put together the pieces of bin Laden’s lost years. —Reuters

KANDAHAR: Gunfire rang out through the main city in Afghanistan’s south after Afghan troops fought running battles with Taleban fighters yesterday, the second day of fighting since scores of insurgents launched waves of attacks on key government and police targets.

Heavy machine -gun fire and explosions echoed across Kandahar city through the morning as Afghan forces, aided by NATO-led coalition troops, tried to mop up pockets of insurgent fighters, including some who had holed up in a shopping mall. Kandahar provincial governor Tooryalai Wesa later declared that the attacks had been put down but, soon after he spoke, bursts of gunfire were heard from the shopping mall from which insurgents had been directing fire on his compound.

At least 18 fighters, many of them suicide bombers, were killed, Wesa said. Three members of the Afghan security forces and one civilian were also killed, he said. Another 40 people were wounded, including 14 policemen, said Wesa, whose compound in the heart of the city was the first to come under attack on Saturday as heavily armed insurgents launched rocket-propelled grenades.

“The last resistance of the insurgents was rooted out and it is all over now,” Wesa had earlier told a media conference before gunfire rang out again. Four insurgents were also captured, all of whom had been part of a mass jailbreak from the city’s main prison about two weeks ago, Wesa said. Interior ministry spokesman Zemari Bashary said eight suicide bombers had blown themselves up during the simultaneous attacks on Wesa’s office, an office of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency and police outposts on Saturday.

The attacks shut down much of Kandahar city. Wesa promised on Saturday that the insurgents would be shot dead “one by one”.

The Taleban claimed responsibility for the bold attacks on the most heavily fortified areas of Kandahar, once a stronghold for the Taleban and the seat of its government, saying they were part of a week-old spring offensive.

Tens of thousands of US, NATO and Afghan troops have concentrated their fight to turn the tide against a growing Taleban-led insurgency in and around Kandahar and in neighboring Helmand province over the past 18 months. US commanders have claimed success in clearing out insurgent strongholds in those areas but acknowledge that gains made so far are not yet entrenched.

The attacks, which used explosives-packed vehicles as well as fighters on foot, were not in

KANDAHAR: Afghan border police force fire at Taleban fighters holed up in the Traffic Department building yesterday. — AFP revenge for the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, a Taleban spokesman said, despite claims to the contrary by Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Other attacks occurred in the neighboring Arghandab river valley west of the city, an important insurgent route for moving men and weapons into Kandahar city.

Violence across Afghanistan last year reached its worst levels since the Taleban were overthrown in late 2001, with record casualties on all sides of the conflict. The Taleban have managed to carry out a number of high-profile attacks inside Kandahar and in

the capital Kabul over the past year despite Afghan and foreign forces beefing up security around both cities.

Last month, hundreds of prisoners, mostly insurgents, escaped from Kandahar’s main jail through a tunnel dug by Taleban militants. A spokesman for Karzai described the escape as a “disaster” for the government. A Taleban spokesman also said escapees from that jailbreak were among “hundreds” of fighters involved in the attacks. It was not possible to verify independently the number of militants who took part in the attacks, and the Taleban often exaggerate their claims. — Reuters

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US takes heat off Pakistan on bin Laden’s hiding place Pakistan rejects US claims of bin Laden control

QUITO: People celebrate after listening favorable reports about a referendum proposed by Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa, Saturday, May 7, 2011. — AP

Ecuador leader plans court makeover after vote boost QUITO: President Rafael Correa vowed a shake-up of Ecuador’s courts after a referendum seemed to strengthen his grip on the OPEC member nation while heightening foes’ fears of autocratic rule. Ballots being counted yesterday showed the leftist leader ahead on all 10 reforms he put to Ecuadoreans in a referendum that is seen as an early indicator of Correa’s prospects in a possible 2013 re-election bid in the Andean country. With 20 percent of ballots counted, the ‘Yes’ vote’s range for the questions was 45 to 51 percent compared with 39 to 44 percent for ‘No’. But even before complete results, Correa declared victory, opposition leaders accepted defeat and government supporters began celebrating a few hours after voting ended on Saturday. “We have to make big changes in the next 18 months. We’re going to face the opposition of mafias within the judiciary,” said Correa, 48, whose declared intention with the referendum was to eradicate corruption and inefficiency in courts.

In office since 2007, Correa should now be empowered to name one of three members of a panel charged with reforming the judiciary and appointing judges to the Supreme Court and lower cour ts.

Allies will effectively choose the other two members. Other reforms should allow the government to limit media ownership and hold journalists “responsible” for storiesmoves critics say threaten freedom of expression. Victor y should also help Correa to rein in dissent in the ruling Alianza Pais movement and better control parliament.

“Correa’s victory makes it difficult to talk in any serious way about the separation of powers in Ecuador,” said a US analyst of the region, Michael Shifter. Having won two presidential elections, Correa is widely expected to try again, although he has said he may prefer to retire with his wife to her homeland in Belgium. “It’s a lit-

tle too soon to say it’s a done deal but I have talked to our sources in Quito and they said they thought this was going to be the beginning of the 2013 campaign,” said Eurasia Group consultancy analyst Risa Grais-Targow.

Analysts do not expect Correa to take any dramatic new measures against foreign investors, whom he has already largely strong-armed into deals more favorable to the state. “I think in the oil sector he’s really already gone as far as he can go,” Grais-Targow said, referring to the recent renegotiation of foreign companies’ contracts in Ecuador. The energetic and eloquent Correa forms part of a regional alliance of leftist Latin American presidents that includes Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia.

Constant critics of US “imperialism,” they have sought to boost state revenues from oil and mineral resources to fund social spending. Major opposition figures acknowledged Correa’s win but said he should take a conciliatory attitude given that the margin did not appear to be as big as the government had forecast. “It wasn’t a thrashing,” the president’s brother and critic Fabricio Correa told Reuters. “It’s time for meditation not triumphalism.”

Correa’s big spending on schools, roads and hospitals has kept him popular with the poor and lower-middle classes. “People have seen some real improvements in their lives. They’ve doubled healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP,” said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research think-tank in Washington. Rivals accuse Correa of having an autocratic streak akin to Chavez in Venezuela and fear he may use the referendum boost to clamp down on foes.

But Correa, the strongest leader in decades in a country notorious for political instability, denies that. “We are here to change our Ecuador in peace and democracy,” he said. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration took some heat off Pakistan yesterday, saying it had no evidence that Islamabad knew Osama bin Laden was living in the country before he was killed by US commandos in a garrison town a short drive from the capital. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is scheduled to “take the nation into confidence” in parliament today, his first statement to the people more than a week after the attack embarrassed the country and raised fears of a new rift between Islamabad and Washington.

Suspicion has deepened that Pakistan’s pervasive Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency, which has a long history of contacts with militant groups, may have had ties with the Al-Qaeda leader-or that at least some of its agents did.

Pakistan has dismissed such suggestions and says it has paid the highest price in human life and money supporting the US war on militancy launched after bin Laden’s followers staged the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on America.

The US national security adviser said that while bin Laden’s residence for several years in a compound in Abbottabad, 50 km (30 miles) north of Islamabad, “needs to be investigated”, there was nothing to suggest the government or security establishment knew he was there. “I can tell you directly that I’ve not seen evidence that would tell us that the political, the military, or the intelligence leadership had foreknowledge of bin Laden,” Tom Donilon told NBC’s “Meet the Press” when asked if Pakistan was guilty of harboring the Al-Qaeda leader. “How could this have happened in Pakistan?”

Donilon said. “We need to investigate it. We need to work with the Pakistanis. And we’re pressing the Pakistanis on this investigation.”

Donilon said Pakistani officials also needed to provide US authorities with intelligence they had gathered from the compound where bin Laden was killed, and access to three wives who are in Pakistani custody. But he added that despite difficulties in the USPakistani relationship, “We’ve also had to work ver y closely with Pak istan in our counter-terror effor ts. More terrorists and extremists have been captured or killed in Pakistan than anyplace else.” Pakistani security officials reacted with skepticism to a US asser tion that bin Laden was actively engaged in directing his far-flung network from his compound in Abbottabad where he

WASHINGTON: In this photo, White House National Security Adviser Tom Donilon appears on NBC’s “Meet the Press”. —AP was killed on May 2.

Washington said on Saturday that, based on a trove of documents and computer equipment seized in the raid, bin Laden’s hideout was an “active command and control centre” for Al-Qaeda where he was involved in plotting future attacks on the United States. “It sounds ridiculous,” said a senior Pakistani intelligence official. “It doesn’t sound like he was running a terror network.” Pakistani officials said the fact that there was no internet connection or even telephone line into the compound where the world’s most-wanted man was hiding raised doubts about his centrality to Al-Qaeda.

Analysts have long maintained that, years before bin Laden’s death, Al-Qaeda had fragmented into a decentralized group that operated tactically without him.

“It’s bull****,” said a senior Pakistani security official, when quizzed on a US intelligence official’s assertion that bin Laden had been “active in operational planning and in driving tactical decisions” of the Islamist militant group from his hideout. On Saturday, the White House released five video clips of bin Laden taken from the compound, most of them showing the Al-Qaeda leader, his beard dyed black, evidently rehearsing the video-taped speeches he sometimes distributed to his followers.

None of the videos was released with sound. A US intelligence offi-

cial said it had been removed because the United States did not want to transmit bin Laden’s propaganda. But he said they contained the usual criticism of the United States as well as capitalism. While several video segments showed him rehearsing, one showed an ageing and grey-bearded bin Laden in a scruffy room, wrapped in a blanket and wearing a ski cap while watching videotapes of himself. “ This compound in Abbottabad was an active command and control centre for AlQaeda’s top leader and it’s clear ... that he was not just a strategic thinker for the group,” the US intelligence official said in Washington.

“He was active in operational planning and in driving tactical decisions.”

The duelling narratives of bin Laden reflect both Washington’s and Islamabad’s interests in peddling their own versions of bin Laden’s hidden life behind the walls of his compound. Stressing bin Laden’s weakness makes his discovery just a few minutes’ walk from a military academy less embarrassing for Pakistan, but playing up his importance makes the US operation all the more victorious.

The competing claims came as senior Pakistani officials said bin Laden may have lived in Pakistan for more than seven years before he was shot dead. One of bin Laden’s widows, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah, told investigators bin

Laden and his family had spent five years in Abbottabad. Abdulfattah, along with two other wives and several children, were among 15 or 16 people detained by Pakistani authorities at the compound after the raid. She said that before Abbottabad, bin Laden had stayed in a nearby village for nearly twoand-a-half years.

Residents of the village of Chak Shah Mohammad, at the end of a bumpy road flanked by fields of wheat, were both puzzled and a little scared to find themselves at the focus of the investigation.

“Everyone in the village knows when a cow has a calf so how could bin Laden and his family hide here?” Mohammad Naseer, a 65year-old retired soldier, said as he took a break from working his fields. “I can say for sure he wasn’t here.”

The village is made up of about 120 small, brick buildings, homes and sheds, and has a population of about 400 people, although many have left for work in cities.

Pakistani security agents have been going house to house, searching for clues. “Police never used to come to our doors but now these guys are turning up all suspicious of us,” said school teacher Ahmed Sultan. “My young kids are asking ‘Dad what happened, what did you do?’” he said.

“We have nothing to do with bin Laden. We’re Pakistani ... We don’t feel anything for him.” —Reuters

Was bin Laden really calling the shots? Pakistan doubts

CHIAPAS: Masked Zapatista rebels, one carrying a sign that reads in Spanish “We are sick and tired of violence,” march during a protest against violence in San Cristobal de las Casas, Saturday, May 7, 2011. — AP

US-bred criminal accused in Mexico mass killings SAN FERNANDO: When he was deported from the US to Mexico for the third time, Martin Estrada Luna was a high school dropout with a rap sheet of petty crimes like burglary. Less than two years later, Mexican authorities say, he has transformed himself into a drug baron known as El Kilo, the leader of a ruthless cell of the Zetas gang who masterminded the mass killings of more than 250 people.

He is now under arrest in Mexico City. Mexican prosecutors have not presented any evidence publicly to support their claim that he was responsible for the deaths of 72 migrants in August and 183 people months later. The Mexican government often announces big arrests immediately after high-profile crimes, but according to its own statistics, three-quarters of those initially accused as drug traffickers or assassins are let go without charges.

Whether he was a big player or not, Estrada Luna appears to have suc-

cumbed to a cross-border crime culture that is growing as hundreds of thousands of deportees with criminal backgrounds are dumped in Mexico. Under a tough-on-crime immigration crackdown, half of the 393,000 people deported from the United States between October 2009 and September 2010 were convicted criminals, with crimes that could have ranged from minor drug offenses to murder. There are seldom arrest warrants to hold the ex-convicts in Mexico, so they are let loose into a lawless border land increasingly run by drug lords eager to train recruits in violent tactics.

In San Fernando, Tamaulipas, neighbors are too scared to talk about the 255 bodies found executed in groups or buried in pits. State police are afraid to venture onto the backroads where the Zeta drug gang hides out, and even federal police cower for protection in an understaffed base. Ranchers complain that their isolated spreads are being tak-

en over by Zeta gunmen, who Mexican officials say are recruited through violence and turned into killing machines.

Tamaulipas state Interior Secretary Morelos Canseco said there has been a “terrible upward spiral” in brutality since 2010, when war broke out between the Zetas and their old allies, the Gulf Cartel.

“You get status in these groups based on who can do the worst thing, who can do what nobody dares to do. It is like a competition in perversity,” he said. “First they would steal cars and let the people go, but later they would steal the car and take the women. ...

After that, they steal the cars, take the women, and kill anybody who resisted.”

It was here where Estrada Luna arrived, a 34-year-old tattooed member of the Norteno gang, known as El Kilo, a measure of weight, because of his more than 6-foot (1.83-meter), 200-pound (90.72kilogram) frame. Estrada Luna could not be reached in custody, and does not have a lawyer of record. —AP

ISLAMABAD: It didn’t figure. US Intelligence released footage of a grey- bearded, disheveled figure wrapped in a shawl and wearing a woolen hat, and then it said that this same old man had been calling the shots on Al-Qaeda’s plots around the globe. There was doubt and derision in Pakistan yesterday at the suggestion that Osama bin Laden’s hideout north of the capital, Islamabad, was somehow an “active command and control centre” for Al-Qaeda.

“It sounds ridiculous,” said a senior intelligence official. “It doesn’t sound like he was running a terror network.”

For one thing, there was no internet connection or even telephone lines into the compound that US commandos raided a week ago, killing the world’s most-wanted man.

More critically, analysts have long maintained that, years before bin Laden’s death, Al-Qaeda had fragmented into a decentralized group that operated tactically without him.

“It’s bull****,” said another senior Pakistani security official, when quizzed on a US intelligence official’s assertion that bin Laden had been “active in operational planning and in driving tactical decisions” of the Islamist militant group from his secret home in the town of Abbottabad.

“They will say whatever they like. I can say tomorrow that he was planning to make nuclear or chemical weapons ...

Would you believe it? I think there’s an element of exaggeration. They’re playing it up.”

A senior US intelligence official said in Washington information carted away from the compound by US forces after the May 2 raid, including the videos, several clips of which were released, represented the largest trove of intelligence ever obtained from a single terrorism suspect. The official said the materials showed that bin Laden had remained an active leader of Al-Qaeda, which made the operation that led to his death “even more essential for our nation’s security”.

Pakistan’s military, caught off guard by the Abbottabad swoop and now facing accusations that it was either too incompetent to catch bin Laden or complicit in hiding him, has sought to depict the Al-Qaeda leader as a man of diminished influence. Both countries have an interest in peddling their own versions of the clout that bin Laden carried from behind the walls of his compound. Stressing bin Laden’s weakness makes his discovery in the middle of a garrison town less embarrassing for Pakistan, but playing

up his importance makes the US operation all the more glorious.

Analysts say that bin Laden’s centrality to the network had already faded. While the man behind the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the United States ser ved as an inspirational figure, strikes on Western targets were increasingly plotted and instigated by autonomous splinter groups. “As a matter of leadership of terrorist operations, bin Laden has really not been the main story for some time,” Paul Pillar, a former senior US Intelligence official told Reuters last week.

Talat Masood, a Pakistani defense analyst and retired general, said bin Laden distributed videos occasionally and he may have passed computer disks with ideas for strikes to his couriers, but it was hard to see how that would put him at the nerve centre of operations. “ The only thing he could have done in that house is to record video and audio messages,” a senior security official said in Islamabad. “How could he control the whole of Al-Qaeda from there while he has no communications system? How can he control the entire Al-Qaeda when he was living with two guards, an 18-inch television and no big weapons. It’s just an exaggeration.” —Reuters

Republican field opens door for lesser-knowns COUNCIL BLUFFS: Big-name Republicans have been slow to enter the 2012 presidential race, giving lesser-known candidates a chance to break through in key early voting states like Iowa. With the first Republican debate already over and just nine months until Iowa becomes the first state to choose its 2012 GOP nominee, local activists would normally be knee-deep in campaigns that set the tone for the rest of the

country. Instead people like Jeff Jorgensen, from Pottawattamie County in conservative western Iowa, are cooling their heels. As a Republican caucus-goer and county chairman for the party, Jorgensen is exactly the type of person would-be Republican candidates have to woo in order to secure the nomination.

“It is quiet,” he admits. “People are just kind of holding back a little bit, seeing how things develop. Everyone

is just chomping at the bit to get started. We want this thing to get off the ground.” So far Republican heavy hitters like Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are conspicuous in their absence from the state. Palin has spent just four days in Iowa since the last election in late 2008, according to a tally by Iowapolitics.com-Huckabee has spent just five days there and Romney just two. — AFP

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Singapore oppn makes poll breakthrough Ruling party retains power

MANILA: Passenger buses negotiate a flooded portion of a highway at suburban Makati city yesterday. — AP

Storm kills nine 100,000 residents flee homes MANILA: Tropical storm Aere lashed the northeastern Philippines yesterday, killing at least nine people and forcing more than 100,000 villagers to flee from farming towns threatened by landslides.

The storm slammed into Catanduanes province with winds of 53 miles (85 kilometers) per hour and gusts of 62 mph (100 kph). It triggered landslides and floods, disrupted transportation and knocked out power in some towns. More than 4,700 commuters were stranded in several seaports after ferries suspended trips and roads were closed due to floods and the danger of landslides, officials said. Several domestic flights were canceled. A landslide buried a house in Camarines Sur province’s Balatan township at dawn, killing three people, including a baby, regional disaster-response director Bernardo Alejandro said.

An elderly woman drowned trying to cross a swollen river in Daraga town in Albay province, and a man was electrocuted in a flooded village in Libon town.

Three men drowned in Catanduanes and Leyte provinces, and a driver died in a truck crash during stormy weather in Camarines Sur, officials said. Authorities helped evacuate villagers Saturday in farming communities at the base of

Mayon volcano in Albay, where heavy rain threatened to turn into mudslides.

Many more fled their homes yesterday as floodwaters began to rise, disasterresponse officer Jukes Nunez said. Tons of ash have been deposited on Mayon’s slope from past eruptions, and mudslides caused by a typhoon in 2006 buried entire villages, leaving about 1,600 people dead and missing, Alejandro said.

“The villagers evacuated automatically, without resistance,” Alejandro told The Associated Press by telephone. “Many still remember that disaster.” Officials shut off power in at least four flooded Albay towns to avoid accidents. Albay is about 212 miles (340 kilometers) southeast of Manila. The second storm to batter the country this year is expected to blow northwestward and exit from the country later this week, government weather forecaster Juanito Galang said.

Lightning struck a Philippine Airlines plane at Manila’s international airport during a thunderstorm late Saturday. The Airbus 320 was not damaged, and the crew and passengers were not harmed, airline spokeswoman Cielo Villaluna said.

The airline flew them on another flight to Bangkok as a precaution. — AP

US, China try to cope with their differences WASHINGTON: China and the US have a lot to chew on at high-level talks this coming week: a chronic trade imbalance, a growing military rivalry and opposing views on human rights.

The two superpowers with their divergent political systems rarely see eyeto-eye but their expanding dialogue shows they are at least trying to manage their differences. The annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue today and tomorrow “provides a venue for improving trust and predictability in the overall relationship,” said Kurt Campbell, the top US diplomat for East Asia.

What began in 2006 as a purely economic forum with treasury and central bank leaders has expanded during the Obama administration to cover strategic and security issues that loom increasingly large as China’s global reach and militar y power grows, challenging American dominance. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will be joined by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the head of a US delegation that will also include Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and officials representing 16 US government agencies. The visiting Chinese team will be led by Vice Premier Wang Qishan, a top economic policymaker, and State Counselor Dai Bingguo, a veteran diplomat, along with officials from 20 Chinese government agencies.

For the first time, senior Chinese militar y representatives will also attend. Both sides will be hoping to build on the progress made during the state visit this January by President Hu Jintao where the Chinese leader was honored with a White House state dinner, improving the atmospherics of the bilateral relationship after a rancorous 2010. China had severed military ties for several months over US arms sales to Taiwan and the US irked China by declaring it had an interest in resolving territorial disputes between Beijing and its neighbors in the South China Sea. Both sides also used the visit to assuage Americans’ anxiety that China’s booming economy and ability to manufacture cheap goods is costing US jobs. President Barrack Obama announced billions in US export contracts, showing that as the Asian power becomes prosperous, it also offers a market for US goods that can help put Americans back to work.

But there’s still plenty to argue about. Increasingly, US officials are voicing concerns over access to Chinese markets. With the US trade

deficit with China hitting an all-time high last year - the largest imbalance with any country - the administration is considering filing new trade cases against Chinese practices that US companies contend are unfair.

Washington wants greater progress on economic commitments made when Hu visited. Pledges included to tackle the use of pirated software which American companies say is costing them billions of dollars in lost sales, and to revamp a policy that limits the ability of US companies to compete for Chinese government projects.

And as previous rounds of the dialogue, the US will press China to lets it’s currency strengthen against the dollar. American manufacturers say it is undervalued by as much as 40 percent, hur ting their expor ts. But Geithner sounded a conciliatory tone last week. He said the yuan has risen in value by 5 percent since last June, even faster when inflation is taken into account. He noted it was encouraging that the Chinese are beginning to endorse the U.S. view that a faster yuan appreciation would help the country fight inflation.

For its part, China is expected to raise concerns about the current standoff between the Obama administration and Congress on raising the government’s $14.3 trillion borrowing limit. Geithner has told Congress the country could default if the limit is not raised by Aug 2. Failure to do so could destabilize international financial markets and devalue US Treasury securities held by China. On the diplomatic front, the US will seek support in pressuring Iran and particularly North Korea, a close Chinese ally, on their nuclear programs. Clinton will broach human rights and Internet freedom in China: thorny issues that expose the ideological gulf between the two world powers despite their economic co-dependence.

Campbell said that for the first time, high-level US and Chinese officials would discuss the democracy uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. Fearing similar unrest at home, China’s communist government has cracked down on activists, lawyers and dissidents. Despite anonymous calls on the Internet for protests, none have happened. Cui Tiankai, a Chinese deputy foreign minister, said last week, that Beijing was ready to discuss human rights, but wants Washington to pay more attention to improvements in China, and have “a dialogue on the basis of mutual respect.” — AP

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s ruling party was returned to power yesterday with a huge majority but Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong admitted that opposition gains had marked a “distinct shift” in the country’s politics. The People’s Action Party (PAP) has ruled since the former British colony became self-governing in 1959 but despite the poll victory, it sank to its lowest ever approval rating and lost a key district to resurgent opponents.

The PAP won 81 of the 87 parliament seats in Saturday’s election, down slightly from its 82 out of 84 seats when Singapore last voted in 2006.

Its share of all votes cast-the equivalent of an approval rating in a country that does not publish surveys about government performance-fell to an all-time low of 60 percent from 67 percent in 2006 and 75 percent in 2001. The win by the opposition Workers’ Party in six seats may appear modest but it was the opposition’s best performance since Singapore became independent from the Malaysian federation in 1965. It upstages a previous best of four seats in 1991. The number of seats did not reflect the opposition’s 40 per cent share of the total votes cast because most constituencies elect teams of four to six candidates, a system critics see as stacked in favor of the PAP. “This is a watershed general election,” Premier Lee said in a televised post-election address. “This is a very different world in 2011 as compared to 2006, and a very different Singapore.” He said the PAP would undergo some soul-searching and expressed willingness to work with lawmakers from the opposition. Workers’ Party chief Low Thia Khiang said the results showed Singaporeans wanted “a more responsive, inclusive, transparent, accountable government” and “a more caring political leadership”.

Four days before the election, Lee apologized in public for the government’s shortcomings after opponents and voters berated the PAP over the rising cost of living, competition from immigrants and foreign workers, high salaries of cabinet ministers and other grievances. The opposition relied heavily on the Internet, particularly social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, because the mainstream local media are widely regarded as PAP mouthpieces. In the most intensely fought contest, Foreign Minister George Yeo and four other PAP candidates lost to the

Workers’ Party in a group contest, forcing him out of the cabinet.

Bridget Welsh, a political science professor at the Singapore Management University, stressed the significance of the opposition’s first ever win in a group representation constituency (GRC).

“The GRCs have been a cornerstone of one-party dominance in the Singapore state, and the breaking of its GRCs is really allowing a diversity of political views in the country,” Welsh said. Six opposition parties took part in the election with the modest goal of winning more seats from the PAP, dividing electoral districts among themselves to force the ruling party to fight on several fronts. Despite growing optimism in opposition ranks after the election, Cherian George, one of Singapore’s leading social commentators, warned against expecting a radical transformation after the vote. “The problem is that Singapore society has been systematically depoliticised over the

decades and is mired in apathy,” he wrote in an essay. He said the PAP could seize the opportunity to overhaul itself and address Singaporeans’ grievances in time for the next election five years from now.

“The sobering truth for the opposition is that the vast majority (of its supporters) will return to their private lives tomorrow, and continue to outsource public affairs to politicians.” The PAP was co-founded by the prime minister’s father Lee Kuan Yew, who governed Singapore for 31 years and was re-elected to parliament unopposed on Saturday at the age of 87. The PAP has long relied on its economic record to convince Singaporeans to return it to power and kept the opposition in check by imposing curbs on political activityexcept during elections. Tens of thousands of supporters attended opposition rallies during the campaign, far greater than the crowds drawn by the PAP. — AFP

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary General of the ruling party, The People’s Action Party, Lee Hsien Loong (third right) celebrates with his party members after winning his constituency yesterday. — AP

ASEAN’s integration message lost on Thai-Cambodia border JAKARTA: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) yesterday failed to resolve a bitter border row between Thailand and Cambodia which hijacked the agenda of an annual summit in Indonesia. ASEAN leaders said the dispute was threatening regional unity and overshadowing the 10-nation group’s strategic message of economic integration, but were unable to wring any compromises from the feuding neighbors. The bloc’s weakness in conflict resolution was thrown into stark relief when the leaders’ final statement merely said the dispute “should be amicably resolved in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity”.

It also welcomed an in-principle agreement to allow Indonesian military observers on the disputed border and called on Jakarta, the current chair of ASEAN, to continue its mediation efforts.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hosted an unscheduled meeting with the Thai and Cambodian leaders yesterday morning but failed to achieve a breakthrough in negotiations.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen admitted after the meeting that the row was “spoiling” the summit, which was supposed to focus on long-term plans to create a harmonized economic community by 2015.

“Everyone knows that the problem of the ThaiCambodia border has been spoiling the atmosphere and also creates a challenge for ASEAN,” he told reporters.”I’m not sure whether it can go forward or not, but at least the atmosphere of the

meeting is good.” Eighteen people have been killed and 85,000 temporarily displaced in weeks of clashes over ownership of a small patch of territory surrounding an 11th-century Khmer temple. The temple itself belongs to Cambodia. In a highly critical tone not usually heard at ASEAN meetings, Hun Sen on Saturday accused Thailand of invading Cambodia and seeking to prolong the conflict “in order to violate weaker neighboring ASEAN members”. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva responded by saying he was ready for dialogue and insisting the matter be resolved bilaterally, instead of under UN auspices as Cambodia wants.

He agreed that the dispute, which was not on the formal agenda of the summit, threatened to undermine the credibility of the bloc’s rhetoric about regional integration and playing a greater role in world affairs. “I accept that the issue could affect the credibility of ASEAN. We must therefore make sure that any problem should be solved, locally, bilaterally and if needed with the facilitation of the region,” Abhisit said. “Thailand recognizes full well that any conflict between ASEAN member states can undermine ASEAN’s community-building efforts.”Indonesia has been trying to find a solution to the conflict on behalf of ASEAN, but so far it has achieved little except the in-principle agreement to accept a small team of military observers on the border.

Officials said the two leaders had only agreed to have their foreign ministers meet again in Jakarta

today to discuss the conflict further. Putting a brave face on the episode, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said: “The fact that they are meeting is a good sign.” But other ASEAN leaders were not so sanguine.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino, speaking to reporters late Saturday, said that ASEAN unity was at stake and expressed concern that the conflict could worsen. “How can we have one ASEAN, one family if we have two major components who cannot solve their problems?” he asked. In addition to strategic integration, other issues on the table at the summit included food and energy security, territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the scourge of human trafficking and East Timor’s membership bid. Myanmar stole the headlines on Friday when ASEAN officials announced that the military-led country-which is under Western sanctions for serial human rights abuses-had asked to chair the group in 2014.

US-based Human Rights Watch said ASEAN would become the “laughing stock of intergovernmental forums” if it granted the request. The ASEAN chairman’s statement at the end of the meeting said only that the request had been “considered”, meaning the leaders deferred a decision to a later date. It also emphasized the “need for a breakthrough” in talks with Beijing about a code of conduct in the South China Sea, a strategic maritime route where China and several ASEAN members have competing territorial claims. — AFP

Japan ‘committed to nuclear power’ despite shutdown call

TOKYO: A man holds a banner demanding the immediate abolition of all nuclear power plants in front of the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Company yesterday. — AFP

TOKYO: Japanese officials said yesterday they were committed to nuclear power after the prime minister called for a plant to close, but that the target of obtaining half of Japan’s electricity from nuclear power by 2030 needed a rethink. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has called for the closure of a nuclear plant in central Japan, citing the risk of another disastrous quake after the Fukushima Daiichi plant, in the northeast of the country, was destroyed by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Nearly 26,000 people were killed or are still missing after the quake and tsunami which triggered the world’s biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. The plant is still leaking radiation.

The call to shut down the Hamaoka plant signaled a potential shift in energy policy, and while the government says other plants will be unaffected, it could embolden anti-nuclear movements. Several thousand protesters marched through central Tokyo on Saturday to welcome Kan’s call to shut down Hamaoka and urging him to push for further closures.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said that Japan would remain committed to nuclear power, although Trade Minister Banri Kaieda, who oversees energy policy, said Japan’s target must be reviewed.

“With regard to energy policy, we set the target last June of increasing nuclear power to 50 percent by 2030, but we will have to rethink this,” Kaieda said on Fuji TV. “We must put more effort into renewable energy, and that will become one trigger for (economic) growth.”

Chubu Electric Power Co is leaning towards closing the plant as requested and could make

the decision at a board meeting as early as today, media said. Asked whether he would seek the closure of other nuclear plants, Kan told reporters yesterday: “That won’t be the case,” adding that Hamaoka had an especially high risk of being hit by a massive earthquake.

Japan last year vowed to boost the share of electricity generation through nuclear power to 50 percent by 2030 from the current 30 percent by building at least 14 new reactors.

Government experts put the chance of a magnitude 8.0 quake hitting the Hamaoka area in the next 30 years at 87 percent, which raises questions over why it was built there in the first place. The magnitude 9.0 quake on March 11 crippled cooling systems at Fukushima Daiichi, operated by Tokyo Electric Power .

Of 54 reactors in commercial use in Japan, 32 are under planned or unplanned maintenance and operators may face resistance to restarting them. Board members of Chubu, which serves major manufacturers, including Toyota Motor Corp , postponed a decision on Saturday on whether to temporarily close Hamaoka. Chubu spokesman Akio Miyazaki said another board meeting would be held on or after today. The Nikkei business daily said the board would meet today.

Yomiuri newspaper said Chubu was likely to comply with Kan’s request to close Hamaoka, with a capacity of 3,617 megawatts, pending introduction of quake and tsunami safety measures-but only after it finds ways to supply power in a stable fashion. Two of the plant’s three working reactors are in operation. —Reuters

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Issues

Revolts sharpen Israeli debate on Iran strike

By Dan Williams ehind Israel’s tepid welcome of the popular uprisings convulsing Arab neighbours like Egypt and Syria, a long-running debate is gathering pace: Might the turmoil be enough to spur it to attack Iran?

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been quiet about a war option that would stretch the Israeli military to the limit, confidants say the drum of pro-democracy protests is only honing his ear to the clock ticking on Iran’s nuclear program. The prospect of pro-Western regimes from Cairo to the Gulf falling in with Iran resonates with Netanyahu, who has cast the Islamic republic as a global menace.

Such is the sense of decisions looming, that a former Mossad spymaster’s public ridiculing of air strikes on Iran as a “stupid idea” that would imperil Israel was widely interpreted as a warning to Netanyahu to back down.

“The ‘Arab Spring’ is definitely bolstering those who argue that we’re in this alone against Iran, with all that entails in terms of planning,” an Israeli government adviser said. Spikes in the price of oil, of which Iran is a major exporter, have blunted US-led sanctions against Tehran that Israel had cautiously endorsed. The US administration’s mounting Middle East engagements have further shaken Israelis’ faith in the ability of their biggest ally to tackle their foe.

“There’s an opposing view (in the Netanyahu government), a hope that political revolution may reach Iran as well, defusing the nuclear threat,” the Israeli adviser said.

“But that has not been carrying too much weight.” Even were it to inflict lasting damage on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Israel would have to contend with the aftermath, from direct reprisals to border conflicts to foreign censure. “Attacking the reactors from the air is a stupid idea that would have no advantage,” Meir Dagan, a retired army general who stepped down as Mossad director in January after an 8-year tenure, told a forum of Israeli civil servants on Friday. “A regional war would be liable to unfold, during which missiles would come in from Iran and from Hezbollah in Lebanon,” he said, according to a transcript circulated to the media.

Asked about the remarks, an Israeli security official and one-time Dagan colleague said they were likely intended for Netanyahu, and to discredit the war option in public opinion. As Mossad director, Dagan had counselled a mix of diplomatic pressure and sabotage against Iran, which denies seeking a nuclear bomb.

According to the Israeli security official, Dagan’s view was shared by former chief of Israel’s armed forces Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, who retired in February. “With the old guard gone, and the successors still finding their place, it seems Dagan felt that there wasn’t enough of a counterweight” to Iran hawks in the cabinet, the official said.

Since Ashkenazi’s departure, the military has developed the Iron Dome rocket interceptor, billed as a bulwark to the main weapon of Hezbollah and of Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip. While Hamas is, like Hezbollah, an Iranian ally, it has an added incentive to avoid a fight with Israel in the unity pact it has been forging with the Western-backed Fatah faction as part of Palestinians’ drive to declare an independent state.

Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon denied Dagan’s views would affect government decision-making. But he took the former spymaster to task for undermining the Israeli and US strategy of threatening attacks in order to deter Iran and keep other world powers serious about crisis diplomacy. “For the Iranian regime to be persuaded to give up its nuclear capability, it has to be presented by the choice between getting a bomb and surviving, and such statements do not help present Iran with such a dilemma,” Yaalon told Israel Radio.

Whatever the reality of the closed-door cabinet discussions, Netanyahu’s government has issued mixed messages on Iran. Asked last month about the Palestinian rapprochement, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in a broadcast interview Israel should concentrate on upgrading its “capability for operating in Iran and the ability to defend ourselves from rockets”. He shifted tone by telling an Israeli newspaper a few days later that a nuclear-armed Iran would be unlikely to attack Israel, believed to have the region’s only atomic arsenal. Yaalon left dangling the possibility of subterfuge. “I hope that the Iranians see an Israeli conspiracy in this. That could help,” he said. — Reuters

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No advantage for India in US-Pak troubles

By Giles Hewitt trained US-Pakistan ties following the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden are being seen in India as an opportunity to ramp up pressure on Islamabad over militant groups operating on Pakistani soil.

But analysts say India’s leverage remains strictly limited as long as the US priority in South Asia remains the conflict in Afghanistan - for which Washington’s dependence on Pakistan shows no shortterm sign of waning. In the immediate aftermath of bin Laden’s death, India seized on the fact that the Al-Qaeda leader had been hiding barely two hours’ drive from Islamabad as proof of the Pakistani establishment’s collusion with outlawed militants.

“This fact underlines our concern that terrorists belonging to different organisations find sanctuary in Pakistan,” Home Minister P Chidambaram said. Foreign Minister S M Krishna joined in, calling on world powers to help eliminate “safe havens that have been provided to terrorists in our own neighbourhood.” There was a triumphant “we told you so” tone to the

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comments from India which feels the international community - the United States in particular - has paid little more than lip service to its repeated accusations that Pakistan nurtures militant groups on its soil.

There were nods of approval in New Delhi as some US lawmakers accused Pakistan of playing a double game and demanded answers from Islamabad over how bin Laden could have stayed where he was undetected for so long. The hope is that Washington will now take a tougher line with Pakistan and push Islamabad to crack down on militant outfits, especially the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which India says was behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

However, most analysts believe that hope will go unrealised because of the US reliance on Pakistani cooperation in its pursuit of Islamist extremists and the supply of 100,000 US troops stationed in Afghanistan. Neighbouring Pakistan is crucial for Washington’s efforts in Afghanistan both logistically and in the battle against Taleban fighters who shelter in the border region. “The US isn’t going to pull out the heavy diplomatic guns with Pakistan any

time soon, no matter how high eyebrows may have been raised over bin Laden’s hiding place,” said Shashank Joshi, an associate fellow at the RUSI defence and security think-tank in London. “And India doesn’t really have the leverage to make the US do that. What can India threaten? ‘Press down on the LeT or else’ - what?”

US-India ties have warmed in recent years and Washington wants a long-term strategic relationship with New Delhi, but President Barack Obama’s administration is not seen as giving India the same importance as that of his predecessor George W Bush. For all the commercial incentives offered by India’s fast-growing economy, the United States cannot afford to alienate Pakistan and lose its help with the Afghan conflict.

“Far from unravelling the remaining threads in the strained US-Pakistan relationship, the bin Laden affair is likely to prove a temporary setback,” said Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi.

“Washington may brandish new sticks, but carrots would still weigh more. When the dust settles, it is likely to be business as

usual: Indians impotent as ever, Pakistanis playing both an ally and an enemy, and Americans doling out further multibilliondollar awards to Islamabad,” he said.

The United States has given $18 billion to Pakistan since the Sept 11, 2001 attacks, when the nuclear-armed nation officially ended support of Afghanistan’s Taliban and agreed to work with America. Most of the money has gone to the Pakistani military.

