9 Dec

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

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010

MOHARRAM 3, 1432 AH

Saudi ‘playing double game’ in Yemen

Benzema hat trick leads Real past Auxerre 4-0 in Champions League

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Special Forces storm oppn rally MPs injured; Mislem trial begins after immunity automatically lifted

KUWAIT: (Left to right) MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai, Obeid Al-Wasmi and MP Faisal Al-Mislem are seen as Special Forces stormed the opposition rally yesterday. — Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

By A Sharaa, B Izzak

Music-loving sultan makes vision reality MUSCAT: Oman’s music-loving Sultan Qaboos is building an Italian-style opera house, a temple dedicated to classical music that will be unique in the Arabian Peninsula. “It is a truly 16thcentury Italian opera,” Iman Hindawi, general director of the Royal Opera House in Muscat said in an interview on the sidelines of celebrations marking the sultan’s 40-year reign. Sitting in one of the offices on the construction site, Hindawi, a Jordanian who studied art direction in the United States, promised that the official opening in October 2011 would be a “world-class music event.”

Continued on Page 14

MUSCAT: Foreign workers are seen at the construction site of Oman’s Opera House, the first in the Arabian Peninsula. — AFP

KUWAIT: Many Kuwaitis including some MPs were treated in hospital for injuries yesterday as Special Forces cracked down on opposition rally, medics and witnesses said. The elite Special Forces used batons to beat up dozens of participants, who included at least six opposition MPs, at the outdoor rally in Sulaibkhat, 10 kilometers west of Kuwait City, witnesses said.

Medical sources said Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai and other MPs were taken to hospital for treatment of wounds and fractures caused by the beating. The rally was the second of a series of opposition protests against an alleged “government plot” to amend the 1962 constitution which made Kuwait the first Arab state in the Gulf to embrace parliamentary democracy.

After the police crackdown, 11 opposition lawmakers held an urgent meeting and decided to motion for the questioning of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, a senior member of the Al-Sabah ruling family. The rally which was organized at the diwan of MP Jamaan Al-Harbash was thrown into chaos as security forces stormed the place. The confrontation began when the MPs Ahmad Al-Saadoun, Abdelrahman AlAnjari and Marzouq Al-Ghanim were trying to enter Al-Harbash diwan. Policemen were trying to disperse the crowd using their batons and beating them.

One person was hit by a patrol car unintentionally. The interior ministry asked for more Special Forces units to go to the Al-Harbash diwan to control the situation. Several MPs were shocked because of the action of the police. “I told them I am a member of parliament, but they went ahead to beat me,” said Abdelrahman Al-Anjari. A masked policeman pushed MPs Marzouq Al-Ghanim and Continued on Page 14

83 perish in Chile prison SANTIAGO: A fire set off during a riot in a severely overcrowded prison killed at least 83 inmates yesterday and seriously injured at least 14 others, firefighters said.

Chileans nationwide could hear inmates screaming after a prisoner used an illegal cell phone to call state television for help. “The conditions that existed inside this prison are absolutely inhumane,” said Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who visited an emergency center where inmates were being treated for severe burns and smoke inhalation.

National prison police director Luis Masferrer said the blaze broke out at about 5:30 am at the San Miguel prison south of the capital, and it was brought under control three hours later.

Chile’s health minister, Jaime Manalich, called it an “enormous calamity,” “probably the worst in the history of our penitentiary system.”

Hundreds of anxious and angry relatives of inmates gathered in a chaotic scene outside the prison gates.

Some told state television Continued on Page 14

SANTIAGO: Relatives of inmates at the San Miguel prison react as they listen to the list of names of inmates who died in a fire in Santiago yesterday. — AP

Partying Saudi style: Elite, boozy, secret DUBAI: The DJ had the dance floor rocking. The bartender served up a special vodka punch.

The host was a prince - complete with his own entourage. An A-list LA party? Fashion week in Paris?

Try Saudi Arabia, home of roving

Islamic morality police enforcing the most austere codes in the Middle East. That’s the insider account by a US diplomat, whose night in the town in the Red Sea city of Jeddah (mission: to observe “social interaction” of rich Saudi

youth) was summarized in a confidential memo released yesterday

by WikiLeaks.

“The underground nightlife of Jeddah’s elite youth is thriving and throbbing,” the memo said.

Continued on Page 14

WikiLeaks sympathizers unleash cyber war Hackers target bank, credit card websites LONDON: WikiLeaks supporters apparently attacked the websites of the Swedish prosecutor and MasterCard in retaliation over moves made by them against Julian Assange, who has published secret US diplomatic cables that have angered and embarrassed Washington. The Swedish prosecution authority, whose arrest order for Assange over accusations of sexual offences led a British court to remand the 39-year-old WikiLeaks website founder in custody,

said it had reported the online attack to police.

“Of course, it’s easy to think it has a connection with WikiLeaks but we can’t confirm that,” prosecution authority web editor Fredrik Berg told Reuters Television. Assange supporters also went for the corporate website of credit card firm MasterCard in apparent retaliation for its blocking of donations to the WikiLeaks website.

“We are glad to tell you that

http://www.mastercard.com/ is down and it’s confirmed!” said an entry on the Twitter feed of a group calling itself AnonOps, which says it fights against censorship and “copywrong”.

“MasterCard is experiencing heavy traffic on its external corporate website MasterCard.com - but this remains accessible,” MasterCard said in a statement, adding consumer card transactions were not affected. Assange spent the night in a British jail and will appear for a hearing

on Dec 14.

Assange, who has lived periodically in Sweden, was accused this year of sexual misconduct by two female Swedish WikiLeaks volunteers. The pair’s lawyer said their claims were not a politically motivated plot against Assange. “It has nothing to do with WikiLeaks or the CIA,” said lawyer Claes Borgstrom, whose website also came under cyber attack, according to officials. Assange has angered US authorities and triggered

headlines worldwide by publishing the secret cables.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said the people who originally leaked the documents, not Assange, were legally liable and the leaks raised questions over the “adequacy” of US security.

“Mr Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorized release of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications network,” Rudd said in an interview. “The Americans are responsi-

ble for that,” said Rudd, who had been described in one leaked US cable as a “control freak”.

WikiLeaks vowed it would continue making public details of the confidential US cables. Only a fraction of them have been published so far. Assange has become the public face of WikiLeaks, hailed by supporters including campaigning Australian journalist John Pilger and British film maker Ken Loach as a Continued on Page 14

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Microsoft, KU sign agreement on group office software Students offered special rates

By Islam Al-Sharaa KUWAIT: As a demonstration of its continuing commitment to improving the qualit y of education and strengthening the learning c apacit y of Kuwait University’s students in order t o help them be more creative and use the latest IT solutions , M icr osoft Kuwait yesterday signed an agreement wit h the university, which will see KU st udents offered special rat es for its group office software, ‘Micr osoft Office Professiona l Plus 2010.’

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday at Bayan Palace, Chairman of the International Islamic Charitable Organization, Dr Abdullah Maatouq Al-Maatouq, and Chairman of the International Al-Nasrah Organization Dr Yousif Abdullah Al-Qarthawi, and members of the organization.

Inmates’ details prepared KUWAIT: The General Department of Rehabilitation Institutions has begun preparing the records of almost 1,000 inmates in Kuwaiti jails to select those who meet the necessary conditions for inclusion on the list of prisoners to be pardoned in the 2011 Amiri amnesty.

Work on preparing the names suggested for inclusion in next year’s amnesty is more

intensive than usual, given that the date for the amnesty’s announcement has been brought forward to February, to coincide with the national celebrations of the fiftieth and thirtieth anniversaries of independence and liberation from the Iraqi invasion respectively, rather than following its usual timing in June or July.

Those pardoned by the amnesty may see their jail

terms halved, while others could be released immediately after it is approved, reported Al-Rai. Amnesty can also be extended to citizens in debt to state bodies, in addition to expatriates sentenced to deportation. Those convicted of offences such as murder and drug or terrorism-related crimes, however, are not eligible for inclusion.

The American software giant said that this version, the latest Microsoft Office package for enhancing creativity and business, is expected to contribute significantly to the way in which students use technology in the classroom.

The agreement was signed in the presence of the Secretary-General of Kuwait University Dr Anwar Alyatama, the General Manager of Microsoft Kuwait Ehab Mustafa and Ahmed Al-Athari, the CEO of the Arabesque Group, which is acting as an implementation partner in the agreement.

Speaking at a press conference held yesterday morning to announce the agreement, Prof Alyatama said, “The signing of the agreement is in line with the framework of many of the programs implemented by the university with various bodies and international companies in order to upgrade the level of education at the university and give us the opportunity to use the latest software solutions technologies at a reasonable price for students. As the nucleus of the future, students need to have every opportunity to use technology so that they have the desired edge in a competitive labor market. “ In his speech at the press conference, Ehab Mustafa explained, “At Microsoft, we believe that education is the most important investment to ensure a better future for individuals, communities and nations and the world as a whole.

The signing of this agreement, represents a continuation of our commitment to cooperate with leading academic institutions like Kuwait University to contribute to economic and social development and advance efforts to build a knowledge based society.

We commend the efforts of Kuwait University for its role in strengthening the learning environment for students through the latest IT solutions and teaching methods, and we look forward to signing similar partnership agree-

ments with other educational institutions in the country.”

Al-Athari was also upbeat, saying, “As a group Arabesque was one of the first companies in Kuwait to focus on technology in the education sector. We are pleased today to be partners of the University of Kuwait in this leading agreement which provide students with the latest package of programs for a nominal fee on campus and saves them time in getting their copy of Office 2010 Professional.”

Earlier this year, Microsoft launched a variety of additional educational programs (Education Add-ins), designed specifically to enhance faculty members’ ability to raise the level of student interaction during lessons and their involvement in the educational process, in addition to online measurements for students related to their classroom studies. With the help of these programs and with only a little training or support, teachers can create lessons using multimedia.

Microsoft Office is currently used by 93 percent of educational institutions across the world, contributing to teachers’ ability to deliver information to students and to motivate them and help them to innovate and succeed.

This new agreement will be critical in enhancing the efficiency and skills of KU students in the use of various articles of Microsoft software, and a critical asset for students moving into the labor market, especially given the ever-increasing levels of competition among graduates, with preference being given to those who understand how to use and adapt to modern technology in their work.

Kuwait University is also in the process of introducing a ‘home use’ program as part of its agreement with Microsoft to allow faculty members and other staff to enjoy similar benefits from using the desktop ‘Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010’ software.

KUWAIT: Dr Anwar Alyatama, the Secretary-General of uwait University (left), shakes hand with CEO of Arabesque Group Ahmed Al-Athari, after signing the agreement.

KUWAIT: Eng Ehab Mustafa General Manager, Microsoft Kuwait (second left) Dr Anwar Alyatama, the Secretary-General of Kuwait University, (4th left) and Ahmed Al-Athari, CEO of Arabesque Group (5th left) with other official from Kuwait University and Microsoft. — Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

Kuwait set to join UNRWA Advisory Commission BRUSSELS: Due to its generous contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), Kuwait is set to join the agency’s Advisory Commission soon, according to URNWA CommissionerGeneral Filippo Grandi.

“Kuwait is in an interesting position. Last year they made a very large contribution to the emergency in Gaza. It was the Amir himself who donated $34 million,” Grandi said.

“They have now reached to a sufficient contribution to be admitted to the Advisory Commission of UNRWA,” he said explaining that this is a small group of 23 countries that advise the UNRWA Commissioner-General in managing the agency.

“It is not UNRWA who appoints the members. It is the General Assembly of the UN. There is a process that has already started to admit Kuwait into this forum,” said the UNRWA chief noting that he hopes the process will be completed by next June.

“This will be very important for us because that will mean that Kuwait will be closer to us.

This is very good and I hope they will keep up the pace of being generous,” said Grandi, an Italian who was appointed to head UNRWA in January 2010.

There is only one Arab donor which is the member of the Commission which is Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will be the second Arab donor to join it.

There are other Arab countries which host Palestinian refugees like Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt which are members of the Commission.

The UNRWA chief said he was invited to Brussels by the European Commission and the Belgian government to participate in an international conference on development.

Commenting on the easing of the Israeli blockade on Gaza last June, Grandi said it had some positive impact with more goods in the market and the shrinking of the tunnel economy. — KUNA

Thursday, December 9, 2010

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Corruption in public sector increasing KUWAIT: The prevalence of officials abusing their position for personal gain, profiteering and similar practices has led to steep increases in levels of corruption and the squandering of public funds in some state bodies, according to a senior Ministry of Finance (MoF) official.

Hamad Al-Thafiqi, the senior financial supervisor with the ministry, told Al-Qabas that a significant number of civil servants have become very rich soon after being appointed to senior posts, raising suspicions of how they came about their wealth, as well as underlining the importance of protecting public funds.

Emphasizing the importance of taking the necessary steps to combat corruption in order to prevent officials from being able to abuse their positions, AlThafiqi, who is also the head of the Ministry of Public Works’ (MPW) supervisory department, also revealed that several senior civil servants have been caught out blatantly disregarding instructions from their superiors. The senior official suggested that this had taken place due to a scarcity of regulations governing financial monitoring in the public sector.

“Some officials act as if they are above the law when they abuse their positions to make illegal personal gains,” said AlThafiqi, insisting that preventative regulations to combat this problem must be introduced.

“The lack of regulations has led to an increase in the number of financial and administrative violations in public sector bodies, along with squandering of public funds”.

The senior finance ministry official also stated that cooperation between the heads of MoF departments helps in preventing errors from taking place.

In another development, the head of the parliamentary petitions and complaints committee on Tuesday urged citizens with grievances they wish to raise concerning officials to submit their complaints against ministries and other bodies to the committee as soon as possible.

Committee chairman MP Khalid Al-Adwa told Al-Qabas that the committee would ensure that it examined each grievance carefully, and work to find the best solutions through discussing the issues raised with governmental officials. He stressed, however, that the committeeís work is restricted to reviewing complaints con-

Zakat House donates KD 2.7m KUWAIT: Zakat House (the Alms House) announced yesterday that it granted KD 2.7 million as financial aid to 5,332 needy families and offered heath collateral and insurance to 268 families in October.

Director of Social Services Department Muhammad AlOtaibi said in a press release that Zakat House spent KD 1.6 million worth of aid cuts beneficial to 492 families.

It also spent monthly financial assistance of KD 10,700 to

242 families as well as offering a KD 28,400 of non-interest bearing loans to 166 families, he added.

He said that the Healthcare Charity Fund for the needy gave health collateral services to bedoon families and health insurance to 267 non-Kuwaiti families, with a total of 1,270 individual. He also added that the total number of bedoon families benefited for the health collateral system is 189, including 1,117 individual. — KUNA

cerning only the state, rather than the private sector.

The lawmaker also urged the cabinet to ensure that the necessary environmental projects are carried out as part of the program of rehabilitation program for which compensation payments have been received from Iraq via the United Nations to repair the damage done during the 1990-91 invasion and occu-

pation. Al-Adwa was speaking after the parliamentary environment committee expressed concern that Kuwait might lose its right to claim the remaining compensation payments if the government fails to start work on the projects within the stipulated period. To date, Kuwait has received KD2.2 billion of the KD3 billion assigned by the UN in compensation.

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

kuwait digest

A journey of suffering

By Khalifa Al-Khurafi

H

ussain is a family man who decided to leave his overpopulated Asian country in order to seek a better job opportunity elsewhere so that he could better provide for his family. Being the devout Muslim that he is, Hussain is keen on looking for a job in a Muslim country where he can share his values with a community.

Soon enough, Hussain is able to find a job in Kuwait through a middleman but is informed that he has to pay an amount of money to the person that is going to sponsor him in Kuwait.

Not having enough money at the time, Hussain is left with no other option but to sell his mother and sister’s jewelry in order to guarantee that he reaches Kuwait.

Before leaving, Hussain assures his family that he will send them money as soon as he receives his first paycheck. However, all of Hussain’s hopes are crushed when he learns that his sponsor’s business is illegal residency trade. He is forced to hide from police looking for residency law violators.

The kafeel (sponsor) is a heavy drinker and blackmail’s Hussain, forcing him to pay him money in order to renew his residency or else he will file an absconding case against him.

Afraid of being deported and running out of options, Hussain works as hard as he can to provide his sponsor with the money he asks for to renew his residency. Eventually Hussain runs out of money because his monthly salary is too low. He tries to explain to his sponsor how hard it is to get the money he asks for and begs him not to report him to the police.

The kafeel isn’t convinced and calls the police. He tells them that Hussain has absconded from his workplace and provides them with his place of residence. Hussain is taken into custody.

Hussain is locked up by police for a month and his sponsor refuses to pay for his plane ticket home. Someone eventually volunteers to pay for his ticket home but he has to remain in prison for another month but is finally deported following the end of the Eid Al-Adha holiday.

Similar stories have happened many times here in Kuwait because our country does not have a judicial system that protects the rights of laborers. Hussain returned home empty handed following several years of mistreatment and agony in Kuwait. This was allowed to happen because sponsors here are not properly supervised or held accountable.

— Al-Qabas

Nicole Collins and her children Greyson and Sophia.

KUWAIT: A Nova Scotia Balsam fir plantation

Christmas trees in Kuwait

Real or fake, the choice is yours

By Wendy Clayton

KUWAIT: The 5th course on ‘The art of dealing with the public,’ held from Nov 28 to Dec 5, came to a close. The event was held under the patronage of the Assistant Undersecretary for Training Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Sabah and in the presence of Brig Mohammad Amer Al-Ajmi and the Director of Training Institute Col Waleed Jassem Al-Toura.

Seven attackers in custody KUWAIT: Police are continuing with their efforts to uncover the identities of all those involved in the brutal assault on former parliamentary candidate Mohammad Al-Juwaihel last Saturday.

Seven of the attackers have already been positively identified from the 13 individuals arrested to date, with three of these already signing official confessions while the remaining four are expected to admit their part in the assault shortly after being shown the evidence against them.

The seven have reportedly named a number of prominent Kuwaiti figures, including the secre-

taries of MPs Faisal Al-Mislem, Khalid Al-Tahous and Ali Al-Deqbasi, and a columnist at a local newspaper.

The number of those arrested in connection with the attack is expected to increase as those already in custody over the incident attempt to bargain their way to a reduction in the sentences against them.

One security insider told Al-Shahed that the Minister of Interior has already rejected a number of attempted interventions from a number of MPs trying to secure the accused men’s release.

KUWAIT: No matter what religion or culture you hail from, there always seems to be an overlap of traditions ebbing and flowing around the festive season every December. When it comes to selecting a Christmas tree a number of factors come into the decision on whether to have a real tree or an artificial one.

Each culture has its traditions such as Austria, where Christmas trees are usually erected and decorated on the evening of Dec 24. In Australia, although it’s the norm to have an artificial tree, recent years have seen an increase in the numbers of real trees being used instead.

Even in Kuwait, however, you still have a choice between real or artificial.

American resident Nicole Collins has plumped for the experiencing the joy a real Christmas tree brings to the living room. After living and working here for the last five years, Collins said it was

Women committee participates in meeting of high commission KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti delegation will participate in the sixth Kuwait-Bahrain higher committee meeting, Kuwaiti Women’s Committee Chairperson, Sheikha Latifa Al-Fahad AlSalem Al-Sabah, said yesterday.

The meeting will be held in Manama on Dec 11 and 12, under the chairmanship of the Bahraini and Kuwaiti foreign ministers, she added.

The aim of the meeting is continuation of the work of the former fifth meeting held in Kuwait last year, she noted.

Sheikha Latifa explained that the decisions and recommendations would seek to realize the views and aspirations of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa concerning the bolstering of outstanding relations between the two countries.

The results, agreements, and outcome of the meeting will support cooperation and have major impact on the strong bonds between the two countries.

The meeting’s agenda includes items on cooperation in political, economic and trade areas, she added. Sheikha Latifa said that Adviser at the Fatwa and Legislation Authority Huda Al-Shayji will participate in the delegation as a representative of the Women Affairs Committee. —KUNA

time to have a real tree again.

“We love our life here,” she told the Kuwait Times. “My family remembers how the house came alive with the smells of the season and we wanted to experience that here too.” So, for this reason, Collins and a Kuwaiti partner set about arranging for a specially humidity-controlled shipping container to transport over 300 Balsam fir trees from Nova Scotia to Kuwait.

Collins said that although the shipping container is almost here, preorders for the trees on her website have been slow. “It’s mainly been word of mouth or emails to people I know who have then forwarded them on to others,” she explained. From Friday Dec 10, people can order their fresh Christmas tree directly from Collins who will be present at the Christmas Tree-lighting celebrations at the Movenpick hotel in Shuwaikh.

“Christmas without a real Christmas tree is not Christmas,” said Brigitte from Austria. “You either have the real

Livonia, which is present-day Estonia and Latvia. Later into the 16th century it became popular in Northern Germany.

In the early 19th century it took hold in Britain following the personal union with Hanover by George III’s Queen Charlotte of Macklenburg-Strelitz.

Although introduced earlier it was not until 1860 that it became common in America to put up a Christmas tree.

It is not just about the trees either, says Collins, who is donating KD3 from every tree sold to charity. She is supporting two charities: PAWS and the Kuwait Saracens Youth Rugby. Those purchasing their tree can nominate the charity they wish to support.

Collins is also offering Kuwait schools and other charities a donation of KD3 per tree if they would like to use the Christmas trees as a fundraising opportunity.

All those interested in finding out more can contact Collins on 90091103 or visit the website at www.christmastreesinkuwait.com

thing or nothing at all. As I am not sure if I’m travelling or not I actually don’t have a tree yet.”

Not everyone shares these sentiments, however, with some insisting that cutting down a beautiful tree just to have it as a decorative item for a few weeks before it dies is a waste.

Others, meanwhile, just don’t want the mess a real fir tree leaves behind.

“I would love to have a real tree,” said Katrin from Germany. “But my husband doesn’t like to have the mess of pine needles on the floor. So we compromise; next year it is my turn to have a real tree.”

Gail has German and British roots and prefers to have the real deal. “The smell of a real tree is wonderful. It’s just not the same having a plastic one,” she insisted. Until she heard about Collins’ venture she was arranging to have a prefabricated tree made out of branches.

The history of the Christmas Tree can be traced back to 15th century

Drunk Asian in police custody KUWAIT: Hawally police arrested an Asian man for being intoxicated and in possession of alcohol, reported Al-Watan. The man was approached as soon as he was spotted by police and when searched a bottle of homemade liquor was found in his possession. He was referred to the proper authorities.

Wild party Police raided a campsite near Abdulla Port after receiving several complaints from nearby campers and arrested seven people, reported AlWatan. They were arrested after it was discovered that they were homosexuals and were referred to the proper authorities.

Domestic dispute A citizen was arrested after he tried to attack his wife for driving a motorcycle, reported Al-Watan. The couple was camping with other family members in Al-Julaiah, when the husband expressed that he was not happy with the fact that his wife was driving a motorcycle. He got into his car and fol-

lowed his wife with the intention of hitting her with his vehicle. Police responded to the incident when family members placed an emergency call and arrested the husband.

Hit-and-run A senior citizen was rushed to Jahra Hospital after she was struck by a car in Waha, reported Al-Watan. The woman, who is in her 60s, was struck by a speeding car while trying to cross the road. Paramedics responded to the emergency and brought her to the hospital.

Authorities launched an investigation in pursuit of the runaway driver.

Gang busted Sulaibiya investigators arrested a gang of bedoon residents for using forged civil IDs to take loans and purchase cell phone lines, reported Al-Watan.

After an investigation revealed that the group was responsible for several illegal activities, police arrested two of the gang members and found them in possession of several forged IDs. Police are still searching

for the other thieves.

Suicide An Asian woman committed suicide inside her sponsor’s home in Sabah Al-Nasser where she worked as a maid. The woman killed herself while the family was out of the house.

They returned home to find the woman hanging from a rope attached to a ceiling fan.

Failed kidnapping A maid was assaulted by five thugs who failed to kidnap her in Taima, reported Al-Rai. According to authorities the incident occurred while the woman was on her way to make a phone call to her family back home when she was stopped by five individuals who tried to convince her to get in the car with them. The men then attempted to kidnap her but were unable to because she resisted their assault. The victim’s sponsor filed a case with authorities as soon as he learned about the incident.

Rape case A man filed a case with

authorities at the Hawally police station and accused a man of raping his maid, reported AlRai. According to the man’s report, the 18-year-old suspect entered his sister’s home where the maid was left alone and sexually assaulted her. Police are looking for the suspect.

Drug overdose A man was pronounced dead as a result of a drug overdose at Mubarak Hospital after he was dropped off by an unidentified group of people, reported AlAnba. The group left the man in the hospital in a wheelchair and fled the scene. When hospital staff discovered that the man was dead they contacted police.

An investigation was launched to determine the identity of the victim and those who dropped him off.

Fatal accident A 34-year-old citizen died in a car accident on Sixth Ring Road in front of the Jahra stables, reported Al-Anba.

Paramedics responded to the incident and pronounced the man dead upon their arrival.

MAIA conducting evaluation of imams performance KUWAIT: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (MAIA) is reportedly working on reevaluating a number of its imams to assess their performance level after a number of people complained that they aren’t doing their jobs as effectively as they are required to.

The MAIA is also seeking to recruit more imams and muezzins (prayer callers) in the future from Egypt, mainly graduates of Al-Azhar University of Religious Studies, reported Al-Rai. The move comes as part of a program introduced by the ministry to strengthen the performance of the country’s imams, including training courses.

KUWAIT: The visiting delegation listens to a lecture given by NBK’s economic researches department manager Dr Elias Bakh’azi.

NBK welcomes Australian delegation KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait yesterday welcomed a high-level visiting delegation of senior Australian officials to its headquarters.

The delegation consisted of former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, former finance minister Peter Costello

and the Australian Ambassador to Kuwait Glenn Miles, along with senior officials from the Australian Gulf Council (AGC).

During the meeting, the delegates and NBK officials discussed means of enhancing commercial and investment-related

cooperation, as well as talking about the current situation and the potential for growth in the Kuwaiti economy.

The bank officials also gave a detailed presentation on Kuwait’s development plan and its long-term strategy up till 2035.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

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Cabinet accused of using underhand tactics

Anti-govt coalition split on next move in Parliament KUWAIT: Dissent over their next move is reportedly a lrea dy crea ting division a mong the coa lition of MPs w ho formed a n a llia nce to take joint action over the request to retract the pa rliamenta ry immunity of fellow legislator Faisa l Al-Mislem. After the Public Prosecution Service submitted a n appea l to remove the MP’s parliamentary immunity in order for him to face charges

KUWAIT: Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr Moudhi AlHomoud inaugurating the Abdul Aziz Al-Sarawi Public Library in Khaldiya yesterday.

New projects at Khairan KUWAIT: The Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC)’s Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, Khaled Abdullah Al-Ghanim said that the Khairan Resort area would be divided into different uses including hotels, chalets and motels, reported Al-Watan.

Al-Ghanim added that the new projects would include a new commercial area with shopping malls, stores, showrooms and a conference hall.

He noted that marine services would include a marina for yachts, equipment stores, maintenance centers, workshops, multi-floor towed boat parking and swimming and diving training centers.

The new projects would include some touristic and recreational services including an amusement park, restaurants, cafes, swimming pools and various indoor and outdoor locations for sport activities.

The MPs insisted that the PPS’ request was unconstitutional, asserting that, according to the Kuwaiti constitution, MPs’ conduct is subject to special protection while they are in the parliamentary chamber. The coalition’s efforts to have the request overturned, however, were frustrated last week when a lack of quorum meant they were unable to debate the issue on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

The same fate befell their subsequent attempt to discuss the issue during this Monday’s parliamentary session. With the MPs fast running out of time, since AlMislem’s parliamentary immunity will be lifted automatically under Kuwaiti law a month after the request to do so is filed unless they can have it overturned by parliament, the MPs are now wondering what they can do next.

The anti-government MPs are accusing the cabinet of using underhand tactics, alleging that it has called on supporters in the parliament not to attend the sessions in order to prevent the issue from being debated, even though the cabinet spokesman and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Mohammad Al-Busairi attended all the sessions, providing sufficient government representation for the issue to be debated and voted on if enough MPs had also been present.

It seems that members of the various factions involved in the coalition are now struggling to agree on what would be the best course of action for them to take next. One possible option put forward by members of the Reform and Development Bloc (RDB) and the Public Action Bloc (PAB), which are both strongly represented in the coalition, is to file a new interpolation motion against HH the Prime Minister, but other coalition members are strongly opposed to this idea, feeling that it would be unhelpful since the gov-

ernment already has majority support in parliament. Regardless of this opposition, however, two blocs may go ahead with the grilling proposal independently, after holding rallies and other events to gain public support in order to pressurize other, pro-government MPs into changing their stance.

filed by a local bank over a copy of a personal cheque from the account of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sa ba h w hich he controversia lly displayed during the premier’s pa rliamentary interpella tion, the MPs formed an allia nce to fight the a ppeal, calling it the ‘Anything But The Constitution’ coa lition.

Members of the National Action Bloc (NAB), which is also represented in the coalition, favor a different strategy, however, proposing that discussion of the request to lift Al-Mislem’s immunity be discussed at the next parliamentary session. Many parliamentarians have spoken out against this

approach, however, warning that doing so could put the anti-government MPs on a direct collision course with their parliamentary opponents whose absence during the last three sessions called to discuss the issue led to the sessions being abandoned for lack of quorum. One parliamentary insider,

speaking on condition of anonymity, said that this conflict could occur in the form of “confronting antigovernment MPs who are accused of breaking the law by making to parliament through holding [illegal] by-elections, as well as adopting a negative stance on issues concerning public freedoms.” —Agencies

NATIONAL

6

One dead, three injured in car accidents

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Omar Babelgheith addressing the press conference.

KUWAIT: A 28-year-old Kuwaiti man died instantly when he sustained severe head injuries in a car crash in Kabad.

His body was removed for autopsy.

In a separate incident, a 55year-old Syrian man suffered a heart attack following a car accident on Sixth Ring Road. He was rushed to Farwaniya Hospital.

In a third case, a 19-year-old Omani man was taken to Adan Hospital after suffering head injuries when he was hit by a car on the Fahaheel coastal road near Al-Kout Mall.

Meanwhile, a 51-year-old Lebanese man sustained fractures to bones in his right hand in a crash on the Fifth Ring Road, complaining afterwards of chest pains. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital.

Teenage suicide A 17-year-old Kuwaiti boy committed suicide by hanging himself at his family’s home in Hawally. Although paramedics were quickly at the scene, cutting down the young man and rushing him to Mubarak Hospital, doctors there pronounced him dead on arrival.

Police are interviewing family members to determine the reasons behind the young man’s suicide.

KUWAIT: A group of Yemeni dancers at the function.

Boat mishap A 43-year-old Kuwaiti man was taken to Mubarak Hospital after complaining of back pain following a boat accident in the waters off Al-Shaab.

Pensioner punch-up A 63-year-old Lebanese man suffered a broken right leg in a fight in Hawally. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital.

Major pollution problems at Doha Beach KUWAIT: Yemen band with Omar Babelgheith. — Photos by Yasser AlZayyat

Yemen launches investment programmes to boost tourism KUWAIT: The Yemen Tourism and Promotion Board (YTPB) continues to develop its tourism infrastructure and has announced a series of investment programmes designed to increase visitors in the country next year. According to Omar Babelgheith, Deputy Minister for Tourism Development, Yemen Ministry of Tourism, the Yemeni Government places great importance on the development of the tourism sector and its role as a key contributor to the country’s economic and social development, bringing new job and business opportunities over the next decade.

Six new 5-star hotels were opened in the port city of Aden for the 20th Arabian Gulf Cup, which began from Nov 22 until Dec 5. A total of 814 new hotel rooms along with a range of other facilities such as restaurants, were completed to host the hundreds of national football team delegations and supporters who came in to the country for the championship.

According to YTPB, the number of new rooms made available more than doubled the required rooms for one of the biggest sporting events the country has staged in many years. Among the new hotels launched were the Palace Hotel, Aden Hotel, Millennium Hotel, Mercur Hotel, Sunshine Hotel and Venetia Hotel.

In addition, more than a hundred other lodgings were also completed, ranging from guest houses through to furnished apartments, all of which have added important tourist capacity to the city.

“The Gulf Cup was an important showcase for Yemen, not just from a sporting standpoint but also from a tourism perspective,” said Babelgheith. “We have been delighted to welcome large contingents of supporters from our

neighbouring Gulf states, who form the largest demographic of all tourist and business visitors to our country and we hope on their return home, they will extol the virtues of Aden as a unique tourist destination.

“President Ali Abdullah Saleh recently revealed that more than YR120 billion had been invested in the Gulf Cup and the organising committee for the tournament has lavished praise on the Yemen government for ensuring that all technical, organisational, training facilities, stadiums accommodation as well as security, went on smoothly during the entire duration of the tournament,” he added.

The projects in Aden form part of a bigger tourism development plan which earlier this year saw YTPB announce a billion-dollar investment programme with six major projects now underway along the Yemeni coast. Scheduled for completion in five years’ time, the modern, five star, self-contained resort complexes will significantly boost Yemen’s ambition to become a top global destination.

The projects include Midi coast project in Haja province Doyma Island; Al Mark Island in Al Hudaida, which are both located on the Red Sea. In addition, there will be projects on the Indian Ocean, one on Ras Al Araa-Khour Omira coast in Lahj province near Aden; Dabdab coast in Hadramout province; and Jasolit coast in Al Muhra province.

Yemen is an open museum with unique culture and rich heritage. Its natural scenery and sanctuaries have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites including its very own ‘Galapagos’ - the island of Socotra. Yemen is ‘one country with many destinations’.

KUWAIT: The coastal area in Doha between the chalets district and Jahra bird reserve has been hit by several environmental problems that seriously endanger the local marine environment.

Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) planning department officials who conducted a recent tour of the area noted that a number of violations, including illegal waste dumping, have obstructed water currents and the flow from the sewage outlet in the chalet district, causing a buildup of pollutants. “Some points along the beach were filled with sand that negatively affected the movement of currents,” EPA division manager Samira Al-Kandari told Al-Qabas, asserting that the Kuwait Municipality’s failure to monitor pollution in the area is largely responsible for the problem. The EPA officials’ visit was part of a program by the authority to include the area in the major development project planned for a 2.42 million square meter area of the Kuwaiti coastal region as part of the government’s long-term development plan.

No intention to suspend Failaka KUWAIT: Operations Manager at Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC), pilot Jassim Al-Anjeri denied having any intention to suspend the Failaka, a plane that has experienced three emergency landings recently, reported Al-Watan. The pilot stressed that the plane was still operating at full capacity and that what happened recently was only the result of occasional inconsistencies that could happen to any plane.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Important business partner

KCCI hosts UK trade mission to Kuwait

By Nawara Fattahova KUW AIT: The historical economic and socia l relationship betw een Kuw ait and the United Kingdom goes back severa l years. The exchange betw een the tw o countries in many fields is w ell rega rded, especia lly in education.

There are many English schools in Kuw ait a nd thousands

of Kuw aiti students study a broad in British universities.

Yesterda y the Kuw a it Cha m ber of Comm erce a nd Industry (KCCI) hosted the UK Educa tion and Training Trade Mission to Kuw a it. Abdul W aha b Al-Wazza n, the Second Vice Chairman of KCCI, w elcomed the UK Tra de Mission to the Chamber and w ished them a successful business trip to Kuw a it.

“The United Kingdom is one of Kuwait’s most important trade partners, ranked 10th among the exporting countries to Kuwait and 17th amongst countries importing from Kuwait,” Al-Wazzan said in his speech. “These numbers exclude crude oil and its byproducts and if they were added the ranking certainly would be much higher.”

The State of Kuwait enjoys a stable political system, democratic freedoms, independent judicial authority, up-todate banking and investment sectors and recently Kuwait has launched an ambitious development plan agreed on by the legislative authority and adopted by the government.

“This plan will cost around USD 100 billion and includes establishing new cities and ports, rehabilitations of Kuwait’s islands, improving oil fields, telecommunication and transportation sectors and establishing a new power plant,” Al-Wazzan added.

Regarding Kuwait’s educational status, it was ranked 31st on the Human Development Index Report of 2009 by UNESCO, the highest of all Arab countries.

“Statistics show that by the end of 2006, 13 percent of all public expenditure was spent on education. Kuwait is striving to improve the quality of its education on all levels and for

Al-Wazzan.

“The Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry is ready to extend its full cooperation towards further promoting trade relations between our two friendly countries,” he concluded.

Simon Bedford, Regional International Trade Advisor of UK Trade and Investment, highlighted Kuwait’s contributions. “Kuwait’s oil and gas, financial services, universities, and other companies provide

KUWAIT: Abdul Wahab Al-Wazzan addressing the meeting at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday. — Photo by Joseph Shagra all ages,” he continued “There are four state-supported higher education institutions in Kuwait; Kuwait University, the College of Basic Education in Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, the Higher Institute for Theater Arts, and the Higher Institute of Music Arts. Additionally there are a number of postsecondary institutions that are approved by the Ministry of Higher Education,” explained

project management training and can offer courses if required. We also provide high quality training. The purpose of our visit is to better understand the requirements in Kuwait, to learn and to share experience,” said Belford.

The members of the British delegation gave a presentation on the institutes and companies they represent and highlighted their services. A question and answer session was held at the end of the event.

HO CHI MINH CITY: Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah and Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan sign the agreement.

Ahmadi, Ho Chi Minh sign agreement KUWAIT: Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah expressed his satisfaction yesterday at signing a Memo of Understanding between the Governorate of Ahmadi and Ho Chi Minh City, which it is hoped will provide a stronger impetus and framework for interaction and exchange in all fields.

Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Duaij was speaking during the grand ceremony in which he signed the MoU, along with the Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan.

The Ahmadi Governor said the agreement is testimony to the eagerness of the leadership in both countries to strengthen relations in the cultural, social, economic and trade-related fields. He stressed that both cities, are vital to the industries and economies of the respective countries, adding that it is hoped that the visit and offi-

cial meetings will meet some of the expectations of the two peoples.

On his meeting with Le Hoang Quan, the governor said it was a chance to review the development and investment plans of Ho Chi Minh City and to encourage more cooperation and interaction in these two areas.

The MoU specifically addresses cooperation in the fields of cultural exchange, trade, investment, education, the environment, scientific research and advancement, and technology.

He revealed that ways of building on the results of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah’s 2007 visit to Vietnam were also discussed during the meeting, as well as ways of benefiting from the visit to Kuwait by the Vietnamese Premier in March 2009.

Kuwait’s relationship with Ho Chi Minh City has additional significance since Kuwait

is the only Middle Eastern country with representation here, and thus the ties serve as spring board to relations with the region in general.

The Ahmadi Governor noted that there has been a marked growth in relations between the two countries since 1976, when the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development launched the first of its cooperative ventures with Vietnam in infrastructure and development projects.

Vietnam’s successful leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2010 will contribute to accelerating the development of relations between the ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, the governor added.

The Ho Chi Minh governor meanwhile stressed the MoU would help to boost relations in all fields between the two friendly nations.

Wataniya Telecom launches Rumah service KUWAIT: Expats from all over the world come to Kuwait to find a livelihood and they are always looking for effective and affordable ways to keep in touch with their loved ones back home. Wataniya, the leading telecom operator in Kuwait together with Indosat Satellite Corporation has launched its latest project, the Rumah Service, in Indonesia Rumah means home. The service is aimed at the Indonesian community living or migrating to Kuwait. The Rumah service is a package deal for Wataniya’s prepaid customers containing three types of services: Discounted international SMS, discounted credit transfers and news and celebrity updates from Indonesia.

Commenting on the launch of the service, Abdul Aziz Al-Balool, the PR Manager of Wataniya Telecom said, “Wataniya has a growing base of customers that come from

different walks of life, they all have different expectations and needs. At Wataniya we believe in creating products that are relevant to our customer’s needs. The Rumah service tailored for the Indonesian community is one example and we’ll continue to create innovative services that will address specific needs of our diverse customer base.”

Indosat and Wataniya are sister companies and they have combined their resources to offer exclusive benefits to Wataniya’s Indonesian customers. This service gives customers a 10% discount on all international SMS sent to any number on the Indosat network and they also get 8% discount on credit transfers to Indonesia. Furthermore this exclusive package includes SMS updates of the latest news and celebrity gossip from Indonesia. Customers can choose one of the three options: Rumah Berita to

receive Indonesian news updates on daily basis, Rumah Selebriti for celebrity gossip about their favorite Indonesian stars or Rumah KU for both. Rumah Berita and Rumah Selebriti are available for a monthly subscription fee of KD 1 and subscription to Rumah KU costs KD 2 per month.

Customers can join this service by simply typing their preferred service name (Berita, Selebriti or KU) in an SMS and sending it to 1929.

Wataniya Telecom, yet again, through this service focuses on serving the different expat communities in Kuwait who are a crucial part of Wataniya’s and Kuwait’s success.

The RUMAH service is an innovative package that enables the Indonesian community to stay in touch with family and friends at incredibly affordable rates while being away from home.

Abdul Aziz Al-Balool

international

thursday, December 9, 2010

Turkey, Iran battle for clout, deals in Iraq BAGHDAD: Turkish clothing and beer are hot sellers in the streets of Arbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish north. Far to the south, Iranian cars roam the streets of Basra and Iranian pilgrims flock to Iraq’s holy sites. Sunni Ankara and Shiite Tehran, old rivals turned friends, are vying for post-war economic clout in neighboring Iraq to capitalize on an expected oil boom, and have been flexing their muscles in Baghdad’s government formation talks, diplomats and politicians said.

Already one of Iraq’s main trade partners, Turkey wants a bigger foothold in its southern neighbour through increased investment to counter Iran’s growing influence and to boost its stature as a regional economic and political power. Turkish companies are top investors in hotels, real estate, industry and energy in Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, and increasingly in the Shi’ite south where Iranian influence had been almost unchallenged.

Iran is Iraq’s main trading partner and has been one of the largest investors in its construction and industrial sectors since the fall of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. “It is clear that they are competing, specifically in Turkey’s effort to dam in Iranian influence. Iran has undoubtedly gained a significant role in Iraq since 2003, and from about 2007 on, Turkey has started to push

back,” said Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group. “They are holding each other in balance.” Ankara, which spent years focusing its diplomacy on Europe, has turned its attention to the Middle East and an emerging role as a neutral mediator and economic power. It has lobbied for an inclusive Iraq government that does not exclude minority Sunnis. Tehran, a regional Shiite power, made sure Iraq’s majority Shiites tightened their grip on power by backing a merger between the country’s main Shiite blocs, guaranteeing incumbent Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki another term, politicians said.

Maliki, a Shiite, visited Turkey and Iran in October as part of a tour to gain regional backing for his bid to form Iraq’ new government in exchange for investment deals.

Iraq’s Arab neighbours and the United States are worried about Iran’s growing clout in Iraq, particularly as U.S. forces prepare to withdraw by end of 2011, tempting anxious neighbours to vie for influence in Baghdad. “They (Turkey) are doing this throughout Iraq, in Kurdistan as well as in Baghdad and even Basra, which is not usually an area of Turkish influence,” said Hiltermann. “The presence of a Turkish consulate in Basra is very much part of a strategy to dam in Iranian influence in Iraq through investments and trade.”— Reuters

Egypt: Time running out for Mideast two-state plan SOFIA: Major powers should push Israel and the Palestinians to agree a deadline for establishing an independent Palestinian state before a two-state solution becomes impossible to achieve, Egypt said yesterday.

Israelis and Palestinians held three rounds of US-backed talks in September.

Palestinians pulled out when a 10-month freeze on Jewish settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem ended on Sept. 26.

In some of Egypt’s strongest language since the talks ended, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said discussions should shift to an “end-game for a Palestinian settlement” after Washington had failed to push Israel to halt building work.

“The Americans have been inform-

ing all of us that their efforts did not succeed. They wanted to reach a moratorium on settlement activities with Israel.

That came to an end now.”

He said Egypt’s concern was that “we continue haggling without (making) any breakthrough, then in few years there would not be a possibility of two states living side by side.”

The Palestinians yesterday said “Israeli obstinacy” made Washington give up on efforts to freeze Jewish settlements and questioned whether the United States could ever help them attain independence.

Egypt became the first Arab state to reach peace with Israel when it signed a deal in 1979. “You have a bi-national state or you have occupation or apartheid. The ... option which we are all preferring is

to have two states instead of one state based on apartheid,” Aboul Gheit said at a briefing during a visit to Bulgaria.

He said the quartet of the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russian Federation should devise a framework agreement that fixes a Palestinian state’s borders and the status of East Jerusalem while ensuring Israel’s security. “If there would be an exchange of territories it has to be minimal,” the minister said.

He said the agreement “can be drafted by the Americans, by the quartet, by a group of experts, two or three pages of a grand understanding to be offered by the international community to both parties” with a specific time for a deal to be reached. — Reuters

7

Bombs kill 3 Iraqis, wound 7 Iranians near Baghdad Bus traveling to important Shiite religious festival

BAGHDAD: A car bomb outside a rest aur ant killed three people north of Baghdad yesterday, while a roadside bomb wounded seven Ir anian pilgrims on a bus traveling to an importa nt Shiite religious festival, officials said. The explosives-packed car, which blew up in the town of Taji, some 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of the capital, also wounded 16 people, police and hospital officials said.

The Iranian pilgrims, meanwhile, were driving through the Sunni neighborhood of Dora in Baghdad early yesterday when their bus was hit by a roadside bomb, officials said. The Iranians were traveling to Baghdad from the holy city of Karbala, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Hundreds of thousands of Shiites are expected to visit Karbala and other shrines across Iraq in the coming days for the 10-day festival known as Ashoura. The event marks the anniversary of the 7th century death of Imam Hussein, who was slain in battle near Karbala.

Hussein’s death led to the SunniShiite split, the centuries-old divide that provided the backdrop for the sectarian bloodshed in Iraq after the 2003 U.S.-led war.

The invasion toppled the Sunnidominated regime of Saddam Hussein, which had long persecuted the country’s Shiite majority.

Sunni insurgents in Iraq have frequently targeted Shiite shrines and large religious festivals, and killed thousands of pilgrims since 2004. They have also attacked Iranian pilgrims, very few of whom were allowed to visit Iraq’s holy sites under Saddam. Yesterday’s attack comes four days after bombings near a Shiite shrine in Baghdad killed eight Iranian pilgrims.

Ashoura is expected to peak at the end of next week when the pilgrims , many walking hundreds of miles to reach Karbala to commemorate Imam Hussein’s suffering while dying on the battlefield , converge on the city.

Authorities have beefed up security around Karbala, including imposing a vehicle ban that forces pilgrims to enter the city on foot. — AP

BAGHDAD: Handcuffed suspected terrorists are seen in the state Terrorist Combat and Organized Crime department in Baghdad, Iraq yesterday. Iraqi security forces arrested 20 alleged criminals and seized weapons equipped with silencers during recent security operations in Baghdad. —AP

Iran claims victory in nuclear talks TEHRAN: Iran claimed victory yesterday in renewed talks with world powers over its controversial nuclear program and vowed to make no concessions in the face of international pressure. Chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said the six world powers have accepted Tehran’s conditions for the talks as Iran’s conservative media praised Jalili for his “solid” stance.

“They joined the talks maintaining their own view, but Iran said the talks should continue based on Iran’s conditions. So they have shown serious change,” Jalili said of the talks that resumed this week. “We frankly asked that talks should be for the sake of cooperation, and they accepted. If they

remain committed to this agreement, then the talks have been successful,” he said in an interview carried on state television’s website.

After a 14-month break, the talks on the Islamic republic’s nuclear program resumed in Geneva this week, with an agreement to meet again in Istanbul at the end of January despite clear differences. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after the two days of talks ended on Tuesday that it was agreed to hold the Istanbul talks to “discuss practical ideas and ways of cooperating towards the resolution of our core concerns about the nuclear issue.”

Barely an hour later, however, Jalili said both sides

agreed only to further “talks based on cooperation” and that everything else was “not true.”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeated yesterday that the country would not back down on uranium enrichment, which is the key issue of international concern over Tehran’s atomic program.

The hardliner however said “Iran is ready for nuclear cooperation and nuclear material production with the group of P5+1,” the official IRNA news agency reported, referring to the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. “Under no circumstances Iran will back down on its rights in nuclear fuel cycle, the 20-percent enrichment of

uranium and building (nuclear) plants,” he told university students in the central city of Arak.

“The West had better cooperate with Iran in the nuclear field,” he said, calling on global powers to lift sanctions against Tehran. Iran is under four sets of UN sanctions over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, the sensitive process which can be used to make nuclear fuel or, in highly extended form, the fissile core of an atom bomb. Tehran rejects suspicions by the West and Israel that its uranium enrichment programme masks a covert bid to acquire nuclear weapons, maintaining it is developing nuclear technology for solely peaceful purposes. — AFP

8

INTERNATIONAL

Thursday, December 9, 2010

South African President Zuma gives aid to Cuba JOHANNESBURG: South African President Jacob Zuma announced a 210 million rand ($30 million) credit package for Cuba and forgave Cuba’s debt to South Africa during a state visit to the island nation, a decision his opponents criticized yesterday. Zuma also said Cuba would get trading credits to import South African goods.

South Africa’s main opposition group said they believe improved relations with Cuba would offer little to South Africans or to the country’s economy.

“We are certainly not furthering our trade objectives

when one considers that Cuba is not a major trading partner and lacks the capacity to develop into one in the future,” said a statement from the Democratic Alliance.

In the past 20 years, Cuba has most likely defaulted on payments of South African exports, said Mark Ellyne, a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund and visiting professor at University of Cape Town. “If you look back at the data of all South African exports to Cuba in the past 20 years, strangely enough, the value of those exports is about 1.2 bil-

lion rand ($172 million), and the South African government is holding a claim of 1.1 billion rand ($158 million).” The aid included seeds and fertilizer to support agriculture in the aftermath of Cuba’s 2008 hurricane and a grant from the African Renaissance Fund, which promotes good governance and cooperation between South Africa and other countries.

South African government officials said they aim to boost trade and investments between the two countries, which fell to 1 million rand ($144,000) this year from 82 million rand($12 million) in 2008.

South Africa exports some 525 billion rand ($75 billion) of goods each year, so the 1.2 billion rand ($172 million) debt write-off for 20 years of trade with Cuba is relatively insignificant, Ellyne said. “This is not going to have any economic impact on South Africa,” he said. “We don’t know whether this is a favor to Cuban companies or a favor to South African exporters.” South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers applauded the debt forgiveness, recognizing Cuba’s support against South Africa’s pre-1994 apartheid government and the number of Cuban

health workers who came to South Africa after the end of apartheid rule. During his visit, Zuma also relaxed visa requirements for Cubans traveling to South Africa.

