09 Mar

CR IP TI ON BS SU

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

Cuban cigars thrive in Kuwait markets

Military must remain in West Bank: Netanyahu

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www.kuwaittimes.net

RABI ALTHANI 4, 1432 AH

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Messi fires Barca past Arsenal into quarters

Models strut in rare West Bank fashion show

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Protesters take to streets for reform Demonstrators want PM to go, hand out melons conspiracy theories

Better late than never

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

I

was overexcited the night before when we received an invitation to attend a conference about medical insurance for hospital projects. I thought: Wow! At last expats will get better benefits and coverage from the health insurance which was imposed a few years ago. I was excited to the point of stopping our reporter Velina to cover the event and go myself. She said: “No! You better stick to your column.”

Our reporter went to cover the event and I was waiting anxiously to see if there finally was good news to announce for expats regarding their medical insurance. There was good news. I can’t deny it. It is all thanks to Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd, our energetic State Minister for Development Affairs who has pinned big hopes to build a new modern Kuwait. Despite all obstacles that are coming his way he has managed to prove that he walks the talk.

The healthcare project which was launched is great.

We need more new hospitals and medical centers. The project which will be a partnership between the private and public sector costs KD 318 million. Including the private sector is a great step to secure good and professional services. Maybe at last we will see highquality professional services in our hospitals just like in Saudi Arabia or Dubai. Although we are too late for this, as the saying goes - better late than never.

But for expats, the news was far from optimistic.

Though the project included health insurance for all expats in Kuwait which will be dealt within the project, it was not clear what would be the new package for expats under the new plan. This means that expats will be patients in these new hospitals. You secured your patients before you build new hospitals. Smart move!

I hope that this project will take into consideration the human factor. Not all expats can afford to pay a lumpsum for medicine, rooms, X-rays, blood tests, MRIs, surgeries, kidney treatment and dental checkups. You cannot charge for treatment somebody who earns KD 350 in the same way as someone whose salary is well above KD 1,000 or more. A few years ago, expats were treated free of charge. I do not know who advised the government to impose fees for treatment on people who work in the country and contribute to its prosperity. Nevertheless, that is the case at present.

I only remain hopeful that they will revisit the charge for treatment of expats within the new healthcare plan.

KUWAIT: Kuwaitis protest to demand Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad AlSabah step down in downtown Kuwait City late yesterday. (Inset) Soldiers look at a youth waiting to give MPs melons outside the National Assembly early yesterday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

police deny killing man KUWAIT: Eighteen Kuwaiti policemen and two foreign civil servants denied in court yesterday that they had tortured a man to death at a police station. After Judge Adel Al-Sager read the charges in the packed courtroom, each defendant denied the accusations. Some said they had been outside of Kuwait when the incident took place.

Several defendants, including three police officers, are charged with torturing four people. One of them, 35year-old Mohammad Ghazzai Al-Mutairi, died of his injuries in January.

Other defendants are charged as accomplices and for trying to cover up the incident, which shocked Kuwaiti society and led to the resignation of former interior minister Sheikh Jaber Khaled Al-Sabah. Sixteen defendants have been in police custody while four others have been released on bail. The court rejected requests by defence lawyers to release the defendants on bail or hold the trial behind closed doors. The next hearing was set for April 5.

About 50 relatives of the deceased gathered outside the court. A parliamentary panel found in January that Mutairi had apparently been subjected to severe torture for six days, including three days in a remote desert location. — AFP

Bahrain groups call for end to monarchy MANAMA: Three hardline Bahraini Shiite groups said yesterday they had formed a coalition aimed at toppling the Sunni monarchy and setting up a republic, raising tensions days ahead of a planned march on the royal court. The move is likely to be seen as an escalation by the ruling Al-Khalifa dynasty and raises the chances of a renewed security crackdown against mainly Shiite protesters. The new “Coalition for a Republic”, made up of Al Haq, Wafa and the Freedom movement, called for peaceful change through a decentralised movement of civil disobedience and resistance.

Consisting of groups much smaller than the main opposition Wefaq movement, the new coalition risks splitting the broader Shiite opposition movement that is demanding an elected government and a true constitutional monarchy, as well as better access to jobs within the system. “This tripartite coalition adopts the choice of bringing down the existing regime in Bahrain and establishing a democratic republican system,” Haq leader Hassan Mushaimaa told reporters at Pearl roundabout, where protesters are camped out. “The monarchy has failed to bring down the revolution by force, and it now aims ... to co-opt its legitimate demands through murky political games and ... by inciting chaos.”

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KUWAIT: More than 1,000 Kuwaitis demonstrated yesterday evening for a change of the prime minister and demanded more political freedoms. Protesters gathered in a car park they named “The Square of Change” in front of a government building and called for HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah to leave.

Demonstrators chanted in Arabic “The people want corruption to go” and “Leave, leave Nasser” as they stood in front of a large banner which read: “A new government, with a new prime minister, with a new approach.”

Just six members of the Kuwaiti youth group Kafi (Enough) were in front of parliament in the early hours of the morning. “All the people here want to change the prime minister because he hasn’t done anything for the country over the last five years,” protester Abu Khalid Al-Owaihan said. “We want a new country with hospitals. There are very few of them and the level of education is very low.” One of the protest organizers, Hamid Al-Olayan, said forcing a total government overhaul was the ultimate objective. “All of us have just one slogan: a new Cabinet and a new prime minister,” he said.

The prime minister has already survived two noncooperation motions in parliament since he was appointed by HH the Amir in 2006. Some of the protest organisers not only want Sheikh Nasser to step down, but seek a replacement from outside the Al-Sabah family. Protesters in the morning gave watermelons and muskmelons to a few lawmakers as a signal of their dissatisfaction in a country that has the most outspoken parliament in the Gulf region. “This is for the parliament’s poor performance,” one of the small band of protesters shouted as he gave a melon to a lawmaker making his way into the parliament. In local parlance, a person who lacks understanding or holds an unrealistic point of view can be called a watermelon.

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Assembly votes against debating bedoons law MPs call for firing expats

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday failed to debate a draft law stipulating civil rights for bedoons or stateless Arabs as the government and a group of MPs opposed to bedoons voted against the debate. The discussion witnessed strong exchanges between MPs Adel Al-Saraawi and Askar Al-Enezi over the issue, with Saraawi and MP Abdullah Al-Roumi strongly protesting at the idea of debating bedoon rights ahead of Kuwaiti issues.

“Is it logical that now the rights of foreigners in Kuwait are more important than that of Kuwaitis,” shouted Roumi, who strongly opposed giving priority to debating the bedoons draft law. Saraawi also said that the issue can wait and it was more necessary to discuss issues related to Kuwaiti people. Following exchanges, speaker Jassem AlKhorafi adjourned the session for 15 minutes. When the session resumed, the Assembly rejected the debate by 30 votes against 18 in favour.

Pro-bedoon MPs wanted to pass the law to make it mandatory for the government to provide about 100,000 bedoon basic rights they had been deprived of for the past decade. The government said it will provide those rights in executive decisions rather than a law. It was not immediately known if MPs will succeed in making the Assembly debate the draft law today or not.

Instead, the assembly debated the issue of unemployed Kuwaitis and called on the government to adopt new strategies to find jobs for more Kuwaiti youths who are expected to enter the labour market. The government

KUWAIT: MPs congratulate newly appointed Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Hmoud Al-Sabah (left) before the start of the session in the National Assembly yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat however said that the problem was minimal as the unemployment rate by the end of last year was only 4.7 percent and the number of jobseekers registered with the Civil Service Commission was only 17,000. It added that 3,000 of those registered were university qualified while 10,000 of them had intermediate degrees or below and many of them were women.

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Gaddafi forces pound rebels

MANAMA: Bahraini women wave national flags and shout anti-government slogans yesterday during a women-only march to mark International Women’s Day. — AP

TRIPOLI/RAS LANUF: Libyan government forces attacked rebels with rockets, tanks and warplanes on western and eastern fronts, intensifying their offensive to crush the revolt against Muammar Gaddafi. Rising casualties and the threats of hunger and a refugee crisis increased pressure on foreign governments to act, but they struggled to agree a strategy for dealing with the turmoil, many fearful of moving from sanctions alone to military action. In besieged Zawiyah, the closest rebel-held city to Tripoli, trapped residents cowered from the onslaught yesterday.

“Fighting is still going on now.

Gaddafi’s forces are using tanks.

There are also sporadic air strikes ... they could not reach the centre of the town which is still in the control of the revolutionaries,” a resident called Ibrahim said by phone.

“Many buildings have been destroyed including mosques.

About 40 to 50 tanks are taking part in the bombardment.” In the east, much of which is under rebel control, warplanes bombed rebel positions around the oil port of Ras Lanuf.

Rebel euphoria seemed to have dimmed. “People are dying out there. Gaddafi’s forces have rockets and tanks,” Abdel Salem Mohamed,

21, told Reuters near Ras Lanuf.

“You see this? This is no good,” he said of his light machinegun. The rebel leadership said that if Gaddafi stepped down within 72 hours it would not seek to bring him to justice. Earlier, the rebels said they had rejected an offer from the Libyan leader to negotiate his surrender of power. The government called such reports “absolute nonsense”.

Britain and France led a drive at the UN for a no-fly zone which would prevent Gaddafi from unleashing air raids or moving reinforcements by air.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

LOCAL

Democracy is more than parties, suffrage, elections UK academic in town

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Democratization is a broad issue that needs greater understanding and attention than it currently receives, according to distinguished British academic who is currently visiting Kuwait for a two-day symposium. Speaking with the Kuwait Times on the sidelines of the event marking International Women’s Day, which was held at the British Embassy Monday evening, Dr Wendy Stokes of London Metropolitan University said that democratization is very often conceptualized from a public policy perspective citing factors such as elections, political parties, people voting and the election of representatives to parliament.

KUWAIT: Dr Wendy Stokes, left, with Denise Waddingham, center, and another guest at the event held at the British Embassy in Kuwait. —Photos by Ben Garcia

Some visitors attending the event.

However, she stressed, “democracy is much more than that. Not only because women can participate in the election and vote in the parliament do we say that we are working in a democratically open society. It has to include more; for example, I would like to share some insights on equality of citizenship. There are international laws that talk about that and I would love to share my thoughts on that,” she said. “I also would like to talk more about women in the UK, but in saying so, I also would like to learn more about women in this region.”

Stokes was answering queries from the Kuwait Times on what subject she would be discussing during the symposium taking place yesterday and today at Kuwait University ’s Women’s Studies Unit. “What I would love to share in the symposium is how democratization can affect the lives of people, especially women’s position in the society.

How democrac y has to take account of equality and women’s position in society,” she stressed. She also revealed that prior to the seminar she had attended an event on Monday evening at the British Embassy to meet with Kuwaiti women and listen to their voices and hear about the issues which concern them. “My topic in the seminar will depend on the subjec ts I hear today,” she said.

“Somehow it will be my response to the issues I have heard about from them today. I am ver y much impressed by [Kuwaiti women’s] commitment to the country, to the community, and for change and development even as to the account of culture and tradition of the society. Women are thinking about

change. But changing within their own contex t. Having women MPs is a terrific achievement; women’s issues is ver y important and maybe increasing the number is a welcome development so as to develop their voices, and for the MPs to listen to their voices.”

The International Women’s Day symposium at Kuwait University is a joint initiative by the British Embassy and the British Council-Kuwait, in cooperation with Kuwait University’s women’s unit.

“It’s an opportunity to celebrate women, how far women issues has evolved so far,” explained Denise Waddingham, the Assistant Director of the British Council Kuwait. “While the British Council has been very vocal on supporting equal opportunities for both genders, we do cooperate and join in the celebrations marking women’s day.”

Waddingham noted Kuwaiti women in Kuwait has been pretty much well-shaped as compared to other women in the Arab region. “They have women MP’s, high-profile ladies and a female minister. Kuwait is a perfec t example of how well Kuwaiti women have evolved.

Having said that, we have to accept there is still so much to be done.”

The symposium will also see discussion of violence against women generally and domestic violence against women in particular, Waddingham revealed, concluding, “We hope that the symposium will somehow achieve the k ind of positive results we want, maybe encouraging parliamentarians to draft laws that can protec t single women and women in general.”

KUWAIT: The outer part of a building collapsed in Jahra yesterday.

Three people were injured. —Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh

Grilling of former interior minister void in view of resignation: Al-Khorafi KUWAIT: The motion to grill former minister of interior Lt Gen Sheikh Jaber AlKhalid Al-Sabah is void in view of the resignation and is thus crossed off the agenda, said Kuwait Parliament Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi yesterday.

The speaker was addressing the regular session yesterday and noted that in view of article 142 of the parliament’s standing order, the grilling motion loses legitimacy and should be crossed off the agenda. The article states that “a grilling motion is null and void in case of the subject of the motion abdicating his post, of the termination of membership of presenter of the motion, and of the end of the legislative term.”

The parliament started its session with the constitutional oath taking by

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud AlSabah who thus starts his term as member, and then went ahead with review and approval of several incoming communications.

The speaker later announced success in preventing the resignation of MP Hussein Al-Qallaf.

The MP meanwhile expressed his gratitude to the speaker, His Highness the Amir, and to MPs and citizens who pleaded he maintain his membership.

The parliament is currently considering a request by several MPs to discuss lack of job opportunities for Kuwaitis to ascertain the government’s policy on this issue and to exchange views on possible action.

E-govt system hindering state debt collection KUWAIT: The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) team monitoring the collection of Kuwaitis’ debts to public sector authorities is reportedly experiencing difficulties in carrying out its work due to the problems being experienced by staff at some government bodies with the online egovernment system.

According to one insider, the fines collection committee, which was formed at the instructions of Kuwait’s justice minister, Chancellor Rashid Al-Hammad, had instructed ministries to comply with the

regulations enforcing the refusal of certain services such as issuing passports or civil ID cards to all citizens with outstanding debts in the form of traffic fines or overdue utilities bills.

Staff at several government departments have complained, however, that they are experiencing difficulty in complying with these instructions since the recently introduced online e-government system refuses to recognize their cancellation or withholding of these documents.

Govt to pay for Ahmadi home repairs KUWAIT: The government’s work team assigned to resolve the Ahmadi gas problem has reportedly achieved great progress in addressing the situation, and is currently urging residents of 60 houses in the area who still refuse to evacuate their homes to do so in order to give the experts an opportunity to finishing their work as quickly as possible.

Residents of 138 houses in Block 1 of the area already agreed to evacuate their homes after receiving assurances that they would each receive a monthly rent allowance from the government ranging between KD500 and KD1,500 depending on family size. A work team insider indicated that full evacuation of the block’s houses is essential to completely contain and stop the gas leak.

Revealing that plans have been put in place to allow local residents to return to their homes in June, the insider stressed that the government will pay for all repairs to any damage done by the work that the team has carried out to contain the leak. The insider further indicated that work on the evacuated houses is

almost finished, with the specialist staff reporting that gas reading levels have fallen to zero in and around many of the homes.

The work team plans to install new ventilation systems in each of the area’s homes, the insider explained, along with new sewage pipes and phone cables to replace those damaged by their work there. The estimated cost of repairs to the homes has been put at KD7,000 each.

Meanwhile, an oil sector official explained that the gas leak in the area is coming from a strata around three meters beneath the ground there. The official, speaking to Al-Qabas on condition of anonymity, said that the leak originally emanated from faults in ageing underground gas pipelines, adding that these had been repaired and the leaked gas successfully drained. The official added that whilst it has been positively determined that there is a gas field deep beneath Ahmadi, the extreme depth at which it sits means that it poses no risk to the area’s residents.

MP demands more job opportunities for women KUWAIT: Whilst Kuwaiti women have achieved great steps in terms of legislation in various fields, including housing care and labor rights, they are still suffering legal discrimination in being politically marginalized and distanced from the decision making process for more than forty years, said MP Aseel Al-Awadhi on Monday. In a press release issued to mark yesterday’s International Women’s Day, which takes place on March 8 every year, Al-Awadhi wrote, “While women around celebrate this occasion today, differences between the sexes remain evident in each country in regards to work, education and health, as well as in economic disparity, lifestyle and the opportunity to work in leading posts and participate in the social development process.”

Al-Awadhi indicated that although

Kuwaiti women have achieved high levels of educational attainment and professional performance, they are still suffering due to the slow nature of improvement in the field of employment due to the limited job opportunities they have access to compared to their male counterparts.

Whilst acknowledging Kuwaiti women’s attainment of political rights, AlAwadhi warned against the drafting of regulations “which seem to be supportive of women, but in fact result in the further marginalization of their role.”

In order to achieve greater justice for Kuwaiti women, the MP said, more job opportunities must be provided for them, both in the general labor sector and in senior state posts “instead of enforcing incentives that prevent them from seeking employment.”

KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah with the media delegation.

Media vital in bolstering relations KUWAIT: Media is an indispensible tool to bolster the state’s relations with other countries and journalists and media representatives are therefore our diplomats in this context, said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah yesterday.

The senior official was receiving a delegation of media workers and figures who recently went on a tour

and stopped in the GCC, Lebanon and Syria on the sidelines of the state’s celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the Independence, the 20th Anniversary of the Liberation, and the 5th Anniversary of His Highness the Amir’s Assumption of Power.

Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak said the initiative of the delegation and its timing reflected the Kuwaiti people’s determination to recall

friendly nations’ support of their cause at their hour of need.

Keenness on such visits also reflects a civilized and up-to-date approach and attitude to diplomacy which strongly communicates the peoples’ sentiments and their beliefs.

Head of the delegation and Head of Kuwait Journalists Association Ahmed Behbehani said the cooperation of Kuwaiti

KAC privatization to be extended to mid-May KUWAIT: The establishment of the new Kuwait Airways Company, which will take place as part of state-owned Kuwait Airways Corporation’s privatization bid, will not take place before mid -May 2011. The extent of profit and losses incurred, as well as amendments made to establish the contract will be reviewed soon.

A team from the KAC’s labor union had met with the Chairman of the Founding Committee, Mutlaq Al-Sanea.

The two sides discussed a draft law that the committee had referred to the Cabinet. It contains a set of goals to be

achieved before the KAC’s privatization process gets underway, reported AlQabas.

According to officials, the founding committee will wait until the end of the current fiscal year (March 31, 2011) to review the KAC’s profits and losses records in the balance sheet.

This is so that it can cover the shortage in the capital of the to-be-established firm. Meanwhile, one point discussed during the meeting, states that the amendment which the Fatwa and Legislation Department has requested for, will delay establishment procedures.

embassies and military attaches was vital for the success of the tour, and the close cooperation resulted in warm reception in the countries concerned.

He added the senior officials of the visited countries all lauded the initiative and what it represents and expressed their admiration for the Kuwaiti press and media as well as ties between their states and the state of Kuwait. —KUNA

Schoolmasters introduced to learning difficulties KUWAIT: A number of headmasters of intermediate schools at the Hawalli Educational Zone were acquainted with the experience of the Center for Child Evaluation and Teaching (CCET) for learning difficulties.

CCET’s Executive Director Jadd Al-Buhairi said that the center hosted a delegation of 30 headmasters who were introduced to its services and activities. The CCET’s activities include training courses and seminars for teachers, psychologists, students as well as their parents in order to prepare them on how to deal with children with learning difficulties, Al-Buhairi said.

He further added that the delegation toured the CCET center and looked at its classrooms, its therapy programs, its activities, as well as other services provided by the center such as a national hotline and a specialized library. The delegation of schoolmasters expressed their content for getting familiarized with this pioneering experience, expressing hope to enhance cooperation with the center. —KUNA

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Years

LOCAL Kuwait Digest

Address students’ mass absenteeism

By Dr Abdullatif Al-Suraikh

F

ollowing the latest events unfolding in the Arab World, has deviated my attention from Kuwait’s issues. Today, I decided to write about a local topic that concerns the Ministry of Education. The subject is, the unjustified absence of students whenever holidays near.

Whenever there are public holidays, whether national days, a religious occasion or even the advent of the new year, we find that students have decided - whether in cooperation with teachers and school administrators or not - to practice mass absenteeism leaving public and private schools almost completely vacant during official days.

Year after year, the Ministry of Education remains unable to prevent this phenomenon from taking place. Instead, they continue to watch from a distance, as if the issue does not interest them!

The Education Minister was more active regarding expatriate teachers’ protest reports. I do not know why the government does not take serious steps to resolve the problem. This, in my opinion, deserves to be addressed through an interpellation motion, even more than the ‘elections billboards’ subject!

During the past month, students failed to attend classes for eight days a viable reason. This results in a considerable loss of public funds, higher than the KD 5 million for which former Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah was grilled. Were our MPs aware of this serious problem? Of course, they are busy issuing statements through the media and the press to solidify their political presence as much as possible.

Another issue which I believe deserves to have an interpellation motion filed, pertains with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor’s reluctance to enforce new regulations for the cooperative societies’ boards elections. These regulations protect the rights of shareholders from manipulation, and the failure of their enforcement risks the loss of public funds that exceed KD 5 million. — Al-Rai

Behbehani, Al-Qanaei, Al-Rashid and Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor’s representative. (Right) KJA members vote for administrative and financial reports.

KJA assembly adopts 2010 board reports KUWAIT: The general assembly of Kuwait Journalists Association (KJA) unanimously adopted the previous year’s administrative and financial reports in its latest meeting. It was held on Monday at the association’s headquarters in Shuwaikh.

The meeting was attended by Ahmad Behbehani,

Illegal residents panel begins executing procedures KUWAIT: The central committee tasked with the issue of illegal residents in Kuwait has begun executing procedures, to practically and effectively solve problems pertaining to this sect of the society, its Chairman Saleh Al-Fadhala said yesterday.

Al-Fadhala was speaking after a National Assembly session, in which the issue was postponed for the time being.

However, he noted that the committee has “made huge progress on the matter, “ and is currently in contact with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Kuwait Society for the Handicapped, Ministry of Justice, and others, to effectively put into implementation the

KUWAIT: Dr Sumayya Khalifa (left) and Hiba Bu Khamseen. — Photo by Joseph Shagra

‘Working women have right to equality with men’ Women’s empowerment discussed at seminar

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Business and Professional Women International (BPW) Kuwait held a workshop entitled ‘Women Support Network for the Workplace Empowering Women’ on Monday at the Kuwait Economic Society’s premises in Shuwaikh. The workshop was held in cooperation with the American Embassy of Kuwait. Maha Al-Baghli, President of BPW noted that this workshop was organized as part of the Women’s Leadership and Entrepreneurship program. It was launched in July 2010 in cooperation with the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).

Al-Baghli also spoke about the history of BPW International and Kuwait branch, “BPW International was founded on 26 August 1930 as International Federation of Business and Professional Women by Dr Lena Madsen Phillips.

BPW International has grown into one of the most influential International network of Business and Professional women with affiliates from over 80 countries in five continents with consultative status to the United Nation Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Our members range from influential women leaders/executives in businesses and various professions, to young entrepreneurs,” she said. The root of BPW in advocacy is evidenced through our work with the United Nations. BPW took pride in lobbying for the formation of the Commission on Status of Women and many other issues. In recognition of our efforts, BPW received Peace Messenger Certificate from UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar in 1987. Esther Hymer, a BPW representative at the UN was named one of the three women who played a significant role in the work of the UN Commission by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1997.

“Today, BPW affiliates world-wide still

KJA Chairman of the board as well as Faisal Al-Qanaei, Secretary General and Treasurer Adnan Al-Rashid.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor was represented by Salah Al-Rabah, Non-governmental organization Depar tment Super visor, Husain Mohammad Legal Consultant and Abdullatif Al-

draw our strength from advocating at national and international levels.

Individual members can be accredited to attend meetings as observers, so that they can take back issues and policy to further lobbying in their own countries,” added Al-Baghli.

“Under the Umbrella of Kuwait Economic Society (KES) and the kind support of Dr Rola Dashti, Chairperson of KES, BPW-Kuwait was established on April 26, 2009 as an initiative from Malika Kual (Founder of BPW-Kuwait) and this chapter is established to enable a network of influential and young women for combined action and contribution in policy formulation, advocacy initiatives (SME’s law), mobilizing service platforms for SME’s, supporting sustainable business growth, promoting professional development, and initiating development of locally applicable leadership paradigm,” she concluded.

Hiba Bu Khamseen Deputy President of BPW spoke about empowering women in the workplace, “ Working women have the right to equality with men in salary and other benefits. They also should have equal right in employment, career development and occupying top positions. Women should get the same training opportunity, which will qualify them to perform responsibilities,” she pointed out.

“This year, we will promote these and other principles. We will also encourage the public and private employers to adopt and apply these principles as a part of its internal rules. This will put the employer on the same level as the leading international companies that eliminate discrimination between men and women in workplaces,” she added.

Sumayya Khalifa, specialist in Human Resources and founder and Executive Director of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta (ISB), spoke about career development, and how women can improve at the workplace.

initiative at hand.

The initiative aims at ensuring services and benefits for illegal residents whose names have been registered with the committee - under stipulated laws adopted by the Cabinet and the Supreme Council for Planning and Development.

Since its inception, the committee has been practicing huge efforts to solve the issue, he added.

On the implementation of this initiative, Al-Fadhala said that these benefits will be provided according to fundamentals included in research carried out by the committee, namely for residents of Kuwait since 1965 or before, siblings of Kuwaiti mothers, and military personnel, among others. — KUNA

Musairi, NGO Department Auditor.

Prior to the meeting, the extraordinary general assembly canceled a meeting that was scheduled to study a proposal to amend the charter’s articles. The subject was referred to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.

Audit report exposes ‘Minors’ Authority’ losses KUWAIT: Excessive spending that has resulted in losses have been mentioned in a report listed by the State Audit Bureau, concerning the performance of the Public Authority for Minors’ Affairs (PAMA) during 2009/2010.

The report which was recently made available to the press, states that the PAMA continues to register names of investments of funds that belong to minors.

These are managed by the PAMA since 1993.

Meanwhile, the report points at lesser amounts that were spent on projects to establish a new headquarters building for PAMA, in addition to noting the authority’s failure in carrying out investment studies before making purchases.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

Years

local

Four dead in traffic accidents Filipina subjected to prolonged torture KUWAIT: An Asian man died in a car collision that took place recently at the Fahaheel highway. The victim was in a minibus which overturned several times after it was hit by a speeding vehicle. Paramedics found the victim trapped under the wrecked minibus, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. A similar accident on Al-Mutla’a Road left two Indian expatriates dead after their vehicle overturned several times following a collision, reported Al-Anba. An investigation into the accident is underway.

Meanwhile, in a separate accident on the same road, a Kuwaiti man in his fifties was pronounced dead after sustaining fatal head injuries when his car overturned.

Baby dies A one-year-old girl was pronounced dead on being rushed to the Ali Sabah Al-Salem polyclinic by her distraught mother.

Medical staff at the facility said that the girl, whose parents are Arab expatriates, had died before she reached the polyclinic. Her mother said that the baby had never shown any indications of illness, reported Al-Rai. The body was removed for autopsy to determine the cause of death.

kuwait digest

Calm approach

K

uwait has been safeguarded against tremors and sudden changes mostly owing to our forefathers’ foresight. They laid the foundation of democracy and constitutionality in the country.

Thanks to this framework, we have an opportunity to handle differences and disputes. While these have been evident in securing the country’s safety and stability during the region’s tumultuous time, it has failed to address challenging circumstances.

Instead of adding on to our inherited constitutional wealth, this has been sucked into the vortex of continuous political turmoil that eventually created obstacles for constitutional or developmental advancement.

Today, it has become an essential duty for us to take a leap forward, similar to our forefathers’ achievements. This will address people’s ambitions in line with the event that takes place in the Arab World.

This is certainly achievable, but only if the public is placed as top priority, ahead of personal interest, and if change can be achieved for the better. As we stand today, at the crossroads of history, we have to consider the options from past experiences - which includes the heritage of state’s founders. They have become incapable of addressing the challenges that lie ahead or live up to people’s expectations.

Therefore, we need to have courage - similar to our forefathers, in the face of challenges that persisted at the time. This is in order to put in efforts to prepare our generations to face challenges, and have a secure future.

Young citizens, who form the majority of our population, deserve to be given the chance to take part in the change process, and contribute toward facing the great challenges. Ambitions of our young generation must form the core of our future plans, because they are the ones who will inherit the country and have the duty of protecting it.

For that to be achieved, dialogue must be held with youth movements in order to come up with an agreement and make changes. This will help advance our Constitution, democracy, political aspects and basic foundations of the state.

Together, with the combined efforts of all individuals of the Kuwaiti community, we can weather the storms that are currently raging in the region.

Kuwait is, was and always will belong to its citizens. Therefore, we need to adopt a calm approach, and to hold equal dialogues in which everyone takes part and make their voices heard. — Al-Qabas

Kuwait eyes GCC-Romania forum expansion BUCHAREST: Kuwait’s Ambassador to Romania Fahad Al-Mutairi stressed yesterday the importance of the Gulf Cooperation Council-Romania Economic Forum, which would kick off here later today.

He hoped it would be expanded in the coming years to include other countries from East Europe.

“The inclusion of these countries would enrich the forum and turn it into an important gathering for enhancing cooperation between GCC and this East Europe large market,” he said.

On the sidelines of the talks held between Kuwaiti Minister of Commerce and Industry Ahmad Rashed Al-Haroun and his Romanian counterpart Ion Ariton, the Ambassador Al-Mutairi said that the forum would tackle a number of key investment and trade-related issues, including measures required to attract foreign investments, trade exchange and bilateral commercial ties.

The three-day forum would be opened by a speech from Romanian President Traian Basescu today and Kuwait Minister of Commerce Al-Haroun would address the conferees Wednesday, Al-Mutairi added.

The forum, the first of its kind, provides a platform for more than 250 delegates from both sides to exchange views on how to improve business atmospheres and explore available investment opportunities The ambassador, however, admitted the existence of a number of obstacles impeding influx of foreign, particularly GCC, investments into Romania’s markets.

These obstacles include the complicated visa procedures, lack of laws that protect the rights of investors and bureaucracy.

Al-Mutairi described Kuwaiti-Romanian relations as continuously developing, hailing Romania President’s recent visit to Kuwait to participate in the Kuwaiti national celebrations.— KUNA

Attempted murder A Kuwaiti man was rushed to hospital after a neighbor, another Kuwaiti citizen, launched a frenzied knife attack on him at his home in Sabah Al-Salem. The attacker fled after the brutal assault, with a family member of the victim calling emergency services hotline to report the incident and request an ambulance. Two hours after the victim was rushed to hospital, his attacker, an unemployed drug addict, was apprehended. The man has been charged with attempted murder and is being held in custody.

Woman tortured A Filipina woman was rushed to hospital after residents of a Riggae apartment block found her on the ground outside the building. The woman is believed to have thrown herself from the window of an apartment there, with numerous burn marks and bruises all over her body indicating that she had been subjected to prolonged torture over a lengthy period, reported AlWatan. Investigations are underway to identify and apprehend her assailants.

Roof caves in Six women and a child were hospitalized with injuries they sustained when the roof of their home in the Old Jahra area caved in on them. The victims were apparently sitting in the living room of the house when the incident took place, reported Al-Anba.

Medical staff at Jahra Hospital where the victims are receiving treatment have described their injuries as non-critical.

Son beats father A young Kuwaiti man was arrested following a brutal assault on his father that left the elderly man heavily bruised. According to Al-Watan, the detainee’s father told police that he and his son had got into the row during which the young man assaulted him following a series of earlier family disputes, and provided a medical report detailing his injuries in order to press charges against his son.

Pupil assaulted A Kuwaiti man lodged a complaint at Al-Subahiya police station accusing his son’s religious studies teacher of beating the

child, inflicting several bruises, because the boy had left a textbook at home, reported Al-Watan. A case has been filed against the teacher who was summoned for questioning.

Snake trader Farwaniya police have arrested a Kuwaiti man who was caught trading illegally in venomous snakes at the Friday market. The man was engaging in the illegal trade with his brother, who managed to escape before police could catch him. The detainee has been charged with violating the laws which ban trading in dangerous reptiles, reported Al-Watan. He also faces charges of assaulting police officers performing their duty after he attacked an officer who was attempting to apprehend his brother, allowing him to escape. A hunt is underway for the sibling, who faces similar charges.

Jewelry theft Police are currently hunting for a thief who escaped with valuable items worth a total of KD1,560 from a jewelry shop in Salhiya, along with a male accomplice who acted as his getaway driver.

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Cuban cigars thrive in Kuwaiti markets

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: The only product of Cuba that is exported to the Kuwaiti market is doing well in the country, remarked a Cuban envoy. Cuban Ambassador to Kuwait Manuel Pardinas Ajeno on Monday evening hosted a ‘Cuban Night of Cigar’ held at Al-Arfaj residence in Mishref, an event where a live demonstration of Cuban cigar rolling was held. Cristina Lopez, an expert in mak-

Ambassador Manuel Ajeno with his wife.

— Photos by Joseph Shagra

Cristina Lopez demonstrating cigar making.

The perfectly rolled newly-made cigars.

ing different sizes of Cuban cigar was specially invited

by La-Casa del Habano-Kuwait, the sole agent of Cuban cigar in Kuwait. She brought several types of tobacco leaves with her, which she skillfully demonstrated, carefully rolled in front of delighted guests including several ambassadors of different countries.

Ajeno noted that Cuban cigar is the only product of Cuba that enters Kuwait market, “This is the only product that we have in Kuwait. We have many products that are equally superior in quality in Cuba. In case of Kuwait, the very distinctive cigar product does well in the Kuwaiti market. The figure touched about $5 million annually,” he added. Ajeno noted that economic situation in Kuwait is extremely suitable for high-quality brands of cigar from Cuba. “It is a well-known fact from all over the world. If you want the best and high quality cigar, there is no other place to get it but Cuba,” he claimed. Cuban cigar is made only by hand according to ambassador Ajeno, “No machine, or equipment help them roll the leaves, except for dexterous hands that create that sophisticated and highly respected products,” he asserted.

Speaking about health risks posed by smoking, Ajeno claimed that cigar is a safer option when compared with conventional cigarettes, “Our cigar is absolutely safer than cigarettes or cigars from other parts of the world. While we do warn our citizens about the health hazards of smoking, as I told you, the Cuban cigar is a class apart. The leaf of cigar [tobacco] is very healthy and since it is pure and no harmful ingredients added. It is indeed healthy,” he added. Ajeno went on to say, “Smoking cigar in Cuba is a way of life and not a vice.” Cristina Lopez will display her cigar-rolling skills at other venues, “It is important for consumers to know not just the brand of cigar but also how it is being made. I am here to demonstrate and show the right way of rolling the leaves, a bit more about how to smoke cigar and why cigar is part of our culture,” commented Lopez, a tobacco cigar quality expert herself.

Cuban cigar entered the Kuwaiti market in the late 1980’s. Hashim parammal, sales Manager, La-Casa del Habano-Kuwait said Cuba is the only country in the world that grows world-class tobacco, “In growing tobacco, Cuba is the only country that can offer the best soil, sun and humidity. We knew it, we have studied the history, concepts and how we can best sell cigars in Kuwait. If we involve ourselves in other countries that offer cigar, then, maybe we will end up being a failure. We roped in a country that is famous for its cigars - Cuba. We trust Cuban cigar because it is the only country that can produce best quality cigar products,” he said.

A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco stick ignited so as smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Tobacco used for cigar is widely grown in many countries around the world including Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern United States.

Dow sponsors 2011 KAF Gala ‘Enduring Support’ KUWAIT: The Dow Chemical Company was a premier benefactor of the Kuwait-America Foundation (KAF) “Enduring Suppor t ” gala dinner held in Washington D.C. on March 6, 2011.

Hosted by the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the US, Salem AlSabah, and Sheikha Rima Al-Sabah, the 2011 gala raised money for the United Ser vices Organization (USO), specifically to support programs to provide rehabilitation programs for American military veterans and their families.

“Our support for the initiatives and bridge-building endeavors set for th by the Kuwait- America Foundation (KAF) is very important to Dow,” said Markus Wildi, Vice President of Corporate Development for Dow in Kuwait.

“Being a part of this evening and helping to fund these wor thy organizations supported by KAF resonates completely with Dow’s

advocac y of empowerment via education, economic development and mutually-beneficial bilateral relationships between countries.”

Joe Scarborough and Mik a Brzezinski, co-hosts of MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ program, moderated the evening, which honored several prominent figures who have been instrumental in supporting strong Kuwait-America partnerships, particularly in jointly resolving key regional challenges.

Former US President Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker at the event, highlighting the need for continued engagement and partnership between the Middle East and the US. The $2.9 million raised during the prestigious event will go directly to the United Ser vice Organization (USO) — an organization dedicated to lifting the spirits of troops and their families. The USO Wounded Warriors’ goal is an

initiative to raise $100 million to create a community of care from the point of injury on the battlefield to the injured military members’ return home. Under this program, in 2011, the USO will begin to build new USO centers at the Bethesda Naval, Maryland, and at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to help heal the wounds of war and provide enduring support to those who have sacrificed for their country.

Special guests at the gala included Oscar-winning philanthropic actor Ben Affleck, who was presented with a humanitarian award for his dedication to the Wounded Warriors Program. Other prominent guests at the event included the Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, and a number of US Government dignitaries, including the US Commerce Secretary Locke, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and Arizona Senator John McCain.

Cigar expert Lopez is posing here with some visitors.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

LOCAL Public sector workers to hold protest meeting KUWAIT: Public sector workers are set to hold a protest meeting at 7pm on Monday March 14 at the public sector workers’ union headquarters to protest against what they say is the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) longtime failure to represent their demands.

Announcing the upcoming meeting on Monday, union chairman Bader Al-Azmi called upon all the members of all public sector workers’ bodies represented by the union to urge their leaders to participate in the protest.

Al-Azmi slammed the CSC over its inaction, asserting that this had led to frustration amongst public sector workers, whose demands remain unmet despite ministerial directives upholding their rights to various financial privileges.

Unfortunately, he continued, these ministerial directives have been ignored and kept in the CSC’s filing cabinets, leading to poor performance from many frustrated public sector workers, with a large number threatening resignation as a result.

Al-Azmi told Al-Anba that senior union officials have submitted several lists of demands on behalf of public sector workers in recent months, adding that these have met with an indifferent reception and the union has received no response to any of them. This has resulted in an escalation of tensions, he said, leading to further anger among public sector workers. He added that the upcoming protest is one way of pushing for equality amongst public sector employees.

Legislative, executive branches see eye-to-eye on unemployment Call to draw up a 25-year strategy KUWAIT: Both legislative and executive branches have asserted yesterday at a National Assembly’s session a consensual view on the necessity of resolving the unemployment problem, and creating job opportunities for nationals. Further, the government made clear-in a presentation made by Civil Service Bureau, Manpower and State Executive Body Restructuring Program before the parliament-that the unemployment accounts for nearly 4.4 percent in what amounts to 17,000 job applications till the March 7.

The government pointed out that the main strategic goal of Manpower and State Executive Body Restructuring Program is pushing national labor

toward joining non-governmental bodies. The government also reviewed the program’s mechanisms in order to achieve this goal through giving raises and unemployment benefits, training the national workforce, determining rates of national labor at non-governmental bodies.

Moreover, detailed statistics made clear the figures related to those appointed at the private sector from 2002 to 2010, as well as the increase of unemployment rates with the same interval, in addition to the decisions made on the employment rates, and subsidizing small enterprises.

Meanwhile, a number of MPs urged

the government to draw up a 25-year strategy that will find alternatives for jobless citizens in what helps the labor market absorb current and coming educational outputs.

These MPs asserted that it is necessary for the government to show serious and strict attitude toward addressing unemployment, particularly the disguised one, which the governmental sector suffers from.

While other MPs called for devising an overall system for resolving unemployment based on developing the private sector in what helps create job opportunities for citizens alongside the privatization of some public sector projects, sub-

sidizing the small enterprises, and rehabilitating manpower.

Further, the latter MPs wondered about the role of government when it comes to replacing foreign labor with national one, particularly in the governmental sector, in a reference to the soaring rates of foreign labor in this sector.

Finally, another category of MPs asserted the necessity of Kuwaitization of the oil sector, and opening it up before Kuwaiti graduates from engineers and other technical specialties, in addition to rehabilitating and training them, calling on the government to push the private sector firms to abide by recruiting national labor. — KUNA

‘Mass import to reduce chicken prices’ KUWAIT: The first shipment of frozen chicken imported by the Kuwait Union for Consumer Cooperative Societies to prevent abrupt price increase will arrive in April. In a statement made recently to the press, Union’s Chairman Dr Hassan Al-Duwaihees said that imported items will be sold at a reduced rate.

There was concern that prices of frozen chicken would increase rapidly, as suppliers of the commodity who import products from countries such as Brazil and Turkey threatened to boycott the item’s sale to local co-operative societies. The KUCCS rejected the demand to raise commodity’s price.

“The KUCCS will not give in to pressure and will ensure that prices have not been increased,” AlDuwaihees said, explaining that they were motivated following traders’ threats to import products collectively, and directly from European companies at reduced prices.

Meanwhile, Al-Duwaihees criticized local poultry companies for demanding that prices be hiked, “despite receiving a subsidization from the government, “ reported Al-Rai. On a separate issue, Chairman of the board from Abdullah Al-Mubarak Co-op Society as well as its members have reportedly tendered their resignation in protest against the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor’s decision to delay the date on which Co-operative Society’s general assembly meeting would be held, reported Al-Qabas. Protestors claim that employees at the minister’s office have been interfering with the society’s internal affairs.

Kuwait national days marked in Jakarta KUWAIT: The Kuwait Ambassador accredited to the Republic of Indonesia, Nasser Bareh Al-Enezi, hosted a grand reception in the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton Hotel Cunnigan in Jakarta on Wednesday 23rd February. The event, commemorating 50 years of Kuwaiti independence, the twentieth year since Kuwait’s liberation from the Iraqi invasion and occupation of 1990-91, and the fifth anniversary of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah’s investiture, was attended by a number of prominent figures, including two former Vice Presidents of Indonesia, a son of former President of Indonesia, legislators, senior government officials, heads of international organizations, leading local entrepreneurs, foreign diplomats, eminent expatriates and locals, amongst others.

The entrance to the ballroom was decorated in a spectacular and eye-catching, fashion, with the entire walkway adorned with Kuwaiti flags and complementary bunting, balloons and flower arrangements. An impressive number of companies and organizations provided decorated giant size greeting hoardings in the area. Full-sized portraits of all Kuwait’s Amirs from the first up till the present were also on display.

Young Kuwaiti men and women dressed in traditional national costume, with the girls wearing outfits in the national colors lined the entrance welcoming guests

US Ambassador to take part in NBK Walkathon KUWAIT: US Ambassador Deborah K . Johnes takes par t in NBK Walkathon along with several public figures and NBK senior officials headed by the Minister of Health, Dr Hilal Al-Sayer, NBK Group CEO Ibrahim Dabdoub, NBK Deputy Group CEO Isam Al Sager. NBK’s 17th Annual Walkathon, scheduled to kick off on Saturday, is heading for yet another record year with thousands of competitors enrolled up to date.

Registration is open until Friday at NBK Registration Tent next to the Scientific Centre from 9 am until 9pm in addition to NBK Branch at The Avenues (evening shift only).

NBK will be awarding top 10 winners in each category and will conduct a draw for a grand prize a brand new KIA Cerato Koup

with smiles and scented water. The guests were then escorted to tables with visitors’ books for them to sign, as well as being provided with ceremonial Kuwaiti badges made especially for the occasion, before proceeding to the main function hall.

The entrance to the hall was decorated with life-sized portraits of HH the Amir of Kuwait and the Indonesian president, with Ambassador Al-Enezi personally greeting each guest, all of whom were lavish in their praise of Kuwait, wishing it further prosperity. Two huge screens on the right and left of the ballroom showed documen-

taries on Kuwait, whilst the carefully chosen background music added further charm to the occasion.

At the opening of the evening’s festivities, Ambassador Al-Enezi, accompanied by two former vice presidents of Indonesia and a son of the country’s former president, took to the ballroom’s stage which was beautifully decorated with the flags of both countries, with all the officials and guests standing for the national anthems of the two nations. After this, Ambassador Nasser invited his colleague Arab Ambassadors to come to the stage and to join him and VIPs to jointly cut the ceremonial cake which bore the flags of both the countries. The guests enjoyed a sumptuous banquet of both Kuwaiti and Indonesian delicacies, with Kuwaiti folk music adding an extra patriotic touch, along with the traditional Kuwaiti tent erected in the function suite which was beautifully furnished with Kuwaiti rugs and pillows, serving delicious and aromatic Arabian coffee to the visitors.

The function, which began at 7 PM was initially scheduled to end at 9:00 PM, but many guests enjoyed themselves so much that they stayed for well over another hour, chatting with the ambassador and fellow guests. Many media representatives were also present, filming the event, as well as taking numerous photographs and interviewing guests

Death investigations underway

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Police are awaiting the

results of an autopsy on the remains of a 45-year-old Asian man whose body was discovered in his home to determine whether foul play was involved in his death. In a similar case, a 46-year-old Iranian man’s body was also referred for autopsy to determine the cause of death after it was discovered in his home in Sulaibiya.

KUWAIT: US Ambassador Deborah K. Johnes poses during the Walkathon registration with NBK volunteers and Red Crescent team.

2011- for all par ticipants. The Walkathon for the male participants will start from the Scientific Center located in R as Salmiya, while the walk for female partici-

pants will begin from the Marina Crescent and the walkathon for kids and Zeina friends club members will be conduc ted at the Green Island

One dead, two hurt in car accidents An Asian man died at the scene after being hit by a car on the Fifth Ring Road near the Avenues Shopping Mall. The body was removed for autopsy. Meanwhile, two Kuwaiti women, aged 46 and 48, didn’t have far to go for treatment after they were knocked down by a car at the entrance to Amiri Hospital.

Kuwait’s ambassador to Philippines presents credentials KUALA LUMPUR: Ambassador of the State of Kuwait in Manila Waleed Ahmad Al-Kandari presented a copy of his credentials yesterday to Philippines Assistant Foreign Minister for Protocol Affairs Virginia Benavidez. Al-Kandari stressed his keenness on boosting and developing bilateral ties between Kuwait and Philippines in various fields.

Fur ther, Al-K andari conveyed greetings of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah to his Philippine counterpart Albert F Del Rosario.

Meanwhile, Benavidez welcomed the new Kuwaiti ambassador, wishing him success on further pushing forward the friendly relationships

Recitation competition held KUWAIT: The International Islamic Charity Organization concluded the first recitation competition which was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. It was supervised by the Public Authority for Youth and Sport (PAYS).

At least 175 contestants participated in the competition, who were divided into two categories based on age groups (from 10 to 16 years and from 17 to 29 years). The week long competition was organized at the Ardiya Youth Center.

During the conclusion ceremony, Jassem Yaqoub Deputy Director Assistant for Youth Affairs at PAYS attended the event on behalf of Managing Director Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

Bootleggers busted existing between the two countries. Al-Kandari was the first Kuwaiti resident ambassador to Uzbekistan in 2001, as well as an ambassador at large to Afghanistan, then he served

as a resident ambassador of his countr y to Brazil, and ambassador at large to Ecuador, Peru, and the Cooperative Republic of Guyana from 2006 to 2010. — KUNA

Police arrested two Asian men in separate incidents, with both being found with bottles of homemade liquor in their possession.

A total of 100 bottles of the homemade hooch was recovered from the two, who have been taken into custody.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

protests hit Saleh fiefdom Prisoners riot, call for president’s ouster

Women protest killings in I Coast Page 9

College girl shot dead A rare daylight shooting in New Delhi NEW DELHI: A gunman shot and killed a woman student near her college in New Delhi yesterday, police said, in a rare daylight shooting that spotlighted violence against women in the Indian capital. Radhika Tanwar, 21, of Ramlal Anand College, was shot in the stomach at close range on a footbridge 1.5 kilometers from the college, police and a faculty member said. “ There was one man who fired at her,” police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said, adding that efforts were underway to find the gunman, who fled after the shooting.

