5 Jan

CR IP TI ON BS SU

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

Slain Philippine politician catches killer on camera

Bashir offers hand of peace to south Sudan

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150 FILS

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SAFAR 1, 1432 AH

Murdered model provides real-life drama for Bollywood

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Federer hits through-the-legs winner at Qatar Open

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Opposition vows to keep hounding PM

Max 23 Min 13 Low Tide 13:40 & 23:55 High Tide 07:12 & 18:46

PM assured of survival • Barrak to take campaign to the ‘street’ conspiracy theories

Lost in grilling

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

B

y now we know that the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Sabah will make it today. All signs indicate that he will pass the crisis. By the time the newspaper is in your hands, the grilling would be over and the man would be back. This is not my major point. I never doubted his coming back because I am quite sure the government has its own way of swaying things.

Honestly speaking, the opposition too did not have a stranglehold on Sheikh Nasser. It is all tribal.

As the opposition has its own agenda which is clear even to the blind man, this has helped the government woo many tribes to their side. Going through yesterday’s newspapers, I am sure you get my drift. The gatherings in major diwaniyas in Kuwait in support of Sheikh Nasser flooded the Arabic media. Many of them went as far as putting full-page paid advertisements in support of the Amir and Sheikh Nasser. Many advertisements started with verses from the Quran, which advised the nation to obey God and the rulers of the ummah (the nation), similar to the days of the Islamic empire when we used to have khalifa (caliph, ruler etc).

Sheikh Nasser is to make a comeback. What’s next?

What is the stance of the opposition? Another grill in the pipeline? Are we going to spend our life threatening and grilling? I have just read a statement from MP Musallam AlBarrak who claims that the street (a term used in the Arab world which means the people) will force Sheikh Nasser down should he survive the grilling. Is Al-Barrak asking the people to go to the streets and start a revolution? Ahmed Al-Saadoun said “our way is too long; we will keep chasing Sheikh Nasser till he surrenders”.

Excellent. One grilling after another after another.

Maybe this will force the Amir to dissolve parliament, which will lead to new elections and another episode of incessant grillings. I suggest one of the producers of The Bold and the Beautiful to start a series called The Grilling. I assure you it will overtake the success of The Bold and the Beautiful or the recent series Lost. In the last series, people are stranded on an island and we are here stranded in an impasse of grillings.

Mr Al-Barrak, is this in favor of Kuwait? Is the guilt of Sheikh Nasser so big that it’s worth demonstrating and creating a state of chaos in Kuwait. Is it to please your own egos? Convince us.

KUWAIT: Anti-government protesters demonstrate at a rally in Safat Square in downtown Kuwait City yesterday. (Inset) MPs Musallam Al-Barrak (left), Mubarak Al-Waalan (second left) and Waleed AlTabtabaei (right) are seen at the gathering. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat and Fouad Al-Shaikh

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The National Assembly today votes on a noncooperation motion against Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who is certain to defeat the opposition’s challenge, but all eyes are already focused on what comes next after the opposition threatened to continue its campaign. Leading opposition figures including MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun and Musallam Al-Barrak have explicitly said the opposition campaign will continue until the government collapses and this will include “going to the street”.

National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi and two senior government ministers called for halting protests and focusing on development. State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan said the government will demand holding the special session behind closed doors like it did with the debate on the grilling last week.

Under the constitution, during the voting session, two MPs backing the prime minister and two others opposing him will speak alternately during the session before the prime minister makes a concluding speech pleading his case.

After that, the vote is taken. Only elected MPs who are

not ministers are allowed to participate. At present, 48 such MPs are present as one lawmaker is also a minister Roudhan - and one MP - Mubarak Al-Khrainej - is outside the country. For the motion to pass, it requires 25 votes regardless of how many MPs vote for the prime minister.

Based on the latest available indications, 21 MPs are certain to vote against the prime minister, 25 for him and two have not yet disclosed their intentions. The two are Islamist MP Khaled Al-Sultan, who is expected to either support the motion or abstain, and Shiite MP Hassan Jowhar, who is expected to abstain.

Communications M inister and government spokesman Mohammad Al-Busairi said the government will attend the session today with great confidence to defeat the motion with a convincing majority. He also appealed to MPs to close the chapter on the grilling and focus on the development plan. Khorafi called on all parties to accept the result of the voting and resume normal work . He also advised against going to the street because “this is not a battlefield”.

Experts and observers are certain that the prime minister will defeat the attempt on his seat, but very few believe Continued on Page 14

Mideast sees partial eclipse (Left) Commando of Pakistan’s elite force Mumtaz Qadri, who allegedly killed Punjab’s governor Salman Taseer, sits in a police van in Islamabad yesterday.

(Right) In this Nov 20, 2010 file photo, Taseer talks to reporters after meeting with Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi at a prison in Sheikhupura near Lahore. — AP

Pakistan gov killed by own bodyguard ISLAMABAD: The governor of Pakistan’s wealthiest and most populated province was shot dead yesterday by one of his bodyguards who told interrogators he was angry over the politician’s opposition to laws that impose the death penalty for those convicted of insulting Islam.

Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, 56, was a member of the ruling party and a close associate of President Asif Ali Zardari. Friends described him as an outspoken moderate who defended women’s rights, minorities and secularism and he was the most high-profile politician assassinated since former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in Dec 2007.

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GENEVA: Wintry skies darkened over Switzerland yesterday morning, but Romanians were treated to a pinkish ethereal light and Swedes to a beautiful sunrise, as a partial solar eclipse that began over the Mideast extended across much of Europe. In Switzerland, the pall of clouds and light snow seemed like dusk with lights twinkling in cities time in reverse just as people streamed off trains and buses to arrive at work. The solar occurrence was at its height over Geneva, Bern and other Swiss cities in the midmorning, then the grayness Continued on Page 14

KUWAIT: People look through special filters at a partial solar eclipse as a man wheels baskets of shrimps past them on the coast yesterday. (Inset) The new year’s first partial eclipse is seen from the Kuwait Science Club.

— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat and KUNA

Syria quietly opens casino DAMASCUS: A casino opened without fanfare near the Syrian capital on Christmas Eve, in a bending of the rules in a secular country seeking to lure tourists but where gambling is banned out of respect for Islam. “The casino was packed, the money flowed,” enthused Rami, a 55-year-old businessman more used to the renowned Casino du Liban but curious about the new establishment near Damascus international airport. He said the casino could poach clients from neighbouring Lebanon, which attracts punters from Syria, Iraq, Jordan and the Arab countries of the oil-rich Gulf.

The casino was inaugurated without much publicity so as not to offend Muslim religious leaders and conservative Syrians mindful of Islam’s prohibition of games of chance.

“People spend hundreds of thousands of dollars at the Casino du Liban, and they can do the same here,” said Rami.

In the first week, most of the clientele were Syrians, with only a few from Lebanon and the Gulf. Hussam, a client in his fifties, was disappointed. “There are too many people, the gaming room was packed,” he said.

Omar, a 45-year-old with a passion for gambling, said he had to enlist the help of a manager at the casino to gain entry with a group of friends. “The casino was sold out on Saturday night,” he said, adding that service “needs to improve” if it wants to compete with the established casinos around the Lebanese capital.

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

LOCAL

iN MY ViEW

When the devil rejoices!

By Fouad Al-Obaid

fouad@kuwaittimes.net have had the blessing - or curse - depending on which side of the coin you choose to use, of having lived many years abroad and spending countless discussion and debates with people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, faiths, colors... and it all comes to one thing, we are similarly different, and we have cultural variation that would make the ‘others’ laugh upon hearing nonsense to which people of different faiths take as literal truths!

I could be sarcastic and say that perhaps we should all believe in a ‘Santa Claus” or ‘Father Christmas’ for at least such a fictitious character could be a billionaire that has a global logistics company working for him, ensuring that on a given day, each year, every single person on earth gets his present!

On a more serious note, I am always amazed at how shallow people tend to be, and how much nonsense one is able to preach daily! I mean we in our region take for granted things such as the ‘eye’ whereby we would say Mr or Ms X gave me the ‘eye’! Hence, my life is all in ruins! I am yet to hear of such foolish urban legends in a developed civilized society. In giving you dear readers examples which I am more than certain you have come across in your daily encounters in this region, we could discuss their validity, their rational, or better yet reason of being.

However, only those that do not understand the natural order of our world would call flying by airplane ‘magic.’ Unfortunately, such is the case in our modern Arab world. While our international peers go on developing and building the bright future all societies aspire to, we only import their technology, know-how, and way of life without giving it some thought. Let alone, working on developing our indigenous capability and capacities.

This should not be confused for our inability to create. Lo, for we are not unable of creativity, I assure you dear reader that we are. In fact, I would even go so far as to argue that we the Arabs are the best novelists should our literature find its way to ink on paper. Trust me, we would have the most interesting books to export.

The reason being that, we do not divide the world between reality and fantasy. We blend the two as if they were intertwined. We talk about two worlds - the seen and unseen, we talk about two sorts of societies, similarly seen and unseen, and talk about monsters that would put to pale the dreaded Loch Ness beast!

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Premier meets Mongolian counterpart KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Jaber AlSabah met at Bayan Palace yesterday visiting Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold.

During talks, they discussed ways and means of bolstering and cementing Kuwaiti-Mongolian cooperative relations

and several regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The meeting was also attended by Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Minister of

Oil and Information Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Sabah, Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shimali, Minister of Commerce and Industry Ahmad Al-Haroun, Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Fadhel Al-Safar and several other Kuwaiti officials as well as the accompanying delegation of the visiting

Mongolian premier.

Following their talks, two cooperative agreements involving animal quarantine, veterinarian, cultural, media, educational and scientific domains were signed by both sides. Afterwards, HH the premier held a luncheon in honor of the Mongolian guests. — KUNA

Kuwait Digest

Najlaa Al-Naqi

Aisha Al-Yehya

MP Adnan Al-Muttawaa

Najlaa Al-Naqi forum speakers support PM, criticize grilling KUWAIT: The Najlaa Al-Naqi forum reached a consensus to support His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah and expressed that they believe he will win the trust of the National Assembly.

Several speakers at the forum assured that unity is essential at this time and that all Kuwaiti people should work together to spare their country the dangers of sectarian and tribal division. MP Adnan Al-Muttawaa said that Kuwaiti society is torn because of sectarianism and tribalism. He wondered how some parliamentary blocs who have internal conflict can agree to grill His Highness the Prime Minister and attempt to topple the government.

Al-Muttawaa added that a continuation of threats and escalating the current conflict is unnecessary and unjustified. He explained that the Kuwaiti constitution provides justice and equality and that the way it is being evaluated by certain political blocs is wrong.

“I invite all MPs and ministers to hold on to their constitutional oaths and obey His Highness the Amir Shiekh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah’s constant calls for implementing resolutions,” he demanded.

He pointed out that Kuwait should not be a police state, as some may claim, and that the constitution should be respected as well as the state’s laws and legislations.

People should obey His Highness the Amir’s advice and choose their MPs well, he concluded.

Ayed Al-Mannaa, professor of political science at Kuwait University, explained some of the articles in the Kuwaiti constitution of 1962. He called upon implementing laws and holding on to the democracy that is a source of pride for the Kuwaiti state. He also criticized the performance of both the Cabinet and the parliament, describing the current state of politics in Kuwait as just a phase that will end soon. “It is a healthy thing, this is the real democracy and both opinions should be respected,” he said.

Daoud Nayef Al-Sabah, a lawyer and professor of law, said that His Highness the Prime Minister has taken on a lot and that everybody should learn from such a reformist. He added that the nation should be proud of his political performance and

By Saleh Al-Shaiji hile I respect MP Musallam Al-Barrak and believe in his honesty and place in the National Assembly, I have to accuse him of being tribal in his approach to politics and of not being on the right track of democracy. I believe his actions violate the soul of the constitution.

MP Musallam Al-Barrak has worked with the Al-Ajman tribe to put pressure on two MPs who are also a part of the tribe to stand up against His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah during the noncooperation session scheduled for January 5. I am against putting such pressure on parliamentarians because it does not allow them the freedom to make honest decisions.

Democracy does not depend on a tribe and if it did it would definitely be a sign that the democracy is not a real one. Tribal democracy does not achieve equality amongst different members of society. Enemies of democracy, such as Musallam Al-Barrak, are the one behind tribal sectarianism and religious segregation. Anything like that is definitely against democracy. —Al-Anba

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‘Unity essential at this time’

By Nisreen Zahreddine

No such thing as tribal democracy

that his popularity has increased day by day.

Najlaa Al-Naqi, state attorney of fatwa and legislation, hoped that Kuwait will overcome all the challenges and obstacles that have occurred from time to time. She called upon cooperation between the two authorities and urged them to discard the current conflict. She asserted the necessity of balancing opinions instead of taking extremes that could harm the state.

Journalist Aisha Al-Yehya expressed her disappointment at those who demanded grilling His Highness the Prime Minister. She insisted that all the people of Kuwait should sacrifice for their country and follow His Highness the Amir’s advices to be loyal to the nation of Kuwait and not to a tribe, sect or political party.

Legal book fair opens at KU KUWAIT: Minister of Oil, and Minister of Information Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah asserted here yesterday that book fairs which cover the whole gamut of culture, especially the ones on legal knowledge, illuminate readers and bring benefits to students and intellectuals.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah hailed-in a statement yesterday following his opening of the first legal book fair (Jan 46) organized by the faculty of law at Kuwait University-the faculty of law and its distinctive contribution to pushing forward the process of cultural development. He also noted the faculty’s hosting of first media forum for youth in “what denotes its interest in diffusing cultural awareness in the society.”

He said that, “we need a robust culture nowadays,” asserting that culture plays a key and distinctive role, and that it is the actual factor leading to further increasing the man’s sense of dignity, and featuring the cultural facade of civil societies. There are 13 governmental bodies taking part in the first legal book fair including the society of law at the faculty of law, the Ministry of Awqaf, Department of Fatwa and Legislation, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS), the Ministry of Information and Kuwait Lawyers Association.

KUWAIT: Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah touring the stalls after inaugurating the book fair yesterday.

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Years

LOCAL local spotlight

Someone needs to be brought to justice

By muna al-fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

R

ecently, Gulf Daily News reported an incident regarding a Bahraini man who was accused of human trafficking in Thailand and was sentenced to eight years in prison there. The court made its decision after reviewing evidence of the man’s illegal activities. He would convince women in Thailand to come back to Bahrain with him and work in a massage parlor and then force them into prostitution. According to the newspaper the man was arrested last November and put on trial for his crime.

The question remains however; how does someone convince ladies from a poor country to travel abroad for work without revealing their true intentions?

How could anyone be so naive as to not consider the risk! If those ladies were expected to work in salons then they must have had some kind of education. To assume that such women could be unaware of the risk, that they might be forced into prostitution, is unbelievable. I personally find it hard to trust the allegations of those women who claim to have been forced into becoming prostitutes, especially in a country like Bahrain!

The newspaper did not mention how those ladies were able to leave Bahrain or how they came to accuse the man there in his mother country! The problem with this story is that there are too many gaps and unsolved mysteries.

Maybe tracking a crime like human trafficking is too hard and that is why a person can be sent to prison for a few complaints, but that does not make much sense.

I have noticed that when someone from a Gulf country is accused of a crime the media tends to pass judgment before the trial ends. Just because the case was accepted in a foreign country does not mean that it should also be accepted as true in that person’s home country. A crime with an accusation as serious as this one should be examined carefully.

Human trafficking is a serious crime and I doubt it is about one man. I think there is probably a criminal organization out there that is responsible for these crimes. They need to be tracked down and brought to justice.

I think the same thing about drug dealers, there is always someone out there who needs to be brought to justice.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend so long as they are large and flashy

By Wendy Clayton KUWAIT: It seems only one of the four Cs counts when it comes to buying diamonds in Kuwait.

Carat takes the lead above Color, Clarity and Cut say local jewelry stores. The bigger the better and the flashier the piece set the stage for status among Kuwaitis. When selecting a diamond, the four Cs are taken into consideration.

While generally people would look for a good quality diamond, if they can afford it, it seems that Kuwaitis are prepared to forgo the quality for quantity. Newly engaged British couple, Robert and Sophie, were flabbergasted when they found they had to really search to obtain a good quality diamond in Kuwait. “I had already looked around several stores before I proposed to Sophie,” said Robert. “I was stunned to find the level of quality on offer here.”

After the engagement, the couple decided to go to Tiffany’s to find the per fect diamond.

When they found out they could only order online and have the diamond shipped from the US they decided to search some more. “We couldn’t get anything of high quality,” said Sophie. “We went to the souk, The Avenues, Marina Mall, and the 360. It was very depressing.”

When the couple explained what they wanted, that being a one carat diamond, D Color, and a clarity rating of VVS1, they were very surprised, “We were told it would be impossible to get a diamond of that quality in Kuwait,” said Robert. “Eventually, one guy in the souk said he could order one in for us but then wanted to charge an exorbitant price.”

The couple explained that the average color rating for a diamond was H level with a few better ones in the F and E ranges.

Then there was the low clarity quality available with the average sitting in the SI range.

Eventually the couple stumbled upon one place that was willing to provide them with their

dream engagement ring. Hala & Al-Zenah Jewelry in Salmyia were able to ship in the diamond they wanted in the Princess cut required and to set it into a platinum ring, “The guy here was brilliant. We were told no-where in Kuwait could you get platinum but he did,” said Robert. “Being a gemologist he had all the right connections to get us what we wanted.”

The gemologist explained to the couple that no jeweler carries the better quality in Kuwait because Kuwaitis do not look for quality but rather the size and number of diamonds in a setting.

He said most were used as prestige symbols. The bigger the piece the more it showed off your wealth. He added it was nice to speak to people who actually cared about the quality of the gem rather than the size.

A spokesperson from the Damas and Al-Ghannam Jewelry Co in the Avenues agreed saying that Kuwaitis in particular preferred larger diamonds and designs than the solitaire that is preferred elsewhere. “They will sacrifice quality for size,” said the Damas salesman. “They understand very well the classification system, but this is just to show they know all about it. However, they prefer a more bombastic style to their jewelry.”

Rawan is another jewelry lover but prefers more accessories now, “I do have some diamonds,” explains Rawan. “This is my wedding ring and the engagement ring is of good quality. Although, if I wanted to buy one now I would tend to go for something in the mid-range and of a reasonable price. Not necessarily big.”

Rawan says that she and her husband prefer to buy gems outside of Kuwait like Dubai. Rawan believes that Kuwaitis don’t take the quality into consideration because they prefer bigger, brighter and shinier pieces. She says nothing here in Kuwait has made her sit up and think, ‘Wow I like that!’

Diamond grading chart

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

Years

LOCAL

Kuwait Digest

Welcome to Kuwaitanamo!

By Fuad Al-Hashim

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KUWAIT: The latest tree-planting activities in various parts of Kuwait.

‘Kuwait needs Environmental Management Ministry’

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Kuwait needs to ‘go green’ but in order to make such an achievement Kuwait needs an Environmental Management Ministry to protect and serve the interest of Kuwait’s environment, said a local environmentalist.

“We have an EPA [Environmental Public Authority], which deals with some environmental legislative work and protec tion management concerns but it’s not enough,” revealed Adnan AlShaheen, Chairman and Managing Direc tor of Al-Dal Company for Environmental Projects.

In an inter view with the Kuwait Times, Al-Shaheen said, “We need additional environ-

mental laws and a firm law about the environment that has to be executed under a ministry. We want these small, scattered agencies to be unified under one roof. This way we can execute proper planning and introduce environmental projects beneficial to our country,” asserted AlShaheen.

He said the new ministr y could provide not just legislation, management, education, promotion and services related to the environment, but could also help monitor on-going environmental projects around the world and learn from them. “We need an agency that provides not just legislation and protection but also services beneficial to everyone,” he noted. “My com-

pany is personally appealing and calling on our government to create an Environmental Management M inistr y,” AlShaheen asserted. The Al-Dal Company for Environmental Projects is primarily involved in agriculture, waste and recycling management issues around Kuwait.

The battle cry, going green, has been prominent not just in Kuwait but all over the world to combat the adverse effects of climate change. Just recently, Kuwait hosted the international conference ‘the Impac t of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Agriculture,’ organized by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). An expatriate group recently organized tree-

planting ac tivities at Failak a Island and on Sunday, some Arabic newspapers released photographs of some ‘green buildings’ available in Kuwait.

Yesterday, local newspapers repor ted stories about tree planting activities in the Wafra and Abdullah Port areas. Also, there have been a growing number of companies involved in environmental issues.

There is more to going green than just planting trees, recycling and waste management.

“In terms of building structures, we use environmentally-friendly materials, save energy, manage waste and manage water treatment facilities. All of these fall into the going green campaign for a better and safer environ-

ment,” he said.

Al-Shaheen admitted that Kuwait’s share regarding protecting the environment is not enough. He blamed the lack of competent agencies available to handle environmental concerns.

“We’re glad that the number of people aware of these issues is growing but it is never enough.

If we had a M inistr y of Environment, maybe we could ask them to include these concerns in elementary or secondary education curriculum so that we could educate our youth and show them the importance of a healthy environment,” he said. “ We can all help save mother earth, stop climate change and make our lives and our next generation’s lives better.”

Youths represent 70% of fatality in Kuwait traffic accidents

Al-Sabr (left) attend the meeting.

‘Police should heed to public criticism’

By Brig Mohammad Hashem Al-Sabr KUWAIT: Socio-economic, cultural growth in any society cannot be achieved in the absence of security and stability.

Strengthening security cannot be achieved solely by the country’s security authority and cooperation from members of the society is essential. This partnership is difficult to be forged in the absence of positive cooperation between security media. Media plays a major role in directing the young generation, and shaping the society’s general opinion. In addition to securing citizens’ participation, they are educated about crime and create a public opinion in support of the police.

However, there are obstacles that hinder cooperation between security organizations and the media. No doubt there is trust problem between security organizations and citizens. Citizens consider police as a tool in the hand of authority. Security men believe that they serve the society earnestly.

Secondly, the culture of police and media is often contradictory. Security men believe in covert supervision, while media men expose and reveal everything to generate excitement.

Thirdly, the media tries to win public opinion that might pose a problem for security men. In order for media to expand, it might speculate on the figures published by security men. This creates a dispute between the two parties.

Fourthly, most security authority laws in Arab countries restrict communication between media and the security men. This creates a psychological state that does not accept both parties.. Fifthly, security does not easily accept criticism from media, even though it is correct. The media is of the opinion that these critics encourage constructive criticism..

To overcome these problems, the relationship between the Ministry of Interior and media should be improved. To explain the means of connection between the authority and media, good cooperation should be shared between the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Interior. They will support the meaning of citizenship and urge them to participate in achieving security policy. Trust should be built between citizens and security organizations. Lastly, security men should accept the media’s subjective criticism. If the police claim that they serve the public, they should listen to what the public say.

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Traffic Department Director, Maj Gen Mahmoud Al-Dosari said yesterday that youths in the country represent 70 percent of fatality cases as a result of traffic accidents, which negatively affects the country’s manpower productivity.

Al-Dosari said, in a press release, that “efforts to minimize traffic accidents exerted by the traffic department sector resulted in decreasing fatality cases last year, particularly when compared to previous years, starting from 2006 and until 2010.”

“460 death cases were reported in 2006, compared to 447 in 2007, 410 cases in 2008, 407 in 2009, and 374 death cases in 2010,” AlDosari added.

The official pointed to recklessness and overspeed as the two main reasons behind the high rate of car accidents. Al-Dosari added mobile radars, together with fixed cameras have forced motorists to drive slowly, praising the results achieved by such commitment in areas which experienced aboveaverage speeds in the past. —- KUNA

Syria reports big drug bust DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities yesterday reported a bust of 4.5 million Captagon pills, manufactured in Lebanon and en route to the Arabian Gulf countries by sea, and the smugglers were arrested and later confessed to the crime.

SANA news agency said the drugs are worth over 300 million Syrian Pounds, and had been stashed inside a tank used in foodstuff industries.

All the smugglers, Syrians, confessed to several other smuggling operations to the Arabian Gulf.

The dealer in control of smuggling operations to the Gulf countries confessed to a previous smuggling using this same technique to one gulf country.—KUNA

friend of mine who held the position of Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of a cooperative society many years ago told me a funny story that I still remember to this day.

“I was sitting in the office of the Director General when an employee entered and told us that a quarrel erupted between a cashier of Arab nationality with a long beard and a citizen who bought some stuff,” my friend said. “The Director General and I went to solve the problem, which turned out to be strange and silly.”

My friend laughed and completed his story; “the Kuwaiti citizen, who was in his thirties, bought a quarter of a kilo of cucumbers, a bag of peanuts, a quarter kilo of green olives, a bottle of mineral water, a cup of yogurt and three cheap glasses. When he went to pay for it all, the religious cashier shouted and accused the man of intending to drink wine.

The extremist cashier imagined that the citizen intended to cut up the cucumber, mix it with the yogurt and have it with wine in one of the glasses he bought and compliment it with olives and peanuts. He also thought that a bottle of mineral water was a strategic necessity for mixing wine.”

If we apply the theory of the ‘German philosopher’ Mohamed Al-Juwaihil regarding dual nationals then we can say that everything in this world is actually of dual-use. The fire can be used to cook and warm those who feel cold but it can also kill those who jump into it. Knives can be used to cut onions and potatoes but also to behead people. Cars can be used to reach our destinations quickly but they can also be used to kill if we put ten gallons of unleaded petrol inside them, some pieces of iron and connect it to a battery located under the car and raid the place where Musallam Al-Barrak is holding a symposium with the Popular Abbas standing behind him.

It is unacceptable to punish a man for buying a lighter assuming he may use it to burn the beard of Al-Mamuloh or punish the man who bought a knife because he may use it to shave off the moustache off an assistant undersecretary in a ministry. It is illogical to confiscate all the cars in Kuwait because one car could be used to kill people. Simply put, people are penalized for their actions, not for what they might do.

I wrote this after I saw the people from the Interior Ministry and the Municipality, upon the orders of the Minister of Interior, remove a spring camp site under construction owned by a Kuwaiti woman under the pretext that it could be used for “acts contrary to ethics.” Is the country governed by the mentality of the cashier in that cooperative society? Do you really want to change the country into a financial and investment hub with such a mentality?!—Al-Watan

Kuwait Digest

Grilling of PM is just an opinion Maj Gen Mahmoud Al-Dosari

Indian commits suicide in Fintas

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A 42-year-old Indian committed suicide in a Fintas. Paramedical staff learnt that she suffered a case of cardio-pulmonary attack, and admitted her to Adan Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Smoke inhalation A 37-year-old Egyptian and a 26-year-old firemen suffered a case of smoke inhalation and were administered treatment on the site in Farwaniya.

Motor accidents A 32-year-old Lebanese national sustained a broken right shoulder and other injuries to his body in a motorcycle accident that took place along the Fifth Ring Road near Amman Street exit. He was admitted to Mubarak Hospital.

In another case, a 61-year-old Iranian suffered spinal injury after his truck flipped over in Doha. He was admitted to Sabah Hospital.

Hit and run case A 39-year-old Bangladeshi was run over by a car in Mirqab near the Ministries Complex. He complained of a back injury and was admitted to Amiri Hospital.

By Abdullatif Al-Amairi

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everal opinions have appeared regarding recent political issues and some have attempted to use religion as a way to explain that grilling His Highness the Prime M inister Sheik h Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah is illegal. Some scholars and organizations made up their minds based on this issue that are unrealistic and untrue. We should not judge anything until we are fully aware of it from all sides and understand it thoroughly.

MPs have been given permission to practice their rights in the National Assembly and should not be accused of disobeying His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah for carrying out a grilling. A non-cooperation motion is just an opinion filed by a group of MPs. In the end it will be presented to His Highness the Amir for a final word on the matter.

The matter is nothing more than an opinion on His Highness the Prime Minister. Those who are asked to share their opinion or testify should be honest. We should not look at this issue from one angle because that would be unrealistic. One thing we should not forget is that Islam does not accept oppression or the mistreatment of people. Sharia Law came about to protect peoples’ honor. We must differentiate between condemning a wrong and disobeying the ruler.

Political work is permitted and is linked to peoples’ interests. We should not apply Sharia Law to political reality.—Al-Anba

KUWAIT: Kuwait residents witness a partial solar eclipse which started at 1042 local time and ended at 1334 hours yesterday. Experts said that about 43 per cent of the Sun was eclipsed in Kuwait. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

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Years

local Kuwait Digest

The needed wisdom

By Musa Maarafi

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n opinion is the result of a person’s attempt to analyze a topic from his own perspective. Therefore, no one has the right to interfere with a person’s own opinion or attempt to force their opinions on others as they only get to try to convince others of their own point of view in a tolerant manner.

Having a negative attitude against someone else just because they bear a different opinion than the one they have is considered a violation of people’s rights in addition to being in contradiction to religious and constitutional principles and the basics of humane treatment.

A lot of people in Kuwaiti society are not aware of the fact that any opinion is subject to the possibility of error. You can find them narrow-minded when it comes to accepting others opinions, to the point that they become fundamentalists in their claim to be calling for freedom of opinion.

This is evident in our current situation; people insult those with different opinions and accuse them of being wrong.

In light of the current situation regarding the aftermath of the interpellation against His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser AlMuhammad Al-Sabah, what we need is for some MPs to stop overreacting in offensive ways and rejecting different opinions.

This will only cause more hatred and lead toward a disintegrated society. This upcoming period requires wise individuals who are credible in their work and who refrain, albeit temporarily, from vengeful approaches.

Let Wednesday January 5 be a day for the start of a decision to adopt a work mentality based on giving top priority to the best interest of the country. Regardless of the outcome of the voting session on the non-cooperation motion against His Highness the Prime Minister, I believe that the National Action Bloc has suffered the most.

The way they handled the subject proved that they have a long way to go to reach political maturity. In my opinion, I believe that the Development and Reform Bloc and its member MP Faisal Al-Mislem are to blame for this whole uproar as well as the Popular Action Bloc whose leader should have come up with a wiser stance considering his political experience.

Can everyone put aside their differences for Kuwait’s benefit? Only time will tell. — Al-Qabas

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah hosted at Bayan Palace yesterday a ceremony marking the occasion of approving the credentials of new Ukrainian, Algerian, Venezuelan, South African and Hungarian ambassadors in Kuwait. The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, the Undersecretary of Amiri Diwan Ibrahim Al-Shatti, Director of His Highness the Amirís Office Ahmad Fahad Al-Fahad, Amiri Diwan Advisor Mohammad Abul Hasan, Head of the Amiri Protocols and Honorary Mission Sheikh Khalid Al-Abdullah Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah, Director of Ceremonies in the Foreign Ministry Dhari Ajran Al-Ajran, and Deputy Chief of the Amiri Guard Maj Gen Issa Ahmad Al-Smaitt.

Premier stresses commitment to Constitution, equality before law Respect for all MPs, opinions KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Constitution shall be upheld and honored at all times and the government is not about to forego democracy, and all citizens shall be equal before law so that all could enjoy stability and security, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was quoted as saying yesterday. Sheikh Nasser was speaking to Alam Alyawm newspaper, and stressed pure democratic practice involves commitment to legal and constitutional channels and respect of law. He said he shall face his interpellation and respect the result of the vote on the “non-cooperation” motion presented against him.

His Highness noted “democracy is not something we opt for when it meets our ends and shy away from it when it goes against our interests. True democracy is instilled in Kuwaiti politics, both leaders and subjects, and shall not be sacrificed.” His Highness also remarked he has no bad feelings for any party personally, and respects all

MPs and their opinions, whether those who are on his side or those in favor of the nonconfidence move.

“Difference in opinion shall not divide us, and MPs all have their views and values, which we respect, and we do not doubt that all are working to guarantee the homeland’s best interests out of their own unique perspectives.”

His Highness the premier expressed hope all would be able to turn a new page after the interpellation and that the legislative and executive authorities would resume cooperation and coordination for the nation’s benefit.

“The wheels of development are already turning, and we need everybody’s contribution to sustain progress and meet the expectations of the Kuwaiti people, which is the ultimate end of us all,” His Highness told the daily.

Meanwhile, with the Cabinet’s near victory in the non-cooperation motion to be voted during today’s parliament sessions, the Popular Action Bloc (PAB) and the

Development and Reform Bloc (DRB) are waiting for anti-government MPs’ next step.

These options include proceeding with a series of interpellation motions that target a number of ministers, as well as the option of tendering mass resignations. Meanwhile, garnering public support against the government is still being mulled over, according to hard-line MP Musallam Al-Barrak.

“We do not trust the government,” AlBarrak said, adding that “our confidence is huge in the public’s ability to lead [the Cabinet’s ousting].” The MP also noted that the coalition of oppositionists will meet to coordinate for the next step to be taken following the voting session, reported Al-Rai. The Cabinet is aware that the confrontation with anti-government MPs is not going to end with the interpellation series’ conclusion. According to an insider, preparations are already underway to initiate grilling motions.

These may be filed against the Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah,

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, Information and Oil Minister Bader AlShuraian, Electricity and Water Minister Moudhi Al-Hmoud Education Minister, Mustafa Al-Shamali Finance Minister, as well as the Minister of Public Works and Minister of Municipality Affairs, Dr Fadhel Safar.

Separately, media outlets were not allowed to cover a seminar that the National Democratic Alliance held recently with members from the National Action Bloc, the National Democratic Forum and other activists. That did not stop reports from reaching the media about a confrontation between NAB member MP Marzouq AlGhanim and pro-government MP Hassan AlQallaf who was a surprise guest at the seminar, reported Qabas.

Meanwhile, PAB leader asserted during his participation at a seminar held recently at the diwaniya of MP Falah Al-Sawwagh in AlFintas, that his bloc would continue to oppose the Cabinet after today’s session.

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wednesdAY, JAnUARY 5, 2011

local

kuwait digest

Young generations have right to better future

By Terki Al-Azmi s another year unfolds our younger generations witness the new year begin with a struggle on the local political scene. As they look ahead to the future, our kids are deprived of reasons to hope for better education, healthcare or housing.

Meanwhile, we grownups watch ministers face interpellations as MPs get lumped into strange categories, such as ‘MPs of tensions,’ ‘independent MPs,’ ‘Islamist MPs,’ etc. Since the generation of tomorrow derives their principles from the behavior of adults in the present, seeds with harmful concepts are being planted instead of productive ones.

With the start of 2011 we need a team of wise consultants that can give our decision makers an outline for correcting the mistakes that led to the country’s current problems, such as the rotten food and hiked prices in the marketplace.

Politicians want to practice their rights. In the meantime, we as citizens also demand our right to live in houses where our children can watch news about new medical facilities with a high level of professionalism, new schools with advanced technological educational curriculums, streets free of traffic jams, transactions that are finalized immediately in government departments using electronic systems.

We also demand our right to eat clean food and live in a country with a modern economic structure that is in line with global development.

Our children are urged to pursue their dreams and achieve academic accomplishments only to discover that unqualified personnel are being promoted to senior posts in the public sector due to favoritism. Our politicians are driving us to live 2011 the same way we did 2010. However, we have faith in God Almighty that change for the better is coming. —Al-Rai

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Two held for trading in stolen cars’ spare parts Forged Civil ID cards used KUWAIT: Two young Arab men were recently arrested in connection with trading in stolen cars’ spare parts.

Investigations went underway after several complaints were made by car rental agencies against two suspects who failed to return luxury vehicles they had rented.

Soon, investigations led police to two suspects, who were arrested following a monitoring phase while attempting to carry out another fraudulent transaction.

It was discovered that the civil identification card they produced was fake. During interrogation, the suspects confessed to stealing cars and selling their dismantled body parts for cash. They were referred to the Public Prosecution Department, reported Al-Rai. Also, Ahmadi investigators recently arrested a Ministry of Interior serviceman and a male accomplice for stealing sheep from jakhours (animal farms) in the Mina Abdullah port.

bor reported that foul odor emanated from the apartment. After forcibly entering the locked apartment, officials found the body of an 88-year-old woman.

Investigations revealed that she had succumbed to injuries sustained after slipping in the bathroom, reported Al-Watan.

An investigation has been launched into the case.

Mother found Police recently arrested a woman who had abandoned her six-month-old infant at a nursery in Khaitan a few days ago.

Investigations revealed the woman’s identity. She has criminal background and was recently released from jail, reported Al-Watan. After being interrogated, she confessed to committing the crime, and was taken into custody for further action.

Street fight Corpse found A senior female citizen’s corpse was found in her Salmiya apartment recently.

Officials reached the scene after a neigh-

A 45-year-old Bangladeshi man was admitted to Al-Adan hospital recently with a stab wound. He was attacked by a group of youngsters while guarding a

camp in Al-Julaia where he works as a janitor, reported Al-Watan.

Weapon smuggling Security officials at the Salmi border checkpoint arrested a citizen in his twenties after trying to smuggle a rifle into the country from Saudi Arabia. He hid the weapon inside his car’s trunk, reported AlWatan. He was referred to concerned authorities.

Son turns father in Police arrested a fugitive who is wanted in connection with an alimony case worth KD 7,000 after being turned in by his own son. Police received an emergency call from a young man, who divulged information on the whereabouts of the fugitive at a mall in Sharq, reported Al-Rai. Police learnt of the relationship shared between the suspect and the caller following the former’s arrest.

Murder attempt Police are currently looking for four assailants who attacked the brother of a

former MP in Salmiya and bled profusely from several stab wounds. The incident took place while the victim tried to edge his way out from the Ras Al-Ardh club.

The attackers confronted and stabbed him repeatedly with a knife before fleeing the scene. During investigations, the victim told police that he recognized the attackers as his brother’s friends, with whom they held a dispute a year ago, reported Al-Rai. They hinted that the attack was vengeful. An attempted murder case was filed.

Harasser held The watchman of a Shuwaikh building was arrested after attempting to rape an Asian maid. The suspect had escaped to his room after his assault attempt failed, reported Al-Rai. The victim’s sponsor confronted him after learning about the incident. The suspect challenged people ‘who can get him out of trouble.’ After heading to the police station, the sponsor was instructed to file his complaint with the Public Prosecution Department, who issued a subpoena.

Preparations underway for Informatics Award ceremony KUWAIT: Board of trustees of Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Informatics Award announced here yesterday that technical preparations are underway for holding the honoring ceremony of the award’s winners for 2011.

It added that honoring ceremony will be held under the patronage and in the presence of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah.

Director of the award Dr Khalil Abul said in a statement here yesterday that the award adopts the slogan of “Partners in Development” for this edition, “out of its conviction of the importance of making concerted efforts by individuals, govDr Khalil Abul ernmental bodies and civilian bodies within a partnership in which notions integrate, businesses support each others, and goals intermingle to catch up with state-of-the-art technological devices.”

Abul added that the award also aims at, “upgrading the skills of informatics and various domains of creativity, helping the Arab youth contribute to the development of informatics culture and developing the digital content of internet as well as furthering the spirit of competition in the field of information technology.”

He also asserted that the award proved, since its launch, its ability to help youth detect technical talents, develop their creative capabilities, and make use of their latent faculties in what serves their own personal interests and further boosts the development process.

The award also provided the care needed for investing the innovations of youth and employing them in the service of society.

Abul said that the award focuses on three aspects, first the informatics prizes, then the prizes related to the domains of informatics development, and last but not the least is the informatics knowledge prize.

Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Informatics Award is an independent nonprofit award that was founded by with a support from, and under the patronage of the national guard commander Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah in 2001, then it was expanded to include all the Arab countries in 2007. —KUNA

News

in brief

CCTVs to be installed KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water plans to install new Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs) at the country’s main power plants in an attempt to limit increasing incidents of looting and theft. Ali Al-Wazzan, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Water for Distribution Grids Affairs made this announcement, reported Al-Watan. Al-Wazzan added that this move is part of the ministry’s efforts to exercise more control over various power plants and prevent robberies. They said that CCTVs have already been installed at two of the plants. This is in order to try the new system and link the cameras to the main control center pending linkage with the GCC Control Center.

Support for local products KUWAIT: The Kuwait Industries Union (KIU) has submitted a detailed insight into the new draft law that was submitted by the government for Central Tenders Committee (CTC), in which they asserted on the importance of promoting national products. The KIU report asserts on the importance of enforcing the new law after 12 years. MPs have requested that the current law maintain the integrity of executing projects and protect public funds, reported Al-Qabas. In their vision, the KIU insisted on encouraging local products by calling them to be accorded priority in tenders, noting that this concept goes in line with the approach adopted by the government in supporting national industries.

Fahad Al-Ahmad charitable prize KUWAIT: Fahad Al-Ahmad international charitable prize is aimed at contributing to social and economic development via encouraging those willing to help lend a hand to the poor, said an official here yesterday.

Secretary of the prize event Dr. Shbaib Al-Zu’bi said in a press conference yesterday morning that the public and private sectors should both contribute to the charitable and relief aid domains due their tight links to development and integration plans. He affirmed that major international organizations such as the OIC, the UN, and others had recognized the event within its annual agency, hoping that it would contribute to the welfare of people worldwide.

Kuwait’s past, present, future displayed at Dubai’s Global Village

KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait hosted a team of students from the Sabahiya elementary school.

They studied the efforts taken by the bank to spread environmental awareness by adopting recycling and other eco-friendly activities, as well as organize several activities like beach cleaning campaigns.

Enas Mohammed Hasan wins $30,000 weekly cash prize KUWAIT: Zain is happy to announce that Enas Mohammed Rajab is the final winner of the $ 30,000 cash prize in the weekly draw of its 2010 launched promotional campaign, aimed at both its prepaid eeZee and postpaid voice and data customers.

The campaign, which ended

December 31st 2010, allowed every Zain customer recharging or settling an invoice of KD 5/- or more to be part of the draw, which offered weekly cash prizes wor th US$ 30,000.00 and the chance to win the grand prize of a Ferrari California.

Zain congratulates the winner

and thanks all its customers that participated in the campaign by simply recharging or setting their bills on time. Zain launched this campaign to create a totally a new dimension in its devoted relationship with customers.

DUBAI: The past, present and future of Kuwait is currently being displayed at Dubai’s Global Village, the most popular outdoor cultural entertainment and shopping venue that has received millions of international guests over the last 13 years.

The Kuwait pavilion at the Global village, which remains open between Nov 10, 2010 and Feb 28, 2011, is composed of a number of partitions showing samples of Kuwait’s cultural life and businesses.

Official in charge of the pavilion, Aysha Al-Rasheid said that the participation was not only aimed at expressing Kuwait’s past but also to highlight the deep rooted relations tying Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

A number of government institutions, including the Kuwait News Agency, the Higher Institution for Musical Arts and the Kuwait Formative Art Society are part of the pavilion.

Kuwaiti entertainment artists, singers and dancers also perform their works on daily basis. Photos of Kuwaiti famous actors and their works are being displayed at the pavilion. KUNA photo department is also showing a host of documentaries on the Kuwait-UAE relations.

The pavilion is designed in a way that takes visitors back to old Kuwaiti houses, streets and shops, Kuwaiti craft artist Jamal Al-Ali said. Artists display several works showing the crafts and trades of old Kuwait, he added.

At least 14 singers and teachers from the Kuwait Music Institution are participating in the pavilion.

Folkloric dances and songs are being conducted as well.

Kuwait has been taking part in the activities of the Global Village since its launch. Global Village attracted 4.4 million visitors in 2009. —KUNA

International WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

Iran invites Russia, China to nuke sites, but not US

Gbagbo rival rejects talks offer to end I Coast crisis Page 8

US slams Tehran’s move as mere ‘antics’ TEHRAN: Iran said yesterday it will open its atomic sites to some world powers, in a rare move swiftly dismissed as “antics’ by the United States, which along with Britain, France and Germany, is not invited. Foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said invitations to visit Iran’s nuclear sites in Natanz and Arak have been sent to ambassadors of some of the nations represented in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Diplomatic sources at the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna, said that invitations had gone out to Russia, China, Egypt and Cuba as well as to Hungary as rotating president of the European Union. However, the sources said the United States, Britain, France and Germany were not on the list.

The unusual move to open up its facilities comes as Tehran works to garner support for its atomic drive in the run-up to talks with the six world powers in Turkey at the end of January. “The representatives of some European Union countries, NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) and some representatives of the five-plus-one (six world powers) have been invited to visit our nuclear sites,” Mehmanparast told a news conference. When asked whether the United States was invited for the trip, he said “the list of the countries invited .... will be unveiled when it is finalised”.

The US State Department in Washington reacted to the announcement by saying the planned tour amounted to mere “antics” and was no substitute for cooperation with the UN watchdog. “We’ve seen these antics by Iran before,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told AFP, adding “it is an attempt to distract from its failure to live up to its obligations to the IAEA.” Mehmanparast told reporters in Tehran the initiative was part of Iran’s attempt to cooperate with the IAEA and showed “the goodwill of our country and the peaceful and cooperative nature of our (nuclear) activities”. ISNA news agency cited Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asgar Soltanieh, as saying the visit was scheduled for Jan 15-16 and would be to the country’s main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and the heavy water facility at Arak. Such visits to Iran’s atomic facilities are rare and the last trip which Tehran arranged for members of the IAEA dates back to Feb 2007. The proposed new visit to the nuclear facilities in central Iran, Mehmanparast said, is to “take place before the Istanbul meeting,” for which a final date has yet to be fixed.

Iran and Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany are to meet for another round of talks on Tehran’s atomic programme. The previous round of talks, after a 14-month hiatus, was held in Geneva on Dec 6-7. The talks are aimed at ascertaining whether Iran is seeking nuclear weapons or is indeed looking only to meet the energy needs of its growing population, as it insists. Ahmadinejad was adamant yesterday that the West had made a mistake by confronting Iran over its atomic program. “You should accept that you have made mistakes. You should accept that you chose the wrong path,” the hardliner said in a speech in his hometown of Semnan that was broadcast live on state television.

The “previous path (of confronting Tehran) will have no result but defeat,” the president said.

According to a US diplomatic cable made available by WikiLeaks yesterday, Ahmadinejad faces pressure at home against a nuclear fuel exchange deal with the world powers.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in a meeting with a senior US envoy, said Ahmadinejad was facing “serious domestic problems inside Iran,” in the Nov 2009 cable on the whistle-blowing website. He was quoted as saying that Turkish officials “actually see Ahmadinejad as ‘more flexible’ than others who are inside the Iranian government”. The president was up against “huge pressure” because a nuclear exchange deal which has been on the table for more than a year would be “interpreted by some circles in Iran as a virtual defeat.” The United States has not ruled out a military strike to stop Iran’s growing nuclear program under Ahmadinejad, and Tehran has been slapped with four sets of UN sanctions. — AFP

JUBA: The President of the Republic of Sudan Omar al-Bashir, center, is escorted by Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Vice President of the Republic of Sudan, left, as he arrives at the airport in the southern Sudanese capital of Juba yesterday. —AP

I’ll support south if it secedes: Bashir JUBA: In a rare visit to a region with which he once fought a civil war, Sudan’s president said yesterday he is ready to welcome and assist Southern Sudan as a new country if it votes for independence in a referendum scheduled for next week.

President Omar al-Bashir was all smiles as he walked on a red carpet after landing in Juba, the capital of the oil-rich south. As a gesture of respect, he put a traditional blue southern robe over his suit. An honor guard of troops and a marching band serenaded him as Southern Sudanese President Salva Kiir welcomed him. Hundreds of pro-independence demonstrators chanted and waved placards outside the airpor t.

“Welcome to the 193rd country,” one sign read, referring to Southern Sudan’s hopes to become the world’s newest nation. The result of the weeklong referendum that begins Sunday is widely expected to be for independence, splitting Africa’s largest nation in two.

“Imposing unity by force doesn’t work,”

al-Bashir later told southern officials and civil society leaders in Juba. “We want unity between the north and the south but this doesn’t mean opposing the desire of the southern citizen.” Al-Bashir has only recently begun publicly referring to the possibility that the south might secede and offering to support the new nation. His Khartoumbased government repeatedly sought to delay the vote, citing logistical difficulties and unresolved disputes. Khar toum obstructed a census held in 2008 by refusing to share data with the south and even launched several bombing raids in southern territory in early December.

The international community, including the United States, is paying close attention to preparations for the referendum, for which nearly 4 million people in the south have registered to vote, and says it must come off on time. Al-Bashir is expected to discuss several issues with southern Sudanese leaders during his visit to Juba, including the status of the disputed border

Israel arrests 2 UK consulate workers in Jerusalem LONDON: Two local maintenance workers at the UK consulate in Jerusalem have been arrested by Israeli authorities on suspicion of selling weapons to Hamas militants, officials said Monday.

The arrests come after Israel’s Shin Bet secu-

rity service on Sunday disclosed that two alleged militants operating in east Jerusalem were arrested in November and indicted for buying weapons and planning to carry out attacks. Israeli authorities have alleged the militants were scouting locations for an attack,

JERUSALEM: In these photos made available by Israeli security officials yesterday Moussa Hamadeh (R) and Bassam Omri (L), who they say are the main suspects involved in planning Hamas attacks in Jerusalem are seen.—AP

including the possibility of allegedly launching a missile at a packed soccer stadium in Israel during a match. Three other men were charged with arms dealing in the same case, according to a statement from the Shin Bet. An Israeli diplomat said Monday he believes the two British consulate employees , confirmed by the British Foreign Office as Mohammed Hamadeh and Bilal Bakhatan , are linked to the Hamas plot. A British Foreign Office spokesman said he believes the two maintenance workers are being investigated for allegedly selling illegal weapons, but that the UK is seeking confirmation from Israel. “We are trying to figure out exactly what was their relation to this group of Hamas activists,” the Israeli diplomat said on customary condition of anonymity. He added that an investigation was ongoing.