South Africa and Cuba have had close ties since South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. In October, South Africa supported the UN in condemning almost a half-century of US sanctions against Cuba and demanded an end to what member states say is a Cold War anachronism that only hurts ordinary people. — AP

World powers squeeze Gbagbo Rival government wrestles for control ABIDJ AN: A rival government w restled for control of Ivory Coa st, replacing ambassa dors a nd aiming to seize the trea sury a s pressure mounted yesterday on incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to quit. With both Gbagbo and rival

Alassa ne Oua ttara cla iming the presidency a fter disputed polls, Ouatta ra’s side pushed on w ith its programme as the United Na tions, Africa n Union and others pressed Gbagbo to end his deca de in pow er.

ABIDJAN: Opposition leader Alassane Ouattara address journalists at the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast yesterday. Top UN envoy in Ivory Coast Choi Young-jin said that Ouattara had won the disputed presidential election by an “irrefutable margin” . — AP

14 ex-officials of Pinochet on trial Intl court starts Sudan peacekeeper attack case THE HAGUE: Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court urged judges yesterday to put two Sudanese rebels on trial for allegedly commanding and participating in a 2007 attack in Darfur that killed 12 African Union peacekeepers.

The suspects, Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus, have said they want to clear their names. They surrendered to the war crimes court voluntarily in June but have since returned to Sudan and were not present in court for yesterday’s hearing. Prosecution lawyer Essa Faal said 1,000 rebels drove into the peacekeepers’ camp on Sept 29, 2007, firing machine guns and other weapons. They killed 12 peacekeepers, seriously wounded eight and then looted the Haskanita camp of 17 vehicles, refrigerators, computers, mobile phones, ammunition and money.

“Your honors, the evidence is very clear and we believe it is sufficient to establish that Banda and Jerbo ordered their respective troops to carry out the attack,” he said, adding that the commanders “led and physically participated in the attack itself.”

Jerbo, 33, was a commander of the Sudanese Liberation Army-Unity. Banda, who is about 47, led splinter forces of the Justice and Equality Movement. Both groups were fighting Sudanese government forces in the troubled region of Western Sudan.

Faal said they raided the African Union camp to steal vehicles and other supplies. They also wanted to punish the peacekeepers for failing to prevent Sudanese government forces from attacking rebels, Faal said. Faal said the hearing was unusual because the suspects’ lawyer, Karim Khan, agrees that the evidence is strong enough to warrant a trial.

If judges order Jerbo and Banda to stand trial, the case would be the first to test whether attacking noncombatant peace forces is a war crime under international law. Prosecutors say that because the peacekeepers were not involved in fighting at the time of the attack they should be given the same level of protection by the laws of war as civilians.

Rights group the Aegis Trust released a short film yesterday to coincide with the hearing. In the film, relatives of slain peacekeepers call for justice for their slain loved ones.

“It’s important and it’s good that the ICC is doing the right thing,” said Mariam Mohammed, whose daughter Aisha was two years old when her father, Pvt Bala Mohammed, was killed at Haskanita. “If not because of anything, because of my daughter, because she will ask me one day and I will have something to tell her.” UN officials say the war in Darfur has claimed at least 300,000 lives since it began in 2003 through violence, disease and displacement, while some 2.7 million people have been forced to flee their homes. The court has issued arrest warrants for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and two other men linked to with his government. All have refused to appear or recognize the court’s jurisdiction. Al-Bashir’s warrant has however curtailed his movements outside of Sudan amid pressure on countries to arrest him and send him to The Hague to stand trial. — AP

PARIS: A French court put 14 former Chilean officials on trial in absentia yesterday over the disappearance of French citizens under the regime of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. The 14, mostly former high-ranking military officials, face charges including kidnapping and torture and are the subject of international arrest warrants. They face up to life in prison, if convicted.

While the defendants did not appear in court yesterday, families of the victims hope the trial offers some justice more than 30 years after the four Frenchmen disappeared, and four years after Pinochet himself died following failed efforts in Chile and abroad to prosecute him for human rights abuses. The 14 are being tried in connection with the disappearances of the four men between 1973 and 1975.

Among the disappeared was Georges Klein, the doctor of Marxist President Salvador Allende, whom Pinochet toppled on Sept 11, 1973, in a bloody coup.

The defendants, aged between 59 and 89, include former defense minister Herman Brady-Roche and Juan Manuel Contreras Sepulveda, Pinochet’s chief of secret police. The country’s secret police, known as Dina, have been accused of many of the political killings and other rights violations during the “dirty war” waged while Pinochet ruled from 1973-90. Contreras is serving time in Chile for several rights violations cases.

All 14 defendants have refused to send lawyers to the trial. The Chilean Embassy in Paris said that as the Chilean government is not a party to the trial, it did not send a representative. Pinochet and four other former senior officials were also initially named as suspects in the case, but all five have died since the investigation began more than a decade ago. Sophie Thonon, a lawyer representing the family of victim Jean-Yves Claudet, expressed regret that the 14 living defendants were not in court to “explain, or listen to the

testimonies of the people they have tortured.” “They know there is a trial opening today in Paris,” she added.

In the courtroom yesterday, case folders were piled high and family members clustered to listen to the proceedings, some holding black-and-white photos of the disappeared.

Lawyer William Bourdon said the trial “will allow a precise, global, almost exhaustive judicial snapshot of the apparatus of repression put in place by Gen. Augusto Pinochet.” An official Chilean report says 3,197 suspected leftists were slain for political reasons before Pinochet left power in 1990. Many “vanished” , likely kidnapped and killed, then buried in unmarked graves , leaving relatives no word on their fate.

Besides Klein, the other Frenchmen who disappeared were Etienne Pesle, a former priest working on a land redistribution project, and Alphonse Chanfreau and Claudet, both members of the leftist MIR party, arrested in 1974 and 1975 as part of Operation Condor, a joint campaign by military regimes in the southern part of the continent to brutally stamp out leftist political movement. No one in the trial is accused of murder because no bodies were ever found.

Chanfreau’s brother, Alexandre, said he was hoping for “an honest trial that could put pressure on the criminals. ...

They must pay.”

About 30 witnesses, some from Chile, are expected at the trial. It is being filmed because of what is seen as exceptional historic interest. The trial is based on complaints filed in 1998 by the victims’ families, who maintain that the Chilean justice system failed to fully investigate the four disappearances. Witness Eduardo Herrera, the last person to have seen Pesle before he was arrested, said the trial “will help maintain national unity after what happened in Chile. It’s really a good thing.” The trial is expected to last until Dec 17. — AP

PARIS: Bernard Alexandre Chanfreau, shows a photo of his brother Alphonse Rene Chanfreau who disappeared under the regime of dictator Augusto Pinochet in Chile, prior to the opening of the trial in absentia of 14 former Chilean officials at the French Criminal Court in Paris, France yesterday. — AP

Last month’s election was supposed to end a decade of instability in the west African country but has descended into a potentially explosive standoff that has disrupted the economy and raised fears of major unrest. Gbagbo unveiled his own new cabinet Tuesday but Ouattara’s prime minister Guillaume Soro said in a statement his rival government was replacing Ivorian ambassadors in key countries and aimed to gain control of public finances.

“It is we who have the power.

It is now a matter of bringing it into effect,” said Soro, leader of the New Forces former rebel movement that controls the north of the country, in a statement.

The Ouattara administration “is taking measures to ensure that control of the finances is given to my government,” he added. “We are convinced that by the end of this week we will see these measures having a real effect.”

Gbagbo however retains nominal control of the army and state television channel RTI, denying Ouattara the means to broadcast directly to the Ivorian people he claims to lead. While Gbagbo continues to occupy the presidential palace in Abidjan, Ouattara’s government holds meetings in a hotel across town, heavily guarded by UN peacekeepers in armoured cars. Daily life has picked up in the main city Abidjan after several days of tense quiet and the borders, which were locked down by Gbagbo at the height of the election dispute, have reopened.

But residents complained that the price of essentials such as rice and butane gas has doubled, and the crisis is threatening the country’s cocoa exports, driving up futures prices to a four-month high on Tuesday. Observers said that to cement power, Ouattara may have to reach out to Gbagbo’s supporters while counting also on international backing.

Efforts by Ouattara “to co-opt supporters of... Gbagbo, together with political and economic pressure from regional bodies and international donors, will likely push the two sides towards a unity government,” judged the Eurasia Group, a London-based consultancy.

But the president of key regional grouping ECOWAS Goodluck Jonathan said that bloc was not interested in a negotiated unity government in Ivory Coast.

“From the experience we have had so far in Kenya and in Zimbabwe, it has never really worked and that’s why we don’t want to contemplate that,” he said. Meanwhile the first signs of division in the international community began to show, with diplomats at the United Nations saying Russia had blocked a UN Security Council statement that would have backed Ouattara outright.

US ambassador Susan Rice accused Russia of “quibbling” over moves to support Ouattara.

Ouattara and the head of the UN mission in the country Choi Young-jin was expected to give separate briefings yesterday morning. Soro, a former rebel, has several New Forces troops behind him and has warned they could mobilise if Gbagbo does not cede power, but stressed: “We are not yet at the stage of using force.”

Non-essential UN staff have begun evacuating and Liberian officials say hundreds of people have crossed into Liberia from western Ivory Coast. Human rights group Amnesty International said at least 20 people have been shot dead in election-related clashes since the vote on November 28. African Union Chairman Bingu wa Mutharika yesterday demanded Gbagbo “respect the will of the people” and stand down. US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley repeated a call for Gbagbo to quit for “a peaceful transition.”— AFP

NAPLES: A Christmas figurine made by Italian craftsman Genny Di Virgilio representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange holding a laptop (R) is displayed in a shop downtown Naples. — AFP

Assange ‘man of the year’ in Naples nativity creches NAPLES: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange may be alone in jail in London, but in the traditional Neapolitan Christmas creches he is in good companywith Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Assange, who is depicted holding his trusty lap top, was created by Gennaro Di Virgilio, who each year chooses at least one contemporary character to sculpt and place near the scenes of the traditional story of Jesus’ birth in a manger.

“I included him to poke a little fun at the world and have a good time,” said Di Virgilio, 29, whose family has been making nativity statuettes and ornate creches since 1830. In recent decades, artists and craftsmen who make Neapolitan creches have used them to portray the signs of the times. “In a sense, Assange is the man of the year,” said Di Virgilio, whose tiny shop is one of many on a narrow Naples street named Via San Gregorio Armeno that specialised in Christmas statues, creches and trinkets all year.

There is only one copy of the Assange statuette, which costs 130 euros. Di Virgilio says he will make others on request.

There are, however, multiple copies of statuettes of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that Italians can place in the manger with the Holy Family, the wise men, the ox and the sheep. This year, the southern city’s garbage crisis has become a recurring theme among the artists and craftsmen along the street, which is barely three metres wide. And so it came to pass that the Madonna, St. Joseph and even the baby Jesus wear face masks to protect themselves from the stench of

the uncollected garbage in Naples.

“I meant this to be a provocation to those who govern us. I don’t think it’s nice to put sacks of garbage in the manger near the baby Jesus but it was necessary,” said Di Virgilio. “We needed to get this message across,” he said. Last month, the European Union said Italy could face huge fines because it had failed to comply with a European court ruling on the chronic Naples garbage crisis that has left tons of uncollected trash on the city streets this year. The crisis has subsided and most of the historic centre has returned to normal. But huge piles of garbage were still strewn on the streets of peripheral neighborhoods. Neapolitan creches, whose origins go back several hundred years and developed into an art form in the Baroque period, have traditionally included others besides the Biblical characters of the Holy Family, the Magi as well as barn animals and shepherds.

They have included bakers, blacksmiths, weavers, fishmongers and over the years became mechanized with miniature wine and olive presses to portray every day life. More than 10 years ago, the artists on the street began broadening the cast of characters to include contemporary figures such as soccer superstar Diego Maradona. Berlusconi continues to be a hot item. There are versions of him burning in hell like a Dante-esque character, of him on his knees asking his wife forgiveness for marital transgressions and with a teenaged nightclub dancer known as Ruby.— Reuters

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan in landmark power deal ALMATY: The Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have concluded a landmark electricity trade deal, setting a crucial precedent that could improve coordination of power resources across the region. Kazakhstan’s governmentowned electricity sales coordinator KOREM said in a statement yesterday that it oversaw deals to sell 37 million kilowatt hours of electricity from Kyrgyzstan’s state-run energy producer this month directly to Kazakh energy suppliers. The trade of electricity among countries in the region is usually carried out as part of cumbersome government-level agreements.

The former Soviet Central Asian nations that emerged as independent nations in 1991 have struggled in the past two decades to agree on sharing natural resources. — AP

INTERNATIONAL

Thursday, December 9, 2010

9

Cubans frustrated as debate on future begins Workers impatient over low state wages and high prices HAVANA: A gra ss-roots debate on reshaping one of the w orld’s last Sovietstyle economies is under w ay in Cuba, and if a meeting at a Hava na cigar factory this week is any guide, w orkers support reform but are frustrated a bout the la ck of progress to date. The round of w orkplace and community meet-

CIUDAD JUAREZ: Doctors and nurses of the Medical Specialties Hospital hold a candlelight protest against violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Tuesday. — AP

US officials met with alleged boy hitman JIUTEPEC: US Embassy officials met with Mexico’s alleged child assassin to check on his welfare and provide him with information on a lawyer in the case that he is an American, a spokesman said Tuesday. Mexican officials and his family say the boy, 14, who claims he carried out at least four executions, was born in the United States even though he spent much of his childhood in Mexico.

But Embassy spokesman Alexander Featherstone said his citizenship has not been determined, and US officials met with the teen on Monday to offer him consular assistance “in case he is a US citizen.” The boy, who authorities only named publicly as Edgar, was arrested Thursday with a 19-year-old sister, Elizabeth Jimenez Lugo, as they tried to board a plane to Tijuana in an airport near Cuernavaca south of Mexico City. The two planned to cross the border into San Diego to be with their mother, Jimenez Lugo told reporters when they were handed over to federal authorities on Friday. Soldiers also detained another sister, Lina Erika Jimenez Lugo, 23, who had driven them to the airport.

Officials accuse the three of working for the Cartel of the South Pacific, a branch of the splintered Beltran Leyva gang fighting for control of the central state of Morelos, where he grew up.

Authorities say Edgar and Elizabeth Jimenez Lugo worked for Julio “El Negro” Padilla, who has been fighting for control of the drug trade in Morelos, formerly part of the territory under the Beltran Leyva gang, which broke up with the killing of leader Arturo Beltran Leyva by Mexican marines a year ago.

Elizabeth Jimenez Lugo was allegedly Padilla’s girlfriend. Mexico’s Organized Crime Unit said late Monday it is holding the boy’s sisters for 30 days for investigation of possible kidnapping and organized crime charges. No birth certificate for the boy is on file in San Diego County. But birth

records show Elizabeth Jimenez Lugo was born in 1991 at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in San Diego, and her sister, Lina Erika, is registered as having been born in Jiutepec, Mexico. Both records name Carmen Solis, born in 1926, as the mother and no father. Solis, who has since died, was their paternal grandmother who also raised Edgar in Jiutepec, according to a close relative who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.

Authorities has been looking for Edgar since videos appeared a month ago on the Internet showing teenagers mugging with weapons and some victims, claiming they were drug cartel assassins. One teen nicknamed “El Ponchis” was believed to be as young as 12.

The relative said his nickname is “Ponchi,” a name the family gave him when he was a pudgy 4year-old. Soldiers hunting for the boy barged into a baptism party of his young cousin in late November to search every corner. They returned two days later, nearly breaking down the gate to the two-story concrete house shared by several families in a working-class suburb of Cuernavaca, the relative said.

This time they even checked under the bed, but didn’t find the boy. After that, his family decided to send him with his sister to San Diego to be with their mother, the relative told The Associated Press. “We didn’t think he would get caught,” he said. The boy told reporters that he was kidnapped and forced to work for the cartel at age 11 and participated in at least four executions, though he said he was drugged and under threat.

When he was still a baby, Edgar’s father brought the boy with five siblings from San Diego back to Jiutepec, an industrial suburb of Cuernavaca, to live Solis, the father’s mother. The relative didn’t say when she died. “The boy loved her very much, and we watched how he would hug her as if she were his mother,” the relative said. —AP

Leaked cables: Nicaragua government took bribes MEXICO CITY: US diplomats accuse Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government of taking bribes from drug traffickers and receiving “suitcases full of cash” from Venezuelan officials, according to confidential documents released this week

by WikiLeaks. The leaked documents from the US Embassy in Managua, Nicaragua, allege that Ortega has used drug money to finance campaigns for the Sandinista National Liberation Front.

The money from international drug traffickers is “usually in return for ordering Sandinista judges to allow traffickers caught by the police and military to go free,” reads a May 5, 2006, cable from an embassy official.

The official said that in one 2005 case, a Supreme Court judge “coordinated a complicated scheme to make 609,000 dollars in drug money seized from two Colombians ‘disappear’ from a Supreme Court account.”

Another Sandinista judge accused of complicity in the bribery scheme, Rafael Solis, denied that he took bribes, telling local Nicaraguan television station Channel 63 that the WikiLeaks documents are “baseless and have no credibility.”

Spokespeople from Nicaragua’s foreign ministry and vice president’s office declined to comment on the cables, while Ortega’s communications department did not release an official reaction.

Another cable dated May 8, 2008, describes Ortega as a “willing follower” of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The cable refers to Ortega as a “Chavez ‘MiniMe.”‘ The report says Ortega uses Venezuelan oil money to fund Sandinista campaigns and that “several unconfirmed reports indicate that Ortega will have as much as 500 million dollars at his disposal over the

course of 2008.”

That same cable said that Nicaraguan officials “receive suitcases full of cash from Venezuelan officials during official trips to Caracas.” Over the course of three years, Ortega’s

government received almost a billion dollars in assistance from Venezuela, according to a cable dated Feb. 25, 2010.

Venezuelan government officials could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. —AP

“The problem is that farmers are paid a miserable amount for their products and so are we for our work,” Ariel Izis, a worker at the Jose Marti cigar factory in the Vedado district of Havana, said to resounding applause.

“It shows a complete lack of respect,” he added, addressing the podium where Communist party and official trade union functionaries sat, took notes and explained the need for more discipline and improved productivity to meet the workers “just” complaints.

Izis had the last word at the often-contentious two-hour Monday evening debate.

About 120 workers gathered in the cafeteria, then voted unanimously to endorse no less than 291 economic and social policies that authorities insist will improve their lives.

On the table are proposals that promise over five years to transform Cuba from a paternalistic society based on collective reward and consumption to one in which the state plays a lesser role and individual effort and reward play a larger one.

The debate will unfold in tens of thousands of meetings through February. The proposals, with popular tweaks, are to be adopted at a Communist party congress in April in what is being called “an exercise in socialist democracy,” even though many of the plans are already going into effect. The proposals would reduce the state’s role in administering the economy, decentralize decision-making and revenue flows, shift 20 percent of state workers to a new “non-state sector” of small businesses and farms, cooperatives and leasing arrangements, cut state subsidies and allow more space for market forces.

Increased productivity and less state waste would allow the government to pay workers more for their labor and bring down prices, said Raul Fernandez Sierra, the provincial Communist party representative at the meeting.

“Everyone thinks fine, but how will these plans be carried out by the same people who got us into this situation?

They have their interests,” Roberto, who asked his last name not be used, said in a telephone interview from eastern Santiago de Cuba after attending another

debate. At the cigar factory in Havana, only a few of the proposals were discussed as workers focused attention on low state wages and high state prices in an economy still

ings is the third orchestrated by President Raul Castro since he took over from ailing brother Fidel Castro four yea rs a go. He is seeking to lead Cuba out of a two-deca des old crisis tha t ha s torn the once egalitarian society a nd created an intransigent burea ucracy and discontent in its stea d.

more than 90 percent in the government’s hands.

“A pound of pork at the market costs me 35 pesos or more and I make 15 pesos a day,” Octavio Hernandez got

up and said, criticizing the prices, quality and variety of food at state markets, again to resounding applause. At the official exchange rate of 22 pesos to the dollar, that

meant Hernandez made far less in a day than a cigar he rolled in a few minutes fetched, the overriding message he and the other workers delivered. —Reuters

BELLO: Relatives of landslide victims react over the coffins containing their bodies during a funeral service in Bello, northwestern Colombia on Tuesday. —AP

Colombians, Venezuelans displaced by severe floods BOGOTA: Dozens of people have been killed and thousands have abandoned their homes as floods and mudslides ravage Colombia and Venezuela.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Tuesday urged nearly 500 people to evacuate from the vulnerable hillside of a poor Medellin suburb where a landslide killed dozens as it buried about 30 homes.

The bodies of 36 victims , at least a third of them children , have been recovered from Sunday’s disaster. Authorities say about 90 people remain missing. Santos on Tuesday visited the stricken suburb of Bello, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) northeast of

Bogota, and told reporters the landslide was a tragedy waiting to happen. He promised to build 1,000 homes for at-risk families in the town, where officials say between 80 and 100 homes are in danger.

Meanwhile, authorities in Venezuela evacuated 5,000 more people from high-risk areas, bringing the total number of Venezuelans displaced by weeks of rain to more than 106,900, Defense Minister Carlos Mata Figueroa said Tuesday. At least 35 people have been killed by flooding and mudslides.

Venezuelans washed out of their homes are staying at more than 700 shelters,

including military installations, he said.

The government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez plans to take care of 10,000 displaced families while it builds more than 20,000 homes within two years, Vice President Elias Jaua told the Caracasbased Telesur television channel on Tuesday. He added that the country’s allies, including Nicaragua, Brazil and Argentina, have pledged donations to help fund the initiative. It wasn’t immediately clear how much the home-building efforts in Venezuela or Colombia would cost. The region has been pummeled for more than two weeks by steady rains. — AP

INTERNATIONAL

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Russia, Kazakhstan eye missile warning system work MOSCOW: Russia and Kazakhstan are looking to cooperate on a ballistic missile early warning system and Moscow is planning to sell Astana its S-300 defense missile system, Russian agency Itar-Tass reported yesterday. Russia froze an order of the surface-toair missiles to Iran earlier this year, citing

restrictions under sanctions the UN Security Council imposed on Tehran in June over its nuclear activities The Defence Ministers of the two former Soviet countries met yesterday in Moscow to discuss strengthening military ties. “The talks focused on ... Kazakhstan’s participation

in the ballistic missile early warning system,” Defence Ministry spokeswoman Irina Kovalchuk was quoted as saying, following the meeting between Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and his Kazakh counterpart Adilbek Jaksybekov. Moscow, which has improved relations with its former

Mine explosion kills 26 in China 20 miners manage to escape

BEI JI NG: An explosion at a coal mine in central China killed 26 miners who were working despit e an order to halt production, officials said yesterday, while a mine t unnel collapse elsewhere left four dead in the latest accidents to strike the country’s mining industry.

HENAN: In this photo released by China’s Xinhua news agency, rescuers prepare to enter a coal mine following a gas explosion in Mianchi county, in Henan province yesterday, —AP

Thailand likely to end emergency rule: PM BANGKOK: Thailand is likely to lift a controversial state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas by the end of this year, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday. The Thai government has come under pressure from the United States and rights groups to roll back the emergency powers to help the country recover from bloody civil violence that has left it deeply divided.

The laws were introduced in the capital in early April in response to mass anti-government rallies by the “Red Shirt” movement that ultimately left more than 90 people dead in clashes between demonstrators and the army. “I think (emergency rule) will be lifted before the New Year,” Abhisit said, adding that although the situation had improvement the authorities would retain some measures to monitor people inciting unrest and to contain protesters.

“The government has not violated any human rights under the emergency rule but we do not want to impose the special law indefinitely,” he told reporters.

At one point about one-third of the country was under the state of emergency, which bans public gatherings of more than five people and gives security forces the right to detain suspects for 30 days without charge. The laws have already been revoked in

many areas but maintained in the capital as well the provinces of Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan in light of a series of mostly minor bomb blasts.

Authorities have used their emergency powers to arrest hundreds of suspects and silence anti-government media. Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, who heads the government unit overseeing implementation of the decree, also said emergency rule in Bangkok could be scrapped before the New Year.

“The overall situation is gradually improving and if there is no fresh violence we can lift it,” he said. The two-month rally by the Reds, many of whom back fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, attracted up to 100,000 people demanding immediate elections, but was crushed in May in a deadly military assault on their base.

After the crackdown, a small group of hardcore protesters set dozens of major buildings ablaze in the heart of Bangkok, including a shopping mall and the stock exchange. In recent months the Red Shirts have held a series of smaller peaceful rallies attracting several thousand supporters.

The movement is due to gather again on Friday in Bangkok’s historic district to remember those killed there during clashes between demonstrators and security forces eight months earlier, on April 10. — AFP

The death toll from the blast Tuesday evening at the mine in Henan province’s Mianchi County doubled after 13 more bodies were found, said an official surnamed Li from the Henan Administration of Coal Safety.

Another 20 miners managed to escape from the mine, he said, adding it was unclear why the mine had initially reported that only 33 miners were working underground at the time of the blast.

A police investigation is under way, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Most such accidents are usually blamed on a buildup of coal gas or methane ignited by sparks or open flames.

The mine was in the process of being merged into the stateowned Yi Ma Coal Industry Group, Xinhua said. It had been closed for technical upgrades but mine owner Suo Yonggang ordered workers back into the shafts, Xinhua reported, citing Li Guoqi, deputy chief engineer at Yi Ma. It said Suo had fled and police were looking for him. All the bodies have been recovered, Xinhua said. With an annual production of 150,000 tons of coal, the mine is typical of the mid-size operations that China has been seeking to consolidate into safer, more efficient operations.

In a separate accident Tuesday, a coal mine tunnel in northeastern Liaoning province collapsed, leaving four miners dead, Xinhua said, citing local authorities. Three other men managed to escape from the shaft owned by the Caitun Coal Mine in Benxi City. The state-controlled coal mine was under renovation when the accident happened. The provincial coal mine safety department set up a working group to investigate the accident.

China’s coal mines are the world’s deadliest, with thousands of miners killed every year.

Massive demand for coal induces many producers to cut corners and sidestep regulations, although authorities have been able to reduce fatalities considerably through improved safety and the closure of small, often unlicensed mines. — AP

Philippine leader blasts court corruption ruling MANILA: President Benigno Aquino III lashed out yesterday at a Supreme Court decision rejecting an investigative body he created to look into alleged corruption during his predecessor’s administration, vowing his anti-graft battle would not be deterred by the setback. The Supreme Court declared on Tuesday that Aquino’s first executive order that created a “Truth Commission” was unconstitutional because it unfairly singled out his predecessor Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s government for a wide-ranging corruption investigation. A majority of the justices on the 15-member tribunal were appointed by Arroyo, who left office in June.

The decision sends a signal that large-scale corruption pays, an irate Aquino said.

“Everybody will now be tempted because you can steal these gargantuan amounts of money and you can smile your way to the bank and enjoy your loot out of people’s misery,” Aquino told a televised news conference. Aquino, son of revered democracy icons, won a landslide election victory in May, promising to battle pervasive corruption and widespread poverty. He said he created the five-member commission “to

put a closure to what was said to be one of the darkest chapters of our history,” adding he would never stop his anti-corruption battle.

“I don’t surrender when I know I’m right,” Aquino said.

A battery of lawyers will review the court decision to determine whether the government will appeal or amend the presidential order that created the commission. In the Philippines, the Supreme Court allows losing parties to appeal within 15 days before issuing a final ruling. A few weeks before her term ended, Arroyo appointed the current Supreme Court chief justice, Renato Corona, her former chief of staff and spokesman. Aquino questioned Corona’s appointment and refused to take his oath as president before him as tradition dictated. The feud between the president and chief justice has fueled fears of a possible constitutional crisis.

Although he did not mention Arroyo by name, Aquino cited a number of corruption and voterigging scandals to which his predecessor has been linked.

Commission officials have said they planned to investigate at least 23 cases of alleged massive graft and corruption, including two in which Arroyo was implicated. — AP

Cold War foe NATO, has been urging the alliance to allow Russia’s cooperation in a USled European missile defence system plan.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said failure to include Russia on the alliance’s missile defence plans would trigger a new arms race. The S-300 is a high-precision missile

system, which Moscow has supplied to China and Venezuela. “The discussions are underway for the relevant contracts,” said Kovalchuk, without mentioning how many units it planned on buying. Analysts say Kazakhstan has been in talks to buy two units of the system, which would cost approxi-

mately $150 million. Russia and Kazakhstan have maintained strong defence ties since the breakup of the Soviet Union, when Kazakhstan inherited a large amount of Soviet military equipment. New oil and gas revenues have boosted its ability to spend on defence. — Reuters

Chinese elude Nobel Prize news censorship BEIJING: When recent university graduate Xiang Yu learned that a Chinese democracy campaigner had won the Nobel Peace Prize, she did what Internet-savvy Chinese do: evaded government censorship to try to find out more about the winner, Liu Xiaobo. “The government keeps information from us,” Xiang said as she browsed at a bookstore in Beijing’s university district.

She spoke softly and then switched to English to avoid being overheard. “I wanted to find a book by Liu, but there’s nothing.”

A sweeping campaign to block unapproved information about Liu , who is imprisoned and won’t attend Friday’s award ceremony in Norway , has failed to keep the news from reaching a growing number of curious Chinese. The English initials “LXB” were used in cyberspace and cell phone messages to thwart censors and filters that blocked Liu’s name in Chinese characters. When “LXB” was blocked, some translated his name into English, “Liu Small Wave.” Still, most Chinese know nothing about the 54year-old literary critic. He won the award for 20 years of advocacy for peaceful change, from negotiating a retreat for student demonstrators in Tiananmen Square ahead of a military assault in 1989 to writing a manifesto for democratic evolution in 2008.

For those that have heard of Liu’s award, some learned through stinging commentaries run in state media to discredit him. For many, the picture is incomplete. Xiang, who is in her early 20s, managed to find an essay by Liu online about the Tiananmen demonstrations, which to her happened “a long time ago.” She doesn’t know why Liu is in prison.

“Was it something he wrote?” she asked. “Is it true he opposed the government?”

HONG KONG: Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers, from right, Albert Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan and Emily Lau, meet the media with a picture of jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong yesterday before heading to the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo. —AP Slowly, and mostly through the Internet, Chinese are piecing together the answers to the questions that the government’s angry response to the prize created: Why did a Chinese citizen finally win a Nobel, something that the country has longed for, without any celebration? What did he really do?

Their efforts to create a portrait of a man who remains largely a mystery in China are a challenge to the Communist Party leadership, which brooks no dissent and cracks down on people such as Liu who seem to pose a challenge to its rule.

“The government has man-

aged to suppress access to information about Liu Xiaobo for the last 20 years, but the peace prize has brought Liu Xiaobo to the surface,” said Wang Zhongxia, a recent graduate from Renmin University in Beijing, where he learned to circumvent Internet controls.

“Some people know that a Chinese citizen won a Nobel Prize, though they might not know whether the prize was for science or the peace prize.

Others know the peace prize was awarded to a Chinese person, but they don’t know to whom. And others know the winner is Liu Xiaobo and that his name is heavily censored

by the government,” said Wang, who got in trouble for printing T-shirts with Liu’s picture and quotes from his manifesto, titled Charter ‘08. “So knowledge about him varies, but lots of people know now in some way about this.” Even those who carry out the country’s strict censorship orders say word about Liu is spreading. “I’d say only 10 percent of people in China have heard of him. But remember that China has 1.3 billion people,” said an executive at the Tencent Group, the company that owns China’s most popular instant messaging system, QQ, and an Internet portal.

“Online there are still ways to talk,” he said, demanding that his name not be used in connection with Liu. In the hours after the award was announced in October, the news circulated online even as the authorities made it clear that open celebration would not be allowed. Still, it’s safer in public to repeat the government’s criticisms of Liu or to argue that his approach to reform is futile. On the campus of Beijing Normal University, one professor said Liu hadn’t done anything to merit the peace prize. He joked to students shortly after the announcement that China needed to win a Nobel, but not the kind Liu did, he said. The students laughed.

In the eastern city of Hangzhou, pro-democracy activist Wu Yilong emerged this fall from 11 years in prison to find the Internet existed in China. He used it to catch up on Liu and other news but was dismayed by the government’s tight grip. “I’m not surprised, only disappointed, very disappointed,” he said, shortly after police turned down his request to hold a celebration march for Liu on Friday. “I had good hopes for the Chinese government, thinking it would change for the better.”— AP

Mullen says China ducking responsibility on N Korea SEOUL: The top US military officer accused China yesterday of ducking its responsibility to curb its close ally North Korea in the wake of the North’s “inhumane” and deadly attack on a South Korean island.

Admiral Mike Mullen also announced plans for more joint military exercises with South Korea and said the South has the right to respond as it sees fit to any future attacks.

Asked at a press conference in Seoul if he had asked the South to exclude the option of air strikes on the North, he replied: “I did not”. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), was visiting to show solidarity following the November 23 bombardment which killed two civilians and two marines and sparked a regional crisis. It was the first shelling of civilian areas in the South since the 1950-53 Korean war and wrecked almost 30 homes.

Mullen, in strongly worded comments, said he would leave yesterday evening for talks in Tokyo on defence cooperation.

“I only wish China were as helpful,” he said. “The Chinese have enormous influence over the North, influence that no other nation on earth enjoys. And yet, despite a shared interest in reducing tensions, they appear unwilling to use it,” the top US officer said.

“Even tacit approval of Pyongyang’s brazenness leaves all their neighbors asking what will be next.” Mullen said he appreciated Beijing’s offer to host an emergency meeting on the crisis of delegates to sixparty nuclear disarmament

talks, including the North’s representative. But he said there was no basic for resuming talks as long as the North “persists in its illegal, ill-advised and dangerous behaviour”, which should not be rewarded with bargaining or new incentives.

“China has unique influence, therefore they bear unique responsibility,” Mullen said.

“Now is the time for Beijing to step up to that responsibility and help guide the North and indeed the entire region toward a better future.” The United States is pressing China to use its economic and political influ-

ence to rein in the North.

Deputy US Secretary of State James Steinberg and a highlevel delegation will visit Beijing next week to consult on developments on the Korean peninsula.

The US is expected to “speak to China to tell North Korea in more clear language not to make provocations”, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan told reporters, upon his return from talks in Washington with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and his Japanese counterpart. Seoul’s military was criticised for a per-

ceived weak response to last month’s attack and the defence minister stepped down. His successor Kim Kwan-Jin has vowed next time to use the South’s air power to hit the North’s artillery batteries.

Mullen and South Korean counterpart General Han MinKoo, in a joint statement after talks, said the “deliberate and illegal armed attack” on Yeonpyeong island violated the UN Charter and armistice which ended the war. The North’s “inhumane actions of killing innocent civilians deserves condemnation”, they added. — AFP

SEOUL: US Navy Adm Mike Mullen, left, the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks during a joint press conference with South Korean Gen Han Min-Koo, hot seen, chairman of South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Defense ministry in Seoul yesterday. —AP

77 Australia-bound migrants detained SURABAYA: Indonesia has detained 77 illegal migrants after their attempt to travel to Australia ended with their boat suffering engine failure, police said yesterday.

Sumenep police operational head Edy Purwanto said the migrants, from Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan, departed from a harbour in Surabaya but got into mechanical difficulties while still in Indonesian waters.

They were rescued by police after drifting for eight hours and taken to an island off eastern Java. “They are being investigated by the police in Kangean island. They consist of 52 men, 13 women and 12 children,” Purwanto said.

He said the boat’s Indonesian captain, from East Nusa Tenggara province, was also being interviewed. Thousands of asy-

lum seekers head through Southeast Asian countries on their way to Australia every year and many link up with people smugglers in Indonesia for the dangerous voyage. Canberra hopes to set up a regional processing centre for refugees in East Timor in an attempt to reduce the flow of asylum seekers heading to Australia. —AFP

INTERNATIONAL

Thursday, December 9, 2010

11

India police go after ex-minister in telecoms row NEW DELHI: India’s federal agents found what they said were “incriminating documents” in raids on homes and offices of a former telecoms minister yesterday in connection with the country’s biggest corruption scandal. The opposition has shut down parliament since early November, demanding a joint inquiry into a government auditor’s report that India potentially lost $39 billion in revenue when ineligible firms were given lucrative telecoms licences cheaply in 2008.

The move against former minister Andimuthu Raja may help the beleaguered coalition government placate the opposition and break the logjam that has stalled the passage of key economic reforms. Although there is little threat to the Congress party-led government, a series of scandals has eroded its political capital since an impressive election victory last year and have become a test of how Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tackles widespread corruption.

Raja, a member of a party from south India which is a key member of the coalition, denies any wrongdoing and has said he was only following policy. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agents searched 14 locations across Delhi and Tamil Nadu state and the raids were continuing, agency spokeswoman Vinita Thakur told reporters. She did not explain what was meant by “incriminating documents”. It was the first direct action against Raja, who was sacked

last month after the auditor’s report was made public.

A senior CBI officer told Reuters Raja would be questioned.

“The natural course of action will include interrogating the former minister and anyone else involved in the case,” said the official, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. “We are investigating five people including A. Raja and former telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura.”

India’s Supreme Court has criti-

cised the CBI for not questioning Raja in its year-long investigation despite him being at the centre of the inquiry. The country’s top court has also dragged the prime minister into the scandal by forcing him to answer questions on why he was slow to act against Raja.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ordered the CBI to probe bank loans given to the companies that got licences, said Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer who has asked the court to monitor the federal

agency’s investigation in the case.

The court has deferred orders on Bhushan’s plea for appointing its own monitors in the case. The Congress party-led coalition has been struggling to contain the damage from numerous corruption scandals in recent weeks. A separate bribes-for-loans scandal, which implicates state and private lenders and financial services firms, as well as several sizeable companies, is also being probed, in addition to other scams, including one linked

to the Commonwealth Games.

The deadlock in parliament is more of a concern for foreign investors than corruption, as it means longer-term financial reforms will be stalled, potentially hurting India’s rapid economic growth.

Investor-friendly goods and services tax legislation, which is intended to unify a fragmented tax system across India’s 28 states, is at risk of missing a 2011 deadline because of the backlog created by the parliament deadlock. —Reuters

Attack blamed on Islamist extremists

Teen suicide bomber kills 17 in Pakistan PESHAWAR: A teenage suicide bomber killed 17 people at a busy Pakistani market yesterday, the third attack in three days blamed on Islamist extremists bitterly opposed to the US-allied government. A woman and three boys

NARSHINGDI: Bangladeshi rescuers and bystanders assist an injured passenger from the wreckage of a pair of trains which collided at Narshingdi, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of Dhaka yesterday. —AFP

Two trains collide, up to 19 killed in Bangladesh DHAKA: A speeding train slammed into another moving slowly through a station in eastern Bangladesh yesterday, killing as many as 19 people and injuring scores more, according to officials and news reports. The force of the impact threw the cars of one train on top of the other, TV footage showed. Other cars veered off the track in the head-on collision.

One express train was traveling from the capital, Dhaka, to the southern port city of Chittagong, while the other was making the reverse journey when they collided in Narsingdi district, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Dhaka. Local news reports said the accident may have been caused by a signal error. “The engines and front cars of the trains turned into heaps of twisted metal,” said Abdus Samad, a charity worker living near the station. “I saw people screaming and shouting for

help.” Railway officials fled the area after the crash as angry crowds descended on the station, according to Benazir Ahmed, another witness.

Soldiers joined police and firefighters in searching for people trapped in the wreckage, Bangladesh Railway spokeswomen Shirina Dilhur said. “We don’t have as yet a clear picture of casualties,” she said. The United News of Bangladesh agency said at least 19 people died, while ATN Bangla television reported 10 dead and another 100 injured. Abu Mohammad Sharif, an emergency official, said one train was moving slowly through the station in Narsingdi when the speeding train rammed into it. Train accidents are common in Bangladesh because of poor signaling and rundown tracks. In September, a speeding train plowed into two buses at a busy crossing in Dhaka, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens. —AP

Taleban video shows US soldier held in Afghanistan KABUL: A new video released by the Taleban shows Spc. Bowe Bergdahl, the only known US serviceman held captive in Afghanistan, with bags under his eyes and what appears to be an abrasion on his left cheek. The video, the fourth since 24-yearold Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, was captured nearly 18 months ago, was provided to reporters yesterday by IntelCenter, a private, USbased organization that tracks Islamic extremist activities and communications.

His parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, have declined to speak with reporters throughout the

ordeal, but Idaho National Guard spokesman Col. Tim Marsano said yesterday that they had confirmed that the man in the video was their son. “They responded that it was him, based on the screen shots,” Marsano said. “It’s been an extremely difficult year and a half.

Without any concrete news, everyday brings more challenges.

They do continue to take some comfort in the support they’ve gotten, from the community, their family and friends.” It was not clear when the video was made. Bergdahl, who is shown on the tape wearing Afghan-style

This image provided by IntelCenter yesterday shows a framegrab from a new video released by the Taleban containing footage of a man believed to be Spc. Bowe Bergdahl, the only known American serviceman being held in captivity in Afghanistan. —AP

clothes, has been held by the Taleban since June 30, 2009, when he disappeared in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan.

According to IntelCenter, another man in the video appeared to be the Taleban commander who had once threatened to kill the US soldier. In July 2009, Taleban commander Mawlavi Sangin’s spokesman told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that Berghdal would be killed unless the US stops strikes in Ghazni province’s Giro district and Paktika province’s Khoshamand district.

The video, which also shows militant attacks in Afghanistan, was released by Manba al-Jihad, a video production group affiliated with the Taleban. Bergdahl appears only briefly in the video and is not the main focus.

Bergdahl has appeared in three other videos that the Taleban released on July 18, 2009, Dec. 25, 2009 and April 7. NATO spokesman Brig Gen Josef Blotz said the coalition was not sure whether the footage was old or new. “We are still investigating this case and hope Bowe Bergdahl is still fine,” he said.

Separately, two NATO service members died yesterday following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan. The coalition did not disclose their nationalities or details about their deaths. —AP

The bomber detonated close to a warehouse owned by an anti-Taleban militia leader and a bus stop amid stepped up security for Muharram, the holy Muslim month traditionally accompanied by a spike of attacks on Shiite Muslims. “I was on the other side of the bus and leaving when a huge blast blew out the bus driver’s door.

It hit my chest. I fell and the bus caught fire,” said Khalid Hussain, a 45-year-old driver from Orakzai with chest injuries.

“It was a suicide blast,” Kohat police chief Dilawar Bangash told AFP, adding that 17 people were killed and 25 wounded, seven of them seriously. Police said the bomber blew himself up at the door of a bus carrying passengers to the nearby tribal district of Orakzai, where Pakistan has encouraged displaced civilians to return after an anti-Taleban offensive.

“The dead included one woman and three small children, aged between two and seven years,” Bangash said.

The two-year-old boy had been sitting on his mother’s lap when they were both killed, the police chief said. Around 4,000 people have died in suicide and bomb attacks across Pakistan since government forces raided an extremist mosque in Islamabad in 2007. The attacks have been blamed on networks linked to the Taleban and AlQaeda.

The northwest has been particularly hard hit. Pakistan last year fought to wrest back control of the northwestern district of Swat from the Taleban and are fighting against homegrown insurgents along the Afghan border. Police said yesterday’s attack gutted two motorbikes, a car and a van in Kohat’s main Tirah market. A wall collapsed of a warehouse owned by tribal elder Malik Hassan, the head of an anti-Taleban militia in Orakzai, leading police to suspect that Hassan or other opponents of the Taleban who used to meet there had been the target.

Bangash said the head and legs of the suicide bomber, aged around 15 to 16 years old, were recovered. The attack coincided with the start of Muharram, which traditionally sees tensions rise between Pakistan’s majority Sunni Muslim and minority Shiite Muslim community, and attacks on Shiite religious parades. In Hangu district neighboring Kohat, a policeman was killed following a kidnap drama in a shootout between Taleban militants and police, officials said.

Police said the Taleban kidnapped seven teachers and the watchman of a government school travelling near Orakzai.

“We recovered five teachers but they managed to kidnap two teachers and a watchman,” Abdur Rashid Khan, district police chief of Hungu, told AFP. One policeman was killed and another injured in a shootout, he said. On Monday, a pair of suicide bombers killed 43 people, attacking antiTaleban militiamen and progovernment elders in Mohmand, part of the tribal belt that Washington considers the global hub of Al-Qaeda. The Pakistani Taleban purportedly claimed responsibility for that attack, threatening death to anyone who forms militias against the Islamists. —AFP

were among those killed when the bomber struck in Kohat, a city of at least half a million and one of the main garrisons for the Pakistan military, in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

KOHAT: A Pakistani policeman inspects a van after a suicide attack in Kohat yesterday. A teenage suicide bomber killed 17 people at a busy Pakistani market. —AFP

Local Islamists bombed pilgrim city, says India NEW DELHI: India said yesterday a homegrown Islamist group with ties to Pakistani militants was behind a bomb attack in one of its holiest cities, and local media reported two people were questioned over the attack.

Home Secretary Gopal Pillai said traces of explosives were found at the site of Tuesday evening’s blast in the northern city of Varanasi that killed a two-year old girl and injured 37 Hindu worshippers and foreign tourists.

Pillai said the crude bomb was set off by the Indian Mujahideen (IM), a local group India says has been trained by militants based in Pakistan, including the Lashkar-eTaiba. The IM claimed responsibility for the attack in an email to local media, police said.

That email was traced to a Mumbai suburb and two people were questioned over it, local media said. “The main players of Indian Mujahideen are based in Pakistan and they are definitely running the game from there,”

Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjeev Dayal told a press conference.

Pillai has said it was “too premature” to say if individuals or groups operating from Pakistan were involved. “The investigation is focusing on the clues we have, on suspicious characters who stayed in hotels there (Varanasi),” Pillai, the top bureaucrat in the interior ministry, told Reuters. No one has been arrested or detained, said R.P. Singh, a senior police officer said in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state where Varanasi is located.

India remains jittery about the threat of militant strikes, especially since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 which killed 166 people and raised tensions with arch rival Pakistan. New Delhi says Pakistan-based groups aid and train militants to carry out attacks against India, a claim Islamabad rejects. Investors closely monitor any signs of an escalation in tensions between India

and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed rivals who have fought three wars.

With hundreds of temples and shrines, Varanasi, on the sacred Ganges river, is the centre of Hinduism. Pilgrims flock to the city for a dip in the river, which they believe will wash away their sins. The Indian Mujahideen has in the past claimed several attacks, including the 2008 bombings in the tourist city of Jaipur that killed 63 people and a September 2010 attack on a tourist bus outside New Delhi’s main mosque.

Local media said the Indian Mujahideen, in the email claiming the attack, said the blast was retaliation for a court verdict over a disputed mosque site that gave two-thirds of the land to Hindu groups. The blast came a day after the 18th anniversary of the razing of the mosque by Hindu zealots. The demolition had led to some of the worst religious riots in India and remains a recruitment pitch for Islamist militants. —Reuters

AMRITSAR: Pakistani Artist Mohammad Zaman shows his skills while performing with Dhol (drums) during the inauguration ceremony for The Punjab International Trade Expo PHD (PITEX) 2010 Trade Fair in Amritsar yesterday. Exhibitors from Canada, Egypt, Poland, England, Finland, Pakistan, and other Asian countries are displaying their exhibits. —AFP

opinion

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issues

Piracy moves up value chain despite China crackdowns

By Michael Martina

C

hina’s intellectual property rights (IPR) pirates are getting bolder and more high-tech, moving up the value chain from products like DVDs to high-speed trains, defying repeated government claims to be getting tough. Rampant unauthorized copying in China of everything from computer software to hand bags has long irritated foreign firms forced to weigh the benefits of access to the growing market with the costs of copyright and trademark infringement. Now, complaints about fake brandname goods are being overtaken by a chorus crying foul on China’s assimilation of more patent-heavy foreign technology. “What is really damaging to the US and Europe is technology theft.

We’ve seen infringement move from trademark infringement to more complex patent infringement,” said Elliot Papageorgiou, an intellectual property lawyer at Rouse Legal in Shanghai.

It is an issue likely to be stuck in the craw of the United States when the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) - a forum for the world’s two largest economies to iron out trade issues-kicks off in midDecember in Washington. In a publicly released letter to China’s Vice Premier Wang Qishan on Monday, 32 US senators called for China to adjust its “discriminatory” indigenous innovation policies, a hazy regulatory framework that boosts Chinese companies by, foreign companies say, unfairly encouraging domestic technology or forcing technology transfers in turn for market access.

“We cannot stress more strongly the corrosive effect these policies are having on US business community support for a constructive USChina economic relationship and, more broadly, on Congressional attitudes toward China,” the letter stated. A recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers said the urgent need to protect intellectual property has forced 92 percent of surveyed companies operating in China to plan budget increases on information security in the next 12 months, a higher rate than in North America, South America and Europe.

Papageorgiou noted that the eight industries that China is pushing in its next five-year plan are those in which the US, Europe and Japan make a substantial part of their industrial GDP. High-speed trains, auto designs, mobile phones and wind turbines have all been the subject of vitriol about whether Chinese firms have stolen foreign companies’ patents or whether the Chinese government has excluded foreign competitors by demanding that they hand over valuable patents and designs. “The various chambers of commerce and interna-

tional organizations have done a good job bringing trademark issues to the fore. However, we need to see more lobbying on the technology theft front.

This is where we will see the next battle,” Papageorgiou said.

THE REAL DEAL? Visit any Chinese city and claims the government is bringing vendors of consumer knock-offs to their knees appear stretched. Large banners in English strung up inside one of Beijing’s biggest markets for tourists denounce pirated goods, but next to the banners vendors continued selling bootleg wares.

The International Intellectual Property Alliance, which represents US copyright industry groups, has estimated that US trade losses due to piracy in China surpassed $3.5 billion in 2009.

Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei last week pledged “concrete results” from the latest operation to combat counterfeit goods, a six-month crackdown that began in November and targets mostly counterfeit books, music, DVDs and software. “For a long time, there has been a myth that campaigns on IPR infringement harm local economic development, and our special operation will help to break this myth,” Jiang told reporters.

“This is a job prescribed by the State Council, including Premier Wen Jiabao, and I feel a huge responsibility on my shoulders to make government organizations responsible for targets,” Jiang said.

Jack Chang, the Chairman of Quality Brands Protection Committee, a coalition of foreign firms that lobbies the government on intellectual property rights issues, said he was encouraged to see China trying to improve enforcement. “When law enforcement has so many competing priorities, its takes the top leaders to identify the focus. And that is what has happened this time with Premier Wen Jiabao,” Chang said.