The Indian military has sought to add some steel to India’s stance in recent days, with the army and air chiefs both suggesting that India was capable of emulating the US operation against bin Laden and launching surgical strikes against “terrorist” targets in Pakistan.

Pakistan reacted quickly, warning that any such “misadventure” would provoke a “very strong” response. “This is all largely rhetorical on India’s part,” said Rahul RoyChaudhury, a South Asia expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“India’s options are limited, and I would be surprised if any senior Indian official really believes the bin Laden fallout will strengthen India’s hand in any significant way,” RoyChaudhury said. — AFP

Deep echoes of Iran political tremors

By Ali Akbar Dareini ran’s political tremors are leaving debris in all directions. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the nation’s intelligence chief remain in a cold war. A wave of reported detentions has included a prayer leader who angered clerics with a film about Judgment Day. An influential Friday prayer leader lectured Ahmadinejad about the huge risks of defying Iran’s supreme leader, and websites claim that the president has an ultimatum to either fall in line or step down. All the upheaval was ostensibly triggered by last month’s boomerang over the powerful intelligence minister, Heidar Moslehi. Ahmadinejad wanted him gone, yet Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered him to stay in a public slap to the president.

But to better understand the current clash between Ahmadinejad and Khamenei, a visit back to their first major collision in 2009 is needed. That battle - as this one - has a political lightening rod named Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei as a central figure. In July 2009, just weeks after Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election, he picked his close confidant Mashaei as the most senior of his many vice presidents.

Iran’s hardliners were so stunned that it even diverted their attention from the riots on Tehran’s streets.

Mashaei is reviled by archconservatives for statements including his homage to Iran’s pre-Islamic values and suggesting that Iran may despise Israel’s government but can be friends with its people. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the pinnacle of Iran’s ruling theocracy, quickly stepped in and Mashaei was gone within the week in a stinging embarrassment to Ahmadinejad. But Ahmadinejad regrouped and gave the post of chief of staff to Mashaei, whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad’s son.

Move ahead to the current showdown.

Here’s Mashaei again. Ahmadinejad apparently has been testing the ground for Mashaei to run as his successor in 2013. But any such plan needs control of the intelligence ministry, whose files can potentially sink any political ambitions with facts or innuendo.

Now Ahmadinejad is stuck with an intelligence minister he rejects and tied to political ally Mashaei who is apparently being pushed into political exile on the wishes of the supreme leader.

Hardliners sharply oppose Mashaei and

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Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (left) and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad mourn during a ceremony in Tehran on Saturday.— AP consider him the head of a “deviant current” that seeks to shape politics after Ahmadinejad’s term expires in two years.

Among the alarm bells for the ruling system is the belief that Mashaei seeks to undermine Islamic values and supports expanding powers of elected officials at the expense of the theocracy. Hardliners also sense a risk that Mashaei could favor mending ties with Washington.

A powerful conservative cleric, Ahmad Khatami, scolded Ahmadinejad for sitting next to the “marginal” Mashaei at the last Cabinet meeting after the intelligence minister reportedly walked out on the president’s arrival. “The president, who came to office with the support of supreme leader loyalists ... was expected to obey him (Khamenei).

Unfortunately, it was not done,” Khatami said in comments posted on various websites Friday. He also suggested that Ahmadinejad could be left with a toothless and stagnant

presidency if he continues to challenge Khamenei, the supreme leader whose most loyal supporters believe is only answerable to God. At Tehran University, another hardline cleric, Kazem Sedighi, added another thinly veiled warning to Ahmadinejad. “ The supreme leader is above the constitution ... his powers are absolute,” he told worshippers in a sermon broadcast around the nation on state radio - prompting chants from the crowd of “death to opponents of the supreme leader.” Last Sunday, Ahmadinejad signaled he had backed down by attending his first Cabinet meeting after an apparent 10-day boycott and acknowledging he was “ready to die” to defend Khamenei.

But still Ahmadinejad has not been seen recently with Moslehi. The intelligence chief didn’t show up at last Sunday’s Cabinet session and he left Wednesday when the president arrived to chair the meeting.

Independent news website fararu.ir said Ahmadinejad forced Moslehi to leave the Cabinet meeting, although a pro-government website said it was a matter of delay on the part of the president and early exit by Moslehi. Morteza Agha Tehrani, a hardline lawmaker close to Ahmadinejad, is even quoted by several credible Iranian news websites as saying that Khamenei has told the president he must either resign or recognize Moslehi as the intelligence chief. The websites also quote Ahmadinejad as saying he is contemplating his options. But the president’s website, president.ir, late Saturday denied that Ahmadinejad has been given an ultimatum. It did not elaborate.

Ahmadinejad was conspicuously absent in all photos released by Khamenei’s office from a prominent religious ceremony hosted by the top cleric this week. One of the photos shows Moslehi sitting next to Khamenei.

Hardline authorities, meanwhile, have arrested up to 25 people loyal to Ahmadinejad and Mashaei in recent days and blocked half a dozen websites allied to them. Among those arrested are cleric Abbas Amirifar, prayer leader of the presidential palace, and Parivash Sotuti, widow of former liberalminded foreign minister Hossein Fatemi.

Hossein Nowbakhti, a close Mashaei ally, is now on the run, according to Iranian news websites.

Amirifar caused outrage after he recently predicted in an interview that Mashaei will be Iran’s next president. But his detention is over his alleged role in producing the controversial film “Reappearance Is Very Near” that depicts Khamenei and Ahmadinejad as two close companions of Mahdi, a revered 9th century saint known as the Hidden Imam.

Shiites believe Mahdi will reappear before Judgment Day to end tyranny and promote justice in the world.

The film - DVDs of it were distributed in millions throughout Iran - has been condemned by senior clerics in Qom, the country’s seat of Shiite scholarship, who say no one can claim when Mahdi will reappear. In a video posted on several Iranian news websites this week, Mashaei calls himself a “soldier of the supreme leader” but vows to stand his ground. “I won’t back down, unless it’s over my dead body,” he said. “I’m not a man with an ailing heart. But, believe me, some people will suffer a stroke because of me. You’ll see that later.” — AP

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

S P ORT S Valdano: Mourinho’s ban excessive MADRID: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho’s five-match touchline ban in European competition is over the top, the club’s director general Jorge Valdano said on Saturday.

European soccer’s governing body (UEFA) punished the outspoken Portuguese on Friday for his sending off and verbal outburst following Madrid’s Champions League semi-final first leg defeat to their arch-rivals last week. “It’s excessive,” Valdano told Spanish television after Real’s 6-2 thrashing of Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan. “Throughout the season there have been many coaches who have made some very hard comments, and the punishments were smaller.”

Real have indicated they would appeal the decision but Valdano said the club had only spoken to UEFA through their legal team.

Mourinho, who had belittled Barca’s achievements and suggested there was a refereeing conspiracy to favor the Catalan club, remained silent again leaving his number two Aitor Karanka to speak to the media after the match.—Reuters

Crusaders call for reinforcements WELLINGTON: Super rugby’s form team the Canterbury Crusaders have been forced to call up reinforcements for their two-match tour of South Africa after losing four backs to injury in their victory over the Stormers on Saturday.

All Blacks fullback Israel Dagg, who has scored seven tries this season, pulled up with a thigh problem while making a clearance kick early in the 20-14 victory in Cape Town and that was just the start of the injury problems.

Winger Sean Maitland, the top tryscorer in Super rugby this year with eight, hurt his foot, scrumhalf Kahn Fotuali’i damaged medial ligaments in his knee and replacement back Adam Whitelock tore a pectoral muscle, all in

the first half.

All four will return home and be replaced in the squad to face the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday by Ryan Crotty, Steve Alfeld, Tom Taylor and Brent Ward, the Crusaders said on their website (www.crusaders.co.nz).

The Crusaders were already without All Blacks Andy Ellis, Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Brad Thorn, Sam Whitelock and Ben Franks through injury, although flyhalf Carter and flanker McCaw are expected to face the Cheetahs.

Coach Todd Blackadder praised his team’s “real guts, determination and character” in coming through a tough Newlands test with an eighth victory in 11 matches this season. —Reuters

Flower urges Pietersen to set sights on number one BIRMINGHAM: England team director Andy Flower urged Kevin Pietersen on Saturday to put aside any disappointment at missing out on the captaincy and focus instead on climbing to the top of the world batting rankings. The former England skipper did not feature in a revolutionary three-man captaincy system announced on Thursday in which Andrew Strauss will captain the test side with Alastair Cook installed as the one-day skipper and Stuart Broad im charge of the Twenty20 team. “I think Kevin may be disappointed not to be involved in the leadership team for the next few years,” Flower told repor ters.

“However, we are very keen for Kevin to become the leading batsman, not only in the English side but in world cricket.

“He is ambitious and that is a great thing. He is an outstanding talent. He could be one of the best if not the best batsman in the world and we want him to regain that status because that will help him feel fulfilled and it will help us win cricket matches.”—Reuters

Tigers blank Blue Jays

VANCOUVER: Ryan Kesler No. 17 of the Vancouver Canucks skates with the puck while being pursued by Mike Fisher No. 12 of the Nashville Predators during the third period in Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. —AFP

Predators edge Canucks VANCOUVER: Joel Ward scored two goals less than five minutes apart early in the third period as the Nashville Predators stayed alive against the Vancouver Canucks with a 4-3 win on Saturday in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.

David Legwand also scored twice and Pek k a Rinne made 29 saves for the Predators, who still trail 3-2 in the best-ofseven series but will return home for Game 6 on Monday night.

Ryan Kesler, who was struck by a deflected puck and had to get stitches in his face, scored two goals for the Canucks, including one with 3:46 left in the game to draw Vancouver within one.

Kesler has five goals in three games, but it wasn’t enough to put the Canucks into the conference finals. Raffi Torres also scored and Luongo made 19 saves for the Canucks, who blew a 3-0 series lead to Chicago in the first round before winning Game 7 in overtime.—AP

Canada reaches worlds q-finals KOSICE: Canada advanced to the quarterfinals of the ice hockey world championship after beating Norway 3-2 on Saturday.

Jason Spezza, John Tavares and James Neal scored for Canada to jump to a 3-0 lead, before Norway pulled two goals back through Ken Andre Olimb and Marius Holtet within 1:13 in the third period.

“Both teams played really hard, it was very much like an NHL game,” Canada coach Ken Hitchcock said. “Both teams were competing at a very high level. “It was a good test for us to get ready. It doesn’t surprised me they came back and battled, that’s the way they are.”

Also, the United States came back from a goal down to beat France 3-2 and Finland rallied to overcome Slovakia 2-1 and inflict the tournament hosts’ fourth straight loss. Canada leads Group F with a perfect 10 points. The team’s last group game is against Sweden on Sunday. The US team has seven points and plays Switzerland in its last qualifying game on Sunday.

“If we play the right way we have a great chance,” US captain Mark Stuart said. Olympic gold medalist Canada is looking for its 25th world title and possible revenge after losing in the final in 2008 and ‘09 and in the quarterfinals last year. Captain Rick Nash set up Spezza to put Canada 1-0 ahead 15:26 into the opening period for his third goal of the tournament.

“You’ve got to score first against some of those teams or it’s going to be a long, long night for you and you get frustrat-

ed,” Spezza said.

John Tavares scored his fourth goal at the worlds midway through the middle period on a breakaway to double the advantage. Nash assisted Neal again for the third in the final period.

“I just caught of one of the defenseman flat-footed,” Tavares said about his unassisted goal. “I’m just trying to do right things, listen to the coaching staff.

We have pretty good players. We’re just trying to build on the success we already have.” Norway remains on five points and faces a must-win match against France on Sunday.

“OK we lost but so far we are very satisfied with the team, so we look forward to next game against France,” Norway coach Roy Johansen said.

Derek Stepan equalized for the US with his second goal of the tournament after Sacha Treille had given France a surprising lead 5:25 into the opening period. Stuart put the Americans ahead 1:16 into the middle period, and Andy Miele set up the third for Chris Kreider on a power play in his debut game at the worlds. France cut the lead from a power play goal by captain Laurent Meunier.

Tuomo Ruutu led the comeback for Finland, scoring twice in the third period after Marian Gaborik had given Slovakia a 1-0 lead in the first.

In Bratislava, Denmark prevailed in a penalty shootout to beat Germany 4-3, but it was not enough for the team to advance with two points and one more game left. Germany has eight points and has reached the quarters.—AP

TORONTO: Justin Verlander threw his second career no-hitter and the second in MLB this week as the Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-0 in the American League on Saturday.

The only runner Verlander allowed came with one out in the eighth inning when J.P. Arencibia walked on a full count. Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano pitched a no-hitter against Chicago on Tuesday night. Verlander (3-3) struck out 12 in his first no-hitter against Milwaukee on June 12, 2007.

This time, he fanned Rajai Davis to end it with his fourth strikeout of the game. The right-hander threw 108 pitches. Alex Avila and Jhonny Peralta also homered for the Tigers, who have won four of five.

Ricky Romero (2-4), who has lost four of his past five starts, allowed six runs and five hits in 3 1-3 innings.

Indians 4, Angels 3 In Anaheim, California, Alex White pitched six innings for his first MLB win and South Korea’s Shin-Soo Choo doubled home two runs to end an 0for-18 drought since his arrest on drunk driving charges. White (1-0) allowed three runs and seven hits, including a two-run homer by Vernon Wells, in his second start in the majors. He struck out six and walked two. Chris Perez worked a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances.

Jered Weaver (6-2) went six innings, allowing four runs, seven hits and two walks with no strikeouts.

Choo was arrested by Ohio police on Monday after he failed a field sobriety test.

Red Sox 4, Twins 0 In Boston, Clay Buchholz combined with four relievers on a threehitter as Boston bounced back from two lopsided losses.

Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits and drove in two runs for the Red Sox, who had lost three straight games, including the last two by a combined score of 20-2. Jed Lowrie and Kevin Youkilis each had RBI singles.

Minnesota, which had won three straight, managed just three singles.

Buchholz (3-3) allowed two singles and struck out six batters in five

TORONTO: Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander works against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays.—AP innings. Brian Duensing (2-2) pitched two innings, allowing one run and three hits.

Rays 8, Orioles 2 At Baltimore, Evan Longoria homered and drove in four runs and B.J. Upton hit a three-run homer as Tampa Bay equaled a season club

record with its seventh straight road win. Longoria doubled in a run in the first inning and hit a three-run shot off Jeremy Guthrie (1-5) in the third. It was his first homer after spending a month on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. Upton’s home run made it 7-0 in the fifth. He also

MLB results/standings Results and standings from the MLB games on Saturday.

Chicago Cubs 3, Cincinnati 2; Tampa Bay 8, Baltimore 2; Boston 4, Minnesota 0; Detroit 9, Toronto 0; Milwaukee 4, St. Louis 0; Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 0; Pittsburgh 6, Houston 1; Washington 5, Florida 2; NY Mets 4, LA Dodgers 2; Kansas City 4, Oakland 3; Texas 7, NY Yankees 5; Arizona 6, San Diego 0; Cleveland 4, LA Angels 3; San Francisco 3, Colorado 2; Chicago White Sox 6, Seattle 0.

American League National League Eastern Division Eastern Division Philadelphia 22 10 .688 W L PCT GB Florida 19 13 .594 3 NY Yankees 18 13 .581 Atlanta 19 16 .543 4.5 Tampa Bay 19 14 .576 Washington 16 17 .485 6.5 Toronto 15 18 .455 4 NY Mets 15 18 .455 7.5 Boston 15 18 .455 4 Central Division Baltimore 14 18 .438 4.5 St. Louis 19 15 .559 Central Division Cincinnati 17 16 .515 1.5 Cleveland 22 10 .688 Pittsburgh 16 17 .485 2.5 Kansas City 18 15 .545 4.5 Chicago Cubs15 17 .469 3 Detroit 16 18 .471 7 Milwaukee 14 19 .424 4.5 Minnesota 12 19 .387 9.5 Houston 13 20 .394 5.5 Chicago 12 22 .353 11 Western Division Western Division Colorado 18 13 .581 LA Angels 19 15 .559 San Francisco 17 16 .515 2 Texas 18 16 .529 1 Arizona 15 17 .469 3.5 Oakland 17 17 .500 2 LA Dodgers 15 19 .441 4.5 Seattle 16 18 .471 3 San Diego 13 20 .394 6

doubled twice. Jeremy Hellickson (32) gave up three hits and five walks over five scoreless innings.

Royals 4, Athletics 3 In Kansas City, Missouri, Mike Aviles hit a sacrifice fly to score Jarrod Dyson and give Kansas City its sixth walkoff win this season.

Billy Butler singled leading off the ninth against Brandon McCarthy (13), who had his second completegame loss of the year. Dyson, a pinchrunner, sped to third when Jeff Francoeur singled, then made it home on Aviles sacrifice fly. Joakim Soria (2-0) worked the ninth for the victory. McCarthy went eight innings plus four batters, giving up seven hits and four runs, with three strikeouts.

He lost a complete game 1-0 decision to Seattle on April 21.

Rangers 7, Yankees 5 In Arlington, Texas, Julio Borbon drove in three runs, including the goahead score with a squeeze bunt, as Texas held on after blowing an early five-run lead. With Mitch Moreland running toward home on a 1-1 pitch in the sixth, Borbon laid down the bunt and almost beat the throw to first. That broke a 5-all tie before Michael Young had an RBI single, his fourth hit, later in the inning. Arthur Rhodes (1-1), the third of five Texas pitchers, struck out the only two batters he faced. Boone Logan (1-2) picked up the loss for the Yankees.

White Sox 6, Mariners 0 In Seattle, Gavin Floyd held Seattle to three singles in eight innings as Chicago got its second shutout of the season. Floyd (4-2) struck out six and walked two before Tony Pena came in to pitch the ninth.

The bottom three White Sox hitters — Alex Rios, Gordon Beckham and Brent Morel — combined to score four runs and drive in two. Entering the game, the three had a combined .192 average. Ichiro Suzuki had two of the Mariners’ three hits. It was his American League-leading 16th multihit game and the 707th of his career.

Doug Fister (2-4) took the loss, giving up five runs and 14 hits in 5 2-3 innings.—AP

Gallardo lifts Brewers past Cardinals ST. LOUIS: Yovani Gallardo broke out of a pitching slump by taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in the National League on Saturday.

Gallardo (3-2) left after eight innings, the lone blemish being Daniel Descalso’s single up the middle on a 1-1 count. The Brewers’ opening day starter entered the game with 53 hits allowed, tops in MLB, and ended a string of five poor outings in which he was 1-2 with an 8.89 ERA. John Axford worked a perfect ninth for the Brewers, who were outscored 37-7 and shut out three times during a seven-game losing streak. St. Louis’ Kyle Lohse (4-2) allowed a run and six hits in eight innings.

Cubs 3, Reds 2 In Chicago, Kosuke Fukudome hit the game-winning single as Chicago scored twice in the ninth inning. Carlos Pena led off the ninth with a homer to level the score at 2-2 before Fukudome hit a two-out single up the middle to send home Blake DeWitt.

DeWitt also homered for the Cubs, who have won three of four.

Marcos Mateo (1-1) pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings for the Cubs.

Reds starter Bronson Arroyo allowed one run and seven hits in 7 1-3 innings for the Reds, whose three-game winning streak ended.

Francisco Cordero (2-1) allowed two runs and four hits to pick up the loss.

Phillies 3, Braves 0 In Philadelphia, fill-in starter Kyle Kendrick and four relievers combined on a five-hitter and Ryan Howard homered for Philadelphia.

Kendrick (2-2) allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three in five innings. He replaced Roy Oswalt, who went on the disabled list Friday with lower back inflammation. Julio Teheran (0-1) gave up three runs and four hits in 4 2-3

ST LOUIS: Milwaukee Brewers’ Carlos Gomez (27) slides safely under St. Louis Cardinals’ Nick Punto during the second inning of a baseball game. —AP innings in his MLB debut.

JC Romero and Michael Stutes each allowed one hit in one inning for Philadelphia. Antonio Bastardo worked a hitless eighth and Ryan Madson finished for his third save.

Howard hit his 260th homer to move into second place on Philadelphia’s career home run list.

Pirates 6, Astros 1 In Pittsburgh, Charlie Morton took a shutout into the eighth inning and Lyle Overbay and Andrew McCutchen both homered as Pittsburgh won for the fourth time in six games.

Morton (4-1) worked 7 2-3 innings while allowing seven hits and one run to win consecutive starts for the first time in his career.

Morton has already doubled his win total from last season, when he went 2-12 in 17 starts. Overbay and McCutchen each homered to put the Pirates ahead for good in the second inning. Norris (2-2) had nine

strikeouts in seven innings for the last-place Astros, who have lost three of four.

Nationals 5, Marlins 2 At Miami, Tom Gorzelanny pitched seven innings and two relievers completed a two-hitter for Washington. Gorzelanny (2-2) gave up a two-run homer to John Buck — the only runs allowed by the left-hander in his past 18 1-3 innings. Sean Burnett pitched a perfect eighth, and Drew Storen followed with his 16th consecutive scoreless inning to pick up his seventh save in as many chances. The Nationals bullpen has allowed only one run in 24 innings over the past 10 games for an ERA of 0.38.

Roger Bernadina had two hits and scored a run, while Ian Desmond singled, tripled, scored twice and drove in a run. Chris Volstad (2-2) allowed three runs in six innings for the Marlins, who have lost three straight games.

Mets 4, Dodgers 2 At New York, pinch-hitter Justin Turner hit the game-winning RBI in the eighth inning to lead New York.

Dillon Gee pitched effectively into the sixth and Jason Pridie had a career-high three hits for the Mets, who have won three straight since losing five of six.

Los Angeles’ Andre Ethier went 0 for 4 with a first-inning walk, ending his hitting streak at 30 games.

Tim Byrdak (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning for his first win with the Mets. Francisco Rodriguez got three outs for his third save in three days.

D’backs 6, Padres 0 In San Diego, Justin Upton hit a two-run homer and Daniel Hudson won his third straight start for Arizona. The Padres have been shut out an MLB-high eight times in 33 games. They dropped to 6-14 at home, worst in the majors.

Hudson (3-4) allowed five hits in seven innings while striking out six and walking none. Upton gave the Diamondbacks a 6-0 lead when he homered to left-center on a 2-2 pitch from Dustin Moseley (1-4) with one out in the fourth, his seventh homer of the season. Ryan Roberts had three singles and scored three runs for Arizona.

Giants 3, Rockies 2 In San Francisco, Mike Fontenot hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to drive in Aaron Rowand for San Francisco’s second walkoff win in as many nights. Rowand and Freddy Sanchez hit consecutive singles off reliever Felipe Paulino (0-3) to begin the rally.

After a pitching change, Franklin Morales threw a wild pitch that sailed over the head of catcher Chris Iannetta and advanced both runners. Fontenot then hit a deep fly to right to easily score Rowand.

It’s the third straight game the Rockies have lost in walkoff fashion.

Brian Wilson (2-1) pitched one scoreless inning for the Giants.—AP

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KUWAIT: Group picture with female shooters and officials.

Curtain falls on Kuwait shooting season

By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: The Kuwait Shooting 2010/2011 season came to a close with the conclusion of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Shooting Tournament on Saturday in the presence of Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Mohammad Mohsen Al-Afasi who represented HH the Amir.

The championship witnessed a large participation of shooters from Kuwait and Qatar with fierce competition among shooters who exerted their best efforts to get the best possible results so as to qualify for National teams and get better local and international rankings.

President of Kuwait and Asian Shooting Sport Federations and Vice President of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem AlHumoud Al-Sabah thanked HH the Amir for his unlimited support to the youth and

sports in general and the shooting community in particular.

He said Kuwait shooting was able—with this support and the shooters’ outstanding efforts—to bring in 29 gold, 24 silver and 11 bronze medals in addition to their major wins during the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China where they won three gold and three silver medals.

Sheikh Salman said a special prize was decided to be given to Kuwait’s Champion in the Trap, Double Trap, Skeet for men and the 10M Air Rifle for women. He also lauded the achievements of the Olympic archery team during the Arab Championships in Libya during their first participation as they brought in 7 medals.

Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah said Kuwait shooting was able to win the ISSF vice president elections as well as membership in the Administrative Council as well as the presidency of the Arab Shooting Federation

Archers demonstrating their skills.

which was achieved out of good reputation of this sport both regionally and internationally.

Sheikh Salman said due to the importance of the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex, it is placed on the schedule of VIPs’ visits, and it is hosting training camps for various international shooting associations.

Sheikh Salman said the sport of shooting deserves more support and care from the various authorities so that the international achievements continue, and increase the capabilities of Saad Al-Abdallah Academy and add to the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Complex. He said the annual payments to the club should be increased to ensure continuity of the best achievements possible.

The Amir’s representative Minister Al-Afasi and guests recognized this year’s Kuwait champions Nasser Al-Miqlid in the trap,

Kuwait Champion Mariam Irzouqi

Sheikh Salman (L) with Minister Al-Afasi Abdallah Al-Rasheedi in Skeet, Mishfi AlMutairi in the double trap and Mariam Irzouqi in the 10M air rifle.

Mariam Irzouqi was able to break her own record during the 10 meter air rifle competition scoring 502.6/600 while her previous record was 501.2 points.

Results of the competition are as follows: In men’s skeet: Zaid Al-Mutairi, Abdallah Al-Rasheedi and Anwar Al-Hammad.

In men’s trap: Nasser Al-Miqlid, Abdelrahman Al-Faihan and Saud Al-Miqlid In men’s Double Trap: Hamad Al-Afasi, Rashid Al-Athba and Fahad Al-Daihani In women’s skeet: Afrah Abdelrahman, Sheikha Al-Rasheedi and Iman Al-Shamma In women’s trap: Sarah Al-Hawal, Shahad Al-Hawal and Jinan Al-Fares In junior skeet: Abdelaziz Al-Saad, Mohammad Al-Azmi and Mater Al-Bughaili In junior trap: Tala Al-Rasheedi, Abdfallah Al-Hamly and Hamad Al-Rasheedi In junior double trap: Osama Al-Faihan, Mohammad Al-Mutairi and Abdallah AlMutairi In men’s 10m air pistol: Bader Al-Muhaini, Ghanim Al-Nuaimi and Abdallah Al-Mulla

Arab Champion, archer Faleh Al-Askar In men’s 10 meter air rifle: Abdallah AlHarby, Khalis Al-Subaiee and Mohammad Abdelrahman In women’s 10m air rifle: Mariam Irzouqi, Ayat Al-Duwaikhi and Fatima Abdelmalek In women’s 10m air pistol: Ghada AlShamali, Israa Bahman and Ghizlan Hussein In men’s 50m rifle: Mishal Al-Tahous, Khalid Al-Subaiee and Mufarref Al-Subaiee In men 50 free pistol: Khalid Al-Subaiee, Bader Al-Muhaini and Ghanim AlNuaimee

Animal Kingdom wins Kentucky Derby LOUISVILLE:- The glorious uncertainty of horse racing produced an unlikely winner of the $2.2 million Kentucky Derby on Saturday when Animal Kingdom stormed to victory in the 137th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs.

A record crowd of almost 165,000 let out a mighty roar as John Velazquez, who only got the ride when his own horse was scratched and Animal Kingdom’s original jockey was injured in a freak accident, surged into the lead approaching the shadows of the iconic twin spires.

Riding high on emotion after a bizarre chain of events led him to Animal Kingdom’s saddle, Velazquez kicked clear to win his first Kentucky Derby at his 13th attempt.

“I guess it was meant to be,” Velazquez said. “A lot of things happen for a reason.”

Animal Kingdom, a longshot who started at odds of 20-1, was untroubled in his run to the wire, taking out the first leg of American racing’s Triple Crown by 2 3/4 lengths .

Nehro, who had briefly looked the winner when he grabbed the lead at the top of the straight, finished second, while Mucho Macho Man came third, a neck behind the runner-up.

The 5-1 favourite, Dialed In, could only manage eighth after being last in the 19horse field for most of the mile and a quarter trip.

“He had a good trip,” said Dialed In’s jockey Julien Leparoux. “It went the way we planned it in the back but they didn’t back up to us today.”

Velazquez, born in Puerto Rico, was booked to ride the one-time favourite Uncle Mo but looked destined to miss America’s greatest race when the colt was scratched on Friday because of a mystery

LOUISVILLE: John Velazquez rides Animal Kingdom to victory during the 137th Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs. (Inset) John Velazquez celebrates his victory. —AP illness. But the 39-year-old jockey picked up the mount on Animal Kingdom on the eve of the race when the horse’s original jockey Robby Albarado broke his nose and was kicked by a horse in a midweek

race. “In this business, it’s a roller-coaster,” said Velazquez. “I’ve been on the other end as well.”

Animal Kingdom’s English-born trainer Graham Motion also captured his first

Kentucky Derby winner after cursing his bad fortune earlier in the week.

His Wood Memorial winner Toby’s Corner, one of the early favorites for the race, was withdrawn a few days ago after

suffering an injury, leaving the less-fancied Animal Kingdom as his lone runner.

“Somebody said are you surprised to win with a second-tier horse and I said ‘I’m not sure we would categorise him as a

second-tier horse,” Motion said.

“He’s just a very special horse and I was so impressed with how he handled everything.” Despite winning two of his previous four career starts, Animal Kingdom was considered an outsider to win, paying $43.80 for a $2 win bet in one of the most open Derbies in years.

The chestnut colt was unusually bred, sired by Brazilian-miler Leroidesanimaux out of the German mare Dalicia, and had not raced for six weeks.

His other races had all been on grass and synthetic tracks and horses seldom contest the Derby without having at least one run on dirt.

But Animal Kingdom had no problems adapting to the surface, sprinting clear of the pack when he changed strides after rounding the last bend. “This is the race that we all want,” said Velazquez. “It’s a dream come true for all of us.”

In keeping with tradition, the race was preceded by the singing of “My Old Kentucky Home” and the winner was draped in a garland of red roses as the massive crowd packed into the course to watch the race, dressed in an array of outfits and sipping on mint julep drinks.

The Irish-trained Master of Hounds finished fifth while Pants on Fire, ridden by Rosie Napravnik, the only female jockey in the race, was ninth.

Nehro, ridden by Corey Nakatani, looked set to win when he surged to the front at the top of the straight but could not hold off the fast-finishing Animal Kingdom.

Mucho Macho Man, whose trainer Kathy Ritvo is a heart-transplant survivor, battled on well to take third, just ahead of Shackleford, who led the field when they passed the post the first time.—Reuters

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

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Filipinos celebrate Pacquiao’s title defence MANILA: Filipinos in cinema halls, hotels, public parks and prison facilities were left jubilant yesterday after Manny Pacquiao outboxed American Shane Mosley to easily retain his WBO welterweight title in Las Vegas.

“Manny is the greatest fighter in our boxing history,” Jay Salvador, 22, a sailor, told Reuters as a packed movie house in Mandaluyong City celebrated when Mosley hit the canvas in the third round.

“I cannot hide my disappointment because after the third round, I was expecting Manny to finish him off early. They should star t looking for a

stronger opponent for Manny. (Floyd) Mayweather (junior), you’re next.”

Pacquiao, a congressman and widely regarded as the planet’s best pound-for-pound fighter, registered a unanimous points victory over Mosley.

In Manila’s business district, hundreds of inmates watched the fight on a large screen, under tight guard from baton-wielding jail wardens and police, who separated rival gangs to prevent a clash.

There was a sea of colorful umbrellas in Marikina City in the capital as fans braved rains to get a better view of huge TV screens set up in a crowded

public park.

“We’re happy that Manny won,” said Cresencia Betino, 39, who celebrated Mother’s Day watching the fight at a shopping mall in Pasay City. “I don’t mind paying 400 pesos ($9) because it was worth it.”

Philippine President Benigno Aquino issued a congratulatory message from Jakarta, where he was attending the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ summit.

“There’s no doubt he is a real hero,” Aquino said, heaping praise on the champion who wore yellow

gloves as part of his campaign to fight poverty in the Philippines.

Soldiers also took a break to watch the fight inside military bases across the archipelago, imposing an undeclared truce with Maoist guerrillas and Islamic militants.

Major-General Anthony Alcantara, army commander in Muslim areas on the southern island of Mindanao, said troops resumed patrols and security-related operations after the bout. Police authorities have said the crime rates drop every time Pacquiao enters the ring. — Reuters

Pacquiao stops Mosley to retain WBO crown

COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s Brian Nielsen (right) receives a punch from Evander Holyfield of the US during their heavyweight boxing match. — AP

Holyfield defeats Nielsen with TKO COPENHAGEN: Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield beat Denmark’s Brian Nielsen on a technical knockout in the 10th round on Saturday in his long shot quest for one last title fight.

The bout was stopped after the 48year-old Holyfield pushed Nielsen into the corner in the 10th round and hit him several times with right-left combinations, causing the Dane to spit out some blood.

“My goal still is to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,” Holyfield said. “This fight showed other champions what I am able to do, but it also taught me I got to be better. The most important is that I didn’t quit. I am not quitter.” Holyfield (44-10-2-1) started the fight aggressively, pressing the 46year-old Nielsen into the ropes and landing several hard jabs and hooks.

Despite getting a swollen eye in the fourth round, Nielsen kept on clowning to provoke Holyfield throughout the bout, prompting his trainer, Paul Duvill, to beg him to stop fooling around and focus on Holyfield. Nielsen (64-2, 43 KOs)

made a comeback in the eighth round, pushing a tired-looking Holyfield into the ropes with a series of combinations, before Holyfield turned it around in the 10th.

“It was a tough fight — he kept coming back,” Holyfield said. “He fought a very courageous fight.” Nielsen, with a bag of ice on his bloodied face, said he disagreed with the decision to halt the fight. He suggested a rematch to Holyfield. “That’s enough, I don’t need a rematch,” Holyfield said, laughing.

Holyfield weighed in at 225.97 pounds (102.8 kilograms), while Nielsen, a tall, pudgy fighter, was at 238.1 pounds (108 kilograms).

Before the fight, Nielsen had acknowledged that Holyfield was the favorite, but he promised the fight wouldn’t be a walkover. He spent eight months in an intensive training camp in Germany to prepare for his first fight in nine years.

Holyfield’s last appearance in the ring was in January. He was cut above the left eye by an accidental head butt in his fight against Sherman Williams and the bout was ruled a no-contest. — AP

LAS VEGAS: Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines retained his WBO welterweight title by recording a unanimous points victory over a lacklustre Shane Mosley at the MGM Garden Arena on Saturday.

The 32-year-old southpaw, despite being hampered by cramp in his left leg, dominated all 12 rounds against his defence-minded American opponent to improve his career record to 53-3-2 with 38 knockouts.

It was Pacquiao’s 14th consecutive win since his loss to Erik Morales in Las Vegas in March 2005, and enhanced his status as the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer.

Fighting for the second time since winning a seat in his country’s national congress last year, Pacquiao gained one-sided verdicts from all three judges — 119-108, 120-108 and 120107.

“It wasn’t my best performance but I did my best,” Pacquiao said ringside in front of a sellout crowd of 16,412. “My leg tightened up in the middle rounds and I couldn’t move.

“This is the same problem I had when I fought (Juan Manuel) Marquez so we are going to have to work on this.”

Pacquiao sent Mosley crashing to the canvas in the third round with a searing straight left but, despite pressing for the rest of the fight, he was unable to stop an opponent seemingly more interested in survival.

“I got him with a lucky shot,” Pacquiao said of the knockdown. “Mosley is not slow. He is fast. He was waiting for me to make a mistake and he wanted to counter. I was careful with that. I think he felt my power. But what am I going to do if my opponent doesn’t want to fight toe-to-toe.” “Sugar” Shane Mosley, an 8-1 underdog against the 10-times world champion, slipped to 46-7-1 with 39 knockouts and was booed for much of the bout because of his defensive approach.

“Manny is an exceptional fighter with good speed and power, power that I didn’t get hit with before,” the 39-year-old American said. “It was a strong knockdown punch. I really felt it.

I was pretty stunned, surprisingly stunned.

“It didn’t seem like a big shot to me when he threw it but the impact was very strong. I fought my best but I came up a little short. We will go back to the drawing board.”

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, who has long admired three-division world champion

LAS VEGAS: Manny Pacquiao lands a punch against Shane Mosley in the ninth round during a WBO welterweight title bout. — AP

Mosley for his boxing intelligence, felt the American should now consider retiring from competition.

“I don’t think he tried to win this fight,” Roach told reporters. “I think he just tried to survive and when you get to that point in boxing, it’s time to call it a day.”

Loud chants of “Manny, Manny, Manny” rang out in the Garden Arena before the two fighters made their way to the ring.

Mosley came out first, led by American rapper and actor LL Cool J, before Pacquiao followed with Jimi Jamison of US rock band Survivor singing the group’s 1982 hit “Eye of the Tiger.”

Round one began with both fighters probing. Pacquiao connected early on with a left jab before Mosley landed a solid right-hand punch to the body. With the crowd again chanting “Manny, Manny, Manny” Pacquiao began to find a rhythm and he landed several telling combinations before ending the sec-

ond round with a right hook followed by a straight left.

In round three, Mosley connected with another solid right before the Filipino sent the American crashing to the canvas with a crunching straight left set up by a right jab, only the third time Mosley had ever been knocked down.

The rest of the fight followed a similar pattern with Pacquiao, despite his cramped left leg, continually forcing Mosley to retreat as the American focused mainly on defence and survival. In the 10th round, the Filipino was surprisingly adjudged to have been knocked down after being pushed to the canvas by Mosley. Fired up, Pacquiao ended that round in aggressive mode, hitting Mosley late on with a withering left. With the crowd repeatedly chanting “Knock him out, knock him out”, Pacquiao kept coming forward in the final two rounds but was unable to finish his opponent off. —Reuters

Celtics cool Heat

Al-Haddad dominates KDSC Fencing Tourney KUWAIT: The first local fencing tournament held by the Kuwait Disabled Sports Club concluded recently in an event that was attended by KDSC honorary chairwoman Sheikha Sheikha AlSabah, as well as the tournament’s organizer and KDSC secretary general Shafi Al-Hajri.

Kuwaiti champion Abdullah AlHaddad was crowned winner of the flo-

ret fencing competition after defeating Al-Jahra Club player Nasser Al-Waleed 15-9, before being also crowned as the winner of the epee competition after overcoming Al-Yarmouk Club’s Saad AlWawaan 15-6.

Al-Haddad is preparing to represent Kuwait in the 2011 Wheelchair Fencing World Cup to be hosted by Poland from June 30 to July 3.

BOSTON: Rajon Rondo had six points and 11 assists despite playing the fourth quarter with a dislocated left elbow as the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 97-81 on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Miami leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 on Monday night in Boston.

Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 18 rebounds, and Paul Pierce scored 27 for the defending Eastern Conference champions, who managed to avoid a 3-0 hole that no NBA team has ever overcome.

Dwyane Wade had 23 points and seven assists, and Joel Anthony continued to contribute off the bench, scoring 12 with 11 rebounds. LeBron James added 15, but he and Wade combined to make just 14 of 35 shots from the floor.

