25 May

ON IP TI SC R SU B

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Netanyahu: Israel ready for painful compromises

Royal welcome for Obamas in Britain

40 PAGES

NO: 15099

150 FILS

7

`

www.kuwaittimes.net

JAMADI ALTHANI 22, 1432 AH

Nadal digs deep to beat giant Isner in five sets

India offers $5 billion to Africa, keen to boost ties

26

10

20

MPs to take part in ‘Day of Rage’ rally Geography teacher arrested over blasphemous graffiti

Max 40 Min 29 Low Tide 11:40 High Tide 06:14 & 17:03

By B Izzak and A Saleh conspiracy theories

Six holy words

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

A

s usual, Mr Netanyahu did not bring anything new - it’s true that I waited to hear his speech, only for him to reiterate what he has been saying for the past few years. What surprised me was not Netanyahu’s attitude and his thoughts.

We know Netanyahu is an extremist Zionist. We were not expecting anything from him. It was the way the US Congress received him. It was like a theatre. The minute he walked in, they all stood up and kept clapping for five minutes. I have never seen such applause even for an American president - Obama or anyone else. The US Congress even exceeded the applause game of the Syrian parliament when Bashar Al-Assad gave a speech there last month. I had criticized it and mocked it then. I apologize.

Then they gave Netanyahu the chance to speak.

When he got on the podium, there was another round of applause. For a moment I thought he was addressing the Knesset, and not the US Congress.

Then I told myself, be patient. Listen to the man.

The minute he uttered a word, the Congress stood up for more applause. I was confused - did this man liberate America? Is he coming back home as a war hero? This standing ovation was repeated every time the homecoming hero opened his mouth.

So at the end of the day, there were only a few things that Netanyahu could mention. He wants Abbas to say the six holy words - “I will accept a Jewish state”. If the whole world approves this theory, this means they did not occupy Palestine.

There will be no Palestine anymore. This also means they will kick out the more than a million Israeli Arabs (those who did not leave when Israel was created in 1948). Plus, every Jew in the world, whether Filipino, Indian, Chinese, Brazilian, Moroccan etc etc, can claim Palestine as their homeland, ironically, except the Palestinians themselves. This will be the worst apartheid crime in history if the world approves Netanyahu’s demands.

Leave alone that he did not agree on the return of refugees - nearly five million of them scattered all over the world. In some Arab countries, they are not naturalized and only carry a travel document that is not accepted in most embassies. So they are stuck in refugee camps like animals in a zoo.

By the way, he also insists Jerusalem is the capital of his apartheid Jewish state. What about the other two major religious sites - the Aqsa Mosque of the Muslims and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre of the Christians? If every country is formed on the basis of religion, imagine how many more communities would start claiming a state of their own - for instance Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, etc. Imagine if all Muslims in the world start claiming Saudi Arabia as their country?

And this is the case with all other religions.

Sorry Mr Netanyahu. Your great theory doesn’t pass in modern history. Maybe three or four thousand years back, you could have built countries based on religions.

SANAA: Tribesmen carry an injured colleague during clashes with Yemeni security forces near the house of Sheikh Sadiq Al-Ahmar, the head of the powerful Hashed tribe yesterday. — AP

Fierce clashes in Sanaa unleash anger of tribes SANAA: Yemeni loyalist forces fought street battles with guards from a powerful tribal federation whose leader has sided with protesters demanding an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s rule, witnesses said yesterday. The opposition warned that such attacks by loyalists, which residents said targeted the mansion of tribal leader Sadiq Al-Ahmar, could spark a civil war. At least nine people were killed in the clashes, which dimmed prospects for a political solution to a transition of power tussle following a nearly fourmonth-old revolt inspired by protests that swept aside the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia.

“The clashes were violent. The sound of machinegun and mortar fire could be heard everywhere. I saw smoke rising from the entrance of the interior ministry,” one witness told Reuters. Nine people were killed and 30 wounded “because of the aggression launched by the Ahmars and their gangs”, an official told the Defence Ministry website, without giving details. The clashes followed the collapse on Sunday of a transition deal mediated by Gulf neighbours that Saleh was to have signed that would have given him immunity from prosecution.

Continued on Page 13

NATO mounts heaviest strike yet on Tripoli TRIPOLI: NATO warplanes hammered Muammar Gaddafi’s compound with their heaviest air strikes yet yesterday after the United States said the Libyan leader would “inevitably” be forced from power. The shockwave from the strikes was so powerful that plaster fell from the ceilings in a hotel where foreign reporters were staying, about 2 km from Gaddafi’s compound. A NATO official said the strikes hit a military facility that had been used to launch attacks on civilians. A Libyan government spokesman said three people had been killed and 150 wounded, and that the casualties were local residents.

“It is definitely, in terms of one target, the largest and most concentrated attack we have done to date,” said the NATO official in Brussels.

Libyan government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said the strikes had targeted a compound of the Popular

Guards, an armed unit. But he said the compound had been emptied of people and “useful material” in anticipation of an attack. “This is another night of bombing and killing by NATO,” Ibrahim told reporters. Led by France, Britain and the United States, NATO warplanes have been bombing Libya since the United Nations authorised “all necessary measures” to protect civilians from Gaddafi’s forces in the country’s civil war.

Critics argue that NATO has overstepped its mandate and is trying directly to engineer Gaddafi’s fall.

Rebels, however, have complained Western forces are not doing enough to break Gaddafi’s army. “ We have degraded his war machine and prevented a humanitarian catastrophe,” US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron wrote in Continued on Page 13

Blast hits oil refinery as Ahmadinejad visits

ABADAN, Iran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (center) gestures as he tours the Abadan oil refinery where a blast hit yesterday. — AFP

KUWAIT: At least three MPs said yesterday they will take part in a “Day of Rage” rally on Friday to press for the removal of the prime minister amid a beef-up of security and warnings from the government and the speaker to abide by the country’s laws. Liberal MPs meanwhile launched a scathing attack on deputy premier and state minister for housing and development Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd Al-Sabah, claiming he is trying to escape the debate of their grilling next week, while MP Mubarak Al-Waalan defended a grilling request he and two other MPs filed against the prime minister.

Separately, security sources said that the criminal investigations department was interrogating a geography teacher after a number of juveniles arrested for writing blasphemous graffiti cursing and insulting the Prophet’s (PBUH) wife Aisha and Caliph Omar ibn AlKhattab on various mosques around Mubarak Al-Kabeer confessed the teacher encouraged them to do so. The sources added that the teacher denied all charges and that was still being interrogated and confronted with his students’ confessions and testimonies.

MPs Musallam Al-Barrak, Waleed Al-Tabtabaei and Falah Al-Sawwagh said yesterday they will take part in Friday’s rally organized by youth activists who are seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Preparations for the rally are ongoing amid a controversy over the venue of the protest, expected to be attended by hundreds.

Activists want to organize the gathering at Safat Square in the heart of Kuwait City, while the interior ministry is insisting that it should be held at a square opposite the National Assembly building.

The interior ministry has beefed up security and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah yesterday chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the Friday protest. This comes two days after the interior ministry issued a stern warning against those who violate laws and disrupt security of the country and has reportedly mobilized elite special forces.

Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi appealed to all to abide by the law and warned against “infiltrators” who may attempt to create a “rift in society”. He said “he trusts that MPs are equally keen to safeguard the country’s interests and security”. State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Ali Al-Rashed said that the government believes in freedom of expression unless it becomes a tool to endanger or hurt others. He also said the government has no objection for people to gather and express Continued on Page 13

TEHRAN: An explosion blamed on a gas leak rocked Iran’s largest refinery yesterday around the time of a visit to the plant

by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iranian media reported that up to two people were killed. The blast occurred just before Ahmadinejad was to inaugurate and expansion project at the 400,000 barrel per day refinery in the southwestern city of Abadan, and injured 20 people, the semi-official Fars news agency said. The explosion was blamed on a “gas leakage”, but no other details were provided. Ahmadinejad himself was

not injured. Conflicting reports over the toll and timing of the blast surfaced but officials at the plant were not reachable for comment.

The semi-official Mehr news agency said two people were killed in the explosion that took place while the president was visiting. Mehr said Ahmadinejad ordered a special plane to airlift those critically injured to Tehran. Meanwhile, state television said the explosion occurred after Ahmadinejad had left the site and the station broadcast a live feed Continued on Page 13

A combo of pictures shows (left) Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, the sons of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (right). — AFP

Mubarak, sons face trial over killings CAIRO: Egypt’s ex-president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons were yesterday referred to a criminal court on charges of ordering the killings of antiregime protesters and graft, the public prosecutor’s office said. The prosecutor’s office said that Mubarak and his sons Alaa and Gamal have been charged with “premeditated murder of some participants in the peaceful protests of the January 25 revolution”. “The public prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmud has decided today to refer former president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons Alaa and Gamal, who will remain under detention, and businessman Hussein Salem to a criminal court,” it said.

The murder charges may lead to a death sentence if Mubarak is found guilty, the justice minister said earlier this month. Mubarak and his sons have also been charged with profiteering and using their positions for illicit gains and squandering public funds, the prosecutor’s office added. Several of the charges extend to the fourth defendant, Hussein Salem, a businessman close to Mubarak

who has been blamed for a controversial deal to supply Israel with gas at lower than usual prices. He has fled the country.

The decision was announced days before another planned demonstration in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the heart of the uprising. Activists had called for a big turnout on Friday to demand faster reforms and a public trial for Mubarak and others. “Every time the youth threaten to go to Tahrir Square again with a huge number of protesters, I think they make some concessions,” said Hassan Nafaa, a political scientist and long-time Mubarak, who said the protesters would still rally.

Mubarak, who was forced to resign on Feb 11 after 18 straight days of mass protests, is in police custody in a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The veteran leader, who ruled Egypt for three decades, was hospitalised in midApril after reportedly suffering a heart attack during questioning. The prosecutor also referred to the military Continued on Page 13

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

LOCAL

Local Spotlight

Runaway workers

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

D

ue to the number of complaints I receive every day, I believe there is a lot of problems that runaway workers suffer as a result of their fleeing efforts. Then again I think that we should not be harsh on the runaway workers because if conditions were fine, they simply wouldn’t flee in the first place.

When faced with this difficult decision to stay or go, workers are forced to face many problems as a consequence. These range from being violators of residency laws all the way to becoming a target for prostitution gangs, kidnapping or at worse, murder.

I also wish that if any worker is planning to run, to consult their embassy and the labor attaché about the reasons why they want to leave. That way, they can receive the best advice from professionals and also notify them of their whereabouts.

Just today I encountered a story of a woman who managed to run away and kept running for about four years. I know this is a long period of time for someone to stay on the run but, now after all those years she became tired of being a fugitive and now wants to return to a normal life.

One of the issues is she also owes money to people, perhaps she had to borrow cash or she fled without paying back a debt. Without judging her, we need to have a certain amount of empathy for the woman as in situations like these, people can be forced to do many things they may not do in a normal situation.

I believe increase of complaints by the runaway workers needs to be paid closer attention to as it is in my opinion that those workers must have a good reason to flee.

I doubt that they are fully aware of the consequences they face as a runaway and as a result they perhaps would reconsider their options by seeking advice rather than leaving.

Now, out of guilt maybe her visa is over and all she wants to do is to leave. I question why she did not try to talk to a lawyer and settle this matter once and for all.

I think the best advice for all those runaway workers is to think about the decision before running and then if it’s too late then they must try to find help from their embassy, an attorney or someone who would give the right advise and end their troubles and settle their financial problems in the best ways.

The biggest problem these runaway workers feel is hopelessness; they need to seek help before it is too late. Otherwise they bear the consequences and the stigma attached as a runaway worker.

KUWAIT: Former Nigerian president and African Union chairman (center right) pictured with some ambassadors in Kuwait at the embassy house in Mishref. — Photos

by Fouad Al-Shaikh

Dialogue ‘only antidote’ to the tsunami of protests Former world leaders promote peace, unity

By Chidi Emmanuel KUWAIT: “Dialogue is the only antidote to the tsunami of protests we are witnessing these days,” former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo said yesterday during an exclusive interview with Kuwait Times. Speaking on the sidelines of a forum to discuss ‘Advancing Individual Freedoms’ organized by Sheikh Fahd Al-Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah, the ex-president, who is also the former chairman of the African Union, emphasized on the need for dialogue, calling on world leaders to embrace peace and foster unity through dialogue.

He said the objective of the summit is

to help facilitate an international debate on the need to advance freedoms and basic human rights. The two-day event titled “Renewing Dialogue for Peace and Advancing Freedom and Human Rights in Today’s World” was the first of its kind in Kuwait. It was organized by the Sheikh Fahd’s Center for Dialogue Among Civilizations and Defense of Liberty (The Center). It is a Middle East based NGO which focuses on facilitating international discussion and debate on the need to advance individual freedoms and basic human rights.

During the forum, former world leaders discussed the current political developments in the Middle East and North

KUWAIT: The Sabah Al-Ahmad area is free from any environmental problems, confirmed a senior official from the Public Authority had Housing Welfare assuring citizens who are to be entitled to housing care in this area.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source revealed that confirmations from

the Environment Public Authority had been received ever since construction works started in the area, adding at the same time that the PAHW will continue monitoring the environmental status of any area they receive for housing projects. Meanwhile, another senior official in the PAHW revealed that the price of 841 houses in Saad Al-

GUST celebrates African Day KUWAIT: The Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST ) hosted the Africa Day 2011 yesterday. It was attended by many dignitaries and ambassadors from different countries. ëUniversity for Life’ is the slogan of GUST which expresses its philosophy in both education and life. “In GUST, we have student and academic staff from different nationalities” the Chairman of Board of Trusties GUST Dr Abdulrahman AlMuhailan said during the event.

Khalid Al-Jarallah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke about Kuwait’s support to these countries and its bilateral relations. “Kuwait always supports African development especially in

Africa as they attempt to explain the roots of the conflicts and best strategies to prevent and overcome them.

Obasanjo said that they (the former world leaders) want to engage world leaders, academicians, NGOs and other political stakeholders to a variety of issues relating to individual freedoms and democratic values.

“There is need to promote citizen journalism as we emphasize on the importance of education, social media and dialogue. More so, the forum intends to empower the people and leaders to understand the new realities in this global community,” Obasanjo said. He called on African leaders to take the African conti-

nent to expected heights. “As people say, this century is the African century. And we will only excel if we do what we need to do and there is no reason to do otherwise.”

The forum which ended on Monday attracted the presence of ten former presidents, four former prime ministers, two Nobel Prize laureates and other world leaders including the president of the Club de Madrid Wim Kok and Former UN Undersecretary General Giandomenico Picco. The Club de Madrid, an international NGO gathering more than 80 former presidents and prime ministers from around the world, partnered with The Center to host the forum.

Sabah Al-Ahmad area ‘environmentally friendly’

KUWAIT: Africa Day 2011 celebrations in progress at the Gulf University for Science and Technology yesterday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Former Nigerian president (left) and the Nigerian ambassador in Kuwait Ahmed Gusau Bala (right) seen during an exclusive interview with Kuwait Times’ Chidi Emmanuel at the Embassy House in Mishref.

the health sector. The Amir’s African tour two years ago shows his interest in maintaining good relations with Africa. These countries also supported Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion in 1990. Opening more embassies in these countries will strengthen our relations with them.

We equally hope that the Arab African Summit that will be held in Kuwait in 2013 will enhance the Arab African cooperation,” he said.

Ali Al-Ghanim, the Chairman of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) emphasized on the cooperation between Kuwait and some African countries. “The KCCI welcomed 73 African economic delegations and met 30 leaders between 2005-2010. The Chamber also sent 11 Kuwaiti delegations to

Africa, which signed 12 cooperation treaties,” he said.

Abdul Ahad Ombaki, the Ambassador of Senegal and the Dean Diplomatic Corp said “Africa- a continent with of 54 countries, has a population of 925 million people. It is represented here (in Kuwait) by 25 missions. The virgin and abundant natural wealth of Africa is vast. For instance, 75% of the world reserves of precious minerals are found in Africa. What we need are honest partners to work with”.

Ombaki mentioned the prominent role played by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the Investment Public Authority, Kuwait Chamber of Trade and Industry, International Islamic Charitable Organization and the Kuwait Red Crescent Organizations.

“We are looking forward for a better cooperation among other countries and the whole world and in particular with Kuwait based on mutual interests and respect,” he added.

Hisham Al-Wuqayyan, the Deputy General Director of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development mentioned some facts about the Fund and its support to African countries.

“The Fund has assisted 49 African countries - covering about 98 percent of that continent. The Fund has provided loans, grants, technical assistance and other supports in 400 projects in Africa worth $6 billion, and it will continue to provide this support,” he stated.

Abdullah which are set to be distributed after the holy month of Ramadan have been valued at KD57,000 each. Separately, it is believed that the Savings and Credit Bank is expected to increase the value of housing loan entitled for divorced and widowed female citizens from KD45,000 previously speculated, to KD70,000. According to

sources familiar with the situation, the KD45,000 proposal was criticized by several MPs based on the fact that the amended housing welfare law which the parliament approved states that a female citizen is to be provided by a housing loan similar to that which Kuwaiti families are entitled to; which is KD70,000. — Al-Qabas, Al-Rai

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

local

Jordan celebrates 65th Independence Day

By Jumaa Abdullah Al-Abbadi Jordanian Ambassador to Kuwait

T

his auspicious anniversary comes as Jordanians recall bright moments in the history of their dear Kingdom during which they personified the meanings of giving and sacrifice under the banner of their gifted Hashemite leadership. They were able to instil the pillars of the modern Jordanian state and that of the institutions, law, freedom, democracy and the respect of human dignity. They placed their young kingdom on the map of this vast world so that Jordan could claim the status. Its people earned the respect and appreciation both in the Arab world and internationally despite the lack of resources and great challenges.

We celebrate this glorious occasion during which Jordanians established a country full of pride and dignity that defends and protects the dignity of its people and ensure their security, stability and freedom - a country that backs up its brothers’ causes in translation of the Hashemite mission to help the Arab nation and the unity of its stands and help it fulfil the ambitions of its people.

As the Hashemites have always done through their long history of sacrifice and giving, His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein makes continued efforts at the service of his Arab and Muslim nation causes through the respect and credibility his majesty enjoys around the world. He seeks to end the suffering of the region’s people and reach a just and comprehensive peace so that it enjoys security, stability and good living. Jordan’s foreign policy relies on clarity and diplomacy that seek the strengthening of cooperation with all countries based on mutual respect, equality and the non interference in internal affairs while solving disputes by peaceful means while preserving Jordan’s independence, its sovereignty and political decision.

Jordan has always been an indivisible part of its Arab nation fabric due to vision of its wise leadership and always seeks to unify its stands in facing dangers and challenges.

Jordan, through its steadfast belief in its Arab depth and its nation with what it possesses in the form of energy and capabilities, established outstanding relations with all its Arab brothers based on the principle of brotherhood, understanding and seeking to achieve and strengthening vital mutual relations and interests that joins and unifies the nation. This comes out of its leadership’s belief in the importance and vitality of Arab relations and its integration in all fields leading to the ?fulfilment of security and stability and the bright future for its people.

Jordan also has distinguished brotherly relations, based on respect and understanding with its brothers in the GCC. This became stronger due the efforts His Majesty King Abdullah II exerts through his contacts with the GCC leaders in order to augment the ties of brotherhood and cooperation as well as boosting the common dominators between Jordan and the GCC member states, to a point where this relationship became an example to be followed on how the Arab-Arab relationships should be. The GCC leaders’ welcome Jordan’s request to join the council during their 13th consultative summit is a clear confirmation on the uniqueness of this relation and the vast limits that it reached in all fields. It is also a confirmation that Jordan has never been away from its brothers in the GCC. This move received appreciation and welcome from Jordanians who have great hopes that through the GCC it will achieve more cooperation and integration in the vital interests that will be in the interest of our country and people.

His Majesty King Abdullah II, out of the commitment to the principle of centrism and moderation

and seeking to unify the Muslim nation address, believes that Muslims’ advancement is linked to their cooperation and co living, in forgiveness and brotherhood, and to project the true image of Islam as a religion that rejects violence, extremism and terrorism, as the role of the Hashemites and their responsibility in protecting the pure religion materialized the visions of His Majesty by the issuance of the Amman Message that contained the basis and true contents of Islam in a way that keep the distortions of the powers of darkness and extremism away from it.

Since His Majesty King Abdullah II assumed power, he worked on linking the kingdom with a vast network of international relations based on mutual respect, that provided Jordan with an important role and honourable presence. What it represents in the form of wisdom, moderation and long vision, that in addition to its positive contribution to many economic, development, social and cultural initiatives worldwide. There are also its distinguished contributions to the peace keeping forces in several areas around the world and its humanitarian contributions to help and aid brotherly and friendly people - the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization’s actions are a good example of that.

The Palestinian cause that represents the core of the struggle in the area was always the priority of Jordan and its Hashemite leadership, because its solution will contribute to the solution of all other lingering issues in the region. His Majesty, out of the fact that what fulfils the Palestinian interests also fulfils those of Jordan, calls for solving the PalestinianIsraeli conflict and giving the brotherly Palestinian people their just rights while establishing their independent country on their national territories, as a condition to achieve security and stability in the region. This is emphasized in His Majesty’s moves and contacts in various international arenas, as well as his historic speeches in the American Congress, European Parliament, Arab Summits and his meetings with the political, economic and intellectual leaders around the world. His Majesty confirmed during his latest meetings with American President Barack Obama the importance of the American administration’s commitment to achieving a just peace in the Middle East based on the two states solution which guarantees the establishment of the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. His Majesty asserted that solving all final status issues, including borders, refugees and Jerusalem is considered the prominent condition to reach permanent peace that people accept and defend. His Majesty stressed that challenges that face the Middle East and developments in some Arab countries should not curb the efforts to go forward to achieve peace and boost regional security and stability.

The celebration of our 65th independence day reminds us with the noble contents of the independence and their goals to achieve dignity and good living for Jordanians, so in this regard His Majesty the King carries relentless efforts to advance the kingdom and fulfil the hopes and longing of the Jordanians while improving their standards of living.

Jordan has made, during his blessed reign, quality moves in all economic, educational, cultural, medical and construction fields, and providing the secure investment atmosphere in the kingdom, which depends on security and stability, and provides all necessary guarantees for investment. His Majesty, ever since he assumed power called for continuing the march towards political, social, and economic reform as stated in all letters of designation of consecutive governments. He also called for providing the atmosphere that attracts investment, and all what we have achieved in this field is the result of the

Jumaa Abdullah Al-Abbadi peoples allegiance to their Hashemite leadership and its continued efforts to provide the means of social and economic justice, freedom and equality and to achieve human development and the best investment in human beings as well as provide security and stability in various fields.

His Majesty ordered a comprehensive review of the political, economic and social reform in the kingdom, within the framework of renewal and modernization to be at par with the era’s developments. A committee for national dialogue was formed to conduct a political dialogue that strengthens the achievement, stability and adding to the gains for the sake of a comprehensive political reform that meets the aspirations of all society components and contribute to improving the active political pluralism while instilling the freedom and democracy values in the kingdom. A royal committee was also formed and the general framework of this committee’s mission is to work on what improves the political life within the constitution, in a way that guarantees the balance between authorities and improves the partisan political performance in order to reach a constitutional formulation that enables the parliament to carry out its legislative role efficiently and independently, in addition to instilling the judiciary as an independent judge between the various authorities and parties and for it to remain a facility complete with all court procedures and forms.

His Majesty stressed during various occasions that comprehensive reforms in the political, economic and social aspects should continue to be pursued, and he also affirmed during his meeting with US President Barack Obama that reform is a need required by societies and must be met and not ignored under any pretext. He also confirmed that Jordan is moving steadily in its reformist and modernization march. His Majesty said the results of the work of the national dialogue committee, and the committee entrusted with reviewing the constitution will contribute to causing a move in the political life in the kingdom with an increase in popular participation and boosting the Jordanian democratic experience.

His Majesty’s reformist efforts were welcomed by President Obama, who spoke about his confidence in the King’s ability to go ahead with these reforms, and said those reforms will have a positive effect on Jordan’s security and stability and it will enable it to achieve economic prosperity for its people to become an example of a successful Arab state that is modern and prosperous.

We on this occasion feel very happy at the distinguished level the Jordan-Kuwait relations at the political level and in all bilateral cooperation fields due to wise instructions of His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and his brother His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad. That was the result of the visits His Majesty the King have made and meetings with HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad as well as his latest visit to Kuwait at the start of this month, that in addition to his continued meetings with Kuwait’s leadership and the historic visit of HH the Amir to Jordan last year.

The political will and identical views between the two leaderships and countries contributed to advancing the bilateral relations in all fields, particularly the economic and investment, as Kuwait has become the first investment partner in Jordan, and its investments are on top of the Arab and foreign investments with investments of over $8 billion in the vital economic sectors. The coming period is expected to see more Kuwaiti investments in Jordan, especially in the industrial sector. Several Kuwaiti companies expressed interest in investing in Jordan as the Jordanian government organized a special symposium for industrial investment that was held in Kuwait at the end of last month with a wide ranging participation from both public and private sectors in the two countries. Views and ideas were exchanged and several investment opportunities were discussed. Outcomes from this symposium were the agreement over several projects and partnerships in the industrial sectors, besides arranging visits for economic and commercial delegations in the near future to discuss the latest in the business environment in both countries, which will contribute to building confidence bridges and exchange benefits.

It is necessary to point to the Jordan government keenness to implement the instructions of His Majesty the King to give Kuwaiti investments utmost importance and provide all the necessary facilities for them, and to speed up the procedures and decisions to encourage them.

As for the volume of commercial exchange between the two countries, it has risen from $44 million in 2000 to $215 million in 2010. There are attempts by the two sides to raise the commercial exchange to levels that meet the ambitions and hopes, also to push it to levels that suits the volume of their capabilities. The two countries are linked by several agreements and memoranda of understanding that regulates the relationship between them in all fields, and they contributed in advancing the economic, investment, commercial and cultural ties. The joint technical commercial committee between the two countries held four consecutive rounds during the period from 2007-2011. There are also contacts to hold the meetings of the higher joint committee in Kuwait to be presided over by the foreign ministers in the near future to discuss bilateral relations in all fields and to activate several agreements between the two countries.

As for tourism the kingdom became one of the favourite destinations for our Kuwaiti brothers, as nearly 145,000 Kuwaitis visited Kuwait in 2010.

Keeping this in mind and in light of the social fabric and similar customs, and Jordan’s historic ruins and natural and touristic variety (Ruins and historic sites tourism, medical tourism, education, religious and rural) and out of the Jordan government efforts to strengthen the Kuwaiti-Jordanian cooperation in this field, a Jordanian delegation headed by the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities will visit Kuwait next week to discuss cooperation in the touristic field and to hold a symposium for touristic entertainment and a Jordan heritage night. We invite our Kuwaiti

brothers to visit their second country and spend an enjoyable summer vacation there, as they are welcomed among their brothers in the kingdom. It is worth mentioning that the Jordanian government has taken a decision to treat the Arab tourist like the Jordanian citizen when they pay fees to enter the touristic and historic sites of Jordan.

We will not forget, during this auspicious occasion, to state our appreciation to the tremendous and continuous efforts by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic and Social Development at the instructions oh HH the Amir to boost the economic and development cooperation between the two brotherly countries. The fund contributed since the early stages of its establishment to financing several development projects that have priority in various sectors, through loans and grants valued at nearly $500 million distributed over healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure (dams, water, sewer and power generation) and projects related to raw phosphate and potassium, in addition to the transport and financial services sectors.

As we point to the economic initiatives HH the Amir is keen to launch and adopt, to serve the Arab economic integration and establish the Arab economic and development projects, Jordan has highly appreciated the pioneer development initiative that His Highness launched during the economic, development and social summit that was held in Kuwait to establish a fund to support small and medium size projects. Jordan was among the first contributors in this fund through providing the necessary financial resources to support the small and medium businesses, with a capital of $2 billion, especially over the suffering those projects face in trying to get financing.

In the cultural and educational field, relations between the two countries reached an outstanding level, as more than 4,000 Kuwaiti students are receiving their education at Jordanian universities and institutions based on an educational system with strict standards, in a social environment that is similar to that of their brotherly country.

We, at this juncture thank Kuwait’s leadership and people for the exerted efforts that led to the strengthening of brotherly relations between the two countries. We also express our gratitude for the care the Jordanian community in Kuwait receives from HH the Amir and all those concerned. Kuwait absorbs 14% of the total Jordanian labour in the Gulf countries and there are indicators that this percentage will increase due to the competence of the Jordanian worker in all fields, along with the facilities Kuwait extends in this regard. The Jordanian workforce and community enjoy the confidence of Kuwaitis and its members are keen on serving Kuwait just like their keenness on serving their own country, as they work in the health, education and commercial fields, and they are distinguished with their love of Kuwait.

In order to strengthen communication between Jordanians and their host country, the basic statutes of the Jordanian community have been prepared and a temporary administration has been formed to prepare for the election of the community council that will represent its various sectors, and will care for social, economic, cultural sports and other communications to reflect the role of the Jordanian community members in instilling the bilateral relations between the two countries.

We have no doubt that the joy of Jordan is that of Kuwait, for which we become happy when it is happy, and we salute the state of Kuwait and HH the Amir, xHH Crown Prince, the government and people, for all their efforts that lead to cementing brotherly relations between the two countries.

y

A

4

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

LOCAL

Human Rights Society expects domestic labor law by year-end ‘The most vulnerable workers’

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Domestic labor issue has been tarnishing Kuwait’s image and for social activist, Ebtihal Al-Khateeb, it’s about time to address this vital issue. Speaking at a seminar at the American University of Kuwait yesterday, Al-Khateeb said “whether the government will accept this truth or not, labor issue especially of the domestic workers, has already tarnished Kuwait’s image in the international arena and the government needs to prioritize the subject. Domestic workers are part of our lives, they are living with us, among our children and whether we like it or not we need them,” she said.

“Unfortunately, they are the most vulnerable workers, they are paid salaries which are below the minimum wage. Some times their salaries are delayed; no day-off and continuously working till late night,” she added. AlKhateeb a Professor of English Literature at Kuwait University and known social activist, said that this issue must be given priority and urged authorities to work fast and enact law that will protect their sector. “We usually tell our critics that we treat our migrant workers fairly; yes this is true- but there are few employers who treat their domestic helpers unfairly,” she noted. “So in order to protect their rights we need a law, that protect them,” she argued. Al-Khateeb pointed out that Kuwait’s overdependence on domestic labor force only encourages laziness among the citizens and according to her, it is hurting Kuwait’s social fabric.

Ameer Al-Tameemi, the

Secretary General of the Human Rights Society, recalled Kuwait’s dependency on foreign workforce since 1950s. “It is connected to growing economic activities here. But expatriate workers are

admitted that there are some companies which are not fully complying with the new labor regulations. “The law did not stop the abuse of some labor workers but at least, it helps many in the

Ebtihal Al-Khateeb

Ameer Al-Tameemi

here with us for a reason, we need them, just as they need the money,” he emphasized. AlTameemi commended on the recent amendments in Kuwait’s labor law which helped many in the private sector, although he

private sectors. It will take time perhaps but it is better than the previous law,” he added.

Al-Tameemi expressed optimism that domestic labor law will be enacted soon. “We, at the Human Rights Society are lobby-

in my view

Of ports and councils

By Fouad Al-Obaid

fouad@kuwaittimes.net t comes as a surprise when Iraq, a country which now in its eighth year of post-Saddam era, is still unable to get its act together and seems to be going down a path seen a few decades ago. The issue that has been creating noise is the new Kuwait port of Mubarak Al-Kabeer on Boubiyan Island. The Iraqis are supposedly surprised that we are moving ahead with a plan to transform our country into a regional economic hub. They claim that they themselves have been drawing up plans to build a similar port a few kilometers away on their territorial waters. This claim is both surprising and begs to show how inefficient two ports so close to each other would be.

Now the question of the said port seems to have shaken the political class in Iraq who see in it a cheap chance to attack Kuwait portraying us - yet again - as a country seeking to destabilize it.

Contrary to our very efforts that our country pushed for which allowed for the new democratic institution in Iraq to take shape post Saddam, and which incidentally gave those today doubting Kuwait’s sincerity in forming a friendly relation position in the said new legislature and government!

The question of port building and transhipment is one that has got the entire region on a building craze. All the countries in the region could lead the role, and the logic behind the increased sea and air capacity - though clearly a demand was present prior to the Arab spring, and I suspect will return once the situation clams. The question that all countries in the region should consider is the price of stability, and the way cooperation should be viewed as the only plausible alternative in a region that has suffered much conflict.

The port unfortunately is bringing up ancient echo’s of a past whereby people in Iraq are questioning the territorial integrity of Kuwait and are further dubbing the port as a threat to their economic survival, despite the fact that their own plans have been stalled for over six years and no concrete plans are there for the potential future construction of a port in Al-Faw. The Iraqi reaction is one that should caution our government on the nature of relations to be undertaken with a country that has threatened us several times in the past and that has tragically invaded and occupied us two decades ago.

Though the news of the port is one of a great endeavor to allow for a greater opening of Kuwait and the wider region to the world of free trade and commerce. The chance that such a port leads to real tension should be studied and we should not back down from our ambitions to turn our country into a regional commerce hub. Nevertheless, we ought to ensure that we develop the means with our regional allies to ensure that our security and safety is a top priority.

Kuwait should consider as the US is downgrading its presence in Iraq to build a greater defense force and to work with our GCC allies to create a real Peninsula Shield force capable of defending the region from all threats. Within this framework, we ought to solidify our relation with a democratic Iraq within the GCC framework. We also should focus on developing stronger global alliances and further our democratic institution, which are our safeguards against regional threats. Our democratic institutions give us the legitimacy to seek international help.

Twitter: @Fouadalobaid

I

ing for the immediate passage of domestic labor law. We managed to convince the Ministr y of Social Affairs and Labor on its need, now, it is up to the parliament to enact the much needed law for domestic workers. We hope it will be enacted by the end of this year,” he added. The domestic labor law according to Al-Tameemi will protect domestic helper ’s rights on monthly salaries, annual leave and even their weekly holidays and more.

Yesterday’s lecture was part of a workshop by anthropology students at the AUK’s College of Arts and Sciences. The event also featured six-minutes documentary about the condition of Bangladeshi street cleaners in Kuwait. “Migrant labor issue is part of our study. We are studying neither science nor humanity but rather the connections between the two so as to recognize the missing link and come up with a solution to human problems,” he mentioned.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah departed the country yesterday to the United Kingdom on a private holiday and to conduct some routine medical checkups. Seeing him off at the airport was His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

kuwait digest

Arab man forges signature of boss KUWAIT: Police are looking for an Arab man who forged signature of his boss to obtain four cell phone lines. A company manager was contacted by a local phone service provider informing him about his phone bills on four different lines.

After discovering that the lines were registered with his name, the manager reported the case to Sharq police station. Officers used the phone records to trace the suspect.

When police tried to contact him, the suspect switched off his phone and disappeared.

they caught four people fighting.

Officers also found liquor bottles in the apartment. The suspects were held pending other legal procedures.

Woman duped A female citizen filed a case at the Taima police station, that she was cheated by her best friend. The victim explained that she gave her friend KD6,000 which she demanded to finalize a licensing procedure for a joint business project that they agreed to run, adding that she was also made to sign a financial deal valued at KD26,000. The woman later discovered that it was a scam after her friend failed to pick her calls for days. “She is no ways to be found. I have gone to her apartment also,” she said. Officers have launched investigations.

Infant dies A forensic check was ordered to see if there was a foul play behind the death of a six months old baby who died at the Sabah Al-Nasser polyclinic. The baby was rushed to the medical facility by his mother who said that she found him not breathing. He was pronounced dead upon his arrival at the clinic, and medical staff opted for a forensic check after detecting a blue spot on the baby’s skin.

Drunks fight Four citizens were arrested inside a Salmiya apartment where they engaged in a vicious fight while being under the influence of alcohol. Security officers released a warrant to raid the apartment. Inside,

Body found A 30-year-old citizen was found dead inside a Salmiya apartment.

Investigations revealed that the man was diabetic and had high blood pressure. Authorities say he died of health complications sustained after consuming excessive alcohol.

16-year-old kidnapped A case was filed at Al-Firdous police station after an old woman told police that her granddaughter has been kidnapped by her brother.

The woman, who is in her seventies, explained that her grandson stormed her house and started beating his 16-year-old sister for unknown reasons before escaping with her.

Police confusion A company owner dropped a case he filed earlier about a shooting incident that happened near his firm’s headquarters. The complainant, who is a member of the ruling family, reported to officers at the Taima police station that some hunters fired shots at a location that is very close to his company’s building near the Salmi road. After conducting investigations on the scene during which empty bullet shells were retrieved, a misdemeanor case was filed at the prosecution department. However, detectives at the Taima police station refused taking the case on the pretext that it should’ve been classified as a felony, despite the fact that the only evidence found on the scene was the empty bullet cases. Amid confusion, the ‘Sheikh’ dropped the case to avoid problems escalating between the two authorities.

Embezzlement Police arrested an Asian man who sheltered residency violators inside his house in exchange of monthly pay. The suspect was arrested when an Asian worker tipped off police about his illegal activities, in which he was forcing workers at the Wafra farms to work against their will after first helping them stay away from police. It was revealed that the suspect forced residency violators to work at nearby farms in order not to hand them to police after he offers to shelter them in exchange of KD30 per month.

Drug dealer in police net

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Narcotics officers arrested yesterday a man of Indian origin who works as taxi driver after finding with synthetic drugs and heroin in his possession.

The man gave a confession about a colleague of his, who also sells drugs. Security sources said that information was passed to the director of drugs administration director Lt Gen Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalifa.

Undercover officers arranged a deal with the suspect to buy 2gm of heroin at his Riqqa home. He was arrested during the sale and police confiscated 30gm of heroin, 550 Roche tablets and after an interrogation, he led them to another 100gm of heroin and a further 550 Roche Tablets.

After his arrest, the man directed police officers to his colleague’s home where they recovered 25gm heroin.

However the man is still at large from police and continues to be on their ‘most wanted’ list.

A catastrophe

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij f it turns out to be true, that undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior has warned that they’re “running out of patience” and that security officers would start taking measures against public gatherings, then that would be really catastrophic.

Should that be the case, then democratic powers and civil society institutions should demand the ministry and the entire government to either condemn or reject the undersecretary’s statement, because security forces’ job in law-abiding states is to serve the nation, not to direct and instruct the people.

Kuwait is not a police state. It never was, and it never will be. Kuwait is not the place where security authorities can take the spotlight out of politicians and set the general policy of the country.

I don’t blame the ministry’s undersecretary, because he wouldn’t have interfered in politics if the government didn’t interfere in laws and the constitution in the first place. He wouldn’t have said what he said if he didn’t feel that it wouldn’t please ‘his’ officials.

The public gatherings held these days could be pointless, but they remain the absolute constitutional right of the protesters as long as these gatherings remain peaceful.

Whether it is a step towards the process of development or simply a waste of time, a gathering remains an undeniable right. In my opinion, I believe that the cabinet and the Interior Minister should instruct ministry officials to remain silent at this time and only implement orders, while avoid setting out the rules and policies for the public. —Al-Qabas

I

Fires expected for summer

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Fire Directorate warned citizens and expats to expect a rise in the number of fires over the summer.

The department emphasized the need for parents to be vigilant in making organized storage available for the extra load in electricity for indoor children’s play during the summer vacation. Fire Directorate Public Relations Officer, Col Khalid Al-Ameer said “fire accidents during the month of April have reached to 948 fire cases and 259 case of rescue making a total of 1207 cases resulted in 9 deaths and the injury of 99 others of whom 10 are firemen.”

Causes of fires as explained by Al-Amir ranged from electrical fault causing 130 accidents, children playing 98 accidents and third place, throwing cigarettes out while still burning and that causing a total of 43 accidents.

Investigations revealed that there are 37 fire cases are deliberately lit.

Al-Amir said that Farwaniya governorate received the most cases. In April 225 cases were dealt with by Farwaniya fire department, followed by Hawally governorate which dealt with 190 cases, Capital and Jahra governorate followed by 170 cases and 133 cases respectively. Ahmadi and Mubarak Al-Kabeer came last by 120 cases for Ahmadi and 89 for Mubarak Al-Kabeer governorate. He pointed that marine fire fighting dealt with 11 cases while operation and support centre dealt with 10 cases.

Push to remove billboards Traffic accidents A car accident happened at the 4th Ring Road towards Jahra, between the two grave yards. The accident caused injuries to four Kuwaiti men aged between 17 to 52 years old. The men were rushed to Al-Sabah Hospital for treatment and observation. Meanwhile, a car accident happened near Farwaniya Cooperative store. The accident resulted in a head injury to a 42 years old Bangladeshi and 29 years old Egyptian suffered a broken arm. Both of them were sent to Farwainya Hospital.

Fight downtown A fight broke between a number of people in Farwaniya governorate behind Al-Tadhamon club. One Indian expat 30-year-old received a head injury and was

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: The Indian drug dealer pictured after his arrest. taken to Farwaniya Hospital.

Fall from heights In Umm Al-Hayman area a 50-year-old Egyptian expat fell from a multi-storey building and received multiple injuries, including a broken leg. He was taken to Al-Adan Hospital for treatment.

KUWAIT: Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Municipal Affairs Dr Fadhel Safar has instructed to remove all unlicensed billboards, whether it’s government or private from all Kuwait governorates. Capital governorate made a concentrated campaign to remove all such unlicensed ads and during the month of April 268 billboards on state property in violation of government regulation were removed. Of the total, 12 ads belonged to government organizations and 256 ads were for individuals and private companies. Public relations director at Municipality Rashed Al-Hashan warned individuals from placing any unlicensed ads and to check with concerned authorities in municipality to receive a license for their intended advertisements.

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

LOCAL Kuwait Digest

Looking into the May 18 incident

By Terki Al-Azmi

T

hough I wouldn’t say that the May 18th incident was unexpected, the fistfight between MPs made it necessary for us to look closely into the relationships between lawmakers and how much they react to different opinions. Some people believe that the incident that took place inside the parliament can be overcome by applying penalties mentioned in Article 106 of the Constitution and 67 of the parliament’s regulations, which pertain with the Amir’s authority to suspend the parliament for a month, or Article 89 of the National Assembly’s regulations which imposes personal penalties on lawmakers involved in an incident.

In my opinion, I don’t think any of these stipulations would ensure that MPs would never use violence against each other inside or outside the parliament. As a representative of the nation, a parliament member is supposed to be a wise individual. In previous decades, lawmakers valued their positions, and they would refrain from committing wrongdoings that contradict with the social values.

The problem is that we tend to believe that the two clashing parties will eventually make amendments and their relationship will return to normal. In reality however, impurities staining the relationships between lawmakers with each other, and between MPs and the cabinet cannot be washed away unless members of both the parliament and cabinet learn priorities of strategic work and how to embrace other opinions.

Human beings in nature, are prone to be moved by several aspects; the most serious of which is the psychological aspect. If MPs and cabinet members can’t put differences aside, they wouldn’t be able to carry out their duties properly. Immorality can only be eliminated by law enforcement. Therefore, I believe there should be deterrent penalties against any lawmaker who disrespects fellow MP or utters derogatory terms inside the parliament. — Al-Rai

KUWAIT: A large number of people visited the diwaniya of the Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in Al-Beda on Monday during its official inauguration. Among the visitors were members of the ruling family as well as diplomats and other citizens. Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah will receive guests on Mondays.

— Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

National unity project led by youth is much needed A ‘wake-up call’ to citizens, govt

By Hussain Al-Qatari KUWAIT: The effect of the pictures of parliamentarians kissing and shaking hands after apologizing to each other have long been short-lived, said a political activist and former minister of information Saad Bin Teflah. The solution lies within the hands of the youth. “A national unity project is desperately needed, but it will not reap fruit if it isn’t run by the youth,” he argued.

Speaking about the quarrel that took place in the parliament last week which started the current debate, Bin Teflah noted: “The issue at hand is quite alarming. To take it out of context, it is just a quarrel that could happen anywhere. But to put it in context, it is a sectarian quarrel that was witnessed by the whole country. It is a manifestation of the level of intolerance from different sects.

Personally I find this to be quite an issue.”

Saad Bin Teflah Bin Teflah who is the Editor-in-Chief of Kuwait’s first online newspaper Alaan noted that employing religion in politics has always been something that many thinkers and politicians in Kuwait have

warned against. This kind of sectarian tension is just the beginning. “ This should be a wake-up call to the citizens and the government. If no serious measures are taken to deal with the sectarian intolerance, then we should expect more violence and worse things to happen,” he warned.Commenting on the role of the media in this, Bin Teflah stressed that the government has failed to create unbiased civilized state media, and the private-owned media outlets are all reflective by the agendas of their owners and sponsors. He also added that while the social media does have an impact on people, it is uncertain how ready Kuwait is to adopt that new format yet. “There are quite a lot of pros for social media, but with the current lack of legislations, it is very easy for cons to override pros, especially with people impersonating certain figures or writing under pseudonyms,” he noted.

Sheikh Ahmad expected to face grilling KUWAIT: Anticipation is high for next week’s session of the parliament on May 31st, which is scheduled to feature the debate of the grilling motion filed by the National Action Bloc against Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister of Housing and Development Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad AlSabah, as well as the interpellation filed by the Development and Reform Bloc against His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah.

Regarding the Cabinet’s plans in facing the two grillings, sources familiar with the internal talks within the cabinet indicate that a similar tactic to that made regarding the Popular Action Bloc’s grilling to the Premier, is expected to be adopt-

News

in brief

KUWAIT: A delegation from the Bahraini Chamber of Commerce and Industry visited here yesterday a handicrafts workshop at Shuwaik which is part of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training way to encourage small projects in the country. A statement by the PAAET said that the delegation was introduced to the project and meet the people involved in it, exchanging views and experiences within their field.

Call to abide by gathering law KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Jasim AlKharafi yesterday stressed the need for people in the country to abide by law and order, without breaching state security, expressing hope MPs would conform to the state law on protests. After a recent demonstration outbreak in Kuwait and an Interior Ministry decision on this, he stressed MPs were responsible enough to ensure the country’s security and not be a part of these demonstrations.

Whether the parliament’s internal regulations would apply in regards to a recent brawl involving a number of MPs, he said that he alone did not hold the decision, but that this required a round of voting and recognition from within the National Assembly. He also called for the incident not to be magnified, as ‘this is not the nature of the people of Kuwait,’ adding that people could make mistakes when they get upset, but that these mistakes should be corrected and not repeated.

Amir to honor award winners KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will sponsor today an event to honour winners of the 10th Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah’s Informatics awards competition at Salwa Sabah Al-Ahmad Theater at the Marina. His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will attend the meeting on behalf of His Highness the Amir.

KRCS displays e-forum project KUWAIT: The Kuwait Red Crescent Society briefed Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross organizations on its humanitarian e-forum yesterday, designed to interact closely with the public and employees of the organization. Launched on May 13 this year, the forum aims to integrate information technology into the KRCS’s efforts, whereby news and views related to the organization’s aims can be posted and discussed, the head of information technology at KRCS, Awrad Al-Yahya said. KRCS views the web forum as one of the most efficient ways to exchange opinions and experience in the field of humanitarian work.

ed with the second grilling to the PM. Debate for the first grilling has been put on hold for up to a year after the parliament approved a cabinet’s request to send it to the constitutional court.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet is still undecided on whether to take a similar step with Sheikh Ahmad’s grilling or not. “The Cabinet’s new approach is to any grilling to the constitutional court if it contained any aspects suspected of being unconstitutional”, said the sources, reiterating speculations which suggest that the constitutional court is likely to be consulted with regards to two articles of Sheikh Ahmad ‘s grilling.

Despite that, Sheikh Ahmad continues to be encouraged

to face the grilling, with MP Dr. Yousuf Al-Zalzalah most recently urging the deputy premier to engage in the debate while acknowledging that “two of its articles are unconstitutional”. In another development, MP Adel Al-Saraawi announced that he had abruptly left the recent meeting of the budgets committee, and that due to reservations he has on the proposed budget project for the Kuwait Ports Authorities which was the main topic of discussion during the meeting. Al-Saraawi explained in a press statement that he doesn’t believe that the KPA’s administration is capable enough in achieving ambitions of turning Kuwait into a financial and economic hub on an international scale. — Al-Qabas

Rationalization in mosques KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water is resuming coordination with the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs regarding rationalization mechanisms needed to be adopted at mosques around the country during the summer.

Places of worship can be serious energy consumers due to their continuous lighting and air conditioning requirements in addition to the extensive amounts of water needed for Wudu or ablution.

On that regard, sources with knowledge of coordination between the two ministries said that mechanisms that will be taken include switching off lights at unused rooms, and turning off AC units outside of prayer times.

Furthermore, sources revealed plans are underway to use the ablution waters in irrigation for saplings to be planted around mosques.

The rationalization plans will also include awareness campaigns either in the form of posters and other visual media combined with preaches that address the necessity of saving on electricity and water. — Al-Qabas

Power cut hits five areas KUWAIT: A malfunction which triggered a 400 megawatts electricity shortage caused a total blackout in five areas last Monday. According to sources within the Ministry of Electricity and Water, residents in Khaitan, Farwaniya, Abdullah Al-Mubarak, Jeleeb Al-Shuyiukh and Sabhan were affected by power outage. Electricity was restored less than two hours later following the repairs.

Meanwhile, the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity denied rumors that the power cuts happened due to consumption overload, insisting that it happened as a result of technical problems in secondary transformers.

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

LOCAL

Global strategy needed to combat chronic diseases Kuwait calls for united efforts GENEVA: Kuwait has called on the international community to map out a global strategy to stem alarming spread of life-threatening chronic diseases including diabetes and high blood pressure across the world.

The Kuwaiti delegation, taking part in the 64th annual World Health Assembly, has called for drafting a joint document stipulating programs for aiding the member states improve nutrition and take action to slash rates of the spread of these diseases, including obesity, said Dr Nawal Al-Mejren, in charge of the department of nutrition of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health, addressing WHO’S annual convention.

Such non-communicable diseases contribute to 24 percent of the causes of deaths among Kuwaitis, at an age less than 60

Kuwaitis safe, in wake of Missouri tornado WASHINGTON: Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah affirmed here late Monday that all Kuwaiti students are safe and well in the wake of Sunday’s tornado that hit Missouri and across the Midwest areas.

Sheikh Salem said that the embassy and the Kuwaiti Cultural Office contacted the Kuwaiti students and were reassured of their safety.

“We want to reassure families that all students are safe and sound,” the Ambassador affirmed.

For his part, Director of the Cultural Office Dr Abdulaziz Al-Omar said that there are 67 undergraduate students in Missouri and nine in Minnesota, in addition to eight graduate students in both states, and that they are all well. US President Barack Obama directed the

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support response and recovery efforts in Missouri and across the Midwest in the wake of a tornado that killed 116 people in the city of Joplin, Missouri.

The twister was the deadliest in Missouri history and the most deadly from a single tornado in the United States since 1950. — KUNA

AL-QALAA: Kuwaiti flags were seen and the national anthem was heard all over Al-Qalaa town.