The girl bled to death while being taken to hospital by a passer-by, witnesses said. Other officers said the killer could have been a stalker. A college professor who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said the gunman appeared to be a student from a nearby college. The Indian capital last year registered a total of 489 rapes, compared with 459 in 2009. Women’s rights groups say many attacks also go unreported.

Reported instances of sexual molestation such as groping of women also went up to 585 last year against 528 in 2009, official records show.

The mass-circulation Hindustan Times, citing a local poll, said this month that 66 percent of New Delhi’s female residents were molested between two and five times last year. The attack also angered the autonomous National Commission of Women, which condemned Tanwar’s murder, while a city MP from India’s ruling Congress party blamed the lawlessness on the federal home ministry.

The attack on International Women’s Day came a day after city police chief B.K. Gupta claimed a 44 percent decline in attacks on women in the first three months of 2011 compared with the first quarter of last year. —AFP SANAA: Anti-government protestors chant slogans and wave Tunisian and their national flags during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday. —AP

SANAA: Yemeni protests demanding an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 32-year rule spread to a tribal area considered his political stronghold yesterday, and military vehicles deployed in the capital. Around 10,000 protesters marched in the city of Dhamar, about 60 km south of Sanaa, residents said by telephone.

Dhamar is known for its ties to Saleh and is the hometown of Yemen’s prime minister, interior minister and head judge. “Leave! leave!” the protesters shouted, just two days after Saleh loyalists there held a similar-sized pro-government rally.

Rising protests in the Arabian Peninsula state, and a series of defections from Saleh’s political and tribal allies, have added pressure on him to step aside this year even as he pledges to stay on until his current term ends in 2013. Protesters in Dhamar pelted a municipal official with rocks, causing several injuries, local members of the ruling party said, as demonstrators ended their march and began a sit-in they said would continue until Saleh fell. In the capital Sanaa, where thousands of protesters have been camped out for weeks, military vehicles with armed soldiers spread across streets in what appeared to be a response to calls by youth

activists for a march to the presidential palace. Police also brought out water cannon and placed concrete blocks around Sanaa University, the rallying point for anti-Saleh protest that had been quiet in recent days, after weeks of fierce clashes across the country between government loyalists and protesters killed at least 27 people.

Yemen, neighbor to oil giant Saudi Arabia, was teetering on the brink of failed statehood even before recent protests. Saleh has struggled to cement a truce with Shiite Muslim rebels in the north and curb secessionist rebellion in the south, all while fighting AlQaeda’s Yemen-based wing. In further unrest, men on motorbikes shot and wounded a senior intelligence officer in the southern city of Zinjibar in what appeared to be an assassination attempt by Al-Qaeda militants, a local official said. Tens of thousands of protesters remain camped out in major Yemeni cities, staying awake through the night to hear speeches and sing national songs. Their tone has hardened by the day, with the opposition vowing on Monday to escalate protests. South of the capital in Ibb, protesters marched through the streets to denounce a Sunday attack in which Saleh loyalists set upon an anti-government protest camp with clubs and stones.

Also, about 2,000 inmates staged a riot at a prison in the Yemeni capital after taking a dozen guards hostage and joined calls by anti-government protesters for the country’s president to step down, a security official said yesterday. And for the first time since anti-government protests started in Yemen in midFebruary, graffiti against President Ali Abdullah Saleh sur faced in his birthplace, the farming village of Sanhan just outside Sanaa.

Police said it was investigating who was behind the slogans painted on the village walls reading: “ The people want the regime to step down.” The unrest in the central prison in the capital, Sanaa, erupted late Monday when prisoners set their blankets and mattresses ablaze and occupied the facility ’s main courtyard, the official said.

The guards fired tear gas and gunshots into the air but failed to subdue the prisoners, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. — Agencies

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Scientists warn of ‘dangerous over-reliance’ on GPS LONDON: Developed nations have become “dangerously over-reliant” on satellite navigation systems such as GPS, which could break down or be attacked with devastating results, British engineers said yesterday. The Royal Academy of Engineering said the application of the technology was now so broad-from car sat-navs to the time stamp on financial transactions that without adequate backup, any disruption could have a major impact.

It cited a recent European Commission study showing that six to seven percent of economic growth in western countries-about 800 billion

euros ($1,100 billion) in the EU-is already dependent on such navigation. “Society may already be dangerously over-reliant on satellite radio navigation systems like GPS (the US’s Global Positioning System),” it said. Disruption could come from technological problems or from deliberate interference, by criminals using small-scale jammers to avoid road tolls or block the tracking of cargo, or terrorists seeking to attack entire systems.

The report also warns of political interference, such as when North Korea reportedly recently disrupted South Korean military communications. “A significant failure of GPS could cause lots of serv-

ices to fail at the same time, including many that are thought to be completely independent of each other,” said Martyn Thomas, who led the academy’s work on the issue.

The US-operated Global Positioning System is currently used for everything from commercial aircraft and the tracking of cargo to the opening of train doors at stations. The report said all these are vulnerable, with consequences ranging from “the inconvenient-such as passenger information system failures-to possible loss of life-such as interruptions to emergency services communications”.

It urges greater awareness of the security risks by key services, tougher action on the sale of cheap jammers-although they are already illegal in the EU-and efforts to boost the resilience of antenna and receivers. The expansion of alternative satellite navigation systems to GPS such as Europe’s Galileo system or the Russian-developed GLONASS should help, Thomas said. “But many of the vulnerabilities we have identified in this report will remain. No-one has a complete picture of the many ways in which we have become dependent on weak signals 12,000 miles above us,” he added.—AFP

UK’s Hague under pressure over botched Libya mission London left red-faced LONDON: British Foreign Secretary William Hague came under fire after admitting a “serious misunderstanding” led to the seizing of a special forces team in a bungled mission to contact Libyan rebels. London was left red-faced by the attempt to put diplomats in contact with opposition forces in Benghazi at the weekend. The team, reportedly made up of six soldiers from the elite Special Air Service (SAS) and two diplomats, flew into Libya by helicopter and made their way to the eastern opposition-held city.

But they were rounded up by lightly armed rebels soon after they arrived, reports said. The diplomats are believed to have been officers from Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence service.

The opposition Labor party seized on the government’s response to the rebellion. “A worrying pattern has emerged in recent days that speaks to a lack of engagement, grip and direction in the government’s response to the Libyan crisis,” Douglas Alexander, the shadow foreign secretary told yesterday’s Guardian. “Ministers can’t be expected to have all the right answers, but they can be expected to ask all the necessary questions,” he added.

The mission angered Libyan opposition lead-

ers who denied they had asked for any help and by late Sunday the team had been packed off to Malta on a British naval ship. Hague told parliament that ministers and officials had been in touch with the rebel interim national council formed in Benghazi, who had “welcomed the idea of a British diplomatic mission to Libya”. The minister said he had authorized the dispatch of a small team, accompanied by “protection” because such engagement was “vitally important” to understanding the situation on the ground.

“They were withdrawn yesterday after a serious misunderstanding about their role leading to their temporary detention,” Hague said. “This situation was resolved and they were able to meet council president Abdel Jalil. “However it was clearly better for this team to be withdrawn.

We intend to send further diplomats to eastern Libya in due course.” In Benghazi, an opposition spokesman said the rebels had refused to talk to the delegation because they had entered the country without prior permission.

“We do not know the nature of their mission.

We refused to discuss anything with them due to the way they entered the country,” spokesman

Abdul Hafiz Ghoqa told reporters. The bungled operation raised eyebrows because Britain prides itself on the highly skilled SAS, which is believed to play a major role in the conflict in Afghanistan and has operated in past wars in Iraq and the Falklands. The Times newspaper asked why it was felt necessary to carry out such a cloak-and-dagger operation when it would have been possible for the team to simply drive into Benghazi. “Nabbed while escorting a junior diplomat in a city that would have welcomed them... this was not their finest hour,” the newspaper said.

Britain’s government has been accused of having a shaky grasp on the Libyan crisis. The SAS incident was “just the latest setback” amid some “serial bungling” by the government, Labor opposition foreign affairs spokesman Douglas Alexander told Hague in parliament. “Ministerial decisions have generated an embarrassment that could all too easily have become a tragedy.”

To laughter, Alexander asked whether if new neighbors moved into Hague’s street, “he would introduce himself by ringing the doorbell or instead choose to climb over the fence in the middle of the night.”— AFP

Somali troops close in on rebel bastions

RAS LANOUF: An anti-Gaddafi rebel fires his anti-aircraft machine gun against pro-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi warplanes, in the town of Ras Lanouf, eastern Libya yesterday. — AP

Libya no-fly zone plan fraught with questions WASHINGTON: A proposed no-fly zone over Libya would have numerous logistical obstacles and offers no guarantee of achieving the goal of halting government attacks, US officials and analysts say. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned last week that enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya would be “extraordinarily complex.” Others have pointed out that this would be an act of war and would likely require a United Nations resolution as a legal basis.

Analysts note that Libya is four times the size of Iraq, even if the population is concentrated along the coast. Any enforcement would require the use of AWACS radar aircraft, refueling tankers and warplanes to block radar and communications of Libyan aircraft.

Helicopters and rescue crews would also be needed to recover any pilots lost over the North African country. Barry Watts of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments said this would require 50 to 70 aircraft operating each day. “The bigger problem might be finding air bases close enough to operate,” he said.

“Italy comes to mind, but the Italians would have to approve it.”

The warplanes used in a no-fly zone would need a land base or aircraft carrier. There is no carrier in proximity to Libya, although the USS Enterprise is in the Red Sea and the French carrier Charles de Gaulle is in the Mediterranean port of Toulon. Britain and France have made the most aggressive calls among Western powers for a no-fly zone to hamper Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi’s offensive. The United States has said it is studying the possibility while warning of the major military operation it would entail.

Colonel David Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, said US military planners are examining what would be needed for a no-fly zone if President Barack Obama issues such an order. “Military planners are looking at all the various options to

be able to present to the president a full range, so they would look at sea-based assets, land-based assets, basically what it would take should that decision be made,” Lapan said. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said any no-fly operation “begins with an attack on Libya to destroy the air defenses. That’s the way you do a no-fly zone.”

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, said any such operation would have to quickly demonstrate superiority over Libyan forces.

“You wouldn’t risk any US or other force simply being caught up in constant surface-to-air attacks and ambushes,” he said.

“The problem is in enforcing something like this, you want to have a decisive act, you want to create a situation where there is no Libyan willingness to take risk or engage.” Libya has around 100 SA-2 anti-aircraft missiles designed in the 1950s and another 70 SA-6 missiles which are more recent, according to Globalsecurity.org. Libya has around 300 warplanes, mostly Russian-made MIG23s and MIG-25s, around half of which are not operational, according the security website. Cordesman said a no-fly zone for fixed-wing aircraft is easier to implement than one that deals with attack helicopters “which are harder to track and attack.”

But he said that Gaddafi’s forces “could potentially suppress the rebels regardless of a no-fly zone.” Similar concerns about the effectiveness of a no-fly zone came from the US envoy to NATO, Ivo Daalder. “No-fly zones are more effective against fighters but they really have a limited effect against his helicopters or the kind of ground operations that we’ve seen,” he said. “Which is why a no-fly zone, even if it were to be established, isn’t really going to impact what is happening there today. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look at it,” Daalder said in a conference call.— AFP

MOGADISHU: Somalia’s pro-government forces yesterday closed in on bastions of the insurgent Shebab group, mounting their largest coordinated effort in years to wrest back the country from Al Qaeda-inspired rebels.

The offensive started last week with a major battle in Mogadishu that saw government troops reclaim large swathes of the capital, where the government had long been confined to a few blocks by the sea.

But government and allied troops have in recent days opened new fronts. The Western-backed Somali transitional government’s troops are backed by the 8,000strong African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as well as by the Sufi militia Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa and tribal militias. Their offensive aims to stretch a Shebab group which has controlled most of southern and central Somalia for three years with a limited number of men but is supported on the ground by jihadi fighters from around the world.

According to witnesses and officials, Ethiopia was trucking in troops to El Bur district, a key Shebab stronghold in central Somalia. “I saw dozens of trucks belonging to the Ethiopian military heading towards El Bur. It looks like they are joining Ahlu Sunna’s war against the Shebab,” said one local resident, Ise Maalim. A government official in Dolow district, further south, said the all-out offensive that had been promised by three successive prime ministers was finally under way. “The war to eliminate the Shebab threat from the country has begun, we will not stop until we succeed in our goal to cleanse this country of Al-Qaeda and their Somali followers,” Abdifatah Ibrahim Gesey said. The towns of Bulo Hawo and Luq, near the Kenyan border, were recently recaptured from the Shebab, who witnesses said were abandoning some of their positions in the south to regroup for the battle over Mogadishu. Bulo Hawo was conquered after a bloody battle which some security sources in the region said left at least 80 people dead, including women, but Luq was taken over without any fighting. Ethiopia and the Somali government have denied direct Ethiopian involvement in the fighting but residents in the affected areas were adamant. —AFP

CARTHAGE: Tunisian Prime Minister Beji Caid-Essebsi (right) speaks with Japanese Vice-Foreign Minister Zhai Jun, during their meeting at the presidential palace in Carthage, outside Tunis— AP

Tunisia’s Islamists back ban on polygamy, not headscarf TUNIS: Tunisia’s newly legalized Islamist movement said yesterday it supported the country’s ban on polygamy but urged the government to lift one on wearing headscarves in schools and universities. Ennahda (Awakening) was legalized this month for the first time in the 30 years of its existence after the interim government that replaced the toppled Zine El Abidine Ben Ali regime introduced unprecedented reforms.

The group supported the Code of Personal Status introduced in 1956 that abolished polygamy and repudiation instead of formal divorce, Ennahda political bureau senior official Noureddine Bhiri said on Women’s Day. The code established equality for men and women in many areas, which is rare elsewhere in the Arab world. “Ennahda is attached to the gains of the modern state and the rules established by the (code),” Bhiri said. The movement stood with women “to protect their rights completely and without exception,” he said.

However he criticized as a “major injustice” the banning of the Islamic veil in Tunisian public life that was introduced under Ben Ali, who also cracked down on Islamists in the secular state. Bhiri urged Education Minister Taeeb Baccouche to “urgently take the decision to repeal” the ban in the schools and universities.

Women should have the freedom “to choose what to wear according to their convictions but on condition they do not harm public morale or the liberty of others,” he said.

The March 1 legalization of Ennahda, which has indicated it will stand in parliamentary elections, raised some fears about a rise in political Islam that could endanger women’s rights, concerns the party has dismissed.

Meanwhile, Tunisia’s prime minister named a new interim government on Monday and a much-hated police unit was disbanded as the interim leadership of this North African nation seeks to stabilize a country still finding its way after a popular revolt.

Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi kept the heads of the key defense, interior, justice and foreign affairs ministries, but named new figures to six posts vacated last week. Some ministers who left were seen as too close to the regime of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Others who resigned hope to run for office and were forced out.

Caid Essebsi reiterated that his priorities are re-establishing security, rebuilding Tunisia’s troubled economy, and bringing life back to normal in the country that has long been a tourist draw for sun-minded Europeans. “Without security, there is no development and investors won’t come back,” he told a news conference. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry announced it has abolished the dreaded State Security Department, whose so-called political police spied on and harassed citizens under Ben Ali. The ministry said on its Facebook page that it is dismantling the force “in accordance with the values and the principles of the revolution.” Its disbanding has been one of the demands of the pro-democracy activists who have kept up the pressure on the interim leadership as it seeks to navigate the country into a new era, following an uprising that ousted Ben Ali on Jan. 14, which in turn sparked revolts around the Arab world.

It also comes as Tunisia struggles to cope with tens of thousands of refugees streaming across its border from Libya. By making the announcement on Facebook, the ministry was also sending a statement to the protesters. Under Ben Ali, Tunisian authorities suppressed independent media and political dissent, but anti-government movements mobilized on social networking sites to stage demonstrations in December and January.

Many protests turned deadly, as police fired on crowds.

The 84-year-old Caid Essebsi, himself named just a week ago after his predecessor quit amid renewed protests, said the new appointments have been approved by the interim president. He had said on Friday that he would present a new Cabinet to help pull his country back from the “abyss.” Last week, interim president Fouad Mebazaa announced an election on July 24 for a body that will draw up a new constitution. “We must ensure that these elections are a success and that they are honest and transparent,” Caid Essebsi said. Electing a constituent assembly is seen as a step toward eventual presidential elections. The prime minister said he was open to all political tendencies in a country that had known only one-party rule. Two opposition leaders were among those who left the government last week, citing an order that ministers not run for president.— Agencies

On 100th Women’s Day, EU hails Africa, E Timor BRUSSELS: The European Union marked the 100th anniversary of autocracies. Calling for greater investment in education for girls, they said International Women’s Day yesterday hailing women’s “crucial role in “literacy and numeracy equip women for economic independence, bringing about change in northern Africa”. “Amidst violence, women have increasing their chances of achieving their full potential”.

In a separate statement joined the struggle for issued from East Timor, the change,” said the two Commissioner for developwomen vice-presidents of ment Andris Piebalgs comthe European Commission, mended the countr y as “a foreign policy chief remark able case” in the Catherine Ashton and jusdeveloping world regarding tice and rights commisthe empowerment of sioner Viviane Reding. women. Some 30 percent of “We hope that the key members of parliament are role that women have women in the former played so far will be Por tuguese colony that reflected fully in the instigained formal independence tutional changes that are in 2002 after being occupied already under discussion

by Indonesia, he said. “There in the region,” they said in are important legislations in a statement. “ Women place, for instance against must be at the heart of the domestic violence,” he added. discussions over the future “There will be no human and order.” In T-shirts and jeans economic development withor robes and veils, tens of out a sound respect of thousands of women have women’s rights and condimade their voices heard in tions,” he added. “ This is a the streets, from Tunis to Cairo, from Manama to KAMPALA: Female Members of Uganda Police march as part of the fundamental par t of the Sanaa, to demand reform International Women’s day celebrations, at Kololo Airstrip, in Kampala development policy that I wish to champion.”— AFP in a region long ruled by yesterday. — AP

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

Years

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

UK’s Prince an embarrassment?

Andrew faces calls to quit trade role

TREICHVILLE: Women stand near a campaign poster for Laurent Gbagbo as they participates in a march ‘of mourning’ for all the victims of post-election violence, in the Treichville neighborhood of Abidjan yesterday. — AP

Women protest killings in I Coast ABIDJAN: Hundreds of marching women converged yesterday near the bloodstained pavement where soldiers fatally shot seven unarmed female protesters last week in an attack that has prompted a wave of criticism from around the world. Male relatives built a wall of burned-out cars to block the mouth of the freeway leading into the suburb of Abobo where the female demonstrators gathered. Mariam Bamba, 32, picked up a tree branch next to one of the blood stains on the pavement where the women had been mowed down in a hail of gunfire. “This leaf is all that they were carrying when they were killed,” she said.

A video obtained by The Associated Press captured the minutes before the attack Thursday in Abobo. In the video, which was also posted on YouTube, the crowd scatters as screaming is heard.

Then the cameraman pans over the collapsed bodies of at least four women.

Another woman who is still alive tries to lift herself up and collapses in her own blood. Many of the organizers of the deadly demonstration stayed home yesterday fearing reprisal by security forces.

But hundreds of others took to the streets in defiance on International Women’s Day to express their disgust at the regime of strongman Laurent Gbagbo.

Gbagbo has refused to cede power even though the country’s election com-

mission declared opposition leader Alassane Ouattara the winner of the Nov 28 vote. Nearly 400 people have already been killed, most of them civilians who voted for Ouattara. But Thursday’s violence against the all-women’s march prompted an international outcry.

Britain’s Foreign Office Minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham, called it “a deplorable and cowardly act against unarmed protesters calling for the results of the presidential elections to be respected.” And US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued a stinging rebuke saying that “Gbagbo and his forces have shown a callous disregard for human life.”

More than 200,000 people have fled the suburb of Abobo, the local UN peacekeeping mission reported, after Gbagbo’s security forces entered the neighborhood and began shelling it with mortars.

Fighting also has broken out in western Ivory Coast, where rebels allied with Ouattara have seized control of a nearly 30-mile corridor along the country’s border with Liberia.

Hopes linger for a negotiated solution, even after a high-level African Union panel of five presidents extended its timeline for mediation by a month. Previous attempts to mediate have fallen flat after Gbagbo rejected offers of amnesty, exile and teaching positions in the United States. — Agencies

LONDON: Britain’s Prince Andrew faced growing calls to quit as an unpaid trade ambassador over his ties with a convicted US sex offender and his business relationship with Kazakhstan’s ruling family. The prince’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy businessman jailed for soliciting underage prostitutes, led to accusations from one opposition politician that Andrew had become an “embarrassment”. David Cameron’s spokesman said Queen Elizabeth II’s second son had the prime minister’s full support, but a government source admitted “there won’t be many tears shed if he resigns”.

The prince’s spokesman denounced “insinuations” in press reporting of the prince’s relationship with Epstein, but the row is an unwelcome distraction for the royals just weeks before the wedding of his nephew, Prince William, and Kate Middleton on April 29. Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson became embroiled in the row Monday after it emerged that Epstein gave her £15,000 ($24,000, 17,000 euros) at the prince’s request to help pay off her reported multi-millionpound debts.

She told London’s Evening Standard newspaper that the prince was a “first-rate father and first-rate man ... who does not know how to tell an untruth or behave dishonorably”. “I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me,” she said, adding that taking his money was a “gigantic error of judgment on my behalf”. Royal Navy commander Andrew, fourth in line to the throne, has been Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment since 2001. His is unpaid but his expenses are met from the government coffers.

Cameron’s spokesman said the prime minister had confidence in the prince and “thinks he is doing a good job”. “We are not reviewing that role in any way,” he said. “We think he makes a valuable contribution, and so does British business.” Some reports suggested that as a top royal, Andrew, 51, would not be asked to resign but would merely see his role substantially downgraded. But Chris Bryant, of the opposition Labor Party, said the prince should give up the position completely. “I

think we should be dispensing with his services. I think the charge list against him is so long now that he is a bit of an embarrassment,” Bryant told the BBC. The Telegraph newspaper also urged Andrew to quit, saying in yesterday’s editorial: “He should have the decency to withdraw gracefully from his ambassadorial post, for his best days as a UK trade envoy are assuredly behind him.” Business Secretary Vince Cable refuted suggestions that ministers would try to reduce the prince’s remit. “He is a volunteer, he has offered to perform these roles, and I think it is down to him essentially to judge the position he wants to be in,” Cable said.

Andrew was reportedly a frequent guest at Epstein’s home in Florida, and newspapers have published a photograph of him with his arm around 17-year-old Virginia Roberts, reportedly an erotic masseuse who worked for the tycoon. There is no suggestion that Andrew himself has done anything wrong, and Alastair Watson, the prince’s private secretary, condemned the speculation. “The duke

has known Mr. Epstein since being introduced to him in the early 1990s. The insinuations and innuendos that have been made in relation to the duke are without foundation,” Watson said in a letter Saturday to The Times.

Meanwhile, Andrew also faces questions over why the head of Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund believed that the prince was lobbying British investors on its behalf, The Times reported yesterday.

Four years ago, the prince sold his former marital home to the son-in-law of the Kazakh president for 3 million pounds ($4.8 million) over the asking price, the paper claimed. The 12-bedroom Sunninghill Park mansion in south east England, a wedding gift from the queen, remains uninhabited after the sale which was arranged by glamorous Kazakh socialite Goga Ashkenazi.

Diplomatic cables released by the WikiLeaks website last year showed US officials were shocked by the “rude” prince’s “astonishing display of candour” during a business trip to Kyrgyzstan. — AFP

Terror suspect nabbed in UK LONDON: British police said yesterday they had arrested a 30-year-old foreign national in Scotland in connection with a December suicide bombing in Stockholm. The man was detained in a dawn raid in Glasgow on suspicion of “aiding terrorist activities” abroad, police said. Officers were also thought to be searching two other addresses in the city.

British authorities had been investigating any links to the Swedish attack the country’s first suicide bombing-following the revelation that the bomber, Taymour Abdelwahab, had lived and studied near London.

“At 06:05 am (0605 GMT) on Tuesday, March 8th, Strathclyde Police conducted an operation in the Whiteinch area of Glasgow,” a police statement said. “This has resulted in a 30-year-old foreign national being arrested under the Terrorism Act. The operation centres on a previous incident in Sweden. “It was intelligence-led and relates to allega-

tions that this individual has been involved in aiding terrorist activities outside Scotland.”The statement added that there was “no evidence” to suggest the arrested man posed any direct threat to Scotland.

In Stockholm, Swedish intelligence police and prosecutors said they had cooperated with Scottish police in the probe. “The arrest in Scotland is a result of the Scottish police investigation and a cooperation between Scotland and Sweden within the framework for international legal assistance, as well as a good cooperation between prosecutors and the police authorities,” Swedish intelligence agency Saepo said in a statement.

“The investigation so far shows that there may be a connection between the arrested person and the terror crime in Stockholm on December 11, something the continued investigative work in Scotland will have to show,” the statement added. —AFP

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

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

Obama lifts freeze on Gitmo military trials Closing Guantanamo still ‘a goal but no timeline’

Gary Locke

Obama taps Locke for ambassador in China WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama plans to nominate Chinese-American Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as the new US ambassador to China to replace Jon Huntsman, who is mulling a White House bid. An official confirmed the nomination on condition of anonymity, ahead of a formal announcement that could come. Locke, a former governor of Washington state, has been dealing with China in various capacities for decades and was a key player in forging trade links with the Asian giant even before becoming Commerce secretary.

He has also recently been among US officials who have urged China to do more to open its markets and to loosen currency controls on the yuan. If Locke is confirmed by the Senate, his arrival in Beijing will complete a poignant personal story, after his grandfather emigrated from China, arriving by steamship from Taishan in Guangdong province, to settle in Washington state.

Locke’s father also was born in China and worked in a grocery store in the United States, paving the way for his son to profit from a US education before training as a lawyer and entering politics.

Huntsman announced last month he would resign, amid reports that he may seek the Republican nomination in 2012 to unseat Obama. Locke was the first Chinese-American state governor in US history and forged a reputation of nurturing ties with his ancestral homeland, meeting former president Jiang Zemin and current Chinese leader Hu Jintao on a long string of trade missions. He even established a trade representative in Guangzhou, a booming provincial capital in southern China and his visits introduced numerous companies from Washington state to China.

His efforts helped more than double the Pacific Northwest state’s exports to China to top $5 billion per year. When Obama introduces him as his pick for ambassador he will likely stress Locke’s credentials for drumming up exports and jobs which gel with his own theme of expanding foreign markets in a bid to cut high US unemployment. When he named Locke as Commerce secretary in 2009, he praised Locke’s heritage as part of a classic “American story.” The president, whose late father was Kenyan, recalled how Locke’s grandfather had no family in the United States and did not speak English. However, he “found work as a servant and purpose in a dream.”

Locke earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Yale University. He served as a deputy county prosecutor before being elected to Washington state’s House of Representatives. Between 1989 and 1994 he served as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and was responsible for overseeing the state budget. In 1996, he was elected governor with 58 percent of the vote. — AFP

Pakistan may indict CIA contractor for murder LAHORE: A Pakistani court is likely to indict a CIA contractor next week for murdering two men, lawyers said yesterday, despite US insistence he has diplomatic immunity, acted in self-defense and should be released. The arrest of American contractor Raymond Davis, 36, who shot dead two Pakistanis in the eastern city of Lahore on Jan 27 in what he said in was an act of self-defense, has put grave strains on relations between the United States and its important ally Pakistan.

“The lawyers of the victims pleaded that David be charged, but we contested it could not happen until we get complete documents on the case,” Davis’ lawyer, Zahid Hussain Bokhari said. “He is probably going to be charged with murder at the next hearing, which is on March 16.” Before the next murder hearing, Davis has a hearing at the Lahore High Court on March 14 which could determine if he has diplomatic immunity and should be released. Asad Manzoor Butt, lawyer for the family of one of the victims, said Davis declined to sign police documents but that later Bokhari signed them on his behalf. The case has inflamed anti-American sentiment in Pakistan and is testing the often-fraught ties between the allies.

Hard line religious parties, which have been campaigning vociferously to prevent any reform of the blasphemy law, have called for Davis to be hanged. US Officials said progress was being made to persuade Pakistan to free Davis but that Washington could take punitive diplomatic and financial action if the case was not resolved soon.

Pakistani government officials say it is for the country’s courts to decide the fate of the CIA contractor. The hearing is taking place behind closed doors in Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore for security reasons. The proceedings are closed to journalists.

Davis, a former US special forces officer, has been accused of double-murder and keeping illegal weapons. He faces possible execution. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama lifted a two-year freeze on new military trials at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and suggested on Monday the US Congress was hurting national security by blocking his attempts to move some trials into US civilian courts. In an apparent acknowledgment that the Guantanamo detention camp won’t be shut down any time soon, Obama also outlined procedures for reviews to be held at least every four years for prisoners held indefinitely without charge or trial.

Obama suspended new trials at the Guantanamo tribunals, which had been heavily criticized as unfair, when he announced his review of detainee policy in early 2009 and vowed just after becoming president that he would close the camp. Administration officials said Obama still wants to close the prison, which they have called a recruiting tool for anti-American militants, but gave no timeframe.

Obama had tried, and failed, to overcome objections by Republicans and some of his fellow Democrats in Congress to transferring some detainees to US prisons and trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the Sept 11 attacks, and others in federal courts. The

administration has also struggled to convince other countries to accept detainees. Obama said on Monday he still wanted some-all terrorism suspectsto face civilian trials, and resistance to doing so undermined US counter-terrorism efforts.

“I strongly believe that the American system of justice is a key part of our arsenal in the war against Al Qaeda and its affiliates, and we will continue to draw on all aspects of our justice systemincluding Article III courts (US federal courts) - to ensure that our security and our values are strengthened,” Obama said in a statement.

Obama also issued an executive order on Monday establishing a process to continue to hold some Guantanamo detainees who have been neither charged, convicted nor designated for transfer but are deemed to pose a threat to US security.

He ordered reviews of the determination that some detainees were so dangerous they must be held without charge, with a review for each coming as quickly as possible, but no later than one year from the order.

The first round of new charges against detainees could come within days or

weeks, a senior administration official said. Obama also said he would ask the Senate to ratify additions to the Geneva conventions that safeguard the rights of victims of conflicts within nations, such as the one in Afghanistan, as opposed to those between nations. Afghanistan has signed that protocol, and some experts said the United States signing could give Washington the option of transferring detainees to Afghanistan.

Administration officials said on Monday the camp system had already been improved by measures including banning the use of statements taken as a result of cruel treatment and a better system for handling classified information.

Rights activists were disappointed. Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, said the best way to get out of “the Guantanamo morass” would be to use the US courts.

“Instead, the Obama administration has chosen to institutionalize unlawful, indefinite detentions and to revive illegitimate military commissions, which will do nothing to remove the stain on America’s reputation that Guantanamo represents,” she said. There are still 172 detainees at Guantanamo. About three

dozen were set for prosecution in either US criminal courts or military commissions. There were 242 detainees when Obama took office. Many have been held there for more than nine years.

“The president’s ongoing commitment to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay holds,” a senior administration official said. “We’ve done a lot of legwork in the service of closing Guantanamo bay,” he said. The White House blasted some members of Congress who sought to “undermine” efforts to bring Guantanamo defendants to justice, pointing particularly to restrictions enacted in December on prosecuting detainees in federal courts.

Congressional responses to Monday’s announcement were along party lines, with Democrats supporting Obama and Republicans criticizing him for failing to work with Congress to come up with a long-term plan for holding detainees.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he hoped the new trials would start soon.

“The administration’s earlier decision to bring the 9/11 plotters into our communities for civilian trials was a horrible idea that rightly drew widespread opposition,” he said. — Reuters

US charges three in global Ponzi scheme WASHINGTON: US authorities charged three men, including two Venezuelans, with running a Ponzi scheme that cost investors from around the world hundreds of millions of dollars, officials said Monday.

Francisco Illarramendi, 42, pleaded guilty in federal court in Connecticut to wire fraud and other charges linked a hedge fund he managed, said US Attorney David Fein. “As a result of the scheme, the investors and creditors of Illarramendi’s funds face potential losses of hundreds of millions of dollars,” the prosecutor’s office said.

A Justice Department statement said FBI agents last week arrested the other two suspects-Juan Carlos Guillen Zerpa, 43, and Juan Carlos Horna Napolitano, 40 - in Florida on federal criminal complaints in the case.

Guillen is an accountant and Venezuelan citizen, and Horna is a Venezuelan citizen living in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Prosecutors said that Illarramendi, who acted as an investment adviser to certain hedge funds, covered up massive losses from around 2006 “by engaging in a scheme to defraud and mislead his investors and creditors to prevent the truth about the losses from being discovered.”

This included a scheme to create fraudulent documents, “including a bogus debt instrument and a phony letter purporting to have been issued by an investment bank,” to show that the Short Term Liquidity Fund (STLF) had at least $275 million in fictitious credits. In pleading guilty, Illarramendi admitted that he used money provided by new investors to the funds to pay out the

returns he promised to earlier investors, and made other false representations to his investors and creditors.

Guillen and Horna allegedly agreed to create documentation to back up the false claims for the fund. “This investigation has revealed that Francisco Illarramendi operated a massive Ponzi scheme that has defrauded foreign investors of hundreds of millions of dollars,” stated Fein.

“While the precise dollar losses will not be known for some time, based on this fast-moving investigation, we believe this case represents the largest whitecollar prosecution ever brought by this office.” Guillen and Horna are each charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding. — AFP

18 killed as gangs battle Mexican Drug violence surges

ARLINGTON: President Barack Obama pictured with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard during their visit to Advance Placement History Class at Wakefield High School in Arlington, VA. — AP

Gillard, Obama bond but Vegemite gets a pasting WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama welcomed Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard for her first official White House visit Monday, praising the sacrifices of a key Pacific ally in the Afghan war. The leaders, who first met in Japan in November, sought to forge a personal bond, tossing an Australian football in the Oval Office and swapping banter about the Down Under delicacy Vegemite, in front of delighted schoolchildren.

The formal portion of Gillard’s visit to Washington features a key speech to US business leaders, expected to include a call for bold US economic leadership and a fight against protectionism. Today, Gillard will have the rare honor of making an address to a joint session of the US Congress. Obama and Gillard said they discussed the uprisings in the Middle East, key Asia-Pacific security and economic issues and the fact their nations were “great mates” linked by a pioneering spirit and love of the outdoors.

Obama praised Australia’s “extraordinary contribution” to the war in Afghanistan, noting it had paid a heavy price with the largest contingent of forces of any non-NATO member of the coalition. “We have no stronger ally than Australia,” Obama said in marking the 60th anniversary of the formal alliance between the two nations. Gillard agreed that fighting in Afghanistan was “hard” but swore personal commitment to the mission, which is due to begin transition-

ing control to Afghan forces later this year.

She said she spoke with Obama about the need to maintain the G20 summit of developed and developing nations as a driver of economic growth and job creation. The Australian leader also expressed hope for “major progress” at the next Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Hawaii to be hosted by Obama in November.

She stressed Australia’s backing for the nascent Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional free trade grouping being negotiated by nine nations also involving the United States. Obama had twice been due to visit Australia last year, but put off the trip due to weighty domestic political crises, and has not rescheduled it.

Asked by Australian journalists when he would make the visit, Obama did not commit to a date but said he was looking forward to returning to a country he visited as an eight-year-old boy with his late mother. “I had a wonderful time, everybody treated me wonderfully and I hope I get a chance to get back there soon,” he said. After their talks, the leaders made an unannounced visit to a Washington area school. To the amusement of pupils in Arlington, Virginia, Gillard mounted a staunch defense of the Australian staple Vegemite. But Obama turned up his nose, and proclaimed “It’s horrible.” “It’s like a quasi-vegetable-byproduct paste-that you smear on your toast for breakfast. Sounds good, doesn’t it?” Obama said. — AFP

CULIACAN: Gunbattles between rival gangs killed 18 people in a northeastern Mexican town Monday, a day after seven police officers and an inmate died in an ambush of a convoy transporting prisoners in western Mexico. The fighting in the town of Abasolo erupted Monday morning and left at least 18 people dead, the Tamaulipas state government said in a three-sentence statement that offered no details. It said state and federal security forces had arrived in the town to restore order and investigate. The shooting came a month after shootings in the nearby town of Padilla also killed 18 people, several of them innocent bystanders.

Tamaulipas has been wracked by a turf war between the Zetas and Gulf cartels, and information on violence in some of the smaller towns is notoriously scarce. Often official confirmation does not come for hours or days, leaving residents to cower in their homes and communicate through social media.

Tamaulipas residents sent Twitter messages about Monday’s shootings hours before the government confirmed the bloodshed. Some tweets warned people to stay indoors and others demanded official information. Under constant threat from drug gangs, the Tamaulipas state media often ignore drug-gang violence completely.

In northwestern Sinaloa state, meanwhile, gunmen swarmed a convoy transporting two prisoners, shredding three police vehicles with bullets and killing seven officers and one inmate, Sinaloa state Attorney General Marco Antonio Higuera said Monday. Six officers and the second inmate were wounded. Attackers traveling in about 20 vehicles caught the police convoy in a crossfire Sunday near

the city of Guasave, Sinaloa state Attorney General Marco Antonio Higuera said. “ The patrol vehicles were destroyed. It was practically a massacre,” Higuera said. “Initial reports indicate there were 1,200 shell casings at the scene.”

The three state police patrol vehicles were traveling to the state capital of Culiacan when they came under fire from attackers who apparently lay in wait on a highway. Higuera said the officers fought off a first attack but were later caught in concentrated fire from a larger number of vehicles. Federal police, meanwhile, said a newly captured leader of the Zetas drug cartel revealed it has a non-aggression pact with three other gangs - the Juarez, Beltran Leyva and Arellano Felix organizations. While the four gangs are not known recently to have been fighting major turf wars with each other, it was the first mention of a formal truce between them.

The alleged Zetas leader, Marcos Carmona Hernandez, was arrested Monday in the southern state of Oaxaca, said Ramon Pequeno, the federal police anti-narcotics chief. Hernandez, 29, allegedly took over command of Zetas operations in Oaxaca after the Jan. 17 arrest of his reputed predecessor, Flavio Mendez Santiago. Pequeno said Hernandez is suspected of several kidnappings and murders and allegedly had the collaboration of corrupt state and municipal police. Pequeno said Hernandez revealed the non-aggression pact to police, the latest insight into Mexico’s drug underworld of shifting alliances. The agreement, however, appeared to be confirmation of reality more than a game-changer. — AP

CIUDAD JUAREZ: Federal police officers and forensic workers inspect the crime scene where 5 people were shot to death in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez. — AP

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Court upholds order removing Yunus as bank head DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court yesterday upheld an order removing Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus as head of the microlending bank he founded, a move his allies say was prompted by a government vendetta over his political ambitions. Yunus, 70, had been removed as head of Grameen Bank last week by the central bank at the government ’s behest on the grounds that he had stayed on past the legal retirement age of 60. The H igh Cour t struck down Yunus’s petition, saying that his serving as the bank ’s managing direc tor beyond age 60 was illegal.

“Hence he must vacate the post,” the court added.

Yu n u s w a s a b s e n t f r o m court when the rule was issued. In 2007, while Bangladesh was ruled by an interim military government, Yunus tried to set up a political party, but later stepped back from the idea, saying it would not sit well with Bangladesh’s traditional poli t i c s a n d c yc l e s o f u n re s t .

Though Yunus was unlikely t o p o s e a t h r e a t t o Pr i m e Minister Sheikh Hasina, his proposed par ty could well have challenged the prime minister’s party because of his popularity among poor voters.

Rokanuddin Mahmud, one of Yunus’ attorneys, told Reuters: “The court summarily rejected the petition and we don’t know the details. We have advised Professor Yunus to go for appeal and he gave his consent. We may appeal tomorrow.” Another lawyer, S a ra H o s s a i n , te r m e d t h e High Court judgment “abnormal, unimaginable and surprising”. “Today is a sad day for the whole nation,” she added. On the eve of yesterday’s court ruling, Yunus said his dismissal had been staged

by Hasina’s government as part of its drive to take over the bank. “ This is a bank owned by poor women and that’s right now under threat because our government somehow feels ... that they would like to take

control of the bank,” Yunus said by videolink to a panel on microfinance in Washington.

Action against Yunus coincides with increasing criticism of microlending in developing

countries, including neighboring India, with officials accusing bankers of exploiting the poor. But analysts said the dismissal would annoy the countr y ’s friends, including the

United States, and could even provoke protests within the country. Thousands of protesters marched through Dhaka last weekend to denounce Yunus’s removal.

DHAKA: Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus smiles as he arrives at the High Court in Dhaka. —AP

Akbar Ali Khan, a former adviser to the 2007 caretaker government said: “It ( Yunus dismissal from Grameen) is not merely a legal issue, rather it is a matter of upholding the interest of the poor people. “I appeal to the government to reconsider the decision of the central bank and believe there is still room for discussion... (to resolve the issue amicably).

O ther wise, the (Grameen) institution will be eventually destroyed.”

Yunus has said he wants to step down from his position but at a time of his choosing to ensure a smooth transition for what he calls an institution “of the people”. Yunus set up Grameen, which means village in Bengali, and has been its managing director since 2000. Lauded abroad by politicians and financiers, he has been under attack by the government since late last year, after a Norwegian documentary alleged the b a n k w a s d o d gi n g t a xe s.

Yunus has denied any financial irregularities. —Reuters

Karzai blasts West Civilian casualties anger Afghans

NEW DELHI: India’s ruling United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi (in blue) greets a crowd of women at her residence on International Women’s Day yesterday. —AP

India’s Congress Party, coalition ally near deal NEW DELHI: India’s Congress party and a key ally appeared closer to a deal yesterday to keep the ruling coalition with a parliamentary majority after threats to quit the government sparked worries of instability in Asia’s third-largest economy. The controversy, sparked by a disagreement over seat-sharing for a state election in April, was another blow for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is fighting a series of corruption scandals and high inflation that have weakened his government.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party has 18 seats and gives the ruling Congress a parliamentary majority of one. A pull-out would force Congress to search for other allies or continue as a minority government dependent on conditional support from other parties. The coalition was not in danger of collapse even if the DMK ministers left because the party said it would continue to give conditional support to the government. But instability could hit any hopes of economic reforms.

There were signs that the two sides were closer to patching up as meetings continued on Tuesday, albeit without a quick resolution. The office of M.K. Alagiri, a senior DMK member who is leading the negotiations, told Reuters that DMK leaders were staying in Delhi to work out a compromise. “We have more talks continuing into this evening. You will have to wait until then. We have 4-5 more hours today,” TKS Elangovan, DMK party spokesperson, told reporters. The intervention of Congress head Sonia Gandhi, India’s most powerful politician who normally stays

above the fray, signaled a far greater intent for the ruling party to forge a consensus.

“This is nothing more than hard bargaining for seats so natural in an alliance, just muscle flexing. It’s not a major issue,” an unnamed Congress official told The Hindu newspaper.

For years the two main national parties, Congress and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have depended on regional parties for support in government. Several governments have fallen early on scandals and controversies, but since 1999 both Congress and the BJP have survived their full terms. Ties between the Congress and the DMK have been strained since former telecoms minister A. Raja, a DMK member, was fired for selling 2G telecom licenses at low prices which an audit said had cost the government up to $39 billion. The Congress party spokesman said there was no sign of a breakthrough so far, with a possible rapprochement being steered by Congress minister and senior negotiator Ghulam Nabi Azad. “There is no development so far. If anything comes out we will let you know,” Janardan Dwivedi said by phone.

Congress could also seek support from other regional groups to boost its numbers in parliament as few parties, including the BJP, wanted an election more than three years ahead of schedule. Analysts said it looked increasingly likely Congress and the DMK would patch things up, as each was weaker without the other. Singh’s coalition has 273 members in the 545-seat lower house of parliament. —Reuters

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai stepped up criticism of Western institutions and military forces yesterday, accusing them of acting at crossed purposes and deepening rifts reopened by a spate of civilian casualties. The criticism came on the second day of a visit by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates intended to assess security progress but clouded by Afghan anger over the mistaken killing of nine boys in a NATO air strike last week.

With ties between Washington and Kabul at their lowest point in more than a year-and Afghanistan facing a series of security milestones within weeks-Gates arrived in Afghanistan on Monday to be met by a storm of complaints.

Karzai says that civilian casualties are the greatest strain on relations with Washington and that international concern has also grown, the fallout from recent incidents threatening to hamper peace and reconciliation efforts. Karzai has come under criticism from the West lately over corruption and governance issues, most specifically over his government’s handling of a private banking crisis that has put hundreds of millions of dollars at risk and could lead to the International Monetar y Fund withdrawing its suppor t for Afghanistan.

With Gates visiting troops in the Taleban heartland in southern Afghanistan, Karzai ratcheted up his complaints, repeating criticism that “parallel institutions” like reconstruction teams were undermining Afghan effor ts.

Likening tribal police units being set up by NATO-led forces to “militias”, he also singled out private security firms and military/civilian provincial reconstruction teams as impediments to the development of Afghan institutions.

“These institutions are against the progress of the Afghan government. If you really want a strong government, then you

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai gives speeches during a gathering to mark the International Women’s Day in Kabul yesterday. —AP should remove these obstacles,” Karzai said in a speech. US and NATO-led forces are working to build up Afghan security forces so that foreign combat troops can leave by 2014, an ambitious timetable set by Karzai and agreed to by NATO leaders at a summit last year. Gates said on Monday progress made against Taleban-led insurgents in recent months meant U.S. and coalition forces would be well-positioned to meet U.S. President Barack Obama’s pledge to begin a gradual withdrawal of troops from July.

The scale and timing of that district-by-district withdrawal is still being discussed. Karzai is due to announce the transition timetable on March 21. But the controversy over civilian casualties, which flared up last week when NATO helicopters accidentally gunned down nine Afghan boys collecting firewood, has clouded discussions about the security transfer, peace and rec-

insurgents cause more than three-quarters of civilian casualties, but it is those caused by foreign forces which upset ordinary Afghans the most.

Violence is at its worst across Afghanistan since the Taleban were ousted in late 2001 despite the presence of about 150,000 foreign troops, two-thirds of them Americans. Gates visited US Marines in Sangin in southern Helmand province, where many of an extra 30,000 troops ordered into Afghanistan by Obama were sent last year. “In the five months since you arrived, you’ve killed or captured or driven away most of the Taleban,” Gates told a unit from which about two dozen Marines have been killed. US commanders, however, expect a renewed spring offensive from the Taleban. Colonel Jason Morris, commander of a unit in Sabit Qadam in Sangin, said insurgents would try to push US forces back out “as soon as the leaves are back on the trees”.—Reuters

Car bomb kills 25 in Pakistan

Indian students in US keen to return home NEW DELHI: Only eight percent of Indians in postgraduate education in the United States “strongly prefer” to stay in the country after finishing their studies, a survey said yesterday. Researchers at Rutgers University, Pennsylvania State University and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences studied the intentions of 1,000 students who are doing or have completed masters, PhDs or post-doctorate qualifications. A majority, or 53 percent, of them planned to return home from the United States after a few years of work, while a fifth of the 1,000 respondents (21 percent) said they were either in India already or were actively looking to return.

Sixteen percent said they would take the best job regardless of location, while “only 8.0 percent strongly prefer to remain in the US,” the study concluded. Another 2.0 percent were classed as “other”. The findings show that India is luring back an increasing amount of overseas talent to its own colleges, university faculties and companies, reflecting the shift in global economic power from the West to Asia. Economists are beginning to speculate about a “reverse brain-drain,” the inversion of the long-standing trend that has seen talented individuals from developing countries study and then work in the West. —AFP

onciliation. Obama, Gates and General David Petraeus, commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, have all apologized over the killing of the boys.

Gates described it as a “setback”.

