23 feb 2012

DAMASCUS: Two Western journalistswere among 26 people killed yesterdayas Syrian forces pounded the rebel city ofHoms, activists said, while calls mountedfor a truce to allow in humanitarian aid.The latest barrage came a day after secu-rity forces killed at least 68 across thecountry, adding to an overall toll of 7,636since anti-regime protests erupted lastMarch, the Syrian Observatory forHuman Rights said. The toll includes5,542 civilians, the head of the Britain-based monitoring group, Rami AbdelRahman, told AFP.

At least 24 civilians were killed inshelling of the Homs neighbourhood ofBaba Amr in the 19th straight day of agovernment forces assault on the centralcity, the Observatory said. American jour-nalist Marie Colvin, who reported forLondon’s Sunday Times, and French free-lance photojournalist Remi Ochlik werekilled in latest onslaught of the district,French Culture Minister FredericMitterrand said. France’s PresidentNicolas Sarkozy said the deaths of thejournalists showed that “this regime

must go”.From inside the quarter, activist Omar

Shaker told AFP that two were killed andthree others wounded as a shell crashedinto a makeshift media centre set up byanti-regime militants. French newspaperLe Figaro said one of its reporters, EdithBouvier, was wounded in the legs, andRupert Murdoch, owner of The SundayTimes, said the paper’s photojournalistPaul Conroy was injured. The arearemained the target of random shelling,blocking attempts to remove the bodies,Shaker said.

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New Islamist parliamentary bloc formed

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012 RABIA ALTHANI 1, 1433 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Assembly to seek probes into corruption scandals

See Pages 11- 13

Kuwait National & Liberation Days

26Huge rare pink diamond found in Australia 20

Basel stun Bayern 1-0in Champions League

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: A number of MPs plan to submit today pro-posals to set up three parliamentary investigation pan-els to probe corruption scandals and the smuggling ofdiesel in addition to key amendments to detention pro-cedures. The proposals will be submitted by membersof the Popular Action Bloc and liberal MP Marzouk Al-Ghanem separately. The first panel will be to investigateallegations that around 13 former and present MPsaccepted millions of dinars of illegal deposits into theirbank accounts, which the public prosecution probedbefore the Feb 2 general election. Ghanem also saidthat he will resubmit a proposal for the same purposethat was rejected by the previous Assembly.

The second proposal will call for probing allegationsthat former prime minister Sheikh Nasser MohammadAl-Ahmad Al-Sabah transferred millions of dinars ofpublic funds into his foreign bank accounts through theCentral Bank and the foreign ministry. The previous gov-ernment denied any wrongdoing as all the funds werereturned to the Central Bank. The third proposal will callfor setting up an investigation panel to probe allega-tions of smuggling abroad heavily-subsidized dieselfrom Kuwait.

The Popular Bloc also plans to submit a draft law toamend the law regarding the public prosecution’s pow-ers in preventive custody. The amendments would pro-pose reducing the preventive detention allowed underthe law from the current 21 days to just seven days andto reduce detectives’ authority to detain suspects fromthe current four days to just one day.

Continued on Page 13BUENOS AIRES: Firemen rescue wounded passengers from a commuter train after a collision yesterday. — AP

Journalists killed as Homs pounded

NEWARK, New Jersey: Americans liv-ing and working in New Jersey’s largestcity were subjected to surveillance aspart of the New York PoliceDepartment’s effort to build databasesof where Muslims work, shop and pray.The operation in Newark was so secre-tive even the city’s mayor says he waskept in the dark. For months in mid-2007, plainclothes officers from theNYPD’s Demographics Units fannedout across Newark, taking pictures andeavesdropping on conversations insidebusinesses owned or frequented byMuslims.

The result was a 60-page report,

obtained by AP, containing brief sum-maries of businesses and their clien-tele. Police also photographed andmapped 16 mosques, listing them as“Islamic Religious Institutions”. Thereport cited no evidence of terrorismor criminal behavior. It was a guide toNewark’s Muslims. According to thereport, the operation was carried out incollaboration with the Newark PoliceDepartment, which at the time was runby a former high-ranking NYPD official.But Newark’s mayor, Cory Booker, saidhe never authorized the spying andwas never told about it.

Continued on Page 13

TEHRAN: A fruitless visit to Iran by UN nuclearinspectors raised tensions yesterday, with Russiawarning of “catastrophic” consequences if it leads toa military attack on its Middle East ally. France saidIran’s refusal to allow the inspectors to see a key mili-tary site used for suspected atomic weaponsresearch was a “missed opportunity” that couldundermine chances of reviving wider talks betweenTehran and world powers. Iran’s supreme leader,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was defiant, however. Hemade no mention at all of the failed bid by theInternational Atomic Energy Agency inspectors.Instead he reiterated the assertion that “the Iraniannation has never been seeking an atomic weaponand never will be”. Possessing a nuclear bomb, hesaid, “constitutes a major sin,” he told a group ofnuclear scientists.

But nuclear energy, he said, “is in Iran’s nationalinterest”. Khamenei added: “Pressure, sanctions,threats and assassinations will not bear any fruit andIran will continue its path of (nuclear) scientificdevelopment.” The IAEA said it had gone into thetwo-day visit to Tehran - and a previous, inconclusiveone last month - in a “constructive spirit,” but that noagreement had been reached on efforts to elucidateIran’s nuclear activities. Despite requests, “we couldnot get access” to Iran’s military site in Parchin wheresuspected nuclear warhead design experimentswere conducted, the leader of the IAEA team, chiefUN inspector Herman Nackaerts, said on his return toVienna.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said the Iranian’s refusalto allow the Parchin inspection was “disappointing”.The IAEA said that “at this point in time” there was noagreement with Iran on holding further talks. AWestern diplomat in Vienna said that Iran’s decisionon Parchin showed why the international communi-ty “lacks confidence in the nature of its nuclear pro-gram”. “This latest snub, along with its decision tobegin enrichment at Qom, underscore Iran’s defianceof the international community and multipleSecurity Council resolutions,” said the diplomat.


KABUL: At least nine demonstratorswere shot dead and dozens woundedyesterday in violent protests acrossAfghanistan over the burning of the HolyQuran at a US-run military base, officialssaid. The Afghan interior ministry blamedat least one of the deaths on “foreignguards of Camp Phoenix”, a US militarybase in eastern Kabul attacked by pro-testers, but most were attributed by localofficials to clashes with police. The min-istry said it would investigate all thedeaths, blaming some of them on “secu-rity guards” at unnamed foreign bases. Aspokesman said it was not knownwhether the guards were Afghans or for-eigners.

In Kabul and in provinces to the east,north and south of the capital, furiousAfghans took to the streets screaming“Death to America”, throwing rocks andsetting fire to shops and vehicles as gun-shots rang out. In the eastern city of

Jalalabad, students set fire to an effigy ofPresident Barack Obama, and the USembassy in Kabul went into lockdown.Afghanistan is a deeply religious countrywhere slights against Islam have fre-quently provoked violent protests andAfghans were incensed that any Westerntroops could be so insensitive, 10 yearsafter the 2001 US-led invasion.

The US commander in Afghanistan,General John Allen, apologised andordered an investigation, admitting thatreligious materials, including Qurans“were inadvertently taken to an incinera-tion facility”. Allen and US DeputyDefense Secretary Ashton Carter calledon Afghan President Hamid Karzai yes-terday to apologise again for the incidentat Bagram airbase north of Kabul, thepresident’s office said. Karzai asked Allento cooperate fully with a governmentinvestigation and told him to “make sure


BUENOS AIRES: A packed commuter train slammedinto a retaining wall at a railway terminus in BuenosAires during rush hour yesterday, leaving at least 49dead, 550 injured, and dozens trapped in the wreck-age. “The train was full and the impact was tremen-dous,” a passenger identified only as Ezequiel toldlocal television, adding that medics at the sceneappeared overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster.Witnesses said passengers were hurled on top of eachother and knocked to the floor “in the blink of an eye”,some losing consciousness and others seriouslyinjured.

“Unfortunately, we must report that there are 49dead in the accident,” including a child, policespokesman Nestor Rodriguez told a news conference.Civil defense officials said at least 550 people wereinjured in the crash, which witnesses said occurredafter the train’s brakes failed as it was arriving at a sta-tion on the western outskirts of Buenos Aires. The tollsurpassed the city’s last major rail disaster just fivemonths ago when two trains and bus collided duringrush hour, killing 11 people and injuring more than200.

A dozen ambulances were dispatched to thescene, and officials said many passengers had suf-fered multiple fractures and abrasions. At least 30people were trapped in the twisted wreckage of the


Argentine train crash kills 49

Marie Colvin Remi Ochlik

NYPD built secret files on mosques outside NY

Iran defiant as nuke talks fail

JALALABAD: Afghan security forces arrive at the scene of an anti-US demonstra-tion at a NATO military base yesterday. — AP

Afghan protests over Quran burning kill 9

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Laying emphasis on enforcing thelaw protecting the disabled, the KuwaitSociety for Guardians of the Disabled (KSGD)held a symposium entitled ‘The Law of theDisabled’ at Dar Marafi in Dasma on Tuesdayevening. Two years have passed since lawnumber 8/2010 was passed. According toRihab Burisli, Head of the KSGD only few arti-cles of the law were implemented, causingsome difficulties for the disabled. “I’m opti-mistic that this situation will be correctedsoon. To achieve this, the authorities in chargeshould be serious about correcting their mis-takes,” she noted.

Dr Jasim Al-Tammar, Director General ofthe Public Authority for Disability Affairs(PADA) announced that the government bodyis shifting to a new location in Salmiya, behindthe Immigration Department. He also dis-cussed some articles that should be enforced.“There is no firmness in the criteria on care-givers for the disabled in Article 42 of the law.There is special technical committee thatinspects care-givers to verify if such measuresapply to them,” he pointed out.

He discussed more aspects relating to thelaw. “Article 45 lays down the conditions forreceiving allowance for a driver, maid orunemployed mother to care for the disabled.This article has not been enforced and we areworking on it. The mother can receive anallowance only if she is not a pensioner. Andby enforcing these articles, 95 percent of thislaw will be completed and applied. If there ismore shortage, we will send an official letter tothe Higher Council for Disabled to add it to thelaw,” said Al-Tammar.

Al-Tammar concluded by saying that thereis a shortage of employees in the Authority.“There are 97 employees working in the PADA.This small number serves about 40,000 dis-abled individuals. This means that eachemployee serves about 500 disabled individu-als. The current building of PADA and theentire system is old, and we don’t want towaste public funds. Therefore, I hope the situa-tion will get better soon,” he concluded.

MP Riyadh Al-Adasani also participated inthis symposium to express his solidarity for thedisabled. “The disabled make about three per-cent of the population of Kuwait. So we shouldalways support them. I remember in 2010,some MPs merely posed with the disabled forpublicity sake. When issues of the disabledwere being discussed, they remained absent. Ithink that the disabledneed more facilities, simi-lar to those provided inEurope, by creating moreprovisions at hotels,restaurants, malls, build-ing and other places.Every project shouldinclude the necessaryfacilities for disabled,” heexplained.

Mohammed Al-Dahisfrom Ministry ofEducation felt that thereare more foreign schoolsproviding educationalservices to the disabled

than the Arabic private schools. Healso said that there are committees(from the Ministry) that conductfield trips to schools that receivefunding from the PADA to monitordiabled individuals’ performance. “Ithink most difficulties that the dis-abled face are in terms of curricu-lum and teaching staff. I also sug-gest that each disabled individualbe issued an ID card to be exempt-ed from paying fees in differentpublic institutions,” he said.

Mohammed Al-Kanderi from theMinistry of Interior suggested rais-ing traffic fines for parking spacesspecially designated for the dis-abled. “The society should learn torespect the right of the disabled.Since a ‘culture’ is absent, a higherpenalty should be levied so thatmotorists will refrain from parkingin spaces reserved for the disabled.Also, there are many facilities thatare not available in Kuwait like spe-cial equipment that aid publictransportation,” highlighted Al-Kanderi.

2LO C A LTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Law protecting disabled should be strictly enforced in Kuwait

Symposium held to discuss issues facing disabled

KUWAIT: ‘The Law of the Disabled’ symposium in progress at Dar Marafi in Dasma. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: The Fountain Park will holdspecial events to celebrate nationaldays with a variety of entertainmentactivities, announced a senior TouristicEnterprises Company(TEC) official.

“Several activities have beenplanned as part for the celebrationsscheduled for the 24th, 25th and 26thFebruary 2012, including Kuwaiti cul-tural displays, music concerts and spe-cial programs for children,” saidDirector Abdullah Al-Kouh, Parks andIce Skating Rink.

The program will begin with a musicconcert featuring Kuwaiti singers AdelAl-Ruwaished and Saad Al-Faraj, fol-lowed the next day by cultural displayspresented by Al-Wadi cultural group.On February 26, a program by ‘KuwaitiFlamingo’ cultural group will be heldfeaturing patriotic songs. Al-Kouh alsoindicated that the ‘Abraj 4’ group willkeep children entertained throughoutthe three-day festival. The show will beanchored by TV presenter Lamees Al-Refa’ei, Al-Kouh added.

Fountain Park to host three-day celebrations

Saad Al-Faraj Abdullah Al-Kouh Lamees Al-Refa’ei

LO C A LTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

By Chidi Emmanuel

KUWAIT: Kuwait has a population of about3.5 million people, of which over 2 million areforeigners. This makes Kuwaiti citizens aminority in their home country. Kuwait - justlike any other country has its ups and downs.A lot of things have been said about this oil-rich nation but still, many expatriates seeKuwait as a place to be, irrespective of criti-cisms. Kuwait has been slammed by humanrights organizations over infringement ofhuman rights, religious freedom, bedoonissues among others. Above all these, expatsdo give Kuwait some credits. Here are theirviews;

STRONG CURRENCY; GOOD BUSINESSHaving the strongest currency in the world,

Kuwait businesses are cashing in the petro-dollar. The government is aggressively trying

to diversify its economy away from oil and gastowards more long terms sustainable indus-tries. In a recent World Bank survey, Kuwaitranked 29th for protecting investors. “It has arelatively decent and small market to do busi-ness. The government does a great job in pro-tecting businesses here. Also having a hugepopulation within the age bracket of 18 to 40gives Kuwait an added advantage. So with avibrant youth and money in their pockets,business is good here,” Kamal Kumar, anIndian businessman said.

“Kuwait is small and well-organized. It iseasier to get a loan (cash or car) in Kuwaitthan other countries in the region. This is

good for business,” Mohamed Alrawi, anEgyptian expat said. Mobile phone business isgood here. Young Kuwaitis always go for thelatest and the best. The market is boomingwith new technologies,” Ahmed Farouk, aPakistani businessman said as he relaxedcomfortably in his mobile phone shop inHawally.

TAX-FREE STATEKuwait is a tax haven with 0% VAT and 0%

income tax. For many westerners, a tax-freeKuwait is a place to be. “It is amazing that theydon’t pay tax here (Kuwait). Is cool me-eeen! Inthe States (US) we pay a lot in taxes. Althoughthey don’t pay per hour or weekly here, I thinkit is a nice place,” Jude O’Neil, an Americanexpat said. “Even though life is expensive here,the fact that you are not paying any form oftax, makes it easier,” James Finn, an Australianexpat said. “More so, a lot of organizations in

Kuwait prefer employing expatriates withwestern passports for executive positions, thisgive us (westerners) some added advantagetoo,” Finn added.

RESIDENCYWith a Kuwait work permit (residency arti-

cle 17 and 18), and a salary of about KD 250, aman can sponsor his family in Kuwait.“Although the cost of living is high here, - hav-ing your family with you will help you planand organize yourself well. Even if they arenot here permanently, one can easily bringthem once in a while,” Joe Ferdinand, anIndian expat said. “Kuwait’s immigration laws

may not be perfect, but I think it is the best inthe GCC region. More so, life will be easier toan extent if you and your wife are working inKuwait,” Abo Beki, a South African said, as hebuttressed Ferdinand’s viewpoint.

CRIME-FREE STATEUndoubtedly, Kuwait is one of the safest

places in the Middle East. “The crime rates arelow and the neighboring civil conflict in Iraqdid not spill over into Kuwait as many expect-ed. Car-jacking, armed robbery, killing, assas-sinations, terrorist activities have no roomhere in Kuwait. Kuwait is very safe at least fornow,” Uche Innocent, a sociologist said.“Violent crimes, racial and religious attacksagainst foreigners are rare. We have heardabout assassinations taking place in UAE andother nations in the region but not in Kuwait,”he added.

SMALL, WELL-ORGANIZED, BEAUTIFULKuwait is a beautiful, small country along

the coast of the Arabian Gulf with a bustlingmetropolis of high-rise office buildings, luxuryhotels, wide boulevards and well-tendedparks and gardens. “Kuwait has created a fam-ily atmosphere with beautiful gardens, resortsand other facilities such as the EntertainmentCity, the Green Island, Kuwait Towers amongothers. Although Kuwait is not as spectacularas UAE - it is unique in its own way. I preferhere to Dubai and other Gulf states,”Immanuel Akag, a Turkish expat said.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOMUnlike Saudi, the Constitution protects

freedom of belief, although other laws andpolicies restrict the free practice of religion.Islam is the official religion of Kuwait.Freedom of religion is guaranteed to theadherents of other religions, provided that noprejudice may occur against Islam. But inpractice, the government enforced theserestrictions intermittently according to a USreport. The population of Christians is estimat-ed to be more than 450,000 and consistsmostly of foreign residents.

There are government-recognizedChristian communities which includes; theCatholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church,the National Evangelical (Protestant) Church,the Armenian Orthodox Church, the GreekOrthodox Church, the Greek Catholic (Melkite)Church, and the Anglican (Episcopalian)Church. Although there are no Hindu templesin Kuwait, the Hindu community finds a wayto worship their gods. “I have been in Kuwaitfor over 20 years now. I do practice my reli-

Why we like Kuwait: Expats’ views Every cloud has a silver lining

KUWAIT: Kuwaitis and expatriates celebrate during the Hala February event inSalmiya. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

gion irrespective of the restrictions. Ihave not heard of any Hindus who havebeen arrested for practicing his or herreligion. In Saudi, some Christians were

arrested, tortured and deported for prac-ticing their religion but Kuwait is not likethat,” Raja, an Indian expat who chose togo by only his first name said.

lo c a lTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Greetings on Kuwait National and Liberation Days

His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah isa name that I always take

with highest esteem and deepestgratitude.

I had the honour and privilege tomeet His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amirof the State of Kuwait on October28, 2009 at the Bayan Palace when Ipresented my credentials to him.He asked me about my family, myPresident, my Prime Minister andmyself. He gave me valuable adviceand assured me of all possible assis-tance for smooth discharge of myresponsibilities during my tenure.His cool and affectionate personali-ty impressed me from the very firstmeeting.

The name of His HighnessSheikh Sabah AI-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is remembered by al lBangladeshis with great reverenceas he played a historic role in estab-lishing and fostering diplomaticrelations between Bangladesh andKuwait as well as the other Islamiccountries and also for the overalldevelopment of Bangladesh.

Kuwait recognized Bangladeshin November 1973 following themeeting between the then PrimeMinister of Bangladesh, Father ofthe Nation Bangabandhu SheikhMujibur Rahman and the Head ofGovernment of Kuwait at the 1973NAM Summit held in Algiers.

His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was thenForeign Minister of Kuwait andbecame a close fr iend ofBangabandhu. Later on he under-took a special mission to negotiatethe issue of mutual recognitionbetween Bangladesh and Pakistan.As a result of his personal initiatives,the two countries recognized eachother leading the path ofBangabandhu’s participation to theLahore OIC Summit in April 1974.His Highness visited Bangladeshand took Bangabandhu along withhim to attend the Lahore OICSummit.

His highness the Amir invitedMd. Zil lur Rahman, HonourablePresident of Bangladesh in 2011when Kuwait celebrated the 5thanniversary of Assumption of Powerby His Highness the Amir, the 50thanniversary of independence and

the 20th anniversary of liberation ofKuwait from Iraq. As a mark of hiscontinued affection towardsBangladesh, His Highness the Amirsent a special executive jet from hisAmiri f leet for the travel of theBangladesh President and hisentourage to and from Kuwait. TheHonourable President ofBangladesh and his entouragestayed in Kuwait from February 25-28, 2011. They were received by HisHighness the Amir at the AmiriTerminal and all of them stayed at

the Bayan Palace. They enjoyed allthe events arranged for the celebra-tion.

Sheikh Hasina, honourable PrimeMinister paid an official visit to theState of Kuwait from February 7-9,2010 at the invitation of HisHighness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the then Prime Minister ofthe State of Kuwait. During her visit,she called on His Highness SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.During her visit, Bangladesh signedfour agreements with Kuwait whichare (1) Agreement between theGovernments of the People’sRepublic of Bangladesh and theState of Kuwait on cooperation inthe field of Culture and Arts (2)Agreement on Tourist Cooperationbetween the Government of thePeoples’ Republic of Bangladeshand the Government of the State ofKuwait (3) Agreement between theGovernment of the Peoples’Republic of Bangladesh and theGovernment of the State of Kuwaitfor Economic and Technical

Cooperation, (4) Memorandum ofUnderstanding between theGovernment of the Peoples’Republic of Bangladesh and theGovernment of the State of Kuwaiton the establishment of a JointCommission for Bi lateralCooperation.

Bangladesh Military Contingentis a proud partner of Kuwait ArmedForces since 1991. The cooperationbetween the two Armed Forcesshows trust and confidence of HisHighness the Amir on Bangladesh.The Military Cooperation Protocolwas further renewed in May 2010. Iwould like to convey my deep grati-tude for the trust and confidence ofHis Highness the Amir on ourArmed Forces vis-a-vis onBangladesh.

Bangladesh signed a new tradeagreement with Kuwait in February2011 during the visit of theBangladesh Commerce Minister.Bilateral trade between the twobrotherly countries has beenincreasing significantly.

His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is one ofthe wisest and revered statesmen ofthe present world. His wisdom hasbeen instrumental in the develop-ment of the Islamic world. I consid-er myself truly for tunate thatAlmighty Allah has given me theopportunity to work in a countrywhere leadership is widely well-known in the world and the regionfor his wise, dynamic and demo-cratic leadership.

On the occasion of the 6thanniversary of the assumption ofpower of His Highness SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahand the 51st anniversary of theindependence of the State ofKuwait, I pray to Almighty Allah forgood health of His Highness theAmir of Kuwait, and continuedpeace, progress and prosperity ofthe brotherly people of Kuwaitunder the wise leadership of HisHighness the Amir. We are reallygrateful to him and the people ofKuwait for hosting thousands ofBangladeshis in Kuwait.

Long live Kuwait-Bangladeshfriendship.

Syed Shahed Reza

It is said that friends stand by eachother in good times and in bad.However, in 1990, this was tested on

an international level. The State ofKuwait was suddenly invaded. InEurope, at first, we wondered what todo. My country took a strong stance: itdecided to participate in the operationsaiming at rescuing its longstandingfriend in the Gulf.

In August 1990, the Belgian govern-ment sent an intervention task groupto the Gulf. Very soon, two minehunters and a logistic vessel left ourports in the North Sea, operating underBelgian operational command. Theysailed to the Gulf. The first militaryoperations started on Sept 23, 1990 inthe Gulf of Oman. The Belgians huntedmines. This was part of the necessarypreparatory operations to operationDesert Storm.

On Jan 17, 1991 the huge operationDesert Storm itself started.Immediately, the Belgian flotilla headedinto the Arab Gulf. We started our minehunting operations in the vicinity ofKuwait. The Belgian Flotilla cleared 280mines. This was the highest number ofmines compared to all other participat-ing nations. On April 10, 1991 the

United Nations declared the official endof the Gulf War. The State of Kuwait wassaved. On May 10, 1995 the OperationDesert Storm officially ended. And onJuly 14 1991, the last Belgian ship leftthe Gulf. My country is very proud ofthis effort. And we are grateful to ourKuwaiti friends because we know theydid not forget what we did.

Ever since the State of Kuwait cameto independence, the Kingdom ofBelgium felt that it has a lot in commonwith the Gulf monarchy. Both countriesare monarchies. We Belgians are veryproud of our monarchy. Our King playsa crucial role in our institutions.Recently, our Princess Astrid of Belgiumvisited the State of Kuwait. We weremost honored to be so kindly receivedat the highest level of the State ofKuwait.

Belgium and Kuwait have strongand longstanding democratic tradi-tions. And last but not least, Belgiumand Kuwait are small countries sur-rounded by larger ones. They bothwent through the terrible traumas ofwar. And they are therefore peace-lov-ing nations, with a foreign policy thatmainly aims at easing tensions abroad,amongst others through international

organizations like the United Nations,the EU, or the GCC. Those similaritiesare building blocks for friendship. Yetthe most important building block forfriendship is the loyalty that is shownwhen others are in need. And inBelgium, we have the feeling that in1990 and 1991, we stood that test. Andwe are so happy that since, as wasbefore, the State of Kuwait, its leadersand its citizens have so often shown tobe wonderful friends to us.

Damien Angelet

Message from the Ambassador of Bangladesh

Message from the Belgium Ambassador

On behalf of the government andpeople of Brazil I would like tocongratulate the State of Kuwait

on the 51st anniversary of its independ-ence, wishing all its people prosperityand peace under the wise guidance ofHH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah. Relations betweenBrazil and Kuwait are fluid and cordial.Diplomatic ties are deep-rooted anddate back to 1968. Several bilateralagreements aim at fostering economicdevelopment and strengthening theexisting ties of co-operation and friend-ship between the two countries.Nowadays, Kuwait represents the third

largest market for Brazilian exports inthe GCC. Over the last decade, bilateraltrade increased by 500 percent, reach-ing a record of $744 million in 2011.

Home to approximately 14 millionArab descendants, Brazil has been keenon strengthening diplomatic ties withthe Middle East over the last few years.In this context, Kuwait is considered akey partner, with whom the Braziliangovernment has been working closelyin order to enhance the level of co-operation, political dialogue and part-nership in different areas.

Roberto Abdalla

Message from the Ambassador of Brazil

On behalf of the government andthe people of Japan, I would liketo congratulate Kuwaiti people

on the 51st anniversary of independencefrom the bottom of our heart. Last year,we celebrated, with numerous commem-orative events, the 50th anniversary ofthe establishment of diplomatic relationsbetween Kuwait and Japan and plantedseeds for further nurturing bond of trustand friendship between our two coun-tries. This was also our way of celebrating50th anniversary of Kuwait independ-ence. In this connection, I should also liketo reiterate, on behalf of the people ofJapan, heartfelt gratitude for HH theAmir’s initiative to grant people of Japanfive million barrels of crude oil to relievesufferings of the victims of the devastat-

ing earthquake and tsunami which struckJapan on March 11, 2011.

The sympathy, encouragement andsupports received from the governmentand the people of Kuwait have deeplytouched the Japanese people and greatlyhelped tsunami stricken people to gathercourage to stand up against the gravechallenges they face.

On the very happy occasion of this51st anniversary, it is gratifying to witnessthe flourishing relationship between ourcountries. We also take pleasure in cele-brating this happy occasion by pledgingour best efforts to further strengthen ouralready existing excellent relationshipwith new frontiers.

Komizo

Message from the Ambassador of Japan

Iwould like to take this opportunityto congratulate the governmentand the people of Kuwait on the

upcoming 51st anniversary of inde-

pendence, the 21st anniversary of lib-eration and the 6th anniversary of HHthe Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s assumption of power.These important anniversaries reflectthe progress and developments of thepeople of Kuwait that have beenachieved since under the leadership ofHH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl- Jaber Al-Sabah.

Though Kuwait is not a big countryin terms of size, it has its unique histo-ry, tradition and culture and hugepotential for further development.Due to the tolerant and reconciliatoryapproach of its foreign policy it hasbecame one of the powerful politicalplayers in the region and in the world.Today Kuwait is a significantly impor-tant state with remarkable political,economical and cultural weight. It

plays the pivotal role in strengtheningthe stability and peace in the MiddleEast. The past years witnessed promi-nent activities by HH the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah onthe level of international relations. It isalso worthy to note that Kuwait is oneof the main contributors of manyregional and international organiza-tions. Concerning the domestic sceneit is necessary to mention the ambi-tious 5-year development plan aimedin transforming Kuwait into one of theregional and international finance andbusiness centers. We look forward todeepening and strengthening the tra-ditional friendly relations between ourcountries and people in the comingdecades.

A.A. Kinschak

Message from the Russian Ambassador

Ambassador of the Custodianof the Two Holy Mosques toKu w a i t D r A b d e l a z i z b i n

Ibrahim Al-Fayez congratulated theAmir, government and people ofKu w a i t o n t h e o cc a s i o n o f t h eNational Day celebrations, com-memorating six years since HH theAmir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah came to power, 51years of independence and 21 years

since liberation. Al-Fayez said in apress statement that Saudi-Kuwaitirelations witnessed growth in allf ie lds , in addit ion to cont inuedco o rd i n a t i o n a n d co n s u l t a t i o nbetween the two wise leadershipsof the brotherly countries. He saidthe brotherly bonds between theCustodian of the Two Holy MosquesKing Abdallah bin Abdelaziz andH H t h e A m i r S h e i k h S a b a h A l -Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, alongwith continued contacts reflect thestrength of relations between thetwo countries and people.

Ambassador Al-Fayez lauded thew i s d o m o f H H t h e A m i r S h e i k hSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahand his management of ruling dur-ing a period the Arab world is wit-nessing developments that requirepolit ical wisdom. HH the Amir isknown for his accumulated experi-e n ce d u r i n g h i s l e a d e r s h i p o fKuwait diplomacy and his ability tod e a l w i t h t h e co m p l i c a t i o n s o fregional and international politicalchallenges.

Ambassador Al-Fayez also con-

gratulated HH the Crown Pr inceSheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-JaberAl-Sabah on the sixth anniversaryof his being named crown prince,during which he was the best aidfor his brother HH the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The ambassador, on the occa-sion of forming the new govern-ment, under the premiership of HHSheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-HamadAl-Sabah, wished HH the Premierand Cabinet members all success intheir duties given to them by HHthe Amir of Kuwait.

Th e A m b a s s a d o r o f t h eCustodian of the Two Holy Mosquesco n c l u d e d h i s s t a te m e n t byexpressing his best wishes and con-gratulating Kuwait people on theKuwaiti national occasions, whichthe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, king,government and people share witht h e m , a n d p r ays to A l l a h t h eAlmighty that the Kuwait ’s Amir,g ove r n m e n t a n d p e o p l e e n j oygood living, security and stability.

Dr Abdelaziz bin Ibrahim Al-Fayez

Message from the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia

On behalf of the Philippinegovernment and theFi l ip ino communit y in

Kuwait I would like to convey mysincerest greetings on the occa-sion of the 51st anniversar y ofKuwait’s National Day. I am send-ing this congratulatory messagefrom the Phi l ippine Embassy ’snew home in Faiha. Our move to anew location is part of our contin-uing desire to be more responsiveto our stakeholders and to thegrowing requirements of thePhilippines Kuwait bilateral rela-tions.

Fa iha provides us with theappropr iate envi ronment toenable the Embassy to render bet-ter and more efficient services tothe Kuwaiti and Filipino communi-ties. As the Arabic saying goes: “Is-al an al jar qabl al dar” (Ask firstabout the neighbourhood beforeyou ask about the house).

I, for one, am a living testimonyto the so l id brother ly t iesbetween Philippines and Kuwait.Having been sent here by thePhilippine government in 1994 onmy first ambassadorial posting, Iwitnessed the growing coopera-t ion and interdependencebetween the two countries whileKuwait was recovering from war.

Phi l ippines was among thecountries which stood by Kuwaitbefore, during, and after the war.lt consistently supported Kuwait’sfight for freedom. During the war,Philippines sent 200 medical per-sonnel to assist in the liberation ofKuwait. I was then the DirectorGeneral of the Philippines Officeof Consular Af fa i rs of theDepartment of Foreign Affairs, theof f ice d i rec t ly responsib le forensuring that the passports andthe travel documentation require-ments of the 200 Filipino medicalcontingent were attended to atthe earliest possible time.

Filipino engineers, architectsand medical workers were among

those who helped rebui ld andreconstruct Kuwait after the war.Two years after the war was con-cluded, the two countries signed aMemorandum of Understanding(M oU) on Jo int Labour andManpower Development whichprovided the mechanisms formanaging the par t ic ipat ion ofFilipino workers in Kuwait’s devel-opment. At that time, there weremore than an estimated 55,000Filipino workers in Kuwait.

Today, 15 years after the saidMOU was s igned, Fi l ip inos inKuwait have grown to more than a120,000. Their presence in Kuwaitprovides the impetus for the twocountries to work out a landmarkagreement that would promoteand protect the rights of Filipinohousehold ser v ice workers inKuwait, a sector that is most vul-nerable.

Moreover, Kuwait was the firstcountry in the GCC to reach out toFi l ip ino Musl ims in S outhernPhilippines by granting a conces-sionary loan to fund road devel-opment projects in 1998. As ofthis writing, both sides are study-ing the possibility of reviving theparticipation of the Kuwait Fundfor Arab Economic Developmentin development projects in thePhilippines.

M odest y as ide, I thought Ialready witnessed the golden ageof Phi l ippines-Kuwait bi lateralrelations back then. And althoughmy re incarnat ion to Kuwait asAmbassador for the second timebefore my retirement years givesme the rare opportunity of con-cluding my ambassadorial careerin the foreign service. From whereit all began, I didn’t think therewas anything new to do as idefrom renewing old ties and recon-necting with Kuwaiti friends in thegovernment.

Surprisingly, our simple effortat rev iv ing o ld t ies has led tomany new in i t iat ives in thePhilippine-Kuwait bilateral rela-tions. Last year was a witness tothe Philippines participation inthe 50th Golden Jubilee of Kuwaitwith Vice President Jejomar Binayrepresent ing the Phi l ippinePresident.

In October last year, Albert F.del Rosario, Philippine Secretaryof Foreign Affairs, was invited bythe government of Kuwait to par-ticipate in the Asia CooperationDialogue (ACD). His participationin the ACO marked his first visit to

Kuwait after having been appoint-ed to the foreign affairs portfolioe ight months before theConference. His attendance in theACD was also an opportunity tomake the Philippine presence feltin Kuwait business community.

With the entry of a billion dol-lars worth of KGL investments inthe Philippines, the largest sinceK U F P E C ’s s t a k e s i n S h e l lPhilippines Exploration B.V. some-t i m e i n 2 0 0 8 , P h i l i p p i n e s i spleased to see that other aspectso f i t s b i l a te r a l re l a t i o n s w i t hKuwait , par t icular ly economic,has started to gain momentum.Just recently, the same companyentered into an agreement withthe Phil ippines’ largest privatehealthcare company, the MedicalCity, to build a modern healthcaref a c i l i t y i n G l o b a l G ate w ayLogistics City in Clark. In addition,of course, to its purchase of themajority stake in the oldest ship-ping company in the Philippines,the Negros Navigation.

A n o t h e r f i r s t i n t h ePhilippines-Kuwait economic rela-t i o n s i s t h e a cq u i s i t i o n o f t h eKu w a i t C h i n a I nve s t m e n tCompany (KCIC) of the Philippine-based Atlantic Gulf and Pacif ic(AG & P ) e n gi n e e r i n g co m p a ny.This is another vote of confidenceon the Philippines as an invest-ment haven particularly with theco m p a ny ’s k e y s h a re h o l d e ri n c l u d i n g t h e A l - G h a n i mIndustries, the Kuwait InvestmentAu t h o r i t y a n d N a t i o n a lI nve s t m e n t Co m p a ny. Th e s einvestments augur well for theP h i l i p p i n e g ove r n m e n t ’s t w i ng o a l s o f j o b g e n e r a t i o n a n dpoverty alleviation so as to makeoverseas work for Fi l ip inos nolonger a need, but a choice.

As Kuwait enters another yeari n to n a t i o n h o o d, P h i l i p p i n e ss t a n d s to w i t n e s s t h e m o rematuring relationship betweenthe two countries, one that putsin equal footing the strengthen-ing of political-diplomatic, eco-nomic, labour and cultural ties.Indeed, with two steadfast part-ners sharing the same goals andaspirations for the betterment oftheir two people, one will alwaysfeel that the golden age in theirrelationship is a continuing histo-ry. To our dear friend Kuwait, con-gratulations and Mabuhay!

Shulan O. Primavera

Message from the Ambassador of Philippines

lo c a lTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Slovakia and Kuwait enjoyexcellent friendly relations,which go back 50 years, when

former Czechoslovakia recognizedindependent Kuwait and bothcountries established diplomaticrelations. Since then until now,three generations of Kuwaiti peoplehave visited Slovakia and its famousSpa, and several thousands ofKuwaiti students have completedtheir studies at the Slovak universi-ties. On the other hand, Kuwait isknown to the citizens of Slovakia,since hundreds of Slovak engineers,medical workers, teachers as well asfootball trainers and other special-ists helped to build modern Kuwait.In 1991, during the liberation ofKuwait, Slovak soldiers took part inOperation Desert Storm as mem-bers of the Czechoslovak ChemicalUnit.

On Jan 1, 1993, Kuwait recog-nized the newly created SlovakRepublic and both countries estab-lished diplomatic relations. Slovakialater opened its embassy in Kuwaitand in 2010, Kuwait as a first GCCcountry opened its diplomatic mis-

sion in the Slovak capital Bratislava.I am especially proud that betweenthe years 2004-2008, the SlovakArcheological Mission worked atFailaka Island and I believe that thenext phase of this cooperation willbe relaunched very soon.

During the recent years togetherwith our Kuwaiti partners, we havebeen jointly preparing the basiceconomic agreements, which willallow us to deepen our economicrelations. The mutual turnover hasreached 20,299 euros in 2010 and23,081 euros during the first 10months last year. We believe thatthere is further potential for broad-er cooperation between our twocountries and the new impetus weexpect from the future first officialvisit of His Higness Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahupon the invitation from thePresident of the Slovak RepublicIvan Gasparovic.

Let me briefly inform you thatduring the last few years, thanks tothe favourable investment environ-ment, a large number of the keyglobal corporate players from auto-

motive industry, electronics andmachinery have targeted Slovakiafor investment making. Therefore itis not by chance, that Slovakia isknown as “Detroit of Europe” thanksto the highest production of carsper capita and related support busi-nesses. Slovakia has become one ofthe favorite destinations for foreigndirect investment and I invite expe-rienced Kuwaiti entrepreneurs andinvestors to spread their activitiesand find new business opporutini-ties as well as trade partners. Onceyou are in Slovakia, you will discov-er that my homeland is literallyoverflowing with hot springs, min-eral water sources and spas.

There are 1,160 registeredsources of healing water in Slovakiaand 22 spa resorts, which are look-ing for new partners or investors.Welcome to Slovakia, where youcan enjoy fantastic forests, majesticmountains, captivating castles andrecover your soul and health. It is agreat privilege and honor for me toserve in your country, which hasachieved so much during the lasthalf century. I sincerely admire the

fact that you are one of the fewcountries, where the whole nationbenefits from its natural resources. Iwish your country and the wholeregion lasting peace and furtherprosperity.

Allow me on the occasion ofyour National Days to wish goodhealth to His Highness the Amir ofKuwait, HH the Crown Prince, HHthe Prime Minister as well as goodluck to the Kuwaiti people.

Ivan Lancaric

Greetings on Kuwait National and Liberation Days

On the auspicious occasion of theNational and Liberation Days of theState of Kuwait, I am privileged and

honored to convey the most beloved greet-ings from Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Presidentand the Government and people of SriLanka to His Highness the Amir, HisHighness the Crown Prince, His Highnessthe Prime Minister and the people of Stateof Kuwait.

Today Sri Lanka and Kuwait enjoy bestof relations which is vital for the consolida-tion of a mutually beneficial and rewarding

partnership. The bridge built between the two countries have broughtthe nations and their people together and had even expanded to someliberal and international initiatives in which both countries have givenjoint leadership.

Kuwait has always helped Sri Lanka during times of difficulty. We can-not forget the work done by them to help tsunami victims and thosedisplaced by floods in the north and the east. We hope relationship willbe further expanded into an enduring multi-faceted cooperation in theyears to come. The visit of Mahinda Rajapaksa the President of Sri Lanka

to Kuwait in 200, was a landmark event in the bilateral relationsbetween the two countries. A number of agreements too inked and del-egations visited Sri Lanka from time to time to strengthen trade, invest-ment and cultural relationships.

The quality and depth of the bilateral relationship has been indicatedby the magnitude of development assistance given to Sri Lanka by theGovernment of Kuwait through the Kuwait Fund for Arab EconomicDevelopment (KFAED). Sri Lanka has derived immense benefit fromimplementation of projects under this fund principally, irrigation proj-ects in the Southern Province, rehabilitation schemes, constructions ofbridges, rural electrification, and support for the South EasternUniversity of Sri Lanka. It is also noteworthy mentioning of the contribu-tion to the Kuwait economy by about 120,000 Sri Lankan nationalsworking in Kuwait. I hope excellent relationship between Sri Lanka andKuwait will continue to blossom.

I would also like to wish continued good health and well-being of HisHighness Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Al- Jaber Al- Sabah, the Amir ofKuwait, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah, theCrown Prince of Kuwait, His Highness Sheik Jaber Al-Mubarak Al- HamadAl-Sabah, the Prime Minister of Kuwait as also the friendly people ofKuwait.

CAHM Wijeratne

Message from the Ambassador of Sri Lanka

Message from the Ambassador of Slovakia

Today is the most delightful and joyfulday to the people of Kuwait. I would liketo take this opportunity to convey warm

congratulations and best wishes to HisHighness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Kuwaiti people onthe 51st anniversary of Kuwait’s independ-ence and the 21st anniversary of its liberation.

Since Kuwait and Koreaestablished their diplomatic tiesin 1976, the bilateral relationsand cooperation in various areashave witnessed continuousdevelopment and both sideshave maintained close coordina-tion and cooperation in interna-tional affairs. The Republic ofKorea was among the states thatsupported Kuwait’s rights dur-ing the Iraqi invasion in 1990and was in the forefront of coun-tries which send troops to Kuwait to take partin its liberation. Bilateral economic and tradecooperation is an important part of Korea-Kuwait relations which scored remarkableachievements over the past years. But despitetheir importance, all these achievements donot fully express the ambitions of the twocountries. We will continue to work withKuwait to elevate the friendly cooperativerelations to a new level of development in allfields and increase high-level exchange of vis-its and interaction between the people. Lately,the Kuwaiti delegation of vice ministers anddeputy ministers from various ministries visit-ed Korea last September to hold senior policydialogue with their Korean counterparts,

examine Korea’s decision-making process dur-ing the developmental era, and visit impor-tant industrial sites as a way to absorb know-how that Korea built up during its rapid eco-nomic development period.

Korea looks forward to promoting peo-ple-to-people exchanges and contacts,expanding cooperation in culture, art, sport,

education, news media, publichealth, tourism and other fields,and strengthening cooperation inlanguage teaching, mutual dis-patching of students andexchange of visits of educationgroups. Korea also made anarrangement with KuwaitUniversity to start Korean lan-guage e-learning program inSeptember 9, 2011 during whichlectures will be broadcasted livefrom the university in Korea.

For reinforcing the bond of friendshipbetween the people of both countries, wehave launched the first Korean CultureDiwaniya early this month to introduceKorean culture to the Kuwaiti community.Thanks to all who worked tirelessly to devel-op links between the two countries. I sincere-ly hope that cooperative relations betweenthe two countries will be further developedand strengthened in the future. Our bestwishes for continued good health and pros-perity go out to HH the Amir, HH the CrownPrince, HH the Prime Minister, and the friend-ly people of the State of Kuwait.

Kyungsik KIM

Message from the Ambassador of South Korea

LO C A LTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

It’s really easy to stay awake. Youwant to watch a few moreepisodes of that television show

or you want to finish an importantproject. So, you make a cup of coffee,sit down, and stay up. In our fast-paced, twenty-four hour society,sleep is usually one of the first ‘needs’that people sacrifice. Students in col-lege get an average of six hours ofsleep a night, two hours less thanwhat they need. All-nighters are acommon occurrence among peoplein industries with rigid deadlines.

Take a hypothetical businessman,Abdullah, as an example. He has animportant building proposal to sub-mit on Thursday afternoon. The hard-working businessman, unfortunately,could not begin over the weekendbecause he had to celebrate hiscousin’s wedding. His boss also pileson more work for him to do through-out the week. Wednesday nightcomes and he hasn’t even begunwriting the 2,000 words write-up.There are two paths that he couldtake. He could sleep and wake upvery early on Thursday to work onthe article. Or, he could pull an ‘all-nighter’ and spend the entire nightworking on the article.

Abdullah chooses to stay up allnight writing the proposal and finish-es it right before the deadline the fol-lowing day. Sleep deprivation hadcaused him to become less creative,unfocused and inefficient. Accordingto Dr William Dement, a world-leaderin sleep research, sleep deprivation isan acute or chronic lack of sufficientsleep. Abdullah’s lack of sleep causesthe proposal to be littered with

errors and lack any of the sophisticat-ed punch his usual proposals have. Itis swiftly rejected and Abdullah hasto resubmit the following term.

If Abdullah had chosen to sleepfor at least six hours and written theproposal, he most probably wouldhave completed it on time and itwould have been of a higher caliber.Sleep deprivation decreases efficien-cy drastically.

Your mind will wander, you willhave micro-sleeps, and long-termmemory recall is compromised. Thedangers of sleep deprivation canextend far beyond lower qualitywork and thinking. It can be deadly.Driving cars or operating heavymachinery while sleep deprived isvery dangerous. In America, drowsydriving is responsible for at least100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000injuries, and 1,550 fatalities. A rule ofthumb to observe when driving isthat as soon as you feel drowsy youshould stop driving and either letsomeone else drive or take a nap.

There are several common symp-toms of sleep deprivation, the mostobvious being sleepiness. Not sleep-ing leads to tiredness and the desireto go to sleep. You will also feel alack of motivation, decreased per-formance and reduced alertness.Your relationships may also beimpaired because you get moody,and your cognitive performance willdecrease drastically. Sleep depriva-tion can also stunt growth andcause weight gain. In severe cases ofsleep deprivation, one may also hal-lucinate or experience memory loss.Studies suggest that people whosleep less than four hours per nightare three times more likely to diewithin the next six years.

Sleep deprivation can be com-pletely cured by one thing alone:sleep. A healthy adult male withoutany sleep disorders will eliminatesymptoms of sleep deprivation aftersleeping sufficient amounts for anideal period of time. Caffeine andphysical exercise are only temporarysolutions to sleep deprivation. In

severe cases of sleep deprivation,caffeine and physical exercise donot even help.

The amount of sleep that weneed has been to shown to be onaverage eight hours and fifteen min-utes. This may vary from person toperson yet the phenomenon ofsleep debt is common to everyone.The greater ‘sleep debt’ one has, thelonger one needs to sleep per nightto overcome this debt. One adds tothis debt by sleeping less than theideal amount nightly. For example, ifyour requirement is eight hours andyou sleep six hours every night, yougain fourteen hours of sleep debtper week. If your debt exceeds fiftyhours, daily per formance willdecrease dramatically.

This debt can be eliminated byproper sleeping habits. Good sleephygiene can be developed veryquickly. I f you fear that you aresleeping later and waking up laterthan you want to, the best treat-ment is to go out into the sun earlierin the day. Also, if you are sleepingtoo early, go out in the sun later inthe day or participate in vigorousphysical activity. Another helpful aidto go to sleep is melatonin, a non-addictive hormone that is naturallyproduced in the human body. Manysleep researchers encourage usageof melatonin in order to establishregular, healthy sleep cycles. Beforeyou sleep, take a tablet of melatoninto induce drowsiness.

Being well-rested leads to count-less benefits including higher quali-ty of life and a more enjoyable timewith your family. Your level of workwill improve drastically and yourenergy levels will skyrocket. So, thenext time you are about to decide topull an all-nighter, think twice!

(Ahmed Bou-Rabee is a Stanfordfreshman currently enrolled in a classcalled Sleep and Dreams)

Source: Dement, William C. TheStanford Sleep Book (c) 2002http://www.nhtsa.gov/

kuwait digest

By Ahmed Bou-Rabee

In China, several former senior officials in theChinese Football Association were recentlysentenced to 12 years in prison over corrup-

tion scandals. In Japan, the transport ministerresigned a while ago following a train wreckaccident. Senior government officials in manycountries around the world resigned in recentyears for fa i l ing to resolve cr i t ical issues.Something like that almost never happens inKuwait which has its own share of problems, yetsees very few officials held accountable.

Administrative corruption in the public sectoris one of the main topics that need to be givenpriority by lawmakers who coordinate thesedays to outline their agenda of work. In myopinion, long-time undersecretaries in statedepartments share the majority of blame in thistype of corruption, because they have failed fordecades to eliminate it from places they are incharge of.

Senior Ministry of Education officials failed tofind solutions to the students’ overcapacityproblem which has been snowballing for years.Likewise, senior Ministry of Interior officialscould not stop abuse and arbitrary arrests bypolice officers.

The central agency for illegal residents is yetto find solutions to bedoon residents. SeniorMinistry of Social Affairs and Labour officials areyet to resolve the marginal labor workers’ prob-lem, while Ministry of Housing Affairs officialsfail to provide housing for citizens waiting foryears.I hope that MPs understand the gravity ofthe issue on hand, and how bad administrative

corruption has become in state department tothe point that even marginal problems in thesports field persist for years.

Diagnosing the problems we suffer from iseasy, yet the problem is that no state official isheld accountable for mismanagement on theirpart. We have never seen news about a stateofficial being put on trial or resigning for any ofthe major problems that have happened inKuwait.

We need a parliament that gives priority toproviding a better future for young citizen, andboosting public freedoms. We need a parlia-ment that improves the quality of health servic-es and traffic, and finds solutions to the housingand demographic structure problems.

Meanwhile, we need ministers who are boldenough to resign whenever they fail to resolveproblems in their respective ministries.

We need parliamentarians who can work, anda Cabinet that can bear responsibility for anyshortcomings on their part within a year fromnow. — Al-Rai

Eliminate administrative corruption

kuwait digest

By Terki Al-Azmi

Some ask about faith in the National Assemblyand the possibility of dissolving it. My person-al opinion is that the current National

Assembly is divided into three groups. One group isfaithful and works for the interest of Kuwait and thisgroup will not seek to dissolve Parliament.

The other group, regardless of all the bright slo-gans, came for its own interests like those whocame before them. This group is will not look forcrises that lead to dissolving the National Assemblyeither.

The third group is suspected of taking bribesfrom inside and outside Kuwait to spoil political lifeand push Kuwait into internal fighting and spreadhatred. They hope Kuwait will descend into fightingand destruction like other countries. This group willshortly look into causing a crisis and create prob-lems and seditions. They will double what theyreceive in their account outside Kuwait, which is notsubject to monitoring.

Just wait, and you will know them by name. Ofcourse sedition will be created under national ban-ners, fighting corruption and in favor ofreligion...the usual!

The claims of loving Kuwait and the songs ofschools students will not protect Kuwait. If somepoliticians and MPs are honest in their love ofKuwait, they would have started working on lawsagainst hatred and making legislation on financialincome a long time ago.

The reality is that some politicians do not wantgood things for Kuwait. Their demands are only toplay with the minds of youths and make them fol-low them to destroy the country. Our youths arenot more knowledgeable and understanding thanyouths in other countries, who destroyed their ownnations and did not comprehend it until it was toolate. An example is Iraq after 2003. Two groupsstarted killing each other, which led to the destruc-tion of Iraq. Apparently what is happening lately isthat there are some who want to export the killingto Kuwait under religious related banners, their sectand the nation!?

Note-1: Bahrain is very dear to us, but Kuwait isdearer and more important. We will not respond tothose who demand we burn our country for thesake of our people in Bahrain, who of course willnot benefit from the destruction of Kuwait.

Note-2: Syria is very dear to us, but Kuwait isdearer and more important. We will not respond tothose who demand we burn our country for thesake of Syria, which will certainly not benefit fromthe destruction of Kuwait.

Keeping Kuwait safe and secure is a good thingfor us and for them. — Al-Anbaa

Keeping Kuwait safe and secure

kuwait digest

By Sami Al-Nisf

Don’t be deprived of a biological need

The reality is that some politi-cians do not want good thingsfor Kuwait. Their demands areonly to play with the minds ofyouths and make them followthem to destroy the country.

Our youths are not more knowl-edgeable and understanding

than youths in other countries,who destroyed their own

nations and did not compre-hend it until it was too late.

Senior Ministry of Educationofficials failed to find solutionsto the students’ overcapacity

problem which has been snow-balling for years. Likewise, sen-ior Ministry of Interior officialscould not stop abuse and arbi-trary arrests by police officers.The central agency for illegal

residents is yet to find solutionsto bedoon residents.

The idea of further unifying Gulf Cooperation Council coun-tries has been promoted for months. On one hand, the ideais can help GCC nationals achieve development by combing

efforts and abilities. On the other hand, there are those whobelieve this move will be taken as a measure to face an allegedIranian threat. This connection weakens the idea by making itappear that unification is an emergency reaction to a circum-stance that may not even be true. If anything at all, an Iranianthreat is possible, given the inconsistency of the Iranian regime,even if they intend harm towards neighbors.

What I find sad is how people link the GCC unification idea withthe need to counter an imaginary Shiite threat. Such speculationsdoes not only put GCC countries at odds with Iran, but also atodds with Shiite citizens in their own societies. This belief is pres-ent - and is growing - in GCC societies. Shiite citizens are per-ceived as being loyal to the Iranian regime rather than their owncountries. Therefore, they are placed in the same category as ‘theenemy.’

Some people even picture Kuwait’s allegiance with ‘larger andstronger’ countries as the best measure to protect it against thealleged Iranian threat. Kuwait, however, enjoys a better level ofsecurity and stability compared to its GCC counterparts becausedisagreements expressed here take place in line with people’sfreedom of expression, and under the supervision of the society.Kuwait does not need to place its fate and interests in countriesthat are not capable of defending itself.

The above-mentioned reasons are why I believe the recentobjection expressed by Parliament Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun isimportant. This is in addition to being a rational opinion. He madehis statements at the right time to provide a sense of assurance tocitizens who feel that their country is going to suffer more than itcould gain, as a result of a entering into a ‘rushed” unification step.

The hope remains that Al-Saadoun’s rejection - albeit tempo-rary- is shared by the majority in the Parliament because it isimportant to restore national harmony in the society. — Al-Qabas

Right decision atthe right time

kuwait digest

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

Despite its strange formation, the 2012 Parliament comprisesyoungsters, giving hope to Kuwait’s youth. This also meansthat fresh blood will be inducted in all fields, including politics.

According to statistics released by National Assembly SecretariatGeneral, ten new MPs (about 20 percent of the total number) arebelow the age of forty.

The two are incumbent MPs, Khaled Al-Tahous and MohammedHassan Al-Kandari. Also, eight were first-time MPs like Faisal Al-Yahya,Osama Al-Shaheen, Bader Al-Dahoum, Khaled Shkhair, Obaid Al-Wasmi and Riyadh Al-Adsani who represent various social sects. Somewere even in the middle of recent youth movements that led to agreat change in both legislative and the executive powers - a group ofpolitically daring, eloquent and initiative-taking young men.

Although it might be too early to judge the performance of youngMPs, we should encourage them and provide all political support theyneed to become the nucleus of change and national work, regardlessof sectarian tensions. Unfortunately, this aspect has dominatedKuwait. I actually liked the initiatives taken by MP Faisal Al-Yahya relat-ed to adapting a package of legislations that help achieve politicalreform. I also admire MP Al-Adsani’s decision to monitor financial cor-ruption, Al-Shaheen’s focus on youth issues and the meticulousness ofMP Khaled Shkhair. MP Obaid Al-Wasmi might play a great role withhis legal knowledge tendency to work alone. If I can make any recom-mendations to young people, I would surely start by warning them ofdrifting to narrow-minded speeches or political tactics, picking sidefights with some MPs inside or outside the Parliament. I also advisethem to focus on working toward the best interests of all Kuwaitis.

In addition, I hope we can involve our young MPs in preparingyouth-focused projects that reflect the ambitions of the country andassure younger generations that their concerns are closely attendedto by people of the same age.

I also hope that young MPs express a clear attitude towards HH theAmir’s call to hold a national youth conference. Finally, I like toremind young MPs that if they have become stars because of consti-tutional posts, the brightest ones amid dark skies are eye-catchingand beautiful. — Al-jarida

Young MPs are our future

kuwait digest

By Dr Hassan Abdullah Johar

Aussie foreign minister resigns in leadership rift

Page 9

Indonesian police storm Bali prison to quell riot

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Page 12

SANAA: Yemeni electoral officials yesterday hailed a high turnout in alandmark vote that ended President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule,despite boycott calls in the south where violence marred polling.Turnout in Tuesday’s vote for Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi,the only candidate on the ballot, reached 60 percent nationwide, anelectoral official said.

But in the south, where 10 people were killed in clashes betweenseparatist militants and police, turnout was far lower. In the mainsouthern city of Aden, 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots,while in other southern provinces, turnout was less than 40 percent,said the official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.

There was no polling at all in southern towns controlled by Al-Qaeda linked militants. Activists from the Southern Movement arguedthat the election failed to meet their aspirations for autonomy orsecession for their formerly independent region and called for a boy-cott. Members of the movement’s hardline pro-independence wingcalled for a day of “civil disobedience” and actively tried to preventpolling from taking place.

