11 Apr

RI PT IO N BS C SU THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

40 PAGES

SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010

RABI ALTHANI 26, 1431 AH

Shroud of Turin goes on display for first time in decade

Ministry working to improve Second, Third Ring Roads PAGE 3

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Chelsea beat Villa 3-0 to reach FA Cup final

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150 FILS

Barcelona clinch ‘El Clasico’ victory, go on top PAGE 20

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Kuwait swiftly deports 17 ElBaradei supporters Deportees quietly arrive in Cairo • Brotherhood slams arrests as an ‘insult’ KUWAIT: Kuwait deported 17 supporters of leading pro-reform Egyptian activist and former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei yesterday, a day after arresting them, a security official said.

“Seventeen people have been expelled back to their country,” the official said.

Earlier, a Kuwaiti security official had said “20 to 25 Egyptians were arrested,” some at a pro-ElBaradei gathering in Shaab on Friday and others at their homes. The fate of the others arrested was not immediately

known, nor was it clear how many were resident in Kuwait.

The arrests came after the group posted a notice on the Internet about the gathering, the source said. All of those detained were “being held Saturday by state security forces and awaiting a political decision about their fates,” an official had said earlier in the day. There was no other official comment from Kuwait about the incident, but a foreign ministry official in Cairo said officials there were aware that a group of

Egyptians had been arrested in Kuwait. He later clarified that the ministry had heard of the arrests through Egyptian media.

The deportees arrived at Cairo airport later yesterday, but there were conflicting accounts of the number of dissidents who returned. An airport official said only four had arrived so far, and they left the airport inconspicuously. George Ishak, a spokesman for ElBaradei’s group the National Association for Change, said 17 had arrived. He said 34 Egyptian support-

ers of ElBaradei were arrested in Kuwait, four on Thursday and the rest on Friday.

“They were holding a meeting on Friday to form the first association to support ElBaradei, but it appears Kuwait did not have tolerance for it,” he told AFP. Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest opposition movement, called the arrests “an insult”. “The Kuwaiti government has no right to detain these men or to interfere in the affairs of the Egyptian citizens,” Hamdi Hassan, an MP affiliated

with the banned Islamist group, said in a statement. Ishak also condemned the deportations and said his group requested a meeting with Kuwait’s ambassador to Egypt.

ElBaradei, 67, has emerged as Egypt’s most high profile pro-reform leader after retiring from the International Atomic Energy Agency last year. The Nobel laureate has said he would run for president if constitutional restrictions on independent nominations in next year’s presiden-

tial elections were changed. Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak faces mounting opposition at home after almost three decades of rule and has ruled out amending the constitution. His government has rebuffed foreign calls for reform and dismissed as “unacceptable” a call last week from the US State Department for free elections. The 81-year-old has not said whether he will run again in 2011, but is widely believed to be grooming his son Gamal as his successor. — AFP

Military elite, top officials, MPs and Kaczynski’s wife among 97 dead

Plane crash kills Polish prez World leaders voice shock and horror • Sheikh Sabah sends condolences in the news Surplus to hit KD 6bn KUWAIT: The state budget of Kuwait for 2009-2010 secured a surplus of KD 6 billion, according to a report issued yesterday. This is the 11th year running for Kuwait to make a budget surplus, Alshall Weekly Economic Report said, citing the figures of the monthly follow-up report of the financial department of the Ministry of Finance for Feb 2010. Oil revenues topped by the end of February KD 15.1699 billion with the total oil revenues of the year hitting KD 16.6 billion. Non-oil revenues amounted to KD 1.1 billion, which pushed the total state revenues to KD 17.7 billion, the report said. Total expenditure did not exceed KD 11.6 billion as the government managed to save 4 percent of state funds without touching the appropriations for social security. The difference between the expenditure and the revenues shows that the budget surplus is in the vicinity of KD 6 billion.

Gaza conjoined twins die RIYADH: The conjoined Palestinian twins who made the long, difficult journey out of the blockaded Gaza Strip for treatment in Saudi Arabia died yesterday, the Saudi health minister said. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who is also head of the medical team that was treating Rital and Ritaj, said the two could not be separated surgically because they had a bacterial infection in their chests and because their hearts, livers and digestive systems were intertwined. “Their situation worsened as the medical team had expected,” he said in a statement announcing their deaths. The two girls were born March 27 - the first ever in the impoverished Gaza Strip - and doctors there lacked the resources to treat them.

They requested help from Saudi Arabia, which has world renowned facilities for separating conjoined twins. Saudi King Abdullah heard about the twins through the media and ordered they be brought to the kingdom for surgery. The king has funded such surgeries in the kingdom from other parts of the world.

SMOLENSK, Russia: An ageing jet carrying Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski and much of the state elite crashed in thick fog in Russia yesterday, killing all 97 people on board and plunging a nation into grief. The Sovietera Tupolev Tu-154 hit treetops in fog as it approached the runway at Smolensk airport in western Russia and broke up in flames, regional governor Sergei Antufiev said.

The plane was taking Kaczynski and his wife, the military chief of staff and other top officers, central bank governor, deputy foreign minister, members of parliament and other senior officials to a memorial ceremony for thousands of Polish troops massacred by Russian forces in World War II. “It clipped the tops of the trees, crashed down and broke into pieces,” Antufiev told Russia-24 television news network.

Lieutenant General Alexander Alyoshin, deputy head of Russia’s air force, said the pilots repeatedly ignored instructions from air traffic controllers.

Wreckage, including the engines and a large chunk of mud-caked tailfin, was scattered across a forest and parts of it burned for more than an hour. As well as killing the 60-year-old head of state, the crash devastated Poland’s military leadership.

Continued on Page 14

SMOLENSK, Russia: Russian policemen walk near the wreckage of a Polish government Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft that crashed near Smolensk airport yesterday, killing Polish president Lech Kaczynski (inset) and much of the country’s military and state elite. — AFP

15 dead in fierce Bangkok clashes BANGKOK: Thai soldiers and police fought pitched battles yesterday night with anti-government demonstrators in streets enveloped in tear gas, but troops later retreated and asked protesters to do the same. Fifteen people were killed, including a Japanese journalist, and more than 650 wounded, according to hospital officials.

Beleaguered Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva went on national television shortly before midnight to pay condolences to the families of victims and indirectly assert that he would not bow to protesters’ demands to dissolve parliament. “The government and I are still responsible for easing the situation and trying to bring peace and order to the country,” Abhisit said, vowing a transparent investigation into Thailand’s worst political violence in nearly 20 years.

BANGKOK: Red-shirted supporters of fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra scuffle with Thai riot police officers during continuing anti-government protests in central Bangkok yesterday. — AFP

The army had vowed to clear the “Red Shirt” protesters out of one of their two bases in Bangkok by nightfall, but the push instead set off street fighting. There was a continuous sound of gunfire and explosions, mostly from Molotov cocktails. After more than two hours of fierce clashes, the soldiers pulled back.

Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd went on television to ask the protesters to retreat as well. He also accused them of firing live rounds and throwing grenades during the fighting. An APTN cameraman saw two Red Shirt security guards carrying assault rifles.

“The security forces have now retreated to a certain extent from the Red Shirts,” Sansern said. He said a senior government official had been asked to coordinate with the protesters to restore peace.

Continued on Page 14

Robo-suit promises farmers new powers

TOKYO: Tokyo Agriculture and Technology (TAT) University postgraduate student Kazuya Taira demonstrates the new power-assist suit for elderly agriculture workers at the TAT campus on April 5. – AFP

TOKYO: While Robocop and Iron Man can dodge bullets and crush villains, a new powered suit from Japan promises its elderly users more modest powers, such as pulling up radishes without getting a backache.

Unlike its heavily-armed Hollywood counterparts, the Power Assist Suit aims to make life easier for Japan’s army of greying farmers.

The metal-and-plastic exoskeleton boasts eight electric motors that amplify the strength of the wearer’s arms and legs, as well as sensors that can detect movements and respond to commands through a voicerecognition system.

Professor Shigeki Toyama and his team developed the

power-enhancing suit at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and Toyama plans to set up a company to start producing the futuristic outfit by the end of the year. “If the farmer bends over to grasp a radish, his back will be firmly supported,” said Gohei Yamamoto, one of the students working on the team, as he recently demonstrated the suit on his university campus. “A brief vocal instruction will instantly straighten the rods along his legs, giving him the power he needs to pull the vegetable without effort.”

Fifteen years in the making, the robosuit will soon hit the market in Japan to help Continued on Page 14

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NATIONAL

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Winners of science contest announced

Sheikha Fadya award helps develop role of Arab women KUWAIT: Sheikha Fadya Al-Saad Al-Sabah’s 10th Scientific Competition, held under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and themed ‘For a Better Life’, concluded its activities Friday night. His Highness the Premier was represented by the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher

KUWAIT: The officials cutting the cake at the conclusion ceremony.

KUWAIT: The Qatari delegation with the officials.

He said that the jury panel and the scientific committee formed to oversee the contest was functioning smoothly, adding that the participation of GCC countries in the contest for the first time this year was a great honor.

The competition teaches participants the skills of conducting and documenting scientific research, teamwork, and the best methods of monitoring projects, he said.

Al-Kharafi added that the competition encouraged girls to contribute to the scientific field, and to increase their awareness about vital environmental issues.

On her part, Minister AlHumoud expressed her happiness at representing His Highness the Premier at the closing ceremony, and hailed Sheikha Fadya’s support for scientific innovation and creativity of Kuwaiti girls.

She said that this contest encouraged a large number of girls to take part in a creative scientific research.

Meanwhile, Sheikha Fadya said that she was deeply content to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the contest, when it had been a mere idea in her head just a decade ago.

“We live in an era dominated by the holders and producers of knowledge, and we live in a time where everyone has the opportunity to compete in the field of innovation and the generation of knowledge,” she said.

The contest will help spread scientific culture in the society,

Education Dr Moudhi Al-Humoud. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Chairman of Kuwait Science Club Eyad Al-Kharafi said that this contest was initiated by Sheikha Fadya with the aim of developing the role of women in the society, discovering their new talents and working to enhance their scientific skills.

KUWAIT: Participating delegations pose for a group photograph with the officials. which would give us the chance to market our products worldwide soon, she hoped.

For Kuwaiti participants, the first prize went to Tulaitela High School for Girls for its cautionary lighting screen project, while Burgan High School came in second place for its third eye project. Bayan High School won the third place for its safety car project, while Salwa High School won fourth place for the security barrier project.

As for GCC participants, AlZahra Basic Education School of Bahrain won the award for the best scientific project for its safe town, while Al-Rabea High

School of Riyadh won the best project presentation award for its flexible street.

Al-Kifah Private School in Ihsaa, Saudi Arabia, won the best report award for its pressurized container project, while Al-Ro’ya School in Ras AlKhaima, UAE, won the best teamwork coordination award for their project on the utilization of wasted thermal energy in the car.

Amena bint Wahab School in Doha won the award for best teamwork spirit for its project on the dangers of used batteries, while Al-Ghaliya bint Nasser School of Oman won the best presentation award for its

idea city project.

Al-Ahd Al-Zaher School of Bahrain won the best efforts award for its project on vehicle exhaust filters.

Sheikha Fadya said on Thursday that she is looking forward to seeing the Fadya AlSabah Scientific Competition for girls becoming an Arab and international competition, particularly since it has promoted to a Gulf status.

Sheikha Fadya, who is the sponsor and intellectual founder of the competition, expressed during a reception held at Al-Saab palace in honor of the first Arabian Gulf visiting delegations, her pleasure for

such participation and the success of launching the first Arabian Gulf competition of this level.

Sheikha Fadya added the competition was a success for the past 10 years because its mission was to discover talents among females who work to develop their ability in the scientific and technical fields.

The competition also aims at bolstering the spirit of fruitful and constructive cooperation among participants, including building national devotion through supporting various projects and discoveries, Sheikha Fadya added. — KUNA

in the news Kuwait-Azerbaijan agreement KUWAIT: An official team from the Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) led by official Faisal Al-Jazzaf, representing Kuwait, will head to Azerbaijan. A meeting will be held during the occasion, with the participation of Azerbaijani Minister of Youth and Sports, Azad Rahimov. A bilateral agreement will be signed in the field of sports. According to the agreement, visits will be exchanged between athletes to spread awareness, as well as establishing centers to train coaches and officials, preparing engineers to build centers that offer sporting facilities for men and women. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Youth and Sports has also organized a visit to the Olympic and youth athletic centers in Azerbaijan. This agreement comes as part of several agreements that Kuwait hopes to sign in this field with the aim of improving the quality of the country’s sporting facilities.

KUWAIT: The UAE delegation receiving a memento.

kuwait digest

Bedoon Kuwaiti children n his column with Al-Qabas yesterday, Dr Tariq Al-Alawi wrote on how the issue of children born of Kuwaiti fathers and bedoon mothers, yet remaining stateless, has earned the attention of several columnists lately.

He cited a column written by Sheikha Fawziya Al-Sabah, who pointed out that citizens face this problem as a result of marrying bedoon women and would not experience it if they married someone from any other nationality.

He added that Al-Sabah’s conclusion is that the government is keeping this policy as a means of discouraging Kuwaitis from marrying bedoon women.

‘The issue made its way to Al-Jazeerah TV where they aired a show prepared by the head of the channel’s office in Kuwait, Saad AlSaieedy,’ he continued.

‘The show focused on the case of a Kuwaiti child named Farah who doesn’t have any identification despite the fact that her father is a Kuwaiti citizen.’

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‘During the show,’ he wrote, ‘former minister Ahmad Baqer was interviewed and he proposed a simple solution to the problem.

He said that the Interior Minister should issue a certificate that proves that the child is a Kuwaiti citizen due to the fact that her father is a Kuwaiti citizen. He added that, following the country’s citizenship law, each newborn of a Kuwaiti father should be considered a Kuwaiti citizen.

This solution should help these children have all their problems solved, especially regarding identification, education and health, regardless of their mother’s situation,’ he added.

He wrote on how MP Mussallam AlBarrak has begun collecting data regarding this issue and has vowed to follow the issue up to the Prime Minister’s level should the Cabinet fail to find a solution. ‘Therefore, the Cabinet has to choose one of either two options: the solution that Baqer proposed or yet another face-off with Mussallam AlBarrak!’ he concluded.

Union rejects privatization KUWAIT: The labor union of the Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) recently warned against privatizing the oil sector, reported Al-Qabas. They claimed that such a move could be used for personal gain and only benefit certain individuals. In a statement he made to the press, the union’s secretary, Talal AlMujlad, conveyed the union’s rejection of the potential oil sector privatization law. He claimed that it would have a serious effect on the rights of citizens and laborers, threaten their job security and cause social, economic and security flaws. Al-Mujlad urged MPs and citizens to participate in a seminar today hosted by the labor union of the Petrochemical Industries Company. The seminar will object to all attempts to sell off the country’s lifeline and main source of income, and support the importance of allowing the oil sector to remain completely under the control of the state. He said that the labor union’s opinion on the privatization law was completely ignored by the oil sector while developing the bill. He added that the oil sector’s problems can be solved by having them addressed by the proper officials.

Gulf’s name change KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti researcher explained that the Arabian Gulf was called several names throughout history, reported Al-Watan.

He pointed out that it was referred to as the Al-Qutaif Sea, a reference to the capital of the ancient land of Al-Bahrain, on some European and Turkish maps. Aredh Al-Fatah indicated that the names of several important locations throughout the world have changed throughout history. As an example, he pointed out that Cairo was once referred to as Al-Fustat while Iran used to be known as Persia. Al-Fatah also explained that it made sense for the gulf to hold the Arabian Gulf title because its neighboring Arab lands hold more water territory in the gulf than Iran.

Additionally, the waters that feed the gulf come north from Shatt Al-Arab and south from the Arab Sea, he added.

KUWAIT: Filipinos in Kuwait commenced a month-long election process yesterday to elect their country’s leaders under Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) law. Of 589,830 overseas voters, Kuwait has a total number of 20, 256 registered Filipino voters who are about to exercise their right to participate in the 2010 general elections. —Photo by Ben Garcia

Panel mulls DNA tests option KUWAIT: The Use of DNA tests to prove kinship is a procedure that has been used in Kuwait since the country signed an international agreement to recognize and commit these tests, reported AlWatan. The procedure can now be carried out via a court order.

The fatwa and legislative department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is currently waiting for a response from the Parliament’s legislative committee. They are waiting for news regarding whether kinship confirmation should be

followed according to Sharia law, or for it should be according to DNA tests.

Previously, the fatwa and legislation department issued a fatwa indicating that DNA tests to determine kinship is inadmissible.

In other news, MP Mohammad Hayef criticized reports indicating that replying to inquisitions made by MPs costs the ministries a lot of money. He accused these reports of defamation for making it seem as though MPs do not care about public funds.

He asserted the importance of the MPs inquisitions, which he

described as helpful in addressing errors.

MP Mubarak Al-Khurainej urged HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlSabah to interfere in order to end the problem of children born to Kuwaiti fathers and bedoon mothers who suffer from statelessness. He added that this crisis is a violation to the constitution.

Meanwhile, MP Mubarak Al-Walaan denied reports accusing members of the fourth constituency of carrying dual citizenships. He added that such reports hurt national unity.

NATIONAL

Sunday, April 11, 2010

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New efforts for smooth traffic flow

Public Works Ministry working to improve Second, Third Ring Roads KUWAIT: The Ministry of Public Works has observed and studied traffic flow and congestions on the Second and Third Ring Roads, as well as on Cairo and Damascus Streets, in order to place plans to accommodate the increase in car numbers expected up to the year 2030. Public Works Assistant Undersecretary for Road Engineering Affairs, Hussein Al-Mansour, said that

KUWAIT: French Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Edouard Guillaud (left) is welcomed by Kuwait Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Ahmad AlKhaled Al-Sabah yesterday after Guillaud arrived for talks with Kuwaiti officials on activating military agreements. He will also discuss with the Kuwaiti officials best ways of cooperation in training and military domains within the military agreement framework, a statement by the Kuwait Army Moral Guidance and Public Relations said. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Khalifa School recently organized a special open sports day for students with special needs.

in the news Younger undersecretaries KUWAIT: The Cabinet has informed ministers about their decision not to renew the contracts of current senior officials at their respective ministries, reported Al-Rai. The decision was made in order to make room for younger, more enthusiastic officials who may be more committed to the duties of the development plan and be less likely to make mistakes.

This procedure is expected to affect 37 undersecretaries and senior officials at various ministries and authorities who served for as many as 15 years.

They will be given the rest of the year to file for retirement or face termination. This decision comes as part of the Cabinet’s

commitment to handle the development plan as seriously as possible. Recent reports indicate that the Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister for Development and Housing Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, instructed officials to refer to the Supreme Council of Planning to familiarize themselves with the administrative and financial details of the plan.

More grand mosques KUWAIT: MP Saifi Mubarak Al-Saifi suggested that a grand mosque be built at every governorate that covers an area of 10,000 square meters. The law maker remarked that the move may help residents congregate at one mosque for

worship and avoid crowding, reported Al-Watan. In addition, Al-Saifi proposed that a sports club be established in Mubarak Al-Kabeer governorate.

Push for ‘education’ session KUWAIT: MP Dr Salwa AlJassar is currently working with her colleagues to acquire support in order to hold a special session to discuss improving the education sector. The education development plan will be based on the Cabinet’s work program, in addition to incorporating former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s concepts on elevating the level of education in the country, reported Al-Qabas.

Al-Mansour noted that these plans were taken into account when working to redesign the Second and Third Ring Roads, where the speed limit was at 80 km/h and all lanes were being expanded to three instead of two in both directions, while taking into account the need for future public transportation means.

He added that all entrance and exits to the Second and Third Ring Roads had been revamped in line with new international standards, and areas along these roads were linked with three intersections regulated by traffic lights.

The assistant undersecretary also noted that the level of the Second Ring Road would be lowered, and a service road would be laid between Hamra Street and the Ibn Abbas and Quraish Streets.

Moreover, he said work was underway to revamp Canada Dry Street to bring up its speed limit to 80 km/h and to make it into a threelane road, adding that service lanes would be added to both sides of the street, as well as parking and bus stops. Two intersections regulated by traffic lights were also added.

As for Cairo Street, AlMansour said that it too would be expanded to three lanes. An underground tunnel will be dug in the area between Qadisiya Street and Kazma Street, as well as Hiteen Street and the entrance to Mutasim Street.

Also, a service lane will be laid along the two sides of the tunnel.

Space for future mass transportation needs was also taken into account when working on Cairo Street, and all entrances and exits to the road have been improved, he said. Areas along Cairo Street were also linked with the addition of an intersection, thus facilitating the flow of traffic coming from Beirut Street to Istiqlal Street.

He also noted that two bridges would be built over the lower part of Cairo Street, to link Beirut Street with Istiqlal Street, and Cairo Street with Istiqlal Street.

For Damascus Street, AlMansour said that this too would be expanded to three lanes and entrances and exits will be improved, while an intersection would be added. — KUNA

the ministry had tasked Parsons Brinckerhoff International, in cooperation with the Gulf Consultants House, with placing a plan for preliminary and final road redesigns. He explained that the two companies had placed a comprehensive traffic study and a preliminary design report for the project, and that this was submitted to the ministry in February 2009.

KUWAIT: Parsons Brinckerhoff International and Gulf Consultants House had placed a comprehensive traffic study and a preliminary design report for the project, and this was submitted to the ministry in February 2009.

Threats of hijackings, bombings against Kuwait KUWAIT: Security forces were put on high alert at the Kuwait International Airport on Friday night, reported AlWatan. They were instructed to monitor the traffic of aircrafts, especially those coming from Iraq and other neighboring countries.

The orders were made in light of recent partially confirmed reports regarding the threat of hijacking planes in order to blown them up in Iraq or Iran.

The procedures included inspecting the names of passengers on Kuwait

Airway’s planes from other countries, especially those of foreigners of Arab decent.

These threats coincided with other threats uncovered by the Ahwazi Islamic Sunni Organization (AISO). They claimed that the Iranian Revolutionary Forces are preparing a unit of Jihadists to carry out suicide bombings at military and economic institutes in Gulf countries, as well as against political and military personnel in these countries.

In their statement, the AISO claimed

that the unit was trained at the Revolutionary Forces’ camps in AlHamaidiya and Al-Khafajiya on how to use highly explosive material such as C4.

They added that they have access to Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries with the use of diplomatic passports or by being sent as Iranian businessmen.

However, the statement failed to provide evidence to support their claims.

The statement also claimed that the plan started in 2004 following the rift between Iran and the United States out of

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti formative artist Shaima Ashkanani’s art exhibition was recently held at Kuwait Formative Arts (KFA) headquarters in Hawally. The opening ceremony was held under the patronage of MP Saleh Ashour. The KFA’s Chairman, Abdul Rasoul Salman, several artists, dignitaries and art connoisseurs attended the event.

the fear of a military strike against Iran.

A large number of the unit are criminals sentenced with the death penalty who were recruited at educational and religious institutes, the report continued.

They also include individuals from non-Iranian backgrounds such as Houthis, Sadris, and members of the Higher Islamic Council of Iraq, it added.

All GCC countries are dealing with the information seriously and are intensifying their coordination to secure their airports.

NATIONAL

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Kuwait-Saudi relations ‘a role model’ for all Arabs

Benefits, allowances to be approved this month

Staff members visit fire centers

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Staff members from the Kuwait Fire Services Directorate (KFSD) paid a visit to the Hawally, Mishref, Salmiya Fire Centers yesterday. The visit was held as per the instructions of Council Director of Fire Department Lt General Jassem Al-Mansouri and Deputy Director Yousuf Al-Ansari. The visit was held with the aim of enhancing communication between superiors and subordinates,

implementing the open door policy, asserting subordinates’ right to voice their opinions, thereby forging a better understanding to achieve quality service firemen’s performance.

This visit is the third, after similar tripis were made to the Jahra governorate and Mubarak Al-Kabeer governorates previously. All governorates will be covered as per the scheduled itinerary.

Officials were received by Hawally Fire Director Colonel Fahad Al-Saqer and

KUWAIT/RIYADH: The Civil Service Commission also doubles as Acting Chairman of the Civil Service reviewed financial benefits, incentives and allowances, Council. “The decision will be made within two weeks and will decide on the issue this month, Deputy Premier and without any procrastination,” Sheikh Dr Mohammad and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al- told reporters after coming back from a short trip to Salem Al-Sabah said yesterday. Sheikh Dr Mohammad Saudi Arabia.

On France’s stance regarding KuwaitiWith 118 requests to look into, equality Al-Sabah.

Following a meeting with Riyadh Iraqi border issue, Sheikh Mohammad and speed are needed to approve the issue, putting into account the state’s develop- Governor Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, asserted “borders were officially mental plan, Sheikh Mohammad said, Sheikh Mohammad said that Kuwait-Saudi demarked according to UNSC resolution adding “in principle, we are for approving relations had reached the level of being 833.” As for the visit of Iraqi Vice incentives in order to upgrade occupational “model” in international standards. The President Adel Abdulmahdi to Kuwait, performance, which would contribute in relations have reached the level that all Sheikh Mohammad said “there will be viscountries aspire for in their official and its by a number of Iraqi officials to Kuwait achieving the plan’s objectives.”

“The letter concerned GCC relations, popular engagements, he said. During the in the next period, in order to brief neighits surrounding region and GCC member meeting, the two officials discussed coop- boring countries on the democratic and states’ relations with international eco- eration between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. law-abiding Iraq.”

“It is important at this stage for Iraq to nomic blocs,” Sheikh Mohammad com- Attending the meeting was Advisor at the mented on the nature of his visit to Saudi Premier’s Diwan Faisal Al-Hajji, as well as have its space in dealing with internal Arabia and the letter he handed to Kuwaiti Ambassador to Riyadh Sheikh affairs in order to ripen the process of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah, Kuwait political consultations and form an agreedAbdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud from HH Embassy Counselors Saleh Al-Saqabi and upon government, which we all aspire,” Sheikh Mohammad concluded. — KUNA the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Thiyab Al-Risheedi.

south Salmiya Acting Fire Center Director Lt Colonel Mohammad AlMohameed. The other visitors were Public Relations Director Lt Colonel Khalil Al Amir, Director of Construction and Maintenance Administration Lt Colonel Waleed Al-Yaseen, Vehicles and Equipment Administration Director Lt Colonel Waleed and the Stores and Purchasing Department Director Colonel Saleh Al-Ansari and HR Director Lt Colonel Abdullah Al-Azmi.

in the news

KUWAIT: Kuwait International Fair Company recently signed a partnership contract with Omani Exhibitions Company to hold two exhibitions. The agreement was signed by Abdul Rahman Al-Nassar and Ahmed Bin Saleh Ba Abboud.

Indian, Afghan injured in Fahaheel, Hawally fights KUWAIT: On Friday evening a fight occurred in Fahaheel, near the cooperative society, which resulted in the injury of a 37-year-old Afghan. He was taken to Adan Hospital.

A 30-year-old Indian expat was injured during a fight in Hawally, behind Moallem market. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital.

Accidents A 32-year-old Indian broke his left foot after crashing his motorcycle in Jabriya. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital.

A 50-year-old citizen injured her forehead, and a 40year-old Bangladeshi suffered chest pains, after a car accident near the Oyoun and Koreat crossing. Both were taken to Jahra Hospital.

A 26-year-old citizen broke his left hand and hurt his back after crashing his motorcycle on 6th Ring Road, opposite the

360 complex. He was taken to the Mubarak Hospital.

A 30-year-old Indian women was left with a head injury after a car accident on Amghara Bridge. She was taken to Jahra Hospital.

While trying to cross Salem Al-Mubarak Street in Salmiya, at the marine crossing, a 31year-old Egyptian was struck by a passing car.

He sustained injuries all over his body and was taken to Mubarak Hospital.

Yesterday morning, a car accident on Sixth Ring Road in Jleeb Al-Shouyukh resulted in a broken left hand and thigh for 23-year-old citizen.

He was taken to Farwaniya Hospital.

On Saturday morning, at Omariya and Ghazali road, a 32-year-old Egyptian expat broke his left arm after being in a car accident. He was taken to Farwaniya Hospital.

Sewage plant launch delayed KUWAIT: The launch of AlReggae sewage plant may be delayed by ten months from its presently-scheduled operation date. The postponement was decided on owing to the alternate decisions suggested by the international consultancy firm, confirmed the Ministry of Public Works Undersecretary for Sewage Engineering, Mahmoud Karam. The international firm confirmed that the plant is completely safe.

Additional observations were made to further solidify its safety in a bid to avoid the occurrence of suture crises similar to that of the Mishref plant,” he said. Suggestions for change included reworking of the outer gates, redesigning some manholes, as well as increasing the number of emergency drainage points into the sea from two to four. This is in addition to equipping them with treatment units to treat sewage waters, reported Al-

Jaber Bridge tender KUWAIT: The tender for the Jaber Bridge project faces more delays following the withdrawal of a number of companies from a coalition of potential bidders.

The deadline for receiving bids on the project ends on June 8, reported Al-Watan.

At least one real-estate company approached the Central Tenders Committee (CTC) with an appeal to restudy the qualifications of companies who already made bids on the project. It’s expected that with these developments a new coalition will be formed and the CTC has already contacted the Public Works Ministry on that regard.

‘Don’t question loyalty’ KUWAIT: Any remarks that question the loyalty of Kuwaiti society in any manner are unacceptable, said the Deputy Prime Minister for Financial Affairs, State Minister for Development and Housing Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad AlFahad Al-Sabah, reported Al-Watan. “We have to commit to HH the Amir’s vision regarding maintaining our unity and the cohesion of our society,” the minister added.

Firefighters honored KUWAIT: Kuwait Fire Service Directorate has honored 140 firefighters who concluded the advanced training courses under the patronage of Director General of the authority, Major General Jasem Al-Mansouri, in cooperation with the British Embassy in Kuwait.

Director-General for human resources and Drugs control said that the two-year advanced program that took place in the UK aims to qualify shift leaders for fire and rescue services in cooperation with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. Al-Ansari praised the efforts of the participants during the program.

RIYADH: Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah meets Riyadh Governor Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz yesterday. —KUNA

National Industries announces profits

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The National Industries Company KSCC (NIC) held a general meeting on Thursday at its headquarters in Shuwaikh. The annual report for the financial year ending December 31, 2009 was reviewed and a new board of directors was elected. The 2009 fiscal year was a good operational period for the company.

“During this year, a profit of KD 10 million was achieved when compared to KD 8 million in 2008, an increase of 25 percent. However, the decline in the market value of investment assets led to a KD 2.6 million net loss, at the rate of 8 fils per share. Despite that, shareholders equity increased to KD 72.3 million when compared to KD 70.6 million in 2008. Also, the book value per share increased from 204 fils in 2008 to 209 fils per share in 2009,” said Dr Adel Khaled Al-Sbaeh, Chairman National Industries Company (NIC) during the Assembly.

“We are looking forward to 2010 as a prosperous year, during which the company will overcome the effects of international finance on one hand, and experience a positive increase in sales on the

other. This is due to several factors that include promising government development plans, anticipated increase in the construction activities in non-governmental sectors, capacity increase in our existing facilities and the new completed production facilities such as the new interlock tiles factory in Kuwait, insulated brick factories in Riyadh and Jeddah, HDPE pipe factory in Oman and partially the ceramic factory which is expected to start production in the third quarter of this year,” he added.

In light of this year’s financial results, the board of directors has recommended that profits for the financial year ending 31-12-2009 be distributed.

“The governmental program of development has started, encouraging the beginning of development projects in Saudi Arabia and rebuilding Iraq to increase the sales of the Company in the coming period,” explained Al-Sbaeh.

“According to its entire plan, NIC expects to reach about KD 39 million of sales in the year 2010, while from the practical side, the numbers may be very conservative considering the start of the announced development process, which may raise the company’s sales up to KD

45 million within the year with a continuous increase in the upcoming years,” he noted.

“Those who have bigger production energy, and the ability to provide more building material fast and in huge quantities, are those who most benefit from the development plan. The Company’s preparations for the past two years will bring results in the right time, with the beginning of the development plan of the Kuwaiti government. Also, the first three months of the year 2010 signify that there is an increase in the volume of sales when compared to the previous year,” he pointed out.

The NIC’s strategic plan is based on having an operational company. “While the industrial projects are delayed as a result of the long waiting period to obtain licenses and permissions. This has led the company to make more investments to overcome the obstacles, although investments have raked in great profits, especially during the years before the crisis. The company will concentrate on the conducting operational activities as part of its future strategy,” concluded Al-Sbaeh.

KUWAIT: Dr Adel Al-Sbaeh (middle) during the general assembly held on Thursday.

—Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

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Police looking for mysterious Arab

Official rapes Indonesian detainee in Farwaniya KUWAIT: An Indonesian woman arrested in Farwaniya for a case of absence confessed to the crime but also reported being raped by an official who had previously arrested her for the same crime, reported Al-Rai. In the report, she explained that after she was arrested and released the first time she was approached by an Arab man she had never met before.

He encouraged her to go to the police station and inform the authorities about the official who raped her. She said that he took her to the police station himself in order to make the complaint. However, she decided not to file the complaint after the official who assaulted her offered to give her money and a cell phone if she remained silent. After she was arrested the second time she revealed the details of her story. The official was arrested after the woman was able to identify him and he confessed to committing the crime. Meanwhile, police are looking for the mysterious Arab who instructed the woman to file the complaint in order to determine how he knew about the crime.

Fatal accident An 18-year-old young man was killed, and four others seriously injured, in a car accident in Kabad, reported Al-Watan.

The accident occurred when the

SUV carrying the five victims overturned after it lost balance.

Police and paramedics responded to the emergency and brought the injured to a nearby hospital. A case was opened to investigate the cause of the accident.

Woman kidnapped A citizen forced himself into his ex-wife’s home while heavily intoxicated, reported AlWatan. Wielding a shotgun and a bottle of liquor, he forced her to accompanying him back to his house and was apprehended by police as soon as they responded to the emergency. He was taken to the proper authorities.

Drunken trouble While driving in Sulaibiya a young man was forced off the road when a car driven by an intoxicated young man crashed into his vehicle, reported AlWatan. The drunk driver and his friends then forced the young man and his two passengers out

of his vehicle and stole his car.

Shortly after police were informed about the incident the criminal was located and placed under arrest.

Home robbery A citizen informed authorities at the Taimaa police station that KD 20 thousand was stolen from his safe, reported AlWatan. He explained to authorities that the thieves broke into his house while he was traveling abroad with his family. A case was opened and police are investigating the incident.

Family dispute A man and 14 of his friends broke into the home of his wife’s family in order to attack her five brothers, reported Al-Rai. The problem between the family members started when the man showed up at his wife’s family home to pick her up at a late hour and was refused permission to see her. The man then returned with his friends and

committed the assault. Police responded to the emergency and arrested the husband while the five brothers were taken to a nearby hospital. Police are searching for the other assailants.

Drug possession An Asian man was arrested in Mirqab after a search revealed that he was in possession of a large amount of drugs, reported Al-Seyassah. The man was stopped by authorities after he seemed extremely uncomfortable around the police. He was taken to the proper authorities.

Worker assaulted An Asian man reported being assaulted by his sponsor and his sponsor’s son with the Abdullah Al-Mubarak police station, reported Al-Seyassah.

The man was taken to Farwaniya Hospital and the police have summoned the sponsor for further questioning.

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will patronize the 22nd Annual Pearl Diving expedition organized by the Sea Heritage Committee of the Kuwait Sea Sports Club. The event will be held between July 15 and 24, announced the KSSC Chairman Fahad Ahmad Al-Fahad. All the ships commissioned by HH the Amir, in addition to those commissioned by HH the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, will participate in the event that will be held exclusively on Kuwaiti waters unlike previous events that included trips to Bahraini waters, due to time constraints. Al-Fahad further conveyed the KSSC’s gratitude for sponsoring the event, praised his commitment to keep up the legacy of the country’s ancestors, and keep the spirit alive within youngsters.

in the news New kidney dialysis center KUWAIT: Ministry of Health announced yesterday the opening of a new center for kidney dialysis in Farwaniya hospital tomorrow under the patronage of Minister of Health Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer. Director of Farwaniya medical area Dr. Saud Al-Dar’aa said that the new center, which includes about 55 kidney dialysis units, is equipped with the latest technologies to improve performance and quality of service to patients. With the opening of this center, the capacity of the kidney dialysis units in the country would increase to some 300 units or by 70 percent across the Mubarak Al-Kabeer, Amiri, Adan, Farwaniya hospitals and Al-Nafisi Center. Al-Dar’aa stressed the important role of Farwaniya Hospital, which serves nearly one million people, saying that the absorptive capacity of the hospital increased after the Amiri expansion to 910 beds at a growth rate of nearly 90 percent.

KUWAIT: Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra visited Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and met with its Director General, Naji Mohamed Al-Mutairi, who was accompanied by Dr Mohammed Salman, Deputy Director General for Research Affairs, and Dr Nader Al-Awadhi, Deputy Director General (Information). They had a detailed discussion on strengthening India-Kuwait ties in scientific and applied research, in the context of implementation of the India-Kuwait Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation for 2009-2013 that was signed in Kuwait in April 2009. The Ambassador also undertook a guided tour of KISR, visiting the National Scientific & Technical Information Centre, the Kuwait Geo-Informatics Centre, besides KISR departments, laboratories and facilities of excellence.

Sudan leader thanks Kuwait for support MEROWE, North Sudan: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir thanked here Thursday His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah for supporting Sudan over Merowe Dam in north Sudan.

Speaking at a ceremony, he thanked HH the Amir and other Arab leaders for helping Sudan in the completion of the dam project.

Al-Bashir also lauded the role of Arab funds, chiefly the Arab Fund for

Economic and Social Development, (AFESD) and Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), for jointly bankrolling the dam, which he boasted as the largest development project in Sudan.

Electricity generated by Merowe Dam is covering south Sudan and will even reach the entire Kardvan Region soon, he said.

The ceremony was attended by several directors of Arab financial funds,

who are currently convening their annual meeting in Khartoum.

The new dam, which is nine kilometers in length, 10 miles in width and 60 meters in height, provides around 1,250 megawatts. It includes a lake having a storage capacity of 12 billion cubic meters.

Key contributors to the Sudanese dam are Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Students from the Kuwait Autism Center recently participated in the school’s Annual Day event that was held at the Israa Girls High School. They interacted with the high school’s students in a friendly atmosphere. Several activities were held as part of the event, that conveyed loyalty for Kuwait. This is in addition to holding competitions in which the center’s students won prizes.

KD 28 million housing loans KUWAIT: A fund, costing approximately KD 28 million, will be created to provide citizens (eligible to receive housing facilities) with loans. Officials said that the fund will be operated by generating financial resources with the assistance of Savings and Credit Bank, reported Al-Qabas.

Developing regulations to provide realestate loans to achieve more equality and stability for Kuwaiti families are among procedures adopted to maximize financial output. This is in addition to improving the bank’s resources by expanding investments.

Audit Bureau report finds less violations KUWAIT: The Audit Bureau prepared its final report on governmental establishments for the fiscal year of 2008-2009. The report remarks on violations detected and the government’s commitment to projects and tenders as standard to regulations and laws.

Official sources stressed that violations mentioned in the report were far less than those mentioned in previous ones. They added that this means that decision makers in the concerned ministries were closely watching the work and progress of their staff’s performance. However, ‘this does not mean the new report does not have any violations,’ said the source.

KRCS aid to Yemen SANAA: Kuwait will dispatch the fourth batch of humanitarian aid to Yemen today, to assist refugees who fled Saada over the past few months due to violence there, said Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Al-Zamanan yesterday. He said that a convoy of one ambulance and seven trucks belonging to Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) would be carrying 140 tons of assistance traveling from Kuwait, across Saudi territories, and was expected to arrive in Sanaa in a few days.

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Vision of environmental care, sustainability

New system for waste disposal in Sharjah

‘Dusting’ of cars banned in Saudi JEDDAH: The Kingdom’s Ministry of Interior has banned the spraying or “dusting” of cars with a pale khaki sand color as they could be mistaken for army vehicles.

“It has been noticed that a colored type of car spray, which comes in various colors and protects car paint from sand particles, is being openly sold at car accessories’ shops.

This spray poses a security hazard because it can be used to make ordinary cars look like official army vehicles. It is also in violation of traffic regulations,” the ministry said in a circular sent to government departments.

The ministry said it had brought the issue to the attention of the minister of commerce and industry with a view of banning the sale of the spray but he said that the spray was not specifically for “dusting” cars.

According to the circular, the director of general security discussed the issue with a

number of specialists and they agreed to ban the use of the spray as it makes cars look like military vehicles. “The spray will only be allowed if its color is that of the car itself and not purposefully applied to make the car look different,” the circular said. It added that stickers of the same color should also not be used.

Dusting - a process of smearing cars with a paint-protecting coating - is something that is particular to this part of the world and can be done in various ways. It is especially done by people who drive long distances to prevent sand from ruining a car’s paint finish.

Traditionally undertaken at car body shops, “dusting” has lately taken different dimensions and become common among street racers who often coat their cars in funky colors to make them stand out. Faisal Al-Minhali, a young Saudi who owns shops

that sell car sprays, said dusting spray does not ruin a car’s paintwork and can easily be removed with water.

“The dusting of the hood and front lights will protect the car,” he said, adding that dusting the front of cars cost SR30 and dusting them fully costs 100 Saudi rials.

Nasser Al-Saufi, who works in a car paint shop, said the phenomenon of spraying cars with a dusty color is not only limited to the Kingdom but has spread all over the Arab Gulf region. “Young men spray their cars to protect them against dust and small sand particles. This will not affect the original color of the car and can be removed easily,” he said. Khaled Al-Zahrani, a young Saudi, believes that dusting makes cars look more beautiful especially if it is done in moderate amounts. “I do not understand why the ministry would ban dusting which is actually very beautiful,” he said.

Stage set for special education conference

KUWAIT: Khalid Al-Ali and Munai Al-Taqi presenting the FIFA World Cup branded game program to KU students

NBK continues with financial literacy campaign at KU KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait, the leading bank in Kuwait and the highest rated in the Middle East, continues with its recently launched Financial Literacy Campaign by visiting Kuwait University in cooperation with VISA International.

NBK Assistant General Manager Consumer Banking Group; Khalid Al-Ali and NBK Branch Manager of Kuwait University; Munai Al-Taqi received hundreds of university students at NBK Branch and presented them with a FIFA World Cup branded DVD game. The game is designed to educate youngsters on money management issues ranging from things such as preparing a budget, spending responsibly and using credit cards wisely.

The DVD game which is available in both Arabic and English, challenges players to answer

fast paced questions on money management; correct answers enable virtual football players to successfully pass the ball down the pitch; with a final question for a shot at goal, if its correct the player scores a GOAL!!! Players compete both locally and internationally against other players.

NBK Assistant General Manager, Consumer Banking Group Khalid Al-Ali said that: “educating Kuwait’s youth on money management is very important to all at NBK and is in line with our ongoing social responsibility program which is intended to benefit Kuwaiti society.

This is fun way in which young people can learn about managing their personal finances, and we are pleased to work hand in hand with Visa on this initiative. To play; visit our website www.nbk.com”.

KUWAIT: Kuwait University’s College of Education is poised to hold a conference on special education today under the auspices of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The conference will mainly focus on how to train teachers to assist children with minor and moderate disabilities, said Dean of the College of Education and Head of the Organizing Committee Abdulrahman Al-Ahmad in a press release yesterday.

His Highness the Amir’s support for, and sponsorship of, the gathering unequivocally showcase his appreciation of the role of education in the serving of pressing social and educational issues in the country, he said.

Stressing the importance of qualifying efficient teachers for this category of people with special needs, AlAhmad boasted that Kuwait enjoys a great history in catering for the disabled by means of enacting relevant distinguished laws and providing governmental support for this group.

“We are agreed that our state officials have proved repeatedly that the state spares no effort or support for the sake of the disabled with a view to integrating them in diverse social and educational institutions,” he added.

Effective education is a core request for providing high-profile services to people with special needs, he remarked.

In this context, he highly appreciated the role of universities and institutes as know-how agencies for offering technical backing to ambitious national projects purposed to include the disabled into society.

The conference on special education will attract scholars and specialists from 16 Arab and foreign countries. —KUNA

SHARJAH: The UAE needs an integrated solution to the problem that not only involves modern methods of collection, disposal and recycling but also includes reduction of waste. Sharjah’s Tandeef seems a right step forward towards achieving the goal. A sophisticated waste management system, Tandeef is an initiative

of the Sharjah government devised to take care of the problem of managing waste in a modern and efficient way. Launched in January 2010, the eco-friendly system involves collecting garbage, vacuuming, beautification and recycling via its huge fleet of hi-tech mobile machines.

The Sharjah Municipality, which was earlier carrying out the waste management operations in the emirate, signed a cooperation agreement with Bee’ah last year - a public-private undertaking to the effect that the latter will gradually take care all of Sharjah’s beautification, waste-management and recycling works.

Part of Sharjah’s larger vision of environmental care and sustainability, the system initially covered only one sector of Sharjah and gradually moved on to newer areas.

The service is currently operational in more than half of the city and will complete its sweep across Sharjah in the next few months. The Tandeef Fleet consists of 34 vacuum machines, 24 sweepers, 34 Tractor and trailer units, One fleet support unit and 1,500 three-stream trash bins.

“We have taken over three sectors within Sharjah, with the fourth and fifth to follow within the next few weeks. In the next five months, we hope to carry our operations all over the city,” said George Yanos, Director - Tandeef Operations at Bee’ah.

“Tandeef is committed to providing waste management and city beautification services that will help the advancement of Sharjah as well as the well-being and health of its community. Our systems are environmentally sound, technologically advanced and of world class quality and we are helping to deliver Sharjah’s vision to lead the region in environmental care and sustainability,” added Yanos, who joined Bee’ah after taking care of Toronto city’s waste-management for several years.

Employing 1,500 highly trained staff and unique

It helps drivers find out the best routes and nearest garbage dumps.

As part of the same strategy, the system sees to it that no cleaning and vacuuming vehicle travels all the way to the landfill from different sectors, but dumps the waste at a transfer centre specifically built for the purpose.

“Initially we were concentrating on a smooth transition of manpower and equipment for each sector. The new transfer station we have built in Industrial area No.12 has been a key factor to our new operations in many ways,” said Yanos.

Elaborating on the operation Yanos added, “We are using a high volume tractor trailer to reduce the amount of trips to the landfill by carrying more weight. This transfer station also allows us to sort recyclable material without shipping it as waste.”

The three-stream pedestrian recycling bins that have

machinery, the service, apart from tackling huge amounts of hazardous industrial waste, has the capacity to collect, dispose of and recycle 600,000 tonnes of non-hazardous municipal waste annually.

In the first three months of its operation, Tandeef collected a total of 26,000 tonnes of waste, gradually increasing from 4,000 tonnes in January to 14,000 tonnes in March.

The fleet includes a range of highly sophisticated and purpose-built vehicles such as: refuse collection, line-haul long-range transports, large street sweepers, mini street sweepers and vacuuming machines in addition to two stream collection vehicles for waste and recycling.

With its focus on improving the efficiency and cutting down on cost and emissions, all the vehicles have been fitted with GPS vehicle tracking system and computerised route-optimisation systems.

recently become a common sight on Sharjah streets are also part of the integrated system. Launched in 2007 by Bee’ah, the number of these pedestrian centres has grown from a humble 52 to an impressive 1,500. Plans are underway to further increase the number and use them for a purpose other than just dumping waste. The waste management company will soon use the space for corporate advertisement with a message of environmental sustainability.

Tandeef will also take over the waste recycling facilities in Sharjah. The emirate’s main dump-yard, Al Saja’a, one of the largest in world, receives 20,000 tons of waste daily, with an increase of 14 per cent every month. Al Saja’a, which has a capacity of approximately 25 million cubic meters, is being equipped with modern recycling facilities to step up with the activities of Tandeef.

Gulf women’s empowerment not enough yet: GCC chief

KUWAIT: Al-Klaib talks at the seminar.

KUWAIT: A group photo of the staff members who will be performing umrah.

NBK to hold umrah trip KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait will hold an umrah trip for its staff and their families for the tenth consecutive year.

Staff relations supervisor at

the NBK, Rula Dallah, explained that more than 70 employees will take part in this trip, which comes as part of the bank’s social activities.

As part of the preparations

for the trip, the NBK held a seminar carried out by Sheikh Fawaz Al-Klaib, the Imam of Ibn Taimiya mosque in AlShamiya, who talked about the details of the umrah trip.

RIYADH: GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman AlAttiyah said here yesterday Gulf women’s representation in leading posts is still below ambitions and does not match their scientific and practical achievements.

Addressing the inaugural session of a seminar on ‘The role of women in the development process in the GCC member states’, which kicked off here this morning, he said that the women have proved capable of shouldering their responsibilities as partners in the march of national development.

“Despite the remarkable achievements attained as regards enabling women to play their role as effective partners in the development process with its comprehensive concept, we have to admit that the way is still so long,” he said.

“The representation of women in the key posts is still below our ambitions and does not conform to the big strides that have been made by women in the scientific and practical domains,” he added.

The GCC chief went on to say the current tireless efforts to enable women to effectively participate in the development process are viewed as a major pillar for the modernization of the GCC communities.

The women who enjoy their full rights are capable of positively contributing to the development of the community, and that’s why the GCC member states have enacted laws and legislations for the involvement of women in the development process, he pointed out. —KUNA

Sunday, April 11, 2010

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Fraud warnings intensify as Sudan set for elections Activists warn of widespread irregularities KHARTOUM: Activists warned yesterday on the eve of Sudan’s historic elections of widespread misdeeds threatening to mar a vote that had been hoped would give Sudan new democratic legitimacy and help end decades of conflict. “Violations of human rights - particularly restrictions on freedom of assembly and freedom of the press - are threatening

GULF OF ADEN: This photo released by the US Navy shows the burnt hull of a suspected pirate skiff drifting near the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia. A US naval vessel on an interdiction mission came under fire from pirates before capturing them, the US Fifth Fleet said. —AFP

US warship comes under pirate fire in Gulf of Aden Pirates abandon Turkish-flagged ship off Kenya MANAMA: A US naval vessel on an interdiction mission in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia came under fire from pirates yesterday before capturing them, the US Fifth Fleet said. The assault landing craft USS Ashland was hit on its port side by light arms fire by six suspected pirates in a skiff, the Bahrain-based command said in a statement. The warship returned fire and succeeded in capturing the assailants without sustaining casualties or serious damage, the statement added. US vessels have now captured 21 pirates in waters off Somalia in the past 10 days, according to navy figures.

Meanwhile, pirates have abandoned a Turkishflagged bulk carrier they hijacked while it was en route to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, leaving its crew of 25 unharmed, the head of a regional maritime body said yesterday. Yasin C was seized on Wednesday 250 miles east of Mombasa. “Yasin C was abandoned yesterday. The pirates abandoned it, and I think the crew will seek aid from the navy before coming to Mombasa,” Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance

Programme told Reuters. “All the 25 crew were unharmed.” He said the vessel is yet to arrive in Mombasa.

Fatih Kabal, a spokesman for Bergen Shipping which operated the ship, told Turkey’s state-run news agency Anatolian the 22,353 tonnes vessel had been retrieved. The ship had been on its way from the Black sea to Kenya. “The ship’s captain gave the good news that the pirates had abandoned the ship,” Kabal said. The crew had locked themselves in the engine room until they realised the pirates had gone. Over the last few years sea gangs have seized dozens of ships in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. Despite international naval patrols, pirate activity is expected to increase in coming months as the weather improves. Mwangura did not say why the pirates abandoned the Turkish vessel. This can happen if ships develop mechanical problems or run out of fuel. On Sunday, Somali pirates seized a South Korean oil tanker, the 300,000-ton Samho Dream, as it sailed to the United States from Iraq. The ship is now in Somali waters. —Agencies

2inmates escape; Iran jail attacked Tehran hangs 5 drug traffickers TEHRAN: Two murder convicts escaped after a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a jail in southwest Iran yesterday, wounding up to 19 people, media reported. A third inmate who managed to break out after the blast at the central prison in the city of Ilam was quickly recaptured, police colonel Aziz Abdi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr News Agency. Three prison guards were among the wounded in the incident in a region bordering Iraq, Mehr added.

“The culprits, who used getaway cars to escape from the scene of the incident, are at large now and the police are after them,” the official IRNA news agency quoted provincial Governor Nourollah Arjomandi as saying. Arjomandi said the blast was caused by a rocket-propelled grenade aimed at one of the prison’s walls, but that there were no deaths, IRNA said. “The explosion caused damage to the residential units around and broke window panes within a radius of 500 meters and a number of cars were damaged,” Arjomandi said.

State television said the suspected motive of the blast was to free a number of prisoners and that at least five people were wounded. They received medical care but were later allowed to leave hospital. Mehr put the number of wounded at 19. English-language Press TV said on its website: “Security officials later reported that two of the prison inmates, who were serving time for murder, managed to escape in the turmoil.”

Murder is a crime punishable by death in the Islamic Republic. Ilam, which is also the name of the province, is a mountainous region bordering Iraq, and home to tribal people as well as ethnic Kurds. In another development, Iran has hanged five people convicted of drug trafficking, Mehr news agency reported yesterday. None of the people sent to the gallows yesterday at a prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad were identified in the report. The latest hangings bring to at least 35 the number of people executed in Iran so far this year, according to an AFP count based on news reports. — Agencies

Abu Ghraib unit to return to Iraq HAGERSTOWN: The Army Reserve unit tarnished by the Abu Ghraib detainee-abuse scandal has been mobilized to return to Iraq in its first deployment since photographs of naked, humiliated prisoners surfaced more than six years ago, the Army said. The 372nd Military Police Company of Cresaptown will leave April 29 for one to three months of training at Fort Bliss, Texas, followed by a planned deployment to Iraq, said Sgt Darius Kirkwood, a spokesman for the 200th Military Police Command at Fort Meade. Few members of the unit remain from when the detainee photographs were taken, due to normal turnover, he said.