UPPING THE STAKES But with the JCCT trade talks looming and Chinese President Hu Jintao due to visit Washington in January, China’s new copyright campaign may be missing the point. Even if protection is getting better for consumer and low-end manufactured products, for advanced technologies in sectors in which China wants to develop national champions-companies that can compete globally-the situation is much less clear, said James McGregor, a senior counselor at APCO Worldwide in Beijing. “China now has a program to ‘re-innovate’ and ‘absorb’ these advanced technologies through joint ventures, and foreign companies are worried that their own technology will come back at them in global markets after it has been rewrapped as Chinese technology,” McGregor said. —Reuters

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Romanian govt faces hurdles with rare confidence

By Sam Cage

R

omania’s Prime Minister Emil Boc has shored up his shaky coalition, even as austerity measures erode his popularity, and can face crucial votes now looming in parliament with rare optimism. The government has survived two no confidence votes this year. Its wider margin on the second occasion in October-when the opposition fell 18 votes short-suggests it can remain in power and pass laws to keep a 20 billion euro ($26.43 billion), International Monetary Fund-led bailout on track. But after slashing public salaries and hiking value added tax, which will cause economic contraction again this year after a 7 percent decline in 2009, Boc still faces a tough task to restore his reputation and popularity with voters. “If the economy starts to pick up, they declare victory and say that’s what was needed,” said Daniel Hewitt at Barclays Capital in London.

“This is their best hope-that maybe they have a good 2011 and the economy starts to recover,” Hewitt said. “There’s really no other choice for this government.” Romania has to pass next year’s budget and legislation to make public salaries more transparent by the end of 2010 to meet IMF terms. The opposition said it would challenge the wage bill with a parliamentary vote of no confidence in the government, possibly next week. If it passes those bills and survives the confidence vote, the government would not only keep

funds flowing from the current bailout-needed to retain investor confidence-but also improve chances of striking a new IMF deal.

KEEPING B AILOUT ON T RACK In the longer term, Boc’s Democrat-Liberals-who have a shaky alliance with ethnic Hungarians and independentsneed to reverse their plummeting poll ratings to stand a chance at elections due in late 2012. They may benefit from squabbles among opposition Social Democrats and Liberals, who need to work together to come close to a majority in the fragmented parliament.

“Political fights are intensifying in the main opposition party. Also, there seems to be less agreement between them and the other important opposition party, Liberals,” said ING economist Nicolaie Alexandru-Chidesciuc.

“Consequently, the ruling coalition might find it easier to pass important laws in parliament and this significantly increases chances of receiving the next IMF disbursement.”

The 44-year-old Boc was known as an efficient manager of resources when he was mayor of the Transylvanian city of Cluj- now a business hub for high-tech firms like Nokia, which some analysts see as Romania’s “Silicon Valley”.

As prime minister he has implemented austerity measures to bring the budget deficit down to 4.4 percent of gross domestic product next year from 6.8 percent this year and

7.2 percent in 2009. That has hurt growth: the economy should contract about 2 percent this year before expanding some 1.5 percent in 2011, which may improve Boc’s 10 percent popularity. “Chances for Boc to be in the PM’s seat at the next general election in autumn 2012 continue to be quite good,” said Guy Burrow, partner at consultancy Candole in Bucharest.

S TILL CH ALLENGES AHEAD Markets have largely priced in the government surviving another no confidence motion but-as in October-there remains a slim chance it may fall, which analysts and traders say would send the leu currency sliding. It could also hit stocks and increase the cost of insuring Romania’s sovereign

debt, raising serious questions over its ability to keep the IMF deal on track. Bucharest, which has so far received about 16 billion euros in bailout loans from the Fund, still needs the deal as it is struggling to sell debt at what it deems acceptable interest rates.

The split parliament and demands of coalition partnerssuch as those by minority

Hungarians for education in Hungarian, a measure fiercely opposed by many Romaniansmean there is always a chance key legislation can be derailed.

The government can survive in the short term but as more austerity hits, the chances of early elections towards the end of next year are “material” said Nomura International’s Peter Attard Montalto. — Reuters

Romanians see slow progress on justice

By Isabelle Wesselingh

R

iddled with corruption and struggling for years with interference by politicians, Romania’s legal system is on the mend but will need more monitoring by the EU to fully recover, experts told AFP. “If we look where we started and where we are now, there is certainly progress,” former Romanian justice minister Monica Macovei, a leading figure in fighting corruption, told AFP four years after her country joined the European Union.

Bucharest’s accession to the bloc was accompanied by a unique monitoring mechanism to help the former communist country reform its legal system and fight corruption.

The challenge was huge as Romania suffered decades of authoritarian rule under a fascist regime in the 1940s and the iron hand of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. “Since 2004, when pressure from the EU intensified, progress has been significant”, judge Cristi Danilet, a long-time promoter of integrity in the justice system, stressed. A “convincing track record” of the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office (DNA) in investigating high-profile cases involving politicians is one of the major achievements, according to the EU. The judiciary is now independent from the government. “However, serious problems persist, especially as far as the cleanup of the judicial system is concerned,” Macovei

stressed. A case last week illustrated the mixed record of the recovery after an appeal court judge in the northern city of Iasi was charged with taking bribes of several thousand euros (dollars) to hand down a judgment in favor of a man divorcing his wife. The latter seized the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office which acted swiftly and had the judge detained. But the ex-wife claimed she previously turned in vain to the superior council of magistracy (CSM), the body charged with guaranteeing the legal system’s independence and integrity.

The CSM came under fire in March when 350 Romanian magistrates accused it of failing to act promptly after two high court judges were charged with influence-peddling in a corruption scandal involving a senator.

“The reluctance to impose sanctions sends the wrong signal to society. It gives the idea that those who are applying the law are more lenient when it comes to themselves,” said Corina Rebegea from the Rule of Law programme of conservative German think tank Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The election of reformist magistrates, though still a minority, in the new CSM has given some hope to non-government organizations defending the rule of law.

Corruption cases involving politicians, some in prominent party positions, that go unprocessed for up to four years at the high court are also worrying, underlined Laura

Stefan, anti-corruption coordinator at the Romania academic society (SAR).

“In other cases, people are convicted quickly. This affects the confidence in the justice system because people find that they are not equal before the law”, Macovei said.

A new set of laws is expected to limit delaying tactics criticized by the EU. However, Danilet said, the European Union should continue its monitoring “for some time because we need external pressure for reforms to proceed”. Countries like France and the Netherlands say they could link Romania’s entry into the Schengen visa-free zone to progress on justice reforms, but the SAR’s Stefan does not agree.

“I think we should enter Schengen if we meet the required technical criteria. What is more important than Schengen for the rule of law is the continuation of the European monitoring,” she said.Disliked by some politicians, this mechanism helped save the Integrity agency, a body set up to verify assets and police potential conflicts of interest involving politicians and civil servants when lawmakers wanted to weaken it.

Romania’s Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu stated clearly: “We are still far from fulfilling all our objectives. EU surveillance will be lifted when judgments will be rendered in cases of high-profile corruption and when integrity issues will be resolved by the CSM.” — AFP

Obama compromise a bid for independents

By Liz Sidoti

I

n political terms, President Barack Obama’s tax-cut compromise with Republicans amounted to a step toward luring back independent voters whose support he needs to win re-election in 2012. Never mind that his deal with the Republicans alienated his liberal base; there’s no clear alternative Democrat to run against him. Perhaps more likely is a bid by an independent maybe New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg - looking to fill a vacuum created by voter frustration with both political parties and disappointment with a president who has not kept his promise to change how Washington works. Enter Obama’s dealmaking with Republicans and criticism of Democrats, moves intended to try to reclaim that swing-voting territory as he casts himself as a president who puts people above politics.

“We will never get anything done” if Democrats are unwilling to bend and liberals insist on ideal positions, Obama said Tuesday at a news conference where he staunchly defended his deal with the Republicans and passionately answered fellow Democrats complaining that he compromises too much on their core issues. “People will have the

satisfaction of having a purist position and no victories for the American people,” Obama said. “And we will be able to feel good about ourselves and sanctimonious about how pure our intentions are and how tough we are.” In the meantime, he said, Americans will suffer. “That can’t be the measure of what it means to be a Democrat,” he added.

And with that, Obama started positioning himself as the president first, and the country’s top Democrat second.

The move could play well with disillusioned independents, who were critical in 2008 and will be again in 2012.

There’s no doubt that tax cuts will be a central issue in Obama’s likely re-election campaign. Under the deal that Congress still must approve, Bush-era tax cuts set to expire at year’s end would be continued for all Americans for two more years. That would ensure a battle over renewing them just as the next presidential campaign is in full swing.

Obama promised as much, saying: “I will fight.” He wants to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans to keep a campaign promise; Republicans insist on keeping the cuts in place for everyone permanently. In the end, Obama agreed to a temporary extension of tax cuts for all while the Republicans

agreed to back an extension of unemployment benefits that also are set to end soon. The president previewed the debate ahead in 2012 by likening Republicans to “hostage-takers” willing to hurt the great majority of Americans to extend tax cuts for millionaires.

“On the Republican side, this is their Holy Grail, these tax cuts for the wealthy,” Obama said, adding: “It seems to be their central economic doctrine,” and “Republicans feel that this is the single most important thing that they have to fight for as a party.”

Conversely, he cast Democrats as the party of middle class protectors, foreshadowing a campaign of populist pitches and class warfare.

The compromise portended more likely to come as Obama courts the fickle center of the electorate and positions himself as the pragmatic president many independents want. He’s essentially betting that Democrats ultimately will fall in line behind him - and hoping that no serious Democratic challenger emerges, much less a serious thirdparty candidate. Liberals disappointed with Obama have been clamoring for someone of their ilk - like former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean or Sen. Russ Feingold - to step up. But no one has given any indication of a willingness

to run against the president, particularly one who still is personally popular with key Democratic constituencies.

No independent candidate has emerged either, though Bloomberg is stepping up his national profile in ways that make it seem like bid could be in the offing. In a sign of potential vulnerabilities within Obama’s base, a new poll by the Pew Research Center finds Democrats and people who lean to the Democratic side giving Obama mixed ratings on traditional party positions.

Forty-three percent say he is doing a fair or poor job on such issues as protecting the interests of minorities, helping the poor and representing working people.

Obama’s troubles are most acute among independents. They rallied behind him strongly during his presidential campaign, embracing his calls for a solutions-oriented Washington free from partisan gridlock and bickering. And they carried him to victory by large margins. But, within two years, independents had fled the Democratic Party and Obama, disappointed with politics as usual in Washington at a time of high unemployment, budget-busting spending and soaring national debt.

Republicans benefited, winning control of the House and making huge gains in

the Senate.

At the same time, Obama also infuriated fellow Democrats at every turn who felt he didn’t hold true to their core principles. They balked, for example, when the health care law didn’t include a government-run insurance option.

Now, he’s angered labor by calling for a freeze on federal wages. He also has insisted that the Senate take up a nuclear arms treaty ahead of other Democratic priorities, including immigration reform and allowing gays to openly serve in the military.

No doubt earning props from independents, Obama struck back Tuesday at liberal critics. “Take a tally,” Obama said. “Look at what I promised during the campaign. There’s not a single thing that I’ve said that I would do that I have not either done or tried to do. And if I haven’t gotten it done yet, I’m still trying to do it.” “To my Democratic friends, what I’d suggest is let’s make sure that we understand this is a long game. This is not a short game. And to my Republican friends, I would suggest, I think this is a good agreement.

Because I know that they’re swallowing some things that they don’t like as well.” He offered no words to independents. Instead, he let his compromise do the talking. — AP

analysis

Thursday, December 9, 2010

13

The stark choice facing Haitian voters H

aitian voters face a stark choice in the presidential run-off between a 70-year-old academic vying to be the nation’s first female leader and a government technocrat who is 22 years her junior. Gripped by cholera and struggling to recover from January’s devastating earthquake, Haiti can either stick to what it knows, ruling party candidate Jude Celestin, or opt for change in the form of Mirlande Manigat.

Manigat, a former first lady who studied at the Sorbonne and the respected Paris Institute of Political Studies known as Sciences Po, belongs to the Haitian elite and is reputed to be an avid fan of Agatha Christie thrillers.

The law professor has made education reform one of the key planks of her campaign, promising a radical shake-up to give Haiti’s ballooning young population universal access to public schooling.”Haitians do not want continuity.

They want change, to see a rupture from the past,” she said in a recent interview with AFP. A vice rector of the Quisqueya Univerity and the author of several legal books, Manigat would become Haiti’s first female president if she wins the January 16 run-off against Celestin.

This 48-year-old handpicked protege of President Rene Preval was completely unknown until he was plucked from obscurity to be the ruling INITE (UNITY) party candidate.

Tasked with leading road-clearing and rebuilding efforts after the quake, Celestin has struggled to shake off the image of being too close to the unpopu-

PORT-AU-PRINCE: A youth pulls wires from a burned car barricading a street during protests in Port-au-Prince yesterday. Supporters of eliminated candidates protested after officials announced that government protege Jude Celestin and former first lady Mirlande Manigat would advance to a runoff in presidential elections. —AP lar president. The mustachioed political novice had the full use of the INITE party machinery at his disposal for the campaign and his face beamed down from every corner of Port-au-Prince on election posters.

But Celestin, who studied engineering and mechanics for a time in Switzerland before returning to Haiti in 1985, failed to sparkle on the campaign trail and made few public appearances.

Opinion polls suggested he was not

popular on the street, where Preval, who rose to power as a champion of the poor, has been blamed for a slow response to the quake and a failure to address crippling poverty. Tens of thousands of Haitians gathered for a

Celestin rally days before the November 28 first round polls-what ensued was nearly four hours of song and dance and just 10 minutes of political speeches.

Celestin’s profile on his campaign website describes him as sporty and passionate about gadgets. It says he likes racing cars and is a fan of motocross. This is a sharp contrast to the bespectacled and soft-spoken Manigat-no stranger to the presidential palace as she was first lady for a few months in 1988 until husband Leslie was ousted in a coup. She was his student at the University of Paris, where the pair married in the picturesque suburb of Meudon in 1970. They lived in France for 13 years, then Trinidad and Venezuela before settling in Haiti after the ouster of dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier.

Manigat, the secretary general and founding member of the opposition Rally of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), was elected as a senator in 1988 and again in 2006. Her time was cut short on both occasions-in 1988 by her husband’s ouster and in 2006 when she resigned in protest at disputed elections that saw Preval emerge victorious. Partial results initially gave Preval 48.76 percent of the vote, short of the majority needed to avoid a second round. Leslie Manigat, who is now 80, unsuccessfully protested an amended result that awarded Preval outright victory, claiming he had been robbed of the chance to face off with his rival in a second round. —AFP

Distrust marks Iran nuclear standoff but dialogue takes hold

By Marie Sanz

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he talks on Iran’s disputed nuclear program, which resumed this week after a tense 14 month break, have failed to dissipate deep distrust between world powers and Tehran, analysts and diplomats said. But the two-day talks between Iran and the European Union with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, which ended on Tuesday with an agreement to meet again in Istanbul in late January, marked the beginning of a new phase of dialogue, they told AFP.”We didn’t move forward one iota, but the positive thing, relatively speaking, is that a rendezvous was arranged in Turkey; that was Iran’s request before they even came to Geneva,” said Mohammad-Reza Djalili, a professor at the city’s Graduate Institute.

The world powers spearheaded by the EU’s top diplomat Catherine Ashton had originally baulked at Tehran’s request to hold talks on Monday and Tuesday in Turkey, successfully proposing the western Swiss city, their traditional meeting place, instead. But after the two-day talks, a senior US administration official “welcomed” the fact that Iran’s neighbor would host the next encounter. “We never expected major progress from this one meeting. This is a start,” he said. Francois Nicoullaud, a former French ambassador in Tehran, underlined that “the important thing is that this first meeting did not end in complete failure.” He suggested that there were still small opportunities to build on, while a western diplomat called the talks “the beginning of a process that will demand lots of patience and determination on both sides.”

Dominique Moisi of the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI) believes that the form, if not the substance, of the negotiations over the standoff has changed. “The Iranians accepted straightaway to discuss nuclear issues and

there’s a feeling that maybe something has changed,” he explained, But he urged caution. “The Iranians have decided to appear to be a little more open,” he said.

“It’s a tactical change, not yet a strategic one.” Iranian leaders have repeated in recent days that their nuclear “rights” are “non-negotiable”. Thierry Coville, a professor at the Negocia business school in Paris, nonetheless pointed to the Iranian regime’s “pragmatic” approach since the Islamic revolution.

“If it’s in their interest to negotiate a deal, they’ll do so,” he added, while European diplomatic sources highlighted the “strong signal” sent by western soldarity over Iran. Several analysts pointed to Washington’s key role in the process, alongside what appeared to be a harder line taken by the Europeans Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged that Iran has “the right to a peaceful nuclear program” but said Tehran must “fully address the world’s concerns about your nuclear activities.” In Geneva, the senior US administration official stood firm on the UN Security Council’s requirement for “suspension” of enrichment. But some analysts believe Washington has hinted at possible leeway for some uranium enrichment by Iran “in the future” provided Tehran gives practical assurances, changing the equation in the standoff. Nicoullaud welcomed a US sense of “realism, compromise.” David Albright, a former International Atomic Energy Agency inspector and founder of a US think tank, suggested that international solidarity was holding and pressure was building on Iran. “The United States feels that time is on its side,” the head of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security said.

But he doubted that the Istanbul meeting could yield progress on Iran’s nuclear program. “I think we’re probably heading for several months of standoff,” he concluded. —AFP

US wary of pushing Egypt on flawed vote

By Tarek El-Tablawy gypt’s ruling party swept parliament elections through what observers call blatant vote fraud, and the United States raised only tepid objections - a sign both Cairo and Washington want no trouble as this key US ally approaches a critical turning point over who will lead the country next. With 82-yearold President Hosni Mubarak’s health in question ahead of presidential elections next year, the Arab world’s most populous nation could enter a period of tremendous uncertainty once its leader of nearly 30 years eventually leaves the political stage. The government appears determined to tighten its grip to ensure a smooth transition.

That posed a problem for the Americans: Lay on pressure for democracy, or accept the status quo and avoid unsettling a government that has kept stability in Egypt, maintained peace with Israel and generally backed the US agenda in the region. Weighing on the question are the unknowns of the future. There is no clear successor to Mubarak, raising worries over who has the clout to contain mounting dissatisfaction in the country amid frequent protests over economic woes. The most powerful opposition movement is the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, and secular opposition parties are notoriously weak, mainly from government efforts to keep them that way.

“Who said that the Americans don’t want the result that came about?” said Gehad Ouda, an Egyptian political scientist close to the ruling National Democratic Party. “This serves their interests in the long run. It lengthens the shadow of the regime, and my opinion is that this is their real desire - to prolong the shadow of the future of the regime.” Results of a run-off vote released Monday showed the NDP winning 83 percent parliament’s 518 seats, a total likely to rise to 96 percent if many winning independent candidates join the ruling party after taking their posts, as expected.

The Brotherhood went from holding 20 percent of parliament to none - meaning that the voices of dissent in the legislature were quashed. Allegations of vote rigging and ballot box stuffing in the Nov. 28 first round were so widespread that the Brotherhood boycotted last Sunday’s run-off. Perhaps more damaging to the government’s credibility, it was joined by the top secular opposition party, the Wafd. In the US’s most recent remarks, State Department spokeswoman Megan Mattson said Monday, “We hope that all necessary improvements will be made swiftly to ensure that future elections are free and fair.”

With its mild prodding for a fair vote, the Obama administration seemed intent not to offend its ally after relations soured under the

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previous Bush administration, which for a time made Egypt the centerpiece of its calls for greater democracy in the Mideast. “There’s ... a calculation that criticizing the Egyptians in public wouldn’t get us anything, and would anger the Egyptians,” said Jon Alterman, director the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Mideast program. Alterman said the Brotherhood and opposition likely wouldn’t have posed much of a challenge to the regime even with a presence in parliament - so the ruling party’s overkill against them was telling.

The election was “intended to be a show of strength but it strikes me overwhelmingly as a show of weakness,” he said. The NDP was likely betting condemnation would be mild or just didn’t care, more concerned with its professed goal of crushing the Brotherhood. Ahead of the election, authorities rounded up 1,400 Brotherhood supporters. Increasing public discontent may have strengthened the regime’s feeling it must tighten control. Protests over the past year have been fueled by Egyptians’ complaints over unemployment, low wages, a soaring cost of living and a feeling of general neglect by the government.

The demonstrations suggest that the government’s ability to maintain quiet could be tested in any transition. Earlier this year, Mubarak underwent gall bladder surgery in Germany. He has not said whether he will seek re-election, though NDP officials insist he will. Even if he does, some question if he will serve out a full 6-year term. His younger son Gamal, an investment banker turned politician, is widely seen as next in line, though many analysts doubt he has the same clout with the powerful military establishment that his air force pilot father enjoyed.

Other potential contenders have popped up, including intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. But posters for Suleiman were ripped down almost as quickly as they appeared on Cairo’s streets. Others, like the reform-minded former UN nuclear watchdog agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, are widely seen wishful thinking on the part of many Egyptians. For the US, a smooth transition is key to ensuring its interests. Egypt remains a major player in the Arab-Israeli peace process and has helped seal the Gaza Strip to put pressure on its Hamas leaders. Egypt controls the Suez Canal, a key international trade artery, allows the US overflight access in military operations and is a main intelligence-gathering partner.

The ruling party, meanwhile, likely feels safe that any face lost in the election will have little effect. It may be counting on its economic reform program, launched in 2005, to be enough of a placebo to distract the population from political woes. The reforms have helped fuel strong growth rates for Egypt - projected at 6 percent this year. —AP

China’s Nobel anger spells tough fight for rights activists

By Robert Saiget

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hina’s fury over the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo and its subsequent crackdown on dissidents could signal a more difficult fight ahead for rights activists, experts say. Liu, a social critic and author, was sentenced in December 2009 to 11 years in prison on subversion charges after co-authoring “Charter 08”, a bold manifesto calling for democratic reform and greater rights in one-party China. Since Liu won the Nobel in October, Chinese police have harassed hundreds of activists-detaining some, placing others under house arrest and preventing a few from leaving the country ahead of Friday’s peace prize ceremony in Oslo.

“Many people in China are worried that until the ceremony on December 10, the government has avoided arresting or throwing in jail other activists, but after the ceremony it might be possible the government wants to make an example of several activists,” Human Rights Watch’s Nicholas Bequelin said. Liu’s wife, Liu Xia, has been under house arrest and deprived of nearly all contact with the outside world since he was given the prestigious award, which Beijing fears will embolden China’s political activists into fomenting unrest.

“There are lots of concerns about what will happen to his wife. Will she be released or at last given a measure of freedom? What will happen to the other signatories of Charter 08 and other human rights activists?” Bequelin said.

So far none of the other original 300 or more signatories of Charter 08 have been

HONG KONG: Pro-democracy lawmakers Albert Ho (second right) Lee Cheuk-yan (center) and Emily Lau meet the media as Lau holds a picture of jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong yesterday before heading to the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo. —AP arrested since Liu won the award-a good sign, according to Wang Songlian, a Hong Kong-based researcher for the Chinese Human Rights Defenders. “The government reaction has been quite mild-you know how much worse it could get,”

Wang said.

Wang was referring to the violent quelling of the 1989 Tiananmen prodemocracy protests which left hundreds if not thousands dead, and other heavyhanded political movements such as the

Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), which was largely aimed at eliminating enemies of the party. Barring a return to such hardline methods, Wang said the Nobel prize for Liu, despite Beijing’s virulent reaction, would continue to boost the

morale of China’s diverse network of human rights defenders.

Bequelin noted that over the longer term, Beijing could be convinced that keeping Liu in prison is less useful than setting him free. “Having the Nobel Peace Prize winner in prison definitely hobbles China’s ability to obtain what it wants in the international system,” the Hong Kong-based rights researcher said.

“There are real prospects for a release of Liu Xiaobo but that will depend to a certain extent on how forcefully governments will press Beijing for that release.”

For Wang, the government may not be willing to expend the vast resources needed in the long run to crack down on a growing activist community inspired by Liu to peacefully advocate political and social change. For some veteran activists like Bao Tong, a former member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee and a signer of Charter 08, the award given to Liu served as a message of support for Liu and all of his supporters. “By awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Committee has sent a blessing from afar to China,” Bao said in a commentary published Monday in The New York Times.

Liu’s calls for social change through nonviolence are an attempt to put an end to the country’s history of violent revolution advocated by the Communist Party and its late leader Mao Zedong, he said. “We do not agree with ‘power from the barrel of a gun’, blessed by Mao as a universal truth,” Bao said. “We are willing to observe the principles of peaceful, nonviolent and legitimate struggle for a very simple reason: Using uncivilized means cannot achieve civilized ends.” —AFP

focus

Key political risks in emerging Balkans

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thnic tensions and the legacy of the 1990s wars still weigh on Western Balkan countries and complicate their common goal of joining the European Union.

Following are some of the region’s political risks:

ALBANIA The European Commission has denied NATO member Albania candidate status, saying its democratic institutions are not insufficiently effective.

A row between the Democrats and the opposition Socialist Party over 2009 elections has delayed the passage of laws in parliament, with the Socialists organizing street protests and calling for a no-confidence motion against the parliament speaker. Local elections are due on May 8.

ECONOMY: Albania avoided recession last year and this year’s growth is seen by the International Monetary Fund at 2-2.6 percent. The Fund’s growth forecast for 2011 at around 3 percent is less optimistic than government’s projection of 5.5 percent. The government implemented severe spending cuts in its 2010 revised budget, with deficit set at 3.2 percent.

BOSNIA Bosnia is still overseen by an international envoy and EU-led peacekeepers following the 1992-95 war.

The EU will lift visas for Bosnians in December but the protectorate is seen as a key obstacle for the country’s application for EU membership. Elections in October resulted in a mixed picture, with Serbs and Croats voting for their nationalist parties and Bosnian Muslims supporting moderates. The coalition of two opposing blocs is unlikely in the central government, which may further delay stalled political and economic reforms.

ECONOMY: Bosnia is trying to keep on track a 1.2 billion euro standby deal with the IMF. The economy, which fell around 3 percent in 2009, is expected to mildly recover this year by around 0.5 percent and then grow by up to 3 percent in 2011.

CROATIA Zagreb aims to complete accession talks with the EU in the first half of 2011 and join in late 2012 or 2013, provided it completes reforms in the judiciary, the fight against corruption and the sale of heavily subsidized state shipyards. The ruling conservative coalition seems stable after it had survived a no-confidence vote in October requested by the opposition over corruption and economic problems. It also secured a majority in the 2011 budget vote, indicating it is likely to serve out its full term.

ECONOMY: Croatia’s economy shrank 5.8 percent in 2009 and is seen declining 1.5 percent this year, while unemployment is nipping back towards a four-year high reached in March. Public debt stands at some 40 percent of GDP and is still rising. The kuna currency is stable. The economy should return to mild growth next year, but without reforms and spending cuts, Croatia is facing longer stagnation or lowgrowth period which may eventually lead to an arrangement with the IMF. KOSOVO Five EU members do not recognize Kosovo, while China and Russia oppose Kosovo membership in the UN. In a landmark reversal however, Serbia agreed in September to start talks with its former province on practical issues. Kosovo has a 90percent Albanian majority,

but the Serb north around the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica is beyond government control and receives subsidies from Belgrade. NATO troops and EU prosecutors, judges, police and customs officers, known as the EULEX mission, help oversee security in Kosovo. Kosovo holds early elections on Dec 12.

ECONOMY: Based on exports of metals and minerals, Kosovo’s economy remains dependent on Western aid and unemployment is more than 45 percent, with many in poverty.

In October, the central bank governor was dismissed after his arrest on corruption charges.

MACEDONIA Macedonia is a candidate for NATO and EU membership but prospects are clouded by an 18-year-long dispute with neighboring Greece, which says the country’s name implies territorial claims to its northern province. Relations between the majority Macedonians and ethnic Albanians, who make up one-third of the population, remain fragile after a Western-brokered peace deal ended a 2001 armed conflict between Albanian rebels and government security forces. The ruling government coalition led by the centre-right VMRODPMNE party looks set to remain stable until its mandate ends in 2012.

ECONOMY: Macedonia is expected to recover from recession this year but analysts say high government spending threatens its deficit target of 2.5 percent of GDP. MONTENEGRO The tiny Adriatic country attracted investors in real estate and tourism projects in the mid-2000s but as property prices fell, its economy shrank 5.7 in 2009, according to the IMF. The IMF expects Montenegro’s economy to grow 0.3 percent this year and has reduced its 2011 forecast to up to 3 percent, down from 4-5 percent. The government sees the economy growing at 2.5 percent, with bad and good scenarios ranging from 1-3.5 percent.

Montenegro is hoping to join NATO soon, and is awaiting a date for EU membership talks. The European Commission recommended Montenegro for candidate status in November, but entry talks were delayed because of corruption and slow democratic reform.

ECONOMY: In September, Montenegro successfully issued its maiden five-year Eurobond worth 200 million euros at a 7.8 percent rate.

SERBIA The largest market in the Balkans with 7.3 million people, Serbia in October received a green light to proceed on the next of many steps on the path to EU membership. Its progress hinges on its efforts to mend ties with Kosovo and arrest Bosnian Serb wartime military leader Ratko Mladic. Serbia’s ruling coalition of the proWestern Democratic Party and Socialists is now confronting new challenges due to slow recovery from the crisis, cost cutting and internal infighting. The government is also facing pressure from Euro-sceptic People’s Party which is rallying other opposition parties to stage protests in the spring.

ECONOMY: After economic contraction of 3 percent last year, Serbia’s 2010 growth is seen at 1.5 percent by the IMF, which urged Serbia under its 2009 loan program to cut spending and maintain budget deficit at 4.8 percent of GDP. — Reuters

NEWS

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Saudi ‘playing double game’ in Yemen

Fresh snow causes travel chaos

Aid to Yemen tribes weakens state authority

Europe freezes

RIYADH: Saudi funding of Yemeni tribes for help against Al-Qaeda risk undermining central authority in the kingdom’s poor neighbor at a moment when the government there needs all its clout to fight security threats. The West relies heavily on the top oil exporter to help stabilize Yemen: Saudi Arabia is the largest financial donor, bankrolling the government of ally President Ali Saleh Abdullah, helping supplying Yemeni forces and building hospitals.

But analysts and diplomats say Saudi Arabia is at the same time sidelining Sanaa by directly supporting tribes who dominate much of the unruly country located strategically on the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. “Saudi support of the tribes has a clear negative impact on state-building and by extension, its ability to fight AQAP,” said AbdulGhani Al-Iryani, a Yemeni political analyst in Sanaa. “The Saudis have refused flat out all Yemeni requests to desist from paying Yemeni tribes,” he said.

Saudi counter-terrorism efforts are currently riding high. Last month, Saudi arrested 149 militants mainly linked to Yemenbased Al-Qaeda in the Peninsula (AQAP) who had planned to stage attacks inside the kingdom and to send Saudis for training camps in Yemen and Somalia.

This was the latest success of Saudi intelligence after tipping off the United States about a parcel bomb plot from Yemen, where AQAP has been both fighting the government as well as using remote areas as havens to plot attacks in the West. Saudi Arabia has stepped up financial support for various Yemeni tribes in the past two years to improve its own security, diplomats and analysts say, due to worries about Shiite rebels in northern Yemen who

ADEN: A Yemeni family enjoys an afternoon at the beach in the southern Yemeni city of Aden. — AFP briefly fought a border war with Riyadh.

While gaining some intelligence from tribal sources on the whereabouts of Al-Qaeda militants on their territory, the cash help has proved an obstacle to boosting Yemeni state authority - a vital ingredient in tackling economic problems, analysts say. Another complication is that Islamic charities close to the Saudi austere brand of Sunni Islam have long funded religious schools or mosques seen as recruiting grounds for Al-Qaeda.

“Saudi support on tribes is undermining government authority,” said Barak Barfi, a former Visiting Fellow at the

Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. “Saudi Arabia does not want Yemen to be strong,” he said. He said Riyadh, an absolute monarchy with strict curbs on domestic politics, feared a spread of liberal political freedoms in Yemen, whose native population is larger than Saudi Arabia’s. A Western diplomat in Riyadh said some members of tribes on the Saudi payroll might also engage in cross-border smuggling which is undermining efforts to seal off the 1,500 kilometer joint border Riyadh fears Al-Qaeda militants use to infiltrate.

Saudi officials say the kingdom has backed aid projects in tribal areas to wean Yemenis

away from joining Al-Qaeda because Saleh’s authority was dwindling outside the capital Sanaa. “The idea was that when Yemenis saw the concrete benefits of these projects they would push their leaders to eject the extremists,” a US diplomatic cable said in May 2009, citing the Saudi counterterrorism chief Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. A Saudi analyst who declined to be named said the payment of tribes had not helped much over many years, apart from gaining some intelligence. “It’s not very useful. You end up paying more and more and don’t get much out of it,” the analyst said. — Reuters

that prison police initially closed the gates to firefighters, impeding efforts by 10 responding units to control the blaze.

Police operations director Jaime Concha insisted police acted quickly despite coping with 1,900 inmates at the prison built for 700. Pedro Hernandez, who directs Chile’s prison guards union, said there were only five guards to watch over the prisoners.

Pinera, however, said there were six guards in the prison towers where the inmates are held, and 26 others stationed at the perimeter. Chile’s firefighters said in an official statement that they were alerted to the fire by a call from a cell phone inside

the prison.

Authorities have not said why so many inmates died in the part of the prison where the blaze began, on the third floor of Tower 5. Firefighters had to work with police to avoid more problems with prisoners all around them. “They wouldn’t let the firefighters come in. The riot police came in first and began to beat us, and later the firefighters came in,” an unidentified prisoner said in a call that was played on state television. Fire Department Commander Jose Sanchez said it took 10 minutes for firefighters to enter the prison, but he blamed any delay on “the intense heat on the floor where the fire was” rather than on guards.

While more than 200 inmates were moved to other areas of the prison, there were 147 others in the immediate area of the blaze, and many died of asphyxiation, the firefighters’ statement said. It was supposed to be visitors’ day at the prison, so many family members were already lining up outside when the fire broke out. Their anxiety spilled over when they learned that prisoners were killed. Some broke down in tears and screams, while others threw rocks at Masferrer, the prison police director, as he read the survivors’ names over a megaphone. Manalich said 14 prisoners were badly burned, with uncertain fates.

Two firefighters and three guards were less seriously hurt, authorities said. — AP

Music-loving sultan makes vision reality Continued from Page 1 She declined to disclose any details about the first season’s line-up, but said that the shows for the “pre-launch season,” which includes music, dance and theatre performances and will last until December 21, will be held in various venues throughout the capital. Outside her office is a hive of activity as workers strive to complete the impressive building made of pale pink stone hewn from a local quarry. The initial concept for the project was drawn up by the Britainbased Theatre Projects Consultants, and the architectural firm chosen to turn the sultan’s vision into reality was Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo. The brief may have been for an Italian opera house, but the building itself will not look at all out of place. Despite its massive size, the new construction will still sit in harmony among its surroundings which include many other official buildings, among them the foreign ministry. “Everybody thought that the opening would be held on the occasion of the 40-year reign of the sultan, but the fact is that construction is proceeding in an appropriate pace and it will be ready by

October 2011,” Hindawi said.

The project began in 2001 when the sultan ordered the building of an opera house worthy of the name at a time when classical music concerts were being held in various venues in Muscat, including in the Al Bustan Palace Hotel. Currently the only other opera house in the Arab world is thousands of kilometers away in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. It was established in 1988. Some 1,500 people are currently working on the Muscat opera house site, project director Hamid AlGhazali told reporters last month, adding that there are also more than 40 subcontractors involved.

“Coordinating them all to work together isn’t easy,” Hamid said. Journalists have been allowed to take a look at the opera house from the outside, but so far the building’s interior has remained a closely guarded secret. Hindawi did show AFP some sketches and artistic impressions of the inside of the opera house that suggest a design ornamented with shades of red and gold, colors which together reflect royalty. However, the unveiling of the project in its entirety will be reserved for the sultan himself. “This is the bestkept secret in Muscat,” said an associate

of Hindawi of the interior, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Also secret is the cost of the project, which has never been disclosed. All that is known is that a royal box reserved for the sultan and his guests will offer the best view of the action. There will be a 32-metre high fly tower for the technical crew for scenery changes and a modular auditorium that can accommodate an audience of 1,100 people in concert mode and 850 for theatrical performances.

Sultan Qaboos, who is passionate about music, also ordered the creation 20 years ago of a classical music orchestra.

Hindawi said this now includes a group of elite Omani musicians who participate in concerts around the world.

And several months ago, the sultanate’s public radio channel launched “Oman Classic”, a radio station dedicated to the genre that is becoming increasingly popular in Oman, and an orchestra formed of a group of young talented Omanis. When complete, the Royal Opera House Muscat complex will occupy an area of 80,000 square meters, half of which will consist of landscaped gardens. The complex will also include a mini-theatre, restaurants and luxury stores. — AFP

WikiLeaks sympathizers unleash cyber war Continued from Page 1 defender of free speech, but he is now battling to clear his name.

Some supporters appear to want to help him. While most denial of service attacks involve botnets, programs that hijack computers and use them to target individual websites and bring them down, the current cyber attacks seem to be different. “In this case... they seem to be using their own computers,” he said.

Asked what that said about how many individuals might be involved: “Probably hundreds at the least, could be thousands,” said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer of Finnish software secu-

rity firm F-Secure.

The latest cables, reported in Britain’s Guardian newspaper, said Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi made threats to cut trade with Britain and warned of “enormous repercussions” if the Libyan convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing died in a Scottish jail. He was freed in August 2009. WikiLeaks also released cables yesterday that showed Saudi Arabia proposed an “Arab army” be deployed in Lebanon, with US air and naval cover, to stop Shiite Hezbollah militia after it seized control of parts of Beirut in 2008. Like many of the cables, the disclosures give an insight into diplomacy which is normally screened from

how flights at were affected. The deluge left all motorways in the Paris region impassable and only a handful of the 350 Paris bus routes were operating.

Truckers were ordered to pull off the highways and wait until conditions improved.

The operators of the Eiffel Tower first shut only the first floor of the giant monument that is one of the world’s most visited sites. “But since late morning the Eiffel Tower has been completely closed and will certainly not reopen today,” said a spokesman. In Scotland, First Minister Alex Salmond said everything possible was being done to keep the country moving. One of the country’s busiest motorways, the M8, remained partially shut, train services were disrupted and police advised motorists not to drive unless their journey was absolutely essential. Many schools also closed for the day.

Temperatures were expected to stay well below freezing throughout Scotland until Thursday-leaving thick sheets of ice and compacted snow on roads and pavements.

“When ice gets onto motorways, salt doesn’t dissolve the ice underneath minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).... These are just the reali-

ties of exceptional weather conditions,” Salmond said.Edinburgh council was meanwhile in discussions with the Scottish government and the army about bringing in soldiers to help clear snow from the city’s streets. Up to 76 centimeters of snow has fallen in parts of the capital and the temperature dropped to minus 14.6 degrees Celsius.

Hundreds of motorists were earlier in the week left stranded in their cars after they became trapped on snowbound roads in the worst conditions seen since the 1960s.

Elsewhere in Europe, police in Spain recovered the body of a nine-year-old boy who went missing after the car he was travelling in was swept away by floodwater. The boy’s father and his elder brother were able to escape from the vehicle which was swept into the river Alcudia near the south-central town of Almodovar del Campo in the Castilla-La Mancha region on Tuesday evening. His death was the second from the storms that have battered southern Spain and Portugal since Saturday. The flooding has blocked dozens of roads and forced the evacuation on Tuesday of some 3,000 people in the Andalucian town of Ecija after the river Genil burst its banks. — AFP

Saudi proposed an ‘Arab army’ to stop Hezbollah: Leaked info DUBAI: Saudi Arabia proposed an “Arab army” should be deployed in Lebanon, with US air and naval cover, to stop Hezbollah after it seized control of parts of Beirut in 2008, according to leaked US diplomatic cables. Riyadh has led Arab efforts in recent years to contain Iran and its regional allies such as the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, partly through backing for Sunni Muslims who lead Lebanon’s government.

The group took over the Muslim part of Beirut in May 2008 after the government of then Prime Minister Fouad Siniora tried to outlaw Hezbollah’s telecommunications network. In a May 10 meeting in Riyadh between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and David Satterfield, then the US Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad, the Saudi prince said the force was needed

to stop an “Iranian takeover of all Lebanon”.

“Saud concluded by underscoring that a UN/Arab peacekeeping force coupled with US air and naval support would ‘keep out Hezbollah forever’ in Lebanon,” said the cable, released by WikiLeaks. It noted that Satterfield was skeptical about the idea.

“What was needed was an ‘Arab force’ drawn from Arab ‘periphery’ states to deploy to Beirut under the ‘cover of the UN’ and with a significant presence drawn from UNIFIL in south Lebanon ‘which is sitting doing nothing’,” the cable said, detailing Prince Saud’s proposal.

A United Nations force known as UNIFIL is deployed on Lebanon’s southern border to help maintain calm with Israel, which fought a war in 2006 that did not succeed in its aim of crushing Hezbollah. “The US and NATO would be asked to provide

equipment for such a force as well as logistics, movement support, and ‘naval and air cover’,” it added. US forces were deployed as part of a multinational force sent in 1982 to help maintain order during Lebanon’s civil war but they left after suicide bombers struck US and French barracks in Beirut.

The prince told Satterfield that Egypt, Jordan and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa were aware of the idea, as well as Siniora whom he described as a strong supporter. The prince said Lebanon was the easiest front on which to push back Iranian influence-as opposed to Iraq and the Palestinian territories, where Iran also has allies-by securing peace. The crisis in May 2008 was resolved through a peace agreement brokered by Saudi rival Qatar that brought Hezbollah back into the Saniora government. — Reuters

Partying Saudi style: Elite, boozy, secret

83 perish in Chile prison Continued from Page 1

PARIS: Heavy snow blanketed Paris yesterday forcing the closure of the Eiffel Tower and its main airport as plunging temperatures turned Scottish roads into deadly ice sheets and Spain and Portugal cleared up after flooding and tornado-like winds. Road, rail and air travelers faced fresh disruption following last week’s transport shutdown with Paris’s Charles de Gaulle-Roissy airport closed and the mercury plummeting as low as minus 18.3 degrees Celsius at Tyndrum in the Scottish highlands.

In Portugal the high winds carried off cars, uprooted trees, tore off roofs and blew over electricity poles Tuesday, leaving around 30 people injured. A second body was recovered in Spain yesterday following flooding. No flights would be cleared for take-off or landing at Charles de Gaulle-Roissy until at least late afternoon while efforts were made to clear the runways of the heavy snow that began falling around midday, airport officials said.

One in five flights were earlier cancelled at the request of France’s civil aviation authority (DGAC) due to the poor weather forecast. Runways at Paris’s second airport Orly were shut for about half an hour for snow to be cleared but there was no immediate information on

public view.

The original source of the leaked cables is not known, though a US army private, Bradley Manning, who worked as an intelligence analyst in Iraq, has been charged by military authorities with unauthorized downloading of more than 150,000 State Department cables. US officials have declined to say whether those cables are the same ones now being released by WikiLeaks. Assange defended his Internet publishing site in a newspaper commentary yesterday, saying it was crucial to spreading democracy and likening himself to global media baron Rupert Murdoch in the quest to publish the truth. — Reuters

Continued from Page 1 “The full range of worldly temptations and vices are available - alcohol, drugs, sex - but all behind closed doors.” Wait, this is Saudi Arabia they are talking about? The place where women are banned from driving and can be jailed for socializing with men outside their family? The land whose brand of Islam, known as Wahhabism, is perhaps best known in the West for beheadings and its role as somber guardian for the holy pilgrimage cities of Makkah and Medina?

To those unfamiliar with the undercurrents of the Middle East, it all could seem a bit hard to fathom. But the US cable touches on a basic lesson for understanding the region: public mores and private passions can be very far apart. It’s a bit like a cultural version of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Wild parties rage behind closed doors in Tehran even as Iran’s hard-liners tighten their grip. Conservative Gulf sheiks make sure their wine cellars are well stocked.

Outside Saudi Arabia, it’s not unusual to see a traveler from the desert kingdom hunkered down at an airport bar or letting loose in Bahrain - a favorite party haunt for Saudis who can simply drive over a causeway and, sometimes, weave their way home. “What one quickly realizes about the Middle East is that there are layers upon layers in society,” said Salman Shaikh, director of The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. But he does not believe

that Saudi officials will face much fallout from the disclosure.

“There’s certainly the potential for some embarrassment, but a closed society like Saudi is based on a series of social deals,” he said. “It’s really not in anyone’s interest to call attention to these deals or try to tear them up.” Saudi government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The American diplomat who wrote the January 2009 cable added just enough flourish to give the invitation to a Halloween party an intrepid feel. It’s a look, he writes, “behind the facade of Wahhabi conservatism in the streets.” It begins by clearing the prince’s security detail. Next up was a coat-check area where women pulled off their head-to-toe black abayas.

Inside, Filipino bartenders served up a cocktail punch using moonshine vodka. An American “energy drink company” whose name was blacked out on the WikiLeaks release - helped bankroll the bash that included, the diplomat was told, some prostitutes mingling in the crowd.

“Not uncommon for such parties,” the cable said. “The scene resembled a nightclub anywhere outside the kingdom: plentiful alcohol, young couples dancing, a DJ at the turntables and everyone in costume,” the message continued.

Bottles of name-brand booze were behind the bar, but apparently only for display. A black market bottle of Smirnoff, the cable said, can cost up to $400 “when avail-

able” compared with about $26 for a bottle of home-brewed vodka. That appeared even too irresistible a savings for the wellconnected host, a prince whose family ties go back six generations to dovetail with the lineage of Saudi King Abdullah, who is currently in New York recuperating after two back surgeries.

The prince’s name was redacted from the cable posted by WikiLeaks. But it gave a sense of his privilege. “Although ... not in line for the throne, he still enjoys the perks of a mansion, luxury car, lifetime stipend and security entourage,” the cable said. It’s apparently also enough political juice to keep the feared morality police at bay.

Their power - always strong - has further increased in recent years as Saudi clerics and others push back harder against what’s perceived as threatening liberal trends among the young.

The American cable said the religious police were “nowhere to be seen” near the party. “Saudi youth get to enjoy relative social freedom and indulge fleshly pursuits,” the cable said, “but only behind closed doors and only the rich.” Wajeha AlHawaidar, a Saudi activist who has been banned from writing or appearing on Saudi TV because of her support for women’s rights, said the private, Western-style indulgences are “well known outside and inside Saudi Arabia.” “When you put much pressure on a society, people will still go on with their life,” she said. “We are not rocks. We are human beings.” — AP

Special Forces storm oppn rally Continued from Page 1 Mohammad Hayef inside the diwan, while another policeman did not allow MP Ali Al-Diqbasi in.

Among the MPs who were beaten by police Special Forces were Ahmad AlSaadoun, Musallam Al-Barrak, Mohammad Hayef, Waleed Al-Tabtabai, Marzouq Al-Ghanim, Faisal Al-Mislem, Dhaifallah Abu Ramya, Jamaan AlHarbash, Abdelrahman Al-Anjari and constitutional expert Obeid Al-Wasmi.

MP Musallam Al-Barrak condemned the attack while leaving Al-Harbash diwan accompanied by MP Khalid Al-Tahoos. He said “what took place is a ridiculous fiasco and you will see what kind of answer we will get at the National Assembly today.

MP Falah Al-Sawagh and Mubarak Alwalaan are being treated at Al Razi hospital while MPs Al-Anjari and Waleed AlTabtabai were rushed to Amiri hospital and Al Sabah hospital respectively.

Earlier in the day, the government of the oil-rich State warned it would not allow outdoor public gatherings and advised the opposition to organize their rallies indoor. Kuwait, OPEC’s fifth largest producer, has a 50-member parliament. The 16 cabinet ministers, of whom 15 are unelected, automatically become members of parliament and have similar voting rights as elected MPs. The State has been rocked by a series of political

crises over the past five years that led the ruler to dissolve parliament three times, while the cabinet has resigned five times.

Meanwhile, the Assembly speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi told reporters yesterday that he was asked by the Amir to convey a message to MPs that he (the Amir) had instructed the interior minister that public rallies will be allowed only inside diwaniyas (houses) not outside. The speaker said he received the message from the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah during the special cabinet meeting held yesterday to discuss the outcome of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit. He said that he was forced to convey the message through the media because he had to travel to Turkey and accordingly had no time to hold a meeting for MPs. Following the scrapping of parts of the public gatherings law in 2006 by the constitutional court, public rallies were held freely without any government intervention and without a prior permission from the government. But, after sectarian tensions rose sharply in the past few weeks, the government said the law does not permit holding rallies without any restrictions, insisting that only indoor rallies are allowed while outdoor rallies are banned.

The Amir also called during the cabinet meeting on security agencies not to allow any action that may threaten the security and stability of the country, say-

ing that negative developments on the local arena are conducive to chaos and instability. Although the Amir did not elaborate in the statement issued after the cabinet meeting, but it looks like he was directing his warning to the latest political standoff between the government and the opposition.

Some MPs decided to hold the rally after the opposition accused the government of boycotting parliamentary sessions last week that were due to vote on a request by the public prosecution to lift the immunity of MP Faisal Al-Mislem.

Although, lifting immunities of MPs is a routine procedure as dozens of immunities had been lifted in the past, the opposition protested against the one for Mislem because it was intended to try him in court for something he did under the assembly chamber, which is fully protected under Kuwait law.

The government boycott resulted in Mislem’s immunity being lifted automatically as a court started looking into a complaint against him yesterday. In the brief session, the court decided to hold its next session on January 5 in order to allow the public prosecution to send the file on Mislem’s immunity to the court. Mislem was sued by a local bank for showing a copy of a KD200,000 cheque issued by the prime minister to a former MP. He is accused of uncovering bank secrets.

SPORTS

Thursday, December 9, 2010

15

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Tuesday.

Boston 3, Buffalo 2 (OT); Montreal 4, Ottawa 1; Florida 4, Colorado 3 (OT).

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS Pittsburgh 19 8 2 91 67 40 Philadelphia 17 7 4 95 69 38 NY Rangers 16 12 1 83 77 33 New Jersey 8 17 2 50 81 18 NY Islanders 5 15 5 53 83 15 Northeast Division Montreal 18 8 2 75 54 38 Boston 15 8 3 75 52 33 Buffalo 11 13 4 70 76 26 Ottawa 12 15 2 62 85 26 Toronto 10 12 4 59 76 24 Southeast Division Washington 18 8 3 96 79 39 Tampa Bay 15 10 3 86 98 33 Atlanta 15 10 3 88 80 33 Carolina 11 12 3 75 84 25 Florida 12 14 0 68 69 24 Western Conference Central Division Detroit 17 5 3 86 67 37 Chicago 15 12 2 90 84 32 Columbus 15 10 1 70 71 31 St. Louis 13 9 4 67 72 30 Nashville 12 8 6 65 68 30 Northwest Division Vancouver 14 8 3 80 64 31 Colorado 13 10 4 94 86 30 Minnesota 11 11 4 63 76 26 Calgary 12 14 2 78 84 26 Edmonton 10 12 5 72 96 25 Pacific Division Dallas 16 8 2 76 69 34 hoenix 13 7 6 74 72 32 Anaheim 14 13 3 74 89 31 Los Angeles 15 10 0 69 61 30 San Jose 13 9 4 78 73 30 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

SUNRISE: Goaltender Craig Anderson No. 41 of the Colorado Avalanche stops a second period shot by Steven Reinprecht No. 27 of the Florida Panthers at the Bank Atlantic Center. —AFP

Bruins steal win over Sabres BOSTON: Mark Recchi tipped Dennis Seidenberg’s slap shot past Ryan Miller in overtime, a power-play goal that was initially waved off by the referee, as the Boston Bruins escaped with a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.