Al-Qalaa road named after Kuwait BEIRUT: Kuwaiti flags were seen and the National Anthem heard all over Al-Qalaa town amid a crowd of high-ranking officials and locals on the occasion of launching the name of Kuwait on the main road of Al-Qalaa.

The locals in the Lebanese AlQalaa town expressed their gratitude to Kuwait’s Amir His Highness Sheikh Sabah AlAhmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah over Kuwait’s unlimited support to Lebanon.

For his side, Al-QalaaHammana Municipality Mayor Brig Riyad Al-Awar said that “naming Kuwait on one of the main roads in Al-Qalaa is way to express our appreciation to Kuwait’s projects and outstanding contributions towards Lebanon.”

“Kuwait’s support of Lebanon on both the government and people’s level under the guidance of the Amir is not something new to us due to Kuwait’s love of Lebanon and Lebanon’s love of Kuwait,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s President of the Municipal Council Zaid

Ayish Al-Azmi said Kuwait’s municipality seeks cooperation with other Arab municipalities to exchange experience in this field, noting that the twinning agreement between both municipalities has been launched.

Al-Azmi said both sides coordinated the preliminary work mechanism of the agreement and a visit by Lebanese officials is expected soon to Kuwait.

Kuwaiti Municipality member Faraz Al-Daihani praised the level cooperation between his country and Lebanon in all fields, a matter which reflects Kuwait’s keenness to boost relations between both countries to serve the interest of their people.

On the other hand, Kuwaiti Municipality member Ahmad AlBughaili said Kuwaitis feel at home when visiting Lebanon, stressing that exchanged visits between both countries will further promote relations.

About two-third of the residential owners in Al-Qalaa town located in Mount Lebanon are Kuwaitis where they own 400 out of 600 residential units. — KUNA

Man acquitted of rape charges KUWAIT: The Felony Court has acquitted a young man of sexual assault charges due to lack of evidence, after the defense proved that the accused was framed up. The accused, a Gulf national in his 20s, was charged for allegedly assaulting a Filipina woman, employed by the brother-in-law of the accused. During the trial, the attorney Mohammad Kamal provided evidence to prove that the charges were pressed against his client by his brother-in-law due to former disputes between him and the accuser.

The attorney provided documents of previous cases Attorney Mohammad filed by both parties against each other, over past probKamal lems in addition to explaining that the charges were pressed after a fist fight that broke between the two when the accuser tried to take back his wife by force after she sought shelter at her brother’s house pending their divorce. The attorney further demanded that his client is released due to lack of concrete evidence to prove the assault charges.

years, and they are behind up to 57 of the deaths in general, said Dr AlMejren.

The Kuwaiti official also urged political leaders of states of the world to help in this realm and make commitments for the adoption of such a strategy to minimize these diseases’ health, social and economic impact. WHO, she said, could play a supportive role for implementation of such a document.

Echoing Kuwait’s concerns, the participating GCC health ministers and officials voiced support for international efforts aimed at combating such diseases from a “Gulf security perspective.”

A final statement of the 71st conference of the GCC Health Ministers, held on sidelines of WHO’s sessions, affirmed that Gulf States would take part with high-rank representation

at the meeting of the UN General Assembly that would be held in New York, in September, to address global health issues.

The statement underscored necessity of closer coordination among the GCC states in preparation for the international gathering and asserted necessity of pushing for international action against these diseases, in addition to local efforts by the governments at this level.

Meanwhile, the GCC commission for combating non-communicable diseases is due, during its upcoming meeting in Bahrain, on Sept 12 and 13, to draft new policies for coordinating efforts in this respect.

The body is tasked with following up on implementation of the adopted 2011-2020 plan for promoting public awareness of these health hazards. — KUNA

Kuwait FM arrives in Bali to attend NAM meeting BALI: Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah has arrived in Bali to take part in the 16th Ministerial Meeting of member states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) due on to open today. The foreign minister was received upon arrival by the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Indonesia Nasser Bareh Al-Enezi, Kuwaiti diplomats and an Indonesian official representing the ministry of foreign affairs.

Sheikh Dr Mohammad was accompanied by Director of Organizations Department at the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Jassem Al-Mubaraki, the deputy head of his office, Saleh AlLoughani, and senior staff of the ministry. Preparatory meetings had been held for the ministerial conference, aimed at mapping out a common strategy for the coming 50 years and setting basis for further coordination among the movement of 118 states.

The senior officials meeting will be followed by a commemorative meeting expected to produce a Bali Commemorative Declaration (BCD) to mark the 50th anniversary of NAM. The theme of the 16th NAM ministerial meeting and the Commemorative meeting is “Shared Vision on the Contribution of NAM for the next 50 years.” The meeting, to be officially inaugurated by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, will

review the NAM progress since the Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, in July 2009.

The NAM meeting’s organizing committee has invited 118 member countries; Fiji and Azerbaijan as new members, 18 observer countries (such as Argentine, Bosnia, Brazil, China, Serbia, Mexico and Ukraine), 10 observer organizations (among others the African Union, the United Nations, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference), 26 guest countries (such as the United States, Japan, and Russia), and 23 guest organizations (among others UNIDO, UNESCAP, and ICRC).

NAM was founded in Belgrade in September 1961, to forge solidarity, boost confidence and unite visions of 25 developing countries joining the Belgrade meeting. The late Egyptian president, Jamal Abdul Nasser, was one of the vanguard architects of establishing the movement. The new conference would be held amid drastic changes on the global arena that followed collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequently ended the Cold War that had largely polarized nations across the globe. The US, as a result, has emerged, many believe, as the globe’s sole most influential superpower.

However, economic powers have emerged following the collapse of the Soviet empire-namely China, India and the European Union. —KUNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Singapore Abduallaziz Al-Adwani with the participants of the seminar.

Kuwaiti envoy holds seminar on latest development in Mideast

KUWAIT: The Acting Director of the Public Authority for Youth and Sport Jassem Yaqoub received the Ukrainian Ambassador to Kuwait Vladimir Tolkach yesterday and discussed ways of boosting cooperation in the sports fields which include signing agreements to hold joint activities between the two countries.

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Singapore Abduallaziz Al-Adwani held a seminar on the latest developments in the Middle East and its impact on Singapore’s investment companies.

The seminar was held at the Kuwaiti ambassador’s residence in cooperation with Singapore Institute of International Affairs, one of the most important centers dedicated to the research, analysis and discussion of regional and international political issues.

Al-Adwani said that the seminar was attended by a number of heads of Singapore firms, academics and media figures that were specialized in the study and the follow-up of the Middle East developments.

He added that the discussions

focused on the fast-changing circumstances in the Middle East region as an attempt to understand the affecting factors and its impacts on investments.

“Many of the businessmen expressed their concern over instability in the region which would negatively affect their companies’ investments; investments that amount to $20 billion,” the Kuwait envoy pointed out.

He further explained that this concern was a result of high cost of the raw materials, high insurance fees and shortage of skilled labor. Participants in the seminar expressed hope that “an attractive environment for investments based on transparency and corruption-free” would be the outcome of such developments in the region. — KUNA

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

197 troops killed, missing in Abyei attack : Sudan

Tornado single deadliest in US since 1950 Page 9

Page 10

Netanyahu sees ‘painful’ land handovers Speech follows testy exchange with Obama

WASHINGTON: Members of Congress stand and applaud as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington yesterday.—AP WASHINGTON: Israel must seek peace with the Palestinians that will entail “painful compromises” including the handover of biblical land dear to Jews, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday. Addressing the US Congress after a testy exchange last week with President Barack Obama about the contours of a future Palestine state, the right-wing Israeli leader reiterated Israel’s terms for permanent accord.

“I am willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historical peace. As the leader of Israel, it is my responsibility,” he said. “Now,

this is not easy for me. It’s not easy, because I recognize that in a genuine peace we will be required to give up parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland,” he said, referring to the occupied West Bank. Though he implied Israel would cede some of its Jewish settlements there, Netanyahu said other settlements would be annexed as the new border would not return to lines held before the West Bank’s capture in the 1967 Middle East war.

“This compromise must reflect the dramatic demographic changes that have occurred since 1967,” he said, his speech repeatedly

interrupted by loud applause. Senior Palestinians swiftly rejected his vision for ending the decades-old conflict. “What came in Netanyahu’s speech will not lead to peace,” Nabil Abu Rdainah, the spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters in the West Bank. Netanyahu said Israel was prepared to be “generous” about the scope of the future Palestine, but it would have to be demilitarized and accept a long-term Israeli militar y presence in the Jordan Valley, Netanyahu said.

He also called on Palestinians to see their

future “homeland,” rather than Israel, as the place to settle refugees from the 1948 war that found the Jewish state whose national identity is still challenged by many Arabs. “It’s time for President Abbas to stand before his people and say, ‘I will accept a Jewish state’,” Netanyahu said to applause. “Those six words will change history. They will make it clear to the Palestinians that this conflict will come to an end,” he said. “And those six words will convince the people of Israel that they have a true partner for peace.”

Netanyahu also urged Abbas to back out of

a power-share deal signed this month with rival Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which opposes peacemaking, and to shelve a campaign to secure statehood status for Palestine at September ’s United Nations General Assembly. “Tear up your pact with Hamas and sit down and negotiate, make peace with the Jewish state,” he said. “The Palestinian attempt to impose a settlement through the United Nations will not bring peace, it should be forcefully opposed by all those who want to see this conflict end,” he said. “Peace cannot be imposed, it must be negotiated.” — Reuters

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Moroccan protestors fear tighter crackdown by police RABAT: Despite official promises to forge ahead with a reform programme, some Moroccans are sceptical of the authorities’ approach in view of the widespread use of force against protesting youths. “Those who fear an undermining of the announced reforms should be reassured: it’s a strategic and irreversible choice,” Communications Minister Khalid Naciri told AFP. “Morocco will not step backwards and will press right on through with the commitments that have been made at the highest level of state,” he added, referring to a speech made by King Mohammed VI on March 9.

In his broadcast address, the king of the north African country announced a series of major constitutional reforms, providing notably for the separation of powers among the executive, the judiciary and the legislative, along with increased powers for the prime minister. At the time, the speech was widely hailed, but since then critics have begun to speak out against the use of force by police, particularly against youths of the Movement of February 20, who call for radical democratic change in Morocco.

“The risk of a new tightening of the screws of security cannot be ruled out because people hostile to change are still very pres-

ent” in the corridors of power, said Lahcen Daoudi, the chairman of the parliamentary group of the Islamist opposition Justice and Development Party (PJD).

“The authorities need to show these young people that they have heard their message and are taking it into consideration. By repressing them, they seem to be giving the opposite impression,” Daoudi added. At the weekend, police broke up demonstrations by several hundred members of the Movement of February 20, named for the day when thousands first took to the streets calling for change.

Dozens of people were injured on Sunday

in the northern port of Tangiers.

Economist Fouad Abdelmoumni, who described himself as a “sympathiser” with the movement, warned that the “disproportionate use of force against young Moroccans appears to suggest that recent reforms carried out by Moroccan officials are not credible. “In using the repressive apparatus of state to crack down on a peaceful movement, Morocco is showing once again that it is no exception compared with other Arab regimes,” Abdelmoumni said. To justify the use of force against young demonstrators, the authorities regularly allege involvement in

protests by Islamist movements such as Justice and Charity, as well as political forces on the left.

Naciri said that Justice and Charity, which is one of the biggest movements in Morocco, is using demonstrations for greater democracy “to serve its own agenda”. Justice and Charity is officially banned, but its activities are often tolerated by the authorities. Contacted by AFP, the movement’s spokesman Fathallah Arsalane argued that “the state should answer the political and social demands of Moroccan society rather than coming down on our movement.” —AFP

Suspect site in Syria ‘very likely’ a nuclear reactor: IAEA First time IAEA officially makes such clear assessment

NABLUS: Palestinian workers wait in line to cross back after working in Israel, at the Azun checkpoint near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Elkana, near Nablus yesterday. —AP

Palestinian UN bid enters unknown territory RAMALLAH: President Barack Obama threw down a gauntlet this weekend: no vote at the United Nations, he asserted, would ever create a Palestinian state. The Palestinians hope to prove him wrong.

But their planned bid for UN recognition this fall of a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories occupied

by Israel since the 1967 Mideast war, enters largely unknown legal ground, and the Palestinians are still trying to work out how best to work the UN labyrinth.

By a strict reading of U.N rules, an American veto at the Security Council, which appears likely, would seem to derail any attempt to win recognition of Palestine as a UN member from the General Assembly, where there is widespread sympathy for the Palestinian cause. Never before has the assembly taken on a new member state without a nod from the council.

But legal experts say there may be ways to maneuver around that block. The question is whether any declaration the Palestinians can wrest from the General Assembly would be a largely symbolic gesture or would be strong enough to win them valuable legal leverage against Israel’s occupation. And at this stage, it’s also uncertain whether Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will actually proceed with the UN option. He is to consult with leaders of the PLO and his Fatah movement yesterday to consider his next move. Dropping the UN bid would dash rising expectations among Palestinians that statehood will be declared in September. Proceeding would risk confrontation with Obama, who laid out his parameters for a peace deal , including assurances that it must be based on the pre-1967 war lines , in hopes of getting the Palestinians to desist from unilateral actions.

Seeking UN recognition of a Palestinian state is an idea born out of frustration, after two decades of on-andoff Israeli-Palestinian talks produced few results. Abbas has said he prefers to establish a state through negotiations, and that he is being pushed into unilateral steps by Israel’s refusal to engage in talks on terms backed by the international community.

For years, the Palestinians have been collecting recognition of a state of Palestine from individual countries , and so far 112 nations have done so, mostly in the developing world. The Palestinians

predict they will have 135 recognitions

by September, more than two-thirds of the 192 UN member states.

Their bid at the United Nations would be a more dramatic step: seeking some sort of official recognition by the world body as a nation defined by the 1967 borders.

As a first choice, the Palestinians would seek full UN membership as a nation state, Nabil Shaath, an Abbas aide, said Monday.

Right away they would probably face a problem in the form of a US veto. The UN Charter states the admission of new members “will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.”

The council makes its membership recommendation through a resolution, meaning it must be approved by at least nine of the council’s 15 members and not be vetoed by one of the five permanent members, including the US The General Assembly has never admitted a member without a favorable ruling of the Security Council, said John B. Quigley, an international law professor at Ohio State University.

But, he said, the Palestinians and their supporters could try to rally arguments for the assembly to bypass council approval. Quigley cited an advisory ruling from the International Court of Justice, a UN body , that a decision on membership must not involve political considerations and should only determine if a would-be member is peace-loving and meets the criteria for statehood.

Conceivably, General Assembly members could claim that a US veto was issued for inappropriate reasons, opening legal arguments at the UN That may be a hard case for them to make, however. Quigley noted that another ICJ advisory ruling states a recommendation from the Security Council is needed for UN membership. Another possibility of bypassing the Security Council , at least to a degree , is the socalled “Uniting for Peace” resolution, first invoked in 1950 to circumvent further Soviet vetoes during the course of the Korean war, UN officials say.

Such a resolution allows the General Assembly to consider collective action if the Security Council, because of a veto, “fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.” To date, 10 emergency special sessions have been convened under “Uniting for Peace.”— AP

Lebanese Shiite cleric arrested for ‘spying’ BEIRUT: Lebanon’s military intelligence bureau has arrested a top Shiite cleric known for his opposition to Hezbollah on suspicion he was spying for Israel, the state-run news agency reported yesterday. “Military intelligence officers last Saturday arrested the head of the Arab Islamic Council Mohammed Ali Al-Husseini on charges he was conspiring with the Israeli enemy,” the National News Agency reported.

Husseini, a Shiite cleric known for his staunch opposition to Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hezbollah, was arrested during an army raid on his home in the southern coastal city of Tyre, it said. The Arab Islamic Council is a small group of Shiite Muslims whose aim is to “reclaim Shiite decision-making from those who have hijacked it in the name of our confession,” or Hezbollah, according to its mission

statement. Military officials contacted

by AFP could not provide immediate comment. More than 100 people have been arrested on suspicion of espionage since April 2009, when security forces launched a crackdown on Israeli spy rings.

The suspects include telecom employees, high-ranking members of the military and active duty troops. Six men have been sentenced to death on spying charges since 2009, including one found guilty of aiding Israel during its devastating 2006 war with Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

But none of the death sentences have been carried out yet. Lebanon and Israel remain technically in a state of war and convicted spies face life in prison with hard labor or the death penalty if found guilty of contributing to Lebanese loss of life. —AFP

VIENNA: A remote desert site in Syria that was bombed by Israeli planes in September 2007 was “very likely” a nuclear reactor, the UN atomic watchdog said yesterday. “Based on all the information available to the agency and its technical evaluation of that information, the agency assesses that it is very likely that the building destroyed at the Dair Alzour site was a nuclear reactor which should have been declared to the agency,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a new restricted report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. It is the first time that the IAEA has officially made such a clear assessment since it began in 2008 investigating allegations of Syrian nuclear capabilities. The United States in particular accuse Syria of building an undeclared reactor at Dair Alzour with North Korean help until the site was razed to the ground by Israeli planes. But Damascus has persistently stonewalled the IAEA’s investigation, granting inspector access to the site only once in June 2008 and not allowing any follow-up visits to either Dair Alzour or other possible related sites since then.

In a strongly-worded nine-page report, circulated to IAEA member states yesterday, the IAEA said features of the destroyed building were “comparable to those of gas cooled graphite moderated reactors.” Before it was bombed, the configuration of the site’s infrastructure-including its connections for cooling and treated water-”was able to support the operation of such a reactor,” the IAEA said.

And the layout of the site “was not consistent with Syria’s claims regarding the purpose of the infrastructure,” the report said.

Syria has consistently denied the allegations, insisting Dair Alzour was a military and nonnuclear site and the IAEA therefore had no right to go there. A number of other features of the site also pointed to its suitability for the construction and operation of a nuclear reactor, the IAEA said.

BEIRUT: Pro-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters, shout slogans during a buffer between pro and anti-Assad protesters, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Monday. —AP Analysis of samples taken from the site indicated “a connection to nuclear related activities.” And the features of the destroyed building and the site “could not have served the purpose claimed by Syria.”

The IAEA said the circumstances relating to the Dair Alzour site were unique “in that the building on the site has been destroyed, the debris from the site has been cleared, several years have now passed, and Syria has not provided the necessary cooperation required by the agency.”

And it concluded: “Notwithstanding the loss of substantial information, after considering the initial allegations and Syria’s responses thereto and considering all information available to the agency, the agency concludes that the destroyed building was very likely a nuclear reactor and should have

been declared by Syria.” The wording of the report was much tougher than in any of the IAEA’s previous reports, and a senior international official familiar with the investigation said the sharper tone reflected the growing frustration with Damascus.

“Syria has not cooperated since June 2008,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

IAEA director general Yuk iya Amano turned up the pressure by writing to Syria’s foreign minister at the end of last year, the first time an IAEA chief has done so. “But that didn’t unblock the situation either,” the official said. The IAEA had given Syria ample opportunity to engage, but to no effect so far. It had therefore decided to publish its assessment that the building was likely a nuclear reactor, the official said. — AFP

Egyptian Islamist group eyes politics

CAIRO: In this photo released by the Jordan Royal Palace, the head of Egypt’s Military Council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, left,and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, center, review honor guards upon Abdullah’s arrival in Cairo, Egypt yesterday. —AP

Iraq’s draft oil law needs major work BAGHDAD: Iraq must overhaul the draft of its long-delayed oil law but will press ahead with developing its petroleum industry while debate on the divisive legislation drags on, Deputy Prime Minister Hussain Al-Shahristani said. Investors have been waiting for approval of a hydrocarbon law to guarantee a more solid legal framework for exploration.

The law has also been seen as pivotal to reconciling Iraq’s political factions as the country rebuilds after years of war.

But Iraq is nevertheless already developing oilfields, signing billions of dollars in service contracts with international companies, under old legislation. The draft oil law was approved by the cabinet in 2007 but has faced opposition, mainly from semi-autonomous Kurdistan.

“Frankly, the hydrocarbons draft approved by cabinet in 2007 is not fitting to become law. It requires major changes,” Shahristani, who has special responsibility for energy, told Reuters in an interview yesterday.

“We signed contracts with global oil majors and no one asked if there is a hydrocarbon law or not,” Shahristani said.

Work began on the law in 2005 under a new constitution. It has remained

stymied by differences between majority Arabs and minority Kurds over revenuesharing and control over some fields in their region. Besides deciding who controls the country’s oil reserves and setting up a new state oil company to oversee the industry nationwide, the law aims to provide a more solid legal framework for attracting foreign investment.

The next meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is due on June 8 and Shahristani said he saw no need for the body to reconsider its production target.

He said he expected world oil prices to stay at an average of more than $100 a barrel for the rest of the year. Yesterday, July Brent rose $2.47 to a high of $112.57 per barrel, before slipping back a little to trade around $112.25 by 1324 GMT. US light crude futures rose $2.12 to $99.82.

Shahristani said Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS) has also agreed to sign a development contract for the Akkas gas field and the deal could be finalised next month. Akkas, the country’s largest gas field, has estimated reserves of 5.6 trillion cubic feet. “KOGAS informed us about them agreeing to come to Baghdad and sign the Akkas contract. — Reuters

CAIRO: An Egyptian Islamist group that took up arms against the state in the 1980s and 1990s wants to form a political party and contest the country’s first free elections in decades, one of its senior members said yesterday. Gama’a alIslamiya was outlawed under former President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in February in a popular uprising after three decades in power.

Since then, the movement’s leadership has begun preaching non-violent means to reach its goal of an Islamic state. A senior member of Gama’a Al-Islamiya, Tarek Al-Zumar, said the group was launching plans for a “civil political party based on Islamic principles” that would even welcome members of Egypt’s Christian minority.

“The party will not use violence in dealing with any situation or with the state and will abide by Egyptian law and the constitution,” said Zumar, who expects to be a member of the party’s policy unit. Zumar and his cousin Abboud were involved in the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981.

They were released from jail in March, five weeks after Mubarak was ousted, signalling a dramatic change in the government’s stance on radical Islamist groups. To many Egyptians, the name of Zumar is synonymous with the most violent period of Egypt’s recent history and the idea of such a radical group entering mainstream politics is likely to alarm secularists and members of the Christian minority. Polls due in September are being seen as the first free Egyptian elections in decades. Mubarak’s opponents said previous polls were rigged to ensure a crushing win for his party.

Zumar said his party would not field a candidate in the presidential race, due before the end of this year. “We want to tell the world that Islamists are not seeking power. We will support any candidate agreed on by the different national groups,” Zumar said.

“We will work to remove the people’s fears of Islamists. Our new party will include Christians and women would be able to hold senior posts in the party if they win them, as all posts will be chosen through internal elections,” he added.

He said Gama’a Al-Islamiya had not yet chosen a name for the new party or decided how many parliamentary seats it would contest, but it would be far fewer than the number targeted by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s biggest Islamist movement. Brotherhood officials say they aim to contest up to half the seats in parliament. —AFP

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

US hits more foreign firms with Iran sanctions Administration widens scope

CHICAGO: In this courtroom sketch, Chicago businessman Tahawwur Rana is shown in federal court as the prosecutor makes an opening argument Monday in Chicago. —AP

Top witness in Mumbai terror trial on stand CHICAGO: More details about the plotting behind the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks , and alleged involvement by a Pakistani militant group and the country’s largest intelligence agency , were expected to emerge yesterday as the government’s star witness returned to the stand in the federal terrorism trial of a Chicago businessman. The trial of businessman Tahawwur Rana is being closely watched around the world for what the attack’s scout , Rana’s longtime friend David Coleman Headley , might reveal about possible links between the anti-India militant group, Lashkare-Taiba, and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, known as the ISI. Headley already has pleaded guilty to laying the groundwork for the Mumbai attacks, and he agreed to testify against Rana to avoid the death penalty, making him one of the most valuable US government counterterrorism witnesses. His testimony was expected to resume yesterday.

What Headley says during the trial could inflame tensions between Pakistan and India and place more pressure on the already frayed US and Pakistani relations. His testimony also could add to the questions about Pakistan’s commitment to catch terrorists and the ISI’s connections to Pakistan-based terror groups, espe-

cially after Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces in a military garrison town outside Islamabad earlier this month. The Pakistani government has denied the ISI orchestrated three-day siege in Mumbai that left more than 160 people dead, including six Americans. Pakistani intelligence officials have not commented on the trial. Headley, a PakistaniAmerican, detailed for jurors Monday how he spent months making videotape surveillance and recording GPS locations of sites in Mumbai, including the Taj hotel and boat landings.

He testified that he also traveled to Pakistan numerous times to debrief with insiders of Lashkar-e-Taiba and ISI. “They coordinated with each other and ISI provided assistance to Lashkar,” said Headley, who told jurors he first started training with Lashkar in 2000. Headley said that in Pakistan he met with a man by the name of “Major Iqbal,” who was described as working for the ISI, and with Headley’s Lashkar handler, Sajid Mir. Both Pakistani men, along with four others, are charged in absentia in a federal indictment, but Rana is the only one on trial. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors allege that Rana, a Canadian citizen who runs a Chicagobased immigration and law services business, let Headley open an office

in Mumbai and travel as a representative of the company while he scouted for the attacks where gunmen arrived by boat for a three-day siege. Rana is also accused of helping arrange travel and other help for Headley, who planned an attack that never happened on a Danish newspaper. The Jyllands-Posten newspaper in 2005 printed car toons of Prophet Muhammad that angered Muslim worldwide because pictures of the prophet are prohibited in Islam.

Rana and Headley, both 50, met as classmates at a prestigious military boarding school in Pakistan and have stayed in touch. Defense attorneys told jurors their client was taken advantage of by his longtime friend and did not know what was in store.

But Assistant US Attorney Sarah Streicker said Rana was not duped and knew of the plans, both in Mumbai and Denmark.

Defense attorneys were expected scrutinize Headley’s credibility as a witness, saying he has been motivated to change his story and that he was working for the US government even as he said he was working for Lashkar and ISI. Headley, born Daood Gilani in the US, has also been an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Administration after a drug conviction.— AP

Brazil debates weak forest protection law

JOPLIN: A destroyed apartment complex is seen in an aerial view over Joplin, Mo yesterday.—AP

Tornado single deadliest in US since 1950 JOPLIN: A tornado that killed 117 people in Missouri was the single deadliest twister in the past 60 years, according to National Weather Service.

Gov. Jay Nixon’s spokesman, Sam Murphey, said yesterday morning that the death toll in Joplin had risen to 117. Until this week, the single deadliest tornado on record with the National Weather Service in the past six decades was a twister that killed 116 people in Flint, Michigan, in 1953.

More deaths have resulted from outbreaks of multiple tornadoes. On April 27, a pack of twisters roared across six Southern states, killing 314 people, more than two-thirds of them in Alabama. That was the single deadliest day for tornadoes since the National Weather Service began keeping such records in 1950. The agency has done research that shows deadlier outbreaks before 1950. It says the single deadliest day that it is aware of was March 18, 1925, when tornadoes killed 747 people.

Sunday’s killer tornado ripped through the heart of Joplin, a workingclass southwest Missouri city of 50,000 people, slamming straight into St John’s Regional Medical Center. The hospital confirmed that five of the dead were patients , all of them in critical condition before the tornado hit. A hospital visitor also was killed. The tornado destroyed possibly “thousands” of homes, Fire Chief Mitch Randles told AP. It leveled hundreds of businesses, including massive ones such as Home Depot and Walmart.

Speaking from London, President Barack Obama said he would travel to Missouri on Sunday to meet with people whose lives have been turned upside down by the twister. He vowed to make all federal resources available for efforts to recover and rebuild.

“The American people are by your side,” Obama said. “We’re going to stay

there until every home is repaired, until every neighborhood is rebuilt, until every business is back on its feet.”

Craig Fugate, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told NBC television yesterday that Obama has declared a disaster in the area, which means residents are eligible for his agency’s assistance.

“We’re here for the long haul, not just for the response,” Fugate said.

Fugate, Nixon and Sen. Claire McCaskill were viewing the damage yesterday by helicopter, Murphey said. Much of Joplin’s landscape has been changed beyond recognition. House after house was reduced to slabs, cars were crushed like soda cans and shaken residents roamed streets in search of missing family members. The danger was by no means over. Fires from gas leaks burned across city. The smell of ammonia and propane filled the air in some damaged areas. And the forecast looked grim.

The April tornadoes that devastated the South unspooled over a threeday period starting in the Plains. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, said a repeat could be setting up, with a possible large tornado outbreak in the Midwest yesterday and bad weather potentially reaching the East Coast by Friday.

“This is a very serious situation brewing,” center director Russell Schneider said. Early yesterday, the center said there was a moderate risk of severe weather in central and southeast Kansas and southwestern Missouri, which could include Joplin. It raised the warning for severe weather in central Oklahoma, southern Kansas and north Texas to high risk indicating that tornadoes will hit in those areas.

The Storm Prediction Center also issued a high-risk warning before the deadly outbreak in the South in April.— AP

SAO PAULO : Brazilian legislators are pushing to resume debate yesterday on changes to an environmental law that watchdog groups warn will speed destruction of the Amazon rain forest.

Supporters of the bill, which would loosen restrictions on the amount of forested areas that could be legally cut, are confident it will pass Brazil’s lower house, though a vote on the measure has been delayed three times before. If passed, the measure would go to the Senate. The Brazilian Amazon is considered by many experts to be the world’s biggest natural defense against global warming, acting as a “sink,” or absorber, of carbon dioxide. At the same time, about 20 percent of the Brazilian rain forest already has been destroyed, and 75 percent of Brazil’s emissions are estimated to come from forest clearing as vegetation burns and felled trees rot.

The government blames deforestation on cattle ranchers and soy farmers who cut down trees to make way for more crop and grazing land.

Brazil’s “Forest Code” law now states that landowners in the Amazon, a vast area the size of western Europe, must maintain standing forest on 80 percent of their property.

That percentage drops to 35 percent and even 20 percent in other regions like the Cerrado, a savanna that occupies a fourth of the country’s total area. The bill introduced last year by Deputy Aldo Rebelo would exempt from these rules small farmers and ranchers who have no more than 990 acres (400 hectares) of land , and would give amnesty from fines to those who illegally felled trees up to July 2008.

It also would halve the strips along rivers that cannot be touched to 50 feet (15 meters) from the river’s edge from the current 100 feet (30 meters) and would allow farmers to use hilltops. Environmentalists say both changes would lead to flooding, silty rivers and erosion. Environmental groups contend the full package of proposed changes would inflict severe damage on the rain forest. “It will make the ‘savannization’ cycle, which in some regions has already begun, irreversible, and there will be less rainfall in the Amazon,” said Paulo Adario, coordinator of the environmental group Greenpeace’s Amazon campaign.

Others complain that giving those who have illegally cut down forest an amnesty would set a bad example, and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has said she would veto that. “The proposed amnesty upholds a long tradition in Brazil of legalizing the illegal. People believe they can deforest illegally because sooner or later all will be forgiven,” said Philip Fearnside of the government ’s National Institute for Amazon Research.—AP

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration yesterday hit seven foreign companies, including Venezuela’ state-owned oil company and an Israeli shipping firm, with sanctions for doing business with Iran that helps fund its nuclear program.

At the same time, the administration imposed separate sanctions on more than 15 people and companies in China, Iran, North Korea, Syria and elsewhere for illicit trading in missile technology and weapons of mass destruction.

The State Department announced the penalties as the administration widened the scope of measures against firms that supply or transport refined petroleum products, including gasoline, to Iran. The announcement came a day after President Barack Obama signed an executive order giving the departments of Treasury and State more leeway in targeting companies involved in Iran’s energy sector in order to boost pressure on Iran to meet international demands and prove its nuclear program is peaceful.

The sanctions are the first specifically related to refined petroleum exports to Iran since legislation to allow for such measures was approved last year by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama. Nine other companies have been hit with sanctions under broader provisions of the law.

The affected companies include Petroleos de Venezuela, Tanker Pacific of Singapore, Ofer Brothers Group of Israel, Associated Shipbroking of Monaco, Petrochemical Commercial Company International of Jersey and Iran, the Royal Oyster Group of the United Arab Emirates and Speedy Ship of the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

“All of these companies have engaged in activities related to the supply of refined petroleum products to Iran, including the direct supply of gasoline and related products,” Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said in announcing the sanctions. US officials say Iran uses revenue from its energy sector to fund its nuclear program. “Those who continue to irresponsibly support Iran’s energy sector and help facilitate Iran’s efforts to evade US sanctions will face serious consequences.” For the most part, the sanctions will cut the companies off from business with the United States, although Steinberg said the penalties had been tailored to fit each firm.

Petroleos de Venezuela, for example, will

be barred from any US government contracts, US import-export financing and export licenses for sensitive technology.

But it will not be banned from selling oil to the United States or affect any of its subsidiaries, including the US firm Citgo.

Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA, has delivered at least two cargoes of refined petroleum products worth about $50 million to Iran between Dec. 2010 and March, according to the State Department.

The Israeli company, along with Tanker Pacific of Singapore, are accused of failing to exercise due diligence in participating in the 2010 sale of an oil tanker to the Iranian national shipping company, which is already under US and European sanctions. The two firms are now barred from getting loans of more than $10 million from American banks and from getting US export licenses. The administration credits the sanctions law with persuading five major multinational oil firms to withdraw from business deals with Iran and convince major insurers such as Lloyd’s of London to stop covering shipments of refined petroleum to Iran. The State Department says it has also convinced jet fuel suppliers in 17 European nations to which Iran Air flies to stop pro-

viding fuel to its planes. In addition to the Iran sanctions, the administration imposed penalties on 16 individuals and firms from Belarus, China, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela for violating the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act by selling or buying sensitive equipment and technology related to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and ballistic missile systems.

Those affected by the sanctions will be barred from any US government contracts, US assistance, banned from purchasing American defense articles and denied licenses to sell them for a period of two years. The sanctions affect the Belarusian Optical Mechanical Association and BelTechExport of Belarus; Karl Lee, Dalian Sunny Industries, Dalian Zhongbang Chemical Industries Company and Xian Junyun Electronic of China; Milad Jafari, the Defense Industries Organization, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force, SAD Import-Export Company and Shahid Bakeri Industries Group of Iran; Tangun Trading of North Korea; the Industrial Establishment of Defense and Scientific Studies and Research Center of Syria and Venezuela’s Military Industries Company. — AP

Mexico detains 16 police who protected drug gang MEXICO CITY: Forget “get out of jail free” cards. Prosecutors said Monday they have detained 16 policemen who allegedly took bribes to protect members of a drug gang who carried specially marked cards to avoid detention.

Authorities said some of the officers from a town on the outskirts of Mexico City were paid to warn members of a gang known as “The Hand with Eyes” about impending raids by other police forces. “In some cases, the suspect police acknowledged that the gang, in order not to be detained or taken to jail, would show a card that had an exclusive design and that identified them as members of the drug distribution network,” said Alfredo Castillo, chief prosecutor for Mexico State, which borders Mexico City. Other officers were allegedly paid to be on the lookout for the gang’s rivals and even protect the gang’s leaders. Castillo said

the corrupt police officers received payments of 1,500 to 5,000 pesos ($125 to $425) each time they helped, but they had a strange code of ethics: Some would accept only drugs and not cash in payment for their services.

The officers relied on the latest technology to build their network of corruption, according to Castillo, who said the scheme was detected through cell phone tracking and monitoring social networking sites on the Web. Elsewhere, police in the resort city of Acapulco found a decapitated body and a head with mutilated ears inside a cab left next to a hotel in a tourist area Monday. The earless head was on the passenger seat, and the body with its hands tied lay in the back seat. Police also reported finding a poster board with a threatening message for the governor of Guerrero state, Angel Aguirre. —AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Somali parliament leader: Presidential vote soon NAIROBI: The speaker of Somalia’s parliament said yesterday that a vote to elect a president will be held soon despite objections by the incumbent, an indication that a disagreement between the top two leaders is far from resolved.

Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden said that President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed has to abide by the law, which calls for elections when the government’s term expires in August. “If we don’t elect a president and speaker, there will be no law that in the future can prevent anyone from claiming the president’s and speaker’s positions. That is why elections are needed to be held,” Aden told The Associated Press in an inter-

view in Nairobi.

Aden and Ahmed failed this month to agree on how to deal with the upcoming transitions, even after holding four one-onone meetings in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The Somali government spokesman did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment. The president’s office said it had no immediate comment.

Hareed Hassan Ali, a spokesman for a parliamentary committee assigned to prepare the elections, said the vote will be held in July or August. Ahmed’s government has asked for a one-year extension to give it time to try to break the hold that the country’s most dangerous militant group, al-

Shabab, has on Somalia’s south and central regions.

Pro-government forces have made gains against the insurgents in the capital in recent months, and are now closing in on the city’s largest market, Bakara, one of the militants’ top financial sources.

Government-allied troops have also chased militants from several southern towns along the border with Kenya and Ethiopia. But Aden said it was wrong to say that a presidential vote would affect the military momentum.

“The public should not be misled. We should not say the country is in a state of war and elections cannot be held,” he said.

“Ordinary Somalis are not the ones voting in the presidential election. It is the parliament that is electing a president, and the parliament holds its sessions on a regular basis.”

Under the country’s interim charter, the parliament has the sole power to elect a president and parliament speaker. Aden, 57, warned that if elections are not held by August, chaos will ensue.

It “is a choice between order and the lack of it,” he said. “I believe in holding elections, and to me it is the right path to take.” Aden is in Nairobi to meet with a delegation from the UN Security Council later this week.

Many in Somalia suspect that Aden harbors presidential aspirations. He said in the

interview that he is interested in becoming president “but everything will depend on how circumstances unfold.” Ahmed was elected for a two-year term in 2009 after his opposition group signed a deal with the government.

Ahmed, a former Islamist, headed an insurgent group that called for the removal of Ethiopian forces who entered Somalia in late 2006 to prop up the country’s ever-fragile government.

Aden said he and the president are still friends despite their political differences.

“There is no problem between us. We can meet at any time,” he said. “The problem is I want to abide by the law.”— AP

Obamas meet royals on British state visit 41-gun salute at Buckingham Palace

REYKJAVAK: A dead lamb lies covered in ash near Kirkjubaearklaustur 260 km (162 miles) from ReykjavÌk, Iceland yesterday.—AP

Hundreds of flights hit as ash reaches Britain LONDON: Airlines grounded about 500 flights yesterday after ash from an Icelandic volcano swept over Britain and towards northern Europe in a fresh travel nightmare for thousands of passengers.

Barely a year after a similar eruption in Iceland forced the biggest closure of European airspace since World War II, ash-laden clouds caused flights in and out of Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland to be cancelled.

British Airways led the way in cancelling flights as the plume from the Grimsvoetn volcano spread eastwards, followed by Dutch airline KLM, Ireland’s Aer Lingus and budget airlines easyJet and Ryanair. “Approximately 500 flights were cancelled from the approximately 29,000 that would have been expected today across Europe,” said a statement from Brussels-based air traffic controllers Eurocontrol.

The ash cloud caused minor air traffic disruption in Norway and closed a small part of Denmark’s airspace yesterday, and Eurocontrol warned there was a “strong possibility” that would spread to southwest Sweden by today. “This would have some impact on flights. However, given the new procedures in place and the predicted movement of the ash cloud over the coming days, the actual impact on flights is expected to be relatively low,” it said.

Weather charts produced by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre run by Britain’s Met Office predicted that a low cloud of ash would sweep across northern Europe overnight yesterday, taking in northern Germany, Poland and Scandinavia. Authorities say the ash can damage planes and stop engines, but Ryanair flew a plane through Scottish airspace and said it detected no ash on the aircraft. It accused British and Irish authorities of over-reacting but reluc-

tantly cancelled its flights to and from Scotland-almost 70 in total. The growing chaos threatens planning for events ranging from the G8 summit to the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United which takes place at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Barcelona said its squad would fly to London yesterday, two days earlier than planned, due to the “uncertainty” caused by the volcano. European Union transport commissioner Siim Kallas played down fears that the situation could get as bad as 2010, when thousands of travellers from around the world were left stranded. “We do not at this stage anticipate widespread airspace closure and prolonged disruption like we saw last year,” Kallas told a news conference.

Iceland’s Meteorological Office said activity at the volcano had slowed yesterday and the ash plume had overnight dropped from its peak altitude of 20 kilometres (12 miles) to between three and five kilometres. The most high-profile victim of the chaos was US President Barack Obama, who was forced to leave Ireland for London a day ahead of schedule on Monday night to avoid being stranded there.

Obama is among the leaders of the world’s major industrialized nations due to attend a summit in northwest France from tomorrow which could also be disrupted if the cloud drifts further south.

Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis was meanwhile forced to cancel a visit to Britain scheduled for today and tomorrow, his spokesman said. When Iceland’s Eyjafjoell volcano erupted last year, the ash plume arrived first in Britain before spreading across the rest of Europe. Many airlines were deeply unhappy at the time at being forced to halt their flights. — AFP

Uganda rebels continue central Africa attacks DUNGU: A coalition of nearly 40 human rights groups called on the US to step up efforts to fight against a brutal Ugandan-led rebel group that has intensified its attacks in central Africa, especially in Congo’s volatile northeast.

In a statement late Monday, the groups, which include New Yorkbased Human Rights Watch, said a special envoy should be appointed for the African Great Lakes region. That envoy, they said, should have a mandate that extends to areas where the Lord’s Resistance Army is most active, “to support stronger United Nations peacekeeping and to intensify efforts to arrest” LRA leaders being sought by the International Criminal Court.

“The governments of Congo, the Central African Republic, and Southern Sudan, countries where the group is currently active, have not shown sufficient capability or resolve to protect civilians adequately from LRA abuses,” the human rights and humanitarian groups said in a statement. Last May, President Barack Obama’s administration signed into law an act that commits the US to help civilians threatened by the LRA. “Many of us believed that President Obama’s commitment to addressing

the LRA threat would finally help stop our suffering,” said Abbe Benoit Kinalegu of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission in Dungu. “Yet one year later, we continue to live in fear as the LRA’s attacks have shown no signs of decreasing.” The LRA, which originated in Uganda, is known for vicious attacks against civilians, for abducting and forcing children to become members of the group and for brutally torturing others. Its leader, Joseph Kony, is wanted by the International Criminal Court. Two other leaders, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen, are also wanted under ICC arrest warrants issued in July 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in northern Uganda. Since 2008, the LRA has killed nearly 2,400 civilians and abducted about 3,400 others, according to Human Rights Watch and UN documentation. LRA attacks continue in northern Congo, eastern Central African Republic and in Southern Sudan, the rights group said. Nearly 120 attacks were carried out in the first four months of 2011, killing 81 civilians, Human Rights Watch said in its report, also released Monday. Of those attacks, 97 were carried out in Congo. — AP

LONDON: US President Barack Obama basked yesterday in the royal pageantry of a state visit to Britain, given an extra dash of glamour by a brief encounter with Prince William and his new bride Catherine. The president and his wife Michelle were welcomed by Queen Elizabeth II and a 41-gun salute in the gardens of Buckingham Palace at the start of a twoday visit mixing pomp with serious diplomacy.

Obama’s time in London will include talks with Prime Minister David Cameron aimed in part at spurring a push for democracy in the wake of the Arab Spring. But the focus of yesterday was a day with the royals, starting with a meeting with William and Catherine, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, less than a month after watching their fairytale wedding on television.

In a picture released afterwards, Catherine, wearing a pale coffee-colored dress and looking tanned after her honeymoon in the Seychelles, chatted with the First Lady while the prince talked with Obama. The Obamas were not invited to the April 29 wedding so it was the first opportunity for them to congratulate the royal couple. Later, the queen was to fete Obama with all the trappings of a state dinner before the Obamas retire to the palace’s sumptuous Belgian suite, last used by William and the former Kate Middleton on their wedding night.

But the 24-hour demands that follow a US president everywhere shadowed the London pomp, as Obama took time out to say he was “heartbroken” at the toll of vicious tornados which ripped across the US midwest, killing 116 people. The serious political business of the visit happens today, and Obama and Cameron limbered up for their talks with a vow to support those risking their lives for reform in the Arab world.

“We will not stand by as their aspirations get crushed in a hail of bombs, bullets and mortar fire. We are reluctant to use force, but when our interests and values come together, we know we have a responsibility to act,” they wrote. “We will stand with those who want to bring light into dark, support those who seek freedom in place of repression, aid those laying the building blocks of democracy,” they

LONDON: US President Barack Obama (L) and US First Lady Michelle Obama (R) meet Britain’s Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge (2nd L) and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (2nd R) at Buckingham Palace, in central London yesterday. —AFP said in an article in the Times newspaper.

In a riff on the so-called “special relationship” between the US and Britain, Obama and Cameron also heralded a new “essential relationship” between the countries. Diplomatic and military maneuvering is heating up over Libya ahead of the G8 summit in France, Obama’s next stop on a four-nation European tour which began with a journey to his ancestral roots in Ireland and also takes in Poland.

Mindful that no US leader can afford to hobnob with royals abroad while a disaster unfolds at home, Obama said he would visit the Missouri tornado disaster zone on Sunday, hours after returning from Europe. Yesterday, after the formal welcome and lunch, the queen showed the Obamas US-related items from the royal family’s archives. In the traditional exchange of gifts, the royals gave the Obamas a gift of letters to and from US presidents to Queen Victoria in the 19th century.

In return, the president gave the queen

and her husband a leather-bound album of memorabilia of a visit made by her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, to the US in 1939, and equestrian-related items reflecting the royals’ love of horses.

The queen struck up a visibly close friendship with Michelle Obama when the Obamas visited Britain for the first time in 2009, with both women putting their arms around each other in a highly unusual gesture. “There is a genuine, genuine-and I really mean this-a genuine warmth between the two families,” a palace spokesman said.

The Obamas also laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey. In a slice of history, America’s first black president passed beneath a statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, installed above the ancient abbey’s Great West Door in 1998. Today, the president is granted the rare honour of addressing both houses of the British parliament. —AFP

197 troops killed, missing in Abyei attack: Sudan JUBA: Seventy northern Sudanese troops were killed and more than 120 are missing from an attack last week by southern Sudanese forces near the disputed region of Abyei, a Sudanese diplomat said yesterday, describing a toll that if verified marks one of the bloodiest clashes since the end of Sudan’s civil war. The south voted to secede from Sudan, Africa’s largest country, this year but the future of the 4,000-square -mile (10,500square-kilometer) Abyei region, which lies near the north-south border, was left in doubt. The fighting that began last Thursday threatens to unravel a 2005 peace deal and re-ignite a civil war that left more than 2 million people dead.

According to the UN, southern troops started the clash Thursday by attacking a column of northern troops and UN troops peacekeepers who moving away from Abyei. The UN condemned the attack. A UN spokeswoman, Hua Jiang, said yesterday that no UN troops were killed. Kamal Ismail Saeed, Sudan’s ambassador to Kenya, told a news conference in Nairobi that 197 northern troops were killed or missing after the southern attack. A more detailed statement from his embassy said 70 troops were killed and more than 120 others missing. Saeed said the attack caused the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, to respond.

“I think that was a serious blow which ended the continuous patience and self restraint of SAF,

so it responded in self defense,” Saeed said. Northern troops have moved south through Abyei, sending thousands of civilians fleeing. Buildings in the region’s main town, also called Abyei, have been torched. The UN mission in Sudan said gunmen were burning and looting in Abyei town on Monday and called on the Sudanese Armed Forces to intervene to “stop these criminal acts.” In photos provided by the UN, some huts appeared to be ablaze and smoke billowed from others as rifle -toting looters roamed the streets. Some pulled carts carrying mats, pots and pans, sacks of grain and even bed

frames. Col Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the southern military, said yesterday that northern troops remain north of a river seen as the dividing line between north and south, but he warned that if they cross over that would constitute a violation that the south “cannot tolerate.” Both north and south claim Abyei, a fertile region that’s almost the size of Connecticut and is located near several large oil fields. The south voted in January to secede from the north in a referendum promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of north-south civil war.

A referendum on Abyei’s future

JUBA: Dr Susan Rice, right, the American Ambassador to the United Nations and Vitaly Churkin the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations deliver remarks during a press conference in Juba, southern Sudan yesterday.—AP

was supposed to have been held simultaneously, but the two sides could never agree on who was eligble to vote, and Abyei’s referendum wasn’t held. The ethnic African tribe of the Ngok Dinka, which is mostly southern-based, and the Arab tribe of Misseriah both lay claim to the area.

Saeed said that Khartoum remains committed to avoiding a new war. But Eddie Thomas, an analyst with the Rift Valley Institute who studies Sudan, said that some people in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum are saying that “the war has started already.” Thomas called the latest violence a “very serious departure” from the often volatile but functioning relationship between Sudan’s north and south. Over 1,400 people have been killed in South Sudan so far this year already _ more than in the whole of 2010 _ and at least 117,000 have fled their homes as violence has dramatically increased in recent months, the British charity Oxfam said.

Thousands of residents have fled south from Abyei out of fear of violence, and aid groups have relocated south of Abyei.

Residents in the southern armyheld town of Agok, which lies on the southern edge of the Abyei region, are fearful of attacks. UN officials and aid group staff in Agok told The Associated Press by phone that intermittent artillery fire has been heard in the distance since Sunday. The south is scheduled to become an independent nation on July 9.— AP

y

A

12

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

i n t e r n at i o n a l

Roadside bomb kills ten, wounds 28 in Afghanistan high-ranking govt officials survive assassination attempts KABUL: A roadside bomb killed 10 workers in southern Afghanistan yesterday, and NATO again promised that the coalition would not abandon the country even if some members plan to withdraw their forces. Also yesterday, two high-ranking government officials survived attempted assassinations. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that plans to hand over control of seven provinces to Afghan soldiers in July remained on course, despite new bombings and assaults by insurgents. “ Those who threaten Afghanistan’s future should be under no illusion , NATO is and remains committed to Afghanistan,” Fogh Rasmussen told Afghan President Hamid Karzai, according to a coalition statement. NATO also acknowledged yesterday that soldiers shot dead an Afghan holding a

in the attack. “I could see people calling for help and crying,” said one of the survivors, who gave his name as Sabdullah. “I saw some of my friends’ dead bodies. I was helpless at that moment.”

Meanwhile, Ahmad Ziad, a deputy chief at the National Directorate for Security, was not injured in an attempted suicide

Helmand provincial Gov. Mohammad Gulab Mangul. A statement from his office said police returned fire, killing two attackers. Mangul was not injured during the attack.

The growing number of attacks in the insurgents’ spring offensive come as NATO and the United States hope to begin relin-

KANDAHAR: Afghan relatives, right, of a wounded laborer push his trolley in the hospital in Kandahar south of Kabul, Afghanistan yesterday. —AP flashlight during a raid, something that could add to the growing anti-foreigner sentiment in Afghanistan after nearly a decade of war. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the roadside bombing aimed at workers in Kandahar, which has seen a rise in incidents in recent days as Taleban fighters try to retake territory lost in the past year. The workers on the truck were employed by the local government in the region to clean up rivers and streams, according to Dr Qayoum Pakhla, the director of Kandahar Hospital.