Kirkwood said the group’s final destination could change, depending on the military’s needs. The 130 to 170 MPs could be assigned to guard or transport prisoners, provide security for an installation or convoy, or perform general police functions, Kirkwood said. He dismissed questions about whether the 372nd’s return to Iraq could provoke a hostile response. Militants there have used Abu Ghraib photographs to incite anti-American sentiment.

“I think that if that were a big enough concern, if anyone would think that was that big of an issue, this unit would not be deploying as it is,” he said. The unit became internationally known in 2004 when seven enlisted members were charged in connection with the mistreatment of detainees at the prison near Baghdad. All were convicted and six served prison time. Four other low-ranking soldiers from outside the 372nd also were convicted of abusing Abu Ghraib prisoners. Kirkwood said neither the other members of the unit at the time, nor its current roster should be judged by the crimes of a few.

“The unit itself, I would think, was not the problem, but perhaps the activities of several individuals,” Kirkwood said. “I have no reason to believe we’re not 100 percent confident in this unit.”

Since returning from Iraq in 2004, the 372nd has functioned as a stateside reserve unit with members performing part-time duties that included assisting a Haitian hurricane-relief effort in 2005.

Kenneth A. Davis, a former unit member who wasn’t charged in the scandal, said the reconstituted 372nd marks a new beginning.— AP

Much is at stake in the country’s first multi-party vote in a quarter-century, as Sudan struggles to find stability after decades of internal violence, combats deep poverty and seeks to re-establish itself as a credible player on the world stage. Yet the three-day polls are widely expected to cement the power of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who in 2009, 20 years after taking power in a coup, became the first sitting world leader to be indicted by the International Criminal Court, for allegedly plotting war crimes in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

Bashir has promised the elections, which begin today, will be “free and fair”. His party officials criticise the opposition, much of which has pulled out of the poll, saying it is trying to cover up its inability to win votes.

He had hoped credible elections, in which voters will select a new president, a leader of the largely autonomous southern region, parliaments, and leaders of 25 states, would enhance his world standing as he defies the ICC ruling.

That looks less likely after leading parties’ last-minute withdrawal, including the powerful Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), over allegations that Bashir has manipulated voter rolls and packing the electoral commission with loyalists.

The government denies all such charges. “These elections were born not as something that could strengthen democracy,” Yasir Arman, the SPLM candidate who had been Bashir’s chief rival, said at a news conference on Friday in which he and other boycotting politicians levelled a long list of fraud charges against Bashir’s government.

“We can say that these elections will be still-born,” he said. As the elections draw near, such analysis is becoming more widespread. On Friday, the Obama administration said conditions in Sudan, including UN reports of restrictions on free speech and association, harassment of the press and limits on access to polling stations, particularly in Darfur, were “disturbing”.

Contradicting comments by its Sudan envoy in Khartoum, it said it would consider supporting a brief delay to the elections - even though Sudanese election officials have repeatedly said this is out of the question.

The European Union has pulled its observers out of Darfur, where the United Nations estimates 300,000 people have died since 2003 in a humanitarian crisis that has

prospects for a free, fair and credible vote across Sudan,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa Director of Human Rights Watch. “Sudanese authorities are clearly failing to uphold international standards,” said Gagnon, one of a broad group of international activists who warned of renewed violence.

KHARTOUM: A combo shows portraits of the eight candidates running in the Sudanese presidential election which starts today. (From top left to right): Sudan’s Incumbent President Omar Al-Bashir, Hatim Al-Sir, a candidate for the Democratic Unionist Party, Abdullah Deng Nial of the Popular Congress Party, Abdelaziz Khaled of the National Sudanese Alliance, Fatima Abdelmahmud, the first ever female presidential candidate, Munir Sheikh ad-Din, of the leftwing new democratic forces, and independent candidates Kamel Idriss and Mahmud Ahmed Juha. — AFP been labelled genocide by Washington. Arman called on the Carter Center, which has sent observers, including former US President Jimmy Carter, across Sudan, to do the same.

Opposition politicians have joined external activists in warning that human rights violations could worsen if the elec-

tions begin as planned on April 11. “If elections are to take place in such compromised environment, conflicts about the legitimacy of the results might spark violence,” the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies said in a statement.

Polarization ahead of the polls may bode poorly for

longevity of the 2005 peace deal that ended a Sudan’s long north-south civil war.

A key part of the deal is a referendum, planned for January 2011, which would give voters in south Sudan the chance to decide if they desire independence.

If the referendum is delayed, the south could secede

anyway and risk destabilizing the rest of east Africa. “The reelection of Mr Bashir is going to deepen the governance crisis of the country and it is going to threaten the unity of the country,” said Mubarak Al-Fadil, leader of the opposition Umma Reform and Renewal breakaway party, also boycotting the vote. —Reuters

Rights group pushes for Gaza war probe JERUSALEM: Human Rights Watch yesterday urged the international community to demand accountability from both Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas for “serious violations” during the Gaza war.

Israel’s probes to date of the 22-day offensive it launched in December 2008 have fallen well short of international standards, while Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers have conducted no credible investigation at all, HRW said in a report.

“A failure by governments to demand accountability for serious violations during the Gaza war will also reveal a double-standard in international concern for justice,” the New York-based group said.

“Governments that tolerate impunity in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict weaken their calls for accountability in places such as Sri Lanka, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” HRW said in the report, entitled “Turning a blind eye.” “Ultimately, if domestic investigations in Israel and Gaza fail, then international prosecutions present the only chance for civilian victims of the armed conflict to obtain justice,” it said.

A UN report published in September

accused both sides of war crimes during the offensive which Israel launched in a bid to halt rocket attacks by Gaza militants. Some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the conflict. The UN General Assembly has called on Israel and Palestinian armed groups to conduct impartial investigations. Israeli military authorities have convicted one soldier for crimes committed in Gaza-for stealing a credit card from a Palestinian-HRW said.

The Israeli media said at the start of February that the army has also reprimanded two senior officers for the firing of shells, which contained white phosphorus, in a populated area near a UN compound during the Gaza war. HRW noted that two more soldiers are on trial for ordering a Palestinian boy to open bags they feared might be rigged with explosives. Of the roughly 150 incidents the Israeli military said it has investigated, about 120 were limited to “operational debriefings” based on testimony from the soldiers involved but not from witnesses or victims, the rights group said.

Israel has also failed to conduct credible

probes of policies that may have led to violations of the laws of war, including targeting police and firing heavy artillery and white phosphorus munitions in populated areas, it said. In Gaza, Hamas has not punished anyone for the hundreds of “deliberate or indiscriminate rocket attacks into Israeli population centers, which killed three Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more.” “Cases of killings and torture by Hamas security forces against suspected collaborators and political rivals in Gaza have also gone unpunished,” the report said.

In January, HRW said that “Hamas’s claim that rockets were intended to hit Israeli military targets and only accidentally harmed civilians is belied by the facts.”

Israel, meanwhile, insists its military investigations are up to the highest international standards and says that it found no evidence soldiers deliberately attacked civilians during the Gaza war. In January, Israel admitted in a report delivered to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that its troops committed several fatal errors in judgment but no violations of international law. — AP

INTERNATIONAL

8

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Polish leader’s plane lies mangled in ‘forest of death’ SMOLENSK: The red and white tail fin caked with mud stood out like a beacon in the grey, fog-smothered forest in western Russia where polish President Lech Kaczynski’s plane crashed yesterday.

Painted the colors of Poland’s flag, it was an eerie reminder of another tragedy-the massacre of 22,000 Polish officers and other elites by Soviet secret police in 1940 that Kaczynski was travelling to commemorate.

Emergency workers and officials milled about the swampy fields strewn with debris but with no other sign of life amid the wreckage. One wing stood almost perpendicular among broken trees, the landing gear

turned on one side, while other large chunks of the plane-a redpainted engine and charred pieces of the fuselage-were ripped apart in the crash.

Many parts of the plane were still in flames as firefighters trampled through mud and woods to the site of the disaster, their trucks parked on the nearby runways of Smolensk airport.

Television footage showed firefighters struggling to tackle the fires, dragging hoses through the wreckage. Authorities cordoned off the fields around the crash site, an AFP reporter saw, and were waiting for larger salvage crews to arrive.

Over two dozen grey-faced and rattled Polish journalists,

who had come to the area for the anniversary of the 1940 massacre in Katyn forest, stood grimly in the parking lot outside the sealed-off airport.

Smolensk airport officials who had been awaiting Kaczynski’s arrival since early morning said his plane had circled several times in the low visibility. It had tried to land three times before skimming the treetops and crashing sideways on its fourth descent, eyewitnesses said. Due to thick fog overhanging the region, another plane scheduled to land earlier in the day had turned back, though a third touched down without incident in the morning, officials said.

Emergency workers were cutting down trees around the airport to allow vehicles to pass and clearing roads leading off the runway which were littered with refuse from the crash.

Body bags were brought to the scene, rescuers said, adding they would soon begin retrieving the victims’ remains.

Authorities have said 96 people were on the plane including many top Polish military commanders.

The Katyn forest near the crash site has become known as the “forest of death” because of the 1940 massacre of Polish officers and other members of the country’s elite captured when Soviet forces invaded eastern

Poland.

The massacre, which the Soviet Union long blamed on the Nazis, has been a long-standing sore point in Russian-Polish relations. Intellectuals, policemen and other public servants were killed by Joseph Stalin’s NKVD in the massacre, though most victims were officers. On Wednesday the Russian and Polish prime ministers, Vladimir Putin and Donald Tusk, had honored the murdered Poles in an unprecedented joint ceremony in the Katyn Forest. Kaczynski, a frequent critic of both Russia and Tusk, was not invited to the ceremony but made it clear he wanted to pay his own tribute. — AFP

Kyrgyzstan buries its dead amid tensions US halts troop flights ATA-BEIIT: Kyrgyzstan yesterday buried several of those killed in the overthrow of the government, while security concerns prompted the US military to halt troop flights from its base in the Central Asian state. Up to 10,000 mourners gathered on the edge of the burned-out Kyrgyz capital at a mass

funeral to commemorate at least 78 people who died in protests this week during which troops fired on crowds besieging the presidential headquarters.

“Those who died on April 7 are the heroes of Kyrgyzstan,” Roza Otunbayeva, the interim government chief, told the crowd.

BISHKEK: Kyrgyz people mourn revolt victims on Central Square in Bishkek. —AP

Britain’s Labor clashes with Conservatives over marriage Opposition seeks support of married couples LONDON: Britain’s ruling Labor Party yesterday poured scorn on an opposition Conservative election pledge to impose a new levy on banks’ borrowing to pay for a tax break to reward couples who get married. The Conservatives, who have a small lead in the polls ahead of a May 6 election, said it would send a signal that they value marriage. Labor called it a political gesture that would penalize some families.

The proposal touches on the Conservatives’ central campaign pledge to fix what they describe as “Broken Britain”, a place of family breakdown, crime and welfare dependency.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, seeking an historic fourth consecutive election victory for his centre-left party, said the Conservatives would cut school budgets, tax breaks for middle class families and state-assisted child savings accounts. “I am a great believer in marriage,” Brown said. “But what this is giving a little with one hand and taking away a lot with another.”

Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper said the idea was “unfair, irresponsible (and) out of date”, while Britain’s third party, the Liberal Democrats, called it “patronizing drivel”.

At the end of the first week of the election campaign, a poll in the Daily Mail newspa-

per put the Conservatives in the lead on 37 percent, with Labor on 27 and the LibDems

on 22. That would give the Conservatives a slim 20-seat majority in the new 650-seat

LONDON: Leader of the Conservative party David Cameron plays a game of pool, at SPEAR, a centre that runs free interactive six week courses for 16-24 year olds who are serious about building a long term career, in Hammersmith. —AP

lower chamber, narrowly avoiding the markets’ fears of a “hung parliament”, where no one party has overall control. Most recent polls have pointed to an inconclusive victory. If elected, the centreright Conservatives said they would pay for the measure through a new levy on banks’ wholesale borrowing that would raise 1 billion pounds ($1.53 billion). Half would be used to cut government borrowing and the rest would go to married couples.

Basic rate taxpayers earning less than 44,000 pounds would receive 150 pounds a year, as long as their spouse doesn’t work.

“It is a very powerful signal that we do value marriage as a very important form of commitment,” Conservative universities and skills spokesman David Willetts told the BBC. The marriage plan moved the focus of the campaign away from Labor proposals to raise the payroll tax, a topic that has dominated the debate since Brown called the election on Tuesday. The parties are divided on how to reduce the record public deficit, forecast to exceed 11 percent of GDP in the 2010/11 fiscal year. The Conservatives are pushing for faster and deeper cuts in public spending. Labor says that would damage the fragile recovery from the worst recession since World War Two. — Reuters

“It was our duty to establish justice. Those who are being buried here today are all our children, the children of Kyrgyzstan.” Mourners carried coffins draped in the red-andyellow Kyrgyz national flag and clutched portraits of the dead at a memorial complex built in honor of the victims of mass executions ordered by Soviet leader Josef Stalin in the 1930s. Relatives lowered bodies into 16 graves lined in rows and joined hands in prayer, while mullahs chanted in Arabic.

Omurbek Tekebayev, a key figure in the provisional government, told the crowd: “Our people defeated the dictator.”

Mourners showed little sympathy for President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Kuat Niyazbekov said his brother had died in the uprising. “We don’t even know what really happened on the square, what his last minutes of life were like,” he said. “We can’t forgive a president like that.” The uprising in Kyrgyzstan, where a third of the 5.3 million population lives below the poverty line, forced the president to retreat to his stronghold in the south of the country and has raised doubts over the future of the US air base near Bishkek.

Bakiyev’s refusal to step down remains the main question as tenuous calm returned to the streets of Bishkek, still strewn with rubble and broken glass after days of violent clashes. Otunbayeva has offered Bakiyev safe passage out of Kyrgyzstan if he steps down.

His exact whereabouts are unclear. “We would really like to start negotiations. We will solve everything peacefully,” Keneshbek Dushebayev, head of the new state security service, told reporters.

All flights carrying troops from the Manas base, a vital cog in supplying NATO operations in Afghanistan, were suspended from Friday evening, a spokesman for the base said.

Troops are using alternative routes in and out of Afghanistan.

“While normal flight operations at Manas were resumed on Friday, a decision was taken Friday evening to temporarily divert military passenger transport flights,” the base’s spokesman, Rickardo Bodden said by telephone.

Another US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was a security-related decision made by the base commander on the ground.

CENTRAL TO WAR EFFORT Pentagon officials say Manas is central to the war effort against the Taleban, allowing around-theclock flights in and out of neighboring Afghanistan. About 50,000 troops passed through last month alone. Members of Kyrgyzstan’s self-proclaimed new leadership have said the US lease on the base could be shortened. Russia, which sees former Soviet Kyrgyzstan as part of its traditional sphere of interest, also has an air base in the country. A Russian official, who declined to be named, said on Thursday that the country should have only a Russian base.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became the first world leader to recognise the authority of the self-proclaimed government, just hours after it took power, raising suspicions that Moscow had played a role in the events. Otunbayeva has described Russia as a key ally and publicly thanked Putin for his support. — Reuters

SMOLENSK: A firefighter walks near some of the wreckage at the crash site where Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and some of the country’s most prominent military and civilian leaders died yesterday. —AP

Tears on the streets for Poland tragic president WARSAW: Thousands of people gathered in front of the Polish presidential palace in the hours after a plane crash killed head of state Lech Kaczynski.

Crowds left red and white roses and lit candles in front of the 200 year old building near Warsaw’s old town. Though Kaczynski was a divisive figure in his home country, many were in tears.

“It’s unreal. I still can’t believe it. I’m shocked,” said 32-year-old Katarzyna who joined the throngs outside the palace after hearing news of the plane crash in Poland which killed the president and many other top leaders. Poland’s central bank governor and armed forces chiefs of staff were also among the 96 people killed when the ageing Tupolev jet crashed in thick fog near the western Russian city of Smolensk.

Some of the mourning crowds gathered around a priest to pray, joined by officials from the president’s office. Flags outside the palace were at half mast, while thousands of Warsaw residents flew flags from their balconies. “I was in the market shopping when my son called me. My legs went numb. The people around me thought that I was going to faint,” said 78-year-old Janina Sebastinow. “It’s a huge loss that’s impossible to compensate. Those who died were decent people,” she added.

“It’s my heart that told me to come here, I simply had to come,” said 45-year-old translator Anna Ciostek, who came to the square with her daughter and mother. people spontaneously sent mobile

phone text messages asking friends to gather in Pilsudski Square, the traditional venue for large gatherings including Papal masses yesterday night. “We’ll meet in silence in Pilsudski Square at 8:30 pm. Let’s be together. Pass this SMS on,” one such message read. Everyone said the causes of the accident appeared suspicious. “We don’t know what exactly happened, and there are many people and countries who will benefit from the accident,” added Ciostek.

But conspiracy theories were pushed aside by the immediate grief. “All Poles must be together today regardless of their political views,” 50-yearold Jan Szczepanski said. “I didn’t support Lech Kaczynski, but it doesn’t matter today.” Poland’s top politicians were quick to send the same message of national unity. “The modern world has never experienced such a tragedy,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a brief statement.

“We are united in the face of this huge tragedy.

There is neither the right wing nor the left, there are neither divisions nor differences,” said Bronislaw Komorowski, speaker of the lower house of parliament who became interim head of state until an early presidential election is held.

The liberal Komorowski was expected to take on the conservative right-winger Kaczynski in an election, originally scheduled for October.

Komorowski has two weeks to fix the date of the election which must take place before the end of June. —AFP

UK’s Liberal Democrats could seal Brown’s fate LONDON: Britain’s uncertain national election may deliver a surprising twist: The country’s perennial third-placed party, the hitherto toothless Liberal Democrats, could play kingmaker. For the first time in nearly 40 years, polls suggest neither the governing Labor Party nor the main opposition Conservatives may win an outright parliamentary majority in the country’s May 6 election.

That would plunge Britain into a frantic round of political bartering not seen since 1974, creating a hung Parliament in which the Liberal Democrats will likely decide the fate of Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his main challenger, Conservative leader David Cameron. While traditionally aligned with Brown’s center-left Labor party, the Liberal Democrats look increasingly likely to side with the more dynamic Cameron - forming a pact that would oust Labor after 13 years in office.

Polls show Cameron’s Conservatives on course to take the largest number of the 650 seats in the House of Commons - but not enough to govern outright. That scenario would see the Tories trading pledges or jobs to gain backing from their rivals. Only with the support of others can a minority government win parliamentary votes and pass laws. For the first time since the 1920s, when their predecessor Liberal Party was a major force, an organization that has won only about 20 percent of British votes in recent national elections may finally come to the fore.

But, despite their potentially pivotal role, few Liberal Democrat stalwarts are relishing the prospect. Nick Clegg, the party’s affable 43-year-old leader, scoffs at talk of political alliances. It’s no time for “politicians to play footsie with each other,” he says. His highest profile colleague agrees. “We are not the kingmaker, it’s the people who are the kingmakers - it’s the people who decide the outcome, not us,” Vince Cable, the party’s former interim leader and hugely popular spokesman on economic affairs, told The Associated Press on a campaign stop in north London.

Cable, who has won praise for both his soothsaying on the financial crisis and his waltzing skills on British TV’s “Strictly Come Dancing,” insists the party’s focus is on increasing its tally of 63 House of Commons seats - not on any possible partnership with a rival. Their party, formed in a 1988 merger of two centrist groups, won a record number of seats at the 2005 election, when its popularity was boosted by its opposition of the Iraq war. It has recently signaled deep concerns over the rising death toll in Afghanistan.

Despite his protestations, Clegg has carefully hedged his party’s bets in this electoral race, saying his legislators could do business with anyone who supports policies to reform the voting system, rein in Britain’s banks and make sharp cuts to public spending. The fiscally conservative but socially liberal party has sided in the past with Labor - joining a brief pact in 1977 to shore up a faltering Labor government. Outside of wartime, it has never before allied with the Conservatives. But, as if to emphasize his power to help the Tories, Clegg taunted Brown on Wednesday during Parliament’s final prime minister’s questions before the election.

“It is over. It is time to go,” he goaded. Clegg and Cameron, also 43, already worked together last year on a joint campaign to secure British residency rights for the Gurkhas, the Nepalese soldiers who had served in the UK military for nearly two centuries.

Cable suggests the economy would be the decisive factor in any future deal, and while they disagree over some of the details, the Liberal Democrats appear closer on financial issues to Cameron’s Tories - who’ve promised a crisis budget aimed at quickly cutting Britain’s 167 billion pound deficit.

“We are not engaged in hypothetical scenarios about outcomes but what we do emphasize is that the big problem overhanging the British economy is financial stability,” Cable said. “There is a real worry about how we are going to manage this massive deficit.” Many Britons would favor Cable as the country’s Treasury chief - impressed that the former Royal Dutch Shell economist warned as early as 2003 of economic storms ahead.

Even if the Liberal Democrats struck a deal to support a minority Conservative government, it’s unlikely to be a formal coalition - meaning there won’t be a Cabinet seat for Clegg or Cable. Ivor Gaber, a political expert at London’s City University, said the third-ranked party is likely to demand policy concessions, not jobs, to support Cameron. “A coalition is very unlikely, but that does not mean that they would not come to an arrangement,” he said.

Simon Usherwood, a politics professor at the University of Surrey, said such an arrangement would probably be a loose alliance in which the Liberal Democrats pledge their votes to pass particular laws. Alix Mortimer, a party activist in Manchester, northern England, said for many Liberal Democrats the prospect of helping either the Tories or Labor form a government is deeply unappealing.

“It is slightly like being asked to choose between being burnt at the stake or chopped up into little bits,” she said. — AP

INTERNATIONAL

Sunday, April 11, 2010

9

Grim discovery raises mining death toll to 29 Four missing US miners found dead CIUDAD JUAREZ: The dead body of Ali Rene Paez, 24, lies on the crime scene where he and another man were killed by unknown gunmen in Ciudad Juarez, northern Mexico. — AP

Sinaloa cartel takes over Ciudad Juarez CIUDAD JUAREZ: After a two-year battle that has killed more than 5,000 people, Mexico’s most powerful kingpin now controls the coveted trafficking routes through Ciudad Juarez. That conclusion by US intelligence adds to evidence that Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s Sinaloa cartel is winning Mexico’s drug war. The assessment was made based on information from confidential informants with direct ties to Mexican drug gangs and other intelligence, said a US federal agent who sometimes works undercover, insisting on anonymity because of his role in ongoing drug investigations.

The agent said those sources have led US authorities to believe that the Sinaloa cartel has edged out the rival Juarez gang for control over trafficking routes through Ciudad Juarez, ground zero in the drug war. Other officials corroborated pieces of the assessment. Andrea Simmons, an FBI spokeswoman in El Paso, confirmed that the majority of drug loads arriving from Juarez now belong to Guzman. And Mexican Federal Police Chief Facundo Rosas said that while authorities are still working to confirm the US assessment, “These are valid theories.”

“If you control the city (Ciudad Juarez), you control the drugs,” the federal agent said. “And it appears to be Chapo.” The twin border cities of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, are a primary crossing point for drugs smuggled into the United States. Control of drug routes in Chihuahua, the state along New Mexico and West Texas where Juarez is located, is vital to Guzman’s efforts to grow his massive drug cartel’s operations. Already, the Sinaloa cartel is the world’s largest, and Guzman last year made Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s top billionaires.

His cartel moved in on the city in 2008 in an attempt to wrest it from the Juarez cartel led by Vicente Carrillo Fuentes. The fighting prompted Mexican President Felipe Calderon to send thousands of army troops to the city, but the fighting has killed more than 5,000 people, making Juarez one of the world’s deadliest cities. A Guzman victory may not immediately halt the gang warfare in Juarez’s streets. But those gangs “are fighting over crumbs.

They’re fighting over the retail sales in Juarez,” Ciudad Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said.

And the US agent warned that Carrillo Fuentes is unlikely to give up the fight entirely as long as he is alive and free. The Sinaloa cartel has grown steadily more powerful since Guzman escaped from a

Mexican federal prison a decade ago by hiding in a laundry truck, even as successive Mexican governments - including that of Calderon - have faced accusations that they have not pursued the Sinaloa cartel as aggressively as other gangs.

“We’ve certainly seen them get stronger,” said a US law enforcement official in Mexico, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security reasons.

The Sinaloa cartel is “the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world.” Several of Guzman’s rival kingpins have been taken down by President Felipe Calderon’s intensified, military-led crackdown on drug trafficking, including Arturo Beltran Leyva, who was killed in a shootout with Mexican marines in December, a year after his gang is believed to have split with the Sinaloa cartel.

The Sinaloa cartel has been steadily moving in on the lucrative smuggling routes into the United States, which consumes more drugs than any other country. Most recently, officials and experts believe the cartel is trying to take over of a series of small farming towns east of Juarez. The towns, across the Rio Grande from the Texas farming towns of Fabens and Fort Hancock, had long been under the control of the Juarez cartel and were historically used as staging areas for drug smugglers. But the arrests or killings of local smugglers have left it vulnerable to attacks by Sinaloa leaders.

In Ciudad Juarez itself, the majority of drug suspects in jail belong to gangs allied with the Juarez cartel. Since August, more than 50 Juarez cartel allies have been arrested in the city, compared to only 18 suspects tied to Guzman’s organization. The Juarezaligned Azteca and La Linea gangs are struggling to maintain their traditional dominance of the city as they fend off constant assaults from the Sinaloaaligned Killer Artists and Mexicles gangs and from Mexican law enforcement.

“The onslaught against the Juarez cartel has been very brutal, not only by the Chapo Guzman cartel but also the military,” said Tony Payan, an expert on the Juarez drug war at the University of Texas-El Paso.

“I don’t think by any means the Juarez cartel is done, but it’s a shadow of its former self.” Payan said much of the recent violence in Juarez can be attributed to Guzman’s men killing off Carrillo loyalists, including “stragglers” who have so far evaded them and continue to deal drugs on Juarez streets. “The killings, they are mostly small retail people,” Payan said. “I think they are Aztecas, falling like flies all over the city.” — AP

For Washington, a delicate balance on India, Pakistan WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s drive to build relations with both India and Pakistan faces a delicate test as leaders of the nuclear-armed rivals come to Washington for a major security summit.

Obama is expected to meet Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh of India and Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan within hours of each other today, on the eve of a 47-nation summit on improving nuclear security.

But no meeting has been scheduled between Singh and Gilani. The two nations cautiously resumed talks in February which had been cut off after the deadly Mumbai assault in 2008. Robert Blake, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia, said that the “pace, scope and character of relations” between India and Pakistan was up to the two countries. But he added: “The United States hopes that India and Pakistan can improve relations between two friends of the United States.”

Obama invited Singh in November for the first state dinner of his presidency, an honor meant to push forward a decade-old drive to transform the world’s two largest democracies into partners. The Obama administration has at the same time welcomed Pakistani actions against Islamic extremists and tried to curb widespread anti-Americanism in the

country by seeking cooperation on issues beyond Afghanistan. At a first-of-a-kind strategic dialogue with the United States last month, Pakistan presented one item on its wish-list: a US role in Kashmir, the divided Himalayan territory at the heart of two wars with India. The United States has publicly ruled out mediation over Kashmir, which India considers a domestic issue. But some supporters of India have worried the Obama administration may put subtle pressure on New Delhi. Edward Burrier, an adviser to Republican Congressman Ed Royce, said that the United States should devote its energy to fighting Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Islamist movement blamed for the Mumbai bloodbath. “I’m sympathetic to the view that to reduce troop tensions on the India-Pakistan border, you can’t leave Kashmir hanging out there forever,” Burrier said. “But it seems the best way to reduce tensions between the two is pressing on Pakistan to permanently arrest the LeT’s leadership and to crack down on the organization, not lean on New Delhi,” Burrier said. Blake said he encouraged Pakistan to crack down on Lashkar-eTaiba during a visit in March, while praising the government’s actions against Islamic militants elsewhere.— AFP

WASHINGTON: Four US miners missing after a deadly blast at a West Virginia coal mine have been found dead, bringing to a tragic conclusion a nearly weeklong search for survivors, local officials announced early yesterday. “We did not The blast at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia, which is run by Massey Energy, is considered the worst US coal mine accident in nearly 40 years. In 1970, an explosion killed 38 workers at Finley Coal Company in Hyden, Kentucky. Two other tragedies shook the West Virginia mining community in 2006 - an explosion that killed 12 miners at the Sago mine and a fire that killed two people at the Aracoma Alma coal mine. On Friday, dangerous conditions forced rescuers to suspend their desperate search for the four missing men, but it resumed after the shafts had been ventilated.

Before the miners’ bodies were discovered, President Barack Obama said he had asked the labor secretary and other officials in his administration to report next week on the tragedy “so that we can take the steps necessary to prevent such accidents in the future.”

In an emotional account, the president described speaking Wednesday to surviving members of a family that lost three relatives in the mine near the town of Montcoal. Two other members of the same family were in the mine but managed to escape.

One of those who perished, a 25-year-old, had written to his girlfriend and daughter on the morning ahead of the accident that “‘if anything happens to me, I’ll be looking down from heaven at you all,’” Obama recounted. The victim’s mother said: “‘It is just West Virginia.

When something bad happens, we come together.’ When something bad happens, we come together,” he added.

“Through tragedy and heartache, that’s the spirit that has sustained this community, and this country, for over 200 years,” Obama said.

He then quoted a psalm from the Bible, saying its words were “particularly poignant right now. Those words read: ‘You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.’” Obama described mining as a way of life with a “long and proud history” in West Virginia, one of the poorest states in the United States, but he said more needed to be done to guard against similar accidents. “The jobs they do in these mines help bring heat and electricity to millions of Americans,” Obama said. “It’s a profession that’s not without risks and danger, and the workers and their families know that.” Federal prosecutors have brought two criminal complaints for safety violations at other mines run by Massey Energy, one of the biggest mining concerns in the United States and the largest in Appalachia. Massey has been hit with dozens of safety violations over the years, including 57 citations in the month of March, and paid out 4.2 million dollars in criminal and civil fines last year.

Still, company officials insist they have an above average safety record. — AFP

Political battle looms as Justice Stevens retires WASHINGTON: The US capital yesterday faced another tough political battle after venerable US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement from the bench. President Barack Obama vowed to quickly name a replacement for Stevens, the court’s liberal standard-bearer, and said he would select an advocate for “ordinary” Americans, in comments which put his conservative foes on alert.

Stevens, who will shortly turn 90, joined the bench amid the traumatic fallout of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, and will depart after 34 years, with bitter partisanship once again tearing at the fabric of US politics. A president can influence American life for years after he leaves office, with the lifetime appointment of a Supreme Court justice. Stevens’s departure, however, is unlikely to change the current court’s conservative leaning.

The announcement was widely anticipated, and the White House has been quietly sifting possible replacements. Obama’s political foes have also built ammunition for what will be a

brutal political struggle over his nominee. “I shall retire from regular active service as an associate justice... effective the next day after the court rises for the summer recess this year,” the soft-spoken Stevens wrote in a letter to Obama.

He said he took the decision so a successor could be in place before the court, which adjudicates the thorniest legal, political and constitutional questions, begins its fall term in October. Obama, who learned of Stevens’s decision while flying home from Prague aboard Air Force One, lauded the Chicago-born judge as an “impartial guardian of the law” who had worn his robes with honor and humility.

Setting the parameters of the confirmation fight, Obama said he would seek someone with “similar qualities” as Stevens-”an independent mind, a record of excellence and integrity, a fierce dedication to the rule of law.”

Obama pledged to choose a candidate who understood how “the law affects the daily lives of the American people. “It will also be someone who, like Justice Stevens, knows that in a

democracy, powerful interests must not be allowed to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens.” Conservatives accuse judges of the type seemingly favored by Obama of being “activists” who are more keen to “legislate from the bench” than confining their rulings to a strict interpretation of the US Constitution.

“Even if Justice Stevens’s liberalism has led to many decisions I oppose, I respect his devotion to the institution and the gentlemanly manner in which he always carried out his work,” said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. “Americans can expect Senate Republicans to make a sustained and vigorous case for judicial restraint and the fundamental importance of an even-handed reading of the law,” McConnell said, hinting at a tough confirmation struggle. The New York Times, a lib-

eral newspaper, noted that Justice Stevens “has been an eloquent voice for civil liberties, equal rights and fairness” and argued, in an editorial, that “Obama should fill his seat with someone equally committed to these principles.” — AFP

receive the miracle we prayed for,” West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin told reporters. “This journey has ended and now the healing will start.” The grim discovery brought the total death toll from Monday’s explosion to 29.

Havana ‘do not want’ normal ties with US

BECKLEY: Friends and family grieve during a viewing for deceased coal miner Carl Acord, 52 at Melton Mortuary, in Beckley, W.Va. Acord was killed during a mine explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal. — AP

WASHINGTON: Cuba’s leadership does not want to normalize ties with Washington because they would “lose their excuses” for the country’s economic stagnation, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday. The United States maintains a decades-old trade embargo on the Americas’ only one-party Communist regime, but President Barack Obama took office last year offering to improve ties if President Raul Castro improved human rights.

Clinton however blamed Castro and his brother Fidel-Cuba’s leader from 1959 to 2008 - for undermining Washington’s bid to improve relations.

Despite US efforts to “enhance cooperation,” Clinton said that the Castro brothers “do not want to see an end to the embargo and do not want to see normalization with the United States because they would then lose all their excuses for what hasn’t happened in Cuba in the last 50 years,” Clinton said. “I find that very sad, because there should be an opportunity for a transition” to democracy in Cuba,” said Clinton, who was answering a student’s question during a visit to the University of Louisville in the state of Kentucky.

“The people of Cuba should have democratically elected leaders and a chance to chart their own future. But unfortunately, I don’t see that happening while the Castros are still in charge,” the top US diplomat said. Raul Castro officially became president in 2008 after his older brother was sidelined with serious health problems. However Fidel, now 83, remains enormously influential in Cuban affairs.

Clinton also noted what she said was a growing acknowledgment from the international community that Havana was cracking down on human rights.

“For the first time, a lot of countries that had done nothing but berate the United States for our failure to be more open to Cuba have now started criticizing Cuba because they let people die,” she said. “Many in the world are now seeing what we have seen for a long time, which is a very intransigent, entrenched regime that has stifled the opportunity for the Cuban people.” A leading political prisoner, Orlando Zapata, died in hospital February 23 after 85 days into a hunger strike protesting Cuban prison conditions.

Two other Cuban dissidents-cyber journalist Guillermo Farinas and doctor Darsi Ferrer-are currently engaged in hunger strikes demanding

INTERNATIONAL

10

N Korea threatens to stop border crossing Anti-Pyongyang leaflets anger Pyongyang SEOUL: North Korea’s military yesterday threatened to bar South Koreans from crossing into the North in protest against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent from the South. It said it would examine whether to continue abiding by an agreement to provide a military guarantee for the passage of personnel through the buffer zone dividing the two Koreas.

“The KPA (Korean People’s Army) will take corresponding decisive measures soon unless the South side takes an understandable measure for discontinuing the despicable psychological smear campaign,” it said.

The North’s military has “repeatedly and strongly” urged Seoul to discontinue the anti-North Korea campaign, it said in a notice sent to the South’s military and carried by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency.

It denounced the South for “massively scattering leaflets defiling the DPRK’s (North Korea’s) ideology and system and videos of indecent property and even DVDs showing the decadent bourgeois life.”

“Such foolish act is a wanton violation and blatant challenge to the agreement reached between the militaries of the two sides to stop all the propaganda activities against each other,” it said.

In a response to the North’s warning against the leaflets, carried by Yonhap news agency, the South Korean government said: “We have sincerely implemented the (2004) agreement to end propaganda campaigns against each other and we hope the issue does not make a hitch in the development of interKorean relations.”

South Korean activists who float anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea by balloon said last month that they had also started sending DVDs disclosing secrets about the private life of leader Kim Jong-Il. Inter-Korean ties are at a low ebb over the North’s nuclear weapons program.

On Thursday, the North said it had scrapped a tourism deal with South Korea and would “freeze” some assets owned by Seoul at a mountain resort in the communist state. The North also said it was expelling some South Korean personnel from Mount Kumgang on its east coast and would let a new partner take over the tour business there. —AFP

Hu, Obama try to mend fences Chinese President to visit Washington BEIJING: Chinese President Hu Jintao is to sit down with US President Barack Obama next week in Washington as the two sides look to turn the corner on months of bickering. The presence of Hu in the US capital is a sign that relations are recovering from a chill, which set in after Obama visited Hu in Beijing last November, over issues including the value of the yuan, trade and Internet freedom.

A surprise visit to Beijing on Thursday by US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who opted to discuss some of the trouble spots in person after pushing back a potentially sensitive report, also served to soothe tensions. “We believe we can address challenges in our relationship,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai told journalists at a briefing on Hu’s trip, which will also include several stops in Latin America. “Certainly China and the United States may have different views on many issues, including the world economic crisis and trade, but we can’t overlook the fact that both also have shared interests.”

The two countries are working together to resolve the standoff over Iran’s suspect nuclear program, and are also partners in stalled negotiations to end North Korea’s atomic drive. Just over a week ago, Obama held a rare one-hour telephone conversation with Hu that “underscored the importance of working together to ensure that Iran lives up to its international obligations”, the White House said. The two leaders will likely meet tomorrow on the sidelines of an international summit on nuclear security, the White House has said.

“Beijing’s announcement that president Hu will attend the April nuclear security summit indicates that Beijing is calming down,” said Zhu Feng, an expert on US relations at Peking University’s School of International Studies. “Despite a residual and marked dissatisfaction, China isn’t willing to derail the relationship with Washington, and instead wants to leave the rift behind and move forward with collaboration between the two powers,” Zhu said in a posting on the Asian Security Initiative blog.

Earlier this year, relations between the US and China-the world’s biggest and third-largest economies-hit a rough patch after Obama in

January approved the sale of 6.4 billion dollars in arms to Taiwan. The following month, he met with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, at the White House. Washington and Beijing have also gone back and forth over Google’s China exit, which was prompted by cyberattacks and Internet censorship, as well as the yuan, which the US says must be boosted to resolve global trade imbalances.

Geithner tackled the yuan issue with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, the cabinet’s top official on economic issues, in Thursday’s talks. A US official told the Wall Street Journal those negotiations were “constructive” and had prompted optimism on the US side that Beijing would soon move to allow its currency to strengthen. The United States and China’s other key trading partners have been piling pressure on Beijing to allow the yuan to appreciate, saying it is undervalued and gives the country an unfair advantage by making its exports cheaper. But earlier this month, Geithner delayed a Treasury report that could have branded China a currency manipulator-a move that US lawmakers have been clamoring for, but which would have been met with contempt in Beijing. Geithner and Wang will meet again next month at the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing-talks that also include US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. On Iran, Washington has pushed for China to support a new round of sanctions against Tehran. But Beijing, which has close ties with the Islamic republic, has so far baulked, instead insisting dialogue is the way forward.

Analysts however noted that while the HuObama meeting was likely to help bolster ties, deep differences remained, especially on Taiwan, which Beijing considers as part of its territory, and Chinese-ruled Tibet. “President Hu will be attending this nuclear summit because this has to do with global nuclear non-proliferation and world peace,” Yan Xuetong, director of the International Studies Centre at Tsinghua University said. “His attendance at the summit does not mean that the issues of US arms sales to Taiwan and the meeting with the Dalai Lama have ended... these issues have not been resolved.” — AFP

Al-Qaeda hunting for atomic bomb Qaeda exemplifies new-age nuke threat

PAJU: Human rights activists take part in a rally to release balloons containing anti-North Korea leaflets at Imjingak peace park near the closely-guarded South-North border in Paju. —AFP

Saudi, Vietnam eye farm, refining deals RIYADH: Vietnam will sign an agreement with Saudi Arabia to encourage Saudi Aramco to invest in two refineries to be built in the Asian country, and welcomed Saudi firms’ interest in investing in rice cultivation in Vietnam.

Like other Gulf Arab countries that rely on food imports, Saudi private firms have intensified efforts over the last two yearswith the blessing of their government-to buy or lease land in developing nations to ensure supplies after a spike in commodities prices in 2008.

The kingdom is among the world’s top five rice importers while Vietnam is the world’s sec-

Sunday, April 11, 2010

ond-largest rice exporter.

Vietnam’s President Nguyen Minh Triet yesterday began a rare visit to Saudi Arabia flanked by officials from state oil units Petrovietnam and Petrolimex.

Before meeting King Abdullah later yesterday and officials at Saudi Aramco today, Triet met Saudi business leaders who asked for flexible investment regulations and access to Vietnam’s farmlands and for its abundant pool of workers to be brought over to the kingdom.

“We certainly want to invest in Vietnam’s rice cultivation,” Mohamed Al-Rajhi, a member of the Saudi Council of Chamber,

told the gathering. Triet agreed.

“All of your proposals shall be met immediately,” he said. “In fact we will exceed your demands”. He said agriculture, oil and industry were sectors in Vietnam he was keen to see Saudi capital being invested in.

A senior Vietnamese official said the two countries would sign a protocol agreement to boost cooperation in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries and mineral resources. “The agreement will basically encourage Saudi Aramco to invest in and supply crude oil to oil refineries the Vietnam government plans to build and at the same time open

the door for Petrovietnam to engage in upstream activities in Saudi Arabia,” the official said. A senior Petrovietnam executive said one of the refineries, to be located in the province of Vung Tau, would offer up to 70 percent of its capital to a foreign partner and have a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day (bpd).

“Petrovietnam will take a very small share of the capital, up to 30 percent. The remainder can be given to one or two foreign investors,” said the executive who asked not to be named because he was not allowed to discuss the details of the agreement before its signature. “We are

encouraging Saudi Aramco to join us”. Nguyen Quang Kien, deputy general director at Petrolimex, said his firm is seeking foreign partners to get involved in another refinery with the same production capacity which would be located in the Van Phong Bay. “The plan is for us to take 30 percent and the rest will come from other partners. The refinery will have an overall capacity of 10 million tons per year, or 200,000 barrels per day,” Kien said. Petrolimex commands 55 percent of the country’s total retail fuel market. “We just obtained approval from the government for the project and the land allocation. — Reuters

N Korea has up to six nuclear weapons: US

BANGKOK: The blood and the remains of a slain red-shirted supporter of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra lie on the ground in a street during continuing anti-government protests in central Bangkok yesterday. —AP

WASHINGTON: North Korea has as many as six nuclear weapons, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said as she pressed for international efforts to help denuclearize the volatile hermit country.

But Clinton also stressed that despite a recent new pact with Russia to reduce atomic stockpiles and a push for disarmament, the United States will keep nuclear arms so long as other countries have access to the weapons of mass destruction. “We will not unilaterally disarm.

We will maintain our nuclear deterrent,” she said during a speech Friday in Louisville, Kentucky.

In a rare reference by the chief US diplomat to the number of weapons held by North Korea, Clinton said Pyongyang had “between one and six nuclear weapons.” The Council on Foreign Relations think-tank said last year that the North has built between six and eight nuclear weapons. Washington and five other regional powers have struggled to get North Korea back to the negotiating table for disarmament talks after Pyongyang walked out in April 2009 and staged its second nuclear test a month later.

But Clinton said she was confident the so-called six-party talks grouping China, the two Koreas, Japan, Russia and the United States would resume despite what she called “instability” over the North’s leadership. She pointed to Iran and North Korea-both exempted from the new US nuclear stance that vows not to attack non-nuclear statesas countries “that have actively pursued nuclear weapons (and) are still doing so today.” — AFP

WASHINGTON: The White House yesterday warned that AlQaeda is quietly hunting for an atomic bomb, adding urgency to a historic summit next week where President Barack Obama will try to persuade world leaders to step up efforts to keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.

Expectations for decisive action by the 47 countries are low, because existing controls have not worked as well as hoped and some nations worry tighter regulation will only slow civilian nuclear power projects.

But the White House has high hopes for the two-day summit, where the US and Russia are to sign a long-delayed agreement to dispose of tons of weapons-grade plutonium from Cold War-era nuclear weapons. That is the kind of preventive action the summit is meant to inspire. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the gathering will be the largest assembly of world leaders hosted by an American president since the 1945 San Francisco conference that founded the United Nations.

Clinton said some attendees are “helping us keep a very close watch on anyone we think could be part of a network that could lead to the sale of or transfer of nuclear material to Al-Qaeda or other terrorist organizations.”

Obama will try to set the tone Sunday by meeting the leaders of India and Pakistan - two nuclear armed foes who have managed to avoid atomic war - as well as South Africa and Kazakhstan, two countries that voluntarily gave up nuclear weapons programs.

The conference itself will open Monday with a working dinner hosted by Obama, who also plans to meet individually that day with the leaders of Jordan, Malaysia, Armenia and China. It will close Tuesday with a joint statement on the threat of the illicit transfer of nuclear materials and technology and a plan for keeping them locked up. Three countries at the heart of the international debate over nuclear dangers - Iran, North Korea and Syria - were not invited to the summit, and Israel, whose undeclared nuclear arsenal is a core grievance among Muslim nations, scrapped plans for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attend.

An Israeli official said Netanyahu canceled after getting word that other participants would use the summit to criticize Israel’s nuclear program. Israel is believed to have dozens, perhaps hundreds, of nuclear weapons. In Netanyahu’s absence, Israel will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor. Clinton welcomed Israel’s participation.

“Israel shares with us a deep concern about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and also about the threat of

nuclear terrorism,” she said.

Iran and other Muslim countries accuse the United States of hypocrisy for ignoring Israel’s nuclear arsenal while demanding that others forego such weapons.

In the US view, a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten Israel and the West, while North Korea, which has tested a nuclear device, is a continuing threat to sell its nuclear know-how to other hostile nations.

The US believes Syria also has nuclear ambitions; an Israeli airstrike in 2007 destroyed what the US asserts was a nearly completed nuclear reactor designed to make plutonium.

But the nuclear security summit is less concerned with countries that acquire nuclear weapons than with the terrorists and criminals believed to be seeking them. Obama has set a goal of securing all of the world’s nuclear materials from theft or diversion within four years. He hopes next week’s summit will endorse that objective.

Gary Samore, Obama’s chief adviser on limiting the spread of

nuclear weapons, said a number of countries are expected to announce Monday that they are taking unilateral actions. That may include plans to retrofit nuclear reactors to use a form of uranium fuel less easily converted to use in weapons. Some countries are expected to announce their intent to sign international conventions on nuclear security.

The 1980 Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, for example, was amended in 2005 to require states to protect such materials even when not in transit. The convention also expands measures to prevent nuclear smuggling. But not enough countries have approved the 2005 amendment to put it into force, and the White House hopes to persuade countries attending the summit to accept it. Sharon Squassoni, a nuclear expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, estimates there are 500 tons of weapons-usable materials in civilian and military reactors that could be targets for sabotage or diversion. —AP

JAKARTA: Indonesian terror suspect Syaifuddin Zuhri smiles at his trial in a Jakarta court.

Indonesian judges postponed the verdict for Zuhri who was recommended a 10-year prison sentence

by Indonesian prosecutors over his involvement in hiding and helping slain terror leader Noordin Mohammad Top. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL

Sunday, April 11, 2010

11

Real life ‘Hurt Locker’ teams face real Afghan bombs YOSEF KHEL: It’s not quite an Oscar-winning performance but Johnny Five gets the job done, scrambling down a rocky Afghan slope to plant explosives around a propane tank wired to blow. The little robot-technically known as a TALON but nicknamed Johnny Five after the 1986 US film “Short Circuit”-slowly makes its way back up to a hulking armored vehicle where bomb disposal experts prepare to detonate.

“Twenty seconds!” a soldier shouts, as a US army commander frantically gestures to Afghan police and farmers to take cover in the dusty fields around Yosef Khel village in eastern Paktika province. Soldiers and civilians crouch behind a mud wall with fingers in their ears before a moderate bang sends a cloud of smoke into the air. The troops then head back to base, their four-hour mission to defuse the bomb safely completed.

The Academy Award-winning film “The Hurt Locker,” about a bomb disposal unit working the hazardous streets of Iraq, propelled the dangerous work of military explosives specialists into the public eye. In the film, which won Kathryn Bigelow the Best Director Oscar, a three-man team led

by battle-hardened maverick Staff Sergeant William James embark on one frantic mission after another. Something always goes wrong, explosions fill the screen and James risks lives by disobeying the rules in an adrenaline-fuelled film, high on drama butactual bomb disposal experts say-low on realism.

“If I had a team member that operated that way, I would not go outside the wire (off the base) with him,” said one member of the US military’s explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) unit based in eastern Afghanistan. “He is not professional, not safe, taking too many unnecessary risks.

Out here, we’re not looking for that shit.

I’m doing this to save lives.” The EOD team is a “brotherhood of select individuals” who have worked together as safely as possible since World War II, he said. “‘The Hurt Locker’ did not portray that and you will be hard pressed to find any EOD technicians who enjoyed that movie for what it was,” he said.

The expert asked not to be named as the EOD has ordered its personnel not to discuss the film in detail, wary that any revela-

YOSEF KHEL: US Army soldiers unload a robot to deactivate an IED they discovered on a main road in Yosef Khel district of Paktika province. —AFP

Militants attack India camp in Afghanistan KABUL: Militants launched a pre-dawn attack on an Indian road construction camp in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, burning vehicles and equipment and sending the crew fleeing, authorities said. No deaths or injuries were reported in the attack in Khost province’s Domanda district, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Suspected Taleban, who are active in the mountainous eastern region bordering Pakistan, descended on the camp around 2 am.

Such raids seek to discourage foreign involvement in Afghanistan and destabilize the central government, which is struggling to bring development to the impoverished countryside and extend its mandate outside the capital, Kabul. It wasn’t clear whether the camp was targeted due to Indian involvement, although militants have launched a number of bloody attacks on Indian interests in Afghanistan over recent years. A total of 75 people were killed in suicide car bombings outside the Indian embassy in Kabul in July 2008 and October 2009, while at least six Indians were killed in an attack on a Kabul guesthouse in February.

Taleban insurgents have claimed responsibility for the attacks, although New Delhi has claimed archrival Pakistan may have provided support in the embassy attack. Elsewhere, two members of a nomadic tribe were killed by a roadside bomb Friday in the southern province of Kandahar, the ministry said. No details were given. NATO said a joint Afghan-international force captured an explosives expert and several other suspected militants in a raid on a compound west of Kandahar city on Friday night. It did not say whether any bomb-making materials

were recovered.

Following a rancorous week, US and Afghan officials have recommitted to their relationship, with President Barack Obama saying in an interview published Friday that Karzai remains “a critical partner” in the fight against terrorism.

That followed Karzai’s recent stern assertions of Afghan sovereignty and accusations that the United Nations and the international community interfered in last year’s fraud-tarnished presidential election in Afghanistan.

The White House called the comments disturbing and had suggested it might cancel Karzai’s planned visit to the White House in May if they continued.

However, National Security Adviser James Jones told reporters Friday that the sides had “gotten through this period.” Jones said that Obama wrote and had delivered a thank-you note to Karzai for hosting him on short notice during the US president’s trip to Afghanistan on March 28.

The note did not mention the recent controversies. Also yesterday, NATO said it still had no information on what caused the crash of a US Air Force Osprey in which three service members and a civilian contractor were killed. It was the first crash of the costly tilt-rotor aircraft in a combat zone, the US military said. Numerous other service members were reported injured when the aircraft went down late Thursday seven miles from Qalat, the capital of Zabul province about 200 miles southwest of Kabul. A Taleban spokesman said militants shot down the aircraft, but the insurgents often make exaggerated claims. — AP

Profiting from poverty?

India’s Microfinance IPO sparks debate MUMBAI: An initial public offer by India’s SKS Microfinance is likely to set the stage for more such offers in the world’s largest microlending market, but it has also sparked a debate on the ethics of profiting from the poor. The IPO, a first in India and one of only a handful by microfinance institutions (MFIs) around the world, is expected to raise about $250-$350 million for SKS and its private equity investors.

It has drawn keen interest from countries with major microfinance industries such as Bangladesh, Mexico and South America, as well as the private equity firms who have recently piled into the sector. But it has also drawn sharp criticism from some MFIs and non-government organizations who do not favor going to capital markets or the strong flows of private equity that have pushed up valuations.

“The job of microfinance is to alleviate poverty, so the question to ask is: who’s going to benefit from the IPO?” said Olivia Donnelly, executive director of UK-based Shivia Microfinance, a nonprofit firm that focuses on India and Nepal. “It’s OK to do an IPO because you need to scale up, or upgrade your IT systems, but is it correct to make millionaires out of shareholders when your borrowers are so poor?” Microfinance has been around since the 1970s, but jumped into the spotlight in 2006 when the Nobel Peace Prize went to Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank, which pioneered giving tiny

unsecured loans to the poor to buy cows or sewing machines. Some Indian MFIs including SKS have switched to a for-profit model and registered as non-banking financial corporations.

MFIs’ expanding client base and near-zero defaults have drawn investors ranging from Singapore’s Temasek, CLSA Capital and International Financial Corp to private equity firms Sandstone Capital, Unitus and Matrix, which have put money in SKS, Share Microfin, Spandana, Ujjivan and other MFIs. HIGH VALUATIONS Advocates say rapid growth and the drying up of traditional sources of capital have driven MFIs to consider other options. “When we are growing 75 percent year-on-year, the sort of equity we need to maintain 15 percent capital adequacy ratio cannot come from old-fashioned sources such as philanthropists or banks,” said Vijay Mahajan, president of lobby group MFI Network. “So we’ve had to move to new sources like PE, the capital market and debt instruments. This is something to be celebrated.”

Sumir Chadha, managing director of private equity firm Sequoia Capital India, which holds more than a fifth of SKS, said the IPO would improve the reputation of microfinance lenders.

“MFIs tend to be regarded badly. It is very frustrating. This IPO will dramatically increase visibility and bring in greater trust for the entire MFI eco-system,” Chadha said. —Reuters

tions about their operations might help insurgents counter their techniques and build deadlier bombs. “The Hurt Locker” may be set in Iraq but it is the war in Afghanistan-now in a ninth year-where home-made bombs or improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are taking the heaviest toll on foreign soldiers and Afghans. The ingenious devices use mobile phones, batteries, fertilizer, pressure plates and springs and are the most deadly weapon in the militants’ armory.