Karzai said apologies were not enough and casualties caused by foreign forces hunting insurgents were “no longer acceptable”. “I don’t think we listen to President Karzai very well,” Gates told FOX news channel’s Special Report late on Monday. “Many of the issues he eventually takes public are issues he has been addressing with us in private for a long time. Civilian casualties, for example, he was raising when I first came to this job four years ago,” Gates said. Relations between Kabul and Washington all but broke down completely after a similar spate of civilian casualties in late 2009, forcing US and NATO commanders to tighten rules governing the use of air strikes and night raids for its troops. UN figures show that

FAISALABAD: A Pakistani rescue worker examines a wreckage after a bomb blast in Faisalabad, Pakistan yesterday. A car bomb outside a gas station killed many people and wounded more than 100. —AP

ISLAMABAD: A car bomb outside a gas station in Pakistan’s third largest city killed 25 and wounded more than 100 people yesterday, underscoring the reach of Al-Qaeda and Taleban militants in the US-allied nation. The blast badly damaged the station and an office of Pakistan’s state-run airline in eastern Faisalabad city, though the initial target was not immediately clear. The district in the important industrial city is home to commercial, police and government buildings.

Islamist militants seeking to overthrow the government have bombed hundreds of police, army, commercial and civilian targets in Pakistan over the past three years. Most have been in the northwest close to the Afghan border where the insurgents are at their strongest.

Yesterday’s bombing apparently caused secondary explosions at the fuel station, adding to the destruction, Faisalabad police chief Aftab Cheema said.

TV footage showed piles of bricks, and chunks of twisted metal from cars strewn across the neighborhood. Rescue workers struggled to pull victims out of the rubble. Cheema said 20 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded. “This was a terrorist activity,” he said.

Faisalabad, 160 miles south of Islamabad, is home to Pakistan’s textile industry.

Militants have rarely struck there, but it lies in Punjab province, where Islamist extremist groups have deep roots and are believed to be growing in strength.

The US has pushed Pakistan to crack down on Islamist extremist groups in its borders, saying they threaten not only Western troops engaged in the Afghan war effort but also the stability of Pakistan itself. The army has launched offensives in the northwest, but questions remain over whether the state has fully severed ties with extremist networks it once supported for foreign policy goals.—AP

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N Korea seeks to earn hard currency via carbon credits SEOUL: Impoverished North Korea, facing sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, hopes to earn much-needed hard currency by selling UN-backed carbon offsets from a series of hydropower projects. If approved and registered by the United Nations, these would be the first projects for North Korea under a scheme called the Clean Development Mechanism. This scheme allows developing countries to earn tradeable carbon credits for emissions reductions from

clean-energy projects.

But some analysts questioned the demand for carbon credits from North Korea, with fears the money might be siphoned off to nuclear arms or other military projects. The government has asked the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany, which focuses on humanitarian issues, to act as a gobetween by working with UN-approved verification agency TUV NORD. According to Bernhard Seliger, the foundation’s

representative in South Korea, North Korea is initially looking at trying to get approval for three hydro power plants of between 7 and 8 megawatts.

Seliger said he visited the three hydro-plant construction sites in the north east corner of the country in January. In a statement to Reuters, TUV NORD confirmed the Hanns Seidel Foundation had engaged their services.

“In this respect, TUV NORD intends to verify

hydropower dams in North Korea once pre registered with United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCC) via the Beijing branch of its Chinese subsidiary T‹V NORD Guangzhou,” it said. If registered, the plants could yield millions of euros over several years. Beijingbased lawyer Tom Luckock, who specializes in projects that curb greenhouse gas emissions, estimated that an 8 megawatt hydro plant could yield about 23,000 UN offsets a year. —Reuters

News

in brief

Philippine contraception bill MANILA: Philippine lawmakers yesterday opened debate on a reproductive health bill that seeks to improve access to information on contraception but faces strong opposition from the influential Roman Catholic bishops. The church, a major social and political force in the poor Southeast Asian state, has blocked similar legislative measures since the 1990s and has denounced President Benigno Aquino’s support for contraception. The Philippines has one of Asia’s fastest-growing populations, which is nearing 100 million people, and slowing the increase is seen as one way of fighting poverty. “Without a clear policy on reproductive health, government’s antipoverty strategies will continue to be undermined by a ballooning population as an inordinately huge population growth rate aggravates existing poverty,” congressman Edcel Lagman said. “The overriding purpose of this provision is to preempt the Congress and the Supreme Court from legalizing abortion,” Lagman, an opposition lawmaker, said in his sponsorship speech. Abortion is illegal in the Philippines, and the bill would not change that.

Mahathir defends legacy in memoir KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad released his memoir yesterday, defending decisions he made during a 22-year rule that critics say was marred by human rights abuses. Mahathir, who was one of Asia’s longest-serving leaders when he retired in 2003, maintains in his book that his policies were in the country’s best interests, but says he regrets that “the epithet ‘authoritarian’ appears without fail in all my detractors’ assessments of me.” “I had tried my best although I cannot be a judge of my own work,” the 85year-old Mahathir says. “It is up to the people of today and the future to pass judgment.” The 800-page book titled “A Doctor In The House,” a reference to Mahathir’s former medical career - hit stores in a blaze of publicity.

Bookstore chain MPH displayed posters declaring the autobiography is “set to be the best-selling book of 2011.”

Mahathir’s frank, personal writing provides rare glimpses into every phase of his life. He recounts his childhood in a poor northern Malaysian neighborhood that “verged on being a slum,” with “stinking earth drains and black scum floating on the water.”

SOUTH CHINA SEA: In this file photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, a warship launches a missile during a live-ammunition military drill held by the South China Sea Fleet of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in the South China Sea. — AP

Chinese growing military worries neighbors LONDON: China is building its military capability at a rapid pace but it remains a “regional power with regional concerns”, the think tank IISS said in its annual report on the world’s armies yesterday. The respected International Institute for Strategic Studies said that despite the effects of the global financial crisis, the 7.5 percent growth in the Chinese defense budget in 2010 was greater than most countries. Such growth “continued to provoke concern”, the London-based group said in its “Military Balance 2011” study.

However, it said China’s primary focus was regional, pointing to the status of Taiwanwhich Beijing still claims as part of its territo-

ry to be reunified by force if necessary-and disputes in the East and South China Seas as Beijing’s overriding concerns. “By and large, China remains a regional power with regional concerns, as demonstrated in 2010 by a series of exercises, construction projects and equipment purchases,” it said. But the report underlined that the world’s military powers were watching China warily as it begins “tentatively to explore operations further afield”.

Those concerns heightened on Friday when China announced a double-digit rise its defense budget in 2011, with spending to increase 12.7 percent to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.5 billion). That was a return to normal service for China-the 7.5 percent rise last

Thai unrest worsening BANGKOK: Violence is escalating in Thailand’s insurgency-hit deep south, the Thai government said yesterday following a string of bomb and gun attacks in the Muslim-majority region. “I concede that the violent unrest is increasing, but our officials are determined to work to their utmost ability” to resolve the problem, Tawin Pleansri, secretary general of the National Security Council, told reporters. “It is difficult to oversee such a wide area. Although fewer incidents occurred, they were more serious,” he said. Shadowy Islamic militants have waged an insurgency in Thailand’s southernmost region bordering Malaysia since early 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead, including both Muslims and Buddhists. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva acknowledged that the recent killings appeared to be a response by militants to the government’s security operations in the region. “They are trying to incite conflict among local people,” he added. Violence appears to have intensified recently, with a series of bomb attacks in the region, including one in January which killed nine people. An unusually bold attack a week earlier on a military base left at least four soldiers dead.

Indonesia, Philippines boost anti-terror fight JAKARTA: Indonesia and the Philippines yesterday pledged to boost cooperation in the fight against terror during the first visit to Jakarta by Philippine President Benigno Aquino. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the two countries have agreed to hasten negotiations on delineating maritime boundaries to tackle “real and concrete” terrorism threats they both face.

“Terrorism has national, regional and global networks. In Southeast Asia, terrorists and their leaders have high mobility,” he told reporters at a joint press conference with Aquino. “There must not be in Southeast Asia what is called a safe haven for terrorism,” he added. Aquino said intelligence and training exchanges between the two countries’ security forces are ongoing, but it will be “criminal” if the governments did not explore all avenues to stop terrorists crossing marine borders. “If we’re to treat them as isolated incidents, we’re in effect strengthening their capacities to go in and out to inflict harm,” he added. “Once we delineate... our maritime boundaries, we’ll enhance the coverage of the prevention of the migration of terror networks from inflicting harm on our respective people,” he added.

DNA evidence against Anwar expunged KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won a key victory in his sodomy trial yesterday as DNA evidence that the prosecution had linked with his accuser was ruled inadmissible. The High Court’s decision is a major boost for Anwar, a former deputy premier who was jailed on separate sex and corruption counts a decade ago, and who faces 20 years in jail if found guilty of the new charges. The court found that a toothbrush, mineral water bottle and a hand towel taken from the lock-up where Anwar was held overnight after his arrest in July 2008 were improperly obtained. “I find that in this case the DNA samples from the three items... were obtained by unfair means from the accused,” said judge Zabidin Mohamed Diah, adding that they were to be “excluded from evidence”. Anwar was in high spirits after the decision, which means the prosecution will now have to rely on the evidence of the accuser, his former aide Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who said he was sodomized at an upmarket condominium. “I am grateful for the verdict and this just further supports what I have said, that I am being persecuted unfairly by the authorities in their bid to silence me,” Anwar told reporters. Government chemists have testified that DNA evidence from the items taken from the lock-up-identified only as “male DNA”-matched samples taken from 25-year-old Saiful.

year broke with a multi-year trend of doubledigit percentage increases in Chinese military spending. The IISS said however that China’s goal of closing the technological gap with the West could be undermined by “serious structural weaknesses”. “One overarching problem is the widespread duplication and balkanization of industrial and research facilities,” it said.

Factories producing arms are scattered around the vast country “and often possess outdated manufacturing and research attributes”, it said. Elsewhere in Asia, the IISS said North Korea’s military ranks as the fourthlargest in the world, with only China, the United States and India ahead of it.

Approximately five percent of North Korea’s estimated population of 24 million are active military personnel “and these forces are equipped with a substantial array of military equipment”, the study says.

The North sparked regional security fears in November when it disclosed an apparently functional uranium enrichment plant to visiting US experts. The announcement raised concerns that the reclusive Stalinist state could produce highly-enriched weapons-grade uranium on top of the plutonium it already possesses. The IISS said North Korea-which has carried out two nuclear weapons tests-has enough plutonium to produce four to eight warheads.—AFP

S Korea unveils military reforms Seoul sending ‘a message’ to Pyongyang

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan reacts during an upper house budget committee session at parliament yesterday. —AP

Japan PM under fire Kan struggling with deadlock in split parliament TOKYO: An aide to a powerbroker in Japan’s ruling party publicly called for unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan to quit yesterday, adding to the leader’s woes as he faces pressure to step down or call a snap election. The vice farm minister also floated the possibility of the premier resigning, media said, as Kan struggles to get a divided parliament to enact a $1 trillion budget from April while keeping his party from splintering.

Kenko Matsuki, a lawmaker close to Kan’s rival in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), criticized Kan for hanging on to his job. “It is important that Prime Minister Naoto Kan resign as soon as possible,” Matsuki told reporters. Matsuki’s call underscores the difficulties facing Kan, who suffered a fresh blow this week when his foreign minister abruptly quit over a political donation scandal and deepened the impression of a government in disarray.

Kan, whose public support rating has slumped to around 20 percent, has said that he wants to stay on and some analysts have said he may be able cling on to his post since it is unclear if the opposition would cooperate on policies even if he quit. He is Japan’s fifth leader since 2006 and has no clear successor in sight after the resignation of the foreign minister, who had been a strong contender.

Doubts remain over Kan’s ability to push key measures through parliament, including bills to implement the budget for the

coming fiscal year and tax increases to address a public debt that is twice the size of Japan’s $5 trillion economy.

Opposition parties are calling for Kan to call an early election for parliament’s lower house, but a ruling party lawmaker who has his eye on succeeding Kan told Reuters that the leader was unlikely to go to the polls soon. “I don’t think there will be an election in May or June under Kan, because that would be an election that he was forced to call, rather than one that he called on his own initiative,” Shinji Tarutoko said in an inter view, adding that he thought the government and ruling party were in crisis. DPJ lawmakers are likely keen to avoid an election that could well see the party lose a huge chunk of seats.

Kan’s critics in the DPJ are instead calling for him to quit ahead of nationwide regional elections in April.

Matsuki, who left a junior cabinet post last month, is close to Ichiro Ozawa, a powerbroker in the DPJ who heads a large group of lawmakers in the party but has been sidelined since being charged in a political funding scandal. Vice Farm Minister Nobutaka Tsutsui was quoted by media as saying Kan could quit if he failed to break the political deadlock. “If the cabinet support rate continues to fall, it’s possible that (Kan) will resign,” Tsutsui was quoted by the Yomiuri newspaper as saying.

“His resignation would mean the resignation of the entire cabinet.”— Reuters

SEOUL: South Korea unveiled a series of military reforms yesterday, including fast-tracking the purchase of fighter jets and spy planes, in response to two deadly attacks on the peninsula last year. President Lee Myung-bak said reforming the military was not a matter of choice but a must after last year’s incidents, according to a presidential spokesman.

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Seoul would purchase high-altitude spy drones and stealth fighter jets and deploy them earlier than planned to strengthen deterrence against the North. Local media said they were initially scheduled for deployment in 2015.

“The aim is to proactively deter current threats posed by the enemy rather than cope with potential threats in the future,” Kim told a news conference in Seoul. The military will also purchase advanced artillery-detecting radar systems and precision-guided weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) to neutralize the North’s artillery pieces hidden in mountain caves, the ministry said. The North alone has more than 5,000 multiple-launch rockets pointed at the capital Seoul which, with its satellite cities, is home to some 25 million people.

For nearly 60 years, the two Koreas have faced each other across one of the world’s most heavily armed borders. They have never signed a peace treaty to end the 1950-53 Korean War. Last year Seoul asked Washington to sell it US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk spy planes and it expects to receive final approval for the planned purchase from the US Defense Department in June, a military source told

Yonhap news agency. The South’s military had originally planned to introduce the unmanned spy drones by 2015 but decided to speed up the deployment of the world’s most advanced reconnaissance planes to strengthen its intelligence abilities, according to the source.

At the same time, South Korea will buy 60 stealth fighter jets earlier than scheduled, a senior official at the defense ministry was quoted by Yonhap as saying. Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightening II Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing’s newly designed F-15 Silent Eagle and the Eurofighter Typhoon made by the European consortium are expected to compete for the order estimated at 10 trillion won.

South Korea has purchased 60 of Boeing’s F-15 fighter jets under the first two stages of the fighter modernization program, code-named “F-X,” since 2002.

As part of the 73-point reform, Kim also announced measures to cope with cyber threats. Seoul says the North was responsible for disrupting GPS signals last week when South Korea and the United States were holding a joint military exercise. Local media reported the South was considering international action against the North, arguing its actions were in breach of a global agreement banning a country from doing damage to electromagnetic waves of other nations. Kim said there would also be changes to the command structure to improve efficiency. The defense ministry and military were criticized for their perceived slow and weak response to last year’s attacks in which a total of 50 South Koreans were killed. —Reuters

POCHEON: US soldiers from Stryker Brigade Combat Team run out from an Infantry Carrier Vehicle in a live fire drill during joint exercises with South Korea, dubbed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, South Korea. — AP

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OPINION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

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Letters to editor Sir, ll of us in life, at some time or another, wonder how we came to be. How were our physical bodies connected to, not only our minds, but our souls, our feelings, thoughts, and spiritual beliefs? And how do these all come together in the scheme of things? I, personally, believe there is a grand design or plan and that everything has purpose. And Allah knows the most insignificant to the infinite. And Allah knows everything and can do anything. And he is the One that “is” and “will be” the very Most Merciful and The Very Most Compassionate, even though, we see, now, so much strife, and hardships on earth. We “all” must really strive with all our beings, hearts, minds, souls, and physical bodies towards fulfilling Allah’s virtuous plan.

It’s not too late to lie down and forsake our hatred, greed, envy, and all evil. And it’s not too late to resist the vicious cycle of revenge, violence and ill will, for evil is like a sickness or worse. We can act together to help the poor to their feet, and give them jobs, and let them become part of the fabric of society. Let all people be given a chance to succeed in this world, with a more accessible, fair and equitable distribution of wealth. Maybe we don’t immediately see the answer to our prayers, but Allah promised us that He will answer us, even though the answer might not be what we expected.

I know that sometimes we might wonder how Allah allows such suffering, pain, hunger, thirst, bloodshed, disease, natural disasters, and all other kinds of hardships that people and animals are languishing in, while He is the Most Gracious, compassionate, but we must keep in mind there “is” a reason. Maybe hardships make us appreciate the good in life, but also feel the needs of those less fortunate than us. With new technologies perhaps we can mitigate the suffering of people and the rest of nature. When people fight against people and violence begets violence, the best arsenal of defense is to understand why this person or persons are promoting their own agenda. Maybe they are deprived of their rights, or are in hunger, not only for sustenance for them and their families, but for the taste of freedom.

A hungry man is an angry man. If we pray for them, and be aware of them, and try to help them in any way we can as Allah wills, we can make a concerted effort to help them out of the darkness of poverty, war, senseless murder, rape, torture, and evil scourge that is afflicting this world that we live in. With determination, good will and sincere endeavor while asking Allah’s help, maybe we can become united for a common cause. The cause of relieving as much suffering, pain, and anguish as we can, and doing things or good deeds to make people happy. People are in desperate need of our assistance, and necessity is the mother of invention, and let the main purpose of technology be for inventing ways to mitigate the suffering in this world, and avoid spending so much time, money, and effort on entertainment, some of which has violence and very negative influence on innocent children.

Wouldn’t it be better entertainment for us to see people distributing food, clean water, medicine, and shelter to those in need. Then help them to get a good education so that they would be able to practically apply this education such as waste management, recycling, clearing sewage, and how to implement sound urban development.

With these skills they can get gainful employment, and, with Allah’s will, lift themselves out of poverty.

Many poor countries have untapped resources such as fertile land. With timely intervention they can help themselves if people invest in these countries.

May be Allah put us (humans) on earth to save this world and all that’s in it, instead of destroying it or each other.

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Janet Al-Ramadhan

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

West divided on Libya ‘no-fly’ options

By David Brunnstrom ritain and France are seeking UN authority for a no-fly zone over Libya but Western allies still appear divided both over the wisdom of the idea and exactly how it would be implemented. US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said any implementation of a no-fly zone would involve a large-scale military operation, including strikes on Libyan air defences. But Barak Seener, an analyst at London’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said Britain appeared to favour a narrower plan limited to preventing flights in Libyan airspace but without a big preliminary campaign against ground targets.

Douglas Barrie, military aerospace expert at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies, also said destroying air defences was not a prerequisite. “There’s no hard-andfast rule in the establishment of a no-fly zone that you have to go in and take out all of your opponents air defences. “It’s desirable in that you would minimise the risks to your own air assets, but you don’t have to do it. It comes down to how much risk you are willing to accept.”

A limited no-fly zone could involve standing air patrols which involve planes being permanently in the air - over a limited area - such as those above populated parts of Libya under rebel control. This would require far fewer aircraft. “If you wanted to ensure nothing flew over all of Libya at any point you would need a substantial number of aircraft - probably in the low hundreds rather than tens,” he said. “If you are only talking about patrolling the areas with any population under opposition control, you’d not be talking so many - a lot of Libya is pretty empty sand and desert.”

The rationale of a limited no-fly zone would also be to try to avoid escalation by making clear to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi that this was in his hands, Barrie said. “You say: ‘this is a no-fly zone and we don’t want you to fly, and if you adhere to that everything is going to be fine, but if you fire at us then we will take retaliatory action’.” Analysts say a no-fly zone would be well within capabilities of Western states, even if limited to US and British forces. The US Sixth Fleet, based at Naples, includes two aircraft carriers, and around 175 planes. And while Britain no longer has a carrier thanks to defence cuts, it does have air bases in Cyprus and Gibraltar and could also seek access to old bases in Malta.

Seener said Britain maintains drones, Apache helicopter gunships, Tornado and Eurofighter aircraft as well as naval destroyers and frigates in the Mediterranean area. France, Italy and Spain also have aircraft carriers, but Seener thought it “highly unlikely they would be needed”. The idea of imposing a no-fly zone has won support from Gaddafi’s opponents.

Gulf states also called for a no-fly zone and for an urgent Arab League meeting.

But the problems of imposing a no-fly zone are as much political as technical. A meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday and Friday will examine options but NATO action has appeared unlikely given Turkey’s opposition and reservations among other NATO members including Germany. NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Monday any NATO operation would need a UN resolution, but diplomats say China and Russia are unlikely to support this, making a coalition led by the United States and Britain the most likely scenario.

While the US administration has said it is considering all options, the US military has highlighted the many challenges.

Gates said on Monday that any action should be the result of “international sanction”. On Monday, the US ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder said NATO had expanded its surveillance of Libya by reconnaissance aircraft to 24-hours a day but cautioned that it was unclear how much a no-fly zone would contribute to preventing violence.

Seener at RUSI said the mission Britain envisaged was more likely to win broadest support among cautious NATO allies. But while this could be the initial scenario, it was likely to experience “mission creep” and move closer to US thinking on the need to target Gaddafi’s defences. “By striking at Gaddafi’s air defence systems and targeting their heavy weapons, you tilt the balance closer to the opposition,” he said. “And by targeting Gaddafi’s communications you would eliminate the regime’s ability to coordinate attacks and you hurt Gaddafi’s ability to erode the morale of the opposition.

You would create the fog of war, and heighten disarray.”

While Rasmussen has stressed the need for UN backing for NATO involvement, Western countries have imposed no-fly zones in the past without such global support. No-fly zones were imposed in Iraq between the Gulf wars by the United States, Britain and France, in Bosnia by NATO from 1993-1995, and in NATO’s air war against Serbia over Kosovo in 1999.

Only Bosnia was backed by a specific U.N. resolution. Despite the Pentagon’s caution, influential Congressmen, including Republican John McCain and Democrat John Kerry have pressed the idea of a no-fly zone.

Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations

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Committee, suggested on Sunday the West could bomb Libya’s airports and the runways to prevent their use, although he conceded that this would not be a long-term solution. On Monday, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan cautioned that a limited strike on Libyan runways “doesn’t necessarily solve the problem” as this wouldn’t stop use of helicopters. “It’s not as if Libya doesn’t have rotary wing assets as well. So cratering runways may have an effect but there are other ways around that,” Lapan said. “In fact, that’s what we saw in the no-fly zone in Iraq. Saddam

Hussein was able to attack the Shia in the South by using helicopters,” he said.

William Daley, President Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff, said all options were on the table, but a decision would only be taken after deep consultation with allies. “Lots of people throw around phrases of no-fly zone, and they talk about it as though it’s just game on a video game or something. Some people who throw, throw that line out, have no idea what they’re talking about,” he said. “Bob Gates understands the difficulty of going to war.” — Reuters

A rebel runs away as smoke rises following an air strike by Libyan warplanes near a checkpoint of anti-Gaddafi rebels in Ras Lanouf in eastern Libya on Monday. – AP

BJP on the move as coalition flounders

By Sanjeev Miglani year ago, India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was tearing itself apart after a second successive general election defeat, its dream of leading India’s rise to the global centre stage in tatters. But with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Congress-led coalition engulfed by corruption scandals and feuding with its allies, the Hindu nationalists see a reversal of fortunes. The next election is not due until 2014, but with Congress under pressure and a third front of communist and regional parties in decline, the BJP is plotting a return to power sooner than even its most diehard supporters might have expected.

“The Congress is wounded. At this rate, the prospects of the coalition completing its full term look bleak,” said commentator Sudheendra Kulkarni who served as an aide to BJP prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee but has since severed links with the party. “The BJP, on the other hand, has found its equilibrium after the despondency and squabbling of last year. It has a credible chance of coming back to power at the head of a coalition, something that could not be said in 2010.”

At the weekend, the southern Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam threatened to pull out its ministers from Singh’s cabinet because of a dispute over a seat sharing plan in state elections next month, setting off a new crisis for the ruling coalition. By contrast, the battles within the BJP have quietened, its leaders united on a plan of attack against the ruling party that involves blocking parliament and denying Singh the space to pursue his reform agenda.

But the BJP still doesn’t have a clear leader and that is a dilemma at the heart of its Hindu nationalist identity. For many in the BJP, the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, is a top candidate to take over the mantle from the 84-year-old Lal Krishna Advani. Modi has ruled Gujarat with an iron-hand, ushering in a business friendly environment where the state’s gross domestic product is

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growing at 11 percent, more than India’s overall growth rate of around 8.5 percent. But Modi is linked to one of the darkest chapters in independent India’s history when Hindu mobs set upon minority Muslims in Gujarat killing thousands, in retaliation for an attack on a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in which nearly 60 were killed. Modi, who was the chief minister at the time in 2002, is accused of not doing enough to protect the Muslims, and even condoning the bloodshed. He denies the allegations, but they have stuck and in 2005 the United States denied him a visa on grounds of religious intolerance.

It’s a question the BJP has to confront, and which will determine its ability to successfully rebuild a coalition of regional parties that helped put it in power in 1998. “If the BJP were to hold a US-style primary, there will be only one result: Modi,” said Swapan Dasgupta, a right-wing columnist. “That’s the kind of support he has among the party rank and file. But he may not be acceptable to the allies or indeed to the rest of the country.”

Indeed, some of the Hindu nationalists’ long running themes, such as building a temple on the ruins of a mosque razed by mobs to avenge the wrongs of history, no longer resonate with India’s young who are more focused on riding the country’s economic boom. In January, the BJP sought to hoist the Indian flag in Srinagar, the summer capital of Muslimmajority Kashmir, where the biggest separatist protests in years have only recently quietened. It was seen as a provocative move at a time when the region is seething with antiIndia anger.

“The BJP really has to decide what kind of party it wants to be and what is the image it wants to protect both internally and externally,” said Kulkarni. The BJP, for all its resurgence, is still a party that relies on regional groups in a large swathe of southern India where its influence is limited, or even in the Hindi heartland in the north where it has been forced to enter into alliances with powerful parties such as in the key state of Bihar. —Reuters

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Women march for better life on Int’l Women’s Day PARIS: Women worldwide took to the streets yesterday to mark the 100th International Women’s Day, with protests against honour killings, the objectification of women in Italy and the shooting of seven women in Ivory Coast.

Drawing inspiration from the boardrooms of Finland and the toppling of autocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, demonstrators staked their claim for equality, education and a better life. A month before Silvio Berlusconi goes on trial over allegations he paid an underage prostitute for sex, hundreds of Italian women rallied in Rome. “Here women have sex with someone powerful to get into parliament.

Women are treated like objects. I’m ashamed to have a prime minister like Berlusconi,” said protester Irene D’Onfronio, 62.

In Turkey, women chanted “Don’t Turn Our Wedding Dresses into Shrouds”, as they marched against honour killings, the murder of women by a male family member because she is deemed to have brought shame on the family.

Hundreds of women demonstrated in Ivory Coast, meanwhile, to condemn the killing of seven women at a rally last week demanding that strongman Laurent Gbagbo quit the presidency after losing elections.

Mostly dressed in white and wearing red headbands, they marched to “pay homage to the women killed”, an organiser said. “We are not going to stop demonstrating until Laurent Gbagbo leaves.”

In Guatemala, where a culture of impunity saw nearly 700 women killed in 2010 alone, the head of a commission on “femicide” called for

a specific statute on the killing of women. Palestinian women took to the streets of Gaza to call for an end to the Israeli occupation. In the West Bank town of Beit Ummar, dozens of women blocked a major road for half an hour to protest Israeli roadblocks. “Part of the women’s rights issue is the harm caused by the Israeli occupation,” said activist Fadwa Khader. “Can you imagine women being woken up and kicked out of their homes in the early morning so their homes can be demolished to make way for settlements?” she asked. “We are talking about human rights and women’s rights,” she said.

The European Union used the occasion to hail women’s “crucial role in bringing about change in northern Africa”. “Amidst violence, women have joined the struggle for change,” said the two women vice-presidents of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton and Viviane Reding. “Women must be at the heart of the discussions over the future order.”

Whether in T-shirts and jeans or robes and veils, tens of thousands of women have recently made their voices heard on the streets, from Tunis to Cairo, from Manama to Sanaa, to demand reform in a region long ruled by autocracies. Many around the world focused on gender equality, which OECD SecretaryGeneral Angel Gurria called “a moral imperative as well as an economic necessity”. “As we confront the scars of the financial crisis and search for new sources of growth, we cannot waste women’s economic contributions,” he said.

Visiting Finland - a country whose

political leadership is top-heavy with women - US Vice President Joe Biden echoed the call, saying education of girls was the key to future global stability. “The single most significant thing we can do in the 21st century to improve the prospect of peace and security is to educate more women,” Biden said, standing alongside Finnish President Tarja Halonen. Biden praised gender equality in Finland, where the president, prime minister and opposition leader are all women.

In Greece, where the economic crisis has thrown disproportionately more women out of work, feminists staged a flash mob dubbed “Three Minutes Without Women” in a central square of Athens. In Norway the first country in the world to force large companies to gender balance their boardrooms - officials said the quotas should be extended to more companies. The feminisation of boardrooms “is going much too slowly”, said Trade and Industry Minister Trond Giske.

A Moroccan human rights group called for the kingdom to inscribe gender equality in the constitution.

A leading rights activist in Morocco, where laws protecting girls from forced marriages are poorly enforced, blamed entrenched mindsets. The minimum age of marriage for women was raised to 18 from 15 in 2004 unless a judge grants special permission. Still, about 42,000 requests to marr y minors were made in 2009, mostly in rural areas.

Cambodian women were unable to mark the day publicly, as authorities banned a rally amid growing concern about a crackdown on freedom of expression in the country. — AFP

Gaddafi forces pound rebels Continued from Page 1 The Arab League and several Gulf states have also called for such a step. “It is unacceptable that Colonel Gaddafi unleashes so much violence on his own people and we are all gravely concerned about what would happen if he were to try to do that on an even greater basis,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.

Russia and China, who have veto power in the UN Security Council, are cool towards the idea of a no-fly zone.

The US government, whose interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan enraged many of the world’s Muslims, said it was weighing up military options and that action should be taken only with international backing. Hafiz Ghoga, spokesman for the rebel National Libyan Council, told a news conference in the rebel base of Benghazi: “We will complete our victory when we are afforded a no-fly zone. If there was also action to stop him (Gaddafi) from recruiting mercenaries, his end would come within hours.”

Rebels still controlled the central square of Zawiyah, 50 km west of Tripoli, yesterday and were using loud hailers to urge residents to defend their positions, said a Ghanaian worker who fled the town yesterday. Sky television footage of fighting in the town over the weekend showed crowds fleeing gunfire and a blood-spattered hospital crammed with the injured, some making victory signs from stretchers. It showed bodies of dead soldiers, others it said had switched sides, and captured tanks.

A government spokesman insisted troops were mostly in control yesterday. “Maybe 30-40 people, hiding in the streets and in the cemetery. They are desperate,” he said in Tripoli. A Libyan man who lives abroad said he spoke by phone yesterday to a friend in Zawiyah who described desperate scenes. “Many buildings are completely destroyed, including hospitals, electricity lines and generators,” he said. “People cannot run away, it’s cordoned off. They cannot flee. All those who can fight are fighting, including teenagers. Children and women are being hidden.” Tanks were firing everywhere, he said.

The reports could not be verified independently as foreign correspondents have been prevented from entering Zawiyah and other cities near the capital without an official escort.

Air strikes hit at rebels behind the no-man’s land between the coastal towns of Ras Lanuf and Bin Jawad, 550 km east of Tripoli and the site of oil terminals. One strike smashed a house in a residential area of Ras Lanuf, gouging a big hole in the ground floor. Mustafa Askat, an oil worker, said one bomb had wrecked a water pipeline and this would affect water supplies to the city.

“We have a hospital inside, we have sick people and they need water urgently,” he said.

A convoy from the UN food agency was scheduled to reach the rebel-held port of Benghazi yesterday to deliver the first food aid in Libya since the revolt erupted three weeks ago. The rebel army - a rag-tag outfit largely made up of young volunteers and military defectors made swift gains in the first week of the uprising which saw them take control of the east and challenge the government near Tripoli. But their momentum appears to have stalled as Gaddafi’s troops have pushed back with heavy weapons. Rebels said government forces had dug in their tanks near Bin Jawad while rebels retreated to Ras Lanuf. The two towns are about 60 km apart on the strategic coastal road along the Mediterranean sea.

The emerging frontline divides the country along ancient regional lines, with key oil facilities stuck in the middle.

Gaddafi has denounced the rebels as drug-addled youths or Al-Qaeda-backed terrorists, and said he will die in Libya rather than surrender. “If he leaves Libya immediately, during 72 hours, and stops the bombardment, we as Libyans will step back from pursuing him for crimes,” Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the rebel National Libyan Council, told Al Jazeera television.

Representatives of the Libyan opposition are to meet the European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening before addressing the European Parliament.

The Libyan uprising is the bloodiest of a tide of protests against autocratic rulers in North Africa and Middle East which has already seen the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt dethroned. The phenomenon has left the West struggling to formulate a new direction for a region that sits on vast reserves of oil. Libyan oil trade has virtually been paralysed as banks decline to clear payments in dollars due to US sanctions, trading sources told Reuters yesterday. — Reuters

Bahrain groups call for end to monarchy Continued from Page 1 No stranger to sporadic protests and rioting, Bahrain has been gripped by the worst unrest since the 1990s after a youth movement took to the streets last month, emboldened by revolutions that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt. Seven were killed in an ensuing clampdown by security forces early in the protests, but the situation has since calmed. The majority of Bahrainis are Shiites but the island, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, is ruled by the US-backed AlKhalifa family, who are Sunnis. The outcome in Bahrain is being closely watched in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, where Shiites make up about 15 percent of the population and which has seen small protests.

Risks of instability there would soar if the opposition in Bahrain toppled the ruling Al-Khalifa family, analysts said.

Al Haq has questioned the legitimacy of the ruling family before and the government has repeatedly

arrested its leaders in recent years, including during a security crackdown last August. But Mushaimaa and other Al Haq leaders were pardoned by King Hamad after the protests erupted in Bahrain last month, and Mushaimaa returned from exile in London on Feb 26.

Thousands are still camped out in Manama’s Pearl roundabout, many demanding the ouster of the royal family. Bahrain’s Wefaq, which draws larger support than the new coalition and the youth movement, is more moderate.

Wefaq has called only for the resignation of the government and a constitutional monarchy that cedes more power to the people. Wefaq won 18 seats in parliament in recent elections, but complains the elected lower house can be overruled by an upper house appointed by the king. Wefaq’s deputies quit after the protests began but the bloc has not joined in calling for a republic. “The key thing is to create a constitutional assembly now and hold free elections. This will be the

only serious move to end this political crisis,” said Khalil Marzooq, a Wefaq deputy.

The government has made a number of concessions to the opposition since unrest started, including a limited cabinet reshuffle and the release of political prisoners. The Crown Prince has offered dialogue, but opposition groups have set conditions for talks that include the sacking of the cabinet.

Shadi Hamid, analyst from the Brookings Centre in Doha, said that the unrest in Bahrain would not end any time soon. “This is really a reflection of the Bahraini government’s failure to deal with these protests in an effective manner,” he said, adding the government had not made any serious moves toward reforms or started dialogue with the opposition. “We know that the Saudis are going to do whatever they can to back the Khalifa family and the absolute last thing they want to see is talk about the monarchy ending and a republic being the new form of government.” — Reuters

JORDAN VALLEY: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli soldiers look through binoculars towards Jordan during a tour of the Jordan Valley, a strip of West Bank land along the border with Jordan, yesterday. — AP

Military must remain in W Bank: Netanyahu Israel mulls temporary Palestinian state SARTABA, West Bank: Israel’s prime minister declared yesterday that his country must retain a strategic section of the West Bank under any future peace deal - a position unlikely to win Palestinians over to his reported plan to offer them a temporary state. In a rare visit to the occupied territory, Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that Israel’s security depends on maintaining a military presence in the Jordan Valley - a strip of West Bank land along the border with Jordan. Without troops there, Israel fears militants could smuggle weapons into the West Bank. “ The Jordan Valley is Israel’s line of defense,” Netanyahu said atop a rocky hilltop overlooking the valley. “There is no alternative. It will remain that way in any future situation and any future deal. The military must remain here along the Jordan border.” Netanyahu has made similar comments in the past. But the location and the timing - just as officials say he is working on a new diplomatic initiative - were notable, signaling that any new plan would fall far short of Palestinian demands.

The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, for a future state. Israel captured all three areas in 1967, then withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Hamas militants overran Gaza two years later. Netanyahu’s comments could be intended to appease hardline members of his coalition who have been unnerved by reports that he intends to offer Palestinians a state within smaller, temporary borders as a way to break a peacemaking deadlock.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinians would not compromise on their demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank. He also rejected the idea of establishing a Palestinian state in interim borders. “Israel is making a big mistake if it believes that it can keep our land forever,” he said. “Israeli policy that tries to wriggle out of the two state solution will keep the region in an endless state of conflict.” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak confirmed that plan was taking shape in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published yesterday.

Barak also told the newspaper that Israel might seek an additional $20 billion in US military aid to help it deal with potential threats arising from the turmoil in the Arab world. Without making a “daring” peace offer, however, Israel cannot seek additional aid, Barak said. To that end, Netanyahu is likely to offer the Palestinians a state with temporary borders, he added.

A senior Israeli official said Netanyahu would outline his plan in a speech in the near future. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu

would try to rally international backing for his position on the Jordan Valley, and that Israel would seek compensation in return for turning over unspecified territory to the Palestinians. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the details of the plan are still being formulated. The official said Netanyahu doubts the effectiveness of an international peacekeeping force in the Jordan Valley, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has suggested as an alternative to an Israeli military presence.

In the past week, Israeli officials have said Netanyahu was considering a “phased approach” - an apparent reference to a temporary state. Barak was the first to publicly spell that out. It is not clear the US would support the idea of an interim accord, given the Palestinians’ adamant opposition. A temporary state would not only give the Palestinians less territory than they demand, but Israel would also retain military control of the area.

The Palestinians are also afraid that any temporary arrangement will become permanent.

“If and when Israel offers its own thoughts on how to move the process forward, we will be listening attentively,” State Department spokesman P J Crowley told reporters in Washington on Monday. “We do not know what the prime minister and his government are thinking at the present time.” US-led peace talks, launched six months ago with the ambitious goal of striking a final deal by September, broke down shortly after they began over Israeli construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians demanded a freeze in both areas, but Israel refused, arguing that previous rounds of talks took place while settlement construction was under way and that the issue should be settled in negotiations.

Also yesterday, Israel’s military said it started transporting 40,000 tons of construction materials into the Gaza Strip in a new move aimed at easing its blockade of the coastal territory. The weeklong operation will supply badly needed gravel for UN schools and other humanitarian projects. Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after Hamas militants took control of Gaza in bloody street battles from the moderate Fatah party in 2007. The blockade was eased last summer under international pressure. But Israel still restricts construction materials, saying Hamas could use them to build bunkers. Human rights groups and Palestinian officials said yesterday’s announcement falls far short of Gaza’s needs. Israel closed a main cargo crossing on Sunday.

Maj Gen Eitan Dangot, a top commander, says the only remaining crossing is being expanded to facilitate increased movement. — AP

Protesters take to streets for reform Continued from Page 1 Kuwait, the world’s fourth largest oil exporter, does not allow political parties and its parliament is made up of individuals who form loose blocs.

Demonstrations are banned in Kuwait without prior approval and youth groups Kafi and Al-Soor AlKhames (Fifth Fence), the main

organisers, will present a challenge to the government since they had not sought permission for the protests.

Early yesterday, police cordoned off Safat Square and authorities asked the protesters to gather in another square opposite parliament building.

But the activists decided to move the venue to an area opposite the government seat, dubbing it Change

Square.

The planned rallies were timed to dovetail with the return of parliament from a nearly monthlong recess. One of the first acts was the swearing-in of the new interior minister, whose predecessor was dismissed in January following an uproar when a suspect accused of illegal liquor sales was beaten to death in police custody.

Assembly votes against debating bedoons law Continued from Page 1 The government pays unemployment benefits for about one year or until a job is found to those who register with the commission.

But several MPs warned that unemployment is expected to become a major problem in Kuwait after the government has become almost saturated with jobs. MP Dhaifallah Buramia said that over the next 10 years, about 170,000 Kuwaitis will be unemployed if no urgent

measures were taken to find jobs for them. MP Rola Dashti called on the government to replace expatriates working in the government with Kuwaitis. She said that 115,000 of government employees of around 300,000 are expatriates and 70,000 of them are in low administrative posts and should be fired. A number of MPs warned that Kuwaiti youths may resort to protests and violence if they continue without decent jobs.

In another issue, MPs Saraawi and Ahmad Al-Saadoun called for with-

drawing the membership of MP Khalaf Dumaitheer who was recently convicted in a final court ruling of forgery. Saadoun said that based on the constitution and the law, Dumaitheer’s membership must be immediately withdrawn after he lost a fundamental condition to become a member of parliament. But Khorafi said that the ruling of the court has not reached the Assembly and when it does, the issue will be referred to the legal and legislative committee for consideration.

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sp orts Greek sprinter Thanou makes court appearance ATHENS: Former Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou made a rare court appearance yesterday in her and fellow athlete Kostas Kenteris’ trial for alleged false statements to authorities in a 2004 Athens Olympics doping scandal. It is the first time either of the pair have appeared before magistrates since the trial began in January.

Kenteris, 37, was not present.

Thanou, 36, and Kenteris last month defied a court order to appear before the Athens misdemeanour court in connection with their claims of having been involved in a motorcycle accident on Aug. 12, 2004. They were accused of staging the crash on the eve of the Games to avoid a doping test. The trial has dragged on for years due to frequent postponements. —Reuters

Hamburg coach to quit BERLIN: Hamburg coach Armin Veh will leave the Bundesliga club at the end of the season, he announced yesterday.

The 50-year-old has a contract until June 2012, but has said he will leave at the end of the season, by mutual consent, after a difficult eight months in charge.

“Given the situation at the club right now, I am not going to be here any more next year,” said Veh, citing a break-down in communication with the club’s senior bosses as his reason for leaving.

“I have never experienced a situation like I faced here. “You can’t work in these conditions.

These things are not about foot-

Boe wins men’s biathlon

ball, Hamburg is in a dangerous situation.”

The club are experiencing a turbulent time with president Bernd Hoffmann receiving a vote of no confidence at the weekend and will have to stand down at the end of the season.

Veh, who won the German league title with Stuttgart in 2007, took charge in May 2010, but his record of 11 wins, four draws and ten defeats from 25 games this season has failed to keep his team in the Bundesliga title race. Veh’s side are seventh in the league and were beaten 4-2 at home to Mainz on Sunday. —AFP

RUSSIA: Tarjei Boe of Norway won the men’s individual race at the world biathlon championships yesterday for his first major title. The overall World Cup leader missed one target and clocked 48 minutes, 29.9 seconds over the 20-kilometer course for his fifth top podium finish this season and first individual world title.

He was part of the Norwegian mixed relay team that took gold in these worlds and skied on Norway ’s winning relay team at the Vancouver Olympics. Maxim Maksimov shot clean but couldn’t keep Boe’s pace and finished 40.0 seconds behind for second, giving host Russia its first podium finish in six races at the championships. Christoph Sumann had a 48-second advantage over Boe entering the final shooting range, but a miss added a minute to his time and the Austrian came third, 45.5 seconds behind the winner. —AP

Lievremont retains Chabal for Italy clash MARCOUSSIS: France coach Marc Lievremont has made three changes to his team for Saturday’s Six Nations championship match against Italy on Saturday but has decided to keep faith with number eight Sebastien Chabal.

Chabal, who gave a dismal performance in the 17-9 defeat to England on Feb. 26, has retained his place in the starting lineup with Julien Bonnaire returning to the side in place of Imanol Harinordoquy on the side of the scrum.

“I watched the (England) game again. His performance, as well as Clement Poitrenaud’s and Yoann Huget’s, did not seem disastrous to me,” Lievremont told reporters.

Maxime Medard returns at fullback in place of Poitrenaud after missing the Twickenham clash through injury while prop Sylvain Marconnet had been preferred to Thomas Domingo.

Lievremont has also kept faith with scrumhalf Dimitri Yachvili, leaving Morgan Parra on the bench. The French coach has also been experimenting with Vincent Clerc, who usually plays on the wing, in the number nine position.

“Dimitri was a substitute in the last two November tests and in the first two Six Nations games. He started against England and even though he made a few mistakes, like others, I still trust him,” said Lievremont. “ To me, they (Parra and Yachvili) lie equal and Morgan will certainly come off the bench during the game.” France, who completed a grand slam to win last year’s championship, are third in the Six Nations standings, level on points with second-placed Wales and fourth-placed Ireland. Unbeaten England top the table while Italy are bottom following three defeats from as many games.

France - 15-Maxime Medard, 14-Yoann Huget, 13Aurelien Rougerie, 12-Yannick Jauzion, 11-Vincent Clerc, 10-Francois Trinh-Duc, 9-Dimitri Yachvili, 8-Sebastien Chabal, 7-Julien Bonnaire, 6-Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 5-Lionel Nallet, 4-Julien Pierre, 3-Nicolas Mas, 2-William Servat, 1-Sylvain Marconnet.

Replacements: 16-Guilhem Guirado, 17-Luc Ducalcon, 18-Jerome Thion, 19-Imanol Harinordoquy, 20-Morgan Parra, 21-Damien Traille, 22-Clement Poitrenaud. — Reuters

NFL: League, union continue talks as clock ticks WASHINGTON: National Football League owners and players met for their 13th negotiating session with federal mediator George Cohen yesterday as a Friday deadline loomed to reach a new working agreement.

Billionaire owners and millionaire players were locked in talks over how to divide $9.1 billion in annual revenues after extending the expiring contract last week to Friday afternoon in hopes of making a deal.

The NFL Players Association can decertify itself as a bargaining agent before the deadline and send the squabble into a protracted antitrust court fight while owners can lock out players once the contract expires.

Owners already take $1 billion of income off the top for operating expenses and they voted in 2008 to opt out of the contract in hopes of doubling that total, claiming that stadium construction loans made the move necessary.

Owners also seek a rookie wage scale and a longer season with each club playing 18 games rather than the current 16.

Players want to see safety concerns addressed and more money for former players in a sport where the average career lasts three years and health issues are common for retired players.

They also question the potential physical toll of a longer season, even if each team added more players to their roster as a result. Neither side has commented since Cohen was added to the talks in hopes of brokering a deal.

With American unemployment at 8.9 percent, both sides risk alienating the fans who have made their league the most popular is US team sports, with the past two Super Bowls being the highest-rated telecasts in the nation’s history.

Not since 1987 has there been a labor shutdown in the NFL, with teams using replacement players who crossed picket lines for three games before a deal was struck. — AFP

ST LOUIS: Blues legends that wore the jersey No. 7 mingle with the starting lineup during the national anthem before the first period of an NHL hockey game between the Blues and the Columbus Blue Jackets. —AP

Capitals defeat Lightning TAMPA: Alex Ovechkin assisted on Washington’s only goal in regulation, then scored in the opening round of the shootout to give the first-place Capitals a 2-1 victor y over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.

Alexander Semin came up big for the Caps for the second straight night, tying the game 1-1 with 5:32 remaining in the third period.

Goalie Braden Holtby replaced Michal Neuvirth after the opening period and stopped 21 shots before stopping Dominic Moore, Adam Hall and Vincent Lecavalier in the shootout to give Washington its fifth straight win. Sean Bergenheim scored Tampa Bay’s goal on a first-period power play, redirecting a shot past Neuvirth.

Blues 5, Blue Jackets 4 At St. Louis, Andy McDonald scored two goals and added another in a shootout as St. Louis edged Columbus.