In Aden, they seized control of half of the polling stations andattacked a number of others, clashing with police and security forcesin the process. At least 10 people were killed in Aden and other south-ern cities, including a 10-year-old child who died near a polling stationwhich came under attack by separatist militants, medics and securityofficials said. Dozens of others were wounded. In the far north, Shiiterebels also boycotted the vote. A turnout of only 50 percent wasrecorded in the rebel stronghold of Saada, the electoral official said,adding that voter participation was even lower in other rebel-con-trolled towns. In the capital Sanaa, participation averaged 60 percent,although the highest turnout was recorded in Taiz and Ebb, two citiesthat hosted some of the largest demonstrations of the 10-month upris-ing against Saleh’s rule that led to the Gulf-sponsored transition agree-ment which paved the way for Tuesday’s election. The two cities alsosuffered some of the deadliest reprisals from loyalist forces. The dealwhich Saleh signed in November gave him a controversial promise ofimmunity from prosecution and stipulated that Hadi lead Yemen for atwo-year transition period, after which a contested presidential electionwill be held along with parliamentary elections. Saleh is to return homefor Hadi’s inauguration, a spokesman for his General People’s Congressparty said. The outgoing president has been receiving treatment in theUnited States for blast wounds he suffered in a bomb attack on hisSanaa compound last June. “President Saleh is on his way back but I can-not give an exact date for his arrival in Sanaa,” said Abdo Janadi, who isalso deputy information minister. “There will be a grand celebration toinaugurate Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi and he will be handed over the pres-idential palace,” Janadi added. —AFP

High turnout in vote that ends Saleh ruleViolence mars polling in south

SANAA: A Yemeni boy flashes the V-sign for victory during a protest demanding the prosecution of Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa yesterday, a dayafter elections which saw the end of Saleh’s 33-year rule. —AFP

Netanyahu’s spokesman

resigns JERUSALEM: Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu’smain spokesman has resigned,media reports said yesterday,making him the latest in astring of high-profile figures toleave the bureau. There was noimmediate confirmation fromNetanyahu’s office that com-munications director YoazHendel had tendered his resig-nation. News of his resignationcame two days afterNetanyahu’s chief of staff,Natan Eshel, stepped downafter admitting misconducttowards a younger female staffmember.

Hendel’s departure hasbeen widely linked to the so-called Eshel affair which cameto light after he and two othersenior figures, CabinetSecretary Zvi Hauser andMilitary Secretary YohananLocker, filed a complaint withthe attorney general, allegingEshel had harassed a femalestaffer. The three acted withoutinforming Netanyahu of thesuspicions and their complaint.The move reportedly infuriat-ed Netanyahu, who onTuesday told the trio he had“lost confidence” in them overtheir not informing him of theincident, Israel’s main newspa-pers reported.

Shortly afterwards, Hendeltendered his resignation,sources at the bureau told theleft-leaning Haaretz newspaper,adding Hauser was also expect-ed to resign “soon.” Locker isalso set to leave, although hismove to a take up a new rolewithin the military was pre-planned. Yesterday, Netanyahusaid it was wrong that he hadonly learned about the chargesagainst his chief of staffthrough the media.

“The right thing to do in anysystem in the case of a concernover a harassment is to immedi-ately take it to the responsibleauthorities and to deal with it.That is precisely what I wouldhave done in this case,” he tolda news conference. “What iswrong is that the head of thesystem, in this case the primeminister, does not know of sucha central issue taking place inhis own bureau for a month-and-a-half, and has to learnabout it through the media,” hesaid. The affair created “a diffi-cult, painful and uncomfortablesituation” in his bureau,Netanyahu added. —AFP

The latest resignation fol-

I N T E R N AT ION A LTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

CAIRO: The leadership of the Islamic militant Hamasyesterday settled internal disagreements andapproved a unity deal with its political rival,Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a senior offi-cial said. Hamas’ political bureau, the group’s top deci-sion-making body, met in Cairo and signed off on thedeal after more than 12 hours of talks over two days,said Izzat Al-Rishq, an aide to Hamas chief KhaledMashaal.

Since 2007, the rivals have run separate govern-ments - Abbas in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza.An agreement signed in Doha, Qatar, betweenMashaal and Abbas on Feb 6 envisions Abbas head-ing an interim unity government ahead of generalelections in the Palestinian territories. Hamas leadersin Gaza, who have most to lose from the unity deal,had objected to relinquishing power to Abbas. Theorganization has employed tens of thousands in offi-

cial posts inside the territory who now face integra-tion into larger Palestinian bodies that might beheaded by Abbas loyalists.

While the deal might still face opposition from theHamas rank-and-file, Rishq suggested that the move-ment’s leaders are now on board. “The meetingdecided to fully implement the reconciliation agree-ment and the Doha declaration,” Al-Rishq said. “It putsan end to the debate and discussions over Hamas’position concerning the Doha agreement and puts anend to what seemed to be disagreement withinHamas.” Abbas and Mashaal were to meet later yester-day in Cairo to discuss the next steps in the deal,including the formation of an interim governmentthat is to be made up of politically independent tech-nocrats. Such a composition is meant to lower theprofile of Hamas, shunned by the West as a terrororganization. Abbas enjoys the support of the US

and European countries, but it remains unclear howmuch he would lose if reconciliation with Hamasmoves forward.

Israel and the international community have saidthey will not deal with Hamas unless it renounces vio-lence and recognizes Israel. By forming an alliancewith Hamas, Abbas risks losing hundreds of millionsof dollars in international aid, though Palestinian offi-cials hope that signals of moderation from Hamas willmake the new government acceptable to the West.The Palestinian split broke open in 2007 after Hamaswrested Gaza from Abbas by force. Reconciliation wasmade possible, in part, by a narrowing of the ideolog-ical rift between the two sides.

Mashaal, although not formally renouncing vio-lence, has embraced the idea of “popular protests”against Israeli occupation as a gesture to Abbas. Andwhile Hamas has long opposed Abbas’ talks with

Israel on the terms of a Palestinian state, Abbas nowseems to have given up hope he can reach a dealwith the current rightist Israeli government. Al-Rishqnoted the venue for the meeting of the 15-memberpolitical bureau was Cairo. He said the choice of theEgyptian capital was a sign of the changes in theregion. The Hamas leadership had long been based inSyria, but has been trying to distance itself fromSyrian President Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown onregime opponents. Hamas retains a presence in Syria,but some of its leaders have relocated, while othershave been making more frequent visits to Arab capi-tals. And while Syria’s regional isolation increases, thatof Hamas has lessened with the political rise of its par-ent movement, the pan-Arab Muslim Brotherhood, inthe wake of the pro-democracy protests of the ArabSpring. This has made Hamas less dependent onlongtime patrons Iran and Syria. — AP

Hamas irons out dispute over Palestinian unity

CAIRO: Egypt ’s ousted President HosniMubarak yesterday turned down a chance toaddress the court in the last session before theverdict in the seven-month trial in which hefaces the death penalty. Mubarak, who ranEgypt for 30 years, is accused of complicity inthe killing of protesters during the 18-day pop-ular uprising that pushed him from power inFebruary of last year.

More than 800 people were killed during theuprisings, many of them demonstrators shotdead by security forces. Egyptians have closelyfollowed the case, and many see its slowprogress as an indictment of the council of rul-ing army generals who took power whenMubarak stepped down.

Critics of the military’s handling of the transi-tion to democracy say the trial’s pace reflects awider lack of justice for those killed in the upris-ing. Egyptian courts have so far not punishedany police officers for the protester deaths.Others have criticized the prosecution’s han-dling of the case, saying it has failed to presentstrong enough evidence to support a murdercharge. The prosecution is asking for the deathsentence for Mubarak, usually carried out byhanging in Egypt. Mubarak’s defense teamargues that he is still president, and thus canonly be tried for treason or in a special court.The judge was expected to set a date for theverdict and sentencing later in the session.

“I have no comment,” Mubarak told the judgeyesterday. “What the lawyer said is enough.”Mubarak’s Interior Minister at the time, howev-er, spoke for an hour and a half, saying theuprising was the result of a foreign plot to

destabilize Egypt. “I reaffirm before you thatthere were foreign saboteurs who desecratedEgypt’s pure land and were supported by inter-nal criminal elements with the aim of undermin-ing Egypt’s international and regional standingand attempting to destabilize its political, secu-rity and economic stability,” said Habib el-Adly.He ran Mubarak’s security services and faces thesame charge. El-Adly said the plot involved“killing peaceful protesters, storming prisons tofree terrorist and criminal elements, vandalizing

public and private properities and burningpolicemen inside their vehicles.”

Dozens of policemen men were also killedduring the uprising. El-Adly offered his condo-lences to the families of those killed, promptinglaywers in the room to shout, “Butcher!Execution!” Six other ranking security officersare being tried in the same case. Mubarak, hissons Gamal and Alaa and a close associate arebeing tried in a separate case on corruptioncharges. — AP

Egypt’s Mubarak declines chance to address court

Ousted President faces death penalty

CAIRO: Egyptian police officers stand guard in front of a courtroom in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday. —AP

CAIRO: A supporter of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak (portrait) waits fornews from his trial outside the court in Cairo yesterday as the landmark murder andcorruption trial of the former leader entered its final day of hearings, with the judgeexpected to announce the date of the verdict. —AFP

CAIRO: Mohamed Moustafa Morsy had tosneak out of his home to join the protestsagainst Hosni Mubarak last year, afraid hisparents would stop him if they knew wherehe was going. Hours later, the 22-year-old wasdead, shot on his way to Tahrir Square.Morsy’s father is one of the few family mem-bers allowed into the courtroom whereMubarak is now on trial, charged with order-ing the shooting of protesters, about 850 ofwhom died in the uprising.

At first optimistic that Egypt’s “trial of thecentury” would bring justice, he gradually lostfaith in the proceedings after hearing oneofficer after another testify there were noorders to shoot. “I did not bury my boy towatch these dogs get away,” he told Reutersduring one September session, before hestopped attending.

When the 83-year-old Mubarak firstappeared in court, many plaintiffs andobservers who never imagined he would beheld to account said Egypt had regained itsdignity. But for many the trial that shouldhave helped close the wounds of the past hasinstead come to symbolise all that hasn’tchanged. Many Egyptians are also botheredby the fact that in the rush to bring Mubarakto justice, the trial is being conducted by thevery institutions - the ministries, police andcourts, as well as the laws they administer -used to prop up his autocratic 30-year rule.

Egypt has not pursued a truth and recon-ciliation body such as the commission inSouth Africa that helped bridge divisionsafter apartheid, nor, in the eyes of manyEgyptians, has it been able to hold formerofficials to account in a transparent waythrough courts with special mandates, as inLatin American countries like Argentina. As ifto drive the point home, in the hall leading tothe courtroom, formerly a lecture hall in thePolice Academy where some of the defen-dants either studied or taught, a picture thatincludes one of the officers standing trial stillhangs on the wall. The academy itself wasuntil a few months ago named after Mubarak.

“We are in this situation because you can-not change the laws overnight,” said HassanAbou El Einein, a lawyer for one of the 400-plus plaintiffs. “After the revolution, the revo-lutionaries should have issued a decision toestablish revolutionary courts.” Public angerhas focused on the prosecutor, who wasappointed by Mubarak and whose office hasnot been reformed since the president wasousted. In its defence, the prosecution hasblamed the Interior Ministry-an institutionwhich is both the accused and the investiga-tor in this case-for not cooperating in hand-ing over evidence.

“Mubarak is being tried by laws he put inplace,” said Maha Youssef, the head of thelegal affairs department at al-Nadim Centerfor Victims of Violence. “The judge is restrict-ed by legal regulations and the evidence.”

That evidence is proving weaker thanmany had hoped. More than 1,600 peoplegave testimonies to the prosecution beforethe trial, from doctors who signed autopsiesto government officials to victims of the vio-lence. The court invited nine people for pub-lic cross-examination, all but one of thempolice officers. None of those called couldprovide conclusive evidence that there wereorders to fire at protesters, lawyers on bothsides of the court room and experts say.

Former interior minister Habib al-Adli andsix other senior police officers are on trialwith Mubarak, all of them charged withordering the killing of the protesters. Also ontrial are Mubarak’s two sons on a handful ofcorruption charges involving abuses of pow-er. But many Egyptians had wanted the trialto address the wider injustices of Mubarak’srule. The judge was hearing final argumentsfrom the defendants and their lawyersyesteray, but the verdict is not expected until

the latter part of March, at the earliest.Prosecutors are seeking the death sentencefor Mubarak.

Early in the proceedings, one of the wit-nesses, General Hussein Saeed Moussa, toldthe court that he had been sentenced byanother court for destroying recordings fromthe police force’s operation room during the18-day uprising. Critics say this showed howmonths of foot-dragging may have helpeddamage essential evidence. A deputy interiorminister, Hassan Abdel Hamid Farag, whoattended a meeting with minister Adli andthe other top officers during the uprising, ini-tially indicated his colleagues had made adecision to confront peaceful protesters withviolence and called it a “mistake”.

“The decision of the meeting was to pre-vent the protesters from entering TahrirSquare even if by use of force,” he told thecourt in September. But in his cross-examina-tion, he denied that a decision to specificallyallow the use of firearms was ever made.“There is not a single shred of evidenceshowing orders for an officer or a soldier toopen fire on protesters,” Adli’s defence lawyerEssam el-Batawy told Reuters.

Mubarak’s defence has also tried to arguethat the court has no jurisdiction to tryMubarak on the grounds that he is still con-stitutionally president of Egypt and thereforewould have had to be tried by a special tribu-nal.

The trial, which got underway in Augustand has stretched into winter, has beenheavy in symbolism, both of the bloodyevents that led to Mubarak stepping downand of the feared and untouchable state hebuilt up, which has yet to be dismantled.Victims’ families have braved the elements tochant outside the court, many of them hold-ing the blood-stained clothes their childrenwere wearing at the time of their deaths.

Inside, police officers fill most of the seatsand Mubarak’s flamboyant celebrity lawyer,Farid el-Deeb, casually smokes his cigar inrecesses. Mubarak himself has spent his timein custody in a luxurious military hospitaland is wheeled into court on his hospitalbed, flown in by a helicopter whose fuel billhas become the focus of more public anger.The other defendants are not hand-cuffedand always seem to be dressed in designerwear. A handful of Mubarak’s closest aideswere called in by the court to testify in closedsession, including his long-time defence min-ister Field Marshal Mohamed HusseinTantawi, the man who has been runningEgypt for the past year. Leaks of their witnessstatements suggest they helped the case forthe defence. “You have a problematic equa-tion. One of a people in a state of revolutionand a leadership unwilling to revolt,” saidGaber Gad Nassar, a Cairo University consti-tutional law professor.

“The trial does not depart far from thatumbrella,” he added. “The leadership unwill-ing to revolt has only reacted in order tomove forward from one day to the next.” Theprosecution has defended itself from publicattacks on the proceedings by saying it wasworking under a very tight deadline andunder enormous public pressure, and withno choice but to rely on the police to makearrests and gather evidence.

“The primary credit of bringing forth thiscase and in gathering this evidence must goto the prosecution, which did so in unprece-dented circumstances,” the prosecution’s firstattorney in the case told the court this week.“We say the evidence is strong and decisive,”Moustafa Suleiman said, and again criticisedthe lack of cooperation from the InteriorMinistry. Regardless of the verdict, however,it will take a few years before it is even final,as their lawyers exhaust their appeals, leav-ing relatives of victims unsatisfied for sometime. — Reuters

Mubarak’s trial leaves Egypt with open wounds

Tel Aviv angers religious by seeking

Sabbath busesJERUSALEM: In the latest salvo in Israel’s simmeringcultural war between religious and secular Jews,municipal authorities in the bustling metropolis of TelAviv have outraged the country’s religious establish-ment with a decision to launch bus service on theJewish Sabbath. The effort - likely to be blocked by thegovernment - comes as the country’s powerful reli-gious minority faces increasing pressure over whatmany perceive to be attempts to impose religioustenets on the rest of the country.

Recent months have seen a growing uproar overissues such as the segregation of men and women onbuses and sidewalks by ultra-Orthodox Jews and thegroup’s non-participation in the workforce, relyinginstead on government subsidies. Also Tuesday, Israel’sSupreme Court ruled against extending the controver-sial “Tal Law” that lays out a plan by which ultra-Orthodox Jews, who devote their lives to full time Torahstudy, would perform deferred and limited militaryservice.

The ultra-Orthodox have historically been able tofind exemptions from military service, a practice whichis resented by many secular Israelis. The law was seenas a compromise attempt to bring them into the army,but had little effect and was seen as a failure. Religiouslife in Israel is dominated by a strict Orthodox establish-ment, which wields significant power over issues suchas marriage and burial. It typically resists alterations tothe so called “status quo” on religious issues, agreedupon when Israel was established in 1948.

As part of this arrangement, there is no public trans-portation in most Israeli cities - mixed Jewish-ArabHaifa being a notable exception - from sundown Fridayto sundown Saturday and on Jewish holidays. But thecity council of largely secular Tel Aviv voted lateMonday to draft a request to Israel’s TransportationMinistry to allow lines to operate on the Sabbath. “Israelis the only country in the world in which there is nopublic transportation in one out of four days, onSaturdays and holidays,” Mayor Ron Huldai said in astatement Tuesday. “We must ask ourselves - what doesa person who can’t afford to buy a car and wants to visithis family or go to the beach do?”

The national transportation ministry had no com-ment. Public transportation is decided on the nationallevel, so the city has no power to enforce such a move.But should the bill be rejected, as expected, Tel Aviv’scity hall said it will establish an independent trans-portation company to run the buses.Israel Meir Lau, thecity’s chief rabbi, said Tuesday he felt “great pain anddeep disappointment” with the plan and called on themayor to reverse it.

“This is a severe blow to the sanctity of the Sabbath,”he said in a statement. “The city council recommenda-tion harms the status quo upon which the policies of allIsraeli governments are based.” Despite Israel’s secularmajority, ultra-Orthodox rabbis strictly govern Jewishpractices such as weddings, burials or conversions andonly allow them for those who meet Orthodox defini-tions of a Jew. Israel grants citizenship to any Jew -Reform, Conservative or Orthodox - but once in Israel,many who consider themselves Jewish cannot get mar-ried or have a Jewish burial. The plight of an eight-year-old girl who was recently spat upon by ultra-Orthodoxextremists for dressing “immodestly” drew new atten-tion to the simmering issue. — AP

MANAMA: Sunni Muslims warned theBahraini government at a rally against enter-ing a dialogue with Shiite-led opposition par-ties, as pressure mounts for the Sunni-led GulfArab state to end unrest now entering its sec-ond year. The tourism and banking hub,dominated by the Sunni Al Khalifa family, hasbeen in turmoil since a protest movement fordemocratic reforms erupted on February 14last year and was put down one month laterwith a period of martial law.

“How can there be a dialogue at this time?The majority of citizens ask, is this the time fordialogue and a political solution? Security isthe priority!” said Khalid Bloashi, reading astatement from a Sunni youth group that

organised the rally of about 20,000 people incentral Manama late on Tuesday. “The priorityis deterring vandalism that aims to blackmailthe nation for foreign agendas... We will neveraccept backroom dialogue, so for how longwill the state ignore us?”

The warnings over dialogue come after itemerged last week that royal court ministerKhaled bin Ahmed last month met figuresfrom Wefaq, a Shi’ite Islamist party which wonalmost half of parliament seats in past elec-tions, as well as three secular opposition par-ties on a separate occasion. The crowd, carry-ing a sea of Bahraini flags peppered with thegreen flag of government ally Saudi Arabia

and a few others, chanted back: “No dialogue!No dialogue!”

Recent months have seen an escalation inclashes between riot police and Shiite pro-testers. Shiites are thought to be a majorityon the island and complain of political andeconomic marginalization. The governmentdenies this. Protesters have thrown petrolbombs and iron bars. Activists say that whilepolice have not used live fire, an official deathtoll of 35 last June has risen to over 60 as aresult of heavy-handed use of tear gas, stungrenades and speeding police cars. Two peo-ple died in police custody last month.

The government disputes the causes ofdeath and says it is investigating all cases.Many Sunnis and other loyalists, who domi-nate state media, accuse Wefaq of exploitingthe violence to force concessions. Policeoften license rallies and marches by Wefaq.

Bahrain remains in a rut as protests contin-ue. Some ratings agencies have downgradedbanks, many office blocks stand half emptyand weekend Saudi tourism is a shadow ofwhat it was.

The British ambassador said this weekBahrain would have difficulty attracting for-eign investment if it did not make economicand political reforms to help restore confi-dence. Bahrain is a key Western ally and hostto the US Fifth Fleet. Washington supportedthe government during last year’s protests,during which some called for setting up arepublic, and Saudi Arabia sent troops toboost defences as fear gripped some of anIranian intervention.

The statement read by Bloashi addressedthe US ambassador in Manama. Columnistsoften attack the United States for urging thegovernment publicly to enter talks withWefaq. “Let the American ambassador listen:Bahrain is not a tool of America... We will notbe a bargaining chip or a testing ground,” hesaid, also calling for tolerance and coexis-tence in Bahrain and attacking governmentcorruption. The crowd carried banners suchas “USA, will you stop playing with our nation-al security?” and chanted “The people want tobring down Wefaq”, a variation on the ArabSpring slogan “The people want to bringdown the regime”.

King Hamad bin Isa thanked the partici-pants in a statement for affirming that theisland should remain “an oasis of peace andsecurity for those of all religions living there,without interference in its affairs”, state newsagency BNA said. Tuesday’s rally at the Fatehmosque was held to mark the first anniver-sary of a meeting at the same place whereSunnis had aired their fears that the protestmovement, then a week old, had a Shiite sec-tarian agenda. —Reuters

Bahrain Sunnis warn govt over

dialogue at rally

MANAMA: Shiite cleric Sheik Ali Salman,head of the opposition Al-Wefaq society,participates in a minute of silence yes-terday, outside UN offices in Manama,Bahrain, for those who have died in the past year’s pro-democracy uprising inthe Gulf island kingdom. —AP


CARACAS: President Hugo Chavez hasraised serious doubts about whetherhe’ll have the stamina for a successfulre-election bid, revealing that heneeds to return to Cuba to have alesion removed that is probably malig-nant. Chavez told Venezuelans onTuesday that doctors in Cuba had overthe weekend found a two-centimeter(less than an inch) lesion in the sameplace where they removed a cancer-ous tumor last year. The socialist presi-dent, who hopes to extend his 13years in power with another six-yearterm in the Oct 7 elections, said theprobability is high that the lesion ismalignant and that he will likely needradiation therapy.

That will most likely mean beingincapacitated in the coming weeks,though Chavez did not mention whomight replace him during a temporaryabsence. “I’m not going to be able tocontinue with the same rhythm,” hetold state T V in a telephone callTuesday night, adding he would needto “rethink my personal agenda andtake care of myself, confront whatmust be confronted.” Chavez, 57, didnot say when he would depart forCuba. He said he would attend to gov-ernment business yesterday, includingsigning papers and meeting with theCabinet and military leaders.

His departure for Havana will bemade “without haste,” he said. “All ingood time.” A leading Colombianoncologist, Dr. Carlos Castro, said thatif Chavez undergoes radiation therapythat typically means a minimum of 10

daily sessions, which means Chavezwould need to name a temporaryreplacement while undergoing treat-ment. The news is bad for Chavez’spolitical longevity, said Luis VicenteLeon, director of surveying at theDatanalisis polling firm. Even if the 57-year-old president returns to formafter surgery, it will “be difficult toavoid comparisons to his rival(Henrique) Capriles,” an energetic andathletic 39-year-old former governor,the pollster said.

From July to September last year,Chavez received four rounds ofchemotherapy, both in Cuba and inVenezuela, and he subsequently saidtests showed he was cancer-free.Chavez on Tuesday denied rumorsthat the cancer had spread aggressive-ly even as he said doctors do not knowwhether the new growth was malig-nant.

“I completely deny what’s goingaround that I have metastasis in theliver or I don’t know where, that thecancer has spread all over my bodyand that I’m already dying,” he said. Hehas never given the cancer’s exactnature or location, and oppositionpoliticians and critics have repeatedlyaccused Chavez of a lack of trans-parency.

Analyst Cynthia Arnson of theWoodrow Wilson International Centerin Washington said the new surgeryseriously complicates Chavez’s re-elec-tion prospects. “It’s now clear thatChavez’s cancer is far from cured.Chavez’s illness - his ability to cam-

paign as well as to govern - is a majorfactor in the race. It erodes the aura ofinvincibility as well as inevitability that

Chavez has always tried to create,” shesaid.

The governing party will also bevexed as it lacks an alternative candi-date with Chavez’s charisma and pop-ular following, Arnson said. She pre-dicted the development will make “atight race even tighter” againstCapriles. “I am in good physical shapeto confront this new battle,” Chavezsaid on Tuesday afternoon. He laterchoked up, reflecting on mortality inthe phone call. “I ask for life,” he said. “Iwant to live with you and fight with

you until the last moment of this lifethat God gave me.”

He called on his backers to “acceler-

ate the (electoral) battle.” Chavez,whose approval ratings have topped50 percent in recent polls, had beenout of public sight since Friday. Inrecent weeks, he has recovered thehair he shaved off during chemothera-py and he has appeared vigorous,although he is puffy around the faceand neck. He had returned to a fullschedule of activities includingmarathon television appearances.

Doctors consulted by TheAssociated Press said it was difficult toassess Chavez’s prognosis. But Dr.

Javier Cebrian, a colorectal specialistand chief surgeon at UniversityHospital in Caracas, said the lesionbeing in the very place the initialtumor was removed was not good. “Alocal recurrence is a bad symptombecause it means the illness is growingagain,” he said. “It’s an ominous sign,”agreed Dr. Michael Pishvaian, aGeorgetown University oncologist.Pishvaian said doctors often use theterm lesion to refer to a new tumor,which appears to fit Chavez’s descrip-tion.

He said such a reappearance, par-ticularly when a patient has under-gone surgery then chemotherapy,suggests cancerous cells have resistedthe treatments. Capriles’ campaigncoordinator, Armando Briquet, said heand his team wish Chavez “a completerecovery” and “a long life although wehave always been critical about thelack of real information about thepresident’s health.” Many Venezuelanshave been impressed by Chavez’s for-titude. “It’s already established thatChavez is a superman because he wassick and he didn’t delegate to anyone,”said Luis Montilla, a 51-year-oldlawyer, expecting Chavez to return toCuba for surgery and still not delegate.

“He will continue his treatmentsand continue the campaign,” Montillapredicted as he waited in line at aCaracas pharmacy. Associated Presswriters Vivian Sequera in Bogota,Colombia, Ian James in New York andAndrea Rodriguez in Havana con-tributed to this report. —AP

Venezuela’s Chavez says his cancer is likely back

BARINAS: Handout picture released by the Venezuelan presidency pressoffice showing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during an inspection atthe Santa Ines agroindustrial complex, in Barinas, on Tuesday. —AFP

LOS CABOS: In this picture taken on February 20,2012 Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd partici-pates in a session of the G20 Foreign MinistersInformal Meeting in Los Cabos, Baja California Surstate, Mexico. —AFP

CANBERRA: Australia’s foreign minister resigned yes-terday in a bitter rift with Prime Minister Julia Gillard,who may poll party lawmakers next week on whoshould lead the country. Foreign Minister Kevin Ruddannounced his resignation during a news conferencein Washington, where he was visiting on official busi-ness, saying speculation that he planned to seize pow-er from Gillard had become a distraction. “I can onlyserve as foreign minister if I have the confidence ofPrime Minister Gillard and her senior ministers,” Ruddsaid.

Gillard ousted Rudd as prime minister in June 2010in an internal coup, and their center-left Labor Partyscraped through elections later that year to lead aminority government. Polls now suggest Labor wouldsuffer a devastating defeat, but Gillard maintains shehas her colleagues’ support. Gillard was to hold a newsconference today to “make a further statement” onRudd’s resignation. Media reports and current and for-mer Labor lawmakers said she will announce a leader-ship ballot of party lawmakers on Monday.

A Rudd supporter, Sen. Doug Cameron, said aMonday poll would be unfair because Rudd would nothave time to canvass support. “It’s clear that some sen-ior ministers are intent on putting a stake throughKevin Rudd’s heart and I don’t think that’s justified,”Cameron told Australian Broadcasting Corp. — AP

Aussie foreign minister resigns

in leadership rift

TEGUCIGALPA: US investigators concluded Tuesdaythat the deadliest prison fire in a century was acciden-tal, and may have been caused by a lit match, cigaretteor some other open flame. President Porfirio Lobo alsoannounced he is pardoning a prisoner who helped freehundreds of inmates after the guard with the keys dis-appeared. In at least one case, a witness said the heroinmate picked up a bench and broke the lock on a cell.

The US Embassy in Honduras said in a statementthat a team of investigators from the US Bureau ofAlcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “was able torule out other possible causes of the fire, such as a light-ning strike, electrical causes, or the use of a flammableor combustible liquid.” The death toll from the Feb. 14fire at the Comayagua prison rose to 360 Tuesday afteranother victim died in a Tegucigalpa hospital from hisburns.

“The fire is believed to have begun in the area of thetop two bunk beds in the fourth column along thewestern side of the prison’s module six, which ignitednearby flammable materials,” the statement said. “Thecause of the fire is believed to have been an open flame(the source of which could include, but is not limited to,a cigarette, a lighter, matches, etc.), although the actualignition source was not recovered.”

It didn’t identify the inmates in those bunks. Thestatement called the cause of the fire accidental. Therewere 105 prisoners crammed into rows of bunks fourlevels high in the barracks where the fire started. Onlyfour survived. — AP

US team says Honduras prison

fire was an accident


KANO: Multiple explosions rocked ahighway checkpoint in Nigeria’s sec-ond-largest city, witnesses said yester-day, just over a month after a radicalIslamist sect claimed an attack therethat left at least 185 people dead. Theattacks raise fears that the radicalIslamist sect is taking root in thenorthern city of Kano. Resident AliGarba, a 32-year-old bus driver, said heheard at least six explosions just as hewas preparing to head to the mosque

for dawn prayers in a densely populat-ed Kano neighborhood. After that, hesaid, he heard gunfire for about twohours. By the time he left his house,the military had cordoned his neigh-borhood to prepare for searches, forc-ing him back into his home.

The attack occurred during curfewhours, he said, l ikely reducing itsimpact. There were no casualties andfour suspects were arrested duringsearches, said military spokesman Lt.

Ikedichi Iweha who declined to com-ment further. Boko Haram, whosename means “Western education issacrilege” in the local Hausa language,is carrying out increasingly sophisti-cated and bloody attacks in its cam-paign to implement strict Shariah lawand avenge Muslim killings in Nigeria,a multiethnic nation of more than 160million people.

This year, the feared sect is blamedfor killing at least 303 people, accord-

ing to an Associated Press count. Atleast 185 people died in Kano lastmonth in the group’s deadliest assaultyet. The northern-based group hascarried out attacks across Nigeria’smostly Muslim north but its attackshave been most persistent in thenortheastern city of Maiduguri, thesect’s spiritual home, where peoplelive in constant fear of bombings anddrive-by killings.

However, a series of attacks over

the last month targeting military andpolice institutions - typical BokoHaram targets - in the much biggercity of Kano, about 380 miles (610 kilo-meters) away from Maiduguri, are rais-ing fears that the group may be takingroot there too. Authorities have vowedto stop the sect, but the frequency,boldness and scale of its attacks havesubdued many citizens’ faith in thesecurity forces’ ability to suppressBoko Haram. — AP

Explosions rock north Nigeria city

LILLE: Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was in police custody overnight Tuesdayover allegations that he took part in orgies inParis and Washington with prostitutes paid forby businessmen. The 62-year-old formerSocialist minister, who until last year was thefrontrunner to replace Nicolas Sarkozy aspresident of France, had been summoned as awitness, but prosecutors said he was now asuspect.

He turned up voluntarily at a police stationin the northern city of Lille and prosecutorssaid he would be detained on suspicion of“abetting aggravated pimping by an organ-ized gang” and “misuse of company funds.” Amagistrate will decide whether the evidencesupports charges on these or other potentialoffences. He could be cleared, be charged andreleased on bail or remanded in custodypending an eventual trial.

A judge late Tuesday extended Strauss-Kahn’s detention another 24 hours to todaymorning, an informed source said. He can beheld a maximum of 96 hours without chargebut was not expected to stay in custody morethan 48 hours. Under French law, aggravatedorganised pimping carries a prison term of upto 20 years and profiting from embezzlementfive years and a large fine. Between interroga-tions, the millionaire international statesmanwas to be held in a spartan 7.5-square-metre(80-square-foot) cell with a simple foam mat-tress, a sink and a hole-in-the-floor squat toi-let.

Investigating magistrates want to knowwhether he was aware that the women whoentertained him at parties in restaurants,hotels and swingers’ clubs in Washington,Paris and several other European capitalswere paid prostitutes. They will also seek todetermine whether Strauss-Kahn knew thatthe escorts were paid with funds fraudulentlyobtained by his hosts from a French publicworks company, for which one of themworked as a senior executive.

Paying a prostitute is not illegal in France,but profiting from vice or embezzling compa-ny funds to pay for sex can lead to charges.The former managing director of theInternational Monetary Fund admits he has anuninhibited sex life, but denies any role inpimping or corruption and has indicated hewill deny any criminal wrongdoing. LawyerHenri Leclerc has said his client may not haveknown he was with prostitutes as “in theseparties, you’re not necessarily dressed. I defyyou to tell the difference between a nudeprostitute and a nude woman of quality.”

Two businessmen, Fabrice Paszkowski, amedical equipment tycoon with ties toStrauss-Kahn’s Socialist Party, and DavidRoquet, former director of a local subsidiary of

building giant BTP Eiffage, have beencharged. The pair have alleged links to a net-work of French and Belgian prostitutes cen-tred on the Carlton Hotel in Lille, a well-known meeting place of the local businessand political elite in a city run by the SocialistParty. In all, eight people have been chargedin connection with the “Carlton affair”-includ-ing three executives from the luxury hotelitself, a leading lawyer and the local deputy

police chief, Jean-Christophe Lagarde. The lastof the sex parties is said to have taken placeduring a trip to Washington and the IMFheadquarters between May 11 and 13 lastyear by Paszkowski and Roquet, in part to dis-cuss Strauss-Kahn’s presidential bid.

One day later, on May 14, Strauss-Kahn’scareer fell apart when he was arrested in NewYork following allegations that he had sub-jected chambermaid Nafissatou Diallo to abrutal sexual assault in his hotel suite. Thecase against him eventually collapsed whenprosecutors began to doubt Diallo’s credibilityas a witness, and Strauss-Kahn returned hometo France to face further investigation andscandal.

First, 32-year-old French writer TristaneBanon accused him of attempting to rape herin 2003. Prosecutors decided there was primafacie evidence of a sexual assault, but ruledthat the statute of limitations had passed.

Then, Strauss-Kahn was linked to the Carltoncase when suspected escorts gave his nameto police probing a vice ring linked to notori-ous pimp Dominique Alderweireld, known inthe underworld as “Dodo la Saumure”.

Strauss-Kahn’s multi-millionaire heiresswife, journalist Anne Sinclair, has stood by himsince the allegations erupted, but the websiteshe edits-the French edition of the HuffingtonPost-led its front page with the scandal. She

made no editorial comment, but her teamreported the case in depth. Few in Francedoubt that, but for the sex scandals, it wouldhave been Strauss-Kahn and not FrancoisHollande running against Sarkozy in April’spresidential election, and the incumbent’scamp was quick to seek advantage. “Perhaps,at the end of Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s inter-rogation, we will hear useful and interestingnews about the behaviour of Socialist Partybranches in the north,” said Sarkozy’s cam-paign spokeswoman Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet.

“If Francois Hollande is where he is today, itis because Dominique Strauss-Kahn is wherehe is today,” she added. The involvement ofbusinessmen and police officers raised suspi-cions they intended to curry favor with apresidential contender by procuring womenfor him, but they are reported to have deniedthis during questioning. —AFP

Police hold Strauss-Kahn overnight in sex ring probeFormer Socialist minister summoned as witness

LILE: Journalists film the entrance of the gendarme station yesterday in Lille, northernFrance, as French disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn faces questioningby French police for a second day over allegations that he took part in sex parties organ-ised by a corrupt vice ring. —AFP

LONDON: Masked protesters are seen at the Occupy London anti-corporateprotest tent camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral, in central London, yesterday. —AP

LONDON: Occupy London protestersbraced for eviction yesterday after a courtruled that local authorities can removetheir four-month-old camp from outsideSt. Paul’s Cathedral. Officials said theywould now enforce an order allowingthem to take down the dozens of tentsthough it did not say when the evictionwould start. “I would call on protesters tocomply with the decision of the courtsand remove their tents and equipmentvoluntarily right away,” said Stuart Fraser,policy chairman of the City of LondonCorporation.

Last month, a High Court judgebacked local authorities who are trying toremove the protest, but lawyers for thedemonstrators sought to challenge thedecision. Three appeals court judges saidyesterday that the protesters had raisedno compelling new legal arguments andcould not appeal. “We accept that there isa right to assemble and protest on thehighway, but it is by no means an unfet-tered right,” said David Neuberger, one ofthe judges. Protesters against capitalistexcess, inspired by New York’s OccupyWall Street movement, have beencamped outside the 300-year-old churchsince October. They say they are exercis-

ing freedom of speech and drawingattention to a warped capitalist systemthat spawned a global financial crisis.

The City of London Corporationargued that the right to protest does notjustify a semi-permanent campsite.During a five-day court hearing lastmonth, lawyers for the city claimed thecamp was harming nearby businesses,causing waste and hygiene problems andattracting crime and disorder. Occupy’slawyer, John Cooper, said protesterswould likely seek to appeal to theEuropean Court of Human Rights. He saidthat even if the camp is removed “theOccupy message has been heard and willcontinue to be heard.”

“This dysfunctional system needs tobe called to account,” he said. The protest-ers set up camp outside the cathedralafter they were prevented from campingin front of the nearby London StockExchange. Their proximity to ChristopherWren’s icon embroiled the church in aconflict between bank-bashing protest-ers and the city’s finance industry. Thechurch’s position on the protesters hasshifted several times, and the cathedral’sdean and a senior priest have bothresigned over the crisis. —AP

UK court rejects Occupy London eviction challenge

DAKAR: Some 120,000 people havebeen forced from their homes in Malisince Tuareg-led rebels launched anindependence bid last month in thecountry’s desert north, United Nationsfigures showed. The conflict, which hasseen rebels bolstered by fighters andweapons from Libya’s conflict launch awave of attacks on military outposts,comes as the Sahel region grapples witha food crisis that aid agencies say willleave more than 10 million hungry thisyear.

Fighting in three of Mali ’s eightprovinces also threatens the holding ofan election due in April. More than60,000 civilians have crossed into neigh-bouring countries while a similar numberhave fled their homes but remained inMali, according to a Feb 21 update fromthe UN ‘s Office for Humanitarian Affairsseen by Reuters yesterday. Malians havescattered across Mauritania, BurkinaFaso, Niger and Algeria. The UN said

11,000 people had returned back to Malifrom Niger.

The MNLA rebels, believed to numberabout 1,000, have brought togetherMalians who fought in the ranks of theLibyan army with veteran Tuareg rebelswho have taken part in several previousnorthern uprisings. Dozens have beenreported killed in battles on severalfronts, with heavily armed and mobilerebel units taking on government forcesbacked by helicopter gunships. However,there is little independent information oncasualties. A Malian commission chargedwith investigating the killing of soldiers inthe northern town of Aguelhoc onTuesday reiterated government claimsthat rebels, operating alongside Al-Qaedafighters, had executed soldiers duringfighting last month. The commission didnot give a toll. The rebels have repeatedlydenied the killings and accused the gov-ernment of a set up aimed at undermin-ing their credibility. —Reuters

LONDON: British-based Somalilanders wave the flag of the internationallyunrecognised self-declared republic of Somaliland as they hold a pro-indepen-dence rally outside Downing street in London yesterday. The protesters werecalling for recognition of Somaliland, currently a region of Somalia in the eyes ofthe international community, as a soverign state following the region’s unilater-al declaration of independence over two decades ago. —AFP

JUBA: The head of the largest foreign oil company inSouth Sudan has been asked to leave the country overallegations he conspired with Sudan to steal the south’soil, South Sudan officials said yesterday. Liu Yingcai, aChinese national and the president of the PetrodarOperating Company, was notified Monday that he had72 hours to leave South Sudan, said Elizabeth JamesBol, the deputy minister of petroleum and mining.

Petrodar is a consortium of oil firms operating inSouth Sudan that includes the national oil corporationsof China and Malaysia. Petrodar did not immediatelyrespond to requests for comment. Liu’s ouster comes inthe midst of the company’s relocation of its headquar-ters from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to Juba, thecapital of South Sudan.

South Sudan for months has accused its northernneighbor of stealing its oil, and southern officials nowsay Liu was in on the thefts. Barnaba Benjamin Marial,South Sudan’s minister of information, said that a gov-ernment investigation found that he was involved withthe government of Sudan “in the conspiracy of gettingthe oil of South Sudan.”

South Sudan declared independence from Sudan inJuly, and in the process inherited nearly three-quartersof Sudan’s oil production. But all oil produced in thesouth must be exported through two pipelines inSudan. In addition to operating oil fields in SouthSudan, Petrodar is responsible for the maintenance andoperation of one of the two pipelines.

South Sudan in January ordered the shutdown of itsoil production after Sudan announced it would levy anunspecified percentage of South Sudan’s oil as an “inkind” payment for unpaid pipeline transit fees. Sudanalso announced the completion of a tie-in pipelinewhich would divert around 120,000 barrels of oil perday to processing facilities in Khartoum. South Sudanhas called the move theft and accused Sudan of forcingforeign oil companies operating in the region to complywith the order. But now Marial said Petrodar was com-plicit.

Liu “got involved with Khartoum in helping to facili-tate the construction of the tie-in pipeline,” Marial said.In a letter sent to South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleumand Mining on Jan. —AP

BERLIN: Germany should do away withthe practice of surgical castration of sexoffenders, the Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee recommended yes-terday, calling the procedure degradingto the convicted criminals. In a reportreleased in Strasbourg, France, theEuropean Committee for thePrevention of Torture acknowledgedthat the procedure is voluntary and car-ried out only under extremely well-con-trolled circumstances.

Nonetheless, the committee said itstill has “fundamental objections,”pointing to its “irreversible physicaleffects.” It urged an end to the practice,saying that “surgical castration ofdetained sexual offenders could easilybe considered as amounting to degrad-ing treatment.” It said no official statis-tics on castrations are available but,according to information it has collect-ed, “fewer than five per year” were per-formed in Germany.

The German government said in awritten reply that it is “currently beingreviewed whether this issue should bediscussed in the context of a debate”but doesn’t commit to change the reg-ulations. The German government not-ed that surgical castration is seen astreatment rather than punishment. Itsaid the procedure is strictly voluntaryand the process can only be initiated bythe sex offender himself, who must beat least 25.

Among other safeguards, an expertcommission must advise the subject,and there is a waiting period betweenwhen the decision is made to have theprocedure and when it is carried out, soa subject can change his mind. Thegovernment cited a 1997 study of sex

offenders who had been castrated,which indicated only a 3 percent recidi-vism rate. A control group whose peti-tion for castration had been refused orretracted in the same period showed a46 percent rate of reoffending. Thecommittee’s recommendation came aspart of a wider report on Germany,based on a two-week visit at the end of2010. Tim Dalton, who led the delega-tion, told The Associated Press the com-mittee’s point is that in any individualcase, there is no guarantee the proce-dure will prevent reoffending. “It’s ahighly controversial issue. There aredivided opinions on the subject - somejustify it on the basis that the resultsvalidate the process,” he said in a tele-phone interview from Dublin.

But the panel’s “fundamental posi-tion is that it ’s not an appropriateresponse to the threat of reoffending tomutilate a person, which is in effectwhat is involved,” he said. In 2009, thecommittee criticized the CzechRepublic for its use of surgical castra-tion. Other countries have been mov-ing ahead with laws allowing chemicalcastration for sex offenders, whichinvolves the administration of testos-terone-suppressing hormones intend-ed to curb sexual drive.

Russian lawmakers in October gavefirst-round approval to a bill that wouldimpose chemical castration on repeatsex offenders. Poland legalized the pro-cedure in 2009 for offenders who rapeminors or close relatives. Already,Britain, Denmark and Sweden offerchemical castration drugs to sexoffenders on a voluntary basis. In theUnited States, several states have lawsallowing chemical castration. —AP

Some 120,000 forced from homes by Mali clashes: UN

South Sudan kicks out president of oil company Germany criticized for

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BEIJING: US Special Representative for North Korea Affairs Glyn Davies, center,arrives to give a press statement at a hotel in Beijing, China yesterday.—AP

DENPASAR: Indonesian forcesyesterday stormed a riot-hitprison housing murderers, pae-dophiles and Australian drugmules in Bali to regain controlafter a night of arson and rock-throwing. Guards were forced toabandon the overcrowdedKerobokan prison, which holds1,000 inmates including the 12convicted Australians, during thenight-long riot. Authorities saidno foreigners were injured orinvolved in the trouble. Some 100heavily armed police and militarystormed the jail on the holidayisland at around dawn, firing vol-leys of rubber bullets.

Officials said they intervenedafter attempts to negotiate withthe rioting prisoners had failed,and after some inmates managedto get hold of firearms. “Theywere forced to open fire andthree people were injured in thelegs and taken to hospital,” Balideputy police chief Ketut UntungYoga Ana told AFP. Another policeofficial said later that an officerwas also injured.

All 12 Australian prisoners atKerobokan, including two ondeath row and six serving life sen-tences, were safe, Australia’s for-eign ministry said. “ The wingwhere the Australians are held isfar from the place where we hadthe trouble. The Australians werenot involved in any way,” said Balipolice spokesman Hariadi, wholike many Indonesians goes by asingle name. Among theAustralians at the jail are convict-ed drug trafficker SchapelleCorby and a group known as the“Bali Nine”, who were caughtattempting to smuggle drugsfrom Bali.

Up to 1,000 armed securityforces backed by armored vehi-cles and water cannon were sta-tioned yesterday morning out-side the jail, which is in a subur-ban area of Bali seven kilometres(four miles) from the tourism hubof Kuta beach. “When we stormedin, they did put up a fight,” Bali

police chief Totoy Herawan Indratold reporters. “The prisoners alsotook firearms from inside thewarehouse but we seized thembefore they could be used,” headded. Police said the situationhad returned to normal by lateafternoon, and that only about 30armed personnel remained out-side the prison.

Police and local reports saidthe trouble began when oneinmate stabbed another prisoneron Sunday, touching off reprisalsthat erupted into a full-blownriot. Prisoners began trashingcells and throwing stones at theguards who were forced to aban-don the jail-built for just 300inmates but now housing morethan three times that many pris-oners, both male and female.

Police said the inmates were

in charge for more than sevenhours-from around 11:00 pm(1500 GMT ) Tuesday until 6:45am (2245 GMT) the next morn-ing. Prison staff said the jail’s reg-istration office, including the filesof prisoners, was destroyed in ablaze. “The damage was quiteserious. An office was burnt andwindow panes of the security

posts were shattered by rocks,”Indra said. Michael Chan, whosebrother Andrew Chan is one ofthe Bali Nine, said he was worriedabout his brother given that dur-ing a previous riot “things gotpretty bad, and they were in lock-down for a couple of days”.

Corby’s family said she waswell, with the women’s wing ofthe prison untouched by the vio-lence. Corby, who is serving a 20-year jail sentence for drug smug-

gling, continues to profess herinnocence and in her book “Nomore tomorrows”, says she has“seen horrors in here that aresickening beyond belief ”.“Prisoners bashed to a pulp, girlsattacking each other with brokenglass bottles.

I’ve seen people trying to killthemselves, a woman miscarry-

ing in my cell, prisoners havingsex, female guards passionatelykissing female prisoners,” shewrites. There have been a num-ber of riots at the jail in recentyears, including one triggered bya police drug raid in June. It isone of Indonesia’s most notori-ous prisons, with a combustiblemix of inmates including con-victed murderers, sex offendersand others guilty of violentcrimes. —AFP

Indonesian police storm Bali prison to quell riotIntervention came after failed negotiate attempts

BALI: An Indonesian prisoner injured during the riots is carried away outside Kerobokan prisonin Denpasar on the Indonesian resort island of Bali yesterday. —AFP

BEIJING: The US and North Korea reopennuclear talks today that will provide aglimpse into where Pyongyang’s opaquegovernment is heading after Kim Jong Il’sdeath and test its readiness to dismantlenuclear programs for much-needed aid.The countries were on the verge of a dealto have Washington provide food inreturn for Pyongyang suspending urani-um enrichment when it was upended bythe longtime leader’s death on Dec 17.

That North Korea has agreed to re-enter talks so soon afterward could signala measure of cohesion and a continua-tion of Kim Jong Il’s policies as the coun-try transfers power to his young son anda coterie of advisers. However,stonewalling could point to disagree-ment within the new leadership or unpre-dictable directions in policy for a govern-ment that has long sought to developviable nuclear weapons and already hasdetonated two nuclear test blasts.

The workings of North Korea’s govern-ment are difficult for outsiders to discern,so analysts and foreign government offi-cials alike will closely monitor today’stalks in Beijing. “The fact that North Koreahas come to the negotiating table meansthe country is enjoying a level of internalstability,” said Kim Keun-sik, a North Koreaexpert at Kyungnam University in SouthKorea.

“But we can’t immediately link NorthKorea’s stability to how fruitful the talkswill be,” he said. It is a sensitive time forNorth Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong Un,who is believed to be in his late 20s. Thecountry suffers from chronic food short-ages that complicate its vow to startbecoming a thriving nation during thisyear’s centennial of the birth of NorthKorean founder Kim Il Sung. US envoyGlyn Davies said after arriving in Beijingyesterday that he was looking for signs ofKim Jong Un’s policies and what directionhe wanted to take his country.

“All of these are a bit unknown at thisstage. I find it a positive sign that relative-ly soon after the beginning of the transi-tion in North Korea, the (country) haschosen to get back to the table with us. Ithink that is a good thing.” Davies saidthat the US needs to see if North Korea iswilling to “take steps to reassure all of us... that they are sincere in getting back tofulfilling obligations” made in a jointstatement in September 2005, whichcommitted North Korea to abandoningits nuclear program in exchange for aidand pledges that Washington wouldn’tseek the regime’s ouster.

“Are they ready to get back to thatconversation and carry it forward into thefuture and not spend too much time re-fighting some of the battles of the past?”he said. North Korea is also locked in along-running standoff with its neighborsand Washington, who want to see theNorth’s nuclear program permanently

dismantled. The talks in Beijing, the thirdround since July, ostensibly are aimed atrestarting wider six-nation disarmamentnegotiations that also involve China,Japan, Russia and South Korea.Pyongyang walked away from those talksin 2009 and later exploded its secondnuclear device.

However, in mid-December hopeswere high when outlines emerged of aUS -North Korean nuclear agreement. TheAssociated Press reported then that theUS was poised to announce a significantdonation of food aid to North Korea. Thatwould have been followed within days byan agreement to suspend North Korea’suranium enrichment program, accordingto a broad outline of the agreementmade known to the AP by people close tothe negotiations.

Then Kim Jong Il died, and everythingwent on hold. The six-nation talks, oncerestarted, would be aimed at dismantlingNorth Korea’s remaining nuclear pro-grams in exchange for what would likelyinvolve even greater donations of aid.Victor Cha, a Korea expert and WhiteHouse director of Asian affairs during theGeorge. W. Bush presidency, said he wasconcerned that the US side may now beoverly eager for a deal in hopes of avoid-ing any Korean security crisis during thisyear’s presidential election campaign.

“The last thing you want is (to want) adeal more than the North Koreans do,”Cha said. A key success would be gainingNorth Korea’s agreement to have U.N.watchdogs monitor any freeze of its ura-nium enrichment, Cha said. Otherwisethe country might backtrack - as it hasdone with previous agreements - and usethe enrichment program to leverageadditional concessions.

Without monitoring, a nuclear freezewould be like “selling the same horse”over and over again, Cha said. Worriesabout North Korea’s nuclear capabilitytook on renewed urgency in November2010 when the country disclosed a urani-um enrichment facility that could give it asecond route to manufacture nuclearweapons, in addition to its existing pluto-nium-based program.

The divided Korean Peninsula is stilltense from a bloody 2010, which saw theNorth’s shelling of a front-line island thatkilled four South Koreans and a deadlywarship sinking blamed on the Norththat killed 46 South Korean sailors. KimJong Il’s death raised fears of even greateruncertainty, although the South’s presi-dent, Lee Myung-bak, said yesterday hiscountry was ready to talk with the North“with an open heart” if it shows a “sincere”attitude. The United States has said that itfavors a diplomatic solution to the NorthKorean nuclear standoff, but only ifPyongyang improves ties with Seoul first.North Korea has rejected South Korea’scalls for talks since Kim’s death —AP

US, N Korea to hold first post-Kim Jong Il talks

NEW DELHI: Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Staffan De Mistura (2nd L) attendsa delegation level meeting with Indian Minister of State for External AffairsPreneet Kaur (R) at the ministry offices in New Delhi yesterday. —AFP

NEW DELHI: The shooting deaths of twoIndian fishermen mistaken for pirates sparkeddiplomatic wrangling yesterday over thearrests of two Italian marines, and some mar-itime experts are questioning the use ofarmed guards on merchant ships. Piratesbased off lawless Somalia cost the shippingindustry billions of dollars and they are oper-ating in wider swaths of the Indian Ocean. Toprotect against the growing threat, severalcountries, including India, have allowedarmed security guards to be deployed onships. The killing of the two fishermen offIndia’s southwestern coast Feb 15 made realthe worst fears of those who had warnedagainst the change in policy.

India accused the Italian marines of mis-taking the fishing boat for a pirate ship,shooting at it and killing the two fishermen.On Sunday, it arrested the marines, who werepart of a six-member security team on thecargo ship the Enrica Lexie. With the men fac-ing murder charges, Staffan De Mistura, Italy’sforeign ministry undersecretary, flew to Indiato plead their case to India’s deputy foreignminister, Preneet Kaur.

New Delhi says the men must be triedhere because the killings happened on anIndian boat and the dead men were Indians.Rome says the shooting took place in interna-tional waters and involved an Italian-flaggedship, and the case should be handled inItalian courts. De Mistura said the talks yester-day were “constructive,” but gave few details.Kaur said that while they disagreed on wherethe men should be tried, she had assured theItalians that Indian courts were “fair and free.”“We will certainly go by our law,” she said. Italymaintains that under UN anti-piracy norms,military personnel are allowed on cargo shipsand are part of the Italian state and thusimmune from foreign jurisdiction.

Maritime organizations are questioningwhether the very presence of armed security

could actually increase violence on the highseas. Earlier this week, UK-based maritimesafety experts BCB International Ltd. said thatthe world needs to “rethink the self-protec-tion measures used by commercial ships toward off attacks from pirates.” “We have beenwarning for some time about the dangerslinked with the used of armed guards oncommercial vessels. The vast majority ofarmed guards protecting commercial vesselsare extremely well trained and highly profes-sional; but there can be no room for humanerror when lethal force is used,” the group’smarine projects manager, Jonathan Delf, saidin a statement Monday.

BCB appealed to world leaders meetingThursday at the London Somalia Conferenceto bring forward “new non-lethal protectivemeasures” to protect vessels from pirates. TheHorn of Africa nation hasn’t had a functioninggovernment since 1991, and piracy has flour-ished. While international militaries patrol theregion, the seas are too vast to completelystop attacks. Indian ship owners have saidtheir government’s decision to allow armedguards has prevented protected ships frombeing hijacked.

Ian Millen, head of intelligence at the UK-based Dryad Maritime Intelligence Services,told The Associated Press that the use offorce must always remain a last resort andshipping companies must take other meas-ures to protect themselves against pirateattacks. These include using speedy vesselswith tall sides that are difficult for pirates toclimb, high pressure water hoses and razorwire. But Millen said armed guards wererequired in certain high-risk areas of theIndian Ocean. Whether the presence ofarmed security escalated the level of vio-lence hadn’t been sufficiently proved, hesaid. In the past, pirates have abortedattacks when the level of risk is too high, hesaid. —AP

India, Italy wrangle over Indian fishermen killing

BEIJING: Hundreds of Chinese retireeswho worked for a company which builtthe massive Three Gorges Dam haveblocked streets in protest about pensionsover the past three days, China’s officialXinhua news agency said yesterday. Thepensioners, who worked for GezhoubaGroup, are complaining that their pen-sion payments have been calculatedunfairly, Xinhua said in an English-lan-guage report.

The protest has now entered its thirdday, and hundreds of people haveblocked traffic on the streets in Yichangin central Hebei province where the com-pany is based, it added. “Most of the pro-testers are aged between 60 and 70, andrelatives and onlookers have joined themat the site of the protest,” Xinhua said.“The protesters have also complainedabout unreasonable terms in the compa-ny’s medical care policy.”

Gezhouba has promised to look intotheir complaints and increase pensionpayments, the report added. A companyofficial reached by telephone declined tocomment. Xinhua said the company hasover 20,000 retirees. It has a Shanghai-

listed unit called China Gezhouba GroupCorp The 185-metre tall Three GorgesDam began operations in 2005 and is theworld’s largest hydropower project.

China’s ruling Communist Party wor-ries that the tens of thousands of spo-radic protests over land grabs, corruptionand economic grievances that break outacross the country every year could coa-lesce into a national movement andthreaten its control. China saw almost90,000 such “mass incidents” of riots,protests, mass petitions and other acts ofunrest in 2009, according to a 2011 studyby two scholars from Nankai University innorth China. Some estimates go evenhigher.