Ten died, and 28 were injured

bombing that targeted his car as he was traveling to work in Kabul, police said.

Ziad’s bodyguards opened fire on a suspicious sport utility vehicle heading toward his convoy, wounding the driver and stopping the speeding SUV laden with explosives, the police said.

The driver was arrested and hospitalized under guard, pending an investigation. Taleban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attempt in a message to The Associated Press. In a separate attack, gunmen opened fire on an armored SUV carr ying

quishing control of security to the Afghan military through the end of 2014. President Barack Obama has said the United States, with about 100,000 troops on the ground, will begin a gradual drawdown in July , with the number to be determined by the situation at the time. Other nations plan to draw down their troop levels as well. Fogh Rasmussen told journalists in Kabul yesterday that the “transition is on track” for the handover of seven of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces in July.

Both the secretary general and Karzai urged insurgent fighters to lay down their weapons and

embrace an ongoing peace process. “By shooting at our own countrymen, we gain nothing but the curse of history and the curse of God,” Karzai said. Pakistan’s foreign minister, meanwhile, was in Kabul for talks with Karzai, who has been increasingly outspoken about the need for Pakistan to take a stronger role in the fight against militant groups. Trilateral talks on security began yesterday between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States, though top US regional envoy Marc Grossman did not attend after officials said he fell ill.

Also yesterday, NATO said a French aircraft crashed but that no one was injured. French militar y spokesman Col. Thierry Burkhard said the Mirage fighter jet crashed while escorting a convoy in Helmand province, likely due to mechanical problems with the plane. It was the first crash of a French aircraft in the near decade the nation has been involved with the NATO operation, Burkhard said. In April, a helicopter from the NATO-led coalition crashed in a mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan, killing one foreign service member. NATO forces have faced violent protests over night raids on villages as they try to flush out insurgents. On Monday night, NATO forces in southern Helmand province conducting a search shot and killed an Afghan who they said acted hostile and raised an object toward troops, the coalition said in a statement.

The man only had a flashlight in his hands, NATO said. The man continued forward despite translator “instructions and warnings which were relayed in multiple ethnic languages,” the coalition said. “This series of callouts was ineffective in allowing the security force to detain the individual peacefully.” NATO also said yesterday that a service member died in an explosion Monday in southern Afghanistan. The British Defense Ministry said the soldier from the 1st Battalion The Rifles was killed while on patrol in Helmand province. —AP

NATO says will protect Afghans, troops from Pakistani militants KABUL: NATO will protect its troops and Afghans from militants based across the border in Pakistan, the NATO chief said yesterday, reiterating pledges by the United States to target insurgents there who have escalated attacks since Osama bin Laden’s death. President Barack Obama’s aides are divided between a “hug them” or “hit them” approach to dealing with Pakistan, where anger at the May 2 US on Pakistani soil to kill bin Laden is matched in Washington by angry questions about Islamabad’s ties to militants.

“It is well known that there is cross-border activity and it... (is) a problem and a security challenge,” NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters in Kabul after talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

“We will take all necessary measures to protect the Afghan people and our own troops,” he said of the NATOled International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), whose war against the Taleban in Afghanistan has dragged on for 10 years.

Rasmussen’s words echoed comments by Obama and US Senator John Kerry, a Democrat close to his administration, who have both said the United States would consider all options in hunting out senior militants in Pakistan after killing Al Qaeda leader bin Laden in a secret raid on May 2. Pakistani officials are furious at the bin Laden raid, saying his killing was a violation of its sovereignty. Islamabad is now under intense US pressure to explain how bin Laden lived undetected in a garrison town not far from the capital, by some accounts for more than five years.

The bin Laden case has severely strained already uneasy ties between allies Washington and Islamabad.

Karzai called on Pakistan for help “to cooperate with us seriously and by all means, in order to eliminate terrorism and its training bases”. Violence is at its worse in Afghanistan since US -backed forces toppled the Taleban in 2001. Last year saw record casualties on all sides and this year is following a similar trend.

The Taleban’s launch this month of its “spring offensive”, and escalating violence in Pakistan, are raising questions about NATO plans to hand over all security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. Pakistan is seen as a key player in any peace plans in Afghanistan. The United States and NATO have reluctantly backed a plan by Karzai to negotiate with Taleban leaders and forge reconciliation.

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, in Kabul yesterday ahead of the latest round of trilateral talks with the United States, stressed that Afghan peace plans “can only be settled by Afghans”. “The United States and Pakistan... support the efforts for peace and reconciliation ... We will make an effort to provide our assistance,” Bashir said in a statement. Trilateral talks between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States, aimed at fostering stability, were last held in Islamabad a day after bin Laden’s death and will be held today in Kabul. —Reuters

PYONGYANG: In this photo released by China’s Xinhua news agency, a US delegation led by Robert King, far right, US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, and Jon Brause, second right, US Agency for International Development (USAID) deputy assistant administrator for the office of foreign disaster assistance, arrive at Pyongyang airport yesterday.—AP

US team in North Korea to talk food aid, human rights BEIJING: A US government team was in North Korea on a rare trip yesterday to assess food shortages, while the country’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Il reportedly traveled to an eastern Chinese city to study Beijing’s economic reforms.

The American delegation, led by Robert King, US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues , will use its five-day visit to verify food supply surveys conducted by the United Nations and US -based charities and see if there are ways to monitor aid distribution. The State Department said King would also raise human rights concerns and the detention of US citizen Eddie Jun, who was arrested in November.

This is the first visit by an American human rights envoy to the North, though King himself traveled to the country as a congressional aide. Pyongyang detested King’s predecessor, the first to hold the post.

Jay Lefkowitz was a harsh critic of the country’s rights record and even took aim at his bosses in the George W. Bush administration for pursuing nuclear disarmament talks.

King is more measured in his comments.

What some believe is a dire need for food in

the North may also have played a part in the decision to allow King in. North Korea asked for food assistance in January following summer floods that hit staple crops and in the midst of a bitter winter. While humanitarian organizations say aid is urgently needed, the US, like other international donors, distrusts the secretive North Korean government, which has pursued illicit nuclear weapons and missile programs despite its dire food shortages. A UN World Food Program assessment released two months ago found more than 6 million of North Korea’s 23 million people were in urgent need of aid. It said the North’s public distribution system would run out of food between May and July.

South Korea is skeptical that the situation is so dire and suspects the government is stockpiling food secretly ahead of the 2012 centennial of the birth of the communist nation’s founder, Kim Il Sung While King’s trip was announced well in advance, virtually nothing is known about the agenda for Kim’s visit to his country’s most important ally that began Friday night. Beijing and Pyongyang delay publicity about Kim’s visits until after he has crossed back into North Korea. —AP

MIYAGI: Fishing boats are washed ashore in an area devastated by the earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan yesterday. —AP

UN probes nuke plant; more melted fuel found TOKYO: A major international mission to investigate Japan’s flooded, radiationleaking nuclear complex began yesterday as new information suggested that nuclear fuel had mostly melted in two more reactors in the early days after the March 11 tsunami. That would mean that all three of the most troubled reactors at the plant have suffered partial metldowns. The team of UN nuclear experts met with Japanese officials and planned to visit the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in coming days to investigate the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986 and assess efforts to stabilize the complex by Tokyo’s self-declared deadline of early next year.

Meanwhile, the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, released a new analysis suggesting that fuel rods in the plant’s Units 2 and 3 mostly melted during the early days of the crisis, which had been suspected but not confirmed. In addition, some chunks of the fuel appeared to have entered the outer containment chambers, causing some damage.

That suggests that the severity of the accident was greater than officials have acknowledged. TEPCO announced similar findings last week about Unit 1. The new revelations indicate that earlier official assessments may have been too optimistic, said Goshi Hosono, director of Japan’s nuclear crisis task force. “We should have made a more cautious damage estimate based on a worse scenario,” he said. Fuel in three of the plant’s six reactors started melting just hours after the March 11 tsunami knocked out cooling systems, prompting huge releases of radiation into the atmosphere, about one-tenth of the radiation released from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, according to a government estimate.

The melted fuel rods, which appear to have fallen into a lump at the bottom of each of the three pressure vessels, currently pose no immediate problem because they are mostly covered with water being pumped into the chamber and are at temperatures far below dangerous levels, officials say. The plant is still leaking radiation, but at much lower levels than immediately after the accident, and Japanese officials hope to bring the entire plant to a “cold shutdown”, halting all radioactive leaks, by January at the latest.

In the meantime, 80,000 people remain evacuated from homes around the plant. Many are living in school gymnasiums. A handful of stalwarts have defied government orders and refused to leave. “TEPCO caused such a horrible disaster. Leaving my home means I have lost to TEPCO,” said Naoto Matsumura, a 51-year-old rice and vegetable farmer who has stayed at his home despite radiation concerns and a lack of electricity

and running water. “Certainly, life is not comfortable at all,” he said. “But I will not give up.”

Violators of a 12-mile (20-kilometer) exclusion zone can face fines of up to 100,000 yen ($1,200) or 30 days of detention, but no officials have moved to arrest him, he said. The team from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency conferred yesterday with Japan’s economy and trade minister, who oversees , and promotes , the nuclear industry, and will visit Japan through June 2 before reporting to an international conference in Vienna on June 20.

Michael Weightman, leader of the IAEA team, said the delegation would “seek information to see how the world can learn lessons from the unfortunate events here.” Hosono said the team had submitted a “long list” of questions, and that authorities would do their best to answer them. The government also said it was appointing University of Tokyo Professor Yotaro Hatamura, an expert on industrial and other accidents, to head a panel of outside experts to investigate the Fukushima accident.

The crisis has raised serious questions about lax oversight of Japan’s nuclear industry and prompted the country to scrap plans to rely on nuclear power for half its electricity needs , up from its current one third. The quake and tsunami, which left more than 24,000 people dead or missing, also damaged farms, ports and hundreds of suppliers, helping to push Japan’s economy back into recession.

Workers at the troubled plant are now trying to figure out what to do with massive amounts of radioactive water leaking from the reactor cores into the reactor and turbine buildings, trenches and pits. In the latest setback, TEPCO said containers holding radioactive water pumped from those areas were nearly full, raising concerns that the water could overflow and leak into the sea again.

Under a revised roadmap released last week, TEPCO plans to install reprocessing equipment that would pump contaminated water out of the turbine basements where it is pooling and put it back into the reactor as coolant. The utility also plans to put a special cover over each reactor building to contain radiation releases. Given the greater-thanexpected damage to the reactors, some experts question whether the company will be able to bring the plant under control by early next year. Of the remaining reactors at the plant, Unit 4 had no fuel rods inside its core at the time of the tsunami, but workers have struggled to keep cool its cache of used fuel rods.

Units 5 and 6 were brought into a cold shutdown in late March. —AP

Naval base attack weakens counter-terror surveillance ISLAMABAD: When Pakistan lost US-supplied surveillance planes in a Taleban’s raid on a naval base in Karachi, its ability to guard its coastline and participate in Western-led maritime counter-terrorism activities was weakened. Two P-3C Orion patrol aircraft were destroyed in the May 22-23 attack at Pakistan Naval Station Mehran, when between four and six attackers stormed the base, starting fires, setting off explosions and fighting pitched battles with security forces, killing 10 people and wounding 20 more. Pakistan still has three Orions, Army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said.

A vital ally to the United States in its war against militancy, Pakistan uses the antisubmarine and maritime surveillance aircraft to assist the US-led operation against the Taleban in Afghanistan. Security analyst Imtiaz Gul, said the attack has caused more psychological than tangible damage for Pakistan. But the Pakistan Navy has lost some of its ability to patrol its coastline at long-range.

“The surveillance aircraft were not being used for strike capability. It was more for surveillance, and now Pakistan loses that sight over the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea,” Gul said. Former army general and columnist Talat Masood said the air-

craft’s long-range abilities were key. “They are very important in the sense of maritime security,” he said. “They are the eyes and ears of the navy.” The aircraft are also part of Pakistan’s role in the Combined Task Force150, the maritime component to Operation Enduring Freedom, the operation name for the US-led war effort in Afghanistan. CTF150 covers the Arabian Sea from the coast of Pakistan to the horn of Africa.

Pakistan’s aerial maritime surveillance is carried out from PNS Mehran and the surrounding base. Since 2003 Pakistan has spent $507.6 million in Foreign Military Finance grants given by the United States on purchasing and upgrading seven Orions. Pakistan purchased two Orions in 2006, with the United States delivering two more upgraded aircraft in 2010, estimated to have cost around $35 million each.

Intelligence firm STRATFOR said the aircraft “substantially enhanced the Pakistan navy’s maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities”. Pakistan’s combat ability against India has also been dented by the planes’ loss, former general Masood said. “For instance, they would be striking the Indian submarines in the case that there is hostility and open war-they would be in a position to attack them with torpedoes,” he said. —Reuters

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 , 2011

Years

ne ws

Bahrain chamber cuts Iran, Lebanon, Iraq ties Amnesty calls to commute death sentences DUBAI: An influential Bahraini business group decided yesterday to freeze ties with Iran, Iraq and Lebanon in response to what it claims is foreign meddling during Shiite-led protests in the Gulf kingdom. The move by the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry is likely to ratchet up tensions between the small island nation which is ruled by a Sunni monarchy and is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet - and Shiite powerhouse Iran and its allies. The group last month called for a boycott of goods from Iran, which has criticized the crackdown by Bahrain’s government on Shiite protesters demanding greater rights. Shiites account for 70 percent of Bahrain’s population, but complain of widespread discrimination that include being excluded from top political or military posts.

In freezing ties, the chamber said it acted to highlight its displeasure toward “some countries that have intervened in the kingdom’s affairs during its crisis,” according to a report on the official Bahrain News Agency. But it’s unclear what practical impact a boycott would bring.

The countries are not among Bahrain’s top trading partners, although Iran has stepped up efforts to greater commercial ties. The chamber specifically blamed Iran for “continued interference” and criticized groups in Lebanon for creating “an atmosphere of chaos and tension and division among the people” - an apparent reference to the Iranianbacked Hezbollah.

Backers of Iraq’s Shiite-led government also have expressed support for Bahrain’s protesters. Bahrain’s minority Sunni rulers and their Gulf Arab allies have accused Iran of fueling and seeking to benefit from the unrest. Tehran denies the charges. At least 30 people have been killed since protests broke out in February, and hundreds of demonstrators have been detained.

The London-based rights group Amnesty International has urged Bahrain’s king to overturn the death sentences against two people arrested during the protests. The sentences were upheld by a special closed-door appeals court presided over by military and civilian judges on Sunday. The defendants were

convicted of killing two policemen during a government crackdown on the unrest in March.

A top official said this week that 515 detainees have been released since martial law-style emergency powers were put in place during the crackdown. Although the government has lifted some restrictions such as an overnight curfew, rights groups say the government continues to intimidate and silence those it sees as a threat to its more than 200year rule.

Mazen Mahdi, a Bahraini journalist who works for the German news service DPA, was briefly detained by Bahraini authorities Sunday, the press agency said yesterday. Mahdi, who also works as a photographer for the European Pressphoto Agency, said he was abused while in custody for about two hours, according to DPA spokesman Christian Roewekamp. A government spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment. A Reuters correspondent was expelled by Bahrain earlier this month after officials complained about the news agency’s reporting in the kingdom. — AP

Mubarak, sons face trial over killings Continued from Page 1 prosecution complaints against Mubarak that he had taken a commission from arms deals. Prosecutors allege that Mubarak “participated by agreeing with the former interior minister Habib Al-Adli and some former police commanders... in committing premeditated murder,” MENA said. They “incited some officers and policemen to shoot the victims and run them over with vehicles.”

An official inquiry found that at least 846 people were killed in the protests, many of them from gunshot wounds.

Mubarak’s security chief Adli has already been sentenced to 12 years in jail for corruption and faces another trial on charges of ordering the shootings of demonstrators. The charges were welcomed by a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s most formidable opposition group under Mubarak. “The decision was awaited by Egyptians for a long time,” said Essam Al-Erian, who is also the vice president of a Brotherhood-affiliated political party. London-based human rights group Amnesty International said the charges were a “very welcome step” but called for the prosecution of “all those found responsible for the killings and other human rights violations”. The public prosecutor had ordered Mubarak’s transfer to a hospital in Cairo’s Tora prison, where his two sons are imprisoned. The official MENA news agency reported after the charges were announced that the former president’s

health had improved and a medical team would send its report to the prosecutor.

Alaa, Mubarak’s elder son, is believed to have used his position to gain a foothold in many businesses but he stayed out of politics, unlike the younger Gamal, who was widely seen as the heir apparent. Gamal, 47, was an investment banker who rose in the former ruling party’s ranks in the past decade to head its powerful policies committee.

He had reportedly taken a hawkish stance during the protests against his father’s rule, urging the president to crack down. The belief that Gamal was being groomed to succeed Mubarak was a major grievance of protesters who took to the streets starting on Jan 25 to demand Mubarak’s overthrow.

The spectacular fall of one of the region’s most powerful leaders, and a key US and Israeli ally, did not end protests by tens of thousands of Egyptians. They are now demanding the former leader be put on trial. The demonstrations throughout March and April placed immense pressure on the military, which assumed power after Mubarak’s resignation, and led to a deadly clash with soldiers when they tried to clear an overnight protest in April.

Several former regime officials are already facing trial for corruption or violence during the revolt. Mubarak’s wife Suzanne was released on bail this month after she returned assets to the government. She is suspected of corruption. — Agencies

Blast hits oil refinery as Ahmadinejad visits Continued from Page 1 showing the president speaking to officials at a local hall in Abadan.

The plant alone accounts for about 25 percent of Iran’s fuel production, which is about 1.67 million barrel per day.

Fazel Kaebi, an Abadan resident, told AP over the phone that he saw ambulances and rescue teams rush to the site shortly after the explosion. He said the townspeople had noticed black smoke coming from the refinery in the past few days, which he speculated could have been from a fire. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, the reports said, but the extend of the damage was not immediately clear.

Iran is the second largest exporter in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries but it has been struggling to meet local demand for fuel. Its oil sector is under pressure because of sanctions linked to Tehran’s controversial nuclear program, and Iran has been forced to increasingly rely on local expertise for developing its vast oil and gas resources as well as expanding its refining capacity. The expan-

sion at the Abadan plant is aimed at increasing capacity by about 30 percent at the century-old plant - the largest of Iran’s nine refineries.

During his speech shown on state T V from Abadan, Ahmadinejad appeared unperturbed about the blast and assailed the country’s enemies, telling local officials that Iran is today able to meet all its domestic oil needs. “The hopes of Iran’s enemies in imposing pressure through restrictions on the sale of oil products have turned into a complete disappointment,” he said.

Ahmadinejad recently took over the oil ministry’s portfolio, serving as its caretaker minister, after the government merged eight ministries into four as part of a plan to slim down the bureaucracy.

His stewardship of the country’s most vital sector, however, has stoked criticism, with the constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, ruling Monday that he cannot serve as the caretaker of the ministry. The council is close to Iran’s supreme leader who has grown increasingly critical of Ahmadinejad over the past few weeks.

Hamid Reza Katouzian, a lawmak-

er and member of the parliament’s energy committee told Mehr news agency that he had warned about the risk of explosions Abadan because the refinery was not ready for an expansion. Katouzian insisted that yesterday’s blast was not an act of sabotage, but a result “of a lack of readiness at the refinery”. Abadan governor Hamid Ghanaati later told the official IRNA news agency that only one person died in the explosion and also insisted it wasn’t sabotage. Refinery chief Abdolreza Mehraban downplayed the incident, calling it an “unimportant event” and suggesting there was no significant damage. He said all would be repaired within the next several days. Deputy oil minister in charge of refineries, Alireza Zeighami, said the Abadan expansion project would go online in two weeks.

But Ali Mousavi, one of three lawmakers representing Abadan in the Iranian parliament, criticized the plant managers and urged for an investigation into the blast. He said that “despite our warnings, there was illogical persistence” to go ahead with the expansion project, which led to the explosion. — AP

NATO mounts heaviest strike yet on Tripoli Continued from Page 1 Britain’s Times newspaper. “And we will continue to enforce the UN resolutions with our allies until they are completely complied with.”

Gaddafi denies his forces target civilians and describes the rebels as criminals and religious extremists.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a London news conference on Monday: “We do believe that time is working against Gaddafi, that he cannot re-establish control over the country.” She said the opposition had organised a legitimate and credible interim council that was committed to democracy. “Their military forces are improving and when Gaddafi inevitably leaves, a new Libya stands ready to move forward,” she said. “We have a lot of confidence in what our joint efforts are producing.”

The United States bolstered the credentials of the rebel National

Transitional Council as a potential government-in-waiting yesterday when a senior US envoy invited it to set up a representative office in Washington. Unlike France, Italy and Qatar, the United States has not established formal diplomatic ties with the rebels. Rebels trying to end Gaddafi’s 41-year rule control the east of the oil-producing country, but the conflict has been deadlocked for weeks.

Reporters, whose movements are tightly controlled by the Libyan authorities, were taken to visit Tripoli’s central hospital after the heavy night raids. They were shown the corpses of three men with head injuries, their bodies laid out on gurneys. A man who identified himself only as Hatim, who had deep gashes and abrasions on his arms and legs, said the blasts had caved in part of his residence near the military compound. “We were in the house and then, wham, the ceiling

came down, right on me,” he said.

A Reuters reporter in the city of Misrata, 200 km east of the Libyan capital, said the western district of Defniyah had come under light shelling from pro-Gaddafi forces, but this had stopped later in the day. Rebel fighters in the city, the biggest rebel stronghold in western Libya, have pushed back government forces to the outskirts after weeks of street-by-street fighting.

Gaddafi’s grip on power appeared to have suffered a blow last week when Libyan rebels and officials in neighbouring Tunisia said that Shokri Ghanem, Libya’s most senior oil official, had fled the country and defected. However, sources at Western oil firms said Ghanem was still working for the Libyan government, and was in fact on a secret mission to maintain ties with foreign energy firms so they could later return if international sanctions are lifted. — Reuters

RIYADH: Saudi women board a taxi yesterday. — AP

Activists push for Saudi woman driver’s release JEDDAH: Activists campaigned yesterday for the release of a Saudi woman jailed for driving, while another woman reportedly flouted the ultra-conservative kingdom’s ban on women taking the wheel. A Facebook page titled “We are all Manal Al-Sharif: a call for solidarity with Saudi women’s rights,” had been “liked” by over 14,000 people yesterday. “It is not a revolution, it is not a plot, it is not a gathering and it is not a protest - we are only requesting to drive our cars,” one post on the page said.

And a petition launched by Gulf intellectuals calling for the release of Sharif had by yesterday garnered over 300 signatures. The petition, addressed to Saudi King Abdullah, demanded the release of Sharif, “pending a clear decision on the question of the right of women to drive” in the kingdom. Sharif was arrested on Saturday while driving in the Eastern Province city of Al-Khobar, a day after she posted a footage on the video-sharing website YouTube showing her behind the wheel.

Although traffic police released her after a few hours, the 32-year-old computer security consultant was later re-apprehended from her home by criminal investigation police, her lawyer Adnan Al-Saleh said, and ordered held for five days. “Manal did not want to harm anyone. She just wanted to prove that it was possible for a woman to drive in Saudi Arabia,” Wajiha Huwaidar, a women’s rights activist and writer who filmed the video of Sharif driving. “I hope she will be released,” Huwaidar said.

Huwaidar herself is a veteran of driving in Saudi Arabia. In 2008, she posted a video on YouTube showing her driving in the kingdom’s Eastern Province. She escaped arrest by not coming across a police patrol.

She said a venture on Thursday when she accompanied Sharif driving was a success, but that Sharif may have subsequently been watched, leading to her arrest while driving on Saturday.

“Manal is divorced and has a five-year-old son,” and though she has a United States driver’s licence, she has had to turn to sometimes hard-to-find taxis for transport in Saudi Arabia, Huwaidar said. She said Sharif belongs to a group of activists who are campaigning on Facebook for women to be permitted to drive in Saudi Arabia. But asked if she thought the movement would amount to a broader push for reform, Huwaidar said no, as “there is no real civil society in Saudi Arabia”.

Human Rights Watch has called for King Abdullah to order that Sharif be released “immediately,” and slammed the driving ban. “Arresting a woman who drove her family around in a car and then showed it online opens Saudi Arabia to condemnation - and, in fact, to mockery - around the world,” HRW senior Middle East researcher Christoph Wilcke said in a statement. “King Abdullah should end Saudi Arabia’s pariah status in the world as the sole country banning women from driving,” Wilcke said.

According to Saudi daily Al-Watan, a 37-year-old Saudi woman who had repeated Sharif’s experiment in driving in the town of Al-Ras, northeast of Riyadh, was arrested at a supermarket by a police patrol accompanied by members of the religious police. She was driving with her mother and aunt at the time, according to the newspaper, which said she was released a few hours later. Sharif’s lawyer said King Abdullah “has the right to end the dispute” as the ban on women drivers was “based on a fatwa and not a final decree”.

“There is a good portion of society that accepts that a woman would drive, but the problem is that the government still fears the extremists,” said Huwaidar. But “there is a close link between the religious establishment and the state - they gave them the keys of the state, and that’s why there is no political decision about women driving,” she said. “They are still afraid.” — AFP

MPs to take part in ‘Day of Rage’ rally Continued from Page 1 themselves at a certain location but warned against assembling in the streets and obstructing traffic. MP Barrak however said that youth activists are careful in preserving security and public order even more than security authorities, adding that the law and the constitution completely allow the right of assembly of citizens.

MPs Adel Al-Saraawi and Marzouk Al-Ghanem yesterday urged Sheikh Ahmad to face the grilling they have

filed against him and to stop what they called “a hectic campaign” by him to try to obstruct the debate of the grilling scheduled to take place on May 31. Saraawi said that they learned that the political leadership has told Sheikh Ahmad to either face the grilling or resign. But Rashed said he was unaware about this development and denied rumours about the resignation of Sheikh Ahmad. Saraawi said that the Sheikh Ahmad camp is now trying to refer two issues in the grilling about sports either to the constitutional court or to the Assembly’s legal and legislative committee.

Fierce clashes in Sanaa unleash anger of tribes Continued from Page 1 The shooting, in the sandbagged streets surrounding a fortified mansion belonging to the wealthy and politically powerful Al-Ahmar clan, pitted loyalist forces against guards of Sheikh Sadiq Al-Ahmar, head of the Hashed tribal federation from which Saleh also hails.

“The attack on (Ahmar’s) house ... is a symptom of the hysteria experienced by President Saleh and his entourage and their insistence on engulfing the country in a civil war,” the opposition coalition said in a statement. Several mediators, including a security police head, were injured in the attack on the house, an opposition leader said.

Ahmar’s house and the adjacent residence which belongs to a relative, another tribal leader, were damaged in the attacks, residents said. Four tribal guards were killed, and six other people were wounded, an opposition leader said. Fighting in the same area of the capital on Monday killed seven people, among them a bystander, a police officer and five tribal gunmen. The government accused Ahmar’s men of igniting the clashes on Monday by firing on a school and the headquarters of state news agency Saba. Ahmar’s office said government forces opened fire when his guards prevented them from entering a school where Ahmar said Saleh loyalists were stockpiling weapons.

Early yesterday, tribal mediators were holding talks in the Ahmar house to try to bring an end to the fighting, a source in Ahmar’s office said. But the government said the mediation had not brought a resolution. “The AlAhmar sons and their gang turned on the mediation and fired rockets and bullets heavily on government installations and citizens’ homes,” the defence ministry said.

“This is not an attack on Al-Ahmar and his family only, but on all the tribes in Yemen,” said Faisal Manaa, a

leader of the Bakeel, another powerful tribe. “We will not remain silent. We are warning the regime if it doesn’t withdraw its troops, we will be launching in a comprehensive and fierce war with them.” “The defection of Sheikh Al-Ahmar was a very harsh blow because any ruler in Yemen survives only though tribal support,” said Faris Al-Saqqaf, a political analyst at the independent Future Research Center in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

“Saleh is slapping Al-Ahmar in the face just as Al-Ahmar slapped him in the face and he wants revenge.”

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) bloc of Yemen’s wealthy oil-exporting neighbours that spearheaded the transition deal, which Saleh has three times rebuffed at the last minute, later said it was suspending it due to a “lack of suitable conditions”. In Riyadh, Abdullatif alZayani, the GCC’s secretary-general, called for an immediate end to the fighting and suggested he could relaunch his mediation efforts. “I’m always ready to visit (Yemen) if the visit will help the interests of the Yemeni people,” he told reporters.

The pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat daily said that Saudi Arabia was still hoping the deal could be signed at the “earliest opportunity ”. A Saudi foreign ministry spokesman could not be reached for comment. The United States and Saudi Arabia, both targets of foiled attacks by a wing of Al-Qaeda based in Yemen, are keen to end the Yemeni stalemate and avert a spread of anarchy that could give the global militant network more room to operate. Saleh, playing on Western fears of chaos, blamed the opposition for the deal’s collapse and said that if a civil war erupted “they will be responsible for it and the bloodshed”. While Saleh has backed out of previous deals aimed at easing him out of power, Sunday’s turnabout appeared to be among the most forceful, coming after loyalist gunmen trapped Western and Arab diplomats in the United Arab Emirates embassy for hours. — Agencies

y

A

14

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

OPINION

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher

YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief

ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait.

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

issues

Russia struggles to repeat Kosovo success in Libya

By Timothy Heritage s NATO planes bombed Serbian forces to try to end the Kosovo war in 1999, Russia was quietly pursuing diplomacy which helped secure a peace settlement in time for a G8 summit in Cologne. In the run-up to this week’s annual Group of Eight summit, Moscow has been trying to help mediate in another conflict in which a NATO air campaign has failed to produce a decisive outcome, this time in Libya. Some of the parallels between 1999 and 2011 are striking but the Kremlin may have less sway with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi than it had with Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

Russia is now an established member of G8, playing a fuller role than when it first joined formally in 1998, though still set apart, economically and politically, from the seven traditional powers from north America, western Europe and Japan. Moscow portrays itself as impartial on Libya. It abstained from the United Nations Security Council vote on the resolution that authorised military action to establish a no-fly zone and has strongly criticised the NATO air strikes.

Representatives of Gaddafi held talks in Moscow last week and opposition envoys were due to meet Russian foreign ministry officials late on Monday. On the military front, France disclosed on Monday that it and other members of the NATO-led coalition planned to deploy attack helicopters for the first time in Libya, a potential game-changer that ratchets up pressure on Gaddafi’s forces. The news, leaked to the French daily Le Figaro, bore a distant echo of NATO moves in 1999 to feint preparations for a ground attack on Serbia via Hungary - a bluff which was said to have shaken Milosevic.

Helping secure a diplomatic breakthrough would boost Moscow’s continuing post-Cold War efforts to portray itself as a force in global diplomacy and improve its uneasy relationship with the West, especially the United States. But the odds are still heavily stacked against Russia helping pull a deal out of the hat before the G8 leaders meet in the French seaside resort of Deauville tomorrow. Unlike with Serbia, the Kremlin has little economic or political leverage on Tripoli, and Gaddafi is fighting for his survival in power, not just for control of part of his country.

Despite their frustration at Gaddafi’s tenacity, Western powers may also be wary of giving Russia any role that could give it an economic or military foothold in oil-producing Libya. “The demand for a mediator for Libya could grow but I doubt Russia is in a position to play this role,” Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the Russia in Global Affairs journal, told Reuters. The French, Italian and British governments, he noted, have had closer relations with Gaddafi than did Moscow: “There is no special relationship Nicolas Sarkozy, Silvio Berlusconi and Tony Blair all had closer ties with Libya than Russia.”

It is a far cry from 1999, when Viktor Chernomyrdin, a former Russian prime minister, and then Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari led mediation on Kosovo under the aegis of the G8. A deal was reached in time for the annual summit in Cologne attended by Russian President Boris Yeltsin, under which Serbia withdrew troops from Kosovo and Russian peacekeepers were installed on the ground along with NATO forces. In 1999, as in 2011, NATO had been carrying out air raids for several weeks, without managing to persuade its adversary to stop fighting or accept a political settlement. Western public opinion was showing signs of impatience and NATO faced criticism over the deaths of civilians.

The United States was trying to limit its own involvement and ruling out a ground operation, sanctions had not brought Milosevic or Serbia to their knees, and frustration was growing among European governments. “The situation in Libya is becoming more and more like the situation in 1999 in Yugoslavia. But it was simpler then,” Lukyanov said.

“Milosevic was cynical. He understood there comes a time when you have to reach an agreement. For him, the end of the Kosovo war did not mean the end of his rule in Serbia. “It’s different for Gaddafi. He is, to an extent, a fanatic, and was a convinced revolutionary. Can you make a deal with him?” —Reuters

A

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

The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

Romney early leader in Republican field

By Charles Babington itt Romney is emerging as the man to catch in the narrowing Republican presidential field: he has a clear head start in fundraising, organization and experience despite vulnerabilities that still might undo him. With Indiana Gov Mitch Daniels the latest respected Republican to forgo a candidacy, many party insiders say the field is largely set. And Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and Olympic Games organizer, is in front.

“It’s Romney’s to lose,” said Scott Reed, a Republican consultant who managed Bob Dole’s unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1996. Reed said Romney’s biggest advantages are his personal wealth, fundraising knowhow and experience as a 2008 contender, when John McCain won the nomination. “He has been around the track,” Reed said. “He knows from a difficult experience how not to waste time and how not to try to be all things to all people.”

If Romney’s name is well known, so are his shortcomings. As Massachusetts governor he supported legalized abortion, gay rights and gun control, all anathema to many Republicans. He reversed those positions when he ran for president. He also championed a state health care law that requires residents to obtain insurance.

Conservatives despise a similar feature in the Democrats’ 2010 federal health law.

Conservatives’ unease about Romney’s record and consistency could give an opening to others, who have time to raise their profiles and popularity. “The real battle now is who will be the conservative alternative to Romney,” Reed said.

Campaign veterans say Romney’s likeliest challengers for now are two former governors with solid resumes but little name recognition and no experience as presidential candidates: Tim Pawlenty of

M

Minnesota and Jon Huntsman of Utah.

Pawlenty formally announced his candidacy Monday in Iowa, although he has campaigned for months there and in New Hampshire and South Carolina. He is casting himself as the candidate willing to tell the country hard truths, and, underscoring that point, he bluntly told corn-dependent Iowa that its prized federal subsidies for ethanol should be phased out.

Huntsman, who just finished a stint as ambassador to China, is spending five days campaigning in New Hampshire, which holds its primary shortly after Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses in February.

The next tier of candidates includes the well-known Newt Gingrich, who was House speaker in the mid-1990s. Party insiders say Gingrich’s legacy of bombastic statements and messy divorces gives him a steep hill to climb.

These party activists give even slimmer chances to other contenders such as former Pennsylvania Sen Rick Santorum.

Pawlenty, unlike Romney and Huntsman, lacks the personal wealth to sustain a campaign for weeks or months without winning major victories to

trigger big donations.

Pawlenty has to win in Iowa,” said Republican strategist Rich Galen. That could allow him to survive the next three contests: New Hampshire, where Romney should be strong; Nevada, bordering Huntsman’s home state of Utah, and South Carolina, where Gingrich or a lesser-known social conservative might break through.

Pawlenty would have to rack up victories after that. But a strategy of being everyone’s second choice might allow him to outlast Romney in the spring of 2012. Galen thinks Huntsman could be a bigger threat to Romney than Pawlenty.

Huntsman’s family wealth could buy him time to build an organization and craft a positive image among voters who don’t know him.

Many Republican officials are lukewarm about Romney. Still, he is the best known of the party’s current candidates. According to the most recent AP-GfK poll, 66 percent of Republicans nationwide view him favorably, 22 percent unfavorably. and 11 percent have no opinion. His positive numbers are higher among selfdescribed conservatives (75 percent favorable) and “strong” Republicans (81 percent favorable). Evangelical Republicans give Romney a 63 per-

cent favorable rating. That suggests his Mormonism might not be a serious problem, although party activists in South Carolina often raise the topic. Huntsman (who also is Mormon) and Pawlenty are less well known. About half of Republicans have no opinion of Pawlenty.

For all his advantages, Romney has a long way to go to close the deal. Polls show him leading in New Hampshire, where he has a vacation home. But candidates such as Pawlenty, Huntsman and others can make big strides in the living rooms and fire halls where that state’s retail politics play out, said Bob Stevenson, a New Hampshire native who has worked in several Republican campaigns. “Voters in New Hampshire tend to reject the advice of the Washington pundits and the chattering class, and prefer to reach out and give the lesser-known candidates a chance to make their case,” Stevenson said.

Some prominent Republicans want other candidates to jump in. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Monday that he would like to see House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan make a run. “Paul’s about real leadership,” Cantor said, pointing to Ryan’s crafting of a plan to cut spending and revamp Medicare and Medicaid, the government’s main medical plans for the poor and elderly. “I think that’s what this public so desperately wants to see right now.”

Perhaps the biggest uncertainty is Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee draws crowds and controversy everywhere she goes. Her approval ratings have fallen in recent months, and party insiders think that she, like 2008 Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee, is unlikely to surrender her lucrative T V appearances, books and speeches. “I can’t imagine Sarah Palin is going to get into the race and give up all that,” Galen said. —AP

Risk of violence rises as Saleh stalls

By Wissam Keyrouz emen’s political crisis may degenerate into bloodshed after embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a Gulf-brokered deal to end months of bloody anti-regime protests, analysts warn. The stand-off between Saleh and the opposition will continue “until one party achieves victory over the other” or Yemen will be drawn into “civil war,” said Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy director of the Brookings Doha Center.

Saleh had explicitly warned of civil war on Sunday as he refused to sign a transition plan brokered by impoverished Yemen’s wealthy Gulf neighbours that would have seen him step down after more than three decades in power in return for a promise of immunity from prosecution. Sharqieh noted that there are a number of possible parties to a conflict, such as “army units loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, units loyal to dissident General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, the Houthi rebels, the separatist Southern Movement, Al-Qaeda and the protesting youths”.

Conflict involving Yemen’s powerful tribes is another possi-

Y

bility, as demonstrated by clashes that witnesses and officials said broke out between supporters of opposition tribal leader Sadiq AlAhmar and police in Sanaa on Monday in which six people were killed. “There are equal chances for a political settlement to the Yemen crisis and for it to turn violent,” Sharqieh said.

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced late on Sunday that it was suspending its mediation efforts, while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused him of “turning back on his commitments”. However, Yemen insisted its crisis is an internal one and rejected “any foreign interference,” in a statement on state news agency Saba yesterday. But hope for the survival of the Gulf initiative still remains, according to Sharqieh. The Gulf initiative “has suffered a setback but has not died as the circumstances for its continuity are still present, and the main reason for this is the lack of any other alternative,” he said.

Saleh is “still in a strong position as two-thirds of the army remain under his control, making him believe that nobody can force him to do anything,” he added. The

Republican Guards, led by Saleh’s son Ahmed, have remained loyal to the president. But pro-opposition troops led by General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar control the capital’s northern and western regions, while troops loyal to Saleh control the rest of Sanaa. Saleh “realises that his regime is over but he is looking for a decent exit,” said Sharqieh. “He doesn’t want an exit like that of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak or Tunisia’s Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. He is basically concerned over the way by which he will be remembered in history.” Both autocrats were overthrown following a wave of protests in their countries. Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia while Mubarak is under arrest in a hospital room in Cairo.

British analyst Neil Partrick said that “when Saleh proved less willing to ‘do the decent thing’ than Ben Ali and Mubarak, things got tricky for this Saudi-led diplomatic initiative”. “The first public fallout from the GCC’s diplomacy was Qatar, which unilaterally quit the process, making a nonsense of the claimed GCC mediation,” said Partrick. “Expect more Yemeni theatrics and further evidence of Saudi and Gulf-state incapacity.”

Yemeni analyst Ali Hassan Saif

expressly warned of violence. “The possibilities of military confrontations between rival army units is more likely now, especially in Sanaa,” he said. Saif, like Sharqieh, noted that there are no shortage of ingredients for violence: rival military units in the capital, a heavily armed population and deeply rooted tribalism, as evidenced by the confrontation between Saleh and dissident general Ahmar, both of whom come from the Hashid tribal federation. The country has an estimated 60 million firearms in private hands, roughly three for every man, woman and child.

Yemeni Professor Mohammed Al-Dhaheri agreed, saying there is “the risk of things taking a violent turn”. But Mohammed AlQahtan, a spokesman for the Common Forum coalition of parliamentary opposition par ties, rejected the possibility of violence by protesters. “The regime is try-

ing to drag us into violence, but it will not succeed. We will not resort to violence,” he said. —AFP

y

A

15

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

ANALYSIS

Silence of states: Questions on Laden

By Myra MacDonald hen President Barack Obama telephoned Pakistan’s president to tell him US forces had found and killed Osama bin Laden, he offered him a choice.

Pakistan could say it had helped find bin Laden or that it knew nothing. President Asif Ali Zardari chose the former. The exchange, recounted by a senior Western official briefed on the May 2 raid in the town of Abbottabad, illustrates the sometimes deliberate confusion over how far Pakistan is co-operating with the United States in fighting Islamist militants.

Unwilling to be seen as working too closely with a country which is deeply unpopular at home, Pakistan veers uncomfortably between trying to claim credit overseas while reassuring domestic critics it has not sold out to the United States. Those two irreconcilable public positions, combined with a real and deep underlying distrust between Pakistan and the United States, mean that three weeks after bin Laden was killed, almost nobody knows for sure exactly what happened and why. They may also be creating such strains within Pakistan that it is becoming harder to contain militants who on Sunday were able to overrun its naval aviation base in the city of Karachi.

After telephoning Zardari, Obama announced bin Laden’s death in a televised address and added that “it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding”. A Pakistani official, asked about the exchange between Obama and Zardari, said Pakistan’s military leadership had also been on board initially in saying they had helped find bin Laden - a position reflected in early public and private statements. But with emotions running high in both the United States and Pakistan, that early emphasis on cooperation disintegrated. In Washington, CIA director Leon Panetta insisted the United States had acted alone because it did not

W

trust Pakistan. And in Pakistan, the second official said, the military leadership backed off its initial position after feedback from garrisons highlighted deep anger in the ranks about the breach of sovereignty involved in the US helicopter raid. Worried about a backlash from Islamist militants if it were seen to have helped the United States find and kill bin Laden, and insulted by Panetta’s comments, Pakistan hit back.

Its political and military leadership, which official sources say initially welcomed bin Laden’s death, began instead to criticise the United States. Pakistan’s parliament condemned the violation of sovereignty and called for an end to strikes by US Predator drones in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Yet those drone strikes - which have continued despite the parliament resolution - illustrate the same problem Pakistan faced in its response to the US raid which killed bin Laden.

Publicly condemned as a breach of sovereignty, they are privately condoned - provided, officials say, the targets are chosen in coordination with Pakistan. Washington says it has no evidence Pakistan’s leadership knew he was in Abbottabad, though his presence in a garrison town not far from the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) has raised suspicions he had help from inside the security establishment. And events of the past decade have provided plenty of cause for strains within the military

and intelligence services, despite regular purges since the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.

Former president, Pervez Musharraf, who left office in 2008, worked closely with the United States in tackling al Qaeda.

Himself the target of Al-Qaeda linked assassination attempts in 2003, he brought in General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, now army chief, to dismantle the network and arrest the ringleaders. That effort culminated in the arrest of Abu Faraj Al-Libi in 2005. It was a high point in the US-Pakistan relationship. But things changed after that, though the impact of those changes which preceded the time bin Laden was reported to have moved to Abbottabad five years ago - remains unclear. Shortly after Libi was arrested Musharraf began to declare that Pakistan had broken the back of AlQaeda. According to Pakistan’s version of events, it continued to pass on

leads on al Qaeda to the Americans, including details of Arabic-language phone calls which were then used by the CIA to help track down bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad. But after 2005 it no longer gave it the same priority. It has since defended its failure to find bin Laden in part on the grounds that he no longer constituted a major threat. “We had already killed all his allies and so we had killed him even before he was dead. He was living like a dead man,” Pakistan’s spy chief, Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha, told parliament, according to comments relayed

by Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan. —Reuters

Humiliation deepens for Pak military

By Nasir Jaffry siege on a major naval base in the heart of Pakistan’s biggest city that took 17 hours to quell heaps humiliation on a military still reeling from the fallout over Osama bin Laden, experts say. Up to six Taleban fighters, armed with rocket-propelled grenades, explosives and automatic rifles, crept under cover of darkness to place ladders against the walls of the Mehran base and climbed over barbed wire into the facility. They managed to destroy two P-3C Orion aircraft, costing an estimated $36 million, which had only been delivered by the United States a year ago. Scores of reinforcements were trucked to the scene, but 10 security personnel lost their lives in gun battles with just a handful of militants. “This is of course a very serious blow to the capacity of the Pakistan navy to protect its bases and assets,” said analyst and author Imtiaz Gul. “Recent killings and attacks seem part of a sustained campaign to destabilise and demoralise the state of Pakistan.

They think the army remains a quasi-unifying force in Pakistan and it makes sense to hit them.”

It was the fourth attack on the navy in Karachi in a month and the most serious assault on a major military base since the army’s national headquarters in Rawalpindi

A

was besieged for two days in Oct 2009, killing 22 people.

On May 13, bombers killed 98 people outside a police training centre in the northwest, the deadliest attack in the country since the beginning of 2010. When Interior Minister Rehman Malik declared the attack over, he conceded that none of those responsible had been captured.

Even worse, he admitted, two may have escaped. He said he had been advised not to address the media at the gates of the base because of fears that suicide bombers might still be lurking in the bushes.

His comments came after the May 2 unilateral US raid that killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, in the shadow of the country’s top military academy, which left Pakistanis angry and embarrassed that the world’s most wanted man had been living in their midst. Ordinary people, brought up to believe the military is the most powerful and professional institution in a country weighed down by weak civilian leadership and recession, are now choosing between thinking them incompetent or complicit.

“The latest incident will create demoralisation and send the wrong message that this country is vulnerable. It will embolden militants and they will plan bigger attacks against high-value targets,” said analyst Rahimullah Yusufzai. “Such incidents also strengthen those who claim

Pakistan’s nuclear assets are not safe,” he added. Pakistan’s big fear in the wake of the Navy SEALs raid has been that its prized nuclear weapons, which now reportedly number more than 100 and exceed those of arch-rival India, are not safe from an external attack.

Although US officials say they are confident Pakistan can protect its assets, there have been reports of an elite US squad ready to fly in to attempt to secure Pakistan’s nuclear weapons if the government disintegrated.

Pakistan’s response to the bin Laden debacle has been to plead incompetence, order a string of investigations, and remind the world that all intelligence agencies make mistakes in the fight against Islamic extremism. “I appeal to the international community - we need you to support us morally. Look how we are suffering due to this war... We are fighting not only for Pakistan but for the world also,” Malik told reporters. All this as US officials say they are combing through intelligence gathered from the bin Laden compound to see whether there is any evidence that the military or intelligence services protected him. Yusufzai, the newspaper columnist and expert on the tribal belt that the Taleban and Al-Qaeda networks have made their home, said further evidence that Pakistanis are on the frontline will not resolve its problems with Washington. —AFP

Attack blueprint for nuclear base raid?

By Alistair Scrutton group of highly-trained militants with night-vision goggles and the collusion of sympathetic Islamist military officials storm a heavily-guarded navy base situated only a few miles from where a unstable Pakistan stores some of its nuclear weapons. That is the scary way of looking at the attack on the navy base in Karachi on Sunday night that destroyed two US-built aircraft and killed 10 military personnel, fuelling worries about the safety of the world’s fastest-growing nuclear arsenal.

The consensus remains that Pakistan’s 70-100 nuclear weapons are safe. Security at installations is reportedly much higher. It is almost impossible for a rogue team to launch any missiles and the vetting of staff at these bases is extremely rigorous. But each attack in Pakistan seems to up the ante, surprising analysts and military alike about how far militants can reach into the heart of the powerful military establishment - perhaps one day doing enough to steal nuclear material for a “dirty” bomb or successfully penetrating a nuclear facility.

In Sunday’s attack, attackers scaled walls with ladders to enter PNS Mehran, one of Pakistan’s most heavily guarded bases, and held off the military for nearly 17 hours. “It reinforces the fear that terrorists have now developed a range of tactics - foreknowledge, use of uniforms, simultaneous attacks on different entry points, etc - which enable them to penetrate highsecurity bases and, crucially, hold space within them for hours,” Professor Shaun Gregory, director of the Pakistan Security Research Unit at Bradford University, wrote in an email. “This is a blueprint for an

A

attack on a nuclear facility.”

The attack took place only 24 km away from a suspected Pakistan nuclear weapons storage site at Masroor air base, a sign of how close the nuclear arsenal is to the growing violence from the Pakistan Taleban and other militant groups.

Even in some of Pakistan’s more nationalistic media, which for years has dismissed criticism of the safety of the nuclear arsenal as foreigninspired propaganda, doubts have surfaced. “This easy action by the terrorists has rightly raised con-

these kind of insiders could assist an assault on a nuclear base. Even an unsuccessful attack could sow panic in the military and spark more pressure from Washington.

The Taleban hinted at local help, but remained coy to whether there were inside the base. “Our ‘local friends’ from Karachi helped us in yesterday’s operation but I would not say whether we had friends on the base or not,” Taleban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told Reuters from an undisclosed location.

were involved in planning the attacks. US diplomatic cables from 2006 published in local media showed then Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Operations, Air Vice Marshal Khalid Chaudhry as reporting of small scale sabotage from low ranking Islamist officials to stop aircraft being deployed in security operations along the Afghan border.

This all may lead to a nightmare scenario for the West of a small group of officials managing to steal nuclear material, load it up

Pakistani army commandos drive through the main gate of a naval aviation base following an attack by militants in Karachi on Monday. —AP cerns among the nation that neither any part of the country nor our nuclear installations are safe,” Urdu newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt said in its editorial yesterday.

Some commentators said it was possible that the attack could only have happened with help of insiders within the base - perhaps disaffected and low-level military personnel angry at increasingly open US operations on its soil. The fear is

The attack comes after the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces sparked suspicion the AlQaeda leader may have been helped for years by sympathisers within Pakistan’s intelligence services. Nor was this the first attack at the heart of Pakistan’s military.

There was an attack at the army general headquarters in Rawalpindi in 2009. Later investigations found low ranking soldiers and officers

with conventional explosives, and set it off. “(The) major concern is not having an Islamic militant steal an entire weapon but rather the chance someone working in government of Pakistan facilities could gradually smuggle enough material out to eventually make a weapon,” US ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson said in a 2009 cable released by WikiLeaks, according to media reports.

US officials have said that they do not know everything about the size and location of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, but have publicly voiced confidence in Pakistan’s ability to secure its weapons.

There are some 10,000 soldiers guarding the facilities and only 5 percent of individuals pass strict screening tests for staff at the facilities, according to a report by Shashank Joshi of the UK-based Royal United Services Institute think-tank. Experts say nuclear weapons are stored separately from delivery systems - meaning any militants ability to launch weapons is almost impossible.

