Issue No. 1375 www.alwatandaily.com 150 Fils with IHT

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012 @alwatandaily 20 PAGES

Kuwait gala raises $2.1 million to support Arab women 3

Libya bourse resumes trading after year closure 9

Medical City bill approved with KD 100 million capital

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during activities of the Kuwaiti Folklore Festival in Kuwait, on Thursday, March 15, 2012. (Al-Watan)

Mohammed Al-Salman, Mohammed Al-KhaldiStaff Writers

KUWAIT: National Assembly passed Thursday a draft law for establishing a spe-cialized medical city to offer high-quality medical service for the Kuwaiti people and residents. The bill was endorsed with a majority of 27 votes against 10 for the construction of Medical City.

The approved bill stipulates that the government sets up a public shareholding company which will construct a compre-hensive medical facility with a capital of 100 million Kuwaiti dinars to provide spe-cialized and high-quality health services.

At least 40 percent of shares will be allo-cated for the private sector, 10 percent to Kuwait Investment Authority and 50 per-cent will be given as grants for citizens.

Meanwhile, the Parliament postponed the voting for a demand to assign the Edu-cation Committee to probe a delay in the establishment of Al-Shedadiya University and a quest to grill the government over the failure to appoint new leaders for the oil sector MPs have pressed their de-mands for the government to further raise salaries for civil servants and retirees.

The lawmakers gave the government a deadline until the next Cabinet meet-ing on Sunday to review pay raise rates and to approve generous increments, or

else they will have to enact a law for this through the National Assembly.

MP Dr. Hamad Al-Matar expressed his profound dismay over the ungenerous pay increment that was announced by the Civil Service Commission.

He lamented that the retirees receive low pensions and have not enjoyed a raise since 2008 amid rising inflation and sky-rocketing prices.

“We await the Cabinet session on Sunday to come up with convincing deci-sions regarding pay increase, or else the National Assembly will do so through a fair law,” the MP was quoted as saying.

For his part, MP Dr. Adel Al-Damkhi affirmed that the recent pay increases do

not meet the citizens’ expectations. The lawmaker has accordingly called for an increase not less than 30 percent.

As to the Prime Minister’s interpella-tion, Minister of Information Sheikh Mo-hammad Al-Mubarak asserted that the government was not asked to favor any parliamentary side against the other, add-ing that he seeks to shoulder the respon-sibility given to him by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak efficiently. He asked to overlook the past in order to be able to build a better future, hoping that the lawmakers would grant the government an opportunity to work before holding them accountable.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

40% of shares allocated for private sector, 10% Kuwait Investment Authority & 50% as grants for citizens

US soldier accused of Afghan civilian killings flown to KuwaitJameel W. KarakiStaff Writer and Agencies

KUWAIT: American soldier accused of killing 16 civilians in Afghanistan, the spiritual homeland of the Taliban, has been flown to Kuwait, said US officials on Thursday.

To shed the light on this issue, Al Watan Daily contacted Jimmie E. Cum-mings, JR, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, Press Desk Chief, and Public Affairs at NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan who said that “the suspect was moved outside of Afghanistan last night (Wednesday) and the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was informed prior to the movement. This action is routine and standard operating procedure for us when we are preparing to charge an individual and prepare for their introduction into the military justice system”. Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Member of Parliament Mohammad Hayef said that transferring the American soldier to Kuwait shows irreverence and affronts the Muslim World’s feelings. “This is not the first crime ... and the least that can be done is for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to refuse (receiving him).”

In addition, Pentagon spokesman Capt John Kirby told the press that the soldier was held by the US military in Kandahar until Wednesday evening, when he was flown out of the country “based on legal recommendation”.

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Kuwait Airways workers to strike on Saturday

Sami WadiStaff Writer

KUWAIT: For the third consecutive day, customs officers have continued their strike in protest at the increments en-dorsed by the Civil Service Council.

The strikers, who are now demand-ing special allowances, will be joined by Kuwait Airways workers who will begin their strike on Saturday.

Similarly, the Ministry of Justice Workers Syndicate has announced that they will stage a strike on Monday, amid threats by other syndicates to escalate un-

less their demands are met.The Customs officers affirmed that the

Kuwaiti ports have been completely par-alyzed and that only one oil tanker had moved uninspected. They described the tanker’s movement as a customs piracy and cautioned that such action can lead to merchandise smuggling. The Minister of Communications Salem Al-Othania called on the Kuwait Airways strikers to recede, while acknowledging their plight and expressing his sympathy with them.

The minister promised that he will do his best to meet their demands.

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New ‘massacre’ in Syria as crackdown anniversary marked

CAPITALS: Twenty-three mutilated corpses were found on Thursday near a Syrian protest city seized by regime forc-es, monitors said, as the regime’s bloody crackdown entered its second year to a rising world outcry. Human rights moni-tors said the victims had been blindfolded and handcuffed before being shot dead and their bodies dumped outside the northwestern city of Idlib, in an appar-ent repeat of a similar “massacre” in the flashpoint city of Homs last weekend.

As the Syrian regime and the oppo-sition continued to trade blame for the earlier killings, both sides organized mass demonstrations to mark the first anniver-sary of the eruption of anti-government protests in the city of Daraa, south of the capital, which was again the scene of deadly violence on Wednesday.

“Twenty-three bodies with marks of

extreme torture were found near Mazraat Wadi Khaled, west of the city of Idlib,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in a statement. It also said at least five others were killed in raids by secu-rity forces across the province of Idlib on Thursday and that violent clashes broke out overnight as rebels attacked army posts in the eastern region of Deir El-Zor. In Damascus, thousands of supporters of President Bashar Al-Assad poured into the streets. The government-orchestrated gatherings were apparently an attempt to overshadow the anniversary. In the south-ern province of Deraa, where the uprising began, activist Raed Al-Suleiman said Syr-ian forces backed by tanks entered early Thursday and rounded up shopkeepers.

“There are random arrests in parts of the city, most of them those who opened their shops,” he said. More on 4

Hundreds of activists in a “Freedom Convoy” who tried to enter Syria from Turkey wave the pre-Baath flag adopted by the Syrian anti-regime opposi-tion before being stopped at a border crossing outside the city of Kilis on March 15, 2012. (AFP)

Iran cut off from global financial system

BRUSSELS: Iran was effectively cut off from global commerce on Thursday, when the company that handles financial transactions said it was severing ties with many Iranian banks - part of an interna-tional effort to discourage Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

The action enforces European Union sanctions because global financial trans-actions are impossible without using SWIFT, and it will go a long way toward isolating Iran financially.

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT, is a banking hub crucial to oil, financial transactions and other trades.

“Disconnecting banks is an extraordi-nary and unprecedented step for SWIFT,” said Lazaro Campos, chief executive of SWIFT. “It is a direct result of interna-tional and multilateral action to intensify financial sanctions against Iran.”

In a statement, the company said the EU decision to impose sanctions “prohib-its companies such as SWIFT to continue to provide specialized financial messag-ing services to EU-sanctioned banks” and

“forces SWIFT to take action.”Though Thursday’s move adds no new

sanctions, it is intended to make sure that EU sanctions that have already been ap-proved are watertight. In a statement, the European Council - comprised of the government leaders of the 27 European Union countries - said it had “developed the application” of its restrictive measures against Iran. “In this context, the Council agreed that no specialized financial mes-saging shall be provided to those persons and entities subject to an asset freeze,” the statement said.

In addition to sanctioning various of-ficials and freezing the assets of certain companies, the European Union plans to institute an embargo on the import of Ira-nian oil in July - an attempt to choke off funding for Iran’s nuclear program.

The EU sanctions are aimed at forcing Iran to demonstrate to the international community that it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but officials in many other countries - includ-ing Israel - believe otherwise. -AP

A child looks at the drawings tribute for the victims of the March 13 bus crash in Switzerland on the wall in front of the St Lambertius school in Hev-erlee on March 15, 2012. Belgium has declared a national day of mourning for Friday after the bus crash in the Swiss Alps which killed 22 children. A minute’s silence will be observed in schools, public offices and across the country with flags at half mast and ceremonies planned into the weekend, the government announced. (AFP)

Al Ahli soccer fans take part in a protest against the ruling military coun-cil and interior ministry in front of the general prosecutor’s office in Cairo March 15, 2012. (Reuters)

CAIRO: Egypt’s top prosecutor on Thursday charged 75 people in connec-tion with a deadly soccer riot last month in the Mediterranean city of Port Said in which authorities said fans were thrown to their death off the stadium walls and others killed by explosives as they tried to flee.

Scores of fans face murder charges and nine police officers were accused of complicity in murder, in the Feb. 1 riot that left at least 74 people dead. It was the world’s worst soccer-related disaster in 15 years. The riot began minutes af-ter the final whistle in a league game between Cairo club Al-Ahly and Al-Masry of Port Said. The home side won 3-1 but its fans set upon the rival supporters in a killing frenzy that witnesses said lasted 30 minutes. Many witnesses claimed that policemen at the venue did nothing to stop the bloodshed.

More on 4

Egypt charges 75 people in deadly soccer riot

Uganda screenings of Kony film halted after protests

FRANCE: A Ugandan youth group said Thursday it would stop screening a hugely popular Internet video calling for the arrest of rebel chief Joseph Kony after local people reacted furiously at its first showing.

A screening in the northern town of Lira, attended by many people mutilated by Kony’s soldiers, was halted after some people started throwing stones, said Vic-tor Ochen, the director of African Youth Initiative Network.

His group had now dropped plans to

show the film around the region.“We wanted to make our people part

of the debate,” said Ochen.“But in the end we had to stop it be-

cause people were having such a strong reaction to the film and were getting very angry.”

The video, “Kony 2012”, by US ad-vocacy group Invisible Children, has been viewed by tens of millions people world-wide, mainly online, since it was released last week.

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Al-Assad’s private emails brought to light

New gel treats precancerous skin condition in days

CONNECTICUT: A newly approved gel appears effective in treating a con-dition called actinic keratosis, which is a common precursor to squamous cell skin cancer, a new study finds according to HealthDay News. Earlier topical treatments took weeks or even months to treat the condition, but the new prod-uct -- Picato (ingenol mebutate) gel -- can work in a matter of days, according to the report in the March 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

More on 15

111 flights may be cancelled, loses expected to be at KD 4 million

kuwaitFRIDAY, mARch 16, 2012

aLwataN DaiLY

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Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The Popular Action Bloc announced on Thursday that it intends to table yet another bill related to localizing labor in the public sector. The bill also pro-poses that a full one year salary is paid off, as part of an incentive for the services of the non-Kuwaitis working in the sector, where then all posts will be replaced by local workers.

Similarly, mP musallam Al-Barrak has warned the minister of Finance, the chairman of the Public Au-thority for Investment, as well as the management of the central Bank of Kuwait against re-instating the old management of Gulf Bank, which is also known as the Financial Derivatives Department.

The mP said that when this particular department began its activity back in 2000, it pursued a policy of staff termination that reached at least 100 in a single month. The department then replaced the vacant posi-tions with others whom were employed in its retail sec-tor of their own private businesses, which usually has mutual interests with banks. he argued that those new-ly appointed people got recruited under different posi-tions with handsome packages which ultimately led to the controversial issue of derivatives disaster towards the end of 2008, costing Gulf Bank approximately one billion US dollars. Gulf Bank in turn asked for subsidy from the central Bank in the form of a loan, estimated 420 million Kuwaiti dinars at the minuscule rate of 0.5 percent interest.

The Investment Public Authority undertook to cov-er the increase in capital from the unregistered shares and thus increasing its own share in the Gulf Bank to

16.08 percent. The authority then acquired more than 1 percent of the bank’s shares. The authority’s share is now equivalent to 425 million Kuwaiti dinars.

he warned against reports stating that a former member of the Derivative Department is being re-in-stated following Gulf Bank’s General Assembly meet-ing scheduled on march 17, 2012.

The lawmaker said that this time the former mem-ber will occupy a leading position, possibly a manag-ing director or similar because, as the mP believes, it will take Gulf Bank to square one where troubles will emerge again.

meanwhile, the mP Al-Barrak expressed his utter astonishment that the ministry of Foreign Affairs Un-dersecretary Khalid Al-Jarallah remains in his position, while the investigation over the foreign money trans-ference is being conducted. he pointed out at the same time that he would not tolerate any attempt to hinder the course of justice.

The mP explained that following the scandal of multi-million deposits and the issue of foreign money transference, an investigative committee was set up for the purpose of which is to look into the two issues and that outcome of the investigation would be made pub-lic for the Kuwaiti people to see.

The mP said that he is keen to know if the foreign money transference was done with the signature of the undersecretary “who happened to be working for the same ministry for so long”.

The mP also pointed out that when the former for-eign minister Sheikh Dr. mohammad Al-Sabah made his own inquiry over the matter and asked for informa-tion, his inquiry was blocked by ambassadors.

continued from page 1moreover, he said that the Premier

will face interpellation filed against him publicly, which is different from what the previous Pms have done. he hoped that the National Assembly would approve the national unity draft law, which has been referred to the government since June 2011. he added that this draft law in-cludes tough penalties for those who de-spise other sects in the society, in addition to those who attempt to cause sedition by splitting national unity.

concerning the audio and visual law amendments, he said that the ministry re-ferred them to the cabinet a month ago, where it is currently being studied by the concerned authorities before referring it to the National Assembly.

In another development, mP Saleh Ashour put forth a proposal which calls on the government institutions to increase the number of local manpower. he also proposed that university degree holders get a KD 300 pay raise while diploma and secondary school certificate holders get a raise of KD 270.

meanwhile, mP mohammad Al-Ju-

waihel commented on the performance of the National Assembly saying that “his is a headless Parliament. Rather, it’s a gang headed by Ahmad Al-Saadoun in Parliament. They will pay for all their ac-tions and we will change the approach in dealing with them.”

In other news, mP musallam Al-Bar-rak has called on the minister of Finance mustafa Al-Shamali to hand in his resig-nation, reminding him that he was the very same financial minister during the previous governments of Sheikh Nasser Al-mohammad. The mP further called on his highness the Prime minister Jaber Al-mubarak to remove the Financial minis-ter from his current post.

The mP stressed that in the event that it is decided that the current finan-cial minister would remain in his post, he would ultimately lead the majority of the mPs to file an interpellation motion over the matter.

In addition, mP mubarak Al-Waalan announced that he has initiated consulta-tions and coordination for a special par-liamentary session to be held in order to endorse a bill for the civil rights of

Bedoun (Stateless Arabs). he noted that the move is designed to vote on the bill in two deliberations in order to deliver justice for this segment of society and to maintain their dignity. The mP added that the eligible candidates will be immedi-ately naturalized.

Further, mP mohammad hayef has revealed that at least 31 mPs have signed up to a proposal by the Justice Bloc to amend Article 79 of the constitution to ensure that all laws to be passed by the Assembly are consistent with the Sharia (Islamic law).

he however noted that the request will not be put forth before Parliament this week in order to allow mPs time to sign up, even though it can be presented with the signature of 22 mPs only.

In other news, the minister of State for Planning and Development and the minister of Public Works Dr. Fadel Safar called on mPs to come forward with any observations or amendments they have with regard to the State Development Plan. The minister underscored the role of the private sector in ensuring the success of the plan.

Popular Action bloc calls for Kuwaitizationof public sector employees

MPs voting on a bill during Thursday’s Parliament session on March 15, 2012. (Al Watan)

MP Ashour’s proposed salary increases for Kuwaiti citizens Holder of Bachelor’s Degree 300 KD Holder of Diploma or High School certificate + or two years training program

270 KD

Holders of High School certificate + one year training program or Middle School certificate + 3 years training program

260 KD

High School or Middle School certificate + one year training program

240 KD

Middle School certificate 235 KD below Middle School certificate 230 KD

Medical City bill approved with KD 100 million capital

111 flights may be cancelled, loses expected to be at 4 million dinarsSami WadiStaff Writer

KUWAIT: For the third consecutive day, customs officers have continued their strike in protest at the increments en-dorsed by the civil Service council. The strikers, who are now demanding special allowances, will be joined by Kuwait Air-ways workers who will begin their strike on Saturday. Similarly, the ministry of

Justice Workers Syndicate has announced that they will stage a strike on monday, amid threats by other syndicates to esca-late unless their demands are met.

The customs officers affirmed that the Kuwaiti ports have been completely paralyzed and that only one oil tanker had moved uninspected. They described the tanker’s movement as a customs pi-racy and cautioned that such action can lead to merchandise smuggling.

The minister of communications Sa-lem Al-Othania called on the Kuwait Air-ways strikers to recede, while acknowl-edging their plight and expressing his sympathy with them. The minister prom-ised that he will do his best to meet their

demands.Kuwait Airways has reportedly in-

formed the airlines operating at the Ku-wait International Airport that it is not ready to receive transit passengers.

A source has informed Al Watan that it is expected that 111 flights will be can-celled over the two coming days, as he estimated the losses at about four million Kuwaiti dinars.

In the same vein, ministry of Justice Workers Syndicate has rejected the recent pay raise, saying that the increase involved only nine categories while it ignored other jobs. The syndicate announced that it will stage a two-hour strike on monday at the Palace of Justice.

Kuwait Airways workers to strike on Saturday

FILE- Photo of Kuwait Airways employees during a strike held at Kuwait International Airport on Oct. 24, 2011. (Al Watan)

KHARTOUM: Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) signed here Thursday a second loan agreement with the Sudanese government at a value of 25 million Kuwait to finance two dams, name-ly Upper Atbara River and the State, in eastern Sudan.

The agreement was signed by KFAED Director General Abdulwahab Al-Bader and Sudanese Finance and Economy minister Ali mahmoud in a ceremony at-tended by a number of Sudanese ministers and senior officials.

“This agreement is part of the aid pledges, the State of Kuwait has made during the International Donors and Investors conference for Eastern Sudan held in Kuwait in December 2010,” KFAED Director General Abdulwahab Al-Bader said in his speech during the signing ceremony.

Kuwait has pleged 500 million US dollar aid to eastern Sudan, $450 million in loans and $50 million a grant.

“This is the second loan Kuwait offers to Sudan as part of its commitments, at a total value 50 million Kuwaiti dinars (or about $170 million,” Bader pointed out, adding that the Kuwait is putting the final touches on the $50 million-grant agreement. The grant projects seemed to work in Kuwait after selecting consulting firms and implemented either for loans, The KFAED

signed KD 25 million ($85 million) loan agreement with Sudan in December 2010 to finance the construc-tion of two dams on Atbara River.

Bader expressed Kuwait’s commitment to fully support all development projects in Sudan.

For his part, Sudanese Finance minister Ali mah-moud praised KFAED continuing aid to his country over more than half a century.

mahmoud revealed that KFAED started coopera-tion with Sudan since its foundation in 1962 when it of-fered Sudan the first loan to finance a railways project.

“Since this time, KFAED has offered Sudan 26 loans worth more than $819.7 million” he said.

The minister applauded the candid and strong ties between the two Arab nations.

For his part, minister of State for Electricity and Dams mohammed hassan Al-hadari said KFAED-financed two dams are meant to increase drinking water and agricultural production in the region as well as generating 320 megawatts of electricity to meet the residents’ needs.

On Dec. 1-2, 2010, Kuwait hosted the International Donors and Investors conference for Eastern Sudan, which ended with pledges of more than $3.5 billion for the post-conflict economic and social rehabilitation of Eastern Sudan. -KUNA

Kuwait offers Sudan KD 25 million-loan

Kuwait welcomes Libya’s steps to promote, safeguard human rights

GENEVA: Kuwait welcomed Thursday the measures taken by the Libyan government to promote and safeguard human rights and its cooperation with international human rights or-ganizations, particularly United Nations human Rights council (UNhRc). The remarks were made by counselor Sadiq maarfi, a member of the Kuwaiti permanent delegation to the UNhRc at the session held to review and approve the Libyan government human rights report.

maarfi noted the UNhRc tackles Thursday a special case as the reviewed report was compiled by the former Libyan regime but the transitional government has vowed fulfill the Libya’s pre-vious human rights commitments. Kuwaiti diplomat hailed Lib-yan transitional government acceptance of several recommenda-tions that were rejected by the former regime, which reflects its commitment to promoting human rights.

he added that the Libyan people have suffered over the past 42 years of flagrant violations of human rights at the hands of the former regime who deliberately prevented its people from knowing anything about the culture of human rights. -KUNA

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud returns from Tunisia’s ministers meetingKUWAIT: Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime minister and minister

of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has ar-rived back home from Tunisia, where he attended a meeting of Arab interior ministers. Upon arrival back Thursday evening, the minister told reporters that the 29th session of the council of Arab Interior ministers marked a distinguished addition on the way of reinforcing pan-Arab security interests.

The two-day meeting discussed ways to strengthen the areas of security cooperation among the Arab ministries of interior, especially the areas of combating terrorism, violence, counter-narcotics, money laundering, economic and cyber crime, in addi-tion to human trafficking.

The minister spoke highly of the friendly atmosphere under which the gathering was held, together with the positive results of discussions and deliberations on diverse security issues.

he also lauded the recommendations and resolutions made by the Arab interior ministers during the meeting as a fresh step towards the way to face regional changes and developments through single Arab security efforts. -KUNA

Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) signs a second loan agreement with the Sudanese government at a value of 25 million Kuwait on Thursday, March 15, 2012. (KUNA)

KUWAIT: Japan’s education minis-ter has expressed his willing to enhance educational cooperation with Kuwait and increase the number of government funded scholarships for Kuwaiti stu-dents, attaching great importance to hu-manitarian exchanges, especially those among the young generations.

“Currently, six Kuwaiti students are studying in Japan under govern-ment scholarship programs. We encour-age more Kuwaiti students to study in Japan through the scheme,” Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technol-ogy Minister Hirofumi Hirano said in a recent interview with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

Hirano made remarks as he welcomed the state visit to Japan by His High-ness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, scheduled from March 20th. “We also wish to see a rise in the num-ber of Japanese students in Kuwait,” said Hirano, adding that Tokyo is stepping up

preparation for the expanded program. Five Japanese students are learning Ara-bic at the Kuwait University’s Language Center through sponsorship from the Kuwaiti government.

“It is important to promote people to people exchanges between Japan and Kuwait, especially among students, to deepen the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples,” said the minister.

In addition to scholarship programs, Tokyo offers the Japanese language courses at Kuwait University’s Center for Community Service and Continuing Education, and the Japanese Embassy in Kuwait regularly hosts the round-tables for returned Kuwaiti students from Ja-pan.As of May 2009, 79,000 students from about 160 countries and regions around the globe have studied in Japan under the Japanese government schol-arship program established in 1954, according to his ministry. -KUNA

KUWAIT FrIDAY, MArCH 16, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

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US soldier accused of Afghan civilian killings flown to Kuwait

Jameel W. KarakiStaff Writer and Agencies

KUWAIT: American soldier accused of killing 16 civil-ians in Afghanistan, the spiritual homeland of the Taliban, has been flown to Kuwait, said US officials on Thursday.

To shed the light on this issue, Al Watan Daily contacted Jimmie E. Cummings, Jr, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, Press Desk Chief, and Public Affairs at NATO Internation-al Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan who said that “the suspect was moved outside of Afghanistan last night (Wednesday) and the government of the Islamic republic of Afghanistan was informed prior to the movement. This

action is routine and standard operating procedure for us when we are preparing to charge an individual and prepare for their introduction into the military justice system”.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Member of Parliament Mohammad Hayef said that transferring the American soldier to Kuwait shows irreverence and affronts the Muslim World’s feelings. “This is not the first crime ... and the least that can be done is for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to refuse (receiving him).”

In addition, Pentagon spokesman Capt John Kirby told the press that the soldier was held by the US military in Kandahar until Wednesday evening, when he was flown out of the country “based on legal recommendation”.

Afghan lawmakers expressed anger Thursday that the US flew the American soldier to Kuwait, saying Kabul shouldn’t sign a strategic partnership agreement with Washington un-less the suspect faces justice in Afghanistan. Negotiations over the agreement, which would govern the presence of US forces in Afghanistan after most combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014, were tense even before the shooting deaths of the civilians, including nine children, in southern Kandahar province on Sunday.

The attack in Kandahar province has caused outrage across Afghanistan. On Thursday about 2,000 people dem-onstrated in the southern Afghan province of Zabul, the sec-ond major protest outside Kandahar this week.

Now, President Hamid Karzai is under intense pressure amid questions over what really happened in Kandahar. A parliamentary investigation had been expected to have re-ported its findings on Thursday and some of these may be at odds with US statements on the incident.

There have been calls for the soldier’s trial to be held in Afghanistan and be made public. But Kabul signed an agreement with the US and other NATO members under which soldiers will be tried in their home countries, not Af-ghanistan.

It is worth noting that the American Embassy of Kuwait played a vital role in contacting Al Watan Daily with Lieu-tenant Colonel Jimmie E. Cummings.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah attended on Thursday, along with His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, activities of the Kuwaiti folkloric festival.

Upon arrival, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was received by chairman of the festival’s higher organizing committee Sheikh Dhari Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, vice chairman Sheikh Sabah Fahad Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah and commit-

tee members. The Amir, in an opening statement, said that “this annual gathering is living proof of unity and brotherhood enjoyed by peoples of the Gulf.” A doc-umentary was then shown, followed by a number of folkloric poems read to the audience. The Amir, before departing the event, was gifted with a memento.

The Amir was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan affairs sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah and Advisor at Amiri Diwan Mohammed Dheifallah Sharrar. -KUNA

Amir attends folkloric festival

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (right) with His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (left) during the Kuwaiti folkloric festival on Thursday, March 15, 2012. (KUNA)

KUWAIT: Kuwait is set to invest in the human element as one of its top priorities and a basic foun-dation for development, said Kuwait ambassador to Bahrain Sheikh Azzam Mubarak Al-Sabah on Thursday.Sheikh Azzam said during a speech today at a ceremony hosted by the Kuwaiti students at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU), on the recent occasion of national holidays that Kuwait is keen on investment in developing the inherent talents

and potentialities of the Kuwaiti youth. The AGU represents a scientific model for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) joint action, he said, emphasizing his appreciation for the students for organizing this celebration that expressed sincere love and loyalty to Kuwait. The ceremony was attended by Kuwaiti students, advisor to the King for Cultural and Sci-entific Affairs, Dr. Mohammed Al-Ansari and presi-dent of the AGU, Khalid Al-Ohaly. -KUNA

Kuwait invests in human resources as top priority: Ambassador

Japan Minister hopes for more Kuwaiti students under Government scholarships

KUWAIT: Kuwait Writers’ Asso-ciation hosted a lecture focused on the theme of political disconnection from the Kuwaiti culture scene in the present day even though the concepts of politics and culture are connected.

Kuwaiti scholar and poet Khalaf Al-Khitaimi said in the lecture that the con-cept of culture is comprehensive.

It encompasses geography, anthro-pology, the social, political, and eco-nomic components and phenomena of society.

Politics and culture are closely con-nected since a good politician should be a highly cultured and aware person who has a clear understanding of the eco-nomic, cultural, and artistic situation of his society.

He noted that during the 1950s and 1960s, the political figure was initially a culturally involved and active one who chose to go down the path of politics.

He further said that Kuwait’s poli-tics in that period reflected the political view as well as culture appreciation of its ruler; hence, theatres, colleges, and cultural clubs emerged on the societal scene in the country.

Al-Arabi magazine, established in 1958 under the directives of the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AL-Sabah, is ample proof that reflects the tendencies of that period, he pointed out.

The magazine has become a cultural passport from which the Kuwaiti culture travelled to other realms of the Arab world. -KUNA

Politics, culture connected

concepts: Scholar

Kuwait gala raises $2.1 million to support Arab womenKUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ambassador in US Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah

and his wife Sheikha rima Al-Sabah, with the cooperation of the Kuwait-America Foundation and participation of CIA Director General David Petraeus held a Gala Dinner entitled “Sewing the Future.” The gala managed to raise 2.1 million US dollars to support Women’s World Banking and women’s economic empowerment in the Middle East. Guest of Honor, Director Petraeus has praised and pointed out the generosity of Kuwait throughout the past two de-cades, and show its support to America.

He affirmed that among the many reasons for him to attend this event was to “relate my gratitude for Kuwait’s kind support over the years.” He added, “No country could have been a better host to our forces.”

He said, “We are here to help celebrate a very worthy cause and also help celebrate a special relationship, bond, and friendship between Kuwait and the US.” He also expressed “deep apprecia-tion for Kuwait’s Ambassador and his wife and the Kuwait-America Foundation for the so many worthy causes they have done through-out the last eight years.”

Petraeus praised the deep relationship with Kuwait on a politi-cal and military level, saying Kuwait has “stood shoulder to shoul-der with the US for many decades.” He shed light on the time he was in Kuwait in 1991 not long after the liberation of Kuwait and he has seen how Kuwait has suffered under the Saddam Hussein occupation. He said he returned to Kuwait several times since then and often visited the National Memorial Museum which has many powerful exhibits, “With a large portion dedicated to the fallen American coalition soldiers.” The US official also focused on the different causes the Foundation has taken on over the years, saying that among the Foundation’s causes particularly close to his heart is supporting American wounded warriors.

He considered this year’s cause a “remarkable Effort” to help women by expanding micro financing opportunities “To bring great-er stability and economic growth to the Middle Eastern nations that are facing political and socio-economic upheaval.” Patraeus added that the Foundation’s efforts are “in short hugely significant initia-tives,” saying he is appreciative for all it has done in making a true difference on many levels in countries that have long suffered from underdevelopment.

In an exclusive statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Pe-traeus said “It really is an honor to be here and a pleasure to be here and say thanks to Kuwait.” He affirmed that Kuwait’s “generosity is truly beyond compare. There have been not only shared objectives

and goals, but shared sacrifice and that unites us I think forever.” For his part, Sheikh Salem told KUNA that he and his wife are delighted to host the 8th Annual Gala of the Kuwait Embassy to support Women’s World Banking (WWB).

He said that the WWB will offer women loans for small projects in four Arab countries, which are Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Jor-dan, hoping that through this gala, seeds of hope are planted that will benefit generations to come.

Sheikh Salem affirmed that the Embassy is very proud to have been able to raise more than $13 million over the past eight years for humanitarian causes such as educating girls, protecting the en-vironment, and supporting wounded warriors.

He added that he is in particular proud of this year’s gala as it

aims at supporting women in four Arab countries. “When you lend a woman the support she needs, she will invest the resources in her children, in her family, and in her community.” Meanwhile, the Am-bassador praised the strong bilateral relations between the US and Kuwait, saying that the core mission of the Kuwait-America Foun-dation through its galas is to express gratitude for American support and to strengthen ties between the people of the US and Kuwait.

Sheikh Salem expressed his gratitude to the senior officials in the US administration, and congressmen who participated in this event and contributed to its success.

For her part, Sheikha rima, who is the Gala Founder and Chair-woman, told KUNA that she is honored to organize the event this year as it focuses on supporting women in four Arab countries.

She affirmed that investing in women sets in motion a multi-plier effect. When women are empowered educationally, socially, and economically, they will invest the resources in their children, their family, and their community, she noted. She added that this Gala Dinner also coincides with the world celebrating International Women’s Day.

She indicated that the two million dollars raised will offer huge opportunities and make an enormous difference in women’s lives in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Jordan as they will fulfill their dreams and establish economic projects.

Humanitarian Award recipient award winning actress and Good-will Ambassador for UN WOMEN Nicole Kidman said in a speech she delivered that “there is no limit to what women can achieve when they’re given the opportunity.” She said that “the progress of women really makes progress overall,” adding that “women need to be able to make a decision that shapes their lives and their soci-ety.” She indicated that women having an income “can also provide them with options that they never thought possible and it can give them hope when they feel hopeless.” The banquet was attended by senior American officials, including General Petraeus, White House National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, National Security Adviser to Vice President Antony Blinken, White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew, White House Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard, and US Chief of Protocol Capricia Marshall.

Also among senior guests were Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman, Senior director for the Gulf States, Iran and Iraq in the National Security Council Puneet Talwar, Supreme Court Judge Samuel Alito, Senators John Kerry, Scott Brown, roy Blunt and Congressman Chris Van Hollen, in addition to Kidman and her husband country singer Keith Urban. -KUNA

Kuwait’s Ambassador in US Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah and his wife Sheikha Rima Al-Sabah and CIA Director General David Petraeus during a Gala Dinner entitled “Sewing the Future” on Thursday, March 15, 2012. (KUNA)

Wafa QansourMazen Al-Saheb from BaghdadStaff Writers

KUWAIT: The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has described his visit to Kuwait as significant, given that the two countries could bridge the gaps as both parties “will never reach effective solutions before building trust”.