The game continued until the next whistle, with 1:58 left, but the goal 2:11 into the period officially ended it. Tim Thomas stopped 28 shots to help Boston bounce back from a shootout

loss to Toronto on Saturday. Miller made 33 saves.

Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton also scored for the Bruins. Luke Adam netted his first NHL goal for Buffalo, but he also raked his stick across Marc Savard’s face to give Boston an overtime power play.

Panthers 4, Avalanche 3 At Sunrise, Florida, Stephen Weiss

scored his second goal of the game 43 seconds into overtime to give Florida a victory over Colorado.

Bill Thomas and David Booth also had goals for Florida, which has won two straight following a three-game losing streak. Tomas Vokoun made 22 saves. John-Michael Liles, Ryan O’Reilly and Matt Duchene scored for the Avalanche, who have lost four in a row.

Canadiens 4, Senators 1 At Montreal, Jeff Halpern, Brian Gionta and Roman Hamrlik scored third-period goals and Carey Price made 27 saves as Montreal beat Ottawa for its third straight win.

Michael Cammalleri added a powerplay goal in the first for Montreal.

Ottawa’s Nick Foligno scored a powerplay goal late in the first period, but the Senators fell to 3-7-1 in their last 11.

Ducks 3, Oilers 2 At Edmonton, Alberta, Cam Fowler’s goal in the 10th round of a shootout lifted Anaheim over Edmonton after the Ducks blew a two-goal lead in the third period.

Joffrey Lupul had a goal to give the Ducks the lead in the shootout’s first round. Taylor Hall, the top pick in this year’s draft, answered in the third round for Edmonton.

Jonas Hiller made 34 saves through overtime. Khabibulin stopped 30.

Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne scored in regulation for the Ducks, who had been shut out in their two previous games and had lost eight of 11. Ryan Jones and Dustin Penner helped rally the Oilers, whose four-game winning streak ended.

Flames 4, Lightning 2 At Calgary, Alberta, Rene Bourque had a goal and two assists in Calgary’s win over Tampa Bay. Cory Sarich, Tom Kostopoulos and Jarome Iginla also scored for the Flames. Johan Harju and Ryan Malone had goals for the Lightning, who beat Colorado 6-5 at home on Saturday. Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 22 shots. Dan Ellis made 15 saves for Tampa Bay. —AP

Judge delays Clemens doping trial by 3 months

Inter-Hotels Football Tournament KUWAIT: The closing ceremony of the Inter-Hotels Football Tournament took place on Dec 5, 2010. The first Inter-Hotel football tournament for 2010 was organised

by Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’a.

Eight teams from different hotels in Kuwait participated in the event including: Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’a, Movenpick Hotel Kuwait, Holiday Inn Salmiya, JW Marriott — Court Yard,

Crowne Plaza Kuwait, Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel, Palms Hotel and Safir Hotel.

The results of the tournament were as follows: The first place was won by Palm Hotel’s Team. Holiday Inn Salmiya’s team

clinched second place. The third place was won by Crowne Plaza’s Team and the best player position was won by the Captain of Palm Hotel’s Team.

In the closing ceremony the General

Manager of Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’a handed the cup and medals to the winners in an atmosphere of mutual appreciation and respect with the hope to meet again on similar occasions.

WASHINGTON: A judge postponed the trial of star pitcher Roger Clemens for three months until July so his attorneys can review evidence generated during a 2 1/2year investigation into whether he lied about using performance enhancing drugs.

At a hearing in Washington federal court yesterday, prosecutors said the case has produced some 54,000 pages of evidence.

They are required to turn over to the defense any material that might tend to clear the Major League Baseball great.

Clemens’ attorney Rusty Hardin said they need more time to go through the material and to hire an expert witness to examine the scientific evidence against Clemens, presumably including the syringes Clemens’ former trainer says he used to inject the pitcher with the drugs.

Hardin also said MLB investigator George Mitchell and a congressional panel that examined the use of performance enhancing drugs are refusing to turn over material as evidence for the criminal case.

He said the Mitchell team was claiming attorney-client and attorney work-product privileges and the committee was arguing that turning the material over would violate the separation of powers between the legislative and judicial branches. Hardin indicated he will request a subpoena for the contested material.

Clemens did not comment, but sat taking notes during the half-hour hearing. Clemens pleaded not guilty on Aug. 30 and has long fought any suggestion that he cheated during a 23-season career that ended with 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and seven Cy Young awards.

If convicted of six counts — three of making false statements, two of perjury and one of obstruction of Congress — Clemens could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, although 15 to 21 months is the more likely sentence under federal guidelines.

The charges stem from testimony he gave to Congress in 2008 to clear his name after becoming a prominent figure in the Mitchell Report, which came out a year earlier with an unflinching account of MLB’s drug crisis. Back then, Clemens testified: “Let me be clear. I have never taken steroids or HGH.” Clemens’ former trainer Brian McNamee said the pitcher did use steroids and HGH. Former teammate Andy Pettitte also told congressional investigators that Clemens told him he had used HGH — a conversation Clemens said Pettitte “misremembers.”—AP

16

SPORTS

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Name change pits one Lotus team against another LONDON: The Renault Formula One team will race as Lotus Renault GP next year under a long-term partnership with the Malaysian-owned sportscar company who will also become co-owners, both sides announced yesterday.

At the same time, French car company Renault have sold their remaining stake in the team to Genii capital, already the majority shareholder.

“Group Lotus plc will subsequently become a major equity partner in Lotus Renault GP, which it will co-own with Genii Capital,” the team said in a statement.

Confusingly, unless there is a further name change by their opponents, Lotus Renault will be competing against the

existing Team Lotus-also Malaysianowned and also powered by Renault engines.

Both also plan to race in new black and gold liveries harking back to the glory days of the late 1970s when Colin Chapman’s original Lotus team were winning races and championships.

Team Lotus, who made their debut this year as Lotus Racing and are owned by aviation entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, are at odds with the Lotus Group owned by carmaker Proton in a battle over the use of the brand.

Fernandes claims the rights to Chapman’s ‘Team Lotus’ name, which has been kept separate from the car company of late.

The dispute is currently heading for the High Court in London, although the new season will be well under way before any hearing.

“We’re well aware that there has been a lot of controversy around the usage of our brand in F1 and I’m delighted to be able to formally clarify our position once and for all: we are Lotus and we are back,” said Lotus Group CEO Dany Bahar.

Fernandes, currently in Bangkok, sounded equally confident: “Never felt better about our future and Team Lotus.

Looks like they trying to hijack our black and gold idea,” he said on Twitter.

His technical head Mike Gascoyne added: “Lotus, just like buses, you wait

for ages and then two come along at once.

“Rest assured, we are Team Lotus and we are here to stay.”

Genii said their announcement was part of a strategic alliance between the two companies “that will provide Group Lotus with significant technological and commercial opportunities for its range of road cars.

“Following the return of the Lotus name to Formula One in 2010, under licence from Group Lotus, this historic announcement marks the complete return of the Lotus manufacturer to the sport, with the full backing of its parent company Proton,” it added.

The title sponsorship agreement will run until the end of the 2017 season and

Renault will continue to supply engines, technology and engineering expertise.

“We will continue to enjoy a strong relationship with Renault over the coming seasons,” said Renault F1 chairman Gerard Lopez.

Renault F1, with Poland’s Robert Kubica partnering Russian Vitaly Petrov, finished fifth in this year’s constructors’ championship.

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Italian test driver Luca Badoer is standing down after 13 years with the Formula One team, Ferrari said yesterday.

Badoer, 39, raced for Minardi between 1993 and 1999 and also competed in two grands prix for Ferrari as a stand-in for injured Brazilian Felipe

Massa last season.

Ferrari said his contract was now expiring and he signed off with a demonstration of last year’s F60 race car at the Bologna Motor Show.

His performances in 2009 were so far off the pace, predictably enough for an ageing driver who had not started a grand prix for a decade, that some paddock wags dubbed him ‘Look How Bad You Are”.

The Italian also holds the Formula One record for the most race starts without ever scoring a point (51).

Fer rari also have Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and Spain’s Marc Gene as test drivers as well as 21-year-old Frenchman Jules Bianchi. —Reuters

England’s Parker leads Dubai Ladies Masters

DUBAI: USA’s Michelle Wie plays a chip shot onto the eight green, during the first round of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters golf tournament, held at the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai.— AP

McCall stops Oquendo HOLLYWOOD: Former world heavyweight champion Oliver McCall earned a split-decision win against Puerto Rico’s Fres Oquendo on Tuesday night.

The 45-year-old McCall pressed the action for most of the 12-round bout at the Hard Rock Live Arena.

Oquendo landed sporadic left jabs over the final three rounds while avoiding direct exchanges with McCall, who connected with rights to the head. Two judges scored the bout 116-112 and 115-113 for McCall, while the third judge had Oquendo winning, 115113. There were no knockdowns.

Af ter the result was announced, a brief skirmish broke out in the ring between a member of Oquendo’s team and a representative of the show’s promotional company.

Security personnel separated

the two men.

McCall, who enjoyed a one-fight reign as heavyweight champion after knocking out Lennox Lewis in 1994, was effective when connecting at short range. Oquendo landed short combinations to the head but McCall walked through Oquendo’s punches while trying to keep the bout at close range.

Unable to mount much of an attack early on, McCall finally found his stride in the sixth. McCall (55-10) connected with effective lefts to the body and rights to the head.

Oquendo (32-7) scored early with left-right combinations to the head. Although McCall often stalked Oquendo, he could not land telling blows to turn the fight in his favor until midway through the bout.

Meanwhile, Mike Tyson, whose meteoric rise to the

pinnacle of boxing and stunning fall from grace was legendary, was selected Tuesday for induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum.

Three-division champion Julio Cesar Chavez of Mexico and Russian-born Kostya Tszyu, a junior welterweight champion, also were selected along with Mexican trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, referee Joe Cortez, and screenwriter Sylvester Stallone. Posthumous honorees to be enshrined June 12, 2011 include: bantamweight Memphis Pal Moore, light heavyweight champion Jack Root, and middleweight Dave Shade in the old-timer category; British heavyweight John Gully in the pioneer category; promoter A.F. Bettinson; and broadcaster Harry Carpenter. —AP

LAS VEGAS: In this Dec. 6, 2008, file photo Mexican trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain (left) attends a news conference with boxer Oscar De La Hoya, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Beristan was selected for induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum. —AP

DUBAI: England’s Florentyna Parker shot a 5-under 67 to take a one-shot lead in the opening round of the Dubai L adies Masters, while a late triple bogey dropped Michelle Wie down the leader board yesterday.

Maria Verchenova of Russia was second at 68, a shot better than a five-woman group including Marianne Skarpnord of Norway, Julieta Granada of Paraguay, Morgana Robbertze of South Africa as well as In-kyung Kim and Bo-mi Suh of South Korea. Wie posted a 1-under 71 in the season-ending L adies European Tour event.

The 130th-ranked Parker, who was 11th on the European Tour money list, birdied three of her first four holes and five of the first nine to lead halfway through the opening round. She had a much quieter back nine with one birdie and a bogey.

“I had a great start and was hitting close to the pin and made the putts,” Parker said. “I felt really comfortable. You have a few birdies and think you can birdie every hole.... It just gives you confidence.”

Parker, who grew up in Germany and was coached by her father Tim, earned her first victory this year in the Netherlands, and has six top-10 finishes in just her second year on the tour.

“I felt comfortable in my first year but when you win it gives you more confidence, and every time you tee it up you know you can do it,” she said. “I was feeling really good about this week. I got off to a great start. That is what I struggled with last year. I always struggled in the first round and was always a few shots behind.”

Verchenova, who needs a top20 finish to retain her European Tour card, said the round was reflective of her improving game since coming back from wrist and lower back injuries which plagued her season.

After receiving an invitation from tournament organizers to play, Verchenova said she was satisfied with her outing. “I didn’t have a good season but you know I am coming back thinking positive,” she said. “It is one of those weeks where I need a top20 (finish) or I’ll go back to qualifying school. But I’m not thinking about that. I’m just playing.”

The 10th-ranked Wie, who has been battling a bad back for weeks, was in second for much of the day after making two birdies on her first nine holes and then an eagle after the turn.

Wie was at 3 under before taking triple bogey on the eighth hole, where she hit her drive out of bounds and her next shot into a bunker. “I was pretty mad. I was like, I can’t believe that just happened,” Wie said. “But things happen on the golf course and all you can do is get mad for a little bit and move forward.” She managed to birdie her final hole.

“I’m just happy to be done,” Wie said. “I thought that I played pretty good, hopefully make a couple more putts out there tomorrow and not have a 7 on the card.” In the race for the European money title, neither South African Lee-Anne Pace nor her only challenger, seven-time winner Laura Davies, stood out.

Pace, who tops the money list, shot a 1-over 73. She can become the first South African to win the Order of Merit, if she fends off a challenge from Davies, who needs a top-two finish. “I hit 13 greens which was OK but I didn’t hit anything really close except for 16,” Pace said. “The rest was just some bad decision-making ... too many bogeys unfortunately.

I’m looking forward to going low tomorrow and hopefully the putts will drop.” Davies shot a 75 to lie in 60th place and in danger of missing the cut, which will be the top 50 players. She blamed her “awful” round on fatigue after she was woken by a phone call at 1 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep. —AP

Lee Westwood of England

US against Europe didn’t end with the Ryder Cup THOUSAND OAKS: Europe was 1 up when three of its top players decided not to join the US PGA Tour next year. America went all square by voting one of its own as rookie of the year over a European who had a superior season.

Never mind that the Ryder Cup ended two months ago. All that’s missing from this USA vs. Europe match are lilac sweaters and leaky rain suits.

Taunts played out in the media have been building in recent weeks over who has the better player (Europe), who won more majors (Europe) and which tour has more top 10 players in the world (Europe).

Now it’s reached the point of arguing over who’s more fun on Twitter (Europe again, in a landslide). It all started when Lee Westwood moved to the top of the world ranking.

This was cause for celebration in Europe, which had gone nearly two decades without being able to claim the No. 1 player. And it was cause for confusion in America, which has never bothered to understand how the ranking works or what it means (Hint: It’s not about the majors).

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland caused more high-fives among the European press — ahem, supporters — when he said he would not renew his US tour membership.

Westwood never had any intention of joining, and U.S. PGA champion Martin Kaymer of Germany also decided against it. This was billed as McIlroy snubbing his nose at America. Not true, the kid said.

“The media, especially the European and British media, have blown it up,” McIlroy said at the Chevron World Challenge. “They made it sound like ‘Rory snubs America.’ That’s not what I wanted to do. I just figured it was not quite the right time for me. But there’s no doubt I’ll join the tour again at some point.”

The word “snub” took on a more realistic meaning when the US PGA Tour announced its rookie of the year. The award went to Rickie Fowler, who did a lot of terrific things as a rookie, but winning wasn’t one of them.

Fowler was twice a runner-up and was picked for the US Ryder Cup team, where he won the last four holes of his singles to earn a halve and enhance his reputation as an explosive player.

McIlroy had spent two years on the European Tour and already was among the top 10 in the world when he joined the US tour.

He was on the ballot as a rookie because it was his first full season. It should have been no contest.

McIlroy won Quail Hollow against one of the strongest fields of the year. He tied a major championship record with a 63 at St. Andrews. And he tied for third in two majors.

Fowler played in only two majors and finished a combined 30 shots behind.

The tour won’t say how many players voted or the size of the margin. There was no exit polling, so it is difficult to say what might have caused players to vote for Fowler. The most likely case was they didn’t consider McIlroy a real rookie (neither did McIlroy, for that matter). Or perhaps they checked off the first name on the ballot; candidates were listed in alphabetical order. Could it be punishment for McIlroy not renewing his membership in America? Doubtful, although it was the first thing some people considered.

And that’s what prompted Westwood to offer a scathing assessment on Twitter that

began, “Sorry 140 letters is not going to be enough for this rant!” “Is this yet another case of protectionism by the pga tour or are they so desperate to win something! Wouldn’t have something to do with Rory not joining the tour next year?

Maybe the PGA tour just employs the same voting process as FIFA! Come on, fairs fair!” Westwood apparently knows as much about the voting process as Americans know about the world ranking. It’s strictly a vote of the US PGA Tour members — Americans, Europeans, South Africans, Australians — and most of them don’t even bother voting. Even tour commissioner Tim Finchem doesn’t have a vote. While Westwood only recently discovered Twitter, he long has been an expert at needling. During the British golf writers din-

ner at St. Andrews this year, Westwood was at the podium and was recognizing the VIPs in the room when he saw Finchem. He remarked on Steve Stricker having just won the John Deere Classic, ending a period in which Europeans won four of the previous five tournaments on the U.S. tour.

“Lovely to see an American win on your tour,” Westwood said to him. It’s all good fun.

And it’s even better when good golf is involved.

Having such pride in one’s tour is the best thing for the sport. It makes the majors and the World Golf Championships a little more compelling. Ditto for the world ranking, especially with No. 1 (Westwood) and No. 2 (Tiger Woods) playing on tours divided by oceans.

They won’t play in the same tournament until

AUSTRIA: Italy’s Luca Matteotti (top) competes on his way to win a men’s snowboard cross event, followed by fourth placed Austria’s Mario Fuchs at the World Cup ski event. — AP

17

SPORTS

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Aussies out-batted, out-bowled and out of options ADELAIDE: A downcast nation will expect changes to the Australia team after they were routed by England in the second Ashes test but selectors look to have few real options at their disposal.

Captain Ricky Ponting and chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch were given plenty of time to discuss manpower changes for the third test after England wrapped up victory by an innings and 71 runs to take a 1-0 series lead on Tuesday.

“I’m sure there will be some good questions between Andrew and myself,” Ponting said. “Whatever 11 players are selected, it’s about doing the job for Australia. This week we haven’t done that.”

Ponting conceded Australia had been “out-batted, out-bowled and out-fielded” in Adelaide, but taking just 16 wickets at a cost of 1,397 runs over the first two tests pointed clearly to the department that was of gravest concern.

Having juggled their bowling options for the first two tests, though, their choices for Perth look like being to keep the same players or return, baggy green caps in hand, to three proven test performers who have already been discarded.

Spinner Nathan Hauritz was cut from the squad for the first test in favour of leftarmer Xavier Doherty, a test debutant with a first class average touching 50. Doherty took 3-306 in his first two tests.

Fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus paid the price for Australia’s poor return in England’s second innings in Brisbane and were replaced by Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger for Adelaide.

Harris (2-84) was the most impressive of the Australian bowlers in Adelaide but Bollinger discovered that desire and commitment were not enough as he was hammered for (1-130) and “hit the wall”, in Ponting’s words.

The only constant in the fast-bowling unit was Peter Siddle, who took six wickets and a hat-trick at the Gabba but went wicket-less for 121 runs in Adelaide.

Hilfenhaus can be relied upon to return and bowl dependable line and length but

Hauritz and Johnson are more complex characters and there is no telling how being dropped will have effected their confidence.

The other spinner option is 21-year-old all-rounder Steve Smith, but he is also unproven at test match level, although he would strengthen Australia’s lower middle order batting.

The batting line-up will in any case have to be changed after opener Simon Katich was almost certainly ruled out for the rest of the series by an Achilles injury.

Phil Hughes is most likely to replace him despite being bullied out of test cricket by the England bowlers in last years Ashes series. Ponting said Hughes was “the first cab on the rank” and “would be ready to go

in Perth”.

Katich’s injury could save Marcus North’s place in the side despite his making just 49 runs in three innings in the series so far, although the calls for free-scoring Usman Khawaja to finally get his chance on the test stage are gathering momentum.

“Unfortunately, lack of consistency has been the one thing that (has) plagued him through his first class career,” Ponting said of North. “I still believe he has great value to the team.” The third test in Perth begins on Dec. 16.

Meanwhile, England fast bowler James Anderson has returned home to be present at the birth of his child but plans to return in time for the third Ashes Test in Perth,

coach Andy Flower said yesterday.

“Its not ideal, its not perfect but we try to get the balance right between our commitments to England and our responsibility to the individual and his family,” Flower told reporters at the team hotel in Melbourne.

“He will suffer from a bit of jet lag. Its not great that he is going to be on a plane all this time but that’s what we are dealing with. He gets back a couple of hours ahead or behind our plane (to Perth).”

Anderson has taken eight wickets at an average of 32.12 in the series so far, which England leads 1-0 after their innings and 71-run defeat of Australia at the second test in Adelaide on Tuesday.—Reuters

We’ve achieved nothing yet, says England coach Flower

Curtorcares United, GOA Maroons win UFC, Indian Strikers, Rangers FC and CRC split points

KUWAIT: KIFF League for JP D’Mello Memorial Rolling Trophy continued with 4 matches being played on Friday, Dec 3, 2010 at MOH ground, Shuwaikh and played under the auspices of Kuwait Indian Football Federation (KIFF) and officiated

by KIFF referees.

Curtorcares United won the first match of the day by defeating United Goan Strikers by 3 goals. It was a brilliant hat trick

by Martin Gomes of Curtorcares United.

The match was officiated by referee PA Tony and was assisted by Conny Rodrigues and Rosario Colaco on the lines.

Martin Gomes of Curtorcares United bagged the Man of the Match cash award sponsored by Al Mulla International Exchange Co. and was presented by the KIFF President Fidelis Fernandes. In the second match played between GOA Maroons and Rawda Challengers, GOA Maroons won the match by 4-1 margin and booked their place into the quarterfinals of the KIFF League. For GOA Maroons 1 goal each was scored by Carlos, Gabriel, Terence and Everest.

The lone scorer for Rawda Challengers was Abbas.

The match was officiated by referee John Furtado ably assisted by Edward Dias and PA Tony.

Gabriel Fernandes of GOA Maroons was adjudged as the Man of the Match and the cash award was presented by Hosefa, Asst. Marketing Manager of Al Mulla International Exchange Co. The third match played between United Friends Club and Indian Strikers was a goalless draw.

The match was officiated by referee Edward Dias along with Victor Andrade and Joe Rebello on the lines. Godwin Fernandes of United Friends Club was chosen as the Man of the Match and the cash award was presented by Seby Dias, Hon. Treasurer of KIFF. The last match was surely the match of the day, as the young and talented players of Rangers Football Club played to their best to hold mighty and experienced CRC Chinchinim by 3-3 goals. It was the midfielder Ayman Kazi for Rangers FC who was the architect for this disciplined performance of the team and was also adjudged as the Man of the Match and the cash award was presented by Mr. Lawrence Pinto, President of YRC Rising Stars.

The match was officiated by referee Pascoal Fernandes with the assistance of Conny Rodrigues and Robert Simon.

Santos Football Club were the day organizers of all the matches.

Schedule of matches to be played on Friday, Dec 10, 2010 are as follows: 6:45 AM - YRC Rising stars v/s Rangers Football Club, 8:00 am - Kuwait Goans Association v/s DHL Football Club, 9:15 am Navelim Youth Center v/s Santos Football Club, 10:30 am Curtorcares United v/s Rawda Challengers. The day organizers are CRC Chinchinim and United Friends Club.

MELBOURNE: England played the “perfect” game in Adelaide to take a 1-0 lead over Australia in the Ashes series but there was little danger of complacency as the team had achieved nothing so far, coach Andy Flower said yesterday.

“You don’t often get the perfect game like that where you bowl the opposition out on a good deck on the first day and get a big lead,” Flower told reporters at the team’s hotel a day after England’s innings and 71-run victory in the second test.

“We played to win the game. It’s nothing more complicated than that. To do that, the players have to deliver certain skills under pressure and they did that really well in Adelaide.”

After plundering Australia’s attack in the second innings of the first test in Brisbane, England’s batsmen roared to a 620-5 declared total in their first innings at Adelaide Oval.

Their bowlers then cut short Australia’s second innings fight back by skittling the remaining six wickets in the morning session on the fifth day.

Despite the team’s complete performance, Flower said there was room for improvement and challenged his batsmen to produce more big scores at Perth when the third test gets underway on Dec. 16.

“Without a doubt we can (improve). Adelaide was the first time that we have seen batsmen back up big hundreds with more big runs.

“But it’s not often that our guys deliver big hundreds consecutively. And I think that was a great thing to see, so we want to see more of that from our batsmen.”

One outstanding match would not guarantee England success in Perth, Flower said, where the team will miss the services of injured paceman Stuart Broad.

“How can we be complacent when were ranked number four in the world? We’ve got a long way to go and were only one-nil up in a five-test series. So that would be a crazy one, Flower added.

Quick James Anderson’s preparations for Perth would also be affected as he had

ADELAIDE: England batsman Kevin Pietersen celebrates scoring a double century against Australia in this file photo on the third day of the second Ashes cricket Test match. — AFP flown home for the birth of his child and was not expected to re-join his team mates until shortly before the test.

Flower will rest two of his bowlers for the three-day tour match against Victoria state at the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting on Friday to have the option of playing seamers Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad.

The England coach was cagey about his remaining selections but confirmed that wicketkeeper-batsman Steven Davies and Irish cricketer Eoin Morgan would be in the side along with captain Andrew Strauss, the only top-order England bats-

man to fail in Adelaide.

England played three-day matches on test wickets in Perth and Adelaide and a four-dayer in Hobart in the lead-up, a marked contrast to the team’s total of five days’ match practice prior to their disastrous 5-0 whitewash four years ago.

Flower credited the robust schedule for helping their Ashes campaign get off to a flying start. “I think (tour matches) were very important to give people confidence and the experience at the test grounds is also important for our balance, so they are very important and this one’s the same,” Flower said of the Victoria match.

While the Adelaide loss had prompted hand-wringing across sports-mad Australia, who have not lost a home series to their bitter rivals in 24 years, Flower said he was oblivious to the soulsearching and selection dilemmas facing the hosts ahead of Perth.

“We respect the Australians, they’re a very good side, they’re a very strong cricketing nation as we all know. “But I wouldn’t say fear is a word that comes into our discussions at any time and we try to keep it away from our dressing room. Our guys are confident about their own game.” —Reuters

Trial date set for Mayweather LAS VEGAS: A judge in Las Vegas agreed yesterday to let Floyd Mayweather Jr. remain free pending a Feb. 3 trial date on a misdemeanor battery complaint alleging he poked a security guard in the face several times during a confrontation outside Mayweather’s home.

The 33-year-old boxer didn’t appear in Las Vegas Justice Court while his lawyer, Karen Winckler, fought to keep him out of jail. Outside court, Winckler said her client was out of town. She denied wrongdoing on his behalf.

During the hearing, Winckler persuaded Judge Tony Abbatangelo not to order Mayweather’s arrest on the new charge, despite prosecutor Brad Turner’s effort to show a pattern of what he termed “dangerous behavior.”

Mayweather was already free on $33,000 bail on unrelated felony coercion, grand larceny and robbery charges pending a Jan. 24 court date. That case stems from a September dispute with Mayweather’s children and their mother, Josie Harris, at her house. He could face up to 34 years in prison if convicted in that case.

A conviction on the battery charge could result in a six-month jail sentence and a $1,000 fine. Turner implored the judge Wednesday to order

Mayweather’s arrest to “send a message that he can’t continue to engage in these types of behaviors over and over again.” Abbatangelo declined.

“The bigger issue is the felony,” the judge said. The misdemeanor battery allegation stems from a Nov. 15 confrontation over parking tickets between

Las Vegas scuffle the undefeated boxing champion and a 21-year-old homeowner association security guard.

Police allege a “verbally abusive” Mayweather blocked the guard, Shayne Smith, from leaving a cul-de-sac, screamed he had no business “touching his personal property,” and repeatedly jabbed his finger into Smith’s cheek.

Police photographed what the report calls redness and discoloration below Smith’s left eye. The report does not say whether Smith was treated by a doctor or taken to a hospital. A criminal complaint alleges willful and unlawful use of force.

Mayweather has been the focus of several other police investigations in recent months, and made headlines in September with an online video laced

with expletives and racial rants against Philippine boxing rival Manny Pacquiao.

A Mayweather associate faces trial in February on attempted murder and weapons charges stemming from allegations that he shot at two men after one of them argued with the boxer in August 2009 at a Las Vegas skating rink. Mayweather faces no charges in that case. Mayweather has been in court several times over the years in battery and violence cases in Las Vegas and in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich.

He was convicted in 2002 of misdemeanor battery stemming from a fight with two women at a Las Vegas nightclub. He received a suspended one-year jail sentence and was ordered to undergo impulse-control counseling.

He was fined in Grand Rapids in February 2005 and ordered to perform community service after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery in a bar fight. The most serious criminal case to date led to his acquittal on felony domestic violence charges in July 2005.

That case turned on Harris’ testimony to a jury that she lied about Mayweather kicking and beating her during an argument outside a Las Vegas nightclub. —AP

SPORTS

18

Thursday, December 9, 2010

NBA results/standings Results and standings after Tuesday’s National Basketball Association games.

Atlanta 116, New Jersey 101; Charlotte 100, Denver 98; Philadelphia 117, Cleveland 97; Dallas 105, Golden State 100; Houston 97, Detroit 83; Portland 106, Phoenix 99; LA Lakers 115, Washington 108.

Eastern Conference Atla ntic Division W L PCT Boston 16 4 .800 NY Knicks 13 9 .591 Toronto 8 13 .381 Philadelphia 7 14 .333 New Jersey 6 16 .273 Central Division Chicago 11 8 .579 Indiana 10 9 .526 Milwaukee 7 13 .350 Cleveland 7 14 .333 Detroit 7 15 .318 Southeast Division Orlando 15 6 .714 Atlanta 15 8 .652 Miami 14 8 .636 Charlotte 8 13 .381 Washington 6 14 .300 Western Conference Northwest Division Utah 16 6 .727 Denver 13 7 .650 Oklahoma City 14 8 .636 Portland 10 11 .476 Minnesota 5 16 .238 Pacific Division LA Lakers 15 6 .714 Phoenix 11 10 .524 Golden State 8 13 .381 LA Clippers 5 17 .227 Sacramento 4 15 .211 Southw est Division San Antonio 17 3 .850 Dallas 17 4 .810 New Orleans 13 7 .650 Houston 8 13 .381 Memphis 8 14 .364

GB 4 8.5 9.5 11 1 4.5 5 5.5 1 1.5 7 8.5 2 2 5.5 10.5 4 7 10.5 10 .5 4 9.5 10

HOUSTON: Detroit Pistons’ Tayshaun Prince (center) goes up for a rebound with Houston Rockets’ Shane Battier (left) and Chuck Hayes (right) during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game. — AP

Mavs defeat Warriors, Bobcats pound Nuggets DALLAS: Third-string center Ian Mahinmi had 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, and fourthstringer Alexis Ajinca provided quality minutes to help the Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State Warriors 105-100 Tuesday for their 10th straight .

Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Jason Terry had 20 and Caron Butler 19 — but that’s expected. The surprise was the performance by the backup big men, both from France.

They were forced into duty because starter Tyson Chandler was home with a stomach ailment and fill-in starter Brendan Haywood got in early foul trouble.

Stephen Curry scored 21 points, David Lee had 20, Monta Ellis 18 and Dorrell Wright 17 for Golden State.

Bobcats 100, Nuggets 98 At Charlotte, North Carolina, Stephen Jackson scored 23 points as Charlotte held off Denver to deny Nuggets coach George Karl his 1,000th NBA win.

Returning to North Carolina where he played in

college and going up against his longtime friend and fellow former Tar Heel Larry Brown, Karl had hoped to become the seventh coach of the 1,000-win club in Charlotte. Chauncey Billups scored 25 points and Carmelo Anthony added 22 points and seven rebounds for the Nuggets, who had won seven straight.

Gerald Wallace had 20 points and nine boards for Charlotte. Tyrus Thomas scored 16 before leaving left late in the fourth quarter with a tight left quadriceps.

Lakers 115, Wizards 108 At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 32 points, and Lamar Odom added 24 points and seven rebounds as the Lakers beat Washington for the eighth straight time. Pau Gasol had 21 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers in their final home game before a seven-game, two-week trip that includes a rematch with Washington on Dec. 14.

Los Angeles struggled to put away the lively

Wizards, but never trailed for the fourth time this season. Nick Young hit a career-best six 3-pointers while scoring 30 points in his hometown for the Wizards, who closed the third quarter on a 16-1 run to make the two-time defending champions uncomfortable.

John Wall backed Young with 22 points and 14 assists.

T Blazers 106, Suns 99 At Portland, Oregon, Wesley Matthews scored 24 points, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 apiece and Portland snapped the Suns’ three-game winning streak.

Phoenix led by as many as nine points early in the fourth quarter but the Trail Blazers, known for lategame meltdowns of late, tied it at 89 on Nicolas Batum’s layup and went in front on Aldridge’s two free throws with 3:38 left. Matthews made two more foul shots to extend Portland’s lead.

Steve Nash had 24 points and 15 assists for Phoenix. The Blazers made 32 of 33 free-throw attempts while playing without guard Andre Miller,

who was serving a one-game suspension imposed by the league for making “excessive and unnecessary contact” with Blake Griffin in the fourth quarter of a 100-91 victory over the Clippers on Sunday.

Hawks 116, Nets 101 At Atlanta, Josh Smith scored a season-high 34 points to lead streaking Atlanta to another victory.

The Hawks are 4-1 since losing top scorer Joe Johnson for four to six weeks to a right elbow injury and have won seven of eight overall.

Jamal Crawford had a season-high 26 points and Al Horford added 24 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Atlanta. Brook Lopez led New Jersey with 24 points. Devin Harris had 18 points and 13 assists.

76ers 117, Cavaliers 97 At Philadelphia, Thaddeus Young had a seasonhigh 26 points as Philadelphia downed Cleveland to pick up its fourth win in five games.

Lou Williams scored 13 of his 19 points in the

The loneliness of the long distance kicker MIAMI: In the mass of muscle and testosterone that is the NFL locker-room sits an incongruous-looking white man of average height and build who, in many cases, could leave the stadium without being noticed by fans. He is the field goal kicker, the loneliest man in American football.

When he does his job and kicks the ball between the posts from 40 yards to win a game, newspaper reports state little more than his name, the distance he managed to kick the ball and the effect on the result.

The analysis and adulation is saved for the quarterback, the admiration for the running back or the wide-receiver and the appreciation for the bruising lineman.

The field goal kicker sits on the sideline for most of the game before suddenly being thrust into centre stage, often to win or lose the game. He becomes a talking point only when he misses.

In college football, Alex Zendejas of the University of Arizona experienced the bitter criticism that a kicker can face when he does not convert-in his case two extra-points which were blocked in the recent Territorial Cup defeat to local rivals Arizona State.

The response of fans earned Zendejas sympathy from his opposite number Thomas Weber who knew, as all kickers do, that they could easily find themselves in the same position.

“I know exactly what he was feeling and it’s horrible. It’s just agony walking off that field without points on the board,” Weber told the Tucson Citizen.

“You feel like everyone else did everything they could to win the game and you did everything you could to lose it. It’s a feeling of complete loneliness.”

That empathy and solidarity, perhaps surprisingly, is also present in the professional game where a missed kick can mean more than just Facebook campaigns against you-it can mean losing your livelihood.

Kickers who hit a bad run of form are frequently cut and often find it hard to get back into the game.

The result is that there is no gloating at a counterpart’s misfortune and plenty of mutual respect.

“I have never watched a game and seen a kicker miss a field goal and cheered or anything,” Josh Scobee, of the Jacksonville Jaguars, told Reuters.

“We all feel for each other because we are a small fraternity. You never want someone to miss a kick and you are excited when someone makes a kick-as long as you aren’t playing against them.”

Scobee has produced some stunning game-winning kicks in his career. In October he nailed a lastsecond 59-yarder to beat the Indianapolis Colts, the third time that he had sunk the Colts with a kick of more than 50 yards.

He says that, unlike other players in the NFL who thrive on adrenalin and confidence, a field goal kicker must never let himself get carried away.

“You have to be able to not ride the roller coaster of emotions. When you make a big kick, you have to enjoy the moment but you can’t be thinking about it a week later-you have to stay on an even keel,” he said.

The kicker has plenty of time to think-he spends almost all the game sitting on the sidelines waiting for his moment.

“You are a spectator but at the same time you understand you have a position, one role on this team,” New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley told Reuters.

“Normally I will start warming up when offense is around the 50-yard line and start going through my routine and start kicking a ball and then hopefully you can take that with you from the snap to the hold to the kick out on the field,” said the Super Bowl winner.

Hartley stands 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 metres) tall and weighs 196 lbs (89 kg), a fairly typical build for a kicker but small in a sport known for bigger, predominantly black, players many of whom weigh in at well over 300 lbs.

Statistics show that more field goals are being made from longer distances-making the misses all the more striking.

The pressure of making a precision kick with nothing left on the clock and the hopes of 70,000 fans in the stadium riding on you, must be intense but Scobee says a kicker must convince himself that it is the chance to make his mark.

“I don’t think of it as pressure, it’s an opportunity and the opportunities don’t come around that often so as a kicker you want that chance to come to you and in that situation. You have to be ready and focused to make the kick.”

Few know more about the roller-coaster than Hartley who kicked the overtime winner in the NFC Championship game, against Minnesota last season, and sent the Saints to their first Super Bowl which they subsequently won.

He was the toast of New Orleans but the sparkle did not last long: after three games this year Hartley was replaced after missing a crucial kick against Atlanta.

Hartley won back his place at the Saints but has learnt to be philosophical about the fate of the kicker. “I try to keep on an even keel, you can’t be too high when things are going good. When you make one you have to just move on to the next week. When you have a miss, you can’t get down. You just have to go back to the drawing board,” he said. — Reuters

fourth quarter for Philadelphia, which placed seven players in double figures in its highest scoring output of the season. Jodie Meeks and Jrue Holiday had 16 points apiece, Andre Iguodala scored 13 and Elton Brand finished with 12.

JJ Hickson had 18 points for Cleveland, which has lost five consecutive games by an average of 22.2 points.

Daniel Gibson scored 16 and Mo Williams added 15.

Rockets 97, Pistons 83 At Houston, Luis Scola had 35 points and 12 rebounds to help the Rockets spoil Tracy McGrady’s return to Houston. McGrady hit a 3-pointer with about eight minutes left to get the Pistons within one, but Houston scored the next seven points to stretch the lead to 85-77 with six minutes remaining.

McGrady, who spent 5 1/2 seasons with the Rockets, finished with 11 points. Rodney Stuckey had 18 points and five assists for Detroit. Kyle Lowry added 22 points and 12 assists for Houston, and Kevin Martin had 21 points. — AP

Trophies, memorabilia stolen from Sampras LOS ANGELES: Pete Sampras, the tennis legend who won 14 Grand Slam titles, has been robbed of most of the trophies and memorabilia from his fabled career, the retired US star told the Los Angeles Times.

The newspaper reported on Tuesday night that Sampras had the objects-including two Davis Cup trophies, his six yearend world number one trophies and an Olympic ring-taken from a Los Angeles public storage rental unit.

Sampras said he still has 13 of his 14 Grand Slam singles championship trophies but added: “My first Australian Open trophy is gone and so is everything else.”

“Losing this stuff is like having the history of my tennis life taken away,” Sampras told the Times.

“I’m not one to gloat about trophies, or show them off. I’ve never been like that. I just want them for my kids to see. They didn’t see me play, but I would like them to see these things.

“For me to have it for my kids is priceless.” Sampras, a 39-year-old father of two with actress-wife Bridgette Wilson, retired a year after defeating Andre Agassi in the 2002 US Open final. Sampras stored the items after moving homes twice.

“I thought there were security cameras.

I thought these things were locked up tight,” Sampras said. “I was shocked.” The theft took place three weeks ago and also included trophies from 64 tournament victories, magazine articles and newspaper clippings, an autographed piano bench from Elton John and an autographed guitar from Carlos Santana.

None of the items was insured, Sampras said, because there was no way to place a monetary value upon them. “I just hope it hasn’t already been destroyed,” Sampras said. “That’s why I wanted to get the word out now. I know this is a long shot, but I would regret it if I didn’t at least try. Maybe somebody knows something. “That’s all I can hope for.”— AFP

Alex Zendejas in action in this file photo

19

SPORTS

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Blatter: FIFA not corrupt, England bad loser ZURICH: FIFA is not corrupt, Sepp Blatter insisted yesterday, though it needs a better image after the World Cup hosting contests.

The FIFA president fiercely defended his organization in a Swiss magazine interview, and denounced England for reacting like an arrogant bad loser ever since Russia and Qatar were chosen to stage the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. “I’ll say it clearly: there is no systematic corruption at FIFA. That’s nonsense,” Blatter told the Weltwoche weekly. “We are financially clean and transparent.”

FIFA’s ethics court suspended two of Blatter’s executive committee colleagues from taking part in last Thursday’s votes after a British newspaper

alleged bribe-taking and vote-rigging.

Blatter then reminded FIFA voters immediately before polling of media “evils” during the World Cup campaign. Within 24 hours of FIFA inflicting a humiliating rejection, officials from England’s 2018 bid also accused several voters of breaking promises of support they gave to a lobbying team that included Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron.

Blatter said he was surprised by the reaction in England, which he called “the motherland of fair play.”

“Now some of them are proving to be bad losers themselves,” he said. “I sense in some reactions a little bit of arrogance of the western, Christian kind.”

Leaders of Australia’s defeated 2022 bid also cited

broken promises after they followed England in another first-round elimination.

However, Blatter defended FIFA for choosing the riskiest, most expensive bids, which saw the World Cup hosting rights awarded to Eastern Europe and the Middle East for the first time.

“It’s my philosophy to drive forward the expansion of football. The next regions that we need to conquer would be China and India,” Blatter said.

“Football has become a political matter. Heads of state court me. Football has become a monster, but it’s a positive monster.” Blatter dismissed suggestions that FIFA officials are tempted to cash in on football’s global importance. “Nobody can come along and sim-

ply hold out their hand,” he said. “There are no rotten eggs.”

Three days before the vote, Britain’s state broadcaster, the BBC, and newspapers in Switzerland and Germany alleged that three long-standing members of FIFA’s ruling committee took kickbacks from its former marketing partner in the 1990s.

Blatter singled out the case of Issa Hayatou, the president of African football’s governing body. “He was portrayed as criminal by the media, because his federation supposedly took $25,000. I can tell you: Hayatou is the son of a sultan and hasn’t done anything wrong,” he said.

Blatter dismissed the payments _ allegedly also

received by Brazilian football leader Ricardo Teixeira and Nicolas Leoz, the South American confederation president _ as insignificant.

“Fifteen years ago, there were apparently payments to foreign FIFA officials that weren’t even illegal at the time and were even tax deductible,” he said, adding that since 2006 the ethics panel monitored officials’ behavior. While defending FIFA’s system of choosing World Cup hosts, Blatter said the organization he has led for 12 years would now “look inward” before making changes.

“We can’t go on like this. We need to improve our image,” he said. “We also need to set some things straight inside FIFA.”— AP

Ribery double fires

Bayern to victory

CLUJ: Marco Borriello of AS Roma (left) fights for the ball with Emmanuel Kone of CFR Cluj (right) during a Group E Champions League match. — AP

Roma advances with 1-1 draw Champions League table PARIS: Champions League group stage tables after Tuesday’s and yesterday’s final matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Group A Tottenham Inter Milan FC Twente Bremen Group B Schalke Lyon Benfica Hapoel Group C Man United Valencia Rangers Bursaspor

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

3 3 1 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 1 0

2 1 3 2 1 1 0 2 2 2 3 1

1 2 2 3 1 2 4 3 0 1 2 5

18 12 9 6 10 11 7 7 7 15 3 2

11 11 11 12 3 10 12 10 1 4 6 16

11 10 6 5 13 10 6 5 14 11 6 1

Group D Barcelona Copenhagen Rubin Kazan Panathinaikos

6 6 6 6

4 3 1 0

2 1 3 2

0 2 2 4

14 7 2 2

3 5 4 13

14 10 6 2

Group E Bayern

6

5

0

1

16

6

15

Roma Basel CFR Cluj

6 6 6

3 2 1

1 0 1

2 4 4

10 8 6

11 11 12

10 6 4

Group F Chelsea Marseille Spartak Zilina

6 6 6 6

5 4 3 0

0 0 0 0

1 2 3 6

14 12 7 3

4 3 10 19

15 12 9 0

Group G Real Madrid AC Milan Ajax Auxerre

6 6 6 6

5 2 2 1

1 2 1 0

0 2 3 5

15 7 6 3

2 7 10 12

16 8 7 3

Group H Shakhtar Arsenal Braga Partizan

6 6 6 6

5 4 3 0

0 0 0 0

1 2 3 6

12 18 5 2

6 7 11 13

15 12 9 0

• Top two teams qualify for the last 16 knock out stages • Third-placed teams qualify for Europa league knock out stages

CLUJ: AS Roma allowed a late equalizer but still secured a spot in the Champions League knockout round yesterday with a 1-1 draw at Cluj.

The Italian club took the lead in the 21st minute with a goal from striker Marco Borriello, who sent a low shot from 12 meters into the left side of goal past Cluj goalkeeper Eduard Stancoiu and Roma dominated play in the first half Cluj went on the attack in the second half and had several chances before Lacina Traore equalized in the 88th minute after taking a pass from Culio and heading the ball in from seven meters, but the goal had no impact on the Group E standings.

Roma finished second behind Bayern Munich with 10 points, while Cluj was last behind Basel with four. Traore made obscene gestures to fans after the goal and was awarded a yellow card and was booed by fans. Cluj’s best chance in the first half came in the 40th minute when Roberto De Zerbi’s close-range shot was saved by Roma goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont.

Roma’s Daniele De Rossi shot over the bar in the 52nd and Borriello had another shot on goal in the 67th. Roma coach Claudio Ranieri left Brazilian striker Adriano on the bench. — AP

Al Wahda win 3-0 in Club World Cup ABU DHABI: Host side Al Wahda advanced to the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup by outclassing Hekari United of Papua New Guinea 3-0 in a playoff yesterday.

Al Wahda dominated the tournament opener as Hekari, the Oceania champion and first PNG team to qualify for a FIFA competition, never looked like scoring at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.

Brazilian import Hugo opened the scoring in the 40th minute, and compatriot Fernando Baiaino doubled the lead moments before halftime. Abdulraheem Jumaa headed in the last goal in the 71st.

Al Wahda will meet Asian Champions League winner Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in a quarterfinal on Saturday. With no Arab clubs winning the Asian or African Champions Leagues, Al Wahda, the UAE champion, hold the hopes of the Arab world.

The other quarterfinal on Friday features African Champions League winner TP Mazembe of Congo against CONCACAF Champions League winner Pachuca of Mexico. Inter Milan, the European Champions League titleholder, and Internacional, the Copa Libertadores champ from Brazil, received byes into the semifinals. — AP

ABU DHABI: Hekari United player Henry Faarodo controls the ball against Al Wahda Club during their FIFA Club World Cup qualifying soccer match at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium. — AP

MUNICH: Last season’s finalists Bayern Munich went through to the last 16 of the Champions League as Group E winners yesterday with a 3-0 win over Basel as midfielder Franck Ribery netted twice.

This was Bayern’s fifth win of their European campaign and Louis van Gaal’s side progress to the knock-out stages alongside AS Roma while Basel finish third with the consolation of a place in the Europa League.

“Not many sides have managed to win five of their group games,” beamed van Gaal. “We scored three goals, so I am very happy. “This win will also give us some self-confidence for the games ahead.”

A pair of goals from Ribery — his first for the club since April — and a simple tap in by Ukraine star Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, who is enjoying a purple patch, sealed the win in Munich.

But all is not rosy with the German champions. Tougher tests await in February’s round of 16 which will be drawn on December 17 in Nyon and captain Mark van Bommel was not impressed.

“We started this game badly, there was not enough movement and calls for the ball until Franck opened the scoring,” said the Dutchman.

“We should have scored more goals, it is important to take some confidence for our (next Bundesliga) match against St. Pauli.”

There are already real concerns around the Allianz Arena about qualifying for next season’s competition and Bayern need to finish in the German league’s top two to be sure of a place in European football’s most lucrative tournament.

Their 2-0 defeat at German league strugglers Schalke on Saturday leaves them seventh in the Bundesliga and 17 points behind surprise leaders Dortmund with van Gaal already admitting the gap may be too big to bridge.

The Germans have now won their last seven European home games, but there is no denying they are erratic on occasion and have lost four times in the Bundesliga this season.

The last time the two sides met in September, Bayern won 2-1 thanks to a late Bastian Schweinsteiger goal and the hosts took a 2-0 lead in as many minutes here.

Bayern scored when defender Diego Contento won the ball on the edge of the penalty area and squared to Ribery who slammed home his shot on 35 minutes.

The Germans struck again moments later when Mario Gomez rose highest at a corner and headed down for defensive midfielder Tymoshchuk to stab the ball home.

The hosts made sure of the victory just five minutes into the second-half when Thomas Mueller found acres of space down the right flank and squared for Ribery to net his second of the night.

But Basel should have at least scored a consolation goal when Bayern defender Breno was robbed of possession by Swiss striker Alexandra Frei who squared the ball back inside but forward partner Federico Almerares fired over.

Bayern are set to welcome back long-term injury victims Dutch playmaker Arjen Robben, Croatia striker Ivica Olic and Germany veteran Miroslav Klose in January.

The Germans will need all the firepower they can muster if they are to repeat last season’s feat of reaching the final. — AFP

MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery of France celebrates after scoring during the Champions League Group E soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Basel. — AP

Ajax secure Europa League spot MILAN: Demy de Zeeuw and Toby Alderweireld scored second-half goals yesterday to give Ajax a 2-0 win over AC Milan in their last Champions League group match and secure a spot in the second-tier Europa League competition.

Milan had already clinched a spot in the knockout phase, while the Dutch team finished third in Group G with seven points.

Milan finished second with eight, behind Real Madrid with 16. Auxerre finished last with three. Ajax was the stronger team throughout the match and tested Milan goalkeeper Marco Amelia in both halves.

Eventually De Zeeuw opened the scoring in the 57th, while Alderweireld grabbed the second in the 66th. Former Ajax striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench for Milan, but failed to inspire a lackluster attack. Ajax was quickly into its stride and in the second minute Amelia denied Luis Suarez the opening goal with a low save at the near post.