But analysts point to weakness in the system. “Separate storage may provide a layer of protection against accidental launch or prevent theft of an assembled weapon, it may be easier for unauthorized people to remove a weapon’s fissile material core if it is not assembled,” The US Congressional Research Service said in a report in January. There are also concerns that any future standoff with nuclear foe India could lead to a chaotic situation with nuclear weapons dispersed around the country, straining Pakistan’s militar y command structure.

Pakistan’s move to develop short range tactical nuclear weapons may also make them more vulnerable to theft or a mutiny by a group of military officers. “If they are designed for battlefield use, they could present an easier target for terrorists to seize and use themselves,” wrote Ben Rhode, research associate for non-proliferation and disarmament at The International Institute for Strategic Studies, in an email to Reuters. —Reuters

focus

Berlusconi woes hinder important economic reforms

By Barry Moody taly has come under a market spotlight at the worst possible moment, when bitter political infighting and a decline in the strength of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi h e r a l d a p e r i o d o f n e w i n s t a b i l i t y.

Berlusconi is not only facing three corruption trials and a lurid sex scandal but a stunning setback in local elections last week that has unleashed divisions in his ruling alliance.

This is likely to reduce prospects for the ver y economic reforms which ratings a g e n c y S t a n d a r d & Po o r s u r g e d a t t h e weekend when it cut its outlook for the euro zone’s third largest economy to negative from stable. Although the two other ratings agencies, Moody’s and Fitch, maint a i n e d a s t a b l e o u t l o o k , S & P ’s w a r n i n g focused attention on Italy’s massive debt among the biggest in the world - and its chronically weak growth for more than a decade.

The spread between the yield on Italian and German government bonds hit its widest level since January on Monday and the cost of insuring I talian government debt rose. While analysts believe the reaction will be short-lived, S&P seemed to be aiming very directly at Italy’s government, whose failure to liberalise the economy and rigid labour market looks like being aggravated by Berlusconi’s problems. “ The S&P negative outlook should be regarded mostly as a wakeup call for the I talian government,” Unicredit said in a research note. “Berlusconi, because of his plunging popularity, is reluctant to take up what would be a ver y unpopular reform agenda that could result in job losses and falling incomes,” said Raj Badiani from IHS Global Insight.

Italy, widely seen as too big to fail, has been largely cushioned from the euro zone debt crisis because of the prudent fiscal polic y led by Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti and its low levels of private debt.

But with pressure mounting on all but the strongest euro economies, containing spending may no longer be enough. The spotlight has now turned on the need to revive what the IMF says was the world’s four th most sluggish economy between 2000 and 2010, ahead only of Zimbabwe, Eritrea and Haiti. Without growth and an increase in government revenue there will b e n o c h a n ce o f re d u c i n g I t a l y ’s p u b l i c debt, expected to hit 120 percent of GDP this year.

Berlusconi, the dominant figure in Italian politics for nearly two decades, suffered a serious setback in the first round of local elections a week ago when the centre-right mayor was forced into a run-off in the financial capital of Milan for the first time in 14 years. Most significantly, the poor result in his hometown and stronghold of his People of Freedom party seemed due to a major miscalculation by Berlusconi himself, who turned the campaign into a personal vote and bombarded the air waves with rhetoric, much of it attacking the magistrates who accuse him.

Despite years of public gaffes, Berlusconi has widely been seen as a consummate political operator and the only viable candidate for the dominant conservative voting bloc in Italy. Commentators predicted that if the centre-right fails to keep Milan in the run-offs next Sunday and Monday, it will signal the beginning of the end of “berlusconism” and a period of deep uncertainty likely to further paralyse economic reform.

The first round of the polls also undermined the alliance with the anti-immigrant, pro-devolution Northern League on which Berlusconi depends for survival following a split in the PDL. The League also suffered in the elections and quickly blamed Berlusconi and his attempts to pass laws to evade a string of concurrent trials for corruption and paying for sex with an underage prostitute. Over the weekend the row worsened, w i t h B e r l u s c o n i fo rc e d t o d e ny Le a g u e claims that two ministries would be transfe r re d to M i l a n - p rom p t i ng op p os i t i on mockery that the government would try to move the ancient Roman Colosseum there as well.

B i t te r c a m p a i gn i n g, i n c l u d i n g f i g h t s between rival supporters in Milan, reflect how much is at stake and Berlusconi’s rhetoric has become ever more heated. Af ter falling into a stunned silence for nearly a week after the first vote, he returned to the fray with a storm of allegations that the leftwing candidate in Milan was an extremist w h o wo u l d t u r n t h e c i t y i n to I t a l y ’s “Stalingrad”. On Monday he went further, suggesting that under a lef twing mayor Milan would become “an Islamic city, a gypsy metropolis, full of Roma camps and besieged by foreigners to whom the left would give a vote.” Analysts say Berlusconi has finally lost touch with electors who brought him to power and who have been badly hit by a real decline in living standards and rising unemployment. “The fact is that Berlusconi and his people can no longer give a voice to their hinterland and express their point of view about how the country should be run,” said Ernesto Galli Della Loggia in the Corriere Della Sera newspaper. —Reuters

I

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

sp orts Wallabies skipper sidelined

Seve Ballesteros Foundation VIRGINIA WATER: More than 600,000 pounds ($967,000) has been raised for the Seve Ballesteros Foundation from the special Wentworth tribute to the late Spaniard, organisers said yesterday. Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal, eight-times European number one Colin Montgomerie, US Open champion Graeme McDowell, Retief Goosen, Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Ross Fisher were among the competitors in Monday’s ‘Ole Seve’ pro-am event.

The pro-am and a subsequent auction meant a total of 618,168 pounds ($996,100) was raised for the Seve Ballesteros Foundation and Cancer Research UK. More than 1.3 million pounds has now been collected since the five-times major champion launched his foundation in December 2009.

The foundation is Seve’s biggest legacy,” his nephew Ivan said in a news release. “He fought all the way and lost the battle ... but he started the foundation for research so that people can win these battles.” Seve died earlier this month at the age of 54 after a two-year battle with brain cancer. — Reuters

CANBERRA: Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom faces another spell on the sidelines after injuring his ankle in his first match of the season for the AC T Brumbies in Super rugby at the weekend.

The 28-year-old flanker, who sustained the injur y in the Brumbies’ 13-13 draw with Western Force on Saturday, under went scans yesterday which showed he had sustained a Syndesmosis injury, or high ankle sprain.

A spokesman for the Brumbies said Elsom would meet with doctors on Tuesday to discuss the diagnosis and was not yet being ruled out of Saturday’s match

Giggs misses training

against the Stormers.

A long spell out could signal the end of Elsom’s time at the twice Super rugby champion Brumbies, who have four more matches to play and no hope of making the playoffs.

Elsom has not yet decided on his future after his contract with the Brumbies and Australian Rugby Union (ARU) expires at the end of the year.

Saturday ’s match in Per th was Elsom’s first for six months after he recovered from a hamstring injury and the twisted ank le is another blow to his preparations for this year ’s World Cup. — Reuters

MANCHESTER: Ryan Giggs missed Manchester United’s open training session yesterday a day after being named in Parliament as the player at the centre of a high-profile privacy case.

Giggs was pictured on the front pages of national newspapers after he was identified by a member of parliament as the footballer who had gained a High Court injunction preventing allegations of an affair being published.

The 37-year-old Welshman was not the only player missing from training as the English title winners prepared for Saturday’s Champions League final against Barcelona at Wembley.

Defender Rafael, midfielder

Rangers down White Sox

Mariners 8, Twins 7 At Minneapolis, Luis Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as Seattle rallied to win its sixth straight game, beating Jim Thome and Minnesota.

Carlos Peguero’s single in the ninth scored Michael Saunders and tied the game, helping the Mariners overcome Thome’s powerful return to the lineup.

In his first game off the disabled list, Thome homered twice — including a 465-foot shot that bounced high in the air after landing on the Target Field pavilion in the fourth inning. He also hit a line drive that had just enough height to clear the wall in left field in the seventh.

ARLINGTON: Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz both homered in their return to the Texas Rangers lineup and Alexi Ogando threw a five-hitter for his first career shutout in a 4-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday.

Hamilton, the reigning American League most valuable player, got his first homer of the season when he pulled a line drive over the right-field wall in the first off John Danks (0-7), who also threw a complete game. Hamilton added a double in the eighth. Cruz hit his eighth homer, a two-run homer in the sixth.

Ogando (5-0) struck out six and walked three.

Indians 3, Red Sox 2 At Cleveland, Asdrubal Cabrera’s twoout RBI double in the eighth inning — the latest big hit delivered by Cleveland’s shortstop — rallied the Indians to a win over Boston, which also lost second baseman Dustin Pedroia with a leg injury.

Cabrera, who went 5 for 5 with two homers and five RBIs on Sunday, drove his double off reliever Daniel Bard (1-4) to the wall in left field, scoring Michael Brantley and helping the Indians win their fourth straight and improve to 19-4 at home.

Cabrera also homered in the fourth, his third homer in two days. The game started after a 61-minute rain delay.

Blue Jays 7, Yankees 3 At New York, JP Arencibia hit a threerun double in a five-run sixth inning and Jose Bautista homered to back spot starter Carlos Villanueva and lift Toronto to a victory over New York.

Starting in place of injured Jesse Litsch, Villanueva (2-0) limited the Yankees to two hits and a run in five innings. With a looping curveball, he

ARLINGTON: Texas Rangers first baseman Michael Young catches an infield popup next to catcher Mike Napoli in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox. — AP

struck out the side to open his first start since Oct. 3, 2009, for Milwaukee.

Arencibia added an RBI single in the eighth, and Bautista didn’t disappoint in his matchup with Curtis Granderson as the top two sluggers in baseball. Bautista crushed a pitch from Bartolo Colon (2-3) in his first at-bat, sending a line drive over the 399-foot marker in left-center for his 19th homer of the season.

Tigers 6, Rays 3 At Detroit, Victor Martinez hit a tworun double and Jhonny Peralta had a

two-run single in the eighth inning to lift Detroit to a win over Tampa Bay. Charlie Furbush (1-0) pitched 3 2-3 scoreless innings of relief in his major league debut after Detroit starter Phil Coke was injured.

Former Rays reliever Joaquin Benoit worked a scoreless eighth. Jose Valverde gave up two runs in the ninth but avoided a total collapse by getting former Tiger Johnny Damon to line out to first baseman Miguel Cabrera with two on.

Jeremy Hellickson (5-3) allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings.

Angels 4, Athletics 1 At Anaheim, California, Torii Hunter threw out the potential go-ahead run at the plate in the seventh inning and doubled home the go-ahead run in the eighth to lead the Los Angeles Angels over Oakland.

Bobby Abreu grounded into a fielder’s choice after former Angels closer Brian Fuentes (1-7) opened the inning by walking Erick Aybar. Hunter greeted Michael Wuertz with a double to the wall in right-center on a 2-2 pitch, easily scoring Abreu.

Jeff Mathis capped the rally with a two-out, two-run single off Wuertz, who came in with .103 opponents batting average — the best among AL relievers. Fuentes has been charged with the loss in each of his last four appearances, setting an Oak land record.

Scott Downs (2-1) got the win with a scoreless eighth, retiring David DeJesus on a groundout after giving up two-out singles to Hideki Matsui and Conor Jackson. Rookie — AP

MLB results/standings Major League Baseball results and standings on Monday.

Toronto 7, NY Yankees 3; Cleveland 3, Boston 2; Detroit 6, Tampa Bay 3; Philadelphia 10, Cincinnati 3; Houston 4, LA Dodgers 3; Texas 4, Chicago White Sox 0; Milwaukee 11, Washington 3; Seattle 8, Minnesota 7 (10 innings).

NY Yankees Tampa Bay Boston Toronto Baltimore Cleveland Detroit Kansas City Chi White Sox Minnesota Texas LA Angels Seattle Oakland

Philadelphia Florida Atlanta NY Mets Washington St Louis Cincinnati Milwaukee Pittsburgh Chicago Cubs Houston San Francisco Colorado Arizona LA Dodgers San Diego

American League Eastern Division W L 25 21 26 22 25 22 24 23 21 24 Central Division 30 15 24 23 22 24 22 27 15 31 Western Division 25 23 25 24 23 24 22 26 National League Eastern Division 29 18 26 19 26 23 22 24 21 26 Central Division 29 20 25 23 25 23 22 24 20 25 18 30 Western Division 27 19 23 22 23 23 21 28 19 29

PCT .543 .542 .532 .511 .467

GB .5 1.5 3.5

.667 .511 .478 .449 .326

7 8.5 10 15.5

.521 .510 .489 .458

.5 1.5 3

.617 .578 .531 .478 .447

2 4 6.5 8

.592 .521 .521 .478 .444 .375

3.5 3.5 5.5 7 10.5

.587 .511 .500 .429 .396

3.5 4 7.5 9

Phillies crush Reds, Brewers pound Nats

Love qualifies for British Open PLANO: Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III was among eight players who qualified for the British Open on Monday, giving him a spot in all four majors for the first time since 2007. Brian Davis of England was the medalist at Gleneagles Country Club with a 6-under 64, while Chad Campbell finished one shot behind.

The 36-hole qualifier was reduced to 18 holes because of heavy rain that caused a six-hour delay.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia, 31, withdrew because of an infected fingernail on his left hand that made it difficult for him to grip the club. Garcia has played in every British Open since he was an amateur at Royal Birkdale in 1998. The British Open will be played July 15-17 at Royal St. George’s.

Love, who tied for fourth when the British Open was held at Royal St. George’s in 2003, was in the group of qualifiers at 66 that included Nathan Green, Spencer Levin, Chris Tidland and Bob Estes.

Jerry Kelly, who had a 67, earned the last spot in a six-for-one playoff, beating out Justin Hicks. It at least will give Kelly a shot at redemption at Royal St. George’s, where in 2003 he made an 11 on the opening hole with four shots that traveled about 15 feet in the thick rough. Kelly wound up with an 86 and had to withdraw with a wrist injury.

Davis had a 68-68 weekend at Royal St. George’s in 2003 and tied for sixth, his best finish in a British Open.

In the International Final Qualifying event Monday, he had six birdies in a bogey-free round that left little doubt of his return to England.

“I had a really good ball-striking round today and any mishit shot I had went straight, so you know you’re playing good when that happens,” Davis said.

Brandt Snedeker was among those who failed to qualify in the playoff. He is No. 47 in the world, with the top 50 after this week’s tournaments getting into the championship.

Others who failed to qualify included Australian Stuart Appleby, Brian Gay, Paul Goydos and Mike Weir.

PGA Tour players still can get into the British Open over the next few months through a special money list that includes The Players Championship and the five consecutive tournaments through the AT&T National; and for being the highest finisher among the top 10 not already exempt in the AT&T National and the John Deere Classic.

That includes Garcia, who has not missed a major dating to the 1999 U.S. Open and now risks missing two in a row. Garcia, who is No. 73 in the world, already has said he will only play the U.S. Open if he gets into the top 50 by June 13.

“I couldn’t grip the club properly today and it prevented me from playing when I wanted it most,” Garcia said. “It’s a setback, but I’m happy with the direction my game is headed and I’ll be looking to make up for it the rest of the season. I always look forward to The Open Championship, and to have to withdraw today is a huge disappointment. “Having a problem with your finger is obviously a big issue for a golfer.”—AP

Paul Scholes, goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and striker Dimitar Berbatov also sat out a session watched by around 200 reporters.

Giggs, one of United’s most influential players this season as the club sealed a record 19th English title, is expected to be in the starting line-up for Saturday’s showdown against the Spanish champions.

In a news conference after the training session, United manager Alex Ferguson deflected questions about Giggs. “All the players are important, every one of them,” Ferguson snapped when one reporter asked how big an influence Giggs was on the team. — Reuters

BOSTON: Bruins goalie Tim Thomas (right) makes a save as Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos ends up airborne as he is checked into the goal during the first period of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference finals. — AP

Bruins get past Lightning BOSTON: Tim Thomas stopped 33 shots after allowing another early goal, and Brad Marchand scored the game-winner to lead Boston to a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night and put the Bruins one win away from the Stanley Cup finals.

The victory gave Boston a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, with a chance to clinch Wednesday night in Tampa Bay. The Lightning would need to win Game 6 to force a seventh game in Boston on Friday.

Nathan Horton scored to tie it in the second period, 17 seconds after returning from the penalty box. Marchand scored with 4:04 left in the period to give Boston a 2-1 lead.

Boston managed just 19 shots on Mike Smith as he made his first career playoff start in place of Dwayne Roloson.

Tampa Bay finally managed to pull the goalie with 42 seconds left, but Rich Peverley scored an empty-netter with 12.1 seconds left to clinch it. The Lightning left the extra skater on the bench for the ensuing faceoff, but they couldn’t come through with anything more than some

shoving after the final whistle.

Thomas bounced back after allowing four straight goals in Game 4 and may have saved the season when he stopped Steve Downie with about 11 minutes left, reaching out to put his stick in front of the open net and protect a 2-1 lead. The crowd cheered each time it was shown from a different angle on the scoreboard.

Two nights after Tampa Bay rallied with five straight goals to overcome a 3-0 deficit and win Game 4, Boston shrugged off Simon Gagne’s goal just 69 seconds in and staged a comeback of its own.

Gagne, who scored the winner in Game 4, converted a 2-on-1 with Steve Stamkos to beat defenseman Johnny Boychuk and put the puck past Thomas.

Horton tied it on a one-timer from Milan Lucic 4:24 into the second period — just Boston’s seventh shot.

Marchand also took a penalty in the second, then came back to score. After Zdeno Chara kept the puck in the zone, Patrice Bergeron went to the faceoff circle to retrieve it, then passed it over to Marchand for an easy chip -in past Smith. — AP

PHILADELPHIA: Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and Raul Ibanez homered to back Cole Hamels as the Philadelphia Phillies handed the Cincinnati Reds their sixth straight loss, 10-3 on Monday.

Chase Utley returned to Philadelphia’s lineup after missing the first 46 games with a right knee injury. The five-time All-Star second baseman was 0 for 5, the only starter without a hit.

His teammates did all the damage.

A struggling offense that had nine runs combined in the previous six games scored nine by the third inning. Hamels (6-2) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings.

Brewers 11, Nationals 3 At Milwaukee, Corey Hart hit his first three home runs this season and drove in seven to tie both club records to lift surging Milwaukee past Washington. Hitless in his previous 11 at-bats, Hart smacked two-run shots in the first and fifth innings off Tom Gorzelanny (2-4) to reach 100 homers for his career. He finished with a three-run homer off Doug Slaten with two outs in the eighth.

Prince Fielder also homered for Milwaukee, which has won seven straight at home and 11 of the last 14 overall. That was plenty of support for Yovani Gallardo (6-2), who retired 12 straight at one point and allowed only one run — on Michael Morse’s homer in the second — in seven innings.

Cardinals 3, Padres 1 At San Diego, Albert Pujols hit his first home run in 106 at-bats to end the longest drought of his career as St. Louis scored two runs off Heath Bell in the ninth. The National League Central-leading Cardinals won for the seventh time in eight games.

The Padres have lost six of seven, and their 8-19 home record is the worst in the NL. Daniel Descalso’s RBI single to right off Bell (2-1) broke a 1-1 tie. Ryan Theriot hit a two-out single to bring in Descalso.

Kyle Lohse (6-2) held the Padres to one run and five hits in eight innings, struck out five and walked one.

Astros 4, Dodgers 3 At Houston, Hunter Pence’s two-out RBI single in the ninth inning lifted Houston over Los Angeles. The Astros trailed 3-1 entering the ninth inning before Michael Bourn tied it with his two-out, full-count double down the right-field line that scored two against Kenley Jansen (1-1).

Bill Hall started the rally with a one-out single and Angel Sanchez walked with two outs. Hall and Sanchez advanced on a double steal to put the tying runs in scoring position for Bourn.

Jansen hit Clint Barmes with a pitch before Pence’s looping line drive to left field sent Bourn home. Catcher Dioner Navarro blocked the plate but Bourn slid in behind him to tag home.—AP

PHILADELPHIA: Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo winds up while pitching in the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies. — AP

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

S P ORT S

Butcher determined to hack it in F1

MONACO: When John Booth looked back on Virgin Racing’s debut last season, the team principal could only wonder what kind of madness had led him to get involved in Formula One. Creating a grand prix team from scratch, with limited resources and little time, was no light undertaking. “We massively underestimated the task,” the 56-year-old said in an interview ahead of Sunday’s showcase Monaco Grand Prix. “Who the hell did we think we were, to build a Formula One team from scratch in six months? We must have been crazy, insane to even attempt it.”

While many might continue to question his sanity, with the team battling around at the back in an uncompetitive car and points not even a distant mirage, the former butcher has no doubt his team can and will hack it in F1.

In fact, he is more determined than ever to succeed. “My ambition was to try and achieve building a team in Formula One. But now I’ve got a taste for it, I want success in Formula One,” Booth told Reuters. “The trouble is I’m getting a bit long in the

tooth now, I don’t know how long I can wait. But I am desperate for success in Formula One now.

Desperate. And I don’t mean being a Red Bull.

“It’s about progressing forward...I wouldn’t want to leave Formula One now having only ever been at the back and not moving anywhere. I definitely want now to go forward with the team.”

Booth, who started work aged 15 in his family’s chain of butcher shops in his native Rotherham and went on to race in single-seaters in the 1980s, has an impressive track record in the junior series.

Formula One world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton both raced for his Manor Motorsport operation on their way up the ladder.

Virgin had their share of embarrassments last year, notably when it was revealed that the car’s tank could not hold enough fuel to get to the end of some races, but those early design problems were fixed. This season will be a long, hard slog for German driver Timo Glock and Belgian rookie Jerome d’Ambrosio but they are at least getting to the finish and the team also have backing from

Russian sportscar maker Marussia.

“Our initial aim was to improve reliability (this season),” said Booth. “That was the main focus over the winter, because we couldn’t have continued as we were. To that extent, it was a very successful winter.

“What has been disappointing has been our pace...it’s aero efficiency. We’re nowhere with it.

You go and watch the car on the circuit and it’s balanced pretty good, it does all the things it’s supposed to do,” he added.

“It doesn’t look particularly evil to drive or anything like that. It’s just that we don’t have enough down force. “We can improve (this season), but how much is a difficult question to answer. Certain aspects of the car are set in stone for the rest of the year. “But at least we can go around and round now. Touch wood.”

Virgin are the only team to design their car entirely with computers, rather than a mixture of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and the traditional wind tunnel, in a project led by Nick Wirth.

Critics said that was the wrong way to go and Booth appeared inclined to agree: “Looking at where we are on the grid, you’d say they have got a point wouldn’t you?,” he smiled.

“The efficiency of wind tunnels over the last three or four years, since there have been restrictions on running time, has improved tenfold,” he added. “So there is a possibility we could consider a tunnel programme now, within our budget.”

Booth’s role is to motivate and guide, keeping morale up despite the road blocks along the way.

The lessons learned back in the butchery business have not been forgotten.

“I wasn’t quite 17 and I said to my old man ‘that bloke who is managing that shop is useless. He’s got to go’. So he said ‘OK, fire him tomorrow then’,” he recalled.

“I woke up at about five in the morning, couldn’t sleep obviously, went to the shop and sat outside so the guy couldn’t (get in). “It was a great lesson in life... if you want something doing you have to go and do it yourself.” —Reuters

Mavs rally to stun Thunder OKLAHOMA CITY: Dirk Nowitzki scored 40 points and Jason Kidd hit the go-ahead 3pointer with 40 seconds left in overtime as the Dallas Mavericks overcame a 15-point deficit in the final 5 minutes to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105 on Monday and take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Dallas didnít lead until Nowitzki hit two free throws 16 seconds into overtime, needing to rally from a 99-84 deficit in the final 5 minutes of regulation. The Mavericks never let the Thunder — who were one win shy of tying an NBA record with eight OT wins in the regular season — go ahead in the extra period.

Kevin Durant missed a 3-pointer on Oklahoma Cityís opening possession of overtime then didnít get another shot until he missed a 3 off the front rim in the final 10 seconds with the Thunder down by five.

Durant finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka had 18 points and 10 boards for Oklahoma City. Russell Westbrook added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Dallas. Only two teams have come back from 3-1 deficits in NBA history without the benefit of home-court advantage in Game 7 — Houston in the 1995 West semifinals and Boston in the 1968 East finals.

Durant had nine of the Thunderís 26 turnovers, including the one that led to Kiddís big shot. Kidd stripped him as he went up for a shot with just over a minute left in over time, then took a pass from Nowitzki, pump-faked to get Westbrook in the air and stepped up and drilled a 3-pointer to put Dallas up 108-105 with 40.3 seconds left. — AP

Barbarians pick Mason TOULON: In this Saturday April 2, 2011 file photo Toulon’s Gavin Henson looks at the ball during their French Top 14 rugby union match against Stade Francais. —AP

Toulon end Henson experiment TOULON: Gavin Henson’s short stay at big-spending French club Toulon will come to an abrupt halt at the end of this season, club sources told AFP yesterday.

The 29-year-old Welshman joined the Top 14 club in February but he recently served a one-week suspension for a nightclub brawl with team-mates and had been waiting to discover whether he would be welcome back next term.

Club president Mourad Boudjellal told AFP: “We do not want to blame anyone, but for next season we hope that team spirit is a priority.”

Henson joined Toulon for an initial five months to cover for the injured Clement Marienval, hoping to convince head coach Philippe Saint-Andre to give him a new two-year deal as well as revive his Wales career ahead of the World Cup. He had encouragement early on when he was named in the Wales squad to face the Barbarians next week, but he

hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons once again with his off-field behaviour costing him any chance of a longterm deal at Toulon.

Henson last played for Wales in the 2009 Six Nations before a combination of personal problems and injuries prompted him to take unpaid leave from the Ospreys. After some reality television appearances, he signed with Saracens to end an 18-month period out of the game but made only four appearances and just one start in four months at the club.

Henson was initially hampered by a hamstring injury on his arrival in France, but made a try-scoring debut against Stade Francais and made his second start in another victory over Toulouse.

The decision not to keep Henson follows hot on the heels of the high-profile signing of former rugby league star Willie Mason, who is expected to play at centre. —AFP

LONDON: Australia rugby league international Willie Mason could make his union debut Sunday against England after being picked by the Barbarians for the team’s two summer matches.

The 31-year-old New Zealand-born forward is in a 24-man squad, which will swell to 26 next week when All Black wing Doug Howlett and Australian flyhalf Brock James join up for the June 4 match against Wales.

Mason scored seven tries in 24 league appearances for Australia in a career marked by disciplinary problems.

Club sides Bulldogs and Roosters both fined him for misdemeanors, with the player involved in several alcohol-related incidents.

There are 12 countries represented in the squad, with the inclusion of Georgia prop Davit Kubriashvili and Norwegian lock Erik Lund set to take the total of nationalities to represent the Barbarians over 121 years to 31.

Other players picked for the first time by the invitational club side are Italy captain Sergio Parisse, his backup Leonardo Ghiraldini, and France flyhalf Frederic Michalak.

England has picked an inexperienced squad containing 13 uncapped players with the aim of giving squad members a chance to win a place at this year’s World Cup. —AP

China’s march gathers steam QINGDAO: Lin Dan suffered one or t wo anxious moments but China’s relentless march towards a fourth successive Sudirman Cup gathered pace as they battered Japan 5-0 yesterday.

With their places in the quarterfinals assured, the old rivals were fi g h t i n g i t ou t for to p sp o t in t he group-but China’s far superior quality ensured the Japanese went down with a whimper.

Surprisingly, the only really tense moment for the Chinese juggernaut came in Lin’s exciting encounter with the agile Sho Sasaki. Superstar Lin said afterwards that he was satisfied with

his display, but he cannot have been pleased with the way he started.

He got off to a disastrous beginning-as so often seems to be the casetrailing 4-6, 7-9 and 11-15 in the first game, before he finally warmed to the task, pulling level at 15-15 and then saving two game points.

To roars of approval, the 27-yearold, widely regarded as the best player ever, dug in to somehow salvage the game 22-20.

Lin was quicker out of the blocks in the second game, but Sasaki would no t b e in timidated by a par tisan crowd in the Chinese coastal city of

Qingdao. The determined Japanese went 14-13 up with a lucky net break then pulled level 18-18 in the same manner, before the Chinese master sealed the game-and with it the tie — 21-19. In the other major match-up of the day, Thailand’s teen sensation Ratchanok Inthanon again impressed in swattin g aside Taiwan’s C he ng Shao-chieh 21-9, 21-17 in just 28 minutes.

But that was not enough to prevent Thailand from going down 3-2 overall in the tie, meaning they go tumbling disappointingly out of the tournament at the group stages. — AFP

OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook (0) attempts a shot over Dallas Mavericks’ Tyson Chandler (center) as Dirk Nowitzki (right) looks on in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals basketball series. — AP

Muscular Bolt nervous ahead of season debut ROME: Usain Bolt is “slightly nervous” for the first time in his career. The 100-meter world record-holder will make his season debut in tomorrow’s Golden Gala meet in Rome, his first race since getting beat by Tyson Gay in Stockholm last August to end his two-year unbeaten streak.

Bolt said the loss to Gay changed “absolutely nothing.” “You lose some and you win some. You never win every race in your entire career. Last season wasn’t my best season. It was kind of my season downtime for me,” the Jamaican said.

“This season is back to business. I want to prove to the world that I’m still the best.” After the loss to Gay, Bolt ended last season early due to back and Achilles’ tendon problems.

“For the first time I’m slightly nervous — I haven’t run in so long,” the Olympic and world champion said.

“I’m always calm and relaxed. As I said I’m a little bit nervous, but I know I’m getting in shape. Me and my coach have done a lot of work leading up to this race.” Bolt recently got approval to race again from a physician in Munich.

“The doctor gave me the go ahead,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m in perfect shape but good shape, so I’m looking forward to competing.” Since he last raced, Bolt has added more muscle to his frame, rolling up the sleeve of his shirt and pointing to his flexed biceps at one point to demonstrate the fact during a packed news conference Tuesday.

“I’ve been doing a lot of work strengthwise, core-wise, that’s why I may look a little different,” he said, noting that he needs to improve his starts. “What has really bothered me over the years is the first 30 meters, because I’m tall. I’ve been working on it.”

Bolt will face fellow Jamaican and former world record-holder Asafa Powell, as well as European champion Christophe Lemaitre at the Stadio Olimpico. Bolt is also planning to race in Ostrava and Oslo as he warms up for the Aug. 27-Sept. 4 world championships in Daegu, South Korea.

“I’m not really expecting anything, I’m just going out there to see where I’m at and see what I need to do for the world championships,” he said. “These meets are stepping stones for the world championships. My whole focus this year is just to work toward the world championships.”

Since Powell set a world record of 9.74 seconds in Rieti, Italy, in 2007, Bolt has broken the mark three times, the last being a 9.58 at the 2009 world championships in Berlin. Bolt has beaten Powell in eight of their nine meetings.

Powell’s only win came in Stockholm in 2008. “Asafa is a great athlete, he’s been in the top three for a lot of years now and he has broken the world record a lot of times,” Bolt said. “He’s going to come out running hard and the competition has always been great between us.”

Nine world records have been set in the 30-year history of the Golden Gala, but none

in sprint events. Gay holds the meet record of 9.77 seconds, set in 2009. Bolt had nothing but praise for Gay. “Tyson Gay is definitely one of those sprinters that never gives up,” Bolt said. “He’s really focused, he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t party, he’s really focused on what he wants. He’s a complete athlete and a wonderful competitor.” Bolt wouldn’t speculate about what kind of time he might run in Rome.

“I can’t even say. I haven’t run all season,” he said. “Normally I would have done a couple of races already so I could say how fast I could go, so I’m just hoping for the best. I’ve been doing good in training so I hope it’s going to be a good time.

“I’ve said this over the years: records are never my aim, I aim for world championship and Olympic medals. I want to show the world I’m back, and I don’t need to break records to show that.” Bolt was wearing a shirt featuring the logo of the Italian football federation, which shares his sponsor, and he was asked about his aspirations to become a football player when he quits running.

“I’m definitely serious,” Bolt said. “I’m a football fan for a lot of years now. I think I can do a pretty good job. I could stack up to the (Wayne) Rooneys and so forth.”—AP

ITALY: Jamaica’s Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt arrives for a press conference. The 24-year-old Jamaican is making his return to the track for the first time in almost nine months at the Golden Gala meeting. — AFP

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

S P ORT S

Pakistan level Windies Test series BASSETERRE: Pakistan romped to a series-leveling victory against West Indies in the second cricket Test 17 minutes before lunch on the final day at Warner Park yesterday.

West Indies, overnight 130-5 and chasing an improbable target of 427, was bowled out for 230. Offspinner Saeed Ajmal, later named man of the series for his 17 wickets over both tests, grabbed three wickets to help secure the win.

Ajmal finished with 3-79 while leftarm spinner Abdur Rehman added one more to his three on Monday to end with 4-65.

Pakistan, after losing the first test in Guyana by 40 runs, shared the twomatch series 1-1. The visitors’ skipper Misbah-ul-Haq pinpointed his team’s improved catching as one of the keys to the success. “That was excellent. That was one thing where we were behind in the previous game,” Misbah said.

“In this game, I think fielding was the main difference between the two teams.”

While the Pakistanis held on to some stunning catches, West Indies floored six crucial catches in Pakistan’s second innings.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy was disappointed his team could not turn the first test win into a first series win in more than two years.

“We see it as an opportunity lost. We had good momentum coming into this game,” Sammy said. “Looking at the game, we just didn’t score enough runs in both innings. As a side, we won’t be happy with that. We as batsmen have some work to do.” Sammy also bemoaned the fielding lapses that let Pakistan off the hook.

“We dropped some crucial catches as well and that cost us dearly in this game,” he added. Misbah said his team’s positive attitude helped overcome the defeat in Guyana.

“One thing that is really good about my team, especially this bunch of guys, is they really have fighting spirit,” he said.

“That helped us to get back in the game.

Everybody just showed the character and that just got us back on track.”

Pakistan returns home from its seventh tour of West Indies yet to achieve a Test series victory in the Caribbean. The home team’s hopes were dealt a severe blow in the day ’s third over when Brendan Nash fell to Ajmal. The left-hander failed to add to his overnight 30, edging to slip where Taufeeq Umar collected his fifth catch of the match.

Sammy and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh fought back gamely in a stand of 36 before Rehman struck. Baugh, after compiling 18 off 59 balls, was finally giv-

SCOREBOARD

ST KITTS: Pakistan’s fielder Umar Akmal (rear) stretches to intercept the ball off West Indies’ batsman Carlton Baugh during the second innings on the final day of their second cricket Test match. — AP en out leg before by umpire Asoka de Silva after Pakistan sought the Decision Review System.

The lower order provided further resistance as Sammy, Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul played positively. Sammy cracked six fours in 41 off 51 deliveries before he tried to on-drive Ajmal and chipped a catch to midwicket.

Rampaul swatted two fours and two sixes off Rehman to liven up a sprinkling of spectators. But after scoring 20 off 22 balls he departed to a fine silly point catch from Umar Akmal off Ajmal. There was a comical end to the match when Roach was found dawdling and run out by a direct hit from Wahab Riaz. Roach made 12 off 37 balls. — AP

BASSETERRE, St Kitts: Scoreboard at the end of the second test between West Indies and Pakistan yesterday: Pakistan first innings 272 West Indies first innings 223 Pakistan second innings 377-6 dec West Indies second innings (overnight 130-5) L. Simmons c Mohammad Hafeez b Abdur Rehman 24 K. Brathwaite b Tanvir Ahmed 0 D. Bravo lbw b Wahab Riaz 50 R. Sarwan lbw b Abdur Rehman 0 M. Samuels c ÜMohammad Salman b Abdur Rehman 6 B. Nash c Taufeeq Umar b Saeed Ajmal 30 C. Baugh lbw b Abdur Rehman 18 D. Sammy c Misbah-ul-Haq b Saeed Ajmal 41 K. Roach run out (Wahab Riaz) 12 R. Rampaul c Umar Akmal b Saeed Ajmal 20 D. Bishoo not out 3 Extras (b 8 lb 6 w 6 nb 6) 26 Total (all out; 80.3 overs) 230 Fall of wickets: 1-5 2-59 3-63 4-77 5-115 6-135 7-171 8193 9-227 10-230 Bowling: Tanvir Ahmed 5-0-10-1 (3nb), Wahab Riaz 10-139-1 (3nb, 2w), Abdur Rehman 24.3-10-65-4, Saeed Ajmal 31-7-79-3, Mohammad Hafeez 10-1-23-0 Result: Pakistan won by 196 runs

Afghanistan series end Pakistan’s home exile

Lance Armstrong seen in this file photo

Armstrong backed by UCI, Ekimov over doping claims LONDON: In the wake of fresh doping allegations against Lance Armstrong, cycling’s world governing body and one of his former teammates came to the defense of the seven-time Tour de France champion on Monday.

Tyler Hamilton, another ex-teammate of Armstrong, claiming to have witnessed the American take performance-enhancing drugs during or before the 1999, 2000 and 2001 Tours while with the US Postal team.

However, team rider Viatcheslav Ekimov says he never saw Armstrong do any of the things Hamilton described.

The International Cycling Union also denied claims from Hamilton that it helped cover up a positive sample submitted by Armstrong at the Tour de Suisse in 2001.

“The UCI is deeply shocked by the seriousness of the allegations made on the ‘60 Minutes’ program aired by US television network CBS,” the organization said in a statement. “The allegations of Tyler Hamilton are completely unfounded.”

Ekimov, who rode with Armstrong as he won the Tour from 2000-05 and is now RadioShack’s team manager, referred to Hamilton as a “liar” and suggested he has ulterior motives in making his revelations now.

“Behind his story is something,” Ekimov said. “First of all, it’s untrue. And behind his story is some money or some stimulation. Because why did this guy just crack now? Why didn’t he do it in 2005? ... I call these guys liars. First they lie about the innocence, now they lie about something else.

“I think it’s just money. It seems to me like somebody really wants to kill Lance and put him down. There’s all this interest to find people who will say something.”

Hamilton has twice been banned for doping. Armstrong has always denied doping and has never tested positive.

Hamilton said Armstrong had told him of a positive sample he submitted in 2001, claiming the Texan made a deal with the UCI and they “figured out a way for it to go away.” But the UCI “categorically rejected” the accusation, insisting it had “never altered or hidden the results of a positive test.”

The organization also said that Armstrong had never been notified of a positive finding and reserves the right to take legal action against Hamilton. “The UCI can only express its indignation at this latest attempt to damage the image of cycling by a cyclist who has not hesitated to abuse the trust of all followers of cycling on several occasions in the past,” the statement said.

“The UCI can only confirm that Lance Armstrong has never been notified of a

positive test result by any anti-doping laboratory. ... Once again, the UCI wishes to state that no manipulation or cover up has occurred in respect of its anti-doping procedures.” The CBS program said that UCI officials helped arrange a meeting involving Armstrong and the World AntiDoping Agency-accredited laboratory at Lausanne which tested the Swiss race samples.

The UCI and its former president Hein Verbruggen, whose 14-year spell in office ended in 2005, denied such a meeting took place.

“There has never, ever been a coverup. Not in the Tour de Suisse, not in the Tour de France,” Verbruggen said. “I don’t know anything about suspicious tests. I was not aware of that.”

The UCI has previously said the 2001 Swiss race was clear of doping, and denied suggestions that Armstrong gave it money for covering up a failed test.

Armstrong donated $25,000 in 2002 for the Swiss-based organization’s anti-doping program and $100,000 in 2005 for the purchase of a Sysmex machine used for analyzing blood.

Tour de Suisse spokesman Rolf Huser said that organizers knew nothing about the race test results, which are conducted by cycling federations and anti-doping agencies. “We are never in the loop about doping controls. We have to be neutral,” Huser said.

“We can’t say anything about these rumors from 2001. We had the (race) results and ever ything was OK .”

Hamilton’s claim regarding the Tour de Suisse was previously made by Floyd Landis, another ride who denied doping during his career before later admitting to using banned substances.

Verbruggen and his successor as UCI president, Pat McQuaid, are suing Landis in a Swiss court for saying that the governing body protected star riders from doping allegations.

In a separate development on Monday, Italian police carried out a search on the hotel of the RadioShack team currently competing the Giro d’Italia. RadioShack team physician Nino Danieli told the Cycling News Web site that police questioned him and searched the team vehicles but that he signed a police statement saying nothing of interest was found.

The RadioShack team is backed by Armstrong and has the same management in place as during his Tour de France victories with U.S. Postal (later renamed Discovery Channel). Armstrong rode for RadioShack until he retired earlier this year. It was unclear if the search was related to the ongoing investigation into Michele Ferrari, a banned Italian physician who was once Lance Armstrong’s training adviser. — AP

KARACHI: Afghanistan will become the first foreign team to play an international match in Pakistan today since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009, killing seven people.

Pakistan ‘A’ host Afghanistan in a threematch one -day series with matches in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad. Captain Nawroz Mangal said he hoped Afghanistan’s visit would encourage other teams to tour Pakistan again.

“For us it is a great opportunity to play against a full test country. It is the first full series for us and it is very significant for our cricket,” Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal told Reuters from Islamabad. “For us to play even against the Pakistan second string side is going to be a challenging experience.

“We hope this series will also bring good luck for Pakistan cricket and teams will come here putting aside their security concerns.”

Six Pakistani policemen and a driver were killed in the attack in March 2009 while five Sri Lankan players were also wounded in the team bus which came under attack near the Gaddafi stadium.

Since then foreign teams have refused to play in Pakistan and on Tuesday Sri Lanka also turned down an invitation from the Pakistan Cricket Board to play a series in the country later this year.

Sri Lankan cricket officials instead have

ISLAMABAD: Players of Afghanistan cricket team get ready for a practice session. — AP

offered to host the series at home or play at neutral venues saying the security situation still needed to improve further. Pakistan has been forced to play its home series at neutral venues, mainly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Afghanistan qualified for the World

Twenty20 this year and are trying to gain full one-day international status. Mangal urged the International Cricket Council to give more playing opportunities to his country against full Test nations. “That is the only way to improve our cricket,” he said. — Reuters

Woods, on crutches, expects to play NEWTOWN SQUARE: Tiger Woods is using crutches and wearing a protective boot on his left leg to make sure he’s healthy enough to play the US Open.

Woods doubts he’ll play the Memorial next week in Dublin, Ohio, but expects he’ll be “ready to go” for the US Open June 16-19 at Congressional.

Woods is counting on proper treatment and rehabilitation. He is bothered by pain in his left knee, left Achilles’ tendon, tightening in his calf, and sore lower

back. He says doctors have not mentioned leg surgery. “I’ve had four surgeries on it,” Woods said yesterday.

“Obviously, it’s not what it was when I was little.” Woods said he’ll start training by the end of next week. How his leg responds will determine when he can start hitting balls again — all but ruling out the Memorial.

That means Woods would go to the US Open with little competition, although this is nothing new for him. In 2008, he had

arthroscopic surgery after the Masters and didn’t play again until the US Open.

Doctors discovered a double stress fracture in his left tibia in the weeks before the major.

Going against his doctor’s advice, Woods not only played the US Open, he won it at Torrey Pines in a 19-hole playoff.

Now, he says his left leg is not nearly as bad as it was then. His golf, however, is a different story.

In the 11 tournaments Woods played before the US Open, he

BETHESDA: In this photo taken July 1, 2009, Rep. John Boehner talks with Tiger Woods (right) while golfing at the Pro Am for the AT&T National golf tournament at Congressional Country Club. — AP

won eight times, was runner-up twice and didn’t finish out of the top five. In the 11 tournaments before this US Open, he has only five finishes in the top 10.

Woods said he was more worried about his health in 2008. “I’m a lot better off,” Woods said. “I feel that in the next week or so, I can start getting back toward that and start practicing pain free.

That’s where I’m at. Woods spoke at Aronimink Golf Club to promote the upcoming AT&T National.

Woods withdrew after only nine holes this month at The Players Championship. He also fell out of the top 10 rankings for the first time in 14 years. He has been No. 1 for 623 weeks in his career, by far the longest of any golfer since the rankings began in 1986. He had been No. 1 from June 2005 until Lee Westwood of England supplanted him last November.

“I haven’t played. It’s one of the reasons I’ve fallen I’ve far as I have,” Woods said. “When I did play, I haven’t played well.

Winning takes care of all of that.”

He acknowledged he did come back too early for The Players Championship.

Woods’ status was borderline for the tournament, but he pressed on and did further damage. That’s why he’s shut himself down for the Open. “It’d certainly be nice to come up here and play practice rounds and do all the other prep I do for the majors,” he said.

Woods posted on Twitter that he would donate $1 million to his foundation if no reporters asked him about his leg. There was no chance of that on the very first question. Woods later posted on Twitter he would donate the money anyway. — AP

y

A

19

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

sp orts

Maradona’s club makes offer for Atletico’s Forlan DUBAI: Al Wasl have made an offer to Atletico Madrid to sign Uruguay striker Diego Forlan on a one -year loan as coach Diego Maradona’s first big foreign acquisition, the Dubai-based club said yesterday.

In a statement the club said Al Wasl had made an improved offer after Atletico Madrid had rejected the initial bid.

“Forlan was expected to visit Dubai this week to negotiate personal terms with Al Wasl but the club has confirmed that Forlan’s visit has been postponed while they wait on Atletico Madrid’s reply,” it said.

Forlan, 32, voted player of the World Cup finals in South Africa last year, has struggled for form in recent months in Spain’s La Liga after reports of a rift with former Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sanchez Flores.

Al Wasl chief executive Ashraf Ahmad Mohammad earlier told Gulf News that the club was striving to make Forlan Maradona’s first foreign marquee sign.

“He (Forlan) is one of the big names on the line...We are working on it. We are certainly doing our best to bring top things to this country, because the UAE (United Arab Emirates) deser ves it,”

Mohammad was quoted as saying.

Maradona, who captained Argentina to their 1986 World Cup triumph, takes charge of the seven-times UAE league winners next month.

Mohammed said Maradona had already told the club where their weaknesses lay after watching videos of their matches. “He knows that we’ve signed Chilean midfielder Edson Puch, and he’s seen Francisco Yeste and Mohammad Shaiba,” he said. “He’s now talking about a striker and I think that we’ve given him that opportunity.” —Reuters

Barca to fly to London early due to volcano ash MADRID: The Barcelona squad will fly to London for the Champions League final, two days earlier than planned, due to the disruption to air travel caused by the ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano, the club said.

The club had intended to leave tomorrow for Saturday’s final at Wembley against Manchester United.

“Due to the uncertainty caused by ash from the Grimsvoetn volcano, the first team of Barcelona will travel to London yesterday at 10pm,” it said in a statement on its website yesterday.

It said a board spokesman would address a press conference late yesterday to explain travel details for supporters. The plume of ash from the volcano has already reached Britain and halted hundreds of flights.

Barca was also seeking to avoid a repeat of last year, when the squad traveled 1,000 kilometres by coach to Milan for their Champions League semi-final because the ash cloud from another Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjoell, disrupted air travel throughout Europe. The Catalan giants lost that match 3-1 against Inter. —AFP

OSAKA: Japan’s football club Cerezo Osaka midfielder Daisuke Takahashi (second right) reacts with his teammates Ryuji Bando (second left), Yusuke Maruhashi (left) and Teruyuki Momiwa (right) after the AFC Champions League first round match of the knock-out round against Gamba Osaka. —AFP

Cerezo stun rivals Gamba OSAKA: Unfashionable Cerezo Osaka stunned city rivals and 2008 winners Gamba with a dramatic late winner yesterday to reach the AFC Champions League quarterfinals alongside Jeonbuk Motors.

Cerezo’s Daisuke Takahashi struck two minutes from time to settle a tense derby at Expo ‘70 Stadium and send one half of Osaka into raptures as their rags-toriches team reached the last eight on debut.

Cerezo’s win extends a fairytale run for the Japanese club who were only promoted to the J-League’s top flight in 2009 but finished third in their rookie season last year.

And it could not have been sweeter for Cerezo to dispatch Gamba, a leading light of Japanese football who have a clutch of domestic silverware but have not gone past Asia’s last 16 since their 2008 title run.

The decisive moment came when Korean Kim BoKyung found Takahashi on the edge of the box and the midfielder struck an angled shot past Gamba ‘keeper Yosuke Fujigaya.

“I didn’t hesitate, because I had been determined to hit a shot,” said goal hero Takahashi, adding that beating Gamba made the victory extra-sweet. “In the past, Gamba were famous as Osaka’s club, so I wanted to change the image.”

Brazilian coach Levir Culpi said Cerezo had “turned the tables” on Gamba as they qualified for the marathon championship’s two-legged quarter-finals in September.

“It was a dramatic victory. I want to praise my players and our supporters. They had a strong will to win.

That resulted in this victory,” he said.

“Gamba have been working under the wing of (coach Akira) Nishino for almost 10 years and it’s not easy to beat them. But my players turned the tables.”

“We are determined to make history without being satisfied with today’s result. We will be ready for the quarter-finals in September,” Culpi added.

Meanwhile 2006 champions Jeonbuk of South Korea enjoyed a ruthless 3-0 win over Tianjin Teda, which snuffed out Chinese interest in the competition.

Brazilian midfielder Enio Oliveira Junior struck in each half, straddling Lee Sung-Hyun’s effort on 43 minutes, as Jeonbuk maintained their record of reaching the quarter-finals in all five of their Champions League campaigns.

Iran’s Sepahan host Uzbek outfit Bunyodkor later, while Al Ittihad head into an all-Saudi clash against

league and cup double-winners Al Hilal with a new coach, after sacking Antonio Oliveira last week.

Today, South Korea’s Suwon Bluewings entertain Japanese champions Nagoya Grampus, FC Seoul take on Kashima Antlers and Saudi’s Al Shabab and Al Nassr travel to Qatar’s Al Sadd and Zobahan of Iran respectively.

The tournament will take a nearly four-month break after this week’s games before returning in September for the quarter-finals, followed by the semis a month later and the final in November.

Asia’s premier club competition has become dominated by South Korean and Japanese teams with no Middle Eastern winner since Al Ittihad completed their back-to-back wins in 2005. —AFP

IRAN: Iran’s Sepahan player Gholamreza Enayati (right) and Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor player Hayrulla Karimov (left) fight for the ball during their AFC Champions League first round match. The Iranian team beat Bunyodkor 3-1. —AFP

LONDON: Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez (centre right) trains with teammates at Carrington training ground, in Manchester. Manchester United will play Barcelona in the Champion’s League final soccer match on Saturday. —AP

United have solution to Messi, says Ferguson MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson said Manchester United would solve the problem of how to deal with Lionel Messi here yesterday ahead of his Champions League final showdown with Barcelona.

Messi stole the show for Barcelona two years ago, when the Spanish giants outclassed favourites United to win the 2009 final in Rome.

Since then, the diminutive Argentinian has gone from strength to strength, firmly establishing himself as the world’s best footballer.

Ferguson insisted however that United would not allow themselves to become obsessed with a gameplan to shackle the South American maestro. “ We have played against Barcelona three times with Messi in the team,” Ferguson told a press conference at United’s training ground. “But there is always a solution to every good player. Hopefully we can find one on Saturday. They have other good players though, and so do we. That is why it is such an appealing game. “I am sure Barcelona are aware of that.”