IEDs hamper both military and development work in Afghanistan and are blamed for most of the deaths of foreign soldiers.

“These (EOD) guys are the bee’s knees, they save lives and they enable us to do our job,” said Major Mark Leslie, operations officer for 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment based in western Paktika.

Captain Julie Klimach, company commander for the EOD team at NATO’s Forward Operating Base Salerno in neighboring Khost province, is hardly the type of macho bomb disposal expert portrayed in “The Hurt Locker”.

Slight and bookish with glasses and

shoulder-length hair, the biology and chemistry graduate was attracted to the bomb disposal unit by the technical aspects of what she describes as “not your average job”. Klimach has been working in bomb disposal for more than three years and says it is not a great deal more dangerous than many other military jobs but has not told her family exactly what she does. “They know a little bit but they don’t know much about it. I don’t want to worry them,” she said.

The Salerno EOD team leader Staff Sergeant Charles Johnson has also avoided telling his parents about his work, which he says attracts a certain type of person. “You have to have a certain mindset, just being comfortable with working with explosives or around things that are possibly fatal if you mishandle them,” he said. The fatherof-two called “The Hurt Locker,” which he has avoided seeing, unrealistic and said moviegoers inspired to join their ranks after watching the film will be disappointed.

“If they want to come to the EOD strictly for watching the film, they live in a pipe dream,” he said.— AFP

Pakistan slays 96 militants Troops hit hard on fleeing Taleban PARACHINAR: Pakistani airstrikes killed nearly 100 suspected militants in two northwest tribal regions yesterday, an apparent intensification of efforts by the army to mop up Taleban fighters fleeing a military operation farther south.

The strikes were carried out in the Orakzai and Khyber tribal regions.

In Orakzai, some 54 alleged militants were killed during ongoing clashes over a checkpoint in the Baizoti town area, local official Samiullah Khan said.

Another 42 people, most of them suspected insurgents, died in the Khyber tribal region when military jets pounded a hide-out the in Sra Walla area. The location was believed to be a gathering point for the Lashker-e-Islam insurgent group.

Two intelligence officials said jets pounded the area twice - once when local tribesmen were retrieving bodies from the rubble.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media on the record.

Local government official Rehan Khattak confirmed the strikes but refused to give a death toll.

The information could not be independently verified because access to the tribal areas is largely restricted. The US has endorsed Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate militants using its tribal areas to wage attacks against Islamabad as well as Western troops across the border in Afghanistan.

Pakistan began an operation in Orakzai in midMarch and so far about 350 militants have been killed there. Nearby Kurram tribal area has also witnessed fighting, while there have long been on and off operations against militants in Khyber.

All three regions are believed to have become key destinations for Pakistani Taleban militants fleeing an army offensive against their network in the South Waziristan tribal area. — AP

KABUL: Internally displaced Afghan girls smiles as they looks out from a small window of a shanty, in a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to UNHCR some 2.7 million registered Afghans refugees still remain in Pakistan and Iran. — AP

Karzai trying to mend ties with Washington Afghan leader tours McChrystal’s HQ KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai took small but public steps yesterday to signal he was still friends with the United States after a war of words that tested their alliance. In what appeared to be a choreographed effort to portray the relationship in the best light, Karzai visited the headquarters of General Stanley McChrystal, the US and NATO commander, down the road from Karzai’s own palace in central Kabul.

Karzai warmly greeted McChrystal and his aides, and attended a briefing of top brass of McChrystal’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Reporters were then invited to film the two men having lunch with a group of NATO officers. Karzai’s office also put out a statement saying President Barack Obama had written to Karzai to thank him for hosting his visit this month and confirming plans for Karzai to visit the United States on May 12.

“President Obama stressed in the letter that the United States will remain a strategic partner and hoped that Afghanistan and the United States work together on common goals”, the statement from Karzai’s palace said.

The moves came a day after the White House also signaled it wanted to bury the hatchet after the quarrel, brought on by antiWestern remarks Karzai made in a speech last week. “We have gotten through this period,” White House National Security Advisor James

Jones briefed reporters on board Air Force One on Friday.

WHITE HOUSE ‘DISTURBED’ Karzai had sparked the row by accusing Western countries and officials of perpetrating election fraud in Afghanistan, in comments the White House called “disturbing” and untrue, and the State Department called “preposterous”. In other remarks in the last ten days, Karzai said there was a fine line between cooperation and occupation, and that Afghans had to see that their government was not “puppets”.

Tensions between Karzai and the West come at a particularly awkward time, when the US-led force is planning the biggest operation of the war to regain control of the southern city of Kandahar, Karzai’s home town and heartland of the Taleban. Under McChrystal’s counter-insurgency strategy, US officials want Karzai to be out in front as the public face of an operation meant to show the strength of Afghan institutions. They also want him to rein in his half-brother, a powerful official with extensive business ties in Kandahar.

Karzai’s anti-Western remarks could hurt public support for the war in the United States and other countries with nearly 130,000 troops between them fighting in Afghanistan.

McChrystal’s spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Tadd Sholtis, said Karzai’s visit to the ISAF headquarters-the first time he has attended an operational briefing there-was a sign of the his increased leadership role in the conduct of the

war. “We’re obviously working on the partnership here,” he said. “I think it’s just part of a larger engagement on his part with the strategic and operational direction of what we’re doing.”

Sholtis said Karzai’s invitation to ISAF headquarters had been long-standing, and he could not comment on whether Karzai’s decision to attend was motivated by a desire to show friendship after the strain the alliance had taken in the past two weeks. Karzai had a frosty relationship with the Obama administration from the outset. It took a sharp turn for the worse late last year during a three-month stand-off over the Afghan presidential election.

A UN backed watchdog threw out nearly a third of Karzai’s votes on grounds of fraud.

The US ambassador, Karl Eikenberry, wrote in a classified cable in November, later leaked, that Karzai was “not an adequate strategic partner”.

En route to Obama’s visit, Jones and other US officials briefed that the US President was going to press Karzai to do more to fight corruption and improve governance. Karzai complains that reports of corruption in Afghanistan are exaggerated and the problem is largely the fault of Western donors for poorly overseeing their aid budgets. Obama’s visit took place entirely under cover of darkness, and the US president did not answer questions alongside Karzai, gestures that were seen by some Afghans as snubs. — Reuters

US loses first Osprey in Afghanistan, four dead

NEW DELHI: A woman cries while standing at the site where her house used to be, after a fire at a slum area in Ghazipur, on the outskirts of New Delhi. The fire was reportedly started after a power transmission line fell, and the fire ravaged through about 600 dwellings, but no casualties were reported. — AP

KABUL: A US Air Force Osprey went down in southeastern Afghanistan, killing three service members and one civilian contractor in the first crash of the costly tilt-rotor aircraft in a combat zone, the US military said. It’s unclear what caused the crash of the US military’s latest generation transport aircraft - beset for years by cost overruns and design flaws. A NATO statement Friday said “numerous other service members” were injured when the aircraft crashed late Thursday seven miles from Qalat, capital of Zabul province about 200 miles southwest of Kabul.

A Taleban spokesman said militants shot down the aircraft, but the insurgents often make exaggerated claims. NATO said the cause was still under investigation.

A Pentagon spokesman, Marine Maj. Shawn Turner, said it was the first time that an Osprey, which take off and land like helicopters and cost nearly $70 million each, has crashed during operations in a war

zone.

After years of tests and modification, Ospreys went into service in the Air Force and Marine Corps in 2006. Marines started using them in Iraq in late 2007, mostly for transporting troops and supplies in Anbar province. But they were not truly tested in combat there, since the worst of the fighting in Anbar had already passed. A Marine Osprey flew then-candidate Barack Obama from Iraq to Amman, Jordan, during his visit to the Middle East in July 2008.

The Air Force version is believed to be used in Afghanistan primarily for resupply missions and for transporting special operations troops hunting Taleban and Al-Qaeda figures.

Aircraft are used extensively in Afghanistan by both NATO and the Afghan government forces to transport and supply troops because the terrain is mountainous and roads are few and primitive. Losses have been relatively light because unlike

Iraqi insurgents, the Taleban lack shoulderfired missiles and other anti-aircraft weapons.

They rely mostly on machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to fire at aircraft during landings and takeoffs, when they’re most vulnerable. Nevertheless, one of the heaviest single-day losses of life for allied forces in Afghanistan occurred on June 28, 2005, when 16 US troops died aboard a Special Forces MH-47 Chinook helicopter that was shot down by insurgents. The Osprey is the US military’s latest-generation transport aircraft, able to travel twice as fast and three times farther than its predecessor, the Vietnam War-era CH-46 Sea Knight.

With room for up to 24 passengers, it comes equipped with sophisticated guidance and missile defense systems.

However, the original development program, a $40 billion joint venture of Boeing Co and Textron Inc’s Bell Helicopter unit,

was beset by delays and plagued by design flaws and other problems. The Osprey was nearly canceled several times due to cost overruns and a series of fatal crashes and other incidents. In 2000, 19 Marines were killed when an Osprey crashed during a training exercise in Arizona. Another Osprey crash in December of that year killed four Marines in North Carolina.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney tried to kill the program in 1989 when he was defense secretary, saying the aircraft were unnecessary. But the Marines persuaded Congress to authorize the funds.

Critics say the aircraft is particularly vulnerable to small-arms fire while its engines are shifting from vertical to horizontal flight. Unlike fixed-wing aircraft, the Osprey cannot glide down to an emergency landing in case of a loss of power. Unlike helicopters, its propellers lack the capability to keep rotating on their own even after the engines fail. — AP

12

OPINION

Sunday, April 11, 2010

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Spirit Air pushes limit with bag fee

By Kyle Peterson and Deepa Seetharaman

E

very US airline is thinking of ways to get more money from their passengers. Few have provoked the outrage that Spirit Airlines has with its new carry-on luggage fee.

The low-cost carrier is taking the blows that come with being the first to seize on an unpopular, but possibly lucrative idea. That does not mean that it will be the last.

A few years ago, paying up to $45 to stow a piece of luggage in the overhead bin seemed as unthinkable as installing a pay toilet in the coach class. But it’s a new day for US airlines as many struggle daily for survival in a volatile business with razor-thin profit margins.

One of the ways to do that is to think up as many new fees as they can, and hope enough other airlines do the same thing, forcing passengers to deal with it or not fly at all. Some people voiced support - tepid support - but most have nothing good to say about the carry-on fee.

“Now it’s like there’s nothing sacred anymore,” said Adam Barrera, 24, a Houston-based blogger on cars. Barrera said he flies about three times a month, usually on Continental Airlines. He has never flown on Spirit.

Florida-based Spirit, which flies to 40 destinations in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America, shrugged off criticism, noting that it would lower its fares to offset the new carry-on bag fee. Bags placed in the seat in front of a passenger remain free. “I would pay $5 for guaranteed space right over my seat, like a locker,” said John DiScala, editor-in-chief of JohnnyJet.com, a travel information website, who has not flown Spirit. “But $45?”

Still, Spirit’s sales have jumped 50 percent since the airline unveiled the new fee and fare cut versus the last week, Chief Executive Ben Baldanzas said on Wednesday. “On its face, (the fee) is maybe repulsive to some people,” Baldanzas said in an interview. “But at the same time, we’ve lowered the base fares by more than the amount of the fee.”

Roughly 18 percent of Spirit’s available seats are now being sold at a penny plus the cost of fuel and taxes.

For some people, a baggage fee could be a good thing, or at least tolerable.

Many passengers grumble about the large bags that people bring on board planes instead of paying to check them. For others, the fee might not cancel out the low cost of a discount airliner’s fares. “With Spirit, it’s very

clear what you’re going to receive,” said Jay Sorensen, a consultant with IdeaWorks Company. “A rock-bottom, low fare, and for a tremendous number of customers that is what is most important.”

Spirit is charging passengers $45 for carry-on bags if they pay at the gate. But if they pay at the ticket counter or online, the fee is $30. It costs less - $25 - to check your first bag, if you pay online. This strategy is deliberate, Baldanzas said, to lessen the time it takes to turn around an aircraft.

Spirit estimates it will save 5-7 minutes per flight with this new fee, saving as much as 20 hours a day. This extra time is critical to Spirit’s goal of boosting its number of hours flown by 10 percent in 2010 and another 20 percent in 2011, Baldanzas said.

Spirit is too small to sway the industry in favor of a carry-on bag fee, but it is reasonable for major airlines to look into it, said Morningstar equity analyst Basili Alukos. “I think about it, and it makes sense for airlines to charge for carryons,” Alukos said. “There is more of a convenience for bringing your bag on the place. It basically reduces the time you would want to wait.”

The airline industry has been battered in recent years by low-fare competition, volatile fuel prices and a weak economy that eroded travel demand. Major carriers have fought back with capacity cuts and tweaks to their business models that rely much more on ancillary revenue from new fees for items and services that once were included in the ticket price. One of the most controversial fees was for checking a single bag. More than any other, the single bag fee opened the door for new fees. Industry watchers say there is always room for more.

So far, no major airlines have announced charges to match the Spirit carry-on bag fee. But none has ruled it out. “We have taken no action on this,” said a spokesman for AMR Corp, parent of American Airlines.

Continental declined to comment. Spirit has said that items such as umbrellas, cameras, coats and strollers will not be charged. A lingering question is how many more fees passengers can deal with. “I know there is a welling of unhappiness at the nickel and diming of passengers,” said Standard & Poors’ analyst Jim Corridore.

He said travelers could fight back by finding alternatives to air travel. “I will not be at all surprised if someone else tries it (the fee),” he said.

“My personal opinion is that it’s too much for the passenger.” —Reuters

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.

Kyrgyz unrest plays into regional rivalry

By Steve Gutterman and Amie Ferris-Rotman

T

he overthrow of Kyrgyzstan’s government adds a fresh dose of chaos in a region where Russia, the United States and China have a common interest in stability and competing hunger for influence. The opposition said on Thursday it had taken power in the poor, mostly Muslim nation north of Afghanistan after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev fled the capital following clashes between police and protesters that left dozens dead. Here are some of the implications for Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia and beyond.

Great Game Central Asia’s bloodiest unrest in five years is largely a product of Kyrgyzstan’s economic trouble and turbulent politics. It could open a new chapter in the modern Great Game, the struggle among foreign powers for influence in a region that has enormous potential as an energy producer and is of strategic importance lying between Russia, Afghanistan and China.

Kyrgyzstan itself has few resources.

But has carved out a role far greater than its modest size by hosting both a Russian air base and a US airbase that

is provides crucial support for military operations in nearby Afghanistan.

The United States is extremely eager to maintain use of the Manas base, which it nearly lost last year when Bakiyev’s government ordered US forces out. He later reversed course and allowed them to stay after bargaining for more money. Moscow wants to shore up its influence in Central Asia, a large chunk of its lost Tsarist and Soviet-era empire, and to curtail the regional clout of the United States and China. “China is almost certainly the key foreign player in the country today,” said Chris Weafer, Chief Strategist at Russian bank Uralsib.

Putin’s Hand?

As violence erupted in Bishkek on Wednesday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin denied Moscow had played any part. But Russia has expressed unusually strong support for Roza Otunbayeva, the interim leader who announced overnight that she has taken control of the country from Bakiyev. Putin spoke to Otunbayeva by telephone on Thursday, effectively recognizing her government in the first public gesture of support by a world leader.

The Kremlin also swiftly distanced

itself from Bakiyev, suggesting late on Wednesday that he was not welcome in Moscow - a sharp contrast from Moscow’s conduct five years ago, when Bakiyev’s predecessor Askar Akayev fled in the face of protests and soon turned up in Russia, where he remains.

Alexei Mukhin, director of the Centre for Political Information, believes the unrest was orchestrated externally and said the fate of the US airbase would show who was behind it. “If it is Moscow then the base will disappear, if it is Washington the base will remain in place,” Mukhin said.

Otunbayeva suggested on Thursday that the base would remain open added that “we still have some questions on it,” leaving room for a shift or a demand for new negotiations. Other analysts take the view that like Georgia’s 2003 Rose Revolution, Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution and Akayev’s ouster in 2005, the protests that chased Bakiyev out may have been influenced by outside forces but not engineered by them.

Kyrgyz Turmoil, Room for Islamist Extremism?

“There’s no Russian catalyst here and no Western catalyst here. The causes are entirely home grown,” said James Nixey, Central Asia analyst at

Chatham House, a London think tank.

“We are looking at a politics of grievance here,” he said. “Nothing had been achieved by the new government and new president in the time he has been in power.” Though not a major factor in Kyrgyz domestic politics, another reason for geopolitical concern in the Muslim country is the rise of radical Islam.

Kyrgyzstan, along with neighbouring Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, have all had armed clashes with Islamists over the past year.

Analysts are divided on how large the threat of extremism is for the mainly Muslim, Central Asia region. The Uzbek-Kyrgyz Ferghana valley is of particular concern - rebels have been killed there over the last year - and ethnic tensions between the equally inhabited Uzbeks and Kyrgyz are high.

“The porous borders and lack of government control in the Ferghana Valley does indeed mean radical Islamist activity could spill over but it is small in scale,” said Eurasia analyst Matthew Clements at IHS Jane’s Information Group.

“But radical Islamist groups have been able to gain some foothold in the region with their support fuelled by discontent and poverty,” Clements added. China, the

United States and Russia are all worried. Weafer from Uralsib said that given China’s “most troublesome province is just next door”, Beijing would be “keen to keep a buffer between its territory and the increasing number of Islam militants in the Ferghana Valley”.

Effect on Economy?

Kyrgyzstan relies heavily on remittances from Russia, and the recent turmoil is unlikely to make a large economic impact. According to Russia’s Uralsib investment bank, around 800,000 Kyrgyz migrant workers are in Russia, making up 40 percent of the Central Asian state’s GDP. Kyrgyzstan has no significant oil or gas reserves, and it does not feed into any major pipelines. But shares in Canadian mining company Centerra Gold, which has operations in Kyrgyzstan, fell 8.8 percent on Thursday extending Wednesday’s 11.4 percent fall. Chaarat Gold Holdings Ltd, which has an exploration license in the country, said its operations were unaffected but shares were down 12.4 percent on Thursday.

Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom is involved in gas exploration in Kyrgyzstan but its activities there are fairly minimal for the world’s largest gas firm. —Reuters

Russia eyes US airbase in Kyrgyz turmoil

By Guy Faulconbridge and Robin Paxton

R

ussian-backed coup or not, the uprising in Kyrgyzstan means the United States may have to bargain hard to keep its last military base in Central Asia. Turmoil in Kyrgyzstan has thrust the fate of the Manas airbase - which is crucial for fighting the Afghan war - to the forefront of rivalry between the United States and Russia. Russia has long dreamed of evicting the United States from Central Asia and a Russian official said on Thursday that Moscow would urge the interim Kyrgyz government to shut the US base.

Suspicions of the Kremlin’s hand in the unrest were raised when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became the first world leader to recognise the authority of the selfproclaimed government, just hours after it took power. Washington has been more guarded, refusing to endorse either President Kurmanbek Bakiyev or the self-proclaimed government leaders, some of whom have already raised the spectre of shutting the base.

China, which shares a land border with Kyrgyzstan, has been largely silent. “Russia was very quick to act.

Both China and the US, by comparison, were caught on the hop,” said Nick Day, chief executive of business intelligence firm Diligence LLC. “Russia is going to dominate Kyrgyzstan and that means problems for the US,” he said. “Russia will use this as a lever in negotiations with America.”

Putin, who is considered by most Russians to be the country’s paramount leader, has denied involve-

Protesters break through a gate of Kyrgyz government headquarters on the central square in Bishkek April 8, 2010. —AP ment. “Neither Russia, nor your humble servant, nor Russian officials have any links whatsoever to these events,” he said. But countering the dominance of the United States is one of Putin’s guiding principles in world affairs and the Manas base would be a strong card to play in negotiations with Washington on a host of issues ranging from missile defence to WTO entry.

The base is crucial for President Barack Obama’s plans to send more US soldiers into

Afghanistan and last month about 50,000 troops passed through the base. Russia also has a military base in the country and had tried to get a second under Bakiyev.

Russia’s leaders were infuriated by what they viewed as a Bakiyev’s betrayal over a pledge made while on a visit to Russia in 2008 to shut the base. Bakiyev secured at least $2 billion in aid and loans from Russia before making the pledge, but later agreed to let the United States keep leasing the base, albeit

at a higher price.

“In Kyrgyzstan there should be only one base - Russian,” a senior Russian official told reporters in Prague after Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed a landmark treaty to reduce vast Cold War arsenals of nuclear weapons. “Bakiyev did not fulfil his promise about the withdrawal of the American base,” the Russian official said. “That shows the Russian attitude better than anything else,” said Paul Quinn-Judge, Central Asia director for the International Crisis

Group. “The lease on the base is up for renewal and, looking at the comments, I would say the Russians are already pushing,” said Quinn-Judge, who is based in Bishkek. “How far the Russians are going to push, on that I have no idea.”

The leader of the Kyrgyz provisional government, Roza Otunbayeva, said the base deal with the United States would be preserved but cautioned there were “still some questions on it”. Allies of Otunbayeva have been more hawkish, warning that the lease on the base could be shortened. The new government is seeking financial and humanitarian aid from Moscow.

“Russia played its role in ousting Bakiyev,” Omurbek Tekebayev, a former opposition leader who is now in charge of constitutional matters, told Reuters.

“There is a high probability that the duration of the US airbase’s presence in Kyrgyzstan will be shortened,” he said.

Some of Kyrygzstan’s new leaders say Washington closed its eyes to rights abuses under Bakiyev because of the base, though many members of the interim government have sympathy with the West. Still, analysts said Kyrgyzstan’s leaders understand the US base is the impoverished country’s only major card to play on the world stage. To give it to Russia would mean complete dominance by Moscow. “Any future Kyrgyz government will need the money and shoulder the political flak,” said James Nixey, analyst at London-based think tank Chatham House. “But the situation is inherently worrying in a region that has taken on a new importance since 9/11 and the ‘Global War on Terror’.” —Reuters

13

ANALYSIS

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Treaty focuses on a threat from the past

By Robert Burns

T

he new US-Russian atomic weapons treaty, hailed by both sides as a historic step in arms control, focuses on relics of the past and not the suitcase bomb or other devices that inspire today’s nuclear nightmares.

That is why US President Barack Obama is convening tomorrow an extraordinary assembly of world leaders to seek a common strategy for keeping radioactive materials and nuclear components out of the hands of terrorists. His goal is to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world within four years.

The New Start treaty, which replaces the expired Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty of 1991, does not deal more than indirectly with another of today’s big risks: the spread of nuclear technology to hostile states like Iran, North Korea and perhaps others that might feel compelled to go nuclear, if only in selfdefense.

Independent Sen Joe Lieberman said Thursday that regardless of the merits of the arms treaty, he worries that “we are losing the real world fight to prevent rogue regimes like Iran” from getting the bomb. Obama will attend a conference in New York next month for a review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation

US President Barack Obama and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev sign the New START treaty April 8, 2010 at the Prague Castle in Prague. —AP Treaty, to close loopholes in the internationally recognized rules against the spread of weapons technology.

Arms control experts say the New Start treaty burnishes US and Russian credentials for insisting other countries forgo atomic weapons, since it demonstrates a commitment to disarm. The treaty sets a limit of 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads for each side, down from 2,200 under a 2002 deal.

The pact also re-establishes anti-cheating procedures that were not written into the 2002 accord, thus providing the most comprehensive and substantial arms control agree-

ment since the 1991 treaty.

At the signing ceremony with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague, Czech Republic, Obama acknowledged that the nature of the peril posed by atomic weapons has changed since the Soviet era, when nuclear arsenals were growing and the world’s biggest fear was all-out nuclear war.

“Nuclear weapons are not simply an issue for the United States and Russia,” he said. “A nuclear weapon in the hands of a terrorist is a danger to people everywhere - from Moscow to New York, from the cities of Europe to South Asia.”

So while the missiles that the United States and Russia could hit each other with in a matter of minutes are an obvious danger, the passing of the Cold War, the rise of radical Islamic extremism and the emergence of sophisticated terrorist networks has changed the nuclear equation.

Gen James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, put it in a nutshell last year when he told a missile defense conference that the big risk is no longer being targeted by ballistic missiles.

“Ballistic missiles are about as passe as email,” he said.

“Nobody does it anymore.” He

had in mind, as an example, AlQaeda with its stated goal of obtaining a nuclear bomb, perhaps a small device it could sneak into a US city and detonate with catastrophic effect.

Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, a former CIA officer who led US efforts after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks to determine whether Al-Qaeda had a bomb, says AlQaeda has undertaken a patient campaign to steal or construct an “improvised nuclear device” with the aim of inflicting mass casualties to change the course of history.

Obama will meet with leaders of more than 40 countries tomorrow and Tuesday with

the expectation of issuing a joint statement on the challenges and importance of nuclear security. They also hope to agree on a common “work plan” for cracking down on the illicit trade of nuclear material and taking other important steps.

Iran, which will not attend next week’s nuclear security summit, is near the top of the list of what the White House calls “outliers,” suspected of being engaged in the illicit nuclear trade.

Although Tehran insists its nuclear program is intended only to produce electricity, the United States and others believe it is secretly developing the capability to build a bomb.

Thursday’s treaty signing and next week’s security summit follow another important advancement of Obama’s nuclear agenda: his release Tuesday of a revised nuclear weapons policy that puts less emphasis on the utility of nuclear missiles and more on the danger of nuclear terror.

“The greatest threat to US and global security is no longer a nuclear exchange between nations, but nuclear terrorism by violent extremists and nuclear proliferation to an increasing number of states,” Obama said in announcing his policy Tuesday. Those new dangers, he said, are “at the top of America’s nuclear agenda.” —AP

Divorce not on cards for US and Karzai

By Sue Pleming and Sayed Salahuddin

A

fghan President Hamid Karzai and the Obama administration have traded public insults in recent days, reflecting a relationship that was tense from the start. But with more than 85,000 US troops in Afghanistan and President Barack Obama relying on a counter-insurgency strategy to turn around the eight-year war, divorce is not an option. “This latest flap is just one in a steady stream of events whereby Karzai felt he was getting pressured in ways that are not comfortable,” said Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Vice President Joe Biden kicked off a series of tough talks with Karzai soon after Obama was elected, and in a secret memo leaked to The New York Times late last year, Washington’s own ambassador to Kabul tagged Karzai as a “not adequate” partner. Among his recent criticism, Karzai accused the West of seeking to weaken him and of carrying out election fraud in Afghanistan last year, singling out Washington specifically. Kabulbased analysts say much of the friction stems from Karzai’s feeling he is not being treated as a true ally and of being lectured to on his own turf

by Obama during the US president’s brief visit there last month.

“He is trying to make this issue known that ‘if I am a mercenary, then this country is occupied and if I am a partner, then treat me such,’” said Waheed Mozhdah, a leading analyst who has been in several Afghan governments. Pro-Karzai parliamentarian Mohammad Noor Akbari agreed. “His viewpoints are reciprocal respect and treatment.”

But US officials argue that to be treated like a true partner, Karzai must follow through on promises he made after last year’s fraud-tainted election, when he pledged to tackle corruption in his second term. Lisa

Curtis, an analyst from the Heritage Foundation in Washington, said the United States needed to boost the legitimacy of Karzai’s government to lessen the influence of the Taliban, while at the same time deal with claims of corruption against the Afghan leader and his family. “It is a bit of a game of chicken but the US really has no choice but to put its money where its mouth is and demand that Karzai act as an effective partner. Otherwise, the mission becomes quite difficult and almost impossible,” said Curtis.

The Obama administration’s response to Karzai’s outbursts reflect that dilemma, with initial reaction muted in order not to further erode confidence in the Afghan leader and play into the hands of his enemies. But there was also a sense of embarrassment that Karzai chose to launch his attacks so soon after Obama’s trip. When the tirades continued after Karzai telephoned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last Friday, the US tone shifted.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs suggested on Tuesday that a planned meeting between Karzai and Obama on May 12 could be canceled if the Afghan leader’s criticism persisted. “Our position on this is that when the Afghan leaders take steps to improve governance and root out corruption, then the president will say kind words,” said Gibbs.

The hope is that the war of words will subside soon - just as it did when Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri AlMaliki had caustic ties with the Bush administration at the height of violence there. US officials are also banking on Karzai’s outbursts being aimed at a domestic audience that sees him as being propped up by Washington, rather than targeting the Obama administration. “They are doing their best to try and work with him and shape his calculations.

Many see the comments for what they are worth - trying to shore up his domestic political base and save

some face for himself personally,” said Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress, a liberal U.S. think tank.

But some of Karzai’s critics in Afghanistan say blaming foreigners for his country’s ills only bolsters the militants. “The utterances embolden the Taleban and Al-Qaeda,” said

Sardar Mohammad Oughli, a lawmaker and critic of Karzai. “We concede that foreigners have committed lots of mistakes, but when we have a poor government, they should not blame the foreigners.” Either way, experts say there is no option for the United States but to plod along with a relationship that will always be

prickly and work more with ministers who tackle corruption and offer services that have been lacking for decades. “Of course, the Americans say that Karzai does not fit with Obama’s strategy, but sidelining or removing him is not in the interest of America,” said Kabul analyst Mozhdah. —Reuters

Karzai playing with fire

By Waheedullah Massoud

A

fghan President Hamid Karzai could imperil the future stability of his country and become an international pariah unless he curbs his outspoken criticism of Western backers, observers say. Karzai’s increasingly strained relationship with the West has deteriorated over a series of outbursts in which he accused foreign powers of orchestrating massive fraud in the election that returned him to power last year.

But after standing by his remarks despite international criticism, analysts, lawmakers and ordinary Afghans believe he is treading a thin line that could even threaten the future of the impoverished and war-torn country. “I have had a great deal of respect for the president, considered him as a good friend and brother but it is difficult for me to continue my support for him over this,” said pro-government lawmaker Shukria Barakzai. Political analyst Mohammad Younus Fakur added: “The president crossed all lines of diplomacy and Afghanistan’s national interests with his recent stance.”

The Kabul Weekly newspaper also expressed fears, running a headline: “The president gambles over Afghanistan’s fate and the nation will pay the price.” The United States, which shoulders the overwhelming burden of the war to quell an increasingly deadly Taliban insurgency and has tens of thousands of troops in Afghanistan, led the international backlash over Karzai’s remarks. The White House even hinted that it may withdraw Karzai’s invitation for talks with President Barack Obama next month and pointedly refused to call the Afghan leader an ally.

The resignation Wednesday of two top officials at the government-appointed election commission that oversaw the August presidential vote and its chaotic aftermath may go some way to alleviating international concern.

One Western diplomat in Kabul described the development as “a step in the right direction” towards restoring the independence of the commission before planned parliamentary elections later this year.

Karzai has already courted criticism for trying to replace with Afghans three foreigners who sat on the

UN-backed Election Complaints Commission (ECC) watchdog, ultimately agreeing to allow two non-Afghans on the body. He has also sought to introduce further electoral amendments, but lawmakers voted down his changes and the upper house of parliament refused to debate the issue, leaving the status of the legislative changes uncertain.

Barakzai, a women’s rights activist, and others suggest Karzai has to go further, with funding for the this year’s elections and vital reconstruction and development projects dependent on good relations with foreign governments. Parties also need to see eye-to-eye with a major peace “jirga” or traditional tribal meeting in May, a diplomatic conference and a coalition push against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan planned in the coming months. “He (Karzai) could remain the legitimate president but a change of his tone and speech is must,” Barikzai told AFP. Some observers assessed that Karzai’s comments were calculated to win him grassroots support among ordinary Afghans, many of whom see him as a puppet of the West. Karzai repeated his claims about the election fraud at a meeting with local tribal leaders in the southern city of Kandahar and to lawmakers in a private meeting at the weekend. But railing against against Western “interference” could be a warning that he may turn to neighbouring Iran, Russia or other regional powers for support, said political analyst Waheed Mujda. “It is a dangerous step he has taken,” said Mujda.

Mujda and others, though, said that despite Karzai’s bluster, which prompted former top UN envoy Peter Galbraith to question his “mental stability,” the president’s hands are tied. Foreign governments are pressuring him to introduce key anti-corruption and good governance measures, amid longstanding concern about graft and lack of transparency at the heart of government. “In the long run - one side, either Karzai or the US, will have to compromise. They both have no choice but to work together,” Mujda added. Barakzai added: “No country in the region can be a good replacement for the international community as whole and United States support and cooperation with Afghanistan.” —AFP

Messi obsession overlooks Barca hard work

By Mark Elkington

N

o one has yet come up with a failsafe system to stop Lionel Messi, perhaps because an obsession with Barcelona’s outstanding individual is blinding many to the work of his coach and team mates. The Argentine forward’s awesome fourgoal destruction of Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals in midweek prompted an outpouring of advice from the helpful - manmarking and cutting off his supply lines - to the ridiculous (grab a shotgun).

The coach of Barca’s city rivals Espanyol, Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, said putting Messi in any team would turn them into champions. Pep Guardiola may have made note of some of the theories put forward but would probably disagree with Pochettino’s assessment, as he plots to become the

first Barca coach to win back-toback away ‘Clasicos’ when they visit Real Madrid yesterday.

The 39-year-old has said on a number of occasions his approach to soccer has been influenced by Johan Cruyff, so it is enlightening to hear what the club’s recently-appointed honorary president has to say on the matter. “Messi has his abilities but there are always 11 in a team. Every one of those players is important at a particular moment,” Dutch great Cruyff told Barcelona television on Friday. “Messi could score four goals but if (goalkeeper Victor)Valdes doesn’t stop the ball you lose 5-4. The coach has special pieces in particular positions. Like Xavi, for example, who works hard to calm things down (in midfield) and who adds pace to the movement of the ball,” added Cruyff. “When all the work has been done Messi steps in with

the master play. He puts the finishing touches to the team effort.”

Guardiola’s bold decision to swap striker Samuel Eto’o for Inter Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic raised eyebrows last year but it appears to have helped Messi develop as a goal-scorer and given the team new options going forward. The giant Swede’s physical presence and intelligent movement opens up spaces for the World Player of the Year to make his darting runs, though the injured Ibrahimovic was missing yesterday.

Guardiola has also given Messi more freedom to look for the ball, dropping off the right flank into the hole behind the forwards to leave Daniel Alves raiding down that wing instead. In the centre Messi profits from Barca’s normally overwhelming possession, interchanging quick, short passes with

Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Seydou Keita until a space opens up, destroying well thought-out marking systems. “Messi is trying out lots of different things at present,” Cruyff added. “(The coach) has to be flexible, you can’t have one fixed idea. The system isn’t so important but you need technically gifted players capable of understanding what you say. If you have a sufficiently intelligent team, a coach that sees things, and one or two players who can effect a change in position, and change everything, that is perfect.”

After the 4-1 second-leg win over Arsenal, Guardiola summed up his approach. “If we don’t play well ... Messi might not do so well,” he said. “We don’t ask him to score four goals, we ask him to enjoy himself on the ball when he gets it.

Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. We just want him to have fun.” —Reuters

focus

India weighs response after Maoist massacre

By Pratap Chakravarty

T

he massacre of 76 Indian policemen by Maoists in the deadliest ever attack by the leftwing rebels could spark a military response that experts fear would only lead to more violence. The government has vowed to avenge Tuesday’s annihilation of a police platoon in Chhattisgarh state and for the first time hinted it may consider using the military against the increasingly lethal insurgency. “At present there is no mandate to use the air force but if necessary we will have to re-visit the mandate and make some changes,” Home Minister P Chidambaram announced, grim-faced after meeting surviving policemen.

India used its military against Sikh guerrillas in Punjab state in the 1980s and until recently combat troops patrolled in Kashmir, but it always avoided using such force against the Maoists, who are active across the north and east. Now the Chhattisgarh massacre has tested patience to the limit. It was the sixth in a series of attacks by the outlawed Maoists that have left nearly 250 men in uniform dead since March 2007.

“If India uses the military then a lesser number of security personnel will die,” said Deepankar Banerjee, director of the Delhi-based Institute of Peace and Conflict, a privately run think-tank. “But civilian casualties will be three to five times more than those dying today and this scale of violence will increase and compound the problem,” predicted Banerjee, a former army

major general.

The insurgency, which started as a peasant uprising in 1967, has been identified by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the number one threat to India’s internal security. India’s million-plus military is divided on the tactics to be used against the Maoists, who in the past three years have assassinated an MP, staged a mass prison break for 300 of their jailed comrades and held entire trains hostage. The Counterterrorism and Jungle Warfare College, which is backed by the defence ministry, has called for the maximum use of force against the rebels, whose strength is variously estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000.

“These insurgents will come to talks only if their military arm is twisted,” college director Basant Kumar Ponwar told AFP, but he warned New Delhi must find other strategies to win over populations in Maoist-affected regions. In contrast, the Indian air force, which refuses to install weapons on helicopters that ferry injured policemen, has urged the government to keep the military out of the conflict.

“The military - the army, navy and air force - are trained for lethal operations; maximum lethality,” air force chief P V Naik said, opposing military strikes against the elusive Maoists. “The weapons we have are meant for the enemy across the border,” he said.

“For the present moment, we must leave it to the paramilitary forces because they are trained to undertake these operations.” —AFP

Experts fear Venezuela dependence on Russia

By Beatriz Lecumberri

V

enezuela is in danger of becoming militarily dependent on its main weapons supplier Russia, experts here said, after President Hugo Chavez reached a five-billion dollar weapons deal with Moscow.

Russia has become Venezuela’s chief military supplier, racking up $9.4 billion in weapon sales to Caracas over the past few years, including last week’s deal, which was announced by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow hours after returning from a trip to Caracas during which the sale was not even mentioned.

“We are becoming dependent on Russia, and eliminating any real competition between potential suppliers,” said Raul Salazar, who served as President Hugo Chavez’s defense minister from 1999 to 2000. Political analyst Carlos Romero expressed the concern that the massive weapons purchase “breaks with the tradition of peace in this country.” Chavez, who also has pursued joint cooperation with Russia on space exploration, is on a worrisome “armament track” that has led him to spend some 16 billion dollars on weapons over the past three years, Romero said. The firebrand leftist leader “wants to show that he has a central role on the world stage,” Romero said.

And some analysts worried that the Caracas government paid too much for the Russian weapons, at a time when Venezuela is so financially strapped by the recession that it is forced to ration electricity. “A good part of the country is asking how the president can spend so much money at a time when Venezuela can barely afford basics like electricity and water,” said foreign analyst Maruja Tarre. “No one sees the usefulness at this time and the news has created a scandal in Venezuela. The government didn’t even dare to announce it,” she said.

According to Russian sources, the new Venezuelan order would include three diesel submarines, 92 T-72

tanks, dozens of BMP-2 armored vehicles, 10 Mi-28N helicopters, patrol planes, multiple rocket launchers and air defense systems. Russia has so far sold the South American country $4.4 billion worth of military equipment, mainly Sukhoi-30 fighters, helicopters, and assault rifles.

Moscow also extended Venezuela a $2.2 billion loan last year for weapons purchases, which would be used to help finance the latest deal.

But Putin’s comments about the sale were not very precise and the Venezuelan National Assembly recently approved a confidentiality agreement with Russia on technical-military cooperation. Until now, the Russian leader vague comments are the only ones to address the purchase in public. “If you add all the military spending of the countries of the world, they would still be less than those of the United States.

And they are so cynical that they criticize us for equipping ourselves to strengthen our defensive capabilities,” said Chavez.

He was referring to a statement by US State Department spokesman, Philip Crowley, who said Washington was concerned that the arms would wind up in other countries. For his part, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe warned of the risk of an “immensely damaging” regional arms race.

Venezuela claims that new US military agreements with Bogota allowing Washington use of Colombian military bases for counternarcotics operations pose a potential security risk to his country.

“We have to have our armed forces as well equipped as possible, but we are buying something that does not guarantee that we will win in a war,” said Salazar. “Russia has not invested in its weaponry in years.”

In its 2010 budget, the Venezuelan government allocated 4.1 percent of the country’s gross domestic product to defense, or about 6.5 billion bolivars, an amount equivalent to either $2.5 billion or $1.5 billion, depending on which of two official exchange rates are used. —AFP

NEWS

14

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Hybrids eclipsed at Lebanon car fest BEIRUT: Eco-friendly or petrol-head?

Lebanon’s government would prefer to go green, but market forces dictate otherwise in a country where glitz and glam take front seat for many a prospective car buyer. Lebanon’s Motor Show opened this week with manufacturers showcasing their latest models and hybrids making a shy entry into a tough market. The show, which opened on Friday and runs to April 18, is one of the year’s largest in the Middle East with some 400 models on display, from cost-friendly Kias and Toyotas to ultimate luxury by Maserati and Bentley.

“We are hoping to encourage the Lebanese to turn towards eco-friendly four-cylinder hybrid cars, out of which they can get much more mileage anyway,” Environment Minister Mohammed Rahhal told AFP. The finance and environment ministries recently decided to waive customs and tariffs on hybrids in a bid to put more on the roads, but the measure will only come into effect once the pending budget is adopted by the cab-

inet.

Customs duties on imported cars currently range from 20 to 50 percent of their landing price, plus 10 percent valueadded tax as well as registration fees. “If we manage to waive customs for these cars, at least half of the next Motor Show will be dedicated to hybrids,” Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud told AFP while touring the biennial expo. But experts say that in Lebanon when car owners think green, they want their friends and onlookers to go green with envy. “Buyers here are generally looking to purchase cars to be seen in,” said Riyadh Abi Habib, a Lebanon manager for Toyota and Lexus.

While hybrids target less affluent buyers in Western markets, manufacturers say that in Lebanon, where GDP per capita is $6,500, they will sell only if marketed as status symbols. “Hybrids like the Prius don’t currently sell like other cars here, primarily because they are pricier than your average small car and yet are not considered status sym-

bols,” Abi Habib told AFP. “What we hope to do is market the hybrid as a status symbol for Lebanon’s young, educated, career-oriented group.”

For the time being, luxury cars are the most popular attractions at the Lebanon Motor Show. Among the stars is a limited edition Maserati, the MC Sport Line, emblazoned with a Lebanese flag on a silver plaque. The car, one of only 12 models available worldwide, has a sticker price of around $300,000. “In these areas customers are crazy about limited edition cars,” said Umberto Maria Cini, Maserati’s managing director for the Middle East and Africa. “Lebanon is one of our most historic and loyal partners, so it’s kind of a reward, a thank you,” he told AFP. Tareq Saadeh, a 25-year-old engineer, says he is aware of the benefits of hybrids but nonetheless would remain loyal to his preferred make: Germany’s BMW. “A Prius? Of course not,” he sniffed. “I would prefer a BMW, a new coupe, a fast sports car for my age,” he said. — AFP

Dead Yemeni child bride tied up, raped SHUEBA, Yemen: A 13-year-old Yemeni child bride who bled to death shortly after marriage was tied down and forced to have sex by her husband, according to interviews with the child’s mother, police and medical reports. The girl’s mother, Nijma Ahmed, 50, told the AP that before her daughter lost consciousness, she said that her husband had tied her up and forced himself on her. “She looked like she was butchered,” she said about her daughter’s injuries.

Elham Assi, 13, bled to death hours after she spoke to her mother and just days after she was married to a 23-yearold man. She died on April 2 in the deeply poor Yemeni village of Shueba, some 200 km northwest of the capital. Her husband, Abed Al-Hikmi, is in police custody.

The practice of marrying young girls is widespread in Yemen where a quarter of all females marry before the age of 15, according to a 2009 report by the country’s Ministry of Social Affairs.

Traditional families prefer young brides because they are seen as more obedient and are expected to have more children.

Legislation to ban child brides has been stalled by opposition from religious leaders. There has been no government comment over the case. The girl - one of eight siblings - was pushed into marriage after an agreement between her brother and her future-husband to marry each other’s sisters to avoid having to pay expensive bride-prices - a common

arrangement in Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East. According to police notes from the interrogation of the husband, he was upset because he could not consummate their relationship and felt under pressure to prove his manhood.

Assi’s mother said she also tried to persuade her daughter to have sex with her husband so as not to shame the family. Al-Hikmi took his young bride to a nearby medical clinic, asking a doctor there to administer her tranquilizers so she would not resist his advances. The clinic said it refused. Al-Hikmi then obtained performance enhancing pills, according to the police interrogation, and that night completed the act while she screamed. The next day, he returned to the same medical clinic carrying Assi because she could not walk. “I told him not to go near her for at least ten days,” said Dr Fathiya Haidar. She said Assi’s vaginal canal was ripped.

A forensic report obtained by the AP showed that Assi’s injuries were much more extensive, including extensive tearing around the vagina and rectum, suggesting that there might have been additional intercourse after the clinic visit.

Her mother said she visited Assi later that day, where she found her daughter fading in and out of consciousness. “She whispered in my ear that he had tied her up and had sex with her violently,” she said. “I said to her husband, what have you done, you criminal?” She said Al-

Hikmi told her that the young bride was just possessed by spirits and said he would take her to a folk healer to cast them out. Hours later, Assi was dead.

“She asked me to stay beside her,” her mother said.

The practice of marrying young girls is widespread in Yemen and has drawn the attention of international rights groups seeking to pressure the government to outlaw child marriages. “Early marriage places girls at increased risk of dropping out of school, being exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation, and even losing their lives from pregnancy, childbirth and other complications,” said UNICEF’s regional director Sigrid Kaag, in a statement Wednesday condemning the death.

A Feb 2009 law set the minimum age for marriage at 17, but it was repealed and sent back to parliament’s constitutional committee for review after some lawmakers called it un-Islamic. The committee is expected to make a final decision on the legislation this month. The issue of Yemen’s child brides received widespread attention three years ago when an 8-year-old girl boldly went by herself to a courtroom and demanded a judge dissolve her marriage to a man in his 30s. She eventually won a divorce. In September, a 12-year-old Yemeni childbride died after struggling for three days in labor to give birth, a local human rights organization said. — AP

BEIRUT: A model leans on the side of a Dodge Challenger at the Lebanon Motor Show 2010 on April 8, 2010. – AFP

15 dead in fierce Bangkok clashes Continued from Page 1 The Red Shirt protesters are demanding that Abhisit dissolve Parliament and call new elections. Their demonstrations are part of a long-running battle between the mostly poor and rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the ruling elite they say orchestrated the 2006 military coup that removed him from power.

The Red Shirts see the Oxford-educated Abhisit as a symbol of an elite impervious to the plight of Thailand’s poor and claim he took office illegitimately in Dec 2008 after the military pressured Parliament to vote for him. The government’s Erawan emergency center said tallies from four Bangkok hospitals showed the death toll early today had risen to at least 15 - four soldiers and 11 civilians.

Among them was Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto who worked for Thomson Reuters news agency. In a statement, Reuters said he was shot in the chest while covering the fighting. The protesters marched the body of a man they said was killed in the fighting to one of their encampments. They carried the man who had part of his head blown off - on a stretcher.

The injury toll for the day rose to 678, according to the Erawan emergency center. The army said any live rounds were fired only into the air, but confirmed that two of its soldiers had been shot.

Government spokesman Panithan

MOSCOW: Russia threatened to suspend all child adoptions by US families after a 7-yearold boy adopted by a woman from Tennessee was sent alone on a one-way flight back to Moscow with a note saying he was violent and had severe psychological problems. The boy, Artyom Savelyev, was put on a plane by his adopted grandmother, Nancy Hansen of Shelbyville. “He drew a picture of our house burning down and he’ll tell anybody that he’s going to burn our house down with us in it,” she told AP in a telephone interview Friday. “It got to be where you feared for your safety. It was terrible.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the actions by the grandmother “the last straw” in a string of US adoptions gone wrong, including three in which Russian children had died in the US. In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the boy “fell into a very bad family.” “It is a monstrous deed on the part of his adoptive parents, to take the kid and virtually throw him out with the airplane in the opposite direction and to say, ‘I’m sorry I could not cope with it, take everything back’ is not only immoral but also against the law,” Medvedev said. The cases have prompted outrage in Russia, where foreign adoption failures are reported prominently. Russian main TV networks ran extensive reports on the latest incident in their main evening news shows.

The Russian education ministry immedi-

ately suspended the license of the group involved in the adoption - the World Association for Children and Parents, a Renton, Washington-based agency - for the duration of an investigation. In Tennessee, authorities were investigating the adoptive mother, Torry Hansen, 33. Any possible freeze could affect hundreds of American families. Last year, nearly 1,600 Russian children were adopted in the United States, and more than 60,000 Russian orphans have been successfully adopted there, according to the National Council For Adoption, a US adoption advocacy nonprofit group.

“We’re obviously very troubled by it,” US State Department spokesman P J Crowley said in Washington when asked about the boy’s case. He told reporters the US and Russia share a responsibility for the child’s safety and Washington will work closely with Moscow to make sure adoptions are legal and appropriately monitored. Asked if he thought a suspension by Russia was warranted, Crowley said, “If Russia does suspend cooperation on the adoption, that is its right. These are Russian citizens.” “Child abandonment of any kind is reprehensible,” said Chuck Johnson, acting CEO of the National Council For Adoption.

“The actions of this mother are especially troubling because an already vulnerable, innocent child has been further victimized.”

The boy arrived unaccompanied in Moscow on a United Airlines flight on

Thursday from Washington. Social workers sent him to a Moscow hospital for a health checkup and criticized his adoptive mother for abandoning him. The Kremlin children’s rights office said the boy was carrying a letter from his adoptive mother saying she was returning him due to severe psychological problems. “This child is mentally unstable. He is violent and has severe psychopathic issues,” the letter said. “I was lied to and misled by the Russian Orphanage workers and director regarding his mental stability and other issues. ... After giving my best to this child, I am sorry to say that for the safety of my family, friends, and myself, I no longer wish to parent this child.” The boy was adopted in September from the town of Partizansk in Russia’s Far East.

Nancy Hansen, the grandmother, told AP that she and the boy flew to Washington and she put the child on the plane with the note from her daughter. She vehemently rejected assertions of child abandonment by Russian authorities, saying he was watched over by a United Airlines stewardess and the family paid a man $200 to pick the boy up at the Moscow airport and take him to the Russian Education and Science Ministry. Nancy Hansen said a social worker checked on the boy in January and reported to Russian authorities that there were no problems. But after that, the grandmother said incidents of hitting, kicking, spitting began to escalate, along with threats. — AP

Robo-suit promises farmers new powers Continued from Page 1 ageing farmers harvest their fruit and vegetables while avoiding backaches and nasty cramps, its developers say. Japan, with a low birthrate and a high life expectancy, is facing a demographic crisis as its population rapidly ages and shrinks.

Industrial robots have long been common in Japan, and robo-suits are making inroads in hospitals and retirement homes, where they can help carers lift patients or aid in physical rehabilitation exercises.

But with two thirds of the country’s farm-workers already over 65 years old, the agriculture sector is a potentially lucrative untapped market. The suit should hit the Japanese market in 2012,

when it will initially retail for about one million yen ($11,000), a price tag its makers hope to halve if the device is massproduced, the team said. There are however no plans so far to sell the suits overseas. “I doubt that the suit would sell in Europe and in America, where foreign migrant workers often perform farmrelated tasks,” Toyama said.

The team has developed a heavy-duty 30 kg model, for lifting big loads and pulling vegetables out of the ground, and a 23 kg version designed for lighter tasks such as picking grapes. The robo-suits can reduce the user’s physical effort by 62 percent on average, the inventors say.

When bending knees the muscular activity is reduced by half, and the suit can also take most of the strain out of crouching.

“We conducted a survey of 102 people for the latest model, asking what part of the body hurt when they picked grapes,” Yamamoto said. “Most farmers complained about aches in their arms, necks and lower backs.”

The suits are already tough, but soon they will also become smarter. By the end of the year Toyama plans to start working on augmented reality goggles on which useful information could be displayed for the farmer, in much the same way as data is projected onto the inside of a fighter jet’s cockpit. Useful information might include how ripe the grapes are, or the user’s heart rate and calorie consumption, said Toyama. “The goggles would tell you for instance how long you’ve been working and when you should rest.” — AFP

Thailand’s military has traditionally played a major role in politics, staging almost a score of coups since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

Yesterday afternoon, army spokesman Sansern said the military planned to clear out the protesters from their original rally site in the old section of Bangkok by dusk.

More troops were also sent to the second rally site in the heart of Bangkok’s upscale shopping district. The city’s elevated mass transit system known as the Skytrain, which runs past that site, stopped running and closed all its stations. The deployment came after protesters were pushed back by water cannons and rubber bullets from the headquarters of the 1st Army Region.

Although they have two main rally sites, the Red Shirts use trucks and motorcycles to send followers all over the city on short notice. Arrest warrants have been issued for 27 Red Shirt leaders, but none is known to have been taken into custody. Merchants say the demonstrations have cost them hundreds of millions of baht, and luxury hotels near the site have been under virtual siege.

Washington urged both sides in the conflict to show restraint. “We deplore this outbreak of political violence in Thailand, our long-term friend and ally, and urge good faith negotiations by the parties to resolve outstanding issues through peaceful means,” White House spokesman Mike Hammer said. — Agencies

Plane crash kills Polish prez Continued from Page 1

Moscow furious after boy sent back alone from US

Wattanayakorn said more than 60 troops had been injured. Most of yesterday’s fighting took place around Democracy Monument, which is near one of the encampments of the Red Shirt protesters.

But it spread to the Khao San Road area, a favorite of foreign backpackers.

Soldiers made repeated charges to clear the Red Shirts, while some tourists stood by watching. Two protesters and a Buddhist monk with them were badly beaten by soldiers and taken away by ambulance. A Japanese tourist who was wearing a red shirt was also clubbed by soldiers until bystanders rescued him.

Red Shirt leaders at the second rally site in the capital’s main shopping district said they were leading followers to reinforce their comrades at the site of the fighting.