Israeli authorities have told British officials that the arrests are unrelated to the men’s work at the consulate, a spokesman for Britain’s Foreign Office said. The British spokesman, also speaking on condition of anonymity according to departmental protocol, said the men were both local hires and were arrested last month.

He said the UK it is awaiting confirmation of their nationalities.

He added that Britain has confidence in the vetting process for all its employees at consulates and embassies, which is under constant review. He said “events like these” arrests will be looked at as part of the continual review.—AP

region of Abyei, which is rich in oil reserves.

Al-Bashir said that if the south votes to secede from Sudan, “We will come to you and celebrate ... we will not hold a mourning tent.” “We will be happy to achieve the real peace and final peace for all citizens in the north and the south,” he added, pledging Khartoum’s support for “anything you need.” The referendum is the result of a 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of civil war between the mainly Christian south and the mainly Muslim north. Some 2 million people died in the conflict.

Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, for alleged war crimes in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. U.N. officials say the war in Dar fur has claimed at least 300,000 lives since it began in 2003 through violence, disease and displacement. AlBashir and two other men linked to his government have refused to appear before the court or recognize its jurisdiction.

Southern Sudan’s Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said that southerners should welcome the president’s visit after al-Bashir said earlier this week that he would be the first to recognize an independent south.

Election observers have said they hope the polls will be peaceful, but independent militias might threaten to cause disturbances in some areas.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said yesterday that Beijing is sending observers to Southern Sudan for the vote. China’s interest in Africa’s largest country is high and it has been seeking strong relations with officials in both Sudan’s north and south ahead of the vote. Sudan is subSaharan Africa’s third-largest oil producer.

Diplomats have said that if the south votes for independence, both sides must work out a way to prevent conflict. Southern Sudan has most of the nation’s oil, but the north has most of the infrastructure _ including a pipeline that leads to a port. — AP

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

Israel’s Netanyahu asks Obama to pardon spy White House reviewing request JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked US President Barack Obama to pardon an American who spied for the Jewish state, and the White House said yesterday it was reviewing the request. “Two weeks ago I received a letter from the prison, from Jonathan (Pollard), which asked me to request openly-I emphasise openly-as prime minister of Israel, for the president of the United States to make an official request for his release,” Netanyahu told parliament yesterday evening.

“I would like to read to you the letter that I sent to President Obama in the matter of Jonathan,” he continued. “‘Honourable president, in the name of the Israeli people I am turning to you to request a pardon for Jonathan Pollard.’ “‘At the time of his arrest Jonathan was acting as an agent of the government of Israel, although Israel did not in any way direct its intelligence efforts against the United States,’” Netanyahu said. “‘(Israel) acted mistakenly and totally unacceptably,’” he added. “‘Both Mr Pollard and the government of Israel have repeatedly expressed their regret at these actions and Israel

will keep to its pledge that such things will never happen again.’” In Washington, a White House official confirmed receipt of the message. “We have received the letter and will review it,” the official said. Pollard, a former US Navy analyst, is serving a life sentence for passing thousands of secret documents about American spy activities in the Arab world to Israel between May 1984 and his arrest in November 1985.

The issue of Pollard, a US-born Jew who was given Israeli citizenship while in prison, has been a thorn in the side of relations between Israel and its main ally Washington. His arrest sparked a crisis in ties that only ended with Israel promising to end all espionage activities on US soil. But Israelis say Pollard’s punishment and the longstanding US refusal to commute his sentence have been particularly harsh, given that he gave information to a friendly nation.

Israeli prime ministers have repeatedly tried, in vain, to secure Pollard’s release. Netanyahu last month announced his intention to make a public plea to Obama for Pollard’s release and the US State Department issued a non-committal

response after Netanyahu announced his intentions. “If such a request were formally made, there’s obviously a legal process that would be undertaken to evaluate it,” spokesman Philip Crowley said at the time.

Crowley He did not rule out the prospect that Pollard’s case could be looked at in a broader light. “In the context of advancing Middle East peace, if either the Palestinians or the Israelis want to raise with us issues of importance to them, we will consider all of this as we try to get them to an agreement,” he said then. “If the Israeli government makes a formal request, there is a legal process overseen by the Department of Justice to evaluate such requests,” he added.

Netanyahu’s decision to appeal publicly to Obama came after a meeting with Pollard’s wife, Esther, in Jerusalem last month, during which she gave Netanyahu a letter from her husband. Netanyahu at the time said the decision “was made following a series of talks and contacts which the prime minister and his representatives have held on the issue in recent months with senior US administration officials.”— AFP

Jordan charges 4 with plans to attack foreigners AMMAN: Jordan’s military prosecutor has charged four militants with planning to attack US and other foreign troops abroad. The four were charged late Monday with intent to join armed groups abroad fighting a holy war, or jihad. The armed groups were not identified. The military prosecutor says three of the militants were arrested in the fall upon returning to Jordan from Syria and Turkey, where they awaited instructions from the fourth militant.

He remains at large.

Netanyahu, Abbas speak in condolence call JERUSALEM: Israel’s prime minister has called the Palestinian president to express condolences on the death of his brother. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rarely speak. Peace talks have come to a halt and the two leaders have not met since September. Netanyahu’s office says the Israeli leader told Abbas yesterday that he believed that with “effort and shared will” the sides could make peace. The death of Abbas’ brother Monday led to another conversation between rivals, when the leader of Hamas in Gaza called Monday to offer condolences. It was the first time the two rival Palestinian leaders had spoken since Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.

Radical Palestinian official dies in Lebanon BEIRUT: The radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine says one of its founders, Ahmed Yamani, has died in Beirut after a stroke. He was 86. Yamani, also known as Abu Maher Yamani, died Monday in a Beirut hospital. The PFLP was launched by the late Palestinian leader George Habash in December 1967, six months after the Arabs lost the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Syria’s Golan Heights to Israel. The PFLP is a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. It gained notoriety for the 1970 hijackings of four Western airliners over the United States, Europe, the Far East and the Persian Gulf. The aircraft were blown up in the Middle East after passengers and crews disembarked. Yamani will be buried in Beirut today.

Iranian hard-liners blocked nuke deal DUBAI: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sought some kind of nuclear fuel swap deal more than a year ago, but faced internal pressures from hard-liners who viewed it as a “virtual defeat,” according to US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks. The report, available on the WikiLeaks website yesterday, also suggested Iran trusted its arch-foe the United States more than ally Russia to follow through with the UNbacked proposal: providing reactor-ready fuel in exchange for Iran giving up control of its lowenriched uranium stockpile.

The assessment was given to a top US envoy

by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, whose nation has a growing friendship with Tehran and is scheduled to host the next round of nuclear talks later this month between Iran and six world powers, including the United States.

The fuel swap proposal is a centerpiece of efforts for greater international controls on Iran’s nuclear program, which the West and others fear could lead to development of atomic weapons. Iran insists it only seeks reactors for power and research.

The UN plan in 2009 called for Iran to ship its low-enriched uranium out of the country and receive nuclear fuel ready for use. Iran balked at the proposal and outlined alternative fuel swaps involving allies Brazil and Turkey. But the six nations , the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany , said the offers fell short of their demands.

In late 2009, Davutoglu told visiting Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon that Iran’s government was willing to work out some kind of fuel swap arrangement, but Ahmadinejad was facing “huge pressures” at home, according to the secret memo. Davutoglu was quoted as saying that the proposal deal was “interpreted by some circles in Iran as a virtual defeat” by Western pressures.

The cable said Turkish officials had asked Ahmadinejad “if the core of the issue is psychological rather than substance.” “Ahmadinejad had said ‘yes,’ that the Iranians agree to the proposal but need to manage the public perception,” the message said, adding that Turkish officials consider Ahmadinejad as “more flexible than others who are inside the Iranian government.” It also noted that it appears the Iranians have “more trust” in the US envoys than British negotiators and “the Iranians would also prefer to get fuel from the US rather than the Russians.” The talks between Iran and the world powers resumed in Geneva last month after an impasse lasting more than a year.

Iran pressed hard to have the second round in Turkey, which has developed close economic and political ties with Iran. The leaked cable said the US diplomat Gordon noted that Washington believes Turkey can be “helpful as a mediator” with Iran, but he also pushed for a stronger Turkish stance on Iran’s nuclear efforts. It quoted the Turkish foreign minister as replying: “Only Turkey can speak bluntly and critically to the Iranians ... but only because Ankara is showing public messages of friendship.”— AP

in the news

ABIDJAN: Alassane Ouattara, right, recognized internationally as Ivory Coast’s elected leader, meets with a group of ambassadors to the Ivory Coast, including U.S. Ambassador Phillip Carter, left, at the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast yesterday. — AP

Gbagbo rival rejects talks offer to end I Coast crisis ABUJA: Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo has agreed to negotiate a resolution without preconditions to the crisis gripping his country and lift a siege on his rival’s headquarters, mediators said yesterday. But an aide to Alassane Ouatarra, the man the world says won November’s election, accused Gbagbo of playing for time and insisted the embattled leader step down to end the five-week stand-off in which almost 200 people have died.

“All we’re waiting for is for him to go,” Ouattara aide Ali Coulibaly told AFP. “ The rest is of no interest to us.”

“Gbagbo is trying to put people’s consciences to sleep. His word has no importance of any kind. What does a peaceful solution mean? We want Gbagbo to go, that’s all,” Coulibaly said.

A day after intensive talks with both Gbagbo and Ouatarra, a group of African leaders said the embattled incumbent had promised that the dispute would be settled peacefully.

“Mr Laurent Gbagbo agreed to negotiate a peaceful end to the crisis without any preconditions,” the African Union and ECOWAS mediators said in a joint statement. “He (Gbagbo) also pledged to immediately lift the blockade around Hotel du Golf, the temporary HQ of Mr Alassane Ouattara, the president-elect,” it said.

ECOWAS stressed that military intervention in Ivory Coast was still an option if talks failed to end the impasse, while the African Union envoy, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, excluded any kind

of power-sharing deal. “A military option is still on the cards,” the regional commission’s chief James Victor Gbeho said.

“It is without doubt that the ECOWAS position is that if there is no joy in exploiting the peaceful situation then the military objective can also be considered as a tool for sustainable resolution of the crisis,” Gbeho said.

West African regional military chiefs met in Abuja last week and set in motion plans to oust Gbagbo if negotiations fail, according to a Nigerian defence spokesman. A follow-up meeting to fine-tune the “last-resort” plan is scheduled for January 17 and 18 in Mali.

Odinga, who himself became premier as part of a power-sharing agreement after a disputed December 2007 presidential election that sparked deadly riots, said power-sharing would not be possible.

Odinga has repeatedly complained that he and his party got the rough end of the stick in the agreement. “I did tell him (Gbagbo) that that option is not available here. The Kenyan solution is not really a solution at all. If followed, it will actually hamper the democratisation process on the continent,” he told journalists. Ouattara has been blockaded by Gbagbo’s forces at an Abidjan resort hotel throughout the five-week crisis, protected by UN troops and allied former rebel fighters from the north of the formerly divided country.

Coulibaly said that “the situation is the same” around the Golf Hotel despite the reported pledge of an immediate lifting of the blockade. Nigeria’s presi-

dent, who also heads the ECOWAS regional bloc, said earlier that the crisis was deadlocked and the current head of the African Union voiced dismay over the slow pace of negotiations. “There is still a stalemate,” President Goodluck Jonathan told reporters after talks with the envoys. “Don’t expect that if there is a major crisis in a country, you just jump in in one week and that matter is resolved. It takes a lot of international pressure to convince people like that,” Jonathan said.

With the clock ticking, a senior US State Depar tment official said that Gbagbo, who has relatives in Atlanta, Georgia, could seek refuge there but that the offer would not last long. Ivory Coast ’s Independent Elec toral Commission as well as the UN declared Ouattara the winner of the November 28 runoff poll, while the Constitutional Council said that Gbagbo won.

Both men have been sworn in as president and Gbagbo claims there is an international plot to depose him after more than a decade in power. Gbagbo, who retains control of the army, rejected the ECOWAS attempt last week to persuade him to step down and end the crisis that has sparked international condemnation and fears of a civil war. The UN says that at least 179 people have been killed in post-election violence but that it has been unable to fully investigate because of attacks on its personnel, while UN rapporteurs said they feared the violations being committed amounted to “crimes against humanity”. — AFP

Nigeria: Security force kills 3 in northern cinema MAIDUGURI: Police say that security officers have killed three people after opening fire in a local cinema in northeastern Nigeria. The Borno State police chief said yesterday that a joint police and army force was chasing a man suspected to belong to a radical Muslim sect accused of a rash of targeted killings. Mohammed Abubakar said the suspect took refuge in the movie theater and refused to come out. He said that the security officers killed three bystanders and arrested seven suspected sect members, including the man they were chasing. He offered no apology for the extrajudicial killings, saying: “We have to defend ourselves.”

Police accuse members of a radical sect known as Boko Haram of a spate of killings which have targeted security officers and community leaders in recent months.

US fugitive commits suicide in Israeli prison JERUSALEM: An Israeli doctor fighting extradition to the United States on murder charges has committed suicide in a Jerusalem jail, Israeli prison officials said yesterday. The Prison Authority said Dr. Eugene Perchikov, who was accused of killing two women in New York, bled to death after cutting himself with a prison-issued razor blade while his cellmates slept on Sunday. A guard inspecting the cell 10 minutes earlier found nothing wrong. Authority Spokesman Yaron Zamir said the facial razor was tiny, but that “he was a doctor, and he knew how to do it.” He said medics treated Perchikov for 20 to 30 minutes before declaring him dead.

No foul play was suspected. According to Israeli extradition papers, Perchikov, 61, was born in Russia, became a doctor and received an Israeli medical license after immigrating to Israel. The Israeli documents said Perchikov, who also used the Hebrew name Eyal Shachar, frequently visited New York and was a permanent resident of the US The New York Daily News reported that US authorities believe he poisoned two women to death, and collected $1 million in life insurance on one of the victims, 46-year-old Larysa Vasserman.

The Israeli Justice Ministry said the state attorney asked a Jerusalem court in December to extradite Perchokov following an American request, but the process was still in early stages. An Israeli extradition petition listed 10 charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, insurance fraud and auto theft.— AP

Egypt’s Pope says state must address Copts woes

QALQILYA: Palestinian children hold torches during a rally marking the 46th anniversary of the Fatah movement foundation, in the West Bank town of Qalqilya yesterday. — AP

CAIRO: In rare criticism, the head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church has called on the government to address Christian grievances about discrimination _ and urged his flock to quell violent rioting over a New Year’s Day church bombing in Alexandria that killed 21. Investigators said Monday that they were focusing on unidentified remains from the bombing, including a severed head, that may be linked to the attacker, a security official said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the worst on Egyptian Christians in a decade, but security officials now say police are looking at homegrown Islamic extremists, perhaps inspired by Al-Qaeda.

Typically in suicide bombings, the head of the attacker is flung away by the blast but remains in one piece, and police are now trying to reconstruct the face, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The interview Monday with Coptic Pope Shenouda III on state television came as hundreds of predominantly Christian protesters clashed with riot police in northern Cairo in latenight protests over government policies. The 87year-old church leader appealed to the government to address Christian complaints, especially of laws restricting freedom of worship.

“The state also has a duty. It must see to the problems of the Copts and try to resolve them,”

CAIRO: Angry Copts carry a picture of Jesus Christ and chant anti government slogans during a protest before clashing with Egyptian riot police, unseen in Cairo, Egypt late Monday. — AP Shenouda said. “If there are laws that is an unjust to some, the state should correct many laws.

The pope said the unprecedented attack on the Saints Church in Alexandria had “caused panic” among Muslims and Christians, but he appealed for calm among his flock and warned that political activists might use protests to push their anti-government agenda.

“Problems are solved with calm and communication, not with anger and emotions,” he said, while acknowledging that the tensions were fed by the Christian community’s long-standing grievances.

“There are laws that are painful to some, and despite our commitment to the laws, the pain is still there, and this needs to be addressed,” he said, while counseling patience to Christians.—AP

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Venezuelan ex-leader’s burial in limbo due to feud CARACAS: A bitter dispute between relatives of former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez has derailed a plan to send his body from Miami to Venezuela, leaving the former leader’s burial in limbo. Perez’s family in Caracas said in a statement Monday that the plan to fly the body to the capital was canceled because Perez’s longtime companion and daughters in the United States said

through their lawyers that they had never agreed to transferring his remains to Venezuela. That decision broke with an apparent agreement reached between relatives in the US and Venezuela last week for the body to be buried in Caracas.

A planned burial was halted in Miami last week after the former president’s estranged wife in Caracas, Blanca Rodriguez de Perez,

persuaded a court in Miami to issue an order stopping it. Relatives on both sides said then that they would resolve the issue and agree on when the body would be sent to Venezuela.

Perez died on Dec 25 at age 88 in Miami, where he had lived for much of the past decade with his longtime companion and former secretary Cecilia Matos, with whom he had

two daughters. Perez’s family in the US had maintained before last week’s funeral that he had wanted to be buried in Venezuela only when President Hugo Chavez is no longer in power.

Rodriguez, who lives in Venezuela, has maintained she has the right to decide what happened to Perez’s body because, while the two were separated, they never

legally divorced. One of his daughters in Caracas, Carolina Perez, told the Venezuelan television channel Globovision on Monday night that her family is confused by the decision of Perez’s relatives in the US, and called it a painful situation for the family.

“What we want is for our father to come here to Venezuela ... for his soul to rest in peace here, in the

country in which he fought all his life,” she said. Meanwhile, Perez’s embalmed body remained in a funeral home in Miami, said grandson Gabriel Perez, who had planned to help coordinate the transfer to Caracas. “We have no other recourse than to continue in court” and dispute the matter, Perez told The Associated Press by telephone from London, where he lives. —AP

EU eyes return to Belarus sanctions Concerns rising over crackdown on Belarus opposition

HONOLULU: President Barack Obama talks with media aboard Air Force One soon after leaving at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu on Monday en route to Washington after a family vacation. — AP

Obama back to confront new Republican House WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama landed in a gathering political storm yesterday, ending his Hawaii vacation with zealous Republicans ready to take a share of power and training their sights on the White House. Obama returned to Washington on a crisp morning with wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia, after 11 days in his balmy native state, to confront the uneasy political reality thrown up by November’s congressional elections.

Today, Republican leader John Boehner will be sworn in as speaker of the House of Representatives, while his colleagues will trim the Democratic majority in the Senate with an influx of new conservative members. House Republicans, seeking to sap Obama’s new political momentum and cancel out his legislative wins, have already scheduled a vote to repeal his historic health care reform bill next week and plan a flurry of oversight probes.

Speculation is also swirling about a rejigging of Obama’s inner circle with Clinton-era commerce secretar y and Chicago political veteran William Daley being tipped to serve as a new chief of staff. As he headed back to Washington on Air Force One, Obama told reporters he expected the normal hurly-burly of politics to resume with Republicans playing to their conservative base, but warned American voters expected action.

“I’m pretty confident that they’re going to recognize that our job is to govern and make sure that we are delivering jobs for the American people and that we’re creating a competitive economy for the 21st century-not just for this generation, but the next one.”

But senior Republicans are also planning constant conflict over spending plans and the role and size of government, in a far cry from the Democratic dominance Obama enjoyed in the first two years of his presidency.

An enthused freshman class of conservative lawmakers is meanwhile convinced voters gave them a mandate to rein in Obama’s presidency, slash spending and repeal the health care law.

Obama however says the election showed that voters wanted Republicans and Democrats to work together to heal the economy. Some observers see Obama seeking the political center ground, in the knowledge that his 2012 reelection hopes

may rest with independent voters who could be alienated if Republicans appease the radical right.

Obama returned to Washington in better political shape than many observers thought possible, after his string of late 2010 political wins confounded narratives of a diminished presidency. If he decides to pick Daley to serve as chief of staff Obama could simultaneously make a gesture to the political center, and to big business, with which he has had strained ties in recent months.

Daley is currently working for finance giants JP Morgan & Chase and is a noted free trade advocate, as well as being a member of a famed Chicago political dynasty. In another personnel move, Vice President Joe Biden announced yesterday that his chief of staff Ron Klain was leaving the administration after providing “invaluable” service over the past two years.

Obama is also expected to soon name a new chief for his National Economic Council following the departure of Lawrence Summers last year. Former Clinton-era official Gene Sperling is seen as a possible replacement.

Several key Obama staffers, including his political guru David Axelrod are expected to decamp to Chicago to launch a 2012 reelection campaign. And David Plouffe, the political strategist who masterminded the vaunted state-by-state ground game in Obama’s 2008 election triumph, will meanwhile start work at the White House after two years on the sidelines.

Even before Obama arrived back at the White House, senior Republicans sent clear signals that the president would face a sapping two-year battle to secure his previous legislative triumphs. A Republican spokesman said the new House would vote next week to repeal Obama’s signature health care reform, which provided near universal coverage and regulated insurance firms. “ObamaCare is a job killer for businesses small and large, and the top priority for House Republicans is going to be to cut spending and grow the economy and jobs,” said Brad Dayspring, spokesman for Republican Majority Leader-elect Eric Cantor. Though the health care repeal vote will grab headlines, it is largely symbolic as Democrats still control the Senate, though with a reduced majority, and Obama can wield his presidential veto.— AFP

35 opposition activists arrested in Russia MOSCOW: Russian police said yesterday they had arrested 35 activists gathered outside the prison where prominent Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov is being detained. “Thirty-five participants in an unauthorized rally in front of the prison on boulevard Simferopol number 7 were transferred to the police station,” a police spokesperson told Ria Novosti news agency, adding that they would be fined.

The activists gathered yesterday to support Nemtsov, who was arrested on December 31 at a rally and sentenced on Sunday to a 15-day detention for having “disobeyed police.” The dissident writer Eduard Limonov, leader of the youth wing of the liberal Yabloko group Ilya Yashin, and opponent

Konstantin Kossiakine are also currently serving fiveto ten-day detentions. All four were arrested on December 31, an annual event when opposition leaders call regular demonstrations on that day in honor of Article 31 of the constitution, granting Russians freedom of assembly. Russian police arrested 68 people in Moscow and 50 more in Saint-Petersburg.

Moscow authorities have until recent months refused to sanction such rallies, prompting frequent scuffles with the police.

But there was confusion at the December 31 demonstrations on Triumfalnaya Square in Moscow when a gathering headed by Nemtsov was authorised, whereas a separate Limonov-led rally at the same location was banned. — AFP

BRUSSELS: The European Union may reinstate a visa ban on President Alexander Lukashenko and other Belarus officials, because of a crackdown on the opposition after December’s presidential vote, EU diplomats said yesterday. The 27-member bloc imposed sanctions on Belarus after a disputed ballot in 2006 but suspended their application in 2008 in order to encourage democratic reforms.

EU governments have grown increasingly concerned over human rights violations in Belarus in recent weeks that included the detention of opposition leaders and journalists. Senior EU diplomats are expected to discuss rela-

tions with Belarus in the next few days, and this could lead to the reimposition of sanctions in the coming weeks. “The majority of EU governments back severing relations with Belarus, in other words, reimposing sanctions,” said one EU diplomat.

The German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung cited government sources this week as saying German Chancellor Angela Merkel was among EU leaders pushing for sanctions against Belarus. In a sign of growing international outcry, press freedom groups also urged Minsk yesterday to free dozens of journalists they said are still in custody. The New

York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called on the EU to link its diplomatic relations with Minsk to their release.

On Monday, Belarus freed one of five opposition presidential candidates it has held since the election.

But it has also decided to shut down a mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe after OSCE monitors criticized as “flawed” the vote that handed Lukashenko a fourth term in office. Lithuania, which took over the OSCE’s rotating presidency on Jan 1, called on Belarus on Monday to reverse the closure of the OSCE mission and release the detained opposition candidates. But, taking

a stance at odds with some of its EU partners, it said a policy of isolating Belarus would not be the right way to persuade Minsk to improve its human rights record. “Isolation of Belarus has not brought the desired results. Actions of Belarusian authorities against those representatives of the society, media, who took part in demonstrations, and arrests and use of physical power, complicate cooperation with Belarus authorities, but not with the Belarusian people,” Lithuanian presidential spokesman Linas Balsys said. Lithuania said it was taking unspecified “diplomatic steps” to persuade Minsk to change its mind.— Reuters

Cuba’s tobacco company sues US shop over name PLYMOUTH: A cigar lounge in suburban Detroit is decorated with paintings and photos of famous people with a stogie: John F Kennedy, Winston Churchill, even the 1950s Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. “We have only one thing in common,” said owner Ismail Houmani, a US war veteran, pointing at a cigar in the fingers of Guevara, a Marxist rebel. Cuba, however, believes the shop has too much common with its own famous cigar business.

Cuba’s government-owned tobacco company is suing Houmani in federal court in Detroit, claiming the name of his four shops, La Casa De La Habana, is illegal because it’s too similar to its own franchised shops, known around the world as La Casa del Habano.

Cuba, of course, can’t do business in America because of a nearly 50-yearold trade embargo imposed after Fidel Castro, with Guevara’s help, turned the Caribbean island into a socialist state. Nonetheless, Cubatabaco claims it still has a right to protect its US trademark even if it can’t export prized Cuban cigars to US shores. “I love cases like this,” US District Judge Stephen Murphy III told both sides last year. “I find it to be extremely interesting and challenging.” Houmani’s lawyer, Brad Smith, wonders

DETROIT: Ismail Houmani, founder and director of La Casa De La Habana, enjoys a cigar at his establishment on Dec 22, 2010 in Detroit. Cuba’s government-controlled tobacco company is suing the owner of cigar shops in the Detroit area, claiming his business’ name is too similar to its own global franchise. — AP why Cuba would care about a Michigan cigar lounge.

“Small potatoes,” he said in an interview.

Cubatabaco’s lawyer, David Goldstein of New York, said in court that a trademark must be protected or “what I have is a worthless piece of paper.” In Plymouth, a suburb west of Detroit, La Casa De La Habana has been open about a decade. A climatecontrolled humidor displays dozens of cigars, some costing $38 each, from

Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

There is walk-in business, but customers also can have their own gym-lockersized humidor with a nameplate for $100 a month.

There are televisions, leather couches and an espresso bar. In downtown Detroit, Houmani runs a 7,000-square-foot (650square meter) location offering martinis, live music and local handmade cigars stuffed with imported tobacco. “Over a cigar, you

Kosovo vote marred by allegations of fraud PRISTINA: Kosovo’s election authorities were nearing the end of a recount of nearly 40 percent of votes cast in last month’s general election, an official said yesterday, following complaints of widespread fraud in the country’s first poll since it declared its independence from Serbia. Ballots from 700 polling stations out of 760 across Kosovo where irregularities were repor ted have already been recounted, said Fehmi Ajvazi, a spokesman for the Central Election Commission.

The commission agreed on a recount just days after the Dec 12 poll when candidates for the 120-seat legislature complained of widespread fraud. Suspicion arose in poling station where monitors complained that votes for party candidates exceeded those cast for a single political par ty. Voters in Kosovo are asked to choose a political party and up to five party candidates.

Results from the recount are

expected late Wednesday. The final result is not likely to change the winner of the poll, but will affect who makes it into the 120-seat parliament. Initial preliminary results gave incumbent Prime Minister Hashim Thaci the lead over his political rivals.

The commission has also ordered a new vote be held in three regions, home to over 100,000 out of 1.6 million registered voters and a partial new vote in two other regions. The vote is to be held on Jan 9. Over 710,000 people voted in the Dec 12 poll.

A panel looking into complaints said in a ruling made public on Dec. 16 that in these regions election officials were “bribed ... ballot boxes stuffed, signatures forged” and there was “pressure and intimidation” upon voters. Two of the regions where voters will recast ballots are strongholds of Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo.

The recount has cast doubts over the ability of Kosovo’s authorities to hold a fraud-free vote, the first such election since declaring independence from Serbia in 2008. It further tarnishes Kosovo’s international image, following a damning report by a European investigator who claims he has evidence Thaci headed an international human organ trafficking ring and is also involved in organized crime.

The allegations made by Council of Europe investigator Dick Marty have rocked Kosovo although Thaci has dismissed them as fabrications and an attack upon Kosovo’s claim to statehood.

Kosovo seceded from Serbia after almost a decade of UN administration. So far 72 countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent country, but Serbia has vowed never to accept the move by Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority. — AP

can meet some interesting people _ doctors, lawyers, judges, movie actors.

They want to sit down and relax,” said Houmani, 42, who immigrated to Toledo, Ohio, from Lebanon when he was 18. “I wanted to create something that’s really unique.” He said he was thinking about Cuba’s reputation for Latin jazz, rum and cigars when he chose the name La Casa De La Habana, which means “The House of Havana” in Spanish.

Houmani notes that

“Habano,” the word used in the name of Cuban shops, refers to a Havana cigar. “I’m not selling or advertising Cuban cigars,” he said.

International agreements allow government-controlled businesses like Cuba’s to register trademarks in the US, even when dormant under an economic embargo. Still, Smith said the lawsuit should be governed by a simple rule: “You use it or lose it.” A trademark expert at the University of Michigan law school believes Cubatabaco has a strong case for infringement. “Cuba’s got reason to hope that it will be able to enter the US market within the foreseeable future,” Jessica Litman said. “Its mark is pretty valuable, and the potential for confusion seems real.” The judge has urged each side to settle the dispute out of court.

Houmani concedes he may have to change the name of his business, although he would prefer to keep “La Casa” in it. He has much admiration for Cuba’s cigars, despite the lawsuit and that country’s communist government. “It’s the best tobacco in the world because of the soil. It’s God’s gift to the Cubans,” said Houmani, who has smoked Cuban cigars during trips to the Middle East. “As cigar makers, we don’t look at political affiliations.”— AP

Reckless behavior led to Uzi death: Prosecutor SPRINGFIELD: “Reckless and illegal actions” by a former police chief led to the accidental death of an 8-year-old boy who shot himself in the face with an Uzi submachine gun at a gun show, a prosecutor said yesterday .

But others, including the boy’s father, made the fatal decisions, a defense attorney said. Former Pelham Police Chief Edward Fleury, whose company co-sponsored the event, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and furnishing a weapon to a minor in connection with the 2008 death of Christopher Bizilj. “As a direct result of that reckless and illegal behavior, Christopher died,” District Attorney William Bennett said in his opening statement to the jur y in Hamden Superior Court.

Bennett said Fleury’s advertising for the event falsely said there was no age limit or license required to shoot machine guns.

“Fleury represented that it was all legal and fun,” Bennett said.

“The evidence will show that one

of the purposes of Fleury’s enterprise was to furnish machine guns to children.” Bennett said the boy’s father, Dr Charles Bizilj, “thought this would be a great adventure and a lot of fun for the boys.” Bizilj brought his two sons, 11-year-old Colin and 8-year-old Christopher, to the event. Colin fired the Uzi first with no problem.

Then Christopher went to fire the gun. Bennett said an unlicensed and uncertified 15-yearold boy was helping Christopher.

The teenager gave the Uzi to Christopher and had one hand on the boy and one on the gun, Bennett said. “It was illegal to allow that child to have the weapon in the first place,” Bennett told the jury. “Christopher is not capable of controlling this weapon. You will learn that this weapon fires 1,200 rounds per minute. “He (Christopher) puts his finger on that trigger. It flips back.

The small size of the gun makes it possible for the muzzle to come right back into his face,” the prosecutor said. —AP

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US hopes for nuclear talks on N Korea soon North-South relations at worst level for decades SEOUL: The US envoy for North Korea policy said yesterday he hoped serious negotiations over Pyongyang’s nuclear program could start soon, signaling a diplomatic push after a surge in tension. The comments by Stephen Bosworth as he arrived in South Korea suggested a new impetus to negotiate an end to the North’s atomic ambitions, but a breakthrough may be elusive as the parties seek proof the North is serious about disarming.

Tension on the Korean peninsula reached some of its highest levels since

the 1950-53 Korean War over the past year after the sinking of a South Korean ship killing 46 sailors, an exchange of artillery fire, nuclear revelations and threats of war.

“We believe that serious negotiations must be at the heart of any strategy for dealing with North Korea and we look forward to being able to launch those at a reasonably early time,” Bosworth said.

North Korea has tested nuclear devices twice in recent years and has threatened to use such weapons although it has not shown it has a deliverable atomic bomb.

Bosworth will meet South Korean Foreign Ministry officials today before heading to China and Japan for more consultations on North Korea this week. The US envoy for nuclear talks with North Korea, Sung Kim, is with him.

Rhetorical sparring has continued but in recent days the South and the North have suggested they are willing to talk although analysts say chances of a breakthrough are slim. China, the North’s only major ally, repeated a call for resumption of so-called six-party talks, that include the

PYEONGCHANG: Half-naked officers of the South Korean Special Warfare Forces hurl snow during a winter exercise in Pyeongchang, South Korea yesterday. — AP

Toll rises to 17 in Philippine landslides MANILA: Rescuers found more victims of landslides and floods from heavy rain in the Philippines, raising the death toll to at least 17, officials said yesterday.

Nearly 13,000 people have sought shelter in schools and gymnasiums turned into evacuation centers on the archipelago’s eastern seaboard, civil defense administrator Benito Ramos said.

The dead include eight children, three of them dug from a wall of mud that buried their homes Sunday as they slept in the central Philippines’ St Bernard township. The town in Southern Leyte province had one of the country’s worst disasters in 2006 when a mudslide buried the entire village of Guinsaugon, with more than 1,000 people killed. President Benigno Aquino III ordered an investigation into why deaths again

occurred in St. Bernard, a town prone to landslides, and ordered the quick evacuation of areas susceptible to landslides and flood. Disaster officials said of the 17 dead, 10 died of drowning, six were killed in landslides and one was electrocuted.

The latest fatalities include a man who drowned in southern Bislig city and a 12-year-old boy electrocuted in floodwaters in southern Agusan del Sur province. A 6-year-old boy also drowned in Agusan del Sur, while another body was dug from landslides in the same province, regional disaster official Amado Posas said. Four people were injured in landslides in St Bernard, and a fisherman is missing after his boat capsized in eastern Catanduanes province, Ramos added.— AP

3 policemen gunned down in China BEIJING: Two murder suspects in eastern China gunned down three policemen and injured nine other people in a dramatic shoot-out yesterday, state media reported. Police in Shandong province’s Dezhou city had called on the house of a suspect’s brother to investigate a murder that took place late December, the Shandong News website-owned by the provincial government-reported.

Police identified themselves and

attempted to go in, but two people burst out and started firing their guns, hitting four policemen, the report said. The suspects then hijacked a passing car at gunpoint to escape.

After changing vehicles four times and injuring two passengers in the process, they were finally cornered on a street. Police managed to capture one of the suspects, while the other committed suicide, the report added.

The city’s police department was

not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP. Crime rates have risen steadily in China since the country began opening up three decades ago, undergoing dramatic social changes. But gun crime still remains rare in the country, where extremely tight laws bar virtually all private gun ownership, which prevents death tolls from reaching levels seen in shooting attacks in other nations.— AFP

two Koreas, Japan, Russia and the United States, and said the situation on the peninsula was sensitive and complex.

South Korea and the United States have said they want to see proof of Nor th Korea’s commitment to a negotiated settlement before they head back into talks.

The South says a good start would be for the North to implement previous pledges.

Moon Jung-in, a politics professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University, said South Korea’s only real option was to enter dialogue after its “hawkish” stance on the North had failed.

“The hard-line diplomatic strategy has resulted in disaster and retrogression,” he wrote in Seoul’s JoongAng Daily. Cashstrapped North Korea appears to want to return to the talks, where it has won substantial aid in the past after ratcheting up tension. The six-way process has been stalled for more than two years since Pyongyang walked out. Bosworth indicated that he was not in Asia to unveil a US plan to get the North back to negotiations, but said he hoped to compile views with the aim of getting talks restarted.”We are here primarily to consult and coordinate. I expect to do more listening than talking,” he said.

The United States, which has some 28,000 troops in South Korea, is urging Beijing to rein in North Korea. The Chinese and US presidents will meet in Washington this month. “We’ve been working together with (China) very effectively ... I think we share a large number of common interests around the world and in the region and particularly, on the Korean peninsula,” Bosworth said.

The North shelled the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in November killing four people and sparking threats of war from both sides. The crisis rattled global markets but concerns have started to wane. A South Korean central banker said yesterday the effect on markets had eased markedly. — Reuters

Thais arrest 4th suspect in forged passport ring BANGKOK: Thai police said yesterday that a Pakistani man detained a month ago has confessed to working with an international ring that is believed to have provided forged passports to the militants who carried out the Madrid and Mumbai terror attacks. In November, police arrested seven people in Spain and three in Thailand, including two Pakistanis and one Thai, as part of an ongoing operation against the forgery group. The suspects allegedly stole passports from tourists in Spain and sent them to Thailand to be doctored and later distributed to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based terror group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai, India, attacks that killed 166 people. They may also have sent documents to the perpetrators of the 2004 bombings of Madrid’s commuter trains.

Last week, 36-year-old Ghulam Rasool became the fourth person arrested in Thailand as part of the investigation. Rasool was arrested in Bangkok on Dec 1 on charges of illegal entry to Thailand, pending a more thorough investigation that included a raid of the Bangkok apartment used as a base by the other three people arrested, said Songsak Raksakul, an official with the Department of Special Investigations. At the apartment, police found items used to produce fake documents such as passports, entry-exit stamps, and visa stickers.

DNA and fingerprint tests collected at the apartment could be traced to Rasool, who subsequently confessed to using Photoshop to make fake pictures for the forged passports, said Songsak. The Bangkok Criminal Court issued a new arrest warrant for Rasool on Dec 30 for charges of passport forgery, he said.

Rasool’s lawyer’s name could not be immediately obtained.

All four men face charges of receiving stolen passports from networks in Spain and elsewhere in Europe via regular mail and then altering the passports for clients. The Spanish Foreign Ministry has said the suspects also allegedly supplied forged documents to other groups, including the Tamil Tiger rebels who were crushed last year by Sri Lankan troops after a quarter-century war for an independent state for ethnic minority Tamils. — AP

TOKYO: Groups of businessmen pray as they are purified by a Shinto priest, during a ceremony on the first business day of New Year at Kanda Myojin in Tokyo yesterday. Kanda Myojin is known as a shrine of commerce and industry. — AP

Japan open to talks with North Korea this year: Foreign minister TOKYO: Japan is open to direct talks with North Korea this year, its foreign minister said yesterday, echoing conciliatory New Year’s statements out of Seoul and Pyongyang after a recent flare-up in tensions. “We want to create an environment that will make it possible for us to further strengthen (efforts) to hold direct dialogue this year, and not only in multilateral settings,” Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said.

North Korea sharply heightened tensions in November when it launched an artillery strike that killed four people in the South and unveiled a uranium enrichment plant that experts fear could help it make atom bombs. The United States held separate military drills with South Korea and Japan, and all three nations sharply condemned the North, while only its communist ally China refrained from publicly rebuking the isolated regime.

However, on Monday South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak Monday said the door for talks was “still open” and offered closer economic ties, while urging Pyongyang to abandon its “military adventurism”. The North, in a joint New Year editorial of state media on Saturday, had said tensions “should be defused as early as possible,” stressing dialogue and cooperation “should be promoted proactively”.

A US State Department spokesman said Monday that North Korea’s less confrontational tone with South Korea was “promising” but insisted Pyongyang must match its words with deeds.

Maehara said in his first press conference of 2011 that Japan was also open to talks-both through six-nation denuclearisation talks with the Koreas, the United States, China and Russia-and bilaterally.

“We have no diplomatic relations, but as one of the major themes of this year, we should not handle the North Korean issue only on multilateral occasions or six-way talks by relying on other countries,” he said. Tokyo and Pyongyang should directly discuss unresolved questions over Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean spies in the 1970s and 80s, to train the regime’s secret agents in Japanese language and culture, he said.

“We have the abduction issue, which is related to Japan’s sovereignty,” the Japanese foreign minister said. “It is important to create an environment that will allow us to hold talks on the abductions, missiles and nuclear weapons issues between the two countries firmly and directly.” Shunji Hiraiwa, professor on North Korean issues at Kwansei Gakuin University in Hyogo, said Maehara’s remarks “reflect Japan’s readiness to positively work for a resolution of the North Korean issue at a time when the abduction issue is deadlocked.

“But it does not mean Japan plans to lower the bar... It’s too early to say that. Japan cannot tone down before South Korea does. In that context, South Korean President Lee’s remarks were a prerequisite for Japan’s open stance to North Korea.”— AFP

Australian city cut off by floods braces for more

MAGELA CREEK: In this photo released by the Northern Territory Police, four German tourists are safely rescued from the flooded Magela Creek, near Jabiru, Australia Monday. — AP

ROCKHAMPTON: Floods that have cut air, rail and road links to an Australian coastal city are now threatening its sewage plant, and waters are still expected to rise another few feet before peaking today. Residents of Rockhampton made their way in boats through waters that reached waist-high in some areas yesterday but were warned not to wade into the them since snakes and crocodiles could be lurking.

A huge inland sea spawned by more than a week of heavy rain across Queensland state is making its way along the Fitzroy River toward the ocean , and Rockhampton lies in the way. As waters drain, the city of 75,000 people is expected to see flood levels rise another few feet (half-meter) by today. The river has already burst its banks, inundating houses and businesses in waters ranging from a few inches (centimeters) to waist-deep.

Up to 500 people who live along the river have evacuated their homes. Air and rail links to the city were cut and only one main road remained open.

Rockhampton Mayor Brad Carter said yesterday that large swaths of the city might be under water for another two weeks. Adding to the woes, Carter said yesterday the floodwaters were threatening Rockhampton’s sewage treatment plants and officials may seek to discharge some effluent directly into the swollen river system. He said this would only occur away from the city, and that the discharged sewage would be highly diluted and would not pose a health risk.

Rockhampton is the latest of 22 cities and towns in Queensland to be swamped by floods that began building just before Christmas , the worst effects of an unusually wet summer in the tropical region. No one has died in Rockhampton, but swollen rivers and flooding have killed 10 people in Queensland since late November, police say. Officials have said the flooded area covers the size of France and Germany combined and 200,000 people have been affected. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a condolence mes-

sage and said Washington was ready to help if needed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by these floods, especially the families of the victims, and with all the people of Australia,” Clinton said in a statement distributed by consular officials. Wendy White, who owns a clothing alterations shop in Rockhampton, said she was worried about her merchandise and equipment as the waters rise.

“We’ve taken everything about two feet up off the floor ... my machines are above that and then everything, all my stock is stacked on that,” she told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “So it’d be a case of, if the water does come in, we’ll have to mop up before we can set up to start trading again.” Authorities have warned residents to stay out of floodwaters for their own safety, saying the biggest risk is from fast-moving currents powerful enough to sweep cars from roadways. At least two people have drowned after being swept away in their cars.—AP

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New Delhi seeks Indian Ocean supremacy with warship research Facility to be up and running in 2 years

KABUL: Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif gestures during a media conference in Islamabad, Pakistan yesterday. Pakistan’s main opposition leader gave the government a three-day deadline to accept a list of demands if it wants to avert its possible collapse after the loss of its ruling majority in parliament. — AP

Pakistani opposition gives govt ultimatum ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s main opposition leader gave the government a three-day deadline yesterday to accept a list of demands if it wants to avert its possible collapse after the loss of its ruling majority in parliament. The ultimatum by Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif could determine the government’s fate since his party has the second-largest number of seats in parliament and would be key in pushing through a no-confidence vote in the prime minister and possible early elections. Such a scenario became possible when the second-largest member of the governing coalition, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, joined the opposition on Sunday, depriving the government of its parliamentary majority. It said it was partly motivated by anger over recent fuel price hikes.

Sharif said the government must reverse the price hikes, cut government expenditures by 30 percent and implement a series of court verdicts against ruling party officials for corruption. He said they must accept the demands within 72 hours and show progress within 45 days. “If the government says no, if the prime minister says no, then we will ask the opposition parties to come forward and we will give them our full support,” said Sharif during a news conference held in Islamabad after a meeting to determine the party’s stance.

Sharif also threatened to withdraw from the governing coalition that the PML-N has with the ruling Pakistan People’s Party on a local level in central Punjab province if the

government does not meet his demands.

The ultimatum seemed to contradict statements made earlier in the day by senior PML-N officials that the party would not push to overthrow the government. It also contradicts many analysts who said the PML-N would be reluctant to push for the government’s collapse because it would be faced with the prospect of taking up the reins at such a difficult time. It has also clashed with other opposition parties, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

The Pakistan People’s Party could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Rasul Bakhsh Rais, a political science professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences, said Sharif’s list of demands and his threat to join other opposition parties turns up the heat on the government. “It could really pull the government down and is an important signal that the government will either have to rethink its policies or will be in much bigger trouble,” Rais said.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani could rule with a minority coalition but would have to step down if he lost a no-confidence vote. Parliament could then vote on an alternative candidate or possibly move toward early elections. The prime minister met with the PML-N and other opposition groups Monday in an apparent attempt to head off a no-confidence motion, but yesterday’s developments indicate he had little success. A no-confidence measure would require a majority of the 342-seat parliament to pass. — AP

India’s new rich prove reluctant philanthropists NEW DELHI: A huge charity gift by a hightech tycoon has shone a harsh light on the philanthropic track record of India’s established and emerging billionaires. Azim Premji, who transformed a family-owned cooking oil firm into the software giant Wipro, announced earlier this month that he was giving two billion dollars to fund rural education. The 100 wealthiest Indians have a net worth equal to 25 percent of India’s GDP and Premji’s donation-by far the largest ever made by an individual- was seen as a challenge to others in the ultra-rich club.

While charitable giving by the wealthy is widespread in countries like the United States, it is far less established in developing nations such as India and China. Arpan Sheth, author of an overview of philanthropy in India by global consultancy Bain, says the charitable potential of the world’s second-fastestgrowing major economy is huge.

“Should individuals (in India), particularly the well off, be giving more? And can they afford to make more and larger donations?

The answer to both questions is, ‘Absolutely yes’,” Sheth said. India’s booming economyexpected to grow 8.5 percent this year-minted 17 new billionaires in 2010, driving the national total to a record 69, according to Forbes magazine.

Two Indians, Lakshmi Mittal and Mukesh Ambani, currently figure in the top five on the Forbes list of the world’s wealthiest individuals. But philanthropic activity has failed to keep pace, partly, Sheth believes, because the rapid accumulation of individual wealth is a still a relatively new phenomenon. “We have a history of scarcity and so it takes a while to build confidence that the future will be better on a sustainable basis and let go of newly earned wealth,” Sheth told AFP. Ambani’s father was a rags-to-riches tycoon, who started off as a small-time textiles trader and went on to found and build Reliance Industries now India’s largest private sector firm.

There is also a suspicion that charitable networks in India are not professionally managed and so donors fear their contributions “won’t be put to good use or are at risk of being misappropriated,” Seth said. The Bain report noted that it normally takes 50 to 100 years for a culture of philanthropy to emerge, and Sheth stressed that charitable giving in India had yet to attain the same social cachet it attracts elsewhere. “Instead, many of the newly wealthy view increased material wealth as the key to improving their social standing,” he said.

Open displays of wealth are often more admired than criticised in India, where the rich commonly spend hundreds of thousands of dollars-sometimes millions-on lavish weddings. Mukesh Ambani’s construction of a billion-dollar, 27-storey home in Mumbai, where 60 percent of the 18 million population are slumdwellers, raised some eyebrows but little overt resentment.

Wipro’s Premji, known for his frugal

lifestyle, said conspicuous consumption was common in countries climbing the wealth ladder. “You see it in China, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand. For the first few years, people want to show visibly they are very rich,” he told AFP. In India, individuals and companies account for just 10 percent of charity funding, compared with 75 percent in the United States.

“Our profile is closer to China, where giving by the government far exceeds donations by individuals,” Sheth said. Traditionally, so-called “old money,” embodied in the likes of India’s 142-year-old Tata Group conglomerate, has focused on promoting the welfare of workers, with health care and housing.

Other big Indian business houses gave money for building Hindu temples and other religious causes. Rich individuals also helped in their family villages by building schools and wells. But according to philanthropy expert and former New York investment banker Deval Sanghavi, there are signs of donors widening their horizons and looking to tackle India’s education, health and other problems on a macro level. “Initially people thought it necessary to help those closest in their households or villages, but now they realise help needs to be on a wider scale,” Sanghavi said.

Wealthy individuals now are “getting involved in charity and wanting to change the country,” he added. Together with his wife, Sanghavi runs the Dasra (Enlightened Giving) foundation, helping donors pick charities which can use their money best. Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder of India’s largest mobile company, has set up 237 schools to educate the poor, saying he wants to help children break out of the “generational poverty cycle.” And global charities working in India, like Oxfam, have begun soliciting funds locally and not just overseas.

“Our economy has been growing by nine percent for almost a decade. People have more disposable income and want to be part of the solution,” said Kunal Verma, marketing director at Oxfam India. The need for charitable funding in India is self-evident. Some 42 percent of Indians, or 455 million people, live on less than 1.25 dollars a day, according to the World Bank and India’s statistics on health, infant mortality and malnutrition are worse than those for sub-Saharan Africa. But there’s little sign yet of India’s rich taking “The Giving Pledge”- an initiative by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and billionaire investor Warren Buffet that asks the wealthy to donate half their fortunes to charity. The duo organized a dinner for China’s mega-rich last September and say they may host a similar event in India early next year. Billionaire Shiv Nadar, the founder of tech giant HCL who pledged in June to give 130 million dollars to education, believes India’s rich are still not ready to embrace the Gates’ concept. “When it comes to giving, there aren’t many people who will happily give away even one percent” of their wealth, he said. —AFP

NEW DELHI: India launched a new naval research centre for warships yesterday, part of efforts by the South Asian giant to build its sea defenses and counter the perceived threat of China in the Indian Ocean.