United’s preparations for Saturday’s encounter have been jolted by the legal furore involving midfielder Ryan Giggs, named by a British MP as the footballer who had sought to prevent details of an alleged affair being published.

Married father-of-two Giggs was one of several first team players who did not attend United’s training session at Carrington, where a

LONDON: Manchester United’s manager Alex Ferguson during a press conference, at Carrington training ground. —AP scrum of photographers awaited his arrival yesterday.

Ferguson gave a blunt response yesterday when asked to assess Giggs’ importance to United. “All the players are important to us, every one of them,” he said.

Ferguson meanwhile dismissed suggestions that Barcelona would carry a psychological advantage into the Wembley final after being installed as favourites by the bookmakers. “ There is no advantage,” Ferguson said. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t decide those things. I know my players will be ready.” Ferguson believes however that Barcelona are now a stronger side than the team which beat United in the Stadio Olimpico two years ago.

Balotelli and Pirlo back in Italy squad for Estonia test MILAN: Striker Mario Balotelli and midfielder Andrea Pirlo were the big-name recalls to Italy’s squad on Monday for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Estonia in Modena on June 3.

The pair have missed recent squads because of injury-hit seasons but Cesare Prandelli has eagerly brought back two of his favorite players for the Group C encounter and the friendly against Ireland four days later in Liege, Belgium.

Pirlo is still contracted to AC Milan for a few more weeks but has announced he is leaving the Serie A champions with Juventus his likely destination.

Several other players with uncertain club futures are included with Sampdoria captain Angelo Palombo there despite his side’s relegation.

Juventus centre back Leonardo Bonucci misses out through injur y meaning Alessandro Gamberini wins a rare call-up in a squad otherwise containing few surprises.

The Azzurri, dumped out in the group stage of last year’s World Cup as holders, lead Group C by five points as they edge towards next year’s finals in Ukraine and Poland.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Salvatore Sirigu (Palermo), Emiliano Viviano (Bologna) Defenders: Davide Astori (Cagliari), Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Mattia Cassani (Palermo), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Andrea Ranocchia (Inter Milan) Midfielders: Alberto Aquilani (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Inter), Antonio Nocerino (Palermo), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan) Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Manchester City), Antonio Cassano (Milan), Alber to Gilardino (Fiorentina), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma), Alessandro Matri (Juventus), Giampaolo Pazzini (Inter), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal). —Reuters

“I think they have more maturity about their team now. Winning that European Cup was a big step forward for them as a team,” he said.

Although Ferguson has never spoken at length of the reasons behind United’s defeat that night, the veteran Scot said yesterday a lapse in concentration leading to Samuel Eto’o’s opening goal had cost his team dearly.

“When we lost the first goal due to that sudden lapse of concentration, that was what cost us really,” Ferguson said. “After that they withdrew Messi into central midfield and that made it very difficult for us. “So concentration is going to be important in terms of attacking and defending. That will be the key for us.” —AFP

Bin Hammam criticizes English FA over FIFA vote DOHA: FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam urged the English Football Association yesterday to reconsider its decision to abstain from the election, saying it is “forfeiting” its right to improve the sport.

Bin Hammam, who is the lone challenger to FIFA President Sepp Blatter in the June 1 election, wrote on his website that he respects the FA’s position but is disappointed that a national association has decided “not to try to affect change from the inside.”

“The FA, with its status as the oldest association in the world and England’s position as the birthplace of the modern game, is one of the most important institutions in world football,” he wrote.

“As a result, they should be working with FIFA and the rest of the global game to improve and enhance football. By choosing to abstain, the FA is, sadly, forfeiting that right.” The FA announced last week that it wouldn’t vote for Blatter or bin Hammam. Both men have been tainted by a corruption scandal involving bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Six members of FIFA’s executive committee have been accused of receiving or demanded bribes during bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Bin Hammam helped deliver the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, which is alleged to have paid two FIFA executives $1.5 million each.

The allegations came from evidence the Sunday Times submitted to a British parliamentary inquiry. Blatter has announced FIFA will investigate the claims and that a former bid employee who was a source for some of the allegations would be interviewed today.

The Qatar Football Association on Monday welcomed an investigation into allegations of corruption but insisted that the evidence presented so far was false and unsubstantiated. It said the whistleblower is probably a former employee “with a significant axe to grind.”

In its one-page letter released to the media, Qatar offered no fresh evidence to refute the claims, but attempted to cast doubt on the Sunday Times allegations, suggesting the methods it used to build the case calls into question the “credibility of the reporters, their motivations and extent to which ... the evidence in any way can be relied upon.”

Blatter, meanwhile, has declined an invitation to testify about World Cup bidding before a British Parliamentary committee. FIFA informed the Culture, Media and Sport Committee that it is focusing on its own investigation. —AP

Muscular Bolt nervous ahead of season debut

Pakistan level Windies Test series

17 18

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

United have solution to Messi, says Ferguson

Page 19

FRANCE: Defending champion Spain’s Rafael Nadal stretches to return the ball to USA’s John Isner during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament. —AP

Nadal survives huge Isner fright PARIS: Rafael Nadal excelled when he needed to most, winning the final two sets against John Isner yesterday to advance to the second round at the French Open with a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 67 (2), 6-2, 6-4 victory.

The five-time champion, who is now 39-1 at Roland Garros, played a five-set match at Roland Garros for the first time in seven visits.

“Tough, tough moments for me,” Nadal said. “I played too nervous, in my opinion.”

Nadal last lost a set at the French Open in 2009, when he was eliminated by Robin Soderling in the fourth round. He had never previously dropped a set in the first or second round. The top-seeded Nadal is trying to equal Bjorn Borg’s record of six French Open titles.

Also advancing to the second round were Australian Open finalists Andy Murray and Li Na, as well as Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters and two-time French Open finalist Robin Soderling.

Nadal came into the tournament after losing to Novak Djokovic on clay in finals in Rome and Madrid. But the top-ranked Spaniard is still considered by many to be the favorite at

Roland Garros.

That didn’t seem to matter — at first anyway — to Isner, the man best known for playing in the longest tennis match in history last year at Wimbledon.

Despite losing the first set, the tall American held strong and forced Nadal into a pair of tiebreakers, where his big serve helped him put Nadal on the defensive. But with only six unforced errors the rest of the way — none in the fourth set — Nadal proved he is still the man to beat on clay.

“I didn’t play well in the tiebreak, and I didn’t have chances to have the break,” Nadal said. “When you play against these kind of players, the pressure is there all the time. You have to play all the time very safe.” Sharapova, who was coming off the biggest clay-court title of her career, rolled into the second round by beating Mirjana Lucic of Croatia 6-3, 6-0.

The seventh-seeded Russian won the Italian Open before coming to Roland Garros to seek the only Grand Slam title she has never won.

“If you feel pressure, it’s part of the busi-

ness. It’s part of the sport,” Sharapova said of the expectations placed on her. “That means there’s something on the line. That means you want it bad. It’s how you handle it.

“Without pressure, what’s the sport about?

It’s how you really handle the situation.”

Against Lucic on center court, Sharapova was not troubled. She won nine straight games to finish the match and never faced a break point.

Sharapova, who will next face French wild card Caroline Garcia, won the title at Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. The sixth-seeded Li, who became the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final, dominated at times and struggled at times in her 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic.

But first on Court Philippe Chatrier, an emotional Virginie Razzano played despite the death of her fiance eight days ago. The Frenchwoman, playing with a black ribbon on her shirt, lost to 24th-seeded Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 6-3, 6-1.

“I felt a lot of emotion, a lot of pain on court today,” Razzano said. “The pain is permanent within me. It’s very hard. But it felt good to be surrounded by so many people and to be here.

“I tried to pay tribute to Stephane today. It was almost a ‘mission impossible,’ but I did my best.” Razzano’s fiance and coach Stephane Vidal died on May 16 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor nine years ago. He was 32.

The 28-year-old Razzano said last week that she asked Vidal before he died if she should play at Roland Garros and he said, “Yes, you need to play.” Razzano will also play in the doubles tournament with partner Alize Cornet.

Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic also lost. The 20th-seeded Serb, who won the title at Roland Garros in 2008, fell to Johanna Larsson of Sweden 7-6 (3), 0-6, 6-2.

No. 22 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia also was eliminated, while No. 4 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, No. 21 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium and No. 27 Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania won.

Raina takes Chennai past Bangalore into IPL final MUMBAI: India batsman Suresh Raina hit a stroke-filled 73 not out to help Chennai Super Kings score a thrilling six-wicket victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers yesterday and reach the final of the IPL. The left-hander unleashed six sixes and four fours during his 50-ball knock as Chennai scored 177-4 off 19.4 overs in reply to Bangalore’s 175-4. For Bangalore, Virat Kohli had struck a 44-ball 70 not out with three sixes and five fours.

Bangalore still has a chance to make the final as it gets to play the ‘qualifier 2’ game in Chennai on Friday to decide the second finalist. Its opponent will be the winner of today’s ‘eliminator’ game between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Raina was involved in useful partnerships of 63 with Subramaniam Badrinath (34) for the third wicket and of 61 with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (29) for the next, but it was an unbroken stand of 46 with South African allrounder Albie Morkel (28 not out) that sealed Chennai’s third IPL final appearance.

Chennai was behind in the chase at 25-2 after six overs of field restrictions and 62-2 after 10, before Raina took control. Raina and Dhoni bludgeoned 23 runs off the 13th over of the innings bowled by seam bowler Abhimanyu Mithun, after which even experienced bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Daniel Vettori failed to control the flow of runs. Morkel struck three late sixes and a four during his 10-ball innings to ensure the chase did not run out of steam. “It was a difficult target and I kept believing we could do it though I was not 100 per cent confident,” Dhoni said. “We know we have the firepower to win such matches.”

Earlier, Bangalore posted a challenging total despite

Murray made it through to the second round by beating French qualifier Eric Prodon 6-4, 6-1, 6-3. “He didn’t want to have any long rallies, so he was hitting a lot of drop shots, going for shots. He’d change the rhythm or change the pace of the ball a lot,” Murray said.

“I was annoyed with the way I was moving.

I was hitting the ball from the back of the court, especially towards the end of the match, and served well, but didn’t move particularly well.” The fourth-seeded Briton went on a four-match winless run after losing the Australian Open final, but he reached the semifinals at clay-court warmups in Monte Carlo and Rome.

The fifth-seeded Soderling beat Ryan Harrison of the United States 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-5. Harrison won a spot in the main draw after Benjamin Becker withdrew. No. 8 Jurgen Melzer of Austria, No. 16 Fernando Verdasco of Spain, No. 20 Florian Mayer of Germany, No. 21 Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, No. 24 Sam Querrey of the United States and No. 32 Kevin Anderson of South Africa also advanced, but No. 11 Nicolas Almagro of Spain lost.— AP

Contador increases Giro lead

MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings’ Suresh Raina bats during Indian Premier League (IPL) Qualifier 1 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings. —AP

losing prolific opener Chris Gayle for only eight runs.

The West Indian left-hander, who leads the list of runscorers in this tournament with 519 from only 10 games after missing the first four games, was trapped lbw by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

But Kohli, Bangalore’s second most prolific batsman, made a calculated assault. He played some fine shots on either side of the pitch, once taking 19 off an over from Albie Morkel including a six over long-on and another over the cover fence.

Kohli accelerated toward the end to help his side score 42 off the last 20 balls of the innings, also reaching second place in the list of scorers with 514 from 14.

Bangalore had looked set for a bigger score but Australia pace bowler Doug Bollinger bowled a tight length that saw him concede just 20 runs in his four overs while also dismissing compatriot Luke Pomersbach, who had looked dangerous during his 18ball 29.

Scores: Chennai Super Kings 177-4 in 19.4 overs (Suresh Raina 73 not out, Subramaniam Badrinath 34, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 29, Albie Morkel 28 not out, Zaheer Khan 2-31), def. Bangalore Royal Challengers 175-4 in 20 overs ( Virat Kohli 70 not out, Mayank Agarwal 34, Doug Bollinger 1-20). — AP

BELLUNO: Alberto Contador won a mountain time trial yesterday to increase his already commanding overall lead in the Giro d’Italia. The Spaniard clocked 28 minutes, 55 seconds over the 12.7-kilometer (7.9mile) 16th stage from Belluno to Nevegal.

It was Contador’s second victory in this year’s race and he dedicated it to fellow Spanish rider Xavier Tondo, who died in an accident Monday after he was crushed between his car and a garage door in southern Spain. Contador pointed a finger to the sky during the post-stage award ceremony.

“I really wanted to win today,” the three-time Tour de France winner said. “He was a good friend and this victory is for him.” Italians Vincenzo Nibali and Michele Scarponi finished second and third, 34 and 38 seconds behind, respectively.

There was a minute’s silence observed before the first rider started to honor Tondo, and Nibali recalled riding against the Spaniard en route to winning last year’s Spanish Vuelta.

“Tondo was one of my rivals at the Vuelta,” Nibali said. “He was somebody you could joke around with and beyond being a rival he was also a friend.” The opening 5 kilometers (3 miles) of yesterday’s stage were fairly flat, the road then tilted uphill significantly, with the final 4.5 kilometer (2.8 miles) at an average gradient of 10 percent, with a maximum of 14 percent. Nibali led at the midway point, but Contador accelerated on the uphill section.

“Contador was really a Martian today,” Nibali said. “I thought I had a really great performance. ... But I’m second behind Alberto Contador, so I’m more than pleased.” In the overall standings, Contador now leads Scarponi by 4 minutes, 58 seconds, with Nibali 5:45 back. —AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

Business

Weak confidence, lack of transparency hit profits

Years

Page 22

Qatar growth underpinned by strong govt spending Page 23

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

India, Africa kick off second trade summit

KSE continues to drop

Page 26

Page 24

French claim China backing for Lagarde No emerging market candidate agreed on yet

PARIS: John Brock, President and CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises rings the bell beside France’s Finance and Economy Minister Christine Lagarde (left) during the ringing of the opening bell at the Paris Euronext opening day yesterday.

Momentum grew for Lagarde’s potential candidacy to the top job at the IMF, with the Netherlands becoming the latest European government to offer its support. — AP

PARIS: China would suppor t Finance Minister Christine Lagarde as the next IMF chief, the French government said yesterday, backing which would put her in pole position to succeed Dominique StraussKahn.

Lagarde has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Strauss-Kahn, who quit last week to fight sexual assault charges in New York, although Mexico is pushing its central bank chief as an alternative and many emerging nations say it is time for Europe’s 60-year grip on the job to be loosened.

European governments want to retain their traditional control over the leadership of the multilateral lender while it is involved in major bailouts of Greece, Ireland and

Portugal.

A number, including Britain and Italy, have said they would back Lagarde and I reland added its suppor t yesterday..

Germany has yet to declare but Chancellor Angela Merkel says she rates Lagarde highly. “It’s a European consensus,” France’s budget minister and government spokesman Francois Baroin told Europe 1 radio, asked about Lagarde as a possible contender for the job.

“The euro needs our attention, we need to have the Europeans (on board), the Chinese support the candidacy of Christine Lagarde,” he said.

China’s foreign ministry said it had no comment on whether Beijing would back Lagarde, a 55-year-old former lawyer. The

one potential hitch facing Lagarde is a possible legal probe into her role in a 2008 payout to a prominent businessman to settle a dispute with a state-owned bank. Judges will rule on June 10 — the same date countries must submit candidates for the IMF job-on whether to launch an inquiry Last week, the head of China’s central bank, Zhou Xiaochuan, said the International Monetary Fund’s leadership should reflect the growing stature of emerging economies, but he stopped short of saying its new boss should be from an emerging economy. An advisor to the People’s Bank of China, Xia Bin, told Reuters a bigger issue than the succession was the United States’ dominant voting share at the IMF. Wu Qing, a researcher with the

Development Research Centre government think tank in Beijing, said it seemed logical China would support Lagarde or any other well-qualified European.

“It’s not likely that China would back someone from Asia, especially from within China. There still aren’t many people within the Chinese system with an extensive international background,” he said. “I don’t think it matters much to China whether the next IMF head is French or any other European.”

Ireland’s Europe M inister Lucinda Creighton said it was quite likely Ireland would back a Lagarde candidacy. “Already you have the backing of New Zealand and a number of European member states for Christine Lagarde. I think it’s quite possible that the US will row in behind her as well,”

Oman to spend up to $15bn on projects over 10 years

Qatar to invest up to $10bn in Egypt CAIRO: Qatar is looking at pumping up to $10 billion through investments and projects into Egypt, the Gulf emirate’s ambassador was quoted as saying yesterday, offering new hope to an economy ravaged by the unrest that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.

A meeting slated for Saturday between Qatari and Egyptian officials, at which joint projects are expected to be signed, comes at a crucial time for the military rulers in Cairo.

Months of protests that built on the unrest that toppled Mubarak in February have crushed the vital tourism sector, slashing foreign investments in the nation and roughly halved manufacturing and exports, according to Egyptian officials. Meanwhile, the deficit is expected to widen sharply and Egypt has said it will need between $10 to $12 billion for the fiscal year that begins in July to cover its mounting expenses. The meeting builds on earlier reciprocal visits by Qatar’s Amir and Egypt’s prime minister and is part of an outreach effort by the Cairo government to tap the oil rich Gulf Arab governments for help, as well as others in the international community.

Explaining his country’s decision to fund projects and pump investments into Egypt, Qatar’s ambassador in Cairo, Saleh Abul-Enein, said he believed it was necessary to support the North African nation in the coming period as it grapples with the “burdens it inherited from the previous regime.” In an interview with the state-run daily newspaper, Al-Ahram, he said that the projects to be signed were ones discussed between Qatar’s emir and Egypt’s military rulers.

“I believe these projects, when implemented, will exceed $10 billion, God willing, and will be productive investments in Egypt,” Abul-Enein said, adding that Qatar has begun laying out the “broad plan” for this cooperation. —AP

Irish Europe Minister Lucinda Creighton told state broadcaster RTE. A “gentleman’s agreement” has always had a European lead the IMF and an American the World Bank, but fast-growing emerging nations are seeking a larger role in global organisations.

US Undersecretar y of State Rober t Hormats told Reuters Insider T V that Washington was talking to several countries about the IMF succession. “There are a lot of very qualified candidates,” he said.

Sources in Washington have said the United States would back a European. The United States and European nations jointly hold more than half of the IMF’s votes, giving them enough power to decide who leads it. — Reuters

ATHENS: Employees gather outside the Hellenic Postbank headquarters, one of Greece’s bestcapitalized lenders , during an occupation by employees to protest against privatization. — AFP

Mideast IPO values plunged 95% in Q1: Ernst & Young DUBAI: The value of initial public offerings (IPOs) in the Middle East plunged 95 percent to their lowest level in five years during the first quarter, Ernst & Young said in a report yesterday.

Middle East firms raised only $21.7 million in the first-quarter of 2011, compared with $420.4 million in the year-ago period as regional unrest and underperforming stock markets weighed into investor appetite for fresh offerings, the report said.

Altogether, nine IPOs, expected to raise around $4.7 billion were postponed or withdrawn in Europe, Middle East and Africa region during March 2011, the largest monthly estimated vol-

ume since October 2008. Abu Dhabi’s Insurance House raised 66 million dirhams ($18 million) in an initial public offering in March, the first IPO in over two years in the United Arab Emirates. The Middle East Exchange Company in Syria raised $3.1 million.

“This downward trend could be reversed in the second quarter if some of the announced and open IPOs firm up their plans and choose to list,” Phil Gandier, MENA head of transaction advisory services at Ernst & Young said in the report.

Islamic insurer Wataniya’s 82.5 million dirhams ($22.4 million) IPO launched on April 18 and was oversubscribed at least six times. — Reuters

MUSCAT: Oman plans to invest up to $15 billion in new petrochemical and infrastructure projects in the southeast of the Gulf country over the next 10 years and create thousands of new jobs, its finance minister said yesterday.

The small non-OPEC oil exporter has been hit by protests demanding jobs, higher salaries and an end to graft over the past three months as unrest spread through the Arab world.

“We are planning to spend between $10 to $15 billion in Duqm in new projects, including the refinery and a petrochemical plant,” Finance Minister Darwish Al-Balushi told an investment and economic forum in the sultanate’s capital. “These projects would open up ... between 15 to 20,000 jobs for the nationals in the next 10 years,” he said.

The port town of Duqm has been earmarked as the next industrial city after Sohar, an epicentre of protests, with the sultanate’s government planning to spend heavily on airport, dockyard, refinery and petrochemical plants among other projects. “We are not talking about one project or two but this investment will cover the infrastructure of the whole town in the next ten years,”

a finance ministry source told Reuters. The turmoil prompted Sultan Qaboos bin Said, a US ally who has ruled Oman for 40 years, to promise a $2.6 billion spending package in April. He also announced plans to create 50,000 new jobs, established a new monthly unemployment benefit and reshuffled his cabinet.

Oman’s wealthier Gulf Arab neighbors unveiled a $20 billion aid package in March for the sultanate and unrest-hit Bahrain to help ease social tensions threatening stability in their own countries.

In December, Oman projected a record expenditure of 8.130 billion rials ($21.12 billion) in its 2011 budget, up 13.2 percent from the previous year. The 2011 budget was set with a deficit of 850 million rials, or 3.8 percent of gross domestic product, based on an oil price of $58 per barrel, after the government posted a deficit of 48.4 million rials last year.

However, analysts polled by Reuters in March expected Oman to show a budget surplus of 5.3 percent of GDP, helped by robust oil prices. The country sold its crude at an average price of $88.4 per barrel in the first three months of 2011. — Reuters

y

A

22

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

BUSINESS

Weak confidence, lack of transparency hit profits KAMCO report: Kuwait investment sector KUWAIT: Weak confidence and lack of transparenc y weigh down on Investment sector’s profits: Kuwait’s investment sec tor witnessed strong growth from 2003 until 2007 mainly due to the availability of cheap credit accompanied with healthy growth in the Kuwaiti economy. Excessive short term debt, aggressive expansionary policies during the boom economic period, exposure to risky assets, inadequacy of risk management and lack of transparency led the Investment sec tor to be amongst the hardest hit sectors since the onset of the global financial crisis. Lack of confidence in the market led to a slowdown in trading activity in the securities of investment firms. This resulted in a cycle of further asset value declines and an overall negative sentiment regarding participation in the capital increases offered by these firms. The fundamental mismatch between shortterm debt and long-term assets and the ability to service financial obligations were one of the major reasons behind the insolvency of some investment companies.

Although a number of companies resorted to rescheduling their debt obligations and implemented various measures such as cost cutting, asset sell-offs and reduced exposure to risky assets, persisting lack of confidence amid a lack of transparenc y led the Investment sector to continue its lackluster performance in 2010. Out of 52 listed companies in the sec tor, 35 announced their annual financial results while 15 companies remained suspended from trading due to their failure to do so. During 2010, the Investment sec tor incurred losses of KD138mn, a significant reduction as compared to massive losses of KD 415mn incurred in 2009.

In light of the severe losses incurred by some investment companies in Kuwait, the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) issued regulations aimed at enhancing transparency and credibility, as well as streamlining the investment sec tor, which has grown and came to be of vital importance for the financial sector in Kuwait. The criteria specify the limits on

Financial Leverage Ratio, Quick Ratio and Foreign liabilities exposure. The regulator y instruc tions issued during 2010, coupled with the creation of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), have provided a key milestone for a new financial environment meeting international standards. The move is likely to raise investors’ confidence in the country and in turn have positive reflection on the financial sec tor and specifically on the investment sector. The CMA is expected to regulate all activities of securities trading in a manner that

enhances the principles of fairness and efficiency.

Downward trend in Q1-11 Out of 52 listed companies in the sector, 28 announced their Q1-11 financial results while 24 companies remained suspended from trading. The investment sector continued its downward trend to incur losses of KD 19mn for Q1-11 as compared to profit of KD 4.09mn in Q1-10. The reversal from last year is a testimony to the prevailing difficult market

conditions that the investment sector is operating under, as the recovery to pre-crisis levels is proving to be difficult due to the overall negative sentiment coupled with the debt obligations of the sector. The negative environment compounded the losses for key companies including Global Investment House, extending its losses to record KD 22.03mn in Q1-11, while Coast Investment & Development Company and Kuwait Financial Center (Markaz) reversed their gains to lose KD 5.16mn and KD 0.75mn, respectively, in Q1-11

from a net profit of KD5.41mn and KD3.72mn in Q1-10.

Real Estate Sector Devaluation of investments and rising impairments weigh down on the Sector’s Profits: Kuwait’s Real Estate Sector grew at unprecedented levels over the past few years till 2007, supported by ample liquidity and a booming local economy backed by rising oil prices and favorable macroeconomic conditions. The Sector witnessed strong rates of prof-

itability with net profit growing at a CAGR of 57 per cent from 2001 to 2007. In line with the growth in earnings, ROAA and ROAE steadily increased to 9.7 per cent and 16 per cent respec tively in 2007.

Shareholders’ equity also grew at a CAGR of 27 per cent over the same period to KD 2.83 bn.

However, in 2008 the sector’s performance took a dip with the slowdown in economic ac tivity and sharp drop in demand for real estate (commercial, and investment segments) as an aftermath of the financial crisis. In terms of prof-

itability, the Sector reported a net loss of KD118mn during 2008 on the back of a sharp devaluation of investments, a drop in demand and massive losses recorded during the last quarter of 2008.

Large amount of accumulated debt, stringent bank lending policies, a plunge in value of investments (equities and properties) and rising impairments continued to weigh down on the profitability of the Real Estate sector in 2009

and 2010. Out of the 40 listed companies in the sector, 35 companies announced their FY-10 financial results, of which 13 companies incurred losses.

Following the massive losses of KD98.5mn incurred in 2009, the sector continued in 2010 to incur losses which amounted to KD95 mn. National Real Estate Co incurred substantial losses of KD34.4mn during 2010 after recording profits of KD29.5mn in 2009, mainly on the back of a drop in its revenues which decreased 58 per cent to KD25.4mn and a substantial jump in impairments which rose to KD37.4mn in 2010, up from KD9.66mn in 2009. On the other hand, sector heavyweight Mabanee Co witnessed its FY-10 net profits rise 22 per cent to KD18.6mn from KD15.3mn driven by the improvement in its revenue stream to KD35.6mn coupled with a substantial drop in finance costs, which decreased 63 per cent to KD1.8 mn.

In the shor t to medium term, debt troubles are expected to hinder the sector’s ability to recover in a timely manner especially due to the lack of demand in the Commercial and Investment segments. In addition, efforts by real estate companies to offload property investments will put downward pressure on assets prices.

Accordingly, throughout 2011, debt restructuring efforts from heavily indebted companies is expected in order to deleverage their balance sheet along with a renewed focus on their core real estate operations.

Out of the 40 listed companies in the sector, 34 companies announced their Q1-11 financial results. Earnings for the Real Estate sector were in line with the conditions outlined above as the sector suffered a dramatic 99.8 per cent plunge in profitability to breakeven, down from KD 27mn in Q1-10. Amongst key sector players, National Real Estate Co. suffered an 85.2 per cent decrease in profitability while the Commercial Real Estate Co incurred a net loss of KD1.35mn in Q1-11 down from a net profit of KD 2.85mn in Q1-10. On the other hand, Mabanee Co continued bucking the trend to record profits of KD5.78mn in Q1-11, a 10 per cent increase over Q1-10.

Omar Al Omar

Zain offers 50% discount on SMS and 20% on Int’l calls to Jordan KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications company in Kuwait, has announced that it will offer a 50% percent discount on all SMS messages to Jordan and 20% discount on International calls to Jordan as they celebrate the Independence Day today.

Zain Kuwait Chief Commercial Officer Omar Al Omar, expressed his congratulations on this occasion to the people of Jordan, represented in its leadership, the embassy and all Bangladesh expatriates’ residing in Kuwait.

Al Omar stressed that Zain is a global company which is always keen to participate in the celebrations of nations.

He added that the offer is extended to all SMS & International calls sent to Jordan only on Wednesday, 25th of May for both post-paid and pre-paid customers.

Kuwait Shell, KOC launch ‘Seat Belts Save Lives’ campaign KUWAIT: Kuwait Shell and Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) yesterday announced that they will host a two-day ‘Seat Belts Save Lives’ campaign at Souk Shark from 26th to 27th May 2011.

‘Seat Belts Save Lives’ will feature ‘Seat Belt Convincer’ machine in the mall for members of the public to directly experience a force of a 5-7 mph crash. Over the two days, there will be hourly demonstrations of the machines, as well as staff on hand to provide advice and tips on driving safely and plenty of free give-aways, including pens, literature and CDs. Ahmed Mouti, Kuwait Shell’s Chairman said: “Seat belts are an important part of modern road safety and they save many lives each year. I would encourage anyone in Souk Sharq to make a point of visiting our stand and experiencing for themselves the difference seat belts make. The purpose behind our campaign is to demonstrate the importance of seat belts. Most people believe that seat belts aren’t quite necessary; however, statistics showed that 63% of people killed in car accidents were not wearing seat belts! “ “Researches have proven that people in the age of 16 to 25 years are overwhelmed by their driving abilities, thus, vulnerable to a car crash. At Shell, road safety is considered one of our priorities, hence, we advise people to buckle up to reduce injuries on the roadway, in case of car accidents. We invite everyone who is interested to visit our stand to have a clearer understanding of the importance of seat belts to our lives,” added Mouti. ‘Seat Belt’s Save Lives’ will be open from 10 AM to 10 PM, Thursday and Friday 26th - 27th May. The stand is located beside Sultan Center.

Saeed Al-Shaheen KOC’s Well surveillance group manager commented: “KOC is committed to encouraging safe practices on Kuwait’s roads. By bringing this unique campaign to Kuwait, we hope that people will have better understanding of the value of seatbelts in helping to save lives and encouraging responsible driving behavior.”

The campaign is part of Shell’s and KOC ongoing corporate social responsibility strategies to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding, discouraging the use of mobile phones while driving, and the importance of using seatbelts and child restraints at all times.

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 .4420000 .3820000 .3090000 .2790000 .2880000 .0040000 .0020000 .0747670 .7284350 .3810000 .0700000 .7140980 .0040000 .0430000

.2765000 .4530000 .3950000 .3210000 .2890000 .2970000 .0072500 .0035000 .0755190 .7357560 .4010000 .0770000 .7212750 .0072000 .0530000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2754000 .2775000 .4445090 .4478990 .3856290 .3885690 .3117500 .3141270 .2813940 .2835390 .0517120 .0521070 .0431880 .0435180 .2903130 .2925270 .0354180 .0356880 .2206020 .2222850 .0033830 .0034090 .0000000 .0061800 .0000000 .0025340 .0000000 .0032360 .0000000 .0038140 .0750100 .0755820 .7306980 .7362700 .0000000 .3925040 .0734600 .0740200 .7155110 .7209660 .0000000 .0064530

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 3.408 6.126 3.224 2.513 3.842 222.270 35.623 3.750

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

6.376 9.106 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 73.883 76.127 719.630 735.690 75.427

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 49.500 46.507 1.268 199.240 391.260 183.800 5.981 35.101

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 276.950 Euro 390.780 Sterling Pound 447.690 Canadian dollar 285.070 Turkish lire 172.770 Swiss Franc 314.360 Australian dollar 291.350 US Dollar Buying 275.750 GOLD 282.000 143.000 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 295.900 294.400 736.160 736.160 4.000 3.758 286.800 285.300 543.700 14.100 54.100 167.800 223.400 47.710 46.605 394.000 392.500 36.300 36.150 6.380 6.135

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 0.240 0.242 3.490 392.570 0.187 94.390 47.600 4.340 223.500 1.877 51.600 718.990 3.330 6.630 76.570 73.910 223.390 42.020 2.662 450.000 45.300 316.000 5.900 9.510 198.263 75.470 277.200 1.240

0.033

391.240 0.186 94.390 3.850 222.000

Sterling Pound US Dollar

314.500 5.900 9.320 75.370 276.800

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 448.000 276.800

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 276.700 286.245 446.875 391.755 312.706 732.342 75.312 75.980 73.756 390.866 46.518 2.514 6.124

3.236 3.758 6.368 678.726 3.479 9.216 6.036 3.920 91.000

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 718.810 3.240 6.395 76.140 73.910 223.390 42.020 2.515 448.000

GOLD 1,577.550

10 Tola

Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 276.750 3.240 6.135 2.530 3.765 6.420 75.440 73.995 735.600 46.505 451.600 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 393.100 5.750 395.300 289.500

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 275.250 Euro 392.000 Pound Sterling 450.300 Canadian Dollar 285.000 Japanese Yen 3.415 Indian Rupee 6.115 Egyptian Pound 46.440 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.513 Bangladesh Taka 3.745 Philippines Peso 6.372 Pakistan Rupee 3.220 Bahraini Dinar 735.700 UAE Dirham 75.250 Saudi Riyal 73.700 *Rates are subject to change

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

BUSINESS Moody’s waits for Dubai Bank clarity before rating action DUBAI: Ratings agency Moody’s wants more clarity on the Dubai government’s bailout of struggling Islamic lender Dubai Bank before taking ratings action, it said in a statement.

The ratings agency put the troubled lender on review with direction uncertain after Dubai’s government took control of the lender and said it would give it a capital injection.

“The standalone ratings could still be lowered if the loan portfolio cleanup and recapitalization is not concluded in the immediate future,” Khalid Howladar, Moody’s senior credit officer in Dubai, said in the statement. “Or if Moody’s considers DB’s post-rescue creditworthiness to be betterreflected in a lower rating.”

Dubai has said its takeover would protect depositors interests. Options for the lender, which is owned by the private holding company of the ruler of Dubai, include being run on a stand-alone basis or merged with another state-owned bank.

At the end of 2009, Dubai Bank had total assets of 17.4 billion dirhams ($4.74 billion) against total liabilities of 15.7 billion dirhams. It made a loss of 290.6 million dirhams.

It has not yet reported its 2010 results.

Customers deposits stood at 14.9 billion dirhams at the end of 2009. “DB’s standalone ratings could be upgraded if we were to see a swift and strong restoration of its financial condition, though the probability of an immediate upgrade seems moderate,” Howladar said.

Dubai Bank’s long term rating is currently B1.

Dubai has been restructuring state-linked firms to deal with a debt pile estimated at $115 billion built up during a boom that put the emirate on the map for extravagant construction projects such as an indoor ski slope in the desert. — Reuters

Fast Qatar growth underpinned by strong government spending KUWAIT: Qatar is heading for another year of fast growth in 2011, underpinned by a final sizeable increase in LNG production, bringing total capacity to the targeted 77 million tons per year. From 2012 onwards, growth is set to slow as output from the hydrocarbon sector plateaus.

The non-hydrocarbon sector will be targeted to provide the bulk of future growth through the recently unveiled National Development Strategy 2011-16.

This will help achieve Qatar’s long term goals under the National Vision 2030 and supply the investment needed to host the 2022 World Cup. We expect real GDP to expand by 15% in 2011 and 6% in 2012, following estimated growth of 17% in 2010. We assume that real hydrocarbon sector output rises by 18% this year and 3% in 2012. Growth will be led by the gas sector, where output is expected to increase by 30% in 2011.

This will be followed by a 4% increase in output in 2012 after which the moratorium on new gas projects takes effect and is due to last until at least 2014. Meanwhile, we expect oil production to remain broadly stable over the coming two years at 0.8 million barrels per day.

Growth in the non-oil sector will largely benefit from the government’s national development strategy that plans to spend $125 billion over five years. Some $65 billion of this is from direct government spending and the rest from government related entities. It will be used to upgrade and expand the country’s infrastructure,

NBK GCC ECONOMIC BRIEF

with the education, health, financial, housing, and transportation sectors set to be among the main beneficiaries. We expect real non-oil GDP growth of 11% in 2011 and 10% in 2012, compared to an average of 21% per year between 2001 and 2009.

In 2009 and 2010, Qatar experienced deflation of 4% and 2.4%, respectively, largely due to falling housing rents.

However, by the fourth quarter of 2010, the consumer price index (CPI) had started heading north again, boosted primarily by increasing food prices and transportation costs, and some easing in the downward pressure on housing rents.

Broader conditions - strong economic growth, improving monetary conditions, rising food prices and a weak US dollar look conducive to a further increase in prices through the rest of this year. We expect inflation to average 4.0% in 2011 and 6.5% in 2012.

Buoyed by rising oil prices and increased revenue from rising LNG production, Qatar is expected to record sizeable budget surpluses of 14% of GDP in 2011 and 12% in 2012. Note that almost half of the planned development spending will not figure in the budget. Rising public expenditures will prompt more issuance of sovereign bonds, but Qatar’s overall sovereign debt remains at manageable levels. Meanwhile, the current account surplus is expected to improve this year and next as export prices and volumes pick up.

UK public borrowing hits record in April

The Sultan Center winners of family packages to visit Disneyland Paris TSC announces first 3 winners out of 12 KUWAIT: A lot of fun and adventure is awaiting you this summer at Disneyland Paris with The Sultan Center. This summer The Sultan Center has teamed up with The Walt Disney Company to give you a chance to win 1 of 12 family packages to Disneyland Paris, where you and your family will experience an unforgettable time that you will cherish forever.

Disneyland Paris is your ultimate destination for a family vacation full of fun and non-stop entertainment. Mickey, Winnie, Rapunzel, Disney princess and your other favorite Disney characters, whom you remember from Disneyfairytales, are all available to meet and greet you with a hug, an autograph and a photo. The park is a hive of other attractions guaranteed to keep the whole family entertained for hours.

Every week The Sultan Center announces 3 out of 12 winners of family packages for 2 adults and 2 children to Disneyland Paris including airline ticket, 4 days hotel accommodation and Park tickets (valid for both Disney parks). The draw for the first week was held on 19th May 2011 at TSC Sultan Center Jabriya in the presence of a representative from the Ministr y of Commerce. Fadya Daib Qaazal, Koji Mastunaga and Gretchen Eggletonwere the three lucky winners of the first draw. This promotion is valid until 11th June 2011 and 9 family packages are still available for the 3 upcom-

ing draws. For every KD10 you spend at TSC Sultan Center Salmiya, Sharq, Al Kout, Hawally, Jabriya, Fahaheel, Salwa or Ahmadi you will be entitled for one entry into the weekly draw. The more you spend the more chances you have to win 1 of the 9 remaining family packages to Disneyland Paris.

According to TSC Rewards program manager, “An important part of our promotions strategy is to offer our loyal customers some valuable, fun filled and theme oriented promotions to complement their shopping experience. This year marked the first time that both The Sultan Center and The Walt Disney Company came together with a shared vision to delight our customers with incomparable promotions to demonstrate appreciation to their loyalty.”

According to Jean- David Marque, Walt Disney key account manager, “It is a great pleasure to partner with The Sultan Center for this unique promotion. We are excited to see the Disney magic in TSC stores. A trip to Disneyland Paris is the ultimate experience of the Disney world and we wish good luck to all participants.”

This promotion is exclusive to TSC Rewards card holders. TSC customers who are not already members of the Rewards Program can sign up for free and receive their card immediately at any TSC Sultan Center.

Aabar ups Daimler exchangeable bond DUBAI: Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments will raise 1.25 billion euros ($1.76 billion) from the sale of bonds exchangeable into German automaker Daimler’s shares, more than was initially planned. Earlier yesterday, Aabar said it would issue a five-year 750 million euro bond that could be exchanged into Daimler stock, of which the sovereign fund owns 9.1 percent.

But a lead arranger told IFR Markets, a Thomson Reuters unit, that the deal had been increased to 1.25 billion euros, with books closed and pricing expected later yesterday.

Aabar said the exchange price would be set at a 30 percent premium to Daimler’s share price. The bonds will

carry a coupon indicated at 3.5-4.0 percent and the proceeds from the sale will be used for general corporate purposes, Aabar said.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley are mandated on the sale. The bonds will represent about 12.2 million Daimler shares, or 1.1 percent of the total, Aabar said. “In launching the bonds, Aabar is taking advantage of the current market conditions and the attractive financing the equity-linked market currently offers,” it said.

Aabar, which delisted from the Abu Dhabi bourse last year, bought its Daimler stake in March 2009 for around $2.7 billion. The bonds will be listed in Frankfurt.

LONDON: Britain’s public borrowing has surpassed the highest level ever recorded for the month of April, dealing a blow to the government’s much-hyped deficit reduction plans.

The Office for National Statistics said yesterday that public borrowing, excluding financial interventions such as bank bailouts, hit 10 billion pounds ($16 billion) in April, compared with 7.3 billion pounds the previous year. That’s far higher than economists’ forecast of around 6.5 billion pounds, casting doubt on whether the Conservative-led coalition government can meet its target of bringing the budget deficit down to 122 billion pounds this year.

There was some good news for the government in the Statistics Office report, which also showed that borrowing figures for the year to March 2011 were revised downwards to 139.4 billion pounds, from 141.1 billion pounds. But the higher-than-expected borrowing in April pushed the government’s debt to a record 910.1 billion pounds, or 60.1 percent of gross domestic product. Tax receipts in April last year had been boosted by a one-off tax on bankers’ bonuses that brought in 3.5 billion pounds. “This is a disappointing start to the new fiscal year,” said Nida Ali, economic advisor to the Ernst & Young ITEM Club economic consultancy. “A fall in central government tax receipts and an acceleration in spending growth doesn’t paint a particularly promising picture for the austerity program.” Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged 80 billion pounds ($130 billion) of spending cuts and 30 billion pounds in extra taxes to trim Britain’s huge deficit, but opponents say the austerity measures risk sending the country backward into a double-dip recession.

The economy grew 0.5 percent in the first quarter of the year, but that only made up for a drop of the same size in the last quarter of 2010, leaving growth largely unchanged. Samuel Tombs, a UK economist at Capital Economics, said Britain will struggle to meet its budget reduction targets this year because economic growth will be weak. “Nonetheless, these are just one set of figures and the trend in borrowing should improve as more of the spending cuts kick in later this year,” Tombs said. — AP

IKEA launches exciting summer sale campaign KUWAIT: IKEA Kuwait yesterday announced the launch of its muchawaited summer sale campaign.

Thousands of products across different areas of the home are now on excitingly low prices.

The sale campaign at IKEA store will offer visitors and shoppers the advantage to purchase products at discounted prices, where IKEA co-workers will be always around to offer solutions for every corner of the house. The products that are on sale range from living room furniture, bedroom and storage solutions, bathroom accessories, children’s furniture, cookware, textiles, decoration, lighting and many more.

The IKEA store offers its customers’ products that reflect value for money.

IKEA sale campaign serves as a platform for customers to purchase some of their favorite IKEA products at even lower prices.

Airlines division of Caesars Travel Co moves to new location KUWAIT: Caesars Int’l Travel Co, a division of Caesars Travel Group, representing the exclusive agent for Oman Air, China Southern Airlines, Nepal Airlines, IndiGo, Cebu Pacific Air and Air Asia has shifted to a new location at Al-Jawhara Tower (Ground Floor), Al-Salhya, Ali-Al Salem Street, with state of the art office facilities. “ We are delighted to have this most advanced office set-up for our airlines division, Caesars Int’l Travel Co, to the most accessible location for the travel trade and this was possible only after the shoulder to shoulder support from the travel trade towards our represented airlines. It’s a great honour for Caesars Int’l Travel to represent these airlines in Kuwait, including the National Airline of Sultanate of Oman. I am confident that all these airlines represented by us will facilitate business, tourism and leisure between Kuwait and the respective countries of these airlines which should be explored by the nationals and the expat population in Kuwait, being given the importance to the long term cultural relations and trade between these countries which foster stronger relationships better than before”, commented General Manager, Caesars Travel Group, P N J Kumar.

Caesars Travel, which was established in 1992, aims to provide quality travel services to both leisure and business travelers. At present, they have 19 offices across the country in various locations with diversified activities and particularly, Caesars Int’l Travel Co, the airlines representation is a feather in the cap of Caesars since its inception in Kuwait in 1992 as this has given the best and appropriate position for Caesars to represent as the ambassadors of various countries in Kuwait

KUWAIT: Eng Huseni and his wife from Delite Engineering inaugurate the new office, accompanied by P N J Kumar, General Manager of Caesars Travel Group, Sukhvinder Singh, Operation Manager, and the Caesars team. through their leading airlines. Caesars Travel also offers various leisure travel products, including cruises, holidays and cargo services.

“Kuwait is blessed with the most tempting traditional Arabian cultures in the Gulf and started tapping the advantages by developing its world’s professional bilateral relations among the nations. To ease this process, Kuwait has introduced the open sky policy for all airlines in the world, having given the freedom to operate to Kuwait subject to DGCA

policies which is helping the aviation arena of Kuwait to represent more airlines in Kuwait, giving access to the passengers for a wider platform of business and leisure. Having this mission in mind, Caesars Travel Management is exploring the possibilities of representing more leading airlines’ representation in Kuwait, thereby, giving both nationals and expatriates in Kuwait a broader spectrum of travel arena with an affordable budgets,” concluded Kumar.

y

A

24

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

BUSINESS

KSE continues to drop GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) struggled yesterday as it fell for the second consecutive day, with the Global General Index being hit hard, and reaching its lowest level since early March 2011. For the month of May, the index has retreated so far by 4.80 percent.

Global General Index (GGI), market weighted, ended the day down by 0.58 percent, at 197.24 point.

Market Capitalization was down for the day at KD32.34bn. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 6,410.6 point, shedding 32.80 points (0.51 percent) to its previous close.

Market breadth During the session, 102 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards decliners as 59 equities retreated versus 18 that advanced.

Trading activity was up this session. The trades conducted in the investment sector. Total volume traded was up by 40.21 percent with 201.35mn shares changing hands at a total value of KD34.59mn (105.30 percent higher compared to the day before). The investment sector was the volume leader yesterday, accounting for 26.82 percent of total shares. The banking sector was the value leader, with 52.80 percent of total traded value. Gulf Bank was the most active in terms of values of shares traded during yesterday session, with 22.56mn shares exchanged at an aggregate value of KD12.63mn. International Finance Company plans to expand its investments and to embark on new projects after it has boosted its liquidity through the merger with two local firms and through the KD11mn loan it has secured from Gulf Bank.

In terms of top gainers, Alargan International Real Estate Company took the top spot for the day, adding 7.04 percent and closed at KD0.152.

Al-Qurain Holding Company shed 14.49 percent and closed at KD0.030 making it the biggest decliner in the market.

Sectors wise Global Industrial sector was the biggest loser, shedding 1.76 percent as two of the sector’s companies made it to the top losers list for the day. Heavy Engineering Industries and Shipbuilding Company was the biggest decliner in the sector. The scrip retreated by 5.88 percent to end the day at KD0.320. Also, National Industries Group (Holding) retreated by 5.56 percent. Strong earnings from International Financial Advisors (IFA) boosted that stock (+3.85 percent), but could not help the investment sector to nudge out from negative territory. Global Investment Index closed down by 1.27 percent by end of the session.

IFA’s 1Q2011 net profit reached KD0.41mn compared to a net loss of KD3.37mn in 1Q2010.

All Global Special Indices ended the day on a negative note except Global Islamic Index, which added 0.57 percent to its value driven by Islamic banks. Global High Yield Index and Global Small Cap Index (low 10) were both down by 1.39 percent each.

Corporate news Further to its earlier announcement dated April 20, 2011, Combined Group Contracting (CGC) has signed a contract for a previously-awarded tender No KU/KUCB/C 11/10/0800, in which the company has a 40 percent share. Under the KD119.94mn deal, the contractor will carry out execution works at Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Education at City of Sabah Al Salem

University over 42 months.

Oil news The Kuwaiti crude oil price decreased $2.18 per barrel in Monday’s trading, hitting the level of $103.05pb compared to $105.23pb on Friday, said the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on Tuesday. Kuwait’s crude oil exports to China surged 33.3 percent in April from the previous month to 970,000 tons, equivalent to around 237,000 barrels per day (bpd), the latest government data showed. Kuwaiti share of Chinese crude oil imports stood at 4.5 percent last month, compared to 3.4 percent in March and 5.1 percent in April 2010, according to the General Administration of Customs. On a yearly basis, Kuwait’s April shipments to the world’s biggest oil consumer fell 10.2 percent.

Oil jumps $2 after high Goldman forecast LONDON: Oil rose more than $2 per barrel yesterday, taking Brent crude futures to almost $113, after Goldman Sachs increased its forecasts for the North Sea benchmark, citing strong fuel demand growth.

The US investment bank raised its year-end target for Brent to $120 per barrel from $105 and its 2012 forecast to $140 from $120, saying rising demand for fuel would draw global inventories and strain OPEC’s spare oil output capacity.

July Brent rose $2.47 to a high of $112.57 per barrel, before slipping back a little to trade around $112.25 by 1324 GMT. US light crude futures rose $2.12 to $99.82.

Goldman Sachs is one of the most influential institutions in the global oil spot market and its trading recommendations are closely followed by its many thousands of clients as well as other investors. Other analysts were also bullish on the outlook for oil prices longer term, but some pointed to short-term pressures limiting significant further strength in the near term.

“I see prices trading sideways for the next 2-3 months before jumping again in Q4,” Simon Wardell, oil analyst at Global Insight, said. “The forthcoming end of QE (quantitative easing) is taking some froth out of the commodity markets and there are some economic clouds around.”

Stocks, bonds, gold and the euro are expected to fall in the three months after the end of the Fed’s second massive bond buying operation, also known as quantitative easing, or QE2, a Reuters poll of 64 analysts and fund managers found last week.

Goldman Sachs raised its 12month price forecast for Brent to $130 a barrel from $107, and increased the end-2012 forecast to

$140 a barrel from $120, citing global economic growth and tight OPEC spare capacity. The bank, which in April had predicted the major correc tion in oil prices earlier this month, said on May 7 that oil could surpass its recent highs by 2012.

Echoing this view was Morgan Stanley, which raised its 2011 Brent forecast to $120 a barrel, from $100 previously, and lifted its 2012 target to $130, from $105.

The loss of around 1.5 million barrels per day of Libyan production, and firm demand from emerging economies, will lead to tighter inventories in the second half of the year, the bank’s analysts said in a report.

“It is very likely that OPEC will respond to tightening inventories by lifting their production; in response, we see flat prices moving higher as spare capacity continues its fall to untenable levels,” the report said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will meet in Vienna on June 8 to discuss output.

An expected in US crude stocks figures for last week could also support prices, analysts said. A drop in imports and increased refinery use are forecast to have pushed crude oil inventories lower, according to a Reuters sur vey of analysts on Monday.

However despite the broadly supportive longer term outlook, technical indicators painted a bearish picture for the crude price, Phil Roberts chief European technical strategist at Barclays Capital said.

“The (down) trend seems to have stalled but I think there’s another test to the downside to come before we bounce higher,” he said, adding that the $90-$95 level is key, with the 200 DMA, currently at around $90.50, a key area of support. —Reuters

y

A

25

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

business

Expectations modest as US debt talks resume WASHINGTON: Talks to avert a potentially catastrophic US debt default resume yesterday after signs Republicans might soften their stance over a key obstacle to a deal with Democrats, but hopes for a breakthrough remain slim.