Grizzlies 101, Thunder 93 In Memphis, Tennessee, Zach Randolph had 21 points and a team-record 21 rebounds as Memphis rallied from a 16-point deficit to stun Oklahoma City and grab a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. —AP

BOSTON: Boston Celtics’ Rajon Rondo (9) uses his right arm to try to steal the ball from Miami Heat’s Mario Chalmers during the second half of Boston’s 97-81 win in Game 3 of a secondround NBA playoff basketball series. — AP

Byrd streaks into lead at Quail Hollow CHARLOTTE: American Jonathan Byrd flew by compatriot Pat Perez with a blistering back nine to seize a one-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the Quail Hollow Championship on an emotional day in the wake of the Seve Ballesteros’s death.

Byrd, a local favourite who attended nearby Clemson University, birdied five of six holes after making the turn on his way to a fiveunder-par 67 for a total of 15-under 201 going into Sunday’s final round when he will aim for his sixth US Tour title. Overnight leader Perez led by two shots before a bogey at the par-four 12th where he chipped well past the hole from the back fringe and was overtaken by the Byrd’s surge. Perez posted 70 for 202.

Two strokes further back on 12-under 204 were former British Open champion Stewart Cink (68) and former U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover (69). Andres Romero of Argentina (67) and Americans Kevin Na (67) and Bill Haas (71) are four behind the leader. Byrd had back-to-

CHARLOTTE: Jonathan Byrd hits from the 18th fairway during the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club. — AP back birdies from the seventh before making bogey at the ninth. With his red-hot surge after the turn, he had seven birdies during a ninehole stretch. “Wow, I did that? I didn’t really

realise it was going that good there for a while,” said the 33-year-old Byrd, who won this year’s Tournament of Champions.

Byrd said it took a little while to get accustomed to playing with world number four Phil Mickelson, who shot a 74. “I was pretty shaky starting off, didn’t feel real comfortable out there. “The environment is pretty distracting.

Man, people were excited we were out there playing today. Charlotte was pretty rocking and rolling out there, and I just had a hard time settling down.” Beyond the birdies and bogeys, many players were shaken by the death of Spain’s Ballesteros, a five-times major winner who created excitement around the world with his charismatic personality and genius for the short game.

He died early on Saturday morning at the age of 54 after a battle with brain cancer. “He was a great man, not only on the golf course but off the golf course,” said Vijay Singh of Fiji, who shot a 73. —Reuters

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Vettel wins Turkish GP

SARDINA: French driver Sebastien Loeb (right) and co-driver Daniel Elena (left) lift their trohpies as they celebrate taking first position during the podium ceremony of the WRC rally of Italy. —AP

Loeb wins Rally of Italy CAGLIARI: Frenchman Sebastien Loeb wrapped up yet another win in the rally of Italy yesterday to stretch his overall lead but it was another bad day for Mini on their return to the world championship.

Citroen’s seven-times world champion Loeb finished 11.2 seconds ahead of second-placed Mikko Hirvonen to collect his 64th world championship victory.

Hirvonen started well on the third and final day of racing before a mistake on stage 16 cost the Finn dear. “It was an overshoot on a junction and maybe I lost two or three seconds,” Ford’s Hir vonen told www.wrc.com.

The victory was Loeb’s fourth on the gravel roads of Sardinia, which was left off the championship rota last year. “Leading from nearly the start, that’s really a good job,” Loeb said. “Mikko was pushing very hard behind so we really had to take big risks all the time.”

Sebastien Ogier’s assault on the podium

ended when the Frenchman hit a rock and broke his Citroen’s rear suspension.

Norway’s Petter Solberg took third place.

Jari-Matti Latvala, who stormed back on Saturday, won two more stages on Sunday but still ended up in 18th because of a crash on Friday. Mini’s return to the sport suffered more disappointment when Kris Meeke failed to start the day after he had retired on the previous two days with a sticking throttle the main problem.

“It’s disappointing but we don’t want to risk what happened on Friday happening again. There’s a bigger picture,” the 31-yearold Meeke said.

Team mate Dani Sordo of Spain offered some cheer for Mini, who lit up the sport in the 1960s, by finishing sixth overall.

Mini are appearing in selected rallies this year before a full return in 2012. The next race is the rally of Argentina on May 26-29, the sixth round of the 13-event season.—Reuters

ISTANBUL: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel easily won the Turkish Grand Prix yesterday, clinching his third win of the season ahead of teammate Mark Webber to extend his overall lead.

The Formula One champion was never in trouble at Istanbul Park after starting from pole position for the fourth consecutive time. The 23-yearold Vettel won by a comfortable margin of 8.8 seconds.

“Throughout this race we had this cushion and were able to act, rather than react,” Vettel said. “We never really had anybody close behind which would have been a different situation.”

Vettel became the youngest F1 champion last year, and is odds-on favorite to defend his title.

After a stunning start, he already leads McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton by 34 points and Webber by 38.

“I think the day you start to think you are unbeatable is the day you get beaten, for sure,” Vettel said. “There is always someone, at some point, who teaches you a lesson, who gives you a hard time and beats you.” Vettel is even less likely to get carried away after four races, given that the championship went down to the final day last year.

“We saw how quickly these things changed last year, it was very close,” Vettel said. “We have to go step by step, a good start to the season always helps but there is a long way to go.” Red Bull started 1-2 on the grid and Webber passed Spanish driver Fernando Alonso late on in an exciting race that saw a lot of bumping and overtaking early on, and where the top four drivers all made four tire changes.

“The fight with Fernando in the middle of the race was unexpected,” Webber said. “It was a good fight.” Alonso was 10 seconds behind Vettel in third, giving Ferrari its first podium this season. “We did a good weekend overall, the car performed better than the first three races of the championship,” Alonso said.

“We enjoyed racing again, we enjoyed a race fighting for the positions.” Vettel, who won the opening two races and finished second behind Hamilton in China last month, was delighted to return to the top of the podium.

“Yes! Yes! That’s what I’m talking about!” Vettel shouted over the race radio, before jumping out of his car to hug team engineers and mechanics.

Hamilton never challenged for the lead and finished fourth.

Webber was also thrilled, having improved at every race since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The Australian was fifth in Melbourne, fourth in Malaysia and third in China.

“I said to myself I can’t finish third (here) after starting 18th and finishing third in China,” Webber joked. Webber sneaked up on Alonso on lap 51, squeezing past him and then holding the Spaniard off as the two-time former F1 champion tried to pass straight back. “Fighting with Red Bulls these days is difficult,” Alonso said. “Hopefully next time we can.” In warm and sunny conditions, drivers started on soft tires.

Hamilton started fourth on the grid with Alonso fifth, meaning he avoided the dirty side of the track. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, who impressed in practice, showed great skill to overtake Webber at the start and Alonso passed Hamilton as the British driver dropped down to sixth, his McLaren teammate Jenson Button also getting past him. Hamilton then tried to get round

ISTANBUL: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany raises the trophy on the podium after he won the Formula One race at the Istanbul Park circuit racetrack.—AP the outside of Button but could not, and Rosberg’s early pace was posing problems. “We lost a little bit of time behind Rosberg in the beginning of the race,” Alonso said. “This one percent chance (we had of beating Vettel was) lost in the first five laps with Nico.” Rosberg’s presence near the front only served to help Vettel.“ It was a good race today, very smooth,” Vettel said. “It was a very comfortable situation having Nico behind me.” It proved a disappointing day for McLaren, with Button finishing sixth behind Rosberg, and a frustrating one in particular for Hamilton. He had high hopes after beating Vettel in China by making an extra pit-stop and having fresher tires late on.

This time, Hamilton was undone by his pit crew as he went in for his third stop. There was a long delay putting the right front tire on — and then a stall as Ferrari’s Felipe Massa passed him in the pit lane — and that cost the 2008 F1 champion vital seconds as well as his momentum. As Vettel pulled away, those behind were in the familiar position of

jostling for scraps. Mexico’s Sergio Perez of Sauber pitted on the second lap to change a damaged front wing, while Vitaly Petrov and Michael Schumacher bumped into each other on the third lap. Seven-time F1 champion Schumacher’s front wing came unstuck and he had to pit for a new one. He finished 12th.

Later, Nick Heidfeld and Petrov got their Renaults tangled up, Schumacher narrowly avoided Adrian Sutil’s Force India, and Sauber’s Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi touched wheels with Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi as the backdrop of miniduels and hectic tire changes defined the early stages of the race.

But Vettel said races with four stops for some drivers switching between soft tires and others stopping twice for prime hard tires may be more confusing than exciting.

“It doesn’t make it easy for the spectators,” Vettel said. “It’s (too) early to judge as we’ve only had four races.”—AP

Smith takes 1st Sprint Cup victory SPAIN: Serbian Novak Djokovic (left) and Spanish Rafael Nadal (right) pose with their trophies after their final match of the Madrid Masters. —AFP

Djokovic stuns Nadal as Kvitova defeats Azarenka Madrid Open final MADRID: Novak Djokovic produced perhaps the most impressive of his 32 straight victories this year, beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal in straight sets on clay in the Madrid Open final.

The second-ranked Djokovic wasted a 4-0 lead in the first set but recovered to win 7-5, 6-4 and cut Nadal’s latest winning streak on clay at 37 matches. The Serb also beat Nadal in the final in Miami and Indian Wells this year, but this was his first victory in 10 tries over the Spaniard on his favored surface.

It was Djokovic’s sixth title of 2011 and allowed him to surpass Bjorn Borg’s 31-match unbeaten run from 1980. He now only trails the 42-0 start by John McEnroe in 1984.

Djokovic’s 34 straight wins since Serbia’s Davis Cup triumph in December is the eighth best of all time. “Unbelievable,” Djokovic said about keeping his streak alive. “I stepped onto the court today believing I could win. I needed to be aggressive and it was a great match.”

Earlier, Petra Kvitova won her third title of the season by beating Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the women’s final.

Nadal’s last defeat on clay came nearly two years ago against Robin Soderling at the

MADRID: Czech Petra Kvitova holds her trophy after winning the final match of the Madrid Masters. —AFP

French Open. He had won six titles on clay since, and this was only his seventh loss on the surface in 196 matches dating to 2005.

Nadal had split the last two finals here with Roger Federer, and beat the Swiss star in three sets in the semifinals on Saturday. But Djokovic once again proved too tough and avenged his loss from 2009 at the Magic Box arena, when the pair squared off in a record 4-hour plus semifinal.

Djokovic, who took home a winner’s check of §590,000 ($849,000), raced out to 4-0 lead after Nadal netted to be broken for the second time.

Nadal broke back immediately and then pulled to within 5-4 after converting his second break point with a shot into the corner.

The Spaniard then saved three straight set points to even it before Djokovic took the set on his fourth try when his backhand took a lucky bounce on the net cord to leave Nadal no chance.

In a match full of great shots, Nadal then fired up the crowd with a spectacular between-the-legs lob to set up three break points in the first game of the second set.

Nadal slammed a forehand down the line to break, but the stubborn Djokovic bounced right back to level in the next game.

Djokovic hit a crosscourt backhand to set up three straight match points and converted the second after a long rally when Nadal sliced a backhand wide. The 18th-ranked Kvitova won the first set tiebreaker when Azarenka shot long, and secured her first Masters series trophy when Azarenka returned long on the first championship point.

Azarenka only managed to convert three of nine break chances as Kvitova defended her serve well despite a shaky service game.

“I was very nervous and perhaps that was the problem,” said Kvitova, who will be the sixth Czech player to reach the top-10 today when she jumps to No. 10 in the WTA rankings. “I think it’s the best tennis that I’ve played. I was very offensive.”

Azarenka hit only 10 winners to go along with her 21 unforced errors. Perhaps sensing the missed opportunity, she broke down into tears after the loss. “She (Kvitova) played great this week, (she) deserved it,” said the Belorussian, who will jump one spot to a career-high of fourth in the rankings on despite coming up short in her bid for a third title this season. —AP

DARLINGTON: Regan Smith moved in front on a caution nine laps from the end and survived a green-white-checker finish to win the Southern 500 on Saturday for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory.

Smith held off Carl Edwards for the final two laps at Darlington Raceway in a race that turned ugly late when Kyle Busch tangled with Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer to set up the overtime finish. “I’m not supposed to win this race. I’ve never even had a top-five. I guess in this series, it just shows anyone can win,” said Smith, whose previous best this season was a seventh at the Daytona 500.

After the race, Harvick stopped in front of Busch on pit road and attempted to punch or grab Busch through his window. Busch then

slammed into Harvick’s empty car, sending it crashing in the inside wall. After Harvick got back into his car, the two stared each other down as they entered the garage.

The standoff finally ended when Busch bumped Har vick several times to make space to drive off.

Brad Keselowski finished third, pole-sitter Kasey Kahne was fourth and Ryan Newman fifth.

Edwards appeared to be heading to his first Darlington victory with 10 laps remaining in what had been about 490 miles (788 kilometers) of relatively calm racing.

Things changed when Jeff Burton brought out the 10th and final caution, setting up a restart with five laps left and many of NASCAR’s best drivers not far from the lead.

Busch, Har vick and Bowyer

wound up driving next to each other in too tight of a space and Bowyer was sent sprawling into the interior wall. As cars spun out behind, Busch veered down the track and sent Harvick spinning.

Smith bobbled slightly on the final lap, but regained control and took off for the victory. He won for the first time in 105 Sprint Cup starts.

“We’ve had some ups and we’ve had some downs, this is an up,” Smith said. Smith’s win, though, will likely be overshadowed by the confrontation between Harvick and Busch, who have a history of antagonism. Harvick admittedly wrecked into Busch on purpose late in last season’s finale at Homestead in retaliation for earlier contact.

“Just uncalled for. Just unac-

ceptable racing,” Busch said. “You know, it’s in the last couple of laps but I gave him room off of two, I didn’t get the room. Just real unfortunate. I hate we tore up a few good cars there.” Harvick said he was racing hard “and doing what we had to do there at the end and things happen.”

Edwards said all drivers have a passion for racing that can leave them frustrated at times. “This is racing,” he said. “You’re going to have stuff like that. I think all of us k now that can happen and we should be prepared.” Before the end, the most frightening incident came when the nose of David Ragan’s car peeled off the sheet metal on the left side of Brian Vicker’s vehicle, leaving a long trail of debris.—AP

Gayle leads Bangalore to easy IPL win over Kochi BANGALORE: Chris Gayle hammered a 16-ball 44 to set up Royal Challengers Bangalore’s ninewicket victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the IPL yesterday.

The left-handed Gayle lashed five sixes and three fours as Royal Challengers easily chased down the target of 126 with 6.5 overs to spare.

Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored with 52 not out.

Royal Challengers made 128-1 off 13.1 overs after first restricting Kochi Tuskers to 125-9 to move up to the third place in the 10-team league following their sixth victory in 10 matches. In yesterday’s other game, Pune Warriors turned around their seven-match losing streak to beat Kings XI Punjab by five wickets in Mohali.

Man of the match Gayle, who scored two centuries in the first four matches, hit 37 in one over off left-arm pacer Prasanth Parameswaran that included a free hit with four sixes and three boundaries.

“Good game. Enjoyed it,” Gayle said. “Late night for me. I couldn’t sleep well. Went to bed at 6 a.m.” Gayle put on 67 for the opening wicket with Dilshan before the West Indian was bowled by pacer Vinay Kumar.

Dilshan had set the pace before Gayle’s burst when he took 20 off one over from spinner Ramesh Powar. The team’s first 50 came off just 15 balls.

Dilshan, who hit eight fours and a six in his 31-ball knock, put on 61 with Virat Kohli (27) for the unbroken second wicket for their second win over Tuskers this season.

A controlled bowling display by Royal Challengers pegged back Tuskers after the visi-

tors had elected to bat. Medium-pacer Sreenath Aravind and New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori took two wickets each. “(It was a) complete performance over all,” Royal Challengers skipper Vettori said.

Later yesterday, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, South African Wayne Parnell, man of the match Rahul Sharma and Mitchell Marsh took two wickets each to restrict Kings XI Punjab, who opted to bat, to 119-8 in 20 overs.

Skipper Yuvraj Singh struck 35 to guide Warriors to an upset victory. Left-handed Yuvraj lashed two sixes and two fours in one over off left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt to lead Warriors to 120-5 off 17.1 overs. “150 would have been a decent battle as it (wicket) was getting slower and lower,” Kings XI skipper Adam Gilchrist said after his team dropped to the bottom of the table after going without a win in their last five games. “We didn’t build enough partnerships.”

Mumbai Indians pacer Lasith Malinga was fined five per cent of his match fee for bowling two beamers during Saturday’s match against Delhi Daredevils. Defending champions Chennai Super Kings play Rajasthan Royals today.

Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 128-1 in 13.1 overs (Chris Gayle 44, Tillakaratne Dilshan 52 not out) def. Kochi Tuskers Kerala 125-9 in 20 overs (Sreenath Aravind 2-20, Daniel Vettori 2-24).

Pune Warriors 120-5 in 17.1 overs (Yuvraj Singh 35, Manish Pandey 28; Shalabh Srivastav 2-20) def. Kings XI Punjab 119-8 in 20 overs (Shaun Marsh 32, Dinesh Karthik 30; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-14, Wayne Parnell 2-12, Rahul Sharma 2-17, Mitchell Marsh 2-16).—AP

BANGALORE: The bails fly off the wickets to dismiss Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Chris Gayle during an Indian Premier League cricket match against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. —AP

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MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

sp orts

Barcelona one point from title after Espanyol victory

ITALY: AC Milan fans celebrate winning the Italian title in downtown Milan’s Duomo square Saturday. AC Milan ended five years of dominance by city rival Inter Milan and clinched the Serie A title following a heated 0-0 draw at Roma. —AP

Milan secure Serie A title MILAN: AC Milan won Serie A for the first time in seven years on Saturday as an insipid goalless draw at AS Roma clinched the title with two games to spare and finally ended Inter Milan’s long stranglehold on the scudetto.

Milan, in their first season under coach Massimiliano Allegri, took an unassailable nine-point lead over bitter rivals Inter, champions for the last five seasons and the only team who could catch them before the start of the weekend.

Inter host Fiorentina on Sunday and have three matches left but, even if they caught Milan, Leonardo’s side would still lose out on their head-to-head record which decides the title if teams finish level on points.

It was Milan’s 18th Serie A title, pulling them level with Inter, although they are still nine behind Juventus. “They gave us up for dead and they thought I was finished,” midfielder Gennaro Gattuso told reporters as his team mates celebrated on the pitch at the Stadio Olimpico.

“Allegri deserves a mark of 10, he has been the architect of this success, he has kept the squad closely-knit.” Unheralded Allegri, who until 2008 plied his trade in the lower divisions, was appointed in June after previous club Cagliari sacked him for talking to Milan.

“It’s a beautiful moment which has arrived after seven years,” added 35-yearold Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who was at the club in 2004 but will be out of contract at the end of the season.

“This squad will improve a lot after this win.”

Milan, who lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League last 16, have not been especially sparkling this term in what has generally been a weak Serie A but they have done enough thanks to the early season goals of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a good defence.

Inter struggled at the start of the campaign with injuries and Rafa Benitez was sacked as coach in December after failing to fill the large shoes of Jose Mourinho, who led Inter to a treble last term before heading to Real Madrid.

A generally dire first half saw Milan passing the ball sideways and backwards while eight or nine Roma players protected their own penalty area.

Roma had the better chances on their occasional forays forward with Mirko Vucinic forcing a point-blank save from goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.

Alessandro Nesta also made a crucial clearance with the Montenegrin lurking behind him before Aleandro Rosi forced Abbiati into action again.

Milan, with Ibrahimovic returning from a three-match suspension, made a livelier start to the second half and Robinho hit the post almost immediately having shaken off Marco Cassetti.

Kevin-Prince Boateng flicked the ball agonisingly wide on the hour after being sent clear by Ibrahimovic, who shortly afterwards had a fierce effort parried away by Doni. —Reuters

Celtic keep title pressure on Rangers GLASGOW: Celtic kept the pressure on Scottish Premier League title rivals Rangers with a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park yesterday that reduces the gap at the top of the table to one point.

The Hoops had efforts from Gary Hooper and Kris Commons ruled out for offside before Scott Brown dived to head Celtic ahead in first-half stoppage time.

Celtic dominated possession in the second half but it took a thunderous strike from Commons to settle their nerves in the 68th minute.

With two games remaining the Hoops face Hearts away on Wednesday while Rangers host Dundee United on Tuesday as the title race looks to be heading to a final day decider.

“They were solid and professional throughout. We had two goals disallowed as well as a clean sheet so it was a pleasing performance,” said Celtic manager Neil Lennon.

“Once we got the break through, and it was a great goal from Scott (Brown), we were very good in the second-half. They played with a great intensity and we were comfortable winners.”

Lennon’s counterpart Kenny Shiels praised his side in defeat. “I couldn’t ask for more from the players and they gave a good account of themselves,” the Kilmarnock boss said. “The players are giving as good as they’re getting in every game - they can’t give any more.”

Lennon made four changes to the Celtic side that lost in Inverness in midweek and handed Rangers the initiative in the title race with Thomas Rogne, Ki Sung-Yeung, James Forrest and Daryl Murphy coming in.

Kilmarnock had been thrashed 4-0 on Celtic’s last visit to Rugby Park three weeks ago but the home side started brightly. Alexei Eremenko fed James Dayton down the right wing and he cut inside Daniel Majstorovic before dragging his shot just wide.

Celtic immediately hit back when Murphy got the break of the ball after Momo Sissoko’s attempted clearance bounced off Commons but the Irishman couldn’t find the target with a low drive. Cammy Bell could only palm Majstorovic’s header from a

Commons free-kick into the path of Hooper who poked home from close range but the offside flag cut short his celebrations.

Manuel Pascali earned his 18th yellow card of the season when he brought down Murphy and Commons clipped the crossbar from the curling 25-yard free-kick.

The Scotland international had the ball in the net again for Celtic in the 34th minute but he was a couple of yards offside when Murphy picked him out in the box with a pass and the assistant referee’s flag was up immediately as the Hoops’ frustrations grew.

Eremenko’s driving run at the Celtic defence ended with the Finnish international sending a low drive straight to the arms of Fraser Forster.

Celtic made the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time. Murphy’s cross to the back post was headed back across goal by Forrest and captain Brown got in front of Garry Hay to send a diving header past Bell.

The Hoops looked sharper after the break and Forrest volleyed wildly over after finding some space in the box following a one-two with Murphy before hitting the side netting with a fierce strike moments later.

Celtic were dominating possession but failing to test Bell until a screamer from Commons doubled their advantage in the 68th minute.

The former Derby County star took a touch on a pass from Hooper before letting fly with a thunderbolt from 25 yards that swerved into the top corner past the helpless Bell for Commons’ ninth goal in nine Premier League games. —AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings) English Premier League Fulham v Liverpool Abu Dhabi HD 5 Abu Dhabi HD 3

22:00

Italian League Juventus v Chievo 21:45 Al Jazeera Sport +1 Al Jazeera Sport HD 1

BARCELONA: Mighty Barcelona moved to within a point of a third successive Spanish league title yesterday with a 2-0 win over Espanyol in the Catalan derby.

Goals from Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique took Barcelona to 91 points, eight ahead of Real Madrid, who stayed alive in the title race with a 6-2 win over Sevilla on Saturday.

Barcelona, who have a superior head-tohead record over Real, will be crowned champions if they avoid defeat against Levante on Wednesday. A Real failure to see off Getafe on Tuesday will also be enough for the championship celebrations to start.

“The later that Barca win the title, the better,” said Cristiano Ronaldo who scored four times in Real’s demolition of Sevilla to take his season’s league tally to 33, two better than Barca star Lionel Messi.

Barca started slowly yesterday, appearing to suffer a hangover from their Champions League semi-final against Real where they came out on top in a tumultuous double header.

Espanyol were still in the hunt for a place in the Europa League despite a dismal run which had seen them win just once in six games.

It became seven as Barca slowly cranked up their customary passing game and started to find cracks in the defence. Pedro Rodriguez tested ‘keeper Carlos Kameni with a strike from 20 yards and then Iniesta had a shot from the edge of the area before he made the break through.

The Spain international jockeyed his man, making space for himself, and then fired passed Kameni. Any hopes of an Espanyol comeback suffered a blow at the start of the second half when poor defending at a corner allowed Pique to steal in and head home at the near post.

Valencia are strong favourites to finish third following a 0-0 stalemate between Mallorca and Villarreal. A brace from Roberto Soldado and a Jonas Goncalves goal gave Valencia a 3-0 win over Real Sociedad and now they are five points clear after a lethargic performance from Villarreal on Sunday.

Mallorca star ted the brighter but Giuseppe Rossi hit the post on the counter attack. After the break Nilmar for Villarreal and Pierre Webo for the home side had shots well saved before the game petered out into a draw.

Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido blamed his side’s sluggish performance on tiredness after playing in the Europa League

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Gerard Pique (center) heads the ball as he scores next to Espanyol’s Raul Rodriguez, during their Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium. —AP semi-finals on Thursday. “We had little time to recover and it was clear in the second half that we were not at our best but the team battled well against a side who were very motivated,” he said.

“We can say that we have got a point which takes us closer to a place in the Champions League although obviously a win would have been better.” Athletic Bilbao moved up to fifth in the table with a 3-2 win

over Levante but Atletico Madrid crashed 3-0 at home against a rejuvenated Malaga who recorded their fourth successive win.

Almeria’s survival dream came to an end as a 2-0 win for Getafe gave them only their third victory of the year and took them out of the relegation zone. Hercules’ future is also look ing bleak as they are now six points from safety following a 3-2 defeat at home by Racing Santander. —AFP

Spanish League results/standings Playing later Played yesterday Real Mallorca 0 Villarreal 0; Barcelona 2 Real Zaragoza v Osasuna (Iniesta 29, Pique 48) Espanyol 0 Spanish League table after yesterday’s early evening match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Barcelona 35 29 4 Real Madrid 35 26 5 Valencia 35 20 6 Villarreal 35 18 7 A’ Bilbao 35 17 3 A’ Madrid 35 15 7 Sevilla 35 15 7 Espanyol 35 15 3 S’ Gijon 35 10 13 Levante 35 12 7

2 4 9 10 15 13 13 17 12 16

91 87 60 53 55 55 54 42 33 39

19 31 42 40 51 47 55 49 39 49

91 83 66 61 54 52 52 48 43 43

Mallorca 35 12 7 16 Santander 35 11 10 14 Malaga 35 12 6 17 R’ Sociedad35 13 2 20 Getafe 35 11 7 17 R’ Zaragoza34 10 9 15 La Coruna 35 9 12 14 Osasuna 34 10 8 16 Hercules 35 9 6 20 Almeria 35 5 11 19 32 61

35 47 43 37 51 43 50 64 42 45 61 41 46 55 40 35 47 39 29 44 39 38 41 38 33 56 33 26 - relegated

Udinese regain pole in Champions League fight ROME: Udinese moved back into fourth and the final Champions League qualification place with a 2-1 victory over Lazio yesterday.

Serie A top scorer Antonio Di Natale was once again the hero as he scored both goals to give the northerners a two-point lead over Lazio and Roma in the race for fourth with two games to play.

Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin paid tribute to his young guns, in particular the returning Alexis Sanchez. “ This is the youngest team ever to be in a fight for a Champions League place,” said a jubilant Guidolin. “Apart from (Giampiero) Pinzi and Di Natale, look at their dates of birth. That’s a great satisfaction for everyone. “There’s still a lot of difficulties left but today we’re happy, in the first half we played like the great Udinese teams of the past.

“Lazio are a great team who made life difficult for us, especially with high balls.

“Whoever saw Sanchez today has seen quality and we hope to have him on fire for the last two games.” The result also meant that should Juventus beat Chievo today, they will be only three points off fourth place. With AC Milan securing the scudetto crown on Saturday night with a 0-0 draw at Roma, attentions yesterday turned to the other matters still to be decided. Di Natale timed his run in behind the defence perfectly on 35 minutes to collect Sanchez’s lofted pass, control it and volley home from an angle. And it was two on 42 minutes as Sanchez played Mauricio Isla behind the defence this time

ITALY: Udinese’s Pablo Armero of Colombia (right) and Lazio’s Alvaro Gonzales, of Uruguay, go for the ball during a Serie A soccer match. —AP and he opted to square to his captain for a simple tap-in.

Things were made more complicated in the second period when Gabrielle Angella was sent-off for bringing down Tommaso Rocchi in the box. However, Mauro Zarate curled an awful spot-kick straight into goalkeeper Samir Handanovic’s arms and Udinese

Italian Serie A results/standings Bologna 0 Parma 0; Brescia 1 (Diamanti 90) Catania 2 (Silvestre 27, Bergessio 75); Cagliari 0 Cesena 2 (Jimenez 54, Malonga 84); Inter Milan 3 (Pazzini 25, Cambiasso 28, Coutinho 77) Fiorentina 1 (Gilardino 74); Lecce 2 (Corvia 49, Chevanton 88) Napoli 1 (Mascara 67); Udinese 2 (Di Natale 35, 42)

Lazio 1 (Kozak 76).

Playing later Genoa v Sampdoria Playing today Juventus v Chievo

Italian Serie A table ahead of yesterday’s late match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): AC Milan 36 Inter Milan Napoli Udinese Roma Lazio Juventus Palermo Fiorentina Genoa Cagliari

23 36 36 36 36 36 35 36 36 35 36

9 4 61 22 6 21 5 19 5 17 9 18 6 15 11 16 5 12 13 12 9 12 8

23 8 10 12 10 12 9 15 11 14 16

78 - champions 65 40 72 56 36 68 63 43 62 55 49 60 47 35 60 53 42 56 55 59 53 46 41 49 38 40 45 42 46 44

Catania 36 11 10 15 37 48 43 Chievo 35 10 12 13 33 35 42 Parma 36 10 12 14 37 46 42 Bologna 36 11 11 14 34 47 41 Cesena 36 10 10 16 35 47 40 Lecce 36 10 8 18 42 62 38 Sampdoria 35 8 12 15 30 42 36 Brescia 36 7 10 19 32 49 31 - relegated Bari 36 4 9 23 23 54 21 - relegated Note: Bologna deducted three points for unpaid taxes and player salaries

survived. Fourteen minutes from time, Zarate crossed from the left and Libor Kozak stuck out a boot in a crowded penalty area to volley home and set up a tight finish.

Lazio piled forward and even hit the post but Udinese hung on grimly to snatch the victory. Inter Milan secured their passage directly into next season’s Champions League group stages with a 3-1 victor y over Fiorentina.

Goals from Giampaolo Pazzini and Esteban Cambiasso, both set-up by Cameroon captain Samuel Eto’o, gave Inter a 2-0 lead at halftime. Alberto Gilardino slotted the ball the wrong side of the post when one-on-one with goalkeeper Julio Cesar but then volleyed home after some neat control on his knee to reduce the deficit.

However, Brazilian starlet Coutinho curled home a late free-kick to make the points safe.

That left Inter 10 points clear of Udinese but Napoli still need another point to secure their place in the group stages after they lost 2-1 at Lecce. Daniele Corvia had given Lecce the lead from the penalty spot on 49 minutes but then got himself sent off for a second yellow card. Giuseppe Mascara equalised for Napoli before their striker Edinson Cavani also saw red for a second booking.

And Javier Chevanton sent the home fans wild with a stunning winner on the volley two minutes from time. That win was enough to move Lecce out of the relegation zone, two points above Sampdoria who play Genoa in yesterday’s late game. — AFP

Djokovic stuns Nadal in Madrid Open final

Animal Kingdom wins Kentucky Derby

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MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

Gayle leads Bangalore to easy IPL win over Kochi Page 18

LONDON: Manchester United’s Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic (second left) looks on after scoring with a header during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford. —AFP

United on brink of EPL title Man United 2

Chelsea 1 MANCHESTER: Javier Hernandez and Nemanja Vidic earned Manchester United a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford that moves Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to the brink of a record 19th league title.

Hernandez opened the scoring with just 37 seconds gone and Vidic added a second before Frank Lampard’s second-half effort gave the hosts an anxious final quarter.

But United, who will face Barcelona in the Champions League final on May 28, held on for a win that moved them six points above Chelsea with just two matches remaining.

United can wrap up the title with a point from either of their final two matches, at Blackburn next weekend or at home to Blackpool on the final day. They currently sit level with Liverpool on a haul of 18 titles and their next victory will make them the most successful side in England.

United gave themselves the best possible start by taking the lead with just over half a minute gone thanks to a slip from Chelsea defender David Luiz. Ryan Giggs passed to South Korea’s Park Ji-Sung whose pass sought out Hernandez. The Mexican

was put through on goal by Luiz’s slip before he guided a low shot past Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal. United looked in determined mood and Wayne Rooney almost added a second with a drilled effort from 30 yards that was pushed wide by Cech.

Chelsea knew they had to win and that desperation was reflected in Didier Drogba’s attempt to beat Edwin van der Sar from 45 yards.

United were doing all the real pressing and went close again when Park’s clipped cross was just missed by Hernandez after the ball dropped over Luiz. And Rooney threatened again when he picked the ball up from Antonio Valencia and thumped another effort just wide.

In Chelsea’s first decent attack,

Drogba headed straight up in the air from Florent Malouda’s cross and after Van der Sar punched away, he got back up again to hold Salomon Kalou’s rebound.

Cech was in top form again to tip away a powerful curing shot from Park but the Czech goalkeeper could do nothing about United’s second.

From a short corner, Giggs clipped over a cross and Vidic got in front of fellow Serbian Branislav Ivanovic to head in from close range.

The visitors almost responded immediately when Malouda’s corner was flicked on by John Terr y and Kalou’s close -range header was turned away by Van der Sar. Drogba also had a free kick beaten away by Van der Sar before curling another

one wide of goal.

Both managers made changes at the interval, with Carlo Ancelotti bringing on Ramires and Alex for John Obi Mikel and the seemingly injured Luiz, while Jonny Evans came on for John O’Shea.

The visitors were fortunate not to concede a penalty when Valencia’s cross appeared to strike Lampard on the hand. Just before the hour, Ancelotti also threw on Fernando Torres to attempt to bring some life into his side.

Alex tried his luck from 30 yards, giving Van der Sar a simple save, as the visitors struggled to penetrate.

And the Dutchman was also quickly off his line to gather a deflected Ramires cross, with Drogba poised to

Stoke sink sorry Arsenal STOKE: Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes were surely Stoke 3 killed off for good here yesterday as Stoke warmed up for next week’s FA Cup final with a comprehensive 3-1 victory at Arsenal 1 the Britannia Stadium.

Arsenal’s wait for silverware will almost certainly stretch to six years after a defeat that will see them eliminated from the title race if Manchester United avoid defeat against Chelsea later Sunday. Kenwyne Jones and Jermaine Pennant set Stoke on their way to ensuring their unbeaten home record in 2011 remains intact to leave Arsene Wenger finally admitting defeat in his bid to catch Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlo Ancelotti.

Robin van Persie arrowed in a consolation for the Gunners nine minutes from time but Jon Walters produced an instant response after shambolic Arsenal defending that summed up the club’s season.

Stoke’s abrasive approach has infuriated Arsenal in the past, culminating in the much-publicised challenge on Aaron Ramsey from Ryan Shawcross last February that only served to inflame relations between Wenger and Stoke boss Tony Pulis.

And any thoughts Wenger might have had of Stoke minds drifting towards their Wembley date with Manchester City next weekend will have been dismissed by Pulis refusing to make any team changes.

The bad blood was demonstrated by Pulis’ refusal to shake hands with his opponent before the game but there were no real fireworks on the pitch in a dour first half.

Van Persie blasted wastefully wide after six minutes, following a clever through ball from Ramsey, but they did not look like a team desperate for three points. And they fell behind just before the half hour, with Stoke’s first real meaningful attack. Pennant bent in a delicious cross and Jones easily converted his fifth goal in six games from close range as the visiting defence dithered. “1-0 to the rugby team” chanted the Stoke supporters.

The hosts were further ahead five minutes after a goal that even Wenger could have been forced to grudgingly praise.

Pennant picked up a botched Ramsey pass 40 yards from goal and was allowed to run on unopposed before his shot took a substantial deflection off Johan Djourou to loop over Wojciech Szczesny. Incredibly, Stoke could have increased their lead barely a minute later when Walters struck the crossbar. The only headache Pulis will have picked up from this game was the loss of defender Robert Huth early in the second period with what appeared a shoulder injury, making him a doubt for Wembley. Arsenal did battle valiantly to produce a snarl of defiance and van Persie beat Asmir Begovic with a low drive but Walters was given far too much room a minute later to clinch a sweet victory.—AFP

pounce.

But in the 68th minute, Chelsea pulled one back when Ramires’ cross was flicked on by Ivanovic and prodded in by Lampard. United could have restored their lead just over a minute later when Hernandez broke through and squared for Rooney only for the England striker to be denied by Alex’s block.

Torres also had a penalty appeal turned down in the closing stages, before Rooney’s low effort from Evans’ pass ran just past the post.

Rooney wasted another great chance to seal the game when he was put through only to be held up and moments later his shot from just outside the area was deflected over by Alex.—AFP

Wolves out of bottom three Wolves 3

West Brom 1

LONDON: A young Stoke City fan holds on to a flag ahead of the game against Arsenal during the Premiership football match at The Brittania Stadium. ]]Stoke City won the game 3-1.— AFP

EPL results/standings Man Utd 2 (Hernandez 1, Vidic 23) Chelsea 1 (Lampard 68); Stoke 3 (Jones 28, Pennant 40, Walters 82) Arsenal 1 (Van Persie 81); Wolves 3 (Fletcher 15, 47, Guedioura 28) West Brom 1 (Odemwingie 55-pen).

Played Saturday Aston Villa 1 (Young 17) Wigan 1 (N’Zogbia 10); Bolton 1 (Klasnic 87) Sunderland 2 (Zenden 45,

Knight 90-og); Everton 2 (Distin 65, Osman 72) Man City 1 (Toure 28); Newcastle 2 (Ameobi 36pen, Taylor 43) Birmingham 1 (Bowyer 45); Tottenham 1 (Defoe 89) Blackpool 1 (Adam 76pen); West Ham 1 (Hitzlsperger 78) Blackburn 1 (Roberts 12).

Playing today Fulham v Liverpool

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man Utd Chelsea Arsenal Man City Tottenham Liverpool Everton Stoke Bolton Fulham

36 36 36 35 35 35 36 36 36 35

22 21 19 18 14 16 12 13 12 10

10 7 10 8 14 7 15 7 10 15

4 8 7 9 7 12 9 16 14 10

73 67 69 54 51 54 50 46 49 43

34 30 39 33 44 39 44 44 50 36

76 70 67 62 56 55 51 46 46 45

Newcastle Sunderland West Brom Aston Villa Blackburn Birmingham Wolves Blackpool Wigan West Ham

36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36

11 11 11 10 10 8 10 9 7 7

11 11 10 12 9 15 7 9 15 12

14 14 15 14 17 13 19 18 14 17

51 41 52 45 42 36 41 49 36 41

52 53 68 58 56 54 62 71 59 64

44 44 43 42 39 39 37 36 36 33

LONDON: Steven Fletcher bagged a priceless double as the Wolves striker inspired a 3-1 victory over local rivals West Bromwich Albion that lifted his side out of the relegation zone yesterday.