Amelia again stopped Ajax in the 11th when he pushed Miralem Sulejmani’s shot away for a corner after the striker had cut in from the right wing. Christian Eriksen then went close for the visitors.

He turned and shot from the edge of the area but Amelia pushed his effort over bar with an acrobatic save. Ajax continued to press, but Suarez was booked in the 35th for diving in the area and is now suspended for Ajax’s next European game.

Milan finally had an effort on target in the 37th. Robinho picked out Ronaldinho with a cross from the right, but Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg held his header.

At the start of the second half Ajax again began the stronger, but a minute in Sulejmani became the second player to be booked for diving, as he rounded Amelia. Both sides went close from corners.

First Amelia punched away Eyong Enoh’s clipped shot and then Thiago Silva headed over from Andrea Pirlo’s outswinger.

Ajax took the lead af ter Mario Yepes blocked Suarez’s shot on the edge of the area.

The ball ran free and de Zeeuw shot low into the corner of the goal. Ibrahimovic came on for Massimo Ambrosini in an attempt to bring life to Milan’s attack, but it was Ajax who found the net. Suarez cut in off the left wing, laid the ball off to Alderweireld and he thumped the ball past Amelia from outside the area. — AP

MILAN: Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen (left) is tackled by AC Milan Brazilian forward Ronaldinho during their Champions League, Group G soccer match. — AP

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Benzema hat trick sinks Auxerre 4-0 FRANCE: Marseille’s French forward Loic Remy (right) challenges for the ball with Chelsea’s Brazilian midfielder Ramires, during their Champions League Group F soccer match. — AP

Chelsea fail to find solace at Marseille

MARSEILLE: Chelsea travelled to Marseille yesterday seeking an upturn in their fortunes but it wasn’t to be as their French hosts came away with a deserved 1-0 win in this concluding ‘dead’ Champions League Group F encounter.

Aside from seeing two decent penalty appeals turned down Chelsea will find it hard to quibble with a result that saw the Londoner’s hitherto perfect first round record blemished by defeat.

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti made three changes from the side held 1-1 by Everton at the weekend, with Paulo Ferreira, Josh McEachran and Ramires starting in place of John Mikel Obi on the bench and Ashley Cole and Nicolas Anelka rested.

Gabriel Heinze, Taye Taiwo and Fabrice Abriel returned for Marseille, undone 1-0 by south coast neighbours Nice on Sunday.

At a balmy Stade Velodrome the home fans gave a warm welcome to old boy Didier Drogba, who has been relishing this return to his former club.

While Chelsea, kitted out here in lime green, were already assured of top spot in Group F Ancelotti had nevertheless called for a spirited end to their Champions League group games after

watching his side win only one of their last six Premier League outings.

Yet it was Marseille who started the livelier, with France international Mathieu Valbuena only denied by Petr Cech’s crossbar in the tenth minute.

Seconds later his diving header off Benoit Cheyrou’s cross from the left went narrowly wide.

Down at the other end Florent Malouda after neatly beating the offside trap, was knocked to the floor by Souleymane Diawara.

Russian referee Vladislav Bezborodov pointed to the spot but then strangely changed his mind after discussion with his linesman, awarding Chelsea a corner instead which Marseille quickly cleared.

On the half hour Drogba saw his shot from the edge of the box fly over Steve Mandanda’s overhead. Marseille then had the ball on the back of the net, only for Heinze’s header to be ajudged offside in a decision that was, in its turn, arguably harsh on the hosts.

In a third potentially game-changing decision, Bezborodov ignored Chelsea’s logical appeals for a second penalty as half-time beckoned when Diawara floored Salomon Kalou on the left of the area.

With Chelsea’s first half performance

falling short of their coach’s pre-match demand for an improved showing the Londoners were under pressure to up their game as they emerged for the second half.

And they did just that, with McEachran setting up Malouda with a lovely long ball but the Frenchman’s shot went straight to Mandanda.

On 62 minutes, Drogba was accorded a standing ovation when he came off for Daniel Sturridge with Ancelotti perhaps mindful of Sunday’s date back home with fellow Champions League group winners and London rivals, Tottenham. Terry followed shortly after, with Jeffrey Bruma taking his place.

And it was Terry’s defence that was found wanting when Marseille broke the deadlock with nine minutes remaining, Branislav Ivanovic one of several failing to stop Marseille’s attack down the left, Taye Taiwo’s pass deflecting off Ramires with Brazil striker Brandao only having to tap the ball home from close range.

Marseille, already assured of their last 16 ticket as the group’s runners-up, ended the first round with 12 points, three behind Chelsea, with all eyes now on Friday week’s draw for the knockout stages. — AFP

MADRID: Karim Benzema’s hat trick sparked Real Madrid to a 4-0 victory over Auxerre yesterday to close out its most successful Champions League group campaign.

Benzema headed Cristiano Ronaldo’s well-guided pass into the top of goal for a 12th-minute opener that was nine-time champion Madrid’s 300th goal in the competition. Ronaldo capped a quick counterattack with his 21st goal of the season in the 49th.

Benzema then beat Olivier Sorin in the 72nd before the France striker capped his best performance with the Spanish club in the closing stages as he stole the ball from the Auxerre goalkeeper and curled it into the net.

Madrid, which has won all 11 games at its Santiago Bernabeu stadium this season, finished top of Group G with 16 points after a fifth win in six games going into the knockout stages. AC Milan finished second with eight points after losing 2-0 to Ajax, which was third with seven.

French club Auxerre was last with three points. Madrid coach Jose Mourinho served out a onegame ban for instructing Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos to get deliberate red cards in its previous game so they could serve suspensions yesterday and have a clean slate in the next round.

Iker Casillas, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria and Sami Khedira were also left out of the lineup with top spot already secured.

Ronaldo was in the starting 11, however, despite the risk of a booking leaving him out of the first-leg knockout round game.

Madrid started well and Ronaldo dribbled free along the left side to pick out Benzema at the far post, and the France striker dived to head the ball into the roof of goal.

Ronaldo should have doubled the lead in the 21st but the Portugal forward guided Pedro Leon’s perfect cross wide with Sorin beaten.

Jerzy Dudek — filling in for Casillas — was first tested in the 26th as the Madrid goalie reacted quickly to save Jean-Pascal Mignot’s low-flying header.

Auxerre had the better chances to close the first half as Mignot headed a corner over before Dudek tipped Dennis Oliech’s shot around the far post in the 43rd. Dudek was forced out just before the break with an injury, and 23-yearold Antonio Adan played well in his European debut.

Oliech kept Adan alert before Ronaldo scored his fourth of the competition after Marcelo threaded a perfect cross-field pass to him to fire into the top corner.

Benzema slipped past the defense to meet Lassana Diarra’s long pass before curling a left-footed shot under Sorin. Moments after hitting into the side netting, the Frenchman scored his fourth in Europe thanks to a careless pass by Sorin, who could only look back as Benzema lobbed an angled shot over him into the empty goal.

Madrid goes into the last 16 draw on Dec. 17 as top seed of its group ahead of AC Milan, while Ajax will play in the Europa League after finishing third. — AP

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal (left) reacts with Karim Benzema from France (right) after scoring against Auxerre during their Group G Champions League soccer match. — AP

Arsenal roll into last 16 LONDON: Arsenal booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League here yesterday, beating Partizan Belgrade 3-1 in an ultimately comfortable victory at the Emirates.

Substitute Theo Walcott and inform Frenchman Samir Nasri scored the decisive goals for the Gunners after Partizan’s Brazilianborn striker Cleo had cancelled out Robin Van Persie’s first-half penalty.

Defeats to Shakhtar Donetsk and Braga in their previous two matches however mean the English Premier League leaders had to settle for the runners-up spot in Group H. Shakhtar finished first after beating Braga in Ukraine.

Arsenal captain-for-the-night Van Persie said the Gunners believe they can finally end their five-year trophy drought this season.

“Everything starts with belief,” Van Persie told Sky Sports.

“If you don’t believe you’d better stop playing football. We do believe we can achieve things this year.”

Van Persie said he was not fazed by the fact that Arsenal’s second place finish means they could potentially face one of Europe’s elite clubs in the next round, admitting he would even relish taking on Barcelona or Real Madrid.

“As a fan of football I’d love to be involved in a game against either

Barcelona or Madrid but we’ll just have to see what happens in the draw,” he said.

Arsenal had dominated from the outset, monopolising possession but struggling to find a way through Partizan’s densely populated midfield.

Nasri always looked Arsenal’s most threatening attacking outlet, and the midfielder created the first half-chance when he found Marouane Chamakh with a cross that the Moroccan striker headed harmlessly over the bar.

Nasri was in the thick of it again on 19 minutes when he lost his marker superbly before threading a low cross through to Van Persie, who could only guide his shot wide of the near post.

At the other end Arsenal remained largely unruffled although they were forced into a defensive reshuffle on 24 minutes when Emmanuel Eboue came on to replace Kieran Gibbs after the fullback turned an ankle.

Arsenal broke the deadlock on the half hour mark via a dubious penalty, Marko Jovanovic harshly adjuged to have bundled over Van Persie by Italian referee Paolo Tagliavento. Television replays appeared to suggest little contact by the defender on the Dutch striker.

Partizan’s players protested to no avail and Van Persie stepped up

to blast his spot kick beyond Vladimir Stojkovic.

Arsenal might have had a second near half-time when a defensive slip from Mladen Krstajic let in Van Persie but the Arsenal striker was unable to find the killer pass for Chamakh, allowing Partizan to snuff out the danger.

Despite cruising through the first half however, Arsenal were made to pay for a slack opening to the second period and Partizan got back on level terms when Cleo’s speculative shot took a big deflection off Sebastien Squillaci and looped up over Lukasz Fabianski.

It looked like the match might finish in a draw until the introduction of substitute Walcott for Andrei Arshavin breathed new life into the Arsenal attack with 23 minutes to go.

On 73 minutes Walcott fired Arsenal back into the lead, controlling a half-clearance superbly on his chest before angling in a volley past Stojkovic.

Four minutes later Nasri made the game safe, rounding off slick interplay between Nicklas Bendtner and Alex Song to finish coolly.

The only sour note for Arsenal came five minutes from time when Bacary Sagna received a straight red card for a professional foul on Aleksandar Lazevski on the edge of the area. — AFP

Crowd trouble disrupts Spartak win UKRAINE: Matheus of Sporting Braga challenges for the ball with Willian (top) of Shakhtar Donetsk during their Champions League Group H soccer match. — AP

Shakhtar in knockout phase DONETSK: A stunning volley by Razvan Rat and a tap-in for Luiz Adriano sent Shakhtar Donetsk into the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time with a 2-0 win over FC Braga yesterday.

The Ukrainian champions qualified top of Group H after a comfortable victory over the Portuguese side, which never looked like securing the 4-0 result it needed to overhaul its opponent in the standings.

Shakhtar finished with 15 points, three more than second-place Arsenal. Braga has nine and will play in the Europa League.

Both sides struggled to create chances, but Shakhtar always looked the more dangerous with its fluid passing style.

The Ukrainians finally scored through Rat’s left-footed volley from outside the area in the 79th minute. Luiz Adriano

made it 2-0 in the 83rd by turning home a cross from Rat from three yards out with the goalkeeper beaten. The game started slowly, with neither side able to hit a rhythm or create any real chances.

Shakhtar winger Willian blasted over the crossbar in the 21st minute after receiving the ball from Douglas Costa.

The hosts began to raise the tempo, and Luis Adriano had an appeal for a penalty turned down in the 23rd minute after being nudged forcefully off the ball.

Shakhtar’s slick passing and quick movement were drawing a lot of fouls, allowing the team to dominate possession. Chances were rare for Braga, which played most of the game with Matheus as a lone striker. He sprinted between two defenders in the 31st minute, but goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov beat him to the through ball.

Pyatov was again called into action when Alan swung in a dangerous cross in the 37th, punching the ball weakly and lucky there were no Braga players following up.

The second half continued in much the same fashion, with Shakhtar happy to pass the ball around and Matheus lacking any real support up front for Braga.

Douglas Costa almost broke the deadlock in the 52nd, curling a left-footed shot just over after creating some space in the area.

It took a special goal from Rat to put Shakhtar ahead. A cross from the right missed everyone in the box, and the fullback took the volley first-time on his left foot, drilling the ball into the bottom corner. Luiz Adriano’s tap-in after more good work from Rat put the game beyond doubt. — AP

BRATISLAVA: Spartak Moscow beat Zilina 2-1 in a Champions League Group F ‘dead rubber’ marred by crowd trouble yesterday.

Fans launched a fire cracker on to the pitch in Slovakia and the teams were briefly led off by the referee after three minutes. The missile came from an area of the stadium populated

by Spartak supporters. There were no apparent injuries.

The trouble came less than a week after Russia were elected as 2018 World Cup hosts after a vote by FIFA’s executive committee. Their critics had said hooliganism and racism were still prevalent within the Russian game.

The local news agency SITA reported that some 400 Spartak supporters had attended Wednesday’s match. Tomas Majtan put Zilina ahead in the 48th minute but Alex and Ibson replied for Spartak.—Reuters

LONDON: Partisan Belgrade’s Marco Jovanovic (centre) controls the ball, as Arsenal’s Marouane Chamakh (right) tries to stop him, during their Champions League Group H soccer match at the Emirates stadium. — AP

Toyota Zelas enters Kuwait market

IKOO hosts Kuwait’s first seminar on digital advertising

China think-tank warns inflation pressures building

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Juncker, Germany clash over euro-zone bonds Financial markets nervous ahead of EU summit BERLIN/LONDON: Bickering escalated among European Union leaders yesterday over a proposal for joint euro-zone bonds to overcome the bloc’s debt crisis, with Germany saying it opposed the idea on legal and economic grounds.

The chairman of finance ministers of the 16-nation single currency area, Jean-Claude Juncker, criticized German leaders for dismissing his suggestion without examining it properly. “The proposal is being rejected before it has been studied,” Juncker was quoted as saying in an interview with the newspaper Die Zeit. “Germany’s thinking is a bit simple on that.”

That drew an unusually sharp rebuke from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, who told a news conference: “In general it certainly doesn’t help anyone in Europe when the individual players in Europe call each other ‘un-European’.

“This talking against and about each other should stop. The markets are taking due note of this disunity.” Merkel herself said issuing common euro bonds would set the wrong incentives for member states, which needed the discipline of bond markets to run responsible budget policies. Asked about Juncker’s criticism, she said: “We should work calmly and focus.

That is my contribution.”

Yields on German government bonds, normally seen as a safe haven by investors, rose as deepening uncertainty over how to stem the euro zone crisis hit even Europe’s strongest economy.

The yield on the 10-year German Bund, the benchmark for all euro zone debt, topped 3 percent for the first time in seven months, partly due to a sell-off in US Treasuries but also due to anxiety over policy differences in the European Union.

Germany and France are pushing for an EU summit next week to approve a proposed treaty change that would allow debt-stricken euro-zone states to make an orderly default, with private sector

Plane makers eye Gulf buyers for luxury jets

DUBLIN: A cafe outside Leinster House with its menu referring to the Budget crisis in Dublin yesterday. The Irish Republic is wakening up to 6bn euro (5bn pounds; $8bn) of cost cuts in the toughest budget in the country’s history. —AP bondholders sharing losses on a case-by-case basis.

But euro-zone finance ministers did not agree on any new action this week to stem the crisis, fuelling bond market doubts about whether the bloc can find a formula to halt contagion.

The Bund yield has shot up from 2.4 percent in early November, while the borrowing costs of weaker euro zone economies-Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy-have also surged due to market jitters over default risks. “In the absence of a rise in inflationary expectations, this increase is due entirely to market uncertainties over

Germany’s own exposures to save the euro-zone, and the size of fiscal transfers needed,” the Eurointelligence financial website said.

A sale of 4 billion euros of twoyear German bonds found poor demand yesterday, drawing total bids worth less than the amount on offer, amid wider uncertainty about the euro-zone.

Two euro zone countriesGreece and Ireland-have had to seek IMF/EU rescue packages of 110 billion euros and 85 billion euros respectively, tied to strict austerity conditions, after both were effectively shut out of capital markets. Many analysts expect

Portugal to need a bailout soon and some believe Spain will also need assistance, although both governments insist they do not require aid.

The European Commission yesterday welcomed Ireland’s tough 2011 austerity budget, which received a first approval from parliament late on Tuesday, opening the way for international loans to start flowing to Dublin.

“It is a successful first step towards the implementation of the program that was agreed with the EU and the IMF,” Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj said in Brussels.

International Monetary Fund

chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn criticized Europe’s slow, piecemeal response to the debt crisis on Tuesday and called for a comprehensive solution.

Merkel has rejected two of the most widely discussed proposals for surmounting the crisis-increasing the size of the euro-zone’s financial safety net or issuing joint bonds to reduce weaker states’ borrowing costs.

Her spokesman Steffen Seibert said there were economic and legal hurdles to introducing such ‘E-bonds’, which would not be possible without fundamental changes to the EU’s Lisbon Treaty. —Reuters

DUBAI: Hit by slumping aircraf t sales and uncer tain recover y in the aerospace market, private jet makers are pushing ultra-large, luxur y models of their business jets to attract rich investors in the Gulf Arab region.

L eading manufacturers such as Canada’s Bombardier, Brazil’s Embraer and Europe’s Airbus hope buyers in the world’s largest oil producing region-long comfortable with high-end business travel-will lead a rebound.

“When you are selling to a market that accepts the use of such airplane, you are off to a head star t,” Bob Hor ner, senior vice president of sales at Bombardier Business Aircraft, said on the sidelines of the Middle East business aviation show yesterday.

“The use of such business aircrafts is very well understood in this region.” In contrast to other regions, Middle East executives typically opt for private jets over chartered aircraft firms.

That has prompted manufacturers to play to a preference for jets with large cabin spaces and swanky interiors.

Among jets on display at the aviation show in Dubai were luxury planes with lavish goldplated interiors. Some firms were also hoping to capitalize on Qatar hosting soccer’s World Cup in 2022, with special offers to transport elite customers to the Gulf Arab state for the tournament.

Airbus, the world’s largest

HSBC frontiers fund eyes Gulf, Nigerian banks

Tasnee seeks $2bn petchem financing D U B AI : S a u d i A r a b i a ’ s National Industrialization Co (Tasnee) has begun talks with banks to secure financing for a $1.5 billion to $2 billion acr ylic acid plant, according to a report.

HSBC, Tasnee’s financial advisor, is talking to local banks while discussions are also ongoing with expor t credit agencies in Korea and G e r ma ny, M i d d l e E a s t Economic Digest said on its website.

The firm will seek financ ia l c omm i t m e n t s i n t h e firs t ha lf o f 2 0 1 1 , t h e L ond on-b a s e d m a g a z i n e said. It is looking for a mix of US dollar and Saudi riyal loans.

The acrylic acid plant is expected to cost 4 billion Saudi riyals ($1.1 billion)

and start production of about 230,00 tons a year by the first quarter of 2013.

In October, a consortium of South Korea’s Samsung Engineering Co and Ger ma ny’s Linde won a n early construction deal for the plant.

S a u d i s u b s i d i a r i e s of Tasnee Sahara Olefins Co (TSOC) — a joint-venture of Ta s n e e and Sahara Petrochemicals Co — own 75 percent of the complex and 25 percent belongs to US-based Rohm and Haas, re c e n t l y b o u g h t b y D o w C h e m i c a l Ac r y l i c a c i d i s used as a feedstock for its water-based acrylic products used to manufacture detergent additives, paints, coatings and adhesives among other products. —Reuters

SEOUL: South Korean farmers hold up red paper reading ‘FTA is disaster’ in Seoul yesterday. South Korea and the US have reached new agreements on auto-related trade and other issues in their free trade deal in a bid to salvage the accord signed more than three years ago, Seoul’s trade ministry said on December 5. —AFP

MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

Abu Dhabi’s Aldar surges on govt support hopes DUBAI: Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Properties surged to a five-week high yesterday as traders bet government support was imminent for the indebted developer.

Aldar, which faces a funding gap of 6.1 billion dirhams ($1.66 billion) to the end of 2011, according to investment bank EFG -Her mes, rose 7 percent to its highest finish since Nov 1. The stock is down 49 percent year-to-date, tumbling as the company made losses for four straight quar ters and investors feared government support would be dilutive to minority sharehold-

aircraft maker, said half of its corporate jets this year were delivered to customers in Gulf countries. The only privately owned Airbus A380 superjumbo belongs to Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.

Airbus said it has received enquiries from private customers interested in the A380 superjumbo but did not specify from which region.

Meanwhile, Embraer said it delivered a new Embraer 170 jet to Saudi Aramco, a company owned by the Saudi Arabian government, and was in talks on more deals with the firm.

Claudio Galdo Camelier, an Embraer executive, said nearly 60 percent of its jet deliveries in the Middle East will be in the ultra-large range.

“Customers are showing interest in some airplanes ... we have had some orders in the region but it’s still far from where it was in the past and it would take some time to get there,” he said. “In the next 10 years, approximately 300 private jets will be delivered to the Middle East.”

The business jet market had a hard landing in 2009 as demand tumbled af ter five years of annual deliver y increases. Companies cut down on spending and tighter credit made purchases difficult.

“I believe the market is improving but we are still far from where it was in 2007 and early 2008,” Embraer’s Camelier said. —Reuters

ers. Speculators are now betting state help will be more favorable, traders said.

“A direct government loan to Aldar would make sense, whether it is on commercial or slightly softer terms,” said Chet Riley, Nomura property analyst. “Aldar would be able to draw down on this as other debt owed to local banks matures.

This would help Aldar and also stimulate credit growth, because these banks would then be able to redistribute this money by lending to other companies.”

The developer has 14 billion

dirhams of debt maturing next year, according to EFG-Hermes, while last month Bank of America Merrill Lynch said Aldar needed $2.7 billion by 2011. In November, Aldar said it was in the final stages of talks with the government over its cash needs, with a deal expected by the end of 2010.

“There’s a lot of speculation that Aldar’s funding requirements will soon be clarified - we’re nearing the end of the fourth quarter and people are speculating something is close,” said Matthew Wakeman, EFG-Hermes managing director

for cash and equity-linked trading.

Qatar volumes surged to an 18month peak as the country’s index extended a World Cup rally into a fourth day. “Foreign institutions are still big players - we’re having more interest day after day from pension funds and sovereign funds,” said an analyst at a Qatar bank. “The World Cup has confirmed the strong economic fundamentals of Qatar.”

The benchmark hit a new 28month high and is up 7.3 percent since the country was chosen to host the 2022 soccer tournament.

Masraf Al-Rayan and Al Khalij Holding led gains, rising 9.2 percent and 9.5 percent respectively.

“People were bullish on Qatar before the (World Cup) announcement, but this made them buy sooner they were going to,” added EFG’s Wakeman. “Stocks are still attractively valued.”

Kuwait’s Zain rose 1.4 percent to a two-week high after a local court delayed hearing a lawsuit from a shareholder unhappy with a proposed $12 billion stake sale to Abu Dhabi’s Etisalat. The latter ended flat. —Reuters

LONDON: Nigerian banks and some Abu Dhabi-based lenders are key stock picks for 2011, managers at HSBC Global Asset Management’s New Frontiers fund say.

Nigeria’s government has created the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) to take on bad loans from the nine institutions it rescued under a $4 billion bailout last year and a number of banks are already returning to profit.

“Now we see an interesting opportunity in the banking sector. You have got some banks in the stock market that are trading below book value, some are between one and two times, with ROEs (return on equity) that are recovering,” said Andrew Brudenell, a manager at the fund.

“There has been a significant clearing out of the loan book of the banks and the better banks have been shown to be better banks but are not necessarily being valued as differently as they should be,” he said. He said attractive stocks in the sector include Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank and Access Bank.

Andrea Nanini, the senior manager at the fund also believes lenders in the United Arab Emirates offer some opportunities due to cheaper valuations following last year’s debt crisis in neighboring Dubai. “The margins are slightly sort of beginning to improve, the worst of the (debt) restructuring has happened even though there might still be a little more to come,” Nanini

said.

He said they like banks in the Abu Dhabi emirate because they had been dragged down by the problems in Dubai even though the home emirate has healthier fundamentals. “Abu Dhabi banks is one sector where we think there is a lot of value. Dubai banks we are still a bit more cautious about,” he said.

The fund has already bought shares in Abu Dhabi’s First Gulf Bank, according to its latest monthly report, which was for October. Brudenell said firms in other sectors in Nigeria like fast-moving consumer goods and infrastructure also have good prospects.

“There is large potential in terms of cement demand (in Nigeria) going forward,” he said, citing Lafarge Cement WAPCO and Nestle Nigeria. “If the political changes happen and if the reforms continue and get extended into other areas of the economy, there is a large need for infrastructure improvements including roads and buildings and therefore cement.”

The fund managers said they also like Zimbabwean stocks and have bought into mobile operator Econet, mainly due to its strong market position. “They are going to be able to offer sophisticated services to people far more quickly than anybody else so obviously when corporates come back in, which they are doing, those are the people who will spend more on their telephony,” said Brudenell. —Reuters

BUSINESS

22

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Toyota Zelas enters Kuwait market Mohamed Naser Al-Sayer & Sons Automotive Co holds launch event

KUWAIT: Mohamed Naser Al-Sayer & Sons Automotive Co, exclusive dealer of Toyota in Kuwait, held a press conference in the event of launching Toyota Zelas at - Al-Rai Showroom - yesterday. The event was attended by VIPs and local media. Mubarak’s Al-Sayer CEO Automotive / MNSS welcomed the Lexus representatives from Japan and the valued guests by saying:” I am so pleased to have you with us on this event with Lexus taking us to further heights and standards of innovations demonstrated by the first debut of: Toyota Zelas” Then Masoud Wehbe GM Toyota Sales took over by saying: “It is a pleasure to be with you again celebrating further global Toyota successes with the launch of various models meeting various customer and understand needs and tastes.

The last but not least, the arrival of the brand new coupe in the Middle East: Toyota Zelas.

Its first debut was in the name Scion, a well-known name in USA since 2004. In view of the marvelous success of this model, Toyota decided to offer the model to all world markets in its new name Zelas”.

En g in e p o we r a nd p e r for mance: Four cylinder. 2.5 liter - 176 hp 6-speed transmission with classleading fuel efficiency.

Exterior Appearance: Zelas is featured with the modern sport styling features, and the 17 inch aluminum rings.

Safet y: Special airbags system of 8 airbags Brakes system is safer than any of the other competition cars

with the VSC system and TRC system , with one touch split capability for lighter body .

Wehbe continues: “Toyota strategy is keen to provide special models for youth by offering models exceeding their expectations and meet their needs specially like such long awaited coupe car that really suits youth.

The demand was increasing on proving a coupe model that represent the most reliable brand in the world Toyota due to the customers deep rooted trust in Toyota brand.

In brief, Zelas is a coupe car designed and born to offer an extraordinary exciting feeling for the demanding youth.

Toyata’s high quality products represent Toyota everlasting relentless commitment to the youth enhancing their fascination with Toyota, and that will be achieved by meeting their requirements and surpass everyone expectations.

The fact is simply that Toyota cars quality and our uniqueness in Mohamed Nasser Al Sayer & Son.

Est. Co as the agent of Toyota in Kuwait contributed directly being No. 1 by far in the Kuwaiti market.

We and Toyota work together to be always the market leader from the beginning to the present day”.

Despite the great success of Toyota cars in the world and its leading position as best brand seller around the world, overtaking major car makers around the world since 1930’s, forefront the biggest international car manufacturers around , the whole world now looks for Toyota’s

firm trend setting standards including but not limited to: • Most advanced international high tech .

• The quality and efficient performance • Powerful A/C suiting all countries weathers and climates • Advances driver and passenger safety and security equipments.

• Environment friendly cars • Huge R&D investment Toyota Zealas has unveiled the DNA inherited from dynamic Toyota Supra and Toyota Celica which have

DUBAI: State oil giant Saudi Aramco will bring its largest gas plant online in 2013, earlier than expected, as it accelerates gas output expansion to meet rising domestic demand, its chief executive said yesterday.

The state-owned company is now focusing on raising gas output after it completed a massive crude expansion program last year which took its oil production capacity to 12 million barrels per day (bpd).

Domestic demand for gas in the world’s largest oil exporter is growing 5 to 6 percent annually.

Khalid Al-Falih said in April the Wasit gas plant would be on stream in 2014. He also said that together with two other plants, Khursaniyah and Karan, Wasit would help Saudi Arabia process its targeted production increase of raw gas to 15.5 billion cfd by 2015 from 10.2 billion cfd.

Falih made yesterday’s remarks to reporters on the side-

Exclusive services and great value packages at CFC booth will offer our clients with unprecedented service offerings,” said Nasser A Al-Mannai, Assistant Managing DirectorMarketing, Commercial Facilities Company. “Adding to our service offering, we are pleased to inform our visitors with the opportunity to avail from loans at our stand, with an e-Net machine exclusive to CFC, where they can make bill payments.”

“We are seeing a remarkable interest from our clients, and we are giving the opportunity to the show visitors to benefit from the services that we are offering. We remain focused on offering clients what they require as well as a promotional value package at all CFC

branches from December 12 to 18. Our friendly and efficient staff will be present at the CFC booth to meet customer queries and provide on-the-spot assistance,” concluded Al-Mannai.

Commercial Facilities Company (CFC) was established in 1977 as the first Kuwaiti closed shareholding company specialized in providing installment credit facilities to finance consumer and commercial products. It is one of the leading companies in offering installment credit facilities, car financing, and personal cash loans. Moreover CFC’s online service, http://www.cfckw.com, provides customers with a convenient portal to manage their accounts.

features in addition to the remarkable elegance to take the lead.

Wehbe added:” I fully trust that Toyota Zelas will support Toyota around the world and Kuwait, and I have no doubt that it gain the admiration of youth. Simply because it’s different than the other coupe cars with its style which reflect power and speed in a frame of sport and energy that really represent youth passion and Toyota’s passion”.

Only youth will appreciate the secrets of Zelas attractiveness which flow with life and energy.

Aramco fast-tracks Wasit plant, online seen in 2013

Commercial Facilities Co to take part in Kuwait Motor Show 2010 KUWAIT: Commercial Facilities Company (CFC) announced its participation in the 2010 Kuwait International Motor show and set to win over show visitors with chances to win exciting and exclusive services and opportunities. The CFC booth will be located between halls 5 and 6 throughout the show from December 12 to 18.

“The Kuwait International Motor show hosts the major and international manufactures attracting visitors from across the region, is an ideal place for us to be. It gives us the opportunity to interact with our clients and answer their needs.

Our strong relationships with both local providers and agents

been taken away from markets many years ago but still attract and lure youth minds whenever they talk about attractiveness, technical aspects, performance and advanced technology.

Toyota Motor Corporation is strongly focusing on the youth on different levels starting with small cars by providing them with aerobic equipments , Toyota is working hard to launch a sport car that will be announced on the right time to restore the glory of Toyota.

Today we are launching the car of freedom and adventure with practical

Nasser A Al - Mannai, Assistant Managing Director-Marketing, Commercial Facilities Company

lines of a conference in Dubai.

Wasit is one of two new gas projects Aramco plans to develop.

The other one is Shaybah natural gas liquids (NGL), for which Falih said construction contracts would be awarded in the first quarter of 2011. The plant would come online by late 2014.

Wasit has the capacity to process 2.5 billion cubic feet per day (cfd) of gas from non-associated offshore sour gas fields Arabiyah and Hasbah. It would also produce around 1.75 billion cfd of sales gas. Aramco is currently reviewing onshore bids for Wasit while bidding for Shaybah is still ongoing. Falih added that the cost of expanding PetroRabigh, a joint venture between Aramco and Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical is expected to reach between $6 billion to $8 billion.

“We are also moving ahead with PetroRabigh phase II and that project will be worth $6 billion to $8 billion investment,” he said.

The complex is integrated with a 400,000 bpd refinery and was part of Aramco’s plans to build refinery-based petrochemical complexes across the kingdom.

Another petrochemical complex which was to be integrated with the Ras Tanura refinery, the largest in the Middle East, would cost nearly $20 billion, Falih said.

“We are developing very aggressively with Dow Chemical in Jubail. That will have an investment approaching $20 billion,” he said. Aramco and Dow decided to relocate the project to Jubail to save costs and to benefit from the infrastructure already in place.

Falih said the two complexes would include a number of new products which have never been produced in the Middle East, including metallocene-based elastomers, glycol ethers, solution polyethylene, MMA/PMMA (methyl methacryllate/poly methyl methacryllate), nylon and EP-rubber. — Reuters

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

.2730000 .4380000 .3680000 .2810000 .2750000 .2720000 .0045000 .0020000 .0761620 .7420270 .3900000 .0730000 .7274250 .0045000 .0480000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2805500 .4410250 .3711820 .2836700 .2770180 .0497970 .0405760 .2747850 .0361200 .2130380 .0033450 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0764030 .7443620 .0000000 .0748330 .7288910 .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES Japanese Yen Indian Rupees

3.381 6.284

.2860000 .4480000 .3770000 .2900000 .2830000 .2830000 .0075000 .0035000 .0769280 .7494850 .4100000 .0780000 .7347360 .0072000 .0560000

.2826500 .4443260 .3739600 .2857940 .2790920 .0501700 .0408800 .2768420 .0363900 .2146330 .0033700 .0063160 .0025460 .0033060 .0040380 .0769740 .7499340 .3997880 .0753930 .7343470 .0064980

Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.279 2.531 3.938 214.520 36.308 3.997 6.447 9.405 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 75.198 77.482 732.630 748.980 76.792

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 51.900 48.778 1.323 196.020 398.220 187.500 6.127 34.043

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 281.880 Euro 374.480 Sterling Pound 444.670 Canadian dollar 280.200 Turkish lire 191.230 Swiss Franc 286.460 Australian dollar 279.060 US Dollar Buying 281.145 GOLD 266.000 134.000 68.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

COUNTRY

SELL CASH 280.000 749.420 4.260 282.000 553.400 14.100 51.400 167.800 51.940 377.500

36.980 6.500 0.033 0.264 0.252 3.460 400.190 0.191 92.430 46.800 4.410 216.100 1.916 48.100 731.980 3.390 6.670 77.950 75.240 215.380 42.970 2.684 447.500 42.300 289.000 6.200 9.750 198.263 76.890 282.200 1.360

10 Tola

GOLD 1,474.320

Sterling Pound US Dollar

36.830 6.270 0.032

398.310 0.190 92.430 3.930 214.600

SELL DRAFT 278.500 749.420 3.995 280.500

215.400 48.764 379.000

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

Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

287.500 6.200 9.560 76.790 281.800

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

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 445.500 281.800

281.700 282.140 443.690 375.030 284.457 691.011 745.595 76.672 77.353 75.089 397.500 48.755 6.262 3.295

2.531 4.010 6.426 3.356 9.324 6.145 3.903

Currency 731.800 3.300 6.460 77.520 75.240 215.380 42.970 2.530 445.500

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Bahrain Exchange Company Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound 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

281.600 3.290 6.290 2.540 3.995 6.480 76.770 75.295 748.100 48.720 448.500 0.00003280 4.025 1.550 399.700 5.750 381.500 285.700

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Trans fer Rate (Per 1000)

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 subj ect to change

281.350 375.000 444.500 279.900 3.375 6.260 48.725 2.530 3.989 6.450 3.290 749.000 76.600 75.100

business

Thursday, December 9, 2010

23

IKOO hosts Kuwait’s first seminar on digital advertising

By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: The region’s largest online advertising network, IKOO.com, hosted an online digital seminar discussing the rise of online advertising in Kuwait. The event was held yesterday, December 8, at the Sheraton Hotel and featured a gathering of CEOs, heads of marketing departments, media planners, digital specialists and online marketers. They discussed the existing concerns and potential solutions to bring the new media market forward. Among the issues discussed were the ideas of developing an advertising network, tracking, transparency and the convergence of print and online media.

Presentations included research on figures showing that the interest in ecommerce and advertising online in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is still emerging. Among the budgets allocated for advertising in the MENA region only about three percent goes toward online advertising. It is expected that the percentage will increase to 13 percent by 2013, said Samer Murad, IKOO.com’s sales manag-

IKOO CEO Issam Bayazidi speaking during the seminar.

— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat er. Meanwhile, the amount of money spent on advertising in the Middle East is expected to reach $10 billion, said Zaid Nasser, while presenting a study made

by IPSOS. The seminar also featured a panel of regional media, telecommunications and the metrics industry experts from the International Advertising Agency (IAA),

Media Edge, Effective Measure, Media Quest and Viva Telecom. Loay Asfahani, the Chairman of IAA pointed out that the new worldwide trend is to move toward online advertising but that media advertising in Kuwait has not been audited or monitored since the invasion in 1990.

This, he explained, is an accountability and transparency problem.

“It is our great pleasure to be starting our business in Kuwait,” said Isam Bayazidi, CEO of IKOO.com. “We look forward to opening new horizons and becoming strategic partners for those agencies looking to go online.” He added that the new trend will happen gradually, be cost efficient and work well with campaigns that are diversified and have small budgets. In his opinion this trend could be the foundation of a whole new market.

IKOO is the largest advertising network in the MENA region, combining more than 120 website in the fields of sports, women, news, business, social media, automotives and more. The company was founded in 2005 under the name E-Marketing, and was rebranded to IKOO in 2009 after it was fully acquired by the Jabbar Internet Group.

The IKOO network attracts more than 35 million monthly visitors and provides more than 1.4 billion monthly page views. The network is backed by the world-class campaign management system Double Click, which is the backbone for all its operations in addition to the contextual advertising platform Kalimat.

Speakers during the panel discussion

Private banks’ role in project funding vital KUWAIT: Abeer Al Omar, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Communications Department (right) receives the honorary award from the Mufti of Tripoli and the North, Dr. Malik Al Shaar (centre) and Chairman of the Rahma Medical Complex, Fawaz Agha.

Lebanon recognizes KIPCO’s CSR efforts KUWAIT: KIPCO - the Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) - has received an honorary award from the Rahma Medical Center and the Azm and Saade Association during the “Fourth Scientific Congress: Neurological Rehabilitation... Towards Globalization and Distinction”. The event was held under the patronage of Prime Minister of Lebanon Saad El Hariri, in Tripoli.

Abeer Al-Omar, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Communications Department, received the award on behalf of KIPCO and expressed her appreciation to the organizers for the award.

In a speech at the Congress, Al Omar said: “We thank you for this recognition, which will be a strong motivator for us to keep up our humanitarian work and the contributions that KIPCO is already making to the development and advancement of our society. This has given us greater will to continue to work along this track.”

She added: “KIPCO acknowledged the important role that it must play in CSR and has invested the necessary means to fulfill its responsibility towards society. This has led to the establishment of Masharee Al Khair Organization, with a budget that comprises a percentage of the profits made by the KIPCO Group companies. This has contributed to sustainable human development plans and charitable work in Kuwait.”

Al Omar noted that in 2008 KIPCO and Masharee Al Khair, out of their belief in the important role of the private sector in the development of society, organized in cooperation with Kuwait Dyslexia Association a year-long campaign to raise awareness about Dyslexia. The campaign included advertising, press interviews, and participation in conferences and seminars with the aim of raising awareness about Dyslexia.

Rise in Abu Dhabi bank deposits may help Aldar ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi bank deposits jumped this quarter, with most of the new cash coming from Abu Dhabi’s government, prompting speculation it may be creating a rescue fund for struggling developer Aldar Properties.

Bankers and analysts said yesterday the sudden rise in deposits may signal an imminent move by the government, which owns a 25.4 percent stake in Aldar and lent the builder a hand in March.

Shares in Aldar, which has posted four straight quarterly losses, rose 5 percent to a five-week high of 2.51 dirhams on talk government support may be coming soon.

“From a shortfall in deposits compared to loans to a surplus now, it is a fact that the majority of the money came from the government,” a senior Abu Dhabi banker who did not want to be identified said. “It could be a funding package for Aldar.” Executives at

Aldar were not immediately available for comment.

Aldar said in November it was in the final stages of talks with the government over its cash needs and its chief financial officer told Reuters the framework for a cash deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Abu Dhabi’s largest developer by market value needs 9.8 billion dirhams ($2.7 billion) by 2011 as it seeks funding to survive, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in November.

Investment bank EFG-Hermes estimates Aldar has 14 billion dirhams of debt maturing in 2011 and faces a funding gap of about 6.1 billion dirhams until the end of next year. “Government deposits have definitely contributed to the recent growth in deposits although some foreign institutional investors have also parked funds here,” said another Abu Dhabi banker.—Reuters

KUWAIT: Assuming that the government will fund 50% of the planned projects, private banks will be needed to fill the gap and fund the remaining portion of required capital. An assessment of local banks in Kuwait leads us to conclude that the sector’s ability to fund such projects is limited, and the need for innovation to make sure these projects get funded is immense.

As of September 2010, Kuwaiti banks had total deposits of KD 36.6 billion, of which, KD 27.6 billion were already extended in loans representing 75.3% of deposits. Given the 85% ceiling on loans that can be extended in Kuwait, we find that the whole sector has KD 3.55 billion in available funds with National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) and Kuwait Finance House (KFH) representing 56.8% of that amount. The banking sector, while proving resilient during the global financial crisis, remains exposed to bad debt and depreciating asset prices. Meanwhile, borrowers, already burdened with debt, are nervous about taking on more debt. Governments in the region and globally are working hard to institute stronger financial regulations, but it will take time for the banks’ recovery to be sustainable. In that regard, the government of Kuwait has recently committed to providing KD 10 billion (USD 34.9 billion) in the form of bank guarantees to fund these projects either through a financial portfolio, bonds, or long-term deposits with tenures that could reach 20 years. As of November 24th 2010, the government had outstanding public debt (including treasury bills & bonds) maturing before the end of 2011 of KD 3.38 billion, held mainly by local banks.

In addition, and serving as an added buffer for funding, banks currently have on their balance sheets cash and deposits with other Financial Institutions in the value of KD 3.54 billion and KD 2.37 billion, respectively.

Foreign banks like HSBC, Al-Rajhi Bank and Citi Bank, among others, have already expressed their interest in filling the liquidity gap through participating in the financing of some of these projects. In Kuwait, foreign banks are only allowed to practice private banking, wealth management and lending.

With the former two activities’ stalling since the intensification of the global financing crisis, the option of lending to projects that are deemed to have some government backing seems to be a critical window of opportunity and the only breather for them in the Kuwaiti market.

Given the need from local banks to engineer innovative solutions in order to fund these projects, we may look at some regional experience post the financial crisis to learn about possible ways to fund large scale projects in such economic and liquidity conditions. For example, the $2.1 billion raised during June of last year for Bahrain’s Addur Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP) used the ‘mini-perm project finance structure’

KAMCO Research Report

which involves using smaller, short term loans that will be refinanced at a later stage of the project. Banks have also tapped into less familiar areas of financing to ensure that deals get done. PPPs give the private sector access to secure long-term investment opportunities; they can generate business with the relative certainty and security of a government contract reducing the implications of market uncertainty.

Obtain Project Financing and Reduce Public Capital Investment One of the most important benefits of these partnerships is splitting the spending between the government and the private sector. In theory, the government only has to come up with a certain percentage of the planned spending providing additional flexibility for increasing the amount of spending on projects. Currently, and including the KD 30 billion planned spending according to the development plan, Kuwait has a total of KD 68 billion ($239 billion) of planned projects as reported by MEED Projects Index on August 19th , 2010 representing 10.42% of the total planned project in the GCC region. This figure is in comparison with United Arab Emirate’s whopping $940 billion and Saudi Arabia’s $697 billion representing 41% and 30.4% of total GCC projects, respectively. Chart 3: GCC Projects Index- August-10 (USD Billion) Optimizing the Value of Funds The increased participation of the private sector brings along access to expertise and technological advances which potentially can increase the value of money spent and

increase efficiency in carrying out these projects. This will improve service delivery by allowing both sectors to do what they do best.

Government’s core business is to set policies and procedures to govern these contracts, while the private sector takes responsibility for technical aspects of project delivery.

Furthermore, by taking advantage of private sector innovation, experience and flexibility, PPPs can often deliver services more costeffectively than traditional approaches, while the resulting savings can then be used to fund other needed services or projects. In addition, private sector companies have a financial motivation to use facilities to their full extent, and to make the most of commercial opportunities to maximize returns on their investments. This can result in higher levels of service, and reduced costs for the government.

Risk Allocation Proper risk allocation represents one of the major challenges in the implementation of the PPP model. The efficiency of the PPP contract depends on the effective transfer of some risks to the private sector. Private entities are more efficient in the management of a project if they have money at stake, and if they face risks that they can manage. If project risk has not been allocated to the private sector appropriately, private entities could realize that it is more profitable to try to shift risks to the government rather than managing those risks.

Effects on Local Market (Banking Sector) Given the steady rise in the Banking

Sector Index since the beginning of the year, investors will remain cautious as to whether the government spending spree will happen and to how these new projects will affect the social developments of the State of Kuwait.

Furthermore, financing these projects is seen as a long term safe investment that has some government support; it should also help stimulate loan growth momentum after being flush with liquidity. In addition, appending such high quality loans to the loan portfolio of Kuwaiti bank will help improve the overall loan quality which has been a significant issue since the beginning of the global financial crisis.

Despite the positive impact that the spending plan is expected to have on the banking sector, local banks are already trading at high multiples in comparison with other GCC banks, which increases the resistance for their share prices to go up much further.

In addition, the plan will not solve all the banks problems, as the sector still faces liquidity issues, along with the deteriorated quality of its loans portfolio.

For Kuwait, PPP is a strategic option that should be regulated and enforced to provide the government with an added flexible option to expand its services to the wider community, especially in key areas such as the oil, health-care and education. Furthermore, PPP’s can provide financing and investment opportunities to channel Kuwaiti private sector liquidity into core projects and away from speculative stock trading investments. In addition, Projects operated under PPP will add substance to many local companies and create stability in the market.

Wataniya Airways adds ten new European connections Network in partnership with Austrian Airlines

KUWAIT: Wataniya Airways, Kuwait’s only premium airline, yesterday announced a further ten new European connections to its network allowing its guests to fly to a total of 29 European destinations from Kuwait via Vienna as part of the ongoing partnership with Austrian Airlines, Austria’s national carrier, that started in October 2010.

Wataniya Airways’ guests can enjoy hasslefree travel using a single ticket without the need to collect and recheck their baggage in Vienna to a variety of destinations across Europe.

Abdulsalam Al-Bahar, Wataniya Airways Chairman and Managing Director: “We are very pleased to announce the extension of our interline agreement with Austrian Airlines to ten more major connections in Europe, taking our total to 29 cities across the continent. The benefit to Wataniya Airways guests is that they can now simply check in their baggage at our excusive Sheikh Saad Terminal in Kuwait where it will be automatically routed through to their final European airport arrival destination with-

out having to be rechecked at Vienna. We are committed to delivering our guests the very best service possible and our code sharing agreement with Austrian Airlines is part of this effort.”

The agreement also includes guests travelling from Beirut to Vienna and onwards to other European cities, as well as for those wishing to travel from Vienna to Beirut and the Middle East.

Wataniya Airways operates three weekly flights between Vienna International Airport and their exclusive Sheikh Saad Terminal in Kuwait. The ten new connections the agreement adds to Wataniya Airways’ route network are: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bologna, Graz, Hamburg, Rome Fiumicino, Lyon, Munich, Nice and Venice.

From Kuwait, guests wishing to travel on Wataniya Airways can book tickets by logging on to www.wataniyaairways.com or by calling the Kuwait Guest Contact Centre on 118 or +965 24379999, or by making a reservation through their preferred travel agent.

24

BUSINESS GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT

KSE stocks remain mixed KUWAIT: Kuwait stocks closed mixed yesterday after a wary session. Modest strength in the services and banking sectors helped Global General Index (GGI) closed 1.77 points up (0.82 percent), at 216.39 point as the Market capitalization increased reaching KD35.01mn. On the other side, Kuwait Stock Exchange Price Index closed in the red zone shedding 7.40 points (0.11 percent) from its value and closed at 6,860.3 point.

Market breadth During the session, 114 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 45 equities advanced versus 31 that retreated. Volume of shares traded on the exchange increased by 23.32 percent to reach 164.59mn shares, the value of shares traded increased by 15.14 percent to stand at KD25.92mn.

The Investment Sector was the volume leader yesterday, accounting for 38.28 percent of total shares and the Services Sector was the value leader, with 29.33 percent of total traded value.

Company-wise, Al-Deera Holding Co was the volume leader, with a total traded volume of 26.88mn shares. changing hands. National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) was the value leader, with a total traded value of KD2.99mn. In terms of top gainers, Salhia Real Estate Company was the biggest gainer for the day, adding 7.55 percent and closed at KD0.285.

On the other hand, Pearl of Kuwait Real Estate Company came in as the biggest decliner, dropping by 55.21 percent and closed at KD0.043. The company backed to trading in November 21, 2010 after they rescheduled a five-year, KD9.38mn loan with a local bank. The loan will have a

two-year grace period and the first payment is due on January 2013. It’s worth mentioning that, Pearl of Kuwait Real Estate Company’s prices will be excluded from KSE indices’ calculations for 14 days.

Sector-wise By sector, services stocks spearheaded advancers, clocking 1.18 percent in gains. Sector heavy-weight Zain managed to eke out 1.41 percent in gains yesterday. Among stocks moving on specific news, IFA Hotels & Resorts surged by 5.62 percent. The company reported it

has secured $115mn in funding to complete a luxury hotel in Dubai, it said, as financing for selective projects remains available despite tough conditions.

The three-year loan facility arranged by Standard Chartered Bank will allow IFA Hotels & Resorts Co to complete its Fairmont Palm Jumeirah hotel project in the first quarter of 2012.

Shares of Gulf Bank & National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) rose 1.92 & 1.56 percent respectively sending the Global Banking Index up by 0.85 per-

cent. Burgan Bank recoiled by 1.89 percent.

Separately, shares of the market’s heavy-weight, Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) shed 1.25 percent, lifting the Global Food Index down by 0.60 percent.

Corporate news Kuwait Finance House (KFH), said yesterday it made an early payment of $250mn that was due in March 2011. As part of a murabaha financing deal with several international and regional banks worth $850mn,” KFH said in a statement.

Standard & Poor’s Fund Services has assigned an A fund management rating to the Global 10 Large Cap Index Fund. The S&P fund ratings are a widely acknowledged measure of excellence, with A rating awarded only when the fund demonstrates high standards of quality based on its investment process and consistency of performance.

The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $88.13 a barrel on Monday, compared with $87.13 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Qatari, UAE crude prices signal further strength SINGAPORE: Sentiment in the Middle East crude market remained firm after Qatar and the United Arab Emirates raised official selling prices, while the backwardation at the front of the Dubai curve signaled strong demand for related grades.