Government forces have confronted the protesters before but pulled back rather than risk bloodshed. On Friday, the army failed to prevent demonstrators from breaking into the compound of a satellite transmission station and briefly restarting a pro-Red Shirt television station that had been shut down by the government under a state of emergency. The humiliating rout of troops and riot police raised questions about how much control Abhisit has over the police and army.

To effectively confront the protesters, Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee of Chulalongkorn University said the government needs the cooperation of the military, but the army may be reluctant to use force against the protesters.

The 89 passengers included General Franciszek Gagor, chief of Poland’s armed forces and the heads of all the main armed forces, central bank governor Slawomir Skrzypek, deputy foreign minister Andrzej Kremer, deputy defence minister Stanislaw Jerzy Komorowski, Kaczynski’s wife Maria, and scores of MPs, historians and other officials.

“This kind of dramatic tragedy is unheard of in the modern world,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after an emergency cabinet meeting. He later headed to the crash site. Former Polish president Lech Walesa, who headed the Solidarity movement, called the disaster “inconceivable”. “The Soviets killed Polish elites in Katyn 70 years ago.

Today, the Polish elite died there while getting ready to pay homage to the Poles killed there,” a shaken Walesa told AFP. Bronislaw Komorowski, head of Poland’s lower house, took over as interim head-of-state. He ordered a week of official mourning, declaring: “We are united - there is no left or right - we are united in national mourning,” There was no immediate word from the president’s identical twin brother, Jaroslaw, who previously served as prime minister. But thousands descended on the presidential palace in Warsaw to lay a sea of red and white flowers. Many people hung national flags from their windows. A party official told Reuters Jaroslaw Kaczynski had left for Smolensk.

World leaders expressed shock and dismay at the death of Kaczynski and many of the country’s top officials. HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of condolences to Komorowski, expressing profound grief over the tragedy and sincere sympathy with the people and government of friendly Poland. HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also sent similar cables.

The Polish delegation was travelling to Russia to attend a memorial service in the Katyn Forest, near Smolensk, for the 22,000 top Polish officers and troops killed by Soviet troops 70 years ago. The event had been intended to help reconciliation between Poland and Russia.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appointed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to head an inquiry commission and sent Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu to the site.

Putin later arrived to inspect the crash site, where Shoigu informed him that all

of the bodies had been recovered and were being transported to Moscow for identification. “Everything must be done to establish the reasons for this tragedy in the shortest possible time,” Putin was quoted as saying Russian news agencies.

The two “black box” flight recorders have also been found, news agencies reported. The jet had been repaired and refurbished in December, said Alexei Gusev, the director of its manufacturer, Aviakor.

Russian officials pointed at pilot error.

Some 1.5 km from the airport, air traffic controllers noticed the jet was below the scheduled gliding path, the air force deputy chief said. “The head of the group ordered the crew to return to horizontal flight, and when the crew did not fulfil the instruction, ordered them several times to land at another airport,” said Alyoshin.

“Nonetheless the crew continued to descend. Unfortunately this ended tragically,” he added.

The plane tilted to the left before crashing, eyewitness Slawomir Sliwinski told Russia-24. He said there were two loud explosions when the aircraft hit the ground. Russia-24 showed footage from the crash site, with pieces of the plane scattered widely amid leafless trees and small fires burning in woods shrouded with fog. A tail fin with the red and white national colors of Poland stuck up from the debris.

Kaczynski and his twin brother formed a formidable dual leadership of Poland’s nationalist right wing, stubbornly taking on other European leaders at EU summits to defend his country’s cause. The crash occurred three days after Putin and Tusk attended a joint memorial for the Katyn victims. The event was seen as a huge symbolic advance in Russia’s often thorny relations with Poland. Medvedev ordered a day of national mourning in Russia tomorrow.

Kaczynski’s death, along with that of many senior members of Law and Justice who also were on board, at a stroke changes the Polish political scene by wiping out much of the opposition. “The political consequences will be long term and possibly will change the entire future landscape of Polish politics,” said Jacek Wasilewski, professor at the Higher School of Social Psychology in Warsaw.

While the president’s role is largely symbolic, the holder can veto government legislation. Lech Kaczynski infuriated Tusk’s government several times by blocking legislation including health sector reform.

World leaders expressed shock at the disaster. US President Barack Obama hailed the late president as “a distin-

guished statesman who played a key role in the Solidarity movement, and he was widely admired in the United States as a leader dedicated to advancing freedom and human dignity.” He praised those killed in the crash as “many of Poland’s most distinguished civilian and military leaders who have helped to shape Poland’s inspiring democratic transformation”.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was “shocked to hear the news of the plane crash in which Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and many other people, including senior officials, were killed,” his office said. “On behalf of the United Nations, the secretary general expresses his deep and heartfelt condolences to the people and government of Poland and to the families of those who perished.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “deeply shocked”, adding, “It is a human and political tragedy for our neighbour Poland. French President Nicholas Sarkozy said he was deeply moved and very sad at the death of a man “driven by ardent patriotism, who dedicated his life to his country.” Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II sent her “deepest sympathy” to the Polish people and Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Kaczynski would be mourned across the world and remembered as a passionate patriot and democrat.”

Eurosceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus, the conservative Kaczynski’s closest ally among European politicians, said he had lost “a real friend”. “The tragic death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski ... is an absolutely terrifying event that has shaken me, shocked me, made me sad and touched me personally,” Klaus told reporters. Pope Benedict XVI also said he felt “deep pain” at the death of the head of state of strongly Catholic Poland, expressing condolences and calling for special blessings on the Polish people. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called Kaczynski “a very determined Polish patriot”.

Others who expressed their shock and sympathy included leaders of Bulgaria, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine, Balkan countries, Turkey, Georgia and Iran. China’s President Hu Jintao said he was “deeply saddened” while President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan said his heart went out to the Polish people and the families of those killed. Similar messages came from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe. — Agencies

SPORTS

Sunday, April 11, 2010

15 NHL Results/Standings NHL results and standings on Friday.

NY Rangers 4, Philadelphia 3; Washington 5, Atlanta 2; Detroit 1, Columbus 0 (SO); St. Louis 6, Anaheim 3; Chicago 5, Colorado 2.

NEW YORK: Mike Richards No. 18 of the Philadelphia Flyers attacks the goal defended by Henrik Lundqvist No. 30 of the New York Rangers during their game at Madison Square Garden. —AFP

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS New Jersey 46 27 7 213 189 99 Pittsburgh 46 27 7 251 231 99 Philadelphia 40 35 6 234 224 86 NY Rangers 38 33 10 221 216 86 NY Islanders 34 36 10 216 251 78 Northeast Division Buffalo 44 26 10 229 203 98 Ottawa 44 31 6 223 233 94 Boston 37 30 13 198 195 87 Montreal 39 33 9 214 219 87 Toronto 29 38 14 210 264 72 Southeast Division Washington 54 15 12 315 229 120 Atlanta 34 34 13 233 256 81 Carolina 35 36 10 228 252 80 Florida 32 36 12 204 237 76 Tampa Bay 32 36 12 210 256 76 Western Conference Central Division Chicago 52 22 7 269 206 111 Detroit 43 24 14 226 214 100 Nashville 46 29 6 223 224 98 St. Louis 40 32 9 224 221 89 Columbus 32 35 15 216 259 79 Northwest Division Vancouver 48 28 5 265 219 101 Colorado 43 30 8 243 231 94 Calgary 40 31 10 201 203 90 Minnesota 38 36 7 216 242 83 Edmonton 26 46 8 208 274 60 Pacific Division San Jose 50 20 11 261 213 111 Phoenix 50 25 6 223 199 106 Los Angeles 45 27 8 236 214 98 Anaheim 38 32 11 231 249 87 Dallas 36 31 14 233 251 86 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L).

Blackhawks stop Avalanche DENVER: The Chicago Blackhawks moved a large step closer to clinching the top seed in the Western Conference by beating the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Friday. Colin Fraser scored twice, Jonathan Toews had a goal and an assist for Chicago, which moved into a tie with San Jose for the Western Conference lead.

The Blackhawks can clinch the No. 1 seed with a win today against Detroit or by tying the

Sharks in points. Chicago holds the tiebreaker. San Jose was to host Phoenix yesterday. Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg also scored for Chicago. Ryan Stoa and Darcy Tucker netted for Colorado.

Capitals 5, Thrashers 2 In Washington, Alex Ovechkin took over the NHL lead in goals and points as Washington beat Atlanta. Ovechkin set up Nicklas

Backstrom’s goal in the first period, then scored himself in the second and third to reach 50 for the season.

With one regular-season game left, Ovechkin leads Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby by one goal, and Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin by one point.

Backstrom and Jason Chimera scored in the third period for the Capitals. Evgeny Artyukhin and Clarke MacArthur scored in the second for Atlanta.

Red Wings 1, Blue Jackets 0 In Columbus, Ohio, Detroit beat Columbus in a shootout, giving the Red Wings at least 100 points for the 10th year in a row.

Todd Bertuzzi scored on a backhand in the fourth round of the shootout after Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard turned away a shot by R.J. Umberger. Howard, a top Calder Trophy candidate as the NHL rookie of the year, had 22 saves. Columbus’ Steve Mason, last year’s Calder win-

ner, had a season-high 45 saves.

Blues 6, Ducks 3 In St. Louis, Keith Tkachuk set up the tying goal in his home finale and assisted on an insurance goal as St. Louis beat Anaheim.

Jay McClement scored the goahead goal with 3:50 to go and Andy McDonald scored 23 seconds later off Tkachuk’s shot from a tough angle for the Blues, who rallied from a 3-2 deficit after two periods

to finish with a six-game winning streak at home. Ducks rookie Matt Beleskey scored twice for the first time and Bobby Ryan got his 35th goal.

Rangers 4, Flyers 3 In New York, the hosts stayed alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race by edging Philadelphia.

Marian Gaborik broke a secondperiod tie with his 42nd goal, giving the Rangers a key win in the first of

two games that will determine both teams’ postseason prospects.

Gaborik converted Chris Pronger’s turnover in the Philadelphia zone into a drive that hit Flyers defenseman Matt Carle and caromed past goalie Brian Boucher.

Chris Drury, Jody Shelley and Brandon Dubinsky also scored for the Rangers. Mike Richards scored two goals and Daniel Briere had one for the Flyers. —AP

Tiger on the prowl at Augusta National

DOHA: Casey Stoner of Ducati Marlboro Team, adjusts his helmet as he races during the 2010 MotoGP free practice at Losail International Circuit in Doha.—AFP

Stoner lights up Qatar GP DOHA: Australia’s Casey Stoner set the fastest time in practice for the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix which will be staged under floodlights today.

The Ducati rider, who is seeking his fourth successive win at the Losail track, clocked 1min 55.500sec, just over half a second ahead of the rest of the 17-strong field late Friday.

Stoner was the only rider under the 1min 56sec barrier. “Everything started off very well; we got a quite good feeling with the bike early on,” he said.

“When we changed the setting I actually did not prefer the feeling of it, but the lap time was better. “Now we’re trying to get a bit more balance in the bike to get a little better understanding of it, and still be able to do those lap times,” said the 24 year-old.

Stoner warned that there would be further work ahead of Sunday’s season-opening race. “We’re quite happy with where we are at the moment but I believe everybody will catch up over the weekend, so we definitely need to stay on top of our game and try and improve our set-up a little more.”

Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo, on a Yamaha, who admitted prior to the weekend that he may not be at full fitness as he continues to recover from a hand injury, set the second best time of the hour-long session with 1min 56.026sec.

His team-mate and reigning world champion Valentino Rossi, was third on the timesheet on board his factory M1 prototype.

The Italian, who will aim to get his title defence off to a winning start, timed in at just two-thousandths of a second off Lorenzo.

Lorenzo said he had been quite happy with his hand. “I tried riding for the first time without the extra hand protection and I was okay,” said the Spaniard.

“I felt good on the bike and my thumb didn’t really hurt, it was a lot better than at the test.” Rossi said he had expected to be faster.

“The lap time is not bad but it could be better,” said the 31-year-old. “The conditions are much better than during the test, it’s warmer and a lot less humid so I’m happy about that. “But we don’t have enough grip and I was sliding quite a lot so we need to try to find a way to improve this.

“Stoner is always very fast here and I hope we can close the gap to him by making some small changes to our suspension. If we can stop the bike sliding then we will be a lot faster.” —AFP

AUGUSTA: Tiger Woods returned to familiar territory in typically gritty fashion at the US Masters on Friday, surging ominously into contention with two back-nine birdies in the second round at Augusta National.

Looking composed at one of his favorite venues and showing no hint of rust in his first tournament for nearly five months, the world number one ground out a twounder-par 70 to end a difficult day of scoring just two shots off the lead.

Engaging with the Augusta fans at every opportunity in glorious spring sunshine, Woods rolled in a 20-foot putt at the 13th before sinking a 12-footer at the 15th on the way to a six-under total of 138.

The four-times champion, whose troubled private life appears to have had no effect on his golf, will go into Saturday’s third round headed only by British pacesetters Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.

Poulter fired a five-birdie 68, his only blemish coming at the last where he missed a seven-foot par putt, while Westwood briefly got to 10-under before losing momentum over the closing stretch for a 69.

“It feels good to be back and in contention,” Woods told reporters after finishing level with playing partner KJ Choi of South Korea (71) and Americans Phil Mickelson (71), Anthony Kim (70) and Ricky Barnes (70).

“I usually put myself in contention most years here and this year I’m right there. We’ve got 36 more holes and I’m sure the golf course, they are not going to make it easy for us.”

Poulter, who won his first PGA Tour title at the elite WGCAccenture Match Play Championship in February, was delighted to share the 36-hole lead in the year’s opening major.

“This is a nice position to be in and obviously winning a couple of months back is a huge factor in playing well this week,” said the English world number seven, who, like Westwood, had never previously led after a major round.

“I’m in a position now where I can go out and be aggressive on the golf course. But it’s only Friday so I don’t want to get carried away.”

Westwood, winner of last year’s Dubai World Championship and the European order of merit, believes his time has come after a couple of

close calls in majors during 2008 and 2009.

“It’s the only thing really missing in my career,” said the world number four, whose roller-coaster round included an eagle at the second and a double-bogey at the tricky 14th.

“I’ve won everywhere around the world and money lists and here in the States. I know I’ve got the game and I know I’ve got the temperament. It’s just going that one step further and finishing it off.”

Woods, again watched by huge galleries on his highly anticipated return to competition, offset a birdie at the second with a bogey at the par-three fourth to reach the turn in level-par 36. Wearing a green shirt, black sweater and black trousers, the American frequently tipped his cap to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd as he clawed his way into contention.

Unusually, he wore sunglasses in between every shot due to the glare and high pollen count. “The pollen is just killing my eyes,” he said. “I’ve been sneezing and hacking all week so I’m trying to keep it out of my eyes the best I can.”

Woods was again in crowdpleasing mode, having promised on Monday to give more respect to the game and the fans following startling revelations about his extramarital affairs at the end of last year. After teeing off at the parthree sixth he spotted a young boy wearing a baseball cap with ‘TW’ emblazoned on the front and he put a huge grin on the youngster’s face by giving him a friendly hand slap as he walked by.

Having negotiated the first 12 holes in even par, he surged up the leaderboard amid roars of ‘Go Tiger’ with his birdies at 13 and 15, the first of them prompting him to raise his putter skywards in celebration.

Woods, who was watched for the second day in a row by his Thai mother Kultida but not his Swedish wife, is bidding to become the first player to launch his season with a major victory since Ben Hogan clinched the 1953 Masters.

Tricky pin positions, quickening greens and Augusta’s notorious swirling winds posed continual problems for the field in the second round. The day’s average score of 74.512 was almost 1.5 shots higher than Thursday. —Reuters

AUGUSTA: Tiger Woods tips his cap during the Masters golf tournament. —AP

Rodriguez clinches stage ORIO: A daring ambush through rugged terrain by Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez on stage five of the Tour of the Basque Country garnered the Katusha rider a victory that propelled him into third place overall on Friday.

Fellow Spaniard Alejandro Valverde still leads with a one second advantage over American Chris Horner followed by Rodriguez at 34 seconds.

Rodriguez staged a surprise lone attack as the

favorites were preparing to tackle the main challenge of the day, the short but painfully steep Alto de Aia-Fronton climb.

Already the outright winner of the Tour of Catalunya two weeks ago, the 30-yearold Spaniard then soloed to his third victory of the season with a 14 second advantage over compatriot Samuel Sanchez. Valverde was third.

“I went for a long-range attack because I thought that way I’d catch everybody

out,” Rodriguez told reporters. “I’d lost time in yesterday’s stage because I didn’t feel good for no real reason and I wasn’t happy about it.”

“I wracked my brains about how best to put it right and I was still feeling pretty gloomy before today’s stage started.” “Getting a better position overall wasn’t the day’s big objective, all I wanted was to reach the line first and be able to put my hands in the air.” —Reuters

SPORTS

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Giants down Braves to stay unbeaten SAN FRANCISCO: Aaron Rowand drove in the winning run with two outs in the 13th inning, giving the unbeaten San Francisco Giants a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves in the National League on Friday.

Juan Uribe drew a one-out walk from Braves pitcher Kris Medlen in the 13th before stealing second. Uribe went to third on a throwing error, and Rowand’s infield single brought him home. Earlier, Edgar Renteria hit a tying, two-run homer off Braves closer Billy Wagner in the ninth. It was the longest home opener in history for the Giants, who improved to 4-0. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was ejected in the top of the 13th for arguing balls and strikes, the 154th ejection of his career.

Cardinals 5, Brewers 4

MIAMI: Rafael Furcal No. 15 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a single in the ninth inning against the Florida Marlins during the Marlins home opening game at Sun Life Stadium.—AFP

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

Detroit 5, Cleveland 2; Toronto 7, Baltimore 6; Colorado 7, San Diego 0; San Francisco 5, Atlanta 4 (13 Innings); Tampa Bay 9, NY Yankees 3; LA Dodgers 7, Florida 3; NY Mets 8, Washington 2; Cincinnati 5, Chicago Cubs 4; Texas 6, Seattle 2; Philadelphia 8, Houston 0; Minnesota 4, Chicago White Sox 3 (11 innings); Kansas City 4, Boston 3; St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 4; Arizona 9, Pittsburgh 1; Oakland 10, LA Angels 4.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT GB Tampa Bay 3 1 .750 Toronto 3 1 .750 NY Yankees 2 2 .500 1 Baltimore 1 3 .250 2 Boston 1 3 .250 2 Central Division Minnesota 4 1 .800 Detroit 3 1 .750 .5 Cleveland 2 2 .500 1.5 Kansas City 2 2 .500 1.5 Chicago White Sox 1 3 .250 2.5 Western Division Oakland 4 1 .800 Texas 2 2 .500 1.5 LA Angels 1 4 .200 3 Seattle 1 4 .200 3

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

National League Eastern Division 3 1 .750 2 2 .500 2 2 .500 2 2 .500 1 3 .250 Central Division 3 1 .750 2 2 .500 2 2 .500 2 2 .500 1 3 .250 0 4 0 Western Division 4 0 1.000 3 1 .750 2 2 .500 2 2 .500 1 3 .250

1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 3 1 2 2 3

Late stunner hands Harrison European heavyweight title LONDON: Audley Harrison staggered out of boxing’s last chance saloon as European heavyweight champion and reborn contender on Friday after a last-round knockout of fellow Briton Michael Sprott for the vacant title.

Well behind on all three scorecards and seemingly heading for career oblivion 10 years on from his super-heavyweight gold medal at the Sydney Olympics, the 38-year-old sent his opponent crashing to the canvas with a lethal left.

Sprott, a 35-year-old former British and Commonwealth champion who had beaten Harrison in 2007, was given an oxygen mask before recovering enough to sag in his corner at London’s Alexandra Palace.

“It feels absolutely great,” said Harrison, who fought southpaw from the second of the 12 rounds after locking his shoulder and has won 27 fights with four defeats.

“I just had to switch and I was ineffective on that side because I never trained on that side, never fought on that side, but I said losing wasn’t an option. I had to find it some way, somehow,” he told Sky television.

“That shows how much I wanted to be European champion, I wanted to keep my career,” added Harrison, who had said before the fight that victory could put him closer to a world title fight against one of the Ukrainian Klitschko brothers than Britain’s WBA world champion David Haye.

Derided as ‘Fraudley’ and ‘Audrey’ in the past for limp-wristed and lacklustre performances, the towering Harrison was booed at

times by a crowd clearly behind his plucky opponent.

He may have the last laugh however, with his new-won status reviving his faint hopes of a world title shot at a time when retirement seemed his more likely destination. “I definitely proved that I want to remain in boxing,” he said. “With one hand really I found a shot that made me a European champion, gave me a top 10 rating in the WBC.” Meanwhile, Yankee Stadium will welcome boxing back to the baseball field for the first time in over 30 years when it hosts a world championship bout in June that features an aspiring rabbi, officials said on Friday.

The “Stadium Slugfest” will feature WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0-0, 8 KOs) of Belarus against former title holder Miguel Cotto (34-2-0, 27 KOs) of Puerto Rico in a ring at right-center field with a canopy above.

It will mark the first non-baseball event to be held in the $1.5 billion stadium that opened last year as the new home of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees.

The last fight in old Yankee Stadium, built across the street in 1923 and now being demolished, was in 1976 when Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton.

Foreman, 29, who emigrated to Israel and now lives in Brooklyn, is an aspiring rabbi who displays extraordinary discipline and focus.

After beating Puerto Rican Daniel Santos in November to become Israel’s first world box-

ing champion, Foreman said he objected to suggestions from trainers to take easy fights.

“I said no, to be a world champion it’s not fighting just easy fights, it’s actually fighting another world champion,” Foreman told reporters at Yankee Stadium.

“Miguel Cotto is another world champion and defending a world title against Miguel Cotto is a dream coming true and an opportunity to showcase my skills.”

Cotto, 29, hugely popular in his native Puerto Rico, lost his WBO welterweight title to Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines when their November fight was stopped in the final round.

The June 5 fight against Foreman will mark Cotto’s first with trainer Emanuel Steward, who has trained several top fighters including Thomas Hearns and Wladimir Klitschko.

“We are the owners of our destiny,” Cotto said. “I guarantee you we are going to create a great show here.” The Yankee Stadium fight will be the second held in a major new sports stadium this year as Pacquiao beat Ghanaian Joshua Clottey in front of nearly 51,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium, the home of the National Football League Dallas Cowboys.

Officials said they hope to sell at least 30,000 tickets for the fight at Yankee Stadium, which can hold about 52,000. Cotto is guaran-

teed $2 million and Foreman $800,000, according to Bob Arum of Top Rank, which represents both fighters.—Reuters

In Milwaukee, pinch-hitter Nick Stavinoha hit a two-out two-run homer in the ninth inning to lift St. Louis past Milwaukee. It was the first plate appearance of the season for Stavinoha and the first blown save for Brewers closer Hoffman, baseball’s career saves leader. Matt Holliday also hit a two-run homer for St. Louis.

Dodgers 7, Marlins 3 In Miami, pitcher Hiroki Kuroda steered Los Angeles to victory, limiting Florida to an unearned run in eight innings.

The Dodgers were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position before Casey Blake doubled home the tying run in the seventh. He scored on Blake DeWitt’s single, and the Dodgers added two unearned runs in the four-run inning on a throwing error by Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

Kuroda struck out seven, and the only walk he allowed was intentional. Florida went 1 for 9 against him with runners in scoring position.

Rockies 7, Padres 0 In Denver, Jorge De La Rosa pitched seven innings of one-hit ball to steer Colorado to a comfortable win over San Diego. De La Rosa kept the Padres off balance with a fastball that consistently reached 141 kph (94 mph). He struck out nine and enticed 10 groundball outs. Clint Barmes hit a late three-run homer, Ian Stewart drove in two runs, and Todd Helton and Miguel Olivo each added a run-scoring single before a Coors Field regularseason record crowd of 49,509.

Reds 5, Cubs 4 In Cincinnati, Drew Stubbs hit his first career grand slam in the eighth inning, rallying Cincinnati past Chicago. The Reds managed only three hits in the first seven innings, then took advantage of Cubs pitcher Esmailin Caridad, who walked his first two batters, and gave up a bunt single before Stubbs connected for a 5-3 lead.

Stubbs also tripled leading off the first and scored. The Cubs pulled a run back, then loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Chad Tracy hit a check-swing grounder back to the pitcher for the final out.

Mets 8, Nationals 2 In New York, Rod Barajas and Jeff Francoeur became the first Mets hitters to homer twice out of Citi Field in the same game, powering New York past Washington. The Mets posted their first fourhomer performance at the ballpark that opened last season.

Mike Pelfrey pitched four-hit ball for six innings and left with a 3-2 lead to claim the win.

Phillies 8, Astros 0 In Houston, Placido Polanco had four hits and two RBIs to help Philadelphia trounce winless Houston. Raul Ibanez drove in three runs as the Phillies reduced the Astros to a 0-4 record. JA Happ, David Herndon, Danys Baez and Jose Contreras combined for the eight-hit shutout. The Phillies compiled 16 hits and have had at least 10 in every game this season.

DETROIT: Rick Porcello No. 48 of the Detroit Tigers delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians.—AFP

Error helps Tigers over Indians DETROIT: A fielding error by Cleveland third baseman Jhonny Peralta helped the Detroit Tigers to a 5-2 win over the Indians in Friday’s American League action. Peralta bobbled a Magglio Ordonez grounder, and his throwing error cleared the bases and gave the Tigers a four-run fifth inning.

Detroit starter Rick Porcello gave up two runs in five-plus innings to take the win, and Jose Valverde got his first save in two chances.

Cleveland starter David Huff allowed four runs just one earned - in six innings to take the loss.

Rays 9, Yankees 3 In St. Petersburg, Florida, Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar hit two-run homers to power Tampa Bay past New York. Their power hitting backed Rays starter David Price, who allowed three runs in a career-best 7 2-3 innings.

Jason Bartlett’s two-run double capped a fiverun fourth inning against New York starter Javier Vazquez, making his first appearance for the Yankees since New York’s crushing loss to Boston in the 2004 AL championship decider.

Twins 4, White Sox 3 In Chicago, JJ Hardy drove in the winner with two outs in the 11th inning as Minnesota beat Chicago for its fourth straight win.

Hardy’s hit scored Joe Mauer, who drew a leadoff walk against Tony Pena and was sacrificed to second by Denard Span. Mauer moved to third on Orlando Hudson’s lineout to deep center.

Hardy then hit past diving shortstop Alexei Ramirez.

Athletics 10, Angels 4 In Anaheim, California, Oakland sent Los

Angeles to its fourth straight defeat. Daric Barton and Rajai Davis each had three hits and two RBIs and Cliff Pennington added a three-run homer for the A’s. Pennington’s homer, which gave the Athletics a 10-2 lead, was the 10th allowed by Angels pitchers during their first five games. The three-time defending AL West champs are 1-4 for the first time since 1988.

Blue Jays 7, Orioles 6 In Baltimore, Toronto rallied with two runs in the ninth inning to edge Baltimore. Travis Snider hit a tying double off Orioles closer Michael Gonzalez and scored on Jose Bautista’s sacrifice fly. Alex Gonzalez homered for the Blue Jays, who were just 1-8 at Baltimore last season.

Rangers 6, Mariners 2 In Arlington, Texas, Seattle went down to its fourth straight loss, beaten by Texas. Rangers starter Colby Lewis allowed just one run in seven innings. It was his first win in the majors since early 2004.

Trailing 5-1, the Mariners loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Lewis struck out Jack Wilson and retired Ichiro Suzuki on a groundout.

Royals 4, Red Sox 3 In Kansas City, Missouri, Rick Ankiel homered and hit a broken-bat, two-run single in the eighth inning to lift the Royals over struggling Boston.

Ankiel followed Billy Butler’s solo homer in the sixth with a solo shot on the next pitch, then jammed a two-out single over shortstop Marco Scutaro’s head in the eighth. Joakim Soria pitched a scoreless ninth to break Kansas City’s string of three straight blown saves.—AP

Zeballos eliminates Gonzalez HOUSTON: Top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez was bundled out of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship on Friday, beaten in straight sets by Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos.

The sixth-seeded Zeballos, the 2009 ATP newcomer of the year, broke Gonzalez in the first game of the second set, but had to struggle to hold his serve later in the final set to beat

Gonzalez, ranked 11th in the world. Zeballos is ranked 54th.

After seeing off one break point in the sixth games, Zeballos escaped three break points in the eighth, aided by three aces.

“Zeballos played a good match and I didn’t play my best tennis,” Gonzalez said.

Zeballos will face fellow Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela in

D’backs 9, Pirates 1

PARIS: IBF world champion Simphiwe Nongqayi of South Africa (right) hits France’s Malik Bouziane during their world super flyweight title fight. The boxing match ended in a draw and Nongqayi retained his title. —AP

In Phoenix, Chris Young hit a grand slam for his second homer in two games and matched a career high with five RBIs, leading Arizona over Pittsburgh. Young’s second career slam highlighted a sixrun third inning for the Diamondbacks, who improved to 3-1 and equaled their best start set in 2000. Young, who finished with three hits, homered well over the 413-foot sign in left-center.—AP

HOUSTON: Horacio Zeballos of Argentina prepares to hit a backhand against Fernando Gonzalez of Chile. Zeballos defeated Gonzalez 6-4, 6-4 in a quarterfinal tennis match at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships.—AP

the semifinals. Chela beat injury-slowed defending champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia 6-4, 6-3.

Hewitt, fourth seeded, played in his first tournament since undergoing surgery on his right hip Jan. 29. He made one charge after falling behind 5-0 in the second set, breaking the Argentine in the sixth and eighth games. Chela, ranked 84th in the world, ended the brief rally by breaking back in the ninth game.

Third-seeded Sam Querrey of the United States also advanced, overcoming a misfiring serve to beat Chile’s Nicolas Massu 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Querrey will face American Wayne Odesnik, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Belgium’s Xavier Malisse.

Odesnik pleaded guilty last month to taking human growth hormones into Australia. He has denied using HGH and is continuing to play while his case is being investigated by the ATP. “I would refuse to lose to that guy,” Querrey said.

Odesnik, who has declined comment on his case, replied: “We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”—AP

17

SPORTS

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Brumbies demolish Cheetahs to remain in hunt for semis

AUCKLAND: Blues’ Anthony Boric tries to fend off the tackle of South Africa’s Stormers Andries Bekker (right) in a Super 14 rugby match. — AP

Stormers hold off Blues at bay Crusaders win over Waratahs

AUCKLAND: The Stormers galloped to an early lead then scrambled in defence and held their nerve to beat the Auckland Blues 33-21 in their Super 14 match yesterday.

The South African side had raced out to a 20-0 lead through tries from centre Jaque Fourie and scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage, both of which were converted by flyhalf Peter Grant, who also added two penalties before the Blues even settled into the game.

“We knew this week it would be pretty tough, particularly the way the Blues had played last week against the Bulls,” Stormers captain Schalk Burger said in a televised interview.

“It was important for us to get points when we had the ball because the Blues are so dangerous on attack.” The attack-minded Blues cracked open the Super 14’s best defence seemingly at will, but the Stormers managed to scramble back or the Auckland players’ handling let them down.

The home side did not get on the board until the 36th minute when Isaia Toeava and Joe Rokocoko combined to break out of their own half and eventually fed flanker Serge Lilo for the try.

Blues’ flyhalf Stephen Brett converted from wide out to make it 20-7 at halftime, though Grant added his third penalty just after the break to extend the lead again.

All Blacks utility Luke McAlister crossed after a sustained buildup to reduce the gap to 23-14, but Stormers replacement Anton van Zyl took advantage of confusion at a lineout to score in the corner and give the visitors a 30-14 lead.

Toeava and Rokocoko again combined to launch a counter-attack that put the winger over and gave them hope of pulling off a remarkable victory with 20 minutes remaining.

But Grant added his fourth penalty five minutes later and the Stormers tightened up by keeping the ball close, while the Blues started to throw the ball around in a desperate attempt to score again.

“It was a really good start by the Stormers and we didn’t capitalise on the opportunities we had,” Blues captain Keven Mealamu said.

“A side like that, who defend really well, really make you pay the price when you don’t seize those opportunities.”— Reuters

AUCKLAND: Canterbury’s Daniel Carter became the leading points scorer in Super rugby after kicking 15 points in the Crusaders’ 20-13 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs in Christchurch yesterday.

Carter came into the Super 14 match on 1,007 points and took that tally to 1,022 after slotting five penalties, moving him past ACT Brumbies’ Stirling Mortlock, who has 1,019.

Neither side were able to assert any dominance in a match characterised by controlled pressure and bone-rattling defence, and it was not until Crusaders’ scrumhalf Kahn Fotuali’i scored a 76th minute try that the match was settled. “It was always going to be a tough match,” Crusaders captain Richie McCaw said in a televised interview.

“I’m proud of the way the guys ... ground it out, got the points and played down their end of the field.” Wallabies number eight Wycliff Palu, who signed a contract extension until 2012 earlier this week, left the field in the second half with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.

Carter slotted two penalties, and missed two others, in the first half before Daniel Halangahu kicked the Waratahs’ first penalty in the 31st minute.

Berrick Barnes then stepped up in the final minute of the half to level the score at 6-6 when Fotuali’i was sinbinned for a dangerous tackle on Barnes.

Carter added his third penalty to give the home side a 9-6 lead after the break but the Crusaders defence finally buckled after more than 20 phases, Rob Horne pouncing on a crafty grubber kick behind the tryline by Halangahu.

The flyhalf converted to give the Waratahs a 13-9 lead before Carter slotted two more penalties after sustained pressure to give the Crusaders a 15-13 advantage with 13 minutes remaining.

The Crusaders hammered away at the Waratahs line for the rest of the match and Fotuali’i was awarded a try after referee Craig Joubert went to the television match official to confirm the grounding of the ball.

“You can’t win without the ball and our discipline was a little bit off tonight,” Waratahs captain Phil Waugh said. “We weren’t clinical in that area and didn’t get hold of the ball in that final 20 minutes when we needed to.”— Reuters

SYDNEY: The ACT Brumbies remained in contention for the Super 14 semi-finals with a 6115 demolition of a woeful Cheetahs side in Canberra yesterday.

The home side scored nine tries, while flyhalf Matt Giteau slotted six conversions for 12 points before he was replaced with 20 minutes remaining.

The Brumbies move into fifth place in the table with 26 points, two behind the fourthplaced Stormers. Fullback Julian Huxley added two conversions after Giteau went off.

“Happy with the amount of tries we scored ... but we butchered quite a few opportunities and probably should have had more points in the first half,” Brumbies captain Stephen Hoiles said in a televised interview.

“It puts us in a good position but let’s be honest we are facing some pretty tough teams from now on, so it will get pretty serious from now on in.”

Cheetahs flyhalf Naas Olivier opened the scoring with an early penalty but it was one of the few times the visitors got inside the Brumbies territory in the first half.

The Brumbies replied with three first-half tries to Hoiles, scrumhalf Patrick Phibbs and centre Tyrone Smith. Giteau converted all three tries to give the Brumbies a 21-3 lead at the break.

Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom secured the bonus point for the Brumbies early in the second half before Cheetahs replacement scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius darted over. Olivier, however, missed the easy conversion and was immediately replaced by Riaan Viljoen.

Loosehead prop Ben Alexander and centre Adam Ashley-Cooper both scored tries for the Brumbies before Cheetahs hooker Adriaan Strauss rumbled over and Viljoen converted.

Matt Toomua scored a late try for the Brumbies then injured himself when he collided with the padding around the goalpost, before Alexander crashed over for his second try of the match and Alfi Mafi crossed in the final minute.

“There is not a lot to be said, we were very disappointing and we have a lot of hard work to do,” Strauss said. —Reuters

CANBERRA: Cheetahs’ Barend Pieterse wins a lineout during his Super 14 rugby game against the ACT Brumbies. The Brumbies won 61-15. — AP

Red Bull back ride-height clarification LONDON: Pace-setting Red Bull have applauded Formula One’s governing body for clamping down on systems that alter a car’s ride height between qualifying and the race, adding they had nothing to fear.

Team boss Christian Horner told Reuters on Friday that his cars, which have come under the spotlight after securing pole position in all three races so far this season, would be the same as ever for next week’s Chinese Grand Prix.

“The car will be in the same mechanical specification in China as it has been at the previous races so we are pleased the FIA have chosen to clarify this,” he said.

“I’ve actually been quite surprised at the amount of coverage this has generated,” the Briton added with a laugh. “We are focused on our own performance and we take it as a compliment in many respects that people suspect we are achieving the performance we are through other mechanisms or means.”

The International Automobile Federation

(FIA) wrote to all teams this week to clarify the rules about changes to the suspension of cars between qualifying and the race.

Red Bull finished one-two in the last Malaysian Grand Prix, with Germany’s Sebastian Vettel leading home Australian Mark Webber.

Vettel started on pole in Bahrain and Australia and might have won all three races but for a spark plug failure in the seasonopener and a wheel hub problem in Melbourne.

The speed of the Red Bull in qualifying, when cars are light on fuel before being filled to the finish for the race, has had some in the paddock wondering whether they are using a device or system to adjust the ride height for maximum aerodynamic advantage.

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh said after Melbourne his team were racing to develop their own system in time for Shanghai after noticing that some cars, Red Bull included, were running lower to the

ground than expected in qualifying. Horner said any such device would clearly be illegal under the FIA clarification.

“Obviously (regarding) Martin’s comments he was poorly informed because there has been no such system on our car at any grand prix,” he said. “If anybody did run a system in China onwards it would be clearly in breach of the technical regulations.”

Red Bull celebrated their first grand prix win in Shanghai last year, with Vettel again leading Webber in a one-two finish, and will be heavily tipped to repeat the feat after their showing in Malaysia. Horner said Red Bull would be foolish to underestimate the competition, however.

“Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes are all strong teams so we don’t take anything for granted,” he said. “We’ll just look to extract the maximum we can out of the car, the drivers are both in great form and we’ll try our hardest to try and replicate the sort of form we demonstrated in Malaysia.”— Reuters

Allmendinger takes NASCAR pole IRELAND: Munster’s Ronan O’ Gara (left) and David Wallace stop Northampton Saint’s James Downey (centre) in the Rugby Union European Cup Quarter-Final round at Thomond Park. — AP

Force sends Highlanders packing AUCKLAND: Scrumhalf Justin Turner, centre Ryan Cross and winger Cameron Shepherd all scored late tries to help the Western Force to a 41-27 victory over the Otago Highlanders in their Super 14 match in Queenstown yesterday.

All three tries came in the final eight minutes to blow open a close scoreline in an otherwise scrappy match punctuated by penalties, handling errors and referee Marius Jonker issuing three yellow cards in the first half.

Cross and Shepherd had also scored earlier tries, while Force fullback James O’Connor also scored a try and added four conversions and a penalty for the visitors.

“It was pretty scrappy, I don’t think the game got to the heights we expected but we will take the five points,”

Force captain Nathan Sharpe said in a televised interview.

Flyhalf Matt Berquist had slotted two early penalties for the home side, who were pinned inside their own territory for much of the first half, but the Force only led 10-6 at the break courtesy of Shepherd’s first try and a conversion and penalty to O’Connor.

The Force were also denied a try to hooker Benn Whittaker after television match official James McPhail ruled he had lost control of the ball as he attempted to force it.

Berquist slotted his third penalty early in the second half before McPhail awarded tries to Otago prop Chris King and then the Force’s O’Connor within three minutes.

The lead then changed hands three times inside 10 minutes with Otago

number eight Stephen Setephano crossing for a try to give the home side a 19-15 lead.

Cross then replied with his first try after some patient buildup for a 20-19 lead, before Berquist struck his fourth penalty to give Otago a 22-20 lead with 15 minutes remaining.

The Force, however, sealed the match in the final 10 minutes before Otago’s Fetu’u Vainikolo was awarded a late try in the corner, again after consultation with McPhail given the winger had taken out the corner flag.

“Very disappointing, our defence probably slipped in that final 10 minutes. Before that we were in the game,” Highlanders captain Jimmy Cowan said. “Credit to the Force they pinned us in our territory ... and scored some good tries.”— Reuters

AVONDALE: AJ Allmendinger finally has his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole, beating his old team to get the top spot Friday for the Subway Fresh Fit 600. In the Richard Petty-owned No. 43 Ford, Allemendinger took the pole away from Scott Speed, the driver who essentially replaced him at Red Bull Racing.

“I didn’t even realize there was a Red Bull car on pole,” Allmendinger said, before quickly telling the truth. “It wasn’t really a surprise to see them up there, but anybody’s that’s been let go, you know what it’s like to go out and beat your old team.”

Allmendinger ran 38 races over two seasons for the Red Bull team before being let go late in 2008. He started last season with just enough sponsorshop to get through the first quarter of the Sprint Cup schedule with Richard Petty Motorsports, but had six top 10s and ended up running the full season and finished 24th in points.

After leading 11 laps in the seasonopening Daytona 500 this year, Allmendinger finished 32nd and has only one top 10 through the first six races. He is a disappointing 26th in the points standings.

“To get our first pole is exciting. It’s a

small victory, but it means so much to this team, especially to me,” said Allmendinger, who is starting his 87th Cup race. “It’s a big deal for the season. It’s been difficult, but I know we’re getting better each weekend.”

Sam Hornish qualified third in the No. 77 Dodge. Marcus Ambrose was fourth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the highest-qualifying Chevrolet in the fifth spot. Sprint Cup points leader Jimmie Johnson, who has won four of the last five races at Phoenix, qualified 16th.

Denny Hamlin will start 26th in his first race since surgery March 31 to repair a torn knee ligament. He will start the race, but Casey Mears is standing by to take over if needed during the 375-lap race on the oddly shaped mile-long track.

Speed, the ex-Formula One driver coming off consecutive finishes of 31st and 33rd, arrived in the desert with a cleanshaven head and a car he has nicknamed “Rattlesnake.”

“I shaved all the black hair because that seemed to be bad luck,” Speed said. “I also named our car, it’s mean, sounds fast and we’re in Phoenix. I’m not sure which one turned the luck around, but we’ll keep doing all of them.”—AP

PHOENIX: Kyle Busch, driver of the no. 18 Combos Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. — AFP

SPORTS

18

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Spectators watch the ACC Elite Trophy proceedings from treetops.

Afghanistan lifts ACC Elite Trophy 2010 KUWAIT: Afghanistan once again proved to be the number one cricket nation amongst the non-Test playing nations in the Asian region and added another feather to their cap by capturing the ACC Elite trophy.

In the final played at Hubara ground on April 9, 2010, Afghanistan defeated Nepal by 95 runs to be the new champions.

A record capacity of 7000 Afghan supporters had gathered from the early hours of Friday to watch their favorite team in action and the mighty Afghanistan cricketers never let their supporters down.

The Nepal team, equally talented and experienced put the Afghanistan team to bat first and was right on top after capturing 4 of their top notch batsmen.

Opener Kabir Khan played a patient innings, contrary to his flamboyant style and with former captain Raees Ahmadzai consolidated the Afghan innings by posting 79 runs for the sixth wicket. The Nepal bowlers delivered a convincing performance and the batsmen were forced to treat them with a bit of respect.

Karim Sadiq’s knock of 58 runs contained 2 sixes and 2 boundaries. Meanwhile, the injured Raees dominated the Nepal bowling and along with Afghanistan’s super star Mohammed Nabi who once again took the responsibility to play a scintillating knock of 48 runs which enabled Afghanistan to score 225 runs in their allot-

BCB President Mustafa Kamal giving the winners trophy to Afghanistan captain.

PCB Director cricket operations and former cricketer Zakir Khan awarding the runners-up trophy to Paras Khadka captain of Nepal.

Raees Ahmadzai receiving the Man of the Match award from Haider Farman, secretary general Kuwait cricket.

Afghanistan players celebrate after taking a wicket.

ted 50 overs. Raees scored an enterprising 52 runs. Binod Das bowled well for Nepal to take 3 for 35 while Paras Khadka and Rahul claimed two wickets each.

Chasing 225 runs to win the match and the coveted ACC Elite trophy, Nepal openers were greeted by some fearsome

NBA results/standings

Afghanistan bowlers removed the openers quickly and none of the Nepal batsmen could counter the fearsome attack launched at them and were skittled out for 129 runs.

The Afghan bowlers stamped their authority in such a manner and along with the cheering

support from the large Afghanistan contingent completely overshadowed their opponents and it was the stylish Ghyanendra Malla and Sharad Veswakar who put their heads down and slowly withstood the hostile attack of the Afghanistan bowlers.

Malla scored 30 runs while Sharad stayed till the end to hit a valuable 35 runs which was still not enough to overcome Afghanistan total. Mirwis Ashraf & Nawroz Mangal took two wickets each for Afghanistan.

The final was witnessed by Bangladesh Cricket Board

President Mustafa Kamal, Pakistan Cricket Board Director cricket operations and former Test cricketer Zakir Khan, ACC, Chief Executive Officer Syed Ashraful Haque and Haider Farman, Secretary General, Kuwait cricket and many other cricket lovers.

Thunder staves off late Suns rally

NBA results and standings on Friday.

Orlando 118, NY Knicks 103; Milwaukee 95, Philadelphia 90; Atlanta 107, Toronto 101; Washington 106, Boston 96; Indiana 116, Cleveland 113; Detroit 106, Miami 99; LA Lakers 97, Minnesota 88; New Jersey 127, Chicago 116 (2Ot); Utah 114, New Orleans 103; Oklahoma City 96, Phoenix 91; Houston 97, Charlotte 90; Memphis 107, San Antonio 99; Dallas 83, Portland 77. (2OT denotes double overtime) Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L Boston 49 30 Toronto 38 41 NY Knicks 28 51 Philadelphia 26 53 New Jersey 12 67 Central Division Cleveland 61 19 Milwaukee 45 34 Chicago 38 41 Indiana 31 48 Detroit 26 53 Southeast Division Orlando 56 23 Atlanta 50 29 Miami 44 35 Charlotte 42 37 Washington 25 54 Western Conference Northwest Division Denver 52 27 Utah 52 28 Oklahoma City 49 30 Portland 48 31 Minnesota 15 64 Pacific Division LA Lakers 56 23 Phoenix 51 28 LA Clippers 27 52 Sacramento 25 54 Golden State 24 54 Southwest Division Dallas 52 27 San Antonio 48 31 Houston 41 38 Memphis 40 39 New Orleans 35 45

hostile fast bowling from Mirwis & the giant 6 footer Shapura Zardan. Even though, highly experienced and talented, the Nepalese openers Anil Mandal & Mahesh Chettri were no match for the Afghani speedsters.

The highly inspired

PCT .620 .481 .354 .329 .152

GB 11 21 23 37

.763 .570 .481 .392 .329

15.5 22.5 29.5 34.5

.709 .633 .557 .532 .316

6 12 14 31

.658 .650 .620 .608 .190

.5 3 4 37

.709 .646 .342 .316 .308

5 29 31 31.5

.658 .608 .519 .506 .438

4 11 12 17.5

OKLAHOMA CITY: Kevin Durant scored 35 points and rookie reserve Serge Ibaka hit a crucial basket in the final minute, allowing Oklahoma City Thunder to stave off a late Phoenix Suns rally and win 96-91 in the NBA on Friday.

The Thunder limited Phoenix to a season-low 34 points in the second half but needed a late basket from an unlikely source to avoid a third straight hearbreaking defeat.

Ibaka scored inside with 33 seconds left to push Oklahoma City’s lead to 91-86, after the Suns had closed a 12-point deficit to three. Ibaka ended up matching his career high with 15 points, and Jeff Green and Thabo Sefolosha also scored 15 for the Thunder.

Amare Stoudemire had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead Phoenix, which took a step back in the race for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Mavericks 83, T Blazers 77 In Portland, Oregon, Dallas clinched the Southwest Division by beating Portland.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 40 points, making a key 3-pointer with under three minutes left.

He had 10 rebounds and was 17 for 17 from the free throw line for the Mavericks.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points for the Blazers, who had won the three previous meetings with the Mavericks this season.

Pacers 116, Cavaliers 113 In Cleveland, Danny Granger had 36 points, including nine of Indiana’s final 11, as the Pacers beat Cleveland’s backups.

With home-court advantage clinched through the NBA finals, Cavs coach Mike Brown is using this week to rest some regulars. Cleveland played without starters LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams and Shaquille O’Neal, plus reserve Daniel Gibson. The Pacers took advantage, ending a 10-game losing streak in Cleveland.

Hawks 107, Raptors 101 In Atlanta, the hosts hung on to beat Toronto, and reached the 50-win mark for the first time in 12 years. The Hawks matched their season low for points in a first quarter when they trailed 25-14, but scored a

season-high 45 points in the second quarter and never looked back.

Jamal Crawford scored 15 of his 25 points in the second. Atlanta moved ahead of Boston into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Amir Johnson had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto, which remained tied with Chicago for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Grizzlies 107, Spurs 99 In San Antonio, Memphis dealt San Antonio a heavy setback in a tight playoff race. Zach Randolph had 28 points and 15 rebounds, and Rudy Gay added 21 points for the Grizzlies who, with nothing to play for with their own playoffs hopes gone, settled for dropping the Spurs back down to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

It was the first win for Memphis in San Antonio since 2005. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 26 points, hours after signing a three-year, $39 million extension.

Jazz 114, Hornets 103 In New Orleans, Utah remained within striking distance of the second playoff seed in the Western Conference by downing New Orleans.

Deron Williams had 27 points and 16 assists, and rookie Wesley Matthews added 20 points for the Jazz, which led by as much as 21 points in the third quarter. Darren Collison had 28 points and seven assists, leading a Hornets comeback attempt that trimmed their deficit to five in the fourth quarter.

Magic 118, Knicks 103 In Orlando, Florida, Dwight Howard and Vince Carter scored 25 points apiece as Orlando tuned up for the playoffs with a victory over New York.

Reserve Ryan Anderson added 19 points to help the Magic build a 24-point lead. The Magic swept the season series 3-0 against the Knicks and geared up for a matchup with top-seeded Cleveland on Sunday. Danilo Gallinari had 28 points for the Knicks, who trimmed the deficit to eight points early in the fourth quarter.

Rockets 97, Bobcats 90 In Houston, the hosts made it three straight wins by downing Charlotte. Aaron Brooks scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Trevor Ariza added 17 for the Rockets.

Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw scored 18 points apiece for the Bobcats, who still clinched no worse than the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs after losses by Chicago and Toronto. The Rockets have defeated Charlotte in eight of the past nine meetings.

Wizards 106, Celtics 96 In Boston, Washington opened a 28-point first-half lead and withstood a late flurry of 3pointers to beat Boston. Andray Blatche had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and backup JaVale McGee had 14 points with 11 rebounds for the Wizards.

Rajon Rondo had 17 points and 12 assists for playoff-bound but out-of-form Boston, which was once again booed by fans.

Lakers 97, T’wolves 88 In Minneapolis, Los Angeles secured home court throughout the Western Conference playoffs with victory over Minnesota.

Pau Gasol had 29 points and 15 rebounds and Lamar Odom had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who have the No. 1 seed in the West for the third straight season.

Jonny Flynn scored 19 points for the Timberwolves.

Bucks 95, 76ers 90 In Philadelphia, Milwaukee took sole possession of fifth place in the Eastern Conference by defeating Philadelphia. Carlos Delfino scored 23 points and Luke Ridnour had 18 for the Bucks, who have won four straight games without injured center Andrew Bogut. They led from go to whoa against the woeful Sixers and have held three straight teams to 90 or fewer points. Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 21 points. Philadelphia missed 11-of-20 attempts from the free throw line.

Pistons 106, Heat 99 In Miami, Detroit snapped Miami’s ninegame winning streak. Ben Gordon scored 26 of his 39 points in the second half and Tayshaun Prince added 28 points, seven assists and six

MINNEAPOLIS: Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jonny Flynn (10) drives against Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher (2) during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game. —AP rebounds for the Pistons, who won their third straight despite missing injured guards Rodney Stuckey and Richard Hamilton.

Dwyane Wade finished with 19 points and nine assists for Miami, which saw its hopes of finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff chase take a hit.

Nets 127, Bulls 116 In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Devin Harris hit a go-ahead jumper early in sec-

ond overtime as New Jersey prevented Chicago from taking over the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Terrence Williams had a career-high 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double by a Nets rookie since 2001. Brook Lopez added 26 points and 14 rebounds. The Bulls’ loss, coupled with Toronto’s defeat, left those teams tied for eighth in the East with three games left. —AP

SPORTS

Sunday, April 11, 2010

19

KUWAIT: The ambassadors chat with the players before the kick off.

KUWAIT: (Front row, left to right) The ambassadors of Benin, Mauritania, Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are pictured as they watch the final game between Benin and Senegal yesterday. —Photos by Chidi Emmanuel

Benin reign supreme in African Student’s Cup Championship

By Chidi Emmanuel KUWAIT: Photo shows Senegalese fans cheering their team.

KUWAIT: It was a dramatic moment

yesterday at the Kuwait University Stadium as the Benin and Senegal battle for supremacy at the finals of the Dean’s Cup Championship. The cham-

pionship was organized for the African students in the Kuwait University.

Most of the Africans students representing their various countries par-

ticipated in the event.

The game ended with a 4-3 shootout with Benin emerging as a winner after a 1-1 draw in a hotly con-

tested match. The event was graced by many dignitaries including the ambassadors from Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Benin, Somalia, Kenya and

Lacklustre Bayern fail to capitalise on Schalke slip

GOA Maroons retain GOA Rolling Trophy KUWAIT: Hosts GOA Maroons retained the prestigious Goan Overseas Association Rolling Trophy in the finals played on 26 March 2010. The XVI edition of the tournament was sponsored by Bassem International Trading Company, and conducted under the auspices of the Kuwait India Football Federation, at the MOH Grounds.

Making their first appearance in a GOA Tournament final, CRC Chinchinim appeared to be awestruck taking their time to settle down.

Maroons, on the other hand, began to pressurize early on and were rewarded in the 17th minute.