Vice President Joe Biden leads senior lawmakers in their third round of negotiations to lift the $14.3 trillion US debt limit before an Aug. 2 deadline for action.

A congressional aide said yesterday’s session would focus on savings in Medicare and Medicaid, government-funded healthcare at the core of so-called federal entitlement programs that have emerged as a major sticking point in forging an agreement.

Top Republicans say Biden’s talks are laying vital groundwork for an eventual compromise on measures to rein in growth in the US budget deficit, but President Barack

Obama will ultimately be required to seal the deal. No one expects anything to happen fast, but a top White House official voiced optimism if the talks focus on areas of agreement and set aside more controversial issues.

“I actually think we can outperform market expectations and get quite a lot done this year,” White House budget chief Jacob Lew told CNBC yesterday.

Attention has shifted to Biden’s group after separate discussions among a group of six senators stalled last week. Failure to increase the limit could force the United States to renege on its debt obligations, risking devastating fallout for the US and world economies. “ We face a lot of real problems. We shouldn’t manufacture problems,” Lew said. “ The debt limit is going to have to be extended. That’s a political, not an econom-

ic crisis. We have an economic problem. We could turn it into a crisis by failing to act.”

Republicans say they are open to a compromise on their plan to slash healthcare costs to trim trillions of dollars from the US budget deficit, in return for raising the debt ceiling. Democrats, led by Obama, say they too want to control spending, although they have criticized cuts proposed by Republicans as too drastic.

But Democrats also want to boost revenue by raising taxes, which Republicans flatly reject as part of a debt deal, a clear warning that financial markets should expect negotiations to push right up to the brink of default before a deal is done. “I don’t think the most brilliant negotiators, with the best of intentions, can resolve this problem,” said Scott Lilly, a former congressional budget specialist and now a senior fellow with the Center for American

Federal Budget estimates that these areas could yield deficit savings of between $1 trillion and $2 trillion over the next decade.

Biden’s group includes four Democratic lawmakers and two Republicans, including Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives. Cantor said Biden’s group was only laying the groundwork for final talks among Obama, House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, and Senate leaders.

“We are engaging in these discussions right now in the Biden commission to really understand where both sides are,” Cantor told reporters on Monday. The United States reached the congressionally mandated $14.3 trillion limit on its borrowing on May 16. Administration officials are using special accounting measures to avoid a default for now but they warn their leeway to do that will run out on Aug 2. — Reuters

Progress. Republicans want deficit savings to match the amount the administration wants to raise the borrowing limit, and the US Treasury sees a $2 trillion increase in the debt ceiling needed to last through the November 2012 elections.

Tackling healthcare could signal the group had moved beyond some of the areas where compromise was easier to reach to begin getting at politically tougher issues.

Analysts at the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimate that savings to the US budget deficit of between $25 billion and $130 billion could be achieved over 10 years by increasing the costs to people in the Medicare healthcare program for the elderly.

Biden’s group has initially focused on areas where the two sides can most easily agree. The Committee for a Responsible

Moody’s warns UK banks of potential downgrades 14 lenders may not get state bailouts in future

OREGON: A new home for sale is shown in Happy Valley, Oregon. More people bought new homes in April, but sales remain far below the pace that would represent a healthy housing market. —AP

Landmark Group soon to launch Zafran in Kuwait KUWAIT: Landmark Group, the region’s leading retail and hospitality conglomerate, is all set to launch Zafran, a contemporary Indian restaurant with a twist that offers unique flavours of India. Conceptualized by Foodmark (Landmark Group Hospitality), Zafran is a restaurant bursting with colours in a vibrant setting and offers a competitively priced menu.

The menu has been inspired by internationally acclaimed, Michelinstarred Chef, Atul Kochhar who is revered for his masterful use of spicing. Speaking about the upcoming launch Naveed Dowlatshahi, the Head of Foodmark, a division of Landmark Hospitality and Leisure Services:”We aim to bring in and deliver a number of dining concepts into the market.

People in Kuwait are very appreciative towards good food, we have been receiving a lot of positive feedback with the recent launch of Carluccio’s and hence saw it fit to further expand by giving Kuwait a taste of Indian culinary with the launching of Zafran .”

“As the Group has grown and diver-

sified its interests, our vision is to continually expand in the region in both our retail and hospitality segment. We have plans to further open 10 Zafran restaurants in the region in the coming 3 years” “We are also delighted to have Chef, Atul Kochhar present with us during the launch which will take place on 7th June. His wealth of knowledge of Indian cuisine and his inventiveness for flavours has been inspirational while preparing the menu of the restaurant. Zafran has been a firm favourite in Dubai since its launch last year .We are very confident that the restaurant will be popular with the local residents in Kuwait as well” further concluded Naveed.

Zafran’s extensive menu offers a choice of eternal Indian delicacies including Zafrani Jhingae, Kali Mirch Ka Murgh, and Rogan Josh to capture the palettes of diners in Kuwait.

Flavoured with exotic herbs and spices the dishes are absolutely sensational and are a testimony to the chef’s skills at a mastery of flavour and texture.

Saudi Telecom Indonesian unit inks $1.2bn financing DUBAI: Saudi Telecom Co’s (STC) Indonesian unit NTS (Axis) signed a $1.2 billion financing deal as it seeks to expand its network in the south Asian country.

The financing comprises of three facilities, all carrying a tenor of 7.5 years and underwritten by a group of local and international banks, an STC statement said. All three facilities-for $450 million, $400 million and $350 million-are structured according to sharia-compliant principles and two are for equipment purchases.

Axis will triple the number of towers it uses to about 15,000 within three years, Erik Aas, NTS (Axis) chief executive, told reporters in Dubai yesterday.

The company uses 4,500 towers at present, of which it owns 1,600, with the rest leased. “Our assumption is we will lease most of the new towers, so we will increase the ratio to 90 percent leased,” said Aas. “We are looking at opportunities to share core network, even radio network-what you would call active sharing. That could be a great potential for us, especially for 3G. There is no concrete deal in place, but we’re looking into it.”Axis will have 10 percent market share and 7 percent revenue share of the Indonesian mobile market in five years.

Revenue doubled last year and Aas expects these will double again in 2011 with mobile data playing an increasing part. “We will reach $1 billion in revenues before five years from now,” said Aas. “We will do major investment in our network.

There are 36 million Facebook users (in Indonesia) and most of them haven’t even touched a computer. They do their social networking on (mobile) devices.”

Axis has sold 11 million SIM cards since launching services in 2008 and this will rise to 16 million by end of 2011, Aas

forecast, 60 percent of which will be active users. STC, the largest Gulf operator by revenue, raised its stake in Axis to 80 percent in March and said at the time it would lend the company more than $370 million. “Our strategy is to focus on growth markets and to keep our portfolio balanced between growth and stable markets,” said Ghassan Hasbani, chief executive of STC’s international operations, at the same conference. “This market (Indonesia) has great potential for growth, especially in (mobile) broadband services, and we are keen to be part of this growth story.” — Reuters

HANOI: A street vendor sells vegetable in downtown Hanoi yesterday.

Vietnam’s inflation will reach almost 20 percent year-on-year this month, according to official estimates, adding to the pressure on consumers facing some of the steepest price rises in the world. —AFP

LONDON: Ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service has put 14 British banks on review for potential credit rating downgrades, citing the lack of any state-sponsored bailouts in the future.

The list of banks on the watch-list released

by Moody’s yesterday includes the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, both of which were bailed out by the government at the height of the global credit squeeze in 2008 and retain significant state ownership.

Moody’s said the 14 lenders have levels of government support in their existing ratings that may be “too high for the evolving postcrisis environment.” “The reassessment is not driven by either a deterioration in the financial strength of the banking system or that of the government,” said Elisabeth Rudman, a Moody’s Senior Credit Officer and lead analyst for a number of UK banks. “It has been initiated in response to ongoing guidance from the UK authorities that banks that fail in the future should not expect capital injections from the

public purse.” The review, which could lead to a rise in the banks’ borrowing costs, will take around three months. The ratings agency will consider the levels of government support available, and any other mitigating factors that could rule out the need for a downgrade.

Government support accounts for an uplift of two to five notches for the big banks, and one to five for the smaller institutions.

“Moody’s expects to retain a high level of systemic support uplift in the senior debt ratings of the major UK banks, as the rating agency believes that the regulators do not currently have all the tools necessary to resolve such institutions without causing financial instability,” the agency said.

The British government spent around 500 billion pounds bailing out banks in late 2008 in an attempt to stop panic across the entire sector.

Since then, lawmakers and business groups have criticized the banks for failing to increase lending to businesses to boost the

faltering domestic economy, while still awarding large bonuses as they rely on taxpayer support. A cross-party parliamentary committee last month said that British banks benefit from an “implicit expectation” that taxpayers will rescue them.

Moody’s review covered 18 banks in all.

Among other leading lenders, it said the debt rating for Barclays PLC, which did not take state funding, has been changed to negative from stable while HSBC Holding PLC’s was affirmed with a negative outlook.

The 14 banks on review for potential donwgrade are: Bank of Ireland UK PLC, CoOperative Bank PLC, Coventry Building Society; Lloyds TSB Bank PLC, Nationwide Building Society, Newcastle Building Society, Norwich & Peterborough Building Society, Nottingham Building Society, Principality Building Society, Royal Bank of Scotland PLC, Santander UK PLC, Skipton Building Society, West Bromwich Building Society and Yorkshire Building Society. —AP

Smucker boosts prices of most US coffee products

INDIANPOLIS: Bags of coffee sit on the shelves at a Dunkin’ Donuts store located in Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Coffee drinkers will get another jolt at the supermarket: the company that sells Folgers and Dunkin’ Donuts brand coffees has announced yesterday, its second double-digit price increase this year. —AP

NEW YORK: American coffee drinkers will soon be getting another jolt at the supermarket: The company that sells Folgers and packaged Dunkin’ Donuts coffees has announced its second double-digit price increase this year. J M Smucker Co said yesterday that it will charge retailers 11 percent more, on average, for most of its US coffee products. Smucker blames a continuing rise in what it pays for unroasted beans, known as green coffee. Coffee companies and analysts say speculators may be causing most of the increase, though demand is rising in emerging markets and harsh weather in some major coffee-growing regions shrank supply. Green coffee prices jumped 77 percent last year.

Smucker said its latest price increase includes Smucker’s Millstone and Folgers Gourmet Selections packaged coffees.

For the Dunkin Donuts brand, the increase affects only packaged coffee sold in grocery, club, drug and generalmerchandise stores. Items sold at Dunkin at Dunkin Donuts shops are not Smucker products. Smucker, based in Orrville, Ohio, said in early February that it was raising coffee prices 10 percent, on top of

a 9 percent price hike last August, which followed a 4 percent increase in May 2010.

The company, whose other products include Jif peanut butter, Crisco and its namesake jams, is not alone. Sara Lee Corp., which sells Maison du Cafe, L’Or and Cafe Pilao, said this winter that rising green coffee costs led it to raise its prices.

Kraft cited rising coffee prices in a broad price hike it levied this winter. Peet’s Coffee and Tea Inc. has raised its retail prices twice recently in response to raw costs.

And in March Starbucks Corp, the world’s biggest coffee chain, raised the prices it charges retailers for packaged Starbucks and Seattle’s Best coffee by 12 percent, citing higher bean costs.

Starbucks left up to grocers and other retailers whether they passed along the increase to consumers. But it said it had locked in the prices it pays for beans the remainder of the fiscal year. The US Labor Department said the prices consumers pay for coffee rose 3.5 percent in March, part of a 0.8 percent increase in food prices overall. In April, consumer food prices rose half that much. —AP

Greek opposition party rejects austerity plan ATHENS: Greece’s main opposition leader bluntly refused to back new austerity measures designed to tackle the crippling debt crisis, arguing they would only bring further recession, despite the European Union’s insistence for cross-party support.

Top EU finance officials have argued that Greece, which is struggling to meet the terms of an international 110 billion euros ($154 billion) bailout and could require more help, needs all its political parties to back the debtcutting plans to ensure they can be implemented smoothly. They have not said outright that receiving the next installment of the bailout, due in late June, depends on a cross-party agreement, but have stressed the importance of opposition support.

Prime Minister George Papandreou was meeting the heads of opposition parties to seek consensus, a day after Greece announced extra measures to shrink its budget deficit, including more than 6 billion euros ($8.4 billion) worth for this year and an immediate start to a previously announced 50 billion euros privatization program.

Measures this year range from increased taxes to cutting down on social security costs, while the midterm austerity program will run to 2015, two years beyond

the current government’s mandate. Antonis Samaras, head of the main opposition conservative party who earlier this month called for a renegotiation of the bailout deal, argued the government’s overall direction in dealing with the crisis was wrong. “To this demonstrably mistaken recipe (of the bailout deal), I will not agree,” Samaras said shortly after meeting with Papandreou.

Samaras has in the past backed certain measures, such as privatizations, but said everincreasing taxes served only to push the country deeper into recession. He underlined his party’s proposal for reducing taxes as a means of jump-starting the economy. “The government lacks the courage to restart the economy and is not considering a renegotiation. It is repeating the same mistake, and exceeding the limits of the Greek economy and of our people,” Samaras said. “We remain opposed.” On Monday, Amadeu Altafaj Tardio, spokesman for the EU’s Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn, stressed it was “very important for us that the political groups in Greece set their disagreements aside, and clearly and unambiguously support in public the objectives and main policies of the economic policy and program for Greece.”

However, the measures Greece

announced Monday have not yet convinced other euro-zone government that Athens will actually be able to fulfill its promises, said an official from one of the triple-A rated euro-zone countries, which because of their good credit rating have an important position in bailout negotiations.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said some countries were concerned about whether measures would be implemented. He said they wanted to see more specific proof, such as the launch of negotiations with potential buyers,

that Greece is indeed kicking off the promised privatization. Such concrete steps are a precondition not only for potential further support, but also the release of the next 12 billion euros tranche of the already agreed loans in June, the official said.

Papandreou also faced criticism from other parties, with Alexis Tsipras of the Left Coalition calling for his resignation.

“I didn’t come to discuss the looting of Greek society with Papandreou. I came to tell him that he must not ... go ahead with this crime against the Greek people,” Tsipras said. —AP

ATHENS: A general view of part of the port of Thessaloniki. Under pressure from EU peers and the markets, Greece pledged to speed up a halting privatization drive to reduce its crushing debt load and head off a second euro-zone crisis. — AFP

y

A

26

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

BUSINESS

Portugal’s over-indebted families struggle like state LISBON: Unemployed, Ana can no longer pay her mortgage and fears losing her home. With no chance of getting a bailout like the state, many Portuguese are turning to consumer advocacy groups like Deco to try to keep from losing everything.

“Banks have more respect for Deco than for clients in difficulty,” explained Ana, who stopped paying her 289euro ($404) monthly mortgage payments in September, after losing her job due to depression. Living in a Lisbon suburb, this 36-year-old has had to stretch her metalworker husband’s salary of 600 euros a month to make ends meet.

“For food, I only spend 80 euros as we receive charity donations,” she said,

her eyes hiding behind small round spectacles. Sitting at a Deco office, she explained that she is 2,300 euros behind in her payments. It’s decided that the watchdog will negotiate a grace period during which Ana will have to only pay interest on her debt.

“My greatest fear is losing my apartment, but I have no other choice,” she said. “Either I repay the bank, or pay my water and electricity bills.” Portuguese have faced mounting financial difficulties as the government imposed austerity measures over the past year to try to keep on top of the country’s debts. The country’s economy shrank by 0.7 percent last year and unemployment rose 12.4 percent.

However, the government was forced last month to request a 78 billion euro bailout from the EU and IMF to avoid a default. It will now have to hike taxes further and make deeper spending cuts that are expected to cause a 2.0 percent contraction this year. Antonia and Rosalia, a couple in their 50s, owe between 50,000 and 60,000 euros spread across half a dozen loans. Having defaulted on half of them, Antonio, a waiter, has had 30 percent of his 900-euro salary seized as forced repayment.

“We were tricked by bank advertising and when we realized the interest rates involved, it was already too late,” he said. When debts are very high, Deco recommends families go to

court and declare bankruptcy, which is becoming more and more frequent.

In 2010, Portuguese families sent Deco 17,000 requests for help, twice the level of 2008. In the first three months of this year, the number of case files is up by 22 percent from the same period last year.

“On average we treat couples aged between 35 and 45 years old, with a child at home, who have taken out more than five loans and face a fall in revenue, usually provoked by job loss,” said Natalia Nunes, a Deco manager.

“Lately, we have also received civil servants whose salaries have dropped due to austerity measures.”

In addition to the worsening economic situation explaining this explo-

sion in cases, Nunes also points to families, “who just like the state, for too long spent more than they had, encouraged by easy credit offered by banks.” In March, according to the Bank of Portugal, 14.2 percent of the 4.6 million families with bank loans had defaulted. Average household debt levels in 2009 stretched to 130 percent of disposable income, against 96 percent in the euro-zone overall.

The situation doesn’t look promising with the new austerity measures as part of Portugal’s bailout.

“With these measures and price increases,” Nunes warned, “problems will only get worse and the number of over-indebted families will increase.” —AFP

India, Africa kick off second trade summit Singh says Africa could become major growth pole ADDIS ABABA: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a dozen African leaders, gathered in the Ethiopian capital, discussed yesterday how to boost trade between the two regions and their two billion inhabitants. “Africa possesses all the prerequisites to become a major growth pole of the world in the 21st century. We will work with Africa to enable it to realize this potential,” Singh told the opening ceremony.

“I’m happy to announce that India will continue to support efforts at infrastructure development, regional integration and capacity building and human resources development in Africa,” the Prime Minister said. The Addis Ababa summit is the second such gathering as the southeast Asian powerhouse seeks to widen its footprint in Africa where its competitor China has made major inroads in recent years. Since the first India-Africa summit in New Delhi in 2008, trade between the two partners has increased. Last year, India’s imports from Africa were worth $20.7 billion, compared with $18.7 billion the previous year, and its exports stood at $10.3 billion the same year.

India’s foray in Africa is mainly in the private sector, such as telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing, unlike China which concentrates on government to government deals, extractive industries and infrastructure development.

The two-day summit is to end in the signing of two major trade and cooperation deals. Despite being home to the bulk of the world’s poorest countries, Africa is endowed with minerals, oil and other natural resources.

“Africa offers a great market for India’s entrepreneurs,” Pritam

Banerjee, trade and international policy chief at the Confederation of Indian Industr y, a leading trade body, said ahead of the summit.

“India will emerge as a major supplier to Africa in engineering, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automotives, farm equipment and a host of other sectors.” The 2008 India-Africa summit saw India give preferential market access to expor ts from all the Least Developed Countries, many of them in Africa, as well as increase credit lines to Africa.

India also aims to bolster its diplomatic and security presence in Africa. In 2008, its navy joined the anti-piracy patrols in the key shipping routes of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean where rampaging Somali pirates continue to hijack merchant vessels.

Both regions also back each other for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council under envisaged reforms of the world body.

On leaving the Addis Ababa summit Singh will make an official visit to Tanzania where he is expected to sign bilateral cooperation deals. India is one of Tanzania’s main trading partners and has investments worth $1.3 billion (915 million euros) in the east African state alone. —AFP

NAIROBI: People walk past an advertisement for mobile- telecommunications service provider ‘Airtel’ in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. India will seek to expand its economic footprint in Africa, where its rival China has made major inroads, at the second India-Africa summit next week in Addis Ababa. —AFP

OECD launches happiness index

ADDIS ABBABA: Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh (left), flanked by his Ethiopian counterpart Meles Zenawi, arrives for the opening session of the Second Africa-India Forum Summit, attended by 15 African countries in Addis Ababa yesterday. —AFP

German business sentiment steady

HAVANA: Ruben Font carries a scaffold piece to his home in Havana. More than 1,000 independent shops selling building materials have opened up around Cuba, official media said as the government looks to the private sector to fight corruption and the black market, eliminate expensive subsidies and help ease a severe housing crisis. —AP

UK retailer M&S posts 16% jump in profits LONDON: British retailer Marks & Spencer said yesterday that annual net profits soared 16 percent, as the company was boosted by higher clothing and food sales.

Earnings after taxation climbed to £612 million ($986 million, 704 million euros) in the group’s financial year to April 2, M&S said in a results statement. That compared with £526.3 million in the 2009/2010 year.

Revenues grew 4.2 percent to £9.7 billion, aided by international sales of £1 billion, added the group which is regarded as a barometer of consumer sentiment in Britain. And pre-tax profits before exceptional items rose 12.9 percent to £714.3 million. That just beat market expectations for pre-tax profits of £712 million, according to analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires.

“Marks & Spencer had a good year with sales and profits ahead of last year,” said Chief Executive Marc Bolland in the earnings release. “We traded well in a challenging environment, growing our market share in both clothing and food.”

M&S also revealed that it had made a good start to the current 2011/2012 year-but expected challenging trading conditions.

“We have had a good start to the new financial year but we expect trading conditions in the year ahead to be challenging due to rising pressure on consumers’ disposable incomes and high commodity prices. —AFP

FRANKFURT: Germany’s closely watched index of business optimism held steady in May, a reassuring sign for the future of an already-robust economic recovery in the euro-zone’s largest country despite turbulence from debt crises in Greece, Portugal and Ireland. Yesterday’s positive surprise from the Ifo index — markets had expected a decline — comes on top of data showing rising investment in machinery and equipment in the first quarter of the year, another indication the recovery will keep rolling in months ahead. The Ifo index came in at 114.2, unchanged from April after a slight cooling the previous two months. Markets were expecting a drop to 113.7 and pushed the euro higher on the news.

The indicator measures how German business executives feel about the current state and future of Europe’s largest economy.

Germany has benefited from an export surge and improving consumer demand even as the euro-zone struggles to keep its weaker members on the currency zone’s fringe from defaulting on their debts.

German businesses think export growth will continue to boost the economy, the survey showed. One half of the survey — the assessment of how things are now — rose and the other half — expectations for the next six months — was down a bit but still positive. “The business cycle traffic light’s still signal ‘green,”‘ Ifo Institue head Hans-Werner Sinn said in a statement.

Manufacturers are slightly less optimistic than before “but still assess the current business situation as very good,” Sinn said. “They also continue to see great opportunities from export business. Firms plan to clearly increase staff levels although not at the pace of last month.” Meanwhile, the climate for retailers has improved, with consumers more willing to spend because unemployment remains relatively low. The numbers underline the current paradox in the euro-zone economy: growth in big countries Germany and France remains solid, while several smaller countries are buried under debt and in need of bailouts to avoid a disastrous default that could shake the entire euro-zone. —AP

PARIS: A so-called “happiness index” to measure well-being and perceptions of living conditions came into life at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development yesterday.

Called officially “Your better life index”, the new measure is part of a wider OECD program to measure well-being and progress and is launched to mark the 50th anniversary of the OECD. The index covers 11 areas: housing, incomes, employment, social relationships, education, the environment, the administration of institutions, health, general satisfaction, security and the balance between work and family. OECD secretary general Angel Gurria said: “This index encapsulates the OECD at 50, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and understanding in a pioneering and innovative manner.”

He added: “People around the world have wanted to go beyond GDP for some time. This index is designed for them. It has extraordinary potential to help us deliver better policies for better lives.”

The head of statistics at the OECD, Martine Durand, said that the idea was to measure more closely matters which

people thought were important to them.

The index is intended to enable people in the 34 OECD member countries to compare their countries according to criteria which they think are important, Durand said.

The OECD hopes soon to make the index applicable to other countries, beginning with emerging economies such as Brazil. The index is the first concrete result of a report by former Nobel economics prizewinner Joseph Stiglitz, OECD officials said. The index comes into being as the Paris-based OECD celebrates its 50th anniversary and immediately before a summit of Group of Eight (G8) leaders in Deauville, northern France.

France holds the presidency of the G8, and in September 2009 a commission headed by Stiglitz submitted to Sarkozy proposals for improving the way growth is measured to overcome shortcomings in the main measure of growth, the index of gross domestic product (GDP).

The OECD has worked for some years on ways of calculating a well-being index to complement the GDP and other indicators. —AFP

BHONGIR, India: Indian farmer Thummala Venkatesh unloads his paddy production at the agriculture marketyard in Bhongir mandal of Nalgonda district about 50 kilometers from Hyderabad yesterday. Farmers’ organizations demand the central and state governments to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy by INR 1500 per quintal (100Kgs). —AFP

Street market bonds tsunami-hit community in Japan OFUNATO, Japan: The irreverent backand-forth starts almost immediately when sellers arrive at the morning market around 6 am.

“You’re not supposed to gain weight, we’re in a disaster!” “At least that tsunami finally gave me a bath!” Sakariki-machi market has survived for more than two centuries in this coastal Japanese town, through natural disaster and war, not to mention the advent of 7-11s and discount chains. Now, in its small but timetested way, it is helping to keep up morale in an area devastated by a March 11 earthquake and tsunami that flattened a vast swath of Japan’s northeast coast.

“This is so important to us,” says 71year- old Chioko Shomoto, sitting behind a small pile of mountain vegetables she and three elderly friends gathered by hand. “It’s not really about how much we sell. This is where we relax and talk and trade information.” The market only opens once every five days along a single narrow street, regardless of the weather or what day of the week it is. It is soon filled with a colorful motley of bright flowers in pots, hand-sewn clothing, fresh fish and vegetables, the prices scrawled on small scraps of paper. The lively scene harkens back to an earlier time, before Facebook and Twitter,

before convenience stores with automatic doors and barcode scanners. It is a real-world social network, a web of friendships forged through decades of early mornings and bad jokes. For some who lost their shops in the tsunami, it also is a place to rent a spot on the pavement for 300 yen ($3.70) and sell a few items to help make ends meet. “I thought it would be months before people came back. But 20 days later, they just naturally started showing up again,” says Yoshihiro Suzuki, 63, whose family has run the market for at least four generations. “ The market gives people strength to go on with their

lives.” The market opened more than 200 years ago, when Japan was still under shogun rule. It started as a place for fishermen and farmers to barter and trade, says Suzuki, whose great-grandfather registered it as a legal entity in 1912.

The market has lasted through previous calamities, including an 1896 tsunami that wiped out a third of the city’s population and the death and destruction of World War II. The powerful earthquake and tsunami on March 11 killed more than 25,000 people and wiped out entire neighborhoods and downtowns. —AP

y

A

27

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

TECHNOLOGY

S Korea to step up security against cyber attacks SEOUL: South Korea said yesterday it will step up IT security within the government to fend off cyber attacks from North Korea, which it has accused of mounting a series of strikes in recent years.

Under a presidential decree, 45 officials at 23 government agencies will be appointed to take charge of computer security and

emergency planning, the home affairs ministry said.

“This measure is aimed at helping fend off cyber attacks that have been taking place continuously,” a ministry official told AFP. Earlier this month, South Korean prosecutors said North Korean military intelli-

gence launched a cyber attack that paralyzed operations at one of the country’s largest banks.

North Korea’s defence ministry flatly denied the allegation as “absurd”.

Seoul also accused Pyongyang of staging cyber attacks on websites of major South Korean government agencies and financial

institutions in March this year and in July 2009.Pyongyang also rejected those allegations, accusing Seoul inventing the charges to raise tensions.

The North reportedly maintains elite hacker units, prompting the South to set up a specific military command to combat them. Tensions between the nations have

been high since the South accused the North of sinking one of its warships in March last year near their disputed sea border in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 sailors.

Pyongyang denied the charge but went on to shell the South’s Yeonpyeong island last November, killing four people including civilians. —AFP

Sarkozy hails Internet barons at ‘e-G8’ summit Sarkozy hosts 22 biggest players at Elysee Palace

SAN FRANCISCO: Passang Sherpa, center, and his son, Kalsang Dorji Sherpa, 11, right, receive help with their new 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro from Apple worker Doug Rodriguez, left, as part of Apple’s new “Personal Setup” service at the Apple Store in San Francisco. The new personalized service was introduced on Monday. — AP

China has over 900m mobile phone users BEIJING: China had more than 900 million mobile phone subscribers at the end of April with nearly two-thirds of the world’s most populous nation using cellular technology, the government said yesterday.

The nation’s army of mobile phone users grew by over 41 million in the first quarter of 2011, bringing the total number of cell phone subscribers to 900.39 million, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said.

Mobile phone use has exploded in China in recent years as handset prices and user charges have dropped, while the continual arrival of new technologies on the market has spurred sales.

According to government figures, China had 565 million mobile phone

subscribers in February 2009.

In the first quarter of 2011, China’s telecommunication industry reported a 9.4 percent growth year-on-year on business revenue valued at 308.36 billion yuan ($47.44 billion), the ministry said.

As of the end of April, third generation (3G) mobile telecommunication users in China reached 67.57 million, nearly 21 million more than at the end of 2010.

Last week, the ministry announced the number of Internet users in China, already the world’s largest online market, hit 477 million at the end of March.

The number of people using the Internet in China had hit 457 million at the end of 2010, meaning that more than one-third of its 1.3 billion-strong population were online. — AFP

PARIS: The heads of top Internet firms such as Google and Microsoft met in Paris yesterday at the first “e-G8” summit, touting the power of the web to world leaders amid concerns over copyright and censorship.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy kicked off the gathering in Paris, hailing the assembled players as the leaders of the “Internet revolution”, but warning that with their power comes great responsibility.

He hailed the role of the Internet in recent uprisings such as the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, but insisted online activity must be governed by “rules,” prompting a scornful reaction from web users commenting live online.

“The states we represent need to make it known that the world you represent is not a parallel universe where legal and moral rules ... that govern society in democratic countries do not apply,” Sarkozy told the assembled executives.

“Democratic governments also have things to say.”

Web users commenting on the messaging site Twitter were largely unimpressed, interpreting Sarkozy’s speech as a bid for government control of the web.

“An exercise in censorship and control dressed up as a technology summit,” wrote one user, Tweeting under the tag “fffffat”.

Top executives from online giants including Facebook, Ebay and Amazon attended the gathering to tout the economic potential of the Internet, which Sarkozy has put on the agenda of the G8 summit he will host this week.

With blogs and Tweets oiling the wheels of revolution in some countries and scans and downloads sparking trade disputes in others, the stakes are high for leaders seeking to profit from the web but also to rein in online crime.

Authorities in several countries have clashed with Google, the world’s biggest Internet search engine and advertising platform, notably in China, where the firm accuses the government of hacking dissidents’ email accounts.

And, while acknowledging the net’s power as a force for freedom elsewhere, western

PARIS: Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg (L) listens to World Economic Forum founder and CEO Klaus Schwab during a plenary session at the e-G8 Forum yesterday in Paris. The world’s most powerful Internet and media barons gather the same day in Paris in a show of stength to leaders at the G8 summit, amid international rows over online access, copyright and regulation. — AFP countries differ on how to harness or curb it on their own doorsteps.

A recent French law made web users liable to prosecution if they illegally download films and music.

Sarkozy touted the meetings of the e-G8 and the G8 as an unprecedented meeting of the online and political worlds.

He convened the e-G8 to draw up a declaration aimed at Group of Eight leaders who will meet at their annual summit on Thursday and Friday in the northern French resort of Deauville.

The e-G8 guests include the executive chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt; the founder of social networking site Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg; and Jeff Bezos, founder of online retail giant Amazon.

Also attending is Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire head of the global media empire News Corporation, which includes Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, and dubbed by Forbes magazine “the man who owns the news.”

Sarkozy hosted 22 of the biggest players for lunch at the Elysee Palace.

Murdoch was due to address the gathering

IBM passes Microsoft’s market cap after 15 years

BEIJING: Scalpers with iPad 2 and iPhone 4 devices try to offer them for re-sale to customers walking out from an Apple Store in Beijing, yesterday. An explosion that occurred on May 20, 2011, at one of two factories that make Apple’s new iPad 2 highlights the risks of a global manufacturing strategy that has cut costs but concentrates production in a few locations. — AP

More Sony websites hacked, 8,500 Greek accounts hit TOKYO: Sony yesterday said its websites in three countries had been hacked with 8,500 Greek user accounts compromised, in a blow to efforts to restore confidence after a huge data breach affecting millions. Websites in Thailand and Indonesia had also been affected, it said.

The Japanese entertainment and technology giant said data taken from Greek accounts included email addresses, telephone numbers, names and passwords but that credit card data had not been stolen in the latest attacks.

Analysts say such breaches threaten to further damage Sony’s brand image and undermine its efforts to link its gadgets to an online “cloud-based” network of games, movies and music that relies on consumer confidence in their security.

Sony said it discovered the security breach on its Greek Sony Music Entertainment website on Sunday and immediately stopped the service that allows fans of artists to sign up for newsletters. It remains shut down.

A Sony spokesman said the company had nothing to indicate that leaked information has been posted on other websites.

Sony said it also discovered on Saturday that a page on its Indonesian Music Entertainment website had been “altered” but did not believe this involved the leak of information.

It also said its Thai unit’s website had been subjected to unauthorized access and was possibly used in a phishing

attack. “In Thailand, the Sony unit was notified by a Finnish security firm that its website was possibly used in a phishing attack. The company stopped the website and has been investigating. There has been no report about any information leak.”

News of the latest breach comes as Sony tries to recover from an earlier massive online hacking attack involving the theft of personal data including names, passwords and addresses from more than 100 million accounts on its PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment services.

Sony shut down the PlayStation Network and Qriocity music services on April 20.

The company has said it cannot rule out that millions of credit card numbers may have been compromised.

Analysts say one of the biggest data breaches since the advent of the Internet could cost it around $1 billion.

On Monday Sony said it expected to post a $3.2 billion dollar net loss for the fiscal year ended March as it tries to recover from the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which ravaged production and damaged facilities.

It said the data breach will result in at least a $170 million hit in “currently known costs” to operating profit this financial year in terms of insurance and damages, but that it anticipated further costs. Sony has said it plans to fully restore PlayStation Network and Qriocity services by the end of the month. — AFP

SEAT TLE: International Business Machines edged past old rival Microsoft Corp in market value for the first time since April 1996, marking the latest twist in the fluctuating fortunes of two of the world’s most storied technology companies. IBM ruled the computer industry for decades until it hired the tiny, unknown Microsoft to provide an operating system for its new range of personal computers in the early 1980s.

Bill Gates parlayed that breakthrough into industry dominance proving his theory that software would be more valuable than hardware-so that by the end of 1999 Microsoft’s market value was three times that of IBM’s, and bigger than any other US company.

Throughout Seattle -based Microsoft’s rise, IBM was pilloried as an old-fashioned, immobile Goliath that could not keep up with the computing revolution.

Since the Internet technology bubble burst in 2000, the tables have been reversed and Microsoft’s stock has been stagnant as investors doubt its ability to move beyond its Windows operating system and Office suite of software,

while younger rivals such as Google Inc and Facebook steal the limelight.

In the meantime, “Big Blue” refashioned itself as a specialist in business software, servers and consulting, jettisoning its PC business along the way, building on a turnaround engineered by CEO Louis Gerstner in the 1990s.

An investor putting $100,000 into both stocks 10 years ago would now have about $143,000 in IBM stock and about $69,000 in Microsoft stock.

Resurgent Apple Inc moved past Microsoft in terms of market value almost exactly a year ago, and is now by far the world’s biggest tech company.

According to Reuters data, Apple’s market value stood at $309.2 billion on Monday, IBM at $203.8 billion and Microsoft at $203.7 billion.

IBM is now ranked fourth in terms of market value in the United States, behind oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp at $397.4 billion, Apple, and industrial and finance conglomerate General Electric Co at $205.6 billion.

IBM shares ended down 1.1 percent at $168.26 while Microsoft fell 1.3 percent to $24.17. — Reuters

NUREMBERG: A Bing Maps Streetside car equipped with a special camera is pictured yesterday in Nuremberg, southern Germany. Picture recordings for Microsoft’s web mapping service providing panoramic views across Germany star ted in and around the southern cities of Nuremberg, Fuer th and Erlangen. — AFP

later yesterday.

Representatives from consultancy McKinsey told the gathering the Internet sector accounted for 3.4 percent of output and 10 percent of growth in the past five years in 13 key economies including the G8 and China.

“Your work can be considered historic and impacts civilisation,” Sarkozy told delegates.

“With this in mind, your level of responsibility is undoubtedly the highest ever given to individuals who do not work in the public sector or as state representatives.”

In the first session of the summit, Schmidt and other executives debated the economic stakes and the issue of regulation with France’s Finance Minister Christine Lagarde.

Amid much lauding of the potential of an unfettered Internet, Lagarde begged to differ on whether governments should be allowed to regulate content, warning that no regulation meant “chaos.”

“The Internet is a remarkably resilient and creative place,” Schmidt responded. “Clearly we want some regulation for the evil stuff, but I would be careful about regulating the Internet.” — AFP

Yahoo ready to deliver on promise to upgrade email SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo Inc. is giving its popular email service a long-promised facelift in an attempt to make it more appealing to people who are increasingly using Facebook, Twitter, Google and other online alternatives to communicate.

The changes announced yesterday build upon a redesigned email format that Yahoo began testing seven months ago. The estimated 277 million users of Yahoo’s free email ser vice will be switched to the new version during the next few weeks.

The overhaul will enable updates to Facebook and Twitter accounts to be posted from within Yahoo’s email boxes. The revamped service is supposed to be two times faster and capable of sending attachments of up to 100 megabytes.

Other tools include better junk-mail controls and the ability to chat with friends and family logged into Facebook.

Yahoo is counting on the changes to help attract and retain email users at a time when more people are flocking to the rival Gmail service run by Internet search leader Google Inc. Although Yahoo’s service remains larger than Gmail, it has been losing ground in the past year.

Through April, Yahoo boasted 277 million email users worldwide, a drop of about 3 million, or 1 percent, from the same time last year, according to the research firm comScore Inc. Meanwhile, Gmail had grown to 220 million wordwide users, up 43 million, or 24 percent during the past year.

Most of Gmail’s gains appear to be coming at the expense of Microsoft Corp.’s Hotmail service, which remained the global leader with 327 million users, according to comScore. But that figure was down 27 million, or 8 percent, from last year.

Cultivating loyal email users is important because they tend to be frequent visitors and they often remain logged in when using other online services run by the email providers. The return trips and logged-in activity creates more opportunities to show Internet ads, the main way that both Yahoo and Google make money.

Yahoo, though, hasn’t been luring as many advertisers as Google for years, a problem that has weighed on Yahoo’s stock.

The email upgrade is expected to be among the signs of progress that Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz emphasizes Wednesday when she and other top company executives are scheduled to update analysts on their turnaround plan. — AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

More patients, more work with free health care in S Leone FREETOWN: Dozens of women, some with babies strapped tightly to their backs, wait patiently in a crowded, sweaty attendance ward at Sierra Leone’s main maternity hospital for their turn to be treated, for free.

Piercing cries fill the wards as exhausted, overworked nurses administer injections to squirming toddlers in the hospital, overwhelmed since a free health care system for women and young children was launched just over a year ago.

“Two to three children are using one bed and a similar number are hooked on to one oxygen concentrator,” paediatrician Sarian Bull told AFP. “We are overwhelmed by the pressure and we are working extra hours to bring relief to those who seek our services,” she said.

The Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in the capital does not have running water, beds are overflowing, drugs aren’t always available and there aren’t nearly enough staff, but the show must go on.

It has to-in Sierra Leone only one in four children live to see their fifth birthday, according to UN figures.

Security guard Hassan Conteh’s wife has just given birth, and both mother and son are healthyan even bigger feat than usual in a country where one in eight women die in pregnancy or childbirth, most never making it to a hospital.

In the developed world, this figure is one in 8,000. “My wife gave birth to my first son at this same hospital five years ago. I spend nearly 500,000 Leones ($116, 81 euros) at that time in doctor’s fees only. Medicines were extra,” says Conteh.

He adds that the free health care system is “the answer to the poor man’s fight for good health for our kids.” The 90 million dollar (67 million euro) free healthcare programme for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under five years old was launched in April last year with donor aid from UNICEF, the World Bank and the World Health

Organisation and the UK Department for International Development.

With 70 percent of the country’s population of six million earning less than a dollar a day, healthcare is a luxury in the west African nation.

For Sierra Leone, whose health system was in tatters after a decade-long civil conflict, the free health care program is mind-boggling in its ambition and implementation.

“It’s very hard, and it is far harder in a country like Sierra Leone,” says Kate Gross of the African Governance Initiative set up by former British prime minister Tony Blair, which helps with the “nuts and bolts” of delivery.

But amid the challenges, she says initial government statistics show this increased access to treatment has led to an “astonishing 80 percent reduction in child deaths from malaria, and a 60 percent reduction in maternal mortality in hospitals.”

“It is incredible, a real exemplar for the rest of Africa. And there is an awful lot to do, there is

masses to do” she said in a telephone interview to AFP in Dakar, citing dire sanitary conditions and the challenge of having drugs available all the time.

Health superintendent Ken During said official results from the free healthcare programme would be released soon.

“However there is all indication that the free healthcare is working for the benefit of all especially those that previously had little money to access the system.”

Sallay Sesay, cuddling her sick baby, is positive about the initiative, even if it hasn’t gone too smoothly.

“I am having good attention although I sometimes have to purchase drugs from nearby pharmacies because of a shortage in the hospital. The system is however, God-sent.”

Sierra Leone has one doctor for every 17,000 people and one nurse for every 8,000, according to health ministry statistics. — AFP

Millions of girls lost to selective abortion in India Unlike Beijing, Delhi does not enforce ‘one-child policy’

HANOVER: A laboratory worker holds a petri dish with enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) colonies on a culture medium at Lower Saxony’s public health department in Hanover, northern Germany. — AFP

Vertex hepatitis C drug promising more cures NEW YORK: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc’s highly anticipated hepatitis C drug won US approval, promising far higher cure rates for the liver-destroying disease and setting up a head-to-head marketing battle with a rival new medicine from Merck & Co. Incivek, a pill also known as telaprevir, is poised to help transform treatment of hepatitis C by nearly doubling the chances of curing the serious liver disease compared with current standard treatments. Some industry analysts project Incivek sales will top $5 billion a year.

Vertex set a wholesale price of $49,200 for a 12-week regimen of Incivek, which works in combination with current standard drugs pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The older treatments are then continued for as few as another 12 weeks.

Merck’s recently approved Victrelis has a wholesale price of $1,100 per week, or between $26,400 and $48,400 for a course of treatment, depending on needed duration.

Vertex said it was initiating a co-pay assistance program that would reimburse the outof-pocket costs for the majority of patients covered by commercial health insurance, which accounts for about 60 percent of its expected patient mix.

The approval, which the Food and Drug Administration announced on Monday, was widely expected after an advisory panel unanimously recommended the drug last month.

Vertex said it anticipated approval late this year for Europe, where Johnson & Johnson holds the marketing rights.

Vertex said Incivek, its first commercial product, would arrive in pharmacies this week.

The company expects to become profitable next year. Chief Executive Officer Matthew Emmens said the Incivek approval was the culmination of a $4 billion investment for developing the drug from the beginning in its own labs.

Joshua Boger, Vertex founder and former CEO who pinned the company’s fortunes on telaprevir long before the drug had proved itself in clinical trials, said it was “a great day for patients that we at Vertex envisioned almost 18 years ago.”

In clinical studies, as many as 79 percent of patients taking Incivek experienced a sustained

virologic response- which is tantamount to a cure. Older drugs cure only about 40 percent of patients.

Doctors say thousands of hepatitis C patients have been delaying treatment in anticipation of the new medicines because the older drugs had to be taken for 48 weeks, often caused flu-like symptoms and offered a disappointing cure rate.

Incivek offers the potential of cutting the treatment duration to 24 weeks for many patients, while Victrelis can cut treatment down to 28 weeks for some.

About 170 million people around the world are infected with hepatitis C, some 3.2 million of them in the United States. The blood-borne disease can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis, liver transplants and death.

On May 13, the FDA approved Victrelis, which works the same way as Incivek and is also taken with the older medicines.

Analysts expect Incivek to eventually control more of the market because it has shown a higher cure rate. Victrelis had a 66 percent cure rate in late-stage studies, although the new drugs have not been tested against each other.

“There are now two important new treatment options for hepatitis C that offer a greater chance at a cure,” said Edward Cox, director of the FDA drug center’s office of antimicrobial products.

The most commonly reported side effects with Incivek include rashes and anemia, the FDA said. The rash can be serious and can require stopping Incivek or all three drugs in the treatment regimen.

The Incivek label says only 4 percent of patients reported a severe rash, Sanford Bernstein analyst Geoffrey Porges said.

“We do not see this as a significant limitation to adoption,” Porges said.

Some analysts have projected market share splits of 70-30 or higher in favor of Vertex, including Jason Kantor of RBC Capital Markets.“At the end of the day Vertex has the better drug profile, simpler drug to use and I still expect Vertex to get the lion’s share of the market,” Kantor said.

Last week Merck struck a deal with Roche Holding AG, which will co-promote Victrelis in the United States. Roche and Merck dominate the market for interferons.—Reuters

MANILA: Theresa Lim right, of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau checks some hawksbill turtles as her staff members take them out of a container van at the Customs area yesterday in Manila, Philippines. Authorities confiscated 161 stuffed hawksbill and green turtles, black corals and other protected marine species all concealed in two container vans. — AP

PARIS: Sex selection of foetuses in India has led to 7.1 million fewer girls than boys up to age six, a gender gap that has widened by more than a million in a decade, according to a study released yesterday.

In Indian families in which the first child has been a girl, more and more parents with access to prenatal ultrasound testing are aborting a second female in the hope that a subsequent pregnancy will yield a boy, said the study, published in The Lancet. The increasingly lopsided ratio of girls to boys is larger in wealthy households than poorer ones, the researchers reported.

Between 1980 and 2010, they estimate, four to 12 million girls were aborted because of their sex. “Selective abortion of female foetuses, usually after a firstborn girl, has increased in India over the past few decades, and has contributed to a widening imbalance in the child sex ratio,” they conclude.

The female shortfall for the zero-to-six age bracket was 6.0 million in 2001, and 4.2 million in 1991. “Increases in selective abortion of girls are probably because of persistent son preference combined with decreases in fertility,” the authors say.

The mean number of children per Indian

woman fell from 3.8 in 1990 to 2.6 in 2008.

Selective abortion of female foetuses accounts for two to four percent of female pregnancies in India, roughly 300,000 to 600,000 per year out of 13.3 to 13.7 million carrying a girl in 2010, the study found.

From 2001 to 2011, the practice increased at a rate of 170 percent, slowing from 260 percent over the previous decade.

In the study, researchers led by Prabhat Jha of the Centre for Global Health at the University of Toronto, analysed census data from 2011 and earlier.

The also examined over 250,000 births from national surveys to calculate the difference in the girl-boy ratio for second births in families in which the first-born child had been a girl.

They found that this ratio fell from 906 girls per 1,000 boys in 1990 to 836 girls per 1,000 boys in 2005, an annual decline of a half of a percent.

Declines were much greater in mothers who had gone to school for at least ten years than in mothers with no education at all. The same trend held true for wealthier households compared to poorer ones.

If the first child was a boy, however, there was no drop in the girl-boy ratio for the second child,

showing that families-especially those better off and more educated-are far more likely to abort girls if the firstborn is also female.

By contrast, “we did not yet see any clear evidence of selective abortion of firstborn female foetuses,” the researchers said.

Unlike Beijing, New Delhi does not enforce the kind of “one-child policy” that led to the selective abortion of firstborn females in China.

The practice has left the country with 32 million more boys than girls, creating an imbalance that will endure for decades. In China, 94 percent of unmarried people aged 28 to 49 are male.

But first-pregnancy female abortions might increase in India too if fertility continues to drop, particularly in urban areas, the study warned.

A 1996 government regulation designed to prevent the use of ultrasound for prenatal sex determination is widely flouted, the researchers say, pointing out that few health providers have been charged or convicted.

“The financial incentive for physicians to undertake this illegal activity seems to be far greater than the penalties associated with breaking the law,” S. V. Subramanian of the Harvard School of Public Health said in a commentary, also in The Lancet. — AFP

WHO puts back decision on smallpox virus samples GENEVA: After two days of dispute over the future of smallpox virus samples, member states of the World Health Organization decided yesterday to postpone their negotiations on the issue for three years.

In a draft resolution put forward Monday to the 193 WHO member states, Russia and the US sought to conserve the samples, and wanted to begin discussing a possible date for their destruction only in five years.

Many countries want them destroyed as soon as possible however and, with no deal in sight after two days, the member states decided to look to the 67th World Health Assembly in three years’ time, to reexamine the subject.

The question surrounding the destruction of the last official stocks of the deadly virus held by US and Russian laboratories has been recurring at the WHO since 1986.

Washington and Moscow want the viruses kept for scientific reasons, saying that it is necessary to continue research on their vaccines in order to prevent any resurgence of the transmissible disease which was officially eradicated in 1980.

They fear in particular that countries may have secretly kept the virus to be used as a biological weapon.

The European Union, Canada, Israel, Monaco, Colombia and China were among countries that supports the US and Russia.

However, Iran speaking on behalf of 20 countries, as well as Thailand, Zimbabwe and Malaysia, were strongly against, saying that immediate destruction of the virus must be imposed.

Earlier, The World Health Organisation on Monday held a stormy discussion over the future of smallpox virus samples, which Russia and the United States are seeking to preserve while others want them destroyed. The question surrounding the destruction of the last official stocks of the deadly virus held by the US and Russian laboratories has been recurring at the WHO since 1986.

Washington and Moscow want the viruses kept for scientific reasons, saying that it is necessary to continue research on their vaccines in order to prevent any resurgence of the transmissible disease which was eradicated in 1979. They fear in particular that countries may have secretly kept the virus to be used as a biological weapon.

In a draft resolution put forward Monday to the 193 WHO member states, Russia and the US once again sought to conserve the samples, and wanted to begin discussing a possible date for their destruction only in five years. “We feel that we do not have sufficient guarantees on the efficiency and the preparation of the vaccines,” explained the Russian envoy. “Destruction will be irreversible,” he added, noting that it is necessary to be “doubly prudent on a question that concerns security of all humanity.” “After the research, we can determine a date,” he added. The European Union, Canada, Israel, Monaco, Colombia and China were among countries that supported the move.

However, some 20 countries, including north African states, Iran, Thailand, Zimbabwe and Malaysia, were strongly against the resolution, saying that immediate destruction of the virus must be imposed. “There is no longer scientific justification to keep these viruses,” said a Malaysian diplomat.—AFP

HAMBURG: A patient infected with enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is being dialysed at the Marienkrankenhaus hospital. Worries grew in Germany about infections caused by a strain of the E. coli bacterium after authorities reported the death of an 83-year-old and a “very unusual” number of cases. — AFP

Irregular periods in teens linked to health risks: Study NEW YORK: Teenagers who have irregular periods are more likely to be overweight and obese and to have early warning signs of diabetes and heart disease than those with regular menstrual cycles, a study said.

While the link between irregular periods and heart disease and diabetes is well-established in older women, the findings, published in “Fertility and Sterility,” suggest that doctors might be able to identify this risk much earlierand try to do something about it.

“There may be a misconception in adolescent medicine ...that it ‘takes a couple of years after menarche to get the engine running’ and hence one might not want to be concerned about irregular adolescent menstrual cycles until much later,” said Charles Glueck, one of the study’s authors, from the Cholesterol and Metabolism Center at the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati.