That is an increase from 2007, whenChina had over 80,000 mass incidents, upfrom over 60,000 in 2006, according to anearlier report from the Chinese Academyof Social Sciences. Most protests areeither dispersed by security forces, or byofficials promising demonstrators theirdemands will be heeded. None have sofar even come close to becoming nation-al movements which could challenge thecentral government. —Reuters

Hundreds of Chinese pensioners protest

over payments: Report

Thai detention of Iranian bomb

suspect extendedBANGKOK: A Thai court yesterday allowed police tocontinue to detain one of five Iranian suspects in analleged terror plot that was exposed by an accidentalblast in a residential Bangkok neighborhood. PoliceMaj Gen Piya Uthayo said Mohammad Kharzei, 42,will be held at a Bangkok prison for at least 12 moredays. He was arrested on charges of being an accom-plice to possession of unlawful explosives and caus-ing explosions that damaged property and harmedother people.

Three men identified as Iranians fled the housewhere the blast occurred Feb. 14. Police found bombsin the house, but are still not clear about the sus-pects’ intentions. There is speculation that theyplanned to attack Israeli targets in the Thai capital aspar t of a cover t battle being waged over I ran’salleged quest to develop nuclear weapons. Theexplosions Feb. 14 came one day after two other inci-dents in India and the former Soviet Republic ofGeorgia in which bombers tried to hit Israeli targetswith so-called “sticky” bombs that attach magnetical-ly to vehicles.

In Thailand, 43 police officers, including senior-ranking commissioners, have been assigned to workon the case and have found “quite a bit of evidence,”Piya said. He said Kharzei is the first suspect whosecase has proceeded under criminal law. He wasarrested at Bangkok’s airport on the day of the blastas he was waiting for a flight to Malaysia. With courtapproval, a suspect can be detained without formalcharges for up to 84 days.

Another suspect, Saeid Moradi, 28, is so far beingheld for violating immigration law. He was detainedsoon after the blast after he attempted to hurl explo-sives at police officers, blowing off part of his legs inthe process. Arrest warrants have been issued forthree other suspec ts, a l l I ranians: MasoudSedaghatzadeh, 31, who was detained by Malaysianauthorities last week; Leila Rohani, 31; and NorouziShayan Ali Akbar, 57. Thai authorities are seekingSedaghatzadeh’s extradition and believe Rohani andAkbar have returned to their home country.

Piya said investigators have not found any linksbetween the suspects and dozens of stickers bearingthe word “SEJEAL” - possibly a reference to a passagefrom the Quran - that were pasted at various loca-tions in Bangkok. The stickers were identical to onesfound under the seat of the Iranians’ motorcycle aswell as in an apartment rented by one of the sus-pects. “The officers will base their investigation onlyon the evidence and witnesses, and will use neitherspeculation, nor imagination in solving this case,” Piyasaid.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterdayassigned two deputy prime ministers to overseeintelligence meetings and prepare security measures.She also asked the Transport Ministry to ensure thesafety of travelers at Bangkok ’s SuvarnabhumiInternational Airport. —AP

N E W STHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Continued from Page 1

The IAEA trip was seen as having an impacton the mooted resumption of talks betweenIran and the P5+1 powers - Britain, China,France, Russia and the United States, plusGermany - which broke down 13 months ago.France said Iran’s “refusal to cooperate” was“another missed opportunity” that added to a

standoff already aggravated by the Islamicrepublic’s recent boasts of nuclear progress.“We cannot but consider all of this contrary tothe intentions” declared by Iran to resumenegotiations with the P5+1, said a spokesman.

Already talk of possible military actionagainst Iran by Israel, with or without US help,had been giving urgency to diplomaticattempts to lower tensions. Russia, which

along with China has been giving Iran diplo-matic cover, warned against that prospect.“The scenario of military action against Iranwould be catastrophic for the region and possi-bly the whole system of international relations,”said Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov.He urged nations to wait for the IAEA’s officialreport before deciding to condemn Iran for fail-ing to cooperate. — AFP

Iran defiant as nuke talks fail


French television reporter Gilles Jacquierwas killed in Homs last month when a shellexploded amid a group of journalists coveringprotests in the city on a visit organised by theauthorities. Syrian citizen journalist Rami Al-Sayyed, who provided live footage on theInternet from Baba Amr, was killed lateTuesday when a rocket hit a car in which hewas travelling, activist Hadi Abdullah told AFP.Elsewhere, two civilians were killed as Syriantroops fired at the city of Khan Shaykhun, inthe northwestern province of Idlib, theObservatory said. And in the northern city ofAleppo, security forces opened fire at universi-ty students who staged a protest at thedepartment of electric engineering, theObservatory said, adding several were wound-ed.

A call by the International Committee forthe Red Cross for a two-hour truce daily todeliver aid to afflicted areas has gained sup-port from the United Nations, as well as fromthe United States and Russia. Tuesday’s call

came a day after the ICRC said it was in talkswith Syrian authorities and rebels to halt theviolence. The talks were still at “the initialstage,” Saleh Dabbakeh, the ICRC spokesmanin Damascus, told AFP. “We are exploring whatcan be done to implement a ceasefire.”

In Geneva, the Syrian National Councilbegan talks with ICRC officials on getting vitalhumanitarian assistance to crisis-hit areas. Themain opposition group demanded the inter-national community create “safe havens” andcalled on Russia to force the regime to allowaccess for aid convoys. In Paris, the SNC said itwould attend a summit of the countriesknown as the “Friends of Syria” and ask for safezones to protect civilians.

Syrian authorities, meanwhile, blamed eco-nomic sanctions imposed by the West andArab states, for the deterioration in healthcareservice in the country. The rebel Free SyrianArmy head, Colonel Riyadh Al-Asaad, has wel-comed the humanitarian truce call but voiceddoubts that the “criminal” regime would abideby a ceasefire. And the UN under secretarygeneral for humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos,

called on Syria to allow aid groups unimpededaccess to the country. “This is a major humanrights crisis that is now moving into significanthumanitarian consequences,” Amos said.

White House press secretary Jay Carneysaid “we support calls for ceasefires to allowfor the provision of humanitarian supplies toSyrians who desperately need it”. Moscow, astaunch ally of Syrian, also supported the ICRCtruce call, expressing “serious concern” aboutthe humanitarian situation. But DeputyForeign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Russiawas not backing a French call for aid corridorsbecause these would require support from for-eign troops.

Saudi King Abdullah told Russian PresidentDmitry Medvedev it was “futile” to have dia-logue on Syria, saying Moscow should have“coordinated with the Arabs... before using theveto” to block a resolution on Syria in the UNSecurity Council. The conversation came twodays ahead of an international conference inTunisia to be attended by the Syrian opposi-tion and not the regime, to find ways to endthe bloodshed. — AFP

Journalists killed as Homs pounded


“Wow,” he said as the AP laid out the detailsof the report. “This raises a number of con-cerns. It’s just very, very sobering.”

Garry McCarthy, the Newark police directorin 2007, said yesterday that the NYPD notifiedhim as a courtesy that it was sending plain-clothes offices into Newark. He said noNewark police officers were used in the opera-tion. McCarthy is now working as ChicagoMayor Rahm Emanuel’s police superintend-ent. Police conducted similar operations out-side their jurisdiction in New York’s Suffolkand Nassau counties on suburban LongIsland, according to police records.

Such surveillance has become common-place in New York City in the decade since the2001 terrorist attacks. Police have built data-bases showing where Muslims live, wherethey buy groceries, even what Internet cafesthey use and where they watch sports.Dozens of mosques and student groups havebeen infiltrated and police have built detailedprofiles of ethnic communities, fromMoroccans to Egyptians to Albanians. Thedocuments obtained by the AP show, for thefirst time in any detail, how those effortsstretched outside the NYPD’s jurisdiction.New Jersey and Long Island residents had noreason to suspect the NYPD was watchingthem. And since the NYPD isn’t accountableto their votes or tax dollars, those non-NewYorkers had little recourse to stop it.

“All of these are innocent people,” NagibaEl-Sioufi of Newark, said while her husband,Mohammed, flipped through the NYPDreport, looking at photos of mosques andstorefronts frequented by their friends.Egyptian immigrants and American citizens,the couple raised two daughters in the UnitedStates. Mohammed works as an accountantand is vice president of the Islamic CultureCenter, a mosque a few blocks from NewarkCity Hall. “If you have an accusation on us,then spend the money on doing this to us,”Nagiba said. “But you have no accusation.”NYPD spokesman Paul Browne did not returna message seeking comment about thereport.

The goal of the report, like others theDemographics Unit compiled, was to givepolice at-their-fingertips access to informa-tion about Muslim neighborhoods. If policegot a tip about an Egyptian terrorist in thearea, for instance, they wanted to immediate-ly know where he was likely to find a cheaproom to rent, where he might buy his lunchand at what mosque he probably wouldattend Friday prayers. “These locations pro-vide the maximum ability to assess the gener-

al opinions and general activity of these com-munities,” the Newark report said.

The effect of the program was that hun-dreds of American citizens were catalogued -sometimes by name, sometimes simply bytheir businesses and their ethnicity - in secretpolice files that spanned hundreds of pages:

* “A Black Muslim male named Mussa wasworking in the rear of store,” an NYPD detec-tive wrote after a clandestine visit to a dollarstore in Shirley, New York, on Long Island.

* “The manager of this restaurant is anIndian Muslim male named Vicky Amin” wasthe report back from an Indian restaurant inLindenhurst, New York, also on Long Island.

* “Owned and operated by an AfricanMuslim (possibly Sudanese) male namedAbdullah Ddita” was the summary fromanother dollar store in Shirley, New York, justoff the highway on the way to the Hamptons,the wealthy Long Island getaway. In onereport, an officer describes how he put peopleat ease by speaking in Punjabi and Urdu, lan-guages commonly spoken in Pakistan.

This past summer, when the AP first beganreporting about the NYPD’s surveillanceefforts, New York Mayor Michael Bloombergsaid his police do not consider religion in theirpolicing. On Tuesday, following an AP storythat showed the NYPD monitored Muslim stu-dent groups around the Northeast, schoolleaders including Yale University presidentRichard Levin expressed outrage over the tac-tics. Bloomberg fired back in what was themost vigorous defense yet of his department.“The police department goes where there areallegations. And they look to see whetherthose allegations are true,” he told reporters.“That’s what you’d expect them to do. That’swhat you’d want them to do. Remind yourselfwhen you turn out the light tonight.”

There are no allegations of terrorism in theDemographics Unit reports and the docu-ments make clear that police were only inter-ested in locations frequented by Muslims. Thecanvas of businesses in Newark mentionsIslam and Muslims 27 times. In one section ofthe report, police wrote that the largest immi-grant groups in Newark were from Portugaland Brazil. But they did not photograph busi-nesses or churches for those groups. “NoMuslim component within these communitieswas identified,” police wrote, except for onebusiness owned by a Brazilian Muslim ofPalestinian descent.

Polls show that most New Yorkers stronglysupport the NYPD’s counterterrorism effortsand don’t believe police unfairly targetMuslims. The Muslim community, however,has called for Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’sresignation over the spying and the depart-

ment’s screening of a video that portraysMuslims as wanting to dominate the UnitedStates.

In Newark, the report was met with a mix-ture of bemusement and anger. “Come, lookat yourself on film,” Abdul Kareem Abdullahcalled to his wife as he flipped through theNYPD files at the lunch counter of their restau-rant, Hamidah’s Cafe. An American-born citi-zen who converted to Islam decades ago,Abdullah said he understands why, after theSept. 11 terror attacks, people are afraid ofMuslims. But he said he wishes the policewould stop by, say hello, meet him and hiscustomers and get to know them. The docu-ments show police have no interest in that, hesaid. “They just want to keep tabs on us,” hesaid. “If they really wanted to understand,they’d come talk to us.”

After the AP approached Booker, he saidthe mayor’s office had launched an investiga-tion. “We’re going to get to the bottom ofthis,” he said. Booker met with Islamic leaderswhile campaigning for mayor. Those inter-viewed by the AP said they wanted to believehe didn’t authorize the spying but wanted tohear from him directly. “I have to look in hiseyes,” Mohammed El-Sioufi said at hismosque. “I know him. I met him. He was here.”

Ironically, because officers conducted theoperation covertly, the reports contain mis-takes that could have been easily correctedhad the officers talked to store owners orimams. If police ever had to rely on the data-base during an unfolding terrorism emer-gency as they had planned, those errorswould have hindered their efforts. Forinstance, locals said several businesses identi-fied as belonging to African-AmericanMuslims actually were owned by Afghans orPakistanis. El-Sioufi’s mosque is listed as anAfrican-American mosque, but he said theimam is from Egypt and the congregation is aroughly even mix of black converts and peo-ple of foreign ancestries.

“We’re not trying to hide anything. We areout in the open,” said Abdul A Muhammad,the imam of the Masjid Ali Muslim mosque inNewark. “You want to come in? We have anopen door policy.” By choosing instead to con-duct such widespread surveillance,Mohammed El-Sioufi said, police send themessage that the whole community is sus-pect. “When you spy on someone, you arekind of accusing them. You are not acceptingthem for choosing Islam,” Nagiba El-Sioufisaid. “This doesn’t say, ‘This guy did some-thing wrong.’ This says, ‘Everyone here is aMuslim’.” “It makes you feel uncomfortable, likethis is not your country,” she added. “This isour country.” — AP

NYPD built secret files on mosques outside NY


The amendments come followingstrong criticism of the excessive use of thefacility to detain suspects unnecessarilyinstead of releasing them on bail. Morethan a hundred stateless and Kuwaiti sus-pects are currently serving detention for21 days on a variety of charges.

In another development, four hardlineIslamist MPs yesterday announced the for-mation of a new parliamentary bloc theycalled the “Justice” bloc. The new bloc willbe headed by veteran Islamist MPMohammad Hayef and includes newIslamist lawmakers Osama Al-Munawer,Mohammad Al-Hatlani and Bader Al-Dahoom. Hayef said the new bloc willfocus on the Islamization of laws andachieving justice, equality and develop-ment.

The new National Assembly bureauwhich is dominated by the oppositionyesterday asked deputy speaker MPKhaled Al-Sultan to restudy the controver-

sial action by the previous bureau to file acomplaint against those who stormed theAssembly building in November. Formerspeaker Jassem Al-Khorafi and othermembers of the previous bureau hadagreed to file the complaint that eventual-ly led to the arrest of dozens of youthactivists and interrogating others, includ-ing several MPs.

Several opposition MPs had vowedthat if they won the election, they wouldpress the Assembly to withdraw the com-plaint. Sultan told reporters that theAssembly does not have the authority towithdraw the complaint and close thecase but it can interpret the legal aspectsof the complaint. The lawmaker said thathe was not assigned by the office bureauto withdraw the complaint but only tostudy the legal aspects and report back tothe bureau which will take the final deci-sion. Anticipating such a decision, pro-government MPs Nabeel Al-Fadl andMohammad Al-Juwaihel criticized theAssembly’s decision to re-open the issue.

Assembly to seek probes into...


first and second cars of the train,Alberto Crescenti, the head of the city’semergency services office, said.Transportation Secretary Juan PabloSchiavi said the train entered the station ata speed of 20 km an hour, and failed tostop, crashing into a retaining wall at theend of the track. “It was a very serious acci-dent,” he said at a news conference. “Carspiled up on top of each other and onethem went six meters (yards) inside anoth-er car. People suffered contusions, butthere are much more complex cases

involving traumas of the thorax. There arepeople trapped alive in the cars.”

Firefighters and rescue workers had tobreak through skylights in the train’s roofsto open a path to those trapped inside. “Ifelt the explosion of the crash. It was veryloud. The train did not brake, I saw peoplehurt in their necks, arms, legs,” said PedroFuentes, a passenger. Another passenger,who identified herself as Myriam, said shewas with her two children, ages six andfour. “In a blink of an eye we were on thefloor. I don’t know how we got out. Thedoor crashed in one me, and I covered thegirl.” — AFP

Argentine train crash kills 49Continued from Page 1

that such incidents do not happen again infuture”, a statement said.

Karzai also urged the US military to speedup a transfer to Afghan control of the contro-versial US-controlled prison at Bagram, some-times known as Afghanistan’s GuantanamoBay. “The sooner you do the transfer of theprison, the fewer problems and unfortunateincidents you will have,” the president toldCarter. Two US officials told AFP the militaryremoved Qurans from the prison becauseinmates were suspected of using the holybook to pass messages to each other.

The joint NATO probe with the Afghan gov-ernment would examine why the Qurans wereremoved and taken to a burn pit, a NATOspokesman said. “It is a very vital part of theinvestigation that we find out what was thematerial, what was the reason for the decisionto dispose of it, who gave the orders ... and

what actually happened at the burn pit,”German Brigadier General Carsten Jacobsontold reporters in Washington via video link.Local Afghan workers immediately “pulledmaterial out that was partly charred and wehave seen Qurans that were partly charred”,Jacobson said. For some reason NATO rulesabout the careful handling of religious materi-als were ignored, he said. “And somewhere adecision was made that was highly inappropri-ate and that brought us into a situation whichis very delicate.” Jacobson told BBC WorldNews TV that the incident was “probably anact of ignorance” and was “a mistake withgrave consequences”.

In the capital, hundreds of people pouredonto the main artery to the east, the Jalalabadroad, throwing stones at US military baseCamp Phoenix. “As a result of shooting by for-eign guards of Camp Phoenix one of our coun-trymen was killed and 10 others were injured,”an interior ministry statement said. The

demonstrators then tried to march on the citycentre, burning cars and attacking shops asthey went, but were driven back by riot police.

About 100 university students demonstrat-ed in west Kabul and dozens more peoplegathered at parliament until they were drivenaway by police. Six protesters were killed and13 wounded in Parwan province north ofKabul, provincial administration spokes-woman Roshna Khalid told AFP, saying theprotesters had attacked police with rocks andsome were armed. In Jalalabad one personwas killed as more than 1,000 demonstrators,many of them university students, blocked thehighway shouting “Death to Americans, Deathto Obama”. Elsewhere, one demonstrator waskilled when about 800 gathered in BarakiBarak in Logar province, a flashpoint forTaliban violence south of Kabul. Reports thatthe Quran had been mistreated first emergedon Tuesday, sparking demonstrations in Kabuland outside Bagram base. — AFP

Afghan protests over Quran burning kill 9

14o p i n i o nTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

All articles appearing on these pagesare the personal opinion of the writ-ers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibil-ity for views expressed therein. KuwaitTimes invites readers to voice theiropinions. Please send submissions viaemail to: [email protected] orvia snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat,Kuwait. The editor reserves the rightto edit any submission as necessary.

By Peter Martell

Somali pirates: Unbeaten but

under pressure

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Foreign navies and armed guards on boats havebadly dented the cutthroat capabilities of maraud-ing Somali pirates, but ending the scourge requires

land-based solutions, analysts warn. Somalia’s piratesremain a fearsome force prowling far across the IndianOcean seizing ships for ransom, costing the world bil-lions of dollars each year and now branching out toincreasing land-based attacks. “Success rates have plum-meted, and pirates have a hard time capturing ships,”said Stig Jarle Hansen, a Norwegian academic andSomalia expert, noting increased assaults by foreignnavies on vessels used as pirate “motherships.”

One reason for the decline in successful attacks hasbeen the increased use by shipping of armed guards andother security measures, said J Peter Pham, of theAtlantic Council think tank. “Most of the credit actuallybelongs to the shipping industry... whose adoption ofdefensive “best practices” and increased deployment ofprivate armed security has effectively hardened vesselsagainst seizure,” Pham said. But as successful attacksdecline, ransom prices have risen: the average payclimbed to $5 million in 2011 from $4 million in 2010,according to the US-based Oceans Beyond Piracy moni-toring group.

Somali attacks cost the world nearly $7 billion in2011, including more than $2 billion for military opera-tions, armed guards and equipment to protect ships, thegroup estimated in a report earlier this month. Multiplepirate gangs hold a grim trophy haul of at least 34 ves-sels and over 400 hostages, according to the monitoringgroup Ecoterra, many seized by the use of small skiffs,grappling hooks and rocket-propelled grenades.

However, while such “aggressive levels” of foreignnaval patrols have thwarted attacks, such tactics provideno long-term solution, said Rashid Abdi, a long-timeSomalia expert. “There has been a significant scaling upof these naval operations, but that in itself is no com-fort,” said Abdi. “The counterpiracy naval patrols inSomalia may just be simply displacing the problem.”

With warships only stopping individual attacks, ana-lysts say that a land-based solution is required to provideimpoverished communities with a reason not to resortto piracy. “The solution is still onshore, especially to buildup Puntland,” Hansen said, referring to Somalia’s semi-autonomous northern region, where many pirate gangsare based. Ransom cash is funneled to Puntland’s citiesof Garowe and Bosasso with little long-term benefit forthe coastal communities who carry out the attacks,Britain’s Chatham House think tank said in January.Efforts should be made therefore to approach coastalcommunities to “offer them an alternative that bringsthem far greater benefits than hosting pirates does”,Anja Shortland wrote in the report.

The impact of piracy remains huge, and finding solu-tions to end the menace was a key driver behind Britain’sdecision to mobilise international players at a February23 London conference on Somalia. “If I were a Somali Iwould thank Allah for the pirates,” wrote RichardDowden, the director of Britain’s Royal African Society,arguing that the world had ignored Somalia for twodecades as “civil wars destroyed the country”. “But theseizure of more than 200 ships by kids with guns in smallcraft has changed all that,” Dowden added in a recentpaper, noting a recent upsurge in international calls toend the anarchy.

However, pressure at sea means the opportunisticbandits are also branching out to land-based kidnap-ping, including eyeing potential targets in neighbouringEthiopia, or aid workers in Somalia’s anarchic capitalMogadishu, Hansen said. “The pirate groups have relo-cated to the hinterland - now they are kidnapping for-eigners for ransom,” said Abdi. Kidnapping individualsmay be an easier target than a merchant vessel bristlingwith guns and protected by warships, but have stillproved troublesome targets for the bandits. Reportssuggest pirates have tightened security after a USSpecial Forces raid last month rescued two aid workers -an American and a Dane - and killed all nine kidnapperswho had held them hostage for three months. SeveralWestern hostages seized on land are believed held bypirates, either kidnapped directly or sold on later to thepirates by other armed gangs. They include a Britishtourist and two Spanish aid workers kidnapped in neigh-bouring Kenya, as well as an American writer seized incentral Somalia. Ending the problem cannot be done bya simple quick fix plan, however. “We have to look for acomprehensive solution,” warned Abdi. — AFP

Inside and out, divisions keep Syria in stalemateBy Alastair Macdonald

“World, please help us!” has been arefrain of Syrians under siege bytheir own government in Homs,

Deraa and other cities. So far, though, it is prob-ably President Bashar al-Assad who has hadmore outside assistance, highlighting how acomplex web of regional and global interests isstalemated over Syria, where a complex socialmix is shaping up for a long confrontation. Thebombardment of Homs this month promptedtalk of Syria’s “Benghazi moment” - whenWestern, and Arab, powers would feel com-pelled to intervene as they did in Libya lastMarch, when Muammar Gaddafi’s forces closedin on the rebel stronghold.

That moment, though, may have passed fornow. Russia and China have vetoed a Libya-style UN Security Council resolution condemn-ing Assad. Homs looks increasingly like a for-lorn Sarajevo, Syria like a Balkan riddle, des-tined to work out bloody internal differenceswhile the confrontation among external forceshinder swift victory for either side. That theanti-Assad rebels, themselves a fractiousbunch, look to support ranging from Westerndemocrats to Arab monarchs, from Turkey toAl-Qaeda, is surely a mark of this complexity -as is the backing Assad can count on from theclerical rulers of Iran and avowedly secularleaders in the Kremlin and Beijing.

The numbers in last week’s 137-to-12 votein the UN General Assembly condemningAssad were impressive, including the likes ofemerging powers India and Brazil and 19 ArabLeague states out of 22. But the names against,notably Russia, China and Iran, are telling. Theveto seems to have emboldened Assad to stepup his raids and shelling of opposition strong-holds, prompting the United States to suggestit was open to eventually arming the Syrianopposition. It said that if a political solution tothe crisis was impossible it might have to con-sider other options.

A “Friends of Syria” meeting in Tunis tomor-row will gather Western and Arab leaders withAssad’s opponents. But Russia has rejected anytalks that do not include the Syrian govern-ment. It supports Assad’s referendum onreform, to be held on Sunday. The oppositionand their foreign backers call that vote a joke.China, too, has yet to accept an invitation toTunis and says it wants all sides to stop fightingand open negotiations.

For many, Syria’s internal conflict is turninginto a proxy war between rival internationalgroupings, between Sunni and Shiite Muslimsin the Middle East and, globally, along Cold Warlines between democracies and authoritarianleaders. The weapons range from sanctions,economic and political, to arms shipments,overt and covert, for rival sides. In time, sometroops, perhaps branded peacekeepers, mightjoin the discreet advisers, spies and secretforces who may already be in action.

Internal DivisionsWithin Syria, ranged against Assad are large

segments of the 23-million population. Theyinclude liberal-minded pro-democracyactivists, many of them young and inspired byfellow Arabs who rose up in Egypt and else-where. But many in the Sunni Muslim majority,from middling urbanites to the rural and subur-ban poor, are also fed up with corruption and agrowing wealth gap. And Sunni Islamists, longsuppressed, are capitalising on deep popularresentments after decades of domination byAssad’s Alawite religious minority, an offshootof Shiism.

As some in the opposition take up arms -seized from troops, brought by soldiers desert-ing to the rebel side or smuggled in fromincreasingly compliant foreign allies - Assadcan still count on a heavy military advantage,counting tens of thousands of troops withthousands of tanks and heavy weapons. Russia,Iran and others have been supplying more,throughout the revolt. Fear of the unknown, ofchaos or of a takeover by hardline Islamistsamong the 70 percent Sunni Arab majoritymeans not just the Alawite 10 percent, but alsosubstantial communities of Christians, Kurds,Druze and other religious or ethnic minorities,

as well as the urban, Sunni middle classes havebeen slow to turn against Assad, giving him awider base of support. Many in the minorities,with grievances against the Assads, or hurt byeconomic sanctions that are crippling theeconomy, or appalled at the descent intobloodshed or simply hedging their bets, havemoved into opposition. Yet many, too, feel thattheir communities have much to lose fromoverturning the status quo. The regular armyand security forces number officially some400,000. Largely led by Alawites, the loyalty ofmany conscripts may be questionable. ButAssad has also yet to deploy much of his heavi-est firepower, including the air force. Alongsidethe regular forces, the authorities have armedgroups known as ‘shabbiha’ - ‘ghosts’ in Arabic -a name derived from gangsters operating inthe Alawite areas of western Syria. These havebeen blamed for sectarian attacks on Sunnis,just as militant Islamists are accused of attackson Alawite targets.

International StandoffBeyond his borders, Assad is also not with-

out allies. The Syrian president, who inheritedpower from his father 12 years ago, has alignedhimself firmly on one side of the Middle East’sdeepening split between Sunni and ShiiteMuslim powers. While religion has played littlepart in the calculation of the Assad clan in itsfour decades in power, Syria has stood outamong Arab states by keeping close to non-Arab, Shiite Iran. Hafez Al-Assad, Bashar’s father,sided with Iran’s clergy against his Iraqi neigh-bour, Saddam Hussein, despite their commonbranding as Baathist Arab nationalists, duringthe war of the 1980s.

That earned the Assads the abiding mistrustof many Sunnis, but has given Bashar theadvantage of quiet support now from some inBaghdad, where the US overthrow of Saddambrought Iranian-allied leaders from Iraq’s Shiitemajority to the fore. At the same time, Iraqi offi-cials say, Sunni militants battle-hardened fromyears of sectarian conflict have been flittingacross into Syria - reversing a border flow whichonce brought Syrian and other hardliners in tofight US forces. This month Al-Qaeda leaderAyman Al-Zawahiri urged Sunni Muslims acrossthe region to help Syrians topple Assad. Shorton anti-tank rockets, however, or the kind ofexplosives with which to make improvisedbombs, their challenge to Assad is limited.

At the level of governments, most of theArab League - even those monarchs and auto-crats who have watched the Arab Spring withalarm and have no relish for supporting popu-lar uprisings - has lined up against Assad. Sohas one of the most influential voices of theSunni clergy, Cairo’s Al-Azhar institution. Qatar,the tiny, gas-powered Gulf emirate with region-al power ambitions, has been lobbying for athreat of military action in Syria, at least in theform of “peacekeeping” troops - a move fewothers seem willing to risk for the time being.

As in Libya, where Qatar’s Al Jazeera televi-sion station was a vocal critic of Gaddafi beforethe emir dispatched military hardware and, intime, special forces on the ground, Syria, too,has been alive with rumours of Qatari weapons,even a small, secret presence, though there isno evidence for that yet. Wealthier still, SaudiArabia’s rulers, closely in tune with the austereWahhabi school of Sunni religious thought,would be glad to see their Iranian regional rival,already under pressure from Western sanctionsand threats of action against its nuclear pro-gram, thwarted by the fall of its main Arab ally,Assad.

Direct Saudi involvement beyond diplomat-ic and, possibly, material support for the oppo-sition seems unlikely in Syria. But its confronta-tion with Iran has taken visible form lately inthe shape of Saudi troops sent in to neighbour-ing Bahrain to bolster the island’s Sunni monar-chy against an uprising among the majorityShiite population for which Riyadh has blamedIran.

Iran’s various leaders, on the other hand,while appearing to distance themselves some-what from Assad’s violence - and his unpopu-larity at home and abroad - seem unlikely toabandon their long-time ally, particularly at atime when they, too, feel threatened by popu-

lar frustrations at home and pressure abroad.Western adversaries of Iran have accused it ofsupplying not just military equipment but elec-tronic surveillance and other tools developedto crack down on dissidents using the Internetand mobile phones. Assad’s enemies accusehim of using Iranian specialists to help againstthe revolt and rebels say they have captured ahandful of Iranian military personnel insideSyria. There are suggestions that Iran’sRevolutionary Guards - and their Lebaneseallies in Hezbollah - may have provided someof the sharpshooters picking people off on thestreets of Homs. This week, two Iranian war-ships docked at a Syrian port in what lookedlike a show of military support, according toIran’s Press TV. The Pentagon said it had no indi-cation the ships had docked.

Directly on his eastern and western borders,Assad also has friendlier faces - Iraq’s Shiite-ledgovernment is at least ambivalent, while inLebanon, where Hezbollah has emerged as adominant force in the years since Assad pulledSyrian troops out of his smaller neighbour,Assad has clear support. Lebanon stood out byopposing an Arab League resolution inNovember that called for Assad to step aside. Inthat vote, Iraq abstained. Last week at theUnited Nations, as pressure mounted, Iraq vot-ed against Assad, while Lebanon was amongabstainers.

To the south, Jordan, like the Gulf powersanother Western-allied Sunni monarchy, hascome out publicly against Assad. But with con-cerns for its own stability, it seems unlikely totake a strong lead in backing the rebels beyondaccepting refugees. The other southern neigh-bour Israel, which has occupied the GolanHeights since seizing them from Syria in thewar of 1967, has been unenthusiastic about thepossible chaos or Islamist takeover that mightfollow a departure of its old, but generally sub-dued, enemy, the Assad administration.However, it appears to have concluded it can-not survive, and is planning for change, as wellas an influx of refugees heading for the Golan,which is home notably to communities ofDruze.

In a turn that may demonstrate a shiftingbalance of power in the region, thePalestinians’ Sunni Islamist movement Hamashas distanced itself from Assad, moving theirleader out of Damascus and, after two decadesof backing from Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, it issounding out support from Sunni Qatar. Egypt,the most populous Arab state, where the SunniIslamists of the Muslim Brotherhood now dom-inate a parliament elected after the overthrowof Hosni Mubarak last year, is also looking kind-ly on its fellow Brotherhood followers in Syria.

Assad’s northern neighbour, Turkey, aMuslim NATO member whose leadershipcomes from a Sunni Islamist background, hasalso abandoned him, condemning a formerfriend and giving refuge to rebel commandersof the Free Syrian Army. Ankara is worried aflood of refugees could destabilise the border.It has raised the possibility of creating safeareas in Syria to protect civilians, and even ofintervening militarily if there were massacres incities. Any action, though, officials say, wouldonly be undertaken with some form of interna-tional mandate, including support from Araband Western allies. Tomorrow’s meeting inTunis, at which Turkey hopes to take a leadafter being slow off the mark to join NATO alliesagainst Gaddafi, may offer clues as to how farAnkara is prepared to go.

Cold WarHowever impressive the anti-Assad bloc

may be, a world power stand-off in the MiddleEast is becoming more defined and recalls thedays of the Cold War, when Assad’s father useda firm alliance with the Soviet Union againstthe United States to arm himself heavilyagainst enemies internal and external.Nostalgia may play little part in Moscow’s strat-egy today, but Syria hosting Russia’s onlyMediterranean naval base, at Tartous, and thepossibility of using the Syrian conflict toreassert itself as a diplomatic player in theregion means that Moscow shows little sign ofsiding quickly with the West.

China, too, as seen in its sympathetic ear for

Iran’s leaders, has a growing interest, as anincreasingly demanding consumer of energy,in asserting itself in the Middle East. And, likeRussia, Beijing has shown a commitment toblocking moves at the United Nations which,seen across the desks of leaders whose powerrests as much on state control as popularchoice, appears to give foreign powers a say inwho rules. Taken aback by the way a UNSecurity Council resolution which they failed toveto led to the Western military campaign thathelped topple Colonel Gaddafi, Russia andChina have made clear they will not allow anynew move to give a licence for “regime change”in the name of Western-inspired democracy.

This week, Beijing’s People’s Daily told theWest its calls for Assad to quit could provoke“large-scale civil war”. Russia’s Vladimir Putin,campaigning to become president again in anelection he is sure to win next month, hasmade a point of condemning as a “culture ofviolence” the temptation among Western gov-ernments to intervene militarily abroad. Havingfirst entered the Kremlin 12 years ago on theback of the bombardment of a Russian city,Grozny, that was in the hands, as he saw it, ofWahabbi Islamist rebels, Putin has little reasonto condemn Assad’s assaults on Homs or Deraa.

Syrian defectors, rebel forces, Russian ana-lysts and international shipping data all indi-cate that Russia continues regular supplies ofheavy armaments to the Syrian government -as it is legally entitled to do in the absence ofany embargo. While Iranian and Chinese armsform substantial parts of Assad’s stocks - only asmall proportion of which have yet beenexpended - Russia may account for nearly all ofthe newer, and more high-performance, equip-ment reaching Syria, both directly from Russianstate-run firms and via middlemen, analystssay.

As in the Balkans, where Western backingfor, say, Kosovo separatists, against Moscow’sally Serbia raised tensions to levels rarely seensince the Cold War, this places Moscow in directconfrontation with leaders in Europe andWashington. In France, the former colonialpower which drew modern Syria’s borders,President Nicolas Sarkozy is highlighting hisleading role in the Libyan war as he fights atough campaign for re-election. He has beenvocal in condemning Assad and supporting thedisparate, often fractious, Syrian opposition.

Not LibyaThe United States, Britain and others have

also pulled no punches verbally to denouncethe “brutal dictator” Assad. While British PrimeMinister David Cameron has relished some ofthe credit for overthrowing Gaddafi, unlikeSarkozy and US President Barack Obama, hedoes not face an election this year. Some ofObama’s Republican opponents in the Senatehave already explicitly called for Washington tohelp arm the rebels, if only through Arab allies.In a shift of emphasis, US officials on Tuesdaysignaled that if Assad did not embrace a politi-cal solution to ease him from power the UnitedStates might have to consider alternatives to itspolicy against arming the opposition.

As in the Balkans, as over Iran, the realpolitikof a global power confrontation puts Syria in avery different situation from Libya, a geograph-ically isolated, thinly populated, socially homo-geneous state whose ruler’s talent for shiftingforeign alliances had deserted him and left himvulnerable. Syria’s population is four times thatof Libya, jammed in to a tenth of the territory.Its population is similar to that of the formerYugoslavia or Iraq, yet it is smaller than either,about the size of Florida. It is socially diverse,packed into fast-growing cities and across well-peopled farm-belts.

It is the sort of space where, even were theopposition to coalesce as Libyans did into agreater semblance of a rebel army, there would,unlike in Libya, be little chance for clear front-lines along which foreign powers might deployair power and every likelihood of bloody, con-fused civil war, as in Bosnia. So when Syriansappeal to “the world” for help, they must knowthat world appears as divided as Syria itself.Assad can go on using those divisions - athome and across the Middle East and globally -to hold his ground, at least for now. — Reuters

sp ortsTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

DUBLIN: Flyhalf Tobias Botes will make his first Italy start in Saturday’s Six Nations cham-pionship clash with Ireland in Dublin after coach Jacques Brunel made four changesfrom the team who lost to England.

Treviso’s South Africa-born Botes, who has made two replace-ment appearances during this year’s tournament, has come infor Kristopher Burton as Italy try out yet another player intheir problem position. Burton drops to the bench along-side Gonzalo Canale with Alberto Sgarbi returning in hisplace at centre. Prop Martin Castrogiovanni, who crackeda rib in the 19-15 defeat by England in Rome on Feb. 11,has been ruled out for the rest of the competition soLorenzo Cittadini has come in with Michele Rizzo anoth-er change in the front row. Perennial wooden spoon sideItaly also lost their opener in France 30-12 and go toDublin looking for their first win there in 15 years.

Flanker Mauro Bergamasco, a previous mainstay of theteam who has been sidelined by Brunel since theFrenchman took over from Nick Mallett before thechampionship, is out of the tournament afterbeing banned for four weeks.—Reuters

LONDON: British police, fire and ambu-lance staff held a huge pre-Olympicssecurity exercise Wednesday centeringon a mock terrorist attack on theLondon subway system.

The two-day test - called “ExerciseForward Defensive” - started at theAldwych subway station, which hasbeen closed to commuters since 1994.The London Underground maintainsthe station so it can be used in moviesand rented for parties.

The security simulates an attack onone of the busiest days during the 2012London Olympics. Authorities declinedto reveal the exact scenario in advance,saying surprise is a key element of theexercise. “(It’s about ensuring) that wehave the right people in the right

places, that we understand how othersoperate and that we are talking to eachother at the right levels and in the rightway,” said Assistant Commissioner ChrisAllison of the Metropolitan Police.

The test is a part of efforts to createconfidence ahead of the games, whichopen July 27 and end Aug. 12. BritishTransport Police spokesman SimonLubin said for participants the testevoked memories of the July 7, 2005,London transit attacks, when four sui-cide bombers killed 52 commutersaboard three subway trains and a bus.The attacks came a day after Londonwas awarded the 2012 Olympics.

Official reports and an inquest criti-cized the emergency services’ responseto the 2005 bombings. —AP

Big Olympics security testBotes debut for ItalyTOKYO: Japan forward Yoshito Okubo has promised to be on his best behaviour afterbeing brought in from the cold for Friday’s home friendly against Iceland by coachAlberto Zaccheroni. The hot-head striker, whose international career has been litteredwith ill-timed red cards and run-ins with coaches, said yesterday he planned to repay the

Italian’s faith in him.“I’m just going to get my head down and work hard,”

Vissel Kobe’s Okubo told reporters before Japan’s firstgame of 2012 in Osaka.

“I’ve been told to play by the rules the coach haslaid out. It’s a little difficult to find your rhythm at thebeginning but I’ll try to get a feel for it again quickly.

“It doesn’t feel like I’ve been away from the nation-al team,” added Okubo, who last played for Japan at the

World Cup in 2010 when he helped themreach the last 16.

While injury had kept Okubo out ofJapan’s side, Zaccheroni’s list of walkingwounded have given the pint-sized for-ward a chance to force his way back intoside. —Reuters

Okubo to ‘play by the rules’

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L OTL GF GA PTSNY Rangers 38 15 5 161 118 81New Jersey 35 20 4 168 162 74Philadelphia 33 19 7 198 181 73Pittsburgh 34 21 5 186 160 73NY Islanders 25 27 8 140 176 58

Northeast DivisionBoston 35 20 2 190 132 72Ottawa 31 22 8 185 183 70Toronto 29 24 7 181 184 65Buffalo 26 27 7 150 176 59Montreal 24 27 10 160 167 58

Southeast DivisionFlorida 27 20 11 144 162 65Winnipeg 29 26 7 157 175 65Washington 29 25 5 159 168 63Tampa Bay 27 26 6 166 197 60Carolina 23 26 11 158 181 57

Western ConferenceCentral Division

Detroit 41 18 2 191 141 84St. Louis 36 16 7 150 117 79Nashville 35 19 6 168 155 76Chicago 33 21 7 191 179 73Columbus 18 35 7 142 198 43

Northwest DivisionVancouver 38 16 6 195 147 82Calgary 28 23 9 143 161 65Colorado 29 27 4 151 168 62Minnesota 26 24 9 131 154 61Edmonton 23 30 6 159 178 52

Pacific DivisionSan Jose 31 20 7 170 148 69Phoenix 30 21 9 157 151 69Los Angeles 27 21 12 128 131 66Dallas 30 26 4 155 167 64Anaheim 25 25 10 154 171 60

Buffalo 2, NY Islanders 1; New Jersey 4, Toronto 3 (Overtime);Pittsburgh 2, NY Rangers 0; Columbus 6, San Jose 3;Philadelphia 5, Winnipeg 4 (Overtime); Dallas 3, Montreal 0;Tampa Bay 3, Anaheim 2; Nashville 3, Vancouver 1; Chicago 2,Detroit 1; Edmonton 6, Calgary 1; Phoenix 5, Los Angeles 4(Shootout).

NHL results/standings

NASHVILLE: Nashville’s MikeFisher scored a power-play goaland added two assists to lift thePredators to a 3-1 win over theVancouver Canucks on Tuesday ina clash of two of the NHL WesternConference’s top four teams.

Sergei Kostitsyn and DavidLegwand also scored for thePredators. Fisher, who sat outSunday’s game in Dallas due to ill-ness, broke the scoreless tie 5:42into the second period.

Dale Weise had the lone goal forthe Canucks, who missed an oppor-tunity to move level with Detroit forthe league lead.

Blackhawks 2, Red Wings 1In Chicago, Corey Crawford

made 31 saves to help Chicagohold off Detroit in a matchup ofCentral Division rivals missing theirtop centers. Jimmy Hayes scoredthe tying goal in the second periodand set up Marcus Kruger’s winningscore in the third as Chicago earnedits fourth consecutive victory.

Valtteri Filppula had opened thescoring with a power-play goal forNHL-leading Detroit, which hadwon six in a row.

The Red Wings were withoutleading scorer Pavel Datsyuk whileChicago was missing star centerJonathan Toews due to an upper-body injury.

Penguins 2, Rangers 0In Pittsburgh, Marc-Andre Fleury

stopped 27 shots to tie the fran-chise record for career shutouts,helping Pittsburgh top EasternConference-leading New York.Evgeni Malkin scored his 33rd goalof the season and added an assiston Steve Sullivan’s tally to help thePenguins bounce back from a list-less loss in Buffalo on Sunday.Pittsburgh posted its first home winover the Rangers since 2009.

Devils 4, Maple Leafs 3In Toronto, Mark Fayne scored

just over a minute into overtime togive New Jersey victory overToronto. Fayne’s weak shot from thepoint somehow found its waythrough goalie Jonas Gustavsson.

Petr Sykora had a goal and anassist for New Jersey, and DavidClarkson and former Maple Leafs

forward Alexei Ponikarovsky alsoscored for the Devils, who havewon four games in a row.

Phil Kessel’s 31st goal of theseason for Toronto came with 44seconds left in regulation, forcingovertime. Tim Connolly hadscored in the first period, andClarke MacArthur added a goal inthe second.

Flyers 5, Jets 4In Winnipeg, Jaromir Jagr

scored in overtime to liftPhiladelphia over Winnipeg in yetanother high-scoring affairbetween these teams.

Philadelphia’s WayneSimmonds had sent the gameinto the extra period with a goalwith 10 seconds left in regulation.

Claude Giroux had a goal andtwo assists, and Scott Hartnelladded a goal and an assist, whileMaxime Talbot also scored for theFlyers. Andrew Ladd scored a pairof goals 64 seconds apart while

Dustin Byfuglien and EvanderKane also netted for the Jets.

These two teams played eachother four times this year for anaggregated of 39 goals, includingthe Jets 9-8 win last October.

Coyotes 5, Kings 4In Glendale, Arizona, Radim

Vrbata scored his second goal latein regulation as Phoenix ralliedfrom a three-goal deficit to beatLos Angeles in a shootout.

Shane Doan also had twogoals to help extend Phoenix’spoint streak to nine games. Vrbatascored on a power play with 2:27left, then Ray Whitney and MikkelBoedker scored for Phoenix in theshootout, which ended when LosAngeles defenseman JackJohnson missed wide right.

Drew Doughty, AndreiLoktionov and Dustin Brownscored in the first period, andJustin Williams added his 12thgoal in the second for the Kings.

Stars 3, Canadiens 0In Montreal, Ryan Garbutt

scored his first NHL goal and KariLehtonen made 31 saves as Dallasbeat Montreal. Mike Ribeiro andTom Wandell also scored for theStars.

The shots were 9-0 in favor ofDallas before Montreal recordedits first at 8:14. For a fifth straightgame, the Canadiens allowedtheir opponent to strike firstwhen Garbutt, just called up from

the minors, snapped a shot fromthe circle over a crouched goalie.

Lightning 3, Ducks 2In Tampa, Steven Stamkos

scored twice to push his NHL-leading total to 42 goals, andadded an assist as Tampa Baybeat Anaheim. Stamkos has fivegoals and eight points over hispast three games.

Teddy Purcell added a goaland two assists for the Lightning,who have won three in a row.

Saku Koivu and Bobby Ryan bothhad a goal and an assist for theDucks, who lost in regulation forthe first time in ten games. TampaBay was without captain VincentLecavalier, who will be sidelinedindefinitely by a broken righthand.

Sabres 2, Islanders 1In Buffalo, Ryan Miller made

30 saves to help Buffalo hold offNew York . Tyler Myers andThomas Vanek staked the Sabresto a 2-0 lead and they held on tomove a point above theIslanders in the EasternConference standings. FransNielsen scored with 5:08 left tosnap the Islanders’ goal droughtat 106 minutes, 51 seconds.Former NHL star Doug Weightf i l led in as New York ’s coachbecause Jack Capuano was ill.

Oilers 6, Flames 1In Calgary, Sam Gagner scored

a goal and added two assists, andEdmonton broke out with fourunanswered goals in the secondperiod in a rout of Calgary.

Jordan Eberle, Ryan Smyth,Taylor Hall, Ales Hemsky and EricBelanger also had goals for theOilers, who had won only one ofnine on the road going in.

Scott Hannan netted just hissecond goal of the season andfirst in 52 games to provide theonly score for the Flames, wholost in regulation for the first timethis month. Calgary had won 10straight at home against theOilers and beaten them in 16 of17 meetings.

Blue Jackets 6, Sharks 3In Columbus, Jeff Carter

notched a hat trick - includingtwo goals on the power play dur-ing Columbus’ four-goal first peri-od - as the last-placed BlueJackets handed San Jose its sea-son-worst fourth straight loss.

RJ Umberger and Rick Nash,who is the subject of trade rumorswith the deadline less than aweek away, had a goal and anassist. David Savard also scoredfor Columbus. Logan Couturescored twice and Joe Thorntonalso had a goal for San Jose.—AP

Predators roll over Canucks

SINGAPORE: The “borderless” nature of women’s golfmakes it an ideal fit for the Olympic Games and its returnto the official programme in Rio 2016 will help strengtheninvestment and interest in the sport, LPGA CommissionMike Whan has told Reuters.

Whan, speaking in Singapore ahead of the HSBCWomen’s Champions tournament, said that while day-to-day life on the Tour was all about the individual, the con-cept of playing for country was one the LPGA, players andfans thoroughly embraced.

“From my perspective, the Olympics is going to givewomen’s golf a global media platform and coverage thatwe just don’t get on a regular basis,” Whan told Reuters inan interview yesterday at Singapore’s Tanah Merah CountryClub.

“The guys get it a lot. They get global media coveragethat’s incredibly massive but we only get it three or fourtimes a year,” added Whan, who took over as commissionerin 2010.

“Hopefully golf will also be good for the Olympics. I feellike we have a responsibility because the Olympics is anincredible global showcase so we are feeling the pressureto do it right.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted in2009 to bring golf back to the Games for the first timesince 1904. Rugby, which was last played at an Olympiclevel in 1924, is also making a return in Rio, in the Sevensformat.

The decision to include golf has not been met with uni-versal praise, with some critics suggesting the pursuit of anOlympic gold medal will always take a back seat to win-ning a major.

And while others suggest existing team competitionssuch as the Ryder and Solheim Cups could lose some oftheir lustre, Whan believed having an Olympic gold medalto play for every four years would serve to motivate young-sters.

“At the end of the day, our mission is to empower andinspire women through the game of golf,” the 47-year-oldsaid, adding that investment in the game got an immedi-ate boost after the IOC’s decision.

“If you’re 12 and you’re a great golfer, it doesn’t matterwhich country you are from you can have that dream. Golfis a truly borderless sport and that’s why it lends itself tothe Olympics so well.”

Whan said that while the nationality of a player wasusually an afterthought on Tour, there were incredible out-pourings of national pride when the LPGA went to coun-tries such as Taiwan, where current world number one YaniTseng comes from.

“When we go play in Taiwan they’re so proud of Yani. It’sthe same thing when we go to places like Korea, Australia... The fans take pride in following players from their coun-try. We don’t want to suppress that, we want to celebrateit.”

Tseng, who won in Thailand last week, said the prospectof winning a gold medal appealed to her. “It’s very exciting,I was very happy to hear that golf is back in the Olympics,she said. “It’ll be very good for golf, and it would be myhonor to play for my county.”—Reuters

BEVERLY HILLS: Manny Pacquiao and Timothy BradleyJr. both realize almost every boxing fan wishes FloydMayweather Jr. had been standing next to Pacquiao atthe Beverly Hills Hotel on Tuesday.

But when Pacquiao and Mayweather failed to make adeal for the fight everybody wants to see, Pacquiaomoved down the list of contenders to make a fight hehopes his fans will enjoy.

Pacquiao and Bradley are getting an early start onthe promotional circuit for their welterweight bout June9 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Even whilethe Filipino congressman and his unbeaten opponentposed for photos and praised each other in the peach-colored ballroom at the historic Hollywood hideaway,Pacquiao and his camp realized Mayweather’s absencelooms over the proceedings.

“I’m willing to fight Mayweather,” Pacquiao said. “But Ihave to fight the guys who are hungry to fight me.Timothy Bradley is strong, and he can punch. He’s agood boxer, so it’s a challenge to fight a guy like that.”

Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) realizes he’ll have to doplenty of promoting to get fans interested in a fightagainst Bradley, a 140-pound (63.5-kilogram) championfrom Palm Springs, California, who has never been in afraction of the spotlight that follows Pacquiao acrossthe globe.

Pacquiao will make sure every fan knows all aboutBradley (28-0, 12 KOs), praising him as a game oppo-nent who enjoys a good action fight as much as hedoes - another indirect swipe at the defense-orientedMayweather.

“It’s nice to be fighting a fighter who is undefeatedand not worried about losing that zero on his record,”said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s longtime trainer.

Yet Roach repeatedly showed little interest in a boutwith Bradley in recent years, citing Bradley’s nearanonymity and limited knockout power. AlthoughBradley’s record makes him an eminently worthy oppo-nent, he only pulled into prime position for the boutlast year when he joined promoter Bob Arum’s Top Rankalongside Pacquiao.

Pacquiao and Bradley haven’t exactly built up anymotivation to punch each other in the face yet, either.After Pacquiao cracked up in laughter when he posedfor a staredown with Bradley, the Filipino championgrabbed a camera and shot a few photos of Bradley,who struck a goofy pose.

Pacquiao is “probably the best fighter in the historyof boxing,” said Bradley, a physical boxer best known forusing his shaved head as a battering ram to get insideon his opponents. “He’s a great role model, a great guy,but Manny Pacquiao has reigned for a long time, and Ireally feel like I’m the new face of boxing.”

Boxing could need a new face as soon as next year.Mayweather has fought sparingly in his 30s, andPacquiao says he’ll consider retirement in November

after his next two bouts. Pacquiao cites a renewed reli-gious fervor for his interest in retirement, saying he’s nolonger comfortable pounding on his opponents whilewinning his last 15 fights. Roach said Pacquiao’s lasttraining camp “fell apart” in its final days because ofnumerous distractions including friction betweenPacquiao and his wife, Jinkee, resulting in a mediocreperformance in a narrow victory over Juan ManuelMarquez. “He says God doesn’t want him to hurt peo-ple,” Roach said. “That bothers me a little bit, but Mannyhas always been a compassionate person.”

Even while hyping his bout with Bradley, Pacquiaoknows everybody will ask him about the potential of aMayweather fight in November. Even his 11-year-oldson, Emmanuel Jr., is on his dad’s case.

“My kids request me: ‘Dad, I want you to retire, butbefore, you have to fight Mayweather and beat him,’”Pacquiao said with a grin. Pressed for details about thebreakdown in negotiations with Mayweather, Pacquiaosaid he was willing to fight for a 50-50 split of all rev-enue from what’s likely to be the richest fight in boxinghistory. Pacquiao recounted his phone conversationwith Mayweather several weeks ago, with negotiationsfalling apart afterward.

“I was in the Philippines, and I told him, ‘We need tomake this fight happen,’” Pacquiao said. “I said I wouldagree to a 50-50 (split), and he said, ‘Oh, I’ll give you a$40 million guarantee, and no pay-per-view. I’ll take allthe pay-per-view.’ I don’t accept that offer. It’s kind ofembarrassing to me. It’s trying to take advantage of me.He doesn’t want to fight.”

That $40 million might sound like a fortune, but aPacquiao-Mayweather fight is expected to producemore than $150 million in pay-per-view proceeds alone.Mayweather’s camp denies Mayweather made such anoffer, but the verbal sniping likely won’t let up nextweek when Mayweather begins promoting his May 5bout against Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao is making a brief trip stateside before head-ing back to the Philippines. After stops in Las Vegas andHollywood for promotional shoots, he’s taking a Nikecorporate jet to New York for more publicity - and hope-fully a meeting with Jeremy Lin before the Knicks’ nextgame Wednesday night.

“Jeremy Lin, I’m proud as an Asian,” said Pacquiao, anavid basketball fan and player. “We’re very proud of him.Keep up the good work.”—AP

Golf will be greatfor the

Games — LPGA

PITTSBURG: A shot goes over the head of Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury(29) after it was deflected by New York Rangers’ Ryan Callahan (24) in the third period ofan NHL hockey game.—AP

Pacquiao touts Bradley fight, teases retirement

Manny Pacquiao

sp ortsTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

MARANA: No one is quick to embracechange until money is involved. That’sone reason the Players AdvisoryCouncil gave its blessing last week tothe concept of the Nationwide Tourbeing the primary path to the bigleagues, PGA Tour cards being award-ed in a three-tournament series and anew season starting in October insteadof January. It now goes to the policyboard on March 27.

The details - and there are many -remain very much under discussion.This is not just about making thedevelopmental tour attractive to a newtitle sponsor. It’s about making the falltournaments relevant, and the onlyway to do that is to include them in theFedEx Cup season. Otherwise, the like-lihood is they would go away. Thatequates to as much as $24.3 million inprize money, not to mention the loss incharity money, the backbone of thePGA Tour.

“We’d be the first professional sportto vote down money,” said Joe Ogilvie,part of the 16-member PAC. “That’swhat we would be doing if we voted itdown. When you put it in those terms,a lot of guys went from, ‘We shouldn’tdo this’ to ‘You kind of have to.’” Changeappears inevitable.

PGA Tour commissioner TimFinchem suggested as much last weekin an interview with the Los AngelesDaily News when he said that while thesystem is not broken, “we feel there’s abetter way to do it.” Even more tellingwas what followed.

“We’ve had so much success withthe FedEx Cup that we feel it’s impor-tant to get everything oriented to theFedEx Cup,” he said. Change will not beeasy. The original plan was to take thetop 75 players from the NationwideTour and players who finished from No.126 to No. 200 on the PGA Tour moneylist and have them play three tourna-ments, with the top 50 getting theirtour cards. The one detail causing themost consternation is how to blendplayers from two different tours.

As it is, the top 25 from theNationwide Tour earn their cards. Thetour is trying to make sure that most, ifnot all, of those 25 players are rankedin a way it would be virtually impossi-ble for them not to earn cards in thethree-tournament series. But how tomerge the others?

Did the player who was No. 126 onthe PGA Tour money list - competingevery week against the top players -have the same season as someone

who was No. 26 on the money listwhile competing in the minor leagues?

“I’ve played the Nationwide Tourtwice. I finished second and third onthe money list,” Ogilvie said. “I haven’tfinished second or third on this moneylist.” Ogilvie’s best finish on the PGATour was 37th in 2004.

Tom Pernice Jr. has a solution thatsadly is not getting much traction fromtour officials. His idea is to give the top25 on the Nationwide Tour their cardswithout having to play in the three-tournament series. Everyone else startsfrom scratch.

Think about it. Under the currentmodel of Q-school, No. 126 on themoney list has no advantage over No.168. It’s not like the higher-rankedplayer is given a pair of 68s and told hedoesn’t have to tee off until the third ofsix rounds. “It seems like everyone is alittle unsure how to seed the guy who’s126 on the money list,” said MattKuchar, another PAC member. “Theseare tough decisions. Trying to figureout where everyone fits in this is awk-ward. I think it’s going to be trial-and-error.” Unlike the FedEx Cup points sys-tem, this is one model the tour has toget right the first time. But this is onlyone piece of the puzzle. There will be

several moving parts to a new sched-ule, just as there was when the FedExCup was created five years ago. One ofthe components might involve thisweek. According to two peopleapprised of the conversations, oneoption is to move the Match PlayChampionship to Harding Park in SanFrancisco - and move it from lateFebruary to October as part of the fallstart to the season.