Al-Maliki said, during a press con-ference held following a dinner celebra-tion that he felt through his meetings with the National Assembly Speaker and Kuwaiti Prime Minister the interest in strengthening cooperation.

Al-Maliki affirmed that the meet-ings can be considered as a step in the right direction. “We have several hang-ing issues and we need to speed up all

procedures to resolve them as soon as possible,” he said. As to his meeting with Ahmad Al-Saadoun, who told the Iraqi premier that National Assembly rejects writing off the debts required be paid to by the Iraqi government ac-cording to certain sources, the premier emphasized that such rumors aim at deforming the visit and its positive results.

Following a question about erupting differences between the two countries, he said that some sides are against good relations between Kuwait and Iraq and they aim to undermine the settlement of the whole region as well.

“Therefore, we have to cooperate with each other to prevent any side from creating problems between the two sisterly countries,” he added.

Meanwhile, a number of Iraqi MPs

described the visit of the premier to Kuwait as an important one, in which the Chief of Tajdeed Bloc MP Jamal Kei-lani said that the visit is positive and he wished other Iraqi officials to visit Ku-wait in order restore the good bilateral ties.

The lawmaker added that Kuwait has to help Iraq settle by removing it from being under the Seventh Chapter of the United Nations Charter, which had immensely influenced the Iraqi economy.

The MP Aalia Nazif called for ex-ecuting the agreements that the premier signed with the Kuwaiti side through forming an active committee to follow up on carrying out all agreements.

She affirmed that the premier is seri-ous to put an end to the pending issues between the two countries.

Al-Maliki says Kuwait visit marks extreme importance

Photo of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Minister Hi-rofumi Hirano on Thursday, March 15, 2012. (KUNA)

regionalfriDAY, mArch 16, 2012

alWaTan DailY

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Al-Assad’s private emails brought to light

CAPITALS: Twenty-three mutilated corpses were found on Thursday near a Syrian protest city seized by regime forces, monitors said, as the regime’s bloody crackdown en-tered its second year to a rising world outcry.

human rights monitors said the victims had been blindfolded and handcuffed before being shot dead and their bodies dumped out-side the northwestern city of idlib, in an ap-parent repeat of a similar “massacre” in the flashpoint city of homs last weekend.

As the Syrian regime and the opposition continued to trade blame for the earlier kill-ings, both sides organized mass demonstra-tions to mark the first anniversary of the erup-tion of anti-government protests in the city of Daraa, south of the capital, which was again the scene of deadly violence on Wednesday.

“Twenty-three bodies with marks of ex-treme torture were found near mazraat Wadi Khaled, west of the city of idlib,” said the Syr-ian Observatory for human rights in a state-ment.

it also said at least five others were killed in raids by security forces across the province of idlib on Thursday and that violent clashes broke out overnight as rebels attacked army posts in the eastern region of Deir El-Zor.

in Damascus, thousands of supporters of President Bashar Al-Assad poured into the streets. The government-orchestrated gather-ings were apparently an attempt to overshad-ow the anniversary.

in the southern province of Deraa, where the uprising began, activist raed Al-Suleiman said Syrian forces backed by tanks entered early Thursday and rounded up shopkeepers.

“There are random arrests in parts of the city, most of them those who opened their shops,” he said. “They put some of them on buses to take them to a demonstration.”

Around 1,000 Syrian refugees, including

a defecting general, have crossed into Turkey in the last 24 hours, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

“The number of Syrian refugees currently staying in Turkey boomed by 1,000 in a single day and climbed to 14,700 total,” ministry spokesperson Selçuk Ünal told reporters in

Ankara.Up to 500,000 Syrians may cross into

Turkey seeking refuge from the deadly crack-down by the Damascus regime, the head of the Turkish red crescent warned Thursday.

Ahmet Lutfi Akar said his organization expected more refugees “to cross into Turkey

through the border province of hatay in the upcoming days, as there is an extreme situa-tion. There are various scenarios that this fig-ure may climb up to 500,000,” the Anatolia news agency quoted him as saying.

The Syrian government has prevented most media from operating in the country

throughout the uprising, and activist accounts could not be independently verified.

Throughout the uprising, the opposition has been hobbled by disorganization and in-fighting and the primary opposition groups disagree on what day the uprising began.

Syrians in Paris had organized a rally which was set to take place Thursday evening in front of city hall to mark the year anni-versary. Burhan Ghalioun, head of the Syrian National council, was to attend.

meanwhile, Britain’s Guardian newspa-per published what it believes to be genuine emails sent and received by Al-Assad and his wife between June and february, revealing a ruling family largely insulated from the gath-ering crisis.

The emails appeared to show Al-Assad had taken advice from iran and that he had ridiculed some of his reforms and pledges as “rubbish”. An email purportedly sent by the emir of Qatar’s daughter urged the Al-Assads to seek refuge in Doha.

in another development, france is op-posed to calls for foreign powers to arm the opposition groups fighting Al-Assad’s regime in Syria, fearing a descent into civil war, for-eign minister Alain Juppe said Thursday.

“The Syrian people is deeply divided and if we give arms to a particular faction of the opposition we could trigger a civil war be-tween christians, Alawites, Sunnis and Shi-ites,” Juppe warned, in a radio interview.

“it could become an even bigger catastro-phe than we have now.”

Others argue that the uprising started march 18 with the first large protests in a number of Syrian cities, including the south-ern city of Deraa, where the first protesters were killed by security forces.

reflecting the declining security situa-tion, Saudi Arabia said late Wednesday it had closed its embassy in Damascus and pulled out its diplomats and staff. The US and many other European and Arab countries have also closed their embassies. -Agencies

New ‘massacre’ in Syria as crackdown anniversary marked

An image released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 15, 2012, shows Syrians rallying in support of President Bashar Al-Assad on the first anniversary of the anti-regime revolt. (AFP)

GAZA CITY: The israeli air force and Gaza militants traded sporadic fire over-night but a fragile truce between the sides that ended four days of violence appeared to be largely holding on Thursday.

Late Thursday morning, militants fired a rocket at the southern desert city of Beer-sheva, which was intercepted by the iron Dome defense system, a military spokes-man said. it was the second rocket to be fired on Thursday; neither caused any dam-age or injuries.

Overnight, israeli aircraft carried out two raids, one near Gaza city and another near the southern town of Khan Yunis, caus-ing no injuries, Palestinian security officials said. The israeli military said the raids were in response to a rocket fired at Beersheva on Wednesday which was brought down by iron Dome.

many schools across southern israel were again closed on Thursday as a safety precaution, after briefly reopening on Wednesday for the first time this week.

Speaking to parliament on Wednesday, israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu again warned the truce would be short-lived if the rocket fire continued.

“calm will bring calm. Anyone who dis-turbs it, or even tries to disturb it, will be in our gun sights,” he said.

he also linked the rocket fire from Gaza to tensions with iran over its nuclear program, which much of the West believes masks a weapons drive.

“What’s happening in Gaza is iran. Where do the missiles come from? iran. Where does the money come from? iran. Who trains the terrorists? iran. Who builds the infrastructure? iran. And often who gives the orders? iran.

“Gaza is an advance post for iran,” he

said. “i hope that the whole world today understands that the terrorist organizations in Gaza - hamas and islamic Jihad - and also hezbollah in Lebanon, are sheltered by the iranian umbrella.

“can you imagine what would happen if that umbrella was nuclear?”

The truce, mediated by Egypt, ended vi-olence that began on friday with israel’s as-sassination of a senior Palestinian militant. militants responded by firing hundreds of rockets into the Jewish state.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, both israel and militants from islamic Jihad, who were responsible for most of the rocket at-tacks, have agreed to hold their fire.

meanwhile, an israeli soldier was in serious condition on Thursday after being stabbed by a Palestinian man on board the light rail in an east Jerusalem settlement district, police said.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the woman “was stabbed by a man sus-pected of being a Palestinian in Pisgat Zeev, apparently on board the light rail. The doors of the train then opened, and the stabber fled the scene.”

Shortly afterwards, police confirmed the suspect was Palestinian, saying he had been arrested at the Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and ramallah.

A paramedic who treated the victim, told public radio she was stabbed in the chest and the arm and evacuated to hospital in serious condition.

israeli army spokeswoman Avital Lei-bovich confirmed the woman was a soldier in a posting on Twitter, saying: “A female soldier was wounded due to stabbing attack in Jerusalem.”

There was no immediate indication of the attacker’s motives. -AfP

Israel, Palestinians trade fire but truce holds

Top Hamas official visits Tehran

TEHRAN: A senior hamas figure in Gaza, mahmud Zahar, is visiting Tehran for meetings with top iranian officials, media here reported on Thursday.

Zahar’s trip was taking place shortly after Gaza militants and israel agreed a fragile truce that ended four days of deadly cross-border violence.

Zahar, who serves as hamas’s foreign minister, met the head of iran’s supreme national security council, Saeed Jalili, and the leader of iran’s parliament, Ali Lari-jani, late on Wednesday, the official irNA news agency reported.

Jalili reiterated iran’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, and cau-tioned Zahar against “plots” seeking to divide the Palestinian resistance, the report said. Zahar was quoted as saying that “the principles and strategy of the Palestinian islamic resistance will not change.”

Zahar’s visit to Tehran followed one by hamas leader ismail haniyeh last month, who on february 11 shared the podium with iranian President mahmoud Ahmadinejad to commemorate the anniversary of iran’s 1979 islamic revolution.

israel and the United States consider hamas to be an armed proxy of iran able to strike israel with iranian-supplied rockets should the islamic republic be threat-ened militarily.

israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday branded Gaza an “advance post for iran,” which he explicitly accused of arming, financing and training mili-tants in the Palestinian enclave.

however Ahmed Yussef, a counselor to the hamas foreign ministry, earlier this month told AfP that “iran does not need hamas to respond to israel in the event of an attack, because it has enormous military capabilities at its disposal, which allow it to act without us.” -AfP

CAIRO: Egypt’s top prosecutor on Thursday charged 75 people in connection with a deadly soccer riot last month in the mediterranean city of Port Said in which authorities said fans were thrown to their death off the stadium walls and others killed by explosives as they tried to flee.

Scores of fans face murder charges and nine police officers were accused of complicity in mur-der, in the feb. 1 riot that left at least 74 people dead. it was the world’s worst soccer-related di-saster in 15 years.

The riot began minutes after the final whistle in a league game between cairo club Al-Ahly and Al-masry of Port Said. The home side won 3-1 but its fans set upon the rival supporters in a kill-ing frenzy that witnesses said lasted 30 minutes. many witnesses claimed that policemen at the venue did nothing to stop the bloodshed.

The riot shocked soccer crazy Egypt, deepen-ing the sense of uncertainty felt by many as their nation continues to be roiled by unrest a year after the ouster of longtime authoritarian leader hosni mubarak. That senior police officers were charged in connection with the tragedy would lend cre-dence to persistent claims that the nation’s much hated police were deliberately turning a blind eye to the wave of violent crime gripping Egypt over the past year.

Police have yet to fully retake the streets after they melted away in yet-not-fully-explained cir-cumstances on the fourth day of the 18-day pop-ular uprising that toppled mubarak. An end to police brutality was among the main root causes of the uprising and many rights activists believe the police’s apparent reluctance to restore secu-rity is payback for their humiliating defeat in the face of millions of unarmed protesters.

A statement issued by the office of the na-tion’s prosecutor general said nine police officers, including six major generals and a colonel, par-ticipated in the Port Said riot by way of “assis-tance” to Al-masry fans. They said the officers, along with several Al-masry officials, knew in advance that the home fans planned to attack Al-Ahly supporters. They, said the statement, al-lowed Al-masry fans to exceed by 3,000 the max-imum number authorized to attend the game and did not search any of them for weapons before they were allowed inside the ground. many of the charged fans were criminals known to the local

police, it said.it said the police at the match’s venue did

nothing to stop Al-masry fans from attacking their rivals. “Those from the police among the defendants failed to take any measure ... to main-tain security, protect lives and property,” it said, in what is probably the strongest official condem-nation since mubarak’s ouster of the police’s at-titude toward the rise of crime in Egypt.

The nine police officers included maj. Gen. is-sam Samak, who was Port Said’s chief of security at the time of the riot. Samak has already been suspended. The statement said the charges were based on video footage of the riot and the confes-sions of suspects. it said the killing of the protest-ers was planned in advance and that the culprits prepared for the massacre with knifes, rocks and explosives. fans from the two teams have a his-tory of animosity, but no one had expected that the heated rivalry could turn murderous.

it described how Al-masry fans threw Al-Ahly supports to their death from the terraces and how they detonated explosives in their midst as they

became trapped in a corridor leading to an exit gate. Among those charged is the chief electrical engineer of the Port Said stadium, a fact that al-ludes to numerous witness accounts that power inexplicably went out at the venue minutes after the final whistle. The darkness, according to wit-nesses, helped the assailants to attack with im-punity. On Thursday, thousands of Al-Ahly fans staged a sit-in outside the office of the nation’s top prosecutor, mahmoud Abdel-maguid, to protest what they said was the delay in filing the charges and to demand swift justice. many of the fans, known as Ultras Ahlawy, wore the red jersey of the club, possibly the most popular in Egypt.

The Port Said riot led to the cancellation of the soccer league and sparked days of clashes in cairo between police and protesters accusing the interior ministry, which is in charge of police, of doing nothing to protect Al-Ahly fans. The Egyp-tian soccer federation has yet to punish Al-masry for the riot. it is widely expected to relegate the team to a lower league and ban any official games from being played on its grounds. -AP

Egypt charges 75 people in deadly soccer riot

Thousands of hardcore Egyptian supporters of Al-Ahly football club chant slogans during a march in central Cairo on March 15, 2012 to demand justice for the dozens of comrades killed in stadium violence last month. (AFP)

Armed Bedouins enter Sinai peace force campCAIRO: Armed Bedouins have en-

tered a military base used by internation-al peacekeepers in Egypt’s Sinai region to pressure local authorities to release fellow tribesmen from jail, security and tribal sources said on Thursday.

Sinai Bedouin complain of unfair treatment and government neglect and press their demands by blocking roads and occasionally taking tourists hostage, releasing them soon afterwards following negotiations with the authorities.

Such incidents have become more frequent since the overthrow of Egyptian President hosni mubarak last year loos-ened the grip of state security and deep-ened lawlessness in the isolated Sinai.

Wednesday’s entry of the camp was the first time Bedouin have blocked off a base used by the multinational force that oversees observance of Egypt’s peace treaty with israel by patrolling their heav-ily guarded Sinai frontier. The protest be-gan a week ago as the Bedouin cut roads to the base with burning tyres and esca-lated when they cut through a perimeter

fence and dozens entered the camp.“They are ready to storm the build-

ings at any time,” said a fellow Bedouin in contact with the men staging the protest.

A security official said the Bedouin had the camp surrounded on four sides to prevent any vehicles or staff at the base from entering or leaving. No confronta-tion was reported for now but the security official and a Bedouin source, who both spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Bedouin have threatened to escalate the situation if their demands were not met.

The multinational force and Observ-ers director in cairo, Kathleen riley, re-fused to confirm the incident, saying the force “does not comment about its opera-tions”. The force includes military staff from 12 countries including the United States, colombia, france and Uruguay, the mfO website said. it was not clear how many troops were stationed in the Sinai camp or their nationalities. Other Bedouin cut a main road in Sinai that leads to a commercial crossing between Egypt and israel this week. -reuters

Ethiopia carries out attacks against Eritrea

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian forces entered archrival Eritrea on Thursday and carried out what a government spokesman de-scribed as “a successful attack” against military posts.

Shimeles Kemal said Ethiopia launched the attack because Eritrea was training “subversive groups” that carried out attacks inside Ethiopia. Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998 to 2000. Tensions have reignited between the countries in recent months. No details about the military operations or any damage or casualties were immediately released.

The “Eritrea government has continued launching attacks at Ethiopia through its proxy groups. The attacks had continued. And the recent attacks against European tourists is one of the reasons for the retaliation,” Shimeles said. militants attacked European tourists from five nations traveling in Ethiopia’s arid north in January. five tourists were killed and two were kid-napped. The two kidnapped German tourists have since been released. Ethiopia blamed gunmen from Eritrea for the attack.

The attacks Thursday by Ethiopian forces took place about 16 kilometers (10 miles) inside Eritrea’s territory in areas called Gelakalay and Gimbina, Shimeles said. The Ethiopian forces have returned to Ethiopia, he said.

“Today’s measures do not constitute a direct military con-frontation between the two countries. -AP

KABUL: Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai called for NATO troops to leave Afghan villages after 16 civilians died in a shooting rampage by a US soldier, underscoring Afghan fury over the massacre and clouding US exit plans.

In a near-simultaneous statement, the Taliban said they were suspending nascent peace talks with the United States seen as a strong chance of ending the country’s decade-long war, blaming “shaky, erratic and vague” US statements.

Karzai, in a statement from his office after meeting US De-fense Secretary Leon Panetta, said as a result of the weekend massacre, “international security forces have to be taken out of Afghan village outposts and return to (larger) bases”.

The soldier accused of carrying out the shooting was based at a small special forces compound similar to others around the country which underpin NATO’s counter-insurgency strategy ahead of a 2014 deadline for most Western combat forces to pull out. Karzai said the incident had harmed relations between Af-ghanistan and the United States and said “all efforts have to be done to avoid such incident in the future”, warning it also had hurt the trust Afghans had in foreign forces.

The killings in Kandahar province on Sunday have raised questions about Western strategy in Afghanistan and intensified calls for the withdrawal of foreign combat troops. The Taliban statement - delivered in English as Panetta left the country - was another blow to NATO hopes of a negotiated settlement to the war. US and Taliban negotiators were believed to have had pre-liminary contacts aimed at establishing an office for the Taliban in the Gulf state of Qatar to launch peace negotiations.

“The Islamic Emirate has decided to suspend all talks with Americans taking place in Qatar from (Thursday) onwards until the Americans clarify their stance on the issues concerned and until they show willingness in carrying out their promises in-stead of wasting time,” the group said in a statement.

The Taliban also said talks with the government of Karzai’s government were pointless and none had taken place.

Earlier on Thursday, a senior US commander defended mov-

ing the American soldier accused of the Kandahar village killings to a military detention center in Kuwait, saying it would help ensure a proper investigation and trial. Furious Afghan civilians and members of parliament have demanded the staff sergeant be tried in Afghanistan over the shooting, one of the worst of its kind since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001.

Panetta, in Kabul on a two-day visit to try to soothe Afghan anger, discussed the massacre with Karzai at his heavily guarded

palace and faced demands from the Afghan leader that any trial be transparent. “I assured him first and foremost that I shared his regrets about what took place. I again pledged to him that we are proceeding with a full investigation here and that we will bring the individual involved to justice. He accepted that,” Panetta told reporters before leaving Afghanistan.

Tension has risen sharply since the killings and the burning of copies of the Koran at the main NATO base in the country last month, adding urgency to Panetta’s visit. -AP

RUSSELS: Belgians are in mourning after 22 children, along with six adults, died in a bus crash in Switzerland, with newspapers bemoan-ing the national tragedy. Forty-six children and four teachers from two Belgian schools were re-turning to Belgium from a skiing holiday late on Tuesday when their coach slammed into a con-crete wall in a motorway tunnel near the south-ern Swiss town of Sierre. “Belgium Weeps for its Children”, read the headline in the French-lan-guage newspaper la Derniere Heure on Thursday as people called into morning radio shows to ex-press their sorrow over the accident in a Swiss tunnel late on Tuesday.

Advertisement: Story continues below “State of Shock”, blared the newspaper Le Soir in a dark front page with a picture of the tun-nel, summing up the general mood as relatives of the victims, who included six adults, arrived at a Swiss morgue on Thursday to identify the bodies. Recalling that the children had posted cheerful messages on a blog about their ski trip in the Swiss Alps, Le Soir’s editorial said: “We have all awaited such messages anxiously at one time after seeing our children board a bus or a train for their beautiful trip.”

Newspapers in the Flemish region of Bel-gium, home to the two Catholic schools that the 11- and 12-year-old children attended, dedicated dozens of pages to the tragedy.

The daily De Morgen said: “There is no satis-factory answer to this question: why my child?”

The newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, describing the “Immense Sorrow”, published photos of the 28 dead and 24 injured people on its front page.

“A school ski trip is not supposed to end this way,” an editorial said. In an editorial De Standaard described it as the “worst nightmare”

because it “touches us where we are most vul-nerable: our children”. Relatives of the victims arrived at the morgue Thursday to identify the bodies. “The families are there to identify the bodies and to give information to help in the for-mal identification of those who cannot be identi-fied” visually, a police spokesman told AFP.

Two Belgian military C-130 transport aircraft were at the disposal of the government to repa-triate the crash survivors as early as Thursday.

Some of the bodies were to be repatriated to

Belgium on Thursday, he confirmed.However, that of the driver was expected to

remain as “health analyses have to be carried out” to check if he was suffering from an illness that could have caused the accident.

“That’s not something we can do in a day,” said the spokesman, who added that all of the 24 people injured have been identified.

Meanwhile, the tunnel where the accident occurred was closed off to traffic as investiga-tions are ongoing, police said. The Swiss press

on Thursday raised questions about the safety of the tunnel. The daily Blick set the tone, with a big black cross on the front page.

The mass circulation newspaper said words could not express the pain of the victims’ fami-lies, noting that Tuesday, March 13, when the ac-cident occurred, would be “a black day for the history of our country”.

Le Matin wrote that “they should have gone home yesterday”, but instead the children’s par-ents had to come to Switzerland to retrieve the injured ones or to identify the victims’ bodies. At the same time, the Swiss press questioned the safety recesses in the Sierre tunnel where the tragedy occurred.

Geneva-based Le Temps asked, “Will the speed limit be lowered for heavy vehicles or will the design of the safety recesses be modified?”

The bus had entered the motorway tunnel which has a speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour and, for reasons still unknown, it hit the right edge of the roadway and struck head on the emergency stop’s concrete wall.

The Sierre tunnel was built in 1999 and has the most modern ventilation standards, emer-gency exits, signaling and energy supply, Le Temps quoted the Swiss roads department as saying. The Zurich daily Tages-Anzeiger also ex-amined the angled safety recesses along the wall of the tunnel into which the bus crashed.

“Due to that wall, a collision has occurred,” the report said, noting that this type of construc-tion is common in Swiss tunnels. The coach, which was carrying 52 passengers, was travelling from the Val d’Anniviers ski resort towards the Swiss town of Sion on the A9 motorway when the accident happened at 9.15pm on Tuesday (0715 AEDT Wednesday). -AFP

NEWS IN BRIEF

British, Italian police arrest terrorism suspectsMILAN: British and Italian anti-terrorism police arrested two people on Thursday, a woman in London and a Moroccan man living in northern Italy, who officials said may have been planning an attack on a Milan synagogue. Neither was named. Italian police said the 20-year-old Moroc-can, who grew up near the city, had a Fa-cebook page dedicated to training in the use of weapons and explosives and docu-ments on his computer showing maps and security around Milan’s main synagogue. He may also have been planning other attacks, they said. Police in London said they were trying to establish whether the man was linked to a 40-year-old woman they arrested under a law relating to gath-ering information useful for terrorism. -Reuters

Death toll climbs in Bangladesh ferry sinkingDHAKA: Recovery workers are trying to salvage the wreck of a ferry that sank on a river in Bangladesh, drowning scores of passengers. Bodies of at least 112 victims have been recovered from near the scene of the accident, sources told Al Jazeera, a number expected to rise. Rescue vessels found the ferry in about 20m of water and managed to pull it to the river bank on Wednesday. Some victims floated up as the boat was raised. “Bodies popped out one after another,” Abdul Barek, a wit-ness, said. -Reuters

Indian minister under fire for fare hikeNEW DELHI: The Indian railways min-ister is faced with an uncertain future af-ter his announcement to nominally raise fares angered the leaders of his regional party. The leadership of Dinesh Trivedi’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) party - a partner in the federal government - has reportedly sought his resignation. Pranab Mukherjee, the finance minister and se-nior leader of the Congress party which leads the federal coalition, told the par-liament on Thursday that Trivedi had not resigned yet, contrary to media reports. -AP

Six Afghans killed in Taliban-style bombingURUZGAN: Six civilians - four women and two children - were killed in a Taliban-style roadside bombing in the southern Afghanistan province of Uruzgan Thurs-day, a police spokesman said. The bomb-ing in the troubled province’s Dihrawud district comes a day after a similar inci-dent killed eight civilians in the neighbor-ing province of Helmand. “Six civilians are dead, four of them were women and the two others children,” Farid Ail told AFP. The bomb went off when a civilian minivan drove over it, the police spokes-man added. -AFP

Belarus government steps up crackdown on dissent MINSK: Belarus’ authoritarian govern-ment has stepped up its crackdown on dissent by barring the regime’s critics from foreign trips, they said.Zhanna Litvina, the head of the Belaru-sian Association of Journalists, a me-dia freedom watchdog, said authorities banned her from leaving for Warsaw on Thursday. “I felt like a North Korean citi-zen in the center of Europe,” she said.Several other critics of Belarus’ authori-tarian President Alexander Lukashenko say they have been denied permission to go on foreign trips during the past week, learning they were forbidden to leave the country when they were already at the airport. -AFP

Karzai calls for NATO to leave villages, Taliban scrap talks

Belgium ‘weeps for children’ after Swiss crash

WORLD FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

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US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, (left), meets with Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, March 15. (AP)

A photo taken on March 15, in Brussels shows the front pages of Belgian newspapers featur-ing the March 13 bus crash in Sierre, in the Swiss canton of Valais, southern Switzerland, in which 28 people died, including 22 children from two schools in Lommel and Heverlee, return-ing to Belgium from a skiing holiday. (AFP)

At least 13 women and children killed in Afghan bomb attackKABUL: A Taliban roadside bomb

tore through a civilian vehicle in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing nine chil-dren and four women, police said.

The bombing in the troubled prov-ince’s Dihrawud district comes a day after a similar incident killed eight civilians in the neighboring province of Helmand and while US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was holding talks in Kabul. The blast hit a station wagon travelling on a dirt road in Uruzgan province, provincial police spokesman Farid Ail told AFP. “There are 13 people dead: nine children and four women,” he said. Two others were injured, he added. Ail blamed the incident on “Tali-ban, the enemies of our people who plant bombs on our public roads to kill our in-nocent children and women.”

The rebels, most active in southern and eastern parts of the war-scarred country, mainly use improvised explosive devices and suicide bomb attacks. The crude devic-es are aimed at Afghan and NATO security forces but often miss their targets and hit civilians using the same roads. The number of civilians killed has risen steadily each year for the past five years, reaching a re-cord of 3,021 in 2011, according to UN statistics. The Taliban were in power be-tween 1996 and 2001 but were toppled in a US-led invasion for sheltering Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the Septem-ber 11 attacks on the United States. -AFP

CANBERRA: Indonesian ministers said Thursday they were comfortable with a planned increase in US troops in northern Australia seen as an attempt to contain China and they hoped to join disaster relief training. President Barack Obama announced in November a plan to send US military aircraft and up to 2,500 Marines to the northern Australian city of Darwin to create a training hub to help allies and protect American interests across Asia. Visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro discussed the plans with their Aus-tralian counterparts during a four-minister forum on for-eign policy and security objectives on Thursday. Australia has previously only held such meetings with key allies the United States, Britain and Japan. It was the first such forum for Indonesia.

Yusgiantoro said Indonesia, the world’s third largest de-mocracy and a vast archipelago prone to disastrous earth-quakes and tsunamis, wanted to take optimal advantage of the Marines’ presence in Australia with their humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities.

“We don’t have a problem at all with the placement of the US Marines in Darwin,” Yusgiantoro told reporters after the meeting at Parliament House.

The closer military ties between Australia and its most important defense ally, the United States, have been seen

as a reaction to China’s increasing military assertiveness in Asia. Natalegawa used a speech in Canberra on Wednesday to warn against any Cold War-style attempt to contain Chi-na. While not specifically naming China, Natalegawa told a university forum that “the management or the containment of a rising country, we believe, would see the return of old-style Cold War power politics.”

Natalegawa said Thursday that Australia had answered Indonesia’s questions about the increased US military pres-ence, and suggested the plan did not amount to a backward step to the Cold War era.

“There is a general wish on the part of both countries to ensure that our region, namely the Asia-Pacific, continues to remain benign and peaceful and that we not revert to any conditions that would jeopardize that kind of already posi-tive outlook,” Natalegawa told reporters. A commentary run by the official Xinhua News Agency has suggested China was uneasy but not alarmed over the renewed US focus on Asia including the north Australian military presence.

Defense Minister Stephen Smith said the meeting Thurs-day had discussed the possibility of other countries joining in US-Australian military exercises in Australia, including Indonesia and China. “We don’t discount that down the track,” said Smith, adding that such exercises would likely focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. -AP

Indonesia interested in US training in Australia China replaces once-powerful leader hit by scandal

BEIJING: China’s Communist Party sidelined a powerful, charismatic politician Thursday following a messy scandal that saw a trusted aide flee to a US consulate and that threatened to cast a shadow over a looming leader-ship transition.

Bo Xilai’s removal as party chief of the huge inland city of Chongqing appears to end the upward trajectory of a political celebrity who months ago seemed headed for the uppermost ranks of power.

Tall and telegenic, Bo exuded confidence and courted the media, rare traits among the bland, low-key Chinese leadership. His signature policies in Chongqing - an anti-mafia crusade and promotion of communist culture - drew a national following but made him a polarizing figure among his peers.

In terse statements carried by state media, the leadership said that Bo Xilai was being replaced in Chongqing by a vice premier. The reports did not explicitly address the scandal nor say if Bo would be ousted from his seat on the decision-making Politburo.

Bo’s sidelining creates a mixed picture for the transfer of power later this year when President Hu Jintao and other leaders retire to make way for younger leaders, always a time of divisive infighting. Party power-brokers no longer need to accommodate the ambitious Bo, though the eventual lineup of the Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of power, remains unsettled.

“A very big personality, someone who had a very strong personality, is no longer going to be engaged in trying to make sure he gets a seat on the Politburo,” said David Zweig, a China watcher at Hong Kong University of Science And Technology.

That “probably will make politics more relaxed over the next six months.”

In a sign of the delicate factional balancing in China’s leadership, Bo was replaced in Chongqing by Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang, a North Korean-trained economist who has run two economically vibrant provinces. Both men share a common political patron.

The change comes just weeks after longtime Bo confidante and Chongq-ing vice mayor Wang Lijun - currently under an unspecified investigation - fled overnight to the US Consulate in Chengdu, possibly to seek political asylum, before leaving the building.

Wang, as police chief, headed the gangland crackdown that made both men national figures, and his flight to a foreign consulate represented a po-tential breach of sensitive internal information, violating party discipline and tainting Bo.

The scandal has consumed the attention of China’s politically minded classes as did the latest twist. China’s popular Twitter-like service, Sina Corp.’s Weibo, had blocked searches for Bo’s name for much of the past two weeks. After Thursday’s announcement, the blocks were seemingly gone, and the news triggered tens of thousands of postings. -AP

Australian Foreign Minis-ter Bob Carr, (2nd right), and Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith, (left), shake hands with Indonesian Foreign Min-ister Marty Natalegawa, (right), and Indonesian Defense Minister Purn-omo Yusgiantoro during the inaugural Australia-Indonesia 2+2 Ministe-rial Meeting at Parlia-ment House in Canberra, March 15. (AP)

Dr. Khaled Sultan Al-Sultan

I have made it a habit of mine to always check and then double check some-thing which is somehow dubious in

nature. Take for example the reports that some MPs decided to express their views and protest the memo sent by the General Secretariat of the National Assembly re-garding the controversial breaking in and entering the National Assembly by some MPs and citizens. Those MPs decided to express their feelings by displaying small black flags on their desks.

The reports stated that one of the MPs who took part in the protest was the MP Dr. Ali Al-Omair, a Salafist MP known for his bright ideas, and that he joined the minor-ity MPs in their protest to express, just like them, his views and dissatisfaction over the memo made by the General Secretariat of the National Assembly.

When I read the news in the newspaper I was very skeptical and decided to wait to see if this is true or not because such an act is not typical of the MP Ali Al-Omair.