“That’s clearly wrong,” he added, noting that even in young teenagers, very irregular menstrual cycles are not normal and should not be ignored. Glueck and his colleagues followed 370 girls, starting at age 14, as part of a larger study initiated by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Once every year, girls were asked how long it had been since their last menstrual cycle.

Researchers also periodically measured their levels of different sex hormones, glucose and insulin, and blood pressure. They also collected information on girls’ height, weight and waist circumference. The authors defined irregular menstrual cycles as lasting more than 42 days, a criterion that’s meant to catch the 2 percent of girls with the least regular periods, Glueck said. Between age 14 and 19, 269 of the girls reported regular periods at every annual visit.

Another 74 of them had only one report of an irregular period, 19 girls had two reports, and eight said it had been at least 42 days since

their last period at three or more visits.

The girls with the most reports of irregular periods were already heavier than others at age 14, and gained more weight and inches on their waist during the study. They also had higher levels of testosterone.

By age 25, those who hadn’t reported an irregular period an average body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight against height, of 26.8. Those who had reported irregular periods at three or more appointments had an average BMI of 37.8 while girls who reported one or two irregular periods had BMIs somewhere in the middle. Reports of irregular periods were also linked to higher levels of blood sugar and insulin at age 25.

The authors couldn’t be sure what was happening with girls’ menstrual cycles during the rest of the year. Also, the findings do not prove that irregular periods cause girls to gain weight or are responsible for the increases in glucose and insulin levels-rather, the irregularity could signal another problem.

One possibility is that the ovaries might respond to changes in metabolism, such as increased insulin levels, said Alice Chang, an endocrinologist at UT Southwestern Medical center, suggesting that some of the diabetesrelated risks came before problems with ovulation. Irregular periods might be a sign of polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, which can cause fertility problems, Glueck said. But catching it in adolescence means it can be “very successfully treated.” Chang, who was not involved in the latest study, agreed that the implications for PCOS are an important message to take from the study. “When I see women diagnosed with PCOS, they often have symptoms all through adolescence, but it’s not put together for them. We need to be more aggressive in adolescents about treating PCOS and treating obesity,” she said. — Reuters

y

A

29

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

health & science

Beaches, parks off limits to New York smokers Similar bans in Chicago, Los Angeles NEW YORK: New York City took its smoking prohibition outdoors on Monday, adding the city’s parks and beaches to the list of places where smoking is banned as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign to promote healthy habits.

The ban, which officials hope will prevent problems caused by second-hand smoke, adds to the city’s 2003 ban on cigarettes in bars and restaurants.

The new law will not be enforced by police but by some 200 parks personnel who watch over the city’s 29,000 acres (12,000 hectares) of park land and beaches.

Violators face a $50 fine but officials say the ban is meant to be largely self-enforcing.

“We don’t think that people should be exposed to those chemicals when they go to a park to enjoy the fresh air,” city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley told Reuters.

Saleswoman Polonia Jourdain, sitting on a park bench with her 8-month-old nephew, said she was happy with the ban.

“I don’t want to smell smoke wherever I go,” said Jourdain, 17. “The smell of cigarettes makes me nauseous and gives me headaches.”

New York’s City Council voted in February to broaden the city’s smoking prohibitions to cover its 1,700 parks, beaches, boardwalks and pedestrian plazas, such as Times Square.

New York follows Chicago and Los Angeles, which have already enacted similar bans.

New Yorkers still can smoke on sidewalks, parking lots, streets and in their homes, although many landlords of rental properties do not allow it.

Not everyone was so pleased by the new law. The ban represents “an extreme revocation of civil liberties rather than telling people to just walk away,” said Audrey Silk, a member of New York Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment.

“If you held up the evidence up to sun-

Kcf`X @YUX]b[ KY][\h @cgg Gif[Ycb

light, it would disintegrate,” she said.

Some New Yorkers said they were confused by the limits.

“Can you smoke on the sidewalk next to a park?” asked attorney Alex Roberts, 36, smoking a cigarette in violation of the ban.

New York health officials say cigarettes kill more than 7,000 residents a year. In 2002, 21 percent of New York adults smoked and the percentage is now down to 15.8 percent, Farley said.

Bloomberg has promoted health measures including a ban on trans fats in restaurant food and a requirement that chain restaurants display calorie counts on menus.

He has campaigned nationally for food companies to cut salt levels in their products and for the federal government to ban the purchase of sugary drinks with food stamps-federal vouchers used by 42 million low-income Americans to buy food. — Reuters

WHO puts back decision on smallpox virus samples GENEVA: After two days of dispute over the future of smallpox virus samples, member states of the World Health Organization decided yesterday to postpone their negotiations on the issue for three years.

In a draft resolution put forward Monday to the 193 WHO member states, Russia and the US sought to conserve the samples, and wanted to begin discussing a possible date for their destruction only in five years.

Many countries want them destroyed as soon as possible however and, with no deal in sight after two days, the member states decided to look to the 67th World Health Assembly in three years’ time, to reexamine the subject.

The question surrounding the destruction of the last official stocks of the deadly virus held by US and Russian laboratories has been recurring at the WHO since 1986.

Washington and Moscow want the viruses kept for scientific reasons, saying that it is necessary to continue research on their vaccines in order to prevent any resurgence of the transmissible disease which was officially eradicated in 1980.

They fear in particular that countries may have secretly kept the virus to be used as a biological weapon. —AFP

5`!GYYZ <cgd]hU` 5`!G GYYZ <cgd]hU U` =bhYfbUh]cbU` J]g]h]b[ 8cWhcfg Dfc[fUa =bhYf bUh]cbU` J]g]h]b[ 8cWhcfg Dfc[fUa bUh]cbU` J]g]h]b[ 8cWhcfg Dfc[fUa a DfcZYggcf# A]W\Y` ;U[bYf A8 DfcZYg gcf# A]W\Y` ;U[bYf A8 8 :F7G7 :57G :5 57G FYW]d]Yb FYW]d]Ybh cZ º6Ygh 8cWhcf 5kUfX» ]b h\Y Ib]hYX GhUhYg cZ 5aYf]WU Zcf h\Y mYUfg &$$* bh cZ º6Ygh 8cWhcf 5kUfX» ]b hh\Y Ib]hYX GhUhYg cZ 5aYf]WU ZZcf h\Y mYUfg &$$* &$$+ &$$+ &$$, &$ $$, &$$- &$%$ " DfYg]XYb bh UbX aYaVYf cZ gYjYfU` =bhYYfbUh]cbU` AYX]WU` 5ggcW]Uh]cbg" DfYg]XYbh UbX aYaVYf cZ gYjYfU` =bhYfbUh]cbU` AYX]WU` 5ggcW]Uh]cbg" 7\]YZ cZ @UdUfcgWcd]W Gif[Yfm 8YdUfhaYbh Uh 7`YjY`UbX <cgd]hU` %--) ! %--, " 7\]YZ cZ @UdUfcgWcd]W Gif[Yfm 8YdUfhhaYbh Uh 7`YjY`UbX <cgd]hU` %--) ! %--, " 7\]YZ cZ @UdUfcgWcd]W Gif[Yfm 8YdUfhhaYbh Uh BYk Mcf_ DfYgVmhYf]UUb <cgd]hU` &$$'!&$$+ " 7\]YZ cZ @UdUfcgWcd]W Gif[Yfm 8YdUfhaYbh Uh BYk Mcf_ DfYgVmhYf]Ub <cgd]hU` &$$'!&$$+ " 5=!GYYZ ibWY h\Y j]g]h cZ h\Y ]bhYfbUh]cbU` DfcZYggcf# A]W\Y` ;U[b bYf 5=!GYYZ <cgd]hU` ]g d`YUgYX hc UbbcibWY h\Y j]g]h cZ h\Y ]bhYfbUh]cbU` DfcZYggcf# A]W\Y` ;U[bYf <cgd]hU` ]g d`YUgYX hc Ubbci K\c g\U`` dYfZcfa h\Y Zc``ck]b[ dfcWYXifYg .

K\c g\U U`` dYf Zcfa h\Y Zc``ck]b[ dfc cWYXifYg .

KY][\h `cgg gif[Yfm KY][\hh `cgg gif[Yfm g`YYjY [UghfYWhcam g`YYjY [UghfYWhcam 9aU]` . j]g]h]b[Xfg4U`gYYZ!\cgd]hU`"Wca 9aU]` . j j]g]h]b[Xfg4U`gYYZ!\cgd]hU`"Wca :cf FYgYfjUh]cb UbX :ifh\Yf ]bei]f]Yg. :cf FYgY Yf jUh]cb UbX :ifh\Yf ]bei]f]Yg. *$$%($)(

To advertise advertise on this this page l t t us: please contact

248 33 199 ads@kuwaittimes.net

:fca &- A Um h]` ` * > ibY &$%%

y

A

30

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N Announcements Dedication service The dedication service of the new hall for Kuwait St. Peters Mar Thoma Church in Abbasiya will be inaugurated by the Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Most Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma on Thursday 26th May at 7 pm. This meeting would be presided by the Parish Vicar Rev. Chacko Thomas in the auspicious presence of Episcopal Churches Vicars in Kuwait and distinguished invitees. All are cordially invited”.

Prayer meeting Prayer and healing meeting Pastor Dave Hess will be held in Mahboula on 27 May between 4 pm and 7 pm. Limited free transportation available.

For details contact Anil 99656778, Max 97428039 or Yesu 99863584.

Former Nigerian president in Kuwait The Nigerian Embassy hosted the former president Olusegun Obasanjo who was on a 2-day visit to Kuwait. The event attracted lots of dignitaries including many African ambassadors. The dinner party was held at the Embassy House in Mishref.

ACK holds lecture by Chairman of Maki

By Nisreen Zahreddine

A

CK (the Australian College in Kuwait) hosted a lecture on self development and growth of self employment. The live example of a passionate successful career journey was opening Maki Restaurant for Japanese food.

The founder and chairman of Maki Mohammad Zaitoun held a presentation explaining the theme of the restaurant, his idea, his passion in this line of business, and the keys to the success, to be standing as a live model of career satisfaction struggle.

Zeitoun explained the concept of Maki Restaurant first, he said that the idea of the restaurant stands for what he called “original blending of

refined and creative Japanese ingredients with international cuisine”. He explained that the restaurant’s dishes are made of only original products. He assured that the restaurant spares no cost for the fine high quality ingredients.

The most important part highlighted in Zaitoun’s presentation are the keys for success of his restaurant and those applies to any other self-owned businesses to succeed and to lead. the “Fusion Cuisine” concept in Maki made it a leader in this line of food business, where elements like Zaatar & Jabneh were added to the traditional Japanese cuisine. This mixing of ingredients diverts the restaurant from the traditional ways of the Japanese restaurant and creates

from Maki a special restaurant. “ We practice what we preach” said Zaitoun, as he went through the main key of success of his restaurant and any other restaurant in his opinion, this is customers.

“We’ve always listened and still listen to our customers”, he commented. Zaitoun added that “create your own Maki” concept used by the restaurant management, is a way to allow customers to interact. An additional factor was highlighted

by Zaitoun to ensure success of the restaurant is the good management and knowledge of decision making process, this , as he stated, requires flexible mentality from the management, open minded people to run the business, who are open to changes and updates and cre-

ativity including new ideas. This kind of management empowers staff and delegation, as he described it.

“Everyone should be accountable”, he continued as he described the restaurants management to be a crystal clear organization and distribution of responsibilities in addition to clear-cut chain of command.

He explained that Maki centers its marketing strategy around its customers. Zaitoun opened the floor after the presentation for questions and inquiries for the students who attended the lecture to benefit from his experience, as he commented that the first and most important thing in opening one’s own business, is the passion, “ You have to love what you do” , he said.

‘Mahakte Lamhe’ Indian Cultural Society (ICS) presents “Mahakte Lamhe” with Udit Narayan with Deepa Narayan.

Another attraction of the evening will be reality shows fame Neha Chouhan & Nayan Rathod on 10th June 2011 Friday at Auditorium Kamil Al Rays, American International School, near Police Station Maidan Hawally Kuwait at 7.30 pm sharp.

The Chief Guest for the event will be Vidhu P Nair Charge d” Affaires Embassy of India, Kuwait and the guest of honor will be prominent personalities from Kuwait. For details contact: 97690035, 66568147, 94450833, 97270386, 97286577, 67030839, and 99757214 Email ics.kuwait@gmail.com Silver jubilee anniversary Ahmadi Marthoma Youth conducts its silver jubilee anniversary celebrations on Friday, May 27, 6 pm, at Fintas Co-operative auditorium. The function will be inaugurated by Dr Joseph Mar Thoma Metroplitan. Idea Star singer fame Roshan will lead the orchestra.

BAIA presents the delightful new children’s musical BUZZ the STORY of GLORY BEE! From the pens of Dream Dealer Duo Harriet Petherick Bushman and Marita Phillips and the A TEAM , the Creative Team of The Lion King comes BUZZ! The Story of Glory Bee. Glory (Isabella Wellinkar) is a newbee who doesn’t want to be just a Gatherer Bee and has adventures involving Humungus the Beekeeper (played by Augustin ‘Mufasa’ Tchantcho) and the villainous Hornet (Aidan Scott). Performed by the wonderful talent of the Kool Kidz Children’s Theatre BUZZ runs from 26 to 28 May at the Shakespeare Theatre, The British School of Kuwait. Box office open now.

Mobile number 60052087 and box office@baia.com.kw or visit our office Salwa 1 Street 1 villa 32. Full details of all events and courses are available on www.baia.com.kw BAIA Summer Camp now open for registrations 2011 ON STAGE summer camp from 19 June to 06 July. Last year High School Musical, this year Camp Rock, Tangled, Cars...many more! From Page to Stage in just 3 weeks, through costume design, technicals, acting, singing, dance, music, make-up, film and lighting. Create a fabulous performance ON STAGE. Discounts available if registered before 01 June. Call 60052087 or mail administrator@baia.com.kw. Full details of all events and courses are available on www.baia.com.kw Hairspray at KLT Hairspray is the latest musical performed by the Kuwait Little Theater. It’s directed by Kirsty McDonagh with an all singing, all dancing KLT cast of talented actors. Most of the performances are already sold out but they still have some openings available so if you’re interested you need to book right away. Location: Kuwait Little Theater. Dates still available: May 24th and 25th. Time: 7:30pm.

Dr Raymond Farrin

Dr Farrin lectures on classical Arabic poetry

A

t the American University of Kuwait (AUK) campus on May 17 the AUK Arabian Heritage Project hosted a well-received lecture by Dr Raymond Farrin entitled “Structure and Meaning in Classical Arabic Poetry”. This was based on research from Dr Farrin’s ground-breaking book “Abundance from the Desert,” recently published by Syracuse University Press (2011).

The presentation pertained to poetry from 500-1250 CE and featured original translations and analysis of major classical Arabic poems from a variety of genres.

Dr Lisa Urkevich, the Director of the Arabian Heritage Project said, “Dr Farrin’s lecture was a great success. He brought to life these old texts in such a vibrant way that the many students, faculty, and outside guests in attendance left deeply impressed.” Dr. Farrin is an Assistant Professor and Program Lead of Arabic at AUK.

GREETINGS

H

appy birthday Megha Jose Pananghat from Papa Josekutty, Mama Shiny, bother Manu.

You are the source of our happiness, wishing you the best of everything in life!

My First Banking presentation from Al Tijari to KNES

T

he Commercial Bank of Kuwait continues on its school road show that started in February by having the Grade 5 and 6 students from the Kuwait National English School visit the bank’s special South Surra branch to attend a unique presentation created and conducted by the bank called My First Banking Knowledge. It discusses the importance and benefits of saving money as well as other topics and the students from KNES greatly benefited from the useful lessons that were conveyed in the presentation.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait created the presentation and made sure that it wasn’t too difficult for kids to understand but still had all the necessary information on why it is important to save money. It also talked about online banking, ATMs, the bank’s kids and youth accounts, as well as interest and the various services that the bank provides. After the presentation, the kids are taken on a tour of the branch where they explore the kid’s corner and are shown how an ATM machine works. Each student is also awarded with a certificate

signifying that they have completed the My First Banking Knowledge presentation.

Staff from the Marketing department conducted the presentation to the students and walked them through the tour of the South Surra branch. The Commercial Bank of Kuwait considers the younger generation a vital aspect in shaping Kuwait’s bright future which is why the bank constantly strives to educate young Kuwaitis in many ways and help pave their way to success and happiness.

BSK receives ISA award

T

he British School of Kuwait (BSK) received the International School Award 2011. The International School Award (ISA) was established by the British Council in 1999. The aim was to ensure that a benchmark existed that identified schools in the UK and overseas who valued the importance of globally focused education, and could demonstrate that this international ethos was embedded throughout the school. Think local, act global is essentially the message communicated. Schools eligible for the award could say that the majority of lessons had an international focus and that the majority of students were

impacted by and involved in international work. For the British Council, raising the profile of internationally-focused education in the Middle East, where schools like The British School of Kuwait (BSK) have 70 nationalities, was a natural development, with Kuwait becoming a partner in the programme in 2009. BSK documented a wide variety of lessons from all subject areas, including those with Partner Schools in the UK and Germany. In addition, a profile of extra- curricular activities such as The International Award for Young People, the Model United Nations and Debating, as well as volunteer and charity

work under the auspices of the British Council’s “Young Changemakers” programme was included. Testimonials from students, staff and parents completed the portfolio.

Experience gained through the Connecting Classrooms initiative was great preparation for the International School Award.

The award was presented to John Lambert, the BSK Co-ordinator of the project, by Michael White Acting Director of the British Council at a lively ceremony where students entertained the assembled guests with performances of music and dance, all with an international dimension, emphasizing the

Ahmadi Music Group The Ahmadi Music Group, directed by Richard Bushman, is delighted to announce the forthcoming production of The Desert 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 Performance 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 AWARE Arabic course The AWARE management is glad to inform you that Summer 2 Arabic language courses will begin on June 12 until July 21, 2011. AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed & 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.

AWARE Arabic courses highlights: Introductory to Level 4 Arabic language basics; Ccmbine language learning with cultural insights; taught in multi-nationality group settings ; and provides opportunities to interact with Western expatriates and native Kuwaitis/Arabs. For more information and/or registration, call 25335260/80 ext 105 or 0 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw

Write to us Send to What’s On vision and quality that is synonymous with education at the The British School of Kuwait. The International School Award is

indicative of a school that fully prepares its students as global citizens and BSK is proud to join the ranks of this elite group.

upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

y

A

31

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

From left music professors Dagmara K. Bienias (Flute) , Markovic Dragan (Violin) and Agnieszka Fajga (Cello)

Sara M Soliman, AUK Flute Student

AUK Choir Beginners Group under the leadership of Prof. Anna P Karadimitrova accompanied by Prof. Elena Tsenkova on the piano.

Music concert at AUK, A spring delight

T

he Music Program at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) presented a student music recital at 7pm on Sunday, May 15 in the AUK Auditorium. Both advanced student musicians and beginner groups performed vocal and instrumental solo and chamber works, demonstrating the great diversity and artistic potential that exists in the region.

Encouraged by the success of previous music concerts at AUK, the concert included challenging compositions by Chopin, Pachelbel, Mozart, Offenbach, among others.

The highlight instrumental performers entailed Sara Suliman on flute who inspired with a technically

Khaled M Abdel Ghaffar, AUK Guitar Student

Pricilla Gomes

Reema Sarwar

Nellofar Qammer

Roshnara Khan

Azra

impressive grade eight contemporary composition by Ian Clarke, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar on classical guitar who transformed the hall into the spirit of old Spain, and Sabeeka Al-Fuzai (piano) who warmed the audience with an emotional Chopin nocturne. There was great support for the talented first time recital participants Noura Al-Ajmi (flute) and Sarah Al-Ajmi (piano) who gave notable performances. The “Daring Duo” Salem Al-Mathkour (violin) and Faisal Al-Bahairi (piano) concluded the first half of the program by thrilling the crowd with a tango and the ever-exciting Rimsky-Korsakov “Flight of the Bumblebee.”

The second half of the program

Mahinaz Murad

“We were delighted with the success of this Spring concert,” said Dr. Lisa Urkevich, the Coordinator of the Music Program, “Along with our highly advanced student musicians, we were able to include a few pieces by our new large ensembles, that is, the introductory choirs and the xylophone ensemble. Of course, it is always a pleasure to hear our long-standing gifted students present more inspiring performances each semester, but this Spring, it was a special treat to see our large beginner groups come together and produce such lovely work. We look forward to our music program and music concerts ever expanding in the future.”

was dominated by vocal students.

Bashayer Al-Saad, (mezzosoprano) enchanted the audience with the appealing French “Habanera” from the opera Carmen, and the male vocalists Nader Abdullah, Ali Atesh, and Yousef Al-Jenai together charmed all with Italian love songs.

The final piece by Offenbach performed by voices, flute, violin, cello, and piano, included music faculty performers who had worked with the solo students all semester.

Scattered throughout the evening, for the first time on stage, were the AUK choral ensembles and the introductory Percussion group led

by Profs. Anna Karadimitrova and Agnieszka Faga respectively.

Abdul Salam

Abdul Salim

Mohd. Khalil

Vinayak

Sikkim Manipal University semester results declared

S

ikkim Manipal University, Indiaís leading university in the field of Management, IT & Technological Sciences, has published the results for the April 2011 examinations. All students are requested to check the uni-

versity website for detailed results. The management and staff take great pride in congratulating all students for their good performance and whole hearted cooperation that they have shown.

The following students have topped their batch from their respective semester and course: Management Gemcy George, Salma Zafar, N Radhakrishnan, Thorat Mohini,

Ullasa Vadan M, Marionette Gracy Rodrigues, Asiya Qayum,Naveen, Norbert D Souza, Junior Abdul Salam, Mahinaz Murad Mukadam, Rodrigues Vina Peter, Ajra Basheer Mukadam, Roshnara Anwar Khan, Nellofur Qammer.

Information Technology Rajeev Ashok Menon, Abdul Salim Kottayil,Vinayak Krishna Kamath, Mohammed KhaIiI Baza, Merchant Farhan Abdul Sattar, Suraj Prakash Shirwant,Sony Stephen S., Nishad Mohammed

Au, Nasir Musa Salih Guma, Jose P. Joseph, Shraddha Tiwari, Preston Michael Fernandes, Gopakumar N. Journalism Management Priscilla Lina Gomez, Reema Sarwar.

Congratulations Abdullah Al-Enezy is promoted to Class V. All the best wishes for his future.

Congratulation from father Saud Al-Anezy, friends and relatives.

Orthodox leaders visit Catholicose Araam I

D

elegates of St Gregorios Indian Orthodox Maha Edavaka under the leadership of church Vicar Fr Jose Mathew visited the Catholicose of Armenian Orthodox Church, HH Aram I, who visited Kuwait on an official visit recently. Associate Vicar Fr George C. Varghese, MOSC Sabha Managing Committee member Shaji Abraham, Treasurer Jose Daniel, Secretary John

George, Diocese Media Secretary Jerry John Koshy were the other envoys.

Being constituent churches of Oriental Orthodox Churches, Malankara Orthodox Church and Armenian Orthodox Church have ecumenical communion between each other. As part of reinforcing this communion, Catholicose Aram 1 had visited Kerala sometime back.

T

he Ahmadi Mar Thoma Yuvajana Sakhyam accorded a hearty welcome to Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Dr Joseph Mar Thoma on his arrival at Kuwait International airport today. The Metropolitan is in Kuwait to attend various programmes of Ahmadi Mar Thoma Parish. He will be the chief guest at the Silver Jubilee valedictory function of Ahmadi Mar Thoma Yuvajana Sakhyam to be held at 6 pm on 27th May at the Fintas Community Hall. On Friday 27th May 2011 (8am,) Dr Joseph Mar Thoma will lead the Holy Qurbana at Ahmadi Mar Thoma Parish. For details contact 97508296 /66197207.

Exhibition by Iranian artist at Sultan Gallery

Garshom award nite

A

melodious musical evening organised as a part of the Garshom Award presentation ceremony will begin at 5.30 pm on Friday, 27th May at the Indian Community School, Salmiya. Former Rajya Sabha Chairperson, Govt. of India, Dr Najma Heptullah will inaugurate the 8th Garshom Award Nite program.

Indian Minister for Agriculture K. V Thomas will give away the awards while Home Minister, Govt of Karnataka, R Ashoka, Indian Embassy Charge DíAffaires Vidhu P Nair and Garshom awards Jury chairman Ivan Nigli (former MLA) will felicitate the awardees. Non-resident Keralites from various countries are expected to participate in the program as delegates.

2010 Garshom award winners are Sageer Trikarpur (Kuwait), Dr Sunitha Krishnan (Hyderabad), V C Praveen (Chennai), S. Ahmed (Trivandrum), Remesh T A (Kuwait) and All Malaysia Malayalee Association(Malaysia). These awards have been instituted by Garshom Infomedia Limited, Bangalore to honor those Malayalees who have contributed their might for the uplift of Malayalees in their place of residence and have achieved success in life through their ingenuity and hard work.

S

ultan Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Get Tested a solo show by Canada-based Iranian artist, Reza Doust.

If you look at the work of Reza Doust in retrospect, it s not hard to notice a consistency in the manner in which he applies his body in his paintings. Although varied in theme, there is a certain reoccurring brushstroke that very gracefully ties all of the work together. He applies each mark with the tenacity of a true artist, never readily letting go of the implausible images that wander in his mind. As a young painter he began portraying his native city, Esfahan, listening carefully to how the outdoor landscape convened all of his senses to depict it. Today, an older and much wiser Doust paints in a very different con-

text -he paints inside of his studio- but with the same amount of receptivity and curious outlook he had as a young fellow exploring the outside world.

Doust today lives in Coquitlam, a Canadian city

close to the better-known industrial port city of Vancouver. In his studio he spends countless hours reflecting on the whirlwind mysteries of what mankind does to suppress creativity.

Sultan Gallery is pleased to invite you to test yourself against the rigid constraints of tradition and open yourself to the new forms of probability as portrayed by Reza Doust on May 25, 10am

- 2pm + 7pm - 9pm, May 26, 2011 110am - 2pm. For details contact: Sultan Gallery, South Subhan. Block 8, Street 105, Building 168 Kuwait or www.sultangallery.com

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 Untamed And Uncut 01:40 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 02:35 Life Of Mammals 03:30 Last Chance Highway 04:25 Tigers Attack 05:20 Animal Cops South Africa 06:10 Animal Crackers 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 The Really Wild Show 07:50 Natural Born Hunters 08:15 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 08:40 Breed All About It 09:10 Must Love Cats 10:05 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 11:00 Animal Precinct 11:55 Wildlife SOS 12:50 Last Chance Highway 13:45 SSPCA: On The Wildside 14:10 Vet On The Loose 14:40 Swarm Chasers 15:30 Planet Wild 16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Baby Planet 17:25 Extraordinary Dogs 17:50 Project Puppy 18:20 Life Of Mammals 19:15 Elephants: The Twilight Of The Giants 20:10 Zebras On The Move 21:05 Wildest Africa 22:00 Queens Of The Savannah 22:55 Buggin’ With Ruud 23:50 Killer Jellyfish

00:00 00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:35 04:55 05:15 05:40 05:55 06:15 06:35 07:00 07:20 07:40 08:05 08:20 08:40 09:00 09:25 09:40 10:40 11:25 12:15 12:45 13:15 14:10 15:40 16:30 17:15 17:45 18:15 19:10 20:00 20:45 21:15 21:45 22:40 23:30

00:05 00:45 01:35 02:20 04:10 05:00 09:40 10:05 10:55 12:40 13:10 14:00 14:45 15:30 16:20

Last Of The Summer Wine The Weakest Link Holby City Unforgiven Eastenders Doctors Last Of The Summer Wine Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Bobinogs Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Bobinogs Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Bobinogs Last Of The Summer Wine The Weakest Link Michael Palin’s New Europe Doctors Eastenders Holby City Last Of The Summer Wine Michael Palin’s New Europe The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Michael Palin’s New Europe The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Desperate Romantics Beautiful People

Cash In The Attic USA Come Dine With Me The Home Show Cash In The Attic USA The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook Daily Cooks Challenge The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic USA The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me Cash In The Attic USA

16:40 18:05 19:00 19:50 20:35 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

Cash In The Attic USA The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me The Home Show Holmes On Homes Holmes On Homes

00:00 BBC World News 00:30 World Business Report 00:45 Sport Today 01:00 BBC World News America 01:30 Asia Business Report 01:45 Asia Today 02:00 BBC World News 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Asia Today 03:00 BBC World News 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Asia Today 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

00:05 Cow And Chicken 00:30 Cramp Twins 00:55 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Adrenalini Brothers 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 18:30 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 18:55 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 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

00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:10 09:40 10:30 10:55 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:10 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:50 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:45

Dirty Jobs The Next Great Baker Ultimate Survival Mega Builders Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made Dirty Jobs Mega Builders American Chopper How Stuff’s Made How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Motor City Motors Ultimate Survival Mythbusters LA Ink Dirty Jobs Motor City Motors Mythbusters River Monsters Border Security I Could Do That How Stuff’s Made How Do They Do It? Is It Possible?

Mythbusters Cell Phone Revolution River Monsters

00:30 The Gadget Show 00:55 Kings Of Construction 01:45 Space Pioneer 02:35 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 03:25 How Does That Work?

03:50 Thunder Races 04:45 What’s That About?

05:40 One Step Beyond 06:10 Superships 07:00 Scrapheap Challenge 07:55 Head Rush 07:58 Sci-Fi Science 08:25 Weird Connections 08:55 Mission Critical: Hubble 09:45 The Gadget Show 10:35 Engineered 11:25 Savage Planet 11:50 Scrapheap Challenge 12:40 One Step Beyond

REMEMBER ME ON OSN CINEMA

13:05 13:55 14:45 15:35 16:00 16:03 16:30 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 20:45 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Sci-Fi Science Space Pioneer Kings Of Construction The Gadget Show Head Rush Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections Brainiac Space Pioneer How It’s Made How Stuff Works Weird Connections How Stuff’s Made The Gadget Show How It’s Made How Stuff Works Colony

00:00 00:25 01:15 02:00 02:50 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:20 07:05 07:25 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 15:20 15:40 16:00 16:20 16:25 16:45 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:45 19:10 19:30 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:12 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

Kim Possible Fairly Odd Parents Stitch Replacements Emperors New School Stitch Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Emperors New School Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Cars Toons 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 Cars Toons Have A Laugh Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Cars Toons Sonny With A Chance Jonas LA Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Cars Toons Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Jake And Blake Hannah Montana Have A Laugh Phineas And Ferb Fairly Odd Parents Replacements Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas

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 12:20 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 14:15 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 17:15 Zeke & Luther 17:40 Phineas & Ferb 18:05 Kid Vs Kat 18:30 Kid Vs Kat 18:55 Kid Vs Kat 19:20 Pokemon: Giratina & The Sky Warrior 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

00:25 Kendra 00:55 Style Star 01:25 Young, Beautiful And Vanished 03:15 25 Most Stylish 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 10:15 THS 12:05 E! News 13:05 Holly’s World 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 THS 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 THS 17:55 E! News 18:55 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 19:25 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 19:55 THS 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Kourtney And Khloe Take Miami

00:15 Fantasy Factory 00:40 Mantracker 01:30 World Combat League 02:20 Fantasy Factory 03:10 Aiya TV 04:00 Cape Epic 04:50 Mantracker 05:40 World Combat League 06:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2007 08:00 Quattro Events 2009 08:25 Summer Dew Tour 2010 09:15 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 10:05 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 10:55 Final Fu 11:45 Glutton For Punishment 12:35 Fantasy Factory 13:25 Mantracker 14:15 World Combat League 15:05 Final Fu 15:55 Glutton For Punishment 16:45 Quattro Events 2009 17:10 Summer Dew Tour 2010 18:00 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 19:40 Mantracker 20:30 Fantasy Factory 21:20 Fight Girls 22:10 World Combat League 23:00 Aiya TV 23:50 Fantasy Factory

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 Cases 04:45 05:15 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 23:40 Cases

Ghost Lab A Haunting Deadly Women The Prosecutors Autopsy: Most Shocking Black Museum Ghost Lab Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives On The Run Diagnosis: Unknown Real Emergency Calls Fugitive Strike Force FBI Files On The Case With Paula Zahn Solved Diagnosis: Unknown Real Emergency Calls Fugitive Strike Force Forensic Detectives On The Run FBI Files Diagnosis: Unknown Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn Solved I Almost Got Away With It Autopsy: Most Shocking

00:00 Market Values 01:00 Departures 02:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 03:00 Long Way Down 04:00 Pressure Cook 04:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 05:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 05:30 Exploring The Vine 06:00 Market Values 07:00 Departures 08:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 09:00 Long Way Down 10:00 Pressure Cook 10:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 11:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 11:30 Exploring The Vine 12:00 Market Values 13:00 Departures 14:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 15:00 Long Way Down 16:00 Pressure Cook 16:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 17:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 17:30 Exploring The Vine 18:00 Market Values 19:00 Departures 20:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 21:00 Long Way Down 22:00 Pressure Cook 22:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 23:00 Food Lovers Guide To Planet 23:30 Exploring The Vine

00:00 18 02:00 04:00 06:00 PG15 08:00 PG15 10:00 12:00 14:00 PG15 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

The

The

The

The

Clive Barker’s Book Of BloodEchelon Conspiracy-PG15 Shanghai Knights-PG15 The Fast And The FuriousBeyond A Reasonable DoubtBlue Crush-PG15 Snake Eyes-PG15 Beyond A Reasonable DoubtKiss The Girls-18 Snake Eyes-PG15 Deadly Impact-18 Blood And Bone-18

Heart Of Fear-18 Disco-PG Primo-PG15 Flying By-PG15 Preacher’s Kid-PG Disco-PG Astro Boy-FAM Don’t Fade Away-PG15 The Informant!-PG15 Five Minutes Of Heaven-PG15 Remember Me-PG15 Jennifer’s Body-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 South Park 02:00 The Cleveland Show 02:30 Weeds 03:00 Just Shoot Me 03:30 30 Rock 04:00 South Park 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Will And Grace 06:00 Yes Dear 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW ON OSN MOVIES ACTION 08:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 08:30 Dharma And Greg 09:00 Just Shoot Me 09:30 Will And Grace 10:00 Yes Dear 10:30 Seinfeld 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Dharma And Greg 13:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 13:30 Will And Grace 14:00 Yes Dear 14:30 30 Rock 15:00 Seinfeld 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Just Shoot Me 18:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 19:00 Melissa And Joey 19:30 30 Rock 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The Big C 22:30 Weeds 23:00 South Park 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:10 01:00 02:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:10

C.S.I. New York Private Practice The Glades Grey’s Anatomy Good Morning America C.S.I. New York Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View Grey’s Anatomy Live Good Morning America C.S.I. New York The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Glee American Idol Game Of Thrones Treme C.S.I. New York

00:00 Psych 01:00 Cold Case 02:00 The Glades 03:00 Private Practice 04:00 Grey’s Anatomy 06:00 Cold Case 07:00 The Office 07:30 Coronation Street 08:00 Huge 09:00 Psych 10:00 Grey’s Anatomy 12:00 The Office 12:30 Coronation Street 13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 14:00 Huge 15:00 Cold Case 16:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 16:30 Coronation Street 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 18:00 Huge 19:00 Glee 20:00 American Idol 21:00 Game Of Thrones 22:00 C.S.I. 23:00 Psych

01:15 Pride And Glory-18 03:30 Shanghai Knights-PG15 05:30 Friday The 13th-18 07:15 Captain Drake-PG 09:00 National Treasure-PG15 11:15 The Hunt For Red OctoberPG15 13:30 House Under Siege-PG15 15:00 National Treasure-PG15 17:15 Serbian Scars-PG15 19:00 The Day After Tomorrow-PG 21:00 Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels-18 23:00 Into The Blue 2: The Reef-18

00:00 Ghosts Of Girlfriends PastPG15 02:00 Keeping The Faith-PG15

04:30 06:30 08:00 10:00 PG15 12:00 14:00 16:00 PG15 18:00 20:00 22:00

00:00 02:00 03:45 06:45 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:15

Flirting Wth Flamenco-PG15 Under The Tuscan Sun-PG15 Can’t Buy Me Love-PG15 The Lizzie McGuire MovieGreen Card-PG15 Management-PG15 Ghosts Of Girlfriends PastHead Over Heels-PG15 The Out Of Towners-PG15 Dance Flick-18

The Unloved-18 Tiptoes-18 Beloved-PG15 Survivre Avec Les Loups-18 Far North-PG15 Whip It-PG15 45 R.P.M.-PG15 Sugar-PG15 A Dance For Bethany-PG15 Multiple Sarcasms-18 Dead Man Walking-18 Milk-18

00:45 Titanic-PG15 04:00 Everybody Wants To Be Italian-PG15 06:00 Stuart Little 2-FAM 07:30 9-PG 09:00 Four Christmases-PG15 11:00 G-Force-PG 13:00 The Brothers Bloom-PG15 15:00 Witness To Jonestown-PG15 17:00 Four Christmases-PG15 19:00 Assassination Of A High School President-18 21:00 Remember Me-PG15 23:00 Legion-18

00:00 The Amazing Zorro-PG15 02:00 Dinosaur Island-PG 04:00 Gladiators: The Conspiracy-PG 06:00 Ace Ventura : Pet Detective Jr.PG15 08:00 Winx: Secret Of The Lost Kingdom-PG 10:00 Free Willy: Escape From Pirate’s Cove-FAM 12:00 Globehunters-FAM 14:00 Ace Ventura : Pet Detective Jr.PG15 16:00 Scooby-Doo! Summer Camp Scare-FAM 18:00 Fly Me To The Moon-PG 20:00 Dark Crystal-PG 22:00 Globehunters-FAM

00:15 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 PG15 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:15 PG15 18:00 19:45 22:00

Van Wilder: Freshman Year-R American Teen-PG15 L’affaire Farewell-PG15 Toy Story 3-FAM Everything’s Gone GreenThe Building-PG15 Amelia-PG15 Iron Man 2-PG15 Everything’s Gone GreenTooth Fairy-PG The Blind Side-PG15 StreetDance-PG15

00:00 NRL Premiership 02:00 Futbol Mundial 02:30 World Hockey 03:00 Super 15 05:00 Trans World Sport 06:00 Weber Cup Bowling 07:00 NRL Premiership 09:00 European PGA Highlights 10:00 FEI Equestrian World 10:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 11:00 Trans World Sport 12:00 NRL Full Time 12:30 Live State Of Origin 14:30 AFL Highlights 15:30 Scottish FA Cup 17:30 Golfing World 18:30 NRL Full Time 19:00 State Of Origin 21:00 AFL Highlights 22:00 Futbol Mundial 22:30 European Tour Weekly 23:00 European PGA Highlights

00:00 NRL Full Time 00:30 AFL Highlights 01:30 AFL Premiership 04:00 European PGA Highlights 05:00 NRL Premiership 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 AFL Premiership 10:30 ICC Cricket World 11:00 World Hockey 11:30 Futbol Mundial 12:00 FEI Equestrian World 12:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 13:00 European PGA Highlights 14:00 ICC Cricket World 14:30 Weber Cup Bowling 15:30 State of Origin 17:30 NRL Full Time 18:00 World Hockey 18:30 Trans World Sport 19:30 Futbol Mundial 20:00 European Tour Weekly 20:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 21:00 Weber Cup Bowling 22:00 World Hockey 22:30 NRL Full Time 23:00 State of Origin

00:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Tour

Tour

Le Mans Series UFC Unleashed WWE Vintage Collection UAE National Race Day Series Full Throttle V8 Supercars Championship Superstock Powerboat Series WWE NXT UAE National Race Day Series City Centre Races Superstock Powerboat Series Full Throttle V8 Supercars Championship WWE NXT WWE Bottom Line UFC 130 Countdown UFC Wired UFC Unleashed UFC The Ultimate Fighter

00:00 Cruise Today 00:30 Word Travels 01:00 Think Green 02:00 Journey Into Wine- Australia 03:00 Working Holiday 04:00 Globe Trekker Special 05:00 Cruise Today 05:30 Word Travels 06:00 Luxury Getaways 06:30 Distant Shores 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 09:00 Working Holiday 10:00 Grannies On Safari 10:30 The Seasoned Traveler 11:00 The Big Fish 11:30 Word Travels 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Distant Shores 13:30 The Thirsty Traveler 14:00 World Class 14:30 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 15:30 Essential 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Riding Eastern Europe 17:30 Four Men and a Lady 18:00 Distant Shores 18:30 The Thirsty Traveler 19:00 Globe Trekker Special 20:00 Hollywood and Vines 20:30 Distant Shores 21:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 22:00 Globe Trekker

Tour

Tour

01:00 01:15 02:50 04:35 06:20 08:00 10:00 11:25 13:30 15:05 16:39 18:25 18:40 20:25 22:00 23:30

Big Screen 2 Chains Of Gold Semi-Tough Joe Heat The Killer Elite Real Men Man Of LA Mancha Breakheart Pass Love Bites Wuthering Heights (1970) Big Screen 2 Hannah And Her Sisters The Defiant Ones The Tempest Undertow

Classifieds WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Week ending May 24, 2011

#1 Album

Top tracks

ek’s ranking in top top five e ( ) Last week’s

United State States es es

Born This Way Way Lady GaGa

Rolling in the e Deep $GHOH $GHOH

((1) 1

Everything rything 3LWEXOO Give Me Ever

((2) 2 3

Anthem /0)$2 Party Rock An nthem /0) )$2 $ %UXQR 0DUV The Lazy Song Son ng %UXQR 0DUV

((3) 4

Lady The Edge of Glory G Lady GaGa

((4) 5

United Kingdom Kingd dom

Way Born This Way Lady GaGa

Give Me Ever rything 3LWEXOO Everything

((2) 1

%UXQR 0DUV The Lazy Song Son ng %UXQR 0DUV

((1) 2

Anthem Party Rock An nthem /0)$2 /0) /0) )$2 $

((3) 3

I Need a Dollar Dolla ar $ORH %ODFF $ORH %ODFF

4

Beautiful People Peo ople &KULV %URZQ

5

Spain

Way Born This Way Lady GaGa

On the Floor -HQQLIHU /RSH]

((5) 1

Everything Give Me Ever rything 3LWEXOO

((2) 2

Mr r. Saxobeat $OH[DQGUD 6WDQ $OH[DQGUD 6WDQ Mr.

((3) 3

Lead the W a ay y &DUORV -HDQ Way

((4) 4 5

Anthem /0)$2 Party Rock An nthem /0) )$2 $

© 20 2011 011 MCT

Source: iT iTunes unes

Khaitan (opp. Jamaya behind petrol pump) with a Mangalorean R.C bachelor.

Rent KD 25. Call: 66036893.

(C 3380)

TRANSPORT Transport available to all places in Kuwait, experienced driver speak English and Arabic, good condition car. Tel: 55075708. (C 3379) 25-5-2011

Sharing accommodation available in Abbasiya (double bedroom, double bathroom) with Indian family, family or working ladies preferred.

Contact: 99509436. (C 3383) 25-5-2011

ACCOMMODATION

Family on vacation, flat available for 2 months in Abbassiya (June - July), Keralites family only. Contact: 97121669. (C 3373)

Accommodation available for family or working ladies in Abbassiya. Contact: 97193304. (C 3378)

To-let, one semi furnished spacious room with attached mini room consisting of toilet,

© 201 2011 1 MCT Source: Exploratorium Graphic: Paul T ra Trap

Sharing accommodation available in a studio flat in

Ultimate Ultimate ppaper aper aairplane irplane The standard long, pointed paper airplane ai irp plane has been around for fo or 100 years years e but or sso, o, b ut here is a much m uch better design, which holds itself together without the use of tape or staples. staple s.

for decent couple or executive bachelors in a flat in Bneid Al-Ghar. Please call: 60046720 for detail and viewing. (C 3375) 24-5-2011

bathroom available for 1 or 2 decent executive bachelor near Shara Amman Street, opposite Appolo Hospital. CA/C eat & kitchen facility, W&E free. Call: 99761807. (C 3365)

Sharing accommodation single room available in Salmiya near American University, opposite Salmiya Palace Hotel. Sharing with Indian family, couples only required.

Contact: 99111612/ 25755636. (C 3371) 23-5-2011

Sharing accommodation available for Goan / Manglorian bachelor near Khaitan Co-op in a flat.

Contact: 99453500.

(C 3366) 22-5-2011

1 big room with attached

Opposite Salwa Co-op. big flat available consisting of one big hall, big bedroom,

Fold paper like this:

1

5

Fold lengthwis lengthwise, e, then unfold unfold

Fold top corners corners d own to center fold, fold, down above meeting above fold” created in “tip fold” step four four

What W hat happened? happened?

2

6

corners Fold top corners down n to centerfold centerfold down

Fold tip t up This is i the famed “Naka amura lock” lock” “Nakamura

3

7

Fold top corner down to centerfold centerfolld down

Fold lengthwise, lengthwise, with lo ck on lock outsid e outside

4

8

inch of tip Fold one inch up, then unfold unfold up,

down Fold wings down

Iff th the plane a always dives toward the ground, bend the rear edges of its wings upward If it always curves upward, bend the edges downward a little

t Sheet of plain paper

Now throw Now thrrow yyour our ai rp plane! airplane!

SITUATION WANTED Indian male B.Com, 25 years Gulf experience (Kuwait & UAE) in management, procurement, sales, seeks senior position, experience in oil field materials, hard wares, power and hand tools, timber, steel, building materials etc.

Contact: 66889375.

(C 3374) 24-5-2011 Indian male (28 yrs) B.Com, MBA (Finance) having 5 years experience in Accounting and Investment, is seeking suitable opportunity, proficient on MS-Office and Tally. Visa # 18, transferable. Please Contact: 66516791.

(C 3370) 23-5-2011

options - 4 doors, automatic transmission, excellent shape, price KD 2450. Tel: 99419677. (C 3368) 23-5-2011 Engineer leaving Kuwait selling all household appliances and furniture very cheap. Contact: 66271658/ 97686139/ 24728413.

(C 3367) 22-5-2011

FOR SALE MATRIMONIAL

A paper airplane flies better after it has been “tuned up”” this way

You’ll Y ou’ll nneed eed

kitchen, bathroom and balcony. For more details call: 99156068. Asian family only.

(C 3364)

This design, the “Nakamura lock,”” was invented by an expert in origami, the Japanese art of folding paper

Suzuki Grand Vitara 2004 model, Red Color, Single user, 2 door, very good condition. Contact: 66619705.

(C 3381) 25-5-2011 2003 Toyota Rav4, full

Proposals are invited for a Keralite, 28 yrs old, Brethren, born-again Baptised software engineer boy, currently working in a Multinational Company in Bangalore, seek alliances

from similar background.

Please contact Email: sunjack777@gmail.com (C 3369) 23-5-2011

SITUATION VACANT

CHANGE OF NAME

A Kuwaiti family is seeking to recruit a cook adequate with the Kuwaiti cuisine.

Tel: 22633624/5, 97803627.

(C 3367)

I have changed my name from Khalil Ahmed Abdul Qadeer to Shaikh Khalil Ahmed Abdul Qadeer as per affidavit dated: 05-042011.

(C 3362)

Urgently required maid (Pilipino, Sri Lankan, Indian) for an Indian family in Farwaniya (part time or full time). Call 97220933.

(C 3377) 24-5-2011

I, Kutbuddin, holder of Indian Passport No. G1348678, hereby change my name to Kutbuddin Hakimuddin Bhatia.

(C 3363) 21-5-2011

Urgently wanted housemaid full time/ part time for Indian family in Shaab.

Contact: 94064839.

(C 3372) 23-5-2011

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 FDB GFA QTR JZR BBC JZR FCX JZR KAC BAW IRC KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY IRA ETD GFA FCX MEA JZR IRM JZR RBG KAC MSR IRC UAL RJA FDB KAC SVA KAC

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 25/5/2011 Flt Route 267 BEIRUT 772 ISTANBUL 620 ADDIS ABABA 853 DUBAI 370 BAHRAIN 67 DUBAI 211 BAHRAIN 138 DOHA 529 ASSIUT 45 DHAKA / BAHRAIN 503 LUXOR 201 DUBAI 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA / BANGKOK 157 LONDON 6807 SHIRAZ 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 53 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 344 CHENNAI 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 132 DOHA 125 SHARJAH 603 SHIRAZ 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 203 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 5066 MASHAD 561 SOHAG 3557 ALEXANDRIA 672 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 6791 MASHAD 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 640 AMMAN 57 DUBAI 802 CAIRO 500 JEDDAH 552 DAMASCUS

Time 0:35 1:15 1:45 2:25 2:55 3:10 3:15 3:20 3:35 4:25 5:15 5:25 6:10 6:15 6:30 7:10 7:15 7:20 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:25 9:30 9:35 10:30 10:55 11:10 11:50 12:30 12:55 13:15 13:20 13:25 13:30 13:35 13:50 14:00 14:30 14:35

CLX QTR JZR KNE SYR ETD UAE GFA SVA KNE JZR JZR ABY KAC JZR JZR ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC JAI FDB JZR OMA VOS MEA DHX UAE GFA QTR UAL JZR JZR MSR DLH SAI AXB MLR JZR KLM PIA

792 134 201 701 341 303 857 215 510 745 777 239 127 550 481 177 227 166 541 618 786 614 102 674 774 575 572 61 787 647 81 402 372 859 217 136 981 135 185 612 636 441 393 1405 539 447 215

LUXEMBOURG DOHA DAMASCUS RIYADH DAMASCUS ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH SHARM EL SHEIKH / SOHAG SABIHA DUBAI COLOMBO / DUBAI PARIS / ROME CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN NEW YORK / LONDON DUBAI RIYADH CHENNAI / GOA MUMBAI DUBAI RIYADH MUSCAT BAGHDAD BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT LAHORE / KARACHI KOZHIKODE / COCHIN COLOMBO / DUBAI CAIRO AMSTERDAM / BAHRAIN KARACHI

14:50 15:15 15:45 16:00 16:00 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:20 17:25 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:50 18:00 18:00 18:40 18:50 18:55 19:00 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:35 20:00 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:15 21:00 21:15 21:25 21:35 22:00 22:10 22:35 22:50 23:00 23:05 23:15 23:20 23:30 23:35 23:55

Departur AXB DLH AIC PIA THY ETH UAE FDB DHX QTR BBC JZR JZR GFA KAC VOS IRC BAW FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY KAC QTR JZR ETD JZR GFA IRA FCX MEA JZR KAC JZR KAC IRM KAC RBG JZR MSR IRC

Depurture Flights on Wednesday 25/5/2011 Flt Route 390 KOZHIKODE 637 FRANKFURT 982 AHMEDABAD / CHENNAI 206 LAHORE 773 ISTANBUL 620 BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 139 DOHA 46 DHAKA 560 SOHAG 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 801 CAIRO 94 DUBAI / KANDAHAR 6963 TEHRAN 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 177 FRANKFURT / GENEVA 671 DUBAI 117 NEW YORK 551 DAMASCUS 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 549 SHARM EL SHEIKH / SOHAG 133 DOHA 480 SABIHA 302 ABU DHABI 200 DAMASCUS 214 BAHRAIN 602 SHIRAZ 204 DUBAI 405 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 541 CAIRO 238 AMMAN 103 LONDON 5065 MASHAD 785 JEDDAH 3558 SOHAG / ALEXANDRIA 176 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 6792 MASHAD

Time 0:25 0:40 1:05 1:10 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 5:00 5:40 5:55 6:55 7:10 7:20 8:00 8:10 8:25 8:40 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:10 9:40 9:50 9:55 10:00 10:05 10:15 10:20 10:20 10:25 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:30 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:40 14:20 14:25

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

RJA FDB UAL KAC KAC SVA KAC QTR KAC CLX JZR JZR KNE SYR ETD UAE KNE GFA ABY JZR JZR SVA JZR ALK KAC KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC OMA MEA DHX UAE GFA KAC FCX QTR KAC KAC JZR JZR UAL MSR KAC SAI

641 58 982 673 617 503 773 135 613 792 786 538 704 342 304 858 746 216 128 184 266 511 134 228 283 361 571 62 331 351 648 403 373 860 218 381 102 137 301 205 502 554 981 613 415 442

AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI DOHA MEDINAH / JEDDAH RIYADH DOHA BAHRAIN HONG KONG RIYADH CAIRO MEDINAH DAMASCUS ABU DHABI DUBAI JEDDAH BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI / COLOMBO DHAKA COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN DELHI BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD LUXOR ALEXANDRIA WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA LAHORE

14:30 14:35 14:45 15:10 15:35 15:45 16:05 16:15 16:20 16:20 16:35 16:40 16:45 17:00 17:35 18:05 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 19:10 19:10 20:00 20:20 20:35 20:40 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 22:00 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:55 23:05 23:10 23:40 23:50 23:50 23:59

34

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

s ta rs CROSSWORD 328

CALVIN & HOBBES

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) There could be some work issues that bring challenges and seemingly unsolvable situations your way today. Ambition is a powerful motivation and can lead you into conflict if you let it get out of control. Properly channeled, it results in great achievements and recognition. Take a deep breath and step back a bit to see the big picture and you will find what is needed to conduct the events. There are new breakthroughs and you discover new solutions to old problems. Patience pays off—you may find yourself able to put your own ideas into practice. You are particularly gregarious and your social life should blossom. Avoid extravagance and self-indulgence that also accompanies this time period. This evening is a good time for surrounding yourself with friends.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. A formal dance held for a school class toward the end of the academic year.

