KUWAIT: The Popular Blocyesterday strongly criticizedthe government handling ofthe gas leakage problem inAhmadi, blaming the govern-ment for the problem andcharging that the governmentis incapable of managingmajor crises. In a strongly-worded statement, the oppo-sition Bloc called for declaringAhmadi a disaster area andheld the government respon-sible for any incident in thecity for failing to act promptlyto deal with the gas leakage.

The Bloc said that Kuwaithas been plagued with catas-trophes and problemsbecause of government mis-management, its flagrantincompetence and lack ofaccountability of thoseresponsible for shortcomings.It said that the gas leakageproblem in Ahmadi city start-ed two years ago and the gov-ernment has failed to dealwith it like it failed to dealwith similar disasters includ-ing the Mishref Sewage plantand pollution at Umm Al-Haiman and others.

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THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

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Watchdog rejects Jassem’s verdict

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Striker Rooneymarks return inwinning style

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Demonstratordies as EgyptChristiansclashwith police

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Second blastends hopesfor survival of 29 NZminers

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conspiracy theories

By Badrya Darwish

When our neighbors are competingand killing themselves to bringthe World Cup to their homeland

and to put their countries in the limelighton a global map, we are sinking in ourcorruption. What is left in my countrythat has not been corrupted? Have mercyon us! Have some mercy on the people ofKuwait! Electricity cuts come and we say:‘never mind, we can cope.’ Water short-ages come and we tell ourselves: ‘nevermind, we have limited sources and weaccept it’. Then, we all bear the burden ofbuying bottled water to drink.

The worst of all was the Mishref Gate(the sewage catastrophe that everyonehas heard of). There is no need to repeatourselves: the disaster polluted the envi-ronment, the sea and the fish for years tocome. It has been a man-made environ-mental catastrophe and the saddest partof it is that we have caused it. Till now weare waiting for proper solutions. To creamthe cake, the gas leak in Ahmadi hap-pened. It took its toll on the residents’nerves. It still does as we speak. We havenot witnessed any concrete solutions.

First, they tried to pin it on nature.There was a convenient prediction thatthere might be a gas lake under Ahmadi.Then, unfortunately for them, it turnedout that the leak was caused by the badnetwork under Ahmadi. I wish it was agas lake under Ahmadi. Then the peoplein Ahmadi will be rich and will be com-pensated. Kuwait would have been richand start exporting gas. At least we wouldbe competing with RasGas in Qatar andother gas-rich nations.

When they mock us for the lack ofelectricity then in return we could mockthem that they have less gas.Unfortunately, it was all wishful thinking.To our bad luck, the truth turned out tobe that the cause for the disaster wasneglected networks which have not beenmaintained for years. Naturally, theyeroded and started leaking gas.

Now, guess what? It is the Food Gateevolving. Over 40 tons of expired food hasbeen confiscated during raids in Kuwait.The food which was unfit for human con-sumption was confiscated by emergencyteams from the municipality. The expiredfood was on stalls and in foodstuff shops,probably in restaurants and on our tables.It ranged from honey, oil, sugar, rice andcheese to spices nuts and canned food.

Only a few days ago the news aboutexpired and poisoned meat was circulat-ing around. Before we advised you to eatyour penne (pasta) without tomatoes.Now, I am advising you not to have chick-en due to its high demand following thenews about contaminated meat. If youwant to eat fish, take your own risk as thewaters around Kuwait are very rich invitamins and chemical fertilizers.

Enjoy your meal!

It’s a bit too much

SANAA: A suicide bomber killed 23 Shiites ata religious procession in Yemen yesterday, anattack a tribal chief charged was a bid by Al-Qaeda to fan sectarian tensions in the alreadyrestive country. Tribal leaders said the deadwere all supporters or fighters of a Zaidi Shiiterebel group that has been observing an uneasytruce with the government since February.

The bomber struck in Al-Jawf province, arebel stronghold in the far north, as the faithfulwere preparing to mark Al-Ghadeer. This isthe day on which Shiites commemorate theanointment of Ali, one of the key figures oftheir faith, as successor to the ProphetMohammed (PBUH). “It was a suicide bomb-ing and it was the work of Al-Qaeda,” the tribalchief said. “The suicide bomber driving a four-wheel drive vehicle blew himself up alongsidethe procession. Among the dead was provincialtribal chief Hussein bin Ahmed bin Hadhbanand his son.”

Yemen is the ancestral homeland of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and has been agrowing focus for the operations of his world-wide jihadist network, sparking a sharpincrease in US military aid. But the fanaticallySunni movement’s attacks had previously beenlargely confined to the capital and to the main-ly Sunni south and east of Yemen, rather thanthe Zaidi majority north. Rebel spokesmanMohammed Abdulsalam said by telephone theattack was an attempt by the “American andIsraeli intelligence services to plunge Yemeninto confessional and tribal conflict.”

Continued on Page 14

Suicide bomber kills 23 in Yemen

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday flew back fromOman after a private visit. The Amir was receivedby His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh NawafAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness thePrime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. — KUNA

Popular Bloc blasts govt over gas leak

Kuwait ‘plagued with catastrophes, problems’

ABU DHABI: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip (left) stand withAbu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahayan upon their arrival to vis-it the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the Emirati capital yesterday. — KUNA (See Page 6)

PHNOM PENH: Bun Oun, who lost his daughter in Monday’sstampede, cries during her cremation at Sombourmeas temple inPhnom Penh yesterday. — AP

PHNOM PENH: The death toll of amassive stampede at a Cambodianwater festival soared above 450 yes-terday, as the victims’ grieving rela-tives expressed anger about securityat the event. The authorities contin-ued to investigate why throngs of rev-elers had panicked, crushing and tram-pling people underfoot on an over-crowded narrow bridge in PhnomPenh. The government admitted it hadoverlooked issues of crowd control atthe three-day event, which attractedsome three million revelers to the cap-ital from all over Cambodia.

“We were concerned about the pos-sibilities of boats capsizing and pick-

pocketing. We did well, but we did notthink about this kind of incident,” gov-ernment spokesman Khieu Kanharithsaid. He said a private firm had been incharge of security on the island andthe bridge where the disaster unfold-ed. “The place is private, so they usedtheir own security, and police onlyhelped handle order outside,”Kanharith said.

The firm managing the islandrefused to comment except to say thatit had been questioned by an investi-gating committee set up by the gov-ernment. As the first funerals andcremations began taking place across

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Anger and grief as Cambodia mourns

Death toll tops 450

CAIRO: Working-classEgyptians are getting botox,breast implants and tummytucks in the hopes that thecosmetic surgery oncereserved for a wealthy elitewill boost their own mar-riage and job prospects.Illiterate housewives fearingabandonment, soldiersmocked for flabby chests andoverweight women strug-gling to find a husbandsometimes pay with theirown blood, rely on charity,borrow money from familyand friends or turn to unli-censed cut-price privateclinics for a procedure.

The extra business fromthe poor is boosting theexperience of Egyptian cos-metic surgeons and loweringthe cost of operations, help-ing Egypt compete withrivals such as Lebanon andTunisia in the growing mar-ket for medical tourism.Egypt’s top cosmetic sur-geons say good surgery thatimproves self-esteem amongthe wealthy can mean muchmore to the poor. But theyalso warn patients to bewareof the growing number ofcheap clinics which makefalse promises and botchoperations.

“The poor, particularlythose who go to universityhospitals, help in increasingthe experience of new-gen-eration surgeons becausethey get trained, so the poorare definitely part of theplan,” said Rafaat Gohar, for-mer president of theEgyptian Society of Plasticand ReconstructiveSurgeons (ESPRS). Thoughexpensive by local stan-dards, plastic surgery costs aquarter of the price in the

United States or Europe,Egyptian doctors say. Botoxto treat wrinkles costs 1,600Egyptian pounds ($278)compared to nearly $900elsewhere. Gohar said tum-my tucks cost 20,000pounds, a third lower than inGulf Arab states.

Poorer locals who foregoa private recovery room andopt for a ward housing sev-eral patients, pay even lessfor treatment. “Egypt com-pared to the (United) Statesand Europe is a quarter ofthe price and with the samecapabilities, if not better,”Gohar said. “We are the hubof the Middle East in plasticsurgery. We are even betterthan Lebanon in terms ofnumber and quality of doc-tors... It’s (Lebanon’s) mar-keting and patient privacythat makes foreigners gothere.”

With image so vital to theindustry’s success, topEgyptian surgeons are wor-ried about the cheap, unli-censed clinics that havesprung up in the country tocater for less wealthy clients.Patients have suffered burnsfrom chemical peels, nervedamage in facelif ts andcrooked noses from failednose jobs, said a surgeonwho corrected problemsincurred from private workgone wrong and asked not tobe named. Another doctor,Mohamed Zaky, said he fixedbadly done operations onvarious parts of the body ona daily basis. “I pity the poorpatient because he goes forplastic or reconstructive sur-gery for the better, only tocome out with results thatare not good,” Zaky said.

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Divorce fears drive Egyptian women to plastic surgery

Some poor give blood inexchange for operations

KUWAIT: Iraq and Kuwaithave agreed to create a 500-metre no-man’s land on eachside of the border and moveIraqi farmers to new homes, aKuwaiti official said in com-ments published yesterday.Under the deal, Kuwait under-took to build up to 50 homesinside Iraq for the farmers liv-ing close to the frontier, a localdaily quoted foreign ministryArab world department chiefJassem Al-Mubaraki as saying.

The agreement stipulatesthat the two Arab neighborswill each keep a 500-metre

strip completely free of anyactivity except for borderpolice, Mubaraki said. “Thedeal was reached during arecent meeting of the Kuwait-Iraq commission headed by theforeign ministry undersecre-taries,” he said. In 1993, threeyears after Iraq invadedKuwait, the UN SecurityCouncil passed Resolution 833which demarcated the landborder between the twonations and granted Kuwaitsome territory that had previ-ously been held by Iraq.

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Kuwait and Iraq seal border deal

500-metre no-man’s land

LONDON: This year is so far tied for the hottest year in atemperature record dating back to 1850 in a new sign of awarming trend, the three major institutes which calculateglobal warming estimates said. UN climate talks resume nextweek in Cancun, Mexico, where expectations are no longerfor a comprehensive deal to slow warming, but smallerprogress for example to curb deforestation, in a bid to agree apact next year or later.

The previous conference in Copenhagen last year fellshort of hopes, but about 140 countries have agreed a non-binding deal to try and limit warming to less than 2 degreesCelsius. Temperatures are now about 0.8 degrees above pre-industrial levels, and 2010 is about 0.5 degrees above the1961-1990 average, near the record, with two months datastill to collect. Even with a possible cool end to the year, 2010is expected to be no lower than third in a record where 1998and 2005 are warmest.

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2010 ‘hottest year’

DUBAI: Dubai Marina towers are seen in the back-ground of a construction site in this photo. —AP

DUBAI: Dhows laden withgoods bound for Iran lineDubai’s creek. Workmen liftboxes of cheap wares, made inChina, onto the creaking wood-en vessels ready to make theshort journey across the Gulf tothe Islamic Republic. The buzz

of activity belies growing evi-dence that this traditional tradebetween Dubai and Iran is suf-focating under the ever-tight-ening grip of sanctions, andbusinesses fear it could soonbecome a thing of the past.

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Sanctions squeeze Dubai-Iran trade

2 Thursday, November 25, 2010NATIONAL

KUWAIT: Sheikh Ahmed Mishal Al-Ahmad launching the careers fair.

KUWAIT: The booth of BNP Paribas

KUWAIT: Sheikh Ahmad Mishal at the booth at the ArabOpen University. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime MinisterSheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah hasinsisted that the rector’s post at KuwaitUniversity “will not be politicized,” attempting tobring an end to widespread speculation that polit-ical deals are being cut under the table to resolvethe longstanding issues regarding the still-vacantposition. Speaking at a reception held for PhD-level

Kuwait teaching staff, the premier also underlinedhis support for “Kuwait’s enlightened minds,” aswell as reiterating his previous assertion that theexpected wave of interpolation motions againstvarious government ministers will not be allowedto impede the progress of political work in thecountry. “The development process must proceed and

[the cabinet] will not allow the interpellations toprevent this,” he said during his address at theevent.Almost all the members of the cabinet were

present at the reception, reported Al-Rai, with theexception of the education minister who is cur-rently on vacation abroad and the informationminister, whose absence was not explained. HHthe Prime Minister reportedly personally greetedand talked with a large number of the teachersattending the event, listening carefully to theirqueries, requests and statements.

Another cabinet member attending the recep-tion, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister ofForeign Affairs Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabahechoed the premier’s assertion that the expectedgrillings would not be allowed to divert theprogress of political work in the country, sayingthat the cabinet “will not allow the interpella-tions” to stand in the way of progress.Meanwhile, State Minister of Cabinet Affairs

Roudhan Al-Roudhan revealed that the cabinethas formed a specialist committee to monitor theissues involved in the Ahmadi gas leak crisis, say-ing that this demonstrates the government’s com-mitment to providing suitable and fair solutions tothe problems suffered by the area residents.On a separate issue, Minister of

Communications and State Minister forParliamentary Affairs Dr. Mohammad Al-Busairisaid that the major development projects plannedfor the near term future will require the involve-ment of a great many creative and highly educat-ed Kuwaitis. Minister of Public Works and State Minister

for Municipality Affairs Dr. Fadhil Safar alsorevealed that the contractors behind the construc-tion of the new Shadadiya University complexhave been given the green light to access all thenecessary facilities to expedite the project’s com-pletion.

University rector post won’tbe politicized, says premier

Kuwait to build 50 Iraqi homes

KUWAIT: A senior foreign min-istry official revealed on Tuesdaythat Kuwait has reached anagreement with Iraq whereby anestimated 500 meter strip oneither side of the nations’ sharedborder will be left clear, withKuwait set to pay for the con-struction of 50 homes outwiththe zone for Iraqi citizens cur-rently living in the affected area. Speaking to reporters during

a celebration held at theLebanese Embassy in Kuwait tomark Lebanon’s National Day,Jassem Al-Mubaraki, the head ofthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs’(MoFA), said that Kuwait hadrequested that the residents inthe homes currently in this areabe relocated, agreeing to fundthe construction of new homes,schools and hospitals for thoseaffected.

“My grandfather died of bone cancer and I wantto attend his funeral on Saturday, but they told me Ican’t leave, since the visa [stamp process] hasn’tfinished yet,” the teacher said, speaking on condi-tion of anonymity. She added that the school sheworks for had informed her that she would be ableto travel in two weeks’ time. The teacher claimedthat her passport has been with her employer sinceher arrival in Kuwait. “They haven’t done anythingabout the residency. That is ridiculous, I have beenhere for almost three months and I am here tellingthem that I want to go home for my grandfather’sfuneral, but I am told that I can’t have my own pass-port,” she said.The teacher, an employee at a bilingual school

with an international curriculum, explained that sheis currently working her probationary period there.She insists that her decision to leave the countrytemporarily should not be prevented by her employ-er. “The owner of the school told me that the schoolcan take legal action against me if I insist on goingback home. They told me I can’t work anywhere andso on and so forth, as if I can’t do anything and theirwords against mine are final,” she continued. The woman called the school administration’s

threats absurd, expressing feelings of insecurityand concern at the situation. “I am not used to being threatened like this and it

scares me a lot,” she said. “The owner told me thatthey can do anything against anybody, includingother teachers, because they have connections in theministry and so on. I don’t want to continue workingwith them anymore and I just want to go backhome,” she stated. The woman also claimed that shehas been paid only a third of what the school owesher for her three-month probationary period. “I wantthe remaining salary before I leave. I want to leaveKuwait quickly. I don’t have any ill-feelings againstthis country; this is a beautiful country and as muchas possible I want to work here, but the treatmentI’ve experienced with them was just so degrading,”

she said. The teacher even complained of racial slursbeing used against her by some of her students, whoshe says called her ‘Nigger.’ “I informed my school administration regarding

this, but they said that it was fine; well it may havedifferent connotations where I came from.” she said.The teacher, who has a master’s degree and is

currently doing her PhD, said that her qualificationsshould earn her a greater salary than she’s current-ly being paid. “They have been underpaying teach-ers, not just me. I am not just qualified, I am a bet-ter certified teacher. My salary looks beyond insult[in comparison] to my qualifications and it made meso sick and upset,” she stated.The frustrated teacher also stated that the school

had promised to pay her insurance as part of hersalary package, but this had not been forthcoming. “Now I only have a tourist visa which expires on

November 26, although they have told me that theyare doing it [processing the visa] right now. ForGod’s sake, they’ve had my passport for the last twomonths and they haven’t done anything about it,”she complained. She also noted that following her first month of

employment, she only received her first paycheck atthe end of October and that this was only half of hermonth’s salary because of an advance payment thatshe received prior to pay day. “I have had one situ-ation where I couldn’t report to work because I did-n’t have money and I didn’t have anything to eat,”she said.The teacher, who said that she has had extensive

teaching experience in the US, explained that shehad originally decided to come to Kuwait “to trysomething new.” Now, however, she says, sheregrets that choice. Contacted for clarification over the issue, howev-

er, the school owner insisted that the teacher’s alle-gations were baseless. “It is a completely fabricatedstory; we tried our best to support her and we arestill helping her up till now because we knew it’s our

responsibility as her employer. But as to her accu-sation, that’s not true,” the owner said.The school owner further insisted that the

teacher’s passport was being withheld because as anew arrival in Kuwait she needed to have the prop-er paperwork processed. “We took her passport to process her residency

and it takes time to secure residency as you may allknow,” she asserted, confirming that the school is inpossession of the passport. “We are not withholdingher passport against her will; she gave that to us.But when she last asked two days ago about herpassport she wanted it right away. And we’vealready started processing her residency, so we can-not give it back as yet.” The school owner continued, “[The teacher] has

to honor and respect the contract she had signed.With regards to her salary, she was getting hersalary monthly; we never withheld any amount.” The owner was adamant that the school was not

at fault in the dispute. “I think [the teacher] has been experiencing

‘homesickness’,” she said, adding that it is disre-spectful to report for duty in pajamas as she claimedthe teacher had done. “She did it once and I spokewith her regarding that and she just laughed at me.She wants to do what she wants but we have ourrules and guidelines in the school that need to befollowed. We paid her a one-way ticket to come toKuwait; we paid her agency, we paid her for a two-week stay in a hotel.” The school owner flatly denied the teacher’s

accusations regarding non-payment of her salary.“We know our responsibility and we deliver whatwe have promised,” the school owner asserted.“[The teacher] knew she’d be receiving that amountbefore arriving in Kuwait; yet, she accepted it andcame to Kuwait. We even gave her a month to thinkabout it and she said she was excited to join ourschool. We shared the same feelings; we neverexpected that she has been thinking otherwise.”

School owner rejects allegations

American teacher slams nonpaymentof salary, passport withholding

By Ben Garci a

KUWAIT: An American teacher who moved to Kuwait three months ago towork here has claimed that her sponsor has harassed her, withholding hersalary and passport. The teacher, in her mid 20s, told the Kuwait Times yes-

terday that she wished to return home to attend her grandfather’s funeral butwas unable to do so since her passport had been confiscated by the owner ofthe school where she is employed. The school owner insisted, however, thatthe lengthy residency stamping procedure had delayed the return of the pass-port, as well as rejecting the allegations of non-payment.

Council slammed over new church rejectionKUWAIT: The MunicipalCouncil has rejected a requestto hold another vote on build-ing a Roman Catholic churchin the Mahboula area,although nine of the 15 mem-bers who were present at theinitial meeting voted in favorof construction going ahead.The members who wish to

hold another session to voteon the matter again requiredonly one more vote to attainthe necessary two-thirdsmajority that would allow themotion to be passed. This would reportedly

have been attained if councilorShaye Al-Shaye had been pre-sent, but he is currentlyreceiving medical treatmentoverseas, so was unable toattend the meeting. Another council member,

engineer Ashwaq Al-Mudhaf,told Al-Jarida, the council’sdecision to disallow anothervote on the issue wouldembarrass Kuwait overseas,being seen as a black markagainst the country, especiallyfollowing the US StateDepartment’s recent criticalreport on religious freedom inKuwait.MP Aseel Al-Awadhi said,

“While some are criticizingthe US State Departmentover [its report on] freedom ofreligion in Kuwait, the munic-ipal council has acted to con-firm [the report’s findings]through its second rejection ofbuilding a church inMahboula.”MP Saleh Al-Mulla said the

MC had recently begunexceeding the bounds of itsauthority, adding that its deci-sion not to grant a license forthe construction of the churchin Mahboula cannot beignored, and adding, “We willoppose this ridiculous councilthat does not have the right tochange the subjects itreceives into political or reli-gious issues.”Another MP, Naji Al-

Abdulhadi, urged the govern-ment to deal transparentlywith this issue, and clearlyannounce its stance on theconstruction of churches,either permitting or forbid-ding their construction pro-vided that they are built inareas where their presence isagreeable to local residents.to reject or allowing buildingof churches provided that theybe in areas that do not causedisturbance for others.

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Unemployment is an increasing problem notonly in Kuwait but throughout the world. In Kuwait, thereis the added problem of masked unemployment in the pub-lic sector and thousands of fresh Kuwaiti graduates lookingfor a job every year.Most Kuwaitis prefer working in the public sector

because they find it easier and more secure. The govern-ment, meanwhile, has tried to encourage Kuwaiti’s to jointhe private sector by supplementing the salaries of those inthe private sector with stipends.Career Fair ‘10 is being held from November 24 - 26 in

Hall 7 of the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Mishref.The event will be held under the patronage of SheikhAhmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the Deputy Prime Minister forEconomic Affairs, Minister of State for Development Affairsand Minister of State for Housing Affairs. The event waslaunched by Sheikh Ahmad Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah,Assistant Undersecretary in the office of the Deputy PrimeMinister for Economic Affairs.Last year about 10,000 jobseekers visited the fair. “We

hope that this year even more visitors will come,” AbdulRahman Al-Nassar, Executive Director of the KuwaitInternational Fair (KIF) said during the launch yesterday.“The fair offers new and suitable opportunities for young jobseekers.” He added that the 26 companies participating inthe fair inform potential applicants about their work atmos-phere, conditions, benefits and training programs. Exhibitions play an important role in facilitating employ-

ment. “This fair allows employees and employers an oppor-tunity to meet each other,” he continued. “The Career Fairis an invitation for all serious job seekers to come and find ajob that matches their academic and work experience.” The economic crisis has decreased job opportunities.

“The work market was badly affected by the crisis but wenoticed that the situation has improved,” Al-Nassar added.He pointed out that there is more of a need for employmentnow than there was before and that many companies areparticipating in the fair.The director added that not all those looking for a job

will find one at the career fair. “It depends on the market’sneeds of certain specializations, the applicant’s experiences,education and several other factors.” He added that the fairusually attracts a large crowd and that he hopes they will beable to host a fair more than just once a year.The fair will be open from 9:30am - 1pm, and from

4:30pm - 9:30pm. On Friday it will be open from 5pm -10:30pm. Those sponsoring the fair this year are Kuwait

Petroleum Corporation, Kuwait Flour Mills and BakeriesCo., Burgan Bank, Al-Ekhlas Holding Co, KuwaitInvestment Authority, Dahia and Al-Mansuriya Co, andGloria Jeans Cafe.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-MohammedAl-Sabah with teachers and officials of the Kuwait University yesterday.

Mishref Fairgrounds host Career Fair

3Thursday, November 25, 2010 NATIONAL

By Muna Al-Fuzai

Every time I read about themistreatment of a child orabuse against women I feel

that there are those out there whoneed to learn what they should orshould not take. I also think thatsuch matters should be handledcarefully and professionally so thatany person who feels that he or shehas been abused or harassed won’tfeel ashamed or embarrassed for

being the target of these actions.I have to admit that I don’t think verbal abuse is a small

matter. In fact, I think it reflects the vulgarity of a personand that people need to clearly and firmly tell those thatoffend them that their comments are not acceptable orwelcome. Let’s suppose two people of different cultures have an

argument about parking their cars. One of them gets veryangry and uses language that the other person finds offen-sive or improper. Now, you have the option of shuttingyour mouth and pretending that what the person said didnot offend you or you could escalate the situation by fight-ing over what the person said. That however, is a compli-cated situation because while it may be a relief to releaseyour anger you could end up in a dangerous situation andfind yourself taking the blame for a war you did not askfor.So what are you supposed to do when you find yourself

in trouble and your rights as a human are being threat-ened? Why is it so hard for people to fight for their rights? Those who come from advanced societies where

human rights are highly respected would not allow a per-son to misuse or mistreat them because it does not matchtheir ethics, values, culture or political system. At thesame time you would find those who live under a dictator-ship willing to accept or adapt to daily humiliation. Insome cases they will go so far as to fight to protect theirsystem of abuse and deny that it is even taking place. Are we being selective when we talk about human

rights? Most of the time we focus on women’s rights, chil-dren’s rights or the freedom of expression but I don’tthink that rights should be separated into categories. Ithink humans deserve their rights, regardless of theirrace or gender.I also think that international organizations and educa-

tion committees, such as UNESCO, must initiate guide-lines for human rights in education, especially in devel-oped countries. If we started with local schools in everycountry then change could be felt on all levels. Expatriates did not come to this country to be slaves.

No matter how small their jobs are no one should beallowed to feel abused, mislead or mistreated.

muna@kuwaittimes.net

Can we teach people basic human rights?

local spotlight

In a similar case, he said, another manhad been sentenced to five years’ impris-onment for trading in visas and was alsoallowed to flee the country and evade jus-tice. Islamist MP Mohammad Hayefaccused the government of practicing apolicy of double standards concerning theimplementation of court rulings, sayingthat it had been quick to apply the verdictagainst a prisoner of conscience while fail-ing to implement sentences against oth-ers found guilty on criminal charges formany years. Hayef stated that the government had

failed to apply rulings issued several yearsago against individuals convicted in cor-

ruption cases while ensuring that Al-Jassem was imprisoned on the same dayas the verdict was announced. Al-Jassem, who was given a one-year

prison term on Monday for allegedlydefaming and insulting His Highness thePrime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah in an article pub-lished on the writer’s website in 2009,was arrested by authorities late onMonday night in implementation of theverdict. On a separate issue, meanwhile, MP

Mubarak Al-Khurainij yesterday proposedthat the government should grant a one-off payment worth one month’s salary to

all Kuwaiti public sector employees andpensioners to mark the 50th anniversaryof Kuwait’s independence which falls inFebruary next year. A number of MPs quickly seconded Al-

Khurainij’s proposal, saying that it wouldhelp citizens, especially as the prices ofessential goods continue to rise. In a related development, MP Daifallah

Buramya insisted that scrapping intereston Kuwaiti citizens’ loans and once againraising their salaries are the top two prior-ities for a majority of MPs. He claimed that as many as 37 MPs

support a draft law proposing the scrap-ping of interest on loans.

MPs condemn Al-Jassem’s arrest Speedy implementation raises questions

KUWAIT: Several members of the National Assembly yesterday criticized the government for the rapid imprisonmentof recently convicted writer Mohammad Abdulqader Al-Jassem, pointing out that it had fai led to implement similarrulings issued some years ago. Liberal MP Saleh Al-Mulla said that the speedy implementation of Al-Jassem’s sen-tence raised a number of quest ions, adding that the government had fai led to discharge the verdicts against othersconvicted of criminal acts such as theft and involvement in perpetrating slavery. Al-Mulla said that one former gov-ernment of ficial who was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for defrauding a number of bus inessmen was allowedto flee the country and had never been forced to serve his sentence.

GENEVA: Kuwait’s envoy to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva, AmbassadorDherar Al-Rezouqi visiting Kuwait’s section of the UN Women Charity Bazaar in Geneva yesterday.

By Dr Ghanim Al-Najjar

The one-year prison term given to columnistMohammad Abdulqader Al-Jassem takes Kuwaitback to square one regarding freedom of expression,

and the ease with which public figures can go after thosecolumnists and opinion-makers who displease them. Thoseoccupying public positions should tolerate criticism, nomatter how strong it is, and should not get involved in anunequal duel.As the case enters the appeals stage, which may restore

things to their proper path, while opposing any criminaliza-tion of the expression of opinion, whether or not we agreewith it, we must recall that we cannot hold the justice sys-tem responsible for these problems since it rules onlyaccording to the legislation issued by the NationalAssembly.MP Aseel Al-Awadhi was absolutely right when she

declared her intention to introduce a bill that would cancelany legislation criminalizing the conscientious expressionof opinion. The entire responsibility at present lies with theNational Assembly, which must amend those laws whichrestrict freedoms generally, particularly those which limitfreedom of expression, many of which, including the presslaws, are clearly unconstitutional.It is clear that the levels of regression in terms of

achievement, progress, public life and development havegrown and extended across society in recent years. If thejudicial system is used to silence an opinion here or there,regardless of our feelings on those opinions, we will contin-ue going down this dark dead-end road. — Al-Jarida

kuwait digest

Freedom of opinion

4 NATIONAL Thursday, November 25, 2010

By Abdulmuhsin Jamaal

Following the local news makes uswonder how the Cabinet and par-liament lost the road map they

need to make achievements. Readingthe priorities of each authority clearlyshows that they have lost sight of whatreally matters.The Cabinet is required to submit

their list of priorities to the parliamenteither in draft law or encourage theparliament to speed up the process ofwhatever draft laws they are workingon.

Meanwhile, the parliament’s priori-ties seem to be controlled by whateverhappens on a daily basis around thecountry. One day the Ahmadi gas leakcrisis is their top priority and the next itis the delayed return of pilgrims. The current term is significant

because it provides us an opportunity toevaluate the parliament’s performanceand its MPs. The Cabinet and those thatsupport them in the parliament shouldfocus on making achievements. If theydo not remain focused, the minority inthe parliament who do not approve ofthe Cabinet will distract them with

interpellations.It is worth pointing out that these

interpellations are of no use for tworeasons. The first is that the subjectsthese MPs want to discuss are marginaland do not require grilling motions.Secondly, the Cabinet, enjoying majori-ty support in the Parliament, will beable to overcome these motions unlessstrong evidence is provided.Therefore, the Cabinet is facing its

true political test this term; they willeither successfully implement truedevelopment or lose their way onceagain. —Al-Qabas

Cabinet facing true political test

kuwait digest

KUWAIT: Health Minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer donating blood yesterday. He said the number of blood donorsduring the campaign launched by the ministry at its premise is 110. He said the campaign will cover all min-istries, as there is a dire need for blood by some patients.

KUWAIT: Chairman of board and general manager of Kuwait News Agency,Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Sabah receiving the Iranian foreign ministry’s officialspokesman and assistant minister and his accompanying delegation this week.

Nine people injured in road accidents around Kuwait

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: A 38-year-oldKuwaiti man was rushed to theAmiri Hospital’s Intensive CareUnit (ICU) with severe headinjuries following a two-car col-lision on the Second Ring Roadbetween Shamiya and Kaifanyesterday. The driver of theother vehicle involved, a 19-year-old bedoon (stateless)man, also sustained headinjuries, as well as complainingof acute back pain, in the acci-dent and was taken to the samehospital.In a separate incident, a 36-

year-old bedoon man suffereda broken pelvis and heavyfacial cuts in a car crash inKabad. He was taken to

Farwaniya Hospital. In another accident, a 53-

year-old Kuwaiti man wasrushed to Farwaniya Hospitalafter sustaining multiple frac-tures and heavy bruising to theskull in a crash in Miqaa on theKing Fahad Road turnoff. Meanwhile, two Indian men

were taken to Mubarak Hospitalafter suffering cuts to the headand back pain respectively in acar accident on King FahadRoad. In a separate case, a 55-year-

old Egyptian man had a luckyescape, suffering only shoulderpain when the bus he was trav-elling in overturned on AmgharaBridge after the driver lost con-trol of the steering. The injuredman was taken to Jahra

Hospital. In another incident, a 42-

year-old Bangladeshi man suf-fered a broken nose and heavyfacial bruising when he was hitby a car in Moussa Ibn NussairStreet in Hawally. He was takento Mubarak Hospital. In a similar case, an eight-

year-old boy was also taken toMubarak Hospital after suffer-ing bruising to his right anklewhen he was knocked down by acar in Salmiya.

Lift fallA 52 year old Filipino was

rushed to Farwaniya Hospitalafter suffering a broken leftthighbone when he fell downthe lift shaft in an apartmentblock in the area.

Walk to raise diabetes awarenessKUWAIT: The Landmark Group is set to holdKuwait’s first-ever walkathon this weekend withthe event, beginning with kit collection at the YachtClub on Gulf Road at 8:00 AM on Saturday, and thewalkathon itself starting at 9:00 AM from the YachtClub and Green Island. Everyone is welcome tocome along and take part in the fun family event, aCorporate Social Responsibility initiative by theLandmark Group, which is intended to raise aware-ness of diabetes and its causes in the wider com-munity. The Ministry of Health and the Dasman Diabetes

Institute will be the patrons of the walkathon, whichthe Landmark Group explained is intended to raise

awareness of diabetes and its causes in the widercommunity. In a statement released yesterday, the

Landmark Group stressed that the more peoplewho take part in Saturday’s event the better, sayingeveryone’s participation counts. Those wishing to take part in the walkathon can

get more information on the event by phoning theLandmark Group on: 22412233. Would-be partici-pants can also register at all Landmark Group out-lets, including Centrepoint, TK Maxx, The HomeCentre, and the New Look stores, and confirm theirattendance by emailing n.alami@asdaa.com ors.lobo@asdaa.com or faxing 22411199.

Al-Harbi presents credentialsKHARTOUM: Kuwaiti ambas-sador Dr Suleiman Abdullah Al-Harbi presented here yesterday hiscredentials as a plenipotentiary andextraordinary ambassador to presi-dent of the republic of Chad IrdissDeby. Al-Harbi said in the Chadiancapital of N’Djamena that he con-veyed to president Deby the greet-ings of HH the Amir Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and

that the meeting touched on thebilateral ties between the two coun-tries and the ways of bolsteringthem in various fields. Further, Al-Harbi said that pres-

ident Deby asked him to convey hisgreetings to the Amir andexpressed his keenness to acceptthe invitation offered by the Amir tovisit Kuwait, voicing his happinessover the bilateral ties binding the

two countries, and expressing hisreadiness to boost such ties to anew high in various fields. Al-Harbipresented yesterday a copy of hiscredentials to the Chadian ForeignMinister and is due to meet in thecoming two days with the Chadianparliament speaker as well as anumber of Chadian ministers to dis-cuss with them ways of boostingjoint cooperation. —KUNA

Amiri envoy meets Lebanese presidentBEIRUT: Envoy of HisHighness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Advisor at the AmiriDiwan Mohammad DheifallahSharar, met here yesterdaywith Lebanese PresidentMichel Suleiman, handing himan invitation letter to attend thecelebrations of Kuwait’s 50thanniversary of Independenceand 20th Liberation Day. Shararsaid after his meeting withSuleiman that “I was honored tobe delivering His Highness’sinvitation to PresidentSuleiman,” affirming that suchassignment would further bol-ster relations between the stateof Kuwait and Lebanon. Sharar also reflected to

President Suleiman Kuwait’ssolid stance with issues con-cerning Lebanon.

Green Island hosts Lebanese festival

KUWAIT: The Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC) is pre-pared to host a Lebanese festivalon Green Island next Friday inobservance of Lebanon’s NationalDay celebrations on November 26.The step comes as part of TEC’scommitment to provide the bestservices to all members of theexpatriate community in Kuwait. Ina statement made recently to thepress, Green Island supervisorNassir Al-Foudary announced thatthe special event will feature sev-eral activities that will reflect

Lebanese culture. He said the event will start with a paradeand a musical performance. Kuwaiti musician Adel Al-Ruwaished will also participate in the event with a musicalperformance catered specifically to the celebration of theLebanese minority. The event will also feature competitionsin best drawing and best Lebanese national dress.

Move to lift Mislem’s immunity

KUWAIT: The government reportedly intends to mobilize allcabinet members to attend next Tuesday’s (November 30)parliamentary session, where the removal of MP Faisal Al-Mislem’s parliamentary immunity from prosecution is set tobe discussed. The Public Prosecution Service has requestedthat Al-Mislem’s parliamentary immunity be lifted in orderto question him over charges filed against him by the BurganBank concerning ‘Chequegate,’ the controversial case inwhich he obtained personal cheques signed by a member ofthe ruling family to exhibit in parliament.

in the news

KUWAIT: Saudi Arabian authorities arefully authorized to take any proceduresthey deem fit against Haj pilgrimsattempting to leave the country who arefound to have entered it illegally inorder to perform the annual pilgrimage,said the Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait onTuesday. Ambassador Dr Abdulaziz Al-Fayez

told Al-Rai that the Kuwaiti pilgrimsrecently detained on the Saudi side ofthe Saudi-Kuwaiti border were found tohave used temporary transit visas to

enter the kingdom rather than the spe-cial Haj visas necessary for entering thecountry during the Haj period, whenmillions of pilgrims travel there fromacross the world. He stressed that theSaudi authorities’ only problem withthese pilgrims concerned their dishon-esty in the information they provided toget into the country. The ambassador asserted that pil-

grims who flout the visa regulationsshould expect to be held to account overtheir actions, which he said can nega-

tively affect the Saudi authorities’efforts to regulate the massive annualevent. Ambassador Al-Fayez defended the

officials who took the fingerprints of thepilgrims in question, saying that thiswas a standard part of the procedureagainst those who entered the kingdomfraudulently, who are required to signundertakings guaranteeing that they willnot attempt to reenter the country forthe next three years. He explained thatthis is a routine measure also imple-

mented by several other countries,adding that some of the pilgrimsdetained had fraudulently entered thecountry using the wrong visas on asmany as five previous occasions. On the issue of other pilgrims who

were stuck at Jeddah Airport for around15 hours after their flights home weredelayed, the ambassador said that suchdelays were to be expected when aroundtwo million pilgrims were returninghome to their countries following theconclusion of Haj.

Ambassador defends pilgrims’ border detention

CPJ slams Kuwait KUWAIT: The New York-basedCommittee to Protect Journalists yester-day condemned a one-year jail sentencehanded to a prominent Kuwaiti writer forcriticizing the prime minister. “TheCommittee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)condemns a one-year prison sentencegiven to Mohammed Abdulqader Al-Jassem, a Kuwaiti writer and journalist,”the watchdog said in a statement postedon its website.The case is only one of 18 that the gov-

ernment has filed against the journalist inthe past year, the media watchdog said.Jassem, 54 and a heart patient, was arrest-ed on Monday hours after the lower courtconvicted him of slandering PrimeMinister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, a senior member of theruling family. He was convicted over anarticle he posted on his website a year agocharging that Iranian intelligence wasinterfering in Kuwaiti affairs through aleading businessman close to the premier.Jassem and his lawyer Abdullah Al-

Ahmad said they would challenge the ver-dict in the court of appeals. The CPJ’sMiddle East and North Africa programcoordinator, Mohamed Abdel Dayem, said:“We call on the Kuwaiti appeals court tooverturn the conviction against ... Jassem

and for the government to stop its patentlypoliticized persecution of this prominentjournalist. It is absurd that the authoritieswill pursue 18 different cases against acritical journalist until he is silenced.”At a public rally called by several polit-

ical groups in support of Jassem late onTuesday, opposition MPs Faisal Al-Muslim and Mussallam Al-Barrak calledon the prime minister to step down.

Jassem, a prominent critic of the primeminister, had already been detained twiceover the past year for a total of twomonths in connection with cases filed bythe government. In October, Kuwaitdropped 27 positions in the ReportersWithout Borders world press rankings for2010. The watchdog cited the emirate’sharsh treatment of Jassem as the mainreason. —AFP

MPs demand Ahmadi evacuationKUWAIT: The EnvironmentalPublic Authority (EPA) ruledout the possibility that the gasleak in Ahmadi could have beenthe result of the presence of anatural gas field, reportedAnnahar. In a statement maderecently to the press, EPADeputy Manager Ali Haidarasserted that they never issuedreports confirming such a spec-ulation. He added that prelimi-nary reports indicate that theproblem is most likely the resultof a leak in the old pipeline net-work that the Kuwait OilCompany once used to providethe area with cooking gas.The announcements were

made as the subject continues toescalate in the parliament,reported Al-Qabas. While MPsapplauded the Cabinet’s deci-sion to provide families evacuat-ed from Ahmadi with a KD 500stipend - and some argued thatthe stipend should be increased- additional demands were madecalling on the government toevacuate the entire area.The Development and

Reform Bloc (DRB) announcedthat they will request a parlia-mentary investigation into theexact reason behind the crisis.Additionally, MP Dr Faisal

Al-Mislem announced the bloc’sdecision to support the forma-tion of a committee within theparliament to investigate thesituation behind the emergencylanding of a Kuwait AirwaysCorporation’s (KAC) plane inDhaka, Bangladesh.In other news, the Cabinet

was accused of failing to providethe parliament’s public fundsprotection committee withinformation they asked forregarding the Russian loan case.In a statement made recently tothe press following the commit-tee’s latest meeting, committeereporter MP Musallam Al-Barrak said that the committeewill file their final report basedon the information they have onhand, even if the Cabinet fails toprovide information in time.Regarding the release of the

two Iranians accused of sellingdrugs, official sources indicatedthat a report was written by acommittee formed to double-check the investigations reportfiled by the interior and defensecommittee. The sources saidthat the committee proved thatsignificant parts of the testimo-ny made by the managing direc-tor of the criminal investigationsdepartment, Major General AliAl-Yousuf, were cut out. The

sources further indicated thatthe parts omitted support thestance of Minister of InteriorSheikh Jaber Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, who was found guilty inthe previous report of releasingtwo people accused of sellingdrugs and sentenced to bedeported. Should the new com-mittee’s report be accepted, theomitted testimonies will beadded to the final report, thesources asserted.Meanwhile, the parliament’s

housing committee is expectedto give top priority to discus-sion on the establishment ofshareholding companies tobuild housing projects accord-ing to the state’s developmentplan, reported Annahar.Committee reporter MP NajiAl-Abdulhadi indicated that thisplan would help create nearly500,000 new job opportunitiesfor citizens. On a separate topic, MP Al-

Mislem asserted that the DRB

is committed to filing theirintended interpellation motionagainst the Minister ofEducation Dr Moudhi Al-Humoud, reported Al-Rai. Healso reiterated the bloc’s will-ingness to put their grilling onhold until an interpellation pre-pared by the National ActionBloc against His Highness thePrime Minister Sheikh NasserAl-Mohammad Al-Sabah overthe sports issue is filed.MP Al-Abdulhadi announced

that the establishment of a com-munications authority is still atop priority for the parliament’spublic facilities committee. Hedemanded that the Minister ofCommunications, DrMohammad Al-Busairi, “com-mit to his promises regardingthe demands in regards to thephone services”. The MP calledupon “insufficient ministers” toresign in order to ease the bur-den currently on His Highnessthe Prime Minister”.

Nassir Al-Foudary

KUWAIT: The National Guards Undersecretary Maj Gen Naser Al-Daie met at hisoffice yesterday with the military attache at the American embassy Wed Fot anddiscussed the means of conducting a joint exercise between the American specialforces and terrorism combating squad in the National Guard.

Mohammad Abdulqader Al-Jassem

Watchdog rejects Jassem’s verdict

5Thursday, November 25, 2010 NATIONAL

“There is a great difference betweentransparency and integrity,” said Al-Hajri, referring to the government’searlier vow to be more transparent inits dealings.

Al-Hajri also warned against thepotential hazards that could result fromthe horizontal expansion of the gas leak,saying that these could reach not onlylocal schools and hospitals, but couldalso extend to the area’s industrialestate, leading to massive explosions.

The head of the non-profit environ-mental organization explained thatAhmadi residents face three major dan-gers; atmospheric pollution from thespread of gas, an increased possibility ofexplosions in areas where the gas isconcentrated, and the presence ofrecently discovered subterranean caves

which could potentially result in land-slides, similar to a major incident in Al-Thahar a few years ago.

Al-Hajri also condemned what hesaid was the government’s inadequacyin acting to prevent environmentalcrises, instead shifting these problemsto the Environmental Public Authority(EPA), which he was also highly criticalof. The GLEG head asserted that thecountry’s environmental problems arebeing addressed by unqualified EPApersonnel, as well as condemning theauthority’s Director General, Dr. SalehAl-Moudhi, over his failure to issue anystatements to date on the Ahmadi cri-sis. Al-Hajri also suggested that thetheory of the Ahmadi leak being causedby geological factors, rather than anyfaults in the main gas pipeline, is cor-

rect. The GLEG chairman supportedthis theory by indicating that gradualgeological changes had led to previouslyconfined subterranean natural gas beingreleased and rising to the surface.

He said that the underground cav-erns were formed by the spaces whichthe gas had previously inhabited, withthese new caves increasing the possi-bility of landslides in the area.

Al-Hajri said that Kuwait OilCompany (KOC) chairman Sami Al-Rashid had indirectly confirmed an ear-lier GLEG discovery when heannounced at a press conference thatthe whole Ahmadi area is sitting direct-ly on a rock layer.

The GLEG head explained that theorganization had previously indicatedthat the area’s location directly above a

layer of limestone has significantlyhelped in the creation of the subter-ranean caverns beneath it.

“Natural gas is usually discovered inAl-Ahmadi every now and then”, Al-Hajri noted, explaining that these gasescome from underground rather than anyleak in the area’s network of pipelines.He added that the regular seismic activ-ities seen in Ahmadi have played amajor role in these gases rising to thesurface.

The prominent environmentalistended the statement by calling for theestablishment of an institute studyingseismic activities which could create adetailed seismic map of Kuwait,explaining that the lack of such studieshad made it difficult to diagnose thecauses of Ahmadi crisis.

Green Line group slams Kuwait government over Ahmadi gas leak

Great difference between transparency, integrityKUWAIT: The Green Line Environmental Group (GLEG) stated yesterday that the ongoing problems over the Ahmadi gas leak situation demon-strate the governmentís incompetence in crisis management, warning that the deteriorating conditions there increase the likelihood of human casu-alties. In a statement issued yesterday, the organization noted that it had been at tempting for some time to increase awareness of environmentalproblems which urgently need to be addressed before they can get out of control. GLEG chairman Khalid Al-Hajri was critical of state of ficialsíclaims that the situation in Ahmadi is under control, pointing out that these were made at the same time as local residents were being evacuated.

NEW DELHI: Kuwait’s Ambassador toIndia, Sami Al-Suleiman said yesterday thatKuwait and India are expanding cooperationin various fields other than oil, includingeducation and health. He said that his coun-try was interested in making more invest-ments in these two sectors in India.

Interacting with Indian students fromdifferent schools in northern cities ofChandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, theenvoy said that the presence of half-a-million Indians in Kuwait and existence ofas many as 18 Indian schools there, provedthe fact that close ties prevailed betweenthe two nations.

Drawing out similarities between theeducation systems of both countries, heencouraged exchange programs betweenschools and universities, as it would enableboth sides to understand each other’s edu-cation systems.

Hailing India as a huge country with alarge population where religious toleranceprevailed among all the communities,Suleiman said that Prophet Mohammad(pbuh) always preached peace and commu-nal harmony, and that India was a well-established example of this message.

The Kuwaiti envoy talked very candidly

with the Indian students on varied issues.He also replied to the students’ questions.

About the role of women in Kuwaiti pol-itics, the ambassador said that today theKuwaiti Parliament had four women legisla-tors and one woman minister.

He also referred to the decree issued bythe Kuwaiti Amir in 1999 allowing women’srole in their politics.

Seemingly in a very jovial mood, theKuwaiti ambassador also talked with theIndian students about Bollywood, and howIndian film stars were famous in his home-land.

On the occasion, First Secretary to theKuwaiti ambassador Abdul Al-Mailam, andtwo diplomat attaches to the envoy-JamalAl-Shehad and Abdullah Al-Hajeri-werealso present.

Meanwhile, the Joint MinisterialCommission (JMC) of Pakistan and Kuwaitwill hold its third two-day meeting nextJanuary in Kuwait, it was disclosed inIslamabad yesterday.

The JMC’s meeting was scheduled to beheld next week in Kuwait.

However, due to unavailability of minis-ters on the agreed dates, the meeting hasbeen postponed, a source in the Economic

Affairs Division said. The commission willmeet on Jan 17 and 18.

The commission’s previous meeting washeld in 2003 in Islamabad.

It is expected that Pakistan is going toraise the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) andother trade related issues with Kuwait atthe bilateral meeting.

According to reports, the TradeDevelopment Authority of Pakistan(TDAP), proposed in a letter to theMinistry of Commerce (MOC) ways forimproving trade with the oil-rich country.

The proposals include providing moreaccess to the Kuwaiti, seeking more tradeconcessions that will help the local tradingbody overcome post-flood challenges, andsetting up a joint a business forum, whichwould facilitate exchange of trade delega-tions between the two countries’ chambersof commerce.

TDAP also proposed holding an exhibi-tion in Kuwait to market Pakistani prod-ucts.

Pakistan has a share of only over USD75 million in the imports of Kuwait and isin highly disadvantageous position in thebalance of trade due to the huge import ofoil. — KUNA

Kuwait, India increasing cooperation

WASHINGTON: Kuwait’sMinister of Education andHigher Education Dr MoudhiAl-Humoud visited the WorldBank (WB) and held meetingswith officials on the educationpartnership between her min-istry and WB.

In a statement yesterday,Al-Humoud said that her meet-ings were related to the part-nership with the WB in helpingthe Kuwaiti Education Ministryin some of its education devel-opment projects.

She affirmed that the rela-tionship between the ministryand the WB goes back to fiveyears, when a WB team set upthe educational indexes for theKuwaiti ministry.

She noted that the ministrybenefited from these indexesand was “able to define thedevelopmental horizons forsome educational issues.”

She said, “We have threeprojects at the current timewith the WB,” which are thediversification of the secondaryeducation, integrating studentswith special needs in the gov-ernment schools, in addition todeveloping the school environ-ment and to increase theschools’ qualifications throughthe educational services beingoffered to students.

She added that they also dis-cussed during the meetings thefuture cooperation horizonswithin the framework of theprojects that the ministry willcarry out during upcomingyears. The aim of this is tomake Kuwaiti students capableof globally competing in thebasic subjects, which are math-ematics, science, and use oftechnology, as well as makingschools more attractive andqualified for the students, shestressed. According to the min-ister, she and the officials alsodiscussed experiences of theother countries. She said thateducation in Kuwait is “verydeveloped” according to theWB indexes, as education isavailable for everyone, the rateof illiteracy is “very low” andthe capabilities offered by thegovernment for schools are“very high.” — KUNA

Al-Humoud visits World Bank for partnership talks

KUWAIT: The Lebanese Ambassador to Kuwait, Bassam Al-Nuomani,recently hosted a reception to celebrate Lebanon’s 67th National Day, whichwas attended by several ambassadors, diplomats, media figures and digni-taries, including the Minister of Oil and Information Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By Waleed Al-Rujaib

Local columnists and intellectuals inKuwait were dismayed to hear about thesentencing of writer Mohammad Al-

Jassem to jail. They were disappointed not onlyto hear that he will be going to jail for more thanone year for expressing his opinion but also forthe fact that freedom in Kuwait is being threat-ened.

Government officials have lost their ability toaccept criticism. Following a period in which wehave grown optimistic with the truce betweenthe government and columnists, it seems asthough the government is determined to use thelaw to silence oppositionists.

Now that Al-Jassem has been imprisoned,

readers will be more curious to read his articleand the matter will earn international attentionand further tarnish Kuwait’s reputation onhuman rights in the process. Escalating thiscase will certainly not solve the problem.

Kuwait is expected to experience hugedevelopment projects and it’s normal for citi-zens to criticize any deficiencies in the govern-ment’s performance. Criticism can be of thecountry’s benefit if it encourages improved per-formance.

The chances of errors increase as peopleprogress with work and productivity and it is thepublic’s role to notify their government when-ever such errors are made. Critical commentsshould be rewarded for the important role theyplay in aiding development. — Al-Rai

kuwait digest

Criticism leads to improvement

KUWAIT: Capt Ammar Dashty from the Interior Ministry’s General Department of Traffic delivereda lecture recently to students of the police officer’s training department. He discussed the importanceof police patrol, the role of policemen and the mechanisms that should be followed in issuing traffictickets.

6 Thursday, November 25, 2010NATIONAL

Fatal accidentA senior citizen was killed

and another was injured during acar accident on Sixth Ring Road,reported Al-Watan. Paramedicsresponded to the incident andbrought the two injured peopleto Jahra Hospital. It was report-ed however that the 60-year-oldcitizen died on his way to thehospital. A case was opened forfurther investigation.

Asian assaultedAn Asian man was seriously

injured in Salmiya after he wasassaulted by a citizen whocaught him having an affair withhis domestic worker, reportedAl-Watan. The citizen attackedthe strange man after he caughthim in his maid’s room and beathim unconscious with a steelpipe. Paramedics responded tothe emergency and admitted thevictim to the intensive care unit

of nearby hospital with a frac-tured skull.

Camp robbedThieves broke into a camp in

Jahra and stole everything insideafter tying up its janitor, report-ed Al-Rai. Neighbors called thepolice when they discoveredthe janitor tied to the tent’spole. The Janitor informedpolice that the tent was robbedlast night by thieves whoescaped in a white pickuptruck. A case was opened andpolice are searching for thethieves.

Fugi tive f leesA juvenile charged with rob-

bery escaped from police andfled to Saudi Arabia, reportedAl-Rai. The suspect was initial-ly arrested for robbing a moneyexchange shop in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh but was able to

escape from authorities whilebeing transferred to court. Itwas reported that he wasassisted in his escape by a per-son on a motorcycle. Afterquestioning various familymembers on his whereabouts,they finally confessed that theyhelped the young man escapeto Saudi Arabia. Police arecoordinating with Saudi author-ities to arrest the fugitive.

Su laib iya fightPolice were able to break up

a fight in Sulaibiya betweenseven bedoon men before itturned deadly, reported Al-Anba. Upon arresting several ofthe brawlers, police discoveredthat they were in possession ofseveral knives. An investiga-tion revealed that the fight wasthe result of an argumentbetween one bedoon man, whoalso had Dutch nationality, and

a relative who gave him moneyto help him get the same nation-ality. When the man was unableto deliver on his promise his rel-ative was unconvinced andattacked the man because hebelieved that he was beingscammed.

Intoxicated driversA man was arrested in

Rumathiya for being so drunk hewas dancing in the middle of thestreet, reported Al-Anba. Hewas referred to a nearby policestation. Meanwhile, a citizen inhis forties was arrested after hewas found intoxicated in a carnear Zoor Port. Upon approach-ing the suspiciously parked car,police discovered the man sleep-ing inside his vehicle. After wak-ing him up, authorities realizedthat the man was heavily intoxi-cated. He was referred to theproper authorities.

Trio held for kidnap,rape of young girl

Fugitive flees to SaudiKUWAIT: Three rapists who kidnapped and assaulted an underage girl were caught by Salmiya detectives, reportedAl-Rai. The victim was kidnapped while walking along the beach by three men and brought to a chalet in Jlaiah whereshe was sexually assaulted. After being returned to the area where she was kidnapped, the victim informed her fatherand a report was f iled with police. Authorities were able to arrest one of the suspects based on information the victimprovided to police. When questioned by authorities, the detainee led of ficials to his accomplices. In their defense themen said that the young girl came along with them will ingly. All three of them were charged with kidnapping andsexually assaulting a minor.

LONDON: The British Queen Elizabethbegan a five-day state visit to the Gulf yes-terday to help strengthen Britain’s ties withthe region, it was officially announced here.

She will start the trip in Abu Dhabi, thecapital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE),and later in the week travel to the neigh-bouring GCC nation of Oman where the rul-ing Sultan Qaboos bin Sayed is celebratinghis 40th year in power.

The UK Government is attempting toreinvigorate its relationship with states inthe region and launched its Gulf Initiative inthe summer to promote the aim, officialssaid.

Britain has deep historical ties with the

area’s Arab nations and shared links acrossa range of topics from defence, trade and cli-mate change to culture, education andhealth, they added. The Queen has alreadyhosted a state visit by the Amir of Qatar lastmonth - a trip to the UK that bolsteredBritain’s ties with the Gulf.

She will be joined by her husband, theDuke of Edinburgh, during her two-day visitto Abu Dhabi and will also be accompaniedby Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Her second son, The Duke of York, in hisrole as the UK’s special representative forinternational trade and investment, will alsojoin the royal party for part of the Abu Dhabileg of the visit. One highlight of the trip will

see the Queen visit the impressive SheikhZayed Mosque or Grand Mosque in AbuDhabi, a building named after the sheikhwho was the first president of the UAE,according to the trip’s programme.

During her first full day in the emirate,the Queen will receive an official welcomefrom Abu Dhabi ruler Sheikh Khalifa, andwhile Philip and Andrew attend a militaryreception with a flypast of aircraft, she willhave a private meeting with Sheikha Fatima,the wife of the late ruler.

Britain’s trade with the UAE is consider-able. It is the UK’s 13th largest export mar-ket and by far the largest in the Middle East,after Saudi Arabia. — KUNA

UNITED NATIONS: TheUN’s MillenniumDevelopment Goals are stillobtainable by the set deadlineof 2015, despite increasedchallenge of late, should allparties show firm political willand exert sincere effort,Kuwait said at a UN meeting.

The sentiment was in thespeech by First Secretary atthe Kuwaiti Mission SaadAbdelaziz Al-Muhaini beforethe UN General Assembly’s65th session, during the meet-ing to discuss developmentregarding “Outcome of theMillennium Summit”.

The diplomat said: “Weagree with the SecretaryGeneral’s view that the devel-opment goals are still achiev-able, and that it is still possibleto create a better world of lessdivide and conflict, wider hori-zons of cooperation and part-nership, and more prevalentpeace and stability.”

Kuwait had taken its

pledge to help achieve thesegoals to heart and increasedits contributions towards“reaching that noble end ontime.” The state hiked its aidand support to developingnations to 1.31 percent of itsGross Domestic Product, hepointed out.

In aid of Africa with itsbane of widespread diseaseand poverty, the diplomatnoted that the state grantedIslamic Development Bank asum of $300 million to addressthis and related issues. It alsocontributed $100 million tothe Fund for Decent Living,founded on its initiative. HisHighness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabahalso initiated the set up TheArab Development Fund forsmall and medium projects at$2 billion and pledged $500million as its contribution incapital.

The diplomat also pointedout that the Kuwait Fund for

Arab Economic Developmentis as active as ever in support-ing development and infra-structure projects, now activein 100 states, and contributedsome $15 billion.

Al-Muhaini said the leaderswho attended the secondreview on progress regardingthe millennium goals inSeptember had indicated afailure to meet the first goal ofreducing poverty and hunger,and agreed more earnesteffort is needed regardinghealth of mothers and youngchildren, and closer coopera-tion is also needed to meetother goals.

The diplomat reiteratedthe agreement reached at themeeting in New York that it isstill possible to achieve thesegoals, through showing sin-cere political will and actionand through commitment byall parties in the internationalcommunity to their obliga-tions. He noted that Kuwait

had realized the road to over-all sustainable developmentpasses through local nationaldevelopment, and had accord-ingly drafted its 2010-2014development plan aiming atdevelopment in the sectorsand areas of education, healthcare, human resources, andinstitutional framework andfunction, with stress on thestate’s infrastructure.

The leaders had in theirmeeting in New York pointedout areas of specific challengeto realizing the millenniumgoals in the near future andpresent including the globaleconomic crisis, increasedprices of food products, fluctu-ation in fuel prices, and otherissues. They remarked actionwas particularly required onthe part of developed nations,who ought to honor theirpledges of channeling 0.7 per-cent of their GDP to develop-ment projects across theglobe. — KUNA

UN Millennium goals still achievable

British queen on Gulf tour

KUWAIT: As part of the TouristicEnterprises special program for Eid Al-Adha, Mesilla Beach hosted an internation-al circus show during the holiday, alongwith a range of competitions and other

events, all sponsored by Zain. Thousands of visitors flocked to the

venue to enjoy the events, with the cele-brations being declared a great success bythe management there.

TEC official Abdullah Shuaib in a group photo with the Mesilla Beach’s work team. Kids cheer a competitor during one of the contests.

Mesilla Beach

hosts Eid circus

Juggling

A competition winner is pictured with his prize.A family competition

Kids enjoying one of the events. Children take part in a circus routine.

7iNTerNaTioNalThursday, November 25, 2010

AMMAN: A handout picture from the Jordanian Royal Palace shows Jordan’sKing Abdullah (C) posing for a group picture with the newly formed cabinet inAmman on November 24, 2010 after they took the oath of office following aNovember 9 election. —AFP

TEL AVIV: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak speaks during a ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel on Tuesday. Barakon Tuesday condemned a recent bill approved by Israel’s parliament that would mean any land concessions to thePalestinians would be voted on in a referendum saying the bill wasn’t necessary and could be used by Israel’s ene-mies against it. —AP

CAIRO: Still flush with an unprece-dented 2005 election victory,Mohammed Akef, then the leader ofEgypt’s Muslim Brotherhood,remembers receiving a visitor with asinister message from the authori-ties. “They say they will break yourbones,” the visitor told Akef, afterthe banned Islamist movement won afifth of parliament’s seats with candi-dates running as independents. “Andthey have broken our bones,” saidthe retired Islamist leader.The 82-year-old looks at ease in

the Brotherhood’s river front Cairoheadquarters, which seem a worldaway from the almost daily clashesacross the country between Islamistsand police ahead of this week’s par-

liamentary election. Police havearrested at least 1,200 members ofthe Brotherhood since it announcedin October that it would participate inthe vote set for Sunday. The group,Egypt’s largest opposition force, has130 candidates left for 508 seats afterdozens were disqualified. Analystssay the crackdown has as much to dowith the ruling party’s insecurity as itdoes with the Brotherhood’s agenda,which is to eventually establish anIslamist state.“The violence shows that

National Democratic Party cannotcompete; it lacks a coherent ideolo-gy,” said Amr al-Shobaki, an analystwith the Al-Ahram Center forPolitical and Strategic Studies.

Deputy Supreme Guide MahmudEzzat says the group chose to fieldcandidates to protect hard-won free-doms, defying calls for a boycott fromsome of its membership and otheropposition groups. “If we do notenter the elections, restrictions onfreedoms would tighten. It will leadto a loss of hope among people thatwill either cause complete apathy oran explosion,” Ezzat said. Electoralparticipation also helps get thegroup’s message across, he added.Founded in 1928, the

Brotherhood says it wants to createan “Islamic generation” as the foun-dation of a state ruled by Islamic law.Religious parties are banned inEgypt. In 2005’s third round of vot-

ing, supporters tried to force theirway into polling stations closed afterthe group made surprising gains inthe first rounds, and others clashedwith police. “People tasted free-dom,” said Ezzat. “Yes, it may be aminority, but the Brotherhood’s per-sistence will widen the circle.” ButShobaki, author of a book on theIslamists, says the Brotherhood willnot muster the same amount of sup-port it did in 2005. Egyptians aremired in more material concerns asprices soar, and the election processitself is widely viewed with mistrust.Power lies with President Hosni

Mubarak, 82, who has ruled since1981 and has yet to say whether hewill run for re-election in late 2011.