OSPs: Qatar raised the retroactive November official selling price (OSP) for Qatar Marine crude to $83.40 a barrel, up $3.85 from October, state media reported, on the back of strong premiums for January-loading cargoes sold last month.

The Gulf Arab state also set its November Qatar Land crude OSP at $84.77, up $3.97 from October, the Qatar news agency said.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) raised the November retroactive selling price of its benchmark Murban crude by $4.15 per barrel to $85.65, ADNOC said yesterday.

The October official selling price (OSP) for Murban was $81.5. ADNOC set the OSPs for Lower Zakum and Umm Shaif at $85.65 per barrel and $85.30 a barrel respectively. It set the Upper

Zakum OSP at $83.35, up from $79.35.

DUBAI MARKET STRUCTURE: January Dubai was trading 16 cents higher than February on Yesterday, data compiled

by Reuters showed, slightly steepening the backwardation from a day earlier.

December traded at a 30 cent premium to January, entrenching the contango for prompt supplies.

India’s Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) on Tuesday issued a tender to buy 2 million barrels of sweet crude oil loading in February.

February Oman traded on the Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME) was assessed at a 70-cent premium to Dubai swap quotes at 0830 GMT, traders said, up 27 cents from the previous session.

Discussion for Oman February cargoes was heard at premiums of as high as 75 cents to Dubai quotes, although trading of spot cargoes for that month had yet to begin. Discussions with Indian refiners were already under way, traders said.

Front-month Brent/Dubai

Exchange of Futures for Swaps (EFS) for January fell to $3.00 a barrel, down 25 cents from a day earlier.

PetroChina started trial operations of a massive crude oil storage in southern Guangxi region, part of China’s efforts to build up oil stockpiles to improve ability to cope with any potential supply shocks. India will soon take a decision on raising diesel prices, Oil Secretary S Sundareshan said yesterday, a move that would lower the government’s subsidy bill and boost the financial health of oil marketing firms.

The January gas oil crack shed 30 cents to a premium of $14.66 a barrel to Dubai crude, still near 23-month highs, while the February crack lost 31 cents to $15.03 a barrel.

The January fuel oil crack also lost ground, dipping 30 cents to a discount of $9.81 a barrel to Dubai crude, while the February crack lost 22 cents to minus $9.74 a barrel.

January ICE Brent fell to $90.73 a barrel at 0830 GMT, down 69 cents from the same time a day earlier. —Reuters

Iran sees global oil demand up one million bpd in 2011 TEHRAN: Iran’s OPEC governor forecast yesterday that global oil demand would increase next year by 1 million barrels per day (bpd), the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

“The relative global economic recovery is the main reason for this increase in demand,” Mohammad Ali Khatibi was quoted as saying.

“The major part of next year’s increase in oil demand would be from Asian countries,” he said.

According to Khatibi demand for OPEC oil would rise to 28.8 million bpd. “Any development in the reconstruction and recovery of the global economy would lead to changes in oil supply and demand next year.” —Reuters

BUSINESS

Thursday, December 9, 2010

25

Jazeera to allow 40kg free baggage on all destinations!

Following high demands on 40kgs summer offer KUWAIT: Award-winning airline Jazeera Airways announced that it is now permanently offering 40kgs checked in baggage allowance for free to all passengers traveling to any Jazeera Airways destination, in addition to the 7kgs carryon allowance also available to all Economy Class passengers.

The offer is part of a new customer offering by Jazeera Airways and is in direct response to customer feedback and requirements. Previously, Jazeera Airways passengers had a checked in baggage allowance of 20kgs, and this

allowance was increased as part of enhanced all-around customer offerings that are being rolled out for the past few months, which also include an enhanced Jazeera Business Class.

Passengers flying Jazeera Airways will benefit from 40kgs allowance when flying to any of Jazeera Airways destinations including Bahrain, Damascus, Amman, Beirut, Dubai, Alexandria, Sohaj, Assiut, Luxor, Jeddah, Riyadh, Doha, Aleppo, Mashhad, Sharm ElSheikh and Deir Ezzor.

Jazeera Airways captured the largest

market share out of all Kuwaiti airlines on the majority of routes it serves month-on-month.

Winner of Arabian Business Magazine’s ‘Best in Aviation 2010’ award and Gold Winner of Magnum Opus 2010 awards, Jazeera Airways operates to 17 destinations across the Middle East.

All passengers may benefit from a checked in allowance of 40kgs, split into two pieces of baggage with a maximum of 32kg per piece of baggage.

About Jazeera Airways: Jazeera

Airways was established in October 2005 and has a fleet of 11 new Airbus A320s serving 17 destinations across the Middle East and North Africa during the winter season of 2010/2011. To date, the airline has flown over 6.5 million passengers since commencing operations in October 2005.

In 2009, the airline carried over 1.8 million passengers, capturing over 22 percent of the market share and making it the largest operator at Kuwait Airport.

2010 passengers’ figures will be announced in February 2011.

China think-tank cautions inflation pressures building Rate hike seen amid rising consumer prices BEIJI NG: A Chinese government t hink tank ha s war ned infla tionary pressures are building in the economy and consumer prices will remain “relatively high” in 2011, amid growing expectations of a ra te hike. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences also c aut ioned that the world’s secondlargest economy was at risk of overheating next year “if the growth speed is not controlled properly”, Xinhua news agency said yesterday.

LG to utilize cleaner eco-magnesium in all mobile devices by 2012 Metal substitute to slash emissions KUWAIT: LG Electronics (LG) has announced it will replace all conventional magnesium inside its mobile phones with Eco-Magnesium, a new type of clean magnesium alloy, by 2012.

The decision will reduce greenhouse gas emission by a factor of approximately 24,000 during the die casting process without affecting the quality of the final product.

Eco-Magnesium was developed by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) with funding from the government of Korea. During production, Eco-Magnesium creates practically no sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) cites as one of the most potent greenhouse gas ever encountered.

Replacing conventional magnesium with EcoMagnesium in mobile phones will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by four kilograms for

every handset LG produces. On November 29, LG signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the three producers of EcoMagnesium - HK High-Tech Co, Keumgang Coen and Hallacast Co. As part of the agreement, LG will provide the three companies with training in the practice of carbon credit trading and technological support. The MOU promises to help LG greatly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and earn valuable carbon credits.

“Eco-Magnesium is one of LG’s key strategies in our ongoing effort to transform LG into a leader in more environmentally responsible manufacturing,” said HS Paik, President of LG Electronics Gulf. “This transition to EcoMagnesium will allow LG and our customers to play a small but significant role in making the world cleaner for future generations.”

HS Paik, President of LG Electronics Gulf

EU energy chief clamps down on insider trading BRUSSELS: Europe’s energy chief launched a clampdown yesterday against insider trading and market manipulation in wholesale gas and power markets.

Energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the new rules for 2012 aim to prevent companies from withholding energy capacity to force up power prices in a market estimated to be worth around 500 billion euros ($660 billion) per year.

That should also help protect consumers against spikes in domestic energy prices. A team of about 15 market monitors, based at the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) in Slovenia, will be handed extensive powers to collect market data and act on manipulative behavior.

“It is crucial to ensure EU level comprehensive rules which guarantee that citizens

can be confident that prices are formed fairly,” Oettinger said in a statement. The rules will force market players to disclose any price sensitive information, such as a power station shut-down, before trading.

They will also make it illegal to spread rumours or give false or misleading signals about the supply, demand or price of gas or electricity.

“For the trading environment, it means that it will take some edge off utility traders, as they would lose an important market advantage that some have so far successfully used for themselves,” said one power trader in Germany.

“Economically, this makes sense as it would level the playing field a little bit and could therefore attract some risk capital.”

If the plans are approved by EU governments, the monitors will be able to demand access

to any document, including telephone records, raid offices and temporarily prohibit trades on Europe’s 15 energy exchanges. The Commission estimates up to 10,000 energy deals take place each day, about a quarter of them on exchanges and the rest over-the-counter.

While it is difficult to prove market abuse is occurring, the European Commission says a 2008 probe of German utility E.ON has raised concerns that power generators are capable of manipulating power prices by temporarily withdrawing generation capacity from the market.

EU officials also cite a case of market abuse in the United States in 2006 where markets were manipulated by hedge fund Amaranth, and they have concluded that a similar play in Europe would cost consumers about 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion). —Reuters

The report came as Beijing brought forward the release of key economic data for November to Saturday from Monday, fuelling speculation that policymakers were planning to raise interest rates in the coming days. “The inflationary pressure is building up and excess liquidity would be the major factor driving the CPI (consumer price index) up in the next several years,” CASS said in its 2011 Economic Blue Paper.

The think tank forecast consumer prices to rise 3.2 percent over the entire year of 2010 — above the government’s full-year target for three percent-and 3.3 percent next year.

“Surging grain prices in the international market and the rising cost of growing grains in China would keep the prices of consumer goods at a relatively high level,” the report said.

Prices for manufactured goods were also expected to rise next year. China on Friday pledged to shift its monetary policy stance to “prudent” from “relatively loose” next year, signalling new interest rate hikes were on the way. The announcement came amid growing fears among officials and consumers over rising prices and

BEIJING: A worker stands on scaffolding to decorate a new auto showroom in Beijing yesterday. A Chinese government think tank has warned inflationary pressures are building in the economy and consumer prices will remain “relatively high” in 2011, amid growing expectations of a rate hike. —AFP

soaring food costs. China’s consumer price index rose 4.4 percent year-on-year in October-the fastest pace in more than two years-with the prices of 18 types of vegetable increasing more than 60 percent. Ever fearful of inflation’s historical potential to spark unrest in China, Beijing has ordered a range of steps to ensure adequate supplies of key goods and offer financial help to the most needy.

The central bank last month ordered banks to raise the amount of money they must keep in reserve for the fifth time this year, after it announced in October the first interest rates hike in nearly three years. CASS also forecast the economy to grow 9.9 percent this year before accelerating to around 10 percent in 2011 “with effective macroeconomic controls”.

“If the growth speed is not controlled properly, the economy might grow at a rate of more than 10 percent, which would result in overheating and add pressure to economic growth in 2011,” the report said. The think tank’s economic growth forecast for 2011 is higher than that of the World Bank, which expects growth to slow to 8.7 percent next year from an expected 10 percent this year. — AFP

Empowering a better tomorrow North Kerala’s most reputed builders group, hi-lite Builders have always believed in dreaming big. And have succeeded in turning their big dreams into reality. The same driving force behind constructing Kerala’s first shopping mall ‘Focus’ at Calicut, envisioning a giant project like hi-lite hills, and having delivered manifold residential and commercial projects which stand apart from the rest as masterpieces.

With each project which comes as a challenge to the existing ones, hi-lite builders have revolutionised the building sector in North Kerala.

The completed projects stand as a testimony to the master-builder’s craft. Investing in a hi-lite project ensures your ownership of an asset of ever appreciating value and assures handsome regular monthly income for life.

The delegates headed by M. A.

Mehaboob, Director, hi-lite Builders along with Kochi Branch Head, Mr Hariz C. M will be at the Hotel Ramada, Kuwait on 9,10 and 11th of December, 2010. The delegates will be available on the numbers 99518217 and 99762891. You can meet and discuss with them the big projects which may interest you as viable investment options and be a part of the booming real estate scenario in Calicut and Kochi. hi-lite hills The giant hi-lite hills project consists of hi-lite Residency and hi-lite Plaza. hi-lite Residency houses ultraluxe apartments while the Plaza consists of top-notch office spaces. The two eight-storied towers of Plaza with 100 plus office spaces starting from 1100sq.ft. is workspace redefined. hilite Plaza is equipped with amenities, perfect corporate ambience and 1100+ car parking facility making it ideal for

all kinds of commercial enterprises.

The location at the 45 metres wide NH Thondayad Bypass with close proximity to the newly launched Cyber Parks is the epicenter of growth.

This will be an additional advantage for buyers seeking prime spaces at the developing hub of Calicut city. hi-lite platino The premium office property is located at the happening commercial hub at Vytilla, NH Bypass Kochi.

Platino is neighbour to premium car showrooms and five star hotels, making it a commercial hotspot in the city map. The state-of-the-art business complex with quality infrastructure is sure to bring together some of the big and better names in the current business scenario.

With space options ranging from 556 to 7214sq.ft, hi-end amenities and ample car parking facility to suit every corporate need. hi-lite Platino is

poised to be your big tomorrow assuring regular handsome rental returns for a lifetime. hi-lite Spring Da le One of the best living options available in Kerala, Spring Dale consists of 110 luxurious independent villas set in the expansive greens at Palazhi, Calicut. A lovely retreat on 20 acres with a spectacular 20,000 sq.ft. family clubhouse, and the convenience and luxury of gated community living. So close to nature, yet not far from the city delights.

A part of the logosity township project, which includes Sadhbhavana World School also, hi-lite Spring Dale is all about making a statement with your lifestyle.

For more details call Kuwait: 99762891, usman.kuwait@hilitebuilders.com, 99518217, salesgulf@hilitebuilders.com www.hilitebuilders.com

26

BUSINESS

Thursday, December 9, 2010

German industrial output rises most since May BERLIN: German industrial output rose at its strongest monthly rate since May in October, three times faster than expected and adding to views that Europe’s largest economy will prove more resistant to a sovereign debt crisis than its peers.

Industrial production rose by 2.9 percent on the month in seasonally adjusted terms, preliminary data

from the Economy Ministry showed yesterday.

That followed September’s fall, which was revised from -0.8 percent to -1.0 percent and topped even the most optimistic forecast in a Reuters poll that tipped a median of a 1.0 percent increase.

“It’s a good start to the fourth quarter, “ said Ulrike Kastens at Sal. Oppenheim.

“The sentiment indicators have showed that Germany is on track for expansion. Much points towards Germany growing strongly in the fourth quarter. The German traffic lights remain on green,” she added.

The recovery in Europe’s largest economies has continued to gather pace despite a debt crisis which has hobbled its weaker states. France’s

central bank also upped its fourth quarter growth forecast yesterday and UK manufacturing figures were again upbeat.

That reinforces the case for countries to press on with strong budget consolidation in contrast to the United States, where the government has agreed to continue a program of tax cuts to reinflate the

economy. Germany manufacturing orders also rose in October, rebounding despite a fall in euro zone demand, suggesting orders were back on track after a plunge in September.

Highlighting the strength of Germany’s industry and its pull away from peers, Germany’s Siemens, Europe’s biggest engineering com-

pany, last month signalled its confidence with a proposed sharp rise in dividends and a promise of profit growth driven by emerging markets.

The focus of concern for the global economic outlook has shifted in recent months from the United States towards the euro zone, mired in a sovereign debt crisis.

Traditionally export-led Germany is

particularly vulnerable to such crises but has shifted its focus from exporting to other members of the 16nation euro zone to emerging markets. German exports fell unexpectedly in October, but unadjusted imports surged to a post-war high in a fresh sign that the consumer sector is taking a stronger role in powering the country’s growth. —Reuters

Strong, waning overseas demand hit exports

Japan’s economic recovery heads for slowdown: Report TOKYO: Fears that Japan’s recovery is heading for further slowdown deepened yesterday as data showed the nation’s trade with the world rose only slightly and a corporate spending indicator fell in October. The health of the trade-reliant economy continues to draw concern as exports, its main engine

for growth, slow because of a strong yen and waning overseas demand while domestic demand remains soft. Japan’s economic fiscal policy minister Banri Kaieda told reporters yesterday that he expected growth to be “substantially lower” in the fourth quarter.

The current account surplus-the broadest measure of trade with the rest of the worldwidened 2.9 percent in October from a year earlier to 1.44 trillion yen ($17.20 billion), missing expectations of a 7.0 percent rise.

In September the surplus rose 24.3 percent. Other data from the finance ministry showed core private-sector machinery orders, a leading indicator of corporate capital spending, fell 1.4 percent in October from the previous month, the second consecutive decline after a 10.3 percent fall in September.

The data also missed expectations of a 0.1 percent decline.

Yesterday’s data illustrated that the double whammy of the expiration of government subsidies for automobiles and other goods and slowing US, European and Chinese demand continued to threaten Japan’s economy, said analysts.

“The next couple of quarters are likely to be tough for Japan, as expiring incentives for purchases of consumer durables hurt demand,” noted Richard DUBLIN: Protesters shout and display placards outside the Irish Parliament building (Dail) in Dublin, on Jerram of Macquarie Bank.

December 7, 2010. Debt-plagued Ireland was set later to announce its toughest-ever austerity budget to help fix “Stalling exports and a soft its battered public finances and secure an EU/IMF bailout, economists said. Dublin’s cash-strapped government industrial cycle will erode corhas already revealed that the annual budget will contain 6.0 billion euros ($8.0 billion) of painful tax hikes and porate profitability and damage the manufacturing investment spending cuts. —AFP cycle.” However, Jerram pointed out that robust Japanese machinery export orders indicated an acceleration of economic activity in the region and may help soften the blow for Japan.

“If exports can show some modest growth then Japan should be able to avoid recession”, he said.Recent data showed October exports grew at their slowest pace of the year LONDON: Shares in Burberry surged as main attraction is its freefloat and it’s not got kind of multiple is a Chinese (company) after the yen traded at 15-year much as 6.5 percent to a new high yesterday, a controlling family holder. It’s the only lux- looking for a trophy asset,” said one trader. highs against the dollar, hamwith traders citing talk of bid interest for the ury group that is independent,” said one Private equity firms have often been tipped mering the competitiveness of as potential suitors, although Citi analysts luxury goods group. Traders in London and trader. the crucial sector.

“It’s a good company, actually, very well have poured cold water on this.

Frankfurt said there was talk the 154 year“The yen’s strength has also “We see little strategic or financial old maker of raincoats and handbags was run.” Takeover speculation has intensified weighed on corporate sentisubject of a bid at 1,500 pence per share. after French luxury group LVMH bought a rationale for private equity money to enter ment,” Norio Miyagawa, an 17 percent stake in peer Hermes in October. at such a late stage in Burberry’s transforThey gave no further details. economist at Mizuho Securities Burberry declined to comment. The However, some traders and analysts are mation story,” they wrote in a recent Research & Consulting, told British-based group, one of the few global skeptical whether a bidder would target research note. At 1105 GMT, Burberry Dow Jones Newswires. luxury groups not to be family-controlled, Burberry, whose shares have more than shares were up 4.1 percent at 1,176 pence, “Which in turn has played a has been the subject of bid rumors for doubled this year, driven by strong results as off a record high of 1,204 pence, and valurole in keeping the capital ing the business at about 5 billion pounds months as sales at top-end brands recover, well as the takeover talk. expenditure improvement still “The only bidder I can see paying this ($7.9 billion). —Reuters driven by strong demand from Asia. “The rather mild.” A strong yen not only makes Japan’s growth-driving exports more expensive but erodes companies’ overseas profits when repatriated, with many firms considering sending more production overseas as a result.

It also makes imports cheaper, contributing to a damaging NEW YORK: Irving Picard, the courtcycle of deflation in which appointed trustee searching the globe to falling prices prompt conrecover money for defrauded investors of sumers to hold off on purchases convicted swindler Bernard Madoff, has in anticipation of further falls, sought an additional $555 million in recovclouding future corporate eries from UBS AG on Tuesday. investment. Japan has reduced Picard filed a complaint with a US court its official interest rate to seeking to recover the additional money for almost zero and recently passed distribution to defrauded Madoff customers an extra budget worth 58 billion with valid claims, with an exact amount to dollars to cover a new stimulus be determined at trial. package aimed at averting the On Nov 24, the trustee sued UBS and threat of a “double-dip” recesothers for more than $2 billion, accusing sion. them of collaborating in the imprisoned Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s swindler’s massive Ponzi scheme. The secsecond stimulus package since ond filing against UBS brings total recoverhe came to power is designed to ies sought from the Swiss bank to $2.5 bilease concerns over deflation lion. and a strong yen, includes job UBS was accused of sponsoring foreign programs, welfare spending and feeder funds that sent client money to the assistance for small businesses. once-respected money manager, lending Kan took office in June promisthem “an aura of legitimacy” while shielding ing to slash spending and work itself from liability through secret side towards cutting its massive agreements. public debt, accounting for The trustee had earlier sued JPMorgan nearly 200 percent of gross Chase & Co to recover $6.4 billion and domestic product, by avoiding HSBC for $9 billion. issuing new bonds to pay for Madoff is serving a 150-year prison senstimulus measures. tence after pleading guilty in March 2009 to But the state of Japan’s running a decades long investment fraud of economy has complicated his up to $65 billion, an unprecedented scheme ambitions. Tuesday’s soft data capped gains in Tokyo shares that shook investor confidence in market Wednesday, with the headline regulators. The case is Picard v UBS AG et Nikkei index closing 0.90 peral, US Bankruptcy Court, Southern District NEW YORK: Trader James H Doherty (right) works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. —AP cent higher. —AFP of New York, No. 10-05311. —Reuters

Burberry jumps to new high on bid speculation

Madoff trustee seeks an extra $555m from UBS

ATHENS: People try to find a taxi as cars lined-up during a 24-hour strike by public transport in Athens yesterday. Strikes have halted public transport in Athens for 24 hours, in the latest display of union opposition to austerity measures in crisis-hit Greece. —AP

Greek transport workers strike against austerity ATHENS: Public transport ground to a halt in Athens yesterday as workers walked off the job for a 24-hour strike in the latest display of union opposition to austerity measures in crisis-hit Greece. The capital was left without buses, the metro, trams or trolleys, while national rail services were also halted as workers protested plans by the Socialist government to restructure state-run transport companies and reduce subsidy payments.

Ferry services to Greek islands and flights were not affected. More than 2,000 striking transport workers marched to Parliament in the center of Athens chanting: “no sacrifice for the banks, hands off public transport.” The government has imposed strict austerity measures,

including cutting civil servants’ salaries, freezing pensions and hiking consumer taxes, in return for a 110 billion euros three-year bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund and other European Union countries that use the euro as their currency.

The measures have led to a backlash from labor unions, which have organized a series of strikes and demonstrations. They have called a nationwide general strike — the country’s seventh this year — for Dec 15, demanding the government ease the measures. Athens is currently renegotiating the time frame for repaying the loans, which run to 2013. Both the EU and the IMF have voiced support for the repayment schedule to be extended. —AP

Micro Focus H1 in line; sees no quick rebound LONDON: British IT company Micro Focus International posted flat first-half earnings and said it still expected no improvement in the second half amid a poor performance from a testing unit built through acquisitions.

Revenue for the year would be broadly flat and core earnings would be about $179 million, slightly up on last year, the company said yesterday.

Chief executive Nigel Clifford, who joined the business in May, said a tough market for software testing had hampered the progress of the unit created by buying Borland and Compuware’s testing business. While momentum in those businesses was not positive when they were acquired,

there were also self-inflicted problems in the integration, Clifford said, mostly in sales and marketing.

Micro Focus, which supports mainframe applications for Tesco and Boeing, reported adjusted core earnings rose 1.3 percent to $79 million in the six months to end-October, on revenue up 8.7 percent to $216 million.

Both results were in line with a November trading update. The company’s traditional mainframe and modernization business recovered in the second quarter after a weak first quarter, Clifford said. “We have the pipeline and the prospects that allow us to look confidently at the Q3, Q4 outlook ... but we won’t

know if that translated into dollars and pounds until we close the (third) quarter,” he said Clifford said the company would increase its focus on winning business from medium-sized companies, which it said had been neglected as it sought larger deals.

Its shares, which have fallen 30 percent since the beginning of its financial year in May, were 0.1 percent lower at 357.7 pence by 0903 GMT, outperforming a 0.6 percent weaker index of mdeiumsized companies. Panmure Gordon analyst George O’Connor said the results were in line with guidance, with there were no surprises, which the market was concerned about. —Reuters

Simon Property may quit CSC stake over mall deal LONDON: Capital Shopping Centres’ 1.6 billion pound ($2.5 billion) plan to buy a top UK mall was labeled value destructive by shareholder and wouldbe CSC bidder Simon Property, which said it may quit its 5 percent stake in protest.

In November, CSC said its plan to buy the Trafford Centre in Manchester, northwest England, in a share and debt deal would involve seller Peel Group, controlled by billionaire John Whittaker, becoming a 19.9 percent shareholder. In response, Simon Property said it might bid for CSC at an unspecified premium to net asset value.

“We firmly oppose the proposed transaction and ... will vote against it at the forthcoming EGM (extraordinary general meeting),” said Simon Property Chief Executive David Simon in a letter to CSC’s board yesterday.

“We strongly encourage all other CSC shareholders to do the same,” Simon said, adding he urged the CSC board to reconsider its proposed Trafford Centre acquisition.

Simon Property noted the Trafford Centre transaction would reduce CSC’s dividend cover ratio and therefore its ability to make payouts in future. It also said the mall’s debt service coverage ratio was below the covenant threshold, meaning future operating cashflows were unlikely to be available for distribution.

By 1101 GMT, shares in CSC were down 3.8 percent at 392.4 pence, underperforming the UK property stocks index which was down 1.1 percent.

In the letter, David Simon said he was disturbed and disappointed by the “profound” value destruction the deal could inflict on CSC and its shareholders.

“If the proposed Trafford Centre acquisition is approved, we would need to consider liquidating our position in CSC,” he said. “We believe that CSC is substantially overpaying for the Trafford Centre Group.” Execution Noble analyst Michael Burt said the price tag for the Trafford Centre was at an expensive initial yield of 5 percent and that Peel Group would gain significant control of CSC without paying a premium to its net asset value.

“In our view CSC would be best served in giving Simon the chance to formulate a proposal for shareholders,” Burt said.

Simon Property tried but failed to have the mall acquisition postponed in November, having asked to undertake due diligence on the company so it could make an acquisition proposal that was superior to the Trafford Centre deal. “By declining to provide us with the requested limited due-diligence information, you have constrained the exploration of an opportunity to benefit your shareholders,” David Simon said. He said any bid from Simon Property would be conditional on it being able to undertake due diligence.

Evolution Securities analyst John Cahill said he doubted whether Simon Property would make an offer for CSC, placing a “sell” rating and 315 pence price target on its shares.

If CSC acquired the Manchester mall, it would own 10 of the top 25 UK malls, cementing its status as a retail heavyweight. CSC was formed out of the demerger of Liberty International earlier this year. It had recently ruled out acquisitions saying it planned to grow organically in its existing malls through 78 million pounds of capital projects. —Reuters

Technology

Thursday, December 9, 2010

27

Microsoft unveils new privacy feature for IE Peace offering amid uproar over ways websites watch users

SAN FRANCI SCO: An upcoming version of Microsoft Corp’s Internet Explor er browser will let user s add list s of sites that they don’t want tr acking them, a peace offering amid uproar over the sneaky ways that websites watch their users as t hey bounce around the Internet. The new feat ure, however, won’t be as sweeping as a “do not track” option t hat the Federal Trade Commission is proposing to limit advertisers’ ability to do that .

Users will have to create or find their own lists of sites they want to block.

SAN FRANCISCO: Google CEO Eric Schmidt talks about the Google Chrome operating system in San Francisco on Tuesday. —AP

Google Chrome-powered notebooks on sale next year SAN FRANCISCO: Google is building its Chrome operating system into notebook computers that will hit the market next year in a challenge to software at the heart of Microsoft’s empire. The technology giant on Tuesday began releasing an unbranded notebook to businesses and consumers as part of a pilot program aimed at testing a computing model that shifts operating software into the Internet “cloud.”

“For us, it is a long journey building a true cloud computing model,” Google vice president of product management Sundar Pichai said while demonstrating the Chrome operating system at a press event in San Francisco.

“That is what we are working on,” Pichai said.

Taiwan’s Acer and South Korea’s Samsung are building Chrome notebook computers that will go on sale next year, according to Pichai.

Pricing will be revealed by the notebook makers closer to launch dates.

Organizations signed on to take part in the pilot program include the US Department of Defense as well as Kraft, American Airlines and Virgin America. People can apply online at google.com/chromeos to join the Google notebook test group. Google has partnered with US telecom titan Verizon to provide wireless broadband connections for Chrome notebooks.

“Not only is this the right time to build these products, but because they work they will be very successful,” Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said. “Cloud computing will define computing as we all know it in the coming decades.” Schmidt added that Chrome will be a “viable third choice” when it comes to operating systems for laptop computers.

Microsoft Windows software has long been the ruling operating system in the world computer market.

Shifting operating software to banks of servers on the Internet means that Google will tend to matters such as updating programs and fending off hackers and malicious software.

Advantages include quick start-ups from diskdrive free machines, long battery life, and

essentially being able to dive into one’s desktop data from anywhere on the Internet. People will also be able to share their computers, with the operating system preventing snooping on one another. “My friend has no access to my data, and once he closes the notebook anything he did is erased,” Pichai said of a guest mode.

“We call this a ‘friends let friends log in’ mode.”

Data is cached so Chrome OS users can access Web programs and content offline, but the notebooks are being built with broadband connections to synch with wireless telecom networks. “We’ve put in a lot of work to make sure users always have the option to stay connected with the Chrome notebook,” Pichai said. A launch deal with Verizon will provide Chrome notebook users 100 megabytes of wireless data per month free for the first two years. Verizon data plans include a 9.99-dollar “day pass” or paying only for amounts of data sent over the network. Google is making a mistake by challenging Microsoft’s strong suit at a time when the Redmond, Washington-based software colossus is riding high with a Windows 7 release, according to analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.

“This is very difficult turf to conquer,” Enderle said of the Windows kingdom Microsoft has built. “It is not a matter of something being better or not; it is tough to work against an entrenched product.” The kind of ubiquitous wireless broadband internet coverage needed to support cloud-based operating systems won’t exist in the United States for nearly a decade, he added.

Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney believes that while Google is fulfilling its promise of a Chrome operating system, the California technology titan is more focused on Android software for smartphones and tablet computers.

“Chrome seems to be a step-child of Google’s imagination,” Dulaney said. “Android is just blowing out the doors of smartphones and tablets, and that has to be where most of their effort is.”— AFP

Kindle books to open on Web browsers SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon will make its Kindle electronic books available for reading on Web browsers beginning early next year, with people’s digital collections saved in the Internet “cloud.” Amazon executives on Tuesday showed off “Kindle for the Web” at a Google press event introducing a new, swifter version of the California technology giant’s Chrome software for navigating the Internet.

Kindle for the Web was unveiled a day after Google opened an online electronic bookstore in a heavyweight entry into a booming market long dominated by Amazon.

Google eBookstore rolled out in the United States features the Mountain View, California-based company’s massive library of digitized works online at books.google.com.

Hundreds of thousands of digital books from leading pub-

lishers such as Macmillan, Random House and Simon & Schuster are for sale in the eBookstore, which Google said will expand internationally next year.

Google e-books are kept online in the Internet “cloud” and available for reading from any Web-linked computer or using free applications on gadgets such as Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch or on smartphones running Google’s Android software.

Kindle for the Web will launch early next year and the application will be available in a Google Web Store that made its debut on Tuesday. Kindle books will be accessible through any standard browser, which will enable new features such as being able to do Internet searches on words highlighted in digital works, a demonstration showed.

“All the books you love will be right there in the browser,”

said Amazon vice president David Limp. “All the books I have are backed up in the cloud.” About two months ago Amazon began letting people read the first chapters of Kindle e-books free through Web browsers. The expanded version of Kindle for the Web rolling out next year will allow bookstores, authors and others to earn fees for selling Amazon’s digital books at their websites.

Kindle books can be read using most popular Internet gadgets including smartphones and iPads. “And now, anywhere you have a Web browser,” said Kindle Content vice president Russ Grandinetti.

“Your reading library, last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights are always available to you no matter where you bought your Kindle books or how you choose to read them.” — AFP

iPhone, Android offered mobile cues: Microsoft VP SAN FRANCISC: A Microsoft executive says the company has tried to take advantage of the fact that it’s playing catch up. Microsoft vice president Joe Belfiore, the director of the company’s Windows Phone program, says Microsoft Corp. had a chance to look at what its competitors, Apple’s iPhone and phones running Google’s Android operating software, were doing. It then tried to make unique, consumer-

friendly software.

Microsoft’s older smart phone software lost market share against more modern competitors, and Windows Phone 7 was its stab at starting fresh. Belfiore would not say how many Windows Phone 7 handsets have sold since they were released this fall. Belfiore spoke Tuesday at the D: Dive Into Mobile tech conference, hosted by tech blog AllThingsD. —AP

And the feature won’t be automatically turned on when it debuts with the release of Internet Explorer 9 early next year. Part of the reason for the uproar over tracking is that it’s hard to tell which sites you’re sharing information with.

Websites use many third-party advertising partners, and some may use shady surveillance schemes, perhaps without the knowledge of the websites.

Requiring users to sort out which sites are good and bad puts the onus on the wrong people, said Anup Ghosh, founder and chief scientist of Invincea, which makes software that works with Internet Explorer to improve security.

“With this kind of ‘do not track’ list, the industry is not held accountable for not tracking.

It’s the user that’s responsible.

They kind of got it backward,” he said. “Users aren’t equipped to make these kinds of decisions, nor do they want to.” A familiar refrain among security and privacy professionals is that Internet users by and large don’t fully appreciate the extent to which sites harvest their personal information.

Visiting a modern website is less like a handshake between two friends than it is glad-handing a room full of strangers.

Unless you have tinkered with your security settings, in most browsers, you implicitly give any site you visit permission for it and all of its advertising partners to track you. The tracking happens silently, and your browsing habits are sold and analyzed by advertising firms looking for ways to show you more relevant ads. Ghosh said it would be more useful for Microsoft to work directly with privacy groups to identify and create lists of sites that engage in controversial forms of tracking. Dean Hachamovitch, who leads Internet Explorer development for Microsoft, said Microsoft isn’t doing that because it doesn’t want to judge which sites are OK to track consumers.

“Choosing a tracking protection list is a statement around what the consumer wants out of the box, and in some ways that is completely up to the consumer,” Hachamovitch said.

Privacy worries and corporate interests often collide in building a browser, which is why the privacy features that do make it into the finished product are often compromises between competing interests.

As a seller of Internet advertising, Microsoft has to weigh two needs: consumers’ desire to be completely shielded consumers from tracking, and its advertising customers’ need to monitor people to sell them more targeted ads.

Also, an insistence on complete privacy, by turning off tracking features altogether and cranking up the privacy protections all the way, can make surfing the Internet difficult because sites will forget who you are and your browser will forget where it’s been. Jules Polonetsky, former chief privacy officer for AOL Inc. and online ad network DoubleClick, which is now owned by Google Inc., said that although most consumers probably won’t use the new Internet Explorer features, they will likely appeal to people who are concerned about online privacy.

Industry trade groups, consumer groups, privacy watchdogs and government agencies will likely create lists of sites for consumers to plug into the new tool, said Polonetsky, who now serves as co-chair and director of the Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington think tank that gets funding from big technology companies and advertisers. Polonetsky said the features are an improvement over the filtering feature in the current version of Internet Explorer. That feature requires users to turn it on every time they use the Internet. And once it’s turned on, it blocks not only online ad networks, but also online news feeds and all sorts of other third-party content that appears on Web sites. — AP

SAGAMIHARA: Masato Nakamura (R), manager of the Venus orbiter project, holds a press conference in Sagamihara, suburban Tokyo yesterday. —AFP

Japan probe shoots past Venus, may meet again in six years TOKYO: A Japanese space probe has hurtled past Venus after failing to enter the planet’s orbit as planned, the space agency said yesterday, but it voiced hope for a successful rendezvous six years from now. The “Akatsuki”, or “Dawn”, blasted off in May on a 300-million-dollar mission to observe the toxic atmosphere and super-hot volcanic surface of Venus, which is sometimes called the Earth’s sister planet.

However, in a setback for Japan’s space program, the box-shaped golden probe failed to enter the planet’s gravitational pull and shot past it, said the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). “It will come close to Venus again in roughly six years, giving us another opportunity,” said JAXA spokesman Hitoshi Soeno, who stressed that ground control in Sagamihara near Tokyo was still in command of the probe.

Masato Nakamura, the chief developer of Akatsuki, said a second attempt was “highly doable”, according to the Jiji Press news agency.

The Akatsuki, also called the Planet-C Venus Climate Orbiter, was sent on a mission to orbit and observe Venus for two years, working closely with the European Space Agency’s Venus Express. It is fitted with two paddle-shaped solar panels and five cameras to let it peer through the planet’s thick layer of sulphuric acid clouds, and was also due to search for signs of lightning and for active volcanoes.

Venus is similar in size and age to Earth but has a far more hostile climate, scorching at around 460 degrees Celsius (860 degrees Fahrenheit) and with large amounts of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas on Earth. Scientists believe that investigating the climate of Venus would deepen their

understanding of the formation of the Earth’s environment and its future.

The Japanese probe on Tuesday morning Japan time reversed its engine thrust to slow down and enter the gravitational field of Venus, said JAXA, which had Tuesday reported communication problems with the probe.

Yesterday JAXA announced that its mission had failed. “We started the manoeuvre to put the Venus probe Akatsuki into orbit around Venus at 8:49 am (Tokyo time) on December 7... but have confirmed that we could not put it into the orbit,” it said in a statement. The exact cause of the failure was not officially determined yet but one possible explanation was that the probe did not slow down enough near Venus to be pulled in by the planet’s gravity, Soeno said.

Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshito Sengoku said “it was very regrettable

that the probe did not succeed in entering the orbit around Venus.

We’d like to continue watching Akatsuki’s situation.” The project has so far cost Japan about 24.4 billion yen (290 million dollars).

Akatsuki cost 14.6 billion yen to develop and produce, while its rocket launch cost 9.8 billion yen. Japan launched a Mars probe in 1998 but JAXA gave up on its attempt to put the probe, called “Nozomi” or “Hope”, into the red planet’s orbit in 2003 due to technical glitches.

The latest setback came after a landmark mission by “Hayabusa”, which became the first-ever space probe to collect asteroid dust during a seven-year odyssey that ended with its return to Earth over the Australian desert in June. The trip of Hayabusa, or Falcon, had been plagued with technical glitches but it managed to come home three years late. — AFP

TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tours an exhibition on laser technology in Tehran.

Ahmadinejad ordered Iran’s atomic chief to enrich uranium to 20 percent, in a fresh challenge to world powers days after appearing to accept a UN-drafted nuclear fuel deal. —AFP

health & science

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thursday, December 9, 2010

Indian MP pushes compulsory yoga in schools NEW DELHI: An MP in India is lobbying for a law that will make yoga compulsory in the country’s junior schools, where he says it will help with discipline, fitness and dealing with “computer-related stress”.

Satpal Maharaj, 59, from the ruling Congress party, said a recent trip to China had inspired him to push for the law, which would take yoga into India’s 217,000 junior schools where children begin their education at around five.

“We saw school children practicing Tai Chi Chuan (martial art) with great discipline in China and I thought, ‘We gave yoga to the world but we are ignoring it in India and we must bring it into our schools’,” Maharaj told AFP. Yoga, which in the Sanskrit language means “union” or “integration”, involves the practice of numerous physical postures called asanas and is usually combined with long meditation sessions.

Indian scholars believe yoga dates back 5,000 years, based on archaelogical evidence of poses found inscribed on stones and references to Yogic teachings in the ancient Hindu scriptures of knowl-

BANGALORE: Indian students of a yoga college show off their skills during a function in Bangalore. Member of parliament, Satpal Maharaj, from India’s ruling Congress party is lobbying for a law that will make yoga compulsory in the country’s junior schools where he says it will help with discipline, fitness and dealing with “computerrelated stress.” — AFP

edge, known as the Vedas.

Maharaj, who represents the constituency of Garhwal in the Himalayan foothills, said yoga could help schoolchildren and teachers to deal with age-old problems as well as contemporary ailments.

“Western diseases like computer-related stress have come to India, and yoga at an young age will help reduce these ailments-and besides, it will also encourage children to attend class,” he said.

The draft law, called the Compulsory Teaching of Yoga in Educational Institutions Act, states “our modern education is missing out on yoga education and is, therefore, incomplete without it”.

Maharaj said he was sure of cross-party support for his project in parliament once business resumes there. Both houses of India’s parliament are at a standstill because of protests led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a multi-billion-dollar telecom fraud that has embroiled the government.

“We must not think of education only in terms of school examinations,” said Prakash Javadekar, a

WHO unveils radical new machine for TB diagnosis New tuberculosis test cheaper for poor countries GENEVA: The World Health Organiza tion yesterda y unveiled a new “w hile you w ait” test for tuberculosis, tha t radically cuts dow n the testing time and detects drug resista nt forms of the deadly lung disease. The desktop computer-sized automated test machine produces results in 100 minutes instead of up to six weeks of la boratory testing for the TB bacteria, w hich infects a bout one-third of the world’s population, a ccording to the UN health agency.

The machine analyses a sample of the patient’s spittle. “What we are doing today at WHO is to endorse the use by countries of a new fully automated rapid test that detects quickly in one hour and 40 minutes tuberculosis and the most difficult forms of tuberculoses,” said Mario Raviglione, head of the WHO’s Stop TB program.

“This test will transform and revolutionize the way we handle TB care and

control,” he added. Raviglione underlined that it could detect hard to treat drug resistant forms and TB associated with HIV/AIDS. Half a million HIV positive people die from TB each year, a quarter of all AIDS deaths, according to UNAIDS. The WHO has high hopes of improving detection in developing countries, the hardest hit areas.

The number of cases of tuberculosis

in the world stabilized last year, with 9.4 million new infections. About 1.7 million people died. The UN health agency is trying to cut the death rate by half by 2015. It has warned that progress against the disease is far too slow.

Meanwhile, health officials say a new test to diagnose tuberculosis will be available to poor countries for a fraction of its original price. The Swiss-based Foundation for Innovative and New

Diagnostics said yesterday a test to detect tuberculosis in less than two hours will be sold to more than 100 developing countries at a 75 percent discount-for about $17 instead of $67.

The World Health Organization said the test could revolutionize tuberculosis treatment and is a dramatic improvement on the standard test, which takes up to three months to confirm a diagnosis. The test was announced in September. — AP

Ban at climate talks — We need results now CANCUN, Mexico: UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon, trying to revive longstalled climate talks, told world environment ministers on Tuesday he is “deeply concerned” that many years of negotiation have proven largely fruitless.

“The pace of human-induced climate change is accelerating.

We need results now, results that curb global greenhouse emissions,” Ban declared at the opening of high-level talks at the annual UN climate conference. In the two-week session’s final days, environment ministers will seek agreement on knotty side issues in coping with global warming, but once more the UN climate treaty’s 193 parties will fail at Cancun to produce a sweeping deal to slash greenhouse gas emissions and control climate change.

“I am deeply concerned that our efforts so far have been insufficient,” the UN chief told delegates. “Nature will not wait while we negotiate,” he said.

“Science warns that the window of opportunity to prevent uncontrolled climate change will soon close.” UN environment chief, Achim Steiner, reminded the conference that countries’ current, voluntary pledges to reduce emissions would, at best, offer the world limited protection against serious damage from shifts in climate. Another reminder came from the mountains of south Asia: In a new report, experts said people’s lives and livelihoods are at “high risk” as warming melts Himalayan glaciers, sending floods crashing down from overloaded mountain lakes and depriving farmers of steady water sources.

Low-lying Pacific island states, in particular, are losing shoreline to rising seas, expanding from heat and the runoff of melting land ice.

Following Ban to the podium, President Marcus Stephen of Nauru, one of those states, said the reality of climate change has been lost in scientific, economic and technical jargon. “Without bold action, it will be left to our children to come up with the words to convey the tragedy of

losing our homelands when it didn’t have to be this way,” he said. Despite such evidence of growing impacts, and scientists’ warnings that temperatures will rise sharply in this century, nations have made little progress over the past decade toward a new global pact on emissions cuts to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Republican rebound in Washington promises to delay action even further. Instead, environment ministers will focus on secondary tools for confronting global warming, laying the groundwork, for example, for a “green fund” of $100 billion a year by 2020.

Financed by richer nations, the fund would support poorer nations in converting to cleaner energy sources and in adapting to a shifting climate that may damage people’s health, agriculture and economies in general.

Negotiators also hope to agree on a mechanism giving poorer countries’ easier access to the patented green technology of

advanced countries, and on pinning down more elements of a complex plan to compensate developing nations for protecting their climate-friendly forests. “Some important decisions are ripe for adoption, on protecting forests, on climate adaptation, technology and some elements of finance,” Ban told reporters. He urged governments “to be flexible and to negotiate in a spirit of compromise and common sense for the good of all the peoples.” Year after year at these UN sessions, activists frustrated by their slow pace have rallied in protest. On Tuesday, hundreds marched from downtown Cancun toward the heavily guarded beach resort area where the conference is taking place. About a dozen protesters managed to get inside the conference complex, marching briefly through a meeting hall before being escorted away by security guards. High-level guidance from the environment ministers may be needed most in the com-

CANCUN: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon delivers a speech during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun on Tuesday. — AP ing days’ debates over limited gestures proposed on emissions reductions.

The US has long refused to join the rest of the industrialized world in the Kyoto Protocol, a 1997 add-on to the climate treaty that mandates modest emissions reductions by richer nations, and whose commitments expire in 2012. The US complained Kyoto would hurt its economy and should have mandated actions as well by such emerging economies as China and India.

CANCUN: Activists from Via Campesina, an international movement of peasants, demonstrate during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun on Tuesday. According to the UN weather agency, 2010 is “almost certain” to rank among the three hottest years on record, and in a report issued on Tuesday experts said glaciers in southern South America and Alaska’s coastal mountains have been losing mass faster and for longer than glaciers elsewhere in the world. — AP

Last month’s election of a Republican majority in the US House of Representatives all but rules out for at least two years US legislation to cap carbon dioxide and other globalwarming gases emitted by industry, vehicles and agriculture. Such American action is deemed essential to winning a new global pact on emissions.

China and other poorer, growing nations, have rejected calls that they submit to Kyoto-style legally binding commitments — not to reduce emissions, but to cut back on emissions growth.

Their first obligation, these governments say, is to lift their people from poverty, and not potentially hobble their economies.

In a nonbinding Copenhagen Accord emerging from last December’s climate summit in the Danish capital, the US and other industrial nations announced targets for reducing emissions by 2020, and China and some other developing nations set goals, also voluntary, for cutting back on emissions growth. That accord was not accepted by all treaty parties.

Now many negotiators want to have the voluntary targets “anchored” more formally in a final Cancun document — but how, with what wording and form of commitment, will be subject to backroom haggling in the coming days. The glacier report, issued here by the UN Environment Program and glacier researchers, said that since the early 1980s, “the rate of ice loss has increased substantially in many regions, concurrent with an increase in global mean air temperatures.” — AP

BJP parliamentarian who backs Maharaj’s project. “Essential skills for quality life are good habits, discipline, nutrition and physical exercise in various formats,” he told AFP. The proposal could run into objections from Indian Muslims, the country’s largest religious minority, however, though Maharaj argues that yoga should not be seen as Hindu in origin.

The BJP, which governed India for five years until 2004, faced severe opposition after it tried to blend poems purportedly rooted in religious Hindu scriptures into school textbooks.

The draft law, however, stipulates that yoga would not be imposed on “minority institutions”-a euphemism for exclusive schools for Muslims. The project would lead to annual expense of one billion rupees ($220,000) and a one-time similar amount for its introduction, according to the bill, a copy of which is with AFP. Yoga is one of India’s most famous exports to the world and its popularity is being fanned by celebrity gurus and television shows. Millions practice the pos-

tures in classes or in private in the West, but often without the religious rituals that originated in India.

In its motherland, yoga is also seen as rising in popularity as clubs and associations sprout up across the country alongside private and state-funded provincial and national centres to train yoga teachers.

“Until recently the new generation ignored yoga as religious mumbo jumbo, but times are changing,” Indian Yoga Federation Secretary Niren Mazumdar told AFP. India’s top yoga guru Baba Ramdev draws Bollywood celebrities, politicians and sports stars-as well as tens of thousands of people mainly from the the affluent middle class-to workshops in various Indian cities. To protect its traditional knowledge from being stolen or copyrighted by overseas practitioners, the country has also begun videotaping up to 1,500 yoga postures as part of a national database.

It has also found innovative uses for yoga, including helping troops in insurgency-hit Kashmir to relax and reforming inmates in Delhi’s notorious Tihar Jail. —AFP

Tokyo business people sleep less than overseas peers TOKYO: New York may be known as the city that never sleeps, but Tokyo business people get less time in the sack than their New York peersand also those in Paris, Stockholm and Shanghai.

According to a survey of five cities, people in Tokyo on week days sleep just under 6 hours on average, according to a survey by Japanese food seasoning maker Ajinomoto Co. People in Shanghai sleep the longest, seven hours and 28 minutes. Those in New York slept six hours and 35 minutes, the second shortest after Tokyo. “I think people in Tokyo may just be too busy,” said an Ajinomoto spokeswoman.

Many Japanese businesspeople are forced into long days by hours of overtime followed by after-hours drinking sessions and then a long commute home, although the survey found that commutes in New York were about equally long.

Tokyo trains in both mornings and evenings are full of dozing commuters, heads bobbing. Some

even manage to nap standing up as they cling to overhead rails.

“In Shanghai, people simply seem to go to sleep earlier. Everyone in all the cities gets up around the same time in the mornings, between 6:30 and 7:00,” said the Ajinomoto spokeswoman. “In Tokyo, on top of the long days, people seem to do things after they get home as well, like playing computer games. They don’t sleep until after midnight.”

Not surprisingly, when asked what was most important in their lives, Japanese gave “sleep” the top ranking-the same as their Parisian peers, who nonetheless got nearly seven hours of sleep on weekdays. By contrast, both New Yorkers and Shanghai residents said “time with their family” came first.

The survey was conducted online between July and August, covering nearly 900 workers in their 30s to 50s. — Reuters

Japan team says stem cells made paralysed monkey jump again TOKYO: Japanese researchers said yesterday they had used stem cells to restore partial mobility in a small monkey that had been paralyzed from the neck down by a spinal injury.

“It is the world’s first case in which a small-size primate recovered from a spinal injury using stem cells,” professor Hideyuki Okano of Tokyo’s Keio University told AFP. Okano’s research team, which earlier helped a mouse recover its mobility in a similar treatment, injected so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells into a paralysed marmoset,

he said. The team planted four types of genes into human skin cells to create the iPS cells, according to Kyodo News. The injection was given on the ninth day after the injury, considered the most effective timing, and the monkey started to move its limbs again within two to three weeks, Okano said.

“After six weeks, the animal had recovered to the level where it was jumping around,” he told AFP. “It was very close to the normal level.” “Its gripping strength on the forefeet also recovered to up to 80 percent.” Okano called the

research project a major stride to pave the way for a similar medical technique to be used on humans. Scientists say the use of human embryonic stem cells as a treatment for cancer and other diseases holds great promise, but the process has drawn fire from religious conservatives and others who oppose it.