The people spoke on condition ofanonymity because they were notauthorized to discuss negotiations.Both stressed that the option was inthe early stages of consideration. Ifthat were to happen, it would give thefall start to at least two World GolfChampionships (HSBC Champions inChina is the other), which would behard for players to turn down. Also,the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico -held opposite the Match Play thisweek - is getting its own spot on thecalendar, most likely toward the end ofthe year - again, in the fall start to theseason. However, such a move mightcreate problems for the West CoastSwing, a key stretch in setting the tonefor the year. Four of the West Coastevents don’t conflict with the NFL, andall of them are prior to March

Madness. When is the offseason?Whenever the players want a break.It’s always been that way. Even in theshorter FedEx Cup season, playerswere going overseas to play in Asia,Europe and Australia. Still, if playersadd tournaments in the fall, somecould take time off in the early part ofthe following year. Kuchar played theAustralian Open and the PresidentsCup in Australia, the World Cup inChina, and then the Chevron WorldChallenge in California. “I like my timeoff,” Kuchar said. “This year on the WestCoast, I’ve just been getting my feetwet. I’ve only played two events. I justdidn’t think I had much of an offsea-son.” There could be plenty of otherslike him.

These are the issues that still haveto be sorted out. And while the PACsent the concept of a fall start to thepolicy board, there’s still a long way togo and much to consider. But changeis coming, and that’s nothing new.

Remember, it was 30 years agowhen only the top 60 earned tourcards. The rest had to Monday qualify,and anyone who made the cut thatweek got into the next tournament.The next year was the start of the all-exempt tour. —AP

PGA Tour changes inevitable, details to follow

MARANA: For US Open championRory McIlroy, the WGC-AccentureMatch Play Championship canoffer the players beauty andsomething of the beast becauseof the sheer lottery of its format.Matchplay is much more unpre-dictable than strokeplay andbecause of the extraordinarydepth in the global game, anyonein this week’s elite 64-man field iscapable of winning the title.

Northern Irishman McIlroy hasgone out in the second round ofthe World Golf Championshipsevent the past two years andknows how difficult it is to comefrom behind over 18 holes.

“I always look forward to thisevent but I definitely prefer toplay matchplay over 36 holes,” the22-year-old told reporters at DoveMountain’s Ritz-Carlton Golf Clubon Tuesday. “In 18 holes of golfanything can happen.

“You can be five or six underpar and lose or you can playmediocre and win. I don’t mindlosing a match if you don’t playwell ... but when you feel like youhave done all you can and stillcome up on the wrong side, it’spretty tough to take.

“That’s the nature of this for-mat, and that’s why everyoneenjoys watching it,” addedMcIlroy, who has been drawn toplay South African GeorgeCoetzee in Wednesday’s openinground. Britain’s Lee Westwood, theworld number three, agreed. “It’s aweek I really enjoy,” said theEnglishman, who will face BelgianNicolas Colsaerts late yesterday.“Everybody looks forward to it

being different to what’s a normaltournament structure.

“I’ve got a tough first-roundmatch, but there are no easy ones.Nicolas is a good player ... he’s gota game suited to this course andthis format.”

Tiger Woods is a three-timeswinner of the event but he hasalso suffered early disappoint-ment, losing at the first hurdle in2002 and last year and going outin the second round in both 2005and 2009.

“Anybody can beat anybody atthis level,” said the former worldnumber one whose ranking hasslipped to 20th. “ That’s whatmakes it so interesting for us as

players. “It is a sprint, it is a boatrace. You have to get off to quickstarts. Generally if you get downearly, two or three down, yourarely come back. It ’s hard tomake up ground when you’reonly playing 18 holes. “You don’tknow who you’re going to get orhow they’re playing. In either caseyou have to go out and makebirdies,” added Woods, who playsSpaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in the first round. “Morecrazy stuff happens in matchplaythan will ever happen in a stroke-play tournament,” said AustralianGeoff Ogilvy, winner in 2006 and2009.

“You’ll see guys chip in to go

down to extra holes or you’ll see aguy win four holes in a row orhole three 30-footers in a row.”

British world number one LukeDonald, McIlroy, Westwood andGermany’s Martin Kaymer are thetop seeds in the four groups of 16for this week’s event.

Donald will launch his cam-paign against South Africa’s triplemajor winner Ernie Els whileworld number four Kaymer takeson Australian Greg Chalmers inthe first round.

For the fourth consecutiveyear, the elite event that bringstogether the world’s best playerswill be held on the 7,791-yard lay-out at Dove Mountain. —Reuters

McIlroy sees beauty and the beast in Match Play

MARANA: Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa hits from the rough along the second fairway in the first round duringthe Match Play Championship golf tournament. —AP

WELLINGTON: The Super 15 tournamentstarts this week with plenty of plot linesto appeal to fans, yet teams and organiz-ers are wondering whether the elongat-ed seven-month-long season will test thepatience of the rugby public.

In New Zealand, fans old and new willhave been inspired by last year’s WorldCup win on home soil, Australia boaststhe defending champion QueenslandReds, while South Africa’s teams boast afresh look and new promise.

The question remains whether thosefactors will be enough to sustain faninterest from February to August, strad-dling the June international windowwhen the southern hemisphere’s nation-al teams host northern opposition.

Fan support remains strong inAustralia - particularly in Queensland -and in South Africa where teams havebeen refreshed after recent retirements.But in New Zealand ticket sales havebeen slow despite last year’s drought-breaking World Cup win.

For some time, Kiwi fans have gravi-tated towards the older, more traditionalrivalries of interprovincial competitionand away from the glossier internationalattractions of Super 15.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief exec-utive Steve Tew said New Zealand’sSuper 15 clubs have to work harder tosatisfy supporters.

“There is definitely a positive feelabout the game,” Tew said. “Does thatmean people will start automaticallyturning up to matches? I don’t think wecan make that assumption.

“The franchises are going to have towork very hard to make sure peoplecome and give them good value for

money when they’re there.”New Zealand is about to move away

from the franchise ownership modelwhich it has used since 1996, in a steptowards more private involvement inteam operation.

There are also structural changesafoot in South Africa, where the localunion is pressing SANZAR to expand thecompetition next season to 16 teams,allowing it to field a sixth side drawnfrom the Eastern Cape which has thenation’s largest proportion of black play-ers.

The South African Rugby Uniondenied reports it’s five existing franchiseswill boycott the tournament if theSouthern Kings are not admitted.

“No threat of a boycott was made,”SARU chief executive Jurie Roux said.“But the franchises have made it plainthat the only option to them is theexpansion of Super Rugby.”

Misgivings about the current formatof the Super 15 have also beenexpressed in Australia. World Cup-win-ning former Springboks coach JakeWhite, who will coach the ACT Brumbiesthis season, said Australia’s five teamswere at a disadvantage to those of NewZealand and South Africa because of asalary cap and restrictions on squadsizes.

“It’s very different in Australia to befair,” White said. “In South Africa they’vegot players coming out of their ears, theydon’t have salary caps.

“In some ways it ’s tougher for anAustralian side to do really well in thiscompetition, but it’s been proved byEwen (McKenzie) and the Reds that it canbe done.” — AP

SYDNEY: Australia’s QueenslandReds hold no fears of a second-year syndrome as they seek todefend their Super 15 crownwhen the new season starts onFriday. The Reds lost only threematches in their 15-victorycharge to last season’s Super tro-phy, but Wallaby scrum-half WillGenia says his side will not rest ontheir laurels in defence of theirsouthern hemisphere provincialtitle. “We are so young and we’renot like older players who havewon a title and we’ll rest ourcareers on that,” Genia said, aheadof his side’s opener on Saturdayagainst the NSW Waratahs.

“We’re still full of motivationand still want to play well and dowell for Queensland.” Local book-makers have the Reds third-favourites behind New Zealandheavyweights Canterbury

Crusaders and Auckland Blues forthis year’s Super 15. The Reds, 18-13 winners over the Crusaders inlast year’s Brisbane final, will kickoff this weekend without Wallabyplaymaker Quade Cooper.

Cooper ruptured knee liga-ments in last October’s World Cupbronze play-off win over Wales inNew Zealand and is hoping for apotential round-seven comebackagainst the Brumbies on April 6.

Coach Ewen McKenzie knowshis team will be under pressure asdefending champions. “Each yearyou’re confronted with differentsituations so the job as a coach isto come up with different solu-tions,” McKenzie said.

Two-time finalists NSWWaratahs have strengthened inthe off-season under new coachMichael Foley and have recruitedscrum-half Sarel Pretorius, the

South African Super player of theyear last year.

Pretorius, 27, is a brill iantattacking half and is hoping hisspell with the Waratahs can boosthis international ambitions withthe Springboks.

“I’m here because I want tolearn from the Waratahs and I’mgoing back to the Cheetahs forthe Currie Cup, so hopefully I cantake some experience backhome,” Pretorius said.

The Waratahs hope to pairPretorius with Berrick Barnes inthe halves and have also addedWallaby back Adam Ashley-Cooper from the Brumbies andRocky Elsom has returned to takeover the captaincy.

Melbourne Rebels enter theirsecond season under new coachDamien Hill and have splashedon exciting Wallaby running

backs James O’Connor andKurtley Beale.

After finishing with the wood-en spoon in their inaugural 2011season, the only way is up forMelbourne and if their forwardscan achieve parity their potentbackline, also including Englandfly-half Danny Cipriani, could winmore games than they lose.

Cipriani, 24, showed flashes ofhis best last year but let himselfdown with some off-field indis-cretions which led to him beingsuspended for a month.

But in three pre-season trialmatches he has looked more con-sistent and his defence-previous-ly a failing-has been strong.

“He’s playing well and is con-trolling the game really well andthat’s what I like from a 10,” saidO’Connor, who plays outside himat inside-centre. — AFP

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Shooting SportsClub will organize Sheikh Jaber Al-Abdallah Al-Jaber Annual CupChampionship on Thursday March 1st,for three days. Competition willinclude skeet, trap and double trapevents for men, women, juniors andshooting school.

Secretary General Obeid Al-Osaimisaid this cup competition has its spe-cial status in Kuwait’s shooting com-munity as it remembers the supportSheikh Jaber Al-Abdallah gave to theshooters and their club, since it wasestablished at Ahmadi governorateranges.

Al-Osaimi said this cup allows fordiscovering promising skills that helpin the club’s future plans and maintainits achievements.

He said this championship pro-

ceeds the Grand InternationalChampionship of HH the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah tobe organized from 19-26/3/2012.

Interested shooter can registerfrom 23/2/2012 until Tuesday28/2/2012 at the club.

SINGAPORE: Yani Tseng of Taiwan, the No. 1player in the world, will seek to win one of thefew big tournaments she hasn’t yet con-quered in her young career when she tees offat this week’s $1.4 million HSBC Women’sChampions.

The 23-year-old Tseng dominated women’sgolf last year and is off to a hot start in 2012with her victory at last week’s LPGA Thailand.

But a win in Singapore has eluded hersince the tournament began in 2008, and shefaces a field of 63 golfers featuring 18 of the20 top-ranked when play starts Thursday atthe par-72 Tanah Merah Country Club.

“Every year I have come closer and closer

to winning this tournament,” Tseng saidWednesday. “All the best players are playinghere this week and the golf course is reallychallenging so I can’t wait to go out there.”

Tseng solidified her hold at No. 1 with sev-en 2011 LPGA Tour victories last year, includ-ing major victories in the LPGA Championshipand Women’s British Open. She had 12 world-wide victories last season and the five-timemajor champion has 33 career worldwide pro-fessional wins.

“Winning five majors at the age of 23 isvery impressive,” world No. 3 Suzann Pettersensaid. “She makes us even work harder.”

Australia’s Karrie Webb, who won last year’s

tournament, compared Tseng to some of thegreatest players in women’s golf history.

“I ’ve played my career with Annika(Sorenstam), Se Ri Pak and Lorena (Ochoa)and now Yani,” said the 37-year-old Webb,who has 38 career LPGA Tour victories. “I’veplayed with the best.”

American star Michelle Wie, ranked 18th inthe world, said after she graduates fromStanford University next month she shouldhave more time to focus on golf.

“I’m on track to graduate this March, so it’sgoing to be interesting,” Wie said. “It’s going tobe the first time in my golfing career that Iwon’t have school, or school work to do.” —AP

Annual ShootingChampionship

Obaid Al-Osaimi

Tseng eyes Singapore victory

PARIS: France’s Rugby Union national team centre Wesley Fofana and JulienMalzieu (right) arrive for a press conference in Marcoussis. —AFP

Super 15 uncertainty as longest season begins

Reds vow fight to retain title

S P ORTSTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

South AfricaR. Levi c Nicol b Franklin 11H. Amla c McCullum b Bracewell 33A. Morkel c Nicol b Southee 10AB de Villiers b Nicol 29J.P. Duminy run out 38J. Ontong lbw b Nicol 6J. Botha c Guptill b Southee 2W. Parnell not out 22R. Peterson not out 11Extras (lb-1, w-2) 3Total (For 7 wickets in 20 overs) 165Did not bat: M. de Lange, M. Morkel.Fall of wickets: 1-20 2-39 3-59 4-121 5-129

6-130 7-137.Bowling: Hira 2-0-20-0(w-1), Bates 3-0-29-0,

Franklin 2-0-23-1, Southee 4-0-22-2,Bracewell 4-0-28-1 (w-1), N. McCullum 2-0-22-0, Nicol 3-0-20-2.

New ZealandR. Nicol c Levi b M Morkel 33M. Guptill c Amla b Botha 26J. Ryder c M. Morkel b Botha 52B. McCullum c de Villiers b Peterson 18K. Williamson c A. Morkel b M. Morkel 6J. Franklin not out 9N. McCullum c de Villiers b de Lange 0D. Bracewell c Amla b de Lange 0T. Southee not out 0Extras (lb-5, w-12, nb-1) 18Total (For 7 wickets in 20 overs) 162Did not bat: M. Bates, R. Hira.Fall of wickets: 1-65 2-73 3-112 4-142 5-158

6-160 7-160.Bowling: Peterson 4-0-34-1, de Lange 4-0-

36-2(nb-1, w-2), A. Morkel 1-0-13-0(w-1), M.Morkel 4-0-31-2(w-2), Botha 4-0-20-2(w-2),Parnell 1-0-14-0, Duminy 2-0-9-0.

Scoreboard from the third and final Twenty20 international between New Zealand andSouth Africa at Eden Park in Auckland \yesterday:

NEW DELHI: Indian field hockey teams found suc-cess in past decades with deft stick work, nimblefeet and artistic forays. Now, in the modern era offast synthetic turfs, they have been reduced to“also rans.”

Field hockey, widely considered India’s nationalgame, is in desperate need of a standout perform-ance that fans hope will come at this year ’sOlympic Games.

But to get to London, the men’s team must firstqualify from an ongoing tournament in New Delhi,which fans hope will not end like the disastrous 2-0loss to Britain in the final the Beijing 2008 qualify-ing competition in Chile four years ago thatdeprived India of an Olympic berth for the firsttime.

India has a rich field hockey tradition with eightOlympic gold medals, but the decline in standardssince the advent of artificial surfaces in the 1970shas left it lagging far behind the national obsession

of cricket. Indian hockey teams are regularly over-powered by the likes of Australia, Germany, theNetherlands and South Korea due to a lack of pow-er and stamina, and often given up early advan-tages even to less fancied teams.

India captain Bharat Chhetri acknowledges thata lack of competitiveness has been an issue inrecent years. “We’re addressing problems that weface toward the end of games,” Chhetri toldreporters ahead of the Delhi qualifiers. “We will gointo the game with the idea of attacking and set-ting up the game early, so that we do not havemuch to do toward the end.

“We’ll not only qualify for the Olympics but alsodo well there,” he said. Australian Michael Nobbs,who took over from Spaniard Jose Brasa as India’snational coach, says the team needs stronger play-ers and must develop the ruthlessness of Australiato do well at the global level.

“We’re working toward getting well-built and

physically fit players in the team,” Nobbs said inNew Delhi as India prepared for the qualifiers.“Today Australians are successful because they alsohave some physically fit players in the team. Suchplayers give you lot of advantages. They can quick-ly recover the ball after losing it and can also breakinto any attack and defense with ease.”

Organizers of an upcoming club-based WorldSeries Hockey, that does not enjoy the sanction ofworld body FIH, are also banking on India winningthe qualifications final on Feb. 26 to provide a goodpromotion for their own controversial tournamentthat starts three days later.

The game has been in the news for all thewrong reasons since the 2010 World Cup, organ-ized by Hockey India, which runs the game in thecountry.

The body organizing the WSH is the originalnational body - Indian Hockey Federation - whichwas de-registered several years ago by the FIH and

the Indian Olympic Association over corruptioncharges and the inability to unify the men’s andwomen’s bodies. In such a scenario, will a failure toqualify for the Olympic Games sound the deathknell for the game?

“I do not subscribe to the view that Indian hock-ey will die if we fail to qualify for the Olympics yetagain,” Brasa wrote in a column in The Times ofIndia. “I think people in India really love theirnational team.”

India won six consecutive Olympic gold medalsstarting from 1928 in Amsterdam, but slumped inthe world rankings since winning the 1975 WorldCup and clinched the last of its eight Olympic goldmedals at the boycott-marred 1980 MoscowOlympics. Indian teams have shown glimpses oftheir former glory, but have failed to qualify for thesemifinals of eight successive World Cups and sixconsecutive Olympic Games before altogethermissing out on reaching Beijing. — AP

India chases former glory to revive field hockey

NEW DELHI: Favorites India overcame a stiffchallenge from lower-ranked Canada to post a3-2 win and virtually book a place in the men’sfinal of the Olympic qualifying tournament inNew Delhi yesterday. South Africa faced no diffi-culty in moving into the women’s final, thrash-ing India 5-2 for their third win in four matches.

In other men’s matches, France had to workhard for a 3-0 win over lower-ranked Italy andPoland trounced inexperienced Singapore 11-3to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for thefinal. India currently top the six-team group with12 points from four matches, followed by Poland(nine), France (nine), Canada (six). Singapore andItaly, winless after four games, are out of con-tention.

France will clash with Canada and Polandtake on India in the last league matches onFriday. In other women’s matches, StephanieJameson converted a penalty-stroke in the sec-ond half as Canada downed Poland 1-0 and Italybeat Ukraine 2-1.

South Africa lead the group with 10 points,followed by Italy (eight), India (seven), Ukraine(four), Canada (four) and Poland (nil). The win-ners of the India-Italy game on Friday will moveinto the final.

The top two teams in each event will enterthe final, with the winners qualifying for theLondon Olympics. India struck throughShivendra Singh and Sandeep Singh in the pacyencounter but never looked safe with their 2-0lead as Canada came back strongly to restoreparity, with Mark Pearson and Scott Tupper find-ing the target.

Sandeep scored the winner off a penalty-cor-ner in the 61st minute. “They (Canada) haveplayed in the Olympics before and it was a very

tough match. We had opportunities to score, butfailed to make the most of them,” said Sandeep.“There was no pressure on me when I took thepenalty-corner (that led to the winner).” France,who drew a blank in the opening session againstItaly, converted three penalty-corners in the sec-ond half through captain Arnaud Becuwe,Martin Genestet and Frederic Verrier to earn fullpoints.

Szymon Oszyjczyk scored three goals andMateusz Poltaszewski two for Poland againstSingapore, while Miroslaw Juszczak, TomaszGorny, Bartosz Zywiczka, Artur Mikula,Waldemar Rataj and Michal Nowakowski scoredone goal apiece. Mohamad Farhan Kamsani

scored two goals for Singapore and MuhammadFazri Jailani one. In the women’s section, Italykept alive their hopes of entering the final with anarrow win over Ukraine, thanks to GiulianaRuggeri’s winner off a penalty-corner in the clos-ing minutes.

Alessia Doriana Padalino converted a penal-ty-corner in the fifth minute for Italy’s first goalbefore Ukraine equalised through BohdanaSadova.

South Africa dominated the match againstIndia as Dirkie Chamberlain scored three goalsand Sulette Damons two, while Asunta Lakraand Soundarya Yendala found the target for thehosts. Today is the rest day. — AFP

India keep winning, South Africa in final

AUCKLAND: Marchant de Lange took twowickets in a final over yesterday that con-ceded only three runs as South Africablunted New Zealand’s run chase to winthe third Twenty20 international by threeruns and take the series 2-1.

New Zealand started the last over need-ing seven runs with five wickets in hand tooverhaul South Africa’s total of 165-7, butfailed spectacularly to finish on 162-7 inone of its most embarrassing internationaldefeats.

Even a no-ball by De Lange from the lastdelivery of the innings couldn’t save NewZealand. When he overstepped, the NewZealanders needed a four from the last ballto win the match and series. But TimSouthee, newly at the crease and facing hisfirst ball, played and missed outside offstump.

“When the pressure came on we werefound wanting,” New Zealand captainBrendon McCullum said. “Credit to SouthAfrica, they kept the pressure on us and wedidn’t respond. Obviously we foundered atthe end. That’s not the way we want to playcricket. In pressure situations we want toplay ruthlessly and to put other teamsaway, but we didn’t do that tonight.”

New Zealand had been coasting to vic-tory when Jesse Ryder, recalled to its lineupfor the first time since December after over-coming a calf injury, compiled a half-centu-ry from 37 balls.

Ryder hit five fours and two sixes afterRob Nicol (33) and Martin Guptill (26) hadput on 65 for the first wicket in only sixovers.

Brendon McCullum furthered the runchase, scoring 18 from 19 balls to reach112-3, leaving New Zealand only 53 fromthe last eight overs. When NathanMcCullum was out on the second ball ofthe 16th over, New Zealand was 142-4 andneeding 24 runs from 28 balls.

But New Zealand began to lose its wayfrom that point. Ryder was held scorelessfor eight consecutive deliveries by tightSouth African bowling. He was out for 52,

leaving New Zealand on 158-5 and need-ing eight to win with seven balls remain-ing. Nothing from that point went to plan.

De Lange bowled a series of fast, short-pitched deliveries from which a successionof New Zealand batsmen were unable toscore. The New Zealanders were bent onhitting boundaries and, as each ball passedwithout a run being scored, the matchtipped in South Africa’s favor with DeLange and offspinner Johan Botha main-taining an unrelenting pressure.

Ryder tried to reverse-sweep Botha andwas caught by Morne Morkel at fine leg.Nathan McCullum top-edged another con-trived shot and was caught by wicketkeep-er AB de Villiers from the third ball of Delange’s final over. A scoreless DougBracewell, hitting out, was caught byHashim Amla two balls later.

James Franklin faced the prospect ofhitting a six from the final ball of theinnings to win the match but was reprievedwhen De Lange overstepped. New Zealandscrambled a single and Southee was leftwith the strike and a free hit, needing afour to win the match.

De Lange bowled a fast ball wide of offstump and Southee, anchored on thecrease and swinging blindly, was unable tomake contact. Botha finished with 2-20 offfour overs and De Lange with 2-36.

Earlier, Nicol took two wickets, held twocatches and effected a run out after NewZealand won the toss and bowled.

Nicol claimed 2-20 from three overs, andtook a catch in the deep to dismiss danger-man Richard Levi for 11 when South Africawas 20-1.

Levi scored an unbeaten 117 “ thefastest century in Twenty20 internationals,including a world record 13 sixes to guideSouth Africa to an eight-wicket win inSunday’s second match after New Zealandhad won the first by six wickets.

Nicol also caught Albie Morkel for 10and completed a brilliant run out off hisown bowling to dismiss the innings’ top-scorer, JP Duminy, for 38. — AP

BARCELONA: Germany ’s NicoHulkenberg handed Force India aconfidence boost yesterday whenhe clocked the fastest time in pre-season testing after an exhaustingday’s drive.

Hulkenberg timed 1min22.608sec from a total of 112 lapswith Sauber’s Sergio Perez in sec-ond spot and world championSebastien Vettel, who had beenquickest in the morning, finishingthird fastest.

“We started the day with someaero work, trying some constantspeed runs and collecting moredata,” said Hulkenberg.

“Then, the rest of the day wasspent working on the balance ofthe car and trying out all four tyrecompounds. I did some short runs,long runs and just got a feel for thetyre characteristics and how the carreacts to them. “Once again the carhas been very drivable all day andour baseline set-up has proved tobe a good starting point for run-ning all the different compounds.”

Vettel’s progress was hamperedby the cold weather which meantsome equipment froze in the morn-

ing before the action got under-way. “I’m happy that we got a lot oflaps done. Unfortunately, we had alittle bit of a problem, it was small,but with testing you stop wheneverthere’s a issue, take a look and seewhat’s what and that always takesup a bit of time,” said Vettel.

“But nevertheless, in the after-noon I was quite happy. We got alot of laps done, more than 100, sowe got through most of the pro-gramme.

“I think we are on the right roadwith the car. The first impressionsat the last test were fine. The carreacted the way we expected. Ikeep talk ing about the loss ofdownforce compared to last year,as we don’t have the tools we had,but this is the same for everyone,not just us.”

Lotus did not test after pullingout on Tuesday due to a chassisproblem. Testing continues untilFriday and there will be a finalseries of testing back here onMarch 1-4, before the teams travelto Australia for the opening raceof the season in Melbourne onMarch 18. — AFP

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Misbah-ulHaq said his side are desperate toredress the balance in a Twenty20international against England todayafter a one-day series whitewash bythe tourists. Pakistan were Tuesdayrouted 4-0 by England, who showed abig improvement from their 3-0 defeatin the preceding three-Test series.

Misbah wants his side to regain theupper hand, but also wants to use thematch as a stepping stone towards theWorld Twenty20 series later this year.“This is a very important series for us,moreso because we won the Tests,they won the ODIs and now it’s almostthe decider,” said Misbah. “And if youconsider that this is World Twenty20year, it’s very important for us to comeback.”

England will defend the title theywon in the West Indies in 2010 whenSri Lanka host the fourth edition of theWorld Twenty20. “I think we need tolearn from England on how they trans-formed their fortunes in ODIs, and I amconfident that my boys can do that,”added Misbah.

“I don’t think we were dispirited,because the team wants a windesparately and that’s why we werelike that. Everybody was trying to giveone hundred percent and when it slipsout of your hand it seems you are dis-jointed.”

Pakistan will ring some changes,with experienced batsman YounisKhan and Azhar Ali returning homewhile dashing uncapped left-handedopener Awais Zia joins the Twenty20squad.

England have retained AlastairCook, originally not named in theTwenty20 squad, after he showedgreat form in scoring back-to-backhundreds in the first two one-daymatches. England paceman StuartBroad meanwhile said his side wouldbe using every opportunity possible tohelp prepare them for the defence oftheir World Twenty20 title.

“Of course, we need to make use ofevery game we have because thereisn’t many leading to the WorldTwenty20. And that being in the sub-continent we need to really make useof these conditions,” said Broad.

“It makes these games prettyimportant. We are not looking tothese matches as a warm-up, we arelooking to win this series and that iswhat we will be focusing on,” addedBroad. “Cookie is keen to playTwenty20 cricket. He has made thatpretty obvious. He has been kept onin the squad because obviously wehave got some injury concerns inthe squad,” said Broad of Cook,retained as cover-up for injured RaviBopara. — AFP

NEW DELHI: Teammates congratulate Sandeep Singh of India (second left) after scoring from apenalty corner during the men’s field hockey match between India and Canada. — AP

SCOREBOARD

South Africa win T-20 thriller

AUCKLAND: New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder is caught out for 52 off a scoop shot in frontof South Africa’s wicketkeeper AB de Villiers in their third Twenty20 cricket match atEden Park. — AP

Pakistan look toredress balance in T20

Hulkenberg strikes blow for Force India

SPAIN: Ferrari’s Spanish Fernando Alonso drives at Catalunya’sracetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, during the Formula Onetest. —AFP

DUBAI: England’s Twenty20 (T20) cricket captain Stuart Broad (left) andPakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq (right) pose for photographers with theT20 series trophy during a press conference at the Dubai Internationalcricket Stadium. — AFP

18S P ORTSTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

DUBAI: Samantha Stosur from Australia returns the ball to Lucie Safarova ofCzech Republic during the third day of Dubai Duty Free TennisChampionships. —AP

PORTLAND: The Portland TrailBlazers capitalized on SanAntonio’s decision to rest TimDuncan and Tony Parker by rout-ing the NBA Southwest Division-leading Spurs 137-97 on Tuesday.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 21points and Jamal Crawfordscored 20 points, shooting 5 for 7on 3-pointers, for the Blazers,who led by as many as 48 pointsand rested all their starters formost of the fourth quarter.

Kawhi Leonard had 24 pointsand 10 rebounds for San Antonio,who had come in with 11 straightvictories, and eight in a row onthe road.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovichsaid before the game that he wasresting Parker and Duncanbecause the Spurs were playingthree games in four nights.Parker is averaging 19.5 pointsper game, while Duncan’s aver-aging 19.9 points and 8.6rebounds.

Grizzlies 89, 76ers 76In Memphis, the hosts moved

to a season-best four gamesabove .500 by beating Atlanticdivision leader Philadelphia.

Marc Gasol had 15 points and

14 rebounds - finishing threeassists shy of a triple double -and Rudy Gay scored 14 pointsfor the Grizzlies.

Jrue Holiday scored 22 points -none in the fourth - for the Sixers,who shot just 37 percent whilelosing their fourth straight.

Heat 120, Kings 108In Miami, the hosts’ winning

streak reached seven games witha victory over Sacramento.Dwyane Wade scored 30 pointsand added 10 assists, while MarioChalmers and Chris Bosh eachscored 20 points for the Heat,which has won each of its gamesduring this streak by at least 12points. Wade shot 11 for 16, the11th straight game he’s shot atleast 50 percent, matching hiscareer best in that department.

Isaiah Thomas scored 20 of his24 points in the third quarter forSacramento, which dropped itssixth straight.

Pacers 117, Hornets 108In Indianapolis, Roy Hibbert

had a career-high 30 points and13 rebounds to lead Indiana pastNew Orleans in overtime.

Paul George scored 20 pointsfor the Pacers, who went on a 10-0 run in overtime to notch a thirdstraight win.

Trevor Ariza scored 21 pointsto lead the Hornets, who will con-clude a stretch of three games inthree days - all on the road - onWednesday at Cleveland.

Cavaliers 101, Pistons 100In Cleveland, the hosts roared

back from a 17-point deficit tooverrun Detroit. Antawn Jamisonscored 32 points for the Cavaliers,who trailed 72-55 late in the thirdquarter.

Alonzo Gee, who scored 13points in the fourth quarter, putthe Cavaliers ahead for good, 97-95, by rebounding his own misswith a dunk with 25.4 secondsleft. Rookie Kyrie Irving, whoscored 25 points, and Gee com-bined for 30 of Cleveland’s 35points in the fourth quarter.Brandon Knight led the Pistonswith 24 points —AP

Blazers rout Spurs

MIAMI: Sacramento Kings’ Isaiah Thomas (22) drives aroundMiami Heat’s Norris Cole (30) in the second half of an NBA bas-ketball game. Miami won 120-108. —AP

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GBPhiladelphia 20 13 .606 -NY Knicks 16 17 .485 4Boston 15 16 .484 4New Jersey 10 24 .294 10.5Toronto 9 23 .281 10.5

Central DivisionChicago 26 8 .765 -Indiana 20 12 .625 5Cleveland 13 17 .433 11Milwaukee 13 19 .406 12Detroit 11 23 .324 15

Southeast DivisionMiami 26 7 .788 -Orlando 21 12 .636 5Atlanta 19 13 .594 6.5Washington 7 25 .219 18.5Charlotte 4 27 .129 21

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Oklahoma City 25 7 .781 -Denver 18 15 .545 7.5Portland 18 16 .529 8Minnesota 16 17 .485 9.5Utah 15 16 .484 9.5

Pacific DivisionLA Clippers 19 11 .633 -LA Lakers 19 13 .594 1Phoenix 14 19 .424 6.5Golden State 12 17 .414 6.5Sacramento 10 22 .313 10

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 23 10 .697 -Dallas 21 12 .636 2Houston 19 14 .576 4Memphis 19 15 .559 4.5New Orleans 7 25 .219 15.5

LA Clippers 107, Orlando 102 (OT); Philadelphia 95, LA Lakers 90; Washington 111, Toronto 108 (OT); Phoenix 99, Atlanta90; Chicago 108, New Jersey 87; NY Knicks 99, Utah 88; Sacramento 100, New Orleans 92; San Antonio 89, Memphis 84;Houston 99, Denver 90; Oklahoma City 111, Portland 107 (OT). (OT denotes overtime win)

NBA results/standings

DUBAI: Samantha Stosur appears to have herbest chance to win a first title since the US Openafter reaching the quarter-finals of the DubaiOpen yesterday.

It is five months since the Australian cap-tured the first Grand Slam title of her career inNew York, but during her 6-1, 6-7 (7/5), 6-1 winover Lucie Safarova she showed glimpses of areturn to title-winning form.

Safarova, who beat former world numberone Caroline Wozniacki in Doha last week,found more chances to flay her left-handedforehand cross court into Stosur’s backhand inthe second set.

But in the third Stosur was able to re-imposeher serve, one of the finest in the women’sgame, and with some help of some forceful fol-low-ups, restored the earlier patterns of thematch. “I don’t think I did much wrong in thesecond set and thought I played a good match,”said Stosur. “I held serve and in the third set Itook my opportunities to break.”

Stosur’s cause may also have been signifi-cantly aided by top-seeded Australian Openchampion Victoria Azarenka pulling out shortlybefore her first round match with an ankleinjury.

That follows the pre-tournament absence ofthe second-seeded Wimbledon champion PetraKvitova. Both players had been placed inStosur’s half. With Li Na, the French Open cham-pion from China, missing with a bad back, andVera Zvonareva, the former Wimbledon finalistfrom Russia, absent with a hip problem, thedraw has opened up for her invitingly.

Stosur next plays Jelena Jankovic, the formerworld number one from Serbia, who reachedthe quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over FlaviaPennetta, last year’s conqueror of Azarenka.

Still playing with a tear in her bandaged leftthigh, Jankovic recovered well from an early 1-3

deficit, adopting a more positive approach andfinding a good combination of aggression withconsistency.

Later the defending champion, CarolineWozniacki, also reached the quarter-finals, afteroutplaying Simona Halep, a Romanian qualifier,6-2, 6-3.

It earned the Dane a meeting with anotherformer world number one, Ana Ivanovic. TheSerb beat Maria Kirilenko, a former top 20Russian, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) despite losing a three-point lead and trailing 3-4 in the tie-break.

Agnieszka Radwanska, the fifth seeded Polewho overcame the Israeli Shahar Peer 7-5, 6-4on a strictly monitored outside court, had a dif-ferent interpretation of the casualty list whichhas left her one of the three most likely playersto win the title.

“It’s also an explanation that sometimes inthe off season the girls are doing too much,” shesaid. “Then suddenly you have some toughmatch in the beginning of the year and then it’stoo much for the body.” Radwanska now playsSabine Lisicki, the Wimbledon semi-finalist fromGermany.

Meanwhile Peer, who in 2010 here becamethe first female Israeli athlete to compete in theUAE, departed celebrating another diplomaticsuccess for her and the ground-breaking DubaiOpen.

Although she still had to live with tight secu-rity in separate facilities from all the other play-ers, it was regarded appropriate to allow theIsraeli sightseeing for the first time in her threevisits to Dubai.

The other quarter-final is between DanielaHantuchova, the former world number fivefrom Slovakia who made the first successful titledefence of her career at Pattaya the weekbefore last, and Julia Goerges, the world num-ber 21 from Germany. —AFP

Stosur sends Safarova packing

KUWAIT: Kuwait clinched first place during the first dayof GCC 10th Technical Gymnastics Championship, aftersnatching three medals, two of which are gold. Themedals were taken by the U-16 team following a stiffcompetition with the Saudi team which claimed the sil-ver, meanwhile the bronze went to Bahrain.

Kuwait’s Hassan Rashid won the individual apparatusgold medal, followed by Saudi Arabia’s Mahdi Al-Ghuzaiwi and Kuwait’s Yousuf Adnan.

Kuwait’s Juniors (U-11) gave a strong performance

that brought them very close to win the championship.The GCC Gymnastics Committee held a meeting that

was chaired by Dr. Ali Al-Jafri, who started the meetingcongratulating HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the occasions of Liberation andNational days.

They also congratulated Kuwait Gymnastics Unionfor hosting the championship. When asked why Omandid not participate in GCC championships, Al-Subaieesaid Oman does not have a Gymnastics union, and con-tacts are being made with Omani officials to start gym-nastics.

Meanwhile Chairman of Qatar’s union Ali Al-Hatimilauded the level of Gulf and Arab gymnasts, adding thatKuwait hosted the first championship and now it ishosting the tenth event successfully and this indicatesthat the previous Gulf championships are success.

He said Kuwait used to dominate gymnastics, butnow as the games developed in Saudi Arabia and Qatar

competition became stronger and results are very close.He said Qatari Gymnastics were able to get 4 out of

six medals during the Arab Games which shows the lev-el of development Qatari gymnastics have reached.

Kuwait excel in Technical Gymnastics

Labor slaves andprisoners helpingbuild WCup venues

SAO PAULO: It wasn’t a tough choice for convicted bank rob-ber Chiquinho: spend the day in a cell or make money out inthe sun helping Brazil build a 2014 World Cup stadium.

Former slave worker Nivaldo Inacio da Silva had anothereasy decision to make: pick cotton for about $2 a day ormake eight times as much as a bricklayer at another WorldCup venue.

The two are relishing their role in helping tournamentpreparations that have otherwise invoked widespread criti-cism over allegations of overspending and misuse of publicfunds.

Silva and Chiquinho, who full name is Francisco dasChagas Queiroz, are some of those already being positivelyaffected by the World Cup, getting the opportunity of a life-time because Brazil will host football’s showcase event.

They are part of programs which help those with fewopportunities in the job market and take advantage of theWorld Cup to give them a better chance.

“This is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” the52-year-old Chiquinho told The Associated Press in a tele-phone interview. “This type of work gives us dignity, it givesus something to look forward to in the future. If we do agood job here, maybe the company will want to stay with usafter we are set free.”

Chiquinho has been in prison since the 1980s after beingconvicted of bank robbery in the state of Minas Gerais. Hewill be eligible for parole later this year, in part because hissentence has been gradually reduced thanks to his workhelping renovate the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte.

Chiquinho works as a cleaning supervisor at the Mineirao,where two dozen other prisoners are getting the sameopportunity to get out of prison and work. In addition toplacing them into the work force, the program by Brazil’sNational Council of Justice also offers training courses to fur-ther facilitate their access to the job market after they leaveprison.

It has already helped more than 2,200 prisoners across thecountry, and currently 59 are working in some of the 12World Cup stadiums.

Chiquinho and the other prisoners wake up at 4 a.m.every weekday to make a two-hour trip from their peniten-tiary to Mineirao, working until late in the day before return-ing. But there is no complaining.

“Our life is getting better because of this chance,” saidChiquinho, who also used to work inside his prison and cur-rently is even allowed to go to college. “I’ll be able to say that Iwas part of this World Cup, I’ll be proud to say that I was partof it. This will be part of history.”

About 1,000 miles away in the western city of Cuiaba, for-mer slave worker Silva is also appreciating the chance he’sgotten largely thanks to the World Cup.

He was lured into working at a cotton farm under condi-tions the Brazilian government describe as slave labor. Manytimes he had to sleep in the fields, didn’t have access to abathroom or clean water and was given food only sporadical-ly. Silva said he had to pick cotton and clean fields for twodays to get a payment.

But when Silva and about a dozen other colleagues wererescued from the farm — after one of them escaped andalerted authorities — they were immediately enrolled in aprogram created by the labor ministry of Mato Grosso statethat trained and prepared such workers to find decent jobs inthe region. Silva got a chance to help build the ArenaPantanal, which will host four World Cup matches. —AP


UEFA Europa League

Brugge v Hannover ..................... 21:00Aljazeera Sport +5

PSV v Trabzonspor ...................... 21:00Aljazeera Sport +7

PAOK v Udinese ........................... 21:00Aljazeera Sport +1

Twente v Steaua ........................... 21:00Aljazeera Sport +6

Bilbao v Lokomotiv ...................... 21:00Aljazeera Sport +2

Valencia v Stoke ...........................21:00Aljazeera Sport +3Aljazeera Sport +4

Atletico v Lazio ............................ 23:05Aljazeera Sport +2

Anderlecht v Alkmaar ................. 23:05Aljazeera Sport +6

Olympiacos v Rubin ....................... 23:05Aljazeera Sport +8

Metalist v Salzburg ...................... 23:05Aljazeera Sport +5

Schalke v Plzen ............................. 23:05Aljazeera Sport +9

Sporting v Legia ........................... 23:05Aljazeera Sport +7

Man United v Ajax ........................ 23:05Aljazeera Sport +3Aljazeera Sport +4

Besiktas v Braga ........................... 23:05Aljazeera Sport +10

Today’s matches on TV

19S P ORTS

LONDON: Andre Villas-Boas’s gamble in leavingFrank Lampard, fit-again Ashley Cole and even theout-of-form Fernando Torres on the bench back-fired spectacularly when Chelsea lost 3-1 at Napolion Tuesday, increasing speculation over thecoach’s future.

Chelsea’s defeat in the f irst leg of theChampions League Round of 16 tie in Naplesleaves them on the brink of elimination from thecompetition and means they have now gone fivematches without a win.

With Arsenal facing a 4-0 deficit in their secondleg at home to AC Milan next month, England nowfaces the very real prospect of failing to have ateam in the quarter-finals for the first time since1996.

Chelsea can still turn the tie around in the sec-ond leg at Stamford Bridge on March 14 and arelucky to still have the chance after a late goallineclearance by Cole, who came on as an early substi-tute for the injured Jose Bosingwa.

Whether Villas-Boas is still Chelsea’s coach bythe time Napoli come to London was the subjectof some heated debate in Wednesday’s English

media, with reports saying he omitted the bignames because of a dressing-room power strug-gle.

Although he is still talking confidently abouthis three-year project to rejuvenate Chelsea’s age-ing team, his billionaire boss Roman Abramovichis not noted for patiently tolerating failure.

“Speculation will continue as the results don’thappen,” the 34-year-old Portuguese said. “Wehave to solve these mistakes at the back. We needthis concentration right and this efficiency right,for sure.”

A day that began badly for Chelsea with newsthat skipper John Terry needs surgery on a kneeinjury and is likely to be out for between six toeight weeks ended with them trudging off the SanPaolo pitch with Villas-Boas looking stunned.

Chelsea started a roller-coaster match the bet-ter of the two sides and went ahead after 27 min-utes when Juan Mata capitalised on a mistake byPaolo Cannavaro to pick his spot.

But Napoli responded with goals from EzequielLavezzi and Edinson Cavani before halftime, withLavezzi scoring a third midway through the sec-

ond half to put Napoli in command of the tie asChelsea’s shocking defensive lapses continued.

“At the moment, without John, a very impor-tant player for the team, we have suffered a lot ofgoals recently. We had improved a lot at thebeginning of January, so we have missed John,”Villas-Boas added.

“But we have full belief in these players and wehave to continue to work with them to get it right.”David Luiz, who has suffered a torrid time duringan unhappy season, gifted Napoli their third goalwith Chelsea defending like a parks team.

“It’s obvious that the player has become a tar-get,” said Villas-Boas. “He’s a fantastic young playerwith a big future ahead of him, and he has to workto try and be a bit better. We suffered three goals.If he’s linked to one, he might not be linked to theother two.”

It was not only what happened on the pitchthat is so alarming to Chelsea’s increasingly dis-gruntled fans, who have been accustomed to theirteam winning things since Abramovich boughtthe club nearly nine years ago.

Reports of what is going on behind the scenes

is worrying them too. While no-one is likely to sayanything publicly until they retire and write theirautobiographies, the relationship between Villas-Boas and some senior players is reported to bedeeply strained and may have been reflected inhis team selection.

Villas-Boas, however, said his decision not tostart Lampard, Cole, Torres and Michael Essien waspurely tactical. “You can have your opinion but itwas based on what was the best team in mythoughts,” Villas-Boas said.

“Whatever explanation I give you, in the end itwould be a fantastic explanation if we’d won thegame. Any explanation is now useless given theresult of the game, so there’s no point.”

Villas-Boas continued: “I had a conversationwith Ashley and Frank. Through the players thatthey are and the players with the experience theyhave, they felt they could have helped the team.That’s perfectly understandable.”

Only three teams have overturned a two-goalfirst-leg deficit since the Champions League for-mat was introduced 20 years ago, but Villas-Boasadded: “I want us to be the fourth.” —Reuters

Villas-Boas future in the balance after gamble backfires

STOCKHOLM: Five-time FIFA world player of the year Marta of Brazil is returning toplay in the Swedish League, as Swedish club Tyreso presented the Brazilian soccerstar as its latest recruit at a news conference. — AP

NEW DELHI: The inaugural edition ofIndia’s Premier League Soccer (PLS), featur-ing World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro andformer France international Robert Pires,has been postponed because of a lack ofvenues, organisers told Reuters yesterday.

The six-team competition, modelled onthe successful Indian Premier League (IPL)Twenty20 cricket tournament, was slatedfor a March 24 start in the eastern Indianstate of West Bengal but the organisers saidthey could not secure the stadiums ownedby the state government.

“Discussion is on with the state govern-ment but even if it is sorted out by the endof this week, we would need time to pre-pare the fields,” Dharamdutt Pandey, CEO ofthe event management company whichconceived PLS, said by telephone.

Secretary of All India FootballFederation’s (AIFF) West Bengal unit was intouch with the state sports minister andthe issue would be resolved soon, Pandeyclaimed.

“These are minor issues and PLS is verymuch on. We are now targetting a mid-April start for the league. “It would requireat least one month to upgrade the stadi-ums to an international standard. So we arenow looking at mid-April,” Pandey added.

PLS is the second such league which setout to replicate IPL’s success before

teething problems led to postponements.Earlier this month, promoters of an IPL-

style nine-team motor racing leaguedeferred the 12-race competition to nextyear because of logistic issues.

In an otherwise cricket-crazy India, soc-cer is popular in pockets but nowhere moreso than in West Bengal. Nearly 120,000 fansgave a rousing reception to Oliver Kahn inthe German goalkeeper’s 2008 BayernMunich swansong in Kolkata and Argentinagreat Diego Maradona almost brought thecity to a standstill during his visit in thesame year. The Jan. 30 auction of PLS play-ers - mostly in the twilight of their careers -and coaches further whetted that appetite.Franchises spent nearly $7 million in theauction where Argentine Hernan Crespoproved the league’s hottest property, fetch-ing $840,000.

Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning captainCannavaro ($830,000), Pires ($800,000),Nigerian Jay-Jay Okocha ($550,000) andLiverpool great Robbie Fowler ($530,000)were also auctioned as “icon’ playersamong franchises based in different citiesin West Bengal.

Among the coaches, formerManchester City and Sunderland managerPeter Reid and Marco Etcheverry, arguablythe greatest Bolivian player, went for$200,000 each. —Reuters

Pitch problems postponestart of Indian soccer league

SINGAPORE: South Korea reached their seventhsuccessive Olympic Games with a game to spareyesterday when they cruised past Oman 3-0 inMuscat.

Midfielder Nam Tae -hee put Korea aheadinside the first minute with FC Seoul striker KimHyun-sung doubling the score in the 68th minute.Kim Min-woo added the third just four minuteslater.

Hong Myung-bo’s South Korea, who have afour-point lead over second-placed Oman, roundoff their qualifying campaign on March 14 whenthey face a Qatar side needing a win to have anyhope of claiming the Group A runners-up place.

The Qataris stayed in contention for secondplace with a 2-1 win at home to Saudi Arabia. TheSaudis had taken a 12th-minute lead thanks to apenalty from Ettifaq defender Ahmed Ali Walibi,but the home side were on level terms two min-utes from the interval courtesy of skipper Hasan AlHaydos. Naser Nabeel grabbed the winner 10 min-utes from time.

In Group C, Japan virtually made sure of theirplace in a fifth successive Olympics thanks to aconfident 4-0 thrashing of Malaysia. Before thematch, Japan were tied with Syria on nine pointsand on goal difference, but Syria lost ground witha 2-1 defeat to Bahrain. Japan now have 12 points,three ahead of Bahrain-who they face in their lastgame-and Syria.

“If we had scored one or two more goals, itwould have been better, but I guess four goals isfine,” Japan coach Takashi Sekizuka said. “I’m satis-fied with the performance of the team, and theygot the right result at the end. Individually theyplayed well.” Japan showed their dominance in theearly minutes of the match after Hiroki Sakaiblasted the ball towards the Malaysian goal onlyto be saved by goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat.Sakai, however, was spot on in the 35th minute togive his side the lead. Yuya Osako made it 2-0 forJapan before half time.

Genki Haraguchi made it 3-0 in the 55th

minute while Saito stamped his mark by scoringthe final goal of the match in the 60th minute.Malaysia are out of the running for qualification,having lost all five of their games. In Group B, theUnited Arab Emirates are three points ahead ofUzbekistan after a 1-0 win over Australia in Dubai,a win secured by Omar Abdulrahman’s first-halfstrike.

Uzbekistan lost ground on Tuesday when theylost 2-1 to Iraq. The Uzbeks and UAE meet in the

last round of matches on March 14 when Australiawill look to end their disappointing campaign on apositive note when they face Iraq. Only the threegroup winners are guaranteed a place at theLondon Olympics with the runners-up entering around-robin playoff.

The winners of that event then face a one-offgame on April 23 in the English city Coventry toface Senegal for the continent’s last Olympicsspot. — AFP

South Korea book Olympic spot

BAHRAIN: Bahrain’s Waleed Mohamed Al-Hayam (3) fights for the ball with Syria’s MahmoudAl-Mawas (8) and Nassouh Nakkdahli (9) as Bahrain’s Abdulla Khaled (17) watches during theirAsian soccer qualifier for the 2012 Olympics. — AP

LONDON: Carlos Tevez finally apolo-gized to Manchester City on Tuesdayfollowing a five-month feud that hascost him close to 10 million pounds($17 million), and could soon return toaction for the club after withdrawingan appeal against his latest fines.

The Argentina striker has notplayed for the Premier League leaderssince September when he refused towarm up during a Champions Leaguematch and only returned last weekfrom a three-month unauthorizedabsence at home.

City coach Roberto Mancini had ini-tially told Tevez he would never playfor City again after his act of publicinsubordination, but later softened hisstance and only asked for an apology.

That came on Tuesday, with Cityannouncing that Tevez has “apolo-gized to all concerned for his recentconduct.” “I wish to apologize sincerelyand unreservedly to everybody I havelet down and to whom my actionsover the last few months have causedoffense,” Tevez added in the samestatement. “My wish is to concentrateon playing football for ManchesterCity Football Club.”

Tevez’s relations with City brokedown during last season after thestriker said he wanted to leaveEngland to be closer to his family,which moved back to Argentina afterfail ing to settle in Manchester.However, the club refused the then-captain’s transfer request, and Tevezwent on to help City end a 35-year tro-phy drought with a victory in the FACup final.

But he then enraged Mancini with

his act of rebellion at Bayern Munich inSeptember. The dispute has cost Tevezaround 10 million pounds ($17 mil-lion) in fines or lost earnings, includinga multi-mill ion pound bonus hemissed out on by handing in the trans-fer request.

He had been challenging the mostrecent fine of around 1.2 mill ionpounds ($2 mill ion), but will nowaccept the punishment.

“Carlos has ... withdrawn his appealagainst the club’s finding of gross mis-conduct which was due to be heard bya Premier League panel in the comingdays,” City said. “He has since begun atraining program designed to returnhim to optimum fitness.” Tevez hadhoped to join AC Milan in the Januarytransfer window but a deal brokedown.

After the Munich incident, Tevezwas suspended by City for two weeksand fined a fortnight’s wages for refus-ing to resume refusing to warming upduring the match.

An internal disciplinary hearingfound Tevez guilty of five breaches ofcontract, including bringing the clubinto disrepute and failing to follow theinstructions of his manager.

Returning to Argentina in the wakeof those sanctions - without permis-sion - seemed to have ended any hopeof the striker playing for City again,but he could now return to actionwhen he is fit.

City has not struggled without him,with the team on course to win theEnglish championship for the first timesince 1968 as it sits top of the stand-ings. — AP

MONTEVIDEO: Last year’s Copa Libertadoresrunners-up Penarol were thrashed 4-0 at homeby Colombia’s Atletico Nacional on Tuesday,leaving the Uruguayan club in early trouble inthis year’s competition with no points from twogames.

Jherson Cordoba and Dorlan Pabon bothscored twice for Atletico Nacional, which movesto the top of Group 8 with a perfect record fromits two games.

In other group stage matches on Tuesday:Mexico’s Cruz Azul won 4-0 against Venezuela’sDeportivo Tachira, Argentina’s Arsenal defeatedVenezuela’s Zamora 3-0 and Bolivar, of Bolivia,lost 3-1 against Chile’s Union Espanola.

In Group 8, Cordoba opened the scoring for

Atletico Nacional in the 21st minute, and addedthe second from close range four minutes afterhalftime.

Pabon broke free from the defense and slot-ted the ball into the corner of the net in the 65thto shore up the victory, and added the fourthgoal for his team in the 78th, with a strike fromthe edge of the penalty area.

The other teams in Group 8, Universidad deChile and Argentina’s Godoy Cruz, play their sec-ond game of the group stage on Wednesday.

In Mexico City in Group 6, Cruz Azul, unbeat-en in seven matches in the Mexican league,made it two wins in its first two games in theCopa Libertadores, with Adrian Cortes convert-ing a penalty in the 19th minute.

Colombian Edixon Perea made it 2-0 with aleft foot shot in the 56th, Javier Orozco tapped inthe third in the 79th and, two minutes later,Argentine Emanuel Villa completed the scoring.

Deportivo Tachira remains on one point, withthe other Group 8 teams, Brazil’s Corinthians andParaguay’s Nacional, playing in two weeks.

In Sarandi, Argentina, three first half goalsgave Arsenal the win against Zamora in Group 4.A shot from 20 yards (meters) from Jorge Ortiz inthe 2nd minute took a big deflection off adefender and although the goalkeeper got ahand to it, he couldn’t stop it going into the net.

Colombian Carlos Carbonero added the sec-ond 15 minutes later, and Luciano Leguizamonmade it 3-0 two minutes before halftime. —AP

Penarol thrashed at home in Libertadores

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron hascalled on football to crush “racism” within the gamebefore the impact of recent incidents had a negativeeffect on society at large.

Cameron was speaking at a Downing Street anti-discrimination summit with former and currentblack players, ex-England international John Barnesand Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chair-man Clarke Carlisle, as well as football chiefs.

But the Prime Minister was confident work donein the fight against racism in the sport would not beundermined by a couple of high-profile controver-sies. “If everyone plays their role, then we can easilycrush and deal with this problem,” Cameron said.

Cameron, who takes his young son to footballmatches, added: “What happens on the field influ-ences what happens off the field. You see childrenas young as six imitating the behaviour they see onthe field. “So this is not just important for football,

it’s important for the whole country. We want tomake sure football is all about a power to do good,rather than anything else.”

Cameron’s intervention came after two majorflashpoints for English football. Controversy wasstirred when Liverpool striker Luis Suarez refused toshake hands with Manchester United’s Patrice Evrabefore their clubs’ match at Old Trafford earlier thismonth. Suarez has only recently returned for

Liverpool after serving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Evraduring a game in October.

Meanwhile Chelsea’s John Terryhas been stripped of the Englandcaptaincy while he awaits a criminaltrial on charges of racially abusingQPR’s Anton Ferdinand. Terry deniesthe charges.

Cameron added British footballshould be proud of the “fantasticachievement” of its anti-racism workduring the past 20 years or so, not-ing other countries had failed totake similar action.

“But we have some problems stilltoday,” he said. “We need to actquickly to make sure those prob-lems do not creep back in.

Cameron joked that he feltembarrassed coming to the meetingfrom question time in the House ofCommons as that was “a contactsport that sets an appalling exampleto people”. Culture Secretary JeremyHunt said after the meeting he had

given England’s governing Football Association (FA)two months to come up with an action plan to tack-le a variety of race and homophobia-related issues.

There are currently no openly gay footballers inEnglish football and Carlisle said it was time homo-phobia was treated in common with all other formsof prejudice. “When it comes to homophobia weneed to elevate that discrimination so it’s on the lev-el with all other forms of discrimination,” Carlisleexplained. —AFP

Football must ‘crush’ racism, says British PM

LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron (centre) iswatched by Football Association chairman David Bernstein(left) and former soccer player John Barnes as he hosts aroundtable anti-discrimination summit with former playersand soccer bosses at Downing Street. — AP

Tevez apologizes to City after five-month feud

MANCHESTER: The presence of former manager Andre Villas-Boasat Eastlands failed to inspire holders Porto as Manchester Cityeased into the last 16 of the Europa League with a 4-0 second legwin yesterday.

Goals from Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, David Silva and DavidPizarro-the last three in the space of nine minutes late in the sec-ond leg tie-ensured a comfortable evening for City, who won 6-1on aggregate.

The goal rush came against a Porto side who played the final 14minutes with 10 men after the sending off of defender Rolando fora second yellow card.

“We played a good game,” City manager Roberto Mancini toldESPN. “Maybe 4-0 was too much but it was important we went intothe second stage,” added the Italian, looking to become the firstCity boss in 42 years to bring a major European trophy to the club.

Premier League leaders City took just 19 seconds to extendtheir first leg advantage when Aguero grabbed the quickest goalin the Europa League this season.

Argentinian defender Nicolas Otamendi lost the ball around

the halfway line, and Nigel de Jong found Yaya Toure whose passsent Aguero racing clear of the Porto backline.

He took his chance brilliantly with a clinical finish into the bot-tom left-hand corner. Porto responded gamely as Joao Moutinhovolleyed wide, Silvestre Varela headed at Joe Hart and defenderMaicon ended a marauding right-wing run with a wayward centreacross goal.