Ben Bishop allowed one goal on 20 shots after relieving Ty Conklin midway through the first period with St. Louis trailing 3-1. The Blues scored three times

on four shots against Steve Mason in the shootout with Alex Steen getting the deciding tally.

Jakub Voracek had a goal and assist for Columbus, and Rick Nash had two assists. Patrik Berglund added a goal and an assist for the Blues, who totaled four goals the previous four games. David Backes had two assists, ending a fivegame point drought.

Stars 4, Kings 3 At Los Angeles, Brenden Morrow scored 34 seconds into overtime as Dallas rallied from a late deficit to beat Los Angeles.

The Dallas captain collected a back pass from Mike Ribeiro and eluded three Kings to score his 26th goal of the season.

Trevor Daley and Jamie Benn scored tying goals for the Stars in the third period, with Benn getting a short-handed breakaway goal with 14:40 to play.

Willie Mitchell, Justin Williams and Kyle Clifford scored for the Kings, who lost three of four to wrap up a six-game homestand. —AP

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Monday.

Washington 2, Tampa Bay 1 (SO); St. Louis 5, Columbus 4 (SO); Dallas 4, Los Angeles 3 (OT). (SO denotes shootout win, OT is overtime) Eastern Conference Western Conference Atlantic Division Central Division Detroit 39 19 8 219 193 86 W LOTL GF GA PTS 37 23 6 218 182 80 Chicago 40 19 6 208 174 86 Philadelphia Nashville 33 24 9 167 156 75 Pittsburgh 38 21 8 193 166 84 Columbus 31 26 8 180 196 70 NY Rangers 35 29 4 193 164 74 St. Louis 29 28 9 182 198 67 New Jersey 30 31 4 139 168 64 Northwest Division NY Islanders 25 32 10 184 213 60 Vancouver 42 16 9 216 155 93 Northeast Division 35 24 9 207 193 79 Calgary Boston 38 19 8 199 152 84 Minnesota 34 25 7 171 174 75 Colorado 26 31 8 185 224 60 36 23 7 176 167 79 Montreal Edmonton 23 35 8 169 215 54 Buffalo 32 25 8 189 187 72 Pacific Division Toronto 29 28 9 173 202 67 San Jose 38 22 6 185 167 82 Ottawa 22 34 9 147 206 53 36 23 7 184 186 79 Dallas Southeast Division Phoenix 34 23 10 191 194 78 Washington 37 20 10 178 167 84 Los Angeles 36 25 5 183 163 77 37 21 8 196 200 82 Tampa Bay Anaheim 35 26 5 182 193 75 Carolina 31 26 9 191 201 71 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth Atlanta 27 28 11 184 214 65 one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L) Florida 26 31 9 165 184 61

UCI wins landmark anti-doping verdicts GENEVA: Italian rider Franco Pellizotti was found guilty of doping and banned for two years yesterday in a landmark victory for cycling’s blood profiling program. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that evidence of doping was confirmed in Pellizotti’s biological passport profile, the international cycling federation told The Associated Press.

“We always were convinced of the quality of our anti-doping program and the work of our scientific people,” UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani said in a telephone interview.

Cycling’s governing body appealed to CAS after he was cleared by an Italian anti-doping court last October. The UCI said CAS also rejected Pietro Caucchioli’s appeal against his two-year suspension imposed by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) on the basis of biological passport results.

Pellizotti and Caucchioli never tested positive for banned drugs but showed irregular results in blood samples taken for their biological passport.

The verdicts are the first issued by CAS appeal panels which have examined the scientific and legal validity of the biological passport.

The program was designed so that scientists can prove evidence of the effects of doping rather than trace and test for banned substances. The project was launched by the UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2008 but had yet

to be tested in sport’s highest court.

“Both of these cases are important for cycling, for the biological passport and for sport,” Carpani said. “Thanks to the good cooperation of WADA we were sure we could go in front of CAS with a strong case.” Pellizotti’s case was heard at the Lausanne -based cour t last Wednesday as the fourth, and highest profile, test of the biological passport.

The 33-year-old rider had been one of the favorites for the 2010 Giro d’Italia after he finished second in 2009 and won the mountains classification at the 2009 Tour de France.

Days before the three-week Italian race started last May, Pellizotti was provisionally suspended by the UCI after it found his blood profile results to be suspicious. The case was handled by CONI, which recommended that its anti-doping cour t impose a two-year ban.

However, the panel ruled last October that the evidence did not prove Pellizotti’s guilt.

Pellizotti, who has not raced since, also appealed to CAS seeking damages from the UCI. Caucchioli was among the first group of five riders named in June 2009 for suspected biological passport violations. The 35-year-old rider, who won two Giro stages in 2001, was banned by CONI through June 2011.

About 850 riders have their blood profiles monitored by scientists at the WADA laboratory in Lausanne. The UCI’s

Franco Pellizotti in action in this file photo

annual §6 million ($8.3 million) costs for the project are partly funded by race organizers and teams. Riders also contribute a percentage of their prize money. The UCI’s work has been intended as

a pilot that could be copied by other spor ts federations, including the International Association of Athletics Federations and football’s governing body FIFA. —AP

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Neal took the long road to the Spurs LOS ANGELES: While Carmelo Anthony commanded the basketball spotlight with a calculated relocation to New York, former childhood team mate and Spurs rookie Gary Neal quietly pursued a more roundabout path to the NBA court.

Neal, a sharpshooting reserve guard for league-best San Antonio, has been enjoying a breakthrough season after chasing his professional hoop dreams as an international journeyman.

The undrafted, unsung Neal has a friendship with fellow 26-year-old Anthony dating back to their early basketball days growing up in Maryland, but Neal’s trip to the big time could not be more different.

“He has like seven years (of NBA experience) on me-and a seven-figure contract,”

Neal told Reuters. “It took me three years in Europe to finally get an opportunity and I’m just thankful that I’m able to take advantage of it.”

Actually, Anthony’s salary goes to eight digits as he signed a three-year, $65-million extension to join his original hometown New York Knicks from the Denver Nuggets, who selected him with the third pick of the first round of the 2003 draft after he led Syracuse to a US college title as a freshman.

Neal’s road to opportunity was nearly derailed long before it began when he found himself embroiled in a scandal.

Following his sophomore college season at Philadelphia’s La Salle University in 2004, Neal and a team mate were accused

of rape by a 19-year-old woman.

The two men were eventually acquitted but Neal was dismissed from the La Salle basketball team. He transferred to Towson University in suburban Baltimore, and was sidelined for a year.

Despite reclaiming his game and his name during a decorated career at Towson, Neal was not selected in the 2007 NBA Draft and ended up trying his luck overseas. The 6-foot-4-inch (1.93-metre) guard went first to Turkey for Pinar Karsiyaka, then to Spain for FC Barcelona, Italy with Benetton Treviso and back again to Spain for Unicaja Malaga.

Neal never did perfect his Spanish or Italian, but basketball bridged the language barrier for him and kept him con-

nected to life back in the United States.

“I would miss sleep to watch Carmelo in the playoffs,” Neal said. “Denver was the only team I would stay up into the early hours of the morning to watch. “(Carmelo and I) have a good relationship. Sometimes we work out together in the summer in Baltimore. He’s a great player. “I always felt like I was an NBA player as far as talent and my ability, I was just waiting for my opportunity.”

Opportunity finally arrived last year when the Spurs invited Neal to camp and signed him to a three-year contract.

In a matter of months, Neal has gone from the fifth guard on the team’s depth chart to a valuable asset. His 9.4 points per game average and robust 42 percent

shooting from three-point range have helped San Antonio race out to a franchise-record 51-12 start and stirred title hopes.

Neal’s placid on-court demeanour and composure fit right in with the Spurs and a franchise model of understated excellence, personified by unassuming 13-time All Star Tim Duncan.

In perfect San Antonio fashion, Neal said he was not taking anything for granted about his NBA status. “Coach (Gregg) Popovich doesn’t let you feel like you’ve arrived, he’s always pushing you to get better,” Neal said.

“When the season is over it will probably set in that I’m an NBA player, but right now it’s just a lot of hard work.”—Reuters

Boom times as England hosts world elite MILTON KEYNES: Despite the wet, grey and chilly weather in Milton Keynes, there is a spring in the step of players and officials alike at England’s National Badminton Centre.

The countr y is on the brink of an unprecedented spell of top-class, global badminton more than sufficient to dispel any gloom.

It kicks off with the All England tournament in Birmingham this week (March 9-13) followed by the world championships at Wembley in August and the Olympics at the same venue in 2012.

The cornucopia follows Liverpool and Manchester staging major European championships in the last couple of years but for global tastes the best is yet to come.

“I can’t imagine this ever happening again, cer tainly not in my lifetime,” Badminton England (BE) chief executive Adrian Christy told Reuters.

The All Englands have long been known as the Wimbledon of badminton and as ever all the big names will be on parade.

The return of top badminton to Wembley when the world championships come to call in the summer adds fresh relish.

“To have the worlds at the Olympic venue is not only a great opportunity and an exciting time for us but also for the athletes, teams, coaches and of course the fans that are going to be coming in August,” Christy said.

The hope is that English players, without medals at major global events in recent seasons, can rise to the occasion.

Nathan Robertson, mixed doubles runner-up with now retired Gail Emms at the Athens Games back in 2004 and world champion with her in 2006, will retire after the London Olympics, but he sees a new generation coming through and is optimistic.

Still a leading medal hope himself, the 33-year-old told Reuters: “I can see we’ve got a young squad that’s improving. “ We’re still a few steps behind the

strongest nations like China but we’ve players in the squad who have had world-class performances and beaten players who are in the top 10 in the world.

“The performances have been there in the past and those players are definitely improving so it’s just a case of if they’ll get there in time.”

Rober tson’s playing par tner Jenny Wallwork, excited as the big tests draw near, said: “We’ve had some great results in the last six to eight months, beating three of the top four pairs in the world. “So it’s just about us carrying on and hopefully getting more scalps like that and progressing from there.”

Men’s doubles player Andy Ellis made a huge impression on his international debut last month when he and Chris Adcock stretched world number ones Carsten Mogenesen and Mathias Boe to the limit.

In an epic clash at the European team championships, the English duo won the first game 29-27 and led 14-8 in the decider only to be pipped by the vastly experienced Danes 27-29 21-19 21-17.

Ellis told Reuters: “They’re the top pair in the world but we put some real scares on them.” The 24-year-old is bullish as the All Englands loom. “It’s a good chance to test ourselves,” he said.”

“I think now is the time we all have to prove to ourselves that we are good enough and we can be the best in the world. I for one do think Chris and I can be the top pair in the world.”

Officials hope the high-profile events, laced possibly with medals, will have the crowds clamouring in a country that traditionally nurtured the sport and where it continues to have a healthy grass-roots appeal.

Around 86 percent of secondary schools play badminton and an estimated one million people enjoy the sport each month.

Chief executive Christy said: “We want to use London as kind of a catalyst to present our sport to a whole new audience. What a fantastic legacy that would be.”—Reuters

SACRAMENTO: Kings guard Beno Udrih, of Slovenia, right, drives to the basket against Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry (left) during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game.—AP

Knicks silence Jazz NEW YORK: Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points and Amare Stoudemire added 31 as the New York Knicks beat the Utah Jazz 131109 on Monday.

Anthony and Stoudemire combined to make 24 of 31 shots, then were on the bench for the entire final period. Stoudemire departed long before the third even ended, shooting 12-of-15 in just 24 minutes, and Anthony soon joined him after his first 30-point game with the Knicks.

Toney Douglas had 20 points in a strong start in place of the injured Chauncey Billups as the Knicks moved a game ahead of Philadelphia for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. New York shot 56 percent from the field in its highest-scoring effort of the season.

Al Jefferson scored a season-high 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Jazz, who opened an important four-game road trip by losing for the ninth time in 11 games.

Tine Baun celebrates in this file photo

Baun and Wang out of All-England Open BIRMINGHAM: The All-England Open is certain to have a new women’s singles champion following the withdrawal of Tine Baun, the titleholder from Denmark, and Wang Yihuan, the former world number one from China, in the BWF Premier Series event starting today.

Baun, who has reached the last three finals and won two, had been hoping to recover from a heel injury which worsened at the European team championships in Amsterdam last month.

Wang, who lost the All-England title in a thrilling 2010 showdown with the Dane, had been many people’s unofficial favourite to regain it, but her name was removed from the second seed’s spot in the draw yesterday.

It means the bottom half has lost its two most successful players, greatly increasing the chances that Saina Nehwal, the Indian sensation who won the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October, can reach her first All-England final.

No explanation has been given for Wang’s withdrawal, but Baun, who won the title as Rasmussen last year before marrying her physio Martin Baun, had already given a full description of the injury which had been threatening her hopes.

“Three weeks ago I got an injury in my heel,” she said. “At last I had a little practice

last week but for two weeks I had no practice at all.

“At the weekend I felt oh my god it’s not possible to go to the All-England because Friday I had a lot of pain in the heel.”

Baun had nevertheless been hoping to play through the problem as she did at the world championships in Paris in August, when she reached the semi-finals.

However that is adjudged as too risky, especially as she wants to be fully fit for the Olympic qualifying period which begins next month. London 2012 will almost certainly be her last major tournament.

“My focus is just to play badminton again without pain,” she said. “I would just like to have a period without injury.”

Despite Wang’s withdrawal, the news increases Chinese chances of bidding for all five titles, as the women’s singles winner now looks increasingly likely to come from Wang Shixian, the top seed, or Wang Xin, the world silver medallist.

China is also seeded to win the women’s doubles and the mixed doubles, and may challenge strongly for the men’s singles, held

by Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, and the men’s doubles, in which Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen, last year’s runners up from Denmark, are top seeds.—AFP

Trail Blazers 89, Magic 85 At Orlando, Florida, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points and Andre Miller added 15 as Portland held on to beat Orlando, which were without the suspended Dwight Howard.

Portland won its third straight, and 10th in 13 games.

The Blazers also swept the two-game season series with Orlando. Marcus Camby was held scoreless, but had 10 rebounds to help the Blazers fend off a late rally by the Magic.

Orlando lost its second consecutive game and dropped to 1-2 this season without Howard, who sat out while serving a one-game suspension after picking up his 16th technical foul Friday. Jason Richardson led Orlando with 22 points.

Bulls 85, Hornets 77 At Chicago, Derrick Rose scored 24 points as Chicago beat New Orleans with Hornets star Chris Paul sidelined by a concussion.

The four-time All-Star watched from the sideline after colliding with Cleveland’s Ramon Sessions in Sunday’s win and remains day to day. Without him, the Hornets put up a fight against the Central division leaders but were shut out over the final 3:15.

Carlos Boozer added 19 points and nine rebounds, and Ronnie Brewer and Luol Deng scored 10. Jarrett Jack, starting in Paul’s place, led the Hornets with 23 points.

Clippers 92, Bobcats 87 At Charlotte, North Carolina, Blake Griffin had 17 points and 15 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers had more offensive options than Charlotte.

NBA results/standings NBA results and standings on Monday: Portland 89, Orlando 85; LA Clippers 92, Charlotte 87; NY Knicks 131, Utah 109; Chicago 85, New Orleans 77; Dallas 108, Minnesota 105; Memphis 107, Oklahoma City 101; Houston 123, Sacramento 101.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division Boston NY Knicks Philadelphia New Jersey Toronto

W 46 33 32 19 17

L 15 29 30 43 46

PCT .754 .532 .516 .306 .270

Chicago Indiana Milwaukee Detroit Cleveland

Central Division 44 18 .710 27 35 .435 23 38 .377 23 41 .359 12 50 .194

Miami Orlando Atlanta Charlotte Washington

Southeast Division 43 20 .683 40 24 .625 37 26 .587 26 37 .413 16 46 .258

GB 13.5 14.5 27.5 30 17 20.5 22 32 3.5 6 17 26.5

With Eric Gordon sidelined again with more wrist problems, the Clippers got 17 points from Mo Williams, and 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench from Chris Kaman in their third straight victory.

Gerald Henderson scored 20 points and Boris Diaw added 15 of his 19 points in the first half for the Bobcats.

Grizzlies 107, Thunder 101 At Memphis, Tennessee, Mike Conley and Tony Allen each scored 20 points, and Marc Gasol added 18 as Memphis withstood a second-half rally to defeat Oklahoma City.

Zach R andolph added 17 points for Memphis, including four free throws in the closing seconds, as the Grizzlies maintained their hold on the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Russell Westbrook had 27 points and seven assists for Oklahoma City, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped.

Mavericks 108, T’wolves 105 At Minneapolis, Dirk Nowitzki overcame foul trouble to score 25 points in 27 minutes and help Dallas outlast Minnesota.

Nowitzki picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, and Brian Cardinal stepped in to score a season-high 12 points for the Mavericks in their 19th win in 21 games.

Western Conference Northwest Division Oklahoma City39 23 .629 Denver 37 27 .578 3 Portland 36 27 .571 3.5 Utah 33 31 .516 7 Minnesota 15 50 .231 25.5

LA Lakers Phoenix Golden State LA Clippers Sacramento

Pacific Division 45 19 .703 32 29 .525 27 35 .435 24 40 .375 15 46 .246

11.5 17 21 28.5

San Antonio Dallas New Orleans Memphis Houston

Southwest Division 51 12 .810 46 17 .730 37 29 .561 36 29 .554 33 32 .508

5 15.5 16 19

Kevin Love had 23 points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota. He posted his 51st double-double in a row, which is equal with Moses Malone in 1978-79 for the longest streak since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.

Michael Beasley added 20 points and nine rebounds for the worst team in the Western Conference, who gave the powerful Mavericks all they could handle.

Rockets 123, Kings 101 At Sacramento, California, Chad Budinger scored 20 points and Kyle Lowry had 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Houston, which defeated Sacramento to give coach Rick Adelman his 935th win as an NBA coach.

The victory tied Adelman with Dick Motta for 10th on the career coaching victories list.

Among the top 10 in wins, only Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach have better winning percentages than Adelman (.605, 935-609).

Besides being a significant win for Adelman, it was also one for the Rockets (3332), who moved over .500 for the first time all season. Houston has won two straight and seven of eight.

DeMarcus Cousins had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who lost their third straight and fifth in six games. —AP

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sp orts

40 years later, Ali and Frazier still a classic

Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts in this file photo

Top stars take aim at Indian Wells title INDIAN WELLS: World number ones Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki lead a world-class field into the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, a combined WTA and ATP Masters series event that begins today.

Instant replay will be available for the first time on all eight competition courts at the desert resort oasis, where Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic and Serbian Jelena Jankovic will defend their crowns.

Women’s main draw matches begin today while the men start tomorrow. In each case, top seeds have first-round byes, pushing the debut matches for most of the major stars to the weekend.

Nadal, a nine-time Grand Slam champion who won 2007 and 2009 Indian Wells titles, ended a fiveweek layoff last week in a firstround Davis Cup tie and seeks another deep run after losing to Ljubicic in last year’s semi-finals.

Nadal could join US legends Jimmy Connors and M ichael Chang and Swiss world number two Roger Federer as a three-time winner at Indian Wells.

Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam singles champion, comes in off a loss to third-ranked Novak Djokovic in the Dubai final and a week of workouts to prepare himself for the challenge of the US hardcourts.

“I feel like I need more practice, just a little bit here and there,” said Federer. “It’s going to be different conditions again. It’s going to be flying but it’s going to be slower.

So it’s going to be a challenge to

balance those two things in Indian Wells.”

Federer is 29-7 lifetime at Indian Wells and is the only player to win the event three times in a row, his title run coming from 2004 through 2006.

Djokovic, the 2008 Indian Wells champion, is on a 12-match win streak af ter capturing the Australian Open and Dubai titles.

The Serbian star would replace Federer as world number two headed into the Miami Masters event later this month if he wins the Indian Wells title, reaches a final not against Federer or reaches the semi-finals with Federer ousted before the quarter-finals.

“I feel physically well, fit, and mentally motivated to do even more coming up to Indian Wells and Miami, where I haven’t done well in the last years,” Djokovic said. “I really want to work hard and get some good results in the US.” Sweden’s Robin Soderling has won three titles this season and risen to fourth in the rankings, just ahead of Scotsman Andy Murray, who reached the Australian Open final but comes to Indian Wells still in search of his first Grand Slam crown.

“I think the top-five players have played really well the last six months,” Federer said. “Someone always has to win. At the end of the day, we’ve been able to share those a little bit to be honest.

“Rafa still is the favorite. He has won three of the four Slams. Novak maybe has not lost a match yet

this season, but the season is still really short. I’ve been playing well.

Murray has been playing well. I think we’ll know more sort of after Wimbledon. But I don’t expect any crazy changes at the top.”

Wozniacki, who lost to Jankovic in last year’s Indian Wells women’s final, won six titles last year and another crown last month at Dubai after losing in the Australian Open semi-finals, keeping the great Dane without a Slam crown.

Second-ranked Kim Clijsters, the 2003 and 2005 Indian Wells champion, is coming off a victory over China’s Li Na in the Australian Open final, the Belgian taking her third Grand Slam title since a 2009 return from a break to start a family.

Russian Vera Zvonareva, the world number three who won at Indian Wells in 2009, is joined among the favorites by fourthranked Australian Samantha Stosur, fif th-ranked I talian Francesca Schiavone, sixth-ranked Jankovic and seventh-ranked Li, the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final.

“Australia is over. Now I have to start all over again,” Li said, mindful of first-match exits last year at Miami and Indian Wells.

“Last year I didn’t do well in Indian Wells and Miami. I think I am a good player, but I forgot how to walk on the court. Now I have more experience. I know what I should do on the court.”

Other top players in the fields include past Indian Wells winners Maria Sharapova of Russia and Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. —AFP

NEW YORK: In his hotel room the morning after, Muhammad Ali nursed a swollen jaw as the room service waiter arrived with breakfast and good wishes for the man he called champ. “I’m not the champ,” Ali corrected him.

“Joe Frazier is the champ.” Indeed he was, and if anyone needed a reminder the morning papers provided it with a picture as shocking to Ali’s adoring fans as his defeat the night before. There was Ali glassyeyed and struggling to get up from the canvas in the 15th round as Frazier walked to a neutral corner more certain than ever of victory.

“There were a couple of knockdowns really,” Frazier said, chuckling at the thought. “They called the first one a slip. But it was the left hook that made him slip.” It was 40 years ago yesterday that Ali and Frazier met at Madison Square Garden in a fight so big it was simply referred to as The Fight.

It was Frazier’s heavyweight title that was on the line, but a lot of boxing fans still considered Ali the champion because he was stripped of the title and sent into boxing exile for refusing to be drafted.

Frazier was undefeated and in his prime, a relentless aggressor with a vicious left hook. Ali, in just his third fight since the 31/2-year layoff, was a polarizing figure who was hated by some just as much as he was loved by others. “A lot of ‘em want me whipped because of the draft,” Ali said before the fight.

“A lot of ‘em want me whipped because of religion. A lot of ‘em want me whipped because I’m black ... and for other reasons that I might not even know about.” They would go on to meet two more times, including the memorable Thrilla in Manilla.

But nothing could match the stakes that March night at the Garden, where Frank Sinatra shot pictures at ringside, celebrities jockeyed for prime seats, and almost as many men as women wore fulllength fur coats.

Prime seats were $150 _ an astonishing sum at the time _ and they could have sold them for twice that price. Tickets were so scarce that Frank Costello, reputed boss of the Luciano crime family and a fight regular, could only get two seats instead of his usual four. There seemed no way the fight could live up to the hype.

But Ali and Frazier made sure it did. Frazier was on the attack the whole night, stalking Ali and hitting him with left hooks anytime he got close. Ali clowned at times, but his jab kept finding the mark and he landed some right hands to the head that would have dropped other fighters.

Frazier, though, was not going to be denied. He hurt Ali badly in the 11th round — the same round Ali slipped on a wet spot and went to

NEW YORK: Former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier waves to the crowd at the New York Knicks NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz. Frazier celebrates the 40th anniversary of his victory over Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden. —AP the canvas — and landed a crushing left hook 25 seconds into the 15th round that put Ali down for real. Ali got up and finished the fight, but his jaw was swollen like a grapefruit and, when the scorecards were announced, Frazier had won a unanimous decision.

“Ali lost but it was still one of his greatest moments,” said retired Associated Press boxing writer Ed Schuyler Jr., who was ringside. “He had fought only twice after coming back from more than three years off and he went 15 rounds with a guy at the top of his game.”

That Ali wasn’t quite the fighter he was before his layoff may not have made a difference. Ali still had the skills to beat almost every other fighter, but he couldn’t overcome Frazier’s sheer determination.

“If Joe Frazier would have fought King Kong he would have knocked him out that night,” said Gene Kilroy, who was a friend of both men and later became Ali’s business manager. “Nothing was going to stop Joe Frazier.”

Ali is 69 now, living in Arizona and suffering from the debilitating

effects of Parkinson’s syndrome, a movement disorder causing tremors of the hands, arms and legs and stiffness. Frazier, who slurs his words at times, is 67 and lives in Philadelphia, where, on a recent day, he answered the phone after doing 25 minutes on an exercise bicycle. Frazier said he planned to go to parties in New York and Philadelphia to celebrate the night that still defines his life today.

“I can’t go nowhere where it’s not mentioned,” Frazier said. “That was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life.” Not that all his moments with The Greatest were all that great. Frazier was bitter over things Ali said about him while promoting their fights, and he carried a grudge for many years. But he says he’s moved on.

“I forgive him,” Frazier said. “He’s in a bad way.” Asked what they would talk about if they met, Frazier just laughed. They would, of course, talk about the same thing ever yone wants to talk to Joe Frazier about. The greatest night of his life. And a fight so great it remains The Fight. —AP

Egypt makes strong start at squash World Cup

SPAIN: Davide Valsecchi of Italy and Lotus steers his F1 racing car during a test session at the racetrack of Montmelo. —AP

Bahrain given May deadline for decision on Formula One LONDON: Bahrain has until May to decide whether the country’s postponed Formula One grand prix can be rescheduled this year, the sport’s governing body said yesterday.

“The World Motor Sport Council asked the Bahrain Motor Federation to communicate

by May 1st at the latest if the Bahrain Grand Prix can be organised in 2011,” the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement.

The race, originally scheduled for the Sakhir circuit this weekend, would have been the season-opener but was called off due to unrest in the Gulf kingdom. The championship will now start in Melbourne with the Australian Grand Prix on March 27.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said he wants to reschedule the Bahrain race, providing the situation has calmed down, with a likely date towards the end of the season. “We’ll have a look and see what we can do, how we can swap things round a

bit,” the Briton said last week. “Maybe we can change with Brazil or something like that.”

Brazil is scheduled to end the season on Nov. 27, after the penultimate race in Abu Dhabi.

“If there’s peace in Bahrain, we’ll be there,” added Ecclestone who had called for a decision to be made before the season starts and ruled out an alternative round in Europe.

The FIA’s motor sport council, meeting in Paris, have also tweaked rules regarding tyres and the safety car with immediate effect.

The FIA said an additional specification of dry weather tyres, and extra set of ‘prime’ tyres, could be made available to teams at certain events for evaluation purposes and used in Friday practice only.

“Teams will be informed about such an additional specification at least one week before the start of the relevant event,” it added. Pirelli has taken over from Bridgestone as Formula One’s sole tyre supplier this year. —Reuters

CHENNAI: Title favorite Egypt started strongly in the squash World Cup in winning both of its matches on the opening day yesterday of the mixed team competition that has been revived after 12 years. Egypt, with three men ranked in the world’s top 10, beat fifth-seeded Malaysia 2-1 then swept eighth-seeded South Africa 3-0 in Pool A. The No. 2-seeded England also won its opener, 3-0 over India, while No. 3 Australia defeated Mexico by the same margin in Pool B. World No. 3 Karim Darwish beat Malaysian Mohd Asyraf 11-1, 11-5, 11-1 to open Egypt’s account. Top-ranked women’s player Nicol David helped Malaysia draw level with a 11-9, 11-6, 11-6 win over Raneem El Walily, but men’s No. 9 Mohamed El Shorbagy clinched it for Egypt with an 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 win over Kamran Khan.

No.2 Ramy Ashour, rested for the opening round, put Egypt in the lead against South Africa with a 12-10, 12-10, 11-6 over Stephen Coppinger.

El Walily beat Siyoli Waters 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 to clinch victory, and Mohamed El Shorbagy beat Rodney Durbach 11-7, 7-11, 11-0, 11-7 to finish off the match. “We are a good team. We should win this time ... what do you think?” Ashour asked.

Men’s No. 1 Nick Matthew of England withdrew from the competition injured, but in his absence No. 4 James Willstrop edged India’s Saurav Ghosal 12-14, 11-3, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10.

“I expected it to be tough as Sourav is good,” Willstrop said. “The sport’s competitive at the moment, it’s got depth.” Women’s No. 2 Jenny Duncalf easily beat Indian counterpart Joshna Chinappa 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 and men’s No. 8 Peter Barker overcame Harinder Pal Singh 6-11, 11-6, 117, 12-10 to wrap up the match.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka lost both o its matches against France and Malaysia in Pool A. Nine teams, including defending champion England, are split in two pools, with the top four advancing to the semifinals on Friday. —AP

KEA Friendship Cup Football Tournament KUWAIT: The second round of league matches for the Gulf Bank sponsored 2nd Annual KEA Friendship Cup Football tournament organized by Keralite Engineers’ Association was held on Friday, March 4 at the Al Sahel Sports’ Club, Abu Halifa.

MACE won the first match of the day defeating NIT by a 3-1 margin. George Varghese who hit 2 goals for MACE was adjudged the man of the match.

The second match between KEA and TKMCE ended in a 1-1 draw. Marshall of KEA received the man of the match award.

The third match of the day was between NSSCE and AECK which NSSCE won 1-0. Arvind Balakrishnan of NSSCE who converted a penalty for the only goal of the match was adjudged man of the match.

The fourth and final match of the day was between TEC and CET. CET was no match for the fiery TEC onslaught. TEC won the match 4-0. Ramesh K.P. of TEC was adjudged the man of the match.

At the end of the second round of matches, NSSCE lead Group A with 4 points. TKMCE and KEA are tied with 2 points each while AECK are at the bottom of the table with 1 point.

In Group B, TEC is through to the semifinals with an unsurpassable 6 points. MACE is second with 3 points.

CETAA and NIT are tied with 1 point each.

The third and final round of league matches will be held on Friday, the 11th of March.

Field Officials: Simon and Anand Sharma from Indian Football Referees Association (IFRA), Kuwait officiated as the referees.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

S P ORT S

Watson relishing Hussey’s return BANGALORE: Australia all-rounder Shane Watson believes the call-up of Michael Hussey is “brilliant” news for the defending champions as they chase a fourth straight World Cup title and fifth in all.

Veteran batsman Hussey, 35, was named in Australia’s original 15-man squad but then dropped because of a hamstring injury that needed surgery. However, he has since recov-

ered and the Western Australia left-hander has got his chance after being summoned to the sub-continent as a replacement for injured fast bowler Doug Bollinger. Hussey’s inclusion will bolster Australia’s ability to play spin bowling and he is also a noted ‘finisher’ of a one-day innings, being particularly adept at rebuilding following the loss of early wickets. “It’s brilliant,” said Watson yesterday. “I was hoping Mike

would come over. “It’s going to give us a huge boost to have someone of his calibre flying in to be a part of our squad and with a very big chance of playing immediately as well.”

Hussey was due to join the squad late yesterday local time. Australia have had to endure an extraordinary schedule at this World Cup, being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. — AFP

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya Group B: Bangladesh, England, India, South Africa, West Indies, Ireland, Netherlands

Taylor punishes faltering Pakistan Scoreboard PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka: Complete scoreboard of the World Cup Group A match between Pakistan and New Zealand at Pallekele Stadium here on yesterday: New Zealand M. Guptill b Afridi 57 6 B. McCullum b Akhtar J. How lbw b Gul 4 R. Taylor not out 131 J. Franklin lbw b Hafeez 1 S. Styris lbw b Gul 28 N. McCullum b Gul 19 J. Oram c Gul b Rehman 25 K. Mills not out 7 Extras: (lb10, nb3, w11) 24 Total: (for seven wkts; 50 overs) 302 Fall of wickets: 1-8 (B. McCullum), 2-55 (How), 3112 (Guptill), 4-113 (Franklin), 5-175 (Styris), 6-210 (N. McCullum), 7295 (Oram).

Bowling: Akhtar 9-0-70-1 (nb3, w3), Rehman 100-60-1 (w1), Gul 10-1-32-3 (w2), Razzaq 4-0-49-0 (w4), Afridi 10-0-55-1, Hafeez 7-0-26-1 (w1).

Pakistan Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Southee 5 10 Ahmed Shahzad lbw b Mills Kamran Akmal c Taylor b Southee 8 Younis Khan b Mills 0 Misbah-ul-Haq c Styris b Southee 7 Umar Akmal c Oram b N. McCullum 38 Shahid Afridi b Oram 17 Abdul Razzaq c Oram b Styris 62 Abdur Rehman lbw b N. McCullum 1 Uar Gul not out 34 Shoaib Akhtar c N. McCullum b Styris 0 Extras: (lb6, w4) 10 Total: (all out; 41.4 overs) 192 Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Hafeez), 2-23 (Shahzad), 3-23 (Younis), 4-23 (Kamran), 5-45 (Misbah), 6-66 (Afridi), 7-102 (Umar), 8-125 (Rehman), 9-191 (Razzaq), 10-192 (Akhtar).

Bowling: Mills 8-1-43-2, Southee 8-1-25-3, Oram 10-1-47-1, Franklin 5-0-26-0, N. McCullum 6-028-2 (w4), Styris 4.4-0-17-2.

Result: New Zealand won by 110 runs

PALLEKELE: Ross Taylor celebrated his 27th birthday with a career-best unbeaten 131 to help New Zealand beat Pakistan by an emphatic 110-run margin at Pallekele stadium yesterday.

Taylor benefitted from two let-offs by wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal to guide New Zealand to an imposing 302-7 before Tim Southee (3-25) restricted Pakistan to 192 in the World Cup Group A match at the newly-built stadium.

Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals and suffered their second biggest World Cup defeat, leaving a packed 30,000 crowd disappointed.

Scott Styris (2-17), Nathan McCullum (2-28) and Kyle Mills (2-43) also chipped in with useful bowling to halt Pakistan’s unbeaten progress in the tournament.

The win gave New Zealand-six points from four matches-top position in Group A on a better run-rate.

Pakistan also have six points from four matches, followed by Sri Lanka (five from four) and Australia (five from three).

“I don’t have any excuses but I must say that I know we didn’t bowl well, we didn’t field well and we missed opportunities,” said Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi.

Taylor added: “We thought that it was probably only a par total. I think it probably nipped around a little bit with the dew and the way that Abdul Razzaq (62) batted our bowlers couldn’t quite hold onto the ball at the end but pleased with the result.”

Razzaq (62), Umar Akmal (38) and Umar Gul (34 not out) put up some resistance. But it was never threatening for New Zealand who didn’t miss skipper Daniel Vettori, who was forced to leave the field after injuring his knee.

Pakistan’s worst World Cup defeat was by 112 runs, against England at Cape Town in 2003. Razzaq, when he reached 22, became the fourth player behind Sanath Jayasuriya, Shahid Afridi and Jacques Kallis to score 5000 runs and take 250 wickets in ODIs. But it was Taylor’s day as he hit eight boundaries and seven sixes during his 124-ball knock, peaking in the final 10 overs in which New Zealand collected 139 runs — 100 in last five.

Taylor could have been out for nought, had Akmal not missed a regulation edge in paceman Shoaib Akhtar’s second spell.

He also dropped Taylor in the same Akhtar over when he had made just eight. Taylor made the most of

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is bowled out by New Zealand’s bowler Jacob Oram (unseen) during the ICC Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and Pakistan. —AP his good fortune and ran riot in the 47th over of the innings, hitting Akhtar for two boundaries and three sixes — 28 runs in all-to reach his first World Cup hundred off 117 deliveries.

He then hit two boundaries and three sixes to take 30 off Abdul Razzaq’s 49th over. Taylor added a blistering 85 for the seventh wicket with Jacob Oram (25 off just nine balls, with three sixes and a boundary) off just 22 balls to punish a hapless Pakistan bowling attack.

Taylor’s previous best of 128 not out came against Sri Lanka at Napier in 2006. This was his first ODI hundred since his three-figure knock in Bangladesh in October 2008. Taylor added 57 for the third wicket with Martin Guptill (57) and 62 for the fifth wicket with

Scott Styris (28). Pakistan, who opened the bowling with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman-the first time they opened with a spinner since April 1998 — got dangerous Brendon McCullum in the first over, bowled

by Akhtar for six.

Gul, the pick of Pakistan bowlers with 3-32, dismissed Jamie How (four) to make it 55-2, leaving the repair work to Taylor and Guptill.

Akhtar conceded 70 in his nine overs, while Razzaq was clobbered for 49 in four. Pakistan next face Zimbabwe here on Monday, while New Zealand travel to Mumbai to face Canada (March 13) and Sri Lanka (March 18) in their last two matches. Pakistan wrap-up their group matches against defending champions Australia in Colombo on March 19. —AFP

England’s injury woes continue Preview

India eye Dutch feast NEW DELHI: India will look to wrap up a convincing victory over rock-bottom Netherlands in the World Cup today and virtually make sure of their quarter-final berth.

India are the only team who have yet to taste defeat in their group and that record is unlikely to be broken against the under-performing Dutch who have still to register a win.

The host nation are on top of Group B with five points. England have as many points but have played a game more and have a worse run rate while West Indies and South Africa have four points each.

But thanks to some topsy-turvy results in the group and the tied game against England, India are technically not assured of a place in the last eight as yet.

A strong performance against the Dutch will not only give India a strong net run rate but also pave their way to the knockout round.

The only weak link for the Indians has been their bowling which has been exposed time and again.

India’s frontline bowlers failed to find much success against a spirited Ireland and had it not been for a five-wicket haul by part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh, they could have been in trouble.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, however, tried to play down the indifferent form of his bowlers. “We are showing signs of improvement, which is good,” he said.

“I feel it’s important to peak at the right time because it’s a long tournament so definitely what we have seen is slow and gradual improvement on the bowling side.”

Yuvraj’s show with the ball might tempt Dhoni to leave out an off-colour leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and bring in attacking off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

Former Australian Test batsman Mark Waugh said India’s strong batting compensated for their lack of specialist bowling options.

Writing in the Times of India, he said: “The batsmen compensate their bowling arsenal and on paper, under these conditions, they possess one of the best batting line-ups in the tournament.”

“India do have the option of going in with five bowlers in place of the four that they usually prefer. I do not, however, think that is necessarily the right way to go about it because Yuvraj Singh can do a good job as a fifth bowler and bowl his quota,” he added.

The home side are unlikely to be tested against the Netherlands, who ran

England close in their opener, thanks to a sparkling 119 from Ryan ten Doeschate, but have since struggled. The Dutch scored an impressive 292 against England but slumped to a huge 215run defeat to the West Indies and lost by 231 runs against South Africa.

Skipper Peter Borren said Wednesday’s game at New Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla stadium would be a tough proposition. “India are a tough side as their batting line-up has some unbelievable cricketers,” said Borren. “It’s going to be a real challenge for us to play against them in India.

Hopefully, we can do a little bit better against India than we did against South Africa.” —AFP

India’s Virender Sehwag bats at a practice session

CHITTAGONG: Fast bowler Stuart Broad joined star batsman Kevin Pietersen on the World Cup sidelines yesterday, the second injury blow for England on successive days.

Broad was ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to a side strain he picked up during his four-wicket haul in England’s six-run win over South Africa in Chennai on Sunday.

Pietersen was forced to fly home on Monday to undergo a hernia operation and was replaced by Eoin Morgan. Morgan joined the squad yesterday ahead of England’s next World Cup match against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Friday.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said it will apply for a replacement for Broad, with the likely choice being seamer Chris Tremlett, who is already travelling with the team as a bowling reserve.

Broad will leave Chittagong for home in the next 48 hours for further assessment that will “determine his recover y and rehabilitation timescale”.

The ECB’s chief medical officer Nick Peirce (eds: correct) said the side strain was a new problem for Broad, who suffered an abdominal injury during the Ashes tour of Australia which caused him to miss the last three Tests.

“Stuart felt some discomfort following the South Africa match and our initial assessment indicated a strain to his left side,” Peirce said.

“Subsequent scans have confirmed a significant side strain injury - where the muscle attaches the rib - that will rule him out of the remainder of the World Cup. “This is a new injury, separate from the abdominal tear suffered during the Ashes, that requires a period of recuperation and rehabilitation and the duration of this recovery period will be determined following further assessment in the UK.” Broad said earlier yesterday he was waiting for the results of the scans to know how serious the injury was. “At this stage, I am doubtful about playing on Friday, but not sure beyond that. I should know in a couple of days,” Broad had told reporters.

“I’m not too down at the minute because I don’t know what the injury is. But obviously I’ll be bitterly disappointed if it’s the end of my World Cup.” Broad, who has claimed 130 wickets in 76 oneday internationals, said he had not suffered a similar side strain before. “I know it is a common injury with bowlers, but I’ve never had it before,” he said.

“I didn’t get the short stabbing pain that I did in the Ashes, so that’s a good sign this is not as severe as that. It’s in a different area.

“It was nothing like the Ashes injury when I felt it straight away and knew there was no real way back. Adrenaline got me through the game (against South Africa) and I was okay for a couple of hours after the match but then stiffened up and got a bit sore.

CHITTAGONG: England’s cricketer Stuart Broad speaks to journalists. —AP

“You have to be very careful with side strains as a bowler. You have to give them enough time to make sure they are 100 percent right or there will be a weak spot,” Broad said.

Broad’s place for the match against Bangladesh may go to seamer Ajmal Shahzad, who played in the tied game against India, but was dropped for the next two matches against Ireland and South Africa. —AFP

Standings (played, won, lost, tied, no result, points, net run rate) Group A N Zealand

4

3

1

0 0

6

+1.848

Pakistan

4

3

1

0 0

6

+0.760

Sri Lanka

4

2

1

0 1

5

+2.663

Australia

3

2

0

0 1

5

+1.813

Zimbabwe

3

1

2

0 0

2

+0.079

Canada

4

1

3

0 0

2

-2.083

Kenya

4

0

4

0 0

0

-3.403

India

3

2

0

1 0

5

+0.768

England

4

2

1

1 0

5

-0.012

W Indies

3

2

1

0 0

4

+2.667

S Africa

3

2

1

0 0

4

+1.840

Ireland

3

1

2

0 0

2

-0.296

Bangladesh

3

1

2

0 0

2

-1.764

Netherlands

3

0

3

0 0

0

-3.058

Group B

y

A

19

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

sp orts Preview

Chelsea dump Blackpool Blackpool 1

Chelsea 3

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur’s Rafael Van der Vaart (right), Luka Modric (second right), Michael Dawson (left), Peter Crouch (second left) and Aaron Lennon train at Spurs Lodge training ground. —AP

Spurs serious to finish off Milan LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur can underline their credentials as viable Champions League contenders today by adding the knockout-stage scalp of AC Milan to that of holders Inter who they beat in the group stage.

Spurs fans have enjoyed a Champions League debut season beyond their dreams as they delivered a swashbuckling 18-goal romp through the group stage.

Now, having produced a performance of defensive maturity in the San Siro to match any of the competition’s grand names and added the huge bonus of Peter Crouch’s superb away goal, the Londoners have become a team others will want to avoid.

Redknapp, whose side ripped Inter Milan apart 3-1 in the group stage, said he intended to maintain his attacking approach.

“When you have that advantage in a two-legged game, if you sit back and think you have the lead then you find yourself in trouble,” he said.

“We have to treat it as a one-off and we have to go for it. It’s not natural for us to sit on a 1-0 lead for 90 minutes. “We will pick an attacking team and have a go at them; that’s how we have got to play.”

Spurs drew 3-3 with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday and though the result was disappointing Redknapp was pleased to see Gareth Bale come through a 20-minute run unscathed and to see Jermain Defoe back among the goals.

Bale, who tormented Inter home and away, missed six weeks with a back problem but should start on Wednesday to add attacking width on the left and compliment the

threat of Aaron Lennon on the right.

Rafael van der Vaar t, who is behind much of the side’s best attacking work, should also be fit after a calf injury.

Defoe scored twice on Sunday, his first league goals for 11 months, and with Roman Pavlyuchenko also on target and Crouch looking the part in Europe, Redknapp has good options.

Serie A leaders Milan have won three straight three games since losing the first leg but they are missing several key players and have a dire record in England.

In 14 visits, the seven-times European champions have won once and lost nine times, including last season when they were thrashed 4-0

by Manchester United at the same stage.

Midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng is doubtful to face his former side after hurting his ankle in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Juventus.

His absence would be a real blow given that midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini are injured, Mark van Bommel is ineligible and Gennaro Gattuso is suspended.

Coach Massimiliano Ambrosini may have to employ a makeshift midfield of Clarence Seedor f, Mathieu Flamini and German youngster Alexander Merkel or play left back Marek Jankulovski further forward. The Czech won over doubters at the San Siro who assumed his Milan career was over after being on the fringes for over a year.

“A player that I really like at the moment, who is doing really well, is Jankulovski,” Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said. Striker Alexandre Pato is expected to recover from flu to replace the ineligible Antonio Cassano. —Reuters

BLACKPOOL: Two goals from Frank Lampard and another from John Terry gave Chelsea a 3-1 win at Blackpool on Monday to renew its hopes of retaining the Premier League title.

After an unmarked Terry made it 1-0 with a 20th-minute header from a corner, Lampard scored twice within four second-half minutes at Bloomfield Road for Chelsea to move within nine points of leader Manchester United having played one fewer match.

Lampard converted a penalty in the 63rd minute after Salomon Kalou had been fouled by Blackpool defender Ian Evatt.

Three minutes later, Kalou slipped a pass through the defense for Lampard to slide the ball beyond goalkeeper Richard Kingson.

Chelsea was 15 points off the pace and seemingly out of the running for the title a week ago, but its victory over Man United followed by the leaders’ loss at Liverpool on Sunday has rejuvenated its campaign.

“We have to believe,” Lampard said. “It is a long shot and we have a lot to do, but if we go and win every game we will have a great chance to do it, but it will be very difficult.

“It’s been a good week for us.

We weren’t at our best tonight, we were a bit sloppy and we cannot afford to be like that if we

LONDON: Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou (center) vies for the ball against Blackpool’s Keith Southern during their English Premier League soccer match. —AP want to do anything. If we win every game we still have a chance, but Arsenal and Manchester United are good sides and they have a good lead.”

Chelsea has also solidified its hold on the final Champions League place, moving three points clear of fifth-place Tottenham. While Blackpool is two points above the drop zone after recording only one win in its past nine matches to be in 15th place.

Blackpool refused to curb its attacking style, testing goalkeeper Petr Cech throughout the first

half and scoring a consolation goal in the 86th from Jason Puncheon. Chelsea struggled to find any fluency in attack until Kalou came on for Didier Drogba, who injured his hip. Fernando Torres lacked a cutting edge in front of goal and is yet to score in five matches since moving from Liverpool in a 50 million pound transfer.

“I am happy as he is working hard, supporting the team defensively and he has very good behavior on the pitch,” Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said of Torres. Blackpool manager Ian

Preview

Man United won’t talk to anti-Glazer fan groups LONDON: Manchester United chief executive David Gill dismissed critics of the Glazer family yesterday and insisted that the Premier League club isn’t negatively affected by debts of more than 500 million pounds ($812 million).

Gill defended the Glazers, who bought United in 2005 and spend 45 million ($72 million) pounds annually in interest payments, at a British parliamentary inquiry into English football.

Groups including the Manchester United Supporters Trust have intensified protests against the Glazers in the last year amid concerns that the debt is preventing manager Alex Ferguson from revamping an aging team.

“They are at war with the owners,” Gill told the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

“We are not going to open a dialogue ... If we are going to be castigated for not speaking to one or two groups who have par ticular clear agendas, then so be it. We will take the castigation.”