“I see this as a failure in their parlia-mentary work and, given their (reli-gious) slogans, some intellectualsalso feel they are a threat to civilsociety,” he said. A draft politicalprogram leaked to the press a fewyears ago strengthened these fears.It said the country could not be ruledby a woman or Coptic Christian-Copts comprise up to 10 percent ofthe country’s 80-million population-and that a clerical council wouldoversee lawmaking. Ezzat insists hisgroup is committed to democracy.The group also faces suspicion fromthe United States, Egypt’s mainsource of foreign aid.Akef recalls meeting with senior

interior ministry officials before the

last election, who agreed to let himfield only about 150 candidates, buthe demanded that the governmentrelease Brotherhood prisoners.“They released the last prisonerover the phone, while I was sittingthere,” Akef said. “But they saiddon’t field too many people.” “Bush’spresidency was pressuring them fordemocracy,” he said. Washington’spressure on Egypt to hold fair elec-tions that year might have con-tributed to the group’s success. Butanalysts say Washington does notwant an Islamist government inEgypt that would be hostile to theUnited States and Israel, while theEgyptian government has warnedthat such a possibility should not be

ruled out.“It would come up in meetings

when Mubarak meets with membersof Congress,” said Michelle Dunne, aformer State Department diplomatand analyst with the CarnegieEndowment for International Peace.“He would say things like: ‘We havea lot of extremists and we need to becareful,’” said Dunne, a member of agroup of analysts who consult withUS officials on policy towardsEgyptian reforms. Dunne believes anIslamist government is a remotepossibility, a view she says is sharedby an increasing number of people inWashington who believe it shouldnot be used to justify political restric-tions. —AFP

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood battles security and suspicion

“But it’s hard to knowwhether that will be theresult. Many times themoment the governmentreaches an agreement, thepublic falls in line, even whenthe politicians don’t.” Thecontroversial law, which wassupported by Israeli PrimeMinister BenjaminNetanyahu, will make a refer-endum on handing overIsraeli-annexed land obligato-ry if the Knesset fails toapprove of the deal by a two-thirds majority. The legisla-tion comes at a time whenUS-brokered efforts to resus-citate direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks havefoundered over Jewish settle-ment building on occupiedterritory, making theprospects of a swift deal lookextremely remote.

DEATH SENTENCE?Netanyahu is considering

reviving a temporary freezeon building in the West Bankto help Washington renew thenegotiations, but is refusing tobow to Palestinian demandsthat the moratorium includeland seized around Jerusalemin 1967. Palestinians see thereferendum law as a spoilingtactic designed to prevent anypotential deals done underfuture left-leaning Israeli gov-ernments from ever being rat-ified. “This gives the power ofveto to the Israeli side. So inmy opinion, this is a deathsentence for the so-calledpeace process,” said MustafaAl-Barghouti, an independentPalestinian politician, who ranfor the presidency in a 2005election. However, thePalestinians also plan to hold areferendum on any eventualaccord, with no guaranteesthat their diverse electorate,including the far-flung refugeepopulation, will accept thelikely compromises needed toseal a deal.Israel itself has never held

a referendum in its 62-yearhistory, and previous peacetreaties with Arab neighborsEgypt and Jordan wereapproved by parliament. Thenew law does not apply tonon-annexed land, such as theWest Bank, but would includesovereign Israeli territoryoffered up as part of a landswap that any final peaceaccord with the Palestinianswill undoubtedly require.Opposition parties, and evensome members ofNetanyahu’s coalition, havecriticized the bill. “It’s not agood law, certainly not at thispoint in time,” said DefenseMinister Ehud Barak, leaderof the Labor party. “APalestinian state is in Israel’sclear interest,” he added.

DRIFTING RIGHTDaniel Levy, a former

Israeli peace negotiator andnow a senior research fellowat the New AmericaFoundation, said the idea of areferendum was first raisedby the centre-left. The factthey have changed their mindsuggested such a vote wouldbe hard to win, he said. “Itmay demonstrate a realisticreading of just how far to theright politically, ideologically

Israeli referendum law could complicate any peace deal

New layer of doubt cast over Mideast peace driveJERUSALEM: The path to Middle East peace, already strewn with an array of daunt-ing obstacles, has now got one more hurdle to overcome. Israel’s right-leaning coali-tion government this week passed a law that will probably force a referendum on anypeace deal that involves withdrawing from land annexed by Israel, including EastJerusalem and the Golan Heights, captured from Syria. Palestinians and Syrians havehowled in protest, saying that Israel was obliged by international law to return land

seized in a 1967 war and had no right to put the matter to a public vote. Israeli ana-lysts say such a vote will add a further level of doubt to the peace process, but believeit might remove an even bigger barrier by enabling the government to bypass the frac-tious parliament and appeal directly to the public. “Those who proposed this legisla-tion did so with the intent of putting up obstacles to a deal,” said Tamir Sheafer, apolitical scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

and demographically theIsraeli public has shifted,” headded, speaking from NewYork.A poll published in

September by the YediotAhronot newspaper foundIsraelis were divided downthe middle when asked if theysupported giving up the WestBank and swapping Israeliland in return for the majorJewish settlements.However, a HebrewUniversity poll from Marchsaid 71 percent of Israelissupported a 2-state solutionand 60 percent backed dis-mantling most of the settle-ments in such a deal. Themost heated and passionatedebate would likely arise overany moves to hand back EastJerusalem. Palestinians saythis will be the capital of theirlonged-for state, while Israelclaims all of Jerusalem as itsundivided capital. Even though its allies

refuse to recognize the annex-ation of East Jerusalem,including the Old City, formany Israelis Jerusalem is anon-negotiable part of theirbiblical heritage. ShmuelSandler, a senior researcherthe BESA Center forStrategic Studies near TelAviv, said he backed the ideaof a referendum because hedid not think a majority wouldbe found in the Knesset toaccept an accord. But heagreed that the emotiveissue of Jerusalem could causethe whole process to collapseat the last moment. “If (adeal) only involves Arabneighborhoods in EastJerusalem then it has a chance,but once we involve the OldCity and the holy places it willbecome a very, very toughdecision.” —Reuters

AMMAN: A new Jordanian government took theoath of office before King Abdullah II yesterday,after the monarch asked Prime Minister SamirRifai to form a new line-up following a November9 election. There are 11 new faces in the 31-mem-ber cabinet, which includes three women andthree deputy prime ministers, according to an offi-cial list.

Royal adviser Ayman Safadi becomes a deputyprime minister while two ministers who held thetitle in the outgoing cabinet-interior ministerNayef Qadi and minister of state Rajai Moasherboth leave office.The interior ministry will be taken over by

Saad Hayel Srour, a conservative former parlia-ment speaker who is a scion of one of the king-dom’s largest tribes. Two new faces are amongthe three women in the new government-RabihaDabbas, a former governor of the northernprovince of Jerash, becomes municipal affairs min-

ister, while Nisrin Barakat, a former secretarygeneral of the National Aid Fund, becomes publicdevelopment minister.Hala Lattouf retains her position as social

development minister. Shortly before his swear-ing-in, the prime minister said that Jordan faced“major challenges that require real coordinationbetween the government and parliament.” Hesaid that “change is the name of the game... some-thing that was reflected in the results of the par-liamentary poll which saw a majority of new mem-bers elected.” Pro-government loyalists sweptthis month’s vote, which was boycotted by theopposition Islamic Action Front. The king calledthe election two years early in the face of pressallegations of ineffectiveness and corruptionamong some of the MPs elected in the previouspoll in 2007. Rifai, 43, has headed the governmentsince December 2009 and had carried out areshuffle in July. —AFP

Jordan PM forms new government

Top Fatah members meet for talks on Israel, HamasRAMALLAH: Senior membersof Fatah, the party of Palestinianpresident Mahmud Abbas, metyesterday to discuss issuesfrom peace talks with Israel toreconciliation with Hamas. Therepresentatives from Fatah’sRevolutionary Council gatheredin the West Bank city ofRamallah from early morningfor a day of talks on domesticand international politicalaffairs.Abbas was during the day

expected to deliver “a veryimportant address on thedevelopments in the politicalsituation, the reconciliationprocess and the internal situa-tion of the movement,” councilmember Hussein Al-Sheikhsaid. He said Fatah’s efforts toreconcile with Hamas would bediscussed and would show theIslamist group was to blame forthe failure to reach a deal on agovernment of national unity.

The bitter divisions betweenFatah and Hamas go back to thestart of limited Palestinian self-rule in the 1990s, when Fatahstrongmen cracked down onthe Islamist militant group.Their divisions boiled over

in June 2007 when Hamas-which had won a parliamentaryelection a year earlier-droveAbbas’s loyalists from Gaza ina week of bloody clashes, seiz-ing control of the impoverishedterritory. All attempts at rec-onciliation, most of them medi-ated by Egypt, have failed, withFatah and Hamas accusingeach other of underminingtrust by persecuting politicalrivals in the territory under itscontrol. The last round tookplace in Damascus earlier thismonth, but ended withoutagreement, and the two sidessaid they would meet againafter Eid Al-Adha, which endedon Friday.

In a sign of the continuingdivisions, the RevolutionaryCouncil’s deputy Secretary-general Sabri Saidam slammedHamas’s decision “to stopmembers of the RevolutionaryCouncil in Gaza from coming totake part in the meeting.” Inresponse, Taher al-Nunu, aspokesman for the Hamas gov-ernment in Gaza, said theywould allow them to leave inreturn for the release of aHamas member arrested inNablus. The council memberswould be allowed to attend “inexchange for a symbolic ges-ture, the release of Tamam AbuSu’ud as a positive message toour people in the context ofreconciliation efforts andnational dialogue,” Nunu said.By refusing to release AbuSu’ud, “Fatah bears soleresponsibility for the restric-tion of movement of its lead-ers,” he added. —AFP

Sudan’s north accuses south of aiding rebels

Relations tensed ahead of independence vote KHARTOUM: Sudan’s north said yesterday thesemi-autonomous south of the country haddeclared war by supporting anti-government rebelsfrom Darfur, just weeks ahead of a referendum onsouthern independence. Sudan’s north-south civilwar ended in 2005 with a peace deal that sharedwealth and power, enshrined democratic transfor-mation and allowed southerners to vote in a Jan. 9plebiscite which most expect to result in secession.Sudan’s separate rebellion in Darfur-which is

part of the north-began in early 2003 and numeroustruces have failed to stem violence there. TheInternational Criminal Court has indicted PresidentOmar Hassan Al-Bashir for war crimes there. “Ifyou are accommodating these forces in the south,you are supplying these forces with weapons, logis-tics, petrol and cars ... we think that this is a decla-ration of war against the north of the country,”Mandour al-Mahdi, a senior official from the north-ern National Congress Party said. Abdel WahedMohamed el-Nur, leader of the Sudan LiberationArmy (SLA), one of Darfur’s main rebel groups,will visit the southern capital Juba in the comingdays, his spokesman said, and other rebel leaders

have visited or reside there.Mahdi said the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality

Movement (JEM) had moved its forces to the southto receive training. Earlier this month the northaccidentally bombed the south while fighting theJEM near the north-south border. South Sudan’sarmy was not immediately available for commentbut denies aiding rebels from Darfur. The south hasin the past hosted unity talks between the fractiousrebels to try to help move the Darfur peace processforward. If the south separates, Darfur will remainpart of the north.The dispute marks a low point in north-south

relations which have been tense in the build up tothe plebiscite. Talks on resolving the status of thedisputed Abyei region are deadlocked and littleprogress has been made on defining citizenship,the border or other post-referendum issues. Mahdisaid the south’s support for Darfur rebels wasaffecting talks covering security arrangementsafter the referendum. “They should expel theseforces out of south Sudan ... overall I hope that wereach a settlement of this issue so as not to affectthe referendum,” he said. —Reuters

8 Thursday, November 25, 2010INTERNATIONAL

GORKI: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L) speaks with ChinesePrime Minister Wen Jiabao during their meeting at the Gorki residence out-side of Moscow yesterday. — AFP

HARARE: A Zimbabwean shop worker displays food cans in a supermarket in Harare onOctober 13, 2010. Zimbabwean restaurant-goers used to pull out giant wads of near-worthless cash that could take longer to count than the time to eat the meal. — AFP

STRASBOURG: A British Euro MP was booted fromthe European Parliament yesterday after calling aGerman colleague an “undemocratic fascist.” The ver-bal dust-up between Godfrey Bloom, member of theUK Independence Party, and Germany’s MartinSchulz, leader of the assembly’s Socialist bloc, causeda stir in the middle of a debate on Europe’s economiccrisis.

As Schulz was asked to wrap up a statement,Bloom interjected. “He just said ‘ein Volk, ein Reich,ein Fuehrer,’ that’s what I just heard,” Schulz told the736-member parliament in Strasbourg, saying Bloomhad uttered the Nazi motto “One People, One Empire,One Leader.” Parliament president Jerzy Buzekdemanded that Bloom apologise, but the euroscepticBritish lawmaker was unrepentant.

“The views expressed by ‘Herr’ Schulz make thecase. He is an undemocratic fascist,” Bloom told thechamber, prompting Buzek to throw him out of theparliamentary session. Buzek said: “As you know,most of the members of the chamber cannot acceptyour behavior. I will therefore ask you to leave thechamber at this point.” The heads of five politicalgroups-including the biggest group in parliament, the

conservative European People’s Party-urged Buzek toimpose “a severe sanction” on Bloom.

“We can never accept that members of theEuropean Parliament insult their colleagues in a waythat recalls the worst hours of our history,” the politi-cal leaders said in a statement. The UK IndependenceParty is no stranger to controversy. In February, theparty’s leader Nigel Farage said EU President Herman

Van Rompuy had “the charisma of a damp rag and theappearance of a low-grade bank clerk.”

For his part, Schulz was hit once before with a Nazismear in 2003 when Italian Prime Minister SilvioBerlusconi said he would be the “perfect” fit for the“role of a kapo” in a film. Kapos were Jews in chargeof policing fellow prisoners in Nazi concentrationcamps. — AFP

British Euro MP booted from parliament in ‘fascist’ spat

Asllani’s case is caught up in the hybrid legal systemof Kosovo, whose own weak judicial system leavesEuropean Union judges and prosecutors to handle majorcases involving terrorism and warcrimes. Kosovo,whose independence was recognised by all but a handfulof countries nearly three years ago, wants to join theEuropean Union one day but remains an internationalprotectorate more than a decade after its war for libera-tion from Serbia.

The FBI “Wanted” poster on the internet(http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/alert/bajram-asllani) hascomplicated life for Asllani, who lives on state unem-ployment benefits for his wife and three children of just75 euros ($100) a month.

“I lost my job and there are times when I don’t haveenough to feed my children,” he said after offering aguest a glass of strawberry juice in his ramshacklehouse. “No one is hiring me. They tell me: you are a ter-rorist, you have attacked the Americans.”

The FBI wanted poster reads: “Bajram Asllani is analleged co-conspirator with a group of eight individualsin the United States who were allegedly co-conspiringto engage in violent jihad, or holy war, and to raisemoney for mujihadeen, or warriors engaged in violentjihad.” Asllani, a Kosovar Albanian, was arrested in Junebut released after EU judges rejected a US request for

his extradition.The EU judges found that the United States had not

provided sufficient grounds for believing that Asllani hadcommitted the offences, and also cited the absence of anextradition accord between Washington and Pristina.Asllani says he is innocent of the charges.

The man the FBI considers highly dangerous livesnext door to a United Nations building, and on a typicalday prays in a local mosque and greets police officerswhen he goes shopping. His appearance is the same asthe long-haired, bearded image that appears onInterpol’s website http://link.reuters.com/rur76q, whichadvises those with information about his whereabouts tocontact police or Interpol. “I am a victim of secret ser-vices,” said Asllani, who is accused of providing materi-al support to terrorism suspects and conspiring to killand hurt people abroad.

He is accused of having ties and soliciting moneyfrom men in North Carolina arrested last year for analleged plot to attack a US Marine Corps base inQuantico, Virginia, and alleged plans to hurt peopleoverseas including in Kosovo, Jordan and the Gaza Strip.The complaint alleges Asllani was preparing to buy landin Kosovo to build a base for extremist Islam, includingthe storage of weapons and training of fighters with theaim of committing terrorist acts overseas.

“We continue to seek his prosecution in the UnitedStates,” said US Justice Department spokesman DeanBoyd. In September 2009, a Serbian court sentencedAsllani in absentia to eight years in prison for sellingweapons to Islamic militants, a charge he denies. Hishouse is a few hundred metres from the Ibar River,which divides the part of the city under Kosovo govern-ment control from an ethnic Serb community loyal toBelgrade.

Not only the United States and Serbia want to seeAsllani behind bars-the Kosovo government hasapproved a request from US Secretary of State HillaryClinton to extradite him. “The Americans know some-thing about him and they will not just accuse someonewho has not done something,” a Kosovo governmentsource close to the case told Reuters. “He should havegone to United States to face all accusations.”

Asllani said all he had left was his family and his faith,which he said had helped him overcome the horrors hewitnessed during Kosovo’s 1998-99 war. “I saw peoplewith hearts cut out, without heads, and after the war Ihad a lot of trauma,” he said. “Islam has saved me fromthese traumas. I thank God that has helped me.“Everything has been black since I was accused,” hesaid. “If I was armed and dangerous, I would not be hereand I would have better living conditions.” — Reuters

EU judges have defied US, Kosovo on extradition

Alleged jihadist wanted by FBI lives openly in KosovoMITROVICA: The United States considers lumberjack Ba jram Asllani one ofits most wanted men but, because of Kosovo’s unusual international sta tus, itis unable to extradite ands interrogate him. Unlike others on the “most want-ed” list, Asllani is not hiding out in a distant desert or rugged mountain range.The 30-year-old lives openly w ith his family in Kosovo, a pro-American

Balkan country where about 800 US soldiers help preserve a fragile peacebetween majority ethnic Albanians and minority Serbs, formerly the territo-ry’s rulers. A friendly local policeman even pointed the way to his streetwhen a journa list recently tried to find Asllani’s home in Mitrovica, one of thecountry’s largest cities.

VATICAN: Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing, flanked by his personalaide Rev Georg Gaenswein, right, and Archbishop James Harvey, Prefect ofthe Papal Household, during his weekly general audience, in Paul VI Hall, atthe Vatican yesterday. — AP

MOSCOW: President Dmitry Medvedev yesterdaylaunched an unprecedented attack on the party that hasruled Russia for the past decade, saying its dominancehas left the country stuck in “stagnation.” UnitedRussia-whose overall leader is prime minister andMedvedev’s Kremlin predecessor Vladimir Putin-hasheld an overwhelming majority in parliament since itscreation in 2001.

Russia’s liberals have been sidelined to the point ofhaving no members in parliament and the ruling partycontrols almost every legislature and governorshipacross the country’s 11 time zones. But Medvedev saidthe resulting system has made Russia into a monoliththat is resistant to productive change and unreceptive tominority voices. “If the ruling party has no chance ofever losing anywhere, it eventually ‘bronzes over’ anddegrades, just like any other living organism that doesnot move,” Medvedev said in a video blog address.

He also blamed United Russia for dominating tele-vision airtime and receiving a number of other importantadvantages from federal and local election officials. “Wemust have equality that is not simply declarative innature-as it had been in the past-but that is real andmeasured in hours, minutes and even seconds,”Medvedev said. His comments came ahead of a majorpolicy address the Kremlin chief will deliver to the twohouses of parliament Tuesday-a speech that will be readclosely for signs of whether Medvedev plans to stand forreelection in 2012.

Medvedev gave few hints about his own future yes-terday but admitted that some unpleasant realities haddeveloped under his watch. “At a certain point, our polit-ical life started showing symptoms of stagnation,” hesaid in a blog address that he periodically records in a bidto appear more approachable to the Russian public.

“And this stagnation is equally damaging to both theruling party and the opposition forces.” The Russianword for stagnation (or “zastoi”) is often used by histo-

rians to describe the political drift that the Soviet Unionexperienced in the latter years of Leonid Brezhnev’sleadership-a period when the country’s status as asuperpower began to wane. But Russia’s liberals accuseMedvedev of failing to match his ambitious rhetoric withconcrete improvements in democracy and human rights.

“Words are not enough-we need action,” liberalleader and one-time parliament member VladimirRyzhkov told the Interfax news agency. “If the presidentreally does want take stagnation out of our political lifeand for there to be real competition between the parties,he would need to radically review all the anti-constitu-tional laws we have now,” Ryzhkov said. Some analystsspeculate that Medvedev really would like to introduceradical political change-but that the system he inheritedfrom Putin is too resistant.

“The question is whether he will be able to imposethis change without threatening stability,” said AlexeiMakarkin of the Centre for Political Technologies policyinstitute. “Many people will oppose this-both in UnitedRussia and among the state bureaucrats,” Makarkinsaid. The Russian leader-seen by some analysts as moreliberal than Putin-has positioned himself in the run-up tothe 2012 election campaign as a modernising force forRussia.

But he has said little in public about whether he willrun for a second term once this one expires. The 2012election can potentially also be contested by Putin-whowould be allowed to stand for a third term under a con-stitutional loophole. Medvedev has previouslyexpressed mild concern over the role United Russiaplays in the country’s politics. But this appears to be hisfirst full-out criticism of the ruling party’s supremacy.

“We understand Dmitry Anatolyevich (Medvedev)perfectly well,” top party official Andrei Vorobyov toldMoscow Echo radio. “A contemporary democracy needscompetition,” he added. “We do not view the oppositionas the enemy-it is simply a different voice.”— AFP

Medvedev slams ruling

party for ‘stagnation’

Gambia cuts economic, diplomatic ties with IranBANJUL: Gambia’s government is cut-ting off economic, political and social tieswith Iran and expects Iranian governmentofficials to leave the tiny West Africannation yesterday.

Gambia’s Foreign Ministry did not saywhy it was abruptly severing relations,but a senior Gambian security official saidTuesday the move was linked to Nigeria’srecent seizure of arms sent from Iran,which were allegedly destined forGambia. The official declined to be namedbecause of the sensitivity of the subject.Habib Jarra, permanent secretary atGambia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,denied the weapons seizure was part ofthe decision, but he gave no other expla-nation.

Iran’s ambassador to Gambia alsooffered no explanation and said the newswas a “surprise.” The Iranian state newsagency IRNA, meanwhile, cited AlaeddinBroujerdi, who heads Iran Foreign Policyparliamentary commission, as saying theUnited States had pressured Gambia tocut relations with Iran because “Iran’sgrowing ties with African countries hadcaused concern in the US and its allies.”A Gambian Foreign Ministry statementissued Monday gave Iranian governmentofficials 48 hours to leave the country.Artillery rockets and other weapons,loaded in 13 shipping containers thatwere labeled as building supplies, wereseized on Oct 26 at a port in Lagos,Nigeria. Nigeria’s security service saidthe shipment, which originated in Iran,may have been destined for Nigerianpoliticians intending violence if they losein upcoming elections. The shipment satuntouched for weeks, a common occur-rence at the port, and the Iranian shipperfiled a request for the containers to bepicked up again and shipped to the WestAfrican nation of Gambia.

Iran’s foreign minister said at the timethe issue had been a “misunderstanding”that had been settled. Gambia, a formerBritish colony, is a tiny sliver of land sur-rounded on three sides by Senegal.Gambian President Yahya Jammehgrabbed power in a 1994 coup and has areputation for authoritarian rule andcracking down harshly on decent.

In 2006, Jammeh hosted IranianPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at anAfrican summit in the capital, Banjul. Thevisit was seen as an attempt to drum upsupport from developing nations its stand-off with the United States and Europeover its nuclear program. — AP

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican yesterday denouncedChina for ordaining a bishop without papal consent,accusing the government-backed church of gravely dam-aging the faith and warning that the bishop riskedexcommunication. Pope Benedict XVI learned of theordination of Rev. Joseph Guo Jincai “with deep regret”as it constituted a “grave violation” of church law andhampered reconciliation efforts that have been a priorityfor the papacy, the Vatican press office said.

The Vatican also accused Chinese authorities ofcommitting “grave violations of freedom of religion andconscience” by forcing Vatican-approved bishops toattend the ceremony. Guo was ordained a bishopSaturday in Chengde, the first time in five years thatChina had carried out an ordination without Rome’s con-sent. News reports have said Chinese authorities forcedat least three Vatican-approved bishops to attend,sequestering them for several days beforehand.Communist China forced its Roman Catholics to cut tieswith the Vatican in 1951, and worship is allowed only instate-backed churches, although millions of Chinesebelong to unofficial congregations loyal to Rome. Inrecent years under Benedict, relations have improvedand Benedict has said that restoring diplomatic relationsis a priority. Disputes over appointments in China’s offi-cial church have been avoided by quietly conferring oncandidates, leading to several ordinations of bishops with

the Holy See’s blessing.But Guo, a deputy secretary of the Chinese Catholic

Patriotic Association, the state-controlled group thatruns Catholic churches in China, didn’t have the pope’sconsent. He now risks an automatic excommunication,the harshest punishment in church law, the Vatican said.In response, Liu Bainian, vice chairman of the ChineseCatholic Patriotic Association, said he believed the popecared for Chinese Catholics and didn’t think the excom-munication would be formalized. “There are so manyfollowers in China. I believe the pope loves China, hewon’t make such a decision,” Liu said. While reaffirm-ing its willingness to improve relations, the Vatican saidordinary Catholics in China and Chengde in particularwere most harmed by the decision. The ordination“humiliates them because the Chinese civil authoritieswish to impose on them a pastor who is not in full com-munion either with the Holy Father or with the otherbishops throughout the world,” the Vatican said. Themove by China, the statement continued, “offends theHoly Father, the church in China and the universalchurch and further complicates the present pastoral dif-ficulties” involved in tending to a flock in both an officialand unofficial church. The Vatican blasted the govern-ment for allowing the Chinese Catholic PatrioticAssociation, and in particular Bainian “to adopt attitudesthat gravely damage the Catholic Church.”— AP

HARARE: Zimbabwean restaurant-goers used to pull outgiant wads of near-worthless cash that could take longer tocount than the time to eat the meal. If the order was evenavailable. Now diners can peruse anything from wildpigeon consomme to Brazilian churrascaria meats, paid forwith a few dollar bills. And once-empty supermarketsboast exotica like biscotti and crusty baguette sticks as“dollarisation”-with the US dollar the de facto currencyafter the government ditched the local money battered byhyper-inflation-revives the capital’s food scene.

“Everything was a major problem. You went to a spe-ciality restaurant which didn’t have the speciality,”recalled restaurant critic Dusty Miller at independentweekly newspaper The Standard. “It really wasalmost...you paid for your soup when you got it because ifyou waited till after your pudding the bill had gone up 20percent,” he said. Now under a 2008 political power-shar-ing pact and the introduction of the US currency last year,Harare’s food scene has done a U-turn. Choices rangefrom one-dollar spots selling “sadza”, a traditional maizeporridge with a dollop of stew, to a chocolate shop offering75 flavours.

“Over the past year there’s been a lot happening,” saidJoseph Bunga, director of a year-old online restaurantguide catering mainly to middle-class and corporateclients. Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown led to wide-spread shortages, from fuel to empty supermarket shelves,after years of political turmoil under veteran leaderPresident Robert Mugabe. Yet even during the crisisyears, some restaurants were artificially busy. “If I spentmy 100,000 (Zimbabwe) dollars tonight, I could eat a beau-tiful steak but tomorrow I couldn’t buy a potato with thatmoney,” said Bunga.

“So what would I do? I’d go and I’d spend the moneythat same evening,” said Bunga, who once paid for a mealwith a wad of cash the size of a rugby ball. Bunga, whostarted his “Eat Out Zimbabwe” site with the upswing,estimates that 20 new eateries have opened in the countryin the last year . His guide now lists 238 restaurants, car-ries reviews for local and visiting “foodies” and recentlylaunched a restaurant booking service.

“There’s more competition out so everyone is fighting

for that small percentage of the market that can afford to goout to restaurants,” said Julie Webb, who owns the sleekMojo’s Brazilian-style barbecue restaurant with partnerMohamed Samy. Likewise supermarkets, whose emptyshelves forced many shoppers to cross borders to buy thebasics, are packed not only with staples but also luxuryfoods like cakes, mushrooms, Japanese soba noodles andFrench cheeses.

“It’s improved drastically,” said Marios Pavlou, opera-tions director of the Athienitis Spar grocery, one of sever-al outlets of the global food retailer in the capital. “Everyday was an uphill struggle for us. Most of our days werespent just trying to keep afloat and adjust prices to keep inline with our suppliers. “There are a lot of stores that haveopened in past few months and probably before December,another 10 Spar stores are going to open,” said Pavlou, “sothat’s a sign that obviously the grocery industry is growingfast.”

Like many shoppers, Mary Mbewe is glad the days aregone when half a litre (half a quart) of long-life milk couldcost 60 billion Zimbabwe dollars and a kilogram of beef 438billion, according to July 2008 state-set prices.

“I can buy whatever I want as long as I have themoney,” she said. Though the economy has shown a sec-ond straight year of growth, there are still challenges. Forone, the bulk of goods today are imported as local suppliersstruggle to re-emerge-in a country whose commercialfarming was once a source of exports and foreignexchange.

And though the situation has improved since the peakof the food crisis in 2008, when about half the nation’s 12million people needed aid with the failure of crops and thecollapse of the economy, some 1.7 million Zimbabweansstill need food aid today, according to UN food agenciesestimates in August.

Most Zimbabweans “could not dream of coming to alovely restaurant like this,” conceded Miller during Mojo’slunch trade. Unemployment and poverty remain high, andeven civil servant salaries average only about 200 US dol-lars, like many Zimbabweans. “They’re lucky to get asquare meal on the table perhaps every other day. That isa tragedy,” he said. — AFP

From empty shelves to biscotti, Zimbabwe food scene revives

Vatican denounces China for bishop ordination

9Thursday, November 25, 2010 INTERNATIONAL

The resolution was amend-ed from versions passed inprevious years in an attemptto secure support fromWestern nations. Instead ofdefamation of religion, itspeaks of “vilification.” It alsocondemned acts of violenceand intimidation due to“Islamophobia, Judeophobiaand Christianophobia.” Lastyear’s resolution, as in previ-ous years, focused on Islamand did not mention Judaismand Christianity. Despite the changes, how-

ever, the United States,European Union and theirallies rejected the resolution’scalls for legislation banningthe defamation of religion.The text, submitted byMorocco on behalf of Muslimstates, said the assembly“urges all States to provide ...adequate protection againstacts of hatred, discrimination,intimidation and coercionresulting from vilification ofreligions, and incitement toreligious hatred in general.”

FREEDOM OFEXPRESSION

US envoy John Sammistold the Third CommitteeWashington believes theamendments are inadequate.“We are disappointed to seethat despite our efforts anddiscussions on this resolution,the text once again seems totake us farther apart, ratherthan helping to bridge the his-torical divides,” he said. “Theresolution still seeks to curtailand penalize speech,” he said.“The changes ... unfortunatelydo not get to the heart of ourconcerns-the text’s negativeimplications for both freedomof religion and freedom ofexpression.” He also said it was wrong

to try to apply internationalhuman rights laws to religiousbeliefs, since human rightsare intended to protect indi-viduals, not governments orreligions. Islamic states saysuch resolutions do not aim tolimit free speech but to stoppublications like those of theDanish cartoons showing theProphet Mohammed, whichsparked bloody protests byMuslims around the world in2005.Pamela Kling Takiff of

Human Rights First, a US-based advocacy group, saidthe resolution fails to recog-nize the importance of free-dom of expression and pro-vides explicit support fornational blasphemy anddefamation laws that havebeen used to stifle freedom ofexpression. Leonard Leo,chairman of the USCommission on InternationalReligious Freedom, issued astatement welcoming thedecline in support for the res-olution. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: Travelers and transporta-tion screeners alike dream of a day whenpeople will no longer have to spread theirlegs and lift their arms for intimate pat-downs or see-through body scanners.Laptops would never have to be taken out ofbags, shoes would stay snugly on the feetand yet danger could still be averted bysome silent technology that would harm-lessly detect bombs and weapons on would-be criminals.Industry wonks imagine this technology

would provide a “tunnel of truth” throughwhich travelers could pass without stopping,unless of course the machines detectedsome dangerous tool or trace explosive onthem. But that day is a long way off, sincenone of the new technologies under consid-

eration by the US government provides away to do a truly complete search of passen-gers, experts say.“With all the expense and complication

they are doing with these body scanners,they have still not completely deployedsomething that does comprehensive detec-tion on concealments by people,” an indus-try source said on condition of anonymity.The current star of the show is the bodyscanner, which has sparked uproar in the USpublic over the detailed body images itshows to the people working as screeners inairports. The US government insists thatadvanced imaging technology (AIT), whichuses millimeter wave or backscatter tech-nology to either bounce electromagneticwaves off a person or project mild X-rays-is

safe. But critics point out it would likelymiss explosives hidden in shoes or in bodycavities.An improvement to AIT that could sooth

the sensitivities of body-conscious travelersis known as automated target recognition(ATR), which would allow the scanner tofocus on any anomalies, such as a knife, andblur out the rest. Screeners would see astick figure or a blob of the person beingscanned, and any suspicious area would behighlighted so that a security expert couldproceed with a more targeted pat-down.“The only concern I have about that is thereis currently a high rate of false positives,”John Pistole, head of the TransportationSecurity Administration (TSA), told law-makers earlier this month.”High false posi-

tives result in more pat-downs,” he said,noting that screeners at Schiphol Airport inAmsterdam were testing the technology andthat studies would continue.Previous generation body scanners, such

as the “puffer” machines called explosivestrace portals (ETP) that scanned a personfor explosives by surrounding them with asudden burst of air as they stepped througha screening device, have been abandoned.“They didn’t work very well and there was alarge cost,” said Tim Persons, chief technol-ogist at the Government AccountabilityOffice (GAO), which has tracked the UStransportation authority’s search for newtechnology. Some individual advances haveshown promise, such as liquid scanners thatcan detect what is in bottles inside carry-on

luggage, and scanners that specifically checkcasts and artificial limbs.A company called Syagen recently won a

contract with the Department of HomelandSecurity to use its mass spectrometry tech-nique, which a spokesman described as “anair shower,” for explosives screening ofcargo. It was a welcome gain for Syagen,after it spent two million dollars developinga trace explosives scanner for passengersknown as The Guardian that was cast asideby the TSA after it determined that puffers,which used a related technology, were rid-den with problems. But shoes have offered perhaps the

toughest puzzle, ever since attempted shoe-bomber Richard Reid boarded a plane inParis in 2001 and tried to ignite explosives

in his sneakers.“TSA and other agencies are working

very actively on the shoe problem,” saidBrook Miller, vice president of SmithsDetection, which is working on a new-gen-eration body scanner that would providereal-time information to screeners. “Thebody scanners in all likelihood would havesome trouble finding things that are in shoesif they are left on,” he said, admitting no onehas yet found the “magic bullet” for airlinedetection technology. The rush to install air-port body scanners, now in 70 airports, fol-lowed the 2009 Christmas Day bombattempt, when a young Nigerian allegedlytried to ignite plastic explosives concealedin his underwear as his plane came in to landin Detroit. — AFP

‘Tunnel of truth’ for air travelers is a long way off

Support for UN vote against the defaming religion wanes

Muslim states vote for resolution, Westerners oppose

UNITED NATIONS: A UN General Assembly committee once again voted to condemn the “vil if icat ion of religion” on Tuesday, but support nar-rowed for a measure that Western powers say is a threat to freedom of expression. The non-binding resolut ion, championed by Is lamic states andopposed by Western countr ies, passed by only 12 votes in the General Assembly’s Third Committee, which focuses on human rights, 76-64 with42 abstentions. Opponents noted that support had fal len and opposition increased since last year, when the Third Committee vote was 81-55 with43 abstentions. The 192-nation General Assembly is expected to formally adopt the measure next month.

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Growingpolitical violence that has lefttwo dead this week and a rag-ing cholera epidemic spreadingfaster than expected areprompting calls to delay week-end elections in post-quakeHaiti. The victims were shotdead late Monday inBeaumont, a small town insouthwestern Haiti, after sup-porters of leading candidatesJude Celestin and CharlesHenri Baker squared off armedwith firearms, rocks and bot-tles. Haiti, already ravaged by a

catastrophic earthquake inJanuary, is also battling a spi-raling cholera epidemic thathas killed 1,415 people, amongmore than 56,000 cases,including 25,000 who requiredhospital treatment. UN healthofficials warned the death tollwas likely underestimated, andthat the impoverished nationcould see up to 200,000 choleracases in the next three monthsand 400,000 over the nextyear.“Cholera is virtually every-

where in the country,” said JonKim Andrus, deputy director ofthe Pan American HealthOrganization. Human rightsgroups are leading calls todelay the vote in light of the

outbreak of the highly infec-tious disease. “Cholera is agame changer in the most fun-damental sense. It is an imme-diate and critical crisis thatrequires all hands on deck inresponse,” said Melinda Miles,executive director of the groupLet Haiti Live. “What we cansay, definitively, is that... noelections held in the midst ofthe current exploding choleracrisis can be considered credi-ble.” Fear has grown that thedisease could spread morequickly in an election environ-ment when people have tomove around and congregate tocampaign. Nearly 4.7 million Haitians

are eligible to vote in Sunday’spresidential elections, whichwill also see 11 of the country’s30 senators and all 99 parlia-mentary deputies chosen.Haiti’s next president faces thedaunting task of rebuilding atraumatized nation of 10 mil-lion that was already the poor-est in the Americas before theearthquake flattened much ofPort-au-Prince and claimed250,000 lives. But one promi-nent candidate, former primeminister Jacques-EdouardAlexis, insisted the electionsmust go ahead as planned toensure that President Rene

Preval leaves office as sched-uled on February 7.The US ambassador to

Haiti, Kenneth Merten, alsourged no delay with the polls,saying issues surrounding thedisease and the election can beavoided “as long as people areinformed... of how they canprotect themselves fromcholera and what treatment toseek.” Washington hopes tosee “broad participation amongthe Haitian population in thisimportant election,” he added.Billions of dollars of interna-tional aid money could besquandered if no credible gov-ernment emerges to replacePreval, himself under fire forhis management of the choleraoutbreak. The run-up to theelections has been furthercomplicated by anti-UN riots inseveral regions, particularly inthe north where aid agenciescomplain their choleraresponse is being badly ham-pered. UN peacekeepers fromNepal are accused of bringingcholera into the country theepidemic erupted suspiciouslynear their base in the centralArtibonite River valley-andmany Haitians are convincedthey are to blame. Troops withMINUSTAH, as the UN mis-sion in Haiti is known, fired

tear gas on crowds in runningclashes that lasted severalhours in Port-au-Prince lastweek after days of rioting thatleft at least three dead innorthern Cap-Haitien. Port-au-Prince had been seen asparticularly at risk of wide-spread infection because of thecrowded and unsanitary condi-tions endured by those living intent cities.But fewer than 80 deaths

have been recorded so far inthe capital and the humanitari-an group Doctors WithoutBorders (MSF), which hastaken a lead role in treating thedisease there, says the situa-tion here is stabilizing. Fear ofcatching the ailment, which canrapidly lead to diarrhea anddehydration if untreated, hasled Haitians to alter their dailyhabits, including their mun-dane daily greetings. Nowrather than shaking hands,acquaintances are offering oneanother “fist bumps,” makinggentle knuckle-to-knucklerather than palm-to-palm con-tact, in hopes of minimizing thelikelihood of spreading germs.Four isolated cholera caseshave been found in the neigh-boring Dominican Republic andtwo in the southern US state ofFlorida. — AFP

CAP HAITIEN: A baby sits next to her mother who suffers from cholera symptoms in a sport centerthat has been converted into a cholera treatment center in Cap Haitien, Haiti on Tuesday. — AP

Calls to delay Haiti vote amid surging unrest and cholera

PHOENIX: Sarah Palin greets fans and supporters as she signs her book“America by Heart,” during a book signing event at a Barnes & Noble storeon Tuesday in Phoenix. — AP

NEW YORK: If seeing SarahPalin as a cable television punditand a reality show star hasAmericans wondering who sheis, her new book makes her casethat she is not just a celebrity buta politician-one with what clearlysounds like plans for a WhiteHouse run. In “America byHeart,” published Tuesday byHarperCollins, the formerAlaska governor aligns herselfwith the Tea Party movementand takes shots at bothDemocrats and Republicans.Without saying if she will run forpresident in 2012, she states herpositions in a manner not unlikea campaign platform.She believes federal taxes are

a Washington “power grab”which should abolished, wantsprayers allowed in schools andwants to overturn whatPresident Barack Obama sees ashis biggest legislative achieve-ment-healthcare reform. “Thereason for books like this is to laythe groundwork for a potentialpresidential candidacy,” saidThomas Schwartz, history pro-fessor at Vanderbilt Universityin Nashville. “Books like thishave long been used in theAmerican political tradition as acampaign policy paper. If it mobi-lizes supporters, it will haveaccomplished its goal.”Palin portrays herself in the

Ronald Reagan mold. She openswith “Do you love your free-dom?!” and calls America “theshining city on a hill that RonaldReagan believed it is.” She saysone of her favorite films is “Mr

Smith Goes to Washington,”recalls the fall of the SovietUnion and says the Declarationof Independence gives her“chills.”

‘SPUR TO ACTION’But her book goes beyond

rhetoric. She calls Obama’shealthcare reform an “unsustain-able bill (which) jeopardizes thevery thing it was supposed tofix.” “We don’t consider thehealth care vote a done deal, notby a long shot,” she says, callingit “a spur to action.” And ontaxes, she shows her Tea Partystripes. “America hasn’t alwayshad an income tax,” she writes,noting the first such tax was in1861 to fund the Civil War andwas later repealed. “It wasn’t until 1913 that the

Sixteenth Amendment to theConstitution was ratified and theindividual federal income tax thatwe know today was created.”Palin calls her 2008 presidentialrunning mate, US Senator JohnMcCain, a hero and cites Alexisde Tocqueville’s writings. Shealso loves “The Incredibles” ani-mated movie and broaches thetopic of abortion by praisingJason Reitman’s movie “Juno,”about a teenager choosing tohave a baby. “A European moviemight have had Juno get herabortion in the opening sceneand then spend the next hour andfifteen minutes smoking ciga-rettes and pondering the mean-ing of life,” she writes. “It wouldhave been depressing and bor-ing.”Schwartz said Palin’s use of

modern media, from having herown reality TV show to herastute use of Twitter, will boosther profile. But, he said, whatshe really needs is more gravitasto better appeal to the indepen-dent voters needed to make hera serious presidential candidate.Rather than call herselfRepublican, Palin calls herself a“Commonsense ConstitutionalConservative.” “If Democratsare driving the country towardsocialism at a hundred miles perhour, while the Republicans aredriving at only fifty, common-sense constitutional conserva-tives want to turn the cararound,” she writes. “We want toget back to the basics that havemade this country great-the fun-damental values of family, faith,and flag.”Michael Musto, pop culture

writer at New York’s VillageVoice, said calling for no federaltaxes will appeal to many voters.But he said the Palin brand maybe spread too thin, noting herdaughter Bristol has generatedendless headlines as a finalist on“Dancing with the Stars.” “She’scertainly reaching out to themasses, both with this book andthe fact that she and her daugh-ter are on just about every chan-nel you click on these days,”Musto said. “The problem withthat approach is that by 2012, sheand Bristol might both bethought of as former realitystars,” Musto said. “Anyoneremember who came in secondon ‘American Idol’ two yearsago? Exactly.” — Reuters

Palin calls for end to federal income tax

Palin book sets out her ‘commonsense’ platform

RIO DE JANEIRO: A police officer guards the area where a bus was burnedby alleged drug traffickers at the Santa Cruz slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilyesterday. Heavily armed men halted buses and cars, robbed their passen-gers and set the vehicles ablaze yesterday in Rio de Janeiro, continuing awave of violence that has rattled rich and poor alike in a city Brazil hopes tomake a showplace for the 2016 Olympics. — AP

MEXICO CITY: Nearly half the Mexicanpublic considers President FelipeCalderon’s offensive against drug cartelsa failure, a poll suggested for the firsttime since the conservative leaderlaunched the deadly crackdown in 2006.The survey shows 49 percent of respon-dents consider the crackdown has failed,compared with just 33 percent who thinkit has succeeded. Last time the Mitofskypolling agency conducted the same sur-vey, in March, the results were almost

the opposite, with 47 percent of thosepolled considering the drug war a suc-cess, while 36 percent thought it a fail-ure.Observers say the turnaround in

opinion is a reflection of the public’sgrowing impatience with the crackdown,which has seen more than 28,000 peoplekilled since December 2006. “This isprecisely because (people) aren’t seeinginsecurity go down,” said Eduardo Gallo,whose association, Mexico United

Against Violence, sponsored the survey.The polling numbers bear out Gallo’shypothesis, with 83 percent of respon-dents saying Mexico is more dangerousnow than a year ago, compared with 15percent saying it was less dangerous.Calderon defended the government’s

record, saying in a speech Tuesday thatthe violence plaguing certain regions ofthe country is the responsibility of thecartels and not a result of governmentactions. “There are those who think that

it would have been better not to combatthe criminal actions,” Calderon said dur-ing a visit to the state of Colima, wherethe former governor was slain over theweek. “Those people are wrong.”Tuesday’s survey was carried out viaface-to-face interviews with 1,000 peo-ple from Oct. 28-31 by the Mitofskypolling agency for Mexico UnitedAgainst Violence. The poll had with amargin of error of fewer than 3.1 per-centage points. — AP

49 percent of Mexicans think drug war a failure

INTERNATIONAL Thursday, November 25, 201010

TAIPEI: Chinese officials are mountingpressure on Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou to move toward political agreementsas he shrugs them off despite a recenteasing of tension after decades of hostili-ty, analysts say. Beijing’s growing impa-tience, though seldom expressed openly,could set back trade, transit and econom-ic cooperation deals for which Taiwan haslooked to Beijing since 2008 for help inadvancing its $416 billion economy.

“There’s definitely a sense of urgencyto get this thing going,” said RaymondWu, managing director of Taipei-basedpolitical risk consultancy e-telligence. In

August, China’s second most seniornegotiator on Taiwan affairs, Li Yafei,hinted on a visit to the island that Beijinghad softened a tough condition for politi-cal talks.

Beijing normally insists that Taiwanrenounce any ambitions of de jure inde-pendence from China. On Oct. 13, Chinaoffered to discuss super-sensitive mili-tary issues to ease six decades of warpreparations across the 160 km-wide (100mile-wide) Taiwan Strait but was metwith a cold reception from Taiwan.Beijing’s latest five-year plan calls for thepursuit of a “peaceful development

framework”, new language that impliesputting the future of relations into a guid-ing document.

China is also stepping up informal con-tacts with Taiwan officials and even theisland’s anti-China opposition party tomount pressure ahead of Nov. 27 localelections seen as a barometer for a 2012presidential race, experts say.

Ma is in no hurry. His repeated vowsnot to talk politics with Beijing until atleast 2012, and possibly later, have helpedhim consolidate power after a rocky yearof domestic issues in 2009. China hasclaimed self-ruled Taiwan since the

Chinese civil war of the 1940s. Since Matook office in 2008, the two sides havesigned historic but relatively easy tradeand transit deals, avoiding politics ordefence.

The next round of formal China-Taiwan talks, due next month, will coveronly a simple investment guarantee dealand nothing political, island officials say.Lack of progress on political issues setsback Beijing’s goal of reunification withTaiwan, which is a close U.S. ally, andthreatens to render useless a series ofeconomic sweeteners that China hasoffered as an incentive for an eventual

merger. “(China) sees Ma not workingtoward peaceful reunification, just peace-ful coexistence,” said Alexander Huang, astrategic studies professor at TamkangUniversity in Taiwan. “But China has saidpolitical relations should not lag economicrelations.” Taiwan officials say they needmore economic tie-ups before they cantrust China with political talks. If Beijingmakes no headway, analysts expect it willstill help Ma win re-election in 2012,probably with more pro-Taiwan tradedeals, to keep the more China-hostileopposition Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) out of power. But if Ma shuns

political dialogue into a second term,China is expected to freeze or even elimi-nate benefits from its huge economy as areminder of what it ultimately wants.

China showed a willingness to do thatlast year by diverting visitors away fromthe southern Taiwan city Kaohsiung afterits mayor invited Tibetan spiritual leaderthe Dalai Lama, who Beijing reviles as apro-Tibet separatist. “The Chinese wantto keep reminding Ma that there are nextsteps, especially in consolidating andsolidifying ‘one China’ position,” saidRalph Cossa, president of the U.S. thinktank Pacific Forum CSIS. — Reuters

China turns up heat on Taiwan to talk politics

“This exercise is defensive innature,” US Forces Korea said in astatement. “While planned well beforeyesterday’s unprovoked artilleryattack, it demonstrates the strength ofthe ROK (South Korea)-US allianceand our commitment to regional stabil-ity through deterrence.”

North Korea said the South wasdriving the pensinula to the “brink ofwar” with “reckless military provoca-tion” and by postponing humanitarianaid, the North’s official KCNA newsagency said. The dispatch did not referto the planned military drills. The gov-ernment in Seoul came under pres-sure for the military’s slow responseto the provocation, echoing similarcomplaints made when a warship wassunk in March in the same area, killing46 sailors.

Defence Minister Kim Tae-youngwas grilled by lawmakers who said thegovernment should have taken quickerand stronger retaliatory measuresagainst the North’s provocation. “I amsorry that the government has notcarried out ruthless bombing throughjet fighters during the North’s secondround of shelling,” said Kim Jang-soo,a lawmaker of ruling Grand NationalParty and a former defence minister.

Tuesday’s attack was the heaviestin the region since the Korean Warended in 1953, and marked the firstcivilian deaths in an assault since thebombing of a South Korean airliner in1987. The United States and Japanurged China to do more to rein inNorth Korea after the reclusive nationfired scores of artillery shells onTuesday at a South Korean island nearthe maritime boundary between thetwo sides.

Beijing will not be pleased by thedeployment of the aircraft carrier andwill not respond to such pressure, saidXu Guangyu, a retired major-generalin the People’s Liberation Army whonow works for a government-run armscontrol organization. “China will notwelcome the US aircraft carrier join-ing the exercises, because that kind ofmove can escalate tensions and notrelieve them,” he said.

“Our biggest objective is stabilityon the Korean peninsula. That interestis not served by abandoning NorthKorea, and so there’s no need torethink the basics of the relationship.”Beijing has previously said that an ear-

lier plan to send the USS GeorgeWashington to US-South Korea jointexercises threatened long-term dam-age to Sino-US relations.

Tuesday’s bombardment nagged atglobal markets, already unsettled byworries over Ireland’s debt problemand looking to invest in less riskyassets. But South Korea’s markets,af ter sharp falls, recovered lostground. “If you look back at the lastfive years when we’ve had scares,they were all seen as buying opportu-

nities. The rule among hedge fundsand long-only funds is that you let themarket sell off and watch for yourentry point to get involved,” said ToddMartin, Asia equity strategist withSociete Generale in Hong Kong.

Pyongyang said the firing was inreaction to military drills conducted bySouth Korea in the area at the timebut Seoul said it had not been firing atthe North. Seoul, a city of over 10 mil-lion, was bustling as normal yesterday,a sunny autumn day, although develop-

ments were being closely watched byoffice workers on TV and in newspa-pers. Editorials stepped up pressureon President Lee Myung-bak torespond more toughly than he has topast provocations by the North andtwo small groups held anti-NorthKorea protests.

US President Barack Obama, wok -en up in the early hours to be told ofthe artillery strike, said he was out-raged and pressed the North to stopits provocative actions. Although USofficials said the joint exercise wasscheduled before the attack by NorthKorea, it was reminiscent of a crisis in1996 when then President Bill Clintonsent an aircraft carrier group throughthe Taiwan Strait after Beijing test-fired missiles into the channelbetween the mainland and Taiwan.

“My house was burnt to theground,” said Cho Soon-ae, 47, whowas among 170 or so evacuated fromYeonpyeong yesterday. “We’ve losteverything. I don’t even have extraunderwear,” she said weeping, holdingon to her sixth-grade daughter, as shelanded at Incheon.

Despite the rhetoric, regional pow-ers made clear they were looking for adiplomatic way to calm things down.South Korea, its armed forces techni-cally superior though about half thesize of the North’s one-million-plusarmy, warned of “massive retaliation”if its neighbor attacked again.

But it was careful to avoid anyimmediate threat of retaliation whichmight spark an escalation of fightingacross the Cold War’s last frontier.China has long propped up thePyongyang leadership, worried that acollapse of the North could bring insta-bility to its own borders and also waryof a unified Korea that would be domi-nated by the United States, the keyally of the South.

Beijing said it had agreed with theUnited States to try to restart talksamong regional powers over NorthKorea’s nuclear weapons program.

A number of analysts suspect thatTuesday’s attack may have been anattempt by North Korean leader Kimjong-il to raise his bargaining positionahead of disarmament talks whichhe has used in the past to win con-cessions and aid from the outsidewor ld , in par t icu lar the Uni tedStates. — Reuters

US carrier heads for Korean waters

Seen pressuring China to deal with its neighborINCHEON: A US a ircra f t carrier group set off for Korean waters yes-terday, a da y a f ter North Korea ra ined a rt illery shells on a SouthKorean island, in a move likely to enrage Pyongyang and unsettle itsa lly, China . South Korea sa id the bodies of two civilians were found onthe isla nd a f ter Tuesday ’s a t ta ck , which is likely to st ir up more

resentment in the country aga inst its prickly neighbour. The nuclear-powered USS George Washington, which carries 75 warplanes and hasa crew of over 6,000, left a nava l base south of Tokyo and would joinexercises with South Korea from Sunday to the follow ing yesterday,US officia ls in Seoul sa id.

YEONPYEONG ISLAND: South Korean Democratic PartyChairman Sohn Hak-kyu, right, and his party memberChung Dong-young watch wreckage of shell fired by NorthKorea on Yeonpyeong island, South Korea yesterday. — AP

GREYMOUTH: Family members of the 29 miners trapped in the PikeRiver coal mine react after hearing news of a second explosion in themine, five days after the first explosion in Greymouth, New Zealandyesterday. — AP

GREYMOUTH: A massive explosion deep insidea New Zealand coal mine yesterday erased hopesof rescuing 29 miners caught underground by asimilar blast five days ago. The prime ministerdeclared it a national tragedy.

Even if any of the missing men had survivedthe initial explosion Friday at the Pike RiverMine, police said none could have lived throughthe second. Both blasts were believed caused byexplosive, toxic gases swirling in the tunnels dugup to 1 1/2 miles (2 kilometers) into a mountainthat had also prevented rescuers from enteringthe mine to search for the missing.

“There was another massive explosion under-ground, and based on that explosion no one wouldhave survived,” said police superintendent GaryKnowles, in charge of the rescue operation. “Theblast was prolific, just as severe as the firstblast.” It was one of New Zealand’s worst miningdisasters. The country’s industry is relativelysmall compared to other nations and consideredgenerally safe, with 210 deaths in 114 years afterthe most recent tragedy. It also devastated fami-lies who , buoyed by the survival tale of Chile’s33 buried miners , had clung to hope for morethan five days that their relatives could emergealive.

“New Zealand has been devastated by thenews that we have all been dreading,” NewZealand Prime Minister John Key said in anationally televised news conference. “This is anational tragedy.” He said flags would fly at halfstaff today and Parliament would adjourn its ses-sion in respect for the dead men.

Officials said only investigations still to comewould confirm the exact cause of yesterday’sexplosion. Pike River Coal chief executive PeterWhittall said rescue teams were not doing any-thing that could have set it off, and conditionsinside the mine were such it could have happenedat any time. “It was a natural eventuation, itcould have happened on the second day, it couldhave happened on the third day,” he toldreporters. Family members who gathered for aregular daily briefing on the rescue operation’s

progress were instead told of the second blastand that no one could survive. Whittal said hebegan by telling them a team had been gettingready to go underground.

Some people , thinking a rescue was about tostart , broke into applause before he could finishtelling them about the latest blast. “I had to waittill they stopped clapping to tell them ... that thesecond explosion occurred,” he said. TonyKokshoorn, the mayor of Greymouth town nearthe mine, who was at the meeting, said some ofthe relatives collapsed. Others shouted at policein anger. “It is our darkest day,” Kokshoorn toldreporters later. Laurie Drew, father of 21-year-old miner Zen, said rescuers should have goneinto the mine on Friday, saying he believed thatexplosion would have burned off most of the dan-gerous gases. “They had their window of oppor-tunity that Friday night, and now the truth can’tcome out because no one alive will be able tocome out and tell the truth about what went ondown there,” Drew said. “The only thing that’sgoing to make matters worse is if we find ... outthat people were alive after that first blast.”Knowles said at all times after the initial blast,entering the mine was simply too risky becauseof high gas levels and evidence of a smolderingcoal fire underground that could be an ignitionsource. Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee said arange of official inquiries would probe the causeof the disaster and whether it could have beenprevented. Whittall said no decision had beenmade yet on whether the mine would be sealedor what the next step would be. “We can’t still goin to an unsafe mine. It’s just as unsafe now as itwas two hours ago, the gas will still be comingout of the coal, there’s still an ignition source,there’s no doubt burning methane from thatexplosion,” he told reporters. “But we want ourboys back and we want to get them out.” Thesecond blast came hours after the first progressin days for the rescue attempt, when a drillingteam broke a narrow shaft through to the sectionof the mine where the missing workers werebelieved to have been. —AP

29 miners dead after second

blast at New Zealand mine

KUALA LUMPUR: Two plainclothes police-men didn’t identify themselves before shoot-ing a Malaysian driver four times frombehind when he refused to stop and tried todrive away, his lawyer said yesterday.Malaysia’s police force has long been criti-cized as too quick to open fire. In anotherrecent case, a patrolman is currently on trialafter he fatally shot a 14-year-old boy drivinga car in April.

In the latest case, Ho Chei Hang, a 32-year-old noodle seller, says he was drivingaway from a field where he had chatted witha friend. Two plainclothes police, who saidthey had received information about a possi-ble drug transaction, chased him and startedshooting after he refused to stop, lawyerKeppy Wong said. The policemen didn’tidentify themselves before asking Ho tostop, nor did they shoot the car tires, hesaid.

“They shot straight at him and he was hitby four bullets. It is an abuse of authorityand using excessive force when it is not war-ranted. This is trigger-happy behavior,”Wong told The Associated Press. Wong saidpolice say they opened fire after Ho tried toram the vehicle into them. But all four bul-

lets hit Ho from behind, proving he was dri-ving away, Wong said. Police also found onlysleeping pills - which are not prohibited - inhis car, Wong said. Wong said police toldhim they were now investigating Ho forattempted murder on the two policemen.“This is ridiculous. The police were the oneswho tried to murder him,” Wong said, addingthe family would complain to the state-backed National Human Rights Commissionand are considering a civil lawsuit againstthe police to seek damages.

Police couldn’t be immediately reachedfor comment. Wong said doctors haveremoved three bullets from Ho, who lostpart of his kidney, but he is too weak now toundergo further surgery to remove the lastbullet lodged in his shoulder bone.

In the fatal shooting of the boy in April, agovernment panel found police guidelines onwhen to use firearms were adequate buttraining needed to be improved. The patrol-man is accused of culpable homicide notamounting to murder, which is punishable byup to 30 years in jail. Police claimed the boytried to reverse his car into them when toldto stop, but a passenger denied that and saidhe was driving away. — AP

Malaysian shot 4 times by police alleges abuseBANGKOK: Chiranuch Premchaiporn’s air of cheerful

optimism crumpled briefly as she contemplated thethreat of 70 years in prison for remarks about the Thaimonarchy that other people posted on her website.“People ask, ‘why don’t you flee or escape?’ But it isnot my choice at all. I grew up in Thailand. I am part ofthis society,” the 43-year-old editor of the popularPrachatai news website said.

“I still hope that I will be defended by the fact that Icomplied with the law,” she told AFP in an interview.Chiranuch was arrested in September as she returnedhome from attending a cyber freedom seminar inHungary. She was charged with breaching computerlaws and Thailand’s lese majeste legislation-which pro-hibits criticism of the royal family-for failing to removereader comments posted on her site swiftly enough.

Already facing trial and potentially 20 years behindbars for earlier similar charges, she believes the secondcase could carry a maximum sentence of 50 years.Chiranuch, who strongly denies the allegations, saysshe was taken by surprise by the latest arrest warrant,which was issued in September 2009 and inexplicablylanguished in police files for a year before being enact-ed.

The case centres on five out of 200 reader remarkson her website reacting to an April 2008 interview witha man convicted under the lese majeste rules afterrefusing to stand when the royal anthem was played atthe cinema. A single complaint from an unnamed indi-vidual apparently prompted the arrest. According toThai law, anyone can make an accusation of insultingthe monarchy and the police are duty-bound to investi-gate. Chiranuch, who is now free on bail, believes

Thailand’s government has tried to promote self-cen-sorship. “They create a kind of fear and there is noneed to be accountable at all,” she said. “They try tocontrol or silence the voice of the people.” The royalfamily is an extremely sensitive topic in politically tur-bulent Thailand. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’slongest reigning monarch and revered as a demi-god by

many Thais, has been hospitalised since September2009.

David Streckfuss, a Thai-based academic and authorof a book on the country’s defamation laws, says humanrights organisation have “only touched the tip of theiceberg” on the number of lese majeste cases in thekingdom. — AFP

Thai web editor may face 70 years in jail for reader posts

BANGKOK: This photo taken on November 5, 2010 shows Prachatai web man-ager Chiranuch Premchaiporn searching on the Internet at her office inBangkok. — AFP

11Thursday, November 25, 2010 INTERNATIONAL

PATNA: An opposition politician whospearheaded the development of one ofIndia’s poorest states was re-elected in alandslide as its chief minister yesterday, in ablow to the ruling Congress party mired in agraft scandal. The re-election of NitishKumar of the Janata Dal (United) party, partof the main federal opposition coalition ledby the Bharatiya Janata Party, as leader ofBihar state comes as Prime MinisterManmohan Singh struggles with corruptionaccusations.

The opposition has used the issue ofthe sale of telecoms licences to keep parlia-ment shut for two weeks. While Bihar is nota stronghold for Congress, the party washopeful of improving its performance there,fielding the potential prime ministerial can-didate Rahul Gandhi to campaign. Resultsshowed the party had not improved itsshowing.

Bihar accounts for 40 of the 545 seatsin the national parliament-the fifth largestparliamentary bloc in India. It can play a

crucial role in federal coalition politics.Congress has struggled to tame high infla-tion and has been hampered in its ability togovern by a series of crises, mostly overcorruption, since its re-election last year.This could hurt its chances in upcomingstate elections and 2014 federal polls.