But for all Porto’s possession, City looked far more dangerousand Silva’s well-weighted through ball after 16 minutes sentthrough Yaya Toure whose progress was well-blocked on the edgeof the area by goalkeeper Helton.

City again came close with Silva’s through ball forcing Helton torace from his area to try to intercept Aguero. The City forward skill-fully rounded the goalkeeper but his shot from the edge of thearea struck the Porto crossbar.

Mancini’s team, were content to withstand the modest pres-sure from Porto and play on the counter-attack, with Agueroinvolved in a pacy break before the interval which ended with apass to Yaya Toure.

Despite terrible initial control, the City midfielder eventuallymanaged to re-connect with Aguero only for the goalscorer toflash a poor shot wide.

Hulk saw a fierce free-kick deflected behind and Rolandovolleyed over from six yards at the resulting corner as every pass-ing minute left Porto facing a bigger obstacle.

After the restart, Lucho Gonzalez poked wide from 18 yards,Hulk’s low cross-shot was spilled by the diving Hart who wasrelieved to see the ball travel to safety and James Rodriguez hadthe ball in the net after 57 minutes only for his ‘goal’ to be ruled outfor offside.

City weathered that brief storm, however, and their secondgoal, in the 76th minute, put the outcome of the tie beyond alldoubt.

Aguero was the creator, holding the ball intelligently outsidethe Porto area and waiting for the overlapping run of substituteDzeko who took the ball in his stride and finished expertly from 10yards.

Porto’s hopes of an unlikely recovery were hampered by thedismissal of Rolando who collected a second yellow card prior tothe re-start for dissent.

Silva added to what had become a rout six minutes from timewhen he turned the ball into an open goal after substitute Pizarroburst into the area and crossed selflessly from the right.

Pizarro himself completed it, in the 86th minute, starting amove outside the area and collecting a poor touch-on from Dzekobefore slotting past the helpless Helton.

Hart ensured Porto did not even leave Manchester with a con-solation goal, diving low to the foot of his post to keep out a shotfrom Hulk. — AFP

17India keepwinning, South Africain final

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 201218Stosur sendsSafarova packing

Football must ‘crush’ racism, says British PM Page 19

City overpower holders PortoLONDON: Porto’s Brazilian forward Hulk (center) vies for the ball with Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder Vincent Kompany (left) and Manchester City’s English defender Joleon Lescott during the UEFA Europa League round of 32second leg football match. — AP

Europa League

BASEL: Basel boosted their chances of a place in the Champions Leaguequarter-finals with a shock 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the last 16 first-leg tie yesterday.

Having beaten Manchester United 2-1 in Basel last December, thehosts pulled off another stunning victory when midfielder ValentinStocker found the target in the 86th minute.

The defeat compounded Bayern’s flagging confidence ahead of thereturn leg on March 13 at their Allianz Arena, which also hosts the final onMay 19.

While Basel are flying high at the top of the Swiss league, Bayern havewon just three of their seven games since Christmas and were held to agoalless draw at bottom side Freiburg last Saturday to leave them third inthe Bundesliga.

They have now also gone 240 minutes without a goal. In Basel, Bayerncoach Jupp Heynckes started with Toni Kroos in the central attacking mid-fielder position, flanked by France wing Franck Ribery and Dutch WorldCup finalist Arjen Robben.

It meant no place in the starting line-up for Thomas Mueller, the topscorer at the last World Cup, while Germany striker Mario Gomez was thelone striker.

Ribery tested Basel goalkeeper Yann Sommer twice early on, but thehome side almost took the lead in the 15th minute when defenderAleksandar Dragovic forced goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into a reflex save.

Munich were facing one of their future players as Basel’s 20-year-oldattacking midfielder Xerdan Shaqiri joins their ranks on July 1 and hefound space to exploit the guests’ defence on several occasions.

Bayern were missing Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger, who is outwith damaged ankle ligaments, but his replacement in Munich’s midfieldDavid Alaba tested Sommer with a curling shot on 30 minutes. Basel cap-tain Marco Streller squandered a good chance on 48 minutes when heheaded straight at Neuer.

Bayern controlled possession after the break while the hosts seemed torun out of steam and sat back on some solid defence with the time run-ning out.

Mueller came on for Ribery with 20 minutes left to inject some life intothe Germans’ attack, but failed to break the hosts’ solid defence.

With time almost up, the winner came when Stocker was found at theback post by Cameroon forward Jacques Zoua and the 22-year-old firedhome low beyond Neuer to send the home crowd wild. — AFP

United slayers Basel stun Bayern Munich

SWITZERLAND: Basel’s Benjamin Huggel (left) fights for the ball against Bayern’s Toni Kroos(right) during the Champions League round of sixteen first leg soccer match. — AP

MARSEILLE: A dramatic 93rd-minuteheader from Andre Ayew gave Marseillea 1-0 victory over luckless Inter Milan inthe first leg of their Champions Leaguelast 16 tie here yesterday.

Bidding to reach the last eight forthe first time since they won the tro-phy in 1993, the hosts dominated pos-session but looked set for a night offrustration until Ayew’s decisive inter-vention in the game’s dying stages.

Having been eliminated byManchester United at the same stageof last season’s competition, DidierDeschamps’ side will now travel to SanSiro on March 13 with high hopes ofreaching the quarter-finals.

Inter, meanwhile, have now goneseven matches without victory andcoach Claudio Ranieri will only facemore questions about his future afterthis latest setback.

Ranieri had persisted with the out-of-form Wesley Sneijder and handedArgentine forward Mauro Zarate a firststart since November, while Brandaotook the place of OM’s injured top scor-er Loic Remy.

After a watchful start, Inter beganto carry a threat on the counter-attackand Steve Mandanda had to tip over ashot from Diego Forlan on 10 minutesafter the Uruguayan met EstebanCambiasso’s cross with his right instep.

The Marseille goalkeeper also hadto get down to block a low effort fromZarate, while Cambiasso saw a shotdeflected into Mandanda’s graspshortly before the interval after anoth-er forward foray from midfield.

Marseille’s poor delivery from wideareas meant that they struggled tobring Brandao into the game. CesarAzpilicueta sent a half-volley dippingonto the roof of Julio Cesar’s net in the19th minute, but OM’s best chance ofthe half fell to Souleymane Diawara,who was unable to convert MathieuValbuena’s inswinging free-kick.

Marseille bossed the opening ofthe second period and although theyfailed to create any clear chances,Ranieri was sufficiently perturbed toreplace Zarate with the more conser-vative Joel Obi.

To the displeasure of theVelodrome crowd, the game becamepunctuated by niggly fouls and mis-placed passes, and Deschampsresponded by introducing youngGhana striker Jordan Ayew in place ofBrandao.

Dejan Stankovic could only shootweakly at Mandanda after Sneijder’sfree-kick was glanced on by Forlan,before Andre Ayew nodded wide fromMorgan Amalfitano’s inviting centre atthe other end.

The elder Ayew sibling appeared tohave taken it upon himself to break thedeadlock, and after testing Julio Cesarwith a header from another Amalfitanocross, he drew a corner with a risingdrive from the edge of the box.

When Valbuena’s resulting set-piece fell at the near post, Andre Ayewgot across his man to head home, end-ing Julio Cesar’s resistance and nudg-ing Ranieri another step closer to thetrapdoor. —AFP

Last-gasp Ayew gives Marseille advantage

BusinessTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Rare pink diamond found in Australia

Page 26

Euro, shares weaken as growth outlook darkens

Page 26

China economy faces risk of hard landing

Page 25Page 25In Europe, spending cuts fail to ease debt burdens

NEW DELHI: A Kingfisher airlines aircraft and buses stand parked at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. India’s top aviation watchdog ordered troubled Kingfisher Airline to explain dozens of canceled flights as thecarrier battled mounting financial troubles. — AP

NEW DELHI: Lenders to India’s KingfisherAirlines have not agreed to extend furtherloans to the debt-crippled carrier, threebanking sources said yesterday afterreports that one state-owned creditor wasclose to offering a bailout loan package.Several newspapers reported that StateBank of India (SBI) would throw a lifelineto Kingfisher, which is majority owned byliquor baron Vijay Mallya, giving figuresranging from 2.0 to 16.5 billion rupees($40-335 million).

But banking sources, with direct knowl-edge of the situation, told Reuters the air-line’s consortium of 16 lenders, whichincludes SBI, were still studying a debt-restructuring proposal put forward lastweek.

Banks own about a quarter of the carri-er through an earlier debt-for-equityswap. “I don’t think any individual bankcan take a decision,” said a source at thePunjab National Bank, India’s second-largest public sector lender. “It will have tobe decided by the consortium.”

SBI’s chief financial officer, DiwakarGupta, declined to comment on thereports of an imminent rescue package.Desperately strapped for cash, KingfisherAirlines stands on the brink of collapseafter nearly a week of flight cancellationsand the resignation of dozens of its pilots.India’s second-largest airline until thisyear, the company has not turned a profitsince it was founded in 2005 and is carry-ing a debt burden of at least $1.3 billion.Its revenue has been in decline since theend of last year.

Staff are not being paid and tax billsremain outstanding. A tax official said theairline’s arrears for financial 2011/12 werearound 400 million rupees ($8.1 million).

NO GOVERNMENT LIFELINEMallya has blamed his cash crunch on

the tax authorities, which last week frozeKingfisher’s bank accounts over its unpaiddues. Yesterday, Finance Secretary R SGujral denied media reports that theaccounts had been unblocked. CivilAviation Minister Ajit Singh said KingfisherAirlines could not expect the governmentto pull it back from the brink, as it did state-owned Air India. “The government is notgoing to bail it out, but we hope Kingfishercan mobilize its resources somehowbecause if they don’t then there will bemore problems for the passengers,” he toldreporters. “We have made it very clear, and

I’m sure Mallya knows that Air India is agovernment concern. Whatever help wegive them, we cannot do it to any privateindustry.” Still, the government faces adilemma over Kingfisher because it ownsabout one-fifth of its shares and roughlythree-quarters of its debt through lenders.

There are no provisions for companiesto declare themselves legally bankrupt inIndia. Analysts said Kingfisher could simplyshut down overnight if it fails to securefresh equity that would shore up the sag-ging confidence of its creditors. Kingfishershares, which plunged nearly 20 percent onTuesday before recovering, were slightlyhigher yesterday after the media reports

that fresh loans were on the way. Kingfisherwill now operate 175 daily flights, downfrom 240 on Friday, a government sourcesaid. Only 28 of its fleet of 64 planes will beused. The aviation regulator has deregis-tered the carrier ’s 2 ATR planes at thelessor’s request, he said.

The regulator has also asked other air-lines to accommodate passengers strandedby the cancellations, the governmentsource said. State-run carrier Air India hasrefused to carry Kingfisher passengers oncredit. Mallya is also chairman of UnitedBreweries (Holdings) , a conglomerate withinterests as diverse as aviation, breweries,biotechnology and real estate. The grouphas annual sales of more than $4 billion.His airline - named after his famous brandof Indian beer - has become one of themain casualties of high fuel costs and afierce price war between a handful ofbudget carriers which, between them,ordered hundreds of aircraft for deliveryover the next decade in an ambitious beton the future.

Five out of six major carriers are losingmoney, and analysts estimate that theindustry overall is on course to lose up to$3 billion for the financial year ending nextmonth. Shares in Kingfisher have droppedaround 60 percent since the start of lastyear, shrinking its market value to $269 mil-lion. Its domestic market share has almosthalved in recent months from about 20percent. Mallya, an independent memberof the upper house of parliament, hasblamed rules that bar foreign direct invest-ment in Indian carriers and higher taxes onfuel for the industry’s troubles. The govern-ment is now debating a proposal to allowforeign airlines acquire stake of up to 49percent. — Reuters

Kingfisher bailout hangs in the balanceIndian government ‘won’t save airline’

NewsPeugeot shares surge

PARIS: Shares in PSA Peugeot Citroen, Europe’s second-biggest car manufacturer, surged after it said it was intalks with unnamed parties over possible industrial tie-ups. The company’s disclosure came amid speculationthat it is in discussions with US car maker GeneralMotors Co over a partnership. Europe’s number two carmaker after Germany’s Volkswagen AG said that “in theframework of its strategy of globalization and perform-ance improvement, PSA Peugeot Citroen is examiningcooperation and alliances.” The statement late Tuesdaysays “talks are underway” and that there is no certaintythat they will result in a deal. Shares in the companywere up 9 percent in early Wednesday trading ateuro15.69. La Tribune newspaper reported that Peugeotand GM were in talks about an alliance, citing anunnamed “unofficial source.”

China activity weakens BEIJING: China’s manufacturing activity continued tocontract in February as export orders weakened, HSBCsaid yesterday, in a further sign that the eurozone crisisand US weakness are hurting demand. HSBC’s prelimi-nary purchasing managers index rose to 49.7, the high-est level in four months, from a final reading of 48.8 inJanuary, the British banking giant said in a statement.But while the figure marked an improvement it stillremained below 50, indicating the sector is contracting.HSBC will release a final reading early next month. “Witha meaningful rebound of domestic demand not in sight,external weakness is starting to bite, adding moredownside risks to growth,” HSBC Chief Economist QuHongbin said. Qu urged the government to step upefforts to ease credit restrictions, which would boostlending and spur activity in the export-driven economy.On Saturday, China’s central bank cut the reserverequirement ratio for banks, effectively increasing theamount of money they can lend, for the second time inthree months as officials moved cautiously to open thecredit valves.

Turkey, China ink dealsISTANBUL: Turkish and Chinese companies will sign yes-terday contracts totaling $1.38 billion in an attempt tobolster economic ties between the two countries,Turkey’s Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said. “Today,Chinese and Turkish firms will ink deals worth nearly$1.38 billion,” Caglayan was quoted as saying by theAnatolia news agency during an address to a businessforum also attended by China’s leader-in-waiting XiJinping. Xi, who is widely tipped to become China’s nextpresident, met with Turkey’s business community inIstanbul on the last stop of a tour that has taken him tothe United States and Ireland. On Tuesday, several coop-eration deals in agriculture, finance and banking weresigned to strengthen the strategic partnership betweenTurkey and China. The two countries’ central banks alsoinked a currency swap worth 10 billion yuan ($1.58 bil-lion) as part of an effort by Beijing to promote interna-tional usage of its currency. Turkey’s deputy prime minis-ter Ali Babacan urged Chinese banks to do more busi-ness in Turkey.

in brief

MUMBAI: The Bombay Stock Exchange yes-terday launched India’s first carbon-efficientlive index, looking to give a boost to sociallyaware investors. The new BSE-Greenex indexwill comprise 20 stocks based on a minimumcarbon footprint, market capitalization andturnover, the BSE said on its website. The BSE-Greenex will assess the energy efficiency offirms based on energy and financial data. Theindex includes India’s largest commercialbank State Bank of India, the world’s seventhlargest steel producer Tata Steel, vehicle mak-er Tata Motors and Sterlite Industries, thelocal arm of global resources group Vedanta.

“There is a growing local and internationalneed to identify ‘green’ investments and com-panies with a strong social responsibility,”BSE’s deputy chief executive Ashish Chauhan

said. “There are many socially aware investorswilling to pay a premium for green invest-ments in companies in the hope of gettingbetter returns.” India-one of the world’s top-five carbon emitters in terms of volume-isunder pressure to cut greenhouse gas emis-sions but has insisted that rich countriesshould bear the burden of efforts to tacklethe problem.

INDIA ECONOMY India’s economy could accelerate by as

much eight percent in the next fiscal yeardespite a difficult global climate, a top gov-ernment panel said yesterday. Asia’s third-largest economy has lost momentum sincethe central bank raised interest rates 13 timessince March 2010 to tame inflation from near

double-digits to its current 26-month low of6.5 percent. “We might be able to reach agrowth rate of eight percent” in the next fiscalyear to March 31, 2013, said C Rangarajan,head of the Prime Minister ’s EconomicAdvisory Council, putting the range atbetween 7.5 and eight percent.

He projected inflation for next year at fiveto six percent. “But to get back to nine per-cent growth we need a more hospitable glob-al environment,” Rangarajan said. “Until theglobal environment clears, we should be ableto achieve eight percent (annual) growth.”Government experts see nine percent growthas a minimum to substantially reduce thecrushing poverty afflicting hundreds of mil-lions of Indians. Rangarajan forecast growthof 7.1 percent growth for the current fiscal

year that ends on March 31, the slowest ratein three years and far below the panel’s initialbullish forecast of nine percent expansion.

His prediction, which noted strong farmand service sector growth, was slightly high-er than the government’s official estimate of6.9 percent expansion for this year. The fore-cast of faster growth and lower inflation iswelcome news for the national Congress rul-ing party, which has been buffeted by astring of corruption scandals and accusationsof policy paralysis. But the council’s growthforecast for next year was much more opti-mistic than those of many private econo-mists-some of whom expect growth in thelow six percent range. India’s economy grewby 8.4 percent in the last fiscal year to March31, 2011. — Agencies

Bombay stock market launches ‘green’ indexIndian economy could grow by up to 8%

BANGALORE: Kingfisher Airlines air hostesses leave Bangalore International Airportin Bangalore. — AFP

22b u s i n e s sTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

EXCHANGE RATES

Commercial Bank of Kuwait

US Dollar/KD .2730000 .2802500GB Pound/KD .4370000 .4470000Euro .3650000 .3730000Swiss francs .3020000 .3120000Canadian Dollar .2760000 .2850000Australian DLR .2950000 .3050000Indian rupees .0040000 .0070000Sri Lanka Rupee .0020000 .0035000UAE dirhams .0752010 .0759560Bahraini dinars .7326580 .7400210Jordanian dinar .3830000 .4000000Saudi riyals .0710000 .0760000Omani riyals .7182390 .7254570Philippine peso .0040000 .0072000Egyptian pounds .0430000 .0500000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATESUS Dollar/KD .2770000 .2791000GB Pound/KD .4390450 .4423740Euro .3676620 .3704490Swiss francs .3043620 .3066700Canadian dollars .2785320 .2806440Danish Kroner .0494520 .0498270Swedish Kroner .0417510 .0420670Australian dlr .2970410 .2992930Hong Kong dlr .0357180 .0359890Singapore dlr .2210690 .2227450Japanese yen .0034760 .0035020Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0057160Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0023630Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0030820Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0034120UAE dirhams .0754460 .0760180Bahraini dinars .7350400 .7406130Jordanian dinar .0000000 .3947670Saudi Riyal/KD .0738860 .0744470Omani riyals .7197610 .7252180Philippine Peso .0000000 .0065870

Bahrain Exchange Company

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

UAE Exchange Center WLL

Al Mulla Exchange

Pakistani rupees 3.160 3.070Philippine peso 6.860 6.515Qatari riyal 77.030 76.600Saudi riyal 74.350 74.350Singapore dollar 222.760 222.760South Africa 38.450 38.450Sri Lankan rupees 2.653 2.351Sterling pound 443.800 441.800Swedish krona 42.500Swiss franc 308.900 307.400Syrian pound 4.200 4.200Thai bhat 9.420 9.280Tunisian dollar 198.263UAE dirham 75.920 75.820U.S. dollars 278.800 278.400Yemeni Riyal 1.310

GOLD10 Tola 1,831.580

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUESterling Pound 441.800US Dollar 278.400

Currency Rate per 1000 (Tran)US Dollar 278.400Pak Rupees 3.062Indian Rupees 5.665Sri Lankan Rupees 2.355Bangladesh Taka 3.385Philippines Peso 6.545UAE Dirhams 75.930Saudi Riyals 74.415Bahraini Dinars 740.400Egyptian Pounds 46.085Pound Sterling 444.900Indonesian Rupiah 3.190Yemeni Riyal 1.550Euro 374.100Canadian Dollars 285.100Nepali rupee 3.690

Sterling Pound 442.31 444.00Japanese Yen 3.53 3.70Bangladesh Taka 3.415 3.550Indian Rupee 5.641 5.790Sri Lankan Rupee 2.347 2.625Nepali Rupee 3.549 4.250Pakistani Rupee 3.069 3.200UAE Dirhams 75.78 76.50Bahraini Dinar 740.53 74.05Egyptian Pound 46.14 48.00Jordanian Dinar 396.07 394.60Omani Riyal 723.54 728.00Qatari Riyal 76.77 77.25Saudi Riyal 74.34 74.70

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 74.150Qatari Riyal 76.402Omani Riyal 722.230Bahraini Dinar 738.540UAE Dirham 75.715

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 47.500Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.282Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.272Tunisian Dinar 189.860Jordanian Dinar 392.670Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.865Syrian Lier 6.003Morocco Dirham 33.814

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 277.950Euro 370.650Sterling Pound 431.930Canadian dollar 268.420Turkish lire 153.940Swiss Franc 300.620Australian dollar 277.000US Dollar Buying 277.750

GOLD20 Gram 315.50010 Gram 159.0005 Gram 81.500

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 278.050Euro 370.800Pound Sterling 441.500Canadian Dollar 281.400Japanese Yen 3.510Indian Rupee 5.655Egyptian Pound 46.070Sri Lankan Rupee 2.342Bangladesh Taka 3.345Philippines Peso 6.500Pakistan Rupee 3.063Bahraini Dinar 740.450UAE Dirham 75.750Saudi Riyal 74.250

*Rates are subject to change

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 3.598Indian Rupees 5.667Pakistani Rupees 3.154Srilankan Rupees 2.436Nepali Rupees 3.341Singapore Dollar 213.250Hongkong Dollar 35.672Bangladesh Taka 3.580Philippine Peso 6.336Thai Baht 8.873Irani Riyal - Transfer 0.271Irani Riyal - Cash 0.273

COUNTRY SELL CASH SELL DRAFTAustralian dollar 301.100 299.600Bahraini dinar 740.540 740.540Bangladeshi taka 3.610 3.360Canadian dollar 283.100 281.600Cyprus pound 546.900Czek koruna 45.400Danish krone 50.200Deutsche Mark 167.800 222.800Egyptian pound 47.580 46.125Euro Cash 372.500 371.000Hongkong dollar 36.600 36.450Indian rupees 5.810 5.655Indonesia 0.032 0.031Iranian tuman 0.167Iraqi dinar 0.243Japanese yen 3.590Jordanian dinar 394.890 394.570Lebanese pound 0.188 0.187Malaysian ringgit 94.170 94.170Morocco dirham 46.500Nepalese Rupees 4.280 3.560New Zealand dollar 235.800 234.300Nigeria 1.804Norwegian krone 50.000Omani Riyal 723.280 723.100

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 278.150Canadian Dollar 281.530Sterling Pound 442.270Euro 369.580Swiss Frank 305.980Bahrain Dinar 736.575UAE Dirhams 75.705Qatari Riyals 76.350Saudi Riyals 74.135Jordanian Dinar 391.535Egyptian Pound 46.084Sri Lankan Rupees 2.346Indian Rupees 5.671Pakistani Rupees 3.066Bangladesh Taka 3.338Philippines Pesso 6.519Cyprus pound 682.290Japanese Yen 3.585Thai Bhat 9.130Syrian Pound 5.855Nepalese Rupees 3.635Malaysian Ringgit 92.040

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)Australian Dollar 300.96 302.00Canadian Dollar 283.77 284.00Swiss Franc 309.71 310.00Euro 371.37 373.00

KUWAIT: FASTtelco, the leadingTelecom Service provider in Kuwait, wasawarded the prestigious ISO certificate(9001:2008), a certificate granted tocompanies who achieve the higheststandards of quality management inaccordance with the international stan-dards of the telecommunications sector;adding a new accomplishment to itsrecord of achievements in implementingthe company’s strategy to provide inno-vative communication solutions.

A celebration was held in the pres-ence of Chairman and ManagingDirector of Al-Deera Holding Co., andCEO of FASTtelco Abdulwahab AhmadAl-Nakib to mark the event on Sunday,Feb 19, 2012 at Regency Hotel, includingplenty of other managers from the com-pany. FASTtelco’s CO Sahand Pouladiand a number of employees were hon-ored as well as the seminar representa-tives of Global Experience ConsultingCompany for their contributions in help-

ing FASTtelco achieve the ISO certificate.Abdulwahab Al-Nakib, expressed

gratitude to the company for their con-tinuous support, and went on and said“FASTtelco establishes its philosophy atwork on the importance of providing itscustomers with the latest technologicalsolutions in the highest quality. And thatrelies on two factors, the matchless infra-structure and innovative expertise, allwhich contributed in receiving the ISOcertificate (9001:2008),” he added.

On his part, Chief Operating OfficerSahand Pouladi said, “FASTtelco’sobtainment of an international qualitycertificate is an incentive that supportsour performance in the future, as itreflects our belief in the services we pro-vide in addition to the cooperationamong our teams to meet customers’requirements.

However, it also adds a greaterresponsibility burden on our shouldersto continue providing innovative, value

added services at competitive priceswithout compromising our quality,ensuring we constantly developing thework environment.” He thanked theemployees for their hard efforts andurged them to achieve the best outcomepossible.

Meanwhile, CEO of Global ExperienceConsulting Tawfik Soukieh stressed thatthere is no alternative for this workmethod, as the telecommunications sec-tors have become the most complicatedand fiercest in competition, adding thatcompanies working in this field are nowahead of infinite challenges to keep pacewith the dramatic developments tomeet the needs of the market. Hethanked all the employees at FASTtelcoand wished them more achievementsand successfulness to come.

It is worth noting that the ISO certifi-cate (9001:2008) is granted to compa-nies that enforce a set of internationalstandards for the guidance and control

of the institution, which include: focus-ing on customer satisfaction, presence ofeffective leadership, collaboration

between staff, a mechanism for continu-ous improvement, and making decisionsin a timely manner.

FASTtelco receives prestigious ISO certificate

DUBAI: Al Jaber Group, a family-held con-glomerate in the midst of a $1-billion plusrestructuring, will hire a new chief executiveto replace the founder’s son in a managementreshuffle that also saw a new finance chiefappointed late last year, three sources saidyesterday. A recruitment firm has beenretained to bring in a new CEO, replacingMohammed Al-Jaber, the son of the group’sfounder and chairman Obaid Al-Jaber, two ofthe sources said, speaking on condition ofanonymity.

In addition, Richard Hollands was hired inNovember as chief financial officer from anEmirates airline unit. “It was presented at oneof the earlier creditor meetings that theywould be looking to make managementchanges, including a new CEO,” said onesource familiar with developments. “A firmhas been hired to do this.” An Al Jaberspokesman declined to comment. A standstillagreement on its debt pile is expected to besigned as soon as early March, the sourcessaid yesterday.

“It’s just a case of getting the signatures,” a

second, banking, source said. A third source said the standstill agreement

had been held up because banks were againstrolling over the debt at the terms demandedby Al Jaber. The banks’ committee is chairedby the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, andincludes Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, HSBC,RBS and Union National Bank. The conglomer-ate, which has operations from constructionto aviation and retail, appointed a new chiefrestructuring officer last year to work withlenders and management on matters relatedto the rescheduling of its financial debt.

A reorganization and steering committeehas been in place to oversee the restructuringand consists of members from some of AbuDhabi’s top government-related firms andbanks.

The chairman of Abu Dhabi government-owned Al Hilal Bank, who is an al-Jaber son-in-law, is on the committee in a personalcapacity, the source familiar with develop-ments said. Bankers said asset sales would bea natural expectation under most corporaterestructurings but declined to be more specif-

ic about Al Jaber’s plans. Al Jaber is one ofthe most prominent family-owned privatesector f irms in Abu Dhabi, where theacknowledgment of financial difficulties hasbeen minimal, in contrast to neighboringDubai, under the spotlight for its debt woessince late 2009.

The emirate was resilient during Dubai’sproperty market collapse but is now showingsigns of pressure as a huge supply of high-endhomes are expected to come onto the market.Housing prices in Abu Dhabi are seen fallingby as much as 11 percent this year, a Reuterspoll showed last month.

Across the oil-rich state, which accounts formore than half of the United Arab Emirates’economy, government-backed real estate,commercial and tourism projects, many con-ceived during the boom years of 2003-2008,are under review and in some cases beingdelayed or put on hold.

Abu Dhabi pushed back the opening of themuch talked about local branches of Louvreand Guggenheim art museums earlier thismonth. — Reuters

KUWAIT: MasterCard Worldwide togetherwith Burgan Bank yesterday announcedthe conversion of Burgan Bank’s existingproprietary B-Dinar Payroll ATM card to theB-Dinar Debit MasterCard Payroll Card. TheB-Dinar Debit MasterCard Payroll card com-bines all the uses of a standard ATM card,like access to cash and banking transac-tions, with the added convenience of shop-ping at local merchant locations withinKuwait. As a convenient and secure alterna-tive to cash and checks, B-Dinar cardhold-ers in Kuwait, will be able to access theirsalary in a more efficient manner using theATM or Point of Sale machines availablethroughout Kuwait. Cardholders will alsobe able to benefit from greater control overtheir finances.

The B-Dinar Debit MasterCard Payrollcard program will provide businesses withthe advantage of paying their employees’salary through a secure and convenientMasterCard Payroll payment card. For busi-nesses in Kuwait, the card program is asmart alternative to issuing payroll checks.By simply posting employees’ salaries to anaccount tied to their personal Burgan BankB-Dinar MasterCard Payroll card, business-es will be able to increase cost-efficiencies,while delivering a whole new array of ben-efits to their employees. It can also help toreduce payroll processing when it comesto, for example, expense management andone-off and final salary payments.

“As an enhancement to our existing B-Dinar ATM card program, we are delightedto launch an innovative payment solutionin collaboration with MasterCard,” saidRaed Al Haqhaq - Chief Banking Officer atBurgan Bank. “The B-Dinar DebitMasterCard Payroll card is a great alterna-tive solution to using cash or cheques.Employees will be able to now benefit fromreceiving their salary, while going abouttheir daily lives, making purchases securelyand conveniently in Kuwait.”

“This is a great way for the banked orunbanked individuals in Kuwait to receivetheir monthly salary,” said Safdar Khan,Market Manager, Qatar, Oman & Kuwait,MasterCard Worldwide. “Consumers will be

able to benefit from a secure and conven-ient payment solution that will bring themadditional benefits when making purchas-es and managing their finances. We aredelighted to support Burgan Bank in offer-ing a payment solution that will bring valu-able benefits to the working population inKuwait.” The B-Dinar MasterCard Payrollcard from Burgan Bankwill also feature anEMV chip, which means higher levels ofcard and data security when making pur-chases over at Point-of-Sale (POS) termi-nals.

MasterCard Worldwide MasterCard(NYSE: MA),www.master-

card.com, is a global payments and tech-nology company. It operates the world’sfastest payments processing network, con-necting consumers, financial institutions,merchants, governments and businesses inmore than 210 countries and territories.MasterCard’s products and solutions makeeveryday commerce activities - such asshopping, traveling, running a businessand managing finances - easier, moresecure and more efficient for everyone.Follow us on Twitter@mastercardnews,jointhe conversation on The Heart ofCommerce Blog and subscribe for the lat-est news.

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank is encourag-ing prospective customers toopen an Al Danah account andexisting customers to increasetheir deposits by February 29th,2012 in order to enhance theirchances of winning in the AlDanah KD 125,000 draw for 2012.Gulf Bank’s Al Danah offers weeklydraws of KD1,000 each to ten win-

ners. Quarterly draw winners areeligible to win KD125,000 in thefirst quarterly draw, KD250,000 inthe second quarterly draw,KD500,000 during the third quar-terly draw, and finally 1 MillionDinars during the fourth quarter.Chances increase the more moneyis deposited and the longer it iskept in the account.

Al Danah is the only account tooffer daily winning chances andcustomers are advised to takeadvantage of that to increase theirchances. The last date to depositor open an account for the AlDanah first quarterly draw is onFebruary 29th, 2012. For furtherinformation customers are advisedto visit one of Gulf Bank’s 55

branches or call the CustomerContact Center on 1805805 wherethe Bank’s representatives will bedelighted to assist them with anyfurther information or inquiriesthey may have on Al Danah or anyof the Bank’s products and servic-es. Customers can also log on toGulf Bank’s website www.e-gulf-bank.com for further information.

Al Jaber in management reshuffle amid debt talks

Recruitment agency hired to seek new CEO

Burgan Bank, MasterCard launch new innovative payment solution

Raed Al Haqhaq

Gulf Bank Al Danah Account offers exciting draw rewards

23B U S I N E S STHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

First winner with branch manager Saleh Al Shimmari

Brent crude falls towards $121 on euro-zone worryAsia, Europe cut back on Iranian crude imports

SINGAPORE: Brent crude edged downtowards $121 yesterday, retreating from anine-month high, as weaker Chinese manu-facturing data and resurfacing worries aboutthe euro-zone debt crisis cast doubt on globaleconomic health and prospects for fueldemand. China’s manufacturing sector con-tracted in February for a fourth straightmonth as new export orders dropped sharplyin the face of the euro area debt crisis, stirringfears about fuel demand in the world’s secondlargest oil user.

Commodities rallied on Tuesday after theEuropean Union approved a 130-billion-eurorescue fund to Greece, saving it from bank-ruptcy. But the long-term risk of a messydefault and regional contagion, given deep-rooted mistrust over Athens’ commitment toharsh reforms, continued to worry investors.Brent crude for April delivery fell 14 cents to$121.52 a barrel by 0734 GMT. The contractsettled at $121.66 on Tuesday, its highestsince May. US crude for April was up 7 cents to$106.32 a barrel. The March contract, whichexpired on Tuesday, closed at $105.84 a barrel,the highest settlement for front-monthNYMEX crude since May 4.

“Prices are correcting as we’ve already gotthe boost from Greece and Iran’s pre-emptivestoppage of oil to Britain and France,” said

Tony Nunan, a risk manager at MitsubishiCorp, adding that the slowdown in Chinesemanufacturing activity also weighed onprices. Analysts expect China to step up policyeasing to support economic growth and liftcommodities demand in the world’s secondlargest economy. Commodities rallied at thestart of the week after Beijing cranked upcredit on Saturday by lowering the amount ofcash banks must hold in reserves.

SUPPLY CONCERNS SUPPORTYet supply concerns have boosted oil

prices in the past month on disruptions fromIran, as tightening US sanctions make it toughfor buyers to keep doing business with OPEC’ssecond largest producer. Asian and Europeanbuyers of Iranian crude are cutting purchasesfrom Tehran. Top Asian consumers of Iranianoil- China, India and Japan-are planning cutsof at least 10 percent in Iranian crude imports.Crude output in Sudan, Yemen, Syria and theNorth Sea is also lower, hurt by geopoliticaland production issues. “Upside price risks arerising as the market finds itself in the unprece-dented situation in which OPEC spare capaci-ty is at a trough just as a world economicrecovery is gaining momentum,” GoldmanSachs analysts said in a Feb 22 note.

The UN nuclear watchdog expressed disap-

pointment yesterday over a lack of progressduring two days of talks in Tehran over Iran’sdisputed nuclear program and said its requestto visit a military site had not been granted.Oil still faces downside risks in the secondquarter as refineries undergo maintenanceand product consumption slides into a sea-sonal trough before the northern hemispheresummer, JP Morgan analysts led by LawrenceEagles said in a Feb 21 note. “Supply risksremain elevated, as does the desire to buildinventory, but at current rates it appears as ifthe market will be well-supplied this spring,creating the potential for prices to retrace,rather than collapse,” the bank said.

A gradual economic recovery in the UnitedStates, the world’s largest oil consumer, hasalso supported prices. Investors are lookingahead to existing home sales data due laterin the day for more signs of recovery thatcould lift oil prices, Mitsubishi’s Nunan said.Yet high fuel prices may threaten demand.Gasoline futures ended at their highest levelsince May, lifted by the idling of BP Plc’sCherry Point, Washington, refinery on Fridaydue to a fire. “Motorists on both sides of theAtlantic are feeling the full pinch of exorbi-tantly high crude oil prices,” said StephenSchork, editor of the energy newsletter theSchork Report. —Reuters

KUWAIT: Three lucky customers woncash prizes in National Bank of Kuwait’s(NBK) weekly Al-Jawhara draws duringthis month. Ala’a Ali Ali Al-zagal, SulafaMohamad Jaber Hassan Hadeed, andAhmed Abdulbadeaa Nasr were awardedKD 5,000 each, expressing their surpriseand delight at having won. NBKs next Al-Jawhara will be held in the upcomingweek where a cash prize of KD 125,000will be awarded to one lucky winner. NBKrecently re-launched its Al-Jawharaaccount offering customers morechances of winning bigger prizes. Thisincludes cash prizes of KD 250,000 quar-terly, KD 125,000 monthly and KD 5,000weekly.

Al-Jawhara is one of Kuwait’s leading

cash prize accounts offering numerousbenefits to its customers. Not only is it aninterest-free account with regular depositand withdrawal privileges, it also entitlesaccount holders to enter the weekly,monthly and quarterly Al-Jawhara draws.Each KD 50 in an Al Jawhara account enti-tles the customer to one chance in any ofthe draws. All prizes are automaticallycredited to the winners’ accounts the dayafter the draw. The more money held inAl-Jawhara account, the greater thechances of winning. Al-Jawhara accountis available to both Kuwaitis and Expatsand can be opened at any one of NBK’sbranches around Kuwait. For furtherinformation kindly visit www.nbk.com , orcall Hala Watani at 1801801.

Three grab KD5,000 in NBK Al-Jawhara weekly draws

Third winner

KUWAIT: Al Massaleh RealEstate, one of the region’s lead-ing real estate developers, hassigned an agreement withIstidamah Holding, which spe-cializes in efficient, market-lead-ing waste management andrec ycl ing solutions. TheChairman and ManagingDirector of Al Massaleh RealEstate, Najeeb Al Saleh, said: “Weare ver y pleased to sign thisagreement with Ist idamahHolding. Messaleh Real Estate iscommitted to managing its busi-ness in a responsible fashion,which includes considering theimpact on the environment ofall our operations. This agree-ment means that we will now beable to ensure that paper wasteat our headquarters at UniversalTowers will in future be recycled

properly and reused, rather thandumped or burned.

“We know that the consump-tion of paper has increased sig-

nificantly worldwide, which inturn has led to increased paperproduction and to a reductionin green areas and the exhaus-tion of forests. As a company,we are committed to recyclingwhere possible, and we hopethat more people will becomeaware of the impor tance ofrecycling paper and other mate-rials and the role recycled mate-r ia ls can play in bui lding ahealthier and better environ-ment.” Khal id Mohamed Al-Mutawa, Chairman andManaging Director of IstidamahHolding, said: “Partnering withAl Massaleh Real Estate is amajor step for us and we hopeto collaborate fur ther in thefuture. Istidamah’s goal is to useits professional expertise andthe services to assist companies

in developing their recyclingprograms.

Managing waste efficientlyhas wide benefits, not only tothe environment but also tosociety through the reduction ofhealth issues often caused bywaste burial and tradit ionalmanagement methods. “Sincewe started our operations in2010, Istidamah has sought tooffer innovative environmentalsolutions to organisations bothinside and outside of Kuwait. Inthat time it has gained the trustof many private and govern-mental organisations which sup-port our plans to be recognizedas one of the leading environ-mental and consulting compa-nies in waste management,recycling, and industrial proj-ects.”

Al Massaleh Real Estate inks deal with Istidamah Holding

Massaleh Chairman, Najeeb Al Saleh

KUWAIT: Mazaya Qatar Real EstateDevelopment Company (QSC) heldits Annual General Meeting (AGM)at Qatar National ConventionCentre last Wednesday, February15. During the meeting, the Board’sAnnual Report on the company’sactivities and its financial positionfor the fiscal year ended December31st 2011, as well as the Auditors’Report, were discussed andapproved.

The agenda of the meetingincluded hearing the Board’s annu-al report on the company’s activi-ties and its financial position for thepast fiscal year and the future plansof the company, hearing theSharia’a Board’s Report andAuditors’ Report for that year, dis-cussing the Company’s balancesheet and the P&L accounts for theyear releasing members of theBoard of Directors from liability anddetermination of their remunera-tion.

The AGM approved appointingauditors for the fiscal year endingDecember 31st2013 and fixing theirremuneration in addition to author-izing the Board to conclude proce-dures of purchasing treasury stocksof 10% of the capital. The meetingapproved, also, the corporate gov-ernance report. Speaking at the

general assembly meeting, RashidFahad Al Naimi, Chairman ofMazaya Qatar, said: “Mazaya Qatar iscommitted to achieving the goalsof the policy of Qatarization and tosignificantly contributing to QatarVision 2030.

“ We have put the necessarystrategies in place to create morejob opportunities and recruit moreyoung talent in various depart-ments and branches who are eagerto play their role in the develop-ment and growth process. We haveopen doors for qualified Qatariyoung talents all the time”.“Mazaya Qatar has adopted a bal-anced strategy based on avoidingrisks by investment in projects ofsecured income.

We will continue this strategywith the aim of opening new chan-nels that will further enhance thecompany ’s position in the realestate and investment sector”, AlNaimi added. Seraj Al Baker, CEO ofMazaya Qatar, said: “Mazaya QatarReal Estate Development Companyhas made a number of importantachievements in 2011.

On an organizational level, thecompany has recruited a number ofskilled Qataris in various depart-ments to further strengthen thestructure. The company’s projects

are progressing well, with SidraResidential Compound, a residen-tial project for nurses, employeesand technicians working at theSidra Medical and Research Centre,part of Qatar Foundation forEducation, Science and CommunityDevelopment, progressing accord-ing to schedule. The company hascompleted the infrastructure andbegun the second phase of theproject. Mazaya will manage theproject for 20 years, according tothe agreement with QatarFoundation”, he said.

Al Bakerdescribed the company’sother successful engagements:“Mazaya Qatar has completed mostparts of Tala Residence - a 350-unithousing complex for employees ofQatar National Convention Centre,part of the Qatar Foundation forEducation, Science and CommunityDevelopment. The company isdeveloping the final phase of theproject, scheduled for delivery inthe first quarter of the year accord-ing to the predetermined schedule.In 2012, Mazaya Qatar is entering anew phase of development onMarina Mall, which is planned to bean architectural masterpiece on thelocal and regional levels”, he said tothe assembled shareholders, direc-tors and observers.

Mazaya Qatar assembly approves board’s report

DUBAI: Dr Jan Utermarck (44), cur-rently in charge of internationalcoordination of the VolkswagenGroup’s genuine parts logistics net-work, has been appointed to headSales CIS / Middle East / Africa atVolkswagen Passenger Cars effec-tive February 1, 2012. In this func-tion, Utermarck will report direct tothe Volkswagen Board Member forSales, Christian Klingler. Utermarcksucceeds Hans- Heiner T¸ting (56),who was appointed Board Memberfor Marketing, Sales and Service atVolkswagen de MÈxico with effectfrom November 1, 2011.

On his appointment Dr. JanUtermarck, head Sales CIS / MiddleEast / Africa at VolkswagenPassenger Cars commented: “TheMiddle East region is an importantmarket for Volkswagen with highsales potential. Volkswagen has anambitious growth plan and wantsto reach a leading position in theautomotive market within MiddleEast. Volkswagen is bringing newmodels to the region including thePassat, which was recentlylaunched at the Qatar Motor Showand is the second model thatfocuses on the sedan segment. I

look forward to working closelywith the Volkswagen Middle Eastteam to strengthen our brandimage and position, increase theattractive model range and devel-op the sales and after sales excel-

lence program dedicated to thespecial requirements of our cus-tomers in the Middle East region”

Jan Utermarck joined theVolkswagen Group in 1996, initiallytaking responsibility for coordinat-ing spare parts distribution proj-ects. He headed operational gen-

uine parts logistics at the masterdepot in Kassel from 2001 to 2003.Utermarck, who holds a doctoratein business administration, movedto the Group’s brand in 2004,where he headed the global gen-uine parts and accessories busi-ness. From 2007, Utermarck tookcharge of the international coordi-nation of the genuine parts launchprocess, and subsequentlyassumed responsibil ity for theinternational coordination of theVolkswagen Group’s genuine partslogistics network in 2010.

Hans-Heiner Tuting has beenwith the Volkswagen Group for 32years. Following various projectassignments at VolkswagenCommercial Vehicles he was placedin charge of commercial vehiclesales in 1995. Five years later heassumed responsibil ity for theWestern Europe sales region,before becoming head of commer-cial vehicles sales and marketing in2001. Tuting headed Sales Europeat Volkswagen Commercial Vehiclesfrom 2007 to 2008, becoming Headof Sales CIS / Middle East / Africa atVolkswagen Passenger Cars in2008.

Dr Jan Utermarck to head Sales at Volkswagen Passenger Cars

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines’freighter arm said yesterday ithad reduced capacity by 20 per-cent due to weakness in globaldemand and high fuel prices. Thecuts “were implemented recentlyand wil l continue into theNorthern Summer operating sea-son which starts late next month,”SIA Cargo said in a statement. Itpainted a bleak outlook for themarket.

“ The air cargo market hasshown weakness for the past ninemonths, and the depresseddemand that we are seeingacross all markets gives us littlereason to be optimistic about the

near-term outlook,” SIA Cargopresident Tan Kai Ping said.

“With no improvement expect-ed in the first half of this calendaryear, and with stubbornly highfuel prices pushing up costs, wehave taken appropriate action toreduce our freighter operationsto better match capacity todemand.” SIA Cargo has afreighter fleet of 13 Boeing 747-400s. The capacity cuts weremainly for long-haul services.

Singapore’s main trading part-ners include Europe, which ismired in a debt crisis, and theUnited States, where a recoveryfrom a severe recession is strug-

gling to gain traction. “SIA Cargowill continue to closely monitormarket conditions and will staynimble in al igning capacitydeployment to demand,” thestatement said.

Parent firm SIA group said ear-lier this month that its third-quar-ter net profit tumbled 53 percentfrom a year ago due to theimpact of “persistently high” jetfuel prices. Singapore’s trade-reliant economy, which grew 4.9percent last year, is projected toexpand at a slower 1.0 to 3.0 per-cent this year due to weakness inits main trading partners, thegovernment has said. —AFP

SIA cargo arm cuts capacity

ABUJA: Exxon Mobil Corp has signed 20-yearleases on three major oil fields in Nigeria afterstrained negotiations between the companyand the West African nation’s government, offi-cials announced yesterday. Negotiationsdragged on for months between the Irving,Texas-based Exxon Mobil and the Nigerian gov-ernment, with confusion over the contractsexasperating the company’s officials. The shal-low water fields just off Nigeria’s southern coastproduce about 500,000 barrels of oil a day, amajor chunk of the company’s production inthe country. In a statement, the state-runNigerian National Petroleum Corp quoted thenation’s petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke describing the deal as a “mutually fairagreement.” A spokesman for Exxon Mobil’sNigerian subsidiary did not respond to arequest for comment yesterday.

The announcement comes amid a yearly oiland gas conference in Nigeria’s capital Abuja.Speaking there yesterday, Exxon Mobil manag-ing director in Nigeria said the country neededto do more to make sure there’s stability for theforeign oil companies working there. “Having

resources alone is not enough,” Mark R. Wardsaid, according to remarks released by ExxonMobil to The Associated Press. “As more nationsjoin the ranks of developed economies,Nigeria’s best hope for re-energizing growthand creating new jobs is to put in place a stablepolicy framework that supports long-terminvestment.”

Nigeria is still considering whether to over-haul laws surrounding oil production. Debateover the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill hascaused foreign companies to hold off on newinvestments in Nigeria. Analysts say the petro-leum bill would sharply reduce the profits offoreign oil companies working in Nigeria likeChevron Corp, Exxon Mobil, Eni SpA, RoyalDutch Shell PLC and Total SA. Government offi-cials say the bill would allow more oil money toreturn to Nigeria’s people. However, the bill hasapparently stalled after years of discussion andit remains unclear whether Nigeria’s NationalAssembly will be able to pass any change tothe laws soon. Nigeria, an OPEC membernation producing about 2.4 million barrels ofcrude oil a day, is a top supplier to the US. —AP

Exxon Mobil, Nigeria sign 20-year oil deal

24b u sine s sTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE)tumbled during yesterday’s session, onthe back of a slim drop in crude oilprices as well as profit-booking in midand small cap stocks. Oil fell yesterdayfrom a nine-month high as weak eco-nomic data in Europe and China castdoubt on the outlook for global growthand prospects for fuel demand.

Market Indices Global General Index (GGI) ended

the day down by 0.07 percent, at 180.67point. Market Capitalization was downfor the day, reaching KD29.40bn. On theother hand, KSE Price Index closed at6,088.5 point, shedding 9.70 points(0.16 percent) from its previous close.

Market Breadth On the broader market for equities,

decliners outpaced advancers by amargin of 48 to 34.

Daily Trading Activity Volume traded shed by 43.34 per-

cent at 656.86mn. Investment stocksconstituted 35.83 percent of the totalvolume of shares traded on theexchange. It was followed by RealEstate Sector (26.13 percent). Valuetraded also decreased by 26.64 atKD55.99mn, services stock constituted33.17 percent of the total value tradedduring the day.

Top Gainers and Biggest DeclinersIn terms of top gainers, Burgan for

Well Drilling Company were the top

gainers for the day, adding 11.84 per-cent. On the other side, Al-AhliaHolding Company was the biggestloser, as its share price fell by 10.81percent to close at KD0.0165.

Sectors -WiseMost major indices ended the day

on a positive note. 6 of 8 sectors post-ed gains during the session, The mar-ket’s heavy-weights staged a sessionof poor performance as highlightedby a 0.61 decline in the market’s bluechips’ barometer, Global Large CapIndex. Banking Index declined by 0.92percent. The losses were led byCommercial Bank of Kuwait, dropping4 percent to close at KD0.720. KuwaitFinance House (KFH) was the sole

gainer in the sector, adding 1.22 per-cent. The bank denied media reportsregarding increasing its capital. Theinvestment sector lost 0.14 percent,as trading on several shares contin-ued to be halted, in line with thepenalty enforced on the companiesby KSE. The sector also witnessed the

decline of the some of its small caps,Sokouk Holding slipped by 7.46 per-cent to close at KD0.031. Food Stocksperformed well during the day, clock-ing 2.06 percent in sector gains, withKuwait Foodstuff Company(Americana) adding 2.82 percent toclose at KD1.460.

Corporate NewsBurgan Bank has reached a deal to

buy a 70 percent stake in Turkey’sEurobank Tekfen, a partnership ofGreece’s EFG Eurobank EFGr.AT andTurkey’s Tekfen Holding TKFEN.IS,sources with knowledge of the dealtold Reuters. EFG Eurobank, Greece’ssecond-largest lender, said in July itwas in initial talks to sell a majority

stake in Eurobank Tekfen. InDecember, Eurobank Tekfen said saletalks with three potential buyerswere continuing.

Oil NewsThe price of OPEC basket of

twelve crudes stood at USD119.20pbon Tuesday, the same as the previousday, according to OPEC Secretariatcalculations.

KSE price index sheds 9.70 points GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT

Zain delegates hold talks with Lebanon’s minister

BEIRUT: Zain Group announced that it islooking forward to reinforcing its commit-ments to the telecommunications indus-try in Lebanon this year, as per the actionplan agreed upon with the LebaneseMinistry of Telecommunications.

This was stated during the official visitthat a Zain Group delegation paid to theLebanese Minister of Telecommunications,H E Nicolas Sehnaoui, on the occasion ofthe renewal of mtc touch’s managementcontract.

The Zain Group delegation was headedby the Chief Commercial Officer, HishamAkbar, and the General Manager of mtctouch, Claude Bassil. The one-year renewalof the management contract in Lebanon,for the eighth consecutive year, coincideswith Zain Group’s quantum leap forwardin terms of the services it offers, reflectingthe success the Group has enjoyed in sup-porting and exceeding the expectationsof the Lebanese market.

Akbar expressed his satisfaction andappreciation of Zain Group’s visit to theMinistry, which included extensive discus-sions regarding the future and the chal-lenges facing the mobile telecommunica-tion industry in Lebanon.

“ We value the close cooperation

between Zain Group and the Lebanesegovernment, represented by the Ministerof Telecommunications,” Akbar said.“During our discussions with H E NicolasSehnaoui, the Minister ofTelecommunications praised the accom-plishments and efforts of mtc touch indeveloping the telecommunicationsindustry, and the commitment which wefirst made seven years ago,” he added.

Akbar noted that Zain Group wil lincrease its capacity and resources inLebanon so as to ensure a first-class com-munications experience for mtc touchcustomers. “In our discussions with theMinistry, we have renewed our commit-ment to spare no effort in supporting mtctouch customers with multiple servicesthat meet international standards,” Mr.Akbar said. Thanks to the strong commit-ment to a local workforce, mtc touch’semployees are totally composed of high-ly-qualified Lebanese nationals. The oper-ator has managed to lead the mobile com-munications market in the country with1.84 million customers (as of December31, 2011), representing 53% market share.Moreover, the company continues itscommitment to offer differentiated servic-es to its customers.

LONDON: Royal Dutch Shell Plc has made anagreed 992.4 million pounds ($1.6 billion) bid forMozambique-focused Cove Energy, offering afull price to open up a new gas frontier for theAnglo-Dutch oil major in East Africa. Shell hasoffered 195 pence per share in cash, whichCove’s directors said yesterday they would rec-ommend to shareholders. On Tuesday, Cove’sshares closed at 154.5 pence, and analysts atCitigroup said the “valuation looks stretched” ina research note.

The price is an over 70 percent premium toCove’s closing share price on Jan. 4, when Cove

announced plans to sell, although investorswere already betting on a bid at that point.Cove’s main asset is an 8.5 percent stake in theRovuma Offshore Area 1, in Mozambique, whereoperator Anadarko has found over 30 trillioncubic feet of natural gas. Nearby, Italy’s Eni hasalso made major gas finds while, north of themaritime border, Norway’s Statoil has made afind in Tanzanian waters. Shell is the industryleader in freezing natural gas into liquefied nat-ural gas (LNG) for export in tankers around theworld, and so a presence in what is expected toemerge as one of the world’s major LNG

provinces is a logical step. However, some bankers had questioned

whether Cove’s stake alone would make sensefor an oil major like Shell. Big oil groups like tohave material stakes of over 25 percent in proj-ects. In addition to Anadarko, Japan’s Mitsuiand Indian groups Bharat Petroleum andVideocon own minority stakes in the Rovumalicense, and the values of these interests couldnow be marked up. Cove also has interests inTanzania and Kenya. Morgan Stanley advisedShell on the bid, while Standard Charteredadvised Cove.— Reuters

Shell to buy Cove Energy for $1.6bn

25B U S I N E S STHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

WASHINGTON: Europe hasendured the pain of layoffs, wagecuts and tax increases designed tobring government debt under con-trol. So where’s the gain? Far fromfalling, debt burdens are risingfastest in European countries thathave enacted the most draconianausterity programs, according toThe Associated Press’ GlobalEconomy Tracker, which monitorsthe per formance of 30 majoreconomies. The numbers back upwhat many analysts say: Austerityisn’t just painful. It can be counter-productive and even make a coun-try’s debt load grow.

Many fear the cutbacks will causeEurope to sink into a self-defeatingspiral: Higher debt leads to harsherausterity, growing social instabilityand deeper economic problems.Governments could find it evenharder to pay their bills. The pain isalready intense. Portugal’s unem-ployment rate hit a record 14 per-cent at the end of last year. Ireland’seconomy contracted a worse-than-expected 1.9 percent in the July-September quarter of 2011. AndGreece reported that its already bas-ket-case economy shrank 7 percentin the October-December quarter oflast year. “This isn’t a healthy situa-tion,” says Peter Morici, an econo-mist at the University of Maryland.

Under a deal approved Tuesdayby the 17 countries that use theeuro and the InternationalMonetary Fund, Greece will get a$172 billion bailout in exchange foraccepting another dose of austeritythat includes laying off 15,000 civilservants and slashing the minimumwage by 22 percent. Progress hasbeen made in the bond market,where interest rates on governmentbonds have declined. That’s made itcheaper for some indebted coun-tries to borrow.

But the drop in rates might notlast. And the lower rates probablyhave less to do with budget cuttingthan with what the countries’ cen-tral banks are doing: They’re buyingbonds, which pushes down rates,

and providing low-cost loans forbanks to do the same. Borrowingcosts haven’t eased for every coun-try: The yield on Portugal’s 2-yeargovernment note is near a painful13 percent, up from under 5 percenta year ago. The best way to comparedebt burdens among countries is tolook at the debt as a percentage ofgross domestic product. When itexceeds 90 percent, it’s consideredbad for an economy’s health. GDP isthe broadest gauge of economicoutput.

The AP’s Global Economy Trackerillustrates how countries that haveimposed austerity measures to slashcosts have actually ended up withbigger debt problems: Portugal cutpensions, reduced public servants’wages and raised taxes starting in2010. Yet in the third quarter of2011, government debt equaled110 percent of GDP. That was upfrom 91 percent a year earlier. InIreland, middle-class wages havebeen reduced 15 percent and thesales tax boosted to 23 percent (thehighest in the European Union). Butits debt amounted to 105 percent ofeconomic output in the third quar-ter of last year; a year earlier, it was88 percent.

In Britain, Prime Minister DavidCameron staked his political futureon his austerity plan. Governmentdebt ratios, though, reached 80 per-cent in third-quarter 2011, up from74 percent a year earlier. AndMoody’s this month cut its outlookon Britain’s prized AAA credit ratingfrom “stable” to “negative.” In Greece,two years of austerity programshave devastated the economy andtriggered riots. Still, the govern-ment’s debt equaled an alarming159 percent of the country’s GDP inthe July-September quarter of 2011.That was up from 139 percent a yearearlier. Norway, by contrast, has astrong economy and has avoidedpainful austerity measures. And itsdebts dropped to 39 percent of GDPin the third quarter, from 43.5 per-cent in the same quarter of 2010.