Elvis’ cross from the right flank was dummied by Kennedy leaving Gaby to slot in from close range. Eight minutes later, CRC should have been on level terms when Joywin’s header off a corner beat GOA’s keeper Anthony, but captain Ian was at hand to clear the ball off the goal line.

Eleven minutes later, Elvis, who had switched to the

left, shot the ball from 50 yards out to notch Maroons second. Four minutes before the break, Kennedy’s cross from the left flank beat CRC’s defense, leaving Gaby with an easy tap in.

With the change of ends, CRC looked to get back in the game and the initial ten minutes resulted in attacks and counter attacks. CRC reduced the deficit when Edwin scored with a left footed shot.

Their fight back lasted a further twelve minutes as Steven scored Maroons’ fourth after Gaby’s initial strike, off a corner, was saved.

GOA continued to force the pace with Kennedy unable to get the better of CRC’s keeper Anthony in a one on one situation.

Minutes later, Elvis’ attempt from the left came off the cross bar. Kennedy finally got his name on the score card with seven minutes left to play, with a right footed shot from close range. In spite of the score line, CRC’s attempts to reduce the deficit were thwarted by Maroons’ formidable defense made up of

Carlos, James, Ian and Regi.

At the prize distribution ceremony, Raymond D’Sa, President of Goan Overseas Association thanked all the participating teams, KIFF Managing Committee, KIFF Referees and spectators for their cooperation and sportsmanship.

Charles D’Sa, General Manager of Bassem International Trading Company, who is sponsoring this tournament for the 7th year consecutively, presented Maroons with the Rolling Trophy, Winners as well as individual trophies.

The runners up received individual trophies at the hands of Fidelis Fernandes, President of KIFF Raymond D’Sa, presented special commemorative plaques to Felix Mendes and Terence Carvalho for their long-standing support and dedication as players. Man of the Match, Gabriel Fernandes (Gaby) collected his trophy at the hands of Johnny Vaz. Michael Fernandes, presented the referee’s trophies to the KIFF Referees.

BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s seven matches in 21 days, including their epic Champions League win over Manchester United, caught up with them yesterday as they laboured to a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.

The result allowed them to open up a two-point lead on Schalke, who slumped to a 4-2 defeat at relegation-haunted Hanover, in the race for the German league title with four games left.

Louis van Gaal’s Munich side also have a six-point lead over third-placed Leverkusen and remain on course for a Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble.

Bayern dominated large parts of yesterday’s match but rarely troubled Leverkusen goalkeeper Rene Adler. Leverkusen came into the game on the back of three successive defeats and they had two good chances in the first half through Eren Derdiyok and Tranquillo Barnetta.

But it was Bayern who took the lead in the 51st minute when Gonzalo Castro fouled Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, who scored the crucial Champions League away goal at Old Trafford in mid-week, converted the penalty.

Leverkusen’s top scorer Stefan Kiessling then headed against the post in the 58th minute before they drew level a minute later.

A free-kick from Toni Kroos, on-loan from Bayern until the end of the season, came back off the crossbar and Arturo Vidal tucked away the rebound.

Schalke’s title hopes suffered a second successive setback when they slumped to a shock 42 loss at struggling Hanover.

The result came on the back of last week’s 2-1 loss to Bayern.

Hanover, coached by former Schalke boss Mirko Slomka, went into the game without a win in the last month, but they led 2-0 at the break after an own-goal from Heiko Westermann and the first of a brace from Ivory Coast star Didier Konan Ya on the half-hour mark.

Schalke, seeking a first German title since 1958, pulled back to 2-2 within seven minutes at the start of the second half through an Edu Goncalves strike and a penalty from Croatian international Ivan Rakitic.

Hanover, who are third from bottom of the table, restored their lead in the 80th minute through captain Hanno Balitsch before Konan Ya added a superb, solo goal in injury time.

Werder Bremen’s bid for Champions League qualification received a big boost when they thrashed Freiburg 4-0 and fourthplaced Borussia Dortmund slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Mainz.

Stuttgart climbed to sixth place above Hamburg, who visit Bochum today, after winning 1-0 at bottom club Hertha Berlin.

Polish international midfielder Adam Matuszczyk was on target twice for Cologne in a 2-0 victory at Hoffenheim that moved them further clear of the relegation zone.—AFP

GERMANY: Leverkusen’s Arturo Vidal (left) and Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger challenge for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match. —AP

German League results/standings Mainz 05 1 (Szalai 30) Dortmund 0; Hoffenheim 0 FC Cologne 2 (Matuschyk 46, 82); Hertha Berlin 0 VfB Stuttgart 1 (Cacau 74); Hanover 4 (Westermann 17-og, Konan Ya 29, 90+2, Balitsch 80) Schalke 04 2 (Goncalves 46, Rakitic 52pen); Werder Bremen 4 (Pizarro 35, 56, Hunt 53, Ozil 66) SC Freiburg 0; Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Vidal 59) Bayern Munich 1

(Robben 51-pen) Played Friday Borussia M’gladbach 2 (Reus 6, Dante 56) Eintracht Frankfurt 0 Playing today VfL Bochum v Hamburg, Nuremberg VfL Wolfsburg

German League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Mainz 05 30 11 8 11 Bayern Munich 30 17 9 4 58 28 60 M’gladbach 30 10 7 13 Schalke 04 30 17 7 6 49 28 58 Hoffenheim 30 9 7 14 Bayer Leverkusen 30 14 12 4 59 34 54 FC Cologne 30 8 10 12 Dortmund 30 15 7 8 48 35 52 Nuremberg 29 7 7 15 Werder Bremen 30 14 9 7 63 37 51 VfL Bochum 29 6 10 13 VfB Stuttgart 30 13 8 9 44 37 47 Hanover 30 7 6 17 Hamburg 29 11 12 6 48 33 45 SC Freiburg 30 6 7 17 Eintr. Frankfurt 30 12 8 10 40 44 44 Hertha Berlin 30 5 7 18 VfL Wolfsburg 29 12 7 10 56 51 43

30 39 35 29 28 31 34 27 30

37 49 38 38 47 52 56 55 49

41 37 34 34 28 28 27 25 22

West Brom promoted to Premier League LONDON: West Bromwich Albion were promoted to the English Premier League after beating Doncaster 3-2 in the Championship yesterday.

Roberto Di Matteo’s side-relegated from the top flight last season-will make a quick return after moving 11 points clear of third placed Nottingham Forest with only three matches left for both teams.

Di Matteo said: “It’s a credit to the players who have worked very hard.

Their attitude, effort has been the key to this season and we have been promoted with three games left, it’s an amazing achievement. “It has been great to work with these players this year and I have enjoyed it very much. As a manager you need good players, players who are willing to put in the effort through the season.” The Baggies took the lead at the Keepmoat Stadium in the 31st minute when Graham Dorrans fired a free-kick past Doncaster goalkeeper Neil Sullivan.

Chris Brunt seized on a poor defensive

header to double Albion’s advantage in first-half injury time.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas got one back for Doncaster in the 47th minute before Roman Bednar’s 73rd minute strike reestablished West Brom’s two-goal lead.

James Hayter struck for Doncaster in the 85th minute to set up a nervous finale

for Albion, but the visitors held on to spark wild celebrations as their fans spilled onto the pitch to party with the players.

Championship leaders Newcastle, who were also relegated from the Premier League last season, have already made sure of their return to the top flight.—AFP

Ross County stun Celtic GLASGOW: Celtic face finishing the season without any silverware when they sensationally crashed out of the Scottish Cup after First Division minnows Ross County pulled off a shock 2-0 semi-final win at Hampden yesterday.

The former Highland League side, in their first ever semi-final appearance, dominated the match against a Celtic side who were competing for their only realistic chance of a trophy this season.

Steven Craig gave County a well deserved lead ten minutes into the second-half with a superbly taken solo goal. Martin Scott then wrapped things up for the giant-killers when

he bundled home with two minutes to go to send County in the Scottish Cup final for the first time in their 81-year history.

It was the 14th and most surprising defeat of the season for Celtic, who are 13 points behind Rangers in the race for the championship.

County manager Derek Adams said it has been a magnificent performance from his side.

“We passed the ball well and created opportunities and the game plan worked,” the 34year-old said.

“It was a tremendous day for us and in the second-half we have shown that belief that we knew that we could win the game. —AFP

www.kuwaittimes.net

Barcelona down Real in ‘El Clasico’

LONDON: Chelsea’s Didier Drogba leaps over the challenge of Aston Villa’s James Collins during the FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Aston Villa and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.—AP

Drogba keeps Chelsea on course for Double LONDON: Didier Drogba sent holders Chelsea on their way to a 3-0 win over top flight rivals Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley yesterday.

The Ivory Coast striker broke the deadlock in the 68th minute before Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard completed the win with two late goals as Premier League leaders Chelsea remained on course for a domestic ‘Double’.

Chelsea will now return to Wembley on May 15 where they will face the winners of today’s second semi-final between fellow Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth.

This was no routine victory but once Drogba had turned home John Terry’s shot on goal following a mistake by Villa defender Richard Dunne - the forward’s fifth Wembley goal - the outcome was never in doubt.

Malouda added a second in the 89th minute, connecting with Michael Ballack’s right wing cross and Lampard completed the scoring in added time by capping a fine run with a composed finish.

“I always say I’m lucky, it’s an honour for me to be here and to play in a stadium like this one,” said Drogba. “The FA Cup is really special to us and when I have the chance I will try to score. I had two chances before and I was a bit

unlucky, the first one was a great block from (Stephen) Warnock and the third chance maybe was the one that was least expected, but that’s the goal.”

For Villa, defeat meant a second Wembley disappointment this season after their League Cup final defeat at the hands of Manchester United in February.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti had warned his side they would face a very different Villa team to the one that capitulated 7-1 at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago.

FA Cup The Italian reasoned that Martin O’Neill’s side would be wounded by that defeat and anxious to make amends. And so it proved with the Midlands side impressing during the opening exchanges when they were unfortunate not to claim an early breakthrough.

Ancelotti made just one change to the side that beat Villa first time around, recalling Drogba in place of Nicolas Anelka.

“I’ve been in this position before, I know why I was not starting, it’s not a problem,” Drogba said. “The objective is to win the game. We have six games left to go with the final and we have to win them all.”

Initially, though, the Chelsea striker saw little of the ball as Villa’s central mid-

field pairing of James Milner and Stiliyan Petrov grabbed early control of the game. But Villa were furious in the 16th minute they were denied a penalty.

England striker Gabriel Agbonlahor’s pace had upset the Blues backline throughout the early stages, but on this occasion he caused problems with his back to goal and appeared to be tripped by John Obi Mikel as he attempted to turn inside the box.

The Villa man was convinced he had been unfairly grounded - and O’Neill reacted furiously when referee Howard Webb ignored the claims for a penalty.

Villa continued to enjoy the greater share of possession but they were almost caught out when Drogba was only just beaten to a loose ball in the area by a desperate lunge from defender James Collins.

And Drogba almost forced a costly error out of Warnock.

The left back inexplicably headed the ball into Joe Cole’s path under pressure from Drogba and it took a point blank save from keeper Brad Friedel to smother the danger.

But Chelsea finally made the breakthrough after halftime when Dunne failed to clear Malouda’s corner, diverting his header to the feet of Terry who struck a left foot shot that was turned home by Drogba.—AFP

Inter exposed after draw at Fiorentina ROME: Inter Milan dropped two precious points after being held to a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina yesterday and will lose top spot in Serie A should Roma win their home match against Atalanta today.

A goal eight minutes from time from Per Kroldrup earned the Viola a deserved point after Inter had come from behind to snatch the lead in the second half.

Prolific strike duo Diego Milito and Samuel Eto’o had each steered home right-wing centres to cancel out Keirrison’s early strike in an

absorbing end-to-end contest.

The result means Inter go two points clear of Roma having played a game more, while Fiorentina move up a place to eighth.

“After going ahead we gifted Fiorentina a second goal but these things happen in football - you’re often most vulnerable after scoring,” said Inter sporting director Marco Branca, who spoke as coach Jose Mourinho is boycotting the Italian press. “We aren’t bothered what Roma do against Atalanta.”

Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli

thought the draw was a fair result.

“Inter have strength of character and will always fight to the death. They put us under a lot of pressure and it was difficult to hold out. Their second goal was annoying because they shouldn’t have been able to break from our corner.” With Fiorentina’s Peruvian left winger Juan Vargas injured and top scorer Alberto Gilardino only fit enough for the bench, Inter began the match on the front foot with Wesley Sneijder having a 20-yard shot tipped around the post.—AFP

Todayʼs matches on TV (local timings) FA Cup Tottenham v Portsmough.....................18:00 Al Jazeera Sport +5 Italian League Juventus v Cagliari................................16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +6 AC Milan v Catania...............................16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +1 Palermo v Chievo..................................16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2 AS Roma v Atalanta...............................16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +7 Sampdoria v Genoa.................................21:45 Al Jazeera Sport +1 English Premier League W’hampton v Stoke...............................14:00

ShowSports 3 Blackburn v Man United.........................15:30 ShowSports 1 ShowSports 2 Liverpool v Fulham ..............................17:00 ShowSports 3 Man City v Birmingham .......................18:00 ShowSports 1 ShowSports 2 Spanish League Deportivo v Racing ...............................18:00 Al Jazeera Sport +7 Espanyol v Atletico................................20:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2 Mallorca v Valencia ...............................22:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2

MADRID: Barcelona capped an unforgettable week by beating Real Madrid 2-0 in ‘El Clasico’ at the Santiago Bernabeu yesterday to take pole position in the La Liga title race.

Victory allowed the defending champions to open up a three-point lead over Real at the summit with seven games left.

Lionel Messi followed up his quadruple against Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinal win on Tuesday with the opener on 32 minutes for his 27th league goal of the season and 40th in all competitions.

Pedro Rodriguez struck the second on 55 minutes as Barca and their coach Pep Guardiola won their fourth consecutive Clasico and inflict a first home defeat on Real after a perfect 15 league wins.

Real had won 12 consecutive league games to go above Barca on goal difference in ther table and were out to avenge the 6-2 drubbing by their old rivals at the Bernabeu last season.

However, treble winners Barcelona had other ideas and after reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League by swatting aside Arsenal they are now in the box seat to retain their title.

Real must recover quickly as the league is their only hope of silverware and their fans will also fear seeing Barcelona lifting the Champions League in the May 22 final at their Bernabeu stadium home.

Real were boosted by the return of Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso from suspensions and both started Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who bagged the winner in the 1-0 Clasico win at Camp Nou in late November, had been ruled out for Barca so Guardiola chose to play without a recognised target man.

Carles Puyol played at right back giving Dani Alves a more attacking role down the right wing with Messi having a free role in the centre.

A bumper 80,000-plus crowd packed in to watch the duel between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two most recent Ballon D’or winners, and both were prominent early on.

Messi, full of confidence after his four goals against Arsenal, went down on 11 minutes under the challenge of Raul Albiol but saw his penalty appeal turned away.

Ronaldo nutmegged Sergi Busquets only to over-run the ball and Gerard Pique cleared.

With half an hour gone neither goalkeeper had been called into action but Barcelona made their first chance count. Messi played a neat one-two with Xavi before controlling the ball on his chest and firing past Iker Casillas.

Real should have equalised with Alonso heading over from close range before Gonzalo Higuain blazed over when wellplaced.

The second goal arrived on 55 minutes. Xavi released a terrific pass to Pedro who controlled brilliantly before accelerating away from Alvaro Arbeloa and curling the ball past Casillas.

Real brought on Guti a minute after the second goal and the substitute produced a pinpoint pass for Rafael van der Vaart to go one-on-one with Victor Valdes but the goalkeeper defied the Dutchman with his legs.

Valdes denied Ronaldo on 65 minutes before Casillas pulled off two wonder saves to stop Messi getting what would have been his fourth league hat-trick of the season.

Substitute Raul found the net in the final few minutes but the goal was ruled out for handball to sum up Real’s miserable night.

Earlier Sevilla enhanced their hopes of a top four finish and Champions League football as they came from behind to win 2-1 at Malaga and move three points ahead of fifthplaced Real Mallorca.

Elsewhere Villarreal beat Sporting Gijon 1-0 at home to move into the top six, a point above Athletic Bilbao.—AFP

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Pedro Rodriguez celebrates with Lionel Messi of Argentina (left) after scoring a goal against Real Madrid during the Spanish League soccer match.—AP

Spanish League results/standings Malaga 1 (Caicedo 16) Sevilla 2 (Cala 65, Lolo 84); Tenerife 0 Valladolid 0

Villarreal 1 (Godin 16) Sporting Gijon 0; Xerez 0 Getafe 1 (Rafa 60); Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 2 (Messi 32, Pedro 55)

Spanish League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Barcelona Real Madrid Valencia Sevilla Mallorca Villarreal Bilbao Getafe Deportivo Atletico

31 31 30 31 30 31 30 31 30 30

25 25 16 15 14 13 13 13 12 11

5 2 8 6 6 7 6 5 6 7

1 4 6 10 10 11 11 13 12 12

77 83 48 45 46 46 41 43 32 47

19 28 32 36 34 41 41 40 38 45

Almeria Sporting Osasuna Espanyol Zaragoza Malaga Racing Tenerife Valladolid Xerez

80 77 56 51 48 46 45 44 42 40

30 31 30 30 30 31 30 31 31 31

9 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 4 5

10 10 7 10 8 10 10 8 13 8

11 12 14 12 14 14 13 17 14 18

32 33 26 22 37 35 30 29 30 26

39 39 35 37 53 40 44 61 53 53

37 37 34 34 32 31 31 26 25 23

Ilan boosts Hammers’ survival hopes West Ham 1

Sunderland 0 LONDON: West Ham’s season of struggle was given a shot in the arm when Araujo Ilan’s goal secured a desperately needed 10 win against Sunderland at Upton Park here yesterday.

Victory moved West Ham onto 31 points - four above the Premier League relegation zone with four games to play.

Brazilian striker Ilan, who saved the day against Everton to earn a point last week, popped up again to convert Carlton Cole’s knock-down from a freekick in the 51st minute.

Substitute Guillermo Franco had a late second ruled out for handball but West Ham had done enough to ease the pressure on manager Gianfranco Zola, whose side had lost their three previous games at their Upton Park home.

“The players put a lot of passion in,” Zola told the BBC. “We got the three points we needed and deserved. “We’ve improved our position but there is still a long way to go and we need to maintain our focus,” the former Italy forward added.

“The circumstances can change completely, but we made a lot of sacrifices to make things change.”

Sunderland, unchanged from their win against Tottenham the week before, started brightly.

Kieran Richardson’s useful ball through to top scorer Darren Bent almost opened up the fragile Hammers. But England hopeful Bent, with 22 Premier League goals already this season, poked the ball over Robert Green’s goal.

The Hammers began to haul themselves into the game though and Valon Behrami’s fine shot from outside the area after 16 minutes was saved at full stretch by Craig Gordon.

The Scotland goalkeeper was fortunate moments later when his clearance hit the back of Hammers striker Carlton Cole but bounced to safety.

Former West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand made a decisive block on Ilan’s shot after Cole’s break on the right after 37 minutes. —AFP

LONDON: West Ham United’s Radoslav Kovac (left) and Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole (right) in action during the English Premier League soccer match at Upton Park.—AP

EPL results/standings Hull 1 Hull 1 (Kilbane 3) Burnley 4 (Paterson 35, Alexander 64-pen, 70-pen, Elliott 90); West Ham 1 (Ilan 51) Sunderland 0.

Playing today Blackburn v Man Utd, Liverpool v Fulham, Man City v Birmingham, Wolves v Stoke.

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Chelsea Man Utd Arsenal Man City Tottenham Liverpool Aston Villa Everton Birmingham Stoke Blackburn Fulham Sunderland W’hampton Bolton West Ham Wigan Burnley Hull Portsmouth

33 33 33 32 32 33 32 33 33 32 33 32 34 33 33 34 33 34 33 33

23 23 22 16 17 16 14 13 12 10 11 11 9 8 8 7 8 7 6 6

5 3 5 11 7 7 12 11 10 12 9 8 11 8 8 10 7 6 9 5

5 7 6 5 8 10 6 9 11 10 13 13 14 17 17 17 18 21 18 22

84 77 75 64 58 54 44 52 34 32 35 35 44 28 36 41 30 36 32 28

30 74 27 72 34 71 40 59 32 58 33 55 32 54 44 50 38 46 35 42 50 42 37 41 52 38 51 32 61 32 57 31 64 31 72 27 70 27 60 14 — relegated Note: Portsmouth deducted 9 points for entering administration.

Burnley 4

Burnley pound Hull HULL: Graham Alexander scored twice from the penalty spot as Burnley defeated Hull 4-1 to boost their survival bid with their first Premier League away win this season.

Brian Laws’ team had taken just one point from their previous 16 away matches and they looked set for another dismal day on their travels when Kevin Kilbane gave fellow strugglers Hull an early lead at the KC Stadium yesterday.

But Martin Paterson levelled for Burnley before half-time, Alexander struck twice from the spot and Wade Elliott added the fourth to lift the Clarets above Hull into 18th place on goal difference.

West Ham’s win over Sunderland kept Laws’ team four points from safety but Burnley will believe they still have a chance after this emphatic win. “As a manager I’ve been an easy target this week for criticism and hopefully that might just quieten them down for at least a few more days,” Laws said. “Externally it was very difficult because the media were very much on our backs, particularly mine. I’m a cheap shot at the moment, very easy to get at because we were not winning games.”—AFP

Singapore Airlines flying to Tokyo Haneda from Oct 31

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All-new Jaguar XJ brings daring new spirit to auto luxury

23

NGT, Hyundai open Hyundai showroom in Kuwait

25

Sunday, April 11, 2010

www.kuwaittimes.net

Bharti sees no major hurdles to Zain deal BOAO, China: Leading Indian telecommunications carrier Bharti Airtel will work with its existing equipment suppliers when it builds its 3G mobile network following a long-delayed auction, a top executive said.

Rajan Bharti Mittal, a director on the company’s board, also said he saw no regulatory obstacles to Bharti Airtel’s pending $9 billion purchase of the African assets of Kuwait’s Zain, which would make Bharti one of world’s top five mobile companies by subscribers.

On Friday, India kicked of its long-delayed 3G spectrum auction in which nine carriers are vying for licenses to build third-generation (3G) mobile networks in parts or all of India, touching off a multi-billion-dollar spending spree by the likes of Bharti and Reliance Communications.

“We have our vendor partners, as you know,” Mittal, sibling of Bharti Airtel’s billionaire founder Sunil Bharti Mittal, told Reuters in an interview yesterday, on the sidelines of the Boao Forum on southern China’s Hainan island.

Mittal, who is also managing director of the telecom operator’s parent, Bharti Enterprises, named Sweden’s Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks as two of Bharti Airtel’s partners.

Ericsson said in March that it had won a $1.3 billion network expansion contract to upgrade Bharti Airtel’s GSM network, while Nokia Siemens in February won a $700 million deal from Bharti.

“For 3G, we will go back to existing relationships and we will have to figure it out,” Mittal said.

“We always have and we like to maintain”, he said, referring to relationships with existing vendors.

3G BECKONS India’s spectrum auction is expected to take about two weeks to complete, but companies will be allotted spectrum by September, meaning commercial launches of premium services such as faster Internet on mobile phones and video calling will be possible only next year.

Bharti Airtel earlier said it would be able to launch 3G services within six to eight months of receiving spectrum allocation. “We are quite ready as a company to start the roll out if we have the spectrum,” Mittal said on Saturday. “As the younger generation is getting much more on the data, 3G will help in us bring that (to them).”

Data services account for just over 10 percent of revenue for Indian telecoms providers, according to researcher Gartner, but Bharti Airtel is betting on increased revenue from services such as mobile commerce, as voice prices fall sharply.

“For us, value-added services are a driver and we look forward to (3G) enhancing that,” Mittal said.

Bharti, 32 percent owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, selected Zain as its second choice for building a major presence in Africa, after it twice failed to finalize tie-ups with South Africa’s MTN Group Ltd, the continent’s biggest operator.

The deal will give Bharti 42 million subscribers in 15 African countries, but must still be cleared by regulators. In late March, the government in one of Zain’s markets weighed in against the deal, but Bharti signed a legally binding agreement with Zain the next day.

“The work is on,” Mittal said of the deal, adding that he did not expect any other major hurdles. “This is pretty much a straight-forward deal.” “We are now into the next phase with some regulatory approvals that need to take place, so the process has started. I can’t give you a timeframe because these things are evolving,” he said. — Reuters

Firm to work with Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens on 3G

ALLAHABAD: An Indian woman looks at a cellular telephone in Allahabad yesterday. India’s mobile phone firms have begun bidding to provide superfast thirdgeneration (3G) services in the booming cellular market — a sale expected to reap the government billions of dollars. — AFP

Almarai Q1 net profit is lowest in a year ME investment banking RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Almarai Co, the Gulf’s largest dairy firm by market value, posted its lowest quarterly net profit in a year in the first quarter after the completion of a $253.2 million acquisition.

Shares in Almarai, which is expanding at home and in the region, fell 0.5 percent, underperforming a 1.4 percent gain in the benchmark index. At 234.1 million riyals ($62.43 million), Almarai’s net profit in the three months to March 31 rose by a lower-thanexpected 18.6 percent from the yearearlier period.

Analysts had forecast the company, in which Savola Group holds a near 30 percent stake, would post a 35.5 percent annual rise in first-quarter earn-

ings, according to a Reuters survey.

“Although Almarai results are not up to estimated figures it is surely poised for growth with product group diversification and potential M&A (merger & acquisition) activities in future on the back of a rising population and changing lifestyles,” said Mohammed Ishaq Ali, a fund manager at Al-Rajhi Capital in Riyadh.

Sales rose 17.6 percent to 1.56 billion riyals during the first quarter, the company said on the bourse website, but operational profit fell by 12 percent to 278 million riyals.

“We believe increased feedstock costs pressured gross margins, while strict cost control measures at the operating level, along with lower bank

charges, helped the company offset the gross margin decline into gains at the net income level,” Saudi bank NCB Capital said in a note. Almarai completed in October the cash-and-stock acquisition for Hail Agricultural Development Co (Hadco) to diversify revenue sources.

Chairman Prince Sultan Mohamed Saud Al-Kabeer al-Saud told AlEqtisadiah newspaper in November that Almarai would invest 2 billion riyals to expand Hadco’s business.

“We believe the coming 12-18 months are set to be pivotal for Almarai in laying the foundations for its transformation from a local dairy producer to a leading regional food company.” NCB Capital said. — Reuters

Eurogroup ministers to discuss Greece today

BIEJING: Imported goods are unloaded off a truck in a trading district of Beijing yesterday. China said it posted its first monthly trade deficit in six years in March, which analysts said could earn it some respite from international pressure to let its currency appreciate. —AFP

MADRID: Euro-zone finance ministers are to discuss Greece’s debt crisis today, a Spanish government official said yesterday, after Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos expressed hoped of a solution.

The ministers will hold a conference call at 2:00 pm (1400 GMT) with the aim of “finalising aid mechanisms for Greece,” the Spanish official said.

Speaking in Paris, Moratinos said, “I am quite optimistic that we are again able to show solidarity and above all send a message to the speculators that the euro-zone is strong and firm.”

European leaders agreed last month to provide last-resort assistance to Athens backed by the International Monetary Fund.

On Friday officials of the 16 countries using the euro agreed to levy interest rates below the market level if Greece is forced to seek the emergency aid. Amid growing speculation that a rescue deal was in the offing, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou held talks with several EU leaders late Friday.

The talks by phone involved EU President Her man Van Rompuy, European Central Bank chief JeanClaude Trichet, EU Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso and euro-zone

finance chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

Moratinos said Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose country currently chairs the European Union, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy had also been in talks with Van Rompuy, Barroso and Juncker.

“A lot of work has been done this weekend,” he said, adding that the aim was to come up with a “concrete mechanism” to save Greece.

With the news appearing to be going in Greece’s favour, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Greek government bond fell back sharply on Friday to just over seven percent in late trade.

That is still very high compared with German bonds, for example, but a large improvement and with the prospect that the euro-zone accord could see it go lower still if Athens can get cheaper funds from the EU. Earlier Friday, Van Rompuy gave Greece his backing, telling journalists from a handful of European newspapers: “The Greek government is courageous and is breaking with the past. We would be ready to intervene if the Greeks ask us to.”

Sarkozy said the EU was ready to activate its rescue scheme “at any time to come to Greece’s aid”, after discussions with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Germany also said that the

EU-IMF rescue scheme could be activated quickly, although government spokesman Michael Offer again stressed that Greece could solve its problem by focusing on budget cutbacks.

However, Fitch Ratings took a hard line, saying it had downgraded Greece’s debt ratings because of the challenge the country faces in managing its public finances.

Fitch said it cut Greece’s long-term foreign and local cur rency Issuer Default Ratings to BBB- from BBB+. It also slashed the credit rating of five banks, including National Bank of Greece, which was reduced from BBB to BBB-.

Greece has faced increasing difficulties in raising fresh money on financial markets to cover its obligations and ratings downgrades normally increase a country’s borrowing costs.

Fitch warned that it was “vital that the Greek authorities import credibility from external institutions, underpinned by a credible commitment of financial support.”

Greece has to find around 11.5 billion euros ($15.5 billion) by next month to cover its obligations and another 32 billion euros over the balance of the year. — AFP

rebounds in Q1: Survey DUBAI: Investment banking in the Middle East experienced a rebound in activity in the first quarter, indicating a return to confidence in the market, according to an analysis by Thomson Reuters.

Mergers and acquisitions volumes tripled during the first quarter with $10.7 billion in announced deals, making it the busiest quarter for M&A in the region since 2007, according to Thomson Reuters Middle East Investment Banking League Tables.

Real estate and industrial sector deals dominated the landscape, with the United Arab Emirates driving most of that activity. JP Morgan emerged as the leader in M&A fee ranking, which accounted for 49 percent of total fee activity. “After a very tough 2009, the Middle East investment banking industry seems to have started the year in a strong position with the number of deals announced showing real sign of confidence returning to the market,” said Basil Moftah, managing director of Thomson Reuters Middle East & Africa.

Debt issuances, which faced a rough period in 2009 as capital dried

up, surged seven-fold in one year to $4.5 billion. Deutsche Bank snagged the top spot in Middle Eastern DCM fee activity.

Equity issuances jumped 67 percent to $3.7 billion, led by financials, telecom and real estate deals. Equity capital markets fees made up 28 percent of total fees, with the Central Bank of Libya taking the lead for ECM ranking.

The financial sector drove strength in syndicated loans for the region, followed by the telecommunications sector. National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Santander, HSBC and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group tied for first place for first-quarter lending with $895.9 million.

Syndicated loan fees made up 12 percent of total fees, with Standard Chartered topping the fee ranking for syndicated loans.

Investment banking and adviser fees climbed 11 percent to reach $175.9 million. Thomson Reuters Investment Banking League Tables’ rankings of banks and advisors operating in the Middle East are based on deal activity and fees. — Reuters

RIYADH: Vietnam’s President Nguyen Minh Triet attends a meeting with Saudi businessmen in Riyadh yesterday. The president is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia. —AFP

BUSINESS

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Even greater choice for customers

Singapore Airlines flying to Tokyo Haneda from Oct 31

Kuwait recognized as key growth market by BMW AG board KUWAIT: Ian Robertson, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for BMW AG, the world’s leading premium automotive manufacturer, visited Kuwait this week to hold meetings with Ali Aghanim & Sons Automotive, the country’s exclusive BMW Group importer. The visit, his first to Kuwait, marks strong recognition by BMW AG for the positive sales results achieved by BMW Group Middle East during 2009, a particularly challenging economic year.

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive, ranked among the top five performing markets for BMW Group Middle East in 2009, increasing sales by eight per cent over 2008. The top selling model, the flagship BMW 7 Series, enjoyed a 51 per cent increase in sales, followed closely by the BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe that saw an increase of 48 per cent. The MINI brand also enjoyed a successful year during its 50th anniversary year, with sales achieving growth of 29 per cent.

Robertson said: “The excellent results achieved by Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive during 2009 have contributed significantly to BMW’s financial results for the Middle East.

The region is an important one for BMW Group because of its highly discerning customers who recognize and appreciate the luxury, style and performance of our premium models.

Not only was our flagship 7 Series our best selling model in 2009, but it was also the best selling premium car in the Middle East. This is a remarkable achievement and the result of the efforts made by all our importers.”

BMW Group Middle East has had a strong start to the year with the launch of two allnew models, the Gran Turismo and the 5 Series. The second quarter of 2010 will see the arrival of the groundbreaking BMW ActiveHybrid X6 and 7 Series models, as well as the new BMW X1.

Fahad Alghanim, Managing Director, Ali Alghanim & Sons

Automotive said: “We are delighted to welcome Mr. Robertson here in Kuwait. We have a strong relationship with the BMW Group based on thirty years of cooperation, commitment and mutual trust. We are also very proud to be among the best-performing markets in the BMW Group Middle East for the year 2009, which is a result of Ali Alghanim & Sons’ dedication to providing the best in customer care and aftersales servicing to our customers. Godwilling, we look forward to continuing this growth in the future.”

He continued, “ Our customer base here in Kuwait continues to grow at a double digit rate, so we are confident these new BMW models, particularly the new 5 Series and X5, will have a positive effect on our 2010 sales and the BMW brand will maintain its strength here in Kuwait.”

Alghanim also thanked Robertson for specifically visiting Kuwait during his trip to the region.

Singapore Airlines’ customers travelling to Tokyo can now enjoy even greater choice, with the launch of two daily flights to Tokyo Haneda Airport. These new flights are now available for booking, through singaporeair.com or travel agents.

Flights to Haneda will be operated from 31 October 2010 with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft featuring Singapore Airlines’ latest product offerings. The flights will complement the current twicedaily Tokyo Narita services, bringing total frequency to Tokyo to four times daily.

SQ634, departing Singapore Changi Airport at 1540hrs, will arrive at Haneda at 2305hrs, while SQ633, the return flight, will depart Haneda at 0015hrs and arrive in Singapore at 0640hrs. The second flight, SQ636, will depart Singapore at 2220hrs and arrive at Haneda at 0545hrs the next day. The return flight, SQ635, will depart at 0655hrs from Haneda and arrive at Changi Airport at 1320hrs.

The timings for both flights are subject to regulatory approval. Haneda Airport offers an extensive range of domestic flight connections, and business travellers will appreciate its proximity to Tokyo’s commercial districts.

Customers interested in viewing fares and booking flights to Tokyo Haneda can visit singaporeair.com for more details.

Singapore Airlines operates four-time weekly flights on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, between Kuwait and Singapore via Abu Dhabi.

ABK launches its new look website

A

l Ahli Bank of Kuwait, one of the leading commercial banks in Kuwait, launched its new look website backed by state-of-the-art IT applications. According to Othman Mohammed Tawfiqi, Head of Delivery Channels “the upgrading of the website was driven by our mission to cater to our customers’ banking needs through a wide range of electronic banking services. The approach to the new website was based broadly on three initiatives, to provide customers with a modern and elegant website that provides ease of browsing and use, as well as comprehensive bank-

ing services.

“ABK’s website, with its new look and content, will cover the Bank’s news, activities, promotions and products. Such rich content will facilitate easy but secured access to information round the clock,” Tawfiqi continued.

Highlighting the objectives behind this launch, Tawfiqi said he was sure ABK’s new user friendly website will be appealing and provide added value to the Bank’s customers and visitors to the website.

Already, the website recorded showed a sharp increase in the number of visitors and users of the electronic services of

ABK’s website www.eahli.com.

In addition to the regular services and information that the old website offered, the new design includes new links and pages, besides ATM locations and other services.

“Our commitment to provide the best electronic banking services to our clients always inspires us to keep upgrading our services through electronic communication channels like the internet, SMS banking, and Ahlan Ahli, the call center, along with our wide network of ATM machines available in the country,” Tawfiqi concluded.

NBK’s ATM network largest, spans across Kuwait KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the leading bank in Kuwait and the highest rated in the Middle East, stated that it has the largest ATM network in Kuwait.

NBK’s customer focused strategy is to ensure that its customers have access to their money through NBK ATM’s in locations where its customers want it most. This has led to the investment of the largest number of machines located throughout the country.

NBK is the only bank in Kuwait that is present in a combination of Gas Stations, Shopping Malls and Co-Operatives.

“ATM machines offer a range of services such as pin number changes, statement requests, account to account transfers, check book requests as well as offering Cash Deposits, and Cash Withdrawal services,” stated Kevin Turner Head of E-Business. “NBK has

Kevin Turner, Head of EBusiness, NBK over 200 machines across Kuwait which include over 60 deposit machines, over 35 drive through machines in gas stations and branches, a large number of co-ops and has the largest presence in the Avenues Mall with 7 machines throughout the mall”.

Safco Q1 net profit up 33%, tops forecast

KUWAIT: Fahad Alghanim, Managing Director, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive with Ian Robertson, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for BMW AG.

Iran to resume wheat exports this year: Mehr TEHRAN: Iran expects to resume wheat exports this year after a halt lasting three years, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported yesterday, citing a senior official.

It appeared to refer to the current Iranian year, which ends in March 2011.

Iran had said it became self-sufficient in wheat in 2004 but cold winter weather in 200708 followed by drought hit agricultural production and forced it to import the grain.

“Based on projections, we will have no wheat imports this year since the yield estimate amounts to 9-12 million tonnes in the current harvest season,” deputy Commerce Minister Hamid Alikhani said.

“Negotiations to sign export contracts are being carried out with a number of countries,” Mehr quoted him as saying. In December, an Iranian newspaper said the Islamic Republic

imported four million tons of wheat in the past eight months, paying the equivalent of around $1 billion.

Another media report earlier last year said Iran imported 5.9 million tons of wheat in the 2008-09 year, of which about 15 percent came from the United States.

Iran had stopped buying US wheat after its 1979 revolution which ousted the pro-US government.

Iran has said it prefers to buy wheat from Central Asian countries, Australia and Argentina. But one official said late last year it was importing wheat from the United States via intermediaries, in the first official admission that such an indirect trade was taking place. Food and agricultural products are not included in US sanctions imposed on Iran. —Reuters

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian Fertilizers Co (Safco) beat first-quarter earnings forecasts, posting its highest quarterly net profit since the start of the global slowdown, helped by higher ammonia and urea prices.

Shares in Safco rose by up to 6.1 percent after the company unveiled a better-thanexpected 33 percent rise in its net profit for the quarter to 698 million riyals ($186.1 million), against 525 million riyals in the year-earlier period. The median forecast of seven banks surveyed by Reuters was for a net profit of 592.9 million riyals.

It was Safco’s highest quarterly net profit since the third quarter of 2008, when Safco and global chemical giant Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), which owns 42.9 percent of Safco, first felt repercussions from the global financial crisis.

Safco said in a statement on the bourse website that prices during the first quarter improved compared to the year-earlier period but sales volumes were up compared only to the fourth quarter.

“These numbers are very good although prices did not rise by that much. For instance, prices of ureaSafco’s main product — rose by between 2 and 3 percent,” said Hesham Abu Jamea, head of asset management at Bakheet Investment Group.

Safco gave no details on

the value or volume of sales for the first quarter. The company had reported a 335 million riyal net profit for the fourth quarter of 2009.

“Sales volumes were bound to be higher than their level in the fourth quarter which witnessed a fullmonth stoppage for maintenance. They must have come back to normal production levels during the first quarter,” Abu-Jamea said.

Earnings per share rose to 2.80 riyals in the first quarter, from 2.10 riyals a year earlier, Safco said. Operating profit for the period rose 41.4 percent to 618 million riyals.

“Safco makes gains from investment in affiliates such as Ibn Al-Baitar fertilizers firm. That is why operating profit is lower than net profit,” said Abu Jamea. Shares in Safco on Saturday added almost three times firstquarter earnings per share to 144.50 riyals.

The stock had risen 12.6 percent this year, which is above both the all-share index and the petrochemical stocks index but below a 20 percent gain clocked by parent company SABIC. “We expect the stock to rebound today from its recent weakness. We maintain our ‘underweight’ rating on valuation concerns with a price target of 128 riyals,” NCB Capital said in a note commenting the results. —Reuters

Sony: A full family of memory cards

Sony Gulf expands memory card offering with SD and microSD devices KUWAIT: Sony Gulf, the regional arm of consumer electronics giant Sony, yesterday introduced a unique blend of quality, reliability and performance to the memory card market with the launch of a range of Sony’s SD/SDHC and microSD/microSDHC cards.

The outcome of a meticulous testing program implemented throughout the product development stage, both models exhibit impressive durability and long-life memory, and offer the performance required to get the very best from Sony’s sophisticated hardware.

The cards comprise Class 4 data transfer speed, enabling stable High Definition video recording and providing sufficient speed to cope with the advanced functions of compact digital cameras and high-end camera phones.

The handy SD/SDHC and microSD/SDHC cards are a great asset to users as they can install a powerful File Rescue software, available as a free download, allowing users to quickly retrieve photos, videos, or music

files that are accidentally damaged or deleted.

In addition, Sony’s proprietary software, x-Pict Story, lets users combine music with images to create graphic slideshows. The user-friendly software is available as a free download and ideal for uploading to video sharing services such as YouTube.

Both File Rescue and x-Pict Story(tm) are also available as free downloads for Memory Stick customers. The SD/SDHC range includes 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models, while the microSD/microSDHC lineup offers a choice of 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities (SD Adapter included as standard).

All cards are ultra-resistant to shock and can withstand temperature extremes from 25C to 85C. Sony also utilizes special, recycled packaging, featuring reduced weight and volume of plastic. The Sony SD and microSD products are currently available across select countries in the Middle East.

BUSINESS

Sunday, April 11, 2010

23

All-new All-new Jaguar Jaguar XJ XJ leek, sporting and sophisticated, the all-new Jaguar XJ brings a daring new spirit to automotive luxury. It offers a seductive mix of striking design, breathtaking performance and engineering without compromise.

The new XJ is the epitome of fluid, contemporary automotive style. The elongated teardrop shape of the side windows establishes the car’s silhouette and lies at the heart of its flowing design. And the new XJ doesn’t just look streamlined: it shares a drag coefficient of 0.29 with the XF saloon, making them the most aerodynamic Jaguars ever.

A coupe profile cloaks a cabin that offers comparable levels of space to saloons with a more conventional style.

There is generous accommodation for five occupants, while long-wheelbase models provide rear-seat passengers with even greater levels of comfort thanks to an additional 125mm of rear legroom.

The exquisitely designed interior has a strong sporting character throughout. A panoramic glass roof, standard on all models, dramatically enhances the sense of light and space inside the new XJ. And in keeping with its status as the ultimate four-door Jaguar, the XJ introduces a new generation of interior technologies, pioneering the use of display and infotainment systems such as the innovative Virtual Instrument dials and optional 1200W Bowers & Wilkins premium surround sound system.

At the heart of the all-new XJ’s construction is a nextgeneration application of Jaguar’s unique lightweight vehicle architecture. Primarily aluminium - but also utilising magnesium and composite alloys - it allows Jaguar to produce a significantly lighter and stiffer body - the lightest in its class. The new structure - which retains the same aerospace-based riveting and bonding processes - has been refined using these advanced new materials to deliver improved strength, enhanced refinement and superior safety performance.

The new XJ offers the choice of four powerful and refined engines, which use the latest powertrain technology to deliver an outstanding combination of performance and class-leading efficiency. The supremely powerful supercharged 510PS 5.0-litre AJ-V8 Gen III will head the line-up, with a 0-60mph time of 4.7 secs (0-100kph in 4.9 secs); 470PS supercharged and 385PS naturally aspirated petrol V8s are also available, dependent on market.

A no-compromise diesel alternative is provided by the formidable 275PS 3.0-litre AJ-V6D Gen III. With twin sequential turbochargers, this is an engine that delivers on every aspect of the Jaguar driving experience, marrying tremendous drive (0-60mph in 6.0 secs, 0-100kph in 6.4 secs) with the best fuel economy and CO2 emissions in the diesel segment.

The all-new XJ delivers a driving experience that is just as memorable as the car’s appearance. Benefitting from technologies pioneered on the exciting new XFR and XKR models, including continuously variable damping (Adaptive Dynamics), electronically controlled rear differential (Active Differential Control) and a quick ratio power-steering system, the new XJ combines responsive, sporting dynamics with the refined, supple ride expected from a luxury Jaguar.

“The new XJ is a thoroughly modern interpretation of the quintessential Jaguar. Its visual impact stems from the elongated teardrop shape of the car’s side windows, a powerful stance and wide track. It is the most emphatic statement yet of Jaguar’s new design direction.”

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IAN CALLUM, DESIGN DIRECTOR, JAGUAR CARS Concept “Any good car design - indeed the design of anything of value - should tell a story. The new XJ does that, with a visual hierarchy and clarity of intent. We took inspiration from classic Jaguars like the Mk2 and original XJ to create a Jaguar for the 21st century with pure, sensual forms.”

The all-new XJ’s distinctive lines mark the next bold evolution of Jaguar’s new design language. The striking elongated teardrop shape of the side window graphic establishes the car’s streamlined profile, and is balanced by a dramatic lower swage line emanating from the front wheels that reinforces the vehicle’s forward stance. The new XJ’s sleek lines are complemented by a taut waistline, which further accentuates the impression of length and elegance and creates a natural tension as it fades from the front arch into the middle section of the car before reappearing as a strong haunch towards the rear.

Bold, confident face The face of the XJ is confident, with a wide front track and short overhangs contributing to the finely judged proportions. The nose of the car follows Jaguar’s new design language, with a bold and assertive treatment: the powerful mesh grille and slim xenon headlamps creating a strong road presence.

The strong, muscular lower half of the car is contrasted with the slim and graceful quality of the roofline, which

Bringing a daring new spirit to automotive luxury The all-new XJ reimagines the ultimate sporting luxury car. It’s beautiful, exhilarating to drive and with a bold, enlightened approach to design meets the challenges of our fastchanging world.

MIKE O’DRISCOLL, MANAGING DIRECTOR, JAGUAR CARS.

takes inspiration from the original 1968 XJ saloon. The wrap-around rear screen reduces the visual weight of the pillars, and gives the impression of an exotic ‘floating’ roof.

Dramatic LED lights The rear end is notable for its pure, sculpted shape, with a conscious absence of unnecessary ornamentation.

The sheet metal of the rear panel retains its pure form, with a single leaping Jaguar motif making a strong, confident statement. The LED light clusters wrap stylishly over the rear wings and feature three dramatic red, vertical strips.

Architectural interior design The overriding impression from the interior is a sense of personal space, a feeling enhanced by the clean, simple form of the leather-wrapped instrument panel sitting low across the vehicle. At the sides of the cabin, a bold architectural wood veneer sweeps forward from the doors to meet at the front of the car, emphasising the new XJ’s powerful, dynamic character. This linear, modern use of wood helps to create a truly welcoming environment.

From the outset, the panoramic glass roof has been an integral part of the design concept of the all-new XJ. It enables a lower, more streamlined roofline, and also dramatically enhances the feeling of light and space within the car. The roof’s opening mechanism slides the glass upwards and outwards, so that headroom is never compromised. A dark tint and reflective coating prevent the interior from overheating under strong sunlight, while twin electric blinds provide another level of privacy and sun screening.

THE TECHNOLOGY “The all-new XJ’s advanced new displays use a range of technologies to create an intuitive and rewarding driver experience. Not only does everything look amazing, it allows you to tailor displays to match different driving circumstances, giving precisely the information you need and no more.”

MICK MOHAN, DIRECTOR, JAGUAR PROGRAMS In keeping with its position as the ultimate Jaguar saloon, the all-new XJ pioneers the use of advanced new technologies, driver displays and infotainment systems that set an exciting new benchmark within its segment.

As the driver is greeted by the signature Jaguar ‘handshake’ - the circular, knurled aluminium rotary control of the JaguarDrive Selector(tm) rising into the driver’s palm stylish 3D animations materialise in the virtual instrument cluster and on the central Touch-screen, giving an immediate signal that the new XJ takes a revolutionary approach to the way information is displayed in the vehicle.

Sophisticated virtual instrumentation There is no ‘physical’ instrument cluster display in the all-new XJ. Instead, a 12.3-inch high-definition screen, which uses sophisticated - and beautifully detailed - virtual instruments, provides all of the functions performed by traditional dials. Jaguar’s designers have also taken advantage of the freedom provided by virtual instrumentation to help prioritise the most useful information as well as creating a

real sense of theatre for the driver.

As the XJ starts, three virtual dials build before your eyes: the centre dial houses a speedometer, flanked on the right by a rev counter and on the left by an information window with fuel and temperature gauges.

Dual-View Touch-screen display A large 8-inch Touch-screen display in the centre console is the ideal complement to the virtual instrument cluster, providing an intuitive way to manage many of the XJ’s functions, including climate control, audio, communications and navigation.

However, the display is more than simply intuitive; it also features Dual-View technology, a significant advance that allows the driver and front passenger to look at completely different content on the same screen. For example, the passenger can watch television or a DVD movie, while the driver views route navigation mapping.

Flexible multimedia capabilities including Hard Disc Drive (HDD) The impressive flexibility provided by the new display and control systems is matched by the all-new XJ’s multimedia capabilities. Depending on market and model, there is a choice of CD/DVD player; analogue, DAB, HD radio or SiriusTM radio receivers; and digital or analogue television. In addition, the Media Hub provides flexible connectivity through two USB ports, Bluetooth(r) audio streaming and an auxiliary input, which allow the user to connect with iPods(r), iPhones(r), laptops and Blackberries(r), for example.

THE EXPERIENCE “The all-new XJ has been engineered to engage the driver with exhilarating performance and surprising agility, but without sacrificing comfort or refinement. For a luxury saloon, the XJ really is as good as it gets.”

MIKE CROSS, CHIEF ENGINEER, VEHICLE INTEGRITY With a stiff, lightweight body structure, a new generation of ultra-efficient, high-performance powertrains and the latest chassis technologies, the all-new XJ is an outstanding premium sports saloon that delivers an exhilarating driving experience.

The primary objective while developing the new XJ was to provide a combination of focused and responsive sporting dynamics, allied to the suppleness and refinement of a luxury vehicle. The all-new XJ is very much a driver’s car and surprisingly agile for its size, but without any compromise to comfort.

Efficient, refined powertrains The new XJ offers the choice of up to four powerful and refined engines. Heading the line-up is the supremely powerful new supercharged 5.0-litre V8, available with 510PS or 470PS, depending on model. (Jaguar’s new flagship engine, the 510PS V8, is available only in the range-topping Supersport model.) The other petrol option is the smooth and responsive 385PS naturally-aspirated V8 version, while completing the range is the formidable 3.0-litre 275PS AJV6D Gen III diesel. With twin sequential turbochargers, the V6 diesel marries tremendous drive with the best fuel economy and CO2 emissions in the diesel segment.

mance and economy at all times. As befits a sports saloon, all new XJs feature the Jaguar Sequential Shift(tm) system for manual gear selection, with shift paddles mounted behind the steering wheel.

Driver aids and safety systems To complement its powerful engines and advanced driving dynamics, the new XJ provides a comprehensive set of active safety aids including: an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Understeer Control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Traction Control (ETC), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Engine Drag Torque Control and, for vehicles fitted with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Electronic Brake Pre-fill.

Drivers of the new XJ also benefit from a number of additional active safety features that provide enhanced confidence and security when on the road.

The lifecycle of a vehicle The all-new XJ takes a new approach to sustainable motoring in the luxury vehicle sector, with its lightweight aluminium body structure and advanced powertrains. It backs this up by delivering outstanding quality and extremely low cost of ownership.

Jaguar has developed its approach to sustainability by focusing on the ‘lifecycle’ of a vehicle; a more stringent approach to sustainability than standalone measures like fuel consumption or CO2 emissions.

“The outstanding responsiveness and efficiency of the latest Jaguar V6 diesel and V8 petrol engines make them ideally suited to the new XJ. When combined with the vehicle’s lightweight structure, the result is intoxicating performance and impressive fuel economy.”

Malcolm Sandford, Engine Group Chief Engineer THE LUXURY “The new XJ’s interior is for people who value beautiful design. The cabin’s combination of elegant surfaces, stunning materials, sweeping instrument panel and bold

architectural lines create a sense of handcrafted intimacy.

Think minimalist hotel mixed with a hint of indulgence and sparkle - the epitome of modern luxury.”

IAN CALLUM, DESIGN DIRECTOR The all-new XJ makes every journey a special occasion, both for the driver and passengers. From the Jaguar ‘handshake’ as you start the vehicle, to the comfort and support of the sculpted seats, the style and quality of the interior furnishings, and the outstanding audio system, every detail has been painstakingly developed to create a truly unique experience.

The new XJ enjoys more sumptuous leather than any previous Jaguar. It adorns all of the main surfaces, including the seats, instrument panel, door tops, centre console and armrests. The exclusive Supersport model even has a leather roof-liner.

Strong, sporting character The driver grips a beautifully-trimmed three-spoke steering wheel, and the broad centre console - positioned further rearward thanks to the absence of a conventional gear lever - helps to provide an intimate, cockpit-like feel.

The new XJ’s elegant switchgear and phosphor blue lighting enhance the contemporary mood still more. The doors feature a beautiful pannier-style storage compartment, inspired by the look and feel of a high-quality, handstitched designer briefcase.

Outstanding audio performance The new XJ’s cabin doesn’t just provide a treat for the eyes, it provides a treat for the ears as well. In addition to the mellifluous but sporting exhaust note, there is a choice of high-performance audio options. Depending on market and model, the vehicle can offer the choice of CD/DVD functions; analogue, DAB or SiriusTM satellite radio receivers; digital or analogue television; and connectivity for portable music devices. The ultimate audio experience is provided by the 1200W Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system.

Advanced new V6 twin-turbocharged diesel engine The new 3.0-litre AJ-V6D Gen III diesel uses cuttingedge technologies to deliver seamless performance with exceptional efficiency, providing the all-new XJ with the ultimate in power, response and refinement in the premium diesel segment.