Before United was sold to the Glazers, Gill opposed the takeover, saying in 2004 that “the level of debt coupled with their business plan meant that it was an unattractive proposal.”

The Glazers have never given an interview about their long-term plans for United, which is in first place in the league.

Gill said the owners have delegated responsibilities to talk to the fans to himself and Ferguson, but dodged a question from the committee about the manager’s current refusal to talk to any media outlets, including United’s own TV channel.

Giving evidence at the same hearing on Tuesday, Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn questioned whether opposition

to the Glazers is heightened by their silence. “People don’t know how the Glazers actually feel deep down in their hearts about when a referee makes a bad decision,” said Quinn, whose club is owned by American businessman Ellis Short.

“Do they go home really fed up after a game like we all do? Or are they taking a call from the golf course wondering how the team got on today?” Gill responded by saying that the Glazers were disappointed by losses to Liverpool and Chelsea in the last week.

Stoke chairman Peter Coates also appeared at the inquiry. Paul Farrelly, a Labour Party legislator, also accused Gill of “rewarding bad behavior ” by handing United striker Wayne Rooney a lucrative contract worth a reported 250,000 pounds ($404,000) per week.

“I do not think that is particularly outrageous,” Gill responded.

“Rooney is a great player both for this countr y and for M anchester United. Role models as players — there are examples of players being inappropriate, I wouldn’t disagree with that.

But at the same time he is there, we want to keep him.” Rooney threatened to leave United in October just weeks after being accused of cheating on his then-pregnant wife with a prostitute.

Gill said Rooney’s salary demands haven’t had an effect when negotiating new deals with other players.

M idfielders Darren Fletcher and M ichael Carrick signed contrac ted extensions last week.

“The impact of what we pay Wayne — and they know that — didn’t come up,” Gill said. Gill said one of the biggest issues facing United is who will replace Ferguson when the 69-year-old Scot eventually retires. —AP

GERMANY: Schalke’s Raul of Spain (right) shoots the ball beside Schalke’s head coach Felix Magath (left) during the training session. —AP

Schalke fans turn on Magath as Valencia loom BERLIN: Schalke 04 coach Felix Magath has been fighting a running battle with his own fans for months and if his team fails to move past Valencia today in the Champions League he can expect an even rougher ride.

Schalke fans unfurled a huge banner during their 1-0 defeat to VfB Stuttgart on Saturday reading “Magath out” in the latest twist of their strained relationship and the 57-year-old knows too well the power his fans yield in Gelsenkirchen.

With last season’s Bundesliga runners-up languishing in 10th place in the league, the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie after a 1-1 draw in Spain is the perfect opportunity to restore harmony.

“If you take on responsibilities then you cannot just have people who support you. I can live with that,” Magath told reporters. “I am not concerned about my job.” Valencia would do well not to interpret Schalke’s internal crisis as a sign of weakness.

Schalke’s Bundesliga season was in tatters after only a few weeks but they still managed to advance to the Champions League knockout stage, topping their group.

Schalke have also seen the return of Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to training this week but it is still too soon to decide whether

he will be able to play.

“We need to wait and see how the knee reacts,” said Magath. Compared to Schalke, Valencia had the ideal preparation for the trip to Gelsenkirchen, securing third place in La Liga for another week with a 2-1 win away to Real Mallorca on Saturday.

It was their third away match in a row where they came back from a goal down to win 2-1, winger Pablo Hernandez scoring twice.

“Today’s victory was very important with regards to the match against Schalke,” Valencia coach Unai Emery told reporters. “We’re really looking forward to the game, we have four days to prepare now and to completely focus on it knowing it will be very tough.”

“It is going to be an important examination for us all, and we are going to study hard to make sure we can win it. We’ll be going to try and score and to try and improve in defence in attack from the first leg.”

Experienced midfielders David Albelda and Joaquin are back from injury, as is striker Aritz Aduriz, who has been out for four weeks with a twisted ankle. All three had a run out against Mallorca when Roberto Soldado, top scorer in the Champions League with six goals, was rested. —Reuters

Holloway was critical of referee Mike Dean’s decision to award the penalty. “I think that was key, particularly when Lampard is going to take it as he normally scores,” Holloway said. “He (Kalou) couldn’t wait to go down, and we were a bit naive and the ref couldn’t wait to give it. In the Championship that may not have been given.

“We deserved a goal in the first half, but unfortunately last year’s champions are good enough to hurt you. But I am proud of the team, we kept going and I felt we could have got something.” —AP

English player gets red card for tackling intruder LONDON: Ashley Vickers waited for the barely-clad pitch invader to get close before springing into action and tackling him to the ground, earning adoration from the match stewards but a red card from the referee.

With the referee at the non-league football game in southern England standing right in front of him, Vickers — the Dorchester player-manager — ended the 30-second jaunt of a man wearing nothing but a bright green “mankini” thong and curly black wig with a thudding, neck-high challenge near the center circle.

For his efforts, Vickers was shown the red card for violent conduct in the 70th minute of Monday’s match with the score level at 1-1 against host Havant & Waterlooville. “I’m dumbfounded and speechless,” Vickers told local newspaper The Dorset Echo.

“My only thought was to get hold of him so we could get on with the game. “I managed to grab him and bring him to the ground and the funny thing was the stewards actually thanked me for it. But the ref decided to send me off and it beggars belief.” Dorchester eventually lost the match 3-1, dealing a blow to the team’s hopes of making the playoffs in England’s sixth tier of football.

The intruder, meanwhile, was marched out of Westleigh Park and banned from the stadium. The streaker — whose outfit resembled the “mankini” worn by Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Borat” movie character — caused a stir among the 458 spectators by running amok between stunned players. Two stewards failed to stop the intruder before Vickers stepped in.

The sending-off — an automatic decision for a player who attacks anyone on the field — angered Dorchester’s players, who complained to the referee in vain.

Two more visiting players ended up being sent off in the final 10 minutes for unrelated incidents, leaving the southwest club with only eight players at the final whistle. —AP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

UEFA Champions League Schalke v Valencia Al Jazeera Sport +2 Al Jazeera Sport 2 HD

22:45

Tottenham v AC Milan Al Jazeera Sport +3 Al Jazeera Sport +4

22:45

English Premier League Everton v Birmingham Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5

23:00

Knicks silence Jazz in NBA action

16

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

Taylor punishes faltering Pakistan

18

Spurs serious to finish off Milan

Page 19

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez (center) is congratulated by his teammates Andres Iniesta (left) and Lionel Messi after scoring during a Champions League, round of 16, second leg soccer match against Arsenal at the Nou Camp. — AP

Messi fires Barca into quarters BARCELONA: A Lionel Messi brace helped Barcelona to a 3-1 victory over 10-man Arsenal yesterday to put them into the quarter-finals of Champions League on a 43 aggregate.

The Argentine World Player of the Year was the difference as Barcelona produced another outstanding display of attacking football which left the Arsenal defence stretched from beginning to end.

The Catalan side needed just one goal after losing 2-1 at the Emirates and Messi put them ahead in first-half stoppage time.

An own goal by Sergio Busquets put Arsenal back on level terms but the game turned Barca’s way by the sending off of Robin van Persie two minutes later.

Xavi Hernandez leveled the tie at 2-1 and then Leo Messi scored the decider with a penalty. While Van Persie labelled the sending off a joke and questioned the validity of

referee Massimo Busacca’s credentials for being in charge, a furious Wenger confronted the Swiss official in the tunnel afterwards.

“We lost against a good team but if it had stayed at 11 players apiece then I could accept losing,” said the Frenchman, who has seen his side lose in the League Cup final and exit here in the past 10 days.

“Unfortunately that was not the case and we have many regrets tonight.

The way we lost tonight makes it hard to accept.” Whether it was a case of mind games or just a speedy recovery Van Persie was on the team list to start. Ruled out last week he was a last minute inclusion on the plane and passed a late fitness test.

The attention before the game was on local youth product Cesc Fabregas who chose to abandon his home-town team at the age of 16 by the lure of a first-team

opportunity at Arsenal.

Fabregas was also ready to play after shrugging off a hamstring strain and lined up for his first official game at the Nou Camp.

Arsenal defended deeply as they sought to avoid a repetition of last season’s annihilation when after scoring an early opener they were torn apart with Messi getting all the goals in a 4-1 rout.

A last ditch block by Laurent Koscielny from a Pedro Rodriguez shot after just three minutes set the stall for the Gunners as they attempted to snuff out the threat from Barca’s trident attack led by Messi.

Arsenal suffered a set-back when keeper Wojciech Szczesny was forced off with a wrist injury and Manuel Almunia stepped into the fray. Koscielny made another important intervention and Johan Djourou made a tackle on Xavi Hernandez who burst

into the box but Barca began to get frustrated as the goal did not appear to be coming.

The players remonstrated with the referee for what they saw as time wasting and in a heated spell Van Persie was booked for pushing Dani Alves in the face.

On the point of half time Barca finally found their way through as Andres Iniesta played in Messi and the Argentine kept his head to delicately chip the ball over the keeper and volley it into an empty goal.

It appeared as though the visitors would be forced out of their shells but they drew level in bizarre circumstances. A corner was floated in and Busquets surrounded by other Barca players directed his header back into his own net.

A deflated home crowd were on their feet minutes later though as Van Persie was harshly given a second yellow card for shooting after the whistle had blown. With

Shakhtar blank Roma to move into last eight DONETSK: Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk made no mistake in ensuring they reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time with an impressive 3-0 victory over 10-man AS Roma to win 6-2 on aggregate here yesterday.

Goals by Tomas Hubschmann, outstanding Brazilian Willian and Eduardo extended the 2009 UEFA Cup winners’ unbeaten home record in European competition to October 2008 when they went down to Sporting Lisbon.

After suffering a 3-2 home defeat in the first leg, Roma’s task was made virtually impossible when they were reduced to 10 men late in the first-half when Philippe Mexes was sent off for a second yellow card.

Czech midfielder Hubschmann took the congratulations of his team (known as the ‘Pitmen’ as they come from a mining region) in the 18th minute for the goal his first in 17 months - though it appeared that he had not got a touch to Willian’s low cross.

However, Roma coach Vincenzo Montella will look askance at his defence who allowed such an innocuous goal to give the visitors an even more challenging task in coming back and becoming only the second side since Ajax in the 1995/96 edition to overcome a home loss in the first leg.

Roma, though, wasted a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit just before the half hour mark as English referee Howard Webb awarded them a penalty after Armenian international

Henrik Mkhitaryan was penalised for holding back Marco Borriello.

But Roma’s leading scorer then produced a dreadful effort which was saved by Andriy Pyatov. The visitors’ chances took another huge blow in the 41st minute when their French central defender Mexes was sent off after being booked for a second time by World Cup final referee Webb when he tugged back Luis Adriano.

However, Webb was found wanting on the stroke of half-time when he booked Shakhtar captain Dario Srna instead of Roma midfielder Daniele di Rossi, who merited a red card for a clear and malicious elbow on Srna and made worse as the referee failed to award a penalty as the offence took place inside the Italians’ penalty area.

The energetic Mkhitaryan provided the first action of the second-half as he cut in from the right and unleashed a fierce shot from outside of the box but Roma goalkeeper Doni beat it away.

However, there was little Doni could do in the 58th minute as the 22-year-old Willian produced a finish of the highest class, bringing down a corner from outside the box and curling a half-volley into the top far corner to send the Ukrainian crowd into raptures.

Brazilian-born Croatian international Eduardo, the former Arsenal striker, rounded off a memorable evening for the hosts as he broke free three minutes from time and easily put the ball past Doni. —AFP

the noise from a 90,000 capacity crowd Van Persie could perhaps have been given the benefit of the doubt in his claim he didn’t hear the whistle.

“My sending off was hugely influential on the outcome of the match,” Van Persie told Sky Sports.

“It was a total joke. How can I hear the whistle when there are 95,000 fans jumping up and making noise.

“He’s (Busacca) been bad all evening and I don’t know why he’s here. “They are unbelievable these people.” With a man extra Barca pressed forward and a neat passing move split the Arsenal defence wide open.

An Iniesta ball was flicked on by Villa into Xavi’s path and he finished coolly.

Minutes later and Barcelona extended their lead from the penalty spot with Messi slotting home after Pedro was upended by Koscielny. — AFP

AS Roma terminate Adriano’s contract

UKRAINE: Juan of AS Roma vies for the ball with Luiz Adriano during UEFA Champions League football match with Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar won 3-0. —AFP

ROME: AS Roma have terminated the contract of Brazilian striker Adriano, the Serie A club said in a statement yesterday.

Adriano failed to turn up for training as scheduled after spending weeks in Brazil recovering from a broken arm, creating a problem for new coach Vincenzo Montella who took over last month.

The Brazilian’s contract was due to run until June 2013 but Roma said they had reached agreement with him to end it early. Adriano broke his right arm and dislocated his shoulder during Roma’s Italian Cup win over city rivals Lazio in January.

The striker quit I nter M ilan to return to Brazil two years ago because of personal problems and Roma knew they were taking a risk bringing him back to Serie A. Former Roma striker Montella signed a contract to coach the club until the end of the season after Claudio Ranieri quit in February following the team’s 4-3 loss at Genoa. —Reuters

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Gulfnet announces winners of InfoConnect promotions Page 22

OPEC production hike talk helps equities Page 25

Large caps bail out KSE stocks

Page 24

KIB raises credit limit with Mabanee to KD 25m Page 23

HONG KONG: A Chinese man looks at a model of Boeing 747-8 at the Asian Aerospace Show in Hong Kong yesterday. (See Page 25) —AP

Private sector key to Kuwait’s growth Humaidi, Saadoun present an overview of economy

By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: At its latest weekly seminar, the Arab Media Forum hosted former Kuwaiti finance minister Badr Al-Humaidi, along with the board director of Al-Shall Economic Consultants, Jassem AlSaadoun, to offer an overview of the current economic situation in Kuwait and the general long-term economic outlook for the country.

In his address, Al-Humaidi expressed concern at the inflation in the annual budget due to increasing public sector wage bills which can reach up to KD7.5 billion, projecting that these are set to increase to take up to 70 percent of the total state budget, while the expenditure on development will be only 14 percent of the total.

If matters continue at their current rate, he warned, the public sector wage bill for 2025 will come to KD25 billion, an immense burden on the state’s coffers.

The primary concern for Kuwait is its almost-complete reliance on oil as a source of income, said AlHumaidi, pointing out that the

profits from this sector represent 94 percent of Kuwait’s annual revenue. He said that the recent oil price rises are rooted in concerns over regional volatility rather than based on demand.

“We have a big problem, which is the downsizing of the private sector’s role,” he said, adding that there is no appetite among Kuwaitis for private sector growth, given the government’s exaggerated support for the public sector and the great privileges available to all public sector workers. AlHumaidi expressed concern that this “governmental generosity” might lead to Kuwaitis taking to the streets to plead for it to write off their personal debts, warning that continuing in this fashion would lead to political and social disaster.

The other guest speaker, AlSaadoun, asserted that the primary problem in Kuwait is one of management, with the current government unable to offer the people real management or to move from those projects proposed under the existing system and those intended to advance

development. The developmentrelated plan requires the building of a state and the peaceful transfer of authority, he suggested, since all development-related projects require political stability and the existence of state institutions.

Al-Saadoun suggested that the development plan must be executed through the deployment of two simultaneous strategies, first identifying and avoiding the negative practices used in previous development initiatives so as to avoid similar consequences in the future, and secondly working to achieve genuine benefits through letting the private sector participate directly and effectively in implementing the development plan and creating real job opportunities. He asserted that current public sector employment practices are creating “masked unemployment,” which is problematic for the economy, as well as suggesting that a gradually introduced system of private sector taxation would be another means of raising revenue.

Al-Saadoun and Al-Humaidi both stressed the crucial impor-

tance of the private sector in strengthening Kuwait’s economy, asserting that the Kuwaiti private sector is one of the most active and successful in the region in its investments and operations.

Another speaker at the event, businessman Abdullah Najib AlMulla, also stressed the important role played by the Kuwaiti private sector and the problems it is facing in the lack of enthusiasm from Kuwaitis to work for private sector employers who cannot compete with the pay and privileges offered by the public sector.

Another of the prominent guest speakers at the seminar, Mahmoud Abou Al Oyoun, the executive manager of Kuwait International Bank and the former governor of the Egyptian Central Bank, said that the only common factor of any development work anywhere, whoever is carrying it out, is the vital importance of human resources. He stressed that workers are the assets to rely on in any development, saying that this is the standard whether the development plan in question successfully works out or not.

OPEC mulls output Hike, says Kuwait Iran sees no need to boost production KUWAIT/DUBAI: OPEC oil producers are consulting about a supply boost but many in the group remain skeptical, saying high prices are due to fears of shortage and world supply is comfortable despite the loss of Libyan crude.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has yet to officially change its production policy, even though it has been boosting supply informally for months and Saudi Arabia has offered to help make up for the loss of around two thirds of Libya’s output.

“We are in consultations about a potential output increase, but have not yet decided,” Kuwait’s Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah told reporters yesterday. Brent crude oil fell by more than $2 after the Kuwaiti comments and by 1326 GMT was down $1.04 at $114.00 a barrel. On Feb. 24 Brent hit $119.79, the highest since 2008, when it reached an all-time high of $147.50. A different message emerged from Iran, OPEC’s leading oil price hawk and holder of the rotating OPEC presidency in 2011. Its OPEC governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi downplayed speculation of more OPEC oil. “There is no shortage in the market,” he told Reuters. “There is no need for further OPEC supply.” “But the consumers are wor-

ried, this is psychological.” OPEC is not scheduled to meet to review its policy until June and its Secretary General Abdullah Al-Badri is sounding out the mood in the group on whether an earlier meeting was warranted, the Kuwaiti minister said.

“I have talked to Al-Badri and he’s calling everybody and making a consensus on whether we need a meeting,” he said. Delegates from two OPEC countries told Reuters yesterday they saw no need for a meeting at present.

OPEC members often adjust output informally in response to changes in demand and prices without the need for a meeting. Senior sources in Saudi Arabia told Reuters last week that the kingdom has already increased production and was pumping around 9 million barrels per day (bpd) — about 1 million bpd more than its OPEC target.

Riyadh, which favors a relatively moderate oil price range of $70 to $80 a barrel, sometimes steps in unilaterally to meet shortages or when it feels prices have risen to levels that may threaten economic growth or oil demand. Saudi Arabia is the only country able to pump large amounts of extra oil at shor t notice. Investment bank Goldman Sachs raised an oil price forecast yesterday, saying it believes Saudi Arabia has already

used up more of its extra capacity than is widely thought.

“We believe that Saudi production could be 0.5-1 million bpd higher than the official numbers suggest, which would imply that OPEC spare capacity has already dropped below 2 million bpd,” the bank said in a report. Smaller supply increases are on their way from other OPEC members. Export schedules show Nigeria, like Libya a supplier of high-quality crude, is going to pump more in April after a period of field maintenance ends.

Kuwait, which analysts say is also capable of adding some extra barrels, has not raised its output, the oil minister said. OPEC has not changed its formal output policy for over two years since cutting production by a record 4.2 million bpd in December 2008 to combat plunging oil prices amid a global economic slowdown. In practice, the group has been steadily increasing its supplies since mid-2009 because of a recovery in prices and demand. As of February, it was meeting only about half of the promised output curbs.

OPEC has on a previous occasion in 2001 adjusted output after telephone talks between ministers and without a meeting. —Reuters

KUWAIT: Badr Al-Humaidi is presented a memento by Madhi Al-Khamees after the forum. Jassem Al-Saadoun looks on. —Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh

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Years

BUSINESS

Gulfnet announces winners of InfoConnect 2011 promotions Gulf Bank winners of Ninth Al Danah Weekly Draw for 2011 KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its ninth Al Danah weekly draw in 2011 on March 6, 2011, announcing a total number of six Al Danah weekly prize draw winners, each awarded with prizes of KD 1,000. The six winners are: Jawad Ali AlMousa AlMuhammad Ali, Kamel Abdulmohsin Mohammed Al-Rasheed Al-Bader, Noor Mohammed Mohammed Ahmad, Khaled Lafy Khaled Al-Mutairi, Ayedh Mohammed Ayedh Al-Mutairi, and Zaid Suliman Sukkar.

Gulf Bank encourages everyone in Kuwait to open an Al Danah account and/or increase their deposits to maximize their chances of becoming a winner in the upcoming weekly, quarterly and annual draws. Gulf Bank’s Al Danah allows customers to win and encourages them to save money. Chances increase the more money is maintained and the longer it is kept in the account. Al Danah also offers a number of unique services including the Al Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helps account holders deposit their money at their convenience; as well as the Al Danah calculator to help customers calculate their chances of becoming an Al Danah winner.

To be part of the Al Danah draws, customers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 53 branches, transfer on line, or call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805 for assistance and guidance. Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s bilingual website, to find all the information regarding Al Danah or any of the Bank’s products and services or log on www.e-gulfbank.com/aldanahwinners, to find out more about Al Danah and who the winners are.

Live on Marina FM’s famous Diwaniya Show KUWAIT: Gulfnet Communications (Gulfnet), Kuwait’s leading Internet and online data services company, yesterday drew the names of the five winners of its grand prize draw, which was part of its promotion program for customers during InfoConnect 2011, which recently concluded at the Kuwait fairground.

Customers who won in Gulfnet’s ‘scratch and win’ competition for iPads, iPods, laptops, gift vouchers at the exhibition were also automatically entered into the grand prize draw, with the chance to win one of three Dodge Chargers or two 2Mbps internet subscriptions for 10 years.

Winners of the grand prize draw were announced ‘live’ on air on Marina FM’s famous Diwania Show.

The winners were: First place: Fawziya Mohammad Faraj Al Ghanim, won a Dodge Charger car Second place: Tiodora Dodosh, won a Dodge Charger car Third place: Anwar Abbas Al Dashti, won a Dodge Charger car Fourth place: Mohammad Hussein Al Messri, won Internet subscriptions with 2Mbps speed for 10 years Fifth place: Mishal Mohammad Al Rashidy, won Internet subscriptions with 2Mbps speed for 10 years Wael Alsultan Gulfnet’s General Manager said: “I warmly congratulate our five winning grand prize draw customers, I am sure they will enjoy driving their Dodge Charger cars and using their 10 years free Internet subscription. I would also like to congratulate the customers who won iPads, iPods, laptops, gift vouchers through the ‘scratch and win’ cards they received when subscribing or renewing their subscription at the Gulfnet stand.”

“Overall, the response and feedback we received at Infoconnect 2011 from our current and new customers

KUWAIT: (From right) Mansour Al-Mousa, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director of Infocenter, Mohamed Al-Busairi, Minister of Communications and Wael Al-Sultan, General Manager, Gulfnet Communications Co.

were stunning, and we will be using this to ensure that Gulfnet continues to provide excellent services and exceptional value for our customers. We are already looking forward to taking part in similar prestigious events and exhibitions in the future, and using these opportunities to reward our loyal and new customers.”

Gulfnet is Kuwait’s premier Internet and online data

OLIVER KAHF NEW GM FOR 3 Doha MARRIOTT PROPERTIES DOHA: Mark Satterfield, Chief Operating Officer for Middle East and Africa at Marriott International, announced the appointment of Oliver Kahf as the Multi-Property General Manager of the Renaissance Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott & Marriott Executive Apartments Doha City Center. All three properties are scheduled to

open in the second quarter of 2011.

As part of his role, Kahf will oversee the final stages of the pre-opening phase of the three properties and spearhead them through to a successful opening and operational phase. Kahf, who has had a long and successful 30-year career in hospitality, had earlier led the expan-

services provider that offers secure, reliable, high-speed and any-to-any communications solutions in addition to a host of diversified, value-added services. Gulfnet caters to a broad base of customers in the retail, residential, and corporate segments which include robust, reliable and high speed access networks, fiber optic IP backbone, MPLS, and cloud computing.

MARKAZ GCC MARKETS REPORT MENA Markets lose $90bn YTD

sion of the 763-unit Renaissance Mumbai Convention Center Hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments in 2008 as its Multi-Property General Manager.

Announcing the appointment, Satterfield said: “We are very excited to appoint Oliver Kahf as the Multi-Property General Manager for our exciting launch project in Qatar. We will clearly benefit from the vast experience that he will bring to the well established and seasoned preopening team in Doha. We look forward to his leadership and vision in this exciting growth phase.”

Commenting on his appointment, Kahf said: “I am thrilled to be back in Doha with these new Marriott properties in Qatar, each unique in their own way, and reinforcing Doha’s emergence as a top destination.”

Kahf started his career with a number of F&B positions between 1980 and 1986 across Germany and Switzerland, and then took up an assignment with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. In 1988, Kahf moved to Doha in a Sales & Marketing role. In 1994, he took over as General Manager at what is today the Hua Hin Marriott, Thailand, and later moved to Bangkok Marriott Resort and Spa. After a sabbatical from the industry, he rejoined the group in 2005 in Asia-Pacific as General Manager of Busan Marriott in South Korea, followed by roles in Vietnam and India.

KUWAIT: GCC markets took a significant hit in February as political tensions spread like wildfire through the region in addition to some disappointing corporate performance and news. S&P GCC lost 6.5% for the month, bringing the YTD loss to 9%. All of the GCC was in the red, except Abu Dhabi which managed to just squeeze into the green with a flat performance. Oman lead losses with a 10% drop as trouble began brewing in the Sultanate. The 11 main Arab bourses have lost nearly $90bn from January 25th to date.

The stagnancy of the Zain/Etisalat deal has had negative consequences on both exchanges. Zain has rejected three offers for its Saudi unit, which is a prerequisite for the deal to go through. Etisalat has expressed continued interest in the acquisition.

Liquidity tumbled during the month; Volume and Value Traded in the GCC shrank by 33% and 21%, respectively. Total value traded in the GCC amounted to $23.6bn in February. The most significant decline in vol-

ume was in Kuwait, shedding 60% MoM. After the dramatic surge in volatility seen in January, where MVX GCC spiked up by 5x; risk was flat in February due to a 12% decline in MVX Saudi. Most GCC markets saw their MVXs climb; the highest uptick came in Oman (82%) while MVX Kuwait and MVX Qatar were up 45% each.

Global Markets review World markets were led by Developed world gains again as Emerging Markets declined in light of escalating Middle East turmoil. Crude oil shot up 14% during the month, double its January gain, ending at $113/bb. MSCI World gained 3% for the month pushing the YTD gain to 4.6%.Monthly returns were mixed for the month; most Emerging Markets saw losses, except Shanghai which was up 4%. The Developed World saw gains in the 3% range.

Frontier Markets were the big losers, shedding nearly 7%.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2730000 .4470000 .3850000 .2965000 .2820000 .2780000 .0045000 .0020000 .0752140 .7327900 .3910000 .0720000 .7183680 .0045000 .0470000

.2830000 .4560000 .3920000 .3050000 .2900000 .2860000 .0075000 .0035000 .0759700 .7401550 .4110000 .0790000 .7255880 .0072000 .0560000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2770500 .2791500 .4490290 .4524320 .3874270 .3903630 .2988830 .3011490 .2846500 .2868080 .0519500 .0523440 .0436370 .0439680 .2804440 .2825700 .0355740 .0358440 .2188220 .2204800 .0033690 .0033950 .0000000 .0062450 .0000000 .0025410 .0000000 .0033040 .0000000 .0039600 .0754490 .0760210 .7350760 .7406470 .0000000 .3948370 .0739000 .0744600 .7197970 .7252530 .0000000 .0064920

US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.403 6.182 3.279 2.521 3.865 220.340 35.755 3.822

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

6.421 9.150 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 74.258 76.520 723.350 739.490 75.817

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 50.750 47.121 1.304 200.630 393.280 184.700 6.038 35.149

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 278.380 Euro 390.710 Sterling Pound 452.510 Canadian dollar 287.260 Turkish lire 174.480 Swiss Franc 301.770 Australian dollar 281.660 US Dollar Buying 277.180

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees

SELL CASH 286.200 740.140 4.180 289.500 546.600 14.100 53.100 167.800 50.190 393.500 36.420 6.390

SELL DRAFT 284.700 740.140 3.830 288.000

221.100 47.196 392.000 36.270 6.185

0.033 0.257 0.247 3.470 394.960 0.188 94.280 47.000 4.360 209.300 1.887 51.100 722.890 3.360 6.620 76.990 74.310 221.070 42.930 2.700 455.500 45.100 304.100 6.100 9.490 198.263 75.940 278.700 1.340

0.032

393.360 0.187 94.280 3.880 207.800

302.600 6.100 9.340 75.840 278.300

3.272 3.835 6.417 682.412 3.480 9.214 6.068 3.944 91.494

Currency

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars

278.300 3.265 6.175 2.535 3.840 6.450 75.845 74.400 739.600 47.160 457.500 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 395.200 5.750 394.600 291.900

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 453.500 278.300

Al Mulla Exchange

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees

Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 722.710 3.265 6.430 76.560 74.310 221.070 42.930 2.522 453.500

GOLD 1,493.490

10 Tola

GOLD 271.000 137.000 70.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

Selling Rate 278.200 287.790 452.350 391.505 299.638 736.318 75.721 76.392 74.156 392.987 47.168 2.520 6.186

Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal

*Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 277.850 3918800 453.200 287.850 3.395 6.175 47.120 2.521 3.826 6.410 3.265 740.100 75.800 74.220

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

business IPIC weighs dual benchmark bonds DUBAI: Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) plans a dual-tranche five-year and 10-year benchmark bond issue denominated in euros, two market sources said yesterday.

Benchmark size is usually understood to be at least $500 million meaning IPIC will raise at least $1 billion if the deal goes ahead, under its unlimited Global medium term notes program (GMTN).

IPIC will conclude investor roadshows in London yesterday against a backdrop of political upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa which has raised risk premiums. Protests have spread to the Gulf region, taking place in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

“Abu Dhabi names haven’t been too badly affected by the current crisis,” said one fixed income trader based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “But I do think European investors would demand a premium purely because it is a Middle Eastern credit. Then again, this is IPIC - petroleum is their business and at the moment, tension is only improving the price of their export commodity.”

IPIC, which has stakes in Daimler and Virgin Galactic through its majority-owned Aabar Investments, last tapped global bond markets in November with an oversubscribed $2.5 billion deal.

It increased its stake in Spanish oil company Cepsa in a $5 billion deal from France’s Total earlier this month, allowing Abu Dhabi to extend its refining capacity, and is thought to be tapping debt markets to pay for it. Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s both gave IPIC’s potential bond issue an AA rating on Monday. Both also said it was understood the proceeds from the bond could be used to finance the Cepsa acquisition. Arranging banks are Goldman Sachs, Banco Santander, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole CIB, Deutsche Bank and Unicredit. —Reuters

PetroRabigh to invite phase 2 bids for complex YANBU: Saudi-based PetroRabigh plans to invite companies to bid for work related to the second phase of its giant petrochemicals complex within one to two months, its chief executive said yesterday.

The company is a joint venture between Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical and Saudi Aramco and produces an annual 18 million tons of refined products and 2.4 million tons of petrochemicals. “Interest to bid is within next month to two months, some packages are already gone to the market,” Ziad Labban told reporters on the sidelines of an industry event in Yanbu, on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.

The complex is integrated with a 400,000 barrels of crude per day refinery-about 19 percent of Saudi Arabia’s total refining capacity and is part of Aramco’s plans to build refinerybased petrochemical complexes.

The second phase of PetroRabigh, which will add 17 new plants, will not see the capacity of the refinery expanded.

“We are not touching refining capacity,” Labban said. The ethane cracker is being expanded by 30 million cubic feet per day. A final investment decision on PetroRabigh Phase II would be made by the end of this year, he said.

“We are comfortable enough to go with it but at the end of the day, it’s the market prices,” he said. Labban added that financing will determine the equitypartners of the expansion.

“I cannot say that it will be the same because there are questions on how financing is going to be done, financing will determine equity partners.”

PetroRabigh consumes 298 megawatts of power to fire its plants. Total consumption, which includes Rabigh conversion parks and the second phase, will see power used come close to 1000 MW, Labban said.— Reuters

KUWAIT: Sheikh Mohammad Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah and Mohammed Abdulaziz Alshaya sign the agreement.

KIB raises credit limit with Mabanee to KD 25 million Credit to finance The Avenues expansion KUWAIT: Kuwait International Bank (KIB), the fastest growing Islamic bank in Kuwait, has signed a financing agreement with Mabanee Co, thereby raising the company’s credit facilitation to KD 25 million for a five-year period for the purpose of financing the new expansion of The Avenues Mall.

KIB said that it will be opening a new branch and placing ATM machines in Phase II of The Avenues, and expected that the new branch will be welcoming its clients during this year.

Commenting on this occasion, Sheikh Mohammad AlJarrah Al-Sabah, Chairman of KIB, said: “This cooperation reaffirms KIB’s confidence in Mabanee C. as one of the pioneering real estate companies.

It also reflects KIB’s keenness to maintain its distinguished relationship with Mabanee.”

Sheikh Jarrah also said that KIB is financing this project out of its belief in the need to support commercial activity and boost economic development in Kuwait, adding that this

Mabanee in general, and espe-

KUWAIT: Sheikh Mohammad Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah and Mohammed Abdulaziz Alshaya exchange the documents. financing agreement reflects KIB’s vision for reputed Kuwaiti companies and providing the necessary support to them in their execution of large-scale development projects.

Sheikh Jarrah described The Avenues Mall as one of the the prime real estate projects in Kuwait and a landmark of the Middle East, adding that it

brings together many commercial activities under one roof, which in turn provides a large area for shopping for families.

Mohammad Abdulaziz Alshaya, Chairman and Managing Director of Mabanee Co, said: “Signing this agreement with KIB is a sign of the great confidence that KIB has in

OCI outlook positive after 76% profit rise CAIRO: Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) , Egypt’s largest listed firm, posted a 76.1 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit yesterday and was upbeat on its construction and fertiliser activities. The group, which earned a net $186.0 million in the three months through Dec. 31, said prospects for construction awards continue to be positive and it expects fertiliser demand to remain “healthy” in the current year. Prospects for Orascom Construction, whose two main activities each account for around half of its earnings, have been threatened by Egypt’s political turmoil but its London-quoted stock has rallied from lows seen earlier this year.

The firm’s shares in Egypt have not been traded for more than a month after authorities closed the bourse, but its London shares, which in early February fell to their lowest level in nearly two years, were up 1.3 percent at $36.11.

OCI said it had been awarded about $50 million in contracts in Egypt in February, a month when political turmoil had disrupted much of the economy. It said it would bid for several large infrastructure and road projects in coming weeks.

New awards across the construction business totalled $550 million in the fourth quarter and $2.62 billion in all of 2010.

Infrastructure work made up 63 percent of 2010 total new awards.

“Construction awards for the year were down from last year which doesn’t set a good stepping stone for 2011, because we are probably going to see some awards postponed,” Omar Taha of Beltone Financial said.

Weeks of political unrest that toppled Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak inspired waves of protest across the Middle East, will likely delay the launch of several public private partnership projects (PPP), which OCI was a primary candidate to win, analysts say.

“The PPP pipeline is not yet clear for the year and that is a bit of a worry,” said Taha. Egypt said last week it may extend bid deadlines for four infrastructure projects worth 15 billion pounds ($2.5 billion). said its total construction backlog fell 15.5 percent in 2010 to $5.62 billion, with infrastructure work making up 59 percent of the backlog. Some analysts had been looking for a higher figure to counter an expected drop in Egypt orders.

“You don’t know where revolution will strike next. It will all depend on politics for the short and medium term ... I would have liked to go into 2011 with a higher backlog,” Taha said. —Reuters

stand at KD 370 million ($1.25

KUWAIT: Sheikh Mohammad Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah and Mohammad Abdulaziz Alshaya during the ceremony. Dr Mahmoud Abu-Al-Ennen looks on. cially in The Avenues as a project.”

He said that Mabanee is intensifying construction operations for the New Expansion of The Avenues, which is expected to be complete in the second quarter of 2012 at the cost of KD 150 million (over US$ 500 million). With this, the total cost of The Avenues will

billion).

The New Expansion of The Avenues will extend over an area of 100,000 meter square, and will have a parking capacity of 3500 cars. The new area will include The Grand Avenue, Prestige, The Mall, Souk, The Bazaar, and The Old Market.

TOTAL Lubricants unveils promotion Al-Naseem Cooperative spearheads campaign

Kuwaiti dinar stable at KD 0.277 KUWAIT: The exchange rate of the Kuwaiti dinar settled at KD 0.277 against the US dollar while its rate against the euro decreased to KD 0.388 yesterday.

The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) said on its website, that the rate of the national currency decreased to KD 0.449 against the sterling, remained unchanged at KD 0.003 against the Japanese yen, and decreased against the Swiss franc to KD 0.299. Events in Libya continue to effect international currencies, raising fears of investors, and therefore led to the decrease of currency values of the Euro and sterling. — KUNA

A group photo after the agreement

Iconic Sheraton Hotel sets new standard for Airport Hotels THE NEW SHERATON MILAN MALPENSA KUWAIT: Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc yesterday announced that its global powerhouse Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has opened a new hotel in Milan, Italy, further expanding the brand’s international portfolio.

Architecturally stunning and modern in its design, the new Sheraton Milan Malpensa Airport Hotel & Conference Centre is designed by King Roselli Architects and Saporiti Hotel Design. Inspired by Italy’s design capital, the chic, contemporary hotel offers amazing views of the Italian Alps, convenient access to the T1 terminal at Malpensa Airport and is only 30 minutes from Milan’s city center.

The opening of Sheraton Milan Malpensa is part of the Sheraton brand’s strategic expansion plan that includes adding more than 50 new hotels and over 20,000 rooms to the Sheraton portfolio over the next three years. Owned by the Degennaro Group in collaboration with SEA - Airports of Milan, Sheraton Milan Malpensa features 433 rooms, 19 Suites, 58 Club Rooms and a 2100 square foot dedicated Club Lounge for all Sheraton Club Guests. The hotel also features over 21,000 square feet of ultra-modern meeting and event space including a multi-functional room suitable for up to 1,000 people, as well as 22 meeting rooms, making the property an ideal place for business meetings of various sizes, large-scale events, incentive trips, weddings and more.

“We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Daniele Degennaro and his group that dates back to the early 90s”, said Roeland Vos, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East. “The opening of the new Sheraton Milan Malpensa underlines Starwood’s commitment to our continued growth in Italy. This is an iconic addition to the Sheraton brand’s impressive portfolio of airport hotels and is sure to set a new industry standard for airport hotels around the world.”

“The Sheraton Milan Malpensa is emblematic of our continued focus to grow the Sheraton brand’s already robust presence

globally by working with our proven development partners to ensure we have best-inclass properties wherever our guests want to travel, “ Hoyt H Harper II, Senior Vice President for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts.

Sheraton Milan Malpensa showcases many Sheraton signature brand initiatives, including the brand’s signature “Link@SheratonSM experienced with Microsoft”. Complimentary wireless broadband and computer terminals are available in two locations in the hotel, providing travelers with the opportunity to stay connected with instant access to information and technology for work, leisure and social networking. The hotel also features the luxurious, all-white Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Beds, designed to meet AAA’s Five Diamond Award criteria.

Hotel guests and global jet-setters alike have a variety of culinary options at the Sheraton Milan Malpensa, including MonteRosaBarfor casual dining and Mediterranean cuisine and fine wines at Il Canneto. Guests can relax and indulge in an array of beauty and wellness treatments in the Shine SPA for Sheraton, a 10,000 square foot spa and fitness center complete with indoor swimming pool. The hotel also features the brand’s revolutionary new health and fitness program, Sheraton Fitness, Programmed by Core Performance.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts currently operates nearly 30 hotels throughout Italy under the following brands: Sheraton, Westin, St Regis, The Luxury Collection, Le Meridien and Four Points by Sheraton. The Sheraton Milan Malpensa is the latest addition to the existing 10 Sheraton hotels in Italy.

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, like all brands within Starwood’s robust portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest(r) program, which made headlines when it launched in 1999 with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards.

SPG(r) offers members the ability to redeem awards at more resorts, more luxury properties, more European hotels and more golf properties than any other hotel program.

KUWAIT: TOTAL Lubricants have launched a campaign from 07th March 2011 at AlNaseem Cooperative. The promotion has been launched in the auspicious presence of Hussien Ali Mujbil Al-Dowahais, executive director and several high ranking personnel from Al-Naseem Cooperatives and Ahmad Ramadan, Vice President, Gulf Express Co (an Al-Babtain group of Co) and Sales Manager/ Sales representatives.

Gulf Express Co is the exclusive distributor for Total Lubricants, which is one of the major market players in the lube market in Kuwait with 10% market share.

TOTAL Lubricant product range includes high quality product like.

• Quartz 9000 5W 40 which is 100 % synthetic oil for 15000 kms.

• Quartz 4X4 15W 50 Synthetic technology for 10000 kms • Quartz 5000 20W 50 mineral technology for 5000 kms.

To sponsor this campaign Al-Naseem Cooperative has selected Gulf Express Co (an Al-Babtain Group of Co) due to their best professional expertise in Lubricants and mutual strong relationship.

Al-Naseem Cooperative is trying to make promotion in order to support the excellence plus service to Naseem residents and supply best quality products at competitive prices.

KUWAIT: (From right) Mansour Al-Mousa, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director of Infocenter, Mohamed Al-Busairi, Minister of Communications and Wael Al-Sultan, General Manager, Gulfnet Communications Co.

KUWAIT: Hussien Ali Mujbil Al-Dowahais, executive director of AlNaseem Co-op and Ahmed Ramadan the vice president of Gulf Express with other officials.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

business

Large caps bail out KSE GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait’s stocks ended yesterday ’s session modestly higher as large cap stocks led the market in a late-session rally.

Gains were not steady throughout the day. KSE Price Index had traded in the negative zone until afternoon, before turning decidedly higher in a late trading buying spree.

In Oil front, OPEC is in consultations regarding a potential output rise, Kuwait’s Oil Minister said yesterday, but added that there was no decision for the group to produce over quotas yet. “We are in consultations about a potential output increase,” Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah told reporters.

Market Indices Global General Index (GGI) closed 1.21 points up (062 percent), at 196.34 point. The Market capitalization increased, reaching KD31.91bn. On the other hand, Kuwait Stock Exchange Price Index closed in the green zone, adding 3.40 points (0.06 percent) to its value and closed at 6,138 point.

Market breadth During the session, 103 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 39 equities advanced versus 25 that retreated. Volume was up by 38.32 percent to 113.13mn shares changing hands with a total value amounting to KD20.27mn (an increase of 16.15 percent compared to the previous session).

The Services Sector was the volume leader today, accounting for 31.08 percent of total shares.

Banking sector was the value leader, with 45.33 percent of total traded value. Company-wise,

National Ranges Company was the most actively traded stock during the day, with 23.12mn shares exchanged at a total value of KD0.540mn. The scrip closed flat at KD0.024.

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) was the leader in terms of value of shares traded (KD3.05mn). The scrip closed flat at KD1.140. NBK started paying 40 percent cash dividend and distributing 10 percent bonus shares yesterday to shareholders of record on the general meeting date; March 06, 2011.

In terms of top gainers, Strategia Investment Company was the biggest gainer for the day, adding 20.27 percent and closed at KD0.089. On the other side, National Investment Company came in as the biggest decliner, dropping by 8.93 percent and closed at KD0.255.

Sector-wise By sector, food stocks spearheaded advances, up 2.44 per-

cent. Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) saw its share value appreciate by 2.99 percent, as it ended at KD1.380. Americana reported that its ordinary shareholder meeting was rescheduled for Thursday, March 17, 2011.

Shareholders will discuss the board’s recommendation on paying cash dividend at 65 percent of par value, or KD0.065 per share, for the financial year that ended on December 31, 2010.

Shareholders of record on the general meeting date are entitled to this dividend.

Banks stocks too were notable advancers, with the sector’s index adding 0.41 percent to its value.

Kuwait International Bank was the biggest percentage gainer in the sector, edging 3.70 percent higher, at KD0.280. From technical overview, the price has found an initial support at KD0.265, which could prevent further loses to KD0.245 but to confirm a short-term base, the bulls has to show some buying interest above

the resistance layer at KD0.295.

On the special indices front, all of indices ended the day with gains, barring Global Small Cap Index, which ended the day flat.

Global High Yield Index closed up by 1.21 percent.

Corporate News The Governor of Kuwait Central Bank (CBK) Sheikh Salem bdelaziz Al-Sabah is heading to Abu Dhabi as head of an official delegation to take part in the 52nd meeting of the governors of the central banks and heads of financial institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council, set for March 9-10. A CBK statement on Monday said the agenda includes topics related to efforts to bolster joint action in view of reports and records of meetings of technical committees. The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $112.03 a barrel on Monday, compared with $111.42 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

Oil falls below $105 as OPEC eyes output hike KUWAIT: Oil prices fell below $105 a barrel yesterday on the news that OPEC members were discussing the possibility of boosting oil production to stabilize markets rocked by Libya’s violent clashes.

By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for April delivery was down 75 cents at $104.69 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1.02 to settle at $105.44 a barrel on Monday after nearly hitting $107, the highest level since Sept. 26, 2008.

The Nymex contract dipped as low as $103.33 earlier yesterday after the Kuwaiti oil minister said OPEC, which accounts for over a third of global oil production, is considering how to deal with the situation. “We are in consultation, but we have not decided which direction,” said Kuwait’s oil minister, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, without providing more details. OPEC, which according to analysts at Platts is producing almost 30 million barrels of oil a day, is not scheduled to meet again formally until June 8 in Vienna. The group has repeatedly said the spike in prices is fueled by market fear driven by speculative investors rather than a tangible shortage of supply.

Media reports suggesting that longtime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is considering stepping down may have also contributed to falling prices.

“Although there is no confirmation of this at all, it is very likely to have triggered profit-taking by speculative financial investors,” said analysts at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. “We still believe the current fall in prices is only a temporary phenomenon.” In fact, prices

were still near their highest level since late 2008 as battles continued between Libyan rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi.

Libya, which sits on the largest oil reserves in Africa, has been engulfed in a four-week rebellion as militants try to oust Gaddafi after 41 years in power.

Officials in the country say oil fields continue to operate, though experts say daily exports — which normally are 1.5 million barrels — are down and could be cut off for some time. Libyan warplanes launched more airstrikes on rebel positions around the Ras Lanouf oil port as Gaddafi’s forces tried to keep rebels from advancing on his stronghold in the capital, Tripoli.

Europe and the US are tentatively examining plans for a possible no-fly zone, though no decision has yet been made to introduce a resolution at the U.N. Security Council. “A no-fly zone greatly reduces the risk of Gaddafi bombing oil installations in an act of despair,” said Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland. “We continue to expect that once the UN starts to run a humanitarian operation in Libya then the crude oil should find its way back to export terminals relatively quickly.”

The Energy Information Administration estimates OPEC can crank up production by another 4.7 million barrels per day. An extended shut down of Libya’s exports would slice that capacity by about 32 percent to around 3.2 million barrels per day. Most of the world’s spare capacity lies in OPEC nations, primarily Saudi Arabia. The market will also be watching for fresh figures on US oil stockpiles. — AP

Kuwaiti dinar stable at KD 0.277 KUWAIT: The exchange rate of the Kuwaiti dinar settled at KD 0.277 against the US dollar while its rate against the euro decreased to KD 0.388 yesterday.

The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) said on its website, that the rate of the national currency decreased to KD 0.449 against the

sterling, remained unchanged at KD 0.003 against the Japanese yen, and decreased against the Swiss franc to KD 0.299. Events in Libya continue to effect international currencies, raising fears of investors, and therefore led to the decrease of currency values of the Euro and sterling. — KUNA

25

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

business

Boeing wins hefty plane deals in China HONG KONG: US aviation giant Boeing scored multi-billion-dollar deals with China-based airlines yesterday in a boost to both its next-generation jumbo jet and to its troubled Dreamliner program.

Boeing said that Hong Kong Airlines, which currently has just 18 aircraft servicing routes to Asia and to Russia, had placed a preliminary order for 38 planes worth up to $8.5 billion at list prices.