Mick McCarthy’s team kicked off in 19th place in the Premier League but two goals from Fletcher and an Adlene Guedioura strike put Wolves firmly in control before Peter Odemwingie’s penalty briefly threatened to spark an Albion fightback.

Wolves’ biggest win over their old enemies in 10 years has left them one place and one point above the relegation zone and, after a season of struggles, they are finally in control of their own destiny with just two matches to play. “On May 22 (the last day of the season) I want to be out of the bottom three. As good as it feels today we have still got two vital games,” McCarthy said.

“But I talked about cool heads and (Steven) Fletcher had one, he had ice running through his veins when he took his third.”

Wolves started on the offensive and Scott Carson was forced to turn aside a free-kick from Jamie O’Hara. From the corner, Scotland striker Fletcher put Wolves ahead with his 10th goal of the season and his third in the

last four games.

Stephen Hunt’s centre was flicked on by Guedioura inside the six-yard box and Fletcher applied the finishing touch.

Guedioura came close to doubling the lead when his free-kick curled just over the bar. It came as no surprise when Wolves doubled their lead after 27 minutes.

Hunt’s corner was headed back across goal by Fletcher and the unmarked Guedioura volleyed past Carson from close range.

Fletcher was causing constant problems in the air and he headed just wide from another O’Hara corner. It was no surprise when Wolves extended their lead two minutes into the second half after a mistake by Albion defender Abdoulaye Meite.

Meite looked to have covered a through ball from Kevin Foley.

But he allowed the ball to slip under his foot and left Fletcher with a clear run at goal and he kept his cool before clipping the ball past Carson into the corner of the net.

Odemwingie gave the Baggies a glimmer of hope from the penalty spot in the 55th minute.

Guedioura brought down Thomas and Odemwingie planted the spot-kick into the corner of the net for his 15th goal of the season.

Albion could have reduced the deficit further when Thomas hammered his shot against the crossbar, while Somen Tchoyi should have done better than head over from a good position.

Ward could have made it 4-1 but the Wolves midfielder pulled his shot wide with only Carson to beat.—AFP

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Al-Mazaya sells iconic 7 Zones project for KD11m

Years

Page 22

Greece heads for audit after euro exit scare Page 25

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

Kuwait equities remain lackluster

VIVA Telecom announces financial results for 2010 Page 23

Page 24

Manila port firm sees gold amid ME turmoil ICTSI becomes successful global player on bold ventures

MANILA: A worker checking steel bars at the International Container Terminal Services Incorporated (ICTSI) at a port in Manila. Violent protests in the Middle East may have shaken the world economy but Philippine port handling giant ICTSI, thinks the unrest could eventually lead to profitable opportunities. —AFP MANILA: Violent protests in the Middle East may have shaken the world economy but Philippine port operator ICTSI sees opportunity amid the turmoil.

ICTSI, run by billionaire Enrique Razon, is one of only a few Philippine companies to have become a successful global player and it has done so largely by boldly going where others may feel trepidation.

“What is happening in the Middle East, as far as it affects the global economy, has an impact... but in the long term I think it is a good thing,” Razon said at a recent stockholders’ meeting, outlining his company’s strategy.

“These countries who are toppling their dictators will need to restructure, go into privatization, open up their economies.

“There will be a lot of opportunities there... and that is our thrust.” Aside from dominating in the Philippines, ICTSI, or International Container Terminal Services Inc., manages ports in countries as diverse as Syria, Georgia,

Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Croatia, Japan, Brunei and Madagascar.

It also has operations in the United States and China, while it has just signed a contract to manage a port in Tamil Nadu, India, which will give it a presence in 17 countries.

Its global expansion strategy helped give ICTSI a net profit of $98.3 million in 2010, up 79 percent from 2009, with all its overseas subsidiaries showing growth, according to Razon.

Chief researcher for stockbrokerage CitisecOnline April Lee-Tan said ICTSI had found a winning strategy in targeting relatively small and developing markets, after making its first foray overseas in 1995 in Argentina.

“The beauty of being in a smaller country is the huge potential for growth because it is not a mature market yet so they earn higher yields,” she told AFP, adding that ICTSI had a reputation for getting things done in tough places. “They try to diversify by acquiring a lot

Egypt falls on clashes, oil weighs on bourses MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS CAIRO/DUBAI: Sectarian violence in Egypt weighed on its index yesterday while most Gulf Arab markets fell in response to a sharp drop in oil prices.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter, bucked the trend as bargain hunters stepped in and helped the index recoup Saturday’s oil-driven losses.

Egypt’s benchmark share index fell to its lowest since March 24 after Saturday’s clashes between Muslims and Christians in a Cairo suburb lead to renewed concern that social tensions will hit tourism and investment, traders said.

“Yesterday’s clashes are definitely the cause of this decline,” said Pharos trader Shamel Fahmy. “There is not just the political risk. Events like these might decelerate the pick-up we want in foreign direct investment and tourism.”

The index closed 1.2 percent lower, with private equity firm Citadel Capital falling the most. Citadel dropped 5.5 percent and investment bank EFG-Hermes closed down 5.4 percent. EFG was the most active stock with more than 38.5 million Egyptian pounds ($6.76 million) worth of its shares traded. Brent crude fell $1.67 to settle at $109.13 on Friday, capping a frenzied trading week that sliced prices by more than $16 on demand worries and a move by investors to slash commodities exposures.

Dubai’s benchmark slumped to a fourweek closing low, down 1 percent as all sectors retreated.

Arabtec and Emaar Properties fell 1.4 and 1.6 percent respectively, between them accounting for a third of all shares

traded. Most UAE bank stocks slid, despite an upbeat outlook.

“There is a good momentum (in the banking sector) because of first-quarter results and we expect it to continue,” said Sebastien Henin, portfolio manager at TNI National Investment.

Abu Dhabi dropped 0.4 percent. Shares in First Gulf Bank, Abu Dhabi’s second largest bank by market value, have lagged and offer potential upside, Henin added.

FGB shares shed 1.4 percent. Attractive valuations lifted the Saudi index by 0.7 percent, easing away from Saturday’s twoweek low when investors sold positions on the sharp oil price decline.

Seven of the 10 largest stocks ended higher, with Saudi Basic Industries Corp the most heavily traded. It rose 0.2 percent.

Analysts forecast continued volatility in coming sessions.

“Some investors are picking up stocks on valuation,” said a Riyadh-based trader speaking on condition of anonymity. “Until crude settles, you will see volatility.

Whenever there is uncertainty, you have volatility,” he said.

Al-Rajhi Bank, the largest Saudi bank by market value, ended up 0.7 percent and Saudi Arabian Fertilizers Co gained 1.3 percent. Elsewhere, all stocks declined in Oman and the benchmark fell 0.8 percent, closing at a month low.

Market heavyweight Bank Muscat fell 1.6 percent and Galfar Engineering slipped 3.8 percent after reporting first-quarter net profit of 1.38 million rials, according to a statement on the bourse. —Reuters

of ports. They don’t just go to one country, they go to several and they have shown they have the track record of successfully executing their plans.”

ICTSI sometimes takes over and manages an existing port but in other cases actually builds and develops the facility as part of its concession. Company officials acknowledge that ICTSI is not in the same league as the global port handling giants, such as Hong Kong’s Hutchison Port Holdings and Singapore’s PSA International.

But Lee-Tan pointed out that no other Philippine company in any sector had set up operations in such a wide variety of countries as ICTSI. “No one has gone to places like Madagascar. They’ve gone to places no one else would think of,” she said.

ICTSI senior vice-president Ed Abesamis said the company’s origins in the Philippines, an extremely poor and corrupt country that has long endured political chaos, had pre-

pared it to operate amid uncertainty overseas.

“Coming from a developing country, we have a healthier appreciation at how to look at temporary political noise and go through it and say, this will pass... and business will be possible in the long term,” he said.

The company won its first major tender to manage the Philippines’ main container terminal in 1987 — just a year after an uprising toppled longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Abesamis recalled.

At the time, Marcos’s successor, Corazon Aquino, was fighting off violent military coupplotters, some of whom besieged her in the presidential palace and waged gun battles with loyal troops in the streets of Manila. But the coup plots did not affect the port project and ICTSI management learnt valuable lessons about doing business amid political chaos, according to Abesamis. “In a sense, our officers and our board are not easily shaken by a disturbing political event. It might be looked at

as a passing thing in which we could still do long-term business,” he said.

So far, ICTSI ports have not been seriously disrupted by various political crises around the world. Its port in Georgia closed down for a week during the brief war between Georgia and Russia in 2008 but quickly resumed operations, according to Abesamis. And its port in Syria has not been affected by the current deadly unrest there, he added.

Speaking at the shareholders’ meeting, Razon said ICTSI was always on the lookout for another opportunity overseas, and could spend more than the $456 million earmarked for capital expenditures this year if an opportunity arose.

“Definitely, if something interesting comes up, we will make a move. We look at many things,” he said. While Razon would not give specifics, Abesamis said ICTSI was looking at establishing a presence in Africa. “That continent is waking up,” he said. —AFP

Qatar minister sees no dramatic OPEC decision DOHA: Qatar’s oil minister said he does not expect OPEC to make a “dramatic” decision during the upcoming OPEC meeting in June, and that the market is still well supplied.

“We think the fundamentals are fine... I don’t expect OPEC to take a dramatic decision,” Mohammed Al-Sada told reporters on the sidelines of an industry meeting in Doha yesterday. Oil fell on Friday to cap a frenzied trading week that sliced prices by a record of more than $16 a barrel on demand worries

and a move by investors to slash commodities exposures. Brent crude fell $1.67 to settle at $109.13 a barrel in heavy trade, with volumes twice the 30-day moving average. The contract tumbled $16.76 a barrel for the week, marking the largest weekly decline ever in dollar terms. “Today the price of most commodities has dropped, not only oil. We think that fundamentals are fine and we cannot see any shortage of supply,” said al-Sada.

He added that OPEC and non-OPEC countries

were producing enough crude to keep stocks at a “healthy” levels, and it is in the interest of OPEC countries to reduce price volatility.

“We are after the stability of oil prices. It’s in the interest of suppliers and consumers,” he said. Asked if he expects a free fall in the oil price similar to the one in 2008, al-Sada said it was unlikely. “The world economy is not bad enough to a see a free fall (in oil prices). Many developing countries are sustaining healthy GDP growth.” —Reuters

German economy minister rejects Greece exit from euro BERLIN: Germany’s economy minister rejected yesterday speculation that Greece should abandon the euro-zone and return to the drachma, arguing that this would only weaken Europe at a time when it needs to be strengthened. “I am not for that ... rather I am much more of the opposite opinion,” Rainer Bruederle told Reuters on the sidelines of an internal parliamentary group meeting of the Free Democrats (FDP) in Berlin.

“Our goal instead must be to strengthen Europe.” On Saturday, fellow FDP MP Frank Schaeffler said Germany should constructively support Athens should it choose to leave the euro zone.

Schaeffler was joined by Ifo Institute President Hans-Werner Sinn, who told Sunday weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FASZ) that a Greek exit is preferable to permanent fiscal transfusions from German coffers. Moreover, by pursuing

Rainer Bruederle austerity simply to remain in the euro zone, Athens condemns its population to a brutal internal devaluation through ever lower spending and wages, potentially bringing .

“The country would then come close to a state of civil war,” he told the paper, likening the situation to the fiscal crisis of Weimar Germany,

when the deflationary policies of Chancellor Heinrich Bruening helped bring the Nazis to power. Clemens Fuest from the University of Oxford, who is also a senior advisor to the German finance ministry, argued for a restructuring before Athens considers abandoning the euro. “An exit is feasible in principle,” Fuest told the FASZ. “But the first step to solve the debt problem within the euro-zone must be a haircut. Then one can think about whether Greece wants to stay in the euro-zone.”

Speaking to Reuters, Bruederle said the Greeks needed time to execute their reforms, something made more difficult by constant market talk over a possible debt restructuring and now an exit from the euro-zone.

“That the Greeks have a hard road ahead of them is an open secret,” the German economy minister said. “Speculation day in and day out only leads to more speculation and does not strengthen Europe.” —Reuters

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BUSINESS

Al-Mazaya sells iconic 7 Zones project for KD11m Plan to restructure and diversify: Al-Nafisi

Ahmad Ramadan and Matar Ali Al Mutairy

Al-Sulaibikhat and Doha Co-op campaign in puncture shop for lubricants, Tyres, batteries KUWAIT: Al-Sulaibikhat and Doha Cooperative as per their commitment towards supporting their inhabitants and their franchisees, to give always the best quality product with competitive prices, have launched a campaign from May 1 to May 11.

The promotion has been launched in the auspicious presence of Ali Matar Al-Mutairy, Chairman of the board, Al-Sulaibikhat and Doha Cooperative and several high ranking personnel from Al-Sulaibikhat and Doha Cooperative, Ahmad Ramadan, Vice President, Gulf Express Co (an Al Babtain group of Co) and Al Babtain Sales and Technical Managers.

To sponsor this campaign they have selected Gulf Express Co (an Al Babtain Group of Co.) due to their best professional expertise in Lubricants, Tyres and Batteries and mutual strong relationship.

Gulf Express Co has a very strong service network of sales and service outlets spread all around the Kuwait market, there are 8 such well-equipped outlets backed up by qualified trained staffs, which are best in Middle East.

Gulf Express is one of the few companies in Kuwait which deals in product mix in car accessories with lubricants, tyres, batteries

Ahmad Ramadan, Vice president of Gulf Express and Matar Ali Al-Mutairy, Chairman of the board of Al-Sulaibikhat & Doha Cooperative. and car care products etc.

They are the exclusive distributor for Total Lubricants, which is one of the major market players in the lube market in Kuwait with 10% market share.

TOTAL Lubricant: Its product range includes high quality Lubricants like. ● Total Quartz 9000 5W 40 which is 100 % fully synthetic oil for 15000 kms. ● Total Quartz 4X4 15W 50 Synthetic technology for 10000 kms

● Total Quartz 5000 20W 50 mineral technology for 5000 kms.

Dunlop Tyres: It is No.1 market leader in Kuwait with highest market share. Dunlop is known for its Quality and Safety, it comes as original fitment in all the Japanese, American & European cars such as BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Audi, etc. It also has one year warranty.

Maxxis Tyres: It is known as a fit and forget tyre because of top quality. Its market share is growing & it is supported by a very strong sales and service team. Maxiss is at No 11th position in the list of international tyre companies worldwide. It also has one year warranty.

Federal Tyre: Very good technology with 20 years technical collaboration with Dunlop and 20 years technical collaboration with Bridgestone. It has PCR, cars, 4X4 & LCV tyres.

It also has one year warranty.

GS Batteries: It is present in Kuwait market since last 60 years and enjoying very good reputation. Mother company is more than 120 years old. All the sizes are available for Japanese, American, European and Korean cars. It covers one year warranty, and also Gulf Star, MAK & TAB Batteries.

Ireland sees opportunity from Greek debt crisis DUBLIN: Ireland’s government is watching to see what concessions it can win on its EU-IMF bailout if Greece is given a new deal to resolve its worsening debt crisis, a senior government minister said yesterday.

“The thing I am interested in is whether there are positive implications for Ireland about dealing with the situation the Greek government now confronts,” Minister for Energy Pat Rabbitte told state broadcaster RTE. “The Irish government intends for the duration of the program to continue to negotiate improvements and to take advantage of developments elsewhere in the hope that there will be a multilateral approach to renegotiating (the) bailout.”

KUWAIT: Al-Mazaya Real Estate tion of the 7 Zones brand succeeded in Development, a subsidiary of Al-Mazaya attracting leading international brands in Holding, has sold its iconic ‘7 Zones’ proj- the construction field through a massive ect to the Arab Building Materials Group marketing plan prepared and launched

by Al-Mazaya upon the project’s comat a value of KD11 million.

Speaking of the sale, Rashid Al-Nafisi, mencement. “As a result of the marketing Chairman and Vice-President of Al- plan, Al-Mazaya managed to achieve Mazaya, said: “The 7 Zones project is the high brand rental rates, with over 80 perfruit of a partnership contract between cent of the space within the 7 Zones Al-Mazaya Holding, which designed, project being rented to well-known developed, implemented and leased the brands in various construction-related project, and the Arab Building Materials sectors,” he said.

“The 7 Zones project is more than a Group, which has the right to benefit from the General Industry Authority-owned plot on which the project is built.

Al-Mazaya’s development of the 7 Zones project was intended to meet the shortage in building materials needed for the region’s booming construction sector.

Spread over an area of 22,500 square metres, 7 Zones is located in the highly sought-after Shuwaikh Industrial Area, which is well known as Kuwait’s largest non-oil industrial and warehousing area. The site is in close proximity to Kuwait City and provides Rashid Al-Nafisi, Chairman and easy access to Shuwaikh Port and Vice-President of Al-Mazaya the free trade zone.

The 7 Zones project is designed to provide a variety of services normal property development project related to the construction sector, from because it is a brand that has been firmly parking lots to building materials, show- established in the Kuwaiti market, and rooms and office spaces, and warehous- whose intellectual property is protected es, in addition to space dedicated to dec- by relevant bodies in Kuwait and the Gulf oration and interior design, and offices region,” Al-Nafisi explained, adding that for contractors, consultants and engi- Al-Mazaya has plans to expand the brand neers, with the aim of serving relevant into other GCC countries.

According to Al-Nafisi, Al-Mazaya markets. Speaking of the decision to sell, Al-Nafisi said, “The decision to sell 7 assigned the Mashari Al-Ghazali Law and Zones forms part of Al-Mazaya’s strategic Advocate Firm to carry out all contractual plan to restructure its real estate assets, and legal procedures necessary to finaldiversify its investments and stimulate its ize the sale in the best, most efficient financial solvency, especially in view of manner.

He emphasized that Al-Mazaya’s economic conditions experienced by the Gulf and Arab region, which is now on strength lies in its financial solvency and the path to recovery after three years of its ability to execute its projects and economic recession during which Al enter into new ones, and stated that the Mazaya opted to go ahead with all its large amount of liquidity generated by under-construction projects, including 7 the sale of 7 Zones will be included in the company’s cash flow statements to boost Zones.”

He added that the excellent reputa- its plans and its balance sheet for 2011.

Commercial Bank holds Al Najma Account draw

Rabbitte, a former leader of junior coalition party Labour and once seen as a contender for the position of finance minister, also said that he would like to see a rescheduling of debt issued to Ireland under its 85 billion euros ($118.7 billion) rescue package. “Quite frankly the (interest) rate on Ireland must be reduced and in my own view the debt must also be rescheduled but that’s another issue,” he said.

There is a growing acknowledgement that Greece needs a new economic plan to tackle its deteriorating debt crisis and top euro zone finance ministers gathered in Luxembourg on Friday night to consider possible options. —Reuters

KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al Najma Account draw on May 8, 2011. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry represented by Abdulaziz Ashkanani.

The winners of the Al Najma draw are :No Names KD 1 Mohammed Manzour Deel Mohammed 7000 2 Ezzat Saad Mohammed Abdul Latif 7000 3 Turki Faisal Aziz Al-Maymuny 7000 4 Ali Ahmad Mohammed Al-Murad 7000 5 Mohammad Abdul Fatah Jad Zarzor 7000 The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announced the biggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of the new Najma account. Customers of the bank can now enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prize which is the highest in the country and another 4 mega prizes during the year worth KD 100,000 each on different occasions:

The National Day, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha and on the 19th of June which is the date of the bank’s establishment.

With a minimum balance of KD 500, customers will be eligible for the daily draw provided that the money is in the account one week prior to the daily draw or 2 months prior to the mega draw. In addition, for each KD 25 a customer can get one chance for winning instead of KD 50. All existing customers will be given a grace period till June 27 to increase their balances and until that date they will be eligible to enter the weekly draw even with amounts less than KD 500.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.

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

.2700000 .4470000 .3900000 .3100000 .2820000 .2910000 .0040000 .0020000 .0745780 .7265880 .3810000 .0700000 .7122870 .0040000 .0430000

.2810000 .4580000 .40200000 .3210000 .2920000 .3000000 .0072500 .0035000 .0753270 .7338900 .4010000 .0770000 .7194450 .0072000 .0540000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2747000 .2768000 .4496980 .4531350 .3931090 .3961150 .3125850 .3149750 .2844720 .2866460 .0527090 .0531120 .0435220 .0438540 .2937230 .2959680 .0353470 .0356170 .2215680 .2232620 .0034070 .0034330 .0000000 .0062200 .0000000 .0025320 .0000000 .0032560 .0000000 .0038180 .0748200 .0753920 .7288410 .7344120 .0000000 .3915130 .0732730 .0738330 .7136920 .7191480 .0000000 .0064750

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

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.489 6.166 3.248 2.510 3.863 223.330 35.543 3.765

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

6.428 9.151 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 73.656 75.893 717.420 733.430 75.196

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 47.500 46.450 1.264 201.680 390.050 183.200 5.963 35.443

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 276.100 Euro 399.320 Sterling Pound 456.200 Canadian dollar 290.570 Turkish lire 178.690 Swiss Franc 319.820 Australian dollar 292.670 US Dollar Buying 274.900 GOLD 278.000 139.000 73.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees

SELL CASH SELL DRAFT 299.000 297.500 733.910 733.910 3.990 3.772 289.300 287.800 542.000 14.100 54.800 167.800 224.000 47.430 46.462 400.300 398.800 36.190 36.040 6.430 6.165

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

0.033 0.244 0.243 3.520 391.500 0.187 95.360 48.200 4.330 222.100 1.671 51.700 716.780 3.340 6.610 76.340 73.680 224.050 43.670 2.678 457.500 45.500 320.800 5.800 9.550 198.263 75.300 276.300 1.260

0.033

390.030 0.186 95.360 3.870 220.500

Sterling Pound US Dollar

319.300 5.800 9.330 75.200 275.900

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 455.500 275.900

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees

Selling Rate 275.850 290.585 454.452 397.440 314.004 730.088 75.080 75.747 73.530 389.664 46.395 2.509 6.172

3.261 3.787 6.397 676.638 3.519 9.113 6.017 3.935 90.720

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 716.600 3.280 6.400 75.910 73.680 224.050 43.670 2.510 455.500

GOLD 1,541.760

10 Tola

Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Currency 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 Canadian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 3.260 6.165 2.530 3.780 6.445 75.220 73.780 733.500 46.460 458.500 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 392.000 5.750 400.700 290.400

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 274.450 Euro 410.000 Pound Sterling 456.000 Canadian Dollar 288.200 Japanese Yen 3.435 Indian Rupee 6.145 Egyptian Pound 46.255 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.499 Bangladesh Taka 3.730 Philippines Peso 6.375 Pakistan Rupee 3.255 Bahraini Dinar 730.900 UAE Dirham 74.880 Saudi Riyal 73.300 *Rates are subject to change

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BUSINESS

VIVA Telecom announces its financial results for 2010 Al-Roumi: We are prepared for a competitive year with 800k subscribers, unique offerings and solid infrastructure

Ramzi Al-Sabboury

Al-Tijari rewards customers who used its credit cards in shopping with IKEA KUWAIT: The campaign “Shop with your Credit Card at IKEA and get back 20% on your purchases” launched by Commercial Bank of Kuwait in collaboration with Al Humaizi - IKEA in April 2011 achieved outstanding success, and many customers used this opportunity and benefited from this exclusive offer that lasted 10 days from the 8th till the 17th of April.

As promised, the Bank began to reward its customers to return in their accounts the total of 20% cash back of the value of their purchases. All the cash back amounts are deposited by the bank in the customers’ accounts.

On this occasion, Ramzi Al-Sabboury the Executive Manager for Marketing and Sales of the Bank said that “ This offer was a great success for both Commercial Bank and IKEA, and we did see an outstanding and unexpected increase in our customers’ purchases with IKEA by more than 10 times compared to the same period last year. This proves that the campaign has achieved great success and we attained our objective for customer convenience and satisfaction.

Al-Sabboury added that this is the second campaign for this year offering exclusive benefits to our valued customers by using Al-Tijari cards to get cash back of the value of their purchases and that it will continue throughout the year, in cooperation with different companies which contribute to make such marketing programs a success. Al-Sabboury stated that more various promotional programs will be launched in coming months in view of customers’ interaction with such campaigns.

Oman approves first Islamic Bank MUSCAT: Approval on establishment the first Islamic Bank in Oman was announced recently and is considered a leap in the local banking sector, an economic Omani official said yesterday.

Chief Executive of Bank Muscat Abdulrazaq Al-raisi told KUNA that the social and economic development in the country requires offering Islamic banking services. The low risk of such services raises its turnout and makes the introduction advisable, especially following the global financial crisis, he added. The Omani authorities should issue laws and regulations that bring flexibility to such services, and they should not aim at only gaining high profit, he affirmed. The establishment of an Islamic bank came upon the orders of the Sultan of Oman Qaboos Bin Said, and comes after several requests by the public, as Islamic banks are viewed as means to meet both their social and financial and their religious needs.

Such banks will boost the banking sector in the country overall and will increase competition, Al-raisi remarked. The positive experiences of several Gulf Cooperation Council countries in Islamic banking proves the modal of Islamic banking is a highly efficient one, he said. —KUNA

KUWAIT: With more than 800 thousand subscribers by the end of 2010, VIVA Kuwait Telecom Co announced that it has achieved 18% of the telecommunications market in Kuwait in its latest General Assembly, and is set for more growth in 2011 thanks to a host of internal initiatives and achievements.

VIVA’s chairman, Adel Al-Roumi, applauded the company’s efforts during the general assembly for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2010, and added that “[they were] very pleased with the range of accomplishments that were fulfilled during this short period of time where [ VIVA] exceeded the expected return.” Amongst the topics covered during the general assembly, which included ratifying the financial reports for the 2010 fiscal year, was the company’s massive investment in infrastructure valued at KD 29 million last year alone, as indicated by Al-Roumi. He also said that VIVA was now finalizing procedures to list the company’s shares on the Kuwait Stock Exchange, and as per the recommendation of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

“Along with the various, integrated services and products offered to customers, we are the first to incorporate services aligned with the iPhone, officially for the first time in Kuwait,” said Salman Al Badran, the company’s CEO, adding that VIVA was dedicated to delivering and maintaining quality products and services. He thanked the company’s shareholders, customers and team for their trust and dedication and in helping VIVA prepare itself for a more prosperous future.

Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Qatie, VIVA’s Chief Financial Officer, also reiterated the

VIVA’s chairman, Adel Al-Roumi addresses the AGM. company’s impressive growth in both customers and revenue, and indicated that they were now “expecting to accomplish continued growth in revenues, profits and value for investment.” This growth throughout 2011 and beyond, he added, would contribute to better shareholder value, as well as the overall development of Kuwait.

Highlights During the meeting, all articles listed on the ordinary general assembly’s agenda were approved, and several financial announcements were made. The Board’s key announcements included the growth of its infrastructures investment to KD 61 million, which now represents 122% of its net capital, as well as an operating loss before depreciation and interest of KD 9.8 million and a net loss of KD 20 million. The Board of Director’s finan-

cial report for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2010 was ratified during the assembly meeting.

Summary The Annual General Assembly discussed the following points during its meeting: 1. Reviewing the Report of the Board of Directors for the financial year ended December 31st, 2010 and ratifying it.

2. Reviewing the Report of the Auditors for the financial year ended December 31st, 2010 and ratifying it.

3. Introducing and ratifying the company’s balance sheets and profit and loss statements for the fiscal year ending December 31st, 2010.

4. Authorizing the Assembly to deal with different parties.

5. Approving the rewards of the Members of the Board of Directors.

UAE banking sector looks healthier KUWAIT: Credit growth spiked by 47.5 per cent in the UAE in 2008 to reach AED 924.4 billion ($251.7 billion), with loans to the real estate, trade, and construction sectors accounting for 13.6 per cent, 13.4 per cent, and 12.9 per cent respectively, of total credit facilities extended by local banks. As is evident, banks’ credit portfolios in the UAE have extensive exposures to the aforementioned sectors which together constituted around 40 per cent of banks’ loan portfolios. In 2009, on the other hand, credit growth slowed down extensively to AED 958.6 billion ($261 billion), a 3.7 per cent rise in comparison to the double digit growth recorded in 2008. Likewise in 2010 credit growth remained sluggish after growing marginally by 1.4 per cent to AED 972.1 billion ($264.6 billion) compared to 2009.

Additionally, credit facilities extended to the private sector followed a downward trend in 2009 after dropping to AED 723.9 billion ($197.1 billion) compared to AED 729.8 billion ($198.7) in 2008, representing a 0.8 per cent decline. As a result, due to the prevalence of challenging market conditions within the private sector in 2009, banks began lending to the government and public sector. In fact, credit facilities to the government increased by 27 per cent to AED 91.9 billion ($25 billion ) in 2009 versus AED 72.3 billion ($19.7 billion) in 2008 while growing further by 8.8 per cent during 2010 to reach AED 99.98 billion ($27.2 billion) in 2010.

Hence reflecting the UAE government’s goals towards expanding its fiscal policies and directing its efforts towards the promotion of infrastructure projects, to support the creation of jobs and economic activity.

KAMCO REPORT Banks’ Capitalization Further along, the UAE banking sector’s capitalization remains sound and is sufficient to absorb debt problems faced

by Dubai Government Related Entities (GRE). The financial turmoil has put the banking sector in the UAE on a test as local banks are facing difficulties particularly with rising retail and corporate impairments, debt restructuring related to Dubai GREs, slump in the real estate market along with funding and liquidity pressures triggered by a reduced lending appetite and high loan-to-deposit ratio resulting in a stagnation in the sector.

Also, the banking sector in the UAE is highly exposed to the construction sector (13 per cent of total loans) and the highly speculative real estate sector. Personal loans for business purposes constitute around 18.7 per cent of banks’ loan portfolio; it is believed that a significant portion of those loans is directed to the real estate market. Trade and Manufacturing sectors also contribute to a significant portion of the banking loan portfolio with a percentage contribution of 10 per cent and 4.7 per cent respectively as of December 2010.

Real Estate After increasing a staggering AED 69.3 billion ($18.9 billion) in 2008, mortgage loans rose by AED 15.9 billion ($4.3 billion) in 2009 to AED 141.7 billion ($38.6 billion.)

Similarly, in 2010 real estate mortgage loans reached AED 163.2 billion ($44.4 billion), rising AED 21.5 billion ($5.8 billion.)

As is evident, real estate mortgage loans slowed down in 2009 and 2010 following the fall in demand and lower risk appetite

among investors on the back of tight credit markets and a difficult economic environment. Although credit conditions remain tight today, they have shown a slight improvement as credit facilities recorded a growth of 1.4 per cent in 2010.

Also, despite the slowdown in growth of mortgage lending activity, it has picked up as real estate lending reached AED 163.2 billion ($44.4 billion) at the end of 2010 - indicating a gradual recovery in the property market and improvement in investor sentiment.

UAE banks have also managed to diversify their deposit base as deposits with foreign banks grew by 38 per cent in 2010 to AED 76.4 billion ($20.8 billion) versus AED 55.5 billion ($15.1 billion) in 2009.

Foreign banks’ deposits in UAE banks, on the other hand, slumped 45 per cent in 2010 to AED 51.5 billion ($14 billion) against AED 93.2 billion ($25.4 billion) the previous year, indicating the flight of foreign capital and the loss of confidence in the UAE’s financial system by foreign banks, especially as a result of Dubai’s debt troubles.

On a whole, the UAE’s banking sector finances look healthier today as deposits have registered considerable growth

GCC markets up on earnings reports KUWAIT: The GCC saw additional gains in April, though not a strong as those witnessed in March. The S&P GCC Composite gained 3% versus 6% in March. Returns were lead by a nearly 7% gain in Kuwait’s weighted index and 5% in the DFM. Bahrain was the only market to show continued weakness, losing 1.4% for the month.

Consistent gains in crude oil continue to support local markets; Brent ended at $126/bbl, an 8% monthly return.

According to the Institute of International Finance (IIF), the GCC will see a combined current account surplus of over $290bn this year, more than double that of 2010, as oil prices strengthen.

Q1 earnings came in. Banks did fairly well; ADCB and Emirates NBD had strong showings, with net profit more than doubling for the former and up nearly 30% for the latter. QNB also had strong results; net profit was up 34% on the back of strong lending. NBK net profit was up 6% YoY to almost $300mn while Al-Rajhi’s earnings grew just 1% for the quarter.

Industrials also did well on the back

MARKAZ REPORT of healthy oil prices; SABIC net profit was up 42% in the first quarter to USD 2 bn while Industries Qatar saw a growth of 75%.

Telecoms were down; Etisalat saw its Q1 net profit fall 9% while Qtel earnings fell 36%. Zain’s net earnings came in at $254mn, a 36% growth. Other big earnings announced included Aside from earnings announcements, other big news in the region included: The possible upgrading of both the UAE and Qatar from Frontier to Emerging Market status in the MSCI universe of indices. The decision is expected in June and analysts, for the most par t, are more positive on a Qatar upgrade versus the UAE. In Kuwait, it was announced that spending on the Kuwait Development Plan bumped up to KD 1.2 bn in 3Q10 from the KD 735 mn registered in 1H10.

The Qatar Central Bank cut rates to boost lending, especially towards the private sector where credit demand has been muted. The overnight deposit rate

•

• •

6. Clearing all Members of the Board of Directors of related actions during the financial year ended December 31st, 2010.

7. Appointing or reappointing the auditors for the financial year 2011 and authorizing the Board of Directors to determine their wages.

All of the articles listed in the agenda of the Ordinary General Assembly were approved.

The Ordinary General Assembly convened at a quorum of 50.54% of the number of the ordinary shares of the company and the number of subscribers to the company’s shares reached 930,000 contributors. The quorum required for holding the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) - 75% of the company’s shareholders - was not met. Accordingly, the EGM was scheduled to take place three weeks later to discuss its agenda.

and repo rate were cut to 1% and 5% respectively.

The UAE telecom regulatory body announced that mobile number portability has been delayed from 2Q to the third quarter of the year.

Volume traded declined 2% in April while value was up 1% to USD 37 bn.

Saudi Arabia saw a 10% decline in volume while value was up 3% to USD 30 bn. In the UAE, volume and value grew 14% and 6%, respectively, while value traded in Kuwait was flat.

GCC volatility was down by more

•

than half in April, lead by a 60% decline in MVX Saudi while MVX Kuwait shed 41%. Kuwait valuations have dropped to the 15x-20x range as earnings have grown while Qatar’s valuations have increased slightly closing in on the 15x range.

Global Markets review World markets were up as European manufacturing strengthened. The US saw a rally despite the S&P credit warning. MSCI World gained over 4% in April, doubling the YTD return to nearly 9%.

since 2008. Deposits grew almost every month throughout 2009, while also growing in 2010 to cross the one trillion mark at AED 1.05 trillion ($286.9 billion.) Loans and advances as of Dec-10, on the other hand, have remained tight with total credit increasing slightly by 1.4 per cent to AED 972.1 billion ($264.6 billion) compared to AED 958.6 billion ($261 billion) as of Dec-09, illustrative of the cautiousness of banks in lending as economic conditions remain challenging. However, as a result of the increase in deposits, UAE banks’ loan-to-deposit ratio has improved from a peak of 101.3 per cent in 2008 to 92.6 per cent as of Dec-10. As a result, banks have been successful in gradually reducing their loan to deposit ratio below the UAE Central Bank’s ceiling of 100 per cent.

UAE banks Further along, in terms of provisions booked by UAE banks, the level of provisioning increased notably once the effects of the global financial crisis struck the UAE as banks undertook provisioning on troubled retail and real estate loans along with their exposure to troubled Saudi conglomerates.

Jet Airways rated best on time performer in India MUMBAI: Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline has been rated the best on time performer amongst all other scheduled domestic airlines with an on time performance of 94.9%.

JetLite, the airlines wholly owned subsidiary was also not too far behind registering an impressive On-Time Performance 91% per cent respectively, as per the figures released by the Director General of Civil Aviation.

Together the Jet Airways Group while posting its seventeenth month of consecutive growth also maintained its dominant leadership position in the Indian aviation sector with a market share of 25.4%.

In the month of March, Jet Airways carried 4.03 lakh international revenue paying passengers with an overall seat factor of 75.9%. The airline also carried 8.43 lakh domestic revenue paying passengers.

JetLite, the wholly owned subsidiary of Jet Airways India Ltd, carried over 3.89 lakh revenue passengers in the month of March 2011 with a seat factor of 77.0%.

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business

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT

Kuwait equities lackluster

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange ended the first trading session of the week on a subdued note, as several heavyweights across a number of sectors weighed negatively on the overall performance of the market. Global General Index (GGI), market weighted, ended down by 0.38 percent, at 204.91 points. Market capitalization was down by KD128mn for the day, as it stood at KD33.60bn. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 6,506 points, as it shed 10 points from (0.15 percent) its previous close.

Market breadth Market breadth skewed towards decliners. Out of 108 traded companies, 48 companies ended on a lower note, against 25 advancers. Trading activity slowed down. Total volume traded was down by 55.84 percent with 173.19mn shares changing hands at a total value of KD24.15mn (25.03 percent lower compared to the previous session). The Investment Sector was the volume leader, accounting for 34.05 percent of total

traded shares. Buying activity was clear on investment stocks, as the sector’s index was one of two advancing sectoral indices by the end of the session. In the meantime, services sector was the value leader, constituting 34.87 percent of total traded value.

Zain was the most active stock in terms of values of shares traded during yesterday’s session, with 3.75mn shares exchanged at an aggregate value of KD4.35mn.

Al-Ahlia Holding Company posted the highest advance, adding 7.41 percent to its share value, as it ended at KD0.015. Meanwhile, on the negative side, National Petrochemical Company was the biggest loser, as its share price fell by 7.58 percent to close at KD0.305.

Sector-wise Sector-wise, five out of eight indices ended the trading session on a lower note. There were two advancing sectoral indices, namely, Investment index, which added 0.22 percent in daily gains, and Food index,

which managed to appreciate by 0.10 percent. In the meantime, Global Insurance Index ended flat, as none of its stock components were traded.

Within the Investment sector, only seven stocks managed to end the day on a higher note, but their gains reflected positively on the overall performance of the index, especially that it housed the top gainer of the day.

Global Food Index was the other gainer for the day, thanks to Livestock Transport & Trading Company, which was the sole gainer within the sector, as it added 1.79 percent in daily gains, ending at KD0.285.