Kumar’s coalition won around four-fifths of the total 243 assembly constituen-cies, Indian television stations showed,launching his second five-year term. “Thequestion before the people of Bihar was

whether they would move forward orwhether they would return to the old ways.The people have decided to move forward. Itis their victory,” Kumar said. “Developmenthas won. It is clear the people wish to seeBihar move forward on the path ofprogress.”

Bihar was long a byword for lawless-ness, caste politics and snail-paced develop-ment until Kumar, who took office in 2005,turned the economy around, rapidly buildingroads, curbing crime and boosting education

and health care over the next five years. Hisconvincing win indicated a “subtle change”in Indian politics in recent years, MorganStanley Research said in a note. “We believethe Bihar election results underscore theupside risk to India’s growth and develop-ment, given what we view as the elec-torate’s resolve to incentivize politicianswho focus on these issues,” it said.

Bihar’s economy grew an average 11.35percent each year between 2004 and 2009,compared with 3.5 percent in the prior five

years and above the national growth aver-age. In Bihar, Congress looked unlikely toimprove on its 2005 tally of winning nineseats. The BJP was on its way to betteringits 2005 performance, which could boost theconfidence of the party going into half adozen state polls over the coming year.“The results of course indicate that ourparty has to start from scratch to rebuilditself and that is what we plan to do,”Congress chief Sonia Gandhi told reportersin New Delhi. — Reuters

Indian state re-elects reformist chief

The Independent ElectionCommission (IEC) declared thevote a “major success,” but dis-qualified another three peoplewho won seats according to pre-liminary results and delayedcertified results from one trou-bled province. The September18 parliamentary poll wasAfghanistan’s second since the2001 US-led invasion broughtdown the Taleban, but resultstook far longer than expected tocompile because of investiga-tions into widespread corrup-tion.The irregularities dampened

Western hopes that the electionwould be an improvement onthe fraud-tarnished 2009 presi-dential vote which cast a longpall over Karzai’s return topower and his pledge to wipeout corruption. The IEC namedwinners of 238 seats, leaving 11still unconfirmed due to “techni-cal problems” from the south-ern province of Ghazni, whereAfghanistan’s largest ethnicgroup, the Pashtuns, apparentlysuffered a crushing defeat.Preliminary results gave

ethnic Hazaras all 11 seats inthe province, a flashpoint in thenine-year Taleban insurgency.IEC chairman Fazil AhmadManawi said Ghazni had thelargest number of polling sta-tions shut due to insecurity.“Even in areas where pollingsites were open, people did notturn up to vote,” Manawi said.In one district, for instance, onlythree votes were cast.About 100 failed candidates

marched in Kabul yesterday,denouncing the results as fraud-ulent a day after a Pentagonreport admitted that violence inAfghanistan was now at an all-time high. Ethnic splits in thevote could spark controversy. Asenior election official speakingon condition of anonymity saidPashtuns, the country’s tradi-tional rulers, won about 88 seatscompared with 112 last time.Emerging opposition leader

Abdullah Abdullah later toldreporters that “more than 90” ofhis supporters had won seats.The former eye surgeon’sfather was Pashtun, but hismother is an ethnic Tajik andhe is associated with the Tajiksof the late anti-Taleban com-mander Ahmad Shah Massoud’sstronghold in the PanjshirValley, north of Kabul.“We will put pressure on the

government inside parliamentand outside parliament to bringreforms, positive changes, andto implement and strengthenthe rule of law,” he said. Thereare no standard Afghan politicalparties and many of the 2,514people who stood for the lowerhouse, or Wolesi Jirga, wereofficially independent candi-dates, making it difficult toassess political alliances.Analysts said yesterday there

were indications that Karzai hadlost support, but warned that itwas too early to draw a clear pic-ture. “From the sound of it, wecan say the new parliament cer-tainly won’t be dominated bypro-government elements,” saidpolitical analyst Mahmood Saikal.Election authorities previouslyinvalidated about 1.3 million ofthe 5.6 million votes cast afterreceiving more than 5,000 com-plaints of fraud in the wake ofthe poll. Of those, 2,500 com-plaints were classed as “seri-ous”. Manawi said a total of 24candidates had been stripped ofvictory accorded to them by pre-liminary results. The group isunderstood to include allies ofKarzai and even a first cousin ofthe president. Karzai, himself aPashtun, has favoured a re-runin Ghazni and yesterday thepresidency stopped short ofimmediately accepting the polloutcome. — AFP

Afghanistan unveils results from fraud-marred vote

Quarter of votes cancelled, 24 winners disqualifiedKABUL: Afghanistan yesterday released almost all the final results from its controversial parliamentary elect ion after massive fraud saw nearlya quarter of votes cancelled and 24 winners disquali f ied. The main opponent of President Hamid Karzai swiftly claimed that his supporters hadwon more than 90 seats in the 249-member chamber as analysts said the head of s tate’s support base in the new parliament would weaken.

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai, during a women’s right ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan yes-terday. President Hamid Karzai said he was happy the results from the Sept 18 elections were beingannounced. — AP

LAHORE: Supporters of a Pakistani religious group rally yesterday inLahore, Pakistan to condemn the release of a Christian woman Asia Bibiwho had been sentenced to death. — AP

LAHORE: Around 250 hard-line Muslims staged a demon-stration in the central Pakistanicity of Lahore yesterday, warn-ing the president not to pardon aChristian woman sentenced todeath for insulting Islam. Theyalso denounced any attempt tochange Pakistan’s blasphemylaw, which critics say is oftenmisused to persecute Christianslike Asia Bibi and other minori-ties. Her case has promptedoutrage from human rightsgroups and a personal appealfrom Pope Benedict XVI for herrelease. But hard-line Islamicgroups in Pakistan have pushedback and some have eventhreatened officials in the pastwho suggested reforming orrepealing the blasphemy law. These groups have signifi-

cant power since politiciansfrom the major parties rely onthem for votes. “We are readyto sacrifice our life for theProphet Muhammad,” chantedprotesters in Lahore , many ofwhom were students fromIslamic seminaries in the city.The rally was organized by theMovement for Protection of theProphet’s Honor, a group ofhard-line Sunni Muslims thatwas formed in 2001 to opposechanges in the blasphemy law.Bibi, a 45-year-old mother of

five, has said she was falselyaccused by a group of Muslimwomen angry at a dispute overwhether they could share thesame water bowl. She has beenjailed in the eastern province ofPunjab since her initial arrest 11/2 years ago. A court sen-

tenced her Nov. 8 to hang afterconvicting her of insulting theprophet.It is the first time a woman

has been condemned to deathunder Pakistan’s blasphemylaw, often criticized as beingabused to inflame religiousextremism and settle personalgrudges. Her lawyer has filed anappeal with a higher court inLahore, but she could also bepardoned by the president.Pakistani President Asif AliZardari has asked for a review ofthe facts of the case, raising thepossibility of a presidential par-don.One of the strongest defend-

ers of Bibi has been SalmanTaseer, the governor of Punjabprovince, where Lahore is thecapital. Yesterday’s protest tookplace in front of the governor’soffice and the demonstratorsrailed against him and otherscalling for Bibi’s release. “Weare here to tell them that wewill not let it happen,” saidMasoodur Rehman, one of theleaders of the group that orga-nized the rally. “Only the courtshould decide her fate.”Minister for Minority AffairsShahbaz Bhatti, who is prepar-ing the report for Zardari on thecase, said yesterday that hewould deliver his recommenda-tions on Thursday. Bhatti hassaid he is convinced Bibi is inno-cent. Pakistan’s Christians,who make up less than 5 per-cent of the Muslim-majoritycountry’s 175 million people,are frequently the targets ofaccusers invoking the blasphe-

my law.Bhatti says “dozens” of peo-

ple , both Muslims and minori-ties , are sentenced to deathunder the law each year,although higher courts in eachcase have prevented any execu-tions. Those accused of blasphe-my also are often targeted withviolence. In July, two Christianbrothers accused of blasphemywere gunned down as they leftcourt hearing in Punjab’s east-ern city of Faislabad. Last year,a 19-year-old Christian accusedof desecrating a Quran, Islam’sholy book, was found dead in hisjail cell in Sialkot, another townin Punjab. Officials said at thetime that he had hanged himself,but Christian groups said he wasmurdered. Bhatti has long cam-paigned against the blasphemylaw, which was introduced byPresident Gen. Zia ul-Haq’s mil-itary regime in the 1980s to winthe support of hard-line reli-gious groups. Hard-line Islamicgroups threatened to beheadBhatti six months ago when heproposed changes to the law.Bhatti said the government

is considering calling a meetingof Islamic leaders, politicians,human rights organizations andrepresentatives of minoritygroups to determine whetherthe law should be repealed orchanged. He said he is dedicated to

the effort despite danger tohimself. “I am not afraid ofthese threats,” said Bhatti. “Iam ready to sacrifice everythingfor the justice that I believein.”— AP

Protesters oppose pardon for Pakistani Christian woman

NEW DELHI: Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung SanSuu Kyi criticised India in anewspaper interview yesterdayfor doing business with the mil-itary dictators who held herunder house arrest until 11days ago. Suu Kyi, who lived inIndia in the 1980s, was releasedin Yangon on November 13after spending more than sevenconsecutive years in detention.India was once a staunch

supporter of her cause, butbegan engaging withMyanmar’s junta in the mid-1990s over security and energyissues. The government in NewDelhi has been eyeing oil andgas fields in Myanmar, and isalso eager to counter China’sgrowing influence in south-eastAsia. “I am saddened with India.I would like to have thoughtthat India would be standingbehind us. That it would havefollowed in the tradition ofMahatma Gandhi and (India’sfirst prime minister) JawaharlalNehru,” Suu Kyi told the IndianExpress. “I do not oppose rela-tions with the Generals but Ihope that the Indian govern-ment would talk to us as well,”she said. India, which shares aborder with Myanmar, wel-comed the country’s reclusivemilitary leader Than Shwe for astate visit in July. — AFP

LAHORE: Militants in Pakistan should reapa cash bonanza from selling skins of animalsslaughtered on Eid, with hundreds of thou-sands of dollars expected to reach a grouplinked to the 2008 Mumbai attackers,according to an ex-member of the group andleather industry workers.Volunteers for Jamaat-u-Dawa, an

Islamist charity suspected of having servedas a front for the group behind the Mumbaiattacks, were collecting bloodied skinsacross the country after this year’s Eid Al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice. Their workshows the deep roots it and other bannedgroups have in Pakistan as well as thestate’s unwillingness or inability to stopthem. Militants behind attacks in Pakistan and

across its borders in Afghanistan and Indiaget funds from extortion, drugs, kidnappingsand donations from foreign sympathizers.But some of the money comes by way ofcharities, including those collecting hides toraise funds. In past years also, they havesold hides to raise funds. Wealthy Muslimssacrifice animals on Eid Al-Adha and distrib-ute most of the meat to the poor. Over thisyear’s holiday, which fell last week,Pakistanis killed around 5 million sheep andgoats and 1 million cows, according to thecountry’s tanners association.The skins are of no use to those who kill

the animals, but are snapped up by tanner-ies. At auctions in the coming days, a cowhide is expected to sell for between $40 and$50, while sheep and goat skins will fetcharound $7 apiece.Skins collected last week will account for

around 45 percent of the needs of Pakistan’sleather industry this year, the tannery asso-ciation said. Factories make coats, glovesand other goods for export, and the trade isthe second largest foreign exchange earnerfor the country. Militant groups are not theonly ones to benefit from hide sales. Theleading hide collector in Karachi, the coun-try’s largest city, is its ruling party. Anothermajor beneficiary is a cancer hospital for the

poor run by Imran Khan, a cricketer turnedpolitician. Sunni Therik, a religious groupthat is opposed to militants, also collects.Some people give their hides directly to thepoor, who sell them.Extremist groups and their sympathizers

are in a good position to collect the skins.The typically run religious seminaries thathave thousands of children and youth whocan go door-to-door to collect them frompeople happy to have them taken from theirfront porch. Often, people bring animals tobe sacrificed directly to mosques attached tothem. “These are the people whom I trustand these are the people who do the bestwork for charity,” said Illahi Shaikh, as hedirected a team of butchers cutting up histwo cows outside Jamaat-u-Dawa’s mainmosque in the capital, Islamabad. “So what ifAmerica calls them terrorists, I don’t care,”

he said. The United Nation’s listed Jamaat-u-Dawa as a terrorist group soon after theMumbai attacks, saying it believed it was analias for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani out-fit believed to have carried out the strikes.India, Washington and other Westernnations have made similar allegations.Islamabad initially moved against the group,sealing its offices, freezing assets androunding up leaders. But it has since scoreda few wins against the government in courtand is up and running again. It sometimes uses a different name, a

tactic employed by other banned groups totry to evade attention. Abdullah Muntazir, aformer Jamaat-u-Dawa spokesman who nowruns an institute researching militancy, saidin 2009 it earned about 100 million rupees,or around $1.2 million at current exchangerates, from hide sales. — AFP

WASHINGTON: The Pentagonhas admitted in a report thatprogress has been “uneven” inthe war in Afghanistan, withonly modest gains against theTaleban insurgency despite asurge of US and NATO troops.The cautious tone of the reportoffered a contrast to moreupbeat public declarations fromtop officials and military leaders,who have touted encouragingsigns and said the US militaryhas gained the initiative on thebattlefield. “Progress across the

country remains uneven, withmodest gains in security, gover-nance, and development inoperational priority areas,”according to the report issued toCongress.The mixed account of the

war’s progress comes before apivotal White House reviewnext month, in which PresidentBarack Obama is expected toendorse the US strategy thatstresses building up Afghanforces while pushing back theTaleban in key southern towns.

The report said violence is at anall-time high in the nine-year-old war, with combat incidentsup 300 percent since 2007 and70 percent since last year, saidthe report, which did not high-light rising casualties for coali-tion forces.The gap between the admin-

istration’s portrayal of the warand the official report toCongress in part reflected divi-sions between US intelligenceagencies and the rest of the gov-ernment, with the spy services

tending to take a more pes-simistic view, officials said. ThePentagon described limitedprogress by the NATO-led forcein the southern provinces ofHelmand and Kandahar, long-standing Taleban bastions thathave been the focus of an influxof 30,000 American troops. Thereport found “early indicationsthat comprehensive COIN(counter-insurgency) operationsare having localized effects inportions of Helmand andKandahar Provinces.” — AFP

Progress ‘uneven’ in Afghan war

Pakistani extremists raise money from sacrifice day

LAHORE: In this picture taken on Nov 19, 2010, a horse cart car-ries skins donated by people, in Lahore, Pakistan. Militants inPakistan will reap a cash bonanza from selling skins of animals sac-rificed on a Muslim sacrifice day. — AP

NEW DELHI: The leader ofIndia’s ruling CongressParty accused the opposi-tion of unfairly targeting theprime minister in a tele-coms scandal that cost thecountry billions and hasparalyzed Parliament.Sonia Gandhi describedPrime Minister ManmohanSingh as being “100 percentabove board” and said itwas shameful that hisintegrity was being target-ed. Singh, an economist

widely seen as India’s mosthonest politician, waspulled into the scandal lastweek when the SupremeCourt criticized him asbeing slow to investigateirregularities in the issuingof cellular licenses in 2008.The court held proceedingsfor a second day yesterdayto hear Singh’s explanationfor his delayed reaction andopposition demands forprosecuting formerTelecoms MinisterAndimuthu Raja.The Central Bureau of

Investigation is probing thesale two years ago of sec-ond-generation, or 2G, cel-lular licenses in a bewilder-ing process that raised eye-

brows even at the time.India netted 124 billionrupees ($2.7 billion), anamount that seemedabsurdly low after an auc-tion of 3G licenses this Mayraised 677 billion rupees($14.6 billion).The state auditor said

last week the sale was arbi-trarily and unfairly run andcost the government asmuch as $36 billion. Rajaresigned this month butdenies wrongdoing. Therehas been no suggestion thatSingh benefited personallyfrom the scandal, but theHindu nationalist opposi-tion has since paralyzedParliament with demandsfor independent inquiries.Gandhi, in a rare news

conference given outsideher home in New Delhi,lambasted the oppositionBhartiya Janata Party forturning the corruption caseinto an opportunity to trashSingh’s reputation. She saidthe opposition also wentafter Singh during the 2009election campaign. “What happened, they

lost,” she said. “The primeminister won. That shouldbe a lesson for the opposi-tion.” — AP

Sonia Gandhi irked by criticism of Indian PM

Suu Kyi criticizes India’s ties with Myanmar junta

opiNioN12 Thursday, November 25, 2010

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By Jonathon Burch

Af g h a n i s t a n ’ sIndependent ElectionCommission (IEC)

announced most of the long-delayed results from a Sept.18 parliamentary poll yester-day, but more candidateswere disqualified andprotests over fraud contin-ued. Here are some ques-tions and answers aboutwhat has gone wrong withAfghanistan’s election:

WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR?The election for the 249-

seat lower house of parlia-ment, or wolesi jirga, got offto a bad start. Originallyscheduled for May, it waspostponed until Septemberafter international donors,threatening to withholdfunding, demanded electoralreforms to avoid a repeat oflast year’s fraud-marredpresidential vote. The elec-tion went ahead, despitethreats from the Taleban,without any major attacks.At least 17 people werekilled on the day. Poor secu-rity in many areas meantmore than 1,500 polling cen-tres remained closed out ofaround 6,800 slated to open.Turnout was also low. TheIEC has put the total figureat 5.6 million voters, consid-erably higher than the 4 mil-lion estimated shortly afterpolling day. Calculating anexact turnout is next toimpossible becauseAfghanistan has no electoralregister.The IEC announced pre-

liminary results on Oct. 20,almost two weeks late, afterdelays to allow more time forauditing and recounting sus-picious votes. Whileannouncing those results,the IEC said it had disquali-fied nearly a quarter of allvotes - 1.3 million-for vari-ous reasons including fraudand intimidation. On Sunday,the UN-backed ElectoralComplaints Commission(ECC) said it had disqualified21 successful candidates-almost one in 10 - and hadfinished adjudicating allmajor complaints. The IECsaid yesterday another threecandidates had been disqual-ified and announced “final”results for 33 of the 34provinces, and one for Kuchinomads. Results for volatileGhazni, which has 11 allocat-ed seats, have not yet beendeclared, leaving 238 out of249 seats declared.

WHAT WENT WRONG?Thousands of complaints

poured in since polling day.The ECC said this month ithad received more than6,000 formal complaints, athird of which could haveaffected the final outcome.Of those, about 40 percentrelated to polling irregulari-ties and some 17 percent toviolence and intimidation.Other gripes included prob-lems accessing polling sites.Allegations of fraud havealso been leveled against theIEC itself, including seniormembers in the commission.Two weeks after the elec-tion, the IEC said its provin-

cial election chief in easternKhost province had beenarrested over fraud com-plaints. Protests by disgrun-tled candidates and promi-nent MPs, calling for theelection to be annulled,began in Kabul early thismonth. Among the com-plaints, they accuse IEC offi-cials of taking tens of thou-sands of dollars in bribesfrom winning candidates andhaving their own votesunfairly tossed out. The IECyesterday ruled out callinganother election.

WHATHAPPENS NEXT?Final results were origi-

nally due on Oct. 30 but weredelayed while the ECC siftedthrough the thousands ofcomplaints. Yesterday, theIEC said it hoped a new par-liament would be formedwithin a week. In the mean-time, the 11 sitting lawmak-ers from Ghazni will remainin place until its votes aredecided. The investigationsby the attorney general’sdepartment into IEC officialsover fraud allegations madeby candidates are continuing.Late on Tuesday, Afghanmedia reported that spokes-men from the IEC and ECChad been suspended formaking statements “againstthe national interest”. TheIEC said the reports were“unfortunate”. Yesterday,Abdullah Abdullah, who fin-ished second to Karzai in lastyear’s presidential vote, saidhe had the support of 90elected candidates in thenew parliament, raising thepossibility of a fresh chal-lenge to Karzai.

HOW WILL IT AFFECT KARZAI?The United Nations

Mission in Afghanistan(UNAMA) welcomed thedeclaration of results andsaid it backed the decision todelay Ghazni because ofsecurity and technical prob-lems. However UNAMA inthe past has noted “consid-erable fraud” took place.Official reactions fromWestern capitals will likelybe along similar lines. Thedeclaration came four daysafter NATO leaders wrappedup a summit in Lisbon whereAfghanistan was top of theagenda. They agreed to back

Karzai’s timeline for Afghantroops to take securityresponsibility by 2014, butKarzai’s credibility is on theline after two fraud-marredpolls in a year. Karzai’s repu-tation took a nosedive athome and abroad after morethan a third of his votes lastyear were thrown out asfake. His standing will likelyfigure largely when USPresident Barack Obamareviews his Afghanistan warstrategy next month. There is also the issue

of his cabinet. Several ofhis ministries are stillbeing run by caretakersafter parliament rejectedswathes of his nominationsearlier this year. He cannotput forward new nomina-tions until the new parlia-ment is formed. — Reuters

issues

What went wrong with Afghanistan’s election?

By Frank Ze ller

North Korea’s deadly rain ofshells has enraged SouthKoreans but also driven home

their chilling dilemma-how to deal withan unpredictable nuclear-armed neigh-bor while avoiding all-out war.Compounding Seoul’s strategic night-mare is uncertainty over the motiva-tions of the hardline state and onwhether China, the country with themost influence on North Korea, is will-ing to restrain its communist neighbor.Tuesday’s attack from the North fol-lows the sinking of a South Koreanwarship this year that has been blamedon the isolated regime, andPyongyang’s surprise unveiling thismonth of a sophisticated nuclear facili-ty. South Korea’s Premier KimHwang-Sik condemned as a “recklessact of savagery” the bombardment ofthe Yellow Sea Island that killed twomarines, wounded 18 people andreduced 19 houses to charred ruins.

Major newspapers labelled the firstsuch attack since the 1950-53 Koreanconflict a “war crime” and called forrevenge, with the Dong-A Ilbo dailyfuming that “a club is the only medi-cine for a mad dog”. But South Koreanpoliticians, generals and citizens alsoknow how much is at stake, havinglived with the threat of full-scale waron the peninsula for decades.The two Koreas have never signed

a peace treaty, and just across theheavily fortified border, the North hashundreds of missiles targeted onSeoul, believed to include chemical andbiological weapons. “Because NorthKorea has less to lose, they are moreapt to take steps that could lead towar,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, a seniorfellow at the International Institute forStrategic Studies in London. “SouthKorea, although they have variousmeans of responding, will be very care-ful and considerate in their response soas not to create an escalatory spiral inwhich North Korea has what’s called

‘escalation dominance’.”Professor Yang Moo-Jin of Seoul’s

University of North Korean Studiesagreed that “despite the strong sound-bites, what South Korea can do aboutthis is quite limited.” “At best, it mayirritate the North into further provoca-tive acts to find an excuse to mountretaliatory attacks, but even that’s aremote possibility,” Yang said. “TheSouth may flex its military muscle bystaging joint military exercises withthe United States on a greater scalethan usual,” he said, shortly before theUS and South Korea announced a four-day naval exercise starting Sunday.Yang said that if South Korea,

backed by the United States, sought topunish or condemn the North at theUN Security Council, veto-wieldingmembers China and Russia wouldprobably not support them. “If China orRussia join any international condem-nation against the North, Pyongyangwould respond by carrying out a thirdnuclear test, test-firing an ICBM

(intercontinental ballistic missile) anddisclosing nuclear devices that mighthave been miniaturized enough to beloaded on top of missiles,” he said.Northeast Asia security expert RobertDujarric agreed that “South Koreanoptions are indeed limited”, pointing tothe response after an expert panelfound North Korea torpedoed SouthKorean warship the Cheonan in March.“My guess is that in the end Seoul

and Washington will decide to priori-tize avoiding escalation, though theywill have to find a way to warn theNorth to avoid further provocations,”said Dujarric, director of the Instituteof Contemporary Asian Studies atTemple University in Tokyo. “It’s hardto operationalise this sort of policy, butwhat we have seen in recent years,including with the Cheonan, is that theSouth and US will indeed let the Northget away with its provocations.” Manyobservers said the North Koreanattack was aimed at boosting the stand-ing of heir apparent Kim Jong-Un, the

youngest son of leader Kim Jong-Il. “Itis a way of seeking US attention anddemonstrating that the next North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un,

knows how to provoke, how to fightand how to be as unpredictable as hisfather,” said Rory Medcalf, internation-al security program director of think-tank the Lowy Institute. “The key hereis China’s role. China is the only powerwith real capacity to harm the regimein Pyongyang,” he said. However, the latest inter-Korean

flare-up comes at a time when Chinahas been engaged in a bitter territorialrow with Japan, and has quarreled withthe United States over currencies,trade and human rights. “Beijingknows that it needs a cooling-off periodin its relations with Asia and withWashington after all that strife,” saidMedcalf. “China’s response will be agrand test of whether it puts theregion’s interests ahead of its ownrelations with its dangerous littlebrother in Pyongyang.” — AFP

South Korea in a bind over its wayward neighbor

By Matt Spetalnick

President Barack Obama hasset the goal of eventuallyridding the world of nuclear

arms as a central theme of hispresidency, but North Korea’sdefiance and other recent set-backs have raised fresh doubtsabout whether he can turn hisvision into reality. With Obama’sbroader nuclear agenda seeminglyimperiled at home and abroad, henow faces a test of whether he cansalvage credibility for US leader-ship in dealing effectively withmore immediate threats like theone posed by Pyongyang. “Itwon’t be enough to just hope forthe best,” said ChristopherPreble, a foreign policy expert atthe Cato Institute in Washington.“He’s going to have to start prior-itizing.”North Korea has suddenly

jumped to the top of Obama’s listwith the disclosure of newadvances in uranium enrichmentat its main atomic complex and itsshelling of a South Korean islandon Tuesday. Obama’s is expectedto try to balance hard rhetoric tointimidate and contain the Northwith diplomacy aimed at avoidingmilitary escalation as he seeks torally the international communityto ratchet up the pressure on thereclusive communist leadershipin Pyongyang. Some analystsquestion whether such a nuancedapproach will be enough to bolsterhis longer-term push for globalnuclear disarmament.Those hopes have already suf-

fered setbacks as Iran continuesto flout international demands tocurb its nuclear program andObama’s signature arms reduc-tion treaty with Russia remains

bogged down in the US Senate.Obama set expectations high lastyear in Prague when he declaredit was time to end “Cold Warthinking” and committed theUnited States to seeking a nuclearweapons-free world. He acknowl-edged it was an achievement hewas not likely to see in his life-time, but his lofty oratory wasenough to help him win the NobelPeace Prize. Obama followed inApril with the unveiling of a newUS policy that renounced devel-opment of new nuclear weapons

and restricted use of those alreadyin Washington’s arsenal.

CONSERVATIVES SAYLOFTY GOALS ENDANGER US

Aides said it set an examplefor other nuclear nations, whichjust days later attended a nuclearsecurity summit hosted by Obamaat which he secured agreement towork toward locking down loosebomb-making material. But thenew US doctrine drew condemna-tion from conservatives who saidit would compromise national

security. Critics say Obama’sapproach has also helped embold-en Iran and North Korea, whichhave largely spurned Obama’sdiplomatic outreach and pressedahead with their nuclear pro-grams. “The notion that self-weakening wins us foreign friendsis flawed,” said Joseph Carafano, amilitary expert at the conserva-tive Heritage Foundation. “The(nuclear-free) vision was unrealis-tic then and is just as unrealisticnow.” While Obama has beencredited with forging greater

international solidarity on sanc-tions against Pyongyang andTehran, such pressure has donelittle to halt their efforts. NorthKorean officials recently took aUS nuclear scientist to a plant atits Yongbyon nuclear complexwhere he saw hundreds of cen-trifuges. It was the first public dis-closure of the uranium enrich-ment facility-the second source ofatomic bomb material inPyongyang’s program-andsparked fresh questions about theeffectiveness of the Obama

administration’s carrot-and-stickapproach. But Obama’s optionsare limited. International sanc-tions are believed to have runtheir course with impoverishedNorth Korea, leaving China-theclosest thing North Korea has toan ally but also wary of a crisis onits borders-the sole power withany influence over Pyongyang.Iran, which denies Western accu-sations it is seeking nuclearweapons capabilities, also contin-ues to pose a daunting challengefor Obama. — Reuters

By Chris Buckley and Michael Martina

China’s famed diplomatic fence-sit-ting now faces an agonizing teston the barbed-wire dividing North

and South Korea, but Beijing is likely toendure the sting and shield its friend, theNorth. North Korea’s deadly shelling of aSouth Korean island on Tuesday will be amajor test of how well China can balanceits role as Pyongyang’s only major allywith international demands that it pres-sure, even punish, the North over theworst bombardment on the KoreanPeninsula since 1953. In the end, Pyongyang’s importance to

China as a buffer against possible regionalcontainment and conflict is likely to out-weigh the urgings of the Obama adminis-tration and US allies for a tough responsefrom Beijing that could rile North Korea.“There won’t be any shift in the macro-structure of relations because of a local-ized problem like this,” said Xu Guangyu,a retired major general in the People’sLiberation Army who now works for thegovernment-run China Arms Control andDisarmament Association. “Our

biggest objective is stability on theKorean Peninsula. That interest is notserved by abandoning North Korea,” hesaid. “China’s attitudes won’t change. Itwill make calls for restraint. It’s afraid ofan escalation. But there won’t be any fun-damental shift.”

SHARPER BARBS But if China resists calls for strong

censure of Pyongyang, however, itsregional standing could suffer, a worrythat will also weigh on Beijing officials’minds. US officials have already com-plained about China’s muted response tothe shelling that killed at least four peo-ple. President Hu Jintao is due to visitWashington in early 2011, and that couldadd pressure on Beijing to criticize theNorth. “The Chinese did not react in away we thought was conducive to strivingtoward regional stability,” a senior USofficial in Washington DC said. Japan hasalso urged Beijing to make a “properresponse.” Seoul and Tokyo were already upset

over Beijing’s hands-off stance about thesinking in March of a South Korean navyship that Seoul said was torpedoed by

North Korea. This time, China maymove to chide the North sooner and moresharply. But Washington and its allies willprobably want more. They may look toChina to back criticism of the North withsanctions, possibly through the UnitedNations Security Council. And here thedivide will be sharper. “A push for a newsanctions resolution at the UnitedNations may be necessary to test oncemore whether the international commu-nity faces a North Korea problem or aChina problem,” Scott Snyder, an experton Korea at the Council on ForeignRelations, said in an emailed comment.

CHINA’S INVESTMENT China sees North Korea as a strategic

buffer against the US and its regionalallies, and throughout this year PresidentHu has shown how much political pres-tige and economic aid he is willing toinvest in Pyongyang. In early May, NorthKorea’s leader Kim Jong-il visited Chinaon his first trip abroad since 2006, and hevisited again in late August ahead of theanointment of his youngest son, KimJong-un, as heir-apparent in the dynasticone-party state. Since then, senior

Chinese leaders have visited Pyongyang.China’s 1,415-km border with NorthKorea includes stretches of rivers thatfreeze over in winter, and Beijing fearsthat frontier could become a conduit forrefugees and upheaval if Pyongyang’sregime crumbles. Chinese reluctance topush North Korea harder may also becompounded by joint military exercisesbetween the United States and SouthKorea intended as a show of resolve andpower. Washington is sending the nuclear-

powered USS George Washington, whichcarries 75 warplanes, to join exerciseswith South Korea from Sunday to the fol-lowing Wednesday, US officials in Seoulsaid yesterday. Beijing was angered earli-er this year by joint US-South Koreanaval exercises off the South Koreancoast that those two countries said wereaimed at warning North Korea. “Chinawill not welcome the US aircraft carrierjoining the exercises, because that kind ofmove can escalate tensions, and notrelieve them,” said Xu, the retired majorgeneral. “So I expect China will urge theUnited States and other countries toshow restraint.” — Reuters

N Korea crisis the latest blow to Obama’s agenda

China toughs out crisis sitting on Korean fence

13Thursday, november 25, 2010 analysis

By Victor L Simpson And Nicole Winfield

In a seismic shift on one ofthe most profound and pro-foundly contentious -

Roman Catholic teachings, theVatican said Tuesday that con-doms are the lesser of twoevils when used to curb thespread of AIDS, even if theiruse prevents a pregnancy.The position was an acknowl-edgment that the church’slong-held anti-birth controlstance against condoms does-n’t justify putting lives at risk.

“This is a game-changer,”declared the Rev. JamesMartin, a prominent Jesuitwriter and editor. The newstance was staked out as theVatican explained PopeBenedict XVI’s comments oncondoms and HIV in a bookthat came out Tuesday basedon his interview with aGerman journalist.

The Vatican still holds thatcondom use is immoral andthat church doctrine forbid-ding artificial birth controlremains unchanged. Still, thereassessment on condom useto help prevent disease carriesprofound significance, particu-larly in Africa where AIDS isrampant. “By acknowledgingthat condoms help prevent thespread of HIV between peoplein sexual relationships, thepope has completely changedthe Catholic discussion oncondoms,” said Martin, a lib-eral-leaning author of severalbooks about spirituality andCatholic teaching.

The development came ona day when UN AIDS officialsannounced that the number ofnew HIV cases has fallen sig-nificantly - thanks to condomuse and a US medical journalpublished a study showingthat a daily pill could help pre-vent spread of the virusamong gay men. “This is agreat day in the fight againstAIDS ... a major milestone,”said Mitchell Warren, head ofthe AIDS Vaccine AdvocacyCoalition. Theologians havedebated for years whether itcould be morally acceptablefor HIV-infected people to usecondoms to avoid infectingtheir partners. The Vaticanyears ago was reportedlypreparing a document on thesubject, but it never came out.

The groundbreaking shift,coming as it does from thedeeply conservative pontiff,would appear likely to restrainany public criticism fromCatholic conservatives, whoinsisted Tuesday that thepope was merely reaffirmingthe church’s moral teaching.Conservatives have fearedthat a comment like this wouldgive support to Catholics whowant to challenge the church’sban on artificial contraceptionin an environment where theyfeel they are under siege froma secular, anti-Catholic cul-ture.

George Weigel, a conserv-ative Catholic writer, said theVatican was by no meansendorsing condom use as amethod of contraception or ameans of AIDS prevention.“This is admittedly a difficultdistinction to grasp,” he toldThe Associated Press in anemail. What the pontiff is say-ing is “that someone deter-mined to do something wrongmay be showing a glimmer ofmoral common sense by notdoing that wrong thing in theworst possible way, which isnot an endorsement of any-thing.” Benedict’s commentscome at a time when bishopsin the United States areintensely focused on uphold-ing the strictest views ofCatholic orthodoxy, emphasiz-ing traditional marriage, nat-ural family planning based on awoman’s menstrual cycle andmaking abortion the mostimportant issue.

In the book, “Light of theWorld: The Pope, the Churchand the Signs of the Times,”Benedict was quoted as sayingthat condom use by peoplesuch as male prostitutes indi-cated they were movingtoward a more moral andresponsible sexuality by aim-ing to protect their partnerfrom a deadly infection. Hiscomments implied that he wasreferring primarily to homo-sexual sex, when condomsaren’t being used as a form ofcontraception. However,questions arose immediatelyabout the pope’s intentbecause the Italian translation

of the book used the femininefor prostitute, whereas theoriginal German used themasculine.

The Vatican spokesman,the Rev. Federico Lombardi,told reporters Tuesday that heasked the pope whether heintended his comments toapply only to men. Benedictreplied that it really didn’tmatter, the important thingwas that the person took intoconsideration the life of anoth-er. “I personally asked thepope if there was a serious,important problem in thechoice of the masculine overthe feminine,” Lombardi said.“He told me no. The problemis this: ... It’s the first step oftaking responsibility, of takinginto consideration the risk ofthe life of another with whomyou have a relationship.”“This is if you’re a man, awoman, or a transsexual. ...The point is it’s a first step oftaking responsibility, of avoid-ing passing a grave risk ontoanother,” Lombardi said.

Those comments conclud-ed the press conference, andLombardi took no furtherquestions about how broadlythis interpretation could beapplied. The clarification issignificant. UNAIDS esti-mates that 22.4 million peoplein Africa are infected withHIV, and that 54 percent or12.1 million - are women.Heterosexual transmission ofHIV and multiple, heterosexu-al partners are believed to bethe major cause of the highinfection rates. Benedict drewharsh criticism when, en routeto Africa in 2009, he toldreporters that the AIDS prob-lem couldn’t be resolved bydistributing condoms. “On thecontrary, it increases theproblem,” he said then. InAfrica on Tuesday, AIDSactivists, clerics and ordinaryAfricans applauded the pope’srevised comments. “I say,hurrah for Pope Benedict,”exclaimed Linda-Gail Bekker,chief executive of SouthAfrica’s Desmond Tutu HIVFoundation.

She said the pope’s state-ment may prompt many peo-ple to “adopt a simple lifestylestrategy to protect them-selves.” In Sierra Leone, thedirector of the National AIDSSecretariat predicted condomuse would now increase, low-ering the number of newinfections. “Once the popehas made a pronouncement,his priests will be in the fore-front in advocating for theirperceived use of condoms,”said the official, Dr BrimaKargbo. Lombardi saidBenedict knew full well thathis comments would provokeintense debate. ConservativeCatholics have been trying tominimize what he said sinceexcerpts were published thisweekend in the Vatican news-paper.

The Rev Tim Finnegan, aconservative British blogger,said he thought the pope’scomments were unwise. “I’msorry. I love the Holy Fathervery much; he is a deeply holyman and has done a great dealfor the church,” Finnegan saidon his blog. “On this particularissue, I disagree with him.”Lombardi praised Benedict forhis “courage” in confrontingthe problem.

“He did it because hebelieved that it was a serious,important question in theworld of today,” Lombardisaid, adding that the popewanted to give his perspectiveon the need for greaterhumanized, responsible sexu-ality. Luigi Accatoli, a veteranVatican journalist who was onthe Vatican panel thatlaunched the book, put it thisway: “He spoke with cautionand courage of a pragmaticway through which missionar-ies and other ecclesial work-ers can help to defeat the pan-demic of AIDS withoutapproving, but also withoutexcluding - in particular cases- the use of a condom,”Accatoli said. The launch ofthe book, which includeswide-ranging comments onsubjects from the sex abusecrisis to Benedict’s belief thatpopes should resign if physi-cally unable to carry out theirmission, drew a packed audi-ence. Making a rare appear-ance, Benedict’s secretary,Monsignor Georg Gaenswein,sat in the front row - an indica-tion of the event’s signifi-cance. — AP

Condom use less evil than spreading HIV

Stuxnet could add to Iran’s enrichment problemsBy Simon Morgan

Amysterious halt in Iran’s urani-um enrichment activities earlierthis month, as revealed in a new

report by the UN atomic watchdog, mayhave been due to a cyber attack,experts suggested yesterday. But theenrichment program is vulnerable towider technical problems-particularlysince it uses outdated technology-aswell as international sanctions, theexperts argued. A restricted report bythe International Atomic EnergyAgency, a copy of which was obtainedby AFP, says no uranium-enrichingcentrifuges at Iran’s enrichment facilityin Natanz were being fed with nuclearmaterial on at least one day this month.Centrifuges are finely calibrated cylin-drical devices that spin at supersonicspeed to separate out an isotope of ura-nium used to make nuclear fuel or, ifrefined to a much higher degree, for thefissile material for an atomic bomb.

“On November 16, no cascadeswere being fed with UF6” or uraniumhexafluoride, the nine-page reportrevealed, without offering any explana-tion as to a possible cause of the outage.Uranium hexafluoride, a toxic gas, isthe particular form of uranium used inthe enrichment process. Most of themachines at Natanz are used to producelow-enriched uranium or LEU, which isused to make nuclear fuel. A muchsmaller pilot plant where earlier thisyear Iran began enriching uranium to20 percent purity-ostensibly to produceradioisotopes for medical purposes-wasnot affected. The IAEA’s inspectorswere not yet able to determine exactlyhow long the halt lasted: a few hours on

November 16, an entire day or evenlonger.

The inspectors have not been backsince, but Iranian authorities informedthem that on November 22 nuclearmaterial was being fed back into thecentrifuges. Iran quickly ruled out apossible cyber attack and denied thatthe enrichment work was experiencingtechnical problems. But experts see as

“feasible” the theory that the stoppagewas caused by a computer worm calledStuxnet that has infiltrated Iran’snuclear facilities recently. Israel is sus-pected of designing Stuxnet to sabotageits arch foe’s nuclear program, whichthe West believes is simply a cover tobuild an atomic bomb, though Irandenies it.

“It’s certainly feasible, because of

the kind of technical problems it cancause in the control systems for cen-trifuges,” said Mark Hibbs, senior asso-ciate at the Carnegie Endowment forInternational Peace. “Centrifuges arevery sensitive machines and if you dis-rupt one of them, you can cause a largenumber of others to crash.” Analystssay Iran’s enrichment equipment iseven more vulnerable to a possible

cyber attack because it is intrinsicallyflawed. Most of the centrifuges, labeledas P-1 or IR-1, are based on a modeldating back to the 1970s that isextremely prone to breakage. “It’svery likely that the halt was in connec-tion with efforts to overcome chronictechnical problems,” said MarkFitzpatrick of the InternationalInstitute for Stragegic Studies.

“The Stuxnet malware appears tohave contributed to these problems,but the P-1 centrifuges have intrinsicproblems anyway.” Hibbs at Carnegiesuggested Iran could soon abandon theP-1 or IR-1 centrifuge in favor of moreadvanced and more reliable models.According to the IAEA report, thereare 8,426 IR-1 centrifuges currentlyinstalled at Natanz-down from 8,856 atthe end of August-with only just overhalf of those, or 4,816, being fed withnuclear material. Significantly, Iran toldthe IAEA it intends to reduce by a thirdthe number of IR-1 machines at its sec-ond enrichment site at Fordow, nearQom, the existence of which Tehranonly declared after it was discovered bywestern intelligence services.

David Albright of the Institute forScience and International Security sawthat as a sign Iran had decided to down-grade the role of Fordow as an enrich-ment plant. But Hibbs said: “We maybe seeing the silent termination of theIR-1 problem” and a switch to moreadvanced models. The challenge for theWest was “to stop Iran’s nuclear pro-gram in its tracks or at least slow itdown significantly, because Iran willfind it difficult to procure the materialssuch as maraging steel and carbon-fibreneeded” in the face of internationalsanctions, he added. — AFP

By Nigel Davies and Fiona Ortiz

Spain is praying a restructuringof its weaker banks, an austere2011 budget and progress on

deficit cuts will help it stave off anIrish- or Greek-style debt meltdown,though mounting market pressurewill test its resolve. Euro zone poli-cymakers are keeping their fingerscrossed too, as a call for outside helpfrom the region’s fourth largest econ-omy would come close to extinguish-ing the huge reserves of capital theyand the International Monetary Fundhave set aside to contain the fiscalcrisis, leaving the single currencyarea facing a bleak future.

Like Portugal, Spain is strugglingto prove it has more staying powerthan other vulnerable euro zoneeconomies as investors sell off itsdebt on concerns over a high deficit-especially at local government level-and over banks laden with souredconstruction loans. The risk premiumon Spanish sovereign bonds overGerman benchmark Bunds hit a eurolifetime high this week and kept ris-ing, brushing off data that showed taxhikes and spending cuts have slashedthe central government deficit by 50percent so far this year.

But at 250 basis points the risk isstill well below Ireland’s, which hassoared above 630. “Obviously ifthings go out of control then it wouldbe a different story, but fundamental-ly Spain looks much stronger thansome of the other periphery coun-tries and funding requirements fornext year do not look high,” said amarket maker on Spanish debt at abank in London. Spain’s budget fore-casts a cut in net debt issuance in2011 to 43.3 billion euros from 76.2billion this year. The governmentfaces some 65 billion euros of debtpayments next year, including inter-est, with the first major maturitycoming on April 30.

SPAIN BAILOUT WOULDSTRAIN EURO

Bailing out Greece, Ireland or

even Portugal is one thing: butSpain’s economy and debt are biggerthan all three combined, saysDeutsche Bank.

“If problems spill over to Spainthe fund that is in place would not beenough to cover its financingrequirements and would put intoquestion the existence of the eurozone,” said Marco Valli, chief eurozone economist at Unicredit. A res-cue aimed at meeting Spain’s financ-ing needs for 2-1/2 years would cost420 billion euros, estimates CapitalEconomics, noting the EuropeanFinancial Stability Facility (EFSF)reserve set up after Greece wasforced into seeking a rescue in May

barely have that left over after help-ing Athens and Dublin.

Spain has not run into troublesselling debt, but mounting borrow-ing costs threaten an unsustainablespiral, and government officials havetaken to the airwaves to insist thatausterity measures are working. Butthey are painfully aware that just afew months ago, Ireland’s deepspending cuts were held up as amodel for euro zone economiesstruggling with debt.

“The government has to changepeople’s perception ... They have tomove more quickly, such as on pen-sion reform, and deepen the laborreform, and then they have to do a

better job of informing people,” saidJose Luis Martinez, economist atCiti.

MUCH WORKHAS BEEN DONE

Unlike Ireland and Portugal,Spain has its 2011 budget in the bagand its debt as a percentage of GrossDomestic Product is estimated at 60percent this year, compared withIreland’s 100 percent and Greece’s145 percent. The government hasshown willingness to make cuts,slashing infrastructure projects andstate worker wages.

“Spain is the only country thathas managed (to cut the deficit). In

Ireland the deficit is rising evenwithout the bank aid. In Portugal ithasn’t improved at all,” Jose CarlosDiez, economist with Intermoney inMadrid. Spain’s banks are alsostronger than Ireland’s. The govern-ment provided 15 billion euros incredit lines to savings banks andforced them to merge, and only ahandful of smaller savings banksfailed Europe-wide crisis simula-tions or stress tests. The financialsystem’s reliance on EuropeanCentral Bank funding has comedown after jumping during theGreek crisis.

BANKS AND REGIONSBut concerns persist that a

renewed liquidity crunch on theinterbank market combined with baddebt from Spain’s property boom andbust could sink a bank. “The genuinesource of Spain’s vulnerability lies inthe adjustment of the private sectorwhich accumulated before the startof the recession a debt of 210 per-cent of GDP... The banking sectorbears the brunt of the adjustment,”Deutsche Bank economist GillesMoec wrote in a report this week.

Moec and other experts warnSpain should not overreact to mar-ket pressure with more austerity,possibly sending its stagnant econo-my back into recession.

Low growth next year wouldmake it hard for the government tocut the deficit to 6 percent of GDP,since that target is based on whatmany see as an overoptimistic offi-cial forecast of 1.3 percent economicexpansion.

The government insists thatSpain’s deeply indebted autonomousregions-with a combined debt of 10percent of GDP and in many caseslinked to Madrid through volatilepolitical alliances-are committed todoing their part in deficit reduction.But there are still concerns thatregional finances are not transpar-ent enough and that the central gov-ernment might have to bail out aregion, further straining itsfinances. — Reuters

Spain battles market pressures, bailout risk remains

focus

BUSHEHR: Iranian technicians work at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, outside thesouthern city of Bushehr, Iran. — AP

By Silvia Aloisi

The rotting garbage piled upon the streets of Naples hasbecome an enduring symbol

to Italians of the many problems fac-ing Silvio Berlusconi’s crumblingconservative government. Theprime minister came to power as a“Mr Fix It” less than three yearsago vowing to clean up a mess thathis centre-left predecessor hadfailed to sort out, and often cites theclearing of Naples’ streets as one ofhis biggest successes.

He even held his first cabinetmeeting there, promising a breakwith past administrations that hadfailed to solve the chronic rubbishproblem in Campania-the poor,southern region of which Naples isthe capital. Half-way into his term,facing the prospect of early elec-tions due to the implosion of hiscentre-right coalition and a string ofsex and graft scandals, Berlusconi isseeing Naples’ trash back on thefront pages of newspapers and TVbulletins.

“Naples garbage? It’s just liketwo years ago,” read the headline of

the daily La Stampa on Tuesday.This time, Berlusconi no longerseems to have the political capitaleven to temporarily push the filthunder the carpet to boost his popu-larity, now at a record low. Damningcomments this week from EuropeanUnion inspectors who said Italy hadfailed to deliver on pledges to fix theproblem rubbed salt in the wound.“He obviously never had a magicwand but this time he is under somuch pressure on all fronts that hecan’t even pretend to deal with therubbish effectively,” said JamesWalston, political science professorat the American University inRome.

DECADES-OLD PROBLEMThe Naples garbage crisis-first

declared a national emergency in1994 - can hardly be blamed onBerlusconi’s government alone. It isthe result of years of political mis-management, corruption and theinfluence of the local mafia, theCamorra, which makes a fortune outof illegal waste disposal. But withthe media tycoon facing a confi-dence vote in parliament on Dec. 14,

television images of Neapolitanswalking past shoulder-high moundsof trash, holding their noses andcovering their faces, have become asymbol of his own failure.

They have also given ammuni-tion to critics who say his taste forpartying, back in the spotlightthanks to a scandal over a teenagenightclub dancer, is distracting himfrom running a country emergingonly slowly from its worst post-warrecession. “This is undermining his‘can do’ image and adding to a grow-ing sense that his time is up, partic-ularly in the south,” Walston said.

Last month, Berlusconi pledgedto solve the latest crisis in a matterof days. Instead, the emergency has,if anything, grown bigger, as the EUinspectors witnessed this week.The government was forced to ditchplans to open a new landfill nearNaples, without an alternative solu-tion, after a month-long protest bylocals complaining of the foul smelland toxic waste being dumped at anexisting site near their homes.Berlusconi blames local centre-leftauthorities, but it is his People ofFreedom (PDL) party that runs the

Campania region. And rivalrieswithin the party, where many arerepositioning themselves for a like-ly snap election next spring, aremaking things worse.

‘GANG-LIKE FACTIONS’Equal Opportunities Minister

Mara Carfagna, a favorite ofBerlusconi and a native ofCampania, has threatened to resignover the way fellow party membersare handling the rubbish crisis-andhinted at murky interests in theprocess. “There is a war betweengang-like factions. I am beingobstructed in my battle for the rule oflaw and for the realization of strate-gic infrastructure in my region,” shesaid.At the heart of the dispute iswho should be responsible for build-ing two long-delayed incinerators,managing a contract which accordingto some estimates is worth 1 billioneuros- mayors, provincial chiefs orthe regional governor. Plans to truckNaples’ trash to other parts of Italyare on hold, as Berlusconi’s coalitionpartners in the Northern League —which runs key northern regions andhas long derided southern graft and

inefficiency-applies a “not in mybackyard” policy. The opposition hasjumped on the coalition’s internaldivisions over the issue, just asBerlusconi used the weakness of hispredecessor Romano Prodi’s dividedcentre-left government to paint it asthe culprit for Naples’ woes.

“This power struggle is a sicken-ing spectacle. No one seems to beinterested in resolving the garbagecrisis, the only thing that matters ismaking money at the expense of citi-zens,” said Pierferdinando Casini,leader of the centrist UDC party.Worse still for Berlusconi, the crisiscould cost him votes in a crucialsouthern region, reinforcing theimpression that, after breaking withhis long-time ally Gianfranco Fini,Berlusconi is at the mercy of thepowerful Northern League.

Opinion polls already suggestthat, while he would still be likely towin a snap election, he may not get amajority in the Senate, greatly ham-pering his ability to govern effective-ly. At the height of the garbageprotest, one banner in a town nearNaples read: “Berlusconi, you havelost the south.” — Reuters

Naples trash crisis highlights Berlusconi weakness

MADRID: Brokers look at the main screen at the Stock Exchange in Madrid. Spain’s bor-rowing costs have soared in a sale of 3-and 6-month bills amid fears the country could beaffected by contagion from Ireland’s debt crisis. — AP

NEWS14 Thursday, November 25, 2010

Continued from Page 1

A second tribal chief said 11 of thedead, who were rebel supporters, wereburied straight away in accordance withMuslim tradition. “The bodies of the oth-er 12, who were Huthi fighters, were tak-en away by the rebels,” he added, refer-ring to them by the clan name of theirleaders. The mountains of Al-Jawf andneighboring Saada and Amran provinceshave been a stronghold of the rebels inthe uprising they have been wagingagainst the Sanaa government on and offfor the past six years.The office of the UN High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)warned on Tuesday there had been an“alarming escalation” in fighting in theregion, despite the nine-month-old truce.It said aid agencies and witnesses hadreported that clashes between the rebels

and pro-government tribes had erupted inSaada province on November 13. “Atleast 20 people have been killed report-edly and others wounded over the past 10days in the worst violence in northernYemen since the signing of the ceasefirein February,” UNHCR spokesman AndrejMahecic said, speaking before the latestunrest.The army launched a major offensive

against the rebels in August last year,sparking a new round of conflict thatspilled over the border of the Arabworld’s poorest country with oil-richSaudi Arabia. That fighting ended with atruce mediated by gas-rich Qatar. Theceasefire has been repeatedly shaken byclashes between the rebels and pro-gov-ernment tribes, and Qatar has beenforced to undertake a series of mediationmissions in a bid to shore it up. Clasheslate last month killed two rebel fighters

and a pro-government tribesman, a tribalchief said. The Zaidis are the majoritycommunity in northern Yemen but aminority in the mainly Sunni country as awhole.There have been six rounds of fight-

ing between the rebels and governmenttroops since the uprising first eruptedin 2004. The UNHCR says more than300,000 people have fled, of whom just20,000 have so far returned to homes inSaada province. In other developments,an influential Muslim television preach-er from Egypt, Amr Khaled, launched inYemen an initiative to recruit youngpeople to combat “extremist ideas.” Ata ceremony in the southern city ofAden, he said 5,000 youths had alreadyvolunteered for the program, whichwould aim to “spread moderate ideasamong young people” and “root outextremism.” — AFP

Suicide bomber kills 23 in Yemen Continued from Page 1

the country, bewildered relativessearched for answers. “I feel very sad andangry about what happened,” PheaChannara said at a funeral service for his24-year-old sister on the outskirts ofPhnom Penh. “I wonder if the police real-ly did their job. Why did they allow it to happen in the

first place?” Waiter Choy Bora said he wasfrustrated with the security response ashe watched the clean-up operation of thebridge which had been littered with dis-carded flip-flops, items of clothing andwater bottles after the crush. At theentrance to the now notorious crossing,still closed off to the public, locals in themostly Buddhist country burned incenseand prayed for the souls of the deceased.They laid out flowers, cake and bananas asofferings.Prime Minister Hun Sen has described

the disaster as Cambodia’s worst tragedysince the Khmer Rouge’s 1975-1979 reign

of terror, which killed up to a quarter ofthe population. Thursday will be a nationalday of mourning. The prime minister alsosaid that a memorial stupa will be built “tocommemorate the souls of the people wholost their lives in the incident... and toremember the serious tragedy for thenation and the Cambodian people.” Social Affairs Minister Ith Samheng

said the toll from the tragedy had jumpedto 456 dead and 395 injured, revising theprevious figure of 378 dead. “Some bodieswere transported home straight away andsome injured people died at home,” hesaid, explaining the increase. “This is ashocking incident for Cambodia.”Exuberant festival-goers had been cross-ing the bridge to reach an island hostingconcerts, food stalls and ice sculptureswhen the stampede began, resulting in adeadly crush of writhing and then lifelesshuman bodies.In scenes replicated across the city, the

dead were laid out in rows under a whitetent erected in Calmette Hospital car park,

their uncovered faces showing that manyhad suffered bloody bruises during thestampede. Military trucks later begandelivering the victims to their relativesand by yesterday morning all bodies hadbeen returned home, the health ministrysaid. It was not immediately clear whathad triggered the disaster, but Kanharithsaid a rumor had spread among revelerscelebrating one of Cambodia’s biggest fes-tivals that the bridge was unstable.He said many of the deaths were

caused by suffocation and internal injuries.About two-thirds of those killed werewomen. The stampede marked a tragicend to the boat races, concerts and fire-works that are traditionally part of theannual festival to celebrate the reversal ofthe flow between the Tonle Sap andMekong rivers. The event-which saw hun-dreds of brightly colored boats take part inraces on the Tonle Sap-is popular withtourists but the government said no for-eigners were believed to be among thevictims. — AFP

Anger and grief as Cambodia mourns

Continued from Page 1

The statement said that the govern-ment did not move despite a number ofexplosions in Ahmadi because of gaswhich resulted in casualties. Bloc’s mem-ber MP Khaled Al-Tahous had warned fourmonths ago about the grave situation inAhmadi, but his warnings went unheard,the statement said. What complicated theproblem is that concerned governmentagencies have failed until this moment toidentify the source of the gas leakage andaccordingly failed to propose a solution, itadded.“The Popular Bloc believes that the lat-

est government moves are nothing morethan reactions ... and that proposed gov-ernment solutions are not fundamentaland not based on true and real informationabout the size of the problem” it said. TheBloc demanded that Ahmadi should bedeclared a disaster area and a contingencyplan must be devised to deal with the dan-ger facing residents, in addition to provide

them with decent and adequate residencesif they were forced to move out of thearea. The Bloc also charged that the gov-ernment will not be able to deal with theconsequences of a military confrontation inthe area.In another development,

Communications Minister Mohammad Al-Baseeri said yesterday that the govern-ment has submitted four more issues to itspriority list to make the total at 60 issuesthat hopes the National Assembly will beable to discuss during the current term.Baseeri said the government plans to sub-mit a draft law for the establishment of theSilk City Authority which will supervisethe implementation of the mega project.He also said the government will sub-

mit its vision about funding the four-yeardevelopment plan within the next threeweeks. Head of the interior and defensecommittee MP Shuaib Al-Muwaizri yester-day sent several questions to the interiorminister inquiring about reports that somepeople who have a travel ban on them have

managed to leave the country. Muwaizriasked the minister if the interior ministryhas recorded cases of people with travelbans managing to leave the countrythrough border exit points and the numberof such cases. The questions come afterreports that a former senior governmentofficial and a former MP who were handedjail terms for stealing money managed toflee the country to escape the prison termsdespite having travel bans against them.In another case, MP Mussallam Al-

Barrak yesterday sent two sets of ques-tions to Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah regarding the arbitra-tion that Dow Chemical has requested fol-lowing the cancellation by Kuwait of a $17billion dollar petrochemicals joint venturetwo years ago. Barrak inquired about thequalifications and experience of the peoplewho will represent Kuwait in the arbitra-tion process and if they had any experi-ence in this field and if the minister hasbeen monitoring the arbitration process toensure its safety.

Popular Bloc blasts govt over gas leak

Continued from Page 1

Plastic surgery is a big draw for poorerEgyptian women as men are usually thebreadwinners and women often cannotread and are unskilled, making it vital tofind and keep a husband. Marwa, a 22-year-old unemployed woman whoweighed around 300 pounds, underwentliposuction on her thighs when successivediets failed. She said she needed to find ahusband after breaking off a four-yearengagement.“I would see billboards of female Arab

pop stars who went under the knife andwished I could have the means they haveto look beautiful,” she said. Doctors at astate hospital removed 12 liters of fat fromMarwa’s outer thighs. She gave them 350ml of her blood and 350 pounds for a post-surgery belt, paid for with her savings andloans from family and friends. A few weekslater, as the pain was receding, Marwareceived an offer of marriage and her satis-faction was mixed with fear: “If we getmarried, will he still love and respect me ifhe ever found out I had plastic surgery?”A taxi driver said he had planned to

divorce until his wife had a breast reduc-tion. At first he regretted pushing her tohave the operation as he was left to mind

the kids and house. “I shouted at the doc-tors to release her before the due datebecause the house was a total mess andour triplets were left alone all that time,”he said, speaking at a university hospitalwhere his wife was having a check-upafter surgery. “But last August, her breastswere drooping and had no form. Now theyare firm,” he said, asking that his namewas not published. He said the operationwas free apart from a post-surgery bracosting 180 pounds.Some operations are paid for by charita-

ble donations, others carried out by privatesurgeons for free. “The rich have theirmoney to support them but the poor onlyhave God to support them... I take enoughmoney from the rich to spare some for thepoor,” said Alaa Gheita, a plastic surgeonwho gives lectures on “Plastic SurgeryRights for the Poor”.Hospitals often perform cosmetic sur-

gery for no charge to ensure trainee stafftake part in enough operations to earninternational recognition, one teachingprofessor said on condition of anonymity.Some patients requesting cosmetic sur-gery are asked to donate blood, part of itused during the operation and the restadded to the hospital’s blood bank for oth-er procedures such as emergency opera-

tions, said another cosmetic surgery pro-fessor who also asked not to be named. Hesaid hospitals often had a shortage ofblood.Abdel Rahman Shahin, a spokesman at

the Health Ministry, said patients could betreated by a trainee surgeon for free aslong as the operation is supervised by asenior doctor. He said patients could notbe obliged to donate blood, adding: “Thisshould be voluntary and no one can force apatient to donate blood in exchange forsurgery.” Cheap, unlicensed clinics chargeas little as 4,000-6,000 pounds for breastenlargements and 1,000-2,000 pounds forliposuction.Some private clinics make false promis-

es such as curing baldness or fatteningskinny legs. Misleading “before and after”photos exploit a widespread lack of med-ical knowledge and hospital doctors havewarned potential clients to think twice.The government has shut 10 percent ofprivate cosmetic surgery centers for lack-ing a license, but many have found a wayto reopen, according to Health Ministryspokesman Shahin. “They have goodlawyers, good connections with retiredpolicemen, simply following the ‘Wasta’(connections) culture to get their way,”said Gheita. — Reuters

Divorce fears drive Egyptian women to plastic surgeryContinued from Page 1

The two oil-rich nations signed a similardeal in 2006 after Iraqi farmers halted con-struction of a 200-kilometre irrigationpipeline on the border when Kuwaitcharged it passed through its territory.Under that deal, which was never imple-mented, Kuwait agreed to pay compensa-tion for the Iraqi farmers and deposited theamount with the United Nations. Mubarakisaid the cost of building the replacement

homes for the Iraqi farmers would be paidfrom the compensation. Kuwait is alsodemanding the demarcation of maritimeborders. Iraq has been campaigning to bereleased from the sanctions imposed bythe Security Council under Chapter Sevenof the UN Charter after now executed dic-tator Saddam Hussein ordered his troopsto invade Kuwait in August 1990.Kuwait has consistently countered that

before being released from the ChapterSeven sanctions, Iraq needs to settle the

border issue and pay a further 25 billiondollars due in war reparations, among oth-er demands. The two nations have agreedin principle on rules for production fromborder oilfields that have been at the heartof the conflict between them, Kuwaiti OilMinister Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah al-Sabahsaid in August. A number of oilfields lie onthe border between the two countries,including Iraq’s giant Rumaila field, whichextends into Kuwait where it is known asRitqa. — AFP

Kuwait and Iraq seal border deal

Continued from Page 1

The UN panel of climate scientists sayshigher temperatures mean more floods,heatwaves and rising sea levels. “I think it’stoo close to call. Based on these numbersit’ll be second, but it depends on how warmNovember and December are,” said PhilJones, director of Britain’s ClimaticResearch Unit (CRU), at the University ofEast Anglia, which says 1998 was therecord year so far. By contrast, scientists atthe US space agency NASA say that sur-face temperatures through October wereabove the previous record year, which itsays was 2005. Differences between yearsare only a few hundredths of a degree.“I would not be surprised if most or all

groups found that 2010 was tied for thewarmest year,” said NASA’s JamesHansen. And the US National Climatic DataCenter (NCDC) at the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration, said that2010 was a “dead-heat” for the record.