Air China, the state-owned flag carrier, said it had agreed to buy five of Boeing’s new 747-8 Intercontinental jets, becoming the third airline to order the stretched passenger jumbo after Lufthansa and Korean Air. “We time it pretty much in line with the natural replacement cycle for the 747-400,” Marlin Dailey, Boeing’s executive vice president for sales and marketing of commercial airplanes, said at a signing ceremony with Air China at the Asian Aerospace 2011 trade show in Hong Kong.

Both the 747-8 and the long-haul 787 Dreamliner are powered by the same energyefficient General Electric engine, and Boeing is banking on plenty of orders from airlines keen to lower their sky-high fuel bills as it does battle with Airbus’s giant A380.

The US company said that 10-year-old Hong Kong Airlines planned to expand its small fleet with the purchase of 30 787-9s, six 777 Freighters and two 787-8 VIP planes.

“Boeing’s family of technologically advanced, long-haul airplanes will enhance Hong Kong Airlines’ ability to match the demands of the different markets it serves, and connect its long-haul network to local sources

of demand,” a Boeing statement said. Privately owned Hong Kong Airlines is a unit of Chinese tourism and aviation conglomerate HNA Group, which also owns Hainan Airlines. Boeing said it would make a follow-up announcement once the deal is finalized.

The Dreamliner was heralded as a new generation of fuel-sipping mid-sized plane, but has been plagued by delays owing to Boeing’s use of composite materials and to its problems in integrating production at various sites.

Boeing first promised to begin deliveries to the 787’s launch customer-Japan’s All Nippon Airways-in 2008 but that has now been put back to the third quarter of this year.

Aircraft producers usually offer price concessions to large customers, making the final sale price lower than the list price. The combined list price for Air China’s new order was $1.54 billion, but the carrier said that Boeing had granted “significant price concessions”, without disclosing what it is actually paying.

The 747-8 is nearly six metres (20 feet) longer than the 747-400, the current incarnation of a model that has been in service since 1970 and was the largest passenger plane until the double-decker A380 began operations in 2007. Boeing unveiled the Intercontinental, the passenger version of the 747-8 family, only last month. First delivery of the jumbo jet is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. It will seat 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration, up from 416 in an older version but less than the 550 for a typical Airbus A380. It also offers 26 percent more cargo volume than the 747-400. Air China said it would operate the 747-8s on high-capacity routes to Nor th

HONG KONG: Visitors look at a model of the China-made ARJ21 commercial aircraft at the Asian Aerospace Show in Hong Kong yesterday. Chinese airlines announced a batch of deals worth to buy airplanes from Boeing and other Western plane makers at a major Asian air show. —AP

America, and said it was not ruling out further orders for the new jumbo.

“Our fleet isn’t sufficient to cope with our expansion plans so we will continue to expand our fleet size,” said Zhang Yang, Air China’s general manager for strategy and development.

China plans to invest more than 1.5 trillion yuan ($230 billion) in its aviation industry over the next five years to meet surging demand, Li Jiaxiang, head of the Civil Aviation

Administration of China, said last month. The country aims to expand its aircraft fleet to more than 4,500 planes by 2015 from over 2,600 at present and increase its number of commercial airports to 220 from the current 175.

China Southern Airlines, the countr y ’s biggest airline by fleet size, is the only Chinese carrier to have purchased A380s. It has five on order, the first of which is to be delivered this year. — AFP

OPEC production hike talk helps equities Euro-zone peripheral bonds in focus

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak unveils nine new entry point projects (EPP) under the Economy Transformation Programme (ETP) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. —AP

Indians set for world-beating double-digit wage hikes NEW DELHI: Indian corporate salaries are set to grow by 12.9 percent this year, the fastest pace in the world, and will keep rising at this level for up to five years, a consultancy forecast yesterday.

The projected Indian salary increases dwarf expected average wage rises of two to four percent in the developed world, where economic recovery is still fragile, global human resource consultancy Aon Hewitt said.

“India tops the global league,” said Nitin Sethi, India wage specialist at the firm which surveyed 531 companies to compile the data.

“Indian companies have been doing pretty well with growth picking up, and there is an extra pool of cash.”

He said there was optimism because of the forecast strong expansion of the Indian economy, set to grow at about nine percent this year, which was resulting in a “war for talent”.

The findings came as another survey by leading Indian recruitment portal Naukri.com showed corporate India’s hiring activity up 11 percent in February from the same month a year ago and at its highest level since July 2008. The forecasts for wage increases are likely to worry the Indian central bank and policymakers, however, with inflation already running stubbornly above eight percent on an annual basis.

Sethi said that traditionally Indian wage increases were directly linked with the pace of economic activity and demand for talent, but this year expectations of inflation would play a role in determining salary increases. The most generous Indian pay hike of 14.4 percent would go to engineering workers benefiting from India’s thrust on infrastructure, narrowly followed by the fast-growing automotive industry at 14 percent, the Aon Hewitt survey said.

Companies operating in both India and China have expressed deep concern about a shortage of qualified staff amid a failure of education to keep pace with rapid changes in the type of skills required.

Chinese wages will grow by about 9.0 percent this year, while salaries will rise by 4.2 percent in Australia, by 3.5 percent in Hong Kong, by 2.7 percent in Japan and by 7.0 percent in the Philippines. Indian wage growth slipped to an average 6.6 percent in 2009, the survey said, but quickly moved up the following year to 11.7 percent as India shed the effects of the global economic downturn. “We expect Indian salaries to grow by 12 to 15 percent over the next four to five years for sure,” Sethi said. Even with these increases, Indian corporate employees would remain competitive globally because their remuneration is still far less than in the West. — AFP

LONDON: Oil fell from recent highs yesterday on reports that OPEC may boost production, prompting some recovery on equity markets. Emerging market stocks were up 0.4 percent and Japan’s Nikkei closed up 0.2 percent.

Europe’s FTSEurofirst 300 put in gains of around 0.5 percent by 0900 GMT. Kuwait’s oil minister said OPEC was in talks to boost production for the first time in more than two years. Such a move would mean the producer group was effectively putting a cap on prices to help keep the global economic recovery on track.

Brent oil was down around $1 at just above $114 a barrel, after earlier dropping more than $2.

Revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, fighting in Libya, and protests from Morocco to Oman had driven Brent to almost $120 a barrel. This in turn has rattled global investors who fear a burst of inflation, along with potential interest rate hikes, could deal a blow to global economic recovery.

“If oil stays in a $100-$120 per barrel range for around half a year the global economy could see a severe slow-

down, pushing investors away from stocks, so everything depends on the Middle East now”, said Koichi Ogawa, chief portfolio manager at Daiwa SB Investments.

FRANKFURT: A trader dressed up as a Roman Emperor works at the stock exchange in Frankfurt/M, western Germany, on carnival yesterday. Carnival, which is mainly celebrated in the Rhine region, ends with Ash Wednesday today. —AFP

Weir sees oil, mining boost continuing in 2011 LONDON: British engineer Weir said it was confident on growth as it expects mining and oil and gas customers to continue to spend on valves and pumps, putting it ahead of schedule with a plan to double 2009 profits by 2014.

Weir said growing demand for commodities in China was fuelling large mining projects and the expansion into new geographies of oil and gas shale drilling made it upbeat about prospects for 2011 after what Chief Executive Keith Cochrane called an “exceptional 2010.”

Weir yesterday said full-year pretax profit jumped 58 percent to 295 million pounds ($478.9 million), beating a consensus forecast of 289 million pounds according to a Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S poll of 15 analysts. “We’re now starting to see the emergence of international interest in unconventional drilling techniques in the shale markets in Australia and China,” Cochrane said on a call with reporters yesterday.

“As we move into 2011, the theme will increasingly turn to original equipment ... that in turn will provide an increased installed base which will then drive greater aftermarket sales.”

Weir’s pumps are used by gas shale producers to force sand and chemicals into the ground to facture the rocks where the gas and oil is trapped, while mining companies such as Rio Tinto use its heavy duty pumps to extract commodities.

Shares in Weir, which have rock-

D e s p i te t h e con ce r n s, h owe ve r, equities have remained resilient during the period. MSCI’s all- countr y world stock index is still up 3.6 percent for the year to date and within reason-

eted 108 percent in the last 12 months outperforming Britain’s bluechip index by over 100 percent in the same period, were trading down 2.81 percent at 1,729 pence at 1023 GMT in a flat broader market. Investec analyst Andrew Wilson said the loss in the company’s share price was a reflection of the strong run the shares have had into the results, having climbed 11 percent since Feb. 25.

“Weir is an increasingly high quality asset, offering sector-leading growth, market-leading positions, and a robust business model.

Despite the stock’s very strong run through 2010, we believe there is more to come,” he said.

Weir, which also supplies customers in the power generation market, said its order book grew to 1.9 billion pounds at the end of 2010, up 39 percent, after customers increased their capital expenditure. “We have a very clear organic growth strategy through which we will continue to drive the growth of the business,” said Cochrane, adding that the company would continue to seek complimentary acquisitions.

“I would expect there to be an emerging market bias to our acquisition program given the industries we’re in and given the environments in which growth is being generated.” The company announced it would pay a final dividend of 21 pence, bringing the full-year total to 27 pence, an increase of 29 percent on the previous year. — Reuters

able range of new 30-month highs.

The euro slipped against the dollar, pausing from a rally prompted by expectations that euro-zone interest rates will be raised as early as next month.

The Swiss franc, which has strengthened as a safe haven recently, slid after the statement from Kuwait’s oil minister. The dollar was up 0.2 percent against a basket of major currencies, including the euro and Swiss franc.

Some analysts say that with an ECB rate rise in April largely priced in and indications that currency speculators have ramped up their long euro positions, the euro is ripe for a short-term correction.

Bund futures opened little changed with focus on an upcoming Portuguese bond auction likely to keep pressure on the euro zone’s lower-rated states.

Portuguese bond yields hit a euro-era high in the previous session and Greek debt suffered after its credit rating was slashed. “The periphery had a good wobble yesterday so we may see more of the same ... Portugal can’t be far off asking for help,” a trader said. — Reuters

Tullett blames revenue drop on broker defections LONDON: Inter-dealer broker Tullett Prebon blamed broker defections in North America following a “raid” by US rival BGC Partners for lower 2010 results.

Tullett yesterday posted 2010 profit before tax of 139.7 million pounds ($226.8 million), down 11 percent from a year earlier and below a Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S poll consensus of 12 analysts of 142 million pounds. Revenue was down 4.1 percent to 908.5 million pounds from 947.7 million pounds in 2009.

“The net effect of the broker defections in North America, following the raid by BGC in the second half of 2009, reduced revenue by 5 percent,” Tullett said yesterday in an emailed statement.

Tullett said a case has been brought in the US and action is being pursued against former employees in Hong Kong and Singapore. The firm also said it is “seeking substantial damages from BGC” in the UK, adding the damages trial has been fixed for four weeks starting later this month.

A British high court judge found in March last year that BGC had unlawfully induced 10 Tullett brokers to breach their employment

contracts and join BGC. Tullett shares were down 0.77 3 percent at 422.7 pence at 0926 GMT. Tullett Prebon is one of the world’s largest brokers in the over-the-counter (OTC) market where it brings together buyers and sellers typically investment bank dealers or hedge funds - of financial products such as swaps, bonds and currency.

The British broker competes fiercely with rivals such as Icap, BGC and GFI Group but the OTC markets, valued at about $600 trillion in a report last month by Morgan Stanley and consultant Oliver Wyman, is set for a drastic shake-up.

Global regulators are keen to pass sweeping rule changes, perhaps as early as this year, that will force large swathes of the OTC market to use exchanges, regulated trading platforms or clearing house, in a bid to make these opaque markets more transparent.

“We believe that the introduction of the various regulatory proposals affecting the OTC markets will be positive for our business as the proposals formalize the role of the intermediary in those markets,” said Tullett Chief Executive Terry Smith. —Reuters

Abu Dhabi brokerage to offer FX, commodities trading ABU DHABI: A new brokerage firm in Abu Dhabi capitalized at $400 million is aiming to grab a slice of the global trading market by providing liquidity in foreign exchange, precious metals, commodities and derivatives markets.

ADS Securities, backed by private investors and licensed by the United Arab Emirates Central Bank will offer trading that will take advantage of the local time zone, which is four hours ahead of GMT and can serve as a bridge between Asian and European trading.

“Our geographical location in Abu Dhabi gives us several advantages,” said Mahmood Ebraheem al-Mahmood, executive chairman of ADS. “It gives us the ability to provide liquidity during the four-hour period between the close of the Far East and opening of Europe when markets experience a shortage of liquidity and wide bid/ask spreads,” said Mahmood, formerly with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. —Reuters

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

business

Obama officials push for S Korea trade pact WASHINGTON: The Obama administration said it is ready to send a highly coveted South Korea trade agreement to Congress for final approval but warned that delaying the deal would cause US companies to miss out on jobs and export opportunities.

The administration’s top trade negotiator, Ron Kirk, sent a letter to lawmakers saying he is prepared to hold discussions with them, the first step before Congress can approve the agreement formally. In the letter, obtained by The Associated Press, Kirk said he hopes talks can begin “without delay.” The move increases pressure on Republican lawmakers, many of whom support the South Korea

deal but are threatening to block its approval unless the White House also sends them pending trade deals with Colombia and Panama. In an interview with The Associated Press, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said a signed agreement with South Korea would support 70,000 jobs in the US and increase exports of US goods by at least $10 billion. But Locke said American companies could lose out if South Korea completes deals with other trading par tners first. Of upmost concern to US officials is an agreement between South Korea and the European Union that is speeding toward final approval and could be signed ahead of the US deal.

“ Those relationships will have already been formed between Korean companies, consumers and European products,” Locke said. “They’re not just going to abandon those relationships and start buying from America just because we passed our agreement.”

Locke plans to lead a congressional delegation to South Korea in late April to highlight the opportunities for US companies there.

A senior administration official said late Monday that President Barack Obama intends to nominate Locke to become the US ambassador to China.

Administration officials say that while they’re making progress in accelerated negotiations with Colombia and

Panama, outstanding issues remain, including Colombia’s recognition of labor rights and protection of union leaders, and Panama’s tax transparency rules.

Officials say they hope to resolve those matters by the end of the year, and send final agreements to Congress shor tly thereafter.

Republicans argue that the deals are ready for final approval. Rep. John Boehner, the Republican speaker who controls the House of Representatives, pleaded his party’s case directly to Obama at a lunch early this year.

Locke said that while the administration is committed strongly to signing deals with Colombia and Panama,

Goldman raises Q2 Brent crude forecast to $105 Bank says Saudi Arabia eroding spare capacity

BERLIN: Demonstrators display a banner reading ‘Biofuel makes (people) go hungry’ outside the Economy ministry in Berlin yesterday as participants gathered there for a E10 biofuel summit. The summit is planned to determine why drivers are bypassing the new E10 petrol, as Berlin is working to implement a European Union directive that says biofuels should make up 10 percent of EU consumption by 2020 to make the continent less dependent on foreign supplies.—AFP

LONDON: Goldman Sachs raised its second quarter 2011 Brent crude oil forecast to $105 a barrel from $100.50 yesterday, saying OPEC spare capacity was being eroded as Saudi Arabia cushioned lost Libyan supplies.

Saudi Arabia increased output to around 9 million barrels a day, almost 1 million bpd above its agreed OPEC quota, as violent unrest slashed exports from Libya but analysts said production had been significantly increased before fighting broke out.

The uprising in Libya has cut its 1.6 million bpd output by half, the International Energy Agency said late in February, while Libya’s top oil official has estimated output has fallen by 700,000-750,000 bpd. Libya was the world No.12 exporter before the unrest.

“We believe that Saudi production could be 0.5-1 million bpd higher than the official numbers suggest, which would imply that OPEC spare capacity has already dropped below 2 million bpd,” the bank said in a note. “While the current loss of supply might turn out to be short-lived as production can be restored relatively quickly once the current civil unrest settles down, the real risk is that the remaining spare capacity cannot accommodate an escalation in disruption right now in our view.”

Three months ago Goldman Sachs estimated OPEC spare capacity to be around 2.5-3 million bpd. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter and home to most of the world’s spare capacity.

Last month a senior Saudi source told Reuters the kingdom had spare capacity of around 3.5 million bpd.

Brent crude leapt to nearly $120 a barrel last month, its highest since 2008, as escalating violence in Libya choked supply, and the market fretted protests could spread to other OPEC countries. — Reuters

officials will not act prematurely. “ We’ve got to make sure these agreements are good for American companies,” he said. “We don’t want a deal just for the sake of a deal.” If Republicans were to block the South Korea deal, it would be a major blow to the White House, which won rare bipartisan praise, as well as the backing of both the business community and labor groups, when it signed the agreement in December.

The US signed the agreement with Colombia in 2006 and the accords with Panama and South Korea in 2007. But they do not go into effect until they are approved by the House and the Senate. — AP

Greece raises $2.3bn after rating downgrade ATHENS: Greece raised 1.625 billion euros ($2.28 billion) in an auction of treasury bills yesterday, though the higher interest rate it has to pay revealed investor unease a day after the country’s credit rating was downgraded sharply. The sale, originally for 1.25 billion euros in 26-week bills, had a yield of 4.75 percent, up from the 4.64 percent interest rate for a similar auction on Feb. 8, the Public Debt Management Agency said.

The auction was 3.59 times oversubscribed, compared with 4.59 times in February.

Yesterday’s sale came after Moody’s slashed the debt-ridden country’s junk rating by three notches to B1, prompting a furious riposte from the Greek government, which described the move as “completely unjustified.” “Ultimately, Moody’s downgrading of Greece’s debt reveals more about the misaligned incentives and the lack of accountability of credit rating agencies than the genuine state or prospects of the Greek economy,” the finance ministry said. It claimed the agencies were trying to make up for failing to predict the 2008 global financial crisis. Debt-ridden Greece began treasury bill sales last September to maintain a presence in the market after its financial crisis blocked it out of the long-term debt market, with investors insisting on prohibitively high interest rates for its bonds.

The country has been saved from bankruptcy by a 110 billion euros ($154 billion) three-year bailout loan package from the other EU countries that use the euro and the International Monetary Fund. Under the conditions of the deal, Greece has been implementing a raft of unpopular austerity measures — including public sector pay cuts, an overhaul of the pension system and tax hikes — and is being closely supervised by the IMF and EU. Greece was the first euro-zone country to need a bailout, and has since been joined by Ireland. Athens hopes to negotiate lower interest rates and extensions in the repayment schedule for the loans. —AP

Nigeria will boost crude oil output if OPEC asks ABUJA: Nigeria would increase its crude oil production if producer group OPEC requested higher output to cool soaring oil prices, state oil company NNPC said yesterday.

Oil prices last month rose to their highest point in more than two years as a brewing civil war in Libya cut out as much as two-thirds of the North African country’s oil output, or 1 million barrels per day (bpd).

Nigeria’s light, sweet crude oil is

similar to the type of oil produced by Libya and would be a good replacement for European refiners, who are lacking adequate supplies because of the North African crisis.

“We will do whatever OPEC asks its members to do. Whatever is needed under OPEC directives,” NNPC spokesman Levi Ajuonoma said. He said Nigeria had the spare capacity to increase its production if needed but did not state by how much.

Nigeria’s oil ministr y said last month its combined crude oil and condensate output was around 2.4 million bpd but it had production capacity of around 3 million bpd.

Brent crude for April edged below $115 a barrel yesterday on expectations of a reduction in OPEC production. That’s down about $6 from a Feb. 24 peak of $119.79, the highest price since 2008, when it reached a record $147.50. — Reuters

India’s Mahindra group, Cisco form alliance MUMBAI: India’s Mahindra group and US networking giant Cisco announced a global strategic alliance yesterday to provide a range of IT-linked services in the auto, sports and communications sectors.

Shares of group firm Tech Mahindra jumped 9.35 percent to 740.0 rupees ($16.41), while outsourcer Mahindra Satyam rose 3.36 percent to 64.65 rupees on the Bombay Stock Exchange after the agreement was announced.

The alliance will involve multiple contracts across regions between the firms, Mahindra group managing director Anand Mahindra told reporters.

The two companies have invested an initial combined 100 million rupees ($2.2 million) in the alliance and expect to put in more money, officials said. Mahindra, India’s largest utility vehicle maker, and Cisco plan to jointly provide Internet-linked value-added services, boost connectivity and create virtual online dealerships for Mahindra’s automobiles.

Cisco and Mahindra seek to provide these services to customers in United States, Europe, Brazil, the Middle East region and India, whose total market size for IT-linked services is estimated at more than $5 billion. —AFP

BEIJING: A bank clerk counts Chinese currency notes in Beijing yesterday. China’s economy is safe from a ‘double-dip’ slowdown in growth, a top economic planner said yesterday, though he acknowledged challenges in keeping inflation under control and cutting back on excessive and wasteful investments. —AP

Chinese planner says no ‘double-dip’ for economy

MUMBAI: Mahindra Group managing director Anand Mahindra (left) listens to Cisco Systems executive vice president Wim Elfrink during a joint press conference in Mumbai yesterday.—AFP

SHANGHAI: China’s economy is safe from a “double-dip” slowdown in growth, a top economic planner said yesterday, though he acknowledged challenges in keeping inflation under control and cutting back on excessive and wasteful investments.

“First of all, you can say for sure that the Chinese economy will not double dip,” Li Pumin, a spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission, said in an online conference posted on the main government website. Li pointed to the gradual world economic recovery and China’s own strong potential as factors supporting stable expansion after the 10.3 percent growth last year that displaced Japan as the world’s second largest economy. China’s economy slowed only briefly during the global financial crisis, as massive government stimulus spending helped counter the impact of plunging exports. But that same spending, along with surging food prices, is now seen as a factor behind inflation that hit a 28-month high in November and remains above the government’s target of 4 percent.

After growth, price stability is Beijing’s top priority, Li said.

Apart from ensuring adequate and efficiently distributed food supplies, the government needs to “resolutely control high

and excess capacity and redundant, wasteful construction and to improve the quality and efficiency of investments,” he said.

In the longer-term, China is seeking to offset its reliance on exports as a driver of economic growth by increasing domestic consumer demand. The government’s 2011 economic blueprint calls for nurturing self-sustaining growth by promoting consumer spending. That could help ease tensions with Washington and other trading partners that complain about currency controls and import barriers that they say swell China’s multibillion-dollar trade surplus.

But that goal will remain elusive, some economists say, as long as many Chinese industries, whose overcapacity has been supported by cheap credit and other government policies, continue to produce far more products than the country can consume. Speaking Monday on the sidelines of the annual session of China’s legislature, Commerce Minister Chen Deming said Beijing would try to streamline import procedures as part of its efforts to trim the trade surplus, which fell to $190 billion last year from $196 billion in 2009. “Our foreign trade policy principle this year is stabilize exports, promote imports, reduce the surplus,” Chen said. AP business writer Joe McDonald in Beijing contributed to this report. —AP

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technology

Xoom emerges as first real iPad competitor Heavy price tag is only visible drawback SAN FRANCISCO: Motorola’s Xoom has been hailed as the most likely tablet computer to rival Apple’s iPad - the first with the goods to compete against the uncontested leader in this nascent but rapidly growing market. After trying it out, it was found to be a great gadget that, in many ways, can keep up with the black slab from Apple. The first black slab, that is.

Unfortunately, Apple has said that it will start selling a new, improved iPad this week, which will likely make it difficult for the Xoom to snag many users.

HATFIELD: In this photo, Eden Sawczenko reacts to ‘Kaspar’ the robot who is showing the ‘Happy’ stance of two open arms as she takes part in research project. —AP

Kaspar the robot helps autistic kids STEVENAGE: Eden Sawczenko used to recoil when other little girls held her hand and turned stiff when they hugged her.

This year, the 4-year-old autistic girl began playing with a robot that teaches about emotions and physical contact - and now she hugs everyone. “She’s a lot more affectionate with her friends now and will even initiate the embrace,” said Claire Sawczenko, Eden’s mother. The girl attends a pre-school for autistic children in Stevenage, north of London, where researchers bring in a human-looking, child-sized robot once a week for a supervised session. The children, whose autism ranges from mild to severe, play with the robot for up to 10 minutes alongside a scientist who controls the robot with a remote control.

The robot, named Kaspar, is programmed to do things like smile, frown, laugh, blink and wave his arms. He has shaggy black hair, a baseball cap, a few wires protruding from his neck, and striped red socks. He was built by scientists at the University of Hertfordshire at a cost of about 1,300 pounds ($2,118). There are several versions of Kaspar, including one advanced enough to play Nintendo Wii. The robot’s still in the experimental stage, and researchers hope he could be massproduced one day for a few hundred dollars. “Children with autism don’t react well to people because they don’t understand facial expressions,” said Ben Robins, a senior research fellow in computer science at the University of Hertfordshire who specializes in working with autistic children.

“Robots are much safer for them because there’s less for them to interpret and they are very predictable.” There are similar projects in Canada, Japan and the US, but the British one is the most advanced according to other European robot researchers not connected with the project. Scientists at the University of Hertfordshire first began using a version of Kaspar in 1998. The newest model is covered in silicone patches that feel like skin to help children become more comfortable with touching people. So far, almost 300 kids in Britain with autism, a disorder that affects development of social interaction and communication, have played

with a Kaspar robot as part of scientific research.

The robot has only a handful of tricks, like saying “Hello, my name is Kaspar. Let’s play together,” laughing when his sides or feet are touched, raising his arms up and down, or hiding his face with his hands and crying out “Ouch. This hurts,” when he’s slapped too hard. But that is enough to keep autistic children enthralled.

Ronnie Arloff, 4, was so eager to see Kaspar he banged on the door and shouted his name. Arloff opened his arms wide just like the robot. He also recognized facial expressions, saying “happy” when Kaspar was smiling and “sad” when he frowned.

Nan Cannon-Jones, an autism consultant at the school, said the robot helps children understand emotions and language.

“After Kaspar says ‘haha’ when he’s tickled, the children learn that’s what laughing is,” she said. Two of the 12 to 17 kids who attend the pre-school have refused to play with Kaspar outright. The school also uses speech and music therapy. “You can’t teach children to speak or play using a robot, but it helps reinforce what we’re teaching them already, like how to share and be nice to people,” Cannon-Jones said.

Experts not linked to the project said it was a promising idea.

“Autistic children like things that are made up of different parts, like a robot, so they may process what the robot does more easily than a real person,” said Dr Abigail San, a childhood clinical psychologist in London and spokeswoman for the British Psychological Society. She thought it was possible that skills children learned with the robot at the pre-school could be transferred to their homes or the playground. But San warned that experts and parents shouldn’t rely on robots too much.

“We don’t want children with autism to get too used to playing with robots,” she said. “Ultimately, they need to be able to relate to other people.” Kerstin Dautenhahn, the senior researcher at the University of Hertfordshire behind the Kaspar project, said she and colleagues don’t have enough data to know if playing with Kaspar has sped up social skills in autistic children. —AP

The Xoom is well-equipped, with a large, vivid touch screen and zippy processor. It’s the first to use Honeycomb, Google Inc’s flashy tablet-geared Android 3.0 software, which is a big improvement over older versions designed for phones but pushed onto some tablets. It’s clear the software was designed for a tablet’s larger touch screen. A persistent bar at the bottom of the screen displays virtual “home” and “back” buttons.

You get information such as battery life and wireless reception and notifications for emails, instant messages and more. You also get a virtual button that can pull up miniaturized images of your most recently used apps, the way it looked when you last used them.

That makes it convenient for speeding back over to a game or Web page.

The touch-screen keyboard is also nicer, thanks to Honeycomb. It’s easier to type emails and instant messages on the Xoom than on tablets running older versions of Android. Although it doesn’t seem as easy to use as the iPad’s virtual keyboard, the Xoom’s keyboard is fairly spacious and is something you get used to typing with after several hours. Those who do a lot of typing can use a Bluetooth keyboard or connect a USB keyboard with an adapter through the Xoom’s Micro USB port. There’s one big blemish marring the Xoom’s otherwise delightful package: its price tag.

The Xoom, made by Motorola Mobility Inc and available from Verizon Wireless, costs $800 without a cellular-service contract in the US, about $70 more than a similarly apportioned iPad. You can get a Xoom for $600, but you’ll have to sign up for a two-year data plan that runs at least $20 per month; by contrast, AT&T Inc. offers month-to-month data service for the iPad. Like the iPad, the Xoom lets you access the Internet through Wi-Fi, so a data plan isn’t essential.

While Motorola offers the Xoom in only one configuration right now - with 32 gigabytes of storage and data access through both Wi-Fi and Verizon’s cellular network Apple offers a range of iPads. The cheapest is $499 and comes with 16 gigabytes of built-in storage and Wi-Fi access. The most expensive is $829 for a 64-gigabyte version with Wi-Fi and the ability to access AT&T’s data network for an additional fee.

Apple’s iPad 2, which will be available in black and white, will keep the same pricing structure, and a version of it will work with Verizon’s network. Other than price, the Xoom and the iPad appear pretty similar: Both are thin, shiny slabs, though the Xoom’s screen is a bit bigger (and the new iPad is noticeably thinner). The Xoom, like the iPad, has very few buttons: Volume buttons sit on one side, and a combined power and lock button is inconveniently positioned on the back. The Xoom also has some 3-D-esque views incorporated throughout Xoom’s software. Play music on the Xoom and you’ll notice your albums are viewable in a 3-D-like

array, or open up the included YouTube app and you’ll see a curved gallery of videos.

An updated Web browser gives you the ability to open multiple tabs on a single screen; the iPad can’t do that and instead forces you to open a new window for each Web page. Web surfing becomes easier and more clearly organized because you can see what you’re doing all on one screen, without having to leave the webpage you’re looking at. The browser also lets you surf the Web in “incognito mode,” which means pages you visit won’t be logged in the tablet’s browsing or search history; that’s a feature common on desktop browsers. Sadly, the Xoom didn’t come with support for Flash videos, which is a popular online video format. An upgrade to allow that is coming soon.

The Xoom’s screen measures 10.1 inches (25.6 centimeters) diagonally, compared with the iPad’s 9.7 inches (24.6 centimeters). Its resolution is slightly higher than the iPad’s, and videos and photos looked bright and sharp with vivid colors. It’s great for reading books downloaded through the included Google Books app. The app looks similar to one for Apple Inc.’s iBooks, but it also has “day” and “night” settings. Those let you switch to a white-text-on-black-background view when reading in the dark.

The Xoom includes a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a 2-megapixel camera on the front - cameras were lacking on the first iPad,

Western Digital pulls away with hard deal

Sony buys Hawk-Eye ball tracking firm TOKYO: Japanese technology and entertainment giant Sony has bought Hawk-Eye, the British-based firm whose computer systems assist umpires and track the path of balls in sports such as tennis and cricket. The two firms did not disclose the value of the transaction, but the Nikkei newspaper estimated it to be worth “several billion yen” (tens of millions of dollars). Sony will use Hawk-Eye’s know-how, technology and business network in the sports industry to improve its sports-related products, such as IT solutions for sports arenas, the company said in a statement dated yesterday.

“Hawk-Eye presents Sony with the opportunity to acquire a small, innovative company with unique knowledge and excellent growth and synergies potential,” Naomi Climer, vicepresident of Sony Europe, said in the statement. The deal will complement Sony’s existing business portfolio for sports professionals, such as IT solutions for stadiums, venues and broadcasters, said Climer. Sony is a major sponsor of many sports events and offers a full line of equipment for sports media professionals.

Hawk-Eye was launched in 1999 and its technology has helped transform global sports coverage on TV to become the reference standard for ball tracking and graphics in sports such as tennis, cricket, and snooker. It can be used to provide instant graphic replays that help determine whether the ball was in or out during tennis matches or inform key umpire decisions in cricket. “Our skills and established knowledge coupled with Sony’s breadth of capabilities and technologies will create immense opportunities for the sports industry,” Paul Hawkins, founder of Hawk-Eye, said in the statement. —AFP

but the iPad 2 will also have front and rear cameras. The Xoom’s back camera includes some simple color effects and scene modes for adjusting your images. The front camera works with Google Talk’s video chat feature, so you can conduct video chats with friends.

This is a nice addition. The only hope is that there would be more tablet-specific apps available through Google’s Android Market, but only a handful can be counted, including a CNN application and the “Fruit Ninja” game.

Several existing apps looked good on the Xoom’s larger screen, however, including the game “Angry Birds.” These features are backed up by a dual-core processor, which make the Xoom zip along. The Xoom’s 1 gigabyte of random-access memory - the kind important for running programs - is much more than the iPad has. In my tests, the tablet rarely faltered and was quick to load content offline.

Online, it was fairly speedy and reliable, and this is expected to improve. Currently, the Xoom uses Wi-Fi or Verizon’s existing 3G data network for wireless service. Eventually, it will be upgraded to work on Verizon’s faster 4G network. The battery is rated for up to about 10 hours of video playback, or about nine hours of Web browsing over 3G. Regardless, the Xoom is a strong tablet, and the first true competitor to the iPad thus far. The new iPad looks enticing, but if you’re set on getting a non-Apple tablet and can get past the Xoom’s steep price, it’s a good pick. —AP

TOKYO: An employee of Sony displays a new “Vaio VPCF219” notebook computer, equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor and a 16-inch high-definition display that can display 3D content in conjunction with Sony’s television Bravia, at the company’s showroom yesterday. Sony will put it on the market on March 19. —AFP

US publisher to feature Egypt ‘tweets’ in book WASHINGTON: A US publisher plans to come out with a book next month featuring a collection of Twitter messages sent during the protests in Egypt that led to the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak. The 160-page book, “Tweets from Tahrir,” named for the Cairo square at the epicenter of the anti-government protests, is to be published on April 21

by OR Books. OR Books said the collection “brings together a selection of key tweets in a compelling, fast-paced narrative” and paints “an exhilarating picture of an uprising in real-time.” “Raw emo-

tion bursts from their messages, whether frantic alarm at attacks from pro-government thugs or delirious happiness at the fall of the dictator,” it added. “ To read these tweets is to embark a rollercoaster ride, from the surprise and excitement of the first demonstration, to the horror of the violence that claimed hundreds of lives, to the final ecstasy of victor y.” Edited by activists Nadia Idle and Alex Nunns with a foreword by author Ahdaf Soueif, the book will cost $12 in paperback and $10 as an electronic book. —AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: Western Digital Corp is trying to pull further away in its neck-andneck race with Seagate Technology PLC to be the world’s biggest maker of hard drives. Western Digital announced Monday that it’s paying $4.3 billion in cash and stock to acquire Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. The deal is one of the largest in an industry that’s been consolidating for decades, and gives the combined companies about half of the worldwide hard drive market. Seagate owns less than a third of that market.

A hard drive is a key data-storage technology for computers, and in picking up the Hitachi business, Western Digital is picking off one of the last key players. It’s also giving itself a foothold in the market for drives that go into servers and corporate-level storage arrays. That’s been a weakness for a company mostly known for selling hard drives that go into consumer PCs. Western Digital is the No 1 hard drive maker, just ahead of Seagate in terms of units sold. Hitachi is No. 3. The news sent Western Digital’s stock up 11.6 percent, or $3.47, to $33.48. Shares of Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi Global Storage’s parent, rose 5.7 percent, or $3.50, to $64.74. The acquisition shows how few targets are left in an industry that has aggressively contracted and is under pressure. The only other key players are Toshiba Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Traditional, spinning hard drives are beginning to see serious competition from a different type of storage technology.

Tablets and smart phones, which use solidstate flash memory, are starting to overshadow computers, which mostly still use hard drives. Jayson Noland, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co., noted that in the 1980s there were as many as 80 hard drive makers. Chronic overproduction depressed

prices and allowed big players to scoop up their beaten-up rivals. Noland said Hitachi’s hard drive business had been “a thorn in the side of this industry for a long time in overproducing drives.

They’re a part of a bigger company and didn’t seem to care if they lost money.” But Hitachi also has established relationships with business customers, which Western Digital coveted. Executives from Western Digital and Hitachi took pains on a conference call with analysts to emphasize the measures they’re taking to avoid losing market share because of the combination.

But because computer makers want to have multiple suppliers to keep prices low, Noland said it’s likely that Western Digital and Hitachi will lose some customers when the deal closes.

“It’s a good deal, and to be honest, Seagate should send flowers to Western Digital,” he said. “They’re going to be the natural recipient of market share, just because Western Digital did this.” John Rydning, research director covering hard drives for IDC, called the deal “clearly one of the biggest mergers in the history” of the hard disk industry. He said consolidation has benefited the industry by helping the players who are left become more profitable, and that while Western Digital will gain more customers for servers and other non-personal computers, it will still lag behind Seagate in that market.

Flash memory is gaining on hard drives in portable devices in part because it is light, compact and durable. But those aren’t important advantages in the server and high-end storage market, where huge volumes of data need to saved at low cost.

Hard drives are still much cheaper than flash, bit-for-bit. The corporate market “represents one of the most durable growth prospects” for the hard disk industry over the next five years, he added. —AP

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health & science Vietnam teens unfazed by curfew on online gaming HANOI: The clock is about to strike 10 pm, but the hubbub of life on a dingy street in Hanoi remains vibrant. Despite the looming curfew, hundreds of teenagers sit glued to computer screens playing online games, seemingly unaware that in a few minutes, they will have to wrench themselves away as the street shuts down for the night. It’s a typical scene on Le Thanh Nghi Street, home to about 15 internet cafes and hundreds of internet users, the vast majority of whom are playing video games online.

But since Thursday, their nightly activity has been curtailed between 10 pm and 8 am. Since March 3, internet service providers (ISPs) have been ordered to block access to game websites during that time and policemen roam the streets to enforce the law. Many of the gamers seem unfazed by the new restrictions. Riveted to his screen, engineering student Le Duc Trung, 20, said he spends about two hours a day playing online games. “I still play, but I go home at 10 pm,” he said, the lights of the screen dancing off his face.

Trung was playing Gunbound, one of the most popular online games in Vietnam. The game involves creating an impressive avatar with killer fight moves. It is free but coveted extras can be bought with real money. The young student admits he is addicted but refuses to say how much he has spent. “I spend a lot of time playing games and a lot of money too, but I like it. My friends really like my avatar,” he said.

Linh, a 25-year-old student from Hanoi who didn’t want to give too many details about himself, said he still played online games despite the restrictions. “Young people still play. It is really popular,” he said.

The curfew is the latest in a series of moves to limit the online gaming that authorities consider a health hazard, especially for young people. In July, the Information Ministry banned advertising of online gaming and temporarily suspended licensing of games. It also ordered ISPs to cut internet access to shops that offered games from 11 pm to 6 am. The move last year was precipitated by a spate of attacks and robberies reported in the local press that were linked to video games. One particularly gruesome incident in April involved a 16-year-old schoolboy who allegedly cut his grandfather’s throat after he was refused money for online games.

But ISPs including Asiasoft complain that their customers should receive the service they have paid for. On a smaller scale, internet cafes have also bemoaned the move, with some managers complaining that their profits have been hit by as much as 25 percent. Nguyen Van Dung, 22, manager of one shop on Le Thanh Nghi Street, said the police had forced him to close since last October. “Of course we have lost a lot of money,” he said. “Most of our customers play at night. We used to make 2 million dong but now we make about 1.5 million (72 dollars) a night.”

The government is advocating the curfew for the health of the nation, Luu Vu Hai, a senior official at the Information Ministry in Hanoi told the German Press Agency dpa. Playing games online keeps children away from their classes and stops youths from earning money. The consequences could be deadly, the official said.

“They (online gamers) find ways to make money by stealing and robbing, even killing people to get money,” Hai said.

Cutting the hours young people can access online games would help reduce crime rates, he added. “For instance, young people often gather at online game shops and cause public disorder at night. Many young people commit crime at night after playing games online. The ban will help reduce the opportunities for such gatherings.” But Hai admits there are limitations. “The problem is that our force is thin while we have many online game shops, so we cannot check all of them.” Some cafes are offering offline games as an alternative, while others simply close the door and carry on as normal. — dpa

No evidence to support claim of alien microbes ‘Hysteria, lies do not constitute scientific doubt’ WASHINGTON: Top NASA scientists said Monday there was no scientific evidence to support a colleague’s claim that fossils of alien microbes born in outer space had been found in meteorites on Earth. The US space agency formally distanced itself from the paper by NASA scientist Richard Hoover, whose findings were published Friday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Cosmology, which is available free online. In response, the journal’s managing editor Lana Tao lashed out at “truly unprofessional and frankly dishonest conduct of various individual(s) at NASA who have resorted to lies, slander, defamation and ad hominem attacks.”

“Hysteria and lies do not constitute scientific doubt.

They are calls for medication,” she said in an email.

According to the study, Hoover sliced open fragments of several types of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, which can contain relatively high levels of water and organic materials, and looked inside with a powerful microscope, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). He found bacteria-like creatures, calling them “indigenous fossils” that originated beyond Earth and were not introduced here after the meteorites landed.

“The implications are that life is everywhere, and that life on Earth may have come from other planets,” the study claimed. Carl Pilcher, director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, described Hoover as a “NASA employee” who works in a solar physics branch of a lab in the southeastern state of Alabama. “That is a claim that Mr Hoover has been making for some years,” Pilcher told AFP. “I am not aware of any support from other meteorite researchers for this rather extraordinary claim that this evidence of microbes was present in the meteorite before the meteorite arrived on Earth and and was not the result of contamination after the meteorite arrived on Earth,” Pilcher said.

“The simplest explanation is that there are microbes in the meteorites; they are Earth microbes. In other words, they are contamination.” Pilcher said the meteorites that Hoover studied fell to Earth 100 to 200 years ago and have been heavily handled by humans, “so you would expect to find microbes in these meteorites.” Paul Hertz, chief scientist of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, also issued a statement saying NASA did not support Hoover’s findings.

“While we value the free exchange of ideas, data and information as part of scientific and technical inquiry, NASA cannot stand behind or support a scientific claim unless it has been peer-reviewed or thoroughly examined by other qualified experts,” he said. He noted that the paper did not complete the peer-review process

In a frame grab made from NASA TV, space shuttle Discovery backs away from the International Space Station after undocking for the last time Monday, March 7, 2011. — AP after being submitted in 2007 to the International Journal of Astrobiology.

Studies suggesting that microbes from outer space can be found in meteorites date back to the 1960s, but have been widely met with skepticism in the scientific community. “Unless he has forged those pictures, which I doubt... I cannot imagine that they can be contaminants,” said Chandra Wickramasinghe, a Journal of Cosmology editor. “I know there is skepticism because it is a remarkable discovery if it is validated,” he told AFP. “If it is accepted it means that much of the conventional wisdom on how life started on the Earth has to be revised.” Wickramasinghe said the research was peerreviewed by four geologists and geochemists from Russia and Europe and it gained “positive responses from three of them.” The journal invited experts to

Rescuers work hard to net Vietnam’s ‘sacred’ turtle HANOI: Thousands of Vietnamese jostled and climbed trees around a lake in the capital yesterday hoping to see a rare giant turtle considered sacred by many but in desperate need of medical attention. Dozens of workers waded chest-deep through the chilly green water in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake to try to capture the giant freshwater creature for the first time, so it could be pulled to an island and treated. It is one of the world’s most endangered turtles - one of only four Rafeteus swinhoei believed to be alive today - but its value to the nation transcends the natural world. The turtle traces its roots back through hundreds of years of local folklore, and some even believe the animal that lives in the lake today is the same mythical creature said to have helped a Vietnamese king fend off the Chinese nearly six centuries ago.

In recent days, photos of it surfacing with open pink sores on its wrinkled neck and legs have sparked near panic among the public, with newspapers carrying frontpage stories and Internet chatrooms buzzing with opinions.

Lesions were also visible on its shell, which stretches 6 feet long (1.8 meters long) and 4 feet wide (1.2 meters wide). Some experts fear the water in the sewage -filled and trash-strewn lake is slowly killing the tur tle, which is thought to weigh about 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and is affectionately called “great-grandfather.”

Hundreds of Vietnamese have been working around the clock removing chunks of debris from the lake and pumping in fresh water.

Last week, a small island in the lake was expanded with sandbags to form a platform large enough for the turtle to rest, complete with a

little pond. Rescuers were hoping to coax it ashore, but, when it did not emerge on its own, dozens of men carrying a large net waded into the water yesterday to ring it and drag it to the island. But even with the military involved in the rescue, the turtle managed to slip through the nets and escape, ending yesterday’s efforts. Officials planned to meet to decide the next steps. “I’m really glad that I’m part of the rescue operation and, hopefully, it will bring luck to my family,” said Nguyen Thanh Liem, 65, a retired army captain who had helped pull the net along. “I wish that he would be immortal to bless our nation.” Liem, like many Vietnamese, believes the turtle is the same one described in the legend of King Le Loi, who is said to have defeated Chinese invaders with a magic sword given to him by the gods. — AP

US-style yoga upsets balance RISHIKESH: The blonde Californian in her 40s writhed rhythmically in low-cut white trousers as she performed her “power flow yoga”, to the shock of traditionalists. By the time Shiva Rea, famed for inventing the high-energy Yoga Trance Dance, had completed her demonstration at a yoga festival in northern India, some 20 people had left the room. “This is not yoga, it’s just a show, but to succeed in California, this is what they have to do,” griped Austrian yoga teacher Florian Palzinsky, 42, as he watched the Santa Monican.

For thousands of years, yoga has been expressed through gradual control of the body, breath and mind.

But criticism of Rea’s spirited show at the week-long International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh underscored the growing and sometimes acrimonious split between purists and practitioners of new, innovative forms of the art. Rishikesh, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, shot to world prominence when the Beatles visited in 1968 to learn about transcendental meditation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, helping to popularize ideas about

weigh in on Hoover’s claim, and both skeptics and supporters began publishing their commentaries on the journal’s website Monday.

Michael Engel of the University of Oklahoma wrote: “Given the importance of this finding, it is essential to continue to seek new criteria more robust than visual similarity to clarify the origin(s) of these remarkable structures.” A separate NASA-funded study in December suggested that a previously unknown form of bacterium, found deep in a California lake, could thrive on arsenic, adding a new element to what scientists have long considered the six building blocks of life. That study drew hefty criticism, particularly after NASA touted the announcement as evidence of extraterrestrial life. Scientists are currently attempting to replicate those findings. — AFP

Indian spirituality. Now hundreds of visitors, most of them foreigners, come each year to the festival from dozens of countries, bringing their yoga mats to learn about breathing, posture, chanting and nutrition from experts in all types of yoga. The classes start at 4:00 am and go on until sunset.

“Yoga doesn’t flow in our veins like it does in Indians so I came here to go back to basics,” said French yoga teacher Juliette Allard, 38, who has been coming to the festival for the past three years.

German nutritionist Daniela Wolff, 50, said that she felt happiest with the festival’s traditionminded Indian teachers, such as the spry 103-year-old Indian guru Swami Yogananda who gave his course every morning at 6:00 am sharp. “They are genuine, do not use fancy words, there is no music. Most importantly, they don’t need to prove anything to anyone,” Wolff said. For Japanese yoga teacher Hikaru Hashimoto, the Americans “are very gifted at making yoga evolve-at changing and inventing new styles that will spread throughout the world”.

“But India is the first country of yoga. The basis of yoga is here,”

RISHIKESH, India: A foreign participant performs yoga exercises during the international Yoga festival at the Parmarth Niketam Ashram. For thousands of years, yoga has been expressed through gradual control of the body, breath and mind. — AFP he insisted. Nevertheless, the more unconventional practitioners succeeded in drawing the spotlight at the festival, such as white-robed American Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa born May Mary Gibson but now a devout Sikh.

Khalsa has given private lessons to stars such as Madonna, Cindy Crawford and Courtney Love, teaching Kundalini Yoga-a meditative form of stretching and urging people to find the sunshine “in

your hearts”. What really matters is that people “want to feel better, be closer to ourselves”, she said.

“That’s what yoga is.” But Khalsa scandalized some festival-goers when her group held hands and chanted the word “Hallelujah” for 10 minutes, waving their bodies.