Defense Minister AK Antony laid the foundation stone for the National Institute for Research and Development in Shipbuilding (NIRDESH) in the southern state of Kerala, which will be built at a cost of six billion rupees (133 million dollars).

The facility, which will be up and running in two years, will help develop technology for “drawing board to delivery” of warships for India, a naval official said. The Kerala unit will work independently of the national Defense Research and Development Organization, with the aim of reducing India’s dependence on military imports, which mostly come from Russia.

The 136-vessel navy said in a statement that NIRDESH would ensure India’s maritime security.

“This would empower Indian navy, coastguard and other maritime security agencies in a manner befitting the country’s stature and influence in the region,” it said. The facility would “ensure that the country would be self-reliant in this crucial area of defense technology,” Antony added.

New Delhi is wary of growing Chinese influence around the Indian Ocean, where Beijing has funded or plans to invest in major infrastructure projects, including ports in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and military-ruled Myanmar. In August, two Chinese warships raised eyebrows in Delhi when they sailed to adjoining Myanmar for a rare visit to promote ties between the two allied countries.

Retired admiral Arun Prakash, a former Indian naval chief, recently

warned that the Chinese navy will have more warships than the United States within a decade and urged India to speed up naval procurement.

Analysts say India falls behind China in naval firepower, but the country should strive for supremacy in the strategic Indian Ocean, a vital shipping lane connecting Asia to Europe and the Middle East. “Just because we cannot compete with China does not mean we do not defend our interests in the Indian Ocean where we want naval supremacy,” retired Indian navy rear admiral Raja Menon told AFP. India has already begun strengthening its military presence in the Andaman archipelago, which lies south of Myanmar, as part of plans to protect its interests in the ocean. Delhi, which wants to boost its 14-strong submarine fleet, launched its first nuclear-powered submarine in 2009 and has invest-

ed in its military shipyards to start building an aircraft carrier and stealth frigates. It also plans to buy eight long-range maritime spy planes by 2015 besides six FrancoSpanish Scorpene submarines for which orders were placed in 2006.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, China’s military spending was the second-largest in the world, after the United States, in 2009. KPMG consultancy firm estimates India plans to spend 112 billion dollars on defense hardware between now and 2016.

India hiked its 2010-2011 military spending by four percent to 32 billion dollars but analysts like Menon warn that the navy’s share of 16 percent of the defense allocation is insufficient for funding its expansion plans. India and China fought a brief border war in 1962 and still have unresolved territorial disputes. —AFP

Karzai complains about interference KABUL: Afghanistan’s president told foreign powers yesterday to stop meddling in the country’s internal affairs , apparently taking aim at a broad range of critics who say the government’s failure to stem rampant corruption undermines rebuilding the warravaged nation. President Hamid Karzai did not elaborate, but this is not the first time he has complained of international interference in Afghanistan’s political affairs. Karzai was careful not to single out any specific issue. But fraud-marred elections have been a recent target of international criticism. And the United States in particular has pressed Karzai to crack down on corruption in his government, at times threatening to withhold millions of dollars in aid.

Karzai spoke at a ceremony marking the seventh anniversary of Afghanistan’s constitution, a document that laid out a new course of the nation after a US-led invasion ousted the country’s militant Taleban rulers.

Hours earlier, a bomb blast in the capital killed a policeman and wounded three other people in what appeared to be a symbolic strike against the government. “I ask our foreign friends not to interfere in our internal affairs, not to interfere in our constitution,” Karzai said at the short ceremony in downtown Kabul. “ They must stop meddling in our implementation of the law in our country.” Most recently, Karzai has come under fire abroad and at home over the Sept. 18 parliamentary elections. The balloting was plagued by

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a gathering marking the seventh adoption year of Afghanistan’s Constitution in Kabul, Afghanistan yesterday. — AP irregularities and voter intimidation, and the Supreme Court recently set up a special tribunal to review complaints from hundreds of losing candidates.

Last year’s fraud-marred presidential poll had already undercut Karzai’s credibility. It is unclear if the tribunal can make any decisions that could alter the final result, which has been accepted by the international community.

Karzai’s 249-member parliament is scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 20. The head of the five-member tribunal, Sadiqullah Haqeeq, said the panel

would try to wrap up its investigation by then, but made no promises.

He said yesterday that if fraud were established, then the winner would be disqualified. The blast in downtown Kabul , a rarity in the capital , served as a grim reminder of insurgents’ ability to strike at will across the country. It also was a jarring preamble to the scheduled departure yesterday of members of a government-appointed peace delegation to Pakistan, where they were to meet with Pakistani officials and discuss efforts to launch talks with Taleban rebels. The Taleban had

ruled Afghanistan for five years with a strict interpretation of Islamic law until it was ousted in 2001 by a USled invasion. It later became the main insurgent group fighting the US-backed government in Kabul.

Yesterday, the Taleban criticized a leading US senator for suggesting the United States should establish permanent military bases in Afghanistan.

Taleban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in an e-mailed statement that would be tantamount to a permanent occupation, and accused Washington of trying to plunder Afghanistan’s natural

resources. Lindsay Graham, a Republican senator from the state of South Carolina, said Sunday that having a few US air bases in Afghanistan would give Afghan security forces an edge against the Taleban and benefit the region. He said he wanted to see the US have “an enduring relationship” with Afghanistan to ensure it never falls back into militant hands. Karzai’s spokesman, Waheed Omar, said Monday that while Kabul had discussed a longterm strategic relationship with the US administration, “we have not touched upon the issue of permanent bases.”— AP

Woman fatally stabs lawmaker in east India

JAMMU: Hindu devotees perform rituals as they bathe in the Tawi River in Jammu, India yesterday. People in parts of north India viewed a partial eclipse yesterday as the moon crossed the sun’s path. — AP

Sri Lanka plans first full census after decades of war COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will begin its first nationwide census in 40 years in July as it seeks to map its population after the end of nearly four decades of fighting, officials said yesterday. The separatist Tamil Tiger movement fought for a homeland for ethnic Tamils in a battle with government forces that cost an estimated 100,000 lives between 1972 and 2009 and made parts of the Indian Ocean island inaccessible.

The Census and Statistics department said the census would be the first full census since 1971,

just before the Tiger rebels took up arms. The census department will use computer technology to carry out the counting, which is expected to conclude that the population total is about 21 million. “With the intention of improving completeness, quality, and timeliness of the data and information gathered, the department will adopt new (computer) and emerging technologies in the whole process,” an official said. Government forces crushed the Tamil rebels in a major offensive that ended in May 2009. — AFP

PATNA: A school principal fatally stabbed a Hindu nationalist lawmaker while he was meeting with some of his supporters yesterday at his residence in an eastern Indian state, police said.

Rupan Pathak pulled out a knife hidden in her shawl and stabbed Raj Kishore Kesri, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker, in his stomach, killing him instantly, said Neelmani, the top police officer in Bihar state. Kesri’s guards overpowered Pathak, who is in her early 40s, and beat her up, said Neelmani, who uses one name.

She was taken from Kesri’s home in Purnea town and hospitalized in critical condition, and has been charged with murder, he said.

Purnea is 185 miles (300 kilometers) northeast of Patna, the state capital. Kesri, who was 51, had inaugurated Pathak’s private school four years ago, Neelmani said. In newspaper interviews last year, Pathak accused Kesri of sexually harassing her over a three-year period, but Neelmani said she did not file a police complaint.

Bihar is considered India’s most lawless state, with armed criminal gangs roaming freely, kidnapping children, shooting police officers and extorting protection money from businesses.

The situation started improving after a coalition government of a socialist party and the BJP assumed power five years ago. — AP

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Issues Unrest may bring US, Pak army closer

By Arshad Mohammed akistan’s political turmoil may push the United States to rely even more on the Pakistani military rather than on the weakening civilian government, South Asia analysts said on Monday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s political woes deepened on Sunday when the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party pulled out of his ruling coalition because of government fuel price increases. Already grappling with a homegrown Taleban campaign of suicide bombings, severe economic difficulties and the damage wrought by last summer’s floods, Giliani could face an early election if he cannot shore up his coalition.

The Karachi Stock Exchange’s benchmark 100share index fell 1.44 percent, or 173 points, to end at 11,849.46 after the MQM’s decision, which adds to uncertainty over the government’s struggle to meet economic policy conditions of an $11 billion International Monetary Fund loan. The central US goal in Pakistan is to deprive Taleban militants of sanctuaries in the western part of the country used to help fight US-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

While analysts said that the Pakistani military has been the main US interlocutor on security issues, the government’s weakness could further sideline civilian leaders in a country that has long lived under military regimes. Shuja Nawaz of the Atlantic Council think tank said that if Pakistan’s economic troubles brought about political unrest, the country’s leaders civilian and military - will focus on domestic concerns rather than on US security priorities. “Given the political upheaval inside Pakistan, then the only stable entity that remains is the military, so the US will put all its eggs in that basket, or will be seen as putting its eggs in that basket” said Nawaz.

This could undercut US efforts to shore up civilian rule, he said. “My fear is that although US higher-level policy is geared toward building a longer-term relationship with Pakistan ... quite often politics will dictate short-term measures, and particularly military measures, that need to be taken to satisfy domestic political requirements in the US,” he said.

Facing public discontent over a war now in its 10th year, US President Barack Obama has pledged to begin pulling US forces - now nearly 100,000 - out of Afghanistan in July. Some analysts argued that given the Pakistani military’s primacy on security matters, the United States would simply keep dealing with them. “The civilians never had much impact on policy towards Afghanistan to begin with ... except around the margins,” said Brookings Institution analyst Stephen Cohen.

“They have been a facade behind which the military has sought shelter. “So, I think that we’ll continue to deal with the military. We’ll talk to civilians where we can and if we think it makes a difference, but I have no idea what ... the administration expects of them,” he added.

Pakistan’s political crisis erupts at a time when ties between the US and Pakistani military and intelligence services have been under strain, illustrated vividly last month when US officials said they withdrew the CIA’s station chief in Islamabad after his name surfaced in the Pakistani media.

US State Department spokesman P J Crowley said the political developments in Pakistan were a domestic matter for the Pakistanis to deal with. “We understand that the government is dealing with a political challenge within its coalition. We’re watching it closely, but meanwhile we’re focused on our long-term partnership with Pakistan,” he told reporters.

“The political situation is a bit of a sideshow to some of the genuine issues the US has with Pakistan.

The real concern is the Taleban sanctuaries in Pakistan that are prohibiting the US from achieving our goals in Afghanistan,” said Lisa Curtis of the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. “Really what’s happening with the civilian political leadership doesn’t have any direct bearing on that issue - it’s the military that controls that issue,” she added. — Reuters

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Mideast Christians easy target for Qaeda

By Acil Tabbara l-Qaeda would seem to have found an easy target in Middle Eastern Christians who have a limited ability to respond, but such attacks could easily escalate into sectarian clashes, analysts say. Responsibility for the apparent suicide bombing early on New Year’s Day at a Coptic church in Alexandria in which 21 people were killed and 79 were wounded has not yet been claimed, although Cairo has indirectly implicated Al-Qaeda. In claiming an October attack on a church in Baghdad in which 46 Christians were killed, AlQaeda affiliate the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) also threatened the Coptic church, accusing it of holding against their will two priests’ wives they say had converted to Islam. And in December, Al-Qaeda-linked website Shumukh Al-Islam had Al-Qiddissin (The Saints) church in Alexandria, where Saturday’s bombing took place, on a list of targeted Coptic places of worship.

“Christians are an easier and weaker target than other” communities, said Bahrain-based analyst from the International Institute for

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Strategic Studies, Emile Hokayem. This is “a new strategy for Al-Qaeda, as attacking Shiites was politically too costly and the Shiite militias were able to retaliate and inflict serious damage,” he said of the Sunni militant group in Iraq.

“Attacking US forces (also) carries the threat of retaliation, (whereas) the Christians can’t retaliate,” said Hokayem.

After Sunni militants bombed a Shiite shrine in Samarra in Iraq in 2006 inter-confessional fighting erupted and claimed thousands of lives. “Al-Qaeda believes that everyone who isn’t a Muslim is an apostate, and therefore it has the right to kill them,” said Saeed AlGamahi, a Yemeni analyst who specialises in the study of radical Islamist movements. “AlQaeda is attempting to provoke unrest between Muslims and Christians and to cause sectarian clashes, and perhaps a civil war” in Egypt, he said. The Islamist network wants to “cause chaos in a country it has so far failed to settle in”.

Saturday’s attack in the Mediterranean port city sparked angry street protests, with clashes between hundreds of Christian youths and police. Tensions spilled over again late on

Monday as protesters in a northern Cairo neighbourhood threw rocks at police who tried to block a march by thousands of Copts. Egypt was on high alert ahead of the Coptic Christmas Day on Friday - the weekly Muslim day of prayer and rest - and Coptic leader Pope Shenouda III has said he intends to say mass as usual on Christmas Eve. Security at Coptic churches in Europe and Canada has also been boosted after threats.

Riad Kahwaji, who heads the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis in Dubai, argues that the Alexandria bombing alone is not enough to conclude that Al-Qaeda has decided a change in strategy. The group’s top leadership, including founder Osama bin Laden and his Egypt-born deputy Ayman Al-Zawahiri, have not explicitly called for Christians to be attacked, he said. “The targeting of Eastern Christians would lead to a widespread confrontation in the region which would benefit Israel,” he warned.

In Lebanon on Monday, influential daily AlNahar pointed to what it called a “permanent Arab September 11,” a reference to the attacks on the United States in 2001. “This is a danger-

ous scheme under which violence is moving across Iraq, Egypt and probably other Arab countries which still enjoy religious diversity and a large Christian presence, among them Lebanon,” the daily wrote. Another Lebanese daily, As-Safir, said the Alexandria attack could signal “an earthquake in Egypt and the future of the Arab world.”

The cradle of Christianity, the Middle East region is home to 20 million Christians in a total population of more than 356 million people, according to the Vatican. All analysts agree on the fact that these attacks can only strengthen the exodus of Christians from the Middle East. In December, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported an “exodus” of thousands of Iraqi Christians after the October 31 church massacre in Baghdad. Attacks such as those on churches in Baghdad and Alexandria will “increase Christian paranoia and fears in the whole region and the belief of the Christians that they are not wanted,” Hokayem said. “It will give momentum to emigration in the region where numbers of Christians are already dwindling.” — AFP

Egypt church attack to fuel sectarian tension

By Edmund Blair Sherine El Madany

and

he New Year’s Day bombing of a church suggests Al-Qaedainspired militants have a toehold in Egypt, but probably does not indicate a return to the kind of Islamic insurgency Egyptian forces crushed in the 1990s. No clear official account has emerged of how the Jan. 1 attack, which killed 21 people, was carried out, but analysts point to a small cell, not a bigger militant group like those which challenged the government more than a decade ago. Whoever was behind it, the attack seemed designed to upset Muslim-majority Egypt’s fragile sectarian balance. It was the biggest attack in at least a decade aimed at Coptic Orthodox Christians, who form 10 percent of Egypt’s 79 million people.

The reaction was swift. Within moments of the blast, Christians took to Alexandria’s streets in protest. Some Muslims and Christians hurled stones at each other. A day later police fired teargas in Cairo to disperse angry crowds. “I do not expect a spread of terrorism in Egypt and a return of terror attacks that took place in the 1980s and 1990s,” said Amr Elchoubaki, an expert in Islamic movements at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. “But I am more concerned about the internal climate and the impact of any attack, even if limited, on relationships between Muslims and Christians,” he said.

The government was quick to call for national unity, blamed foreign hands and pledged to track down the perpetrators. Whether it involved Egyptians or foreigners, analysts said the scale, planning and timing suggested Al-Qaedainspired militants may have been behind it. It followed Islamist calls, made on the Web, for attacks on Coptic churches at this time. “The first and most likely possibility is that a sleeper cell of an Al-Qaeda

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group carried out this operation and this would mean that Al-Qaeda has penetrated the Islamic political movement in Egypt,” said analyst Nabil Abdel-Fattah.

The state crushed groups such as Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiya and Islamic Jihad, which targeted tourists, Christians, government ministers and other officials in a 1990s campaign for a purist Islamic state, and has kept a tight lid on such groups

working but needs to identify a point of weakness. One act will echo globally and inspire many others”. By contrast, in the 1990s, Egypt had been dealing with “groups that may have been inspired by a global ideology but had a local focus to oust (President Hosni) Mubarak’s government”.

Egypt has suffered sporadic attacks in the last decade, such as deadly bombings of tourist resorts

However, the attack was unusual for Egypt - officials have blamed a suicide bomber - and it followed a series of militant threats against the church, starting with one in November issued by an Iraq-based group linked to Al-Qaeda. Two weeks before the bombing, a statement on an Islamist website urged Muslims to target churches in Egypt and elsewhere, including the one hit in Alexandria. Another website

Angry Copts chant anti-government slogans during a protest before clashing with Egyptian riot police in Cairo late Monday. – AP since. “An attack like this would have taken probably about a dozen operatives. We cannot rule out the possibility of local elements,” said Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East professor at the London School of Economics.

Safwat Zayaat, a military expert in Cairo, said the latest attack on Christians was the kind of operation “that does not require much net-

between 2004 and 2006, but has avoided any return to the sustained violence of the 1990s. Lawyer Montaser Al-Zayat, who has defended militants over many years, questioned whether the perpetrators were inspired by Al-Qaeda, saying Egyptian militants may have become more radicalised simply because of rising sectarian strife.

after the attack said it was the “first drop of heavy rain”. An Egyptian security source said an effort was under way to list people who had arrived in Egypt recently from countries “where Al-Qaeda is known to recruit and train operatives”. Some say Iraq has become a training ground for Arab and other militants, just as Afghanistan was in the

1980s.

By attacking a church, militants have highlighted Egypt’s growing sectarian divide, as well as what some analysts see as the government’s reluctance to stir up Islamists by tackling long-standing Coptic grievances about unfair treatment.

The opposition Muslim Brotherhood, which renounced violence as a means to effect change in Egypt decades ago, said the attack showed the state’s failure to protect its citizens. “The government should have increased security measures (for churches), especially after the Iraqi threats,” said Mohamed ElKatatni, a senior Brotherhood member.

The bombing was on a much bigger scale than the spontaneous scuffles or killings more typical of Egypt’s brand of sectarian violence, often sparked by disputes over church-building or taboo relationships between men and women of different faiths. In the worst such incident in the past year, six Christians were shot dead, along with a Muslim policeman, outside a church in southern Egypt on Jan 6, the eve of Coptic Christmas. Hisham Kassem, a human rights campaigner and publisher, said many Christians would perceive the New Year’s Day bombing through a sectarian prism because they feel marginalised. “Right now Copts feel Muslims (as a whole) struck at them, rather than seeing it as a terrorist attack by a Muslim, and it is due to this ... feeling of discrimination,” he said.

Rights activist Hossam Bahgat, whose group reported in April on rising sectarian violence, said Egypt had boasted to other governments about its success in quashing militants but was not doing enough to address Christian grievances. He said the bombing should encourage swifter action.

“It will hopefully bring home the idea that this is extremely fragile and the situation could deteriorate very quickly.” — Reuters

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

ANALYSIS

California or bust New governor Jerry Brown will put California on a diet

By Nichola Groom rich Kwek’s new office is awash in sunlight and impeccably ordered, with enough space for a desk, small sitting area and a conference table. If you didn’t know better, you might mistake it for a corner office at a successful corporation. But the long whiteboard on the opposite wall is a reminder that this room was never meant to be an office at all. A year ago, Kwek’s office was a classroom filled with first graders. Today, the superintendent of South Whittier School District looks out of his windows into an empty schoolyard.

At the end of the last school year, California state budget cuts forced Telechron Elementary School to go on summer vacation for the last time. Soon after, the district moved its administrative offices into the low, white brick building until it can decide what to do with the property. Kwek’s system is in a downward spiral: as state austerity forces cut after cut and jobs remain elusive, students and their families are leaving - to areas that hardly seem to be competitors for the California good life.

This year, the district lost 175 kids double the number it had planned for. “People who were here for jobs moved out, whether it be back to Mexico or out of state, or whatever,” Kwek said.

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A New Start The public schools are a sign of the grim position the Golden State finds itself in as a new governor takes office - self-proclaimed skinflint Jerry Brown, a Democrat with a long history in California politics.

Just a few decades ago, the state’s public school system was the envy of the nation, and California - with its sunny weather, laid back lifestyle, stunning landscape and booming motion picture, technology and manufacturing industries - was both an economic engine of US prosperity and the ultimate symbol of The American Dream.

Today, the image of California is one of brokenness. Its $1.7 trillion economy is clawing its way out of a recession that crippled its housing market, sent unemployment marching into the double digits and depleted its coffers. The state also faces a budget shortfall over the next 18 months of more than $25 billion. Efforts by California lawmakers to plug similarly-sized holes in the budget over the last few years have been unprecedented, epic and tortuous.

Californians’ faith in government is in the dumps, and even insiders see the state’s future as murky and unstable. “It is a land of dreams and occasional nightmares,” California’s state treasurer, Bill Lockyer, said. True, California has seen busts before - the dotcom implosion was just a decade ago, after all. But this time, projections are for a much slower recovery that will mire America’s most populous state in high unemployment and perpetuate $20 billion budget shortfalls for years to come. “We’ve avoided this discussion over the course of a generation because the boom and bust cycles in California are faster. We could expect economic recovery to save the day,” said California Senate President pro tempore Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat. “That’s not going to happen this time.”

More so than ever before, California faces an identity crisis. If the world’s eighth largest economy has any chance of restoring its former glory, it will have to reverse course drastically and quickly, becoming less socially progressive and more friendly to business. The Golden State doesn’t just need to go on a diet - it needs emergency bariatric surgery. As the new governor takes office, many expect to see state government that is slimmer, with further cuts to education and social services and less generous pensions. In addition, an unloading of many responsibilities onto local governments is on the horizon. The politics of the future may also be fought at the local level, as Brown bows out of regulation but leaves mayors and city councils in the tough position of leading change - and having to raise local revenue to do so. Businesses, meanwhile, are wondering whether a better future is worth the wait.

Spending Without Saving Since as far back as the Gold Rush, California has enjoyed a disproportionate share of the nation’s wealth. Though it is most famous as the home of Hollywood and high-tech leaders like Google Inc

and Apple Inc, the state is also a critical hub of trade with Asia, boasts an agricultural industry that is “the nation’s salad bowl” and is headquarters for explosive sectors such as solar energy and electric cars. But California has been all too willing to spend its wealth rather than save it. In 2006, for instance, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a budget that increased education spending to an all-time high and trumpeted the return of funding for art, music and the for-

1983, rode a message of frugality to victory at the polls in November.

He is preparing to unveil a budget in January that will make many Californians quake in their Birkenstocks. “The day of reckoning is upon us,” the no-nonsense Brown said at a forum with educators in December. “When you look at a budget of this magnitude you are looking at a lot of things that people care deeply about. And those are the things that are going to get cut back, because we have

gate,” said Standard & Poor’s analyst Gabriel Petek. Brown and others have picked out the massive prison system as ripe for savings.

Like many states, California’s spending on prisons has risen dramatically in recent years due to both tougher crime laws and more stringent requirements for inmate healthcare. What sets California apart is that it also spends a great deal on generous wage and benefit packages for its prison guards.

“You see a bunch of stories

posed eliminating California’s welfare program altogether. California has a higher percentage of people on welfare because it allows children to keep receiving cash assistance after their parents exceed their five-year time limit or fail to comply with the program’s requirements. At the same time, the state spends more of its welfare dollars on cash payouts rather than programs like child care. “California does end up looking like an outlier in the way it has run its welfare

sales and corporate taxes, which can fluctuate wildly from good times to bad.

“Where we draw our revenue from is equally as broken as what we spend our money on,” said Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, a moderate Democrat. “If I were your investment adviser and you had $25 billion to $40 billion swings in your portfolio, what would my advice be to you? Diversify.” Prop 13 also limited the ability of California’s towns and cities to

Californians’ faith in government is in the dumps, and even insiders see the state’s future as murky and unstable mer Mr Universe’s personal favorite - physical education.

“They had money they didn’t know what to do with,” said Dennis Smith, superintendent of Orange County’s Placentia-Yorba Linda School District. “They gave us everything imaginable. As opposed to maybe saving the

no choice.”

With pledges to cut spending everywhere, reform pensions, give more authority to local governments and ease regulations that hamper economic growth, Brown’s plans for the bluest of blue states sound straight out of the Republican playbook. Yet voters on

about officers making over $100,000 a year because of overtime,” said James Austin, president of corrections consulting firm JFA Institute. “And then they marry each other, and they have baby guards, and you got a family making half a million bucks.” California’s prison guards union campaigned

program,” said Caroline Danielson, a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California.

And yet Californians, who are proud of living in a socially progressive state, have made it clear that cuts to welfare would be very unpopular. In October, a statewide uproar ensued when

raise their own revenues by requiring a two-thirds vote to do so. The idea was to consolidate school funding at the state level to give districts an equal amount of money regardless of whether they served rich or poor communities.

But now, California has spent decades controlling the purse-

money.” Placentia-Yorba Linda has since laid off dozens of teachers and is scraping the bottom of the barrel just to pay for the basics.

California has been living beyond its means since the go-go days of the dot-com boom pushed state revenues to unsustainable levels.

The man Schwarzenegger unseated as governor - Gray Davis implemented hefty spending increases and tax cuts that the state could no longer afford once the Internet bubble burst and revenues settled down to more reasonable levels.

“Promised spending levels were woven into the law that were excessively expensive commitments,” Lockyer said. A 1999 law that gave generous pensions to state employees - long-serving workers could retire at 50 with 90 percent of their salaries - is widely criticized for ballooning California’s unfunded pension obligation to as much as $500 billion.

Schwarzenegger rolled back some of those benefits this year, and Brown has vowed to raise retirement ages and demand more contributions from employees.

the left think Brown will be able to cut back spending while still protecting those in need. “With Jerry Brown we’re finally going to get a governor who has got a brain, but has a heart as well,” said Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, which has 700,000 members in California.

Brown, Medina expects, will take what he called “a balanced approach” - in other words, a combination of cuts and taxes - to balancing the budget. “Not simply what Schwarzenegger has done, which is cut, cut and more cutting,” Medina said. Yet even Democrats said they are prepared for Brown to put the state on a strict diet. “Jerry Brown is a Democrat, but he’s got his own rhythm and his own beat,” said Charles Calderon, the Democratic leader in California’s State Assembly. “People on Wall Street are saying ‘Bite the bullet and let the chips fall where they may.’ It’s contrary to their world view for Democrats to want to do that, but we’re arriving to a point where we are going to be asked to do a lot of that by our governor.”

Schwarzenegger vetoed funding for a welfare-to-work child care program because he said lawmakers had not set aside enough money in the state’s rainy day fund. In some respects, Californians are still in denial about what it will mean for the state to live within its vastly depleted means. According to a USC/Los Angeles Times poll in November, just 24 percent of voters believe services such as health care and education will have to be cut. “No one wants Grandma left out in the middle of the street in her wheelchair with no help,” said Connie Conway, the new Republican leader in the state assembly.

The Jerry Brown Diet That’s just one of many sacrifices Brown is asking of Californians. The famously stingy 72-year-old, who served as governor once before from 1975 to

Prisons And Welfare The question is where to cut, and there are not too many obvious targets. “It is a little bit of a misconception out there that the state’s spending has been so profli-

aggressively for the labor-friendly Brown. The union has been without a contract since 2006 after negotiations with Schwarzenegger reached a standstill, and its members are optimistic that Brown will offer them a better contract.

“Anything will be better than what Schwarzenegger put forth,” union spokesman Ryan Sherman said, adding that prison guards “have been taking quite the monetary hit as of late.”

But who in California hasn’t?

“What we have is a very grumpy set of claimants,” Brown said at the education forum in December, referring to, well - everyone. To show his gratitude for their support, Brown showed up at the prison guards convention in Las Vegas in early December. His message to them? We must tighten the belt. The incoming governor also proposed to cut corrections spending by reducing the number of inmates who spend 90 days or less in state prisons. Lawmakers including Steinberg, however, said weeding out some offenders from state prisons will “take a lot of political will.”

Welfare is another area that could see cuts, as California’s spending on cash assistance far exceeds that of other states. At various times, including his latest attempt to plug the current budget hole, Schwarzenegger has pro-

strings of its cities and school boards without the benefit of stable and predictable revenues. “The funding for schools is a political process, and every year that process is stalled,” Kwek said. “We need a more stable stream of money for schools that we can count on.” Schools would like their funding linked to property taxes, though it would be virtually impossible for Brown to do away with Prop 13. It has been called both the “sacred cow” and “third rail” of California politics, and many said any move to overhaul the tax base would be political World War III. “The political problem you have is it means that the folks on the right have to have a conversation that involves the word ‘tax’,” Huber said. “And to my friends on the left, I criticize them just as much. They need to come to the table agreeing not to increase the size of the pot.” A more doable solution - and one that Brown has said he wants to pursue - would be to give localities more control over their finances.

That could be a euphemism for saddling them with more responsibility or a promise to help overturn part of Prop 13 and make it easier to raise taxes locally.

But that still doesn’t solve California’s dilemma over whether to hike its already lofty state taxes to help close the current budget

Tax Battle Californians don’t want the government taking more of their paychecks either. At the polls in November, they rejected a fee increase to fund state parks and approved a measure that will make it harder for the legislature to raise taxes. “The voters really spoke: ‘Do not tax us anymore,’” Conway said. But many in the state say taxes, rather than spending, are at the heart of California’s troubles. For some, the Golden State hamstrung its finances when a 1978 ballot initiative, Proposition 13, capped property taxes at 1 percent. California became more dependent on personal income,

chasm. Brown has said that any tax increase would have to get voter approval, and many expect him to put the screws on voters with a harsh and miserly budget. “Jerry Brown is going to early on inflict a lot of pain by putting a budget together that is living within the state’s means,” said Eric Hall, a consultant to several California schools districts. “Once the screaming gets loud enough he’ll put a measure on the ballot to increase revenues.”

“The Worst Place In The Universe” The problem is that many believe California simply can’t afford to raise taxes. That’s particularly true for the corporations the state needs to put its residents back to work. Recently, California came in 49th in a Tax Foundation ranking of the business-friendliness of US states, partly because its corporate tax rate is the eighth highest in the nation. “The business community, they are a group that feels probably more oppressed than the schools,” Brown said last month. “They really feel like they are in the worst place in the universe and they all want to leave.”

California’s landmark climate change law, with plans for more renewable energy and a market to curb greenhouse gases, is another albatross around the neck of California businesses because it adds layers of regulation they don’t have elsewhere, said Bob Dutton, the Republican leader in the state senate. “It doesn’t do you any good to chase your jobs over to China,” Dutton said. “They aren’t green.”

But others say the law, which survived an oil company-backed challenge at the polls in November, will go a long way toward solidifying California’s status as a leader in innovation and creating both high-technology and manufacturing jobs. In Silicon Valley’s San Jose, green technology companies have grown despite the recession. But the city’s mayor said California needs to do a lot more to support other industries.

“Clean technology is not somehow going to transform the state,” Mayor Chuck Reed said.

If it can’t be cheaper, California will have to compete for corporate jobs by being more nimble, Reed added. As an example, he cited how San Jose prevented network equipment maker Brocade Communications Systems Inc from pulling up stakes by finding a site for its new headquarters, expediting building permits and offering a tax rebate.

“We put up $2.5 million, but they will generate more than $2.5 million a year of revenues to us forever,” Reed said. To be fair, California has sent some recent signals that it is ready to help businesses expand. In November, voters killed a ballot measure that would have repealed certain corporate tax breaks, and earlier this year the state made purchases of green technology manufacturing equipment exempt from sales taxes. But the state has a lot further to go. “We should be doing more tax credits, for things like manufacturing jobs coming to California,” said Huber.

Luckily for California, the state still has one major advantage - it is still the home of US tech innovation. “The fastest way to introduce innovation into a product is to have the production and development talking to each other constantly and not separated by significant distance,” said Elon Musk, whose electric car company, Tesla Motors Inc, and rocket company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp, both have manufacturing operations in California.

Musk warned, however, that California must be vigilant about making sure its tax code and labor laws don’t outweigh the benefits of its location. In other words, California must be better about looking over its shoulder. “We’re always in danger,” Reed said. “It’s a global market that’s fierce. We have to worry about it all the time.” Recently, for instance, Utah’s governor pitched California companies on expanding there after his state ranked No. 1 on the Forbes list of the best states for business. California, which ranked a dismal 39th on the list, has already seen several of its companies, including Adobe Systems Inc, Twitter and eBay Inc, establish themselves in Utah. “There is no excuse for California to play second fiddle to any other state in the nation,” said Senator Dutton.

“But right now we are.” — Reuters

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

Years

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in the news

GIZA, Egypt: Venezuelan tourists watch a partial solar eclipse in front of the Giza Pyramids yesterday. — AP

Foetus found on flight to Manila DUBAI: A cleaner found a human foetus on an Emirati passenger plane after it landed in Manila, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said yesterday. “Etihad Airways can confirm that a human foetus was discovered on board one of its aircraft at Ninoy Aquino airport in Manila by a member of the airport’s cleaning staff on Monday,” the United Arab Emirates carrier said. “Any media enquiries should be directed to local police,” it added in a brief statement. The Philippine Star newspaper said the six to seven-month lifeless foetus was found in the garbage bin of a toilet on board a plane which flew in from Abu Dhabi. The foetus was wrapped in a diaper, it said on its website.

Riyadh confirms F-15 part of deal RIYADH: Saudi Arabia confirmed yesterday it plans to buy more F-15 fighter jets as part of a massive arms deal which the US State Department said in September could be worth up to $60 billion. In the first comments by a Saudi official on the deal, assistant defence minister Khalid bin Sultan said the two sides remained in talks over final details. “Talks are continuing according to the agenda and part of it is the purchase of the modified F-15 model,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an airforce graduation ceremony. In September, US officials said Washington planned to sell weapons worth up to $60 billion to Saudi Arabia including 84 new Boeing F-15 aircraft and 70 Apache helicopters.

Son of Iran shah commits suicide WASHINGTON: Former Iranian prince Alireza Pahlavi, the youngest son of the late shah of Iran, has committed suicide in his home in the United States, his brother said on his website yesterday. “It is with immense grief that we would like to inform our compatriots of the passing away of Prince Alireza Pahlavi,” Reza Pahlavi, the shah’s oldest son, said on his website. “Like millions of young Iranians, he too was deeply disturbed by all the ills fallen upon his beloved homeland, as well as carrying the burden of losing a father and a sister in his young life.” The statement said although his 44-year-old brother had “struggled for years to overcome his sorrow, he finally succumbed, and during the night of the 4th of January 2011, in his Boston residence, took his own life, plunging his family and friends into great sorrow.”

Slain Filipino politician caught suspect on camera MANILA: Philippine police investigating the New Year’s Eve shooting death of a local councilman did not have to look further than the last photograph the victim took. That photo led to the arrest of two suspects. The picture, taken outside the councilman’s house in metropolitan Manila, clearly shows a man aiming his gun from behind the victim’s smiling three-member family, seconds before he was shot. The relatives - Councilman Reynaldo Dagsa’s wife, daughter and mother-in-law - are seen standing beside the family’s car, which has lights on, and the gunman, wearing a baseball cap, is bracing himself against the vehicle and pointing his gun at Dagsa. His face is slightly obscured by the gun.

The car was parked along an alley outside the Dagsas’ house. In another corner of the photograph is a man police identified as the assassin’s lookout. Police said yesterday that Dagsa was shot seconds after the photo was taken and died of his wounds by the time he reached a hospital. His family gave police the photo, which ran on

the Philippine Daily Inquirer ’s front page Tuesday.

Caloocan city police chief Jude Santos said a man identified as the gunman in the picture was arrested Monday.

His accomplice also was arrested in a separate raid in Manila the same day, Santos said. He said the main suspect was a car thief who was out on bail and likely sought revenge against Dagsa for ordering his arrest last year.

Dagsa’s wife and daughter, speaking to reporters at their home yesterday, said the victim had asked them to wake him up before the stroke of midnight so he could join in the usually noisy New Year’s street revelry that comes with lots of firecrackers. The family members said they did not hear a gunshot because the firecrackers were exploding all around them. They only saw Dagsa falling to the ground after he was hit. They said they rushed him to the hospital but it was too late. Rampant gun violence has long plagued the impoverished Philippines, with a vast array of cheap firearms easily available on the legal and black markets. — AP

Opposition vows to keep hounding PM Continued from Page 1 that the ongoing political crisis will come to an end. MP Saadoun stressed at a rally late Monday night that the opposition will not accept the prime minister to continue even if he defeats the non-cooperation motion, saying that this government does not deserve to continue. Liberal MP Saleh Al-Mulla called on the government to resign before the voting, while Barrak said the campaign against the government will continue.

Following the vote today, the

Popular Action Bloc and the Reform and Development Bloc are expected to call all opposition MPs for an urgent meeting to draw the future course of action. The opposition will review available options which include filing requests to grill several ministers including the interior and public works ministers. Other options include continuing with the public gatherings and the final option is to submit a resignation en masse. The opposition however is not united on all these options as various groups and individual MPs have different opinions and positions.

The liberal National Action Bloc is expected to ask the rest to stop the campaign for now while others will insist to continue, especially the Popular Action Bloc and the Reform and Development Bloc.

Since Sheikh Nasser was appointed prime minister in Feb 2006, MPs have filed eight requests to grill him. The Assembly was dissolved after the first six requests while the premier accepted to be grilled for the first time in Dec 2009. He easily defeated a noncooperation motion by 35 votes against 13.

Christian missionaries arrested in Tehran

CALOOCAN, Philippines: (Left) An alleged assassin aims a gun at Reynaldo Dagsa, who was taking a picture of his family early Jan 1, 2011, just outside their residence north of Manila. Police say Dagsa was shot seconds later and died of his wounds. — AP

Syria quietly opens casino Continued from Page 1 Many Syrians, including well-off businessmen and others with deep pockets, often make the trip to Beirut, which is only a taxi-ride away from Damascus, said Omar. But for Syrians who prefer to play at home, the new casino offers all the standard fare, including roulette, blackjack, poker and slot machines.

Gambling was banned in Syria in

Continued from Page 1 at the lower altitudes began to brighten a bit. As much as two-thirds of the sun slipped from view behind the moon, something that hasn’t occurred in Switzerland since Aug 1999. A more minor eclipse happened in Aug 2008.

Some Genevois asked via Twitter how they could see the eclipse as it snowed. Federal health officials warned people, especially children, to wear special eye protection rather than use homemade gear to see the eclipse. The Swiss government itself tweeted: “An astronomical show, but watch the eyes!” For some the weather lent that protection. “It was covered,” Delio Macchi of the Neuchatel observatory said of the effect in Swiss skies.

Clear skies over southern Romania offered a chance to glimpse a pale pink, otherworldly glow that spread over Bucharest, the capital. People climbed atop snow-coated high-rise buildings to get a better view, or donned sunglasses and huddled outside subway stations in Revolution Square. Some watched it televised live; Romanians won’t see their next eclipse until March 2015. “This morning I saw a strange light,” said Andrei Carlescu, a 21-year-old architecture student who was fascinated by the way the light dipped. “At first I didn’t know what was happening. There were children about 9 or 10 who were wearing special glasses and looking at it.”

The eclipse was first seen yesterday over Jerusalem, where the sun appeared to have taken a large bit out of its upper right section. A solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up between the sun and the Earth,

casting a lunar shadow on the Earth’s surface and obscuring the solar disk.

During a partial solar eclipse, only par t of the sun is blotted out.

Western Europe woke up to a sunrise eclipse. Astronomers had expected the greatest eclipse over Sweden, where about 85 percent of the sun was blocked. “It’s thanks to the position of the moon and so the shadow (of it) is ver y small,” said Niclas Henricson, head of the Tycho Brahe observatory in southern Sweden.

Ten people had gathered at Henricson’s observatory ready to check it out with their mobile telescopes should the cloudy weather disperse. He said Swedes only have such an oppor tunity about once every four to five years; their next full solar eclipse will be in 2126. Rather than miss out, Christian Ander, a 31year-old IT entrepreneur, went to a park to watch it, though he said that because it occurred so early in the morning, it wasn’t as noticeable as it might have been if it had happened later in the day. “It was beautiful,” he said. “It was kind of like a sunrise.”

Rising over Stockholm’s snow-covered roofs, the crescent Sun emerged from the haze, before gradually shaking off the Moon’s shadow, an AFP reporter saw. “This was actually the best partial solar eclipse I have seen.

Talk about drama. What a spectrum.

It was brilliant,” Nils Erik Olsson, head of Stockholm’s amateur astronomy association told the TT news agency.

“We were maximally lucky.... That there were clouds around the Sun in the beginning only increased the drama,” he said. “The Sun looks like a brightly shining moon crescent,” added Bjoern Haglund in Stockholm on Twitter.

Polish viewers were treated to live

television coverage of the eclipse from the southern city of Krakow, where the shadow of the moon could be seen gradually blacking out the sun. The golden croissant-like shape was visible in the dark sky in the morning. However, most of Poland was covered by clouds that blotted out the spectacular sight. A sunset eclipse was visible from central Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwest China.

In London, Paris and Rome, hopes for a spooky darkening of the winter sk ies at sunrise were dashed by dense cloud which turned the event into a grey mush. “Aaah so much hype of an eclipse... all I saw was the usual British cloud!!!” said Twitter contributor Romana Alli in Britain.

In the Middle East, the Sun was almost half-obscured when seen from Beirut, Jerusalem and Amman, but more than 60 percent from towns in Turkey, according to calculations by veteran eclipse-watcher Fred Espenak. Eclipse-watchers have had an unusually bumper year, according to NASA, which counts two partial solar and two total eclipses in 2011.

The next partial solar eclipse will be on June 1, visible in eastern Siberia, northern China, Alaska and northern Canada. Total solar eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon and Earth are all perfectly in line.

The Sun is 400 times wider than the Moon, but it is also 400 times farther away, which means the lunar shadow, or umbra, is just wide enough to cover the face of the Sun. The last total solar eclipse was on July 11 2010, crossing the Southern Pacific. The next will be on Nov 13, 2012, crossing parts of Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and South America, says Espenak. — Agencies

the 1970s, explained analyst Sami Mubayed. Back in the late 1950s, the clergy tried in vain to ban alcohol and gambling at the resort town of Bloudan, northwest of Damascus, which attracts tourists from the Gulf, Mubayed said. The opening of the new casino coincides with a period of economic openness in Syria, which has been trying to attract tourists with its wealth of historical sites.

“This will give a boost to tourism,”

said one of the casino’s managers, asking not to be named, adding the project went ahead under a special dispensation as part of economic liberalisation moves in Syria. But not everyone agrees the casino will bring in more tourists. “It is not an important economic activity. The facility is not large enough and it cannot compete with the Casino du Liban,” said an economic analyst, on condition of anonymity. — AFP

Pakistan gov killed by own bodyguard Continued from Page 1

Mideast sees partial eclipse

TEHRAN: Iran has arrested a number of Christian missionaries in Tehran province and vowed to detain more of them, the provincial governor was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA yesterday. Morteza Tamaddon said “the leaders of this movement have been arrested in Tehran province and more will be arrested in the near future”. He did not give their identities, so it was unclear whether they are foreigners, Iranians or a combination of both. Nor did he explain what he meant by their belonging to a movement, which he called “deviated” and “corrupt”. He referred to them as “tabshiri,” or missionaries, and likened them to the Taleban. “Just like the Taleban... who have inserted themselves into Islam like a parasite, they have crafted a movement with Britain’s backing in the name of Christianity,” Tamaddon said.

He was shot 26 times, said Shaukat Kayani, a doctor at Poly Clinic Hospital.

The interior minister said it was not clear whether the guard acted alone or was part of a larger plot. Taseer’s death in the capital Islamabad rattled a country already mired in crises ranging from a potential collapse of the government to a virulent Islamist insurgency. It was a blow to Pakistan’s embattled secular movement and could add to concerns about inroads by Islamist extremists into the country’s security forces.

Taseer vented his opposition publicly - even using Twitter - to hardline blasphemy laws that effectively order death for anyone convicted of insulting Islam.

The laws have come under greater scrutiny in recent weeks after a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to death for insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Taseer said Bibi should be pardoned, earning him opprobrium from Islamist groups across the country and death threats, said Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister for minorities. “I was under huge pressure sure 2 cow down b4 rightest pressure on blasphemy. Refused. Even if I’m the last man standing,” Taseer wrote on Twitter on Dec 31.

“He was the most courageous voice after Benazir Bhutto on the rights of women and religious minorities,” said Farahnaz Ispahani, an aide to Zardari and friend of Taseer who cried as she spoke.

“God, we will miss him.” Human rights activists have long complained that the blasphemy laws are used to settle rivalries and persecute religious minorities.

Dozens are sentenced to death each year under the laws, which date back to the 1980s military rule of Gen Mohammad Zia ul-Haq. Most cases are thrown out by higher courts and no executions have been carried out. But under pressure from Islamist parties, the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said recently it would not pursue changes to the laws.

Taseer’s Punjab province is a major

base and recruiting ground for the powerful military and security establishment, which many fear is coming under increasing influence of religious fundamentalists as Islamist movements spread. Some analysts have suggested that fundamentalist members of the security establishment pose a greater threat of Pakistan nuclear proliferation than militant groups such as the Taleban.

The suspect was identified as 26year-old Mumtaz Qadri from the outskirts of Islamabad. An intelligence official interrogating him told AP that the bearded, elite police commando was boasting about the assassination, saying he was proud to have killed a blasphemer. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media on the record.

The official said Qadri had been planning the assassination for the last three days, knowing he was going to be deployed with Taseer’s security squad.

He quoted the suspect as saying the governor “‘deserved to be killed because he had termed the blasphemy law a black law’.” His hands and legs bound by nylon rope, the bearded Qadri smiled confidently as he spoke to reporters from the back of a police truck just after killing Taseer and surrendering.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the attacker was recruited as a police constable, and transferred to elite police force after commando training in 2008.

“We have ordered a probe into how he ended up in the squad,” he said. Police official Mohammad Iftikhar said Taseer was gunned down after he reached Kohsar Market, a shopping center in Islamabad popular with Westerners and wealthy Pakistanis. Malik said Taseer was apparently on his way to meet someone for a meal. “It was one shot first and then a burst,” said R A Khan, a witness who was drinking coffee in the area at the time. “I rushed and saw policemen over another police commando, who was lying on road with his face down.”

Witnesses shook with fear after the attack, recounting to AFP the moments they heard gunfire puncture the otherwise peaceful cold afternoon in what is one of the most desirable residential districts of the capital. “The governor used to visit the market frequently on foot. He used to go shopping here,” said 50-year-old local resident Mazhar Iqbal.

“When I heard the gun fire I came out. I only glimpsed the governor from a distance as he was being put in a vehicle.”

The interior minister said other members of Taseer’s security detail were being questioned, adding that his security was provided by the Punjab provincial government. “We will see whether it was an individual act or someone had asked him” to do it, Malik said of the attacker. Five people were also wounded in the attack. Bullet casings and blood covered much of the scene at the market, and police quickly cordoned off the area. At the hospital, ruling party supporters wept and beat their heads in grief after the news.

Outside his residence in the eastern city of Lahore, hundreds of supporters chanted slogans on his behalf, while in the central city of Multan dozens of ruling party supporters burned tires and demanded the attackers be punished.

Human rights activists said they were dismayed at Taseer’s death, especially considering the difficulties the ruling party has had in advancing any legislation on human rights because of its alliances with Islamist parties. “Taseer showed himself to be a rare politician, willing to risk his life in espousing an unambiguous position against discrimination and abuse,” said Ali Dayan Hasan, senior South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch. Taseer was also a business and media tycoon who owned one of Pakistan’s leading English-language newspapers, the Daily Times. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also announced a three-day period of national mourning and ordered flags lowered to half-mast.— Agencies

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sp orts De Boer appointed Ajax coach

Putin aids Russian F1 ace MOSCOW: Vitaly Petrov, Russia’s first and only Formula One driver, is to receive funding from state-run high-tech company Rostekhnologii following a deal brokered by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, local media reported yesterday.

Petrov, his manager Oksana Kosachenko, Rostekhnologii chief Sergei Chemezov, and Leonid Mikhelson, head of private gas firm Novatek, hammered out the details of the new sponsorship deal during a meeting with Putin. “The number of automobile sport lovers in Russia increases day by day,” Putin said. “Petrov, who is very famous among Formula One fans here, has recently signed a new two-year contract with his team. He definitely needs support. Financial support most of all.”

Last month the Lotus Renault GP team confirmed that Petrov would be their second driver for the 2011 season alongside Pole Robert Kubica.—AFP

AMSTERDAM: Ajax Amsterdam have confirmed Frank de Boer in the post of manager until June 2014 to replace Martin Jol who left last month, the club said on Monday.

The 40-year-old former Dutch international, an assistant to Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk, took charge of Ajax on a temporary basis last month.