I did not waste my time and jump im-mediately at the opportunity of communi-cating with him to verify the matter. I called the MP and asked if the reports are true or otherwise. The MP had asserted that such a report is untrue and that they are falsely accusing him of carrying out such a gesture when he was never part of it.

I was first very pleased with myself because I had avoided passing judgments or even commenting on the report before I found out the true story behind the report. I then proudly and happily published the true story refuting the allegations by some

who had tried to drag the MP Al-Omair into something he would not do.

I hope those who try to cause trouble and disorder to double check just like I did before they venture into making baseless and tasteless allegations. As it turned out one can check Al-Anaba front page for that matter when they published the photos of the two MPs Adnan Al-Mutawwa and Ab-dulhameed Dashti waving two flags each.

Naturally, when you have two flags on the desk and someone is sitting next to you as in the case of MP Al-Omair, one would assume that the other flag is surely for the other MP as other MPs were holding only one.

This is where the confusion began but thankfully the truth has come out and the MP Al-Omair is guiltless of the charges made against him.

On the other hand, the Shiite author-ity Sayyed Mohammad Al-Mehri praised and hailed the Director of Police of Dubai Brigadier Dhahi Al-Khalfan and the latter’s statement and attack against the Muslim Brotherhood recently.

Al-Mehri couldn’t hide his feelings

when he said: “The Brigadier Khalfan is a patriotic, wise and reasonable man. He has defied those rogue voices which interfere with the affairs of the Muslim world and in particular the affairs of the Gulf Coopera-tion Council.”

Al-Mehri, it seems, has forgotten the statements made by the very same Direc-tor of Dubai Police Brigadier Al-Khalfan when he said during the National and Re-gional Security for the Gulf Cooperation Council held in the Kingdom of Bahrain on January first of this year. Al-Khalfan warned the Arab regimes especially the Gulf States from supporting and financing certain groups with reference to Shiites be-cause this will back fire and therefore it is not in the best interests of those countries.

If Al-Mehri thought that the statement Brigadier Al-Khalfan made would silence the Muslim Brotherhood then one wonders what he would call the earlier statement of Al- Khalfan when he warned against peo-ple like him. It would be interesting to see the response of Al-Mehri regarding the Di-rector of Police of Dubai’s warning against his community.

Abdullah Al-HadlaqStaff Writer

Some Israeli media channels broadcasted ac-cording to sources at the Israeli Ministry of Defense that the Israeli army had assassinat-

ed Zuhair Al-Qaisi- a leader in Hamas Movement- in order to interrupt big attacks against Israel like that of Elat last August near the Egyptian-Israeli borders. However, such an Israeli step can be con-sidered as a procedure for self-defense as well as defending its territory and people.

The Israeli air jets had launched missiles at the car of the leader- the Secretary General of Popular Resistance- in Tal Al-Hawa area inside Gaza. The Israeli jets also attacked some other terrorists kill-ing Jamal Abu Samhadana, Kamal Al-Nairab and Hamad Abu Abdurrahman and others.

Furthermore, the Israeli army looked pleased about the high ability of the Israeli air defense forces which could interrupt 25 missiles out of 27 that were launched towards Israel from Gaza Strip. Some Israeli military experts affirmed that air defense played a significant role for interrupt-ing missiles and if missiles reached the residential areas then they will lead to disastrous results.

On his part, the Israeli Chief of Staff Beini Gaints declared that Israel will endorse strong re-actions against any attempts for launching missiles towards Israel, adding that Hamas is fully respon-sible for the recent escalation.

The so called “the official Spokesman of Mus-lim Brotherhood Movement” as the other lead-ers of the movement released a warning message

against the United Arab emirates wherein such trivial statements can be considered as an immor-al step especially the movement of attacks on the UAE just because the latter had issued an arrest warrant against the cleric Dr. Yousef Al-Qardawi. So, the movement started attacking others after they felt that they are getting stronger.

We highly appreciate the stance of the Saudi officials at Ministry of Higher Education for the warning message that it sent to the different local universities, the research centers, magazines and periodicals at the different colleges urging them not to use the name “Persian Gulf” as such a step represents ignorance to the official Saudi map. The very name represents penetration on the scientific and educational standard.

Another great stand we witnessed recently by the Israeli singer Arcadi Dokhine for organizing

a singing celebration wherein all revenues of the celebration will be dedicated for supporting the Syrian people, the Free Syrian army and the Syr-ian National Council.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ap-proved the suggestion.

The suggestion aims at supporting the Syrian people against the brutal dictatorship of the Syr-ian regime and its barbaric attacks against civil-ians. The revenues of the celebration are expected to be transferred to the Syrian people via the Red Crescent to the Syrian opposition which repre-sents a clear Israeli support for overthrowing the barbaric Syrian regime in addition to scandalizing its inhumane practices and the massacres that the regime commits against civilians every day.

OPINIONFRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

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Leave the work of PP to the PPNawaf Sulaiman Al-FuzaiStaff Writer

Following the recent controversy of the black flags, it is very important to make the following explanation.

From our experience in the field of the criminal forensics, the police report when re-ferred to the office of the Public Prosecution is done by only reporting the actual crime - no more no less.

But the function and definition of the crime committed and its applicability to the Penalty Code is the work and function as well as the re-sponsibility of the office of Public Prosecution as the investigative body who in turn would summon people for this regard and use the Criminal Investigation Department for further

investigation.The person who reports the incident has no

further business which means that the minority MPs have no business trying to follow up with the report with various gestures. The incident of breaking and entering the National Assem-bly has been well documented by many people with pictures and video clips. This means in simple terms that the so-called gesture of black

flags has no meaning and the circumstances and evidence are all clear.

To move on to another issue and this one is related to Abdulaziz Al-Zibin and his state-ments published in various media channels regarding the increment of salary saying that such a move would waste and drain out the budget.

This is alright and he should be appreciated

for expressing his concern over the matter but one must add that Al-Zibin is probably the old-est undersecretary in the country and for the veteran Al-Zibin if he ponders over the fact of retiring, he would make excellent services to the country and the budget. I believe thirty years in the same position is more than enough, wouldn’t you agree?

Moving yet to another issue, the Civil Ser-

vice Bureau has long promised to come up with a comprehensive study to deal with the is-sue salary increment. His own deadline is way passed and yet not a single report or indication on the matter. Perhaps, the Civil Service Bu-reau needs to re-activate past laws which deals with the issue of serving three decades. No doubt with the large number of people serv-ing three decades, the Civil Service would most certainly save a large amount of money for his budget.

Let us not forget that the Civil Service, as part of its duty, is to stop any attempt signing consultancy contracts to veterans who decided to retire and then end up getting the same sal-ary as if he has never retired. If this stops, then I am sure that the Civil Service will save lots of money too.

Do not intervene in the Judiciary

false allegations do not lead anywhere

This is a legal request because the law and constitution ban this type of interference.Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-Esa

The matter of correcting the report about storming the headquarters of the parliament received a controver-

sial response wherein some MPs support the recent step of the Bureau of National As-sembly for correcting the report which was already referred to the Public Prosecution by the former parliament but in the meantime some other MPs strongly oppose correcting the report. In any token, all the MPs who support correcting the report or the others who oppose it have to abide by the laws and the constitution and they have to settle this issue through constructive dialogue.

However, the bureau has opened the door for legal and political controversy through attempting to correct the report and it might lead to stir other legal or law issues. The bu-reau endorsed such steps as it believes that the previous report is inaccurate, thinking that some political sides had intervened in forming the previous report just to condemn certain citizens and MPs who participated in storming the headquarters of the parliament last year.

Regarding the previous report, it was referred to the Public Prosecution by the former Speaker of the House and then the legal procedures were adopted in this field wherein the relevant authorities had rushed to the site and inspected the building to un-veil the circumstances of storming.

Meanwhile, criminal evidence of indi-viduals surrounded the building and closed it until examining the building looking for finger prints or any other evidences that might contribute in getting further informa-

tion about the case. The bureau of national assembly claimed that closing the headquar-ters of the parliament aims at interrupting holding sessions especially that disrupting sessions can be exploited later on for con-demning the MP and citizens through accus-ing them of interrupting the work progress of the legislative authority. Such an idea is wrong because the criminal evidence de-partment closed the building in an attempt to collect evidence and to unveil the differ-ent circumstances of the case.

This is the role of the department and after completing this step the case will be re-ferred to the public prosecution in which the Public Prosecutor will consider the case and would either take a decision by shelving the case or in referring it to the relevant court.

The question posed is “why the bureau of the parliament speeded its procedures to correct or even change the report?” In any case, the ball is still in the court of the public prosecution because it still has the right to shelve the case or refer it to the court.

It is very clear that the members of the bureau exert all possible efforts to free their colleagues from such an accusation espe-cially the members belonging to the major-ity bloc!

We oppose such practices because they represent an attempt for intervening in the authorities of the Judiciary, therefore we hope the majority bloc would abide by the principle of separating the roles of the authorities and by avoiding intervening in the authorities of other government de-partments. This is a legal request because the law and constitution ban this type of interference.

I hope those who try to cause trouble and disorder to double check

just like I did before they venture into making baseless and tasteless allegations.

The person who reports the incident has no further business which means that the minority MPs have no business trying to follow up with the report with various gestures.

The right to self-defense

So, the movement started attacking others after they felt that they are getting stronger.

South Korea’s Iran

The ballad of Greg Smith

viewsfriDAY, mArch 16, 2012

ALwATAN DAiLY

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Lee Byong-chulProject Syndicate

The United States is now wrestling with the nuclear fears of two of its close allies, israel and South Ko-rea. israel’s alarm at the prospect of iran acquiring a

nuclear weapon is existential in nature. The same is true of South Korea, whose capital sits only 40 kilometers from the border with the North.

On february 29, the US and North Korea reached an agreement in which the North promised to halt its nuclear weapons development in exchange for food aid. But South Koreans know that the poverty-stricken North is highly unlikely to give up its nuclear weapons programs, no mat-ter what it promises. former US Defense Secretary robert Gates’s complaint that he was “tired of buying the same horse twice” from North Korea appears to have been for-gotten.

To be sure, US President Barack Obama’s administra-tion has had some positive influence on the North, which has now agreed to a moratorium on long-range missile launches, nuclear tests, and nuclear activities at its Yong-byon facility. moreover, the North’s hermetic communist regime will accept international Atomic Energy Agency in-spectors in exchange for food aid. But such promises are usually short-lived.

moderate pundits argue that the allure of humanitarian aid might dissuade the North from continuing to advance its nuclear weapons program, but they fear that South Korean President Lee myung-bak’s government may refuse to as-sist the US efforts. Some South Koreans hope that the latest agreement will pave the way for revival of the six-party talks between the two Koreas, the US, china, Japan, and russia, which have been dormant since late 2008, as well as for dia-logue on a wide range of strategic and economic issues.

South Korea’s government has, in the eyes of liberal and left-leaning pundits, paid a severe price for turning its back on North Korea from the moment Lee came to power. The cost has included the North’s sinking of the South Ko-rean warship, cheonan, and shelling of Yeonpyeong island, in 2010. But Lee’s progressive opponents must also share some of the blame for undermining him.

Now it is the US-South Korea alliance that is being test-ed by worries about North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. The republic of Korea/US mutual Security Agreement, signed in 1954, following the Korean War, has remained unchanged since its inception, despite South Korea’s rise as an industri-al power and the nuclearization of the North. considering the risks that the South faces, and the priority that America now gives to its relationship with china, maintaining this status quo indefinitely is likely to prove impossible.

indeed, pessimists now see a fundamental change in how South Koreans perceive the US. While it is unlikely that either the government or the people will turn away from America and pivot toward china, South Koreans have be-gun to wonder whether the US is still willing to guarantee their core security interests.

Koreans’ perceptions of America are no longer shaped solely by the 1950-1953 war. conservatives insist, quite rightly, that America’s sacrifices in the Korean War not be forgotten. But these memories are growing dim.

indeed, the bitterest expressions of anti-Americanism today come from the younger generation. Those who suf-fered through the war and dictatorship do not criticize the US military presence on South Korean territory. But the younger generations feel humiliated by this and want a more equal partnership.

Unless the two countries’ recent free-trade agreement, in effect as of march 15, helps to resolve the widening eco-nomic gap between Korea’s rich and poor, it could incite

more anti-American sentiment. Opposition parties and left-leaning critics assert that the agreement will merely deepen the inequality of the bilateral relationship.

in a letter addressed to Obama, South Korea’s oppo-sition parties urged him to reconsider the free-trade pact. With April’s general election in mind, the main opposition Democratic Unified Party has declared that it will demand that America renegotiate - a hypocritical stance, given that the party endorsed most of the pact during President roh

moo-hyun’s term. These “dogmatic liberal” skeptics see America, as the late roh once quipped, through the prism of the 1980’s, when the US backed the South Korean dictatorship.

The bilateral alliance with South Korea has represented the cornerstone of US strategic doctrine for Northeast Asia for 58 years. Both countries continue to have a supremely important common interest: non-proliferation and contain-ment of the North’s nuclear program. moreover, the allies share essential values and commitments: democracy, a free-market economy, human rights, and the rule of law.

But there is an old saying in Korea: “After the rain, the ground becomes more solid.” if the sunny facade of the sta-tus quo continues, South Koreans fear that their country, faced with the North’s obsession with nuclear weapons and uncertainty about America’s security guarantee, could be-come a wasteland. in this respect, israel is not alone.

* Lee Byong-chul, formerly on the national-security planning staff for Presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, is a senior fellow at the Institute for Peace and Coop-eration, Seoul.

it’s that time of year - think february to march - when bo-nus checks have cleared and voluntary departures from investment banks spike. So it’s obvious why Greg Smith

quit now. The question is, why decide to quit in as public and destructive a manner as possible?

When Smith joined, Goldman was transitioning from a partnership model to being publicly-traded. And i suppose it’s possible that Smith has such deep nostalgia for the part-nership he never really knew that he’s willing to hurt his entire current team - everybody who helped him make his millions - in an attempt to goad Goldman into returning to those halcyon days.

But it certainly doesn’t seem that way. Smith says that Goldman is currently “toxic and destructive”. he goes on to say that “it makes me ill how callously people talk about ripping their clients off,” and that “the morally bankrupt people” need to be weeded out - how, he doesn’t say - by the board of directors. it’s much easier to see the disgruntled ex-employee here, quitting in a huff, than it is to see some-one genuinely trying to do his part to reconstitute the Gold-man Sachs of Gus Levy and John Whitehead.

To a certain extent, time will tell. if Smith ends up

founding or joining a rival company, his decision to harm Goldman as deeply as possible will end up looking rather self-serving.

On the other hand, if he goes to, say, join his former colleague Gary Gensler at the cfTc, working to regulate all investment banks from the outside and to try to level the playing field between the buy-side and the sell-side as much as possible, then we might start taking him a bit more seri-ously. Smith has declared a serious moral purpose today; that’s not something you can wear for just one news cycle before moving on to the next thing, and so i hope and trust that he’s going to spend the proceeds of his ill-gotten final bonus check in the service of that moral purpose. After all, it was the work of those morally bankrupt traders in the ripping-eyeballs-out business which got him all that money in the first place.

Which is not to say that Smith doesn’t make important points. he’s in the equity-derivatives business, which is also where Andrew clavell came from. clavell’s blog is down, now, but these words are immortal:

if you claim you do know where the fees are, banks want you as a customer. You don’t know. really, you don’t. hang on, i hear you shouting that you’re actually smarter

than that, so you do know. read carefully: Listen. Buster. You. Don’t. Know.

Smith’s clients thought they knew where Goldman was making its money when it sold them equity derivatives. Nine times out of ten, they were wrong. i can guarantee you that every single one of the clients referred to as “muppets” within Goldman considers themselves to be a sophisticated investor. mainly because they have Goldman employees phoning them up on a regular basis and flattering them with tales of how sophisticated they are.

clients know in principle that every time they do a trade with Goldman, Goldman makes money. But they don’t know how much money Goldman makes on those trades. And Goldman is extremely good at structuring deals which can’t easily be replicated by combining various liquid derivatives. in turn, that gives Goldman pricing power - so much power, indeed, that in some instances the bank will go so far as to insist that if the client attempts to get independent pricing for the contract in question, then the whole deal is off.

Smith has been in this business for 12 years, and he’s done extremely well by it. And to a certain extent, if the people who work for him are constantly asking how good a deal is for Goldman, rather than how good the deal is for

Goldman’s clients, then that’s because of the example he set. What’s missing in his op-ed is any sense of mea culpa, any sense that he was at all part of the problem.

There’s a strong smell of faux-naive coming from Smith’s op-ed. “Leadership used to be about ideas, setting an example and doing the right thing,” he writes. “Today, if you make enough money for the firm, and are not currently an ax murderer, you will be promoted into a position of influence.” here’s a question for him: back when he made videos for Goldman urging candidates to join the company, were the people who got promoted those who had ideas and did the right thing? Or were they the ones who made lots of money for the firm? To ask the question is to answer it.

So let’s not pretend to be shocked that the most success-ful bankers are the ones who make the most money off their clients. And let’s not try to imply that the solution to this problem lies at the Goldman Sachs board level. it doesn’t. The real muppets, in this story, are Goldman’s board mem-bers, who have never had any real control over how the company is run. And, frankly, never will. The most remu-nerative skill, at Goldman, is the ability to flatter someone into believing that they’re incredibly important and clever and sophisticated, even as you’re getting that person to do exactly what’s in your own best interest. No one rises to lead Goldman Sachs who doesn’t have that skill. And you can be sure that Lloyd Blankfein uses it on the board every time he meets with them.

* Felix Salmon is the finance blogger at Reuters. The views expressed are his own.

South Korean activists cheer as they wave flags of the United States and South Korea to celebrate the free trade agreement, or FTA, with the United States during a rally near the US Embassy, Wednesday, March 14, 2012. (AP)

ReutersFelix Salmon

Clients know in principle that every time they do a trade with Goldman, Goldman makes money.

Democratic inequality

Why did the household savings rate in the United States plummet before the Great recession? Two of my colleagues at the University of chicago,

marianne Bertrand and Adair morse, offer an intriguing answer: growing income inequality.

Bertrand and morse find that in the years before the crisis, in areas (usually states) where consumption was high among households in the top fifth of the income distribution, household consumption was high at lower income levels as well. After ruling out a number of pos-sible explanations, they concluded that poorer households imitated the consumption patterns of richer households in their area.

consistent with the idea that households at lower in-come levels were “keeping up with the Vanderbilts,” the non-rich, but not the really poor, living near high-spending wealthy consumers tended to spend much more on items that richer households usually consumed, such as jewelry, beauty and fitness, and domestic services. indeed, many borrowed to finance their spending, with the result that the proportion of poorer households in financial distress or filing for bankruptcy was significantly higher in areas where the rich earned and spent more. Were it not for such imitative consumption, non-rich households would have saved, on average, more than 800 US dollars annually in

recent years.This is one of the first detailed studies of the adverse

effects of income inequality that i have seen. it goes be-yond the headline-grabbing “one percent” debate to show that even the everyday inequality that most Americans face - between the incomes of, say, typical readers of this commentary and the rest - has deep pernicious effects.

Equally interesting is the link that the study finds be-tween income inequality and pre-crisis economic policy. republican congressmen from districts with higher levels of income inequality were more likely to vote for legis-lation to expand housing credit to the poor in the years before the crisis (almost all Democrats voted for such leg-islation, making it hard to distinguish their motives). And the effect of spending by the rich on non-rich households’ spending was higher in areas where house prices could move more, suggesting that housing credit and the ability to borrow against rising home equity may have supported over-consumption by the non-rich.

i was most fascinated, though, by the difference in leg-islators’ response to inequality now and in the past. in a study of the congressional vote on the mcfadden Act of 1927, which sought to boost competition in lending, rod-ney ramcharan of the US federal reserve and i found that legislators from districts with a highly unequal distribu-tion of land holdings - farming was the primary source of

income in many districts then - tended to vote against the act. more inequality led legislators, at least in that case, to prefer less competition and less expansion in lending. And we found that counties with less bank competition expe-rienced a milder farmland boom, and therefore a smaller bust in the years before the Great Depression.

The obvious lesson to be drawn from these episodes is the importance of unintended consequences. in the early twentieth century, a congressional district’s rich landown-ers were likely to own the local banks as well, or to be re-lated to, or friends with, bank owners. They benefited from limiting competition and controlling access to finance.

representatives voted on behalf of their districts’ pow-erful interests. They preferred less competition in credit markets not out of concern for the unwitting farmers, but in order to defend powerful lenders’ profits. it worked, but an unintended collateral effect was to protect these dis-tricts from getting carried away by the financial frenzy.

Why did twenty-first-century legislators behave differ-ently? The cynical, and increasingly popular, view is that they were again voting their pocketbooks - all financial legislation in the run-up to the 2008 crisis was supposedly driven by the financial sector’s appetite for more custom-ers to devour with teaser loans and dubious mortgages.

But, if voting was influenced by the financial sector, the supposed party of the plutocrats, the republicans,

should have voted in unison for the bill. instead, they split on the basis of whose non-rich constituents were more desirous of obtaining finance. Twenty-first-century legisla-tors seemed to be more democratic, responding to their voters’ possibly misguided wishes, rather than primarily to powerful financial interests.

indeed, once the unintended consequences of their actions - more financial duress for the non-rich after the crisis - became clear, Bertrand and morse show that the legislators in unequal districts moved against the financial sector to protect their constituents, voting to set limits on interest rates charged by “payday” lenders, who lend to over-indebted lower-income borrowers at very high inter-est rates. Of course, such legislation will have unanticipat-ed consequences, which future studies will unearth, but the intent behind it cannot be doubted.

We should not come away from these episodes think-ing that expanding access to finance is bad. in general, expanding access is beneficial just not before a crisis! But finance is a powerful tool that has to be used sensibly. Ac-cess is good; excess is bad.

But there is a more important point: while there are many gaps between the intent and consequences of legis-lation, legislators do seem ultimately to care more about their less-moneyed constituents than they did in the past. Democracy is stronger. in these cynical times, that is en-couraging.

* Raghuram Rajan, a former chief economist of the IMF, is Professor of Finance at the University of Chi-cago’s Booth School of Business and the author of Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy.

Project SyndicateRaghuram Rajan

We should not come away from these episodes thinking that expanding access to finance is bad.

South Korea’s government has, in the eyes of liberal and left-leaning pundits, paid a severe price for turning its back on North Korea from the moment Lee came to power.

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Terrace Grill JW Marriott HotelTel: 22455550

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MINISTRy OfC O M M u N I C a T I O N S

Jabriya (Surra)Jleeb Al-ShuyoukhOld JahraNew Jahra & AbdalyHawallyRas Al-SalmiyaAl-RiqaSalmiyaShuwaikhSabah Al-Salem (Messila)SulaibiyaSulaibikhat

2531 00002431 00002477 00002457 0000

2261 00002571 00002394 00002561 00002481 00002551 0000

2467 00002487 0000

MINISTRIESAwqaf & Islamic AffairsCommerce & IndustryCommunicationsDefenseEducationHealthHigher EducationElectricity & WaterFinance

2248 00002248 00002481 90332484 83002481 77022487 74222240 13002537 10002248 0000

HOSpITaL CHaRgESf O R E x p a T R I a T E S

C.T. Scan KD 95 KD 70Angiogram KD 90 KD 140 I.V.P KD 55 KD 40MCUG KD 55 KD 40Asc Urothrogram KD 55 KD 40Sinogram KD 40 KD 40Sialogram KD 40 KD 40

H.S.C. KD 40 KD 40Barium Enema KD 50 KD 35Barium Meal KD 45 KD 30O.C.G. KD 45 KD 30 Ultrasound KD 15 KD 10 Ultrasound desfruct KD 130 KD 65M.R.I. KD 245 KD 180

VISITORS RESIDENTS VISITORS RESIDENTS

aMbulanCeCentral Adan 23940600 / 23941455Amiri Hospital 22422366Da’iya 22510854Fahaheel 23919098Farwaniya 24883000Farwaniya 24725149Jahra 24570583Mubarak Al Kabir 25311437Sabah 24815000Salmiya 25739011Shuaiba 23261927

publiC hospitals

Adan General Hospital 23940600Al-Sabah Chest Hospital 24815000Al-Sabah Maternity Hospital 24848067Amiri General Hospital 22450080As’ad Al-Hamad Dermatology Center 24832067Farwaniya General Hospital 24883000Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300Jahra General Hospital 24575300Mubarak Al-Kabeer General Hospital 25312700Subhan Renal Hospital 24840027Sulaibikhat Orthopedic Hospital 24874240

priVate hospitalsAl-Rashid Hospital 25624000Dar Al-Shifa Hospital 22802555Hadi Clinic 1828282London Hospital 1883883Mowasat Hospital 25726666Salam Hospital 22533177

priVate health Centers/ CliniCs

Boushahri Clinic 1885544British Medical Center 23713100Care Clinic 22610666International Clinic 25745111

publiC health Centers/ CliniCs:

Dasman Clinic 22447602Faiha Polyclinic 22545188Farwaniya Polyclinic 24726033Hawalli Polyclinic 22611645Inaya Germen Medical Center 25750777Sabah Al-Salem Clinic 25524821Salmiya Polyclinic 25723500Shamiya Clinic 25610660Shuwaikh Clinic 24848913Yarmouk Clinic 25336482

MEdICaL SERVICES C E N T R a L 4 7 2 2 0 0 0

Andrology, Male Infertility and Im-potence SpecialistAbdullatif A. Al Salim 2533 4438

Dentists & Oral SurgeonsAhmed Al Balool 2262 2211Badri K. Al Rayes 2574 2557Duha Al Shaqan 2264 4614Ebraheem Behbehani 2573 0000Farida Al Herz 2257 3883Maria Blanaru 2573 0000Najat Essa-Bahman 2262 4595Najeeb Kassim 2573 9277Salwa A. Abdulsalam 2573 0000Kuwait Medical Center 2575 9044 / 5

EndocrinologistsLatifa Al Dowaisan 2572 8004Kamal Abdulaziz Al Shome 2532 9924

Ear, Nose & Throat SurgeonsHossam Eldin Abdulfattah 2574 5056Abdulmohsen Mousa Jafar 2565 5535

Dermatologist & VenereologistsFahad I. Al Othman 2266 5166Taibah M. Almonayes 2573 7477Dr. Mohamed Bo Hamra 2266 5166

GastroenterologistMohamed A. Al Shimali 2532 2030 - 2263 9955

UrologistFawzi Taher Abul 2565 0064Ali Yousef Mehdi 2533 3501

General PractitionerDina Al Rifai 2533 3501 - 2533 3502

Obstetricians & GynecologistsSamira Al Awadi 2573 8055Ma’asouma Maksheed 2573 1275Mohamed Gamal 2534 9077Mai Al Snan 2532 1171

Cosmetic SurgeonDr. Adel Quttainah 2562 5030 / 60

dOCTORS & dENTISTS I N p R I V a T E p R a C T I C E

Tel.: FaxAfghanistan 2532 9461 2532 6274Algeria 2251 9220 2251 9497Argentina 2537 9211 2537 9212Austria 2255 2532 2256 3052Australia 2232 2422 2232 2430Azerbaijan 2535 5247 2535 5246Bahrain 2531 8530 2533 0882Bangladesh 2531 6042 / 3 2531 6041Belgium 25722014 2574 8389Bhutan 2251 6640 / 50 2251 6550Bosnia 2539 2637 2539 2106Brazil 2532 8610 2532 8613Bulgaria 2531 4458 2532 1453Canada 2256 3025 2256 4167China 2533 3340 2533 3341Cuba 2254 9361 2254 9360Cyprus 2243 3075 2240 2971Czech 2252 9018 2252 9021Denmark 2534 1005 2534 1007Egypt 2251 9956 2256 3877Ethiopia 2533 4291 2533 1179Eritrea 2531 7426 2531 7429Finland 2531 2890 2532 4198France 2257 1061 2257 1058Germany 2252 0827 2252 0763Greece 2481 7101 2481 7103Georgia 2535 2909 2535 4707Hungary 2532 3901 2532 3904India 2253 0600 2257 1192Indonesia 2483 9927 2481 9250Iran 2256 0694 2252 9868Italy 2535 6011 2535 6030Japan 2530 9400 2530 9401Kenya 25353314 / 25353362 25353316Lebanon 2256 2103 2257 2182

Libya 2257 5183 2257 5182Malaysia 2255 0394/5/6 2255 0384Morocco 2531 2980 / 1 2531 7423Netherlands 2531 2650 2532 6334Niger 2565 2943 2564 0478Nigeria 2562 0278 2562 0296North Korea 2532 9462 2535 1097Oman 2256 1956 2256 1963Pakistan 2532 7651 2532 8013Philippines 2534 9099 2532 9319Poland 2531 1571 2531 1576Qatar 2251 3606 2251 3604Republic of Botswana 2538 3619 2539 3529Romania 2484 5079 2484 8929Russia 2256 0427 2252 4969Saudi Arabia 2240 0250 2242 0654Senegal 2257 3477 2254 2044Slovak Republic 2535 3895 2535 3894Somalia 2539 4795 2539 4829South Africa 2561 7988 2561 7917South Korea 2533 9601 2531 2459Spain 2532 5829 / 7 2532 5826Sri Lanka 2533 9140 2533 9154Switzerland 2534 0172 / 5 2534 0176Syria 2539 6560 2539 6509Thailand 2531 7530 2531 7532Tunisia 2252 6261 2252 8995Turkey 2253 1785 2256 0653UAE 2535 5764 UK 2259 4320 2259 4339Ukraine 2531 8507 USA 2259 1001 2538 0282Venezuela 2532 4367 2532 4368Vietnam 2531 1450 2535 1592Yugoslavia 2532 7548 2532 7568Zimbabwe 2562 1517 2562 1491

EMbaSSIES &C O N S u L a T E S

Foreign AffairsHousingInformationJustice, Legal & Administrative AffairsEnergyPlanningSocial Affairs & LabourPublic Works

2242 51412530 10002241 5301

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South SabahiyaFintas ZoorAhmadiArdiyaFahaheelFarwaniyaKuwait CityMishrefManqafNuzhaUmm Al Haiman & WafraShuaiba

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2326 0000

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SERVICESFRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

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RESTauRaNTL I S T I N g S

Bus No. Origin Destination Via

METROpOLITaN a R E a b u S R O u T E S

Orthopaedic Orthopaedic Kheitan *MessilaSalmiyah *Kheitan *SalmiyahOrrthopaedicAl-Jleeb Al-Jleeb *Al-JleebKheitanSalmiyahJahra GateSulaibiyaAl JleebKheitanJabriyaSalmiyahAl-JleebMessilahKheitanFahaheelKheitanAl Jleeb *Al-Jleeb *FahaheelFahaheelJahraFahaheelJahra GateAirportFahaheelAl-JleebAl-JleebFahaheel

1112131415161718202122232425262931323436383940415159 *101102103105139501502506507602

SharqSharq MirgabMirgabMirgabJahra GateSharq MirgabSharq MirgabSharqMirgabMirgabJabriyaSharqMirgabSharqSharq SharqSalmiyahJahra GateSharqSharq UN CircleMirgabMirgabMirgabMirgabMirgabAl-JleebFahaheelMirgabMirgabJahra GateSharqFahaheel

Shuwaikh4th Ring RdAirport RdRas Salmiyah4th Ring Rd4th Ring RdHawalliShuwaikhKheitanFarwaniyah3rd Ring Rd King Faisal RdHawalliHawalliAndalusShuwaikhShamiyahNuzhaFarwaniyahFarwaniyahBayanShuwaikhShuwaikhAl Rai6th Ring RdAl HasawiSabah Salem3rd Ring RdJahra RdShuwaikhUN CircleJahra RdFahaheel RdHawalliShuwaikhAhmadi

Tel.:

Abu Halifa 2371 7656Ahmadi 2398 0304Ardiya 2488 1273Bayan 2538 7762Dahar 2383 0500Dahiya 2256 0855Dasma 2253 1917Fahaheel 2391 2959Faiha 2255 2693Farwaniya 2471 1977Ferdous 2489 0583Fintas 2390 4388Hawalli 2264 1116Jabriya 2531 5855Jahra Ind. Area 2457 5565 / 2458 7392Jahra North 2455 2295Jleeb Al Shouyoukh 2431 1234Keifan 2483 2839Kheitan 2472 2590Mina Abdullah 2326 1144Nugra 2261 6662Omariya 2474 2160

Qadsiya 2257 4386Qurain 2542 3772Rabiah 2474 2160Rawda 2256 0058Riqqa 2394 1958Rumaithiya 2562 4123Sabah Al-Salem 2551 7229Sabahiya 2361 5619Salhiya (Kuwait City) 2242 7157Salmi 2457 6576Salmiya 2572 6950Salwa 2562 6950Shamiya 2484 5953Sharq 2244 2466Shuaiba Ind. Area 2326 1789Shuwaikh 2481 3726 / 2484 4842Sulaibekhat 2487 6555Sulaibiya 2467 0672Sulaibiya Ind. Area 2467 2728Surra 2531 2220Tayma’a 2457 1700Wafra 2381 0412Waha 2455 7902Zour 2395 0160

pOLICE STaTIONS

HOTELS FIVE STARAl-Manshar Rotana Hotel 23931000Crowne Plaza Kuwait 24772000Hilton Kuwait Resort 23725500JW Marriot Kuwait City Hotel 22455550Kempinski Julai’a Hotel & Resort 1 844 444The Regency Hotel & Resort 25766666Le Meridien 22510999Le Meridien Tower 22831831Marina Hotel Kuwait 22244970Movenpick Albid’a 22253100Movenpick 24610033Palms Beach Hotel & Spa 22824060Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts 25673000Refad Palace 23908630Safir International Hotel Kuwait 22530000Sheraton Kuwait Hotel & Towers 22422055Safir Hotel & Residences Kuwait 25455555

FOUR STARCarlton Tower Hotel 22452740The Courtyard by Marriott Kuwait 22997000El Joan Resort 23281897Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait 22415001

Ghani Palace Hotel 25710301Holiday Inn 1 847 777Khalifa Resort 23280144Kuwait Continental Hotel 22527300New Park Hotel 25634200Al Bastaki Hotel 22555081Al Dana Hotel 23902760Heritage Village 22520600Palace Hotel 1 821 111Shiik Flamingo Hotel & Resort 25725050Swiss-Belhotel Plaza Kuwait 22436686

THREE STARImperial Hotel 22528766Oasis Hotel 22465489Safari House Hotel 22443136Second Home Hotel 22532100Spring Continental Hotel 25742410Ibis Hotel Salmiya 25713872Ibis Hotel Sharq 22928080

TWO STARInternational Hotel 25741788Kuwait Residence Hotel 22467560

fridAY, mArch 16, 2012

BUSINESSSee page 10

Oil slips below $125 on strong supply, US dollarLONDON: Brent crude oil fell below 125 US dollars

on Thursday as the outlook for global oil supply strength-ened, offsetting likely increase in demand from a recovery in the United States economy.