5. An informal term for a father.

10. A shape that sags.

13. 4-wheeled motor vehicle.

14. Having the leading position or higher score in a contest.

15. An accountant certified by the state.

16. (dialect) A short straight stick of wood.

17. (Babylonian) God of wisdom and agriculture and patron of scribes and schools.

18. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

19. A case or sheath especially a pollen sac or moss capsule.

21. An island in Indonesia east of Java.

23. An undergarment worn by women to support their breasts.

24. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.

26. A liquid used for printing or writing or drawing.

28. Small siskin-like finch with a red crown.

32. A moving crowd.

36. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

37. An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

38. A sock with a separation for the big toe.

39. A genus of Thraupidae.

42. A city in southwestern Switzerland at the western end of Lake Geneva.

43. The capital of Nationalist China.

44. A member of the Nahuatl people who established an empire in Mexico that was overthrown by Cortes in 1519.

45. A collection of objects laid on top of each other.

47. A federal agency established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products.

48. God of fire.

51. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

53. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

57. English monk and scholar (672-735).

59. Lacking or deprive of the sense of hearing wholly or in part.

62. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

63. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event.

64. A member of an agricultural people of southern India.

66. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

67. A depression in an otherwise level surface.

68. A port city in southwestern Iran.

69. A young woman making her debut into society.

DOWN 1. Earlier than the present time.

2. American professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948).

3. A member of the Siouan people inhabiting the valleys of the Platte and Missouri rivers in Nebraska.

4. Large high frilly cap with a full crown.

5. Cooking utensil consisting of a wide metal vessel.

6. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

7. Having nine hinged bands of bony plates.

8. United States physicist (born in Austria) who proposed the exclusion principle (thus providing a theoretical basis for the periodic table) (1900-1958).

9. A public promotion of some product or service.

10. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

11. South American armadillo with three bands of bony plates.

12. Offering fun and gaiety.

20. A rapid bustling commotion.

22. In place of, or as an alternative to.

25. Resembling or characteristic of or appropriate to an elegy.

27. A festival featuring African-American culture.

29. English essayist (1775-1834).

30. An Iranian language spoken in Afghanistan.

31. A unit of length of thread or yarn.

33. Assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing.

34. Tear or be torn violently.

35. One thousandth of a second.

40. Any of various small plant-sucking insects.

41. (meaning literally `born') Used to indicate the maiden or family name of a married woman.

46. A genus of Ploceidae.

47. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

49. Cassava with long tuberous edible roots and soft brittle stems.

50. A less than average tide occurring at the first and third quarters of the moon.

51. A tight-fitting headdress.

52. A small ball with a hole through the middle.

53. Being one more than fifty.

54. Set down according to a plan.

55. (of a young animal) Abandoned by its mother and raised by hand.

56. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

58. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

60. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

61. A device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces.

65. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

Yesterday’s Solution

Despite whatever problems you may be having in the work arena just now, there are areas of life where you have clear insight and real talent. When it comes to these matters, your judgment is sharp—you always manage to take charge. There is a new confidence in you that helps you see into your own inner workings. Take time with your work this afternoon, proof your work and take nothing for granted. Be wise in any activity that could cause you to overindulge; there are temptations. You are encouraged to change or improve a relationship situation. Perhaps a shared activity will help the two of you improve communications. A double measure of love, happiness and wealth coming up soon will see you through any frustrating days you may have.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Sometimes your desire for knowledge moves in so many different directions that you lose focus and become scattered. Think about creating a new habit to help you insert a balance and focus into your life. You like to work with words and ideas and have a natural appreciation for anything that is literary or artistic. You are hungry for work today. Although work flows along quite well— you tend to create more or take on more than your share of work. This could turn you into a workaholic if you are not careful. Focus on the creative things that will serve your purpose the most. Your sense of discernment, when it comes to matters of literary and intellectual taste, is very refined. You may decide to create some poetry or prose; practice a little.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

You and a co-worker may have an ongoing competition this month about using a new word each day. You enjoy nothing more than a good conversation and may be very proficient at speaking and communicating.

Business contacts, contracts, proposals or sales can be very profitable at this time. A born coach or teacher, you may find yourself doing just that with a group of young people this afternoon. Your own growth and success may be linked to questions of security—home and family. You put a very high value on the written word and may have many beloved books you reread from time to time. Reading could be one of the ways you escape the noises of a busy world. This evening may be a good time to firm up your relationships.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

ZITS

Now is a good time to read books on organizing and to decide just how extensive you want to get with the project. You work today on becoming more organized and a little accent here and there will also create pleasant surroundings in your workplace. Thinking about yesterday and planning for tomorrow seem to have you spinning your wheels when it comes to trying to get things accomplished. Lectures, group discussions or work sessions with one or more people will prove successful now. Mental stimulation is good and you should make every effort to cooperate and compromise with others. Take your loved one(s) to a movie or treat them to a dinner out this evening. Your support system is strengthening— negative thoughts dissolve quickly this day.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You are positive and you are able to get right to the point of problems today. You have plenty of enthusiasm and warm up to things and people quickly. There is an inner self-confidence that burns with its own light today. Ideas and interaction with authority figures may be in the forecast this afternoon. Working with—rather than against—the flow should be easy to do—all day.

You may have trouble understanding those who seem emotional or sentimental, however, and may not be able to show much patience. Balance your lack of intuitiveness with logic and common sense and you will have quite a successful day. There may be some changes that will have you examining your responsibilities but you can easily dispense with the superficial.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Your fuel tank of energy may be full and you should be judicious in its use. Try to engage in projects that need to be finished before starting another one—this will surely lead to success. This is a time where your work may come under scrutiny from people in authority. This is an excellent time to solicit the help of others if you need it. Your spiritual life follows you wherever you go and today, in the workplace, you may be asked about your spiritual beliefs. Do not try to match someone elseís faith, very simply express your own background and then walk away. It is always a good idea not to discuss religion or politics in the workplace—even if you work for a politician or religious group. Learning and communicating scratch an intuitive itch.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Habits are in a cycle of change; variety satisfies a deep inner need.

Being on the go and keeping a finger to the winds of change make you feel in touch. Learning and communicating are where your energies are focused now. You have an interest in hypothetical ideas and you have the ability to communicate your ideas to others. There is an urgent need to be powerful and in control— there is a feeling present that one has when they are successful in their plans. There are many personal pleasures awaiting you today. You are more careful now than in the past regarding the ways in which you spend your money. There is good news tonight in how you earn your money. Perhaps some help through a friend or relative, the doors of opportunity are open.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You are charming, kind and popular but you will enjoy any quiet time you can get today. Money matters could be a hot discussion in the workplace—how to make it, how to keep it, etc. Accountability from others cannot be obtained through a third degree. Clear decisions affecting others will need to be made. Your directional abilities are in high focus today and may be what sees you through any difficulties. If you give your best effort now, considerable success will follow; you may unconsciously help a close friend through your efforts. You may find yourself enjoying the afternoon while visiting with relatives. You appreciate the beauty in your life—a sunset, an unusual bird, etc. A new science discovery has your attention this evening.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Perhaps you will be coordinating some event or organizing and administering to people today. Your mind is quick and you are able to easily guide others. You know that your best work is accomplished when the people you depend on are of a positive attitude. Today is a team effort day and the end of any project begun now can be most positive. You enjoy keeping up on the news and events around you—you feel in touch. Your inner resources and emotions are accented. You may enjoy a group gathering with friends that work in a volunteer atmosphere. A gathering of young people this afternoon may give you opportunities for long discussions and fun times. This could mean a team in some type of sports.

Relax to music tonight.

Yesterday’s Solution Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You are in a great mood today and can appreciate your own better qualities. You may see value in or feel love for an older person or someone in authority. You may find yourself teaching, taking a class or attending a lecture. You have a lot of energy and may come across to others as assertive and dominant. Laugh a little from time to time and you will find that the work this day will move along quite nicely. This evening you will do well in activities that include children, young people, your home and surroundings. You could feel real support and harmony for and from those around you. Your neighborhood will offer you more opportunities for fun and profit from a new hobby you have recently decided to begin. Perhaps you are into making jewelry.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Circumstances may seem to irritate you today. Someone could challenge you. It could be difficult to remain calm. You must practice patience and the ability to control the tendency to exaggerate as the cause of problems today could be from some misunderstanding. If you take a particular situation too seriously, you could miss a lighter and more imaginative approach to a solution. Open up your mind to new ideas and fill your life with the possibilities of new opportunities by attending educational pursuits or travel. Try your hand at writing or learn new ways of communication. Because you direct your energy and efforts in ways that increase your effectiveness, you gain confidence and optimism. You are in an excellent cycle to learn.

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

i n f o r m at i o n STATE ST TATE T OF KUW K KUWAIT WA AIT

Tel.: T el.: 161 e

DIRECTORA DIRECTORATE AT TE GENE GENERAL ERAL OF CIVIL A AVIATION V VIA AT TION METEOROLOGICAL DEP D DEPARTMENT PA ARTMENT

112

DA AY: Y T DAY: Tuesday uesday

Ext.: 2627 262 27 - 2630

Fax: 24348714 WWW .MET.GOV V..KW W WWW.MET.GOV.KW

24/05/2011 24/05/201 1

Ministry of Interior

Issue T ime Time

07:00

Expected Weather Weather for the Next 24 4 Hours Hot wi with ith moderate to fresh north westerly w wind, with speed off 22 - 42 km/h causing raising g dust over open areas

BY Y DA DAY: AY:

website: www.moi.gov.kw

Relatively km/h Relativ vely hot with moderate wind d in general north westerly wind, w with speed of 20 - 38 km m/h with a chance for suspended susspended dust

NIGHT:: BY Y NIGHT

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

No Current Warnings Warnin a gs

WARNING W A ARNING STATION ST TATION T

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

FIRE BRIGADE

24812000

MAX. EXP EXP. P.

MIN.. REC.

KUW WA AIT CITY KUWAIT

41 °C

30 °C

KUW WA AIT AIRPORT AIRPOR RT KUWAIT

41 °C

30 °C

39 °C C

28 °C C

Amiri Hospital

22450005

NUW WA AISEEB NUWAISEEB

Maternity Hospital

24843100

WAFRA A WAFRA

41 °C

28 °C

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

SALMI

42 °C

26 °C

Chest Hospital

24849400

ABDAL LY ABDALY

45 °C

27 °C

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

ALIY YA AH JAL ALIYAH

43 °C

26 °C

Adan Hospital

23940620

FAILAKA A FAILAKA

41 °C

28 °C

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

POR RT AHMADI PORT

39 °C

31 °C

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

M UMM AL-MARADEM

33 °C

28 °C

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

WARBA A A - BUBYAN BUBY YA AN WARBA

40 °C

27 °C

Clinics

SFC. CHAR CHART T

24/05/201 1 0000 UTC 24/05/2011

4732263

Roudha

22517733

DAY DA AY

DATE DA AT TE

WEA WEATHER AT THER

Adhaliya

22517144

Weednesday Wednesday

25/05

Khaldiya

24848075

Thursday

26/05

Keifan

24849807

Friday

Shamiya

24848913

Saturday

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

Temperatures Temperratures MAX.

MIN.

Wind Wind Direction Direction

Wind Wind Speed

du ust hot + raising dust

41 °C

30 °C

NW

22 - 42 km/h

dusty

42 °C

31 °C

NW

25 - 45 km/h

27/05

ust hot + raising du dust

42 °C

31 °C

NW

20 - 45 km/h

28/05

ust hot + raising du dust

43 °C

32 °C

NW

20 - 40 km/h

PRAYER PR RA AY YER TIMES

RECORDED D YESTERDAY YESTERDA AY AT AT KUW KUWAIT WA AIT T AIRPORT AIRPORT

Fajr

03:20

MAX. MA AX. Temp.

Temp.

42 °C

22526804

Sunrise S i

04 52 04:52

MIN. Temp.

MI IN T IN. emp.

28 °C

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Zuhr

11:45 11:45

MAX. RH M

22 %

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Asr

15:20

MIN. RH M

07 %

Dasmah

22532265

Sunset

18:38

MAX. Wind MA AX. W ind

N 39 km/h

Isha

20:07

TOTAL RAINFALL T OT TA AL L RAI INF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

POLICE STATION

4 DA DAYS AY YS FORECAST

Rabiya

Al-Madena

un nless otherwise stated.

All times are local time unless

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

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

00 mm

24/05/1 1 01:59 UTC 24/05/11

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

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Kuwait Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways FlyDubai Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines Aeroflot

22433377 177 22924455 22414400 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/ 2433141 22456700 22958787 22453820/1 22404838/9

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist 25340300

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581 22641071/2

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Salem soso

22618787

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

Dentists

Internists, Chest & Heart

25339330

25655535

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

General Surgeons

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands

0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345

Central African Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK) Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia

00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044 00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689

y

A

36

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

lifest yle G o s s i p

Queen Latifah to debut clothing range ueen Latifah is planning her own clothing range for women of all sizes. The curvy ‘Chicago’ actress has revealed plans to design her own line The Queen Collection for the Home Shopping Network (HSN), including clothes and accessories for females between the sizes of 2 to 24. She said: “I’m so excited about it. This is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. I’ve been offered a lot of deals for clothing lines and actually started one that didn’t quite get off the ground but this is like a full circle moment for me. “This is a young 14-year old, 17-year old and 22-year old Dana trying to go shopping and actually finding the things she wants to wear or going on HSN and ordering the clothes she likes because they’re there and they are in her size. This has been a bit of a journey and it’s a really

Q

exciting venture.” With the line set to launch in August, the actress has already chosen the bag line as her favorite from the collection. She told People.com: “I have a bag fetish. I’ll have on sweatpants and a $3000 purse. I don’t deny myself, bags are the one thing I’ll allow myself to splurge on. I think the bag line is going to be really good. It’s versatile so it’s not going to look like the same bag from one collection to the next. There’s something for everyone. “I definitely want to be able to rock my bag. I figured, if I can rock it, why shouldn’t other people be able to?”

Coppola to marry in southern Italy Michael Lohan pleads not guilty to attacking ex indsay Lohan’s father has pleaded not guilty to attacking his ex-girlfriend during an argument earlier this year in California. Michael Lohan entered the plea to misdemeanor domestic violence battery Monday in Beverly Hills. He was arrested in March after his ex-girlfriend, Kate Major, accused him of abusing her and preventing her from calling police. Michael Lohan’s attorney says his client is looking forward to resolving the case and sorting out the conflicting stories of the events that led up to his arrest. A trial is scheduled for July 5. The Lohan family patriarch has a fractious relationship with his movie star daughter and has a history of arrests in New York after his ex-girlfriends accused him of harassment. If convicted, the 51-year-old could spend up to a year in jail.

L

film director Sofia Coppola will marry French rock singer Thomas Mars in August in her family’s ancestral town of Bernalda in southern Italy, an Italian newspaper reported yesterday. The wedding will take place in Palazzo Margherita, the 19th-century villa that Coppola’s legendary filmmaker father Francis Ford Coppola restructured in the town, La Stampa daily reported without citing a source. Bernalda is where Sofia Coppola’s great-grandfather came from.

Coppola was previously married to director Spike Jonze, whom she divorced in 2003,

US

four years after their wedding. She and Mars, the lead singer in the French rock band Phoenix, have two children and live in Paris. Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg, Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone and Nicholas Cage are all expected to attend the wedding, the report said. The 40-yearold director is a winner of the Golden Lion in Venice for her film “Somewhere” and is perhaps best known for her 2003 work “Lost in Translation” starring Bill Murray which was nominated for four Oscars.

Rihanna snubs Bieber ustin Bieber was blocked by security when trying to talk to Rihanna at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday. The 17-year-old singer - who was accompanied to the bash by girlfriend Selena Gomez - was reportedly left red-faced after he was prevented from talking to the ‘S&M’ star after he approached her five times at the prestigious event, which took place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. The insider said: “Justin thinks Rihanna is the most beautiful woman and supremely talented. “He is in awe of her. Justin is just a red-blooded teenager, he can’t help acting like a love-sick puppy dog when he’s around her. “The pair were chatting as Justin’s girlfriend Selena looked on, scowling.

Then Rihanna got dragged away by a couple of her friends. “ The pair resumed their chat later but when Justin went to talk to her at the show’s

J

climax her security blocked his path, telling him to ‘leave it’.” The ‘Baby’ hitmaker was said to be “mortified” at the rebuff because he thought he and Rihanna were friends after talking to her at the BRIT awards earlier this year.

The source added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Justin looked mortified he thought they were buddies.”

However, the teenage singing sensation appears to be over his disappointment as he has jetted off on holiday to Hawaii with Selena. The pair were spotted arriving in Maui hand-in-hand yesterday after taking a flight from Los Angeles LAX airport and headed straight to the beach.

Ford felt Calista marriage was right

arrison Ford says marriage to Calista Flockhart was a natural progression. The ‘Indiana Jones’ star married the ‘Brothers & Sisters’ actress last June because he felt like it was the next step in their relationship. He said: “We’d lived together for 10 years and it seemed like we were going to get along. And I love her and she wanted to get married, and I wanted to get married.” As well as marrying Calista, Harrison also took on her 10-year-old adopted son Liam and the 68-year-old star says he’s glad he’s had the chance to become a father again. Harrison - who has four grown up children from his two previous marriages - told the July/August edition of AARP The Magazine: “I had my first children when I was 24. Babies raising babies is maybe not the prettiest thing in the world to watch. “I’ve learned a lot about being an appropriate father over the years.” While little Liam has given him a new outlook on fatherhood, Harrison has also taken up flying, which he says has helped “reinvent” his life. He said: “Flying absolutely reinvented my life. When I’m flying, I’ve got to do it according to the rules, just like everybody else. I wanted to see whether I could learn something new. “I’m not cut any slack for any other reason. I’m just another pilot. I love it.”

H

Depp won’t marry Paradis J

ohnny Depp has no plans to marry Vanessa Paradis. The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ actor has two children, Lily Rose, 11, and nine-year-old Jack, with the French actress and says he has no intention to propose because he thinks their relationship is perfect as it is. He told America’s OK! magazine: “We’ve never married and that’s how it is going to stay - for now. As one of our presidents once said, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ We just haven’t done the big public vow thing. It doesn’t seem necessary for us. Others may want to go down that road - we don’t.” Despite his successful acting career, Johnny says his greatest achievement is meeting Vanessa and raising a family with her.

The 47-year-old heartthrob said: “If you call meeting Vanessa an ‘achievement’, it was certainly that. It came at the right time. We were both ready for children, and she’s given me Lily Rose, who is now 11 years old, and Jack, who’s nine. I saw Vanessa across a room - and I first saw only her back! But I immediately thought: ‘That’s the woman for me.’ That was nearly 12 years ago.”

— Bangshowbiz

Williams’ cake apology obbie Williams had to apologise to his wife after he ate her birthday cake before she had a chance to blow out her candles. The Take That star had taken spouse Ayda Field to exclusive UK restaurant The Fat Duck to celebrate her special day but the following day Robbie admits he got a little bit impatient when it came to waiting for the traditional treat. Writing on his official website, he said: “I took Ayda to a place called the fat duck for her birthday. I officially had the best meal of my life......unfriggingbelievable “The day after I did a 10 mile hike to burn it all off ... I was that hungry when I got back through the door something bad happened. Ayda’s birthday cake was liberated by me ... I didn’t know there was cake etiquette.

Apparently your supposed to wait for candles to be lit a song is sung and then you share... “sorry ayda x (sic)” While he has been enjoying Ayda’s birthday cake, it was recently revealed Robbie is training hard as he doesn’t want to be the “podgy” member of Take That on their forthcoming tour. The singer has reportedly shed 42 pounds while preparing to tour with the group - who he rejoined last year after initially quitting in 1995 - with his trainer even getting him to sing hits while running on the treadmill.

Fitness instructor Nick Hollender said: “I make him run on the treadmill and sing all his songs without missing a note. “He has to catch up to bandmates Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald who have been on tour much more than him and are in “He’s not going to be left behind and wants to be trim and healthy, instead of feeling like the podgy member.”

R

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

lifestyle M U S I C

&

M O V I E S

fans swamp Amazon.com for new album

F

ans of Lady Gaga swamped Amazon.com’s music service on Monday to get digitized copies of the pop provocateur’s new album for just 99 cents. Within hours of putting out word that “Born This Way” was available for 99 cents for one day only at Amazon’s Cloud Drive music service, the online retail giant was struggling to catch up with demand. “We’re currently experiencing very high volume,” Amazon said in a message fired off at its official “MP3” account at microblogging service Twitter. “If you order today, you will get the full @ladygaga album for $.99,” the message promised while its music downloads hit delays at the company’s overwhelmed computers. “Thanks for your patience.”

Making the hot release available at less than a tenth of the album’s price at Apple online shop iTunes was intended to harden Cloud Drive’s position in the market ahead of the expected debut of a similar music service by Apple. Amazon launched Cloud Drive in late March as a service allowing people to store music on the company’s computers and then listen to tunes on any Internet linked gadgets. Sluggish or delayed downloads at

Cloud Drive frustrated some Lady Gaga fans. “Reminds me why I usually use iTunes,” Twitter user Martin Dittman said in a terse reply to the AmazonMP3 tweet. Other feedback was more adoring, with Twitter user “filmfanatic24” marveling at being able to get the album at such a low price and telling Amazon “I love you for it.”

Lady Gaga unveiled her second full-length album this week, three years after taking the music world by storm. True to her social media-friendly form, the 25-year-old has released “Born this Way” in unconventional style by posting some songs on online social game Farmville ahead of Monday’s launch, as well as other singles already issued. The title track was released in February, shortly before Gaga-real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta-caused a sensation by turning up inside a giant translucent egg at the music industry’s annual Grammys awards show. She also raised eyebrows this weekend when, during a television performance of the song on Saturday Night Live, she simulated giving birth as the finale to the song, surrounded by her writhing dancers. —AFP

Lady Gaga eats

Letterman’s questions

cope I n t e r s orn y b d ase ga, ‘B e r e l e by Lady Ga g a m i e leas ver g C D c o , the latest re a signin s d r . o n fan at hotos c w a o Re h h s it w is y’, AP p ets This Wa dy Gaga me This Way’. — a n L r ) o t f ‘B e D (L or her C event f

Lesser ‘Hangover’ worthy & second time around

Q

(From left) Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and director Todd Phillips, from the upcoming film ‘The Hangover Part II,’ pose for a portrait in Beverly Hills. —AP

W

hen the wolfpack awakens in a seedy hotel in “The Hangover Part II,” Ed Helms’ mild-mannered dentist Stu, Bradley Cooper’s slick schoolteacher Phil and Zach Galifianakis’ eccentric “stay-at-home son” Alan discover a monkey and a human finger. During the filming of the zany sequel, the cast actually found something very different: peace of mind.

About halfway through production on the follow-up to the blockbuster 2009 summer comedy about a bachelor party gone strangely awry, Cooper remembers that writerdirector Todd Phillips told the actor and his co-stars over dinner that they had to step up their game. While some actors would’ve been put off by the halftime pep talk, this band of thespians relished it.

“That was in the middle of filming,” Cooper recently recalled while chewing tobacco with Galifianakis in a group interview with Helms and Phillips. “It was going great, but it didn’t matter. He was like a great coach with that pressure to never settle. The benefit is now we can sit back and relax.

If something like that didn’t happen, then I’d have tremendous anxiety.”

The sequel finds Stu, Phil and Alan back together after a wild night that none of them remember. This time, the trio is searching for Stu’s future brother-in-law in the urban jungle of Bangkok, Thailand. The foursome discussed the challenges of shooting there and whether this “Hangover” is too much like the first one.

AP: I understand it was challenging for you to film in Bangkok. How did you overcome that to try to be funny?

Phillips: You overcome it just by doing it. It was a tough shoot overall. The city was challenging. It’s a beautiful city, but it’s hard to roll in with a circus the size of a movie shoot and take over their streets.

Galifianakis: I think angst and anxiety can cause funniness to happen, especially in a movie like this because the script kinda calls for that. If you’re feeling antsy in the city you’re in, I think it helps.

Helms: Fortunately, the comedy in this movie isn’t goofy, clowny comedy. It’s more situational, tension-based comedy. I think Bangkok actually helped us.

Cooper: We’ve all known each other for three years now, and I don’t know if there’s any environment where we’re not all laughing. It’s also just about putting these four people together. There’s just this dynamic, no matter how serious the situation is, a joke’s going to come out.

AP: Because the film is set in Asia, unlike when it was in Las

Vegas the first time around, did you consider how it would be received internationally?

Phillips: I never even thought about that in any way. The first movie is one of the biggest R-rated comedies overseas. It was a huge success internationally. I don’t know why, honestly. Maybe it’s because hangovers are a universal theme. I’m not sure. None of that was thought about or premeditated in the second one, but I do think the movie will play well overseas because the first one did.

AP: Did you feel pressure to top yourselves after the success of the first film?

Cooper: The pressure I felt was to make a great movie, and I believe we made a great movie. That’s the pressure.

Whether the audience is going to like it or not, it’s out of our control. We’ve done everything we can to make a movie we’re proud of. I think it’s certainly better than the first movie.

Phillips: I look at it the opposite way. There was more pressure making the first “Hangover.” ... Knowing that we’re making a movie, and I know people are anticipating it and are going see it, just takes a lot of the pressure off.

Helms: I don’t know. I thought the first “Hangover” was pretty good.

AP: What do you think is the funniest part of the new film?

Galifianakis: As I was watching it, and as we were filming it, one of the funniest things to me were the insults that the father-in-law-to-be says to Ed in the dinner scene. His reactions to it just make me laugh. As a movie that has so much energy in it, I like those sit-down moments where it just breathes.

Phillips: We all think Ed just brings it in such a huge way. It is Stu’s story. Maybe it’s the confidence from the first one or we’re just better at how we approached the material, but Ed just took it to a whole new level in this movie. Every time I watch it, I notice new things that he’s doing with his face.

Galifianakis: Yeah. I think Todd’s right. Ed phoned it in on the first one.

AP: Are you fearful that the audience will think this film is too similar to the first one?

Helms: When I hear people say, “Oh, it looks just like the first one.” I say, “Really? Do you know the surprises in this movie? You’re going to be surprised. Things come out of left field the entire movie.” Phillips: The blueprint is the same because we like the idea of a comedy that is also a mystery. We thought the first “Hangover” owned that, and we’ll own that in “Part II.” —AP

In this photo provided by CBS, entertainer Lady Gaga appears with Late Show host David Letterman as they react to a television monitor showing fans lining New York’s 53rd street during taping of the Late Show with David Letterman, Monday. —AP

A

ll good little monsters know that the always eccentric Lady Gaga was simply “Born” that “Way.” But on Monday night’s “Late Night,” host David Letterman decided to question the singer about some of the rumors that have contributed to her over the top persona.

Letterman allowed Gaga to answer questions about the infamous egg vessel - “Maybe we could get in (the egg) together. You could be the yolk.” - and a rumor that she bought $11,000 of lingerie from one store - “That’s very inappropriate of you to ask me.”

But when the host asked Gaga about her Video Music Awards meat dress being turned into beef jerky, a seance she held on tour and a Barbie doll head she

ate on stage, he simply refused to believe that any of these rumors were true, despite Gaga saying they were. Mama monster got pretty tired of Letterman not listening to her, so she took the host’s notes and tore them up. “I’m just so fed up with all of it,” Gaga said before putting the paper in her mouth and attempting to eat it.

Letterman tried to coax the singer to remove his notes from her mouth, exclaiming, “You won’t be out of the egg for months!” Gaga came to her senses and spit it out. While some music critics - including the Post’s Chris Richards - find “Born This Way” a tad dull, it seems Gaga will find a way to keep the public interested. — Washingtonpost

Shyamala Divakaran, Principal, Gulf Indian School, Fahaheel releases the Indian music album, written and composed by Hari Paravoor and Bashir Koyilandy respectively.

Music album on expat moods released

By Sunil Cherian

P

ranayam Madhuvasantham (Love Sweet Spring), a music album written and produced

by Hari Paravoor, an Indian expat residing in Fahaheel, sings volumes of unconditional and hopeful love. The album’s 9 songs - presented by celebrated singers like Venugopal, Sujatha, Madhu Balakrishnan, Biju Narayanan, Vidhuprathap Devanand, and Franko also features Rajalakshmi and Anuja, two upcoming promises in the music field.

The melodious, hearty and emotive music is by Bashir Koyilandy, one of the celebrated musicians among the Indian expats in Kuwait. The music was composed in tune with the lyrics, not the other

way around where the musician sets a catchy tune and the lyricist has to pen verse according to the music fixed.

The album borrows its title from its first song beautifully delivered by G Venugopal. Love is a sweet season and its fragrance is attachment, says the song. The album is a philosophy of love and it extends its music to state how much love and affection is related to our memories, dreams and life in general. The album was released recently in Kuwait by Shyamala Divakaran, principal, Gulf Indian School, Fahaheel during a function organized at the school auditorium. Both Hari and Bashir, the lyricist and the music director are working at the Gulf Indian School.

‘Idol’ creator

Fuller gets Hollywood star

S

imon Fuller, the British creator of hit TV show “American Idol,” received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday surrounded by some of the real-life stars he has helped to create. “Whenever I see that star, I won’t see my name, I’ll see all names of the people I’ve worked (with) and all those amazing artists and people that have helped me achieve this stuff,” Fuller said as his star was unveiled. Over a 25-year career, Fuller has managed singers Annie Lennox, The Spice Girls and Amy Winehouse, English soccer player David Beckham, tennis player Andy Murray, racing driver Lewis Hamilton and a trio of “American Idol” champions, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and David Cook. Former “Spice Girl” Victoria Beckham, “Idol” judges Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson, Underwood, Clarkson and the current “American Idol” finalists all joined Fuller for the ceremony. —Reuters Entertainment producer Simon Fuller, center, poses with Randy Jackson, left, and Jennifer Lopez after receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. — AP

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

lifestyle Fashion

Long on style in casual, sophisticated maxi dress

A model dons white cotton crocheted shrug by Sassy Thai.— MCT photos

A versatile maxi dress of coral stretch cotton by Press.

Polyester dress and jacket by Elana Kattan.

Black and white floral print cotton dress with ruffled hem, by Keren Hart.

I

sophistication in maxi dresses this season that I’m really drawn to, even the more casual ones,” said Brooke Greene Hebert, owner of Pink Saloon clothing store.

Halter styles, empire waists, straight columns and elongated A-lines are just a few of the style options. A huge variety of comfortable fabrics, an even larger choice of prints and bright solids and details such as draping, asymmetrical necklines and hems make finding just the right maxi dress a fun search.

When Erin Duke of Aspen Boutique in Wichita, Kan., received an invitation that specified “patio chic” for preferred attire, she knew immediately what she would wear. “I thought, ‘Ah, break out the maxi dress.’ They’re lengthening and flattering and, of course, women love that,” she said. — MCT

t’s true-fashion is cyclical. Around and around styles go. The names might change-”hip huggers” became “low rise,” “warm-ups” turned into “activewear,” and “maxi dresses” became “patio dresses” then went back to “maxi dresses.” No matter what you call them, maxi dresses are a cool look as warmer weather approaches.

“I love them because you can wear them anywhere,” said Wynn Hukle, a fashion-conscious teen who wasn’t born when the first maxi dress craze hit in the ‘70s. But she’s right. These long dresses that were once worn poolside or on the patio are showing up everywhere today, from restaurants to casual gatherings to nightclubs.

Retailers say maxi dresses are selling well as the weather warms and people think about summer. “There’s a hint of

Making it work with

home-sewn prom designs M

ichelle McGinn took three weeks to complete her gold-and-fire-red dress-aptly named “The Phoenix.” Briana Angel found her dress at a bridal shop only to dismantle it and piece it back together to reflect her personal flair.

Sarah Lewis designed her prom dress and recruited the owner of a local fashion house to produce the elaborate frock.

Michelle McGinn shows a sketch for her dress that she designs.

Years ago, many teens would have scoffed at the thought of wearing a homemade dress instead of flaunting a stylish store-bought number. This year, a number of prom-goers will don their own creations as they show off their knack for needle and thread.

Fashion design shows like “Project Runway” and a do-it-yourself attitude have inspired high-schoolers to make their prom dresses this season.

They say being more hands-on allows them to incorporate their sense of style, control cost andmost importantly-stand out from the rest of their classmates. “What they are doing is taking matters into their own hands,” said Zoey Washington, owner of Little Bird Style, a New York styling company geared toward teens. “Anything where girls are taking their own personal style, developing it, and taking challenges is a great thing. They are coming up with a fusion of styles that they see on the runway and the red carpet.”

Washington, whose client base stretches throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia, has noticed more teens taking an active role in the

production of their prom dress. “It’s more popular than adults realize,” Washington said. “There’s a spectrum there. It’s not always that the girl is going to build her own dress from scratch. It can be anything from her changing the hem line and making the sleeves shorter, to going to Jo-Ann Fabric and doing it themselves. In some way, shape or form, she is going to alter the look.”

Gina Kelly, fashion director of the popular teen (and prom-obsessed) magazine Seventeen, agreed in part. “More creative girls are making their own dresses-a la ‘Project Runway.’ They probably want to be designers and are proud they can do it themselves, so it’s kind of cool to wear your own design.

Some do go to dressmakers with an idea in their mind of their ‘perfect prom dress’ that no one else will have,” Kelly said. But she also noted that, for most teenage girls, the do-it-yourself approach can’t match the thrill of shopping.

McGinn, an 18-year-old senior at Marriotts Ridge High School in Howard County, Md., took two weeks to create her dress, which she wore to her senior prom this past weekend. McGinn teamed up with another classmate-Meredith Lopez-to make the dress that they also submitted for a class assignment. The gown features a golden satin top, lacedup ribbon corset in back, a cascading skirt made of tulle, and pearl sticker gems attached with fabric glue. She made the entire garment for $80.

“I get to say I made it,” said McGinn, who fell in love with sewing after taking a class as a child. “They (her classmates) can’t go out and make the same thing I did.” McGinn, who has been making many of her clothes for years, isn’t the least bit worried about what her classmates might say about the eye-catching dress. Besides, she unveiled it to rave reviews in her art class.

“There was a lot of squealing going on by the other girls,” McGinn said. “They really liked it.”

Washington said these creative types should be praised for their attempt to establish their sense of style-especially at an event as important as prom.

“When I was in high school,” Washington said, “it was about that long search to find that perfect look. In the last four years you see that increase in girls who love to take different influences from fashion. They pack all those influences together and are in charge of their own style. It always surprises me that kids want to take on that added pressure to prom. To add on the extra element, I can’t even imagine.”

The only adverse reaction to McGinn’s dress has been from her father. “He raised an eyebrow and walked away,” McGinn said with a giggle. “I’m pretty sure it was the style that he didn’t like. We didn’t want to go with anything traditional.” Fabric stores have been quick to notice the budding trend. “It has become such a big part of our business that we now buy fabric just for prom season. Years ago we did very little business during prom season,” said Michael Bearman, owner of A Fabric Place, a fine-fabric store in Baltimore. “It started a couple years back and has been getting bigger every year.”

Bearman, who has been in the fabric business for 37 years, said he has never seen so many young people interested in making their own clothes.

“Being in this business for so many years, it is wonderful to be part of the upswing,” Bearman said. “I think it is just the start.” Professional designers see the demand for custom prom dresses, Bearman said.

Many leave their business cards at Bearman’s store with the hopes of catching the attention of teens who need help completing their designs.

Angel, an 17-year-old senior at Woodlawn High in Baltimore County, Md., said many of her friends at school and elsewhere are adding details to personalize their prom wear. Many are making dresses from scratch. Angel plans to attend her prom at the end of the month wearing a refashioned dress that she made from a David’s Bridal baby blue dress. Angel took apart the princess-style dress seam by seam in order to add her own flair.

“I’m putting a sash across the front. I’ve removed the zipper and have replaced it with string in the back. I’m cutting the front and having it long in the back. I’m poofing it up,” she explained with a quickened pace that conveyed excitement. “It felt good taking it apart and putting it back together,” said Angel, who learned to sew at age 11 from her grandmother. “We’ll see how it works out.”

Washington estimated that 50 percent of girls are “tweaking” their prom dresses. “Every girl I know has taken her dress to a seamstress or tailor, or has added something or taken something off,” she said.

Lewis, an 18-year-old senior at Reservoir High School in Howard County, knew she was going to have a significant role in making her prom dress. A sewing enthusiast for the past three years and a self-professed “Project Runway” junkie, it only made sense that she would design her dress for the most important social event of her high school years.

“It’s my senior year,” said Lewis. “I really want to make a statement ... kind of stand out from everyone else.”

Lewis already achieved success making her dresses for her junior prom and senior homecoming. She was showered with compliments. And more important-she loved the way the dresses flattered her figure. Lewis repeated the mermaid dress concept when she designed her senior prom dress. She was prepared to make the dress herself when her mentor Manish Singh, owner of Victor Rossi, the Stevensonbased design house, offered to produce the dress himself for free.

“That was pretty much the deciding factor,” Lewis said with a laugh. Singh quickly stressed that Lewisan award-winning designer-was more than capable of producing a fantastic dress on her own. “She’s a fairly accomplished young designer,” Singh said. “I’m always asking her if she’s bought the clothes she wears from the store. In reality she’s made them herself.” As a result of Singh’s involvement in the production of the garment, Lewis added some intricate beading to the design. “I got to do, add something, I wouldn’t have been able to do,” said Lewis, who has designed and sold clothing for the past two years.

She’s pleased with the finished product: a shimmery raspberry-sherbet-colored mermaid dress. “I love it,” Lewis said. “It fits perfectly. It’s simple and elegant.

And I can’t wait to wear it.” — MCT

Michelle McGinn wears a dress that took two weeks to create it, which she wore to her senior prom. — MCT photos

Prada to make Hong Kong debut on June 24

I

talian luxury fashion house Prada will make its market debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange on June 24, in a highly anticipated offering aiming to raise up to $2 billion. In the latest move by high end fashion companies to tap the huge Chinese market, the family-owned giant plans to start bookbuilding for institutional investors on June 6 and start its public offering eight days later. The firm will price its deal on June 17, Dow Jones Newswires quoted a term sheet as saying, and it is planning to use proceeds to expand its sales network, increase floor space, repay bank loans and supplement working capital.

Prada in Hong Kong could not be reached for immediate comment. The Milan-based group reportedly received the approval from Hong Kong’s market regulators last week for its plan to sell 20 percent of its shares. The move would value the group at up to eight billion euros ($11.3 billion).

The group, which includes the Prada, Miu Miu, Church’s and Car Shoe brands is 95 percent controlled by the Prada family and executives. Prada announced in January it would make its first public listing on the Hong Kong bourse in a sign of Asia’s growing appetite for designer goods, especially to capitalize on the cash-rich mainland Chinese markets. China is the world’s fastest-growing market for luxury goods.

It is forecast to be the world’s top buyer of products such as cosmetics, handbags, watches, shoes and clothes by 2015, according to consultancy PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Prada will join a slew of other luxury fashion brands also eyeing a listing in Hong Kong, including US upscale handbag maker Coach and luggage maker Samsonite. Prada’s listing plan comes as second-hand luxury handbag retailer Milan Station made a successful debut in Hong Kong Monday, with its shares soaring as much as 77 percent after its IPO was oversubscribed by more than 2,100 times.—AFP

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Years

lifestyle Travel

Slovakia, the country where history meets modern day

Slovakia, a unique country located in the middle of Europe. A perfect destination for leisure holiday to high quality spa treatments and wellness. Modern cities and their surroundings supported by infrastructure, quality and service. Slovakia is the country that is somewhere you have never been before. The countryside is brimming with unspoiled natural beauty. You will come across a multitude of outstanding cultural treasures, and taste delicious Slovak food and drinks which, with the influence of Hungarian, Austrian and Czech regional cuisines, is out of this world.

Top 10 reasons why to go to Slovakia 4. Bratislava - the city of past and present.

Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia and has in the last few years become one of the fastest growing new congress and conference cities in Europe. Bratislava has an excellent location close to the borders of Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Very good access from two international airports - Bratislava airport (15 minutes drive) and Vienna airport (35 minutes drive along the motorway).

1. Stable and Safe Destination

3. Scenery - unspoiled nature and a beautiful landscape. Slovakia has 9 national parks, 14 protected landscape areas with more than 40% of their territory forested, 12 underground caves open to the public with magnificent ice or stalactite formations (the remarkable Ochtinska aragonite cave, one of three such caves worldwide).

2. Great location and easy to reach - good travel connections by air, train, road, boat.

9. Gastronomy, traditions and folklore - tasty traditional gastronomy and excellent wines. “Bryndza” stands for a traditional Slovak speciality, a soft cheese made from sheep’s milk. Within the European Union it can only be produced in Slovakia and is distributed under the name “Slovenska bryndza”.

Distinctive living folklore and traditions differing according to the regions. Folk art and ancient crafts.

10. Busy cultural and social life, not limited to the capital city. You can be pampered at the Slovak spas.

You can feel the unforgettable adrenaline buzz in the mountains both in winter and summer.

Marvel at the natural and cultural UNESCO world heritage sites; savour every mouthful of the countryside. Get this experience at one of the upcoming events in Kosice - European City of Culture 2013.

8. Active holidays - Slovakia has excellent conditions for enjoying active holidays in summer and in winter, eg more than 40 well-equipped ski resorts with 7 five-star ski resorts, 12 golf resorts, marked cycling tracks, mountains suitable for hiking, trekking, mountaineering, rivers and lakes suitable for water sports.

7. Thermal water & spas - more than 1 400 mineral and thermal springs, many with healing properties and 22 spa resorts with complete medical care offering treatments based on mineral and thermal waters. Spa resorts offer healing procedures with thermal water, mud and also wellness programmes, beautifying weight loss procedures, or active stays. The most important Slovak spas include Piestany, Turcianske Teplice, Rajecke Teplice, Dudince and Bardejov. Climatic spas in the High Tatra Mountains.

5. Cities & Towns - rich history and historical heritage from all periods. Historical cities and towns are spread all over Slovakia. Many of them have precious historical centres, and 18 towns are listed as urban monument reserves. Historical cities and towns are suitable for teambuilding events and incentive tourism.

6. History, Culture & Heritage - 5 cultural and 2 natural sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, 1 artefact of intangible cultural heritage - the fujara (a traditional musical instrument), 180 castles and 559 chateaux and manor houses, 10 open-air museums of popular architecture, 45 little wooden churches of 3 types (Gothic, Evangelical and of the East Christian rite), some built without using a single nail), numerous museums, galleries, and technical artefacts.

Lady Gaga eats Letterman’s questions

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

37

Witches, Bollywood at graduation party

H

arry Potter-inspired witches in flowing black satin gowns and pointed hats shimmied onstage as young warlocks in black-and-red capes looked on.

Nearby, Indian-themed music blared from a boom box at a Baghdad version of a Bollywood movie set. Fun and frivolity aren’t the first things that come to mind when someone mentions Baghdad. But this is college graduation season and time for a tradition that has survived the upheaval of war, kidnappings and bombs: masquerade parties.

Students here like to party just like young people anywhere who’ve spent the last four or five years with their noses buried in a book. And they like a good masquerade.

“We based our costumes on the movies we see. We started thinking of our outfits at the beginning of the year,” said 23year-old Shahad Rafaie, dressed as a witch with glitter sprinkled across her face and a black headscarf covering her hair and neck.

“We are exhausted after studying for five years!” The overthrow of Saddam Hussein unleashed an outpouring of religious extremism from both Sunnis and Shiites that often left Iraqis wondering what was acceptable conduct and fear ful of outward displays of celebration. Liquor stores and restaurants serving alcohol were bombed. Women feared going out in the street without a headscar f if they went out at all. Plays, musicals and art exhibits were almost nonexistent.

But through it all Iraqi university students held onto one of the educational system’s lesser known traditions: the end-of-the-year costume bash. Like the class photo, prom and final exams, the parties have become a Baghdad tradition over the past 10 years. At a celebration Saturday at Baghdad University’s College of Pharmacy, the party resembled a Baghdad-based Bollywood movie set, with female students dressed in brightly colored Indian-themed saris with gold embroidery and bangles on their wrists.

Nearby young men in burgundy-colored Sherwani jackets, yellow satin trousers and red turbans on their heads shimmied to the sound of Indian music with lyrics in Arabic.

Across the lawn, a coven of Harry Potter-inspired witches celebrated in matching costumes-the women in black satin dresses with collars and sleeves trimmed in red, pointy black hats and wooden canes substituting for broomsticks.

The men wore black-and-red capes over red satin vests as fellow students danced and took photos. Layla Tariq Mohammed said the graduates hired a tailor weeks ago to make the costumes.

One young man said they had tossed around the idea of dressing up as Mexican cowboys complete with sombreros and ponchos, or as US Navy sailors, but the girls didn’t go for the knee-length skirts. There was not a drop of alcohol in sight, and instead of taking place under cover of darkness where furtive kisses or hand-holding might go unnoticed, the party was held at midmorning and on university grounds. Many family members sat on the sides watching.

“It’s a very beautiful thing. It is fun. They want to express their joy,” said Wafaq Jawad, 56, who came to watch her niece. Still, it was surprisingly liberal: Many women did not wear the headscarves often worn by religious conservatives on Baghdad’s streets and many of the students danced.

The parties aren’t so popular with the administration, however. One student said the college dean banned their band from coming on campus and it took a series of negotiations before he permitted them to bring in a boom box.

“I don’t think all the colleges like it, but they also can’t do anything about it,” said Haydar Ajib, a 25-year-old graduate.

The dean, who was at the party and mingled with the students, said a band wasn’t appropriate for a university setting and he had offered to help the students find a club to hold their party if they insisted on a band. Dr Alaa A Abdulrasool alluded to the social and religious norms the school must navigate when deciding what is appropriate and what is not.

The students can celebrate and dress up but they must also be aware of the society in which they live, and the fact that it might not be as liberal as they are, he said. He also pointed out that students from all over Iraq study at the college, including many who are more conservative than those dancing to the Bollywood tunes and it was important to make sure all felt included in the celebrations. “In the last few years, they thought that freedom meant they could do anything they wanted,” he said. — AP

File photos show students of Baghdad University’s pharmacy college wear costumes and dance to music at a party held before their graduation in Baghdad. — AP

Buenos Aires

A graffiti artist’s paradise A

portrait of a murdered activist stares from the graffiti on the wall, a slogan makes a passer-by smile, a colorful pastiche turns visitors’ heads: welcome to the city where the walls talk. “Buenos Aires has become a haven for street art, like Sao Paulo and Mexico City,” said Fernando Aita, one of several young editors of the project “Grafiti escritos en la calle”-or “Graffiti

the phrases that stop passers-by in their tracks, amid a flourishing collection of colorful frescoes.

“It’s difficult to speak of graffiti as the city’s heritage because they are ephemeral, but it’s true that street art is part of Buenos Aires,” said Luis Grossman, who heads the city’s historical center. He supports the blossoming of graffiti which he says “embellishes

Political propaganda painted by students of the Faculty of Law at the University of Buenos Aires, on the bridge over Figueroa Alcorta avenue in the neighborhood of Recoleta. —AFP photos

View of a mural painting, a tribute to Fernandez hospital in the city of Buenos Aires, adorning a square in the early autumn days. street writings.”

His website, which encourages fans to “look at the city through different eyes,” has compiled 1,000 photographs of graffiti art dating back to 2009 in a remarkable visual and linguistic archive of modern times in Argentina. “Plants do not bite,” “A present for our future” and “The fight continues” are among

the city.” But the scribblings are also a menace. The Cabildo colonial building, where an uprising on May 25, 1810, sparked a revolution, is constantly tagged. Authorities have spent huge sums repainting it, in vain. Graffiti Mundo, a local firm, is tapping into a touristic goldmine by organizing guided tours of the city’s best frescoes.

Even tragedy finds a place among the writings on the wall. “No more CroMagnon,” wrote the parents of victims who perished in a fire at the club of the same name in December 2004 that left 194 people dead. Another graffiti reads “Caution: they are armed and at large,” a reference to alleged police brutality, complete with a stencil of a policeman’s cap next to the warning.

These walls can speak, providing a detailed account of how Argentine society has evolved over the past 10 years. “In 2002, in the middle of Argentina’s economic crisis, the graffiti was even more political,” said Lelia Gandara, an expert in the study of

signs and symbols at the University of Buenos Aires. “People were expressing their anger and outrage.”

Aita explained that after those furyfilled times, “more colored frescoes began appearing. And now, hip-hop tags are prevalent.” But political commentary regained a graffiti foothold after the death of former president Nestor Kirchner in October. He was featured on walls as the character “Nestornauta”, a reference to sci-fi comic El Eternauta, created by comic strip writer Hector Oesterheld, who was kidnapped and killed under the country’s 1976-1983 dictatorship with his three daughters. —AFP