De Boer started his playing career at left back but later became a central defender and enjoyed distiguished spells at Barcelona, Galatasaray and Rangers. He worked as a coach at Ajax’s youth academy since 2006. “I’m not surprised by this appointment as the intention of both sides was there

from the start and we only needed to work out some details and that happened today,” De Boer said on the club’s official website (www.ajax.nl). Ajax director Rick van der Boog said De Boer had been their main candidate to succeed Jol. “Frank (de Boer) knows the club as player and youth coach and knows exactly what is demanded and he knows what is going on in our youth department and which players are developing.” Ajax, fourth in the Dutch league six points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven with a game in hand, have won all three matches (Champions League, League and Cup) with De Boer in charge. —Reuters

Kumble withdraws from IPL NEW DELHI: Former India skipper Anil Kumble withdrew yesterday from the Indian Premier League auction in Bangalore this weekend.

Kumble, under whose captaincy Royal Challengers Bangalore finished runner-up in 2009 and third in 2010, cited business commitments as well as interests in cricket administration and wildlife as the reasons for his decision.

The legspinner recently won an election to become the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. He retired from international cricket in 2008.

Kumble, India’s most successful bowler in tests (619 wickets) and one-day internationals (337), was among 22 players with the highest base price of $400,000.

“I have enjoyed my stint at the IPL so far and thank all concerned for the support extended,” he said in a statement from the Indian cricket board. —AFP

Blackhawks halt Kings march LOS ANGELES: Jonathan Toews scored the winning goal off his own skate at 14:33 of the third period, giving the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday to end a threegame losing streak. The defending Stanley Cup champions swept the Kings in four games for the first time since 1981-82, when they went 3-0-0 against them.

Patrick Sharp continued his success against Los Angeles, scoring two goals and assisting on another.

His three points gave him eight this season against the Kings. Sharp’s two goals gave Chicago the lead both times until Ryan Smyth tied it 3-3 for the Kings on a drive that broke his stick at 12:42 of the third.

Canucks 4, Sharks 3 At San Jose, California, Alexandre Burrows scored midway through the third period as Vancouver held on to beat San Jose.

Daniel Sedin, Alexander Edler and Jannik Hansen also scored for the Canucks, who improved to 8-0-1 in their past nine road games and 15-1-2 in their past 18 overall. Cor y Schneider stopped 32 of 35 shots.

Ryane Clowe, Patrick Marleau and Jamal Mayers scored for the Sharks, who lost for the third time in their past nine games. Antti Niemi made 43 saves.

The victor y lifted Vancouver into the top spot in the West with 55 points while San Jose stayed in the fourth spot.

Bruins 2, Maple Leafs 1 At Toronto, Marc Savard scored the tiebreaking goal and Tuukka Rask stopped 36 shots to help Boston

down Toronto. Nathan Horton also scored for the Bruins. Mikhail Grabovski had the Maple Leafs’ goal and James Reimer — making his second straight start for Toronto — had 31 saves.

Islanders 5, Flames 2 At Calgary, Alberta, John Tavares had two goals and an assist,and Matt Moulson also scored twice as New York beat Calgary.

Michael Grabner scored New York’s fifth goal into an empty net, while Andrew MacDonald and PA Parenteau each had two assists for the Islanders, who are 7-1-1 in their past nine.

New York starting goalie Rick DiPietro made 13 saves for the win before leaving with an apparent lowerbody injur y with the Islanders up 4-1 in the second period. David Moss scored both goals for Calgary, which got 21 saves from second-string netminder Henrik Karlsson.

Panthers 4, Hurricanes 3 At Raleigh, North Carolina, Bryan Allen scored 1:16 into overtime to lift Florida over Carolina. Cory Stillman, Chris Higgins and Dennis Wideman also scored for Florida, which squandered a two-goal lead in the third period before steadying itself for the win.

Scott Clemmensen made 34 saves for the Panthers, who improved to 5-1-2 in their last eight games. Florida also celebrated a rare win at Carolina — the Panthers are 6-25-2 all-time at the RBC Center. Zac Dalpe, Zach Boychuk and Jay Harrison had the Hurricanes’ goals.

Ward made 24 saves but couldn’t help Carolina win its fourth straight. — AP

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Monday.

Boston 2, Toronto 1; Florida 4, Carolina 3 (OT); NY Islanders 5, Calgary 2; Chicago 4, Los Angeles 3; Vancouver 4, San Jose 3.

Philadelphia Pittsburgh NY Rangers NY Islanders New Jersey Boston Montreal Ottawa Buffalo Toronto Tampa Bay Washington Atlanta Carolina Florida

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF 24 10 5 131 25 12 3 127 22 15 3 119 12 19 6 89 10 26 2 68 Northeast Division 21 11 6 110 21 16 3 100 16 19 5 90 16 18 4 105 14 20 4 90 Southeast Division 23 11 5 121 23 12 5 120 21 15 6 131 18 15 5 111 18 17 2 102

GA 104 94 103 120 122

PTS 53 53 47 30 22

85 96 121 114 113

48 45 37 36 32

122 106 125 115 95

51 51 48 41 38

Western Conference Central Division Detroit 24 10 5 133 110 53 St. Louis 20 13 5 101 104 45 Chicago 21 17 3 128 118 45 Nashville 19 13 6 95 93 44 Columbus 20 16 3 101 114 43 Northwest Division Vancouver 25 8 5 131 95 55 Colorado 20 14 5 132 125 45 Minnesota 18 15 5 98 112 41 Calgary 18 19 3 107 115 39 Edmonton 12 18 7 95 126 31 Pacific Division Dallas 23 13 4 114 111 50 San Jose 21 14 5 118 112 47 Anaheim 21 17 4 109 119 46 Los Angeles 22 16 1 116 96 45 Phoenix 17 13 8 106 113 42 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L).

ANAHEIM: Troy Brouwer No. 22 of the Chicago Blackhawks catches his breath on his way off the ice shortly after the end of their NHL game. — AFP

Ferrari to launch 2011 F1 car at end of month LONDON: Ferrari’s 2011 Formula One car will be unveiled at the end of January after passing a series of mandatory crash tests last month, the Italian team said.

The sport’s most successful team, who finished a distant third overall last year with Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Brazilian Felipe Massa, said on their website (www.ferrari.com) that their Maranello factory was fully back to work after the Christmas break. “ The new season beckons, with the launch of the new car planned for the final week of this month, while testing gets under-

way on Feb. 1 at Cheste’s Ricardo Tormo circuit near Valencia,” the team said.

Alonso and Massa will take part in a media event with Italian MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi, now with Ducati, in the Dolomites next week.

Meanwhile, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali considered quitting after a strategy error in the final grand prix of last year cost Fernando Alonso the Formula One championship.

The Spaniard went into the Abu Dhabi season-ender in the lead in the standings but an early

pit-stop backfired, leaving him to finish the race seventh while Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won to take the crown.

“I asked myself if it was right or not to stay. It seemed a reflection I had to do, a responsible one. I’m not attached to the hotseat,” Domenicali told La Repubblica yesterday.

“However, I reached the conclusion that to resign would have been an error.” He said he had not feared the sack but did not sleep for two days after the race.

Domenicali, whose team will unveil their 2011 car at the end of

January after it passed a series of mandatory crash tests last month, is now raring to go for the season having admitted Red Bull were “objectively” quicker than the Italians last year.

“I know the team and I think I am the right person to capitalise best on what we have done in these months,” he said. “From a methodology point of view, at Maranello we have changed almost everything and I’m certain that soon we will see the results of all this work.”

The sport’s most successful team, who finished a distant third

overall last year with Alonso and Brazilian Felipe Massa, said on their website (www.ferrari.com) that their factory was fully back to work after the Christmas break. “ The new season beckons, with the launch of the new car planned for the final week of this month, while testing gets underway on Feb. 1 at Cheste’s Ricardo Tormo circuit near Valencia,” the team said.

Alonso and Massa will take part in a media event with Italian MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi, now with Ducati, in the Dolomites next week. — Reuters

Brady’s interceptions: As simple as 1-2-3-4 FOXBOROUGH: Quarterback Tom Brady heaved the ball toward the end zone to try to avoid overtime, but the throw on the last play of the fourth quarter was picked off by Baltimore safety Ken Hamlin on a mild mid-October afternoon.

Since then, the New England Patriots’ pinpoint passer hasn’t thrown another interception. That’s 11 games, 335 consecutive passes. And just four interceptions all season.

“It blows my mind a little bit,” Miami coach Tony Sparano said before his Dolphins kept Brady’s streak alive in the Patriots’ 38-7 win on Sunday.

Through the first five regular season games, Brady was accurate, but not perfect. He threw two interceptions in the second game on deep passes to Randy Moss in a 28-14 loss to the New York Jets.

He threw two more in the fifth, a 23-20 overtime win over Baltimore. And that’s it.

Eight other quarterbacks have thrown four interceptions this season — in a single game. Peyton Manning did it twice in consecutive games, and four of those were returned for touchdowns.

It has taken some luck. In a 36-7 win at the Chicago Bears, at least two passes were nearly intercepted after being tipped.

“I’ve been very fortunate over the course of this season that the (opposing) defense has dropped the ball. They could catch it, you know?” Brady said, starting to smile. “But (then) they’d be playing offense.”

The only defenders who have hung on

to his passes are Antonio Cromartie and Brodney Pool of the Jets and Chris Carr and Hamlin of Baltimore.

Hamlin even has changed teams since the streak began. He was cut by Baltimore, where he had gotten more playing time while Ed Reed was on the physically unable to perform list, and then signed by Indianapolis.

With home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, the Patriots have this weekend off and will play Baltimore or the Jets — the only two teams that have intercepted Brady — or the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 16 in the divisional round.

Brady has never thrown more than 14 interceptions in his nine seasons as a healthy starter. Brett Favre has done that in 14 of his 19 full seasons.

Brady ’s run of 335 straight passes without an interception is an NFL record.

Less than one percent (.81) of his 492 passes have been picked off, third best in NFL history. Damon Huard’s percentage was .41 with Kansas City with one interception but only 244 passes in 2006, and Joe Ferguson’s was .66 with Buffalo in 1976 with one interception in only 151 passes. “I’m just trying to make good reads and good throws,” Brady said.

“Guys have done a hell of a job catching the ball in traffic. The offensive line has been protecting. I think we’ve really been playing with the lead a bunch, too, so you don’t really have to force the ball into those situations.” The playoffs should be more competitive. The passes should be just as precise. — AP

Tom Brady celebrates in this file photo

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Owners go easy on coaches after losing seasons MIAMI: It was expected to be “Black Monday” with the NFL’s traditional culling of coaches marking the end of the regular season and death of playoff dreams for many teams.

But apar t from the Cleveland Browns firing Eric Mangini on Monday after a dismal 5-11 season, it was a day of deliberation and even confirmation rather than termination.

The unusually low level of firings could indicate that NFL owners are moving towards patience as a virtue or it might reflect the economic uncer tainty in the league caused by the absence of a new collective bargaining agreement.

Indeed, the labor negotiations were the first item Tom Coughlin of New York Giants on the agenda on Monday as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed his confidence that a deal with the players’ union could be reached.

Those expecting a bloodletting had their eyes set on the New York Giants after they failed to make it to the playoffs for the second straight season, raising questions about the future of t h e i r S u p e r B ow l w i n n i n g h e a d co a c h To m Coughlin.

But Giants co-owner John Mara said the 64year-old Coughlin would return next season for the final year of his contract.

“I was very disappointed about the way our season ended but that doesn’t mean you blow the organization up or change coaches,” Mara told WFAN radio on Monday.

The Minnesota Vikings, who endured a nightmare 6-10 season that fell short of expectations, decided to put their faith in Leslie Frazier by removing the interim tag from his title after he won three of six games since stepping in.

[ID:nN03189104] “Leslie is well respected by our players, coaches and front office staff,” said Vikings owner Mark Wilf. Jack Del Rio enjoyed that kind of respect at Jacksonville but his position had been brought into question after the team’s inconsistent season.

In eight seasons with the franchise Del Rio has only twice made the playoffs, but he will be back

for a ninth campaign according to Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver.

“I had to reflect and say am I better off to blow this thing up and start over again with the coaching staff?” Weaver said to reporters. “I’ve made bad decisions in my life but I wouldn’t be sitting her if I didn’t make a lot more good ones than bad ones.”

According to some reports, Dallas Cowboys interim coach Jason Garrett, who went 5-3 record after taking over for Wade Phillips, will return for another season, but team owner Jerry Jones has yet to confirm that.

“I’m pleased we have had a positive experience since we’ve made the change and it does help me look at what Jason is about,” Jones told reporters.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross did not watch his team’s abysmal 38-7 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday that left the team with a 7-9 record for the season.

Many Dolphins fans are clamoring for change, largely due to the team’s 1-7 home record, but Sparano enjoys the support of his players and has a meeting with Ross scheduled this week.

Given the way the Dolphins have structured their staff, with Sparano one of several appointments made by consultant Bill Parcells three years

ago, it may take a massive overhaul to bring in a new coach-a potential deterrent to change.

Sparano was giving little away about when or where he will meet with Ross or what they will discuss. “ That’s going to be between me and Mr. Ross. I’m not going to get into any of that,” Sparano said on Monday.

There was change in Houston, but it did not involve Texans head coach Gary Kubiak being fired. The Texans (6-10) lost eight of their last 10 games and on Monday removed defensive coordinator Frank Bush, linebackers coach Johnny Holland and his assistant Robert Saleh.

But Kubiak survived after being told by owner Bob McNair he would be given a sixth season. “I appreciate Bob’s confidence in me. We visited today and decided on a new direction. I know I have a lot of work to do,” he said.

Wade Phillips, who began the season as the Cowboys head coach, is tipped to become Kubiak’s new defensive coordinator.

There is still plenty of time for coaches to be given their marching orders-even making the wildcard round of the playoffs is not always a guarantee of survival-but so far franchise owners appear in generous moods. — Reuters

James, Wade power Heat over Bobcats CHARLOTTE: LeBron James scored 38 points and Dwyane Wade added 31 point as the Miami Heat dominated the second half to beat the short-handed Charlotte Bobcats 96-82 on Monday for their 11th straight road win.

Playing for the first time against Paul Silas, his first NBA coach in Cleveland, James scored 26 of his points in the second half and added nine rebounds.

Wade grabbed 11 boards in Miami’s 18th win in 19 games. Stephen Jackson scored 22 points and D.J. Augustin added 16 for the Bobcats, who shot 38 percent from the field with 15 turnovers.

Magic 110, Warriors 90 At Orlando, Florida, Hedo Turkoglu had 10 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Dwight Howard added 22 points and 17 rebounds as Orlando beat Golden State.

Jason Richardson scored 20 points for the Magic, who had 76 points in the second half after trailing 53-44 at halftime. Monta Ellis led Golden State with 20 points and Dorell Wright added 17 points.

Celtics 96, T’wolves 93 At Boston, Paul Pierce scored 23 points to help Boston overcome a double-digit deficit — and another double -digit rebounding performance by Kevin Love — to beat Minnesota.

Love had 24 rebounds and 12 points, but he airballed a jumper with just over a minute left and Minnesota trailing by one.

Michael Beasley scored 19, including Minnesota’s last eight points, but his desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced harmlessly off the backboard.

Ray Allen scored 20, Glen Davis had 17 points and Rajon Rondo added 16 assists for the Celtics, who haven’t lost to the Timberwolves since they traded Kevin Garnett to Boston in the summer of 2007.

Hornets 84, 76ers 77 At New Orleans, David West scored 17 points as New Orleans held on to beat Philadelphia. Paul scored 15 points, using a speedy left-to-right dribble on a clutch driving layup off the glass with just under 20 seconds left to give the Hornets an 8277 lead. Emeka Okafor had 13 points and former Sixer Willie Green added 11 for New Orleans.

Brand led Philadelphia with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Andres Nocioni had 13 points and Jrue Holiday and Marreese Speights each had 12 points.

CHARLOTTE: Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) sails up to dunk as Charlotte Bobcats’ Shaun Livingston (2) looks on in the second half of the Heat’s 96-82 win in an NBA basketball game. — AP

NBA results/standings Orlando 110, Golden State 90; Miami 96, Charlotte 82; Boston 96, Minnesota 93.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT Boston 26 7 .788 NY Knicks 19 14 .576 Philadelphia 13 21 .382 Toronto 11 22 .333 New Jersey 9 25 .265 Central Division Chicago 22 10 .688 Indiana 14 18 .438 Milwaukee 13 18 .419 Detroit 11 23 .324 Cleveland 8 26 .235 Southeast Division Miami 27 9 .750 Orlando 22 12 .647 Atlanta 22 14 .611 Charlotte 11 21 .344 Washington 8 24 .250

GB 7 13.5 15 17.5 8 8.5 12 15 4 5 14 17

Western Conference Northwest Division Utah 24 11 .686 Oklahoma City 23 12 .657 Denver 20 13 .606 Portland 18 16 .529 Minnesota 9 26 .257 Pacific Division LA Lakers 23 11 .676 Phoenix 14 18 .438 Golden State 13 21 .382 LA Clippers 10 24 .294 Sacramento 7 24 .226 Southwest Division San Antonio 29 4 .879 Dallas 25 8 .758 New Orleans 21 14 .600 Houston 16 18 .471 Memphis 15 19 .441

1 3 5.5 15 8 10 13 14.5 4 9 13.5 14.5

Nuggets 113, Rockets 106 At Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points as the Nuggets pulled ahead late in the fourth quarter to beat Houston for their fourth consecutive win.

Anthony had 11 rebounds and made 13 of 14 free throws to help the Nuggets fend off the Rockets with his eighth game of 30 or more points this season.

Nene added 16 points and 11 rebounds and Arron Afflalo scored 15 points for Denver. Houston was led by Luis Scola with 24 points. Kyle Lowry had 21 points and Brad Miller had 11 rebounds and 10 points.

Jazz 102, Pistons 97 At Salt Lake City, Deron Williams scored 22 points, including a pair of late free throws, as Utah beat Detroit for the 11th straight time.

Raja Bell hit a 3-pointer and sank two free throws to give the Jazz a 100-97 lead with 17.9 seconds left. Tracy McGrady, starting in place of Rodney Stuckey, missed a 3-pointer and Al Jefferson grabbed the rebound to seal the victory.

Tayshaun Prince led Detroit with 26 points and McGrady came within one rebound of a triple double. He had 11 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. — AP

TUCSON: In this March 15, 2010 file photo, Colorado Rockies Carlos Gonzalez follows through after hitting for a double in a spring training baseball game. — AP

Gonzalez, Rockies agree to $80m deal DENVER: Carlos Gonzalez and the Colorado Rockies have agreed to an $80 million, seven-year contract, pending a physical.

Even before the agreement was reached, Fabiola Bohorquez, a publicist for the outfielder, confirmed from Venezuela the deal was imminent, pending a physical. Gonzalez will soon fly to Denver to sign the contract, she said.

A person familiar with the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made, said Monday evening that terms had been agreed upon. The Rockies wouldn’t confirm the deal, which was first reported by the Denver Post.

“It’s not at all finalized. But everything is practically concluded. All that’s left are the physical evaluations,” Gonzalez told Meridiano Television in Venezuela. “It’s a blessing for me to have this contract at such a young age,” he added.

Gonzalez had a breakout season in 2010, winning a Silver Slugger award and a Gold Glove. The 25-year-old won the Natiobnal League batting title with a .336 average and also hit 34 homers and drove in 117 runs despite batting leadoff for 44 games early in the year.

Smooth at the plate, Gonzalez was just as splendid in the field, turning in seemingly effortless catches as the Rockies shifted him around between all three outfield spots. Without the agreement, Gonzalez would be eligible for free agency after the 2014 season.

Colorado has been committing large amounts of money this offseason to sign some of its core

players. Jorge De La Rosa, one of the top lefties on the free-agent market, agreed to a $21.5 million, two-year contract to return to the Rockies.

In November, All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki signed an agreement that guarantees him $157.75 million over the next decade. Now, Gonzalez will potentially have protection in the order for quite some time.

In a recent teleconference, Tulowitzki jokingly took a little credit for Gonzalez’s late-season run at the Triple Crown because Tulowitzki was hitting behind the player known as “CarGo.” It was a pickyour-poison option as Tulowitzki turned in a sizzling September, hitting a franchise-best 15 homers and knocking in 40 runs.

Still, the production of Tulowitzki and Gonzalez, along with the pitching of ace Ubaldo Jimenez, wasn’t enough to lift Colorado into the postseason.

This winter, the Rockies brought in versatile infielder Ty Wigginton to replace Melvin Mora, who signed with Arizona. Gonzalez has been involved in two major trades during his burgeoning career. In December 2007, he was part of the deal that landed pitcher Dan Haren in Arizona and sent Gonzalez to Oakland. A year later, just as he was settling in with the Athletics, Gonzalez was shipped to Colorado, along with closer Huston Street and lefty Greg Smith, for All-Star slugger Matt Holliday. Gonzalez has embraced the challenge of replacing Holliday, even if he faltered at first. Gonzalez struggled early in 2009 before helping the Rockies into the playoffs that season. He’s been on quite a roll ever since. — AP

Shooting medalists to be honored KUWAIT: The family of the Late Sheikh Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah decided to recognize Kuwait’s shooting champions who won medals in Guangzhou, China for shooting clay targets.

The champions will be recognized on Saturday January 8. The shooters to be honored are Abdallah Al-Rashidi and Nasser Al-Miqlid who both won individual gold medals. Khalid Al-Mudhaf, Adelrahman Al-Faihan and Nasser AlMiqlid will be honored as the team’s gold medal winners and Khalid Al-Mudhaf will be honored for winning an individual silver medal.

Winning medals for participating in the skeet team event were Abdallah Al-Rashidi, Zaid Al-Mutairi and Salah Al-Mutairi. Those to be awarded for the double trap team are Fuhaid Al-Daihani, Mishfi Al-Mutairi and Hamod Al-Afasi.

Deputy Chairman of National Security, Sheikh Thamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem said that Kuwait’s leaders, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and His Highness the Premier Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-

Sheikh Thamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem Sabah support shooters who decide to continue their achievements.

He said that every Kuwait citizen should be pleased with what Kuwait’s shooters achieved on the Asian and international level.

Duaij Al-Otaibi thanked the late Sheikh Ali Sabah Al-Salem for intiating support in the sport here in Kuwait on behalf of the Kuwait Shooting Federation’s Board of Directors.

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SYDNEY: Australian bowler Ben Hilfenhaus (third left) celebrates after taking the wicket of England captain Andrew Strauss (third right) during the second day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket Test. —AP

England ride their luck as Australia strike back SYDNEY: England rode their luck through a rocky afternoon spell to reach 167-3 in their first innings at the close of play on the second day of a well-balanced fifth Ashes Test yesterday after dismissing Australia for 280.

Alastair Cook, who was saved from dismissal by a no-ball review, had made 61 with nightwatchman James Anderson alongside him on one after a triple blow from the Australian bowlers had disrupted England’s comfortable post-lunch progress.

“It’s pretty even-stevens, perhaps slightly in our favor,” said Anderson told reporters. “I think we’ve got a crucial morning session to get through tomorrow.

We’ve really got to dig in tomorrow and hopefully get a decent lead.”

England have already retained the Ashes courtesy of their innings and 157-run victory in Melbourne

last week but Australia could still square the series at 2-2 with a victory this week.

That looked highly unlikely when Australia were reduced to 189-8 in the morning but Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus then delighted the 40,000 crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground with a splendid stand of 76 for the ninth wicket.

“Obviously it was a very important partnership myself and Hilfy,” said Johnson, who made 53. “It’s always exciting to go out there and score runs... That just gives us confidence going out there and bowling.”

After dismissing the Australians, England were cruising at 98 without loss in their reply when Hilfenhaus bowled Andrew Strauss for 60 to reignite the contest.

Johnson then struck to remove Jonathan Trott for a duck six balls later and England were on the

rack. Kevin Pietersen, who came out to the crease to a chorus of boos, survived a shaky start, most notably when he hit the ball between his legs and the stumps when he was on eight.

Cook was approaching his third half century of the series on 46 when Australia’s debutant spinner Michael Beer thought he had claimed his first test wicket.

England’s top batsman of the series walked after ballooning the ball into the hands of Hilfenhaus but umpire Billy Bowden called him back and checked with the third umpire, who confirmed that the hapless Beer had overstepped the crease.

“I t can be ver y frustrating,” added Johnson, who experienced the same thing in Melbourne when Matt Prior was saved on five and went on to make 85.

“But I think he handled it very well and the way he bowled after-

wards was a very good sign for us.”

Pietersen look destined to stay with Cook until the end of the day but, when he was on 36, a rush of blood to the head saw him mistime a hook shot off Johnson and Beer took a comfortable catch at deep backward square.

It was a shot that recalled those made by three Australian batsmen to edge Anderson deliveries as the hosts lost four wickets for 55 runs in the morning.

Brad Haddin went for six after a wild slash, Steve Smith departed for 18 with an ill-advised attempt at a drive and Peter Siddle went for two with another poor shot after only facing four balls.

Mike Hussey will be disappointed with his dismissal too, tricked into an inside edge onto his own stumps by an inswinger from Paul Collingwood for 33.

Johnson and Hilfenhaus’s aggressive rearguard, however,

Scoreboard SYDNEY: Scoreboard at the close of play on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on yesterday: Australia won the toss and chose to bat.

Australia first innings (overnight 134-4) S. Watson c Strauss b Bresnan 45 P. Hughes c Collingwood b Tremlett 31 U. Khawaja c Trott b Swann 37 M. Clarke c Anderson b Bresnan 4 M. Hussey b Collingwood 33 B. Haddin c Prior b Anderson 6 S. Smith c Collingwood b Anderson 18 M. Johnson b Bresnan 53 P. Siddle c Strauss b Anderson 2 B. Hilfenhaus c Prior b Anderson 34 M. Beer not out 2 Extras (lb-7, w-1, nb-2, b-5) 15 Total (all out, 106.1 overs) 280 Fall of wickets: 55-1 105-2 113-3 134-4 143-5 171-6 187-7 189-8 265-9 280-10 Bowling: Anderson 30.1-7-66-4, Tremlett

spared Australia’s blushes and delighted the home fans, particularly when both slugged sixes in one three-ball spell. Once Tim Bresnan had removed Johnson’s off stump, however, it was only a matter of time and Hilfenhaus duly fell, well caught

26-9-71-1, Bresnan 30-5-89-3, Swann 164-37-1, Collingwood 4-2-5-1.

England first innings A. Strauss b Hilfenhaus A. Cook not out J. Trott b Johnson K. Pietersen c Beer b Johnson J. Anderson not out Extras (lb-2, w-2, nb-2, b-3)

60 61 0 36 1 9

Total (for three wickets, 48 overs) 167 Fall of wickets: 1-98 2-99 3-165 To bat: P. Collingwood, I. Bell, M. Prior, G. Swann, T. Bresnan, C. Tremlett.

Bowling: Hilfenhaus 14-3-52-1, Johnson 12-2-42-2, Siddle 10-2-33-0, Watson 3-09-0, Beer 9-0-26-0.

behind for 34 after getting a nick on a short delivery from Anderson. “The momentum had definitely swung towards the Australians and Straussy and Cooky took it right back,” said Johnson, who finished with 4-66. — Reuters

‘Great day for Test cricket’ as Tendulkar, Steyn battle

SYDNEY: England players surround teammate Graeme Swann (center) after they dismissed Australian batsman Usman Khawaja on the first day’s play of their fifth and final Ashes cricket Test. — AP

England’s easy Ashes win: Bad for cricket?

PARIS: As it turns out, there is only mitigated pleasure from kicking a team when it’s down. For the English, who have learned through bitter experience that sporting success is ephemeral and so must be feasted on when it comes, crushing Australia in the Ashes has been as toe-curlingly pleasant as a crackling fire in the gloom of their inhospitable winter.

Tucked up with tea under their duvets, they’ve stayed awake through cold nights to savor the drama unfolding many time zones away Down Under. There, England is avenging previous humiliations dealt out

by Australia when it was cricket’s all-conquering No. 1.

Australia skittled out for 98 in Melbourne; England showing how pathetic that Australian first innings was by scoring 513 on the same wicket. Australia’s opening collapse to 3-2 after winning the toss and opting to bat in Adelaide; England showing how pathetic that was by declaring on 6205, with Kevin Pietersen alone _ out for 227 _ nearly outscoring the entire Australian team’s first innings total.

And so it went on. England appears to be edging ahead in the fifth and final test, too, poised for what would be its first test series win Down Under since 1987, before Australia put a lock on the Ashes for much

of the next two decades.

At times, it all seemed too easy. And that doesn’t bode well for the overall health of test cricket. As satisfying as it is for England’s “Barmy Army” of boisterous fans to see cricket’s most celebrated trophy kept out of Australian hands, it isn’t heartening to see such a proud cricketing power so reduced.

Allegations of match-fixing leveled at Pakistan made 2010 a sorry year for cricket.

With 50 test wickets before his 19th birthday, left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir radiated promise as a future star.

But he, fellow bowler Mohammad Asif and former captain Salman Butt could — and should — be banned from the game for life if an anti-corruption tribunal meeting this week determines that they conspired to bowl deliberate no-balls for money against England last August.

Below the top-ranked test teams of India, South Africa and England, cricket is hardly overflowing with treasures to make the heart race. Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan retired from test cricket last July after taking his 800th wicket in the traditional format, a record that could last for ages. Other than cherished memories of Brian Lara, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, the West Indies offer little. —AP

CAPE TOWN: Sachin Tendulkar and Dale Steyn fought out a titanic battle before India took a two-run first innings lead on the third day of the third and final Test against South Africa at Newlands yesterday.

Tendulkar, Test cricket’s all-time leading run-scorer, made 146 in an Indian total of 364, while Steyn, the world’s number one fast bowler, took five for 75. By the close, South Africa had reached 52 for two in their second innings to be 50 runs ahead with eight wickets standing. South African captain Graeme Smith was trapped leg before wicket by off- spinner Harbhajan Singh for 29 shortly before the close and was quickly followed by nightwatchman Paul Harris.

With the series between the world’s two leading Test nations locked at one-all, it may take something special from one of the two sides to force a result during the remaining two days.

But something special was what Tendulkar and Steyn produced for 16 000 enthralled spectators. “It was a great day for Test cricket,” said Harbhajan. “Sachin got another brilliant hundred and Steyn bowled brilliantly. You can’t ask for more.” It was not one of Tendulkar’s most fluent innings. Indeed, Steyn beat his bat several times during two blistering spells against the master batsman.

But Tendulkar never lost his composure as he battled to his 51st Test century on a

CAPE TOWN: India’s Sachin Tendulkar (right) plays a shot during the third Test against South Africa played in Cape Town. —AP

Scoreboard CAPE TOWN, South Africa: Scores at close of play on the third day of the third and final Test between South Africa and India at Newlands on yesterday: South Africa, first innings, 362 India, first innings (overnight 142-2) G. Gambhir c Boucher b Harris V. Sehwag c Smith b Steyn R. Dravid run out (De Villiers) S. Tendulkar b Morkel V. Laxman run out (Harris) C. Pujara lbw b Steyn M. Dhoni c Prince b Steyn Harbhajan c sub (Duminy) b Steyn Z. Khan c Prince b Morkel I. Sharma c Boucher b Steyn S. Sreesanth not out Extras (lb20, nb1, w1)

93 13 5 146 15 2 0 40 23 1 4 22

Total (all out, 117.1 overs) 364 Fall of wickets: 1-19 (Sehwag), 2-28 (Dravid), 3-204 (Gambhir), 4-235 (Laxman), 5-237 (Pujara), 6-247 (Dhoni), 7-323

(Harbhajan), 8-341 ( Tendulkar), 9-350 (Sharma) Bowling: Steyn 31-11-75-5, Morkel 29.1-7106-2 (nb1, w1), Tsotsobe 26-5-82-0, Harris 29-8-72-1, Petersen 2-0-9-0.

South Africa, second innings G. Smith lbw b Harbhajan A. Petersen not out P. Harris lbw b Harbhajan H. Amla not out Extras (nb1)

29 22 0 0 1

Total (2 wkts, 16 overs) 52 Fall of wicket: 1-50 (Smith), 2-52 (Harris) Bowling: Khan 5-0-25-0 (nb1), Sreesanth 51-20-0, Sharma 3-0-3-0, Harbhajan 3-0-4-2.

Match position: South Africa lead by 50 runs with eight wickets remaining in the second innings

pitch which always offered some assistance to the bowlers. Only two other batsmen made scores of any significance. Opening batsman Gautam Gambhir struggled to 93 and shared a third wicket stand of 176 with Tendulkar, while Harbhajan Singh was typically unorthodox as he hit 40 and put on 76 for the seventh wicket with Tendulkar.

Steyn was magnificent, bowling at high pace and getting late away swing, although he had no luck in his first spell of the day. He bowled five overs, all to Tendulkar, had an appeal for a catch behind turned down and conceded ten runs, six of which were off the edge of the bat while Tendulkar managed one sumptuous cover drive for four.

Steyn had an even better spell with the second new ball, taking two wickets for three runs in six hostile overs.

He dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to reduce India to a precarious 247 for six and had concerted appeals for catches against Tendulkar and Harbhajan turned down.

Umpire Ian Gould rejected both appeals, which came during the space of four balls, and television replays indicated he was correct both times.

Steyn seemed furious when the appeal against Harbhajan was turned down but it appeared the ball deflected off the off stump at high pace, remarkably without disturbing a bail. —AFP

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Coma wins stage

ARGENTINA: Spanish rider Marc Coma on a KTM won the third stage of the Dakar Rally yesterday, cutting into the overall lead in the bike category of defending champion Cyril Despres of France.

Coma, the 2009 champion, finished the stage in northern Argentina in 4 hours, 18 minutes, 55 seconds — 2:21 ahead of Despres. That left Despres, the 2010 champion, with only a 14-second lead going in Wednesday when the rally crosses into Chile.

In cars, Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar took the stage in 3:42:20, edging Volkswagen teammate Carlos Sainz by 25 seconds.

Defending champion Sainz kept the overall lead, 3:34 ahead of Al-Attiyah and 4:19 in front of Stephane Peterhansel.

The change to more difficult terrain after the first few days caused problems.

“That was a really authentic Dakar day,” Coma said. “The first part with lots of navigation then more riding on the rest. I’m happy with where I am.

Of course it’s important to win a special (stage) but my aim is to win the rally.” It was Coma’s 12th stage win at Dakar.

Coma took advantage of an error early in the stage by his chief rival.

“I was very careful during the first 10 kilometers and then after 11 kilometers I got it completely wrong,” Despres said. “I didn’t lose two hours, but several precious minutes.”

Today’s stage from Jujuy to Calama, Chile, will see the drivers cross the Andes at 4,200 meters and enter the Atacama desert, one of the driest places on earth.

The race ends Jan. 16 in Buenos Aires, where it began on Saturday. —AP

ARGENTINA: Volkswagen’s Nasser AlAttiyah, from Qatar, and co-driver Timo Gottschalk, from Germany, race in the third stage of the 2011 Argentina-Chile Dakar Rally. —AP

Federer and Nadal take first steps DOHA: Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal took very different first steps towards what could be the 23rd shoot-out of their famous rivalry on Saturday in the Qatar Open.

Nadal, the youngest player ever to win all four Grand Slams, won comfortably against Karol Beck, his 6-3, 6-0 success over the former top 40 Slovakian containing trademark heavyweight forehands struck from improbable positions.

But Federer, the holder of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, had to survive three successive set DOHA: World number one points against tennis player Rafael Nadal of Thomas S choorel Spain serves the ball to and to save six Slovakia’s Karol Beck during break points in all in the Qatar ATP Open Tennis a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 win.

Federer also tournament. —AP brought the house down just before the end by striking a sensational winner from between his legs, which he described as one of the best shots of his career. But the legend gave praise to the 21-year-old Dutch qualifier.

“I thought he was a better player in the first set,” Federer said. “I really felt I started getting into the match once I saved those set points, so I just got a bit of a better read on his serve. “I was able

to stay calm, go after what I wanted to do, you know, to play really tough tennis.”

He added: “He got me sort of doubting what I wanted to do. So at the end of the day, I was just trying to be solid, and then once I got into the lead tried to get aggressive again, which I was able to do.”

Nadal never looked like suffering alarms. He bristled muscular aggression in the cool, slowish evening conditions which gave him more time to indulge his preference for running round his backhand and hitting his clubbing forehand from everywhere.

He also served very well. Breaking serve at the first attempt gave him a grip on the first set which he never relinquished, closing it out with two superb first serves in the last game.

Nadal then moved into almost complete control against an opponent who often played some fine rallies, without winning very many of them.

Even when Nadal slipped to 15-40 as he attempted to finish the match, he never looked like dropping the game. He saved the two break points with an ace and a service winner, and then firmly corrected the on-court interviewer who suggested that it had been easy.

“It was not easy,” Nadal maintained.

“It’s important not to underestimate the opponent and it’s difficult to keep my standard high. “Every day that’s my challenge-to keep my level high, every day to try my best, every day working hard.”

Nadal next plays Luk as Lacko, the world number 89 from Slovakia, who survived on the edge of defeat throughout much of a two-hour 37-minute contest and prevented an all-Spanish clash by

DOHA: Qatari Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (right) and his wife Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned (center) and his daughter Sheikha Al Mayassa are seen during the game of World number two tennis player Roger Federer, from Switzerland and Thomas Schoorel of the Netherlands. —AP beating Pere Riba 5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-4).

Federer however will have an all-Swiss encounter. His second round is against Marco Chiudinelli, a qualifier from Fuellinsdorf who also came back from the brink during a 3-6, 7-6(7-3), 6-3 win over Reda El Amrani, a wild card entry from

Ivanovic scare as Serbs march towards final PERTH: Serbian Ana Ivanovic overcame an injury scare as her top seeded nation closed in on a berth in the Hopman Cup final with a 3-0 win over Australia in the mixed teams tournament yesterday.

Ivanovic gave her country the lead with a straight sets win over Alicia Molik in the women’s singles, 6-4, 6-0, but felt a sharp pain in her left knee in the third game of the second set.

The world number 17 pulled up sore after the last point of the third game, in which she broke the Molik serve, and called for the trainer immediately, but was able to finish the match off before seeking further diagnosis.

She was cleared of any major damage and was able to play in the mixed doubles.

“I was a little bit scared because in that one split step that I made I went a little bit low and I felt a sharp pain in my knee,” she said.

“I thought I better check with the doctors

and see what they think.”

World number three Novak Djokovic then secured the tie for the Serbians with a 6-2, 6-4 win over former world number

Ana Ivanovic one Lleyton Hewitt. The pairing then took the mixed doubles in a match tiebreak, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 10-6.

With clean sweep wins in their first two ties, the Serbians only need to win one rubber against Belgium on Thursday to

book their spot in Saturday’s final. Earlier, another former world number one, Justine Henin, led Belgium to a 3-0 win over Kazakhstan.

Henin made it two wins from as many singles matches here in her comeback from a career-threatening elbow injury with a straight sets win over Kazak substitute Sesil Karatantcheva, 6-4, 6-3.

World number 172 Ruben Bemelmans then stunned the 36th-ranked Andrey Golubev with a straight sets win, 6-4, 6-4, to secure the tie for the Belgians and keep them in the running for Saturday’s final.

The Belgians, who lost to Australia in the tournament opener on Saturday, completed a clean sweep by coming from a set down to defeat the Kazaks in the mixed doubles in a match tiebreak, 4-6, 6-2, 10-8.

With two losses from as many ties, Kazakhstan are already out of contention for the final. —AFP

Morocco.

Nadal could find himself with a quarter-final with Ernests Gulbis, the fifthseeded Latvian who again showed what a dangerous talent he is, beating Victor Hanescu, the former top 30 Romanian, by 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).

Last year Gulbis took Federer to three sets in the quarter-finals. Today he looked certain to go to a third set when he went 0-5 down in the tie-break before turning the match around with an unstoppable hot streak which earned him six brilliantly created points in a row. —AFP

Top seed Stosur crashes SYDNEY: Top seed Samantha Stosur crashed out of the second round of the Brisbane International yesterday, losing 6-2 6-4 to Jarmila Groth in a battle of Australia’s top two women.

Spanish third seed Fernando Verdasco was also upset in the men’s tournament, losing his first round match 6-1 6-7 6-3 to Germany’s Benjamin Becker.

Top seed Robin Soderling of Sweden had no such problems, however, reaching the second round comfortably with a 6-2 6-4 humbling of American qualifier Ryan Harrison.

World number six Stosur is considered her country’s best hope of ending a 32-year wait for a home grand slam champion at the Jan. 17-30 Australian Open.

Big-hitting Groth never let last year’s French Open finalist settle, however, and raced away with the first set on the back of seven aces.

Stosur fought back in the second to take a 4-2 lead but Slovakia-born Groth won the next four games in a row to claim local bragging rights and a place in the third round.

Verdasco, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open in 2009, recovered from a listless start to grind out the second set but had few answers in the third as Becker played a faultless service game to seal the match in just over two hours.

“I had a good game plan and it worked well today,” 53rd-ranked Becker said after setting up a second round match with Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo.

“It is always good to get a win under your belt ... and its not every day you beat a top 10 player.”

Verdasco, the world number nine, will have one more competitive warmup before the Australian Open-at the invitational Kooyong Classic in Melbourne next week, where he will defend his title.

After beating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final at Kooyong last year, the feisty Spaniard advanced to the fourth round at Melbourne Park but was edged in a five-set thriller by Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko.

Twice French Open finalist Soderling took just 65 minutes to despatch 18year-old Harrison, facing and saving just one break point and sealing the victory with his eighth ace of the match.

The world number five will be hoping for better luck this year at Melbourne Park, where he has never been past the second round and made a first round exit last year.

Women’s second seed Shahar Peer of Israel also went out earlier on Tuesday, losing 3-6 6-1 7-5 to Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in their second round tie.

Italy’s Flavia Pennetta was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a gastrointestinal illness. —Reuters

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Hodgson pleads for time to build own Liverpool team LONDON: Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has made a plea for time to make his own mark on the club amid mounting speculation that his days are numbered.

British media reports claim that the club’s new American owners have already decided to replace Hodgson and are merely biding their time to ensure they get the right man.

Having been brought some breathing space by Joe Cole’s last-minute winner in Saturday’s 2-1 home victory over Bolton Wanderers, Hodgson, who replaced Rafael Benitez before the start of the current season, told the club’s website (www.liverpoolfc.tv) that he needed time.

“Being honest about it, I am hoping that one day I will get a chance to stamp a little more of my authority and philosophy on the team by choosing some more of the players,” Hodgson said.

“It is not often mentioned, but I have not been that active in the transfer market since I have been here. “The players who are playing are the ones you have watched playing for the past few years.

They have done exceptionally well for me in accepting a new manager, with a new style and a new training method, and giving the performances they have given, albeit that unfortunately we have been guilty of inconsistency.”

Liverpool are currently ninth in the standings, already 16 points behind leaders Manchester United with their hopes of a first league title since 1990 long gone.

Two seasons ago they were top of the league going into the New Year and, having seen Benitez moved on, the fans are hugely frustrated that their club has made no progress under the new man.

Hodgson was appointed by the former owners and the new bosses have changed the management structure by bringing in Damien Comolli as director of football strategy.

Comolli is likely to have a major say in any transfer deals, something Hodgson will be well used to having worked under similar systems during his many and varied management stints around Europe.

Hodgson, however, is not expecting a major influx of players in the January window and says the squad he has needs to start making a difference and needs to be led by their three world-class players - Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina.

“If we are going to win games it is the Torreses, the Gerrards, the Reinas, that are going to be the ones to get us up the table and lift us above the rest,” he said, adding that the two outfield men would have to be nursed through a gruelling fixture list.

“Fernando had a very serious knee injury, which seems to be in the past, but when you have had an injury there is always the little risk of recurrence.

And Steven, of course, is susceptible to muscle injury if he plays too many games one after the other.

“I have just got to hope that the ones who just seem to keep going - the Duracell bunnies like Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva - can keep us going and give me a chance of giving a rest to the others.

“But it is the same for all the teams in the league. We have got a couple of rearranged matches which doesn’t help, but a lot of teams do.”

Liverpool visit Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday before facing Manchester United in the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Sunday. —Reuters

Ronaldo double helps Real to win at Getafe

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal (right) vies for the ball with Getafe’s Jose Manuel Jimenez (left) during their La Liga soccer match. — AP

defend better and I didn’t like them much today.”

I n M onday ’s earlier k ickoffs, Jose Catala and Borja Valero grabbed the goals as Villarreal cemented their grip on third, while Atletico Madrid missed the chance to climb above Espanyol into fifth when they were held 0-0 at home by Racing Santander.

Atletico are sixth with 27 points from 17 matches, one behind Espanyol who lost 2-1 at fourth-placed Valencia (31) on Sunday.

A late goal from midfielder Braulio snatched a 2-1 triumph for Real Zaragoza over visiting Real Sociedad that lifted them off the bottom of the table into 18th, level on 13 points with 19th-placed Almeria. Real Mallorca were 3-0 winners at home to Hercules and are ninth. — Reuters

Matches on TV (Local Timings) English Premier League Arsenal v Man City ..................... 22:45 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5 Aston Villa v Sunderland ........ 22:45 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 7 Newcastle v West Ham ............. 22:45 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 8 Wolves v Chelsea ........................ 22:45 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Everton v Tottenham ................ 23:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 6 Blackburn v Liverpool .............. 23:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 4 Bolton v Wigan ............................ 23:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 9

Blackburn chasing Ronaldinho, Beckham NEW DELHI: Blackburn Rovers have made an offer for AC Milan forward Ronaldinho and are also chasing former England captain David Beckham, the Indian owners of the Premier League club said yesterday.

“Yes, we have made an offer to Ronaldinho but it is still in the early stage,” Venkateshwara Rao, joint managing director of Indian poultry giant Venky’s, told Reuters.

“Similarly, we have made an effort to get Beckham on loan but again, nothing has come out of it so far.”

Beckham, who has asked Los Angeles Galaxy if he can make an off-season loan move, has been linked with Tottenham Hotspur although other Premier League

Preview AC Milan’s Antonio Cassano (left) is challenged by an opponent in this file photo

Leonardo and Cassano face tough baptisms MILAN: New Inter Milan coach Leonardo and AC Milan signing Antonio Cassano face difficult debuts today when Serie A’s resumption from a mid-season break will feel more like the start to the campaign.

Former AC Milan boss Leonardo, the shock choice to replace the departed Rafael Benitez, takes charge of stuttering champions Inter for the first time in the home clash with second-placed Napoli (1945 GMT).

Inter’s victory in the Club World Cup in December means they have two games in hand but have slipped down to seventh, 13 points behind leaders Milan.

Leonardo needs a good result against in-form Napoli to silence doubters who still cannot comprehend how a Milan mainstay, far from successful in his one

MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 18th and 19th La Liga goals of the season as Real Madrid survived some late pressure to win 3-2 at city rivals Getafe on Monday and trim the gap to leaders Barcelona back to two points.

Portugal forward Ronaldo struck in each half either side of a Mesut Ozil effort to keep Real hard on the heels of champions Barca, who had stretched their lead to five with Sunday’s 2-1 home win over promoted Levante.

Real coach Jose Mourinho gave midfielder Kaka a run-out in the final 15 minutes for the Brazil playmaker ’s first appearance this season following postWorld Cup knee surgery.

They had taken an 11th-minute lead at the Coliseum when Angel Di Maria went to ground in the penalt y area and Ronaldo blasted the spot kick past Getafe keeper Jordi Codina.

Di Maria played Ozil through for Real’s second in the 19th before Dani Parejo dribbled past Alvaro Arbeloa and Lassana Diarra and lashed a shot past Real’s Iker Casillas 10 minutes later.

Ronaldo looked to have made the game safe 12 minutes into the second half with a smar t finish from K arim Benzema’s pass, which put him two goals clear of Barca forward Lionel Messi on the La Liga scoring charts.

However, the dismissal of Real defender Arbeloa in the 82nd minute for a second yellow card lifted the home side.

Substitute Juan Albin hammered home a loose ball in the 85th to give Getafe hope but they were unable to find the equaliser.

Real have 44 points from 17 matches, behind Barca on 46, while Villarreal stay third on 36 after they beat Almeria 2-0 in the earlier kickoff.

Mourinho was unusually critical of his players at his post-match news conference, saying they had lacked their usual focus in defence.

“Usually we are much more concentrated, much more compact and we gave our opponent a lot of space,” the Por tuguese said. “My team needs to

term in charge of the Rossoneri last season, can become coach of their biggest rivals.

“This challenge was too great to resist, and unexpected, and I just couldn’t refuse,” Leonardo told reporters. “It won’t be quite like starting again, because this team is already a reality.”

The Brazilian takes over with Inter in better health than they were during Benitez’s torrid six-month reign, which ended last month after his public outburst about a lack of signings.

Their injury crisis is all but over, confidence has returned thanks to World Club Cup win and Leonardo has already done one better than Benitez by being given a reinforcement in the shape of Genoa centre back Andrea Ranocchia.— Reuters

clubs have expressed an interest.

Rao also said the club was also about to hand manager Steve Keane a longer reign. “We have not decided on the terms yet but it can be for two, three years, maybe even four.”

Keane was named caretaker manager and given the job until the end of the season after Sam Allardyce was fired last month.

Rao declined to reveal how much the club was offering Ronaldinho to lure him to Ewood Park after the former world player of the year left AC Milan’s Dubai training base to return to Brazil and find a new club.