The world’s biggest economy is bouncing back from a prolonged slowdown, a recovery that will bring increased energy demand, but oil supply in most markets looks am-ple and worries that a confrontation with Iran could dis-rupt supplies have eased in recent days.

“Absent of escalation in geo-political tension or mili-tary confrontation with Iran, you don’t have too many fundamental or financial news that are supportive of the prices rising,” said Harry Tchilinguirian, head of Commod-ity Strategy for BNP Paribas.

“A lot of managed money funds have been taking money off the table,” Tchilinguirian added.

ICE Brent crude futures for April fell 89 US cents to $124.08 per barrel by 1408 GMT, a few hours before the April contracts were set to expire. US crude was flat at $105.43 a barrel.

U.S. government data showed claims for unemploy-ment benefits fell back to a four-year low last week, sug-gesting further strengthening in the labor market.

A continued improvement in the US employment fig-ures was likely to result in a delay to the third round of quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, strategists said. Analysts said a stronger dollar and an inventory build in the United States was putting pressure on prices. The dol-lar hit an 11-month high against the yen and a one-month peak against the euro.

Supply boostConsuming nations won a new pledge from leader

of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Saudi Arabia this week that it would boost oil sup-plies to help control prices and protect the global economy

from any loss of Iranian crude due to potential sanctions.Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi said on Wednesday the

world’s largest oil exporter stood ready to fill any supply gap “perceived or real” in crude oil supply.

That pledge has been enough to assure many investors that there is little risk of a significant shortage of oil.

“Since Saudi Arabia pledged they can match any sup-ply (gap), we would need further escalation of Iran crisis to get another push higher on oil prices,” said Carsten Fritsch, commodity analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

US government data on Wednesday showed crude stocks at a key delivery point in the Midwest of the United States, Cushing, Oklahoma, had risen 2.5 million barrels to a nine-month high. Cushing posted its biggest eight-week build since early 2009, and stood at its highest since June 2011.

Demand for oil is likely to rise as the US Federal Re-serve upgraded its forecast for the world’s largest economy, expecting “moderate” growth over coming quarters and a gradual decline in the unemployment rate.

However, high oil prices have become a political thorn for US and European politicians.

Sources on Thursday said US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron discussed the possibility of releasing oil reserves.

Tensions between Iran and the West over the OPEC producer’s disputed nuclear program have elevated crude oil prices in recent months, with Brent gaining more than 16 percent so far this year and US oil up about seven per-cent.

“Brent feels still supported by geo-political risk but at current levels there is a lot more support on the down-side than upside,” said James Zhang, commodity analyst at Standard Bank.

“From here it will be much easier for the market to fall $10 than go up $5.” -Reuters

Dubai consumer prices drop steeply on property glutDUBAI: A glut of property supply in Dubai

contributed to the steepest fall in consumer prices since records began four years ago, as a housing bubble that burst in 2009 continued to be felt in the wider economy, data showed on Thursday.

Consumer prices in the United Arab Emir-ates’ (UAE) member fell 1.7 percent on an an-nual basis in February, as an inflow of new resi-dential units pushed rents down.

US Crude $106.09 $0.66

London Brent $124.96 $0.03

Kuwait Crude $123.57 $0.57

Information Courtesy: KAMCO

market watch

KUWAIT DUBAI QATAR OMAN ABU DHABI BAHRAIN EGYPT SAUDI

cUrreNcIeSUS Dollar

Buy 0.2792Sell 0.2795

EuroBuy 0.3642Sell 0.3649

British PoundBuy 0.4372Sell 0.4381

Japanese YenBuy 0.003342Sell 0.003349

Saudi RiyalBuy 0.0744Sell 0.0745

UAE DirhamBuy 0.07592Sell 0.07606

Qatari RiyalBuy 0.07674Sell 0.07658

Bahraini DinarBuy 0.7396Sell 0.74107

Indian RupeeBuy 0.005545Sell 0.005534

Philippine PesoBuy 0.006495Sell 0.006479

Prices in Kuwaiti fils As of March 15, 2012 Courtesy: KAMCO

OIL marketS

0.59%6200

0.5%1683 0.4%

8660

0.4%5951

0.2%2626 0.3%

1152MARKET CLOSED

1.6%5173

A homeless man begs at the central Syntagma (Constitution) Square, with the parliament pictured in the back-ground, in Athens March 15, 2012. Greece’s jobless rate rose to 20.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 from 17.7 percent in the previous three-month period as economic activity slumped, the country’s statistics service said on Thursday. It was the highest quarterly unemployment rate since this data series started in 1998. (Reuters)

Libya bourse resumes trading after year closureTRIPOLI: Libya’s Stock Exchange resumed trading on

Thursday after more than 12 months out of action, as the country gets back to business after last year’s conflict ousted leader Muammar Gadhafi.

Officials on the trading floor rang a bell then shouted “Al-lahu Akbar!” or “God is great!” to announce the start of trad-ing on a bourse which, its backers say, could take off now that it is unshackled from Gadhafi-era restrictions.

“People are scared to come to Libya because they fear all the guns. Today can show them that Libya is going back to normal,” said a visiting businessman from Dubai, who did not want to be identified.

After the 90 minutes allotted for trading each day, the market stood at 1,437.69 points, flat on the level at which it closed in February last year.

The only stock showing any sign of movement on the huge electronic trading screen was Tijara bank, whose shares rose slightly. However, the volume - 452 shares traded - was not big enough to register any impact on the stock market index.

“There are few buyers and sellers. People are afraid of falling prices,” said Ahmed Mejburi, a broker for Economic Group Libya who sat at his desk on the trading floor watch-ing the screen. “The market has been closed for one year. It’ll start weak and, step by step, get back.”

Ten companies resumed trade on Thursday out of a total of 13 listed which includes the stock exchange. Officials have said the reduction was because some of the firms had not yet met the exchange’s regulatory requirements.

The bourse stopped trading soon after a rebellion broke

out against Gadhafi’s 42-year rule. Its re-launch is likely to attract interest from foreign investors seeking opportunities in the new Libya, which is home to Africa’s biggest proven oil reserves.

The companies listed on the exchange have a combined market capitalization of about 3.9 billion Libyan dinars (three billion US dollars), general manager Ahmed Karoud said last month in an interview.

The biggest companies include Jumhiriya Bank, Sahara Bank and Wahda Bank. A bourse official said that, to avoid volatility on the opening day, trading would be briefly sus-pended if shares rose or fell by more than 1.5 percent.

Under Gadhafi, the bourse attracted fitful foreign interest. Investors were keen for a slice of the lucrative Libyan market but they were often put off by red tape, currency restrictions, and arbitrary rulings from Gadhafi and his inner circle.

The head of the bourse said he planned to make the bourse a more attractive place for foreigners to invest. Speak-ing to Reuters last month, Karoud also said five public share offerings as well as two funds would be listed this year.

“The first IPO (initial public offering) will be at the end of May,” he told Reuters on Thursday, adding pre-war plans to list Libya’s two mobile operators, Libyana and al Madar, would go ahead next year.

“A lot of foreign companies have called about Libya’s stock market,” he added, saying interest had come from the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

Asked about Thursday’s slow start, Karoud said, “People are afraid, for now they want to see what happens. We hope the market will go up.” -Reuters

A trader speaks on a mobile phone as she works on the floor of the Libya Stock Exchange in the capital Tripoli March 15, 2012. Libya’s Stock Exchange resumed trading on Thursday after more than 12 months out of action on Thursday, signaling that the country is getting back to business after last year’s conflict ousted leader Muammar Gadhafi. (Reuters)

KUWAIT: The General Assembly of the United Industries Company (UIC), held its meeting on Thursday March 15, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. in its headquarters in Sharq, Khaled Bin Al-Waleed Street, Al-Shaheed Tower, 17th floor.

This was mentioned in a press release on Thursday.

UIC made net profit of KD 1.21 million in 2011 compared to KD 4.045 million the year before.

However, the numbers reflect an actual in-crease of 161 percent (KD 3.21 million) com-pared to the results of 2010 (a loss of two million dinars) after deducting realized profits resulting from sale of investments.

Share earnings for 2011 came to 2.45 fils per share compared to 10.89 fils per share the year before.

UIC’s share of profit from associate compa-nies increased 49 percent to reach KD 7.45 mil-lion in 2011, compared to five million dinars the previous year.

This is attributed to the greatly improved financial performance of Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company (SADAFCO), which saw a noticeable growth in revenues coupled with a positive increase in realized profits.

This growth in the financial performance of SADAFCO reflected positively on UIC’s share of the profits, where net sales in 2011 increase

21 percent to 1.32 billion Saudi riyals compared to 1.09 billion riyals the previous year.

Al Qurain Petrochemical Industrial Com-pany (QPIC) also recorded excellent results in 2011, making KD 18.1 million compared to a loss of KD 1.9 million the previous year, real-izing a profit of 1050 percent.

This increase is attributed to the increase in cash dividends received from EQUATE Pet-rochemical Company, as well as the consider-able improvement in the operational results of QPIC’s associate, Kuwait Aromatics Company.

Finally, UIC’s overall assets in 2011 came to KD 178 million, which is the same as the volume of assets on Dec. 31, 2010.

UIC announces net profit of KD 1.21 million in 2011

JERUSALEM: The Palestinian economy con-tinued to grow in 2011, but a decline in foreign donor support and continued Israeli restrictions on trade slowed its pace, the World Bank said Thursday, warning of a “severe fiscal crisis” if the drop in aid continues.

In a biannual report, the World Bank warned that a continued decline in donor assistance could jeopardize the gains Palestinians made in recent years in building the institutions of a fu-ture state.

Donor countries have given billions of dollars to the Palestinians since 1993, in an attempt to prop up an economy battered by conflict with Is-rael and resulting restrictions on Palestinian trade and movement.

Despite impressive growth in recent years, the report said further growth will remain highly aid-dependent unless the Palestinian private sec-tor has room to grow.

It said this would only be possible if Israel lifted its restrictions on Palestinian access to land, water and export markets. It also called on the Palestinian Authority to improve its business en-vironment and attract more investment.

“Stabilization of the PA’s fiscal position com-pels immediate action by the donor community,” said Mariam Sherman, the World Bank director for the West Bank and Gaza.

“Unleashing the potential of Palestinian en-terprises can be achieved only if Israel and the Palestinian Authority take concrete steps to level

the playing field for entrepreneurs,” the World Bank said.

In 2011, the Palestinian Authority, which gov-erns the West Bank, required about 1.5 billion US dollars in budget support, the report said.

Growth in the West Bank was only 5.8 per-cent in 2011, down from 7.5 percent for the cor-responding period in 2010.

In contrast, the Hamas-run Gaza Strip con-tinued to recover in 2011 and experienced 25.8 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first three quarters of 2011, the report said.

The Gaza figures can be explained in part because of the isolated territory’s low starting point. For instance, it experienced a decline of 20 percent as recently as 2007. -AP

Palestinian economic growth slowing: World Bank

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) closed Thursday in green with the price index reading 6,200.4 points at a gain of 36.6 points, while the weighted in-dex came to 419.86 points, an up of 1.69 points.

Trades came to 5,621 transactions, worth 40,659,110 Kuwaiti dinars, and vol-ume reached 480,582,500 shares. The top gainer was services sector with a gain of 93.8 points.

The loser sector was the non-Kuwaitis which was down 9.4 points.

Gainer share of the day was the Ajwan Gulf Real-Estate Company, while the big-

gest loser was the stock of the Gulf Petro-leum Investment.

Top traded share was that of Al-Sawfa Group Company.

The trading began at Kuwait Stock Ex-change (KSE) on Thursday with the main indices in mixed zones.

By 9:30 am, the price index came to 6,165.3 points, an increase of 1.5 points, while the weighted index came to 417.23 points, a drop of 0.94 points. Trades came to 1,159 transactions by the time of the reading, with value reaching KD 7,535,260 and 112,715,000 million shares changing hands. -KUNA

KSE gains 36.6 points at closing, both indices in green

US dollar exchange rate up to KD 0.279

KUWAIT: Exchange rate of the US dollar went up to 0.279 Kuwaiti dinars, while the euro dropped to KD 0.363, compared to Wednesday’s figures, said the daily bulletin of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) on Thursday.

Exchange rate of the Sterling pound decreased to KD 0.436, and the Japanese yen has remained at KD 0.003 since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, the Swiss franc slipped to KD 0.299.

The US dollar is gaining over other currencies as the US economic data shows gradual recovery. -KUNA

BUSINESSIN REGION FRIDAY, mARch 16, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

10

SINGAPORE: Gold regained some strength on Thursday after a drop in the pre-vious session attracted bargain hunters, but a strong dollar and fading expectations of more monetary easing in the United States made the metal vulnerable to more selling.

The physical market lacked activity as jewelers looked for a bargain, while bullion holders shifted their money into equities after strong US economic data and accommodative monetary policies by global central banks sent investors back into risk assets.

Spot gold added 4.69 US dollars an ounce to $1,646.79 an ounce by 0339 GmT. Gold ex-tended losses and fell more than two percent on Wednesday - a day after the Federal Reserve offered no clues on further easing.

“Sentiment is of course very bad, I can say. After slipping below $1,650, it may go down further to $1,600,” said Ronald Leung, direc-tor of Lee cheong Gold Dealers in hong Kong, adding that a rebound will be capped at $1,675 to $1,680. “Safe-haven (appeal) is forgotten for the time being. The demand is sluggish because of the strong dollar. Speculators dumped their gold.” Gold has fallen around eight percent since late February as funds appeared to have closed out of their bullish gold bets on worries the Fed has no intention to embark on another round of major asset purchases to keep interest rates and borrowing costs low.

Bullion rose to a record of around $1,920 last September on fears the euro debt crisis could stall global growth. US April gold rose

$4.90 to $1,647.80 an ounce.The dollar rallied to a 11-month high

against the yen and a one-month peak against the euro on Thursday on growing optimism on the US economic recovery and subsequent ris-es in US bond yields.

In theory, a firmer dollar hurt dollar-based commodities such as gold, as well as industrial metals such as copper, which is weighed by con-cerns about slowing demand from china, the world’s largest consumer of the metal. china’s Premier Wen Jiabao said on Wednesday that china must embrace slower growth and bolder political reform to keep its economy from fal-tering and to spread wealth more evenly.

But a Reuters polls found developed econ-omies will pick up steam this year thanks to an array of ultra-loose monetary policies from major central banks and amid new signs of progress in the euro zone’s debt crisis.

In the physical market, a lack of buying from jewelers despite a recent drop in prices rattled the nerves of some physical dealers.

“I guess the dynamics have changed. cus-tomers will only take gold if there’s a need to. Otherwise, there’s no commitment,” said a dealer in Singapore. “I have not been here in the business for 20 years yet, but I feel the change.”

In the equity market, the Nikkei rose on Thursday, extending the previous session’s ral-ly that helped the index close above 10,000 for the first time in seven months, as exporters ad-vanced on the back of a weaker yen. -Reuters

Gold bounces after 2% drop, US dollar eyed

FILE - A woman walks past a gold shop in Hong Kong on April 20, 2011. Gold regained some strength on Thursday after a drop in the previ-ous session attracted bargain hunters. (Reuters)

Alessandro Magnoli BocchiChief EconomistKuwait China Investment CompanyExclusive to Al Watan Daily

KUWAIT: The year started with encouraging US eco-nomic data. In the EU, massive European central Bank (EcB) support lowered sovereign yields and spreads, un-froze interbank lending, and reduced risk of disorderly de-faults in the banking system. china and emerging markets slowed down, but did not hard-land. With valuations below historical trends, risk-aversion declined. For the first time in decades, the earnings yield (annual profits divided by price) in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (S&P500) rose above seven percent, about five percent above the 10-year US Treasuries (10Y-UST) rate. Also, more than 40 percent of the stocks in the S&P500 yielded more in dividends than the 10Y-UST in interest. Investors’ confidence rose and the hardest-hit assets became sought after. In emerging economies, short-term portfolio-flows chased high-yield, reflating asset in Asia and Latin America. Quickly, liquid-ity galvanized investors seeking higher returns. Although thinly-traded, global equities and commodities surged.

For the rally to last, a healthy global recovery and ris-ing company earnings are needed. But the whole world

is slowing down. The US economy is showing signs of de-celeration and could enter a soft patch. consumers are cautious. Europe - UK included - is sliding into recession. china and India are unlikely to inject a sizeable stimulus in their economies. Going forward, growth will remain challenged. In advanced economies, household, financial-sector and public-sector deleveraging, spending cuts and reforms are needed and upcoming. Fiscal consolidation will accelerate disinflation, and - as buyers anticipate lower prices - consumption will decline.

‘Tail risks’ - low-probability, high-impact events that could have systemic consequences via negative feedback loops - could materialize, hampering the real economy and investor confidence. Indeed, global unemployment affects 200 million people (up 27 million since the start of the crisis) and could spark unrest. The Arab turmoil and Iran nuclear ambitions are unlikely to be frictionless. The Euro-zone’s democratic deficit, rising sovereign risks and ongo-ing debt restructuring - where a Greek deal is likely to lead to a Portuguese one - are sources of stress and possibly contagion. Policy mistakes, due to wait-and-see attitude or political deadlock, could induce a recession. Banks, in need of capital and allergic to regulatory reform, will foster financial sector jitteriness. Global politics looks challeng-ing, with presidential elections in the US, Russia, Egypt, Ye-men, and Venezuela, parliamentary elections in India, Iran, Egypt, Libya, Jordan, and Tunisia, the leadership transition in china and North Korea’s succession. Pakistan and Af-

ghanistan could also contribute to geo-political instability.As a result, corporations are on hold, lacking confi-

dence to make significant business and investment deci-sions, since sales, profit margins and corporate earnings might suffer. The market seems to have moved ahead of fundamentals, and a correction looks likely.

In 2012, because of excessive liquidity and high un-certainty, stock markets are likely to remain highly vola-tile. Investors might focus on news and events rather than longer-term trends. Given the slow-growth, disinflationary outlook, a fast “reversion to the mean” of returns is im-probable. Indeed, stocks could be cheap because, as hap-pened in Japan, they discount a deflationary trend. Taking fundamental directional bets (i.e. via long-only funds) is likely to prove disappointing. Earnings growth will soften, especially in emerging markets.

Financials are likely to suffer. Investors will privilege strong balance sheets and value. Blue chips income-pro-ducing multinational brands will do well, as a significant share of their revenues comes from emerging markets. Small luxury companies, healthcare providers and the consumer sector are likely to generate returns. US stock markets are likely to outperform.

core sovereign bonds (UST and German Bunds) might benefit from risk-off episodes, slowing economic growth and a reduction in long-term interest rates. Still, in absence of systemic shocks, high-yield corporate credit might per-form well and emerging country bonds denominated in lo-

cal currencies could deliver even higher returns. Inflation-linked bonds show more risk than returns.

The unfolding of the Eurozone crisis and the ongoing EcB monetization should weaken the Euro. If a tail risk materializes, investors will retreat to the US dollar, still the world’s primary trading and reserve currency and a global safe haven. The Swiss franc is likely to maintain it purchas-ing power. With respect to the past decades, investors face a very different, and more difficult, investment environ-ment. The probability of future financial shocks, and black swans, is high. capital preservation via a defensive asset allocation is priority.

Over the next couple of years, cash could work as both an insurance against sharp downturns and the required seeding-capital to quickly size opportunities. Still, in the longer-run keeping liquid portfolios will result in low re-turns. Illiquid assets, such as private equity and real estate are to be considered, but only if fully understood and pro-fessionally executed. In a few years, looking back to this post-crisis period with the benefit of hindsight, it is likely that unusual portfolios - less liquid and more volatile, thus considered of lower quality today - will perform better than accepted ones.

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions presented in the column are the company’s own and do not necessarily represent those of Al Watan Daily and its staff.

If uncertainty does not dissipate soon, where to invest?

DUBAI: major money exchange houses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have stopped handling Iranian rials over the last several weeks, executives at the houses said, further reducing Iran’s ability to trade and obtain hard currency.

Since late last year, Iran has largely been frozen out of the global banking system by US sanctions aimed at its dis-puted nuclear program. Washington has used anti-money laundering legislation to make it risky for banks around the world to do business with Iran, including trade financing.

In December, the US government pressured Dubai-based Noor Islamic Bank into stopping the channeling of billions of dollars from Iranian oil sales through its accounts.

Iranian businessmen continued to conduct some trade with Dubai and other places, however, by transferring funds through money exchange houses that op-erate separately from the banking system, traders said. Now many of those houses have stopped doing rial business as well.

mohamed al-Ansari, chairman and managing director of Al Ansari Exchange, one of the UAE’s top two exchange hous-es, said the weakness of the rial, which saw its black market rate roughly halve against the US dollar in the year to Janu-ary, had made it too risky to handle the currency.

“most exchange companies have stopped dealing in Iranian rial mainly because of its devaluation in the last few months, as well as the regulations im-posed by the US regulatory authorities on the financial sector,” he told Reuters.

“As such, nobody would like to risk trading in the Iranian rial currency, as it would affect their business.”

Dubai, 150 kilometers (100 miles) across the Gulf, has been a major trading hub for Iran. Re-export trade between Iran and the UAE - goods sent to the UAE for on-shipment to Iran, and Iranian goods sent to the UAE for on-shipment to other countries - totaled 31.9 billion UAE dirhams (8.7 billion US dollars) in the first nine months of 2011, latest UAE customs data show.

Al Fardan Exchange, the UAE’s third largest exchange house, also said the de-preciation of the rial had made the cur-rency too risky.

“For us, from a risk point of view with regard to the fluctuations taking place and the depreciation - this also applies to the Syrian pound - you don’t have a definite understanding about when the freefall might take place,” Osama Al-Rahma, gen-eral manager at Al Fardan Exchange, told Reuters.

“We had to stop exchanging even small amounts because if I buy it at this rate and tomorrow it went down, then I’m in a loss position.”

Al-Rahma said that in addition to

hurting Dubai’s remaining trade with Iran, the halt in rial exchanges would inconvenience tourists travelling to the country.

however, some Iranian trade with Dubai is expected to continue, using chan-nels such as ‘hawala’ - a legal but largely unregulated money transfer network that is based on personal relationships and op-erates in the middle East and South Asia - and even transfers of physical cash be-tween Dubai and Iran across the Gulf on ferries. -Reuters

Major UAE currency houses halt Iran rial business

Asia condensate supply to tighten on Iran sanctions

LANGKAWI, Malaysia: Japan and South Korean buyers are looking for alternate supplies of high-sul-phur condensate to replace term barrels from Iran as Western sanctions make imports from the producer of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting countries (OPEc) difficult, industry sources said on Thursday.

They said South Korea, Japan and other US al-lies were scrambling to voluntarily reduce Iranian oil imports in the hope they could win waivers from pen-alties that will be imposed when new US sanctions become effective at the end of June.

The tighter sanctions against Iran, which ban fi-nancial institutions from oil deals with the its central bank, are aimed at pressuring Tehran to halt its nucle-ar program. “The US is targeting condensate because there are only a few buyers. crude is very hard to pin point,” said Fereidun Fesharaki, chairman of consult-ing firm FAcTS Global Energy, on the sidelines of an industry conference.

Iran produced 370,000 barrels per day (bpd) of condensate last year, the bulk of which was from South Pars, according to FAcTS.

Japanese refiners and trading companies have yet to renew their annual Iranian crude and condensate purchase contracts, which expire this month.

In South Korea, Samsung Total Petrochemicals imports about 60,000 tons (439,800 barrels) of Iran’s Kangan condensate each month and its contract is up for renewal in June, trading sources said. The compa-ny’s decision on a new contract will largely be based on the outcome of government talks with Washington on a sanctions waiver.

Other countries not directly affected by the sanc-tions are likely to keep the same level of Iranian con-densate imports.

Dubai’s Emirates National Oil company, the larg-est lifter of Iranian condensate, importing up to three million barrels a month, is likely to continue its term purchases, the sources said.

Similarly, china’s Unipec, the trading arm of Asia’s largest refiner Sinopec, has renewed its 2012 contract for 75,000 bpd of condensate at an attractive discount of five US dollars a barrel over the average of Oman and Dubai quotes. That is largely unchanged from 2011.

Asian buyers are seeking to include an “escape” clause in their new term contracts that will allow buy-ers to declare force majeure on their cargoes if banks, complying with the sanctions, refuse to process pay-ment for the Iranian purchase.

“Buyers are pressuring NIOc (National Iranian Oil company) to include what we call the escape clause,” said a source with an Asian buyer that is ne-gotiating the renewal of an annual contract with Iran for oil supply from April.

“Iran may have to give in soon.”As Asian buyers search for replacement supplies,

Qatar’s major sour condensate supplier Tasweeq could benefit as well as some other producers in the Asia-Pacific region.

They could push up spot differentials for grades such as deodorized field condensate (DFc) and low sulphur condensate (LSc) from Qatar, and North West Shelf (NWS) condensate from Australia. -Reuters

LONDON: Lebanon has awarded an import tender for 150,000 tons of gasoil for delivery be-tween April and June at premiums near a two-year high, traders said on Thursday.

The tender was awarded to Athens-based trad-ing house BB Energy at a premium of 29.25 US dollars a ton over mediterranean quotes, traders said. Gasoil supply in the region is tightening, with several countries including Israel, Egypt and Jor-dan making elevated purchases of the product this year.

The increased demand is partly a result of a se-ries of attacks on pipelines along a crucial network

that runs through Egypt’s restive Sinai region, cut-ting off gas supplies to Israel and Jordan.

This is forcing governments to make big pur-chases of gasoil, which can be used instead of gas to generate power, and premiums are rocketing.

Earlier this year, Lebanon bought a similar volume from BB Energy at a much lower premium of $18 a ton to mediterranean quotes.

Lebanon imports gasoil for electricity power generation and as a transport fuel. The country suffers from severe power outages, and decades of energy problems have drained billions of dollars in electricity subsidies. -Reuters

Lebanon awards 150,000 tons gasoil import tender

FILE - A money dealer counts Iranian rial banknotes in his office in Baghdad Jan. 30, 2012. Major money exchange houses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have stopped handling Iranian rials over the last several weeks, executives at the houses said, further reducing Iran’s ability to trade and obtain hard currency. (Reuters)

BUSINESSIN REGION FRIDAY, mARch 16, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

11

For more Information please contact "Global" at (+965) 180 42 42 or www.globalinv.net

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Value(KD) Ask

2

-1-

-

1,680,000

---

-

-

176.535,726.90

Chng

495

Prev. Close

49511201120

Last Close

-

10-

800 50

-

-5-

5

-

177.24

-

8,092,500

16

-0.705,754.20

20-

20

--

28.5 108

-

23

48.5 68

71

3651

20.5

94244

-

-

-

-1-

-

-

680,000

--

-18

--

-

---

-

-

-

-

-500,000

-

22-

4

-1,840,000

---

-

-

-

-

-

-

--

--

320,000

-

-- -

--

-

11,180,000

-

- -240,000

1,305,280

480,000

1,920,000-

05 / 01 / 2012

Global General Index

295290 5 2,110,000295 285 295

128

5857 56 57 57 0.0%290

Markaz Real EstateKuwait Remal R.E

Nationl Ind. Group

Kuwait Cement

232

450

55218

-

23.5

-

13.590

-30.0

---26,160

-

8,960

---

4

-3 18,520

111

22,400

-

-

19,240

-76,880

-

-

--

-

1,656,950

152

10,720

-

23,960

17

31,160

383,920104,680

9

12

3-

1

92,000

-

-

--

-- -

3,8401

120,0008-

0.12-

560 -485 - -

325

118

46.56442.50

-- -

- - -76.02

5368 -

--

200,00060 -

-

-

2.0-160

26.00 --

255 --

-114114

5368

158

26.00

255-

22.778.28

156 255

26 68

114

38.0

43.00

11.92

53

64 42.5

0.00

0.0%

0.0%

91

60 47

5.5%

12.5 11.5

0.0%

59 14.0

33.5

94

60

-

14.5

0.0%

12.83

12.60

16.97

17.379.91

12.90

296.83

10.01

14.56

0.00

37.20

122455

4,151,200

13,52047 610,850

6 17,80022,550

3,111,120

-

154

-

332

-6

-

13,220,000

-

3

---

-

4

-

-

--- -

-

-

-

240,000

140,000-

0.02-

1.0-

53,085,000

--1-

-

242128470 20-

10-

50,000 2

-8

134 3.7%0.0% 32

57

232

220

320,000-

946,0801,200,000

35,040,000240,000 6,160

1

2

12

4-

0.5-80,000

-2,720,000

1.0-0.5-

- --

0.0%0.0%

-116

28.528.0126

0.0%

16.5

25.026.0

0.0%0.0%

24.5

0.0%0.0%

32130

28.0

1,880

29

25.524.525.0

16.015.5

-0.0%

57 0.0%7470

0.00

59

29.0

70

144 48.5 48.5

59 11.37

31.0 31.0 19.44

78

63 14.5

17.5 17.5

4.15

38.0

75 78

0.0%

0.0%0.0%

0.0%0.0%

21.7039.65

65 54 90

38.0 77

26.32

0.0%

76 0.0%0.0%

73

100 96 840 860

108 15.28

6.5%30.0

108

37.5

82 5.29

16.20

130 224

0.0%

0.0%

120 82 6.1%

0.0%234 4.5%37.5

30.5

75.90

134 220

560

76.32

560 485

325

110

114

0.0%

255

10.8%

0.0%68

114

55

28

60

0.0%

0.0%

2.7%

40.5

47 64

9.1%

0.0%

118

42.5

325

2.4%6.2%

520

99 48 0.0%

4.7%

100 49

44.80 43.43

128 208

460

0.0%0.0%

108500

-

100126

17.83120 22.21200 202 10.0%

-

-0.0%

5.2%4.5%510

300

114220

40.5

3.8%%

162 160

-

Manafae Inv.Kuwait China Inv.