Economic conditions deteriorat-

ed at the end of last year, suggest-ing that Europe’s government debtlikely grew even heavier. Manyeconomists question whether thelatest rescue plan can succeed over

the long run. “The Greek debt dealputs off the day of reckoning,” saysEswar Prasad, senior professor oftrade policy at Cornell University.“We can breathe a sigh of relief forthe next few weeks. But a lot of

trouble is still coming.” Simple mathexplains why austerity can worsengovernment debt: If spending cutsand tax increases tilt a country intorecession, GDP shrinks. So debt

doesn’t even have to grow tobecome a bigger burden on a con-tracting economy.

“You can’t fix the debt-to-GDPproblem if GDP is falling,” says DavidKelly, chief market strategist for JP

Morgan Funds. Recession also addsstrains to the budget. Tax revenuedries up. Spending on unemploy-ment benefits and other social serv-ices rises. Bond investors tend tofavor austerity programs, and here’swhy: The narrower the gap betweenwhat a government spends andwhat it collects in taxes, the likelierit will repay its debts. Countries thatstrive to balance their budgets arerewarded with lower interest rateson their debt.

That’s one reason the yield onBritain’s 2-year notes has droppedfrom 1.5 percent to 0.4 percent overthe past year. Likewise, yields onItalian government bonds fell afterthe country ’s new technocraticprime minister, Mario Monti,unveiled plans to get the country’sfinances in order. But the Bank ofEngland and the European CentralBank can also claim much of thecredit for the lower rates. The Bankof England has pushed yields downby actively buying bonds, a policyknown as “quantitative easing.” TheECB in December provided hun-dreds of commercial banks withnearly $640 billion in low-interestthree-year loans. The banks usedsome of this money to buy Spanishand Italian government bonds,pushing yields lower. The centralbank intends to make more bankloans later this month.

But the bond-market exuberancemay not last. Olivier Blanchard, chiefeconomist at the InternationalMonetary Fund, has said even bondinvestors can rebel against austerity,once they realize that governmentcutbacks can squeeze growth andcause debt burdens to rise. “There’sno doubt that the strategies pursuedin Greece, Portugal and Ireland havecontributed to a dramatic increase inthose countries’ overall debt bur-dens,” says Simon Tilford, chief econ-omist at the Centre for EuropeanReform in London. “Strengtheningpublic finances is a marathon, not asprint, and it can only take placeacross a backdrop of reasonablyhealthy economic activity.”

The United States is taking themarathon approach, putting offserious budget cuts until the econ-omy is stronger. What Europeneeds, says Paul Christopher, chiefinternational investment strategistat Wells Fargo Advisors, “is not aus-terity but economic reforms.” AcrossEurope, economic growth is con-strained by inefficiencies, such asrules that protect favored business-es from competition and generousretirement plans that cost too muchand pull productive workers out ofthe labor force. But reform takestime that Europe can’t spare.

Analysis by the Kiel Institute forthe World Economy in Germanysuggests the outlook is hopelessfor Greece. Researchers at thethink-tank estimate that Greecewould have to turn its annualbudget deficit - now about 5 per-cent of GDP before debt payments- into a daunting surplus of around30 percent of GDP to return tofinancial health. “Greece will mostlikely not be able to get grip on itsdebt,” write the institute’s analystsDavid Bencek and Henning Klodt.Portugal, too, faces long odds, theyfound. The only way out, theUniversity of Maryland’s Moricisays, is a breakup of the eurozone.Weak countries like Greece andPortugal must abandon the euroand reintroduce their old, less valu-able currencies.

The return of the weak Greekdrachma and Portuguese escudowould make Greek and Portugueseproducts less expensive in foreignmarkets and allow them to get arejuvenating economic boost fromgrowing exports. The alternative, hesays, is deepening pain and socialinstability. “The stakes are enor-mous,” Morici says. “Unemploymentcould easily rocket above 30 per-cent in Greece for years. With thegovernment having no real meansto ease the pain, revolutionary con-ditions will prevail. Even nowGreece is little more than a barn fullof straw in the middle of a summerdrought.” —AP

In Europe, spending cuts fail to ease debt burdensHigher debt leads to harsher austerity, instability

ATHENS: Police chase a protesting high school student in front ofthe parliament in Athens during a demonstration against austeritymeasures. —AFP

LISBON: A farmer prunes a tree at his farm in Amarante. Cesar is apastry cook and a part-time farmer. In the rural region of Amarante,in northern Portugal, agriculture is becoming an increasingly appeal-ing sector. —AFP

JEDDAH: Citigroup’s venture capital arm andDubai-based Levant Capital have bought a$100 million controlling stake in SaudiArabian supermarket chain Al-Raya ForFoodstuff Co Ltd, lured by growth prospectsin the kingdom’s consumer sector. Al-Raya,based in Jeddah, operates 25 supermarketsacross 14 cities in Saudi Arabia, and had post-ed sales of 800 million riyals ($213 million) in2011, a joint statement from Citi VentureCapital International (CVCI) and Levant said.“The transaction, valued at $100 million, pres-ents an opportunity for Levant Capital andCVCI to capitalize on the growth in consumer-driven demand and the increasingly attractivemiddle income segment of the gulf region’s

largest economy,” it said, adding that the dealclosed on Tuesday.

Interest in Saudi Arabia’s consumer sectoris growing among international investors asthe country’s population rises beyond 27 mil-lion, most of which are under the age of 30.“The supermarket segment within the foodretail sector is expected to grow faster thanthe overall market as consumers continue tomigrate towards organized retail,” SalamehSweis, Chief Executive Officer of LevantCapital said. Coca-Cola Co invested $980 mil-lion in Saudi Arabia-based beverage firmAujan Industries in December. The transactionis expected to close in the first half of thisyear.

US private equity firm Carlyle Groupacquired a 42-percent stake in Alamar Foods,the master franchise operator for Domino’sPizza and Wendy’s restaurants in the MiddleEast and North Africa. CVCI, which manages$7 billion in equity investments and commit-ted capital, is part of Citi Capital Advisors, analternative asset management platform of theUS bank. Levant, whose chairman is the son ofSaudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is apartner-owned firm with investments of $200million in several companies. The companyexpects to exit more of its investments in2012 and 2013 through selling to internation-al and regional investors, Sweis said in a in aninterview last year. —Reuters

Citi, Dubai firm in $100m Saudi deal

Deal to buy controlling stake in supermarket chain

BEIJING: A property sector downturn andslumping global demand may knock China’seconomy into a hard landing in 2012, a seniorgovernment economist said, putting more pres-sure on Beijing to speed up economic reformsand to open up the market. The economy is notjust slowing but is also haunted by over-invest-ment that could constrain Beijing’s options, saidShi Xiaomin, vice president of China Society ofEconomic Reform (CSER), a Beijing-based think-tank. “A hard landing of the economy is possiblethis year as slackening domestic and externaldemand pushes (full-year) GDP growth below 8percent, probably even to 6-7 percent,” said Shi.

“More worrying is that such a slowdown isgoing hand in hand with a sharp decline in theoverall economic efficiency.” The world’s second-largest economy may even slip into a period ofdeflation late this year or next year, he added.Shi is an adviser to the government, specializingin reform. His think-tank is under the under theNational Development and ReformCommission, China’s top economic planner.Fears of a hard landing in China have gainedtraction as a stream of recent data, especiallydisappointing trade and credit data in Januaryshowed the turbo-charged economy is faltering.

China’s manufacturing sector contracted inFebruary for the fourth straight month as newexport orders dropped sharply in the face of theeuro area debt crisis, the HSBC flash purchasingmanagers index showed yesterday. Shi’s out-look is a contrarian one in China. Most govern-ment economists don’t expect a hard landing,which in the Chinese context is typically definedas a sudden dip in quarterly GDP growth below8 percent, which could lead to big job lossesthat pose a threat to social stability. US econo-mist Nouriel Roubini has flagged risks of a Chinahard landing after 2013, mainly due to over-

investment. China’s leader-in-waiting Xi Jinpingsaid during a visit to the United States last weekthat China’s economic momentum would notfalter as some economists have predicted, andsaid the economy faces no risk of a hard landing.

The last time the economy showed signs of asudden slump, during the depths of the globalfinancial crisis in 2008/09, Beijing announced a 4trillion yuan ($635 billion) stimulus plan thathelped it quickly return to double-digit growth.But the huge pump-priming sparked unfetteredbank lending to local governments, resulting in

piles of debt-officially estimated at 10.7 trillionyuan-that analysts fear could destabilize theeconomy. China’s property sector has begun tocool, with housing sales in some cities fallingsharply as Beijing’s heavy-handed tighteningmeasures unveiled since 2009 start to bite.

But Shi warned that a downturn in propertyinvestment, which accounts for an eighth ofgross domestic product (GDP), as shrinkingland sales hit local government revenues, possi-bly forcing them to default on loans. China’sbanking regulator has issued guidance to

banks to roll over some of their loans made tolocal governments to ward off a potential waveof defaults. China cut banks’ required reserveson Saturday to support the economy that iswidely expected to slowing this quarter for afifth consecutive quarter. The market consensusis for full-year 2012 growth to have slipped to 8-9 percent. “But monetary policy cannot solvestructural problems,” Shi said.

REFORMS STALLEDChina’s reforms were launched by former

leader Deng Xiaoping in 1978 and gainedsteam after China’s entry into the World TradeOrganization in 2001, propelling the country’sbreak-neck growth in the past three decades,Shi said. “Unfortunately, reforms have almostcome to a standstill in recent years, especiallyconcerning the monopoly,” Shi said. State-owned firms have staged a come-back as theyreceived the bulk of Beijing’s massive spending,sparking criticism that “the state advances andthe private sector retreats”.

“There are growing calls for reforms, butsuch discussions are restricted to the academiccircle,” said Shi, who was among economistswho helped draft China’s reform plans in the1980s to steer its transition from a plannedeconomy. Shi said “vested interests”-state giantsin oil, power, railway and banking-are thebiggest obstacle to reforms. Premier WenJiabao has repeatedly called for acceleratingreforms to help sustain economic growth, butShi reckons that “stability” will be the watch-word for the Chinese Communist Party aheadof its leadership transition in late 2012. “If youdon’t want to push reforms, the financial crisismay be an excuse to retreat. But if you want toreform, the crisis may well be an opportunity,”Shi said. —Reuters

BAHOVITSA: Great Wall Motor’s chief executive Wang Feng Ying poses for pho-tographers in front of the new Great Wall Motor’s Car plant in the northern vil-lage of Bahovitsa. China’s Great Wall Motor eyes to enter the European marketwith cars assembled in Bulgaria. —AFP

SINGAPORE: Boeing said yesterday around 55of its flagship 787 Dreamliners “have thepotential” to develop a fuselage shimmingproblem, but reiterated that the fault wasbeing fixed. Shims are used to fill in spacebetween parts and industry publicationFlightglobal has reported that improperlyjoined pieces had caused “parts of the aircraft’scarbon fiber structure to delaminate”.

The discovery of the issue in early Februaryis the latest snag to hit the showpiece buttroubled jet, which suffered extensive produc-tion delays. “In all the airplanes that we built,up to airplane 55 in round numbers have thepotential for the shimming issue,” said the avi-ation giant’s vice president Jim Albaugh at amedia roundtable in Singapore. “It’s very fix-able and we are in the process of fixing the air-planes that are in flow, there is not a safety orflight issue on the airplanes that we’ve deliv-ered and this is a long term issue that has tobe addressed,” he added.

Boeing has previously said the problemarose because “incorrect shimming was per-formed on support structure on the aft fuse-

lage” of some 787s. Albaugh-who is concur-rently the chief executive of BoeingCommercial Airplanes-stated the problemwould not affect total Dreamliner deliveriesscheduled for this year. “It’s something thatwe can address in a short period of time. Itwill impact some short-term deliveries but interms of the number of deliveries for theyear, it shouldn’t have any impact at all,” hesaid.

Albaugh also said Boeing did not agreewith European Union’s imposition of itsEmissions Trading Scheme (ETS), effectivelycharging airlines a carbon tax on travel withinthe region. “I don’t think the ETS approach isthe right one,” he said, describing it as “a car-bon tax where you don’t know where themoney is going and you don’t know if themoney is going to be used in an efficient way”.“I really believe that the right approach is forthe governments to tell us what the emissionsstandards are and we will use our money andwe will spend that money wisely to come upwith a way of addressing what those newrequirements are,” Albaugh added. —AFP

Mitsubishi seeks buyer for Europe’s

auto plantTHE HAGUE: Japanese car maker Mitsubishi willstep up efforts to find a buyer for its sole westernEuropean plant where production is set to cease byyear-end, the Dutch Economics Ministry said yester-day. The company announced in Tokyo this month itwas planning to halt production at the Nedcar plantin Born, southern Netherlands, by the end of 2012,blaming a difficult operating environment in thedebt-hit continent. “Mitsubishi has promised,together with Nedcar and the (Dutch) Ministry ofEconomic Affairs to intensify the search for a buyerover the next three months,” the ministry said in astatement.

This followed a meeting between DutchEconomic Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen andMitsubishi’s chief executive Osamu Masuko in Tokyoearlier Wednesday to discuss the future of the plantand its 1,500 employees. Masuko told Verhagen that“Mitsubishi will honor all agreements made on asocial plan for Nedcar staff should recovery appearto be impossible,” the ministry added. Labor unionsdemanded Mitsubishi work with the Dutch govern-ment to find a buyer after Masuko said he was will-ing to sell the plant for “one euro” if a new ownercould guarantee workers would remain employed.

Workers staged a one-day strike at the plant,located about 180 kilometers southeast ofAmsterdam, on February 10 in which they aireddemands including finding a proper social planshould no buyer be found. The Japanese carmakerproduces the Colt subcompact and the Outlandersports utility models at the wholly-owned unit,which used to be a joint venture with Sweden’sVolvo. Output at NedCar, which was established in1991, has remained sharply below its annual pro-duction capacity of 200,000 units, contributing toMitsubishi Motors’ operating loss in Europe, reportssaid. Fewer than 50,000 cars were assembled in2010. —AFP

China economy faces risk of hard landing

55 Boeing Dreamliners ‘have potential’ shimming problem

26b u s i n e s sTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

SYDNEY: Mining giant Rio Tintosaid yesterday it has unearthed a“remarkable” 12.76 carat pink dia-mond in Australia, the largest ofthe rare and precious stones everfound in the resources-richnation. Named the Argyle PinkJubilee, the huge rough stonewas found at Rio’s pink diamondoperations in the Kimberleyregion of Western Australia andwould take 10 days to cut andpolish, the miner said. “This rarediamond is generating incredibleexcitement,” said JosephineJohnson from Rio’s Argyle PinkDiamonds division. “A diamondof this calibre is unprecedented-ithas taken 26 years of Argyle pro-duction to unearth this stone andwe may never see one like thisagain. “The individual who getsto wear this remarkable pink dia-mond will be incredibly lucky

indeed.” Though it would notspeculate on how much theJubilee was worth, Rio saidextremely high quality pink dia-monds could fetch in excess of $1million per carat, meaning it islikely to go for at least $10 million.The light pink Argyle Jubilee is asimilar color to the 24-caratWilliamson Pink given to Britain’sQueen Elizabeth II as a weddinggift which was later set into aCartier brooch for her coronation.The Williamson was discovered inTanzania in 1947 and is rankedamong the finest pink diamondsin existence. It is the ninth-largestin the world.

A Rio spokesman said therecent discovery was named inhonor of the long-reigning Britishmonarch, who is celebrating 60years since her accession to thethrone-her diamond jubilee. “This

is the Queen’s diamond jubileeyear and there is a parallel in thatthe Queen had a solitaire pinkdiamond, gifted to her-TheWilliamson Pink-and set in thecentre of a flower brooch in theyear of her coronation,” he said.When asked if Rio was targetingthe Argyle Jubilee diamond atthe Queen the spokesman said:“Only if she is shopping for newjewelry. She will have lots of com-petition.”

Rio produces more than 90percent of the world’s pink dia-monds from the Argyle mine, andsaid large stones like the Jubileetypically went to museums, weregifted to royalty or end up atprestigious auction houses likeChristie’s. Christie’s had only auc-tioned 18 polished pink dia-monds larger than 10 carats in its244-year history, Rio added.

Soaring demand for the extreme-ly rare jewel has seen pink dia-mond prices skyrocket in the past20 years and they are nowamong “the most concentratedforms of wealth on earth and wellin excess of white diamonds,” Riosaid. The miner describes it as an“elite and discrete” market withbuyers including royalty, heads ofstate, celebrities and “other verywealthy individuals.”

When the Jubilee diamondhas been cut and polished it willbe graded by internationalexperts and showcased globallyin private settings before beingsold by invitation-only tender lat-er this year. It is not known howthe diamonds acquire their pinktinge but it is thought to comefrom a molecular structure distor-tion as the jewel forms in theearth’s crust or ascends to the sur-

face. According to localAboriginal folklore, the Argylemine was formed when a barra-mundi fish jumped through the

net of three local hunters. Thediamonds are its scales glinting inthe sun and the pink ones are thefish’s heart. — AFP

Huge rare pink diamond found in Australia

PERTH: An undated handout photo shows a 12.76 carat pinkdiamond - the largest of the rare and precious stones everfound in Australia. — AFP

LONDON: The euro and European sharesedged lower yesterday after economic datasuggested the euro-zone may slide back intorecession, hurting the global economic out-look, while concerns about the sustainabilityof the latest Greek bailout deal also weighed.The euro-zone’s key service sector shrankunexpectedly in February while growth inGermany’s manufacturing and services sec-tors also slowed when compared to the pre-vious month, according to new business sur-veys of activity.

“The (euro-zone) economy remains stuckin low gear. It’s indicative of a flatlining econ-omy, maybe slightly contracting rather thana major slowdown,” Peter Dixon, global equi-ties economist at Commerzbank said. Thesingle currency also came under pressure asthe flash euro-zone Purchasing Manager’sIndex fell more than expected to 49.4, belowthe 50 level that signifies contraction. Theeuro traded around $1.3220, down about 0.1percent.

The Purchasing Manager’s Indexes (PMIs)have clouded recent optimism about theresilience of Europe’s economy to theregion’s debt crisis although a separate sur-vey showed France’s manufacturing sectormanaged a marginal but unexpected returnto growth in the month. “Although businessconditions are showing signs of stabilizingso far this year, which represents a markedimprovement on the widespread deepeninggloom seen late last year, the euro-zone is byno means out of the woods,” said ChrisWilliamson, the chief economist of the datacompiler Markit. “Demand needs to improveconsiderably in coming months before wecan safely say that the region will return toanything like reasonable growth.”

The data sent the broad FTSEurofirstindex of top European companies downabout 0.5 percent to 1,080.22 points after itstarted the day little changed. Safe-havenGerman government bond futures alsoreversed early losses to hit the day’s highsyesterday in the wake of data with MarchBund futures rising 31 ticks to 138.27.Growing worries among investors thatGreece will struggle to implement the toughausterity required under its latest bailout

deal agreed on Tuesday also remained ininvestors’ minds.

CHINA FEELS EURO-ZONE EFFECTAn earlier preliminary survey of China’s

industrial activity, showed the overall manu-facturing sector contracting for a four-straight month although the HSBC flash PMI

rose in February to 49.7 from 48.8 in January.But a new export orders sub-index of theHSBC survey dropped to 47.4 - the lowest ineight months-from 50.4 in January as theEuropean debt crisis cast a shadow overChinese exports. Asian shares eked out mod-est gains after the China manufacturing PMIdata but the European numbers reversedthe trend sending the MSCI global equity

index down about 0.2 percent to 329.81China’s economic growth is widely seen

slowing down in January to March for itsfifth consecutive quarter. Economists expectfull-year growth to slip below 9 percent forthe first time in a decade. Brent crude oiledged down towards $121 a barrel, retreat-ing from a nine-month high, as the weaker

Chinese manufacturing data and worriesabout the euro-zone debt crisis cast doubton the global economic outlook and theprospects for fuel demand. The Japanesecurrency was also weakening as the risingprice of oil added to the impact of an easiermonetary policy stance by the Bank of Japanto be send it above 80 yen to the dollar forthe first time since July, 2011. — Reuters

Euro, shares weaken as growth outlook darkens

PMI data raises question over euro-zone recovery

HONG KONG: The logo of online shopping portal Alibaba.com is seen near itsoffice in Hong Kong yesterday. —AFP

HONG KONG: Shares in Chinese onlineshopping portal Alibaba.com soared inHong Kong yesterday after its parentcompany said it plans to take the firmprivate for $2.3 billion. Alibaba.comshares closed 42.70 percent higher atHK$13.20 in strong volume after parentAlibaba Group announced its offer ofHK$13.50 per share. It was the stock’sfirst day of trade since it was suspendedon February 9. The offer matches theprice at which the unit was listed in 2007,the group said in a statement to theHong Kong Stock Exchange late Tuesday.“Taking Alibaba.com private will allowour company to make long-term deci-sions that are in the best interest of ourcustomers and that are also free from thepressures that come from having a pub-licly listed company,” group chairmanJack Ma said.

“With this offer, we provide our share-holders a chance to realize their invest-ment now at an attractive cash premiumrather than waiting indefinitely duringthis period of transition.” Alibaba.composted a net profit of 1.71 billion yuan($271.5 million) in 2011, up 16.6 percentover the previous year, but with weak-ness in the fourth quarter. The firm saidits fourth-quarter net profit fell 6.0 per-cent from a year earlier, citing cautious-ness due to a weak global environment.“The global economy was sluggish in2011 due to lacklustre economic condi-tions in the major developed markets,” itsaid in a statement.

“Cautious sentiment is restrainingconsumption in developed economies,

which is negatively impacting emergingeconomies and developing nations.China is unlikely to prove immune to theglobal slowdown.” Hangzhou-basedAlibaba is reportedly planning to borrow$3 billion to buy back the stake Yahoo!owns in the company, as the strugglingUS Internet giant overhauls its Asia hold-ings. Ma has a longstanding offer to buyall or part of Yahoo! Shares in Alibabawere suspended at the board’s requestearlier this month due to media specula-tion about its Yahoo! buy-back and priva-tization plans. I ts share price haddropped 44 percent in the 12 monthsleading up to the suspension, and it hasnot traded above the 2007 offer pricesince May last year.

Tanrich Securities investment manag-er Jackson Wong said that givenAlibaba’s earnings prospects and recentstock market performance, investorswould be brave to reject the buyout bid.“I’d advise shareholders to take the offer,”he told Dow Jones Newswires in HongKong. “You never know if some share-holders will be irrational, but overall Ithink the chance of the deal goingthrough is high.” Looking ahead,Alibaba.com predicted a “more balanced,multi-revenue stream model” as thestrategy shifted away from membershipgrowth and tilted towards improvedquality. This will “take time and requirecontinuous investment”, and could“adversely affect our membershipgrowth, financial performance and limitearnings visibility in the near term”, thecompany said. — AFP

Alibaba shares go upon privatization plans TOKYO: Money traders work under a screen indicating the exchange rate of the US dollar

against Japanese yen (above) and the Nikkei 225 index at a foreign exchange firm inTokyo yesterday. — AP

WASHINGTON: A US softwareindustry report yesterday chidedBrazil, China and India for poli-cies it said threatened the futureof cloud computing, but alsotook aim at developed countriessuch as Germany that did well onits inaugural scorecard. TheBusiness Software All iance,which represents US industryheavyweights such as MicrosoftCorp, said Brazil finished last inits survey of 24 countries, earn-ing only 35.1 points out a possi-ble 100 because of its policies inareas such free trade, security,data privacy and cybercrime.

India, which has the world’ssecond-largest software industryafter the United States, andChina, whose information andcommunications technologysector is expected to nearly dou-ble to $389 billion by 2015, alsowere in the bottom six, withscores of 50.0 and 47.5, respec-tively. Cloud computing refers toproviding software, storage,computing power and otherser vices to customers fromremote data centers over theWeb. Demand for cloud-basedsoftware is rising rapidly becausethe approach allows companiesto star t using new programsfaster and at lower cost than tra-ditional products that are

installed at a customer’s owndata center.

A major purpose of the reportis to rally the international “tech-nology community around theneed for greater harmonizationof laws so a truly global cloudcan come about,” said RobertHolleyman, president of the USsoftware group. Without greatercoordination of governmentpolicies, “the cloud could bechopped into l itt le pieces,”reducing the eff iciency thatcomes from being able to movedata and software services freelyacross borders, Holleyman said.

The 24 countries included inthe survey represent 80 percentof the global information andcommunications technologyindustry. They were scored inseven areas, which also includedintellectual property protection,infrastructure and support forindustry-led standards to pro-mote smooth data flows. Japanwas ranked highest with 83.3points. It was followed closely byother developed countriesincluding Australia, Germany,the United States, France, Italy,the United Kingdom and SouthKorea, which all scored in thehigh 70s.

While the report showed a“sharp divide between advanced

economies and the developingworld, even some of the high-ranking countries are wallingthemselves in with conflictinglaws and regulations,” Holleymansaid. European Union countriesscored well, but “what’s happen-ing now in the EU is lawmakersand regulators are effectivelyputting their thumbs on thescale in ways that will make itdifficult for non-European firmsto compete,” he said.

“ There are concerns thatGermany, for example, wants toput a wall around the country tolimit the provision of cloud serv-ices to companies that are locat-ed in Germany.” Strong laws toprotect privacy are important togive users confidence “that pri-vate information stored in thecloud, wherever in the world, willnot be used or disclosed by thecloud provider in unexpectedways, the repor t said. Toughsecurity measures are also need-ed, but some countries such asChina that have implementedInternet filtering or censorshipregimes could thwart develop ofcloud computing and the digitaleconomy, the report said.

Brazil scored just 1.6 out of apossible 10 on policies to com-bat cybercrime, which is expect-ed to become an increasing chal-

lenge as more and more infor-mation is aggregated in largedata centers, making themtempting targets. Japan andFrance earn perfect marks in thatsection, while South Africa cameclose with a 9.8. Even thoughBrazil finished dead last in thereport, Holleyman said he wasmore optimistic about thepotential to persuade LatinAmerica’s second largest econo-my to make reforms than he wasfor China.

“ There is probably moreopportunity to make progress inBrazil by pointing out what wesee as the gaps that exist cur-rently and why Brazil’s economywill slow down as result of thesepolicies,” Holleyman said. “I thinkit’s going to be a bigger chal-lenge in some other markets,particularly China,” he said. China“not only has the ‘great firewall,’that does not allow the transmis-sion between people in Chinaand the rest of the world.

But it also has a policy torequire non-Chinese cloud firmsto enter into joint ventures withChinese firms” on unfavorableterms for outsiders, he said. Indiaalso appears to recognize it is inits interest to promote globalcloud computing, Holleymansaid. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: A jump in gasoline pricesis threatening to smother the flickeringflames of the US economic recovery andwith them President Barack Obama’shopes of retaining the White House.Groggy but still standing after a four-yearslog through recession, the US economyhas-just about-weathered shocks fromJapan’s earthquake and tsunami, theArab Spring and Europe’s ongoing debtcrisis. Now, as unemployment finallystarts to ease and growth picks up, risingoil prices could land another blow to thegut of the world’s largest economy.

In the last year, tensions in Iran, Syria,Libya, Nigeria and South Sudan, refinerysqueezes and hardening global demandhave conspired to push crude and gaso-line prices higher. For Americans that hasmeant a 12.5 percent rise in prices at thepump-from an average of $3.17 a gallon ayear ago to $3.57 today-defacing many ahousehold balance sheet. Rising energyprices are “one of the predominant risksto the economy this year,” according toDeutsche Bank’s chief US economistJoseph LaVorgna.

LaVorgna and his team estimate thatfor every one cent increase in gasolineprices, household energy costs increaseby around $1.4 billion. That cash for themost part goes abroad, instead of wash-ing through the domestic economy.There are signs that rising prices are start-ing to shake consumer confidence.According to Gallup and other pollsters,economic confidence has started toretreat after a series of encouraging

gains. Oil prices are actually expected tofall in the next few months as theNorthern Hemisphere enters the lullbetween high-demand periods of winterand summer, but the relief will likely onlybe temporary.

According to the AmericanAutomobile Association, gasoline pricescould rise as high as $4.25 by the end ofMay, well beyond the symbolic $4.00point that many Americans consider toohigh. Ironically, the strengthening econo-my may be to blame. “Building economicmomentum, albeit from a weak base, hasthe potential to pull oil prices higher forthe next 12 to 24 months,” JPMorgan’sanalysts told clients on Tuesday. If risingoil prices spell bad economic news for thecountry, then they are also bad news forObama politically.

Presidential approval ratings some-times have a strong link with rising gaso-line prices, as was the case with Obama’spredecessor George W Bush. On otheroccasions the link has been less pro-nounced. The White House appears con-cerned. Today Obama is expected toreturn to the subject of energy policy at aspeech in Miami, Florida. At the veryleast, rising prices have given Obama’spolitical foes ammunition even as theeconomy recovers, while deadening theimpact of a hard-fought $40 a month taxcut for Americans. Republican presiden-tial hopefuls Mitt Romney, Rick Santorumand Newt Gingrich have already soughtto pin the blame for higher oil prices onthe Democratic incumbent. — AFP

US cloud computing report criticizes Brazil, India, ChinaSurvey covered 80 percent of global ICT market

High oil prices test Obama, economy

T E C H NOLO G YTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

SINGAPORE: A global patchwork of conflictinglaws and regulations could hobble the growth ofthe cloud computing market, a study released yes-terday said. The study, commissioned by theBusiness Software Alliance (BSA), urged govern-ments to move to harmonise the rules to ease theflow of information across borders and allow thefull benefit of advances to be realised.

The technology involves storing massiveamounts of data and applications on an Internet“cloud” spread globally instead of the traditionalmethod of installing information on users’machines or company servers.

It enables easy access to and sharing of informa-tion anywhere, even while on the move. But thestudy, carried out for BSA by IT consulting firmGalexia, said some countries were “placing geo-graphic restrictions on data and considering otherlimits on outsourcing of work.”

It cited the European Union’s proposed “DataProtection Regulation” which it said “has the poten-tial to undermine its benefits with new, overly pre-scriptive rules”. It said the regulations “threaten toundermine the economic advances that a trulyglobal cloud can provide.”

Although developed countries are better pre-

pared individually to support the growth of cloudcomputing than developing nations, “obstaclesremained... due to the lack of alignment in thelegal and regulatory environments”, it said.

In China, the country ’s Internet filteringschemes “appear to include a strong political ele-ment, in that they regularly block sites thatexpressed political dissent”, the study said.“Countries that wall themselves off are doing realharm,” BSA president and chief executive RobertHolleyman said in a statement. “The true benefitsof cloud computing come with scale,” he added.

“In a global economy, you should be able to get

the technology you need for personal or business use from servers located

anywhere in the world. But that requires laws andregulations that let data flow easily across borders,”he said.

“Right now, too many countries have too manydifferent rules standing in the way of the kind oftrade in digital services we really need.” TheWashington-based BSA is an industry group thatworks for copyright protection and counts amongits members some of the world’s biggest technolo-gy companies, including Apple, Microsoft,Symantec and Adobe. — AFP

Rules patchwork ‘threatens cloud computing growth’

SHANGHAI: Apple defended its right to use theiPad trademark in China in a heated court hearingyesterday that pitted the electronics giant againsta struggling company that denies it sold the main-land China rights to the tablet’s name.

Shenzhen Proview Technology’s lawyer XieXianghui argued that the sale of the iPad trade-mark to Apple Inc. by Proview’s Taiwan affiliate in2009 was invalid. “Apple has no right to sell iPadsunder that name,” Xie said. Apple countered thatProview violated the sales contract by failing totransfer the trademark rights in mainland China.

It also contends that the Chinese LCD makerhas not marketed or sold its own “IPAD,” orInternet Personal Access Device for years, thuspossibly invalidating its claim to the trademark.The hearing adjourned after a fractious four-hoursession which saw the judge repeatedly admon-ishing both sides to observe proper court protocolas they argued across the courtroom. No date wasannounced for a judgment or further hearings.

Proview is suing to stop Apple selling the iPadin China under that name. It has also asked com-mercial authorities in many cities to stop sales ofthe device. So far, iPads have been pulled fromshelves in some Chinese cities but there has beenno sign of action at the national level.

Ma Dongxiao, another Proview lawyer, saidafter the hearing that the company plans to filelawsuits against Apple in more cities. As evidencein court, Proview presented a flat, thin computerpacked in a cardboard box that it said is its “IPAD.”

The company’s lawyers argued the success ofthe iPad had prevented Proview’s product fromsucceeding in China. Apple’s side noted that theiPad only began selling in 2010, long after Proviewlaunched its product in 2000.

Apple’s attorneys said that stopping iPad salesin China would cause the company huge losses.The tablet’s popularity has benefited Chinathrough tax revenues and jobs created in its man-ufacturing, they said. “They have no market, nosales, no customers. They have nothing,” Applelawyer Qu Miao said of Proview. “The iPad is sopopular that it is in short supply. We have to con-sider the public good.”

That, Xie said, is irrelevant.“Whether people will go hungry because you

can’t sell iPads in China is not the issue,” he said.“The court must rule according to the law. Do you

absolutely have to sell the product? Can’t you sellit using a different name?”

The trademark case is highlighting mixed atti-tudes toward Apple in China. Chinese are just ascrazy about iPads and iPhones as consumers any-where else and the devices are manufactured inChina, employing hundreds of thousands of peo-ple. But public awareness has been growing ofcriticism over the labor and environmental prac-tices of huge factories that assemble the devices.Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group, which makesiPads in China, has been under intense scrutinyafter a spate of worker suicides. It recently raisedwages by up to 25 percent in the second majorsalary hike in less than two years.

Apple has appealed an earlier ruling in favor ofProview in a court in Shenzhen, a city in southernChina’s Guangdong province. The GuangdongHigh Court is due to hear that case on Feb. 29.

Xie on Tuesday said that since no final deci-sions have been reached in various legal disputes

over the issue, both sides were “still able to sittogether and reach an out-of-court settlement.”Apple has shown no indication of willingness tosettle. The current trademark battle is unlikely tohave much effect on sales of the iPad 2 but couldaffect future iterations of the device, said Xu Jia,chief editor of the Chinese magazine PC Home. “Itcould affect a future iPad 3,” Xu said. “If the officialproducts are banned from being sold in China, wewill see how the products in the black market startto have very good sales.”

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, insists itholds the trademark rights to the iPad in China,having purchased them from Proview for 35,000British pounds ($55,000) through a company setup for that purpose. A court in Hong Kong, whichhas a separate legal system from mainland China,ruled in July that Proview had acted with theintention of “injuring Apple.” Proview’s lawyersargued Wednesday that any rulings in Hong Kongwere not admissible in Chinese courts. — AP

Proview sues Apple over iPad name in Shanghai‘Apple has no right to sell iPads under that name’

SHANGHAI: Xie Xianghui (C), a lawyer representing IT company Proview TechnologyShenzhen, is mobbed by journalists outside the Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court inShanghai yesterday. A trademark dispute between Apple and the Chinese computer makermoved to Shanghai where the debt-laden plaintiff is seeking to stop the sale of the US giant’siconic iPad. — AFP

AUCKLAND: Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom leaves court after he was granted bail inthe North Shore court in Auckland yesterday. The 38-year-old German national whohas been in custody since January 20 when New Zealand police, cooperating with amajor US probe, raided his sprawling “Dotcom Mansion” in Auckland, was grantedbail after previously being kept behind bars over fears he would flee the country toescape US online piracy charges. — AFP

NEW YORK: In this photo taken by AP Images for Sony Computer EntertainmentAmerica, Martin Treherne shows off his PlayStation Vita during the PlayStation Vitalaunch yesterday in New York. — AP

AUCKLAND: US crime-fighters failed in abid to keep alleged Internet pirate KimDotcom behind bars yesterday when aNew Zealand court freed him from jail andinstead put him under effective housearrest and banned him from using theInternet.

The court, in upholding a bail applica-tion by the German founder of file-sharingwebsite Megaupload, cast some doubt onthe multi-millionaire’s purported flight riskpending an extradition hearing scheduledfor August.

“I’m relieved to go home and see mythree little kids and my pregnant wife,” asmiling Dotcom, 38, said after the ruling, ashe was hustled toward a waiting car bysupporters and lawyers. Wearing his usualblack T-shirt, trouser and jacket, he vowedto fight the eventual extradition hearing onUS charges of copyright piracy, racketeer-ing and money-laundering.

Kim Dotcom, who has New Zealand resi-dency and is also known as Kim Schmitzand Kim Tim Jim Vestor, had been in cus-tody since his arrest in a military-style raidon Jan. 20 on his mansion outsideAuckland by local police acting on a USwarrant.

Under the bail conditions, Dotcom, whokept a private helicopter as part of his lav-ish lifestyle, must live in a small house nearthe mansion he had rented and wear anelectronic tag. He will be restricted in howfar he can travel. The judge also bannedhelicopters from flying to or landing on theproperty.

Prosecutors say Dotcom was the ring-leader of a group that netted $175 millionsince 2005 by copying and distributingmusic, movies and other copyrighted con-tent without authorisation throughMegaupload.com and related websites,among the world’s busiest before theywere shut down last month.

Dotcom’s lawyers say the company sim-ply offered online storage and that hestrenuously denies the US charges.Dotcom obtained bail on his secondattempt, after the judge said a review ofthe facts and Dotcom’s circumstancesshowed he was less of a risk of fleeing thanbefore. This month, the High Court hadupheld a lower court judge’s ruling that

there was a major risk Dotcom, who hadpassports and bank accounts in threenames, might try to flee the country.

But Judge Nevin Dawson yesterday rea-soned that bail could be awarded, giventhat there was no new evidence thatDotcom had undisclosed funds he coulduse to aid in a flight from justice.

He said prosecutors had been unable tofind any new funds or assets that had notalready been seized, and prosecutionclaims that he was a wealthy man was notsufficient reason to hold him.

Dotcom’s three co-accused were alsobailed until late August for the hearing ofUS extradition request. A US JusticeDepartment spokeswoman declinedimmediate comment On the New Zealandbail ruling. Judge David McNaughton, whopresided in previous hearings, set Aug. 20as the earliest date he could hear the extra-dition case, which he has scheduled to lastthree weeks.

Prosecutors said the formal extraditionapplication has not yet been received butwas expected by early March. Last week, aUS grand jury added more charges againstMegaupload and its executives, allegingthey took copyrighted material from sitessuch as YouTube for its own service.

Dotcom and his co-accused were arrest-ed after some 70 armed New Zealandpolice raided his country estate at therequest of the US Federal Bureau ofInvestigation. Officers cut Dotcom out of asafe room he had barricaded himself inwithin the sprawling mansion, reputedlyNew Zealand’s most expensive home.Property including more than a dozen lux-ury vehicles was seized and bank accountsworth millions were frozen.

A small group of Dotcom’s friends andsupporters listened through both hearings.“Of course I’m pleased, absolutely. It ’sabout time,” a young woman said, butdeclined to be named. Dotcom has told thecourt earlier that with his assets frozen andbusiness shut down, he had no intention oftrying to flee to his native Germany, wherehe would be safe from extradition.

Legal experts have said extraditionhearings are likely to be drawn out withappeals likely all the way to the country’shighest court. — Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO: Privacy advocates,lawyers and powerful rival Microsoft werepiling on Google on Tuesday for sidestep-ping Web browsing software to tailor adsfor people signed into its online services.

The California-based Internet giant con-tinued to staunchly defend itself mean-while against accusations that it had putprofit ahead of privacy. Controversy ignitedlast week after it was revealed that Googlead-targeting “cookies” bypassed track-blocking software on Apple’s Web browserfor iPhones and computers was fanned byMicrosoft saying Internet Explorer was like-wise duped. By Tuesday a suit was filed inUS federal court demanding Google payunspecified damages for violating the pri-vacy of millions of people, and potentiallynational anti-wiretapping law.

Some researchers, however, said lashingout at Google did little to resolve a contra-diction underpinning the complex situa-tion-people want free online services thatknow them but Web surfing that remainsanonymous. Snippets of code called “cook-ies” from Google and three online ad spe-cialty firms slipped past tracker-blockingsafeguards on Apple’s Safari browser,Stanford University graduate studentJonathan Mayer said Friday in a blog post.

Microsoft on Monday said that a checkshowed that Google was bypassing anti-tracking mechanisms built into theRedmond, Washington-based technologytitan’s Internet Explorer (IE) Web browsingsoftware.

“Google is employing similar methods toget around the default privacy protectionsin IE and track IE users with cookies,” IE cor-porate vice president Dean Hachamovitchsaid in a blog post. “Given this real-worldbehavior, we are investigating what addi-tional changes to make to our products,” hesaid. Google fired back at Microsoft, sayingthat the company has known for years thatthe IE cookie blocking technique thwartedthe functionality of modern websites suchas Facebook and Amazon and that bypass-ing it was common practice.

“Instead of fixing (a) P3P loophole in IE

that Facebook and Amazon exploited...Microsoft did nothing,” privacy researcherChristopher Soghoian said in a Twitter post,referring to IE’s way of having cookies iden-tify themselves. “Now they complain afterGoogle uses it.”

Researcher Lauren Weinstein in a post atsocial network Google+ referred toMicrosoft’s complaint as seeming “disingen-uous at best, and certainly is not helping tomove the ball usefully forward regardingthese complex issues.”

Whether calculated or innocent,Google’s sidestepping of privacy featureson browsers raised alarms with consumerrights groups and has already prompted acall for an investigation by the US FederalTrade Commission.

Google discontinued use of the offend-ing cookies in Safari browsers after Mayer’sfindings went public, and characterized thesituation as an unintended side-effect of aneffort to safeguard online privacy.

Google last year began using cookies inSafari browsers to let people signed intoGoogle accounts get personalized services,such as being able to “+1” ads or otheronline content as likeable for friends at itsonline social network. The plan was pur-portedly to provide users personalizationrequested while disclosing no informationabout them to Google-owned ad specialtyfirm DoubleClick.

Google reportedly did not realize wasthe presence of the cookies opened Safaribrowser doors to a slew of DoubleClick adtracking cookies, which would otherwisehave been rejected. “The Safari browsercontained functionality that then enabledother Google advertising cookies to be seton the browser,” the California companysaid in a released statement.

“We didn’t anticipate that this wouldhappen, and we have now started removingthese advertising cookies from Safaribrowsers,” it continued. Safari is the mostwidely used browser on mobile devices andthe default browser on iPhones andMacintosh computers. The Apple browsersare pre-set to block tracking cookies. — AFP

Netflix bolstersvideo library as

threat loomsSAN FRANCISCO: Netflix’s Internet video service isadding more marquee attractions as it braces for anew competitive threat from cable-TV providerComcast Corp. As part of an effort to offer more exclu-sive material, Netflix locked up the right to show “TheArtist” and other movies from The Weinstein Co.before the films are released to leading pay-TV chan-nels such as Showtime and HBO.

Just a few hours after Tuesday’s announcementabout that multiyear deal, Comcast unveiled plans toundercut Netflix with a less expensive version of aservice that will stream old TV series and movies todevices with high-speed Internet connections. TheComcast service, called Xfinity Streampix, will be avail-able this week to the company’s subscribers. It willcost $5 per month, below Netflix’s $8 monthly pricefor its Internet-streaming service. Some Comcast cus-tomers who pay for multiple services, including high-speed Internet access and phone, will get Streampixat no additional cost.

Although it appears Netflix’s library is more exten-sive, Streampix could be good enough for somehouseholds looking to supplement their cable-TVservice with a package that has on-demand video oncomputers and mobile devices. That possibility appar-ently unnerved some investors who have long wor-ried about Netflix losing its early lead in Internet videoas more rivals enter the market. Netflix’s stock lost$4.45, or 3.7 percent, to close Tuesday at $117.40.

Comcast, which is based in Philadelphia, will jointwo other large companies, Amazon.com Inc. andWal-Mart Stores Inc., already offering video streamingservices. Earlier this month, Verizon CommunicationsInc. announced that it is teaming up with Redbox’sDVD rental-kiosk network to introduce an Internetvideo service later this year. The pricing for theVerizon-Redbox venture hasn’t been disclosed.

Netflix, which is based in Los Gatos, Calif., alsooffers a DVD-by-mail rental service. But that has beenlosing millions of customers in recent months as thecompany has intensified its focus on the streamingservice.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has said that he viewscable TV as his company’s biggest worry. So far,Hastings has identified Time Warner Inc.’s HBO chan-nel as Netflix’s toughest competition, but that couldchange if a cable provider such as Comcast can devel-op a compelling service.—AP

Megaupload’s Kim Dotcomgranted bail in N Zealand

Browser bypasses put Google in privacy cross hairs

HEALTH&SCIENCETHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

This handout photograph released by www.frogindia.org yesterday,shows an adult Chikilidae, a new species of legless amphibian known as acaecilian, with eggs and hatchlings at an undisclosed location in north-eastern India on February 11, 2012. Researchers digging through mud innortheast India have discovered a new family of legless amphibians in arare scientific breakthrough detailed in a study released yesterday. — AFP

BANGKOK: International funding cutsthreaten to deepen an HIV crisis inMyanmar, where tens of thousands ofpeople are denied lifesaving treat-ment, an aid agency said yesterday.Medecins Sans Frontieres (DoctorsWithout Borders) said only a third ofthe 120,000 people in need of anti-retroviral drugs in Myanmar werereceiving the therapy, with up to20,000 people dying each year due toa lack of treatment.

MSF Myanmar head Peter Paul deGroote said there was already an

“unacceptable” gap in treatment andwarned the situation would worsenwithout further funding. “In Myanmar,we have a situation where there is will-ingness and the capacity to scale up,so if more money would flow into thecountry we think, combined with bet-ter access, we could close that gap,” hetold reporters in Bangkok.

The Paris-based aid agency said thecancellation of an entire round of sup-port by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,Tuberculosis and Malaria has left itwith limited funds to treat a further

40,000 people. The Global Fund, whichreceives donations from governmentsand the private sector, is a major finan-cier of programmes to treat its threetarget illnesses worldwide. “It is anunacceptable situation. You have totell someone: ‘You are not sick enough,so please come back later, maybe thenyou’ll be sick enough and we can giveyou the treatment’,” said de Groote.

Myanmar’s former junta prioritisedmilitary spending, leaving healthcarein tatters. While a new quasi-civilianregime which took power last year is

likely to boost funding, MSF said itwould be years before the health sys-tem is fully functioning.

Recent pol i t ical reforms havesparked hopes of an increase in aid tothe country-the least developed in theregion and one of the lowest recipientsof development aid in the world. MSFurged the international community tomake tackling HIV and tuberculosis(TB) a top donor priority for the nation,which would need to spend around$560 per HIV patient every year ontreatment. TB is the most common

cause of death for HIV patients in theworld. The MSF Lives in the Balancereport said Myanmar has a high preva-lence of multidrug-resistant tuberculo-sis (MDR-TB), which is more difficultand expensive to treat. Of an estimat-ed 9,300 people newly infected withthis disease each year, only around 300have been receiving treatment.

“Without increased availability oftreatment, HIV and TB will continue tospread unchecked in many areas. Thetime to treat is now,” said MSF DoctorKhin Nyein Chan. — AFP

Two-thirds of Myanmar HIV patients untreated: MSF

BEIJING: A traditional Chinese medicinecompany at the heart of an angry Internetcampaign accusing it of cruelty to animalsopened one of its controversial bear bilefarms to journalists yesterday. Bear bile haslong been used in China to treat varioushealth problems, despite scepticism over itseffectiveness and outrage over the bileextraction process, which animal rights groupsay is excruciatingly painful for bears.

The Guizhentang pharmaceutical compa-ny in the southeastern province of Fujian lastyear announced plans to raise millions of dol-lars through a stock exchange listing in orderto increase production of the bile. But theannouncement sparked a noisy Internet cam-paign against the listing that brought intoquestion the medical effectiveness of the bileand the cruel manner in which it is extractedfrom living bears.

According to a Guizhentang spokes-woman surnamed Wang, Chinese journalistsbegan visiting one of the company’s bearfarms yesterday as part of attempts toaddress the controversy. She said they werepromised full “transparency” to inspect thepremise, but the state-run Beijing Newsreported that journalists would not beallowed to ask questions during the visit.

“Guizhentang made public a list of journal-ists without prior consultations. They couldbe putting on a show,” the paper quotedZhang Xingsheng of the NatureConservancy’s North Asia office as saying.

The company refused to allow AFP jour-nalists to take part in the tour, saying theevent was not open to foreign reporters. Theanti-bile campaign got a boost this weekafter China’s retired basketball superstar YaoMing visited a sanctuary for Asiatic blackbears, or moon bears, rescued from bile farmsby the Animal Asia group.

“The moon bears are beautiful animalsthat nature has given us,” the Sichuan Dailyquoted Yao as saying as he toured the sanctu-ary. “We should all be concerned for themoon bears.”

Yao has also campaigned to end the killingof sharks, harvested for their fins-a traditionalChinese delicacy. “It just gave me immensesatisfaction that people in China are taking

up this challenge of wanting bear farming toend,” Ji l l Robinson, CEO and founder ofAnimals Asia told AFP.

“We have seen an unprecedented outcryfrom the Chinese public and media over thelast few days.”

Photos posted on popular web portal163.com by reporters allowed into the farmshowed a large enclosure where dozens ofbears roamed around, some climbing onmetallic structures, in what was called a“breeding centre”.

Other photos show the black bears insmall, narrow cages, and employees wearingsurgical masks, hats and gloves, stickingdraining tubes in the animals’ gall bladdersand a yellow liquid flowing into a glass.

Animals Asia, which since 1988 has beencampaigning against the practice, onTuesday published a report and video expos-ing what it said was the “brutal truth” behindbile extractions, in anticipation of the visit.

It said that around 7,000 bears still lan-guish in bile farms across China, but manymore could be used in illegal establishments.Bear bile is used in China and other Asiancountries to treat fevers, liver disease, eyeproblems and other health problems, butactivists have for years tried to stop the prac-tice, citing it as a form of torture for the bears.

Guizhentang farmed 470 bears last year,and had decided to list to increase the num-ber to 1,200 in order to step up annual pro-duction of bile to 4,000 tonnes. — AFP

China company opens bear bile farm to media

Yao Ming visits sanctuary

HUI’AN: A worker extracts bile from a bear in a cage at the bear farm ofGuizhentang pharmaceutical company, during a media tour in Hui’an county insoutheast China’s Fujian province, yesterday. Last week, Chinese voiced outragewhen the pharmaceutical company that sells tonics made with bear bileannounced plans for a public listing.— AP

BOSTON: Girls who dress or act like boys,and boys who act more feminine, may bemore likely to be abused and end up withpost-traumatic stress disorder, according toa US study. Researchers whose findingsappeared in Pediatrics said that parents orother adults who are uncomfortable withso-called gender non-conformity may treatchildren differently, sometimes violently, orbe convinced they can change their feel-ings and behavior.

“In some cases, they believe they’rehelping the child, that gender non-con-forming won’t be accepted by other peo-ple,” said Andrea Roberts, from the HarvardSchool of Public Health in Boston, whoworked on the study.

“But of course, abuse is never protec-tive.” Roberts and her colleagues analyzeddata from a long-term study on childrenand teens that looked at more than 16,000children, who recalled their favorite toys,roles they took on during play, and feelingsof femininity or masculinity at age 11.

The participants were also asked aboutinstances of abuse- from kicking and grab-bing, to threatening, to forced sexual con-tact-that happened either before that timeor during their adolescent years.

The researchers found that children whowere the most gender non-conformingwere between 40 percent and more thantwice as likely to report any kind of child-hood abuse as those who did confirm totypical gender roles.

They also reported more symptoms ofPTSD, which include jumpiness, troublesleeping and flashbacks.Roberts said thatwhile the findings can’t prove that parentsabused boys because they acted like girls,and vice versa, the study did hint that gen-

der non-conformity in younger childrenpredicted abuse during the teenage years.

A separate study that also appeared inPediatrics reported on the experience ofdoctors from Children’s Hospital Boston intreating 97 children and teens with genderidentity disorder. This disorder goesbeyond not conforming to gender normsand includes children who are very both-ered by their physical gender and identifyas the opposite sex.

Forty-three of those treated at theChildren’s Hospital clinic had a history ofpsychiatric problems, including 20 whohad self-harmed and nine that hadattempted suicide. Researchers pointed outthat in children who are already goingthrough puberty and are serious abouttreatment to switch to the opposite gen-der, intervening at an early stage can keepthem from developing secondary sex char-acteristics like facial hair and breasts, whichmay head off some of their distress.

“If the kid is unhappy, depressed, trou-bled about their own body, that’s proba-bly (a sign) the parents could use somehelp,” said Roberts. She added that whileadopting some opposite-gender behavioris relatively common, far fewer childrenwill be seriously bothered by their gender-possibly about 1 in 1,000, thoughresearchers don’t have a full grasp of theextent of gender identity disorder in chil-dren. Those are the children who may beat the highest risk of abuse and psycho-logical problems, researchers said, addingthat the most important thing for non-conforming children, including those whoare seriously questioning their own gen-der, is to get support from their familiesand schools. — Reuters

Gender ‘non-conformity’tied to abuse: Study

FLORIDA: Women, especially youngerwomen, are more likely than men toshow up at the hospital with no chestpain or discomfort after having a heartattack-and they are also more likely todie than men of the same age, accordingto a US study. That lack of symptoms canresult in delayed medical care and differ-ences in treatment, said researchers,whose findings appeared in the Journalof the American Medical Association.“They might not even know they’re hav-ing a heart attack,” said John Canto, fromthe Watson Clinic in Lakeland, Florida,who worked on the report.

He noted that while the results arebased on a study of more than a millionheart attack patients, they are still pre-liminary. But, he added, they do chal-lenge the notion that chest pain and dis-comfort should be considered “the hall-mark symptom” for all heart attackpatients.

“If our results are in fact true, I wouldargue that rather than the one-size-fits-all symptom message, we also have totailor that message to say that womenless than 55 are also at higher risk foratypical presentation,” Canto told ReutersHealth. Such “atypical presentation” caninclude symptoms such as unexplainedshortness of breath, or pain in areasincluding the jaw, neck, arms, back andstomach. Canto and his colleagues ana-lyzed medical records in a national data-base of heart attack patients from 1994to 2006, including about 1.1 million peo-ple treated at close to 2,000 hospitals.

They found that 31 percent of malepatients, and 42 percent of femalepatients, didn’t have any chest pain ordiscomfort. The likelihood of this sort of“atypical presentation” differed most

between younger women and youngermen, the researchers said.

Women also tend to be older thanmen when they have a first heart attack.In this study, the average age differencewas seven years. Women under 45 were30 percent more likely than men in theirage group to present without chest pain.That dropped to 25 percent between theages of 45 and 65, and all but disap-peared after the age of 75.

A similar pattern, with smaller differ-ences between the sexes, was seen in thelikelihood of death. Almost 15 percent ofwomen died in the hospital after theirheart attack, compared to about 10 per-cent of men. Younger women with nochest pain were almost 20 percent morelikely to die than male counterparts.

But after age 65, the women’s risk fellbelow that of men. At least part of thatdifference could be due to lack of actionby patients and doctors when symptomsare unusual, said Patrick O’Malley, aninternist at the Uniformed ServicesUniversity of the Health Sciences inBethesda, Maryland.

“We tend not to think of heart diseasein younger women if they’re not havingchest pain... and therefore we’re notgoing to be as aggressive. It does delaytreatment,” he said.

“Because it’s not chest pain, they’ll becoming later,” added O’Malley, who didnot take part in the study. Canto saidwomen, especially those who may bepre-disposed to heart attacks becausethey have diabetes, a family history ofheart disease, or are smokers, shouldknow that a lack of chest pain doesn’trule out the possibility of a heart attack-which researchers said was actually truefor both sexes.— Reuters

Heart attack with no chest pain more likely in women

TOKYO: Monkeys suffering from Parkinson’sdisease show a marked improvement whenhuman embryonic stem cells are implanted intheir brains, in what a Japanese researchersaid yesterday was a world first.

A team of scientists transplanted the stemcells into four primates that were sufferingfrom the debilitating disease. The monkeys allhad violent shaking in their limbs-a classicsymptom of Parkinson’s disease-and wereunable to control their bodies, but began toshow improvements in their motor control

after about three months, Kyoto Universityassociate professor Jun Takahashi told AFP.

About six months after the transplant, thecreatures were able to walk around theircages, he said.”Clear improvements were con-firmed in their movement,” he said.Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurologi-cal illness linked to a decrease in dopamineproduction in the brain. There is currently nomedical solution to this drop off in a key neu-rotransmitter.

The condition, which generally affects old-

er people, gained wider public recognitionwhen Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox revealedhe was a sufferer. Takahashi said at the time ofthe implant about 35 percent of the stem cellshad already grown into dopamine neuroncells, with around 10 percent still alive after ayear.

He said he wants to improve the effective-ness of the treatment by increasing the sur-vival rate of dopamine neuron cells to 70 per-cent. “The challenge before applying it to aclinical study is to raise the number ofdopamine neuron cells and to prevent thedevelopment of tumours,” he said.

“I would like to make this operation moreeffective and safe” before clinical trials,Takahashi said.Takahashi said so far he hadused embryonic stem cells, which are harvest-ed from foetuses, but would likely switch toso-called Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells,which are created from human skin, for theclinical trial.

His team, which has also transplanted iPScells into monkeys, are now looking to see ifthe primates with Parkinson’s disease showsimilar improvements in their motor control.Scientists say the use of human embryonicstem cells as a treatment for cancer and otherdiseases holds great promise, but the processhas drawn fire from religious conservatives,among others.

Opponents say harvesting the cells, whichhave the potential to become any cell in thehuman body, is unethical because it involvesthe destruction of an embryo. The Japanesegovernment currently has no guidelines onthe use of human stem cells in clinicalresearch.

In October last year, the Court of Justice ofthe European Union banned the patenting ofstem cells when their extraction causes thedestruction of a human embryo, a ruling thatcould have repercussions on medicalresearch.