However, it would be a significant coup for the

new owners of Rovers if they could attract a player who wowed crowds with his brilliance while at Barcelona from 2003 to 2008 and who helped Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002. AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi said the club was sorry to see the 30-yearold Brazilian go.

“I’m sorry he went away, he is the greatest player in the world in terms of speed of thought and execution.

But it was his choice to return to Brazil,” Berlusconi told reporters on a visit to a Milan training session in Rome.

Ronaldinho and his brother-agent are now talking to Brazilian clubs including Gremio, Flamengo and Corinthians about a January move. — Reuters

Ancelotti warns Chelsea to focus on top four finish COBHAM: Carlo Ancelotti has warned his Chelsea stars to focus on qualifying for the Champions League after the Blues slipped out of the Premier League’s top four.

Ancelotti’s side are in danger of losing touch with the title race after falling six points behind leaders Manchester United, who have played a game less than the champions.

But retaining the title is the least of Ancelotti’s worries as he prepares for his team’s trip to struggling Wolves on Wednesday.

Sunday’s 3-3 draw against Aston Villa has left Chelsea in fifth place, one point behind fourth placed Tottenham and four points behind third placed Arsenal. The prospect of losing the title was bad enough, but surrendering their spot in Europe’s elite club competition as well is unthinkable.

That would almost certaintly lead to Ancelotti’s sacking and the Italian admits the scrap to qualify for the Champions League is just as important as the title fight.

“We have to pay attention because there are a lot of teams involved for the top positions,” Ancelotti said. “To stay in the top places is very important for the future obviously.

“We have to think we can win the title again but obviously the most important thing is to stay in the top four and play in the Champions League next year. “I’m not worried. We have the skills and ability to stay in the top four without a problem.”

Villa defender Ciaran Clark’s stoppage-time equaliser at Stamford Bridge on Sunday left Chelsea with just one win from their last eight league games - the team’s worst run for over a decade.

Yet Ancelotti remains confident Chelsea are close to getting back on track and he still expects their title rivals to drop more points as the season progresses.

“The gap now is not easy to close the gap but we can still do it. I said many times this Premier League is strange because there is a lot of balance and every game is very difficult,” Ancelotti said.

“Man Utd had a lot of difficulties to beat West Brom on Saturday. They were a little bit lucky. For this reason we have enough time to come back and fight for the title.

“We missed a penalty in the last minute against Spurs and conceded late goals against Everton and Villa. We lost six points in the last minutes. With these points we would be top.

“It is true we are not playing so well but sometimes we are not so lucky. We have to keep going, stay in focus and I’m sure we are moving on from the difficult moment.

“We are not able to play for 90 minutes ... but I’m sure everything will get better quickly.

“We are improving and the team is very close to moving on from this moment. We won’t lose at Wolves, we will win.”

With the January transfer window now open, Ancelotti is keen to strengthen his squad after the spell of injuries that proved so costly.

He was without Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Alex, Yossi Benayoun and Yuri Zhirkov at various stages in the first half of the season and per formances suffered as result.

A new centre -back is top of Ancelotti’s shopping list, although he refused to confirm interest in Bolton’s Gary Cahill.

“There are not new players until now, we are speaking about this, but I don’t need to speak here about what we are going to do,” Ancelotti said.

“Cahill is a good player, there are a lot of good players in England and Europe. If we need to buy someone we can.” — AFP

Chelsea’s Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti

Coma win Dakar Rally bike stage

James, Wade power Heat over Bobcats

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‘Great day for Test cricket’ Page 17 LONDON: Stoke City’s English midfielder Dean Whitehead (right) and Stoke City’s Welsh defender Danny Collins (left) vies with Manchester United’s Portugese midfielder Nani during the English Premier League football match at Old Trafford. —AFP

Man United subdue Stoke Man United 2

Stoke 1 LONDON: Javier Hernandez and Nani scored either side of Dean Whitehead’s effor t as Manchester United moved three points clear at the top of the English Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Stoke at Old Trafford here yesterday.

A much-changed United made hard work of defeating a

team they had beaten in 10 of their previous 13 matches.

Hernandez gave the hosts the lead midway through the first half with his ninth goal of the season.

Midfielder Whitehead equalised for the visitors five minutes after the inter val, engulfing Old Trafford with tension. But Nani, back in the side after a hip injury, found the corner of the net just after the hour to earn United the victory.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson can now look forward to today’s match between title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City knowing the position of his

side, still unbeaten in the league this season, at the top of the table is only likely to be strengthened.

The Red Devils are also nine points ahead of champions Chelsea as they look for a record 19th league title. With Wayne Rooney out with an ankle problem, Rio Ferdinand rested and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar still out with ‘flu, Ferguson made six changes to the side that won 2-1 at West Brom.

United were the first to threaten with Darron Gibson driving wide from distance. But Stoke were predictably solid

Fulham leave relegation zone Fulham 3

West Brom 0 LONDON: Fulham eased its relegation worries with an emphatic 3-0 home victory ove r We s t B ro mw i c h A l b i o n i n t h e Pre m i e r League yesterday.

A goalkeeping blunder by Scott Carson allowed a dipping shot from Welsh midfielder Simon Davies to put Fulham ahead on the stroke of halftime and US striker Clint Dempsey rose to head home a corner in the 56th minute to make it 2-0.

Norwegian defender Brede Hangeland made sure of three points which lifted the west London club away from the relegation zone when he powered home another header in the 65th minute.

Fulham was without goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who was away on international duty, and injured striker

Andrew Johnson but that gave Diomansy Kamara a chance against his old club.

The Senegal striker almost blasted Fulham ahead in the opening minutes after a brilliant piece of control in the box.

Kamara pulled Chris Baird’s long ball out of the air with a deft touch and turned to fire a low shot, which Carson did well to block.

West Brom had its moments in the first half and striker Peter Odemwingie forced Fulham keeper David Stockdale into action with a low deflected shot from the edge of the box.

But Fulham was on top of a lively encounter and the West Brom defence was struggling to contain Kamara, who laid an inviting ball off for Dempsey. The American went to ground in the box under a challenge from Youssuf Mulumbu but referee Martin Atkinson waved away Fulham’s penalty appeals.

Dempsey had no better luck after doing well to ride two challenges and bring the ball down in the box, but his shot was blocked.

However, the breakthrough came with Davies’ strike from around nearly 30 yards (meters) in firsthalf stoppage time. Carson, whose blunder against Croatia contributed to England failing to qualify for Euro 2008, got both hands to the shot but could only deflect the ball into his own net.

Davies’ strike gave Fulham real impetus and the Welshman turned goalmaker after the restart when he swung over a corner and Dempsey planted his header past Carson. The American did particularly well to keep his eye on the ball as it flashed past Hangeland’s towering leap.

And the next time Hangeland launched himself at a Davies corner, just nine minutes later, his timing and his aim were perfect. No one picked up the Norwegian’s late run and he was left completely unmarked to beat Carson with a power ful header from close range as Fulham cruised to a first home win in six attempts. —AP

and right back Andy Wilkinson even got far enough forward to thump a shot against Nemanja Vidic.

Wilkinson was then forced into a fine block on Dimitar Berbatov after Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher combined to make space in the area for the Bulgarian.

More impressive hold-up play by Berbatov created the room on the edge of the area for Gibson to have another try at goal, with the Irishman’s strike being deflected wide by Robert Huth.

Berbatov went closer still when Giggs had a shot deflected

and the striker shot narrowly wide. He threatened again with another shot that just missed the target before play was brought back for a Danny Collins foul on Nani, only for Giggs to shoot over from the resulting free-kick.

But in the 27th minute, United made the breakthrough in some st yle.

Berbatov worked the ball right to Nani, who whipped a cross towards the near post where Hernandez, whose run took him away from R yan Shawcross, back-heeled past Thomas Sorensen for his ninth goal of the season.

EPL results/standings Blackpool 1 (Campbell 68) Birmingham 2 (Hleb 24, Dann 89) Fulham 3 (Davies 45, Dempsey 56,

Hangeland 65 ) West Brom 0 Manchester United 2 (Hernandez 27, Nani 62) Stoke 1 (Whitehead 50)

English Premier League table after Sunday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man Utd 20 12 8 0 43 19 44 Man City 21 12 5 4 33 16 41 Arsenal 20 12 3 5 42 22 39 Tottenham 20 10 6 4 30 23 36 Chelsea 20 10 5 5 36 18 35 Sunderland 21 7 9 5 24 22 30 Bolton 21 7 8 6 33 28 29 Stoke 21 8 3 10 26 26 27 Liverpool 19 7 4 8 23 24 25 Newcastle 20 7 4 9 29 31 25 Blackpool 19 7 4 8 27 32 25 Blackburn 21 7 4 10 26 34 25 Fulham 21 4 10 7 22 24 22 Everton 20 4 10 6 21 24 22 Birmingham 20 4 10 6 20 25 22 West Brom 21 6 4 11 26 39 22 Aston Villa 20 5 6 9 23 37 21 West Ham 21 4 8 9 22 33 20 Wigan 20 4 8 8 17 32 20 W’hampton 20 5 3 12 20 34 18

Nani fired over with a freekick as United pressed for a second goal before half-time.

Hernandez almost added a second when he was first to react to Nani’s headed cross, only for Huth to deflect the ball wide.

Matthew Etherington had the visitors’ first proper effort on goal when he shot over from 25 yards four minutes before the interval.

Etherington created more problems at the start of the second period, sending over a cross from the left that was glanced narrowly wide of goal

by Tuncay.

But Stoke pulled level five minutes after the restart when Tuncay cut in from the left and sent over a cross that was glanced in by Whitehead.

Then Gibson’s shot lacked the power to trouble Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen. But just after the hour mark, Nani swapped passes with Hernandez and with Danny Collins back ing off, the Por tuguese hit a power ful shot into the corner of the net.

Stoke had no response and Giggs also flicked a shot over the bar from a cross from M ichael O wen as United pressed for a third goal. —AFP

Birmingham out of drop zone Birmingham 2

Blackpool 1 BLACKPOOL: Scott Dann scored a late winner to give Birmingham a valuable 2-1 victor y at Blackpool yesterday that lifted his side out of the Premier League’s relegation zone.

Despite being among the candidates for the drop, Belarussian midfielder Alexander Hleb put Birmingham ahead after 24 minutes following a defensive error, before DJ Campbell leveled for Blackpool in the 68th.

Birmingham shrugged off the setback though and just when it looked like the Midlands club was going to have to settle for a point, defender Dann rifled in the winner from close range in the 89th minute.

Black pool, playing at

home for the first time since November 20, was slow to get out of the blocks and fortunate not to be a goal down within the opening two minutes.

Having been fed by Hleb, Liam Ridgewell sent the ball into the six-yard box for Matt Derbyshire, but with the goal at his mercy, the striker could only prod his effort wide.

However, Black pool eventually seemed to have settled, only for an error by Stephen Crainey led to the visitors taking the lead.

Under little apparent pressure, Crainey inadvertently laid the ball straight to Hleb on the edge of the box, and he gleefully took advantage by beating goalkeeper Richard Kingson.

Black pool emerged from the interval looking determined to find an equalizer and Luke Varney unleashed an effort that cleared the bar five minutes after the restart.

The momentum was

with the hosts, but Birmingham remained a real threat and nearly made it 2-0 as Cameron Jerome k icked the ball over Kingston — only to be denied by the post.

Birmingham substitute Sebastian Larsson was equally unlucky, striking the upright with a free k ick soon af ter, but moments later, the home side was level. Gar y Taylor-Fletcher provided a k nock- down from Neal Eardley ’s cross and Campbell was there to volley past Foster for his fourth goal in four games.

Charlie Adam then got the ball beyond Foster with an angled shot, but it came back off the far post.

Birmingham appeared to have held on for a point, but right at the death, they snatched all three. Roger Johnson rose in the box to head down substitute Jean Beausejour’s delivery and Dann fired the ball in, with Kingston’s appeals for offside proving futile. —AP

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Oman Air CEO speaks about future of IFEC Page 22

NBK, Gulf Bank, Al Ahli for best service award Page 23

ACS grabs crucial stake in German rival

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

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TOKYO: Kimono-clad female workers smile during a traditional ceremony to begin the year’s first trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo yesterday. — AP

Stocks mixed as 2011 rally pauses Investors await Fed report on health of economy NEW YORK: A stock rally paused yesterday after indexes posted big gains to start the year the day before. Many investors are waiting for the Federal Reserve to release the minutes of its last policy meeting later in the day.

The flat market came despite a better than expected report by the Commerce Department that showed factory orders rose 0.7 percent in November. Economists had predicted a slight fall. US stocks treaded water yesterday as investors awaited the release of minutes of the Federal Reserve’s last meeting to gauge the health of the economy after upbeat

data on factory orders.

After opening the year with strong gains on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 12.07 points (0.10 percent) to 11,682.82 by 1545 GMT. The S&P 500 index, a broader measure of the market, was down 2.82 points (0.23 percent) to 1,269.02, while the tech-rich Nasdaq declined 2.61 points (0.10 percent) at 2,688.90.

“Despite gains in Europe and Asia on improved global economic optimism, the US equity markets are nearly unchanged in morning action ahead of the midday release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s

December monetary policy meeting,” analysts at Charles Schwab said in a client note. The Federal Open Market Committee decided in its meeting last month to maintain record-low interest rates and its massive asset-purchasing program in a bid to boost the sluggish economic recovery. Stocks dipped because many investors were taking a break after Monday’s jump, said Ryan Detrick, a senior analyst at Schaeffer’s Investment Research.

“The bottom line is that we had a big start to the year yesterday and now it looks like a consolidation,” he said.

Automakers will report

December and year-end sales figures throughout the day. Analysts are forecasting a modest increase that could show that customers bought more vehicles in 2010 than in 2009, when sales plummeted to their lowest levels since 1982.

General Motors Co said sales of cars and trucks in the US rose 5 percent last year. Its shares rose 0.1 percent to $37.12. In morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 13 points, or 0.1 percent, to 11,684. The Standard and Poor’s 500-stock index dipped 2, or 0.2 percent, to 1,270. The Nasdaq composite fell 1, or 0.1 per-

DSF 2011 visits Kuwait Kuwaiti tourist arrival to Dubai rose 29% in H1 2010 KUWAIT: The Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), an agency under the Department of Economic Development (DED) and organizers of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), brought the biggest shopping and entertainment extravaganza in the Middle East to Kuwait, promoting the event in Kuwait City for its forthcoming 2011 edition.

Being held in cooperation with Emirates, Kuwait is an important stop in a regional DSF road show that will cover GCC, Egypt and India. While the DEPE delegation showcased the highlights of the 2011 edition, Emirates airline promoted its special packages for Dubai during DSF 2011.

Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General and Deputy CEO of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, stated that the regional road is visiting Kuwait as it was one of the largest tourist markets for Dubai. He also stressed that DEPE would market and

promote the 16th shopping and entertainment extravaganza to media organizations, travel agents, and tour operators, familiarizing them with the attractions of DSF which is held annually under the slogan ‘One World. One Family... One Festival.’

“More than 6000 retail outlets and around 50 shopping malls will take part in DSF 2011 offering a host of discounts and sale prices of up to 80% on a wide range of goods and services. The 32- day event will also feature more than 150 events taking place across the emirate,” he added. Asma Al-Rahma, Emirates commercial manager in Kuwait said: “We encourage everyone from Kuwait to visit Dubai during the popular Dubai Shopping Festival and take advantage of our special holiday packages, which include deals for families.

Traveling from Kuwait to Dubai with Emirates is easy as we operate 28 weekly flights with an average of 4 direct daily flights from

cent, to 2,690. Stocks dipped across the market. Technology and telecom companies were the only pair among the 10 industry groups that make up the S&P index to post gains. Grocers Supervalu Inc, Safeway Inc, and Whole Foods Market Inc. each fell more than 3 percent after a round of analyst downgrades. Alcoa Inc jumped 3.8 percent to $16.39 to lead the 30 stocks that make up the Dow index.

McDonald’s Corp had the largest fall, losing 1.5 percent to $75.17. The dollar rose 0.2 percent against an index of six heavily traded currencies.

The Federal Reserve will release the

minutes of its December policy meeting in the afternoon. Investors will scour the report for clues of how members of the Fed view its current bond-buying program, a monetary policy known as quantitative easing.

The stock market started 2011 with a jump on Monday. The S&P 500, the index followed by most professional investors, finished 1.1 percent higher after reports showed that manufacturing activity and construction spending rose more than analysts were predicting. Bond prices were flat. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged at 3.34 percent. — Agencies

Qatar rises for fifth session, Egypt soars MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

KUWAIT: Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General and Deputy CEO of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment and Asma Al-Rahma, Emirates commercial manager in Kuwait, during the press conference.

Kuwait. Kuwait is one of vate car, and an Arabian to the same period in 2009.

Emirates’ most important Adventures welcome pack, The number of Kuwaiti citimarkets and we strive to apart from numerous other zens visiting Dubai also ensure that we are offering benefits. This promotion increased over the same the best service to our cus- can only be availed during period by 29% from 79,234 DSF with prices starting to 102,314 visitors. tomers.”

“This increase in Kuwaiti “Emirates’ special holi- from just $55 per person day packages during DSF per night based on double tourists is a reflection of our Sulaiman success in developing a offer a range of prices, occupancy ”, host of attractive programs properties and benefits to added.

Ibrahim Saleh also said and activities such as the satisfy the needs of our customers in Kuwait, especially the Dubai tourism market Lexus, Nissan, and gold families. During DSF 2011 was developing at a fast draws, and millions of Emirates is offering a ‘Stay pace and attracting an Dirhams in cash prizes. The 4, Pay 3’ promotion which increasing number of visi- 2011 show will witness includes some of the best tors. The latest statistics exclusive events such as beach and city hotels in show a 20% increase in the special Disney shows and of Gulf musical concerts by famous Dubai. The package number includes accommodations Cooperation Council (GCC) international and Arab for four nights for the price visitors staying at Dubai singers as part of a fully of three, airport transfers to hotels during the first six fledged entertainment proand from the hotel by pri- months of 2010 compared gram,” he concluded.

DUBAI: Qatar’s index climbed for a fifth straight session yesterday and Egypt’s bourse hit an eight-month high, as investor sentiment boosted trade, while other regional markets were mixed.

Industries Qatar gained 1.5 percent, as the Doha index continued its rally from a two-year high a day before. “Since the start of the year, there has been a positive momentum in Qatar’s market that was carried forward from last year,” said Robert Pramberger, acting head of asset management at Doha-based investment company The First Investor.

“Volumes have been quite good and most stocks are gaining.” Pramberger said the surge began after the Gulf Arab state won the rights to host the soccer World Cup in 2022.

“Sectors like infrastructure, shipping and even banks will benefit as Qatar will spend in preparations for the World Cup,” he said. Qatar’s bourse was the top performing market in the region last year with gains of more than 24 percent, according to Reuters data. The index now inches towards the 9,000 points mark, which was last reached in the third quarter of 2008. Egypt’s index was boosted by construction-related stocks like Orascom Construction (OCI) that gained 3.4 percent on optimism that big infrastructure projects will boost their earnings.

The index achieved its biggest gain since Sept. 13, closing up 1.8 percent at 7,200 points, its highest level since early May. A church bombing during a New Year’s service in Alexandria killed more than 20 people and sparked street protests, causing the index to dip on Monday.

“We are currently seeing a re-boost of confidence after the Alexandria incident,” said Cairo-based trader Nader Khedr.

“Investors are optimistic (that a statebacked infrastructure drive) implies more buying and higher revenues for building materials.” Ezz Steel gained 3.2 percent.

Investment bank EFG-Hermes jumped 4.5 percent. Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) closed at its highest value in more than two years, lifting the index by 0.4 percent. SABIC gained 1.4 percent, buoyed by global oil prices that hovered near the highest price levels in more than two years on accelerating manufacturing activity in developed economies and expectations that US crude inventories will continue to drain. SABIC ended at 108.50 riyals, its highest close since September 2008, according to Reuters data. “Oil prices have been helping the Saudi market and this will continue to keep the index on the positive side,” said Hesham Tuffaha, Bakheet Investment Group head of research. —Reuters

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business

Oman Air CEO Speaks about Future Of IFEC

Luis Maroto is Amadeus President and CEO Luis Maroto replaces David V Jones

Hill outlines concept of in-flight entertainment, connectivity KUWAIT: Peter Hill, the Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air, has spoken of the wealth of opportunities offered to both airlines and their customers by the integration of in-flight entertainment (IFE) and in-flight connectivity systems.

Speaking at Marketforce and the IEA’s The Future of Air Transport 2010 conference, held in London recently, Hill said: “Having been the first airline to introduce in-flight mobile phone and Wi-Fi connectivity, Oman Air has proved that the technology works. Over the next year or two, many other carriers will offer connectivity to their customers and the speed of technological development will see enormous possibilities open up. “ The convenience of staying connected in-flight is clear. Making mobile phone calls, sending text messages, checking email and surfing the internet are all taken for granted on the ground and now they are available in the air, the next step will be for airlines to make the most of the technology.

In-flight broadband already gives us the opportunity to shop whilst we fly, but carriers and their technology partners will be working together to develop a greater range of options, tailored to the

Peter Hill, the Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air, speaks presentation, titled “In-flight entertainment: Fees or free”, during which he said that in-flight entertainment should be referred to as in-flight entertainment and connectivity, as the technologies become increasingly integrated.

He added that there was no such thing as ‘free’ connectivity, as the technology has to be paid for at some point. “ Those who say that airlines

needs of customers and offering opportunities to deliver new revenue streams. “ Those new income streams will be complemented by savings, as we see more airlines provide inflight magazines, menus and other publications via seatback IFE monitors, thereby cutting down on the costs of production and making weight savings.”

Hill’s comments followed his

should offer ‘free’ connectivity and point to the Wi-Fi hotspots provided by coffee shops as a precedent, miss the point that the cost of that service is included in the price of the coffee - it is not, in fact, provided free. With the advent of inflight connectivity, airlines are now engaged with the issue of how best to charge, and at what levels, and a range of pricing models will emerge.”

Hill was invited to speak at The Future of Air Transport 2010 following Oman Air’s recent introduction of a new fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft which features the world’s first combined mobile phone and Wi-Fi connec tivity pack age, as well as audio and video on demand and live satellite TV. Peter Hill, who was appointed as Oman Air’s CEO in 2008 and has since led the transformation of the airline, successfully positioning it as a widely-acclaimed luxury international carrier.

Now in its 18th year, Marketforce and the IEA’s The Future of Air Transport has grown in size and reputation, attracting many senior-level delegates to discuss key industry issues and the future direction of the sector.

RIM announces New BlackBerry Bold 9780 Smartphone in Kuwait KUWAIT: Research In Motion (RIM) yesterday announced the BlackBerry Bold 9780 smartphone for customers in Kuwait.

As the newest addition to the BlackBerry Bold series of smartphones, the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is a compact and stylish smartphone that offers a compelling blend of features, performance and design. It supports 3G networks around the world, includes WiFi and GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. It comes with a 5 MP camera with a full complement of high-end features including continuous auto focus, scene modes, image stabilization, flash and video recording. The new smartphone also provides 512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB of additional storage.

The BlackBerr y Bold 9780 is the first BlackBerry Bold smartphone to come with the new BlackBerr y 6 operating system, which retains the familiar and trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh, approachable and engaging experience that’s powerful and easy to use.

It integrates a new and rich WebKit-based brows e r t h at re n d e r s H T M L we b p a g e s quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience.

The browser offers fluid navigation using the handset’s optical trackpad, includes tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously and provides a zoom feature that can intelligently auto-wrap text in a column while

DUBAI: Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, yesterday announced that as of 1 January 2011, Luis Maroto, former Deputy CEO of Amadeus, has replaced David V. Jones as President & CEO of the company.

The succession plan for Luis to become President & CEO was originally announced in January 2010. Since then Luis has been working closely with David and the Amadeus executive team, to ensure a smooth transition and succession.

Luis Maroto has worked for Amadeus for 11 years in a number of positions including CFO. For the last two years as Deputy CEO, he has been instrumental in Amadeus’ return to the stock market with the company’s successful IPO in April 2010 and the subsequent inclusion in Spanish blue-chip index IBEX-35, where the company is debuting today.

Talking about his new role, Luis Maroto, President & CEO of Amadeus, said: “On behalf of all the Amadeus employees I would like to thank David for his commitment and leadership over the last years. It is an honor for me to take on the position of President & CEO of Amadeus and I take up this challenge with huge enthusiasm and look forward to working with our customers, employees and investors in this

Luis Maroto, President CEO Amadeus exciting and growing industry. I am confident that, alongside the company’s outstanding team of professionals, we will ensure that Amadeus continues to be a great company to do business with and continues to lead innovation in the travel and tourism industry”.

Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait launches ‘Ahli Chat’ The First Interactive Chat In Kuwait answer to their queries. All the customer or visitor needs to do is open the chat window on the ABK website, and they will be immediately chatting live with an ABK customer support employee who can guide them through ABK products and solutions.”

“Ahli Chat” utilizes the latest technology in terms of live communication via the internet. Anyone who can operate the internet can chat with ABK’s trained staff for any financial query or assistance. In an age where social networking and real time interaction is the key, this service becomes even more valuable.

With this unprecedented service ABK through “Ahli Chat” has once again contributed in raising the bar for customer service in the banking and financial sector. Ahli Chat is the ideal answer to the consumers’ changing communications and consumption habits. Log onto eahli.com for a firsthand experience.

KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait announced the launch of “Ahli Chat’” the new dimension in customer service and customer engagement. As one of the leading and continually evolving banks in Kuwait, ABK’s Ahli Chat is in line with the bank’s commitment to providing their customers with the most reliable and flexible customer service support possible.

In the words of Othman Tawfiqi, Head of Communication Channels, “The Ahli Chat service is a first-of-a kind service created specifically and exclusively by ABK for their customers as a platform of modern communication between the Bank and its customers, or prospective customers. The idea was to focus on an innovation that supports our clients’ needs, and provides ever yone with enough information as well. Our employees are continuously trained to ensure client satisfaction to provide financial solutions and recommendations as well as an

Dana Gas output in Egypt surges 20%

maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements for easier viewing.

Additional features of BlackB er r y 6 include expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds (Social Feeds), and integrated access to B B M ( tm) (BlackB er r y(r) M essenger), Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and various i n s t a nt messaging applications on the

BlackB er r y B old 9780 smar tphone. I ts enhanced multimedia experience rivals the best in the industry and includes a dedicated YouTube app. It also features redesigned Music and Pictures applications and a new universal search feature that allows users to more effectively search for content on the smartphone as well as extend their search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World.

ABU DHABI: Dana Gas said yesterday its production in Egypt increased 20 percent in 2010 helped by output from seven new fields in the Nile Delta.

Production hit 42,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) in 2010 and is expected to rise to 67,000 boepd in mid-2012, Dana said in a statement to the Abu Dhabi bourse.

Dana plans to explore 14 wells this year with the first, Sanabel-1, underway.

The board of Dana has decided to retain its 100 percent interest in the Nile Delta concessions and to continue operating them rather than the planned farmout, the statement added.

“With 16 discoveries in the Nile Delta over the past three years, combined with our year-on-year production increase of 20 percent, (it) reinforces our view of the remaining potential of this first class acreage and

0.032 0.262 0.251 3.550 399.060 0.190 93.800 46.200 4.400 220.300 1.911 49.100 729.910 3.380 6.690 77.730 75.030 219.750 45.060 2.677 439.500 42.700 303.800 6.200 9.720 198.263 76.670 281.400 1.360

Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees

confirms to us that retention of our 100 percent interest will deliver the maximum value to our shareholders,” Ahmed AlArbeed, CEO of Dana Gas said in the statement.

Dana’s production continues to increase with current production in the Nile Delta at 246 million standard cubic feet per day (mscfd) of gas plus 7350 barrels per day of condensate and LPG totaling 48,000 boepd. —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

.2730000 .4320000 .3670000 .2940000 .2780000 .2820000 .0045000 .0020000 .0761890 .7422910 .3900000 .0730000 .7276840 .0045000 .0480000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2800500 GB Pound/KD .4343580 Euro .3706180 Swiss francs .2971670 Canadian dollars .2802040 Danish Kroner .0497170 Swedish Kroner .0411580 Australian dlr .2848390 Hong Kong dlr .0359760 Singapore dlr .2168240 Japanese yen .0034390 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0762660 Bahraini dinars .7430350 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0747000 Omani riyals .7272920 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.440 6.273 3.276 2.533 3.938 218.910 36.191 3.969

.2860000 .4430000 .3770000 .3040000 .2870000 .2900000 .0075000 .0035000 .0769550 .7497510 .4100000 .0780000 .7349980 .0072000 .0560000 .2821500 .4376150 .3733970 .2993950 .2823050 .0500900 .0414670 .2869750 .0362460 .2184500 .0034650 .0063050 .0025480 .0033000 .0040310 .0768380 .7486070 .3990810 .0752600 .7330480 .0064860

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

6.431 9.363 0.271 0.273

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

GCC COUNTRIES 74.985 77.262 730.550 746.860 76.574

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 52.000 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 48.429 Yemen Riyal 1.319 Tunisian Dinar 196.560 Jordanian Dinar 397.090 Lebanese Lira 187.000 Syrian Lier 6.074 Morocco Dirham 34.070 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 281.080 Euro 377.210 Sterling Pound 436.940 Canadian dollar 284.780 Turkish lire 180.790 Swiss Franc 302.240 Australian dollar 283.750 US Dollar Buying 280.095 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

Sterling Pound US Dollar

SELL CASH 287.600 747.300 4.220 286.200 551.900 14.100 51.300 167.800 51.650 379.000 36.840 6.520

3.950 218.800

SELL DRAFT 286.100 747.300 3.968 284.700

219.700 48.436 377.500 36.690 6.280

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Cyprus Pound Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound

302.300 6.200 9.540 76.570 281.000

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 437.500 281.000

Selling Rate 280.900 285.025 435.560 377.895 299.385 699.045 743.474 76.454 77.133 74.875 396.369 48.427

6.279 3.284 2.528 3.982 6.427 3.417 9.334 6.127 3.913

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 729.730 3.295 6.445 77.300 75.030 219.750 45.060 2.532 437.500

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees

397.180 0.189 93.800

GOLD 1,498.500

10 Tola

GOLD 271.000 137.000 70.000

0.032

Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Candaian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 280.900 3.285 6.290 2.540 3.970 6.455 76.570 75.095 746.800 48.425 440.500 0.00003280 3.950 1.550 399.000 5.750 380.900 288.600

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 280.550 Euro 377.500 Pound Sterling 439.000 Canadian Dollar 284.200 Japanese Yen 3.445 Indian Rupee 6.262 Egyptian Pound 48.420 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.529 Bangladesh Taka 3.954 Philippines Peso 6.425 Pakistan Rupee 3.277 Bahraini Dinar 747.000 UAE Dirham 76.450 Saudi Riyal 74.950 *Rates are subject to change

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UAE ammunition plant gets $272m credit facility DUBAI: Abu Dhabi’s Burkan Munitions Systems LLC has received a 1 billion dirhams ($272.3 million) credit facility to expand its production lines and upgrade its ammunition testing lab, the company said yesterday.

The facility was arranged in November

by First Gulf Bank, the company said in a statement. Burkan Munitions has supplied the United Arab Emirates’s armed forces with ammunitions for “multiple uses”, it said.

The ammunitions manufacturer is a joint venture founded in 2008 between Tawazun Holding LLC, an investment company established by the Offset Program Bureau, Abu Dhabi’s Al-Jaber Group and Germany’s Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH. Saif Mohammed Al-Hajri, Tawazun’s chief executive, said the company was planning to export ammunitions ranging

from bullets to tank shells and bombs used by warplanes to neighboring Gulf states and other countries in the region.

The UAE is developing an indigenous defense industry to supply its armed forces, involved an aggressive modernisation plan that mostly include its naval and air forces.

As fear of conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel grows, the oilexporter is expected to press on with its armament plans. The UAE made arms deals worth $14.2 billion between 2006 and 2009, according to a US Congress released last year.

The country is also expected to spend as much as $17 billion in coming years to buy an advanced missile defense system and fighter planes. Abu Dhabi will host in February the two-yearly International Defense Exhibition and Conference, or IDEX, during which major deals are expected to be announced. —Reuters

BURGAN BANK ANNOUNCES NAMES OF YAWMI WINNERS KUWAIT: Burgan Bank’s Yawmi account the only account in Kuwait to give away KD 5000 cash prize everyday announced the names of last week’s winners at the bank’s head office.

The lucky winners for the four daily draws took home a handsome cash-prize of KD 5000 each. The lucky winners are: 1-Jonathan Samer Joseph Gheriafi 2-Ameena Ibrahim Al-Shaar 3-Saleh Khaled Saleh Almuzini 4-Naser Sabail Ateeq Almutairi 5-Hussaini Gunj Saifuddin Gunj

Congratulating the winners, Burgan Bank Chief Retail Banking Officer-GM Muneera AlMukhaizeem said: “I extend my warm wishes to the winners of last week’s Yawmi draw. Yawmi today is a well understood product, the popularity of which can be seen from the number of increasing account holders. We invite customers to opt for this incentive to make the most from their savings and deposits.”

Last year, Burgan Bank introduced a first-ofits kind draw account - Yawmi Account - which entitles customers who deposit KD 500 for a

period of 30 days to be eligible for a daily draw to win KD 5000 every single day (except weekends and public holidays). For every KD 50 deposited in your Yawmi Account you receive an additional entry into the draw, which means the more you deposit, the more chances you will have of winning. Opening a Yawmi account is simple, just visit your nearest Burgan Bank branch and get all the details. Or simply call our Call Center 1804080 and our executive will be more than happy to assist you. For further information visit www.burgan.com

BP shares hit six-month high after Shell OFFER LONDON: Shares in oil major BP hit a sixmonth high yesterday after The Daily Mail newspaper reported rival Royal Dutch Shell had considered a takeover bid during the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. BP shares were up 5.0 percent to 488.85 pence at 1000 GMT. The paper, citing sources close to the Anglo-Dutch group, reported Shell weighed an opportunistic bid for BP as crude gushed into the Gulf, but was discouraged by the potentially uncapped legal liabilities.

The newspaper said Shell could yet bid for BP if another suitor emerged but Europe’s largest oil company by market value was unlikely to be the “first mover”.

Mic Mills, head of electronic trading at ETX Capital said BP was also being boosted by comments late on Dec. 31 from the lawyer running BP’s gulf spill oil compensation fund that suggested damages payments could be half the expected level.

Ken Feinberg told Bloomberg Television about half the $20 billion fund set up by BP should be adequate to cover claims for economic losses. One dealer said the news reports focused minds on the fact BP shares were cheap compared to rivals. “BP remains cheap and vulnerable at these levels but I do not think a bid is likely.”

BP shares trade on a price-earnings ratio of 6.5 times, consensus 2011 earnings,

while Shell trades at 8.9 times, partly reflecting the fact BP’s actual earnings could be far lower if it was found to have been grossly negligent in causing the oil spill which would boost legal costs and fines. However, Feinberg’s comment highlighted how the picture could also be brighter than the company has predicted.

Analysds and industry sources said during the crisis last summer it was likely that both US oil giant Exxon Mobil and Shell-the only companies considered large enough to mount a bid-would run the slide-rule over BP. However, the two notoriously conservative companies were seen as likely to be discouraged by the open-ended nature of BP’s liabilities.

Now BP’s shares have rebounded 65 percent from their June low at 296 pence, to give BP a market value of around $140 billion, a bid would be much harder to mount, especially for Shell which is worth over $210 billion.

Exxon has a market value of almost $370 billion. It is uncertain whether regulators on either side of the Atlantic would support a tie-up in top tier of the industry.

Shell stock traded up 0.8 percent, against a 2.1 percent rise in the STOXX Europe 600 Oil and Gas index, which was lifted by crude prices which hovered near a 27-month high. — Reuters

NBK, Gulf Bank, Al Ahli for best service award BHS, Massimo Dutti, Marks & Spencer, shortlisted for best service in fashion industry Al-Yousifi, Eureka, Alghanim (X-cite), shortlisted for best service in electronics industry Voter-based Service Hero to announce Kuwait’s true customer service leaders on Jan 9 KUWAIT: Service Hero, the creators of Kuwait’s first and only crossindustry customer satisfaction index, yesterday revealed the names of the shortlisted companies in the running to win the best customer service award, as voted by customers through a 30-day drive that collected over 8700 direct votes.

Service Hero revealed the top three companies in 15 different industries, who received the highest customer satisfaction scores.

Some of the shortlisted companies include: * Industry: Retail banks: NBK, Gulf Bank, and Ahli United * Industry: Electronics: Al-Yousifi, Eureka, Alghanim (X-cite) * Industry: Retail clothes: BHS, Massimo Dutti, and Marks & Spencer * Industry: Hospital services: AlSeef, New Mowasat Hospital, and Royale Hayat * Industry: New car sales: BMW (Ali Alghanim and Sons), Lexus (Al Sayer Group), and Toyota (Al Sayer Group) Service Hero will announce the leaders in customer service across 15 industries in an awards ceremony on January 9, to be attended by Kuwait’s top CEOs and executives.

Lead spokesperson of the awards ceremony is Abdulmajeed Al-Shatti, a prominent member of Kuwait’s business community who is also the former Chairman and Managing Director of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait, and a member of Service Hero’s independent Advisory Council.

Close to 400 companies within

Service Hero President Fatan Abu Ghazale 15 industries were ranked by customers based on eight dimensions to determine their ranking on the Service Hero Customer Satisfaction Index (SHCSI). The industries are: cafÈs, fast food, casual dining, fine dining, clothes retail, home furniture, local airlines, retail banks, Islamic banks, hospitals, electronics, internet service providers (ISPs), mobile phone operators, new car sales and car service centers.

The Service Hero dimensions are: staff behavior, quality of the product or service, speed, service reliability, location, and value for money, as well as website and call center offering for the airlines, retail

banks, Islamic banks, ISPs, and mobile operators.

The Service Hero Customer Satisfaction Index is overseen by an independent Advisory Council comprising the American University of Kuwait as its academic sponsor, and other prominent businessmen from leading organizations, including the Boston Consulting Group and GulfMerger.

None of the organizations represented by the council members were either directly or indirectly included in the survey. As a neutral panel of experts, their function is to supervise the assessment to ensure fair and empirical findings.

Members include: Dr. Carol Ross, Dean of Student Affairs, American University of Kuwait, Dr. Reinhold Leichtfuss, Senior Partner and Managing Director of the Boston Consulting Group, Nauman Sehgal, COO at Noor Financial Investment, and Yann Pavie, CEO of GulfMerger, in addition to Al-Shatti.

Service Hero President, Faten Abu-Ghazaleh, said: “Service Hero has helped give customers, for the first time, a platform to voice their satisfaction on services they are getting on a daily basis and we are excited to reveal the key players in customer satisfaction in the country. It will be very interesting to see whether service leaders are franchised brands or home -grown brands developed by local companies. Service Hero is also working on providing the insights they’ve obtained directly by customers to show what is pleasing or displeasing customers and in which areas.”

In its recently published preliminary data report, the SHCSI found that customers in Kuwait were most vocal about food and leisure services, with a Kuwaiti male between the ages of 40 and 49 as the most critical and hardest customer to satisfy. However, compared to its counterparts, Kuwait scored significantly higher than the US and the UK, at 7.7, 7.6, and 7.5 out of ten respectively.

Service Hero will have individual industry reports with detailed data results providing detailed insights on specific dimensions, which will be available for companies and institutions early in 2011.

Jazeera Airways tops Kuwaiti airlines in November 2010 KUWAIT: Award winning airline Jazeera Airways yesterday issued its operational performance report for the month of November 2010, which showed that it has once again continued to capture a leading market share among Kuwaiti airlines on the majority of routes it served in November 2010, with the exception of the KuwaitJeddah and Kuwait-Riyadh routes, where it has lower seat-allocation restrictions compared to other Kuwaiti airlines. The today-issued report is based on data from Kuwait’s Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Jazeera Airways continued to be the airline with largest market share on highly competitive routes in the Middle East, including the KuwaitBeirut route with a 28% mar-

ket share, the Kuwait-Amman route with a 34% market share, the Kuwait-Alexandria route with a 49% market share, and the KuwaitDamascus route with a 41% market share.

The report also showed that Jazeera Airways was the largest Kuwaiti operator on business and weekend destinations as well, capturing a 16% market share on the Kuwait-Dubai route, and 20% market share on the KuwaitBahrain route.

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 and North Africa during the winter season of 2010/2011.

#1 to Dubai - #1 to Beirut - #1 to Amman - #1 to Damascus #1 to Alexandria - #1 to Bahrain

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KSE gains momentum GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT

SINGAPORE/LONDON: Oil hovered near its highest price levels in more than two years on accelerating manufacturing activity in developed economies and expectations that US crude inventories will continue to be drained.

US crude for February rose 35 cents to $91.90 a barrel at 1050 GMT yesterday after earlier hitting a 27-month peak of $92.58, the highest intraday price since early October 2008.

ICE Brent was up 64 cents at $95.47, having topped $96 on Monday for the first time since 2008. “ We expect oil demand to remain strong in 2011. Growth rates will slow down, but in terms of absolute levels we still expect a record year,” said Amrita Sen from Barclays Capital, adding that oil prices might hit $100 a barrel before April.

“We also expect concerns about nonOPEC supplies to resurface this year,” she added. Prices had rallied on Monday on accelerating manufacturing activity in industrial economies and on icy weather.

Manufacturing in the United States and Europe accelerated in December, while growth in China and India slowed to more sustainable levels in another boost for the global economic outlook.

Yesterday, a report showed that British manufacturing activity expanded at its fastest pace in over 16 years in December, above expectations.

“It appears easily possible that the magical three-digit threshold ($100 per barrel) falls in the coming weeks,” analysts at JBC Energy broker said in a note yesterday.

KUWAIT: Kuwait equities picked up yesterday from where they left off on Monday, gaining upward momentum.

Blue-chips performed robustly bolstered by hefty gains in the banking sector, Investors put their trust in the banking sector as they expect good dividends and less provisions this year. Global General Index (GGI) closed 1.15 points up (0.51 percent), at 225.19 point as the Market capitalization increased reaching KD36.62mn. On the other hand, Kuwait Stock Exchange Price Index closed in the green zone adding 26.50 points (0.38 percent) from its value and closed at 6,974.10 point.

Market breadth During the session, 119 companies were traded.

Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 57 equities advanced versus 35 that retreated.

Volume of shares traded on the exchange increased by 36.92 percent to reach 281.15mn shares, the value of shares traded increased also by a noticeably 82.73 percent to stand at KD56.16mn. The Services Sector was the volume leader yesterday, accounting for 27.84 percent of total shares and the Banking Sector was the value leader, with 38.12 percent of total traded value. Company-wise, Abyaar Real Estate Development Co. was the volume leader, with a total traded volume of 27.84mn shares. changing hands. Alafco Aviation Lease & Finance Co was the value leader, with a total traded value of KD8.62mn.

In terms of top gainers, AlAman Investment Co was the biggest gainer for the day, adding 9.43 percent and

Oil prices near 27-month highs

closed at KD0.058. On the other side, Real Estate Trade Center Co. came in as the biggest decliner, dropping by 8.62 percent and closed at KD0.530.

Sector-wise During the session, Global indices were mostly positive except for the Services and the Real Estate indices ending lower, also Global’s insurance index was flat for yesterday.

The biggest gainer for yesterday was Global Banking Sector, which gained 1.68 percent pushed by Ahli United Bank which ended the day with an increase of 5.88 percent to

close at KD0.720. Boubyan Bank increased yesterday also by 3.17 percent added to its value. Global Food Sector followed increasing 1.02 percent pushed by heavyweight Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) which ended the day with an increase of 1.25 percent to close at KD1.620.

Danah Al-Safat Foodstuff Company increased yesterday also by 3.64 percent added to its value.

On the other hand, the biggest decliner for the day was Global Services Sector Index, which lost 1.59 percent of its value, pulled down by the drop seen on the share prices

of Mobile Telecommunication Co (ZAIN) loosing 1.33 percent of its share value while Gulf Petroleum Investment ended the trading session down by 5.00 percent.

Corporate News Kuwait Remal Real Estate Company, is in talks to invest more than $200mn in a number of new projects in Eastern Europe and Egypt. Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) approved on January 03, 2011 the request of Al-Mal Investment Company (Al-Mal) to extend the period for repurchasing or selling 10 percent maximum of it issued shares for additional

six months till July 17, 2011.

Mushrif Trading & Contracting Company reported winning tender No WKM 111-2009/2010. The company will provide maintenance and painting services for tanks as well as fresh and low-salt water towers in different districts of Kuwait. The KD1.24mn worth of tender will last 24 months.

The company will inform the KSE management upon inking the final contract.

The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $89.79 a barrel on Monday, compared with $88.99 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

“The wildcard of natural and man-made disasters steadily adds twists to commodity markets,” they added, citing an earthquake in Chile and floods in Columbia and Australia as contributing to a global commodities rally.

US INVENTORIES Crude oil inventories in the United States, the world’s top consumer, probably fell for the fifth-straight time last week, down by 1.7 million barrels, a Reuters poll showed, while stockpiles of gasoline and distillates probably rose.

Refiners continued to use up more of their stored crude supplies while holding off on imports to lower their year-end taxes, analysts said.

Industry group American Petroleum Institute (API) will release its inventory report yesterday at 2130 GMT, while the US Energy Information Administration will follow with government statistics at 1530 GMT today. “Increasing demand for heating oil is helping to reduce the inventory overhang,” said Credit Suisse analysts including Stefan Graber.

“However, this is likely to be temporary as heating oil demand usually peaks around mid-January. While the short-term technical trend and momentum indicators remain positive, we think that ample OPEC spare production capacity is likely to cap the upside.” US crude futures remain in a stubborn contango, a price structure in which prompt oil is cheaper than barrels for later deliver y. This market condition encourages storage. — Reuters

Bids in for Jizan refinery KHOBAR: Foreign engineering firms have submitted bids to design Saudi Aramco’s Jizan crude oil refinery, industry sources said yesterday.

Companies had asked the state oil firm for more time but the due date for the front-end engineering and design (FEED) and project management services (PMS) closed on Dec. 25 as set by Aramco, sources said.

The refinery is designed to process 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude and is part of Saudi Arabia’s plans to boost domestic refining capacity from the current level of 2.1 million bpd.

Seven international engineering firms submitted their proposals, of which 5 were US companies: KBR, Foster Wheeler, Mustang Engineering, Fluor and Jacobs Engineering.

France’s Technip and Australia’s

WorleyParsons have also participated in the bidding process.

Saudi Arabia had hoped the refinery would be built and owned entirely by the private sector, a first in the world’s top oil exporter. Last year, the government handed over the delayed project to Aramco. The refinery is to be built in Jizan, far from the kingdom’s producing oilfields, as part of a wider development plan to revive the impoverished southern region.

The plant is to produce around 75,000 bpd of gasoline, 100,000-160,000 bpd of ultra-low-sulfur diesel and 160,000-220,000 bpd of fuel oil depending on the crude mix processed. It would be integrated with a power and water facility. A marine terminal would also be built and is expected to be completed by 2016. — Reuters

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BUSINESS

Spanish builder ACS grabs key stake in German rival Hochtief fails to fend off takeover bid

LONDON: EasyJet has bought 15 Airbus A320 single-aisle planes worth $1.1 billion, the airline said yesterday.

EasyJet buys 15 Airbus jets to boost growth LONDON: Budget airline easyJet has bought 15 Airbus A320 single-aisle planes worth $1.1 billion, the British company said yesterday, highlighting the aviation sector’s recovery following the downturn.

The company added that it had agreed an option to purchase a further 33 of the medium-range planes from the European planemaker Airbus, which is a unit of aerospace giant EADS. “easyJet plc today announced that it has reached agreement with Airbus to exercise existing options over 15 Airbus A320 aircraft for delivery between 2012 and 2014 and to secure new options over a further 33 A320 aircraft.”

It said that although the total list price for the 15 new A320 aircraft was about $1.1 billion (824 million euros), easyJet had won “substantial confidential price concessions”.

Chief executive Carolyn McCall said in the group’s statement: “We are pleased to announce this agreement with Airbus. “It will help deliver easyJet’s strategy of continued profitable growth... whilst providing even more flight capacity for our passengers.

“A central feature of the agreement is the flexibility it gives easyJet to vary the growth rate in its capacity to reflect economic conditions and market opportunities,” she added.

The aviation sector, and easyJet in particular, is enjoying a solid recovery following the financial crisis. The budget airline flying passengers across Europe unveiled soaring annual profits in late 2010 and also announced plans for its first ever dividend.

Last week meanwhile, China Eastern

Airlines agreed to buy 50 A320 airliners with a list price of 3.22 billion dollars, in the latest sign of the Asian country’s aviation boom. Also in December, Shandong Airlines said it planned to buy 15 Boeing passenger planes worth up to $1.2 billion.

China’s rapidly expanding economy has seen the country’s civil aviation sector grow at a blistering pace over the last few years, with few analysts seeing any likelihood of a slowdown. Following yesterday’s announcement, easyJet’s share price jumped 2.59 percent to 451.40 pence on London’s wider FTSE 350 index. The index was up 2.27 percent, mirroring gains on the benchmark FTSE 100, in midday trade.