Meanwhile on the negative side, Global Banking Index was the biggest decliner during yesterday’s session dropping by 0.68 percent to close at 357.28 points. Share price of heavyweight National Bank of Kuwait dipped by 1.59 percent, as it ended at KD1.240. But it was Ahli United Bank that posted the steepest decline amongst Kuwaiti banks, down by 2.44 percent, ending at KD0.800.

In crisis-hit Spain, language training booms for jobless MADRID: Spain’s economic downturn is sending jobless workers flocking back to school to learn other languages, mainly English, to boost their appeal to employers, providing a boon for language academies.

With an unemployment rate of over 21 percent, the highest in Europe, many of those with a job are also brushing up their languages skills in the hope that this will help them keep it or lead to a more secure position.

“The deeper the crisis, the stronger people’s desire to develop their skills,” said Antonio Murillo Isidoro, 37, the director of expansion at English Connection which runs Spain’s largest network of English language schools.

English Connection plans to open 20 new schools this year, bringing the total to 36. Over the next five years it plans to open a total of 100 schools. Other private language schools are also growing as is the popularity of going abroad for a short period to learn to speak another language.

About 150,000 Spaniards traveled abroad to study a language, mostly English, last year, up from 105,000 in 2006 before the start of the economic slump, according to Spanish Association of Promoters of Courses Abroad.

Poor foreign-language skills have long been a weakness of the Spanish workforce. Nearly one in two Spaniards, or 46.6 percent, cannot speak a foreign language, the fourth highest level in the European Union after Romania, Hungary and Portugal, according to European Union statistics agency Eurostat.

Neither Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero nor the leader of the main opposition Popular Party, Mariano Rajoy, speak Englishalthough Rajoy said during a radio interview last month that he studies the language for three hours a week and practices it whenever he travels.

Part of the problem is that the vast majority of Spain’s adult population received the bulk of their education while the country was under the sway of dictator General Francisco Franco, who kept the nation isolated.

The overwhelming majority of foreign television shows and movies continue to be dubbed into Spanish, limiting contact with foreign languages.

And while the importance of foreign lan-

guage education in public schools has increased since Franco’s death in 1975, the number of hours dedicated to language training has until very recently lagged what is the case in most other European nations.

“The history of English in Spain is very short, it does not even have half a century. In the 1970s nobody heard English,” said Cornelia Hubner, the director of the language training centre at Barcelona’s Esade business school.

But as Spanish companies, even smaller operations, have become more global in recent years, pushing into new markets across Europe and beyond, more and more employers are looking for workers who speak more than just Spanish.

Knowledge of a second language is a requirement for 58 percent of all jobs in Spain targeted at recent university graduates, and for 65 percent of job offers for mid-level executives, according to recruitment consultancy Randstad.

On a recent morning at an English Connection class for adults in Mostoles, a working class Madrid suburb, all eight students said their main motivation for learning the language was because employers demand they be able to speak it. “Everyone asks for it, even for entry level posts,” said Javier Ruiz Medrano, 43, who sat in the first row of the class and hopes improving his English skills will land him a better-paying job.

The government has moved to ensure the next generation of Spaniards is fluent in other languages as part of its bid to improve the nation’s economic competitiveness.

During an inter view with YouTube last month, Zapatero said Spaniards had an “obvious” problem with English but a “massive implementation” of language training was underway to correct this.

In the Madrid region, one in three state primary schools are bilingual, offering between 30 and 50 percent of class work in English or another foreign language. The goal is to raise this proportion to one in two schools by 2015.

Fully 98 percent of all Spanish primary school pupils studied a foreign language in 2008, the last year for which comparable figures were available, the highest level in the EU after Luxembourg, Sweden and Italy, according to Eurostat. — AFP

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

business

Silver triggers sharpest plunge in two years

By Ole S. Hansen

KUWAIT: The month of May began with investors heading for the exit as panic selling was seen across the whole sector. The CRB index suffers its fifth steepest daily drop on record The Reuters Jefferies CRB Index is down 8% in the week with every single commodity that we track having fallen. The energy heavy S&P GSCI index has lost even more being down more than11% in the week. It has been a week of mass liquidation which undoubtedly has brought the speculative positions held by money managers down to more manageable levels.

Silver the spark The combination of near record short dollar and long commodity positions had become so stretched that only a small spark was enough to light the fire. In this case the spark came in the shape of silver.

Silver the star performer lost 2 months worth of gains in just a few trading sessions after CME reacted to the unprecedented high levels of volatility over the last couple of weeks. In just four moves CME hiked the margin for holding silver futures by a total of 84%, thereby forcing investors to put up more cash or get out. The result was the biggest one week loss since 1975.

Technically silver has been slicing through major support levels as seen on the chart and getting investors who wants to get involved on the upside needs to be patient as this could have further to go. Once the market stabilises the CME will undoubtedly reduce margins again given the current high level which corresponds to 9% of contract value compared with just 3% in gold.

Despite being just a small market in the overall commodity space, the fascination and attention silver had begun to receive became its own undoing as speculators piled in to be part of what seemed to be an unstoppable move higher. Investors had already started to worry about the

overall sustainability of some of the high prices, especially in energy after surprisingly weak economic data in Europe and the US began to indicate demand destruction at a higher speed than expected. Once the selloff in silver began last Monday it became the trigger for other markets to follow suit.

Gold relatively calm Gold had a relatively good week despite the carnage hitting silver, which resulted in a sharp recovery of the ratio between the two. On Monday 30 ounces of silver bought one ounce of gold but by Friday this had risen to 44 ounces, a 47% recovery in just one week. The interest from emerging market economies to diversify reserves away from the dollar is still ongoing. This week the Mexican central bank announced it had purchased 100 tonnes of gold thereby joining other nations like China, Russia and India. The gold uptrend is intact above 1,365 with near term support at 1,440.

Dollar short liquidation On the currency front the week began very supportive for the Euro as the 10 year German government yield traded above the US equivalent for the first time in two years. The interest differential had been moving in a supportive direction for the Euro during the rally that began in January as the European Central Bank chose to hike rates, in order to curtail inflation while the ultra low interest regime in the US looks set to continue for longer. The commodity sell off however removed this focus and once EUR 1.4750 gave way on Thursday dollar buying accelerated.

Crude oil selling off Brent and WTI crude both suffered big losses this week in a repeat of a similar move on the same time last year. With focus shifting to the risk of reduced demand, investors became wary, also considering the record long positions held by money managers. The 21 dollar loss in just a matter of days equalled the 21 dollar loss during May 2010. Given the speculative position on WTI this time is some 150 million barrels bigger than last year, some investors now worrying that this sell off has further to go.

Strong fundamentals The fundamental picture however has changed a lot from a year ago and with the global appetite for natural resources remaining robust this should help the market finding support pretty soon. OPEC reiterated satisfaction with oil within a 90 to 100 dollar range which should put a floor under the market. The first major level of suppor t on Brent is the 38.2% retracement of the rally from the

Investcorp buys majority stake in online firm DUBAI: Investcorp, the Bahrain-based alternative investment manager, yesterday said it bought a majority stake in UK online booking solutions firm, eviivo Ltd. I nvestcorp, which once floated luxur y brands Gucci and Tiffany & Co, said the investment valued eviivo at about 30 million pounds ($49.2 million). It did not disclose the actual amount invested in eviivo.

The majority stake was bought through Investcorp’s technology private equity arm, the firm said in a statement. The technology investment arm invests in small and medium-sized businesses in Nor th America and Europe, Investcorp said.

London-based eviivo grew at a compounded annual growth rate of over 60 percent in the last few years and partners with more than 4,400 businesses in the United K ingdom, Investcorp said in the statement.

Last month, Investcorp said it made three real estate acquisitions worth $120 million in the United States in 2011. Investcorp had $12.2 billion in assets under management at the end of 2010 across its private equity and hedge fund businesses. — Reuters

Sharjah Islamic Bank picks banks for sukuk DUBAI: Sharjah Islamic Bank, (SIB) has picked HSBC and Standard Chartered as joint lead managers for an Islamic bond, the lender said yesterday.

The Islamic bond, or sukuk, will be launched subject to market conditions after roadshows taking place in the Middle East, Asia and Europe, the statement said. The roadshow schedule is yet to be determined. SIB, based in one of the UAE’s northern emirates and listed on the Abu Dhabi bourse, said it planned to issue a sukuk of between $300 million to $500 million in a March 24 letter to the central bank.

The Gulf sukuk market has struggled to pick up, despite a ambitious growth outlook for the industry, hampered by high profile defaults and Dubai’s debt crisis. SIB is rated BBB+ by Fitch and Standard & Poor’s. —Reuters

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2010 low at 104.55.

Grain markets The grain sector has been under pressure from the wave of risk aversion by money managers, with slower export demand pointing towards demand destruction after the month long rally. Worries about the new crop, however, should keep the sector supported despite ongoing turmoil in other sectors.

US farmers have been struggling with too much rain in the north and ver y dr y conditions in the south which has led to the slowest planting progress on record. The coming weeks are becoming very crucial for the outcome of this year’s production and further planting delays will support prices once the long liquidation from money managers has run its cause.

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Greece heads for audit after euro exit scare EU officials close ranks ATHENS: Greece heads for another audit of its battered finances this week af ter European officials closed ranks to quash fears of an inglorious Greek exit from the euro cited in a German online report.

A high-level team of experts from the EU, the IMF and the European Central Bank will pore over plans by the Greek government to economise some 26 billion euros over three years to help bring down the country’s enormous debt. “ The mission will begin on Tuesday,” a finance ministry source said.

Socialist-led Greece is under pressure to deliver on a painful overhaul of its parlous economy after taking a 110-billion-euro ($157-billion) bailout loan from the EU and the International Monetary Fund last year.

The delivery of a 12-billioneuro instalment from that loan hinges on the audit but Greece so far has struggled to meet its

deficit-reduc tion targets because of a deeper-thanexpected recession at home.

With Athens increasingly likely to need more help to meet its debt repayments from 2012, euro-zone ministers met unofficially on Friday to “plan the next steps” in the face of market skepticism, the finance ministry said.

But the meeting backfired when German daily Der Spiegel reported that the participants were also to discuss the prospect of Greece leaving the euro-zone, forcing senior Europeans into a flurry of denials.

Other news reports said the euro-zone officials had debated milder recovery terms for Athens that could include an extension of debt repayment and more time to meet deficit reduction goals.

Greece currently has a debt of 340 billion euros.

Without naming its source, French business daily Les Echos

said Saturday that Greek Finance M inister George Papaconstantinou had secured tacit acceptance that Greece’s political backers could make another 20-25 billion available if more cuts and accelerated state sell-offs failed.

In past weeks, a number of prominent Socialists including the head of the parliamentary economic oversight committee and a former prime minister have spoken in favor of debt restructuring, a move rejected by the government.

Labour Minister Louka Katseli, an economist and former OECD official, joined the fray yesterday in statements to Eleftherotypia daily, favoring a repayment extension over a debt haircut.

A ‘haircut’ is a form of restructuring that entails losses for debt holders. “Any logical person would agree...with a possible payment extension or a reduction in the cost of borrowing,”

Katseli said.

“But a haircut or debt default would only help profiteers,” she said, noting that Greece’s ailing state security funds have invested 75 percent of their property in Greek bonds.

The government has denied any possibility of seeking easier repayment terms on its debt, except the 110-billion-euro loan from the EU and IMF on which it has already secured an repayment extension.

Athens’ eurozone partners in March agreed to cut the cost for this bailout package by a full percentage point and extend its maturity to 7-1/2 years from three years.

The government says any restructuring of private debt would be a “huge mistake” that would unnerve investors already jittery over Greece, and undermine its efforts to restore confidence by overhauling the economy. In April it announced a

major adjustment worth some 23 billion euros from 2012 to 2015, of which two thirds from spending cuts.

Another three billion euros in “corrective” measures will be enacted in 2011, and Greece will also sell a first batch of state assets wor th 15 billion euros including stakes in several public corporations.

“The government has taken and will continue to take whichever decisions are needed to maintain the country’s salvation course,” Papaconstantinou said on Saturday. But the measures announced so far may not be enough to meet a revenue shortfall witnessed in the first months of the year.

Eleftherotypia yesterday said an additional 1.0 billion euros would be drawn from tax hikes on property and fuel and new cuts in civil servants’ salaries and pensions. — AFP

LVMH-backed fund hunts for emerging Asian brands SINGAPORE: A $650-million private equity fund backed by the world’s top luxury retailer LVMH is on the prowl for emerging Asian brands in the hope of transforming them into global names.

The L Capital Asia fund has so far spent a total of $90 million on minority stakes in two Singaporean fashion companies and a Hong Kong-listed watch and jewelry company.

It is in advanced talks with a fashion-related firm from China and another from India and hopes to make an announcement about the investments in the next few months, said Ravi Thakran,

the fund’s managing partner.

Unlike its parent group LVMH, which concentrates on the top tier of the luxury sector, he said the fund focuses exclusively on promising Asian labels looking for a big breakthrough, particularly in the Chinese and Indian markets.

“The primary engine not only for Asia-Pacific, but for the whole world today, is this twin propeller of China and India,” Thakran said.

“So we are looking for those smart entrepreneurs who have a great product, very differentiated DNA, something very different in their category.” He said the fund will look at China, India and

Southeast Asia, where promising labels would benefit from an extra push from a partner such as LVMH. Paris-listed LVMH is one of the world’s most successful luxury retailers, with a portfolio of brands that includes Louis Vuitton, Parfums Christian Dior and Guerlain perfumes alongside Moet and Chandon and Dom Perignon champagnes.

In 2010 it posted record sales of 20.3 billion euros ($30 billion) and a profit of 3.03 billion euros, as demand for its high-end products rose among Asia’s growing ranks of affluent and brand-conscious consumers. L Capital does

not just offer money, Thakran said-the fund also brings parent company LVMH’s experience and expertise in developing littleknown companies into household names.

The demographics of the massive Chinese and Indian markets make them natural magnets for almost any company, analysts said.

“They have this propensity to upgrade their lifestyles as well, and this applies to fashion and lifestyle,” said Vishnu Varathan, a Singapore-based economist with the Capital Economics consultancy. Singaporean designer Wykidd

Song, whose creations have been sold at Harrods in London and Barneys in New York, said investor interest would boost the Asian fashion industry.

“It’s a great motivational factor,” said Song, who launched his own men’s wear label called WYKIDD in February. Brokerage firm CLSA predicts Chinese consumers will be the largest luxury goods buyers by 2020, accounting for 44 percent of worldwide sales. L Capital’s Thakran said the sector one tier below the top luxur y market will grow faster because their prices appeal to a larger consumer base. — AFP

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business

Vale opens new coal mine in Mozambique MOATIZE, Mozambique: Brazilian mining giant Vale opened a new $1.7 billion coal mine in Mozambique yesterday, tapping the southern African country’s thermal and coking coal reserves of around 23 billion tons.

“Vale celebrates today the beginning of mining activities at its coal mining projects in Moatize, in the Tete province of Mozambique, ahead of operations at the processing plant,” the company said in a statement. Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and outgoing Vale chief Roger Agnelli attended the opening ceremony in Moatize outside the city of Tete in northwest Mozambique to mark the largest single investment to date in one of the world’s poorest countries. Vale plans to start pro-

duction in July and export one million tons of coal from the $1.7 billion (1.2 billion euro) project this year, ramping up output to 11 million tons in a few years-and, local officials hope, boosting Mozambique’s current economic growth of 6.5 percent.

Mozambique’s coal reserves have lain relatively untapped since independence from Portugal in 1975. A civil war from 1977 to 1992 crippled the country’s economy and decimated its infrastructure.

Two decades later, Mozambique is welcoming foreign investors to its mineral wealth and licking its lips at the prospect of a boom. But concerns remain about getting the product to market as infrastructure renovation lags behind. In 2004 Vale became

Australia to release ‘back to black’ budget SYDNEY: Australia will this week release a “tough” budget designed to return to surplus by mid2013, despite including a string of goodies such as a TV bonus for pensioners, Treasurer Wayne Swan said yesterday. The government is seeking to scale back what is reported to be a Aus$50 billion ($53.4 billion) deficit as the country enjoys an Asia-driven mining boom, and balance the books by 2012/2013, in the budget to be released tomorrow. “This budget will get us back into the black, get more Australians into jobs and spread the opportunity of the boom,” Swan said. Rich in coal and iron ore, Australia avoided a recession during the global financial crisis and now boasts an unemployment rate of 4.9 percent as the mining boom ramps up and the global economy recovers.

But growth has been hit by massive floods and a destructive cyclone over the summer, which devastated huge areas, as well as a drop in export demand from Japan after its massive earthquake and tsunami in March.

“The deficit in this financial year will be larger ... because of the natural disasters, because of the international uncertainty and the greater expected hangover effects on revenue flowing on from the global financial crisis,” Swan said, without confirming the figure.

The government has argued that it now needs to cut back on spending as the private sector regains strength, with Swan saying a “very tough fiscal policy” was in place and substantial savings would be made in the budget.

He said the government had prioritized to allow for its new incentives which include increased payments for families with teenagers and assistance for small businesses.

“In this budget, as we go through and put in place new initiatives, we are making savings elsewhere in the budget because budgets are about priorities,” Swan said.

Among the sweeteners is a Aus$309 million scheme for pensioners to be able to switch old analogue television sets for digital ones for free. “We don’t want to leave those pensioners in the dark,” Swan told the Nine Network. “So we are going to give them this very important assistance so they have the benefit of digital television.” — AFP

the first international mining giant to be granted a concession in Mozambique. At the peak of preparations, the company counted 7,500 workers in the country, mostly Mozambican.

Australian mining company Riversdale, in a partnership with India’s Tata steel, will also start operations later this year at a nearby coal mine, hoping to produce six million tons a year by 2016.

Mozambique signed a third large coal contract with India’s Jindal Steel and Power in February. The company hopes to produce 11 million tons a year when the mine opens in 2012. But transport issues still loom large over the projects. Reconstruction of the 600-kilometre (372-mile) Sena railway line

that connects coal-rich Moatize district to the Indian Ocean port city of Beira is still not finished, forcing authorities to reconsider their contract with Indian consortium Ricon.

Work is also unfinished on the coal terminal at the port.

Even when ready, the Sena line will only be able to handle six million tons of coal a year-four million allocated to Vale and two million to Riversdale.

Those caps are less than half the companies’ respective export goals. Vale is investing in another railway line from Tete to the northern port of Nacala, the country’s only deep-water port. Vale has finessed its image in Mozambique by financing the construction of Africa’s first HIV drug factory and a

study to map the country’s potential as a biofuels producer.

But the company was criticised for the resettlement of 1,300 families to make space for the mine. A report by the Centre for Public Integrity found the resettlement houses differed from the approved model and were built with leaky roofs and without foundations.

Exiting chief executive Agnelli, whose departure was announced last month, has overseen the project since Vale won the concession seven years ago.

This is expected to be his last trip to Moatize before handing the reins to former company executive Murilo Ferreira on May 22. — AFP

Don’t count out ‘Gang of Six’ US budget group yet Six senators still hope to unveil long-term plan WASHINGTON: Despite suspicions that the “Gang of Six” is doomed, this bipartisan group of senators looking to mediate the US budget battle could be key to Vice President Joe Biden’s long-range deficitcontrol efforts.

“The rumors of our demise are exaggerated,” said one Senate aide familiar with the Group of Six’s work. The Obama administration and Congress are desperately searching for a bipartisan deficitreduction deal. Getting one would clear the way for critical legislation to increase the US government’s borrowing authority.

Washington’s failure to increase the $14.3 trillion US debt limit would put the government on the cataclysmic path to a first-ever default on its debt obligations in early August.

Lately, the spotlight has shone on what’s being called the “Group of Six Plus One” to save the day: Biden, three senators and three leading members of the House of Representatives.

They carry plenty of political heft and the ability to whip rank-and-file members of Congress into supporting a potential deal to enact a wide range of spending cuts. But it is the Senate’s Group of Six, which is avoiding the limelight, that is seen as having the heavyweight expertise to sort out complicated budget issues, along with the willingness to consider tax increases and popular benefit program cuts needed for a longterm fix of the country’s fiscal mess.

“Everybody (in the Senate’s Gang of Six) has a sense of urgency and wants to get an agreement soon. Hopefully, they’ll work out the remaining issues that need to be addressed and announce a deal,” said another aide familiar with the talks.

That is not to say their work is mostly done. “There are a number of remaining issues,” the aide added. A third aide said the six senators were “slogging through the issues one would expect to be difficult, which would be entitlements and revenues.”

Without reform, entitlements-the huge federal retirement and healthcare benefit programs, including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid-are on track to escalate government debt inexorably as the US population ages.

Taxes, and whether to increase them in any way, are a touchy subject too-and an idea most Republicans loathe. With widespread acknowledgment that entrenched differences over entitlements and taxes can’t be fully resolved in time to deal with the debt limit, Biden and Congress might decide to kick them down the road.

And that’s where the Senate Gang of Six comes in. “The best shot for a big deal to reduce the annual deficits and the long-term debt rests with the Gang of

Six,” said Ethan Siegal, a policy analyst with The Washington Exchange, which tracks political developments for institutional investors.

“If you look at the ideological makeup of those six guys, if they can reach an agreement on fundamental policy issues ... it could be a harbinger of the ability to get 60 votes on the Senate floor” needed to overcome procedural roadblocks.

Siegal and other analysts said there are fears that sooner or later, bond market and currency traders and investors could become spooked by out-of-control annual budget deficits and cumulative debt. If that were to happen, the work of the Gang of Six, assuming it comes to fruition, could be what everyone looks to for salvation-be it in 2011, 2012 or beyond.

In the meantime, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, also a member of the Gang of Six, could soon unveil a Democratic budget plan, one that would reduce deficits by around $4 trillion over 10 years, in part by raising tax revenues.

His budget blueprint would give the Senate Appropriations Committee marching orders on how to dole out federal funds for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

Even if it were to clear the Democratic-controlled budget panel, Conrad’s budget may never see the light of day in the full Senate, according to one senior Senate Republican aide.

That, in turn, could mean the Gang of Six “theoretically is the only game” in town addressing long-term deficits in a detailed way, said the Republican aide, who has nonetheless been skeptical of progress. — Reuters

Speculation rife as Merkel keeps mum on ECB choice FRANKFURT: German Chancellor Angela Merkel is playing her cards close to her chest on her pick for the next head of the European Central Bank, though frontrunner Mario Draghi is emerging as an acceptable choice for Berlin, analysts said.

Merkel has kept mum on the issue, although sources close to German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble have not concealed that he would prefer Draghi, the head of the Italian central bank, to be the next head of the euro-zone central bank.

A former Goldman Sachs banker, Draghi would succeed Frenchman Jean-Claude Trichet whose appointment ends at the end of October, but this has never been said officially. France last week threw its support behind Draghi.

Speculation is rife over Merkel’s silence, with media and analysts saying she wants several conces-

sions in return for endorsing him, including on the euro-zone’s new bailout system, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

Merkel “knows that Draghi is a very good candidate but his problem is that numerous high-ranking European economic and political positions are already occupied

by Italians,” said Guntram Wolff, a researcher on the euro-zone economy at the Brussels-based Bruegel think tank. Her hesitation shows that “Berlin desires concessions in negotiations over Europe’s permanent financial crisis mechanism, the ESM, and wants Germans in other positions,” he added.

European Union leaders are haggling over a lasting bailout fund to guard against future crises in the region. Merkel “will try to place German Deputy Finance Minister Joerg Asmussen as head of the economic and financial committee but it appears the Italian incumbent Vittorio Grilli is

Mario Draghi

likely to continue presiding,” said Wolff. An article in the German magazine Der Spiegel, to be published Monday, and which does not give sources, said Merkel does not want to see Draghi appointed to the post, preferring instead that Draghi replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the head of the International Monetary Fund.

This despite Merkel’s view of Draghi as “the most German candidate still in the race,” according to Bild, another daily. Sylvain Broyer, chief economist at Natixis, said: “The chancellor is trying to sell a German endorsement at a very high price.”

Until now, her strategy of contradicting other European leaders allowed Merkel to impose her opinions, for example over the EU’s “competitiveness pact” but that may backfire with the ECB case, he said.

Following the resignation of Bundesbank head Axel Weber in February, “without Weber and if Draghi is not taken, we risk falling again on a president who would only be Europe’s lowest common denominator,” said Broyer.

Business daily Handelsblatt in an editorial last week wrote that Merkel had lost her strongest trump card in the eyes of her European partners by failing to propose a credible German candidate.

Claire Demesmay, a researcher at the German Society for Foreign Policy (DGAP) said: “Berlin can no longer afford to wait.” Although Draghi’s nationality works against him in “the current context of mistrust towards southern Europe, fundamentally Draghi corresponds to Germany’s wishes,” she said.

“He is committed to fighting inflation, which is of primar y importance for Berlin.” — AFP

MANILA: A worker walking past shipping containers at the International Container Terminal Services Incorporated (ICTSI) at a port in Manila. Violent protests in the Middle East may have shaken the world economy but Philippine port handling giant ICTSI thinks the unrest could eventually lead to profitable opportunities. — AFP

Italy business group calls for reforms, less red tape ROME: Italy’s leading business group Confindustria urged the centre-right government to carry out economic reforms, including cutting red tape, to boost lagging growth and called on companies to bulk up to face challenges from globalization.

Confindustria President Emma Marcegaglia said the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi needed to open up the rule-bound economy by simplifying taxes, lowering spending, stripping away bureaucracy and privatizing management of the National Foreign Trade Institute, the export-import bank.

She welcomed measures announced by the government on Thursday to boost growth that featured loosened controls on business, tax breaks for investment in impoverished southern Italy and new rules for managing coastal areas. But she said more had to be done.

“In a situation where public spending has to come down and politics often has its own agenda separate from the issue of growth, we have to ask for few but welldefined reforms,” Marcegaglia, a longtime government critic, told reporters after an extraordinary congress of 5,700 business representatives from across the euro zone’s thirdbiggest economy. Italy has the fourth-biggest public debt in the world. The government is forecasting growth at 1.1 percent this year, behind the European average and down from 1.3 percent last year.

The great majority of businesses are small and mid-sized companies under increasing pressure from foreign competition, especially from China, and Marcegaglia said 75 percent of them planned to gain in size over the next year to better compete.

In one sign of increase of scale, the number of incorporated companies rose to 21 percent in 2010 from 16 percent in 2007, she said. “The slogan ‘small and local’ doesn’t work anymore. Small is no longer beautiful,” she said.

Marcegaglia rejected a complaint by Berlusconi that businesses needed “to do more for us”, saying that Confindustria’s member companies generated 70 percent of growth. “We do things for this country every day,” she said.

Local elections next weekend will show how badly the sluggish economy and criminal cases involving Berlusconi, a media tycoon, have damaged the ruling coalition.

Berlusconi faces several trials on charges including fraud and paying for sex with a nightclub dancer when she was under the legal age limit of 18 for sex with a prostitute.

He has denied all charges.

Marcegaglia made her comments a day after hundreds of thousands of workers across Italy snarled public transport and services in a strike called by the biggest trade union to protest against what it called attacks on workers’ rights. — Reuters

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TECHNOLOGY

New installment of ‘Assassin’s Creed’ on its way SAN FRANCISCO: Ubisoft revealed that the latest installment of its beloved series of “Assassin’s Creed” videogames will be released in November.

The French videogame powerhouse promised a glimpse at “Assassin’s Creed Revelations” at a premier Electronic Entertainment Expo in early June in Los Angeles. “Revelations” will be the fourth videogame in a series that has sold more than 28 million copies overall since the first

title was released in 2007.

Players will continue on as fictional master assassin Ezio Auditore, this time in the heart of the Ottoman Empire to foil enemies in Constantinople.

“Delivering the final chapter of the Ezio trilogy is an important milestone in the Assassin’s Creed franchise for us and for our fans,” said Ubisoft Montreal creative director Alexandre Amancio.

He promised that the game will deliver

“lots of new features and some significant surprises.”

“Revelations” will be released in November with versions tailored for play on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 consoles as well as personal computers running on Windows software.

“Assassin’s Creed” was the first game to immerse players in a believable and mature experience inspired by historical events, according to Ubisoft videogame producer

Sebastien Puel.

The second installment of the videogame introduced Auditore and combined the original title’s winning elements with more gorgeous cityscapes, animations, and 15th century historical settings.

“Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” released last year built on the Renaissance era treachery and intrigue of its predecessor, but with a first-ever online feature that allows players to divert from the storyline

and hunt one another.

The multi-player feature was incorporated into “Revelations.”

Players can opt for a storyline mode that puts them in the trademark hooded garb of Ezio, part of a bloodline of master assassins that used their deadly skills to thwart corruption and grand conspiracy.

The “Assassin’s Creed” franchise has grown to include novels, comic books, and short films. — AFP

Third major attack planned against Sony’s Web site Anonymous to Sony: It wasn’t us

BEIJING: Chinese customers learn to use the iPad 2 inside Apple’s Sanlitun retail store in Beijing, China, yesterday. A Chinese man says he saw a fight on Saturday, May 7, between an Apple store employee and a customer amid a frenzy to buy the newly-launched iPad 2. — AP

Scuffle at Apple store iPad launch in Beijing BEIJING: A Chinese man says he saw a fight between an Apple store employee and a customer amid a frenzy to buy the newly launched iPad 2.

Thirty-year-old Wang Ming says Saturday’s scuffle at the Apple store in Beijing’s Sanlitun district was between a “foreign” Apple staffer and a Chinese customer. Wang says he heard that the customer had cut into a line and was a scalper.

Unconfirmed Chinese news reports said three or four customers were injured. Wang says he was passing by when a bottle hit his head, causing a gash.

Photos taken in the aftermath of the scuffle showed Wang and another man with a wound on his back lying on the ground outside the shop and the store’s glass front door shattered.

Apple Inc. staff could not immediately be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, Apple released updated software for iPhones to fix “bugs” that resulted in location data being unencrypted and stored for up to a year.

A note included with the update said that the cache of saved data on devices was reduced and that location information would no longer be backed up at iTunes on people’s computers.

Turning off the location services feature on an Apple gadget will cause location data to be deleted, the update promised. The changes came in an iOS 4.3.3 software update for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices.

According to British researchers, iPhones and iPads running iOS 4, the latest operating system, were storing latitude and longitude coordinates in a hidden file along with a time stamp and the data was easily retrievable.

“By passively logging your location without your permission, Apple made it possible for anyone from a jealous spouse to a private investigator to get a detailed picture of your movements,” they said.

The Cupertino, California-based company has staunchly denied tracking iPhone users, maintaining that location data gathered by the smartphones was used for services such as navigation or targeted ads.

“Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone,” the Apple said last month in its first response to privacy questions raised by the two researchers. “Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.”

Apple said the iPhone was not logging a user’s location but maintaining a database of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers to “help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested.”

Apple said the location data the researchers were seeing on the iPhone is “not the past or present location of the iPhone, but rather the locations of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding the iPhone’s location, which can be more than one hundred miles away from the iPhone.” — Agencies

US ranks 17 as clean tech producer, China is No 2 AMSTERDAM: Denmark earns the biggest share of its national revenue from producing windmills and other clean technologies, the United States is rapidly expanding its clean-tech sector, but no country can match China’s pace of growth, according to a new report obtained by The Associated Press.

China’s production of green technologies has grown by a remarkable 77 per cent a year, according to the report, which was commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and which will be unveiled on Monday at an industry conference in Amsterdam. “ The Chinese have made, on the political level, a conscious decision to capture this market and to develop this market aggressively,” said Donald Pols, an economist with the WWF. Denmark, a longtime leader in wind energy, derives 3.1 percent of its gross domestic product from renewable energy technology and energy efficiency, or about euro6.5 billion ($9.4 billion), the report said.

China is the largest producer in money terms, earning more than euro44 billion ($64 billion), or 1.4 percent of its gross domestic product.

The US ranks 17 in the production of clean technologies with 0.3 percent of GDP, or euro31.5 billion ($45 billion), but those industries have been expanding at a rate of 28 percent per year since 2008.

“The US is growing substantially, so it seems the policy of (President Barack)

Obama is working,” Pols said. But the US cannot compare with China, he said.

“When you speak to the Chinese, climate change is not an ideological issue.

It’s just a fact of life. While we debate climate change and the transition to a low carbon economy, the debate is passed in China,” Pols said. “For them it’s implementation. It’s a growth sector, and they want to capture this sector.” The report was prepared by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, a global firm based in Germany. It gathered data on 38 countries from energy associations, bank and brokerage reports, investor presentations, the International Energy Agency and a score of other sources. It measured the earnings from producing renewables like biofuels, wind turbines and thermal equipment, and energy efficiency technology such as low-energy lighting and insulation.

“Clean technologies are really growing fast, but China is responsible for the majority of that growth,” said Ward van den Berg, who compiled and analyzed the data for the consultancy firm.

Until recently, Chinese massive production of solar cells was aimed at the export market, but they are now making solar systems for the home market, as they have been doing for several years in wind energy, Van den Berg said.

Following Denmark and China, other countries in the top five clean-tech producers, in terms of percentage of GDP, are Germany, Brazil and Lithuania, the report said. — AP

SAN FRANCISCO: Sony chief executive Harold Stringer apologized for the data breach at the company’s game networks as reports indicated that a new cyber attack on the company was being planned for the weekend.

The letter, posted on the company ’s Playstation blog in the US, acknowledged Sony’s delay in releasing details about the lost personal data of up to 100 million network users, but said that “forensic analysis is a complex, time-consuming process.”

Sony’s attempts to identify the hackers may come too late to stop another attack on its website, reportedly planned for this weekend as a payback for Sony’s bungled handling of the first two network intrusions, according the CNET.com.

“An observer of the Internet Relay Chat channel used by the hackers told CNET Friday that a third major attack is planned this weekend against Sony’s Web site,” CNET said, not naming the observer.

The hackers claimed to already have access to some of Sony’s servers, and that they planned to publicize some or all of the data they can siphon from Sony, the report said.

Sony has pointed a finger at Anonymous, the secretive hacking group, as being respon-

sible for the network intrusions - an accusation rejected in recent days by the group.

However, a report in the Financial Times on Friday quoted former members of the group as saying that the attacks may have been conducted as a rogue operation by Anonymous members without approval of the Anonymous leadership.

Meanwhile, the Internet vigilante group Anonymous denied responsibility for a cyberattack on Sony Corp’s networks that exposed the personal data of more than 100 million PlayStation video gamers.

“Let’s be clear, we are legion, but it wasn’t us. You are incompetent Sony,” the group Anonymous said on its Blog (anonops.blogspot.com) Thursday.

Anonymous is a grassroots cyber-vigilante group which in December launched attacks that temporarily shut down the sites of MasterCard and Visa using simple software tools freely available over the Internet.

Sony spokesman Dan Race declined to comment on Anonymous’ latest press release, citing an ongoing investigation. The group’s denial came a day after Sony charged that Anonymous was indirectly responsible for the attack on the Japanese electronics giant’s networks. Sony made the accusation in a letter to

members of Congress conducting an inquiry into one of the largest computer breaches in history. Sony said its video game network was hacked into at the same time it was defending itself against a major denial-ofservice attack by Anonymous. A denial-ofservice attack makes a server or system unavailable by overwhelming its network with Internet traffic.

The attack that stole the personal data of millions of Sony customers was launched separately, right when the company was distracted protecting itself against the denial-of-service campaign, Sony said.

The company said it was not sure whether the organizers of the two attacks were working together. Barrett Lyon, a security expert who specializes in helping companies defend themselves against denial-of-service attacks, said he believes Anonymous is at least indirectly responsible for the Sony hacking.

“At the very least they planted the seed that focused nefarious intention toward Sony,” he said.

“It could have been something that the Anonymous group started, but really couldn’t stop,” he added. “They work like a lynch mob, and it just takes one crazy person to keep going.” — Agencies

LATEST GADGETS New Archos tablet BERLIN: Archos has unveiled a new version of its 7-inch tablet PC. The new 7c model expands on the previous 7 V2 by offering a multitouch display that supports gesture control using multiple fingers at the same time. The resolution is 800 x 480 pixels, as before, while the price is up 30 dollars, to about 180 dollars.

Archos is powered by the Android 2.1 (Eclair) operating system. The tablet PC, which hits stores this month, connects to the internet via WLAN.

ALGIERS: Men walk along the tracks of Algiers’ new tramway system which opened yesterday. After a two-year delay, the new tramway service opened, starting with a 7.2 km section running between Bordj El Kiffan and Bab-Ezzouar, serving residents in the densely populated eastern part of the city. — AFP

News

in brief

Cyber-guided clean-up hopes to sweep globe TALLINN: Cyber-environmentalists from Cambodia to Brazil are using Google Earthbased software to target and banish trash from the countryside as they gear up for World Cleanup 2012, event organisers said.

“Preparations for World Cleanup 2012 that were launched in February are being lead at the moment by a 50-member international team in 30 countries,” Tiina Urm, spokeswoman for the Tallinn-based “Lets do it - World Cleanup 2012” told AFP. “We aim to expand the project to at least 70 more countries,” Urm said, as Estonians were getting ready for a clean-up day in their country Saturday. Friday was cleaning day in Finland while activists in Russia and Brazil are using the Internet to plot clean-ups for May 15, Urm said. After the success of “Let’s do it” in Estonia in 2008, when 50,000 volunteers deployed using the Internet managed to collect 10,000 tonnes of illegally dumped trash in one day, organisers are now hoping to get 300 million people in 100 countries to collect 100 million tonnes of trash in 2012.

In 2007, Estonian Internet gurus Ahti Heinla-a moving force behind Skype and Microlink founder Rainer Nolvak used Google Earth and GPS-equipped mobile phones to map and photograph 11,000 illegal garbage dumps across all 45,227 square kilometres of Estonia and then directed an army of volunteers to collect the trash. “Our aim was not only to clean, but also to return people the feeling that it’s not only politicians who have responsibility, but that all of us can take action,” Toomas Trapido, a former Estonian member of parliament for the Greens involved in the initial clean-up, told AFP. “By now Estonia’s best practice has been followed by 1.5 million people in 11 countries, including Portugal, Slovenia, Ukraine, Romania but also in India, Cambodia and elsewhere,” he added.

Twitter hits new high with Everest ‘tweet’ SAN FRANCISCO: A renowned British climber has taken Twitter to a new high, firing off the first “tweet” from the peak of world’s tallest mountain. Kenton Cool used the terse text message to plug a slick new Galaxy S II smartphone made by Samsung, the South Korean consumer electronics giant that backed his ninth ascent to the top of Mount Everest. “Everest summit no 9!

1st tweet from the top of the world thanks to a weak 3G signal & the awesome Samsung Galaxy S2 handset!” the mountaineer said in a tweet sent Thursday. Nepal telecom carrier Ncell installed a mobile signal receiver at the base of Everest late last year, but it had been unclear whether its range extended to the peak. A blog post at Cool’s website dream-guides.com proclaimed the Samsung Everest climb a success and promised more details as Cool made his way back down.