485

Global Index - Investment

-

75.90-

-

560-

325

Kuwait Syrian

-

53-

- - 53

Amwal -

Ahlia Insurance

-

Al Masar -

Gulf InsuranceKuwait Insurance

Al-Imtiaz 132

KW BH Int'l Exch.- Taiba Kuwaiti Holding

Tamdeen Inv.

-

Gulf North Africa

Strategia

-

-

- -

42.50- - 46.5

64

60

-

158-

40,720,000 558

--

-

13,200120,000--

--

-13,200

2,702,550-

4

-

--

2-

-

-80,000

57

-

-

105

-

6

8

2,400

-6

4899

200

-

-

---

118

87071

130-

31.585

110

-112

12.0

9895

11.576

860

80,000-

-

-

-100,000

-

--22,400

97108

840

110

100

40.50

48

-

100

30.0

11440.50

108

Global Index - Insurance

- Warba Insurance

220114

112

-

4943.63

2

98850

204

-

4-

1-

-

-

1080.5- 30.5

120

75 73860

96Union R.E.

Int'L Resorts

MabaniERESCO

INJAZZAT REInv. Holding Grp

Commercial R.E

Aa'yan R.ESanam R.E.

Kuwait R.E HoldingAqar

Al Argan Int'L

Arkan Al-Kuwait R.E

Tijara & R.E Invest

Themar Int'L Holding Grand R.E Projects

Al Dar National R.EAL Mazaya

-

Abyaar

- Manazel 16.5 KBTFirst DubaiMunshaat

134REAM

Al Tameer

25.523.5

Safat Global

15.5134

15.5

25.5

60

27.0 27.0 26.0

27.0 27.0

- -

70

14.0

49.75232

- 134

220134

- 220

49.73

- Mena Real Estate

Global Index - Real Estate

450126

-

128 242

455 Pipes Ind. & Oil

Al Moudon Intl. R.E

59

17.5

16.5

26.0 24.5

5970

48.5 74

124

-

-

-

- 70

- -

-

23.5

124

23.528.0

- - 28.5

48.5

28.5 28.0

17.5 -

59 59

31.0 31.0

91 9114.0 14.0

- 38.0 11.5 11.5

38.0 - 12.0

0.5-

5590

14.5 4-

- 38.0

-

2,000,000120,000

-

1,935,000

-

10320,0001-

0.5-

69

27

53

-270

73

61

0.0%

470.0%

0.0%

156

-

-

1605.1%

-

12,680

10,600- -

-

6352

49

-

-

610

-

325

11043.0

--

224 37.5 -

10.0-

0.19-43.43

412099

82-

37.5224

-

-234

-

Ex-D220 -

520,000

920,0003,100,000

1

-

80,000

122

Kuwait Re-Ins.

48

-

48

-First Takaful Ins. -

National R.E.

-

Kuwait R.E.

Wethaq Insurance

126 100

Tamdeen R.E.

United R.E.

Ajial R.E.

Pearl R.E.204 Salhia R.E.

Massaleh R.E.Arab R.E.

224

124200

82

37.5

120

118

-200

75

- 98

- 224

74860

30.0-

30.0

200,000-

-

63- 38.0

53

-

12.0

-

240,0005-177

7077

6570 78

6578

440,000-

54 -

- -- 901-54

40.5

37.0

9154

7965

80,000

-53

-77

-

1,120

1,000,000

35.5-

-

67,400

25.5 27.0

0.0%90 55

28.5

91 0.0%

38.0

32

5.38124

27.2828.0

23.5

15.5

0.0%-0.000.00

23.07

18.82

134

220

49.86

60 0.0% 295 270

130

1.1%

0.0%

49.73260 232 0.0%130 128

16.2770.58

18.38450 470 465 2.2%

124 128 130 2- 1,240,000 38 5.19157,920 124.0 128.0 0.0% 132.0 128.0

Portland Cement

Kuwait Foundry

Gulf Cables & Elec.

Metal CollectingShuaiba Industrial

720 -

110 - 460

1,420

- 720

-

-

-

- 720

104

1,420335

150 150

710

-

178108190

435104

--

-

-310

1,4203,550

-

-

212

180

150

720

-

230,000-

-1,460335

2,500-

40- 1-

180

--

460

-212

-2-104 106 23.15

710

460

96.15180 104

26.77

10.91

- -

Marine Services

- 1,420

Heavy eng. & Ship.

Refrigeration Ind. 158 150

212

6.491,420 1,460 -

1,440 4.6%3.3%

180

8.02335 3.0%216

340 3402.4% 222 193.84

4.3%

720

460 0.0%

13.9%5.6%

116

740 -

19-

-8,480

165,600-

80,000 3- - -

For more Information please contact "Global" at (+965) 180 42 42 or www.globalinv.net

1.0--

61.0 29.0

- 186.0 240,000

29.5 1.0-

-

255 --

14,000,000 29.0 186255

-232.0

- 23.5

228.0 102.0

121

-

1,305,560

-60.0 61.0-

--

-840,840387,160

1,880103177

-

234.0 0.0%0.0%

28.525.0

-24.0 0.0%29.0

234.0

22 77

29.0 9.750.00

38.0

154

16.0

255255

0.0%

130.0

33.5

3.2%

0.0%96.0

0.0%190

29.0

61 99.0

19.5 19.0

0.00

244 244

26.0 51 0.0036

0.0%

0.00

0.0%26.0

51 116.8054 242

0.0% 26.0 0.00

0.0%-42.5

-51 39 0.0%

0.0%

102 301,320

--

981,427,720

36

42.0- -

51-

---

42.5 0.0%

56

-233

70.0 -

- 69.0- -

0.0%---

-30.41

--64.0

48.5 48.5 0.0%64.0

71 71

28.5 44.0 0.00-

26

70

0.0%40.0-

38.50.0%

22,040-

0.0%

21 65 35

0.0% 47 0.0%

32.0136

0.0%31.5

3059

2957

134 136 0.0024.0 35.5

106 0.00

-- 0.0%- 0.0052 52

0.0050

0.00

102 102

230 230

116 118122 120

50

230

0.0%- -

-

--

-

8.5%104 106

0.0%

0.0%0.0%

21.0 130

36.0 23.5-

24.0

11.5

25.0 69

0.0%

25.0 0.00

130

50 13.5 18.5

620.0%

63 0.0%13.0

- -

174

4,400,000 81

2,400,000

12,080,00011310,000 345

172340

158

0.0%

89.98295 5.8% 13.95345

0.0% 182

1.44

280 13.26 40 0.0%56 58 67

41.33285 285 7.7%112 110 104

255 0.0%

2.3%

1.9%

8800.0%560

106

3,250,400447,750

10,800

55019.10

590 25.07900

106.53820 550

328.52 317.17

880250

0.0%255 0.0%

1.6%

430 435

87023.78

430 236 260

12.04480

790 920

82.87700 790

30.38

1,060

17.93680 630

15.63475 33.26510

1,220 1,100

2.1%0.0%

3.2%

485

640730

Yield

102.0 234.0

130

230

52

58

39.0

3.7%

580

371,850 1,080

70016

75,00013105,000475700

590,000

93 40.5 42.5

98

29

242

51

71

38.551

720

560

345

57

880

24.0

116

630870630

25.0 130

23.0

280

118

136

108

14.0 61

172

1,080Low

710-

KFIC

255

-

Bayan Inv.

Gulf Bank 485

Ahli United Bank - International Bank

188

Gulf Inv. HouseA'ayan Leasing

ALMAL Inv.

-

59

40.0

KW BH Int'l ExchTamdeen Inv.

-

23.5 Ekttitab Holding

Sokouk Holding

NOORAl-Madina Finance

Al Qurain Holding -

30.0 62.0

42.5

- MADARAl Deera Holding

Al Salam Group 234.0 98

KAMCO

- -

Al Safat Inv.

Housing Finance- -

GLOBAL Inv.

Nat. Int'l Holding

-

Osoul Inv.

Ahlia Holding 13.5

-

30

Aref Inv. Group -

Coast Invest. 63

24.5

ALOLA Inv.

108

- 120

136 Al AMAN Inv. -

Int'L Investor

Int'L FinanceMARKAZKMIFIC

Securities House -

- Ind. & Fin. Inv.Securities Group

National Invest.

250435

560

250430

870

328.52Boubyan Bank

Int'L Financial Adv.

345

327.39110

285285 59

174

108

59

340Kw Projects

550Global Index - Banking

560

108108 Commercial Facilit.Kw Investment

57

340

Kw Finance House 860

Commercial Bank 720

435 880

- -

Ahli Bank

250

Company

KSE Price Index

National Bank 1,100

Burgan Bank 430

High

480

13.0

58

28.5

-

--

-

-23.5

-

58.0

--

61

186

226.0

40.0

51

51

60.0 28.5 23.5

97

-38.5

-39.0

32.0

2957

132-

-

24.0

104116

106--

5052

230

784,1602

2-

1-

1.12

5 110,000100,000

-

170

285

170

13.5

25.0

50

--

63

105,450

-

--

198

-

810,000 30

530,000 132,550

8702278 1,440,150

499,8501,150,0001,655,000

331,680

11,640

51

1

111,480-

-

0.5-

-44

340,000

-

1402,850

413,440

-

-

163,000275,000

-

1.20%Trading Activity Last Annual CloseLast

36.60Div.

0.59%

5

-

--

2.0

-6.0

YTD

Date of Closing Prices:

DTD

26.0

- 39.0

26.0

48.5 64

283,250

HighTran.

Trading Prices of Kuwait Stock Exchange

Last Close Previous Close Change MTD

Value(KD) Ask

185.67

-

36

3.55%

Volume

2.60%6.64%

P/ELowBid

0.39%

-

-1

4

13,480,000

---

6

-

6,200.40

Chng

485

Prev. Close

48510801080

Last Close

-

10

870 -

20

-5-

5

480,000

184.95

-

5,180,000

3

0.726,163.80

-

51

32.0 136

-

29

48.5 64

71

242 -

--

-2

-

2,800,000

-

--

54

7-

72

---

306,520766,080

70,560-

-560,000

2-2--

1,060,000

-5,740,000

-

-

-

-2,400,000

-

5,240,000

- -

--

1

5,700,000

-

3,080,000 4034,480,000

12 44,880-

13,440,000

-80,000

255186 188

5 1%-

15 / 03 / 2012

Global General Index

315310 - 680,000310

130

6362 61 61315 305

61 0.0%310

Markaz Real EstateKuwait Remal R.E

Kuwait Cement

248

440

60-

31.5

246

19.587

-43.5

--88261,160

3,360

47,880

-

-

---

13

13051 489,240

-

121,560

8

-

-

31,960

2,4001,764,520

848

75

182,120

-

1-

-

1,369,400

7715

43,800

1

- -

4,000

82,28080,320

25

7

1-

68

214,76029

--

0.72 135,600,000 1,546

--

-610 -

-

450 20 30,000

290

--

33,720,000

148

536442.50

3

-

- -

-114 -

84.53

7175

15

57 -

27.00 --

255 --114

728027.00

255 22.77

255

26 58

114

38.0

50.59

11.92

50

64 42.5

0.00

0.0%

0.0%

91

51 47

5.7%

20.0 11.0

0.0%

59 13.5

45.0

-

-

-

20.0

0.0%

12.88

15.14

23.379.60

14.06

296.83

13.09

17.36

0.00

45.7214.88

128435

6,062,490

9,84028 210,750

37 150,0404,400

2,927,680

-

201

-

826

-4

80,000

11,920,000

1

19

2,600--

1

1 2,000

-

-

80,0002.5-- -

-

-

0.5-

160,000

1,160,0004

0.87

-

87,545,000

--2-

-

242126435 5

6

10,000 1

-

184

-13

134 3.7%0.0% 34

49

1,440,00080,000

1,840,000 62,0807

-

1.0720,000

236,880,000

0.51

20,000-

0.0%0.0%118

48.047.5124

25.5

32.535.0

0.0%0.0%

39.5

0.0%0.0%

34134

26.0

23,040

32

34.524.534.0

22.522.0

-0.0%

54 0.0%7875

57

52.0

64 144

59 12.18

45.0 31.0 26.33

80

88 23.0

17.5 17.5

5.93

67.0

75 94

0.0%

0.0%0.0%

0.0%0.0%

25.2340.87

56 52 79

35.0 77

31.19

0.0%

80 0.0%0.0%

62

104 94 840 1,000

108 16.98

5.8%27.0

120

32.5

100 6.45

18.08

130 224

0.0%

0.0%

114 77 5.0%

0.0%250 4.0%

37.5

52.0

74.96

134 220

610

85.62

550 450

280

102

102

0.0%

255

9.3%

0.0%80

114

73

32

60

0.0%

0.0%

2.7%

40.5

55 64

6.8%

0.0%

148

42.5

325

2.3%6.9%

520

97 47 0.0%

4.6%

118 63

44.80 42.22

152 224

470

0.0%0.0%

-475

-

116142

19.79108 25.43200 222 9.0%

-

28.50.0%

5.3%4.1%-

285

148220

40.5

Manafae Inv.Kuwait China Inv.

470

Global Index - Investment

-

85.25-

-

610460

290-

Kuwait Syrian

55

7180

57 5772

80

Ahlia Insurance

-

Al Masar -

Gulf InsuranceKuwait Insurance

Al-Imtiaz 142

KW BH Int l Exch.- Taiba Kuwaiti Holding

470

Gulf North Africa

Strategia

-

Amwal -

---

42.50-

53 5464

57

-

-

13,95030,000--

-- -

13,950-

9,222,180-

-

-

1

- -

6120,000

-

-

202,720

20,0806,840

40,000280,000

64

-

-

15

-

3

1

410,2809,440,000

59114

220

-

-

3,200--

130

1,00073

-95

43.598

108

42.5-

15.5

10298

14.574

990

-

27.5

-

-10,000

-

-2402,500

100120

960

148

116

40.50

59

-

114

43.0

12240.50

-

Global Index - Insurance

- Warba Insurance

220122

-

-

6043.88

-

100950

222

-

-

1-

65.0

-

1202.0- 45.0

118

73 731,000

100Union R.E.

Int'L Resorts

MabaniERESCO

INJAZZAT REInv. Holding Grp

Commercial R.E

Aa'yan R.ESanam R.E.

Kuwait R.E HoldingAqar

Al Argan Int'L Arkan Al-Kuwait R.E

Tijara & R.E Invest

Themar Int'L Holding Grand R.E Projects

Al Dar National R.EAL Mazaya

33

Abyaar

- Manazel 22.5 KBTFirst DubaiMunshaat

134REAM

Al Tameer

32.032.0

22.0134

22.0

34.0

Mena Real Estate

88

25.5 25.0 34.5

25.0 25.0

- 42.0

-

20.5

56.01240

- 134

220134

- 220

56.88

33

Global Index - Real Estate

440128

-

130 250

440 Pipes Ind. & Oil

Al Moudon Intl. R.E

Nationl Ind. Group

22.0

33.0 31.5

5775 75

118

32.0

120

-

- -

--

57

17.5

-

32.046.5120120

48.5 47.5 48.0

17.5 42.0

84 88

44.5 42.0

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146

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KCPCNAPESCO

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Qurain Kuwait Gypsum

Sultan CenterArabi Group

Agility

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Al Kout Ind. Project

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Hilal Cement

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-

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124

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National Slaughter

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Mashaer HoldingOula Fuel

ALAFCOUnited Projects

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United Gulf Bank 228 - -

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Global Index - Services

244

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Dana Al-Safat

-

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97

Al Soor Fuel

Kw FoodStuffUnited Poultry

Al Nawadi

Future Kid

Zima Holding

Sharjah CementGlobal Index - Food

-United Food

530350.83

9782

132

70Fujaira Cement

Advanced Technolgy

70

Gulf Fin. House 59.0

71

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83

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- 122 -- 122 -

144,040

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YTD14.89

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DTDPrev Close ChangeClose

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480,582,500 42,659,1105,621

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32

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46.28Global Index - Non-Kuwaiti 46.1620.5

192 20.5 21.5190 192192Ahli United Bank

Ithmaar Bank 21.5

325

Inovest 55

455 58.0

58 56.0

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Global Special Indices

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YTD

2.67%

2.99%2.81%MTD

0.55%0.25%

573.83192.01 0.49

3.17 2.60%1.27%

0.77 0.40%DTDPrev. Close

194.44Change

195.21Close

Global Index - Islamic 577.00

Global Index - Kuwaiti Co.'sGlobal Index - 10 Large Cap. 192.50

Global Special Indices

For more information please contact “Global” at (+965) 180 42 42 or www.globalinv.net

Date of Closig Prices: 15/03/2012Trading Prices of Kuwait Stock Exchange

Dubai consumer prices drop steeply on property glut

DUBAI: A glut of property supply in Dubai con-tributed to the steepest fall in consumer prices since records began four years ago, as a housing bubble that burst in 2009 continued to be felt in the wider econo-my, data showed on Thursday.

consumer prices in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) member fell 1.7 percent on an annual basis in February, as an inflow of new residential units pushed rents down. “There might be some areas in Dubai where prices are picking up, but there is still an excess in supply in the market,” said Liz martins, senior econ-omist at hong Kong and Shanghai Banking corpora-tion (hSBc) in Dubai.

Dubai’s aggressive building drive has resulted in oversupply, with thousands of new residential and commercial units still set to enter the Dubai real estate market, with prices plunging by up to two-thirds from their 2008 peak.

Bullish growth came to a halt in 2009 when Dubai, home to the world’s tallest tower Burj Khalifa, an-nounced a 25 billion US dollar debt restructuring of conglomerate Dubai World. Weakness in the property sector and slow bank lending held inflation below 1 percent for most of last year and Dubai entered defla-tionary territory in January when consumer prices fell

0.7 percent compared to the previous year. February’s figures showed a month-on-month decrease in consum-er prices of 0.6 percent after a 0.9 percent fall in Janu-ary, data from the Dubai Statistics center showed.

A Reuters poll in January showed that a nearly four-year decline in house prices in the UAE would not end this year and that prices would fall by a median five percent. Dubai only started to release monthly infla-tion figures at the beginning of 2009. Economy minis-ter Sultan bin Saeed Al-mansouri said on Wednesday that inflation in the UAE federation is not expected to exceed two percent in 2012. Analysts polled by Reuters in December forecast average inflation of 2.4 percent in 2012, up from 0.9 percent in 2011. Growth in business activity in Dubai’s non-oil private sector slipped slightly in February as expansion in output and employment weakened, a recent purchasing managers’ index showed. “What we see in PmI (Purchasing man-agers Index) for the UAE as a whole is that input prices are going up for companies but they are not being able to pass them on to consumers... That is testament to a slightly weaker demand climate here,” martins said. The International monetary Fund (ImF) said on Wednesday it expected UAE inflation to remain subdued at around 1.5 percent this year. -Reuters

FILE - High-rise residential and office towers are seen near Sheikh Zayed road in Dubai in this Feb. 4, 2012 file photo. A glut of property supply in Dubai contributed to the steepest fall in consumer prices since records began four years ago.(Reuters)

India keeps rates on hold, disappoints businessCAPITALS: India’s hawkish central

bank kept interest rates on hold Thursday, disappointing business leaders who had pressed for a cut they say is essential to spur the country’s slowing economy.

The bank said its decision was based on fears that a rise in global oil prices could re-stoke inflation in Asia’s third-largest economy, but corporate leaders said leaving rates at high levels was hitting growth and investment.

“Industry needs strong easing signals from the central bank in order to ensure that investments pick up,” said chandrajit Banerjee, director general of the confed-eration of Indian Industry lobby group.

Banerjee’s sentiments were echoed by Rajkumar Dhoot, president of the As-sociated chambers of commerce and In-dustry, who said high rates were making it tough for businesses to raise the cash

needed to invest.combined with the global slow-

down, “high interest rates are impacting growth”, Dhoot said, urging the central bank to lower rates at its next monetary policy meeting, slated for April 17.

In its decision Thursday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) left unchanged its benchmark repo rate at which it lends to commercial banks at 8.50 percent and the reverse repo rate, which it pays banks for deposits, at 7.50 percent.

Separately, a finance ministry report said growth for the current financial year to march 31 was likely to be 6.9 percent, the worst since the 2008 global financial crisis, and down from last year’s 8.4 per-cent expansion. The bank has kept rates on hold since late last year after hiking them 13 times since march 2010.

Earlier in the year, hopes were high

that the bank would ease rates, but global crude prices “have spiked suddenly, re-flecting both geo-political concerns and abundant global liquidity, accentuating the risks to growth and inflation”, bank governor Duvvuri Subbarao said in a statement. A widening fiscal deficit and the Indian rupee’s depreciation against major currencies had also exacerbated in-flationary risks, he said.

While he said “no further (monetary) tightening is required and future actions will be towards lowering the rates”, he added that inflationary dangers “will in-fluence both the timing and magnitude of future rate actions”. Indian shares extend-ed their losses after the bank’s announce-ment, with the blue-chip Sensex index down 284.80 points, or 1.59 percent, at 17,634.50 points in late afternoon trade. -AFP

All new Nokia 700 introduced in Kuwait, smallest ever Nokia smartphone

KUWAIT: Nokia announced in a press release on Thursday, the local avail-ability of its smallest ever smartphone - the Nokia 700 which is feature-packed and powered with the innovative Nokia Belle operating system, designed to en-hance consumer experience and smart-phone performace. Weighing only 96gm, the Nokia 700 not only becomes Nokia’s most compact smartphone in the Belle range, it is also the most compact touch smartphone in the world.

What it lacks in size it makes up for in functionality, with single-tap NFc sharing and pairing capabilities, a 1Ghz proces-sor, 3.2 inch AmOLED clearBlack dis-play, 2GB of internal memory (with the option of using a 32GB microSD card for a total of 34GB), hD video capture and 5mP full focus camera with LED flash.

The Nokia 700 is also Nokia’s most eco-friendly smartphone. It is constructed using materials such as bio-plastics, recy-cled plastics and recycled metals. Thanks to the AmOLED screen, ambient light sensor and power-save mode, the Nokia 700 will remain environmentally respon-

sible throughout its life.“Style has a significant influence on

the potential selling point of a smart-phone. Being aware of this, Nokia contin-ues to invest in the design of each hand-set. Nokia 700 powered by Nokia Belle operating system, with path-breaking technology in the form of ‘Just Tap’ NFc, will push the boundaries for future devic-es in this segment,” said Vithesh Reddy,

General manager, Nokia Lower Gulf.Nokia Belle increases the number of

home screens from three to six providing more room to display applications and services. Live widgets now come in five different sizes, making the home screens come alive and giving users more flexibil-ity to personalize the user experience. It also includes a pull down menu and task-bar to access notifications from any of the home screens and further enhancements to the Web browsing experience. All in all, Nokia Belle provides Nokia’s most competitive, seamless and intuitive user experience so far. One of Nokia Belle’s most exciting features is the single-tap NFc sharing and pairing capability. This allows contacts, videos and images to be shared with other NFc-enabled devices and smartphones, as well as pairing with NFc-enabled accessories such as speak-ers and headsets. coming in cool grey, silver/white, coral red, peacock blue and purple varieties, the Nokia 700 is retailed at 91 Kuwaiti dinars and is available at all leading electronic stores including flag-ship Nokia stores in the region.

STOCKSWITH NBK CAPITAL friday, march 16, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

12

SAUDI ARABIA

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

Tadawul Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/AAdvance/Decline Ratio #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/ATadawul Index 52 week High / Low #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/ATurnover (SAR '000) #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/AMarket Cap. (SAR '000) #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (SAR) Close % Chg.1 Al Rajhi Bank 4190.SSE Jarir Marketing Co. 153.00 -# #N/A 4190.SSE Jarir Marketing Co. 153.00 -# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PB1 Al Rajhi Bank 77.75 - - - - 80.75 67.25 -3.7% 11.9% 4.0% 116,625,000 15.8 3.6 1 Alinma Bank 13.95 - - - - 13.95 9.05 0.0% 49.2% 51.6% 20,925,000 48.5 1.3 2 Almarai Co. 110.00 - - - - 110.00 83.75 0.0% 11.1% 18.9% 25,300,000 22.2 3.8 1 Arab National Bank 32.90 - - - - 35.18 26.60 -6.5% 19.6% 7.3% 27,965,000 12.9 1.7 1 Bank AlBilad 27.60 - - - - 27.60 17.20 0.0% 39.0% 56.4% 8,280,000 25.3 2.4 1 Bank Al Jazira 28.00 - - - - 28.00 15.75 0.0% 65.2% 70.2% 8,400,000 31.0 1.8 1 Banque Saudi Fransi 45.70 - - - - 50.00 37.50 -8.6% 8.6% 3.2% 33,050,894 11.4 1.7 4 Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co. 11.40 - - - - 11.40 6.05 0.0% 57.2% 42.5% 12,312,000 11.3 0.8 4 Emaar the Economic City 11.90 - - - - 11.90 6.20 0.0% 61.9% 91.9% 10,115,000 nmf 1.4 7 Etihad Etisalat Co. 63.25 - - - - 64.50 46.60 -1.9% 20.5% 35.7% 44,275,000 8.7 2.4 4 Jabal Omar Development Co. 17.20 - - - - 17.20 11.10 0.0% 41.6% 31.8% 15,985,680 nmf 1.8 4 Jarir Marketing Co. 153.00 - - - - 154.50 87.50 -1.0% 9.9% 74.9% 9,180,000 17.9 10.1 4 Kingdom Holding Co. 12.20 - - - - 12.20 7.05 0.0% 37.9% 42.7% 45,211,764 nmf 1.8 2 National Industrialization Co. 45.10 - - - - 45.10 30.91 0.0% 10.8% 45.5% 25,140,024 10.3 2.3 2 Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co. 25.60 - - - - 29.80 21.20 -14.1% 10.1% 18.0% 22,425,600 nmf 2.8 1 Riyad Bank 26.90 - - - - 26.90 23.10 0.0% 15.5% 7.6% 40,350,000 12.8 1.3 1 Samba Financial Grp. 51.50 - - - - 56.75 42.40 -9.3% 10.5% 1.0% 46,350,000 10.8 1.6 2 Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co. 187.00 - - - - 192.75 165.00 -3.0% 6.3% 7.8% 46,750,000 11.4 5.7 1 Saudi Arabian Mining Co. 34.70 - - - - 35.30 22.30 -1.7% 37.2% 55.6% 32,097,500 nmf 1.9 2 Saudi Basic Industries Corp. 105.50 - - - - 112.50 87.75 -6.2% 9.6% 11.3% 316,500,000 10.8 2.3 3 Saudi Cement Co. 90.50 - - - - 98.00 51.50 -7.7% 25.7% 75.7% 13,846,500 16.7 4.2

Trailing

93%-

-

7,568 (0.0%)

#N/A#N/A

7,568 / 5,916-

1,488,754,279

#N/A#N/A

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(SAR '000)52-Week % Change Market Cap.

(SAR '000)

- - -

- - -

Volume('000)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

114

121

95

105

115

125

15-Dec-11 15-Jan-12 15-Feb-12 15-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite Saudi SE

Rebased Performance Bull/Bear Indicator Daily Index Performance Snapshot

GCC Best Performers

Close % Chg.NBQNational Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain AED 1.99 8.2%CBDCommercial Bank of Dubai AED 3.30 7.8%MA Mabanee Co. KWD 1.000 5.3%

MENA Indices Highlights CBKCommercial Bank of Kuwait KWD 0.720 2.9%NINNational Industries Grp. Holding KWD 0.248 2.5%

PE PB GCC Worst PerformersSa Saudi Arabia (Tadawul All Share Index)* 7,568 - 17.9% 7,568 5,916 - 396,938 13.35 2.05 Ku Kuwait (KSE Weighted Index) 420 0.4% 3.5% 467 396 155 102,584 14.25 1.46 Close % Chg.UAUAE (ADX Index) 2,626 -0.2% 9.3% 2,775 2,293 37 69,377 9.25 1.10 IFA IFA Hotels & Resorts KWD 0.395 -6.0%

UAE (DFM Index) 1,683 -0.5% 24.4% 1,754 1,301 71 35,484 10.52 0.80 TAMTamweel AED 1.19 -4.8%Qa Qatar (DSM Index) 8,660 0.4% -1.3% 8,892 8,071 85 123,444 11.59 1.88 SO Sorouh Real Estate Co. AED 1.39 -4.1%OmOman (MSM Index) 5,951 -0.4% 4.5% 6,406 5,419 9 18,571 10.99 1.64 OU Oula Fuel Marketing Co. KWD 0.280 -3.5%Ba Bahrain (BSE Index) 1,152 0.3% 0.7% 1,433 1,129 0 17,265 9.31 0.88 ALDALDAR Properties AED 1.40 -3.5%Eg Egypt (EGX 30 Index) 5,173 1.6% 42.8% 5,628 3,587 95 60,554 10.26 1.39 Jo Jordan (Amman General Index) 1,993 0.1% 0.0% 2,246 1,921 14 27,312 14.24 1.63 GCC Highest TurnoverM Morocco (Casa All Shares Index) 11,206 -0.2% 0.8% 12,662 10,785 3 60,713 16.28 3.58 Le Lebanon (Beirut SE Index) 1,214 0.2% 3.2% 1,425 1,164 1 10,542 6.45 0.89 Pa Palestine (Al-Quds Index) 488 0.4% 2.3% 513 465 1 2,555 9.54 1.19 EMAEmaar Properties (UAE)Tu Tunisia (Tunis SE Index) 4,754 0.0% -0.1% 4,785 4,091 7 9,517 14.76 1.68 IQCIndustries Qatar (QA)

SO Sorouh Real Estate Co. (UAE)ZAI Zain Kuwait (KUW)DFMDubai Financial Market (UAE)

*Market Closed* Market Closed

12,870,564 12,694,305

Trailing

12,164,099

Turnover (USD)20,078,997 17,504,709

* Market Closed

March 15, 2012

Country (Index) IndexLevel % Chg. 52 Wk

High52 Wk LowYTD Turnover

USD million Mkt. Cap.