McCall became the group’s chief executive in 2010 after months of boardroom turmoil at easyJet. She stepped down as head of the Guardian Media Group, replacing Andy Harrison. Prior to her appointment, top easyJet executives had clashed with the airline’s founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou. Stelios, as the tycoon prefers to be known, and who is also easyJet’s biggest shareholder, had long called for a dividend, saying the airline’s rapid growth strategy was flawed.

McCall quickly agreed to his request and also settled a legal dispute with Stelios concerning use of the company’s brand.

Stelios’ company easyGroup IP Licensing (EGIP) had claimed that easyJet had breached the terms of a branding license agreement, specifically by increasing its income from nonticket revenues beyond an agreed 25 percent of total sales. — AFP

CNPC to invest in city hit by oil spill SHANGHAI: China National Petroleum Corp will invest in a northeastern port city hit by an oil spill last year at facilities it owned, averting paying direct compensation to local fishermen, state media said.

The state-owned oil giant has agreed to build plants in Dalian with annual refining capacity of 20 million tons and ethylene production of one million tons, the Economic and National Weekly said on its website on Monday. In return, the city government will pay compensation to the fishing industry for damage and losses caused by the July slick, the report said, citing unnamed sources involved in the negotiations between authorities and CNPC. Dalian, a coastal city in Liaoning province, hit headlines last year after two pipelines exploded at an oil storage depot belonging to CNPC, triggering a spectacular blaze that burned for days. —AFP

MADRID: Spain’s biggest public works group ACS said yesterday it had snapped up more than 30 percent of shares German rival Hochtief, a milestone in its bitterly fought takeover bid.

ACS, led by Real Madrid football club chairman Florentino Perez, said it had acquired 30.34 percent of Hochtief, an emblematic German firm which had battled furiously against the Spanish bid.

Under German law, ACS is now allowed to buy its prey’s shares at will on the open market, opening the way for it to take a majority stake and become the largest publics work group in Europe, and third biggest worldwide.

ACS’s global prospects and debt-laden balance sheet-it had 9.08 billion euros in net debt on September 30 last year-would be strengthened by the acquisition of Hochtief, which has operations worldwide and no debt.

Hochtief chairman Herbert Luetkestratkoetter has fought the Spanish takeover since it was launched unexpectedly December 1.

The offer closed December 29, but under German law the ACS offer is now reopened from January 5-18 for Hochtief shareholders who had previously turned it down.

By early afternoon trade, ACS shares were 1.02 percent lower at 34.84 euros while Hochtief was down 0.69 percent at 63.73 euros. The ACS announcement caps a bitter struggle with Hochtief.

In an attempt to fend off the Spanish, it

agreed December 6 for Qatar Holding to buy a 9.1 percent stake in Hochtief for about 400 million euros, diluting ACS’s stake.

Hochtief’s board then formally rejected the offer December 15. ACS, in reply, sweetened its offer to propose swapping nine of its shares, instead of eight, for every five shares of Hochtief, reportedly valuing the company at close to five billion euros.

And the German firm’s defense then took a body blow when major US-based shareholder Southeastern Asset Management announced December 16 it had lost confidence in the Hochtief management and was selling roughly half of its 4.84-percent stake in the company to ACS. In a statement released at the time, Southeastern criticized “recent unacceptable steps,” a reference to Hochtief’s defensive sale of a stake to Qatar. ACS owned around 27.2 percent of Hochtief when it announced the offer and with the Southeastern Asset Management stake it already had close to 30 percent of the German firm.

Hochtief appeared to have accepted the inevitable success of the ACS offer when it reportedly made an agreement last week with its creditors smoothing the way for the Spanish entrant.

Hochtief reportedly negotiated a higher interest rate in return for the removal of clauses that allowed creditors to call in loans if any shareholder obtained a stake of more than 30 percent. — AFP

MADRID: Real Madridís president and head of Spanish construction firm ACS, Florentino Perez, gestures during a news conference at Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain. — AP

Beijing rules turn car showrooms into ghost towns BEIJING: For the past year, car showrooms in Beijing have been heaving with people keen to buy their slice of the country’s new middle-class dream. But now they are deserted.

Last month, Beijing said it would slash the number of new registrations for 2011 to ease chronic gridlock and thick pollution in the capital-good news for frustrated drivers but terrible news for car dealers and would-be buyers.

Li Hao, a sales manager for Chinese automaker Chery, told AFP he had not sold a car since December 24, when the tough restrictions took effect. “We definitely won’t make money this year,” Li told AFP, as he sat in the showroom, which was nearly empty except for a few bored-looking sales assistants and a handful of customers finalizing earlier purchases.

“Our income and sales will definitely drop and I’m worried about my own income and job. Every car salesperson is thinking about this problem.”

In an attempt to ease severe traffic congestion, Beijing will allow 240,000 cars to hit the roads this year through a license plate lottery system-about one-third of the number of new cars registered in 2010.

Expectations about the new car curbs sparked a surge in December sales, with about 20,000 sold in the first week of the month alone, state media said more than double the 9,000 cars sold in the same period in 2009. China’s decision to scrap tax cuts for small cars from January 1 also boosted sales. Li said his dealership had been packed with customers wanting to buy a set of wheels before the new rules took effect.

One of those people was Tian Mao, a 33-year-old

wine salesman who wanted a car to make his lengthy commute more palatable. As soon as he heard reports about the new restrictions, he went to the Chery showroom and paid 70,000 yuan ($10,600) for a car. “I’m very happy. I bought the car a week before the new rules were introduced. It was quite cheap,” Tian told AFP as he finished his ownership paperwork. As well as easing bottlenecks-deemed the world’s worst in an IBM survey conducted in mid2010 — authorities hope the new rules will help clean up the notoriously dirty air in the city of 19 million people.

Air quality has been getting worse amid high demand for private vehicles from the city’s increasingly affluent residents-and has been blamed for deterring people from riding their bicycles instead of driving cars.

But environmental activists said the rules would have little impact on pollution levels in the capital.

“This is a policy that really came too late,” Yang Ailun, climate and energy campaign manager for Greenpeace China, told AFP. “It came at a time when the traffic and the local pollution problem in Beijing are already out of control.”

Other cities around China, which overtook the United States as the world’s biggest car market in 2009 and which this year is expected to see total sales of 20 million units, are introducing measures to relieve congestion.

Shanghai, which has about one-third the number of registered vehicles as Beijing, even though the populations of the two cities are about the same, has

restricted new number plates for many years.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, authorities are trying to reduce traffic by ordering cars off the roads based on the last digit of the license plate. A similar system is also in place in Beijing but is widely ignoredand blamed in part for the exploding number of cars clogging the streets, as some residents have simply bought another car to stay behind the wheel.

Analysts nevertheless believe Beijing’s new rules will only put a small dent in car sales this year.

“The overall impact on the auto industry is not going to be very big-about 200,000-300,000 units per year,” said John Zeng, an analyst with IHS Global Insight in Shanghai.

Zeng estimated sales would be boosted by people buying new cars to replace their old ones, while others will register their cars in neighboring provinces to get around the restrictions.

The real victims of the measures will be small dealerships, said Zeng, who believes 20-30 percent will be forced to close. Other predictions are more dire. The National Passenger Car Information Exchange Association forecasts 50 percent of car dealers will be driven out of the market, the China Daily said.

As he looked across the empty showroom, Li said he expected monthly sales to plunge to 45 units this year from 200 units in 2010. Apart from reducing staff salaries, Li doesn’t know how he will make up the shortfall.

“I haven’t come up with a very good idea so far to increase sales or income,” he said. “We can only wait and see what happens.” — AFP

GEC in ‘support services’ deal with KGOC

Roshan and his wife receive the free cruise trip for ocean view cabin with balcony, on a Singapore-Penang-Phuket-Singapore 3 night Superstar Luxury cruise from P N J Kumar, General Manager, Caesars Travel Group and Vivek Shetty, Business Development Manager, Caesars Holidays.

CAESARS HOLIDAYS PARTNERS WITH STAR CRUISES The cruise industry as a whole is now, one of the fastest sectors of the travel industry worldwide, with strange growth in luxury end of the market. The free style cruising typified by a more casual and less structured onboard experience has made a considerable difference to the age group of passengers. This trend is likely to increase with more lines expanding their range of onboard facilities and activities to attract younger passengers and more families.

The middle-east market is also growing rapidly and the leading cruise lines are consistently adapting to accommodate this growth.

Life on board of a cruise ship is no longer just about sailing through the seas. The cruising companies have launched mini cities on the waves, attracting and entertaining passengers at all ages. At the moment, major cruise ships in the industry push to bridge the gap between the myth and the reality that cruising is an experience for all generations. The remarkable diversity and variety of cruises give passengers a unique opportunity to find a vacation that fits their budget. Mostly, cruises targets families, groups, honeymooners, weddings and as a latest trend, become a wonderful platform for the business market, especially for meetings and incentives. Added to the wide array of onboard recreational facilities which will allow guests to benefit from barefoot luxury as experienced on land, will

be the cruise liners custom-made attractions, multiple onboard bars, lounges, discos throughout the ship and Vega’s style gaming in the casinos. Interest is increasing in the middle-east for cruising due to the varied destinations and variety it offers. The introduction of new mega ships and the entertainment offered onboard is another main reason for the increased interest. The main plus point is you only have to unpack once.

Recently, Caesars Holidays, one of the leading subsidiaries of Caesars Travel Group, has been appointed as the Passenger Sales Agent (PSA) for Kuwait. Star Cruise with their mega ship to the most exotic parts of Asia, SuperStar Virgo that offers so much more than just first class dining and entertainment...

Copy: At 76,800 grt (Gross register tonnage) it is the largest cruise ship in Star Cruises Asian fleet and most definitely the perfect way to capture the sights and sounds of the Orient in all the glory. The 268m long and 32m wide SuperStar Virgo offers the comfort of 935 cabins with 1,870 lower berths to sail in and experience countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

On board the 13-storey high ship, which cruises at an average speed of 24kn, must-try facilities include jet stream lap pools, a superb gym, an Italian Trattoria and elegant lounges that have been given an Oriental twist with richly coloured decor, gold statues, karaoke

rooms and some of the best Asian restaurants afloat. You can choose from 13 restaurants and lounges offering delicacies from all over the world. Its fabulous array of restaurants ranges from the large windowed Bella Vista Dining Room (which serves international cuisine), to the exquisite Tatami Room complete with sliding screens, low tables and floor-level seating, where parties of six can indulge in a Japanese banquet extraordinaire.

Another outdoor venue is Taverna on Deck 13 for alfresco snacks in a nautical setting, with a sail-effect canopy, trestle benches and tall tables set on wooden barrels. One deck down is Cafe Gelato, where you can round off a snack fest with an ice cream, an elaborate pudding or, if you must go all healthy, a fresh fruit juice. Also located on the ship’s upper decks is the indoor/outdoor Mediterranean Buffet and Terrace for casual breakfasts and lunches.

Both Asian and Western snacks are available around the clock at the a la carte indooroutdoor Blue Lagoon and there’s also a huge, free-to-use 330-seat family-style Chinese restaurant, the Pavilion Room or the Noble House for Chinese fine dining or the Samurai for some Japanese cuisine. You can also try some Italian fusion at the Palazzo. And last but not the least, you can enjoy some authentic Indian food at The Taj (It is the only cruise ship in the world that has an authentic Indian

restaurant on board that is certified ‘halal’) A Foodies’ delight, alright!

The fun does not end here. Recreational facilities include a library, an internet surfing area, a mahjong room, a card and board games area, an 864-seat show lounge, cinema and endless other entertainment programs.

An enviable range of sports and fitness facilities include a swimming pool, a rock climbing wall, and a golf driving range. You can also pamper yourself at the spa, beauty salon and Jacuzzi and indulge in some me-time, while your kids occupy themselves by the water fun pool, or the boulder-climbing wall, video arcade. The ship also houses a children’s cinema, playroom and nursery. Kids or not, do try the world’s first stainless steel water slide on a cruise ship. Said to cost a whopping $550,000, the superstructure was installed on the luxurious liner during her dry dock in January 2009.

After all the fun, games and food, you can retire to any of the suites and staterooms that cater to all tastes, assuring you of welldeserved retreat with that classic touch of elegance and luxury. The perfect ending to perfect day! This is the time you need a change in style of choosing the vacations and Star Cruise offers the best option towards it.

Roshan Dias wins free cruise trip from Caesars Holidays for the Indians in Kuwait (IIK)-Caesars Holidays Star Cruise online contest, began on November 15, 2010.

KUWAIT: Gulf Employment Co (GEC) announced that it signed the renewal of its “Support Services” contract with Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) for another three years. This contract provides (KGOC) administrative services to all its sectors, departments and locations through its highly experienced employees in both administrative and secretary fields.

GEC said that this contract comes under joined collaboration and mutual trust between the two companies during the past years as it is the second time in a row the two companies sign such contract which establishes trust and credibility between both sides.

GEC added that it’s keen on more collaboration with the major national companies like KGOC, confirming its commitment to provide unique services that are considered to be the best of its kind in both administrative and secretary fields and the international quality standards that make major companies seek its help in such fields.

GEC confirmed its continuous efforts in innovation which is the feature of this era and which fits with the demands of the human capital industry that fits Kuwait’s social structure, especially when it comes to providing the best services to its clients both companies and job seekers, for that the compa-

ny’s work witnessed a significant development and increased wide international relations to build human resources supply network to all its clients.

GEC pointed out its keenness to take advantage from its long expertise and specialized potentials in managing projects and providing human resources for the success of this contract, through a unique developed system that works under the latest international standards on both human and technical levels, confirming that its team include an elite chosen group of local and international experts and consultants, GEC expressed its happiness to be chosen to execute this contract that comes within the company’s vision to accommodate the major companies demands in both public and private sectors and to fulfill their needs.

GEC provides Oil and petrochemicals, investment, real estate, constructions and logistic companies and banks with qualified manpower under the highest international standards and also provides a wide range of human resources services like creating and updating policies and procedures, manpower planning, payroll and employee’s benefit system design and management, job analysis and evaluation, conducting studies and researches in manpower and administrative systems development fields.

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

business

BRITAIN RAISES SALE TAX IN MOVE TO CUT DEFICIT Opposition slams decision as anti-poor LONDON: Britain’s standard rate of sales tax, or VAT, increased to 20 percent yesterday in one of several moves to slash a record public deficit, but the opposition said it would hit the poorest hardest.

Finance minister George Osborne insisted the rise from 17.5 percent was a “reasonable” step towards economic recovery and would raise 13 billion pounds ($20.2 billion, 15.1 billion euros) a year.

Retailers have warned it could put the brakes on consumer spending at a time when Britain’s economic recovery remains fragile, while there are also fears the move could fuel inflation and put pressure on pay settlements.

It comes in a tough back-to-work week for British consumers after the Christmas and New Year festivities, with transport fares going up and fuel prices effectively rising twice. The VAT rise also comes against a backdrop of deep cuts in public spending which are only just starting to take effect.

But Osborne told BBC radio: “I think it is a reasonable rate to set, given the very difficult situation we find ourselves in. The VAT rise is a tough but necessary step towards Britain’s economic recovery.

“If you don’t want to raise VAT, you have got to do something else.” He added: “I said before Christmas that the VAT rate I regarded as permanent because it is a structural tax change.”

Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, argued that an alternative policy of raising income tax and National Insurance payments “would have a more damaging impact on poorer people in our society.”

The VAT rise would actually boost job creation, he argued, because it would increase confidence that the government was tackling the country’s deficit. Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government of his Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats has made a priority of cutting the 150-billion-pound deficit it

inherited from Labour after May’s election.

Labour, now in opposition, said the government had broken an election promise by raising VAT. Its finance spokesman Alan Johnson said: “This is a broken promise-this was the big issue of the general election campaign. “It does nothing for jobs and growth-this year has to be all about continuing the growth momentum. It hits the poorest hardest.

“For those three reasons this is the wrong tax at the wrong time.”

The change affects any VAT-registered business which sells or purchases goods or services that are subject to the standard rate. Among the items rising in price is a pint of beer, which will be pushed above three pounds for the first time in some regions, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.

Some shoppers beat the rise by snapping up big-ticket items such as televisions in the New Year sales before the new rate came into effect.

The majority of food, children’s clothing and books remain free of VAT and items such as children’s car seats, domestic fuel and power supplies for domestic use will continue to carry reduced rates.

A report by the Centre for Retail Research suggested consumers will spend an average of 324 pounds less in the remainder of this year as a result of the VAT rise, cutting British retail sales by as much as 2.2 billion pounds in the first quarter of 2011 alone. Most economists surveyed by the Financial Times believe the government’s attempts to reduce the deficit will stay on track this year because deep spending cuts and tax rises will not cut growth so much as to cause a doubledip recession.

Of 78 economists polled for yesterday’s paper, including 10 former members of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee, 43 thought the program to tackle the deficit would be “on track” by the end of 2011. —AFP

Number of German jobless up BERLIN: Unemployment fell in Germany in 2010 as the nation’s economy saw a robust recovery, despite a slight increase in the number of jobless for December, the Federal Labor Agency said yesterday.

The Nuremberg, Germany-based agency said that 3.016 million people were unemployed in December, an increase of 85,000 compared with November, and largely attributed to the early onset of freezing temperatures and snow. That brought the jobless rate to 7.2 percent, up 0.2 percent compared with November.

Although the number of jobless rose above the 3 million mark — breached in October for the first time in two years — the December figure is 260,000, lower than in the same month of 2009.

“Compared with the crisis year of 2009, the number of jobless has dropped,” said agency director Frank-Juergen Weise. On the year, 3.244 million Germans registered for unemployment benefits, 179,000 fewer than in 2009, the agency said.

The German economy, Europe’s biggest, has rebounded strongly this year as increasing exports in a recovering global economy have been accompanied by signs of improving domestic demand.

German business confidence ended 2010 on a high, defying economists’ expectations and further pointing to a recovery that is expected to continue into the new year. The government has predicted growth of 3.4 percent for 2011.

German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle welcomed the 2010 jobless numbers as proof of solid growth.

“The past year on the job market was a success,” Bruederle said in a statement. “The strong growth helped employment to reach a historic high, driving the number of jobless below the 3 million mark.” —AP

TOKYO: Traders watch monitors during morning trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo yesterday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average rose 1.4 percent to 10,373.85, following positive economic data from Europe and the US markets. —AP

Euro-zone inflation above bank target in December LONDON: Consumer prices in the 16 countries that used the euro at the end of 2010 rose by their largest amount for over two years during December, and inflation is now running above the European Central Bank’s target, official figures showed yesterday.

Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, said consumer price inflation jumped 2.2 percent in the year to December, its highest level since October 2008.

The increase from November’s 1.9 percent rate was markedly ahead of expectations — the consensus in the markets was for a far more modest increase to 2 percent.

A more detailed breakdown of the figures will be published later this month, but all indications are that

higher energy and commodity costs are likely to have been behind the bigger than anticipated increase.

Whatever reason lies behind the rise, December’s rate means inflation in the euro-zone ended 2010 above the central bank’s target of keeping inflation “below, but close to” 2 percent for the first time since November 2008.

That is likely to stoke fears at the central bank that inflationary pressures are increasing in the euro-zone at a time when a number of countries are embarking on deep austerity programs in an attempt to appease the bond markets that they are getting a handle on their debt burdens.

The ECB meets next week to decide on interest rates. Under more normal circumstances, the increase in

December could well generate jitters that an interest rate increase would be in the offing.

But given that many euro-zone countries are barely growing while introducing spending cuts and tax increases. the unanimous view among ECB watchers is that the central bank will keep its main interest rate unchanged at the record low of 1 percent.

“Given ongoing tensions in the sovereign debt markets, the ECB is unlikely to feel any immediate pressure to hike rates,” said Frederik Ducrozet, euro-zone economist at Credit Agricole.

The euro-zone expanded to 17 countries on Jan 1 when Estonia joined the single currency bloc. —AP

MADRID: A worker carries a piece of plywood at a building construction site in Madrid yesterday. Spain’s Labor Ministry says the number of people filing claims for unemployment benefits fell in December after rising for four months consecutively to leave 4.1 million people claiming benefits. —AP

Spain 2010 public deficit to be under 9.3% target: PM MADRID: Spain’s public deficit for 2010 will be “somewhat better” than the government’s target of 9.3 percent of annual economic output, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said yesterday.

Spain will also meet its 2011 target for a public deficit equivalent to 6.0 percent of gross domestic product, Zapatero said during an interview with Onda Cero radio. “Of course we will meet the deficit target of 6.0 percent in 2011, just as we set the goal of reducing the deficit in 2010 to 9.3 percent and today I can say that we are going to be somewhat better than the objective we set,” he said.

Spain’s public deficit hit 11.1 percent of GDP in 2009, the third-highest in the eurozone after Greece and Ireland, but the government has vowed to bring it down to the euro-zone limit of 3.0 percent by 2013.

Investors have shown deep concern over the annual deficit being racked up by

the Spanish government, fearing the country may need a Greek or Irish-style bailout by the European Union.

An economic and financial rescue for Spain would be far bigger than anything seen to date in Europe: the size of its economy is twice that of Greece, Ireland and Portugal combined.

To reduce the deficit, Zapatero’s Socialist government has pushed through unpopular austerity measures, despite stagnant growth and an unemployment rate of around 20 percent, the highest in the European Union.

The measures include higher sales taxes, a freeze on old age pensions and an average cut to public workers’ wages of five percent. Last month parliament narrowly approved the government’s austerity measures for 2011 which cut expenditure for this year by 7.9 percent to 122 billion euros ($170 billion). —AFP

AXA targets $1.34 billion for property debt fund LONDON: AXA Real Estate said it was aiming for 1 billion euros ($1.34 billion) in a debt fund after raising an initial 350 million euros, as it aims to take advantage of a shortage in bank loans to the commercial property sector. The Commercial Real Estate Senior 1, which will provide senior loans directly or as part of bank syndicates, has obtained investments from parent AXA Group’s companies and a mix of other European insurers, AXA said yesterday.

AXA Real Estate also has an additional 1.15 billion euros in existing commitments from clients to invest in debt, it said in a statement. “I am very excited by the fact that this increases our total underwriting capacity to some 1.5 billion euros at a time when most banks have a very limited capacity to act,” said Isabelle Scemama, head of debt at AXA REIM SGP, an AXA Real Estate unit.

AXA Real Estate’s global chief investment officer Dennis Lopez told the Reuters in June 2010 that the company was launching the new debt fund to take advantage of a shortage in real estate financing in Europe. “We see a clear opportunity to grow this market and believe that it eventually will follow the US example where around 20 per-

cent of real estate transactions are underwritten by long term investors such as insurance companies,” said Scemama, who also advises the new debt fund.

An estimated $245 billion of global commercial property debts may face refinancing problems between 20112013, a DTZ report has said and industry experts expect insurers like AXA to help fill the void.

AXA Real Estate said already it has invested about 1 billion euros in real estate debt since mid-2009 and expects the fund to offer returns “significantly above those of more traditional credit products, but with an attractive risk premium”. The debt fund, which plans to focus on investments backed by good quality income-producing proper ties, will primarily target euro denominated investments, but also seek exposure to sterling and Nordic currencies, it said.

AXA Real Estate will also consider investing across the whole capital structure-from senior loans to equity, including mezzanine debt, preferred equity and distressed debt structures — on a case-by-case basis, the company added. —Reuters

China provinces spurn Beijing, eye higher growth targets

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI: Line workers assemble a 2011 Dodge Avenger at the Chrysler Sterling Heights Assembly plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Manufacturers produced more goods and booked more orders last month, leading to the fastest growth in factory activity since May. —AP

BEIJING: Chinese provinces, from northeastern Heilongjiang to southwestern Yunnan, have set ambitious growth targets for this year and into the future, challenging the central government’s goal of reshaping the economy along more sustainable lines. Growth-obsessed local officials regularly chafe under and often floutBeijing’s reform directives, but the latest flare-up of tension comes at a particularly sensitive time.

The central government is trying to cut the economy’s reliance on pollution-belching, energy-guzzling factories and to put the brakes on a housing construction boom that could turn into a destabilizing bubble.

That desire for moderation is expected to be expressed in a target of 7 percent annual growth in the official five-year plan for 2011-15, well down from last year’s pace of about 10 percent.

But local cadres are not showing similar restraint. They are still chasing high-octane growth.

According to published proposals, the provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Chongqing, Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Guangxi and Yunnan would like to double local gross domestic product (GDP) in the next five years, which would translate into an annual growth of about 15 percent.

Inner Mongolia, which led all Chinese regions with annual average growth of 18.7 percent from 2002 to 2009, said it was aiming to “maintain faster growth in major economic indicators than the national average”.

“The biggest issue in China’s economy may be the conflict between the central government and local ones,” Long Guoqiang, a researcher with a think-tank under the State Council, told the China Economic Times yesterday. —Reuters

Christmas cheer fails to lift French spirits in Dec PARIS: Christmas festivities failed to lift the mood of gloomy French consumers in December as data yesterday showed confidence levels slumped to their lowest since August in a bleak signal for the economy in the months ahead.

National statistics office INSEE said its monthly index of consumer confidence in the euro zone’s No.2 economy fell to -36 from a downwardly revised -33 in November, falling well short of a Reuters consensus forecast for 31. November’s index had previ-

ously been given as -32.

Confidence levels for December were only slightly higher than the -37 reached in August last year, reflecting renewed worries among households about the impact of high unemployment and deficit reduction measures on their personal finances.

“These figures reflect a real crisis of confidence which will have major economic consequences,” said Alexander Law, economist at Parisbased consultancy Xerfi.

Consumer confidence in France,

where domestic spending is a key engine of growth, has been floundering at historic lows since late 2007 as the world became mired in financial crisis.

“We now know that French household consumption will struggle in 2011, and it accounts for 60 percent of French GDP,” Law said.

In December, the indicator for future living standards dropped to 48 from -44 previously, and fewer households felt now was the right time to splash out on major pur-

chases.

Figures released before Christmas showed French unemployment rose again in November after falling in October, dashing hopes that the job market may be starting to pick up again after the swathes of job cuts that followed the financial crisis.

Consumers are also bracing for the impact of fiscal tightening measures aimed at cutting France’s budget deficit to 6.0 percent this year from an estimated 7.7 percent in 2010. The government wants to reduce it to 3.0

percent by 2013.

To add to the gloomy picture, prices are edging up, cutting into consumer purchasing power.

Crude oil prices have risen close to a two-year high recently, heralding higher fuel bills for households in the months ahead, while insurance premiums are also set to rise following an increase in natural disasters. “If you add in the strikes at the start of the fourth quarter and the bad weather, it’s a perfect cocktail for a drop in consumer confidence,” said Law, refer-

ring to transport and fuel refinery strikes in protest at a pension reform.

Yesterday’s confidence data tallied with a recent BVA-Gallup sur vey showing that the French are the most pessimistic nation in the world over their 2011 economic prospects, even outdoing war-torn nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

The poll found 61 percent of respondents expect to experience economic hardship in 2011, far exceeding a global average of 28 percent. —Reuters

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technology Chinese website selling iPad2 cases, ordered to remove ads BEIJING: Protective cases for the second generation iPad are being sold on Chinese e-commerce website Alibaba-even before Apple has launched the new device-and suggest the next model will have a camera. Alibaba spokesman John Spelich told AFP yesterday the company had been asked to remove the listings, which showed brightly colored silicon cases with a small hole in the back on sale for less than three dollars each.

“Shortly after we were made aware, through blog reports, of the presence of these listings, we received a legitimate take down request and we have been doing so since last week,” Spelich said, without naming the complainant.

An AFP search for iPad2 cases found seven listings on Alibaba-a trading platform for small businesses-mostly from suppliers based in southern China who were accepting orders for a minimum 200-500 units. Apple’s iPad touchscreen tablet computer allows users to watch video, listen to music, play games, surf the Web and read electronic books, but the next model is also expected to feature a camera and USB port.

The company is predicted to launch iPad2 this year after selling more than eight million of the original devices between April, when it went on sale in the United States, and the end of September, Apple’s last reporting period. In China-the world’s biggest Internet market with 450 million users, according to the last official count, and the major producer of Apple products hundreds queued for the first official iPads when they were launched in the country in September.

Goldman Sachs predicts iPad sales could top 37.2 million units in 2011 and technology research firm Gartner forecasts total tablet computer sales of 55 million units this year. Some observers had expected Apple to unveil iPad2 at the US International Consumer Electronics Show, which starts Thursday.

But the California-based company is shunning the massive electronics trade show, which attracts tens of thousands of buyers and sellers from around the world to Las Vegas. Apple is notoriously secretive about new products but it’s security system has been breached in the past. A prototype of Apple’s 4th generation iPhone turned up in Vietnam in May, a month before the gadget’s global launch.—AFP

Microsoft says lost mail restored to users SEATTLE: Microsoft Corp’s Hotmail service, the world’s most-used online email system, is back to normal operations on Monday after some users over the weekend lost access to emails or found them transferred to a deleted mail folder. The world’s largest software company, which has more than 360 million Hotmail users, said it has “restored full email access and recovered content to those who were affected.”

Microsoft’s online message boards and Twitter

were abuzz with complaints Sunday about the Hotmail glitch. Microsoft said on Monday it was still investigating the root cause of the problem, which started four days ago. “Beginning on Dec 30, we had an issue with Windows Live Hotmail that impacted 17,355 accounts,” Chris Jones, a Microsoft executive, said in a company blog on Monday.

“Customers impacted temporarily lost the contents of their mailbox through the course of mailbox load balancing between servers.” —Reuters

Apple’s absence to be felt at gadget show get creative to market ‘Half HD’,” Semenza NEW YORK: What do you call it when you every indication that it was a popular holi- phones instead.

Other technologies that have been pro- said. TV makers will also push Internet-conhave 120,000 people and an elephant in the day gift. Even some retailers that don’t norroom? The International Consumer mally sell electronics, including TJ Maxx, car- moted at CES in recent years have been met nected TVs at CES. “Basically, the TV will look like your smart phone and have access Electronics Show, which kicks off this week ried the iPad. Apple’s would-be competitors with tepid interest from consumers. to the Internet,” said Gary Shapiro, At last year’s CES, Japanese and Korean in Las Vegas. The elephant is Apple Inc. It include Motorola, which has been hinting president and CEO of the won’t be at the show this year, but its tablet that it will show off its first tablet at the TV makers showed off 3-D Consumer Electronics computer, the iPad, is the most important show. Dell and Acer Inc. are also expected to T Vs as Association, which organizes the new product for an industry that needs to show tablets. Microsoft Corp. CEO show. once again excite consumers. Sales of the Steve Ballmer Internet-connected TVs have iPad have been strong since its April debut, been around for several years and the whole industry and are starting to gain conis now trying to sumer interest now that they mimic Apple’s can display video from such success. online sources as Netflix Inc. With the iPad, and Hulu.com. Research firm Apple single NPD estimates that 12 perhandedly cracked cent of T Vs sold in the US the code for the were Internet-capable. At tablet, a device that the show, manufacturers are dozens of manufacset to talk about TVs that turers have tried to are even “smar ter,” with take to the masses access to better downloadfor two decades, with able applications for social little success. Apple network ing and other itself doesn’t do trade tasks. “This is going to be shows. When Apple the year for ... the first has new products to generation of truly smart reveal, such as iPads or TV applications, where iPhones, it stages its people are building own events. them for the first time But nearly every othunique to this plater company in the indusform,” said Eric try will be there for CES, Anderson, vice presiwhich runs Thursday to dent of content and Sunday and is the largest tion. The s WAVI X rks and w o product solutions at trade show of any kind in h s , d t o etw se L Samsung Consumer the Americas. A good rimeSen b, check social n P d n a c e We ter In h u t Electronics America’s. many of them will show off p f r m u o s C ek e to Samsung has a neartheir tablets , computing

by Asust l let users gestur le b a il a de av n wil a io t ly 60 percent market m slabs with touch-sensitive X o I t V o A ated ph t the W share of Internet-capable TVs sold in the screens. Big names expectThis und said Monday tha AP — a way to keep US Apple is involved in connecting TVs to ed to do so include Motorola company eos on their PC. id v consumers buying newer TVs. But the Internet as well, through its Apple TV Inc. and Dell Inc. l o contr when the sets hits stores a few months later, add-on box. But Apple’s isolation from the DisplaySearch analyst will likely touch on sales were disappointing. Samsung rest of the industry may be hurting it here. It Richard Semenza estimated tablets in his keynote speech Wednesday, Electronics Co. estimates all manufacturers hasn’t let anyone build its software into TVs, that a hundred different tablet models are in development, though an annual fixture the eve of the show’s combined sold 1 million 3-D sets in the U.S so its $99 add-on box is competing with the in 2010, far short of its initial estimate of 3 software that comes free with many TVs. not all of them will reach store shelves. opening.

Apple’s shadow also falls on the presence The electronics industry’s need for a hot million to 4 million.

Competing tablets will have a hard time This year, manufacturers aren’t giving up of Verizon Wireless, which will be at CES to catching up to Apple’s lead, at least this new product is especially strong this year. year. Certainly, no one managed to do so Overall, the recent holiday season was the on 3-D, but some of them are likely to show off the first phones for its next-generlast year, even though a lot of manufactur- best for retailers since 2007, but electronics change their strategy to make 3-D viewing a ation wireless data network, known as 4G. ers, including Dell, brought out tablets. sales were up just 1.2 percent from the pre- bit more affordable and comfortable. Last The network was turned on in December Samsung did have some success with its vious year, according to MasterCard year’s 3-D sets require bulky, battery-pow- and offers the highest data speeds yet, but Galaxy Tab, but sales didn’t come close to SpendingPulse, which tracks spending ered glasses, which cost about $100 a pair. only for sticks that plug into laptops.

Apple is widely expected to introduce a across all transactions, including cash. This year, we’re likely to see more sets that the iPad’s.

“For the next year or two, we expect They’re still down 10 percent from pre- use thin, unpowered glasses of the kind version of the iPhone for Verizon’s network there to be a lot of false star ts, failed recession levels. For about five years, the used in 3-D movie theaters. Vizio Inc., the this year, but indications are that it won’t attempts, and disasters,” Richard Shim, industry has been bolstered by Americans No. 1 maker of LCD TVs for the US market, happen at CES. That leaves the CEO of Verizon another DisplaySearch analyst, said in a rushing out to buy flat-panel TVs. Now, that already introduced one model with this kind blog post. Apple sold 7.4 million iPads rush is slowing, as 61 percent of households of “passive” 3-D screen in December. Aside Communications Inc., Ivan Seidenberg, to talk through September, in the device’s first six already have such sets, according to from the benefit of cheaper glasses, the about other smart phones at his keynote months on sale. That means they’re already Leichtman Research Group. Meanwhile, image flickers less with passive 3-D technol- presentation Thursday, while everyone will be outselling Apple’s Mac computers, but not sales of other products that have driven ogy. On the other hand, it cuts the resolu- thinking of the elephant in the room. —AP growth, such as GPS units, picture frames tion in half. It’s still high-definition, but less iPods or iPhones.

Analyst Shaw Wu at K aufman Bros. and digital cameras, have tapered off. The so.

“Having convinced the world to adopt believes Apple sold another 6.1 million people who really want them already have iPads in the holiday quarter, and there’s them, while the rest make do with their cell ‘Full HD’ TVs, someone is going to have to

Restaurants uploading menus on iPads for diners Upscale eatery invest in tablets CHICAGO: The bar is buzzing on a busy night at Chicago Cut steakhouse as regulars Keith and Peg Bragg sit at a high table scanning the wine list. Within seconds, they have all bottles under $40 at their fingertips using an iPad supplied by their server. “You can very quickly look through to see the price per bottle,” said Keith, a finance executive, as he scrolled through rows of selections. “You can read the wine tasting note, how long it has been aged.”

The upscale eatery on the northern bank of the Chicago River has invested in 40 iPads at about $700 each for wine selec tion. Since April, when Apple debuted the tablet, the device is now in use as a full menu at upscale restaurants, hamburger eateries and quick-service chains like Au Bon Pain. Restaurateurs said that’s just the beginning. Chicago Cut partnered with a technology firm to create a custom app that looks like a virtual wine cellar. It lists the restaurant’s more than 750 wines, includes photos of bottles on wooden shelves and allows for searches based on variety, price or region of origin. Diners can also access information about a wine’s taste, composition and a Google map of the vineyard.

“Eventually the bottle is going to spin around and you can read the back label,” said Chicago Cut managing partner Matt Moore. In the future, programmers could add video or let customers e-mail themselves the name of a new favorite wine.

Moore’s partner, David Flom, said the iPads were a large investment, but they’re already showing returns. “I’ve already seen an increase of wine per customer of 20 percent,” Flom said. “I can’t say that the iPad commanded 100 percent, but I can say it commanded a significant por tion of that.” Technology is becoming increasingly impor tant to restaurants and tabletop ordering devices only stand to multiply, said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at the Chicago-based restaurant consult-

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CHICAGO: In this photo taken Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010, Keith Bragg of Chicago navigates the wine list on an iPad at Chicago Cut steakhouse in Chicago. —AP ing firm Technomic. “It’s cool and trendy and kids love it,” he said. “It paves the way for other opportunities with applications.” Au Bon Pain uses iPads at six of its 220 locations, with plans to expand. Ed Frechette, the company’s vice president of marketing in Boston, said diners usually fill out pieces of paper with their orders at the cafes, but iPads have simplified the process.

“One of our employees has an iPad with a menu loaded in it and they’ll take your order,” Frechette said. “You still see a menu board with all the information on it. We have handheld laminated menus for a reference, but all the paper pads are gone.” At 4Food in New York, where diners can build and name their own burg-

ers, iPads are at eight kiosks with plans for as many as 30 devices, including Android and Black berr y platforms.

Customers order and enter credit card information into the iPad to pay.

Managing par tner Adam Kidron said ordering food electronically will eventually be the norm.

“You’ve just got to imagine that this is something that won’t just be considered to be a discretionary behavior,” Kidron said. “It will be a necessary behavior.”

Chief executive Patrick Eldon, whose orderTALK Inc. helps set up online ordering for restaurants, said the real value of using iPads is to develop customer relationships. Digital surveys, collecting customer e-mails and offering frequent diner

programs are all possible with the tablets, he said.

“It’s about getting to know your customer in a way that you can’t get to know them from the waiter or waitress,” Eldon said. “You now have incredibly valuable data about customers, how often they eat, what a particular customer likes to order.” The tablets are arriving on the travel circuit, too. OTG Management has installed more than 200 iPads loaded with menus at gates in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, allowing travelers to order salads and sandwiches while they wait for flights. A waiter brings the food and diners can pay via the iPad or in cash to the server. “I think eventually a significant number of restaurants will just use iPads for their menus,” said OTG chief executive officer Rick Blatstein.

“We’re starting out using hundreds of them and I expect it to be thousands in the future.” Celebrity Cruises has 75 iPads loaded with restaurant menus aboard one of its ships.

Restaurants do face a few challenges.

Tristano points out that restaurant owners must consider how to keep the tablets juiced up. At Chicago Cut, Flom said the iPads are loaded with tracking software to prevent theft. And there are customers who won’t want to use iPads.

Jay Clark , who headed the team at Shared Marketing Services Inc. that created Chicago Cut’s iPad program, said while he sees unlimited uses for the digital devices in restaurants, paper menus need to be available, too. “If people are very tactile and they’re comfortable with a paper menu, they should be able to have it,” he said. “People have to be comfortable with technology.” — AP

China’s police use micro-blogs to polish public image BEIJING: Police in China have launched microblogs in a bid to counter an image as heavyhanded and to “guide public opinion” through improved communications with tech-savvy citizens, state media said yesterday.

At least 500 police bureaus throughout the country have set up accounts and are sending out messages on Twitter-like micro-blogging services that have become wildly popular in China, People’s Daily reported on its website.

Twitter in 2009 joined the ranks of high-profile foreign Internet services that are blocked by China’s censors, but several Chinese clones have filled the void and found immediate success, drawing tens of millions of users.

News about official and police misdeeds often trigger heated comments on micro-blogs, as many Chinese view police negatively amid regular reports of officers ignoring public concerns or dealing harshly with ordinary citizens.

The country’s Communist authorities have taken note and officials have repeatedly advocated wider government use of micro-blogs, which enable users to send out 140-character messages.

A government white paper on the Internet issued in June singled out micro-blogging as a useful communication tool and praised Internet users for “supervising” the government. China’s top police official Meng Jianzhu called at a conference last month for police to embrace new media such as micro-blogging to improve links with the public.

The “Safe Beijing” micro-blog launched by authorities in the capital now has 330,000 followers, Xinhua news agency said. Information provided to police by the public via micro-blogs has helped solve some cases, People’s Daily said.

China has 450 million online users, according to official data. Micro-blogging leader Sina.com said in November its service had 50 million registered users after just 14 months of operationup from 10 million in April.

Users have seized on micro-blogging as a new avenue for mass expression in a country whose Internet and other media are tightly controlled by a wary Communist Party. Experts say micro-blogging services exercise self-policing of sensitive topics such as human rights to avoid being shut down.— AFP

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health & science Radiation exposure from imaging common in kids CHICAGO: Children and teens often get diagnostic tests that expose them to radiation, increasing the risk of cancer later in life, US researchers said yesterday. “In just a three-year span, 42.5 percent of kids got some form of ionizing radiation from a diagnostic medical procedure,” said Dr Adam Dorfman, a pediatric cardiologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, whose study appears in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The study is among the first to look at radiation exposure among children and teenagers, who have the biggest long-term cancer risk from early and repeated exposure to radiation.

Dorfman’s team studied health claims data on more than 355,000 children and teens under age 18 who were covered by UnitedHealth Group, a large US health insurer. They analyzed tests ranging from a simple X-ray to more advanced tests such as computed tomography or C T scans, which produce cross-sectional pictures of the body but deliver a much higher radiation dose. A chest CT delivers more than 100 times the radiation dose of a typical chest X-ray. “Nearly eight percent (7.9 percent) got at least one CT scan, and 3.5 percent got at least two CT scans in those three years,” Dorfman said in a telephone interview.

CT scans of the head were the most common.

Radiation exposure became a major concern in Oc tober 2009 af ter the US Food and Drug Administration said it was investigating more than 2,000 cases in which patients received toxic doses of radiation during CT scans of the brain at a California hospital. While several studies have focused on rates of adult exposure to radiation from imaging tests, few have looked at children.

“It really seemed like there was a big hole in the data in k ids,” Dor fman said. In children, the biggest risk from radiation exposure is cancer, although almost any body system can be affected, Dorfman said.

The team looked at three years of claims data from children from Arizona, Dallas, Orlando, south Florida and Wisconsin. The data did not show what the children were being tested for, but Dorfman said the study is important because it offers a benchmark for how many tests are being done in children.

“While I can’t say any given procedure was appropriate or inappropriate, I think as a whole we have to make sure when these studies are being used, they are used only when they are absolutely necessary,” he said.

Right now, he said there are few studies that can answer that question. “ We need data on when they are necessar y for clinical care,” Dorfman said. The team plans to use the data in future studies to calculate radiation doses in children. In November, the FDA asked several CT equipment makers- which include G eneral Electric, Toshiba Corp, Hitachi Ltd, Siemens and Philips-to add safet y features to their C T machines. Many companies already offer special features to help reduce radiation dose in scans involving children. —Reuters

BUNDABERG, Australia: A trimaran (right) and another vessel (left) remain tangled in the banks of the swollen Burnett River in Bundaberg in this Jan 1, 2011 photo. —AFP

Snakes, crocodiles threaten flood-hit Australia town ROCKHAMPTON, Australia: Australian residents fled their homes and sandbagged properties yesterday as a major town was threatened by a worsening flood disaster which unleashed a plague of snakes and crocodiles. Tens of thousands of people in Rockhampton braced for complete isolation as waters which have inundated an area bigger than France and Germany, and closed the town’s airport and railway, lapped at the last remaining road link.

Rumors of crocodile sightings swept the besieged cattle-farming centre northeast of Brisbane, population 75,000, while snakes up to two meters (6.5 feet) long were spotted around the town centre. The snakes, including highly venomous taipans, brown snakes and red-bellied blacks, are climbing trees and hiding in people’s houses as they search for dry refuge, residents said. “The snakes are a massive problem, I’ve shut all the doors because they’re coming in,” said Suzanne Miller, owner of the Pioneer Hotel pub, adding that her mother was “almost killed” by a brown snake.

“She is living on a boat near here and it was curled round the rope,” Miller said.

“She could feel the tongue flicking on to her face to test how far away it was, ready to bite, and then it jumped into her lap.”

Miller said her mother’s husband used a stick to flick the snake into the water, adding that the boat almost capsized as the pair leaped around and screamed in panic. Emergency officials warned that the snakes were aggressive, while crocodiles flushed from rivers by the rising floods could easily be mistaken for debris. “(Snakes are) in their mating season and they’ve been flushed out of their environment... snakes are very, very cranky right now,” State Emergency Service (SES) operations director Scott Mahaffey said. “(And) the problem with crocodiles now is it’s very, very hard to pick (them out) with the amount of debris,” he added. One SES volunteer told AFP he had seen “two cops hightailing it out of the water with a croc going past”. Thousands of poisonous cane toads were also spotted around Rockhampton while authorities say the

there are three clear migration routes as they head back to feeding grounds af ter breeding in Gabon, although the numbers adopting each strategy varied each year. We don’t know what influences that choice yet, but we do know these are truly remarkable journeys.” The findings, published by Britain’s Royal S ociet y in its journal Proceedings B, also showed that the turtles also crisscross routes used by longline trawlers.

These are ships that trail baited hooks for fish but often end up snaring hapless turtles, as well as albatrosses. “All of the routes we’ve identified take the leatherbacks through areas of high risk from fisheries,” said Witt’s colleague, Brendan Godley. “Knowing the routes has also helped us identify at least 11 nations who should be involved in conservation efforts, as well as those with long-distance fishing fleets.” The largest, farthest-ranging and deepestdiving tur tles on Ear th, leatherbacks can reach up to two meters (6.5 feet) in length and exceed 900 kilos (2,000 pounds) in weight. Their numbers have remained relatively stable in the Atlantic, but have declined alarmingly in the Pacific. Their decline has been blamed on accidental catch by trawlers and loss of breeding grounds to shorefront development. —AFP

expected to cost several billions of dollars (several billion US).

Flooded mines and railways and closed ports have hammered Queensland’s allimportant production of hard coking coal, much of it bound for urbanizing Asia’s steel mills. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed condolences Monday for the dead and offered aid, while neighboring New Zealand promised to send an emergency response team. In Rockhampton, the military trucked in supplies and police frogmarched one reluctant resident from his home, after the dwelling was considered too dangerous to remain in as the waters rose.

Other parts of the state are already cleaning up after the worst of the flooding passed, but officials warn relief and recovery operations could last for weeks.

Meanwhile, the worst is yet to hit the southern Queensland town of St George, which has begun evacuating residents and strengthening levees to keep out waters expected to peak on Sunday or Monday. —AFP

Companies hope sourcing will stem illegal honey

turtles go on oceanic trek Satellite track ing devices have shed light on an astonishing trans-Atlantic odyssey under taken by the leatherback turtle, one of the world’s most ancient species, as it goes on a feeding foray before breeding, scientists said yesterday. Biologists at the University of Exeter in southwestern England attached the tiny trackers to 25 female tur tles at their breeding grounds in Gabon, central-west Africa, and then monitored their movements over the nex t five years.

Three migrator y routes emerged as the turtles headed for food-rich waters in the Atlantic, building reser ves over the nex t t wo to five years before returning to G abon to reproduce, they reported.

One route led to a circular zone in the mid-Atlantic between central Africa and Brazil, and another route went far south, beyond the Cape of Good Hope. A third went straight as an arrow across the Atlantic to the coast of South America, an ocean-spanning 7,563 kilometers (4,699 miles). “Despite extensive research carried out on leatherbacks, no-one has really been sure about the journeys they take in the South Atlantic until now,” said Matthew Witt of the university’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation.

“What we’ve shown is that

town will also be hit by sandflies and disease-carrying mosquitoes breeding in the standing water.

About 200 people have evacuated on foot or by boat, including two pregnant women who went into labour. Some 200 homes are already flooded with the Fitzroy River bisecting town expected to peak at 9.4 meters today or tomorrow. “I know people around here are pretty tough, but if your house gets smashed up pretty bad and you have lost all of your kids’ presents (it’s difficult),” Mahaffey said.

Rockhampton, 500 kilometers (300 miles) from Brisbane and a hub for the farming and coal-mining region, is now the focus for what officials call “biblical” floods affecting 200,000 people across Queensland state. Weeks of heavy rains have swollen rivers to record levels, deluging mines and farms, washing away bridges and forcing military evacuations of entire towns by helicopter. Ten people have died trying to negotiate fast-running waters in vehicles, swimming or on foot over the past month, while the disaster is

LINDSAY: File photo shows a group of bees are busy making honey at Matthew Cary’s farm in Lindsay, Calif In an effort to certify the honey being sold, honey companies and importers are launching a program to stop illegally-sourced honey called the True Source Honey Initiative which will start in January. —AP

FRESNO: Honey companies and importers are launching a program in January to try to stop the flow of illegally sourced honey from coming into the country. The True Source Honey Initiative is an effort by a handful of producers and importers looking to certify the origin and purity of the honey sold to US consumers in jars and products such as cereals, snacks and glazes. “Where food comes from has become increasingly important to people,” said Jill Clark, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania-based Dutch Gold Honey, one of the partners in the True Source Honey Initiative.