Advanced six-speed automatic transmission All petrol and diesel engines transmit power through an enhanced version of Jaguar’s acclaimed electronically controlled, six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission has a fully-adaptive shift system which delivers extremely smooth gear changes and optimises perfor-

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Building on the success of the new XK and XF models, the introduction of the all-new XJ is a landmark for the revitalised Jaguar brand. Clearly positioned as the company’s four-door flagship, it extends the appeal of the XJ to a new generation of customers.

Jaguars are renowned for their elegant, sporting lines and the all-new XJ, with its fluid, contemporary style, is the boldest interpretation yet of Design Director Ian Callum’s vision for Jaguar in the 21st century.

A panoramic glass roof is an integral part of the all-new XJ’s design concept, enabling the car to have a lower, more streamlined roofline, while dramatically enhancing the feeling of light and space inside.

Standard- and long-wheelbase models are available from launch. The long-wheelbase offers an even more sumptuous and refined environment for rear-seat passengers with an additional 125mm of legroom. The XJ’s 520-litre boot can swallow two large suitcases side-byside.

The all-new XJ cabin blends elegant, contemporary design with the comfort, luxury and unmistakable sporting style of a Jaguar. Chrome and piano black detailing provide an eye-catching contrast to the beautifullycrafted leather and veneer surfaces.

Proven Jaguar dynamic technologies are taken to new

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levels in the all-new XJ. Features such as air suspension, Adaptive Dynamics (continuously variable damping), Active Differential Control and quick-ratio power steering deliver the blend of responsive, dynamic handling and refined, supple ride expected from a Jaguar.

The XJ benefits from the most advanced, powerful and efficient Jaguar powertrains ever. Customers will have - dependent on market - a choice of four engines, all coupled to a shift-by-wire, six-speed automatic transmission controlled by the JaguarDrive Selector or steer-

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ing wheel-mounted paddles: o 3.0-litre 275PS AJ-V6D Gen III diesel with twin sequential turbochargers - 0-60mph in 6.0 secs (0100kph in 6.4 secs). o 5.0-litre 385PS AJ-V8 Gen III naturally aspirated direct-injection V8 petrol - 0-60mph in 5.4 secs (0100kph in 5.7 secs) o 5.0-litre 470PS AJ-V8 Gen III supercharged V8 directinjection petrol - 0-60mph in 4.9 secs (0-100kph in 5.2 secs)

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o 5.0-litre 510PS AJ-V8 Gen III supercharged V8 directinjection petrol - 0-60mph in 4.7 secs (0-100kph in 4.9 secs).

The Jaguar brand has been acknowledged this year by J.D. Power and Associates with a joint first ranking in the Vehicle Dependability study 2009. Jaguar’s obsessive attention to detail has continued in the development of the all-new XJ by using the latest ‘virtual’ technologies, which included 40,000 quality-specific assessments during the development stage.

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

KSE equities gain despite market volatility KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange ended last week’s trades with gains after witnessing volatile activity during the week’s sessions due to selective purchases on one hand, and on the other hand, selling transactions for profit reaping. Traders’ transactions for the week, however, included listed stocks of different weights.

Furthermore, last week’s trades were a continuation to the overall trend that the market adopted since the middle of last February, which is of a hesitant growth nature. KSE price index fluctuated around the 7,400 points level from 16 February to 9 March, and then recorded movement between the 7,400 and 7,500 levels until the session of 29 March when it was able to overcome the latter.

Afterwards, the index maintained daily closings above the 7,500 points barrier throughout all of the following sessions, except for the 1st of April’s.

Furthermore, deals made during the last minutes of trading periods continued to allow the market to close in the green zone in most of the week’s sessions.

By the end of the week, the price index closed at 7,569.5 points, up by 1.26% from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 1.88% weekly gain after closing at 448.50 points. On the other hand, trading indicators maintained levels close to those witnessed in the week before, as average daily turnover reached KD 76.25 million, at 0.86% growth compared to previous week’s levels, whereas trading volume average amounted to 376.61 million shares, at an increase of 4.33%.

Sectors’ indices All of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the green zone except for one sector. Last week’s highest gainer was the Banks sector, achieving 2.62% growth rate as its index closed at 9,507.7 points. Whereas, in the second place, the Industry sector’s index closed at 6,138.3 points recording 1.78% increase. The Real Estate sector came in third as its index achieved 1.72% growth, ending the week at 2,820.2 points. The Food sector was the least growing as its index closed at 4,859.4 points with a 0.22% increase. On the other hand, the Insurance sector was last week’s only loser as its index declined by 0.07%

BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT ’

to end the week’s activity at 2,527.6 points.

Sectors’ activity The services sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 561.08 million shares changing hands, representing 29.80% of the total market trading volume. The Investment sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 29.66% of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 558.58 million shares. On the other hand, the Services sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 117.37 million or 30.79% of last week’s total market trading value. The Banks sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 89.56 million represented 23.49% of the total market trading value.

Market capitalization KSE total market capitalization grew by 1.94% during last week to

reach KD 33.89 billion, as all of KSE’s sectors recorded an increase in their respective market capitalization except for one sector. The Non-Kuwaiti companies sector headed the growing sectors as its total market capitalization reached KD 3.39 billion, increasing by 4.28%. The Industry sector was the second in terms of recorded growth with 3.04% increase after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 3.04 billion. The third place was for the Banks sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 11.51 billion by the end of the week, recording an increase of 2.67%. The Food sector was the least growing with 0.19% recorded growth after its market capitalization amounted to KD 797.11 million. On the other hand, the Insurance sector was last week’s only decliner as its total market capitalization decreased by 0.14% to reach, by the end of the week, KD 295.11 million.

— Prepared by the Studies & Research Department Bayan Investment Co.

BUSINESS

Sunday, April 11, 2010

25

NGT, Hyundai open Hyundai showroom in Kuwait

Sheikh Homoud Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, NGT Chairman, Moon Young Han, the Ambassador of Korea in Kuwait, Byung Tae Shin, and other officials near Hyundai Centennial.

KUWAIT: Northern Trading Company (NGT), the exclusive agent for Hyundai cars in Kuwait, inaugurated its newly renovated showroom to be the first one in the GCC and the Middle East to embody the global Hyundai identity. The opening ceremony was under the patronage of Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah AlSabah, Deputy Minister Diwan of HH The Amir, and Sheikh Homoud Sabah Al-Salem AlSabah, NGT Chairman, and Moon Young Han, the Ambassador of Korea in Kuwait, and attended by a high ranking delegation from Hyundai Motors, and a distinguished guest list from the diplomatic community and media representatives.

The VIP guests were welcomed by Sheikh Homoud Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, NGT Chairman, and Amin Kadri, Managing Partner, Raed Turjuman, General Manager and other NGT executives. Turjuman led the guests on a tour in the showroom to introduce the new facilities, services and features that reflects the Hyundai global identity in terms of interior design, ambience, environment and vision.

The amazing opening moments were very special with the fabulous performance of the Korean Drums Band who presented some of their special acts that impressed the audience and assured the perception of the Korean innovation in all aspects of life, art and industry which positioned Hyundai high amongst the leaders in the cars markers around the world.

(From right): Byung Tae Shin, the Head of Middle East Regional Headquarter, Hyundai, Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister Diwan of HH The Amir, and Korean Ambassador Moon Young Han cutting the ribbon.

A fascinating performance by the Korean Drums Band

First in GCC and Middle East to embody Hyundai’s global identity A multi services & facilities showroom In its spacious and modern elegance, the new showroom provides you with a feel of comfort, appeal and attraction to enjoy a new experience. The luxury cars have now their own and dedicated section of the showroom with sales consultants eager to answer every question. The luxury section has been equipped with all the amenities worthy of the cars redefining luxury and the segment.

A range of modern and stylish cars The showroom inauguration excitement peaked with the unveiling of the new cars including Sonata, Tucson and The super luxurious Centennial. Everyone of these new cars represent the new spirit of Hyundai and fea-

tures the ultimate specifications in design, safety comfort and luxury.

The new Centennial presents an overriding philosophy expressed in every line.

Uniting everything from concept to reality creating refinement, beauty and charisma.

Unique precision and control, that sets the new heights standards for safety and luxury in motion. A fluid sensation of individuality and deep satisfaction as you explore new heights in automotive accomplishment.

The new Sonata represents the sixth generation of this legendary vehicle that ranks as the bestselling car in Korea. The car combines the creative Korean design with the art of sculpturing, empowered by a Theta II, 2.4 L engine, and the revolutionary new tiptronic

transmission mechanism that facilitates smooth yet powerful drive with lower emissions, and higher fuel saving to be a real environment friendly car. The interior cabin features high luxurious specifications and modern entertainment options to make your drive in Sonata a pleasure that you can enjoy, with all the safety features for total peace of mind.

The all new Tucson presents a new vision and insight in car design where we can feel the sleek curves of its exterior lines that really embodies it “liquid” design. The car’s aerodynamics reduces air resistance making it even more fuel efficient and lowers the noise while enjoying the panoramic view through the full glass sunroof. The new Tucson is powered by highly efficient and economic

Hyundai... Ongoing innovation beating the recession Turjuman commented in his speech: “it is our pleasure at NGT to inaugurate our newly renovated showroom in its new and state-ofart look and function. Every detail of the showroom and service center were created based on Hyundai’s new global standards inspired by the new cars designs and features. Even during our renovation we strived to service our customers with the highest level of service standards”.

WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK NEW YORK: US stock investors will watch the earnings numbers flow in next week to see how much momentum the rally can get from early profit reports. The first-quarter figures come as the three major US stock indexes finished a sixth straight week of gains, the best string since the rebound from 12 1/2-year lows in March 2009, and the Dow briefly popped above 11,000 late on Friday.

Those gains could make it tough for stocks to rally further, even with expectations, according to Thomson Reuters, for Standard & Poor’s 500 companies’ first-quarter earnings to rise 36.8 percent from a year ago. The earnings period kicks off with results from Dow component Alcoa Inc after the bell on Monday.

Besides Alcoa, results are expected next week from top tech companies Intel and Google, as well as from General Electric and JPMorgan Chase & Co. “The reaction to some of these earnings is going to be really important. If you don’t get the setback, and it trades higher, I think you’re going to squeeze another wave of buyers into the market,” said Nick Kalivas, vice president of financial research & senior equity index analyst, at MF Global in

Chicago. While earnings are expected to be the focus, next week also brings the Consumer Price Index, March retail sales, industrial production, housing starts and consumer sentiment reports, which will help investors gauge the speed of the economic recovery.

Other events likely to spark attention next week: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testifies on the economic outlook before the Joint Economic Committee, while investors will watch for signs of change in Greece’s debt crisis.

On Friday, the Fitch credit rating agency downgraded Greek sovereign debt two notches to BBB-, leaving Greece’s debt just one grade above junk status.

For the week, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.6 percent, the S&P 500 gained 1.4 percent and the Nasdaq increased 2.1 percent.

“The stock market has had a very significant rise off the (February) lows,” said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial in Westport, Connecticut. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see some near-term pullback within the context of a rising stock market,” he said.—Reuters

Hyundai .. the young spirit, the warrior move Although Hyundai is considered one of the youngest car manufacturers in the world, it has successfully developed into the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in the world in 2009. While many other car makers suf-

Service Center .. Quality assured Our service and parts centers were also part of the renovation inside and out. The new service center has been equipped with the latest technology and managed by a team of leading professional engineers, technician, mechanics and service staff with experience to provide customers with the best service.

Our customers can relax at the spacious VIP and guests areas while their cars are being carefully handled by the hands of our professionals, making a regular periodic maintenance visit a gratifying experience by itself.

Moon Young Han, the Ambassador of Korea, and his wife inspect Hyundai’s Centennial after the opening of the showroom. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Hyundai’s Sonata at the showroom

US stocks face earnings after strong week

Theta II 2.00 or 2.4 L engine, with a 6 speed tiptronic transmission to cope the road condition so smoothly. The smart key provides the drive with luxurious function to start the car with a button, while the steering wheel hosts the audio control buttons. The spacious interior is smartly freshened by modern AC technology and protected by the most advanced safety systems and features.

fered during the financial crisis, Hyundai ended its 2009 fiscal year with a sale of 3.1 million vehicles, achieving an increase of 11.7% compared to previous year. These achievements were the outcome of more than 75.000 employees in the Hyundai team around the world.

Beijing posts first trade deficit in six years

China says trade deficit proves yuan not to fault BEIJ ING: China said yesterday its first trade deficit in six years proved the nation’s exchange rate did not play a decisive role in global economic imbalances amid pressure to allow the yuan to appreciate. International critics say But China has defended its exchange rate policy as necessary for the survival of Chinese manufacturers and to support jobs growth.

Customs authorities announced yesterday that the nation had posted its first trade deficit in six years in March, at $7.2 billion.

Exports rose 24.3 percent to $112.1 billion from the same month a year earlier, while imports soared 66 percent year-on-year to $119.3 billion, they said.

Commerce minister Chen Deming had warned last month that the deficit was likely, but said it would only be a short-lived phenomenon for the nation’s export-dependent economy.

And yesterday the ministry, which is reluctant to allow a stronger yuan, was swift to respond to the figures. “Under the situation where the yuan exchange rate was maintained basically stable, China’s trade surplus continued to shrink, with a deficit occurring in March,” Yao Jian, spokesman for the ministry, said in a statement.

“This again shows that in an era of economic globalization, the deciding factor for balanced trade is not the exchange rate, but other factors such as the relationship of supply and demand in the market.”

Mark Williams, London-based senior China economist at Capital Economics, said the nation’s deficit “might win it some respite from pressure to do more over its exchange rate.”

“But the calm won’t last. China’s trade surplus will soon reappear. Indeed, the surplus that matters most politically-that with the USis already rising again and not far off a record high,” he added.

Ken Peng, a Beijing-based economist for

Beijing has kept the currency artificially low to boost exports, resulting in massive trade surpluses w ith the United States and Europe. The issue has become a major sore point in Sino-US relations.

Citigroup, agreed. “It could alleviate some of the external pressure, but this is a temporary trade deficit and the yuan is not the only reason for global imbalances,” he said. Brian Jackson, senior strategist at Royal Bank of Canada, said China could still let its currency appreciate for domestic reasons, and “not to placate international pressure.”

“They will want to move because it’s in their own domestic interest to do so, in terms of dealing with inflationary pressures,” he said.

Jackson added the deficit was partly the result of seasonal factors, as Chinese exports tend to pull back at the beginning of the year after having surged in the previous quarter ahead of the US holiday season.

“There has also been an adjustment in the yearly trade balance,” he said.

“If you do a 12-month rolling sum of the trade balance, that shot up to very extreme levels from 2006 to 2008, and it started to come back down.” The financial crisis took its toll on China’s exports, forcing the world’s third largest economy to start adjusting its focus onto domestic demand.

Beijing has tried to play down expectations for a strong pick-up in exports this year, with commerce minister Chen saying last month that it could take up to three years to return to pre-financial crisis levels.

And China’s growth has rebounded much faster than the rest of the world, which has led its imports to grow faster than its exports.

The Asian nation returned to double digit growth in the last quarter of 2009, and expanded by a total of 8.7 percent for the whole year on massive public spending and rampant bank lending. — AFP

Egypt court upholds block on France Tel buy of Mobinil CAIRO: An Egyptian court has upheld a ruling barring a France Telecom buyout of Mobinil, Egypt’s largest mobile operator by subscribers and the focus of a bitter dispute with co-owner Orascom Telecom.

Judge Hamdi Yassan said minority shareholders would be disadvantaged by the French firm’s offer at 245 Egyptian pounds ($44.40) per share, less than the amount an arbitration court said the French firm should pay for Orascom’s stake in their jointlyheld holding company.

“The 28 pound difference in the price offer violates principles of equality in opportunity for shareholders. Selling at this price is not fair for minority shareholders,” he said.

The court made a snap decision in January to block regulatory approval of the fourth such bid from France Telecom, a day before it was to proceed. “This decision is a big victory for Orascom and it will ensure that we continue to provide quality services to the Egyptian telecom market,” Orascom lawyer Osman Mowafi said.

A spokeswoman for France Telecom said the company did not wish to comment on the matter. Almost exactly a year ago an arbitration ruling called on the French firm to buy out Orascom Telecom’s stake in their jointly held holding company for around 273 Egyptian pounds ($49) per share.

That sale was not completed as the firms disputed the implications for shares in the Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (ECMS), known by its Mobinil trade name. Orascom also owns a 20 percent direct stake in ECMS. France Telecom said any offer would be voluntary, while Orascom said it was mandatory to offer the same price to all. “The decision violated principles of transparency, disclosure, and equality of opportunity for shareholders,” the court decision said, referring to the regulator’s approval.

While citing the price discrepancy as one reason behind the decision, the presiding judge said the ruling’s focus was on the way the regulator granted the approval. — Reuters

26

BUSINESS

Sunday, April 11, 2010

GLOBAL WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

Select buying hits stocks, KSE ekes out gains KUWAIT: The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) was able to regain last week’s loss as investors were picking up some selected stocks based on revealed investment intentions. Also the cleared year end corporate results along with the concluded 1Q2010 period which gives some heads up of what to expect wheeled investors motion. As measured by Global’s weighted General Index, the Kuwaiti market closed the week adding 1.77 percent, at 214.10 point. On a year-to-date basis, the index gains reached 14.97 percent. Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) price index was also up by 94.40 points (1.26 percent) and closed at 7,569.5 points. Total market capitalization reached KD35.13bn.

Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as out of 158 shares traded this week, 74 shares advanced against 58 declining.

Trading activity was higher this week with major allocation changes in certain stocks. Total traded volume was up by 4.33 percent reaching 1.88bn shares changing hands at a total traded value of KD381.23mn (+0.86 percent compared to the week before). High volume was seen on the Services sector, accounting for 29.80 percent of the total traded volume in the market with 561.08mn shares traded. Mubarrad Transport Company was the highest volume traded for the week with 103.06mn share traded on its stock.

The company was traded with its new increased capital of 29.188 percent this week. On the value list, the Services sector took the lead as well with KD117.37mn traded, accounting for 30.79 percent of total traded market value.

Zain was the most traded stock in the sector and came second on the weekly value list with KD26.32mn traded on its share. However, Boubyan Bank topped the same list with KD32.02mn traded on its share accounting for 8.40 percent of the total weekly traded value. The scrip was up by 5.66 percent this week.

Sector-wise, Global Non-Kuwaiti Index was the biggest gainer, adding 4.06 percent to its value. Ahli United Bank geared the index move with 15 percent increase in its share price.

Global Industrial Index came second with an increase of 2.71 percent as gainers overweight losers in the sector.

Hilal Cement Company was the top gainer in the sector, adding 21.82 percent to its share price and made it to the top gainers list. The Banking sector was another notable advancer with Global Banking Index ending the week 2.64 percent higher. Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait was the biggest gainer in the sector with its share price rising 12.09 percent.

On the other side, Global Food Index was the biggest loser, shedding 0.22 percent of its value. The index was dragged down by the only loser in the sector, Danah Al-Safat Foodstuff as its share price shed 1.05 percent during the week. Global Insurance Index was the only other loser, as it lost 0.14 percent of its value. Al-Ahleia Insurance Company was the only retreater in the sector, shedding 1.02 percent of its share price. Company-wise, Kuwait & Middle East Financial Investment Company topped the gainers list with its share price adding 52.17 percent. On the other hand, another investment company but topped the losers list this

time, National International company (Holding) shed 20 percent of its share price. Global Investment Index ended the week up by 0.60 percent.

Global’s special indices were up this week. Global Small Cap (Low 10) index closed up by 4.20 percent while Global Large Cap (Top 10) Index added 1.30 percent to its value. Global Islamic Sharia Index rose 0.80 percent.

Macroeconomic News Kuwait recorded a KD6bn budgetary surplus in 2009, according to the government newly released figures.

Despite the finance minister’s efforts last year to increase Kuwait’s non-oil revenue, however, the statistics show that the income from these sources came to no more than six percent of the total state revenue, with 94 percent of the income coming from oil.

The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) issued KD80mn ($277.1mn) worth of one-year treasury bonds on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, with a coupon rate of 1.25 percent. Bids for the bonds amounted to KD393mn, central bank data showed. The last issue was on March 24, for KD100mn, with 1.25 percent coupon.

Inflation in Kuwait during 2009 rose by four percent compared to the previous year, figures from the Central Statistics Department showed this

week. Inflation in 2008 was 10.6 percent. Consuming prices reached a record 136 points last year, showed the figures. They were 130.8 points in 2008. Inflation of food rose 2.3 percent and it increased by 9.3 percent for the beverages and tobacco, said the figures.

Textile inflation swelled by 4.9 percent, while it was 5.1 percent for housing services, they showed. Inflation of goods and house services jumped by 5.9 percent. Inflation in educational and health services was up by 4.3 percent. The global downturn slashed growth rates across the Gulf Arab oil producing region, reducing consumer price growth from 2008 record peaks.

Oil related news Price of Kuwaiti crude oil reached $81.07 per barrel (pb) on Tuesday, April 6, an increase of $3.89 per barrel compared to a week earlier, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said.

The hike in crude prices this week comes on the heels of announcement of data in the US indicating increase in new jobs, which means an easing of the global financial crisis and a certain level of recovery which would revive demand. Member countries of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) aim to keep oil prices between $70-$80 pb to achieve balance between the interests of pro-

ducers, who need continuous funding for developing and exploring new oil fields, and consumers, who suffer from great economic decline due to the economic crisis.

Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) is planning to execute a project to install 31 oil wells at a cost of KD75mn in the AlManaqeesh and Om Qadeer oilfields.

KOC is planning to dig 20 oil wells in the Al-Manaqeesh field in the west of Kuwait, in addition to the collection pipelines. The project has an estimated cost of KD54mn. As for the Om AlQadeer oilfield, also in the west of Kuwait KOC will dig 11 other well with accompanying collection pipelines at a cost of KD21mn.

Other local news Warba Bank is now registered with the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) on the ‘Operating Islamic Banks’ list and the listing is effective as of April 5, virtue of recommendation by the Finance Minister, the CBK Governor said. Government Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah said that the listing was virtue of articles of law 32/68, amended by law 30/2003 on creating of an Islamic Banks list in the articles and administrative sections dealing with regulation of the banking and finance activity in the State of Kuwait. He noted that the bank is the sixth on the

list, and its addition would boost competition which would in turn be in the best interest of both clients and the state’s overall economy. The list thus includes Kuwait Finance House (KFH), Boubyan Bank, Kuwait International Bank, Al-Ahli United Bank, Al-Rajhi Bank branch, and now Warba Bank.

All GCC stock markets posted gains by the end of the month of March 2010. In UAE, Dubai Financial Market posted double digits gains of 15.73 percent by the end of the month. KSE concluded the month 2.88 percent higher, as measured by Global Kuwait Index.

GCC stock markets also concluded the first quarter of the year 2010 with solid gains that ranged between 2 percent to over 13 percent. The Kuwaiti market came in the lead, up by 13.27 percent by the end of 1Q2010. The Saudi market followed, up by 11.10 percent. Markets’ performance will be dictated during the coming months by 1Q2010 corporate results and any sudden announcements that might either push the markets to higher grounds, or set them back, erasing some or even all their profits accumulated during the first quarter of the year.

Kuwait Stock Exchange Kuwait Finance House (KFH) said it had set up a joint venture with

Canada’s Killam Properties Inc to buy up to C$450mn of residential property in Canada. The joint venture is part of the Kuwaiti lender’s plans to expand in global markets, it said. Residential real estate will be its first step to be followed with further investments in industrial, administrative, rehabilitation or senior citizens care real estate, according to market conditions, KFH said in a statement.

Kuwait Portland Cement Company said it has authorized Tamdeen Investment Company to sell at least half of its stake in Ahli United Bank.

“Portland, has authorized Tamdeen to sell 15mn shares as a minimum of the total shares it owns in Ahli United Bank, which are about 30mn shares, for a price of at least $1.10 per share,” equivalent to a total price of $16.5mn, Portland said in a statement. The firm said it would make a profit of about KD3.29mn ($11.40mn) if it sells at least half of its stake in the lender.

As per the above, Tamdeen Real Estate Company (owns 51.37 percent in Tamdeen Investment Company had completed the sale of its 51.37 percent stake in the Ahli United Bank (AUB) and would generate earnings of nearly KD50.34mn. These gains would be recorded in 2Q2010 financial statements.

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) said it was considering buying a stake in Garanti Bank as Turkey was one of the emerging world’s most attractive banking sectors. “NBK wants to expand in Turkey, a country that has a lot of potential,” said NBK’s chief executive, Ibrahim Dabdoub. General Electric said in February it would sell its 20.85 percent stake in the Turkish lender, currently valued at $4.3bn.

NBK is the first bank to come forward publically and declare its interest.

There has also been speculation that private equity funds might be eyeing part of the stake. Kuwaiti logistics firm Agility will postpone the release of its 2009 financial results until April 11 as it tries to reach a settlement with the US government on a fraud case. Agility, which had already delayed the results to April 6, said in a statement this week that it was waiting to see “whether or not it can resolve a legal dispute with the US government.” The company said that trading in its shares will continue to be halted. Agility, formerly Public Warehousing Co KSC, is in talks to resolve an indictment accusing it of overcharging the US. Army on supply contracts in Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan. If no settlement is reached by April 11, Agility will announce the results after making “enough provisions.”

Highlights of the week Spain is seeking to intensify its relationship with Kuwait in light of the five-year development plan recently announced by the Gulf state, with this strengthening of ties expected to present many opportunities for joint ventures between the two countries, according to Pablo Cascon, the Commercial Attache at the Spanish Embassy in Kuwait. Created in 2006, Investinspain, a government agency dedicated to promoting and attracting foreign investment to Spain, is part of the Spanish Ministry for Industry, Tourism and Trade’s Secretariat for Commerce. As a public body,

Investinspain informs potential investors about the various green field opportunities for investments, welcoming interest in both public and private investments. With an extended network of offices worldwide, Investinspain is shortly to open an office in Kuwait, its fourth branch in the GCC after Oman, Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

The Syrian government has canceled a deal with Kuwait’s AL-Noor Financial Investment Company to build a 140,000 barrel per day refinery in eastern Syria, Oil Minister Sufian Alao said. The announcement is another setback to government efforts to attract investment to the ailing refining sector and meet domestic demand, with the country relying on two old refineries that have a combined capacity of 240,000 bpd. Noor and the Syrian government signed a memorandum of understanding in 2007 to construct the $1.7bn refinery. Later that year they signed an agreement with British consultants Wood McKenzie for a feasibility study. Alao did not give a reason for ending the deal. He said the government remained in talks with other foreign investors for them to build two other refineries that could double Syria’s capacity.

Gulfinvest International said it has defaulted on a AED200mn ($54.47mn) loan to an Abu Dhabi bank, and its guarantor is in talks to restructure it.

The loan from Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and its interest were due end of March and the company was “unable to pay at the time being”, Gulfinvest said in a statement. It said the UAE’s Shuaa Capital, the guarantor of the loan, has stepped in and was negotiating with the company to restructure the loan. Combined Group Contracting Company (CGC) won a tender for civil works from Al-Ain Farms for Livestock, Abu Dhabi. The contract work AED52.50mn (KD4.15mn), will extend for six months and with oneyear maintenance.

A’ayan Capital Investment Company got the approval of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) to buy back or offload up to 10 percent of its issued shares for six months as of the approval date.

Amar for Finance and Leasing, listed in the Parallel market, sold investment properties valued at KD1.85mn making a profit of KD85,000. The company reported that the results of the transaction will appear in its 1Q2010 financial statement.

Wataniya Telecom announced that it will be listed in Qatar Exchange within the next two weeks to become the first company outside of Qatar to be listed in the stock exchange.

Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company announced that its whollyowned KGL Passenger Transport Services Company won a 3 years contact worth KD3.86mn.

The Investment Dar said that a court has ruled that it did not have jurisdiction on a lawsuit, which Dar filed against the Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK) in order to annul the sales of Boubyan Bank sales. Dar, which filed three lawsuits last year against CBK demanding the return of shares it lost in Boubyan Bank, will appeal the ruling from Kuwait’s Court of First Instance, it said in a statement.

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 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 US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals

.2840000 .4370000 .383000 .2670000 .2860000 .2650000 .0045000 .0020000 .0782350 .7622180 .4020000 .0750000 .7472200 .0045000 .0500000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2882000 .4393260 .3855370 .2692390 .2882530 .0517930 .0399850 .2670870 .0371180 .2065270 .0030600 .0065050 .0025390 .0034610 .0042220 .0785040 .7648380 .4075910 .0768920 .7489420 .0064760 TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2903000 .4427300 .2711460 .0773820

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.143 6.529

.2940000 .4460000 .3910000 .2750000 .2920000 .2720000 .0075000 .0035000 .0780210 .7698780 .4180000 .0790000 .7547320 .0072000 .0580000 .2903000 .4427300 .3882590 .2711460 .2902950 .0521600 .0402680 .2689730 .0373810 .2079890 .0030820 .0065510 .0025570 .0034860 .0042520 .0790050 .7697150 .4104770 .0773820 .7537160 .0065220

Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.448 2.540 4.070 208.720 37.351 4.179 6.469 9.002 0.301 0.292 GCC COUNTRIES Saudi Riyal 77.270 Qatari Riyal 79.604 Omani Riyal 752.700 Bahraini Dinar 769.500 UAE Dirham 78.910 ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 55.500 Egyptian Pound 52.520 Yemen Riyal 1.293 Tunisian Dinar 207.600 Jordanian Dinar 409.140 Lebanese Lira 194.400 Syrian Lier 6.327 Morocco Dirham 35.450 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 289.600 Euro 394.720 Sterling Pound 449.200 Canadian dollar 292.530 Turkish lire 194.500 Swiss Franc 275.600 Australian dollar 270.100 US Dollar Buying 287.500 GOLD 20 Gram 225.000 10 Gram 115.000 5 Gram 60.000

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound

SELL CASH 272.200 769.710 4.400 293.000 568.400 15.800 53.200 167.800 54.770

SELL DRAFT 270.700 769.710 4.180 291.500

208.700 52.600

Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees 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 10 Tola Sterling Pound US Dollar

391.600 37.990 6.800 0.035 0.298 0.260 3.170 410.860 0.195 92.560 47.600 4.270 207.800 2.183 49.400 751.860 3.520 6.560 80.050 77.280 208.750 42.460 2.743 445.700 40.900 274.800 6.400 9.300 217.900 78.980 289.800 1.380 GOLD 1,216.690 TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 443.700 289.400

390.100 37.840 6.420

409.130 0.194 92.580 4.100 206.300 751.500 3.460 6.460 79.620 77.280 208.750 42.460 2.540 443.700 273.300 9.130 78.980 289.400

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Cyprus Pound Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees

289.350 293.915 446.300 392.170 269.830 709.215 765.875 78.760 79.455 77.125 408.315 52.586 6.523 3.459

Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees

2.537 4.184 6.457 3.075 8.929 6.312 3.077

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 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 Candaian Dollars

289.050 3.435 6.460 2.545 4.180 6.450 78.760 77.250 768.000 52.550 446.300 0.000032100 4.100 1.550 410.300 5.750 395.900 300.800

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Transfer rate

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

289.200 383.100 447.800 290.250 3.133 6.522 52.500 2.542 4.178 6.448 3.460 769.200 78.850 77.200

TECHNOLOGY

Sunday, April 11, 2010

27

The men who keep the ‘talking books’ talking PHILADELPHIA: Christian D. Charron retired from General Electric in 1995 as chief engineer and technical director of a classified program. His work required him to master a variety of intense jobs, including fixing orbiting satellites.

All the more ironic to see him flummoxed one morning last week — by a tape player.

“It works, and then it stops,” said an exasperated Charron, the machine laid open before him, its amplifier board and other guts exposed.

Why? “I don’t have any idea.”

That he and six other GE retirees were spending a morning not lazing at home but laboring with soldering irons and longnosed pliers was entirely their choice.

Charron and company spend two mornings a week in a 754-square-foot glorified storage room in an office building, repairing “talking book” tape players.

In all, Charron leads a legion of 27 fixers — men (though women are welcome) ranging in age from 66 to 92, and with a variety of aches and pains — who are part of a national network of 1,000 volunteers who breathe new life into about 100,000 players a year, said Kevin Watson, equipmentrepair officer for the Library of Congress’ National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

The machines are provided for use at no cost. On average, a typical malfunctioning tape player requires about $20 worth of parts — a quarter of the cost if the repairs

were done by a private contractor, Watson said.

“That’s huge savings,” he said, adding that “Congress is never all that thrilled about giving us more money.”

The repair volunteers are “the backbone” of the lending program, whose first known volunteer, Watson said, was James Jones, a telephone-company employee in Arkansas who offered his services in 1950.

Back then, the Library Service was providing record players. Cassette players followed in 1971, Watson said. About a year ago, digital devices entered the mix.

But for now, it’s the tape players that keep Charron and his retired GE compadres busy Tuesday and Thursday mornings in a closet-turned-workshop.

The room, with just two narrow windows, is easily overlooked inside a cavernous building where General Electric still has offices, though it sold the property in May 2007 to a New York-based partnership.

The local “talking book” repair chapter was created in 1989. Many of the workbenches and repair tools have come from shuttered GE facilities throughout the region, said David Blake, 82, of Broomall, Pa., as he glued a part onto a cassette machine.

A 40-year GE employee, Blake retired in 1991 as manager of an aircraft-engine sales office in Center City.

“Until I had a leg problem, I used to play golf three times a week,” he said of his initial years of retirement.

Now, Blake spends Tuesday and Thursday mornings putting his analytical and tinkering skills to work. It’s not for a paycheck, just for the satisfaction of helping people whom he likely will never know listen to books.

Last week, most of the nearly three dozen tape players stacked on shelves in the repair room had been sent from a library in Michigan. Others routinely come from Puerto Rico, Alaska and the Virgin Islands.

And sometimes, they come with passengers.

“I had one machine completely encased in roach bodies,” said Neal Shepard, 72, who until his retirement in 1999 was an aerospace-system engineer for GE in King of Prussia, Pa., and its successor there, Lockheed Martin. He downplayed the difficulty of his volunteer work, saying, as he replaced a shot reel head, only that it “requires certain eye-hand coordination skills.”

What is not insignificant is the sense of usefulness the work affords those no longer working, said Homer Needle, 83, of Bryn Athyn, Pa., a draftsman and engineering designer at GE for 39 years before retiring in 1990.

“I feel at least I’m not wasting my time” in retirement, Needle said, as he nimbly plucked screws from a tape player he was taking apart. “I’m doing some good.”

On this particular day, Peter Nastasiak, 67, was the youngster in the room. The former aerospace-systems engineer, retired

since 2001, decided six years later to spend some of his freedom solving the ills of “talking book” players because his neighbor in Radnor “pestered the living daylights out of me.”

That would be Mathew Dellarco, who worked for GE 35 years in a variety of jobs, including product manager for a breederreactor project whose cancellation still steams him more than three decades later.

He has been retired since 1992, and repairing tape players ever since.

“I enjoy the fellowship,” said Dellarco, 77, gesturing to a board nearby with pictures of each of the 27 volunteers. “We used to have another board of the guys that died, but that became too depressing. So that’s gone.”

His plan is to keep showing up every week “til I can’t anymore. And right now, that seems like a long time away, but we’ll see.”

Meanwhile, Charron had a win streak on the line — an ability to fix anything. It’s a knack that irritates his wife, Verna. She has wanted to buy a new dryer, he says, but he keeps reviving the one they’ve had for 37 years. So the 76-year-old Newtown Square, Pa., resident returned the next time, determined to crack the mystery of the malfunctioning cassette player. It didn’t take long.

“I figured it out about 10 minutes after I got here,” Charron said. The culprit was a bad motor.

“I put a spare one on,” he said. “It works great.” — MCT

FORT WASHINGTON: Chris Charron, foreground, and Homer Needle (seen in background) repair tape recorders for the blind in a former storage room that GE rents at the Fort Washington Office Park in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, March 30, 2010. — MCT

Google ‘snatched’ away AdMob: Jobs

Google and Apple rivalry heats up Dr. Amit Sinha, fellow and chief technologist for Motorola Enterprise Wireless LAN, demonstrates security WiFi vulnerabilities using a Motorola AirDefense Mobile 5.2 in San Jose, California, on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. — MCT

On the hunt for naked Wi-Fi hotspots with a wireless detective SAN JOSE: To my untrained eyes, it was a bright and clear Silicon Valley day as we sat in the parking lot of a North San Jose high-tech company. But Dr. Amit Sinha, Motorola engineer and Wi-Fi detective, knew we were surrounded by invisible danger.

Sinha opened his laptop and launched a Wi-Fi detection program to demonstrate his point. Using equipment any 10-year-old could wrangle, Sinha generated a list of more than 250 Wi-Fi access points and associated devices inside the company’s building.

Well over half of the access points either had no encryption or an outdated version that the most basic of hackers could crack within minutes. From the comfort of our car, we could see the type of devices people were using inside — iPhones, laptops, printers — and the names of the networks they were connecting to.

With just a couple of clicks, Sinha could have been surfing around the company’s network and probing many of these devices. A less benevolent person could easily grab passwords, copy sensitive documents or plant viruses.

It only took about an hour with Sinha, a chief technologist for Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions, and his wireless detective kit to leave me horrified. Motorola has a financial interest here, of course; it is in the business of selling mobile security solutions. But Sinha and Motorola are not alone in pointing out the lack of public awareness about the gaping hole in wireless security.

Patrick Martin, a senior product manager in Symantec’s security response group, said he didn’t have data on the numbers or percentages of wireless access points that are vulnerable to hackers. But, he added: “Certainly it’s quite common. I’ve seen cases myself where my laptop can see wireless networks in the houses adjacent to me and there’s always at least one that’s insecure. “... Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks who just don’t understand that these vulnerabilities exist.”

I am, admittedly, like many of those folks when it comes to issues of security. Which is to say, I’m careless. I couldn’t even tell Sinha offhand what — if any — type of encryption I used on my Wi-Fi router at home.

Still, it’s astonishing to see that when it comes to wireless security, even a savvy high-tech region like Silicon Valley essentially has its pants down. And if you don’t think hackers everywhere know this, think again.

Whether it’s at work, at home or at the local coffee shop, these hackers know that for some reason, people don’t think twice about logging onto whatever Wi-Fi signal they can find and sharing all sorts of sensitive information. Both individuals and companies are careless with wireless security in ways they would never be with wired connections to networks.

“The problem for consumers is that wireless is promiscuous connectivity,” Sinha said.

And as our appetite for Wi-Fi grows, and new wireless devices flood the market, there seems to be little thought given to security.

“These threats are only very real if the users fail to configure their wireless access point securely,” said William Hau, a vice president at security firm McAfee.

“A significant proportion of the vulnerabilities in the public arena can be attributed to insecure installations by the end users.”

So this has left us vulnerable to hackers who could be right at this moment patrolling the streets of our fair city, plucking packets of data from the air and spinning them into digital gold.

By the end of our hour together, Sinha had me scared straight. I updated my security settings at home that night.

And now, I am a bit wiser, thanks to Sinha. But

somehow, all those signs on coffee shops advertising “Free Wi-Fi Inside!” seem more ominous than inviting.

HOW TO STAY SAFE For everyone: 1. Don’t use the security setting known as Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP. Instead, be sure to use Wi-Fi Protected Access, or WPA2, the latest and greatest protocol.

2. Don’t just leave security settings on default. When installing Wi-Fi access points, check the settings and place them on the highest level.

For consumers: 1. Don’t perform sensitive activities, such as banking or purchasing with a credit card, at public Wi-Fi hot spots.

2. If a box appears asking you to accept a security certificate while using Wi-Fi, don’t accept it. If hackers are trying to hijack your Wi-Fi connection, they need you to accept one of these to do so.

3. Make sure you have good firewall software on your laptop.

For businesses: 1. Install wireless sensors around your building that scan your internal Wi-Fi access points and probe for intruders. All it takes is one employee plugging in a rogue Wi-Fi router and your network can be compromised.

2. If you have a lot of company laptops in the field, have strong security policies for using them. For instance, require employees to initiate a virtual private network connection with your office network before they start surfing.

THREE WAYS TO ATTACK Hackers can use insecure wireless access points in several ways. Here are three: Scheme 1: “Packet Sniffing” Sitting outside a building, Motorola engineer Amit Sinha ran a program that made copies of all the packets of data being transmitted between Wi-Fi devices and networks. Using a free software tool, Sinha could then decode the packets. What might he find inside?

Passwords. Social Security numbers. And loads of other personal and corporate secrets.

Scheme 2: “Middle Man” (or “Evil Twins”) The hacker’s laptop finds the name of a wireless access point that devices are trying to connect to. Using special software, the laptop can disguise itself as that access point, so that these devices connect to the Internet through the hacker’s laptop. All the activity of those devices can then be captured on that laptop. This allows the hacker to capture more information for longer periods than during packet sniffing.

Scheme 3: “Network Intruder” The hackers use a weak Wi-Fi access point to get inside a company’s network, where they plant viruses or retrieve copies of sensitive information. If printers are on Wi-Fi networks, the hackers could get copies of documents in a queue to be printed and print their own hard copies. These schemes were taken to their extreme in recent years by Albert Gonzalez, a Miamibased hacker who recently pleaded guilty to stealing more than 100 million credit card numbers. How did he get most of them? Through the Wi-Fi systems of various retailers. — MCT

WASHINGTON: Google is the undisputed king w hen it comes to raking in advertising dollars on the Internet. But Apple w ants the crow n w hen it comes to ads on mobile devices. The mobile advertising space is shaping up as the latest battleground in an increasingly testy rivalry that led Google chief execGoogle’s Web browser, Chrome, competes with Apple’s Safari and the Internet giant’s computer operating system, also called Chrome, and its Android mobile phone operating system also pose competition to Apple products.

In a move that struck at Apple’s core, Google launched a smartphone earlier this year, the Nexus One, as a rival to Apple’s popular iPhone.

Apple struck back with a lawsuit against Taiwan’s HTC, maker of the Nexus One, accusing it of infringing on iPhone patents.

Mobile advertising is the arena for their latest struggle and Apple’s Jobs fired a few jabs at Google as he previewed a new mobile ad platform called “iAd” at an event Thursday to unveil the latest iPhone operating system.

Jobs said Google had “snatched” away AdMob, a mobile ad firm Apple had been seeking to buy last year, and made it clear he thinks the Internet search giant has it all wrong when it comes to mobile advertising.

Google has made its fortune from Web search advertising, placing relevant ads next to search queries, and its purchase of AdMob was a bid to extend its reach into the booming world of mobile devices.

But Apple, which announced its purchase of AdMob rival Quattro Wireless on the same day that Google unveiled the Nexus One, sees the future of mobile advertising in applications not search.

“On the desktop, search is where it’s at, that’s where the money is,” Jobs said. “But on a mobile device search hasn’t happened, search is not where it’s at. People aren’t searching on a mobile device like they do on a desktop.

“What’s happening is they’re spending all of their time on apps,” Jobs said-applications like the more than 185,000 that Apple currently offers for the iPhone and the iPod Touch through its App Store.

“They’re using apps to get the data on the Internet rather than a generalized search,” Jobs said.

“This is where the opportunity to deliver advertising is. Not as part of search but as part of apps.”

Apple’s iAd platform allows software developers or ad agencies to embed ads directly into applications being offered for the iPhone, the iPod Touch and now the iPad, Apple’s new touchscreen tablet computer.

Jobs said Apple will sell and host the ads and give developers 60 percent of the revenue while keeping the remaining 40 percent.

Forrester technology analyst Julie Ask said Apple’s iAds has “raised the bar on quality of mobile ads by keeping consumers within their existing application or experience.”

Analyst Rob Enderle of Silicon Valley’s Enderle Group said “iAds looks brilliant to me and solidly in Google’s space.

“This is something that Google should have done,” Enderle said.

“It’s funny to have Google chasing Apple on ad revenue.”

“Because we’re increasingly living on mobile devices this could actually be a better source of revenue than typical PC Web-based ads because often we find ourselves away from our desks and unwilling to open up a laptop,” Enderle said.

“As we look at the future of advertising this kind of concept could be much more lucrative than what’s come before it,” he said.

Estimates of mobile advertising growth vary widely. A report by the Kelsey Group put the mobile advertising market at 3.1 billion dollars in 2013 while another report, by Juniper Research, put it at 5.7 billion dollars in 2014. — AFP

utive Eric Schmidt to step dow n from Apple’s board of directors last year.

Schmidt may have been photographed recently chatting amiably w ith Apple’s chief executive Steve J obs at a Palo Alto, California, cafe but the technology giants are slugging it out on a grow ing number of fronts.

NORTH WALES: Kelsey Mauger, 8, of North Wales, Pennsylvania, sits at her computer, playing in the virtual world, March 25, 2010. — MCT

Girls abandon dolls for Web-based toys PHILADELPHIA : Paige Gabriele loved her dolls — once. At age 8, however, the Swarthmore, Pa., girl has largely abandoned them. Even Barbie gets slim face time, and the single American Girl doll, a gift from her grandmother, sits pretty on her bureau — untouched.

Playing with dolls “gets boring after a while,” said Paige as she passed by the well-stocked aisles full of Barbie, Moxie Girlz, Liv, and other fashion dolls at a nearby Target. She was more interested in a basketball, and gushed about social Web sites such as moshimonsters.com, where she nurtures pet monsters.

It used to be that dolls held girls’ interest at least through elementary school. But these days, girls are dropping such playthings at ever younger ages, largely replacing the childhood mainstay with technology-driven activities, even as the toy industry battles to attract the coveted market with new products.

According to the NPD Group, US doll sales have declined by nearly 20 percent since 2005 — and older girls are the least likely to have such toys. In 2009, 18 percent of dolls sold went to girls 9 and older, but 37 percent landed in the hands of 3- to 5-year-olds, the “sweet spot” ages, said Anita Frazier, NPD toys and video games industry analyst.

Jeff Holtzman, third-generation head of dollmaker Goldberger Co., based in Manhattan, said his business used to make dolls for children from birth to 12. Nowadays, Goldberger focuses on children younger than 3.

“By the time they hit 4 or 5, they want a cell phone,” Holtzman said. “We’re replacing dolls sooner.”

One reason is that older children have more options, said Frazier. “With more choice comes time fragmentation,” she said. But ditching doll play says just as much about the erosion of childhood — as well as imagination and attention spans, argue some — as it does about the multitude of gadgets and activities that vie for children’s spare time.

Lindsey Peppel, 12, of Phoenixville, Pa., hasn’t played with the fashionable figures for a while, instead favoring

online sites, including Barbie.com, and Barbie video games (when she’s not reading books).

“I don’t think I’m good at making up imaginary things,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do with dolls.”

Consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow, who chairs the psychology department at Golden Gate University and wrote the book Gen BuY, agrees that children nowadays need lots of stimulation to keep their interest.

But she said, that’s not necessarily a negative. “Maybe,” she argued, “this is preparation for exactly what they need when they grow up. The world these kids are going to be adults in is more souped up.”

Others, though, say loss of doll play is a sign of the Microsoft speed at which children mature.

“Girls don’t play with dolls as much or for as long anymore because they are being socialized by media culture to grow up faster,” said Patricia Leavy, an associate professor of sociology at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., who has witnessed a lack of interest in dolls in her own 9-year-old daughter.

After all, 5 is the new 10, and 10 is the new 15.

Often, young girls, called tweens by marketers, are pushed to act and look like teens, whether that message comes from the latest “Hannah Montana” TV shows, outfits at the Limited Too, or virtual playlands. Playing with dollies has little place in this world.

Tween culture “is transforming the lives of girls,” Leavy said, and often to the detriment of self-esteem, she argued, with its emphasis on idealized images of beauty.

To understand why this matters, consider the role of traditional doll play in socialization.

“When little girls play with dolls, they’re practicing being a mommy, practicing tending and nurturing,” said psychologist Yarrow.

Although some say an avatar fills the role just fine, Leavy disagrees, calling online diversions “a different level of intimacy and connection. It doesn’t have to be dolls, but I don’t think it’s going to come from a Web site.”—MCT

HEALTH & SCIENCE

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Croatia’s anti-smoking measures get more strict ZAGREB: Croatia re-introduced yesterday tough anti-tobacco measures, the strictest in the Balkans region, as a six-month grace period for small bars and cafes expired.

“We are not happy about it. Such a rigid law should not have been introduced particularly in a time of recession,” Dragica, a waitress at a small cafe in downtown Zagreb, told AFP. “However, we have a terrace so the real impact will be felt in the autumn when it is too cold to sit out-

side any more,” she added before chasing away two visitors who entered the cafe with lit cigarettes.

No ashtray could be seen at tables of the Britanac cafe, which is among those smaller than 50 square metres (538 square feet) where since midnight (2200 GMT) smoking is allowed only if they have installed a special ventilation system.

Its owner was not among only some 350 cafes that have requested permission to become a smoking establishment. According to the

health ministry only 156 have received approval to do so.

“It’s too expensive,” Dragica said explaining that the costs of a required ventilation system for the cafe where she works would be higher than 10,000 euros (13,400 dollars).

In larger establishments and in restaurants smoking is allowed only in specially designated zones.

Smoking is not allowed in any areas where food is served.

Croatia introduced a strict smok-

ing ban for all public places in May 2009. The law echoed standards of the European Union, that Zagreb hopes to join by 2012.

However, it sparked strong protests by managers of cafes and restaurants who claimed it was ruining their business. Croatia, whose economy relies on the tourism industry, has some 16,000 cafes and restaurants employing some 100,000 people.

The government ceded to their pressure and in September amended

the law giving them a six-month transitory period to meet the criteria.

“There will be no more concessions. I’m happy that a total ban starts at midnight,” Health Minister Darko Milinovic said on Friday.

The authorities have said the law is aimed at protecting non-smokers, who make up 68 percent of the country’s population of 4.4 million.

“The law has not been adopted to punish the owners (of the bars) but to encourage people to quit smok-

ing,” Milinovic stressed.

However, smokers are not happy about the move arguing it should have been left to the owners to decide whether their establishment would be a smoking or a non-smoking one.

“The law will not cut the number of smokers,” said Marko Vukoja, sitting at a cafe terrace enjoying his morning coffee with a cigarette.

“In a time of economic hardship such measures will only contribute to an increase in unemployement

and many establishments will be closed,” he said.

Fines for breaking the law range between 500 and 15,000 kunas.

The Balkans are home to Europe’s most inveterate smokers, with 30 to 40 percent of all adults hooked on the habit, according to the World Health Organisation.

In Croatia tobacco is blamed for killing some 10,000 people each year while and additional 3,000 die from passive smoking, according to the health ministry. —AFP

Could learn lessons from AIDS, TB, Malaria fund

Health aid work better via world fund: Experts

MILWAUKEE: Dr. Edmund H. Duthie shares his knowledge of the elderly by working with new doctors such as third-year resident, 31-year-old Ammar Haque, left, at the VA Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 4, 2010.

Together they work with patient Joe Stimac, 92, center, a World War II Marine veteran who has back pain. —MCT

Quality of life becomes gray area WAUWATOSA: Edmund H. Duthie is on the move, working the final frontier of life.

He is a geriatrician, a doctor who cares for the frail elderly.

He deals with the mystery and the muck of aging, extended life spans and shattering falls, memories that inspire and those that recede.

What he knows may be outweighed by what he does not as boundaries of age are pushed to the limit. And yet in a field where there is no shortage of work, there is a shortage of geriatricians, a gap likely to grow as the population grows gray.

Duthie, 59, cannot worry about the future, a future when he and other members of the baby-boom generation swell the ranks of America’s aging population.

He has patients to see right now.

He skips the elevator and takes the stairs as he makes his way through the medical maze that is Froedtert Hospital.

Gerald Jaeger, 77, lies in a bed, a feeding tube in his nose, hospitalized with post-operative pulmonary problems. Duthie gently checks his mouth, chest and legs, asking questions, listening to the one- and two-word answers. The patient is tired but rallying.

“I think you’re in a much better place than you were a month ago,” Duthie tells Jaeger, sounding a lot like a high school football coach about to send a sophomore quarterback into his first game. “I know you don’t believe it.”

Duthie heads to a nearby room, a 70-year-old waiting. “In the world I live in, that’s young,” Duthie says.

Harold Noboisek bounds out of bed, a big man with a big voice.

The patient points to the scars on his body and reels off memories of past surgeries, heart, back and knee. Now, he’s dealing with intense pain from arthritis.

“Any chest pain?” Duthie asks.

“I did have some last night,” Noboisek says. “I thought I was going to buy the farm.”

Noboisek may be discharged in a day or two. Duthie wants to make sure there is someone to care for him at home. He asks

him questions. Noboisek is throwing out wisecracks about the old neighborhoods where he grew up in New York and about living large — “to me, a good 24, 36-ounce porterhouse or prime rib would be a light snack.”

And then, the conversation takes a swift turn. Noboisek talks about how tough it is to survive on a small retirement check. He says he runs out of food before the end of each month.

Duthie discusses how Noboisek might enroll in a nutritional program. He’ll make sure the patient meets with a social worker.

“You know the line that old age isn’t for sissies,” Duthie says later. “I have a lot of respect for what people are up against.”

The country should be entering the age of the geriatrician, a doctor who zeros in on the unique needs of older adults.

Instead, it is entering the age of the geriatrician shortage.

In 2008, Duthie was one of 7,590 board-certified geriatricians in the United States. The Alliance for Aging Research says

the country will need 36,000 geriatricians by 2030. In that year, there are expected to be 72 million Americans who are 65 and older.

The geriatrician shortage is unlikely to be filled. The field is not as financially rewarding as others in medicine — geriatricians in private practice earned a median salary of $161,888 in 2006. That’s less than half the median salary of those in specialties such as radiology and orthopedics.

Geriatricians train one year longer than primary care physicians, a huge financial burden for students who emerge from their medical training with tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

Little surprise, then, when fellowship slots go unfilled.

“The numbers are pretty bad,” Duthie says with a grin.

“Will the last geriatrician turn off the lights?”

He remains an optimist.