USD million

114

112

95

100

105

110

115

15-Dec-11 15-Jan-12 15-Feb-12 15-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/ Mid CompositeS&P Pan Arab Large/ Mid Composite

BahrainKuwait

Oman

Qatar

Dubai

Abu Dhabi

-2%

0%

2%

-2 1 4Period's Liquidity Ratio (PLR x)*

Daily

Ret

urn

(%)

-1%

0%

1%

2%

Bahr

ain

Egyp

t

Jord

an

Kuwa

it

Leba

non

Mor

occo

Om

an

Qat

ar

Duba

i

Pales

tine

Tunis

ia

Abu

Dhab

i

5 Saudi Electricity Co. 15.50 - - - - 15.70 12.85 -1.3% 11.5% 18.3% 64,582,204 29.1 1.2 1 Saudi Hollandi Bank 33.20 - - - - 33.20 25.70 0.0% 11.4% 17.7% 10,980,900 10.8 1.5 22 Saudi Industrial Investment Grp. 25.10 - - - - 27.20 18.55 -7.7% 32.1% 24.6% 11,295,000 21.4 1.9 2 Saudi International Petrochemical Co. 24.30 - - - - 24.30 17.75 0.0% 23.4% 22.3% 8,910,000 12.6 1.6 1 Saudi Investment Bank 20.05 - - - - 24.60 15.55 -18.5% 24.1% -7.8% 11,027,500 15.6 1.3 2 Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. 18.85 - - - - 19.15 15.50 -1.6% 8.3% 8.6% 28,275,000 nmf 1.9 7 Saudi Telecom Co. 40.00 - - - - 40.40 33.00 -1.0% 18.3% 9.3% 80,000,000 10.5 1.7 20 Savola Group Co. 35.10 - - - - 35.40 23.70 -0.8% 22.3% 41.5% 17,550,000 14.7 2.3 30 Southern Province Cement Co. 98.00 - - - - 106.75 59.50 -8.2% 14.0% 64.7% 13,720,000 15.3 5.2 1 SABB 34.20 - - - - 46.50 34.20 -26.5% -16.0% -14.1% 34,200,000 11.8 2.0 3 Yamama Saudi Cement Co. 51.25 - - - - 83.25 49.90 -38.4% -26.8% 2.5% 10,378,125 14.1 3.1 2 Yanbu National Petrochemicals Co. 51.75 - - - - 54.00 41.60 -4.2% 17.6% 18.4% 29,109,375 9.2 2.8 7 Zain - Saudi Arabia 9.75 - - - - 9.80 5.25 -0.5% 75.7% 42.3% 13,650,000 nmf 3.2

-

- - -

- - - - - - - - -

Rebased Performance Bull/Bear Indicator Daily Index Performance Snapshot

MENA Best Performers

Close % Chg.428Kingdom Hldg. Co. SAR 5.60 9.8%GECGalfar Engineering & Contracting OMR 0.703 8.8%KCBAl Khaliji Commercial Bank QAR 6.35 8.6%

MENA Indices Highlights QGTQatar Gas Transport Co. QAR 21.60 8.0%BKMBankMuscat OMR 0.720 8.0%

PE PB MENA Worst Performers

Sa Saudi Arabia (Tadawul All Share Index) 5,250 -4.0% 9.3% 10,090 4,130 2,183 264,263 10.24 1.77 Ku Kuwait (KSE Weighted Index) 406 1.8% -0.2% 787 316 718 98,547 9.99 1.52 Close % Chg.UAUAE (ADSM Index) 2,695 0.6% 12.8% 5,148 2,137 122 69,783 7.29 1.37 FACCommercial Facilities Co. KWD 0.265 -13.1%

UAE (DFM Index) 1,745 1.9% 6.6% 5,860 1,433 305 37,413 6.87 0.88 238Rabigh Petrochem. SAR 22.95 -8.9%Qa Qatar (DSM Index) 5,590 3.9% -18.8% 12,627 4,230 196 65,352 8.85 1.74 201Saudi Basic Industries Corp. SAR 48.00 -8.6%OmOman (MSM Index) 5,478 5.1% 0.7% 12,109 4,224 46 15,024 9.50 1.68 225Saudi Industrial Inv. Grp. SAR 13.70 -6.8%Ba Bahrain (BSE Index) 1,681 0.4% -6.8% 2,903 1,572 4 18,727 8.07 1.29 101Riyad Bank SAR 24.70 -6.4%Eg Egypt (Hermes Egypt Index (HFI))* 463 - 8.5% 1,033 328 - 63,640 7.67 1.56 Jo Jordan (Amman General Index) 2,825 2.2% 2.4% 5,044 2,551 67 33,782 12.71 2.15 MENA Highest TurnoverM Morocco (Casa All Shares Index)* 10,621 - -3.3% 14,635 9,406 - 59,990 18.36 3.95 Le Lebanon (Beirut SE Index)* 1,094 - -7.2% 2,119 1,043 - 8,507 6.47 0.86 Pa Palestine (Al-Quds Index) 546 0.9% 23.6% 739 407 2 2,079 8.67 2.50 201Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (KSA)Tu Tunisia (Tunis SE Index)* 3,282 - 13.6% 3,418 2,837 - 6,576 13.85 1.92 115Alinma Bank (KSA)

NBKNational Bank of Kuwait (KUW)KFI Kuwait Finance House (KUW)EMAEmaar Properties (UAE)

TurnoverUSD million

64,280,166

Turnover (USD)343,553,085

97,126,838 88,742,222

Trailing Mkt. Cap.USD million

119,955,261

April 21, 2009

Country (Index) IndexLevel % Chg. 52 Wk

High52 Wk LowYTD

*Market Closed

113

111

113

85

90

95

100

105

110

115

19-Jan-09 3-Feb-09 18-Feb-09 5-Mar-09 20-Mar-09 4-Apr-09 19-Apr-0

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi

Dubai

Abu Dhabi

-6%

0%

6%

-1 1 3Period's Liquidity Ratio (PLR x)*

Dai

ly R

etur

n (%

)-6%

-4%

-2%

0%

2%

4%

6%

Bahr

ain

Jord

an

Kuw

ait

Om

an

Qat

ar

Saud

i

Dub

ai

Pale

stin

e

Abu

Dha

bi

STOCKSWITH NBK CAPITAL friday, march 16, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

13

KUWAIT

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

KSE General Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.KSE Weighted Index (% Chg.) MABANEE. Mabanee Co. 1.000 5.3%% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price CBK.KSE Commercial Bank of Kuwait 0.720 2.9%Advance/Decline Ratio NIND.KSE National Industries Grp. Holding 0.248 2.5%KSE General Index 52 week High / Low TAM.KSE Tamdeen Real Estate Co. 0.250 2.5%KSE Weighted Index 52 week High / Low PCEM.KSE Kuwait Portland Cement Co. 0.890 2.3%Turnover (KWD '000)Market Cap. (KWD '000)

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (KWD) Close % Chg.ZAZain Kuwait IFAHR.KSEIFA Hotels & Resorts 0.395 -6.0%N National Industries Grp. Holding OULAFUELOula Fuel Marketing Co. 0.280 -3.5%A Agility AGLTY.KSEAgility 0.410 -2.4%K Kuwait Finance House IFC.KSE International Finance Co. 0.106 -1.9%MMabanee Co. NRE.KSE National Real Estate Co. 0.142 -1.4%

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBA Agility 0.410 -2.4% 0.415 0.410 4,290 0.435 0.248 -5.7% 9.3% 5.1% 429,203 nmf 0.5 A Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait 0.630 - - - - 0.657 0.581 -4.1% 0.2% 1.8% 953,341 18.9 1.9 T Al Themar Intl. Holding Co. 0.087 - - - - 0.104 0.079 -16.3% -4.4% -13.0% 88,088 nmf 1.0 A Alafco Aviation Lease and Fin. Co. 0.315 1.6% 0.315 0.305 2,790 0.380 0.280 -17.1% 0.0% -7.4% 245,628 6.2 1.6 A AREF Energy Holding Co. 0.112 0.0% 0.112 0.108 220 0.142 0.085 -21.1% 5.7% -5.1% 84,000 nmf 1.2 B Boubyan Bank 0.560 0.0% 0.560 0.550 810 0.620 0.550 -9.7% -5.1% -1.8% 979,012 nmf 4.2 B Boubyan Petrochemical Co. 0.610 0.0% 0.610 0.600 40 0.620 0.495 -1.6% 8.9% 19.6% 295,911 12.0 1.3 B Burgan Bank 0.430 -1.2% 0.435 0.430 1,150 0.524 0.419 -17.9% -4.9% -2.3% 664,336 13.1 1.5 A Burgan Co. for Well Drilling 0.255 - - - - 0.420 0.198 -39.3% 20.3% -45.7% 53,454 26.2 1.0 C Combined Grp Contracting Co. 1.560 0.0% 1.560 1.560 30 1.945 1.300 -19.8% -1.3% -14.2% 150,744 18.9 4.1 C Commercial Bank of Kuwait 0.720 2.9% 0.720 0.710 105 0.960 0.700 -25.0% -8.9% -23.4% 915,856 nmf 1.7 F Commercial Facilities Co. 0.285 1.8% 0.285 0.285 10 0.395 0.255 -27.8% 9.6% -24.0% 152,978 14.0 1.0 G Global Investment House 0.049 - - - - 0.055 0.019 -10.9% 0.0% 16.7% 64,309 nmf 3.1 G Gulf Bank 0.485 0.0% 0.485 0.480 590 0.580 0.470 -16.4% -4.9% -3.0% 1,216,236 39.7 2.8 C Gulf Cable and Electrical Industries Co. 1.440 0.0% 1.440 1.440 18 1.700 1.380 -15.3% 1.4% -11.1% 302,301 8.3 1.7 IF IFA Hotels & Resorts 0.395 -6.0% 0.415 0.395 170 0.495 0.285 -20.2% -16.8% -21.0% 179,283 nmf 3.7 IK Ikarus Petroleum Industries Co. 0.206 2.0% 0.212 0.202 300 0.206 0.134 0.0% 21.2% 47.1% 154,500 16.0 1.1 IF International Finance Co. 0.106 -1.9% 0.108 0.104 1,060 0.255 0.096 -58.4% 3.9% -58.4% 85,106 nmf 0.8 JAJazeera Airways 0.480 2.1% 0.480 0.460 100 0.480 0.114 0.0% 5.5% 321.1% 105,600 9.3 4.3 K KIPCO Asset Management Co. 0.242 - - - - 0.310 0.236 -21.9% -0.8% -23.2% 63,719 nmf 0.8

Trailing

467 / 396

3,544,250

28,641,511 43,320

2,927,680 1,774,200 1,440,150

6,200 (0.6%)

58%2.00

6,523 / 5,694

1,369,400

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(KWD '000)52-Week % Change Market Cap.

(KWD '000)

- 874 24

1,774 -

Volume('000)

448 24

500 - 47 75 3

- 283 25 68 62

111 47

-

420 (0.4%)114

101

95

100

105

110

115

15-Dec-11 15-Jan-12 15-Feb-12 15-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite KSE Weighted Index

F First Gulf Bank 9.87 -1.8% 10.05 9.70 1,253 10.75 6.98 -8.2% 27.8% 21.5% 29,610,000 8.0 1.1 G Gulf Cement Co. 1.30 - - - - 1.56 0.67 -16.7% 83.1% -0.8% 1,067,426 nmf 0.9 M Mashreq 91.45 - - - - 102.00 74.70 -10.3% -9.9% 22.4% - 18.8 1.3 N National Bank of Abu Dhabi 12.15 0.8% 12.40 12.00 310 12.15 9.42 0.0% 11.0% 27.3% 34,871,026 9.4 1.3 N National Bank of Fujairah 4.10 - - - - 4.70 2.91 -12.8% -9.9% -5.7% 4,510,000 16.1 2.2 N National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain 1.99 8.2% 1.99 1.99 0 2.39 1.63 -16.7% 9.9% 1.5% 3,184,000 9.9 1.0 S Sharjah Islamic Bank 1.00 -1.0% 1.01 0.99 640 1.02 0.80 -2.0% 19.0% 5.3% 2,425,500 9.7 0.6 S Sorouh Real Estate Co. 1.39 -4.1% 1.44 1.36 33,956 1.54 0.67 -9.7% 63.5% 35.0% 3,648,750 10.9 0.6 T Tamweel 1.19 -4.8% 1.23 1.18 11,120 1.49 0.53 -20.1% 97.3% 20.2% 1,190,000 11.7 0.5 U Union National Bank 3.21 0.6% 3.22 3.19 388 3.90 2.82 -17.7% 11.1% 8.6% 8,010,956 5.3 0.7 U Union Properties 0.45 -3.2% 0.47 0.45 13,858 0.50 0.24 -9.1% 74.4% 80.0% 1,515,086 nmf 0.6 U United Arab Bank 3.70 - - - - 5.30 3.28 -30.2% 1.6% -34.5% 3,686,685 11.2 1.8

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

12,371 - -

3,762 -

1 639

47,277 13,324 1,245 6,270

-

UAE

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

DFM Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.ADSM Index (% Chg.) NBQ.ADSM National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain 1.99 8.2%% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price CBD.DFM Commercial Bank of Dubai 3.30 7.8%Advance/Decline Ratio DIB.DFM Dubai Islamic Bank 2.22 1.8%DFM Index 52 week High / Low ARMX.DFM Aramex 1.94 1.0%ADSM Index 52 week High / Low NBAD.ADS National Bank of Abu Dhabi 12.15 0.8%Turnover (AED '000)Market Cap. (AED '000)

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (AED) Close % Chg.E Emaar Properties TAMWEEL Tamweel 1.19 -4.8%S Sorouh Real Estate Co. SOROUH.A Sorouh Real Estate Co. 1.39 -4.1%D Dubai Financial Market ALDAR.AD ALDAR Properties 1.40 -3.5%D Dubai Islamic Bank DFM.DFM Dubai Financial Market 1.18 -3.3%A ALDAR Properties UPP.DFM Union Properties 0.45 -3.2%

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBA Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank 3.15 -1.3% 3.22 3.15 331 3.32 2.37 -5.1% 13.3% 31.3% 17,626,132 5.8 0.8 A Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank 3.42 -1.2% 3.47 3.40 1,408 3.55 2.92 -3.7% 8.2% 13.6% 8,087,294 7.0 1.2 T Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. 1.32 0.0% 1.35 1.31 6,514 1.63 1.14 -19.0% 10.0% -7.7% 8,217,000 12.6 1.1 A Abu Dhabi National Hotels 2.20 0.0% 2.30 2.20 776 2.94 2.02 -25.2% 0.0% -25.4% 2,200,000 13.3 0.3 A Air Arabia 0.72 -1.1% 0.73 0.71 5,523 0.84 0.57 -14.6% 22.0% -9.0% 3,336,691 12.4 0.6 A ALDAR Properties 1.40 -3.5% 1.45 1.37 17,791 1.68 0.76 -16.7% 52.2% 9.4% 5,719,181 8.9 0.8 A Amlak Finance 1.02 - - - - - - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1,530,000 nmf 1.1 A Arabtec Holding 2.93 -0.7% 2.99 2.88 3,242 3.63 1.07 -19.3% 84.3% 173.3% 4,380,350 17.2 1.5 A Aramex 1.94 1.0% 1.94 1.90 44 1.96 1.69 -1.0% 7.8% 12.1% 2,840,354 13.4 1.5 A Arkan Building Materials Co. 1.05 -1.9% 1.07 1.04 396 1.77 0.71 -40.7% 4.0% -10.3% 1,837,500 47.7 1.1 C Commercial Bank of Dubai 3.30 7.8% 3.30 3.29 15 3.40 2.90 -2.9% 13.8% -4.3% 6,406,249 7.8 1.0 D Dana Gas 0.50 0.0% 0.51 0.49 6,490 0.71 0.34 -29.6% 11.1% -18.0% 3,301,001 7.9 0.4 D Deyaar Development Co. 0.42 -2.8% 0.43 0.42 10,688 0.46 0.20 -8.8% 94.8% 86.9% 2,397,870 nmf 0.5

D du 3.11 0.0% 3.16 3.10 1,710 3.30 2.80 -5.8% 7.6% 4.7% 14,217,143 13.0 2.3 D Dubai Financial Market 1.18 -3.3% 1.24 1.16 37,388 1.46 0.68 -19.2% 40.5% -0.8% 9,440,000 nmf 1.3

D Dubai Islamic Bank 2.22 1.8% 2.26 2.18 14,315 2.31 1.88 -3.9% 14.4% 4.7% 8,429,460 8.3 0.9 E Emaar Properties 3.10 -0.3% 3.16 3.07 23,672 3.49 2.41 -11.2% 20.6% 13.1% 18,882,839 10.5 0.6 E Emirates NBD 3.16 -0.6% 3.16 3.13 1,372 4.63 2.65 -31.7% 7.5% -1.9% 17,562,568 6.9 0.5 E Etisalat 9.29 0.1% 9.35 9.23 1,573 11.20 8.64 -17.1% 1.8% -15.9% 73,448,041 12.6 1.9

2,626 (-0.2%)1,683 (-0.5%)

2,775 / 2,293396,696

413,781,601

86%0.47

1,754 / 1,301

73,756,179 47,277,441 44,682,384 31,858,760 24,929,571

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(AED '000)Volume('000)

52-Week % Change Market Cap.(AED '000)

Trailing

1,045 4,820 8,632 1,708 3,961

24,930 -

9,509 84

417 49

3,238 4,466

5,343 44,682

31,859 73,756 4,311

14,608

114

109

123

90

100

110

120

130

15-Dec-11 15-Jan-12 15-Feb-12 15-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite Abu Dhabi SE Dubai FM

K Kuwait Cement Co. 0.440 1.2% 0.440 0.440 10 0.630 0.415 -30.2% -4.3% -25.4% 280,568 20.4 2.0 K Kuwait Finance House 0.880 1.2% 0.880 0.860 1,655 1.100 0.820 -20.0% -2.2% -15.4% 2,366,356 39.3 1.3 F Kuwait Food Co. 1.440 - - - - 1.620 1.420 -11.1% -2.7% -7.7% 578,883 12.1 2.0 K Kuwait International Bank 0.250 0.0% 0.255 0.250 530 0.350 0.236 -28.6% -2.0% -19.4% 259,332 23.9 1.2 P Kuwait Portland Cement Co. 0.890 2.3% 0.900 0.870 30 1.580 0.660 -43.7% 25.4% -37.2% 80,905 31.9 1.3 K Kuwait Projects Co. (Holding) 0.345 1.5% 0.345 0.340 310 0.425 0.295 -18.8% 13.1% -10.6% 439,160 11.7 0.8 M Mabanee Co. 1.000 5.3% 1.000 0.960 1,395 1.000 0.627 0.0% 16.3% 59.5% 555,626 26.7 3.8 M Mena Holding 0.033 - - - - 0.060 0.033 -45.0% 0.0% -49.2% 21,780 2.3 0.1 N National Bank of Kuwait 1.080 0.0% 1.100 1.080 340 1.145 0.909 -5.7% 6.1% 2.4% 4,701,777 15.5 2.2 N National Industries Co. 0.325 - - - - 0.340 0.260 -4.4% 16.1% -1.5% 112,496 39.2 1.4 N National Industries Grp. Holding 0.248 2.5% 0.250 0.240 11,920 0.285 0.192 -13.0% -4.6% -2.7% 321,185 nmf 0.8 N National Investments Company 0.172 1.2% 0.174 0.170 2,400 0.295 0.158 -41.7% 0.0% -41.7% 150,709 nmf 0.8 N National Real Estate Co. 0.142 -1.4% 0.146 0.140 580 0.168 0.056 -15.5% 10.9% 31.5% - nmf 0.6 O Oula Fuel Marketing Co. 0.280 -3.5% 0.280 0.275 50 0.360 0.265 -22.2% -6.7% -5.1% 92,316 25.4 2.2 A Qurain Petrochemicals Industries Co. 0.218 1.9% 0.220 0.214 2,080 0.226 0.174 -3.5% 1.9% 22.5% 239,800 13.3 1.2 S Salhia Real Estate Co. 0.222 0.0% 0.224 0.222 360 0.240 0.200 -7.5% 6.7% -5.9% 113,825 22.0 0.9 S Sultan Center Food Products Co. 0.120 0.0% 0.124 0.120 1,060 0.138 0.093 -13.0% 0.0% -13.0% 69,459 nmf 1.0 T Tamdeen Real Estate Co. 0.250 2.5% 0.250 0.250 10 0.270 0.216 -7.4% 8.7% -2.0% 93,280 18.8 0.9 A The Commercial Real Estate Co. 0.093 -1.1% 0.094 0.092 5,280 0.094 0.067 -1.1% 20.8% 31.0% 170,638 16.2 0.7 S The Securities House 0.130 - - - - - - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 88,400 nmf 7.0 N Wataniya 2.280 0.0% 2.320 2.280 195 2.280 1.640 0.0% 17.5% 35.7% 1,149,195 3.2 1.4 Z Zain Kuwait 0.850 0.0% 0.850 0.840 4,170 1.380 0.840 -38.4% -5.6% -40.1% 3,661,404 12.9 1.8

133

4 1,440

-

27 105

1,369 - 372 -

2,928 413 82 14

450 80

128 3

489 - 450

3,544

STOCKSWITH NBK CAPITAL friday, march 16, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

14

QATAR

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

DSM Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price KCBK.DSMAl Khalij Commercial Bank 16.29 1.1%Advance/Decline Ratio QNNS.DSMQatar Navigation 73.80 0.8%DSM 52 week High / Low QGTS.DSMQatar Gas Transport Co. 17.76 0.7%Turnover (QAR '000) CBQK.DSMThe Commercial Bank of Qatar 73.60 0.7%Market Cap. (QAR '000) QIBK.DSM Qatar Islamic Bank 77.40 0.7%

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (QAR) Close % Chg.IQIndustries Qatar IQCD.DSM Industries Qatar 142.00 -1.4%QQatar Gas Transport Co. QTEL.DSM Qatar Telecom 164.00 -0.3%C The Commercial Bank of Qatar AHCS.DSMAamal Co. 15.63 -0.1%MMasraf Al Rayan VFQS.DSMVodafone Qatar 7.30 0.0%QQatar Telecom QIIK.DSM Qatar International Islamic Bank 50.10 0.2%

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBA Aamal Co. 15.63 -0.1% 15.63 15.55 21 24.09 15.40 -35.1% -1.7% -10.9% 7,736,850 14.4 1.4 K Al Khalij Commercial Bank 16.29 1.1% 16.29 16.13 59 19.15 16.06 -14.9% -5.1% -10.3% 5,864,400 12.0 1.1 B Barwa Real Estate Co. 28.70 0.5% 28.70 28.50 223 35.90 28.10 -20.1% -4.2% -13.3% 11,167,877 9.2 0.9 C The Commercial Bank of Qatar 73.60 0.7% 73.80 73.30 382 85.50 68.00 -13.9% -12.4% -2.0% 18,212,053 9.7 1.3 D Doha Bank 60.00 0.3% 60.00 58.90 74 67.00 50.00 -10.4% -6.4% 14.3% 12,401,868 10.0 1.8 E Ezdan Real Estate Co. 19.00 - - - - 24.97 18.60 -23.9% -14.4% -21.8% 50,397,437 nmf 1.8 IQIndustries Qatar 142.00 -1.4% 144.20 142.00 445 148.50 118.80 -4.4% 6.8% 6.4% 78,100,000 9.8 3.0 M Masraf Al Rayan 26.65 0.6% 26.65 26.45 785 28.10 21.13 -5.2% -4.3% 25.8% 19,987,500 14.2 2.4 Q Qatar Electricity & Water Co. 135.50 0.4% 136.00 135.10 35 153.50 126.20 -11.7% -2.9% 6.0% 13,550,000 10.4 4.5 Q Qatar Gas Transport Co. 17.76 0.7% 17.85 17.65 1,756 19.58 16.59 -9.3% 1.4% 0.1% 9,836,269 12.5 8.1 Q Qatar International Islamic Bank 50.10 0.2% 50.20 49.95 28 56.20 44.90 -10.9% -7.2% 9.9% 7,583,574 11.6 1.5 Q Qatar Islamic Bank 77.40 0.7% 77.50 76.20 73 85.30 76.30 -9.3% -8.2% -0.3% 18,289,094 13.4 1.6 Q Qatar National Bank 135.90 0.4% 135.90 134.60 50 141.73 112.05 -4.1% -1.7% 16.1% 95,093,231 12.7 2.3 Q Qatar Navigation 73.80 0.8% 74.20 72.50 79 92.20 69.90 -20.0% -3.5% -20.0% 8,451,960 15.7 0.8 Q Qatar Telecom 164.00 -0.3% 167.00 164.00 57 167.00 131.33 -1.8% 16.5% 23.1% 28,864,000 11.2 1.4 V Vodafone Qatar 7.30 0.0% 7.30 7.27 128 8.12 7.24 -10.1% -3.3% -2.9% 6,171,420 nmf 0.9

449,485,350

8,660 (0.4%)

63,738,148

39%3.67

8,892 / 8,071308,556

31,174,973 28,089,219 20,829,273 9,526,447

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(QAR '000)Trailing

329 952

6,389

Volume('000)

52-Week % Change Market Cap.(QAR '000)

28,089 4,456

- 63,738 20,829 4,725

31,175 1,425

932

5,606 6,760 5,838 9,526

114

99

95

100

105

110

115

15-Dec-11 15-Jan-12 15-Feb-12 15-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite Doha SM

BAHRAIN

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

BSE Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.% of stocks trading above 1 yr avg. price BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co. 0.41 1.5%Advance/Decline Ratio AUB.BSE Ahli United Bank 0.68 0.7%BSE 52 week High / Low #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/ATurnover (BHD '000) #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/AMarket Cap. (BHD '000) #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (BHD) Close % Chg.B Bahrain Telecommunications Co. AUB.BSE Ahli United Bank 0.68 0.7%A Ahli United Bank BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co. 0.41 1.5%B Albaraka Banking Grp. BARKA.BS Albaraka Banking Grp. 1.06 -# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A# #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A #N/A

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBA Ahli United Bank* 0.680 0.7% 0.685 0.675 116 0.770 0.660 -11.7% 2.3% -10.5% 3,389,350 10.9 1.3 B Albaraka Banking Grp.* 1.060 - - - - 1.280 1.000 -17.2% -2.8% -8.2% 921,723 7.8 0.8 A Arab Banking Corp.* 0.420 - - - - 0.570 0.420 -26.3% 0.0% -26.3% 1,306,200 6.4 0.4 B Bahrain Islamic Bank 0.082 - - - - 0.116 0.082 -29.3% -8.9% -29.3% 77,053 nmf 0.8 B Bahrain Telecommunications Co. 0.410 1.5% 0.410 0.406 105 0.492 0.380 -16.7% 4.6% 0.0% 590,400 7.4 1.2 B BBK 0.412 - - - - 0.436 0.390 -5.5% -0.5% -8.4% 350,759 11.0 1.5 IN Investcorp Bank* 797 - - - - 1,139 797 -30.0% 0.0% -37.0% 637,560 4.5 0.6 IT Ithmaar Bank* 0.090 - - - - 0.115 0.065 -21.7% 38.5% -21.7% 240,999 nmf 0.4 N National Bank of Bahrain 0.575 - - - - 0.655 0.560 -12.2% 0.0% -12.2% 491,832 10.8 1.8 U United Gulf Bank 0.304 - - - - 0.424 0.270 -28.3% 1.3% -25.9% 253,707 nmf 1.2

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

32%-

43,070

1,152 (0.3%)

29,787 -

1,433 / 1,129130

6,508,954

#N/A#N/A

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(BHD '000)Volume('000)

52-Week % Change Market Cap.(BHD '000)

Trailing

79 - - - 43

- - - - -

114

99

95

100

105

110

115

15-Dec-11 15-Jan-12 15-Feb-12 15-Mar-12S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite Bahrain SE

OMAN

Rebased Performance Summary Best Performers

MSM Index (% Chg.) Close % Chg.% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price OCOI.MSM Oman Cement Co. 0.54 2.1%Advance/Decline Ratio RCCI.MSM Raysut Cement Co. 0.94 1.0%MSM 52 week High / Low OTEL.MSMOman Telecommunications Co. 1.41 0.1%Turnover (OMR '000) BKMB.MSMBank Muscat 0.74 -0.4%Market Cap (OMR '000) RNSS.MSMRenaissance Services 0.60 -0.5%

Highest Turnover Worst Performers

Turnover (OMR) Close % Chg.OOman Cement Co. NBOB.MSMNational Bank of Oman 0.31 -1.6%B Bank Muscat BKDB.MSMBank Dhofar 0.59 -0.8%OOman Telecommunications Co. RNSS.MSMRenaissance Services 0.60 -0.5%N National Bank of Oman BKMB.MSMBank Muscat 0.74 -0.4%R Raysut Cement Co. OTEL.MSMOman Telecommunications Co. 1.41 0.1%

Quotes

% Chg. High Low High Low on high YTD 12 mths PE PBB Bank Dhofar 0.594 -0.8% 0.599 0.590 72 0.680 0.509 -12.6% 8.6% -11.6% 543,652 13.6 2.4 B Bank Muscat 0.736 -0.4% 0.740 0.733 457 0.781 0.658 -5.8% -3.9% 3.8% 1,139,607 9.7 1.3 N National Bank of Oman 0.311 -1.6% 0.315 0.310 648 0.332 0.302 -6.3% -2.8% 1.6% 336,191 9.8 1.2 O Oman Cement Co. 0.537 2.1% 0.540 0.530 1,408 0.608 0.416 -11.7% 24.3% -8.4% 177,679 13.9 1.2 O Oman Telecommunications Co. 1.405 0.1% 1.408 1.404 174 1.410 1.041 -0.4% 7.3% 20.9% 1,053,750 9.4 2.1 R Raysut Cement Co. 0.943 1.0% 0.943 0.943 101 1.190 0.711 -20.8% 24.1% -17.6% 188,600 12.6 1.8 R Renaissance Services 0.596 -0.5% 0.600 0.590 35 1.197 0.458 -50.2% 9.4% -46.1% 168,128 nmf 1.0

3,639 7,149,732

5,951 (-0.4%)58%0.75

6,406 / 5,419

756,251 336,234 243,762 201,665 95,560

Company Name CloseDaily Turnover

(OMR '000)Volume('000)

52-Week % Change Market Cap.(OMR '000)

Trailing

43 336 202 756 244 96 21

114

104

95

100

105

110

115

15-Dec-11 15-Jan-12 15-Feb-12 15-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite Muscat SM

friDAY, mArch 16, 2012

LIFE Pack a healthy, easy lunchA quick, healthy lunch can be easy to make, delicious, and satisfying -- and

it can keep you out of the fast-food drive through. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers these quick and healthy lunch ideas: •Combine some whole wheat couscous with black beans or chick peas for protein. •Make a whole wheat tortilla wrap stuffed with skinless grilled chicken breast and veggies -- use mushrooms, tomatoes and onions. •Make a baked potato and top it with salsa, broccoli, low-fat sour cream and a little low-fat cheese. •Toss a spinach salad with some low-fat feta cheese, chopped red onions and pears.

Anti-smokingefforts saved 795,000 lives over 25 years

CONNECTICUT: Bans on smoking in public places, hikes in cigarette taxes and other efforts to get people to quit smok-ing prevented close to 800,000 deaths from lung cancer between 1975 and 2000 in the United States, a new study shows according to HealthDay News.

The findings likely represent just the tip of the iceberg as lung cancer is only one of the diseases linked to tobacco smoke, experts say.

Researchers led by Dr. Suresh Mool-gavkar, of the biostatistics and biomath-ematics program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, devel-oped a sophisticated model to estimate changes in US smoking patterns resulting from tobacco-control efforts, and how these changes affected deaths from lung cancer between 1975 and 2000.

During that time, nearly 2.1 million lung cancer deaths occurred among men and about 1.05 million lung cancer deaths occurred among women. The researchers predicted that over 552,000 lung cancer deaths among men and 243,000 among women were averted by tobacco-control efforts.

While an impressive number, this is just one-third of the number of deaths that could have been averted had all US cigarette smokers successfully quit smok-ing and no one else started after the watershed 1964 US Surgeon General’s report on the dangers of tobacco, the re-searchers calculated.

On the other hand, if smoking be-haviors had not changed at all after the Surgeon General’s report, an additional 795,000 people would have died of lung cancer.

“Quitting smoking most definitely re-duces deaths from lung cancer. However, too many people continue to smoke,” Moolgavkar said. “The most effective way to reduce the burden of lung cancer is to

get smokers to quit and to prevent non-smokers from taking up smoking.”

Another study author, Eric Feuer, chief of the Statistical Methodology and Applications Branch of the US National Cancer Institute, said that Americans have come a long way, but can’t afford to become complacent.

“We can’t let our guard down and we really need to continue our efforts,” Feuer said. Recent data from the Surgeon Gen-eral’s office showed that one in four U.S. high school seniors still smokes and three in four high school smokers continue to smoke as adults.

Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary spe-cialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that “the new study is good news and very persuasive. It shows us very con-clusively that less smoking means fewer smoking-related deaths.”

And it is more than lung cancer rates that are likely decreasing, Horovitz noted. “Smoking cessation would also reduce rates of heart attack, stroke and the lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” he said. “The list goes on and on.”

In an editorial accompanying the new findings, Thomas Glynn, director of can-cer science and trends and international cancer control at the American Cancer Society, wrote: “The good news is that we have become more aggressive in our to-bacco control efforts.”

Many of the deaths averted occurred in 2000, suggesting that the efforts are picking up steam. Glynn noted that his own father died from lung cancer after smoking for decades and never met his granddaughter.

“He was not one of the 795,000, but seeing [her] would have brought tears to his eyes, and thinking of him, and what he missed due to tobacco, brings tears to mine,” Glynn wrote.

This image provided on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 by the Centers for Disease Control shows Shawn Wright who had a tracheotomy after being diagnosed with head and neck cancer. Now the government is trying to shock smokers into quit-ting with a new graphic nationwide advertising campaign. (AP)

New gel treats precancerous skin condition in daysCONNECTICUT: A newly approved gel appears effec-

tive in treating a condition called actinic keratosis, which is a common precursor to squamous cell skin cancer, a new study finds according to HealthDay News.

Earlier topical treatments took weeks or even months to treat the condition, but the new product -- Picato (ingenol mebutate) gel -- can work in a matter of days, according to the report in the March 15 issue of the New England Jour-nal of Medicine. “There are a number of agents available to treat precancerous skin lesions,” said study author Dr. Mark Lebwohl, a professor and chairman of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

“Most of the other ones are applied over a period of weeks to months and have a reaction that lasts for a long time, so it interferes with your life for a good period of time. This one is unique in that it is applied for only one to three days,” he said. The US Food and Drug Administration approved Picato for use on actinic keratoses in January. The new study was funded by LEO Pharma, the maker of Ingenol.