72 million live YouTube streams for royal wedding WASHINGTON: Britain’s royal wedding attracted 72 million live streams on YouTube in 188 countries and over 100 million views on the big day itself, the Googleowned video-sharing site said yesterday.

“Though half the globe was still in darkness, YouTube users from across the world got wedding fever,” YouTube said in a blog post. YouTube said the top five countries watching live streams of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on the site’s Royal Channel were Britain, the United States, Italy, Germany and France. “ The total streams on April 29, 2011 reached 101 million as romantics around the globe tuned in to watch the fairytale ceremony, the procession and the final balcony kiss,” YouTube said. YouTube also said there have been 37.7 million page views of the official royal wedding website from 13.7 million visitors.

New smartphones BERLIN: No UMTS, but long talk and standby times: That’s the claim of Samsung’s Corby II (3.14-inch display) touchscreen model and the Ch@t 335 mobile phone (2.4 inches) with QWERTY keypad. Both mobile phones do not require an expandable operating system, so they come with integrated access to social networks and a multi-messenger, among other features. The quad-band phones are also equipped with an MP3 player, radio, a two-megapixel camera, and Bluetooth - as well as WLAN. The Corby II with white or yellow back panel is priced at about 189 dollars, and the black Ch@t 335 sells for around 179 dollars.

Sonos update MUNICH: Sonos’ multi-room music systems now also support Apple Airplay streaming technology. Airplay allows users to stream music from a Mac, iPad, or iPhone to the Sonos ZonePlayers. The new feature can be enabled by installing the free firmware update to version 3.4. In addition, the new firmware version supports Sonos’ remote control apps for iPhone and Android. The latter also comes with a voice recognition function for finding music.

Power DVD 11 BERLIN: Cyberlink has redesigned its Power DVD video and music player. The new HD- and 3D-capable version 11 supports the option of transferring and playing content from iOS and Android smartphones on a PC. According to the manufacturer, playback of media stored on network hard disks has been improved.

There is an app for iOS and Android priced at four dollars that turns the smartphone into a remote control for the player software. Depending on the specific edition, Power DVD 11 costs between 20 and 100 dollars.

Network storage systems BERLIN: D-Link now offers two Sharecenter network storage systems in a complete package including hard disks.

The 3.5-inch SATA hard disks have a capacity of one or two terabytes (TB) each. Sharecenter Pulse with a one-terabyte disk sells at 179 dollars, and the slightly faster Shadow version offering the same disk space costs 100 dollars more. The basic version of both housings without hard disk is 50 dollars less.

Another new Sharecenter feature is a firmware update that makes the user interface available in German.

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MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

health & science

Bolivia faces risk of megaquake: Study PARIS: Some two million people in Bolivia face the risk of a magnitude 8.9 megaquake, 125 times stronger than the previously calculated potential maximum, according a study published yesterday.

The findings, reported in Nature Geoscience, came as a surprise, the researchers said.

“No one suspected that the previous estimates were too low,” said Benjamin Brooks, a geophysicist at the University of Hawaii Manoa and lead author of the study.

Earlier calculations had set the

most powerful expected earthquake for the region east of the central Andes mountains at magnitude 7.5, based in part on a relatively quiet seismic history.

But a careful analysis of Global Positioning System (GPS) data from the eastern flank of the mountain chain showed a buildup of stress consistent with a maximum magnitude of 8.7 to 8.9, Brooks said.

Tracking tiny changes in the location of GPS stations enables scientists to measure surface velocity to within a fraction of a millimeter per year.

The data showed that the area to the west of the Mandeyapecua thrust fault, which runs north-south, has moved far more than the area east of the fault, pointing to a dangerous accumulation of pressure.

A shallow section of the fault is locked in place over a length of about 100 kilometres (60 miles), the researchers found.

“Rupture of the entire locked section by one earthquake could result in shaking of magnitudes up to 8.9,” Brooks said in a statement.

There is no way to know when

such a quake might happen-or if it will happen at all, he added.

A series of smaller temblors could release stress without unleashing a Big One. To follow up, Brooks is probing the ancient seismic history of the region to determine the dates and sizes of past earthquakes, and to find out if one that size has ever occurred there.

“We hope that this information will be widely disseminated and considered in Bolivia by the people including the general population, engineers, planners, policy-makers-

who may be most affected,” he said.

Several major ear thquakes in recent years-including the magnitude 9.0 monster off the coast of Japan in March, and an 8.8 quake in Chile in Februar y 2010 — have prompted some experts to reassess earlier forecasts.

“We probably should re-evaluate our estimates of the maximum sizes of earthquakes that could strike all fault areas,” Ross Stein, a seismologist at the US Geological Sur vey (USGS), said shortly after the Japan quake. —AFP

Understanding a blood count Haematocrit and leukocyte

HONG KONG: In a file picture taken on March 22, 2010 pedestrians cover their mouths against pollution at a busy intersection in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s ombudsman has told city officials to hammer out a timetable for new air quality rules amid increasingly vocal criticism of pollution in the global financial hub, a green group said yesterday. —AFP

Avastin found effective WASHINGTON: The anti-cancer drug Avastin is as effective in fighting macular degeneration as Lucentis, which, however is 40 times more expensive than the cancer fighting medicine, according to results of clinical trials published in the United States. The study compares Avastin (bevacizumab) to Lucentis (ranibizumab), which both have been developed by US firm Genentech, owned

by Swiss laboratory Roche. During the trials, scientists randomly assigned 1,208 patients with neovascular macular degeneration-a condition that leads to the gradual loss of central vision-to receive injections in the eye of ranibizumab or bevacizumab on either a monthly schedule or as needed with

BERLIN: Many people may have heard their doctors tell them: “Let’s have a haemogram done.” But what is it exactly?

With a haemogram - also known as complete blood count (CBC) - blood is taken and its cells analysed. Many patients have their laboratory values printed out and take the list home with them.

“But most of the time they really don’t know what to make of it, especially because a lot of abbreviations are used,” says Mariam Klouche from a laboratory centre in Bremen, Germany.

“With a CBC without a differential, the red and white blood cells are counted as well as the blood platelets,” says Karl Lackner of the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

“In addition there is information about how much of the haemoglobin is in the red blood cells; about their size; and the ratio of cells to blood plasma.” The latter is identified in haematocrit.

Not enough red blood cells (erythrocytes) is a sign of anaemia. This can occur for example through bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, or a lack of iron.

The abbreviation MCV (mean corpuscular volume) is a measurement of the average size of the erythrocytes. “If, for example, they

Haematocrit tubes are too big, that can point to not enough vitamin B12 or folic acids,” says Klouche. This occurs in alcoholism.

The blood platelets (thrombocytes), meanwhile, are involved in the clotting of blood. Not enough of these can come from bone marrow diseases and lead to bleeding tendencies. Doctors looking at the count of white

blood cells (leukocytes) can tell if there is an infection in the body and whether the immune system is functioning correctly.

“If there is a suspicion that a patient has a bacterial infection or the leukocytes are high, then a haemogram will be taken in general, also called CBC with differential,” says Lackner. In this, the different types of white blood cells

monthly evaluation. “At one year, bevacizumab and ranibizumab had equivalent effects on visual acuity when administered according to the same schedule,” reported the authors of the study, including Doctor Juan Grunwald from the University of Pennsylvania. “Ranibizumab given as needed with monthly evaluation had effects on vision that were equivalent to those of ranibizumab administered monthly.” However, the costs of the treatments were vastly different. The average cost in the ranibizumab group per patient was $23,400 compared to $385 per patient in the bevacizumab group, the researchers said. The study appears in the latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

News

in brief

Prevent hunger attacks

US nurse jailed for encouraging suicide FAIRBAULT: A US nurse who encouraged a Canadian woman and a British man to commit suicide in online chats was sentenced to serve 360 days in jailincluding two days a year for the next decade to mark his victim’s deaths.

William Melcher t-Dinkel, 48, frequently proposed to people in online chats that they hang themselves in front of a live Web camera so he could watch them die, court records showed.

There is no evidence anyone did so, but police found he had conducted online chats with at least 10 suicidal people, including five who killed themselves.

He was charged specifically for his roles in the suicides of M ark Drybrough, 32, who hanged himself in Coventry, England, in 2005, and Nadia Kajouji, an 18-year-old who threw herself off a bridge in Ottawa in 2008.

Melchert-Dinkel admitted to police he posed as a female nurse on Internet discussion groups about suicide and depression and charac terized his actions as “the thrill of the chase.”

“I hope I can help you in any way I can,” Melchert-Dinkel wrote Kajouji, promising a suicide pact. She wrote back, “ We are together in this,” and

Melcher t-Dinkel responded, “yes, I promise.”

Kajouiji’s mother wept as she read a victim impact statement to the court.

“I would give everything I have, I would give my life in a heartbeat, to spend one more minute with my child,” Deborah Chevalier said. Melcher tDinkel’s lawyer argued that his actions should be protected under the right to free speech and said the victims would have killed themselves even without his encouragement.

Rice County District Judge Thomas Neuville concluded that the former nurse had “intentionally advised and encouraged” his victims to commit suicide and found him guilt y under Minnesota’s law banning assisted suicide.

Melchert-Dinkel, 48, plans to appeal the sentence handed down Wednesday, which also includes $18,000 in fines and about $30,000 in restitution costs to the families of Drybrough and Kajouji.

He was also placed on probation for 15 years and ordered to have no contact with the victims’ families or access to the Internet except in connection with work. —AFP

will be examined. If, for example, there are a lot of lymphocytes, then a viral infection could exist.

Klouche, publisher of the German language website www.labtestsonline.de, says there is a large need for increasing awareness regarding laboratory values. Some 40,000 people take advantage of the website each month. Haemograms are the third most commonly checked topic, says Klouche.

Vera Zylka-Menhorn has written a book on understanding blood values. In it, she explains the reference values - values which are considered normal for healthy individuals in different age groups split up between men and women.

“There is not a single normal value but a certain range of variations in which all values are considered normal,” she says. And these values can vary depending on laboratory equipment and measuring procedures.

The author also emphasises that an overall view of a patient must be taken into consideration.

“A transgression of a normal value does not necessarily mean that something is wrong. That must match the symptoms of the patient,” she says. Outliers could also have occurred through technical errors.

MEXICO CITY: A man holds up a big fake joint as he smokes marijuana during a demonstration in favor of legalizing it at the Monument of the Revolution in Mexico City, yesterday. —AP

BERLIN: Hunger attacks are a weight-watcher’s worst enemy. To prevent them, nutritionist Michaela Baensch recommends eating the right foods, which include sources of “good” carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruit and whole-grain products. Sources of “bad” carbohydrates such as sweets, sugared sodas, processed foods and products made with white flour should be eaten in small quantities only or not at all, said Baensch, who lectures at the BSA Academy in Saarbruecken, a German higher education institution responsible for health management and illness prevention. Hunger attacks are often caused by a low blood sugar level after a meal. As Baensch explained, eating “bad” carbohydrates raises the blood sugar level rapidly and prompts the body to release insulin. “This, in turn, causes the blood sugar level to drop. If it drops steeply, a craving for sweets is the result,” she said. Baensch recommends eating regularly and not skipping main meals. Someone feeling mild hunger should snack on “good” carbs, she said, adding that hunger-attack prevention can start in the store: Foods triggering them should be bought in small quantities only or not at all.

Salt intake

S Korea’s ‘kiss apple’ for better breath SEOUL: In South Korea, home of kimchi and other pungent, garlicky food, having fresh breath for life’s big moments-such as a k iss-is a major concern.

But researchers may soon have a natural, portable answer- a “Kiss Apple” tiny enough to be stashed in a pocket or purse for quick eating prior to locking lips.

“We want young people to eat many apples and came up with the idea of por table apples for your bags,” said H wang H ye -sung, a researcher at South Korea’s Rural Development Administration, who called it a “do-it-yourself bad breath treatment.”

Apples help freshen breath naturally and remove pieces of food stuck in the teeth, but the pingpong ball-sized apple would be easier to carry around, and far less filling to gulp at a critical moment. “ We can mass produce the species with stronger functions that control food odours in as few as two years,” Hwang added.

But potential consumers were skeptical, noting that sudden chomping down on an apple might not do much for romance.

“I’m afraid this could damage the mood, unless you are sure you will kiss,” said Kim Min-jung, a 28-yearold office worker. —Reuters

COLOGNE: A schoolchild between the ages of 7 and 10 should consume no more than five grams of salt per day, or about one level teaspoon, said Ulrich Fegeler, spokesman for Germany’s Professional Association of Children’s and Young People’s Physicians. “Most of the salt that we ingest - about 75 per cent - is contained in products such as cheese, sausage and ready-to-serve meals,” he warned, citing the Berlin-based, non-profit consumer-protection organization Foodwatch. “Sausage products for children and fast food in particular often contain more than the recommended amounts.” Studies have shown that too much salt can raise children’s blood pressure just as it does adults’. Foods containing salt include anchovies, bacon, salami, ham, shrimp, olives, pizza, pickled cucumbers, salted nuts and potato crisps.

“When shopping, parents should pay attention to the sodium content,” Fegeler advised. Products with more than 0.6 grams of sodium (Na+) or over 1.5 grams of table salt (sodium chloride: NaCl) per 100 grams is too salty, he said. To roughly calculate how many grams of table salt a food contains, multiply the sodium content in grams by 2.5. According to KiGGS - the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents - male adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 are especially fond of salty foods, consuming 10 grams daily on average. The recommended maximum for this age group is 6 grams.

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Runners need to beware of sugar boosts FRANBKFURT: The legs are heavy, the heartbeat rapid, the fatigue total. Many long-distance runners have experienced this state. Some then immediately ingest large amounts of glucose. Others say this only makes the fatigue worse.

In his bestselling book “Ultra-marathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner,” American running guru Dean Karnazes writes that he has completely eliminated refined sugar from his diet. Is sugar really so bad? It is a main ingredient, after all, in many energy drinks.

Sugar is a member of the carbohydrate family. Carbohydrates are found in foods are varied as whole-grain bread and vegetables, and enter the bloodstream at different speeds. “Slow” carbohydrates deliver energy longer, while “fast” carbohydrates give an immediate energy boost.

The glycemic index (GI) is a scale that measures how a food’s carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels, noted Thomas Konrad, director of the Institute of Metabolic Research (ISF) in Frankfurt.

High GI carbohydrates such as white bread and sweets cause blood sugar levels to rise very rapidly, Konrad explained. This

prompts the body to release the hormone insulin. But is that bad?

“Insulin channels excess sugar from the blood into energy storage,” remarked German running coach and author Herbert Steffny, who was a professional marathon runner for many years. This is good during a run, he said, because muscles are supplied with fuel and carbohydrate reserves are built up.

“But you don’t burn calories when you snack in front of the television set,” he said.

“Then the insulin works like a fattening hormone.” So when does a runner need sugar? “Someone who likes to push it to the limit sometimes, runs for over an hour or is training for a moderate city run needs a quick source of energy during long training sessions,” said Hans Braun, a nutritionist at the German Sport University in Cologne. Such sources are primarily energy drinks, bars and gels, which contain a lot of sugar.

The question for leisure-time runners, though, is how strenuous must a training regimen be before “fast” carbohydrates are really necessary.

“You don’t need them at all either

Say bye to obesity

before or during a normal endurance run of up to an hour,” Steffny said. So leisuretime athletes with no ambitions to run a marathon should ban “fast” carbohydrates from their diet.

After training, too, it is a good idea to fill up the body’s energy stores with “slow” carbohydrates, Steffny said. They are found in foods including potatoes, vegetables, whole-grain bread and oat flakes. Sugar, on the other hand, is a fattener whether you are a runner or not. As a rule, it is unnecessary for most runners’ “normal” training runs.

The body requires a quick energy boost only during long training sessions or competition. Karnazes is a case in point. In his book, he lists the foods he ate during a 199-mile run, which included five chocolate cookies, four peanut butter sandwiches and a cheesecake.

In Braun’s view, it is sufficient for leisure-time runners when about half of their energy comes from carbohydrates.

“Someone training for a race definitely needs more, though,” noted Steffny, who also recommends high-quality protein after training. —dpa

Exercise should be part of daily routine BERLIN: Physical exercise should be an integral part of one’s daily routine and preferably planned in advance, advises Herbert Loellgen, president of the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention. If there is no time for exercise in the morning, he says, then time should be found in the evening.

Loellgen says people who miss a training session should not reproach themselves but make sure to get their workout the next time around. It is important to continue to enjoy it and not trouble oneself with feelings of guilt, he points out. To stick to a training programme, it can help to train with others. Aside from enjoying the physical activity and having sufficient time to practice it, people should start slowly and gradually increase the intensity. It is a good idea to devote about 70 per cent of one’s efforts to endurance training such as running, mountain hiking or cycling, which exercise multiple, large muscle groups.

Twenty per cent should go to strength training and the remaining 10 per cent to stretching exercises that improve flexibility and lower the risk of injurious falls in advanced age, Loellgen says.

Endurance training should be practiced at least twice a week - three or four times is better - for at least 15 to 30 minutes each time.

Loellgen recommends alternating the types of sport to enhance motivation and prevent uneven strain on muscles and joints. — dpa

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Announcements Ahmadi Music Group The Ahmadi Music Group, directed by Richard Bushman, is delighted to announce the forthcoming production of The Deser t Song by Siegmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein.

Fully-staged, with costumes, dancing, professional soloists, a cast of around fifty people and a full symphony orchestra, this will be a wonderful opportunity to experience an evening of musical theatre in the stunning new Performing Arts Centre at The English School Salmiya. Tuesday 31 May, Preview Performance for students. Wednesday 1 June, Black-tie Gala Opening Per formance followed by Buffet Supper. Thursday 2 June, Performance. Friday 3 June, Performance. All performances start at 7pm at The English School, Salmiya. Emailing invitations@ahmadimusicgroup.com

Kuwaiti writer Talal Al-Rumaidhi visits GUST

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he Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) welcomed Kuwaiti writer Talal Al-Rumaidhi, avid member of the Association of Writers and winner of the 2010 state prize in Humanities & Social Sciences for his book “Kuwait and the Persian Gulf in the Ottoman Period. “Through the efforts of the Cultural Committee of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at GUST, Al-Rumaidhi was able to speak to the students on Kuwait’s journey to rise as one of the most prominent Arab emirates in the seventh decade through what has been written in old publications.

Al-Rumaidhi said that Kuwait

was characterized by its geographically distinct location, overlooking the head of Gulf which allowed the settlers to enjoy a dynamic port which

FR Davis in Kuwait

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r Davis Chiramel, chairman, Kidney Federation India is in Kuwait. The well wishers of Kidney Federation of India is arranging a gathering with Fr Davis Chiramel at United Indian School, Abbasiya today 9 May at 7 pm. All are cordially invited to attend the function to know more about Kidney Federation of India.

came to be known for the transfer goods from India and the Indian coast to the towns and villages in the middle of the Arabian Peninsula.

‘HALA RAMADAN’ Expo 2011 on the verge to ring its bells

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Greetings

Second birthday greetings to our son Aromal Sunil. Greetings from Achu Sunil Amma Dhanya, uncle, Anu, Arun, Anil, Manoja & grandfather Baskaran.

A. Livingston

G. Raja

Murugesan

Baskar

The named “Kuwait ” was recently labeled for the country not more than three centuries ago and was derived from the word Kut, which means a small house or fort or castle or other things need to be built.

Al-Rumaidhi also talked about the source of culture in the Kuwaiti society and pointed out that members of the Kuwaiti society drew their culture of the clergy through religious lessons they receive in mosques or gatherings, as well as teaching young children religion and memorizing the Quran in small schools that are called Katatib. “There were also several Kuwaiti students who traveled abroad to seek knowl-

he ‘HALA RAMADAN’ Expo, one of the largest exhibitions to ever launch specifically for the Holy Month of Ramadan in Kuwait, will be held in Mall 360 - Exhibition Hall under the patronage and presence of Shaikha Feryal Duaij Al-Salman Al-Sabah for three days starting May 10th until May 12th from 10:00am to 10:00pm.

The Expo aims at offering Ramadan related products and services which will help the Kuwaiti and local society prepare for the upcoming holy month. Some of these products include Kaftans, dresses, accessories, silverware, desserts, flowers, perfumes and so much more. The exhibition consists of over 60 elite participants who were very selectively chosen.

The exhibition will create an environment of healthy competition which will yield to better customer care. The high level of demand to participate in ‘HALA RAMADAN’ Expo exceeded expectations and The ‘HALA RAMADAN’ Expo, one of the largest exhibitions to ever launch specifically for the Holy Month of Ramadan in Kuwait, will be held in Mall 360 - Exhibition Hall under the patronage of Shaikha Feryal Duaij Al-Salman Al-Sabah for three days starting May 10th until May 12th from 10:00am to 10:00pm. The Expo aims at offering Ramadan related products and services which will help the Kuwaiti and local society prepare for the upcoming holy

Palanikumar

Javis

edge in Iraq, Hijaz and Egypt, including Sheikh Ahmad AlFarsi, Musaed Al-Azmi and Abdulaziz Al-Roshaid,” he added, noting that many scientists also visited Kuwait and influenced our culture and science.

Al-Rumaidhi touched on a lot of topics in Kuwait’s history including printing presses and literature. His lecture was followed by a question and answer session after which he was awarded with a painting done by one of the students in honor of his visit by Dr Salah Eddine Ark adan, Assistant Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department at GUST.

YMCA Kuwait office bearers

month. Some of these products include Kaftans, dresses, accessories, silverware, desserts, flowers, perfumes and so much more. The exhibition consists of over 60 elite participants who were very selectively chosen.therefore indicates a high chance of a successful event and an increased probability of another similar expo to be in line.

Very special gratitude and appreciation from the HALA Expo organizers is paid to the main ‘HALA’ sponsor VIVA Telecom, in addition to the rest of the event sponsors AlWatan newspaper and Television as our media sponsor, our Platinum sponsors Abyat, Abraj, Beidoun, The Sultan Center, and Burgan Bank, and our Gold sponsors November Bakery and Things by November, Lina’s and Dina’s Diet Center, Format Advertising, Radan, Standard Service Car Repair, Khan AlSaboun, and Mondanite. Also, special thanks are offered to all the Expo participants for their time and efforts as well as the Mall 360 management and Tamdeen Real Estate team for providing the opportunity for such an event to take place at their venue. The support and cooperation of all mentioned categories play a vital role to complete the success of the ‘HALA RAMADAN’ Expo launch.

Updates on this Expo are found on Twitter @HalaExpo and on Facebook l Hala Expo.

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MCA Kuwait elected the office-bearers for the year 2011-2012 during the board meeting at Salmiya.

YMCA is a worldwide youth Association that work for the welfare of all humans.

Office bearers elected for the year: President Babu Johnson, General Secretary Parimanam Manoj, Treasurer Ajosh Mathew, Vice President Mathew Eapen, Joint Secretary - Jacob George, Auditors - M C Mathew Tharakan and Mathew P Thomas.

Santhosh

Rajkumar

Sudha

Pukalendiran

Priya

Sasikala

Kuwait Tamil Sangam’s executive committee meets ambassador

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uwait Tamil Sangam’s newly elected executive committee members met outgoing Ambassador Ajai Malhotra on April 28 to get his greetings and also to render thanks for his valuable support to the KTS as well as the Indian community in Kuwait.

President A. Livingston expressed his sincere thanks to the ambassador for the valuable services rendered to the Indian community during his tenure. Secretary G. Raja admired on his punctuality and commitment

in attending the events.

The ambassador in his speech appreciated KTS cultural programs and insists the need of such programs to our community living in Kuwait. He also expressed his hearty wishes for the newly elected committee for the year 2011-2012.

The team was accompanied by Vice president Palanikumar, Treasurer Santhosh Narayanan & Joint Treasurer RajKumar. Earlier On 15th April, KTS new committee for year 2011-2012 was elected during AGM.

Thanima to present legend play Th a n i m a ( Th e H u m a n a n d N o s t a l gi c Interaction of Malayalees Abroad) is presenting of yet another unique cultural event to the Kuwait cultural spectrum by enacting ballads of the epic Vadak k an Pattuk al (Ballads of North Malabar) of medieval Kerala on stage.

‘Oru Vadakkan Veerakatha’, drama scope mega budget full length visual entertainer becomes a reality in the collective effort of Malayalee expatriate community in Kuwait spearheaded

by Thanima. The play will be staged at 4.30 pm and 8.30 pm on 20 May at Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed School Auditorium Hawally. The drama combines both the legendary spirit of Vadakkan Pattu and the bravery of Kalaripayattu (martial art form of Kerala) and harmonizes with the technical excellence of silver screen. In 18 sets it will be on stage designed by acclaimed A r t i s t S u j a t h a n . E n t r y w i l l b e re s t r i c te d through passes.

Al Taalib Scholarship 2011 Al Taalib Scholarship is a financial aid scheme for the under privileged school students in Kuwait, sponsored by the Ministry of Awqaf in association with Islam Presentation Committee (IPC), Friday Forum and Pakistan Kuwait Welfare Association. These scholarships were given to the needy students irrespective of their religion or nationality. The process of Al Taalib Scholarship for the current academic year, 2011-12, has begun for all Indian and Pakistani Schools in Kuwait. In order to avail this scholarship, applicants are requested to collect the Application Form from Al Taalib Office located in CAMS, Ahmed Al Jaber Street, Darwaza, Near Warba Insurance Co., Int’l Islamic Charity Organization Building, 2nd Floor, Al Sharq. The duly filled application form shall be submitted to Al Taalib office on or before 10th May 2011 along with all supporting documents specified in the Application Form.

ABCK golf tournament The American Business Council of Kuwait is hosting its 10th annual Golf Tournament at the Sahara Golf Club on Friday, May 13th, 2011. It will be a Texas 4-man scramble and your participation is encouraged. Registration begins at 7.00am and shotgun at 8.00am. Event includes breakfast, lunch and raffle prizes. For details contact americanbusinesscouncil@gmail.com before May 10th.

Voice Kuwait 6th Anniversary Voice Kuwait is celebrating its 6th anniversary “VISWAKALA 2011” on May 20th Friday from 4 pm to 9 pm at Carmel School Khaitan.

Voice Kuwait is giving award to its member’s children who got highest mark in last S.S.L.C. either from Kuwait or from Kerala. The students those are eligible should give attested copy of their mark list to Area conveners or sent copy to voicekuwait2004@gmail.com For more information please contact 66950482,94419371.

Balakalamela on MAY 13 The yearly event “Balakalamela” conducted by Kerala Art Lovers Association (Kala-Kuwait) for the students of all Indian Schools in Kuwait for attaining the Benji Benson EverRolling Trophy has been scheduled for May13th, Friday at Carmel School, Khaithan as informed by the Central Committee of Kala. The items that are included for the competition are Bharthnatyam, Mohiniyattam, Oppana, MargamKali, Folk Dance, Group Dance, Fancy Dress, Mappilapaattu, Monoact, Light Music (Malayalam, Hindi), Group Song (Malayalam, Hindi), Classical Song, Poetry Recitation(English, Hindi, Malayalam), Elocution (Malayalam, English), Essay Writing(English, Malayalam), Story Writing (English, Malayalam), Poetry Writing (English, Malayalam) and Drawing.

Participants are categorized as shown below: L.K.G & U.K.G( Kindergarten) Standard1 - Standard 4 (Sub Juniors) Standard 5 - Standard 8 (Juniors) Standard 9 - Standard 12 (Seniors) Registrations can be done via the respective schools or through Kala Centre. Registration forms can also be downloaded from the official website of Kala, www.kalaonweb.com and the filled forms should be mailed to the email address kalabalakalamela@gmail.com. For the success of the program a reception committee was formed in which K.vinod was selected as General Convenor . Members who are in charge of various Sub Committees are as follows:- Sunil (Program), Bineesh.K.Babu (Registration), Binu Rani Albert(Reception), Sunny Saijesh (Stage), C.Krishnan (Food), Skaria John (Volunteer), K.Chandran (Publicity and Souvenir) and R.Ramesh (Finance) . For more details regarding the program contact 24317875 (Kala Centre), 66180229, 97817100 or 66656642

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Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Embassy encourages all Australians to register their presence in Kuwait through Smartraveller Online (see link below).

Australians who are registered are asked to update their details. The information provided will assist us in contacting you in an emergency. www.smartraveller.gov.au Kuwait citizens can apply for and receive visit visas to Australia online at www.immi.gov.au. This usually takes two working days.

All others visa applications are handled by the Australian Visa Application Centre Tel. 22971110.

Witnessing and certifying documents are by appointment only, please contact the Embassy on 2232 2422. The Australian Embassy is open from 8.00am to 4.00pm, Sunday to Thursday.

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KNES celebrates International Day

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s a member of UNESCO, falling in line with its school guiding statements, Kuwait National English School (Hawally) celebrated International Day on May 3rd. Students in all departments, including Primary, Secondary, SEN, and Early Years created presentations on different countries which included displays, slide shows, music, costumes and even samples of food in order to help students appreciate and be aware of other cultures and the diversity of our World Heritage.

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closed on the same dates above. The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630 Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com.

And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170.

The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk ■■■■■■■

Konni Nivasi Sangamam Annual Day

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onni Nivasi Sangamam, Kuwait will celebrate 6th Annual Day on 13th May 2011 at United Indian School, Abbassiya from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm. The annual general body meeting and election of new office bearers for 2011-2012 year will also be conducted during the part of annual day. Variety of cultural programs, “GANAMELA” and lunch to all attendees will be the part of the program. All Konni Nivasi Sangamam members may kindly contact 66252930, 97277804, 67762857 for further details.

BASNIUM 2: Melodious Nite on May 12

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asnium 2’ a melodious nite with variety of stunning and amazing items, will be conducted on Thursday, 12th May 2011 at 6.00 PM at Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed Arabic School Auditorium, Hawally. Madhu Balakrishnan; versatile South Indian playback singer, Durga Viswanath; winner of Idea Star Singer 2007, youth heart throb singer Rehman and well known musicians in Kuwait will take part in the event which is being organized in the auspices of The Basil Arts, an Indian Embassy registered cultural organization in Kuwait, as part of its Charity. Prominent Indian personalities and invited guests will attend the musical extravaganza. Entry will be restricted through passes Organizers informed in a press release. For more details please contact 99594221 / 66131488 / 97253083.

Impressive Investiture Ceremony at Integrated Indian School

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hose who stay away from the elec tion, think that one vote will do no good ‘tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm”.

With this thought in mind Integrated Indian School organized an investiture ceremony where all the elected prefects of the school prefectural board were invested with their respective badges..an election was held in the school and the deser ving candidates were chosen through fair voting by the students and teacher’s of the school. Prior to administering the oath, a clear description of their job was given to them and were informed what

exactly they were expected to do.

The Directors Anil Mehrotra, Dr M rs. Anju M ehrotra and Anis Ahmad, Manager Mohd Ali and Principal Mrs Ritu Mathur did the honors and congratulated the prefects and wished them luck for future endeavours. They were also asked to set an example before students with their actions. The Principal Mrs. Ritu Mathur administered the oath to the prefects. The Directors Dr Mrs. Anju Mehrotra appreciated the students for their immense hard work and prompted the students to reach the zenith.

The following are the names of the prefects.

1. Head Boy- Abhiraham Prasad

2. Vice Head Boy- Suraj K Abraham 3. Head Girl- Nada Sultana 4. Vice Head Girl- Devika Baburaj 5. Spor ts Captain- (Boy)-Saiful Islam 6. Spor ts Captain-(Girl)- Runa Begum 7. Cultural Captain-Jazim Naushad 8. K nowledge House CaptainHussain Badri 9. Happiness House CaptainGurpal Singh 10. Truth House Captain-Benzelee John 11. Success House Captain- Akash Mohammed The Assembly concluded with the Indian National Anthem.

Aware Arabic course

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he AWARE management is glad to inform those interested in learning Arabic that Summer 1 Arabic language courses will begin on April 24 and go on till June 2, 2011.

AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed and courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel, cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community.

We cater to teachers, travelers and those working in the private business sector.

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application.

Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (Al-Babtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah.

Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.

Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.

Effective January 15, 2011, the only Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) application form that will be accepted by CIC is the Application for Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside of Canada [IMM 5257] form. All previous Temporary Resident Visa application forms will no longer be accepted by CIC and instead will be returned to applicants. Should old applications be submitted prior to January 15, 2011 they will continue to be processed. To ensure that the most recent version of the Temporary Resident Visa application form is being utilized, applicants should refer to the CIC website. As of January 15, 2011, forms are to be filled in electronically. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday.

Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday.

The forms are available on the internet at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IM M5257E.PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5 256E.PDF. ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF FRANCE On the occasion of public holiday in France, the French Embassy in Kuwait will be closed today the 8th of May 2011.

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NSS bids farewell to Ajai Malhotra

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air Service Society (NSS-Kuwait) bade a touching farewell to Ajai Malhotra, Ambassador of India in Kuwait. The delegation led by the President Muralee Krishnan, who expressed his sincere gratitude to the ambassador for all the timely guidelines and moral support bestowed for the judicious functioning of a sizable organization of its own kind.

On behalf of NSS Kuwait, one of its senior members and the present advisory board member K Damodaran Nair commented on his contributions to Indian Society in Kuwait. He recalled that the ambassador had woven the golden

threads of welfare and love through every length and breadth of Indian society during his tenure in Kuwait, without any discrimination of small or big.

As a token of appreciation, the president presented a memento on this occasion. K.P. Manikandan, the Gen Secretary Raveendran Nair M.R, the Vice President, Prasad Padmanabhan, the Treasurer, Santhosh Kumar, the advisory board member, Saji Pillai the area coordinator (Fahaheel), Smitha Sumod and Chandrika Prasad, the Vanitha Samajam conveners also included in the delegation.

Farewell to Indian expat of 35 years

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warm farewell had given to K.O Philipose after concluding his 35 years of sincere service in a prominent company called M.A. Kharafi in Kuwait. The farewell meeting was conducted in the Caesars Auditorium, Abbassiya which was presided over by Zachariah Mathew. Mushthaq, Satheesh, Sam Pynummoodu and John Lobo spoke on the

great contribution of Philipose in the construction field of various Arab, African countries including Kuwait. Mathews P. Mathew gave the “Ponnada” to K.O. Philipose. He was given a gift by Ramesh Suri.

Georgekutty gave the welcome speech and Rajesh proposed the vote of thanks.

EMBASSY OF GUYANA The Embassy of Guyana, recently established in Kuwait, announces that it is located at Block 3, Street 321, Villa 3, Mubarak Abdullah al Jabar, West Misrhef. The Embassy’s telephone numbers are 2539-7939 and 2539-4336; the fax number is 2539-3448. The Embassy can also be contacted by e-mail at Guyanaembassy.kuwait@gmail.com; its website address is www.guyana.org.

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EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has moved its office to Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk

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00:45 Untamed And Uncut 01:40 Dogs 101 02:35 Into The Lion’s Den 03:30 Great Savannah Race 04:25 Into The Pride 05:20 Last Chance Highway 06:10 Must Love Cats 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 The Really Wild Show 07:50 Growing Up... Wolves 08:40 Breed All About It 09:10 Cats 101 10:05 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 11:00 Animal Precinct 11:55 Wildlife SOS 12:50 Animal Cops Houston 13:45 RSPCA: Have You Got What It Takes?

14:10 E-Vets: The Interns 14:40 Killer Whales 15:30 Animal Battlegrounds 16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Natural Born Hunters 17:00 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 17:25 Animal Crackers 18:20 Karina: Wild On Safari 19:15 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 20:10 Dogs 101 21:05 The Animals’ Guide To Survival 22:00 Planet Earth 22:55 Your Worst Animal Nightmares 23:50 Almost Human With Jane Goodall

01:00 01:30 02:20 03:10 04:00 04:30 04:50 05:10 05:35 05:45 06:05 06:25 06:50 07:05 07:25 07:45 08:10 08:20 08:40 09:00 09:25 09:40 10:10 10:40 11:25 12:20 12:50 13:20 14:10 15:45 16:35 17:20 17:50 18:20 19:10

One Foot In The Grave Full Circle With Michael Palin The Weakest Link Paradox My Family Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Charlie And Lola My Family My Family The Weakest Link Monarch Of The Glen Doctors One Foot In The Grave Full Circle With Michael Palin My Family Monarch Of The Glen The Weakest Link Doctors One Foot In The Grave Full Circle With Michael Palin Monarch Of The Glen

00:40 Come Dine With Me 03:55 Perfect Day 05:00 New Scandinavian Cooking 05:50 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 07:05 Cash In The Attic 09:20 Indian Food Made Easy 09:45 Antiques Roadshow 10:35 Masterchef: The Professionals 12:10 Indian Food Made Easy 12:35 Antiques Roadshow 13:25 Cash In The Attic 14:10 Bargain Hunt 15:00 Come Dine With Me 15:45 Masterchef: The Professionals 17:20 Indian Food Made Easy 18:10 How Not To Decorate

19:00 19:50 20:35 21:20 22:10 23:00

Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me Home For Life Come Dine With Me

00:00 BBC World News 00:10 World Features 00:30 Horizons 01:00 BBC World News 01:30 Asia Business Report 01:45 Asia Today 02:00 BBC World News 02:10 World Features 02:30 Our World 03:00 BBC World News 03:10 World Features 03:30 India Business Report 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Asia Today 05:00 BBC World News 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Asia Today 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Hardtalk 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 14:30 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News America 23:30 Hardtalk

00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:40 04:05 04:30 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:20 08:45 09:35 10:25 10:35 10:50 11:15

Imagination Movers Higglytown Heroes Special Agent OSO Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Little Einsteins Jo Jo’s Circus Lazytown Jungle Junction Imagination Movers Higglytown Heroes Special Agent OSO Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Little Einsteins Jo Jo’s Circus Timmy Time Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Jo Jo’s Circus Handy Manny Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Jungle Junction Imagination Movers Little Einsteins

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

TV PROGRAMS 11:40 12:05 12:25 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:20 15:45 15:55 16:20 16:45 17:10 18:00 18:25 18:50 19:10 19:25 19:35 20:25 20:35 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:05 22:25

Jo Jo’s Circus Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent OSO Imagination Movers Higglytown Heroes Lazytown Little Einsteins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Timmy Time Jo Jo’s Circus Imagination Movers Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Little Einsteins Lazytown Higglytown Heroes Timmy Time Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Handy Manny Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Jo Jo’s Circus Jungle Junction Lazytown

00:05 Cow And Chicken 00:30 Cramp Twins 00:55 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Adventure Time 01:45 Eliot Kid 02:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 02:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 03:00 The Powerpuff Girls 03:15 Chowder 03:40 The Secret Saturdays 04:05 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 04:30 Ben 10: Alien Force 04:55 Best Ed 05:20 Skunk Fu! 05:45 Cramp Twins 06:10 Eliot Kid 06:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 07:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 07:25 Cow And Chicken 07:50 Angelo Rules 08:05 Cartoon Network Dance Club 08:15 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 08:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 09:05 The Secret Saturdays 09:30 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 09:55 The Powerpuff Girls 10:20 Robotboy 10:30 Hero 108 10:55 Ben 10 11:20 Chowder 11:45 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 12:10 Camp Lazlo 12:35 George Of The Jungle 13:00 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 13:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 13:50 Ben 10 14:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:40 Squirrel Boy 15:05 Eliot Kid 15:35 Ed, Edd N Eddy 16:00 Cow And Chicken 16:25 Chop Socky Chooks 16:50 Skunk Fu! 17:15 Chowder 17:40 Best Ed 18:05 Hero 108 18:30 Cartoon Network Dance Club 18:45 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 18:55 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 19:20 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:45 The Secret Saturdays 20:10 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 20:35 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 21:00 The Powerpuff Girls 21:25 Ed, Edd N Eddy 21:50 Robotboy 22:00 Camp Lazlo 22:25 Hero 108 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:40 Chowder

COLLATERAL ON OSN ACTION HD

00:15 One Way Out 00:40 Worst-Case Scenario 01:35 Mythbusters 02:30 Mega Builders 03:25 Olympic Park Machines With Jonny Smith 04:20 How It’s Made 04:50 How Stuff’s Made 05:15 Worst-Case Scenario 06:05 Mighty Ships 07:00 Mega Builders 07:50 American Chopper 08:45 How Stuff’s Made 09:10 How It’s Made 09:40 Mythbusters 10:55 Border Security 11:25 Street Customs 2008 12:20 Ultimate Survival 13:15 Mythbusters 14:10 LA Ink 15:05 Dirty Jobs 16:00 Street Customs 2008 16:55 Mythbusters 17:50 Extreme Fishing 18:45 Cake Boss 19:10 Border Security 19:40 I Could Do That 20:05 How Stuff’s Made 20:35 How Do They Do It? 21:00 Gold Rush: Alaska 21:55 Brew Masters 22:50 License To Drill 23:45 Extreme Fishing

00:30 Sci-Trek 01:20 The Gadget Show 02:10 What’s That About?