“Our data show 2010 being virtually tiedwith 1998, through October,” said DekeArndt, from NCDC. The three institutesuse similar observations, but in slightly dif-ferent ways. For example, NASA’s GoddardInstitute for Space Studies (GISS) takesgreater account of Arctic weather stations,where warming has been fastest.Some skeptics have argued that because

the last temperature peak was in 2005 or1998, that global warming must havestalled. Most scientists reject that view,saying that whether or not 2010 is thehottest year is less important than the long-term trend, which is up, due to manmadegreenhouse gas emissions. The period2000-2009 was the warmest decade onrecord.Scientists also point to natural variation,

and in particular the El Nino Pacific weatherphenomenon associated with warm weatherworldwide. 1998 was a strong El Nino year.“The trend is overwhelming, particularlyover the past 50 years,” said Rajendra

Pachauri, head of the UN panel of climatescientists. “I wouldn’t read these numbersfor a particular year as very compelling, wehave to take a historical view,” he said. Inone of the biggest bets on climate change,James Annan, a climate scientist at theFrontier Research Center for Global Changein Japan, has a $10,000 wager made in 2005with two Russian solar physicists who areskeptical about global warming.He will win if average world tempera-

tures are higher from 2012-17 than theywere from 1998-2003. “Things are pro-gressing smoothly,” he said. The UN’sWorld Meteorological Organization willpublish an estimate on Dec 2 of where 2010ranks. It compiles data from a wider rangeof sources, both measured temperaturesand climate models. It lists 1998 and 2005as the warmest years. “We have indicationsthat it would match one of the threewarmest years,” said Omar Baddour, headof climate data management operations atin Geneva. — Reuters

2010 ‘hottest year’

Continued from Page 1

The United Arab Emirates has signaledit will rein back its role as a trading andfinancial lifeline for Iran after the UNSecurity Council imposed a fourth round ofsanctions on Iran in June, over accusationsit is developing a nuclear bomb. The meas-ures could spell disaster for many of theIranian banks and thousands of Iranian busi-nesses who deal with Dubai, which built itsreputation on its role as the re-export hubfor the Gulf.“There is a severe impact on trade

between the UAE and Iran due to the cur-rent sanctions, particularly on the bankingsector,” said Morteza Masoumzadeh, vicepresident of the Iranian Business Counciland managing director of Jumbo Line ship-ping agency. “Due to the recent sanctions,the Iranian banks’ operations have comealmost to a standstill. They have lost theirbusinesses,” he told Reuters in his office onthe 14th floor of a building that overlooksDubai’s busy saltwater creek.In June, the UAE central bank told finan-

cial institutions to freeze accounts belongingto dozens of firms targeted by UN sanctions,also blacklisting 40 entities and one individ-ual. In November, businessmen and tradersmet the deputy ruler of Dubai to complain ofobstacles they face doing business with Irandue to the banking restrictions.Masoumzadeh said around 8,000 Iranian-owned businesses remained in Dubai aftersome 400 were forced to close because ofthe sanctions and the financial crisis.A sharp decline in Iranian trade could hit

Dubai’s economy, still dusting itself off afterlast year’s debt crisis hit confidence in theemirate that is home to the world’s tallesttower and three man-made palm islandsvisible from space. “The anecdotal evi-dence of a sharp decline in the Iran-bound

re-export business is accumulating,although the statistical evidence is stilllacking,” said David Butter, Middle Eastand North Africa director at the EconomistIntelligence Unit (EIU). “However, the newmeasures are likely to bite in the secondhalf of this year. The effects on Dubai’sGDP will be significant, but should not beoverstated.”In July, Iran still ranked as the second

largest re-export destination for the UAE-topped only by India-with the re-exporttrade worth a total 2.2 billion dirhams ($599million) in that month alone, UAE customsdata showed. Butter said whatever thedecline in trading relations with Iran,Dubai’s trade with other countries appearsto be picking up, potentially making up forany losses.Trade between Iran and Dubai is long

established. The Strait of Hormuz, throughwhich around 40 percent of the world’s oilsupplies pass, separates the UAE from Iranby only 54 kilometers at its narrowestpoint. Persian traders migrated from townsin southern Iran in the early 20th centuryand settled along Dubai’s creek, wheretoday the wooden ships dock and boatmenunload spices, clothes and other goods fromIndia, East Africa and Iran. Wealthy Persianmerchants built windtower houses alongthe creek that still cluster in Dubai’sBastakia area.Dubai’s business with Iran flourished as

other countries grew increasingly wary, inrecent years, of flouting sanctions.Exchange traders in the UAE expect thatsending money to and from Iran willbecome increasingly difficult, even thoughthere is no official ban on dealing with Iran’srial currency. “We expect a trade drop, soeventually it will affect all other businessesrelated to the same circle, including moneytransfers,” Mohamed Al-Ansari, chairman

and managing director of Abu Dhabi-basedAl Ansari Exchange, said.“The financial sector and banks take

extra caution not to be involved, especiallywhen it’s routed transactions which have togo through Europe or the United States.They try to be away from these type oftransactions.” Ansari said money transactions with

Iran accounted for less than 5 percent of hisbusiness, but authorities had increasedinspections, although it was not alwayseasy to determine the nature of transac-tions in Dubai, which until recently wasconsidered a major money-laundering hub.Dubai-based security analyst TheodoreKarasik said moves by the UAE to imple-ment sanctions would certainly affect trade.“A lot of surveillance is done and theauthorities are watching very closely, mon-ey laundering has been reduced verysharply. There is more supervision in termsof money,” he said. “Some people havealready made a move to Turkey andMalaysia, but not in a considerable number.But I’m sure if the situation continues assuch, in the very near future there will be amajor shift.”Dubai shocked global markets when

Dubai World, a state-owned conglomerate,said last November it would delay itsrepayment in $26 billion of debt. Sincethen, Dubai has been hammering out dealswith creditors and getting its projects backon track. Dubai’s new $10.9 billionMaktoum International Airport- part ofDubai World Central’s so-called “aerotrop-olis” complex - could cushion the impact oflosing Iranian trade, Butter said. “India,Saudi Arabia and Iraq are all substantialother destinations, and with the develop-ment of Maktoum International Airport,Dubai can develop other alternatives fur-ther afield,” he said. — Reuters

Sanctions squeeze Dubai-Iran trade

CAIRO: Egyptian Christians flee as police fire tear gas during a riot after authorities halted constructionon a church. — AP

CAIRO: One demonstrator was killed anddozens injured yesterday as Christian pro-testers clashed with Egyptian police overthe denial of permission for a new church, asecurity official said. The clashes cameamid mounting sectarian tensions in theArab world’s most populous nation afterMuslims set fire to homes owned by thefamily of a Christian man rumored to haveflirted with a Muslim girl in the south. Asecurity official said that a young maledemonstrator was killed during the protestsover the church and that a senior police offi-cer was among the injured. Hundredsclashed sporadically with police throughoutthe morning in separate locations in theTalibiya district of Cairo’s Giza governorate,with demonstrators throwing stones andMolotov cocktails, and the police respond-ing with tear gas.Around 20 police were injured in the

clashes, including Giza’s deputy securitychief, as well as around 15 demonstrators.The official MENA news agency said morethan 3,000 people had taken part in theprotests, 93 of whom were arrested. Someof the protesters were led away with bloodon their faces, after police hurled rocks atthem from a bridge. The dead protester wasidentified as Makarios Gad Shukr, 19.

Father Mina, from a church near the pro-posed new chapel, said Shukr was shot inthe neck during one of the demonstrationsin front of the governorate headquarters inthe morning.Hundreds of Copts had gathered at the

neighboring church to complain about howthey had been treated. “People here feelvery discriminated against. We can’t buildthe church-why are they stopping us?”asked Samih Rashid. “Every street has amosque, every church has a mosque next toit,” he complained. Dozens of Muslim resi-dents of Talibiya chanting anti-Coptic slo-gans threw rocks at the demonstrators fromunder a bridge on the ringroad as policefired tear gas at the Copts.The Coptic protesters chanted back:

“Long live the crescent alongside the cruci-fix,” in reference to the Islamic andChristian symbols. Riot police were laterdeployed to hold back the Muslims. One ofthe Coptic demonstrators complained: “Thisis the way the government starts sectarianstrife.” They were protesting against thegovernment’s decision not to allow theCopts to turn a community centre that theywere building next to the Virgin Mary andArchangel Michael church into a chapel.The authorities said the Copts had violat-

ed their building license. Witnesses saidpolice arrested construction workers. FatherMina blamed restrictions in the law for theclashes. “This has led to something danger-ous. It turned into a fight between Muslimsand Copts.” Copts account for between sixand 10 percent of Egypt’s 80 million popula-tion and complain of systematic discrimina-tion and marginalisation. Non-Muslims arerequired to obtain a presidential decree toconstruct new religious buildings and mustsatisfy numerous conditions before permis-sion is granted, in contrast to the ease withwhich mosques can be built.Yesterday’s clashes took place just days

before Egyptians are to go to the polls for aparliamentary election, which is expected tokeep the ruling National Democratic Partyin power. Sectarian tensions have been ris-ing amid threats against Copts in Egypt byAl-Qaeda in Iraq. The jihadist networkthreatened to target the region’s Christiansif the Coptic Church did not release twowomen rumored to have converted to Islam.The Coptic Church denied they had con-verted. In January, six Copts were killed bygunmen in southern Egypt as they emergedfrom mass on the eve of Coptic Christmas inthe deadliest attack on the community since2000. — AFP

Egypt Christians clash with police

SPORTS 15Thursday, November 25, 2010

TORONTO: Proposals to extend theNational Football League (NFL) season bytwo games have not been thought throughand could lead to more injuries and curtailedcareers, say players.“What type of effect does two more

games have on your body, your career andon your long-term health?” New OrleansSaints quarterback Drew Brees said in arecent interview with Reuters.“Every guy in every locker room on

every team right now has some kind ofinjury that they are nursing, so when youadd two games does that increase the risk ofserious injury?”NFL owners support the idea of adding

two extra regular-season games and axing

two of the four pre-season ones — whencompetition is less intense and starters donot generally play full games. Players saythey will suffer the consequences.“Swapping two pre-season games for two

end-of-season games, when players alreadyplay hurt, comes at a huge cost for the play-er and the team,” said Baltimore Ravenslinebacker Ray Lewis earlier this year. “Iffans want to show their love, they should leteveryone know that we are not machines.”Already this season dangerous hits have

left many players with concussion and inone brutal mid-October weekend severalplayers suffered head injuries.A helmet-to-helmet hit from Pittsburgh

Steelers linebacker James Harrison left

Cleveland Browns wide receiver MohamedMassaquoi lying on the turf for several min-utes, while Baltimore Ravens tight endTodd Heap was floored by a similar clashwith New England Patriots safety BrandonMeriweather.Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dunta

Robinson and Philadelphia Eagles widereceiver DeSean Jackson needed to behelped off the field after a head-on collision.Jackson suffered concussion and Robinson ahead injury. By week 10 of the schedule, the number

of players placed on injury reserve was up34 percent from last year, putting the leagueon pace for its most injury-plagued season.The league quickly decided to use hefty

fines and threaten suspensions to cut downon dangerous hits, a response that sparked aspirited national debate on safety issues.Harrison received the stiffest penalty

this season when he was fined $75,000 forunnecessarily striking his defenceless oppo-nent on the head and neck whileMeriweather and Robinson were each fined$50,000.“It’s hits on defenceless players that we

are all trying to cut back on or at least seethose minimised as much as possible,” saidBrees, the MVP of last season’s SuperBowl. “This is a tough, physical, violentgame and it involves big, strong, fast men soat times you’re going to have those types ofinjuries. But as much as you can keep that to

a minimum the better.”An expanded schedule is one of the key

topics in talks on a new collective bargainingagreement. The current agreement expiresin March and owners are expected to lockout players if both sides cannot reach a deal,jeopardising the 2011 season.Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross

recently said he felt an 18-game regular-sea-son schedule would make little difference toplayers.“We’re still playing 20 games, we’re

eliminating two preseason games andadding two regular-season games, which isreally what helps with the revenues andmakes the fans a lot happier and thosegames will be a lot more meaningful,” Ross

said. “But in terms of the players, they’restill playing 20 games.”While a longer season undoubtedly

means greater ticket revenue for the 32teams, the league could suffer if injuriesmeant more games were played without topplayers.Brees, who is involved in a campaign run

by cold-remedy makers Vicks to find theNFL’s most dedicated fan, said moreresearch was needed on the idea.“It’s not just as easy as pro-rating two

game cheques and that is going to be the dif-ference. There haven’t been studies to letyou know the impact (of more games)...butit’s more than just: ‘Hey let’s just add twomore games’.” — Reuters

Longer season carries injury risks, players say

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L OTL GF GA PTSPhiladelphia 14 6 2 78 55 30 Pittsburgh 12 8 2 69 59 26 NY Rangers 12 9 1 65 60 25 New Jersey 6 13 2 41 65 14 NY Islanders 4 12 4 41 68 12

Northeast DivisionMontreal 13 7 1 53 42 27 Boston 11 6 2 55 38 24 Ottawa 10 10 1 52 67 21 Toronto 8 9 3 47 55 19 Buffalo 8 11 3 58 68 19

Southeast DivisionWashington 14 6 2 74 64 30 Tampa Bay 12 7 2 65 65 26 Atlanta 9 9 3 65 70 21 Carolina 9 9 2 63 68 20 Florida 9 10 0 52 48 18

Western Conference Central Division

Detroit 13 3 2 66 48 28 Columbus 13 6 0 55 44 26 St. Louis 11 5 3 52 51 25 Chicago 11 10 2 71 67 24 Nashville 9 7 3 47 51 21

Northwest DivisionColorado 12 7 1 72 60 25 Vancouver 10 7 3 58 56 23 Minnesota 10 7 2 46 47 22 Calgary 8 11 1 59 61 17 Edmonton 5 11 4 49 82 14

Pacific DivisionPhoenix 11 5 5 62 59 27 Los Angeles 13 7 0 61 49 26 Anaheim 10 10 3 57 69 23 San Jose 9 6 4 55 52 22 Dallas 10 8 1 57 57 21

NHL standings

GLENDALE: Gilbert Brule No. 67 of the Edmonton Oilers battles for a loose puck alongside teammate Magnus Paajarvi No. 91 during the NHL game against the PhoenixCoyotes at Jobing.com Arena. —AFP

GLENDALE: The Phoenix Coyotes seizedthe top spot in the Pacific Division with a 5-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday,their seventh straight victory. Phoenix’sstreak is tied with the St Louis Blues for thelongest in the NHL this season. GoaltenderIlya Bryzgalov made 23 saves to give the

Coyotes their second victory over the Oilersin four days. Martin Hanzal and LeeStempniak scored two goals each whileWojtek Wolski added one to help Phoenix(11-5-5) move one point ahead of the LosAngeles Kings in the division.“Early in the season, we were undisci-

plined,” Hanzal told reporters of his team’s4-5-5 start to the season. “Once we stoppedtaking penalties and putting ourselves in badspots, we started winning games. It waspretty easy.” Devan Dubnyk made 29 savesfor the Oilers (5-11-4), who have lost sevenof their last eight games and have the worst

record in the Western Conference.Edmonton was coming off a 4-2 win

against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday whenDubnyk had 38 saves, but the Coyotes quick-ly killed the Oilers’ momentum.Hanzal gave the home team a 1-0 lead

just 48 seconds into the game and Phoenix

added two goals in both the second and thirdperiods. After making the playoffs last sea-son for the first time since 2002, the Coyoteshave continued to build and while Stempniakis the team’s leading scorer with seven, theCoyotes have 11 forwards with at least threegoals. “We are a team in every sense of the

word,” said Coyotes’ coach Dave Tippett.“Every night, someone different con-

tributes and we have a team that recognizeshow we have to play to be successful. “Ourgoaltending has been great and we have agroup that is working pretty hard rightnow.” — Reuters

Coyotes top division

DUBAI: As someone who divides his timebetween the US and European tours, PaulCasey is ideally placed to judge the relativemerits of the two circuits and he believes itis immaterial where the top players nowcompete.The debate about which tour is the best

has gathered pace in recent weeks withworld number one Lee Westwood, fellowBriton Rory McIlroy and US PGA championMartin Kaymer of Germany declining thechance to take up PGA Tour membership.“I think week-in week-out there is no

doubt the PGA Tour is stronger in depth,”world number seven Casey told Reuters onthe eve of the $7.5 million Dubai WorldChampionship.“But there are also seven Europeans in

the top 11 of the world rankings. That’s gotto be close to a record so the quality of thefields in Europe week-in week-out isextremely high as well. “It doesn’t matter, these guys are just

focused on playing the biggest events aroundthe world. I don’t think it matters any morewhere your home tour is,” added the 33-year-old Briton. “I still enjoy playing around the world and

because I have got a place in the States it isvery convenient for me to play there.”Casey said he did not know the precise

reasons why Kaymer, 25, and McIlroy, 21,had declined PGA Tour membership butcompletely understood 37-year-oldWestwood’s decision. “Lee has a family, haskids at school and wants to be at home,” saidthe Englishman.“He’ll still be there (in the States) playing

in the majors and the World GolfChampionship events so I’ll still see himplenty of times the other side of the Atlanticanyway.“You don’t know the real reason (for the

other two). It would be unfair to say it’s thecorrect or wrong decision-you just don’t

know.” Casey said that missing the money-spinning FedExCup series at the end of theAmerican season would be the only down-side for the Ryder Cup-winning trio.“The thing they are going to miss out on

is the FedExCup,” he said. “That’s a hugeamount of money but then again they canmake a huge amount in Europe too.“I wouldn’t say they’re passing up on

money. It’s not about money anyway, it’sabout where you want to spend your timeand where you want to play.“They are still giving themselves oppor-

tunities to win all over the world so I don’tthink they’re really limiting themselves.(But) a lot of Americans will be sad theydon’t get to see them as often and I under-stand that.” Casey is something of a MiddleEast specialist, having twice won the AbuDhabi Championship. The Greg Norman-designed course being used at this week’sDubai event, which helps the longer,straighter hitters off the tee, would alsoappear to be in his favor. Casey, though, isthinking more laterally ahead of the finalEuropean Tour event of the season. “I havebeen playing some great golf leading up tothis but I admit I’m already working onthings for next year-working on the swingand a lot of stuff to make sure I am ready for2011,” he said.“I’m here because I want to win but trying

not to worry about the swing is a little bittricky.” Casey said he was on the road somuch that it was often easy to fall into badswing habits.“You travel so much and play all over the

world through the year that things start tobreak down,” he said. “It’s time for me toget back to fundamentals and work on thesame swing flaws I’ve had for 15 years-try tokeep them at bay. “The other parts areworking on my short game and puttingbecause they are the two things I alwaysneed to sharpen up.” — Reuters

US or Europe? Caseysays it doesn’t matter

DUBAI: Ryder Cup teammates and 2010major winners Martin Kaymer andGraeme McDowell will face off at thisweek’s Dubai World Championship forthe right to be called Europe’s top golfer. The $7.5 million season-ending tour-

nament in the Race to Dubai series startstoday with the German golfer leadingMcDowell by $395,395 and top-rankedLee Westwood by $1.25 million.McDowell of Northern Ireland is the

only player capable of catching Kaymer.McDowell would capture the title by win-ning the tournament or ending outrightsecond as long as Kaymer finished nohigher than tied for third. If McDowell istied for second, Kaymer could afford tofinish as low as sixth.McDowell says is playing some of his

best golf coming into Dubai and wel-comed the chance to go head-to-headwith the more understated Kaymer. Thetwo will tee off in the final pairingThursday at midday.“It’s going to be fun to play alongside

him on Thursday and look each other inthe eye,” McDowell said. “He’s had anamazing season as well and it’s going tobe a lot of fun out there. Like I say, theadrenaline is going to be there from theword go so I’m looking forward to it.” McDowell felt he had momentum on

his side after a lull in his game that fol-lowed his win at the US Open. Heclaimed the winning point in the RyderCup and has since won the AndaluciaMasters and had a strong finish in lastweek’s Hong Kong Open which allowedhim to close the gap on Kaymer who didnot play.“I started off in a bit of a five-week run

here with Martin nearly a million euros

ahead of me and I wasn’t quite sure Iwould be able to catch him,” McDowellsaid. “But I wanted to get here with anopportunity to win The Race to Dubai if Iplayed well and I’ve given myself thatchance now.” McDowell is in a similar position to

that of Westwood last year. TheEnglishman was trailing Rory McIlroycoming into the last tournament but shota course-record 8-under 64 in the finalround at the Earth Course to finish at 23-under 265 to win it and become Europe’sNo. 1 golfer. McIlroy, who also is from Northern

Ireland, said he thinks McDowell coulddo something similar this week. “He’sdone fantastically well this season,”McIlroy said. “He’s on a roll where he is

putting his name up there every week.That’s something he’s probably not man-aged to do over the past few seasons.” The course, with its long fairways

which McDowell has called a “grip-it-and-rip-it type of course,” would seem tosuit the big hitting Kaymer more thanMcDowell, who relies more on place-ment and finesse. But the world No. 9 said he is hitting

longer than he was a year ago thanks tonew, 46-and-a-half inch driver and thework he has done on his swing with hiscoach Pete Cowen.“There is a big emphasis to driving

the ball and I feel like I’ve upped mygame from that point of view,” he said.“So I like what I saw in the pro-am yes-terday. I drove the ball well and the golf

course didn’t feel quite as much as a slogas it did a year ago.” Kaymer, whoskipped the Hong Kong Open to restahead of Dubai, on Tuesday called thisweek “the biggest of my career so far”and said winning would complete threegoals he set for himself — to win a major,win the Ryder Cup and become the No. 1golfer in Europe.“So two-thirds are done and hopefully

this week I can win the Race To Dubaiand become the No. 1 in Europe,” hesaid. “So then I have done everything inone year. It would be fantastic.” “I don’t need to

win but that is my goal,” Kaymer said. “Ican’t rely on Graeme playing bad. He’sbeen playing great golf in the last fewweeks.” —AP

Kaymer and McDowell fight for European title

DUBAI: German golf player Martin Kaymer (left), who is leading this year’s European Tour andUS Open champion Graeme McDowell pose for a picture behind the Race to Dubai trophy aheadof Dubai World Championship 2010. — AFP

16 Thursday, November 25, 2010SPORTS

England bid to storm Gabba in Ashes openerBRISBANE: England are relishing theprospect of ending Australia’s 22-yearunbeaten run at the Gabba in the firstAshes Test to make the best possiblestart to their campaign to retain the urn,captain Andrew Strauss said.Determined not to leave hostages to

fortune with his pre-series utterances,Strauss again peppered his commentswith caveats but there was no betrayinghis confidence on Wednesday inEngland’s ability to win a series onAustralian soil for the first time inalmost quarter of a century.“I think we have got a good opportu-

nity, there’s no doubt about it,” he told anews conference on the eve of the startof the series. “We started the tour well,we’re in a good place as a side, but at thesame time we recognise it’s a toughassignment, not many sides come outhere and win.“We understand the size of the chal-

lenge ahead of us, but we couldn’t be ina better place mentally to take on thatchallenge.“It’s going to take a lot of goodcricket ... guys are going to have to digpretty deep. But I’m fully confident wehave the players to do it.”

Australia have not lost a test match inBrisbane since the West Indies beatthem in 1988 and England’s last victoryat the ground came in the 1986-87 Ashesseries, the last the tourists won inAustralia.“It’s a very strong home ground for

Australia but I think the prospect ofmaybe turning that record aroundexcites us,” he added.“If the guys put their minds to it, it

could be a very good start to the seriesto maybe overcome that record. “In pastyears Australia have really hit theground running strongly in the first testmatch, they’ve made a conscious effortto go hard on the tourists in the firsttest.“Conditions here are slightly alien to

touring sides, especially touring sidesthat are a bit under-cooked or underpre-pared.”In 2006, England arrived in Australia

in possession of the Ashes and with aconfident nation expecting a series asclose as that in 2005, only to be compre-hensively beaten 5-0.Lessons were learned from that

experience, not least in raising expecta-

tions about series victories before a ballhas been bowled.“To think of the finish line now is

naive at best and dangerous at worst,”the England opener said. “There’s somuch cricket between now and then. Ifyou want to win this Ashes series, youhave to earn the right to do it over andover again.“I’m not looking at the finishing post

now, I’m thinking about tomorrow andmaking a good start.” Strauss said therewere no injury concerns for England andhis players could not wait to get startedon Thursday.“We’re standing here on the edge of

it, the guys are very keen to get amongstit and get off to a good start,” he said.“A lot of people have spent a lot of

money to come here and support us andwe thrive on the idea that we could pulloff something pretty special.”Meanwhile, Michael Clarke was

declared fit yesterday to play in the firstbout of what promises to be a titanicAshes tussle as Australia finally caught abreak on the eve of the start of the five-Test series against England.Badly hit by injuries and form slumps,

Australia named a bumper 17-strongsquad nine days ago, then a slimmeddown 13-man version at the weekendbefore being forced to supplement thatwith Usman Khawaja as cover for theinjured Clarke.So it was doubtless with some relief

that skipper Ricky Ponting was able toannounce a starting XI for the first test,which starts today. “We have got ateam,” Ponting told a news conference.“Doug Bollinger and Usman Khawajaare the two who are not playing.“Michael Clarke’s got through his

work particularly well in the last fewdays, had a long, solid session in the netstoday so he’s come through pretty welland Dougie’s the unlucky quick whomisses out.”Clarke had been suffering from a

recurrence of a back problem that hasdogged him for much of his career andmissed training on Monday.The return of his vice captain and

anointed successor-not to mention a toporder batsman with 64 tests and 4,549runs to his name-will be a huge boost toPonting as he looks to take the fight toEngland.—Reuters

ABU DHABI: Pakistan’s Misbah ul Haq (right) pushes the ball away with his pad, dur-ing day five of the second cricket Test match against South Africa. — AP

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara celebrates as he com-pletes a century during the second day’s play of the second Test cricketmatch between Sri Lanka and West Indies. — AP

ABU DHABI: An unbeaten 87-run fourth wicket part-nership by captain Misbah-ul-Haq (58 not out) and AzharAli (28 not out) helped Pakistan secure a second drawagainst South Africa in the two-test series at the ZayedCricket Stadium yesterday. Pakistan was 153-3, havingbeen set a stiff target of 353 for victory, when SouthAfrica captain Jacques Kallis agreed to end the game atthe drinks break before the scheduled close.Earlier, South Africa had added another 30 runs at the

cost of one wicket to its overnight score of 173-4 beforeleaving the opposition with 82 overs to go for victory. Needing to score at a little over four an over,

Pakistan’s openers were going strong but suffered someanxious moments in the second session when they lostthree wickets at the lunch score of 66, including that ofYounis Khan for a second ball duck.Taufeeq Umar departed on the ninth ball after the

lunch break to Johan Botha. Paul Harris struck twice inthe next over as Hafeez and Khan left, all trapped legbefore in the space of eight deliveries.Pakistan then recovered with Misbah and Azhar

grinding out the next 189 minutes to close the door.Misbah led by example, as he did in the first test when hescored 76. The captain struck six fours in his first 25 runsto blunt the hopes of the Proteas, who charged in withaggressive field settings.“There was no specific plan but I wanted to capitalize

on the loose deliveries only,” Misbah said. “Otherwise,the focus was clearly on staying at the wicket.” Azhar, onthe other hand, ground the bowlers down, using 135 ballsfor his 28, missing the chance to hit a fourth successivehalf-century in this series. Once Pakistan steadied the ship, Misbah reached his

third straight half-century in 90 balls with nine bound-aries. One pull shot hit Hashim Amla at short leg and thein-form South Africa batsman had to leave the field withfor treatment on his left hand.South Africa lost the services of captain Graeme

Smith on Tuesday with a fractured thumb and he is adoubtful starter for the next series against top-rankedIndia from Dec. 16. By drawing the series, second-placeSouth Africa also dropped three ranking points, putting itfurther behind India. Kallis, who was judged man of theseries, gave credit to Pakistan but was critical of thepitches in both tests. “At a time when we are striving tokeep the game alive, to play on such two wickets, I don’tthink that is good for the game,” Kallis said. “The pleasing thing was the way we went about our

business. We put Pakistan under pressure for most of theseries. In bowling one or two sessions perhaps did not asgood as we thought but the pitch played a part in that.“But you have to give credit to Pakistan. I think we

had them under pressure throughout but their young-sters came in and performed really well. Their cricket islooking positive.” Misbah said his side’s performances inthe two drawn tests had made it feel like a victory.“The pitches were flat but still the batsmen had to

score runs,” he said. “The three wickets that fell todayshowed that we still needed to apply ourselves and theway youngsters like Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali have per-formed, it is definitely a win for us.”—AP

Misbah and Azhar help Pakistan secure draw

COLOMBO: A century by skipper KumarSangakkara helped Sri Lanka to reach 294 for fivein their first innings after an early collapse onanother rain-shortened day of the second testagainst the West Indies yesterday.The elegant left-hander was unbeaten on 135,

stroking 16 fours and a six before heavy rainwashed out play for the rest of the day 25 minutesbefore the scheduled tea break.With Sangakkara going strong at one end,

West Indies targeted batsmen at the other endand captured two in the afternoon session.Thilan Samaraweera joined his captain with

Sri Lanka struggling at 34-3 and they battedthroughout the second morning.Samaraweera outscored his captain beating

him to his fifty, reaching it in 103 balls with sixfours and one six. Sangakkara greeted spinnerShane Shillingford, who came on to bowl theeighth over of the morning, with a boundary.After putting on 170 for the fourth wicket,

Samaraweera was dismissed for 80 when hepulled Dwayne Bravo down fine leg to ShaneShillingford. He faced 170 balls and struck eightfours and one six.Shillingford’s bowling action is under a cloud

after he was reported to the International CricketCouncil by the umpires after the Galle Test.With Sri Lanka resuming on their overnight

score of 84-3, West Indies rang the bowlingchanges constantly but endured a frustrating day.Angelo Mathews lived dangerously attempt-

ing extravagant shots and was fortunate not to fallwhile on 12 after his mis-hit shot dropped in the

middle of three fielders who made valiantattempts to catch it. Kemar Roach picked up histhird wicket of the innings by forcing Mathews toedge a catch behind the wicket for 25. The three-match series is level at 0-0 after the first test wasdrawn. — ReutersABU DHABI: Scoreboard at the end of the second and

final test between Pakistan and South Africa at theSheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on yesterday.

South Africa first innings 584 for nine declared (J.Kallis 105, A. de Villiers 278 not out; TanvirAhmed 6-120)

Pakistan first innings 434 (Azhar Ali 90, Misbah-ul-Haq 77, A. Shafiq 61, A. Rehman 60; D. Steyn 4-98)South Africa second innings 203 for five declared(H. Amla 62)

Pakistan second innings (target 354)M. Hafeez lbw b Harris 34T. Umar lbw b Botha 30A. Ali not out 28Younis lbw b Harris 0Misbah-ul-Haq not out 58Extras (lb-2, nb-1) 3Total: (three wickets; 67 overs) 153Fall of wickets: 1-66 2-66 3-66Still to bat; A. Shafiq, A. Akmal, A. Rehman, U. Gul, M.Sami, T. AhmedBowling: Steyn 13-2-40-0, Morkel 11-3-29-0, Harris23-14-28-2, Kallis 2-0-13-0 (1-w), Botha 17-4-40-1,Petersen 1-0-1-0. Match drawn

Scoreboard

Sangakkara leads Sri Lanka fight back

COPENHAGEN: Saxo Bank team manager Bjarne Riis hasbacked his team leader Alberto Contador ahead of the Spanishrider’s participation in a training camp. Contador has been provisionally suspended after a small

concentration of the banned substance clenbuterol was foundin a urine sample taken in July, but the three-time Tour deFrance winner was included in a 25-man roster that will startteam-building in Spain on Sunday. If found guilty of using clen-buterol, a banned muscle-building and weight-loss drug,Contador could lose his third Tour title and face a two-yearban. “I think it is important that we all remember that Albertois not guilty until a judgment is made that indicates somethingotherwise,” Riis said. “This has been the message from theUCI, and I think we should all respect that. We have also metwith the UCI, and they have assured us that there are no prob-lems in taking Alberto to our team building camp.” Riis earlier said he trusted Contador’s explanation that the

drug came from a contaminated steak. Contador signed a deal

in August to compete for Saxo Bank-SunGard in 2011 afterdeciding to leave Astana. The complete team presentedWednesday didn’t include former Tour de France yellow jer-sey holder Michael Rasmussen of Denmark.Rasmussen, who led the 2007 Tour until he was kicked off

for lying about his training whereabouts when he missed pre-race doping tests, had been linked several times to the team.Rasmussen, whose main appearance in Denmark in recent

months has been in a televised dancing contest, was“shocked” that Riis didn’t pick him.“I am deeply disappointed and sad about it,” he told Danish

news agency Ritzau. “I really wanted very much to be racingagain for Bjarne’s team.” This week, Riis added Italian riderMatteo Tosatto to the team which he said was “a strong, excit-ing and very diverse group with expertise in all terrains and inall types of races.” The riders come from Argentina, Australia,Belgium, Denmark, Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain,Sweden and Ukraine. — AP

Team manager stands by Contador

Alberto Contador in action in this file photo

COLOMBO: Scoreboard at the close of thesecond day of the second test between SriLanka and West Indies on yesterday.

Sri Lanka first innings(overnight 84-3)T. Paranavitana c DJ Bravo b Roach 16T. Dilshan b Roach 4K. Sangakkara not out 135M. Jayawardene b Sammy 2T. Samaraweera c Shillingford b DJ Bravo 80A. Mathews c Baugh b Roach 25P. Jayawardene not out 12Extras: (b-4, lb-4, nb-3, w-9) 20Total: (five wickets, 90 overs) 294Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-31, 3-34, 4-204, 5-273.To Bat: N Kulasekara, R Herath, A Mendis, SLakmal.Bowling: Roach 21-5-66-3 (2w, 1nb), Sammy25-6-47-1 (1nb), DJ Bravo 18-5-61-1 (7w),Benn 11-2-39-0, Shillingford 15-0-73-0 (1nb).

Scoreboard

BRISBANE: England’s captain Andrew Strauss (left) andAustralian captain Ricky Ponting hold the urn containing theashes before the start of the first Test in the Ashes Tour betweenEngland and Australia. — AP

17Thursday, November 25, 2010 SPORTS

NBA results/standings

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic DivisionW L PCT GB

Boston 10 4 .714 -NY Knicks 7 8 .467 3.5Toronto 5 9 .357 5New Jersey 5 9 .357 5Philadelphia 3 11 .214 7

Central DivisionChicago 7 5 .583 -Indiana 7 6 .538 .5Milwaukee 5 8 .385 2.5Cleveland 5 8 .385 2.5Detroit 5 9 .357 3

Southeast DivisionOrlando 9 4 .692 -Miami 8 6 .571 1.5Atlanta 8 7 .533 2Washington 5 8 .385 4Charlotte 5 9 .357 4.5

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Oklahoma City 10 4 .714 -Utah 10 5 .667 .5Portland 8 6 .571 2Denver 8 6 .571 2Minnesota 4 11 .267 6.5

Pacif ic DivisionLA Lakers 13 2 .867 -Phoenix 7 7 .500 5.5Golden State 7 7 .500 5.5Sacramento 4 9 .308 8LA Clippers 2 13 .133 11

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 12 1 .923 -New Orleans 11 2 .846 1Dallas 9 4 .692 3Memphis 5 9 .357 7.5Houston 3 10 .231 9

NBA results and standings on Tuesday.Indiana 100, Cleveland 89; New Jersey 107,

Atlanta 101 (OT); Washington 116, Philadelphia114 (OT); Ny Knicks 110, Charlotte 107; Dallas88, Detroit 84; LA Lakers 98, Chicago 91. (OTindicates overtime win)

LOS ANGELES: Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (center) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol (right) of Spain and Kobe Bryant during the firsthalf of an NBA basketball game. — AP

LOS ANGELES:The Los Angeles Lakerssurged ahead in the fourth quarter torecord a 98-91 win over the ChicagoBulls on Tuesday, stretching their NBAwinning trot to five games.Shannon Brown scored 21 points and

Kobe Bryant added 20 for the Lakers,who trailed early in the fourth quarterbefore Derrick Rose finally slowed down.Rose scored 30 points, but managed justthree for the Bulls in the final period, allon free throws. Los Angeles reserves Brown and

Steve Blake led a 17-2 run that included10 straight points, while the Bulls wentmore than 51/2 minutes between fieldgoals late, and suffered their seventh

straight loss to the Lakers.

Mavericks 88, Pistons 84

In Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki had a season-high 42 points with 12 rebounds, scoringalmost half Dallas’ points in the win overDetroit.The Mavericks were lethargic for much

of the night and trailed by as many as 12points in the third quarter. But they pickedup the energy level late to secure theirfifth straight win over the Pistons.Nowitzki scored nine straight, capped byan 18-footer with 5:29 remaining for a 75-70 lead.Jason Terry added 16 points for Dallas.

Tayshaun Prince scored a season-high 19

points and Rodney Stuckey also had 19 forthe Pistons.

Nets 107, Hawks 101

In Newark, New Jersey, Brook Lopezscored a season-high 32 points as NewJersey beat Atlanta in overtime andsnapped a three-game losing skid.Devin Harris added 23 of his 27 points

in the second half for the Nets, who wereplaying their first home game in 10 days.Jamal Crawford had 21 points for theHawks, who have lost three straight.

Knicks 110, Bobcats 107

In New York, the hosts won their fourthstraight game, beating Charlotte. Toney

Douglas scored 22 points, and AmareStoudemire added 17 for the Knicks, whowon the final three games on their roadtrip and kept rolling right through most ofthis one. They blew nearly all of a 16-point lead

before holding on for their longest winningstreak this season. Raymond Felton madethe clinching free throws against his for-mer team as New York put six players indouble figures. D.J. Augustin, Felton’sreplacement, scored 24 points for theBobcats.

Pacers 100, Cavaliers 89

In Indianapolis, Danny Granger scored24 points to lead Indiana over Cleveland.

Granger got off to a slow start but scored10 in the second quarter as Indianaexpanded an eight-point lead into a 62-37margin at halftime.Ramon Sessions had 15 points, six

rebounds and five assists for Cleveland,which lost its third consecutive game.

Wizards 116, 76ers 114

In Washington, Nick Young hit an open3-pointer with 7.6 seconds left in overtimeas Washington edged Philadelphia. Youngfinished with 19 points, but his winningshot wouldn’t have been possible if JrueHoliday hadn’t fouled John Wall some 40feet from the basket with 3.5 seconds leftin regulation and the 76ers leading by

three. Wall threw up the ball and got ashooting foul out of it, then made all threefree throws to tie it at 106. It was the sec-ond time in November that the Wizardsbeat the 76ers after taking the game toovertime by scoring three incrediblepoints just before the buzzer. Cartier Martin’s desperation 3-pointer

with 0.3 seconds left sent the game to theextra period on Nov. 2. Wall, who returnedafter missing four games with a sprainedleft foot, scored all of his 25 points afterhalftime.Andre Iguodala, back from an Achilles’

tendon injury, had 23 points, 11 reboundsand eight assists in 50 minutes for the76ers. — AP

Lakers surge past Bulls

LONDON: Andy Roddick of the US reacts after missing a point as he plays Tomas Berdych of the CzechRepublic during a men’s singles round robin match at the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament. — AP

LONDON: Tomas Berdych won his first match at theATP World Tour Finals yesterday and left AndyRoddick with an 0-2 record by beating the American 7-5, 6-3. The sixth-ranked Czech converted his first break

point in the 11th game of the first set, only minutesafter saving two set points from Roddick. It was hisfirst win over the eighth-ranked Roddick in fourmatches this year. “I just went there, serve twice pretty good, turn

the game,” Berdych said of the saved set points. “Thelast pickup volley was (a) very tough one, and I madeit. And then the next game (I) just made a quick break,and that was the key of the game.” In the second set, Roddick was annoyed by the

advertising lights at the feet of the line judges, whichflashed red sometimes while play was going on.Shortly after complaining to the chair umpire, Roddickwas broken for the second time, giving Berdych a 3-2lead. Roddick smashed a ball high into the rafters inanger, and then broke his racket on his foot, drawinga code violation from the chair umpire.“The neons in the back weren’t quite to the settled

position. They were still advertising fun stuff,”Roddick said. “When you’re trying to track a ball, it’skind of neon lights and stuff. Then Tomas noticed it. Acouple of them just went out before we played apoint.” The match finished with the lights off. Berdych,

who is now 1-1 at the round-robin tournament, heldserve twice after the incident and then broke Roddickagain in the final game.Berdych is making his debut at the season-ending

tournament for the top eight players in the world. Helost to Novak Djokovic in straight sets in his firstmatch and next faces top-ranked Rafael Nadal.“Playing Rafa, it’s always great experience, even if

you play on clay, grass, indoor, outdoor, whatever,”said Berdych, who lost to Nadal in this year’sWimbledon final. “He played a really tough match (in)the first one (against Roddick). He was able to comeback, won the match. Now he’s waiting for another tough, really tough

opponent.” Later, Nadal was to play Djokovic in theother Group A match. Both won their opening match-es, and Djokovic can become the first player to qualifyfor the semifinals if he wins.On Tuesday, Roger Federer stretched his record

to 2-0 by easily beating Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2 in GroupB, while Robin Soderling defeated David Ferrer 7-5,7-5. All four can still advance after Thursday’s finalround-robin matches. In doubles, Wesley Moodie ofSouth Africa and Dick Norman of Belgium beatLukasz Kubot of Poland and Oliver Marach of Austria6-1, 6-3. In the late match, Mahesh Bhupathi of Indiaand Max Mirnyi of Belarus were to play Daniel Nestorof Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia. — AP

NEW YORK: Reigning Super Bowlchampion New Orleans and thisseason’s NFL pace-setters, theNew York Jets and New England,are heavy favorites over strugglingrivals in today’s US Thanksgivingholiday games.The Patriots, level with the Jets

at an NFL-best 8-2 atop the AFCEast division, will visit traditionalThanksgiving host Detroit, 2-8,while New York will entertain theCincinnati Bengals, also 2-8.Drew Brees, who sparked the

Saints to last season’s Super Bowlcrown with a victory overIndianapolis, will lead New Orleansinto Dallas to face the 3-7Cowboys. The Saints, 7-3, are agame behind Atlanta in the NFCSouth division.A short turn-around time for

still-sore gridiron players, facingtheir second game in five days,makes the annual showcasematchups a physical grind and pro-vides little time to prepare foropposing schemes. “We will have alate ‘turkey day’,” Patriots blockerMatt Light said. “There is a lot coming at you.

You have got to squeeze a lot inwhere normally you have the extracouple of days. It’s going to be atough game.”Patriots coach Bill Belichick,

who played two seasons for theLions, sees benefits for Detroit inplaying the holiday hosts everyyear.“It’s great to be in this routine,”

he said. “It was a game that youknew every year was your game.You knew you were going to beplaying at home. It was somethingyou were comfortable with and youactually looked forward to.”Only Houston has surrendered

more yardage this season than theNew England defensive unit, butthe Lions, whose road losing streakhas stretched to an NFL-record 26games, might not have the talent totake advantage.

Dallas defeated Detroit 35-19last Sunday, with Jon Kitna throw-ing three touchdown passes for theCowboys, now 2-0 under interimcoach Jason Garrett.“When you are looking for

crumbs, it doesn’t take but a littlepiece to get you to smile, and these(victories) have been a couple ofnice little pieces,” Cowboys ownerJerry Jones said.Saints quarterback Drew Brees

is coming off a 382-yard, four-touchdown passing performance ina 34-19 victory over Seattle andNew Orleans boasts the NFL’s toppass defensive unit.“We are playing as well as we

have played all season,” said Brees,who has a touchdown pass in 24consecutive games. “We’re excit-ed. We’re knocking at the door.”The Jets are testing the stress

levels of supporters, havingbecome the first team to win back-to-back over-time games beforeMark Sanchez’s touchdown passwith 10 seconds in regulationSunday rallied New York pastHouston.“I want to apologize to all the

Jets fans for affecting the heart alittle bit, but we will take the win,”Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “If I haveto apologize for it every week fromhere on out, I will, all the way tothe Super Bowl.”The Bengals squandered a 31-14

half-time lead in a 49-31 loss toBuffalo last weekend, Cincinnati’s10th loss in a row to the Billsensuring they will not have a win-ning season for the 18th time in thepast two decades.“We are terrible,” Cincinnati

receiver Terrell Owens said. “Idon’t blame the fans for booing us.I don’t blame people for not wanti-ng to come and see the perfor-mance we’ve put up.”“All I know is right now we are

terrible. Maybe I’m bad luck. But atthis point, it’s just unthinkable.Unbelievable.” — AFP

Saints, Jets and Patriots favorites in holiday games

Berdych defeats Roddick in two sets at ATP Finals

SPORTS18 Thursday, November 25, 2010

Nation G S B TotalChina 173 93 86 352South Korea 71 59 81 211Japan 36 66 74 176Iran 16 10 17 43Taiwan 12 12 33 57Thailand 9 7 29 45Hong Kong 8 14 15 37Malaysia 8 14 11 33Kazakhstan 7 14 30 51India 7 13 26 46Uzbekistan 5 13 18 36North Korea 5 10 18 33Indonesia 4 9 11 24 Singapore 4 7 6 17Kuwait 3 5 1 9Qatar 3 4 5 12Saudi Arabia 3 2 4 9Bahrain 3 0 3 6

Philippines 2 2 9 13Mongolia 1 2 9 12 Kyrgzstan 1 2 1 4 Pakistan 1 2 1 4Macau 1 1 2 4Jordan 1 1 1 3Tajikstan 1 0 2 3Vietnam 0 14 12 26Myanmar 0 5 3 8UAE 0 3 0 3Lebanon 0 1 2 3Afghanistan 0 1 1 2Bangladesh 0 1 0 1 Iraq 0 0 2 2Laos 0 0 2 2Nepal 0 0 1 1 Oman 0 0 1 1Syria 0 0 1 1

Medals Table

GUANGZHOU: None of therecord 171 gold medals Chinahad already collected at theGuangzhou Asian Games carriedquite the luster of former worldrecord holder Liu Xiang’s victoryin the 110-meter hurdles. Two years after he left the

Bird’s Nest stadium crowd instunned silence as he limped offthe track with an Achilles injurybefore even starting his first heatat the Beijing Olympics, China’smultimillionaire athletics super-star won at a major meet onhome soil yesterday. There was a little bit of drama

at the start — Liu, unhappy withthe crowd noise, stepped out ofthe blocks before he’d settled,got up and put his finger to hislips to ask for some hush.He led from the sound of the

starters’ gun to the finish,extending his lead over the lastfour hurdles to cross in his sea-son-best 13.09 seconds. HisChinese teammate and Athletes’village roommate Shi Dongpengtook silver in 13.38.The 2004 Olympic champion

then stripped off his red Chinesesinglet, draped a Chinese flagaround his shoulders and set offon a victory lap of the 80,000-seat Aoti stadium.“I didn’t think I’d be able to

run 13.09 seconds and break theAsian Games record. I’m reallyso happy and actually I was veryrelaxed. The atmosphere in thestadium was really great,” Liusaid.China came into these games

with the target of overhaulingthe record 166 gold medals it setat the Doha Asian Games fouryears ago.Olympic champion diver Wu

Minxia ensured China equaledthat mark earlier Wednesdaywith an expected win in thewomen’s 1-meter springboard.Li Hong won the women’s 50-kilogram division in karate tosecure No. 167.A couple of hours later, Liu

was celebrating on the podium.South Korea was in secondplace, a long way behind, with 70gold medals. The most importantthing was, the team was still atthe games.A North Korean artillery

attack on an island near the dis-puted western border killed twomarines and two civilians andinjured others on Tuesday,sparking concern about retalia-tion and international calls forcalm. Sports and games officialsare insisting the focus remainson sports.“I don’t want to get into poli-

tics,” Kim Chang-kew, presidentof the Asian AssociatedWrestling Committee, said. “Weare (here) for sport and for theseAsian Games. Sport should notbe connected with war or peace.” North Korea’s Yang Chun

Song met South Korea’s KimDai-sung in the men’s freestyle66-kilogram division in the firstmeeting of two Koreans firstthing Wednesday morning. Yangadvanced to the quarterfinalswith a 3-0 win. There was nospite, and the wrestlers shookhands. On the downside, the

Olympic Council of Asiaannounced that a second athletefrom Uzbekistan had failed a dop-ing test for the banned stimulantMethylhexaneamine and beendisqualified from the games.OCA medical committee

chairman Mani Jegathesan said23-year-old wrestler JakhongirMuminov was disqualified fromcompetition. He urgedUzbekistan to investigate thesource of the positive cases.Last Friday, Shokir

Muminov was disqualified andstripped of his judo silvermedal after testing positive forMethylhexaneamine. The OCAsaid the Muminovs were notrelated.“We take each incident sep-

arately, but because it involvedthe same country, and the samesubstance ... we have indicatedto them that it would be worth-while to investigate,”Jegathesan said.Games organizers planned

1,500 urine and 200 bloodtests during the games andconfirmed Wednesday that atleast 1,262 tests had beenconducted.In other track and field

finals, Li Caixia beat Chineseteammate Li Ling to win thewomen’s pole vault, and Asianrecord holder Ehsan Hadidigave Iran its 16th gold medal ofthe games with victory in themen’s discus. South Korea’sKim Deok-hyeon edged China’sSu Xiongfeng in the men’s longjump, leaping 8.11 meters onhis last attempt. —AP

Xiang clinches AsianGames 110m hurdles

CHINA: China’s Liu Xiang (right) celebrates with silver medal’s winner and fel-

low-countryman Shi Dongpeng after clinching the gold medal in the men’s 110m

hurdles at the 16th Asian Games. —AP

CHINA: Xuejiao Huang of China ( left) and Jongeun Kim of South Korea battle for

control of the ball during their women’s field hockey game at the 16th Asian

Games. —AP

CHINA: China’s Li Ling competes on her way to win the silver medal in the women’s pole vault, at the 16th

Asian Games in Guangzhou. —AP

Chinese chess takes stage at Games

China edge S Korea on penalty strokes

GUANGZHOU: China achieveda hat-trick of women’s fieldhockey gold medals with a 5-4victory over South Korea onpenalty strokes at the AsianGames yesterday. China alsowon gold at two previous AsianGames at Doha and Busan.Kim Eun-sil hit the crossbar

with South Korea’s first penaltystroke, while China convertedall five. The score was locked 0-0 at the end of regulation timeand 15 minutes of golden goalextra time. “I knew the matchagainst (South) Korea will bereally tough this time,” Chinesecaptain Fu Baorong said. “But I had faith that our team

was stronger.” Earlier, KeikoManabe scored a golden goal offa 77th minute penalty corner toguide Japan to a 1-0 win overIndia in the bronze medal play-off.China had more possession

in the 70 minutes of regulationtime but it was South Koreawhich missed an early opportu-nity when captain Lee Seon-okhit the sidebar off the 7th minuteshort corner.China pressed for the match

winner in the second half butwasted two successive shortcorners. Captain Fu Baorongalso came close to scoring in the54th minute but her powerfulangular deflection went justwide. “It’s not the best match,

indeed, we missed several scor-ing chances,” China’s coach KimSang-ryol said. Attacker ZhaoYudiao’s send off early in theextra time — for committing afoul against midfielder Kim Okju— forced China to go on thedefensive.South Korea’s goalkeeper

Moon Young-hui, who deniedChina from scoring off three

penalty corners, was in tears asSun Sinan converted the lastpenalty stroke to secure the vic-tory. “I really feel unhappy andit’s a pity that we lost the goldmedal match,” she said.Soon after the medal ceremo-

ny was over, all 16 Chinese play-ers lined up and bowed to theirteam’s support staff. Some play-ers even decorated team officials— including their South Koreancoach Kim — with their goldmedals on the victory podium asa mark of respect. Both China and South Korea

also qualified for LondonOlympic Games in 2012 becausethe top two finishers at theAsian Games women’s competi-tion earned automatic berths.Pakistan will be aiming to get anautomatic berth for London inthe men’s competition when itmeets Malaysia in the finaltoday. —AP

GUANGZHOU: Narumi Osawa never caredmuch for sports. She doesn’t do cardio exer-cise, she never hits the gym. Her trainingconsists mainly of sitting around and movingher fingers.“I tried running a 5-kilometer once,” she

said. “I didn’t like it.” Osawa is one of a ded-icated cadre of athletes at the Asian Gameswho play board games. Chess is the bestknown, but Osawa’s sport is a new additionto the games called Weiqi, or in Japan andsome other areas, Go. It has joined the games’ sports program

with another Chinese board game known asXiangqi. The games are the pride and joy ofChina, this year’s Asian Games host.“Weiqi is a mind sport that originated

from China. It has been popularized from2,500 years ago,” the games’ official blurbnotes. “It fully embodies the Oriental way ofthinking and ideological system, and is oneof the major contributions China has madeto the world civilization.” Weiqi is decep-tively simple.Black and white “stones” are played one

by one on a Weiqi board with 361 crossesmade of 19 vertical lines and 19 horizontallines. The object of the game is to “occupy”as much of the board as possible by sur-rounding your opponent’s stones and there-by rendering them “dead.” Whichever play-er wins more area on the board wins thegame.The game is widely popular throughout

east Asia, where millions of people play itand programs analyzing the moves of grand-masters are a staple of late-night television.“What I love about the game is the freedomof expression,” Osawa said after her matchyesterday. “I’ve been playing since I was six, and I

have never seen a game that was the same.Each time you play, it’s different.” Osawanoted that although computers have caughtup with even the best chess players, Weiqiremains a human domain because there arefive times more spaces on a Weiqi boardthan on a chessboard, meaning the numberof possible moves and variations is vastlylarger.

“I hear they are catching up, but notyet,” she said. Not surprisingly, China isthe country to beat in the game. But SouthKorea has also fielded a tough team, as hasNorth Korea, which trains with Chinesepros. “We can’t take any of them for granted as

easy wins,” said Yoshitaka Morimoto, aJapanese journalist who specializes in Go forthe Nihon Ki-in foundation. Weiqi is not abig draw at the Asian Games as far as spec-tators are concerned.Because of the need for unbroken atten-

tion, fans are not allowed anywhere near theplayers’ room. Instead, they have to watchfrom outside on a different floor of the samebuilding. On Wednesday, only a handful ofpeople turned out to watch the day’s actionreplayed move by move on a large videoscreen.Osawa, a professional Go player, said

that inside the game room, she was in aworld of her own as she defeated her Thaiopponent. “Go is exercise for the mind,” shesaid. “We use our mind muscles.”—AP

North and South Korea face off on wrestling matGUANGZHOU: The matchstarted with a handshake andended with a little hug, themuscular Koreans refusing toacknowledge the military andpolitical tensions back home.Wrestlers from North and

South Korea faced off on theAsian Games mat yesterday,the morning after the twocountries exchanged artilleryfire near their disputed seaborder. Two South Koreanmarines were killed and theinternational communityappealed for calm following thedramatic confrontation.But there was nothing out

of the ordinary in the matchbetween North Korea’s YangChun Song and South Korea’sKim Dai-sung in the men’sfreestyle 66 kilogram division,as athletes and coaches tried tokeep the focus on sports. Yangwon 3-0, dominating the com-petition in which the men wereliterally hand-to-hand.At one point, Yang, who was

wearing a red uniform, had hisopponent in blue by the ankles.Kim pushed himself up on hishands as if it were a child’sgame of “wheelbarrow,” draw-ing chuckles from the audi-ence.As they left the mat, the

men exchanged a brief hug,then shook hands cordiallywith each other’s coaches.Both sides walked out of thearena quickly, breezing past ascrum of waiting reporters.“I don’t want to get into pol-

itics,” Kim Chang-kew, presi-dent of the Asian AssociatedWrestling Committee, said.“We are (here) for sport andfor these Asian Games. Sportshould not be connected withwar or peace.” Kim said he did-n’t think the athletes wereunder any special pressure.Two North Korean coaches

gave a little laugh as journalistsasked about the political situa-tion, then waved them off whilerepeatedly saying “no com-

ment.” Manuel Silverio, the

Olympic Council of Asia’smedia committee chairman,urged both sides to remain atthe games, which bring togeth-er more than 10,000 athletesfrom 45 countries. BothKorean teams have said therewere no plans to quit.Just hours after the violence

in Korea, archers from the twocountries stood side-by-side onthe medal podium on Tuesdayevening. South Korea’s YunOk-hee won gold in the wom-en’s individual competition,beating Cheng Ming of Chinain the final, with Kwon Un Silof North Korea securing thebronze.Yun walked over to Kwon

with the South Korean flagdraped over her shouldersafter winning the competition,and the North Korean gave hera friendly pat on the back. Atthat stage, Kwon claimed shedidn’t know anything about the

skirmish.“I just try to do my best in

my performance. I don’t payattention to, or care about thesituation,” Kwon said througha translator. “My goal at this Asian

Games, and my only goal, wasto win the gold medal. “It isnot only for my own aspira-tions but also for our greatleader.”After the news conference,

Yun told South Korea’sYonhap news agency that atleast regarding archery, theKorean athletes “have alwaysbeen on good terms.” “I washoping Un Sil would reach thegold medal match, and whenshe ended up in the bronzemedal contest, I was cheeringfor her,” Yun said. “In archery,we always say hello to eachother and talk to each other.Whatever is happening backhome is between the two gov-ernments and that doesn’taffect us at all.” —AP

MADRID: Valencia crushedTurkish champions Bursaspor6-1 at the Mestalla Stadium inthe Champions League GroupC match yesterday to booktheir place in the knockoutphase of the competition.Valencia, finalists in 2001

and 2002, scored three goalsinside the first half an hour todemoralise debutantsBursaspor and guarantee atop-two finish after Rangerssaw their hopes go up insmoke with a 1-0 home defeatagainst Manchester United.Three goals in 13 minutes

did the trick for Valencia. JuanMata opened the scoring via a17th-minute penalty beforeRoberto Soldado completed afine team move on 21 minutesand Aritz Aduriz notched athird on the half hour.Stand-in captain Joaquin

struck a fourth on 37 minutesbefore Soldado struck again on55 minutes for his fifthChampions League goal of thecampaign, with four coming inhis last two matches.Pablo Batalla pulled a goal

back for the hapless visitors,but substitute AlejandroDominguez restoredValencia’s five-goal advantagewith 12 minutes remaining.The victory leaves Valencia

three points behind Unitedand the two sides will contesttop spot in the final groupmatch at Old Trafford onDecember 7, when only a vic-tory will be good enough forValencia.Bursaspor were left lick-

ing their wounds after anoth-er heavy defeat and theirmaiden Champions Leaguecampaign has been a disaster,with no points and one goalfrom their five group gamesso far.The Turks had a glorious

chance to score first on nineminutes when SercanYildirim raced onto a ballover the top but the forwardlacked composure and his lobfloated just wide.Valencia were gifted a

penalty on 17 minutes whenAduriz had his feet takenaway from him in the area ashe cut back to go inside andthe referee pointed to thespot. Mata thumped in anunstoppable spot-kick andthe goal opened up the flood-gates.The lively Mata created

the second goal, feeding adelightful pass to Soldado,who made no mistake with afierce shot into the top cor-ner. Goalkeeper MiguelMoya hobbled off injured butall the action was taking placeat the other end of the pitch,with Soldado going closeagain before Aduriz got hisname on the scoresheet onthe half-hour mark.The visitors were pining

for the half-time break, butJoaquin curled in a fine fourthgoal and Valencia went intothe interval 4-0 up. It was more of the same in

the second half with Soldado,scorer of two goals in the lastgroup match against Rangers,completing another braceafter 10 minutes.Bursaspor had failed to

score in their first four gamesand Argentine substituteBatalla ended that barren run,netting on 69 minutes toclaim the club’s first ever goalin the competition after overseven hours of waiting.Dominguez added a sixth forValencia on 78 minutes as thehosts cruised into the knock-out phase. —AFP

19Thursday, November 25, 2010 SPORTS

GERMANY: Lyon’s Dejan Lovren plays the ball in front of Schalke’s Raul of Spain

during the Champions League Group B soccer match. —AP

KUALA LUMPUR: AFC Player of the Year winner, Sasa Ognenovski (center) from Australia, receives the trophy

from Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak (left) while AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam (right) looks

on during the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Annual Awards 2010 ceremony. —AFP

Without referees, we’d have no football at allPARIS: For once, it was understand-able although not necessarily rightthat Arsene Wenger complained. Notwo ways about it: his team, Arsenal,should have been awarded a penaltywhen its substitute striker CarlosVela was hacked down in front of goalby Alberto Rodriguez, a Peruviandefender for Portuguese side Braga. Because this was Champions

League football, Hungarian refereeViktor Kassai had two extra assis-tants to help him. Two extra pairs ofeyes that are meant to spot and helpweed out the cheaters who push,shove, trip and otherwise foul in thebox. Two extra pairs of eyes that

European football boss Michel Platinihopes will, with time, demonstratethat referees don’t need video

replays to aid their officiating,because humans — in sufficient num-bers — can do the job just fine. Well,back to the drawing board.That Rodriguez’s thrusting tackle

should have been declared a foul wasas obvious as a bright red Londonbus. Vela, a lithe Mexican goal-scor-er who came off the bench justmoments earlier in place of wingerTheo Walcott, had a choice: stay root-ed to the spot and risk a broken bonefrom Rodriguez’s lunge or dive forsafety. Instinctively, he leapt, and tripped

over Rodriguez’s outstretched leg,too. Instead of giving a penalty,Kassai decided that Vela dived delib-erately to trick him into awarding aspot-kick. Out came a yellow card for Vela,

and out went the notion that Platini’sexperiment with extra officials to bet-ter police the goal area will settle,once and for all, the long-runningdebate about whether humans orvideo technology can best bring morejustice to the pitch. Arsenal’s defense, porous and

switching on and off like a dying light-bulb, was largely to blame for theLondon side’s 2-0 defeat on Tuesdaynight. Then again, the result mighthave been different had Kassai andhis assistants given that penalty inthe 77th minute, when the score wasstill 0-0. Even with all of its extraeyes, the enlarged team of Kassaiplus four Hungarian assistant refer-ees still made a sorry mistake.“I would like to see what the fifth

official is doing,” Wenger fumed

afterward. “We have the proof againtonight that it’s absolutely useless,this system.” So what’s to be done?Is video the way forward? Installingthat technology could be expensiveand there’d be annoying interrup-tions as match officials pause towatch replays. Or do the extra offi-cials need more time to prove theirworth? Football’s rule-makers will need

to take a decision on that fairly rapid-ly if they are to have five officials,instead of the previous three, in placefor the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.The only easy answer is this: no

matter what aids are adopted, refer-ees will always make mistakes. It isimpossible for them not to.Respected managers like Wengershould remind fans of that. Instead of

being quick to whine about refs, theyshould admit that their players and/ortactics were poor, as Arsenal’s werein Portugal. Otherwise, pushed to extremes,

you get what’s happening in Scotland.Referees there have voted to strikethis coming weekend because iratefans and managers have ignored thehuman truth that match officials canonly be fallible. Scottish media reports of the out-

rages suffered by referees theremake depressing reading. Razorblades and dead rats sent to them inthe post. Smashed windows. Phonedthreats to the home of Willie Collum,reportedly including a caller whomenaced his wife and children, afterhe officiated last month’s derbybetween Rangers and Celtic.