For the study, more than 900 people with actinic kera-toses on their face or scalp, or elsewhere on their body (trunk, arms or legs) were randomly assigned to treatment with either Picato or an inactive placebo.

The researchers found that when used on the face or scalp, the gel cleared the condition nearly 43 percent of the time, compared with nearly 4 percent for the placebo.

When used on the trunk or extremities, the gel was again more effective than placebo -- about 34 percent for the gel versus nearly 5 percent for the placebo, the study authors noted. Local skin reactions such as redness and crustiness developed within several days, but were gone quickly, and side effects were mild to moderate and went away without any problem, according to the report.

And because treatment takes less time, patients are more likely to adhere to their treatment, said study co-author Dr. Neil Swanson, director of dermatologic surgery at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.

“It is an option to treat these lesions, a good percentage of which will go on to evolve to skin cancer,” Swanson said.

In addition to skin gels, doctors treat actinic keratosis in other ways that include burning or scraping with an electric or laser device, cutting the tumor out, or freezing the tumor in a procedure called cryotherapy.

Pregnant reptile fossil earliest record of live birth

Scientists find ancient camel fossils in Panama

NEW YORK: Newly found fossils of embryos from the first aquatic reptiles called mesosaurs - along with a pregnant female - may be the oldest known example of birth given to live young in-stead of eggs, scientists report according to Live-Science.

Both mammals and reptiles wrap their devel-oping embryos in protective layers, something that helped the little ones survive and ultimately helped their ancestors conquer the land. Mammals often keep these membrane-swaddled offspring within them, giving birth to live young, while rep-tiles typically lay their membrane-bundled prog-eny in eggs.

However, there are some oddballs: Some mam-mals, such as the platypus, lay eggs, while some reptiles, such as most vipers, are viviparous, giving birth to live young.

The fact that mammals and reptiles surround their embryos with these protective layers makes them known as amniotes. The fossil record of amniotic eggs and embryos is very sparse, and as

such, scientists have little information about when, how and why they evolved.

Now researchers have uncovered two excep-tionally well-preserved 280-million-year-old fos-sils that are the earliest amniotic embryos found yet. These belonged to mesosaurs, the first aquatic reptiles and what may be the most primitive known reptiles.

The two fossil embryos, unearthed in Uruguay and Brazil, are about a quarter-inch to a half-inch long (0.75 to 1.5 centimeters). The gypsum crystals in the rocks they were found in suggest the reptiles lived in salty, oxygen-poor water, which helped preserve these embryos until discovery. The meso-saurs apparently once dwelled alongside burrow-ing worms and now-extinct crustaceans.

“Despite their age and their delicate nature, they remained in the rocks all that long time al-most perfectly preserved,” said researcher Gracie-la Piñeiro, a paleontologist at the University of the Republic in Uruguay.

Intriguingly, the embryos lacked recognizable

eggshells. Moreover, one well-developed embryo was found within an adult presumed to be a preg-nant female, suggesting that mesosaurs were vi-viparous.

One of the well-developed mesosaur embryos was discovered on its own, not inside an adult. This might suggest the mesosaurs laid eggs after em-bryos reached advanced stages of development. On the other hand, this specimen could represent a miscarried embryo.

“With the discovery of the mesosaur embryos, we may now have direct evidences that embryo retention or viviparity were strategies developed by early amniotes,” Piñeiro told LiveScience.

Other extinct aquatic reptiles were known to give birth to live young, including the plesiosaur; in 2011, scientists reported a pregnant plesiosaur, a marine reptile, which lived some 78 million years ago.

These new findings push back the known re-cords of live birth and amniotic embryos by 60 mil-lion and 90 million years, respectively.

MIAMI: Researchers say they have discovered the fossils of a small camel with a long snout that roamed the tropical rainforests of the isthmus of Panama some 20 million years ago.

The ancient camel had no hump, and one of the two species found appeared to stand only about two feet (.6 meters) tall, scientists reported in a recently published article in the Journal of Ver-tebrate Paleontology.

University of Florida researcher Aldo Rincon discovered the fossils during the widening of the Panama Canal to accommodate hulking new cargo ships. He and other scientists from Panama, the United States and the Smithsonian Tropical Re-search Institute also reported finding fossils of an-cient marlins, turtles and horses.

“We never expected to find a camel there,” said Smithsonian scientist Carlos Jaramillo, co-author of the journal article. “It’s really, really a surprise.” Unlike contemporary camels, these had crocodile-like teeth.

Scientists believe the camels, Aguascalientia panamaensis and Aguascalientia minuta, may have used the sharp teeth as they chomped on lush foli-

age and fruit.Geologists and paleontologists have essential-

ly been traveling in the footprint of construction workers who are completing the canal’s five-year expansion. The $5.2 billion project is providing a unique opportunity for researchers to excavate and preserve fossils that are normally hard to un-cover from the extensive tropical foliage.

The find is raising questions about just how long ago the strip of land joining North and South America was created. Though relatively small, Pan-ama carries great scientific importance because it serves as the land bridge connecting those conti-nents. When that gateway was created, there was a global sea change: The Pacific and Atlantic oceans were cut off from one another, and a great inter-change of animals began, leading some species into extinction and others to adapt.

Researchers have long thought the isthmus was created 3.5 million years ago, but now that scien-tists have discovered a camel species living in the area about 17 million years earlier, that hypothesis is being questioned.

Plant species are believed to have spread be-

tween continents about 45 million years ago, and some animals such as crocodiles and turtles at about 20 million years ago. Mammals, however, didn’t travel over until considerably later - between 1.5 and 3 million years ago, scientists estimate. Why they didn’t is still somewhat of a mystery. Unfor-tunately, there are big gaps in the ancient fossil re-cord in Panama. Jaramillo said there are no fossils dating between 1 and 4 million years old there.

The camels are believed to have originated in what are now Florida and Texas and evolved as they moved southward. By studying the teeth of the camels, scientists can determine what they ate. While the molars of today’s camels tend to be flat from grazing on grasses, the camels of Panama had more ridged teeth, indicating they were browsers that ate a variety of plant life.

The species is now extinct in the Americas, but researchers say they likely evolved into the llamas and guanacos now seen in the Andes.

In all, fossils from about five camels have been found. Four of the recovered jaws belong to the larger species, which likely stood no more than three feet (1 meter) tall. -AP

Gates Foundation gives$220 million for TB research

PARIS: Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates and his wife are to give $220 mil-lion over five years to the non-profit bio-tech firm Aeras to develop vaccines to fight tuberculosis, a company statement said Thursday. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is donating the money to Aeras which from its bases in the United States and South Africa has developed six possible TB vaccines that are being tested across Africa, Asia, Europe and America.

“This infusion of funding must be seen as a global call to action in response to one of the world’s deadliest diseases,” said Jim Connolly, Aeras’s president and chief executive, expressing gratitude for the massive grant. “It will allow Aeras to expand upon existing partnerships in Europe, Africa, China, and around the

world.” A total of 8.8 million people glob-ally fell ill with the contagious lung dis-ease in 2010 and around 1.4 million died, according to the World Health Organiza-tion (WHO). Trevor Mundel, president of the global health program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said the devel-opment of successful vaccines “would be the single greatest advance in the global fight against TB.” Once known as “con-sumption” for the slow wasting away of the people who died of it, one out of ev-ery three people is thought to be infected by the airborne TB organism, though only a fraction go on to develop the disease. The WHO estimates the global economic burden of TB is $12 billion a year, with India and China together accounting for more than half that cost. -AFP

In this undated photo made available by the Florida Museum of Natural History, shows the lower jaw of Aguascalietia panamaensis, a new species of ancient camel (AP)

Lack of sleepmay make you more

likely to be obeseCONNECTICUT: People who don’t get enough sleep consume more calo-

ries and may be more likely to become obese, according to a new study reports HealthDay News.

The study included 17 healthy young men and women who were studied for eight nights. Half of the participants got their normal amount of sleep (control group) while the other half got only two-thirds of their typical amount of sleep (sleep-deprived group). All the participants were allowed to eat as much as they wanted during the study.

Those in the sleep-deprived group slept one hour and 20 minutes less each night than those in the control group, and consumed an average of 549 addi-tional calories per day.

Both groups burned about the same amount of energy for activity, which suggests that those in the sleep-deprived group didn’t burn additional calories.

Lack of sleep was associated with increased levels of leptin and decreased levels of ghrelin, both of which are appetite-associated hormones. These changes were more likely a result of overeating, rather than the cause of overeating, according to the study, which was presented Wednesday at an American Heart Association (AHA) meeting.

“Sleep deprivation is a growing problem, with 28 percent of adults now re-porting that they get six or fewer hours of sleep per night,” study co-author Dr. Andrew Calvin, a cardiology fellow and assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, said in an AHA news release.

Although this study suggests sleep deprivation may be an important and preventable cause of weight gain and obesity, it was a small study and does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, the researchers noted.

“Larger studies of people in their home environments would help confirm our findings,” Calvin said. Because this study was presented at a medical meet-ing, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

CULTUREALWATAN DAILY

16friDAY, MArCH 16, 2012

Titanic comes home as Belfast launches attraction

FRANCE: The world’s biggest Titanic visitor attraction opens in the ship’s Belfast birthplace this month, 100 years to the day since the doomed liner was completed in the same yards.

After decades of quietly forgetting “the most famous ship since Noah’s Ark”, Belfast has reclaimed the Titanic, and is championing a legend which continues to captivate the imagination a century on.

“What happened to Titanic was a disaster. But Titanic itself wasn’t,” Tim Husbands, the chief executive of Titanic Belfast, told AfP.

“The craftsmanship was a symbol for the industrial time. A symbol of ambition, a symbol of hope. And we’re now creating exactly the same feelings.”

The attraction, which has risen from the derelict Har-land and Wolff shipyards, tells the story of the liner from its inception in Belfast’s industrial boom years through to its launch, its sinking and the aftermath.

The six-level, aluminum-clad building is in the form of

four Titanic-sized prows that can be seen shimmering from any one viewpoint, representing Titanic and its two sister ships, Olympic and Britannic.

inside, workmen are putting the finishing touches to its nine interactive galleries ahead of the March 31 launch.

“There are a lot of other Titanic visitor attractions in the world, with no connection to the Titanic at all. This will be the largest and the only one with the authentic story to tell,” Husbands told AfP.

“People have been talking about Titanic for 100 years now. They want to know more, there’s a real hunger for it.”

The biggest, most ambitious ship of the age hit an ice-berg on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from Southampton to New York, sinking on April 15, 1912. Of the 2,224 people aboard, 1,514 perished.

This is no dusty museum -- the visitor experience uses a barrage of computer-generated imagery, audio, special ef-fects and interactive touch screens to tell the ship’s story.

There are recreations of the opulent first-class accom-modation and the cramped third-class bunks, which were nonetheless smartly fitted-out.

A ride carries visitors through the sights, sounds and smells of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, while the liner’s launch is seen on a glass screen which then reveals a view of the actual slipway outside where Titanic was built.

An ingenious “3D cave” allow visitors to ‘travel’ straight up from the giant engine room through the ship’s decks to the bridge.

in the section on the sinking, the lights dim, the tem-perature plunges; the horror and heroism is retold, though here it is cast as just one part of Titanic’s story.

The attraction houses a passenger and crew database, and an Ocean Exploration Centre, which shows footage from the seabed. Ongoing research on the wreck’s gradual degradation will be tracked from here.

The top two floors host the Titanic Suite, a banquet-ing space containing a replica of the ship’s grand staircase,

which featured prominently in the 1997 blockbuster film starring Leonardo DiCaprio -- and is now set to appear in many a Belfast wedding photo.

The attention to detail extends to the replica crockery bearing the White Star Line logo and the name rMS Titan-ic.

Titanic Belfast was nine years in the planning and cost £97 million ($152 million, 117 million euros) to build, using a mixture of public and private investment.

it took three years to construct and 10 months to fit out -- the same as the Titanic itself.

in league with Northern ireland’s Giant’s Causeway nat-ural wonder, Titanic Belfast is hoping to tempt Asian tourists visiting Britain to venture outside London.

“i think it’s the platform for growth that Northern ire-land’s been seeking,” Husbands said.

Titanic Belfast expects 425,000 visitors in the first year and 80,000 tickets, priced £13.50 ($21.20, 16.25 euros), have been sold in advance. -AfP

A computer generated image of the First Class accommodation that was available aboard the Titanic ship is pictured at the Titanic Belfast visitor centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on March 13, 2012. (AFP)

A replica of a Main Staircase aboard the Titanic ship is pictured at the Titanic Belfast visitor centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on March 13, 2012. (AFP)

Uganda screenings of Kony film halted after protests

FRANCE: A Ugandan youth group said Thursday it would stop screening a hugely popular internet video calling for the arrest of rebel chief Joseph Kony after local people reacted furiously at its first showing.

A screening in the northern town of Lira, attended by many people muti-lated by Kony’s soldiers, was halted after some people started throwing stones, said Victor Ochen, the director of African Youth initiative Network.

His group had now dropped plans to show the film around the region.“We wanted to make our people part of the debate,” said Ochen.“But in the end we had to stop it because people were having such a strong

reaction to the film and were getting very angry.”The video, “Kony 2012”, by US advocacy group invisible Children, has been

viewed by tens of millions people worldwide, mainly online, since it was re-leased last week.

But when the group held a public screening Tuesday in Lira, where few peo-ple had been able to watch the 30-minute film due to limited internet access, it provoked an angry response.

“As soon as they saw the clip saying that people should make Kony famous, people got very upset and started to react,” said Ochen.

Many of the thousands attending, who included some mutilated by the sol-diers of Kony’s Lord’s resistance Army (LrA), objected to what they saw as the film’s insensitivity and its outdated view of northern Uganda, he added.

“People were asking why they were showing white children in America and not telling the truth about the situation of the local people in the area,” said Ochen.

“We realized that the reaction would be the same wherever we went,” he added. Kony’s ruthless rebels were infamous for mutilating civilians and abduct-ing children to use as soldiers and sex-slaves during their two-decade war in northern Uganda.

But they have been forced out of Uganda and since 2006 have been operat-ing in neighboring countries.

Kony, a semi-literate former altar boy, took charge in 1988 of a rebellion among northern Uganda’s ethnic Acholi minority, to fight the Kampala gov-ernment it wanted to replace by a regime based on the bible’s Ten Command-ments.

He is accused by the international Criminal Court of the rape, mutilation and murder of civilians as well as forcibly recruiting child soldiers.

regional armies launched a hunt in 2008 to capture Kony after he repeat-edly refused to sign a peace deal with Uganda. But he remains at large alongside a clutch of fighters. -AfP

Jewish, Muslim scribes keep calligraphy art aliveWatchmakerstickle fancies with feathers and bamboo

BASEL, Switzerland: feathers, unscratch-able gold, bamboo and even straw. Adorning watches with regular gold and silver is rather boring these days, as designs at the 2012 Baselworld watch fair showed.

Displays sparkling with the usual gold, diamonds and other precious gems, watch-makers were also keen to show their ex-pertise by designing and working with new materials. Harry Winston worked with plu-massiere Nelly Saunier to unveil four elegant watches that used peacock and pheasant feathers arranged in intricate geometric pat-terns on the dial.

“in some civilizations, feathers had a simi-lar value and meaning to diamonds,” frederic de Narp, president and CEO of the jeweler and watchmaker, told reuters at the fair.

Gucci Timepieces went back to nature and its famous bamboo-handled bag for inspira-tion, presenting watches with elegant round faces, bamboo inlaid around the bezel and on the bracelet. Continuing the natural materials theme, Patek Philippe used wood marquetry, while the watch division of Hermes recreated two of its famous check and chevron tie prints using straw marquetry in watches costing around 150,000 Swiss francs ($161,100).

for those who don’t wrap their Swiss-made watch in cotton wool, manufacturers have come up with tougher materials, such as unscratchable gold at Hublot and aerospace-engineered zalium at Harry Winston.

Jean-Claude Biver, chairman of Hublot, even carried around a steel file to demonstrate the indestructibility of its new unscratchable gold that it has patented.

Watches everywhere, especially those for ladies, had blue accents, reflecting a color popular on the fashion catwalks.

La Montre Hermes unveiled watches with ‘electric blue’ and ‘lime’ leather straps, allowing ladies to match their watch to their Hermes handbag.

Sound also played a big role for watch-makers. The chief executive of Ulysse Nardin demonstrated how the alarm on the Sonata cathedral watch chimed exactly like church bells, while Tudor replicated the sound of the dial on a safe with the Pelagos dive watch - re-tailing for 3,950 Swiss francs. Davide Cerra-to, head of the creative department at rolex’s Tudor, said people who wear diving watches often play with the bezel and the noise made as it turns would remind the wearer of the technical content of the watch. -reuters

Forget Bollywood, Mumbai enjoys fight nightsMUMBAI: The small wooden door in a

film studio complex deep within the heart of Mumbai creaks open to pumping music, a beer-guzzling crowd and two men raining punches and kicks onto each other in the makeshift ring. Welcome to india’s very own fight night. first started around three years ago by full Contact Championship (fCC), a company founded to promote mixed martial arts, fight nights are slowly gaining popular-ity in india, a nation where people tradition-ally have had no inclination to pay money to watch somebody be physically beaten in front of them. But increasing globalization, and years of growing up watching overseas profes-sional wrestling broadcasts, has given younger indians a taste for seeing the real thing them-selves. “The first time i went into a fight ring, i froze for a few seconds. There were so many people cheering for me, especially girls,” said a blushing Sangram “Slammer” Bhakre, a 21-year-old mixed martial arts fighter. San-gram, who is also preparing for his third-year university exams, is a trained wrestler, boxer and wushu fighter who is something of a hero in his local club in Kolhapur, a town 400 km south of Mumbai.

He is like many of the young fighters who take part in the fight nights, young men trained in different types of martial arts who come from small towns where such training is becoming popular. Sangram spent nine hours on a bus to reach india’s commercial and financial hub -- a journey he makes twice a year. The fighters come for quick money and cheering by a live audience. A fighter can make 10,000 to 20,000 indian rupees ($200-$300) from a single bout, which sometimes lasts less than a minute. The average indian

monthly income is about 4,416 rupees, ac-cording to government data.

The evenings are organized by Prashant Kumar, a trained mixed martial arts fighter who runs an advertising firm and said he dreamed of bringing the concept to india ever since first seeing it in the United States a decade ago. “The audience is increasing with every fight night as it’s a cheap mode of live entertainment for big spenders in this city,” Kumar said. “People are getting bored of watching sports on television. They want to see and feel the pulse of it by being a few me-ters away from the action.” fight nights take place in hired studios in Mumbai otherwise used for Bollywood film shoots. The audi-ence is invited mostly through word of mouth and social networking sites like facebook. The overall event usually lasts for 3 hours with around eight or nine matches in differ-ent weight categories. Every bout consists of three rounds of 10-12 minutes, and most end in knockouts. following each night is an after party. Kumar gives free entry with every fight night pass, along with two cans of beer.

“for me it’s money to party and also a ticket to become popular with the girls in col-lege who like boys who fight,” said a young fighter who prefers anonymity since his par-ents have yet to find out he participates.

The audience consists of expats, young men and women working in multinational companies and sometimes even families -- anybody able to fork out the 1,000 rupees ($20) for a ticket. “i cannot believe i am watching this in Mumbai,” exclaims Anubhav, a 30-year-old banker. “Next time i am going to bring 10 of my friends. This is amazing. This is pure action with real blood.” -reuters

JERUSALEM: in a world over-whelmed by electronic gadgets that have changed the way we read, write and learn, the Jewish and islamic arts of calligraphy have preserved their methods for genera-tions.

Parchment, feathers and “qalams,” a pen made of dried bamboo, are still used by sophers - Jewish scribes - and khattats - Muslim calligraphers. Calligraphy is one of the main art forms in Judaism and is-lam, reflecting how central the word is to both religions.

The Quran has played a major role in the spread of the Arabic language and alphabet, as have Judaism’s Torah and other holy books in the preservation of Hebrew.

Both Muslim and Jewish scribes say deep knowledge of religion infuses the graceful lines of their calligraphy and is essential to the art, which they say en-sures the art’s survival into the future - something no electronic tool will be able to bring. -AP

Dante’s ‘DivineComedy’ maybe removed

from classroomsLONDON: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here: Dante’s

medieval classic the Divine Comedy has been condemned as racist, anti-Semitic and islamophobic by a group calling for it to be removed from classrooms, reports The Guardian.

The epic poem, written in the 14th century, is split into three parts, tracing the poet’s journey through inferno, Pur-gatorio and Paradiso. it is seen as one of the cornerstones of world literature. But the italian human rights organization Gherush92, which advises UN bodies on human rights is-sues, wants it to be removed from school curriculums, or at least used with more caution, because it is “offensive and discriminatory” and young people lack the “filters” to un-derstand it in context.

Gherush92 singled out some particular cantos from Dante’s masterwork for criticism: inferno’s 34th, which tells of Judas, endlessly chewed in the teeth of Lucifer, and 28th, in which Mohammed is depicted torn “from the chin down to the part that gives out the foulest sound”, as well as Pur-gatorio’s 26th, which shows homosexuals under a rain of fire in purgatory. The work, it says, slanders the Jewish people, depicts islam as a heresy and is homophobic.

“We do not advocate censorship or burning but we would like it acknowledged, clearly and unambiguously, that in the Divine Comedy there is racist, islamophobic and anti-Semit-ic content,” said Valentina Sereni, president of Gherush92, to the Adnkronos news agency. “Art cannot be above criti-cism.”

But italy’s cultural scene has been quick to come to the defense of one the country’s most famous works. “The benefits to be gained from reading and studying the Divine Comedy are so many that statements of this kind are just ridiculous,” the poet and literary critic Maurizio Cucchi told the news agency. Literary historian, critic and author Giulio ferroni called the comments “another frenzy of political cor-rectness, combined with an utter lack of historical sense”, and said that the Divine Comedy needed to be read in its historical context. “You could also include a few more notes, but it would be folly to abandon the study of a masterpiece that has helped build the image of humanity.”

FILE-In this Thursday, Jan. 26 2012 photo, Palestinian calligraphy expert Adel Fauzy practices at his studio in the West Bank town of Hawara, near Nablus. (AP)

NEW YORK: CBS on Wednesday an-nounced the renewal of a staggering 18 prime-time series for next season, making the annual May announcement of its fall schedule almost moot and sending a message of stability.

Fans of television’s top-rated network won’t have to worry about whether old favorites such as “NCIS,” ‘’CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Survivor” are coming back in the fall.

The Monday comedy lineup of “How I Met Your Mother,” “2 Broke Girls” and “Mike & Molly” will return intact, and CBS said it is ne-gotiating to bring the Ashton Kutcher-led “Two and a Half Men” back.

Thursday’s “The Big Bang Theory” also will return, CBS said.

A handful of series did not get renewals, immediately putting them on the bubble for return. These include the New York and Miami spinoffs of “CSI,” the new dramas “Unforget-table” and “A Gifted Man,” the sixth-season comedy “Rules of Engagement” and the new comedy “Rob.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean those series will be canceled. They’ll likely compete with potential new series for spots in the lineup.

Wednesday’s announcement sends a clear message to producers of new series being con-sidered by CBS: Raise your game because com-petition for space is fierce, said Brad Adgate, an analyst for Horizon Media.

The CBS announcement also is aimed at advertisers who will be making decisions this spring about where to spend billions of dollars to hawk their wares. Besides “NCIS,” CBS has already committed to bringing back its Los An-geles spinoff. Other dramas that will return are

“Hawaii Five-0,” “Criminal Minds,” “Person of Interest,” “The Mentalist,” “Blue Bloods” and “The Good Wife.” “The Amazing Race” and “Undercover Boss” will join “Survivor” as CBS reality shows to return. The newsmaga-zines “60 Minutes” and “48 Hours Mystery” will be back. -AP

Returning Shows:

• “NCIS”• “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”• “Survivor”• “How I Met Your Mother”• “2 Broke Girls”• “Mike & Molly”• “Two and a Half Men”• “The Big Bang Theory”• “Hawaii Five-0”• “Criminal Minds”• “Person of Interest”• “The Mentalist”• “Blue Bloods”• “The Good Wife”• “The Amazing Race”• “Undercover Boss”• “60 Minutes”• “48 Hours Mystery”

Undecided; Possibly not returning:• “CSI: New York”• “CSI: Miami”• “Unforgettable”• “A Gifted Man”• “Rules of Engagement”• “Rob!”

entertainmentaLWatan DaiLY

17FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

Song Of The Day

Fahad AlSabahStaff Writer

Song: PrimadonnaArtist: Marina and the DiamondsAlbum: Electra HeartGenre: PopIn short: The lead single off Marina and the Diamonds’ sophomore album is one of the very best single releases this year so far. Produced by Dr. Luke and Diplo, making it sound like a cross between Katy Perry-at her best-and Robyn.

To listen to the song visit www.alwatandaily.comE-mail your feedback to falsabah@alwatandaily.com

The BuzzWeeds, Episodes get season premiere dates“Weeds” and “Episodes” will both return to the air on Sun-day, July 1, Showtime said Wednesday. The Season Eight premiere of “Weeds” will air at 10 p.m., followed by the second-season debut of Matt LeBlanc’s “Episodes,” at 10:30. “Weeds” will begin production on the first of its 13 episodes in Los Angeles in April, while “Episodes” recently finished work on its nine-episodes in Los Angeles and London. Sea-son Two of “Episodes” will pick up four months from where the first-season finale left off, with Sean and Beverly no lon-ger cohabiting but finding themselves locked in an awkward working relationship with LeBlanc after his pilot “Pucks!” is picked up to series. “Weeds” will pick up following last sea-son’s cliff-hanger, which saw a Botwin family dinner rudely interrupted by a lone gunman. -Reuters

BBC chief plans iTunes-style TV download serviceBBC Director General Mark Thompson announced propos-als on Wednesday for an iTunes-style download service that would allow viewers to permanently download their favorite programs minutes after they have been broadcast for a fee. The plan, named Project Barcelona, would allow viewers to purchase a digital copy of a program to own in perpetuity for a “relatively modest charge”. He said the BBC intended to open a “digital shop” for such downloads, but did not specify the timescale or pricing. The plans will be put before the BBC Trust later this year. -Reuters

Jermaine Jones disqualified from American IdolJermaine Jones was dismissed from “American Idol” - and not because of viewer votes. It was revealed during Wednes-day’s installment of the Fox singing contest that the 25-year-old vocal instructor from Pine Hill, N.J., was disqualified Tuesday for not revealing that he had outstanding arrest war-rants back home in New Jersey. “Idol” executive producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe confronted Jones about the issue in a taped segment. “You were incumbent to tell us the truth about all of this, and it appears that you just haven’t on any level,” Warick told Jones. -AP

No Rolling Stones tour yet despite 50th anniversaryThe Rolling Stones are staying put this year, Rolling Stone reported Wednesday, leaving fans to look forward instead to a major documentary marking the rock band’s 50th anni-versary. “Basically, we’re just not ready” for a fresh concert tour, guitarist Keith Richards told the pop culture magazine, adding that 2013 was the group’s “more realistic” target for hitting the road. Quoting other, unidentified sources, Rolling Stone cited worries about Richards’ health in the wake of a head injury he sustained in Fiji in 2006 as one reason for the band to stay close to home. “They don’t want to do a full tour,” a concert industry source told the biweekly magazine. “They don’t want to travel, and there are concerns about Keith’s health.”-AFP

CSI star William Petersen returning to TV in new seriesWilliam Petersen has been MIA for the last two seasons of “CSI,” but the original star of CBS’s procedural franchise is planning a return to primetime in the new crime drama “Hurt People.” Petersen will star in and executive produce “People” with GK-TV producers Graham King, Tim Headington and Craig Cegielski. Petersen’s spokeswoman told TheWrap that the Emmy-nominated actor will play Hollis Brown, a veteran hitman employed by a crime family that killed his wife. Brown has been hired to locate his employer’s enemy: Brown’s own estranged daughter, who’s bent on destroying those respon-sible for her mother’s death. “Hurt People” is based on an original script by Peter Macmanus. -Reuters

Fox pulls plug on 24 movie; Kiefer Sutherland furiousKiefer Sutherland is furious at 20th Century Fox, which has called a halt to the movie version of his hit television show, “24,” over budget and star salary issues, TheWrap has learned. The movie based on the conspiracy-terrorism-action show was in pre-production and set to start shooting next month, but has now ground to a halt because Fox will greenlight a budget no higher than $30 million, while Sutherland and producer Brian Grazer feel the budget needs to be in the low $40s at its tight-est. A Fox spokesman confirmed that the movie was on hold, and said it was related to timing. But insiders on the project refuted that version of the situation. According to them, the Fox television star feels insulted that Fox has offered him a rel-atively measly salary of $1 million to do the movie. -Reuters

Clooney uses star power to spotlight Sudan crisis

WASHINGTON: George Clooney used his Hollywood celebrity Wednesday to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in the volatile border area between Sudan and South Sudan, offering a firsthand account of the suffering as thou-sands are forced to take refuge in caves because of daily aerial bombardments.

“What you see is a constant drip of fear,” the actor and human rights activist told the Senate Foreign Relations Com-mittee.

Just back from an eight-day trip to the region, Clooney described a secret, six-hour trip across the border to the Nuba Mountains, with rocket attacks, death and destruction. He re-called how a 9-year-old boy had his hands blown off.

Teamed with John Prendergast, co-founder of the advo-cacy group the Enough Project, Clooney made a film that cap-tured the images of crimes against humanity.

The four-minute video showed refugees in caves, the boy with bloody arms and a woman marked by her wounds. In the final image, Clooney stood above what appeared to be a dead man splayed on the ground.

“How many more bodies until the Nuba Mountains be-come the next Darfur?” asked the video, which was released online.

More than two decades of fighting in the region gave way last year to an agreement to create the world’s newest country, South Sudan. It seceded from Sudan last July amid hopes that have deteriorated into border clashes, deadly fighting and a standoff on oil.

Clooney said civilians who have farmed the fields are un-able to work for fear of bombs dropping from military planes. Sudan has refused to allow aid agencies into the region. Nancy Lindborg, an official with the US Agency for International De-velopment, told the committee that 250,000 people are on the brink of a famine with the upcoming rainy season.

Sudan President Omar al-Bashir is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court for killings and rapes committed in Darfur. Clooney referred to Bashir and others as war criminals.

Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003, when ethnic Afri-can rebels accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination took up arms. The Khartoum government is accused of retaliating by unleashing Arab militias on civilians - a charge the government denies. The UN estimates 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have been displaced.

The committee chairman, Sen. John Kerry, acknowledged that Americans’ attention is often diverted by other crises around the world, but resolving the issues in the Sudan region is critical.

Clooney said he understood the competition from other major stories such as the Arab Spring and jobs, but he argued that the Sudan conflict should matter to Americans because of its affect on the price of gas.

Oil-rich South Sudan and Sudan, the keeper of the pipe-lines, have been at odds over oil and profits. Exports have stopped, putting pressure on oil prices worldwide. “So we ac-

tually have a financial interest in this working out,” Clooney told reporters.

Clooney suggested that the Senate send a special envoy to China to seek their help with the Sudan dispute and freeze the financial assets of the Sudanese leaders to prevent them from buying weapons.Clooney also met with Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, on Tuesday and planned to meet with President Barack Obama at the White House and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday. “I’m not a policymaker,” he told reporters. “My job is to just raise the volume.” -AP

Actor George Clooney watches a video from his recent trip to Sudan as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednes-day, March 14, 2012, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Sudan. (AP)

LOS ANGELES: Jurors heard alternate plotlines Wednesday about Nicollette Sheridan’s departure from TV “Desperate Housewives.”

Her lawyers claimed she was fired after com-plaining that show creator Marc Cherry hit her in the head during an on-set dispute in September 2008. Attorneys for Cherry and ABC countered that the decision to kill off Sheridan’s character on the show had been made four months earlier for creative reasons and had nothing to do with the dustup.

The different versions were laid out in clos-ing arguments delivered at Sheridan’s wrongful termination trial before the jury began its delib-erations. The actress is seeking roughly $6 million in damages.

Mark Baute, the actress’ attorney, accused ABC officials and Cherry of lying about when they decided to kill off the Edie Britt charac-ter. Baute also accused witnesses of destroying emails and other documentation that would pin-point the timing of the decision that he contends was made in December 2008.

“You don’t make decisions on killing one of your top five actresses early,” Baute said. “It’s a game-day decision. You wait.”