03:00 The Colony 04:45 Weird Or What?

05:40 How Stuff’s Made 06:10 The Future Of...

07:00 Da Vinci’s Machines 07:55 Head Rush 07:58 Sci-Fi Science 08:25 Weird Connections 08:55 Super Comet: After The Impact 09:45 The Gadget Show 10:35 How Stuff Works 11:25 Savage Planet 11:50 Da Vinci’s Machines 12:40 Patent Bending 13:05 Engineered 13:55 Nextworld 14:45 Kings Of Construction 15:35 The Gadget Show 16:00 Head Rush 16:03 Sci-Fi Science 16:30 Weird Connections 17:00 Brainiac 17:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 18:40 Mighty Ships 19:30 Futurecar 20:20 Weird Connections 20:45 How Stuff’s Made 21:10 The Gadget Show 22:00 Mighty Ships 22:50 Futurecar 23:40 The Colony

HD 00:05 Unwrapped 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 00:55 Unwrapped 01:45 Cooking Clubs 02:35 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 03:25 Guy’s Big Bite 04:15 Good Eats - Special 04:40 Unwrapped 05:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 05:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 05:50 Paula’s Party 06:35 Barefoot Contessa 07:00 Chopped 07:50 Guy’s Big Bite 08:15 Boy Meets Grill 08:40 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 09:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:55 Barefoot Contessa 10:20 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 10:45 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Paula’s Party 12:25 Good Eats - Special 12:50 Paula’s Best Dishes 13:15 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 13:40 Ultimate Recipe Showdown 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 14:55 Unwrapped 15:20 Boy Meets Grill 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Guy’s Big Bite 17:00 Barefoot Contessa 17:25 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 17:50 Ten Dollar Dinners 18:15 Paula’s Party 19:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Paula’s Home Cooking Special 21:10 Boy Meets Grill 21:35 Barefoot Contessa

00:20 01:10 02:00 02:45 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:20 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:50 10:10 10:35 10:50 11:15 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:40 14:47 14:55 15:16 15:40

Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Stitch Kim Possible Emperors New School Stitch Emperors New School Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Fish Hooks Good Luck Charlie Fairly Odd Parents Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Imagination Movers Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Fairly Odd Parents Phineas And Ferb Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Have A Laugh Have A Laugh Suite Life On Deck Fish Hooks Good Luck Charlie

16:00 16:25 16:45 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:12 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15

Good Luck Charlie Sonny With A Chance Jonas LA Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Jake And Blake Good Luck Charlie Have A Laugh Phineas And Ferb Fairly Odd Parents Replacements Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place

06:00 Kid Vs Kat 06:20 Kick Buttowski 06:40 Pokemon 07:05 Phineas & Ferb 07:30 Phineas And Ferb 07:40 Phineas & Ferb 08:05 American Dragon 08:30 Kick Buttowski 08:50 Cars Toons 09:00 Zeke & Luther 09:50 I’m In The Band 10:15 The Super Hero Squad Show 10:40 Suite Life On Deck 11:30 Pair Of Kings 11:55 Phineas & Ferb 12:45 Kid Vs Kat 13:10 Cars Toons 13:20 Kid Vs Kat 13:30 Kid Vs Kat 13:50 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 14:40 Zeke & Luther 15:05 Suite Life On Deck 15:25 Cars Toons 15:35 Kick Buttowski 16:00 I’m In The Band 16:25 Suite Life On Deck 16:50 Zeke & Luther 17:40 Phineas & Ferb 18:30 Escape From Scorpion Island (Cema) 18:55 Pokemon 19:20 American Dragon 19:45 Aaron Stone 20:05 Cars Toons 20:15 Kid Vs Kat 20:40 Phineas & Ferb 21:05 I’m In The Band 21:30 Zeke & Luther 21:50 Phineas And Ferb 22:00 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 22:20 The Super Hero Squad Show

EASY VIRTUE ON OSN MOVIES HD

00:00 Long Way Down 01:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 02:00 Banged Up Abroad 03:00 Departures 04:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 04:30 Amazing Adventure of A Nobody 05:00 Meet The Amish 06:00 Long Way Down 07:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 08:00 Banged Up Abroad 00:25 Style Star 01:25 15 Most Shocking Political Sex 09:00 Departures 10:00 Pressure Cook Scandals 10:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 03:15 E! Investigates 11:00 Food Lovers Guide To The 04:10 Sexiest Planet 05:05 Reality Hell 11:30 Exploring The Vine 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 12:00 Market Values 06:00 THS 13:00 Departures 07:50 Behind The Scenes 14:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 08:20 E! News 15:00 By Any Means 09:15 Giuliana And Bill 10:15 THS 16:00 Pressure Cook 12:05 Extreme Close-Up 16:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 12:35 Fashion Police 17:00 Food Lovers Guide To The 13:05 Kendra Planet 14:05 Kourtney And Khloe Take Miami 17:30 Exploring The Vine 14:35 E!es 18:00 Market Values 15:30 THS 18:30 Market Values 16:25 Behind The Scenes 19:00 Departures 16:55 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 20:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 17:55 Extreme Close-Up 21:00 By Any Means 18:25 Holly’s World 22:00 Pressure Cook 18:55 Kendra 22:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 19:55 E!es 23:00 Food Lovers Guide To The 20:55 Chelsea Lately Planet 21:25 Kourtney And Kim Take New 23:30 Exploring The Vine York 22:25 Style Star 22:55 Fashion Police 23:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 00:00 Children Of The Corn-18 01:45 Se7en-18 04:00 Dead Presidents-PG15 06:00 Lost In Space-PG15 08:15 Kiss The Girls-18 10:15 Dragonball: Evolution-PG 00:15 Aiya TV 11:45 Enemy Of The State-PG15 01:30 Fantasy Factory 14:00 Kiss The Girls-18 02:20 Final Fu 16:00 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider-PG15 04:25 Eds Up 04:50 Lucas Oil Motocross 17:45 Enemy Of The State-PG15 20:00 Collateral-18 Championships 2009 22:00 First Strike-PG15 06:30 iEX 2009 08:00 Quattro Events 2009 08:25 FIM World Supermoto 2010 10:55 Final Fu 11:45 X Games Heroes 00:00 Cougar Town 12:35 Fantasy Factory 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon 13:25 Mantracker Stewart 14:15 World Combat League 01:00 The Colbert Report 15:05 Final Fu 01:30 South Park 15:30 Final Fu 02:00 Saturday Night Live 15:55 X Games Heroes 03:00 Just Shoot Me 16:45 Quattro Events 2009 03:30 30 Rock 17:10 FIM World Supermoto 2010 04:00 South Park 19:40 X Games Heroes 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay 20:30 Fantasy Factory Leno 21:20 Gumball 3000: 2008 05:30 Malcolm In The Middle 22:10 World Combat League 06:00 Yes Dear 23:00 Aiya TV 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 23:50 Fantasy Factory 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 08:30 Dharma And Greg 09:00 Just Shoot Me 00:30 The Will: Family Secrets 09:30 Malcolm In The Middle Revealed 10:00 Yes Dear 01:20 I Was Murdered 10:30 Seinfeld 02:10 On The Case With Paula Zahn 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 03:00 I Almost Got Away With It 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay 03:50 The Will: Family Secrets Leno Revealed 12:30 Dharma And Greg 04:45 Crime Scene Psychics 13:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 05:15 Murder Shift 13:30 Malcolm In The Middle 06:10 Mystery ER 14:00 Yes Dear 07:00 Forensic Detectives 14:30 30 Rock 07:50 CSU 15:00 Two And A Half Men 08:40 Mystery Diagnosis 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon 09:30 Real Emergency Calls Stewart 10:20 The Will: Family Secrets 16:00 The Colbert Report Revealed 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 11:10 FBI Files 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 12:00 On The Case With Paula Zahn 18:00 Just Shoot Me 12:50 Who On Earth Did I Marry?

18:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 13:15 I Was Murdered 19:00 Seinfeld 13:40 Mystery Diagnosis 19:30 30 Rock 14:30 Real Emergency Calls 20:00 Hot In Cleveland 15:20 The Will: Family Secrets 20:30 State Of The Union Revealed 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:10 Forensic Detectives 21:30 The Colbert Report Global 17:00 CSU Edition 17:50 FBI Files 22:00 Comedy Central Presents 18:40 Mystery Diagnosis 22:30 Comedy Central Presents 19:30 Real Emergency Calls 23:00 South Park 19:55 Real Emergency Calls 23:30 Hot In Cleveland

01:00 Mindhunters-18 03:00 Dead Presidents-PG15 05:00 The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations-18 07:00 Lost Junction-PG15 09:00 Serbian Scars-PG15 10:45 The Cell 2-PG15 12:30 National Treasure-PG15 14:45 Serbian Scars-PG15 16:30 Pearl Harbor-PG15 19:30 From Hell-18 21:30 Blindness-18 23:30 Amusement-18

00:00 Mr. Baseball-PG 02:00 How To Go Out On A Date In Queens-PG15 04:00 Green Card-PG15 06:00 My One And Only-PG15 08:00 Before You Say I Do-PG15 10:00 Dr. Dolittle-PG 12:00 Dr. Dolittle 2-PG 14:00 The Good Girl-PG15 16:00 Mr. Baseball-PG 18:00 Rock Slyde-PG15 20:00 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star-PG15 22:00 Last Of The Living-PG15 23:30 As Good As It Gets-PG15

01:00 Say It Isn’t So-18 03:00 Easy Virtue-PG15 05:00 Beauty And The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas-FAM 07:00 The Ramen Girl-PG15 09:00 Amelia-PG15 11:00 Paper Man-PG15 13:00 School Of Rock-PG15 15:00 Flying By-PG15 16:45 Amelia-PG15 18:45 Mother And Child-18 21:00 The Eclipse-PG15 23:00 The Wolfman-18

00:00 Up-FAM 02:00 Pete’s Dragon-PG 04:15 Barney’s Great AdventureFAM 06:00 Inspector Gadget’s Last Case: Claw’s...-FAM 08:00 Legend Of Sleeping BeautyPG 10:00 Up-FAM 12:00 Gladiators: The Conspiracy-PG 13:45 Pete’s Dragon-PG 16:00 Last Of The Mohicans-PG 18:00 Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea-FAM 20:00 The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle-FAM 22:00 Gladiators: The Conspiracy-PG

00:00 Dolan’s Cadillac-PG15 02:00 Maneater: Part II-PG15 04:00 L’affaire Farewell-PG15 06:00 Not The Messiah: He’s A Very Naughty Boy-PG15 08:00 The Elder Son-PG15 10:00 How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days-PG 12:00 Avatar-PG 14:45 Planet 51-PG 16:30 The Elder Son-PG15 18:00 Alice In Wonderland-PG 20:00 First Strike-PG15 22:00 Animal Kingdom-PG15

01:30 04:00 06:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 14:00 14:30 18:00

AFL Premiership NRL Premiership Trans World Sport Scottish Premier League Rugby League Challenge Cup Futbol Mundial NRL Full Time Live NRL Premiership ICC Cricket World Premier League Darts NRL Premiership

20:00 Futbol Mundial 20:30 Trans World Sport 21:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 22:00 Scottish Premier League

01:00 Scottish Premier League 03:00 Rugby League Challenge Cup 05:00 Aviva Premiership 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 European PGA Tour 12:30 Weber Cup Bowling 13:30 Futbol Mundial 14:00 Scottish Premier League 16:00 International Rugby League 18:00 AFL Highlights 19:00 Golfing World 20:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 21:00 NRL Premiership 23:00 Golfing World

00:00 02:00 03:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line UFC 129 WWE Bottom Line Superstock Powerboat Series City Centre Races City Centre Races Sports Adventure Le Mans Series V8 Supercars Championship V8 Supercars Championship WWE SmackDown UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Wired UFC Unleashed UFC Unleashed

00:00 Top 10 01:00 Fashion Avenue 01:55 Big Boutique 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

04:15 Married Away 05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Big Boutique 08:00 Homes With Style 09:00 Fashion Avenue 09:55 How Do I Look?

10:50 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

11:50 Clean House: Search For The Messiest...

12:50 Clean House 13:45 Top 10 14:15 Mel B: It’s A Scary World 14:45 Jerseylicious 15:40 Ruby 16:35 Married Away: Italian Wedding 17:30 Giuliana And Bill 18:25 Ruby 19:25 Big Boutique 19:50 Fashion Avenue 20:20 Clean House 21:15 Top 10 22:10 Clean House Comes Clean 23:05 Bridalplasty

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:55 04:50 05:40 06:30 07:20 08:10 09:00 09:55 10:50 11:40 12:30 13:20 14:10 15:00 15:55 16:50 17:40 18:30 19:20

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Classifieds MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

school, Abbassiya. Contact: 66772421, 66552412.

Healthy H ealthy L Living iving

CHANGE OF NAME

ACCOMMODATION

Healthy fruit pie

Sharing accommodation available eï¬&#x20AC;ective today for a non-smoking bachelor in a double bedroom ï¬&#x201A;at in Amman street, Salmiya. Call 97199146. (C 3322)

Do you love pie made with summer fruits but want to cut the calories? Here are some tips:

The filing

Room with kitchen bathroom for a family or working ladies, opposite Lulu Hyper Market, Shuwaikh, Central A/C, Indian or Sri Lankan only. Tel: 65152017.

(C 3321) 9-5-2011

s Go easy on the sugar ! TYPICAL IN CM PIE WILL TAKE TO CUPS OF CUT UP FRUIT FOR EACH CUP USE ABOUT TEASPOONS OF SUGAR CHECK PACKAGE FOR SUGAR SUBSTITUTE

FOR SALE Toyota Prado 2005, white color, 6 Clr, full option, without sunroof, km 101,000, KD 4750. Mob: 65085629.

(C 3234) 9-5-2011

I, Mujeeb Rahiman Nambimadathil, holder of Indian Passport No: H 8472801 issued in Kuwait, change my name to Mujeeb Rahiman Mukkil Nambimadathil. (C 3323) 9-5-2011

No: 15083

Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near United Indian school and Apsara bazaar with Keralite Christian family in a C-A/C new building with two bedroom, two bathroom.

Working ladies or couples preferred.

Contact: 67731613. (C 3320) 8-5-2011

s Thicken with tapioca 5SE TO TEASPOONS PER CUP OF FRUIT FOR BERRY PIES

TO TEASPONS FOR STONE FRUIT

The crust s Halve the amount of white flour 5SE CUP OF WHOLE WHEAT CUP OF WHITE FLOUR ADD TEASPOON OF SALT AND TO TABLESPOONS OF COLD WATER s Cut the butter 5SE CUP OF CANOLA OIL CUP OF BUTTER

Sharing accommodation available for decent Keralite bachelor in Abbassiya near German clinic.

Call 66941892.

(C 3319)

3OURCE ,OS !NGELES 4IMES E(OW 'RAPHIC 0AT #ARR

© 2010 MCT

Sharing accommodation available for families or working women from June 1st onwards, in a new building with two room and two toilet, behind United Indian

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines JZR THY ETH UAE DHX ETD FDB GFA QTR JZR FCX JZR KAC JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA MEA JZR IRC MSR RBG KAC KAC MSR UAL RJA FDB OMA SVA KNE

Flt 205 772 620 853 370 305 67 211 138 503 201 555 412 531 157 206 302 53 352 284 344 362 855 132 125 301 213 404 165 6521 623 3557 618 672 610 982 640 57 645 500 745

Arrival Flights on Monday 9/5/2011 Route DAMASCUS ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA LUXOR DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA / BANGKOK ASSIUT LONDON ISLAMABAD MUMBAI DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA CHENNAI COLOMBO DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH ABU DHABI BAHRAIN BEIRUT DUBAI LAMERD SOHAG ALEXANDRIA DOHA DUBAI CAIRO WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN DUBAI MUSCAT JEDDAH JEDDAH

Time 0:25 1:15 1:45 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:10 3:15 3:20 5:15 5:25 6:10 6:15 6:20 6:30 7:15 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:30 9:35 10:55 11:10 11:20 12:10 12:55 12:55 13:15 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:50 14:00 14:30 14:45

KAC JZR QTR KAC KAC KAC MLR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY JZR ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC JAI FDB OMA JZR VOS MEA KAC DHX KLM UAE GFA QTR UAL JZR TAR JZR DLH PIA

788 257 134 546 550 118 403 303 857 215 510 777 239 127 213 227 104 542 786 744 614 674 774 975 572 61 647 179 81 402 552 372 445 859 217 136 981 135 327 185 636 239

JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA ALEXANDRIA SOHAG NEW YORK COLOMBO / DUBAI ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH DEIREZZOR COLOMBO / DUBAI LONDON CAIRO JEDDAH DAMMAM BAHRAIN DUBAI RIYADH CHENNAI / GOA MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT DUBAI BAGHDAD BEIRUT DAMASCUS BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN TUNIS DUBAI FRANKFURT SIALKOT

15:00 15:10 15:15 15:30 15:35 16:15 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:25 17:35 17:40 17:50 18:00 18:35 18:50 19:00 19:15 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:35 20:00 20:10 20:10 20:15 20:15 20:45 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:25 21:35 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:35 23:00 23:55

Departur AXB DLH KLM AIC PIA AFG THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETD QTR JZR GFA BAW KAC FDB KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD GFA KAC MEA JZR KAC JZR JZR IRC KAC MSR KAC RBG MSR RJA FDB

Flt 390 637 447 982 206 406 773 620 854 68 371 306 139 164 212 156 545 54 671 256 787 549 617 856 126 133 302 214 165 405 776 541 212 238 6522 103 624 785 3558 611 641 58

Depurture Flights on Monday 9/5/2011 Route MANGALORE / KOZHIKODE FRANKFURT AMSTERDAM AHMEDABAD / CHENNAI PESHAWER / LAHORE DUBAI / KABUL ISTANBUL BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN LONDON ALEXANDRIA DUBAI DUBAI BEIRUT JEDDAH SOHAG DOHA DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN ROME / PARIS BEIRUT JEDDAH CAIRO DEIREZZOR AMMAN LAMERD LONDON SOHAG JEDDAH SOHAG / ALEXANDRIA CAIRO AMMAN DUBAI

Time 0:25 0:40 0:55 1:05 1:10 2:00 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 5:00 6:55 7:10 8:25 8:35 8:40 9:00 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:35 9:40 9:50 10:00 10:15 10:20 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:05 12:10 12:20 12:30 13:10 13:30 13:35 14:20 14:30 14:35

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

UAL OMA KAC KAC KNE SVA JZR KAC QTR KAC KAC VOS ETD MLR UAE GFA ABY JZR JZR SVA ALK JZR KAC JAI FDB JZR KAC KAC OMA MEA DHX KLM JZR UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC KAC TAR JZR JZR UAL KAC

982 646 673 551 746 501 178 773 135 613 743 82 304 404 858 216 128 184 266 511 228 134 283 571 62 528 331 351 648 403 373 445 206 860 218 102 137 301 205 327 554 504 981 411

BAHRAIN MUSCAT DUBAI DAMASCUS JEDDAH JEDDAH DUBAI RIYADH DOHA BAHRAIN DAMMAM BAGHDAD ABU DHABI DUBAI / COLOMBO DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT RIYADH DUBAI / COLOMBO BAHRAIN DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI ASSIUT TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT BAHRAIN BAHRAIN / AMSTERDAM DAMASCUS DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD DUBAI / TUNIS ALEXANDRIA LUXOR WASHINGTON DC DULLES BANGKOK / MANILA

14:45 15:00 15:10 15:25 15:30 15:45 16:00 16:05 16:15 16:20 16:25 17:00 17:35 17:40 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 19:10 19:10 20:00 20:35 20:40 20:50 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 22:00 22:05 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:55 23:05 23:10 23:35 23:40 23:40

34

star CROSSWORD 312

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

s

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Your relationships with others, especially with women, will be more harmonious this week. This is a good time to effect subtle changes in your social life. This is also a good time to accomplish any project that has been shoved to the side. There is a strong wish to make your surroundings as pleasant as possible. Perhaps a portion of the roof needs repair or some yard work is needed.

There is a feeling that anything is possible today. A totally unusual style of art may be something you involve yourself with this afternoon—perhaps painting one wall as a mural. Your unique and unusual qualities are showing. You may find that someone close to you understands and is supportive of your eccentricities. New possibilities are within reach.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Shrug off guilt and pessimism—they are unhealthy and unwarranted. If there is something to learn from some process, write down what you think that might be and then move on to something else. The old saying is to let it go and let it flow. Family outings or some sports activity with your friends can help to create positive energies this afternoon. You handle words and tell stories with great skill—others love to hear you speak or entertain. You may be moved to appreciate and discover the beauty in your life and in those around you. In a family meeting, you will make all the right impressions. Let yourself dream this evening. This time does not come too often—do not ignore this opportunity to let your imagination loose. Consider the stars.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

4. Large dark brown North American arboreal carnivorous mammal.

9. Wading birds of warm regions having long slender downcurved bills.

13. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

14. Fear resulting from the awareness of danger.

15. A wound made by cutting.

16. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

17. A person who rises (especially from bed).

18. An Eskimo hut.

19. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

22. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

23. A state in New England.

24. Any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia.

28. Disabled in the feet or legs.

29. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix.

32. A large fleet.

35. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

37. A nonmetallic largely pentavalent heavy volatile corrosive dark brown liquid element belonging to the halogens.

38. The cry made by sheep.

39. A city in the European part of Russia.

41. Greek mythology.

42. A law passed by US Congress to prevent employees from being injured or contracting diseases in the course of their employment.

45. A complete metric system of units of measurement for scientists.

46. Hard strong durable yellowish-brown wood of teak trees.

48. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

52. A Russian prison camp for political prisoners.

56. A nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas.

58. One of the most common of the five major classes of immunoglobulins.

59. Large Indian antelope.

62. A religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery.

63. An honorary law degree.

64. Small space in a tissue or part such as the area between veins on a leaf or an insect's wing.

65. The most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on.

66. Small cubes with 1 to 6 spots on the faces.

67. European wild horse extinct since the early 20th century.

68. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. (Babylonian) A demigod or first man.

2. Glazed yeast-raised doughnut-shaped roll with hard crust.

3. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Republic of Chad or its people or language.

4. Dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight.

5. English essayist (1775-1834).

6. The quarter of many North African cities in which the citadel is located.

7. A unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters.

8. Resonance of protons to radiation in a magnetic field.

9. Any of a group of heavenly spirits under the god Anu. 10. Capital and largest city of Iraq.

11. A small island.

12. Avoid and stay away from deliberately.

20. A ruler of the Inca Empire (or a member of his family).

21. The constellation that includes the southern celestial pole.

25. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

26. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

27. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

30. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.

31. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

33. The network in the reticular formation that serves an alerting or arousal function.

34. The sister of your father or mother.

36. Everyone except the clergy.

40. Popular United States conductor (1894-1979).

41. A unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters.

43. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

47. Sluggish tailless Australian arboreal marsupial with gray furry ears and coat.

49. 100 agorot equal 1 shekel.

50. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

51. (Jungian psychology) The inner self (not the external persona) that is in touch with the unconscious.

53. Large sweet juicy hybrid between tangerine and grapefruit having a thick wrinkled skin.

54. Remove with or as if with a ladle.

55. Any of various small biting flies.

57. A city of central China.

58. Of or relating to the stomach and intestines.

60. A self-funded retirement plan that allows you to contribute a limited yearly sum toward your retirement.

61. The younger of two major political parties in the United States.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You have more interest today in cultural or literary affairs regarding the spending of money than with just merely collecting material goods. Religion, philosophy or the occult may also influence your dealings with money. Itís a good idea to listen to the advice of others before acting on a hunch at this time. It is good to keep an open mind about all the ideas presented to you as well. Pay attention to the details involved in any new decisions. Give yourself time to think about the path you will be taking so as to keep a positive outlook. This may be a time that tests your ability to get along with family and friends. If you maintain your practical side and keep a realistic outlook, you may see some good outcome with good communication.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Take the important things in your life seriously and then smile.

The lessons learned are important but to smile at the opportunity for the growth is beneficial. There can be much excitement in your life, allowing you opportunities to meet new people through unusual means. You may find a friend where you least expect to find one. You should try your best to communicate your needs and desires to friends and relatives, so as to avoid any misunderstandings. This is a time in which intellectually based friendships are plentiful. Entering a contest with the help of one of these friends can be rewarding. Later this evening is a good time to enjoy the company of your romantic partner and converse about the day?s events.

You are most interested in this person.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You feel, and are, lucky today. This is an excellent time to sit back and reflect on past accomplishments and failures relating to your professional life. Additional responsibilities may be placed on you in the context of the home setting. Also, you should open up to relatives and find good emotional support.

Your drive to actively seek the company of friends is less important just now. It is best to just stay home this evening and enjoy only close loved ones. You have a clear understanding of your position in the world and among the people you care about now. You must realize that friends and relatives rely on you as much as you depend on them. You seem to be in touch with your most personal emotions, filling you with a sense of contentment and peace.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You may spend quite a bit of time thinking of ways in which to improve finances. The desire for monetary success is considerable— you may decide that for a short time, a part-time job may be in order. A pet project has your attention most of this afternoon. It has been easier to get your life into some sense of order lately. You enjoy the time by yourself to think over your accomplishments of late and plan new projects. Try to keep a measure of objectivity while helping young people this afternoon. If you are good at problem solving, you will help them as well; you are a good mentor. Your interest in religion and philosophy can be used when helping others today. If you decide to join in a group activity this evening, you will enjoy your evening.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Paperwork, technical problems and organizing people seem to come easily today. You are self-motivated and thrilled to try new endeavors. You have a great deal of confidence to succeed at whatever you try your hand at today. You could act as a catalyst for others to express their feelings and unresolved complexes. A feeling of being at peace and stable on the emotional level comes into prominence at this time. Stability and permanence is extremely important right now. Music is likely to play a more important role for you now. This could be a, remember when, type of game that you enjoy when you go through an old music collection. Romance is possible this evening. Emotional security and a sense of belonging and nurturing are felt instinctively now.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Your lover or partner may be working toward financial freedom these days. Encourage, compliment, praise and communicate as this is a benefit and not a threat to you. Beginning a new study or brushing up on some past skills will provide you with hours of fun and mental stimulation today. Take a break from the fun—just as you would in a working situation. You could find yourself shopping or visiting an ice cream shop with your loved one or friend this afternoon. Someone from your past may contact you today. You attract a large circle of acquaintances that are particularly charmed by your own special sense of humor. There is a lot to talk about and you could find it difficult to end a visit. It is always fun to visit with a friend.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Yesterday’s Solution

You may find yourself in a practical mood with a determination to get others to see things your way. If you look at the way you are presenting your views, you might see where others might misunderstand. Rephrase your words and try again. You could also come up with new ideas. This may all come about because you have discovered ways that other neighborhoods have worked together to make their community safe from crime and pollution. You might be able to make an impression on others if you held the get-together in your own back yard.

Perhaps some home4made ice cream will twist an arm or two. Apart from your serious moments, there is a great deal of fun with competitive games, sharing stories and fun times today.

Home improvements, remodeling and repair jobs are favored today. You have a love of family with a determination to make things work—any disturbance can be easily handled. Financial matters may need study and you could find a budget or at least a budgeting attitude will have beneficial result by the end of the month. Some of the house duties can be negotiated—give that some serious thought. There is an exciting new beginning in a personal relationship or just in the way you do things today. There is likely to be an emphasis this evening on reading, writing, studying and all forms of exchanging information with others. This may serve as a path for self-discovery and personal development. You will enjoy communicating with loved ones tonight.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Many little chores today will go smoothly. You may even want to include young people in your project and pay them money for the amount of work they accomplish. This is a great time to be with others in an atmosphere of work or play. You will find that you are valued for your ability to get things organized and completed. This is not, however, a good time for you to try out new things or break away from the old routine. Your energy is high today and you may feel as though you could conquer the world. There is not only a desire for outdoor, physical activity at this time, but there will most likely be ample opportunity to partake in it today. You should be careful in thrill seeking adventures. A love relationship can be enhanced now.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Sudden loss in income may occur through no fault of your own.

However, there is an indication that your finances may increase through unexpected boons. Perhaps a garage sale or the sale of a creative product is the project for the day. Travel and religion are some of the areas where many conversations will be enjoyed. You may be very lighthearted and positive in your communications with others now. You have a lot of mental drive at this time. Any problems or quandaries can be opened up for discussion—this is a good time for just-supposing.

Reflecting on what you have learned or accomplished these last few months presents general good feelings about your progress in life. There is a sense of harmony this evening, making this a happy time.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

i n f o r m at i o n

FIRE BRIGADE

112

STATE ST TAT TE OF KUWAIT K KUW WAIT A

Tel.: T el.: 161 e

DIRECTORA DIRECTORATE AT TE GENE GENERAL ERAL OF CIVIL A AVIATION V VIA AT TION DEPARTMENT METEOROLOGICAL DEP D PA ARTMENT DA AY: Y Sunday DAY:

Ministry of Interior

Ext.: 262 2627 27 - 2630

Fax: 24348714 WWW .MET.GOV V.KW . W WWW.MET.GOV.KW

08/05/2011 08/05/201 1

07:00

Issue T ime Time

Expected Weather Weather for the Next 24 4 Hours

website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

Fair with changing to north westerly wiith light to moderate south easterly e weesterly wind, with speed of 08 0 - 30 km/h and some scattered clouds will appear s

BY Y NIGHT: NIGHT:

No Current W Warnings aarnings

WARNING W A ARNING

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

Hot with wiith light to moderate freshening freshen ning gradually at times easterly easterrly to south easterly wind, with with speed of 15 - 40 km/h km m/h causing raising dust overr open areas

BY Y DAY: DA AY:

STATION ST TAT TION

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

MAX. EXP. EXP P.

MIN.. REC.

KUW WAIT A CITY KUWAIT

36 °C

28 °C

KUWAIT KUW WAIT A AIRPORT AIRPOR RT

39 °C

25 °C

NUWAISEEB NUW WAISEEB A

34 °C C

26 °C C

WAFRA WAFRA A

38 °C

24 °C

SALMI

37 °C

24 °C

ABDAL LY ABDALY

38 °C

24 °C

37 °C

25 °C

Adan Hospital

23940620

ALIY YAH A JAL ALIYAH

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

FAILAKA A FAILAKA

35 °C

24 °C

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

POR RT AHMADI PORT

33 °C

27 °C

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

M UMM AL-MARADEM

29 °C

25 °C

WARBA A A - BUBYAN BUBY YAN A WARBA

35 °C

25 °C

Clinics Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

08/05/2011 0000 UTC 08/05/2011

DATE DA AT TE

WEA WEATHER AT THER

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Wind Direction Direction

Monday

09/05

hot + scattered clo ouds clouds

40 °C

26 °C

VRB-SE

06 - 28 km/h

10/05

sunny

39 °C

26 °C

NE-SE

15 - 38 km/h

Weednesday Wednesday

1 1/05 11/05

ust hot + raising du dust

39 °C

25 °C

NE-SE

20 - 40 km/h

Thursday

12/05

hot

40 °C

26 °C

S-SE

15 - 40 km/h

PRAYER PR RA AY YER TIMES

RECORDED D YESTERDAY YESTERDA AY A AT T KUWAIT KUW WA AIT T AIRPOR AIRPORT T

Fajr

03:34

MAX. MA AX. Temp.

Temp.

38 °C

Sunrise S i

05 02 05:02

MIN. Temp.

MI IN T IN. emp.

27 °C

Zuhr

11:45 11:45

MAX. RH M

37 %

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Asr

15:20

MIN. RH M

Dasmah

22532265

Sunset

18:28

MAX. Wind MA AX. W ind

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Isha

19:53

TOTAL RAINFALL T OT TA AL L RAI INF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462 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

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

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

All times are local time un nless otherwise stated. unless

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

Wind Wind Speed

Tuesday Tuesday

Al-Nuzha

Mishref

Al-Shohada’a

Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

T Temperatures emperratures DAY DA AY

22418714

POLICE STATION

4 DAYS DA AYS Y FORECAST

24849807

Shamiya

SFC. CHART CHART

Al-Madena

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

13 % NE E 53 km/h .03 mm

08/05/1 1 03:1 1 UTC 08/05/11 03:11

V1.00

T1.06

PHARMACIES

AIRLINES

ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

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MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

lifestyle

Minogue raided Kris’ wardrobe for labour around with helicopter arms and put on anything within reach. “I had old-man Ugg slippers on, a pair of Kris’ tracksuit pants rolled up at the ankle (they were the only thing I could get around the bump), a big winter coat, one of his golf caps and his sunglasses.” Despite her unfortunate wardrobe choices, Dannii admitted the day will always remain in her “rose-tinted photo album” - though she is grateful no one took pictures of her bizarre attire. She added to

annii Minogue was wearing men’s clothes when she gave birth to her son Ethan. The 39year-old beauty - who gave birth to her first child with partner Kris Smith last July - explained she was forced to raid her boyfriend’s wardrobe in the frantic rush to get to the hospital. She said: “The one time I raided Kris’ wardrobe was when I was getting ready to go to the hospital for the birth of Ethan.

When we had to go, we had to go, so I just whisked

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Glamour magazine: “I did not look like Kim Basinger in ‘9 1/2 Weeks’, and I definitely did not look like Helena Christensen in the ‘Wicked Game’ video, but it is something I will remember in the rose-tinted photo album of my memory forever. “I am, however, eternally grateful no one was around with a real camera that day!”

Cooper thinks

sequels need formulas B

Diaz wants Timberlake happy ameron Diaz wants Justin Timberlake to be happy. The former couple - who separated in 2007 after almost four years of dating - have teamed up for new movie ‘Bad Teacher’ and the actress found it “easy” working with her former lover because they are so comfortable with one another.

She explained: “We break up. We move on. All I want for him is happiness. And all he wants is my happiness. His isn’t reliant on me and mine isn’t on him. It was at one point; we had that moment. But now...Let’s make a movie. Let’s go have some fun.

We’re good at being funny together. We know how to do that. That’s easy.” Cameron, 38, is currently dating baseball player Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez and she says she doesn’t want to live in the past or regret any of her previous relationships. She told Britain’s Elle magazine: “Yes Alex is my boyfriend. It’s not a secret any more. “Life is long. Why would you ever live in the past when you can live in the present and allow the future to be bright and happy and exciting.

There’s no reason. I think people’s mentality is, ‘It didn’t work out!’ But like, what didn’t work out? What’s supposed to happen? “I think a lot of people are married to people they’re not romantic with any more. I just didn’t ever marry anybody that I then had to get divorced from.”

radley Cooper is pleased ‘The Hangover Part II’ follows the same formula as the first movie. The actor is set to reprise his role as Phil Wenneck in the forthcoming sequel - which sees a group of friends head to Thailand for a bachelor party which gets out of hand - and he thinks it is more likely to be a hit because the plot is similar to that in the 2009 film, which saw the men trying to piece together the events of an evening celebrating the final single days of a pal in Las Vegas. He said: “The sequel can’t be, ‘Let’s make a movie that has a completely different story but it won’t matter because people love seeing those guys together.’ “I don’t believe that when you look at sequels that don’t work in comedy, it’s when they abandon the formula. I

was very happy that there was a structure - a ticking clock, a missing night.” Bradley enjoyed working on the movie sequel, and admits he hope sit lives up to expectations because he is such a fan of the first film. He told GQ magazine: “I feel like, ‘God, I hope it’s good’ just because I’m a fan of the first one and I want it to be worth it. “It was kind of wonderful to be filming in Bangkok with the guys. There’s a unique relationship between me, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis we work so well together.”

actor under 30

Radcliffe richest

G O S S I P

aniel Radcliffe is the richest actor under 30. The ‘Harry Potter’ actor - who recently finished filming his run of movies playing the boy wizard - made £28.5 million in 2009-10, pushing his net worth to £48 million. The 21-year-old star, who is currently appearing in Broadway musical ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’, is not the only ‘Harry Potter’ actor to appear in The Sunday Times Rich List of young people - Emma Watson comes in at 13 with earnings of £2 million, pushing her total up to £22 million, joint with Rupert Grint. Fellow hunk Robert Pattinson also made the list at number nine, worth a total of £32 million, narrowly beating British beauty Keira Knightley, whose net work is £30 million - putting her at number 10. Princes William and Harry came in one place after Keira thanks to their inheritance from their late mother Diana and land owning. Cheryl Cole - who has recently been confirmed as a judge on the US version of ‘X Factor’ - earned £10 million in the last year, coming to a total of £12 million.