Americans consume about 350 million pounds (159 million kilograms) of honey per year, but domestic honey can’t meet that demand. US honey producers only made 144 million pounds (65 million kilograms) in 2009, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. That figure was down 12 percent from 2008. This has created a booming market for importers - and temptation for a few who want to circumvent taxes on foreign honey.

In September, the US attorney ’s office in Chicago announced the indictments of 11 German and Chinese executives and six companies on charges that they avoided nearly $80 million in honey tariffs and sold honey tainted with banned antibiotics. It was the largest in a string of federal actions in the past two years directed at stopping illegal honey trade. Large tariffs are in place for honey from China because for a while that country was dumping low-cost honey into the US, shutting out domestic producers, said Eric Mussen, a beekeeping expert with the University of California Cooperative Extension.

“Honey was coming in from China at 35 cents a pound (77 cents a kilogram), and American producers were having to sell their honey at a loss, not even covering their costs,” Mussen said. The industry asked the government to intervene, he said.

“Then we started getting honey that was suspect.

It was coming in from places like Thailand, too tropical to produce the type of honey coming in or that don’t even have enough bee colonies to produce the amount of honey being imported,” Mussen said.

US officials figured out that a honey surplus from China was being routed through South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and other countries that didn’t face the same duties, he said. All the True Source Honey Initiative wants is that the countries of origin and ingredients inside the honey jar match the product, Clark said. Certification would come after a third-party annual audit that would cost honey packers and exporters $2,000 to $4,000. The initia-

tive is finalizing a seal that it would offer those who pass the audits to place on their packaging.

US beekeepers would not be directly subjected to an audit, Clark said. Currently, origin labeling requirements for honey require that packaged honey bearing any combination of USDA marks or statements must also display the name or names of the one or more countries of origin. Some states have set other standards for honey, mainly those that define “pure honey” in a bid to curb the sale of products that have that label but contain corn syrup or other additives.

Florida was the first state to adopt such standards in 2009, and was quickly followed by California, Wisconsin and most recently North Carolina. Similar standards were proposed in at least 12 other states, including North and South Dakota, which account for roughly one-third of US honey.

The US Food and Drug Administration is reviewing a petition seeking a national “pure honey” standard. The 2009 US honey crop was valued at $208 million but beekeeping in the US has been on the steady decline. The US is down from 6 million bee colonies after WWII to about 2.5 million today, Mussen said. “It went the way of the farm,” he said.

But some young producers are getting in the game. “I don’t know a lot of young beekeepers,” Matthew Cary said, laughing on a rainy December day after delivering jars of his Matthew’s Honey to a nearby farmers market. The 22-year-old has 200 hives in Lindsay, California, a town of 11,000 people in the San Joaquin Valley. California is third in honey production after the Dakotas. “Honey work is very difficult but it’s very rewarding,” Cary said.

“It’s taking care of something and seeing it blossom. It’s being a farmer.”

Matthew Cary has been making honey for about a year and a half. He is following in the footsteps of his father, Norman Cary, who has run Cary’s Honey Farms since before his son was born, selling honey wholesale to companies throughout the country who package it under various labels or put it into food. Norman Cary also started young, at 13 with two hives he kept as a hobby. By 19, he had 1,000 hives. Today, Cary’s Honey Farms has 34 employees, 15,000 hives, and produces more than a million pounds of honey a year, said Norman Cary, 54. “I’ve worked awful hard at this, and it’s nice to pass it on,” he said. Norman Cary remembers the hard days of competing with cheap honey imports. “It’s difficult when you know you’ve got a quality product and you’re selling it for less than it’s worth,” Norman Cary said. “I hope companies buy into this program to keep things fair.” —AP

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Paramedics get real-life lessons thanks to robot patients FORT WORTH, Texas: The patient’s eyes blinked, his legs trembled and his toenails turned blue as he lay on a gurney inside an ambulance. Then he flat-lined. “It breaks my heart,” said Ronnie Ikeler, an EMS specialist. “His battery went dead.” But the patient known as iStan was revived with the help of a recharged battery. The 120pound medical manikin, which is part of a new ambulance simulator, is the latest technology that allows paramedics to practice responding to real-life trauma _ everything from a cardiac arrest to an amputation.

“He’s the most technically advanced training equipment out there,” said Ikeler, who works for Dallas-area health network HCA North Texas. “You can do anything with this manikin that you can do on a real patient.” The anatomically correct iStan

breathes and sweats, and he can bleed from five areas. “He shares bodily fluids with you,” Ikeler said. “He has ducts by his eyes, his mouth and other places.”

He can also talk or shout, depending on the situation. His eyes respond to light, and his heart races. Paramedics can check everything from iStan’s pulse to his bowel sounds. They can also use a defibrillator to get his heart beating or stick a needle in his chest when a lung collapses. Inside the ambulance simulator, cameras record what happens and then display the images so other students can view the action and learn about proper responses.

Ikeler said he can put the paramedic’s response on a CD so students can see what they did right and learn from what they did wrong.

“I’d rather someone mess up on this

guy than someone else,” he said. “With this we’re going to save lives.” Medical manikins have come a long way since the 1960s, when Resusci Anne was introduced as a teaching tool for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In the 1980s, paramedics had manikins to practice on, but they consisted of a head and a torso, Ikeler said.

“Back then it was more about pretending,” he said. “Now we’re actually doing the procedures.”

At the University of Texas-Arlington’s Smart Hospital, 32 patient simulators allow nursing students to practice their clinical skills. Among the “family” of simulators is an 8-pound SimBaby that turns blue when the oxygen supply is interrupted, a female manikin that gives birth and SimMan 3G, which can bleed from wounds.

Such simulators can be programmed to portray any kind of situation that might come up, said Carolyn Cason, associate dean of nursing research for UT-Arlington.

“That enhances patient safety because we’re not having to use patients to learn on,” she said. “We can also standardize the process so everyone gets the same opportunity to learn.”

But inserting an IV into a manikin that talks back can be unsettling. “The first time students encounter a man blinking and talking, it’s a little off-putting, but they get over that quickly,” Cason said. “We want the students to treat the manikin just like a patient.” One of the advantages of iStan is that he’s wireless and portable so he can be placed in a field or a car to mimic an accident.

For now, the ambulance simulator and iStan are being used to train workers at all 12 HCA hospitals. But it will also be loaned to MedStar Emergency Medical Services and the nursing program at Tarrant County College. IStan was initially designed for the military and used to train paramedics for the battlefield. Today 738 iStans are in use worldwide, according to Medical Education Technologies. The manikin costs about $99,000. Ikeler predicts that iStan, who was modeled on a real person, will get plenty of use. “I don’t know who his features are modeled after, but he’s pretty realistic,” Ikeler said. “Even his skin feels almost real and cold.” —MCT

FORT WORTH: Ronnie Ikeler, regional EMS specialist for Hospital Corporation of America, demonstrates an advanced training mannequin. —MCT

Scientists find ‘drastic’ weather-related Atlantic shifts GENEVA: Scientists have found evidence of a “drastic” shift since the 1970s in north Atlantic Ocean currents that usually influence weather in the northern hemisphere, Swiss researchers said yesterday.

The team of biochemists and oceanographers from Switzerland, Canada and the United States detected changes in deep sea Atlantic corals that indicated the declining influence of the cold northern Labrador Current.

They said in the US National Academy of Science journal PNAS that the change “since the early 1970s is largely unique in the context of the last approximately 1,800 years,” and raised the prospect of a direct link with global warming. The Labrador Current interacts with the warmer Gulfstream from the south. They

in turn have a complex interaction with a climate pattern, the North Atlantic Oscillation, which has a dominant impact on weather in Europe and North America.

Scientists have pointed to a disruption or shifts in the oscillation as an explanation for moist or harsh winters in Europe, or severe summer droughts such as in Russia, in recent years. One of the five scientists, Carsten Schubert, of the Swiss Federal Institute of Acquatic Sciences and Technology (EAWAG), underlined that for nearly 2,000 years the sub polar Labrador current off northern Canada and Newfoundland was the dominant force. However that pattern appeared to have only been repeated occasionally in recent decades.

“Now the southern current has taken over, it’s really a drastic change,” Schubert told AFP, pointing to the evidence of the shift towards warmer water in the northwest Atlantic. The research was based on nitrogen isotope signatures in 700 year old coral reefs on the ocean floor, which feed on sinking organic particles. While water pushed by the Gulfstream is salty and rich in nutrients, the colder Arctic waters carried by the Labrador current contain fewer nutrients. Changes could be dated because of the natural growth rings seen in corals. “The researchers suspect there is a direct connection between the changes in oceanic currents in the North Atlantic and global warming caused by human activities,” said EAWAG in a statement. —AFP

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Class 12 graduation ceremony at IEAS

ndian English Academy School witnessed an emotional moment on 16th Dec 2010 at the graduation ceremony of the outgoing batch of Class XII students. The capable students of Class XI organized the graduation-cum-farewell ceremony with great gusto.

The ceremony started with the Class XII students proudly walking up the aisle to their seats with great fanfare. As the Director Rev Fr Tony D’Souza was away in India due to ill health, his message to the students was read out by the Administrator Rev Fr Franco Pereira.

This was followed by an inspiring speech by the Principal Rev Fr Lionel Braganza. Then the graduation ceremony commenced with

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the students being awarded certificates and mementos. Shannon Rodricks, the head boy, presented the vote of thanks, full of gratitude to the school that has helped mould them into good citizens.

At this juncture, Venkatesh the President of the Don Bosco Past Pupils Association, addressed the gathering and gave an informative talk on the workings of the DBPPA, urging the students to enroll as alumni so that can network together. Following this motivating talk, the celebrations started with a jam session. Dinner concluded the proceedings after which the students bid an emotional farewell.

leagues.

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appy birthday to our dearest Mariyam Aina Shahima, who is celebrating her 9th birthday today. May Allah the Almighty bless her with good health and bright future. Best wishes coming from grandmothers, Pappa, Umma, uncles, aunts, sister Ayisha Shahama (Achu), cousins Jaseela, Munna, Shamsad, Faraz, Shakeel, Jasir, Jasbir, Shakeera, Shehadab, Rasheeda, Rafeq, Said, Sameer, Sheru, Sonu, Shaimu, Shanu, Sameer, Rayila, Shibili, Sajida, Azeez, Safwana, Sulu, Sappy, Shukoor, Ichu, Ismail, Ramsheed, Razi, Rizan, Sadaf, Sheda, Cheppu, Shezna, Jifa, Jishan, Jina, Sheza, Isla, Alhan, Fathima, Shahana, Jaleel, Shabeeba, Sharief, Muchu, Thasreef, Fuaad, Fazim, Fabi, Sheraz, Musthu and Riza.

DK Smashers lift KKMA Challengers Cup

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uwait Kerala Muslim Association’s Sports Wings hosted the floodlit KKMA challenger’s cup-2011, volleyball tournament at Indian community school Khaitan in Kuwait on 30th Dec, 2010. The event began Thursday evening at 7 pm and continued till 1.30 am. Twelve teams participated in a parade followed by the national anthem of Kuwait and India. Floodlights shining brightly with breezy winds blowing and bringing the cool winter season at his peak did not deter the spirited participants of 12 teams and also the overwhelming crowds who witnessed the tournament.

KKMA has organized several successful socio-cultural programs and activities in the past and the aim of organizing this Volley ball event is to create a sportsmanship environment among KKMA members and the spectators.

KKMA Sport Wing also encourages its members to participate in activities which help in one’s physical growth and development. This event was special as it greets the 10th anniversary of KKMA which is going to celebrate throughout the year of 2011 by launching various social projects.

S M Basheer did the welcome address. KKMA Chairman Sageer Trikarpur delivered the introduction speech. The Tournament was inaugurated by Pancili Varkey, Country Manager of UAE Exchange Center.

Vijayan Karayil, Honorable Secretary of ICSK Board of Trustees was present as a chief guest. Helen Pinto, Manager Behbehani car Rental and Hassan Yusuf president KMWA also graced the occasion as guests. Guests and KKMA MC Members took the guard of honor for each match respectively.

The exciting day came to an end with the prize distribution ceremony.

KKMA Management Committee distributed the trophies to all the winners.

Najeeb of Abbasiya Branch was awarded as the Best Smasher by N A Muneer, Vice-chairman of KKMA. Majid of D K Branch was awarded as the Best All Rounder by Akber Siddiq ( Vice -

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any many happy returns of the day to our ever young Geoff.

With lots of love from col-

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Chairman of KKMA).

Winners & runner up individual medals were awarded by Shabeer Mandoli and Ibrahim Kunnil (Working President). Special gifts to the final teams were awarded by K Basheer (Organizing Secretary) The winners trophy was awarded to the D K Smashers

by Sageer Trikarpur (Chairman of KKMA) and the runner’s up DK-Shooters were awarded by Abdul Fatah (President of KKMA).

Match Referees were felicitated by A P Abdul Salam (General Secretary) and Hassan Yusuf (President KMWA). The

successful tournament event was conducted under the supervision of B.M Iqbal (Vice President) with able support from S.M Basheer (DK Branch President) and S.M Farooq (Sports Director). KKMA Vice-Chairman N.A Muneer concluded the event with a vote of thanks.

IOC, Kottayam Association hold condolence meeting

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r MM Joy is seen with the Bengali community after celebration of Christmas Mass in the Holy Family Cathedral church in Kuwait City on 25th December.

he combined meeting of Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) and Kottayam Association expressed its deep regret and sorrowfulness of the sad demise of K Karunakaran, National Leader of Indian National Congress and Pala K M Mathew, Congress Leader and former Member of Parliament, during a condolence meeting convened at United Indian School, Abbassiya. The meeting was presided over

by M A Hilal, president IOC and expression of condolences for Karunakaran and Mathew were stated by Thajudheen and M P Sen respectively.

Karunakaran was a senior politician from Kerala, India belonging to Congress party.

He was a former Chief Minister of Kerala, home minister of Kerala, and Minister for Industries of India. He was one of the most influential persons in Kerala politics for half of the 20th Century and was affectionately called “Leader” by Congress activists. True to his self, Karunakaran fought both his detractors and ailments that were conspiring to take his life till the very end. He left Keralites rather, Indians to ponder what the new cen-

tury would have for the state if the state’s politics had been played differently over the past half a century and more. He was considered as one of the main the architect of coalition politics in the country.

Mathew, the light of Congress leaders, who strenuously offered himself to mould children in the true spirit of Gandhian thoughts and congress principles. He gave a different facet to the Congress in Kerala with his ideologies imparted to his students who play vital role in the current and future political scenario in India. Mathew was the person behind many who reached to obtain unchallengeable achievements in the political history of India. and his life was a role model for all who simultaneously indulged himself to contribute his services to the socio-cultural and humanitarian forums.

Raju Zacharias, M K Pothen, John Abraham, Tom Chirayil, Das and George Varkey spoke on the occasion.

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EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH he 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).

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Souk Sharq launches shopping festival

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itled this year “Your dreams are my command” and in a gala festival, attended by the shops’ managers and media representatives; Souq Sharq launched its shopping festival which includes 105 shops within its activities. Souq Sharq Manager, Dina Marafi stated: “As we do every year, we launch this significant festival at the beginning of the year to bring new customers in Souq Sharq and to strengthen the relations with our valuable customers, whom we feel proud to serve.”

“This shopping festival goes on from 2/1/2011 to 8/1/2011, where the shoppers should present their coupons to participate in the ruffle draw on the big prize of $5,000 which is going to take place on 9/1/2011 at 7.00 pm at the Roman Theatre,” Marafi explained.

“Everyone who spends KD 50 will get a “scratch and you might win” coupon, as he/she may collect invoices from different shops. The gift vouchers come from Sultan Center, Al Shaya stores and Eureka electronics,” Marafi said. “We always aspire to serve our clients with the best every year and specially through such shopping festivals,” she added. Acrobatic and circus shows will accompany this festival, as the shopping festival closure ceremony will amaze the audience with its outstanding shows and activities.

Chowdhury holds get-together for hajjis Friends of Kannur Abbasiya unit New Year celebration

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riends of Kannur Expats Association - FOKE Abbasiya area is planning to celebrate Christmas and New Year on Friday 7th January 2011 4:30 pm onwards at Rythm Auditorium, Abbasiya.

FOKE Abbasiya unit invites all FOKE members from Abbasiya area to participate in this celebration.

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reception was held In honor of the pilgrims who travelled to Makkah, Saudi Arabia this year to perform Hajj pilgrimage rituals for the year 2010.The hosts were esteemed social worker, eminent businessman, Haji Jafar Ahmed Chowdhury and his wife Hajjiya Nasima Dilwarjafar.

A warm and solemn welcome to the honorable pilgrims was extended forwarded by the host at the Gulshan Hotel Hall Room in Kuwait City on Dec 23rd, 2010. The reception commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Alhaj Lockman Chowdhury, president of Ahle Sunni Committee of Kuwait-Chapter (BD).

In his speech Chowdhury expressed his gratitude to all the attendees for converging there from all over the Kuwait to join the gathering and making it successful. The speech by Chowdhury came to a conclusion with a reference to a couple of hadith-e-nabvi (SAW) with the following meaning ‘There is no reward for haj except paradise, and a person who meets one who has returned from haj and shakes his hand (welcomes him back) is like a person who rubbed his hand on the hajr-e-aswad’.

In the closing of the event ,mehfil-e-dua was conducted by Maulana Kamrul Islam and concluded with a dua for peace and prosperity for the Muslim ummah around the world and mankind as a whole.

Leisure activities in winter Kuwait Zoo The Kuwait Zoo is located in Omariya on the Airport Road. It is open everyday except on Saturdays. The timings during winter are 8am to 8pm. For more information contact: 24733389.

Amusements Parks Aqua Park Aqua Park will be open from 1st April 2011 from 10am-10pm everyday. For information contact: 22431960/1/3 or

visit: www.aquaparkkuwait.com.

Entertainment City Entertainment City is open from Sunday to Wednesday from 3pm to 11pm during winter. It is also open on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 10pm. For more information contact: 24879455.

The Scientific Centre The Scientific Centre is located on

the Gulf road in Salmiya. It is open from Saturdays to Thursdays from 9am to 10.30pm and on Fridays from 2pm to 10.30pm. For more information contact: 22240025 or visit their website at: www.tsck.org.kw.

Art galleries and artifacts Sultan Art Gallery The Sultan Art Gallery is located on Street no: 105, building no: 168, Subhan, Kuwait city.

Boshehri Gallery Boshehri Gallery is located on the AlMobarak street, Salmiya, Kuwait. For more information on their collection please contact: 25714883/25724883.

Tariq Rajab Museum This museum is open from Saturdays to Thursdays at 9am to 12pm and 4pm to 7pm. On Fridays it is open from 9am to 12pm. For more information on their location etc contact: 25317358 or visit their website: www.trmkt.com.

EMBASSY OF CANADA 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. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Daíaiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. 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, AlAbraj Complex, Office No 9, Mezzanine Floor; 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday to Thursday; 5 PM to 9 PM on Friday.

Embassy of India would like to inform that application forms for passport/visa services and labor contracts that are on its website, www.indembkwt.org, have been upgraded to include the facility for online data entry.

Affidavit forms on the embassy website have had this facility since May 6, 2009.

EMBASSY OF THE US The United States Department of State announces the increase in various visa fees to ensure sufficient resources to cover the increasing cost of processing nonimmigrant visas (NIVs). US law requires the Department to recover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas through the collection of the application fees. The increased fees are to take effect June 4, 2010. Under the new rule, applicants for all visas that are not petition-based, including B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange-visitor visas, will pay a fee of $140.

Applicants for petition-based visas will pay an application fee of $150, as each of the below categories requires a review of extensive documentation and a more in-depth interview of the applicant than other categories, such as tourists. These categories include: H visa for temporary workers and trainees L visa for intra-company transferees O visa for aliens with extraordinary ability P visa for athletes, artists and entertainers Q visa for international cultural exchange visitors R visa for religious occupations The application fee for K visas for fiance(e)s of US citizens will be $350. The fee for E visas for treaty-traders and treaty-investors will be $390.

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The German Embassy wishes to extend and update its information base on German business in Kuwait. Therefore all Kuwaiti companies representing German companies are invited to register at the embassy. For more information on the registration, please visit www.kuwait.diplo.de.

Thanima organized its Christmas, New Year celebration at United Indian School, Abbassiya, last weekend.

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00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

The Ellen Degeneres Show Good Morning America Alias Treme Law And Order Good Morning America In Plain Sight Cold Case The Ellen Degeneres Show Lie To Me Cold Case Law And Order In Plain Sight Live Good Morning America Lie To Me The Ellen Degeneres Show Law And Order Detroit 1-8-7 Boardwalk Empire Alias Treme

00:50 Untamed & Uncut 01:45 Rats with Nigel Marven 02:40 Dogs 101 03:35 Weird Creatures with Nick Baker 04:30 K9 Cops 05:25 Shark Attack File 06:20 Untamed & Uncut 07:10 Project Puppy 08:00 Meerkat Manor 08:25 Planet Wild 08:50 Baby Planet 09:40 Breed All About It 10:10 Animal Crackers 11:05 The Animals’ Guide to Survival 12:00 Animal Precinct 12:55 Wildlife SOS 13:50 Animal Cops Houston 14:45 RSPCA: Have You Got What it Takes?

15:10 E-Vets: The Interns 15:40 The Animals’ Guide to Survival 16:30 Breed All About It 17:00 Planet Wild 17:30 Panda Adventures with Nigel Marven 18:25 Britain’s Worst Pet 19:20 Weird Creatures with Nick Baker 20:15 Escape to Chimp Eden 20:40 Snake Crusader with Bruce George 21:10 Dogs 101 22:05 World Wild Vet 23:00 Speed of Life 23:55 In Search of the Giant Anaconda

00:35 01:35 02:20 03:10 03:40 04:10 04:40 05:00 05:20 05:40 05:50 05:55 06:10 06:30 06:50 07:10 07:20 07:25 07:40 08:00 08:20 08:40 08:50 08:55 09:10 09:30 09:50 10:10 10:20 10:25 11:25

After You’ve Gone The Weakest Link Holby City Eastenders Doctors Keeping Up Appearances Balamory Tweenies Fimbles The Large Family The Adventures Of Spot Gigglebiz Balamory Tweenies Fimbles The Large Family The Adventures Of Spot Gigglebiz Balamory Tweenies Fimbles The Large Family The Adventures Of Spot Gigglebiz Balamory Tweenies Fimbles The Large Family The Adventures Of Spot Keeping Up Appearances The Weakest Link

12:10 Fallen 13:05 13:40 14:10 15:00 16:35 Fallen 17:30 18:15 18:45 19:15 20:05 Fallen 21:00 21:45 22:15 22:45 23:40

00:30 01:20 03:00 03:25 04:55 05:40 06:30 07:20 08:55 09:45 10:30 11:15 12:05 12:55 13:45 14:30 15:15 16:05 16:55 17:20 18:05 18:50 19:40 21:20 21:45 22:10 22:55 23:40

Spanish Flu - The Forgotten Doctors Eastenders Holby City Keeping Up Appearances Spanish Flu - The Forgotten The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Spanish Flu - The Forgotten The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Monarch Of The Glen

Celebrity Masterchef Come Dine With Me Design Rules Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Beachcomber Cottage Celebrity Masterchef Daily Cooks Challenge Antiques Roadshow 10 Years Younger Cash In The Attic Antiques Roadshow Celebrity Masterchef Design Rules Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Beachcomber Cottage Celebrity Masterchef Design Rules Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Beachcomber Cottage Come Dine With Me Design Rules Design Rules Cash In The Attic Bargain Hunt Coastal Kitchen

00:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 00:40 Chowder 01:05 Cow And Chicken 01:30 Cramp Twins 01:55 George Of The Jungle 02:20 Adrenalini Brothers 02:45 Eliot Kid 03:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 03:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 04:00 The Powerpuff Girls 04:15 Camp Lazlo 04:40 The Secret Saturdays 05:05 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 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 Cow And Chicken 08:50 Best Ed 09:15 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 09:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 10:05 The Secret Saturdays 10:30 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 10:55 The Powerpuff Girls 11:20 Robotboy 11:30 The Life And Times Of Juniper Lee 11:55 Ben 10 12:20 Chowder 12:45 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 13:10 Camp Lazlo 13:35 George Of The Jungle 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

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

TV PROGRAMS 16:05 Eliot Kid 16:35 Casper’s Scare School 17:00 Cow And Chicken 17:25 Chop Socky Chooks 17:50 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 18:15 The Secret Saturdays 18:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:05 Hero 108 19:30 Total Drama World Tour 20:00 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 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

01:00 Foxfire-18 03:00 Cabaret-PG15 05:15 The Firm-PG15 07:00 Sins Of The Mother-PG15 09:00 Barton Fink-PG15 11:00 The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond-PG15 13:00 Stevie-PG15 15:00 Smart People-PG15 17:00 Seven Pounds-PG15 19:00 The Day The Earth Stood StillPG15 21:00 Defiance-PG15 23:15 Frida-18

00:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson 01:00 Backstory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 World Report 03:00 World Report 04:00 World Business Today 05:00 The Situation Room 06:00 Anderson Cooper 360 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Inside Africa 08:00 World Report 08:30 Backstory 09:00 World Report 10:00 World Report 11:00 World Sport 11:30 Inside The Middle East 12:00 World Business Today 13:00 Larry King Live 14:00 World Report 14:30 World Sport 15:00 World Report 15:30 Talk Asia 16:00 News Stream 17:00 World Business Today 18:00 International Desk 19:00 The Brief 19:30 World Sport 20:00 Prism 21:00 International Desk 21:30 Inside The Middle East 22:00 Quest Means Business 23:00 World One

00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:10 09:40 10:30 10:55

School Of Rock on Show Movies

Overhaulin’ Dirty Jobs Monsters Inside Me Discovery Project Earth Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Machines Work Dirty Jobs Discovery Project Earth American Chopper How Do They Do It? How Machines Work Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security

11:25 12:20 13:15 14:10 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 21:55 22:50 23:45

Overhaulin’ Ultimate Survival Mythbusters Miami Ink Dirty Jobs Overhaulin’ Ultimate Survival Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security The Gadget Show How Do They Do It? How Machines Work Deconstruction Deconstruction Wreckreation Nation Mythbusters Serial Killers

00:40 01:30 01:55 02:45 03:35 04:25 04:50 05:45 06:40 07:10 08:00 08:55 09:50 10:45 11:10 11:40 12:30 12:55 13:45 14:15 15:05 15:55 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:25 18:50 19:40 20:30 21:20 21:45 22:10 23:00 23:50

Mega World The Gadget Show Perfect Disaster Ecopolis Discovery Project Earth How Does That Work?

Scrapheap Challenge Robocar Weird Connections Superships Da Vinci’s Machines Nasa’s Greatest Missions Superships Stunt Junkies The Gadget Show Engineered How Does That Work?

Da Vinci’s Machines Weird Connections Sci-Fi Science Engineered Savage Planet Perfect Disaster Mega World The Gadget Show How Does That Work?

Brainiac How Stuff’s Made What’s That About?

How It’s Made The Gadget Show Nextworld How Stuff’s Made What’s That About?

00:00 My Friends Tigger And Pooh 00:20 Handy Manny 00:45 Special Agent Oso 01:10 Lazytown 02:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Y1 (Cema) 02:45 Handy Manny 03:10 Special Agent Oso 03:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 04:00 Fairly Odd Parents 04:25 Hannah Montana 04:45 I Got A Rocket 05:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place 05:35 Phineas & Ferb 06:00 Higglytown Heroes 06:10 My Friends Tigger And Pooh 06:35 Handy Manny 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:20 Lazytown 07:45 Lazytown 08:10 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Y1 (Cema) 09:00 Handy Manny 09:25 Special Agent Oso 09:45 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 10:10 Fairly Odd Parents 10:35 Hannah Montana 11:00 I Got A Rocket 11:25 Wizards Of Waverly Place 11:45 Phineas & Ferb 12:10 Suite Life On Deck 12:35 Replacements 12:55 American Dragon 13:20 Kim Possible 13:40 Famous Five 14:05 Fairly Odd Parents 14:30 Phineas & Ferb 14:55 Replacements 15:15 I Got A Rocket 15:40 Wizards Of Waverly Place 16:00 Hannah Montana 16:25 Sonny With A Chance 16:45 Fairly Odd Parents 17:10 Phineas & Ferb 17:35 Suite Life On Deck 18:00 Wizards Of Waverly Place 18:25 Hannah Montana 18:45 The Replacements Splits 19:00 Sonny With A Chance 19:25 Suite Life On Deck 19:50 Sonny With A Chance 20:15 Hannah Montana 20:40 Wizards Of Waverly Place 21:05 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 21:50 The Replacements Splits 22:00 American Dragon 22:25 Kim Possible 22:50 Famous Five 23:15 Fairly Odd Parents 23:35 Phineas & Ferb

07:00 Kick Buttowski 07:25 Phineas & Ferb 08:15 Pair Of Kings 09:05 Kick Buttowski 09:30 New Spiderman 09:55 Have A Laugh 10:00 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 10:25 Zeke & Luther 10:50 I’m In The Band 11:15 The Super Hero Squad Show 11:40 Suite Life On Deck 12:30 Escape From Scorpion Island (Cema) 12:55 Have A Laugh 13:00 Phineas & Ferb 14:00 Kid Vs Kat 15:00 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 15:50 Pair Of Kings 16:40 Have A Laugh 16:45 Suite Life On Deck 17:15 Kick Buttowski 17:40 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 18:05 New Spiderman 18:30 Zeke & Luther 18:55 Phineas & Ferb 19:45 Pair Of Kings 20:10 Pair Of Kings 20:35 Johnny Tsunami 22:00 Phineas & Ferb 22:25 I’m In The Band 22:50 Have A Laugh 22:55 Suite Life On Deck 23:20 The Super Hero Squad Show

00:15 Kendra 00:40 Style Star 01:30 20 Acts Of Love Gone Wrong 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 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 10:15 E!es 11:05 Glamour’s 20 Wedding Do’s And Don’ts 12:00 E! News 12:50 Style Star 13:40 Kourtney And Khloe Take Miami 14:05 Kendra 14:30 40 (More) Crimes Of Fashion 16:15 Behind The Scenes 17:10 Giuliana And Bill 18:00 E! News 18:50 Then And Now 19:15 Style Star 19:40 Style Specials 20:30 Extreme Close-Up 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:20 Ths 22:10 E! News

00:00 Wrestling With Reality 00:50 Mantracker 01:40 Eds Up 02:30 World Combat League 03:20 Mantracker 04:10 Wrestling With Reality 05:00 Carpocalypse 05:50 Eds Up 06:40 World Combat League 07:30 IEX 2009 09:00 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup 2008 09:25 Quattro Events 2009 11:55 Man’s Work 12:45 Untracked 13:35 Mantracker 14:25 Eds Up 15:15 World Combat League 16:05 Man’s Work 16:55 Untracked 17:45 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup 2008 18:10 Quattro Events 2009 20:40 Untracked 21:30 Mantracker 22:20 I’ll Do Anything 23:10 World Combat League

00:00 Throwdown with Bobby Flay 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:00 Food Network Challenge 02:00 30 Minute Meals 02:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 03:00 Iron Chef America 04:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back to Basics 04:30 Unwrapped 05:00 Chopped 06:00 Good Eats - Special 06:30 Guy’s Big Bite 07:00 Food Network Challenge 08:00 Paula’s Best Dishes 08:25 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 08:50 Guy’s Big Bite 09:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back to Basics 09:40 Everyday Italian 10:05 30 Minute Meals 10:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 11:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 11:30 Barefoot Contessa 12:00 Unwrapped 12:30 Paula’s Party 13:30 Good Eats - Special 14:00 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 14:30 Paula’s Best Dishes

00:40 01:30 02:20 03:10 Jones 04:00 04:50 05:45 06:15 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:40 15:30 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:30 20:55 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

Aliens In The Attic on Super Movies 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:15 23:00

Into The Blue 2: The Reef-18 The Least Of These-PG15 Thor: Hammer Of The Gods Jesse Stone: No Remorse Vertical Limit-PG15 Thor: Hammer Of The Gods The Italian Job (1969)-PG Angels And Demons-PG15 Eden Lake-18 Wild Things-18

00:00 Orange County-PG15 02:00 Working Girl-18 04:00 Adventures Of Power-PG15 06:00 Mad About Mambo-PG15 08:00 The Good Girl-PG15 10:00 I Spy-PG 12:00 Lucky Break-PG15 14:00 Dirty Work-PG15 16:00 Orange County-PG15 18:00 The First $20 Million Is Always The Hardest-PG15 20:00 Green Card-PG15 22:00 The House Bunny-18

00:00 Scruff In Midsummer Night’s Dream-FAM 02:00 Hotel For Dogs-FAM 04:00 Ghatothkach - Master Of Magic-FAM 06:00 The Jungle Book I-FAM 08:00 Robin Hood: The Invincible Knight-FAM 10:00 Hotel For Dogs-FAM 12:00 Bugs Bunny 1001 Rabbit Tales-FAM 14:00 Ghatothkach - Master Of Magic-FAM 16:00 Red Wall: The Movie-FAM 18:00 Velveteen Rabbit-FAM 20:00 Scruff In Halloween-FAM 22:00 Bugs Bunny 1001 Rabbit Tales-FAM

Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab A Haunting True Crime With Aphrodite Solved Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters Ghost Lab Mystery Diagnosis Forensic Detectives On The Run Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Undercover FBI Files On The Case With Paula Zahn Extreme Forensics Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Undercover Forensic Detectives On The Run FBI Files Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn Extreme Forensics I Escaped Death Forensic Justice

00:45 Dolan’s Cadillac-PG15 02:15 The Vintner’s Luck-PG15 04:15 School Of Rock-PG15 06:00 Morning Light-PG 08:00 National Security-PG15 10:00 How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days12:00 Avatar-PG 15:00 Igor-PG 16:30 National Security-PG15 18:00 Everybody’s Fine-PG15 20:00 X-Men Origins: Wolverine 22:00 Did You Hear About The Morgans?-PG15

01:00 The Bleeding-18 03:00 Timeline-PG15

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00

Justified Defying Gravity The Martha Stewart Show Heroes The View What’s Good For You Emmerdale Coronation Street Heroes The Martha Stewart Show What’s Good For You Heroes The View Emmerdale Coronation Street The Martha Stewart Show Justified Defying Gravity Look-A-Like The View Emmerdale Coronation Street Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice

02:00 Futbol Mundial 02:30 Live Ashes Test Cricket 09:30 Brazil League Highlights 10:00 Futbol Mundial 10:30 Scottish Premier League 14:30 Futbol Mundial 15:00 Ashes Test Cricket 22:00 European Tour Weekly 22:30 ICC Cricket World 23:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights

00:00 00:30 01:00 03:00 05:00

Brazil League Highlights Futbol Mundial Scottish Premier League Aviva Premiership Brazil League Highlights

05:30 Futbol Mundial 06:00 Pool World Cup 07:00 Brazil League Highlights 07:30 Futbol Mundial 08:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 08:30 PDC Darts World Championship 12:30 Pool World Cup 13:30 Brazil League Highlights 14:00 Aviva Premiership 16:00 Extreme Sailing 16:30 Aviva Premiership 18:30 Brazil League Highlights 19:00 Futbol Mundial 19:30 European Tour Weekly 20:00 PDC Darts World Championship

00:00 Red Bull X-Fighters 01:00 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 02:00 UAE National Race Day 03:00 FIA GT1 World Championship 04:30 Air Sports World 05:00 UFC Unleashed 07:00 WWE Vintage Collection 08:00 UAE National Race Day 09:00 Red Bull X-Fighters 10:00 FIM World Cup 10:30 FIA GT1 World Championship 12:00 WWE NXT 13:00 UAE National Race Day 14:00 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 15:00 Red Bull X-Fighters 16:00 FIA GT1 World Championship 17:30 FIM World Cup 18:00 WWE NXT 20:00 WWE Vintage Collection 21:00 UFC Wired 22:00 UFC Unleashed

01:00 Franklyn-PG15 03:00 Disco-PG 05:00 Racing For Time-PG15 07:00 Operating Instructions-PG15 09:00 A Number-PG15 11:00 Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal-PG15 13:00 The Sun Also Rises-PG15 15:00 Solaris-PG15 17:00 Aliens In The Attic-FAM 19:00 Fast And Furious-PG15 21:00 Wuthering Heights-PG15 23:30 Notorious-18

00:30 How the Earth Was Made 01:20 Gestapo 02:10 Rudolf Hess: The Man Who Died Twice 03:00 Pawn Stars 03:55 Ax Men 2 04:50 Prehistoric Mega Storms 05:40 Life After People 06:30 How the Earth Was Made 07:20 Gestapo 08:10 Rudolf Hess: The Man Who Died Twice 09:00 Pawn Stars 09:55 Ax Men 2 10:50 Prehistoric Mega Storms 11:40 Life After People 12:30 How the Earth Was Made 13:20 Gestapo 14:10 Rudolf Hess: The Man Who Died Twice 15:00 Pawn Stars 15:55 Ax Men 2 16:50 Prehistoric Mega Storms 17:40 Life After People 18:30 How the Earth Was Made

00:00 Two And A Half Men 00:30 Til Death 01:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 03:00 The Cleveland Show 03:30 Party Down

04:00 South Park 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Malcolm In The Middle 06:00 Hope And Faith 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Til Death 08:30 Malcolm In The Middle 09:00 Hope And Faith 09:30 The Drew Carey Show 10:00 Rita Rocks 10:30 My Boys 11:00 Malcolm In The Middle 11:30 Hope And Faith 12:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 13:00 Til Death 13:30 Malcolm In The Middle 14:00 Hope And Faith 14:30 Two And A Half Men 15:00 My Boys 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 Til Death 18:30 Rita Rocks 19:00 Parks And Recreation 19:30 Two And A Half Men 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon

00:10 00:35 00:55 01:20 01:45 02:00 07:00 07:25 07:45 07:50 08:15 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:45 12:10 12:35 13:00 13:25 13:50 14:15 14:40 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:45 17:10 17:15 17:40 17:45 18:10 18:35 19:00 19:20 19:30 19:50 20:15

Rescue Heroes Dino Squad The Future is Wild Tales from the Cryptkeeper Rescue Heroes Dennis The Menace Marathon Dennis The Menace Heathcliff Jass Time Inspector Gadget Boo and Me The Fairly OddParents Fat Dog Mendoza The Beach Crew Sonic Underground The Future is Wild The Beach Crew Heathcliff Ned’s Newt New Adventures of Madeline Babar Max and Ruby Corduroy Rupert New Adventures of Madeline Babar Corduroy Max and Ruby Babar Rupert Ned’s Newt Heathcliff New Adventures of Ocean Girl Beverly Hills Teen Club The Beach Crew Inspector Gadget Boo and Me Sabrina The Animated Series Fat Dog Mendoza Sonic Underground The Future is Wild The Beach Crew Rescue Heroes Dino Squad The Future is Wild

01:30 02:30 03:00 04:35 06:05 07:30 09:35 11:05 12:50 14:45 16:25 18:10 20:20 22:00 23:35

Jackson County Jail The 60’s Number One Fan Till The End Of The Night Galaxy Of Terror Asteroid The Legend Of Johnny Lingo Tennessee Nights Gator Love Bites Memories Of Me Man Of La Mancha Maxie Convicts Three Ninjas

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Classifieds WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

Years

ACCOMMODATION Abraq Khaitan, single room available for a decent Indian bachelor from 1st February in C-A/C building, beside main road, bus stop, near police station roundabout. Contact: 97523316, 24745162. (C 3009) 5-1-2011 Sharing accommodation available for executive bachelor in C-A/C room with small Keralite family near German clinic in front of Bobuyan travels, from Jan 15th.

Contact: 97264624. (C 3002) 4-1-2011 Sharing, C-A/C big room available for executive bachelor with small Indian Goan Hindu family, Amman street Salmiya.

Please call 99408202.

(C 2946) 3-1-2010 Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya for couple with fully furnished C-A/C new flat with car parking with Keralite family. Contact: 66013882.

(C 2950)

FOR SALE Mitsubishi Lancer Glx 2006, maroon color, excellent condition, km 30,000, KD 1700. Mobile: 55323839.

(C 3007) 5-1-2011 Toyota Corolla 1.8 XLi, model 2005, color golden beige, 81,000 km done, excellent condition, cash price KD 2,350. Contact: 66211779. (C 3004) Mitsubishi Space Wagon, 2004, 107000 km, dual A/C, 7-seater, metallic maroon, in excellent condition, KD 1700 O.N.O, Contact: 99775373.

(C 3001)

CHANGE OF NAME I, Sinu Shebha Thomas, Pallickal, Kumplampoika, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India and holding passport E6430168 issued at Trivandrum, Kerala hereby change my name as Sinu Shebha Samuel. (C 3008) I, Lakhvir Sing S/O Dyal

Singh Sidhu R/O Vpo. Talwandi Bhangrain (Moga) have changed my name as Lakhvir Singh Sidhu.

(C 3010) 5-1-2010 Panutala Emilian Venkateswarlu. holder of Indian Passport E8759241 hereby change my name to Emilian Gonsalues.

(C 3003) 4-1-2011

SITUATION WANTED Chartered Accountant having many years of experience in Finance, Accounting, Auditing and presently working in Kuwait as Finance Manager/Controller available for immediate appointment. Contact: ca.financejobskwt@hotmail.com (C 2948)

No: 14960

FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161 In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines GFA ETH WAN BBC THY UAE DHX QTR ETD RBG JZR JZR KAC JZR FCX BAW KAC JZR KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA IRA FCX JZR JZR JZR MEA SVA KAC MSR JZR IRM KAC FDB MSR UAL OMA SVA KAC KAC KNE

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 5/1/2011 Flt Route 211 BAHRAIN 620 ADDIS ABABA 306 CAIRO 46 DHAKA / BAHRAIN 772 ISTANBUL 853 DUBAI 370 BAHRAIN 138 DOHA 305 ABU DHABI 3557 ALEXANDRIA 529 ASSIUT 207 DAMASCUS 544 CAIRO 503 LUXOR 201 DOHA 157 LONDON 412 MANILA / BANGKOK 555 ALEXANDRIA 352 COCHIN 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 678 MUSCAT / DUBAI 344 CHENNAI 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 132 DOHA 123 SHARJAH 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 603 SHIRAZ 203 DUBAI 151 DOHA 121 BAHRAIN 165 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 9301 JEDDAH 382 DELHI 610 CAIRO 561 SOHAG 5066 MASHAD 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 621 ASSIUT 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 645 MUSCAT 500 JEDDAH 552 DAMASCUS 562 AMMAN 745 JEDDAH

Time 1:40 1:45 1:50 1:55 2:15 2:35 2:45 2:45 3:10 3:15 3:45 3:50 4:40 5:20 6:15 6:40 6:45 7:00 7:35 7:45 7:55 8:10 8:20 8:20 8:30 9:05 9:05 9:30 9:35 9:40 10:30 10:55 11:10 11:20 11:55 12:30 12:45 12:55 13:00 13:05 13:25 13:50 13:55 14:10 14:15 14:30 14:35 14:40 14:50

KAC QTR SYR KAC CLX KNE WAN JZR IRC ETD UAE GFA KAC SVA RJA JZR JZR ABY RBG ALK JZR JZR IYE KAC KAC KAC KAC IAC KAC KAC FDB OMA JAI SAI JZR KAC DHX GFA WAN VOS MEA QTR UAE KAC JZR MSR UAL DLH AXB WAN PIA

284 134 341 546 792 701 304 201 6791 303 857 215 550 510 800 777 239 127 3555 227 257 177 824 542 786 674 166 575 102 774 61 647 572 441 787 614 372 217 104 81 402 136 859 502 185 612 981 636 393 322 215

DHAKA DOHA DAMASCUS ALEXANDRIA LUXEMBOURG RIYADH CAIRO DAMASCUS MASHAD ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARM EL SHEIKH / SOHAG RIYADH AMMAN JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO / DUBAI BEIRUT DUBAI SANAA / DOHA CAIRO JEDDAH DUBAI PARIS / ROME CHENNAI / GOA NEW YORK / LONDON RIYADH DUBAI MUSCAT MUMBAI LAHORE / KARACHI RIYADH BAHRAIN / DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI BAGHDAD BEIRUT DOHA DUBAI BEIRUT DUBAI CAIRO BAHRAIN FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE / COCHIN SHARM EL SHEIKH KARACHI

14:55 15:00 15:05 15:30 15:45 15:50 16:20 16:40 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:20 17:30 17:30 17:40 17:45 17:55 18:10 18:10 18:15 18:40 18:50 19:10 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:20 20:50 20:55 21:00 21:15 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:35 21:40 22:00 22:45 22:45 23:00 23:35 23:40 23:50 23:55

Airlines UAL IAC PIA DLH ETH KAC BBC THY KAC DHX UAE RBG ETD QTR JZR JZR JZR GFA VOS JZR FDB WAN KAC BAW KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR KAC ETD GFA KAC IRA JZR WAN FCX JZR KAC JZR JZR KAC MEA KAC JZR MSR SVA

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 5/1/2011 Flt Route 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 982 HYDERABAD / AHMEDABAD / CHENNAI 206 LAHORE 637 FRANKFURT 620 BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA 283 DHAKA 46 DHAKA 773 ISTANBUL 381 DELHI 371 BAHRAIN 854 DUBAI 3558 ALEXANDRIA 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 560 SOHAG 164 DUBAI 150 DOHA 212 BAHRAIN 94 DUBAI / KANDAHAR 120 BAHRAIN 54 DUBAI 641 VIENNA 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 671 DUBAI 551 DAMASCUS 549 SHARM EL SHEIKH / SOHAG 561 AMMAN 856 DUBAI 124 SHARJAH 133 DOHA 117 NEW YORK 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 177 FRANKFURT / GENEVA 602 SHIRAZ 200 DAMASCUS 611 ISTANBUL 204 BAGHDAD 776 JEDDAH 541 CAIRO 256 BEIRUT 238 AMMAN 103 LONDON 405 BEIRUT 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 2301 JEDDAH

Time 0:45 1:05 1:10 1:30 2:30 2:40 3:10 3:15 3:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:55 5:55 6:55 7:10 7:15 8:00 8:20 8:25 8:40 8:50 8:55 9:00 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:40 9:45 10:00 10:00 10:20 10:20 10:30 10:40 10:55 11:30 11:45 12:00 12:00 12:05 12:10 12:30 12:55 13:40 13:50 13:55 14:00

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

IRM FDB MSR KAC OMA UAL KNE SVA SYR KAC KAC KAC QTR KNE WAN CLX JZR ETD IRC GFA UAE RJA JZR ABY RBG SVA JZR KAC ALK JZR WAN IYE KAC FDB KAC OMA JAI SAI JZR KAC DHX KAC GFA MEA FCX QTR KAC JZR UAE MSR KAC

5065 58 622 673 646 982 746 503 342 501 613 773 135 704 103 792 786 304 6792 216 858 801 184 128 3556 511 266 801 228 204 305 824 361 62 331 648 571 442 502 543 373 675 218 403 102 137 301 554 860 613 415

MASHAD DUBAI ASSIUT DUBAI MUSCAT BAHRAIN JEDDAH MEDINAH / JEDDAH DAMASCUS BEIRUT BAHRAIN / DOHA RIYADH DOHA MEDINAH DUBAI HONG KONG RIYADH ABU DHABI MASHAD BAHRAIN DUBAI AMMAN DUBAI SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA RIYADH BEIRUT CAIRO DUBAI / COLOMBO DAMASCUS CAIRO SANAA COLOMBO DUBAI TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT MUMBAI LAHORE LUXOR CAIRO BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA DUBAI CAIRO KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA

14:20 14:35 14:50 15:10 15:15 15:25 15:40 15:45 16:05 16:15 16:20 16:25 16:30 16:40 17:05 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:10 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:45 19:10 19:15 19:15 19:40 20:20 20:50 21:00 21:10 21:15 21:20 21:40 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:20 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:45 22:50 23:45 23:45

34

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

stars

STAR TRACK

CALVIN

CROSSWORD 190

Aries (March 21-April 19) You could be in the limelight, especially with superiors or in relation to your work. This is a good day for dealing with the subtle, sublime and complex matters of life—work or home. You may find that you enjoy your job or the responsibility it requires more than usual. Your concentration and considerate action is positive but awesome. Challenges can be rewarding in many ways and your may find many appreciative followers. You are able to tackle tasks that require real discipline. You may be able to enjoy and value your own life situation this afternoon. Someone may compliment you on your tastes or belongings.

While listening to someone else’s problems this afternoon, you will be able to be helpful to that person. You spread goodwill.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) If you are a homeowner, now is a good time to homestead your home. If you do not know about this—check it out through a real-estate company. Today, you look for ways to complete your tasks at a faster rate of speed than usual—and of course, with accuracy. If you really want something strongly enough, you will create it. Make a list of what you need to do in order to achieve your goals. A new relationship may seem too good to be true. Perhaps you are prone to suspicion now; and if so, try to relax. Because of the energy available at this time, it could be hard to find any logical thinking. Of course, if you are already involved within a relationship, it may have pleased you that someone has been flirting with you. Enjoy a quiet evening.

POOCH CAFE

ACROSS 1. A slight amount or degree of difference.

4. In the Arabian Nights a hero who tells of the fantastic adventures he had in his voyages.

10. (computer science) A computer that is running software that allows users to leave messages and access information of general interest.

13. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

14. Inability to walk.

15. A former agency (from 1946 to 1974) that was responsible for research into atomic energy and its peacetime uses in the United States.