Platini was there for that match,witnessing for himself the ferociousrivalry between those Glasgowteams. “These people are going tomake mistakes and to be a referee Ithink you have to be a masochist,”the UEFA president told the ScottishFootball Association’s web site. “The system is bad and I have

known this for 40 years.” In otherwords, football authorities know thatreferees are struggling but have beenslow to help. Just as tough to deal with, says a

now retired Scottish referee who offi-ciated there for two decades, is the“water torture” of constant tauntsand snide remarks that match offi-cials suffer off the pitch, when they’reout shopping with their families, forinstance, or working their day jobs.

Scotland’s soccer authorities saythey sympathize. The Scottish FA’schief executive, Stewart Regan, saidhe fully understands “why incessantscrutiny, criticism and questioning oftheir integrity has brought them tothe brink of a withdrawal of labor.”Yet the SFA says it might fly in Irishor Scandinavian referees if its ownrefuse to blow their whistles thisweekend.Fine. Even if a strike is avoided or

circumvented so that the footballingshow can go on, Scottish referees willhave a successfully made a point thatapplies to their colleagues every-where: They try to do their best intough circumstances and, for that,they deserve respect not hounding.Bottom line: without referees, we’dhave no football at all. —AP

KUALA LUMPUR: Australia’s SasaOgnenovski was crowned Asian Player ofthe Year, while his South Korean sideSeongnam Ilhwa won club of the year at aglittering ceremony by the region’s footballgoverning body yesterday.Ognenovski, the 31-year-old captain of

South Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa club, edgedout four other finalists from Iran, Bahrainand Kuwait.Attendance at the Asian Football

Confederation’s awards ceremony yester-day in Malaysia was a prerequisite for theaward. Several candidates playing forEuropean clubs were unable to make it.Ognenovski helped his club win the AFC

Champions League in Tokyo last week witha 3-1 victory over Iran’s Zob Ahan. Thefour other finalists at the ceremony were

two from Iran-Farhad Majidi and FarshidTalebi-as well as Kuwait’s Bader AlMutawa and Bahrain’s Husain Salman.In a big night for Australia at the Asian

Football Confederation (AFC) annualawards, Kathryn Gill was also named wom-en’s player of the year and Australiaclaimed the women’s national team award.Japan also collected a number of titles

including national team of the year, whileTakeshi Okada won the coach of the year atthe event in Kuala Lumpur.Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak

was the recipient of the AFC Diamond ofAsia award for his services to the sport.North Korea’s Jong II-gwan bagged themen’s young player of the year award whileYeo Min-ji of South Korea was named wom-en’s young player.

Earlier Ognenovski told AFP that a con-troversial eligibility rule had somewhat tar-nished the award. The AFC decrees thatonly players who attend its gala awards cer-emony in Kuala Lumpur are eligible for thetitle, a policy it has defended as necessaryfor putting on a good show and enhancingthe sport’s profile in the region.The attendance rule this year eliminated

from contention three top Asian stars-Japan’s Keisuke Honda who plays for CSKAMoscow, Park Ji-Sung of South Korea whoplays for Manchester United, andAustralia’s Tim Cahill of Everton.The trio were on the original list of 15

nominated players unveiled by the AFCearlier this month, but are all busy play-ing for their clubs and had to send theirapologies. —Agencies

Ognenovski wins Asian Player of the Year award

UEFA looks at Real’s ‘deliberate’ red cardsGENEVA: UEFA was studyingthe match referee’s report yes-terday before deciding whetherto charge Real Madrid playersXabi Alonso and Sergio Ramosfor appearing to get intentionalred cards in a ChampionsLeague match against Ajax.Alonso and Ramos both col-

lected second cautions fortimewasting late in Real’s 4-0win at the Amsterdam Arena onTuesday.Neither player protested the

red cards and Ramos evenshook hands with Scottish ref-eree Craig Thomson beforewalking off the pitch.“We didn’t go looking for

the cards,” Ramos said.“Seeing what the score was,the referee could have savedthem. But he sent me off andthat’s that.” They will serve one-match

suspensions in a meaninglessfinal group match againstAuxerre next month, thencould start the knockoutrounds in February with a cleandisciplinary slate. Madrid isassured of winning Group Gand advancing with second-place AC Milan. UEFA said its disciplinary

unit will look at the incidentsafter receiving Thomson’s offi-cial report. Dutch broadcasterNOS showed footage of Madridcoach Jose Mourinho speakingto Alonso on the sideline beforehe picked up his second yellow.Mourinho also spoke on the

bench with reserve goalkeeper

Jerzy Dudek who seemed tothen pass on a message to‘keeper Iker Casillas, beforeRamos was sent off. “Dudekwas asking me about my stom-ach problems,” said Casillas,

the captain of Madrid andWorld Cup winner Spain. “I told Ramos to keep an

eye on one of their strikers,who was a constant threatinside the area.” In UEFA’s

disciplinary code, article 10allows for suspensions of morethan one match in cases ofunsporting conduct. Mourinhodismissed the idea that he hadorchestrated the bookings.“I spoke with many players

throughout the game, not onlywith Ramos and Alonso,”Mourinho said. “Stories sell,but the important thing is the4-0 win and the fantastic gamewe had. Let’s talk about thatand not other things.” Previous cases of players

deliberately seeking cautionsto manipulate the timing of sus-pensions have involved DavidBeckham and Australia captainLucas Neill. Beckham wasEngland captain when he inten-tionally committed a yellow-card foul against Wales in aWorld Cup qualifier played inOctober 2004.He later explained he’d sus-

tained a rib injury which heknew would sideline him forthe next match, so wanted hissecond caution of the qualifyingprogram allowing him to servethe one-match ban while hurt. FIFA President Sepp

Blatter described Beckham’saction as “disappointingbecause it is not the behaviorthat befits an ambassador offootball and fair play.” Neilladmitted getting a yellow cardagainst Qatar in a June 2009World Cup qualifier so he couldserve a ban immediately andnot risk carrying it into thefinals in South Africa. —AP

Lyon advance despite defeatGERMANY: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored in eachhalf to help Schalke beat Lyon 3-0 yesterday as bothteams advanced to the last 16 of the ChampionsLeague. Jefferson Farfan scored in the 13th minuteand Huntelaar added the second in the 20th in adominant first half for Schalke. Lyon put up more ofa fight in the second half but Huntelaar finished off acounterattack in the 89th to complete the victory.The victory gave Schalke 10 points in Group B,

while Lyon stayed on nine, with one round of match-es remaining. Lyon benefited from Hapoel TelAviv’s 3-0 victory over Benfica to clinch the secondspot in the knockout stage of the competition. Benfica has six points and Hapoel four. Schalke

produced one of its best performances of the seasonto win its third straight home game in theChampions League.

Felix Magath’s team went ahead after RaulGonzalez had his attempt blocked, but Farfanstroked the loose ball inside the right post.Seven minutes later, Peer Kluge broke through

on the left and sent a low ball inside, Raul let it passinto the path of Huntelaar, who scored into the samecorner as Farfan. Farfan was booked in the 30th,instead of earning a penalty. The Peru striker pushed the ball past Lyon goal-

keeper Hugo Lloris, then tripped over theFrenchman and Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli gavehim a yellow card for diving. Farfan will be suspend-ed for Schalke’s final match at Benfica.Lloris then had a good save when he tipped over

a clever long-range lob from Raul. With time runningout, Huntelaar’s deflected shot caught Lloris on thewrong foot for the final score. —AP

SPAIN: Bursaspor’s Turgay Bahadir (left) controls the ball with Valencia’s Ricardo

Costa from Portugal during the Champions League soccer match. —AP

Bursaspor hit for six

TEL AVIV: Hapoel Tel Avivsecured its first ever victory inthe Champions League groupstage yesterday with a 3-0 winover Benfica. Eran Zahaviscored twice and Douglas daSilva got the other for Hapoel,which now has four points butstays bottom of Group B, twopoints behind Benfica, withone game to play.Benfica was by far the

stronger side at the start of thegame, but the Israelis managedto soak up the pressure andscore on the counter attack.Zahavi broke the deadlock

in the 24th minute, and DaSilva added the second in the74th before Zahavi completedthe scoring in stoppage time.It was the first win for an

Israeli team in the ChampionsLeague group stage sinceMaccabi Tel Aviv defeatedAjax in 2004.

Benfica made a dominantstart, winning three corners inquick succession in the open-ing five minutes, culminatingin a stinging shot from JavierSaviola which forced a savefrom keeper VincentEnyeama.The pressure continued

from the Portuguese side, butEli Gutman’s team was not tobe outdone and took a surpriselead when Zahavi headedhome a free kick by ShayAbutbul. Benfica poured forward in

search of an equalizer for theremainder of the first half. Butthe Portuguese were unable tocreate any meaningful chancesand Hapoel grew in confi-dence, holding firm at theback. Jorge Jesus’s side con-tinued to pile on the pressureafter the restart and defenderDa Silva had to head the ball

off the line in the 53rd minuteto prevent Javi Garcia fromscoring from a corner.Garcia had an even better

chance to score in the 65thminute, but inexplicably head-ed wide of the goal from only afew meters out.As the minutes ticked away

the excitement grew amongthe 13,000 fans packed intoBloomfield Stadium, eager towitness a slice of club historyin the making. That excitement only

increased when Da Silvaturned in a corner with 17minutes to go and any hopesBenfica had of salvaging any-thing from the game weredashed in the first minute ofinjury time. Zahavi was leftunmarked and had time tocalmly smash the ball pastgoalkeeper Roberto to com-plete the victory. —AP

Hapoel defeat Benfica 3-0

AMSTERDAM: Real Madrid soccer players Alvaro

Arbeloa (center) and Raul Albiol (right) react as Xabi

Alonso (left) receives a red card by referee Craig

Thomson of Scotland. —AP

Markaz wins

Global Investor’s

award Thursday, November 25, 2010

GMC to unveil

all-new Terrain,

Acadia Denali 22

Portugal, pain

hit by fears

over debt

www.kuwaittimes.net

2523

KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia: SaudiArabia will continue to seekoil market stability, state newsmedia reported yesterday, cit-ing a second day of talks thekingdom’s oil minister heldwith foreign ambassadors inRiyadh.Ali Al-Naimi discussed

separately with ambassadorsof Finland, Russia and SouthKorea oil market conditionsand “stressed the kingdom’sneed for oil markets’ stabilityand to promote cooperationbetween oil producers andconsumers,” SPA reported.This is Naimi’s second

round of comments stressing

Saudi oil policy would remainon a steady course since KingAbdullah, who is 86 or 87, leftfor New York on Monday formedical treatment. Naimi, oil minister of the

world’s top oil exporter heldsimilar talks on Tuesday withambassadors of Japan, theUnited Kingdom and Italy. China’s crude oil imports

from Saudi Arabia will likelyrise 11 percent next year tohit one million barrels per day,a pace slightly faster than2010 but off the heady

increases in previous years,industry officials told Reuters.China’s refining expansion

is expected to moderate nextyear and rising competition ofmostly Russian oil via aSiberian pipeline meansimport growth for the high-sulfur Saudi oil would be limit-ed, they said.At one million bpd, China

stands a touch behind theUnited States as theKingdom’s second-largestcrude buyer. US EnergyInformation Administration

data showed Riyadh supplied1.07 million bpd in the firsteight months of 2010 to theUS, largely flat from a yearearlier.State-run Saudi Aramco

has rolled over its evergreencontracts with Chinese refinerSinopec Corp and PetroChinafor next year and expectsactual supplies to grow100,000 bpd or so from thisyear’s average of 900,000 bpd,industry officials said.“The market was really

worried earlier about 2010,

which turns out to be muchmore robust than thought.Now we have a high base fore-casting next year’s growth,”said an industry source withclose knowledge of oil tradebetween Riyahd and Beijing.“A growth of around 10

percent is both realistic andmore sustainable for SaudiArabia.” In 2008 Saudi sup-plies to China rallied nearly 40percent to about 730,000 bpd,as China went through a majorstockpiling year for theBeijing Olympics Games, fol-

lowed by a 15-percent rise in2009 when China added sev-eral big new refineries includ-ing one partly owned byAramco.China, the world’s second-

largest oil user, may finallyenter a relatively quiet year inits long refining expansionboom that started nearly twodecades ago, by possiblyadding less than 300,000 bpdnew working capacity nextyear, or just over 3 percent ofChina’s total oil demand.That came off an average of

400,000-450,000 bpd additionseach year seen in the previousfew years. — Reuters

Saudi seeks stable oil markets: NaimiChina’s Saudi oil imports seen up 11% next year

DUBAI: Dubai’s economygrew 2.3 percent in thefirst six months of 2010 astrade and manufacturingimproved along withtourism, the DubaiStatistics Center said, con-firming earlier remarks byits chief.The global crisis ended

an oil and real estate-ledboom in the United ArabEmirates last year, sendingthe world’s No 3 oilexporter into its firstdownturn since 1993.Dubai’s debt woes haveweighed on the economicrecovery in 2010. “The sectors of manu-

facturing, transport, logis-tics, services, wholesaleand retail trade, hotels,restaurants and govern-ment services achievedpositive growth,” ArifObaid Al-Muhairi wasquoted as saying on thewebsite of the dailyEmirates 24-7. He did notsay whether the grossdomestic product increasewas in real or nominalterms. The property sector

contributed 11 percent tothe Gulf emirate’s econo-my in the first six months,Muhairi said, down from 14percent for whole of 2009,and 17 percent in 2008. Dubai’s non-oil exports

and re-exports soared by46 percent and 26 percent,respectively, in the secondquarter, while importsjumped 17 percent, data

has showed. Muhairi predicted last

month Dubai’s GDPgrowth at 2.3 percent for2010, well above a 0.5 per-cent forecast by theInternational MonetaryFund.In February, when

uncertainties aroundindebted state firm DubaiWorld weighed on the mar-ket, the IMF said it sawDubai’s GDP contracting1.3 percent in 2010. Theeconomy of the emirate,which accounts for some80 percent of the UAE non-oil trade, expanded 5.7 per-cent in real terms in 2008.Official 2009 GDP data forDubai are not available,although the IMF esti-mates a 0.9 percent con-traction.Concerns about Dubai’s

liabilities, estimated ataround $115 billion, haveeased after Dubai Worldreached a deal inSeptember to restructurealmost $25 billion of debt. But worries still persist

about the debt pile owed bykey firms such as DubaiHolding . Dubai and itsfirms face some $30 billionworth of debt maturing in2011-2012. Overall UAE credit

growth remains anaemicdue to bank exposure toDubai debt, and is the mainreason that leaves theOPEC country’s economytrailing its Gulf oil-export-ing peers. — Reuters

Dubai economy grew 2.3% in H1

Debt worries remain concern

DUBAI: It was the celebrityendorsement marketers dreamabout. Before harnessing up tofilm stunts for the next“Mission: Impossible” on theface of the world’s tallest tow-er, Tom Cruise bounded ontostage in the skyscraper’s plushnew Armani Hotel to promoteshooting in Dubai. With cam-eras rolling, he thanked theemirate’s ruling sheikh andpraised the city as “very cine-matic,” deeming it “beautiful”four times in under a minute.Publicity stunt it may havebeen. But the filmmakers’ deci-sion to set a large part of themovie here also reflects theheadway Dubai has made on itsown tough mission: to againcharm investors and repair itsreputation a year on from itsmarket-rattling financial crisis. It’s a task that could take

years to complete. The Gulfemirate sent tremors throughthe world economy a year agothis week when it effectivelyacknowledged it couldn’t repaybillions of dollars as promised.Lenders who had relied on gov-ernment backing for conglom-erate Dubai World and a web ofother state-linked companiesfound no such guarantees, leav-ing them scrambling for detailsfrom a city-state as famouslytightlipped as it was opaqueabout the health of its globe-trotting businesses.Almost overnight, Dubai

went from being seen as theArab world’s glamorous answerto Wall Street and Las Vegas toa city-sized subprime borrowerwith way too many maxed-outcredit cards.A year on, both those con-

flicting images contain a meas-ure of truth. “Across the boardwe’re probably better off thanwe were a year ago in Dubai,”said Rachel Ziemba, an analystat Roubini Global Economics.“But the recovery of the Dubaieconomy is going to be a lotslower than people anticipat-ed.” Topping the list of chal-lenges is more than $100 bil-lion in Dubai debt still hangingover bank balance sheets fromTokyo to New York. Somestate-owned holdings havebeen quietly sold off. Othersare struggling. Just last weekLoehmann’s, an 89-year-old USclothing retailer owned by theemirate, filed for bankruptcyprotection. Bankers grumblethat financial transparency isstill lacking — an indication ofa lesson not completelylearned. While Dubai hasbegun to crack open its books,the full extent of its debt prob-lems — and its ability to fixthem — remain unclear.Even the half-mile-high

Burj Khalifa that Cruise rap-pelled down isn’t immune.Apartment owners there havehad to slash rents amid a prop-erty slump that shows fewsigns of improving. Across thecity, prices have plunged by halfsince late 2008 as tens of thou-sands of residents — mostlyforeigners who comprise theoverwhelming majority of thepopulation — lost their jobsand left. A glut of new homesplanned years ago and sooncoming to market could makethings even worse. “We’ve still

A year after crisis

Dubai refocuses while tackling debts

DUBAI: Tourists visit a shopping mall in Dubai. — AP

DUBAI: Qatar’s index rose foran 11th day in 12 yesterday, ral-lying from the previous day’sdrop-its largest for six months-as investors bought ahead of aFIFA vote to decide the hostcountry for the 2022 soccerWorld Cup.Other Middle East markets

were mixed. Dubai slipped to anine-week low, while SaudiArabia fell for a fourth day infive. Qatar’s index rose 0.3 per-cent to 8,148 points. “Qatar isin a unique trend compared toother regional markets,” saidSamer Al-Jaouni, GeneralManager of Middle EastFinancial Brokerage Co.“Investors are buying ahead ofthe World Cup vote and shouldhold above 8,100 until then.” Qatar is bidding against the

United States, Australia, Japanand South Korea for the rightsto host the 2022 World Cup,with FIFA delegates voting onDec 2. Qatar Gas Transport Co

(Nakilat), rose 4.7 percent, itslargest gain since Dec 2, 2009.“Usually, rallies start withIndustries Qatar, before movingto banks and then services andthat’s what we’re seeing again,especially on Nakilat today,”said Jaouni. “Nakilat’s historically low

dividends mean it hasn’tattracted much attention, but2011 should be a good year forthe company and so people arestarting to build positions.”Emirates Telecommuni-

cations Corp (Etisalat) rose 0.5percent. In late September, theoperator agreed a $12 billiondeal to buy a controlling stakein Kuwait rival Zain, while earli-er this month, Etisalat said itwould create an $8 billion bondprogram. “Etisalat’s deal withZain is very important for UAE

markets,” said MohammedYasin, CAPM Investment chiefinvestment officer. “Peopleused to say holding Etisalat wasbetter than gold because histor-ically the company has been acash cow, paying regular cashand stock dividends. “But if the deal goes

through, Etisalat will become adebt company, which it has nev-er been before and we will haveto evaluate it differently. Howwill it manage this debt?”In Saudi Arabia, Samba

Financial Group fell 0.9 percent,its eighth decline in nine ses-sions. “People are worriedbanks will be asked to takemore provisions in the fourth-quarter,” said a Riyadh-basedtrader. The banking index fell0.2 percent. It has fallen around7 percent in two months,slumping after third-quarterearnings broadly missed esti-mates. “Banks are not a greatstory this year and possibly notnext year either,” added thetrader. “It’s hard to see howbanks can substantially raisetheir earnings. They were para-lyzed by the downturn and arebeing very conservative.“Contractors are being fundedby the government, so that hasremoved one of their mainsources of income. You couldbuy banks as a share pricerecovery play, but not on funda-mentals.” Volumes were lowacross the region, withinvestors wary af ter NorthKorea’s deadly shelling of aSouth Korean island.“If Korea escalates it could

affect the Gulf region, becauseit is a big importer of our oil,while even if the situationcalms down, uncertainty overpotential conflict will be nega-tive for markets,” addedCAPM’s Yasin.— Reuters

MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

Qatar rebounds as W-Cup vote nears

WASHINGTON: Americans earnedmore and spent more last month, and thenumber of people applying for unemploy-ment benefits dropped last week to thelowest level in more than two years. Atthe same time, demand for long-lastingmanufactured goods fell off. All told, thelatest government data released the daybefore Thanksgiving suggest an improv-ing picture of the economy. Income andspending are rising, and layoffs are slow-ing. This comes amid a decline in manu-facturing activity, which had been asource of strength for months after therecession ended.“The flurry of US data this morning

suggests that households have started topickup the baton of growth from busi-nesses,” said Paul Dales, US economistat Capital Economics. “Whether or nothouseholds will be able to shoulder theburden of growth on their own is anothermatter.” Consumers boosted theirspending 0.4 percent in October, theCommerce Department said yesterday.That was up from a 0.3 percent increasein September.People showed a slightly bigger

appetite to spend because their incomesrose 0.5 percent, reflecting a slowlyhealing jobs market. Incomes didn’t

grow at all in September. The increasesin both income and spending last monthwere the most since August.And inflation is running lower. Prices

for goods excluding food and energy rosejust 0.9 percent in the 12 months endingin October, the Commerce report noted.That was down from a 1.2 percent annualgain posted in September. Inflation isrunning at a pace below the Fed’s com-fort zone of between 1.5 percent and 2percent. “We have a good signal,” JohnSilvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo,said of the jobless claims and consumerspending reports.The pace of layoffs slowed to the low-

est level since July 2008. Initial joblessclaims dropped by 34,000 to a seasonallyadjusted 407,000 in the week endingNov. 20, the Labor Department said. Thereport raised hopes that more gains inhiring will be seen.Still, another report showed that

orders to US factories for costly manu-factured goods plunged in October bythe largest amount in 21 months.Durable-goods orders dropped 3.3

percent last month, the biggest setbacksince January 2009, when the countrywas still mired in a recession. Of specialconcern was a 4.5 percent drop in orders

for nondefense capital goods, excludingaircraft. This category is viewed as agood proxy for business investmentplans. It was the biggest drop since a 5.3percent fall in July. Even with the pickupin spending, consumers are still shyingaway from the type of buying needed todramatically lower the 9.6 unemploy-

ment rate. Normally after a recession, con-

sumers spend more freely. But morethan one year after the recession ended,Americans are more focused on gettingtheir personal finances in order. They areparing down debt, watching their spend-ing and building savings. —Reuters

US consumers spend and earn more, layoffs slow

PHOENIX: Cynthia Torrez looks over job ads at theMaricopa County Workforce Connections job fair yesterdayin Phoenix. The number of people applying for unemploy-ment benefits fell sharply last week to the lowest levelsince July 2008, a hopeful sign that improvement in the jobmarket is accelerating. — AP

got a bit more to go before wehit the bottom,” said JohnDavis, regional CEO of realestate firm ColliersInternational. The debt pile andproperty woes don’t meanDubai is done for, though. Thesheikdom in many ways hasproved surprisingly resilient,using the past year to clean upsome of its worst excesses asinvestors’ concerns shifted tostruggling European debtorssuch as Ireland and Greece.Managers at the most troubled

Dubai companies have mostlybeen replaced. Plans for evenmore audacious skyscrapersand manmade islands like thosethat made Dubai famous — andin debt — are on the back burn-er. There are other signs ofimprovement. State-owned air-line Emirates more thanquadrupled its first-half profits,recently pulling in nearly $1 bil-lion. Business at Dubai’s globalcollection of seaports is lookingup. At home, footfall on the pol-ished stone floors of shopping

centers like the aquarium-filledDubai Mall remains brisk. Thecity’s infamous traffic jams areless frequent. Living costs aredown.And yes, despite headlines

suggesting Dubai was becominga ghost town, things are stillbeing built. Alongside the sky-scrapers there has been arenewed focus on less splashybut much-needed public worksprojects such as highway inter-changes and another sleek newmetro line. A second airport

opened in June.Put simply, the emirate’s

attention has shifted back to thehistoric strengths that turned itinto the Middle East’s commer-cial hub: trade, tourism, logis-tics and services. “There’s nowtime for smaller ideas, thingsthat are more organized,” saidMishaal Al-Gergawi, an Emiratiwriter and entrepreneur.With his wife Bushra, a

graphic designer, he is launch-ing a line of T-shirts and otherproducts with the slogan

“iamherebecauseilikedubai.” Hesays it’s a statement meant tohighlight the positive aspects ofDubai and those working tobuild it back up. “The crisis iswhat it is,” he said. “It hap-pened. And then you deal withit.” Dealing with the fallout ofthe crisis will take years, ana-lysts say. Some importantprogress has been made in sort-ing out the books at DubaiWorld, the sprawling conglom-erate at the heart of Dubai’sfinancial mess. —AP

22 Thursday, November 25, 2010BUSINESS

EXCHANGE RATES

Commercial Bank of Kuwait

US Dollar/KD .2765000 .2865000GB Pound/KD .4420000 .4510000Euro .3730000 .381000Swiss francs .280000 .2890000Canadian Dollar .2730000 .2820000Australian DLR .2720000 .2810000Indian rupees .0045000 .0075000Sri Lanka Rupee .002000 .0035000UAE dirhams .0761490 .0769140Bahraini dinars .7418950 .7493510Jordanian dinar .3920000 .4120000Saudi riyals .0730000 .0780000Omani riyals .7272960 .7346050Philippine peso .0045000 .0072000Egyptian pounds .0490000 .0560000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES

US Dollar/KD .2805000 .2826000GB Pound/KD .4439750 .4472990Euro .3758700 .3786840Swiss francs .2819660 .2840770Canadian dollars .2753780 .2774400Danish Kroner .0504130 .0507910Swedish Kroner .0402790 .0405810Australian dlr .2745810 .2766370Hong Kong dlr .0361540 .0364250Singapore dlr .2139420 .2155440Japanese yen .0033700 .0033950Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0062450Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0025460Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0033250Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0040370UAE dirhams .0763890 .0769610Bahraini dinars .7442290 .7498010Jordanian dinar .0000000 .3997170Saudi Riyal/KD .0748300 .0753900Omani riyals .7291400 .7345980Philippine Peso .0000000 .0064590

Bahrain Exchange Company

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange

Hongkong dollar 37.020 36.870Indian rupees 6.520 6.175Indonesia 0.033 0.032Iranian tuman 0.264Iraqi dinar 0.252Japanese yen 3.480Jordanian dinar 400.120 398.240Lebanese pound 0.191 0.190Malaysian ringgit 93.150 93.150Morocco dirham 46.800Nepalese Rupees 4.410 3.880New Zealand dollar 219.500 218.000Nigeria 1.916Norwegian krone 48.100Omani Riyal 731.850 731.870Pakistani rupees 3.400 3.305Philippine peso 6.650 6.400Qatari riyal 77.930 77.500Saudi riyal 75.230 75.230Singapore dollar 216.320 216.320South Africa 42.220 42.220Sri Lankan rupees 2.684 2.528Sterling pound 450.000 448.000Swedish krona 41.900Swiss franc 288.400 286.900Syrian pound 6.300 6.300Thai bhat 9.800 9.570Tunisian dollar 198.263UAE dirham 76.580 76.780U.S. dollars 282.100 281.700Yemeni Riyal 1.360

GOLD10 Tola 1,454.040

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUESterling Pound 448.000US Dollar 281.700

Currency Rate per 1000 (Tran)US Dollar 281.700Pak Rupees 3.305Indian Rupees 6.190Sri Lankan Rupees 2.540Bangladesh Taka 4.000Philippines Peso 6.420UAE Dirhams 76.780Saudi Riyals 75.330Bahraini Dinars 748.900Egyptian Pounds 48.995Pound Sterling 451.400Indonesian Rupiah 0.00003280Nepali rupee 4.025Yemeni Riyal 1.550Jordanian Dinars 400.200Syrian Pounds 5.750Euro 383.200Candaian Dollars 282.300

Sri Lankan Rupees 2.525Bangladesh Taka 3.995Philippines Pesso 6.374Japanese Yen 3.381Thai Bhat 9.347Syrian Pound 6.144Nepalese Rupees 3.868

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Pakistani Rupees 3.270Srilankan Rupees 2.508Nepali Rupees 3.968Singapore Dollar 218.810Hongkong Dollar 36.220Bangladesh Taka 3.975Philippine Peso 6.622Thai Baht 9.458Irani Riyal - Transfer 0.267Irani Riyal - Cash 0.310

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 74.865Qatari Riyal 77.139Omani Riyal 729.380Bahraini Dinar 745.660UAE Dirham 76.451

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 51.550Egyptian Pound - Transfer 48.948Yemen Riyal 1.317Tunisian Dinar 204.170Jordanian Dinar 396.450Lebanese Lira 187.700Syrian Lier 6.140Morocco Dirham 35.749

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 280.630Euro 401.020Sterling Pound 455.460Canadian dollar 280.350Turkish lire 200.450Swiss Franc 292.020Australian dollar 282.170US Dollar Buying 279.895

GOLD20 Gram 259.00010 Gram 131.0005 Gram 67.500

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 281.400Euro 380.000Pound Sterling 447.000Canadian Dollar 278.000Japanese Yen 3.400Indian Rupee 6.165Egyptian Pound 48.880Sri Lankan Rupee 2.528Bangladesh Taka 4.002Philippines Peso 6.375Pakistan Rupee 3.295Bahraini Dinar 749.000UAE Dirham 76.600Saudi Riyal 75.050*Rates are subject to change

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 3.501Indian Rupees 6.334

COUNTRY SELL CASH SELL DRAFTAustralian dollar 279.400 277.900Bahraini dinar 749.290 749.290Bangladeshi taka 4.260 4.000Canadian dollar 280.200 278.700Cyprus pound 553.300Czek koruna 14.100Danish krone 52.500Deutsche Mark 157.800 216.300Egyptian pound 51.930 49.010Euro Cash 382.500 381.000

US Dollar 281.650Canadian Dollar 277.950Sterling Pound 446.705Euro 380.025Swiss Frank 282.808Cyprus Pound 690.313Bahrain Dinar 745.463UAE Dirhams 76.662Qatari Riyals 77.341Saudi Riyals 75.076Jordanian Dinar 397.429Egyptian Pound 49.022Indian Rupees 6.186Pakistani Rupees 3.300

TERRAINThe 2011 Terrain is a crossover immac-

ulately combining bold styling with asmooth ride delivered through a powerfuland economic engine giving it segment-leading fuel efficiency.The Terrain has the bold design of a

GMC SUV, with the commanding outwardview that many customers appreciate. TheTerrain’s front end, with squared-off edgesand flared fenders, appeals to those whowant something stronger looking than thetypical “soft road” vehicle.“We’re continuing to build on the suc-

cessful formula of taking the bold styling,premium features and functionality our cus-tomers have come to expect from our full-size truck products and creating smallervehicles to appeal to a broader audience inthe Middle East,” said Luay Alshurafa,regional brand manager for GMC in theMiddle East.When equipped with the new 2.4L

direct injected Ecotec engine and six-speedautomatic transmission, the Terrain isEPA-rated at a segment-leading 7.35 litersper 100km on the highway (FWD model) -giving the crossover best-in-class fueleconomy. The 3.0L direct injected V-6engine is EPA-rated at 9.4 liters per 100kmon the highway (also the FWD model),thereby also beating out some of the com-petition.The 2011 GMC Terrain is exem-

plary of a vehicle with integrated techno-logical solutions which makes for a smarter,safer, fun and convenient vehicle. In termsof safety, the Terrain comes with a stan-dard rear-vision camera, allowing the driverto view objects and people directly behindthe vehicle. Other technologies incorporated make

for a more fun experience when driving orriding in the Terrain, especially for thoselong trips. The Terrain comes with a 10 GBhard-drive, which enables a library offavorite music for consecutive-play.Further music connectivity is found in stan-dard USB audio connectivity and MP3 play-back, both of which can be controlled fromthe radio or the optional steering wheelcontrols.Passengers in the rear-seat can enjoy

their favorite DVDs on the rear-seat enter-tainment system, with two independentscreens and inputs, allowing one viewer towatch a movie while the other plays a videogame.In terms of convenience, the Terrain

comes with a programmable lift-gate whichcan be set for a lower height, clearing pos-sible garage obstructions and making it eas-ier to reach for those of a shorter stature.Meanwhile, the driver can remotely startthe vehicle to automatically cool down on ahot afternoon. With a rigid, body-integralstructure with single-piece body side

stampings allows more precise assembly,with tighter and more uniform gap toler-ances. The result is a vehicle that will feelsolid for years.

ACADIA DENALI“The Acadia Denali is as uncompromis-

ing on luxury as it is on safety. It is a testa-ment to outstanding quality and safety mea-sures, making it the obvious choice for cus-tomers after a luxury ride without anyimplications to their safety,” said LuayAlshurafa, regional brand manager for GMCin the Middle East.The new premium Denali model joins

the GMC Acadia lineup for 2011, adding anew dimension of luxury and exclusivity tothis popular crossover. It brings the dis-tinctive Denali design elements, including:a chrome honeycomb grille, monochromat-ic exterior color, exclusive fascias, high-intensity discharge headlamps and uniqueinterior features that have made the Denalisuch a hit.The Acadia Denali will also ensure

power delivery. Like all Acadia models, it ispowered by a 3.6L V-6 VVT engine thatuses gasoline direct injection technology tooptimize performance and fuel economy.The engine is paired with Acadia’s fuel-sav-ing six-speed automatic transmission andcapable of towing up to 2364 kg.Further distinction comes with 20-inch,

two-tone chrome-clad wheels. The six-

spoke wheels feature black chrome spokeinserts set against bright chrome. It isoffered in the following outstanding exteri-or colors: red jewel tricoat, carbon blackmetallic, quicksilver metallic, dark bluemetallic, summit white, gold mist metallic,cyber gray metallic, medium brown metal-lic, white trident tricoat and gray greenmetallic.The interior of the Acadia Denali is

replete with luxury. For added comfort,leather comes standard, with perforatedleather seats cooled for both driver and pas-senger. The interior also includes matchingleather door panel trim and the steeringwheel is leather-wrapped with mahoganywood inserts and a wood grain finish on theinstrument panel and center stack, whilethe foot-wells are accented with subtlelighting.The driver and passengers both can

experience unsurpassed audio quality, withpremium acoustics, with laminated glassand liquid applied sound deadeners, orenjoy fresh air or sunshine via the dualSkyScape sunroof system, with slidingfront sunroof and fixed rear section.GMC will also be showcasing the 2011

Yukon which offers exceptional capability,comfort and refinement, as well as theSierra Denali which provides supreme per-formance and outstanding luxury at thisyear’s event.

GMC to unveil all-new Terrain,showcase 2011 Acadia Denali

Abu Dhabi International Motor Show DUBAI: GMC will be unveiling and showcasing two crossovers a t the Abu Dhabi Internationa l Motor Show: the Terra in and the Acadia Denali. As GMC’smain attractions a t the Abu Dhabi International Motor Show taking place from 7 - 11 December 2010, the vehicles w ill join GMC’s popular line-up in theMiddle East.

DUBAI: The first three of four jury presidents areannounced for the Dubai International AdvertisingFestival, the leading creative advertising and com-munication awards for the Middle East and NorthAfrica. The very talented and multi award winner

Prasoon Joshi, Executive Chairman and RegionalExecutive Creative Director APAC McCannErickson, will head the Film, Print, Outdoor andRadio Jury. Under his leadership McCann EricksonIndia has transformed into a veritable creativepowerhouse and has been acknowledged as one ofthe most respected and admired agencies in India.Prasoon has won more than 400 national and inter-national advertising awards and has chaired theOutdoor Cannes Lions jury in 2008 and served onthe Titanium and Integrated jury at Cannes in2009. Prasoon has been named a ‘Young GlobalLeader’ by the World Economic Forum, joiningleading public figures and intellectuals under theage of 40 who have been selected to collectivelyshape the world’s future. He was recently appoint-ed Chairman of McCann Worldgroup CreativeLeadership Council. “I am honored to be part of Dubai International

Advertising Festival. The creative tradition fromthis part of our world has always fascinated meespecially when I came to know that in ancienttimes there were instances of disputes settledthrough use of poetry, whilst laying arms aside. Iam keen to see and gain a finer understanding ofthe distinctive cultural codes that are bound toreflect in the work. Regional shows like DubaiLynx are extremely important as they bring tolight and celebrate work whose unique texturesometimes remains unrecognized internationally.Encouragement and appreciation is an importantpart of a creative fraternity’s need and the DubaiInternational Advertising Festival has provided astellar platform for this. The team of Dubai Lynx isresponsible for bringing in international standardsof excellence to this festival in all aspects and Ilook forward to a creatively stimulating and enrich-ing experience,” said Prasoon.The Direct, Sales Promotion and Activation and

Interactive Jury will be chaired by the ChiefCreative Officer of Jung von Matt, Armin Jochum.He is responsible for driving creative excellenceacross all Jung von Matt agencies culminating inthem being honoured with Independent Agency ofthe Year at Cannes Lions 2010. Working on prestigious accounts over the last

20 years, such as Porsche, MTV and Mercedes-Benz, his work has been honored at Cannes Lions,Clio, One show, D&AD and ADC to name but afew. Armin has also chaired the 2008 Cannes LionsPromo and Activation jury and is member of theGerman Art Directors Club and D&AD. With histrack record of hundreds of awards he is one ofEurope’s most awarded Creatives. Commenting on his role, Armin said, “It is a

powerful region with gifted, upcoming creative tal-ents. I am really proud to be able to share fresh andambitious masterpieces of today’s communicationwith the jury.” Mike Cooper, Worldwide Chief Executive

Officer of PHD, in charge of over 70 offices andover 2,500 staff around the globe, will lead theMedia jury. PHD is one of the world’s fastestgrowing and most awarded media agencies knownfor pioneering work in the areas of content andplanning. PHD works with prestigious internation-al clients such as Elizabeth Arden, Kraft/Cadbury,HBO, Hewlett Packard, Canon and Porsche. Inearly 2010, PHD was awarded the Unilever busi-ness in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong as well asthe digital account in India. PHD was voted MediaMagazine’s Agency of the Year in Asia at the endof 2009, the UK office was awarded runner-upMedia Agency of the Year by both Campaign andMarketing and in the USA PHD won Adweek’sMedia Plan of the Year. Mike is co-author ofPHD’s thought-leader book: 2014, PHD On TheFuture Of The Media Agency.

Mike commented, “I am extremely excited tobe the jury President at the Dubai Lynx in 2011.The Middle East and North Africa are at a pivotalstage of development as a major advertising andcreative force so the timing is perfect” “It’s an honor to have such highly regarded

authorities as Prasoon, Armin and Mike guidingthe judging procedure to ensure that all the workis evaluated fairly. We look forward to welcomingthem and working with them at the DubaiInternational Advertising Festival where their roleas jury presidents will ultimately help the creativedevelopment of the industry in the region,” saidTerry Savage, Chairman of Cannes Lions who withMotivate Publishing are joint organizers of theevent. The inaugural jury chair for the new Designcompetition will be announced shortly. All entriesbeing judged can be viewed during the festival tobe held at the Madinat Jumeirah, in Dubai 27 to 29March; the Dubai Lynx Awards, where the win-ners will be revealed, will be held on 30 March. For further information about the 2011 Dubai

International Festival, please go to www.dubail-ynx.com.

First jury presidents for Dubai Lynx 2011 namedPrasoon Joshi, Armin Jochum and Mike Cooper

Armin Jochum

Mike Cooper

Prasoon Joshi

GMC Terrain GMC Acadia Denali

KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecomnever fails to surprise its cus-tomers with its monthly draw.Started last May 2010 andongoing until April 2011,Wataniya will meet its cus-tomers every month to rewardthem with valuable prizes. Anopportunity to win prizes isgranted if the subscriber’snumber starts with 6. Markingthis draw to be the 7th suc-cessful draw, Wataniya isproud to announce the name ofits customer Rula IbrahimNaeem who was lucky thismonth to win the grand prize;

a BMW. The rewarding cere-mony to deliver the car keysto the winner took place atBMW Showroom with thepresence of Riham Al-AyyarWataniya’s SeniorCommunication manager.On the occasion, Al-Ayyar

congratulated the winner andsaid: “Our monthly drawshave all resulted in great suc-cess and attracted a magnifi-cent number of customerswhich encourages us to pro-vide them with more offersand promotional campaignswith valuable prizes to our

customers in the months tocome.”The winner was very

enthusiastic and appreciativeto Wataniya’s efforts andexpressed: “I would like tothank Wataniya for their con-tinuous dedication and ongo-ing creative campaigns to sup-port and reward their cus-tomers.”“I am proud to consider

myself a member ofWataniya’s family and lookingforward to take part in futurecampaigns as well.” Ibrahimconcluded.

Wataniya awards lucky winnerRula Ibrahim Naeem with a BMW

23Thursday, november 25, 2010 business

KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre SAK“Markaz”, one of the Middle East’s leadinginvestment banking and asset managementcompanies, won the “Best Asset Managerin Kuwait” award by Global Investor maga-zine, a Euromoney publication. The judgesgranted the award taking into account thecompany’s healthy balance sheet, perfor-mance and diversity of its product offer-ings, innovation, investment approach tonavigate market cycles, high level of corpo-rate governance, and sustainable growth inmarket share, assets under managementand client base.

Amani Al-Omani, Executive VicePresident-MENA Equities at Markaz said“We would like to thank Global InvestorMagazine for granting Markaz the “BestAsset Manager in Kuwait” award. We arecommitted to achieving the best perfor-mance for our clients through following aresearch driven methodology and investingin high quality assets.”

Al-Omani added “Our investment poli-cy is based on four pillars, research, out-performance, sustainable growth, and riskmanagement. This enabled Markaz to farereasonably well in the financial crisis.”

Markaz was invited to speak in thepanel discussion held after the award cere-mony. Pradeep Rajagopalan VicePresident-Risk Management &Compliance at Markaz participated in thesession about what the region can learnfrom other global financial centres andwhat has to change in the regulatory andlegal regimes.

Markaz has a track-record in asset man-agement across different asset classes. In2010, three funds collectively won fourLipper Awards for best risk-adjusted per-formance during the year. ‘Markaz MumtazFund’ won two awards for best Kuwaitiequities fund for the periods of three andfive years. ‘Markaz Gulf Fund’ won bestMENA equities fund and ‘Markaz IslamicFund’ won best Islamic Kuwaiti equities

fund, both for the period of three years.‘Mumtaz Fund’ was also awarded as thebest equity fund for the year 2009 by theleading regional publication ‘MENA FundManager’. Markaz “Mumtaz” and “Gulf”Funds recently received “A” ratings fromStandard & Poor’s.

Since its establishment in 1974, Markazsucceeded in navigating through market

cycles, and as a result, Markaz currentlymanages a major market share in theregion’s fund management industry; it’sranked as first in Kuwait and the third inthe GCC. As of September 30, 2010Markaz Assets Under Management areKD 1.03 billion ($3.64 billion), mostly man-aged on behalf of institutional investors,who regard “Markaz” as one of a handful of

trusted asset managers in the region. Markaz’s track record in asset manage-

ment in Kuwait and the GCC extends backto almost three decades. In 1983, the com-pany started offering portfolio managementservices in the Kuwaiti Market and in 1999it entered the fund management field withthe launch of the first Kuwaiti EquitiesFund - Mumtaz.

Markaz wins Global Investor’s award

Ghazi Al-Osaimi, Manager-MENA Equities receiving the award on behalf of Markaz in GlobalInvestor’s Award Ceremony held in Dubai recently.

DUBAI: The Nissan Maxima has been indepen-dently voted as the best large saloon car in itsclass by 12 of the region’s most distinguished spe-cialist automotive journalists at the first everMiddle East Motor Awards held at the 10thInternational Automobile Show at the ExpoCentre Sharjah last week.

“Accepting the award on behalf of NissanMiddle East, Yuta Yamazaki, Manager, MarketingDepartment commented: “We are delighted thatMaxima has received this recognition from thedistinguished jury members. The Maxima has avery well established following in the region andwe launched this latest version on the platform ofthe ‘4 Door Sports Car’ knowing that it provides avery sporty drive, powerful V6 engine with sportsCVT transmission plus many luxury car appoint-ments.”

The first ever Middle East Motor Awards(MEMA) were organized by Expo Centre Sharjahwith the support of the Sharjah Chamber ofCommerce and Industry to acknowledge leadingplayers of the automotive industry and to celebrateemerging technologies. MEMA is not directly asso-ciated, affiliated or influenced by any auto show,automaker or any other commercial enterprise inorder to maintain its credibility and integrity.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of theAutomobile and Touring Club of the UAE and FIAVice President for Sport acted as Official Patronfor the awards and added: “I am pleased to offermy support for a new event which sets out to rec-ognize the leading players in the automotiveindustry and to spotlight emerging technologies inthe motor trade. I am positive it will be a big suc-cess, and grow in the years ahead.”

Nissan Maxima wins atMideast Motor Awards

Best large saloon car in its class

DUBAI: The official fuel economy numbersfor the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco are inand they’re good. Segment-leading good. Itdelivers an EPA-estimated 5.6L /100Kmon the highway (manual transmission mod-els), with equally impressive city fuel econ-omy of 8.4L /100Km.

Cruze Eco’s highway fuel economybeats non-hybrid segment competitors andmany hybrid models.

“Chevrolet Cruze continues to redefinethe compact segment, offering class-lead-ing standard safety features, upscaleamenities - as well as hybrid-like fuel econ-omy without the price,” said ChuckRussell, vehicle line director. “The CruzeEco is in a league of its own and will chal-lenge perceptions of the efficiency avail-able in a more affordable non-hybrid.”

To achieve its segment-leading fueleconomy, Cruze’s engineers focused onaerodynamic performance, mass optimiza-tion and powertrain enhancements. Therefinements in each area paid big dividendstowards the car’s overall efficiency, whileproviding engineers with valuable informa-tion to help enhance the efficiency of futureChevrolet models.

“We left no stone unturned or piece ofsheet metal un-weighed,” said Russell.“Our engineers were comprehensive andthorough when it came to evaluating andmodifying the aspects of the car’s perfor-mance that contribute to fuel economy.”

Aero enhancementsAerodynamic improvements over non-

Eco manual-transmission models haveincreased highway fuel economy from theCruze’s EPA - estimated 5.6L/100Km to animproved fuel economy of 4.9L/100km.

Many were developed and refined inmore than 500 hours of wind-tunnel testingof the Chevrolet Volt, which shares a corearchitecture with the Cruze. Examplesinclude the upper grille, which has more“closeouts” to improve aerodynamics, alower front air dam extension, a rear spoil-er, a lowered ride height and underbodypanels that smooth airflow beneath the car.

The Eco model also features an all-newtechnology in the compact segment: alower front grille air shutter that closes athigher speeds to reduce aerodynamic dragand opens at lower speeds to optimizeengine-cooling airflow. Another contribu-tor to reduced drag is the use of ultra-lowrolling resistance 17-inch tires (used withlightweight wheels), which are also used

on the Volt. As a result of the aero enhancements,

aerodynamic drag was reduced by 10 per-cent over a non-Eco model, with a coeffi-cient of drag of 0.298. That places Cruze atthe top of the class for mainstream compactcars.

Mass optimizationMore than 42 changes were made on

the Eco to reduce weight. It weighs in at1,365 kg, compared to the 1,462 kg of theCruze. The diet program for the Cruzechallenged engineers to look at all aspectsof the vehicle’s construction, including

hundreds of weld flanges on the vehicle.They were reduced 1 mm to 2 mm inlength, which saved several kilograms,while the sheet metal gauge thickness wasreduced by about 0.1 mm in select compo-nents. This saved weight while preservingstructural integrity.

Lighter wheels and tires are used onthe Eco. They’re stylish, polished 17-inchalloy units with tires that weigh only 16.6kg a piece. That’s 2.4 kg less than the 16-inch wheel/tires of the Cruze for a com-plete savings to the vehicle of 9.6 kg.

Efficient powertrainCruze Eco is powered by power-dense

Ecotec 1.4L turbocharged engine and astandard six-speed manual transmission.The transmission’s gearing is optimizedfor the model’s specific 17-inch wheel/tirecombination and includes aggressive ratiosfor first and second gear coupled with ahighly efficient, “taller” sixth-gear ratiofor highway driving. That means enginerpm is reduced on the highway, which inturn reduces fuel consumption. A six-speed automatic transmission is available,with EPA-estimated fuel economy ratingsof 9 L/100km city and 6.4L/100Km high-

way. The Ecotec 1.4L turbo’s power ratings

are 138 horsepower, 200 Nm of torquebetween 1,850 rpm and 4,900 rpm. Thewide rpm range for the maximum torque -a specific trait of turbocharged engines -helps the engine deliver a better drivingexperience and performance. The tur-bocharger is integrated within the exhaustmanifold, for reduced weight and greaterpackaging flexibility.

The engine also features premiumdesign elements that give it world-class

smoothness and durability while also con-tributing to the Cruze Eco’s lower curbweight. They include a cast iron block witha hollow frame structure, hollow-castcamshafts and a plastic intake manifold.

Cruze successAs a result of aerodynamic improve-

ments, mass reduction and powertrainoptimization, the Cruze Eco offers the bestfuel economy in the compact segment,while delivering hybrid-like fuel economywithout the hybrid price. The Cruze Ecowill go on sale in January 2011 in the US.

The Cruze has impressed audiences

worldwide, winning multiple awardsincluding the “Most Expected Car of theYear in China in 2008 and received 5 Starrating NCAP in China in 2009. The Cruzehas also been nominated as finalist for“World Car of the Year”.

In the Middle East, the Cruze has had asuccessful 2010. It recently won theMiddle East Motor Awards as the best carin its segment, and the first ten months of2010, it has sold more than 5,000 units inthe Middle East and216,000 units world-wide.

New Chevrolet Cruze Eco achieves segment-leading

Hybrid-like fuel economy goes on sale in January in US

2011 Cruze Eco Chevrolet Cruze

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announced the six luckywinners of the sixth red monthly draw, which washeld on November 11, 2010.

The winner of the 1st Prize, Sarah AbdulazizIbrahim Al-Nabhan won an all-inclusive trip toLondon, for two people, including a stay at a five starhotel with daily breakfast and transportation. Therewere five second prize winners: Mohammad EsamShejaa Al-Mutairi, Dawood Emad Shaker, AbdullahNabeel Abdulrahman Al-Yaseen, BadriyahMohammed Sultan Al-Meftah, Meshaal MejbalBariz Al-Mtiry who each received an iPod 160GBwith a sound system docking station.

Gulf Bank’s red program caters to Universityand College students aged 17 to 24 years old and is

the only student package in Kuwait now offeringmonthly draws.

All red customers will automatically be eligiblefor the draw once they transfer their studentallowance into their red account.

Customers also have the opportunity to managetheir account through online banking, mobile bank-ing or telebanking, providing them convenience and24/7 accessibility.

To join red(tm), customers can visit one of GulfBank’s 53 branches or contact the telebanking ser-vice 1805805 for assistance and guidance. They canalso log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’sbilingual website, to find all the information theyneed regarding the red Program and its benefits.

Gulf Bank announces winners of sixth red monthly draw

Prize includes a trip to London for two!

DUBAI: Emirates Money, a wholly owned sub-sidiary of Emirates NBD, a leading bank in theregion, launched an innovative loan initiative thatenables customers to borrow up to 80 per cent ofthe value of the gold they deposit. “Loan AgainstGold” is the first product of its kind in the GCCand offers competitive interest rates that areamong the lowest in the market for retail loans,while at the same time ensuring the safe andsecure storage of the gold.

The “Loan Against Gold” initiative is beinglaunched in coordination with Dubai MultiCommodities Centre Authority (DMCCA). All

transactions will be monitored and executedusing DMCC’s electronic precious metals ‘DubaiGold Receipt’ (DGR) system, part of the wider‘Global Multi-Commodities Receipt’ (GMR)warranting system, which facilitates commoditytrade financing. The gold, which can be in theform of jewellery or bullion, will be stored in theDMCC’s state of the art Gold Vault operated by“Brink’s Global Services DMCC”, a leading glob-al security services and logistics solutionsprovider with over 150 years of internationalexperience.

Customers wishing to avail of this loan initia-

tive must deposit gold worth AED 30,000 ormore with Emirates Money, with the tenure ofthe deposit ranging from a minimum of sixmonths to a maximum of 36 months.

“Emirates NBD Group is focused on devel-oping innovative lending concepts and responsi-ble practices that will enable us to offer our cus-tomers the most attractive terms, while at thesame time securing our investments,” said JamalBin Ghalaita, Group Deputy CEO, Emirates

NBD and Chairman, Emirates Money. The‘Loan Against Gold’ concept is based on exten-sive market research and has been jointly devel-oped in-house by Emirates Money, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Emirates NBD and the‘Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority.’

Vikas Thapar, General Manager, EmiratesMoney, said: “‘Loan Against Gold’ is a collater-alised loan initiative that enables EmiratesMoney to offer significant loans to our clients to

meet their business and personal requirements.Customers also get the value-added benefit offree and safe storage for their gold or jewellery inDMCCA’s gold vault, one of the most securevaults in the region.”

“DMCCA is pleased to partner withEmirates Money for the launch of the ‘LoanAgainst Gold’ initiative,” said Malcolm WallMorris, Chief Executive Officer, DMCC. “TheGMR system provides a safe, secure and costeffective mechanism for borrowers to accesscredit and the Emirates Money ‘Loan againstGold’ initiative makes these advantages available

to a new audience.”Gold deposited under the “Loan Against

Gold” initiative will be covered under insurance,and all transactions will be recorded on camera.Dedicated operational security manned bytrained surveillance teams and state-of-the-artinfrastructure at the DMCCA Almas Vault willsatisfy customer storage and security require-ments. Emirates Money plans to use non-destructive testing methods for evaluation of thegold deposited by the customer. The initiativealso encompasses special schemes for UAENationals and UAE-based jewelers.

Emirates Money ties up with DMCC ‘Loan Against Gold’ initiative launched

Yaser Suliman, Executive Manager at Gulf Banking handing the gift toMohammad Esam Shejaa Al-Mutairi, red draw winner.

Yaser Suliman, Executive Manager at Gulf Banking handing the gift tothe winner of the trip to London, Sarah Abdulaziz Ibrahim Al-Nabhan.

‘Best Asset Manager in Kuwait’

BUSINESS24 Thursday, November 25, 2010

GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT

Kuwait stocks bounce backKUWAIT: Kuwaiti stocksrebounded strongly yester-day. There was some posi-tive local news, three sus-pended companies were per-mitted to resume tradingafter releasing their finan-cials for the nine monthended in September 30,2010. While a rally in bankingshares contributed to thedouble-digit gain on the KSEIndices.

Global General Index(GGI) closed 1.64 points up(0.76 percent), at 218.62point as the Market capital-ization increased reachingKD35.35mn. On the otherhand,, Kuwait StockExchange Price Index closedin the green zone adding 17points (0.25 percent) from itsvalue and closed at 6,935point.

Market breadth During the session, 105

companies were traded.Market breadth was skewedtowards advancers as 46equities advanced versus 25that retreated.

Yesterday’s positive sen-timent was accompanied bygrowing trading activity.Volume of shares traded onthe exchange increased by11.77 percent to reach159.72mn shares, the valueof shares traded increased by24.27 percent to stand atKD38.61mn.

The Investment Sectorwas the volume leader yes-terday, accounting for 28.81percent of total shares andthe Services Sector was thevalue leader, with 33.04 per-cent of total traded value.

Company-wise, Al MalInvestment Co was the vol-

ume leader, with a total trad-ed volume of 21.54mn shares.Al-Mal Investment Co hasinked yesterday an agree-ment to sell its 40.82 percentholding, or 61.23mn shares ofPetroleum Coal Industries Coto EXPO Swiss Holdings(GMBH). Shares were sold at512 fils each, totalingKD31.997. Accordingly, AlMal will generateKD20,539,040 earnings fromthe divestiture, which will bereflected in financial state-ments for Q4 that ends onDecember 31, 2010. Thestock ended yesterday’s ses-sion up by 6.25 percent.

In terms of top gainers,Jazeera Airways Co was thebiggest gainer for the day,adding 9.26 percent andclosed at KD0.118. JazeeraAirways announced launchingthree weekly non-stop flightsto Sohaj as of December 1st.The city will be the airline’sfifth destination to Egypt fol-lowing Sharm El Sheikh,Alexandria, Luxor and Assiut.

On the other hand, KuwaitInvestment Co came as thebiggest decliner, dropping by7.04 percent and closed atKD0.132.

Sector-wise By sector, banking stocks

paced advancers, adding 1.24percent in sector gains.Sector heavy-weightNational Bank of Kuwait(NBK) managed to eke out1.54 percent in gains yester-day.

Shares of Future KidEntertainment and RealEstate Co. rose 5.08 percent.Mobile Telecom Co (ZAIN)and Agility Co climbed by1.41 percent and 1.01 per-cent respectively sendingthe Global Services Index upby 0.90 percent. There washeavy trading on AlafcoAviation Lease & FinanceCo, with a total traded vol-

ume of 6.60mn shares. It’sworth to mention that, theBOD met and approved thedistribution of 5 percentbonus shares & 5 percentcash dividends.

Industrial companiesedged lower by 0.23 percentyesterday, on the back ofNational Industries Group(Holding) 5fils dip.

Corporate newsAl-Mazaya Holding will

effect a secondary capital callstarting from Sunday,November 28, 2010 tillSunday, December 12, 2010.The company’s extraordinaryshareholder meeting (ESM)had given a nod on May 26,2010 to a 30 percent capitaltop-up from KD49,947,675 toKD64,931,977 at 100 fils parvalue plus 27 fils issue pre-mium per share. Shares willbe offered to shareholders ofFirst Dubai Real EstateDevelopment Co. andWaterfront Real Estate Co.and who are of record today,November 25, 2010, afteroriginal shareholders waivetheir priority rights.

Oil newsKuwait’s crude oil exports

to China surged 170.2 per-cent in October from a yearearlier to 839,000 tons,equivalent to around 199,000barrels per day (bpd), for thefive consecutive month ofgain, latest official data bythe Chinese governmentshows. Kuwait provided 5.1percent of China’s total crudeoil imports, compared with1.6 percent in the samemonth of last year and 3.6percent in September,according to the GeneralAdministration of Customs.

BERLIN: German ChancellorAngela Merkel said yesterdayEurope should have the courageto set limits on markets byensuring that private investorsbear some of the risk of futureeuro-zone bailouts.

“Do politicians have thecourage to also make those whoearn a profit take some of therisk?” Merkel said in a speech toparliament. “This is about theprimacy of governments, aboutsetting limits on markets.”

With its banking system indire straits and its budget deficitforecast to be 10 times the EUlimit this year, Ireland on Sundaybecame the second euro-zonemember in six months to applyfor a bailout after Greece.

The rates Spain has to pay toborrow fresh money jumpedsharply on Wednesday as debtstrains show signs of spreadingfrom Ireland, while in Portugalworkers staged a strike inprotest at government austeritymeasures. Merkel said that

Germany would look “positively”on Ireland’s request, reportedlyworth some 85 billion euros($114 billion), while ForeignMinister Guido Westerwelle saidhe saw no danger of contagion.The chancellor, facing uneasefrom voters and newspapers tobailing out other countries, haspressed for changes to the EU’sLisbon Treaty.

The constitutional court,Germany’s highest, is yet to ruleon the validity of the Germancontribution to the Greek bailoutand is certain to look very close-ly indeed at any Irish aid andwhether it is compatible withGerman law. Merkel has con-vinced other countries on theneed for tougher rules for thosecountries which breach EU fiscalrules but Germany also wantsprivate investors, not just taxpay-ers, to share some of the risk onbonds sold by euro-zone govern-ments.

This has rattled markets andsome other European govern-

ments anxious about their ownneed to raise cash via bond sales,making for tough negotiationsahead of a summit of the bloc’sleaders in mid-December. “Themarkets, as they are so wonder-fully called, are unsettled whenone says something like that,”Merkel said yesterday.

“This is quite a crucial ques-tion. We often said at the start ofthe (financial) crisis that it cannotbe that governments do not callthe shots ... This is exactly whatthe issue is now.”

Ireland is expected to tap the750-billion-euro rescue vehicleknow as the European FinancialStability Facility (EFSF) createdby euro-zone governments andthe International MonetaryFund.

This was hurriedly cobbledtogether earlier this year whenGreece came close to defaultingon its debt amid fears that othercountries, notably Ireland,Portugal, Spain and even Italymight follow suit. —AFP

EU needs ‘courage’ to set limits on markets: Merkel

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a session of the lowerhouse of parliament in Berlin yesterday. Merkel said that the European Unionshould have the courage to set limits on markets and ensure that privateinvestors bear some of the risk on government bonds. —AFP

25Thursday, november 25, 2010 business

SAN FrANCiSCO: Shoppers carry bags as they walk through Union Square inSan Francisco, California. The Commerce Department reported that the economyexpanded in the July through September quarter at a 2.5 percent annual rate beat-ing an estimated 2 percent pace. —AP

TAGUS: Commuters arrive in Lisbon from across the Tagus river on Tuesday. Workers’ unions have united ina call for a general strike for Nov 24 that is expected to bring public transport to a halt. As the government strug-gles to cope with the current international financial crisis discontent with its austerity measures is on the riseamong the Portuguese. —AP

Borrowing costs rise sharply amid market turmoil

Portugal and Spain hit by investor fears over debt

While both countries are notat any immediate risk of bank-ruptcy, those rates are makingtheir already heavy debt loadsmore expensive to finance. Thehigher cost to roll over debt iseating away at any progress thegovernments make in their pub-lic finances through austeritymeasures. The yields have beenmoving higher since Irelandaccepted an EU-IMF bailout thisweek because investors demanda higher return for lending tocountries with shaky finances.The market tensions pushedLisbon’s benchmark stock index,which has witnessed steep dropsall week, down another 0.4 per-cent in early trading beforerecovering to gain 0.6 percent.Spain’s main index fell 1.1 per-cent after opening but was flat bylate morning.

Portugal and Spain areviewed as the 16-nation euro-zone’s next weakest links nowthat Ireland has followed Greeceand accepted a massive interna-tional rescue. Portugal accountsfor less than 2 percent of theeuro-zone’s total economy but apotential bailout for Lisbonwould add to the pressure onSpain, the European Union’sfourth-largest economy, andentail possibly dramatic reper-cussions for the entire bloc.