Every year he sees another bright medical school graduate enter the field. He is chief of the Division of Geriatrics and

Virus outbreak causes 40 child deaths in China BEIJING: A top Chinese leader called for stepped-up research into vaccines and drugs for hand, foot and mouth disease after 40 children died from outbreaks last month, a state news agency said yesterday.

The Ministry of Health reported 77,756 cases of the disease in March. The number of deaths increased sharply, up from 10 in February.

“Preventing and controlling various infectious diseases such as the hand-foot-mouth disease is a key task,” Xinhua News Agency quoted Vice Premier Li Keqiang as saying. China sees deadly outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease every spring and summer, particularly in rural areas where hygiene is poor.

There were 353 deaths from the disease in 2009, according to Health Ministry figures. Li called for more research into vaccines and drugs to fight the disease, plus stronger prevention and control efforts, Xinhua said. Outbreaks were reported in southern China’s Guangxi Autonomous Region as well as Guangdong, Henan, Hebei and Shandong provinces. Currently, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for the virus, but most children recover quickly without problems.

Hand, foot and mouth disease typically strikes infants and children and is characterized by fever, mouth sores and a rash with blisters. It is spread by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stool of infected people.

The virus is unrelated to the foot and mouth disease that affects livestock. —AP

Gerontology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He loves teaching.

He is also the section leader in geriatric medicine at Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Trim and fit, with gray flecks in his hair, he’s a walking advertisement for living well in middle age so you can live well in old age.

“What can I do as a 40- or 50year-old to hit old age running?” he says. “Get your blood pressure checked and keep it in check. Try to stay fit. Pay attention to the preventive cancer stuff. Get your colonoscopy. If you know the genes are stacked against you, you’ll have to overcompensate.”

Duthie is a workaholic, who rarely takes off more than one week at a time. His office at the VA is cluttered with files, some older than the residents he mentors.

When he started at the VA in the 1980s, he was seeing patients who were veterans of World War I. Now, he’s beginning to treat veterans of the Vietnam War. “As I start to see people born in the 1940s, I’m starting to do a double-take,” he says.

Born and raised in New Jersey, educated at Notre Dame and the Georgetown University School of Medicine, Duthie came to Milwaukee for his residency in 1976.

He became part of the thenfledgling geriatric program at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Some of his medical school buddies told him he was throwing his life away. Geriatrics, doesn’t that involve old people and issues of incontinence and incompetence?

But to Duthie, geriatrics became a calling. One of his mentors, Les Libow, a pioneer in the field, told him, “There are no malingerers in nursing homes.”

He has always been impressed by the toughness of older people.

Walk with him on his rounds at the Zablocki center, and he exudes contentment, dealing with patients he has seen for years. He is also eager to pass on his knowledge to a third-year resident, 31-year-old Ammar Haque. —MCT

LONDON: Donor money for health care in developing countries could be spent more effectively if it were channelled through a single global fund, experts said.

A steady flow of funds is essential for health sector improvements, Gorik Ooms from Belgium’s Institute of Tropical Medicine said.

Research by Ooms and other experts published in The Lancet medical journal on Friday said the amount and regularity of international aid was often unpredictable, making it hard for governments to plan ahead.

Another study, by Harvard Medical School and the University of Washington, found that in some recipient countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, foreign health aid was partly replacing- not supplementing-domestic health budgets.

In such countries, for every $1 given in aid, governments move between 43 cents and $1.14 of their own health funds to other sectors, such as education or sanitation.

“Governments compensate for exceptional international generosity to the health sector by reallocating government funding to other sectors,” Ooms wrote in The Lancet.

He said governments also compensated for the unreliability of aid by spreading it over several years.

One way to make health aid more stable would be to disburse it via a common pool, similar to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria set up in 2002.

“If a young institution such as the Global Fund already stands out as delivering stable and predictable financing, it shows the potential advantage of pooling international aid,” Ooms wrote.

In a news briefing, he said countries with high dependency on aid usually received pledges from donors for two to four years ahead.

“When we in our own countries consider reforming health care, we make estimates for 20, 30, 40 years ahead: how much money will we have? what will happen with the population? what will be the health needs?,” he said.

Another issue is donors’ delivery on their promises.

Madalo Nyambose, assistant director at the debt and aid division in Malawi’s Finance Ministry, said aid money was often disbursed later than promised, forcing recipient governments to borrow from financial markets and incur interest payments.

Ooms said a new global health fund could borrow ideas from the Global Fund, which pools donors’ money and allocates it in consultation with the countries in need and independent experts. Its board includes representatives of donors and recipient governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), businesses and affected communities.

The US researchers examined data on 113 developing countries from 1995 to 2006. —Reuters

In this image provided by NASA backdropped by Earth’s horizon and the blackness of space the International Space Station’s robotic Canadarm2 grapples the Leonardo Multi-purpose Logistics Module from the payload bay of the docked space shuttle Discovery for relocation to a port on the Harmony node of the International Space Station Wednesday April 7, 2010. —AP

Astronauts ‘ready to rock ‘n’ roll’ on spacewalk 2 CAPE CANAVERAL: Two of the astronauts aboard the orbiting shuttle-station complex rested up yesterday for a second spacewalk involving hefty storage tanks, while their colleagues unloaded much smaller supplies.

Spacemen Clayton Anderson and Rick Mastracchio will head back outside early today to replace an old ammonia tank at the International Space Station.

They started the job Friday. In all, three spacewalks will be needed to complete the work.

In an interview Saturday, Anderson said one day is enough time to rest between spacewalks. He said he often played baseball doubleheaders and basketball games on back-to-back days.

“We’re in pretty good shape for old men,” he said, “and I think we’ll be ready to rock ‘n’ roll.” Anderson is 51, and Mastracchio is 50. Both are members of space shuttle Discovery’s visiting crew. They

have another week at the space station before departing.

Discovery arrived Wednesday with tons of spare parts and science experiments for the space station. Much of that was in a cargo carrier that was attached temporarily to the station. One of the big-ticket items being transported Saturday was a darkroom-type enclosure for the U.S. lab’s highquality window, designed to improve picture-taking. The 13 space travelers’ workday was interrupted early Saturday when a smoke alarm went off in the Russian living quarters. It turned out to be a false alarm, set off by dust apparently kicked up by filter cleaning. The astronauts scrambled for about three minutes to make sure there was no fire before going back to what they were doing.

Like many at NASA, the astronauts in orbit are anxiously awaiting President Barack Obama’s upcoming space policy

speech. Obama will visit Kennedy Space Center on Thursday and discuss the future of NASA’s human spaceflight program. In February, Obama canceled NASA’s effort to return astronauts to the moon and placed added emphasis on the development of new technologies. He also extended the working life of the space station to 2020. Only three shuttle missions remain after this one.

When the fleet is retired this fall, the space station essentially will be complete. Thousands of jobs will be lost when that happens, many of them at Florida’s shuttle launch and landing site.

“Life is full of changes, and change is hard,” Anderson said.

“We’ll just have to see how it all falls out.”

Added Mastracchio: “No matter which direction we take, I think NASA’s going to be a big contributor to technologies and new ideas and manned spaceflight.” —AP

In this March 22, 2010 photo, a Holocaust survivor covers his head with a shirt as he sits in a wheelchair at the Shaar Menashe Mental Health Center for Holocaust survivors in northern Israel. Today night Israel begins its annual 24-hour commemoration of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis, and next month sees the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. —AP

Pediatricians urged to be frank about fat NEW YORK: By now, you’ve surely heard-from school officials, lawmakers and now the first ladythat American kids are fat.

But are you ready to hear it from your doctor, about your child?

“It’s a very difficult conversation to have,” said Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, a pediatrician and obesity expert in New York City. “The first reaction often is anger, and it’s directed at the person delivering the news.”

Dolgoff and others say that’s part of the reason many pediatricians have shied away from the topic for so long.

First lady Michelle Obama and the American Academy of Pediatrics are urging them to try harder. Both the academy and the White House’s “Let’s Move” campaign want doctors to regularly monitor the body-mass index, or BMI, of children aged 2-years or older.

The academy actually recommended that three years ago, but studies have found that just 5 per-

cent to 20 percent of pediatricians collect and record BMI in patient charts, said Dr. Robert Murray, director of Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition.

“It’s not easy,” Murray said. “Doctors have to train themselves, as they have with talking about smoking and drugs and sexuality.”

Just as adults have come to expect assessments of their cholesterol levels, parents need to be told whether their child’s weight is progressing normally or heading for trouble, Murray said.

The BMI is the most useful tool, he said.

Unlike the percentile charts that tell you how your baby or child compares with others his age, the index is a mathematical analysis of appropriate weight for height, Murray said.

A single high reading might not be cause for alarm, as a child’s weight often fluctuates. That’s why doctors should record the BMI often and look at the trend, he said. —MCT

Sunday, April 11, 2010

HEALTH

29

Celebrity chefs lead the charge for healthier food MIAMI: Jamie Oliver is using fresh fruit and vegetables to try to win the hearts, or at least the fatty arteries, of a West Virginia city. Rachael Ray is working to reform school lunch. Paula Deen, queen of Southern-fried goodness, recently taught an auditorium of kids how to cook and eat healthy.

Chefs always have wanted people to eat something good. Now, it seems they are just as interested in seeing that people eat well.

“They’re digging down to more substance, which is great because we all win,” says Phil Lempert, the food marketing expert known as The Supermarket Guru. “Before it was cleavage and being cute to get noticed. Now it’s all about substance, nutrition.” This did not happen overnight.

Pioneers like California chef Alice Waters and, more recently, journalist Michael Pollan have been preaching the gospel of fresh, unadulterated food for years. But when everyone from Deen to “Dancing With the Stars” alum Rocco DiSpirito is talking about the benefits of produce over processed, it is clear that the tent has gotten a little bigger.

“It became clear to a bunch of us that

not only is it a good idea now, but people are ready to be receptive,” says DiSpirito, author of the recent New York Times’ best-selling healthy cookbook, “Now Eat This!” That is partly because the rock star status TV chefs enjoy gives them an entree into American kitchens that previous proponents of healthy eating lacked, notes Lee Schrager, founder and organizer of the annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

Oliver, for example, is headlining “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” an ABC reality show documenting his efforts to change eating habits in a community the network calls the nation’s unhealthiest.

Chefs are realizing they have a responsibility to use their influence to foster change, Oliver says. And celebrities often can do that with more panache than traditional nutrition advocates have.

“You don’t want to food nazi the fun out of everything,” he says. “You can still cook great things that are calorific, but you just need to intro it with kind of _ Look, this is a special occasion, or this is for the holidays, or whatever.” Snappy titles and glamorous stars are new tactics for the eat healthy movement, which in the past

has been perceived, fairly or not, as fundeprived. Even Sesame Street is reaching for star power. The program recently named Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey’s former chef, as its healthy eating adviser.

“It’s becoming less elitist,” says nutrition and policy expert Marion Nestle, who credits first lady Michelle Obama’s championing of healthy eating with helping take the issue mainstream.

Deen agrees. “We work on unintimidating foods that mothers and dads can put together pretty easily,” she says.

Now there even is a glossy food magazine dedicated to helping children eat and cook healthier. The just-launched quarterly ChopChop Magazine is aimed at 5 to 12-year-olds. A tipping point in the debate seems to be child obesity, the focus of the first lady’s campaign. A nation that can gaze with equanimity at racks of XXL clothing for grown-ups has grown less tolerant of needing “husky” jeans for 5-year-olds.

At the recent South Beach festival in Miami, an event for 50,000 people where $300 tickets are the norm and Champagne flows freely, obese kids might seem off-topic. But Schrager worked them into the schedule for the

third year, adding a healthy eating fair for children at a nearby zoo. For $20, families could spend the day learning about healthy eating and watch cooking demos

by Food Network celebrities such as Ray and Deen.

“Everything has to change — access to food, attitudes, education,” says Ray, who designs healthy recipes for the New York City school lunch program and started the Yum-o! charity, which raises money to teach kids healthy eating. Even the message itself has changed. Low-fat and low-carb are so last century. Today, it is about balance and real foods.

“It’s far better to eat a balanced diet of full-fat whole foods than it is to eat no-fat, low-fat or fake foods where they’ve replaced fat with fillers and stuff like that,” says Ray. “And I think that one of the benefits of eating a balanced diet is that you can eat some of the things that are not so figure-friendly some of the time.” Still, even celebrity-driven change does not come easily. Oliver, in the early episodes of his new show at least, has made some converts but also gotten pushback from people who do not take kindly to an out-of-towner overhauling their diets. — AP

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007 file photo, Rocco DiSpirito shops in New York. Chefs have always wanted us to eat something good. Now, it seems they’re just as interested in seeing that we eat well.— AP

30

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Colourful Character Day at ESF vents at The English School Fahaheel are always designed to compliment the students English National curriculum education.

Recently children from the Lower and Middle schools at The English School Fahaheel took part in a “Character Day” which was part of the annual “Book Week” at ESF. The week is designed to promote books, the joy of reading and complement the children’s English National Curriculum studies at ESF. Earlier a “Book Exhibition” was held in the Lloyd Webber theatre to further encourage reading under the theme” Open the pages of your imagination.... READ!”.

Character Day commenced with a colourful parade during which all children were dressed in their favourite character from a story they have read. Parents very kindly helped get children ready for the day by preparing their costumes. As the pictures show teachers at ESF were also dressed up for this event in some of the most amazing, colourful and in some cases outrageous outfits!

A big thank you goes out to Head of Middle School Mrs Linda Laraji and Mrs Claire Oraby Head of Lower School, teachers, parents and students for making this event so delightful.

E

EMBASSY OF ITALY The Embassy of Italy informs the public that it will be closed for festivities today, tomorrow and April 25 and that the Consular/Visa section will remain closed, for technical reasons on April 6, 2010.

EMBASSY OF UKRAINE The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait informs that it has started updating the information about Ukrainian citizens, who live and work in Kuwait. In this connection, we are asking you to refer to the Embassy and update your file in consular register in order not to be excluded from it.

For additional information please call: 25318507 ext.106 or visit the embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait (address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str.6, house 5). The consular section of the Embassy open every day from 09:30 till 14:30 except Friday and Saturday.

Aware center announces

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, Al-Abraj Complex, Office No 9, Mezzanine Floor; 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday to Thursday; 5 PM to 9 PM on Friday.

Arabic Course he AWARE Center is glad to announce that the Summer 1 Arabic course will begin on May 2 until June 16, 2010 (introductory Arabic begins on May 2 till June 3, 2010). The AWARE Center offers Arabic classes on a regular basis from Introductory Arabic to level 4.

AWARE Arabic classes are designed with the expat in mind. Our Arabic language courses offer a relaxed approach to communicating in basic Arabic for those who wish to learn Arabic for travel, for better understanding the culture of the Arabs, for conducting business or for simply feeling more involved while residing in Kuwait. Whether you are a teacher, a traveler, or work in the private business sector, AWARE Arabic courses introduce Arabic language basics that will offer you a start into the skills that will better prepare you for speaking, reading and writing Arabic. AWARE Arabic courses combine language learning with cultural insights.

All courses are taught in group settings which provide additional opportunities to interact with other Western expatriates studying the language. For more information, call 25335260/80 ext 105 or 104 or email: Htaware.hassan@gmail.com.

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Swimming is a life skill he British School of Swimming is now taking registrations for the summer course, with entry after the Easter break. Our ever popular Red School, swimming on Sundays and Wednesdays and Blue School, swimming on Mondays and Thursdays have limited vacancies, so please check (phone number below) before you register. These 2 schools have the full range of childrens’ classes available, from 3 year old beginners up to advanced swimmers.

To cope with the ever increasing number of families wishing to enjoy the benefits of our programme, we have opened the Yellow School which has classes available from 11:00am on Saturdays and from 5:00pm on Tuesdays. There will be 3 levels of beginner classes and 2 levels of intermediate classes available in this school.

The British School of Swimming also offers dedicated classes for ladies and men from beginner to advanced level. We also look after the youngest members of the family with our Water Babies classes. If you would like more information about our swim school, you are welcome to visit us at The British School of Kuwait in Salwa, Block 1, Street 1, any weekday afternoon from 3:30 until 6:30pm Alternatively you can visit www.bsswim.com or call David on 9965 6305.

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Kuwait Women’s Forum conducts health seminar

KIG AMIF bids farewell to Habeeba teacher l Madrassathul Islamiya, Farwaniya branch PTA and students gave a warm send off to Mrs. Habeeba Ashraf, who decided to cut short her pravasi life in Kuwait and decided to go to the United states along with her husband Dr Ashraf.

In a unique function KIG Vice President and Public relations wing convener Faisal

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Manjeri delivered felicitation speech and presented a memento to Habeeba teacher.

Representing the institution, PTA patron Faisal Abdullah,teaching staff members Anees Abdussalam, Haroon, Najma Ali, Nabeela Najmudheen, Malarvadi Balasangam President Abdul Basit etc., gave felicitations and bid farewell to Habeeba

Embassy information

teacher.

Earlier the farewell function started with recitation of verses from Holy Quran by Nihal Abdullah, acting principal Abdul Wahid presided over the function, Najeeb V. S. welcomed the gathering and Habeeba Ashraf in her reply speech thanked the management, teachers, parents and students of AMIF.

Information on Cuba he Government of Cuba decided last February 16, that all travelers, foreign and Cubans living abroad, coming to the island from May 1, 2010 and thereafter shall take out a medical insurance policy. To meet such requirement, travelers shall have a travel insurance which covers medical expenses or a policy for medical expenses with coverage in Cuba. For more information when planning your trip to Cuba please, visit our web site or any Cuba embassy or consulate next to you, or any Cuban Tourism Office. You can visit www.cubatravel.cu or at www.asistur.cu

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Neena Rapjagopal speaks during the function. Dr. PSN Menon, Dr. VT Sakeer, Sreeja Santhakumar and Laila Razak are in the picture. nder the auspices of Kozhikode District Association - Kuwait women’s forum a health seminar was conducted in Abbassiya Rhythm Auditorium. The program was successful in terms of community participation and relevance of the subjects discussed. Dr P.S.N. Menon (Military Hospital) delivered a lecture on “Diabetics” with multimedia presentation. He emphasized the importance of discipline in the

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Faisal Manjeri Presenting Memento to Mrs. Habeeba Ashraf.

EMBASSY OF PHILIPPINES The Embassy of the Philippines wishes to inform the Filipino community in the State of Kuwait, that the recent supreme court decision to extend the registration of voter’s applies only in local registration in the Philippines under Republic Act no.

8189 and does not apply to overseas voters which is governed by Republic Act no.

9189, hence it has no impact on the plans and preparations on the conduct of overseas absentee voting. The overseas absentee voting for presidential elections will continue uninterrupted until May10, 2010 daily at the Philippine Embassy. Registered overseas absentee voters are advised to schedule their days off in advance to avoid complications in their schedules. Qualified voters are encouraged to get out and vote.

life as our life style plays a pivotal role triggering the disease. The precautionary and remedial measures were also presented. Dr V.T. Sakeer (Farwaniya Hospital) dealt the subject of “Immunization”. He underlined the necessity of parent’s attention to this prime area related to their children’s future health and life.

Question-Answer session was followed and audience was able to get their doubts cleared and got an

insight to these valuable topics.

More than 500 people utilized free blood sugar and blood pressure test facility in connection with the seminar.

Women’s Forum president Neena Rajagopal presided over the function. Gen Secretary Sreeja Santhakumar welcomed the audience and Treasurer Laila Razak rendered vote of thanks. Kozhikode Distric Association president delivered a felicitation speech.

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

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WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Seraph’s night - ‘A journey with Jesus’ n the eve of Thursday 8th April, an invited audience occupying every available seat of the Grand Theatre of American International School, Maidan Hawally, Kuwait, witnessed a one of a kind event organized by a small group of music lovers. “Seraphs Kuwait” is a band of 18 young all girl singers who proved their caliber once again by mesmerizing the audience with the rhythm and cadence of Christian devotional music.

Seraphs had their origin in the year 2007 with only 7 young girls. The number was later raised to 18 and is kept steady since last 2 years. Rigorous and continues training is provided to the group by their trainer and mentor M. U. Mathew Pallipad, who is also the music teacher of the Indian Community School, Khaitan.

The music program dubbed as “A journey with Jesus” was presented in a sequence depicting the life and works of Jesus Christ.

The message of hope delivered at the end in connection with Easter Celebrations was apt for the occasion.

Seraphs displayed a beautiful art collection including paintings and art work of their own creation at the venue of the program.

The musical evening was inaugurated by Ajai Malhotra, Ambassador of India to Kuwait who lighted the lamp and gave signal to open the curtain in order to commence the program. Opening prayer was offered by Rev. Fr. Jose Mathew of the Indian Orthodox Maha Edavaka. M. P. Syriakutty welcomed the guests and the audience to the program.

A brief account about the origin and activities of “Seraphs” as a devotional music group was given by Jacob Zachariah in his introductory speech.

In the inaugural address, the Indian ambassador appreciated Seraphs for their creative talents, aptitude in singing and display of social commitment, the decision of the youngsters to help the poor and the needy with funds collected through distribution of their own art creations through raffle was also lauded by the ambassador.

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Following musical performance by Seraphs, Shaji Thankachen introduced M. U. Mathew Pallipad, the Lead Seraph, to the audience. The group honored him for his contributions, commitment to community and devotion to Music. Ajai Malhotra presented him with a memento followed by Rajan Daniel who decorated him with “Ponnada” in the traditional Kerala style.

Shaji George gave a briefing on the souvenir and same was released to the audience by Mrs Julie George, Principal of Indian Community School Salmiya. A charity raffle was another attraction of the day and individual Seraphs handed over their own art work as gift to the winners. The amount received through the raffle was distributed as charity aid to deserving candidates. Kurian Abraham

briefed the audience about the charity drive of the group.

In addition to Seraphs, the well known devotional singers Celestials and Men’s Voice also participated in the Musical Evening. The program concluded with vote of thanks by Lalu Jacob followed by benediction by Rev. Fr.George Varghese of Indian Orthodox Maha Edavaka. Other eminent personali-

ties such as K. E. Mathew, K. P. Koshy, Kurien Varghese and V. C. Varghese also attended the program. Ms. Geevarghese Mammen, Jacob Varghese, James K.V., John Thampi, Johnson Thomas, Reji Chandi and Dr. Siby Thomas of the Seraphs Family were also active in organizing the program. Jacob Mathew and Mrs Honey Praveen were the Masters of Ceremony.

NSS Kuwait elects new office-bearers SS Kuwait elected its new officebearers on March 29, 2010. Muralee Krishnan P has been elected as the president and Manikandan K P as the general secretary.

Other office bearers are Viyajan Pillai (Vice President), Prasad Padmanabhan (Treasurer), Mohana Kaimal, Radhakrishnan M K, Vijaya Kumar K (Joint Secretaries), Hareesh Kumar, Babu C (Joint Treasurers).

The advisory board members are K Raveendran Nair, V N Sreedharan Nair, Sajith C Nair and Santosh Kumar K. C K C Kurup is the working chairman and Dilip Nair is the organizing secretary.

Aneesh Nair is the General Program Convener and A S B Thamby is the Joint Convener. Radhakrishnan M K(Welfare Activities Coordinator), Damodaran Nair K ,(Service Bi-weekly Coordinator),Abhilash G Nair(System Coordinator) are also took charge . R.C Suresh will continue as the patron and Dr C G.Suresh is the special invitee to the executive committee.

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NITCAA holds quiz festival ational Institute of Technology Calicut Alumni Association (NITCAA), Kuwait Chapter organized the 4th quiz festival, Trishna 4 for the Kuwait Engineers Forum members and families, on 9th April 2010 at Cambridge school, Mangaf.

The 8 constituent Alumni associations of KEF and their family members participated in the competition, which was held in the junior, senior and family trio categories. The renowned quiz master and the president of Karnataka quiz association; Ochintya Sharma conducted the quiz which was filled with lots of infotainment. There were opportunities to win many prizes by the audience also which made the quiz more attractive and entertaining.

The competition was held under the leadership of Kripakar Swaminath, President NITCAA, Siby Joseph, general secretary, NITCAA Kuwait, Ananda Subrmani Kannan, General Convener, Trisha 4 and Jayan C.R, treasurer NITCAA, Thomas P.J, Coordinator, Trishna 4. The General Convener of KEF, Varkey Monsy Kuruvila, the GC elect, Sankaran Nair were the chief guests of the function.

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The winners of the competition are the following (in order)

Junior

IEI, Kuwait Chapter ‘valedictory function’

1st prize- TEC, Vijay Krishnan, Shanthi Mathew; 2nd Prize-KEA, Saurabh Ravindranath, Sreyas Lalu; 3rd prize-NIT, Ajay Babu, Rithika Cherukat.

Senior 1st prize-TEC, Murali Krishnan R, Anirudh Ashok; 2nd prize-CETA, Cyriac Thomas Mattam, Geethu Treessa Mattam; 3rd prize- KEA, Dilip Menon, Saurabh Lalu.

Family trio 1st Prize- CETA , John Philiposev, Dr Brigty Thomas, Prema Anna Mathews; 2nd Prize- NIT, Dr Biji Thomas, Sindhu Vinod, Susan Ann Abraham; 3rd prize-KEA, Ramesh Athreya, Dhanya Nair, Rohith Shaju.

The overall prize was won by TEC The monthly online and weekly online quiz winners were also declared which were conducted as part of Trishna 4.

he Institution of Engineers (India), Kuwait Chapter held Valedictory function on 26th March, 2010 at Carmel school, Khaitan.

The Chairman Engr. Joseph Panicker made a welcome speech and highlighted about the importance of promoting science among children.

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The function was marked by a scintillating dance performance on a medley of numbers by the Ballerine’s Kittens. Also showcased the Kathak by Ms. Piyali Gupta and her troupe. The Science club booklet “SPANDAN” was formally released on this occasion by Mr. Vinod Kumar, First Secretary,

Admission to technical institutions in India inistry of Human Resources & Development, Govt of India, has entrusted the central coordination of admission under Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) Scheme to NITK Surathkal, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. Admissions are open for Foreign Nationals / Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) / Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) under DASA Scheme for the Academic Year 2010-11 to various National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and other premier Institutes (for details refer to www.nitk.ac.in).

Attention of all interested students is drawn to the revised procedure of drawing up the Merit list for allotment of branches and Institutes based on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT II) subject scores only (Physics, Chemistry and

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Pinarayi

TK.Hamsa

Vijayaraghavan

Kerala leaders coming today to Kuwait eading political leaders from Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan (CPM State Secretary & Polit Bureau Member) T.K Hamza (Ex-MP), A. Vijayaraghavan MP, John Britas (Managing DirectorKairali TV) & A.A. Rasheed (Director, Kairali T) are arriving today as the part

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of Gulf tour.The dignitaries are arriving Kuwait after visiting Saudi Arabia, Bahrain & Qatar. Kerala Art Lovers Association, KALA-Kuwait is organizing a public reception on Monday 12 April 2010 at 7.30 pm at Central School, Abbassiya, honoring the dignitaries from

Kerala. Also, the “Pravasi Suraksha Padhathi” (Diaspora Welfare Scheme) of Kerala Government will be formally inaugurated in the state of Kuwait.

For further details contact 24317875, 66028516, 99122984, 99539492, 97817100, 97522614.

Mathematics Level 2). Hence, students are advised to register for SAT examination likely to be conducted on June 05, 2010, whose registration date is May 05, 2010. Please note that students applying under SPDC scheme for seeking admission in NITs are also required to qualify the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT II) examination.

This will, however, not affect students seeking admissions under SPDC to other institutes having an MOU with EdCIL. Complete details about the SAT examination are available at www.collegeboard.com .

Detailed admission procedure, online application and brochure for the current revised scheme would also be available on NITK website (www.nitk.ac.in) effective 01.04.2010. Any queries may be addressed to jsfs@moia.nic.in

Education & Information, Embassy of India, Kuwait.

The executive committee of IEI Kuwait Chapter extend the heartfelt thanks to the sponsor of the event and all the members for participating in the event. Dinner was served after the vote of thanks.

Adopt a pet you are interested in adopting from Animal Friends, please call or visit our website at www.animalfriendskuwait.org If6700-1622

atchon is a very alert white persian cat! His eyes are wide watching everything going on around him. Batchon would do best in a home with children over 8.

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TV PROGRAMS

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Orbit / Showtime Listings

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

House Dawson’s Creek Bones One Tree Hill Dawson’s Creek The Closer CSI House Glee Drop Dead Diva Bones One Tree Hill CSI The Closer Bones Dawson’s Creek Glee Drop Dead Diva House CSI Criminal Minds Cold Case Supernatural Nip/Tuck

00:45 Human Prey 01:40 Untamed & Uncut 02:35 Untamed & Uncut 03:30 Animal Cops Miami 04:25 Animal Witness 04:50 Animal Witness 05:20 Animal Cops Houston 06:10 RSPCA: Have You Got What it Takes?

06:35 Dolphin Days 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 Pet Rescue 07:50 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 08:15 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 08:45 Animal Cops Phoenix 09:40 Aussie Animal Rescue 10:05 Austin Stevens: Most Dangerous...

10:55 Miami Animal Police 11:50 RSPCA: On the Frontline 12:15 Going Ape 12:45 Animal Precinct 13:40 Wildlife SOS 14:05 Wildlife SOS 14:35 Ultimate Killers 15:00 Ultimate Killers 15:30 Dogs 101 16:25 New Breed Vets with Steve Irwin 17:20 Surviving the Drought 18:15 Living with the Wolfman 18:40 Living with the Wolfman 19:10 Great Savannah Race 20:10 Austin Stevens Adventures 21:05 Untamed & Uncut 22:00 Untamed & Uncut

00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 Vyle 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:15 05:00 05:20 05:50 06:20 06:45 07:05 07:25 07:50 08:10 08:30 08:55 09:15 09:35 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:20 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:20 18:05 18:55 19:50 20:45 21:45 22:35

08:35 09:25 11:05 12:00 12:50 14:30 15:25 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:50 19:40 21:20 21:45 22:10 23:00 23:50

The League Of Gentlemen The League Of Gentlemen Hyperdrive The Life And Times Of Vivienne Suburban Shootout The Smoking Room Jack Dee: Live At The Apollo Doctor Who Doctor Who Confidential Garden Rivals Garden Rivals Teletubbies Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Me Too Tweenies Teletubbies Garden Rivals Garden Rivals Doctors Doctors Doctors Doctors Doctors Bargain Hunt The Life Of Mammals The Weakest Link Doctor Who Doctor Who Confidential Robin Hood Casualty Casualty Hell To Hotel The Life Of Mammals The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Afterlife

00:00 Come Dine With Me 01:15 Big Chef Takes On Little Chef 04:35 Come Dine With Me 06:40 Antiques Roadshow 07:30 Saturday Kitchen 08:05 Big Chef Takes On Little Chef 11:25 Bargain Hunt 12:10 Saturday Kitchen 13:55 Living In The Sun 14:45 Cash In The Attic 17:00 Bargain Hunt 17:45 Come Dine With Me 19:50 Chuck’s Day Off 20:15 Chuck’s Day Off 20:40 Trish’s Mediterranean Kitchen 21:05 Gino D’Acampo - An Italian In Mexico 21:30 The Naked Chef 23:10 Boys’ Weekend 23:35 Boys’ Weekend

The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond on Super Movies

01:30 Two Legged Horse-PG15 03:15 Heights-PG15 04:45 Amalia-PG15 06:45 As Good As It Gets-PG15 09:00 Chasing The Horizon-PG15 11:00 What Rats Won’t Do-PG15 13:00 Save The Last Dance-PG 15:00 O Casamento De Romeu E Julieta 17:00 Stolen Summer-PG 19:00 A Thousand Acres-PG15 21:00 Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead-18 23:00 The Locusts-PG15

00:00 The Man with Half a Body 01:00 Half Ton Teen 02:00 Breaking Point 02:55 Brainiac 03:50 Nextworld 04:45 How Stuff’s Made 05:10 Ultimate Survival 06:05 Mythbusters 07:00 Fifth Gear 07:30 Fifth Gear 07:55 Heartland Thunder 08:50 Street Customs Berlin 09:45 How Stuff’s Made 10:10 Destroyed in Seconds 10:40 Destroyed in Seconds 11:05 Ultimate Survival 12:00 X-Machines 12:55 X-Machines 13:50 X-Machines 14:45 X-Machines 15:40 X-Machines 16:35 X-Machines 17:30 How Stuff’s Made 18:00 Brainiac 19:00 Nextworld 20:00 Breaking Point 21:00 Mythbusters 22:00 Rampage!

23:00 MacIntyre: World’s Toughest Towns

02:25 02:45 03:10 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:45 05:10 05:25 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:00 10:30 12:00 12:25 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:00 14:25 14:50 15:15 15:35 16:00 16:25 16:45 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:10 18:35 19:00 20:35 21:00 21:25 21:45 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:45 05:10 05:40 06:10 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:55 10:50 11:45 12:40 13:35 14:30 15:25 15:55 16:50 17:45 18:40 19:05 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

NYC: Inside Out Cosmic Collisions Human Body: Ultimate Machine Nextworld NYC: Inside Out Weird Connections Weird Connections Patent Bending Mighty Ships Junkyard Mega-Wars Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science Nextworld Ten Ways Ten Ways Ten Ways Science of Star Wars Science of Star Wars Science of Star Wars How Stuff’s Made Mighty Ships Ecopolis Engineered Patent Bending Patent Bending What’s That About?

Space Pioneer NYC: Inside Out Eco-Tech Ecopolis Sci-Fi Science

06:00 06:25 06:50 07:15 07:40 08:05 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:30 21:00 21:25 21:50 22:15

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00

Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas & Ferb Fairly Odd Parents Replacements Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:40 01:30 02:20 03:15 05:05 06:00 07:45

Handy Manny Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Handy Manny Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Special Agent Oso Fairly Odd Parents Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Chicken Little Hannah Montana Jonas Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas & Ferb Fairly Odd Parents Replacements Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Fairly Odd Parents Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Cheetah Girls Hannah Montana The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Replacements Hannah Montana Jonas Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Sonny With A Chance

Jimmy Two-Shoes American Dragon Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension Phineas & Ferb The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Suite Life On Deck I’M IN THE BAND K9 ADVENTURES Zeke & Luther The Suite Life of Zack & Cody I’M IN THE BAND Suite Life On Deck SHREDUCATION UP UP AND AWAY Aaron Stone Kid vs Kat Phineas & Ferb The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Suite Life On Deck I’M IN THE BAND Zeke & Luther Pokemon DP: Battle Dimension Kid vs Kat K9 ADVENTURES SHREDUCATION NEXT X EUROPE Phineas & Ferb The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Zeke & Luther American Dragon Suite Life On Deck Iron Man: Armoured Adventures Power Rangers Jungle Fury Aaron Stone

E!es Ths Sexiest E! Investigates Dr 90210 Ths 25 Most Stylish

00:00 01:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:00 06:00 06:00 07:00 07:00 08:00 08:00 09:00 09:00 10:00 10:00 11:00 11:00 11:50 12:00 12:40 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:20 15:00 15:10 16:00 17:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:00

E! News Ths Keeping Up With The Kardashians Ths Ths Ths E!es Behind The Scenes Behind The Scenes Ths Ths E!es Pretty Wild Pretty Wild E! News Dr 90210 Bank Of Hollywood

Everyday Italian Everyday Italian Giada At Home Nigella Express Kitchen Criminals Nigella Express Nigella Express Kitchen Criminals Nigella Express Food Network Challenge Kitchen Criminals Food Network Challenge Kitchen Criminals Food Network Challenge Kitchen Criminals Barefoot Contessa Food Network Challenge Barefoot Contessa Food Network Challenge Everyday Italian Food Network Challenge Everyday Italian Food Network Challenge 30 Minute Meals Teleshopping 30 Minute Meals Teleshopping Rescue Chef with Danny Boome Teleshopping Rescue Chef with Danny Boome Barefoot Contessa Kitchen Criminals Teleshopping Kitchen Criminals Kitchen Criminals Teleshopping Kitchen Criminals Kitchen Criminals Teleshopping Grill It! with Bobby Flay 30 Minute Meals Grill It! with Bobby Flay

00:30 00:55 01:20 02:10 03:05 04:00 04:25 04:55 05:20 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Crime Scene Psychics Crime Scene Psychics Ghost Lab A Haunting Psychic Witness Crime Scene Psychics Crime Scene Psychics Real Emergency Calls FBI Files Ghosthunters Ghosthunters Forensic Detectives FBI Files CSU The Prosecutors Forensic Detectives FBI Files Code of Silence Fugitive Strike Force Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives FBI Files CSU The Prosecutors Forensic Detectives FBI Files Code of Silence Fugitive Strike Force Diagnosis: Unknown Murder Shift On the Case with Paula Zahn Deadly Women

01:25 03:15 04:45 06:40 08:15 10:50 12:25 13:45 15:25 17:05 18:45 20:25 22:00 23:40

Something Wild Golden Gate The Believers Roadhouse 66 Hawaii Beach Blanket Bingo The Secret Of N.I.M.H. Kidnapped Pascalis Island After the Fox From Noon Till Three A Doll’s House Kuffs UHF

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00

16 And Pregnant Partyzone Music Mix Chill Out Zone Music Mix Starter Mtv Breakfast Club Alarm Mtv Top 10  Chill-Out Life Of Ryan Life Of Ryan Life Of Ryan Life Of Ryan Life Of Ryan Life Of Ryan Life Of Ryan Life Of Ryan Flashback Hordes Of Boards  Weekend

Music Mix 17:00 Mtv Base Uk Chart 18:00 The City 18:30 Music Non Stop 20:00 Worldchart Express 21:00 Dancefloor Chart

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 02:30 03:30 04:30 05:00 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:30 09:30 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:30 15:30 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:30 21:30 22:30 23:00 23:30

Word Of Mouth Word Travels:The Truth Behind Word Travels:The Truth Behind Lonely Planet Lonely Planet Lonely Planet Treks In A Wild World Food Lovers Guide To The Planet Food School Word Of Mouth Word Travels:The Truth Behind Word Travels:The Truth Behind Lonely Planet Lonely Planet Lonely Planet Treks In A Wild World Finding Genghis Lonely Planet Bondi Rescue - Bali Bondi Rescue - Bali Cruise Ship Diaries Jailed Abroad Jailed Abroad Cycling Home With Rob Lilwall Finding Genghis Lonely Planet Bondi Rescue - Bali Bondi Rescue - Bali Cruise Ship Diaries Jailed Abroad Jailed Abroad Cycling Home With Rob Lilwall Finding Genghis Lonely Planet

00:00 How I met your mother 00:30 Gary Unmarried 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon 03:00 Flight of the Conchords 03:30 Curb your Enthusiasm 04:00 Sauturday Night Live 05:00 How I met your mother 05:30 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon 06:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 07:00 Dharma & Greg 07:30 Three sisters 08:00 Frasier 08:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 09:00 The Nanny 09:30 George Lopez 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:30 Dharma & Greg 11:00 Frasier 11:30 The Bernie Mac show 12:00 The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 13:00 Gary Unmarried 13:30 Yes dear 14:00 The Nanny 14:30 Malcolm in the Middle 15:00 How I met your mother 15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Drew Carey 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Frasier 18:00 Eight Simple Rules 18:30 Just Shoot me!

19:00 Better Off Ted 19:30 The Office 20:00 Curb your Enthusiasm 20:30 Flight of the Conchords 21:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:30 South park

00:00 The Martha Stewart Show 01:00 Downsize Me 02:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 03:00 The Monique Show 04:00 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 05:00 GMA Weekend (Repeat) 06:00 Moms Get Real / Now you know / Amplified 07:00 GMA Health 07:30 What’s the Buzz 08:00 The Martha Stewart Show 09:00 Downsize Me 10:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live!

11:00 The View 12:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 13:00 The Martha Stewart Show 14:00 Parenting 14:30 Popcorn 15:00 GMA Weekend Live 16:00 Ahead of The Curve 16:30 Chef’s Table 17:00 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 18:00 Downsize Me 19:00 The View (repeat) 20:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 21:00 The Best of Jimmy Kimmel 22:00 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (Best Of) 23:00 Moms Get Real / Now you know / Amplified

00:00 02:30 04:00 05:45 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Into The Wild-PG15 The Caller-PG15 Before The Rains-PG15 Shine A Light-PG15 Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins Call Of The North-PG All She Wants For Christmas-PG15 The Old Curiousity Shop-PG Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins Three Investigators-PG15 300-18 Revolutionary Road-PG15

21:30 V8 Supercars 22:00 NRL Premiership 01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Wushu Warrior-PG15 Hide-PG15 Underground-PG15 Kung Fu Hustle-PG15 Double Team-PG15 Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead-18 Anaconda 3: The Offspring-PG15 Double Team-PG15 Midnight Bayou-PG15 The Purifiers-PG15 30 Days Of Night-PG15 It’s Alive-R

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Prelude To A Kiss-PG15 All Night Long-18 Slap Shots 3-PG15 High Heels And Low Lifes-PG15 Lock And Roll Forever-PG In Memory Of My Father-PG15 I Me Wed-PG15 Black Knight-PG15 Prelude To A Kiss-PG15 Miss Conception-PG15 Without A Paddle: Nature’s CallingSuper Troopers-18

00:00 Dinotopia Quest For The Ruby Sunstone-FAM 02:00 Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything-PG 04:00 How To Eat Fried Worms-FAM 06:00 The Pagemaster-PG 08:00 Barbie Diaries-FAM 10:00 How To Eat Fried Worms-FAM 12:00 Yogi’s Great Escape-PG 14:00 Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything-PG 16:00 The Good Witch-PG 18:00 The Ant Bully-FAM 20:00 That Darn Cat-PG 22:00 Yogi’s Great Escape-PG

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30

Psych Psych Sex and the City Tess of the D’Urbervilles Every Body Loves Raymond Coach 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street In Treatment In Treatment Every Body Loves Raymond Coach Tess of the D’Urbervilles 24 In Treatment In Treatment Emmerdale Coronation Street Every Body Loves Raymond Coach Psych Psych 24 Survivor : Samoa Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ex-list Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order 24 Sex and the City Sex and the City

01:30 15:00 15:30 17:30 18:00 20:00 22:00 22:30 23:00

Premier League Live Toshiba Super Sunday Live Premier League Live Toshiba Super Sunday Live Premier League Premier League Premier League World Futbol Mundial Live Portuguese Liga

01:30 04:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 13:00 15:00 15:30 17:30 18:00 20:00 22:00

AFL Toyota Premiership Super 14 Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket World Mobil 1 The Grid Live NRL Premiership World Sport ICC Cricket World Futbol Mundial Scottish Cup Live Scottish Cup Live Toshiba Super Sunday Live Premier League Live Toshiba Super Sunday Live Premier League Premier League Premier League

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 19:00 19:30

NRL Premiership NRL Premiership Scottish Cup Premier League Classics Premier League World World Sport V8 Supercars Live NRL Premiership NRL Premiership Premier League Live Premier League Premier League World Futbol Mundial Live Premier League World Sport Live European Challenge Cup

00:00 01:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 23:00

UFC Ultimate Knockouts UFC 112 UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed UFC Wired UFC 112 UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC 112 V8 Supercars Extra Mobil 1 The Grid WWE Smackdown UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC - The Ultimate Fighter UFC 112 WWE Smackdown

01:00 World’s Greatest Dad-PG15 03:00 The Longshots-PG15 05:00 Diamonds Pt 1-PG15 07:00 Lost Holiday: The Jim And Suzanne Shemwell Story-PG 09:00 All Roads Lead Home-PG 11:00 High Noon-PG15 13:00 Stan Lee: Mosaic-PG 15:00 Diamonds Pt 2-PG15 17:00 All Roads Lead Home-PG 19:00 Largo Winch-PG15 21:00 The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond 23:00 Management-PG15

00:05 01:55 04:00 07:00 08:35 10:35 12:40 14:15 16:10 17:55 18:20 20:20 22:00

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof Only When I Laugh Mutiny On The Bounty Angels With Dirty Faces Lust For Life The Champ Angels With Dirty Faces Silk Stockings The Wheeler Dealers The Screening Room 2010 Easter Parade Slaves Of New York

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 04:50 05:40 06:30 07:20 08:10 09:00 10:50 11:40 12:30 13:20 14:10 15:00 16:50 17:40 18:30 19:20 20:10 21:00

Mummy Forensics Cities of the Underworld Egypt: Land of the Gods First Invasion: War of 1812 Ancient Discoveries 3 Battles B.C. Mummy Forensics Cities of the Underworld Egypt: Land of the Gods First Invasion: War of 1812 Ancient Discoveries 3 Battles B.C. Mummy Forensics Cities of the Underworld Egypt: Land of the Gods First Invasion: War of 1812 Ancient Discoveries 3 Battles B.C. Mummy Forensics Cities of the Underworld Egypt: Land of the Gods Lost Worlds

00:00 Clean House 01:00 My Celebrity Home 02:00 How Do I Look?

03:00 04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Split Ends Dr 90210 Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane Area How Do I Look?

Style Star Style Her Famous Clean House My Celebrity Home Ruby Giuliana & Bill Dallas Divas & Daughters Dallas Divas & Daughters What I Hate About Me What I Hate About Me What I Hate About Me What I Hate About Me What I Hate About Me What I Hate About Me What I Hate About Me What I Hate About Me How Do I Look?

Giuliana & Bill Ruby

01:04 01:45 02:00 02:45 08:04 08:45 13:04 15:00 15:24 16:04 16:35 17:00 18:00 18:45 20:04 20:45

Sound System Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Africa Playlist Urban Hit 30 Code Compilation Playlist New Playlist Focus Urban Hit Playlist French Only Playlist

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30

Globe Trekker Julian and Camilla’s World Odyssey Chef Abroad Chef Abroad Planet Food Travel Today Essential Distant Shores Distant Shores Distant Shores Distant Shores Oregon Uncovered Special Globe Trekker Swiss Railway Journeys Swiss Railway Journeys Intrepid Journeys Intrepid Journeys Globe Trekker Planet Food Chef Abroad Chef Abroad Floyd On Africa Essential Globe Trekker Travel Today Spring Distant Shores Wild At Heart Angry Planet Portugal’s Wild West

01:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00

Vh1 Music Chill Out Smooth Wake Up Vh1 Music Vh1 Pop Chart Top 10 Bond Themes Cover Power Three in One Weekend

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins on Show Movies

Star Listings (UAE Timings) STAR 20:50 22:40 00:00 01:30 03:05 04:55 06:45 07:15 08:45 10:15 12:05 13:30 15:20 17:30 19:55

Movies One Fine Day Scary Movie 54 A Teacher’s Crime French Kiss One Fine Day VIP Access 54 Babylon A.D. French Kiss Nuclear Hurricane Tin Men What Lies Beneath Independence Day Fight Night

STAR 20:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30

World American Idol [V] Tunes [V] Tunes Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

[V] Tunes [V] Tunes [V] Tunes American Idol Stone Undercover Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Scrubs The Bold And The Beautiful

08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00

The Bold And The Beautiful The Bold And The Beautiful The Bold And The Beautiful The Bold And The Beautiful October Road American Idol [V] Tunes Stone Undercover Scrubs According To Jim According To Jim According To Jim Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

American Idol Samantha Who? Rules Of Engagement Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Granada TV 20:00 The Friday Night Project - Mischa Barton 20:30 Astounding Celebrities 21:00 I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

(Series 7) 22:00 City Lights 23:00 I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

(Series 7) 00:00 At Home With The Braithwaites (Series 2) 01:00 SuperAgents 01:30 Poor Little Rich Girls (Series 2) 02:00 Big Bad World (Series 1)

03:00 Blue Murder (Series 2) (Double Bill) 05:00 I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

(Series 7) 06:00 Emmerdale (WEEKEND OMNIBUS) 07:30 Help I’m A Teen Mum 08:00 City Lights 09:00 Young, Posh and Loaded 09:30 The Sunshine Girls 10:00 60 Minute Makeover (Series 3) 11:00 Come Dine With Me (Primetime Series 2) 12:00 Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (Series 3) 13:00 Stars In Their Eyes (Series 12) 14:00 Prime Drama: Cheers & Tears (Series 3) The Scattering 16:00 Come Dine With Me (Primetime Series 2) 17:00 Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (Series 3) 18:00 Stars In Their Eyes (Series 12) 19:00 Prime Drama: Cheers & Tears (Series 3) The Scattering Channel [V] 21:00 [V] Special 22:00 [V] Tunes 22:30 [V] Tunes 23:00 Backtracks 23:30 Double Shot 00:00 Loop 00:30 [V] Tunes

01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 17:30 18:00 19:00

[V] Plug Loop Backtracks XO [V] Tunes [V] Plug The Playlist [V] Special [V] Tunes [V] Tunes Backtracks Double Shot [V] Tunes XO Loop Backtracks [V] Countdown [V] Tunes [V] Tunes Loop [V] Tunes [V] Tunes [V] Tunes XO Loop Backtracks [V] Countdown

Fox New 00:00 Happening Now

01:00 The Live Desk 03:00 Studio B with Shepard Smith Live 04:00 Your World with Neil Cavuto 05:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 06:00 Special Report with Bret Baier 07:00 The FOX Report with Shepard Smith 08:00 The O’Reilly Factor 09:00 Hannity 10:00 On the Record with Greta Van Susteren 11:00 The O’Reilly Factor 12:00 Hannity 13:00 On the Record with Greta Van Susteren 14:00 Glenn Beck with Glenn Beck 15:00 Fox Report 16:00 Special Report with Bret Baier 17:00 Hannity (repeat) 18:00 The O’Reilly Factor (repeat) 19:00 FOX and Friends Saturday hosts David Briggs, Alisyn Camerota & Clayton Morris 20:00 FOX and Friends Saturday hosts David Briggs, Alisyn Camerota & Clayton Morris 21:00 FOX and Friends Saturday hosts David Briggs, Alisyn Camerota & Clayton Morris 22:00 Bulls and Bears 22:30 Cavuto On Business 23:00 FORBES on FOX 23:30 Cashin’ In National Geographic Channel 20:00 Don’t Tell My Mother... -Don’t Tell My

Mother : Venezuela S2 21:00 Riddles Of The Bible -The Hunt For The Ark Of The Covenant S1 22:00 Mystery Files : Robin Hood 1 22:30 Mystery Files : King Arthur 2 23:00 Theme Week -Jesus Revealed 00:00 Locked Up Abroad -Jamaican Getaway 01:00 Generals At War -The Battle At El Alamein 02:00 Warplanes -Airplane To Air Force 03:00 Nat Geo Junior -Wild Detectives : Lions 03:30 Nat Geo Junior -Food Lovers Guide To The Plane : Grill Masters 10 04:00 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet -Taste Of Chile 14 04:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet -Taste Of Vietnam 19 05:00 Monkey Thieves -Divided We Stand 14 05:30 Monkey Thieves -Hard Times 15 06:00 The Living Edens -Tasmania: Land Of The Devils 07:00 Nat Geo Weekends -Shark Men : First Bite 08:00 World’s Toughest Fixes -Sky High 09:00 ABOUT ASIA -Health Secrets Behind Korean Cuisine 10:00 ABOUT ASIA -Secrets Of The Tang Treasure Ship 11:00 Cruise Ship Diaries -The Final Countdown 6 12:00 Warplanes -Airplane To Air Force 13:00 Nat Geo Weekends -Shark Men : Big Mama 14:00 Inside -Inside: Somali Pirates

Sunday, April 11, 2010

33

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for bachelor with an Indian family near Mecca street Fahaheel. Call: 23927458. (C 2117) Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near Hi-Dine supermarket with Keralite family for couple or working ladies.

Contact: 65139705. (C 2116) Sharing accommodation available for single working ladies/couple/executive bachelor in a 2 bedroom, 2 toilets. Only for Indians from Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Hyderabad.

New apt in Farwaniya.

Contact: 24716975/66625901.

(C 2113) 11-4-2010 Fully furnished independent room available for single lady from 1st May 2010, location Salmiya, Balajat street, rent KD 100. Tel: 65895389. (C 2109) An Indian lady (nurse) from Kerala looking for a working lady, (preferably Keralite) in a fully furnished central A/C flat in Amman Street, opp to Apollo hospital Salmiya, flat having tel, internet, cable TV, rent KD 35. Con-

tact: 94914817/7919485.

(C 2110) 10-4-2010 Single room accommodation available for bachelor (1 or 2) in Abbassiya opposite to Choice restaurant from 01.05.2010. Tel: 60630829. (C 2105) One room available for Indian couple or 2 bachelors located at the back of Wataniya building, Sharq.

Contact: 66526098, 22494826. (C 2101) Sharing accommodation available for Muslim small family or couple in furnished flat with all facilities from May 2010. Interested please call 66212821.

(C 2106) 8-4-2010

24 years, MA B.Ed working in an international school, Delhi. Reply with details: mvarghese19@yahoo.com (C 2115) 11-4-2010 Orthodox parents settled in Cochin invite proposals for their son, 27/180, MBA, working with a financial firm in Kuwait, from parents of God-fearing professionally qualified girls preferably working in Kuwait. Please respond: pro.vaidyan@gmail.com (C 2094) 8-4-2010

FOR SALE Nissan Pathfinder, 2002, black, lady driven, km 121,000, well maintained.

Mob: 60685236. (C 2107)

SITUATION VACANT

A nursing student requires assistance in microbiology, biochemistry pharmacology, & pathology. Call 66385870 after 4 pm.

10-4-2010

MATRIMONIAL Marthomite parents invite proposal for their daughter,

Home furniture most from Ikea, electrical appliances for sale at Salmiya.

Phone: 66799157, 66491539.

(C 2111) 10-4-2010 Toyota Corolla XLi 1.8, model 2004, silver color, excellent condition, done 82,000 kms only, cash price KD 2,100. Contact:

97213518. (C 2103) Vintage 35mm folding Kodak camera, made in Germany, it was produced between 1950-1957, excellent condition, and price for Vintage collector.

Serious buyers call 66554052 (9 am to 9 pm).

(C 2102) 8-4-2010

SITUATION WANTED I need suitable job as accountant, I am B.Com + MBA, three years experience in Kuwait, valid driving license. I can handle financial packages and good management reporting skills. Please call: 55355954. (C 2108) 10-4-2010

TRANSPORT Transport available from Abbassiya to Salmiya, Hawally, Shaab, Al-Seef hospital (Ras Salmiya), Maidan Hawally, Farwaniya, Mina Abdullah.