Embryonic stem cell research is controversial because human embryos are destroyed in order to obtain the cells capable of developing into almost every tissue of the body. — AFP

SpaceX to try capsule launch into orbit WASHINGTON: American company SpaceX is set to launch its Dragon capsule into orbit at 9:06 am (1406 GMT) today, NASA said, in a risky bid to send the first privately owned spacecraft into orbit and back.

The bullet-shaped space capsule, which could supply the International Space Station after NASA retires its space shuttle fleet next year, was ready for liftoff atop the Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“Both stages of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle are loaded with fuel and are being topped off. Weather looks good for 9:06 am EST (1406 GMT) liftoff,” NASA said in a tweet.

The operation hopes to showcase the capsule’s ability to launch and separate from the Falcon 9 rocket, orbit Earth, transmit signals and receive commands before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean several hours later. If the launch is successful, the next step is for a fly-by of the ISS as part of a five-day mission in which the Dragon will approach the orbiting station within six miles (10 kilometers). Later, an actual cargo and crew mission to the ISS is planned.

Both are scheduled to take place in 2011. —AFP

The US company SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is seen on launch pad 40 on Tuesday. — AFP

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12/8/10 4:05 PM

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT AUK videoconferences with Dartmouth College

30

Young women from Kuwait, US find common ground as Computer Science majors t was 9:15 am in Hanover and IOctober 4:15 pm in Kuwait City on 21 when two groups of young women - one at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) and one at Dartmouth, talked about the reasons they chose to major in Computer Science. Facilitated by the Dartmouth College-American University of Kuwait Project, the Institute for Security, Technology, and Society (ISTS) and the Women in Science Project, the conversation took place in real time using videoconferencing technology in the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL), and the Information Technology Department and the Library at American University of Kuwait (AUK).

The videoconference highlighted a growing list of activities that take place as part of Dartmouth’s relationship with AUK, now in its seventh year. One aspect of that relationship, the AUK Faculty Fellows Program, brings AUK scholars to Dartmouth to work with counterparts in Hanover.

AUK Assistant Professor of Computer Science Amir Zeid visited Dartmouth in summer 2010 to work with George Cybenko, the Dorothy and Walter Gramm Professor of Engineering. Struck by the relatively low proportion of women studying Computer Science at Dartmouth and elsewhere in the United States -in sharp contrast to AUK, where a high percentage of Computer Science majors are women-Zeid approached Denise Anthony, Associate Professor and Chair of

Sociology and Research Director at ISTS - with the idea of launching joint research on the issue, beginning with the October videoconference.

“I began my formal research on how cultural issues affect women’s enrollment in Computer Science academic programs in May 2010, using Kuwait as a case study,” said Zeid. “The videoconference was a great learning experience for all of us, and I hope it leads to a long term research collaboration with Dartmouth”. “All of us truly felt that we were sitting in one room,” added Rehab El Bahey, who moderated the conversation in Kuwait. “The flow of the discussion and the similarities in thoughts and experiences eliminated all time, place, and cultural barriers”. El Bahey is a coordina-

tor in AUK’s Arabian Heritage Project. She was assisted during the videoconference by Christina Chen ‘10, a Dartmouth student in Kuwait for the fall term as an intern at AUK. One Dartmouth participant, Shloka Kini ‘13, observed both similarities and cultural and educational differences between her undergraduate experience and that of the women who attend AUK. “It would be mutually beneficial to keep in contact [with this group],” she said, “not only to continue the conversation but to build bonds with other women for future collaboration.” She described the session as “an undeniable connection,” adding, “Perhaps in the future, we will all have changed the world with this conversation about girls in Computer Science.

“The lack of gender diversity among computer scientists, as in math, engineering and science more generally, is a significant concern in the United States, and here at Dartmouth,” said Denise Anthony. “Collaborations like this provide an incredible opportunity for women in Computer Science to learn from, and support, one another. We hope this will turn into an ongoing conversation.”

Videoconferencing between AUK and Dartmouth has become a continuing aspect of the institutional collaboration. Web technology allows participants on both sides of the world to erase the physical distance between them. Previous sessions have involved the institutions’ respective Writing Programs, a joint session of a Dartmouth Anthropology and an

AUK Comparative Literature class, and a student-to-student presentation at Dartmouth’s first Student Conference on Global Learning, sponsored by the Dickey Center for International Understanding.

The American University of Kuwait, established in 2003, is a liberal arts institution, based on the American model of higher education. Dartmouth has worked with AUK since its founding under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding that involves faculty, students, and staff in both locations. Dartmouth experts in engineering, information technology, library sciences, communications, governance, and other areas routinely visit Kuwait while students, faculty, and staff from Kuwait travel to the United States to work with their counterparts at Dartmouth. Since the relationship began, the two institutions have steadily deepened and expanded their partnership, creating a dynamic, evolving, and unique cross-cultural collaboration.

AUK students who participated in the videoconference: Rawan AlSughayer ‘11; Wadha Al-Dalama ‘12 Dalaa Al-Qhatani ‘12; Danah Buqrais ‘12; Aysha Al-Rowaished ‘09; Hajer Nothary ‘13; Sally Saleh ‘09; Zainah Alrujaib ‘10; and Modi A Al-Mohareb ‘10.

Dartmouth students who participated in the October 21 videoconference: Emma N Smithayer ‘12; Divya A. Gunasekaran ‘11; Shloka R. Kini ‘13; Kelsey M. Harris ‘11; Rebecca H Shapiro, GR (graduate student); and Grace F Dowd ‘11.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

India International School to host

2nd Yousuf Saleh Alyan Memorial Inter School Debate Competition India International School, TingheMangaf, is organizing an interestInter School Debate Competition in recognition of selfless service rendered in the field of media by the founder Editor of Kuwait Times newspaper in Kuwait, late Yousuf Saleh Alyan on Saturday, 11th December, 2010 at the auditorium of India International School, Mangaf, at 5.30 pm. Late Yousuf Saleh Alyan was the great architect of Kuwait Media. He put his heart and soul in starting the English newspaper in Kuwait before any modern development took place in this small country. Indeed, it was the great show of contemporary Arab society’s participation in the field of education. He was the most respectable and towering personali-

ty among Kuwaitis and expatriates.

He is a pioneer in the field of Kuwaiti media. It is a fitting tribute conducting Inter school Debate Competition in his memory. All the Indian Schools in Kuwait are enthusiastically participating in this competition. The topic of the debate is ‘ Television is the leading cause of violence in today’s youth’. Students are eagerly looking forward to participate and manifest their talent at this grand event amidst many great luminaries in the field of education and media. This day will be a great day for the spectators who love to witness the children debating on a hot topic amidst a large crowd.

Indeed this spectacular show will identify the young ones who will be torch bearers of tomorrow’s world.

Protection for judges recent forum in Salwa focused on the lack of existing legislaA tion to protect judges from prosecution and the need for the introduction of such laws. The event, hosted by judicial activist and state’s attorney at the Fatwa and Legislation Department Najla AlNaqqi at her diwaniya in Salwa, was

also attended by a number of prominent local lawyers, including Nasser Al-Duwaila, Al-Humaidi AlSubai’ei, Ali Al-Baghli and Mustafa Al-Sarraf. All the lawyers underlined the vital importance of working to introduce such legislation, which they asser ted would not inconvenience anyone.

(Left) Adnan Saad, Marketing Manager of Kuwait T imes is pictured with Gary Moran, General Manager of Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al-Bida’a. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

Christmas carol Movenpick Hotel kicks off the festive season Special Nicholson Syrian Girls’ School alumni meet special Christmas carol ser“Carols by meeting of the former students of Nicholson he lobby of the Movenpick Hotel crowd by singing a selection of guests of the Movenpick Hotel & Avice Syrian Girl’s High School, Thiruvalla will be A Resort Al-Bida’a, members of the Candlelight” has been organ& Resort Al-Bida’a became a beautiful Christmas carols.

Twinter held on December 14, 2010 at 6:00 pm at the Gary Moran, General Manager, press and business partners. Last ised by Ecumenical Christian wonderland on Monday night with the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. On December 6, 2010 the Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al-Bida’a held its Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

The hotel team gave the ceremony a special touch and warmed up the

was lighting not only the Christmas tree, beautifully decorated in traditional colors red, gold and green, but also the whole lobby, which was shimmering in warm lights all around. Within the group of guests were regular

but not least, the most important guests during this event were all the Children, anxiously awaiting the appearance of Santa Claus, who had a little gift for all. It was a successful evening and a fun time had by all.

Society, Kuwait (ECSs, Kuwait) today Dec 9, at 7 pm at Carmel school auditorium.

Special guest Bro. Jolly Abraham, renowned Gospel singer from India. Entry free.

All are welcome!

United Indian School auditorium in Jleeb AlShuyoukh. Susamma Mathew, Principal and Susan Varghese, teacher of the school are on a short visit to Kuwait and they will attend the meeting. All former students of the school in Kuwait are requested to be present. Contact number is 24311278/99397630.

GUST’s BBQ lunch he Gulf University for Science and Technology T(GUST) organized a small lunch BBQ for its faculty and staff. With two hours of a scenic BBQ, the staff and faculty took turns off their desks and classrooms to enjoy the weather and the company. “Let’s have it every day - it’s nice to see everyone,” said Dr Hiroaki Izumi, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Joining Dr Izumi were Dr Robert Cook, VicePresident for Academic Affairs, Dr Fahad Al-Zumai, Vice President for Administration and Finance Affairs, , Dr Lee Caldwell, Dean of the College of Business Administration, Dr Ali AlKandari, Acting Dean of Admissions and Registration, Dr Masoud Asad, Director of Public Affairs and Dr Salah AlSharhan Director of the ELearning Center at GUST who were all present at the BBQ, meeting and greeting various faculty and staff who had come to join the lunch gathering that took place around GUST’s central fountain.

Many staff and faculty from different departments all joined together whilst enjoying the break, the crisp weather and a deli-

EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait has taken up an initiative to update the database of Bangladesh nationals residing in the State of Kuwait. For inclusion in the database all the Bangladesh nationals are requested to collect the Registration Form from the Labour Wing of the Embassy. The forms can also be collected sending request to bdoot@kems.net e-mail address. The filled-in forms can also be submitted by hand, by email or by fax (number 2491-3204).

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will remain closed on Thursday, December 16, 2010 on the occasion of Victory Day 2010.

cious meal. The food and event were highly praised by all. “It was a great idea I finally see everyone in person as opposed to their pictures on the university website. When’s the next one?” asked Fahed Al-Rafidi,

Application Team Leader in IT. “It was a great way for people to come together and really take a break to get to know one another and interact,” said Rounwah Bseiso, International Program Coordinator at GUST.

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, AlMutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday. Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and

assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca.The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait.

Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.

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.

Embassy of India would like to inform that application forms for passport/visa services and labor contracts that are on its website, www.indembkwt.org, have been upgraded to include the facility for online data entry.

Affidavit forms on the embassy website have had this facility since May 6, 2009.

EMBASSY OF THE US The United States Department of State announces the increase in various visa fees to ensure sufficient resources to cover the increasing cost of

processing nonimmigrant visas (NIVs). US law requires the Department to recover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas through the collection of the application fees. The increased fees are to take effect June 4, 2010. Under the new rule, applicants for all visas that are not petitionbased, including B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange-visitor visas, will pay a fee of $140. Applicants for petition-based visas will pay an application fee of $150, as each of the below categories requires a review of extensive documentation and a more indepth interview of the applicant than other categories, such as tourists.

These categories include: H visa for temporary workers and trainees L visa for intra-company transferees O visa for aliens with extraordinary ability P visa for athletes, artists and entertainers Q visa for international cultural exchange visitors R visa for religious occupations The application fee for K visas for fiance(e)s of US citizens will be $350. The fee for E visas for treaty-traders and treaty-investors will be $390.

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The German Embassy wished to extend and update its information base on German business in Kuwait.

Therefore all Kuwaiti companies representing German companies are invited to register at the embassy. For more information on the registration, please visit www.kuwait.diplo.de.

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Thursday, December 9, 2010

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

31

The members of IWG are seen having a ball with other ambassadors’ spouses and representatives of international organizations. —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

IWG hosts Indian-themed event n celebration of the season and the upcoming New Year 2011, the International Women’s Group (IWG) in Kuwait is holding its annual seasonal dinner for its members. This year’s dinner includes an Indian-themed program organized by the IWG President for 2010-2011, the wife of the Indian Ambassador, Ira Malhotra showcasing India’s rich heritage. The program will feature a presentation of Indian music, a live performance by students of the Indian School, and a fashion show of traditional costumes from India’s difIferent regions. All IWG’s members will also be treated to individually hand-crafted Indian gifts as well as a chance to win valuable prizes offered by various local companies through the raffle at the end of the event. IWG is a local group whose members include wives of ambassadors and representatives of international organizations accredited to the State of Kuwait, members of the international diplomatic cord in Kuwait, as well as other expatriates and Kuwaiti nationals. The group’s aim is build friendships and bridges between the expat and local women’s communities, through networking and other monthly social events.

Dalya Alwosaimi and Eyman Kanafani

TV PROGRAMS

32

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Orbit / Showtime Listings

00:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 01:00 Good Morning America 03:00 Law And Order 04:00 The Invisible Man 05:00 Smallville 06:00 Good Morning America 08:00 Justified 09:00 Smallville 10:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 11:00 Desperate Housewives 12:00 Karen Sisco 13:00 Law And Order 14:00 Justified 15:00 Live Good Morning America 17:00 Desperate Housewives 18:00 The Ellen Degeneres Show 19:00 Law And Order 20:00 One Tree Hill 21:00 Survivor: Nicaragua 22:00 Sons Of Anarchy 23:00 The Pacific

00:50 After The Attack 01:45 Untamed And Uncut 02:40 World Wild Vet 03:35 Shark Family 04:30 Animal Cops Philadelphia 05:25 Search For The Knysna Elephants 06:20 Untamed And Uncut 07:10 Wildlife SOS 07:35 Rspca: Have You Got What It Takes?

08:00 Max’s Big Tracks 08:50 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 09:40 Cats Of Claw Hill 10:05 Cats Of Claw Hill 10:35 Xtremely Wild 11:00 World Wild Vet 11:55 Monkey Life 12:20 Rspca: Have You Got What It Takes?

12:50 Miami Animal Police 13:45 E-Vets: The Interns 14:10 Pet Rescue 14:40 Animal Cops South Africa 15:35 Wildlife SOS 16:00 Rspca: Have You Got What It Takes?

16:30 Cats 101 17:25 Breed All About It 18:20 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 19:15 World Wild Vet 20:10 Squid Invasion 21:10 Cats 101 22:05 Panda Adventures With Nigel Marven 23:00 Cell Dogs 23:55 Animal Cops South Africa

00:30 Love Soup 01:30 The Weakest Link 02:15 Casualty 03:05 Eastenders 03:35 Doctors 04:05 Only Fools And Horses 04:40 Me Too 05:00 Forget Me Not Farm 05:15 The Roly Mo Show 05:30 Fimbles 05:50 Teletubbies 06:15 Penelope K, By The Way 06:25 Me Too 06:45 Forget Me Not Farm 07:00 The Roly Mo Show 07:15 Fimbles 07:35 Teletubbies 08:00 Penelope K, By The Way 08:10 Me Too 08:30 Forget Me Not Farm 08:45 The Roly Mo Show 09:00 Fimbles 09:20 Penelope K, By The Way 09:30 Me Too 09:50 Forget Me Not Farm 10:05 The Roly Mo Show 10:20 Fimbles 10:40 Only Fools And Horses 11:40 The Weakest Link 12:25 Monarch Of The Glen 13:15 Doctors 13:45 Eastenders 14:15 Casualty 15:05 Only Fools And Horses 16:40 Monarch Of The Glen 17:30 The Weakest Link 18:15 Doctors 18:45 Eastenders 19:15 Casualty 20:10 Monarch Of The Glen 21:00 The Weakest Link 21:45 Doctors 22:15 Eastenders 22:45 Casualty 23:40 Michael Palin’s New Europe

00:30 Masterchef 00:55 What Not To Wear 01:45 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes 02:35 The Home Show 03:25 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 04:05 The Restaurant UK 05:00 Daily Cooks Challenge 05:30 Daily Cooks Challenge 06:00 What Not To Wear 06:50 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 07:35 Hidden Potential 08:10 Cash In The Attic USA 08:30 Antiques Roadshow 09:20 What Not To Wear 10:10 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 10:55 Antiques Roadshow 11:50 Cash In The Attic USA 12:05 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes 13:00 The Home Show 13:45 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 14:30 The Restaurant UK 15:20 What Not To Wear 16:10 The Home Show 17:00 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes 17:50 Bargain Hunt 18:30 Masterchef 18:55 Cash In The Attic USA 19:15 Daily Cooks Challenge 19:45 The Restaurant UK 20:40 Masterchef 21:30 Ching’s Kitchen 21:55 The Home Show 22:45 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 23:35 The Restaurant UK

00:40 Overhaulin’ 01:35 Dirty Jobs 02:30 Time Warp 03:25 Extreme Engineering 04:20 Mythbusters 05:15 How Do They Do It? 05:40 How Do They Do It? 06:05 Dirty Jobs 07:00 Fifth Gear 07:25 Extreme Engineering 08:15 American Chopper 09:10 Mythbusters 10:05 Ultimate Survival 10:55 Overhaulin’ 11:50 The Gadget Show 12:20 How Do They Do It? 12:45 How Do They Do It? 13:15 Mythbusters 14:10 Miami Ink 15:05 Ultimate Survival 16:00 Dirty Jobs 16:55 Overhaulin’ 17:50 Mythbusters 18:45 Cake Boss 19:10 Border Security 19:40 The Gadget Show 20:05 How Do They Do It? 20:35 How Do They Do It? 21:00 Massive Machines 21:30 Massive Speed 21:55 Manhunt: Search For A Killer 22:50 Cook County Jail 23:45 True CSI

00:40 Space Pioneer 01:30 The Gadget Show 01:55 Mega World 02:45 How Stuff’s Made 03:10 How Stuff’s Made 03:35 What’s That About?

04:25 How Stuff’s Made 04:50 Scrappy Races 05:45 Robotica 06:40 Weird Connections 07:10 Engineered 08:00 Junkyard Mega-Wars 09:00 Space Pioneer 10:00 The Future Of...

10:55 Stunt Junkies 11:20 The Gadget Show 11:50 What’s That About?

12:45 How Stuff’s Made 13:15 Scrappy Races 14:10 Weird Connections 14:35 The Future Of...

15:30 Human Body: Ultimate Machine 16:25 The Gadget Show 16:55 Space Pioneer 17:50 Mega World 18:45 Brainiac 19:40 Weird Or What?

20:30 Science Of The Movies 21:20 How It’s Made 21:45 The Gadget Show 22:10 How The Universe Works 23:00 Weird Or What?

23:50 Science Of The Movies

00:00 Kim Possible 00:25 Fairly Odd Parents 01:15 Stitch 02:00 Replacements 02:50 Fairly Odd Parents 03:35 Stitch 04:25 Replacements 05:15 Emperors New School 06:00 Phineas And Ferb 06:45 Fairly Odd Parents 07:05 Sonny With A Chance 07:30 Kim Possible 07:50 Wizards Of Waverly Place 08:15 Stitch 08:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:00 Handy Manny 09:25 Special Agent Oso 09:50 Jungle Junction 10:10 Imagination Movers 10:35 Special Agent Oso 10:50 Handy Manny 11:15 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 11:35 A Kind Of Magic 12:00 Jonas 12:25 Fairly Odd Parents 12:45 Phineas And Ferb 13:10 Hannah Montana 13:30 Sonny With A Chance 13:55 Hannah Montana 14:20 Jake And Blake 14:50 A Kind Of Magic 15:15 Fairly Odd Parents 15:40 Kim Possible 16:00 Hannah Montana 16:25 Sonny With A Chance 16:45 Jonas 17:10 Jake And Blake 17:40 Wizards Of Waverly Place 18:25 Hannah Montana 19:10 Jonas 19:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place 20:00 Sonny With A Chance 20:25 Jake And Blake 20:50 Hannah Montana 21:15 Phineas And Ferb 21:35 Fairly Odd Parents 22:00 Replacements 22:25 Hannah Montana 22:50 Sonny With A Chance

00:15 Pretty Wild 00:40 Dr 90210 01:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 01:55 Reality Hell 02:20 Ths 03:15 Extreme Hollywood 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 05:30 Streets Of Hollywood 06:00 Ths 07:45 Behind The Scenes 08:35 E! News 09:25 Giuliana And Bill 09:50 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 10:15 E!es 12:00 E! News 12:50 Fashion Police 13:15 Pretty Wild 13:40 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:05 Kendra 14:30 Ths 15:25 Ths 16:15 Behind The Scenes 17:10 The Spin Crowd 18:00 E! News 18:50 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 19:40 E!es 20:30 Kendra 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:20 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:45 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 22:10 E! News 23:00 Chelsea Lately 23:25 Kendra 23:50 Kourtney And Khloe Take Miami

00:00 Mantracker Series 1 00:50 Winter X Games 14 01:40 Eds Up 02:30 Alpine Adventurer 03:20 Mantracker Series 1 04:10 Fantasy Factory 05:00 Drop In TV 05:50 Eds Up 06:40 Alpine Adventurer 07:30 I-Ex 09:00 Drop In TV 09:25 United By Fate 10:40 Rebel Events 2009: Rock The Goldcoast 11:05 Rebel Events 2009: Extreme Playgrounds-Dirt Session 11:30 Rebel Tv 17 11:55 Summer Dew Tour 2010 12:45 Fantasy Factory 13:10 Fantasy Factory

The Informers on Show Movies

13:35 Mantracker Series 1 14:25 Eds Up 15:15 Alpine Adventurer 16:05 Summer Dew Tour 2010 16:55 Fantasy Factory 17:45 Drop In TV 18:10 United By Fate 19:25 Rebel Events 2009: Rock The Goldcoast 19:50 Rebel Events 2009: Extreme Playgrounds-Dirt Session 20:15 Rebel Tv 17 20:40 Mantracker Series 1 21:05 Mantracker Series 1

01:00 Dad Savage-PG15 02:45 Death Becomes Her-PG15 04:30 Sophie’s Choice-18 07:00 Escape To Victory-PG15 09:00 Meet Dave-PG 11:00 Georgia O’Keeffe-PG15 13:00 Living Proof-PG 15:00 The Old Curiousity Shop-PG 17:00 Martian Child-PG 19:00 Burn After Reading-PG15 20:45 The Fisher King-18 23:00 Wild At Heart-18

00:40 Couples Who Kill 01:30 Serial Killers 02:20 True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 03:10 On The Case With Paula Zahn 04:05 Couples Who Kill 05:00 Serial Killers 05:55 Crime Scene Psychics 06:20 Ghost Lab 07:10 Real Emergency Calls 08:00 Mystery ER 08:50 Real Emergency Calls 09:40 Forensic Detectives 10:30 On The Run 11:20 Murder Shift 12:10 FBI Files 13:00 Ghost Lab 13:50 Disappeared 14:40 Mystery ER 16:20 Murder Shift 17:10 Forensic Detectives 18:00 On The Run 18:50 FBI Files 19:40 Mystery ER 20:30 Real Emergency Calls 20:55 Real Emergency Calls 21:20 Ghost Lab 22:10 Disappeared 23:00 Serial Killers 23:50 FBI Case Files

00:00 Modern Family 00:30 The Simpsons 01:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 03:00 State Of The Union 03:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 04:00 The Cleveland Show 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 8 Simple Rules ...

06:00 Hope And Faith 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 The Simpsons 08:30 8 Simple Rules ...

09:00 Hope And Faith 09:30 The Drew Carey Show 10:00 Will And Grace 10:30 Modern Family 11:00 8 Simple Rules ...

11:30 Hope And Faith 12:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 13:00 The Simpsons 13:30 8 Simple Rules ...

14:00 Hope And Faith 14:30 Modern Family 15:00 Modern Family 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 Will And Grace 19:00 30 Rock 19:30 Til Death 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Hung 22:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 23:00 The Cleveland Show

00:00 The Garfield Show 00:25 The Scooby Doo Show 00:50 Wacky Races 01:15 Dastardly And Muttley 01:40 Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch 02:05 Popeye 02:30 The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop 02:55 Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo 03:20 Looney Tunes 03:45 The Flintstones 04:10 The Jetsons 04:35 Top Cat 05:00 Tom And Jerry 05:25 Popeye Classics 05:50 Scooby Doo Where Are You! 06:15 Tom And Jerry Kids 06:40 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 07:05 Yogi’s Treasure Hunt 07:30 Droopy And Dripple 08:00 Tom And Jerry 08:25 Looney Tunes 08:55 The Flintstones 09:20 The Jetsons 09:45 Tom And Jerry Kids 10:10 The Garfield Show 10:35 Duck Dodgers 11:00 The Scooby Doo Show 11:30 Wacky Races 12:00 Dastardly And Muttley 12:25 King Arthur’s Disasters 12:50 Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch 13:15 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 13:40 Popeye 14:00 Looneynoons 17:00 Tom And Jerry 17:20 Top Cat 17:45 Wacky Races 18:00 Dastardly And Muttley 18:30 The Scooby Doo Show 19:00 Johnny Bravo 19:30 Dexter’s Laboratory 20:00 Looney Tunes 20:20 Duck Dodgers 20:45 The Garfield Show 21:10 The Flintstones 21:35 The Jetsons 22:00 Yogi’s Treasure Hunt 22:25 Tom And Jerry

00:00 New Adventures Of Ocean Girl 00:25 Sabrina The Animated Series 00:50 Sonic Underground 01:15 Fat Dog Mendoza 01:40 Tales From The Cryptkeeper 02:00 Fat Dog Mendoza Marathon 07:00 Dennis The Menace 07:25 Beverly Hills Teen Club 07:45 Pelswick 08:00 Programmes Start At 8:00pm KSA 13:00 Programmes Start At 8:00pm KSA 20:00 Sonic Underground

20:20 Dino Squad 20:45 The Future Is Wild 21:10 Rescue Heroes 21:30 Ace Lightning 22:00 Even Stevens 22:25 Sabrina The Animated Series 22:50 Tales From The Cryptkeeper 23:10 Rescue Heroes 23:35 Ace Lightning

00:00 NFL Replay Teams TBA 01:00 Golf Channel - TBA 02:00 Golf Central International 02:30 Golf Channel - TBA 03:00 Big Ten Men’s Basketball IUPUI at Ohio State 04:00 Sport Express 04:30 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Milwaukee at Wisconsin 06:30 ATP Champions Tour Bogota & Barcelona 07:00 Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Gonzaga at Washington St. 09:00 College Football Saturday Preview 09:30 World Team Tennis New York Buzz v Washington Kastles 11:30 FEI Equestrian World 12:00 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Milwaukee at Wisconsin 14:00 Golf Central International 14:30 Sport Express 15:00 College Football Saturday Preview 15:30 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Army v Penn State 17:30 European Tour Alfred Dunhill Championship Rd. 1 Mpumalanga, South Africa 20:30 Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Gonzaga at Washington St. 22:30 Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour 23:30 College Football Saturday Preview

00:15 Out Of Jimmy’s Head 00:40 Chowder 01:05 Cow And Chicken 01:30 Cramp Twins 01:55 George Of The Jungle 02:20 Adrenalini Brothers 02:45 Eliot Kid 03:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 03:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 04:00 The Powerpuff Girls 04:15 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 04:40 The Secret Saturdays 05:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 05:30 Ben 10 05:55 Best Ed 06:20 Samurai Jack 06:45 Cramp Twins 07:10 Eliot Kid 07:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 08:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 08:25 Chowder 08:50 Best Ed 09:15 Chop Socky Chooks 09:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 10:05 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 10:30 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 10:55 Eliot Kid 11:20 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 11:30 Squirrel Boy 11:55 Robotboy 12:20 Camp Lazlo 12:45 The Powerpuff Girls 13:10 Class Of 3000 13:35 Ed, Edd N Eddy 14:00 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 14:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 14:50 Ben 10 15:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 15:40 Squirrel Boy 16:05 Eliot Kid 16:35 Casper’s Scare School 17:00 Skunk Fu! 17:25 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 17:50 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 18:15 The Secret Saturdays 18:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:05 Hero 108 19:30 Total Drama World Tour 20:00 Best Ed 20:25 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 20:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 21:05 The Powerpuff Girls 21:30 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 21:45 Ben 10: Alien Force 22:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 22:35 Robotboy 23:00 Camp Lazlo 23:25 Samurai Jack 23:50 Megas Xlr

00:00 The Informers-18 02:00 In The Electric Mist-PG15 04:00 Far North-PG 06:00 One Week-PG 08:00 Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs-PG 10:00 Beneath The Blue-PG15 11:45 He’s Just Not That Into You-PG15 14:00 Cairo Time-PG15 16:00 Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs-PG 17:45 Defiance-PG15 20:00 I Love You, Man-18 22:00 The Final Destination-18

01:00 The Faculty-18 03:00 The Taking Of Pelham 123-18 05:00 Penny Dreadful-18 07:00 The Betrayed-PG15 09:00 The X Files-PG15 11:00 Blue Crush-PG15 13:00 Kiss The Girls-18 15:00 The X Files-PG15 17:00 Die Hard-PG15 19:10 Bad Boys II-PG15 21:40 The Cottage-18 23:10 Bitch Slap-18

00:00 Santa Baby 2-PG15 02:00 Without A Paddle: Nature’s CallingPG15 04:00 Baby Mama-PG 06:00 Ed-FAM 08:00 Paper Heart-PG15 10:00 Black Sheep-PG15 12:00 Son Of Rambow-PG 14:00 Everything’s Gone Green-PG15 16:00 Santa Baby 2-PG15 18:00 All Night Long-PG15 20:00 Van Wilder: Party Liaison-18 22:00 Semi-Pro-PG15

00:00 Scruff In Halloween-FAM 02:00 Blank Check-FAM 04:00 Welcome Back Pinocchio-FAM 06:00 The Thief Of Baghdad-PG 08:00 Moomin And Midsummer MadnessFAM

April Showers on Super Movies 10:00 Welcome Back Pinocchio-FAM 12:00 Hua Mulan-PG 14:00 Blank Check-FAM 16:00 Gladiators: The Tournament-PG 18:00 Zorro’s Secrets-PG 20:00 Wonder Woman-PG 22:00 Hua Mulan-PG

00:00 Grey’s Anatomy 01:00 Private Practice 02:00 The Martha Stewart Show 03:00 The Deep End 04:00 The View 05:00 Look-A-Like 05:30 Look-A-Like 06:00 Emmerdale 06:30 Coronation Street 07:00 The Deep End 08:00 The Martha Stewart Show 09:00 Look-A-Like 09:30 Look-A-Like 10:00 The Deep End 11:00 The View 12:00 Emmerdale 12:30 Coronation Street 13:00 The Martha Stewart Show 14:00 Grey’s Anatomy 15:00 Private Practice 16:00 Look-A-Like 16:30 Look-A-Like 17:00 The View 18:00 Emmerdale 18:30 Eat Yourself Sexy 19:00 Bones 20:00 Drop Dead Diva 21:00 The Deep End 22:00 The View 23:00 Look-A-Like 23:30 Look-A-Like

00:00 European Tour Weekly 00:30 Rugby Union Autumn Internationals 02:30 Spirit of a Equestrian 03:00 Spirit of Yachting 03:30 Premier League Snooker 07:00 Dubai Ladies Masters 10:00 World Pool Masters 11:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 11:30 Spirit of Yachting 12:00 European Tour Weekly 12:30 LIVE Dubai Ladies Masters 2010 15:30 Live UK Championship Snooker 21:30 European Tour Weekly 22:00 Live UK Championship Snooker

02:00 Futbol Mundial 02:30 Dubai Ladies Masters 05:30 The Ryder Cup Official Film 07:00 UK Championship Snooker 11:00 European Tour Weekly 11:30 Brazil League Highlights 12:00 Futbol Mundial 12:30 Spirit of Equestrian 13:00 Spirit of Yatching 13:30 ICC Cricket World 14:00 European Tour Weekly 14:30 Live European PGA Tour 18:30 Spirit of Equestrian 19:00 Spirit of Yachting 19:30 Brazil League Highlights 20:00 Futbol Mundial 20:30 World Sport 21:00 Total Rugby 21:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 22:00 Live Mosconi Cup Pool

00:00 UAE National Race Day 01:00 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 02:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter Finale 05:00 V8 Supercars Championship 06:00 V8 Supercars Championship 07:00 WWE Smackdown 09:00 WWE Bottom Line 10:00 UAE National Race Day 11:00 Full Throttle 11:30 FIM World Cup 12:00 WWE Vintage Collection 13:00 WWE Bottom Line 14:00 V8 Supercars Championship 15:00 V8 Supercars Championship 16:00 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 17:00 UAE National Race Day 18:00 Full Throttle 18:30 FIA GT1 World Championship

01:00 World’s Greatest Dad-18 03:00 April Showers-PG15 05:00 Ye Olde Times-PG 07:00 Whip It-PG15 09:00 Living Out Loud-PG15 11:00 Whip It-PG15 13:00 Mes Stars Et Moi-PG15 15:00 Race To Witch Mountain-PG15 17:00 Living Out Loud-PG15 19:00 Fired Up!-18 21:00 The Last Station-PG15 23:00 Valhalla Rising-18

01:00 Bite The Bullet 03:10 Somebody Up There Likes Me 05:00 The Screening Room 05:25 Vampira 06:55 The Screening Room 07:25 The Screening Room 08:00 The Last Time I Saw Paris 09:55 The Asphalt Jungle 11:45 The Glass Bottom Boat 13:35 The Dresser 15:30 Bite The Bullet 17:40 Somebody Up There Likes Me 19:30 The Big Sleep 21:25 On The Town 23:00 Get Carter

00:40 Deep Wreck Mysteries 01:30 Deep Sea Detectives 02:20 Extreme Trains 03:10 Conspiracy?

04:00 Scots at War 04:55 Battle of Britain 05:50 Battle Stations 06:40 Deep Wreck Mysteries 07:30 Deep Sea Detectives 08:20 Extreme Trains 09:10 Conspiracy?

10:00 Scots at War 10:55 Battle of Britain 11:50 Battle Stations 12:40 Deep Wreck Mysteries 13:30 Deep Sea Detectives 14:20 Extreme Trains 15:10 Conspiracy?

16:00 Scots at War 16:55 Battle of Britain 17:50 Battle Stations 18:40 Deep Wreck Mysteries 19:30 Deep Sea Detectives 20:20 Extreme Trains 21:10 Conspiracy?

22:00 MysteryQuest 22:55 Warriors 23:50 Battles B.C.

00:00 VH1 Rocks 00:30 Smells Like The 90s 01:00 Music For The Masses 02:00 Greatest Hits 03:00 VH1 Music 06:00 Chill Out 08:00 VH1 Hits 10:00 Aerobic 11:00 VH1 Hits 12:00 Music For The Masses 13:00 Top 10 14:00 Music For The Masses 15:00 VH1 Pop Chart 16:00 VH1 Hits 18:00 Music For The Masses 19:00 VH1 Superchart 20:00 Guess The Year 21:00 Music For The Masses 22:00 Cover Power 23:00 VH1 Pop Chart

00:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson 01:00 Backstory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 World Report 04:00 World Business Today 05:00 The Situation Room 06:00 Anderson Cooper 360 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Talk Asia

08:00 World Report 08:30 Backstory 09:00 World Report 10:00 World Report 11:00 World Business Today 12:00 World Report 12:30 Cnngo 12:45 Future Cities 13:00 Larry King Live 14:00 World Report 14:30 World Sport 15:00 World Report 15:30 Open Court 16:00 World Report 17:00 World Business Today 18:00 International Desk 19:00 The Brief 19:30 World Sport 20:00 Prism 20:30 Open Court 21:00 International Desk 22:00 Quest Means Business 23:00 World One

07:25 Kick Buttowski 07:50 Pokemon 08:15 Phineas & Ferb 09:05 Kick Buttowski 09:30 American Dragon 09:55 Have A Laugh 10:00 Zeke & Luther 10:50 I’m In The Band 11:15 The Super Hero Squad Show 11:40 Suite Life On Deck 12:30 Aaron Stone 13:00 Phineas & Ferb 14:00 Kid Vs Kat 14:20 Cars Toons 14:30 Kid Vs Kat 14:55 Have A Laugh 15:00 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 15:50 Zeke And Luther 16:15 The Super Hero Squad Show 16:45 Kick Buttowski 17:10 Have A Laugh 17:15 I’m In The Band 17:40 Suite Life On Deck 18:55 Suite Life On Deck - Lost At Sea 19:40 Cars Toons 19:45 Kick Buttowski 20:10 Pokemon 20:35 American Dragon 21:00 Aaron Stone 21:30 Kid Vs Kat 21:55 Cars Toons 22:00 Phineas & Ferb 22:25 I’m In The Band

00:00 Good Eats 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:00 Iron Chef America 02:00 30 Minute Meals 02:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 03:00 Unwrapped 04:00 Barefoot Contessa 04:30 Unwrapped 05:00 Iron Chef America 06:00 Good Eats 06:30 Guys Big Bite 07:00 Chopped 08:00 Paula’s Best Dishes 08:25 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 08:50 Guys Big Bite 09:15 Barefoot Contessa 09:40 Everyday Italian 10:05 30 Minute Meals 10:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 11:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 11:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 12:00 Tyler’s Ultimate 12:30 Paula’s Party 13:30 Guys Big Bite 14:00 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 14:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 15:00 Barefoot Contessa 15:30 Everyday Italian 16:00 30 Minute Meals 16:30 Good Eats 17:00 Iron Chef America 18:00 Barefoot Contessa 18:30 Unwrapped 19:00 Paula’s Best Dishes 19:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 20:00 Tyler’s Ultimate 20:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 21:00 Unwrapped 22:00 Barefoot Contessa 22:30 Everyday Italian 23:00 Iron Chef America

Thursday, December 9, 2010

33

ACCOMMODATION Accommodation available for a small family / ladies / decent bachelors in a two bedroom, 2 bathroom flat in Abbassiya between Paradise Hotel and Queen’s Beauty Parlor from Dec 24.

Please contact: 90034820 / 66558927. (C 2973) Single room available in a C-A/C flat in Maliya, Kuwait City behind U.T.C for single executive Indian bachelor or spinster. Rent KD 80.

Call: 65900575. (C 2974) 9-12-2010 Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya for one or two working ladies or married couple with Keralite family. Contact: 66013882.

(C 2970)

97669236 or 24315927 after 5 pm. (C 2987) Want sharing accommodation, for an executive, single room with separate toilet, preferably with a Christian family anywhere around Salmiya.

Contact: 66764062. (C 2966) Sharing accommodation available for family (Indian) or bachelors, Amman Street, Opp. Al-Rashid Hospital, Salmiya. Contact: 65515717. (C 2968) C-A/c room available with small Indian Goan Hindu family, Amman Street, Salmiya. Please call: 99408202. (C 2969) 7-12-2010

Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya for a small family / executive bachelor / ladies with a Keralite family. Tel: 24315135.

(C 2971) 8-12-2010

Sharing accommodation available in Farwaniya for couples / visiting families / one decent executive bachelor (Keralite / South Indian only) to share with a small Keralite family in a two bedroom C-A/C flat, easy access to bus stops, Jamiya. Contact: 97508939.

(C 2962)

Accommodation available for a small family / couple, or one or two decent nonsmoking / non-drinking bachelors in a two bed room flat in Abbassiya near Holy Sweets from 1 Jan 2011. Please contact:

Sharing room accommodation available for a decent and non-smoking Keralite bachelor from December onwards near High Way Center Supermarket in Abbassiya, rent KD 40.

Contact: 66130689,

55420571. (C 2964) Sharing accommodation available in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom CAC flat for South Indian family or bachelor in New Riggae from Jan 1.

Contact: 99515956.

5-12-2010 Fully furnished new flat at Amman Street, Round about in Salmiya with 2 bedrooms, servant room, balcony and covered private parking ready, all the furniture of the house on sale, with or without flat. Please call Kumar: 97852962.

(C 2896) Accommodation available for a small family/couple, or one or two decent nonsmoking/non-drinking bachelors in a two bedroom flat at Abbassiya near Paradise Restaurant/Holy-Sweets from 1 Jan 2011. Please contact: 97669236 or 24315927 after 5 pm.

(C 2957) 4-12-2010 Room for rent, in Farwaniya block 1 near new Gulf Mart, only family.

Mobile: 66988845. (C 2951) Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya for one or two working ladies or married couple with Keralite family. Contact: 66013882.

(C 2956)

FOR SALE Toyota Corolla, model 2010, color silver, good condition, price KD 3850 only.

Tel: 66974049. (C 2965) Wansa TV 40” with stand + seven seater sofa set + dressing table for immediate sale. Sparingly used. Contact: 66764062. (C 2967) 7-12-2010 Toyota Corolla Box 2002 model 1.3 white excellent condition. Good for family or contracting company. Contact: 66233022. (C 2961) Toyota Corolla, model 2006, colour white, km done 67000, excellent condition, cash price KD 2400. Contact: 99934965. (C 2960) Toyota Corolla, model

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

2008, white color, engine 1.8, well maintained, 72,000km, price KD 3400.

Contact: 55160100.

(C 2959)

No: 14933

MATRIMONIAL Proposals are invited from parents of professionally qualified Keralite Sunni Muslim girls for 28 years, BSC MLT, working in Ministry of Defence as LabTechnician. E-mail: kannurmarg@gmail.com (C 2963) 5-12-2010

CHANGE OF NAME I Lilian Ugboaku Ozurumba of Nigerian passport number A4069762, hereby change my name to Lilian Ugboaku Carson.

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines KLM WAN JZR WAN GFA ETH THY UAE DHX QTR FDB ETD JZR KAC JZR FCX BAW KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY IRA ETD GFA WAN WAN KAC JZR JZR MEA KNE KAC MSR JZR KAC FDB MSR SYR UAL SVA KAC KNE JZR KAC QTR JZR KAC RBG MLR

Arrival Flights on Thursday 09/12/2010 Flt Route 447 AMSTERDAM / BAHRAIN 306 CAIRO 267 BEIRUT 646 VIENNA / BEIRUT 211 BAHRAIN 620 ADDIS ABABA 772 ISTANBUL 853 DUBAI 370 BAHRAIN 138 DOHA 67 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 503 LUXOR 544 CAIRO 555 ALEXANDRIA 201 DOHA 157 LONDON 412 MANILA / BANGKOK 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 676 DUBAI 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 132 DOHA 123 SHARJAH 605 ISFAHAN 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 182 BAHRAIN 102 DUBAI 204 LAHORE 121 BAHRAIN 165 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 701 RIYADH 772 RIYADH 610 CAIRO 561 SOHAG 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 621 ASSIUT 341 DAMASCUS 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 500 JEDDAH 552 DAMASCUS 745 JEDDAH 357 MASHAD 284 DHAKA 134 DOHA 257 BEIRUT 546 ALEXANDRIA 3555 ALEXANDRIA 403 COLOMBO / DUBAI

Time 0:10 0:40 0:45 1:35 1:40 1:45 2:15 2:35 2:45 2:45 3:05 3:10 4:00 4:40 6:00 6:15 6:40 6:45 7:45 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:30 9:05 9:05 9:15 9:30 9:35 10:50 11:05 11:05 11:10 11:20 11:55 12:20 12:40 12:55 13:00 13:25 13:50 13:55 14:00 14:10 14:30 14:40 14:50 14:55 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:30 16:35 16:40

ETD UAE KAC GFA WAN SVA RJA JZR KAC JZR ABY WAN VOS JZR WAN WAN KAC WAN KAC KAC KAC KAC WAN KAC KAC ALK IRA WAN SIA VOS FDB OMA JAI DHX GFA MEA JZR QTR UAE KLM KAC JZR KAC IAC MSR MSR JZR JZR UAL WAN AXB DLH WAN RJA WAN PIA

303 857 118 215 402 510 800 777 562 239 127 322 97 177 304 204 542 106 618 786 614 674 202 104 774 227 617 642 458 93 61 647 572 372 217 402 201 136 859 445 178 513 502 981 606 612 185 135 981 186 389 636 422 802 108 205

ABU DHABI DUBAI NEW YORK BAHRAIN BEIRUT RIYADH AMMAN JEDDAH AMMAN AMMAN SHARJAH SHARM EL SHEIKH KANDAHAR / DUBAI DUBAI CAIRO JEDDAH CAIRO DUBAI DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN DUBAI JEDDAH LONDON RIYADH COLOMBO / DUBAI AHWAZ VIENNA SINGAPORE / ABU DHABI KANDAHAR / DUBAI DUBAI MUSCAT MUMBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN BEIRUT DAMASCUS DOHA DUBAI AMSTERDAM GENEVA / FRANKFURT SHARM EL SHEIKH BEIRUT CHENNAI / AHMEDABAD LUXOR CAIRO DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE / MANGALORE FRANKFURT AMMAN AMMAN DUBAI LAHORE

16:50 16:55 16:55 17:05 17:10 17:20 17:30 17:30 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:50 18:00 18:15 18:25 18:25 18:50 18:55 18:55 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:35 19:40 19:40 19:45 19:50 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:15 21:00 21:15 21:20 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:40 21:45 21:55 22:00 22:05 22:05 22:45 22:45 22:55 23:00 23:10 23:30 23:35 23:45 23:50 23:55 23:55

Airlines AXB UAL IAC PIA KLM DLH KAC ETH KAC KAC THY DHX FDB UAE ETD QTR VOS JZR JZR GFA JZR FDB KAC JZR BAW JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY IRA QTR ETD GFA KAC WAN KAC JZR JZR WAN KAC MEA KNE KAC JZR MSR WAN WAN FDB MSR

Departure Flights on Thursday 09/12/2010 Flt Route Time 394 981 576 216 447 637 203 620 283 283 773 371 68 854 306 139 98 560 164 212 120 54 545 356 156 256 671 551 771 101 856 124 606 133 302 214 165 303 541 776 238 321 561 405 704 785 176 611 201 105 58 622

COCHIN / KOZHIKODE WASHINGTON DC DULLES GOA / CHENNAI KARACHI AMSTERDAM FRANKFURT LAHORE BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA DHAKA DHAKA ISTANBUL BAHRAIN DUBAI DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI / KANDAHAR SOHAG DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MASHAD LONDON BEIRUT DUBAI DAMASCUS RIYADH LONDON / NEW YORK DUBAI SHARJAH MASHAD DOHA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN ROME / PARIS CAIRO CAIRO JEDDAH AMMAN SHARM EL SHEIKH AMMAN BEIRUT MEDINAH JEDDAH DUBAI CAIRO JEDDAH DUBAI DUBAI ASSIUT

0:40 0:45 0:50 1:10 1:25 1:30 2:20 2:30 2:40 2:40 3:15 3:45 3:45 3:50 4:00 4:55 5:30 5:55 6:55 7:15 8:20 8:25 8:50 8:50 8:55 9:00 9:00 9:10 9:20 9:35 9:40 9:45 10:15 10:15 10:20 10:20 11:45 11:50 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:10 12:25 12:55 13:10 13:40 13:50 13:55 14:00 14:35 14:35 14:50

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

SYR KAC UAL KAC KNE JZR SVA JZR KAC KAC KAC QTR WAN RBG MLR ETD VOS WAN GFA UAE RJA JZR ABY SVA JZR KAC JZR KAC ALK IRA FDB KAC OMA JAI SIA KAC DHX KAC GFA MEA JZR FCX QTR KLM KAC UAE KAC JZR MSR JZR JZR KAC MSR KAC

342 673 982 617 746 512 505 200 501 613 773 135 611 3556 404 304 82 305 216 858 801 184 128 511 266 285 134 361 228 616 62 351 648 571 457 543 373 677 218 403 206 102 137 445 301 860 205 502 607 222 554 415 613 411

DAMASCUS DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA JEDDAH SHARM EL SHEIKH JEDDAH DAMASCUS BEIRUT BAHRAIN RIYADH DOHA ISTANBUL ALEXANDRIA DUBAI / COLOMBO ABU DHABI BAGHDAD CAIRO BAHRAIN DUBAI AMMAN DUBAI SHARJAH RIYADH BEIRUT CHITTAGONG BAHRAIN COLOMBO DUBAI / COLOMBO AHWAZ DUBAI COCHIN MUSCAT MUMBAI ABU DHABI / SINGAPORE CAIRO BAHRAIN DUBAI / MUSCAT BAHRAIN BEIRUT DAMASCUS BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN / AMSTERDAM MUMBAI DUBAI ISLAMABAD LUXOR LUXOR ALEPPO ALEXANDRIA KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA CAIRO BANGKOK / MANILA

15:00 15:10 15:25 15:35 15:40 15:40 16:00 16:00 16:15 16:20 16:25 16:30 16:45 17:15 17:40 17:40 18:00 18:05 18:05 18:10 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:35 18:40 19:15 20:05 20:20 20:40 20:45 20:50 20:55 21:10 21:15 21:25 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:20 22:20 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:35 23:45 23:45 23:45 23:55

SPECTRUM

34

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Calvin

CROSSWORD 163

Aries (March 21-April 19) All lines of communication should be open to you. You may feel particularly in touch and connected with others.

Scientific research has your attention and you enjoy checking it out when you can. Most of your day is spent in getting ahead in the work place, but the most fun you have is in doing this research. Itís a time when you can probably expect extra support from others who are just as fascinated with your discoveries as you are. You enjoy being called to perform or express your talent. Your charm and beauty are appreciated this evening. Perhaps you will be enjoying a special date with a loved one. An anniversary or some other celebration can be enjoyed at this time. You are a good listener, even though at times it may take great effort.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) If you are attending class, a

lecture or just really needing to listen to a presentation, remember that it might be wise to carry a small tape recorder for your use. You can always take notes later and really be able to have all the facts readily available.

There may be some circumstances, in general, in which you find yourself meditating. Not paying attention can get you out of a conversation. An environmental happening has your attention this afternoon and you want to contact your mate or friend that has a similar interest as you. This is a good time to enjoy your association and ties to friends and family and even the people gathered around to enjoy the same hobby as you. Knowing a little about many things can come in very handy in many situations.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS 1. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

4. A port city in southwestern Iran.

10. The federal agency that insures residential mortgages.

13. Any of various trees of the genus Ulmus.

14. A member of an agricultural people in southeastern India.

15. A unit of length of thread or yarn.

16. An Indian side dish of yogurt and chopped cucumbers and spices.

18. Fast-growing herbaceous evergreen tree of South America having a broad trunk with high water content and dark green oval leaves.

19. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.

20. Not only so, but.

21. A hard brittle blue-white multivalent metallic element.

22. The act of escaping physically.

24. A state in northwestern North America.

26. An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

28. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

29. Fruit with red or yellow or green skin and sweet to tart crisp whitish flesh.

32. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

37. The cardinal number that is the sum of four and one.

38. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

39. Pertaining to animals or animal life or action.

40. A genus of Laridae.

43. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

44. A heavy odorless colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances.

45. Having help.

47. The 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

51. An informal term for a father.

52. A large fleet.

55. A member of a seafaring group of North American Indians who lived on the Pacific coast of British Columbia and southwestern Alaska.