The euro dropped to a two-month low against the US dollaryesterday on concerns about thebloc’s financial health. Portugal’sminority government hasrepeatedly insisted it doesn’tneed financial assistancebecause its austerity plan willdrive down the country’s debtburden. But Eurasia Group, aNew York-based research andconsulting company, said in areport yesterday that Europeanofficials don’t expect the euro-zone’s problems to stop atIreland and that a rescue plan forPortugal could be unveiled byearly next year, when it is due toresume government bond sales.

“There is a strong presump-tion that a package will be nec-essary for Portugal and therelated planning is underway,”Eurasia Group said. “Portugalwill be pressed hard to accept apackage even if the Portuguesegovernment claims the countrydoes not need it.” Analysts haveestimated Portugal will need atleast 50 billion euros ($67 bil-lion).

Spanish Finance MinisterElena Salgado also insisted yes-terday that Spain has no needwhatsoever for a bailout likeGreece and Ireland. —AP

LISBON: Portuguese and Spanish borrowing costs rose sharply yester-day as investors worried that their debt levels will prove unsustain-able, putting them next in line for a European bailout. As a major pub-lic sector strike in Portugal further undermined market confidence

there, the interest rate on the government’s 10-year bonds brokethrough the 7 percent barrier in morning trading. The 10-year Spanishbonds rose to 5.08 percent at mid-morning from 4.91 percent at thestart of trading.

Brazil’s internal growth is focus for Dilma: EnvoyLONDON: Brazil’s booming economy isincreasingly self-sustaining and not solelydependent on China’s appetite for its com-modities, the South American country’s newambassador to Britain, Roberto Jaguaribe,said.

While it values its trade with China, themain driver for growth is Brazil’s internaldynamics, Jaguaribe said in an interview withReuters.

Some analysts see Chinese demand forBrazil’s iron ore, soy and other commoditiesas the vital factor in its prosperity, which theysay leaves Brazil vulnerable to China’swhims.

Speaking in his office in the Londonembassy, Jaguaribe said that, in his opinion,the importance of China’s role in Brazil’sprosperity was “overstated abroad, extremelyoverstated.”

Brazilian exports were 12 per cent of GDP,he said, and the country has its own popula-tion of 185 million to drive domestic demand.

“The most important dimension ofBrazilian growth is increased social integra-tion, increase of local markets, and the oppor-tunities that are created inside Brazil itself.

“Of course we are not trying to diminishthe importance of exports. But this perceptionthat Brazilian growth is due to Chineseimports from Brazil, that’s really not thecase.” China and Brazil are grouped with Indiaand Russia as the BRIC nations, whoseemerging economic might is reconfiguring thetraditional global power structure.

Brazil’s economy took off under the eight-year rule of President Luiz Inacio Lula daSilva, who will hand over power to his chosensuccessor, Dilma Rousseff, on January 1 afterher convincing win in an election in October.

The country has prospered during theworld economic crisis and is emerging as aleading player on the global diplomatic stagefor issues ranging from trade to the environ-ment.

An immediate challenge Rousseff faces ishow to cool down the local real currency,which has risen 34 percent against the dollarsince the beginning of 2009.

“That raises concern in Brazil because ofthe artificial competitiveness that othereconomies acquire,” Jaguaribe said.

But he also saw benefits in a strong real.“It has facilitated a tendency which I believeis here to stay, which is increased Brazilianinvestment abroad, and that level has beenraised very significantly. Big Brazilian com-panies are buying abroad-mining, energy,commodities and a number of other sectors.”

Lula, a folksy ex-factory worker with ahuge popular appeal, engaged in sometimescontroversial foreign policy initiatives fromIran to Haiti and across parts of Africa. Healso demanded a bigger voice for developingnations in the global power structure.

Jaguaribe, an urbane career diplomat whohas served in Washington, Geneva, theUnited Nations and Brasilia, said he did notexpect big changes in foreign policy underRousseff.

“She is certain to have her own views...President Lula is a man who has shown anenormous degree of affinity with foreign pol-icy and interest in international affairs.

“I am sure that President Dilma has a highlevel of interest as well but she is of a differ-ent personality, so this might have a bearing,but not on the principles.”

Those are rooted in respect for sovereign-ty, non-interference in internal affairs, andseeking negotiated solutions to problems.Progress had been made in addressing theglobal imbalance of power, with the G20group of nations now an important bloc.

“If you don’t have the relevant players andactors, you cannot find a sustainable solutionto a problem. Their absence is a direct imped-iment.”

Traditional powers such as the UnitedStates should acknowledge the importance ofthe likes of Brazil and China.

“With the difficulties though which themajor economies are passing, it has been upto the emerging economies to sustain thelevel of growth overall and China is playingan increasing role in this respect,” he said.

“This is an important change. Now, for theforeseeable future, it is the developingeconomies which are going to have thegreater pull in regard to increasing income inthe world.”

This should be reflected in the make-up ofglobal institutions, including the UN SecurityCouncil, he said. —Reuters

LONDON: Oil edged higher above $81 abarrel yesterday, rising from a nearweek’s low in the previous session onexpectations of falling inventories in topconsumer the United States.

Weekly US government data yester-day is expected to show a drop in crudeoil inventories, although industry groupthe American Petroleum Institute report-ed on Tuesday that crude stocks rose. UScrude, also known as WTI, rose 30 centsto $81.55 a barrel at 1149 GMT. It fell to$80.28 intra-day on Tuesday, the lowestprice since Nov 17. Brent crude was up38 cents at $83.63.

“The fact that WTI bounced off $80 isshowing that the market sees $80 asbeing really the bottom of the tradingrange,” said Eugen Weinberg, analyst atCommerzbank.

“The dollar is again stronger againstthe euro due to the Ireland problems andpossibly Portugal coming to the focus of

the market. Oil, which is a risky asset,should have been under pronouncedpressure given this concern.” Oil has fall-en about 8 percent since reaching a 2010high of $88.63 on Nov. 11. Commoditieshave been hit by a stronger dollar and ris-ing risk aversion, reflecting euro-zonedebt worries and fears of fresh clashes onthe Korean Peninsula.

The euro fell to its lowest in twomonths against the US dollar yesterdayas fears debt problems will spread furtherin the euro-zone and tension between thetwo Koreas after Tuesday’s artilleryclash drove investors to sell the curren-cy.

One analyst, at MF Global, predictedthe dollar’s rally could go further, weigh-ing on oil and pushing it below $80.“Further strengthening here could comeback and knock energy prices with moreauthority next time around, possibly tak-ing prices through technical support of

$79.50,” MF Global analyst Edward Meirsaid in a report.

Investors are awaiting data from theUS Energy Information Administration(EIA) due at 1530 GMT, which is expect-ed to indicate higher oil demand. Analystsin a Reuters poll expect crude stocks todrop by 2.1 million barrels, extending afall in stockpiles into a third week.However, the API reported on Tuesdayan unexpected 5.2 million-barrel increasein crude stocks on rising imports in theweek to Nov 19 — limiting the reboundin prices.

“The inventory data from the API yes-terday, and possible negative surprisefrom the (EIA) today, is also responsiblefor the not-very-pronounced bounce offthe lows,” Commerzbank’s Weinbergsaid. The API said gasoline stocks fell499,000 barrels and distillate stocksdropped 311,000 barrels, smaller declinesthan forecast in the poll. —Reuters

Oil rises above $81 before US report

NBK GCC BRIEF

Kuwait employment growth steady in H1 2010Faster jobs growth in private sector

KUWAIT: Employment growth inKuwait accelerated during the firsthalf of 2010 pushed in large part by anexpanding expatriate workforce.Meanwhile, employment growthamong Kuwaitis moderated from lastyear but maintained a healthy pace.This trend was also visible in morerapid growth in the country’s overallpopulation which was declining only ayear ago. Growth in employment andpopulation are both expected to pickup further as economic growth recov-ers from the crisis and businessesincrease their hiring in the periodahead.

According to the latest data pub-lished by the Public Authority for CivilInformation (PACI), Kuwait’s work-force stood at 2.13 million at the end ofJune 2010. The workforce rose 68,700in first half of this year, or at a 6.8%annualized rate. A year ago, employ-ment was shrinking as many expatri-ates lost their jobs in the economicslowdown of 2008/09. The economyhas since recovered and employmentfigures have begun to bounce back.

Expatriate employment rose in thepublic sector and for domestic work-ers. Expatriate employment was off inthe private sector for the second yearin a row (June/June). Despite the rela-tively few expatriates working in thepublic sector, hiring there has seen ahealthy rise in recent years. Duringthe 12 months up to June 2010, publicsector employment among non-

Kuwaitis rose by over 5,200 comparedto a loss of nearly 23,000 in the privatesector (excluding domestic workers).

Kuwaiti employment continued tosee more stable growth. The numberof employed Kuwaitis rose by over18,000 in the 12 months up to June2010, a figure slightly above that of theprevious 12 month period. TotalKuwaiti employment was up by 5.6%on a year ago, the same steady rate ofthe past few years.

The private sector continues tolead job creation for Kuwaiti nationals,with growth in employment in the pri-vate sector remaining strong over thelast twelve months. Nearly half of newjobs were in the private sector. At theend of June 2010, 21% of Kuwaitisworked in the private sector, up from19% the year before. The rising pri-vate sector share resulted partly fromthe National Labor Support law of2000. The law provides Kuwaitisworking in the private sector with thesame benefits available to governmentemployees.

The number of employment ofKuwaiti women in the private sectorhas grown faster over the last tenyears and continues to do so. Whilegrowth among men rose by 9.4%,among women the figure was over19%. During the last ten years theratio of women to total Kuwaitisemployed in the private sector hasrisen from 27% to just over 50%. Mostof the gains took place in the last five

years. The largest gains for Kuwaitiwomen were in the trade, hotels, andrestaurants sector and in construction.

DistributionMore than 84% of Kuwaitis work

in the service industry, mostly in com-munity, social, and personal services(which include government). Theagriculture and fishing, construction,and trade and restaurant sectors sawrapid growth of 17%, 16% and 14%,

respectively, in the number ofemployed nationals over the previoustwelve months. By occupation,Kuwaiti nationals are concentratedlargely in professional, clerical andsecretarial occupations.

About 39% of the expatriate work-force is employed in the community,social and personal services sector,with the number totaling over 696,000(including domestic labor).

Meanwhile, around 306,000 areemployed in wholesale and retailtrade, and restaurant services, down2% from a year earlier. The number ofexpatriates employed in the construc-tion sector also fell by 2% over thesame period.

Expatriate population The total population stood at 3.57

million at the end of June 2010, grow-ing by 3.6% over the previous twelve

months. Growth of the population ofKuwaiti nationals slowed slightly to2.8%, while the number of non-Kuwaiti residents increased by 4%.Kuwaiti nationals reached nearly1.13, or 31.7% of the total populationwhile the expatriate population roseto 1.78 million at the end of June2010.

The number of expatriates grewin tandem with increased employ-

ment, accelerating during the firsthalf of 2010 to an annualized 5.8%.This remains well below the rapidgrowth seen between 2004 and 2007when growth sometimes topped12%. The working age populationrose slightly more rapidly than thegeneral population.

There was a particularly rapid risewithin the age group 25-44, especial-ly among women, which contains thebulk of those working in the domesticsector. This group alone rose by48,400 during the first six months ofthe 2010. On the other hand, men inthe 20-29 age group saw a drop of24,700 during the same period, espe-cially those working in the manufac-turing, construction, trade, hotels andrestaurant sectors.

The NBK report concluded:Population and employment numbersare expected to see a further pickupin growth in the coming period as theeconomic recovery gains ground.While we expect Kuwaiti employ-ment and population growth to main-tain a stable rate, expatriate hiringwill pick up as businesses increasetheir activity, especially as the megaprojects of the 5-year plan come online. For Kuwaitis, the private sectoris expected to remain the leadingsource of new jobs as called for by thegovernment’s development plan. Infact, the plan calls for furtherstrengthening the private sector andits job creation capabilities.

26 Thursday, November 25, 2010BUSINESS

ATEHNS: A man looks at anchored ferries in the main Athens port of Piraeus yesterday dueto a 48-hour strike by maritime workers. Ferry services to the Greek islands will be para-lyzed until tomorrow as unions extended a strike against job cuts in a fresh blow to the coun-try’s key tourism sector. — AFP

BERLIN: German business sentiment rose inNovember to its strongest level since 1991, a surveyshowed yesterday, highlighting a rift in the euro zoneas the bloc’s largest economy leaves smaller statesbehind. The Munich-based Ifo think tank said its busi-ness climate index, based on a monthly survey of some7,000 firms, rose to 109.3 from an upwardly revisedreading of 107.7 in October, confounding expectationsfor a slight fall.“The numbers confirm that the German economy

is in very healthy shape and that it will probably con-tinue to grow solidly and at a rate above the euro-zoneaverage in the coming quarters,” said Aline Schuilingfrom ABN Amro.

The euro rose after the release of the data-whichbeat even the highest forecast in a Reuters poll of 40economists-before giving up its gains and falling. Withboth the current conditions and the business expecta-tions indexes in the survey surpassing the consensusview, the headline figure landed at its highest levelsince survey data was first collected for a reunifiedGermany.The business expectations index, which measures

the outlook six months down the road, also hit its high-est reading on record, further reinforcing the impres-sion Germany was in the clear of problems affectingsome of its euro-zone partners.“The German economy is returning much faster to

its pre-crisis level than many had expected,” saidCarsten Brzeski, economist at ING Financial Markets.“Amidst new financial market turmoil and sover-

eign debt woes in the euro-zone, the German econo-my seems to be an island of happiness,” he added.Germany’s strong recovery has helped pull the euro-zone to improved growth in recent quarters, but thereare also concerns it may be leaving other strugglingeconomies behind.A purchasing managers’ survey on Tuesday

showed a strong resurgence in private sector growthin Germany and France, offset continuing stagnation incountries like Portugal, Ireland and Spain which arebattling debt and banking troubles.

Despite concerns that budget cutbacks acrossEurope next year will hamper growth, many Germancompanies are upbeat.Earlier this month, engineeringgroup Siemens signalled its confidence with a pro-posed sharp rise in dividends and a promise of profitgrowth driven by emerging markets.“We have seen for the first time a growth across

our product range, driven particularly by the stronggrowth we have seen in emerging economies,” ChiefExecutive Peter Loescher said of Siemens’ fourthquarter, which runs to September 2010.German exporters’ strength in emerging markets

is helping the economy grow. Detailed third quartergross domestic product (GDP) data released on

Tuesday also showed a more balanced recovery takinghold, with steady growth in private consumption.The robust German recovery contrasts with the

financial crisis being endured in euro zone peerIreland. The crisis is frustrating policymakers inGermany, which has profited strongly from the eurozone project. Chancellor Angela Merkel said onTuesday the euro was in an “exceptionally serious”situation, sending the euro lower.Ifo Economist Klaus Abberger said that German

companies were not being affected by Europe’s debtwoes because the countries worst affected were notamong Germany’s main export markets.“It hasn’taffected business up till now,” he said. — Reuters

German business morale jumps to record high

While the figures may reassure policymakersthat a period of depreciation of the pound is helpingto rebalance the economy, the recovery still facesheadwinds from deep government spending cutsthat will start to bite from next year.“There’s a bit of a disappointment with con-

sumption, which may be a worrying prelude of whatis to come,” said Brian Hilliard, economist atSociete Generale.New figures on expenditure showed household

spending growth slowed to 0.3 percent from 0.7percent in the second quarter, while government

spending grew by just 0.4 percent, less than halfthe pace of the second quarter.But markets took the data in their stride as it did

not alter the view that the Bank of England willkeep interest rates at a record low of 0.5 percentfor many months to come to shore up the recovery.The government plans to slash spending by

around 81 billion pounds over the next four years,with the loss of almost half a million public sectorjobs. Welfare payments are also set to fall, while arise in value added tax from January will put furtherpressure on household finances.

Analysts said they doubted the private sectorwould be able to make up the shortfall left by pub-lic spending cuts, after separate figures yesterdayshowed business investment fell 0.2 percent —the first decline in almost a year. It is also uncertainhow well export demand will hold up, given thefinancial turmoil in parts of Europe, which isBritain’s biggest trading partner. “As the globaleconomy slows, and the troubles in the euro areacontinue, the UK’s ability to export its way out ofthe recession remains in doubt,” said Hetal Mehta,economist at Daiwa Capital Markets. — Reuters

Net trade outflows grow

British Q3 GDP unrevised; spending picture cloudy

LONDON: Brita in’s economy grew 0.8 percent in the third quarter,data confirmed yesterday boosted by net trade outflows, but weak-ness in household and government spending highlighted risks ahead.The Office for National Sta tistics said its second estimate of growth

between July and September also confirmed the economy expandedby 2.8 percent compared w ith a year ago, in line w ith analysts’ fore-casts. Net trade contributed 0.4 percentage points to growth, themost since the end of 2008, as exports grew faster than imports.

SAN FRANCISCO: People stop to look at a window display at Macy’s in Union Square onTuesday in San Francisco, California. The Commerce Department reported that the econo-my expanded in the July through September quarter at a 2.5 percent annual rate, beatingan estimated 2 percent pace. — AFP

SEOUL: Currency traders monitor exchange rates in a dealing room at theKorea Exchange Bank in Seoul yesterday. South Korea’s stock market openedsharply lower, down 2.33 percent or 45.02 points, a day after North Koreashelled a border island in an attack that has triggered alarm around the world.The won opened at a two-month low of 1,175 to the US dollar on concernsabout North Korea. — AFP

Ecuador signsnew oil deals,Petrobras balksQUITO: Five oil companies operating in Ecuadoragreed to new service deals yesterday, leavingBrazil’s Petrobras as the only large operator toreject contracts aimed at increasing state petrole-um revenues.The leftist government of Rafael Correa will

hail the two-year-long negotiations as a victoryfor its resource nationalism policy, though someanalysts say the saga could have a dampeningeffect on much-needed foreign investment.Chile’s state-owned energy company ENAP,

Spain’s Repsol, Italy’s Eni and Chinese operatorsAndes Petroleum and PetroOriental all agreed tocontracts that will turn the companies into flat-feeservice providers.The pacts replace previous profit-sharing

agreements. Wilson Pastor, Ecuador’s ministerfor oil policy, said Brazil’s state-controlled oilcompany Petrobras declined to sign. It will bepaid “market prices” for its assets in Ecuador,Pastor said, and has 120 days to turn its opera-tions over to the state.“We will a seek an orderly transfer, at a fair

price,” he said, adding that the companies thatsigned the new pacts will invest $1.2 billion inEcuador under the deals.The new contracts are key to Correa’s agenda

as he seeks to increase state revenue after a 2008bond default that restricted Ecuador’s access tointernational capital markets.Repsol, with 41,800 barrels per day of produc-

tion in Ecuador, is by far the biggest private oper-ator in the country. Under its new contract it willreceive a $35.95 per-barrel fee from the govern-ment.The other four companies that reached agree-

ments on Tuesday will be paid from $16.72 to $41per barrel. “I can say with satisfaction that all thegoals and objectives that the government had forthis negotiation have been reached,” said JorgeGlas, Ecuador’s strategic sectors minister.Petrobras’ Ecuadorean unit has output of

around 19,300 barrels per day (bpd) from itsBlock 18 in the Amazon province of Orellana. Theoperation represents a tiny amount of the overalloutput of Petrobras, which produces nearly 2 mil-lion barrels of crude per day in Brazil.Taking over Petrobras’ fields will increase the

burden on state oil company Petroecuador tomaintain crude exports by Ecuador, an OPECmember, which have lagged those of moreinvestor-friendly countries such as neighboringColombia. Producers with small fields inEcuador-such as Canada Grande, US companyEDC and China’s CNPC-will also be paid for theirinvestments and leave the country. Tuesday’s result was better for the govern-

ment than some had expected after Correawarned over the weekend that a pair of compa-nies would not sign the new accords.But some said Ecuador was paying a high

price for the tough stand it has taken with the pri-vate sector. “This has been a pyrrhic victory,”said Ramiro Crespo, head of Analytica Securitiesin Quito. “The cost has been too high. Privatecompanies have not been investing in Ecuadorbecause of the uncertainty about these contracts,and private oil production has fallen as a result,”he said.Exports from private operators sank 27.6 per-

cent last year to 98,869 bpd versus 2008 whilecompanies haggled with the government over thenew deals. Private crude output fell 14.4 percentlast year versus 2008 to 204,511 bpd.Correa, who is part of a regional bloc of leftist

leaders including Venezuela’s firebrand socialistHugo Chavez, has had a fractious relationshipwith foreign investors. In 2008 he ordered thedefault on Ecuador’s global bonds, calling theobligations illegitimate. Since then Ecuador hasmade up for its lack of private foreign investmentthrough bilateral loans, mostly from China.Last year Ecuador took over the local opera-

tions of French oil producer Perenco following atax dispute. — Reuters

LONDON: British aero engineer Hampson Industries may sellparts of its business to reduce its growing debt pile after first-half profit was dented by delays to key orders.The company, which supplies tools and components to

planemakers Airbus and Boeing, as well as defense firms, saidyesterday it was examining ways to raise cash and that assetsales were among the options. “We’re at the stage of identify-ing a buyer for some assets that is willing to find the rightprice,” Hampson’s Chief Executive Norman Jordan toldReuters in an interview.“I believe our core strategy is good and our core strategy is

built around tooling and composites, so you can draw someconclusions from there.” The company is formed of an aero-space components and structures business and a compositesand transparencies division.Hampson, the largest manufacturer of composite tooling

and assembly systems for the global aerospace industry, saidits net debt had grown 6.7 million pounds to 89 million pounds($140.8 million) since its previous year-end in March.The group, which recently renegotiated its borrowing

covenants, has cut its debt by more than a third over the lastyear, helped by operational improvements and by selling itsautomotive turbocharger business. Shares in Hampson, which

have halved in value this year, were down 10 percent at 86pence by 0940 GMT, valuing the company at around 80 millionpounds.“We are reducing our profit estimates for the second half of

2011 and 2012 ... with debt reduction a major priority-in spiteof a relaxation of debt covenants to allow for investment in thenew contracts-the interim dividend has been passed and wecurrently assume that there will be no final payment either,before resumption in 2012,” said Arbuthnot analyst MichaelBlogg. Hampson reported adjusted pretax profit fell 64 percentto 4.4 million pounds in the six months to the end ofSeptember, hit by delays to key orders. Revenues rose 4 per-cent to 96.1 million pounds.Earlier this year Hampson warned its annual profit would

be hit by delays to orders from the United States but a monthlater it was awarded a $53 million tooling contract, believed tohave come from Boeing. It added that trading conditions hadcontinued to improve since its year end in March, thanks to arebound in tooling demand, which occurred later than it hadpreviously expected.Earlier this month UK aerospace electronics group

Cobham said continued delays in the award of US defense con-tracts would dent full-year sales. — Reuters

MOSCOW: Russia may sell controlling stakes in several topstate companies in three years, cutting its participation to 25percent, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said yesterday.The Russian government has recently announced a new

privatization drive that could see stakes in some of the coun-try’s top state-controlled companies sold off for as much as 58billion dollars in all.The plan lists privatization through the next three years

and includes selling stakes of up to 50 percent in some of thecountry’s largest state companies, including Rosneft, theRushydro power generator, the Sberbank and VTB banks,and Russian Railways.After the first three-year stage, “it’s possible that we will

decrease most of the stakes to 25 percent plus one share,”RIA Novosti quoted Kudrin as saying at a forum in Moscow.“Depending on how we manage through these three

years, we’ll go further,” Kudrin said. “We want to makemoney from selling control” in these companies.

Until then, the state will retain stakes of 50 percent plusone share in its most important assets, said Kudrin. A total of900 firms are in the privatization program. Russia largelyhalted privatization after a chaotic sell-off of state-ownedresources of the 1990s that critics say handed over largeswathes of its huge natural wealth to a clique of insiders atknock-down prices. But the government has now been forcedto reverse this strategy due to the impact of the economic cri-sis, which plunged the budget into deficit.The Vedomosti business daily said yesterday the govern-

ment is also considering swapping stakes in the Rosneft oilcompany and Russian Railways with foreign companies as aform of “flexible privatization.” “Some of the shares wouldnot be put onto the market but exchanged for shares of othercompanies, primarily foreign ones,” the news paper quoted agovernment official as saying. Such an approach would attractstrategic investors and decrease government ownership atthe same time, he said. — AFP

LONDON: Soaring cotton prices and higher wage dealsin producer countries will challenge the ability ofEuropean retailers to push through costs to cash-strapped consumers in their home markets, potentiallyhurting margins.Cotton is at a record high and workers in countries

such as Bangladesh and China, major suppliers to theWest, won bumper wage increases after strikes andpolitical pressure-a double hit for retailers reliant onprice-conscious European shoppers.Those input costs will affect firms across the region,

from giants such as Inditex and Hennes & Mauritz tosmaller firms such as Primark, although the manner inwhich they are pushed through-or not-will vary, saidanalysts. “Pressure is coming from raw materials andlabor costs, particularly those in emerging markets,”Matthias Born, an RCM fund manager at Allianz GlobalInvestors, said.Those sectors unable to tap into emerging markets

growth end up losers because they “ultimately havemargin squeeze,” said Mislav Matejka, equity strategistat JP Morgan, citing firms where “a significant propor-tion of the cost of goods sold is exposed to cotton orother commodity prices”.“For 20 years, clothes prices have come down and

the volume was there. Now, with a relatively weak con-sumer environment and difficult labor market, they mayneed to reduce margins to protect market share,” headded. That wage pressure was seen in low-single-digitrises in state-owned Chinese firms, 5-10 percent insome German-owned firms and double-digit rises at out-sourcing sites that produce IT or apparel for westernfirms, Born said.Wage awards differ from factory to factory, but rises

of 9 percent to 10 percent a year are expected over thenext two years, a garment factory manager inGuangdong, China, told Reuters on condition ofanonymity. While Chinese workers have been particu-larly active in pushing for higher minimum wages in2010, with support from Beijing, the pressure has spilledinto other clothes-producing centres such asBangladesh and Cambodia.Workers in Cambodia walked out in September over

their demands for a 50 percent rise in basic pay, whileDhaka nearly doubled the Bangladesh minimum wage,although from a much lower base than for workers inChina.That wage pressure comes on top of a surging cotton

price which has risen 70 percent this year and recentlyhit a record high on trade and fund buying, with furtherpressure from Chinese demand seen next year.Adding to retailer woes is the subdued economic

outlook in Europe. Recent euro zone data showed eco-nomic growth of 0.4 percent in the third quarter, against

0.8 percent in Britain and 9.6 percent in China. Higherinput costs do not equate to margin squeeze, if they arepassed on. But with consumers more price conscious-UK CPI rose to 3.5 percent in October-firms may decideto take a margin hit to preserve market share.Primark owner Associated British Foods recently

said the sharp rise in cotton prices would likely hit mar-gins at its discount fashion chain in the short term.Next said retail prices would rise 5 percent to 8 per-

cent in the first quarter of next year and that consumersfaced double-digit increases in the year as a whole, whileInditex executives have said prices will be stable in2011.The extent to which firms pass on costs, risking a

loss of market share, or suck them up, with the potentialfor margin squeeze, will become more apparent as theyear goes on, a London-based analyst said.Gross margins for Inditex and H&M stand at 58.9

percent and 66.5 percent, respectively, ThomsonReuters Starmine data shows, just above their five-yearaverages.H&M spokeswoman Charlotta Nemlin acknowl-

edged the increases in cotton and wage costs-especiallyas it sources two-thirds of its production from Asia-and,while refusing to comment on pricing strategy, saidgross margin was “not a goal in itself”.Tactics open to retailers, other than price rises,

include changing pack sizes-four pairs of knickers forfive pounds, instead of four, for example-or increasingthe amount of cheaper, man-made fibres in the products.The extent to which European firms are reliant on an

Asian manufacturing base also differs and for those likeInditex, that produce a lot of garments in Europe, theimpact is reduced.Barcap analysts Karen Howland and Chris Chaviaras

expect Inditex to positively surprise in its third-quarterresults, boosted by a relative lack of exposure to Asia.An Inditex spokesman said the firm sources more

than 50 percent of its materials from Spain, Portugal andMorocco, with a further 14 percent from elsewhere inEurope.It tends to be the exception, however, especially at

the cheaper end of the spectrum. French supermarketchain Carrefour said 86 percent of its 300 clothing sup-pliers are based in Asia, mostly China.Other big users of cotton, such as Kingfisher,

Europe’s No. 1 home improvements retailer, havelooked to protect margins by pooling buying power fromtheir different businesses and buying in even bigger bulkfrom suppliers.While wages and cotton prices prove a drag it is not

all doom and gloom, with respite seen recently in theform of global freight rates and the U.S. dollar, in whichcotton is priced. —Reuters

Cotton, factory pay tochallenge Euro retailers

Hampson Inds eyes asset sales as H1 profit falls

Russia may sell control in major state firms: Kudrin

27Thursday, November 25, 2010 TECHNOLOGY

MOUNTAIN VIEW: Colin McDowell is photographed in front of the directory of his office building. —MCT

MEXICO: President of Microsoft Latin America, Hernan Rincon, shows a newWindows Phone 7, during an interview yesterday. —AFP

TOKYO: A woman puts on special glasses as Japanese electronics venture Hibinoand Victor Company Japan (JVC) unveil a 280-inch sized 3D LED display calledthe “Chroma LED 3D”, measuring 6.1m x 3.5m. The large 3D display, using JVCtechnology for 2D to 3D conversion, was developed for digital signage and publicviewing. —AFP

While other tech giants alsooccupy vast amounts of real estate,Google is growing in a way that isdistinct, remaking its surroundingsaccording to its own values. In addi-tion to buying and leasing buildingsand squeezing out some of itsneighbors, it is prodding the city ofMountain View to transform thearea around its headquarters,adding housing and retail to createan environment more like a towncenter.

The company’s goals are tobuild a headquarters that would be“nurturing and regenerative to theenvironment, provide a vibrantcommunity and work/life balancefor all,” Google real estate chiefDavid Radcliffe wrote in a letter tocity officials earlier this year. Cityofficials say they are consideringwhere housing could be built andhow much of it is needed as part ofthe new citywide general plan.The City Council could endorsebasic concepts for that plan thismonth.

“I don’t want to say it’s the newcompany town,” Gregory MDavies, a vice president with com-mercial real estate firm CassidyTurley CPS, said of Google’s role,“but it’s not far from it.” In the pastfive years, as Google’s global workforce has expanded by sevenfold tomore than 23,000 employees, theInternet giant’s Mountain Viewholdings have grown to at least 4.2million square feet and includemore than 65 buildings, accordingto the company’s securities filingsand county tax assessment dataanalyzed by the San Jose MercuryNews. That is more than doublethe amount of space Google ownedor leased in 2005.

Google strives to keep its realestate plans under wraps. Thecompany does not disclose thenumber of workers it has inMountain View, and a Googlespokesman also declined to dis-cuss the size of the company’slocal real estate holdings. Butgiven a commercial real estatebenchmark of 200 to 250 squarefeet per worker, the company’sMountain View domain now likelyaccommodates 17,000 workers ormore. Documents detailing theNASA project, made availableunder the federal Freedom ofInformation law, have been redact-ed to remove details such as howmany Googlers would live andwork at its Ames Research Center.

Google’s hiring boom this year- its total employee head count isup 18 percent since January - hascoincided with the company’sreturn to “an opportunistic expan-sion mode” in real estate severalmonths ago, said Davies, an experton the North Bayshore area, thesection of Mountain View whereGoogle’s buildings are concentrat-ed. Google is not acquiring “everybuilding that becomes available,but if it makes sense on a case-by-case basis, they are buying or leas-ing space.” Google first made thelist of Santa Clara County’s top 25“business personal property” tax-payers in 2005, when it ranked21st. Google is now fourth, trailingonly Cisco Systems, Lockheedand Intel in the value of its busi-ness equipment such as comput-ers and furniture. “Both theirgrowth and their impact on thehigh-tech community is reallyunprecedented, in recent years atleast,” County Assessor LarryStone said. “It reminds me ofApple in the ‘80s, and eBay andYahoo in the ‘90s, in terms of theirsuccess.”

Google doesn’t yet rank amongthe county’s top 10 real estate tax-payers, but Stone said businesspersonal property may be a bettermeasure for a company likeGoogle that leases large blocs ofspace. Google reported in an SECfiling in February that it leased 1.6million square feet of space inMountain View, and owned anadditional 2.6 million square feet.Other businesses feel pressuredby Google’s expansion, like ColinMcDowell’s McDSP, a tiny atollbobbing in the Googley ocean.

McDSP’s 1,682-square-footoffice is now the only non-Googlespace in 1300 Crittenden Lane, a115,000-square-foot building thatGoogle bought in 2006 as part of a$319 million deal that also includ-ed the core Googleplex.McDowell, the CEO of the six-person audio technology compa-ny, has a lease through 2014, butGoogle wants him out now.McDowell hasn’t wanted to move,saying the rent is good and theoffices are close to ShorelineAmphitheatre, where professionalmusicians frequently needMcDSP’s services on shortnotice. —MCT

Google kickstarts its own real estate boom

Google’s headquarters to be ‘nurturing, regenerative’ SAN JOSE: Google’s aggressive online growth increasingly has a counterpartin bricks and mortar, with the company’s Mountain View, California, head-quarters mushrooming over the past four years to occupy more than 4 millionsquare feet, or the equivalent of about 40 Home Depot stores. But that’s just

a start. On Silicon Valley’s NASA base, Google is preparing to build a new cor-porate campus with fitness and day care facilities and - in a first in SiliconValley - employee housing, adding 1.2 million square feet of space to Google’sreal estate holdings.

Online game rivals settle suit over stolen secretsSAN FRANCISCO: Online social networkinggame king Zynga yesterday said a settlementwas reached with a rival accused of stealing itssecrets and coaxing employees to betrayal.Zynga and Playdom did not reveal details of thedeal struck to end a lawsuit filed in September oflast year in a state court near Playdom’s head-quarters in the northern California city ofMountain View. “Zynga is extremely pleasedwith the final resolution of its trade secret suitagainst Playdom and various individuals,” saidZynga general counsel Reggie Davis.

“We have great respect for Disney and arethankful that following its acquisition ofPlaydom, Disney resolved the matter to our sat-isfaction,” Davis said. The Walt Disney Co.announced in July that it was buying Playdom in

a deal worth up to 763 million dollars.Disney said Playdom shareholders will

receive up to 563.2 million dollars and perfor-mance-linked bonuses of up to 200 million dol-lars.

Playdom is the developer of popular onlinegames such as “Social City,” “Sorority Life,”“Market Street” and “Bola” and claims some 42million active players a month on social networkssuch as Facebook and MySpace. Playdom’s chiefrival in the fast-growing social games space isZynga. Zynga claims more than 230 millionmonthly active users of its games, which include“FarmVille,” “Mafia Wars” and “Treasure Isle.”The legal settlement “reflects the very seriousnature of the conduct involved,” according toDavis. —AFP

4G cellular networks: Are they over-hyped?If today’s fastest smart phonesdeliver e-mails and Web pageswith the speed of a thoroughbredracehorse, then the next genera-tion of phones - now rolling ontothe runway - may feel like jetplanes. Powered by souped-up4G networks (that’s fourth gener-ation), new smart phones will bemore like mobile entertainmentcenters, allowing users to watchlive, high-definition TV broad-casts, download entire movies inseconds and make smooth, unin-terrupted video phone calls fromstreet corners and hilltops alike.But don’t burst into song quiteyet: For all their high-flyingpotential, 4G networks are still along way from taking off.

All four major cellularproviders have been touting thespeed and possibility of 4G, butthe number of consumers theseembryonic networks now reach islimited, and only a few early hand-sets are on the market. It could bea year or more before the tech-nology is widely available. SprintNextel Corp has an early lead inthe 4G race, having turned on itsnew networks in a few dozensmaller cities this year. The com-pany plans to bring 4G capabilityto parts of Los Angeles on Dec 1,and San Francisco a few weeksafter.

Sprint’s network, based on atechnology called WiMax, willoffer users average downloadspeeds of about 3 to 6 megabitsper second - roughly four timeswhat most 3G users get now. At

those speeds, users could down-load an entire song in about 10seconds. But Sprint’s 4G networkwill cover only a fraction of theusers that it serves with its cur-rent 3G system. The companysays if you’re looking to upgrade,you should first consult onlinemaps to see whether your homeor office is covered. If it isn’t, youmight end up with a flashy 4Gphone that’s getting the same old3G speeds.

Building the networks hasbeen slow and costly for all of themajor providers, which havespent billions retrofitting cell tow-ers across the country, replacingolder copper wiring with fiber-optic cable capable of carryingthousands of times more data.

“I’ve never seen a networkundertaking that’s as intensive asthis, including the building of theoriginal cellular network,” saidAndy Shibley, AT&T’s vice pres-ident and general manager for theLos Angeles area, noting that thecompany has spent close to $40billion building its network overthe past two years - includingupgrading tens of thousands ofcell sites across the US. “Whenyou start dealing with that manyzeros, that’s a giant undertaking,”Shibley said.

At a new Verizon Wirelessswitching center in Los Angeleslast month, Jim Harper, a seniortechnician, walked down rowslined with dozens of black metalcabinets containing hundreds ofcircuit boards that process mil-

lions of calls and data requestsevery day. Harper stopped at alone white cabinet, about the sizeof a gym locker. It was a 4G serv-er that could handle as much calltraffic as fifty of the black 3G cab-inets. Verizon’s version of 4G, itsays, will allow speeds of 5 to 12megabits per second - more thantwice as fast as Sprint’s on thehigh end.

“The pace that the technologymoves is just exploding,” Harpersaid. Yet as powerful as the forth-coming technology may be, thewhite cabinet was still the onlyone in the room - a sign thatVerizon is still in the early days ofbuilding its network. VerizonWireless hasn’t turned on 4G yet.It will begin to flip the switch inabout 30 US cities this year, ini-tially offering 4G service only towireless accessories for laptops.Its 4G smart phones won’t comeout until sometime in the middleof 2011 (Verizon declined to sayif whether that would includeApple Inc’s iPhone), and as far assize, its 4G network won’t catchup to its existing 3G footprintuntil 2013.

In the meantime, if you arewondering exactly what 4Gmeans, you’re not alone. Thetechnical definition of 4G is setby a United Nations standardsbody. It has to do with the specif-ic way data are moved around andwas created to achieve mobilebroadband close to 100 timesfaster than what is availabletoday. —MCT

Facebook makes people more socialNEW YORK: Contrary to com-mon belief social media web-sites such as Facebook do notweaken personal ties, theystrengthen them in uniqueways for different age groups,according to a new study. Therapid spread of Facebook, whichhas more than 500 million usersworldwide, has prompted con-cerns about its negative effects,

but researchers at theUniversity of Texas havereached a different conclusion.“Our findings suggest thatFacebook is not supplantingface-to-face interactionsbetween friends, family and col-leagues,” said S. Craig Watkins,an associate professor of radio,TV and film who headed theresearch team.

“In fact, we believe there issufficient evidence that socialmedia afford opportunities fornew expressions of friendship,intimacy and community.” Theresearchers questioned 900 col-lege students and recent gradu-ates about how and with whomthey interact on Facebook.More than 60 percent ofFacebook users said posting

status updates was among themost popular activities, fol-lowed by 60 percent who wrotecomments on their profile and49 percent who posted mes-sages and comments to friends.

The researchers also foundthat although about the samenumber of men and women useFacebook, they do so in differ-ent ways. “There is a notewor-thy difference in orientation inhow to use a tool like Facebook.We found that for women thecontent tends to be more affec-tionate, and (they) are especial-ly interested in using it for con-nection,” said Watkins. “Formen, it’s more functional,” headded. Watkins pointed outthat, for example, women aremore likely to post pictures ofsocial gatherings with friends,while men are more likely topost pictures of hobbies, or posta political or pop-culture relatedlink.

He added that increased useof Facebook brings additionalchallenges as young adults areforced to adapt their Facebookbehavior to an increasinglylarge social circle. “Facebookbrings all our different net-works and social scenestogether. We present ourselvesin different ways, whether tofriends, co-workers, or family,”he said. “Facebook engage-ment is not uniform. It’s con-stantly evolving and in a stateof flux, and that presents a chal-lenge.” —Reuters

WASHINGTON: Tech gifts areamong the easiest to buy - and themost appreciated. The only trou-ble is finding the perfect one, butnever fear: Use the ideas here tomatch your expertise and budgetwith the wants or needs of thoseon your gift list.

eBook readereBooks have matured. And

thanks to Amazon’s new Kindle,e-readers have as well. For thebook lover on your gift-giving list,there’s never been a better time tointroduce the wide world of e-books. The Kindle come in twoaffordable flavors - a 139 dollarversion that offers downloading ofbooks via any WiFi hotspot or a189 dollar version that tacks on 3Gconnectivity. The less expensiveversion is probably sufficient formost. With either model, literallyhundreds of books can be storedon the Kindle’s internal memorybefore your gift recipient leaveshome, so connectivity of eithertype is probably not critical. If youlike the idea of an eReader butwant to steer clear of Amazon, trySony’s Digital Reader, whichretails for slightly more than theKindle but reads PDF files native-ly, which is a boon to those wholike to download free PDFs andread them immediately.

Smartphone accessoriesIf there’s a smartphone or cell

phone addict on your gift givinglist, you’re in luck. The accessorymarket for these portable devicesis chock full items. Extra smart-phone or cell phone batteries arealways appreciated - and some-thing that phone users rarely pur-chase for themselves. Car charg-ers, USB chargers, and additionalelectric chargers can come inhandy as well. For device protec-tion, think custom sleeves or spe-cial carrying cases. And for thosewho need or want to talk withoutholding the phone, look atBluetooth headsets. Of course,before you get any of these items,be sure you know the make andmodel of the phone of your recipi-ent, and then simply visit a localphone store.

Apple devicesThe ultimate tech gift this year

may very well be an iPad, thereading and computing tablet thatcaught everyone’s attention uponits release earlier this year. At 499dollars, it’s pricey, however, so it’sclearly a gift idea for someone spe-cial. Apple offers so many in-demand mobile gadgets, though,that you don’t need to spend a lotto give someone a hip tech toy.The iPod Shuffle music player is

no bigger than a pack of matchesand costs about 49 dollars. You’llfind more musical prowess - andthe ability to play other types ofmedia - in the larger and moreexpensive iPod Nano, iPod Touch,and iPod Classic, which range inprice from 149 to 249 dollars.Finally, the ultimate in smart-phones may very well be theApple iPhone, if it’s not cost-pro-hibitive. For those on your list thatalready have an Apple gadget, con-sider any of a range of accessories:better ear buds or headphones, adocking station, carrying case,additional charger or battery, orremote control. The Apple onlinestore contains them all, of course,and can help you generate moreideas.

StorageSome gifts are chic or trendy.

Others are just useful. Storagedevices fall into the latter catego-ry. But since more storage spaceis something that almost any tech-nology fan needs, gifts of this typeare sure to be useful. For inexpen-sive storage gifts, consider a USBflash drive. Look at sizes of 16, 32,or 64 gigabytes (GB) so that theyhold enough data to make themworth carrying or using. Pricesrange from 20 to 90 dollars,depending upon size. If you have a

tech buff on your gift-giving listwho, like many, does not back uphis or her data often or at all, lookat one of the one-button externalbackup drives on the market suchas the Western Digital Elementsor Seagate FreeAgent. Drives inthe 1 terabyte (TB) range hold alot but won’t set you back morethan 70 dollars or so.

SpeakersDesktop or notebook comput-

er users who are making do withthe sub- par sound system thatcomes standard with most com-puters these days will delight in adecent set of speakers. And for giftgivers, the good news is that thereare plenty of outstanding speakersystems on the market that don’tcost a lot. For notebook users,there are a range of tiny but full-sounding USB speakers smallenough to go on the road with yourgift recipient. Look at Logitech’sV10 or V20 model or HP’s USBMini Speakers. Prices range from20 to 50 dollars. You can delightthe desktop user on your gift listwith such highly rated models asHarman Kardon SoundSticks II,the Altec Lansing Expressionistline, Klipsch’s ProMedia, or theRazer Mako speakers. Good desk-top speakers start at around 80 to120 dollars. —dpa

Gift ideas for tech fans

28 Thursday, November 25, 2010HEALTH & SCIENCE

CALIFORNIA: This file photo shows a close up of Gilead Sciences Inc’s Truvada pill in a lab in Foster City.Scientists have an exciting breakthrough in the fight against AIDS. —AP

WUHAN: In this photo, young tigers try to capture a chicken at the Jiufeng ForestZoo. —AP

“We can say with confidenceand conviction that we have bro-ken the trajectory of the AIDSpandemic,” said UNAIDSExecutive Director Michel Sidibein Geneva. Health officials creditpart of the decline to wider con-dom use, and on Tuesday, in ahistoric shift in church teachings,the Vatican said that using a con-dom is a lesser evil than infectinga sexual partner with HIV.Condoms remain the bestweapon against AIDS, and thenew prevention pill is not thechemical equivalent. But scien-tists called it a true breakthrough.The pill, Gilead Science’sTruvada, is already used to treatpeople with HIV. A three-yearglobal study found that dailydoses cut the risk of infection inhealthy gay and bisexual menwhen given with condoms, coun-seling and other prevention ser-vices.The drug lowered the chances

of infection by 44 percent, and by73 percent or more among menwho took their pills most faithful-ly. Researchers had feared thepills might give a false sense ofsecurity and make men less like-ly to use condoms or to limit theirpartners, but the opposite hap-pened - risky sex declined. Theresults are “a major advance”that can help curb the epidemic ingay men, said Dr Kevin Fenton,AIDS prevention chief at the USCenters for Disease Control andPrevention. But he warned theymay not apply to people exposedto HIV through male-female sex,drug use or other ways. Studiesin those groups are under way.Because Truvada is already onthe market, the CDC is rushing todevelop guidelines for doctorswho want to use it to preventHIV, and urged people to waituntil those are ready.As a practical matter, price

could limit use. The pills cost$5,000 to $14,000 a year in theUnited States, but roughly $140 ayear in some poor countrieswhere they are sold in genericform. Whether insurers or gov-ernment health programs shouldpay for them is one of the toughissues to be sorted out, said DrAnthony Fauci, director of theNational Institute of Allergy andInfectious Diseases. “This is anexciting finding,” but it “is onlyone study in one specific studypopulation,” so its impact on oth-ers is unknown, Fauci said.His institute sponsored the

study with the Bill & MelindaGates Foundation. The findingswere published online by theNew England Journal ofMedicine. It is the third AIDSprevention victory in about ayear. In September 2009, scien-tists announced that a vaccinethey are now trying to improveprotected 1 in 3 people from get-ting HIV in a study in Thailand. InJuly, research in South Africashowed that a vaginal gel spikedwith an AIDS drug could cut near-ly in half a woman’s chances ofgetting HIV from an infectedpartner.Gay and bisexual men account

for nearly half of the more than 1million Americans living withHIV. Worldwide, more than 7,000new infections occur each day.Only 5 to 10 percent of globalcases involve sex between men.“The condom is still the first lineof defense,” because it also pre-vents other sexually spread dis-eases and unwanted pregnancies,said the study leader, Dr RobertM Grant of the GladstoneInstitutes, a private foundationaffiliated with the University ofCalifornia, San Francisco. Butmany men don’t or won’t use con-doms all the time, so researchershave been testing other preven-tion tools.AIDS drugs already are used

to prevent infection in health careworkers accidentally exposed toHIV, and in babies born to infect-ed mothers. Taking these drugsbefore exposure to the virus maykeep it from taking hold, just astaking malaria pills in advance canprevent that disease when some-one is bitten by an infected mos-quito. The strategy showed greatpromise in monkey studies usingtenofovir (brand name Viread)and emtricitabine, or FTC(Emtriva), sold in combination asTruvada by California-basedGilead Sciences Inc. The compa-ny donated Truvada for the study,which involved about 2,500 menat high risk of HIV infection inPeru, Ecuador, Brazil, SouthAfrica, Thailand and the UnitedStates (San Francisco andBoston). —AP

3 big developments make AIDS outlook more hopeful

New daily pill to protect against HIVIn the nearly 30 years the AIDS epidemic has raged, there has never been amore hopeful day than this. Three striking developments took placeTuesday: UN officials said new HIV cases are dropping dramatically world-wide. A study showed that a daily pill already on pharmacy shelves could helpprevent new infections in gay men. And the pope opened the way for the useof condoms to prevent AIDS. “I don’t know of a day where so many pieces arebeginning to align for HIV prevention and treatment, and frankly with a view

to ending the epidemic,” said Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS VaccineAdvocacy Coalition, a nonprofit group that works on HIV preventionresearch. “This is an incredibly opportune moment and we have to be sure weseize it.” President Barack Obama said the groundbreaking research on theAIDS drug “could mark the beginning of a new era in HIV prevention.” TheUN report said that new cases dropped nearly 20 percent over the last decadeand that 33.3 million people are living with HIV now.

SAINT PETERSBURG: As Russia hosts anunprecedented summit on saving the wild tiger,much of the attention is focusing on India, home tonearly half of the big cats but also a leading centrefor poaching. Experts here said that despite posi-tive steps, India is struggling to deal with poach-ing, with poor villagers willing to kill and sell tigersfor just 100 dollars and the rangers charged withprotecting the animals under-paid and poorlyequipped. “Poaching is the major threat, numbertwo is habitat destruction,” said Satya PrakashYadav, an official with India’s environment min-istry taking part in the summit of 13 nations in theRussian city of Saint Petersburg.India is home to 1,411 tigers of the estimated

3,200 still living in the wild but also to 54 percentof poaching and trafficking cases. According to arecent report by the Traffic International non-gov-ernmental organization, more than 1,000 tigershave been killed in the last decade in Asia. “Peopleliving around the tiger reserves are always poorand if you come offering them a big price for thetigers they will take it,” said Sejal Worah, thedirector of the World Wildlife Fund’s Indianbranch. “The poacher gets only 100 dollars but theprice of all the parts could be a 100 or 200 timesmore than that.”Much of the poaching is fuelled by demand for

tiger parts in Thailand, where there are far fewerof the wild cats, she said. Good laws are in place toprotect tigers in India, but enforcement has beenlax, said Vivek Menon, the director for SoutheastAsia for the International Fund for AnimalProtection (IFAW), which has trained more than7,000 rangers in India, a third of the country’s anti-poaching force. “We have seven years in prison,not fines, if you kill a tiger.... What more do youwant? India has very good laws. But the problem isthe implementation in such a big country,” he said.

“For many years, nobody went to jail. Before,the judiciary never convicted. That has changed inthe last five-six years and this is a good step.”India’s federal government launched a tiger pro-tection program in 2007 with several million dol-lars allocated to urgent measures to cut down onpoaching. Among other efforts, the governmentrecently began hiring retired soldiers to work ontiger reserves. But Worah said the rangers areworking in difficult conditions, hampering theirefforts. “It’s difficult and thankless work,” shesaid. “Often they are not paid for months and theyare badly equipped. Sometimes they don’t evenhave boots or raincoats.”Another effort has seen Indian authorities dis-

place villages located in reserves to install tigersin the area. India is expected to commit during thesummit to creating protected zones for tigers freeof infrastructure, roads and people-a move that islikely to engender controversy. “In a country likeIndia it is difficult to reserve a zone and to say thisis only for tigers and not for anything or anyoneelse. We don’t have the kind of space that Russiahas,” Worah said.“Social problems are competing with the

tigers. It is a fight every day. But it is not a fightwe are losing. We make two steps forward forevery step back,” Menon said. Animal-rightsgroups say the tiger population in India has fallenfrom 5,000 to fewer than 2,000 in the last fiveyears, despite the allocation of 32,000 square kilo-meters (12,800 square miles) of sanctuary space.Still, experts said India has scored some success-es in its efforts to save the tiger and they hope thecountry is on the right track. “Many of the suc-cess stories we talked about even here at thesummit are from India,” Worah said. “India is nota bad example, it’s just a realistic example,”Menon said. —AFP

Focus on India as world convenes to save tigers

PARIS: Researchers said yesterday theyhad successfully tested a Chinese-devel-oped drug against opisthorchiasis, aneglected tropical disease that threatenssome 67 million people in Southeast Asia.Tribendimidine is as safe and effectiveagainst the tiny worm that causes the dis-ease as the frontline drug, praziquantel,marketed as Biltricide, they reported in astudy published online by The Lancet.Opisthorchiasis is caused by a fluke,known by its Latin name as Opisthorchisviverrini, that passes from freshwatersnails to river fish, and then to humans ifthe fish is eaten raw or undercooked.The fluke holes up in the liver and bile

duct, where it reproduces, causing abdom-

inal pain and diarrhoea but also, in the longterm, boosting the risk of jaundice, gall-stones and cancer. Around 67 million peo-ple in Southeast Asia are at risk from thefluke, and nine million people have alreadybeen infected by it, according to a 2005estimate. The parasite is endemic to partsof Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, butespecially in Laos, where as many as 50percent of schoolchildren and 90 percentof adults are infected.A team led by Jennifer Keiser from the

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Instituterandomly assigned 125 infected school-children in Laos’ Attepeu province toreceiving either tribendimidine, prazi-quantel or a drug designed to combat the

parasite that causes malaria.Tribendimidine scored the highest curerate, of 70 percent, followed by praziquan-tel (56 percent). The three malaria treat-ments that were taken scored a cure rateof only four percent in two of the drugs andzero in the third. Both tribendimidine and praziquantel

also scored best in clearing the patient ofparasite eggs, and were generally welltolerated, with “mild or moderate” side-effects. The study was a “Phase II” trialin the three-phase process of evaluating anew drug for safety and effectiveness.Wider trials would be needed before itcan be licensed internationally for thisdisease. —AFP

New drug fights South East Asia liver fluke

Animal CSI: Vetsinvestigate crimesGAINESVILLE: When US federalinvestigators working the MichaelVick dogfighting case neededsomeone to dig up and analyze theremains of eight pit bulls buriedon the football star’s Virginiaproperty, they summonedMelinda Merck. The nation’s topforensic veterinarian, Merck wasone of the few specialists trainedin processing crime scenesinvolving animals. Her job at theAmerican Society for thePrevention of Cruelty to Animalsinvolves helping prosecutorsbuild court cases, and she sawthere weren’t nearly enough vetsand other professionals withthose skills.The 46-year-old Merck is try-

ing to change that, co-founding afirst-of-its-kind veterinary foren-sic science training program atthe University of Florida. She andscientists from the university’srenowned human forensics lab are

sharing their expertise with ani-mal-cruelty investigators, policeand veterinarians who come fromaround the world.In a nod to the popular TV

shows, it’s already being called“Animal CSI.” Demand for foren-sic veterinarians has been grow-ing as many states have tough-ened their animal cruelty laws.And law enforcement agenciesnationwide have increasingly rec-ognized that those who abuse ani-mals are likely to eventually com-mit crimes against people.Hands-on seminars teach partici-pants crime-scene processing andthe preservation of evidence incases of animal abuse and neglectsuch as those involving puppymills, dogfighting and animalhoarding. Elements includeexhuming remains, analyzinghair, fibers and blood splatter, andeven how insect life cycles andplant growth can yield clues about

an animal’s death. “With animalcruelty, there are usually no wit-nesses - or reluctant witnesses -and certainly the victims can’t tes-tify, even if they’re alive,” Mercksaid. “So they’re always evidence-

based cases.” A partnershipbetween the ASPCA and the uni-versity’s William R MaplesCenter for Forensic Medicine, theprogram has already trainedaround 200 people, mostlythrough two-and three-day ses-sions. A certification program inthe subject for the university stu-dents is in the works. On a warmafternoon deep in a forest nearGainesville, teams of six are sift-ing through cordoned-off “crimesscenes,” seeking evidence ofburied animal remains. Eachgroup has a scenario - forinstance, one is investigating ritu-alistic animal sacrifice; others arelooking into cases of animalsbeing shot, strangled and stabbedby abusers. The studentsprocessed the carefully stagedscenes, learning to build a crimi-nal case that will stand up in court.“We all get abuse or suspected

abuse cases,” says Cheryl Clarkof San Diego, a veterinarian formore than three decades whotook meticulous notes as hergroup unearthed shreds of poten-tial evidence at their site. “At thispoint in my career, I want to getsome more precise knowledge tohelp other professional veterinar-ians. I want to help animals on amore global scale, so I think theway to do it is prosecute abusersand try to get laws changed andimproved.” Others sweating inthe woods included ASPCA fieldinvestigators, American HumaneAssociation disaster-responseteam members and animal docslike Clark. Coincidentally, thesession was cut short for oneteam of ASPCA investigators -they had to pick up and travel to asouthern Pennsylvania farmwhere 925 pigs were found deadfrom suspected neglect. —AP

GAINESVILLE: In this photo, a femur bone from acat has been marked as evidence at a crime scenestaged for a veterinary forensics exercise at theUniversity of Florida. —AP

Diabetes fitness plan: Aerobics plus weightsAerobics burns calories, weight training builds muscles

CHICAGO: People with dia-betes should mix aerobics withweight training to get the bestresults in lowering bloodsugar, a new study suggests.The combination worked bestfor weight loss too, comparedto aerobics or weight trainingalone. Blood sugar is fuel tomuscles, and more sugar isburned during aerobic activity.Weight training builds moremuscle, and both activitieschange muscle proteins inways that enhance the process.“It’s clear that doing both

aerobic and strength training issuperior to either alone,” saidlead author Dr Tim Church ofPennington BiomedicalResearch Center in BatonRouge, Louisiana. “It’s almostlike taking two differentdrugs.” Patients in the study,published in Wednesday’sJournal of the AmericanMedical Association, achieved

the results over nine months,exercising three days a weekfor about 45 minutes each ses-sion.“People can manage this

amount of exercise,” saidLaurie Goodyear of JoslinDiabetes Center in Boston,who wasn’t involved in the newstudy but does similarresearch. “They didn’t have togo on a diet. This was purelyan exercise effect.” Theresearchers’ goal was to testthree exercise programs thatdoctors could realistically rec-ommend and patients couldstick with. They compared aer-obics alone, weight trainingalone and a combination. USguidelines recommend aero-bics and weight training com-bined for all adults. All three groups worked out

for about the same amount oftime. A fourth group ofpatients was offered only

weekly stretching and relax-ation classes for further com-parison. The study was com-pleted by 245 people with dia-betes. Led by trainers,patients walked on a treadmillthat raised the uphill grade by2 percent every two minutesfor the aerobics. Weight train-ing, also supervised, was doneon machines that worked mus-cles in the upper body and legs,with more weight added as par-ticipants increased theirstrength.“It gave me a lot more ener-

gy. That was one of the firstthings I noticed,” said DeidraAtkins-Ball, 44, a biology pro-fessor, diagnosed with diabetesa year before she joined theaerobics-weights group. A dis-tant aunt with diabetes lostboth legs and her vision to thedisease. Too much blood sugarcan damage nerves, eyes, theheart and blood vessels. “I

remember as a kid having to dothings for her, going to thestore for her,” Atkins-Ball said.“It really scared me.” Theresearchers found that only thegroup that combined aerobicsand weights both lowered theirblood sugar and lost weight,although all three fitnessgroups reduced their waistsizes.Fewer patients in the

combo group started takingnew diabetes drugs than in theother groups. Decisions onmedications were left up to thepatients’ regular doctors dur-ing the study. Forty-one per-cent of the patients in thecombo group either decreasedtheir diabetes medications orlowered their average bloodsugar as measured by a com-mon blood test, compared to 26percent for weights only, 29percent for aerobics only and22 percent in the non-exercisegroup. The blood sugar reduc-tion achieved by the combogroup was enough to reducethe risk of heart attacks,strokes and other complica-tions, the researchers wrote,citing earlier studies.Atkins-Ball’s results were

good, if not long-lasting. Shedropped 4 pounds (2 kilo-grams) and saw her bloodsugar reach near normal levels.When the program ended, shejoined a gym and kept exercis-ing - for a while. Then she gotbusy, let her gym membershiplapse after a year and has seenher blood sugar levels climb.She’s now taking two diabetesdrugs, instead of the one shetook during the study. Atkins-Ball is trying to get back intoan exercise routine by walkingtwo miles (3 kilometers) withher husband in the mornings.Her advice for others with dia-betes is to get into a structuredexercise program. “That’swhat helped me the most,” shesaid. —AP

CONCORD: A slice of blue cheese cheesecake with cabernet caramelized pears isseen. This savory cheesecake is really more of a cheese course than a dessert. —AP

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WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT Thursday, November 25, 201030

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH

The Embassy ofthe People’sRepublic ofBangladesh inKuwait has takenup an initiative to

update the database of Bangladesh nation-als residing in the State of Kuwait. Forinclusion in the database all theBangladesh nationals are requested to col-lect the Registration Form from theLabour Wing of the Embassy. The formscan also be collected sending request tobdoot@kems.net e-mail address. Thefilled-in forms can also be submitted byhand, by email or by fax (number 2491-3204).

EMBASSY OF CANADA

The Embassy ofCanada is locatedat Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St.,Block 4 inDa’aiyah. Please

visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.The Embassy of Canada is open from07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday.Consular Services for Canadian Citizensare provided from 09:00 until 12:00 onSunday through Wednesday. Canada offersa registration service for all Canadianstravelling or living abroad. This service isprovided so that Consular Officials cancontact and assist Canadians in an emer-gency in a foreign country, such as a nat-ural disaster or civil unrest, or informCanadians of a family emergency at home.The Embassy of Canada encourages all

Canadian Citizens to register onlinethrough the Government of Canada TravelWebsite at www.voyage.gc.ca.TheCanadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi providesvisa and immigration services to residentsof Kuwait. Individuals who are interestedin visiting, working or immigrating toCanada are invited to visit the website ofthe Canadian Embassy to the UAE atwww.UAE.gc.ca.

EMBASSY OF INDIAThe Embassy ofIndia has furtherrevamped andimproved its LegalAdvice Clinic at theIndian Workers

Welfare Center, and made the free serviceavailable to Indian nationals on all fiveworking days, i.e. from Sunday toThursday every week. Kuwaiti lawyerswould be available at the Legal AdviceClinic daily from Monday to Thursday,while Indian lawyers would be availableon Sundays. Following are the free welfareservices provided at the Indian WorkersWelfare Center located at the Embassy ofIndia: [i] 24x7 Helpline for DomesticWorkers: Accessible by toll free telephoneno. 25674163 from anywhere in Kuwait, itprovides information and advice exclu-sively to Indian domestic sector workers(Visa No. 20) as regards their grievances,immigration and other matters. [ii] HelpDesk: It offers guidance to Indian nation-als on routine immigration, employment,legal, and other issues (Embassy premis-es; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM,Sunday to Thursday); (iii) LabourComplaints Desk: It registers labor com-

plaints and provides grievance redressalservice to Indian workers (Embassypremises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iv) Shelters:For female and male domestic workers indistress; (v) Legal Advice Clinic: Providesfree legal advice to Indian nationals(Embassy premises; Kuwaiti lawyers 3PM to 5 PM, Monday to Thursday; Indianlawyers 2 PM to 4 PM on Sunday); and(vi) Attestation of Work Contracts: Privatesector worker (Visa No. 18) contracts areaccepted at the Embassy; 9 AM to 1 PM;Sunday to Thursday; Domestic sectorworker (Visa No. 20) contracts are accept-ed at Kuwait Union of Domestic LaborOffices (KUDLO), Hawally, Al-OthmanStreet, Kurd Roundabout, Al-AbrajComplex, Office No 9, Mezzanine Floor; 9AM to 9 PM, Saturday to Thursday; 5 PMto 9 PM on Friday.Embassy of India would like to inform thatapplication forms for passport/visa ser-vices and labor contracts that are on itswebsite, www.indembkwt.org, have beenupgraded to include the facility for onlinedata entry. Affidavit forms on the embassywebsite have had this facility since May 6,2009.