The attorney also told jurors it didn’t make sense that ABC officials had renewed Sheridan’s

contract for the fifth season of the show if they intended to kill off her character. Her contract guaranteed her a full season’s pay and a share of profits for the entire series.

Sheridan looked directly at the jurors as her attorney argued that she should be awarded mil-lions for being dropped from the prime-time comedy/soap opera.

In his closing argument ABC’s lawyer Adam Levin contended that Cherry obtained per-mission to kill off the character in May, during early planning for the season, and the plan was endorsed by top studio and network officials be-cause it made creative sense.

He urged the jury to reject defense conten-tions that most of the witnesses they heard dur-ing the two-week trial were lying. “If there is a conspiracy, then these are the Keystone Kops of conspirators,” Levin said. “The fact that these witnesses differ on small facts - it lends to their credibility.”

Levin also said Baute and Sheridan were re-sorting to desperate tactics. “Desperate is claim-ing that 10 good citizens of California conspired to get their story straight,” Levin said. Sheridan’s case initially included a battery claim, but the judge ruled Tuesday that jurors will no longer be asked to consider that allegation. -AP

LOS ANGELES: The critically-ac-claimed horse-racing drama series “Luck” was canceled on Wednesday after the deaths of three horses, TV network HBO and producers said.

“It is with heartbreak that execu-tive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series ‘Luck’,” HBO said in a statement.

“While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents un-fortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won’t in the future. Ac-cordingly, we have reached this difficult decision,” HBO added.

“Luck”, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, began airing in January. But two horses had already died after being injured in races filmed last year for the first season of the drama.

A third died earlier this week dur-ing filming for the second season. The American Humane Association, whose representatives were at the scene, said the horse had just passed a veterinarian’s inspection and was being walked back to its barn when it reared, fell backward and was seriously injured. The horse was

euthanized. The American Humane Asso-ciation said that Tuesday’s death was an accident “that was in no way a result of any mistreatment or negligence on the part of HBO.”

It said HBO had been “extremely col-laborative and responsive” to the Associa-tion’s animal guidelines during filming.

“Luck” is the story of colorful charac-ters involved in the world of horse-racing, gambling and training, and much of the show was filmed on location at the Santa Anita Racetrack in southern California.

But the complex, slow-burning drama was not a huge hit with audiences. Its Jan-uary premiere attracted less than a mil-lion viewers.

HBO said on Wednesday that it had maintained higher safety standards dur-ing production of “Luck” than exist in horse-racing anywhere “with many fewer incidents than occur in racing or than be-fall horses normally in barns at night or pastures.”

Two more episodes of the first sea-son remain to air. It was not immediately clear on Wednesday if any of the second season episodes already filmed would be broadcast. -Reuters

Deliberations begin in Desperate Housewives case

HBO drama Luck axed after deaths of horses

In this undated image released by HBO, Nick Nolte appears in a scene from the HBO original series “Luck.” (AP)

CBS renews 18 prime-time shows, including NCIS

PARIS: An Indian girl who was plucked from poverty to act in the Os-car-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire is to star in a new film with Hollywood legend Anthony Hopkins, her manager said Wednesday.

Rubina Ali, now 13, will feature in “Lord Owen’s Lady,” a love story about a young Welsh nobleman and an Indian woman, with filming due to start in Sep-tember this year in Britain and India.

“Rubina had signed the project one and a half years back. The producers have now informed us that she will shoot for about three weeks in Shimla (northern India), Wales and London,” Dubey told AFP from Mumbai.

Rubina, who was picked from the Mumbai slums to play the role of young Latika in the 2008 hit Slumdog Million-aire by director Danny Boyle, will be paid “more than 20,000 pounds ($31,000)” for her second international project.

She was just eight when she appeared in the rags-to-riches blockbuster, which won eight Academy Awards in 2009. Her journey from a Mumbai slum to Hollywood red carpet made her famous around the world.

The teenager has since had her share of problems, following ugly family fights over her income and a fire in her con-gested Mumbai slum that destroyed her family’s tin-roofed shack. -AFP

India’s Slumdog child star bags role with Hopkins

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AROUND TOWN / TIME OUTALWATAN DAILY

18FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

Aries: March 21 - April 19Emotions will run high with today’s planetary en-ergies, Aries. But this is no reason to run away and hide! People will be much more honest than usual, even brutally so, and you could learn some valuable

information as a result. Don’t be afraid to listen to some airing of dirty laundry as well. With your discerning judgment, you’ll be able to make sense of what is good information and what isn’t.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20Today’s emotional energy risks being exception-ally high, Taurus. You may find yourself at the end of your rope by midday. Try to take a long walk or bike ride in order to calm down. Go by yourself

and do some deep breathing outdoors. Try to avoid being drawn into other people’s conflicts. Excuse yourself and trust that they can work things out on their own.

Gemini: May 21- June 21Today is good for entertaining, Gemini. Enjoy the company of family and friends, and don’t get dis-tracted by gloomy thoughts about work or money. Just relax and let others take care of themselves.

You enjoy nurturing other people and making sure they have a wonderful time, but you need to have a great time as well.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22Today’s energies are going to be stirring up every-one’s emotions, Cancer. You may wish to avoid get-ting involved in any arguments or conflicts. If you ask for someone else’s advice, you’re likely to get

an earful. It may be best to keep to yourself as much as possible today and spend some time alone tonight with a good book. Everything should be much calmer tomorrow.

Leo: July 23 - August 22Yes, you can be proud of yourself. You really know your stuff. You have committed yourself to deepening your knowledge and capabilities and it really shows. Friends and family members will be coming to you

for advice, and rightfully so. Try not to grow complacent, though. It’s an easy trap to fall into. You’ll need to continue full-speed ahead on your educational journey in order to keep that edge!

Virgo: August 23 - September 22Today is wonderful for surrounding yourself with those you love the most. Host a get-together with family and friends, full of stimulating conversation and delicious food and drink. However, you might at

some point feel a little sad, missing someone who should be with you but isn’t, and speculating about what he or she may be doing.

Libra: September 23 - October 22As a person who enjoys being gregarious and out-going, days like this provide a wonderful outlet for your energy. You might spend a lot of time with your family today, Libra, but you’ll also probably

touch base with many others. At some point you might find yourself in the spotlight. You’ll feel especially fond of everyone around you and appreciate your good fortune. Enjoy your day.

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21This is a great time to take advantage of a little soli-tude to pursue some cherished goals, Scorpio. Your concentration and imagination are operating at a very high level, and you may not stop working un-

til you’re completely finished. If you’re starting a project, you’ll probably do well on it and, if business and money are involved, be successful. Don’t let temporary snags get in your way.

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21Be careful of gossiping too much with your friends and colleagues, Sagittarius. It’s fun to laugh and ex-change stories, but remind yourself of the fact that the truth in a story is diminished and changed each

time it’s repeated. If you gossip too much, your friends may be-gin wondering what you say about them when they aren’t there.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19Don’t be surprised if you don’t spend too much time at home today. All signs indicate that you’re more likely to be out and about, shopping, visiting, and maybe attending a special dinner or concert.

There are a number of family activities that you won’t want to miss, Capricorn, so don’t let your friends distract you with too much shopping or sports on TV.

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18You know that you have a very fertile imagination, and today’s aspects highlight this special quality. You might wish to channel your thoughts into an artistic endeavor like writing or painting. Be sure to grab

any opportunity to weave a fascinating tale for a child. Be careful about letting your imagination run away with you when making judgments about people. They’re most likely on the up and up.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20Yikes! What an emotional day, Pisces. The plane-tary energies are forecasting conflict, and lots of it. Do your best to personally steer clear of any of it, and try to avoid being drawn into any arguments.

You may wish to keep to yourself today. Tonight either stay in or head out to the movies alone.

HOrOSCOPeS

SuDOku

Feature o f t h e d a y

DILberT NANCy

MODerATeLy CONFuSeD GrAFFITI

Month a t a g l a n c e

Kuwaiti cuisineMarch 15-April 5/6 p.m. - 8 p.m./TIES Center: TIES Ladies Club invites you to our Kuwaiti cuisine classes which will start soon. Join us for a one month cooking program where you will learn to cook real Kuwaiti food. All ladies are invited to join our classes and let your family enjoy the mouth watering Kuwaiti cuisine. For more information/registration, contact 25231015/6.

Arabic courseMarch 11-April 19/ TIES Center: TIES Center is glad to announce the start of Arabic courses. We offer classes for all levels, from beginners to advance and also introduced new classes called Kuwait dialect. TIES Arabic classes are intended for all expatriates who wish to learn Arabic for whatever purpose- business, basic communication, as a second language or simply as a hobby. For more information/registration, contact 97228860/97793440.

Diwaniya presentationMarch 20/ 7 p.m. /The AWARE Centre: The AWARE Center cordially invites you to its diwaniya presentation Tuesday entitled, “Spread the Passion: con-necting volunteer opportunities to social responsibilities” by Fatemah Al-Mousawi. Spread the Passion is a group of volunteers with the aim of involv-

ing individuals with a wide range of volunteer work. Making giving to others simple and a way of life as well as a way to develop ones skills and then help others. This group is only 2 years old but is already making an impact and ex-panding their network. They regularly serve notable charities and good causes such as Bayt Abdullah hospice and journey of hope. All are welcome to learn more about this group.

AUK hosts lectureMarch 21/ 6 p.m. / AUK: The Centre for Gulf Studies (CGS) at the American University of Kuwait is hosting a lecture entitled “’The People Are Missing’: Palestinians in Kuwait” by Dr. Mai Al Nakib, Assistant Professor of English at Kuwait University. During her lecture, Dr. Al-Nakib will look at the status of the Palestinian community in Kuwait prior to the first Gulf War, discussing the ethical consequences to Kuwait after their expulsion in 1991.

New Toastmasters ClubSecond and fourth Tuesday/ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. / Jabriya: A new Toastmasters Club is being formed and encouraging new members to join. Toastmasters Interna-tional is a world leader in communication and leadership development. It is a non-profit international organization dedicated to improve member’s commu-nication and leadership skills by attending and participating toastmasters meet-ings. For more information, please contact Khaled Al-Hashem at 65588824.

Waist WatchersEvery Tuesday/ 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. / British Ladies Society: Meetings are based on the world’s most successful healthy eating plan. Weekly meetings include pri-vate weigh in, motivational talks, recipes to try, and cooking demonstrations. Fee of KD 2.500 is required to cover for the cost of course material. For more info contact; Danielle desertdanny@hotmail.com.

Brainbang sessionOctober 7-April/ 11:45 a.m. -1:45 p.m. /Salmiya: BRAINBANG, the creative arm of Friends of CRY Club (FOCC) invites all students aged 11 and above, to join us fortnightly on Fridays. The areas of development are: Creativity in learning, tools and techniques to empower your mind, profile based learning, activity, fun, games and worksheet based assignments, practical experiments, mind gymnastics and application of learning techniques to conventional study. E-mail: brainbang@focckwt.org or call 25660835/25618471/97677820.

The Philippine EmbassyThe Philippine Embassy in Kuwait announces that the Department or Foreign Affairs is advising all passport applicants to claim their passports within six (6) months from the date of application. Otherwise, unclaimed passports shall be cancelled and sent back to the Department for disposal. The Embassy will continue to entertain last minute claimants for such unclaimed passports within the next two months before finally canceling the passport in accordance with the directive of the Department.

Royal Thai EmbassyThe Royal Thai Embassy in Kuwait wishes to invite Kuwaiti companies that deal business with Thai companies or those agencies of Thai commercial companies to visit the Embassy’s Commercial Office to register their relevant information to be part of the embassy’s busi-ness and trade database. The Royal Thai Embassy is located in Jabriya, Block 6, Street 8, Villa No. 1, Telephone No. 25317530 -25317531, Ext: 14.

General A n n o u n c e m e n t s

Lana is a very affectionate and sweet female puppy of mixed breed. She was born in Oc-tober 2011. Lana is a happy girl who loves to play and go for long walks. She will be a great addition to a family with children over 10 years of age.

Fiona is a beautiful female Semi-Long Haired cat born in May 2008. She loves being cuddled and a good belly rub! She enjoys being held and likes to play. Fiona would be a lovely new family member in a household with children over 5 years of age. To adopt, call (+965) 6700 1622.

K’S PATH invites applicants for the adoption of pets

Elementary Intermediate Advanced

Dar Al Shifa hospital hosted workshop on ‘Tracer Methodology and Patient Safety’

KUWAIT: In line with its continued efforts to maintain the highest standards in medical practice, Dar Al Shifa hospital hosted a special workshop on ‘Trace Methodology and Patient Safety’ on March 4, 5 and 6. Attended by the hospital’s clinical and non clinical staff, the workshop was aimed at improving patient safety practices and utilizing the techniques of Tracer Methodology to ensure compliance in procedures.

A program of speeches, video presentations and group activities, showcased techniques for the staff to use in order to measure the safety levels in the day-to-day clinical practices. The attendees were also intro-duced to an interactive process which shall help them in identifying areas of improvement.

Sandra Kearns, an expert in Corporate Risk as-sessment and patient safety program developer from Canada conducted the workshop. “It has been identi-fied in the recent decades that well-meant healing pro-cedures can sometimes have an adverse effect on the patient,” she stated. “Thus resulting in a new category

in medicine, Patient Safety, this focuses on identifying and eliminating avoidable mistakes from the various procedures.”

“In the field of medicine, there is something new to learn every day, be it the discovery of new diseases or the founding of an improved patient-care procedure,” commented Kris Gustavson, an expert in Accreditation and Patient Services activities.

“Procedures for patient-care are a matter of sensi-tive nature, and require careful attention to detail, and a willingness to continuously upgrade and improve. Dar-Al-Shifa recognizes that, and hence it placed a lot of significance on this workshop.” Tracer Methodology is an evaluation method in which surveyors select a pa-tient, or process and uses this as a roadmap to evaluate the organization’s compliance with the standards and systems of providing care and services.

Training in this Methodology helps the clinical staff deeply involved in the clinical process and thus ensur-ing the delivery of safe and quality health care.

SPORTSfriDAY, mArch 16, 2012

ALWATAN DAILY

19

Cricket

Tennis

Pakistan beats Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in Asia Cup

Djokovic, Federer win in 3 sets at Indian Wells

DHAKA, Bangladesh: Skipper mis-bah-ul-haq and Umar Akmal smashed half-centuries to guide Pakistan to a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in a one-day international at the Asia cup on Thursday.

chasing a winning target of 189, Paki-stan comfortably reached 189-4 in just 39.5 overs in a steady yet determined in-nings.

misbah was unbeaten on 72 while Ak-mal made 77, the pair putting on 152 after Pakistan had been reduced to 3-33 at mir-pur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

mibah hit nine boundaries and a six in 93 balls. Akmal hit seven boundaries and two sixes from 72 balls. Pakistan is almost certain to reach the final after earning one bonus point for winning within 80 percent of the allotted match time, while Sri Lanka is facing an early exit from the four-team competition.

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 21 runs in the first match of the tournament on Sun-day. for Sri Lanka, Suresh Lakmal finished with figures of 2-37, while farveez ma-haroof and Seekkuge Prasanna took one wicket each.

Pakistan set its victory course with the ball after Aizaz cheema produced figures of 4-43, Saeed Ajmal took 3-27 and Umar Gul chipped in with 2-20 to dismiss Sri

Lanka for 188. Sri Lanka was bowled out with more

than four overs left.in the face of aggressive and disciplined

bowling by Pakistan, Kumar Sangakkara scored 71 and Upul Tharanga hit 57 in a 96-run stand after Sri Lanka had been reduced to 65-4. Sri Lanka lost five final wickets to add only 27 runs.

Sri Lanka made one change to its team which lost by 50 runs to india on Tuesday, replacing chamara Kapugedara with La-sith malinga.

Sri Lanka was without Angelo mathews after the allrounder was ruled out of the tournament because of a calf injury on Wednesday.

he was replaced in the squad by all-rounder Shaminda Eranga, who failed to make the team on Thursday.

Pakistan also made one change from its winning team that beat host Bangladesh. Asad Shafiq has been rested to include bowler hammad Azam, who took 1-21.

india is a five-time Asia cup champion while Sri Lanka has won the tournament on four occasions. Pakistan has won it once.

On friday, Bangladesh will face india at mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadi-um. -AP

INDIAN WELLS, California: Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 3 roger federer each needed three sets to reach the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday.

Second-ranked rafael Nadal beat 21st-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 6-2 to set up a quarter-final against David Nalbandian, who upset sixth-seed-ed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Djokovic, the two-time defending champion, beat Pablo Andujar 6-0, 6-7 (5), 6-2, racing through the first set in 27 minutes before Andujar picked up his game. The Spaniard, who had lost his pre-vious meeting against Djokovic in straight sets, held at love to even the second set 1-1, drawing encouraging cheers from the crowd at the indian Wells Tennis Garden.

federer got by lefty Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a fourth-round match that finished under the lights and completed a parade of the world’s high-est-ranked players.

it was federer’s 12th straight win, making him 19-2 on the year. it was also his 74th consecutive victory against a player outside the top 20, and he has won 36 of 38 matches since the US Open.

federer used a big serve to go up 5-4 in the third set then won on his second match point when Bellucci committed his second straight forehand error.

“These are the wins that sort of almost feel better, to be quite honest, because when you’re playing great, it’s simple, it’s easy, right?” federer said. “But when it’s not going your way and things are diffi-cult, that’s kind of the good wins.”

Against Djokovic, Andujar held at 6-all to force a tiebreaker, which he won 7-5 as the Serb committed a slew of er-rors. Djokovic broke to open the third, then again to lead 5-2.

he served out the match at 40-love, winning when Andujar’s forehand service return sailed wide.

Andujar fell to 1-8 against top-10 players, although he hung in for a stretch against Djokovic, keeping him on the run at the baseline with deep shots. The

friendship between Djokovic and the 26-year-old Spaniard dates to when they played each other in an under-16 match in Belgium.

Other winners were: No. 11 seed John isner, who defeated Aussie matthew Ebden 6-4, 7-5; and No. 12 Nicolas Al-magro, who defeated No. 7 Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-0. No. 13 Gilles Simon outlasted young American ryan harrison 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 to set up a quarter-final against isner. -reuters

Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene (right) attempts to stop the ball after a shot is played by Pakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq dur-ing their Asia Cup cricket match in Dhaka, , March 15, 2012. (AP)

Basketball Formula one

Roger Federer of Switzerland reacts to his backhand during his win over Tomaz Bel-lucci of Brazil at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, March 14, 2012. (AFP)

INDIAN WELLS, California: Top seed Victoria Azarenka stormed into the last four of the indian Wells WTA tournament with a ruthless 6-0 6-2 de-molition of Agnieszka radwanska, improving her record this year to 21-0.

The Belarusian world number one will next face Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who upset eighth seed Li Na of china 6-4 6-2 after one hour 23 minutes in Wednesday’s night session.

Australian Open champion Azarenka outplayed her Polish opponent from the baseline, coasting through the opening set in 25 minutes and racing to a 5-0 lead in the second before being surprisingly broken.

Though fifth-seed radwanska then held serve for the first time in the match, Azarenka served out to clinch a one-sided victory in just over an hour when her opponent netted a forehand.

The pony-tailed Belarusian clenched her right fist in delight as she looked at the players’ box, hav-ing moved into joint second place in the all-time standings for the best start to a WTA Tour season.

Swiss martina hingis leads the way with 37 consecutive victories to launch her 1997 campaign while American Serena Williams, with 21 in 2003, and Azarenka are next best.

radwanska came into Wednesday’s match with a 20-3 record for this season, all three of her defeats coming against Azarenka.

“i was really impressed with the way i played today,” a beaming Azarenka said in a courtside in-terview after improving her record to 9-3 against radwanska. “i was just really focused on every moment, on every point i played, on every ball i was striking. i didn’t really think about the score,” added the 22-year-old, who converted six of her 12 break points. Kerber broke Li twice in the opening

set and three times in the second, completing her first win over the chinese in four career meetings when her opponent hit a backhand service return long. -reuters

Azarenka demolishes Radwanska, Li goes out

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, reacts during her match against Agnieszka Radwanska, of Poland, at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Wednes-day, March 14, 2012. (AP)

MELBOURNE: Sebastian Vettel reflected a widespread caution over predicting the outcome of the formula One season on Thursday but at least the world champion was prepared to share his season goal, however unsurprising it was.

Driver after driver at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix expressed the opinion that winter testing had been inconclusive and only in Saturday’s qualifying, perhaps even in Sunday’s race, would the true pace of the cars be known.

The 24-year-old red Bull driver broke the mould, however, when asked whether matching Juan manuel fangio and michael Schumacher as the only drivers to win three successive world titles was important

“i’m here to win the championship so that’s the target,” he told a news conference ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. “Whether it is the third or not doesn’t make a difference. it would be nice, but the reason we’re here is to race and to win.”

The German also conceded that his com-patriot Schumacher, who won five of his seven titles in succession from 2000-2004, was his boyhood hero - for a while at least.

“When i was growing up, and similar to a lot of kids of that age in Germany, we were admir-ing michael,” he said. “he was our hero, he was my hero.

i had posters of him on my wall, yes i did, but when i got a bit older, i took them off and put some other posters on the wall,” he added, to laughter.

Vettel reprised his hero’s dominance when he won 11 of 19 races last year, including by a formidable 22 seconds at Albert Park, and claimed a record 15 pole positions.

Despite that dominance, Vettel said all we was able to report from his experiences in the car so far this year was that he felt good.

“i think it was difficult to read testing 100 percent,” he said.

“We’ve got a feeling. it’s always important

to have a good feeling about yourself, about the car, how you feel in the car. We were quite happy with that. it didn’t always go to plan but we were happy. it’s a bit unknown at this stage so it’s good to finally be here.”

One of the few changes to the regulations this year is that drivers will not be able to return to the main driving line at a corner if they have already made a defensive move.

“i think nothing has changed to be honest, yes, there is a little bit more in writing but i al-ways found there is a code of honor or a gentle-man’s agreement, if you like,” he said.

“if you are racing someone, you are allowed to race him hard but you should always give him enough room.

here and there you might disagree but large-ly it has worked well.” -reuters

Vettel breaks caution code in AustraliaBulls overcome Rose absence to beat Heat

CHICAGO: John Lucas iii scored 24 points, and the chicago Bulls beat the mi-ami heat 106-102 without Derrick rose in a charged showdown between the Eastern conference’s top two teams on Wednesday. The Bulls built a 16-point lead in the second quarter, were up 11 at halftime and boosted it back to 17 in the third after a push by mi-ami. They then hung on after miami closed within two in the closing minute for their 11th win in 12 games. Even better, they won without their superstar, and they did it on a night when Dwyane Wade scored 36 and LeBron James finished with 35 points for miami.

Wade did his best to lift the heat down the stretch scoring 19 points over the fourth quarter. his jumper with 1:20 left cut it to 100-96, and it stayed that way until chi-cago’s Kyle Korver hit two free throws with 17 seconds remaining. The heat weren’t finished, though. James Jones nailed a 3 with 10 seconds left to make it a three

point game, and he hit another one with 6.8 seconds to go after Korver buried two more free throws, pulling miami within 104-102. Lucas then clinched it when he hit two foul shots with six seconds remaining, giving the Bulls the win on a night when rose watched from the sideline with a strained groin. That had to feel particularly good since the heat clinched the Eastern conference champi-onship the last time they visited chicago.

Lucas iii provided a huge spark off the bench, missing his previous career-high by one point, and led six Bulls in double figures. Joakim Noah chipped in with 14 points and four blocks. Korver and ronnie Brewer scored 12, Luol Deng and c.J. Wat-son added 11 apiece, and chicago’s bench outscored miami’s 56-15. While Wade and James dominated, chris Bosh struggled in a big way for the heat. he scored 12 but was just 3 of 15 from the field as miami lost again after falling to Orlando the previous night. -AP

Chicago Bulls forward Car-los Boozer (5) celebrates after scoring a basket in front of Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) during an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Wednesday, March 14, 2012. (AP)

Sebastian Vettel (left) of Red Bull Racing shares a joke with Fernando Alonso (right) of Ferrari during previews to the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit, March 15, 2012. (AFP)

FRIdAY, MARCH 16, 2012

SPORTSFootball

Sports Editors HighlightRIO DE JANIERO: Ronaldinho was on Wednesday named in Brazil coach Mano Menezes’ prelimi-

nary 52-man squad for the football tournament at this year’s London Olympics. Menezes must whittle the squad down to 35 players by June 8 before announcing a final 18-man squad by July 6. Each squad is only allowed to include three players aged over 23 and Menezes’ squad included young stars such as Neymar, Ganso, and AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato. There is strong competition for the three over-age slots, with playmaker Ronaldinho joined in Menezes’ list by Barcelona right-back Dani Al-ves, Chelsea defender David Luiz and Milan centre-back Thiago Silva. There was no place, however, for Robinho or Kaka. In total, 24 of the players pre-selected currently play their domestic football in Brazil. The London Olympics run from July 27 to August 12. - AFP

Chelsea aims to further revive season in cup

LONDON: Chelsea can take another step to reviv-ing what had looked set to be a disastrous season when it hosts Leicester in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, Chelsea was struggling in the cup, appeared to be on the verge of Champions League elimination and its hopes of finishing in the top four of the Premier League were fading after one win from six matches.

But three straight wins have lifted morale and put the west London club back in contention for all three competitions, with only second-tier Leicester now standing in the way of a Wembley semifinal appear-ance.

Liverpool hosts Stoke in Sunday’s other quarter-final, while Everton is at home to Sunderland on Sat-urday, when Tottenham takes on Bolton in north Lon-don.

Chelsea’s firing of coach Andre Villas-Boas follow-ing months of reports of clashes with players seems to have rejuvenated and bonded the squad, which imme-diately beat Birmingham in an FA Cup replay, Stoke in the Premier League and Napoli in the Champions League.

“The only way to answer it is to win games and play well and we’ve done that,” midfielder Frank Lam-pard said.

Chelsea has won its last five meetings with second-tier Leicester, scoring four goals in each of the last two, and is now a strong contender for a fourth FA Cup win in six seasons.

After scoring in the 4-1 win over Napoli, Didier Drogba looks set to continue up front in place of Fer-nando Torres, who has just five goals in 50 appearances since joining Chelsea in January 2011.

Torres’ former club, Liverpool, is aiming to add a first FA Cup title since 2006 to the League Cup it won in a shootout last month.

Stoke reached last season’s FA Cup final but lost 1-0 to Manchester City and still has never won foot-ball’s oldest cup competition.

Only Arsenal and Manchester United have won the FA Cup more times than Tottenham but the last of Spurs’ eight wins was 21 years ago and they need to put a Premier League three-game losing streak behind them to overcome Bolton.

It’s a massive game for us,” Tottenham winger Ga-reth Bale said. “We know our league form hasn’t been great of late, but the FA Cup is a different competition and, being at home, we’ve got a great chance to get to the semifinals.”

There are only four Premier League games sched-uled for the weekend, with Swansea at Fulham and West Bromwich Albion at Wigan on Saturday. -AP

Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic (left) celebrates after scoring with Didier Drogba during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match, March 14, 2012. (AFP)

United can go four clear by avoiding Wolves biteMANCHESTER: Premier League leaders Man-

chester United will go four points clear if they beat second-from-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux this weekend but need only look back a year to know that is not as easy as it sounds.

In February 2011, then bottom club Wolves ended United’s 29-match unbeaten league run, inflicting a first league defeat of the season on the eventual champions when they stunned their visitors 2-1 in this fixture. Wolves, again embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation after just one win in their last 14 league games, fell behind to an early Nani goal but replied with two goals before halftime which led manager Alex Ferguson to bemoan his side’s “bad play at set-pieces”.

With Manchester City, the long-time leaders before their rivals overhauled them last week, not playing un-til Wednesday because opponents Chelsea are among those involved in the FA Cup quarter-finals, United can turn the screw on Sunday.

One of the keys to whether they can retain their ti-tle could be striker Wayne Rooney, who has been chal-

lenged by Ferguson to net 40 goals this season and who scored twice in December’s 4-1 victory over Wolves at Old Trafford.

Another double in last week’s 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion took his tally to 26, eight fewer than his best ever haul of 34 in 2009-10, and his team mates see his run continuing. City manager Roberto Mancini has said the champions have the mental edge having been involved in so many title battles while his club are seeking a first championship since 1968.

But he has refused to be down and says his team have enough games left to swing things back in their favor, including next month’s mouth-watering Man-chester derby.

“Now we can’t cry, now is a time to be strong and keep going because we are a top team,” the Italian, whose team have 66 points from 28 games compared to United’s 67, told a news conference. “We have 10 games, all is in our hands and we can change if we want. We have pressure because we want to win the title, we want to make history for the club.” - AP

FILE - Goal-keeper Wayne Hennessey and Karl Henry of Wolves com-bine to snuff out Phil Jones of Manchester United during a match between Manchester United and Wolverhamp-ton Wanderers, Dec. 10, 2011. (AFP)

Barca could have injured players back for Sevilla

MADRID: Barcelona hopes to have several players back from injury for the difficult match at Sevilla as the defending champions battle to trim the 10-point gap to Spanish leader Real Madrid with 12 rounds remaining.

Alexis Sanchez (right leg muscle) and Thiago Alcantara (right leg) could be fit to play on Saturday at Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, where Barcelona hasn’t lost in five years. But Eric Abidal won’t return as he is set to undergo a liver transplant in the next few weeks.

Lionel Messi has scored 16 goals in his past six games, only five away from matching Cesar Rodriguez’s club record of 235. Madrid hosts Malaga, an opponent it has beaten in the past five encounters.

Sevilla, which is one of the few teams to have taken a point at the Camp Nou this season, also need points. The Andalucians are seven off the last Champions League spot and hopeful that forwards Jesus Navas and Frederic Kanoute are fit for the match.

Barcelona will also hope the question about Pep Guar-

diola’s future doesn’t prove distracting, with speculation over whether he will sign on for a fourth season accompanying every news conference involving the club.

Malaga hasn’t beaten Madrid since returning to first-di-vision football, a run of nearly 13 years that includes eight straight losses at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Madrid has won 18 home matches this season, with its only losses at the Bernabeu coming against Barcelona. The team has looked especially strong since Brazilian playmaker Kaka returned to form. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain have combined for 62 league goals this season, putting them on course to break the 71 from the Barcelona trio of Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry and Messi three seasons ago. Madrid has scored 88 goals and is on track to break its own record of 107 set in the 1989-90 season. Malaga travel to the Spanish capital on Sunday on the back of three straight victories to rise to fourth place in the final Champions League berth, but there are a handful of teams giving chase. -AP

King Otto’s Hertha next in line for Bayern

BERLIN: Otto Rehhagel has twice pulled off near-impossible feats in his distinguished coaching career and faces another huge challenge on Saturday as his relegation-threatened Hertha Berlin attempt to stop goal happy Bayern Mu-nich.

Bayern have been irresistible in their last two games, scoring seven in each, and suddenly appear to have gained mo-mentum at the right time in the season after a slump which including defeats to Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen.

If anyone can stop find a way of stop-ping them, however, it is the 73-year-old Rehhagel, who led Kaiserslautern to an improbable Bundesliga title in 1998, the only time a promoted team has won the

championship, and won Euro 2004 with Greece, an equally unlikely achievement.

Rehhagel’s total of 18 wins over Bay-ern at various stages during his career is more than any other coach has man-aged and “King Otto” is always happy to put one over on the Bavarian club who sacked him after less than a season back in 1996. In complete contrast to Bayern, Hertha, who are 16th with 23 points and occupy the relegation playoff spot, have found goals almost impossible to come by, scoring only once in their last seven out-ings in all competitions.

Bayern, second with 51 points, are still five behind leaders and titleholders Borussia Dortmund, with nine games each to play, including a meeting between the two sides on April 11. Juergen Klopp’s

team host sixth-placed Werder Bremen and are attempting to set a club record of 20 Bundesliga matches without defeat, their last reverse having come against Hanover 96 in September. They had also won eight games in a row until being held to a goalless draw at Augsburg last week.

Borussia Moenchengladbach have dropped back into third spot, three points behind Bayern, after picking up only one point and failing to score in their last two games and hope that a visit to local rivals Bayer Leverkusen will inspire them to an improvement.

The weekend also features a key rele-gation battle with Hamburg SV, who have dropped into 14 place with 27 points, facing 17th place Freiburg, who have 22. -Reuters