59. A theocratic republic in the Middle East in western Asia.

60. A mountain peak in the Andes in Argentina (21,654 feet high).

63. A periodic paperback publication.

64. An upholstered seat for more than one person.

65. Fragrant resin obtain from trees of the family Burseraceae and used as incense.

66. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.

67. Any of various strong liquors distilled from the fermented sap of toddy palms or from fermented molasses.

68. A rye bread made with molasses or brown sugar.

69. (informal) Roused to anger.

DOWN 1. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality.

2. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

3. Type genus of the Amiidae.

4. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

5. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

6. Regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god).

7. A barrier constructed to contain the flow or water or to keep out the sea.

8. A French abbot.

9. The state that precedes vomiting.

10. Any wingless blood-sucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap.

11. A collection of objects laid on top of each other.

12. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

17. Greek philosopher and astronomer (who predicted an eclipse in 585 BC) who was said by Aristotle to be the founder of physical science.

23. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

25. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

27. A group of Plains Indians formerly living in what is now North and South Dakota and Nebraska and Kansas and Arkansas and Louisiana and Oklahoma and Texas.

30. The 21st letter of the Greek alphabet.

31. (informal) Elegant and fashionable.

33. The cry made by sheep.

34. A blue dyestuff obtained from the woad plant.

35. A digestive juice secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder.

36. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.

41. (informal) Of the highest quality.

42. Minute freshwater crustacean having a round body enclosed in a transparent shell.

46. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots.

48. A wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention.

49. Indian religious leader who founded Sikhism (1469-1538).

50. Glazed yeast-raised doughnut-shaped roll with hard crust.

53. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

54. (cosmology) The original matter that (according to the big bang theory) existed before the formation of the chemical elements.

56. (Islam) The man who leads prayers in a mosque.

57. An informal term for a father.

58. Advanced in years.

61. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

62. The basic unit of electric current adopted under the System International d'Unites.

63. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Correct choosing the best path for you may be at odds with your sense of value. You may not rate highly the easy way or a clear-cut option and you may choose instead a more difficult path when it comes to a profession. This may mean you have decided to test jet planes, or go into space or dive into the depths of the ocean and make many discoveries. Whatever you do, it will be forward moving and very exciting. Friendships and involvement in group activities play a more important part in your life just now. Your timing should be almost perfect and those around you should find you most alive and at ease in party surroundings this evening. You may find yourself enjoying the support and harmony that is given to you by your many friends.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You could be flexing your independence today, as well as getting right in the middle of anything that is new, unusual or different. You may just relish getting away from the old tried and true routine and setting your sails in another direction for a change.

Something or someone could be instrumental in causing you to stop and smell the roses, or to realize just how much beauty you have in your life and in those around you. At the same time, everything could take on added value and importance. Be careful that you do not overspend or indulge too much just now. Try to enjoy yourself, but use commonsense in the process. You may have decided that this is the day to take a sick day off from work to purchase the gifts early and get them in the mail.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Concerning the professional side of your life, things seem to be working in your favor.

You will probably find it easy to express yourself and communicate with the best of them. You may appear very easy going with even the most difficult customer.

Gathering and exchanging information will become more paramount in your life, a very educational experience. Your acquaintances and family could have a big impact on your goals and make a huge impression. A very socially active period is coming up for you. Getting your affairs rearranged and organized will help you along your career path. You foster peace and patience at home.

You are touched and encouraged by the goodwill of friends and find ways to congratulate their efforts.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You should be feeling good about making your own way and discovering solutions to whatever problems you have. The good life and all that is fine and luxurious may be what you value most now. You may have your eye on a particular area of the city in which you would enjoy living. This is where you concentrate your goals.

Expressing yourself comes quite naturally and works very well with your thoughts and ideas. Others will follow your lead at this time—due to your power of persuasion. Some nice compliment may reach you today in the form of flattery on your preferences or personal effects. It should be a breeze to enjoy and find value in your own life circumstances, or to feel especially good-hearted towards a friend or loved one.

Libra (September 23-October 22) You understand your emotions and energy and can talk about your feelings with great assurance. Those around you may find you particularly witty and eccentric at this time.

There are some marvelous opportunities to teach or tutor public speaking and writing. This will continue through the end of this year. You may have an understanding or breakthrough in regard to your living situation or life circumstances. Others place importance on your independence and unique qualities. Peace and privacy are cherished; quiet hours help you find your balance. Old memories and news from past contacts are in your thoughts. In case someone is in a serious frame of mine—be subtle with jokes and humor. Enjoy laughter often and teach it to others.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You may find it easy to

read people and that should give you a better understanding to their needs. This, in turn, will put you in a good position to communicate with groups and the community in general. You will find it necessary to be out of the office later in the day— perhaps making deliveries, etc. After work, you could be helping a friend. You have no problem in convincing others that what you say to help them is the most beneficial path to take. You just naturally have a talent for helping others. A pleasant conversation will ensue with someone you love. Interacting with those in your neighborhood, as well as your family, helps appease a big emotional need. Being able to have people understand just what you mean is quite important.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) There is competitive and dynamic energy present today. A meeting may create opportunities for you to add fire to your cause. Try not to turn your talk into a sermon. Use a subtle approach to those in authority.

Those who have resisted your ideas can soon be won over to respond more favorably. You realize that you need to eliminate a few activities from your list of things to do. You push your body to exertion and expect the same effort from others—careful. This may be a good time to tidy up your affairs or to rearrange your living conditions.

Involvement with humanitarian organizations can bring satisfaction through activity. When you perform a humanitarian effort, cut back on your own extracurricular activity; balance.

Yesterdayʼs Solution

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Deep and penetrating discussions and investigative conversations could find you at your mental best this morning. You help your company reach a deal to buy equipment or some other item that will help give a faster time to market. Your perceptive abilities are at a high point. You have no problem in getting your thoughts and ideas across to others—good communication. You are talented at cutting through the red tape and getting at what is beneath a problem. You demonstrate your ability to understand otherís needs. This is important when it comes to interaction with others concerning groups and society this evening. A new person will be welcomed into the family this evening. This could be a birth or a marriage.

Yesterdayʼs Solution

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You have a very strong mental drive. You may be very convincing in what you say and think. With all of this emotional energy, you could speak or communicate very well. Being more closely involved with another person may well become your highest priority. Marriage, contracts and partnerships are seen as a means to success and happiness; they have many lessons to teach you. This may mean you go into business with a relative. Lots of good news comes pouring in at this time. Your career direction gets a lift and lifeís problems should be easy to solve. You find yourself benefiting from an older individual or someone in authority. Life could assume a dreamlike stance. When you suggest a movie, a line forms—enjoy!

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

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You may find it difficult to buckle down to your more pragmatic duties and you find yourself instead in a rather dreamy kind of mood. Your friends or associates may not go along with your dreamy side just now—but everyone has off days occasionally. You may find it hard to concentrate on your work. Perhaps more rest or a daily vitamin would really help to improve your day. As a new life-phase begins, most of your life satisfaction comes from your work, health and diet—if you take good care of them. This kind of thing could lead to love and a new self-image. It should be easy for you to enjoy and value your own life situation. There are positive interactions with a friend or loved one.

INFORMATION

Thursday, December 9, 2010

35 FIRE BRIGADE Operation Room 112 Al-Madena 22418714 Al-Shohada’a 22545171 Al-Shuwaikh 24810598 Al-Nuzha 22545171 Sabhan 24742838 Al-Helaly 22434853 Al-Fayhaa 22545051 Al-Farwaniya 24711433 Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983 Al-Fahaheel 23927002 Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983 Ahmadi 23980088 Al-Mangaf 23711183 Al-Shuaiba 23262845 Al-Jahra 25610011 Al-Salmiya 25616368

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 HOSPITALS Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

24874330/9 CLINICS

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

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24775066

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24775992

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24311795

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24884079

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4892674

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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

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24575518 24566622

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Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

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22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

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25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554

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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

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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. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

(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

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22561444

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22619557

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25653755

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25620111

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Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290 Internist, Chest & Heart: DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 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

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25345875

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Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

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25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr

25329924

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36

SPECTRUM

he ‘Sw eet Dreams’ singer treated her rap star spouse to a £1.3 million Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport vehicle for his 41st birthday, w hich w as on December 4. The ‘99 Problems’ rapper - w ho already has a vast car collection, w as thrilled w ith the surprise speedy gift, w hich Beyonce had to order a year in advance. A source told The Sun new spaper: “J ay-Z has one of the most enviable collections of bling cars in the w orld - but even for him the Bugatti is special.

“Obviously the money isn’t a factor for Beyonce, but he w ill be touched that out of everything she could have bought him, she chose something he’ll treasure for years.” J ay-Z - w ho is an ambassador

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

for American motor giant GMC - already ow ns a Maybach 62S, a Ferrari F430 Spider and a Pagani Zonda Roadster. But the Bugatti - w hich has a ttra cted other celebrity customers such a s Simon Cow ell and Tom Cruise - could be the most impressive yet, w ith a ma ximum speed of 255mph. Money is not a w orry to Beyonce and J ay-Z, w ho w ere named the highest-earning couple in show business last year, earning £68 million betw een them from J une 2008 to J une 2009.

They beat a number of other heavyw eight couples, including Brad Pitt and Angelina J olie, w ho w ere w orth £33 million, and David and Victoria Beckham, w ho raked in £28 million.

he 30-year-old socialite - who appears alongside her family in hit show ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ as well as starring with sister Kourtney in ‘Kourtney & Kim Take New York’ - topped the list by US-based website The Daily Beast after earning $6 million in 2010. Former ‘Hills’ star Lauren Conrad came second, taking home $5 million, while Kim’s sisters Khloe and Kourtney also made the list after each earning $2.5 million. Kim is said to earn up to $75,000 for a personal appearance and has made a fortune from endorsement deals, which include Skechers sneakers, Kotex tampons, as well as her own range of swimwear, jewelry and perfume. The Daily Beast’s list measured those “who’ve cashed in on fame versus talent” and they only counted reality TV stars with a show that aired or was in production in 2010. Other stars to make the list include former Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson, mother-of-eight Kate Gosselin, former ‘Real Housewives’ star Bethenny Frankel and Audrina Patridge, who is working on her own program, entitled ‘The Audrina Show’, after originally shooting to fame on ‘The Hills’.

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he ‘Marley and Me’ actress - w ho has been infamously unlucky in love since her 2005 divorce from Brad Pitt - hosted a bash for 150 friends at her Beverly Hills mansion and invited former flames Gerard Butler and Christopher Gartin, as w ell as her high school sw eetheart. An insider explained: “It w as aw kw ard but J en just got on w ith it. She thinks it’s nice that she gets on w ith all her exes but they seemed to find it w eird all being in the same place.” How ever, the 41-year-old star’s former love interests w eren’t the only famous faces in attendance at the bash. J ennifer w as spotted having a “heated” chat w ith talk show host Chelsea Handler - w ho publicly branded Brad’s current partner Angelina J olie “a homew recker” on. The source added to the Daily Mirror new spaper: “J en w as chatting to Chelsea and the pair looked like they w ere getting heated but they seemed to be in agreement. J en didn’t seem to object to w hat had been said.

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he comic actor - who married the ‘Firework’ hitmaker in India in October - encourages his wife to show off her curvy figure and is particularly keen on helping select her stage outfits. A source told the Daily Star newspaper: “Russell is very hands-on with all Katy’s dresses and loves giving his opinions.

“He always tells her to show off what God has given her. “Russell now really gets involved with what Katy wears. He gets a buzz helping with those decisions.” Russell, 35, has previously admitted that he and Katy, 26, have an influence on one another’s wardrobes. He said: “I would like to endorse that idea. I think I’ve started to wear more colors and

T he 47-year-old actor - w ho has children Lily, 11 and J ack, eight w ith French singer-and-actress Vanessa Paradis - likes to maintain a low profile and so doesn’t have a mobile phone, but does keep the internet because he thinks it is an “interesting” w ay to communicate. He said: “We have internet and stuff like that because I think that’s the safest form, w ell, most interesting form of communication.

“I just don’t like phones, I just don’t like them. Being reachable all the time.” Asked how a friend w ould be able to get in touch w ith him should they need to, he told Access Hollyw ood: “You’d have to know how to just buzz me on the internet or something.” J ohnny’s ‘The Tourist’ co-star Angelina J olie - w ho raises six children w ith long-term partner Brad Pitt - recently revealed neither she nor J ohnny and Vanessa are particularly social, despite being Hollyw ood royalty.

She said: “We’re both not that social. I don’t think either one of us goes out of our house, especially in France. We’re both locked aw ay.”

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he troubled actress - who is undergoing court-ordered drug rehabilitation treatment at the Betty Ford Center in Malibu until early January - may receive a day pass to leave the facility for the big day, but won’t be allowed to travel, much to the annoyance of her mother Dina who wanted her to be in New York with the rest of her family. A source said: “Dina wants Lindsay to go home to Long Island for Christmas, but that won’t be happening. Judge Elden Fox was very clear with his order that he wanted her to stay in rehab until after New Year’s. “Lindsay won’t be allowed to leave the state of California for Christmas period. It was never a consideration for Thanksgiving and it

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won’t be for Christmas. Dina wants her home, but her dad Michael is supporting whatever Lindsay’s treatment team is recommending.” While Michael - who recently reconciled with his daughter following months of estrangement - is happy to spend the festive season in California to be close to the actress if she is given a day pass to leave the clinic on Christmas Day, his ex-wife Dina has reportedly been resistant to the plan. The source told RadarOnline.com: “Dina hasn’t agreed to be anywhere under the same roof with Michael. Lindsay’s counselors recognize that family is very important to Lindsay and they are really hoping to get the entire family under one roof for some much needed family

therapy. Michael has agreed to do it. So far, nothing from Dina indicating she is even considering it.” Lindsay, 24, has impressed staff at the treatment centre with her willingness to comply with their program and they are hopeful even the stresses of the festive season won’t disrupt her recovery. The insider added: “The holidays can be a cause for concern with all of the angst, forced familial time and dealing with recovery. Mix in parents that don’t get along and Lindsay is going to be tested - and that isn’t a bad thing. “Lindsay recognizes how blessed she is to be given this amazing opportunity to get and stay sober.”

— Bangshowbiz

she’s started to go darker.

She’s started to dress less like a pantomime character and is a bit more grown up.” Though the ‘Get Him to the Greek’ star loves styling his wife, he has previously claimed he never finds shopping for himself very fulfilling. He explained: “My look is a collision between bondage, 70s rock ‘n’ roll and a gentleman at the Henley Regatta. I don’t go shopping much because I find it hard to commit to an object. Will I ever wear these? Then I question the value of consuming, trying to make yourself feel better just by buying a pair of shoes. I think, ‘Will I feel better after I’ve bought these shoes? Or will I just be me...in some shoes.’ “

SPECTRUM

Thursday, December 9, 2010

By Jake Coyle he National Board of Review, widely considered a harbinger of the Academy Awards, has chosen “The Social Network” as the best film of the year. The NBR lavished a total of four awards on the film, naming David Fincher best director, Aaron Sorkin’s script best adapted screenplay and Jesse Eisenberg best actor.

Eisenberg plays Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg in the film, which has won critical praise and earned more than $180 million worldwide at the box office. In the past three years, the National Board of Review winner has twice gone on to win best picture at the Oscars: “No Country for Old Men” in 2007 and “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2008. Last year’s winner was “Up in the Air.” The National Board of Review, a group of film historians, students and educators founded in 1909, is one of the first notable groups to announce its picks for the year, beginning in earnest the long drumbeat of critics groups and guilds that will name their own choices ahead of the Oscars on Feb 27. Its robust backing of “The

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Social Network” will only add to the movie’s reputation as an awards front-runner.

NBR President Annie Schulhof said she expects “The Social Network” will “stand up over time and appeal to many generations.”

“With ‘The Social Network’ you had very strong elements that were very much appreciated: the direction, the writing, the acting, its great storytelling,” Schulhof said. “That spoke to the very diverse landscape of the National Board of Review.” Lesley Manville was named best actress for her performance as a desperate middle-aged secretary in “Another Year,” Mike Leigh’s British drama about friendship and aging. Best supporting actor went to Christian Bale, who plays Dicky Eklund, the junkie former boxer and older brother to Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) in David O Russell’s “The Fighter.” Jacki Weaver won best supporting actress for her role as the matriarch of a blue-collar crime family in the Australian drama “Animal Kingdom.”

Ben Affleck’s Boston crime drama “The Town” - which features Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm - was chosen for best ensemble cast. Shut out entirely was

By Cristian Salazar arry Gross, a fashion photographer known for his 1970s nude images of Brooke Shields, taken when she was 10 years old, has died in Manhattan, his sister said Tuesday. He was 73. His sister, Linda Gross, said he died Nov 30 from a heart attack at his home in the Greenwich Village neighborhood. “He’ll be sorely missed by family and friends alike,” his sister said when reached

by The Associated Press by telephone at his studio.

Though Garry Gross earned his reputation as a celebrity image-maker - his pictures graced the covers of albums

by Whitney Houston and Lou Reed - in 2002 he switched careers and became certified as a dog trainer. Most recently, he had turned to photographing portraits of canines.

But it was the 1970s images of Shields that marked his career most significantly.

In 1975, the actress’ mother, Teri Shields, consented to allow her daughter, then a child model, to be photographed nude for a Playboy Press publication. She and her mother earned $450 for the shoot, which included a full-frontal nude image of the girl standing in a bathtub. When Shields’ acting career took off years later, she said she was embarrassed by the continued circulation of the images. At 17, Shields sued Gross in New York to stop him from selling the images, arguing they were an invasion of her privacy and caused her embarrassment. But after a lower court granted her an injunction, the state’s Court of Appeals decided 4 to 3 that the teenager could not break the contract signed by her mother that allowed Gross to take the pictures.

The court said Gross could continue to market the pho-

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By Mathieu Gorse inging on the stage of the historic La Scala opera theatre in Milan is like a dream come true for 29-year-old Korean tenor Jaeheui Kwon-who has come to train in the homeland of Verdi and Puccini. Kwon is one of only 12 singers selected out of 250 candidates to attend the La Scala school-a unique institution that trains specialists in the operatic arts: from set designers to makeup artists, from technicians to dancers. “The quality of teaching is what you can expect from the most famous opera house in the world,” said Filippo Polinelli, a 25-year-old baritone.

Kwon said the teaching emphasized the importance of “emotion”, compared to traditional conservatoires where “there is a lot of writing and memorizing.”

La Scala’s historic opera and ballet school was turned into an Academy in 2001 with additional subjects offered and it has around 900 students. It’s “a place in which the know-how of a theatre that is the history of opera itself is handed down,” Stephane Lissner, a French theatre director who is in charge of La Scala, said in a statement on the academy’s website.

Wearing blue overalls marked “La Scala” and spattered with paint, the Academy’s stage design students are hard at work in the former factory that hosts the workshops in which the opera house’s giant sets are put together.

“These courses allow us to touch the material with our own hands,” said Maria

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Guarneri, 24, who joined the Academy after pursuing a fine arts degree that she said was too theoretical.

Guarneri said that taking part in actual La Scala productions-such as the premiere of Richard Wagner’s “The Valkyrie” that opened the season this week-was “a unique opportunity”.

“There is an almost maniacal attention to every detail,” she said. La Scala recruits most of its staff from the Academy, said Angelo Sala, director of the workshops. But if students decide to try their luck elsewhere, the training is still “a prestigious calling card.”

An inspiration for many at the school is alumnus Anita Rashvelishvili, a then 25year-old Georgian woman who was chosen for the role of Carmen in the opera of the same name to open the season last year.

The dance school is based in another building in the centre of Milan, which hosts some 400 pupils aged between six and 19. The school “gives us an excellent education,” said Maude-Helene Treille, a 17year-old French girl training for a student tour in India in January. “My dream is to join a major ballet troupe,” she said.

Many pupils join La Scala or join other troupes such as the Opera in Paris or the Royal Ballet in London. The multiple skills taught at the Academy are crucial, said Frederic Olivieri, the director of the dance school. “It’s very important for them to be able to meet early on with major singers, major musicians. These internal exchanges are very important.” — AFP

This picture shows singers during the opening of The Valkyrie

by Richard Wagner, directed by Daniel Barenboim.

— AFP

37

“The King’s Speech,” the drama about the struggles of King George VI (Colin Firth) with stuttering. It has been seen by Oscar prognosticators as the movie most likely to contest “The Social Network” for top honors.

(The group did list “The King’s Speech” as one of the top 10 films of the year.) “Toy Story 3,” Pixar’s third installment in its beloved franchise, won best animated feature.

Best documentary went to the “Waiting for ‘Superman,”‘ which details the US education system and puts hope in charter schools. Best foreign language film went to “Of Gods and Men,” the French drama about Cistercian monks fighting fundamentalism.

One of the group’s most surprising choices was picking Chris Sparling’s “Buried” script for best original screenplay. The film, an exercise in minimalism, stars Ryan Reynolds as a contract worker in Iraq taken hostage and buried alive in a coffin - the cramped setting of the entire movie.

Sofia Coppola was chosen for a special filmmaking achievement award for writing, directing and producing “Somewhere,” her lyrical depiction of a Hollywood actor (Stephen Dorff) questioning his lifestyle dur-

tos except to pornographic publications. The photo shoot continued to make headlines decades later. In 2009, one of the images, appropriated by American artist Richard Prince for a work, had to be withdrawn by the Tate Modern museum in London after Scotland Yard warned that the image could break obscenity laws. Jane Feldman, who managed the studio on Broadway and East 20th Street when the photographs of Shields were taken, said they were part of a series intended to explore young women coming of age.

“Garry saw it as art,” she said. “It’s an exploration, but it was done with great respect,” she added. “Yes, it’s intriguing, it’s provocative.” But she said the protracted court battle cost him his career, saddling him with legal fees and marring his reputation among art directors. “He went through periods of times where he was really angry about it,” she said. Gross was born in New York City on Nov 6, 1937. After college, he studied under photographers Francesco Scavullo, Lisette Model and Richard Avedon.

After winning the court case against Shields in 1981, Gross went to Italy, where he worked for an agency. Upon returning to the US, he left the fashion industry and became a dog trainer in 2002. It was while training dogs that he became interested in photographing them and soon grew interested in the plight of senior dogs, his sister said.

“He was very concerned about the destiny of old dogs,” Linda Gross said. “When their owners die, they end up in shelters. But people don’t typically want to take them home.” She said he had hoped to produce a book about aging dogs and had taken many photographs for the yetunpublished work. — AP

In this photo, photographer Garry Gross is photographed with a dog named “Milo” in New York. — AP

By Glen Johnson an Barber’s culinary skills have earned him a James Beard “Outstanding Chef” award. The food at his New York restaurant Blue Hill was the centerpiece for a Manhattan date night between President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. Yet it is his focus on cultivating flavor before foodstuffs even reach his kitchen that put him in an unusual setting recently. Trading his chef’s whites for a loosened tie and sport coat, Barber stood in the well of a Harvard University science hall, delivering a guest lecture as part of the hottest course on campus this fall: Physical Universe 27, or, “Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science.” As part of the course, top chefs from around the world, including the current master of the gastronomic universe, Ferran Adria, chef/owner of Spain’s famed elBulli restaurant, have attempted to explain how physics and other sciences influence their cooking.

They also have shown that their cooking, in Adria’s case often labeled “molecular gastronomy,” can illustrate scientific feats such as spherification, gelation and oxidation. One of Adria’s signature dishes is warm, but seemingly miraculously not melted, ice cream. His trick is the additive methylcellulose, a gum that solidifies when it warms rather than cools. Not exactly a pantry staple. And that’s sort of the point. The goal is to teach science in new and interesting ways, part of the university’s effort to revamp its general education offerings. The target audience is not just history majors seeking to satisfy curriculum distribution requirements, but budding scientists with an equal passion for food.

“If you know this is why you have lemon juice, then you can say, ‘Well, lemon juice is here for a certain effect. Are there other things that can substitute for lemon juice if I don’t have lemon juice, because I’m just looking for an effect, not necessarily the lemon juice itself?”‘ said senior Larissa Zhou.

The 22-year-old physics major is one of the course’s teaching

D

Caesar, a dog belonging to shoe designer Patrick Cox, has his claws painted during a publicity event to launch a pet spa at Harrods department store, in Knightsbridge, west London Tuesday Dec 7, 2010. — AP

he manager behind the Backstreet Boys, ‘NSync and the Jonas Brothers is looking online for his next pop act. Yesterday, Johnny Wright beagn accepting video auditions worldwide from aspiring musicians, ages 16 to 30. The field will gradually be winnowed down through challenges and a boot camp in Los Angeles. A final band will be chosen in June 2011. Wright’s search will be followed in the 21-episode Web series “On the Spot: Johnny Wright’s Quest for the Next Pop Sensation.” It will be streamed by AT&T’s U-verse TV service, and Cambio.com, the music site co-owned by the Jonas Group, AOL and MGX Labs.

Wright is recognizable not just from the acts he has managed but also from Sean “Diddy” Combs’ MTV show “Making the Band” and NBC’s shortlived “Fame.” He said he’s often approached in public - at places like the Cheesecake Factory or Footlocker where people give impromptu auditions, singing a song or rapping a few lines. “I

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always felt uncomfortable because I felt like I had to give them an immediate response to what they did and I didn’t have enough time to register what they did,” Wright says. “A friend of mine named Doug flipped out his camera phone, and he started filming the person on camera.”

Wright would upload the videos to his website, www.wegmusic.com, and see what fans thought of the performers.

Later, when Cambio asked about a possible Web series, Wright said his improvised auditions might be the basis of something. Auditions will run through Feb 25. The series, which can be watched online and on mobile phones through U-Verse and Cambio, will begin in January. Wright says he wants to see sincere passion come through in the auditions. “When I see something that I like, my leg starts to shake back and forth,” says Wright, laughing. “That’s my tick. When that happens, I know I’m interested in something.” — AP

ing a visit from his young daughter (Elle Fanning). The NBR also sought to highlight a number of newcomers, citing Jennifer Lawrence of “Winter’s Bone” for breakthrough performance and “Restrepo” codirectors Sebastian Junger and Tim Hethington as debut directors. The group gave French animator Sylvain Chomet and the late filmmaker Jacques Tati the “spotlight award” for “The Illusionist,” Chomet’s animated adaptation of an old screenplay by Tati.

Dante Ferretti won the production design award for “Shutter Island,” Martin Scorsese’s psychological drama.

The National Board of Review also cited three films - “Fair Game,” “Conviction” and “Howl” - for their annual “freedom of expression” citation. The NBR will also grant critic Leonard Maltin its William K Everson Film History Award. The group’s top best films of 2010 are: “Another Year,” “The Fighter,” “Hereafter,” “Inception,” “The King’s Speech,” “Shutter Island,” “The Town,” “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit” and “Winter’s Bone.” The awards will be handed out Jan 11 in a New York gala hosted by Meredith Vieira. — AP

assistants, reinforcing the work of its two professors.

Hundreds of her classmates competed for the 300 spots in the course, and hundreds more have lined up hours early on recent Mondays to attend guest lectures. They have been delivered by Barber, Adria and other famed chefs such as Grant Achatz of Alinea in Chicago, Jose Andres of Jaleo in Washington and, finally, on Dec 6, David Chang of momofuku in New York.

“Everything that I celebrate in the kitchen, and that I am celebrated for, actually begins here,” Barber said during his lecture, aptly titled, “Cultivating Flavor.” Using a PowerPoint presentation, he explained that he uses traditional cooking techniques but attempts to distinguish his cuisine through the science behind the meats and produce he serves. His personal laboratory is Stone Barns, a farm where he, his brother and sister-in-law own a restaurant and run a cafe 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of New York City. The trio also own Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, largely a dairy operation. At Stone Barns, chefs work with farmers to learn which grasses and grazing methods produce the tastiest lamb.

They see how compost and pulverized charcoal sown in the ground affect the sugar content of carrots that grow in it. And they experiment with minimizing their environmental footprint by turning lobster bodies into charcoal that they in turn use to grill fresh lobsters. “I’m not an environmentalist, but in the pursuit of the science behind influencing flavors, what I’ve come to learn is that if you’re pursuing the best flavor, you have to have the best biology in the soil,” Barber said in an interview.

Michael Brenner, one of the professors leading the course, said the chefs have proved to be remarkably adept communicators, distilling complex scientific concepts into everyday language. He lauded Andres for his discussion of fat, proteins and carbohydrates. “Some of the students came up later and remarked how much easier it was to understand him than us,” Brenner said of his fellow teachers.—AP

This shows Norman Love Confections’ new flavors for 2011. — AP

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Yoko, fans mark 30-yrs of Lennon’s death

The Imagine mosaic in Strawberry Fields is decorated with flowers and other mementos.

— AP

Magazine publishes Lennon’s last interview olling Stone magazine is publishing an interview with John Lennon, conducted three days before the former Beatle was gunned down in New York, in full for the first time. The magazine said the nine-hour discussion with Jonathan Cott was the singer/songwriter’s final print interview. Lennon was murdered outside his apartment on Dec 8, 1980, aged 40. Rolling Stone ran excerpts from the interview shortly after Lennon’s death, but Cott never transcribed all of the tapes until recently.

“Earlier this year I was cleaning up to find some files in the recesses of my closet when I came across two cassette tapes marked ‘John Lennon, December 5th, 1980,’” Cott said. “It had been 30 years since I listened to them, and when I put them on this totally alive, uplifting voice started speaking on this magical strip of magnetic tape.” In the interview, Lennon lashed out at fans and critics who went after him during his five-year break from music.

“What they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean,” he said. “I’m not interested in being a dead hero ... so forget ‘em, forget ‘em.” He also spoke about the possibility of returning to touring. “We just might do it,” Lennon said. “But there will be no smoke bombs, no lipstick, no flashing lights. It just has to be comfy. But we could have a laugh. —Reuters

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By Paul Ellis ans gathered in Liverpool yesterday for a vigil to mark the 30th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon, as part of a global day of celebrations of the music icon’s life. In the city which produced the Beatles, the focus of the memorials were the Peace and Harmony monument unveiled earlier this year in memory of Lennon, who died when he was only 40. Fans were to light candles and sing songs and remember the singer whose life was abruptly ended by a lone gunman’s bullet outside the luxury Dakota

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apartment block in New York on December 8, 1980.

The Peace and Harmony monument was unveiled on October 9 — his birthday-by Lennon’s first wife Cynthia and their son Julian in Chavasse Park. In the northwest English port city, local musicians will lead the wellwishers and Beatles fans as they celebrate the life of one of Liverpool’s best-loved sons. In Tokyo, Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono marked the anniversary with a concert, saying the world still had so much to learn from his life and his songs. “Today, on this painful anniversary, please join me in

Avril Lavigne to release new album early four years after the release of “The Best Damn Thing,” Avril Lavigne has finally set a date for her long-awaited fourth studio album. The Canadian pop star will drop her new set, entitled “Goodbye Lullaby,” March 8 on RCA Records. She will premiere its first single, “What the Hell,” during a performance on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on December 31. “Goodbye Lullaby” features collaborations with Butch Walker and Max Martin, according to a press release, as well as contributions from Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, whom Lavigne divorced in 2009 after three years of marriage.

Lavigne told Billboard last February that the album, which will include tracks like

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“Stop Standing There,” “Push” and “Goodbye,” would feature a “somewhat more raw” sound than her previous output.

In a letter to fans last month, Lavigne sounded off about the delayed release of “Goodbye Lullaby,” which has reportedly been finished for over a year. “This has been a really difficult record for me to create and to release,” she wrote.

“Not only is this the most meaningful and special record I have written, it is sincere, honest and close to my heart. But for the first time I experienced a bunch of bureaucratic BS... People do their best work when they are doing what they want, love and is natural for them, not when you are forcing them to be something that they are not.”

Lavigne was last heard on “Alice,” the lead single to the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s

Avril Lavigne “Alice in Wonderland,” which was released last March.

“The Best Damn Thing,” which spawned Hot 100 chart-topper “Girlfriend” upon its 2007 release, has sold 1.6 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. — Reuters

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Naomi Campbell

ox and “American Idol” producers are planning more changes for the upcoming pivotal tenth season.

“Transparency” is the production theme this year, an idea being championed by series mastermind Simon Fuller. It means producers are looking to add behindthe-scenes elements and find ways to have the singers interact with fans.

These plans are still in development and could change, but as of now producers intend to have the Top 12 live together in a house in the Hollywood Hills. There, they will be allowed to chat with fans via Twitter.

Singers had social media accounts for a period of time last season, then the accounts were abruptly consolidated into a single “Idol” feed midway through the run. Word is producers will further relax their Twitter rules for season ten. The big question is whether Fox, which declined to comment for this story, is going to make

the “Idol” house a visible part of the show. Will the network air behind-thescenes footage from the Top 12 hanging around and recording confessionals, like on other reality shows?

The creative details on the “Idol” house are still being worked out, but the answer seems to be: It depends how compelling the footage is.

Producers may also give the “Idol” contestants a break from Hollywood scene with a road trip to Las Vegas. There they would do an integration with Cirque du Soleil’s acclaimed Beatles-inspired “Love” show. Several major Vegas productions have been in contention for this epic primetime product placement, sources say, but Cirque’s marquee show at The Mirage won out.

Overall, a whooping 325 kids are participating in Hollywood Week, likely the largest group the show has ever had.

Then 60 will go to Vegas. From there, 40 will return back to LA. Then the Top 12 would move into the house. —Reuters

UK fashion council honors Campbell upermodel Naomi Campbell has been awarded a prize by the British Fashion Council in recognition of her influence on the fashion industry over the past 25 years.

The council says Campbell has been a “hugely influential ambassador for British fashion.” The star-studded awards ceremony at London’s Savoy Hotel Tuesday opened with a film paying tribute to the late designer Alexander

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hanks to the racy red band trailer for the forthcoming Justin Timberlake-Mila Kunis rom-com “Friends with Benefits” - where a mid-coitus Kunis implores Timberlake to distract her with, what she calls, a Third Eye Blind song Semisonic’s 1998 hit “Closing Time” is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. Long used to shoo out bar patrons who had overstayed their welcome, it’s now officially entered the realm of pop culture punchline, which, for singer Dan Wilson, is both a huge compliment and cause for pause. Fortunately, neither he nor the rest of the band, which includes drummer Jacob Slichter, define their lives by this one radio moment that never went away. THR (The Hollywood Reporter) got in touch with Wilson, now a successful songwriter for hire, who recently moved to Los Angeles, to talk about the song’s legacy.

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More changes on ʻIdolʼ coming up

By James Hibberd

European Peace Monument coming to the city. He said: “Although the European Peace Monument has only been on public display for just over a month it’s already taken on a global significance of its own. “People from all over the world are coming to the city to pay their respects and consider Lennon’s message of peace through his music. “The city is very excited that we finally have a focal point at which to remember Lennon and look forward to a vigil that will reach out to people the world over.”

A charity concert will take place today at Liverpool’s Echo Arena, called “Lennon Remembered-The 9

By Shirley Halperin

McQueen.

The four-time winner of the council’s Designer of the Year prize, who took his own life in February, was given an award in honor of his career and his contribution to the global fashion industry. Phoebe Philo, the creative director of Celine, was awarded Designer of the Year 2010. She was competing for the best designer prize against Christopher Kane and Erdem. — AP

Semisonic revisits ‘Closing Time’

By Jason Lipshutz

remembering John with deep love and respect,” she said in a Japanese language tweet, as she prepared for the annual charity show, which features Japanese performers. “Despite his short, 40 years of life, he gave so much to the world. The world was blessed with fortune to have known John. “We continue to learn so much from him even today. John, I love you. 2010/12/8 Yoko Ono Lennon,” said Ono in a message on Twitter.

Japanese-born Ono was with her husband when he was shot.

In Liverpool, Jerry Goldman from The Beatles Story, a museum dedicated to the band, was behind the

TH R : A s t h e p er son w h o w rot e a n d sa n g “Closing Time,” how does it feel to see the song used as a gag?

Dan Wilson: I haven’t seen the film yet, but the trailer just made me laugh. It is kind of funny to be looking at it from another perspective.

And while I really like Justin Timberlake’s music and singing, when he’s doing a Dan Wilson impression, I’m not sure I like that. But it’s very cute. I enjoyed that slight mockery.

And the thing about Third Eye Blind is really funny.

THR: Is tha t a ba nd Semisonic w ould often get mistaken for?

Wilson: Being from Minneapolis, we got mistaken for The Replacements, which was for us, quite an honor. But our drummer Jacob Slichter wrote a book called “So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star” and the first story in it is about some fans coming up to him very excitedly and kind of daring each other to talk to him. Finally, one of them says, “Are you the drummer from Everclear?” But I think being mistaken for your peers, like Third Eye Blind, makes total sense. I wonder who Third Eye Blind gets mistaken for.

THR: Do you feel a ‘90s resurgence coming on?

Wilson: There must be one because they pretty much sucked the ‘80s dry in the last couple of years. Silversun Pickups sound shockingly Smashing Pumpkins-esque at times. And pleasingly, it’s not a bummer at all.

THR: Is that how you explain the comeback of “Closing Time?”

Wilson: I used to have this theory-I called it the 11-year rule where, after 11 years, a song gets a second life. It has to do with the fact that if your song is being heard by 13-year-olds at their most music-crazed period in life, then they get spit out into the world, and when they’re 24, it somehow feels like that’s the right time for their teenage obsession to return.

THR: So it’s about nostalgia?

Wilson: Somewhat, but also Semisonic was not really a Top 40 hit band. We thought of ourselves as an indie band and things just kind of got out of hand. Because of that, it was surpris-

Faces of John”, which will feature the Liverpudlian’s friends and former bandmates performing his most famous songs. The acts will include his first band The Quarrymen. A poll found that “Imagine” remains Lennon’s most popular song. The chart was released by PRS for Music, which collects royalties on behalf of songwriters, and is based on airplay and live covers of the songs since 2005. “Lennon’s iconic songs inspired and symbolized the ideals of the masses, so it’s no surprise that 30 years after his death his songs are still as popular as ever,” said Chairman Ellis Rich. — AFP

ing to us when “Closing Time” became a giant single and really enjoyed by young teenagers.

But when you’re 19, 20 or 21, you’re very concerned about what’s credible. But as far as the song, one thing about it is that it hasn’t really been turned into an ad campaign, it doesn’t have a product attached to it. It’s just its own thing. It’s also very lyric-heavy for a rock song.

A lot of people seem to know the words. And I’ve actually seen some incredible a cappella versions of it online.

TH R : H o w d i d t h e so n g o r i g i n a l l y c o m e together?

Wilson: It was written in 20 minutes. My bandmates were tired of ending our sets with the same song, so there was kind of an uprising where they demanded something different to end our nights with. So I thought, “OK, I’ll write a song to close out the set,” and then boom, I wrote “Closing Time” really fast.

There was one little adjustment later, which I credit to our A&R guy, Hans Haedelt. He said, “It’s too simple. You need to break up the rhythm of the verses.” So that line, “Gather

up your jackets, move it to the exits, I hope you have found a friend” is the first time it deviates from the rhythmic pattern. He was right-it’s a great moment in the song.

THR: Hans w as responsible for another iconic so n g f r o m t h a t d e c a d e , S h a g g y ’ s “ I t Wasn’t Me.” What’s he doing now ?

Wilson: He lives in Florida and zooms around on really fast boats.

THR: Not to sound crass, but are you living off of “Closing Time?”

Wilson: Not really. Other things I do have eclipsed it. The right song can be like an annuity but as it is, I can’t just sip daiquiris and sit in the sun on “Closing Time.” Sadly.

THR: But it must be used as the soundtrack to last call in bars all over the country.

Wilson: I really thought that that was the greatest destiny for “Closing Time,” that it would be used by all the bartenders, and it was actually.

It still is. I run into people all the time who tell me, “Oh I worked in this one bar for four years and I heard your song every single night.”

THR: Have you had the experience of hearing your song at the end of a night?

Wilson: Yes, I have been rousted out to the doors with my own song. [laughs] —Reuters

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Thursday, December 9, 2010

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Ted Baker comes to 360 Mall Autumn Winter Collection 2010 unveiled ith the Ted Baker AW10 collection, the pieces speak for themselves. At first glance they may appear the epitome of sartorial simplicity, but a closer inspection offers an explosion of detailing. The beautiful weaves, textures and prints spring forth. The innovative detailing and cuts draw you in. It all combines to create a collection that’s simply Ted Baker through and through.

In womenswear, cobalt blues, cocktail pinks and absinth greens beautifully compliment blacks, greys and navys.

From the mohair cropped jacket and silk jumpsuit with metal zips to the oversized bow detail coat and velvet dress with a nipped waist, sophistication as ever is paramount. Country elegance is modernised with knitted pieces in new textures and shapes, such as a grey marl cape. While clean sharp silhouettes with exaggerated shoulders are bold and confident.

For chic simplicity, there’s our statement tailoring. Or to show your figure off, there are bodycon dresses and leather trousers panelled with jersey.

The autumn flame and optical style prints are equally attention grabbing.

Add bold accessories - such as the fucsia pony hair clutch or wisteria purple leather gloves - and the look is complete.

Menswear was inspired by the worlds of nature and technology.

With casualwear, a strong palette of amazon blue, dark forest green and rust orange inspired by the elements and mixed with synthetic hues - sets the scene. Rugged pieces such as a waxed leather jacket, chino style jeans and checked shirts nod to outdoorsy pursuits, continuing the adventure.

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At the more formal end of the collection is a digitally inspired reinvention of the classics. The use of geometric patterns, combined at different scales, and innovative weaves gives a scientific feel.

While sharp, minimalist designs are brought to life with inventive detailing, such as a blazer with piping details on the lapels; and an elegant palette of pale blue bottle, kestrel grey, wine and dark damson. This is a collection that harks back to the core values of Ted Baker - playful detailing, exquisite cuts and unwavering attention-to-detail. A back to basics approach where the result is anything but basic.

Senegal set to revive world celebration of black culture

By Malick Rokhy Ba festival billed as the world’s biggest celebration of black culture begins tomorrow, with organizers looking to silence critics who say the multi-million dollar extravaganza is a costly anachronism. The third World Festival of Black Arts is being staged once more in Dakar, 44 years after Senegal’s first president, poet and creator of the negritude movement, Leopold Sedar Senghor, initiated the celebration of black identity. Abdoulaye Wade, the current Senegalese president, has urged his compatriots to turn out in force to support the three-week event

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which takes place throughout the country under the theme “African Renaissance”.

Brazil, the country with the second largest black population after Nigeria, is the guest of honor and will showcase its heritage with parades and dance.

Exhibitions, performances and debates will take place in the fields of music, theatre, architecture, history, literature, sports, dance, photography, design, crafts, film and fashion. Attendance to all events is free.

“Our partners think we have not sufficiently made history. We do not shout out our blackness, we affirm ourselves in the context of an African renaissance,” said festival director Abdou Aziz Sow.

Some 5,000 people, of which 3,500 are artists, have been invited to the festival, according to organizers. The opening ceremony will take place in Dakar’s biggest stadium which has 60,000 seats, and will feature 700 dancers, 2,000 extras and artists and 500 musicians. Some of Africa’s biggest stars will take to the stage including grammy award-winning Senegalese rapper and songwriter Akon, Youssou N’Dour, Benin’s Angelique Kidjo and South Africa’s Mahotella Queens.

The last festival in Lagos in January and February of 1977 was mired in controversy with Senegal nearly boycotting the festivities “because of conceptual differences,”

recalls Senegalese writer Alioune Badara Beye. “Senghor wanted a project reflecting on the culture and fate of Africa”, but a Nigerian official said: “The festival is business”, and should make money. The brains behind the inaugural 1966 festival, Alioune Diop, was even expelled from Lagos.

In 2010, while many African countries are celebrating 50 years of independence, and the continent is still basking in the pride of hosting its first football World Cup, the expense and concept of a festival for black identity has been criticized.

Estimates for the festival’s cost range from around estimated at around 45-55 million euros (70-80 million US dollars) with con-

tributions from Senegal and other African countries including South Africa, Nigeria and the Sudan. “How can we call for a world festival of black arts reminiscent of Senghor’s anachronistic battle for negritude which is preoccupied with black identity against white,” Senegalese writer El Hadji Momar Samb wrote in a “call to Negro artists.” “How in this time where people are torn between shortages of all kinds: water, electricity, gas, bread, primary health care, security, can we responsibly allow ourselves to spend over 30 billion CFA francs?” (about 46 million euros) Anthropologist Ousmane Sow Huchard says the organization of the festival “by

Filmmaker aims to recapture the enchantment of ʻNarniaʼ

By Carl DiOrio n taking on Fox’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” after Walden Media shifted the 3D threequel to Fox from Disney British director Michael Apted succeeds Andrew Adamson, a onetime visual-effects supervisor and “Shrek” co-director who directed the first two “Narnia” films. Opening Friday, “Dawn Treader” will be closely watched due to the switch in studios and a downtick in box office for the first “Narnia” sequel.

Franchise-launcher “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” bowed in December 2005 with $65.6 million, part of a $291.7 million domestic run and $745 million global haul. “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” unspooled in May 2008 with $55 million, collecting a disappointing $141.6 million domestically and $419.7 million worldwide.

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Cost overruns ballooned the negative cost on “Caspian” to $225 million. Production costs on “Dawn Treader” totaled $145 million, including Australian tax credits. The Hollywood Reporter’s Carl DiOrio talked to Apted about challenges associated with the “Narnia” threequel.

THR : The H ollyw ood Reporter: How did it feel to take on such an effects-driven movie?

Michael Apted: To have this sort of new challenge for me at my age, having been so long in the business, that’s what attracted me to it. It was something new, something I hadn’t done before and something I was going to have to learn about.

TH R : Wa s c o st -c o n t a i n m e n t a problem w ith so m uch digita l production?

A p t ed : Cost containment is a big issue. You spend an enormous

amount of money on that part of the film, and I was on a very tight budget after “Prince Caspian” didn’t perform as well as they wanted it to. So I was aware that everything was being carefully monitored, but we navigated it fine. I had very good people around me, and we got through it.

The visual effects are spectacular, and we did it for a good price.

TH R : W ha t brought you to the project?

Apted: I was in the right place at the right time. I had just done “Amazing Grace” for Walden. So I was in good books at Walden and went through the audition process with [Walden owner] Mr. [Phil] Anschutz. But then it was 18 months before we really started going into serious preproduction. I joined in April 2007, and then Disney pulled out in December of ‘08 before Fox came in January of ‘09.

TH R : D id c h a n gin g st u d ios u p the pressure?

Apted: My assignment was to try to recapture the magic of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

That wasn’t easy, but the book was so much lighter and funnier and just quicker than “Caspian” had been.

“Caspian” and “Lion” had a lot of location work, and it was decided that we should try to slightly reduce that, doing more in the studio. Looking back, I don’t know how I ever thought I could have found locations to do some of the stuff. So we had to make a financial adjustment.

THR: The return to the holida y season is good, right?

Apted: That seems to be one of the poor decisions made with “Caspian.” This is a family franchise, and Christmas is a great family time. The summer is such a long and ill-defined period. You

find yourself chucked in with all the testosterone pictures.

TH R : W h e n w a s t h e d e c i s i o n made to go out in 3D? Ap ted: It was made after we shot the film. Once “Avatar” came out and was burning up the box office, people took another look at it all.

I had already shot the film and made my first cut before it was decided to go 3D. I am excited by the 3D. I think it adds-no pun intended-another dimension to the film.

TH R : D o y o u e x p e c t “ D a w n Tr e a d e r ” t o o v e r -p e r f o r m internationally?

Apted: All of the big films over-perform in the rest of the world, which is a much bigger market than America. But for me, it’s a universal subject. It’s going to be played in 60-odd languages, and I think it’s truly an international story. —Reuters

people who are not part of the culture” of the arts has led to “the amateurism” which has seen four postponements since 2007.

“The 1966 festival was better planned,” he said. But Aziz Sow insists the festival will serve as a showcase for Africa and refute any suggestion that the continent lacks a common history and culture.

“We want to show the world that Africa existed, exists and always will,” he said.

He was making reference to a controversial speech by French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the University of Dakar in 2007 when he said: “The tragedy of Africa is that the African has never really entered into history.” — AFP

www.kuwaittimes.net

Actress Ksenia Solo

By Mike Cidoni ilm critics are abuzz over actress Natalie Portman’s work in the new big-screen “Black Swan,” but fashionistas are flipping over something else: the film’s forward-thinking ballet costumes by Rodarte, the insider-favorite label by sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy. “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky said he and the costume designer Amy Westcott wanted to use a contemporary fashion designer “to take it to a new level.” “We wanted to reinvent the whole sense of ‘Swan Lake,”‘ he said.

Portman, who has been spotted in the front row of Rodarte runway shows during New York Fashion Week, had a relationship with the designers.

“I remember seeing a dress of theirs at a photo shoot, and just going, ‘What is that?”‘ recalled Portman. “I don’t have that reaction to clothes very often. It is not something that I really pay attention to that much. But it was just so beautiful. When we were doing this film, I just knew how balletic their clothes were.” Rodarte had, coincidentally, already tapped into horror films and ballet, the same elements that are the foundation of “Black Swan,” as inspiration for past collections. “We had an affinity for the subject matter,” noted Kate Mulleavy. “We had never

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done a film. ... This would be a dream job in terms of just getting to make tutus. But, then we had, I think, something that allowed us to add to access the psychology of the film in a different way, which was understanding the darker nature and more of the twisted kind of underbelly of that world.”

Nevertheless, producing fashionforward ballet costumes proved a challenge. “Well, I think that the big question was, ‘How do you make something look realistic as a tutu and function?”‘ explained Laura Mulleavy.

Sometimes style took precedence over function. “You would never go and do ‘Swan Lake’ and wear a full-on swan outfit without having a strap” to hold the outfit up, said actress Mila Kunis.

“Given that it is in a movie and it is a certain form of disbelief.

They had no straps. So, the busts kept constantly falling, you know.

And so you make it work. You figure it out. But they were beautiful.” Portman remains a fan and friend of the designers. “They are really kind,” Portman said. “They are really curious about every sort of area of the world. They know everything about ecology and art and modern science. You are like, ‘I don’t understand how they have so much room in their brains.’ It’s amazing.” “Black Swan” opens in the United States this weekend. — AP

Actress Winona Ryder attends the New York Premiere of “Black Swan” at Ziegfeld Theatre. — AFP

Models present outfits by Karl Lagerfeld during the Chanel Metiers d’Art Pre-Fall collection show, entitled “Paris-Byzance” on December 7, 2010 in Paris. Since 2003, every year, Chanel launches a parallel collection to their Pret-a-porter and Haute Coutute collections: the annual Metiers d’Art collection which is this year inspired by Byzantium because of Coco Chanelís love of Byzantine-style jewelry. — AFP