16. An area in southwestern Asia whose sovereignty is disputed between Pakistan and India.

18. The deep vascular inner layer of the skin.

20. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

21. A white trivalent metallic element.

23. A chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints).

26. Having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number.

34. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

35. A doctor’s degree in dental surgery.

36. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

38. A port in western Israel on the Mediterranean.

40. A master’s degree in business.

42. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

43. The content of cognition.

44. Love intensely.

49. In some classifications considered a genus of subfamily Melinae.

55. Pertaining to or containing any of a group of organic compounds of nitrogen derived from ammonia.

56. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

59. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

60. A run that is the result of the batter’s performance.

61. Manufactured in standard sizes to be shipped and assembled elsewhere.

63. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

64. Hawaiian dish of taro root pounded to a paste and often allowed to ferment.

65. Any of various deciduous or evergreen ornamental shrubs of the genus Abelia having opposite simple leaves and cymes of small white or pink or purplish flowers.

66. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

2. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.

3. Sound recording consisting of a disc with continuous grooves.

4. A guided missile fired from shipboard against an airborne target.

5. Wading birds of warm regions having long slender down-curved bills.

6. A lawman concerned with narcotics violations.

7. A bachelor’s degree in science.

8. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

9. An informal term for a father.

10. An aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect.

11. Area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir.

12. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

17. Exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health.

19. The longest division of geological time.

22. Thick heavy expensive material with a raised pattern.

24. Tropical starchy tuberous root.

25. An associate degree in nursing.

27. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

28. A small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold.

29. Electronic warfare undertaken under direct control of an operational commander to locate sources of radiated electromagnetic energy for the purpose of immediate threat recognition.

30. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.

31. Female equine animal.

32. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

33. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

37. Found along western Atlantic coast.

39. A villainous Jew in Charles Dickens’ novel “Oliver Twist”.

41. The cry made by sheep.

45. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element.

46. East Indian cereal grass whose seed yield a somewhat bitter flour, a staple in the Orient.

47. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

48. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp.

50. A platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it.

51. Being one more than twelve.

52. Amino acid that is formed in the liver and converted into dopamine in the brain.

53. A small cake leavened with yeast.

54. The basic unit of money in Western Samoa.

57. A federation of North American labor unions that merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955.

58. The Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Dali region of Yunnan.

62. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali metal group.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Great advances in canine sperm banks may assure you of having the same type or temperament of animal for years to come. This subject may be an interesting topic during a morning break in the workplace—some laugh and some join in with your same line of thought. You are on the right track with some project today and you are very hopeful in fine-tuning the final step. A doubleduty piece of furniture has your attention this afternoon. You value quality merchandise and may find yourself making large as well as small purchases tonight; especially after you see the post-holiday sales. You may have an opportunity to take charge of a volunteer situation this evening in which you will excel. An open mind and an open heart will lead you into interesting places.

NON SEQUITUR

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Your awareness in submitting and presenting ideas and projects is particularly good at this time. Use your creative and original ideas to promote your work, your company or yourself. What is going on behind the scenes and all confidential matters are going to impact this day.

Prepare to reorient your viewpoint and direction during the next six months.

You can close the door on many of the issues that have been difficult to understand before now. Make every effort to balance your energies. Allocate some of the responsibilities. You could find a disagreement with a family member today but hold back from expressing your opinion just now as this has more of a tone of misinterpretation than anything else. Stop and really listen one more time.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Be as self-confident and assertive as you like—you will achieve whatever you set your mind to accomplish. Getting your message across to others is easy and you may be thinking something is wrong because the questions are too easy. Give yourself credit; you have learned many important things pertaining to your work. Your timing should be good and the day is perfect for interactions with others, particularly if meetings are scheduled. Good results happen.

Because you have plenty of sympathy and understanding, you may find yourself volunteering as a counselor or in giving some type of aide to the elderly. Artistic work or hobby is inspired this evening. You may want a room or part of the garage to yourself for the assembly process.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Pension, insurance, health or profit-sharing plans come to your attention today. You will have an opportunity to join or reject these plans and reviewing the options can be most beneficial. You can expect a little extra support from the people around you today. A feeling that anything is possible if you set your sights high enough characterizes the cycle you have just begun. There is optimism, faith and a desire to explore all sorts of projects and challenges. You delight in creating a peaceful home life and when things are out of balance, you work to set things straight. When you sing or involve yourself in some form of music or creative activity you get rid of negative energy. Involve yourself with some new music or a new recipe this evening.

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIM

Libra (September 23-October 22) Now is the time to take your first plane ride or enjoy the upcoming weekend tour to unfamiliar places. Be clear about your intentions and your expectations and you will see personal conflicts disappear. Your love relationship has undergone some positive changes and will continue to gain in strength as long as you both remain honest. Your activities move at a fast pace and there is just no time for emotional clogs. Use your energy to benefit your best interest and maintain a sense of strength and balance. Be careful that you do not overspend or indulge too much now—your reality must match your income. Some budgeting plans may seem strict for now but you work to set an example and guide others. It will soon be time to reassess the budget. Take notes.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You could have a bit of a problem getting down to business today. Make a list; know where you want to go and what you want to accomplish. A world of people out there will help you achieve your goals. You will have insights into your living situation as well as life changes.

Write them down in order to gain a focus. Just as others will come to your assistance, you will have an opportunity to come to another person’s assistance.

Involvement with neighbors and relatives can be festive this evening—perhaps a birthday or wedding is to take place soon. There is a possibility of understanding and taking care of a worrisome problem of late. There are times to draw near with someone you love this evening. Tonight brings about pleasant

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Stress can cause mistakes as well as accidents on the job.

Pace yourself and take breaks until the pressure has been relieved. Peace of mind is precious and in order to think clearly and be at top speed you must make sure all avenues of your life are in balance. While working with others it is beneficial to have your timing right and this may improve soon.

This afternoon you will find your concentration is in focus and the duties of business can be accomplished quickly. You may have a strong need to be respected on the home front. Your power depends on how you listen to others as well as how you relate what is important to you. Clear communication will show others your interest and enable to you express your goals. Laughter is good.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Yester

Yesterday’s Solution

To

There is good luck for you in the work world if you can learn a technique with which to deal with people that ask too many questions. You have a variety of forceful inner resources that spell gain and advancement.

Your intuition comes into play this afternoon as you notice ways to improve business—yours or the place where you work. Read the financial pages of your newspaper carefully today—there are hints about what you can expect over the remainder of this month. If you have questions over health, have it checked soon for your own peace of mind. It is very important that if you become confused or frustrated you pull back and examine your nutrition, exercise and mental focus. A friend calls to invite you to a future party.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) The morning presents a frustrating time at home and work.

Listen carefully. Someone may be coloring his or her story and you may have to dig under to understand the whole truth. You sense the desire to choose a negative direction and, fortunately, you will choose the reverse. This day is noted as one of your best days this month; perhaps you will have to stretch beyond your usual talents, but you can do it. In learning how to eliminate the stress in your life, you create better health practices and set examples for others. The afternoon offers an easier trend. The evening may tempt you to party but you may decide instead to relax at home. A good book or music has a way of making you feel you are in sync with the world and all that is in it.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

You make wise decisions today that will increase your finances. A separate issue may come up regarding a joint venture.

This will need a bank review so that both of you come out equal. You may have a valid point when it comes to a discussion today—now is not the time to try to prove a point. Confusion and uncertainty reigns until the twenty-second so when you are feeling unclear do not even attempt to explain an issue. Be careful of what you discuss in a group setting. Big ears also have a big mouth. Dive into your hobby this evening. Alternatively, you could choose to work on your car—tinkering with the motor, changing the oil—an activity you may find comforting. This form of relaxation is valuable for you and helps you to have time of solitude.

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i n f o r m at i o n 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

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Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African Republic 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593

Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062 Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

lifestyle G o s s i p

Sarah Harding gets engaged he Girls Aloud singer was “thrilled” when her boyfriend, DJ Tom Crane, surprised her by getting down on one knee during New Year’s Eve celebrations during a romantic break in the Maldives. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Sarah is absolutely thrilled. She didn’t see it coming at all. When he went down on one knee it came as a huge surprise. “Their relationship has gone from strength to strength since they moved in together. They are inseparable. Tom has shelled out on a big sparkler to let everyone know she’s now taken.” Sarah, 29, and Tom - who have been dating since 2007 - had discussed marriage in the past, but the blonde beauty was reportedly reluctant to rush into walking down the aisle after witnessing the heartbreak of her

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bandmate Cheryl Cole, who got divorced from soccer star Ashley Cole last year after four years of marriage. An insider explained to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “After the fall-out from Cheryl’s wedding and divorce, it gave the other girls something to think about - especially about rushing into anything. “Sarah’s always been very cautious and wanted to make sure it was the right time to say yes.” Tom has been open about marrying Sarah in the past and once revealed that he would like a traditional wedding rather than a glitzy “celebrity” one. He said: “I know what kind of ring Sarah wants, we’ve looked on holiday. “I’m very romantic. I want an old-fashioned English wedding. I want to the top and tails, more subtle than a celebrity wedding.”

wants to have children

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fullest and checking in with me.” The Hollywood star also has advice for British royal bride Kate Middleton, saying she needs to find a “sanctuary” of her own because so many people will be interested about her relationship with Prince William. She told Parade.com: “Make sure you have a sanctuary, because everybody in the world is going to

Portman

OʼConnorʼs icy fashion shoot rin O’Connor once got stuck to ice while shooting a fashion campaign. The 32-year-old beauty recalls a shoot for design house Donna Karan in Greenland as her most memorable, but admits wearing hosiery and sitting on ice was not the best idea. She said: “We landed by helicopter and shot a campaign for Donna Karan.

Stepping onto this iceberg was almost like stepping on to the moon. “Part of the shoot involved wearing hosiery and I recall my bottom got stuck to the ice!” However, the tall model thinks of Paris as her favorite place to work because it is where her career first started. She said: “It’s where my career kicked off and being a model there was just the perfect platform for me because it’s all about haute couture and brining history to life. “It’s casual but in a perfect way; there’s a look that’s incredibly hard to recreate, but Parisians define it so well.” The British star’s love of fashion came from a young age when she was first bought a magazine that allowed her to make different outfits for dolls. She added to Hello! magazine: “My mum bought me a magazine called Twinkle when I was a little girl and it had a page where you could cut out different outfits and stick them on a paper doll. “That was the start of me distinguishing between what I liked and what I didn’t like.”

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be in your business. He happened to be born a prince; you happened to go to college and meet him.

“You’re two kids who fell in love. I just hope you have a happy life. And don’t take anything personally.”

credits her parents atalie Portman credits her parents with keeping her grounded. The ‘Black Swan’ actress - who recently announced she was both pregnant and engaged to choreographer Benjamin Millepied - first found fame when she was 13 and despite her success in the acting industry, her mother and father insisted she got an education as well. She said: “My parents are the opposite of stage parents in that they’re still not so sure about the whole Hollywood thing. I got a degree in psychology at Harvard and my dad is still saying, ‘This being an actress thing is cute, but don’t you think it’s time to go to grad school?’ They are amazing parents who listen to me and respect what I say, and the reason I’m not totally crazy is I know they’re at home, happy, loving me and proud of me no matter how badly I fail. If you have that in your life, you feel free to do anything.” As well as her parents and fiance, another important person in Natalie’s life is her dog, Whiz. She told Britain’s Hello! magazine: “I have an amazing dog called Whiz, a black and brown Yorkie - lots of shades going on in that coat. He turned four last Halloween. He has this amazing intuition of knowing how people feel and when he’s in a room full of people he’ll sit next to the one person who’s thinking, ‘I don’t really like dogs,’ then he’ll roll over and show them his belly. He’s like a little moving teddy bear. He’s the sweetest thing.”

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Bullock reunited with ex-husband’s daughter

andra Bullock was reunited with her ex-husband’s daughter on Christmas Day. The ‘Blind Side’ actress - who split with motorcyclist Jesse James last year after a string allegations he had cheated on her had seven-year-old Sunny visit her and her adopted son, 11-month-old Louis Bardo at their home in Austin, Texas, after the little girl spent the morning with her dad and his latest love, reality TV star Kat Von D A source told website RadarOnline.com: “Sunny had a star-studded Christmas because

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she was with Kat Von D in the morning and then she saw Sandra in the afternoon. “Even although Sandra and her father are no longer together they have remained in touch - she had fun seeing Louis and playing with him although she was not allowed to feed him. “Despite everything that has happened between Sandra and Jesse, Sandra has remained in touch with Sunny and his other two kids Jesse Jr. and Chandler too.” It had previously been revealed that 46-year-old Sandra was keen for Louis to spend time with

Jesse’s children over the festive season. A source said recently: “Sandra wants to make sure Louis grows up knowing Jesse’s children, so she is willing to put the past behind her for the sake of the kids. “Sandra knows that having Jesse’s family in Louis’ life is good for him. So she’s opening her home and her heart to the children, inviting them to visit at Christmastime.” Jesse currently has full custody of Sunny, while her mother Janine Lindemulder has weekly visitation rights. —Bang Showbiz

Culkin and Kunis split

he Oscar-nominated actress and singer believes she works too hard and is keen to have a family at some point in the near future. Asked about where she would like to be in 10 years time, the 40 year old said: “On cruise control, with a couple of kids under my belt. It’s in the Lord’s hands. “I work a lot. I want to make sure I’m living life to the

acaulay Culkin and Mila Kunis have split up. The ‘Home Alone’ star and the ‘Black Swan’ actress called time on their eight-year relationship but have pledged to remain friends.

A spokesperson for the couple said: “The split was amicable, and they remain close friends.” Though news of the separation has only just been made public, it has been claimed that the couple split months ago but decided to keep the news private while Mila promoted her new movie ‘Black Swan’. Despite being with Macaulay, 30, for eight years, 27year-old Mila had previously revealed so had no intention to marry the former child star. She previously said: “Not to say that I don’t believe in it, but it’s just not something that’s important to me. But I will have children. I’m too selfish to have them now, but when I do, I don’t feel like I need to be married.” Macaulay - who shot to fame in 1990 playing Kevin McCallister in ‘Home Alone’ - was previously married to actress Rachel Miner, who he wed when he was just 18 in 1998 before splitting up two years later.

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DC Comics readers’ letters to make a return

In this publicity image released

by DC Comics, including, front row from left, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and Robin, back row from left, Batgirl, Cyborg (behind The Flash), Green Lantern, Aquaman, Power Girl and Superboy are shown. — AP

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osting comments via Facebook or Twitter seems faster than a speeding bullet, but DC Comics is going back to its Silver and Bronze Age ways, returning readers’ letters to the pages of its comic books. The New Yorkbased publisher - its imprints also include Vertigo and Mad Magazine used to devote a single page, typically toward the back, to letters from readers commenting on the latest adventures of the Justice

League, Batman, Superman and scores of other characters.

Letters pages were once common in comic books and gave far-flung readers the chance to weigh in on stories, heroes, villains and make requests about what should happen next. Those pages gradually disappeared not only in DC’s comics, but those of other companies, too, as the Internet, email and the rise of Facebook and Twitter all but rendered them obso-

Oprah’s OWN wins over cynics but many fans lost out

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prah Winfrey’s bold gamble on her OWN TV network debuted to mostly positive reviews and encouraging audience numbers at the weekend, winning over some cynics with its feel-good tone. But many stalwart Oprah fans expressed dismay that they could not receive the new OWN network without paying to upgrade their cable television packages-money that several said they could not afford. The OWN network, a joint venture between the influential talk show host and Discovery Communications that is aimed mostly at middle-aged women, made its debut on Saturday after three years of planning.

According to preliminary Nielsen figures, OWN was watched by an average one million Americans in prime time on Saturday, and was the third biggest ad-supported cable network with women aged 25-54. Daytime talk show “ The Oprah Winfrey Show”, on free-to-air ABC, attracts about six million US viewers daily. Winfrey, 56, will end the show in the fall of 2011 to focus on OWN. Initial OWN programUS talkshow star ming included a behindOprah Winfrey smiles the-scenes show about during a press confer- the making of the last seaence at the Sydney son of “The Oprah Winfrey Opera House as part of Show”, lifestyle advice her whirlwind tour from the likes of Dr Phil Down Under in this MGraw and Suze Orman, December 14, 2010 file and the first of a series of in-depth interviews with photo. — AFP celebrities including record producer Jay-Z and journalist Diane Sawyer. New York Times reviewer Alessandra Stanley called the channel a “no cynicism zone” which had “not a snicker of malice or a hint of raillery.” Caryn James at Indiewire noted that beneath the “huge amount of lifestyle fluff” there was “a surprising layer of substance.”

Media blogger Dan Abrams, a former general manager at cable news channel MSNBC, said his skepticism over whether OWN could create a clear identity in a crowded market had been overcome. OWN’s mission of self-discovery and celebration of one’s own “best self” has impeccable timing, Abrams said. “Weary Americans have grown fatigued with the national sports of bickering and finger pointing. —Reutres

lete.

David Hyde, DC Comics’ vice president of publicity, quietly announced the change on Monday, in DC’s own blog, The Source. Reaction was positive with one reader remarking that “as a fan of DC Comics since boyhood (more years than I care to remember), one of the things I looked most forward to was the letter page, so very excited.”

DC’s last letters page was in 2002 but ever since, Hyde told The

Associated Press in an e-mail, readers had clamored for a return.

So, starting with the March issues of the company’s ongoing series, letters will be printed though they will be edited for space and clarity, as needed. Readers can mail them in or fill out a form on DC’s website. For readers who prefer 140-character tweets or a quick “like” on Facebook, nothing is stopping them from posting on DC’s

own site or its Facebook landing page, either.

The announcement came even as DC reiterated that it would keep prices of its ongoing comic titles, including those from Vertigo, priced at $2.99 in 2011, a move aimed at stemming the loss of readers who can only spend so much per month to feed their comic book habit.

The prices of comics have risen in recent years, with some singleissue titles now costing as much as $3.99 or, in some cases, more. “As

we begin the New Year, the pricing changes are going into effect and the timing couldn’t be better,” DC Comics co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee said.

“We have a number of exciting story lines beginning in January, February and March that we believe will connect with the readers who have already been following the titles - and will most definitely be of interest to fans who aren’t yet buying the titles each and every month.” — AP

Worldʼs longest-running soap turns 60 with tragic twist “T

he Archers”, the world’s longest-running soap opera, marked its 60th birthday over the New Year weekend with a plot twist that saw one of the BBC radio show’s best known characters fall to his death. Feted by some as the essence of Englishness, “The Archers” features everyday tales of rural life in the fictional village of Ambridge, where typical activities include cowshed births, post office chats and broken tractor dramas. It has five million listeners in Britain and its six, 15-minute episodes per week are also broadcast on the Internet and from British military bases worldwide.

The show was first broadcast nationwide on January 1, 1951. The soap marked its anniversary over the three-day New Year long weekend with its 16,300th episode and the death of one its longest-serving characters. Listeners learned on Monday that Nigel Pargetter had died when he fell from the roof of his stately home after losing his footing attempting to remove a New Year banner.

The fatal fall, which happened in Sunday’s special double bill, brings to an end a run of nearly 30 years playing the character for Graham Seed, 60, a seasoned theatre, film and television actor.

“We thought long and hard about a stor yline that would befit a landmark anniversary like the 60th and one that would reverberate through Ambridge well into the year,” said series editor Vanessa Whitburn.

Many famous faces have made cameos over the years, including Queen Elizabeth II’s sister princess Margaret, actresses Britt Ekland and Judi Dench, fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, Australian comedy star Dame Edna Everage and former England cricket captain Mike Gatting. To make the sound of a lamb being born, the sound effects man squelches his hand in a pot of yoghurt and then throws a wet tea towel on to some straw. In recent years the show has shocked some traditional listeners with storylines involving homosexuality, racist attacks and illegitimate children.—AFP

This is an undated photo of actors Timothy Bentinck who portrays David Archer and Felicity Finch who portrays Ruth Archer in the BBC radio soap opera ‘The Archers’ made available by the BBC yesterday. —AFP

Afghan clowns raise laughs in war-torn Kabul

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wo Afghan policemen stand paralyzed by fear in front of a plastic cup. But this is not some farcical scene from the battle against the Taleban-it is a sketch from a new clown show in Kabul. The performance, put on by nine members of the Azdar troupe, seems improbable in a country locked in a nine-year battle between US-led NATO troops and the Islamist militants. But it is part of increasing efforts to foster a revival of Afghan theatre, which enjoyed a golden age in the 1960s and 1970s before being hit hard by war and the closure of theatres under the hardline Taliban Islamists, who took power during the mid-1990s.

Azdar was formed in 2006 by Guilda Chahverdi, vice president

of Kabul’s French Cultural Centre and and a drama professor at Kabul University, with a group of her former students. Its previous productions include a staging of Antoine de SaintExupery’s “The Little Prince” in

Kabul but Chahverdi turned to clowning for the latest show in a bid to expand the actors’ skills.

However, things are not always easy-it can be difficult to persuade young Afghans to take to the stage, Chahverdi said. “The

Afghan actors perform a play based on clowning during a festival at the French Cultural Centre in Kabul. —AFP

best students want to study medicine or business, while the less able end up studying the arts,” she told AFP, adding that some Afghans see clowning as “shameful”. Others complain that even small amounts of funding for theatrical projects are hard to come by despite huge sums spent on other fields. In addition, many talented Afghan actors go abroad to pursue their careers away from war and hardship.

Some audiences also struggle with the productions. “People say to me: ‘when you go to the theatre, daily life pulls on you so much that it’s hard to concentrate,’” said Sylvain Malgouyres, a Frenchman who worked with the troupe to help teach them the art of clowning. —AFP

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he producers of the ill-starred Broadway play “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” have promoted a supporting player to the role held by an actress who quit the show after suffering a backstage concussion. Teresa Carpio will officially take over as Arachne from Natalie Mendoza yesterday, having filled in for several performances, the producers said in a statement.

Mendoza left “Spider-Man” Dec 30, saying she needed to recover from a head injury sustained when she was hit by a rope during the play’s first performance Nov 28. The ambitious, high-tech $65 million musical-the most expensive Broadway show ever-is a hot ticket on Broadway, despite playing in “previews” as its producers fine-tune elements ahead of its official Feb. 7 opening.

But it has been a difficult journey, with the production plagued by cost overruns, four delays in its opening date, and three other injuries. Two stunt doubles were injured during rehearsals, while a stuntman fell about 30 feet into the orchestra pit during a performance. Carpio, who originally was cast as Miss Arrow, has been involved with the “SpiderMan” production since it was initially workshopped. The play’s director, Julie Taymor, had previously cast Carpio in her Beatles-related fantasy feature “Across the Universe.” Carpio will be replaced as Miss Arrow

by Alice Lee.-Reuters

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Did Jackson kill himself?

Pre-trial hearing in LA

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awyers for Michael Jackson’s personal doctor will argue that he killed himself with a drug overdose, prosecutors claimed ahead of a pre-trial hearing yesterday into the pop icon’s death. The case centers on the role of Dr. Conrad Murray, a cardiologist who faces charges of involuntary manslaughter over the

(Fie) Pop star Michael Jackson leaves the Santa Barbara County courthouse 03 June, 2005, in Santa Maria, California. — AFP

June 25, 2009 death of the “King of Pop.” Jackson died at age 50 from drug-induced respiratory arrest. At the preliminary hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor will decide whether there is enough evidence to try Murray, 57, on charges of involuntary manslaughteressentially, a killing done without malice.

Murray is accused of administering a power ful cocktail of sedatives and painkillers to help Jackson sleep, and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The demise of Jackson, the biggest pop star of his generation, shocked the entertainment world and triggered intense debate over the performer’s health in the run up to a series of comeback concerts in London. A prosecutor claims defense lawyers will say Jackson woke up that fateful night at his Beverly Hills mansion and injected himself with an overdose while Murray was out of the room. “I do think it’s clear the defense is operating under the theory that the victim, Michael Jackson, killed himself,” said Deputy District Attorney David Walgren at a preliminary hearing last week.

“They don’t want to say it but that’s the direction in which they are going,” he added. A defense lawyer declined to comment on any theories outside the court.

There is likely to be strong emphasis in the hearing on Murray’s use of propofol, an anesthetic used in surgery, to treat Jackson’s insomnia. The powerful drug is not approved for home use or to treat sleep disorders. A preliminary hearing is usually a routine procedure in which only one or two witnesses are called, but prosecutors are set to call as many as 35 witnesses, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Those summoned are expected to include medical experts and investigators as well as the security guards and staff present in the days and hours leading up to Jackson’s death, it said.

A lawyer for Murray said he expects the judge to order a full trial. “I don’t anticipate this is the type of case that the (district attorney) won’t have facts to support the couple of elements necessary for this charge,” said Joseph Low. The pre-trial hearing, which could last up to two weeks, comes after Jackson’s father refiled a wrongful death lawsuit in November against the late singer’s doctor.

The 24-page lawsuit claimed that Murray spent 47 minutes on the phone while Jackson was dying. Joe Jackson is seeking unspecified damages from Murray and others, including a Las Vegas pharmacy said

to have supplied the powerful sedative drug propofol administered to the singer before he died.

The legal papers also recount Jackson’s poor health in the run-up to his death, noting that, at the time the singer was suffering from “co-morbidities including anemia, chronic pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and brain swelling.”

Jackson’s father had already filed a suit with a federal US court on June 25 2010, the anniversary of his son’s death, but it was dismissed because the court said the case was not within its jurisdiction.

Joe, a steelworker in the industrial city of Gary, Indiana, reared his nine children into musical sensations starting from the Jackson 5 to the phenomenal careers of Michael and younger sister Janet Jackson.

Weeks after the death, Joe Jackson slammed the grueling 50-date schedule drawn up for Michael’s comeback and said he had been worried about his son’s health. Others close to the pop star voiced sharply conflicting opinions about Jackson’s physical condition as he prepared for the shows. Jackson holds the all-time record for album sales for 1982’s “Thriller,” and over his nearly four-decade career he sold more than 750 million albums. — AFP

Kardashian

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hile many girls dream about Justin Bieber at night, the singing sensation is struggling to fall asleep. The 16-year-old tells Vanity Fair magazine that sometimes he suffers from insomnia. Bieber says his “mind races” at night and it happens because he begins to “think about all the things I didn’t have time to think about during the day-like family and God.” Bieber says he doesn’t always have time to think about these important things because “you just get caught up (in everything else) during the day.” Bieber’s multiplatinum-selling album, “My World 2.0,” is up for a Grammy for best pop vocal album; he’s also up for best new artist. The February issue of Vanity Fair hits newsstands in New York and Los Angeles tomorrow and nationally on Jan 11. — AP

premieres new song on New Year’s Eve

Cameras to follow Braxton

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im Kardashian rang in 2011 by making her first foray into the music world, as the reality T V star premiered her debut single at a New Year’s Eve party at TAO nightclub in Las Vegas. In a video that captured the song’s unveiling, Kardashian is seen giving the crowd a brief introduction before launching into a new song that advises, “Turn it up, DJ!”

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oni Braxton is the latest celebrity to open her home to reality television cameras. Braxton, the Grammy-winning singer of “Un-Break My Heart” and “You’re Makin’ Me High,” will appear in “Braxton Family Values” on the WE network starting in April. Braxton’s sisters - Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar - are all aspiring singers. The WE network appeals chiefly to women, and with Oprah Winfrey’s new OWN network going on the air last weekend, it is looking to sharpen its focus for viewers. The network said it will emphasize programs that feature families.

WE executives said they will also renew the series “Downsized,” about a family struggling through tough economic times. “Staten Island Cakes,” which is repetitive of other cable reality programs about high-end bakers, will debut this summer. The show is about a 21-year-old baker whose mother and sister work for him - and who is bossed by them at home. The dynamic of four women trying to follow the 43-year-old Braxton into show business - with varying levels of success - appealed to WE executives. The network’s research indicated that programs about families, often with a humorous touch, is a niche worth exploring.

On Jan 25, WE is debuting a series about Joan Rivers and daughter, Melissa, along with “A Stand Up Mother,” about comedian Tammy Pescatelli trying to balance family and career. “Our goal is to put on families that are big personalities, who are interesting, entertaining, full of drama and conflict and you can’t wait to tune in next week,” Kim Martin, the network’s president and general manager, said recently. —AP In this Jan 1, 2011 publicity image released by Sandbox Entertainment, country singer Shania Twain and her husband Frederic Thiebaud are shown on their wedding day in Rincon, Puerto Rico. — AP

“I didn’t mean to, but I did this song with The-Dream, and it’s really fun! I hope you guys like it!”

Kardashian, 30, tells the crowd.

Reportedly titled “Turn It Up,” the song features a steady dance beat, R&B-inflected pop production by The-Dream and a percussion-heavy breakdown.

Kardashian, who has parlayed tabloid and reality TV fame (her family is documented on E!’s “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”) into a business empire, also alluded to her musical side project on Twitter over the holidays. Along with The-Dream, Kardashian is rumored to be working with Kanye West on her forthcoming debut album, after the two were spotted outside a California recording studio on December 28.

Kardashian also posted a pair of photos on Twitter that are believed to be the first images from her first music video shoot: in one, she sports a white fur and “Bo Derek braids,” while the other shows her rocking sunglasses and red highlights. — Reuters

(File) The Band Perry, from left, Neil Perry, Kimberly Perry, and Reid Perry, arrive at the 38th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles. — AP

New artist nominees announced for ACM Awards

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he Academy of Country Music has revealed the nominees for their two newcomer categories. Eric Church, Easton Corbin and Randy Houser are competing for top new solo vocalist.

Nominees for new vocal duo or group include The Band Perry, The JaneDear Girls and Steel Magnolia.

Fans can vote for their favorites online, beginning

Jan 27. The winner in each category will be announced in March and will move on to compete for top new artist.

Fan voting for top new artist begins March 11, and the winner will be announced live at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas on April 3.

The complete list of nominees for the ACM Awards will be announced in February. —AP

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Matt LeBlanc pokes fun at himself in TV comeback W

hat did it take to get “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc back on television after a four years absence? The price of a lunch with “Friends” co-creator David Crane, and the chance to make fun-of himself.

Riffing on the beloved but dimwitted, skirt-chasing character Joey Tribbiani he played for 12 years on “Friends” and its spin-off “Joey”, a gray-haired LeBlanc stars as an outrageous version of himself in the new T V industry satire “Episodes,” which debuts this Sunday, Jan 9.

“We took him for lunch and he totally got on board. He liked the idea of poking fun at his own image, and he liked the idea of not carrying the show, but of being in an ensemble,” said Crane, who created “Episodes” with Jeffrey Klarik. LeBlanc, 43, plays Matt LeBlanc-an actor who collects fine art, owns a private jet, a flashy car, and whose enormous “package” is the size

of a “sea creature”.

He is foisted on a pair of successful British comedy writers lured to Hollywood for a US remake of their hit UK program about a scholarly English school principal. Under pressure from US network bosses, the role is changed to hockey coach and the T V show renamed “Pucks!” “Episodes”, a co-production with Britain’s BBC television, makes it debut on US cable channel Showtime, and on the BBC on Jan 10. It also stars British actors Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig as the writers whose TV show is destroyed.

“I’ve said no to everything over the last four years. I didn’t want to go back to work,” LeBlanc said in a statement. “I went on this rocket ride (of TV fame) starting in 1994 and ending in 2006, and I wanted to let the dust settle from everything that happened in those 12 years. But then the phone rang, and it was Jeffrey and David,” he said. Crane

and Klarik told Reuters they had some nervous moments sending LeBlanc “Episodes” scripts and wondering if they had gone too far with the jokes.

But it never happened.

Reality and fiction blurred In many respects the fictional Matt LeBlanc is not that close to the real LeBlanc, but the “Episodes” creators are not saying where they drew the line.

“We use preconceptions of what people think Matt LeBlanc is. But we don’t like to be too specific because part of the fun is that you watch it and think, ‘Is that really what he’s like?’,” Klarik said.

Although LeBlanc is inevitably stealing much of the “Episodes” limelight, Crane and Klarik say the show is primarily about the relationship between British couple Sean and Beverly Lincoln, and the wedge that LeBlanc (and Hollywood) drives between them.

It is also a biting satire of the U.S

network TV industry, complete with egotistical and devious studio heads, women using too much Botox and lavish parties. “We’ve both been really lucky, but I don’t think there is a television writer out there who doesn’t have their own horror stories” about Hollywood stars and TV production, said Crane. “I think writers are going to love it.”

LeBlanc says he is used to being his own punchline. “People will come up to me and speak slowly, or they’ll ask me if I’m okay because I’m a lot more lowkey and subdued than Joey Tribbiani was. “He was very high energy. He talked loudly, But I’m not really like that. I had a lot of coffee when we were shooting ‘Friends’,” LeBlanc said in an interview for the BBC. As for “Episodes”, LeBlanc said he was just glad he got the part because “seeing someone else playing Matt LeBlanc would have been devastating.” —Reuters

Murdered model

In this public ity image rele as himself, left, Stephen Man ed by Showtime, Matt Le Blanc starring gan and Tam from the Show sin Greig are as time original shown in a sc series, “Episo ene des.” — AP

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan poses as she arrives at the 38.3FM radio station in Mumbai, on December 28, 2010 as part of the promotion for the Hindi movie “No One Killed Jessica”. —AFP

provides real-life drama for Bollywood

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new Bollywood film comes out this week based on the real-life murder of a fashion model by the son of a leading lawmaker, in a case that cast a spotlight on the corrupt nexus of police and politics. “No One Killed Jessica” tracks the fight for justice for Jessica Lal, who was working as a celebrity barmaid at a fashionable New Delhi restaurant in 1999 when she was gunned down for refusing to serve a customer a drink. The prime suspect, Manu Sharma, whose father Venod was a former government minister, was acquitted at trial seven years later after several witnesses retracted their initial statements.

The verdict prompted a public outcry and a media campaign that led to a prosecution appeal at which Sharma was convicted and given a life sentence for murder. The case was seen as a turning point in India, whose wealthy elite had long been able to have their own way with few fears of reprisals. Director Raj Kumar Gupta said the film was a reminder of how the Indian public could be a force to be reckoned with when faced with the

corrupt practices and vested interests of the rich and powerful.

The movie, to be released on Friday, stars Rani Mukherjee as a campaigning journalist who teams up with the model’s sister Sabrina, played by Vidya Balan, to overturn the lower court verdict.

“The higher strata of Indian society realized that they cannot get away with anything after the Jessica case,” Gupta told AFP. “They realized that the common man had found a voice and that voice will be heard if they do injustice to them.” Sharma’s initial acquittal, despite many witnesses implicating him at first, outraged the normally politically apathetic urban middle classes, who organized vigils and Internet campaigns protesting that India’s elite was above the law. In April last year, India’s Supreme Court upheld the verdicts against Sharma and two of his friends, who had been con-

victed of destroying evidence and helping him flee the scene of the crime.

Sabrina Lal said at the time: “In these cases where high profile and powerful people are involved, the important message is that it is not an impossible fight. It is a message for everyone that justice is possible.” But despite the hopes of change, India’s upper echelons have faced a string of scandals, particularly over the last 12 months, that have shocked many even in a country well used to corruption and cronyism. Few people expect anyone to be brought to book given India’s dismal record on fighting graft, which has seen only one conviction of a senior politician way back in 1949.

The weekly current affairs magazine India Today said in its new year issue that “the size and frequency of corruption in 2010

made it the theme of the year”.

India’s chaotic parliament has been deadlocked because of the government’s refusal to allow a cross-party probe into the sale of second-generation telecom licenses at knock-down rates.

Telecom minister A. Raja quit his post when the claims surfaced but denied accusations of kickbacks and favoritism.

Leaked tapes of phone taps of a leading political lobbyist meanwhile called into question the claim of the Indian media to be the guardians of national democracy. Several prominent journalists were accused of crossing the line by offering to act as powerbrokers in talks between big business and government over the allocation of cabinet seats. That came on top of graft claims surrounding the awarding of contracts for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, which were

mired in cost overruns, accusations of shoddy building work and poor organization.

Several firms were also accused of offering bribes for loans, while the chief minister of Maharashtra state was linked to a scam in Mumbai in which apartments meant for war widows were sold to politicians and military officers.

Gupta declined to say whether his film was a comment on the latest examples of power and corruption. Instead, he said he was highlighting how the public fought the system.

“This story is very inspirational because civil society very rarely comes together on such issues and tries to get justice for the dead,” he said. “In this case justice was done for Jessica. Civil society came together as one and said, ‘Enough is enough’.” — AFP

Nicolas Cage stars in Crusade thriller N

icolas Cage is working hard because he has to, but his latest turn as a mediaeval knight in “Season of the Witch” is about more than just paying the bills-it is a welcome throwback to his childhood. The supernatural thriller set in plaguestricken 14th century Europe opens in British and US theatres on Friday, and Cage fans will see the “Leaving Las Vegas” star in the unfamiliar surroundings of a period drama. “For some reason I kind of got swept up in a certain modern and contemporary style of acting and drama, like ‘Bad Lieutenant’,” the 46-year-old Oscar winner told Reuters in a recent interview to discuss the film. Season of the Witch follows “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” Werner Herzog’s cop drama in which Cage plays the kind of emotionally intense, borderline unhinged character for which he has won most acclaim.

“This (Season of the Witch) was my first chance to really go into the source, the childhood. “When I was living in California ... my father built this wooden castle for me as a boy and I remember I really got in touch with my imagination there-I was a sorcerer or I was a knight and because of the castle

In this film publicity image released by Relativity Media, from left, Stephen Campbell Moore, Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman are shown in a scene from “Season of the Witch.” — AP

“Hellboy” fame, spend much of their screen time on horseback as they escort a young girl, suspected of being a witch and the cause of the plague, to a remote monastery where the actionpacked denouement takes place. The picture, directed by Dominic Sena, blends road movie and buddy film with supernatural thriller and period drama, and has critics wondering if it will be a hit or miss for an actor who divides audiences and exasperates even his most loyal fans. “Since winning the best actor Oscar ... for Leaving Las Vegas, Mr Cage has seemingly been choosing roles by throwing darts at a script-covered wall,” wrote the New York Times in its cultural preview of the new year. Cage shrugged off his fluctuating form. “It’s kind of exciting,” he said. “It’s exactly where I want to be, if you can always keep a little bit of mystery about it. If they can say in the same sentence that I’m the best and I’m the worst, then I think I might be doing something right.” —Reuters

erally just snap your fingers and be in another dimension and be in a forest.”

Best actor or worst?

Cage and co-star Ron Perlman, of

Cage, part of the Coppola movie dynasty, is one of Hollywood’s highest paid actors earning $28 million in 2009, according to Vanity Fair estimates. —Reuters

... my mind would automatically go towards mediaeval things.” Another reason for taking on the role of the war-weary Crusader Behmen was a

change of scenery from the stifling Louisiana interiors of Bad Lieutenant.

Season of the Witch took the cast and crew to Hungary and the Austrian

Alps. “I wanted to be in nature, I wanted to be on a horse and in the snow and that’s one of the wonderful things you can do as a film actor, you can lit-

Will ‘Bachelor’ Brad Womack find true love?

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on’t expect “Bachelor ” Brad Womack to make the same mistake twice. Or at least that is what the reality TV star is hinting at in recent interviews as the new season is set to start. The 38-year-old Texas bar owner, who angered many fans in 2007 when he rejected both finalists, Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas, says he can’t divulge the outcome of the reality dating show’s season.

He says he fell in love and is “a happy guy.” After his initial appearance on the ABC hit, Womack began seeing a therapist to work on what he describes as commitment-phobia.

When ABC called to see if he was interested in joining the show again, he was surprised. Even with the opportunity for a do-over, Womack says he was prepared to walk away again if he didn’t feel he found the right girl.

The bachelorettes vying for his affection reportedly were not told Womack would be the season’s star, thus the slap he got from one contestant (seen in promos for the show) was totally spontaneous. Will the most loathed “Bachelor” in history redeem himself? —AP

In this undated publicity image released by ABC, Brad Womack from “The Bachelor,” is shown. — AP

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Lifestyle

‘Spider-Man’ musical gets a new actress

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011

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illiam Rast is the latest designer label to board the Target train, with a capsule collection hitting stores just in time for last-minute holiday shopping. Unlike most of Target’s high-low partnerships, which have relatively little (if anything) to offer the fashion-forward male, this one has just as much to offer the guys as it does the girls. The selections include T-shirts, button-front shirts and hoodies for him; skirts, faux-leather shorts, jeggings and embellished loose-fitting tank tops for her; and a range of five-pocket denim and outerwear pieces for both.

The chance to offer menswear was a major reason that the limited-run collection has the end-of-the-year pole position. “The last week of holiday and moving into January is a really crucial time for apparel,” said Trish Adams, senior vice president of apparel and accessories for Target. “And historically, 95 percent of our collaborations have been geared to womenthe last one that really had something for men was Rogan, which was a little over two years ago —and we were really looking for something that had a compelling offering for men.”

The William Rast for Target collection is priced from $16.99 for a tank T-shirt to $199.99 for a fringed leather jacket (compared with

The William Rast for Target clothing line ranges from shirts to leather jackets, woven silk blouses and stretchy black embellished skirts that manage to be sexy but not trashy.—MCT photos $50 to $700 for the core William Rast line). It’s slated to be sold in select Target stores and on the retailer’s website from Dec 19 through Jan 22.

Even if you aren’t familiar with the name William Rast, based in Los Angeles, you’ve probably heard of one of its co-founders: singer-actor Justin Timberlake. The pop star launched the denim-heavy line in 2005 with Trace Ayala, a childhood friend with whom he grew up in Millington, Tenn. (“William” is the first name of Timberlake’s grandfather, and “Rast” is the last name of Ayala’s.) The line drew much of its nostalgic Americana aesthetic from the shared childhood experience.

Over the last five years, William Rast proper, which sells through high-end boutiques and

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department stores, has slowly grown, both in offerings-footwear and eyewear were recent additions, and handbags are reportedly in the works-and in footprint, opening a handful of standalone stores (including one locally at the Westfield Century City). The founders also recruited the high-power fashion design duo of Johan and Marcella Lindeberg.

Although it’s evolved since, the line today still hews to those early influences, keying into assorted frontier, biker, military and wandering-free-spirit influences from season to season. It’s a vibe that definitely translates to the new Target collection as well-although it’s

been distilled even further to “biker/rebel” basics (for him) and “bohemian/tomboy” staples (for her). It also feels more appropriate for the younger end of the 20- to 30-year-old demographic range Target is shooting for.

Noteworthy pieces on the men’s side include heavy military-inspired twill shirts perfect for layering and deliberately pre-wrinkled plaid shirts with Western-style snap buttons (each $34.99). Standouts among the women’s wardrobe choices are stretchy black embellished skirts that manage to be sexy but not trashy ($34.99) and woven silk blouses ($34.99).

The buttery leather outerwear pieces for both are surprisingly supple, and the women’s black leather jacket with epaulets at the shoulder and fringe along the front of the yoke looks and feels worth a lot more than its $199.99 price tag indicates.

The range of five-pocket denim offerings is simple and straightforward, with straight-leg, skinny and boot-cut styles and with patching,

abrading and oil-staining treatments. If you happen to be familiar with the William Rast brand’s deep roots in premium denim, the assortment offered here might feel less than compelling-until you take the $49.99 price into account.

William Rast for Target is the latest in the retailer’s designer partnerships, which in 2010 alone have included collections with John Paul Gaultier, Liberty of London, Zac Posen and handbag brand Mulberry. Last year’s yuletide release was the highly anticipated Target for Rodarte collection, which, like some other Target capsule collaborations, proved to be scarce or sold out in some locations long before the monthlong run was over.

Given the potential halo effect of Justin Timberlake’s popularity (his name appears on the hang tags along with Ayala’s, and he’s appearing in ads), interested shoppers who hesitate to check out the collection right away could well miss their Rast chance this holiday season. — MCT

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hackleton was nuts. The Anglo-Irish explorer should have been polishing his tan on some remote Bahamian cay, yet there he was slogging through the snow and ice of Antarctica headed for the South Pole. Nuts, I tell you. But stylish. For Sir Ernest cut quite the dashing figure out in the bitter cold with his trusty parka. In these softer times, when our most ambitious trek may be from office cubicle to a frosty martini at a bar, a parka remains the essential must-have whenever we confront winter’s extremes. Global warming be damned, a parka is hot.

A parka is timeless. Shackleton would have no problem pulling a style off the rack that he’d be instantly comfortable in. But timeless doesn’t mean unchanging. He’d likely have to muffle a gasp at today’s super-thin, streamlined parkas (Japan’s Uniqlo epitomizes the trend) that can be worn alone or layered. And colors and features have gone way beyond basic olive drab; Moncler, the Euro-based luxury outwear brand, is turning heads with hot-hot-hot metallic jobs more defined than Batman’s pumped abs.

Choice, however, holds peril as well as promise. To keep you from looking like the Michelin man, here are some parka answers from menswear style expert Tom Julian, author of “Nordstrom Guide to Men’s Everyday Dressing” .

How to wear it What do you look like? Larger men want to avoid coats with lots of quilting or stitching that makes for a puckering effect. Smaller frames should look for coats with horizontal channel stitching.

Where are you wearing that parka? The ski slopes require one kind of parka, a corporate office another.

The outdoors allows for a more rugged model with more bells and whistles (hoods, flap pockets, quilting, decorative logos and patches). The workplace parka should be plainer, with slit pockets for example. (Think Burberry or Prada with your business suit, Julian advises). For the weekend, choose a length hooded parka (Julian points to The North Face) because it’s “roomy, waterproof, insulated.” Can I look cool and still be warm? In colder climes, look for details like gathered sleeves under the cuff or an extra elastic liner to keep wind and snow out.

In warmer zones, choose a feather-light parka so thin it acts like a quilted shirt jacket (Julian gives a big thumbs up to Uniqlo). Watch the details. Choose polyester fillings instead of down if you’re buying a less-expensive model because you don’t want feathers “escaping” from the lining and sticking to your clothes.— MCT

A model dons a Moncler black nylon parka with fur hood. — MCT

his winter’s crush on velvet-think sumptuous shrunken blazers, soft leggings, and floor-length gowns-is more than just a cure for the cold. The popularity of the plush pile is a sign that luxury is on the cusp of a comeback. And the ancient fabric’s timing couldn’t be better. Just like sequins, satin, and fur, nothing says holiday like a velvet dress. This year, however, the smoothmove textile is enjoying a modern twist.

“I started seeing people come in October looking for velvet,” said Mary K Dougherty, who this season stocked three styles of velvet Nicole Miller cocktail dresses in her two Philadelphia boutiques. All but a few have sold. “Customers wanted something to feel special in. For so long now, they’ve been hiding their wealth; but velvet is a fabric that can be opulent regardless of whether it’s Nicole Miller or H&M.” Velvet is even getting a style stamp of approval from Hollywood. In early November, “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson was lauded for the one-shoulder, over-the-knee frock she wore to the “Deathly Hallows” premiere. And last week, Angelina Jolie showed up on the red carpet of Brad Pitt’s “Megamind” Paris premiere in a velvet pantsuit. In addition to Nicole Miller, whose frocks A model dons velvet leggings, J Brand at Denim Habit; with Satin shirt, Amanda Uprichard at Denim Habit; short black blazer, Flavio Castellani at Boyds. — MCT

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include a stunning chocolate dropwaist dress with a cowl neck, runway favorites Dolce & Gabbana, Zac Posen, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karan all featured velvet in their fall 2010 collections.

Among the Fashion Week showstoppers: Donna Karan’s cobalt blue three-quarter-length velvet coat and Nanette Lepore’s unforgettable floorlength velvet gowns in ruby, copper, mustard, and olive green tones. Betsey Johnson mixed velvet into her satin minis.

Macy’s and J Crew are featuring velvet blazers for women, while Kenneth Cole is the go-to place for your guy’s soft formal jacket. At Bloomingdale’s, cocktail dresses by LK Bennett are trimmed in velvet, and Theory has velvet suits. (Wait until tuxedoloving pop sensation Janelle Monae gets ahold of these.) Even Juicy Couture is in on the popular plushness. The sportswear label is selling a gown that’s velvet’s short-pile cousin-velveteen. (Makes no difference to us, just so that it says touch me.) ( “The winter is always kind of velvety,” said Ashlyn Delson, marketing director at Willow Grove (Pa) Park Mall. “But there is so much more velvet this year. It’s a big trend especially in the pinks,

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A red jewel-encrusted velvet purse, Maliparmi. — MCT

purples, and royal blues. It’s so fresh.” Most people associate velvet with luxury, and there’s a reason.

Although historians aren’t sure if the silk weave originated in China or Pakistan, many agree it was carried along trade routes in the Middle Ages to Italy and France. Upon its arrival, it became the fabric of choice-for cloaks, gowns, and ornate suiting-among royalty and the Vatican, according to Elizabeth Ives, Philadelphia University professor of fashion and textile history. The fabric remained popular during the Renaissance as royal families incorporated velvet into their family crests, and velvet brocade became the preferred backdrop for commissioned artwork.

Renaissance fashion-and therefore velvet-enjoyed a resurgence in the 1820s and 1830s, with women wearing corseted dresses with lace collars, said Clare Sauro, curator of Drexel University’s historic costume collection. A century on, the Roaring Twenties ushered in another velvet vibe, Sauro said, but it didn’t become a mainstay until the 1950s, when velvet could be made from fabrics other than silk, making it less expensive. —MCT

A mode ld hartley ons Multicolor str Betsey J apless dress, oh velvet c nson; black Johnson ape, Betsey bo Johnso th at Betsey Shops a n at The Pier t Caesar s. — MC T