Tears poured down some faces of the group and others looked ecstatic after the session, but their emotional response did not impress critics. — AFP

TOKYO: An employee of Japan’s robot suit venture Cyberdyne wears the new optical topography device that displays brain activity with 64 LEDs for each channel yesterday. The new brain-machine-interface (BMI) device has been developed for the real-time analysis of brain activity that is displayed with changing differently colored LEDs. — AFP

Small-scale farms could abate world hunger: UN PARIS: Small-scale “eco-farming” could double food production in many of the world’s poorest regions and also help fight climate change, according to a United Nations report unveiled yesterday. The spectre of world hunger looms ever larger as the global population continues to balloon, especially in the least developed nations. Today more than a billion of the planet’s nearly seven billion people live at the edge of subsistence on less than a dollar per day.

Food prices have flared in recent years due to climate-related natural disasters, with the cost of several staple foods reaching unprecedented levels last month, according to the UN’s food price index. By mid-century, when the global population is expected to surpass nine billion, food shortages will become even more critical as will the need for additional output.

But the key to boosting output in poor countries is a shift from mono-crops doused with chemical fertilizers and pesticides to more sustainable techniques that can both increase yields and repair the environment, the report said.

“We are not in a situation in which agriculture can only be about increas-

ing production,” said lead author Olivier De Schutter, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. “It must also be about limiting the impact on ecosystems ... and preserving agro-biodiversity. It must be about increasing the income of the farmers.”

Conventional farming degrades soils, fuels climate change, is vulnerable to weather shocks, and relies on expensive inputs, he pointed out.

“It is simply not the best choice anymore,” he told AFP by phone. UN investigators searched scientific literature published over the last five years to identify agricultural techniques that work best in poor countries. They found that small-scale and largely organic farms-especially those with a diverse mix of crops and plants-performed far better. In development projects examined in 20 African countries, crop yields doubled over three to 10 years using these means.

Similar methods boosted output, on average, by 80 percent across 57 developing countries. Beside growing more food, the sustainable approach slashed the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, saving farmers money, reducing pollution and allowing depleted soil to recover. — AFP

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health & science

Kenyans swap carbon roles to save forest CO2 emitters can offset pollution MAUNGU: Mwakitau Kaleghe used to scratch out a living from burning charcoal, culled from trees whose felling helped turn a rich tropical woodland in southern Kenya into a desolate mosaic. Today, though, sees Kaleghe, 65, enlisted in an environmental war, as a captor of carbon rather than an emitter of it and as a custodian of Rukinga forest rather than an agent in its destruction.

Kaleghe nurtures tree seedlings that he then sells to a UN-backed project carbon-credit project.

Trees suck up carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal greenhouse gas that traps solar heat. Under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) initiative, CO2 emitters in industrialized countries can “offset” their pollution by conserving tropical forests or replanting cleared or damaged areas. Wildlife Works, a US con-

servation group, says 30,000 hectares (75,000 acres) of forest are under its wing in the Rukinga REDD scheme. It has sealed a deal with South Africa’s Nedbank group, keen to establish “carbon-neutral” credentials, for the sale of 200,000 tons of CO2 for around one million dollars. Some of the proceeds are earmarked for local projects to give the community alternative sources of income other than clearing land for subsistence farming and charcoal burning.

“If they buy the seedlings at a good price, I think we can make ends meet,” said Kaleghe. “I used to make good money from selling charcoal but I won’t start making charcoal again because that is destroying the forest.” Apart from tree planting, the project also runs a garment factory that sells clothes for export and plans to pipe water to the community. “With the projects lined up, the community

is very happy. At the moment we are living in hope,” said James Mwakina Mboga, the local councillor, who sounds however a note of caution.

“If the promises don’t materialize, then we will go back to our old ways,” he said, referring to the rampant charcoal burning and subsistence farming that denuded and exhausted the soil.

Carbon credit projects entail complex calculations about vegetation cover, soil content and duration to estimate the amount of CO2 that is lost through deforestation and land degradation. Projects also have to be vetted to ensure they are not scams by loggers. The Rukinga carbon credits are a milestone, though.

They are the first to be issued under a new benchmark, called the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS), which seeks to uphold criteria of sustainability, ecological soundness and help for the local community.

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Eventually, 30 million tons of CO2 will be saved over 20 years, Wildlife Works hopes. Reforestation should also be a boon for biodiversity. The forest straddles the east and west sides of Tsavo National Park, Kenya’s largest, and its renewal eventually will provide a corridor for migrating wildlife. The strategy also involves the community, which forms committees to choose the most important projects they want funded. In this arid region, water tops the list, then roads, education or health. Rob Dodson, who heads Rukinga Wildlife Works, said he saw widespread support from local people who had been aware, bit by bit, of the degradation of the forest and its impact on their lives. “It is such a desperate situation... the people can see what is happening,” he said. “They can see the rainfall decreasing year after year. They know that subsistence farming isn’t working. —AFP

KIBERA, Kenya: A youth tends to tomatoes in a greenhouse in Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya. The organic tomatoes grow near an open-air sewer and a garbage dump. —AFP

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w h at ’s o n Announcements Lecture on carpets The AWARE Center cordially invites you to its presentation on, “The history of the Iranian Carpets,” by Nazi Riasati.

Iranians are famous for carpet-making skills and many people like to purchase Persian carpets. Come and join us in a diwaniya presentation about Iranian carpets by Nazi Riasati who is an expert-cum carpet vendor. Do you know the history of Persian carpets? How would you take care of a Persian carpet if you had one? How can you distinguish between a real genuine carpet and a fake one? Are you familiar with Persian handicrafts? If you are interested in getting answers to these questions, the best place to visit is the AWARE Center today March 8th, 2011 at 7:00pm.

Woman in Mind Tickets are now on sale for Ayckbourn’s “Woman in Mind” which opens at the theatre on March 9th - March 11th @ 7.30 pm. Alan Ayckbourn is known for delivering works of class to the theatrical stage and “Woman in Mind” is no exception.

Perhaps one of his cleverest, most stimulating plays it has been hailed as “a dazzling, provocative evening...which is both hilariously inventive and demonic.” (Sunday Telegraph).

Josef Stagg brings the KLT production to the stage with a talented cast, headlined by Pauline Barry, bringing to life the real and imagined families of Susan, a woman on the verge of a mental collapse and whose twin worlds appear, disappear and collide in spectacular fashion as the evening progresses.

“Woman in Mind” is an intelligent evening of truly entertaining drama. In true Ayckbourn style audiences are made to smile, laugh and even shed a tear as the characters’ lives unfold before them and KLT’s production is certain to thrill all who attend.The show opens at the theatre on Wednesday March 9th and runs for three nights till March 11th. Curtain rises at 7.30pm and tickets are available now. Call 99373-678.

Chinese medical team visits

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hirteen member Chinese medical team led by Dr Zhao Hongju visited Kuwait Times recently. Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Alyan explained the functioning of the different aspects of newspaper to the team and appreciated their keen interest.

— Photos by Joseph Shakra

Etiquette in public places The AWARE Center cordially invites you to its cultural night presentation on, “Etiquette in Public Places and social norms throughout Kuwait,” on Wednesday March 9th at 7 pm. There are three main principles that serve to guide the expatriate when dealing with local citizens and residents. These principles, when applied to various contexts such as dress, speech, gestures and social relations will increase experiences of acceptance, respect, friendship and success. Relations between individuals in Kuwait and elsewhere can be more harmonious if we take the initiative to learn about the culture. In Kuwait, neither friendship nor business can be rushed.

Remember every person is an ambassador of his race, country, culture, religion, and family. In her 30-minute presentation, Dr. Teresa will address all these issues and many more.

All are welcome on Wednesday March 9th, 2011 at 7:00pm.”

Sahara Resort Holds ‘National anniversary’ Golf Tourney

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Sahara Resort manager Hassan Bayrly with the tournament’s champion.

he Sahara resort organized a special golf tournament on the occasion of Kuwait’s 50th anniversary, and that on its 18-hole golf course, which is built to PGA championship standards over a 450 thousand square meters area.

The competition saw participation of 104 contestants, while W.K. Lee was crowed as champion in the end after he finished first with 42 points.

National, Liberation Day and HH the Amir’s assumption of Power Events

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he National Independence Day of Kuwait was celebrated with joyous spirit by Mohammed Hoshdar Khan, a true patriotic lover of the state of Kuwait with function in his office at Murgab. On the 50th anniversary of Independence Day of Kuwait and the 20th Anniversary of the Liberation or Freedom of Kuwait from the hands of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s invasion and also the completion of 5 years rule of HH Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah respectively. Indian and Pakistani well known Islamic scholars and other expatriates took part in the festivity /celebration of Independence Day. The speakers are Mohammad Khalid Azmi, Chowdhry Mohammed Azam, Mohammed Hoshdar Khan(organizer) and Dr Salahuddin Maqbool Islamic scholar presided over the function and other eminent poets and writers met together on the happy occasion.

The Holy Qur’an states in “(Surat Al-Baqarah Verse No. 152)” “Therefore remember Me (by praying and glorifying). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My count-

less Favors on you) and never be ungrateful to Me”. Obviously, the more you will be grateful, the more & more to get and prosper in either world(s).

Unequivocally, Kuwait has especially endowed with Islamic atmosphere and Islamic culture indeed. It has bestowed with special and unique blessings of Almighty Allah.

Verily, this is a miracle of Almighty Allah who has retained the lost sovereignty and integrity of Kuwait after 1990 invasion. He has displayed an example for the whole universal mankind to think and focus about my blessings and signs to those who are grateful and faithful to me only.

The peace, prosperity of good governance is the only just cause for prevailing charitable organizations (Zakat) obligations centers throughout the state of Kuwait.

The function ended with the prayer i.e., (dua) of hearty blessings to HH Amir of Kuwait’s good health and to maintain everlasting peace, prosperity and sovereignty of the state of Kuwait.

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appy birthday to our most dearest and darling Kimberly who celebrates her fifth birthday today. May God shower His abundant blessings and may your life be an oasis of joy, peace, fun and laughter, graced with crimson health of mind and body. These joyful birthday wishes come to you from your loving mum Avilia, dad Edwin, brother Theron, aunt Cynthia, uncle John, cousins Ashton, Amber, godparents, grandparents and also from all your relatives and friends in Kuwait, Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore and Portugal.

Write to us

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

NBK Walkathon Registrations started Sunday at NBK Walkathon Tent next to the Scientific Centre in Salmiya on Sunday, February 13 and continues until March 11, which is one day before the start of the walkathon. National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the best bank in the Middle East, announced the launching of its 17th Annual Walkathon on the 12th of March 2011 on the occasion of Kuwait’s celebration of 50 years over its independence, 20 years over its liberation from the Iraqi invasion and 5 years since H.H. the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah assumed his post. The Walkathon event will also feature a host of functions, activities and competitions with rewarding prizes and rewards awaiting the participants. NBK’s Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Bank & Community Committee, Nasser Musaed Al Sayer said that it has been clear that NBK’s Walkathon is growing year on year, and we are extremely thrilled to take our involvement with this exciting event to new levels. This year, we are expecting participation to be much more than previous walkathon which witnessed more the participation of more than 12,000 contesters”.

St Peter’s CSI Congregation Vacation Bible School of St Peter’s CSI Congregation is scheduled to be held from March 18 to April 1, 2011 at the National Evangelical Church of Kuwait (NECK ). Our Vicar, The Rev Binju Varghese Kuruvilla will be the Superintendent. Abraham Varghese, (children’s ministry, Kerala ), will be the Director. All children from 3 to 17 years old are invited to attend the VBS. This is a time for making new friends, singing , learning and fellowship. Please come and join and be blessed! For registrations and more details please visit the website www.csikuwait.org/vbs . For further enquiries and details, please email us at vbs@csikuwait.org or contact the VBS Secretary: 94416421. Hurry! Only limited seats available!

Dr. B. Iqbal to launch Kala language website The leading Indian association in Kuwait, Kerala Art Lovers Association, KALA is launching the first phase of the interactive web portal www.pravasimalayalam.com which is ultimately a big leap, by the Malayalam Education Mission, which currently KALA is undertaking in Kuwait, with a much higher and Global Perspective. Under the directives and broad vision of Mr. John Mathew, renowned Social activist and Industrialist of Kuwait, a dedicated team has paved way for the Children from other areas of the globe to get the benefit of learning Malayalam and thereby our culture too.

Utilizing the multimedia and IT resources, the first phase of the web portal is all set for the global take off. Former ViceChancellor of Kerala University and well known personality from Kerala Dr.B. Iqbal will formally launch the web portal at United Indian School on 25 March 2011 at 5 PM. The programme will commence with the commemoration of the legends EMS, AKG & Bishop Dr.Poulose Mar Poulose, who left us in the month of March. Further, the essay collection “Athijeevanathinte Kazhchappadukal”, written and compiled KALA President Mr. Sam Pynummodu will be formally released in the same function. All are welcome and the entrance is free. For more details kindly contact 66656642, 97817100, 99539492, 24317875 Music festival The Kuwait Chamber Philharmonia is organizing the First Kuwait International Music Festival to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Kuwait.

Qatar classical ensemble Consists of virtuoso members of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. Program: Rachmaninoff and Schoenberg Date & Time: Friday, March 11th 2011 at 8pm Location: Al Hashemii II Grand Ballroom at Radisson Blu Hotel.

Sinfonietta Cracovaia orchestra One of the leading European orchestra from Poland with soloist Robert Kabara (violin) Program: Mozart -Symphony No. 40 in G minor (KV 550), Violin concerto D-Major KV 218, Karlowicz, Kilar, Gorecki, Date & Time: Saturday, March 12th 2011 at 8 pm. Location: Al Hashemi II Grand Ballroom at Radisson Blu Hotel and Date & Time: Sunday, March 13th 2011 at 8 pm. Location: Mishref Theater Young musicians of the Gulf Date & Time: Sunday, March 14th 2011 at 7 pm. Location: Mishref Theater. Tickets are available at Radisson Blu Hotel Tel: 25673000 and Virgin Megastore.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

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Embassy Information

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ahatma Gandhi Telugu Youth Association, Kuwait celebrated first anniversary in a grand manner on Friday, March 4.

President Sanapanani Mani gave opening speech and invited the chief guests for the lighting of the lamp. M Vengaiah Chowdhery, Telugu Lalitha Kala Samithi President and C Bhaskar Reddy, Telugu Kala Samithi-welfare wing, Fintas Sai Darbar Restaurant owner M Subbarayudu Naidu, Daruur

Balaram Naidu, K Mohanbabu Naidu delivered speeches. Charitha introduced president to the executive committee president and founder Sanapanani Mani, Vice-president Kommi Nannaiah Naidu, General Secretary Polavarapu Babu Naidu, Secretary Sanapanani Penchalaia Naidu, Joint-secretary Daruuuri Kishore Chowdhery, Treasurer Konanki Ramana, P.R.O Darla Srinivasulu Achari, advisers Palagiri Sudakara Reddy. President

Sanapanani Mani’s key note speech about Mahatma Gandhi Telugu Youth association, Kuwait activities and mottos. The program started with a devotional song by Charitha. Program had good response from the audience. Rajampet Bhajana group, Devilson dance group, fusion group gave good performances.

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IPS celebrates Independence, Liberation days

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glorious years of independence, 20 years of Liberation and completion of 5 years of reign of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah were celebrated with great pomp and show by the students of Indian Public School. They paid tribute to the beautiful land of Kuwait, by dressing themselves in the colours of the Kuwait National Flag. They sang and danced to the rhythm of Arabic music. It was a spectacular sight to see the children wave the Kuwait national flags in the air and in one voice honour the nation by singing the Kuwait National anthem.

he Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) opened the first day of its 3-day Crisis of the Human Sciences Conference in its conference center with the attendance of university representatives and scholars from abroad.

Dr Robert Cook, Vice President for Academic Affairs inaugurated the ceremony saying: “It is an honor for me to address this group,” giving them a small background of the university history as the first private university in the country and its plans for the future which include the addition of a new Master’s program in Accounting and Finance and a new College of Architecture and Engineering, both of which the university has already started the procedures to establish. “We hope that this conference will be the first of many and that all the friendships nurtured here will lead to great research collaborations in the future,” he concluded.

Dr Thorsten Botz, Assistant Professor at GUST’s Social Sciences and Humanities Dept, took the stage as the one of the leading organizers of the Conference who welcomed all the scholars able to join from abroad and hoped that this conference and their experience at the university will start an exchange of ideas and immersion in the local culture. Dr Botz gave small introduction to the conference theme, whereby he mentions that most emphasis of “crisis” is given to monetary or business oriented problems which tend to overshadow the human science crisis such as religion, society, education, environmental and familial crises. The purpose of this conference was to gather scholars who are more experienced in these crises to shed light on their impact on the world and create awareness.

Over 40 scholars from 17 different countries will be participating in the 3day event, which is taking place at the GUST conference center.

ICS holds Inter House quiz competition

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he quizzing time for the students of Upper Middle Wing was a scene to behold as one could see the team work, healthy competition and a strong will to win throughout the Inter- house competition held for class VIII on 22nd February 2011. The quiz comprised of an array of subjects ranging from curriculum to computer, from mathematics to currents affairs. Ten thematic rounds including the final rapid fire round kept the participants and audience rapt with keen attention. The Audio Visual Round proved to be quite exciting and challenging as the participants displayed sharp observation and a good sense of listening. The participants were quite enthused and confident to answer the most difficult questions put forward by the Quiz Mistress, Mrs. Suja Narayan. Among the four houses, Ruby house vying for the first position emerged victorious by defeating their opponents, Emerald house and Topaz house, who

came second and third respectively. The power point presentation by Mrs. Dania, the computer teacher added to the beauty of the show and made it informative and educative. Mrs. Elizabeth Jacob was the main organizer, Mrs. Ashmita, the score keeper, Mrs Suragini, the off stage assistant and finally the support and guidance rendered by our Supervisor Mrs. Jyothi led to the great success of the contest. The Principal of Indian Central School, Mrs Shanta Maria James extolled the participating teams on their unrelenting competitive spirit and commended on the zealous efforts of the teachers in putting up such competitions which would definitely set young minds alight with a thirst for knowledge and broaden their awareness of the world.

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930-1630.

Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfsuk-kw.com And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 413, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City.

For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail: info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone: 22971170 The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India has further revamped and improved its Legal Advice Clinic at the Indian Workers Welfare Center, and made the free service available to Indian nationals on all five working days, i.e. from Sunday to Thursday every week. Kuwaiti lawyers would be available at the Legal Advice Clinic daily from Monday to Thursday, while Indian lawyers would be available on Sundays. Following are the free welfare services provided at the Indian Workers Welfare Center located at the Embassy of India: [i] 24x7 Helpline for Domestic Workers: Accessible by toll free telephone no. 25674163 from anywhere in Kuwait, it provides information and advice exclusively to Indian domestic sector workers (Visa No. 20) as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. [ii] Help Desk: It offers guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal, and other issues (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iii) Labour Complaints Desk: It registers labor complaints and provides grievance redressal service to Indian workers (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iv) Shelters: For female and male domestic workers in distress; (v) Legal Advice Clinic: Provides free legal advice to Indian nationals (Embassy premises; Kuwaiti lawyers 3 PM to 5 PM, Monday to Thursday; Indian lawyers 2 PM to 4 PM on Sunday); and (vi) Attestation of Work Contracts: Private sector worker (Visa No. 18) contracts are accepted at the Embassy; 9 AM to 1 PM; Sunday to Thursday; Domestic sector worker (Visa No. 20) contracts are accepted at Kuwait Union of Domestic Labor Offices (KUDLO), Hawally, Al-Othman Street, Kurd Roundabout, AlAbraj Complex, Office No 9, Mezzanine Floor; 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday to Thursday; 5 PM to 9 PM on Friday. Embassy of India would like to inform that application forms for passport/visa services and labor contracts that are on its website, www.indembkwt.org, have been upgraded to include the facility for online data entry. Affidavit forms on the embassy website have had this facility since May 6, 2009.

EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH The Embassy of the People's Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will remain closed on Thursday, 17 March 2011 on the occasion of 91st birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Embassy will arrange the following programs to observe the 91st birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Children Day 2011 at the Chancery. Day & time: Friday, 11 March 1600 hrs, venue: 1st floor of the Chancery, Programme: Art Competition. Thursday, 17 March 1600 hrs 1st floor of the Chancery - Discussion Meeting.

EMBASSY OF THE US The United States Department of State announces the increase in various visa fees to ensure sufficient resources to cover the increasing cost of processing nonimmigrant visas (NIVs). US law requires the Department to recover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas through the collection of the application fees. The increased fees are to take effect June 4, 2010. Under the new rule, applicants for all visas that are not petition-based, including B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange-visitor visas, will pay a fee of $140. Applicants for petition-based visas will pay an application fee of $150, as each of the below categories requires a review of extensive documentation and a more indepth interview of the applicant than other categories, such as tourists. These categories include: H visa for temporary workers and trainees L visa for intra-company transferees O visa for aliens with extraordinary ability P visa for athletes, artists and entertainers Q visa for international cultural exchange visitors R visa for religious occupations The application fee for K visas for fiance(e)s of US citizens will be $350. The fee for E visas for treaty-traders and treaty-investors will be $390.

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The German Embassy wishes to extend and update its information base on German business in Kuwait. Therefore all Kuwaiti companies representing German companies are invited to register at the embassy.

For more information on the registration, please visit www.kuwait.diplo.de.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

TV PROGRAMS

00:50 Untamed And Uncut 01:45 Galapagos 02:40 Cats 101 03:35 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 04:30 Last Chance Highway 05:25 Shark After Dark 06:20 Untamed And Uncut 07:10 Project Puppy 07:35 Project Puppy 08:00 Meerkat Manor 08:25 Planet Wild 08:50 Baby Planet 09:40 Breed All About It 10:10 Must Love Cats 11:05 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 12:00 Animal Precinct 12:55 Wildlife SOS 13:20 Wildlife SOS 13:50 Last Chance Highway 14:45 RSPCA: Have You Got What It Takes?

15:10 E-Vets: The Interns 15:40 Galapagos 16:30 Cats 101 17:30 Dolphin Days 18:00 Breed All About It 18:25 Animal Crackers 18:50 Animal Crackers 19:20 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 20:15 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 21:10 Dogs 101 22:05 Journey Of Life 23:00 Wildest Africa 23:55 Into The Dragon’s Lair

00:35 01:05 01:35 02:20 03:10 03:40 04:10 04:40 05:00 05:20 05:40 05:50 05:55 06:10 06:30 06:50 07:10 07:20 07:25 07:40 08:00 08:20 08:40 08:50 08:55 09:10 09:30 09:50 10:10 10:20 10:25 10:40 11:10 11:40 12:25 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:20 15:50 16:20 17:25 18:10 18:40 19:10 20:00 21:00 21:45 22:15 22:45 23:40

After You’ve Gone Allo Allo The Weakest Link Holby City Eastenders Doctors Allo Allo Balamory Tweenies Fimbles Little Robots Buzz And Tell Penelope K, By The Way Balamory Tweenies Fimbles Little Robots Buzz And Tell Penelope K, By The Way Balamory Tweenies Fimbles Little Robots Buzz And Tell Penelope K, By The Way Balamory Tweenies Fimbles Little Robots Buzz And Tell Penelope K, By The Way Allo Allo Allo Allo The Weakest Link Coast Doctors Eastenders Holby City Allo Allo Allo Allo Coast The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Coast The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Survivors

00:00 Cash In The Attic 00:40 Cash In The Attic 01:25 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern

Odyssey 02:15 Rhodes Across China 03:00 Cash In The Attic 04:30 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey 05:20 Rhodes Across China 06:10 Antiques Roadshow 07:00 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 08:00 Glamour Puds 08:30 Daily Cooks Challenge 09:00 10 Years Younger 09:45 Antiques Roadshow 10:40 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 11:25 What Not To Wear 12:15 Antiques Roadshow 13:05 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 13:50 Glamour Puds 14:15 Glamour Puds 14:40 Daily Cooks Challenge 16:10 Antiques Roadshow 17:00 Cash In The Attic 17:45 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey 18:35 Rhodes Across China 19:20 Cash In The Attic 20:05 Design Star 20:50 What Not To Wear 21:40 Antiques Roadshow 22:30 Cash In The Attic

00:00 BBC World News 00:30 Hardtalk 01:00 Business Edition With Tanya Beckett 01:30 Asia Business Report 01:45 Sport Today 02:00 BBC World News 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Asia Today 03:00 BBC World News America 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Asia Today 05:00 BBC World News 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Asia Today 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Asia Business Report 06:45 Asia Today 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 Hardtalk 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 World Business Report 11:45 Sport Today 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 Hardtalk 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 BBC World News 14:30 World Business Report 14:45 Sport Today 15:00 GMT With George Alagiah 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 BBC World News 21:30 World Business Report 21:45 Sport Today 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 23:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 23:30 World Business Report 23:45 Sport Today

00:00 00:25 00:50 01:15

The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch Popeye

01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:40 04:05 04:35 05:00 05:25 05:50 06:15 06:45 07:10 Doo 07:35 08:00 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:20 10:45 11:05 11:30 11:55 12:20 Doo 12:45 13:10 13:40 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:10 16:35 17:00 17:30 17:55 18:20 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:25 Doo 22:50 23:15 23:40

Tom And Jerry Top Cat Yogi’s Treasure Hunt Droopy: Master Detective King Arthur’s Disasters Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Flintstones Hong Kong Phooey A Pup Named Scooby-Doo The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Looney Tunes Popeye Classics Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch Scooby-Doo And ScrappyDastardly And Muttley Tom And Jerry Kids Top Cat Pink Panther And Pals The Scooby Doo Show The Addams Family Tom And Jerry The Garfield Show Looney Tunes The Jetsons King Arthur’s Disasters The Flintstones Scooby-Doo And ScrappyPopeye Wacky Races Yogi’s Treasure Hunt The Scooby Doo Show Tom And Jerry Looney Tunes Duck Dodgers Top Cat Scooby Doo Where Are You! Dexter’s Laboratory Johnny Bravo The Scooby Doo Show Tom And Jerry Top Cat Dastardly And Muttley Wacky Races The Scooby Doo Show The Garfield Show The Addams Family Duck Dodgers Pink Panther And Pals Tom And Jerry The Jetsons Scooby-Doo And ScrappyThe Flintstones Looney Tunes Tom And Jerry Kids

00:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 00:40 Chowder 01:05 Cow And Chicken 01:30 Cramp Twins 01:55 George Of The Jungle 02:20 Adrenalini Brothers 02:45 Eliot Kid 03:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 03:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 04:00 The Powerpuff Girls 04:15 Chowder 04:40 The Secret Saturdays 05:05 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 05:30 Ben 10: Alien Force 05:55 Best Ed 06:20 Skunk Fu! 06:45 Cramp Twins 07:10 Eliot Kid 07:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 08:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 08:25 Cow And Chicken 08:50 Best Ed 09:15 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 09:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 10:05 The Secret Saturdays 10:30 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 10:55 The Powerpuff Girls 11:20 Robotboy 11:30 The Life And Times Of Juniper Lee 11:55 Ben 10 12:20 Chowder 12:45 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 13:10 Camp Lazlo 13:35 George Of The Jungle

FAST AND FURIOUS ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

14:00 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 14:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 14:50 Ben 10 15:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 15:40 Squirrel Boy 16:05 Eliot Kid 16:30 Ed, Edd N Eddy 17:00 Cow And Chicken 17:25 Chop Socky Chooks 17:50 Skunk Fu! 18:15 Chowder 18:40 Best Ed 19:05 Hero 108 19:30 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 19:55 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 20:20 Ben 10: Alien Force 20:45 The Secret Saturdays 21:10 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 21:35 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 22:00 The Powerpuff Girls 22:25 Ed, Edd N Eddy 22:50 Robotboy 23:00 Camp Lazlo 23:25 Hero 108 23:50 Ben 10

00:40 Shine 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:10 09:40 10:30 10:55 11:25 Shine 12:20 13:15 14:10 15:05 16:00 Shine 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:45

00:40 01:30 01:55 02:45 03:35 04:25 04:50 05:45 06:40 07:10 08:00 08:55 09:50 10:45 11:10 11:40 12:30 12:55 13:45 14:15 14:40 15:05 15:55 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:25 18:50 19:40 20:30 21:20 21:45 22:10 23:00 23:50

Hot Rod Apprentice: Hard Dirty Jobs Miami Ink Really Big Things Mythbusters How Does It Work?

How It’s Made Dirty Jobs Really Big Things American Chopper How Does It Work?

How It’s Made Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Hot Rod Apprentice: Hard Ultimate Survival Mythbusters Miami Ink Dirty Jobs Hot Rod Apprentice: Hard Mythbusters Deadliest Catch Cake Boss Border Security Deconstruction How Does It Work?

How It’s Made I Could Do That One Way Out Mythbusters Monsters Inside Me

Mega World The Gadget Show Perfect Disaster Stephen Hawking’s Universe Mars: The Quest For Life How Does That Work?

Junkyard Wars Robotica Weird Connections Superships Da Vinci’s Machines Space Pioneer Kings Of Construction How Does That Work?

The Gadget Show Engineered Green Wheels Da Vinci’s Machines Weird Connections Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science Space Pioneer Savage Planet Perfect Disaster Mega World The Gadget Show How Does That Work?

Brainiac How Stuff Works What’s That About?

How It’s Made The Gadget Show Nextworld How Stuff Works What’s That About?

00:00 KIM POSSIBLE 00:25 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 00:50 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 01:15 STITCH 01:35 STITCH 02:00 Replacements 02:25 Replacements 02:50 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 03:15 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 03:35 STITCH 04:00 STITCH 04:25 Replacements 04:50 Replacements 05:15 Emperors New School 05:35 Emperors New School 06:00 Phineas & Ferb 06:20 Phineas & Ferb 06:45 KIM POSSIBLE 07:05 Sonny With A Chance 07:30 JONAS LA 07:55 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE 08:20 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 08:35 MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE Y3 09:00 Handy Manny 09:25 SPECIAL AGENT OSO 09:50 JUNGLE JUNCTION 10:10 IMAGINATION MOVERS 10:35 SPECIAL AGENT OSO 10:50 Handy Manny 11:15 MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE Y1 (CEMA) 11:35 GOOD LUCK CHARLIE 12:00 SHAKE IT UP 12:25 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 12:42 HAVE A LAUGH 12:45 Phineas & Ferb 13:10 Hannah Montana 13:30 Sonny With A Chance 13:55 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE 14:20 JAKE & BLAKE 14:40 HAVE A LAUGH 14:48 HAVE A LAUGH 14:55 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 15:20 A KIND OF MAGIC 15:40 KIM POSSIBLE 16:00 Hannah Montana 16:25 Sonny With A Chance

16:45 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:42 18:45 19:08 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:12 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE JAKE & BLAKE WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE HANNAH MONTANA FOREVER HANNAH MONTANA FOREVER HAVE A LAUGH Phineas & Ferb HAVE A LAUGH SHAKE IT UP WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE Sonny With A Chance JAKE & BLAKE HANNAH MONTANA FOREVER HAVE A LAUGH Phineas & Ferb FAIRLY ODD PARENTS Replacements Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE Jonas

00:00 Programmes Start At 7:00am KSA 07:00 Kid vs Kat 07:25 Kick Buttowski 07:50 Pokemon 08:15 American Dragon 08:40 Phineas And Ferb 09:05 Phineas And Ferb 09:30 Pair Of Kings 09:55 Have A Laugh 10:00 Zeke And Luther 10:25 Zeke And Luther 10:50 I’m In The Band 11:15 The Super Hero Squad Show 11:40 Suite Life On Deck 12:05 Suite Life On Deck 12:30 Escape From Scorpion Island 13:00 Phineas And Ferb 13:30 Phineas And Ferb 14:00 Kid vs Kat 14:30 Kid vs Kat 14:55 Have A Laugh 15:00 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 15:25 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 15:50 Pair Of Kings 16:15 Phineas And Ferb 16:45 I’m In The Band 17:10 Have A Laugh 17:15 Zeke And Luther 17:40 Zeke And Luther 18:05 The Super Hero Squad Show 18:30 Pokemon 18:55 Suite Life On Deck S3 19:20 Suite Life On Deck S3 19:45 Phineas And Ferb 20:10 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 20:35 Life Is Ruff 22:00 Phineas And Ferb 22:25 I’m In The Band 22:55 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 23:20 The Super Hero Squad Show

00:15 Kendra 00:40 Style Star 01:05 Style Star 01:30 Too Young To Kill 03:15 Extreme Hollywood 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 05:30 Streets Of Hollywood 06:00 THS 07:45 Behind The Scenes 08:10 Behind The Scenes 08:35 E! News 09:25 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 10:15 THS 12:00 E! News 12:50 Style Star 13:15 Style Star 13:40 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:30 THS 15:25 THS 16:15 Behind The Scenes 16:40 Behind The Scenes 17:10 THS 18:00 E! News 18:50 Fashion Police 19:15 Style Star 19:40 E!es 20:30 Extreme Close-Up 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:20 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 22:10 E! News 23:00 Fashion Police 23:25 Kendra 23:50 Kourtney And Khloe Take Miami

00:00 00:50 01:40 02:30 03:20 04:10 05:00 05:50 06:40 07:30 09:00 09:25 10:15 11:05 11:55 12:45 13:35 14:25 15:15 16:05 16:55 17:45 18:10 20:40 21:30 22:20 23:10

00:15 00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 03:35 04:25 04:50 05:45 06:15 07:10

Final Fu Fantasy Factory Mantracker World Combat League Fantasy Factory Final Fu Glutton For Punishment Mantracker World Combat League iEX 2009 Quattro Events 2009 Winter X Games Europe 2010 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross...

Lucas Oil Ama Motocross...

Ride Guide Snow 2009 The Millionaire’s Club Fantasy Factory Mantracker World Combat League Ride Guide Snow 2009 The Millionaire’s Club Quattro Events 2009 Winter X Games Europe 2010 The Millionaire’s Club Fantasy Factory I’ll Do Anything World Combat League

Deadly Women: Face To Face Dr G: Medical Examiner The Haunted Dead Tenants Deadly Women: Face To Face Deadly Women Deadly Women: Face To Face Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters The Haunted Mystery Diagnosis

G-FORCE ON OSN MOVIES HD 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:30 10:55 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:40 15:30 15:55 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:30 20:55 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

Forensic Detectives Accident Investigator Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls FBI Case Files FBI Files On The Case With Paula Zahn Extreme Forensics Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls FBI Case Files Forensic Detectives Accident Investigator FBI Files Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn Extreme Forensics I Almost Got Away With It Forensic Justice

00:00 Departures 01:00 Banged Up Abroad 02:00 Pressure Cook 02:30 Madventures 03:00 Lonely Planet- Roads Less Travelled 04:00 Banged Up Abroad 05:00 Pressure Cook 05:30 Madventures 06:00 Departures 07:00 Banged Up Abroad 08:00 Pressure Cook 08:30 Madventures 09:00 Lonely Planet- Roads Less Travelled 10:00 Banged Up Abroad 11:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 12:00 Earth Tripping 13:00 Banged Up Abroad 14:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 15:00 Earth Tripping 16:00 Banged Up Abroad 17:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 18:00 Earth Tripping 19:00 Banged Up Abroad 20:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 21:00 Earth Tripping 22:00 Banged Up Abroad 23:00 Cruise Ship Diaries

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:15 20:15 22:00

Borderland-18 Ninja Assassin-18 Fast And Furious-PG15 The Marine 2-PG15 Con Air-PG15 The Fan-PG15 The Italian Job (2003)-PG15 Con Air-PG15 The Core-PG15 The Italian Job (2003)-PG15 Blood And Bone-18 The Cottage-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Boondocks 02:00 Teachers 02:30 Two And A Half Men 03:00 The Cleveland Show 03:30 Curb Your Enthusiasm 04:00 Boondocks 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Coach 06:00 Yes Dear 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 According To Jim 08:30 Coach 09:00 Just Shoot Me 09:30 The Drew Carey Show 10:00 Yes Dear 10:30 Teachers 11:00 Coach 11:30 According To Jim 12:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 13:00 Just Shoot Me 13:30 Coach 14:00 Yes Dear 14:30 Two And A Half Men 15:00 Teachers 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon

Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Just Shoot Me 18:30 According To Jim 19:00 Rita Rocks 19:30 Community 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Family Guy 22:30 Curb Your Enthusiasm 23:00 Boondocks 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

01:00 Tears Of The Sun-18 03:00 Fast And Furious-PG15 05:00 Basic Instinct 2-R 07:00 Captain Drake-PG 09:00 Journey To The Center Of The Earth-PG 11:00 The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor-PG 13:00 Nightfall-PG15 15:00 Journey To The Center Of The Earth-PG 17:00 Armageddon-PG15 19:30 Predator 2-18 21:15 Pride And Glory-18 23:30 Dead Snow-PG15

00:00 Rock Slyde-PG15 02:00 New York City Serenade-PG15 04:00 Anger Management-PG15 06:00 Jack-PG15 08:00 My One And Only-PG15 10:00 Mr. Magoo-PG 12:00 How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days-PG 14:00 Down To You-PG15 16:00 Rock Slyde-PG15 18:00 Magicians-18 20:00 Garage Days-18 22:00 The Sweetest Thing-18

01:00 Blessed-R 03:00 Wag The Dog-PG 05:00 La Personne Aux Deux Personnes-PG15 07:00 Living Out Loud-PG15 09:00 Sins Of The Mother-PG15 11:00 Forever Strong-PG 13:00 Motherhood-PG15 14:30 Mr. Holland’s Opus-PG 17:00 One Week-PG 19:00 Cry Baby-PG15 21:00 Edward Scissorhands-PG 23:00 Paradise-PG15

01:00 Jerry Maguire-18 03:15 The Express-PG 05:30 Imagine That-PG 07:30 G-Force-PG 09:00 W-PG15 11:15 Save The Last Dance-PG 13:15 Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant-PG15 15:15 Monsters vs. Aliens-PG 17:00 W-PG15 19:15 The Ugly Truth-PG15 21:00 Preacher’s Kid-PG 23:00 Notorious-18

00:00 The Archies In Jugman-PG15 02:00 Tom And Jerry: Blast Off To Mars-FAM 04:00 Gulliver’s Travel-PG 05:45 Blank Check-FAM 08:00 Kung Fu Magoo-FAM 10:00 Gulliver’s Travel-PG 12:00 The Princess And The FrogFAM 14:00 Tom And Jerry: Blast Off To Mars-FAM 16:00 Free Willy 3: The Rescue-FAM 18:00 Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie-FAM 20:00 Young Fisherman-PG 22:00 The Princess And The FrogFAM

00:15 02:15 04:15 PG15 06:30 08:00 09:30 12:00 PG15 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Man On Wire-PG15 The Vintner’s Luck-PG15 Che Part One: The ArgentineEverything’s Gone Green-PG15 The Elder Son-PG15 Che Part Two: Guerilla-PG15 Hey Hey Its Esther BlueburgerMorning Light-PG The Elder Son-PG15 500 Days Of Summer-PG15 Orphan-18 Lower Learning-PG15

00:00 Super League 02:00 Futbol Mundial 02:30 World Hockey 03:00 IRB Sevens 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 Super League 09:00 Asia Pacific Ironman Championship 10:00 Futbol Mundial 10:30 ICC Cricket World 11:00 IRB Sevens 15:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 15:30 Super 15 17:30 Ladies European Tour Highlights 18:30 Trans World Sport 19:30 European Tour Weekly 20:00 Golfing World 21:00 Super 15 23:00 Super 15

00:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 00:30 Super 15 02:30 Scottish Premier League 04:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 05:00 Rugby League 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 Scottish Premier League 12:00 Golfing World 13:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 13:30 Futbol Mundial 14:00 Aviva Premiership 16:00 World Hockey 16:30 Scottish Premier League 20:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 21:00 Super League 23:00 Golfing World

00:00 City Centre Races 01:00 V8 Supercars Championship 03:00 Red Bull X-Fighters 04:00 UAE National Race Day Series 05:00 UFC Unleashed 07:00 WWE Vintage Collection 08:00 Superstock Powerboat Series 08:30 City Centre Races 09:30 UAE National Race Day Series 10:30 Red Bull X-Fighters 11:30 Airsports World 12:00 WWE NXT 13:00 UAE National Race Day Series 14:00 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 15:00 Red Bull X-Fighters 16:00 V8 Supercars Championship 18:00 WWE NXT 19:00 WWE Bottom Line 20:00 WWE Vintage Collection 21:00 UFC Wired 22:00 UFC Unleashed

00:45 02:15 04:00 05:55 08:00 09:30 12:00 13:55 PG 16:00 17:40 19:25 21:10 23:00

Wise Guys-PG15 Cat On A Hot Tin Roof Whose Life Is It Anyway?-PG15 Shoot The Moon-PG15 Above Suspicion-PG Where Eagles Dare-PG Silk Stockings-FAM Action In The North AtlanticCatlow-PG Rose Marie-FAM Lady L-PG Meet Me In St. Louis-FAM The Appointment-PG15

Classifieds WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

Why did St. Patrick drive all the snakes out of Ireland?

He couldn’t afford plane fare!

Give friends a true Irish greeting: “Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit,” (pronounced la ale-lah paw-rig son-ah ditch), which means Happy St. Patrick’s Day in Gaelic.

Why do people wear shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day? Regular rocks are too heavy!

— Disney FamilyFun magazine

Panda’s big day JACK BLACK HELPS NAME 3-MONTH-OLD PANDA CUB

Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda cub reached a big milestone recently. The furry little guy turned 100 days old and received a name, Po. Sound familiar? That’s because the 3month-old cub was named after Po the warrior panda, from DreamWorks’ hit animated movie “Kung Fu Panda” and its sequel, in theaters May 26.

Comedian Jack Black, who voices Po in the movies, was on hand to meet his character’s namesake at a special ceremony at the zoo, in Atlanta. “We are proud and honored to share this moment with Jack Black, who has already helped to bring the importance of saving this species to a new generation of conservationists,” said Raymond B. King, president and head of Zoo Atlanta.

FOLLOWING TRADITION

All who gaze into this magic St. Paddy’s Day mirror get transformed into a leprechaun, at least for a few seconds.

MATERIALS Small mirror (4 or 5 inches) Craft foam Tacky glue 1. Use a small mirror (4 or 5 inches wide) as a base.

2. Download templates for the craft foam pieces from FamilyFun.com/magazine or simply make your own.

3. Use tacky glue to attach the pieces to the mirror as shown.

A LEPRECHAUN PRANK Place a few drops of green food coloring in a bowl and carefully spoon vanilla pudding on top. When your victim stirs it up, he’ll discover that a leprechaun has turned his dessert green!

Celebrate Ireland with these yummy shamrocks made from yogurt-covered pretzels.

INGREDIENTS waxed paper 3 yogurt-covered mini pretzels 1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil 1/4 cup white chocolate chips green icing decorating sugar 1. To make a batch, cover a work surface with a sheet of waxed paper. For each clover, arrange three yogurtcovered mini pretzels and a pretzel section as shown.

2. Combine 1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil with 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and melt them together in the microwave according to the chips’ package directions. Dab the mixture between the pretzel pieces to adhere them. Let the chocolate harden.

3. Working with one clover at a time, pipe the edges and stem with green icing (we used a No.8 round piping tip), then quickly sprinkle it with decorating sugar (we used white, light green, and dark green).

Tips: To save sugar, sprinkle each clover on a small piece of waxed paper. After you’ve covered a few treats, use the paper to funnel the extra sugar back into its jar.

Can you fool the leprechaun in search of the lost gold?

In this group game, players must put on their poker faces and use sleight of hand to keep a coin from a leprechaun’s sight.

First select a leprechaun and have her cover her eyes or look away while you hand a coin to one of the other players. Then have all the players sit in a circle with the leprechaun standing in the middle.

At “go,” the seated players begin slyly passing the coin around the circle, being careful to hide the coin from the leprechaun’s view. The coin can reverse direction at any time, and players without the coin can pretend to pass it along to add to the challenge.

When the leprechaun thinks she knows who has the coin, she calls “stop” and names her suspect. If the leprechaun guesses right, the two players switch places. If not, play continues.

It’s Chinese tradition to wait 100 days before naming a giant panda cub. Po was born on Nov. 3, to Zoo Atlanta’s female giant panda, Lun Lun. The baby boy is the mama bear’s third cub. He is also the only giant panda to be born in the United States last year.

Zoo Atlanta teamed up with DreamWorks to bring more attention to the plight of the bears.

Giant pandas are one of the most endangered species in the world. There are about 1,600 living in the wild.

DreamWorks is donating money to the zoo’s panda conservation program in return for the name.

“This is the beginning of an amazing alliance between Zoo Atlanta and DreamWorks Animation,” said King. “Our organizations share a commitment to giant panda conservation” Baby Po is expected to make his public debut at the zoo in late March or early April. In the meantime, fans can pay a virtual visit to the zoo’s pandas by going to zooatlanta.org/ pandacam.

— Vickie An © 2011 Time Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TIME FOR KIDS and Timeforkids.com are registered trademarks of Time Inc.

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P H OTO S B Y P O U YA D I A N AT C O U RT E S Y O F PA R A M O U N T

Jack Black meets Dr. Hayley Murphy before the naming ceremony of Zoo Atlanta's baby panda. Below, Black poses with school children after the ceremony.