The Sunday Times Rich List 50 Richest Young People Top 10: 1. Thomas Persson, Fashion, £700 million 2. Robin Arora, Retail, £343 million 3. Fawn and India Rose James, Property, £302 million 4. Arthur Landon, Inheritance, £200 million 5. Daniel Radcliffe, Movies, £48 million 6. Lord Mostyn and Family, Land, £44 million 7. Sam Barnett, Internet, £40 million 8. Sean O’Connor, Property, £32 million 9. Robert Pattinson, Movies, £32 million 10. Keira Knightley, Movies , £30 million

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Wilde

happier as a brunette

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Hudson

Beckham involved in minor car accident avid Beckham was involved in a minor car accident on Friday. The soccer ace was driving near Torrence in California when he ran into the back of a stationary vehicle with his Cadillac SUV, although neither he nor his 12-yearold son Brooklyn - who was in the car with him were injured in the collision. However, the driver of the car complained of minor neck pain as a result of the incident and was taken to a local hospital. A California Highway Patrol spokesperson stated: “This collision occurred when his [David’s] black Cadillac collided with the rear of a disabled gold Mitsubishi which was stalled in the carpool lane due to mechanical problems. “The driver of the vehicle had a complaint of a pain and was tak-

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en to hospital. David Beckham was not cited or arrested.” The incident happened when David was heading for soccer training at the Home Depot Centre. However his wife Victoria - who is currently pregnant with the couple’s fourth child seemed to not be upset by the incident and enjoyed a baby shower before watching his team Los Angeles Galaxy play against the New York Red Bulls . She tweeted: “I have had a lovely day today with friends and family. Can’t wait for the game tonight!!! X vb (sic)”

admires collaboraters ennifer Hudson is a “fan” of her collaborators. The singer-andactress still gets star-struck by celebrities she has performed with, including Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo and ‘Dreamgirls’ co-star Beyonce Knowles but tries not to let their famous status get in the way of her work. She said: “I’m just like the person who lives next door or the girl you went to school with. “Yes, OK, I work with famous people. I’m a fan of the people I work with but I’ve got a job to do, so excuse me!” Jennifer, 29, also admitted working with more established artists has inspired her to do even better in her own career and she thinks studying them has helped her learn what she needs to do in order to be even more successful. She added in an interview with Attitude

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magazine: “It’s like I’ve sat back and watched these people but now it’s my turn. “I need to do what I need to do so I can be huge, ride up there with those guys. You know what I’m saying.” Despite her successes, Jennifer admits she used to be nervous before singing in front of people.

She explained: “When I was younger I couldn’t sing with my eyes open. So to get out of the habit of doing this, I created a game with those people who intimidated me that when I was singing, I would stare them down until I intimidated them.”-Bang Showbiz

livia Wilde has never felt like a natural blonde. The 27-year-old actress feels much more comfortable now she has brunette locks and claims it has affected the way people treat her. She said: “I’m a natural blonde, but I feel like a brunette. I feel people treat me now how I should be treated. “People used to be shocked, when I was a blonde, that I wasn’t stupid.” Olivia changed her surname from Cockburn after graduating from college and claims her family supported her new moniker as it gave her an identity of her own. She explained to GQ magazine: “My mother thought it was a good idea for me, so I could have my own identity outside of my family.” Last year, the actress starred in ‘Tron Legacy’ with Jeff Bridges, and she admits she was in awe of her co-star because of his previous role in classic movie ‘The Big Lebowski’. She said: “I had to stuff my fist in my mouth not to ask ‘Lebowski’ questions.”

O

A

y

e niv rsar n

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

Years

lifestyle T R A V E L

No visa, no entry Destinations where you need more than a passport

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Rick Nease illustration of hand stopping a traveler who doesn’t have a visa. —MCT

hat do Brazil, China and India have in common? All require American travelers to get a visa.

And they are not the only countries. “A lot of people don’t know visas exist, or they think US citizens don’t need one,” says Diane Kakoz, manager of B&K Express in Southfield, Mich, a passport-visa expediting service. “A lot of people going to Brazil get to the airport there and get sent back.”

A visa is a travel document some nations require in addition to the passpor t.

Getting one usually costs $80 to $140, plus processing fees.

That expense can be a rude shock to individual travelers on a budget. But on a group trip, it is usually an invisible cost folded into the tour price. “When we went to Vietnam in 2009, Vietnam Battlefield Tours out of San Antonio took care of the visas, and we didn’t have a single problem,” says Don Alsbro, who runs tours for Michigan veterans. “VBT just put it into the price of the tour.”

The most common visas that Kakoz obtains are for China, India and Brazil. She does a lot of India visas because so many people in the Detroit area have family there. She does frequent business travel visas to Brazil and China. Other common visas sought? Vietnam, Nigeria and Russia.

While some visas take weeks to process, Cambodia and Australia offer visas online with near-immediate approval. Some nations let tourists get a visa when they arrive. Others, like Venezuela, accept tourist cards instead, handed out on arriving flights. Luckily, US tourists can blithely traipse around most of the world with just their passports. In fact, Americans can

travel to 159 nations without a visa. That makes us among the freest travelers in the world.

The people least free to travel without a visa? Afghans. The reason some nations’ travelers need visas and others don’t is simple. Richer countries tend to make people from poor or war-torn countries get visas as an extra step to make sure visitors return to where they came from. Poor countries are more likely to admit people from rich countries without visas.

Sometimes, it’s political. Experts view Brazil’s visa requirement and hefty fee ($140) for Americans as a retaliation for stringent visa requirements and an identical fee that Brazilian tourists must pay to visit the US.

Whatever the requirements, the biggest mistake that visa seekers make, experts say, is procrastinating. “Everybody waits until the last minute and then wastes money to get a rush visa,” says Abraham Jacobi, consular liaison at Perry International in Chicago, which expedites travel documents. Applying one month ahead is good. Wait until the week you’re leaving, and you’ll likely pay a rush fee of up to $200.

Part of the problem is that unless you have a tour operator informing you of a visa need, you may not even k now.

Tourists, business travelers, students or those who plan to work each need specific visas and should check ahead for the rules (to find out if you need a visa, look up a Freedom to travel

These nations rank best in how many countries their citizens can visit without a visa.

6. Vietnam and Egypt, 43 1. United Kingdom, 166 countries 7. India, 50 2. Denmark, 164 3. Sweden, 163 What you need to get a visa 4. Finland and Luxembourg, 162 5. France, Germany, Italy and the * Passport * Completed application Netherlands, 161 * Passport-size photos 6. Belgium, Japan, Spain, 160 * Payment for the visa and the expeditor 7. US, Ireland, Norway, 159 These nations rank worst in how many processing fee countries their citizens can visit without a * In some cases, a letter from your sponsor or trip-provider, plus a contact invisa. country 1. Afghanistan, 26 countries * In some cases, a copy of your airline 2. Lebanon, 32 ticket, cruise ticket or itinerary 3. Iran, 34 * In some cases, a driver’s license, birth 4. Pakistan, 36 certificate or bank statement —MCT 5. China and Nepal, 38

country at www.travel.state.gov and view “entry and exit requirements “). Even then, the process can be convoluted. Among visa exceptions and quirks are: * Russia issues visas only for exact dates. Travelers who don’t depart by the last date on their visas can face weeks of delay getting out of the country. * Cruise passengers stopping in Brazil need visas or they can’t get off the ship.

Brazil charges $140 for a visa, and it must be obtained ahead of time, as many a disappointed cruise passenger has discovered too late. * US residents who are noncitizens or green card holders need visas based on the passport they hold. For instance, US citizens don’t need a visa to the United Arab Emirates, but Canadian citizens-even if they hold a US green card-do. * Even countries that offer visas upon arrival have specific requirements. For instance, Laos charges $35 and will take U.S. dollars, but requires two passportsized photos.

Although it seems like a passpor t would be valid until its expiration date, more countries are requiring that the passport be valid for at least six months beyond your planned return date. And if you need a visa, you will need at least one blank page in your passport so the visa can be attached, Jacobi says. It may all sound complex, but it is nothing compared to the hoops foreigners have to jump through to get US tourist or study visas. That process involves mountains of documentation and even personal interviews. And it doesn’t take days, Jacobi says: “It can take months or even years.”

The black sand beach is featured at Waipio Valley on the rugged Hamakua Coast of the Big Island. The remote valley can only be reached by a steep, narrow road.

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n the middle of the summer high season, it seems possible to walk from one end of the beach at Waikiki to the other without ever touching sand or surf because of all the bodies and beach towels. At Kaanapali on Maui, the beaches are fronted by luxury hotels, and a boardwalk moves the hordes from spot to spot, beach to bar, sand to shopping.

Finding a beautiful, nearly deserted beach isn’t a tropical fantasy. You just might have to make a long, sometimes bumpy ride or a bit of a hike. But if you long to be alone, buy a good map and head for these places where you can still get lost in paradise. * Kauai: Polihale Beach. A well-developed dirt road takes you the last part of the drive to the longest beach in the islands, so it’s best to rent a Jeep or SUV — something with a little ground clearance. Officially, most rental car companies say the beach is off-limits — meaning if you get stuck, you are on your own getting out. But in more than a decade of visiting the beach, I’ve never had a problem with the road if I had the right kind of vehicle. The reward is a beautiful sunset spot with only a scattering of visitors. The road keeps the crowds out, but because it is a state park, there are plenty of benches, bathrooms and barbecue spots. The water here is usually too rough for anything more than a knees-and-below dip.

Native Hawaiians believe that the souls of the dead jump off into the afterlife from the cliffs at the north end of the beach —the most westerly point in the main islands. Difficulty getting there: medium. * Oahu: Army Beach. Finding a good deserted beach on an island known as “The Gathering Place” is difficult. My top choice is on the “other” side of the North Shore, west of Haleiwa — away from Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach. The

Hawaiian name for the spot is Mokuleia Beach.

But its nickname is Army Beach because an Army recreation center was located nearby until 1989. There’s a rocky shelf that requires reef walker shoes to navigate. But the beach is gorgeous and there is usually no one around — which is why they filmed much of “Lost” on this stretch of oceanfront. The water is calmest in summer. This is the easiest of the beaches on this list to get to. It’s just a few feet off a paved road. But that also means it is sometimes a spot for car break-ins. Put all your valuables in the trunk and leave the windows rolled down. That way there is nothing to take. Difficulty getting there: easy.

—Maui: Hamoa Beach. You have to make the long, twisting drive to Hana and then go on even farther. Regularly voted one of the most beautiful beaches in all the islands, Hamoa is often deserted, or nearly so. It’s just too much of a time and distance commitment for all but the most determined beach enthusiasts. But once you get to the Hana area, finding the beach is easy, with decent parking and a short walk to the water’s edge. There’s plenty of shade in the trees above the surf line. The waters are placid in winter and a little bit more rollicking in summer. A visit is best in the early morning and late afternoon, when the day trippers making the Hana Road drive have yet to

A warm pink sunset makes Kauai’s Polihale Beach, the longest beach in the state, glow on this area of quiet beach. —MCT

Mokuleia Beach, also known as “Army Beach” offers a rare bit of seclusion on Oahnu. It was featured in many scenes of the television show “Lost.”

arrive or have already left. Difficulty getting there: medium * Lanai: Polihua Beach. I love Hulopoe Beach on the south coast — it’s one of the most beautiful in the state and a great place to swim, body surf and snorkel. But with the Manele Bay resort on the west end and a popular local park on the east end, it’s usually as full as a beach on tiny Lanai can get. The opposite is true of Polihua, on the north coast. You’ll need a fourwheel drive Jeep in Lanai City. Unlike on other islands, the Dollar rental car agency expects that you will be taking your vehicle onto primi-

tive roads, and the price — $139 a day — reflects the wear and tear on the Jeep. Get a good map and drive north on the dirt roads toward the stone formations known as the Garden of the Gods. From there, it is a steep grade to finally pull up to a wide, golden stretch of sand with views out to Molokai. You’ll likely have it all to yourself except in the late afternoon, when a sundowner crowd of locals comes down to TGI whatever day it is. Don’t drive too far onto the soft sand — it’s a long (and expensive) tow out. Difficulty getting there: hard. —MCT

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

lifestyle M U S I C

Ricky Martin performs on the second to last night of his Musica+Alma+Sexo (Music + Sex + Soul’) World Tour at Nokia Theatre LA Live May 7, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. — AFP

Nicole Scherzinger to co-host ‘X Factor’

Jane Rhodes dies

French opera singer

(Left) File photo shows Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell are seen on stage at the “Idol Gives Back” fundraising special of “American Idol” in Los Angeles. — AP presenter, is also a newcomer for US audiences. Cowell has spent more than a year putting together the celebrity line-up for his “X Factor” venture, which he announced in January 2010. He has made no secret of his desire to work again with Abdul. Since Cowell announced plans for “X Factor ”, “American Idol”-still the most-watched TV show on US television- has been revamped

and has grown its audience after years of slipping ratings, and several other rival TV singing shows have been launched. They include “The Voice” on NBC, which boasts a star power panel of coaches/judges in Christina Aguilera, country singer Blake Shelton, Maroon 5 front-man Adam Levine, and R&B singer and producer Cee Lo Green. —Reuters

but the cult lives on

Bob Marley

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ormer Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger will co-host the upcoming TV singing show “The X Factor”, Fox television said on Saturday, but there was no official word on whether former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul had signed up as the final judge. Scherzinger will host the contest along with British TV presenter Steve Jones, Fox said in a statement. But on the eve of the first scheduled auditions in front of judges yesterday, the statement omitted any mention of Abdul.

Abdul, who quit “Idol” two years ago in a contract dispute, was reported earlier on Saturday to be in final talks to join her old “American Idol” sparring partner Simon Cowell, British singer Cheryl Cole and record producer Antonio “LA” Reid on the “X Factor” judging panel. “The X Factor”, created by English music entrepreneur Cowell, is due to air on Fox in the fall of 2011, offering a $5 million prize and a recording contract for the winner.

The celebrity line-up gives “X Factor” a strong British flavor, and gambles on introducing new faces to prime time US television. Although the sarcastic Cowell became a household name in the United States in his 10 years on “American Idol”, Cole-a member of British pop band “Girls Out Loud”-is virtually unknown in the United States despite being a big star at home, where she has been a judge on the UK version of “X Factor.” Jones, a former fashion model and now a British TV

The legacy wanes

File photo taken in 1976 shows Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley, who died 11 May 1981 at the age of 36 at Cedars Sinai hospital in Miami following a cancer. —AFP

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rench-born opera singer Jane Rhodes, famous for her role as the singing gypsy Carmen, died Saturday, her husband told AFP. She was 82 years old. Rhodes died in a Paris hospital where she was being treated for a neurological illness. Born in 1929 in Paris, Rhodes made her opera debut at 25, with a singing voice ranging from the powerful dramatic soprano to the higher mezzo-soprano.

“Her most famous role was undoubtedly Carmen at the Garnier opera house in Paris where I myself was a conductor, in November 1959, and in the presence of (former World War II leader and French president) General (Charles) de Gaulle,” said her husband, the conductor Roberto Benzi.

With her good looks, Rhodes gained fame for her role as Carmen, the irresistible and fiery character in George Bizet’s opera, as well as Marguerite in Hector Berlioz ’s “ The Damnation of Faust”. She also sang Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca and Richard Strauss’s Salome. — AFP

Colombia’s star singer Shakira performs in torrential rain during “The Sun Comes Out World Tour” concert in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday night, May 7, 2011. Thousands of fans braved heavy rain and low temperatures to attend the concert. — AP

ob Marley’s musical legacy may be waning 30 years after his death as Jamaica’s youth prefers dancehall to reggae, but the singer remains a cult, if highly commercialized, figure. Marley has become a merchandiser’s dream, with everything from shoes to snowboards bearing his image, but his friends say it would be tragic if his message of justice for the oppressed gets lost to corporate greed. “He was never about commercialism,” one friend, Herbie Miller, told AFP. “Money was not his greatest motivation.”For loyal fans of the Third World’s first pop superstar, who died from cancer at the age of 36 on May 11 1981, this year’s milestone anniversary is not about grieving but about celebrating. “His music was so full of life, it doesn’t seem right to mourn him,” 24-year-old Bernadette Hellwanter of Vocklabruck, Austria told AFP as she toured the Bob Marley Museum in the Jamaican capital Kingston. Nickia Palmer stopped briefly to peer at a photo of the dreadlocked legend playing his trademark Gibson guitar. “The first performance I ever did was at Mount Vernon high school in Fairfax, Virginia and it was ‘No Woman No Cry’,” recalled the 33-year-old Jamaican singer, who has spent most of his life in the United States.

Fans flock to the museum, an Englishstyle building where Marley lived and wrote many of his songs. Tours are also conducted daily in the village of Nine Mile in rural Saint Ann parish where Marley was born in February 1945 and where a mausoleum now provides his final resting place. But despite all the Tshirts, the mugs and the many iconic images of the pot-smoking, soccer-mad Rastafarian, there is a sense his star could be beginning to fade. The Marley Foundation, which oversees the singer’s estate, says no events are planned to

mark the 30th anniversary of his death.

Music from the rebel who introduced reggae to an international audience gets only token play nowadays on the local radio and his message appears lost on today’s Jamaican youth. Feel-good songs like “Three Little Birds” and “One Love” are preferred to more militant tracks such as “Exodus” or “The Heathen.” According to Miller, the ubiquitous “One Love” has reduced Marley’s revolutionary message to a catchphrase for Jamaica’s tourist industry. “This is a man who took a bullet for his country. The powers that be in Jamaica are trying to make him soft,” he said. In Trench Town, the ghetto neighboring Kingston that inspired some of Marley’s most memorable songs, there are few visitors to the tenement where he once lived during the 1960s. Artefacts include the shell of a Volkswagen van that Marley used to sell his records and a bed he slept on. “As someone who was born in Trench Town, ‘Gong’ (Marley’s nickname) had a big impact (on me),” 48year-old roots-reggae singer I-Cient-Cy Mau told AFP. “Him always had time for the youths an’ that’s something missing from reggae today.” But the sounds Marley made during the 1970s appear almost foreign to today’s Jamaican youth, more caught up with flamboyant dancehall acts like Vybz Kartel and Movado. Overseas, perhaps, there is more room for nostalgia. Marley performed twice in his life in Belgium, but according to Brice DePasse, a Belgian journalist with the Nostalgie television station, he left an indelible mark. “He’s been big in Belgium since 1977 when he first performed there. There’s not a day that his music is not played,” said DePasse. To commemorate his death, Nostalgie will air the hour-long documentary “In The Footsteps of Bob Marley” on May 11.—AFP

Hard rock stars sing for Armenian school

H File photo shows French-born opera singer Jane Rhodes singing in Paris. —AFP

ard rock stars Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi, famous for playing with Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, launched a charity record on Friday to raise money for a music school in ex-Soviet Armenia. Proceeds from the record by singer Gillan and guitarist Iommi’s band WhoCares are intended to help rebuild the impoverished school in the Armenian city of Gyumri, which was hit by a massive earthquake in 1988 that killed 25,000 people.

“I’m very happy that our collaboration with

the rock stars is continuing,” Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian, known as a fan of hard rock, said at the launch in Yerevan. “They fell in love with our country and this disc is an expression of that.” The record, “Out of My Mind”, is accompanied by a film about the British musicians’ long-term involvement with the small Caucasus republic. “Both Gillan and Iommi have spent a lot of time in Armenia, fallen in love with the country and the people and have dedicated a lot of work to a nation still shocked after the

earthquake,” said a statement on Gillan’s website.

Deep Purple played a concert in Armenia in 1990 to raise funds after the earthquake, and another charity show for 10,000 people in Yerevan last year. A version of the band’s bestknown song “Smoke on the Water” featuring stars from Pink Floyd and Queen was also released as part of the Rock Aid Armenia campaign, which led the authorities in Yerevan to award state honours to the musicians in gratitude.—AFP

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

lifestyle M O V I E S

Tunisian revolution comes to big screen at Cannes P

olice firing teargas at revolutionaries belting out the Tunisian anthem: this and other striking images of ordinary people dismantling a dictatorship will hit the big screen at Cannes this month. “No More Fear,” a 74-minute documentary, was shot on HVD film in the midst of the uprising that led to Tunisian president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali’s political demise on January 14, its director Mourad Cheikh told AFP ahead of the screening at the Cannes film festival on May 20.

The Cannes showing ends an 11-year absence for Tunisia from the big screen. The creator of short films like “Le Patre des Etoiles” (The Shepherd of the Stars) made in 2003, Cheikh said the selection was “unexpected”. “We sent a copy of the film to Cannes, we worked like crazy. At first they responded that we were not selected, but later an assistant (of the festival) informed us that we had it,” said the director who divides his time between Tunisia and Italy.

Amid a rush of last-minute preparations for the screening, Cheikh explains that the title was inspired by “a slogan that appeared on the walls of Tunis during the revolution.” “The slogan symbolizes a wall of fear that collapsed” in Tunisia, he added. The film, in Arabic with English and French subtitles, was shot on the Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis, the epicenter of the revolt. “It was a matter of urgency for me,” Cheikh said. “I had to shoot: the police, the people who ran after the teargas was used.” Three main characters feature in the film: human rights lawyer Radhia Nasraoui, blogger Lina

Tunisian director Mourad Cheikh walks past a wall covered with slogans against Tunisian President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali’s regime and pro-revolution comments, on May 6, 2011 in Tunis, ahead of the screening of his documentary at the Cannes film festival on May 20. —AFP

Ben Mhenni and ordinary citizen Karem Cherif, representing all Tunisians “who defended their neighborhoods against looters and snipers.”

A character in the film laments the pre-revolution state of his country and says: “This revolution is not the fruit of poverty, but rather the cry of despair of a generation of graduates. “It is neither the bread nor the jasmine revolution. Jasmine does not result in death, does not give rise to martyrs,” the character says, referring to an early nickname for Tunisia’s revolution.”It is the revolution of a people’s devotion. ... We shall never again have fear!” This sums up, said the director, the average Tunisian’s frame of mind: “That of the youth who made the first revolution of the virtual era as well as the older people who defied fear in order to resist the yoke of dictatorship.”

For film producer Habib Attia, the screening at Cannes increases the likelihood of distribution on European markets and in Gulf states. Two images of the revolution remain etched in his memory. The first involved two young police blocking a crowd of protesters from Bourguiba. “Facing the crowd chanting the national anthem, these two started crying; they understood that their place was with the protesters. Their tears released mine,” Attia said.

In a later incident, “I really cried when a friend recounted to me the last words of a youth after he was shot: ‘I will not die and if I die, I will not leave before he (Ben Ali) leaves’.” The young man died and Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia. —AFP

Stars come out to shine for List of past Cannes best film winners

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s the 64th Cannes film festival prepares to open Wednesday, here is a list of past winners of its top prize for best film. Once known as the Grand Prix, from 1975 the top award has been the “Palme d’Or” or Golden Palm.

1939: No prize as the festival was halted after 48 hours by Hitler’s invasion of Poland.

1946: 11 films shared the top prize, including: “Open City” by Roberto Rossellini “Maria Candelaria” by Emilio Fernandez “Brief Encounter” by David Lean “The Lost Weekend” by Billy Wilder 1947: Six prizes including: “Les Maudits” by Rene Clement “Ziegfeld Follies” by Vincente Minnelli “Dumbo” by Walt Disney 1949: “The Third Man” by Carol Reed 1951: “Miracle in Milan” by Vittorio de Sica “Miss Julie” by Alf Sjoberg 1952: “Othello” by Orson Welles “Due Soldi di Speranza” by Renato Castellani 1953: “The Wages of Fear” by Henri-Georges Clouzot 1954: “The Gate of Hell” (Jigokumon) by Teinosuke Kinugasa 1955: “Marty” by Delbert Mann 1956: “Le Monde du Silence” by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle 1957: “Friendly Persuasion” by William Wyler 1958: “The Cranes are Flying” by Mikhail Kalatoz 1959: “Black Orpheus” by Marcel Camus 1960: “La Dolce Vita” by Federico Fellini 1961: “Viridiana” by Luis Bunuel “The Long Absence” by Henri Colpi 1962: “The Given Word” by Anselmo Duarte 1963: “The Leopard” by Luchino Visconti 1964: “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” by Jacques Demy 1965: “The Knack (...and How to Get It)” by Richard Lester 1966: “A Man and A Woman” by Claude Lelouch “The Birds, the Bees and the Italians” by Pietro Germi 1967: “Blow-Up” by Michelangelo Antonioni 1969: “If” by Lindsay Anderson 1970: “M*A*S*H” by Robert Altman 1971: “The Go-Between” by Joseph Losey 1972: “The Working Class Goes to Heaven” by Elio Petri “The Mattei Affair” by Francesco Rosi 1973: “Scarecrow” by Jerry Schatzberg “The Hireling” by Alan Bridges 1974: “The Conversation” by Francis Ford Coppola 1975: “Chronicle of the Years of Fire” by Mohammed LakhdarHamina 1976: “Taxi Driver” by Martin Scorsese 1977: “Padre Padrone” by Paolo Taviani 1978: “The Tree of Wooden Clogs” by Ermanno Olmi 1979: “Apocalypse Now” by Francis Ford Coppola “The Tin Drum” by Volker Schloendorff 1980: “Kagemusha” by Akira Kurosawa “All That Jazz” by Bob Fosse 1981: “Man of Iron” by Andrzej Wajda 1982: “Missing” by Costa-Gavras “Yol” by Yilmaz Guney 1983: “The Ballad of Narayama” by Shohei Imamura 1984: “Paris, Texas” by Wim Wenders 1985: “When Father Was Away on Business” by Emir Kusturica 1986: “The Mission” by Roland Joffe 1987: “Under the Sun of Satan” by Maurice Pialat 1988: “Pelle the Conqueror” by Bille August 1989: “Sex, Lies and Videotape” by Steven Soderbergh 1990: “Wild At Heart” by David Lynch 1991: “Barton Fink” by Joel and Ethan Coen 1992: “The Best Intentions” by Bille August 1993: “Farewell My Concubine” by Kaige Chen “The Piano” by Jane Campion 1994: “Pulp Fiction” by Quentin Tarantino 1995: “Underground” by Emir Kusturica 1996: “Secrets & Lies” by Mike Leigh 1997: “The Eel” by Shohei Imamura “Taste of Cherry” by Abbas Kiarostami 1998: “Eternity and a Day” by Theo Angelopoulos 1999: “Rosetta” by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne 2000: “Dancer in the Dark” by Lars Von Trier 2001: “The Son’s Room” by Nanni Moretti 2002: “The Pianist” by Roman Polanski 2003: “Elephant” by Gus Van Sant 2004: “Fahrenheit 9/11” by Michael Moore 2005: “The Child” by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne 2006: “The Wind That Shakes The Barley” by Ken Loach 2007: “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” by Cristian Mungui 2008: “The Class” by Laurent Cantet 2009: “The White Ribbon” by Michael Haneke 2010: “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” by Apichatpong Weerasethakul —AFP

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ith a well-received selection of films, Robert De Niro steering the jury and a galaxy of stars awaited on the Croisette, this year’s Cannes film festival is promising to be among the liveliest ever. The 64th edition of the world’s biggest film festival opens Wednesday on the French Riviera with the out-of-competition premiere of Woody Allen’s latest romantic comedy “Midnight in Paris”. Twenty pictures, including fresh work from Spain’s Pedro Almodovar, Denmark’s Lars Von Trier and Belgium’s Dardenne brothers, are up for the highly coveted Palme d’Or. “The films that are selected must really give the feeling that they deserve to be here,” festival director Thierry Fremaux told AFP in an interview, explaining how tough it can be to whittle down the selection.

“The festival reflects the state of cinema and in general, the state of cinema speaks to the state of the world.” Since its launch in the aftermath of World War II, Cannes has been a lightning rod for controversy, but this year Fremaux says the official selection is “without a doubt one of the best-received ever”. Oscar-winner De

Cannes film festival

Niro, who starred in past Palme d’Or winners “Taxi Driver” and “The Mission”, is steering the jury that includes Hollywood stars Uma Thurman and Jude Law, Hong Kong director Johnny To and film producer Shi Nansun, and French director Olivier Assayas. A-listers galore-among them Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz and Catherine Deneuve-will meanwhile take turns on the lush red carpet that leads up into the Palais des Festivals. “Midnight in Paris” is getting special attention not least for one of its bit players: French first lady Carla Bruni, making her film debut as a clipboard-hugging museum staffer. Seven hundred police officers have been detailed to the festival, where the killing of Osama bin Laden has ramped up security concerns. “An international event of such a scale with so many personalities, many of them Americans, represents in itself a potential for real risk,” a police spokesman said.

In a salute to change in the Middle East, the festival is honoring Egypt as its first “guest country,” while a snap documentary of the uprising in Tunisia will be

that country’s first film in Cannes in 11 years. Films by convicted Iranian directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, made in “semi-clandestine conditions”, will meanwhile be screened in the official and Un Certain Regard sections respectively, organizers said Saturday. Veteran French director Andre Techine will rub shoulders with young and unknown filmmakers under the avant-garde Directors’ Fortnight program.

From Asia, out of competition but produced exclusively for the festival, “Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told” will pay homage to Indian popular cinema. Also out of competition, and likely to stir controversy, will be “The Conquest” by director Xavier Durringer, a biopic of Nicolas Sarkozy that is the first film ever at Cannes about a serving French president.

Spanish heavyweight Almodovar will present “La Piel Que Habito” (The Skin I Live In) in competition with Antonio Banderas starring. Von Trier, a Palme d’Or winner in 2000 with “Dancer in the Dark”, returns with “Melancholia,” while the Dardennes will be gunning for their third Palme d’Or with “Le Gamin au Velo” (The

Kid With A Bike). US director Terrence Malick will present “The Tree of Life”, uniting Pitt and Penn on screen, and Israeli director Joseph Cedar will unspool “Hearat Shulayim” (Footnote).

From Japan will be “Ishimei” (Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai) by Takashi Miike, and “Hanezu no Tsuki” by Naomi Kawase. The lone British contestant is Lynne Ramsay with “We Need to Talk About Kevin”, while from Australia, Julia Leigh’s “Sleeping Beauty” is one of two first-time films in competition, the other being “Michael” by Austrian film-maker Markus Schleinzer.

Italian cinema legend Bernardo Bertolucci, whose classics include “Last Tango in Paris” and “The Last Emperor,” is to receive an honorary Palme d’Or for his life’s work. Cannes nearly triples in population during the 11-day festival to 200,000, due not only to all the screenings, but also to an international film market where more than 10,000 participants from 101 nations will haggle over the rights to 4,240 films, many of them still in production.”On the steps, in the parties, in the theatres, Cannes is the place to be,” Fremaux said. — AFP

Indian commuters pass by a rundown building in Mumabi on March 4, 2011, which once served as part of Bombay Talkies Film Studios. —AFP

Bollywood’s past vanishes as studio turns to dust T

ears roll down the face of 79-year-old Ismail Mohammad Gauri as he recalls the glory days of Bombay Talkies, once one of Bollywood’s greatest studios but which has now faded into cinema history. He remembers the big cars that parked outside the house where he grew up, the mango trees in the studio compound where he and his friends used to play and how they were awestruck by the actors who ate in the local restaurant.

“It all sounds like those days never existed when I look at this place now,” he says, gesturing towards the crumbling ruin of rubble and rubbish opposite his home in the northern Mumbai suburb of Malad. “I just can’t believe that it has turned into dust,” he told AFP. “With my death nobody in this area will be able to recall those glorious days.” In two years’ time, it will be 100 years since the first Indian feature film was made, giving birth

to an industry that is now worth $1.85 billion a year.

“Raja Harishchandra”-a silent film about a king in Hindu mythology-was released in 1913. A film about its making, “Harishchandrachi Factory”, was India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2010. But while the maker of “Raja Harishchandra” has been revered, many like Gauri are disappointed that Bombay Talkies and other landmark sites are largely forgotten despite their role in the industry’s development.

“The old things that do not generate wealth are junked into the warehouse by us,” producer-director Mahesh Bhatt told the Times of India newspaper recently. “As we journey towards the centenary year of Indian cinema, we need to confront the blunt fact that neither the state nor the film industry gives a damn about our cinematic heritage.” The Bombay Talkies Limited was the first corporate Hindi-language film studio and helped

launch the careers of legendary actors like Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor and Devika Rani.

Film score singers Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar were also regulars. Set up in 1934, at its height it employed about 5,000 people and was considered to be Asia’s largest film-producing studio in the 1940s using state-of-the-art techniques. The studio’s decline began after the death of joint founder Devika Rani’s husband, Himanshu Rai, and differences with her business partners. It started running up losses and was sold.

Since its closure in 1954, it has become home to carpenters and mechanics or used as a dumping ground and an open-air urinal. Three fires in recent years gutted many of the businesses and nothing now remains of the studio except one dilapidated set from the 1949 film “Mahal” (The Palace), which was Bollywood’s first horror film. —AFP

Bob Marley: The legacy wanes but the cult lives on

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MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011

An artwork painted by Libyan children sits outside a classroom at a school run by volunteers in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi yesterday. Local volunteers have set up a school to keep the children occupied after all schools in the eastern city were shut down following the uprising launched against Moamer Kadhafi’s regime.—AFP

Maoris visit France to Part of Swiss collector’s exceptional art trove to be sold retrieve shrunken head W T

he tattooed, shrunken head of a Maori warrior starts a long voyage home to New Zealand on Monday when France hands the mystic relic back more than a century after explorers took it away. At the town hall in Rouen, northwest of Paris, Maori elders will perform chants, prayers and other rituals to honor the dead man, a relic of the ancient practice of mummification of Maoris killed in battle. The head, which tribal custom forbids from being photographed or filmed, will be handed over to the Maoris in a box by officials from the town and the Museum of Rouen, which has housed it since 1875, organizers said.

Maoris will chant “invocations and solemn tributes to the dead warrior, who will be returned the very next day to his native land in order to find his final resting place,” the museum said in a statement.

The restitution follows a fouryear political struggle which ended last year when the French Senate voted a law allowing the return to New Zealand of all Maori human heads held in France, estimated to number between 12 and 15.

A computerized image of the Rouen head from the museum gives a haunting impression of a high cheekboned youth masked with swirling green tattoos, with a crooked-toothed grimace and a gruesome gash where one eye should be.

The ceremony was to be attended by New Zealand’s ambassador to France, Rosemary Banks, and Michelle Hippolite, a director of the Te Papa museum in Wellington, herself a Maori, one of New Zealand’s indigenous minority. Experts there will carry out genetic tests on the head to try and identify its tribe of origin so it can be returned to its people and buried. The story of how the head came to France is not known. It was given to the museum in 1875. “It was exhibited until 1996 in the style of the 19th century, presented as a savage from the other side of the world, a survival from pre-historic times,” said the Rouen museum’s director Sebastien Minchin.

Rouen authorities decided to give the head back to the Maoris in 2007 but were over-

ruled by the national government which feared setting a precedent for other museum holdings such as Egyptian mummies or relics of Christian martyrs. The Senate made an exception for the Maori remains last year.

Maori warriors would tattoo their faces with elaborate geometric designs to show their rank. The recovered heads of those killed in battle were displayed and venerated until

orks by many of the world’s greatest modern and impressionist artists will be sold at auction in June with the closure of the gallery of late Swiss art trader Ernst Beyeler, auctioneers Christie’s said yesterdayThe paintings, sculptures and sketches from Beyeler and his wife and partner Hildy’s private gallery collection include works by Monet, Gauguin, Renoir, ToulouseLautrec, Picasso, Matisse, Kokoschka, Klee, Leger, Dubuffet and Roy Lichtenstein, the auction house said. Ernst Beyeler, who became renowned for building one of the most impressive international collections of 20th century art, died at the age of 88 in February 2010, less than two years after Hildy. “Many generations of specialists and collectors have seen their taste forged by Beyeler’s eye,” said Jussi Pylkkaenen, presi-

the soul was judged to have departed. The tattoos made them an object of fascination for European explorers who collected and traded them from the 18th century onwards, prompting the macabre practice of tattooing and then killing slaves specially for their heads. The first such head recorded as being acquired by a European was taken in 1770 by a member of an expedition of the British explorer James Cook. It was that of a 14-year-old boy believed to have been killed just for his head.

The demand for the preserved heads drove the true Maori to stop getting the tattoos and preserving their relatives’ heads. —AFP

dent of Christie’s Europe, Middle East and Russia.

“To buy from Ernst Beyeler was to buy great 20th century modernism, and to buy from Beyeler was to buy the best,” he added.

During his lifetime, Beyeler had already donated much of his collection, more than 200 seminal works, to a foundation and its purpose-built museum next to his native city of Basel. However, he still owned other cherished works through his small gallery in the city centre. The Swiss gallery announced late Friday that it was closing in keeping with the last wishes of the couple, who had no children, and that its resources would be used to raise money for the Fondation Beyeler.

“We look forward to a tremendous atmosphere in the saleroom and to raising a significant sum for the Fondation Beyeler, which

remains the great legacy of Ernst Beyeler’s personal generosity and vision,” said Pylkkaenen. The auction is to take place in London on June 21-22. The auctioneers described some of the works on sale as “small jewels” that Beyeler could never conceive of selling during his lifetime. They include a mobile sculpture by Alexander Calder that sat by his desk and a Paul Klee watercolour, “Parklandschaft” (Park Landscape), that graced his bedroom wall.

Another highlight will be one of Monet’s series of paintings of Nympheas (water lilies), that have sold for up to $80 million before, as well as less celebrated items such as 30 ceramic works by Picasso.

An economist and salesman by training, the young Beyeler nurtured his passion for art during the 1940s in an antiquarian book

and print shop owned by a German exile in the northern Swiss city. Beyeler took over the business at Baeumleingasse 9 after the owner’s death in 1945 and gradually turned it into an art gallery, partnered by Hildy. He often said he was guided by little more than his own intuition rather than by fashion or trends. After a first exhibition of Japanese woodcuts in 1947, some 16,000 works of art passed through Beyeler’s hands over half a century. Beyeler’s friendships with famous painters were such that Pablo Picasso allowed him to pick 26 of his works during a visit to the ebullient artist’s studio at Mougins in southern France in 1966. He also became a dealer of choice for the world’s leading collectors, selling masterpieces to museums, according to Christie’s.—AFP

French artist Rachid Khimoune poses in front of the Eiffel tower, yesterday at the Trocadero in Paris, next to his installation of 1000 turtle-shaped statues made in the 90’s out of helmets from different countries. The statues, exhibited here on the 66th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, aim at symbolizing “the never ending horrors of war”.—AFP

Marvin Gaye exhibit at Motown Museum

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he Motown Historical Museum is celebrating the life and times-as well as the moves and grooves-of Marvin Gaye. The Detroit museum located in the original home of Motown Records Corp. has unveiled an exhibit chronicling the legendary artist’s two decades at Motown. The exhibit opened Friday and runs through at least September.

It features Gaye’s album covers, sheet music, costumes and even a Marvin Gaye Way street sign

Marvin Gaye memorabilia is displayed at the Motown Historical Museum in Detroit.—AP photos

from his hometown of Washington, DC. It’s the first time the museum has produced a major exhibit on Gaye. It follows a successful installation on the Jackson 5 last year that marked the oneyear anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death. The museum is open 10 am -6 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors age 62 and older and children ages 5- 12, and free for children 4 and under.—AP