Scientists warned that the ruling woulddamage stem cell research in Europe, whilethe Catholic church hailed it as a victory forthe protection of human life. — AFP

Stem cell implants boost monkeys with Parkinson’s

LAS VEGAS: In this photograph taken by AP Images for AIDS HealthcareFoundation, from left, Sister Sioux St. Semen Sloth, Mother Loosy Lust Be a Lady,Mr NGRA 2011,1st Runner Up, Curtiss Lewis, Miss NGRA 2012 Sabel D’Zyre, SisterGloria-Areola Allover Gluttony, Sister Vesta Rosa of Berlin, Germany and AIDSHealthcare staff and volunteers distribute condoms during the “Condom Nation”tour at The Funhog Ranch on Tuesday, in Las Vegas. The AIDS Health CareFoundation launched a “Condom Nation “ tour to help promote condom use ineffort to reduce the HIV/AIDS infection rate. — AP

HEALTHTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

FDA acts to stem shortages of two cancer drugs

SILVER SPRING: The US Food andDrug Administration said it wil lresolve a potentially life-threateningshortage of two leading cancer drugsby al lowing one of them to beimported from abroad and rushingapproval for a new manufacturer tomake the second.

The moves announced on Tuesdaymark the latest government effort toaddress severe drug shortages. Morethan 200 medicines were in shortsupply in 2011 and doctors andpatient advocates say the crisis hasforced providers to postpone care oruse second-best or costlier alterna-tives.

The FDA will allow imports of analternative to the cancer drug Doxil,which in the next few weeks shouldmeet all patient needs, the agencysaid. The drug is called Lipodox andhas the same active ingredient asDoxil, doxorubicin.

Late on Friday, the FDA alsoapproved a new company, APPPharmaceuticals, to make preserva-tive-free methotrexate, a drug usedto treat children with leukemia. APP isa unit of German healthcare groupFresenius.

“ We believe we can meet the

needs of patients on a continuingbasis,” FDA Commissioner MargaretHamburg said at a news conference.“This should resolve the shortages.”Doxil, a cancer drug marketed byJohnson & Johnson, has been in per-sistent short supply since manufac-turing problems surfaced at a plant ofBen Venue, a unit of German drug-maker Boehringer Ingelheim that hasbeen making the drug under con-tract.

The injectable drug, which hasannual global sales of about $500million, is used to treat ovarian can-cer and multiple myeloma. About7,000 patients used the drug in theUnited States before Johnson &Johnson announced a possible sup-ply disruption last June. The companysaid in January it was able to allocatethe drug to 4,400 patients.

The FDA said it reached a limited,temporary arrangement to importLipodox from Indian drugmaker SunPharmaceutical Industries Ltd and itsdistribution subsidiar y, CaracoPharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd.

Ben Venue’s problems have alsocontributed to a shor tage ofmethotrexate, leading U.S. lawmakersto call for action last week from the

FDA and manufacturers amid fearsU.S. medical practices were close torunning out of the drug entirely with-in a few weeks.

The medicine has been on theshortage list since last year. It helpstreat about 3,500 children a year withacute lymphoblastic leukemia andhas cure rates close to 90 percent.

In response, Ben Venue also saidlast week it would release reserves ofmethotrexate made before it shutdown the plant last November.

President Barack Obama madeshortages a national priority with anexecutive order in October and theFDA said it has prevented 114 short-ages since then, mainly by workingwith manufacturers.

The FDA has said the number ofdrugs in short supply, which includecancer, anesthesiology and nutritionmedications, had risen to 220 in 2011from 56 in 2006 - the year a cleartrend started emerging. Many of thedrugs are generic, sterile injectablemedications.

FDA officials say a number ofindustry factors have created theshortages, including a consolidationof generic drugmakers, manufactur-ing problems that have shut down

plants or production lines and thedecision by some manufacturers tostop producing a treatment whenprofit margins erode too far.

Patient advocates and doctorswho also spoke at the FDA said help-ing patients who need Doxil andmethotrexate was a positive step, butdoes not address the needs of otherswhose treatments remain in shortsupply.

They called for longer-term actionthat could prevent drug shortages.“It’s a shame to have to put our chil-dren at risk to bring attention to thisproblem,” said Dr. Peter Adamson,chair of the Children’s OncologyGroup.

“While today was good news, thefact is that the (drug shortages) list isnot getting smaller, and may begrowing.” Adamson also called onCongress to speed passage of legisla-tion that could help address the issueof shortages by forcing manufactur-ers to notify the FDA about loomingsupply disruptions. Now, by law com-panies only have to tell the agencythey are stopping supply when theyare the only maker of a drug.

The legislation has been stuck in adivided Congress for more than a

year, despite support from both polit-ical parties. The agency said it willalso release guidelines for manufac-turers to inform the FDA about loom-ing shortages, as early notificationcan help prevent them.

Sandy Kweder, the deputy directorof the FDA’s Office of New Drugs, saidthe agenc y began work ing onincreasing supply of methotrexatelast year, since they became aware ofpersistent issues at the Ben Venueplant.

The FDA said in September 2011that it sped up the application fromAPP for methotrexate, which hadbeen languishing in the FDA’s over-crowded wait ing l ist for genericapplications since August 2010.

It also asked to ramp up productionat other makers of methotrexate:Hospira Inc, Mylan Inc and Sandoz, aunit of Novartis. Hospira said it shipped31,000 vials of methotrexate in the last24 hours, which represent a month’sworth of demand in the United States.

Hospira CEO Michael Ball also saidthe company would be releasinganother 34,000 units next week and55,000 units in mid-March, all pro-duced at its plant in Australia.

— Reuters

To speed up approval for new methotrexate maker

30W H AT ’ S ONTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Youth India Anniversary tomorrowThe arrangements for the celebration of the 3rdanniversary of Youth India are in its final stages,informed the organizers in a press release. Ajit Sahi,well known journalist and human rights activist andformer editor of Tehelka.com will be the chief guest atthe event which will be held in Abbasiya IntegratedIndian School tomorrow, Friday. Abdul Azeez Al Duaij,Director of Centre for Inter Cultural Dialogues, Kuwait,will inaugurate the event. The music troupe led byDoha Asian Games fame singer Nadir Abdul Salam willbe the main attraction of the event and prominentsingers from Kuwait will also participate in the event.

Kuwait Improv Fun lovers of Kuwait unite. A get together by peoplewho love to surprise, be surprised and just be about atanything are welcome to Kuwait Improv, a gathering,reminiscent of the famous American TV programWhose Line is it Anyway, informally organized byAmerican School of Kuwait teacher Brad Manker. Nohistrionic talent required, but a willingness to share.Please contact:[email protected]

Tulu speaking classesHere’s a great opportunity for parents who alwayswished their children could learn Tulu. Tulu KootaKuwait, in its objective towards promoting Tulu lan-guage and culture, is pleased to announce the open-ing of Tutu Speaking Classes “Tulu Siri” at Indian PublicSchool Salmiya @ 11:30 am. For more details kindlycontact Ramesh Kidiyoor-97204716/99596457,ShaliniVijay - 66502369,Tharendra P. Shettigar -66757979,Jayalaxmi Karkal - 66958848,Sathyanarayana Salian - 66585077,Vanitha Dias-94996459. And our Website: www.tulukootakuwait.orgEmail: [email protected]

Palpak 4th AGM Palakkad Pravasi Association of Kuwait (Palpak) is con-ducting its Fourth Annual General Body Meeting onFebruary 24, Friday at Hiphop Auditorium, Fahaheelfrom 10 am. The main agenda include as following,annual report on the activities during the year of 2011,the audited accounts report for the year of 2011. Allmembers of Palpak are kindly requested to treat this asan official Invitation and attend the said AnnualGenera1 body meeting on time. For more detailsplease contact President P.N.Kumar (99771830) andGeneral Secretary Aravindha Shan (66535989).

Music festivalOn March 1, 2012, the “Blend Music Festival,” a mellowacoustic get-together of several local musicians, willtake place in Bayt Lothan, the official sponsor, host,and curator of the event. This event will be FREE ofcharge and open to everyone to attend. We hope tosee you all there, and here’s to a great start to 2012!The “Blend Music Festival” will be the first of manyconcerts to be held; there are a handful of musicianson board, and more will be added to the sets at a laterstage. Here is the program for March 1st: 1- Ali Sleeqwith Gary Ruston & Kevin Owen = JAZZ; 2- HadiSarieddine, Bader Nana, & Sarj = ROCK; 3- LewisChapman - FOLK / ROCK.

Free Arabic language course IPC and all its branches are opening free Arabic lan-guage course for ladies accessible in beginners andadvanced levels. Class will commence on March 2,2012. Islamic and Quran courses are also presented indifferent languages. Registration is on! Call the near-est IPC branch: Rawdah: 22512257 / 97290278;Salmiyah: 25733263 / 97533263; Mangaf: 23723002ext. 124/123; Jahra: 24558830 / 97533948; Khaithan:24730137.

Announcements

This reception is organized by theRussian Military, Air and NavalAttache in Kuwait Colonel Vladimir

Kurchenko on the occasion of theFatherland Defender’s Day.

Fatherland Defender’s Day is a holi-day observed in Russia and several oth-er former republics of the Soviet Unionlike Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan andUkraine. It is celebrated on February 23.

The holiday marks the date in 1918during the Russian Civil War when thefirst mass draft into the Red Armyoccurred in then Petrograd (now - ScantPetersburg) and Moscow. It was origi-nally known as Red Army Day. At thisday 1918 the first detachments andunits of the just formed Red Armystopped the German forces’ advance-ment near Russian cities of Pskov andNarva. After the Great Patriotic war wasadopted the tradition to fire artillerysalutes on February 23rd in Moscow andother main Soviet cities. In 1949, it wasrenamed Soviet Army and Navy Day.Following the fall of the Soviet Union in1991, the holiday was given its currentname.

Officially, as the name suggests, theholiday celebrates people who are serv-ing or were serving the Russian ArmedForces (both men and women), butunofficially, nationally it has also morerecently come to include the celebra-tion of men as a whole, and to act as acounterpart of International Women’sDay on March 8.

The holiday is celebrated withparades and processions in honor ofveterans, the flowers are laid on thegraves of the fallen soldiers. Women alsogive small gifts to the Russian men,especially husbands, fathers and sons.As a part of the workplace culture,women often give gifts to their male co-workers. Consequently, in colloquialusage, the holiday is often referred to asMen’s Day.

Here in Kuwait we celebrateFatherland Defender’s Day in honor ofRussian Armed Forces and people whoare or were in service with it. And fol-lowing national tradition we also cele-brate it as Men’s Day congratulating ourmale Embassy staff and Russian commu-nity in Kuwait.

In the sprawling campus of SIMS ‘FunDay’ was organized on Saturday 18Feb 2012, for kids of all age groups.Free rides of different varieties were in

store for the kids. The children had a rol-licking time on the bumpy slides, savor-ing the delights, enjoying the feel of thecool breeze playing on their faces. Theplace was teeming with people, kids and

well wishers.For the UKG students there was a

?Fancy Dress’, held in the school auditori-um. Representing different fruits andvegetables the children reinforced thetheme of ?Healthy Food’. The poise andconfidence they displayed reallyimpressed the judges and audience.

The event was followed by a presenta-

tion on the utility of Interactive SmartBoard technology, soon to be incorporat-ed by the teaching fraternity in theirmethodology. To generate a mini carni-val like environment, Face Painting and‘Food Stalls? were also installed. The exu-berance and look of satisfaction was evi-dent on the faces of the parents of thenewly admitted kids. Their overwhelm-

ing response was indeed heartwarming. SIMS also co-hosted an Open Art

competition ?IIK Spectrum’for the stu-dents of the age group of 8 to 14 in theschool. Participation certificates alongwith gifts were distributed to all the chil-dren.

All in all, the first venture of SIMSturned out to be a roaring success.

Manikam startedhis race walkingcareer on

19/07/1969 at KualaPilah (Malaysia). So farhe has participated inmore than 1,000 walkingand race events.Manikam has won near-ly 700 racing events,which includes interna-tional athlete competi-tion that took place inAustralia, China, HongKong, Cambodia,Indonesia, Brunei,Thailand, Japan,Singapore, Sabah -Sarawak, India andPhillipines. Apart fromathlete events he hasstarted giving training tomany people, schooland college students aswell. Now the legend isin Kuwait and hasplanned to give athletetraining in many schoolsand various other places.

Athlete legend Manikam in KuwaitFatherland Defender’s Day

Capture NationalDay moments

In honour of Kuwait’s 51st National Day whichapproaches on February 25th, Nokia hasannounced a special photography initiative

and is calling for all Kuwaitis and expatriates tocapture the highlights of the nationwide festivi-ties and share them with the nation on Nokia’sofficial Kuwait page on Facebook. People fromKuwait can enter the competition by submittingphotographs taken from their Nokia camera-phones or any other photo devices.

The top two images that best capture themeaning and excitement of Kuwait’s National Daycelebrations with most number of ‘likes’ will walkaway with the latest Nokia Belle 700 and also a 12megapixel Nokia N8 mobile phone. The last dayto enter the competition is on 5th March, 2012.Images can be uploaded using the Kuwait NationDay Photo Competition Application onhttps://www.facebook.com/NokiaKuwait.

The winners of the competition will beannounced on 10th March, 2012.

Fun day at Salmiya Indian Model School

On Feb 6, 2012 the farewell party wasorganized by India InternationalSchool (IIS) for the outgoing stu-

dents of class XII by the students of class XI.A warm welcome was given to the seniorswith the lightening of the candles, to markthe glorious beginning and an inspirationin their career. The Director Malayil MoosaKoya, Principal F.M.Basheer Ahmed, VicePrincipal Narider Kaur, KG (HOS) Shifanaand the teachers graced the occasion withtheir presence.

The programme began with the recita-tion of verses from the Holy Quran byMaster. Nabeel and its translation byMs.Shema of class XI. Welcome speech tothe seniors was presented by Marvam ofclass XI. A variety of games were organizedfor the seniors to treasure the fun and frolicin their treasure trove. Followed by thisAdeeba’s speech on ‘Life Skills’ proved to be

highly effective for the seniors as they aregoing to embark on a new adventure. Thehighlight of the programme was a spectac-ular dance performance by the students ofclass XI. Their incredible presentation was a

remarkable one. Followed by this Muneeraand Ibrahim of class XI expressed their feel-ings about the cherished moments theyexperienced in this beautiful wonderland.

Principal F.M. Basheer Ahmed addressed

the gathering through a PowerPoint pres-entation that instilled motivation and confi-dence in the students, inspired them torealize their potentia1ities encouragedthem to work hard to score cent percent intheir subjects. He also focused his point onR.A.T i.e., Reflection, Attitude and Thought-a conduit to reach the “pinnacle of success”.Director Malayil Moosa Koya graced theoccasion with his blessings tbr the outgoingstudents. Also he has promised to honourthe students who will score 90% aggregatein class XII Board exams in the forthcomingdecennial function of the school.

As a token of love for the class XII stu-dents, the management has gifted a beauti-ful photo frame to treasure their sweetmemories of the school.

The remarkable programme ended upwith a vote of thanks by the head BoyMaster. Rohit of class XII.

IIS bids farewell to Class XII students

IKEA Kuwait recently introducedSweden’s most popular pastry,Kanelbullar cinnamon bun and UTZ

certified coffee guaranteed to thrill IKEAshoppers after a long day at the store.The cinnamon bun and coffee offer willrun through the entire year and is avail-able only at the IKEA Kuwait exitcafé/Bistro.

UTZ certified is produced under strictfood safety regulations in an effort toensure their visitors receive the bestquality coffee. UTZ is the largest certifi-cation program for coffee productionand it consists on the special care for the

product, the people and the environ-ment.

The cinnamon bun, Swedish in styleand perfect to taste, is a classic bun thattakes the shape of a helix with granulat-ed sugar on top. This delightful combooffer is available for only 300 fils at theIKEA Kuwait store.

IKEA Kuwait encourages everyone tosweeten their taste buds with a littleSwedish tradition that will serve as theperfect break from a tedious day at themall. Those interested in experimentingat home can download their own cinna-mon bun recipe on www.ikea.com

IKEA Kuwait offers its customers a Swedish delight

Tamilar Marumalarchi Peravai-Kuwait,convened a special meeting onFebruary 5, at 6 pm in Kuwait. This

was to honour a leading literary icon, socialactivist and flamboyant Tamil oratorThamizharuvi Maniyan who was invitedfrom India as special guest. The association’sorganizer Pinnalur M. Manikandan present-ed the welcome address, the association’sPresident V. Muthuraman presided over thefunction with the presence of the SecretaryT. Selvakumar, Treasurer Jayakumar, AdvisorHasan Mohammed, and Deputy Secretary

Zahir Hussain, Executive committee mem-bers Sivaraman, Semhai Vijayan, Srinivasan,Subburaj, Rajendran and Tirupathi asfrontstagers. Pattukkottai Sathya recited averse from the ancient Tamil literature“Thirukkural” as the function proceeded toentertain the gathering with some valuablequotes and astonishing remarks for the uni-ty and self development from the renownedTamil Gandhiyan Thamizharuvi Maniyan.Furthermore Maniyan emphasized the audi-ence to be of service to all mankind in all the

available sources and opportunities, in hismind provoking address.

Thamizharuvi Maniyan was glorified by aKashmir shawl (towel) by Manikandan andSathya honoured Thamizharuvi Maniyanwith a memorable gift on behalf of theorganization. Tamil poet and the adorablepresident of Kuwait Tamilosai Poets’Association Sadhiq, Tamilosai’s reigningpresident, musician Francis Irudhayaraj,“Kuwait Tamil” magazine’s Editor, a popularTamil poet, ‘Aruvikavi’ Anandaravi were hon-oured with sense of gratitude for the con-

tinuous supportand services ren-dered by them tothe association.Many membersof the associa-tion, representa-tives /office bear-ers of variousTamil associa-tions in Kuwaitand dignitariesattended the pro-gramme. Theassociation’sDeputy Secretary

Ila Karthikeyan anchored the event. Vicepresident Sivamani delivered the vote ofthanks at the closure of the event. The asso-ciation is immensely grateful toThamizhnadan, Secretary of PonguthamizhMandram Kuwait, Kanthanathan,Viruthaipaari, Lukeman, designer, “KuwaitTamil” magazine and Mrs RaniMohan whohave offered vital assistances to make theprogramme, a grand success. The functionended with a delicious dinner served to theattendees.

31W H AT ’ S ONTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Information

Embassy

EMBASSY OF CANADAThe Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visitour website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassyof Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday throughThursday. The reception is closed from 12:30 to 01:00pm for lunch break. Consular Services for CanadianCitizens are provided from 09:00 A.M until 12:00 P.M onSunday through Wednesday. The Canadian Embassywill be closed Sunday February 26, 2012, on the occa-sion of Kuwait Liberation Day. The Embassy will resumeits duties on Monday February 27, 2012. Canada offersa registration service for all Canadians travelling or liv-ing abroad. This service is provided so that ConsularOfficials can contact and assist Canadians in an emer-gency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster orcivil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergencyat home. The Embassy of Canada encourages allCanadian Citizens to register online through theGovernment of Canada Travel Website at www.voy-age.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi pro-vides visa and immigration services to residents ofKuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting,working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visitthe website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE atwww.uae.gc.ca.

EMBASSY OF BANGLADESHThe Embassy will remain closed 26 and 27February 2012 on the occasion of NationalDay and Liberation Day of the State ofKuwait.

EMBASSY OF SRI LANKAThe Embassy of Sri Lanka will be closedfor public from 25th to 27th February,2012 in lieu of “Liberation day & NationalDay” of Kuwait.

EMBASSY OF KOREAThe Embassy of the Republic of Korea wishesto inform that it has moved to Mishref.New Address: Embassy of the Republic ofKorea Mishref, Block 7A, Diplomatic Area 2,Plot 6 The Embassy also wishes to inform that it willbe opened to the public on the following officehours: Saturdays to ThursdayMorning: 8:00 am to 12:30 pmLunch Break: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pmAfternoon: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm

EMBASSY OF INDIAThe Embassy of India will remain closed onthe following dates during the month ofFebruary 2012.National Day of Kuwait - Feb 25, - Saturday.Liberation Day of Kuwait - Feb 26, - Sunday.

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EMBASSY OF RUSSIAEmbassy of the Russian Federation willhold the elections of the President ofthe Russian Federation on March 3,2012 between 8 am and 8 pm in theEmbassy’s premises by the address: KuwaitCity, Daiya, Block 5, Diplomatic campus, Plot17. All Russians are invited to participate.They are requested to present valid Russianpassports.

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EMBASSY OF BRAZIL The Embassy of Brazil requests all Braziliancitizens in Kuwait to proceed to the web-site www.brazil.org.kw (Contact Us Form /Fale Conosco) in order to register orupdate contact information. The Embassyencourages all citizens to do so, including theones who have already registered in person at theEmbassy. The registration process helps theBrazilian Government to contact and assistBrazilians living abroad in case of any emergency.

EMBASSY OF MYANMAREmbassy of the Republic of the Union ofMyanmar would like to inform the generalpublic that the Embassy will move its office tonew location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, Al-Salaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes toadvice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmarto contact Myanmar Embassy at its new locationfrom 26 January, 2012. Tel. 25240736, 25240290,Fax: 25240749, e-mail:[email protected]

EMBASSY OF NIGERIAThe Nigerian embassy has its new office inMishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. Forenquires please call 25379541. Fax-25387719. Email- [email protected] [email protected]

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EMBASSY OF PHILIPPINESThe Philippine Embassy with the PhilippineOverseas Labor Office (POLO) is spearhead-ing a “Blood Donation Program” in coopera-tion with the Kuwait Red Crescent Society and theCentral Blood Bank of Kuwait on 24 February 2012,Friday, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Central BloodBank with address at Street 102, Jabriyah (nearMubarak Hospital). The Embassy with POLO will beassisted by volunteers from the Beta SigmaFraternity and Sigma Beta Sorority InternationalAlumni Association in Kuwait.

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Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: [email protected] Fax: 24835619 / 20

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By Sunil Cherian

‘The Dark Rain of Rumailah,’ amemoir penned by authorKaippattor Thankachan details

his experiences during the days whenIraqi forces invaded Kuwait betweenAugust 1990 and February 1991. The 88-page Malayalam book, published bySaindhava Books also carries rare photo-graphs from those times. Kaippattor,residing in Kuwait for the past 32 years,narrates incidents in a down-to-earth,objective manner that introduces amixed style of historical accounts, per-sonal observations and romantic literarystyle.

“A dog (Saddam’sIraq) doesn’t needeven a shadow tobark,” writesKaippattoor whoworks with theMarafie group. Thedark Thursday onwhich Kuwait wasinvaded, some whowent to work metwith accidents as aresult of the panicand dark smoke thatspread all over. Thewriter is critical of his country’s embassywhich shut down immediately and itsgovernment which remained indifferentfor a while. Expats embarked on anuncertain journey home via Jordanmade the mistake of retaining theirgold in their apartments. Some Indian

expats who remained in Kuwait turnedburglars and made a fortune, makingthe best out of the situation they werein. Some Iraqis broke into supermarketsand mistook face cream for dairy prod-ucts and spread it on bread and gob-

bled the ‘sandwich’, briefs the writervividly.

The book leaves unforgettableimages, like burning oil wells, of humanatrocities as evil begot more evil. Thewriter has 18 books to his credit includ-

ing 4 novels, short stories and articles onseveral social and political issues ofKerala, the state he hails from. He will bebidding farewell to Kuwait this summer,after completing 32 years of service withMarafie. “The time has come,” he said.

Expat author details Kuwait invasion days

Mais Al-Ghanim added two newitems to its seafood menu aspart of the ‘Seafood Festival’ it

launched recently at its restaurants inKuwait, which comes in line with thecompany’s efforts to provide top qualityservice standards it maintains for 59years.

“The Seafood Festival offers cus-tomers the opportunity to enjoy thespecial ‘Mutabbak Fish’ and ‘Fish Kebab’items which are newly added to therestaurant’s popular seafood menu”,reads an official announcement fromMais Al-Ghanim.

The Seafood Festival comes as partof Mais Al-Ghanim’s continuous effortsto meet top expectations and demandsof its customers, said the restaurant’shead chef in the statement, adding thatseafood are among the top popular

food items in Kuwait and around theworld for their high nutritional value.

Mais Al-Ghanim adopts a clear policyto maintain costumers’ contentment

with its multinational cuisine menu andtop quality standards based on whichall items are served, and for which therestaurant obtained multiple awards.

Mais Al-Ghanim invites customers toenjoy the Seafood Festival at its branch-es in Sharq and Al-Mahboulah.

Mais Al-Ghanim launches seafood festival

Jazz, a music born for theamalgamation of varioustypes of music from Africa,

Europe, with a tinge of Latin, hasbecome one of the most flexiblegenres to amalgamate with othergenres, be it modern or tradition-al. In its journey, jazz has visitedand even taken refuge in variouslocations all of the world.

In 2005, Jakarta InternationalJava Jazz Festival was held for thefirst time. Jazz music began inter-mingling in the air, harnessing thelove of its enthusiasts makingthem long for the next dates ofthe event. This festival, presentlythe largest jazz in the Southernhemisphere, immediately becamethe pride of Indonesia. The contin-uous success from one year toanother has made it one of it themost talked about event, even byinternational musicians. In theiropinion, (Jakarta International)Java Jazz Festival as a festival des-tination. International musiciansare extremely proud to perform ata festival created by Indonesians.To raise the bar even more, somemusicians even consider Jakartaas one of the most importantcities for jazz. In its 8th edition,the festival dubbed JakartaInternational Djarum Super MildJava Jazz Festival 2012, will beeven more special. Renowned jazzfigures such as Herbie Hancock,Pat Metheny and Bobby McFerrin,some of the most awaited acts,are confirmed to perfom on thestages of Jakarta InternationalDjarum Super Mild Java JazzFestival 2012.

In addition to the three afore-mentioned artists, names such asAl Jarreau, David Sanborn and PhilPerry, are also musicians whichJava Festival Production have suc-cessfully confirmed for the year.On the first full weekend of March2012, these fabulous names willmesmerize Java Jazz Festivalenthusiasts. To make JakartaInternational Djarum Super MildJava Jazz Festival 2012, a festivaldue to attract more than 100,000people, even more wondrous,

Stevie Wonder will also be per-forming. Wonder is a legend formusic itself. His musical prowessbegan at a tender age and man-aged to penetrate musical barri-ers. There’s no doubt that themusic presented by StevieWonder will be magical.

Colorful Jazz Also not to be missed, Java

Festival Production has also con-firmed names such as BobbyCaldwell, Laura Fygi and SwingOut Sister, due to perform withthe big band. After all, a showwith a big band enhances themusical experiences.

Shows with romantic nature byBarry White Show & the PleasureUnlimited Orchestra, D’Sound,Dave Koz, Depapepe and ChrisStandring, will be an interestingvariety alongside Robert Randolphand the Family Band, FrankMcComb with his groovy funk,mainstream jazz by AlfredoRodriguez Trio, Ron Carter due toperform with Juilliard JazzQuartet, Manhattan Transfer (withMargaret Dorn standing in forCheryl Bentyne who has taken ill)or Carl Allen with Rodney WhitakerQuartet, and the temptuous Latintunes to be rolled out by Sheila E.& Escovedo Family and PonchoSanchez Latin Jazz Band. ErykahBadu, a long awaited performancein Indonesia, will also be perform-ing at Jakarta International DjarumSuper Mild Java Jazz Festival 2012as part of her tour.

Mayer Hawthorne & TheCounty, Simon Grey “Live”, Soil &Pimp Session and Taylor McFerrinpromise to give a different sort ofvibe in the arena of JakartaInternational Djarum Super MildJava Jazz Festival 2012.

It is no wonder that musiciansfind themselves engulfed in thespirit and warmth of the youngpeople driven festival in Indonesia.Musicians and jazz enthusiasts arebound to Jakarta InternationalDjarum Super Mild Java JazzFestival 2012, where Jazz Finds aHome.

Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2012

Where jazz finds a home

Tamilar MarumalarchiPeravai-Kuwait

T V PR O G R A M S

Anniversary

Years THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

ACROSS THE HALL ON OSN ACTION HD

THE EAGLE ON OSN CINEMA

00:40 Space Pioneer01:35 Weird or What?02:25 The Tech Show02:50 Sci-Fi Science03:15 Sci-Fi Science03:40 Science of Star Wars04:35 How Does That Work?05:00 How Stuff’s Made05:25 Mega Builders06:20 Junkyard Mega-Wars07:10 Space Pioneer08:00 The Gadget Show08:25 The Gadget Show08:50 How Does That Work?09:15 How Stuff’s Made09:40 Sci-Fi Science10:05 Sci-Fi Science10:35 Science of Star Wars11:25 Mega Builders12:20 Junkyard Mega-Wars13:15 Space Pioneer14:05 Weird or What?14:55 How Does That Work?15:20 How Stuff’s Made15:50 The Gadget Show16:15 The Gadget Show16:40 The Tech Show17:05 Junkyard Mega-Wars18:00 Space Pioneer18:50 Mega Builders19:40 Wallace & Gromit’s World ofInvention20:05 Wallace & Gromit’s World ofInvention20:30 Science of the Movies21:20 Junkyard Mega-Wars22:10 The Gadget Show22:35 The Gadget Show23:00 Wallace & Gromit’s World ofInvention23:25 Wallace & Gromit’s World of

00:15 Destroyed In Seconds00:40 Blueprint For Disaster01:35 Dirty Jobs02:30 Overhaulin’03:25 Ultimate Survival04:20 Mythbusters05:15 How Does It Work?05:40 How It’s Made06:05 Dirty Jobs07:00 Mythbusters07:50 Gold Rush08:45 Swamp Loggers09:40 How Does It Work?10:05 Cake Boss10:30 Border Security10:55 Auction Kings11:25 Extreme Explosions15:05 Extreme Explosions16:00 Overhaulin’16:55 Ultimate Survival17:50 Mythbusters18:45 Cash Cab Us19:10 Border Security19:40 Auction Kings20:05 How It’s Made20:35 How Does It Work21:00 Cake Boss21:30 One Man Army22:25 Track Me If You Can23:20 Ross Kemp On Gangs

00:00 Predator CSI01:00 Africa’s Deadliest01:55 Lion Army02:50 Brutal Killers03:45 Monster Crocs04:40 Built For The Kill05:35 Nordic Wild06:30 Dangerous Encounters WithBrady Barr07:25 Expedition Wild08:20 Monster Fish09:15 Lion Army10:10 Brutal Killers11:05 Monster Crocs12:00 World’s Deadliest Animals13:00 Dangerous Encounters WithBrady Barr14:00 Killer Shots15:00 Big Cat Wars16:00 I, Predator17:00 Jaguar: Catching the Cat (akaHunt for the Shadow 18:00 Bonecrusher Queens19:00 Dangerous Encounters WithBrady Barr20:00 Killer Shots21:00 Big Cat Wars22:00 I, Predator23:00 Jaguar: Catching the Cat (akaHunt for the Shadow

00:00 Luster-1802:00 Full Metal Jacket-1804:00 Across The Hall-PG1506:00 From Paris With Love-PG1508:00 Blue Crush 2-PG1510:15 The Warlords-PG15

01:00 The Greatest-PG1503:00 Fly Me To The Moon-PG05:00 Just Wright-PG1507:00 The Open Road-PG1509:00 Fly Me To The Moon-PG11:00 Flipped-PG12:45 The Greatest-PG1514:45 Mammoth-PG1517:00 The Boys Are Back-PG19:00 The Eagle-PG1521:00 Despicable Me-FAM23:00 The Heavy-18

03:00 Friends03:30 Friends04:00 Dharma And Greg04:30 The Tonight Show With JayLeno06:00 Malcolm In The Middle08:30 Friends12:00 Malcolm In The Middle12:30 Dharma And Greg14:00 Friends16:30 How I Met Your Mother18:00 Friends18:30 Friends19:00 The League19:30 State Of Georgia20:00 The Tonight Show With JayLeno21:00 The Daily Show With JonStewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 The Big C22:30 American Dad23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

01:15 American History X-1803:15 Asylum-1805:00 Entre Les Murs-PG1507:15 Stomp The Yard 2:Homecoming-PG1509:00 On Strike For Christmas-PG1510:30 Timeline-PG1512:30 Another Year-PG1514:45 The Lovely Bones-PG1517:00 Flying By-PG1518:45 The River-PG1521:00 Square Grouper-PG1523:00 Inception-PG15

00:30 European Tour Weekly01:00 Premier League Darts04:30 Futbol Mundial05:00 European Tour Weekly05:30 European PGA TourHighlights06:30 Top 14 Highlights07:00 Seven World Series10:00 World Cup Of Pool11:00 World Pool Masters12:00 Bass Fishing13:00 Trans World Sport14:00 ICC Cricket World14:30 ODI Cricket Highlights15:00 Asian Tour Highlights16:00 Asian Tour Golf Show16:30 Scottish Premier League18:30 Scottish Premier LeagueHighlights19:00 Futbol Mundial19:30 ODI Cricket Highlights20:00 ICC Cricket World20:30 World Cup Challenge22:30 Trans World Sport23:30 European Tour Weekly

01:30 Volvo Ocean Race02:30 European Tour Weekly03:00 World Cup of Pool04:00 World Pool Masters05:00 US Bass Fishing06:00 FIVB Beach Volley Ball07:00 Golfing World08:00 Asian Tour Highlights09:00 Asian Tour Golf Show09:30 European Tour Weekly10:00 Volvo Ocean Race11:00 Top 14 Highlights12:00 World Club Challenge14:00 Golfing World15:00 Volvo Ocean Race Highlights16:00 Pro 12 Celtic League18:00 Snooker The Welsh Open21:00 Sevens World Series

00:40 Dr G: Medical Examiner01:30 The Haunted02:15 A Haunting03:05 I Almost Got Away With It03:50 Cuff Me If You Can04:40 Dr G: Medical Examiner05:25 The Haunted06:15 A Haunting07:10 Mystery Diagnosis08:00 The Prosecutors08:50 Forensic Detectives09:40 Murder Shift10:25 Mystery Diagnosis11:10 Real Emergency Calls11:35 Who On Earth Did I Marry?11:55 True Crime With AphroditeJones12:40 Disappeared13:25 Murder Shift14:15 Mystery Diagnosis15:00 Real Emergency Calls15:25 Who On Earth Did I Marry?15:50 True Crime With AphroditeJones16:35 Disappeared17:20 The Prosecutors18:10 Forensic Detectives19:00 Murder Shift19:45 Real Emergency Calls20:10 Mystery Diagnosis20:55 Who On Earth Did I Marry?21:20 True Crime With AphroditeJones22:10 Disappeared23:00 Kidnap And Rescue23:50 Fugitive Strike Force

00:00 Falling Skies01:00 Strike Back02:00 Justified03:00 Once Upon A Time04:00 Off The Map05:00 Good Morning America07:00 Tower Prep08:00 Emmerdale08:30 Coronation Street09:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show10:00 The Martha Stewart Show11:00 The View13:00 Once Upon A Time14:00 Tower Prep15:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 Emmerdale18:30 Look-A-Like19:00 Psych20:00 American Idol22:00 Necessary Roughness23:00 Bones

00:05 Smallville01:00 Luck02:05 Falling Skies03:00 Strike Back04:00 Once Upon A Time05:00 Switched At Birth06:00 Smallville07:00 Parks And Recreation07:30 Coronation Street08:00 Parenthood09:00 Inside The Actor’s Studio10:00 Falling Skies11:00 Once Upon A Time12:00 Parks And Recreation12:30 Coronation Street13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 Parenthood15:00 Smallville16:00 Warehouse 1317:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 Parenthood19:00 Psych20:00 American Idol22:00 Necessary Roughness23:00 Supernatural

01:00 Tupac: Resurrection-1803:00 The Collector-1805:00 Circle Of Eight-1807:00 The Devil’s Teardrop-PG1509:00 Riddles Of The Sphinx-PG15

00:40 Samurai Jack01:05 Samurai Jack01:30 The Marvelous MisadventuresOf Flapjack02:20 Bakugan Battle Brawlers02:45 Bakugan Battle Brawlers03:10 Best Ed04:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien04:25 Adventure Time04:50 Generator Rex05:15 Scooby-Doo! MysteryIncorporated05:40 Grim Adventures Of Billy AndMandy05:55 I Am Weasel06:55 Scooby-Doo! MysteryIncorporated07:20 Powerpuff Girls07:45 Angelo Rules08:00 Casper’s Scare School08:30 The Amazing World OfGumball08:45 Scooby-Doo! MysteryIncorporated09:15 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien09:40 Batman: The Brave And TheBold10:05 Angelo Rules10:30 Chowder10:55 Adventure Time11:20 Eliot Kid11:35 The Marvelous MisadventuresOf Flapjack12:00 Ben 1012:25 Sym-Bionic Titan12:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog13:15 I Am Weasel13:40 Best Ed14:05 Cow & Chicken14:30 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey14:50 Eliot Kid15:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers15:40 Ben 10: Alien Force16:05 Courage The Cowardly Dog16:30 Scooby-Doo! MysteryIncorporated16:55 Gumball17:20 Adventure Time17:35 Regular Show18:00 Cow & Chicken18:25 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders18:50 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien19:15 Angelo Rules19:30 Total Drama World Tour19:55 Hero 10820:25 Sym-Bionic Titan20:50 Adventure Time21:25 The Grim Adventures Of Billy& Mandy21:50 Courage22:25 The Marvelous MisadventuresOf Flapjack22:50 Cow And Chicken23:00 Ben 1023:25 Ben 1023:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog

00:25 Kendra00:55 Style Star01:25 E!es02:20 THS03:15 25 Most Stylish04:10 Sexiest05:05 Extreme Hollywood06:00 40 Smokin’ On Set Hookups07:50 Behind The Scenes08:20 E! News09:15 Kendra09:45 Kendra10:15 THS12:05 Scouted16:55 Scouted17:55 E! News18:55 Scouted19:55 E!es20:25 E!es20:55 Chelsea Lately21:25 Scouted22:25 E! News23:25 Chelsea Lately23:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians

00:00 Volvo Ocean Race 01:00 Futbol Mundial01:30 Super League03:30 Trans World Sport04:30 ODI Crickert Highlights05:00 World Clup Challenge07:00 Premier League Darts10:30 Trans World Sport11:30 ODI Crickert Highlights12:00 Volvo Ocean Race 13:30 Volvo Ocean Race 14:30 Volvo Ocean Race Highlights15:00 World Clup Challenge

00:00 The Thief Of Baghdad-PG01:45 Hua Mulan-PG04:00 Queen Of The Swallows-FAM06:00 The Spy Next Door-PG08:15 The Three Musketeers (2008)-FAM10:15 Jetsons: The Movie-FAM12:15 Tom And Jerry & The WizardOf Oz-FAM14:00 Slappy And The Stinkers-FAM16:00 Kong: Return To The Jungle-PG1518:00 Jetsons: The Movie-FAM20:00 Gulliver’s Travels-PG22:00 Slappy And The Stinkers-FAM

00:00 Everybody Wants To BeItalian-PG1502:00 Love And Mary-PG1504:00 Our Family Wedding-PG1506:00 Coyote County Loser-PG1508:00 The SpongeBob SquarePantsMovie-PG10:00 The Addams Family-PG12:00 Addams Family Values-PG14:00 Sleepover-PG1516:00 Everybody Wants To BeItalian-PG1518:00 Love Hurts-PG1520:00 Crazy On The Outside-PG1522:00 How High-18

00:00 Soulboy-PG1502:00 Cyrus-1804:00 District 9-PG1506:00 Strength And Honour-PG1508:00 Sounds Like Teen Spirit-PG1510:00 District 9-PG1512:15 Triassic Attack-PG1514:15 Cats & Dogs: The Revenge OfKitty Galore-PG16:00 Sounds Like Teen Spirit-PG1517:45 Just Go With It-PG1520:00 Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call -New Orleans-PG1522:15 Piranha-R

01:00 UFC 144 Countdown02:00 V8 Supercars03:00 Speedway04:00 Le Mans Series Highlights05:00 UFC Unleashed06:00 UFC 144 Countdown07:00 WWE SmackDown09:00 Speedway10:00 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup11:00 V8 Supercars12:00 WWE Experience13:00 WWE Vintage Collection14:00 WWE Bottom Line15:00 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup16:00 Speedway FIM WorldChampionship17:00 Aquabike World18:00 UFC 144 Countdown19:00 WWE NXT20:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter21:00 UFC

00:00 KIM POSSIBLE00:25 Fairly Odd Parents00:50 Fairly Odd Parents01:15 STITCH02:00 REPLACEMENTS02:25 REPLACEMENTS02:50 EMPEROR’S NEW SCHOOL03:15 EMPEROR’S NEW SCHOOL03:35 STITCH04:00 STITCH 04:25 REPLACEMENTS05:15 Fairly Odd Parents05:35 Fairly Odd Parents06:00 HANNAH MONTANA FOREVER06:20 RECESS06:45 TIMON AND PUMBAA07:05 PHINEAS AND FERB07:30 Good Luck Charlie07:55 FISH HOOKS08:10 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE08:35 MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE09:00 JAKE & THE NEVERLANDPIRATES09:15 JAKE & THE NEVERLANDPIRATES09:25 HANDY MANNY09:40 THE HIVE09:47 MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIETHE POOH09:50 RECESS10:15 SO RANDOM10:40 HAVE A LAUGH10:45 HANNAH MONTANA FOREVER11:10 SUITE LIFE ON DECK11:35 JAKE & BLAKE12:00 SONNY WITH A CHANCE12:25 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE12:45 PHINEAS AND FERB13:10 SO RANDOM13:30 SUITE LIFE ON DECK13:55 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE14:20 HAVE A LAUGH14:30 SHAKE IT UP14:55 SHAKE IT UP15:20 MY BABYSITTER’S A VAMPIRE15:45 FISH HOOKS16:10 THE ADVENTURES OF DISNEYFAIRIES16:40 THE ADVENTURES OF DISNEYFAIRIES17:05 TIMON AND PUMBAA17:30 Wendy Wu: HomecomingWarrior18:56 FISH HOOKS19:10 Good Luck Charlie19:30 HAVE A LAUGH19:35 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE20:00 HANNAH MONTANA FOREVER20:25 PHINEAS AND FERB20:50 SHAKE IT UP21:15 FISH HOOKS21:35 RECESS22:00 Wendy Wu: HomecomingWarrior23:26 HAVE A LAUGH23:35 SONNY WITH A CHANCE

00:00 Britain At War01:00 Ax Men02:00 Investigating History03:00 Secret Superpowered Aircraft04:00 Japan Under AmericanOccupation05:00 Stolen By Hitler06:00 Britain At War07:00 Ax Men08:00 Investigating History09:00 Secret Superpowered Aircraft10:00 Japan Under AmericanOccupation11:00 Stolen By Hitler12:00 Britain At War13:00 Ax Men14:00 Investigating History15:00 Secret Superpowered Aircraft16:00 Japan Under AmericanOccupation17:00 Stolen By Hitler18:00 Britain At War19:00 Ax Men20:00 Investigating History21:00 Sliced22:00 Ax Men23:00 Swamp People

01:00 The Messenger-1803:00 The LXD: The Uprising Begins-PG1505:00 The LXD: Secrets Of The Ra-PG1507:00 Crazy On The Outside-PG1509:00 Date Night-PG1511:00 12 Men Of Christmas-PG1513:00 The Joneses-PG1515:00 Paper Man-PG1517:00 Date Night-PG1519:00 It’s Complicated-PG1521:00 Despicable Me-FAM23:00 Inception-PG15

00:00 Wacky Races00:20 Dastardly And Muttley00:45 New Yogi Bear Show01:10 Duck Dodgers01:35 The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop02:00 Tom & Jerry Kids02:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo02:50 The Jetsons03:15 Puppy In My Pocket03:40 Popeye04:00 Tom & Jerry04:25 Looney Tunes04:50 Scooby Doo Where Are You!05:15 Droopy: Master Detective05:40 Wacky Races06:00 The Flintstones06:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo06:50 Popeye Classics07:00 The Garfield Show07:30 Bananas In Pyjamas07:55 Baby Looney Tunes08:20 Gerald McBoing Boing08:45 Jelly Jamm09:00 Pink Panther And Pals09:25 Pink Panther And Pals09:50 Puppy In My Pocket10:15 The Scooby Doo Show10:40 Scooby Doo Where Are You!11:05 The Flintstones11:25 Duck Dodgers11:50 Tom & Jerry Kids12:15 Pink Panther And Pals12:40 Wacky Races13:00 Jelly Jamm13:15 Baby Looney Tunes13:40 Bananas In Pyjamas13:55 The Garfield Show14:45 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo15:10 Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo15:35 Looney Tunes16:00 Puppy In My Pocket16:50 Pink Panther And Pals17:15 Pink Panther And Pals17:40 Tom & Jerry18:05 Tom & Jerry18:20 The Garfield Show19:10 The Scooby Doo Show19:35 Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo20:00 Jelly Jamm20:15 Baby Looney Tunes20:40 Gerald McBoing Boing21:05 Bananas In Pyjamas21:30 Pink Panther And Pals21:55 Tom & Jerry22:20 Looney Tunes22:45 Scooby Doo Where Are You!23:10 Droopy: Master Detective23:35 The Flintstones

00:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse00:25 Jake & The Neverland Pirates00:40 Special Agent Oso00:55 Little Einsteins01:20 Timmy Time01:30 Jungle Junction01:45 Handy Manny01:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse02:20 Special Agent Oso02:35 Special Agent Oso02:50 Jungle Junction03:05 Jungle Junction03:15 Little Einsteins03:40 Higglytown Heroes03:55 Higglytown Heroes04:10 Jo Jo’s Circus04:30 Special Agent Oso04:45 Special Agent Oso05:00 Jungle Junction05:15 Jungle Junction05:25 Little Einsteins05:50 Higglytown Heroes06:05 Higglytown Heroes06:20 Jo Jo’s Circus06:40 Special Agent Oso06:55 Special Agent Oso07:10 Jungle Junction07:25 Jungle Junction07:35 Little Einsteins08:00 Higglytown Heroes08:15 Higglytown Heroes08:30 Jo Jo’s Circus08:50 Jungle Junction09:00 Jungle Junction09:15 Higglytown Heroes09:30 Higglytown Heroes09:45 Handy Manny10:00 Special Agent Oso10:15 Jungle Junction10:30 Jungle Junction10:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse11:10 The Hive11:20 Handy Manny

00:20 What Not To Wear01:10 Antiques Roadshow02:05 James Martin’s Champagne02:25 Indian Food Made Easy03:15 What To Eat Now - Autumn04:10 James Martin’s Champagne04:55 10 Years Younger05:20 10 Years Younger05:45 Fantasy Homes In The City06:30 House Swap07:15 Bargain Hunt08:00 James Martin’s Champagne08:25 Indian Food Made Easy08:50 Fantasy Homes In The City09:35 Masterchef Australia10:25 Bargain Hunt11:10 Antiques Roadshow12:00 Come Dine With Me12:50 10 Years Younger13:15 10 Years Younger13:40 Masterchef14:35 Masterchef15:30 Fantasy Homes In The City16:15 House Swap17:00 Bargain Hunt17:45 Antiques Roadshow18:35 Cash In The Attic USA19:00 What To Eat Now - Summer20:00 James Martin’s Brittany20:25 James Martin’s Brittany20:50 Indian Food Made Easy21:15 Cash In The Attic USA21:40 Masterchef22:35 Masterchef23:30 Bargain Hunt

00:50 Animal Cops Houston01:45 Untamed & Uncut02:40 Buggin’ With Ruud03:35 Wild France04:30 Wildest Africa05:25 The Animals’ Guide ToSurvival06:20 Escape To Chimp Eden06:45 In Too Deep07:10 K9 Cops08:00 Gorilla School08:25 Animal Planet ’s MostOutrageous09:15 The Really Wild Show09:40 Project Puppy10:10 Dogs 101: Specials11:05 The Animals’ Guide ToSurvival12:00 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip12:55 RSPCA: On The Frontline13:20 Wildlife SOS International13:50 Clinically Wild: Alaska14:15 Clinically Wild: Alaska14:45 Animal Cops Phoenix15:40 The Animals’ Guide ToSurvival16:30 Shamwari: A Wild Life17:00 The Really Wild Show17:30 Panda Adventures With NigelMarven18:25 Dogs 10119:20 Extraordinary Dogs19:45 Extraordinary Dogs20:15 Orangutan Island20:40 Wildlife SOS International21:10 Escape To Chimp Eden21:35 In Too Deep22:05 The Animals’ Guide ToSurvival23:00 Beast Lands23:55 Snake Crusader With BruceGeorge

00:45 Eastenders01:15 Doctors01:45 Lark Rise to Candleford02:35 Last Of The Summer Wine03:05 After You’ve Gone03:35 Keeping Up Appearances04:00 Me Too!04:20 Charlie and Lola04:30 Gigglebiz04:45 Bobinogs05:00 Poetry Pie05:05 Fimbles05:25 Little Robots05:36 Forget Me Not Farm05:50 Me Too!06:10 Charlie and Lola06:20 Gigglebiz06:30 Bobinogs06:45 Poetry Pie06:50 Fimbles07:10 Little Robots07:20 Forget Me Not Farm07:35 Last Of The Summer Wine08:05 After You’ve Gone08:35 The Weakest Link09:20 Eastenders09:50 Doctors10:20 Casualty11:10 Lark Rise to Candleford12:00 Keeping Up Appearances12:30 Last Of The Summer Wine13:00 The Weakest Link13:45 Eastenders14:15 Doctors14:45 Casualty15:35 Lark Rise to Candleford16:25 The Weakest Link17:10 Eastenders17:40 Doctors18:30 After You’ve Gone19:00 Last Of The Summer Wine19:30 Chimp Family Fortunes20:00 The World’s Toughest DrivingTests20:50 Little Britain21:20 Keeping Up Appearances21:50 Survivors22:40 Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show23:10 The Weakest Link23:55 Chimp Family Fortunes

11:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates11:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates12:05 The Hive12:15 Mini Adventures Of WinnieThe Pooh12:20 Mouk (Cema)12:35 Mouk (Cema)12:45 The Hive12:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse13:20 Imagination Movers13:45 Art Attack (Cema)14:10 Imagination Movers14:35 Special Agent Oso14:45 Lazytown15:10 Handy Manny15:25 Jungle Junction15:40 Imagination Movers16:05 The Hive16:15 Special Agent Oso16:25 Little Einsteins16:50 Lazytown17:15 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse17:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates17:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates18:05 Mouk (Cema)18:20 Handy Manny18:30 The Hive18:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates18:55 Imagination Movers19:20 Lazytown19:45 Art Attack (Cema)20:10 The Hive20:20 Special Agent Oso20:30 Jungle Junction20:45 Handy Manny20:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates21:10 Jake & The Neverland Pirates21:25 The Hive21:35 Little Einsteins22:00 Mini Adventures Of WinnieThe Pooh22:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse22:25 101 Dalmatians22:40 101 Dalmatians22:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates23:05 Jake & The Neverland Pirates23:20 The Hive23:30 Mini Adventures Of WinnieThe Pooh23:35 A Poem Is...23:40 Animated Stories23:45 Mouk (Cema)

12:15 X2-PG14:45 Blue Crush 2-PG1517:00 The Postman-PG1520:00 Legion-1822:00 Little Big Soldier-PG15

11:00 Citizen Jane-PG13:00 Hurricane Season-PG1515:00 Riddles Of The Sphinx-PG1517:00 Staten Island-PG1519:00 Empire-1821:00 The Daisy Chain-PG1523:00 Two: Thirteen-R

17:00 Super League19:00 Volvo Ocean Race 20:00 Trans World Sport21:00 ODI Crickert Highlights21:30 Futbol Mundial22:00 Live Premier League Darts

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

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DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION


No: 15368

CHANGE OF NAMEArrival Flights on Thursday 23/2/2012Airlines Flt Route TimeQTR 138 DOHA 0:20JZR 185 DUBAI 0:20KLM 447 AMSTERDAM 0:30JZR 267 BEIRUT 0:45JZR 539 CAIRO 0:50THY 772 ISTANBUL 2:15UAE 853 DUBAI 2:35QTR 148 DOHA 2:55DHX 370 BAHRAIN 2:55KAC 154 ISTANBUL 2:55MSR 612 CAIRO 3:00FDB 67 DUBAI 3:05ETD 305 ABU DHABI 3:10GFA 211 BAHRAIN 3:15KAC 543 CAIRO 4:40THY 770 ISTANBUL 4:50SYR 1025 DAMASCUS 5:00DHX 170 BAHRAIN 5:15FCX 201 DUBAI 5:30JZR 503 LUXOR 5:55JZR 555 ALEXANDRIA 6:00BAW 157 LONDON 6:40KAC 412 MANILA 6:45KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 7:40FDB 53 DUBAI 7:45IRA 617 AHWAZ 7:50KAC 352 COCHIN 7:50KAC 382 DELHI 7:50KAC 302 MUMBAI 7:55JZR 531 ASSIUT 8:00KAC 332 TRIVANDRUM 8:05IRA 605 ISFAHAN 8:15KAC 284 DHAKA 8:15KAC 362 COLOMBO 8:20UAE 855 DUBAI 8:30ABY 121 SHARJAH 8:40ABY 125 SHARJAH 9:00QTR 132 DOHA 9:05ETD 301 ABU DHABI 9:15FDB 55 DUBAI 9:20BAB 436 BAHRAIN 9:40GFA 213 BAHRAIN 9:55KNE 945 JEDDAH 10:05IRC 6793 AHWAZ 11:10MSC 9621 ASSIUT 11:15KNE 789 JEDDAH 11:20JZR 165 DUBAI 11:20MEA 404 BEIRUT 11:55KNE 939 JEDDAH 12:05SYR 341 DAMASCUS 12:35MSR 610 CAIRO 12:55KAC 672 DUBAI 13:20GFA 219 BAHRAIN 13:25MSR 621 ASSIUT 13:30JZR 241 AMMAN 13:35FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50MSR 606 LUXOR 13:55ABY 123 SHARJAH 14:00UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC 14:05OMA 645 MUSCAT 14:15GRF 93 KANDAHAR 14:15QTR 140 DOHA 14:20KNE 745 JEDDAH 14:25SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30KAC 552 DAMASCUS 14:35RJA 640 AMMAN 14:40KAC 788 JEDDAH 14:50SVA 9407 JEDDAH 15:00JZR 257 BEIRUT 15:00UAE 3851 DUBAI 15:05KAC 546 ALEXANDRIA 15:20QTR 134 DOHA 15:25GFA 2215 BAHRAIN 16:05KAC 1786 JEDDAH 16:20JZR 535 CAIRO 16:25ETD 303 ABU DHABI 16:50JZR 357 MASHAD 16:50UAE 857 DUBAI 16:55KAC 118 NEW YORK 16:55RBG 3555 ALEXANDRIA 17:00FDB 8051 DUBAI 17:00GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:15SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20KNE 941 JEDDAH 17:35ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:40JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:45RKM 310 RAS ALKHAIMAH 17:50BAB 437 BEIRUT 18:05ALK 227 COLOMBO 18:10MSC 9623 SOHAG 18:15FDB 8053 DUBAI 18:30TAR 328 TUNIS 18:35FDB 63 DUBAI 18:40KAC 502 BEIRUT 18:45KAC 542 CAIRO 18:50JZR 177 DUBAI 18:50JZR 125 BAHRAIN 19:00KAC 786 JEDDAH 19:10MEA 400 BEIRUT 19:15KAC 618 DOHA 19:15KAC 614 BAHRAIN 19:20KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25KAC 104 LONDON 19:35KAC 774 RIYADH 19:40KAC 1782 JEDDAH 19:50KAC 562 AMMAN 19:50FDB 8059 DUBAI 19:55FDB 61 DUBAI 20:00OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:15AXB 389 KOZHIKODE 20:30MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 20:45JAI 572 MUMBAI 20:50KAC 178 GENEVA 20:55DHX 372 BAHRAIN 21:00MEA 402 BEIRUT 21:20GFA 217 BAHRAIN 21:25QTR 136 DOHA 21:35UAE 859 DUBAI 21:40KLM 445 AMSTERDAM 22:05AIC 981 CHENNAI 22:05JZR 135 BAHRAIN 22:30JZR 239 AMMAN 22:45UAL 981 BAHRAIN 23:00ETH 3718 LIEGE 23:00BBC 43 DHAKA 23:45DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:50

Departure Flights on Thursday 23/2/2012Airlines Flt Route TimeAXB 394 KOCHI 0:05UAL 981 WASHINGTON DC 0:45AIC 976 GOA 0:50JZR 530 ASSIUT 1:15DLH 637 FRANKFURT 1:20KLM 447 AMSTERDAM 1:45THY 773 ISTANBUL 3:15FDB 68 DUBAI 3:45UAE 854 DUBAI 3:50DHX 371 BAHRAIN 3:55MSR 613 CAIRO 4:00ETD 306 ABU DHABI 4:00QTR 139 DOHA 4:40QTR 149 DOHA 5:40THY 771 ISTANBUL 5:50SYR 1026 DAMASCUS 6:00JZR 164 DUBAI 6:55GFA 212 BAHRAIN 7:00JZR 240 AMMAN 8:05FDB 54 DUBAI 8:25KAC 545 ALEXANDRIA 8:30BAW 156 LONDON 8:40IRA 606 MASHHAD 8:50KAC 671 DUBAI 9:00JZR 256 BEIRUT 9:00KAC 551 DAMASCUS 9:10JZR 534 CAIRO 9:15IRA 604 ISFAHAN 9:15ABY 122 SHARJAH 9:20KAC 787 JEDDAH 9:25KAC 101 LONDON 9:35UAE 856 DUBAI 9:40ABY 126 SHARJAH 9:45ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:00FDB 56 DUBAI 10:05QTR 133 DOHA 10:10BAB 436 BEIRUT 10:25KAC 1785 JEDDAH 10:35GFA 214 BAHRAIN 10:40JZR 356 MASHHAD 10:50KNE 946 JEDDAH 10:55KAC 165 ROME 11:45KAC 541 CAIRO 12:00KNE 790 JEDDAH 12:05IRC 6792 MASHHAD 12:10MSC 9622 SOHAG 12:15JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:15MEA 405 BEIRUT 12:55KNE 940 MADINAH 12:55KAC 501 BEIRUT 13:00SYR 342 DAMASCUS 13:35KAC 785 JEDDAH 13:40MSR 611 CAIRO 13:55KAC 1781 JEDDAH 14:10GFA 220 BAHRAIN 14:20JZR 176 DUBAI 14:25MSR 622 ASSIUT 14:30FDB 58 DUBAI 14:35ABY 124 SHARJAH 14:40KAC 561 AMMAN 14:45MSR 607 LUXOR 14:55KAC 673 DUBAI 15:05KNE 746 JEDDAH 15:10OMA 646 MUSCAT 15:15UAL 982 BAHRAIN 15:20RJA 641 AMMAN 15:35JZR 124 BAHRAIN 15:50KAC 617 DOHA 15:55SVA 505 JEDDAH 16:00UAE 3852 DUBAI 16:15KAC 613 BAHRAIN 16:20KAC 773 RIYADH 16:25SVA 2407 JEDDAH 16:30QTR 141 DOHA 16:30GFA 2216 BAHRAIN 16:50JZR 238 AMMAN 17:15QTR 135 DOHA 17:25ETD 304 ABU DHABI 17:35RBG 3564 ALEXANDRIA 17:40JZR 538 CAIRO 17:40FDB 8052 DUBAI 17:45GRF 82 BAGHDAD 18:00UAE 858 DUBAI 18:10GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:15ABY 128 SHARJAH 18:25KNE 942 MADINAH 18:25SVA 511 RIYADH 18:35JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:45RKM 311 RAS ALKHAIMAH 18:50BAB 437 BAHRAIN 18:55MSC 9624 ASSIUT 19:00ALK 228 DUBAI 19:10FDB 8054 DUBAI 19:15FDB 64 DUBAI 19:20TAR 328 TUNIS 19:25JZR 134 BAHRAIN 19:40JZR 184 DUBAI 19:55KAC 1783 JEDDAH 20:10KAC 283 DHAKA 20:15MEA 401 BEIRUT 20:20FDB 8060 DUBAI 20:35FDB 62 DUBAI 20:40KAC 343 CHENNAI 20:55KAC 331 TRIVANDRUM 21:00DHX 171 BAHRAIN 21:00KAC 351 KOCHI 21:05OMA 648 MUSCAT 21:15MSR 619 ALEXANDRIA 21:45KAC 543 CAIRO 21:55DHX 373 BAHRAIN 22:00JAI 571 MUMBAI 22:05KAC 675 DUBAI 22:10MEA 403 BEIRUT 22:20GFA 218 BAHRAIN 22:25FCX 102 BAHRAIN 22:30QTR 137 DOHA 22:35KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:45UAE 860 DUBAI 22:50KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00KLM 445 BAHRAIN 23:05JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 23:20JZR 188 DUBAI 23:35KAC 415 KUALA LUMPUR 23:45KAC 411 BANGKOK 23:55

ACCOMMODATION

F O R S A L E

Sharing accommodationavailable in a C-A/C flat inAbbasiya for 2 Christianbachelors or Christian cou-ple from 1st March.Contact: 65625804.