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SITUATION WANTED

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FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161 In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines BBC THY UAE DHX QTR ETD JZR JZR JZR FCX BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA IRA FCX JZR JZR JZR IRC JZR MEA MSR JZR IRM KAC MSR UAL OMA SVA KAC KAC KNE QTR SYR WAN

Flt 45 772 853 370 138 305 529 207 503 201 157 412 352 53 382 302 678 284 362 344 855 132 123 301 213 603 203 151 121 555 6964 165 404 610 561 5066 672 621 982 645 500 552 562 745 134 341 110

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 9/3/2011 Route DHAKA / BAHRAIN ISTANBUL DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA ABU DHABI ASSIUT DAMASCUS LUXOR DOHA LONDON MANILA / BANGKOK COCHIN DUBAI DELHI MUMBAI MUSCAT / DUBAI DHAKA COLOMBO CHENNAI DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH ABU DHABI BAHRAIN SHIRAZ DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA TEHRAN DUBAI BEIRUT CAIRO SOHAG MASHAD DUBAI ASSIUT WASHINGTON DC DULLES MUSCAT JEDDAH DAMASCUS AMMAN JEDDAH DOHA DAMASCUS DUBAI

Time 1:55 2:15 2:35 2:45 2:45 3:10 3:45 3:50 5:20 6:15 6:40 6:45 7:35 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:10 8:15 8:20 8:20 8:30 9:05 9:05 9:30 9:35 9:40 10:30 10:55 11:10 11:15 11:15 11:20 11:55 12:55 13:00 13:05 13:25 13:55 14:10 14:15 14:30 14:35 14:40 14:50 15:00 15:05 15:15

KAC CLX KNE WAN IRC ETD UAE GFA KAC SVA RJA JZR JZR JZR ABY ALK JZR JZR IYE KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC KAC KAC FDB OMA JAI DHX VOS WAN GFA MEA JZR QTR UAE WAN SAI JZR RBG UAL DLH AXB PIA

546 792 701 304 6791 303 857 215 550 510 800 777 201 239 127 227 257 177 824 502 542 618 786 614 674 166 575 102 774 61 647 572 372 81 104 217 402 787 136 859 402 441 185 3553 981 636 393 215

ALEXANDRIA LUXEMBOURG RIYADH CAIRO MASHAD ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARM EL SHEIKH / SOHAG RIYADH AMMAN JEDDAH DAMASCUS AMMAN SHARJAH COLOMBO / DUBAI BEIRUT DUBAI SANAA / DOHA BEIRUT CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN DUBAI PARIS / ROME CHENNAI / GOA NEW YORK / LONDON RIYADH DUBAI MUSCAT MUMBAI BAHRAIN BAGHDAD DUBAI BAHRAIN BEIRUT RIYADH DOHA DUBAI BEIRUT LAHORE / KARACHI DUBAI ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE / COCHIN KARACHI

15:30 15:45 15:50 16:20 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:20 17:30 17:30 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:10 18:10 18:15 18:40 18:45 18:50 18:55 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:05 20:10 20:15 21:00 21:15 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:50 22:40 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:35 23:40 23:55

Airlines UAL AXB AIC PIA DLH BBC THY DHX UAE ETD JZR JZR QTR JZR JZR JZR VOS JZR FDB KAC BAW KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR KAC ETD GFA KAC IRA FCX KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR IRC KAC MEA KAC KAC JZR

Departure Flights on Wednesday 9/3/2011 Flt Route 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 390 MANGALORE / KOZHIKODE 982 HYDERABAD / AHMEDABAD / CHENNAI 206 LAHORE 637 FRANKFURT 46 DHAKA 773 ISTANBUL 371 BAHRAIN 854 DUBAI 306 ABU DHABI 554D KUWAIT 554D ALEXANDRIA 139 DOHA 560 SOHAG 164 DUBAI 150 DOHA 94 DUBAI / KANDAHAR 120 BAHRAIN 54 DUBAI 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 671 DUBAI 551 DAMASCUS 549 SHARM EL SHEIKH / SOHAG 561 AMMAN 856 DUBAI 124 SHARJAH 133 DOHA 117 NEW YORK 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 177 FRANKFURT / GENEVA 602 SHIRAZ 204 BAGHDAD 541 CAIRO 200 DAMASCUS 776 JEDDAH 256 BEIRUT 238 AMMAN 6963 TEHRAN 103 LONDON 405 BEIRUT 501 BEIRUT 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI

Time 0:45 0:45 1:05 1:10 1:30 3:10 3:15 3:45 3:50 4:00 4:00 4:00 4:55 5:55 6:55 7:10 8:00 8:20 8:25 8:50 8:55 9:00 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:40 9:45 10:00 10:00 10:20 10:20 10:30 10:40 11:45 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:05 12:10 12:15 12:30 12:55 13:00 13:40 13:50

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

MSR IRM MSR KAC OMA UAL KAC KNE SVA SYR KAC KAC QTR KNE CLX ETD IRC GFA UAE RJA JZR JZR ABY SVA JZR ALK IYE KAC KAC FDB KAC OMA JAI JZR DHX KAC GFA MEA KAC FCX QTR KAC JZR UAE RBG KAC SAI

611 5065 622 673 646 982 617 746 503 342 613 773 135 704 792 304 6792 216 858 801 786 184 128 511 266 228 824 283 361 62 331 648 571 502 373 675 218 403 203 102 137 301 554 860 3554 415 442

CAIRO MASHAD ASSIUT DUBAI MUSCAT BAHRAIN DOHA JEDDAH MEDINAH / JEDDAH DAMASCUS BAHRAIN RIYADH DOHA MEDINAH HONG KONG ABU DHABI MASHAD BAHRAIN DUBAI AMMAN RIYADH DUBAI SHARJAH RIYADH BEIRUT DUBAI / COLOMBO SANAA DHAKA COLOMBO DUBAI TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT MUMBAI LUXOR BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN BEIRUT LAHORE BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA DUBAI ALEXANDRIA KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA LAHORE

13:55 14:20 14:50 15:10 15:15 15:25 15:35 15:40 15:45 16:05 16:20 16:25 16:30 16:40 17:15 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:10 18:15 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:35 18:40 19:10 19:40 20:15 20:20 20:50 21:00 21:10 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:20 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:45 22:50 23:35 23:45 23:50

34

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

s ta r s CROSSWORD 251

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Authority figures could be testy today. If possible, it might be a good idea to stay out of their way. Look for ways in which you can get your ideas across to higher-ups without being too pushy. You could find that you are appreciated or valued for your business expertise and your ability to act and get things done. Others may disagree with what you say or think or in some way oppose your ideas and thoughts. You cannot please everyone but your current situation may demand some reevaluation or otherwise challenge your ideas. It may be very hard for you to communicate what you mean to others. A loved one may be feeling under the weather this evening. A helping hand will be appreciated this evening.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Big changes affecting your career, status and reputation are likely now. Daring to be different gets you noticed and could get you ahead in ways you never expected. It is difficult to find a middle ground when it concerns budgeting. Perhaps it is time to seek the advice of an accountant—it could be worth the expense. You are either extremely extravagant or extremely tight. New technology plays a role in your financial success. This is the perfect time for a new romance. If you are already involved, this is a good time to show your affection. Spend more time with the family or your special sweetheart. Passion is prevalent this month and children seem cooperative as well. General good feeling with a loved one is positive.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. European cave-dwelling aquatic salamander with permanent external gills.

4. Eat noisily.

9. Footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material.

13. The sound made by a pigeon v 1.

14. Covered or protected with or as if with a case.

15. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

16. Covered with paving material.

19. An association of nations dedicated to economic and political cooperation in southeastern Asia.

22. A toxic nonmetallic element related to sulfur and tellurium.

23. Surrealist Spanish painter (1904-1989).

24. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

25. Come into the possession of something concrete or abstract.

26. Unknown god.

28. The seventh month of the Moslem calendar.

30. Any of numerous plants of the genus Begonia grown for their attractive glossy asymmetrical leaves and colorful flowers in usually terminal cymes or racemes.

34. United States writer (born in Poland) who wrote in Yiddish (1880-1957).

38. Straggling shrub with narrow leaves and conspicuous red flowers in dense globular racemes.

39. A public promotion of some product or service.

41. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

42. The branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication.

43. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

45. Common Indian weaverbird.

48. Inquire about.

50. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

53. The eleventh month of the civil year.

54. A unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns.

56. The square of a body of any size of type.

57. (of a young animal) Abandoned by its mother and raised by hand.

61. A very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk.

63. Wild goose having white adult plumage.

64. Not only so, but.

65. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

66. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer.

67. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

68. A small cake leavened with yeast.

DOWN 1. The cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one.

2. Any of various perennial South American plants of the genus Loasa having stinging hairs and showy white or yellow or reddish-orange flowers.

3. Any of various edible mushrooms of the genus Morchella having a brownish spongelike cap.

4. The act of scanning.

5. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

6. North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

7. Any plant of the genus Reseda.

8. A sliver-white metallic element of the platinum group that resembles platinum.

9. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.

10. Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.

11. Excessively fat.

12. Any of various usually white herons having long plumes during breeding season.

17. South American plant cultivated for its large fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers.

18. English monk and scholar (672-735).

20. (Old Testament) The wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac.

21. Polish filmmaker (born in 1929).

27. (prefix) In front of or before in space.

29. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

31. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

32. An achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white.

33. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

35. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

36. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

37. A hemoprotein composed of globin and heme that gives red blood cells their characteristic color.

40. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

44. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

46. A genus of Indriidae.

47. A yellow pungent volatile oil (trade name Agene) formerly used for bleaching and aging flour.

48. An associate degree in nursing.

49. Wearing footgear.

51. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

52. Naked freshwater or marine or parasitic protozoa that form temporary pseudopods for feeding and locomotion.

55. King of Saudi Arabia since 1982 (born in 1922).

58. A doctor's degree in education.

59. Type genus of the family Myacidae.

60. The syllable naming the sixth (submediant) note of a major or minor scale in solmization.

62. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) The effort of your hard work pays off today. You find yourself talkative and quick-witted much of this day. Ideas are clear and easily developed. This could be a good time to join in the activity of others or for thinking over your own affairs. You may have a conversation with an older person or someone in authority. Your communication abilities are at a high just now. This is an excellent time to sway others to your way of thinking—being careful not to go to extremes. Put a hold on an issue if people do not understand your ideas right away.

You can approach the subject again, later. This evening you work to help an older person feel better by helping that person change his or her thoughts from negative to positive.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

If you have any vacation time coming to you, it is a good time to begin thinking about a vacation. Today is a positive day for a loan if you decide a vacation is in order and a little extra money would be helpful. Keep up the good work in maintaining a balance in your life. Giving into imbalance can throw a kink in your physical strength as well as your self-esteem. You may find your interest in communication will spur you to join a group of like interests. This could involve a computer group, poetry group or writer’s group, etc. Idealism, rationality and critical thinking become more and more a part of your mental patterns and the way you communicate. You have inventive, original and high-tech thinking. You are feeling good about yourself today!

Leo (July 23-August 22) There is work to be done this afternoon and concentration on the work at hand is your top priority. Use your own personal scrutiny with your work—it is important for you to feel that you have covered all the bases and performed your duties in the best possibly ways. Properly channeled, your ambition is a powerful motivation and will result in great achievements. You will receive recognition in the workplace this week. A shopping spree this afternoon may find you wanting to spend more than necessary—avoid extravagance. Relationships begun during this time will have long-lasting results. If you already have a love partner, you will have new insights into your partner’s needs at this time. There is a new adventure just waiting to unfold.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Take the opportunity to enjoy a little quiet time this morning because the demand on your energy is about to increase. Someone appears aggressive but you are aware and alert to the best answers with a difficult person this day. You may be very clever in allowing this person to talk out their thoughts. Listening and possibly requesting some time to think about an answer would be a wise choice today. With determination to succeed in helping a person, the answer they require may not be beneficial or helpful to them until they have a real need to know. Gather yourself to stay the course; you are a successful friend, co-worker, teacher, etc. You will find yourself in demand as a counselor because you ignite the desire to learn in others. A beloved can be enjoyed tonight.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) This is a good time for clear deliberation and problem solving.

You are in a serious frame of mind and may find yourself dealing with matters of much concern and responsibility. Your tendency to lean toward that ambitious tendency of yours is appreciated by higher-ups. Continue to keep tabs on breaks and make sure you take them! You are extremely communicative to associates around you whenever help, guidance or sharing experiences is indicated. This is a most beneficial time to exchange ideas and seek out new ways to work. Because of something said or some action of another person in the workplace, you pick up on the possibility that a change is in the works. This is probably something quite basic so it is best to go with the flow.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) New ways in which you or your company advertises products is an important topic for discussion this morning. Others value you for your ability to make practical decisions concerning group issues. Clear decisions affecting others could be made now. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. In one well-known business, a few new adjustments have begun to lower the cost of electricity, water and to create a nature-friendly environment. You may decide to spend some time with an advisor to help you with some changes around your living area. After a very busy day, it may not be easy to relax. Encourage a friend or lovedone to walk with you this evening and then enjoy a light dinner. Some time with friends this evening is relaxing.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Yesterday’s Solution

You display an urge to be recognized by co-workers today.

Some of your push for success may come into competition with others—it might be wise not to push for compliments—you could set up future problems for yourself. It is understandable that you want to feel secure in your job but seek your compliments from higher-ups. Make sure your progress is noted when it comes time for your six month or yearly review. You enjoy good relationships with your family this evening. You could also be receiving money, perhaps from a relative. You could find that you are appreciated or valued for your feelings or your ability to act and get things done. Someone understands how you feel and is willing to lend a helping hand or listening ear if you need it.

Do not let finances completely dominate your concerns. During this month, you will find that possibilities for financial gains fall apart and yet, some ideas for financial gains will materialize. This is a good time to take a wait and see attitude. Be as realistic as possible. Plans for travel and higher education get good support from relatives and friends. Use wise discrimination between your necessary expenses as opposed to the unnecessary expenses. Your loved ones will appreciate a little of your extra time today. You have a special way of communicating just how important each of these people are to you and now is a good time to express yourself. There is great confidence today. You have the opportunity to be of help to others this evening.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You are feeling happy as well as lucky today. Someone supports your ideas and feelings. You will be doing everything you can to find ways to secure a firm love relationship as well as a business relationship now. If you are living true to your ideals, then this is a time of satisfaction. If not, then you will feel depressed and frustrated. Pluto marks a time when you may have serious doubts about the direction in which your life is proceeding, in either relationships or career.

Now is a great time to create new avenues to achievement. You have an increased energy for work or play and you may find it necessary to dive into creative activities for relaxation. This is a time where small-scale endeavors will have success. Consider planning a flower garden.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

You begin your day with a good breakfast. This could be a very busy day. You will find the flow of business positive. Someone older or in authority needs your help and you are able to pitch in and lend a helping hand.

You are appreciated, even though it may be hard to see. Higher education, publishing, broadcasting or advertising could play an unexpected role in setting new directions for you. A problem at work that has gone on for a long time is finally at an end. Now it is time for new conquests. You practice common sense when others would like to over-indulge and celebrate the night away. You are just as happy when you are with loved ones. You and your loved one(s) enjoy celebrating by having dinner out this evening. You are most elegant.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

Years

i n f o r m at i o n FIRE BRIGADE

112

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24316983

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25610011

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24843100

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25312700

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24849400

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24892010

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23940620

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24840300

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24846000

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24874330/9

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

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22517733

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22451082

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22456536

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25746401

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25316254

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25623444

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25388462

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25381200

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22630786

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24810221

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24770319

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24772608

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24775066

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24775992

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24311795

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24884079

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24892674

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24719048

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24710044

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3900322

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

lifest y le G o s s i p

ily Allen’s wedding dress will be designed by Karl Lagerfeld. The British singer - who is engaged to builder Sam Cooper - has revealed Chanel designer Karl will create the gown for her special day. She was spotted visiting the Chanel studios yesterday and when asked what she was doing there, replied: “I’m here to see Karl for my wedding dress.” Lily has a history with the French brand, often seen wearing Chanel and even fronting a campaign for the Coco Cocoon bag - although she was eventually replaced by Vanessa Paradis. Speaking about it at the time, 25-year-old Lily

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eese Witherspoon is backing a campaign to halt violence against women.

The 34-year-old actress - who has two children, 11-year-old daughter Ava and seven-year-old son Deacon, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe - is backing cosmetic firm Avon’s new empowerment charm bracelet, which is being sold for £5 in the UK to raise funds for domestic violence charities Refuge, Women’s Aid and Uniform and marks the centenary of International Women’s Day. Reese, who is an Avon Global Ambassador and Honorary Chair of the Avon Foundation for Women, said: “Although the problem may seem insurmountable, there are ways for women and men everywhere to help bring an end to violence against women across the globe.

“The Avon Empowerment Bracelet is a simple, but powerful, way to raise funds to reduce violence against women. As a woman and as a mother, I urge you to join me on this very special anniversary of International Women’s Day to end this epidemic by wearing and giving the bracelet to

revealed she felt like a “dumpling” while she shot the campaign. She said: “When Karl Lagerfeld called about the campaign, I didn’t tell anyone because I was convinced they made some huge mistake and that it wouldn’t happen. “I’m not a model so a Chanel shoot is an intimidating process because I’m very aware that I don’t look like Lara Stone or Kate Moss. I sat there feeling like a suet dumpling!”

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my Winehouse donated £20,000 worth of designer clothes to charity. The ‘Rehab’ singer - who gave away Alexander McQueen dresses and designs by Luella Bartley - decided to have a mass clear out after moving house and told staff at a North London charity shop she has become addicted to cleaning in her underwear. A source said: “Amy turned up in a people carrier with loads of stuff in bin liners. Top, top designer gear. “You’d imagine half of it would be covered in fag burns and smell of wild nights out but it was all in tip-top condition. Amy was joking with the shop girls that she has become addicted to cleaning. “She has just moved house and said it was therapeutic getting her Marigolds on in just her underwear and having a clear out.”

Generous Amy - who has previously battled drug addiction also told staff this will not be her only trip to the shop, promising she will return with more unwanted designer clothes in the future. The source added to The Sun newspaper: “She promised there was more to come. The shop has been going like the fair since word got out.”

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friends and family.” To date, Avon’s empowerment jewellery has helped raise over £11 million for domestic violence charities worldwide, including £400,000 to UK organizations.

mma Watson is postponing her university studies. The ‘Harry Potter’ actress and model is taking time out from her education at the prestigious Brown University in the US to concentrate on her commitments to the film series. In a message to fans, the literature student wrote on her website: “As you know, I love Brown and I love studying pretty much more than anything but recently I’ve had so much to juggle that being a student AND fulfilling my other commitments has become a little impossible. “I’ve decided to take a bit of time off to completely finish my work on Harry Potter (the last one comes out this summer) and to focus on my other professional and acting projects. “I will still be working towards my degree... it’s just going to take me a semester or two longer than I thought.”

Although shooting on the ‘Harry Potter’ series - in which Emma plays one of the central characters, Hermione Granger - is over, the last movie, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’, is yet to be released and Emma will be expected to work promoting it over the summer. The 20-yearold actress also appears in the film ‘My Summer With Marilyn’ which is released later this year, and has signed up for another movie, ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’. Emma also announced a new fashion venture last week, collaborating on the ‘Pure Threads by Emma Watson Alberta Ferretti’ line.

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iley Cyrus is reportedly sending flirty texts to Kings Of Leon rocker Jared Followill. The ‘Party in the USA’ singer was first linked with the bass player at the afterparty for the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid last November, and they have reportedly been exchanging phone messages ever since. A source told website HollywoodLife.com: “Miley wants to keep Jared interested. She often sends him coy text messages. So far, he is a big fan of what she has been sending. “Jared loves showing off his texts from Miley. He thinks she’s very pretty and is excited she’s still flirting with him.” Miley, 18, had recently split with boyfriend Liam Hemsworth when she met Jared in Spain, but did admit in 2009 she fancied him. She said: “He’s pretty good looking. I’m not usually one to freak, but me and Taylor Swift were like, ‘Holy smoke!’ “Katy Perry was like, ‘They have super hot girlfriends.’ I was like, ‘Dang it!’ “ ‘Sex On Fire’ rocker Jared was, at that time, engaged to model Alisa Torres, but they split later that year. Since then he has also been linked to ‘Twilight’ actress Ashley Greene. Both Miley and Jared, 24, also hail from the same town, Nashville, in the US. — Bang Showbiz

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eline Dion baptized her twin sons in Las Vegas on Saturday. The singer and her husband Rene Angelil christened four-month-old tots Eddy and Nelson at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, in a ceremony that featured chanted prayers and songs. Her representative said of the Melkite Greek Catholic rite: “It was a beautiful, traditional family ceremony.” The boys wore gowns by Baby Dior while their 10-year-old brother, Rene-Charles, was one of their godparents, along with Celine’s sister Linda and Rene’s three oldest children, Patrick, Jean-Pierre and Anne-Marie. 200 friends and family were in attendance, including the doctors who helped Celine, 42, conceive the babies through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and those who treated 69-year-old Rene when he had cancer over 10 years ago. After the service, Eddy and Nelson napped while the rest of the family celebrated with a reception at nearby Caesars Palace. Celine is due to start a residency at Caesars Palace on March 15 and recently said she will carry on breastfeeding her sons, despite the grueling schedule.

When quizzed on what her plans for the boys are once her shows start, Celine said: “I can either go to them or they can come to me - it’s going to be practical, it’s going to be easy since I’m still breastfeeding the babies, so it’s every three hours - for both. “The show is an hour and 40 minutes. Then I have time to shower and get loose and relax and breastfeed the babies again and then have a bite and go to bed myself.”

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lifestyle M u s i c

indsay Lohan is shown in surveillance video broadcast Monday texting and trying on multiple pieces of jewelry in front of a clerk in a Southern California store that has accused her of stealing a $2,500 necklace.

Snippets of the footage taken by four cameras in the Venice store of Kamofie & Co were aired by “Entertainment Tonight” along with analysis by attorneys not handling the case. The show obtained nearly 45 minutes of footage from the store’s four security cameras, which captured the actress smiling as she entered the Venice shop on Jan 22. “Entertainment Tonight” said it plans to air footage showing Lohan wearing the necklace involved in her criminal case during a show on Tuesday.

Lohan returns to court on Thursday, when her attorney will tell a judge whether the “Mean Girls” actress will accept a plea deal in the felony grand theft case that guarantees a jail sentence. The video was sold by a representative of Kamofie to a commercial images unit of The Associated Press, which then licensed it exclusively to “Entertainment Tonight.” Christopher Spencer, a crisis management expert who represents the jewelry store, explained in a statement Monday the reason the

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footage was sold.

“Most important, we were upset with the various mischaracterizations we were seeing and hearing about the video and its contents, and we felt the video should be allowed to speak for itself,” Spencer’s statement read.

“There were also many media inquiries asking for release of the video, which is not any sort of secret evidence. The bottom line is we felt there was far too much speculation about the video recording, and that it was right for the public to be able to see the video itself.” A website, necklacevideo.com, has been registered and may be used to stream the video online at a later date.

The footage’s release could impact Lohan’s criminal case, which is the most serious charge the troubled actress has faced. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz has promised to send Lohan to jail if she accepts a plea deal to end the case early. The surveillance video almost certainly would have been aired at a preliminary hearing if Lohan decided to fight the case.

Lohan’s attorney, Shawn Holley, did not return phone messages seeking comment. John Lynch, a district attorney’s supervisor who has overseen Lohan’s case, said its early release was unfortunate.

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“You like to present your evidence in the courtroom,” Lynch said. “That just doesn’t happen as often as it used to.” He noted that he would not authenticate the footage “Entertainment Tonight” aired. “With regard to the question of Lindsay Lohan’s guilt or innocence, we repeat that Kamofie and Company never gave permission to Ms Lohan to remove the necklace from the store,” Spencer said in his statement. “The rest is up to the jury.” Several defense attorneys contacted by the AP said the release probably benefits Lohan as she seeks to negotiate a better plea deal or will try to prove her innocence. “I think it gives the defense a plea bargaining chip or a sentencing chip,” said Stan Goldman, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

He said the release has complicated the case for prosecutors. “They had a nice straightforward theft case,” Goldman said. “Now they’ve got something that’s really being messed up by the victims in the case trying to get something out of it. You want your victims to be sympathetic.” Criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos, who defended actress Winona Ryder in her shoplifting case, said, “It certainly lends credence to the defense position that the store created this ‘crime’ for a promo-

This image taken from video provided by Entertainment Tonight shows Lindsay Lohan, center, at Kamofie and Co in Venice, Calif on Jan 21, 2011. — AP tional opportunity.” Spencer said Kamofie was not seeking to profit from the tape’s release. “Any suggestion that this was a publicity stunt or that there was a profit motive is a distraction from the fact that releasing the tape will allow the onslaught of calls and e-mails to receive the response as to what is on the video,” he wrote. — AP

Arab uprisings raise hope but also doubts among filmmakers opular uprisings that toppled veteranleaders in the Arab world have raised hopes among north African filmmakers thatthe winds of change will also blow across the burgeoning industry. But there are fears too that the revolts which ousted Tunisia’s Zine ElAbidine Ben Ali, Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak and now threaten to endLibyan leader Moamer Kadhafi’s 41-year rule may usher in regimes which stifleartistic freedom. Algerian Dahmane Ouzid, whose film “Essaha” vied for the top prize at thejust ended of Panafrican Film and Television Festival in the Burkina Faso capital said it was time to get rid of the old guard.

“The Arab world needed to end the ageing dictatorships, political corpsesthat societies are suffering so very much under,” Ouzid told AFP at Africa’spremier film event. Filmmakers say they had already sent out signals for change. “We are proud ... our images, and especially our ideas, were at theforefront of the popular movements,” he said. His film foreshadows “what happened in Egypt in Tahrir Square” the centrestage of protests where hundreds of thousands of people flooded for days andforced Mubarak to step down.

But he added: “I do not know what will happen in the future with Tunisia, Egypt, Libya or Algeria.”

Moroccan film director Daoud Aoulad-Siad whose film “La Mosquee” (“The Mosque”) was also in the running for the top honor echoed him. “Democracy is the only issue. The more democracy there is, the morefilmmakers have means to portray their countries more fairly, more fully.” “Our hope is that countries ruled by gerontocracies can peacefully move todemocratic systems that allow filmmakers to express themselves freely,” he said.

Leading Tunisian film director Ferid Boughedir said he feared what he termsthe Iranian revolution syndrome, where hopes of change have been dampened andbetrayed by the establishment of a regime that suppressed self-expression.

“Is it the military that will benefit from the popular revolution in Egypt?Is it the members of the Tunisian bourgeoisie who will gain from the great popular movement in Tunisia? Are Islamists going to seize of power in Yemen andthe Arab countries?” he asked. “I think we should still be very cautious in the Maghreb.” Censorship and lack of resources are often sore points for creative artists. “The regimes do not support artistic creation and film. They have left thefilm industry to itself,” said Liazid Khodja, Algerian screen scriptwriter. However, great artists take the plunge and “express themselves at greatrisk of their freedom,” said Boughedir. Ousted president Ben Ali of Tunisia, at the start of his rule usedfilmmakers to “counter” the Islamist party Ennhada, which advocated censorship,said Boughedir. But he was quick to regain control of the seventh art and “introduced censorship in 2006,” recalled the former director of the Carthage Film Festival, one of Africa’s oldest. — AFP

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avid Hood did everything he could to keep his son out of the music business except tie the boy down. Despite his own success as the bassist in the historic Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Hood didn’t want his son, The Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood, following his path. So he barred the kid from his sessions at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in nor th Alabama where he played for seminal acts like Percy Sledge, The Staples Singers, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon and Rod Stewart. He declared his mind-blowing record collection off limits to little fingers. And when The Rolling Stones came to town he bought plane tickets and sent 5-year-old Patterson and his mother to his grandparents in Aruba.

“So he not only had us out of town, he had us out of the country,” the younger Hood said.

When Patterson took a job at a pharmacy in his teens, Hood was elated. Maybe his son would become a doctor or a pharmacist.

“Somebody that might be able to help an old musician,” the elder Hood said with a smile.

“Or just get me through the night.”

It was false hope, though. Patterson fell in love with music, of course. How could he not?

And worse, he wanted to be in a ... punk rock band. These days the Hoods chuckle over the long, winding path that led Patterson to his own place in the rock ‘n’ roll world with The Drive-By Truckers. But Patterson Hood, 46,

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In this Oct 12, 2010, Demi Lovato is pictured during nominations for the 2010 American Music Awards, in Los Angeles. —AP

emi Lovato says she’s ready to go back to work and is thanking fans for lifting her up during what she calls “probably the darkest time in my life.” The 18year-old Disney TV star entered a treatment facility last November to deal with “emotional and physical issues.”

Lovato, who starred in “Sonny With a Chance,” had to drop out of a tour with the Jonas Brothers and it was revealed that she had fought with a backup dancer.

In a cheery video released on Cambio.com on Monday,

Lovato told fans she’s back home. Lovato says she was dealing with issues that teen girls face but didn’t say what they were. In the past, she has acknowledged cutting herself. Lovato told fans they brought light in her life during her darkest hours and without them “I probably wouldn’t be here today.” In the video, Lovato said she was ready to resume working.

However, a statement released by Disney on Monday said Lovato’s management would let them know when she

is ready to return. While “Sonny” was on hiatus, Disney put the rest of the cast and crew to work on “So Random,” the sketch comedy show within the “Sonny” series. Those episodes will begin airing in the spring, Disney said. — AP

Fans use a photo of actor Charlie Sheen during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship final between Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond, Va, Monday. — AP

harlie Sheen was sacked Monday from the hit TV series “Two and a Half Men” after slamming its producers in outbursts described as evidence of the troubled actor’s “selfinflicted disintegration.” Warner Brothers said it was forced into the move by the 45-year-old’s “dangerously self-destructive conduct,” according to a 10-page letter from Warners’ lawyers which said Sheen appeared very ill. “After careful consideration, Warner Bros Television has terminated Charlie Sheen’s services on ‘Two and a Half Men’ effective immediately,” the studio said in a terse one-line statement.

The show-in which Sheen plays a hedonistic bachelor-had already been canceled for the rest of the season following Sheen’s repeated verbal attack on its producer, Chuck Lorre, two weeks ago. Sheen drew accusations of anti-Semitism after referring to Lorre by the Hebrew translation of his name, but persisted with a series of rambling TV interviews last week, prompting his spokesman to quit. The star also started his own Twitter feed which immediately became an Internet sensation, and over the

weekend launched a live-streamed online talk show, dubbed “Sheen’s Korner.”

But a letter from Warner Brothers lawyers at the firm Munger, Tolles and Olson, published Monday by celebrity website TMZ said: “Let us state the obvious: (Sheen) has been engaged in dangerously self-destructive conduct and appears to be very ill. “For months before the suspension of production, Mr. Sheen’s erratic behavior escalated while his condition deteriorated. His declining condition undermined the production in numerous and significant ways.

“Now, the entire world knows Mr. Sheen’s condition from his alarming outbursts over just the last few weeks,” it said, lamenting “the public spectacle of his self-inflicted disintegration.” Sheen, who has threatened to sue for up to $2 million dollars an episode he would miss out on, welcomed the announcement in typically colorful language. “This is very good news. They continue to be in breach, like so many whales.—AFP

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still remembers the look on his father’s face when he started sharing his music with him.

“I wasn’t very good at it and he couldn’t see that there might be potential,” Patterson Hood said. “Because he knew how hard the business was - ‘And he’s wanting to do this?

He sucks. And he’s my son.’ You k now?”

Decades later David Hood, 67, has a very different opinion of his son’s career path.

Patterson and his band of friends have forged the kind of career David Hood could never have imagined. With their sprawling, cinematic songs, incendiary live show and tireless touring schedule, they’ve carved out their own niche and earned a fervent following.

These days David Hood even takes the stage with The Truckers occasionally, as he did at a recent show at Third Man Records.

And he’s got no problem admitting he was wrong about Patterson and his dream.

“Anybody who makes it now or is surviving now in music, it’s amazing,” David Hood said. “It’s a sad state. But they’re doing so well.

Their story is not sad. Their story is happy.”

The Truckers have just released their second album in a year, “Go-Go Boots,” a foray into country soul that celebrates the sound of Hood’s childhood. The 15-year-old band, an extension of a musical partnership between Hood and bandmate Mike Cooley that has survived 26 years and a shifting roster of collaborators and names, began recording the

songs for the album in 2009 alongside the straight-ahead rockers that became 2010’s “The Big To-Do.” They had that Muscle Shoals feel to them and many of the songs recalled snatches of real life played out in northern Alabama.

The album revolves around “Go-Go Boots” and “The Fireplace Poker,” a pair of related songs about a duplicitous preacher who pays to have his wife killed, then pays the price for his sins. Like the band’s epic breakthrough, “Southern Rock Opera,” the songs are based on an idea Hood had for a film. A handful of others - especially the melancholy groove of “Used to be a Cop” and unhappy holidays song “The Thanksgiving Filter” - also have that sprawling feel of a story told over hours, not minutes. “I’m a frustrated filmmaker when it really comes down to it,” said Patterson Hood, who now lives in Athens, Ga. “If you look at our albums as movies without the movie, they actually make more sense than they do as albums. That didn’t dawn on me till just about two albums or so ago - ‘Wow, that’s what’s wrong with this picture.’”— AP

File photo shows the music group Drive-By Truckers, from left, Jay Gonzalez, Brad Morgan, Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, Shonna Tucker and John Neff in Nashville, Tenn. — AP

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YSL does fall-winter

2011-12 in a nutshell I

f you could only see one show on Paris’ packed nine-day-long fall-winter 201112 ready-to-wear calendar, it would have to be Yves Saint Laurent. Not because it was the most amazing-though the collection was a strong one _ but because it synthesized in several dozen looks the main trends that have swept Paris catwalks like wildfire over the past week. Everything was there: the proper wool princess coats with oversized fur

with starlet Lindsay Lohan. His sexy and sweet cocktail numbers in lace and chiffon were beautiful little concoctions, but perhaps a tad too saccharine for a high-end clothing market obsessed with edginess.

This season, Deacon delivered hard-edged looks that were all about bondage and lingerie, in leather and lace, with a touch of animal savagery. A pair of oversized eagle claws embroidered in silver beads reached around the waist of a long black leather

and banning fur altogether. Valli’s catwalk Monday was on the other end of the spectrum: His fall collection was literally covered in fur: Glossy black astrakhan, shaggy white goat and what appeared to be rabbit, dyed tomato red and fluorescent green. The Italian designer swapped the bold orange, black, ecru and leopard-print fabrics and the marabou and peacock feathers he’s used to confect his hallmark colorblocked cocktail dresses in seasons

past in favor of fur. McCartney would have hated it, but the fur paneling actually worked pretty well, giving his dresses and wide-cut coats a luscious sensuousness.

Still, there was no explaining the abbreviated dress covered in what appeared to be a patchwork of skunk fur.

Models show creations

by British designer Giles Deacon as part of the Emanuel Ungaro.

sleeves that were practically inescapable this season-except at animal lover Stella McCartney’s fur- and leather-free label; the ultra-wide length trousers, high-waisted Aline skirts and pantsuits that all channeled an easy seventies elegance, similar to what Chloe fielded earlier in the day; and there was the cape, THE must-have outerwear piece for next winter. The City of Light’s collections move into their second-to-last day yesterday, but there are still blockbuster shows ahead, including Valentino, new Alexander McQueen designer Sarah Burton’s second collection and the everjaw-dropping mega-production from Chanel, which draws literally thousands of women decked out in head-to-toe Chanel.

YVES SAINT LAURENT YSL designer Stefano Pilati is a master tailor, and his take on all the season’s hottest pieces were impeccably cut breathed an effortless Parisian chic. It’s a safe bet that there’s not a fashionista out there who wouldn’t trade just about anything for one of those white halter-top jumpsuits, cinched at the waist with oversized gold chains, or the coat in purple Prince of Wales checks that dissolved into a sprinkling of marabou feathers at the hemline, or the wide-legged pants paired with a mutton-chop sleeve, lavalier-neck blouse. And who could blame her?

EMANUEL UNGARO Just one year ago, the storied house of Ungaro was stone cold, with but the slightest trace of a pulse. After a last-ditch resuscitation last season brought it back from the brink and into the land of the living, Monday’s sexed-up fall collection got the house’s heart rate up and its temperature rising. The label’s savior is Giles Deacon, the British designer who breathed new life into Ungaro last season, in the wake of the label’s near-fatal collaboration

gown, grasping menacingly. Little silk cocktail dresses printed with hazy curls of pastel smoke-among the few looks not in all-black-had the dark decadence of a subterranean Paris club. The models wore thick leather cuffs round their necks that shone suggestively with gilded metalwork. The critical reaction to last season’s collection was positive, but buyers were less enthusiastic, put off perhaps by the frankly awful collections of the previous years. The question now is whether they’ll embrace the house of Ungaro again after two strong collections.

LEONARD The house of Leonard, which has been churning out its eyepopping, flower-printed silk jersey dresses for decades, is really a summer thing: Joyful, blooming, colorful and light as a summer breeze. Fall-winter collections tend to be hard for the label.

This season, designer Veronique Leroy pulled it off with brio, transposing the house’s light spirit into heavier, weatherproof fabrics, dressing up thick woolen knits, ribbed turtlenecks and even shearling with the house’s trademark prints.

Oversized chrysanthemums climbed up an ankle -length silk skirt and onto the trompe l’oeil turtleneck. Fuchsia, toffee and orange geometric designs with a vaguely Native American feeling dressed up one side of an extra-wide reversible shearling coat. Applique bands encircled an A-line shirt in wool so dense it felt like neoprene. —AP

CHLOE Hannah MacGibbon has hit her stride.

After several shaky seasons, the Chloe designer found her footing with a selfassured fall collection that looked to have put the doubts of the past to bed.

MacGibbon’s romantic, casual, sexy, bohemian, boyish and seventies-tinged style has never looked better. Though she’s stuck to a largely neutral palette in the past, sending out collections bathed in ecru, camel and mousy gray, this season she dared do bold colors, drenching the sweaterdresses, wide -legged leather trousers and high-waisted skirts in eyepopping shades. A single piece-the oversized patchwork poncho-was a walking rainbow all on its own. Patchwork has emerged as a top trend on Paris’ catwalks, but nowhere has it looked as good as at Chloe, where MacGibbon integrated patches of snakeskin into the romantic washed silk blouses and grafted snakeskin sleeves onto classic trench coats. Pantsuits, A-line skirts and sheath dresses were made entirely out of snakeskin patches, some of them dyed jade green.

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI Raised as a vegetarian, McCartney has long shunned materials derived from animals, using synthetic leather for her shoes

Models show creations by Chloe.

Models show creations by designer Giambattista Valli.

Models show creations from Italian designer Stefano Pilati as part of Yves Saint Laurent.

—AP/FP photos

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raped in sleek evening gowns and frothy wedding dresses, the models at the West Bank’s first haute couture fashion show could have been walking at Paris Fashion Week. But the rare presentation was instead staged in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinian territories, during the city’s first ever bridal fair. The show and the

Palestinian designer Jamal Taslaq in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

three-day expo, bringing together designers, caterers and even institutions willing to give wouldbe brides and grooms wedding loans, attracted some of the West Bank ’s most well-heeled residents. Decked out in their finest, they snapped pictures with their mobile phones and applauded the creations of Palestinian designer Jamal Taslaq that came down the runway to the beat of remixed Arabic pop songs.

Taslaq, a Nablus-born designer who has lived and worked in Italy for the past 20 years, sent suits, gowns and wedding dresses down the runway, many of them adorned with accents intended to evoke his homeland.

A black trouser suit featured a

lapel and cuffs with the che quered blackand-white pattern from a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf of the type famously worn by former president Yasser Arafat.

One bold wedding dress took inspiration from the Palestinian flag, the white sheath skirt forming the central stripe, with a triangular red chest plate up top and green and red chiffon siding fitted through the hip and then flaring out dramatically as the model, wearing an olive tree headpiece, glided forward.

Another gown, worn by a model carrying an olive branch bouquet, featured beading and embroidery in gold and red that had its roots in the traditional, heavily-embroidered wedding robes worn by Palestinian brides. At a press conference before the show Taslaq expressed excitement at being able to show his designs at home.—AFP

German designer Karl Lagerfeld, centre, appears at the end of Chanel’s Fall-Winter ready-to-wear 2012 fashion collection, presented in Paris, yesterday.

Lagerfeld feels a volcanic

autumn chill at Chanel

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t’s getting to be springtime in Paris, but Karl Lagerfeld sent a volcanic chill of autumn swirling through the Grand Palais yesterday as he presented a tomboyish Chanel fall-winter collection. In a deliberate contrast from the Parisian garden theme that framed the spring-summer show, Lagerfeld sent darker, looser looks down a wooden boardwalk the length of a venue carpeted with volcanic dust that crunched

underfoot. The soundtrack-”A Forest” by The Cure, from March 1980, about a man who goes looking for a woman in, well, a forest-set the tone, even if there wasn’t a tree in sight.

The daytime looks had a 1980s sort of quality, too, as the show opened with a glittering black cape over a red Chanel cardigan, followed by silhouettes built around skinny distressed jeans or loose trousers with checkered cuffs. In lieu of

stilettos were no-nonsense boots a la Doc Martens or kitten heels. More feminine was the evening wear, such as a panelled grey dress with puffed shoulders and a delicate 1930s-ish pantsuit with embroidered lace top. The Chanel show is the biggest of the nine-day Paris pret-a-porter season overshadowed this year by the sudden downfall of John Galliano at Christian Dior-which concludes today. —AFP

Models present creations by German designer Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel during the Autumn/Winter 2011-2012 ready-towear collection. — AP/AFP photos

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A Lebanese woman working at an advertising company dressed, along with other colleagues.

Lebanese women working at an advertising company dress like men and pose for pictures to make a statement about gender inequalities in Lebanon as they mark the International Women’s Day in Beirut yesterday. Women in Lebanon are still discriminated against in the Nationality Law, Personal Status Law, Penal Law, and Labor and Social Security laws. — AFP

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hilippine blogger Bryan Yambao went fromreading his mother’s magazines to the front rows of the world’s top catwalks atwarp speed, as the Internet demolishes the exclusive barriers of high fashion. Supermodel-thin and fond of wearing colorful hats, fur-collared cardigansand handbags, the 24-year-old is now an industry heavyweight who hangs out withthe likes of supermodel Naomi Campbell and designer Marc Jacobs. “If you ask me, all of my dreams have already come true. What else can youask for,” Yambao said in a speech at an independent fashion bloggers’ conference in New York late last year. Yambao’s vehicle for fashion stardom is his online journal atwww.bryanboy.com, which delivers fresh, irreverent, and witty critiques of theworld’s newest trends on expensive clothing and accessories.

The site attracts more than 200,000 unique visitor hits a day, while nearly52,000 people follow his Twitter stream, giving the jet-setting former web designer from Manila awesome powers to thrash or promote a product. The blog is also studded with money-spinning ads that would be the envy offashion magazines that have only a small fraction of his readership.

Recent posts told of his labors to buy Prada’s red men’s wingtips (“It’sthe shoe of the season, no doubt”) and how Hollywood stars Demi Moore andAshton Kutcher stole the thunder from fashion figures at a Sao Paulo show. “I’ve heard several rumors that they were paid about half a milliondollars to be here.

Celebrities. They always f—- up the whole experience,”Yambao ranted.

Drawing heavily on the Paris Hilton playbook, the blog is also as much ahomage to the author as style, with photos of him in outrageous, gender-bendingoutfits.

“Shower me with attention and inflate my ego. Email photos of your love andI’ll add you to my ever-growing collection.

Be creative! Be spontaneous!” hewrote.

The biggest fashion labels indeed do work super hard to inflate his ego, asevidenced by one of his latest posts for the current fashion week in Paris. “I’m trying to enjoy the calm before my set of shows,” he wrote. “My invites are starting to pour in. So far I’m confirmed at Isabel Marant,Mugler, Balmain, AF Vandevorst, Gareth Pugh, Rochas, Damir Doma, Chanel, etc.

Can’t wait to receive more of my invitations!” The traditional media also love him.

“Bringing androgyny and attitude to the blogosphere since 2004, Bryanboy’sreflections on fashion never fail to entertain,” Elle magazine wrote, in anexcerpt posted in his blog. “With his sharp wit and cheeky style choices, Manila-based blogger Bryanboyis on the brink of international stardom,” Teen Vogue wrote. Yambao’s extraordinary online career began with him blogging

about his foreign travels in 2004. But he had always been drawn to fashion, even as a 10-year-old studying ata strict Manila Catholic school. “I would steal my mum’s magazines and read them at school,” Yambao said inhis New York speech last year. Yambao initially agreed to be interviewed by AFPbut then did not reply to e-mailed questions.

From a puny readership of his friends and family, the blog took off in 2007after his posts caught the eye of Jacobs, the influential American creativedirector of French design house Louis Vuitton. “I discovered this sort of satirical little film that Bryanboy had done ofme, and I was really amused by it. I started to look at the blog and I thought,this guy is so into fashion,” Jacobs said in a clip posted on Yambao’s site. Jacobs named an ostrich leather tote bag, BB, on his own 2008 fall collection, in the Filipino blogger’s honor.

“Love your passion for fashion,” the designer gushes in a post on Yambao’ssite. “After all, where would designers be without enthusiasm like yours?” In 2009 Dolce and Gabbana put Yambao and other top bloggers on the frontrow at the Milan fashion week, beside traditional industry arbiters such asVogue’s Anna Wintour and Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune. Menkes, the doyenne of the fashion press, said bloggers had democratised anindustry that had long been used to having everything dictated from the topdown by the fashion houses.

“And then along comes Twitter and all of a sudden somebody walks out of a,say, Louis Vuitton show and says, ‘That show sucked. I hated it,’” she said inan interview posted online from last year’s Berlin’s fashion trade show. “But that can go viral and other people can answer... and suddenly you’refaced with three million people saying negative things. It’s pretty terrifyingfor these brand managers.”

Yambao, who had had his Facebook account fill up with a maximum 5,000friends a long time ago, appears to revel in the irony of a Third-World bloggerdictating to the rich what to wear. “It did happen to me, you know, somebody from the boonies, in the Philippines,” he said in his New York speech. One of Yambao’s friends from the Philippines, fashion reporter and bloggerIngrid GoChua, said his spectacular career in breaking through one of theworld’s most exclusive industries was an inspiration across Asia. “A lot of Asian people look up to him. He’s like a beacon of a person.

Inthe Third World, you never thought that dreams would come true but he made themcome true. He’s put the Philippines on the map,” she told AFP.—AFP

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stunning, rarely seen bejeweled, nearly 150-year-old canopy from India is expected to sell for as much as $5 million when it is auctioned next month, according to Sotheby’s. The Pearl Canopy of Baroda will go under the hammer on March 24 as part of a larger auction of Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art in New York. It includes over 500,000 pearls, as well as numerous diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds sewn on silk. Floral “Persianstyle” vines made with colored beads circle the canopy. “The Maharaja was a great patron of the arts,” said Mary Jo Otsea, the worldwide director of Sotheby’s carpet department. “This piece is a continuation of the golden age of Indian art from the Mughal period, with Persian influences.”

The canopy dates from around 1865, when it was commissioned by the Maharaja of Baroda, in the present-day Indian state of Gujarat. It is believed that the piece was intended to be donated as a gift to decorate the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed in Medina, in what is now Saudi Arabia. The man who commissioned the canopy, Maharaja Khande Rao Gaekwar, was known to be particularly fond of jewels. In 1867, he bought the “Star of the South”, one of the largest diamonds in the world.

The canopy is part of a set which included four large rectangular jewel-encrusted carpets, of which only two remain, and the cir-

cular canopy. The carpets were sold at an auction in Doha, Qatar in March 2009 for $5.4 million. Art historians are still unsure exactly how the carpet and the canopy were arranged together, Otsea said.

“One possibility is this, that four pillars held the canopy over the carpet,” Otsea explained. “Another is that it was somehow placed on a camel. But nobody knows, and the Maharajah died a long time ago.” The canopy had not been seen for more than 100 years until it was included in an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London last year. At the time the canopy was created the nominally sovereign state of Baroda was among the most prosperous in British India, with much of its income coming from cotton, rice and sugar.

Baroda state, which was founded in 1721, existed until it was incorporated into newly independent India in 1947. “All the states of the time were under the Indian Raj. They were titular heads who led the people, and were free to appoint courts and commission workshops,” Otsea said. “This Maharaja, from what I understand, got on very well with the British.” —Reuters

A float from the Uniao da Ilha samba school parades through the Sambadrome during carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday. —AP

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ain showered down on Rio yesterday asit held the last of its Carnival parades, but performers and spectatorsshrugged off the weather to be part of the colorful climax to days of partying. Nearly 800,000 Brazilian and foreign tourists have swelled Rio’s populationof six million to take part in the dancing, drinking, flirting and spectaclesunderway since last Friday beneath gray skies. The festival effectively wraped up yesterday, after the last of a dozensamba schools put on their world-famous parades featuring skimpily-clad dancingqueens and sumptuous floats costing millions of dollars.

The all-night parades were a competition fought as intensely as any football game in this soccer mad nation. This year, the reigning champion samba school, Unidos de Tijuca, looked set to retain its title after wowing the crowd of 70,000 packed into the Sambodromeparade stadium with a show early Monday paying imaginative homage to Hollywood. Floats recalling “Avatar,” “Jaws” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” roused wildcheers as a dragon flapped its wings over blue Na’vi aliens, a shark lungedfrom a pool with a boy in its mouth and an Indiana Jones dodged a boulder. There were also “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” ghouls whose heads appeared todetach and drop in a nifty optical illusion.

Other schools stuck to more traditional representations of myths,

such as anear-naked Lady Godiva on a horse and a Neptune accompanied by sea worshippers.Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen made an appearance as the goddess Venus. Among the groups that paraded in the early hours of yesterday was Grande Rio,which lost almost its entire parades props and floats in a warehouse fire amonth ago.

The school, which has stitched together a hasty replacement wardrobefeaturing witches and werewolves, received cheers of sympathy from the crowd. “Grande Rio is the big phoenix of Rio’s Carnival,” the school’s musicaldirector, Dudu Azevedo, told the r7 news website. “We rose from the ashes withmore determination than ever.” Visitors watching the parades have been impressed. Among the VIPs was Canadian actress Pamela Anderson. “I love it. I think about this all the time. It’s nice to see it live,” shetold AFP from one of the hospitality boxes. Joey Whineray, a 27-year-old tourist from Britain who paid $160 for herseat said: “It’s manic-completely off the wall. It’s buzzing.”—AFP