EMBASSY OF THE USThe United StatesDepartment ofState announcesthe increase in var-ious visa fees toensure sufficient

resources to cover the increasing cost ofprocessing nonimmigrant visas (NIVs).US law requires the Department to recov-er the cost of processing non-immigrant

visas through the collection of the applica-tion fees. The increased fees are to takeeffect June 4, 2010. Under the new rule,applicants for all visas that are not peti-tion-based, including B1/B2 tourist andbusiness visitor visas and all student andexchange-visitor visas, will pay a fee of$140. Applicants for petition-based visaswill pay an application fee of $150, as eachof the below categories requires a reviewof extensive documentation and a more in-depth interview of the applicant than oth-er categories, such as tourists.These categories include:H visa for temporary workers andtrainees L visa for intra-company transferees O visa for aliens with extraordinary abilityP visa for athletes, artists and enter-tainers Q visa for international cultural exchangevisitors R visa for religious occupations The application fee for K visas forfiance(e)s of US citizens will be $350. Thefee for E visas for treaty-traders andtreaty-investors will be $390.

EMBASSY OF THAILANDAll foreigners whoapply for TouristVisa at the RoyalThai Embassiesand the Royal ThaiConsulate General

worldwide, including eligible foreignerswho apply for Visa on arrival at designat-ed checkpoints, will be exempted fromtourist visa fees until 31 March 2011.Such arrangement is for Tourist Visaonly.

“The AWARE Management is gladto inform you that Winter 1Arabic language courses will

begin on November 21st untilDecember 29th, 2010. AWARE Arabiclanguage courses are designed with theexpat in mind. The environment isrelaxed & courses are designed forthose wanting to learn Arabic for travel,cultural understanding, and conductingbusiness or simply to become moreinvolved in the community. We cater toteachers, travelers & those working inthe private business sector. AWARE Arabic courses highlight:• Introductory to Level 4 Arabic lan-

guage basics• Better prepare you for speaking,

reading and writing Arabic• Combine language learning with

cultural insights• Taught in multi-nationality group

settings • Provide opportunities to interact

with Western expatriates andnative Kuwaitis/Arabs. For more information, call

25335260/80 ext 105 or 104 or e-mail:Htaware.hassan@gmail.com or log onto:www.aware.com.kw.”

Aware Sivaranjani Fine Arts

Sivaranjani Fine Arts is organizing a culturalevening with students and a memorable

evening with the world famous professional troupeof Rajhesh Vaidhya from Chennai. Rajesh wasawarded the title ‘Shri Kanchi Kamakoti PeetaAasthana Vidwan’, for his splendid rendering onthe VEENA. Rajhesh Vaidhya and his troupe fromChennai will perform on Friday, the 3rd ofDecember, 2010 at Carmel school auditorium,Khaitan along with variety of musical rendering bythe students of the fine arts. All are welcome. Butif you would like to be a special invitee and havethe privilege of meeting and dining with ShriRajesh Vaidya, please send the names of the per-son who will attend the program along with you toinfo@shivaranjanifinearts.com for further details.

Rajhesh Vaidhya was brought up in a rich musi-cal environment. His father Sri K M Vaidyanathanwas a stalwart both in Mridangam and Ghatam.His tutelage under Smt Jeyalakshmi started at thetender age of six. He continued learning the finernuances of music from Smt RamaNambinarayanan and his advanced training fromthe world-renowned carnatic veena maestro ShriChitti Babu. Rajhesh Vaidhya is not only arenowned musician in India, his fame and populari-ty spreads in all the musical stages around theworld including Europe, Brazil, South Africa,Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Canada,USA and many more.

Relief Efforts

Relief Efforts Kuwait is hosting adinner for Abrar-Ul-Haq to help

rehabilitate the Pakistani flood victimson Friday, December 3, 2010. Pleasecall 65840229 for more information.

US Embassy notice

The American Embassy will be closedtoday in observance of Thanksgiving

Day in the United States. The embassywill reopen for normal business on Sunday,November 28, 2010. Regular businesshours are 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Sunday -Thursday. The embassy telephone numberis 2259-1001 and fax number 2538-0282.

Fankaar Arts, the performing artsgroup, commemorated 25 years of

their existence at the Kuwait MedicalAssociation Auditorium in Jabriya lastweek. The evening began with anencouraging and congratulatoryaddress by the Ambassador of Indiato Kuwait Ajai Malhotra. MohammedSaleh Burud, a long standing support-er of Fankaar Arts, presented aplaque of appreciation to theAmbassador. The talented Fankaarartists then took the audience downmemory lane with a specially writtenact incorporating glimpses of memo-rable characters presented in FankaarArts’ popular plays through theyears. The Fankaar’s displayed differ-ent genres including comedy, tragedyand patriotism ending with a socialmessage on people with specialneeds.

The glimpses faded into a perfor-

mance on the popular song ‘Jeenayahan marna yahan’ by all the artistswalking into the audience givingaway flowers and chocolates as atoken of love and gratefulness forappreciating their plays through theyears. These artists included GeorgeD’Souza, Maya Pareek, CarolineJohnson, Cindy Fernandes, AsiyaSheikh, Naeem Ahmed, NabeelChogle, Farook Kasim, KutubuddinVirpuri, Fazal Zahid, Anwar Kadri andArif Kazi.

Over the years Fankaar Arts hasalso evolved with the times andexperimented with new avenues forperforming artists. These experi-ments included two short films. Onecalled ‘Strugglers’ based on life ofnew actors struggling to make aname for themselves. The film wasdirected by Humayun Peerzada andacted by Naresh Nagda, Imran, Arif

Kazi and Johnny Lever in a specialappearance. The second movie, basedon an award winning Konkani playwritten and directed by Arif Kazi wascalled ‘Rishtey’. The entire film,short in Kuwait included Fankaarartists - Anwar Kadri, GeorgeD’Souza and Asiya Sheikh. Both themovies we screened at the event.

The audience was also treated to adance performance by the SangamamDance group that is also a long timeassociate of Fankaar Arts. The high-light of the evening was an experi-mental play ‘ Phir bhi Mumbai MeriJaan’ a sequel to Fankaar Artsacclaimed play ‘Wah Re Bambai Wah’.The play tackled the hard hittingfacts of life in Mumbai. It was difficultto get the chorus of the play out ofone’s head with ‘Mumbai meri jaan...’being repeated over and over again.The actors recreated day to day

scenes from the streets of Mumbaikeeping the audience in splits withit’s cosmopolitan characters. Tragicincidents like religious riots, bombblasts in Mumbai and the recent ter-rorist attacks were depicted withgreat intensity midway through theplay which ended with a strong socialmessage about peace, harmony andkeeping the spirit of Mumbai alive.

Arif Kazi in a short speechthanked all the people that have sup-ported Fankaar Arts and kept it alivesince 1985 till date. He also thankedthe eminent dignitaries and guests atthe event that included representa-tives of the Bangladesh and Nepalembassies in Kuwait, and BollywoodProducer Yusuf Bhatt among others.General secretary of Fankaar Arts,Anwar Kadri presented the formalvote of thanks. The event was host-ed by popular MC Nita Bhatkar.

Fankaar Arts celebrates silver jubilee

Aware announcements

The AWARE Center cordially invites you to itsdiwaniya presentation about, “The ideal yet

unpopular role of women,” by Sharifa Carlo.“The French Economic Philosopher, Jules Simonsaid, Women have started to work in textile fac-tories and printing press etc. The government isemploying them in factories, where they canearn a few francs. But on the other hand, this hastotally destroyed the bases of family life. Yes, the

husband may benefit from his wife’s earnings,but apart from that, his earnings have decreasedbecause now he is competing with her for work.”What is the ideal role of the woman? Shouldwoman work? Can woman work? Should awoman be a housewife? What is the best role fora woman? Come by and find out what Islam hasto say about the role of the woman in society onTuesday November 30, 2010 at 7:00 pm. Formore information, call 25335260/80.

A date with datesJoin us for a cultural event to taste a variety of dates and

learn more about their wide use. “Dates: Staple of the ArabDiet”: Dates have always been associated with Arab andIslamic traditions. They are the most popular food in theArab world, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.Dates are a staple that can be eaten raw, cooked, baked intocakes or pressed into delicious syrup or paste. Join us tolearn more and sample a variety of dates. Dates will also beavailable for purchase call 25335260/80.

Extracurricular activities arethe core of the mental and

physical development of thestudents. It has always beenthe hall mark of NPIS Hawallyto develop the personality ofthe student through healthyextracurricular activities.Cleanliness Day was celebrat-ed on Thursday, Nov 11, 2010by KG, Class 1 and Class 2.

The importance of cleanli-ness was exhibited by thelovely and appropriate decor ofthe whole area charts and dif-ferent cleaning stuff likebroom, tooth paste, mop, dustpan, and brush etc were dis-played all over. Students alsoenhanced the occasion, dress-ing themselves as soap, janitor,broom, tooth brush etc.

They captured the attentionof one and all by their captivat-ing performance on the song“How do I keep myself cleanand a poem in Urdu, poemslike “brush brush your teeth”Bits of paper etc and the mes-sage showing the importance

of cleanliness was beautifullyconveyed through the skitdone by the tiny tots of kinder-garten. Anita Bukharey appre-ciated the efforts of the stu-dents as well as the teachersfor creating awareness in animpressive way.

Cleanliness Day at NPIS

IKEA, Kuwait (Al-HomaiziLimited) held an in-store

blood donation camp as part ofthe IKEA Corporate SocialResponsibility, an initiativewhich portrays a renowned tra-dition of IKEA giving back tothe community. Hosting ablood donation drive conductedby The Mobil Unit - BloodBank, all IKEA employees,donated their blood to thisvaluable cause. This norm is ameans of reflecting authenticpurpose and actions to make adifference in the lives of others,and to give to the communityand society, in which all IKEAemployees take part in activi-ties addressing social needs oftheir local requirements.

IKEA hosts blood donation drive

FOKE hands overfinancial aid

As part of the charity activities, Friendsof Kannur expatriates association

(FOKE) handed over financial aid toMoonambeth Haridasan at his residencein Attadappa, near Edakkadu, KannurDistrict, Kerala. Haridasan was workingas a painter and while performing hisduty, he fell down from the second floorof a building. Haridasan belongs to afinancially poor family and is under treat-ment for past several months. FOKEPresident B P Surendran handed overthe financial aid to Haridasan.

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAITThursday, November 25, 2010 31

Arpan to present ‘Tune & Taste-2010’

Arpan Kuwait will present ‘Tune & Taste-2010’-a festival of food, music and heritage-

to mark the 11th anniversary of the associationat the Indian Community School (Senior Girls),Salmiya on December 3. The celebration pre-senting a potpourri of cultural programs willstart at 9:30 am and conclude at 6.30 pm.

Rajkalesh, the versatile television anchorand the producer of popular TV show, “Taste ofKerala” and “Taste of Dubai” will supervisecookery shows and competitions as part of thecelebration. Rajkalesh, who presented stageand television shows in and outside India, willadjudge the winners of the cooking competi-tions that will be held in major centers inKuwait prior to the final on December 3. Also amagician, trained under world famous magicianGopinath Muthukad, Rajkalesh will mesmerizethe audience with his spellbinding ‘Magic andillusions’ show.

The added attraction of the day-long celebra-tion will be a musical extravaganza to be pre-sented by well-known Idea Star singersRoshan, William Issac and Neelima along withupcoming playback singer Uma. Classical andfolk dance performances, folk song presenta-tions etc will add spices to the unique program‘Tune & Taste -2010’. For details and participa-tion in cooking competitions, email to:arpankwt@yahoo.com

Comedy night at AUK

The American University of Kuwait (AUK)Drama Club is hosting a comedy program

entitled Sketches and Sets; an evening of origi-nal standup and sketch comedy tomorrow at 7pm at AUK Auditorium. All the performers arestudents and staff of AUK. For further informa-tion please contact Zaid Al-Kazemi at 99666153or email- s00012695@auk.edu.kw.

Lulian Rusu’s first clarinet concert in Kuwait!

International acclaimed Romanian ClarinetistIulian Rusu will perform a clarinet concert at

Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’a! TheClarinet Concert will take place on November25th at 7pm at the Movenpick Hotel & Resort AlBida’a: first appearance of lulian Rusu- interna-tionally acclaimed Romanian Clarinetist, inKuwait. Rusu has toured throughout Europe andperformed in many countries including: Spain,Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria. This perfor-mance will be the first appearance in Kuwait andhe will be accompanied by Marius Rusanu andHarriet Bushman on Piano. The program willinclude some of the World’s most famous clar-inet songs such as:- Mendelssohn: “DoubleConcerto with Piano”; Martian Negrea: “Martie”; Bela Bartok: “Homage A De Falla” ; Verdi:“Fantasy from Rigoletto Opera”. Join us onThursday, November 25th from 7pm until9.30pm in Al Bida’a Ballroom and enjoy anevening to remember. “In our never - ending

quest to be little bit different and to bring moreentertainment and culture to Kuwait we havearranged what promises to be a very enjoyablemusical evening” said Gary Moran. GeneralManager of Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’aKuwait.

Filipino Badminton Committee

The Filipino Badminton Committee is invitingall badminton enthusiast to join its 20th

Badminton Tournament. The event which is heldfor a cause will start on November 5 and will lastuntil December 10 at the Kuwait Disabled Club,Hawally every Friday from 8 AM until 5 PM. Thetournament will be a team event of 5 players.Each team must have Level 1 & 2 (Men’s), Level1& 2 (Ladies’) and Level 3 (Ladies’). The dead-line for submission of line up will be on October15. Special prize will be given for Best Uniform,Best Team. For more information, call 97197268.

TIES Center announces Winter schedule

TIES Center announces its schedule of WinterArabic Courses which will extend from

October 29, 2010 through December 23, 2010.The courses are offered with the followingoptions:

Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4

The Arabic courses at TIES Center aredesigned according to the students’ needs andrequirements. These courses are intended for allexpatriates who wish to learn the Arabic lan-guage and culture. Upon completion of thesecourses the student will havea) Confidence in conducting basic Arabic commu-nication (speaking, reading & writing)b) A basis for developing Arabic as a second lan-guage c) A better understanding of Arabic Cultured) Ability to interact with their classmates andlearn about their background and culture For more information please contact us on97144138 or visit our websitewww.tiescenter.net.

Annual ESF Winter Fayre

The English School Fahaheel will bring in thefestive season this year with their success-

ful Annual Winter Fayre on Saturday 4December from 11am to 2 pm at the school’sspacious premises which also offer ampleparking. ESF is located just off Highway 30 inMangaf. The Fayre is the perfect place for afamily day out with stalls offering a variety ofChristmas gifts and treats, carols sung by theESF Choir and great raffle prizes including airtickets, electronics and more!. Don’t miss bar-gains on furniture, books, Exercise equipment,electronics and toys! To book a stall call23711070/23717263 today!

German Board of Oral Implantology

In cooperation with Kuwait Dental Association in itsthird year, and after graduating 33 dentists in the past

two years from Kuwait and abroad, with Kuwaitbecoming the regional center for the German Board ofOral Implantology (GBOI) in the Gulf. We like toannounce to all dentists in Kuwait and abroad that reg-istration for the third batch 2010 - 2011 is being held atKuwait Dental Association to begin study onDecember 3, 2010.

IDF inter school health quiz

Indian Doctors Forum, Kuwait is proud to announcethat as part of our school outreach program, we are

organizing an interschool health quiz for senior schoolstudents of all the Indian schools in Kuwait. This willbe an annual event with the IDF Rolling Trophy as thegrand prize and also attractive prizes (Laptops,Netbooks and more) for the winning students. Eachschool will send one team consisting of two studentseach (the team representing the school will be selectedby the school). The idea of the quiz is not just to have acompetition but also to disseminate health informationto students in a ‘game’ format. The event will be heldtomorrow and the written preliminary is at 5:00 pmwhile the quiz finals is at 6:00 pm at Kuwait MedicalAssociation (KMA) Hall, Near Mubarak Hospital,Jabriya. Be there to see the best young minds ofKuwait battle it out in an arena needing quick thinkingand sharp intellect! Come, cheer the teams to victory!For more details, do contact Dr Sebastian Mathew atsebntess@gmail.com.

Kuwaiti and Indian officers and their wives with Ambassador Ajai Malhotra and wife Ira Malhotra at India House onTuesday.

An Indian Army delegation led by Lieutenant General HPS Klair withAmbassador Ajai Malhotra

An Indian Army delegation led by Lieutenant General HPS Klair, SM, Commandant, Defense Services Staff College, Wellington, India, is on an official visit to the State of Kuwait from November 22-26, 2010. Thedelegation held talks with senior Kuwaiti dignitaries and called on the Ambassador of India, Ajai Malhotra, who also hosted a dinner in their honor at India House on Tuesday.

Indian Army delegation in Kuwait

Birthday greetings

Happy birthday Christy! May you have a beauti-ful life as your beautiful birthday cake Christy.

Best wishes and love from appa, amma, Crislyand family.

Harvest Festival 2010

St Gregorios Indian Orthodox celebrated Harvest Festival on Nov 17, at Hawally Al-JeelSchool.

The Harvest Festival of the IndianOrthodox Maha Edavaka was held on

November 17, 2010 at the Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed School Hawally. HG (Dr) ZachariasMar Aprem, Principal Secretary to theCatholicos & Malankara Metropolitan andthe officiating Bishop of the Adoor-Kadampanad Diocese was the Chief Guestat the function. Ajay Malhothra, theAmbassador of India to Kuwait and theRev Peter Raji, the Ambassador of Vaticanto Kuwait inaugurated the festivities alongwith Rev Emmanuel Ghareeb theChairman of NEC Kuwait, K P Koshy the

Executive administrator of NECK, Rev FrC Kurien of the St Peter Knanya Church,Rev Fr Abraham P George of St ThomasIndian Orthodox Church, Ahmadi, Rev FrAdriac representing the ArmenianOrthodox Church, Fr Jose Mathew theVicar and Fr George C VargheseAssociate Vicar of the Parish, Oommen VKurien the Hon Trustee, Prasad ACherian Hon Secretary of the Parish,Shaji Abraham Sabha ManagingCommittee Member and P G Alexanderthe Convenor of the Harvest Festivalgave vote of thanks. All dignitaries

stressed the need to work for the successof the function as it is intended to fundcharity disbursements of the Parish.Various cultural programs, enacted by themembers of the parish were presented onstage. The highlight of the evening wasthe musical stage show presented bystars of Asianet Idea Star Singer PreethiWarrier, Vivekanandan and Arun Gopan.The program had anticipated the needs ofall the attendees, having games for theyounger generation, stalls providingIndian food. The full day program wasenjoyed by the whole community.

Ghazal eveningFirst time ghazalisation of late Indian poet and

lyricist Vayalar poems are being organized byKerala Association, Kuwait. Shaheer Kochi is per-forming the two-hour ghazal program on Saturday,Nov 27, at United Indian School, Abbassiya at 6pm. All music lovers are welcome.

Farewell

Afarewell party was thrown for V Subeesh(Friends of Kannur Jahra Unit Secretary) by

Friends of Kannur Abbasiya Unit.

When you are at RubyTuesday, you are sure to

feel comfortable and feelcared for at the very momentyou step inside the restaurant.Guests are always made tofeel special each time theyvisit Ruby Tuesday. Their lat-est promotion promises youthe newest variety servedwith quality freshness and hasgreat value for your money.

The Lunch Promotionoffers a free Garden Bar, Soupor Dessert of your choice,with every main course youorder starting from KD3.750.This promotion is valid all

days of the week exceptweekends from 11:00 am to4:00 pm. For a BusinessLunch or a Friendly gathering,Ruby Tuesday accommodatesand satisfies all. RubyTuesday is used to surprisingits guests with great momentsand extraordinary tastes. Notto mention that the car park istotally available for RubyTuesday guest with spaciousparking lot. Reserve yourtable now to indulge yourappetite. When it comes tovalue for money, you knowwhere to head; Ruby Tuesday,that’s the place to be.

Ruby Tuesday unveils irresistible offer

Kids World Nursery showcase

‘Kuwait-India’ traditions

The Kids World Bi-lingual Nursery and Kindergarten recently orga-nized a special educational activity, which featured a program focusing

on the traditions of the Kuwaiti and Indian people and finding the differ-ences between them. The program included several sketches in whichchildren participated enthusiastically.

00:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives01:00 Iron Chef America02:00 30 Minute Meals02:30 Tyler’s Ultimate03:00 Food Network Challenge04:00 Barefoot Contessa04:30 Unwrapped05:00 Iron Chef America06:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay06:30 Guys Big Bite07:00 Chopped08:00 Paula’s Best Dishes08:25 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman08:50 Guys Big Bite09:15 Barefoot Contessa09:40 Everyday Italian

Orbit / Showtime Listings

TV PROGRAMS32 Thursday, November 25, 2010

I Love You Beth Cooper on Super Movies

Hellboy II: The Golden Army on Show Movies

00:00 Ellen de Generes01:00 GMA Live repeat03:00 Royal Pains04:00 The Invisible Man05:00 Damages06:00 GMA Live Repeat08:00 Justified09:00 Damages10:00 Ellen de Generes11:00 Desperate Housewives12:00 Defying Gravity13:00 Royal Pains14:00 Justified15:00 GMA Live17:00 Desperate Housewives18:00 Ellen de Generes19:00 Royal Pains20:00 One Tree Hill21:00 Survivor 2122:00 The Tudors23:00 Saving Grace

00:50 The Most Extreme01:45 Untamed And Uncut02:40 World Wild Vet03:35 Wildest Africa04:30 Animal Cops Philadelphia05:25 Into The Dragon’s Lair06:20 Untamed And Uncut07:10 Wildlife SOS International07:35 Sspca: On The Wildside08:00 Max’s Big Tracks08:50 The Planet’s Funniest Animals09:40 Cats Of Claw Hill10:35 In Too Deep11:00 World Wild Vet11:55 Monkey Life12:20 Sspca: On The Wildside12:50 Miami Animal Police13:45 E-Vets: The Interns14:10 Pet Rescue14:40 Animal Cops South Africa15:35 Wildlife SOS16:00 Sspca: On The Wildside16:30 Dogs 10117:25 Breed All About It18:20 The Planet’s Funniest Animals19:15 World Wild Vet20:10 Lions Of Crocodile River21:10 Dogs 10122:05 Snake Crusader With Bruce George23:00 Cell Dogs23:55 Animal Cops South Africa

00:00 Modern family00:30 The Simpsons01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart01:30 The Colbert Report02:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon03:00 State of the Union03:30 Bored to death04:00 Family Guy04:30 Tonight Show with Jay Leno05:30 Eight simple Rules06:00 Hope & Faith06:30 Ten things I hate about you07:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon08:00 The Simpsons08:30 Eight simple Rules09:00 Hope & Faith09:30 Ten things I hate about you10:00 Will & Grace10:30 Modern family11:00 Eight simple Rules11:30 Hope & Faith12:00 Tonight Show with Jay Leno13:00 The Simpsons13:30 Eight simple Rules14:00 Hope & Faith14:30 Modern family15:00 Modern family15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart16:00 The Colbert Report16:30 Ten things I hate about you17:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon18:00 The Simpsons18:30 Billable Hours19:00 30 Rock19:30 Til Death20:00 Tonight Show with Jay Leno21:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 Hung22:30 The Ricky Gervais Show23:00 Family Guy23:30 30 Rock

07:00 Lazytown07:25 Imagination Movers07:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse08:15 Handy Manny08:40 Jungle Junction08:50 Special Agent Oso09:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse09:25 Handy Manny09:50 New Adventures of Winnie thePooh10:15 Little Einsteins10:40 Special Agent Oso11:05 Imagination Movers11:30 Lazytown11:55 My Friends Tigger and Pooh12:20 Handy Manny12:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse13:10 Little Einsteins13:35 JO JO’S CIRCUS (SCANDI YR1)14:00 Higglytown Heroes14:25 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse14:50 Special Agent Oso15:05 My Friends Tigger and Pooh15:30 Imagination Movers15:55 Little Einsteins16:20 Handy Manny16:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse17:10 New Adventures of Winnie thePooh17:35 Special Agent Oso17:45 Imagination Movers18:10 Handy Manny18:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse19:00 New Adventures of Winnie thePooh19:25 Handy Manny19:40 Special Agent Oso19:50 Jungle Junction

00:40 Space Pioneer01:30 The Gadget Show01:55 Building The Biggest02:45 How Stuff’s Made03:10 How Stuff’s Made03:35 Engineered04:25 How Stuff’s Made04:50 Da Vinci’s Machines05:45 Robotica06:40 Weird Connections07:10 What’s That About?08:00 Thunder Races09:00 Space Pioneer10:00 The Future Of...10:55 Stunt Junkies11:20 The Gadget Show11:50 Engineered12:45 How Stuff’s Made13:15 Da Vinci’s Machines14:10 Weird Connections14:35 The Future Of...15:30 Savage Planet15:55 Savage Planet16:25 The Gadget Show16:55 Space Pioneer17:50 Building The Biggest18:45 Brainiac19:40 Weird Or What?20:30 Science Of The Movies21:20 How It’s Made21:45 The Gadget Show22:10 How The Universe Works23:00 Weird Or What?23:50 Science Of The Movies

00:00 Mantracker Series 300:50 Winter X Games 1401:40 Untracked Series 202:30 Alpine Adventurer03:20 Mantracker Series 304:10 Fantasy Factory05:00 Quattro Int Events:freestyle Zurich05:25 Quattro Int Events: CableWakeboard Worldcup: Bursa (Tur)05:50 Untracked Series 206:40 Alpine Adventurer07:30 I-Ex09:00 Quattro Int Events: Profile SverreLiliequist & Kaj Zackrisson09:25 Quattro Int Events: Profile NicolasMuller09:50 Quattro Int Events: O’neil ColdWater Classic Canada10:15 Quattro Int Events: O’neil WaterClassic, Usa10:40 Quattro Int Events: World HeliChallange11:05 Quattro Int Events 2009 World HeliChallenge Pt 2 5311:30 Saab Salomon Mountain-X Race11:55 Shack Therapy 112:45 Fantasy Factory13:35 Mantracker Series 314:25 Untracked Series 215:15 Alpine Adventurer16:05 Shack Therapy 116:55 Fantasy Factory17:45 Quattro Int Events: Profile SverreLiliequist & Kaj Zackrisson18:10 Quattro Int Events: Profile NicolasMuller18:35 Quattro Int Events: O’neil ColdWater Classic Canada19:00 Quattro Int Events: O’neil WaterClassic, Usa19:25 Quattro Int Events: World HeliChallange19:50 Quattro Int Events 2009 World HeliChallenge Pt 2 5320:15 Saab Salomon Mountain-X Race20:40 Mantracker Series 321:30 Fantasy Factory22:20 Shack Therapy 123:10 Alpine Adventurer

01:00 The Basketball Diaries-1803:00 The Shock Doctrine-PG05:00 Pavilion Of Women-1807:00 Lovely Still-PG09:00 The Old Curiousity Shop-PG11:00 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl-PG13:00 Fireproof-PG15:00 Tennessee-PG1517:00 Last Mimzy-PG19:00 Punch-Drunk Love-1821:00 The Sisters-1823:00 Vanilla Sky-18

00:00 Sex And Lies In Sin City-1801:45 Barbarossa-PG1504:00 Stevie-PG1506:00 Cutting Edge 3-PG1508:00 Up-FAM10:00 Einstein And Eddington-PG1512:00 Hellboy II: The Golden Army-PG1514:00 Cutting Edge: Fire And Ice-PG16:00 Up-FAM18:00 Inkheart-PG20:00 Zombieland-1822:00 Observe And Report-18

01:00 Inside Ring-PG1503:00 Taken-1805:00 Dragonball: Evolution-PG07:00 Twins Effect 2-PG1509:00 Rock Monster-PG1511:00 Lost Junction-PG1513:00 The Core-PG1515:15 Rock Monster-PG1517:00 The Blackout-PG1519:00 Body Of Lies-1821:15 Scorpion-1823:00 Rec-R

00:00 Piper Penguin And His FantasticFlying Machines-PG02:00 Cloudy With A Chance OfMeatballs-PG04:00 Patoruzito-FAM06:00 Wonder Woman-PG15

00:00 Grey’s Anatomy01:00 Private Practice02:00 Martha Stewart03:00 House04:00 The View05:00 Look A Like06:00 Emmerdale06:30 Coronation Stree07:00 House08:00 Martha Stewart09:00 Look A Like10:00 House11:00 The View12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Stree13:00 Martha Stewart14:00 Grey’s Anatomy15:00 Private Practice16:00 Look A Like17:00 The View18:00 Emmerdale18:30 Eat Your Self Sexy19:00 Bones20:00 Drop Dead Diva21:00 Lie To Me22:00 The View23:00 Look A Like

00:30 International Rugby Union02:30 ICC Cricket World03:00 Live Cricket Test Match10:00 ICC Cricket World10:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights11:00 Spirit of a Champion11:30 Spirit of Yatching12:00 Brazil League Highlights12:30 Futbol Mundial13:00 Triatholn14:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights14:30 ICC Cricket World15:00 Cricket Test Match22:00 World Sport22:30 Premier League Snooker

00:30 Futbol Mundial01:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights01:30 Scottish Premier League03:30 Brazil League Highlights04:00 International Rugby Union06:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights06:30 European Tour Weekly07:00 The Ryder Cup Official Film08:30 The Open Championship OfficialFilm09:30 The US PGA Championship OfficialFilm10:30 European Tour Weekly11:00 Live European PGA Tour16:00 The Ryder Cup Official Film17:30 European Tour Weekly18:00 European PGA Tour23:30 Total Rugby

00:00 The Dish00:30 Fashion Police01:00 Clean House02:00 My Celebrity Home03:00 How Do I Look?04:00 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?05:00 Married Away06:00 Style Her Famous06:30 Area07:00 How Do I Look?08:00 Millennium Fashion: The Year InFashion09:00 My Celebrity Home10:00 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?11:00 Married Away12:00 Peter Perfect13:00 Ruby13:30 Ruby14:00 Clean House15:00 Clean House Comes Clean15:30 Style Her Famous16:00 Jerseylicious17:00 Ruby18:00 How Do I Look?19:00 How Do I Look?20:00 Peter Perfect21:00 Clean House22:00 How Do I Look?23:00 Momster Of The Bride

00:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides01:00 Down The Line02:00 Word Travels02:30 Travel Today03:00 Travel 36004:00 Globe Trekker05:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides06:00 The Thrillseekers Guide06:30 Surfari07:00 Globe Trekker08:00 48 Hours In08:30 Top Travel09:00 Word Travels09:30 Essential10:00 Chef Abroad10:30 The Thirsty Traveler11:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides12:00 Globe Trekker13:00 Planet Food14:00 Panasia14:30 Top Travel15:00 Word Travels15:30 Essential16:00 Globe Trekker17:00 Culture Shock17:30 Chef Abroad18:00 Panasia18:30 The Thirsty Traveler19:00 Globe Trekker20:00 Planet Food21:00 Hollywood And Vines21:30 The Thirsty Traveler22:00 Working Holiday23:00 Globe Trekker

00:00 Golf Channel - TBA02:00 Golf Central International 02:30 Golf Channel - TBA06:00 NFL Replay Teams TBA07:00 College Football Saturday Preview 07:30 Sport Express 08:30 Big Ten Women’s Basketball:Marquette v Wisconsin10:30 Golf Central International 11:00 European Tour Dubai WorldChampionship Rd. 1 Dubai, UAE16:00 Asian Tour Barclays SingaporeOpen 16:30 Sport Express 17:00 NFL Replay Teams TBA18:00 Prime/Time Boxing 20:00 NHL Pittsburgh Penguins at BuffaloSabres23:00 College Football Saturday Preview 23:30 FOX NFL Sunday

00:40 Overhaulin’01:35 Dirty Jobs02:30 Science Of The Movies03:25 Extreme Engineering04:20 Mythbusters05:15 How Stuff’s Made05:40 How Do They Do It?06:05 Dirty Jobs07:00 Fifth Gear07:25 Extreme Engineering08:15 American Chopper09:10 Mythbusters10:05 Ultimate Survival10:55 Overhaulin’11:50 The Gadget Show12:20 How Stuff’s Made12:45 How Do They Do It?13:15 Mythbusters14:10 Miami Ink15:05 Ultimate Survival16:00 Dirty Jobs16:55 Overhaulin’17:50 Mythbusters18:45 Cake Boss19:10 Border Security19:40 The Gadget Show20:05 How Do They Do It?20:35 How Stuff’s Made21:00 Extreme Machines21:55 Manhunt: Search For A Killer22:50 Inside The Aryan Brotherhood23:45 True CSI

00:00 Before You Say I Do-PG1502:00 Two Can Play That Game-PG1504:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua-PG06:00 Lucky Break-PG1508:00 Paul Blart Mall Cop-PG1510:00 The Coneheads-PG1512:00 Down To You-PG1514:00 Car Babes-PG1516:00 Before You Say I Do-PG1518:00 The First $20 Million Is Always TheHardest-PG1520:00 Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist-PG1522:00 Finding Bliss-18

00:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter01:00 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge02:00 UFC 12305:00 V8 Supercars Championship07:00 WWE Smackdown09:00 WWE Bottom Line10:00 Red Bull X-Fighters 11:30 UFC All Access12:00 WWE Vintage Collection13:00 WWE Bottom Line14:00 V8 Supercars Championship16:00 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge17:00 UFC 12320:00 WWE NXT21:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter22:00 UFC Unleashed23:00 UFC Unleashed

08:00 Pocahontas II: Winter Of The RockyMount-FAM10:00 Patoruzito-FAM12:00 Winx : Secret Of The LostKingdom-PG1514:00 Cloudy With A Chance OfMeatballs-PG16:00 Christmas In New York-PG18:00 How To Eat Fried Worms-FAM20:00 Justice League: Crisis On TwoEarths-PG22:00 Winx : Secret Of The LostKingdom-PG15

00:30 Love Soup01:00 Love Soup01:30 The Weakest Link02:15 Casualty03:05 Eastenders03:35 Doctors04:05 Last Of The Summer Wine04:35 The Roly Mo Show04:50 Fimbles05:10 Penelope K, By The Way05:25 Me Too05:45 Forget Me Not Farm06:00 The Roly Mo Show06:15 Fimbles06:35 Penelope K, By The Way06:45 Tellytales06:55 Me Too07:15 Forget Me Not Farm07:30 Forget Me Not Farm07:45 Fimbles08:00 Penelope K, By The Way08:10 Tellytales08:20 Me Too08:45 Forget Me Not Farm09:00 The Roly Mo Show09:15 Penelope K, By The Way09:30 Fimbles09:50 Tellytales10:00 Me Too10:20 Forget Me Not Farm10:35 Last Of The Summer Wine11:35 The Weakest Link12:20 Monarch Of The Glen13:15 Doctors13:45 Eastenders14:15 Casualty15:05 Last Of The Summer Wine16:40 Monarch Of The Glen17:30 The Weakest Link18:15 Doctors18:45 Eastenders19:15 Casualty20:10 Monarch Of The Glen21:00 The Weakest Link21:45 Doctors22:15 Eastenders22:45 Casualty23:40 Michael Palin’s New Europe

00:40 Dr G: Medical Examiner01:30 Ghost Lab02:20 A Haunting03:10 I Almost Got Away With It04:05 Murder Shift05:00 Forensic Detectives05:55 Ghosthunters06:20 Dr G: Medical Examiner07:10 Real Emergency Calls07:35 Real Emergency Calls08:00 Mystery Diagnosis08:50 Real Emergency Calls09:15 Real Emergency Calls09:40 Forensic Detectives10:30 Impossible Heists11:20 Extreme Forensics12:10 FBI Files13:00 Ghost Lab13:50 On The Case With Paula Zahn14:40 Mystery Diagnosis15:30 Real Emergency Calls15:55 Real Emergency Calls16:20 Extreme Forensics17:10 Forensic Detectives18:00 Impossible Heists18:50 FBI Files19:40 Mystery Diagnosis20:30 Real Emergency Calls20:55 Real Emergency Calls21:20 Ghost Lab22:10 On The Case With Paula Zahn23:00 On The Case With Paula Zahn23:50 Dr G: Medical Examiner

00:15 Out Of Jimmy’s Head00:40 Chowder01:05 Cow And Chicken01:30 Cramp Twins01:55 George Of The Jungle02:20 Adrenalini Brothers02:45 Eliot Kid03:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy03:35 Ben 10: Alien Force04:00 The Powerpuff Girls04:15 Foster’s Home For ImaginaryFriends04:40 The Secret Saturdays05:05 Codename: Kids Next Door05:30 Ben 1005:55 Best ED06:20 Samurai Jack06:45 Cramp Twins07:10 Eliot Kid07:35 The Marvelous Misadventures OfFlapjack08:00 Codename: Kids Next Door08:25 Chowder08:50 Best ED09:15 Chop Socky Chooks09:40 Ben 10: Alien Force10:05 Bakugan Battle Brawlers10:30 Fantastic Four: World’s GreatestHeroes10:55 Eliot Kid11:20 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey11:30 Squirrel Boy11:55 Robotboy12:20 Camp Lazlo12:45 The Powerpuff Girls13:10 Class Of 300013:35 Ed, Edd N Eddy14:00 Foster’s Home For ImaginaryFriends14:25 Codename: Kids Next Door14:50 Ben 1015:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey15:40 Squirrel Boy16:05 Eliot Kid16:35 Casper’s Scare School17:00 Skunk Fu!17:25 Fantastic Four: World’s GreatestHeroes17:50 Bakugan Battle Brawlers18:15 The Secret Saturdays18:40 Ben 10: Alien Force19:05 Hero 10819:30 Total Drama World Tour20:00 Best ED20:25 Foster’s Home For ImaginaryFriends20:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey21:05 The Powerpuff Girls21:30 The Marvelous Misadventures OfFlapjack21:45 Ben 10: Alien Force22:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy22:35 Robotboy23:00 Camp Lazlo

00:30 Masterchef01:00 What Not To Wear01:50 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes02:40 Home For Life03:30 Fantasy Homes By The Sea04:15 The Restaurant UK05:05 Cash In The Attic USA05:25 Daily Cooks Challenge05:55 Daily Cooks Challenge06:25 What Not To Wear07:15 Fantasy Homes By The Sea08:00 Antiques Roadshow08:50 What Not To Wear09:40 Antiques Roadshow10:30 Hidden Potential10:55 Cash In The Attic USA11:20 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes12:10 Home For Life13:00 Fantasy Homes By The Sea13:50 The Restaurant UK14:40 What Not To Wear15:30 Home For Life16:20 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes17:10 Bargain Hunt17:55 Masterchef18:25 Daily Cooks Challenge18:50 Daily Cooks Challenge19:20 Daily Cooks Challenge19:50 The Restaurant UK20:40 Masterchef21:10 Ching’s Kitchen21:35 Ching’s Kitchen22:00 The Home Show22:50 Fantasy Homes By The Sea23:40 The Restaurant UK

01:00 The Stepfather-1803:00 Inconceivable-PG1505:00 2012: Startling New Secret-PG07:00 Beauty And The Briefcase-PG1509:00 Witness: The Kidnapping Of PattyHearst-PG1511:00 The Missing Person-PG1513:00 Capitalism: A Love Story-PG1515:15 Racing For Time-PG1517:00 Witness: The Kidnapping Of PattyHearst-PG1519:00 The Missing Person-PG1521:00 Cadillac Records-1823:00 I Love You Beth Cooper-PG15

00:40 MysteryQuest01:30 Cities of the Underworld02:20 The Universe03:10 How the Earth Was Made04:00 America: The Story of the US04:55 Life After People05:50 Clash of the Gods06:40 MysteryQuest07:30 Cities of the Underworld08:20 The Universe09:10 How the Earth Was Made10:00 America: The Story of the US10:55 Life After People11:50 Clash of the Gods12:40 MysteryQuest13:30 Cities of the Underworld14:20 The Universe15:10 How the Earth Was Made16:00 America: The Story of the US16:55 Life After People17:50 Clash of the Gods18:40 Modern Marvels 19:30 Cities of the Underworld20:20 The Universe21:10 How the Earth Was Made22:00 Life After People22:55 The Universe23:50 Modern Marvels

15:00 Babar15:25 Rupert15:50 Ned’s Newt16:15 Beverly Hills Teen Club16:40 Sabrina The Animated Series17:05 The Beach Crew17:10 Boo And Me17:15 New Adventures Of Ocean Girl17:40 Dino Squad18:05 The Future Is Wild18:30 Rescue Heroes18:50 Even Stevens19:15 The Beach Crew19:20 Boo And Me19:25 Dennis The Menace19:35 Fat Dog Mendoza20:00 Sonic Underground20:20 Dino Squad20:45 The Future Is Wild21:10 Rescue Heroes21:30 Ace Lightning22:00 Even Stevens22:25 Sabrina The Animated Series22:50 Tales From The Cryptkeeper23:10 Rescue Heroes23:35 Ace Lightning

00:15 Pretty Wild00:40 Dr 9021001:30 Wildest TV Show Moments01:55 Reality Hell02:20 THS03:15 Extreme Hollywood04:10 Sexiest05:05 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties05:30 Streets Of Hollywood06:00 THS07:45 Behind The Scenes08:35 E! News09:00 The Daily 1009:25 Giuliana And Bill09:50 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane10:15 THS12:00 E! News12:25 The Daily 1012:50 Fashion Police13:15 Pretty Wild13:40 Keeping Up With The Kardashians14:05 Kendra14:30 E!es15:25 THS16:15 Behind The Scenes17:10 The Spin Crowd18:00 E! News18:25 The Daily 1018:50 Keeping Up With The Kardashians19:15 Pretty Wild19:40 E!es20:30 Kendra20:55 Chelsea Lately21:20 Keeping Up With The Kardashians22:10 E! News22:35 The Daily 10

01:00 Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams02:25 The Screening Room02:50 A Man For All Seasons05:00 The Screening Room05:30 The Killer Elite08:00 The Philadelphia Story09:50 Two Weeks In Another Town11:35 The Screening Room12:05 A Patch Of Blue13:50 On The Town15:30 A Man For All Seasons17:30 The Screening Room18:00 Ride The High Country19:35 Seven Brides For Seven Brothers21:20 Singin’ In The Rain

00:00 Fareed Zakaria Gps01:00 The Best Of Backstory01:30 World Sport02:00 World Report04:00 World Business Today04:45 CNN Marketplace Middle East05:00 World View05:30 Mainsail06:00 News Special06:30 I Report For CNN07:00 World Sport07:30 Revealed08:00 World Report08:30 The Best Of Backstory09:00 World Report11:00 World Business Today12:00 World Report12:30 World View13:00 Larry King Live14:00 World Report

01:05 Romeo Is Bleeding02:55 Object Of Beauty, The04:35 The Donor06:10 Chattahoochee07:40 Movers & Shakers09:00 Napoleon10:20 Making Mr. Right 11:55 Bigger Than The Sky13:40 Impasse 15:20 Spikes Gang16:55 Where Angels Fear To Tread 18:45 Star For Two20:20 Mechanic22:00 Stay Hungry 23:40 100 Films & A Funeral

00:00 New Adventures Of Ocean Girl00:25 Sabrina The Animated Series00:50 Sonic Underground01:15 Fat Dog Mendoza01:40 Tales From The Cryptkeeper02:00 Fat Dog Mendoza Marathon07:00 Dennis The Menace07:25 Beverly Hills Teen Club07:45 Pelswick08:10 Jass Time08:12 Boo And Me08:15 Fat Dog Mendoza08:40 The Fairly Oddparents09:05 The Beach Crew09:10 Cyberchase09:35 Birdz10:00 The Beach Crew10:05 Heathcliff10:30 Ned’s Newt10:55 New Adventures Of Madeline11:20 Rupert11:45 Babar12:10 Max And Ruby12:30 Corduroy12:55 Rupert13:20 New Adventures Of Madeline13:45 Ned’s Newt14:10 Corduroy14:35 Max And Ruby

00:00 VH1 Rocks00:30 Smells Like The 90s01:00 Music For The Masses02:00 VH1 Music06:00 Chill Out08:00 VH1 Hits10:00 Aerobic11:00 VH1 Hits12:00 Music For The Masses13:00 Top 1014:00 Music For The Masses15:00 VH1 Pop Chart16:00 VH1 Hits18:00 Music For The Masses20:00 Guess The Year21:00 Music For The Masses22:00 Robbie Williams Top 2023:00 Robbie Williams Top 20

ACCOMMODATION

33

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Arrival Flights on Thursday 25/11/2010Airlines Flt Route TimeKLM 447 AMSTERDAM / BAHRAIN 0:10WAN 306 CAIRO 0:40JZR 267 BEIRUT 0:45KAC 802 CAIRO 1:30WAN 646 VIENNA / BEIRUT 1:35GFA 211 BAHRAIN 1:40ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 1:45THY 772 ISTANBUL 2:15UAE 853 DUBAI 2:35DHX 370 BAHRAIN 2:45QTR 138 DOHA 2:45FDB 67 DUBAI 3:05ETD 305 ABU DHABI 3:10JZR 503 LUXOR 4:00KAC 544 CAIRO 4:40JZR 207 DAMASCUS 5:05CLX 792 LUXEMBOURG 5:05JZR 555 ALEXANDRIA 6:00FCX 201 DOHA 6:15BAW 157 LONDON 6:40KAC 412 MANILA / BANGKOK 6:45KAC 204 LAHORE 7:35FDB 53 DUBAI 7:45KAC 302 MUMBAI 7:55KAC 332 TRIVANDRUM 8:05KAC 676 DUBAI 8:10KAC 284 DHAKA 8:15KAC 362 COLOMBO 8:20UAE 855 DUBAI 8:30ABY 123 SHARJAH 9:05QTR 132 DOHA 9:05IRA 605 ISFAHAN 9:15ETD 301 ABU DHABI 9:30GFA 213 BAHRAIN 9:35WAN 182 BAHRAIN 10:50WAN 102 DUBAI 11:05JZR 121 BAHRAIN 11:10JZR 165 DUBAI 11:20MEA 404 BEIRUT 11:55KAC 772 RIYADH 12:40MSR 610 CAIRO 12:55JZR 257 BEIRUT 13:00KAC 672 DUBAI 13:25FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50MSR 621 ASSIUT 13:55SYR 341 DAMASCUS 14:00UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 14:10SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30KAC 552 DAMASCUS 14:40JZR 357 MASHAD 14:55QTR 134 DOHA 15:00JZR 549 ALEXANDRIA 15:10KAC 546 ALEXANDRIA 15:30MLR 403 COLOMBO / DUBAI 16:40ETD 303 ABU DHABI 16:50UAE 857 DUBAI 16:55KAC 118 NEW YORK 16:55GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:05WAN 402 BEIRUT 17:10SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20RJA 800 AMMAN 17:30JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:30KAC 562 AMMAN 17:35JZR 239 AMMAN 17:40ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:45WAN 322 SHARM EL SHEIKH 17:50ALK 227 COLOMBO / DUBAI 18:10JZR 177 DUBAI 18:15WAN 304 CAIRO 18:25WAN 204 JEDDAH 18:25KAC 502 BEIRUT 18:45KAC 542 CAIRO 18:50KAC 618 DOHA 18:55WAN 106 DUBAI 18:55KAC 786 JEDDAH 19:10KAC 614 BAHRAIN 19:20KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25KAC 774 RIYADH 19:30KAC 104 LONDON 19:35IRA 617 AHWAZ 19:45WAN 642 VIENNA 19:50SIA 458 SINGAPORE / ABU DHABI 20:00VOS 93 KANDAHAR / DUBAI 20:00FDB 61 DUBAI 20:05OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:10JAI 572 MUMBAI 20:15MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 20:35DHX 372 BAHRAIN 21:00GFA 217 BAHRAIN 21:15MEA 402 BEIRUT 21:20JZR 201 DAMASCUS 21:30QTR 136 DOHA 21:35UAE 859 DUBAI 21:40KLM 445 AMSTERDAM 21:40KAC 178 GENEVA / FRANKFURT 21:45JZR 513 SHARM EL SHEIKH 21:55MSR 606 LUXOR 22:05IAC 981 CHENNAI / AHMEDABAD 22:05MSR 612 CAIRO 22:45JZR 185 DUBAI 22:45JZR 135 BAHRAIN 22:55UAL 981 BAHRAIN 23:00WAN 186 BAHRAIN 23:10AXB 389 KOZHIKODE / MANGALORE 23:30DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:35WAN 422 AMMAN 23:45WAN 108 DUBAI 23:55PIA 205 LAHORE 23:55

Departure Flights on Thursday 25/11/2010Airlines Flt Route TimeAXB 394 COCHIN / KOZHIKODE 0:40

UAL 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 0:45

IAC 576 GOA / CHENNAI 0:50

PIA 216 KARACHI 1:10

KLM 447 AMSTERDAM 1:25

DLH 637 FRANKFURT 1:30

ETH 620 BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA 2:30

THY 773 ISTANBUL 3:15

DHX 371 BAHRAIN 3:45

FDB 68 DUBAI 3:45

UAE 854 DUBAI 3:50

ETD 306 ABU DHABI 4:00

QTR 139 DOHA 4:55

CLX 792 HONG KONG 6:20

JZR 164 DUBAI 6:55

JZR 256 BEIRUT 7:00

RJA 803 AMMAN 7:00

GFA 212 BAHRAIN 7:15

WAN 181 BAHRAIN 7:55

JZR 548 ALEXANDRIA 7:55

JZR 120 BAHRAIN 8:20

FDB 54 DUBAI 8:25

WAN 641 VIENNA 8:40

KAC 545 ALEXANDRIA 8:50

JZR 356 MASHAD 8:50

BAW 156 LONDON 8:55

KAC 671 DUBAI 9:00

KAC 551 DAMASCUS 9:10

KAC 771 RIYADH 9:20

KAC 101 LONDON / NEW YORK 9:35

UAE 856 DUBAI 9:40

ABY 124 SHARJAH 9:45

QTR 133 DOHA 10:00

IRA 606 MASHAD 10:15

ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:20

GFA 214 BAHRAIN 10:20

KAC 165 ROME / PARIS 11:45

KAC 541 CAIRO 12:00

JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:00

JZR 238 AMMAN 12:10

KAC 561 AMMAN 12:25

MEA 405 BEIRUT 12:55

WAN 203 JEDDAH 13:00

KAC 501 BEIRUT 13:00

KAC 785 JEDDAH 13:40

JZR 176 DUBAI 13:50

MSR 611 CAIRO 13:55

WAN 201 JEDDAH 14:00

FDB 58 DUBAI 14:35

MSR 622 ASSIUT 14:50

SYR 342 DAMASCUS 15:00

KAC 673 DUBAI 15:10

WAN 401 BEIRUT 15:15

UAL 982 BAHRAIN 15:25

KAC 617 DOHA 15:35

JZR 512 SHARM EL SHEIKH 15:40

SVA 505 JEDDAH 16:00

WAN 321 SHARM EL SHEIKH 16:00

JZR 200 DAMASCUS 16:00

KAC 773 RIYADH 16:10

KAC 613 BAHRAIN 16:20

QTR 135 DOHA 16:30

MLR 404 DUBAI / COLOMBO 17:40

ETD 304 ABU DHABI 17:40

VOS 82 BAGHDAD 18:00

WAN 305 CAIRO 18:05

GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:05

UAE 858 DUBAI 18:10

RJA 801 AMMAN 18:15

JZR 184 DUBAI 18:20

ABY 128 SHARJAH 18:25

SVA 511 RIYADH 18:35

JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:40

ALK 228 DUBAI / COLOMBO 19:10

KAC 285 CHITTAGONG 19:15

WAN 107 DUBAI 19:40

JZR 134 BAHRAIN 20:05

KAC 283 DHAKA 20:15

KAC 361 COLOMBO 20:20

IRA 616 AHWAZ 20:45

FDB 62 DUBAI 20:50

KAC 351 COCHIN 20:55

OMA 648 MUSCAT 21:10

JAI 571 MUMBAI 21:15

SIA 457 ABU DHABI / SINGAPORE 21:25

MSR 619 ALEXANDRIA 21:35

KAC 543 CAIRO 21:55

DHX 373 BAHRAIN 22:00

KAC 677 DUBAI / MUSCAT 22:10

GFA 218 BAHRAIN 22:15

MEA 403 BEIRUT 22:20

JZR 206 DAMASCUS 22:20

FCX 102 BAHRAIN 22:30

QTR 137 DOHA 22:35

KLM 445 BAHRAIN / AMSTERDAM 22:40

KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:45

JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 22:45

UAE 860 DUBAI 22:50

KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00

MSR 607 LUXOR 23:05

JZR 222 ALEPPO 23:35

JZR 502 LUXOR 23:45

KAC 415 KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA 23:45

MSR 613 CAIRO 23:45

KAC 411 BANGKOK / MANILA 23:55

SITUATION VACANTSITUATION WANTED

Sharing accommodation

available in Farwaniya for

decent working ladies near

Crowne Plaza. Contact:

94026603. (C 2887)

Sharing accommodation

available for executive

bachelor Muslim, fur-

nished flat near Behbe-

hani complex Sharq. Con-

tact: 65627272. (C 2888)

One furnished indepen-

dent room with balcony

available from Dec 1st for

2/3 months for a decent

exec bachelor, new build-

ing C-A/C sat & kitchen

facil i ty W&E free. Opp

Appolo hospital Shara

Amman st, Salmiya. Con-

tact: 99761807. (C 2886)25-11-2010

Room for rent in Hawally,

family or bachelor, Tunis

st. front side of Al Bahar

center. Contact:

99593486, 97672748. (C2884)

Room for rent in Far-

waniya for a couple or two

working ladies or a decent

bachelor with kitchen facil-

ities. Contact: 66021273,

97449272.

(C 2885)24-11-2010

Sharing accommodation

available for bachelors or

family opposite Al Rashid

hospital, Amman street

Salmiya. Contact:

65515717. (C 2881)23-10-2010

Room for rent (partition),

for couple or working

ladies. Near big jamiya

In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation

of bookings will help other passengers to use seats

FOR SALE

Nissan Maxima 2001

model, gold color, CD cas-

sette player, mileage

110,000 km, full option.

Price KD 1250. Call

55522942. (C 2882)

23-11-2010

2009 model Nissan Altima,

ful l option, red color,

mileage 25000 km, acci-

FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

Workshop foreman, build-

ing maint co-ordinator,

Indian male, over 20 years

experience in rebuilding

semi hermetic HVAC com-

pressors with good knowl-

edge of chilled water sys-

tem. Email:

A decent housemaid isurgently needed for a familyin Mangaf. Please call60055305

25-11-2010

Required English speakingmaid/nanny. Please contact99824597. (C 2880)

23-10-2010

dent free, cash KD 1000

(negotiable). Installments

to be carried over with

financing company (43

months x KD 95/month).

Contact: 66774928. (C

2879)

22-11-2010

Toyota Corolla, model

2009 XLi, green color,

excellent condition, cash

price KD 3,400. (Install-

ment possible). Contact:

55271217.

(C 2873)

20-10-2010

comp.tech392@gmail.com

(C 2883)23-11-2010

Need a job as accountant.

I am B.Com + MBA, 4

years experience in

Kuwait, good reporting &

software skills, hard work-

er & good organizational

behavior. I have car & dri-

ving l icense. Contact:

55355954. (C 2878)22-11-2010

Farwaniya, available from

November 23, 2010. Con-

tact: 66826412.

22-11-2010

Sharing accommodation

available in Abbassiya for

one or two working ladies

or married couple with

Keralite family. Contact:

66013882. (C 2874)

Room for rent, big room in

Farwaniya, block - 1, near

Canary, near Fire station.

Contact: 99035093. (C2875)

Sharing accommodation

available in Abbasiya for

an executive bachelor

from December 2010

onwards. (Keralites only)

Contact: 66725048.

(C 2877)

Furnished 2 BR apart-

ment in Mangaf, Street

100, from January 2011.

Rent KD 200, furniture KD

450, sharing possible.

Contact: 66601523 /

23728467.

(C 2876)21-11-2010

Sharing accommodation

available in New Riggai

(CA/C building) for family

or working ladies. Only

Keralites. Contact:

99874350.

(C 2872)20-11-2010

Leo (July 23-August 22) Starting over, backing up andmaking changes may take up most of your morning—patience. A customer or a higher up has changed theirmind now and you are the one that has to do the work. Youmake the changes and tend to details. The conditions this

afternoon are independence, creativity and initiative. Yesterday, you made acontact that has good financial potential. You could be leading a groupdiscussion this afternoon that deals with academic crusades. Science,philosophy and religion are likely to be subjects you will enjoy taking orteaching. It has been said that we teach what we need to learn and in yourcase, you enjoy the subjects. You enjoy long conversations with loved onestonight. Be wise in your choice of dessert tonight.

CROSSWORD 149

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

Kuwait 00965Qatar 00974Abu Dhabi 009712Dubai 009714Raas Al Khayma 009717Al-Shareqa 009716Muscat 00968Jordan 009626Bahrain 00973Riyadh 009661Makkah - Jeddah 009662Cairo 00202Alexandria 00203Beirut 009611Damascus 0096311Allepo 0096321

Tunisia 0021610Rabat 002127Washington 001212New York 001718Paris 00331London 004471Madrid 00341Zurich 00411Geneva 004122Monaco 0033Rome 00396Bangkok 00662Hong Kong 00852Pakistan 0092Taiwan 00886Bonn 0049228

Calvin

Pooch Cafe

Non Sequitur

Zits

Mother Goose and Grimm

Yesterday’s Solution

ACROSS1. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 10 liters.4. A member of a widespread group of Amerindians living in northeastern SouthAmerica.10. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.13. A self-funded retirement plan that allows you to contribute a limited yearlysum toward your retirement.14. A member of an agricultural people of southern India.15. Fermented alcoholic beverage similar to but heavier than beer.16. Electronic warfare undertaken to prevent or reduce an enemy's effective useof the electromagnetic spectrum.17. Small shrubby African tree having compound leaves and racemes of smallfragrant green flowers.19. A sock with a separation for the big toe.21. Hormone released by the hypothalamus that controls the release of thyroid-stimulating hormone from the anterior pituitary.23. An informal term for a father.25. A fraudulent business scheme.31. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.33. A card game for 2 players.35. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learningdisorders.37. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.38. A collection of objects laid on top of each other.39. The hair growing on the lower part of a man's face.44. The rate of moving (especially walking or running).45. A small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun.46. King of Saudi Arabia since 1982 (born in 1922).53. A large vase that usually has a pedestal or feet.57. Being two more than fifty.58. German iris having large white flowers with lavender-tinged falls and afragrant rhizome.59. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.60. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.61. A religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery.62. Type genus of the Anatidae.

DOWN1. Having relatively few calories.2. Type genus of the family Arcidae.3. The 11th letter of the Greek alphabet.4. A defensive missile designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballisticmissiles.5. Follower of Rastafarianism.6. The sixth month of the civil year.7. A thin coat of water-base paint.8. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).9. Unknown god.10. A challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy.11. By bad luck.12. (Greek mythology) The goddess of youth and spring.18. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.20. A metrical unit with unstressed-stressed syllables.22. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy forthe sale of petroleum.24. Large swift fly the female of which sucks blood of various animals.26. (of a young animal) Abandoned by its mother and raised by hand.27. The cry made by sheep.28. Agitation resulting from active worry.29. A state in the western United States.30. Type genus of the Nepidae.32. A logarithmic unit of sound intensity.34. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband ofJezebel (9th century BC).36. Minute freshwater crustacean having a round body enclosed in a transparentshell.40. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiatedmaterial.41. The district occupied entirely by the city of Washington.42. Any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia.43. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.47. Fleshy and usually brightly colored cover of some seeds that develops fromthe ovule stalk and partially or entirely envelopes the seed.48. A unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries.49. Imprudently incurring risk.50. (statistics) Approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value.51. A small cake leavened with yeast.52. A river that rises in northeastern Turkey (near the source of the Euphrates)and flows generally eastward through Armenia to the Caspian Sea.54. A cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt.55. Someone who engages in arbitrage (who purchases securities in one marketfor immediate resale in another in the hope of profiting from the pricedifferential).56. A federal agency established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You are full of energy andenjoy having a busy life. Parental advice, no matter how oldyou are, is valid. Listen to the voice of experience andavoid making costly mistakes. You should probably beginto consider securing the advances you have made recently.

It may be best to begin to dig in and strengthen your current position ratherthan expand outward too much. You will find your mind beginning to turnaway from the external or the material and to be concerned with more inwardand spiritual ideas. All of this will become clear soon. You tend toward mentalpursuits and admire intelligence. There is an emphasis on communication,expression of ideas and the connections between things, places and people.Your mind will motivate you.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You are an action personwho gains the attention of others and seems to get thingsmoving. The circumstances of your life suggest occasionalextroversion. Self-discipline is the important issue now, asthat is what stabilizes your work as well as your

relationships. Today you may be looking for a new vehicle. A better means oftransportation has been needed for some time and now is the time to lookaround and make some decisions. There are opportunities to improve yourcareer through travel, writing or studying some new technique. General goodfeelings and a sense of support and harmony make this a happy time. A familymeeting keeps you on your toes this evening, so to speak. It may be time toset a teacher conference date for those with children.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This is a great time to bewith others and to work together. You can expect a little boost,some extra support or recognition from those around you atthis time. At home this afternoon, you may decide to rearrangefurniture and update some of your possessions. If you are livingin a family, you will take others likes and dislikes very seriously.Psychological values and material possessions become very

important for you—there is a state of change. Style and colors are also in aprocess of change. Financial gain and material well-being are among thebrighter prospects looming before you now as you focus in on how muchthings really mean to you. Careful—there may be a tendency to emphasizethe material too much.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) A forgotten meetingcould derail your work so check your schedule book to staywith the program of the week. You want to set clear goals.Anything that cannot wait for you to check it out is a falselead—drop it! There are new opportunities to gainrecognition in your job. You have plenty of enthusiasm and

warm up to people quickly. A superior may want to add to your schedule thisweek but may have no room for new projects. You might ask for a suggestionas to what they would want you to cut in order to handle this new project. Thiswould serve several purposes and give the responsibility to delay action on afew projects to someone other than you. After work, you try your hand atrepairing a technical piece of equipment.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Althoughyou like a little excitement in your life from time to time,you are happy when everything is comfortable andordinary. You are active and inspired today to encouragechanges in the guidelines for employees or some other

system that would be most beneficial to all concerned. Spending a littlemoney to appease the employees will help increase sales that will morethan make up for the money spent on the employees. Your mind may stillbe busy thinking about some new ideas. In order to relax, you may behappier if you just go ahead and write down your ideas for later speculation.The evening brings a relief from this busy day. You spend quality time withfamily members. Those close to you are loving and supportive.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) When you request aloan or a raise, you are so thorough in your reasons for howmuch you think you might need and how you can pay itback, that your request is well received. When asking formoney, you might hold out for a lower interest rate.