(C 3876)20-2-2012

To let from March 1, 2012,1 semi furnished big roomwith attached toilet from a3 bed room spacious flat inB’neid Al-Ghar. Ideal forexecutives. Rent KD 75/- forsingle occupancy and KD95/- for double occupancy.Contact: 60914165. (C 3868)

Sharing available forChristian family, C-A/C,room + bathroom, nearLearners Academy,Abbassiya. Small family ortwo bachelors. Contact:66265733 / 24346514.

(C 3869)12-2-2012

Wanted housemaid inFarwaniya area, full time.Contact: 97514390.

22-2-2012

A Kuwaiti woman is lookingto hire a driver. No residencytransfer required. Contact:99215511. (C 3872)

16-2-2012

A Kuwaiti woman is lookingto hire a driver. No residencytransfer required. Contact:99215511. (C 3872)

16-2-2012

SITUATION VACANT

Double bed 2x2m with sidetables + full size woodencupboard in excellent con-dition available for sale.Contact: 97358878. (C 3877)

21-2-202012

2005, Chevy Trail Blazer XL,7 seater, maroon, good con-

I, SHABBIR, holder ofIndian Passport No.J6456508 s/o Zakir HussainBohra, have changed myname to HUSSAIN BOHRAto be called from nowonwards. (C 3880)

23-2-2012

I, Sobhana Kumari, holderof Indian Passport No.F0925466 hereby changemy name Sara SaadMubarak Salman. (C 3870)

20-2-2012

I, Medamalli VenkataSubbaiah, holder of IndianPassport No: F4933824, res-ident of S/o M. Subbaiah,Kuppavari Palli ( Village),Seetharampuram (Post),Rajampet (Mandal), KadapaDistrict, Andra Pradesh,have changed my name toMedamalli Sreenivas.

I, Anis s/o Ali Mohammed,holding Indian PassportNo.E1091168, R/o 147/10Najampura, Bohrawadi,Udaipur (RAJ ), havechanged name to SHABBIRALI MOHAMMED s/o AliMohammed in future becalled and known by newname. (C 3873)

I, Pappu Lal s/o Mohan Lal,holder of Indian PassportNo. E5530889 herebychange my name toKAMALESH DEVRA.

(C 3874)16-2-2012 Australian man, 50 years

divorcee, living in Kuwait,Lebanese born, seekingalliance from Kuwait, singlelady, divorcee, widow noproblem, must be God fear-ing and love to travel andgoing out. Contact: Email:[email protected]

(C 3879)22-2-2012

MATRIMONIAL

TUITION

Business managementteacher with doctoraldegree for universities,institutions, corporate & allstudent levels. Over 10years experience. Call66495951. (C 3817)

Mathematics teacher,Intermediate and second-ary Exams models, Easymethod, Exams from pastyears with solutions.97301901

English teacher (3) yearsexperience, looking for ajob and ready to start withall educational stages.55963993

Mathematics teacher forUniversities, Institutions,Foreign Schools,Administra-tive, American,English, Australian, Bahrain,Electric and Gulf Sciences,Algbra Prel, Mathematics,intermediate, gmat, sat col-

dition, lady driven, brandnew tires, KD 2500. Call67005485.

(C 3875)19-2-202012

Chevrolet Optra 2009 is onimmediate sale for KD2,350/- as expat leavingKuwait. Showroom main-tained and in excellent con-dition. Contact: 99754454.

(C 3867)11-2-2012

A 2008 white, 1600 CCNissan Sunny. Price KD1700. Tel: 99553221

A 2008 dark blue 6 cylinderToyota Prado with Beigesued interior, low mileage,touch A/C, CD, cruise con-trol, front and rear sensorsfor sale. Price KD 6650. Tel:99275550

A 2009 white, 6 cylinderToyota Prado with 40,000mileage touch A/C, CD,cruise control, front andrear sensors for sale. PriceKD 7850. Tel: 97477508-55809093

A 2009 YUKUN SuburbanGMC XL with low mileageand beige sued interior,electric seats, cruise control,super headlights, rear cam-era, remote recording andrear sensors. Price 8550. Tel:99301914

MISCELLANEOUS

Original guaranteedPalestinian virgin olive oil,large black and green olivesfor sale. Tel: 66517417

Whole Floor or small villaneeded for rent in Shaab,Mansoriya, Nozha, AbdullahAl-Salem or Shamiya. Directcontact with owner. Tel:9989018-99169016

A camp for rent in Kabedincluding five tents with allservices. Complete privacy+ game arcade. Tel:97177714

Size 36 air pressure gun forsale in addition to a scope,safety lock. Shooting range350 meters +bag+25 shots.Price KD 70. Tel: 97790478A 3700 watt, 2012 modelASTRA generator for sale.Japanese parts assembledin China with pressure andgas meters. Price KD 85. Tel:60066891

For rent in Hawalli a onebedroom (4x4m) and a7x3.5 m reception+ terrace,fully equipped kitchen andbathroom. Tunis street,behind Al-Andalus pharma-cy. Tel: 99683200

For rent a two storey villaand a basement in Mangafincluding 8 rooms, laundryroom, yard, parking. Rentvalue KD 1000. Tel:

FOR RENT

For rent at Salmiya, Apt 3BR + 3 toilets + hall +kitchen + satellite, excellentlocation. Foreigners andexpats only, no mediators.Tel: 66060299. (14183)

For rent commercial Apt atthe sea, excellent location,190 square meter, suitablefor (beauty saloon, consult-ing office, lawyers office).Tel: 66060299. (15004)

For rent Apt at Salmiya 2BR + 2 toilets + maid room+ hall + kitchen and bal-cony for families only. RentKD 280/-. Tel: 66980123.(15007)

For rent basement atHawalli, excellent location,plastic floor, C-A/C, for seri-ous only, please call :66980123. (C 25997)

Furnished Apt for rent inSalmiya 2 BR + hall +kitchen + satellite & DSL +parking, families only. RentKD 450/-. Tel: 66297171. (C14941)

For rent, one floor in acommercial complex inSalmiya, at main street suit-able for Coffee Shop orRestaurant for serious onlycall: 66980123. (15006)

For rent floor at South ofSurra, 4 BR + maid room + 4toilets, hall and elevator. KD800/-. Tel: 66604095.(15041)

For rent complete floor atJabriya, 5 BR out of which 4are master BR + 5 toilets +hall and elevator KD 750/-.Tel: 66604095. (15103)

lege, math98, 110 pre cal-culus geometry. 97619261

A Syrian Arabic languageteacher. Masters in meth-ods of teaching and followup of 10th grade and 11thgrade students. 97934291

Islamic education teacherfor elementary and inter-mediate stages.Experienced in Kuwait cur-ricula. Easy explanation,and summary of the sub-ject, training for exams.66292985

Syrian Arabic languageteacher for elementary andintermediate stages.Experienced in followinglearning difficulties, andthose weak in reading andwriting. 97264100

Female seniorMathematics teacher withmore that 30 years experi-ence in Kuwait, to teachsecondary, intermediateand elementary stages.Religious and applied, com-munications and naviga-tion institutions, specialcourses and secretariatinstitution. 97926737

Computer teacher for sec-ondary and intermediate.Practical on laptop, powerpoint projects, front page,visual basic data, universi-ties and applied institu-tions. 50603063

97996900

A storey and half for rent inMangaf including two 3bedroom apartments with2 baths, reception, kitchen,driver room each. Tel:66989887

For rent a ground floor inQurain comprising of fourrooms, large reception, 5baths, maid room, court-yard, parking. Rent valueKD 550. Tel: 66989887

A fully central air-condi-tioned two room annex inMangaf with separate exitand shaded car parking forrent to expatriates. Tel:67753557

For rent in Ashbelia: twoapartments with 3 bed-rooms, bath, kitchen andmaid room each plus a yardin between. Tel: 90001594

A 2005 Mini Cooper forsale. Tel: 99224855

A 2006 Lumina for salewith genuine factory paint.Price KD 2100. Tel:69945429

34s t a r sTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Yesterday’s Solution

This is a good time to lead the way on a project, for your origi-nality is unusually heightened. Your attitude may be that you would

rather switch than fight—a pushover. Ego, energy and self-assertiveness may be a bitlow however, so if there is some issue brewing where you really should speak up, saveit for another day. At this time, you may actively be concerned about the welfare ofothers in your business or people who work under you. Try listening to their needsbefore deciding for yourself how best to help them. If you give your best effort now,considerable success will certainly follow. Socializing is favored. So is overindul-gence—avoid the smorgasbord table and watch the calories. Companionship is mostrewarding.

Word SleuthSolution

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

A business-related talk will go much better than expected. Allsorts of weird feelings and emotions may be gurgling up from your

subconscious today. Like mud in a pond, these feelings may be obscuring your viewof what is going around you. You may not be very objective today and may say thingsyou could regret later. If you relax and think about what you are saying before you sayit, you can overcome any difficulties this day. If you can chuckle over a tough situation,the energies of this day will have served their purpose. Ask for help if you need it butkeep in mind that the help you receive would be appreciated returned in like kind. Tryto keep some sense of reality in your interactions with friends. Tonight would be agood movie night.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

You have an increase in personal magnetism that makes it agood time for business dealings. This is one of those great days

when you will be able to accomplish just about anything you set out to do. A businessassociate from your past may return today. Give him or her a full-scale update of whatis going on and spring for lunch. If you must go shopping, leave those credit cards athome. Your warmth will reflect back from your loved ones and everyone will enjoyyour company. This may be a time of sudden personal growth that corresponds tochanges in your romantic life. Indeed, this is a good day to be available for others.Consider collecting family histories by asking grandparents to make tape recordingsof some or their own life experiences.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

It is important during this time to effectively communicate yourideas to co-workers and those who work around you. Your creative

intellect and communication skills are enhanced. You may feel a renewed interest inart, literature and nature. Your eloquence today will enhance your influence over oth-ers. Before the day is over, however, you may feel you need a vacation from people ingeneral. Somehow you just cannot stomach having to deal with people, being on dis-play, or putting up a front. You would be far more comfortable at home, surroundedby family and loved ones, where you can just be yourself. If possible, relax alone thisevening to refurbish your energies. You need the rest and relaxation—perhaps a fewfragrant candles will help.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Concern yourself with health matters, not because you are ill,but to keep your mind and body in the best working condition for

your life enjoyment. This time may forecast the successful end to an ambitious project.Small chores are accomplished quickly with your determination. The power of attrac-tion and desire for love is great and you should exercise caution before entering a newrelationship that may come about during this time. Other people love your optimism.A friend may be having a special day today and you will want to be available to helpparticipate in the day. A child needs your attention this evening and you will bepleased at the results when you teach this child to treat others as they would wantothers to treat them.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Business dealings may be particularly fruitful now. There couldbe an opportunity for a round-table discussion in the workplace

today. Your viewpoint will be heard—patience. Expect a sense of support and goodwill from those around you. While your ability to detect your partner’s true feelings isgreat, you should not let your high idealism cloud your judgment of other people’sabilities and talents. Try to see people for who they truly are—your intuition will guideyou. For some reason, the family scene this evening is a busy one. This is a good timeto try and foster a sense of togetherness and team play among family members. Teamplay can also be enjoyed in some team sports or some fitness program—you could be

leading this group.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Mental stimulation from others is key for you right now. It is agood idea to make every effort to cooperate and compromise when

needed. A project today should gain a great deal of progress. This is a high energy dayand when you finish one project you will be ready and willing to move on to otherprojects that need your special touch. Friendships are great pleasure and you, in turn,should be quite popular. This harmony should be very useful in easing past tensions,particularly in a relationship or in concluding some difficult financial matters.Expressing affection is easy for you and this evening your loved ones reciprocate andmay have some fun surprises set aside for you or at the least have a few suggestionsfor some entertainment activities.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Progressive people and concepts play a more important role inyour life, as a new cycle begins. Additionally, this is a time when your

powers of creativity are great. Communicating with long-distance associates andengaging in social functions with close friends is enhanced this afternoon. Your feel-ings may be so intense today that you could cut them with a knife. You may want todeal with everything on an emotional level. You do not really feel like doing any kindof work that requires a pragmatic frame of mind, although this should be a good timefor dealing with the public. Do not keep someone waiting this evening—good sur-prises are waiting. Warm memories and familiar surroundings happen this evening asyou visit with old friends. Enjoy a little poetry.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Problems in the workplace can be solved easily—look at thetechnical side. Outside interest in a current project of yours can

bring you some extra funds. Use the confidence you feel today to get the most press-ing projects at work completed for this could bring considerable success. Your fertilemind will be picking up new concepts and inspirations all day like a radio receiver. Theair is electric and your mind is wide open. Other’s ideas, once illogical to you, may nowseem quite logical. You have a greater appreciation for things of value—and the ideaof value itself is in order now. Finances are not great but not bad either—try compari-son pricing. You may be encouraged to solve a relationship problem this evening. Tryto relax, anxiety can be paralyzing.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

The company for which you work may agree to help you withfurther education or offers to send you to lectures in order to

study and learn new techniques or styles of working. You are empowered to takefull advantage of your position in the workplace. You may find yourself lecturingor teaching others. This is a rewarding day. Make sure your final decisions are forthe good of the whole. Study motives in order to make non-prejudiced choices.Events could conspire to make it difficult to act. Anything that can wait should bemoved to a waiting position—or put on hold. Concentrate on the job at handfirst! Celebrations are in order this evening—you may earn, win or gain in someway that can be very helpful to your future.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

This is a day where much can be accomplished. Your instinctiveorientation at this time is toward getting down to the basics. An

important clue into new investments may be worth your review. Ask questions, givethis some time and you will benefit from your own choices. Something electric is inthe air and your charisma shines! It is time for a fling! You need a break from routinematters and may seek out stimulating new friends. They in turn will be attracted toyou. Any new association made today should last—and could revolutionize yourlife—enjoy. You show a great deal of interest in all family matters, particularly aboutthe general living environment in the home. Having a party or a family get-togethercould be most enjoyable at this time.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

You become a big influence in the workplace today. Othersneed guidance and just automatically flock to your side. If this is part

of your job—keep on track. Although you can be very influential, you may choose toturn a few people away this afternoon; especially if you are trying to get somethingaccomplished yourself. Artistic inspiration may manifest itself in creative work or justthe urge to experience the beauty of nature. Whether you are listening or participat-ing—music can be a source of inspiration—or possibly have a healing effect. Yourgood cheer enhances your social life and may intensify romance. A new love interest isavailable today. If needed, this is a good time to use the home as a vehicle for enter-taining.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 597 CALVIN & HOBBES

POOCH CAFE

NON SEQUITUR

ZITS

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

ACROSS1. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral andlearning disorders.4. A disorderly crowd of people.10. Syndrome resulting from a serious acute (sometimes fatal)infection associated with the presence of staphylococcus.13. A constellation in the southern hemisphere nearTelescopium and Norma.14. (Greek mythology) One of the three Graces.15. An enclosed space.16. Extremely pleasing.17. Rapacious seabird that pursues weaker birds to make themdrop their prey.18. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.19. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.21. Having a gradual increase in width.23. In bed.24. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.27. Very dark black.34. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usuallywith vegetables.35. An informal term for a father.36. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 10 liters.37. (folklore) A small grotesque supernatural creature thatmakes trouble for human beings.39. Generator consisting of a coil (the armature) that rotatesbetween the poles of an electromagnet (the field magnet) caus-ing a current to flow in the armature.41. Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence.43. A federal agency that supervises carriers that transportgoods and people between states.45. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or NorthAfrica.46. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.48. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king ofIsrael and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).50. A person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy.54. Of or relating to or derived from or containing boron.58. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots.59. The process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobsor other inarticulate sounds).62. A small cake leavened with yeast.63. Term of address for a man.64. Cut or impressed into a surface.66. A machine-readable version of a standard dictionary.67. Food of a ruminant regurgitated to be chewed again.68. A member of the Siouan people of the northern Mississippivalley.69. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.

DOWN1. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.2. (informal) Exceptionally good.3. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.4. The seventh month of the Moslem calendar.5. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).6. Combined or mixed together so that the constituent parts areindistinguishable.7. A flexible container with a single opening.8. (`lief' is archaic) Very willing.9. A British peer ranking below a Marquess and above aViscount.10. A male monarch or emperor (especially of Russia prior to1917).11. The general activity of selling.12. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.20. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in theMissouri river valley in NE Nebraska.22. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having thehighest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.25. The sound made by a cat (or any sound resembling this).26. A French abbot.28. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.29. Not divisible by two.30. A negative.31. The sixth month of the civil year.32. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.33. An indistinct shapeless form.38. An oral antidiabetic drug (trade names DiaBeta andMicronase) that stimulates the release of insulin from the pan-creas.39. An occurrence of thorough mixing.40. A wealthy man (who made his fortune in the Orient).42. A light touch or stroke.44. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.47. Held back.49. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B anti-gens.51. Radioactive iodine test that measures the amount ofradioactive iodine taken up by the thyroid gland.52. A unit of length equal to 3 feet.53. Noisy talk.55. Avatar of Vishnu.56. A United Nations agency created to assist developingnations by loans guaranteed by member governments.57. (of a young animal) Abandoned by its mother and raised byhand.60. The 17th letter of the Greek alphabet.61. (usually followed by `to' or `for') On the point of or stronglydisposed.65. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

Yesterday’s SolutionTo

Yester

inf or m at ion

Anniversary

Years THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

POLICE STATION

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

Afghanistan 0093Albania 00355Algeria 00213Andorra 00376Angola 00244Anguilla 001264Antiga 001268Argentina 0054Armenia 00374Australia 0061Austria 0043Bahamas 001242Bahrain 00973Bangladesh 00880Barbados 001246Belarus 00375Belgium 0032Belize 00501Benin 00229Bermuda 001441Bhutan 00975Bolivia 00591Bosnia 00387Botswana 00267Brazil 0055Brunei 00673Bulgaria 00359Burkina 00226Burundi 00257Cambodia 00855Cameroon 00237Canada 001Cape Verde 00238Cayman Islands 001345

Central African 00236Chad 00235Chile 0056China 0086Colombia 0057Comoros 00269Congo 00242Cook Islands 00682Costa Rica 00506Croatia 00385Cuba 0053Cyprus 00357Cyprus (Northern) 0090392Czech Republic 00420Denmark 0045Diego Garcia 00246Djibouti 00253Dominica 001767Dominican Republic 001809Ecuador 00593Egypt 0020El Salvador 00503England (UK) 0044Equatorial Guinea 00240Eritrea 00291Estonia 00372Ethiopia 00251Falkland Islands 00500Faroe Islands 00298Fiji 00679Finland 00358France 0033French Guiana 00594French Polynesia 00689

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

THE PUBLIC

AUTHORITY FOR

CIVIL INFORMATION

Automated enquiry

about the Civil ID card is 1889988

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

PRAYER TIMESFajr

SunriseZuhrAsr

SunsetIsha

STATION MAX. EXP. MIN. REC.

4 DAYS FORECAST

DAY DATE WEATHERTemperatures

Wind Direction Wind SpeedMAX. MIN.

Expected Weather for the Next 24 HoursCool with moderate to fresh north westerly wind, with speed of 20 - 40 km/h with a chance for blowing dust over open areas

22/02/2012 07:00

SFC. CHART 22/02/2012 0000 UTC

RECORDED YESTERDAY AT KUWAIT AIRPORTMAX. Temp. MIN. Temp. MAX. RH MIN. RH

MAX. WindTOTAL RAINFALL IN 24 HR.

19

KUWAIT AIRPORT

NUWAISEEB

WAFRA

SALMI

ABDALY

JAL ALIYAH

FAILAKA

AHMADI PORT

UMM AL-MARADEM

WARBA - BUBYAN

KUWAIT CITY 09

19 05

19 07

20 06

17 02

20 04

17 04

19 08

18 09

17 13

19 04

No Current Warnings

Thursday cool + scattered clouds 19 07 NW-N 08 - 28

Friday partly cloudy 21 09 NW-SE 06 - 26

Saturday partly cloudy + scattered rain 19 12 SE-NE 12 - 35

Sunday sunny 21 09 NW-N 06 - 26

05:0206:2112:0215:1617:4218:59

180747125000

Wednesday

°C

°C

°C

°C

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°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

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km/h

km/h

km/h

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23/02

24/02

25/02

26/02

°C°C%%km/hmm

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

BY DAY:

BY NIGHT: Cold with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 12 - 32 km/h and some scattered clouds will appear

V1.00

DAY:

STATE OF KUWAITDIRECTORATE GENERAL OF CIVIL AVIATIONMETEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT

Tel.: 161 Ext.: 2627 - 2630

Fax: 24348714

WWW.MET.GOV.KW

WARNING

NW

22/02/12 03:01 UTC T1.06

Issue Time

TE OF KAATSTTATE GENEORAATDIRECT

DMETEOROLOGICAL

AITKUWWA

TIONVIAATAAVOF CIVILERALARTMENTDEPPA

el.: 161 Ext.: 262TTe

Fax: 24348714

.KW.GOVV..METWWW

27 - 2630

W

Cool wover op

ednesdayWWe

:YDAAYBYY

:NIGHTBYY Cold wappear

YDAAY:

eWWeExpectedwith moderate to fresh north pen areas

22/02/2012

with light to moderate north wr

the Next 24foratherwesterly wind, with speed o

westerly wind, with speed of

4 Hoursof 20 - 40 km/h with a chance

f 12 - 32 km/h and some sca

imeTIssue

e for blowing dust

07:00

attered clouds will

TIONAATSTTA

TAIRPORRTAITKUWWA

AISEEBNUWWA

CITYAITKUWWA

appear

ARNINGWWA

. MAX. EXPP. MIN.

19 09

19 05

19 07

°C

°C

°C

r

arnin

. REC. TSFC. CHAR

WWaNo Current

°C

°C

°C

gs

T 22/02/2012 0000

UTC

AISEEBNUWWA

AFRAWWA

SALMI

YABDALLY

AHALIYYAJAL

AILAKAFFA

TAHMADI PORRT

19 07

20 06

17 02

20 04

17 04

19 08

18 09

C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

°C

YDAAY TEDAAT

TAHMADI PORRT

AL-MARADEMUMM

AN - BUBYYAARBAA WWA

4

THERWEAAT

M

18 09

17 13

19 04

°C

°C

°C

YS FORECAST4 DAAYemperT

MAX.

°C

°C

°C

esraturectionind DirWMIN.

ind SpeedW

PRFajr

S i

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

23/02

24/02

25/02

26/02

TIMESYERRAAY

cool + scattered cl

partly cloudy

partly cloudy + scatte

sunny

05:0206 21

RECORDEDMAMI

ouds 19

21

ered rain 19

21

°C

°C

°C

°C

AIT KUWWATAATYYESTERDAAYD emp. TAX.

TIN

07 -NNW

09 -SENW

12 SE-NE

09 -NNW

°C

°C

°C

°C

TAIRPORT

08 - 28

06 - 26

12 - 35

06 - 26

1807

km/h

km/h

km/h

km/h

°C°C

SunriseZuhrAsr

SunsetIsha

All times are local time un

06:2112:0215:1617:4218:59

nless otherwise stated.

MIMM

MARAIALLOTTAT

emp.TIN. MAX. RHMIN. RH

indWAX. IN 24 HR.ALLLINFFA

NW

22/02/12 03:01 UTC

0747125000

°C%%km/hmm

V1.00

W

T1.06

Hospitals

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

ClinicsRabiya 4732263

Roudha 22517733

Adhaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Keifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salim 22549134

Al-Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Al-Khadissiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar 22531908

Al-Shaab 22518752

Al-Kibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla 22451082

Al-Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W.Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Al-Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Al-Omariya 24719048

N.Kheitan 24710044

Fintas 3900322

112 Al-Madena 22418714Al-Shohada’a 22545171Al-Shuwaikh 24810598Al-Nuzha 22545171Sabhan 24742838Al-Helaly 22434853Al-Fayhaa 22545051Al-Farwaniya 24711433Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983Al-Fahaheel 23927002Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983Ahmadi 23980088Al-Mangaf 23711183Al-Shuaiba 23262845Al-Jahra 25610011Al-Salmiya 25616368

FIRE BRIGADE

Ministry of Interior

website: www.moi.gov.kw

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

PHARMACIESON 24 HRS DUTY

Al-Madena Police Station 22434064Al-Murqab Police Station 22435865Al-Daiya Police Station 22544200Al-Fayha’a Police Station 22547133Al-Qadissiya Police Station 22515277Al-Nugra Police Station 22616662Al-Salmiya Police Station 25714406Al-Dasma Police Station 22530801

Kuwait Airways 171Jazeera Airways 177Jet Airways 22924455FlyDubai 22414400Qatar Airways 22423888KLM 22425747Air Slovakia 22434940Olympic Airways 22420002/9Royal Jordanian 22418064/5/6Reservation 22433388British Airways 22425635Air France 22430224Emirates 22921555Air India 22438184Sri Lanka Airlines 22424444Egypt Air 22421578Swiss Air 22421516Saudia 22426306Middle East Airlines 22423073Lufthansa 22422493PIA 22421044Alitalia 22414427Balkan Airlines 22416474Bangladesh Airlines 22452977/8Czech Airlines 22417901/

2433141Indian Airlines 22456700Oman Air 22958787Turkish Airlines 22453820/1Aeroflot 22404838/9

AIRLINES

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 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) 25655535

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

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 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

[email protected]

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

INTERNATIONALCALLS

36l i f e s t y l eTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

G o s s i p

Top US court says final ‘no’ to Spector murder appeal

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to consideran appeal from American rock producer Phil Spector,who was sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2009 after

being convicted of murder. Lawyers for the producer gavea last shot to their appeal effort at the US Supreme Courtafter California’s Supreme Court said no in August. A leg-endary producer, Spector, now 72, was sentenced in 2009to 19 years in prison for the 2003 murder of a formeractress at his east Los Angeles mansion. A jury foundSpector guilty of shooting and killing Lana Clarkson hoursafter they met at a nightclub where she worked as a server.The producer has always claimed his innocence and hisdefense team argued that the 40-year-old Clark, depressedabout the failure of her artistic career, committed suicide atSpector’s home in east Los Angeles. Spector is regarded as

one of the most influential figures in pop music history. Inthe early 1960s, he scored hits including “Da Doo Ron Ron,”“Be My Baby, Baby” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin.’” Butduring his two murder trials, prosecutors said Spector, whowas famed for his work with The Beatles, Tina Turner, TheRighteous Brothers, The Ronettes and The Ramones, had amore sinister side. Deputy District Attorney Alan Jacksonpainted a picture of the music icon as a gun-crazed eccen-tric with a “history of violence” toward women who tried toleave him. Spector, who created the famed “Wall of Sound”recording technique during the 1960s, is not eligible forparole until 2028 and if he is not freed then, underCalifornia law his sentence will become a life term.

Serbia’s folk music queen has been set free from housearrest after serving an eight-month sentence for theillegal sale of players from her late husband’s football

club. Security officials said yesterday they removed theelectronic ankle bracelet that Svetlana Raznatovic hadbeen required to wear at her home in an upscale area ofBelgrade. In her plea agreement the singer, known asCeca, also agreed to pay a 1.5 million ($2 million) fine forembezzling millions gained from the players’ transfers toforeign clubs. One of the Balkans’ most popular singers,Raznatovic was married to the notorious warlord ZeljkoRaznatovic, whose troops were accused of atrocities dur-ing the 1990s Balkan wars. Zeljko Raznatovic, also knownas Arkan, was gunned down in a Belgrade hotel in 2000.

Senegalese music icon and opposition activistYoussou Ndour was injured in the leg Tuesday afterbeing hit by a projectile at the scene of a banned

rally in Dakar, his entourage told AFP. “Youssou Ndourwas injured in the left leg, he has been seen by a doctor,but he doesn’t want to make a big issue out of it and wewon’t be giving any more comment,” said Charles Faye,spokesman for Ndour’s Fekke ma ci boole (I am involved)movement. Faye did not say what type of projectile hadhit Ndour saying only that he was injured “in the heat ofthe action” as riot police dispersed the crowd gatheredfor the rally in Independence Square, which had beenmade off-limits. Last month the Grammy-winning artistappealed against a decision by the country’s top courtwhich rejected his application to run for president inFebruary polls. The council approved the candidacy of85-year-old President Abdoulaye Wade to seek a thirdterm, which the opposition says is illegal, sparking fierceprotests in Dakar. One of Africa’s most recognised artists,

Ndour shocked the music world on January 3 when heannounced he was quitting music to try and unseat theoctogenarian president of whom he has become increas-ingly critical. The dispute over Wade’s candidacy hasplaced one of Africa’s most stable democracies on edge,and the capital was rocked by violent riots on Fridaynight which left one policeman dead. Tuesday’s incidenthappened as Ndour was perched on a car which anti-riotpolice approached. Stones were hurled from the crowdtowards the police who responded with tear gas. Ndourswiftly left the area. Probably best known in the West forhis “7 Seconds” hit collaboration with Neneh Cherry,Ndour has also collaborated with Peter Gabriel, Sting,Wyclef Jean, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and others.

— Bang Showbiz

Chris Brown has been challenged to a no-holds barredfight for charity by wrestler CM Punk. The ‘Deuces’ singerand the WWE champion have become embroiled in a

war of words after the grappler took to his twitter account andsaid he wanted to “curb stomp that turd” Chris for assaultinghis ex-girlfriend Rihanna in February 2009. R&B star Chrisresponded on his twitter page by mocking Punk - real namePhil Brooks - and suggesting he took steroids. He tweeted:“@CMpunk needs more followers. He’s such a leader! Not tomention the roids hes on has made it utterly impossible forhim pleasure a women. “@CMpunk contact my assistant andI’ll have em send u an autographed pic for my biggest FAN!(sic)” Punk has now posted a video online telling the 22-year-old star he is “not a man” and issuing a challenge to meet himin the ring with all proceeds from the bout going to a women’sshelter. Punk, 33, says: “I’m a life-long, proud, drug-free straightedge individual so Chris and I come from two completely dif-ferent worlds. I don’t have a manager, I don’t have a body-guard, I don’t have an assistant, I have no need for a PR teamwhat to tweet or when to delete tweets and I don’t hit women.Period. In my world women are to be revered and respectedand I firmly believe that in this life there are consequences andrepurcussions for people’s actions and I don’t think Chris haspaid for what he’s done. Picking up trash on the side of ahighway does not make a mends for repeatedly striking awoman in her face and sending her to hospital. “So if Chriswants to throw stones my way now I say that’s fine lets putsome gloves out and get in the ring and I will choke you outand I will make you feel as weak and as powerless and scaredand alone as any woman who has had the misfortune ofknowing a sad, cowardly, little boy such as yourself and allproceeds can go to a women’s shelter of my choosing ... ChrisBrown isn’t a man and that’s fine. I just know that someday,somewhere somehow, somebody will put Chris Brown exactlywhere he belongs and that obviously doesn’t have to be me Iwould just really like it to be.” Chris - who was sentenced tofive years probation and six months of community service hisviolent attack - hasn’t accepted the ‘RAW’ star’s challenge butdid mock his rival in another series of tweets. He wrote:“@cmpunk the video u just posted was cute! It’s so funny howdefensive u are.”And the fact that I really don’t know who youare and could give a shit is the funny part! “I miss the realwrestlers! ( Hacksaw Jim duggan, Brett the hitman heart, cocobeware, rowdy roddy piper) #Notnopunks (sic)”

The ‘Adrenalin Junkie’ star is dev-astated by the loss of his “bestfriend”, 12-year-old Bulldog Lola,

who passed away yesterday . Hetweeted: “Lola you were the bestfriend anyone could ever have. I willlove you and miss you always. RIP@PrincessLolaO (sic)” Jack - who isexpecting his first child with fianceeLisa Stelly - later used his twitter pageto thank fans for their messages ofsupport. He wrote: “Thank you all forthe kind words about @PrincessLolaOit’s nice to know she was loved by somany people. (sic)” Jack’s sister Kellywas equally devastated by Lola’sdeath. She tweeted: “night nighttweet hearts not doing so good los-ing @PrincessLolaO is really taking itstoal on me! (sic)” Lola was known tofans for her antics on reality TV show‘ The Osbournes’ - in which she

famously tore up furniture and peedthrough the family home - and hadover 9,000 followers on a twitteraccount in her name. A messageappeared on the account yesterdayreading: “Thank you ALL for your kindwords. I’m in a better place now.Heaven needs a new princess :) (sic)”

Paula Abdul has agreed to pay $900,000 damages toa woman who was injured on her driveway. The for-mer ‘X Factor’ judge was sued in 2009 by Jill Kohl,

who alleged she fell over in the grounds of her LosAngeles home during taping of the former pop singer’sreality TV show ‘Hey Paula’, and they have now reached asettlement. As well as the $900,000 she will receive fromPaula, Jill has also agreed an additional $100,000 dam-ages from the company who made the show, her lawyerRobert Rodriguez Clayton told TMZ.com. In her lawsuit -which was filed in March 2009, Jill alleged she fell overbecause the driveway “was in a dangerous and defectivecondition”. The news comes just weeks after Paula wasaxed as a judge on the US ‘X Factor’ after just one season.Despite her upset, Paula vowed at the time to stayfriends with show supremo Simon Cowell, who she pre-

viously worked with on ‘American Idol’. She said: “Yes, it’strue; I won’t be returning to ‘The X Factor’ next season.I’ve learned through my longevity in this industry thatbusiness decisions often times override personal consid-erations. Simon and I, along with Fox and [productioncompany] Fremantle, have been communicating aboutthis for a while now, and I have absolute understandingof the situation. “Simon is, and will remain a dear friendof mine and I’ve treasured my experience working thispast season with my extended family at Fox andFremantle. “I want nothing more than for The X Factor toexceed ALL of their wildest dreams. This truly has been ablessing and I am most grateful.”

Thandie Newton’s secret beautyweapon is turmeric. The 39-year-oldactress believes the spice is an

excellent addition to a moisturizer tohelp match her skin-tone. She said: “Olaydoes a great tinted moisturizer that I adda little turmeric to - making it more yel-low depending on my skin tone and theseason. “That’s a great trick for all womenwho find that foundations are too ashy ortoo pink for their skins. And it’s anti-inflammatory. It’s my secret weapon.”Despite her unusual tip, on the wholeThandie is not high maintenance when it

comes to looking good. She added:“Generally, I am low maintenance, butduring the run of ‘Death and the Maiden’I had to wear a lot of eye make-up, whichmeant using a great cleanser. “I applyNeal’s Yard Rose Beauty Balm, work it in,then remove it when a flannel rinsed inwarm water. It dissolves everything. Afterthat I just need a few dabs of Olay mois-turizer.”

l if e s t y l eTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

F A S H I O N

Italian designers will do their best to grab theattention of free-spending Asian consumers andany remaining luxury shoppers in austerity-hit

Europe when they send their autumn/winter 2012collections down the catwalk for Milan FashionWeek. Gucci kicked off yesterday, with GiorgioArmani and Prada also among the 72 catwalkshows drawing thousands of buyers and the fash-ion press. All will be hoping 2012 will not be arepeat of the 2009 financial markets meltdownwhich hit the luxury industry hard.

Sales of Italian fashion are forecast to be down5.2 percent in 2012 from 5.5 percent growth lastyear, according to the National Chamber of Italian

Fashion. The decline will be the first slowdownafter two consecutive years of growth for the 60 bil-lion euro ($79.59 billion) a year fashion industry.“Our fear is to see again what happened between2008 and 2009, when fashion sales dropped 15 per-cent,” Italy’s fashion chamber president MarioBoselli said this week.

“This time the crisis shouldn’t be as bad, becausebrands have slimmed down their operations andexpanded in emerging countries,” he said. Exportsoutside the European Union are expected to growtwo percent this year, offsetting a decline in Europewhich has been hit by a euro zone debt crisis thathas forced governments across the European Union

to slash their budgets, hitting government spend-ing, employment and the consumer outlook.

Top luxury makers such as Salvatore Ferragamoand Prada, who have a global presence, expect topass through the recession almost unscathed. Bothlisted in June last year. But less well-known brandswill bear the brunt of the slowdown, Boselli said.“Many small firms are suffering from limited accessto credit,” he said. At his showroom, niche Italiandesigner Alessandro Dell’Acqua said he was confi-dent about his collection, less so about the econo-my. “We need to be innovative, because peoplewho buy fashion have their wardrobes full, so theywant something different,” said the designer, whose

“N21” label has been worn by American actressGwyneth Paltrow.

Dell’Acqua’s collections are sold in 180 multi-brand stores worldwide, with daily dresses priced at350-400 euros. The organizers of the Milan fashionweek have tried to balance the presence of topbrands and emerging names in the calendar ofmore than 135 shows between catwalks and show-rooms. Gucci opened yesterday, with GiorgioArmani effectively closing on Monday, in a bid tokeep buyers and media in Milan as long as possible.Newcomers will have their catwalks on Tuesday,when the fashion marathon will be already movingto Paris. — Reuters

Milan fashion warms up for frosty A/W 2012 season

Re-iterating its commitment towards reaching out to itscustomers, Max, the Middle East’s largest value retailbrand further strengthened its network with the

launch of its 9th store in Kuwait. With the launch of this storeMax has crossed more than 125 stores across all regions, andthe brand has established firm footprints across the GCC,Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and India. The outlet is located on theground and mezanine floor of Al-Liwan Mall which coversmore than 2000 square meters.

Speaking at the launch Saibal Basu, Chief OperatingOfficer, Landmark Group Kuwait said, “Expansion has alwaysplayed an important role in Landmark Group’s growth strate-gy. Our success in Kuwait reflects the huge potential of themarket we wish to reinforce the Max experience with anoth-er store at Al-Liwan Mall, Fintas. With the launch of this store,we look forward to offering customers with trendy qualitymerchandise at reasonable prices in superior retail environ-ment and even better customer service”.

“The retail sales surge has allowed us to expand thebrand much further than we had earlier anticipated. Withmore store launches in the pipeline, Max is heading towards

robust growth in 2012. Max has always been a big hit inKuwait and is an indication that people are getting more dis-cerning when it comes to fashion. We look forward to deliv-ering unparalleled overall shopping experience at conven-ient locations. We will continue with such extensive expan-sions in the coming years and try to serve our customers inevery possible manner” concluded Basu.

The Max retail philosophy of providing style-consciouscustomers with fashion at affordable prices has gainedattraction across the Middle East with continued growthexpected across the region in coming years. The store fea-tures distinctive niches and departments offering the latestfashion range with the hottest new international trends intextures and fabrics to guarantee its patrons an enjoyableshopping experience. Every season, Max produces a collec-tion that is unique and fits with its overall philosophy. There’sa wide variety of apparel to choose from; so do visit any ofthe stores located at Al Rai, Salmiya, Hawally (Al BaharCenter), Fahaheel, Khaitan (Awtad Mall), The Avenues, Jahra(Sahari Mall) , Al Jawhara Complex, Kuwait City and nowFintas (Al-Liwan Mall) to discover more!

Adidas originals Spring-Summer 2012 collectionIn 2012, adidas Originals celebrates a special anniversary: it

has been 40 years since the legendary three-leafed trefoilwas introduced. Today the products that bear the mark are

all part of the Originals collection and the people who wearthem honour its authentic, original sportswear. InSpring/Summer 2012, adidas Originals introduces an innova-tive and exciting product offer tocater to the needs of thestreetwear and lifestyle consumer.

Timeless classics return to theforefront of the spring/summercollection, including the Track Topand the Polo, which have been re-designed in a host of fresh,vibrant colourways. Next to a sol-id, authentic sportswear andstreet-style offer, this season’s col-lection also includes more innova-tive silhouettes ranging from out-fit-driven fashion pieces to tech-lifestyle footwear.

1972 was the year of theMunich Olympics and also thefirst time when the iconic three-leafed logo was used. In 2012, adi-das Originals celebrates the Trefoillogo by re-introducing classicapparel and footwear pieces fromthat era, like the iconic ‘72 TrackTop, which has been updated as a more fitted, contemporarypiece appealing to today’s fashion-conscious youth. TheadiStar Racer, a classic running shoe from the same year, is asleek addition to the vintage footwear family.

With the 2012 London Olympics coming in summer, adidasOriginals also presents dedicated product packages celebrat-ing both next year’s host and iconic adidas silhouettes of for-mer contests. A melange of products, from apparel featuring

union jack inspired prints to metallic footwear ingold and silver will bring a dash of style to fansof the biggest sport event in the world.

The Spring/Summer 2012 women’s collectionoffers collegiate styles from sporty to stylish and

as well as more fashion-inspired pieces. From hooded-dressesfeaturing the “72” logo to casual beachwear in bright blockcolours and lighter, fresher prints, the Originals women’s collec-tion is perfect for the warmer summer months.

The adidas Originals Spring/Summer 2012 collection will hitOriginals stores in the UAE with several releases beginning inFebruary 2012. The adidas Originals stores in the UAE are locat-ed in Dubai Mall, Mirdif City Center and BurJuman Center.

The ninth Max store in Fintas

Models present creations by AstridAndersen during the MAN London2012 Autumn/Winter collectioncatwalk show at London FashionWeek yesterday. — AFP photos

Models display creationsby designer Shaun

Samson.

Models display creations bydesigner Agi and Sam.

London Fashion Show

MAN


M u s i c

Soulful songstress Adele capped a momen-tous year of Grammy Awards triumph andmedical woes with a double win at the UK’s

Brit music awards Tuesday, taking prizes for albumof the year and best British female solo artistbefore making an obscene gesture after theshow’s host cut her acceptance speech short.Teen-friendly English troubadour Ed Sheeran wontwo trophies, including British male solo artist, atan energetic ceremony in London. It has been adramatic year for down-to-earth north Londondiva Adele, who based her chart-topping songs ofheartbreak on a rocky relationship.

Her sophomore album “21” won six Grammyslast week and has sold more than 6 million copiesin the United States alone. But Adele also had toundergo vocal cord surgery in November to fix apotentially career-threatening throat condition.She delivered a powerhouse performance of hersingle “Rolling in the Deep” to thousands of fansand industry insiders at London’s O2 arena. “It’sbeen an amazing year,” Adele said as she receivedthe female artist statuette from petite pop starKylie Minogue. “I feel like a drag queen next toyou,” joked the winner, who wore a sleek blackBurberry gown but towered over Minogue. Shethanked her record company “for letting me bethe kind of artist I want to be.” The show’s host,actor James Corden, cut off Adele’s second accept-ance speech, prompting the singer to make a rudemiddle-finger gesture in frustration. She stressedafterward that it was aimed at industry leaders,not her fans.

“I’m sorry if I offended anyone but it was thesuits that offended me,” Adele said. “Thank you allvery much and thanks to my fans. I don’t wantthem to think I was swearing at them.” The show’sbroadcaster, ITV, issued a statement apologizingto Adele for cutting her off. “We regret this hap-pened and we send deepest apologies to Adelethat her big moment was cut short tonight due tothe live show over-running,” ITV said. The 23-year-old lost out on the British single prize to boy bandOne Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” buttook the coveted album of the year award for “21.”The statue was presented by singer GeorgeMichael, returning to the stage after suffering life-threatening pneumonia in December.

The ceremony also included tributes to twodeparted divas, Whitney Houston and AmyWinehouse. Tousle-haired singer-songwriterSheeran won prizes for solo artist and Britishbreakthrough act. The red-headed 21-year-old hasbeen panned as bland by some critics, but hasamassed legions of young fans through onlinereleases and a relentless calendar of shows.Sheeran thanked his manager for transforming a“spotty, chubby ginger teenager” into a Brit win-ner. Long derided as dull, the Brits have become alively celebration of UK music and style - and thisyear’s awards come with British music riding higharound the world.

“I’m so, so proud to be British and to be flyingour flag,” said Adele, who has the century’s best-selling album so far. Tuesday’s event - whichkicked off with Coldplay performing “CharlieBrown” and included live turns from Sheeran,Florence and the Machine, Noel Gallagher, BrunoMars and Rihanna - brought out a host of starswho blended rock ‘n’ roll attitude and fashion fin-ery.

Blur frontman Damon Albarn dressed down forthe red carpet in jeans and a flat cap, and formerOasis guitarist Gallagher wore a leather jacket. Butothers struck a snazzier note. Actor Ray Winstonearrived in a pinstriped three-piece suit, completewith watch chain. Style standouts includedMinogue, in a strapless sky blue dress; plump-lipped Internet sensation Lana Del Rey, wearing afloor-length red gown; and Florence and theMachine’s Florence Welch, in a lacy peach dress bySarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.

Coldplay won their fourth best British grouptrophy, while Foo Fighters were voted best inter-national group. Bruno Mars took the prize forinternational male solo artist, and Rihanna wonthe international female prize for a second year.

The Barbadian singer, who has often been in thenews for non-musical reasons since her then-boyfriend Chris Brown attacked her at a pre-Grammy Awards party in 2009, thanked her fans.“At times when I feel misunderstood, my fansalways remind me that it’s OK to be myself,” shesaid.

Lana Del Rey appeared moved to be namedinternational breakthrough act. “This award meansmuch more to me than you know,” said the singer,who has gone from Internet-fueled buzz to back-lash in record time after a disastrous performancelast month on “Saturday Night Live.” Britpop iconsBlur received a special prize for their contributionto music. The four original members - Albarn,Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree -performed together for the first time since a seriesof concerts in 2009, offering versions of 1990s hitsincluding “Girls & Boys” and “Parklife.” Most of theawards are chosen by more than 1,000 musicians,critics and record industry figures, with severaldecided by public vote.— AFP

British singer-songwriter Adele hugs presenter Australian singer KylieMinogue as she accepts the British Female Solo Artist award.

US singer-songwriter Bruno Mars accepts the International Male SoloArtist award.

Vocalist Chris Martin, drummer Will Champion, bassist Guy Berryman and guitarist Jonny Buckland ofBritish alternative rock band Coldplay perform on stage.

British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran performs live onstage.

Adele celebrates withthe award for the best

British Album of theYear during the Brit

Awards 2012 at the O2Arena in London,

Tuesday. — AP/AFP photos

BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST: Ed Sheeran BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST: Adele BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT: Ed Sheeran BRITISH GROUP: ColdplayBRITISH SINGLE: One Direction/What Makes You Beautiful MASTERCARD BRITISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Adele/21 INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST: Bruno MarsINTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST: RihannaINTERNATIONAL GROUP: Foo Fighters INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH ACT: Lana Del ReyOUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC AWARD: Blur CRITICS’ CHOICE: Emeli Sande

— Reuters

Winners

Winner of the critics’ choice awardBritish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandeposes on the red carpet.

Rihanna performs on stage.

Australian singer Kylie Minogue. Florence Welch of Florence and theMachine.


British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran accepts the British Breakthrough Actaward.

British singer George Michael presents an award. Barbadian singer Rihanna accepts the International Female Solo Artistaward from Formula One driver Jenson Button.

British alternative rock band Blur performs live on stage.

US singer-songwriter Lana Del Reyaccepts the International BreakthroughAct award.

Damon Albarn speaks as band members Graham Coxon, Dave Rowntree and AlexJames of British alternative rock band Blur surround him on the stage as they collecttheir Outstanding Contribution to Music award.

US singer BrunoMars performs.

Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion of British alternative rock band Coldplay accepttheir British Group award.

Mick Jagger delivered some bluesy rock to theWhite House Tuesday with a celebration ofblues that brought out US music legends like

B.B. King and Buddy Guy. In a black suit and scarlet shirt,The Rolling Stones frontman, 68, rocked the East Roomof the US presidential mansion at the “Red, White andBlues” event, singing “I Can’t Turn You Loose.” PresidentBarack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama smiledand got their groove on without even leaving home.

As president “some nights when you want to go outand just take a walk, clear your head, or jump into a carjust to take a drive, you can’t do it. Secret Service won’tlet you. And that’s frustrating,” Obama said. “But thenthere are other nights where B.B. King and Mick Jaggercome over to your house to play for a concert. So Iguess things even out a little bit,” he joked. Jagger alsolet loose “Commit a Crime” with fellow British rocker JeffBeck. “We met everyone who was recording here, I justwas remembering how generous they were to us. Theymust have thought that we were from Mars or some-thing,” Jagger joked. “They were very generous andpassed all the tips.”—AFP

B.B. King, left, Buddy Guy from Chicago, and Warren Haynes, right, perform duringthe White House Music Series.

Troy ‘Trombone Shorty’ Andrews and Guitarists Jeff Beck (2nd L), Derek Trucks (2ndR) and Gary Clark play during a celebration of Blues music and in recognition ofBlack History Month as part of their ‘In Performance at the White House’ series inWashington, DC. — AFP

Tired of non-stop touring and hurtingfor inspiration, The Cranberries hungup their guitars in 2003. Nine years on,

the Irish rockers say the chemistry cameright back for their new album “Roses”, to bereleased on Monday. The quartet fromLimerick shot to fame in the 1990s with hitslike “Linger” and the politically-charged“Zombie” about the Northern Ireland con-flict, lifted by the powerful voice of singerDolores O’Riordan. They sold 40 millionrecords worldwide, becoming one of theflagship bands of the decade, but by 2003,two years after releasing their album “WakeUp and Smell the Coffee”, they had hit adead end.

“In 2003, my son was five, my daughterwas two. They were very little and I broughtthem both on the road,” O’Riordan told AFP.“There was a point when I just felt it wasn’tfair on them.” “Also creatively, we were stuckin a rut. We just needed a break.” So theywent their separate ways, O’Riordan head-ing to a far-flung corner of Canada whereshe gave birth to two more children, whilethe rest of the band stayed put in Ireland.And that could have been the end of thestory, were it not for Trinity College, Dublin,which invited the singer to become an hon-orary patron of its philosophical society in2009. Asked by the university to perform forthe occasion, she looked up her old com-

panions-and the question of getting backtogether came up. “It felt like yesterday. Itwas in fact six and a half years I hadn’t seenthem,” O’Riordan said. “We went to the puband over a beer Mike (Hogan, the bass play-er) said we should do it now because we’renot getting any younger.” And that was howthe tour that O’Riordan-now 40, like Hogan-was about to embark on for her second soloalbum was turned into a Cranberries come-back tour, playing 107 dates around theworld.

‘There’s no ego’“My shock was to see young people in

the audience,” guitarist Noel Hogan-Mike’s

brother-told AFP. “During our break, all thesekids were discovering our music on theInternet and they never thought we weregoing to play live ever again.” Once the tourwas over, the four decided to book into astudio-but with “no contract, no manage-ment, no record company,” he said. “We werenot obliged to do it, we just did it because itwas what we wanted to do.”“Roses”, thealbum born of those recording sessions, isinstantly recognizable as the work of TheCranberries, with soft, airy melodies backingup O’Riordan’s distinctive voice. —AFP

Cranberries find new ‘chemistry’ after nine-year break

The members of the Irish rock band TheCranberries, singer Dolores O’Riordan (seat-ed), bassist Mike Hogan, drummer FergalLawler and guitarist Noel Hogan (L) pose onJanuary 18, 2012 in Paris. — AFP

M u s i c

Anniversary

Years 38THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Adele and Ed Sheeranwin Brit Awards

Some people hate wrinkles. Others adorethem, especially if they grace the face ofa loved one. A pooch that moved across

the country looking for someone to love hiswrinkles cashed in on his facial ridges andcaptured the heart of a Fredericksburg, Ohio,woman. While some may think that only amother can love the furry folds on a ChineseShar-Pei’s face, Hoosier the Shar-Pei’s foldswere cute enough to catch the attention of aNortheast Ohio greeting card company.

However, humans in Hoosier’s life didn’talways view the dog so agreeably. His originalowner, who turned him over to a Wisconsindog pound, asked workers to euthanize theyoungster. Full of unbridled energy andenthusiasm, Hoosier, like so many undisci-plined dogs, was often punished becausehumans in his life never taught him manners.Instead, he was branded a “bad dog” becausehe acted like an unruly child.

But dogs aren’t as lucky as misbehavingchildren. They are at the mercy of owners’whims, even when the owner is the one whoallows the behavior to become a problem. InHoosier’s case, employees at the pound inter-vened and got him a new lease on life by per-suading the owner to put the purebred up foradoption instead of having him put down.“He (Hoosier) had no boundaries. I suspectthe man’s children didn’t either,” said LoisBrown, the Wayne County, Ohio, woman whoended up fostering, then adopting the out-cast.

The pound contacted the North AmericanShar-Pei Rescue Great Lakes Region whichsent a representative on the 1,200-mileround-trip trek to Wisconsin to pick up thedog with the lovable, folded-furry face. As amember of the rescue since 1994, Brown wasprepared to offer the dog a foster home withher family of five dogs, but ended up givinghim her heart. Even though her rescue peersthought Hoosier had animal-aggressionissues that might prevent him from finding ahome, Brown volunteered to take him andintroduced him to obedience classes at Papp’sDog Service on Waterloo Road in Akron, Ohio.

Two years and several obedience classeslater, Hoosier is certified in beginner obedi-ence and rally class, and although he is stillfull of energy, he can at times contain his joy-ful self. “I only needed to see them togetheronce to know he had already picked out his‘mom,’” Papp’s owner and trainer SusanJenkins said. “He would not take his eyes offher.” Tina Elkins, senior photography stylist forAmerican Greetings of Cleveland, was lookingfor a wrinkle-faced Shar-Pei for an age-relatedgreeting card late last year and stumbled onthe rescue group’s website.

Elkins said she searched online for just theright animals to be featured in a new line ofgreeting cards that are still in the develop-ment stages. “I try very, very hard to usebreeders and owners of good standing,” shesaid. The cards will be available at Targetstores in the fall, Elkins said.

Elkins was taken by Hoosier because hehas exactly the right features for his breed-deep wrinkles, exactly what people think aShar-Pei should look like, said Jenkins, whotravels with Brown and their dogs when theycompete in obedience shows. Arrangementswere made and the pair met Elkins inLakewood, Ohio, where the problem-riddleddog that was once given a death sentenceturned into a cover boy. “I’ve got big plans forthis big boy,” Brown said with a gleam of star-dom in her eye. — MCT

Wrinkly face helpsdog go fromunwanted to

greeting-card star

Hoosier, a locally-owned Shar-Pei, picturedat Papp’s Dog Services. — MCT

If you are a fan of great romantic films, trythis test. If you wouldn’t be caught dead in achick flick, may be we’ll do a “Rambo” quizsome day. For now, pucker up.

23 feb 2012

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