Tel: 99262556, 55204127, 99305742, 55568346.

(C 2104) 8-4-2010

Flight Schedule Arrival Flights on Sunday 11/04/2010 Airlines Flt Route Royal Jordanian 802 Amman Ariana 405 Kabul/Dubai Wataniya Airways 188 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 306 Cairo Kuwait 544 Cairo Gulf Air 211 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 408 Beirut Turkish A/L 772 Istanbul Wataniya Airways 322 Sharm El Sheikh Jazeera 513 Sharm El Sheikh DHL 370 Bahrain Emirates 853 Dubai Jazeera 241 Amman Etihad 305 Abu Dhabi Qatari 138 Doha Jazeera 503 Luxor Falcon 201 Dubai Jazeera 527 Alexandria Kuwait 412 Manila/Bangkok British 157 London Jazeera 481 Sabiha Kuwait 206 Islamabad Kuwait 382 Delhi Jazeera 529 Assiut Iran Air 615 Shahre Kord Kuwait 302 Mumbai Kuwait 332 Trivandrum Fly Dubai 053 Dubai Kuwait 676 Dubai Kuwait 284 Dhaka Emirates 855 Dubai Arabia 121 Sharjah Kuwait 286 Chittagong Qatari 132 Doha Iran Air 603 Shiraz Etihad 301 Abu Dhabi Iran Aseman 6801 Ahwaz Jazeera 425 Bahrain Falcon 203 Dubai Wataniya Airways 182 Bahrain Gulf Air 213 Bahrain Jazeera 165 Dubai Wataniya Airways 102 Dubai Jazeera 447 Doha Jazeera 113 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 171 Dubai Egypt Air 610 Cairo Kuwait 672 Dubai Oman Air 645 Muscat Kuwait 774 Riyadh Wataniya Airways 432 Damascus Royal Jordanian 800 Amman United A/L 982 Washington Dc Dulles

Time 00:05 00:05 00:30 00:50 00:50 01:05 01:05 01:15 01:20 01:45 02:15 02:25 02:55 02:55 03:25 05:15 05:25 06:05 06:15 06:30 06:40 07:15 07:20 07:30 07:35 07:50 07:55 07:55 08:00 08:10 08:25 08:40 08:45 09:00 09:20 09:25 10:15 10:25 10:30 10:45 10:45 11:05 11:05 11:10 11:20 12:50 12:55 13:15 13:15 13:20 13:35 13:35 13:35

Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Saudi Arabian A/L Qatari Jazeera Bahrain Air Etihad Emirates Gulf Air Wataniya Airways Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Jazeera Arabia Jazeera Jazeera Srilankan Wataniya Airways Kuwait Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Singapore A/L Kuwait Ely Dubai Oman Air Middle East Global Wataniya Airways Jazeera DHL Jazeera Gulf Air Emirates Kuwait Qatari Indian Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Safi A/W Lufthansa Jazeera India Express KLM Pakistan Wataniya Airways

257 512 562 500 134 173 344 303 857 215 402 510 239 367 125 511 343 227 304 166 106 542 502 618 786 177 744 614 674 102 458 552 061 647 402 081 404 459 372 183 217 859 172 136 981 429 117 449 215 636 185 389 0447 205 108

Beirut Tehran Amman Jeddah Doha Dubai Bahrain Abu Dhabi Dubai Bahrain Beirut Riyadh Amman Deirezzor Sharjah Sharm El Sheikh Sanaa/Bahrain Colombo/Dubai Cairo Paris/Rome Dubai Cairo Beirut Doha Jeddah Dubai Dammam Bahrain Dubai New York/London Singapore/Abu Dhabi Damascus Dubai Muscat Beirut Baghdad Beirut Damascus Bahrain Dubai Bahrain Dubai Frankfurt Doha Chennai/Ahmedabad Bahrain Abu Dhabi Doha Kabul Frankfurt Dubai Kozhikode/Mangalore Amsterdam/Bahrain Lahore Dubai

14:10 14:20 14:20 14:30 15:05 15:55 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:15 17:20 17:35 17:40 17:40 17:45 17:55 18:00 18:35 18:40 18:45 18:50 18:50 18:55 18:55 19:05 19:15 19:20 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:40 20:05 20:15 20:20 20:30 20:50 20:55 21:00 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:35 22:05 22:15 22:25 22:25 22:30 22:35 23:05 23:10 23:10 23:55 23:55

Departure Flights on Sunday 11/04/2010 Airlines Flt Route Bangladesh 044 Dhaka Egypt Air 607 Luxor India Express 394 Cochin/Kozhikode Indian 994 Mumbai/Chennai Lufthansa 637 Frankfurt Jazeera 528 Assiut Ariana 406 Dubai/Kabul Turkish A/L 773 Istanbul DHL 371 Bahrain Emirates 854 Dubai Etihad 306 Abu Dhabi Qatari 139 Doha Wataniya Airways 101 Dubai Jazeera 164 Dubai Royal Jordanian 803 Amman Jazeera 112 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 422 Bahrain Jazeera 446 Doha Gulf Air 212 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 181 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 431 Damascus British 156 London Iran Air 614 Shahre Kord Jazeera 256 Beirut Fly Dubai 054 Dubai Kuwait 171 Frankfurt Jazeera 342 Bahrain/Sanaa Kuwait 671 Dubai Jazeera 170 Dubai Kuwait 561 Amman Arabia 122 Sharjah Emirates 856 Dubai Kuwait 773 Riyadh Kuwait 117 New York Qatari 133 Doha Kuwait 511 Tehran Etihad 302 Abu Dhabi Iran Air 602 Shiraz Iran Aseman 6802 Ahwaz Gulf Air 214 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 401 Beirut Falcon 204 Baghdad Wataniya Airways 303 Cairo Jazeera 172 Dubai Kuwait 541 Cairo Jazeera 510 Sharm El Sheikh Jazeera 366 Deirezzor Kuwait 103 London Jazeera 238 Amman Kuwait 501 Beirut Kuwait 785 Jeddah Egypt Air 611 Cairo Oman Air 646 Muscat

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

Time 00:15 00:15 00:25 00:50 00:50 01:25 01:45 02:15 03:15 03:45 04:00 05:00 06:50 07:00 07:00 07:15 07:35 07:40 07:45 07:50 08:10 08:25 08:35 08:35 08:40 08:55 09:00 09:00 09:00 09:15 09:20 09:40 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:10 10:20 11:15 11:35 11:35 11:45 11:50 11:55 12:00 12:10 12:20 12:30 12:30 13:00 13:30 13:55 14:15

Kuwait Royal Jordanian Wataniya Airways Jazeera Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Jazeera Global Bahrain Air Etihad Gulf Air Wataniya Airways Emirates Arabia Saudi Arabian A/L Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Srilankan Wataniya Airways Wataniya Airways Jazeera Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Singapore A/L Fly Dubai Kuwait Kuwait Oman Air Middle East Wataniya Airways Gulf Air DHL Kuwait Emirates Falcon Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera United A/L Kuwait Kuwait

551 801 105 176 403 673 617 503 458 613 135 743 182 082 345 304 216 305 858 126 511 116 448 184 428 228 107 321 434 283 266 361 457 062 343 351 648 403 187 218 373 675 860 102 381 137 203 301 526 502 636 981 411 415

Damascus Amman Dubai Dubai Beirut Dubai Doha Medinah/Jeddah Damascus Bahrain Doha Dammam Dubai Baghdad Bahrain Abu Dhabi Bahrain Cairo Dubai Sharjah Riyadh Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Bahrain Dubai/Colombo Dubai Sharm El Sheikh Mashad Dhaka Beirut Colombo Abu Dhabi/Singapore Dubai Chennai Cochin Muscat Beirut Bahrain Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Dubai Bahrain Delhi Doha Lahore Mumbai Alexandria Luxor Aleppo Washington Dc Dulles Bangkok/Manila Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta

14:20 14:30 14:30 14:55 15:10 15:10 15:35 15:45 15:50 16:20 16:20 16:25 16:50 17:00 17:25 17:35 18:05 18:05 18:05 18:20 18:35 18:40 18:55 19:00 19:10 19:10 19:40 19:45 19:55 20:00 20:05 20:20 20:45 20:50 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:35 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:20 23:30 23:35 23:40 23:40 23:50

SPECTRUM

34 CROSSWORD 955

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Calvin Aries (March 21-April 19) Many distractions today may cause any number of frustrations. Keep your sense of humor and ask the next person that interrupts you to take a number—you are the new catalog department. You may be looking for advice regarding a family matter today, but you have all the answers you need inside your own psyche. This afternoon is a good time to spend with loved ones and family. You could be on a bicycle trip this afternoon. You may even decide that one trip a week would be a habit you might like to take on for yourself. Finding fun ways to exercise may be part and partial of what makes up this day. You may enjoy being at home with a good book this evening. You and a young person may also care for an animal this evening—perhaps a new cat or dog.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Obtaining and exchanging information can be mentally stimulating. Healing within the family unit is possible with new health information. Communicating feelings becomes important. You work mentally and physically now to become more refined emotionally. Getting your message across and learning how and when to say no successfully, is an important issue. You know that your mind and ego are at risk if you cannot foster discrimination and clearness. Your willpower and intuition are enhanced little by little this month. This is the perfect time to work on communication skills. Personal growth is encouraged, as you will have increased energy and a feeling of well-being. You may enjoy some close attention from a special someone this evening.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS 1. Belonging to some prior time.

5. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion.

8. (usually followed by `to' or `for') On the point of or strongly disposed.

11. A large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property.

12. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

13. The United Nations agency concerned with the interests of labor.

14. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

15. The act of slowing down or falling behind.

16. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.

17. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

20. Tag the base runner to get him out.

22. A lipoprotein that transports cholesterol in the blood.

23. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

24. A unit of dry measure used in Egypt.

27. A port in western Israel on the Mediterranean.

29. Bug of temperate regions that infests especially beds and feeds on human blood.

33. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

34. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

35. A collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn.

36. A toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion.

40. The money risked on a gamble.

41. A transuranic element that has not been found in nature.

43. Used of a single unit or thing.

44. A former agency (from 1946 to 1974) that was responsible for research into atomic energy and its peacetime uses in the United States.

45. An informal term for a father.

46. A piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) A greater appreciation for things of value and the idea of value itself, is in order now.

This could be a period of great material gain; it is certainly a time when material things have a great deal of importance for you. Spending it all in one place could, however, be the issue. You may want to investigate your options before spending frivolously. Make long-term plans to build your income and financial holdings through careful, conservative methods and investments. You want roots and you crave a sense of intimate connection that will last; remain honest. You also love your freedom. Plan to exchange ideas between you and your loved one concerning future goals and expectations. Free your creative side this evening - paint, write, create.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) This morning is a wonderful time to toss out debris—to get neat and organized. Minimize stress with efficiency. Later, a family conference may not seem productive, but it could be more beneficial than you think. Other people need time to discuss ideas and views; patience and listening will bring you rewards. You can demonstrate great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others just now and are in a good position to communicate. Personally, you may have decided to make some changes in your habits—even if it takes writing a reminder on a calendar each day. There is a longing to see progress and accomplishment in your life. You may even decide that this is the time to do some volunteer work. NOTE: One-thing-at-a-time, please.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You will gain a fresh perspective toward young people today as you involve yourself in their activities. Perhaps you will learn a new game or participate in some fun activity you remembered playing as a kid. As a future leader of the community, you will be able to help make their playground fun, safe and healthy. At times you will tend to be serious about your personal environment, making sure that you are not exposed to harmful conditions. You are a real stickler for recycling. You may study physical self-improvement methods and learn practical skills that will make you and others more competitive and productive. As you begin this development, your home and private life come to mean more to you. Tonight is for relaxing.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Your cheerful, tolerant

DOWN 1. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

2. A quantity of no importance.

3. Decapod having eyes on short stalks and a broad flattened carapace with a small abdomen folded under the thorax and pincers.

4. Swedish oceanographer who recognized the role of the Coriolis effect on ocean currents (1874-1954).

5. West Indian tree having racemes of fragrant white flowers and yielding a durable timber and resinous juice.

6. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

7. One millionth of a gram.

8. In the Arabian Nights a hero who tells of the fantastic adventures he had in his voyages.

9. A river in central Europe that arises in northwestern Czechoslovakia and flows northward through Germany to empty into the North Sea. 10. Having a toe or toes of a specified kind.

18. 1 species.

19. Filled with fear or apprehension.

21. The eleventh month of the Hindu calendar.

25. (old-fashioned) At or from or to a great distance.

26. Harmony of people's opinions or actions or characters.

28. A yellow pungent volatile oil (trade name Agene) formerly used for bleaching and aging flour.

30. A wealthy man (who made his fortune in the Orient).

31. Comb-plate or locomotor organ consisting of a row of strong cilia whose bases are fused.

32. Treated with contempt.

37. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (Aspirin and Phenacetin and Caffeine).

38. The cry made by sheep.

39. Seed of a pea plant.

42. A public promotion of some product or service.

43. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

attitude makes this a good day for romance or social gatherings. It’s a good day to entertain guests, travel or yes; even marriage. Involvement in artistic pursuits and volunteer or social service is favorable. You are more gentle, courteous, considerate and compliant. People find you charming. Areas of stress tend to ease and a rejuvenating process is strong. Romance at this time seems ideal. If you are already in a romantic relationship, you will be pleased at the increase in the closeness you have between you.. Your insight into others is sharp.

This is a favorable time to eliminate non-essentials and strengthen your security or work toward self-improvement. Older people give you their approval.

Libra (September 23-October 22) Following the plans for today will cut down on any mischievous behavior that the young people around you can create.

Perhaps a friend can help you focus on your plans.

Perhaps you are teaching a craft or camping with a group. This can be a creative time for you—a time you will look back on with fondness. Make sure you schedule some time-out . . . even fun needs a time out period. This is a wonderful time to be expressive and to help others be expressive. To satisfy your need to be the center of attention, you will find much praise for any creative expression you decide to involve yourself with for now. There is a lot of pride in what you do and this evening, your enthusiasm makes way for you to exhibit much showmanship.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Personal popularity is easy to come by today. This is a good time for surrounding yourself with friends and young people. You may volunteer to observe children at play so that parents can attend a meeting or whatever their needs. You appreciate your particular situation and enjoy support from those around you. This is a powerful time of recognizing and using your intuition and insights. Ownership matters can be under pressure— do everything you can now to ensure your own security. If you are planning to invest in property, do so before the end of this month.

Perhaps you find this an ultra-mundane day, lacking in imagination or much escape. A walk this evening with a friend, or a good book, will bring back a sort of balance.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You have greater confidence and assertiveness in approaching and communicating with the public now. Your personal magnetism is high. Marriage and other close relationships can be where your attention is focused now.

This is a time to enjoy your ties to others, to seek and promote harmony in the interaction between people. Emotional security, a sense of belonging and nurturing are issues felt instinctively now. If your neighborhood has protected areas where you can walk at night, do so. Listen to the sounds of nature and allow yourself to be expressive through some form of art. Find ways to care for our planet, perhaps you could encourage a neighborhood cleanup program—perhaps you will plant a few flowers as well.

Yesterday’s Solution

yester

Yesterday’s Solution

to

INTERNATIONAL CALLS Kuwait Qatar Abu Dhabi Dubai Raas Al Khayma Al-Shareqa Muscat Jordan Bahrain Riyadh Makkah - Jeddah Cairo Alexandria Beirut Damascus Allepo

00965 00974 009712 009714 009717 009716 00968 009626 00973 009661 009662 00202 00203 009611 0096311 0096321

Tunisia Rabat Washington New York Paris London Madrid Zurich Geneva Monaco Rome Bangkok Hong Kong Pakistan Taiwan Bonn

0021610 002127 001212 001718 00331 004471 00341 00411 004122 0033 00396 00662 00852 0092 00886 0049228

Word Sleuth Solution

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Consciously work on seeing the positive in your routine work situations today. Your highly critical eye is one of your strengths, but it could carry over into an emotional issue with others. If you are working overtime today—smile. You will need to be more flexible to keep up with the challenges today. Avoid burn-out by allowing yourself time to take your breaks. Say no when necessary or at least allocate jobs to others; when possible. It may be time to focus upon your goals and set a path to what you want. There are good opportunities this afternoon to become involved with some educational classes, lectures or conferences that will widen your scope of knowledge. Get outside today with a friend, weather permitting and enjoy an energetic walk.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You are buoyed with confidence now to succeed at any project you attempt.

Make sure that both your expectations and abilities are realistic before diving into something you may not be able to get out of without harm or embarrassment. There is a collision of powerful energies spilling into your life in unpredictable ways. The decisions you make now will have long-lasting effects. You are most persuasive with others and you like to bounce your positive attitude back to others. Although some of your energy needs direction, you seem confident and optimistic. Feeling confident does wonders for your overall attitude toward life. Budgeting, caution and discrimination with money are wise choices. Play a child’s game with your loved one.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Feeling good about yourself does wonders for your attitude. People that have showed little or no support for you in the past will give you a helping hand now. Your support system is much more dependable now. You are able to dispense with some unessential matters and develop what is most basic. You encourage better support from others and you will receive what you send or give. Do not look for a hidden meaning in another person’s compliments—their admiration is well deserved. Be courteous and helpful during the day as you may have your concentration in so many other places; you could seem unappreciative. Healing efforts have a way of multiplying as you continue a health routine. Spring fever hits this evening and love blossoms.

INFORMATION

Sunday, April 11, 2010

35 FIRE BRIGADE Operation Room 777 Al-Madena 22418714 Al-Shohada始a 22545171 Al-Shuwaikh 24810598 Al-Nuzha 22545171 Sabhan 24742838 Al-Helaly 22434853 Al-Fayhaa 22545051 Al-Farwaniya 24711433 Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983 Al-Fahaheel 23927002 Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983 Ahmadi 23980088 Al-Mangaf 23711183 Al-Shuaiba 23262845 Al-Jahra 25610011 Al-Salmiya 25616368

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 HOSPITALS Sabah Hospital

24812000

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22450005

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24892010

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23940620

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22517733

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22451082

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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

W.Hawally

22630786

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24810221

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24770319

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24575755

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24772608

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24775066

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24775992

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4719048

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4710044

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4732263

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3900322

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988 AIRLINES

PHARMACIES ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE Ahmadi

PHARMACY Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

ADDRESS Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

PHONE 23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554

EMERGENCY 112

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists: Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea Dr. Masoma Habeeb Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy Dr. Mohsen Abel Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly

25622444 25752222 25321171 25739999 25757700 25732223 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT): Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners: Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists: Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Plastic Surgeons: Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari Dr. Abdel Quttainah

22617700 25625030/60

Family Doctor: Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.

Zahra Qabazard Sohail Qamar Snaa Maaroof Pradip Gujare Zacharias Mathew

25710444 22621099 25713514 23713100 24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047 Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0 Gynaecologists & Obstetricians: Dr Adrian Harbe 23729596/23729581 Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321 Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539 Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406 Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272 Dr. Salem soso 22618787 General Surgeons: Dr. Abidallah Behbahani 25717111 Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

(2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535 Dentists:

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists:

Internist, Chest & Heart: DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Tel: 25339667 Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Consultant Cardiologist Tel: 2611555-2622555 Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324 Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

Internists, Chest & Heart: Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Physiotherapists & VD: Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Endocrinologist: Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari

25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr

25329924

Psychologists/Psychotherapists Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688 info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677 William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kuwait Airways Wataniya Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines

22433377 24379900 177 22477631 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/2433141 22456700 22412284/5 22453820/1

INTERNATIONAL CALLS Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK)

0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345 00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044

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00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689 00241 00220 00995 0049 00233 00350 0030 00299 001473 00590 001671 00502 00224 00592 00509 0031 00504 00852 0036 0034 00354 0091 00873 0062 0098 00964 00353 0039 00225 001876 0081 00962 007 00254 00686 00965 00996 00856 00371 00961 00231 00218 00370 00352 00853 00389

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SPECTRUM

Sunday, April 11, 2010

fattens up to get pregnant he former Spice Girl - who already has three sons, Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, seven, and five-year-old Cruz, with her soccer superstar husband David - wants to add a daughter to her family and has taken up a new eating plan loaded with carbohydrates to achieve her dream. The 35year-old star - who is known to predominantly eat fresh fruit and vegetables and steamed fish to maintain her slender figure - has been munching on pasta dishes, brown

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bread, rice and meals which include potatoes. A source told The Sun newspaper: “It’s no secret Victoria and David want a little girl. She’s been told by docs her diet, though healthy, would not give her the best chance of conceiving, particularly in her 30s. “Instead she has been advised to eat a lot more carbs and fatten up. She has agreed and David is over the moon.” Although Victoria has agreed to overhaul her diet to conceive again, she won’t be gorging on

any foods which are too calorie laden. The source added: “She draws the line at junk food.” In February, it was reported Victoria had become broody for a baby girl after her younger sister Louise announced she was expecting her fourth child. A source close to the family said at the time: “Louise has just told everyone she is expecting and Vic has immediately become broody. She and David have always wanted a girl. He’d love more kids.”

Courtney Cox thinks Zac Efron is ‘perfect’ ourtney Cox-Arquette thinks Zac Efron would be a “perfect” boyfriend for an older lady. The ‘Cougar Town’ actress - who plays Jules Cobb, a woman who dates younger men in the US drama series - believes the ‘High School Musical’ hunk is a prime target for other ‘cougars’, despite thinking he is too “confident” to be seduced. Asked what defines a ‘cougar’, Courteney - who is married to actor David Arquette - said: “My husband’s seven years younger than me so I must be a ‘cougar’ as older women have more experience. “Zac Efron would be perfect, but he probably has too much confidence to be real prey for a cougar. You know you’re a cougar when you’re attracted to your son’s friends.” The 45-year-old star - who has a five-year-old daughter Coco with David - also admitted she is struggling to cope with getting

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older and constantly worries about her flaws. She is quoted by Now magazine as saying: “I don’t think ageing is great, I’m not having a ball with it.

I’m a pretty self-critical person. If it’s not one thing I’m obsessed with, it’s another. I usually obsess on one thing for a while, then for some reason I don’t notice it anymore. “But then I’ll go onto something else. I’ve been that way my whole life. I come from a vain family, so this is bound to happen. I’m running that race pretty hard.”

Courtney - who has previously admitted having Botox injections in an attempt to smooth out her wrinkles - hasn’t ruled out plastic surgery in the future. She added: “It can be great or it can be horrible. I don’t really know if I would do it again.

I’m not against plastic surgery or Botox - whatever works. But right now I don’t do Botox, injectibles or anything.”

he actress ad become ob mits she’s sessed wit h buying clothes o cially desig n the internet, espe ner items, now becom an e a bit of a d has She joked: hermit.

“I almost don ’m so addicted I ’t more. My leave my house any ab to shop is solute favorite place Net-A-Port er. There are so man y things.” O beautiful, irresistible ne item on shopping li Hilary’s st platform w is a pair of sky-high edges as th star needs e 5ft 2in th told Lucky e extra height. She magazine: “Comfortab le tall - two th and make me very ings I alway my shoes. s want in ”A wedges, H s well as the ilary is kee n to add to her wardro b zling short e with a pair of dazs and a spri She said: “S ng scarf. the top of equined shorts are at my list to buy for spring as w e nous scarf. ll as a big, volumiIt’s a total of mine.” weakness However, her favorite accessory is Mike Com a ring her fiancÈ rie recentl y bought her. She sa id bought me : “My fiancÈ just th pave diam is ring with smoky onds. It’s so cool.”

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Leona Lewis keeps her real personality a secret he ‘Bleeding Love’ singer has revealed she has “no desire” to be famous and deliberately hides her true character from the world.

She said: “I definitely keep myself secret. I went on a show watched by millions, but I had no desire to be famous, and I still don’t. Unless you talk to me every day, you’re not really going to get a sense of me.” The 24-year-old star is one of the bestselling British female solo artists of recent years, and her debut album ‘Spirit’ topped charts around the world when it was released in 2007.

Despite her success, Leona has no wish to live like a celebrity and is very happy with her boyfriend Lou Al Chamaa. She added to top of the pops magazine: “This is real life, it isn’t make-believe. For people to think that you should leave someone just because, all of a sudden, you’re a singer and you have opportunities - I feel sorry for them. “I’ve got my friends and my family around me, so I think they keep me grounded. It’s good to have people that I trust around me. “I don’t go out a lot in London. I usually just stay in and have people round. And on a day off, I’m in bed by 11 pm.”

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Hilary Duff addicted to online shopping

Kelly Osbourne treats herself to English goodies

Heidi Klum has no issues being in her skin he German-born supermodel and host of US TV show ‘Project Runway’ said she is comfortable with nudity and her family all have an “easy going” attitude. She told Tatler magazine: “My parents are still naked. I mean, it’s not like we’re hippies and we run around naked, but if they happened to be in their room changing or something or someone comes out of the shower, they’re not, like, ‘Oh my God. No. Close the door’.” Heidi, 36, and her husband, soul singer Seal - who raise four children together, daughters Leni, five, and four-month-old Lou, and sons Henry, four, and three-year-old Johan - have previously said they also keep pictures of themselves naked in their family bathroom. Heidi said of her children: “They see their parents naked all the time. We are not ashamed.”

Meanwhile, the couple have asked friends to dress as brides and grooms for their annual renewal of their wedding vows, for which they always throw a themed party. Heidi said: “It’s going to be all brides and all grooms. All of the women will be brides and all of the men will be grooms. “Just one day, I woke up and I was like, ‘Oh, I know what I am going to do this year.’ I like to have fun and I like to make it fun for my family and friends.”

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elly Osbourne “gave up being healthy” on a recent trip to London. The former ‘Dancing With The Stars’ finalist - who has sported a slim figure since training began for last year’s show a year ago - said she couldn’t resist a few traditional English greasy goodies when she made a surprise visit to the country’s capital to surprise her fiance, Luke Worrall, recently. She wrote in Closer magazine: “I made sure I went to my favorite place in

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London for a sausage sandwich, I had a proper high tea at The Dorchester, and I visited my favorite restaurant chain ever Wagamama.” Kelly, 25, added she doesn’t care if she put on weight during the trip as she is comfortable with her figure whatever size she is. She added: “I haven’t bothered weighing myself so I’ve no idea if I’ve put on weight, but I really don’t care. “I’ll never be one of those girls who obsess about their figure

that must be such a boring way to live.” Kelly recently told how she couldn’t resist surprising model Luke with her trip, because she missed him so much. She explained: “I hadn’t seen him for six weeks because he’s been working in the UK and I’ve been working in Los Angeles. “His agent told him to go to a hotel for a modeling job, but when he got there I opened the door - he was shocked!”

— BangShowbiz

SPECTRUM

Sunday, April 11, 2010

37

Australian College of Kuwait holds seventh graduation ceremony ACK’s Engineering and Business Administration students celebrate

The ecstatic new graduates celebrate the most important day of their academic life.

he Australian College of Kuwait, the first private applied college in Kuwait, celebrated yesterday the graduation of 295 students of Engineering and Business Administration Diplomas under the patronage of the Secretary General & Chairman of Accreditation Council of Private Universities, Emad Al-Atiqi, and Tasmanian Polytechnic representative, Anne Ripper.

At the seventh Graduation Ceremony for Engineering Diploma Students, Abdullah Al-Sharhan, Chairman of the Australian College of Kuwait Board of Trustees said: “ACK takes pride in providing to the

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labor market a new generation qualified with the highest scientific and professional standards.”

Al-Sharhan added that within six years, ACK graduated more than 1,600 students from both the Diplomas and Bachelors, which reflects ACK’s vision of striving towards its basic goals represented in provision of an educational environment offering support and care. He also noted that such success promotes the vision of the ACK’s Australian partners and the Board of Trustees and the great trust in establishing a college caring for future generations.

“ACK has ambitious and continuous development plans as well as quality standards reflected by the educational best practices as applied by a distinctive academic and management cadre utilizing their advanced educational, training and management experiences to the optimum for promotion of ACK’s educational strategy,” he continued.

Al-Sharhan greeted the graduates joining the workforce saying: “I congratulate our dear graduates on this academic achievement”. “I also remind them of ACK’s goals that acted as the umbrella for the educational process throughout the study and training period.”

He also indicated that since inception of its educational activity in Kuwait, ACK has been pursuing provision of an educational environment offering care, and establishment of a vocational education for the globally recognized Australian education; pioneering in the fields of education, development and qualification for work after graduation.

Noteworthy is that the Australian College of Kuwait created partnerships with the best Australian applied universities for provision of distinctive courses for upgrading the future of Kuwaiti youth by offering the Bachelor of Science in the areas of management and engineering technology.

Professor Imad Alatiqi

Anne Ripper

ACK President Professor Vishy Karri

Chairman Abdullah Al-Sharhan

‘A life well planned is a life well lived’ et me offer my heartiest congratulations to you all for successfully completing your studies. It is indeed a day when you successfully completed educational milestone.

I would like to extend our special thanks and congratulations to all parents present here. Every successful individual is made of good family values, respect, culture and determination. Parents and families present have significantly contributed to the success of the graduates here tonight - thank you once again.

Dear graduates you are at the door step of numerous opportunities. You learnt in your field of study to be practical driver and start contributing to the society. I hope the education you received the last few years on campus has been rewarding. At the end of this journey, ‘what you have become’ is more important than ‘what you have gotten’.

Education gives enormous inner strength. We know that strength does not come from physical capacity alone but it comes from a strong will.

A vision of yourself in the corporate world during the next five to 10 years is very important. Even if the vision is hazy, you should have an idea where you want to go. It is now time to contemplate that precise direction and have an ambition to reach the goals you are about to set for yourselves. Please remember that a vision without action is a mere daydream and action without a vision is a nightmare! I learnt from my teachers that a life well planned is a life well lived. Whether it is a minor project, or major entrepreneurial activity, an old fashioned systematic approach to problem solving is a sure way to succeed.

You graduates recognise that the current financial climate is still struggling and the need to help the situation is very high. This is your chance to put into practice whatever you have learnt to make the situation better. Each and every one of your contributions is a single brick that builds back the financial stability and restores confidence in the business world. This country, this region and the world awaits you to make a difference in these demanding times.

Graduates allow me to give two professional tips for your emerging career that helped me along my own journey.

Firstly during early stages of your career, please make an effort to learn from several seniors and respect long standing experience, tolerate difficulty and work inclusively as an effective team member. At early stages of career our willingness to learn is more important than our enthusiasm to contribute. The rule in early stages is ‘to walk carefully and learn the road’ and at later stages the rule is ‘keep running as your team relies on you to set the pace’.

Secondly, every project whether it is management or engineering is increasingly becoming multi-disciplinary. The necessity to learn cross disciplinary issues as an emerging executive is far greater than it was 20 years ago. As part of life long wearing, each executive is learning more about other disciplines than the area of their formal training. In the longer term, this is what provides you with that additional edge. Please remember that the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little ‘extra’. I would like to invite you to join me in thanking our instructors for their immense contribution in your educational journey.

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‘The globe now is within our hands’ ‘Acquisition of knowledge is a never-ending journey’ e would like to welcome you and express our pleasure for your being with us to celebrate the graduation of 295 of our diploma students, who have been given integral preparation to join the work market and contribute to the development of our beloved Kuwait. Six years of success, the graduation of more than one thousand six hundred students from the diploma, and graduation of the first cohort of BSc students are achievements that would never have been made without the faith and vision of my colleagues, Board of Trustees, members, their trust and support to the establishment and development of a college attending to the needs of future generations and providing them with modern technical sciences for serving this nation.

In fact, the college has ambitious and continuous development plans, goals and quality standards reflecting international best practices for the benefit of our students and support of their academic march. These positive leaps for the college were, and still are, the product of a set of factors which include its possession of a distinctive academic and management cadre having professional, advanced management training and educational experience employed to enhance the college’s objectives. Therefore, I would like to extend deep thanks to the academic and management team of the college and appreciate the spirit of distinction and devotion they show in serving the educational process.

I hope that you keep the learning process going as the acquisition of knowledge is a never ending journey not restricted to study at college. And always keep in mind that your future is the fruit of what you seed today through hard work, persistence, team work and the acquisition of practical skills.

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ithin the past few decades new trends have emerged in the required skills of professionals in the market place.

The most notable are: Share of labor force employed in occupations using non-routine cognitive tasks - both interactive and analytic - increased substantially; and share of performing routine cognitive and routine manual activities declined.

In addition, the need for global citizenship have been emphasized by the intensive advances in communication and media technology from one side, and the escalation of political tensions from the other side. This leads to a new paradigm in the relationship between mankind and the globe. We are no longer components of the globe. The globe now is within our hands.

This phenomena carries with it tremendous personal and social consequences. Changes in the way we conduct education, and escalation in our moral and social responsibility are immediate results. With this new paradigm, problem based learning, project based learning and emphasis on learning outcome take priority over classical program based education. I am pleased to note PUC has taken active and international role in this direction through programs like AHELO with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and development, and the project Pi, framework for innovation and entrepreneurship. And I am also pleased ACK is a leading institution also in that direction, thus fulfilling their mission statement: “Enabling human potential within a culture of care”.

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‘Hard work deserves to be recognised’ bring greetings to all present here tonight from Tasmania, Australia’s beautiful Island state; and very warm greetings from the Polytechnic Board, our Chief Executive Officer Belinda McLennan and Tasmanian Polytechnic staff. The Tasmanian Polytechnic is proud to be involved in the Australian College of Kuwait’s provision of word class courses in internationally accredited and recognised training in Business Management and Marketing.

We have been involved with the Australian College of Kuwait for a number of years now. The College facilities are truly first class and are further developing to meet the ongoing needs of the College and its graduates. In 2003 as TAFE Tasmania, we offered advice on facilities and course development under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian College of Kuwait. The Australian College of Kuwait chose to use the Australian Qualifications Training Framework (AQTF) qualifications for the vocational studies at the College. These qualifications are internationally renowned for their high quality and acceptance by industry throughout the world.

In 2004 the College began delivering Business Diplomas in partnership with our Tasmanian TAFE Polytechnic organisation. Tonight the Tasmanian Polytechnic is proud to be joining with you in celebrating your Seventh Diploma Graduation Ceremony and the achievements of the Business Diploma graduates from the Australian College of Kuwait.

The graduates should be feeling very proud of their achievements. Your hard work, persistence and application deserves to be recognised - and that’s what tonight is all about. Tonight is also as a result of dedicated and professional teachers and staff of the ACK, who have guided and tutored the students to successfully completing their Diplomas.

Finally a comment to the guests of the graduates: As a mother I know how important the support of family and friends is in achieving the goals one strives for. Celebrate tonight the achievements of your loved ones, your friends, your colleagues, make them aware how proud you are of their achievements.

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The ACK officials enjoy a light moment.

‘ACK is our family and friend’

Samaa Alabduljader

was at home two days ago surfing the Internet on my laptop. Checking my emails, looking up someone on Face book, the usual, when I got an email from the management of ACK. I was immediately worried. I started panicking and thinking about all the things I had done that week.

Did I say something wrong about a teacher?

Did I make my school look bad? What could it be? How am I going to face my mother?

My teachers? My class? I was very nervous.

I finally plucked up the courage to click “open” and read the email. That is when I saw it. They invited me to give a speech, on Graduation Day! I thought “How did I get myself into this mess?” “What on earth am I

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going to say to a large room filled with parents, teachers, and graduates who have to sit on a stage smiling the whole time?”

That is when it hit me. I thought, wait a minute, I get to stand in front of all these people and I can say whatever I want about whomever I want and everyone has to listen? Fantastic! Now I know these long speeches can be a bit repetitive. I am not here to speak to you about my school years and the work I have done... I am here to tell you about the person I’ve become and how this college has changed me.

When people think about university, the first things that come to mind are classes, deadlines, and horrifying final exams.To tell you the truth, I still think of these things

when people ask me about ACK. But then, other aspects of this school also come to mind. I think of family, friends and how things change. I think of the teachers that became my friends and mentors, my classmates that have now become my greatest friends and the many ways in which I have changed for the better.

On behalf of all graduates, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share what ACK has done for all of us and to express our gratitude and appreciation. ACK has influenced our lives and shaped us to meet the future with knowledge, skills, confidence, commitment, integrity and courage.

ACK, you are our family, mentor and a friend to all of us. We will never forget you.

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Sunday, April 11, 2010

13-yr-old boy will try to climb Mount Everest f this 13-year-old American boy succeeds in his bid to climb Mount Everest, he has modest ambitions - pick a small piece of rock from the top of the world as a memento and wear it in a necklace. “I will not sell it; I will not give it to anyone.

It is something for myself to say ‘this is a rock from the summit’,” Jordan Romero from California, told Reuters in Kathmandu. He is due to leave for the mountain today.

If he succeeds, Romero will become the youngest climber to scale the 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) Everest summit. Currently a 16-year-old Nepali boy, Temba Tsheri Sherpa, holds the record of being the world’s youngest climber of Mount Everest.

But Romero, sitting over lunch with his climbing father and stepmother in Kathmandu’s tourist district of Thamel, said he was not after setting climbing records.

Romero said Mount Everest, that straddles Nepal-China border, was

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Guitarist from band As I Lay Dying Nick Hipa performs at the 2nd annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards held at Club Nokia on April 9, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.

— AFP

part of his goal to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents. “It is just a goal,” he said confidently. “If I don’t succeed I am okay. I will try again.”

Romero has already climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mount McKinley in Alaska among others. Romero and his father Paul, a critical care paramedic, said the boy was ready to take on the climb and understood the risk of climbing the giant mountain.

“I know it requires a lot of patience. I will remain patient. I want to stay safe and make right choice,” Romero said of his climb using the northeast ridge route on the Chinese side of the mountain. More than 4,000 climbers have reached the top of Mount Everest since it was first climbed by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepal’s Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953. Romero said he wanted to climb the highest mountains in all 50 states in the United States next. “It does not need to be after Everest and could be in between.” — Reuters

Round-the-world cyclist eyes Everest summit R

“I want to take all the flags I collected to the top of Everest.” Shah will cycle from Kathmandu to Jiri in eastern Nepal, where the road ends, and continue on foot to Everest. The 40-year-old has more reason than most to campaign for world peace-his father, a Gurkha soldier, was killed during an operation with the Indian army. Then in 1990, aged just 20, Shah himself was shot during an uprising against direct rule by Nepal’s thenking. The largely peaceful revolt led to the restoration of democracy in Nepal, but Shah was wounded so badly that he was left for dead, earning him the nickname “living martyr” in his home village. Six years later, he witnessed the start of a violent insurgency by Maoist guerrillas seeking the overthrow of the country’s centuries-old Hindu monarchy and demanding political and social reforms.

“People had so much hope in our new-found democracy, but then I saw the country go downhill so fast,” he

‘Hannah Montana’ creators sue Disney for $5 million wo of the creators of Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana” franchise have sued the network for more than $5 million in profits from the show. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, series co-creators Barry O’Brien and Richard Correll say they’ve been denied their fair share of the hugely successful Miley Cyrus series. O’Brien and Correll created the show with Michael Poryes in 2005. They now say they’re owed millions in prenegotiated percentage-based bonuses based on their back-end deals and Writers Guild of America requirements for writers who receive “created by” credits. The duo claim Disney has denied repeated requests for payment and thwarted attempts to audit profits from the show.

Correll, a prolific TV director, also claims he was wrongfully terminated from the show and “blackballed” from future directing gigs by Disney. A Disney spokesperson said the company is declining to comment on the suit.

O’Brien and Correll also are fighting Disney in a WGA arbitration over the studio’s obligations to them “under certain provisions of the WGA Agreement with respect to the series,” the complaint says. Those issues are not specified, though Correll says he was terminated by Disney after testifying in connection with the arbitration.

Correll believes “the real reason for Defendants’ termination and blackballing of Correll was Disney’s desire to retaliate” against him “for a) seeking compensation owing to Correll” and O’Brien and “b) their testimony against Disney in the WGA Arbitration,” according to the complaint. Defendants are Walt Disney Pictures, ABC Cable Networks Group, Disney Channel, producers Bigwood Films, Fuss Budget Films, Silver Creek Pictures and It’s a Laugh Prods.

Poryes, the third “Hannah” creator, sued Disney on similar grounds in October 2008. The new lawsuit, filed

by Robert Nau of Los Angeles firm Alexander Nau Lawrence Frumes & Labowitz, claims damages of at least $5 million on causes of action for breach of contract, accounting and wrongful termination in violation of public policy. — Reuters

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The journey took him from his home in the foothills of the Himalayas to 150 countries in four continents, eating and drinking whatever was offered by local people. This included elephant meat in Cameroon, horse meat in Switzerland, dog in South Korea, monkey in Guinea-Bissau, snake soup in Thailand, and caterpillar with rice in Botswana.

In all, Shah travelled 220,000 kilometers (135,000 miles), taking in the Sahara desert, the Alps and the Egyptian pyramids and cycling along the banks of the Amazon river before returning to Nepal at the end of last year. The journey took him to wartorn Liberia, Sierra Leone and East Timor, where he says he “did not see a single house that had not been burned.” He was mugged in New York, had his bicycle stolen in New Zealand and was kidnapped in Mexico, although he managed to escape from his abductors who were later arrested. —AFP

said. “It was frustrating.” So, in 1998, two years after the insurgency started, Shah decided to cycle around the world to spread the message of peace, armed with just a bundle of maps and

Nepalese cyclist Pushkar Shah poses with his bicycle in front of a display of the Nepalese flag and those from some of the countries he visited on a round the world tour at an exhibition in Kathmandu. — AFP 100 rupees (1.40 dollars) in cash. “It was definitely not a deluxe trip. I lived off the kindness of strangers and the generosity of people I met along the way,” said Shah, who cycled for 10 hours every day while on the road.

Photo agencies seeing red over Cannes festival deal hoto agencies are crying foul over the Cannes film festival’s exclusive deal with French broadcasters that may cause restrictions on some video coverage of the 63rd annual Riviera rendezvous. Festival organizers have verbally informed several of the international news agencies that regularly cover the fest that severe restrictions on access to red carpets and news conferences might prevent them from providing their usual coverage.

Reuters, AFP, Getty TV and the Associated Press Television News are in negotiations with festival authorities to ensure comprehensive coverage for their news wires and clients across the globe.

These restrictions stem from deals the festival has signed with French broadcaster Canal Plus and pay TV service Orange for exclusive video coverage of the red carpets and other official events. Typically competitive news organizations Reuters, Getty, AP and AFP have banded together to put an advisory on their public websites saying

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Arts of the Islamic World

ound-the-world cyclist Pushkar Shah has travelled to some of the most hostile places on the planet, sleeping rough and enduring robbery and kidnap-all in the name of world peace. Now, Nepal’s best-travelled and most eccentric peace campaigner is hoping to complete his mission by placing the flags of all 150 countries he visited on his decade-long tour on the summit of Mount Everest.

Shah, who returned to Nepal last November after 11 years on the road, admits that his legs have probably taken enough punishment. But he says planting the flags will be the culmination of “my own peaceful battle against the many wars being waged across the world.” “My aim was to spread the message of peace and to see the world. I want to climb Everest for the same reason,” Shah, 40, told AFP in Kathmandu before setting off for the Himalayas this week.

that they might have to suspend coverage of the festival if they can’t secure a deal with fest authorities soon.

“We’re not sure what our next steps will be if we can’t come to an agreement, but our intention now is to find a solution,” said Alison Crombie, senior director of global public relations for Getty Images.

“We, with the other agencies, consider this to be very unfair.”

Seeking specifics While the festival’s restrictions have so far been only verbal warnings that started at the end of last year’s festival, the media groups have been pressing the festival for several weeks for some kind of written deal detailing the restrictions. The news agencies distribute their edited content to several thousand TV stations and Internet portals around the world, and the Festival de Cannes is always one of the biggest news events of the year for the global media business.

“We believe in news organizations having adequate access to news events,” a spokesperson for Reuters said. Festival de Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux is negotiating the media presence at the fest, and doesn’t see the new restrictions as cause for alarm. “We’re trying to help the news agencies as best we can,” Fremaux said. “I’m in the process of negotiating so that everyone is happy. The news agencies involved have yet to receive a written proposal for a more restricted festival coverage.

“The restrictions concern only the resale of images of the red carpet steps and the press conferences,” Fremaux said.

“The agencies will make the images available free for their subscribers and for the rest, the Festival de Cannes will continue to accredit members of the press so that they can do their jobs and shoot footage-on the red carpet steps, at the press conferences, in the Palais, everywhere-for which they have complete freedom of broadcast

on their own media platforms. More than 4,000 journalists from all over the world will be accredited for the festival, like every year.”

Inking for exclusivity But as far as video coverage of festivalrelated events goes, Canal Plus and Orange have put up money and signed exclusivity contracts making them official sponsors and giving them greater access than other media outlets. Canal Plus will continue its monopoly over the Gallic audiovisual market and set up shop on its massive stage across from the Hotel Martinez once again to air its daily variety program “Le Grand Journal.” Canal Plus has been an official partner of the fest for the past 16 years.

“Canal Plus has been trying to protect their red carpet coverage of the Festival de Cannes for years, so it’s not surprising that something like this would happen,” said Gael Golhen, editor-in-chief of French

Two security guards stand near an Indian 1790 bronze cannon cast by Ahmad Pali for Tipu Sultan which is estimated to fetch $180,000 to $ 225,000, (133,000 euro to 167,000 euro).

(Right) A Sotheby’s employee displays a Safavid Brocade Silk and Metal Thread Textile Panel from 16th or 17th century Persia, in London, Friday, April 9, 2010, which is estimated to fetch $450,000 to $750,000, (338,000 euro to 564,000 euro), at the upcoming Arts of the Islamic World sale at Sotheby’s auction house.

— AP photos

entertainment site Premiere.fr. Orange, a subsidiary of rival pay TV group France Telecom, has been upping its presence at the fest to compete with Canal Plus. The “Orange Beach” boasts a restaurant which has become the unofficial hub for the French film industry during the festival, and Orange confirmed that it has renewed its contract to invest in and produce the fest’s own TV network, TV Festival, this year alongside Canal Plus and the festival itself.

TV Festival is broadcast 24 hours a day for the 12 days of the festival to more than 8 million subscribers in France, overseas French territories and French-speaking Africa on satellite, ADSL, cable and mobile networks. TV Festival provides “exclusive” coverage in both French and English of red carpets, photo calls, interviews, news conferences and special reports. All of those images and pre-edited feature segments are distributed in France and abroad to various local media outlets. —Reuters

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Toy story:

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Taiwan town preserves Barbie legacy ore than two decades since the last Barbie rolled off the assembly line in Taiwan, nostalgic former factory workers are preserving her memory by tailoring exquisite dresses for the iconic doll. For these women, making the outfits is a labor of love, recalling the days when the plant run by US toymaker Mattel was a major employer in the northern town of Taishan, near capital Taipei.

Chou Su-chin smiles as she thinks about her first job. She left the island’s impoverished southern countryside to sign up at the factory when she was 18.

“I’d never seen anything as beautiful as Barbie. I loved the dolls so much,” the 59year-old said, adding with a hint of sadness: “I really miss my job.”

In its heyday the factory supported one in every three Taishan residents, and during the 1960s and 70s the community prospered as exports soared. The era coincided with Taiwan’s transformation from a rural society into a rich industrialized one.

Today, the Meining workshop set up by the former workers close to the original factory displays around 100 hand-sewn dresses modeled by Barbie dolls, for which the dressmakers have drawn inspiration from Taiwanese and Chinese culture.

The dresses, which are for sale, include a regal gown inspired by Wu Zetian, a woman who ruled China around 700 AD, as well as a range of outfits based on Taiwan’s five first ladies.

“For us, making a doll’s dress is like creating a piece of ar t, and it’s how we pay tribute to Taishan’s history as a Barbie-producing town,” said Ku Chai-ra, manager of the workshop.

“We were practically raised by Barbie and it has become a part of our lives. It’s a beautiful memory for all of us in Taishan,” said Ku, a former Mattel worker like her mother. The doll-sized wardrobes of clothes for Taiwan’s first ladies feature a suit for Wu Shu-chen, together with miniature jewelry and a wheelchair.

Wu, the disabled wife of former president Chen Shui-bian faces a life sentence for corruption, as does her husband, who ruled Taiwan from 2000 to 2008. Ku’s staff also made mini qipao, the figure-hugging Chinese dress, based on those worn in pictures by Soong Mei-ling, the elegant wife of late Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, who fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists in China.

“The five first ladies are from different eras and represent Taiwan’s history and its fashion trends,” Ku said. Many bridesto-be still come to the workshop to order miniature versions of their wedding gowns as souvenirs, she added. Mattel began producing Barbie in 1959, and immediately struck gold with a product that appealed to the daughters of middle-class families throughout the increasingly wealthy Western world.

Eight years later, Mattel opened the Taishan facility, one of its first factories in Asia, attracted to the island by its thencheap labor force and plastic manufacturing know-how. But the dolls were out of the price range of the workers who produced them. “Barbie was so precious at that time since it was for export only.

Besides, we couldn’t possibly afford a doll that cost more than our salary,” Chou said.

A Mattel worker earned 900 Taiwan dollars (28 US dollars at current exchange rates) a month in the late 1960s while a Barbie doll purchased in Japan cost around 1,200 Taiwan dollars. But 900 Taiwan dollars was only slightly below the average income at the time and for a teenage peasant girl it seemed a fortune, Chou said.

Like her, many Taishan residents spent the best years of their lives in the factory until it closed in 1987 when Mattel relocated its production lines to China and elsewhere because of cheaper labor and material costs. Many in Taishan now hope that their efforts to promote the town’s Barbie connection will encourage the company to open a museum or a flagship store there, Ku said. “It would be very meaningful as Taishan is practically a home town to Barbie,” she said. — AFP

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An employee prepares a Barbie doll’s hair at the workshop.

A woman admires Barbie dolls at the Meining workshop in Taishan, Taipei county.

— AFP

Karachi Fashion Week

Models t presen b ns y creatio stani Paki er design a Zarmin .

Khan

Creations

by Fayez Agariah.

Models present creations by Pakistani designer Faiza Samee on the last day of the Karachi Fashion Week on April 9, 2010. The event was scheduled to feature 52 designers, 49 of them from Pakistan and one each from Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates, in a follow-up to the first event held in Karachi last November. — AFP photos

Creations by Pakistani designer Ahmed Bilal.

www.kuwaittimes.net

Shroud of Turin goes on display for first time in decade he mysterious and controversial Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, went on public display yesterday for the first time in a decade. Some two million people are expected to view one of the most revered relics in Christendom-and among the most disputed-over the next six weeks in this northern Italian city. The city that is

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home to the Fiat auto giant has completed extensive preparations for the onslaught of visitors, notably in terms of security and crowd control.

A large area around Turin cathedral has been cordoned off and some 4,000 volunteers, many of them retired elite mountain warfare soldiers sporting the plumed felt caps of their corps, Gli Alpini (Alpines), were

This 2000 file photo shows the Holy Shroud, a 14 foot-long linen revered by some as the burial cloth of Jesus, displayed at the Cathedral of Turin, Italy. — AP photos

pressed into service. A nearby tent city offered ice cream and specialties of Turin’s Piedmont region, as well as emergency services. Special parking areas have been designated for coaches bringing pilgrims for their chance to spend a few minutes before the relic, framed by red drapery and backlit to provide the best possible view.

The Shroud of Turin, which was painstakingly restored in 2002, measures 4.4 by 1.1 meters (14.3 by 3.7 feet) and is said to have been imprinted with an image of Christ’s body, notably his face. It was discovered in the French city of Troyes, southeast of Paris, in the mid-14th century. The cloth became an overnight international sensation in 1898 after amateur photographer Secondo Pia obtained a negative image with far more striking features than those of the natural, sepia-colored positive.

No one has come up with a scientific explanation for the image, and no one has managed to replicate it. A section missing from the upper right-hand corner of the fabric was used for radiocarbon dating analysis in 1988, when samples were sent to four different labs.

The analysis determined that the fibers in the cloth date from the Middle Ages, sometime between 1260 and 1390, but those findings have in turn been challenged.

Normally visitors to the cathedral can only view a life-size reproduction of the relic, which last went on public display in 2000.

Daniela Kalatovic, 24, said she would make up her mind once she saw the relic with her own eyes. “I’m a scientist, so I have my doubts,” the Croatian chemistry stu-

Images of the Shroud of Turin on sale at the official bookshop of Turin’s cathedral yesterday in Turin are shown. dent told AFP. “I hope once I see it I’ll believe it, I hope it strikes me.” Andrea Francesco Morbini, 25, who works at a snack bar near the cathedral, said: “Lots of people have their doubts, but I am sure it is real.”

Mina Nicholosi, who was handing out leaflets advertising a nearby pizzeria, chose her words carefully, saying: “It’s a great opportunity for raising awareness, to deepen

our faith, despite the doubts.” In an allusion to the pedophilia scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church, she added: “At this point in history, when as everyone knows there are problems hurting the Church (the event) will provide a chance for everyone to take part in a great exchange, a great synergy.” Turin Archbishop Severino Poletto, for his part, took on the subject

more directly.

“The Church has always gone through painful times in the course of history,” Poletto said. “Those who point the finger at a few priests forget to say how much good the Church and its institutions have done for humanity throughout history.” In remarks quoted by the ANSA news agency, Poletto chided the media, saying the display of the

Shroud of Turin “can help make us all better people, even you journalists,” he chided reporters.

Pope Benedict XVI will pay homage to the shroud on May 2. Benedict said his visit would be “a propitious occasion to contemplate this mysterious visage that speaks silently to the heart of men, inviting them to recognize the face of God.” The Vatican has never pro-

nounced on the authenticity of the shroud. Local anarchists meanwhile are planning a “No Shroud Day” to coincide with the pope’s visit. The Shroud of Turin is no more than “Catholic propaganda,” organizer Maria Matteo told AFP, slamming Benedict for his positions on life issues such as euthanasia and abortion. “He is not welcome in our city,” she said. — AFP