Homeless shelters, recreation programs and various other causes are aninterest for you this winter. You may decide to do some sort of canvassing inthe neighborhood to collect items for a church that helps to feed the homelessin your city. You may even take turns with the sorting or the delivery. You findyourself involved more in community and religious projects. If you live in theUSA and are thinking about special plans for the next holiday . . . now is thetime to complete those plans and begin decorating.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Youprepare to move on to a brand-new professionalendeavor at this time. Your attitude this day is that youwould like to try out something before you sign yourname on the dotted line. You become an unstoppableentity as you endeavor to go where people have never

gone before, or do things that few have done before. You have the desire andthe energy to move forward with your goals. Your curiosity and intelligencewill help you move into a different type of job or life style, if that is what youneed. Building a new type of home, living in space or living under the sea,you enjoy the innovative experiences that you have been allowed to enjoy atthis time in your life. You may be happy to see that family members aremaking the effort to cooperate with you.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may feelemotionally frustrated today. This could be caused by your ownbusy schedule or by someone else interrupting your schedule.It is commendable that you are so cooperative. The way youdeal with necessities and obligations, health and work inparticular, is in a state of transformation. Your patience isadmired and you will see positive results from your efforts. A

trusted confidante advises you on the state of affairs in the President’s office.A new diet or exercise program can improve your life and your outlook at thistime. Beautiful surroundings help relax you after a day of office tension. Youare in a frisky mood this evening. Love and compassion are wonderful friendstonight. Love waits on welcome, not on time.

Libra (September 23-October 22) You deal withabstract matters while remaining practical today. Youcould find a clash of ideas while discussing business ina meeting. Some people will think there is a problem ora conflict, but you understand the complexities and so,

what seems to be a problem is actually lending spice and inspiration to theprocess of the work. Matters of law hold your interest. Your attention is onachievement, prestige and promotion. Your self-confidence increases as yousee the result of your work. You may want to just get out and walk thisafternoon in order to gain some focus or just have some thoughts of yourown. You have vegetables in your garden that are ready to be gathered.Tonight there is time for a romantic dinner.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Events can never get anystranger than they are now. You could easily feelconfused and misdirected. Avoid the tendency to bedeluded by taking things more slowly—avoid thetemptation to rush. Take a deep breath and give

yourself plenty of time before making a final decision about heavy-dutyprojects. You might find that things magically change in a few days. Thingsare happening and your career or path depends upon your own ambition anddrive, which are strong now. There is a heightened artistic inspiration thatmay manifest itself in creative work or just the urge to experience the beautyof nature. Your good cheer today enhances your social life and may intensifyromance. Your intuition is sharpened and may lead you to new insights.

Aries (March 21-April 19) Lessons learned inbusiness are very valuable today. Acknowledge yourteachers, who will come in many forms. A colleagueappears more informed than he or she really is. Onceyour critical mind is in gear, a lack of information maycause you to be dissatisfied. Take some time before

you step up to speak. When you do some research, you will open a door ofopportunity that will help increase your finances. Your health improves. Youmay find that circumstances are quite different from one day to the next. Alittle shopping this afternoon will take you into a music store. Choose musicthat matches your current mood for some good relaxation therapy thisafternoon. Charm and romance are strong tonight—an adventure is on theway. Make a wish.

Word SleuthSolution

SPECTRUM

Yesterday’s Solution

34 Thursday, November 25, 2010

POLICE STATION

HOSPITALS

Al-Madena Police Station 22434064Al-Murqab Police Station 22435865Al-Daiya Police Station 22544200Al-Fayha’a Police Station 22547133Al-Qadissiya Police Station 22515277Al-Nugra Police Station 22616662Al-Salmiya Police Station 25714406Al-Dasma Police Station 22530801

PHARMACIES ON 24 HRS DUTY

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONEAhmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883

Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

CLINICS

Roudha 22517733

Adhaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Keifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salim 22549134

Al-Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Al-Khadissiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar 22531908

Al-Shaab 22518752

Al-Kibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla 22451082

Al-Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W.Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Al-Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 4892674

Al-Omariya 4719048

N.Kheitan 4710044

Rabiya 4732263

Fintas 3900322

FIRE BRIGADE

Operation Room 112Al-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

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

Afghanistan 0093Albania 00355Algeria 00213Andorra 00376Angola 00244Anguilla 001264Antiga 001268Argentina 0054Armenia 00374Australia 0061Austria 0043Bahamas 001242Bahrain 00973Bangladesh 00880Barbados 001246Belarus 00375Belgium 0032Belize 00501Benin 00229Bermuda 001441Bhutan 00975Bolivia 00591Bosnia 00387Botswana 00267Brazil 0055Brunei 00673Bulgaria 00359Burkina 00226Burundi 00257Cambodia 00855Cameroon 00237Canada 001Cape Verde 00238Cayman Islands 001345Central African Republic 00236Chad 00235Chile 0056China 0086Colombia 0057Comoros 00269Congo 00242Cook Islands 00682Costa Rica 00506Croatia 00385Cuba 0053Cyprus 00357Cyprus (Northern) 0090392Czech Republic 00420Denmark 0045Diego Garcia 00246Djibouti 00253Dominica 001767Dominican Republic 001809Ecuador 00593Egypt 0020El Salvador 00503England (UK) 0044

Equatorial Guinea 00240Eritrea 00291Estonia 00372Ethiopia 00251Falkland Islands 00500Faroe Islands 00298Fiji 00679Finland 00358France 0033French Guiana 00594French Polynesia 00689Gabon 00241Gambia 00220Georgia 00995Germany 0049Ghana 00233Gibraltar 00350Greece 0030Greenland 00299Grenada 001473Guadeloupe 00590Guam 001671Guatemala 00502Guinea 00224Guyana 00592Haiti 00509Holland (Netherlands) 0031Honduras 00504Hong Kong 00852Hungary 0036Ibiza (Spain) 0034Iceland 00354India 0091Indian Ocean 00873Indonesia 0062Iran 0098Iraq 00964Ireland 00353Italy 0039Ivory Coast 00225Jamaica 001876Japan 0081Jordan 00962Kazakhstan 007Kenya 00254Kiribati 00686Kuwait 00965Kyrgyzstan 00996Laos 00856Latvia 00371Lebanon 00961Liberia 00231Libya 00218Lithuania 00370Luxembourg 00352Macau 00853Macedonia 00389

Kuwait Airways 22433377Wataniya Airways 24379900Jazeera Airways 177Jet Airways 22924455Qatar Airways 22423888KLM 22425747Air Slovakia 22434940Olympic Airways 22420002/9Royal Jordanian 22418064/5/6Reservation 22433388British Airways 22425635Air France 22430224Emirates 22425566Air India 22438184Sri Lanka Airlines 22424444Egypt Air 22421578Swiss Air 22421516Saudia 22426306Middle East Airlines 22423073Lufthansa 22422493PIA 22421044Alitalia 22414427Balkan Airlines 22416474Bangladesh Airlines 22452977/8Czech Airlines 22417901/2433141Indian Airlines 22456700Oman Air 22412284/5Turkish Airlines 22453820/1

AIRLINES

EMERGENCY 112

INFORMATION 35Thursday, November 25, 2010

PRIVATE CLINICS

Ophthalmologists:

Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444

Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222

Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171

Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999

Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700

Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223

Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT):

Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510

Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660

Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478

Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996

Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988

Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General Practitioners:

Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123

Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312

Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920

Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465

Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528

Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781

Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

Urologists:

Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534

Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955

Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi22616660

Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C)

25313120

Plastic Surgeons:

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor:

Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians:

Dr Adrian Harbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons:

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart:

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians:

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat

(2) Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar,

FRCS (Canada) 25655535

Dentists:

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists:

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist:

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD:

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart:

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid

MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC

Assistant Professor Of Medicine

Head, Division of Cardiology

Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital

Tel: 25339667

Dr. Farida Al-Habib

MD, PH.D, FACC

Consultant Cardiologist

Tel: 2611555-2622555

Inaya German Medical Center

Te: 2575077

Fax: 25723123

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

Soor Center

Tel: 2290-1677

Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com

www.soorcenter.com

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677

Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677

Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

THE PUBLIC

AUTHORITY FOR

CIVIL INFORMATION

Automated enquiry

about the Civil ID card is 1889988

Ministry of Interiorwebsite: www.moi.gov.kw

For labor-related

inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

SPECTRUM36 Thursday, November 25, 2010

Heidi Montag wishes she could go back to her old self. The reality TV star - who hasgone under the knife for 10 plastic surgery procedures, including breast augmenta-tion and a nose job - admitted while she wishes she could downsize her chest

implants, she doesn’t want to go under the knife again. She explained: “I don’t want thebiggest boobs in the world and, to be honest, I would take them out and downsize thembut I don’t want to go under the knife again. I feel like I’m stuck with them now.Sometimes I wish I could go back to the original Heidi. “I don’t want to do that to my body

again. I don’t want to get any more Botox or any more surgery, or any more lip injections.I think I’m fine the way I am.” The 24-year-old blonde - who recently reunited withestranged husband Spencer Pratt - also confessed undergoing the procedures put a strainon her relationship. Heidi added to ABC News: “He didn’t sign up to be the nurse to his23-year-old wife at the time, day and night. It was so traumatizing what my body lookedlike. I couldn’t look in the mirror. I was hysterically crying and he’s like, ‘I didn’t marrythis girl’.”

Denise Richards lies to her kids when she is going on adate. The former model - who has two daughters, Sam,six, and Lola, five, with ex-husband Charlie Sheen -

admitted she tells the girls she is going on a business tripwhen really she is out meeting men. She said: “When I go ondates, I tell Sam and Lola I have a meeting.” The 39-year-oldbeauty also confessed she has a “soft spot” for unwell andinjured animals, and is currently looking after three caninecuties. She added to Us magazine: “I have a three-legged dog,a blind dog and one with terminal cancer. I have a soft spot forhard-to-place animals!” Despite not always being truthfulabout her romantic liaisons, Denise recently explained shelikes to be a “hands-on” parent to Sam and Lola, as they arealways her number one priority. She said: “I’m definitely ahands-on mom. For me it’s about priorities, and my girlsalways come first. I look at it as having a harmonious housemore than balancing - it’s never quite balanced! “I have a rule- I won’t introduce my girls to anyone I’m dating unless it’svery serious.”

The 29-year-old actress already has a two-year-old daughterHonor with her husband Cash Warren, but is keen to give herlittle girl a sibling. She said: “Honor’s so beautiful and I feel so

enriched by being part of her life. She’s my main priority now andI want to give her the best life possible. Before she was born I wastotally focused on my career, but now with Cash and our daughterI feel that I’m building a wonderful family. I would like to havemore children at some point.” The ‘Machete’ actress says havinga child brought her and Cash - who married in May 2008 - closertogether and she insists he is the most important thing to hernow. She added to Look magazine: “We didn’t plan on starting afamily so soon but when it happened we realised what a beautifulmoment it was. We’re a lot closer. The beauty of marriage andhaving a family is knowing you’re sharing everything with some-one else and are committed to being part of each other’s lives.Cash and I understand that and together with our daughter, wewant to have a wonderful life.” — Bang Showbiz

Beyonce Knowles often wonderswhy God gave her the life shehas. The singer-and-actress -

who is deeply religious - is very grate-ful that her talent has given her alifestyle most people could only dreamof and while she sometimes finds it“overwhelming” she knows Godchose her for a reason. She said:“Sometimes it’s overwhelming. Whydid God give me my talent, my gift,my family. But I know you’re not sup-posed to question God. Only Godknows. And I don’t take it for grant-ed.” Beyonce was opening up in a newdocumentary, ‘I Am World Tour’, andsays she decided to let a camera crewinto her life because she sometimesfeels lonely while on the road. Shesaid: “There was one moment I was inChina and I was in this huge suite andI looked out the window and therewere just thousands of people walkingand I couldn’t believe my life. I guessI was a bit lonely and I wanted to talkto someone so I opened up my com-puter and I just talked.” Beyonce -who is married to hip-hop superstarJay-Z - also revealed she is not quiteready to be a mother as she still hasthings she wants to achieve. Talkingabout babies, she said: “Nothing nowbut there will be one day. One of thereasons I haven’t had a child yet isbecause there are certain things Iwant to do before I focus on being amother. I’m not there yet but I’mclose.”

The ‘Country Strong’ actress andher husband, Coldplay frontmanChris Martin, raise their two

children Apple, six, and Moses,four, between London and NewYork and the 38-year-old beautyfinds the way the youngsters speakas a result of transatlantic living“bizarre”. She said: “Our kids go toschool in London so we’re thereduring the school year and we comeback whenever we can, for holidaysand summers. “Weirdly my son ishalf Brooklyn and half English, he’sgot a really strange accent and mydaughter is completely Americanwith me at home or in America butcompletely British at school. It’sbizarre.” Gwyneth added thatApple’s accent can even change inthe middle of a conversation. Sheexplained to US talk show hostChelsea Handler on ‘Chelsea’s BigInterview Special’ .”If she’s homewith a friend over she’s completelyBritish when she talks to her friendand then she talks to me in anAmerican accent. I want a video ofit but I don’t want to embarrassher. It’s completely hilarious.”Despite her children’s unusualspeaking habits, Gwyneth revealedshe is happier than she has everbeen. Speaking of winning anOscar at the age of 26 for‘Shakespeare In Love’, she said: “Ithink I’m in a better place now,success and everything is amazingbut all the good luck I have had inmy life has led me to find my guyand our kids.”

Amy Winehouse has made friends with a monkey while on vacation. The ‘Love Is aLosing Game’ singer is currently in Barbados staying at a private villa and landedherself the simian chum after she fed the animal while relaxing in the sun. The

monkey has been following around the 27-year-old music star for the past week and shelikes her new furry friend so much she wants to bring him back to the UK with her. Asource told The Sun newspaper: “Amy has made friends with a monkey. It came up toher and she fed it and it’s been following her around. She’s been telling friends howmuch she loves it and would love to bring it back with her.” But Amy isn’t only inBarbados to make friends with monkeys, she is taking a short break before she headsout on the road for a series of concerts. The ‘Rehab’ hitmaker is performing a one-offshow in Russia in December before heading to Brazil in January for a mini-tour whichwill include stops in Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo. She has also been working on the fol-low up to her multi-million selling ‘Back to Black’ album. Amy is known for her love ofanimals and at one point she owned 11 cats. However, she had to give the felines awayearlier this year because they were wrecking her London home. She gave two to hergoddaughter Dionne Bromfield and the rest to an animal shelter.

Sheryl Crow is selling her Tennessee home in an online auction. The‘A Change Would Do You Good’ singer has put her Cross Creek Farmestate - which has 17 rooms over 10,000 square feet set across 150

acres of land - up for sale on the internet, with bidding currently standingat $1,125,000. The property includes a gated entry with security system,a six-car garage, nanny quarters and a three-bedroom, two-bath guesthouse. The dwelling also boasts a 14-stall barn, an indoor riding arena, asalt water pool and a theatre and utilizes solar paneling to reduce energycosts. The website listing to describe the property says: “Cross CreekFarm is a fully functional ‘Solar Farm’ generating over 40 per cent reduc-tion in electric costs. “Magnificent countryside, modern 14 stall barn,large pond, and exquisite architecture distinguish this picturesque set-ting.” The 48-year-old singer - who has adopted sons Wyatt, three, andseven-month-old Levi - bought the estate in 2006, two years after shestarted renting the property. Sheryl reportedly listed the property for$7.5million in May, but couldn’t find a buyer. According to the auctionterms, the highest bidder must pay cash and the deal has to be closed nolater than January 14 next year.

SPECTRUM 37Thursday, November 25, 2010

Music & Movies

The Beatles sold morethan two million indi-vidual songs and more

than 450,000 albums world-wide in their first week ofrelease on Apple’s iTunesstore, Apple said on Tuesday.Of the catalog of 13 Beatlesstudio albums released lastweek, “Abbey Road” was thetop-selling digital album in theUS at the iTunes store, land-ing at No 6 overall for theweek ending Nov 22. “TheBeatles Box Set” was No 10on the iTunes US albumcharts for the week.

“Here Comes the Sun”was the best-selling Beatlesdigital single but did not placein the top 10 for the week,Apple said. Apple did notrelease Beatles iTunes chartpositions for territories out-side the US. The Beatles cata-log was released on iTunes,the world’s No 1 digital musicretailer, for the first time onNov 16, ending years of nego-tiations between Applefounder Steve Jobs, theBeatles management company

and record label EMI .Billboard.com on Tuesday

said the iTunes debut of theFab Four compared favorablyto those of other bands thatfor years resisted joining thedigital music revolution. Rockband Led Zeppelin’s catalogmade its digital debut inNovember 2007, generatingtotal US digital album sales of47,000 units and 300,000 indi-vidual songs in the first week,according to NielsenSoundScan.

But despite the fanfare lastweek over the arrival of theBeatles on iTunes, their 40year-old classics failed totrump new material from thelikes of R&B singer Rihanna,and the latest effort by thecast of hit TV musical comedy“Glee.”

According to Apple,Rihanna’s new album “Loud”was the best iTunes albumseller in the United States lastweek, followed by “TheChristmas Album” of coverversions of holiday songs bythe “Glee” cast. — Reuters

Beatles sell over 2m in first

week on iTunes

An illuminated poster of The Beatles is seen onthe side of an hotel in Liverpool, north-westEngland, on November 22, 2010. —AFP

I f the Black Eyed Peas have theirway, “The Beginning” willindeed be the start of a new

phase in the group’s career when itcomes to performing live. After atest-run through stadiums in SouthAmerica earlier this month, the Peasplan to promote the new album,which comes out Nov 30, in similarvenues around the world. “SouthAmerica was a test,” will.i.am toldBillboard.com. “We did all our home-work...to try to figure out how wecan do stadiums in other countries,in America, in Europe. If Black EyedPeas can do five O2 Arenas (inLondon), why don’t we just do it inone shot? If we can do three StaplesCenters, we should do one DodgerStadium. So that’s how we’ll proba-bly tour this time around.”

Will.i.am says he considers a sta-dium “the best one yet” to house aPeas show. “It’s like you’re therewith all your friends. You’re there infront of 50,000 people and they’rethere to watch you and your friends.Nothing gets any better than that.It’s the best feeling, the best oneyet.”

Will.i.am expects the Peas to hitthe road again “after February,”when the group is rumored to beperforming at the Super Bowl half-time show-although he would notconfirm that. The more than two-month lag will give fans a chance to

soak up “The Beginning,” which thePeas wrote and recorded while ontour to promote 2009’s double-plat-inum chart-topper “The E.N.D.”

Will.i.am says the two albums aretied together thematically by theirhits, “I Gotta Feeling” from “TheE.N.D.” and “The Beginning’s” first

single, “The Time (Dirty Bit),”which samples “(I’ve Had) The Timeof My Life” from the hit 1987 film“Dirty Dancing.” “If ‘I Gotta Feeling’

was about someone who went outand said, ‘I have a feeling tonight’sgonna be a good night,’ what wouldthat person say when they cameback from that party? They’re prob-ably going to tell you, ‘Wow, I had thetime of my life,’ and that’s what ‘TheTime’ is,” will.i.am explained. Butthe overall message of “TheBeginning” runs a bit deeper thanthat, too.

“‘The Beginning’ is about takingownership ... of your life and notwaiting for someone to give you theanswers but to go out and search forthose answers yourself,” he said.“We’re saying, ‘Don’t let the negativ-ity rule you.’ Sometimes going outand celebrating is a departure. It’s amanifestation of your desire to live ahappy life. Some people will say,‘What the f—- am I celebrating? Iain’t got no job. I just got laid off.

I got to pay for my mortgage. Sowhat the hell is there to celebrate,Mr Will.i.am?’ “Well,” he continues,“you’re celebrating the fact thatyou’re alive and that you have a mindand that you know right from wrong.But you have to change your fre-quency. You have to change your out-look. You’re never going to achieveanything positive if you’re trapped inthe negative. So what you’re goingout and celebrating is that one daythat will change, and that’s thebeginning.” —Reuters

Black Eyed Peas test waters for 2011 stadium tour

Leonardo DiCaprio onTuesday donated $1 mil-lion toward efforts to save

tigers from extinction as hearrived in Moscow to take part inan international “tiger summit.”The star of movies “Titanic” and“Inception” made the $1 millioncommitment to the WorldWildlife Fund (WWF), withwhom he has been working thisyear on the Save Tigers Nowcampaign. DiCaprio, 36, is a com-mitted environmentalist and aWWF board member whorecently visited Nepal andBhutan and toured a tiger habitatby elephant with an anti-poach-ing staff.

According to wildlife expertsjust 3,200 tigers now live in thewild, down from 100,000 a centu-ry ago. Russia is hosting a 13-nation meeting in St Petersburgthis week to try and double theworld’s wild tiger population by2022. DiCaprio is among thoseattending the first-ever tigersummit. The actor’s first attemptto get to St Petersburg suffered aset-back on Sunday when hiscommercial flight to Moscow

was forced to return to New Yorkafter one of the plane’s enginesshut down.

DiCaprio “wishes to com-mend the actions of the pilot andflight crew in bringing the planeto a safe landing,” the actor’srepresentative said in a state-ment. DiCaprio’s $1 milliondonation will help support anti-poaching efforts and protect criti-cal tiger forests where the needsare most urgent.

“Illegal poaching of tigers fortheir parts and massive habitatloss due to palm oil, timber andpaper production are driving thisspecies to extinction,” he said.“If we don’t take action now, oneof the most iconic animals on ourplanet could be gone in just a fewdecades. By saving tigers, wecan also protect some of our lastremaining ancient forests andimprove the lives of indigenouscommunities.”

The 13 countries where tigersstill exist are Bangladesh, Bhutan,Cambodia, China, India,Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailandand Vietnam. — Reuters

DiCaprio donates $1 million to save tigersRussian Prime Minister Vladimir

Putin, left with US actorLeonardo Di Caprio, after a concert dedicated to tiger

conservation in St Petersburg,Russia. —AP

Julian Lennon to show photographs in US next month

J ulian Lennon, son oflate Beatles legendJohn Lennon, is show-

ing off what he can do witha camera. An exhibitcalled “Timeless” featuresabout 30 of Lennon’shand-signed portrait andlandscape photographsand will run Dec 1-5 atMiami’s Adrienne ArshtCenter for the PerformingArts. Prints of his photo-graphs will sell for about$3,500 each, with a por-tion of the proceeds to goto the White FeatherFoundation that he

launched to further environmental and humanitarian caus-es.

Lennon, 47, said Tuesday in a telephone interview fromFrance that the exhibit will include photographs he took ofthe rock band U2, but those won’t be sold because thosemight be used for an upcoming U2 album. He said thosetaken in a photojournalism style show the reality of hissubjects. “I am not going to do anybody any favors by cov-ering the truth, but also I am not here to make people lookbad either,” he said.

He also said his exhibition includes works created in apainting-like style, including photographs of clouds that hecalled “a serious passion.” He said many of those photo-graphs bring him a sense of peace. “For me it’s very muchabout finding a time and a place to feel a little at peace. It’sa Zen moment. It’s almost like meditation. It’s finding animage that makes me feel at peace and also close toMother Nature and our surroundings,” he said.

Lennon said he has been taking photos for years, but itwasn’t until he went on tour with his younger brother Seana few years ago and took some backstage photos of himthat he “really fell in love with it.” Some of Lennon’s pho-tos also can be purchased at the SCOPE Miami Art Show, asatellite art fair running from Nov 30 to Dec 5. Lennon’sfirst photo exhibit was in September and he is going torelease a new album next year called “Everything

W ho thought, OK, let’stake a classic talelike “The

Nutcracker,” a holiday favoritethat families have enjoyedtogether for over a century,turn it into a movie, convert itinto 3-D, write lyrics toaccompany Tchaikovsky’sbeloved music, then twist theplot to include an oppressive,fascist society reminiscent ofNazi Germany, complete witha Hitler figure and uniform-clad minions? It boggles themind, but that’s what you getin “The Nutcracker in 3-D,”which seems too weird anddark for children - and not inan intriguing, artistic way like“Bambi” or “Fantasia” - butwon’t entertain adults, either.Russian director AndreiKonchalovsky has said he’sspent the past 20 years work-ing to bring “The Nutcracker”to the screen.

Seeing the result makesyou wish he’d devoted all thattime and effort to a moreworthwhile endeavor. Pointinga camera at the New York CityBallet performing GeorgeBalanchine’s version of “TheNutcracker” would have beenfar preferable - then again, sowould videotaping a bunch of9-year-old aspiring ballerinasdoing it.

This isn’t exactly a balleton film. This is more like alive-action hodgepodge inwhich the characters sporadi-cally burst into awkward songand dance. There is some cho-reography to go along with“Waltz of the Flowers,”though it’s performed by fig-ures made out of computer-

generated snowflakes whosemoves are so fuzzy, it’s impos-sible to determine whatthey’re doing. At one point,there’s a sparkly Snow Fairywho ice skates, but that’s noteven enjoyable in a kitschykind of way.

At the center of it all, as inthe original, is a little girl.Here, her name has beenchanged to Mary and she’splayed by Elle Fanning, whosepreternatural poise and intelli-gence can’t do a thing to savethis. It’s Christmas in 1920sVienna, but Mary’s parents(Richard E Grant and YuliaVisotskaya) don’t seem tohave much time for her or heryounger brother (AaronMichael Drozin). Their UncleAlbert shows up with sometoys, including a wooden nut-cracker shaped like a boy,

whom he has nicknamed NC.Uncle Albert is meant to beAlbert Einstein, and NathanLane plays him as a jaunty,heavily accented buffoon whofrequently looks into the cam-era to make inane observa-tions.

He also sings a song to thekids about the Theory ofRelativity which is painful inits literal-mindedness. This isjust one example of theclunky lyrics Tim Rice(“Evita,” “Jesus ChristSuperstar”) has contributed,which distract from the purityand grace of the music.During “Waltz of theFlowers,” the Snow Fairy(also Visotskaya) sings toMary: “Is each day a newbeginning? Do you have afight worth winning?” It’s justneedless.

In keeping vaguely to theoriginal story line, Mary goesto sleep but awakens in themiddle of the night to find theChristmas tree has grown andthe toys have come to life.She enters the tree with NC(a mix of animated figurevoiced by Shirley Hendersonand live performance fromCharlie Rowe), who’s actuallya prince cast under a spell.Soon, Mary finds that they’reboth the targets of the RatKing (John Turturro), a crueldictator who burns toys tocreate a giant smoke cloudthat blocks out the sun. Yes,you read that right.

A large portion of “TheNutcracker in 3-D” takesplace in the Rat King’s bleakrealm; in a flamboyant per-formance, Turturro wears awig reminiscent of AndyWarhol but prances around ina military uniform, orderinghis troops (some of whomhave nasally New Yorkaccents) to snatch toys fromthe hands of weeping chil-dren. Then he, too, burstsinto song, and it’s so campy,it’s like something out of“The Producers.” It’s not as ifthe visuals redeem the bizarrecontent; the lousy conversionfrom 2-D doesn’t exactlymake the film an eye-poppingdelight. If this movie can beuseful in any way, hopefully itwill hammer home the pointthat not everything needs tobe in 3-D. In fact, most moviesdon’t. “The Nutcracker in 3-D,” from Freestyle Releasing,is rated PG. Running time:107 minutes. One star out offour. — AP

Review:

‘Nutcracker in 3-D’ crushes classic tale

In this film publicity image released byNoisette Film Productions, Elle Fanning isshown in a scene from “The Nutcracker in3D.” — AP

I ngrid Pitt, who survived aNazi concentration campand dodged Communist

police to become one ofBritain’s best-known horrorstars, died Tuesday, herdaughter said. She was73.Steffanie Pitt said hermother collapsed while onher way to a birthday dinnerdue to be held in her honorover the weekend. The cause

of death wasn’t known,although Steffanie Pitt saidher mother had recently beenin poor health.

Known in Britain princi-pally as the buxom blood-sucker in “Vampire Lovers”and “Countess Dracula,”Ingrid Pitt’s acting careervery nearly wasn’t.

Born to a mother ofJewish descent, Pitt wasinterned in a Nazi concentra-tion camp at the age of five.

She survived the war, butwas forced to flee CommunistBerlin on the night of herplanned stage debut, plunginginto the River Spree in a bidto escape East Germanauthorities. In a twist whicheasily surpassed the drama ofthe camp horror films inwhich she starred, she wasrescued by an American sol-dier who would go on tobecome her husband.

Her movie career wasjump-started by her role inthe 1968 action-adventuremovie, “Where Eagles Dare.”The World War II dramawould eventually lead to herbeing taken on by Britain’sHammer Films-home toChristopher Lee’s “Dracula.”She would play alongside thehorror legend in 1971’s “TheHouse That Dripped Blood”and 1973’s “The WickerMan.” Steffanie Pitt told TheAssociated Press that hermother was a determinedwoman and that “acting was inher blood from the word ‘go.”

It seems her motherwould have agreed, writing inher autobiography, “Life’s aScream,” that she had a“strong sense of the dramaticeven before I was born.”Indeed, Ingrid’s birth inter-rupted her parents’ attemptsto flee Nazi Germany viaPoland in 1937, delayingtheir attempt to escape toBritain. —AP

Ingrid Pitt, doyenne of Hammer horror films, dies

Polish-born actressIngrid Pitt is seenin this Dec 19, 1968b/w file photo. —AP

SPECTRUM38 Thursday, November 25, 2010

Travel

By Gary A Warner

The landlord of my oceanfrontrental on the North Shore ofOahu called a couple of days

after I checked in. How was myflight? Did I like the cottage? Oh,and she had a favor to ask. “Couldyou take all the lawn furniture tothe back of the house and tie it tosomething?” she said sweetly. “Iwouldn’t want it to get sweptaway.” As a longtime visitor to theNorth Shore in the winter, I hadseen surf wondrously big and disap-pointingly small. But December2009 would be different. A massivestorm plowing 7,000 miles acrossthe Pacific was throwing off wavesthe size of four-story apartmentbuildings. It would climax withwhat Surfer magazine dubbed “TheDay of the Decade.”

When I pulled into the little cot-tage just west of Waimea Bay, thewooden staircase down to thebeach had been pulled up andstrapped to a tree. A 10-by-3-footchunk of the neatly mowed frontlawn had been cleaved off by surg-ing waves the night before and layon the yellow sand beach four feetbelow. There was little time to con-sider the proximity of the ocean tomy living quarters at the moment. Ihad to head to Sunset Beach, whereI caught the three Gudauskasbrothers of San Clemente, Calif-Patrick, Tanner and Dane-facing offin a single heat at the O’Neill WorldCup of Surfing at Sunset Beach. Itwas the first time three brothershad surfed against each other in amajor competition. Ever. Tannerwon in waves that topped 20 feet.

“It’s a washing machine outthere,” Tanner said, exuberant butexhausted. “It’s crazy insane. Youlook behind you and it’s like theHimalayan mountains are comingdown on you.” Surfers on theNorth Shore live for big waves, butthese sets were almost too much.Waves raced up the steep slope ofthe beach to undermine the phototower and at one point surged intothe tent where surfers were gettingtheir preheat massages. Watersplashed across the sidewalk andpooled on Kamehameha Highway.

“This is the biggest, most dan-gerous surf I’ve ever sent contest-ants into,” said Randy Rarick, thelongtime contest director. “Any big-ger and Sunset would be closedout. We couldn’t surf at all.” Thesurf stayed large into the weekend,with Australian Joel Parkinson win-ning the contest Sunday.

There’s a short lull between theSunset Beach contest and the nextregularly scheduled surf event, thePipeline Masters contest at BanzaiPipeline. The off days are some ofmy favorite times. I get up late,drive down to Ted’s Bakery to seeif there are any butter buns left(nope) and grab whatever’s left,along with a large cup of Konablend coffee, to go. Then back alongthe “Kam Highway” to wanderaround the Surf n Sea shop inHaleiwa. By afternoon, I’m back atthe cottage for sunset with mai taisand Maui-style ribs on the barbe-

cue. It’s a studied sloth that fits thepace of the North Shore.

November and December on theNorth Shore are like an annual surfindustry convention, only the exec-utives are often in T-shirts andboardshorts, sporting three days ofstubble. Between heats, surfwearphotographers on the beach shootsurfers (make sure to wear all yoursponsor’s gear) and pose with biki-ni models for next year’s ads.Surfers and sponsors do businessover breakfast at Cafe Haleiwa ordinner at Haleiwa Joe’s.

It was late Sunday afternoonthat the call came from the land-lord. So with some help, I tied up abench, table, lawn chairs, a kayakand some other gear to the back-side of the house, farthest from thesurf. Night fell and outside the win-dows, it was pitch black. I couldn’tsee the ocean, but I could smell thesalty mist drifting in from the shorebreak. Most of all I could hear thewaves. Boom. Swoosh. Boom.Swoosh. Breaking on the sand,then the water rushing back out.

I was used to that. I had heardwaves in the darkness for morethan two decades of trips. But thiswas different. With each unseencrash of surf, the house vibratedwith force of water on land. I turnedon the TV and flipped through thelocal newscasts, with the anchors inaloha shirts talking in grave stonesabout the coming storm. Just beforemidnight, there was a knock on thedoor. “It’s Jamie, sorry it’s so late,but I saw the light on.” JamieDeMatoff lived in a small studioapartment on the same property asthe cottage. Among a variety ofventures, he ran a wave forecastingservice, High Surf Warning.

“51001 is over 20 feet-youmight think about packing up yourcar and moving it closer to thehighway or even the other side,” hesaid. Jamie had given me a tutorialthe day before on how to tell ifthings were going to go from big tobad on the North Shore. The

National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration’s Buoy 51001 sits inthe Pacific 170 miles northwest ofKauai. It’s part of a tsunami warn-ing system put in place after a killertidal wave hit Hilo in 1960. But thesignals from the buoy also tellsurfers what’s coming. Jamie hadbeen watching it for days as themeasurements went to 15, 16, 17,18, 19 feet. It was now 20 feetthere. Though there was consider-able wiggle room, that roughlytranslated into waves up to 40 feethitting the North Shore 10 hourslater.

I packed up clothes but not thecomputer or photo equipment-nothing valuable since the NorthShore has its share of car thefts-andmoved the car to higher ground. AtJamie’s suggestion, I closed all thewindow ventilation louvers on theocean side of the house and when Iwent to bed, shut the door of mybedroom. That way any rogue wavewouldn’t wash through the win-dows or even bust through theglass. I went to bed, trying to avoid

tsunamis in my dreams. I hadn’tleft the cottage that night becauseof “The Eddie.”

The Quiksilver In Memory ofEddie Aikau is the top paddle-in bigwave contest in the world. It’s heldeach winter at Waimea Bay fromDecember to February, but only ifwaves top 25 feet. In the 25 yearssince it started, The Eddie hadgone off seven times, the last in2004. It’s a revered contest thatalmost never happens. When itdoes happen, the highway on theNorth Shore becomes gridlock. Ifyou are not already there, it’s nextto impossible to get in.

Aikau was a top surfer and thefirst official lifeguard on the NorthShore. He lost his life in 1978 try-ing to paddle a surfboard to sum-mon help for a disabled, traditionalHawaiian canoe. The rest of thecrew was rescued. Aikau was neverseen again. Surfers gathered in ear-ly December for the opening cere-

mony at Waimea Bay featuringmany of the 30 or so invitees, whotook part in traditional Hawaiianblessings and a barbecue. Leis andmementos are laid out on thememorial to Aikau in the park.

After the opening ceremony isheld, everybody usually goeshome-back to California orAustralia or South America-to waitfor the call that usually doesn’tcome. This year, with an eye on thestorm, nobody left Oahu. Dec 7.Pearl Harbor Day. Gray skies. Grayocean. Sweaters, not bikinis, at thebeach. Some sets of waves topped30 feet. But the swirling, slamming,whitewater-filled surf left few spotsfor a rider to get up on a board andride a wave. Organizers huddled.Waimea was too big for the contest.

That didn’t stop dozens ofsurfers with boards more than 9feet long called “guns” (what old-timers called “rhino-chasers”) fromgetting out in the water. VeteranAustralian surfer Tom Carrolldecided to try his luck in the

bumpy surf and ended up snappinghis left ankle in an ugly wipeout.He was packed in an ambulance andtaken to a hospital. “We’ve got bro-ken boards and broken bodiestoday,” said Beau Hodge, a contestannouncer. “We’ve got the size, butnot the perfect conditions thatEddie would want.”

Don Bigelow, a surf shop ownerfrom Orange, Calif, had flown inwhen he heard the surf was big.“I’ve been surfing for 33 years andI’ve never seen Waimea this big,”Bigelow said. The word went out:Return tomorrow at 7 am Back atthe cottage, rain splattered on thewindows. I stopped by Jamie’s stu-dio and knocked on the door to getan update on “that buoy.” It wasdropping, he said, though not bymuch. But chances of the night-mare scenario of surf that wouldsurge across the highway werelessening. The weather reportcalled for clearing skies. I sleptwith the louvers and bedroom dooropen, letting the trade winds cool

the humid indoors. By the time thepurple of the sunrise turned towhite light, the roads to WaimeaBay were clogged with cars,stretching back 5 miles towardHaleiwa. Local surfers andHonolulu tourists crawled throughtraffic. The voices along the horse-shoe-shaped bay included Japanese,Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese. Ihad come before dawn, paying $10to park at the Catholic church ontop of the hill above the bay. Theskies and water were a brilliantblue. The stormy skies were gone,but the huge waves remained.From the church courtyard, thelines of sets stretched off like foldsin a sheet, all the way to the hori-zon. At 7 am, George Downing, the79-year-old director of the contest,gave the green light. The Eddiewas a go. Word spread through thecrowd on the beach, up both sidesof the highway and onto the highbluffs. Here was the greatest,rarest big wave surf contest in theworld, and if you could get thereand find a place to park, it costnothing. No premium box seats. Novalet parking. Just grab some beachor part of the rail on the highway.

Kelly Slater set the tone for theday, riding a huge wave early on,disappearing into the whitewaterbefore shooting out, his fist pumpedin the air. Judges scored it a 98.Veteran Hawaiian surfer SunnyGarcia scored a 95-point wave. Thecrowd would cheer at each takeoffand gasp and groan when a waveengulfed a surfer, some falling endover end down the wave facebefore being hammered by thebreak. Jetskis swooped in to helpboardless surfers, while a lifeguardhelicopter hovered nearby. Slaterseemed to have the contestwrapped before Greg Long of SanClemente picked a massive wavelate in the contest and plummeteddown over the lip and down theface. Long appeared for a longmoment to be engulfed by the waveas he dipped out of sight at the bot-tom. But when the whitewatercleared, Long had cut to the sideand dodged a pounding.

“That was guts and glory rightthere,” shouted one of the announc-ers. Long scored a 100 and movedpast Slater to the top of the leaderboard. The first-place payday of$55,000 was great, but the real pay-off was winning a title held by onlyeight surfers in the world. Winnerof The Eddie. “It’s such a magicalday. It’s really a dream come true,”Long said The contest over, it wastime to pack up the cottage andhead down to Waikiki and the calmwaters of the southern end of Oahu.Picking my way through the traffic,I passed DeMatoff, who has a silkscreening side business. He was onthe side of the road holding up awhite shirt. “I survived the GreatSwell of 2009,” the shirts read. Ibought a few, then turned left atHaleiwa and headed up over theisland toward the skyscrapers ofHonolulu, promising to come backfor 2010. It would almost be a newdecade and there could be another“day.” — MCT

Surfers come out for a big day at the Banzai Pipeline. — MCT photos

A surfer is thrown off his board while surfing the Banzai Pipeline.

A crowd gathers to watch the 2009 Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau bigwave surf contest.

SPECTRUM 39Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thisproduct

imagecourtesy

ofTalbotsshows

theirCrystal

sprinkledscarf.—AP

Ascarf can be a wardrobe’s workhorse. It adds color,style, and, especially as the weather turns wintery,warmth. Now, if you only knew how to tie the thing.

Don’t go for a complicated knot, says Talbots’ fashion direc-tor Tammy Vipperman. Flair largely comes from confi-dence, so any hesitation about tying the scarf will show, sheadds, but there are plenty of easy knots that still kick upyour outfit. “If you can fold laundry and tie a basic knot, youcan wear a scarf,” she says.

Her tips:

SILK SQUARELay the scarf flat on a table, taking two opposite-end

corners and folding them into the center, giving you twostraight edges. Keep folding those outer straight edges intothe center until you have, essentially, a scarf sash. Wrap itaround your neck, setting up the knot slightly toward oneside. Pull the two ends into an X to tie. The key to the flat-test, most flattering knot will be to cross the ends so theoutside piece is on the bottom, closest to the body, and thenpulling that over the top and then down through the knot soit will stay in place and not flap around, Vipperman says.“Most people think this is the most intimidating scarf,” shesays.

“But you can wear it with a cardigan, denim, a little

heel-with a necklace. Let’s bust the myth right now thatyou can’t wear a scarf and a necklace.” —THE NOODLEVipperman’s word for the knit scarf with built-in ruffles isthe “noodle,” because it stretches, bends and bounces.“You can sort of do whatever you want with it. It’s a terrificbase,” she says. You get an Elizabethan-collar effect if youkeep looping it around to the bustline level, tying it looselyat the back of the neck. Go a little tighter and you have aturtleneck. You also can wear it long and loose, not reallytying it at all.

THE WRAPThis is the scarf you want with you all the time. It goes

under a coat, over a coat, with a low neckline or a high one,and it’s the perfect thing to keep at the office where thetemperature can go up and down, Vipperman says. Shedoesn’t like it to be worn perfectly, though. She prefers tofold it corner to corner to make a triangle, put it over theshoulders on a slightly uneven bent, tie it with the outsidepiece now coming out from under the knot and then createa one-sided bow. That gives it “flourish,” she explains.Other than the delicate silk scarves, most are tied under-handed with the end coming out the top to create volume.Scarves are a sign of personal style, and, for the most part,you want to draw attention to them, she says.

CASHMEREThe classic winter scarf with fringe at the edges is nice

because it’s practically flat when worn under a coat,Vipperman says. She prefers the “gentleman’s fold,” whichreally isn’t a fold: The scarf goes around the neck and thesides are flat against the body and positioned like lapels of ajacket. An alternate is to fold the scarf in half-so its lengthis two layers-make a loop at the fold, wrap the scarf aroundthe neck, pulling the loose end through the loop.Vipperman likes to see this look in a bright, cheerful coloragainst a neutral-colored coat.

THE BOHOThis scarf is longer, thinner and usually with fringe on

the end. Because of its length, it’s really the only shape youcan successfully toss oh-so-casually over the shoulders.Start with the end that’s going to hang in front, positioningit about mid-thigh. Wrap the rest of the scarf around theneck, crossing in the front and then to the back, letting theother side hang down. It’ll be hanging down the same sideas the piece in the front. Vipperman, though, wants peopleto experiment on their own and do whatever is comfortablewith their scarves-as long as they’re wearing them: “A scarfcan be ‘runway,’ a head-to-toe basic, whatever you want.Play with them and have fun.”— AP

Gucci hit the 3 million fanmark on Facebook. TheItalian label may soon sur-

pass Burberry, which boasts 3.2million fans, as the most widelyfollowed fashion brand on thesocial networking site. Gucci’sFacebook milestone follows hoton the heels of the announce-ment made by Burberry onNovember 19 that it had brokenthe 3-million-fan mark. Just thispast weekend, Facebook EMEAVice President Joanna Shieldshad proclaimed the UK luxurylabel as the “most widely fol-lowed brand on Facebook.”

“Burberry is no longer just afashion company-today they area thriving media enterprise,”Shields said. “[Burberry’s] suc-cessful not just because itmakes great clothes butbecause it understands theimportance of sparking interestin the community and usingsocial media to engage anddelight their consumers.”

But Burberry is facing stiffcompetition from Gucci. Bothbrands hit the 2-million-fanmark on Facebook this pastOctober and both are equallyaggressive when it comes toengaging their respectiveonline communities. They eachregularly post productannouncements, photos, videosand lookbooks of their upcom-

ing collections on theirFacebook walls. Additionally,Gucci launched the “Eye WantYou” Facebook application earli-er this month, which featureseyewear from the new GucciEyeweb Collection designed byCreative Director FridaGiannini. The viral video appli-cation allows Facebook users tocreate and deliver their ownpersonal messages to friends.

And last month, both brandswere included in the Digital IQIndex of Luxury Brands pub-lished by the marketing thinktank Luxury Lab. The studyquantified the digital compe-tence of 72 global luxury brandsby accessing brand websites,digital marketing strategies,social media initiatives andmobile applications. Gucci,ranked fourth, won accoladesfor the launch of its digital flag-ship GucciConnect this pastfall, as well as for live-stream-ing its Spring/Summer 2011show in Milan. Burberry,ranked sixth, garnered praisefor its social networking fashionblog artofthetrench.com, whichit launched in fall 2009. ScottSchuman of influential fashionblog The Sartorialist teamed upwith Facebook to create theblog, which is centered solelyaround the iconic Burberrytrench coat. — AFP

Virtual fashion community Polyvore andAmerican designer Rebecca Minkoffhave teamed up to sponsor an online

design contest taking place now throughNovember 26. Rebecca Minkoff is askingPolyvore users to redesign her iconicMorning After Clutch, which has been spot-ted on celebrities such as Agyness Deyn,Lauren Conrad, Keira Knightley, AshleyGreene, and Reese Witherspoon.

Polyvore’s fashion and social shoppingplatform features a virtual styling tool that

allows users to mix and match products fromany online store to create fashion collectionscalled “sets,” which they can publish andshare with their friends and the Polyvorecommunity. For this challenge, contestantsmust re-imagine Minkoff’s coveted clutch byassembling “sets” incorporating at least twocontest-specific items-leather, hooks, tassels,studs, fringes, zippers, strings-that are pro-vided on the site. Minkoff, whose epony-mous brand comprises accessories, smallleather goods and apparel, will personally

select the top ten winners. Web users willthen be asked to whittle down the list by vot-ing on Minkoff ’s Facebook page fromDecember 1-8. The winner will be flown toNew York to meet Minkoff in person andhis/her design will be unveiled at the design-er’s runway show in February 2011 duringNew York Fashion Week. The bag, which willbe named after the winner, will be availablefor purchase starting March 2010 viaMinkoff’s e-commerce site.

Headquarted in the Silicon Valley,Polyvore users span the United Kingdom,Germany, Brazil and Japan. The site attractsmore than 6 million unique visitors a monthand since its launch, Polyvore users havecreated more than 20 million fashion “sets.”In addition to partnering with Minkoff, theonline fashion community previously teamedup with Calvin Klein, Diane VonFurstenberg, Gap, and Coach.

Online contests are increasingly beingused by retail and beauty companies to findtheir next product design or brand ambassa-dor. For instance, cosmetics brand MAC iscurrently sponsoring its “Mac Me Over!”contest, which seeks to tap into the beautybrand’s fan base to find six individuals to starin the worldwide campaign for its fall 2011collection. And in 2008, UK shoe companyDr. Martens received more than 25,000entries when it sponsored a design contestin search of the next Dr. Martens boot. Thewinners had their creations sold in shopsworldwide. — AFP Burberry Facebook Fan Page A personal thank

you note from Christopher Bailey.—AFP

Pakistani models present creations by Pakistani designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin during afashion show in Lahore on late November 23, 2010. — AFP

www.kuwaittimes.net

Anorthern Indian village has bannedunmarried women from using cellphones for fear they will arrange forbid-

den marriages that are often punished bydeath, a local official said yesterday. TheLank village council decided unmarried boyscould use mobile phones, but only underparental supervision, council member SatishTyagi said. Local women’s rights group criti-cized the measure as backward and unfair.Marriages between members of the sameclan are forbidden under Hindu custom insome parts of north India, where unions aretraditionally arranged by families. In conser-vative rural areas, families sometimes meteout extreme punishments, including so-called honor killings, for those who violatemarriage taboos.

In some cases, village councils them-selves have ordered the punishments,though police often intervene to stop them.The Lank village council feared young menand women were secretly calling one anoth-er to arrange forbidden elopements. Lastmonth, 34 couples eloped in Muzaffarnagardistrict, where Lank is located in the north-ern state of Uttar Pradesh, police said.Among the couples who eloped, eight honorkillings have been reported in the lastmonth, police said. “Three girls werebeheaded by the male members of their fam-ily after they eloped” with boys from theirsame clan, said police assistant director gen-eral Brij Lal in the state capital of Lucknow.

Rulings by village councils — called pan-chayats and comprised of village eldersselected by the community — are not legallybinding in India, but are seen as the will ofthe local community, and those who floutthem risk being ostracized. In Uttar Pradesh,panchayats are particularly powerful andhave declared that boys and girls of the sameclan are essentially siblings. The cell phoneban for unmarried women is part of a wider,regional effort to curb intraclan marriageamong the 3 million population of westernUttar Pradesh, Tyagi said. The Lank councilruling, which applies to around 50,000 peo-ple, is being considered by councils in thenearby villages.

“The village council members feel thatcell phones helped in elopement of youngcouples,” he said by cell phone fromMuzaffarnagar. The conflict is relatively newfor the Indian region, where most marriagesare still arranged by the parents, sometimeswithout the couple meeting before the wed-ding. But young people are mingling morethese days, with more women in schools andoffices and increased access to the Internet,cybercafes and social networking sites. Theyare also watching more Western TV showsthat focus on independence and individuality,sociologists say. Cell phones, meanwhile,have become so common and affordable thateven city slum dwellers, rural day laborersand children have them.

Across the nation of 1.2 billion, therewere more than 670 million cell phone con-nections as of August, with the numbergrowing by nearly 20 million a month,according to government figures. The localwomen’s rights group Disha said banningcell phone use over sexual politics demon-strated the councils’ archaic mindset, andwarned it could put girls at a disadvantage inother areas of life. “These help in easy com-munication, which in turn help these youthto get jobs. One cannot discriminate use ofthese contraptions on basis of sex,” Dishapresident KN Tiwari said. —AP

By Karin Zeitvogel

Victor is a 45-pound (20 kilogram) turkey whowould be welcome at many a table today whenAmericans celebrate Thanksgiving. But when

Victor graces a dinner table, he comes as guest ofhonor with his feathers puffed up rather than as themain course with his innards stuffed, which is theway some 46 million turkeys are expected to end upthis Thanksgiving, according to the National TurkeyFederation. Victor will never be one of them. He isone of a growing number of turkeys who are livingout their days at animal sanctuaries after being res-cued from slaughterhouses and cages around theUnited States.

Some are saved by the US president in a tradi-tion-pardoning the Thanksgiving Day turkey-thatdates back to John F Kennedy in the 1960s. Theturkey who will be pardoned by President BarackObama this year will live out his days at the Virginiaestate of America’s founding president, GeorgeWashington. Victor owes a debt of gratitude not tothe US president but to the growing number of veg-etarians and vegans in the country. Victor was foundfour years ago on Thanksgiving day, which falls onthe fourth Thursday in November, walking down aroad in the Washington suburb of Germantown.

He was just several months old-turkeys who aredestined for the dinner table usually end up in adeep-freeze when they are about four months old.Luckily for him, he was found by a couple of vegans,who took him to Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary inMaryland, where this year he celebrated his fourthbirthday. Last weekend, Victor joined the sanctu-ary’s other turkeys, guinea fowl, Japanese silkies,bantam hens, peacocks, even pigs who might haveended up as honey roasted hams on Thanksgiving,for a dinner thrown for the animals by humans.

On the menu for the birds was corn, grapes, tofu,greens, apples. The pigs got pumpkins. While Victor

and his fellow fowl feasted on their food, some 800humans sat at long tables under a warm autumn sunand dined on couscous, quinoa, beans, pumpkinsoup, pasta and other vegan dishes they had broughtalong. Vegan food contains neither meat, dairy, eggsnor honey. The first time Poplar Spring held itsThanksgiving dinner for the turkeys 12 years ago,

50 people showed up. This year, more than 800turned out, a fact that could be attributed to the ris-ing popularity of a vegan and vegetarian diet in theUnited States.

“There’s been a steadily increasing number ofvegetarians and we have seen a big jump in the pro-portion of that population who are vegans,” said

John Cunningham, the consumer research managerat the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG). Accordingto VRG, around six to eight million US adults out ofa total population of some 300 million are vegetari-an, and around half of them are vegan. The mainreason people become vegetarian is “because theydon’t want to participate in the slaughter of ani-mals,” said Cunningham.

Dining with the likes of Victor and his fellowPoplar Spring residents has pushed someAmericans towards vegetarianism, said TerryCummings, co-founder and director of PoplarSpring. “Coming here plants a seed in people’sminds: they eat well, they meet the birds, and Ithink a lot of them are surprised at how much like apet dog a turkey can be,” she said. “Our whitedomestic turkey, Opal, was following people, lettingthem pat her,” Cummings said. Americans whobond with turkeys can adopt one of the birds to saveits life. The turkey will go to live at Farm Sanctuaryin Watkins Glen, New York, which ironically is notfar from the town of Corning, which is the name of apopular type of US cookware.

Humane humans can also switch to a veganalternative to turkey for Thanksgiving. CalledTofurky, it has been available since the mid-1990s.While US turkey production has doubled since 1970to meet greater consumer demand, Tofurky produc-tion has increased more than 600-fold since 1995,the year Seth Tibbott created the vegan alternativeto turkey and sold 500 Tofurky roasts.

Last year, 340,000 Tofurkys were sold in theUnited States and 2010 sales figures were six per-cent higher in November than for the whole of 2009.But turkeys shouldn’t rest on their laurels-which, ofcourse, are bay leaves, a popular seasoning added toturkeys while they are roasting. Americans remainthe biggest eaters of turkey in the world, consuming7.7 kilograms (15 pounds) of the meat a year-theequivalent of a third of Victor. —AFP

Kaitlyn Ferrara, marketing manager for the W Hotel, tries to control aturkey that is getting some exercise on a rooftop deck at the W Hotelin Washington, DC, yesterday, one day before being pardoned by USPresident Barack Obama at the White House. — AFP

A turkey gets some exercise on a rooftop deck atthe W Hotel in Washington.—AP

Jennifer Grey is having the time of her life again afterovercoming painful neck and back injuries and a vot-ing bloc for Bristol Palin to become the new

“Dancing With the Stars” champion. Grey, who consis-tently topped the judges’ leaderboard throughout theseason, took the title on the television celebrity dancecompetition Tuesday, outscoring fellow finalistsr KyleMassey and Bristol Palin, who was buoyed for weeksby passonate voters and online efforts to support thesingle mom.

Disney Channel star Massey finished second. Palin,the daughter of former Alaska Gov Sarah Palin, wasthird. Grey dazzled the judges with her routines just asshe did filmgoers as Patrick Swayze’s partner in the cli-mactic ballroom dance to “(I’ve Had) The Time of MyLife” in the 1987 film “Dirty Dancing.” Grey gave a nodto her breakthrough film role by performing a waltzTuesday with her profesional partner Derek Hough.

“It’s a great gift to be part of a show that gives peo-ple so much joy,” Grey said after the show. “And that’sreally what I think dancing does.” Grey, who overcamepainful neck, back and knee injuries to earn three per-fect scores in the run-up to Tuesday’s finale, said hermind went blank in the moments before she was namedthe winner.

“I was in a surrender moment of whatever happenswill be great,” the 50-year-old actress said after theshow, an ice pack tucked into the back of her fringe-covered costume as she spoke with reporters. “Theabsolute destination for me was the journey. The jour-ney was the gift.” Still, Grey was happy to have themirrorball trophy, and to turn her partner, Hough, intothe show’s first three-time winner.

The actress plans to keep the trophy in her daugh-ter’s room, adding, “She earned it.” Grey’s husband,actor Clark Gregg, and their daughter were regulars inthe ballroom each week throughout Grey’s run on the

show. Grey was a consistent high-scorer who earned astring of perfect 10s for several recent dances. Her vic-tory didn’t surprise her fellow finalists. “I thought fromday one Jennifer was going to win,” said professionaldancer Lacey Schwimmer, who finished in second placeas Massey’s partner.

Palin said she didn’t have any expectations whenshe decided to do “Dancing With the Stars,” but on

Tuesday’s episode, she said that winning the ABCdance contest “would be like a big middle finger to allthe people out there that hate my mom and hate me.”After the show, Palin’s partner, Mark Ballas, down-played the voting controversy that threatened to over-shadow the couple’s performances.

“Politics aside, this is a dance show,” he said. “Let’sjust focus on the good things.” But voter support for

Palin, including get-out-the-vote efforts spearheaded bysome conservative bloggers, became a focal point dur-ing the “Dancing” season, as week after week formervice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s daughter out-lasted more talented dancers. A flurry of media cover-age erupted when Bristol Palin was voted in over thesinger Brandy-who had received a perfect score for hertango-prompting some viewers to question the veracityof the “Dancing” voting system. Producers maintainedthat the system was sound and Palin was just very pop-ular.

The show did experience some voting problems thisweek. Producers said Tuesday that “a record amountof activity” overloaded its online and telephone votingsystems after Monday’s episode. “Some viewersreported experiencing difficulties registering theirvotes for the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ finale, whichaffected each finalist equally,” show producers said in astatement. “The issue was promptly addressed” andvoting times were not extended. Palin acknowledgedthat the voting frenzy may have been good for theshow.

“I think it boosted its ratings,” she said. Viewervotes are combined with judges’ scores to determinewhere each couple stands. Tuesday’s two-hour seasonfinale also included performances by Christina Aguileraand colorful routines from some of this season’s pastcontestants, including a “Baywatch”-themed numberby David Hasselhoff, a dance showdown between proathletes Rick Fox and Kurt Warner, and a quickstep byBrandy that got a standing ovation. ComedianMargaret Cho, actress Florence Henderson and realitystar Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino also appeared onthe season closer. Cho’s professional partner, Louis VanAmstel, has an idea for how the show can top itself nextseason: “Bring in a same-sex couples,” he said. “Whynot?”—AP

In a photo provided by ABC, Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough celebrate onstage with the mirror ball trophy after winning the Dancing with the stars com-petition in Los Angeles. — AP

This undated photo courtesy of Ken Hayden showsa meditation room by Los Angeles interior designerLori Dennis in a Hollywood Hills home in Calif.

— AP photos

When Kim and Jim Howatt, “big ‘Star Wars’geeks,” began planning an entertainment roomin their basement at home in Illinois, they

sought state-of-the-art home-theater amenities: a high-definition large-screen TV, a DVD player, a VCR and asurround-sound stereo speaker system. But that wasjust part of the galactic extravaganza. With the help ofOrren Pickell Designers & Builders, the Howatts creat-ed a one-of-a-kind room modeled after Darth Vader’sStar Destroyer vessel, with angled walls, spaceship-likedetails on the ceiling, stadium seating for 12, and hand-painted murals of ships and planets. It’s the ideal spacefor the couple’s “Star Wars” parties, which start withbreakfast followed by a marathon of all six movies.

“There is nothing quite like being able to stay homeand have a movie experience that is far better thangoing to the theater,” says Kim Howatt, a computerprogrammer like her husband. “You can show up late,you can hit ‘pause,’ you can serve adult beverages. Theonly thing that would get us out to a public movie the-ater now would be a seventh ‘Star Wars’ movie.” TheHowatts, who live in Libertyville, Illinois, aren’t the

only ones cocooning in a specialty room at home. Suchpersonalized spaces go beyond the typical private gym,home office, indoor pool, wine cellar or billiard room.There’s a laundry area turned into a dedicated puzzleroom, for instance, a wall refigured into a climbing wall,and tasting rooms for sushi or tequila.

Here are a few more signature rooms that raise thebar for personal space:

• Bowling, anyone? There’s no waiting for lanes if you can spare around

$100,000 —the average price for two lanes of aregulation-length bowling alley, including setup,from United Bowling Worldwide in Yulee, Florida.For $30,000, you’ll get all used equipment; for$175,000 or more you’ll get the most lavish. Setupcan include everything “right down to the bowlingshoes, just like a regular bowling alley wouldhave,” says Matthew Claxton, the company’s vicepresident. Why would homeowners knock downwalls when there’s a bowling alley a mere car rideaway? “Because they like to go bowling but don’t

want to deal with the hassles of going out in pub-lic,” says Claxton. “Because it looks classy andadds to the home value. Or maybe because theyare big socialites and like to entertain guests.”

• Meditation RoomTime was when someone might create a place to medi-

tate with some floor cushions, a CD player and fra-grant candles. Lori Dennis, a Los Angeles interiordesigner, said she frequently gets asked to designsomething quite different: chic, very expensivemeditation rooms. Ones with “expensive luxurieslike $200 per yard (meter) fabric, custom medita-tion benches, custom wall murals in gold leaf paint,cashmere hand knit throws and accessory art inthe $10,000s.” She has designed a shower with aview of the Pacific Ocean, exotic veneers and aVenetian glass vessel bowl. “This is because med-itation and chanting is a big deal in Hollywood,”Dennis says. “The most sought-after chant andmeditation leaders, like Deepak (Chopra), areinvited to head up small parties of important peo-

ple in these spaces. It’s a new way to hold anexclusive power meeting.”

• Retro Diner On their farm in Grundy County, IllinoisErnie Lindsay, a retired automotive componentsengineer, and his wife Nancy, a homemaker, enjoycollecting vintage diner and gas station memorabil-ia-so much that they spruced up an unused areaover their garage and turned it into a 1950s diner.The diner also functions as a “lobby” where guestscan congregate at a mini-bar and watch on a flat-screen monitor the same movie playing in theLindsays’ adjacent home theater. With its 1954Seeburg jukebox, transistor radio, neon signs andold-time black-and-white tiled floor, the diner,completed by Barrett’s Technology Solutions, fair-ly recalls the set of “Happy Days” or “Grease.”Pull up to the dinette table, and you’re back in theday of the drugstore soda fountain. “There is nobetter experience than a banana split served in a‘50s-era glass boat,” says Lindsay. Let the goodtimes roll. — AP

A room in the home of Ernie and Nancy Lindsay ofGrundy County, Ill. The Lindsays spruced up anunused area over their garage into a 1950s dinercomplete with vintage jukebox, transistor radio andneon signs.

This photo shows the basement of Kim and JimHowatt in Libertyville, Il l. Modeled after DarthVader’s Star Destroyer vessel, their one-of-a-kindroom with angled walls and space ship-like detailson the ceiling boasts stadium seating for 12 andhand-painted murals of ships and planets.